Podcasts about in daniel

Fr. Mike explains why God asks his people to surrender to king Nebuchadnezzar even though it seems contradicting. We learn that God can use evil circumstances to win the hearts of his people back. In Daniel, as we read about the vision of the ram and the goat, Fr. Mike reminds us that prophecy is always shrouded in mystery. Today we read Jeremiah 26-27, Daniel 8-9, and Proverbs 16:9-12. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

In this episode, you'll hear the story of a man who left positions with high influence and pay to start a retreat center for transformation in Peru. Daniel Gutierrez was a former advisor to the White House and the author of the book Radical Mindfulness. When he published his book, he transformed his own life by listening to his own lessons. He is still on an amazing journey today by hosting guests at his center named Catalina to honor his mother. Daniel is a good friend and fellow member of a wonderful organization, the Evolutionary Business Council. We talk about mindfulness, managing transitions, plant medicine, and much more in this fun interview. The interview yields eight “fun nuggets” about transformation: #1: Writing a book can create transformation in your life. (In Daniel's case, he goes so far as to say that writing a book saved his life). #2: You may need to read and re-read your own book to incorporate the lessons for yourself. #3: You are not your “bio”. #4: Ask permission. Daniel tells the story of his “dispacho” ceremony to connect to nature, honor Her, and ask for permission to use the land for his Retreat Center. #5: Plant medicines remove the veil between ourselves and a greater consciousness. #6: Listen. #7: There is a difference between an experience and a healing. We discuss Michael Pollan's book, How to Change Your Mind. https://www.amazon.com/How-to-Change-Your-Mind-audiobook/dp/B07B1V3RF5/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=how+to+change+your+mind&qid=1625246520&sr=8-1 #8: There is a journey before the journey and even a journey after the journey About Daniel Gutierrez Once a high-powered executive and in-demand consultant who graced the covers of Latin Business, Cypen, and Color Magazines, Daniel Gutierrez realized that there was more to success than a 7-figure earning potential. As President of PRIMER, a prestigious national leadership organization and an advisor to the Department of White House Personnel for the Obama Administration, Daniel was a highly regarded and deeply revered leader. Though Daniel was listed as one of the “Top 100 Hispanics in America” along with Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, actor Edward James Olmos, and CNN's Soledad O'Brien, something was still missing. To find fulfillment, Daniel decided to dedicate the next chapter of his life to becoming a Master of Mindfulness. During the past 10 years, he has led quests to the heights of the Machu Picchu, the depths of the Amazon, and the top of the Himalayas. After the boardroom, now Daniel has been guiding entrepreneurs and corporate executives in deep-dive mindfulness immersions. Though mindfulness is a lifelong practice, Daniel has become known for giving life-altering strategies in as little as 60 seconds. When facing extreme pressure, executives go from high-strung to highly productive. Daniel has even turned Wall Street cubicles from a place of stress to pads of serenity. A beloved mentor and sought-after motivational speaker, Daniel was featured in the documentary Luminous World Views as one of eighteen world-renowned transformational thought-leaders. In November 2018 Daniel appeared as a special guest for renowned teacher, Michel Pascal on one of the biggest stages in the world, Carnegie Hall in New York City. He addressed a sold-out crowd with musical support from Earth Wind and Fire, Madonna and Michael Jackson's best musicians. He is a bestselling author, who just released his fifth book, International Best Selling Radical Mindfulness. What's fun for Daniel Gutierrez fishing Links www.danielgutierrez.com www.catalinaretreatcenterperu.com instagram: motivatordan twitter: motivatordan Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=676002517 LinkenIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-gutierrez-peru/

In Daniel 9 we find Daniel reading God's words through the prophet Jeremiah, seeing that the time of fulfillment is near, and responds by turning to God in prayer. Daniel shows us how to pray as foreigners and exiles. He turns to God in adoration, confession, and petition.

Discussion Questions Read Daniel's interpretations of the royal visions in Daniel 4:19–27 and 5:13–28. How does Daniel's posture toward the kings differ? (i.e. supportive, argumentative, sympathetic) Read Daniel 4:1–3, 37 and 5:1–4. What are the kings' postures toward God? In Daniel 4 & 5 we see arrogance and humility as patterns of behavior, not simply individual acts. When has pride or arrogance gotten in your way? Have you taken credit for something when God deserved the credit? Read Matthew 23:8–12 and Colossians 3:12–15. How will you put these passages into practice and grow in humility? Confession Gracious God, we confess that we sin against you and others by our thoughts, words, and actions. We desire to put ourselves on the throne of our lives, so we act in ways that serve ourselves instead of our neighbors. We seek our own wants over the needs of others. When things go wrong we blame you and blame others, yet when things go well we want to take all the credit. We ask that you forgive us and renew us by restoring our hearts to love like you love and serve like you serve. In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Episode 117 – Perfectly Quiet – The Intertestamental Period 3 Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script: … a goat with a prominent horn between its eyes came from the west, crossing the whole earth without touching the ground. … I saw it attack the ram furiously, striking the ram and shattering its two horns. … at the height of its power the large horn was broken off, and in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven. … The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia. The shaggy goat is the king of Greece, and the large horn between its eyes is the first king.” Daniel, chapter 8, verses 5 through 8 and 20 and 21, New International Version ******** VK: Hello. I'm Victoria K and today on Anchored by Truth we are continuing our look at “The Intertestamental Period.” This is the period between the close of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament. Many people don't realize that there is a gap of 400 to 450 years that elapsed between the close of the Old Testament canon and the start of the New. I'm in the studio today with RD Fierro, author and Founder Crystal Sea Books. RD, how about reminding us about why you thought it was important for us to do a series focused on a time period in history when books of the Bible weren't being produced? RD: As we mentioned in our first couple of episodes in this series knowing what happened between the two testaments helps us improve our understanding of both the Old and New Testaments. You might think that the events of the intertestamental period would primarily benefit our understanding of what was recorded in the New Testament. After all, history only unfolds in one direction. So, it would be natural to think that the events of the intertestamental period were primarily important to a student of the Bible because of the historical background they would provide for New Testament events. But actually the intertestamental period provides us with a wealth of insight into the Old Testament, in part because a number of Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled during the intertestamental period. If we don't know what happened during that period we would lose important evidence that demonstrates that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. VK: Well, maybe you should take a moment and connect the dots for us about how Biblical history helps us improve our confidence in the inspiration of scripture. I think a lot of people tend to view history as one of those subjects we could leave behind when we finished school. I mean many people might think that the Bible is important in that it gives us moral and ethical instruction. And they would acknowledge the Bible contains information on spiritual topics like salvation, heaven, and how to have better lives. But I think that many Christians don't understand the link between the topics that affect our daily lives, or our future in heaven, with knowing something about history. RD: Well, let's start with a refresher. Here on Anchored by Truth we start every show by reminding everyone that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. But how can we know that? How can we be sure of that? Well, one way we can be sure the Bible is the Word of God is by examining evidence that supports this contention. We often talk about 4 lines of evidence that demonstrate that the Bible is inspired: reliable history, remarkable unity, fulfilled prophecy, and redeemed destinies. Redeemed destinies occur when people learn and accept the Bible's spiritual and moral truths. The Bible has helped untold millions discover the truth that Jesus died to save us from our sin and assures us that we can spend eternity with Him in heaven. But of course redeeming destinies doesn't stop there. VK: Besides just leading people into a saving relationship with Christ, the Bible has also helped millions give up addictions to drugs, alcohol, and pornography. The Bible has also helped families be reunited and it has led people to found hospitals, missions, and schools. When we talk about redeeming destinies we're not just talking about redeeming eternal destinies. The Bible has also helped millions and their families have far better lives here on this earth. RD: That's all very true. So, the fact that one book has had such a positive impact on so many lives is evidence that that book is special or remarkable. And it's important that the Bible has been able to do that across times, places, and cultures. But, as important as that line of evidence is, those redeemed destinies alone don't demonstrate that the Bible is God's word. We also need those other lines of evidence to complete the demonstration. VK: The reliable history the Bible contains shows that the Bible is consistent with what we can see around us, not only in our day and time but in the days and times that have gone before. A book claiming divine inspiration that is manifestly inconsistent with observations of our world and its history automatically surrenders much of the validity of its claim. When we speak of remarkable unity we're referring to the fact that the books of our Bible were written by over 3 dozen human authors over a period of fifteen hundred years. Yet, despite this variety of human authors and times in which it was written, the Bible is unified. It contains one message about one plan centered on one person for one purpose. This consistency is strong evidence that there is one single Mind behind all the books. And, obviously, that Mind would have to be eternal. Otherwise, it could not have kept that singular focus for fifteen hundred years. RD: Right. Those three lines of evidence – redeemed destinies, reliable history, and remarkable unity – are all very compelling in demonstrating that the Bible is a remarkable book. But, it is not impossible that a really determined group of people might have crafted a sort of pious fraud that possessed those attributes. It's highly unlikely but none of those things are beyond the realm of human ability. But one thing that is beyond the realm of human possibility is to accurately predict the future – and not just the near term future – weeks, days, or months – but centuries. And not predict the future in a vague or non-descript kind of way like Nostradamus, Edward Cayce, or the other so-called human prophets. Biblical prophecies name names, give places, describe events, and even designate times with such precision that it would be beyond the ability of any human or group of humans to predict or even arrange. VK: Fulfilled prophecy helps demonstrate that the Bible truly has a supernatural origin. And to go back to our point – there is no way for us to know about prophecies that were made and fulfilled without knowing a little history. So, that's part of what we want to do during this study of the intertestamental period. We want to show that there were numerous prophecies made in the Old Testament period that were fulfilled during this time. New prophecies were not being made during the intertestamental period. But old prophecies were being fulfilled. RD: Correct. So, the mundane facts of history connect to the Bible's spiritual messages about salvation and heaven in a very direct way. By reading the Bible and studying history we can see that the Bible contains a large volume of prophecies, hundreds of which have been fulfilled. This solidifies our confidence that the Bible is God's word so that it can be trusted in matters that are supernatural. And in case anyone thinks that this connection is new or novel, even Jesus made the same point in his conversation with Nicodemus. VK: You're thinking about the Gospel of John, chapter 3, verses 11 and 12 where Jesus said: I am telling you the truth: we speak of what we know and report what we have seen, yet none of you is willing to accept our message. You do not believe me when I tell you about the things of this world; how will you ever believe me, then, when I tell you about the things of heaven? So, Jesus himself connected the things of this world – like historical events - to the things of heaven. RD: Right. Nicodemus had gone to Jesus secretly at night because Nicodemus was an important man in Jewish society. Now, Nicodemus may have gone to Jesus at night because he didn't want to ruin his reputation. But, it's possible Nicodemus just wanted to be able to speak candidly with Jesus because Nicodemus had become convinced Jesus might be the Messiah. Nicodemus would have had a mastery of the Jewish scriptures, the Old Testament. He also would have been very familiar with the immediate history of his people. Nicodemus' study of history and scripture could easily have led him to believe Jesus was the one the Jews had been expecting for hundreds of years. VK: I see what you're saying. Nicodemus was a Pharisee. Now, most of the Pharisees were skeptical or opposed to Jesus because Jesus was a threat to their power and influence. But Nicodemus was an exception. He wanted to know the truth about Jesus regardless of what it meant for him personally. As a Pharisee Nicodemus would have been an expert in the Old Testament. He certainly would have been familiar with those prophecies that had been fulfilled during the intertestamental period. That would have included the prophecy we heard in our opening scripture. RD: Right. So, it's possible Nicodemus went to Jesus because Nicodemus was just trying to find out the truth about Jesus for himself so he wanted some undisturbed time with Jesus. At any rate during their conversation Jesus apparently felt the need to correct Nicodemus' understanding about some spiritual matters. When he did so it appears Jesus encountered either skepticism or Jesus just hit some gaps in Nicodemus' understanding. But notice, as he was addressing Nicodemus's questions about spiritual matters, Jesus plainly connected his teaching about matters of this world with the Jews' willingness to accept his teaching about spiritual truth. I personally think this is one of the most profound truths we learn from scripture. A lot of people today become very enamored with the esoteric elements of the Bible – eschatology, the operation of spiritual gifts, supposedly hidden messages and Bible codes, and more. Yet, too often these same people have ignored the most basic teachings of the Bible and plain facts about the Bible. The point is that it's a good idea for every Christian to know enough about Biblical history to be able to answer some basic questions. The question, “how can you be confident the Bible is God's word,” is not an unreasonable question. As believers, we should be prepared to answer reasonable questions. Good evangelism includes not just proclamation but sometimes explanation. VK: Well, let's get back to our discussion about the intertestamental period. As we've been discussing fulfilled prophecy is one of the strongest lines of evidence that the Bible is the word of God. And there were a lot of prophecies fulfilled during the intertestamental period such as the ones in our opening scripture. So, let's focus on it. Our opening scripture came from Daniel, chapter 8. Verse 1 of chapter 8 tells us that Daniel received his vision in the “third year of King Belshazzar's reign.” Belshazzar was a Babylonian king. When did Belshazzar rule? RD: Around the middle to latter part of the 6th century B.C. – from about 556 B.C. to 539 B.C. And the mere fact that Daniel dates his vision using Belshazzar is itself significant. At one time Belshazzar was thought to be legendary because many of the well-known ancient Greek historians such as Herodotus made no mention of him as king of Babylon. The last king of Babylon was thought to be Nabonidus who some scholars think had married a daughter of Nebuchadnezzar. But thanks to excavations at Ur we now know that Belshazzar was a co-regent with Nabonidus who was his father. Nabonidus spent a lot of time in another part of the empire so Belshazzar actually ruled in Babylon. VK: So, the fact that Daniel even dates his vision by Belshazzar is significant evidence of the historicity of the book of Daniel. Herodotus wrote around 450 B.C. Apparently, Belshazzar's name had disappeared from common historical knowledge by that time. That's just decades after Belshazzar's death in 539 B.C. The fact that Daniel correctly identified Belshazzar's role in Babylon means the book of Daniel must have been written earlier that 450 B.C. Again, this is solid evidence the book of Daniel was written in the 6th century B.C. Right? RD: Right. In terms of our calendar, chapter 8 of Daniel can be reliably dated to around 550 or so B.C. At that point the Babylonian empire is still intact. But it would only remain that way for another 20 years or so. In our opening scripture we heard about 2 empires that would follow the Babylonian empire – the Medes and Persians and the Greeks. Well, the Medes and Persians actually conquered Babylon during Daniel's lifetime (539 B.C.). VK: So, Daniel lived to see a partial fulfillment of some of his own prophecies. Daniel lived to see the Medes and Persians replace the Babylonians. In Daniel's vision the two-horned ram represented the Medes and Persians. That image made perfect sense because it was a confederation of the Medes and the Persians that actually conquered Babylon. Ultimately, the Persian side of the alliance became dominant but initially both sides were part of the conquests. The two horns of the ram should be contrasted with the single horn of the shaggy goat. The goat represented the Greeks and the Greek empire was led by Alexander the Great who was unmatched in the speed and scope of his conquests. RD: Exactly. And we're going to talk more in a moment about why the goat was used as a symbol for the Greeks. But let's focus for just a second on the remarkable speed and scope of Alexander's conquests. Alexander the Great conquered all the territory from Greece to India including Egypt and the Mideast and he did it in just over a decade. No other single person in history has ever been as successful as a military leader. That's why in Daniel's vision it makes perfect sense that the shaggy goat is said to cross the whole earth without touching the ground. That's a poetic way of talking about the speed with which Alexander's conquests would occur. He moved so fast it's as if he wasn't touching the ground. But notice that it says that at the height of his power the “prominent horn” – Alexander - would be broken off and replaced by four other horns that would grow up toward the four winds of heaven. VK: And we know from history that that is exactly what happened. After Alexander died his brother was declared king. But the unity of the Greek power died with Alexander. Alexander died 323 B.C. For about the next 20 years there was a power struggle among Alexander's generals but in 300 B.C. there was a formal division of Alexander's empire between four of his generals who had taken to calling themselves kings. RD: Yes. The four former generals who emerged as the “four other horns” (in the Bible a horn is a symbol of power) were Ptolemy, Seleucus, Cassander, and Lysimachus. The Bible is primarily concerned with Ptolemy and Seleucus because Ptolemy became the ruler of Egypt and Seleucus became the ruler of Syria. Of course, geographically Israel is between Egypt and Syria. So, for the next 200 plus years those two powers would struggle for control of Israel. VK: But the Bible doesn't refer to these two kingdoms by the names of the generals – Ptolemy or Seleucus. The Bible just calls them the King of the South and the King of the North. The Bible always uses directions using Israel as the point of reference. So, when the Bible says the King of the South it's referring to a kingdom south of Israel. Same for King of the North. That's referring to a kingdom that would be north of Israel. RD: Yes. And we're going to talk more about the struggle between the King of the North and the King of South in our next episode of Anchored by Truth. But for today we want to just focus on the amazing nature of the prophecies in our opening scripture. We've already seen that the speed of Alexander the Great's conquests is a fitting fulfillment of the prophecy's description of a shaggy goat crossing the earth that doesn't touch the ground. Alexander's conquests were amazingly fast just a running goat not touching the ground would be. VK: And you've also said that using the goat as a symbol for Greece also makes good sense in a couple of different ways. In ancient times Macedonia and Greece were separate states until they were unified under Philip of Macedon, Alexander's father. So, why would it make sense to use a goat as a symbol for Alexander? RD: The first king of the Macedonians was thought to be Caranus who began his reign about 800 years before the Christ. There's a story that Caranus was led to establish the city of Edessa as his capital when he was led to the city by a herd of goats. As such, the goat became associated with Macedonia and subsequently the unified Greece and Macedonia. Bronze figures and architectural elements have been found that showed the goat as a symbol of Macedon. There's a particularly fascinating pilaster, which is essentially a decorative framework for a building, which shows a man in Persian dress holding the single, large horn of a goat. The pilaster seems to depict the time when Cyrus the Great conquered Ionia, a territory that had been colonized by the Macedonians. That kicked off a year conflict between the Persians and the Greeks that lasted more than 200 years. And some of the battles in that conflict have made it into our popular culture of today. VK: The Battle of Marathon is a good example. It occurred during the first Persian invasion of Greece in 490 B.C. The Greeks, principally the Athenians, defeated the Persians on the Plain of Marathon. Then various accounts say a Greek runner ran the entire distance to Athens to tell of victory so the Persians could not falsely claim they had won. The name of the Greek runner varies in different accounts and some say he died. Marathon is 26.1 miles from Athens and that's why today's marathon running event is 26.1 miles. RD: That's a good example. So, is the legendary stand of the Greeks at the pass of Thermopylae. According to popular movie versions there were only 300 Spartans who blocked a huge invasion force of Persians, but in actuality there were probably around 7,000 Greeks from Sparta and a variety of other city-states. It is true, though, that the Spartans and about 1,000 other Greeks remained guarding the pass when the rest of the Greek army retreated. At any rate, the Persians repeated incursions into Greece between 490 B.C. and around 450 B.C. obviously branded them as enemies of the Greeks. So, when Alexander the Great became king at the age of 20 after his father, Philip, was murdered Alexander was determined to get revenge. At the time Daniel received his prophecy in Chapter 8 all of that was still in the future. It would be almost 20 years after Daniel received the vision before the Babylonians would fall to the Medes and the Persians. It would be another 200 years after that before the Persian Empire would fall to Alexander the Great. VK: And it was 13 years after Alexander conquered Persia that he died – or as the scripture says “at the height of its power the large horn was broken off.” And it would be another 23 years after Alexander's death before the formal division of the Greek empire – or as the scripture put it “in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven.” You know, that is a lot of unfamiliar names, dates, and places. RD: True enough. And I understand why it can be daunting for someone who has never investigated Biblical history to begin to understand it. VK: It can seem very far away from the things that we usually think about when it comes to our faith – salvation, heaven, living better lives, overcoming bad habits. RD: Yes. And I get that. And I wouldn't want to suggest that we can't live lives that are individually pleasing to God without mastering the dates and places of the Greco-Persian wars. But I would suggest that the church collectively won't fulfill its mission if we don't reclaim the idea that the Bible and Christianity aren't just subjectively comforting but objectively true? VK: And you would say that the current state of our culture is ample evidence that when the church tried to become popular it lost some or much of its preservative character? RD: Exactly. The church is supposed to be salt and light to the culture. Salt is a preservative. Light is necessary for clear direction. But we lose those attributes if allow the Bible to be treated as just another interesting book – entertaining at times but ultimately a book that we can leave or take. That's certainly not how Jesus treated the scriptures. VK: In Matthew, chapter 5, verses 17 and 18 Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to do away with the Law of Moses and the teachings of the prophets. I have not come to do away with them, but to make their teachings come true. Remember that as long as heaven and earth last, not the least point nor the smallest detail of the Law will be done away with—not until the end of all things.” That's the Good News Translation. RD: Exactly. Well, one of the teachings of the prophets Jesus referred to are the prophecies found in Daniel. So, we honor Jesus' words when we take the time to develop a solid understanding of the truth contained in the prophets. And, at our point in the grand plan of redemption, that means understanding enough about Biblical history to be able to confidently communicate at least a few basics. VK: And we want to make that easier on our listeners. So, one way listeners can help others develop a better understanding is just by informing others about the availability of Anchored by Truth. Anchored by Truth can be a simple way for listeners to help other believers, or unbelievers, begin to strengthen their faith and communicate the message that the Bible really is the inspired word of God. RD: Yes. Knowing something about Biblical history not only helps increase our confidence in the Bible itself but helps us get a better understanding of our own times. We see from history that the Jews persistent refusal to accept warnings and correction from the Lord caused them to go into captivity. They were later given permission to return to their homeland but how much better it would have been to listen to the Lord in the first place. I think that message is just as important today as it was 2,500 years ago. VK: This sounds like a great time for a prayer. Today's prayer is a prayer for our young children. We not only want them to grow up healthy and strong but also in the love, nurture, and admonition of the Lord: ---- PRAYER FOR YOUNG CHILDREN. We hope you'll be with us next time and we hope you'll take some time to encourage some friends to tune in too, or listen to the podcast version of this show. If you'd like to hear more, try out crystalseabooks.com where “We're not famous but our Boss is!” (Bible Quote from the New International Version) Daniel, chapter 8, verses 5 through 8 and 20 and 21, New International Version

Today, we are going to study Sur or Petra – Rock. Easton's Bible Dictionary – The Hebrew word for rock is “tsur”, meaning employed as a symbol of God in the Old and New Testament. In Daniel 2:45, the Chaldaic form of the Hebrew word is translated “mountain.” The “rock” from which the stone is cut there signifies the divine origin of Christ. Psalm 61 Life Application Play Selah's beautiful version of You Are My Hiding Place (2004), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUx2WcC9JKo Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you, Psalm 119:18 “Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from your law.” Mediate on the variegated picture of Christ that you glean from the metaphors in: 2 Samuel 22:1-3 “Then David spoke to the Lord the words of this song, on the day when the Lord had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. And he said: “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; The God of my strength, in Him I will trust, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; My Savior, You save me from violence.” End your time of faith strengthening worship by using these great Names of God in a prayer of praise to the Rock of your Salvation. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/deanna-fullerton/message

In Daniel 9, Daniel prays a prayer to God to ask God to do what God had promised to do 70 years prior to that. Today we see the importance of asking God to be faithful to his promises.

In Daniel chapter 5 we are introduced to the last king of Babylon, Belshazzar. In this chapter we come to the end of the Babylonians Empire and the beginning of the Medo-Persian Empire. Pastor Gideon MacGovern Mpeni expounds from this Passage and observes that this transition is 'curtain raised' by a drunken orgy held by Belshazzar in which he is not only given to drunkenness, lust and idolatry, but even more seriously, he commits sacrilege against God by incorporating the holy temple vessels into his evil gathering. This was a bad choice that marked the beginning of the End - It is the last Cheers! in which we see two key events, A. The Corrupt king commits Cosmic Treason (v.1-12) 1. Selfish Gratification (v.1- - Intoxication - Immorality 2. Satanic Glorification (v.3-4, 22-23) - Idolatry (v.3-4) - Irreverent (v.22-23) B. The Righteous King crafts the Concealed Graffiti (v.13-31) God has crafted all His plan visible to the sight of all men and in this passage we see God invades though not on the invitation guests list! This writing on the Wall points us to the Revelation of God (v.5) and Rebellious men who have a clear view of it are Convicted by it (v.6) and Condemned by it (v.24-28). Like Belshazzar, they are not in need of etymological, or Biological explanation, they rather need a Theological significance and interpretation of what God has clearly reveal, for ALL has been concealed to the wise of this age (v.7-12) In Sovereign Grace God has written and spoken through His Word, His plan has been clearly revealed (v.13-31) In this narrative we see the outworking of the Biblical Narrative, that God has Crafted His Graffiti perfectly; 1. In Commissioning His Word (v.13-31) 2. In Creation (v.17, 23; Rom.1:18-32) 3. In Crisis (v.18-28. Gen.3-Rev.21) 4. In Christ - The humiliation of Nebuchadnezzar points us to Christ Crucified (v.21-28) 5. In the Church - His people will one day be exalted (v.29; Eph.2:7-10) 6. In the Condemnation of all Sinners (v.30) 7. In the Coronation of kings and kingdoms (v.31) YOU CAN WATCH ALSO - https://youtu.be/l1PTh3J1ip0 TAKE TIME AND LISTEN, SHARE AND SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL

1. Is the book of Amos in the Old or New Testament or neither? 2. From Mosaic law, what would happen to the person who cursed his father or mother? Imprisonment, Outcast, 10 lashings, Death 3. In Daniel 2, who had a dream about a statue composed of different materials? Jezebel, Abednego, Rezin, Nebuchadnezzar 4. From Acts 7, who said, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge”? Philip, Stephen, Luke, David 5. In Genesis 14:3, what “lake” is called the Salt Sea? Galilee, Lake Pison, Dead Sea, Euphrates 6. Whose biblical name means “salvation”? Jude, Ahaz, Hosea, Ruth ANSWERS:...Article Link

Worship sounds like a very churchy word, but its seen in everyday peoples lives when you look at what they spend their time and attention on. It's where there heart is, what they talk about a lot. In this episode we check out some Scripture and where this idea of worshipping comes from. More than a song, worship is what you show devotion to and admiration for. The only person worthy of true worship is God Himself. All others are an idol and have way less value than God. Two very good reasons to worship God are 1) who He is and 2) what He's done. In Daniel 3, three men's lives were at stake on the subject of worship. The king himself was angry that these men didn't bow down to his image of gold. So he cast them bound into a burning fiery furnace. What happened next had him astonished and amazed. He changed his mind about worship after that. Come explore the meaning of true worship with me. Thank you for listening --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/matthew-johnson27/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/matthew-johnson27/support

Description: Dr. Janet Pope returns! In this second episode of Around the Rheum's new “Ask the Expert” segment, Dr. Janet Pope, one of Canada's most eminent rheumatologists takes questions from host Dr. Daniel Ennis and from you, our listeners. This episode's topic is Raynaud's. In Daniel's words: “The more Raynaud's I see, the more questions I have about Raynaud's. And the more I read about it, the more I wonder if I am over- or under-diagnosing it.” Thanks to those who sent in questions for this episode: University of Alberta Rheumatology Residents Dr. Greg Koller, Dr Shahna Tariq, and Dr. Jenny Hong. Ask The Expert: You, too, can have your question featured on an episode of Around the Rheum! To ask questions for our upcoming "Ask the Expert" segments, on the differences between Inflammatory Arthritis and Arthralgias, Lupus Pearls, and Scleroderma Pearls, email us at info@rheum.ca or tag our Twitter account with your question @crascrrheum Bios: Dr. Janet Pope is a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Rheumatology at the University of Western Ontario, Schulich School of Medicine, London, Ontario. She is also the Division Head in Rheumatology at St. Joseph's Health Centre in London.Dr. Daniel Ennis is a Rheumatologist and Vasculitis Specialist at the University of British Columbia. Special Thanks: Around the Rheum is produced by the Canadian Rheumatology Association's Communications Committee. A special thank you to the podcast team, Dr. Dax G. Rumsey (CRA Communications Committee Chair), Dr. Daniel Ennis (Host), David McGuffin (Producer, Explore Podcast Productions) and Kevin Baijnauth (CRA) for leading production. Our theme music was composed by Aaron Fontwell.   For more on the work of the Canadian Rheumatology Association, visit rheum.ca.

Daniel 7:15-18 In Daniel 7, the prophet had a dream given to him by God that Daniel described as terrifying and dreadful, which greatly alarmed him to the degree that his color changed.  Two times in the chapter, Daniel said that the dream alarmed him and filled him with anxiety.  However, there are four references to our victory at the demise of the kingdoms of this earth, the great beast, and the antichrist that served to remind Daniel and all The post The Kingdom of Heaven is Real appeared first on Meadowbrooke Church.

In Daniel chapter 7, the genre switches from narrative to apocalyptic literature. We will learn that such visions are recorded in the Scriptures, not to give us a distinct timeline, but to unveil the work of God in establishing His kingdom. In short, we learn that God gives us clarity for our faith by giving us the "big picture."

In Daniel chapter 7, the genre switches from narrative to apocalyptic literature. We will learn that such visions are recorded in the Scriptures, not to give us a distinct timeline, but to unveil the work of God in establishing His kingdom. In short, we learn that God gives us clarity for our faith by giving us the "big picture."

A Sermon for Ascension Sunday Daniel 7:9-14 & Acts 1:1-11 by William Klock   As you came today you walked through the lychgate and under those words carved on it: “Jesus is Lord”.  That’s the central truth we celebrate and remember in the Ascension and it’s an exhortation we need to hear right now more than ever.  People are living in fear of sickness.  Our government is trying to control the spread of that sickness—and for so much of the last year it feels like we’re wasting out time, like those people out cutting scotch broom along the public right of ways, while acres upon acres are growing on private land just the other side of a wire fence, like bailing water out of a sinking boat.  And, meanwhile, the scientists have been working frantically for a solution—and now we’ve got it, if only we can get it to people fast enough.  Brothers and Sisters, the people living in crippling fear need to be reminded that Jesus is Lord.  The politicians and the technocrats need to be reminded that Jesus is Lord.  And everyone who thinks that Science is our saviour needs to be reminded that Jesus is Lord.  Healthy fear, good government, and the miracles of science are all good things—but we need to remember that they are gifts of God under the lordship of Jesus. In our lesson from Acts, St. Luke tells us about Jesus as he led the disciples out of Jerusalem to the Mount of Olives.  He promised them that John’s prophecy would soon be fulfilled.  He was going to send his Spirit to baptise them with fire.  They didn’t know what that meant.  In fact, it didn’t even seem very important to them at the time.  They wanted to know about the kingdom!  That’s what the Messiah was about—he was supposed to come and restore the kingdom of Israel.  When he rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday they were thinking that maybe now he would finally throw off the poor itinerant rabbi disguise and restore the kingdom, throwing out the Romans and taking up David’s throne.  But instead Jesus allowed himself to be arrested, beaten, and killed.  They were despondent.  But then on Sunday he rose from the dead.  Maybe this was finally it.  But through the next forty days Jesus simply taught them the Scriptures.  The disciples were excited to have Jesus back with them.  They were excited about his resurrection, although they didn’t yet truly understand what it meant.  And so there on the Mount of Olives they asked again: Jesus, it’s great you’re alive again.  We appreciate all the Bible teaching.  But when are you going to bring the kingdom?  And in response Jesus once again promised them the gift of the Holy Spirit to empower their witness and then told them that it wasn’t their place to know the times and seasons fixed by the Father.  But then Jesus did something amazing: he ascended into the clouds.  There were the disciples staring into the sky, probably with their mouths agape, as Jesus disappeared from their sight.  And they just stood there, staring and staring until the two men, the two angels, broke into their wonder and amazement saying, “Hey, you men of Galilee!  Are you going to stand there forever staring into space?  Jesus went up to heaven and he’s coming back.  Didn’t he give you something important to do in the meantime?” What just happened there?  Why were they agape, staring into the sky?  It wasn’t just that Jesus had done something that no one else had ever done before.  No, it was because he did something that anyone who knew the Hebrew scriptures recognised.  In our Old Testament lesson from Daniel 7 we read about the one called the son of man.  Daniel saw in a vision a sequence of empires…Babylonians, Persians, Greeks.  They were ferocious, destructive, oppressing God’s people.  And then they were destroyed and, Daniel says, he saw this one like a son of man—a figure representing the people of God— “with the clouds of heaven…he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.  And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.” God’s people had suffered, been defeated, exiled, oppressed and through it all the faithful continued and they cried out to the Lord and Daniel saw their prayers answered in the son of man as he was revealed in glory, as he came on the clouds to take his throne with the ancient of day.  Friends, the disciple stood there agape because right there on the Mount of the Ascension, Daniel’s vision had just become a reality.  The son of man had ascended to take his throne and that meant—it still means—that despite any appearances to the contrary, despite despotic kings, despite rejection and persecution, despite the ongoing presence of sin and death in the word, Jesus is seated on his throne, Jesus rules, Jesus is Lord. It is providential that Augustus chose to use the imagery of Caesar ascending into heaven to become a god and that “Caesar is Lord” became the quasi-religious pledge of allegiance to the Roman Empire.  I say it’s providential, because what the pagan Romans had been depicting in their imperial iconography for a generation before Jesus, was also struck down that day when Jesus did for real, what the Romans believed Caesar had done symbolically.  However much Caesar insisted that he was lord of the world, no matter how hard he pressed those early believers to acknowledge it, to offer him a pinch of incense on the imperial altars, no matter how many he crucified or fed to the lions, they knew that Jesus had done it for real and they persevered in faith knowing that Jesus is Lord. Jesus’ kingdom is here and now.  It’s not coming in the future.  It’s not coming after a rapture of believers.  It’s not coming before or after or in the middle of a Great Tribulation.  And it’s not something we have to go to heaven to experience.  The disciples asked Jesus when the kingdom was coming and Jesus responded by telling them that it was not for them to know.  I think he was smiling as he said that, because the next thing we see is Jesus ascending.  Just as the Ascension sends the message loudly and clearly that Jesus is Lord, it also sends the message loudly and clearly that his kingdom is here and now, even if the King’s throne is in heaven.  They asked him when the kingdom was coming and in response he gave them a dramatic visual that they’d never forget: They saw the King ascend to his throne.  Brothers and Sisters, the Ascension of Jesus tells us very dramatically and unmistakably that the kingdom is here and now.  Why is the Ascension important?  Again, it tells us dramatically and unmistakably that the kingdom is here and now. All of this is important, but what does it mean that Jesus is reigning and that the kingdom is here and now?  For that we need to look at the big picture.  In the beginning God created the Cosmos to give him glory.  At the centre of it was a garden and in that garden the Lord placed human beings to tend and to keep it.  Everything about the garden points to its being the Lord’s temple.  When the Israelites built the tabernacle, the design was meant to mimic the garden.  It was in the garden that human beings lived in the presence of the Lord.  And later it was in the temple that the Lord manifested his presence in the holy of holies.  The temple was the place where heaven and earth met and where the people went to meet with, to worship, and to fellowship with the Lord.  The temple pointed back to the garden.  When humanity sinned, the garden was lost.  Adam and Eve were cast out and an angel placed at the entrance to guard it.  And from there the story of humanity goes from bad to worse.  And yet the Lord never abandoned his Creation.  The creation was meant to give God glory and when it turned on him, instead of destroying it, God chose to manifest his glory by renewing it—by making a new creation.  And as humanity lost all knowledge of the Lord, he called Abraham to himself and through Abraham created a new humanity in the family of Abraham.  Through Abraham, the Lord began the work of restoring the garden. And yet think about a garden.  You can’t plant a garden in the wilderness and expect it to flourish on its own.  Enemies and wild animals will raid the garden and steal the fruit.  Without cultivation and protection the wild will quickly overcome the garden.  And so the Lord provided for the protection of his new garden.  He sent Jacob and his family to Egypt, where the king looked on them with favour, provided for them, cared for them, and protected them.  When the king of Egypt became hostile, the Lord himself rescued his new creation—Israel—and led her into the wilderness and to the promised land.  He fed her in the wilderness and he drove out her enemies from the land.  Eventually the Lord gave her a human king to protect his new creation from the wilderness—from the hostile enemies—that surrounded her.  But through it all, it was ultimately the Lord who was King and who protected his people.  Isaiah declared that “the Lord reigns” when Israel was faced with conquest by the Babylonian empire.  The Babylonian king and the Babylonian gods had no power over Israel no matter how bad things got.  In Daniel’s vision ferocious beasts represent the kingdoms of the earth that had conquered and dominated Israel, but in that vision the Lord takes the kingdom away from those monsters and delivers it to the saints and ultimately to the son of man—to Jesus.  Even when the Lord uses earthly kings to discipline his people, he continues to care for them.  That’s the purpose of his kingship and his kingdom: the care and cultivation of his new creation. And all this comes to full fruit in Jesus.  He has come as the Son of Man.  He has come as the Messiah—the true and eternal king in the line of David.  He has come to bring the Lord’s new creation to full fruit—to suffer for his people and to give them his Holy Spirit that they might truly be the new creation that Israel was supposed to be—that they might be the true sons and daughters of Abraham.  But not only that, he has also come to establish a kingdom over which he will rule himself—a kingdom to protect and to safeguard the new creation—the Lord’s garden as it grows and flourishes and spreads throughout the world.  This is the story of the book of Acts.  We read the beginning today: Jesus ascended into the clouds to take his heavenly throne.  Jesus is Lord, Caesar is not.  The rest of Acts is the story of the church, of the new creation, of the kingdom spreading throughout the world.  And Acts ends dramatically with Paul in Rome, in chains, proclaiming the lordship of Jesus right under Caesar’s nose.  Through the suffering, persecution, and martyrdom of the saints, the kingdom of Jesus has triumphed and will continue to triumph. Brothers and sisters, we are that new creation.  The wilderness has surrounded the Lord’s garden.  Earthly empires and kings have tried to steal its fruit, they’ve tried to stamp it out and burn it down, but King Jesus has preserved it.  Because of his preservation, past generations have carried the good news that Jesus is Lord from Jerusalem to Samaria and to all the world.  Because King Jesus has preserved it we know and believe that good news here in Canada, half a world away from that mount from which Jesus ascended to his throne two thousand years ago.  Because King Jesus continues to preserve his new creation, we can have confidence to go out in faith, to charge into the darkness with the light of Christ, knowing that no matter what happens the kingdom of God is here and now and that nothing will stop it.  As St. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians, this new creation of which we are a part is protected by the one who has been given all authority and who will reign until every last enemy is put under his feet, even death itself. Our hope as Christians is in that day.  Death is the last enemy to separate earth and heaven and on that day when Jesus finally defeats it, he’ll return from his throne on the clouds as the angels told the disciples.  As the joyful people of Rome went out to join their triumphant Caesar as he marched into the city as the conquering hero, St. Paul says that the people of Jesus will meet him in the air to accompany him as returns to earth the conquering hero—as he comes accompanied by heaven itself and restores earth and heaven. Brothers and Sisters, in the Old Testament the temple was the one place on earth where heaven and earth met and where the Lord could be known.  When Jesus came he became the temple for us.  The amazing thing is that Jesus didn’t leave it at that.  He sent his Holy Spirit to fill and indwell us.  We, his Church, are now the temple.  We are now the place where heaven and earth connect and where the Lord is made known.  And that’s our mission.  Carved on our lychgate are those familiar words: “Jesus is Lord”.  We pass beneath them as we come to the church to meet and to worship, but have you ever thought about what they really mean?  The next time you walk under those words remember the Ascension.  Remember that Jesus is seated on his throne, that his kingdom is here and now, and that he has made us his people.  We are his army, but not an army like those of Rome sent out to conquer barbarians with the sword.  Jesus calls us to charge into the darkness bearing his light, to suffer and even to die for the sake of the lost as we seek to make known his love, his peace, his justice, his mercy, and especially his grace. Let us pray: Gracious Father, in his Ascension you have raised Jesus to the place of kingship and authority.  Let us never forget the significance of his rule.  As we face the darkness, give us courage to shine his light brightly and to proclaim that he is Lord.  Increase our understanding of your love and grace that we might manifest it to hostile world around us.  And remind us, Father, to live in the hope of his sure return when all of his enemies have been subjected to his rule.  In the meantime, as we wait for the restoration of heaven and earth, let us be faithful representative of your kingdom, making heaven visible and known to all around us.  We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Saviour and our Lord.  Amen.

Bart Byl on Daniel 7:9-14. Every Ascension Day, we rejoice that our crucified and risen Saviour ascended to the right hand of God, to take his rightful place as King of King and Lord of Lords. In Daniel's vision, he saw Jesus entering the throne room of heaven to receive universal, eternal, unconquerable authority. Jesus exercises this for our benefit! The Son of Man is on the throne, and all is well. --- Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship is a Christ-centred family of believers in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Jesus’ coming is foreshadowed throughout the Bible. In Daniel 7, Daniel’s dream gives him a glimpse at what’s to come: “the holy people of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever” (Daniel 7:18). When we ask Jesus into our lives, we become those holy people and the assurance of eternity is ours. The message of Daniel 7 is the same message we see throughout the Bible: Satan is vanquished, evil is defeated, and victory is ours in Christ. Daniel’s dream also reminds us that in this world we will face hardship and temptation before Jesus returns (Daniel 7:21-22). We don’t have to look far to find hardship and temptation in abundance. But rather than lose hope when strife comes, we can persevere knowing, “our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:17). We need to always remember that we are on the winning team spiritually. When hard times come, we take heart knowing that one day “all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High” (Daniel 7:27). Living in freedom doesn’t mean we live free of problems. It means we live every day with the freedom of knowing we are on the winning team.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/yourdailybible)

Daniel praises the God who revealed the content of Nebuchadnezzar's dream to him, saving his and all the wisemen of Babyon's lives.  In Daniel's prayer he identifies his God in terms the Babylonians would have recognized as the Creator.

The pressure and influence of culture invades your space. You can't help but read, hear, and see the culture around you. Sometimes you think of culture as a good thing, but what if God is calling you to a different narrative? What if God is asking you to be influenced by His Kingdom versus the world's culture? In Daniel 5, we read about two people. One is influenced by the culture — marked by pride, a thirst for power, greed, and lust. The other is an image-bearer of the Kingdom. Do you find yourself plagued by fear, insecurity, loneliness, and confusion? These are inward marks of culture-influence. But God has a better story in mind for you, a story that reveals His Kingdom. Join us as we learn from Nolan how Daniel navigates the harsh culture around him, and how we are called to live today.

Proverbs 16:18 tells us, "Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall."  In Daniel chapter 5 we see this scripture fulfilled in the life of Belshazzar, King of Babylon who refused to repent and humble himself even after he saw, "the writing on the wall", written by the hand of the King of Kings. The question for us is, how will we respond to "the writing on the wall?

Paul writes to the Thessalonians, “But, brothers, when we were torn away from you for a short time (in person, not in thought), out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you. For we wanted to come to you—certainly I, Paul, did, again and again—but Satan stopped us” (1 Thess. 2:17–18, italics added). The hindering work of Satan and his minions is attested to elsewhere in Scripture. In Daniel 10:13, for instance, the “prince of the Persian kingdom” is almost certainly some malevolent angel who delays the response to Daniel’s prayer by three weeks, and would have delayed it further but for the intervention of Michael.Some have taken passages like this as evidence that God is finite, that the struggle between good and evil in the Bible is between a finite good God and a finite wicked Satan. When bad things happen to people, this is the work of Satan, and God has very little to do with it, except to oppose it—though not very satisfactorily in this instance.Yet the God of the Bible is not finite and not so limited. If he were, the entire book of Job (as we have recently seen) would not make sense. The apostle Paul himself can describe his delays in categories other than “Satan stopped us.” For example, he tells the Corinthians, “I do not want to see you now and make only a passing visit; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits” (1 Cor. 16:7, italics added; see meditation for March 1). Nor is this an isolated example. The Lord Jesus tells us of a time of such terrible destruction that, “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive” (Matt. 24:22, italics added). That really cannot mean anything other than that God intervenes to cut short those days. That in turn means he has the power to do so. The question it raises is why he did not do so earlier. Strictly speaking, the answer is not disclosed. Doubtless it is intertwined with other biblical themes: God sometimes allows evil to run its course, or much of its course, to expose its degradation; he is forbearing, leaving much time for repentance; he may have his own reasons, largely hidden, as in the book of Job. But always he is God, and his sovereignty is never truncated.Paul frankly admits that Satan stopped him; in another frame, he might speak of the same event in terms of the Lord’s permission. He is not embarrassed by either description, and we must not be embarrassed either. Daniel can speak of a three-week delay; elsewhere he speaks of God’s unbridled sovereignty (e.g., Dan. 4:34–35). For him, the two are compatible. This podcast is designed to be used alongside TGC's Read The Bible initiative (TGC.org/readthebible). The podcast features devotional commentaries from D.A. Carson’s book For the Love of God (vol. 2) that follow the M’Cheyne Bible reading plan.

In Daniel 1 and Jeremiah 29, we see how as believers in exile, to thrive requires conviction, courage, and calling.

In Today’s Uncertainty, “Know that the Most High {God} rules the kingdom of men {earthly governance} and gives it to whom he {God} will” MESSAGE SUMMARY:  Our country is NOT about “freedom from religion”. America has “freedom of religion”. Sadly, because of our abandoning God’s Laws, all of us in this country are affected – Jesus Followers and non-Christians; atheists; and followers of other religious faiths. As Jesus says in Mathew 5:45: “. . . For He makes the sun rise on the evil and the good, and send the rain on the just and the unjust.”. What can we do? The first thing we can do is pray and to fast – pray and ask God to turn our country around. We do want God involved, and God is involved.  In Daniel 4:24-25, God told King Nebuchadnezzar, through Daniel’s interpretation of the King’s dream, that God is always in control and sovereign; and that God determines those who govern us because God is the Sovereign Creator of the Universe: “this is the interpretation, O king: It is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king, that you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High {God} rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he {God} will.". God, the Creator of the Universe, responds to our prayers in all issues impacting our lives today – pray for God’s will respond, especially in these times of uncertainty.   TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because I am in Jesus Christ, I will entrust to Him my future. I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day. (From 2 Timothy 1:12). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Leviticus 26:3-12; Leviticus 26:14-29; Daniel 4:24-25; Psalms 60:1-12 A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “Rejecting God’s Covenant Will, Eventually, Lead People to a Place of Stubbornness, Hardness of Heart, and Their Destruction", at our Website: https://awtlser.podbean.com/ WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “We All Need “Hope” in Today’s World of Fear, Doubt in Our Faith, and Feelings of “Hopelessness”; and God Is this “Hope””:  www.AWFTL.org/watch DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Wednesday March 3,2021 Christ is the Head of the body. He is the Husband and the church is His bride. He is the vine and the members of the church are His branches. He is the Chief Cornerstone and the members of the church are stones in the building. He has always ruled a universal kingdom over the universe. He has always had all authority. In Daniel 2 He is the stone cut without hands and at His second coming He will rule a kingdom that will fill the whole... for full notes: https://www.cgtruth.org/index.php?proc=msg&sf=vw&tid=2392

Pastor Daniel preaches from Daniel 7, a chapter that shows us where all of history is headed. Hope In God. He Still Holds the Future. Daniel 7:1-28 Introduction Good evening! My name is Daniel. I’m one of the pastors here and I am excited to be preaching the book of Daniel. Last week we appointed Dale Gruber as the newest addition to our pastoral team. We are praising God for him. And he reminded us that “God wins.” The Bible shows us over and over that God is unquestionably supreme over every god and every power of both the seen and unseen world. So we have reason to hope in him even when we are being thrown into lion’s dens. But God’s people still face trials. Remember, Daniel was delivered from the literal lion’s den. But he remained in Babylon – the figurative lion’s den. Some of us have heavy hearts because of a hope lost. I’m still kept up at night because of unsaved friends and family; by people groups like the Sentinelese who has never heard the Gospel; by the division in our nation. When you’re still jobless, unmarried, or unable to have children, it’s easy to lose hope. You see, not only Daniel, but God’s people throughout history have needed their hope restored. Which is what I believe this passage is doing today. So, how does God restore hope? He shows us our future. This chapter has been called “the most comprehensive and detailed prophecy of future events to be found anywhere in the Old Testament” (Walvoord, Daniel, 145). When we read tough passages like this one, I want you to know what God is doing. He is after your hope. He wants you to hope in him because that is the key to endurance in this world we call Babylon. This is seriously a hard chapter. So let me tell you where we’re going. God knows the future and is sovereign over it. God will give the kingdom to us through Jesus. Even though God’s people will be oppressed, Jesus will win in the end. Main point: Hope in the mighty God despite your suffering. Let’s pray and ask God to work that in us today. Father, people in this room are hurting. Speak to us. Take away anxiety and fear. Give us rest as we look to you. Let us hope in you and see you as you are, the sovereign God who holds the future even now. Show us and convince our hearts that with you we will overcome. Another Apocalyptic Dream Let’s get into the text. Verse 1: 7 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he was lying in bed. He wrote down the substance of his dream. God was at it again. In Daniel’s old age, he had another prophetic dream. If you’ve been following along in this series, you’ll know that God has used dreams many times to reveal mysteries and show what he was up to in the world. You’ll also know that our story left off in chapter 6 with Darius the Mede in charge, not Belshazzar. So this dream steps back in history to the first year of Belshazzar’s reign around 553 BC. We’ve said this before, but it’s good to say it again, this book is not mainly a history book set out in chronological order. It’s a prophetic book that reveals mysteries about God and the world. It’s showing us that behind the world we see is an unseen world - that is God, angels, Satan and demons – which affects, moves, and shape history. Chapters 1-6 primarily shows us in story form that Yahweh is supreme and that he gives favor to those who hope in him. Chapters 7-12, in a noticeably different way, foretells how that will play out through history. You’ll notice that chapters 7-12 don’t make too many appearances in the Sunday school curriculum. It is prophetic or apocalyptic literature where God uses human language to teach us supernatural realities. These word pictures help us not just see facts but feel the weight and reality of the facts. For example, kings are described as beasts. Why? Because human kings who act like ravenous animals are scary and they cause great harm to people. You’re supposed to feel with Daniel the power of these kingdoms and the terror that they bring. Before we go further is about hermeneutics – how we should interpret prophetic literature. Some people have tried to interpret these images literally… You should not do that, unless you’d like to leave today believing that some sort of alien invasion like the movies is about to unfold. No, the images are meant to point you to something. The best way to interpret this kind of literature is with other Scripture. I.e. What has God communicated before with similar images? We’ll see some examples of this as we unpack the text. Also, keep in mind that some things in this text should be interpreted with an open hand – that seems right to me, but I might be wrong; and some things with a closed hand – like Jesus is God and will receive the kingdom and reign forever. Alright, you ready?! Verse 2 shows us our first point. Our God knows the future Four Great Beasts Let’s read. 2 Daniel said: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea. 3 Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea. Daniel sees in his dream “winds of heaven” churning up the “Great sea”. The phrase “winds of heaven” teaches us that this stirring is God’s doing (Akin, Exalting Jesus in Daniel, 85). This rough sea is a picture of the turmoil and chaos of the historical moment. I’m taking this idea from other places in Scripture like Isaiah 17:12: Woe to the many nations that rage— they rage like the raging sea! Woe to the peoples who roar— they roar like the roaring of great waters! So, the nations are compared to rough seas. If you’re confused already, keep reading, usually God explains. Out of the turbulent sea came four huge beasts, which we’ll see in verse 17 are referring to four kings that would arise on earth. 4 “The first was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a human being, and the mind of a human was given to it. This first beast is an image of Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon. We know this because prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel compare Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon to a lion and an eagle (Jer 4:7; 49:19; 50:44; Ezek 17:3, 11-12. Akin, 85). “Its wings were torn off” points to Daniel 4:28-33 where God humbled Nebuchadnezzar to the point that he looked like a beast. You’ll remember that Nebuchadnezzar, like this beast, was also lifted up and given back his mind (Da 4:34-37). But we know this kingdom came to an end. Let’s see the second beast. 5 “And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, ‘Get up and eat your fill of flesh!’ This beast is Medo-Persia, the dual kingdom who conquered Babylon. It was “bigger on one side” because Persia was the much stronger empire. It was told to get up and gorge itself. It had three ribs in its mouth, which either refers specifically to three important kingdoms it conquered, or more generally to “the insatiable nature of the beast.” (Prophecy of Daniel, 145). But this kingdom also will end. A third beast comes up. 6 “After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard. And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule. This beast references Greece and Alexander the Great who would take dominion of great areas very quickly but who historically would die very young and leave his kingdom to four sub-rulers. This kingdom would fall to the fourth beast. Verse 7: 7 “After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast—terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns. 8 “While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a human being and a mouth that spoke boastfully. This beast refers to the Roman Empire who was extremely cruel and powerful, with large iron teeth – a clear parallel with chapter 2’s description of the Roman empire, which was made of iron and clay. Further, the ten horns refer to kings, and at minimum show the great and complete power of the kingdom (Akin, 86-87). The Roman empire far outlasted any of the previous ones. But I think this beast also points to something more, a greater spiritual reality. I’ll come back to this and the little horn when we get to the angel’s interpretation later in the chapter. Ultimately, this vision of the beasts is a retelling of the same story we saw in chapter 2 of the great statue. Four powerful kingdoms were coming before the time of Christ. It’s the same story told with different pictures. And if you know your history, you’ll know that these four kingdoms arose leading up to Christ with striking similarity to these images. History unfolded just as God showed Daniel. God knows the future! The Ancient of Days The next section takes that truth a step further. God not only knows the future… Point 2: Our God is sovereign over the future. Let’s see. 9 “As I looked, “thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. Contrasting Daniel’s vision of these turbulent waters, Daniel sees another set of thrones. The beastly evil rulers of the world only have so much power. And the Ancient of Days took his seat. Daniel is the only biblical author to call God the Ancient of Days, a title referring not to his age but to his eternal nature. He’s literally without beginning or end. This is God the Father, the ever-existing One and he is seated on a throne ruling sovereignly over all the beast kingdoms of the world (Rev. 4:4). Then Daniel describes him further: His clothing was as white as snow; This imagery again probably shouldn’t be taken literally – it’s human language striving to explain supernatural realities. His white clothes point to his holiness, purity, and righteousness. the hair of his head was white like wool. This points to his Eternality, purity, and wisdom. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. This points to his purifying and righteous judgment. Daniel Akin, says that the burning wheels show that God has “no spatial limitations or restrictions on his judgment. He sees everything, and he is everywhere present.” (Akin, 88). 10 A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. This points to his righteous anger and the wrath of his judgment. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. Innumerable angels serve him (Rev 5:11). Then the scene moves to action. We’re told that The court was seated, and the books were opened. Court was in session, and books were opened. This points to a God who operates “By the book” in his judgment (Akin). This is not a willy nilly ruler who judges according to his feelings that day, but one who works with purpose and justice. He knows all things and has all things recorded, and therefore righteous in all that he does.[1] Verse 11 shows us who was being judged: 11 “Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire. 12 (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.) The little boastful horn mentioned in verse 8 comes back into the picture and continues to boast until God without a challenge or explanation judges and destroys it and throws it into the fire. Were also told that the other beasts had no more authority because God took it away, even though they lived for some time longer even during the reign of the Roman Empire. So we’ve seen four beasts who rule the world. Now we know who rules them. The Ancient of Days has complete control over each of those rulers, from their length of days, to their power, even down to their existence. Church, we saw that our God knows the future. And here we just saw that he is sovereign over all things, including who rules. Now, we’ll that the sovereign God gives authority to the Son of Man. Point 3: The Sovereign God gives Jesus authority The Son of Man Verse 13 13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, o coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. One like a son of man takes center stage as he dramatically comes in on the clouds and is brought before God the Father. This sentence carries powerful meaning. First, this “son of man” comes on the clouds of heaven. This is common biblical language for what God’s entrances are like (Exod 16:10; 19,9; Num 11:25; Pss 97:2; Isa 19:1; Nah 1:3). This is a clear sign that this person is divine. Secondly, we’re told that he approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. All of this is similar imagery to Revelation – another Apocalyptic prophecy written by Jesus’s disciple John – in chapter 4 and 5, which we read from shows us God on his throne surrounded by innumerable angels followed by a scene of a powerful Lamb approaching the throne to receive an important scroll before everyone fell down to worship him. The Son of Man in this vision also received something. V. 14: 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. This God-man was given all the authority, glory, and power of God so that every people group would worship him as he rules and reigns forever and ever on earth. Daniel and all of should be asking – who is this person God gives his eternal kingdom to? Who is worthy of such a kingdom, such authority, glory, and power? What man on earth should have such power? It couldn’t be a man could it? So maybe an angel like Gabriel or Michael? Perhaps Moses or Daniel or maybe more broadly it refers to faithful Israel? Friends, about 600 years after this dream, a man who claimed to be God’s son revealed this mystery. The title “Son of Man” is massively important in the New Testament because Jesus Christ used this title of himself more than any other title. This title is used of him 69 times in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and 12 times in John (Akin, 90). Jesus is this Son of Man! All the kingdoms of the world were given to Jesus. This is amazing! We not only know who this person is, we know him personally! But why this “son of man” language? That seems like such a confusing title to pick as your favorite title. Do you prefer to go by Jesus or Yeshua? You can just call me son of man? What? Theologian, Sinclair Ferguson is helpful here. While “son of man” points to the humanity of the figure generally, it also points particularly to his important role as the true human. He writes, “This is the True Man in contrast to the man-become-beast in the earlier elements of the vision. This is the one who is able to stand in the presence of God whose throne is made of the fire of His judgment. This is the one who is worthy to receive ‘dominion and glory and a kingdom’….This True man is all that humans as God’s image were meant to be but failed to be” (Daniel, 144-145). You see, this was the offspring we had been waiting for since the fall. This was mankind’s long-awaited Messiah Savior. The nations rage. But God is sovereign over them. And the authority that was once handed over to Satan in the garden of Eden is being reclaimed by mankind in this perfect Son of Man, that is Christ! He alone is worthy of this kingdom because he alone obeyed God perfectly without submitting to the counterfeit kingdom of Satan. We know from Scripture that Jesus received this kingdom after he was raised from the dead and ascended into heaven (Rev 5). The Interpretation At this point, verse 15 tells us that Daniel was scared. So in the vision he approached someone, presumably an angel, to ask for the interpretation. Here’s what he said: 17 ‘The four great beasts are four kings that will rise from the earth. 18 But the holy people of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever.’ Let’s pause there. This is incredible. All of that scary imagery and that’s the main point? YES! Again, some people have taken these images way too far in their interpretation and have missed the whole point of the story: God’s people will receive the kingdom forever despite all the evil kingdoms of the world who cause us suffering. Please remember that as you read through this book and books like Revelation. But the interpretation seems to have a small discrepancy. Who gets the kingdom? The son of man or God’s people? The answer is YES. God’s people get the kingdom because of their connection to their representative, Jesus! Because we belong to Jesus, the Son of Man, the kingdom that he receives is also our kingdom! Wait Daniel (look over your shoulder confusedly), are you saying that God is going to hand the kingdoms of the entire world over to me and these crazies?! Yes, I am! I know. It’s crazy. That’s why this message we preach is such GOOD NEWS! Jesus, as mankind’s head, the true and better Adam, the true man received the kingdom on our behalf – for us! This is what Paul so powerfully teaches in Romans 5. “Just as all sinned and deserved death in Adam, so will all who cling to Christ live AND reign with him (5:17).” It’s truly amazing grace! Point 4: Jesus gives the kingdom to us The Little Horn But something was still troubling Daniel. The fourth beast with the horn that spoke boastfully was especially troubling (Verse 19-20). That horn, Daniel says in verse 21 21 was waging war against the holy people and defeating them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the holy people of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom. For sake of time I’ll summarize 23 and 24. The angel emphasizes again how strong the fourth beast is. It’s “different” from the others, it will “devour” the whole earth. Ten kings will come from this kingdom and then another one, a “different” one will arise and subdue three kings. Verse 25. 25 [This king] will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time. Church, we will face oppression and suffering. Out of this fourth empire will come a “different” king who will oppress the people of God and speak against the Most High. He will try to reshape society altogether. I said earlier that this image is likely pointing not only to the Roman Empire or one specific ruler but to a cosmic reality. It seems that behind this “different” blasphemous ruler is the spirit of the anti-Christ, the power behind every evil kingdom and philosophy of the world. I explained earlier that Christ represents the people of God who are united to him. Likewise, it seems that this boastful horn with human eyes represents the many rulers on earth empowered by Satan who will rise and oppose God’s people. I believe it also points to a final beastly ruler, who Paul calls the “man of lawlessness” in 2 Thessalonians 2. Before Christ comes a second time, “4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” Evil leaders like emperor Nero, Hitler, and others like them have oppressed God’s people. But these are only partial fulfillments of this passage and forerunners of the final culmination of evil, this figure who will appear in history and oppress God’s people. Whether you believe this points to a particular historical person or more broadly to the evil rulers of earth, two things are sure 1) we cannot defeat him without God and are stupid to try to do so 2) His days are numbered. His dominion is short. Verse 25 says only for a time, times, and half a time (7:25). This could be talking about a literal 3 ½ year reign, but more likely it is showing us that the time is short and only as long as God allows. We will face oppression in this life – like John the Baptist, like Jesus, like the disciples and the many after who were martyred, but we know this… Jesus will win in the end Verse 26: 26 “ ‘But the court will sit [that is God, the true and sovereign ruler and judge] and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. Friends, the reign of evil on earth will be destroyed forever by God! More specifically, Revelation 19 describes Christ as the victor over Satan and his kingdom. The things we hate and grieve today, those things which are empowered by Satan and his kingdoms will be no more. No more sex trafficking. No more slavery. No more drugs. No more abortion. No more abuse. No more godless and wicked rulers. No more false teachers. No more rebellion in our hearts or anywhere! Forever! Verse 27 says, 27 Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.’ 28 “This is the end of the matter. I, Daniel, was deeply troubled by my thoughts, and my face turned pale, but I kept the matter to myself.” This is end of the story. Satan and his followers will perish and God’s people will reign forever. Revelation 21 echoes this reality: Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”[a] for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. Do you see that? No more “great sea”! No more chaotic history ruled by evil beastly rulers. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’[b]or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”… 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. YOU If you are following Jesus today, this is your destiny. The Christian message doesn’t stop with forgiven sins, but with adoption as children of God who will get the full inheritance of Christ – the entire world! God showed Daniel the end of the story. Though we have a fuller picture since Christ has come, the same point is true. God shows us the future so that we will hope in him in the midst of our trials. Jesus taught in Matthew 24 that he will not reign completely until he comes again. So, like Daniel, as we snap back to reality we realize that the road of suffering and oppression is still ahead of us before glory. Around the world and in this nation God’s people are oppressed. Some are oppressed in extreme ways – reject Christ or die – and some are oppressed in more subtle ways – your universities make you out to be a fool for believing in the authority of the Bible. How will we endure? What does hope in God look like, Daniel? It’s looking to Jesus who already walked this path before us. His hope in God was unwavering. He was never swayed by cultural traps and false hopes or given to Satan’s temptation. But he suffered and died as if he did. Why? To take the wrath we deserved for submitting to the enemy kingdom. But he rose again to victory and is seated at the right hand of God interceding for us night and day, and he gives us his Spirit to confirm his Word in our hearts so that we can hope in him despite our suffering. Church this is our hope! Amen? God knows the future and is sovereign over it – Right? God gives us the kingdom through Jesus – Right? We will face oppression, But Jesus will win in the end – Right? What more do we need to know? There is nothing in the world that can offer this kind of hope. With this we can face anything without fear. Church, God doesn’t just want you to reach the end, he wants you to get there with joyful, happy, confident hearts. We will mourn, yes. But in our sorrow, we rejoice because of the hope of glory. That’s what thriving in Babylon looks like. Maybe your heart is aching right now because of a hope lost. Still not pregnant. Still not married. Still jobless. I need you to hear this. There are some things in our future God doesn’t think we should know. He just calls us to ask, wait, and trust. But he does want you to know one thing with certainty. He wants you to know what every good thing in this life like marriage, kids, careers are pointing to – that is eternal life with him. In all things God wants your hope to be in him. Let’s hope in him church. He not only knows and controls the future, but he knows and controls your future. And your future is truly bright in him. If you’re new to all this, and aren’t sure what you believe about Jesus and the Bible, God is calling you today to simply to stop saluting to the kingdoms of the world and give your heart and allegiance to the true king. I hope you will right now. Let’s pray and worship our king! [1] Descriptions taken from Akin, 88

A Sermon for the Second Sunday in Lent St. Matthew 15:21-28 by William Klock Imagine having a sick child.  You’ve done everything you can think of to help her and she’s still sick.  And then you hear that Jesus is in town.  People say he’s the son of God.  He’s healed so many other people.  I’ll go and ask him for help.  For the first time you feel hope.  Jesus can heal her.  I have faith.  And so you go out and find Jesus as he and his entourage our making their way through town.  You call out to him for help, but he keeps walking.  Jesus’ friends tell you to go away, but you keep calling out to Jesus for help.  Finally, he stops, he turns to you, and he tells you that he can’t help you.  He wasn’t sent to help you and that to do so would be like a father throwing the bread meant for his children to the dogs. A lot of people would say that this doesn’t sound very much like Jesus.  Refusing to help someone in need?  Calling her and her people dogs?  But it’s right here in St. Matthew’s Gospel.  Look again at Matthew 15:21-28: And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon.  And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.”  But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.”  He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”  But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.”  And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”  She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”  Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith!  Be it done for you as you desire.”  And her daughter was healed instantly.   “Have mercy on me!” she says.  And he responds, “I can’t.  You’re not an Israelite.  It’d be like throwing a starving child’s bread to the dogs.”  Yes, Jesus eventually capitulates, but what’s going on here?  This story is often listed among the “hard passages” of the Bible.  Some people have used to argue that Jesus was a racist.  So what’s going on here? Matthew’s main purpose in telling us this story is to point us to Jesus’ mission.  Matthew reminds us that Jesus didn’t parachute into history to save humanity and the world at a random time and place.  There’s been a tendency in the Church to abstract Jesus’ ministry.  He’s is the Saviour of the world after all, and so we start thinking that if he’d wanted to he could have come at any time and any place to do his saving work, but in doing that we forget that—no—he came and he had to come where and when he did because Jesus is part of a bigger story. Some people explain away the difficulty here by saying that Jesus was testing this woman to see how persistent her faith was.  It’s possible.  And yet he doesn’t initially address her.  When he says that he was sent to the lost sheep of Israel, he’s reminding his disciples why his mission isn’t to the gentiles, not offering the woman an explanation.  It’s possible that it was a test, but I think a better explanation is that that Jesus really was called to minister to the lost sheep of Israel and, over the course of his ministry so far, the massive scope of his task has set in.  He’s even told his disciples in 10:23 that they won’t have made it through all the towns before the time is up.  That’s when Jesus lamented that the harvest was great, but the labourers few.  His mission was to Israel.  It’s not that the occasional gentile couldn’t be part of it, but that there just wasn’t enough time.  In denying this woman, Jesus was simply being faithful to his calling. But why was Jesus’ ministry so specific?  “For God so loved the world,” we say, and we struggle to reconcile this with that.  And the reason this is troubling for us is because we’ve forgotten the story.  Not this short story and not even just the story of the gospels, but the big story, the story of Israel, the story of the people of God that runs from Genesis to Revelation.  Again, we tend to lift Jesus out of his historical and Jewish context, out of his First Century context, which means lifting him out of the story of Israel—which again means lifting him out of the Genesis to Revelation story.  What our Gospel today shows us is Jesus right in the middle of the story. Now, it’s true: Jesus did not come to the gentiles.  Yes, some gentiles—a few—came to him, but Jesus did not come to the gentiles.  Jesus came to Israel.  Jesus is Israel’s Messiah.  “But again,” we protest, “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son…”  Yes.  Jesus brings salvation for all, but we need to first understand that he does so as Israel’s Messiah.  Jesus stresses it right here: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”  And in saying that he is not saying that he came to some of the house of Israel who were lost, but that he came to Israel because Israel—the whole people—was lost.  They were sheep without a shepherd. Jesus came to bring the kingdom that had been promised to Israel through Abraham and through David.  There were aspects of that kingdom that were new and different, but Jesus’ kingdom is built firmly and immovably on the covenant and the promises the Lord had made with Israel down through the ages from Abraham’s time.  He had called Israel to be his people.  He had promised to be their God.  He had rescued Israel and set her apart that he might show her his blessings and give her his word and he did it all so that she could then share that blessing and share that word with the gentile nations.  Remember that Jesus stressed in the Sermon on the Mount that he had come not to abolish the law—not to abolish anything God had promised or covenanted or established with Israel—but to fulfil it.  Jesus didn’t come to do away with Israel.  Many Christians down through history have said that because of Israel’s faithlessness God cast her aside to start over with the gentiles and the Church.  No.  On the other extreme you’ve got the Dispensationalists—very prevalent teaching in North American Evangelicalism—that has Jesus coming and putting Israel on hold while the Lord saves the gentiles and builds a Church.  Eventually, they say, God will be finished with the gentiles, the Church will be completed and then “raptured” out of the world, and the Lord will then pickup where he left off with Israel.  Again, no.  Jesus didn’t come to abolish the idea of God electing a special people, nor did he come to divide the people of God with Israel on the one hand and the Church on the other.  From day one with Abraham God had made clear that his restoration of the world and his restoration of humanity was going to happen through Israel.  Israel may have made a lot of mistakes, fallen into idolatry, failed to live the law, failed to be a light to the nations, but the Lord wasn’t giving up.  The Church isn’t “Plan B” implemented when “Plan A”, Israel, failed. Did gentiles need redemption?  By all means, yes!  But again, God’s plan was always to work through Israel and so the ministry of the Messiah had first to be for Israel.  Israel had misinterpreted the message she’d been given long before.  Some in Israel had even abandoned it almost entirely.  And so if Israel was going to be the Lord’s means of bringing life to the world, Jesus had first to call her back to the Lord.  Not to do so would be for Jesus to deny the Lord’s promises and to make a liar out of him. In fact, what we see Jesus doing—and especially so in the middle portion of the Gospels between his birth and his death and resurrection—is taking on the role of Israel himself.  In Daniel the Son of Man character represented the saints or the people of God, but in Jesus’ ministry we see him taking that role on, embodying it himself.  In his birth and ministry we see him taking on the role of the great Davidic King.  And as his ministry unfolds into rejection, suffering, and death we see him taking on the role of Isaiah’s suffering servant.  Again, these are roles the prophets ascribed to Israel, but one by one Jesus takes each of them up himself.  Brothers and Sisters, understand this key point: Jesus is Israel.  He embodies her inheritance and her mission.  Where Israel had failed to be faithful, Jesus is faithful without fail.  Even as he dies, he faces the very same death that the Jewish revolutionaries faced a generation later and for the very same reason: he challenged Rome as King of the Jews.  Jesus came as the embodiment of Israel.  And he came as Israel to show God’s people a new way of being Israel—a new way in which the people would fulfil everything the Lord had ever promised and everything the Lord had ever called Israel to be.  This is why Jesus came preaching repentance.  The people had to let go of all their misconceptions of what it meant to be God’s people, whether that was their hope for violent revolution or their hope that if they were obedient enough the Lord would finally send the Messiah to rain down fire and brimstone on the gentiles and usher in the kingdom.  As the promises were fulfilled in Jesus it did not nullify God’s plan to bring life to the world through Israel.  What it did was reorient Israel around Jesus himself—it forged a new Israel, not based on blood and genealogy but on faith.  Israel had been born as a people when they followed the Lord in faith through the waters of the Red Sea and were rescued from Egypt.  In Jesus Israel is born again.  But this new Israel is born of all those who follow Jesus in faith through the waters of baptism.  Jesus offered a choice.  As he fulfilled the covenant those who repented and reoriented their lives in and around him—those who found their lives in him—became part of the new way of being Israel, centred in Jesus.  But, Jesus warned, those who rejected him and refused him would be cut off—and when he said that he was speaking to the biological children of Abraham.  The axe was set to the root of the tree.  The branches that refused to bear good fruit would be cut off.  Jerusalem, embodying and representing faithless Israel would be and was judged, torn stone from stone, and scattered. But through Jesus, Israel would continue in a new way—with the law no longer on tablets of stone, but written on her heart, with the Spirit of God no longer residing in a stone temple behind a curtain they could never pass, but actually living inside them—making them the temple themselves.  And as the Spirit changed and renewed and brought to life the law of love now written on their hearts, this new Israel would finally fulfil the Lord’s mission for his people—reaching out to the nations and bringing his life to the world.  So, yes, Jesus came to bring life to the world—to Jew and gentile alike—but to fulfil the Lord’s plan he brought this life by first bringing it to the old Israel, to Abraham’s children.  To do anything else would have been to bypass the Lord’s plan and to make a liar of him. This faithfulness of God to his promises—what we call the “righteousness of God”—is the theme of St. Paul’s epistle to the Romans.  Through the book Paul explains how God has been faithful to and how he has fulfilled his covenant promises to Israel and at the end, in Romans 15 he sums it all up, writing: For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised [that means Israel—Abraham’s biological children] to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,           “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles,                   and sing to your name.” (Romans 15:8-9) Jesus fulfilled God’s promises to Israel so that when the story of Israel and the Lord’s faithfulness to her—especially his faithfulness in Jesus the Messiah—was proclaimed to the Gentiles they would—we would—fall before God in worship of his great mercy.  This is the story the first Jewish Christians proclaimed to the gentiles.  This story of the faithfulness of God was the story St. Paul proclaimed as he travelled the Roman empire and as the gentiles heard it, they put their faith in Jesus, they were baptised into his body, and as they found their life in Jesus—the true embodiment of Israel and the fulfilment of God’s promises to her—as they found their life in Jesus the gentiles were grafted into Israel. It’s often a contentious point today in some circles, but the story we’ve inherited, the story told from Genesis to Revelation makes it clear that Israel is the Church and the Church is Israel and Jesus stands at the centre-point, at the bridge between them.  The Jewish root that was Israel gave birth to Jesus the Messiah who is now the trunk of a tree that branches out to the entire world.  Anyone who may—Jew or gentile—can take part in the life of Jesus.  All any of us needs to do is take hold of him in faith, trusting that in his death he has forgiven our sins and in his resurrection has given us life. Both literally and metaphorically, Jesus provides the blood to make us Israel.  All we need is faith. Of course, getting back to our story in Matthew, at the time this Canaanite woman approached Jesus, neither he nor his disciples were ready for any of this.  Jesus wasn’t even ready for the cross yet, but here’s this woman who is ready for Easter—ready even for Pentecost!  It’s remarkable.  Here she is a foreigner.  They meet up with her outside of Israel in a foreign land.  Near Sidon was a major temple of the god Eshmun, a pagan god of healing.  She may have just come from that temple with her daughter, disappointed that nothing had happened.  But she hears that Jesus is in town and she goes looking for him.  She’d heard about him.  Not only that, she knew more about the Lord’s promises to Israel—or at least she understood them better—than most people in Israel, better even than Jesus’ disciples. When Jesus told her that he had come only for the lost sheep of Israel she responded: “But even the dogs eat what falls from the children’s table.”  She understood, she accepted that Jesus had come to redeem Israel.  She understood that his mission wasn’t a mission to the gentiles.  That would have bypassed and undermined the Lord’s covenant promises.  But she was okay with that because somehow she also knew what Israel was called to be and to do.  She knew who the Messiah was and what he was called to do.  She addresses Jesus as “Son of David”—his messianic title that even the disciples hadn’t yet fully grasped.  And she knows that if he is the Messiah, his goal is to fulfil the Lord’s promises to Israel so that his greatness and his mercy will be proclaimed to the gentiles—to people like her.  She somehow knows that through the Messiah, the gentiles will be able to participate in the life of Israel, in the life of God’s covenant people.  And so she grabs hold of Jesus in faith and insists.  His mission may not be the gentiles, but that doesn’t mean the gentiles can’t and won’t come to him. This woman has hope because she understands what the Lord and what his kingdom are all about.  She has hope because she knows what the Messiah is ushering in.  And even though she’s envisioning Easter—even envisioning Pentecost—while Jesus hasn’t even made it to the cross, by her faith she reaches into that future and drags it into the present.  Jesus sees her faith and can’t help but make her daughter well. Brothers and Sisters, each of us has reached out to Jesus through the waters of baptism—reached out in faith in order to take part in the life of Israel, in the life of God’s people.  By that faith—not through what we’ve done, not because of who we are, but by that faith—we’ve been grafted into the people of God, we’ve been made part of the body of Christ, we’ve been incorporated into the story.  By faith we’ve each been given a part to play in that story and the Holy Spirit has given us fruit to bear and gifts to use as we work together as Jesus’ people to preach, to proclaim, to live and to make real the story of Israel, the story of God’s faithfulness to the world.  God’s intent is to bless—to redeem, to restore, to make whole, to make new—his world through his people.  In Jesus we’ve seen what the kingdom of God is like.  When we gather as the Church we see a glimpse of the kingdom as it will one day be.  As we come to the Table Jesus gives us a foretaste of the great banquet that awaits us.  All of these things are gifts of grace.  They strengthen our faith in the faithfulness of God and in that they give us hope.  But, Brothers and Sisters, let us live in faith as the woman in the Gospel.  Again, Jesus wasn’t even ready for the cross, but she was ready for Easter.  You and I live in hope of God’s future, but don’t stop there.  Live in hope and faith, bearing the fruit of the Spirit in the world to make God’s future a reality here and now.   Live in hope and faith, truly living in the knowledge that Jesus is Lord, proclaiming his kingdom and making it known here and now. Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of faith by which we have been grafted into your Son, Jesus, and in him grafted us into your people, Israel.  We were stones, but by the gift of faith you have made us children of Abraham.  We were dead wood, but by faith you have grafted us into the living vine and caused us to bear fruit.  Strengthen that gift of faith we now ask, that as we live in hope of your future we would live in such a way, bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit and using the gifts you have given us, to make your future known this day in the present for all the world to see.  As you’re people, strengthen our faith that we might be the blessing to the nations you have called us to be, holding high the light of Christ and proclaiming boldly that Jesus is Lord.  Amen.

Al Fadi and  Joel Richardson continue the discussion of Joel's book " From Sinai to Zion".  This book deals with a series of prophecies which starts with Genesis 3:15 (the first gospel),and ends with the coming of the Son of Man(the second coming).  In Daniel 7, Jesus is both the Messiah; the crushing one and Yahweh (God Almighty) who is coming back to save us.  They discuss in more details the pillar of cloud who is called the Angel of the Lord in Exodus 14 and Jesus coming back in the clouds as the gospels tell it.  A fascinating detailed discussion. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Part 12 of this series , Dr. Hixson discusses another explosive prophecy from the book of Daniel.  What are the "70 Weeks of Daniel," and how do they relate to Bible prophecy? In Daniel 9:24-27, God give us a 490-year prophecy that culminates with the return of Christ and the consummation of His earthly Kingdom. Check back regularly for more episodes in this series.  Not By Works Ministries   Spirit of the Antichrist DVD Set   Bible Study Methods Course   Culture Shock Video Series   What Lies Ahead Video Series   Accurate Covid Data   Support Not By Works   Not By Works Online Store   Not By Works You Tube Channel   Not By Works Rumble Channel   New Book: Top Ten Reasons Some People Go to Hell   New Book: Weekly Words of Life

Discouraged and overwhelmed? How do we rightly respond to the pain, suffering, and loss that we face in life? In Daniel chapter 10, Pastor Josh walks us through what the process of lamenting is and what it is not. We learn that it is the love of God, not details of the future, that will get us through the darkness. Download

The kingdoms of this world will come and go but God's kingdom will stand forever. In Daniel's vision, we get a peek into the ascension of Jesus once He has conquered death.

Changing your circumstances doesn't change your reality. Instead of packing up and making a run for it, let our first response in all of life, especially in difficult situations, be prayer. In Daniel 9, we learn about the importance of our heart posture in prayer and the faithfulness of our God. Download

The Proud King and the Humble King: Pastor Ross Tenneson preaching from Daniel chapter 4. The Proud King and The Humble King Ross Tenneson / General Daniel / Pride / Daniel 4:4–37 Notes - Neb = fallen tree of life - Jesus = better tree of life Summary Exegetical: God humbles Nebuchadnezzar so that he would know his kingdom is over all (and then could raise Nebuchadnezzar up). Sticky: Depend on God; don’t try to be him. Connection I tried to ride a motorcycle for the first time this summer. It did not go well. I instantly crashed into a curb, went to the ER for the second time in a year, and put an ugly scar on my leg. I was very embarrassed and humbled by this event. And yet, would you believe me if I told you that our humbling, though unpleasant, is necessary for God to make us like Jesus and give us greater joy? Though often unpleasant, the process of becoming humble is a great gift God gives us and actually uses to raise us up. Our culture around us, influenced by spiritual Babylon will project pride and tempt us to do the same. On the other hand, in the kingdom of God, the Lord leads us with humility and into humility. Let’s see how this plays out in the life of king Nebuchadnezzar, Revelation English Standard Version Chapter 4 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace. 5 I saw a dream that made me afraid. As I lay in bed the fancies and the visions of my head alarmed me. Many of us probably don’t identify with Nebuchadnezzar in the story of Daniel. Yet, I’m a lot more like him than I would care to admit (and I suspect all of us are). Though many of our lives are difficult, we still enjoy greater prosperity than many humans in the world and in history dream of. So here he is in his prosperity, and he is in the process of forgetting the Lord. Yet, God is kind and gracious to Nebuchadnezzar. He sends him another dream at night to arouse him from his spiritual slumber. The dream alarms him as God makes him aware of his pride and the judgement that is coming. You may have noticed that there have been two times already that Nebuchadnezzar humbled himself before the God of heaven and acknowledged his greatness. Yet, we keep finding him walking pridefully against God’s rule. What is going on here? Nebuchadnezzar is painting a picture for us of the long and difficult road it often is to make a disciple. Anyone who ministers patiently to others know that there will be days where someone will confess love for Jesus and devotion to him, and then fall back into sin and rebellion (we even have days and moments like these). God’s and Daniel’s patience with Nebuchadnezzar is a reminder and call to us to patiently walk with those who do not know God yet or are slowly coming to know him. How does Nebuchadnezzar respond to this new dream from God? Verse 6 says, English Standard Version Chapter 4 6 So I made a decree that all the wise men of Babylon should be brought before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. 7 Then the magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers came in, and I told them the dream, but they could not make known to me its interpretation. Although Nebuchadnezzar is aware of the God of Israel (through Daniel’s faithful testimony to his power and glory), yet he resists the idea that he is God over all other God’s and alone deserves our worship and trust. Instead, he summons the same pagan spiritual advisors and asks for their help.[1] Yet, their counterfeit spirituality cannot help the king. We are seeing progress in Nebuchadnezzar. He no longer threatens to kill everyone if they can’t interpret his dream. Though pride still rules his heart, it has less of a stranglehold on him through Daniel’s and his friend’s ministry. Now Daniel has a chance to continue to point the king toward trust in Yahweh, English Standard Version Chapter 4 8 At last Daniel came in before me—he who was named Belteshazzar after the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods—and I told him the dream, saying, We can see that Nebuchadnezzar doesn’t quite know what to make of Daniel. Daniel’s pagan name is emphasized here, showing that Nebuchadnezzar still sees Daniel as under the God of Babylon. Yet, he also knows that Daniel has an unusual power upon his life, and so he has a special urge to confide in Daniel. In this scene, we can see Nebuchadnezzar’s trust in Daniel grow: he now freely shares with him the vision he had rather than expecting Daniel to tell it to him. When you live like Jesus lived, your neighbors and friends may grow to trust and confide in you, giving you powerful opportunities like this one to point them to Jesus, English Standard Version Chapter 4 9 “O Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no mystery is too difficult for you, tell me the visions of my dream that I saw and their interpretation. Nebuchadnezzar just told Daniel he is going to tell him the dream, and he tells it to him in the next verse. Yet, here he asks Daniel to tell him the vision of his dream. It’s like he’s having trouble trusting Daniel, yet he decides to go ahead and tell him, [[possibly tell as story]] English Standard Version Chapter 4 10 The visions of my head as I lay in bed were these: I saw, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great. 11 The tree grew and became strong, and its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth. 12 Its leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, and the birds of the heavens lived in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it. 13 “I saw in the visions of my head as I lay in bed, and behold, a watcher, a holy one, came down from heaven. 14 He proclaimed aloud and said thus: ‘Chop down the tree and lop off its branches, strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts flee from under it and the birds from its branches. 15 But leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, amid the tender grass of the field. Let him be wet with the dew of heaven. Let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth. 16 Let his mind be changed from a man’s, and let a beast’s mind be given to him; and let seven periods of time pass over him. 17 The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.’ 18 This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw. And you, O Belteshazzar, tell me the interpretation, because all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation, but you are able, for the spirit of the holy gods is in you.” God graciously shows Nebuchadnezzar the truth about God, himself, and the world through images and symbolism. These images and symbolism are not less real than the things we can see and touch, but as real (or even more real), because they tell us what’ s most true about God and about ourselves. In this case, Nebuchadnezzar was supposed to respond to this truth God gave him by humbling himself. However, when we read further, we will find that he does not. Instead, it takes a painful circumstance to humble him. Friends, there is an important lesson here: we can respond to God’s truth and humble ourselves (which is painful), or we can wait for God to humble us, which is often far more painful. Once again, we are going to lean on Daniel to help us see what this dream means, English Standard Version Chapter 4 19 Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was dismayed for a while, and his thoughts alarmed him. The king answered and said, “Belteshazzar, let not the dream or the interpretation alarm you.” Belteshazzar answered and said, “My lord, may the dream be for those who hate you and its interpretation for your enemies! Daniel foresaw the judgement that God was bringing on Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar was responsible for the destruction of Daniel’s beloved country. Nebuchadnezzar had threatened Daniel’s life in chapter 2. In light of this history, it’s amazing on Daniel responds: Instead of his heart rejoicing at the downfall of this man, his thoughts alarm him (he’s probably afraid of telling the king about his downfall, Calvin). Also, he says to Nebuchadnezzar: “may this not be for you but for someone else!” Daniel seems to care for this man. In Daniel’s response to Nebuchadnezzar, we see a picture for us of the longsuffering of Jesus. He serves us so faithfully and so mercifully even though we have treated him so poorly. In our modern day Babylon, God asks us to respond to our neighbors with this same kind of longsuffering. Who has wounded you deeply? I believe God wants you to have mercy for that person. Now, Daniel unveils the meaning of the dream for Nebuchadnezzar, English Standard Version Chapter 4 20 The tree you saw, which grew and became strong, so that its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth, 21 whose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which beasts of the field found shade, and in whose branches the birds of the heavens lived— 22 it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong. Your greatness has grown and reaches to heaven, and your dominion to the ends of the earth. Nebuchadnezzar is the tree in the vision. The vision hearkens back to the garden of Eden and the vision portrays Nebuchadnezzar as the tree of life.[2] God meant to sustain life through the tree of life in the garden. Similarly, he raised Nebuchadnezzar up to be his instrument and tool in giving and sustaining life in others. Yet, there is something amiss in this vision about Nebuchadnezzar. The vision says that he “grew and became strong” (v. 20). When you look up that word in original language, it can also mean: “to grow hard, become arrogant, become overbearing.”[3] Also it says that his “greatness has grown and reaches to heaven” (v. 22), a phrase that sounds a lot like the tower of Babel in Genesis 11 whose top reached into “the heavens.” This vision represents Nebuchadnezzar as a proud king who rather than submitting to God is arrogantly ruling apart from him. In what ways do we tend to live like Nebuchadnezzar— proud and needing no help from God? • Do you ever go whole days without reading your Bible or praying? • Do you neglect church gatherings or close relationships with other Christians? • Do you decide what is right and wrong for yourself rather than listening to God’s Word? • Do you trust in yourself or something else for your relationship with God rather than Jesus alone? These are a few of the ways we can be proud like Nebuchadnezzar. How will God respond to the pride in Nebuchadnezzar? Let’s see, English Standard Version Chapter 4 23 And because the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field, and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven periods of time pass over him,’ 24 this is the interpretation, O king: It is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king, 25 that you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. 26 And as it was commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be confirmed for you from the time that you know that Heaven rules. God responds to the proud by humbling the proud. In the vision, a “watcher” comes down. Another word for a “watcher” is a “holy one.” These are words for spiritual beings. “Angel” is another word for a spiritual being in the Scriptures. The watcher comes down from “heaven” meaning he comes on a mission from God. What is his mission? It’s to chop down the tree: to bring the tree low is to bring Nebuchadnezzar low from his place of pride. And yet, he will also show mercy. He commands the angel to leave the stump and to put a protecting shield around it.[4] He also says that the judgement will last for sever periods of time (which we don’t know how long it is, yet since seven represents the number of perfection, we could see it as the right amount of time to humble Nebuchadnezzar). The watcher says the purpose of this season is so that Nebuchadnezzar would know who is truly God over all. God will humble this proud king and show him who is truly king. Let’s keep reading on and we will flesh these ideas out more, English Standard Version Chapter 4 27 Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.” What would it look like for Nebuchadnezzar to humbly trust God as his king? What would change in his life if he embraced God as being higher than him? He would begin to rule like God rules. He would be holy like God and he would show mercy to the weak and needy like God. When God reigns over you, you start to treat other people like he does. Sadly, this is not what happens yet, English Standard Version Chapter 4 28 All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, 30 and the king answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” Rather than heeding Daniel’s counsel, Nebuchadnezzar hardens his heart. He surveys his amazing kingdom from the roof of his palace, and instead of thanking and praising God, he begins to thank and praise himself. How many of you know that prosperity is as great or an even greater temptation than suffering is? One pastor helpfully sums it up, You do not find one godly man who came out of an affliction worse than when he went into it; though for a while he was shaken, yet at last he was better for an affliction. But a great many godly men, you find, have been worse for their prosperity. Now we see God’s response to Nebuchadnezzar’s pride, English Standard Version Chapter 4 31 While the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, 32 and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” 33 Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws. God gave to Nebuchadnezzar his kingdom, and here he takes it away. He takes it away by giving Nebuchadnezzar the mind of an animal. We get a vivid picture here of what is actually the case when we are living with pride and disregarding God: we are out of our minds. There is nothing actually crazier and less sensible than living as if God is not important. What is the effect of trying to life oneself up to God’s level? You don’t actually go up, you go down to the level of a beast. This is exactly what happened to Adam and Eve in the garden. They listened to a beast who told them to try to be on God’s level. Instead, they and their offspring descended to the level of treating each other cruelly like animals. And here, Nebuchadnezzar stands forth as a warning to us of how trying to life ourselves up will actually cause us to fall come under the judgement of God. Yet for us and for Nebuchadnezzar, there is a way to escape the judgement of God: English Standard Version Chapter 4 At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, At the end of this period of time, Nebuchadnezzar finally understands that God reigns over him and he is not God. Before, he had fixed his eyes on his kingdom and worshipped himself, now his eyes go upwards, and his focus rests upon God. For the first time in this story, Nebuchadnezzar sees himself as lowly and God as high. God had accomplished his purpose. This chapter mentions 5 different times that God’s purpose in humbling Nebuchadnezzar was that he would know that he is God.[5] And, as a result, God begins to lift him up. His reason returns to him and he returns from having the mind of an animal to having the mind of a man. Then, this pagan king who is seeing that God reigns, speaks this beautiful poem, English Standard Version Chapter 4 and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; 35 all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?” Nebuchadnezzar praises praises God’s kingdom, God’s rule, and God’s plan. No one can “stay God’s hand:” God is stronger than all other rulers. No one can say to him, “What have you done?” God is wiser than all other rulers. Before, he saw his own hand as sovereign: English Standard Version Chapter 3 And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands? He finally sees God as in control. God is mighty in a way no other ruler is: his purposes always come to pass and he plans and rules over every detail of creation. He is completely in control. Everything down to the dust particles floating around us are going exactly where he wants them to. Therefore, we can perfectly rest in God and his rule and we don’t have to rule and be in charge ourselves. You are much better off trusting in God than in your own abilities, because unlike you, God has no problem running this universe. And yet, his sheer power is not the only reason that we can rest and trust in him. There is another reason, even more sweet, that we can let go our our pride and humbly depend on God. I want us to turn our attention back to verse 17, English Standard Version Chapter 4 17 The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.’ God’s desire is not to set proud men, but lowly, humble men on the throne to rule. Nebuchadnezzar was becoming a lowly man, but so far had failed. History is full of other examples of rulers who failed. There is but one person in all of history whom we can rightly call “the lowliest of men.” He is the man God sent to us in order to be our king. When we get to the book of Matthew, here is how Jesus describes himself, English Standard Version Chapter 11 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Jesus is “gentle and lowly in heart.” Jesus is the humble king who is not like Nebuchadnezzar. He will never take advantage of you, he will never manipulate you, he will never retaliate against you. He will gently lead. (Maybe there was someone in authority who mistreated you in your past: Jesus is not like that. He never has and he never will). Instead of clawing his way upward, he willingly went downward, in the path of serving others. Jesus’s path to the throne looks completely different than any other. The throne that God lifted him onto was a cross of wood. Jesus became the true tree of life who gives life to others. He’s the tree of life that Nebuchadnezzar or any other person cannot be. There is no one more trustworthy than he is. There is no one we can rest in so completely. Since pride is our attempt to seize and take control of our own life and destiny, the cross is the solution that finally allows us to be humble. Since Jesus secures our life and destiny on the cross, we don’t have to anymore. If you don’t yet trust God yet, here is the greatest reason of all. This also means that God has a good design in all of the hard things in your life that he is using to humble you. Whether they are your own fault, or completely outside of your control, God has a good plan to use pain and suffering in your life to help you be gentle and lowly like Jesus. And here we see this happen in the life of Nebuchadnezzar as well (because God humbled him, we might see him in heaven), English Standard Version Chapter 4 36 At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and splendor returned to me. My counselors and my lords sought me, and I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was added to me. 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble. After God humbles Nebuchadnezzar, he exults and restores him. He brought the severe mercy of this humbling on him so that he could raise him up. When Nebuchadnezzar lowered himself and lifted his eyes to heaven, God lifted and raised him up. Whenever we lower ourselves and whenever God lowers us to make us trust in him, his plan is always to elevate us. What does that even mean? In the life to come, we will reign with God as kings. We will find ourselves at unbelievable heights. Yet, this can happen if and only if we are humble now and put our trust in Jesus rather than any other. God may also lift you up to unexpected heights in this life. When your character becomes like Jesus’s character, you are becoming a glorious being like Jesus. You may find yourself ministering to people you never imagined you would witness to (Daniel who was humble ministered to the most powerful man in the whole world!). You will get more of God’s spirit and his presence and power flowing through your life. For God to exult you in this life won’t be how the world would expect, but it is a real exulting; it is a real lifting up. What is the main point of this text? God wants us to humbly depend on him by letting go of whatever we are trusting in instead. Nebuchadnezzar had to let go of his kingdom. Yet, when his eyes went from his kingdom to God, he got something far more precious than a kingdom, he got more of God! God wants to give you more of himself today. You can have more of him today. Yet, humble dependence one the crucified Jesus is the only way to get it. [1] John Calvin, Calvin’s Commentaries on the Book of Joshua & Psalms 1-35, trans. Henry Beveridge (BakerBooks, 2009), 252. [2] From Brian Verrett’s unpublished and upcoming commentary on Daniel. [3] Koehler, L., Baumgartner, W., Richardson, M. E. J., & Stamm, J. J. (1994–2000). The Hebrew and Aramaic lexicon of the Old Testament: Aramaic (electronic ed., Vol. 5, p. 2009). Leiden; New York: E.J. Brill. [4] Baldwin, J. G. (1978). Daniel: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 23, p. 126). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. [5] David Helm, Daniel for You, ed. Carl Laferton, God’s Word for You (The Good Book Company, 2015), 59–88.

Al Fadi and  Joel Richardson continue the discussion of Joel's book " From Sinai to Zion".  This book deals with a series of prophecies which starts with Genesis 3:15 (the first gospel),and ends with the coming of the Son of Man(the second coming).  In Daniel 7, Jesus is both the Messiah; the crushing one and Yahweh (God Almighty) who is coming back to save us.  They discuss in more details the pillar of cloud who is called the Angel of the Lord in Exodus 14 and Jesus coming back in the clouds as the gospels tell it.  A fascinating detailed discussion. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Daniel chapter 2, the prophet interpreted King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream which none of the wise men of Babylon could identify and interpret. In Daniel 2:48-49 we learn that Daniel was promoted by Nebuchadnezzar and placed in charge of all the “wise...

PART 3: In the book of Revelation, chapter 13, we learned that one of the seven heads on the SEA Beast was wounded and appeared to be healed. Since each of the SEA Beast’s seven heads had a blasphemous name, this indicates that all the heads are of a religious nature. As we continue our investigation into determining who the SEA beast from Rev 13:1 is we are going to look into the prophecy in Daniel 7. In Daniel 7 we learn that the awful beast in that prophecy known as the Pagan Roman Empire was broken up into 10 European countries in 476 AD. There arose amongst those 10 countries a little horn power. This little horn power turns out to be the Catholic Church headed by the Pope. The Catholic Church held power over Europe for over 1,260 years [the Dark Ages]. Three of the ten countries that were set up after the Pagan Roman Empire was destroyed were uprooted and destroyed by the Roman Catholic Church. During the dark ages, The Catholic Church held many inquisitions throughout Europe. As a result of these inquisitions many Christians were martyred for their faith. In Daniel 7 we learn that the saints “shall be given into his hand” for 1,260 years. We learn in Daniel seven that at the end of the 1,260 years, God the Father in heaven intervened in favor of the Saints. The Catholic Pope was arrested and put in jail thus breaking the Catholic Church’s stranglehold over Europe. So, we have learned that the ‘HEAD’ in Revelation 13:1, that was wounded is actually the Pope. We have also learned that in 1929 The Catholic Church was granted an ‘Independent State’ from Italy. While this doesn't grant the Catholic Church the honor and privilege and power that it had during the dark ages it is a step in healing it’s wound that was inflicted in 1798.

THE PROOF OF PROPHECY Prove it! Where is the proof? Often, we hear statements like this regarding claims made by someone. The Bible is UNIQUELY a prophetic book, but how do we know it is true? A KEY proof is fulfilled prophecy. To know the future is to control it and only God has this kind of power. Prophecy in the OT had a near aspect and a far aspect. The reason the prophet could be trusted for prophecies that pertained to the distant future is because those he had predicted in the near future came true with 100% accuracy. Deuteronomy 18:22 (ESV) 22 when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him. One day the true prophet Jeremiah had a confrontation with a false prophet by the name of Hananiah. This is how it went down. Jeremiah 28:15–17 (ESV) 15 And Jeremiah the prophet said to the prophet Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah, the LORD has not sent you, and you have made this people trust in a lie. 16 Therefore thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will remove you from the face of the earth. This year you shall die, because you have uttered rebellion against the LORD.’ ” 17 In that same year, in the seventh month, the prophet Hananiah died. This established two things: 1) It proved Jeremiah to be a true prophet and 2) it clearly showed Hananiah to be a false prophet. And beyond that, because what Jeremiah said about the short term was fulfilled to the letter he could also be trusted for his long-range prophecies. "The validity of a prophet was based upon prophecies occurring with 100 percent accuracy in a relatively brief period of time (Deut. 18:22). The people were to test a prophet’s speech based upon proclamations that would be fulfilled in months, a year, or two years. If such accuracy was demonstrated, the people realized that a true prophet had spoken, and they were to receive the prophecies occurring in an extended period of time." – Ronald J. Bigalke The reason we can believe that all the prophecies related to the Second Coming will be fulfilled is because all those related to the First Coming have already been fulfilled. The reason we can believe the 500 prophecies that are still unfulfilled, is because of the 500 that have already been fulfilled to the letter. This is how prophecy works in the Bible. And note that the prophecies fulfilled in the Bible are always LITERALLY fulfilled. When Genesis 15:13 predicted that Abraham’s descendants would be strangers and afflicted in a foreign land for 400 years that was literally fulfilled in Egypt. When Micah 5:2 predicted the Ruler of Israel would come forth from Bethlehem that was literally fulfilled in the birthplace of Jesus. And so it goes. Prophecy is always LITERALLY fulfilled. Prophetic revelation was progressive until it was completed with the book of Revelation. Revelation is like a grand central station in which all the aspects of prophecy find culmination in a glorious completion. The Messiah figures predominantly. This is “The Revelation of Jesus Christ” (Rev. 1:1). Israel is there with Revelation 12 giving an overview of Israel’s history and her relationship with the Messiah. The nations are there under the judgment of God. And the Church is there in the first 3 chapters prior to being raptured out and kept from the hour of trial which is to come upon the whole world (cf. Rev. 3:10). In Daniel 2 when Nebuchadnezzar had a troubling dream and demanded that someone tell him the dream and its meaning Daniel said this to the king. Daniel 2:27–28 (NKJV) 27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, “The secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king. 28 But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream, and the visions of your head upon your bed, were these: This is the unique glory of the God of Israel. He knows the future and He reveals it. This is God’s unique prophetic glory and by it He proves Himself to be true. In Isaiah 41 God gives this challenge to the false gods. True Godhood involves the ability to predict the future, bring it to pass, and explain the purpose of what is happening. Isaiah 41:21–23 (ESV) 21 Set forth your case, says the LORD; bring your proofs, says the King of Jacob. 22 Let them [the false gods] bring them, and tell us what is to happen. Tell us the former things, what they are, that we may consider them, that we may know their outcome; or declare to us the things to come. 23 Tell us what is to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods; do good, or do harm, that we may be dismayed and terrified. Note the challenge: "Tell us what is to come hereafter, that we may know you are gods". Accurately predicting what is to come is a GOD-THING! Only God knows the future and therefore only He can tell us things to come. This proves that He sovereignly controls history. He knows because He controls. Isaiah 41 then sets the stage for the great prophetic truth of the coming Messiah as revealed in what is called the four “Servant Songs” of Isaiah found in Isa. 42, 49, 50, 53 (cf. Isa. 42:1-9; 49:1-13; 50:4-11; 52:13 – 53:12). The first “Servant Song” concludes with these verses… Isaiah 42:7–9 (ESV) 7 to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. 8 I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols. 9 Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.” Note the subject matter is prophetic concerning the coming Messiah and what He will do. In that prophetic context God says, “my glory I give to no other”. And what in context is His glory? Read on… "Behold the former things have come to pass”. What God has predicted has seen fulfillment. This is God’s glory. He continues: “Behold… new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.” This is prophecy! This is telling in advance what is going to happen and then fulfilling it. This is God’s glory alone! No one else can do this! And note this prophetic glory is here attached specifically to the coming Messiah! Looking for PROOF that the Bible is true! Consider the TRUTH of fulfilled prophecy! Look at the fulfillment of prophecy in the person of Christ! There is no other book that can hail such a claim! The PROOF of fulfilled prophecy proves the truth of the God of the Bible! Daniel 2:20–22 (ESV) 20 Daniel answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. 21 He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; 22 he reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him.

In Daniel chapter six we come across a situation of political intrigue with a religious angle. Worship was forbidden for a period of time, to accommodate a political scheme. What was Daniel's reaction and how was God's honour maintained- What lessons can we learn in our own time and situation--- 1- The Conspiracy-- 2- The Counteraction-- 3- The Comeback-- 4- The Committal-- 5- The Comeuppance-- 6- The Claim

COMMENTARY Today’s reading continues the story of Daniel and the lion’s den. As we’ve seen, Darius was manipulated into making a decree that required all prayer go to him for 30 days. In humble noncompliance with the decree, Daniel offered prayers to God, just as he had always done. Now the story continues with the conspirators turning Daniel in. They say to the ruler in verse 13, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, Your Majesty, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day.” Unlike Nebuchadnezzar’s heated reaction to the civil disobedience of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Darius’ reaction is remarkably benevolent. Daniel 6:14 says, “When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed; he was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him.” Darius may seem benevolent, at least in comparison to his erratic predecessor, but he is also characterized as incompetent. In a moment of comedy and irony, Darius desperately tries to save his only honest administrator but proves to be incapable of dissolving his own law. Admitting defeat, he says to Daniel in verse 16, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!” In other words, Darius couldn’t save Daniel from his short-sighted policies but perhaps God could. This portrayal of Darius may be comedic, but like all comedy, it contains a piercing sliver of truth. Despite all the power that human leaders may hold, there will always be limitations to what they can achieve. In American society, where we put extraordinary trust in our leaders, where we believe they can save us from past wounds and hope they can chart out an idyllic future for us, the story of Daniel and Darius should teach us to place our hope elsewhere. If we need someone to rescue us, God alone can save. SCRIPTURE DANIEL 6:11–28 11 Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help. 12 So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree: “Did you not publish a decree that during the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or human being except to you, Your Majesty, would be thrown into the lions’ den?” The king answered, “The decree stands—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.” 13 Then they said to the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, Your Majesty, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day.” 14 When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed; he was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him. 15 Then the men went as a group to King Darius and said to him, “Remember, Your Majesty, that according to the law of the Medes and Persians no decree or edict that the king issues can be changed.” 16 So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!” 17 A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might not be changed. 18 Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep. 19 At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. 20 When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?” 21 Daniel answered, “May the king live forever! 22 My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.” 23 The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. 24 At the king’s command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in and thrown into the lions’ den, along with their wives and children. And before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones. 25 Then King Darius wrote to all the nations and peoples of every language in all the earth: “May you prosper greatly! 26 “I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. “For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. 27 He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.” 28 So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian. QUESTIONS 1. In Daniel 6:21, Daniel repeats a greeting we have read several other times throughout the book: “May the king live forever” (cf. Daniel 2:4, 3:9; 5:10, 6:6). How does this greeting contrast with the affirmation of Daniel 6:26: “For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end” (cf. Daniel 4:3, 34; 7:14, 18, 27; 12:2, 3, 7)? What is the book trying to teach us through these contrasting veins of thought? 2. When have you set too much hope in a human leader? How were you let down, and how does that experience shape your perspective today?

COMMENTARY Daniel 6 introduces us to another ruler, and not just a new ruler, but a new empire – the Persian Empire ruled by Darius the Mede. While the leaders and their governments have changed, some of the ways they conduct business have remained the same. In fact, just as the story of Belshazzar in Daniel 5 paralleled the story of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4, the story of Daniel 6 parallels the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 3. In Daniel 3, three men of Judah were faced with the life or death decision of whether to bow down to a statue or remain loyal to God. Now in Daniel 6, a different man of Judah, Daniel, is faced with a similar choice: praying to an earthly king or being killed for praying to God. In this story, Daniel is set up by a group of local politicians who are jealous of his high position within the government. Hoping to see this foreigner fail, they play on pride and self-image to manipulate King Darius into making a law that says that “anyone who prays to any god or human being” except Darius should be “thrown into the lions’ den” (Daniel 6:7). Daniel’s response to the law, which pitted loyalty to the king against loyalty to God, is noteworthy. Daniel 6:10 says, “Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.” Daniel’s response here is an act of both defiance and discipline. It is an act of courage and also his common practice. He immediately rebels against the decree by going to God in prayer, but his prayer is not some spurious exhibition. It is simply a continuation of what he had been doing all along. Daniel’s faithful living in the midst of his ordeal must be a model for us. His private practice produced public devotion. In our social media-driven society, we too often get those things reversed. We mistake people for their personas. We think faithfulness is primarily about what we publicly say rather than what we privately and perpetually do. That kind of faith only leads to a veneer of cultural Christianity and a private life that remains untransformed. If we want to stand firm in the face of lions, it’s the regular and unremarkable spiritual habits that will build our strength and deepen our faith. SCRIPTURE Daniel 6:1–10 Daniel in the Den of Lions 1 It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, 2 with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. 3 Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. 4 At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. 5 Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.” 6 So these administrators and satraps went as a group to the king and said: “May King Darius live forever! 7 The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or human being during the next thirty days, except to you, Your Majesty, shall be thrown into the lions’ den. 8 Now, Your Majesty, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.” 9 So King Darius put the decree in writing. 10 Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. QUESTIONS 1. Daniel 6:4 tells us that Daniel was “trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent,” even as a captive working in a foreign government. Who do you know that could be described in similar terms in a difficult work environment? Why should it matter how we conduct our business? 2. What is your current prayer life like? What is keeping you from embracing a routine like Daniel?

COMMENTARY In today’s reading, the story of Belshazzar and the writing on the wall continues. As we’ve seen, the local Babylonian experts have proven ineffective yet again at interpreting an omen of truly divine origin. In fact, in each successive story, they’ve shown themselves to be increasingly incompetent. In Daniel 2, they couldn’t tell Nebuchadnezzar his dream. In Daniel 4, they couldn’t interpret a dream even after hearing it. Now in Daniel 5, they are not only unable to interpret a message, they can’t even read the message! So at the behest of the queen mother, Belshazzar invites Daniel to interpret the omen. We learn from Daniel that the inscription said, “Mene, mene, tekel, parsin” (Daniel 5:25). This succinct message lists various Babylonian monetary weights. Like the metals of the statue in Daniel 2, the value of these weights declines as the list goes on. This general decline in value might share a clue about the significance of the message: something considered great would diminish into something of little worth. However, more help would be needed to understand the writing’s full meaning, so Daniel proceeds to interpret the message. He says, “Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end. Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. Peres: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” Daniel discerned this interpretation by means of creative wordplay. The Aramaic terms “mene,” “tekel,” and “peres” contain the same root letters as the words above translated as “numbered,” “weighed,” “divided,” and “Persia.” The meaning of the omen was that Belshazzar and his Babylonian empire would be brought down. The proud ruler had refused to humble himself, so God was going to do it for him. God’s humbling of Belshazzar teaches about God’s concern for humility. In God’s upside-down value system, leaders are to live as though they are not fundamentally better than the people they lead. In fact, God wants leaders to embrace the posture of servants. Unfortunately, governments, corporations, and even churches frequently elevate their leaders to a godlike status. We must resist this impulse or else God will intervene. The writing is on the wall. SCRIPTURE DANIEL 5:13–31 13 So Daniel was brought before the king, and the king said to him, “Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father the king brought from Judah? 14 I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you and that you have insight, intelligence and outstanding wisdom. 15 The wise men and enchanters were brought before me to read this writing and tell me what it means, but they could not explain it. 16 Now I have heard that you are able to give interpretations and to solve difficult problems. If you can read this writing and tell me what it means, you will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around your neck, and you will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.” 17 Then Daniel answered the king, “You may keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else. Nevertheless, I will read the writing for the king and tell him what it means. 18 “Your Majesty, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness and glory and splendor. 19 Because of the high position he gave him, all the nations and peoples of every language dreaded and feared him. Those the king wanted to put to death, he put to death; those he wanted to spare, he spared; those he wanted to promote, he promoted; and those he wanted to humble, he humbled. 20 But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. 21 He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like the ox; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and sets over them anyone he wishes. 22 “But you, Belshazzar, his son, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this. 23 Instead, you have set yourself up against the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways. 24 Therefore he sent the hand that wrote the inscription. 25 “This is the inscription that was written: mene, mene, tekel, parsin 26 “Here is what these words mean: Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end. 27 Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. 28 Peres: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” 29 Then at Belshazzar’s command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom. 30 That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain, 31 and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two. QUESTIONS 1. The story of Belshazzar in Daniel 5 parallels the story of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4: both kings are humbled after exhibiting great pride. However, their final outcomes are different. What did Nebuchadnezzar do that Belshazzar didn’t, and what can that teach us today? 2. In Daniel 5:22, Daniel indicts Belshazzar not only for his pride but also for his unwillingness to respond to what he knew: “But you, Belshazzar, his son, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this.” Why would Belshazzar’s knowledge make him more culpable? What does this mean for us and our knowledge of God?

COMMENTARY Daniel 3 tells the story of another colossal statue. In Daniel 2, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed about a statue. Now, perhaps inspired by the dream, he builds one. (Evidently, he forgot that the statue in his dream came crashing down!) It’s not clear who exactly this statue represented. Some suggest it was an image of a Babylonian god. Others suggest it was an image of Nebuchadnezzar himself. In any case, Nebuchadnezzar decreed that all nations and peoples were to worship the statue or be thrown into a blazing furnace. This command was a test of ultimate allegiance for the foreign captives he had taken, trained, and indoctrinated in Babylon. Would they submit to his regime, or would they suffer the consequences? For the people of Judah who had been carried into exile by Nebuchadnezzar, this test was especially problematic. God had previously commanded His people not to bow down to any images like this one. In fact, in Deuteronomy 4, God said He would scatter His people into places like Babylon if they neglected His command. Sure enough, the people of Judah were in Babylon because they had betrayed God, and now they were being tempted to break faith again. However, it’s worth noting that in the same chapter, God reminded His people that He had saved them in the past from an “iron-smelting furnace, out of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 4:20). If He had saved them from one “furnace” in the past, He could save them from this one. All God asked for was their loyalty. God continues to ask that of us today. We may not face the same dilemma as the exiles in Babylon. We may not be tempted to bow down to statues. However, we do live in a society where idols like money, power, sex, and fame tempt us to submit to them daily. We live in a society where politicians and leaders demand our allegiance. In fact, you might be like Nebuchadnezzar. In your own sphere of influence, do you wield power over the people you claim to love and lead? The message of Daniel is that God is the true King, not us or the idols we are tempted to worship. God deserves our ultimate allegiance. SCRIPTURE Daniel 3:1–15 The Image of Gold and the Blazing Furnace 1 King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, sixty cubits high and six cubits wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 2 He then summoned the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials to come to the dedication of the image he had set up. 3 So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials assembled for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and they stood before it. 4 Then the herald loudly proclaimed, “Nations and peoples of every language, this is what you are commanded to do: 5 As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6 Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.” 7 Therefore, as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp and all kinds of music, all the nations and peoples of every language fell down and worshiped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 8 At this time some astrologers came forward and denounced the Jews. 9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “May the king live forever! 10 Your Majesty has issued a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold, 11 and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace. 12 But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego—who pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up.” 13 Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, 14 and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? 15 Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?” QUESTIONS 1. Daniel 3:1-15 includes a lot of long, repetitious lists. On four different occasions, it lists six types of instruments, and twice it lists seven types of officials (Daniel 3:2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 15). One effect of the robotic repetition is that it highlights how people senselessly went along with Nebuchadnezzar’s commands. How do you see people senselessly go along with corrupt agendas in our society today? 2. What “statues” in your life challenge you to break faith with God?

COMMENTARY Toward the end of yesterday’s reading, we learned that God gave Daniel the ability to “understand visions and dreams of all kinds” (Daniel 1:17). Today, we see Daniel use these gifts for the first time. The story begins with Nebuchadnezzar having a troubling dream during the second year of his reign. Like much of the world at that time, ancient Babylonians found a great deal of significance in dreams. They understood dreams to be messages from the gods. Archaeologists have actually uncovered dream books that Babylonian scholars used to interpret dreams. These dream books identified the significance of various images in dreams and predicted what outcomes dreamers should expect. In the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, a year when Babylonian records show he was preparing for a major war, he certainly would have wanted to know the meaning of this strange dream. Nebuchadnezzar asks his wise men to interpret the dream, but he surprises them by adding a strange request. In Daniel 2:6, he says: “Tell me the dream and interpret it for me.” In other words, Nebuchadnezzar wanted them to tell him not only an explanation of the dream but also the contents of the dream. This was an unprecedented request, as the wise men point out, “What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among humans” (Daniel 2:11). The local dream experts could pass along their interpretations, but there was no manual for revealing dreams! Perhaps Nebuchadnezzar had been unimpressed with previous interpretations and wanted more proof that these wise men really had a connection to the gods. Whatever the reason, his request highlighted the inadequacy of Babylonian wisdom and provided a space for God’s wisdom to shine. No Babylonian experts, or their supposed gods, could reveal the dream. But God could and would. This lesson is important for us in our increasingly over-informed world. We have more information than ever, but as the divisions in our society make abundantly clear, we don’t always know how to interpret the information available to us. Like Nebuchadnezzar, we need real wisdom to navigate our world, to know how to live in our complex society. We need wisdom that comes from outside ourselves. The message of Daniel is that this wisdom is available, and it comes from God. SCRIPTURE Daniel 2:1–30 2 Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream 1 In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep. 2 So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed. When they came in and stood before the king, 3 he said to them, “I have had a dream that troubles me and I want to know what it means.” 4 Then the astrologers answered the king, “May the king live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it.” 5 The king replied to the astrologers, “This is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces and your houses turned into piles of rubble. 6 But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So tell me the dream and interpret it for me.” 7 Once more they replied, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will interpret it.” 8 Then the king answered, “I am certain that you are trying to gain time, because you realize that this is what I have firmly decided: 9 If you do not tell me the dream, there is only one penalty for you. You have conspired to tell me misleading and wicked things, hoping the situation will change. So then, tell me the dream, and I will know that you can interpret it for me.” 10 The astrologers answered the king, “There is no one on earth who can do what the king asks! No king, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer. 11 What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among humans.” 12 This made the king so angry and furious that he ordered the execution of all the wise men of Babylon. 13 So the decree was issued to put the wise men to death, and men were sent to look for Daniel and his friends to put them to death. 14 When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, had gone out to put to death the wise men of Babylon, Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact. 15 He asked the king’s officer, “Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?” Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel. 16 At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him. 17 Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 18 He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven 20 and said: “Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. 21 He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. 22 He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him. 23 I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors: You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of the king.” Daniel Interprets the Dream 24 Then Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to execute the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, “Do not execute the wise men of Babylon. Take me to the king, and I will interpret his dream for him.” 25 Arioch took Daniel to the king at once and said, “I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who can tell the king what his dream means.” 26 The king asked Daniel (also called Belteshazzar), “Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream and interpret it?” 27 Daniel replied, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, 28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you were lying in bed are these: 29 “As Your Majesty was lying there, your mind turned to things to come, and the revealer of mysteries showed you what is going to happen. 30 As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have greater wisdom than anyone else alive, but so that Your Majesty may know the interpretation and that you may understand what went through your mind. QUESTIONS 1. In our culture, we often think of heaven as some far off place. But as this chapter suggests, it’s actually not so distant. Unlike the gods of Babylon who “do not live among humans,” God’s residence is really very close (Daniel 2:11). This is one reason why He is repeatedly called the “God of heaven” in this chapter (Daniel 2:18, 19, 28, 37, 44). How does thinking of heaven as being close by shift your view of God and prayer? 2. Daniel’s prayer to know Nebuchadnezzar’s dream was courageous and probably terrifying. He had no guarantee that God would reveal the dream to him. And if God did reveal the dream, there was a chance its meaning would upset the volatile king. Like Daniel, what issues in the world or areas of your life could you use more wisdom to understand? Make the courageous and possibly terrifying request to see – really see – the world as God sees it.

In Daniel 10 we begin the final section of the book. Chapter 10 introduces the final vision that will encompass chapters 11-12 and also gives us a clear glimpse into the ongoing battle between God and evil forces in the heavenly places!

This past Sunday, Pastor Dimas Salaberrios preached a powerful word about prioritizing prayer. As humans, we were built to need constant communication with God and to flourish in intimacy with him. In Daniel 6:1-11, Daniel distinguished himself in Babylon by consistently tapping into the spirit of God, and by prioritizing God over man’s decree. Prioritizing prayer is hard work, and at times, can feel like fighting a brick wall, but the results are astounding. Church, may we seek the face of the Lord, trust him in prayer, and be patient.

In week 5 of our sermon series Vivid, Pastor Jeff Vines teaches that the Messiah’s arrival was predicted hundreds of years before Jesus came to earth. In Daniel chapter 9 we see an angel speak to Daniel about the precise time the King would come. This fulfilled prophecy gives us confidence that no matter what it looks like, God is sovereignly involved in all of history and constantly restoring His people.  HERE & THERE | I decided to follow Jesus! oneandall.church/jesus   Receive prayer oneandall.church/live   ONE&ALL Online Discord discord.gg/nmMWAPx   ONE&ALL Online Facebook group facebook.com/groups/oneandallonline/    Connect with ONE&ALL on Instagram Jeff | @jeffvines  Aaron | @aaronpmag79 ONE&ALL | @oneandallchurch ONE&ALL Worship | @oneandallworship ONE&ALL Podcast | @oneandallpodcast   Tune in LIVE ONE&ALL Online this weekend oneandall.church/live

Questions Covered: 07:27 – I was reading The Father’s Know Best and you mentioned that sometimes the fathers have a diversity of opinion. When does an opinion become heretical or schismatic? 12:13 – Why do some Protestants only take communion once a month but Catholics have it every day? 14:45 – Even though a lot of places have resumed having Mass, should I consider not going to Mass so I don’t bring greater risk to the more vulnerable? 18:50 – Some Protestants told a friend of mine that the original line of Peter ended with Constantine because he made himself head of the Church. How would we answer this? 30:08 – In Daniel 10:13, what is the “prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days” all about? Also, is the Michael it mentions the same as Michael the Archangel? 37:30 – In the Olivet Discourse, what does Jesus mean when he said some of them would not see death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom? It would seem that they died before the second coming, so wouldn’t that be a failed prophecy? 44:35 – What is the difference between a blessed and a saint? 51:35 – In a new book, Bart Ehrman claims that Christ didn’t believe in heaven and hell. He also claims that original Christianity did not believe in the soul, but that idea was brought in by the Greeks. Is he correct? …

Welcome to Day 1446 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomDivine Council - Overcoming Objections – Worldview WednesdayWisdom - the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek! Where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. Today is Day 1446 of our Trek, and it is Worldview Wednesday. Creating a Biblical Worldview is essential to have a proper perspective on today's current events. To establish a Biblical Worldview, you must have a proper understanding of God and His Word. This week, on our Worldview Wednesday episode, we will continue with our study based on a course I recently completed taught by Dr. Michael Heiser. Our study is titled “Sons and Daughters of God: The Believer's Identity, Calling, and Destiny” Throughout this multi-week course we will demonstrate that, in the Old Testament, “sons of God” and “holy ones” refers to supernatural beings whose Father is God and who work with God to carry out His will and that this divine family was present before humanity. By fully engaging with biblical texts such as Psalm 82; Psalm 89, and Deuteronomy 32:8–9, our study will show that this divine family functions as a template for God's human family. God desires of humans, as His imagers, to participate in His council. This study addresses issues such as polytheism, the nature of the (little ‘g') “gods,” and the uniqueness of Yahweh. Within this study, we will apply insights to the New Testament texts and shows how the metaphor of being in God's family informs our sense of identity and mission as believers. Divine Council - Overcoming Objections·      Segment 7: Idols Part 2 Elohim and the Divine Council Does Not Refer to IdolsWe are talking about the language of divine plurality in Psalm 82 (the plural elohim), and whether we should understand that language as referring to idols. To be honest, at this point, you're probably wondering how this question is even relevant, how it makes any sense. Fear of Polytheism Well, a lot of people gravitate toward this option because they don't want plural elohim to be real because of the fear of polytheism. We're going to see later that that is an unsubstantial fear. Biblical theology does not teach polytheism, but we need to continue with this question because Bible teachers and even some scholars raise it. Additional Support For a Divine Council in Daniel 7 We already saw last week in 1 Kings 22 that we have in God's council a heavenly host of spirit beings. That makes perfect sense; they are the ones who carry out God's decrees. In that example, it was God's decree that Ahab was going to die. In Daniel 7, we pick up another passage. Again, keep in mind, idols don't work for God. God does have an entourage; He does have a heavenly host; He does have a council, but we are not talking about idols here. So, in https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel+7%3A9-10&version=NLT (Daniel 7:9-10), we read this, Daniel says, As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took His seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire. A stream of fire issued and came out from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened. What we have here is a divine council meeting. We have thrones (plural) set up to render a judgment. We have a court, a council sitting, books are opened because God and His council, His entourage, His assembly, are going to render a...

  The enemy has a strategic attack planned, tailored to your fears and temptations. The enemy knows that the name given to you by the Lord is a threat to him. But fear not, Fearless family— we know the enemy’s plan will backfire! Romans 8:28 tells us that all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose.   This week, Pastor Jeremy teaches us how the book of Daniel exemplifies walking in God’s purpose. In Daniel chapter 3– Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into a fiery furnace after refusing to worship the king’s statue of gold. However the king and his advisors were astonished to see four figures in the fire walking around unharmed.   Sometimes God allows us to be thrown in the fire to burn off the things that do not belong in our lives. What ever struggles you are going through, have faith that Jesus is in the fire with you and you will come out untouched.

Our choices reflect both our priorities and values. Who we are and what we believe is a culmination of our choices. In Daniel 3, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, contemporaries of Daniel, are government officials appointed by King Nebuchadnezzar. They are faced with a situation where they have to choose between submitting to God or a gentile king. It is seemingly a no-win situation. Should they compromise to save themselves? Who will know? We may never be in a life or death situation like this. But our choices are a direct indication of who God is to us and whether He is the priority in our lives.

Our choices reflect both our priorities and values. Who we are and what we believe is a culmination of our choices. In Daniel 3, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, contemporaries of Daniel, are government officials appointed by King Nebuchadnezzar. They are faced with a situation where they have to choose between submitting to God or a gentile king. It is seemingly a no-win situation. Should they compromise to save themselves? Who will know? We may never be in a life or death situation like this. But our choices are a direct indication of who God is to us and whether He is the priority in our lives.