Alternative Allegiance

In Daniel 7, God gives His people a vision that pulls back the curtain on history. Daniel sees four terrifying beasts rising from the sea—images of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. These empires appear powerful, glorious, and unstoppable, but Daniel sees them for what they are: monstrous, dehumanizing, and temporary. Empires rise and fall, but their power is borrowed, their time is short, and their authority is limited.

At the center of Daniel’s vision stands the Ancient of Days, enthroned in fire and glory, presiding over all history. And into His presence comes “one like a Son of Man,” who receives everlasting dominion, glory, and a kingdom that will never be destroyed. Jesus takes this title for Himself, claiming to be the true ruler of the world. At His trial in Mark 14:62, He declares that He is the Son of Man who will be seated at the right hand of Power and coming with the clouds of heaven. This was not a claim to private spirituality but a declaration of ultimate authority.

One of our takeaways from Daniel 7 is that allegiance to Jesus is not abstract or optional—it is political, personal, and costly. In every generation, empire demands loyalty: whether Babylon’s Marduk, Rome’s Caesar, or America’s civic religion of liberty, progress, and radical autonomy. We may not bow before statues, but we are tempted to worship the same idols in modern form—money, comfort, freedom, and self. Daniel 7 calls us to a different way of life: to live as a Creative Minority with alternative allegiance, ordering both our desires and our practices around King Jesus.

For the disciple of Jesus, the challenge is clear: Will you bow to the beasts of our age, or will you stand with the Son of Man? Daniel 7 points us to the hope that the kingdoms of this world are temporary, but Christ’s kingdom is everlasting. Our call is to discern the idols of our empire, pledge first allegiance to Jesus, and live faithfully as witnesses of His reign until He returns.