Podcasts about medo persian

By Philip Aust - In a continuing series of messages from the Book of Daniel, pastor Philip Aust delves into chapter 8. He elaborates on the prophecy that focuses on two empires - the Medo-Persian and the Grecian. Portions of these prophetic scriptures reach into our time.

Daniel 8 reveals God’s sovereign control over history, showing the rise and fall of empires and the ongoing battle between good and evil. The vision foretells the power struggles of the Medo-Persian and Greek empires, leading to the rise of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, a ruler who foreshadows the Antichrist. His persecution of the Jewish people […] The post The Ram and The Goat first appeared on Redeemer Church of South Hills. The post The Ram and The Goat appeared first on Redeemer Church of South Hills.

Pastor Jason discusses Daniel 8, and the vision of the ram and the goat as symbols of the Medo-Persian and Greek empires and the prediction of a fierce ruler, Antiochus IV, who will oppress the Jewish people. The sermon encourages listeners to seek Christ no matter the season. Jesus is the Hero of the story, the Savior of the world, and the Kings of Kings.

Daily Dose of Hope February 13, 2025 Day 5 of Week 46   Scripture:  Daniel 10-12; John 20   It's Daily Dose of Hope time, everyone.  Welcome back on this Thursday.  The Daily Dose is a devotional and podcast designed to complement the New Hope Bible reading plan.    Our Old Testament Scripture today is Daniel, chapters 10-12.  In these chapters, Daniel has one final vision.  We again are presented with the various kingdoms, the Medo-Persian empire, the Greeks, and then some lesser kings and finally something called the king of the North. The king of the North is particularly wicked and desecrates the Temple. The king eventually is destroyed himself.   But what does this all mean?  Scholars have certainly debated this.  Some think the vision refers to the violent Syrian king around 160BC.  Others think it refers to the coming of Jesus and the oppression in the Roman empire followed by the destruction of Jerusalem around 70AD.  Still others think this is something that has not yet occurred.  It's possible they are all correct.  Afterall, Daniel is intended to offer hope that applies to all people.  Think about it.  Humans and their kings can become beastlike when they become drunk with power and don't acknowledge God as their king.  But God will eventually confront the beast and destroy it, installing his Kingdom which is fair, just, and peaceful.   Our New Testament Scripture is John 20. He is Risen!!!  This is the Easter Sunday narrative.  Today's Scripture is some of my favorite. Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed. She went to get Simon Peter and the other disciple whom Jesus loved (most likely John, the author). They rushed to the tomb. Jesus' body was no longer there but the strips of cloth used to wrap his dead body were still present.    John went inside. He saw and believed. Think about those words. He had been walking with Jesus for three years. John saw miracle after miracle, healing after healing, feeding after feeding. But none of it made sense. It now makes sense. What Jesus said would happen has happened. The cross did not have the final word. Jesus Christ defeated death and darkness. He overcame the world.   God's power was demonstrated in such an awesome way; it's really hard to even wrap our brains around it. The transforming power of God was at work then and is still at work today! The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives within us as believers. There is power in that, friends! We are resurrection people. We believe that what was dead can be brought to life. We believe that we are new people in Jesus Christ. We believe that we are raised with Christ. We believe that there is so much more to this world than meets the eye. How have you seen resurrection power at work in your life?   Let's close today with a hymn (feel free to sing!)... Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia! Earth and heaven in chorus say, Alleluia! Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia! Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply, Alleluia.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope February 12, 2025 Day 4 of Week 46   Scripture:  Daniel 7-9; Psalm 91; John 19   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  Tonight, we have a really special worship and prayer service at 7:30pm in the sanctuary.  I hope to see you there.   We have a lot of Scripture to cover today so let's get down to business, starting with our Old Testament passage from Daniel 7-9.  As you could probably tell, the tone of the book is changing.  Now Daniel is having the dreams and they feel very much like prophecy.  In chapter 7, he dreams of the four beasts.  The last one was really large and horrid with a large horn (horns symbolized kings).  These four beasts represented very prideful kingdoms.  The Son of Man is there as well; he represents God's covenant people.  But in the dream, God (portrayed as the Ancient of Days) comes to defeat the beasts and he sets up his throne.  The Son of Man sits next to him.  It seems to be a picture that while evil human kingdoms will seem to have power, God will eventually defeat them and set up his own Kingdom.    The next two chapters give us a picture of when that will happen.  In chapter eight, there is another dream, this time with a ram and a goat.  We are told they represent the Medo-Persian empire and the Greek empire.  God defeats these as well.  By chapter nine, Daniel is quite puzzled and unsure what these mean or when they will happen.  He reads from the Prophet Jeremiah, where he learns that the exile of God's people is only supposed to last seventy years.  If that is correct, then Daniel knows the exile is almost over.  He asks God about it.  Gabriel (assuming an angel) comes to see Daniel and says that the Israelites have been really disobedient and the exile will last longer.  Daniel is really confused now and I'm hoping we get some resolution in tomorrow's chapters!   Our Psalm today is 91, the psalm of protection.  I want to talk about this one a bit.  It is truly a beautiful psalm.  I use to pray it over my children.  And when we say this, it's easy to make this psalm about us; we tend to individualize things.  But this isn't one of those Psalms that we can just substitute our names. Are there elements to it that apply to us? Of course (and we'll get to that) but the psalm written to the Israelite people.  It wasn't even written to a singular individual but a collective group of God's people. God had promised that nothing, no sickness, famine, or attack, would keep them from being the nation he told them they would be if they followed his commands.   Remember God's covenant with Israel.  This wasn't a promise that individual Israelites would not get sick and die - plenty of Hebrew people who trusted in God and still got ill and died. God was the defender and protector of Israel as a whole.  His promise was that as long as they trusted and obeyed him, nothing could stop them from being the nation that he promised they would be. Of course, we know what happens.   So, what does that mean for us?  The miracle of scripture is that it speaks to us on so many different levels. It still has deep and profound meaning for us as God's people, but maybe not in the way we might initially imagine.  ·      God is our refuge. In his presence, in his shadow, we can receive rest, respite, and security (not necessarily security from hardship, but security IN hardship.) ·      Whatever is intended for harm, God can turn to good. Every challenge we face, God is on and by our side, supporting and defending us---making all things work together for our good (Romans 8). ·      God is the author of resurrection. He is not the author of evil.  God is our FIRST RESPONDER. God rebuilds our lives. ·      Resting in God's presence, being people of prayer, we can be examples of peace and joy in the midst of so much fear and anxiety.   Our New Testament text is John 19.  Even Pilate recognizes that Jesus has done nothing wrong. He truly wants to free Jesus; the text indicates that Pilate is somewhat scared of Jesus. But the Jewish officials are desperate to get rid of Jesus. They are blinded by fear, jealousy, and contempt. In an attempt to get Pilate to cooperate with their plans, they threaten to report him to Caesar. After all, Jesus claimed to be king and anyone who made such a claim would be considered a threat to the emperor. The great irony here is that the Jews are essentially presenting themselves as better Roman citizens than Pilate, the Roman official. When it's convenient for them, they are happy to use the pagan Roman government to get their way. They will sacrifice their own ethics to ensure that Jesus is killed.   The thing about sacrificing our ethics is that it's a slippery slope, is it not? These Jewish officials were probably very pious men. They thought they were doing the right thing. Jesus was saying blasphemous things and he didn't follow their rules. They needed to step in and take care of it.  But gradually their dislike of Jesus became hate. They so badly wanted him gone that they were willing to do anything, break their own laws, disobey Torah, simply to get rid of him. They were willing to do anything, no matter how shady it was or low they had to go.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

We are now in the second half of Daniel which focuses on the dreams and visions that Daniel himself received. These visions include imagery of beasts, animals, and horns, representing kingdoms and the kings who come from them. Some of what Daniel sees is explained within the text itself while some remains the topic of debate and speculation to this day. Some, however, has clearly been fulfilled, like the goat which tramples the ram. The goat is the Greek Empire and it's conspicuous horn is Alexander the Great, who trampled the Medo-Persian empire only to die suddenly at the peak of his power. Antiochus emerges from one of the four new kingdoms, a ruler who persecutes the Jews, stops regular sacrifices, and defiles the temple.Daniel 7 - 1:07 . Daniel 8 - 8:39 . Daniel 9:1-19 - 14:28 . Proverbs 28:1-14 - 19:16 .  :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible.facebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

God's people are now in exile in the land of Babylon, which brings us to the book of Daniel, an extraordinary account of a young Judean exile who receives interpretation and prophecy from the Lord while serving foreign kings. Of particular significance in today's passage is the statue that Nebuchadnezzar sees in a dream. The statue's head of gold represented Babylon; its silver chest and arms: the Medo-Persian empire; the bronze stomach and thighs: the Greek empire; the legs of iron: the kingdom of Rome; and the mixed clay and iron feet: a continuation of Rome in later times. Finally, the rock represents the kingdom of God in Christ, as it easily destroys the manmade statue, enduring forever and spreading throughout the earth.Daniel 1 - 1:05 . 1:11Daniel 2 - 4:30 . 4:36Proverbs 26:13-28 - 16:05 .  :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible.facebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

The book of Daniel is an extraordinary account of a young Judean exile who receives interpretation and prophecy from the Lord while serving foreign kings. Of particular significance in today's passage is the statue that Nebuchadnezzar sees in a dream. The statue's head of gold represented Babylon; its silver chest and arms: the Medo-Persian empire; the bronze stomach and thighs: the Greek empire; the legs of iron: the kingdom of Rome; and the mixed clay and iron feet: a continuation of Rome in later times. Finally, the rock represents the kingdom of God in Christ, as it easily destroys the manmade statue, enduring forever and spreading throughout the earth.Daniel 1 - 1:11 . Daniel 2 - 4:43 . Daniel 3 - 16:19 . Isaiah 43:1-13 - 23:30 .  :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by Bobby Brown, Katelyn Pridgen, Eric Williamson & the Christian Standard Biblefacebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

Join us as we explore Daniel's vision in Chapter 8, a powerful prophecy that symbolizes the rise and fall of empires, including the Medo-Persian and Greek. This episode delves into the historical fulfillment of these visions, focusing on the Maccabean revolt and the oppressive actions of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who desecrated the temple and fulfilled the prophecy of the abomination of desolation. We'll discuss how these events not only illustrate the past but also foreshadow future prophecies, such as the coming of the Antichrist. Discover the hope and perspective that Daniel's book offers to the Israelites and how it encourages a biblical lens on current events, especially concerning Israel.Eastland is a Place to BelongEastland Baptist Church is located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. We are a welcoming and close-knit family community that loves to care for each other through the Church. We strongly believe in loving and supporting each other and our neighbors. Our members don't just attend our Church; they feel a strong sense of belonging.Join UsFind service times and our location at https://www.eastlandbaptist.org/join.Connect with UsWebsite: https://www.eastlandbaptist.orgFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/eastlandbaptisttulsaInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/eastlandbaptistTo support the ministry of Eastland Baptist Church, tap here: https://www.eastlandbaptist.org/give.

A @Christadelphians Video: # Summary This presentation provides an in-depth analysis of the prophecy in Daniel chapter 2, which is considered a key part of Bible prophecy. It explores the historical context, the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream, and the significance of the prophecy in relation to the future establishment of God's eternal kingdom on Earth. ### Highlights

Gospel Daily with Josh Weidmann Rise Up In An Upside-Down World, Part 2 Series: Thy Kingdom Come: A Study in Daniel Scripture: Daniel 8 Episode: 1303 Summary of Chapter 8: In Daniel Chapter 8, the prophet experiences a vision of the ram and the goat, representing the rise and fall of empires, particularly the Medo-Persian and Greek kingdoms. This chapter delves into prophetic symbolism in Daniel, where the little horn emerges as a significant figure, symbolizing a future ruler who will challenge God's people. The vision underscores the theme of God's sovereignty over history, as these events are predetermined by divine will. Daniel is troubled by the vision, reflecting the mystery and complexity of biblical prophecy, yet it ultimately reveals the inevitable triumph of God's purposes over human power. This passage is crucial for understanding the historical and apocalyptic prophecy in the Bible.

Gospel Daily with Josh Weidmann Rise Up In An Upside-Down World, Part 1 Series: Thy Kingdom Come: A Study in Daniel Scripture: Daniel 8 Episode: 1302 Summary of Chapter 8: In Daniel Chapter 8, the prophet experiences a vision of the ram and the goat, representing the rise and fall of empires, particularly the Medo-Persian and Greek kingdoms. This chapter delves into prophetic symbolism in Daniel, where the little horn emerges as a significant figure, symbolizing a future ruler who will challenge God's people. The vision underscores the theme of God's sovereignty over history, as these events are predetermined by divine will. Daniel is troubled by the vision, reflecting the mystery and complexity of biblical prophecy, yet it ultimately reveals the inevitable triumph of God's purposes over human power. This passage is crucial for understanding the historical and apocalyptic prophecy in the Bible.

Gospel Daily with Josh Weidmann Forgetting God's Faithfulness Invites God's Judgement, Part 2 Series: Devoted: A Study in Daniel Scripture: Daniel 5:1-31 Episode: 1295   Summary of Chapter 5:1-31: In Daniel Chapter 5, verses 1-31, the dramatic fall of King Belshazzar serves as a powerful lesson on divine judgment and prophecy in the Bible. During a lavish feast, a mysterious hand writes a message on the wall, leading to Daniel's interpretation of the writing on the wall in the Book of Daniel. This event foretells the imminent downfall of Belshazzar's kingdom due to his arrogance and failure to honor God. The chapter emphasizes God's sovereignty over nations, as the prophecy is fulfilled that very night with the king's death and the rise of the Medo-Persian empire. The narrative underscores the themes of pride and divine retribution, showcasing the prophetic accuracy in biblical events.

Gospel Daily with Josh Weidmann Forgetting God's Faithfulness Invites God's Judgement, Part 1 Series: Devoted: A Study in Daniel Scripture: Daniel 5:1-31 Episode: 1294   Summary of Chapter 5:1-31: In Daniel Chapter 5, verses 1-31, the dramatic fall of King Belshazzar serves as a powerful lesson on divine judgment and prophecy in the Bible. During a lavish feast, a mysterious hand writes a message on the wall, leading to Daniel's interpretation of the writing on the wall in the Book of Daniel. This event foretells the imminent downfall of Belshazzar's kingdom due to his arrogance and failure to honor God. The chapter emphasizes God's sovereignty over nations, as the prophecy is fulfilled that very night with the king's death and the rise of the Medo-Persian empire. The narrative underscores the themes of pride and divine retribution, showcasing the prophetic accuracy in biblical events.

Greg, Rachel, and Emily discuss the origin of the Medo-Persian Empire, how it claimed the title of world power from Babylon, and the work God did through Daniel. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/haltingtowardzion/support

IRAN AND ISRAEL exchanged missiles in April, in what appears to be—thankfully—limited hostilities between the two countries.This week, we look at the ancient nation of Elam, which was located in what is now western Iran. It was destroyed by the rising Medo-Persian empire in the 6th century BC, but at times Elam ruled over all of Mesopotamia. In the time of Abraham, an Elamite king led an army against the city-state led by Sodom.More than a thousand years later, Jeremiah prophesied the destruction of Elam. The Lord declared that He would set His throne in Elam—but that a day is still coming when God “will restore the fortunes of Elam.”

Episode 250 – Archeology and the Bible – Part 6 – Names We Know 2 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: … [in] the fourth month of Zedekiah’s eleventh year, the city wall was broken through. … the officials of the king of Babylon came and took seats in the Middle Gate: Nergal-Sharezer of Samgar, Nebo-Sarsekim a chief officer …and all the other officials … of Babylon. . Jeremiah, Chapter 39, verses 1 through 3, New International Version ******** VK: Hello and welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. I’m Victoria K. This is the 6th episode in our series on archeology and the Bible. At Anchored by Truth we think most people understand that archeology is generally relevant to the study of the Bible - but they have a limited understanding of what the relationship is. But if we take the Bible seriously – which we definitely do at Anchored by Truth - we all need to know a little bit about archeology. That’s because archeological explorations and finds have supplied an abundance of evidence that confirms that the history contained in the Bible is real history. That’s why we decided to do this series. Despite the fact that popular culture has tried to dismiss the long-standing relationship between the Bible and archeology the truth is that archeology as a whole has done much to provide evidence of the Bible’s trustworthiness. To help us continue to explore this topic, in the studio today we have RD Fierro. RD is an author and the founder of Crystal Sea Books RD, throughout this series you have pointed out that despite the skepticism we often hear many scholars, including ones who aren’t Christian, have used the Bible as a source document when planning or conducting archeological explorations. In fact, the Bible’s history has regularly been shown to be accurate even when doubted, right? RD: Right. And during our most recent episodes of Anchored by Truth we have been covering specific examples of times secular history doubted what the Bible reported but archeology proved that the Bible’s report was right. Today we are going to continue in that same vein and provide another example of an archeological find that shows that the Bible not only gets the “big things” right but is also accurate in details that most people wouldn’t even consider are significant. VK: Well, perhaps we should start by briefly discussing one of the specific criticisms that is frequently hurled at the Bible – the idea that many of the books of the Bible weren’t actually written by the person whose name is associated with that particular book. This would include books like Daniel and Jeremiah but it extends to the first five books of the Bible which are historically attributed to Moses. RD: One of lines of evidence that the Bible is the inspired word of God is that the Bible contains a large body of fulfilled prophecy. We have provided a lot of examples of successful prophecies in many of our different series on Anchored by Truth. We have talked about the fact that the prophet Isaiah provided the name of the Persian king who would conquer the Babylonian Empire about 200 years before that happened in history. VK: For anyone who wants to verify that prophecy for themselves they can go chapters 44 and 45 of the book of Isaiah. For example, Isaiah, chapter 45, verses 1 through 3 say, “This is what the LORD says to Cyrus, his anointed one, whose right hand he will empower. Before him, mighty kings will be paralyzed with fear. Their fortress gates will be opened, never to shut again. This is what the LORD says: “I will go before you, Cyrus, and level the mountains. I will smash down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness—secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name.” RD: Yes. A simple internet search of the question “who conquered Babylon” will bring up the name “Cyrus” or, as he is often called, “Cyrus the Great.” Isaiah is the first of the so-called “Major Prophets” and prophesied from approximately the years 740 BC to about 700 BC. So, the latest his prophesy about a coming conquering king named Cyrus can be dated is 700 BC. But Babylon didn’t fall to Cyrus until 539 BC. So, Isaiah’s prophecy predates the fulfillment by 170 to 200 years. VK: And since that we can’t successfully predict who will win the next election, Super Bowl, or World Series, a successful prophesy given 200 years before the event is pretty compelling evidence of supernatural inspiration and insight. RD: Right. Another example of a successful prophesy given hundreds of years ahead of time is found in the book of Daniel, who is the last of the Major Prophets. In chapters 2, 7, and 8 of his book Daniel prophesied about a series of empires that would control what was, for the ancient Hebrews, the known world – essentially to us eastern Europe, north Africa, the Mideast, and western Asia. Daniel prophesied that a series of 4 empires would dominate that territory. We now know from history that those empires were the Babylonian, the Medo-Persian, the Greeks, and the Romans. Rome conquered Palestine and Jerusalem around 63 BC but Daniel had given his prophecy around 540 BC – almost 500 years earlier. VK: Again, none of us know what the price of gas will be next month much less next year. We don’t know what level the stock market will be at in a year and we can’t even be sure what the weather will be like two days from now. So, for a human, unaided by God, to successfully predict a major military and political event 500 years in the future is simply impossible. But what is impossible for people is possible for God. But it is possible only for God. That’s one of the big reasons we can be sure the Bible was inspired by God. God inspired His writers to record things hundreds of years before they would happen. And that then becomes strong evidence that while a human hand pushed a pen or stylus the information was coming straight from a divine Being. RD: Yes. These are just two examples of the hundreds that could be cited to illustrate that the Bible writers were given supernatural inspiration by God Almighty. And this evidence is so compelling that the critics of the Bible must find a way to discount the evidence. The most common way they do that is to assert that the books weren’t written when they were. To discredit the prophecy the critics must turn the prophecy into history. So, the critics will claim that the book of Daniel was not written in the 6th century BC but rather the 1st or 2nd century BC. And they claim that while portions of the book of Isaiah were written in the 8th century BC they claim that other parts were written much later such as the 5th or even 4th century BC. By doing so, they claim that rather than the books containing successfully fulfilled prophesies all the books were doing was presenting historical events as prophecy. VK: That calls to mind the medieval notion that it was possible to turn iron into gold. It was called alchemy. But, in this case, the critics want to turn the golden evidence of fulfilled prophecy into the common element of recent history – a sort of reverse alchemy. The critics can plainly see the implications of a book that contains prophecies given hundreds of years before the events prophesied. Human beings can’t do that. Only God could. So, to get rid of the evidence they turn the evidence into something else. Re-date the book and “poof” – prophesy becomes history. RD: Yes. So, that’s one of the most common forms of criticism that’s hurled against the Bible. The books of the Bible weren’t written when claimed. It’s a pernicious form of criticism because the critic doesn’t deny the content of the book – just claims the book doesn’t mean what we thing because it’s been “misdated.” VK: But one of the ways the Bible defends itself against such criticism is that it frequently contains language or details that wouldn’t have been used or known to a later writer. And that detail or language has now been confirmed by archeology. For instance, with respect to the false assertion that the book of Daniel was written in the 1st or 2nd century BC Biblical Scholar Dr. Gleason Archer in his Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties has written this: “… it seems that a second century date for the Hebrew chapters of Daniel is no longer tenable on linguistic grounds. In view of the markedly later development in the areas of syntax, word-order, morphology, vocabulary, spelling, and word-usage, there is absolutely no possibility of regarding Daniel as contemporary [with the sectarian documents][of the second century BC…] The complete absence of Greek loan-words apart from musical instruments … point unmistakably to a time of composition prior to the Alexandrian conquest.” RD: What Dr. Archer is saying is that, just as today, language changes through time. We know longer use phrases like “Daddy-O” or “23 skidoo” … VK: “23 skidoo” … really? RD: Really. “23 skidoo” was an American slang phrase that appeared early in the 20th century. It was often used to mean “I’m leaving quickly.” According to the Wikipedia entry “23 skidoo” was actually the conjoining of two earlier expressions, “‘twenty-three’ (1899) and ‘skidoo’ (1901), both of which, independently and separately, referred to leaving, being kicked out, or the end of something.” The point is that language changes through time. “23 skidoo” is slang from over 100 years ago. If someone sees it in a document we can have high confidence about roughly when that document might have been prepared. The same thing is true about ancient languages. They changed through time. In the case of the language used in the book of Daniel it does not resemble the language used by the Jews in the 1st or 2nd century BC. And we can have high confidence about that in large measure because of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. VK: The point is that the language of the book of Daniel defeats the critics’ attempts to date it at a time when its prophecy would have become history. And today we are going to cite an example where a name in the text of the book of Jeremiah defeats the critics’ attempt to turn its successful prophecies into history. Remember, our opening scripture came from the book of Jeremiah. RD: Exactly. So, let’s set the stage so we know what is going on – both in scripture and in history. VK: Jeremiah is the 2nd of the Major Prophets. Jeremiah wrote during a period starting in 626 BC and lasting until about 586 BC. He is sometimes called the “weeping prophet” because he had the sad task of warning the people in Judah and Jerusalem that they were going to be destroyed by the Babylonians because of their idolatry. Jeremiah did not want to see them destroyed but he faithfully reported that because the people would not give up their idolatry they were going to suffer. He made a number of famous prophecies. He not only prophesied that Jerusalem was going to be destroyed but he also prophesied that the captivity of the exiled Jews was going to last 70 years. RD: And he was proven accurate on both counts. Nebuchadnezzar, the most famous of the Babylonians kings, destroyed Jerusalem in 587 BC and sent most of the people into exile around Babylon. Only the poorest were permitted to remain in their homeland. Jeremiah was also right about how long the Jews would remain in exile. The first time Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem was 597 BC but before that Jerusalem had become a vassal state of Babylon. Many scholars date the start of the 70 years to 605 BC when Judah first swore allegiance to Babylon. Cyrus defeated Babylon in 539 BC but it took a little while before the exiled Jews were able to begin their return to their homeland. So, all told, the exile of the Jews in Babylon lasted about 70 years. VK: But a skeptic might say that these two prophecies were not really prophetic. Nebuchadnezzar began his control of Judah during Jeremiah’s lifetime and so the prophecy that Nebuchadnezzar would one day destroy Jerusalem might have just been an educated guess. Or a skeptic might assert that the writer of Jeremiah just wrote about the destruction of Jerusalem after it happened. While the book of Jeremiah does contain information about when various prophecies were given it’s not impossible that the writer might have deliberately misdated the material to appear prophetic even if it were not. RD: But, that would still leave a successful prophecy about the length of the period of exile. Chronologically, the book of Jeremiah ends right after the final destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BC. But Cyrus would not defeat Babylon for almost another 50 years. So, even if the critic asserts that the writer of Jeremiah was writing history when it came to the fall of Jerusalem the writer would have no way of knowing if or when that period of Babylonian captivity would end. VK: So, to get around that possibility the critic would say that a later editor of the book of Jeremiah just added that detail after the period of the exile ended. That, in fact, is a very common line of criticism with respect to many of the books in the Old Testament. Many critics assert that many books of the Old Testament, including the first 5 books, were not written until after the period of the Babylonian captivity and the Jews had returned to their homeland – sometime in the late 6th century BC or early to mid 5th century. The assertion is that the returned Jews were trying to create a sort of noble history for themselves because the whole nation was in such desperate condition. The critics assert that the returned Jews either just outright fabricated books such as Genesis at that time - or they took earlier works and just added a bunch of details to give them the appearance of supernatural inspiration. And one way they supposedly did that was to put prophecies in the books that were really historical events that had affected the Israelites. The idea is that by doing so the national or religious authorities could fool their population into believing their holy books contained prophecies that had been fulfilled. The general idea is that these pious fictions would have inspired the Jews, who were then in a pretty sad state at that time. RD: And that’s where today’s opening scripture becomes relevant. Our opening scripture includes the names of two Babylonian officials who were present at the time the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem. “Nergal-Sharezer of Samgar, Nebo-Sarsekim.” Nebo-Sarsekim is described as being “a chief officer.” VK: Ok. Let’s focus on what’s going on within the book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah has been warning the people – probably for decades at this time – that if they don’t give up their idolatry they are going to be punished by being defeated militarily. And Jeremiah even tells them that their defeat will come at the hands of the Babylonians. But the people don’t listen and the defeat comes about. So, Jeremiah is now describing what was happening at the time that the Babylonians broke through the walls of Jerusalem. RD: Right. Now what is interesting, amazing even, about this passage from Jeremiah is that he has gone to the trouble of recording the names of Babylonian officials who weren’t the king or part of the royal family. Now it would not be unusual for a careful and honest historian to record the names of important people who present at a significant event – like the breaching of the walls of your capital city. But why would someone who was making up or editing a book to somehow give it the air of supernatural inspiration do that? VK: I suppose someone would say that adding the names of officials would increase the level of credibility to the account they were concocting. Good fiction writers always want to make their fiction believable. RD: Someone – a critic – trying to cast doubt on the book might say that. But let’s explore that idea for a second. Let’s suppose that a religious authority in Israel is trying to somehow add weight to a book that they are creating. So, to add that weight they start throwing in a bunch of details about a dramatic event. It makes little sense that one of the details they would throw in would be the names of a couple of people from the invading army who sat down in a city gate just after the invaders had breached the wall. But even if they did decide to throw in a couple of names how would a writer writing decades after the actual event know which names to toss in? Remember the idea we’re examining is whether it is reasonable to suppose that the book of Jeremiah was written decades after the events that it records – because that’s what it would take for a later writer to have made it seem like Jeremiah knew the length of the Babylonian captivity. VK: Or is just more reasonable to conclude that the book of Jeremiah was written by an eyewitness of the events recorded in the book. An eyewitness could easily know the names of high ranking officials who took part in the capture of the capital city. But details get lost in as time passes by. So, the likelihood that a later religious figure would know which lesser officials happened to be present when Jerusalem fell starts to strain credulity. Which possibility is more likely really comes down to whether the names recorded in Jeremiah are accurate. RD: And thanks to archeology we now have solid evidence that the writer of Jeremiah got the names right. A clay tablet that is in the British Museum contains a receipt issued by a high official of Nebuchadnezzar, who was the King of Babylon that conquered Jerusalem. This tablet is a receipt is for gold donated to a temple in Babylon. The full translation reads: “‘(Regarding) 1.5 minas (0.75 kg) of gold, the property of Nabu-sharrussu-ukin, the chief eunuch, which he sent via Arad-Banitu the eunuch to [the temple] Esangila: Arad-Banitu has delivered [it] to Esangila. In the presence of Bel-usat, son of Alpaya, the royal bodyguard, [and of] Nadin, son of Marduk-zer-ibni. Month XI, day 18, year 10 [of] Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon.” The tablet is dated to the 10th year of Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon (595 BC) or 8 years before the siege of Jerusalem. Many Biblical scholars have now realized that the name mentioned in the tablet is the same name as contained in Jeremiah, chapter 39. VK: And that’s pretty remarkable. As we’ve said frequently during this series one test for whether a historical record is accurate is whether the record gets the names and titles right. And it is one thing for a writer to get the big names right. But it is even better when the writer gets the names of lesser officials right. Everyone remembers Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great. But how many people would know who was on their staff. How many would remember the people who were, in essence, just supporting actors. RD: Yet, over and over again, we find that from the Bible that the Bible writers get even the small details right. In this case the Bible describes Nebo-Sarsekim as being a “chief officer” of the king of Babylon. The tablet from the British museum tells us that Nebo-Sarsekim was the “chief eunuch.” That title doesn’t mean anything in our society but in that day the chief eunuch would have been a very important Babylonian official. It would take too much time today to describe why that was true but we can get some idea of his importance and wealth by noting that the tablet indicates he gave gold to the temple that was worth over $50,000 today. VK: And how many people today can afford to give away $50,000? It’s little wonder that someone kept a receipt of the donation. And by the grace of God we now have that receipt as additional evidence that the book of Jeremiah wasn’t written hundreds of years or even decades after the events it records. An eyewitness of the events could record details accurately. A writer at a far distant time wouldn’t have reason to include the names of lesser officials. By that time the relevance and value of such people would have faded into the distant past. RD: Right. The book of Jeremiah contains lessons that would have been important for the people of his day – and for us today. Jeremiah warned his people about the dangers of idolatry. An idol is anything we value more than God and lots of us have things that we value more than our relationship with God. Jeremiah was a genuine prophet of God and we can be sure of that because prophecies he passed along to his people came true. And today we’ve only mentioned a couple of those. There are a great many more that time precludes us from discussing in these brief episodes. At Anchored by Truth our purpose is to help people understand that the Bible is the inspired word of God. Archeological finds like the tablet we’ve talked about point to that fact. The history in the Bible is reliable and the Bible contains a large body of fulfilled prophecies. Human beings can write accurate history but only a supernatural God can provide knowledge to His people of events that won’t occur for decades or centuries. VK: And that is what we are illustrating in this episode and in this series. Archeological discoveries have repeatedly supported the history contained in the Bible. And that accurate history tells us that the Biblical authors were eyewitnesses to most of the history they record. So, the times indicated by their place in history tells us their prophecies were given far before their fulfillment. This sounds like a great time to pray. Today let’s listen to a prayer that our children who are in school and many of them facing tests. Most of us have put such tests far behind us but it always appropriate for us to help the next generation as they walk the path behind us. It is also appropriate for us to ensure that just as we care about their formal education we also take care to pass along our faith in our Lord Christ Jesus. ---- PRAYER FOR TAKING A TEST (RANNI) VK: We’d like to remind our audience that a lot of our radio episodes are linked together in series of topics so if they missed any episodes or if they just want to hear one again, all of these episodes are available on your favorite podcast app. To find them just search on “Anchored by Truth by Crystal Sea Books.” If you’d like to hear more, try out crystalseabooks.com where “We’re not perfect but our Boss is!” (Bible Quote from the New International Version) Jeremiah, Chapter 39, verses 1 through 3, New International Version New archaeological find affirms Old Testament historicity (creation.com)

In Daniel chapter 8, Daniel has a vision, astonishing in its specificity, of the future destruction of the Medo-Persian empire by the Greeks under Alexander the Great. The post Daniel Episode 9: The Vision of the Ram and the Goat appeared first on Two Journeys.

In Daniel chapter 8, Daniel has a vision, astonishing in its specificity, of the future destruction of the Medo-Persian empire by the Greeks under Alexander the Great. The post Daniel Episode 9: The Vision of the Ram and the Goat appeared first on Two Journeys.

In Daniel chapter 8, Daniel has a vision, astonishing in its specificity, of the future destruction of the Medo-Persian empire by the Greeks under Alexander the Great. The post Daniel Episode 9: The Vision of the Ram and the Goat appeared first on Two Journeys.

In Daniel chapter 8, Daniel has a vision, astonishing in its specificity, of the future destruction of the Medo-Persian empire by the Greeks under Alexander the Great. The post Daniel Episode 9: The Vision of the Ram and the Goat appeared first on Two Journeys.

Scripture Reading: Acts 8:1-25 And Saul agreed completely with killing him.Now on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were forced to scatter throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria. 2 Some devout men buried Stephen and made loud lamentation over him. 3 But Saul was trying to destroy the church; entering one house after another, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.4 Now those who had been forced to scatter went around proclaiming the good news of the word. 5 Philip went down to the main city of Samaria and began proclaiming the Christ to them. 6 The crowds were paying attention with one mind to what Philip said, as they heard and saw the miraculous signs he was performing. 7 For unclean spirits, crying with loud shrieks, were coming out of many who were possessed, and many paralyzed and lame people were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.9 Now in that city was a man named Simon, who had been practicing magic and amazing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great. 10 All the people, from the least to the greatest, paid close attention to him, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called ‘Great.'” 11 And they paid close attention to him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic. 12 But when they believed Philip as he was proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they began to be baptized, both men and women. 13 Even Simon himself believed, and after he was baptized, he stayed close to Philip constantly, and when he saw the signs and great miracles that were occurring, he was amazed.14 Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15 These two went down and prayed for them so that they would receive the Holy Spirit. 16 (For the Spirit had not yet come upon any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on the Samaritans, and they received the Holy Spirit.18 Now Simon, when he saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me this power too, so that everyone I place my hands on may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you because you thought you could acquire God's gift with money! 21 You have no share or part in this matter because your heart is not right before God! 22 Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that he may perhaps forgive you for the intent of your heart. 23 For I see that you are bitterly envious and in bondage to sin.” 24 But Simon replied, “You pray to the Lord for me so that nothing of what you have said may happen to me.”25 So after Peter and John had solemnly testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they started back to Jerusalem, proclaiming the good news to many Samaritan villages as they went.Main ThemesSaul—An IntroductionLuke introduces Saul at the end of chapter 7. Spoiler alert: Saul is the man that becomes the Apostle Paul—one of the central figures of the New Testament. So, we should spend a few minutes thinking about him.Luke introduces Saul like he does Barnabas, initially as a minor character to acclimate the reader. Nevertheless, we should ask, why would Saul be present during Stephen's trial before the Sanhedrin?Although we cannot know for sure, the most likely explanation is that Saul of Tarsus was a member of the radical wing of the Hellenist synagogue mentioned in Acts 6:9. Perhaps Paul was even one of those Jews who unsuccessfully challenged Stephen (see Acts 6:10).We are also told that the witnesses who testified against Stephen “laid their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul.” This probably symbolizes recognition of Saul as a leader. This is surprising because Saul is described as young. We will discuss this more in a minute. First, let's see what more we can learn about Saul from Paul's letters.Paul claims to be a Pharisee (Philippians 3: 5). Pharisees existed exclusively or almost exclusively in Israel, especially in Jerusalem. At the same time, his letters reveal comfort with Greek and thorough familiarity with the Septuagint. For one who spent enough time in Israel to be a Pharisee, this Greek aptitude also suggests an educated and hence economically stable family in urban Jerusalem. He could either be from a Diaspora Jewish family that settled in Jerusalem, be an aristocratic Pharisee like Gamaliel (whose family taught Greek), or both.The portrait of Saul as zealous for the law to the point of persecuting the church perfectly fits Paul's frequent summary of his preconversion past. Paul also tells us he “was advancing in Judaism beyond many of [his] contemporaries” (Galatians 1:14). Partly, this was probably because he studied under the esteemed teacher Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). Nevertheless, the Acts narrative makes clear that Saul's strategy regarding competing sects is quite different to his teacher's. (This was not unusual in the ancient world. Wealthy families would send their children to study with renown teachers without expecting that the children would adopt all the teacher's beliefs.)As I mentioned above, Saul is “young.” What does this mean? Scholars differ on the precise sense of the term, and for good reason: various ancient sources employ it differently. Some sources define it as anyone from 24 to 40 years of age, others, ages twenty-one to twenty-eight; yet the term could also be applied to someone under twenty. Some Jewish pietists felt twenty was the age when a youth could discern morality on his own. For the rabbis and presumably most Jews, personal moral accountability began especially around age thirteen.Given Saul's role here, he is probably not a young adolescent merely beginning studies with Gamaliel or some other teacher. Instead, he has probably finished his studies. I think we can safely speculate Saul was somewhere in his mid-twenties to very early thirties.Achieving leadership at his age would be difficult, since those who were young might have trouble gaining respect (in Israel and elsewhere). Young men were expected to have some limitations, for example, Classical Athens considered those below thirty to be young and hence easily misled and ineligible to sit in the city council. Nevertheless, exceptions were sometimes appropriate, and some young men were allowed to lead. This could result in self-assurance on the part of the youth and envy and animosity on the part of other members of the community.That the most violent zeal would be associated with a young man would not surprise ancient hearers (or today's readers). This zeal could be used by the older leaders. Some elders might have allowed the younger hotheads to take care of details, while the elders maintained their own dignity.Chapter 8—IntroductionChapters 6 and 7 focus on Stephen, one of the seven so-called deacons. Chapter 8 focuses on another one of these leaders: Philip. Stephen lays the groundwork by teaching that God is not bound to the sacred land or the temple. Philip implements the vision by evangelizing Samaritans and the first fully Gentile convert, an African official.Recall the words of Jesus at the very beginning of Acts, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Philip reaches both Samaritans and a representative from the “ends of the earth.” (Geographically, Philip advances the gospel north to Samaria and south to Africans.)Persecution and ScatteringSaul persecutes the church harshly. The effect of the persecution, however, is the dispersing of the church, fulfilling Acts 1:8 more fully but in a manner undoubtedly not expected by the apostles. This outcome testifies to God's sovereign activity even through opposition. Let's consider these points further.Saul's persecution of the church is undoubtedly historical. Paul himself admits participation in violent persecution of Christians, mentioning it regularly in his letters (1 Cor 15:9; Gal 1:13; Phil 3:6).The persecution has the effect of scattering “all” except the apostles. A major interpretive crux in this passage is what Luke means by “all.” Few scholars take “all” literally, and most assume that the object of the persecution was the Hellenists. This proposal is also unlikely. If only the Hellenists were scattered, saying “all the church” is an unusual way to specify this. Moreover, this view is based on an incorrect (and now outdated) assumption that Hebrews and Hellenists had large theological differences regarding the temple.So what does “all” mean? “All the church” is surely hyperbole, which is a typical use of the word “all” by Luke (e.g., Luke 1:6; 2:1; 5:17; Acts 1:1). Nevertheless, it clearly conveys the idea that a large number of Christians left Jerusalem. There is no indication that any particular group of Christians was more prone to flee. (We could speculate that more Hellenist Christians left Israel than other Christians. The story focuses on Hellenists moving to the Diaspora. Moreover, Hellenists may have had more connections outside Israel, making the move easier.)We should also ask, why are the apostles explicitly excepted from the scattering? Maybe Saul avoids persecuting the apostles because of his teacher Gamaliel's words in their favor (recall Acts 5). Maybe Saul respected them as miracle-working men. Both of these proposals seem unlikely because in the ancient world ringleaders would be persecuted first. The more likely explanation is the apostles remained and went “underground.” (Notice the text does not say the apostles escaped persecution. It only says the apostles remained in Jerusalem.)Sometimes we forget the sacrifice made even by the Christians who fled. Some of them would have abandoned property, probably permanently as it could have been deemed legally abandoned or been confiscated. Confiscation was often concomitant with other criminal sentences.Saul persecuted believers from house to house. Homes were viewed as private. Persecuting someone at home was more grievous than public arrest. Persecuting someone at home intruded upon the domestic sphere, associated with women. In the ancient world, women were less often punished than men, but exceptions were made, including times they were killed for their husbands' rebellion.The term used to describe Saul's persecuting activity was a strong term that could apply to torture, military devastation, or outrages.Mourning and Burying StephenWith all this in mind, we should notice the courage of those who bury Stephen. Helping a prisoner or otherwise identifying with a condemned person could be dangerous. The fact that Stephen's burial was allowed is not surprising. For Jew and Gentile alike, to be left unburied was a horrific fate that was rarely imposed upon anyone. Jews did not believe in withholding burial for any circumstances. It contradicted their law (Deuteronomy 21: 23). However, the fact that Stephen's death was allowed to be mourned is surprising. Jewish tradition, at least as we know it from later evidence, did not permit open mourning for those executed by approval of a Jewish court. If that later evidence is representative of Stephen's time, then the open mourning is evidence that the Sanhedrin did not intend to execute Stephen immediately. It was an unofficial lynching that ended his life.God's Use of PersecutionSaul's persecution of the church lead to Philip's ministry and that of untold scattered believers. Saul was a vessel of God before he was ever Paul, though an unwitting agent who merited destruction. (In the Old Testament, God used Assyria and Babylon as his “clubs” to punish the wicked, although Assyria and Babylon were also wicked and were eventually judged.)Scattering from Jerusalem as a result of Stephen's persecution proved a major factor in spreading the Jesus movement. Nevertheless, this was probably unexpected for the apostles and early church. As we have discussed throughout Acts, the Old Testament prophesied that through Israel all the nations would be blessed. But early Jewish Christians probably guessed that Gentile nations would be drawn to Israel's exalted glory after it accepted its Messiah. Instead, as we can see in retrospect, God's plan was accomplished through Israel's rejection of its Messiah.A Samaritan TownPhilips goes to a Samaritan town or, as our translation puts it, “the main city of Samaria.” As the NET translators acknowledge, the word “main” is not in the text—they provide it for clarity. Moreover, the authenticity of the definite article “the” is debated. So, the text either reads “the city of Samaria” or “a city of Samaria.” The NET translators think the city described is Sebaste.The main city of Samaria most likely refers to the principal city of Samaria, rebuilt by Herod the Great as Sebaste in honor of Augustus . . . . This is the best option if the article before “city” is taken as original. If the reading without the article is taken as autographic, then another city may be in view: Gitta, the hometown of Simon Magus according to Justin Martyr . . . .Most scholars reject the Sebaste proposition. Luke always uses “Samaria” for the region of the Samaritan people and Sebaste was a Gentile city.SamaritansThe significance of Philip's activity in Samaria this will be lost on us if we do not discuss who were the Samaritans. As one website explains:After King Solomon ruled over the Israelites—God's people—the unwise actions of his son Rehoboam in the tenth century BC led to a schism in which the kingdom was split into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah, each with its own king.Both kingdoms devolved into corruption and sin, despite repeated warnings from prophets sent by God. Thus, God warned, they would be overtaken by conquerors. The northern kingdom fared worse than the southern kingdom, with a long line of wicked rulers. It didn't help that the temple, where God's people were to worship, was located in the southern kingdom. In 721 B.C., the northern kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrians. Many of the people of Israel were led off to Assyria as captives, but some remained in the land and intermarried with foreigners planted there by the Assyrians. These half-Jewish, half-Gentile people became known as the Samaritans.Because of their shared heritage, Samaritans worshipped the same God as Jews and shared roughly the same Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament). Also because of this shared heritage, Samaritans were not Jews but were not Gentiles either. For example, Josephus once refers to them as Jewish apostates. A major point of contention between Samaritans and Jews concerned their respective holy sites. Samaritans regarded Gerizim as the holiest of mountains, not Jerusalem. The Samaritan temple on Mount Gerizim was destroyed in 128 B.C.It is this proximity yet distinctiveness between the two groups that fueled competition and animosity. Jewish people did not think highly of Samaritans and did not trust them. Jewish tradition indicates that hostilities had begun immediately after some Jews returned from the Babylonian exile. A story goes that Samaritans convinced Romans to prevent Jews from rebuilding the temple in Hadrian's reign. The hostilities reached a boiling point when, according to a Jewish report, some Samaritans in the early first century defiled the Jerusalem temple one night with human bones. This provided the reason for Jews prohibiting Samaritans' attendance at the Jerusalem Passover.Samaritans' very insistence to be descendants of Israel rendered their temple all the more suspect to Jews. Some Jews extended more leeway to Gentiles, but if Samaritans were truly Jews, then they should worship nowhere else but the temple.Keep this in mind when you read that Philip proclaimed Christ to them. You mean, without serious catechism first? Without teaching them and requiring them to acknowledge the true temple? The true Judaism? The true people of God? To embrace Samaritans “as they were” was to agree not to make the temple or Jerusalem—the cornerstones of the Jewish faith—matters of division.To add further shock and scandal, Samaritans were baptized! Why is this surprising? Recall from our prior discussions of baptism, that despite the many water purification rituals practiced by Jews, full-immersion baptism was reserved for proselyte Gentiles. The early church, following the footsteps of John the Baptist, seems to have repurposed this ritual to signify full conversion and acceptance into the Christian faith—even when coming from Judaism. Because Samaritans were already circumcised (remember, they were not Gentiles), Jewish baptism would have been inappropriate for them. So, this is Christian baptism that is in view. What we have here is Philip welcoming Samaritans to the true faith by baptism without requiring Samaritans' confession of loyalty to the Jerusalem temple versus their heretical allegiance to Mount Gerizim. Philip successfully evangelized Samaritans with the good news of the kingdom and Jesus Christ.Samaritans Expected a MessiahWould the idea of a Christ-figure make sense to Samaritans?Samaritans may have heard Philip's preaching in terms of their own traditions of the Taheb—the Samaritan concept most equivalent to the Jewish Messiah. Yet, these two concepts were not the same. Samaritans did not speak of a Davidic Messiah or of an anointed, messianic agent but of the Taheb, the “Restorer.” He would be like Moses. He would rule. He would restore the era of divine favor that had ended after Moses.The text does not indicate that Philip corrected the Samaritan tradition. Perhaps the text is simply omitting those discussions for the sake of brevity. But, considering the vehement differences between Jews and Samaritans, one might conclude that Philip did not attempt to convince the Samaritans about the Jewish concept of Messiah. Instead, Philip may have repurposed their expectation of a Restorer to explain Christ. If so, this has missiological implications.Miracles and ExorcismsAs we have read in Acts about other bold proclaimers of the gospel, Philip performed miracles. We are told he healed many paralyzed and lame people. Philip probably healed other conditions too, but cases of paralysis were the most dramatic and noteworthy examples.Philip also performed exorcisms. Ancients accepted the possibility of exorcisms, as do many people today. The “loud shouts” of the unclean spirits fit Jesus' experience.As Jesus stepped ashore, a certain man from the town met him who was possessed by demons. For a long time this man had worn no clothes and had not lived in a house, but among the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before him, and shouted with a loud voice, “Leave me alone, Jesus, Son of the Most High God! I beg you, do not torment me!” Luke 8:27-28Exorcisms feature in stories from the early church. For example, Irenaeus attests that many nonbelievers in his day became Christians after experiencing successful exorcisms. Exorcisms also feature prominently in modern day stories. For example, John Wesley (the co-founder of the Methodist movement) was reported to have cast out demons from those involuntarily possessed, yielding deliverance. Pentecostal and charismatic churches report this kind of activity constantly. Many missiologists do as well. Surely some of these exorcism reports are false, but almost as certainly some are true. The Bible undeniably speaks of spiritual realities.The Holy Spirit In a rather strange turn of events, the Samaritans “accept the word” (Acts 8:14) and are baptized (Acts 8:12), yet they do not receive the Holy Spirit. Particularly in the letters of Paul (but, truly, in all other New Testament author's letters), conversion and receiving the Spirit are simultaneous if not synonymous. Was the Samaritans' conversion defective? If so, the text does not even hint as much. At the same time, we must grapple with the fact that Peter and John travel together to Samaria to convey the Holy Spirit. Before we get deep into pneumatology, let's acknowledge what seems evident in the text.The apostles and church in Jerusalem seem compelled to certify that the propagation of the Jesus movement to Samaritans is genuine. This may have been for the benefit of Samaritans but also (and perhaps particularly) for the Jerusalem church. Is God acting outside of Israel? Only one way to find out.I think we can also say with confidence that the text makes clear that the Holy Spirit is of paramount importance to “complete the mission.” God's ratification of his kingdom and promises is the Holy Spirit.Now to the controversy. For whatever the reason, the Spirit is apparently received subsequent to conversion in the Samaritan story. This has occasioned considerable discussion. Historically, various groups have advocated a second experience of the Spirit, often citing this passage, including Anglo-Catholics and Catholics with their views of confirmation; Puritan and Reformed Sealers; Wesleyan and Holiness groups; and classical Pentecostals. Yet, most Christians would agree that the Holy Spirit is received, at least in some sense, at conversion or baptism.In Acts, we see both a reception of the Spirit at conversion and a later, empowering reception of the Spirit.I will not attempt to settle the debate. Instead, I will point out a few things that I think are worthy of consideration. Suggesting that the Samaritan conversion was incomplete until they were visited by apostles is a hard position to hold. One must claim that a person can embrace God's message joyfully, believe, and be baptized yet require the imposition of apostolic hands to produce genuine conversion. (I cannot think of a single Christian denomination that believes in laying of hands for conversion.) Moreover, the apostles accept the Samaritans' conversion instead of rebaptizing them. There is no hint in the text that the conversion is defective or incomplete. (Some argue that initially when Samaritans “believe,” it only means intellectual assent. But Luke does not normally use the word believe in that sense.) Finally, we should not assume that all spiritual realities must behave according to unbendable norms. For example, people who lie to the church today do not drop dead like Ananias and Sapphira. Modern preachers do not walk the streets healing the lame and paralyzed. Perhaps the granting of the Spirit to Samaritans was delayed for a specific an unusual purpose. The fact that Luke mentions that Samaritans did not receive the Spirit at baptism suggests that was the normal expectation. The most common and plausible explanation is that God waited for apostolic ratification to maintain the unity of the Jerusalem and Samaritan churches.As a side note, notice the exciting challenge presented by telling true stories. Other New Testament writers address the Spirit theologically, always connecting the Spirit to conversion. Luke recounts not simply the theological ideal but the experience of early Christians. He is the only New Testament writer to do so. Therefore we should weigh his narrative seriously. (I am not suggesting Luke's superiority to other New Testament writers or that there is contradiction between them. What I am saying is that when we address a topic in abstract terms, we might unintentionally convey a sense of simplicity and uniformity that is not consistent with experience.)As a closing note, modern theological discussion about timing can distract us from hearing Luke's own theological emphasis. Few expected the Spirit to be conferred widely in this age, still fewer through these human agents, and—worst of all—Jewish people had no expectation that this would happen among Samaritans!Simon the SorcererIn chapter 8, we read of a man named Simon. “Simon, who had been practicing magic and amazing the people of Samaria, claim[ed] to be someone great” (Acts 8:9). The narrative presents Simon as similar to Philip in many ways. Here is a chart provided in Craig Keener's commentary on Acts: Simon and Philip are similar yet very different, much like a hero and villain in a comic book. The key contrast between Simon and Philip is that Simon claims to be someone great, seeking his own status, while Philip acts only “in the name of Jesus.”Such contrast between true and false sign-workers evoke biblical portraits of Moses confronting Pharaoh's magicians and Elijah confronting the false prophets on Mount Carmel.When Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh, they did so, just as the Lord had commanded them—Aaron threw down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a snake. Then Pharaoh also summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the magicians of Egypt by their secret arts did the same thing. Each man threw down his staff, and the staffs became snakes. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs. Yet Pharaoh's heart became hard, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had predicted. Exodus 7:10-13Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long are you going to be paralyzed by indecision? If the Lord is the true God, then follow him, but if Baal is, follow him!” But the people did not say a word. Elijah said to them: “I am the only prophet of the Lord who is left, but there are 450 prophets of Baal. Let them bring us two bulls. Let them choose one of the bulls for themselves, cut it up into pieces, and place it on the wood. But they must not set it on fire. I will do the same to the other bull and place it on the wood. But I will not set it on fire. Then you will invoke the name of your god, and I will invoke the name of the Lord. The god who responds with fire will demonstrate that he is the true God.” All the people responded, “This will be a fair test.” 1 Kings 18:21-24Modern people (Christians included) may be surprised to find out that encounters like that of Philip and Simon are still very much reported today. In fact, Missiologists often cite the relevance of “power encounters” for reaching cultures that affirm superhuman powers.Magic vs MiraclesBy the way, how do we distinguish magic from miracles? I think we often read Simon's story and some similar tales in the Bible but do not stop to ask this question. The difference is not always clear, but we can point to some distinctions. Magic generally seeks to manipulate spirits or forces whereas religion and miracles do not. Magic is generally used for selfish purposes, although miracles (such as those of healing) could be accused of the same. Nevertheless, the broad distinction remains, i.e., whether people believed that the power was used for personal advantage or the common good. (This might evident as a practical matter: did the sorcerer or miracle-worker expect payment?) Ancient peoples often used another criterion: supernatural activity in alien groups was magic, while supernatural activity in their own group was not. This last subject standard to differentiate magic and miracles is not particularly useful.I think the first distinction is the most important: is the supernatural event the result of an “adept” who is able to manipulate the world, including its spiritual and divine realities. If it works like a science of the supernatural, in which specific requirements must be met to achieve a result, then it probably falls under the category of magic. The socioreligious context is helpful in determining whether a supernatural event is magic or not. Recall the miracles of Jesus. The sociocultural context was Jesus preaching about the one true God and his imminent kingdom. The context makes clear that the miracles are brought upon by God—neither nature nor God are being manipulated into bringing upon the supernatural events.We should also note that ancient peoples often recognized magicians as charlatans. Sadly, we often speaks of ancient peoples as naïve idiots who believed any superstition. This was not the case.One last point on magic: how did Jews view magic? In Acts 8:9 and 11, Luke seems to employ a pejorative word for magic, associated with Medo-Persian astrologers and diviners who were often considered quacks or viewed negatively. The word also ties to the story of Daniel 2, which portrays these magicians as fraudulent or powerless. Nevertheless, some Jews had embraced magic—even if magic was condemned in the Old Testament and by many rabbis. Jewish sources sometimes associated magic with fallen angels or Satan. Some rabbis embraced magic as the science of their era.Simon's WickednessI think a key fact to understand the interaction between Philip, the apostles, and Simon, is what exactly Simon claimed to be. Simon claimed to be someone “great” (Acts 8:9). This word by no means necessarily implies a divine title, but it is consistent with one. We gain more insight from the people calling him “the power of God that is called ‘Great'” (Acts 8:10). Potentially, this could be translated as “the Great Power of God.” So, many scholars believe that Simon was not simply claiming to be someone great in a generic sense but to be divine.One could retort: surely Samaritans were not calling Simon divine. They were monotheistic! Yes, Samaritans were monotheistic and intensely religious. However, they were also hellenized, a hallmark of which was religious syncretism. By this point in their history, Samaritans may have assimilated other deities and viewed Simon as one of them (or at least an avatar of one of them).Before we review Simon's falling from grace, figuratively speaking, let's remember his believing into grace.Even Simon himself believed, and after he was baptized, he stayed close to Philip constantly, and when he saw the signs and great miracles that were occurring, he was amazed. Acts 8:13Perhaps Simon was not converted to begin with. Nevertheless, we are told he “believed,” no different (at least in language) than the other Samaritans. How are we to make sense of this? We could consider a recurring theme in the gospels, particularly in John: faith in response to signs is only the most basic level of faith. Persevering faith is the kind of faith that really matters. We might also recall the parable of the sower.Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground where they did not have much soil. They sprang up quickly because the soil was not deep. But when the sun came up, they were scorched, and because they did not have sufficient root, they withered. Other seeds fell among the thorns, and they grew up and choked them. But other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty. The one who has ears had better listen! Matthew 13:3b-9“So listen to the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches what was sown in his heart; this is the seed sown along the path. The seed sown on rocky ground is the person who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. But he has no root in himself and does not endure; when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he falls away. The seed sown among thorns is the person who hears the word, but worldly cares and the seductiveness of wealth choke the word, so it produces nothing. But as for the seed sown on good soil, this is the person who hears the word and understands. He bears fruit, yielding a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown.” Matthew 13:18-23Regardless of whether Simon was a true believer or not, upon the apostles visit to Samaria, Simon somehow “saw” that people received the Spirit, and this reception was dramatic enough to provoke his desire for the gift. Simon offered them money for the gift. I think everyone, at a gut level, recoils at the thought. Should the gift of communion with the one and only good and gracious God be something to buy and sell? Absolutely not. It is inconceivable.At a worldview level, Simon and the apostles are at odds. Simon seeks a power he can manipulate and that could lead to personal advantage. Philip and the apostles act only on behalf of (in the name of) God. The apostles will tolerate no syncretism and chastise Simon severely. They tell Simon that anyone who thinks he can purchase “God's gift” fundamentally misunderstands God. Simon is urged to repent—to truly convert. Justin Martyr and Irenaeus, early church fathers, claimed to know Simon's fate. According to them, Simon did not convert.As the sin of Ananias could have marred the reputation and effectiveness of the early church if not confronted and terminated, Simon presented a similar threat. Simon responds with a request for prayer. There are similar scenes in the Old Testament in which those confronted with judgement asked a godly man to pray for them, the hope being that God would hear a holy man's prayer. At least once the prayer was effective:When the king heard the prophet's message that he had cried out against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam took his hand from the altar and pointed it saying, “Seize him!” Then the hand that he had pointed at him stiffened up, and he could not pull it back. Meanwhile the altar split open, and the ashes poured from the altar in fulfillment of the sign the prophet had given with the Lord's message. The king responded to the prophet, “Seek the favor of the Lord your God and pray for me, so that my hand may be restored.” So the prophet sought the Lord's favor and the king's hand was restored as it was at first. 1 Kings 13:4-6We do not have Peter's response to Simon's request for prayer. However, Simon's issue does not seem like the type of problem that someone else's prayer could “fix.”In Acts 8:25, concluding Luke's section on the Samaritan mission, the apostles follow Philip's example. This makes clear that salvation has truly gone out to Samaria.

God abandoned the Jewish people because of their sins, resulting in their desolation. He does this to show that He is holy and dwells in a high and holy place. - SERMON TRANSCRIPT - This morning as I was thinking about preaching this text, I decided to write a quick two-page startup guide to today's sermon. Have you ever had a complex piece of equipment and you get a sheet of paper that gives you that quick startup guide? I thought it might be helpful for today's sermon. This is my version of the quick startup guide. I hope it's helpful. One of the things that I marvel at of the Word of God is the division of the Word of God into two categories, milk and meat. I marvel at the simplicity of the Word of God, and I marvel at the complexity of the Word of God. The essential doctrines of the Bible are so simple, a child can understand them and receive forgiveness of sins in a right relationship with God by understanding the milk, but there's more in the Bible than just milk. There is also meat or complexity. My approach to pulpit ministry is to sequentially go through books of the Bible and take whatever's there. As we come this morning to Mark 13:14 and the phrase, “abomination of desolation," we come to what I consider to be a very deep and complex topic. I love preaching to you. I love preaching in this church because you love the Word of God and are willing to follow where it leads. I don't ever get any pushback on asking much of my hearers. This morning I'm going to ask much of you, so I am leading you into a quick startup guide. The first thing I want to say to you is, as we resume our study in the Gospel of Mark, I'd like to ask you to turn to the Gospel of Matthew. I know what I'm doing, I understand that we're in Mark. The problem is a lot of the details that I want to get, as I explain the abomination of desolation, come from Matthew. Instead of having you flip back and forth, the passages are essentially the same, but there's some phrases and there's some lead-up that is only found in Matthew. So I'm going to ask you, as you return to the Gospel of Mark, to turn to the Gospel of Matthew. Our focus this morning is on one phrase, “the abomination of desolation.” The context of this complex phrase, “abomination of desolation,” is Jesus' prediction of the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem. He said, "Not one stone will be left on another," and what followed, the private inquiry on the part of Jesus' disciples to ask Him about that and then Jesus' complex answer recorded for us in Matthew 24 and 25 and in Mark 13 on the Mount of Olives, sometimes called the Olivet Discourse because it was on the Mount of Olives. It falls into the theological category of eschatology or the study of end-time things. I believe that Jesus traces out the events between his First and Second Coming in some very helpful detail, and it's good for us to walk through that. It's a prophetic roadmap of what was still to come when Jesus was alive, and I believe very important for me to say to you now, what is still to come for us as well. Not everyone believes that, but I do. In Mark 13:5-13 and in Matthew 24:4-14, we have some general description of the two millennia between the First and Second Coming, and the centerpiece is the spread of the gospel to all nations. The gospel will be preached in the whole world as a testimony of all nations and then the end will come, so — the work of the gospel between the First and Second Coming of Christ, attended by great suffering on the part of the messengers, persecution, difficulty, being arrested and brought before tribunals, et cetera. That is something that we've already seen. We get specifically then in Matthew 24:15, Mark 13:14, the focus on the destruction of the Temple and then signs that are unique to just that generation. Whereas, the overview that He gives in Mark 13:4-13 and also Matthew 24:4-14 is true of every generation there have been since Jesus ascended to heaven until now. As we venture now into the “abomination of desolation," we're speaking about events that are particular to a specific group of people who are going to experience some things that not everybody experiences. That's what we're trying to understand, the destruction of the temple and the phrase, “abomination of desolation”. That phrase comes from the prophet, Daniel, as Jesus says in the Gospel of Matthew, though He doesn't say it in Mark. Simply put, if you are living in Judea and Jerusalem at that point when the “abomination of desolation” is established, set up, et cetera, if we could put it simply— run for your lives. That's where we're going next week, God willing. I'm not going to get into “run for your lives.” Today, I'm effectively preaching on a phrase and a half sentence. "When you see the “abomination of desolation” spoken of by the prophet, Daniel, “let the reader understand” ... What? The answer is: run for your lives. The topic is essentially a sober one and a sad one. It's very, very difficult. As I give you this quick startup guide, we have to look at the phrase itself, “abomination of desolation.” I want you to understand that the essence of the desolation is a broken relationship with almighty God, an emptiness that comes from not having a right relationship with God and God's decision to withdraw Himself from His people, from Israel because of their sins. That's the essence of the desolation, but it's more complex than that. "The essence of the desolation is a broken relationship with almighty God, an emptiness that comes from not having a right relationship with God and God's decision to withdraw Himself from His people, from Israel because of their sins." It has earthly ramifications in the destruction of the Temple, the destruction of the city of Jerusalem by invading Gentile armies as a direct act of judgment from almighty God for their sins. It's a very sobering topic. The point of connection to us, though we are not Jews, though we don't live in Judea, in Jerusalem, the “abomination of desolation” is not on Earth right now. The point of connection to us is twofold. First of all, we need to understand, big picture, what God is doing in the universe, what God is doing with you. What is His whole purpose for creating everything? His whole purpose is a love relationship with you, with us, with His people. He wants an intimate love relationship with us. When we instead turn to idolatry, when we turn to wickedness, He withdraws. There's a desolation that comes from that, and you can be experiencing that desolation right now, that emptiness right now, though it doesn't specifically relate to the historical events of the “abomination of desolation.” It is something we experience whenever we sin, and God withdraws. It is also the terror of hell. The worst part of hell is that God is not there in any way to bless the people that are there. It's a place of utter darkness. It's a tragedy that we're talking about here, a desolation of the Jews and of Jerusalem. It's also part of that long and complex story of God's relationship with the Jewish people, the physical descendants of Abraham, a very complex story and heartbreaking for God. This is why Jesus wept over Jerusalem, because of these things that were going to happen. Though for us, we're somewhat removed from it. We should care about it because we should care about all people. We should care about the Jews. We should care about the story of God and the Jews, and we should realize, I believe, there's still more to come. That's vital, the phrase, “abomination of desolation.” I've talked briefly about desolation. I'm going to do the intro of the sermon on the topic of desolation in a moment. Abomination has to do fundamentally with idolatry and desecration. It has to do with wickedness in the place where there should be holiness. It's talking about a literal place of worship, a temple, a tabernacle and then a temple, a literal place that is then desecrated or defiled through idolatry and blasphemy and wickedness. That's what the phrase means, “abomination of desolation.” It comes from Daniel. So if we're going to do Daniel, I have to go over to Daniel and walk through it. Daniel is a very complex book. It's one of the most complex books in the Bible, and we have to roll up our sleeves to do that. Jesus urges us to work hard at this. He urges us right in the text when He says, "Let the reader understand." It's an odd aside. Jesus doesn't usually say that kind of thing. "When you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet, Daniel, let the reader understand." What He's saying is this isn't going to be easy. This isn't low-hanging fruit. You have to work at this to understand it. You have to work at Daniel. You have to work at the words to understand what this is about, but you need to know. What I'm going to argue is the “abomination of desolation” is not a one-off. I believe it's a regular pattern in God's relationship with the Jewish people. Again and again and again and again this has happened. I will argue in this sermon that it happens in five phases. This is where I risk many of you glazing over as we walk through those five phases. I'm asking you not to do that. But there are five different phases of the “abomination of desolation,” the dynamic of God withdrawing His active presence from a holy place, the Gentiles pouring in like a flood to destroy it. All of that is a judgment by God, so I believe that we need to pay attention. I also believe because I think the fifth and final phase hasn't happened yet, it's yet to come. Therefore, it will be relevant, if not for you, it'll be relevant for your kids and, if not for them, for your grandkids and, if not for them, for your great-grandkids, so you should care about this. We need to understand it. There's the startup guide. On July 21, 1969, Buzz Aldrin became the second human being to walk on the moon just moments after Neil Armstrong became the first. Aldrin stepped off the ladder of the lunar module and began walking around on that lunar landscape, feeling the somewhat weightlessness of the one-sixth gravitational pull and looking out at that eerie, strange lunar landscape. As he did, he uttered a famous phrase. He called it “magnificent desolation,” magnificent desolation. From a biblical point of view, those two are essentially a contradiction. There's an essential contradiction or irony to them. To God, there is nothing magnificent about emptiness. There's nothing magnificent about desolation. God created the universe, and it's amazing that the most common attribute of the physical universe that God made is its apparent emptiness. The lunar landscape was indeed desolate. It was desolate of life, of trees, of water, animals, birds, other human beings. It was crater-marked with centuries of asteroid assaults. It was empty, empty, empty. But still, it was there. You could walk on it, reach down and scoop up the lunar dust. The real desolation was outer space itself. C.S. Lewis talked about this in his classic, The Problem of Pain. This is what he wrote, "Not many years ago when I was an atheist, if anyone had asked me, 'Why do you not believe in God?' my reply would have run something like this. Look at the universe we live in. By far, the greatest part of it consists of empty space, completely dark and unimaginably cold. The bodies which move in this space are so few and so small in comparison with the space itself that even if every one of them were known to be crowded as full as it could hold with perfectly happy creatures, it would still be difficult to believe that life and happiness were more than a byproduct to the power that made the universe. Why would I be an atheist, I look at outer space and it's mostly empty, cold and empty.” Truly, the desolation of the universe is absolutely terrifying. The nearest star is 4.3 light years away from us. Between the solar system and that star is literally nothing." So for CS Lewis, the desolation of the universe made it difficult to believe in a God of love and light. I believe the irony of that phrase, “magnificent desolation,” biblically would be similar to a phrase like this, “beautiful darkness." Beautiful darkness. Biblically, there's nothing beautiful about darkness. God created the light and reveals Himself in light as it says in 1 John 1:5, "God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all." I would say, in a similar sense, God is fullness and in Him there's no emptiness or desolation at all. God did not create the universe to be empty or desolate. In Isaiah 45:18, it says, "For this is what the Lord says, He who created the heavens, He is God, He who fashioned and made the Earth. He founded it. He did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited. He says, 'I am the Lord, and there is no other.'" The Bible reveals the omnipresence and immensity of God, the omnipresence, the immensity of God. In Jeremiah 23, He says, "'Am I only a God nearby?' declares the Lord, 'and not a God far away? Can anyone hide in secret places so I cannot see Him?' declares the Lord. 'Do I not fill heaven and Earth?' declares the Lord.” God, therefore, is a full being who overflows His fullness to us as creatures so that we would drink of His fullness in a love relationship. He wants to fill every portion of the universe with His glory. He wants to fill every portion of your life with His glory. Most especially, God created sentient beings, angels and humans, to have an intimate love relationship with Him that we would know Him as He really is and see His glory and love Him with all of our hearts. But tragically, humanity has sinned and God is relationally distant from us. As the Bible says, "The wicked He knows from afar.” Yet, God has worked in redemptive history to draw near to us. The history of redemption is God coming back in to be close to sinners. He chose out a nation, the Jewish people, Abraham's descendants, to reveal that desire that God has to draw near and to have an intimate love relationship with sinful people to display this closeness. Central to that relationship with Israel was His establishment of a holy place, holy ground, so to speak. That idea began in Exodus 3 where Moses saw the burning bush and God said to him, "Take off your sandals for the place where you're standing is holy ground." Friends, what does that mean, “holy ground"? Especially when we consider what I've already said, the omnipresence of God, God fills heaven and Earth, what then is holy ground? I believe it is a location, a place where God chooses especially to reveal Himself relationally in His glory for the purpose of our relationship with Him. It's a place chosen, like the burning bush, where God shines in some unique way and attracts us into a relationship with Him. Jonathan Edwards put it this way, "God, considered with respect to His essence, is everywhere. He fills both heaven and Earth. But yet, He is said, in some respects, to be more especially in some places than in others. He was said of old to dwell in the land of Israel above all other lands and in Jerusalem above all other cities of that land and in the temple above all other buildings in that city and in the Holy of Holies above all other apartments in the temple and on the mercy seat over the Ark of the Covenant, above all other places in the Holy of Holies.” God specifically chose to reveal His unique presence with His people by a glory cloud that descended into the tabernacle where the Ark of the Covenant was to be housed. The glory cloud showed that that place had become holy ground, a sacred space, and that glory cloud revealed it. Later, the same thing happened when Solomon built his temple, and he said, "Even the highest heavens can't contain you. How much less this temple I've built?” Yet, despite all of that, God chose in His kindness and His goodness to appear in a cloud of glory and fill the Temple, as though God was there in some special way. But sadly, tragically, because of the sinfulness of the Jewish people, God withdrew His presence from them as was seen by Ezekiel the prophet when the glory cloud left or departed from the Temple. When God moved out, He left those places desolate. He left those places relationally empty. That's the nature of the desolation. That desolation symbolizes God's departing from His people, leaving us desolate, leaving us empty, apart from God. This sermon seeks to understand that desolation and how it relates to the destruction of Jerusalem and, indeed, to our salvation. The passage looks back at the prediction of Christ concerning the destruction of the temple, "Not one stone will be left on another." Why it happened, it wasn't an accident. It's something that God actually did in space and time. But also, I believe it looks ahead to a reenactment of it right before the Second Coming of Christ in this passage most clearly taught in 2 Thessalonians 2. That's why I believe there's not four phases of the abomination of desolation, but one yet to come. It hasn't happened yet. Look at the text again from Matthew 24. I could do it from Mark. They're almost identical except for some phrases. Matthew 24:15-22, "So when you see standing in the holy place the abomination that causes desolation spoken of through the prophet, Daniel, let the reader understand, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one in the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. How dreadful it would be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers. Pray that your flight will not take place in the winter on the Sabbath for then there will be great distress unequal from the beginning of the world until now and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be shortened.” I. Key Eschatological Principle: “As it was …so it will be.” We're going to zero in and try to understand from the Book of Daniel the phrase, “abomination of desolation.” A key eschatological principle I'm giving, I'm going to give you two principles. Principle number one in Matthew 24:37, "As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man." To keep it simple, “as it was, so it will be.” That's recurring themes, things that happen and then happen again and happen again to teach some prophetic truth. “As it was, so it will be.” The second is Jesus' statement in Matthew 24:25, "Behold I have told you ahead of time.” God wants His people who read the Bible to know ahead of time what's going to happen. That's why I consider 2 Thessalonians 2 and also these passages to be important reading for Christians because I believe many of the terrifying events haven't happened yet. The protection that we're going to have, that we'll not be deceived by the Antichrist and his miracles and all of that drawn in, Jesus says very plainly is because He's told us ahead of time. We know what's coming. Forewarned is forearmed. Those are the basic eschatological principles. These things happen again and again. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will been the coming of the Son of Man. The things that happen right before the flood will be pictures of what will happen right before the Second Coming. We get these acted out— “types.” They're called “types”, prophetic actions in history. Things are acted out, like Abraham's near sacrifice of his son, Isaac, is a picture of the giving of Jesus Christ on the cross for our sins. So also the blood of the Passover lamb painted on the houses of the Jewish people, a picture of Christ's sacrifice for us. So also the Exodus itself, a rescue of the people from slavery and bondage, a picture of our deliverance from slavery to sin. These are the kinds of things that are acted out. God acts out history. He acts out prophecies in history. So also it is with the Temple and its desolation. As it was, so it will be. In Jesus' time, Daniel's prophecy had already, to some degree, come true in the Greek era between the time of Daniel and the time of Jesus. It had already come true. But Jesus said, "Yeah, but there's one more to come and then another beyond that." So there is the one with the Romans, and yet beyond it. He's already operating from that same principle— As it was, so it will be. The words of Daniel have yet more fulfillment yet to come, Jesus is saying, in His time. I'm saying that it's still to come, yet still. II. What is the “Abomination of Desolation”? Let's zero in on this phrase, “abomination of desolation.” If you're in Matthew, look back at Matthew 23 and you look at 37-39 after Jesus has given His sevenfold woe against the scribes and Pharisees who represent the Jewish nation, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites," because of their rejection of Him and their hatred of Him and their plotting to kill Him and they will kill Him. Because of all that, He has turned away from the Jewish nation. Because they have rejected Him, He is rejecting them. He says very tragically in verses 37-39, Matthew 23, "Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Behold, your house is left to you desolate." That's an important word, isn't it? Look, “behold,” your house is desolate now. What do you mean? “The reason I say that is you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’ Then Jesus left the temple.” The essence of the desolation is Jesus leaving physically, walking out of the Temple. Why is that significant? Remember in Ezekiel, the glory cloud, which symbolized the presence of God, left from the Temple. Jesus is the radiance of God's glory in the exact representation of His being. Jesus is a greater display of the glory of God than any cloud ever was. Because they have rejected Him, He is walking out, and He's not coming back. That means that that space is not sacred space anymore, it’s just a pile of stones. At that moment, the disciples came up and said, "Look, Teacher, what massive stones. What magnificent buildings." Right at that moment, Jesus said, "Do you see all these things? I tell you the truth. Not one stone here will be left on another. Every one will be thrown down." Not an accident. It's a judgment of God on the Jewish nation for their rebellion against Him, their hatred of His messengers, the prophets, and especially their hatred of the Son who was sent to them. The judgment is coming. As He's privately on the Mount of Olives, the disciples come to Him, Peter, John, James, and Andrew in particular come and ask Him, "When will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" The threefold question is in Matthew, not in Mark. Those three questions woven together in Matthew 24 and 25, also Mark 13, constitute His answer. Three topics, when will these things happen, the destruction of the temple, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? In their mind, they conflated all of them as though they're all at the same time, but we know now that they're not. The destruction of the Temple happened at least roughly two millennia before the Second Coming, which hasn't happened yet. The signs of the Coming which we're going to cover, God willing, in the next number of sermons in Mark 13, we'll talk about in detail. Those are yet to come in His discourse. We're zeroing in now in this phrase, “abomination of desolation.” A parallel in Luke helps us to understand. This is in Luke 21. Listen to these words very carefully. "When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near." Do you see the link in Jesus' mind between Gentile armies invading and the desolation? That's how He thinks, Gentile armies invading and desolation. When you see, you know that Jerusalem's desolation is near. "Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let those in the city get out. Let those in the country not enter the city. For this is the time of punishment and fulfillment of all that has been written. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers. There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people that will fall by the sword and be taken as prisoners to all nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles," listen, "until the times of the Gentiles has been fulfilled." That is essential reading for us to understand the “abomination of desolation.” Jerusalem is going to be destroyed by surrounding Gentile armies. He's talking about the circumstances of the destruction of the Temple and, indeed, of the city of Jerusalem in the year AD 70, about a generation after Jesus. He calls it the “times of the Gentiles." The physical desolation of Jerusalem comes after Christ has left it spiritually desolate. It involves military conquest by the Gentiles, specifically by the Roman legions, the most powerful military nation in history. The “abomination of desolation”, Mark 13:14 and Matthew 24:15, is at least about the destruction of the city of Jerusalem by the Romans. But I also believe that it will be an issue right before His coming at the end of the world. Then He said, "Let the reader understand." By that, He means the reader of Daniel. So now we have to roll up our sleeves and go back to Daniel and try to understand it. "Let the reader of Daniel understand." Let me just tell you something about the Book of Daniel. Daniel himself didn't understand it, not fully. Daniel himself didn't understand it. You say, "Well, what hope do we have?" Here's what I believe about the mysteries of Daniel. It's on a need-to-know basis, the more you need to know, the more you'll understand Daniel. If we are alive when the final “abomination of desolation” comes, you're going to understand aspects of Daniel that this congregation right now will not understand no matter how well I preach today. It's on a need-to-know basis. But there are levels of complexity and timing that Daniel wanted to know, but he couldn't understand because it wasn't for him. So it's complex. Daniel would often ask for insight, and sometime it would be given him, but other times he was told to seal up the vision for a future generation. Daniel 12:4, "But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end." Close it up and seal it. In other words, Daniel, it's not for you. It's for the time of the end, for people who will live at the time of the end. There are portions of Daniel's prophecy that will only be fully intelligible to the generation that actually goes through it. Let's talk about where this phrase, “abomination of desolation," comes from. It actually is a repeated phrase in Daniel, it’s not just one time. The desolation comes again and again, this use of the word, “desolation.” Who is Daniel? Daniel was a Jewish prophet who lived in exile in Babylon after Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had destroyed the city of Jerusalem, and had taken the Temple artifacts out and eventually destroyed the Temple. Daniel lived at that time, the time of Nebuchadnezzar and on down until the Medo-Persian empire, so roughly around the year 620 to 538 BC, somewhere in there. Anyway, that's what Wikipedia told me about when Daniel lived, I don't know. That’s about right, 600 to 500 BC. In Daniel chapter 8, it's the first time we have the phrase, “desolation.” In Daniel 8, Daniel sees a vision of Alexander the Great, a great king coming from the west from Greece, who will destroy the Persian empire, including the promised land. One of Alexander's successors will viciously persecute the Jewish nation, becoming extremely arrogant, making claims that reach up to heaven. Daniel is told that a huge number of his own people would be given over to this man because of their transgressions. This individual who makes arrogant boasts that reach up to heaven is a “type” or a picture of the Antichrist. He is not the Antichrist, but he's a type or picture of the mentality of Antichrist, an arrogant Gentile leader that blasphemes and makes claims that go beyond all proportion. This is predicted in Daniel 8. At one point in Daniel 8:13, he's asking for information. By the way, Alexander the Great's conquest happened about 200 years after Daniel died. So it was future for Daniel, but it's past for Jesus and for us. He's looking ahead to Alexander the Great about 200 years after Daniel would die. In Daniel 8:13, this is the first time that the word is used. "For how long is the vision concerning the regular burnt offering, the transgression that makes desolate and the giving over to the sanctuary and the host to be trampled underfoot." That's the first time we have that desolation. There's the sanctuary, the animal sacrifices, and desolation connected with that. That's Daniel 8:13. In Daniel 9, he rolls up his sleeves and really talks about the desolation. He talks about it a lot. Daniel 9 is the first saturated chapter on the concept of desolation. What happens is the prophet, Daniel, reads from the scroll of Jeremiah that the judgment on Jerusalem will last 70 years. The clock was ticking, and the time was drawing near. Daniel figures out, he's an old man by this point, hey, the time is coming near for God to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple, so he prays toward Jerusalem three times a day for the rebuilding of Jerusalem and specifically rebuilding of the Temple. Why? Because the Temple is where animal sacrifice happened. That was the center of their religion, and they couldn't do it while there was no temple. He's praying and confessing the sins of his people, and he uses this phrase, “desolate.” He talks about the desolation of Jerusalem in verse 2. He talks about it again in Daniel 9:17-18, "For your own sake, Lord, make your face shine upon your sanctuary," that's the temple, "which is desolate. Oh, my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see the desolation and the city that is called by your name." He’s praying about a desolate sanctuary and a desolate city. The Lord dispatches an angel to tell Daniel with amazing clarity about the 70 weeks of Daniel. That's a timetable about the coming of the Messiah, the Anointed One, about His death and the desolation that would follow His death. He says that after the 69th week, Daniel 9:26, "An Anointed One," that's Christ, "shall be cut off and have nothing [killed] "and the people of the prince who is to come," so that the Gentile ruler, "the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.” There it is again. This Gentile ruler comes in to destroy the city and the sanctuary after the death of the Messiah. "Its end shall come with a flood and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed." Friends, this is exactly the prediction Jesus made. After the Messiah's cut off, the Temple is going to be destroyed by the ruler who is to come. That's the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 predicted in Daniel 9:26. But there's more to come, 9:27. It speaks of the final week, a seven-year period. The last stretch is seven years. The weeks are seven-year stretches that many believe refer to the final seven years of human history. Again, the concept of desolation figures prominently. Listen to Daniel 9:27, "And he" [the prince of the people that'll come, the wicked ruler] "shall make a strong covenant with many for one week. And for half of the week, he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering.” Sacrifice and offering's animal sacrifice. "And on a wing of abomination shall come one who makes desolate" [a person who makes desolate] "until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator." I told you this was meat and not milk. You're reading this and like, "What in the world is this even talking about? Daniel 9:26 talks about a Messiah who's cut off, killed, but then chapter 27 talks about animal sacrifice and desecrations. The concept is that a powerful and evil ruler will make a seven-year covenant concerning the sacrifices of the Temple and that in the middle of that period of seven years, he shall put an end to sacrifice offering in the Temple, and he shall, in some striking way, abominate or desecrate the Temple. But the end decreed by God shall be poured out on this evil person. Then in Daniel 11, the Lord reveals to Daniel the specific history of Israel under the dominion of Greek rulers that followed Alexander the Great. One of those Greek rulers who lived about a couple of centuries after Alexander, about the year 175 or so BC, was a man named Antiochus IV. He called himself Epiphanies, “the manifest one.” He thought he was a god. The Greeks were like this. Alexander thought he was a god. They had this kind of mentality. He thought of himself as a god, and he's there in Jerusalem. Daniel 11:31 predicts him. Again, this is centuries before it even happened. This is the amazing aspect of predictive prophecy. Daniel 11:31, "His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation." There's the phrase exactly in Daniel 11:31. Finally, in Daniel chapter 12, the concept is mentioned once again, but this time it seems to be in connection with the end of the world and the eternal state of glory that the saints will enjoy. In Daniel 12:1, it mentions a great tribulation greater than any that Israel had ever endured. It also predicts the rising up of Michael, the great prince, the archangel who protects Israel. The chapter goes on to unfold the deliverance of Israel, the resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked, some to everlasting glory and others to everlasting shame. At the end of the chapter, the angel asks about the timetable for all of this. Daniel 12:8-12, "I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, 'Oh my Lord, what will the outcome of these things be?' He said, 'Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end.'" There it is again. "Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly and none of the wicked shall understand. But those who are wise shall understand. From the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days. Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days." There's not a person on Earth who can tell us with absolute certainty what those days mean. 1,290 days, what is that? 1,335 days, what is that? I already told you, it’s on a need-to-know basis, and you don't need to know or you would know. Daniel didn't need to know and didn't know. But they're odd. The numbers are odd ... More later in Mark 13. The most heretical thing your pastor believes is that I think actually the people who are alive at the time of the Second Coming will be counting down days until He comes. So though we do not know the day or hour, they will. That's my own thought. If you disagree, that's fine. Then you tell me what the 1,290 days and the 1,335 days signify. It's in there for a reason, friends. Nothing's in there for nothing, and no one has ever been able to understand because, I told you, it's on a need-to-know basis. If you need to know, woe to you, it’s going to be a hard time. Jesus said, "If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive." That's how bad that time is going to be. It's a terrifying thing that He's talking about. That's Daniel, summarizing, the abomination is some kind of idolatrous desecration by a Gentile ruler connected with Gentile military power. What is the abomination? It is an idol or an idolatry. What is the desolation? It is, first and foremost, spiritual emptiness that comes from God and then the physical destruction of the temple. That's what I believe Daniel teaches us. III. Dress Rehearsals: The Abomination of Desolation: Across History Let’s go through the dress rehearsals, and then we'll be done. This is something God has done again and again. Let me just bring you through them quickly. The first phase was in Shiloh. Do you remember in the days of the judges? In the days of the judges, God judged Israel for their wickedness and sin again and again. Because of their sins, He brought Gentile invaders. In 1 Samuel, the Gentile invaders are the Philistines, He brings the Philistines. Do you remember what happened? The Philistines won the first day's battle, so the Jews decided to bring the Ark of the Covenant from the tabernacle. They bring the Ark of the Covenant, and they say, "The Ark will deliver us." It was like it was a good luck charm. The Philistines were terrified. "Oh, no, those gods that destroyed the Egyptians are here. Well, what can we do? The best thing we can do is try. So be like men, Philistines, and let's find out if we can win." They did win and what did they do? The Philistines captured the Ark. Do you remember what Eli the priest did when he found out about it? He died. He fell over backward and died, broke his neck because he was terrified about this very thing. The Ark of the Covenant was captured by the Philistines. In his family, a pregnant woman gave birth and died in the birth, and they named the baby, Ichabod, “the glory has departed from Israel” because the Gentiles had captured the Ark of the Covenant. Remember what happened? They couldn't do much with the Ark. The Ark did a lot with them and gave them tumors and all kinds of things until they finally sent it back. It was like the Ark can take care of itself. But that was that. It was phase one. Phase two happened in the days of Jeremiah right before the Babylonian exile. In Jeremiah 7, the prophet was dispatched by God to go deal with, disabuse the Jews, of a basic concept and a theory. The concept was, because of Solomon's beautiful temple, there is no way that God would ever let this city be captured or destroyed. God will defend this temple. He will protect it. “We have the Temple of the Lord. We're never going to lose.” Jeremiah had the hardest ministry in the Old Testament. He had to go and say, "That whole thing is false. Do not say the Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord. Go to Shiloh and see what God did to the Ark. You think He's not going to let the Ark get captured? You think He's not going to let the Temple get destroyed?" Needless to say, Jeremiah was not a very popular man, but he spoke the truth. God did, in fact, let the Babylonians swarm in and, as the psalmist said, "Cut it apart with hatchets and burn it and destroy it." There in Jeremiah 7, God said, "I will bring an end to the sounds of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride and bridegroom in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem, for the land will be desolate.” As a matter of fact, the very beginning of the Book of Lamentations, which Jeremiah wrote after all of it was done, he looked down in Lamentations 1:1 and said, "How desolate lies the city once so full of people." The emptiness was because of their wicked and their sins. That's second phase. Phase three is the Greeks in Jerusalem under the time of Antiochus IV, Epiphanies, the very thing predicted in Daniel 8, also Daniel 11. The Greek king came, Antiochus IV called Epiphanies, and he reigned from the year 175 to 164. The prediction we've already seen in Daniel 11:31, "His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation." The apocryphal book 1 Maccabees tells us what happened. Antiochus IV set up an altar to Zeus in the Holy of Holies and sacrificed a pig to Zeus there, open blasphemy and defilement of the Holy of Holies directly in God's face. He did it specifically to enrage the Jews and the God of the Jews. This is what I believe is the spirit of the Antichrist. Antiochus IV believed he was a god, and he wanted to take on the Jewish god ,and he did so with blasphemy and with an ending of the animal sacrifice. Phase four was the Romans under Titus and the days of Jerusalem, the very thing we're talking about. The Jewish zealots and revolutionaries had pushed the Roman occupiers so far. Titus said, "Enough is enough," and comes in with the legions. They defeat the zealots militarily. Though he didn't want the Temple destroyed, it was destroyed and not one stone was left on another. It was completely desecrated. When these pagans came in, they brought the effigies, the images of Caesar, and set them up in the Temple. So this is that desecration, that idolatry and the fulfillment of the abomination of desolation. IV. Final phase: The “Abomination of Desolation” and the AntiChrist Those are the four phases that are passed. Is there yet one more to come? I believe there is. Here I would urge you to look at 2 Thessalonians 2, and we'll finish with that. First of all, you need to understand the significance of Jesus' death on the cross. The moment that Jesus died, the curtain in the Temple is torn in two from top to bottom. Jesus said, "It is finished." What is finished? The old covenant is finished. Animal sacrifice is finished. A new and living way has been opened for us into the presence of God. What was restricted in the old covenant is now open to us by the blood of Jesus. The author of the Book of Hebrews makes it very plain that the old covenant is obsolete, and animal sacrifice as pleasing to the God is done forever. God will never again be pleased with the blood of bulls and goats, ever. It would be a direct affront to the blood of His Son, which was offered. "The moment that Jesus died, the curtain in the Temple is torn in two from top to bottom. Jesus said, "It is finished." What is finished? The old covenant is finished. Animal sacrifice is finished. A new and living way has been opened for us into the presence of God." The author of Hebrews tells us again and again, “once for all,” never to be offered again. It says in Hebrews 8:13, "By calling this covenant new, He's made the first one obsolete.” What is obsolete will soon disappear. When not one stone is left on another, the Temple itself destroyed. The problem is that when the curtain in theTemple was torn into from top to bottom, the priests that were there watching it, most of them didn't believe in Jesus. Certainly, they must have reported it back to the high priest, Caiaphas. He didn't believe in Jesus either. He had no explanation for the miraculous tearing of the curtain from top to bottom. But what do you think they did? They repaired it. They replaced it. So animal sacrifice went on for another generation after Jesus. What do you think God thought about that? That's an affront to His Son, and it's an affront to the new covenant. It's affront to everything He stood for. Yet, the Jews did it because they didn't believe that Jesus was the consummation of the animal sacrificial system. They didn't believe that His blood ended for all time animal sacrifice. So in come the Romans, and they destroy the Temple, putting a physical end to animal sacrifice. It can't be done. It hasn't been done for almost 2,000 years since then. Yet, from all over the world, Jews go to Jerusalem. They go to the Wailing Wall, and many of them pray for ... What do they pray for? A rebuilding of the Temple. For most of my Christian life, I had heard that the Temple was going to be rebuilt. Then when I read the Book of Hebrews and studied it, it's like, "That's awful." God doesn't want animal sacrifice ever again. When Jesus said, "It is finished," He meant it. When the curtain in the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom, that was it. When the author says, "A new and living way has been open for us into the presence of God through the body and blood of Jesus," that's it. It's finished. Yet, we've got this tragic unbelief and blindness on the part of the Jewish nation and a desire to re-establish animal sacrifice. I came to realize just because it's an affront to God and an affront to the finished work of Christ, doesn't mean it won't happen. Didn't the curtain itself get repaired or replaced? Why not the whole Temple? Then you study 2 Thessalonians 2, and this kind of, in my opinion, cinches it. I don't really have a good interpretation of 2 Thessalonians 2 apart from one final act of the “abomination of desolation.” There's one left to come. Look what Paul says. By the way, the Thessalonians had some false teachers there that told them, unfortunately, they had missed the day of the Lord. How depressing is that? They missed the end of all things. I don't even know how you make that teaching, but I would find that depressing. Imagine if I got up next week, "By the way, we missed it. We missed it all, not just the rapture now. We missed the whole thing." This was strange false teaching and Paul came in to refute it. He writes very clearly in 1 Thessalonians 4 about the Rapture, and he writes very clearly in 2 Thessalonians 2, I would say, pumping the brakes on a sense of immediacy about the Second Coming. He said, "Don't let anyone deceive you." Look what he says in 2 Thessalonians 2, 3, and 4. "Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction." 2 Thessalonians 2:4 sounds exactly like Daniel 11:36 to me. Listen to what Paul writes about the man of sin, "He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or His worship so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” The end can't come until that happens, and it hasn't happened yet. I'm saying it still hasn't happened yet. How do I know? Look at verse 8, 2 Thessalonians 2:8, "This man of lawlessness who opposes and exalts himself over everything that is called God and sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God, Jesus is going to destroy with the breath of his mouth and the splendor of His coming.” I know that some reform scholars or others spiritualized this. They saw the Pope as Antichrist. They saw the spread of the true gospel as a fulfillment, it isn't. The Second Coming is something in physical space and time that we'll be able to see with our own eyes, and part of His agenda will be to destroy the beast from the sea, the Antichrist who, 1 John 2 tells us is coming, who sets himself up in God's temple. He's going to destroy Him with the breath of His mouth and the splendor of His coming. That hasn't happened yet. I don't think it's helpful to spiritualize it. I'm all in favor of sound doctrine. I'm all in favor of that doctrine spreading around the world. I believe that sound doctrine pushes back the spirit of Antichrist. I believe in all of that. I believe many antichrists have come, and we need to fight them in every generation by sound doctrine. But there is an Antichrist coming. John tells us that. “You have heard that Antichrist is coming. Even now, many antichrists have come. There is one that is yet to come,” and 2 Thessalonians 2-4 describes him and Daniel 11:36 describes him. "The king will do as he pleases." This is Daniel 11:36. "He will exalt and magnify himself above every God and will say unheard of things against the God of Gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take place." One of the things he will do, according to verse 31 of Daniel 11, is to abolish daily sacrifice. The way I put all that together is the Jews will get what they wanted throughout every century, a reestablishment of the animal sacrificial system. We know from the Book of Hebrews what God thinks about that, but it doesn't mean it won't happen and that it will be enacted, it seems, by the prince of the people who will come. That is the Antichrist who will make a covenant with them. Halfway through that time, he will put an end to it and he will take its place and he'll set himself, and I think of it as air quotes. He'll set himself up in so-called God's temple declaring himself to be so-called God and that will be considered blasphemy. I think it is also essential to the Jews turning genuinely to Christ as they will do right before the Second Coming. But that's another story for another time. V. Application “Let the reader understand.” That's what all of that meant. “Let the reader understand.” What are we supposed to do with it? Jesus says, "Behold, I have told you ahead of time." What are we supposed to do with that information? First, let me go back to the point I started with. Understand the desolation that comes from not living in a right relationship with God. That's the real problem here, the emptiness. God is a full being, and He wants to fill you with Himself. He wants to fill you with the Spirit of Christ. He wants to fill you with the Holy Spirit. The clearest teaching on this is Ephesians 3:17-19. Paul prays for the Ephesian Christians, "I pray that you may be rooted and established in love and may have power together with all the saints to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ and that you may know that love that surpasses knowledge so that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." That's what salvation is, friends, filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. God is a full being, and He wants to fill you. It is idolatry, the abomination that makes desolate. So what idolatry is in your life driving out the fullness that you could experience with Christ? That's the question you have to ask. Now, I believe in a geopolitical actual military aspect of this. I believe in physical history, but I also think it's spiritual as well. I urge you, come to Christ and trust in Him while there's time. Believe that His death on the cross ended forever the need for blood sacrifice. Jesus' blood is the blood of the new covenant. By faith in that blood, you can be washed and cleansed of all your sins and know the fullness of God. Finally, marvel at the intricacies of redemptive history. I've been looking forward to and dreading this sermon for weeks now. I decided it was not best to preach it in December. I think you all agree now. It probably was best to preach a couple of good Christmas sermons in December. But now we've gone through the intricacies here. It's a marvel, isn't it? Don't you share with me a marveling at the simplicity and the complexity of the Bible? Close with me in prayer. Father, we thank you for this deep dive that we've had through the Book of Daniel, redemptive history, the things that Jesus wanted us to know. The fact of the desecration of the holy space by the Gentiles again and again and again has been a display of your holiness, a display of the fact that you don't dwell in temples built by human hands, but you want to dwell in our hearts by the Spirit. So I pray that you would help us, oh Lord, help us to walk with you, help us to put to death all the idols and the sins in our lives, and help us to be faithful to share the message of the simple gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world that needs it so desperately. In Jesus' name, amen.

The Bible instructs us to number our days wisely, for the same God who knit us together in our mother’s wombs holds in his hand our lifespan as well. - SERMON TRANSCRIPT - In Daniel Chapter 5, one of the most dramatic moments in redemptive history occurred with a wicked king named Belshazzar. Belshazzar was putting on a big feast, and he was stopped in his tracks suddenly by a disembodied hand that began writing in the wall above his corrupt throne. The hand that wrote the words was terrifying to everyone there, and the words could not be understood easily or read. The hand carved letters into the plaster in the wall, and I envisioned dust sprinkling down to the floor while the hand continued to write the mysterious words. I imagine at that time that the music and the lustful revelry in the entire hall from the 1,00 noble men partying with him instantly came to an end. If you'd been close enough to the throne, you would've seen the color drain from the king's face. You would've been able to hear his knees knocking together, but the focus of everyone in that formerly riotous hall would've been the writing on the wall. That moment moved into proverbial truth. To see the writing on the wall in our culture means to see something inevitable, something that's coming and there's nothing that can stop it. It means to see clearly that your end is near. Of course, this story is recounted for us in Daniel Chapter 5, Belshazzar's feast, and the man who read the writing on the wall at that time was a prophet named Daniel. He first, as he read it, proclaimed the great wickedness of the king of Babylon. After recounting the famous story of Belshazzar's grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar, how God humbled him and changed his mind of that of an animal and then changed it back again seven years later, teaching him that God alone rules over the kingdoms of men and that all people are accountable to Him. After accounting that history, Daniel then leveled Belshazzar with this righteous accusation. He says in Daniel 5:22-24, "But you his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled yourself though you knew all this. 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 praise the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wooden stone which cannot see or hear, understand, but you did not honor the God who holds in His hand your life in all your ways. Therefore, He sent the hand that wrote this inscription." That phrase has arrested me for years. You did not honor the God who holds in His hand your life in all your ways. Daniel then read the writing on the wall clearly so everyone could hear him, the words were “MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN”, and then Daniel interpreted them. "This is what the words mean. 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 Meads and Persians." That very night Belshazzar was slain and the Babylonian empire came to an end and the Medo-Persian empire took over. The words that very night remind me of Jesus's parable of the rich fool. You remember that man who had a bumper crop and thought he had plenty of years to enjoy all of that wealth and he thought, “'What shall I do? I'll tear down my barns and build bigger barns, and I'll store up all of this harvest, and I'll eat and drink and be merry for years to come.’But God said to him, ‘You fool, this very night, your soul will be required of you.’" That's an important phrase, isn't it, “required of you”? It's not an option when that summons comes. When God who gives life takes it from us, there's nothing we can say. There will come a time that all of us, our souls will be required from us by the God who gave them. That's the point of my whole sermon. We do not know how much more time we have left here on Earth, and we should number our days wisely. "When God who gives life takes it from us, there's nothing we can say. There will come a time that all of us, our souls will be required from us by the God who gave them." Today is the last day of the year 2023. If God wills, tomorrow will come, and it will be a new year, 2024. We've been instructed by the Lord to say that, to say, "If the Lord wills.” In James 4, it says, “'Today or tomorrow I'll go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money. You don't even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life that it's a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes? Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’" So if the Lord wills, January 1, 2024 will come for any of us, most likely for most of us, if not all of us. Therefore, it seems wise for us to heed the timeless advice that you heard read for us in Psalm 90:12, "Teach us to number our days aright," or properly, "that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Let's look at Psalm 90 briefly. Let's try to understand Moses, the man of God, and what he said. We're also going to go over to another passage, Ephesians 5, and we're going to try to number our days rightly so we can make the most of the time that we have left. Moses begins by asserting that God alone is our eternal dwelling place. Look at Verses 1 and 2, "Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the Earth in the world from everlasting to everlasting you are God." The doctrine there is the majestic eternality of God. He alone is from everlasting to everlasting. He is timeless. He is eternal. He is above time. He's not bound by time, unlike us. God knows the end from the beginning and the beginning from the end because He ordained every day that ever has been or ever will be. The statement “from everlasting to everlasting” means that God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He never changes. He's always the same, and He is our dwelling place. God is where we will spend eternity. God is the New Jerusalem. God is the new heaven and new Earth. Not to say that there will not be beautiful created things at that point or a place for our resurrected bodies to be, not at all. There will be, but God is our home. God is our dwelling place from generation to generation. Then Moses goes on to speak of the temporariness and the frailty of all human beings. Look at Verse 3-6, "You turn men back to dust saying, ‘Return to dust, oh, sons of men for a thousand years in your sight or like a day that has just gone by or like a watch in the night.’ You sweep men away in the sleep of death. They are like new grass in the morning. Though, in the morning it springs up new, by evening, it is dry and withered." All of us, the Bible teaches, are ultimately fashioned from the dust of the earth. To dust, someday all of us will return as God said to Adam, condemning him to the death penalty that his sin deserves. When we die, our bodies go back into the native elements from which they're originally taken, back to dust, but God is eternal. "A thousand years in his sight is as a few hours or like a single day or like a watch in the night." God's judgments stand over all human beings. They don't just die accidentally as though God has nothing to do with their deaths. Not at all. "God," it says, "sweeps men away in the sleep of death." It's because God takes away their breath that they die. It's not an accident. "People," it says in the text, "spring up quickly like fresh new blades of grass." They flourish, they look beautiful, they're radiant and strong, but in a short amount of time they wither, they sink back down just as quickly. "In the morning, they're new. In the evening, they're dry and withered." So our time here in our strength, especially in our youth, the prime of life is very brief. We should therefore make the most of our days when we have youth, when we have strength, when we have vigor and ability because soon one by one we will lose all of those capabilities. All you have to do is walk through a nursing home and look around into each room and see most likely your future. You see the feeble, elderly people there, all of them stripped of strength, stripped of their possessions. They'll never go to their homes again. They'll never enjoy their material possessions again. They occasionally have visitors. If they have a family structure of people that visit them, then it's kind. Sometimes they don't even remember their closest family members. This is what the text is saying happens to some degree to all of us, and so therefore, it is essential for us to make the most of every moment that we have of every opportunity. Each day has unique opportunities. Soon we can do little because age and feebleness has overtaken us and we can't do much at all. Behind all of this, according to Moses and according to the Bible more generally, is the sinfulness of man. It's because we are sinners the wages of sin is death. The troubles are caused originally by Adam's sin but then by our own sinful choices. In Verses 7-11, Moses recounts this, the sinfulness of man and the wrath of God. He writes, "We are consumed by your anger and terrified by your indignation. You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence. All our days pass away under your wrath. We finish our years with a moan. The length of our years is seventy years or eighty. If we have the strength yet their span is but trouble and sorrow for they quickly pass and we fly away. Who knows the power of your anger for your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you?" Moses was very aware of the sinfulness of the Jewish nation. God had warned them according to Ezekiel Chapter 20, before He ever took them out of Egypt, before He ever took them out of bondage to Egypt, that they needed to give up their idolatry, which they had learned and their pagan ways. They weren't any different than the Egyptians that surrounded them. They were every bit as pagan and idolatrous as the Egyptians were. He warned them and it says plainly in Ezekiel 20 to give up their idols, but He said, you would not do it. They were a pagan nation when they were brought out in the Exodus, this is what I think Moses referred to. We saw it very, very clearly in the golden calf at the bottom of Mount Sinai, how God said very plainly, "I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other God. You shall not make any idols or worship any idols." In a short amount of time, they broke all of those commandments immediately, and we see their paganism and their idolatry and their wickedness. Soon after that, after testing God in many ways and trying Him in many ways, they utterly rebelled when the twelve spies came back and brought a good report about the land. But they said that the Anakimes are there with cities walled up to the sky, and we look like grasshoppers in our own eyes and to them, and “we can't do it.” Ten of the twelve spies gave that report, Joshua and Caleb alone spoke words of faith. God then condemned the nation to wander around in the desert until that generation of fighting men should die. In a short amount of time, destroying all actuarial charts and all that, that entire generation, 40 years, fell dead. Moses, the man of God, wrote this psalm during those years. When he was writing also the Pentateuch, he's writing the rest of the Scripture, he's watching that generation of sinners wither and die; they're dying before his eyes. He has this in mind, "You've taken our secret sins, our idolatries and our wickedness and our paganism and you've put it in the light of your holy presence and because of that we are dying." He says, "In a very short amount of time, we fly away and we are no more." Then he makes the central request, which is the reason why I chose Psalm 90 for this New Year's Eve sermon. Look at verse 12, "Teach us to number our days of right that we may gain a heart of wisdom." This is a prayer. The entire Psalm is a prayer of the man of God, Moses. This is the central prayer. Looking up to God, the man of God is saying, "God, would you please teach us something that we don't know? Would you please give us a heart of wisdom specifically in the right understanding of time. God teach us to number our days properly that we may gain a heart of wisdom." We need to understand this. We need to see why it is essential for us to number our days properly. We need to number our days because God has already numbered them so that we can be wise about salvation, so that we can make the most of the days that we have left here on Earth. I. Number Your Days To Be Wise About Death Let's walk through it. First, number your days so that you may be wise about death. Teach us to number our days properly or rightly that we may gain a heart of wisdom. First of all, the Bible tells us that your days are already numbered. Your days are finite. You're not going to continue in this present state, in this present world, in this present body forever. We are all of us mortal. It says in Psalm 13:16, "All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." God has set a boundary to our lives. There is our birth day and there will be our death day, and nothing will change that. That's what Psalm 139 means, all the days that God has laid out for us, that all the days He has ordained were written in God's sovereign book, the book of his decrees before even one of them came to be, and that's what Moses asked for. Secondly, we don't know the number of those days. That number is hidden from us. God has hidden from each person the day of his or her death. In a very real sense, therefore, we can never number our days. We just don't know. It's a bit of an ironic prayer because it's the very thing that we cannot do. We are not ever going to be able properly to number our days. Instead, it seems the wisdom that Moses is seeking here is an acute mindfulness of the limits of the days, an acute mindfulness of the fact that we will die someday, an awareness of that that should dominate the way we live our lives. This will not go on forever. As the psalmist said in Psalm 39:4-5, "Show me, oh Lord, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. You have made my days a mere handbreath, the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man's life is but a breath." I think that's a partner to Psalm 90:12, "Show me how brief my life is. Show me how a breath it is. Show me how quick it is. Help me to know that." That's all we can do. We cannot actually know the numbers. As he says here in Psalm 90 in Verse 10, "The length of our days is seventy years or eighty. If we have the strength, yet their span is but trouble and sorrow for they quickly pass and we fly away." We need to understand, as I've already said, God's direct activity in sustaining us and then in His own good time taking us out of this world. Look at Verse 3, "You turn men back to dust saying return to dust, O sons of men." None of us dies accidentally. We use that kind of language just in the human, the horizontal way. Talk about people dying from a car accident or something like that, we use the word “accident”, but there are no accidents when it comes to God. God is absolutely sovereign. He rules over all things. You could have prevented that so-called accident. People do not accidentally die when it comes to God. What Moses is saying here is He takes away the breath and they perish. Again, in Verse 5 and 6, "You, [meaning God] "sweep men away in the sleep of death. They're like new grass in the morning. Though, in the morning it springs up new, by evening it is dry and withered." As Daniel said to Belshazzar, this really convicting and haunting verse, Daniel 5:23, "You did not honor the God who holds in His hand your life and all your ways." If I could get one thing out of this sermon for all of you that are listening to me, intensely feel that God holds in His hand your life and all your ways. That's the point of the whole sermon. Feel that. Understand you're not your own. Understand your days are not your own to do whatever you want with. Recently, I was doing men's Bible study on Thursdays when we went to the Book of Titus. The thing about that Bible study is we take forever to go through Books of the Bible. Anybody who's gone to it knows. It's like, "Well, when are we going to be done with Gospel of Matthew? Who knows? How long will it take you to go through Titus?” This is what happens, Titus 1:1, "Paul, a slave of God." All right, stop right there. How long are we going to take on that phrase? Maybe the whole time. What does it mean to be a slave of God? Are we? We actually are, or we're slaves of sin. Roman 6 says you're a slave of one of the other. Suppose you say, "I don't want to be a slave of anyone?" Well then, you're being lied to by Satan, you’re being deceived. You are a slave either of God or of sin/Satan/death. You are a slave. We were born to be a slave. The beauty of salvation is we come to realize that the master that we're serving, God and Christ are good masters and the yoke is easy and the burden is light. We're not deceived, but we still live like we are our own entities. Like we get to do whatever we want with our time, energy, money. It's ours, isn't it? Isn't our time ours to spend as we see fit? No, it's not. If you had a faithful slave back in those days in the first century and you saw him in the morning in the marketplace and he's a good slave and you asked him, "So what are your plans today?" What do you think he would say? "Whatever my master wants. Whatever my master wants." Let me ask you a question. Do you think that's the right way for a Christian to think? It is absolutely the right way for a Christian to think, for none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. That's what ownership language sounds like. Jesus died to buy you as He says openly in 1 Corinthians 6, "You're not your own, you're bought at a price." But we still think like free agents, don't we? We still think we get to do whatever we want with our time and our energy and our money, but we don't. "It is absolutely the right way for a Christian to think, for none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord." That's why we spent all that time on, "Paul, a slave of God," because I realized much to my shame, I don't think like that, not enough. I still think too much like a free agent, and I need to think, in the year 2024 if God lets me live, more like a slave than I've ever thought in my life. I would commend that to you. So the prayer, "Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom," means to be aware that the same God who knit us together in our mother's wombs and holds in His hand our lifespan as well, in Him, we live and move and have our being. We need to be prepared for death so we can live a wise life honoring the God who holds in His hand our life and all our ways. II. Number Your Days To Be Wise for Salvation Secondly, remember your days to be wise for salvation. Moses ultimately yearns for a heart of wisdom. Given the brevity of life, the wisest thing we can do is to find salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. There is nothing wiser that you could do, conversely, there's nothing more foolish that you could ever do than to live 70 or 80 years in this life and go to hell. It'd be the most foolish thing you could ever have done with your 70 or 80 years. The wisest thing you can do is to find salvation. The scriptures are given for that exact purpose, to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Since death is certain and its timing is uncertain, the wisest thing we can do is to say, "Today is the day of salvation for me," and flee to Christ because you don't know if you'll have tomorrow. 2 Corinthians 6:2 says, "In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation, I helped you. I tell you now is the time of God's favor. Now is the day of salvation." So that's what we have, we have today. It's all we ever have. God set aside a certain day calling it “today”. That's what we have [Hebrews 3:4]. Today is about salvation and not just justification, not just crossing over from death to life, but growing in grace in the knowledge of Christ. You're left alive here on Earth for salvation, so the wisest thing you can do is to immerse yourself in Scripture for your own salvation and that of others. I would charge you in the year 2024, give yourself like never before to the Word of God. Start there. 2 Timothy 3:15-17 speaks of the holy scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. "All scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work," says it all. The Scripture is given first to save your soul from hell and secondly, to make you maximally fruitful through every good work. That's what Scripture is given to do. That's its purpose. The scripture has power to show you your sin, has power to convict you of your sin. Scripture has the power to show you Christ and to move you to trust Him for salvation. Scripture has the power to continue to instruct you, rebuke you, correct you, and train you in righteousness and to thoroughly equipped you for every good work. There is no better way for you to use the limited days that we have left than to immerse yourself first in Scripture. A new year is a great time to renew your commitment to daily Bible intake and to prayer, a daily quiet time. II. Number Your Days To Be Wise About Redeeming Time Thirdly, number your days so that you can be wise about redeeming the time. Ephesians 5:15-16 says, "Be very careful then how you live not as unwise, but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil." I want to say something about almost every modern translation of that verse. They almost all say something like making the most of every opportunity, which is fine, but it's not technically what the Greek is. The Greek is “exagorazo”, which means “agora.” In the marketplace it’s a buying kind of marketplace word. “Ex” meaning "out of”, a prefix. So to buy out of, that's what redemption is. The idea of redeeming is of the payment of a price to get an individual out of trouble like slavery or a kidnapped victim or a hostage, something like that. They are redeemed by the payment of some silver or gold and the individual is brought out. You can imagine David and his men when they found out that their families have been kidnapped by the Amalekites after weeping and whatever, they went after their families to rescue them out of danger. That's the idea. Only the KJV and I think NKJV still retained “redeeming the time” language. The idea is that time, the day, is in danger. It's lost. It starts lost. You have to get up and go redeem it, or it will end lost as well. It's just like “carpe diem”, “seize the day.” If you don't get up and exert energy and faith and love toward the day, it will be wasted. You and I have both had plenty of those days. That's what Paul says, be very careful how you live, not as foolish, but as wise. It's the same idea. Teach us to number our days so that you gain- What? -a heart of wisdom and not be foolish. Paul's using the same foolishness, wisdom type language. Be very careful then how you live, not as foolish, but as wise. That's what he's saying. Years ago I came across a sermon that helped me understand this text. It was preached by Jonathan Edwards when he was 31 years old, and it was called “On the Preciousness of Time.” It's one of the most convicting sermons I've ever read. I read it again last night and again this morning and I was thoroughly convicted. I realized this isn't going to be some happy New Year's Eve sermon for you all, but that's okay. The fact is we're not supposed to come to the Scriptures and say, "I thank you God that I'm doing so well." That's not what primarily I desire to do. What I want to do is say, "Lord, show us where we need to repent. It's not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. How can I repent? What is there in my life that is sinful and is wasting time? I need to understand that." Edward's sermon helped me understand that, the preciousness of time. His doctrine was clear. Time is a thing that is exceedingly precious. He then gave reasons. Reason number one time is precious is because eternity, your eternity and mine, depends on improving the time. It depends on making the most of the time you have while you're alive. You're born and then you live. At some point in time, you have to repent and believe in Jesus. Time is precious because your eternity depends on the improvement of it. Edward says this, "According as we either improve or lose time, so shall we be happy or miserable for all eternity. Without the improvement of time, our eternity will be miserable, and with a good improvement of time, our eternity will be happy. As we use our time wisely with the gospel of Jesus Christ, as we walk wisely in this present age storing up treasure for eternity, in that proportion we shall be happy for all eternity. As people squander the gospel through unbelief and waste their days in sin, they guarantee their own eternal misery." Time must be very valuable indeed simply because so much depends on using it wisely. Second, time is precious because it is very short. It's a commodity that is in short supply. The more scarce a precious commodity is, the more valuable it is. This is basic economics, the law of supply and demand. We've already established that time is precious, but it's even more so because the time we're told in the Bible is short. The time is short. When there's a famine in the city, even the smallest crust of bread will sell for much silver or gold. The bread at that point is far more valuable than the silver or gold. So if time is already short and we squander even a small proportion of it, how dreadful would that be? A number of years ago I listened, I do a lot of listening to books on tape while I ride my bike, and there was this book about Louis Zamperini called Unbroken. It was later made into a movie. Louis Zamperini was a World War II airman, and his plane crashed in the Pacific Ocean. He and two other men survived the crash, and they're floating in two rafts tied together in the midst of the vast Pacific Ocean with only a very slim hopeless survival. Their raft had meager supplies of food and drinking water. They had a few precious chocolate bars, the calories of which could sustain them for a few vital days, and they divided the bars up into small squares and stored them. But unfortunately, one of the men panicked and while the other two were sleeping, ate all of the chocolate in one night. Their food supply up to that point was already critically low and limited. But now it was even in a worse situation because this one man had squandered it. This is a picture of us in life with a very limited supply of the precious thing known as time. Our life depends on it. It depends on the use of it, and it's limited. It's in a limited supply. Furthermore, thirdly, Edward says, "Time is precious because we don't know how much of it we have." They're able to do an inventory and they knew how much food they have. We are not able to actually number our days as I already said. We have a sense that they're limited. We have a sense that there's just a few of them, but we just don't know how many. So time is precious because time is uncertain. Our lives could end tonight or they could continue for many years. We actually have no idea, so we have to make the most of what God has given us. Edward said this, "If a man has food and supplies laid up for his journey and he doesn't actually know how much food is left or how much he will need, and if he knows that his stores are going to run out, if his stores run out, he will die. His life depends on it that he'll be exceedingly careful about how he uses each morsel of food." How much more than that would people prize their time if they knew they had about a few months left or even a few days left in this world? So it is with multitudes in this world who assume that they have plenty of time left. I think about around the world, how many people who it is ordained for them to die tomorrow are thinking right now they have plenty of time left. We who read the Bible should not be so deceived. We should be aware that we don't actually know how much time we have left. How many will be surprised by the coming of their death and think to themselves, "I always assumed that I would have more time." Fourth, time is precious because once it is spent, it can never be recovered again. You could imagine someone having a precious heirloom like a piece of jewelry or something like that and losing it through theft maybe or losing it or going to a pawn shop because they needed some money. You could imagine through extreme effort they might be able to reclaim that precious item again somehow. It might be difficult, but they could get it back. But that's not the way it is with any Monday or Tuesday or Wednesday. Once that Monday is gone, it'll never come back again. It was a unique gift. "This is the day the Lord has made." God crafted it, and how you spent it is done. It's in the past, you can never get it again. Therefore time is unspeakably precious because once it's spent, it can never be reclaimed. Edwards says this, "Every moment of time is served up to you as if it were a meal. If we turn up our noses at it, the divine table waiter will take it away and you'll never see that dish again." You can imagine every day it's like God is a chef and you're sitting at a table with a nice tablecloth and heavy silverware and He sets before you a dish that He's crafted. This is the day the Lord has made and you get to eat that dish as He has ordained. But if you waste it, that particular dish is taken away and will never be served to you again. That's how precious time is. Ephesians 2:10 says, "We are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance that we should walk in them." So that's what I mean by “this day.” God has crafted unique opportunities for the day, and we are to make the most of them, and we'll never have that chance again. If we have lived up to this point 50 or 60 or 70 years and we haven't improved those years, it can't be helped. There's nothing that can be done for them now, it is eternally gone from us. All we can do is to improve the time we have left. If we waste our money, we might be able to get money back, but if we waste our time, our days, they are gone forever. I remember when I was going through this, when I was preaching through Ephesians 5, it's very easy to become overwhelmed with discouragement at this topic. We are meant to be convicted, but we're not meant to be crushed. It doesn't make actually any sense for us to be overwhelmed and say, "What's the use?" I was thinking about that, that feeling of discouragement or whatever, it's like, "I've wasted so much time in my life. Well, what's the use?” I don't know, I picture a wheat farm out West and the family's all asleep. There's a fire burning in the fields and also burning a corner of the house and part of the barn. Imagine a neighbor sees the fire and comes and rouses the family and starts yelling and say, "Get up. Your fields are on fire. Your house is on fire. Get up. You need to put the fire out. You need to save what's left." It would make no sense for those people to come to their senses, realize what the situation is and say, "Well, we've already lost so much. What's the point?" and just sink back down into the bed. That would be literally deadly for them. Therefore, the point of this sermon and the point of these kinds of reflections is there's nothing you can do about the past except learn from it. The question is what are you going to do with the time you have left? What are you going to do with that year if God does give you 2024? That's the point. So what has been spent has been spent how you chose to spend it. "There's nothing you can do about the past except learn from it. The question is what are you going to do with the time you have left? What are you going to do with that year if God does give you 2024?" III. Number Your Days To Be Wise About Heaven Fourth, number your days properly to be wise about heaven. In one sense, I want to say it's actually good news that our time here on earth is brief. This is a world characterized by death, mourning, crying and pain. In heaven, there will be no more death, mourning, crying and pain. We'll be free from those forever. As Revelation 21:4 says, "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There'll be no more death, mourning, crying or pain for the old order of things has passed away." It's good news that we're not going to be here forever. That is a good thing. If you come to faith in Christ, you've trusted in Him for the forgiveness of your sins, you're going to spend eternity in a place completely free from pain. Also, time we are told brings us closer and closer to our final salvation. As it says in Romans 13:11, "And do this understanding the present time, the hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed." That implies there's some aspect of our salvation that hasn't come yet, and that's the final salvation that we'll get on Judgment Day. That salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. Every day brings us closer to that good destination. Therefore, we should number our days properly, gain a heart of wisdom and think like aliens and strangers in this world. As it says in Hebrews 11, the heroes of the faith admitted that they were aliens and strangers on Earth. “People who say such things show that they're looking for a country their own. If they'd been thinking of the country they had left, they would've had opportunity to return, but they were longing for a better country, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.”[Hebrews 11: 14-16] IV. Applications What applications can we take from this topic? Today is the last day of 2023. If God wills, we'll venture ahead into 2024 tomorrow. It's a good opportunity for us to look both ways. Look back at 2023 and honestly, by the power of the Spirit, evaluate yourself on this topic. Did I use my time well and wisely in the twelve months that were given me? God gave me a whole year. How did I use my time? Did I grow in grace in the knowledge of Christ in the year 2023? Am I closer to Christ's likeness than I was on December 31, 2022? Was it a year of growing for me? It may have been, it may not have been. Maybe you're further away from Christ than you were a year ago, but maybe you've grown. Just evaluate. Secondly, did I help others to grow in grace in the knowledge of Christ? Was I useful? Did I use my spiritual gifts? Did I use the Gospel? Did I use biblical exhortations? Did I help brothers and sisters in Christ? Did I help lost co-workers and neighbors and family members to come to faith in Christ? Did I use my time well? Did I serve God in this world? Did I serve God's purposes or did I serve myself? Did I live selfishly? Did I waste time? What are my habits? What do I generally do with a day? What do I generally do with free time? Just evaluate. Say, "Lord, show me what I'm like. Show me what I do. Help me to understand myself." Like Edwards would say, "Let time seem unspeakably precious to you." Think of it as a valuable thing for me to spend my time well and wisely. This afternoon, I don't know what your plans are. What are your plans, you bond slaves of God? What you should do is you should say, "God, what do you want me to do with my afternoon?" I would commend if you have some time to be reflective based on the themes of this sermon and say, "Lord, what changes do you want to see in me in 2024 if you let me live? What new habits do you want me to develop?" Start with the Bible. "Am I regular in my Bible intake? Am I memorizing scripture? Am I giving myself fully to scripture?" Let's start there. That primes the pump for everything in the Christian life. What's my prayer life like? God, how can I grow in that? Search me, oh, God, and know my heart. What bad habits do you want me to slay as was said earlier?" What are some sin habits that have crept up that are stronger in you now than they were a year ago, that you need to kill by death by starvation? What can you put to death? What lusts and habits can you put to death in the year 2024 if God gives you time to live? How can you serve this present generation? There are some things we can do here on Earth now that we will not be able to do in the new heaven new Earth. One of them is to suffer well. If you're going through suffering, the ability to suffer well is something you'll get to do now you cannot do in heaven because there'll be no suffering in heaven. Secondly, you can also help alleviate other people's suffering now. You can't do that in heaven because no one of all the redeemed will be suffering at all, but we are able to alleviate suffering in this world. Maybe you didn't do that in 2023 the way you wanted to, but you say, "Lord, would you make me an instrument of your grace? Would you make me an instrument to alleviate the suffering of people around?" Obviously, the most important thing that any of you could do if you're lost is to come to faith in Christ. There's no point in you doing any of these other things if you're lost listening to me now, if you're not yet a Christian. I would beg you, while there's time, crossover from death to life. Understand that God sent His Son. That's what we celebrate at Christmastime. The incarnate Son of God came, took on a body and blood so that He could give that body and that blood to bring us to Christ, bring us to salvation. Trust in Him. That is the purpose of time. Once that's happened, then say, "Lord, help me to redeem the time, make the most of the time that I have here on Earth." Close with me in prayer. Father, thank you for the opportunity we've had to look at this sobering text. God, we know that if we're Christians and we look back at 2023, we have to be honest and say it was mixed. There was some wood, hay and straw mixed in with the gold, silver and precious stones. We know that if we're Christians, we did some good works. It's impossible for us to be alive in Christ and not bear some fruit. We also know that we wasted a lot of time. So Lord, I pray that you would help all of us who are Christians to look ahead to 2024 with resolution by faith relying on you to waste far less time in 2024 than we did in 2023, that more of our days would be gold and silver and costly stones than wood, hay and straw. God, help us to be faithful in sharing the gospel. We're surrounded by lostness. We're surrounded by people who don't understand what life is about. They're like Belshazzar. They're eating and drinking in idolatrous ways, and they don't know that time is short. Help us to be willing to tell them the truth for the sake of their eternal souls. In Jesus' name, Amen.

EZRA Ezra spans from 538-486 bc • This is the same time as BUDDHA , CONFUCIUS , and SOCRATES • The narrative picks up where 2 CHRONICLES left off • The events take place under the MEDO-PERSIAN empire The Babylonian empire has fallen to the MEDO-PERSIAN empire King Cyrus issues a decree for the Jews to…

Daniel 7 - 1:07 . Daniel 8 - 8:39 . Daniel 9 - 14:28 . Proverbs 28 - 19:16 . We are now in the second half of Daniel which focuses on the dreams and visions that Daniel himself received. These visions include imagery of beasts, animals, and horns, representing kingdoms and the kings who come from them. Some of what Daniel sees is explained within the text itself while some remains the topic of debate and speculation to this day. Some, however, has clearly been fulfilled, like the goat which tramples the ram. The goat is the Greek Empire and it's conspicuous horn is Alexander the Great, who trampled the Medo-Persian empire only to die suddenly at the peak of his power. Antiochus emerges from one of the four new kingdoms, a ruler who persecutes the Jews, stops regular sacrifices, and defiles the temple.:::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible.facebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

Daniel 1 - 1:05 . 1:11Daniel 2 - 4:30 . 4:36Proverbs 26:13-28 - 16:05 . God's people are now in exile in the land of Babylon, which brings us to the book of Daniel, an extraordinary account of a young Judean exile who receives interpretation and prophecy from the Lord while serving foreign kings. Of particular significance in today's passage is the statue that Nebuchadnezzar sees in a dream. The statue's head of gold represented Babylon; its silver chest and arms: the Medo-Persian empire; the bronze stomach and thighs: the Greek empire; the legs of iron: the kingdom of Rome; and the mixed clay and iron feet: a continuation of Rome in later times. Finally, the rock represents the kingdom of God in Christ, as it easily destroys the manmade statue, enduring forever and spreading throughout the earth.:::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible.facebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

Daniel 1 - 1:11 . Daniel 2 - 4:43 . Daniel 3 - 16:19 . Isaiah 43:1-13 - 23:30 . The book of Daniel is an extraordinary account of a young Judean exile who receives interpretation and prophecy from the Lord while serving foreign kings. Of particular significance in today's passage is the statue that Nebuchadnezzar sees in a dream. The statue's head of gold represented Babylon; its silver chest and arms: the Medo-Persian empire; the bronze stomach and thighs: the Greek empire; the legs of iron: the kingdom of Rome; and the mixed clay and iron feet: a continuation of Rome in later times. Finally, the rock represents the kingdom of God in Christ, as it easily destroys the manmade statue, enduring forever and spreading throughout the earth.:::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by Bobby Brown, Katelyn Pridgen, Eric Williamson & the Christian Standard Biblefacebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

The book of Daniel, chapters 7-12, provides a sweeping narrative of prophetic visions and revelations. In Chapter 7, Daniel dreams of four great beasts representing four empires, with the final one being a terrifying beast symbolizing a future oppressive kingdom. Then, in a divine vision, he witnesses the Ancient of Days and the Son of Man receiving dominion over all nations. Chapters 8 and 9 continue with more visions. In Chapter 8, Daniel sees a ram and a male goat, symbolizing the Medo-Persian and Greek empires. Chapter 9 features Daniel's prayer of repentance and a prophecy concerning the 70 periods, which predicts the coming of the Messiah. Chapters 10-12 delve into Daniel's final visions. He encounters a heavenly messenger who unveils the future, including conflicts among powerful nations, the rise of the Antichrist, and a final deliverance of God's people. These chapters also provide details about the resurrection of the dead, the rewards and punishments in the afterlife, and the ultimate triumph of God's kingdom. Daniel's visions offer a glimpse into the grand sweep of history, from the rise and fall of earthly empires to the ultimate victory of God's kingdom and the resurrection of the dead, all told through a tapestry of symbolic and prophetic imagery.

Bible Study with Jairus- Daniel 2 The Relationship Between the "Great Image" in the Book of Daniel and the "Kingdom of Christ" in the Book of Revelation   The book of Daniel discusses a great image that was crushed by a large stone. The stone was cut out of a mountain without human hands. It then became a great mountain that filled the whole earth (Daniel 2:35). Each of these objects is symbolic. The idol represents the rise and fall of the empires in human history. Specifically, it depicts Babylon the Great and its fall (Revelation 18:2). The stone that becomes a great mountain represents the moment when “the kingdoms of the world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ.” The great image and the great mountain are both symbolic images.     The church is the body of Christ, a very real representation and image of Christ. But the false image mentioned in the book of Daniel is created by evil spirits and sin. It is a fake imitation of the body of Christ. It represents Babylon, which is the mother of harlots, and the Tower of Babel, which is the symbol of rebellion against God. God wants to build up the Body of Christ, but the enemy wants to build a false imitation. The Bible says, "For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:18).   In the wisdom of God, God allows the growth of human kingdoms. The Bible says, “And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us.” (Acts 17:26-27). These kingdoms exist in temporary space and time. Whether Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom or Pharoah's, Babylon or Egypt, these kingdoms are all tools in the hands of God. God uses them to help people seek him. But neither Nebuchadnezzar nor Pharaoh could overstep God's authority, thinking the kingdom was their own. When God's time came, God tore down their kingdoms and gave them to others. In the same way, when God's time for mankind comes, all the kingdoms on earth will be smashed to pieces and the kingdom of our Lord and Christ will be ushered in. Right now, God allows Satan and evil spirits to deceive people. But when God's time comes, he will judge them permanently. The Book of Daniel and the Book of Revelation are closely related.   The Body of Christ is an Image of Christ I once heard a Christian brother testifying about a vision he saw. He saw a vision of the body of Christ, which looked like a huge image of Jesus. The great image looked like a giant human, but every part of the body contained many believers living and dwelling in it. The Bible reveals that we are members of the body of Christ. “For behold, the kingdom of Christ is in the midst of us.” (Luke 17:21). When the life of Christ works within us, then we become a part of the kingdom of Christ. In a sense, the body of Christ is the kingdom of Christ. This is the kingdom that God wants to build, and Christ will rule as king within this realm.   This is God's ultimate purpose. This plan existed even before God created the world, even though it was hidden from humankind for a while. That is why Ephesians 3:9-10 says, “and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.”   God intends to help his children grow and mature until they become the mature Body of Christ, which will manifest all the riches of God and reveal His wisdom to all angels and demons in the heavenly places. Since Satan is a created being, he did not know about this plan. When God's plan was revealed, Satan was filled with jealousy. Satan had been an archangel whose job was to lead all things to worship God. But when God chose mankind to represent His image, share his authority, and receive His glory and fullness, Satan became jealous. Satan was upset because this plan did not involve Satan at all! Satan began to rebel against God. He hated mankind extremely much. Satan decided to create a counterfeit Body of Christ. He wanted to defy God's plan, counterfeit God's works, mock God, and try to lure people toward the same eternal punishment that he was destined for.   The Image in the Book of Daniel is a Counterfeit Body of Christ This great image that Nebuchadnezzar saw had a golden head, which represents Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar himself. The Bible doesn't tell us which empires are represented by the arms and chest made of silver, the belly and thighs made of bronze, the legs made of iron, and the feet made of iron and clay. Some biblical interpreters believe that they represent the Medo-Persian Empire, the Macedonian empire, the Grecian empire, and the Roman empire, respectively. The Medo-Persian empire began in 539 B.C. in Babylon; King Cyrus let the Jews return to Jerusalem in 537 B.C. The Roman empire started ruling Israel in 63 B.C. and destroyed Jerusalem in 70 A.D. This interpretation says that even though the Roman Empire has perished, the Anglo-American empire is now the continuation of the Roman Empire. Other biblical interpreters believe that the image represents Medo-Persia, Greece (Alexander conquered the Persian Empire in 331 B.C.), Rome, and the Anglo-American empire. These scholars point to the Anglo-American empire because of the Rise of the Anglo-American world dominance during the First World War from 1914 to 1918. The Macedonian Empire is not mentioned in this interpretation. I was taught the first interpretation. It divided the Persian Empire into the Macedonian Empire established by Alexander the Great and the Grecian Empire formed by the division after his death.   When I think about these two interpretations, I have a question. How do we know the Anglo-American empire is the last great modern empire? What happens if China, Russia, or a prominent country in Africa arises as a world ruler in the future? We can't deny the possibility. China has already risen to power, and it will soon become the most influential country in the world. But China is not part of the Roman Empire, nor is it part of the Anglo-American Empire. In addition to China's political, military, and economic rise, I also believe that China's future revival will bring great spiritual growth, which will influence great changes in Chinese society and politics. China may become a powerful Christian country that could be counted among the influential empires in eschatological history. Even a so-called Christian country (like the United States) does not always act in accordance with God's will, so China could qualify as one of the empires represented by the image. In addition, it's dangerous to assume that the Anglo-American empire is the only modern empire. What about the Portuguese Empire and the Spanish Empire that colonized the world, through which Catholicism spread? The British and American empires do not represent all modern empires.   Therefore, I think the two interpretations mentioned above are too linear and too constrained by time and the current course of human history. If the second coming of the Lord is delayed, there may be many more changes in human history. In other words, if we interpret scriptures based on the things that have already happened in human history, we may not get a complete picture. A lot of things haven't happened yet, and even the things that have happened can be interpreted from different angles.   The great image that King Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream was a symbolic, prophetic picture that has not yet been completely fulfilled. At that time the only kingdom that existed was Babylon, the head. The other empires had not yet risen to power. If we interpret the last empire as the Roman Empire or the Anglo-American Empire, then why have we not seen an eternal kingdom ushered in during the reign of the fifth king (Daniel 2:45)? Although this verse mentions crushing the image's feet, another verse references striking the entire great image (2:34-35). We know that historically, during the reign of the fifth king of the Roman empire, the Babylonian Empire and Nebuchadnezzar were long gone. Yet in the vision, the golden head still exists when the entire image is destroyed. I believe this word picture is describing the spiritual reality of the five kingdoms rather than their physical reality. Physically, Babylon no longer existed; but spiritually, it was still the head.   What exactly does this head of gold represent? And what about the silver, bronze, iron, and clay mentioned in this verse? These precious metals are a picture of the continuous degeneration of human regimes and their separation from God. Gold represents God's disposition. Because God had direct contact with Nebuchadnezzar, he publicly extolled the God of heaven. But his descendant Belshazzar completely forgot about God and offended Him. The human regimes were already beginning to deteriorate. The next empire was likened to silver, the next to bronze, the next to iron, and the next to clay. In each of these substances, the value was getting lower and lower as the substances contained less and less precious metal. This shows that the human regimes were becoming less and less obedient to God.   Despite their disobedience, human regimes have a measure of God-given authority. God uses human governments as tools to perfect His chosen people. He uses them like a rider uses a mounting block to mount the horse. God uses the nations like scaffolding to support his purposes until his work is complete. For example, King Nebuchadnezzar was God's servant to discipline Israel. After the seventy years of Israel's captivity were over, God raised up Cyrus to lead the Israelites back to Jerusalem. All this happened in God's timing. Just like God had designated a specific length of time for Israel's captivity, God has designated a specific length of time for the entire history of mankind. Again, these human governments serve as scaffolding for God's purposes. During the construction process, the scaffolding takes on the general shape of the building and assists in the construction process. But it is not part of the building itself. After the construction work is completed, the scaffolding will be dismantled. Similarly, to a certain extent, Satan can build imitation kingdoms that imitate God's work. He builds the kingdom of Babylon around the kingdom of God to tempt people to worship Satan. God may allow these kingdoms to exist for a time to serve his purposes, like scaffolding serves the purposes of the builders. But he will eventually tear them down.   The Work of God is to Build the Body of Christ   Human empires are a hybrid between God's will and Satan's infiltration. Paul said, “For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” (Romans 13:1); On the one hand, these rulers are used by God to maintain justice; but on the other hand, Satan infiltrates human governments and uses human greed to do evil things. I believe that the further down you move on the image (gold, silver, bronze, iron, and mud), the more Satan has infiltrated the good purposes of that human kingdom. I have been taught that feet of iron mixed with clay represent an end-time empire that is half democracy (clay) and half autocracy (iron). There may be some truth to this explanation, but I am more inclined to think that the half-iron and half-clay empire represents an end-time empire that has rejected God even more fully.   The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 24:12, "And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold." This was His reply to His disciples when they asked when the end of the world would come. He then said, "But the one who endures to the end will be saved" (13). Jesus continued, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come" (14). What is the gospel of the kingdom? It is the stone cut out without human hands which struck the great image into pieces. In other words, it is Christ. In Matthew 24:15, Jesus made a very meaningful statement referencing “the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place (let the reader understand).” Then Jesus spoke about the Great Tribulation.   Why did Jesus ask his readers to understand the prophecies of the book of Daniel? Because the prophecies in the book of Revelation and the visions of Daniel were all connected. Jesus wanted them to fully comprehend the essence of the imagery, dreams, and visions in Daniel, not just their literal meaning. We must fully understand the essence of what the image of Daniel represents. What is this essence? The essence is that behind human government lies human pride, and behind human pride lies the work of Satan—just like when the ancient people built the Tower of Babel to make a name for themselves. Behind their human pride lay Satan's influence, as he tried to get them to build a tower to worship him. When humans work in pride, they are actually worshipping Satan. The Lord destroyed the Tower of Babel, and he also destroyed the great image mentioned in Daniel. These two stories depict the same theme: destroying idolatry. The big question is: Who is receiving worship? Satan wants to seize people's worship, and God wants to receive humans' worship. The issue of worship lies at the heart of the reason this great image was destroyed.   Satan used human regimes and human pride to garner worship for himself. Even though the nation of Babylon was destroyed long ago, the pride and arrogance of Babylon live on. It is as if the golden head of this great image still exists. The human regimes of the ages have built a great spiritual Babylon. They are a counterfeit version of the body of Christ, and they worship Satan instead of God. However, the great stone that fell from the sky is Christ and His true body, which will completely smash Babylon to pieces. The worship of Satan will be destroyed, and the true body of Christ will be built, ushering in the true worship of God.   As Revelation 18:21 says, "Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, ‘So will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence, and will be found no more.'” This is why Revelation 19:7 says, "Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His Bride has made herself ready.” This is the greatest mystery in the universe, which is why Paul said, "Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness! and without controversy He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, and taken up in glory (1 Timothy 3:16).” Christ was manifested in the flesh, not only to save us from the hold of sin, but also to take us as His Bride and bring us together with Him into glory. This is God's ultimate plan.   Although the fall of Babylon the Great occurred in Revelation 18, the birth of the man-child in Revelation 11 had already laid the foundation for this event. Revelation 18:2 says, "Babylon the Great is fallen!" Revelation 11:15 says, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”   Conclusion: The Great Image is a Furnace   The great image mentioned in Daniel, the apostasy mentioned in Matthew 25, and Babylon the Great mentioned in Revelation all represent one thing: the reign of Satan. Jesus says that in the end times, lawlessness will abound, and the love of many will grow cold. Through this lawlessness, Satan steals the glory and worship that God deserves. On the one hand, our human regime is being infiltrated by Satan in an attempt to seize man's worship of God. But on the other hand, God is using those same human regimes to work all things together for the good of His chosen ones. God uses those regimes to bring salvation to his people and maturity to his bride.   When Daniel's friends were thrown into the fiery furnace for refusing to bow to the golden image, Christ was with them and saved them. In the last days, when the Antichrist creates a time of unprecedented distress, the Lord will save those who do not bow to the Antichrist. God uses these human regimes and human suffering to refine his people like a fiery furnace. When God's precious vessels of God are completely forged, the furnace will no longer be necessary. That is why the image representing the kingdoms of this world was eventually crushed, giving way to God's eternal kingdom. Just like Nebuchadnezzar tried God's chosen people in his fiery furnace, God is testing our faith like gold.

Episode 200 – Eternal Information – Part 8 – Supernatural Information 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: Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let your hands not be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well. Ecclesiastes, chapter 11, verse 6, New International Version ******** VK: Hello! I’m Victoria K. Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. Thank you for joining us here today on Anchored by Truth. For several episodes we have been working on a series we call “Eternal Information.” We’ve covered a lot of ground so far in this series. For those listening today who may have missed some of the earlier episodes we encourage you to go to our website crystalseabooks.com where you can hear them. And, of course, anyone who just wants to review an episode even if they heard it before can always go to crystalseabooks.com for a review. This series in particular has been one of those series where each episode builds on the material from previous episodes. In the studio we have RD Fierro. RD is an author and the founder of Crystal Sea Books. RD, thus far in this series we have covered definitions for the term “information,” the attributes of information, and the laws that govern information. And in our last couple of episodes we saw that information is present in all the biological structures on earth. But what is the big point that we are making by such a thorough treatment of information? RD: Well, before I answer your question I would also like to extend my greetings to everyone who is joining us here today. We are doing this series on information for the same reason that we do everything on Anchored by Truth – to help our listeners increase their confidence that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. But we can’t be sure that the Bible is the word of God if we aren’t sure that God exists in the first place. So, one of the things we like to do is ensure that our listeners have an abundance of … well, information so they can reassure themselves that the faith they place in God is more than just a leap into a dark abyss. Too often in our contemporary culture we are told that we must choose between logic, reason, and faith. But nothing could be further from the truth. We do not set aside logic and reason in favor of placing our truth in faith. To the contrary, we use logic, reason, and evidence to determine that the most sensible and practical thing we can possibly do is to place our trust in the God of the Bible and the revelation that He has made. VK: And as we have been discussing in this series, the presence of information always point us to the presence of intelligence. You cannot have meaningful information without that information arising from an intelligent point of origin. The cat walking across a keyboard may produce letters on a computer screen but the cat isn’t going to produce an email telling people where to meet us for dinner. But even a young child can do an email. The transmission, reception, and use of information requires intelligence. So, if we see information present in biological structures – which we do – we can be absolutely sure that those biological structures had an intelligent point of origin. RD: Yes. Our universe would not appear as it does without information, and therefore intelligence, being present. And that is one of the basic concepts that we have been working our way through during the first several episodes of this series. But today I want to introduce a new thought into our discussion. VK: Which is ... RD: Well, if the presence of information requires the presence of intelligence – which, as you said, it does – then we might say this. The presence of natural information demonstrates the presence of natural intelligence. So, a simple extension of that thought is that the presence of supernatural information would, of necessity, indicate the presence of supernatural intelligence. VK: Oh, my goodness. I see where you are going. As human beings we can see that information surrounds us in the natural order – in the created order that we can perceive with our five senses. But you are now going to take us into an entirely different realm – the realm of the supernatural. So, I imagine that today you want to begin a discussion of the information that is contained in the Bible. Right? RD: Exactly right. In our last couple of episodes we’ve talked about the fact that all living cells on the planet contain information. And even sources like the Merriam-Webster online dictionary acknowledges this fact. The nucleotide sequence of DNA clearly provides instructions and directions to the protein machinery of a cell and the performance of DNA is not tied to its chemistry any more than the chemistry of ink and paper determine the contents of printed pages. So, even if we restrict our awareness of the information present in nature to just what we see in living cells it is unavoidable to recognize that intelligence was necessary to create those cells. VK: Which, of course, is a direct refutation of the foundational premise of the General Theory of Evolution. The General Theory of Evolution says that all life arose through the random and undirected interaction of inanimate particles. But the specified complexity of even the simplest one-celled creature is a huge challenge to that idea. We covered some of the problems with the idea that life could have arisen spontaneously from non-living element is episode 5 of this series. RD: Yes. We can perceive quite readily that chemistry plus physics will not produce biology. Nor does the addition of time, even unlimited quantities of it, solve the problem. Life requires that certain select elements be organized in very specific sequences and patterns and then supported by very specific energy sources. Said simply, life requires information. Chemistry plus physics doesn’t equal biology. Chemistry plus physics plus information equals biology. So, let’s just label the information component of that equation “natural information” because we can see its operation and effects within the natural order. But when we turn to the Bible we start to perceive that its information component goes well beyond anything that can operate within the natural realm. VK: Can you give us an example of what you’re thinking about? RD: Sure. The Bible is, of course, a book and all books are information sources. But the Bible contains information that transcends the kind of information that is available from natural sources. For instance, in Isaiah, chapter 45, verse 1 the prophet names a conqueror who won’t arrive on the world scene for more than 150 years. VK: Isaiah, chapter 45, verses 1 and 2 say, “The LORD said to Cyrus, his chosen one: I have taken hold of your right hand to help you capture nations and remove kings from power. City gates will open for you; not one will stay closed. As I lead you, I will level mountains and break the iron bars on bronze gates of cities.” Biblical scholars date Isaiah’s ministry to a roughly 40 year period that lasted from 740 BC until approximately 701 BC. Isaiah’s prophetic ministry can be dated accurately because Isaiah told us the Judean kings who ruled while he was conducting his ministry. RD: Yes. So, Isaiah was prophesying in the latter half of the 8th century BC. A little over 100 years later the nation of Judah was conquered by the Babylonians and the Jews went into a 70 year period of exile. VK: And that 70 year period of captivity had been foretold by a different prophet, Jeremiah. ” In Jeremiah, chapter 25, verses 10 and 11 Jeremiah reported that the Lord said, “I will put an end to your parties and wedding celebrations; no one will grind grain or be here to light the lamps at night. This country will be as empty as a desert, because I will make all of you the slaves of the king of Babylonia for 70 years.” RD: Right. And just as Jeremiah prophesied around the year 605 BC the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem, conquered it, and deported many of the Jewish elite and nobles. Most Bible scholars believe the prophet Daniel was part of this first group of deportees. Nebuchadnezzar made Judah a vassal state of Babylon, appointed his own governor, and went back to Babylon. But it wasn’t long before the Jews who remained started fomenting rebellion. So, about 14 years later the Babylonians returned and completed the destruction of Jerusalem and sent all but the poorest people into exile. That period of exile ended shortly after 539 BC when a Medo-Persian emperor, named Cyrus, conquered Babylon and shortly thereafter permitted the Jews to return their homeland. So, here we have two examples of very specific prophesies made decades before they were fulfilled. Isaiah gave us the name of the pagan king who would conquer a city that did indeed have “gates of bronze.” Jeremiah had told the Jews ahead of time how long their period of exile and captivity would last. VK: The point is that there is no way, humanly speaking, that Isaiah prophesying in the latter half of the 8th century BC could have known the name of a single person who would be the person that would be a conqueror who would appropriately be called God’s “chosen one.” And there was no way, humanly speaking, Jeremiah could know how long the Babylonians would keep the Jews in captivity before the period of exile even began. So, both of these are examples of information that the Bible contains but where the source of the information could not have come from the natural realm – the realm we can perceive with our five senses. RD: Exactly. Well, that’s just a quick example of the subject that I want to cover in today’s episode of Anchored by Truth and that will probably wrap into the next episode as well. The Bible gives us very clear evidence that it doesn’t just contain information in a single dimension or on a single level. The Bible actually is a multi-level source of information and that strongly points toward a source for the information that is beyond the natural realm. VK: As is the two examples of fulfilled prophecy that we were just discussing. In those cases there’s no way the human authors who recorded the prophecies could have possessed the information. For them to have the information it had to have been revealed to them by a supernatural source. RD: Right. And those are just examples of the Bible’s multi-layered informational attribute. So, I want to start pointing out some of these various levels of information that illustrate the remarkable character of the Bible. VK: Where do you want to start? RD: Well, let’s start with the fact that, like all books, the Bible possesses and provides information in what we might call a linear fashion. In other words, we can, and should, read the Bible like any other book. The Bible contains valuable information about human and natural history. The Bible contains practical guidance for how to manage money, build successful businesses, improve interpersonal relations, and create better families and raise happier children. The Bible contains instructions for how to avoid conflicts, build prosperous communities and nations, and live fulfilled and meaningful lives. All that is available just by reading the Bible the way you would read any other book – left to right, starting on page 1 and going through to the end. VK: But even in that sense the Bible does display a marked difference from other books, doesn’t it. And, in particular, it is different from other books that claim to be the word of God. RD: That’s true. One of the amazing things about the Bible is that as it is conveying its information it displays a remarkable unity. It contains many different kinds of literature yet all parts of the Bible serve a single purpose. The Bible tells a single story about a single plan that revolves around a single people and a single person. But as the Bible tells that story it always displays a cognizance of the needs of the people who will be reading the story. So, when the Bible tells us about creation and the subsequent fall of our first parents while it is telling us how sin entered the world it does so while calling to our attention the need for us to be obedient to the Lord. It continues to make that same point when it describes the exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt. VK: If the Hebrews had obeyed God after they left Egypt there would have been no need for them to wander in the desert for 40 years. God told them to go up to Palestine and displace the wicked people who were living there. And God told the Hebrews He would go with them and before them to ensure that they were successful. But rather than obeying God, the Hebrews made their own estimate of the situation and refused to go up right away. So, in the Bible God relates the history but ensures that the history reinforces its larger lessons and purposes as well as giving details about particular historical events. Is this also true of other parts of the Bible? RD: Yes. There are parts of the Bible, such as Proverbs, that are specifically dedicated to teaching people how to live better and more successful lives. And people who take the Bible’s teaching seriously and apply it to their lives know that the Bible’s instructions help them live lives that are joyful and successful even from a human perspective. People are often surprised that the Bible has quite a bit to say about managing and investing money. VK: For instance, Ecclesiastes, chapter 11, verses 1 and 2 say, “Ship your grain across the sea; after many days you may receive a return. Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight; you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.” That’s from the New International Version. And we heard something similar in our opening scripture. This is the same advice many financial planners give today. It’s pretty much standard investment guidance to diversify your investments and to never put too much of your savings into a single investment category or single company. We may use terms like “asset allocation” or “avoiding single security risk” but those are really just different words saying the same thing. Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes almost 3,000 years ago but he’s giving the same advice we hear today. Why do you think the Bible addresses subjects many people would think have little to do with “spirituality?” How does the Bible’s money management advice reinforce the idea that sinners need a Savior? RD: The easiest way of explaining the wide variety of subjects that the Bible covers – those areas in which it supplies information – is that the Bible concerns itself with anything and everything with which God knew we would be concerned. God knows that human beings are going to be concerned about the daily necessities of life and also with the uncertainty of the future while living in a fallen creation. So, God provided us help to deal with those things. In other words, God didn’t want to leave his children without firm guidance to help confront the challenges of daily living. VK: Said slightly differently if God had not given us instruction about how to manage money successfully we would have been left on our own. Some people might have made wise decisions but many, maybe most, would not. That would create tension in our lives. Frankly, for many of us concerns about money or how we are going to provide for ourselves or our families would have become the primary focus of our lives. An idol is anything we value more than God. And God does not want us to create idols in our lives even over things that can have a good purpose. RD: Right. It’s not too strong a statement to say that when the Bible gives us instruction for how to manage our money and investments it’s one way the Bible helps us avoid idolatry. If the Bible didn’t give us advice about money, managing money could easily take over our time, attention, and, sadly, our affection. It does anyway for many people. The same thing is true about the instruction the Bible gives us about families, relationships, sex, food and drink. There is much in this life that is good and enjoyable when it is kept within the boundaries that God gave us. But when we forget God’s admonitions those areas cannot only become problems they can become deadly idols. VK: We don’t talk much today about the sin of gluttony but our society deals with the negative effects of obesity constantly. Every day people suffer from poor health, impaired relationships, and sometimes job loss because they struggle with their weight. Yet, Proverbs, chapter 23, verses 20 and 21 have said this for almost 3,000 years. “Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.” That’s from the New International Version. So, the big point is that the reason the Bible tells us information about the practical aspects of living good lives is that such advice helps us avoid the pitfalls that will pull our attention and affection away from God. RD: That’s a good way to say it. The most obvious form of information that the Bible contains and provides is the kind of information that we derive just by reading it as we would any other book. But I think it’s fair to say that even that within this first level of information the Bible is extraordinary. The Bible has inspired untold millions of people who are from cultures all around the world and throughout time periods that stretch back thousands of years. It’s an extraordinary book that can communicate so widely, so successfully, for so long. Its record for doing so is really unique in that regard. VK: Well, as you say reading the Bible left to right from the first to last page is really just the first level of information that the Bible offers. And we are going to get into other levels of the information that the Bible contains as we move into our next couple of episodes of Anchored by Truth. But as you have said the Bible is amazing just at this first level. One of the things that so many people don’t realize is the wide variety of practical and beneficial advice that the Bible gives. RD: We don’t recognize this much today but for hundreds, really thousands, of years all someone had to say was “the Bible says ...” and that would end discussions or settle questions. Millions, tens of millions of people down through history have lived much better lives just because of the information that they got from the Bible. This used to be accepted wisdom in our culture but obviously it has fallen out of favor. VK: And as it has fallen out of favor our society has paid the price hasn’t it? RD: Absolutely. It’s beating a dead horse to say that when we taught the Bible in school we didn’t have school shootings, obese kids, and drug epidemics. But I don’t want to veer off the topic of this series. We started out reminding everybody that it is impossible to have information without intelligence. And it would be impossible to have supernatural information without supernatural intelligence. When you look at this first level of information that we see in the Bible it would be possible, a little silly, but possible to think that human beings produced the information it contains. After all, lots of human beings write books that can be read in the ordinary fashion. But as we move forward we are going to see that the Bible supplies us with information that could not possibly come from a natural source and thereby demonstrates that it has a supernatural point of origin. VK: Well, we will have to get into that in our next episode of Anchored by Truth. We’re all familiar with single dimension information systems because that’s what we experience in our daily lives from books and other sources. But just as we saw when we looked at DNA and biological information there are sophisticated information systems within the universe that elude us even now. The only reasonable explanation for their existence is that they were created by the Ultimate, Infinite Designer. It’s just a little bit silly to believe that unintelligent and undirected matter and energy could produce the kind of information that we deal with every day of our lives. And we don’t have to surrender to that belief. God has given us ample evidence of His presence and He is more than willing to help us live productive, joyful lives if we will just acknowledge that simple fact. This sounds like a time to go to God in prayer. There are many places around the world where Christians are persecuted just for acknowledging and proclaiming their belief in the God of the Bible. Let’s remember them in prayer today. ---- PRAYER FOR PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS VK: We’d like to remind our audience that a lot of our radio episodes are linked together in series of topics so if they missed any episodes or if they just want to hear one again, all of these episodes are available on your favorite podcast app. To find them just search on “Anchored by Truth by Crystal Sea Books.” If you’d like to hear more, try out crystalseabooks.com where “We’re not perfect but our Boss is!” (Bible Quote from the New International Version) Ecclesiastes, chapter 11, verse 6, New International Version

Daniel 1 - 1:05 . 1:11Daniel 2 - 4:30 . 4:36Proverbs 26:13-28 - 16:05 . God's people are now in exile in the land of Babylon, which brings us to the book of Daniel, an extraordinary account of a young Judean exile who receives interpretation and prophecy from the Lord while serving foreign kings. Of particular significance in today's passage is the statue that Nebuchadnezzar sees in a dream. The statue's head of gold represented Babylon; its silver chest and arms: the Medo-Persian empire; the bronze stomach and thighs: the Greek empire; the legs of iron: the kingdom of Rome; and the mixed clay and iron feet: a continuation of Rome in later times. Finally, the rock represents the kingdom of God in Christ, as it easily destroys the manmade statue, enduring forever and spreading throughout the earth.:::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible.facebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

Daniel 1 - 1:11 . Daniel 2 - 4:36 . Daniel 3 - 16:31 . Isaiah 43 - 23:55 . The book of Daniel is an extraordinary account of a young Judean exile who receives interpretation and prophecy from the Lord while serving foreign kings. Of particular significance in today's passage is the statue that Nebuchadnezzar sees in a dream. The statue's head of gold represented Babylon; its silver chest and arms: the Medo-Persian empire; the bronze stomach and thighs: the Greek empire; the legs of iron: the kingdom of Rome; and the mixed clay and iron feet: a continuation of Rome in later times. Finally, the rock represents the kingdom of God in Christ, as it easily destroys the manmade statue, enduring forever and spreading throughout the earth.:::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by Bobby Brown, Katelyn Rahn, Eric Williamson & the Christian Standard Biblefacebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

Good Morning! Welcome to Mercy Fellowship where we are Saved by Jesus Work, Changed by Jesus' Grace, and Living on Jesus's Mission. While the second half of Daniel is filled with grotesque visions of the kingdoms of man warring against each other and ultimately God, we see a God who is in charge of world affairs and personally engages with His people. As you process world history or current events, how do you react and respond? What do these times reveal about your character and your hope is? Where do you go for rest or clarity when you're unsettled? Curtis looked at Chapter 7 where Daniel had a vision from God of 4 beasts representing the four empires back in Daniel 2 Babylon, Medo-Persian, Greece, and Rome. The kingdoms of the world are beastly in their rebellion from God, and will seek to wear out the saints of the most High. However, God will judge, and His kingdom will be established. Daniel 7 was a fly over of the remainder of human history. Here Daniel receives a vision that is much more focused, clear and concerning.

In Daniel 5, Belshazzar, Nebuchadnezzar's grandson, reigns as a co-regent with Nabonidus (his father) 24 years after Nebuchadnezzar's death. (Daniel 5:1) It has been roughly 70 years since the capture of Jerusalem. And Daniel is now at least 80 years old, retired from service, and most forgotten. (Daniel 5:10-12) Until the queen mother suggested that Belshazzar's call Daniel to translate God's message to the prideful king. The Medo-Persian army has surrounded and is going to siege Babylon. Despite this, Belshazzar is hosting a party at his palace for a thousand of his friends. He profaned the Holy Objects looted from the Jerusalem temple decades earlier to drink wine and glorify false gods. (Daniel 5:1-4) Suddenly Belshazzar is terrified by the appearance of the fingers of a man's handwriting on the plaster: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PERES. (Daniel 5:5-6, 24-29) The king's wise men could not interpret the meaning of God's message not being God's messenger. Daniel reads the writing to the king and makes known its interpretation. (Daniel 5:17-22) Daniel reminded Belshazzar of the sovereignty of Yahweh in dealing with Nebuchadnezzar. It was this sovereign God who put the writing on the wall. For the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men and that He appoints and sets over it whomever He will. (Daniel 4:17, Daniel 5:19)

Daniel 8:1–27 | The Medo-Persian and Grecian Empires | Pastor Brian R. Diehl

The world looks to political and religious leaders to bring peace to this war-driven earth. The leaders may change from age to age, but whether it be the United Nations or any leader or empire of the past or the--present, they have all failed to bring a lasting peace to this world.--Historians claim the so-called Pax Romana -Roman Peace- brought a period of peace into the known world, the likes of which was unknown at that time. For just over 200 years -27 BC to 180 AD- there was a relative peace brought about in God's providence by Roman conquest in swallowing up what had been the Babylonian,--Medo-Persian, and Greek kingdoms. Not only did the empire of Rome envelop all of those great kingdoms of the east, but it extended its boundaries to the west as far as what is now Europe -even to England-. But the great Pax Romana of the Roman Empire -like all of those before it and after it- fell under the mighty judgment--of the Lord. It weakened and finally collapsed under the weight of its own idolatry and rebellion against Jesus--Christ, and under the weight of its corruption, tyranny, and immorality.--Where the Pax Romana -Roman Peace- failed, the Pax Christiana -Christian Peace- will succeed- for Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, shall exercise His rule from His throne in heaven in such a glorious way that He will bring all of the nations -Jew and Gentile alike- unto Himself and into His Visible Church. The kings and rulers of the earth will serve Christ and will rule on behalf of Christ in righteousness and truth during Christ's millennial--reign. Then will be realized the prophecy found in Isaiah 2-4.

Introduction to Daniel chapter 8 and a study of the rise and fall of the Medo-Persian and Grecian kingdoms. An exposition of Daniel 8:1-8. Download sermon notes: PowerPoint | PDF

Introduction to Daniel chapter 8 and a study of the rise and fall of the Medo-Persian and Grecian kingdoms. An exposition of Daniel 8:1-8. Download sermon notes: PowerPoint | PDF

WE REVISIT the Book of Daniel as we discuss the ten horns of the Beast from the sea, John's description of the Antichrist in Revelation 13 and 17. The four beasts of Daniel's vision (Dan. 7:1–8) match exactly the bizarre creature described by John. It's generally agreed that the beasts have a historic fulfillment in Babylon (the lion), the Medo-Persian empire (the bear), Greece (the winged leopard), and Rome (the terrifying fourth beast). Given the current tensions in Eastern Europe between the US and NATO on one side and Russia on the other, we discuss whether we can read any prophetic significance into the prophecies of Daniel, Ezekiel and John. Does the bear of Daniel's vision refer to Russia? Did Ezekiel's prophecy of an enemy from the land of Magog foretell an invasion of Israel led by Russia? We explain why we don't believe Russia is in view in either prophecy, except insofar as Russia, along with the rest of the world, will come against Israel in the war that leads up to Armageddon. Watch every episode of Unraveling Revelation at www.UnravelingRevelation.tv. We're touring the churches of Revelation! Join us and Doug Hershey, author of Israel Rising, for a tour of Turkey October 18-November 3, 2022. Other sites include Göbekli Tepe, Abraham's home town of Harran, and the underground city of Derinkuyu. For information and registration, log on to www.SkyWatchInTurkey.com. Join us in Israel! For details on the SkyWatchTV Israel Tour (new dates: March 19–30, 2023), visit www.SkyWatchInIsrael.com.

WE REVISIT the Book of Daniel as we discuss the ten horns of the Beast from the sea, John's description of the Antichrist in Revelation 13 and 17. The four beasts of Daniel's vision (Dan. 7:1–8) match exactly the bizarre creature described by John. It's generally agreed that the beasts have a historic fulfillment in Babylon (the lion), the Medo-Persian empire (the bear), Greece (the winged leopard), and Rome (the terrifying fourth beast). Given the current tensions in Eastern Europe between the US and NATO on one side and Russia on the other, we discuss whether we can read any prophetic significance into the prophecies of Daniel, Ezekiel and John. Does the bear of Daniel's vision refer to Russia? Did Ezekiel's prophecy of an enemy from the land of Magog foretell an invasion of Israel led by Russia? We explain why we don't believe Russia is in view in either prophecy, except insofar as Russia, along with the rest of the world, will come against Israel in the war that leads up to Armageddon. We're touring the churches of Revelation! Join us and Doug Hershey, author of Israel Rising, for a tour of Turkey October 18-November 3, 2022. Other sites include Göbekli Tepe, Abraham's home town of Harran, and the underground city of Derinkuyu. For information and registration, log on to www.SkyWatchInTurkey.com.

Honoring God Has Great Rewards: Daniel 6:1- 23  The prophet Daniel served under King Darius during the captivity of the Jews about 600 BC in the Babylonian region. Daniel was one of three governors over the region and he was greatly favored by the king. Daniel had an excellent spirit and was gifted in wisdom and could interpret dreams.God had blessed Daniel and placed him in a very high leadership role. He was far superior in his leadership than the other governors. Because of this, the other governors and government officials were jealous of him and wanted to destroy him. They tried to find something wrong that they could use to accuse Daniel but found nothing. Daniel had great integrity and was a strong man of faith. His custom every day was to go to the upper room of his home, open the windows that faced Jerusalem, kneel, pray and give thanks to God.The Babylonian leaders were idol worshippers and planned a strategy that could get rid of Daniel. They approached King Darius and appealed to his ego. They told the king that all of his governors, administrators, and advisors had consulted together to establish a royal law that no one can petition any god or man, except the king for a period of 30 days. If they broke the law they would be thrown into the lion's den. The king liked the idea and he signed a decree that could not be broken according to the laws of the Medes and Persians.Although Daniel was a governor he found out about the law after it was signed by King Darius.Despite the new law, Daniel went home and prayed to God making petitions to Him only. He knelt down on his knees three times that day and prayed. His enemies quickly went to the king to tell him that Daniel had broken the law and he needed to be thrown into the lion's den. King Darius was so upset with himself for being tricked into hurting Daniel. He could not change the law that he had signed. King Darius knew that Daniel served the God of Israel, but that thought never crossed his mind when the other leaders were praising him.Before Daniel was put into the lion's den the king spoke to Daniel saying,  “Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you.” Daniel was put into the lion's den and the king went to his palace, fasted all night, and could not sleep. King Darius arose early in the morning and went to the lion's den. He cried out to Daniel asking if his God was able to deliver him. Daniel replied, “O king live forever!” Immediately Daniel was taken out. He told the king that an angel from God was sent to shut the mouths of the lions and he was not hurt. The king was so happy and he had the accusers of Daniel thrown into the lion's den. They unfortunately did not have a good ending.King Darius made a decree honoring the God of Daniel throughout the Medo-Persian kingdom.He declared that the God of Daniel was the living God, Who delivers and rescues, and works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth. Daniel prospered under King Darius and later under the next king, Cyrus the Persian.The laws of God are higher than those of man. God wants us to worship Him only and not idols or other people even when it becomes a government law. Daniel disobeyed the law of the land and was punished for it, but God protected him. There are many stories in the Bible of ungodly leaders who have exalted themselves and not honored God. Daniel was not afraid to practice his faith in a foreign land. God blessed Him and God will bless you when you take a stand for your faith and not follow the ungodly ways of the world. Ask God to give you an excellent spirit like that of Daniel and give you courage to witness to others about God's great love. ( James 1:5; Phil. 4:6 )Personal Development Tip of the week: Taking time to reflect on our lives is so important. This is why I'm a huge fan

0 (0s): oh, 1 (8m 32s): To Jesus. We worship you this morning. We are your children. We are here to see 2 (9m 16s): Where it used to be. I will never be There is no other name, but the name that is 0 (12m 11s): He, 2 (12m 11s): Who was and still is and will be through it Monday in the space between all the things I've seen and the striking. He, I know I will never be. 0 (12m 31s): I 2 (12m 32s): Know 0 (12m 36s): let's pray. 3 (14m 2s): Thank you for this time, Lord, as we spent time worshiping you and your name now, as we open up your word, Lord, that you would speak to us again, meet us here now in this place, Lord, in Jesus name, we pray. Amen. All right. You may be seated youth group. You guys are staying here the Sunday. So glad to be here once again. It's it's, it's a, it's a message that I've been kind of laboring and working through and really just been on my heart. It's it was fun for service to kind of bring it to the light Allister. 3 (14m 44s): Beg would say it was it's the closest he's ever felt to being pregnant and giving birth is, is you, you hope that's not offending, but it's this thing that for me, it's, it's just it Wells up and it's growing. And then it's, it's, it's amazing to see how it comes out. So I pray just, today's just a blessing. My, my brother and I growing up, and I know I've told a story in the past that wasn't true about the poison. If you're here for that one, this is it. This is actually a true story. So let me tell you about this. My, my brother, we had a lot of hobbies. We were always interested in trying to, we were always inquisitive about different things. So we would, hobbies would pop up, we'd see something on TV or in a book. 3 (15m 28s): And we're like, wow, we want to know more about this. So my mom, she would always, she would just take us to the library and we'd go look up whatever we wanted to. And it was fun to be able to research these things. And our tree was one of those things. I don't know where we inherited it from, but we found this red fiberglass, recurve bow, and my brother and I wanted to know everything about archery and we wanted to find out more. So that's what we did. We went to the library, he got all the books and began reading, studying, okay, how this is how you do it. Well, we also made a range in our backyard and we found, I don't know why we had it, just a random closet door, those kind of hollow core doors. And we set it up in our backyard as a target. 3 (16m 9s): And of course, boys, what do you want to do? You want to shoot at something real? So we set up, we drew an outline of a person like this on that door, and that was our target. And then after a while that just that stagnant target, we decided that we'll, let's, let's make this a little more realistic because when you shoot something that needs to die. So we tried to like prop up the door in a way that, you know, a little stick or something would hold it. Then when you, when it gets shot with the arrow would fall over, be a little more realistic. Well, that didn't work out too well. So we decided, well, the best thing is probably just to hold the door up and you can't stand behind the door. Cause every once in a while, the arrow will go straight through the door, you know? And so my brother, we just held it at arms length. 3 (16m 52s): We'll be okay. And we were my brother and I were really, we were good. We were good. We were good shots. You know, we'd a lot of practice. Once in a while, our friend Mike, he would come over and he'd he'd practice with us too, but he wasn't, he just hadn't been practicing as long. So it wasn't as good. Well, it was the nineties and Robin hood, prince of thieves came out and we we've loved that show. We love that movie, especially cause there was archery in it. And there was one scene where Robin hood, he draws his arrow and he flips around any shoots. And I think it was like through the trees or something, it was like this really cool movie shot and hits his target. So my brother and I are like, yes, we can do this. 3 (17m 33s): So in the backyard practicing and we started working on our Robin hood shot, you know, he turned around real fast, let the arrow go. It hits his target. Cause my brother and I were, we were decent. We were good. We were practicing. Well, Mike, he came over that day and he's like, wow, I want to try this too. I've seen this in the movies. I can do this too. Well, my brother was, it was his turn to hold the door, the target. And so he's kind of holding it at arms length like this. And Mikey turns around, flips round releases the arrow and it Nicks the edge of the door and goes in my brother's arm. So I have this image of my brother going as the arrows flopping around his arm. 3 (18m 15s): And we're like, Brian, you can't tell mom and dad. And he's like, my brother who has like the highest pain tolerance. He he's like, no, it hurts going to tell him I'm down. And I know, you know, we'll get into so big trouble because we had really, really wanted to get to the broad heads. Those like arrows with the razors on it. We thought that would be really cool to have those. My mom had said no, so I'm really glad she said no. So I was like, okay, I'm the oldest here. I will be the one to deliver the news to my parents. So I run around our backyard slide, open the sliding glass door. And my dad's there sitting on the couch, reading his newspaper and I'm my Brian's been shot. And my dad looks up the newspaper and he's like, is the BB still in him? 3 (18m 57s): I'm like, no, it was the arrow. And he lost his color for a split. Second only to jump up straight army through the door. I was standing at the door, just waiting for his response. He's straight arms me runs around the backyard, picks up my brother, lifts them up and then carries him into the house. So these are these images that are just stuck in my head. Well, fast forward to a few months. And I decided that I think I've matured a little bit that I won't, that I know my targets now. And so I've decided to, I got, I got up. I was able to buy a compound bow. All right. That was pretty exciting. I've been talking about it for a number of years. In fact, my middle daughter, her name is Posey Archer. So you can calculate her age and how many, how long I've wanted to get back into archery. 3 (19m 42s): So I got this compound bow and the guys at central coast archery have just become like my best friends. I've been down there. I taught a lot. They're like, teach me, okay, this is your target. Don't you know, all this safety, all that stuff, but I've been learning a lot. And so I have a little bit of background as a kid in our tree, but I realized I need to relearn a lot. And that's what I wanted to do with this morning. You see growing up in the church, I think there's a, there's a familiar, it's wonderful. It has way more advantages the disadvantages. But I think one of the disadvantages for growing up in the church, as you begin to be really familiar with the Bible and it becomes something that you just know. 3 (20m 24s): I remember in high school thinking, well, I know everything about the Bible I know about Noah. I just, it just became like I know about it. But for those who have been able to walk with this in their, in their new life of faith and their new trust of Jesus, having come from a, not a biblical background, I've seen this awe and wonder and just a refreshing like, whoa, what is the Bible teaching? What is it? And so that's why I want to approach this morning. Scripture of Luke chapter 11. It's a prayer that I know we've all maybe memorized that we've all looked at it, but let's this morning. Look at it with two staff, fresh sense of vision this morning. 3 (21m 5s): So Luke chapter 11, we'll be in verses one and two this morning. Sometimes it's it's, it's, it's been titled the Lord's prayers. I don't agree with that because of later on, but we'll call it the model prayer, the disciple's prayer, the believers prayer, but Luke 11, there's some Bibles in the back. If you want one of those, I love my youth group will say, I know I love hearing the Bible's turn. It's my favorite sound. So Luke chapter 11 verse one says now it came to pass. As he was praying in a certain place. When he ceased speaking about Jesus. And he's praying that one of his disciples said to him, Lord teach us to pray. 3 (21m 48s): As John also taught his disciples for the Jew, living in that culture, in that context, prayer was just a central part of what you did throughout the day. It was what you did. First thing, when you woke up, it was what you did right before you went to bed. It was just throughout the day, you just had these prayers and you just, it was just central in the life. But yet the disciples, they realize they witnessed something different in Jesus. When he prayed and they waited for him to stop. And then they approach him with a request. They said, Lord, teach us to pray. And I find it interesting that they didn't say Lord, didn't say, Lord, teach us to preach because Jesus was powerful. 3 (22m 36s): Preacher. He preached with authority. They didn't say, Lord, teach us to heal like you do. It's wow. These things that you're doing, it's amazing. They didn't say they didn't ask the question. Lord, teach us how to pray. They just said, Lord, teach us to pray. There was something remarkably different about the way that Jesus prayed and the disciples noticed that. And you see that. We often ask the best of what someone has to offer. We asked the best of what someone has to offer. If I want to know about golf and I go ask, you'd want to seek out a professional golf player. 3 (23m 20s): Archery has become one of my new hobbies. One of my new interests. I'm at central coast archery probably way more than I should be. Scott. Joel, what about this? What about that? Hey, can you look at my bow? Is it tuned? Right? Is everything okay? And they are their world-class archers. They're best of the best. Scott's been a worldwide Archer he's they have a gal that I think just graduated high school. That's shot for the women's team. They're like, they know what they're doing. They are a world-class. So we want to ask the best of what someone has to offer. And the disciples witnessed in Jesus that his vibrant prayer life was something special. It was the best of what he had to offer. 3 (24m 0s): And so they ask him. Now this prayer that we find in Luke chapter 11 is also found in the beatitudes in Matthew chapter six and Matthew chapter six. That was part of his sermon as he preached on this prayer. And that prayer was given before Jesus's disciples were all there. At that time, there was only about four disciples with him. It was Peter, Andrew, James, and John, and now Jesus is going to reteach it to all of his disciples. And so he says to them, when you pray, say this, he's not going to define prayer. Prayer was already defined in the life of the Jew. We would define it as talking to God, just like in the garden of Eden, Jesus walked. 3 (24m 46s): They heard the sound of Lord God, walking in the garden of Eden. When you walk with somebody, when that relationship is there, you walk and you talk and you share life and talking with God. Prayer is just that same thing in Matthew chapter six, Jesus would give warnings about prayers. Shouldn't be like, cause there was a lot of bad examples out there. So this is what prayers shouldn't be like in Matthew chapter six. He says, when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathens do for, they think that with, for, they think that they will be heard for their many words. It's not about how many words we use Jesus doesn't then teach them on the posture of prayer. 3 (25m 28s): You know, being in the church and the Sunday school you're taught. Okay. When you pray, you gotta put your hands together, close your eyes and bow your head. That's what you have to do. And I love that prayer because it keeps kids from being distracted, right? And sometimes me and that's what I need. That's the prayer posture that I need. I need to bow my head, close my eyes and put my hands together. But that doesn't always work because the Bible also says in first Thessalonians five, pray without ceasing. So if I'm supposed to only pray this way and pray without ceasing, the joke is we get in my car to drive, you know, go visit the cousins. And I said, all right, girls, we're going to pray before we go. Let's all bow our heads and close your eyes. 3 (26m 9s): And you know, as we're driving down the street and they're like, dad, don't close your eyes, don't do it. You know, you trick them. And I guess that would only work. If you had a Tesla, then you could actually bow your head, close your eyes and trust in the machinery. So scripture gives us many different ways. Sometimes we are called to bow the head. Sometimes we're called to look up into the sky, as Jesus would do up to the heavens. There's definitely many different postures. Sometimes you go into prayer closet. There's many, many ways of the external posture of prayer. But what the most important posture of prayer is that, which the hearts, posture of prayer. Can you agree with that? Our hearts, posture, prayer and Jesus teaches just that in this prayer, in that prayer that he, that the disciples were watching him do. 3 (26m 58s): And it doesn't seem that the prayer was recorded. Doesn't say if it was a short prayer, doesn't save. It was a long prayer. It doesn't seem how simple or elaborate it. Just that prayer that the disciples watch, the Jesus did made an impact on his disciples. And they knew that it was making a kingdom impact. Sometimes it's the simplest of prayers. George Miller, have you have you all heard of George Mueller? Great, great man of faith, great rate, man of God. And this story was related by another well-known evangelist named Charles Ingles on the prayer life of George Mueller. 3 (27m 40s): So Charles Ingle angles is he was crossing over to America and he was recounting this story of how he met this captain of a steamer. And he was saying, wow, this man, this captain is just, he's a man of faith. There's something different this man. And he, so he began to ask us this captain of the steamer. What, what marks, what, what marks the life of your faith? W what, what, what is this about you that's so different. He said, well, this is what happened five weeks ago. Let me share a story from you. About five weeks ago, he said it was the most incredible thing. He was saying that the captain said that I have, he was there, sorry, let me collect my thoughts. 3 (28m 21s): He was there at the helm, this captain of the steamer, they were crossing over from the Atlantic, by the Newfoundland coast. There had been 22 hours of fog, unrelentless, thick, thick fog. So much fog that he hadn't left the bridge in 22 hours. And all of a sudden he feels a tap on his shoulder and he turns around kind of frightened. And there is George Mueller and George Mueller simply says this. He said, captain, I've come to tell you that I must be in Quebec on Saturday afternoon. And it was Wednesday on that day. The captain says, that's impossible. George Mueller replies very well. If your ship can't take me, God will find some other means of locomotion to take me. I have never broken an engagement in 57 years, George Mueller said, let's go down to the chart room and pray. 3 (29m 8s): The captain said, captain said, I looked at this man. And I thought to myself, what lunatic asylum could this man have come from? I've never heard of such a thing. Leave the bridge, go down to the chart room to pray like that. Prayer is going to make anything different. The captain said, Mr. Mueller, do you not know how dense this fog is? Mr. Mueller replied with George. Mueller said, no. My eye is not on the density of the fog, but on the living God who controls every circumstance in my life, the captain said, well, he went down to his knees and he prayed one of the most simplest of prayers. 3 (29m 48s): He said, I thought to myself, that would suit a child's class where the children were not more than eight or nine years old. His prayer was basically saying, oh Lord, if it is consistent with your will, please remove this fog in five minutes. You know, the engagement you made for me in Quebec is this Saturday. And I believe it is your will. That was his prayer. The captain said when we had finished, I was going to pray, but he put his hand on my shoulder and told me not to pray. He said, sir, first, you do not believe that God will do it. And second, I believe he's already done it. There's no need for you to pray about it. I looked at him and George Mueller said this captain. I have known my Lord for 57 years. 3 (30m 30s): And there's never been a single day with which I have not gained his audience. Captain, get up, open the door and you'll find the fog is gone. The captain got up, the fog was gone and George Mueller made it to his appointment. What a, what? A mark of faith to have a simple prayer of faith, the simple believing faith in the God who did that, prayer changes us. And it changes around us. Jesus, didn't see the preparation for the prayer. As the preparation for the battle. Jesus saw prayer as the battle, as Jesus was in the garden of right? 3 (31m 15s): Leading up to his betrayal. He bled great drops of blood recorded in Luke 22. And he prayed and he said, Lord, take this cup from me, but nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done. He didn't pray. He didn't bleed in pilot's court as he's being tried, but he bled in the garden in prayer. Jesus, didn't see that prayer was a preparation for a battle. Jesus saw prayer as the battle. So Jesus, after teaching us to pray, he tells us how we address God when we pray to him. And this is what he says to his disciples. He says our father in heaven. 3 (31m 56s): That's how he starts his prayer. Our father in heaven. Let me say father, that brings up a lot of thoughts about our own earthly fathers, but yet Jesus tells us that father is the most important way. The most important thing when approaching God and that word, father has a lot of connotation in the old Testament. It's only used seven times about God. It was a very old, old Testament. They saw where a witness God in a very different aspect, but you're now Jesus is telling his disciples. When you pray, say father 275 times, actually in the new Testament, see God uses many names in the scripture. 3 (32m 41s): But father I think is one of the most intimate of names that we can call our heavenly father. We can call God, there's a picture on my desk. And it was a good reminder of this week is some studying and prayed and working through this is my it's me. Six days old, just on the, on the, on my, my dad, my, my dad's chest. Just that simple. Like I am in need of everything. I can't control anything. And there's my father with me on his bosom. So often our view of God is shaped by our earthly fathers. Just like my dad picking up my brother after he'd been injured by that arrow carried him to safety. 3 (33m 27s): He carried him into the house and my mom wants to always treat everything with the bag of ice, right? Isn't that the way moms treat best the wounds she put on his, she put on his arm, a bag of ice and hope that would help it. You know, he just had a little hole in the skin. It didn't go all the way through. And a couple weeks later, my mom grabbed my brother and you know, Hey, come do this, come do that. And he flinched and he was like, ouch. My mom's like, oh no, is it still hurt? He's like, yeah, it still really hurts. So she took him to the house, took him to the, her doctor, his doctor and the doctor's like, Ooh, well let's, let's look at the x-ray. 3 (34m 8s): Let's check out the x-rays. So they get the x-rays of course my mom was so embarrassed to have to take my brother to the hospital. Cause he shot by an arrow that was like, just did not, she was avoiding him. It probably because of that. And as she takes him to the Haas or it takes him to the doctor and sure enough, the x-ray reveals there's a hole right there in the middle of his, his bone with little fractures going out. And my mom thought that was the worst knew she could not believe she was so ashamed. And the doctor's like that is, this is the coolest x-ray I've ever seen. This is like the cowboy and Indian days, he was all fired up. My mom was, oh, embarrassed. My dad carried my brother to safety on, on that aspect of asking others what's the best they have to offer CS Lewis, who I think we would all agree is one of the best authors out there. 3 (34m 59s): He looked and he spoke about his favorite author, another George and a guy named George McDonald, the Scottish writer. And he said this in his like opening to his book about George MacDonald, CS Lewis said this. We said, we have learned from Freud and others about the distortions and characters and errors of thoughts, which result from man's early conflicts were from his father. Freud has a lot to say about fatherhood and how that shapes and mold us. He said far off. The most important thing we can know about George McDonald is that his whole life illustrates the opposite process. He said an almost perfect relationship with his father was the earthly root of all of his wisdom from his own father. 3 (35m 44s): He said, he first learned that fatherhood must be at the core of the universe. He was thus prepared in an, in an unusual way to teach the religion in which the relation of the father and the son was the most central, something about the father that shapes our view of God. And then when he says, when Jesus says, we must say our father in heaven, he says our father, as in not just my father, not just father, but our father and that's the unifying call for the body of Christ to be United. When we pray, when we lift up our prayer requests, it's not just me. It's just as I it's, we as a whole, some of the greatest prayers in the Bible, I'm thinking like in, especially in Daniel, where Daniel includes himself in the nation's rebellion and he says, forgive us, our sins, forgive us, our trespasses. 3 (36m 37s): And there's not one marked sin recorded for Daniel, but yet he still includes himself in that it's that our father, Jesus is one of Jesus's last prayers in John chapter 17. He prays that there may be unity among the believers. He prays first for himself. He prays for his 12 disciples. And then he prays for all believers. We need to have unity in the church. And then he says, our father in heaven and heaven is that theoral place. Isn't it is that place where we're only a few have been able to just witness and how to had a key, whole image of, we see Isaiah has a throne room experience. 3 (37m 24s): ZQ Daniel. And then John later on in revelation, on the island of Patmos, they have this throne room vision of who God is. It's our father in heaven. So if we were to address him, if Jesus saying we are to address our heavenly, God is our heavenly father. He said to first start out by talking to the father about the father. That's how we pray. We talked to the father about the father. So how does he do that? He says, hallowed, be your name, how it is like a strange word. I had to look it up and Dixie dictionary to make sure it was there. And I have this dictionary, which is it's huge. 3 (38m 4s): It's like 1907. And this is his definition of Howard. It says to devote to holy or religious uses to consecrate, to reverence is sacred or to set apart. I know there's there's you have dishes in your house that are hallowed or set apart, right? So those dishes that your grandma gave to you at your wedding and you put them up in the cabinet with the glass counters and you only pull out for Thanksgiving for special meals for Christmas dinners. Those are the Hollywood plates. So those are the set apart only for specific uses. 3 (38m 44s): That is how Jesus that's how God's name is to be. We already keep his name as holy. His name is holy. The Jewish scribes had a way of doing that practically. As they copied the texts, they didn't have coffee machines, so they didn't have to copy out the texts. Every time they came to the hallowed name of God, Yahweh God, they would have to go cleanse the pen and they'd have to go take a bath every time they were to copy that scripture. So there they are. That was their way of keeping his name's holy to keep it set apart and names carry importance, right? Whenever I see a Jeremy on TV, I'm like, you better represent the Jeremy's cause I'm a Jeremy. You're a Jeremy. And we represent that. 3 (39m 24s): There's something special in a name, especially in the old Testament times. There's something special. Now there's something I want all the Jeremys to represent a good character, integrity. All those things. Names are important. They're linked to our character. Jacob was born, Jacob, his name meant he'll snatcher. God says no longer. We would call you Cobe, but I'm going to call you Israel governed by God. God would change Abrams named Abraham. He would change Sarah, his name to Sarah. He would change Saul to Paul. And then later on Simon to Peter, because God was speaking something into their character and he was changing their name in our heaven. 3 (40m 11s): In revelation. It talks about this new names that we will get it says, and we will give and revelation two 17 and we will get sorry. And I will give him a white stone. And on that stone, a new name written, which no one knows except him. Her receives it. God has a name that aligns with your character and who you are. The name character of you always to be set apart from any other God. Any other spiritual being his name is lifted up. Your name that your name quote in the old Testament is used over 119 times. Let me give you a few examples in his second Samuel seven, we have says, so let your name be magnified forever saying the Lord of hosts is the God over Israel and let the house of your servant. 3 (40m 58s): David be established before you second, Samuel 22 says, therefore, I will give thanks to you. Oh Lord. Among the Gentiles and sing praises to your name. Psalm 22 says I will declare your name to my brethren in the midst of the assembly, I will praise you. Psalm 54 to the chief musician was stringed instruments. Contemplation of David. He says, is David not hiding among us? Save me, oh God, by your name and vindicate me by your strength. Psalm 63. I will bless you while I live. I will lift up my hands in your name, David, and through the Psalms he's linking name to character. 3 (41m 44s): We don't worship a name. We worship God's character and who he is. And later on in the new Testament, Jesus, wouldn't give a blink blink check to us. When he says this in John 14, most assuredly I say to you, he who believes in me the works that I do, he will do also and greater works than these will he do because I go to my father and whatever you ask in my name that you will do in the father will be glorified in the son. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it. There wasn't a blank check. That was, if you call upon the, will you call upon God to do something, he will do it within his character. If we ask something in the character of God, he will do it. 3 (42m 26s): The father son relationship is modeled just after that prayer. Look at me with me to Luke chapter 11, verses nine through 13, he's going to speak on the importance of a father, son relationship, a father, child relationship verse nine says who I say to you and I will be given to you. Sorry. I say ask. It will be given to you seek and you will find knock and will be opened them to you for everyone who asks receive. And he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone free, asked for a fish? Will you also give him a serpent instead of a fish? 3 (43m 7s): Or if he asks for an egg, will you, will you offer him a scorpion? If you then speaking of the earthly fathers, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children? How much more will your heavenly father give you the holy spirit? When you ask? I was asking in the character of God. So we talk then to the father about his kingdom. After talking to him about him, we then talked to the father about his kingdom and he says, this, Jesus said your kingdom come your kingdom come. And that's where this message has kind of been brewing on my heart. And maybe it's just something. Maybe it's just something I needed to hear. 3 (43m 47s): Maybe I need to preach to myself these last few weeks months they've been tough. There's been a number of situations in my life that just led me to just drop to my knees in prayer or teach me to pray. So I'm looking around, Lord teach me to pray prayed for the recall vote that didn't, that didn't go through, begin to feel anxious and concerned and worried for the future about what would happen if that wasn't, if welfare outcome is what it is now, begin to look around to the kingdom of now the kingdom around us. 3 (44m 31s): And it's, it's frightening, honestly, a year ago, I would have been thought that it'd be a conspiracy theory because I've thought that someday there'd be vaccine passports and mandates. I thought that's coming down the line a year ago, but here we are. And that's slowly becoming reality. They're talking about now a digital currency in the next two years, that will no longer have paper that everyone will have a digital concurrency. That lines right up with what we read in the book of revelation. So I love the lessons that God has been teaching me through archery and he'd can. And he does. 3 (45m 11s): So I got a little proud. I got a little boastful. My first couple of weeks of archery. You see, I went from a grouping at 20 yards of about a dinner plate and I got them down to about an inch and a half and a groupings. When you shoot multiple arrows at a target and they start getting closer, that means that you're getting accurate. You're like, you're working your skills. Well, I was getting really good. I started sending pictures to my friends like, look, look, look how good I'm doing. Look at it. This is awesome. They're like, oh yeah, good job. Wow. You're really, you're really getting this. And then one night they're in practice in the backyard and I got lined up. I'm looking at my, through my scope and it's so compound bows, have they have a little peep site that's on the string. 3 (45m 51s): And then, and then next you have the scope or the, the scope with the little target pins. All right. And you want to get your peep and you want to aim it at the target pins onto the target. Yeah. So that's kind of how, the way it lines up. And I lined up for the shot. I had it right over the target and all of a sudden I was like, this isn't my body just did this, like this like jitters. I was like, what was that? And my arrow actually went off and miss the target into the wall. I was like, what was that? Where did that come from? I've been really accurate. That was weird. So a few more shots. And it's like, my body is preparing for this arrow to be released. And it, and it just tightens up. 3 (46m 33s): I was like, what? In the world's happening? Like I've got, I've got my S my pin on my target. And all of a sudden, my body as is movement. I was like, I can't control. I'm like, what in the world is going on? So I went down to central coast, archery, and Scott was in there and I walk in the door and no one else is in the shop. And Scott and another worker were there and I'm like, Scott, I got target panic. He's like, oh no, you got target panic. He got target. Everybody gets the target. Hey, everybody knows about this target panic thing. Like, I'm like, well, I didn't know about it. Tell me about this. Like, oh yeah. It's like, when your body kind of is reacting to the shot before it happens and you start to get messed up and everybody deals with everybody. I was like, okay, well, you got to help me overcome this because I don't want to have target practice, target anxiety. 3 (47m 18s): This is not okay. So one of the things that Scott recommended was this. He said, what's your probably focusing on, we can only, our eyes can only focus on one thing. Okay. He says, one of the things that you want to work on is not focusing on the pins that are right in front of you. You want to focus on the target and see the target through those pins that are right next to you right there. And he talked about how he worked through his target anxiety. He was coached through it, and he was working on a target at 50 yards. And he said, this guy was like, just, just, just concentrate the target. You'll get it. And sure enough, Scott said he at 50 yards, he Robin hood in a Robin, Robin hood had eggs or egg Robinhood, an arrow. 3 (48m 3s): So he'd shot one arrow into the back of the other arrow. That's 50 yards. Cause he was focused on that target. It's kind of like mountain biking or biking. Anything. If you see a rock in the middle of the path and you start focusing on that rock, you're going to hit the rock. This is what happens. I don't know why it works that way, but that is. And so we need, and Jesus is reminding us your kingdom come. We need to focus on the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven. But how do we do that? Because Jesus preached a lot about the kingdom that had arrived. And it was different than what his disciples or Jews are waiting for. At that time, you see the keynote, he, Jesus would say, the kingdom has come near to you. 3 (48m 44s): The kingdom has come upon you, but it doesn't let you look around. You're like that doesn't seem to be totally the way it is. I don't understand. And that's where we live in. We live in this tension of the already and not yet the already and not yet. It's a theological tension. It says by faith in Christ, all of these spiritual blessings are ours already. But the full enjoyment of these blessings is not yet ours. This is the life of faith. The assurance of things hoped for in the future and the convictions of things. Not yet seen in the present from Hebrews 11, this is life between the times. 3 (49m 24s): So if Satan tempted Jesus, all the kingdoms of the earth, when Jesus was being tempted out in the wilderness, how could Satan say all these kingdoms I'll give to you? If you fall down and worship me, Jesus, didn't say that's not theologically true. Actually, Jesus just outright rejected that. And he said away from me, I will worship the Lord. God alone. You see Satan has a kingdom. There are kingdoms in this world. There's the kingdom of now, but yet God has the kingdom of already. And not yet. Yes. Illustrate that with Daniel chapter five bell Schanzer was the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar, never could answer. 3 (50m 5s): He was the one that had this great image that he couldn't explain. That Daniel came later and explained the head of the head of gold, the arms and the chest of silver and bronze. And then clay mixed with iron all. He had that vision. And so Nebuchadnezzar kind of took that and ran, right? He made that big golden statue that everyone was to worship. And then the three other guys didn't want to worship that. Well, that was Nebuchadnezzar. And Nebuchadnezzar's Keana was headed down to his son and his grandson. They, they were co regions and God had already weighed that kingdom in the balance. God already knew. So there was a feast that bell Shazard was going to throw that was in the kingdom of Babylon. 3 (50m 46s): Babylon was a Magnificant city. The walls surrounding Babylon were 17 miles long. The walls surrounding Babylon were 22 feet thick. You could re race for chariots on these walls. The walls of Babylon were 90 feet tall with towers that went another a hundred feet on top of that Babylon was so magnificent. Babylon had storage of food that could outlast there's people, years and years, they had the river Euphrates that flowed right through the center of Babylon. They gave them endless supply of water. They were good. So as they are being surrounded by the Medo-Persian empire, Belshazzar is like, we're going to have a feast. 3 (51m 33s): We're going to outlive this. We're good. Our kingdoms forever. We're good. And so what he did, what does he do? He calls for the golden instruments from the temple to come and be used it as feast. And it was then that up on the wall, the hand of God came in a wrote on the wall, wrote something that he didn't understand, wrote something that made his knees knocking. And he liked his lost strength. He couldn't do anything. This is bell Shazard and he couldn't do anything. So he began to call for all the magicians, the soothsayers. They couldn't say anything until Daniel was brought forth. And Daniel said, this is what it says many, many tekel who Farson, you've been weighed in the balance you've been found, wanting your kingdom has been weighed and has been found wanting why do I bring that up? 3 (52m 21s): Because I was one kingdom that was on the verge of collapse. You see, they didn't know that that very night, the Euphrates river had been diverted into a marsh and that the Mito Persian empire had entered into where the Euphrates river float. And they captured that city that night as he's feasting and think he's all good. That's the city was sacked and he, and he was killed that the king. And I bring that up because in Luke chapter 11, we find this interesting story that's linked and an interesting story because it's not, we don't understand the con the context to it. Totally. So let's check it out. Luke chapter 11 verses 14 through 23, it says, and he was casting out a demon and it was a mute. 3 (53m 4s): So it was when the demon got gone out that the mute spoke and the multitudes marveled note that note that the multitudes Marvel, but some of them said, he cast out, ruined demons by bells, above the ruler of the demons. Others tested him, sought him for a sign from heaven. But he knowing their thoughts said to him, every kingdom divided itself against itself is brought into desolation and a house divided against itself false. And if Satan is divided gets himself, how will this kingdom stand? Because you say, I cast out demons by bells above. And if I cast out demons by bells above to whom do your sons cast them out, speaking of the Jewish excersice verse 20. 3 (53m 47s): But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. Jesus has relating this to the kingdom of Babylon. That was with the finger of God. The writing was on the wall. This is what we don't understand. This is what I've learned this last few weeks about the context around this, every time in the Bible, when Jesus casts out a mute spirit, the crowds Marvel, why do the crowds Marvel so much of this? There were other demons that were exercised. There are Jewish exorcists at the time that would cast out demons and their way of doing it was they had to find out the name of this, of this, of this spirit being, living inside this person. 3 (54m 29s): They would use that name in the incantations in different SANEs and using Proverbs or Psalms to cast this demon out, turn away, wrestle it out. Now Jesus comes on the scene and he is able to cast out the mute spirits. Why is that different? Because no one else could do that. Jesus, didn't say you have to find out the name to then call it out. Jesus has simply simply said, get out. The writing was on the wall that their kingdom, the kingdom of Satan, the kingdom of now is being judged with the finger of God. Jesus said, I cast these demons out. So we're living in this already, but not yet. 3 (55m 9s): Jesus has done that, but it's not fully lived out. So then later we see that Jesus talks about, he said, we talked to the father about the will for his kingdom. Your will be done just like it. Isn't heaven. He says, you're a, will he wills in heaven? And it's done in our prayers. We must join with the character of what he wills to do. Even Jesus wrestle with that in the garden. He said, if it is your will take away this cup from me, nevertheless, not my will, but yours. Jesus says not your will, but your, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, the visible and the invisible realms, the kingdoms of this earth, the kingdom of heaven. 3 (55m 52s): These are where God reigns is there. It's a perfect harmony of what happens in heaven to what God wills in heaven. And that's what he's calling us to ask for. For prayer. You see, the more I focus in on those pins in the site, when I'm trying to shoot my archery, the more I focus on those things that are right there, the less I'll hit my target. But when my aim becomes my target and I just look through those things at that lens of the scope, I'll hit my target. We can only focus on one thing. So where is our focus this morning? 3 (56m 33s): Is it on the kingdoms of now? There's the kingdom of heaven, Daniel chapter seven. This is my last and I'm sorry, I'm over time. Dander chapter seven. It says this, this is Daniel's vision. He said, I was watching the night visions one and behold one like the son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. And he came to the ancient of days and they brought him near before him. Then he said to him then to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom that all the peoples nations and languages should serve him. 3 (57m 15s): And his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away. And his kingdom, the one which shall not be destroyed. That's why Jesus called himself the son of man in fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy. If I could summarize this first section of the R of this prayer, I would say this, let, let the Lord be the Lord. Let God be God in our prayers and our, in our will for what happens in around us, let God be, God let's pray. 3 (57m 57s): Laura, the kingdoms of the earth he knows of now are saying themselves against you. Lord. I'm thankful to have your word in front of us. That tells us the beginning from the end. It tells us, tells us that these nations have been judged by the finger of God. And someday you will come down with your full power, not just the finger of God. You will come down with might Lord. And the kingdoms of this earth will crumble and you will set up an everlasting kingdom. Lord, help us to keep our sites, our vision set on that future kingdom of God, Jesus name we pray. Amen. 0 (58m 42s): Please stand with us. what a beautiful name. 0 (59m 30s): 5 (1h 4m 30s): Thank you, Lord, For just the power of the name of Jesus. Thank you for just, just keep us focused on, on the kingdom of heaven. Lord, as we leave here today, I just ask you to just keep the kingdom of heaven in the forefront of our thoughts and our minds, and just the hope that we're aiming for that target Lord. And so I'm just thank you Jesus, for this day. 5 (1h 5m 14s): Thank you for, for what you're doing in our church, in our midst, in our hearts. Lord, I just think right now we should. I think it's, we should recite the Lord's prayer together. I think that's a good way to end the service this morning. So you could actually want to look it up. Ha ha. Cause everybody's got like a different, you know, I feel like growing up Christian, like I ha I, I like meld tons of different translations together. When I say the Lord's prayer. 5 (1h 5m 55s): Anyways, our father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us. Our sins forgiven you just not into temptation is the kingdom and the glory forever. Amen. Amen. 5 (1h 6m 35s): Thank you church. Thank you all for being here. Please come forward for prayer. Our prayer teams are waiting in discreet locations to pray for your, every need that you want to bring before the father today. So, but we'll see you guys next week. If you have any, if you're new here, don't forget to stop by the info center on your way out and get plugged in and see what's going on here.

After years of living in exile in Babylon, a prophecy from decades before is finally coming to pass. God has begun to fulfill his promise to restore the nation, land, and temple to Israel. Matt and Neil dive into the first chapter of Ezra. It's nations conquering nations, and God is working behind it all. Did you know God used Cyrus the Great and the Medo-Persian empire to work out his own purposes in the world? Why is Israel living in exile? Who is Cyrus King of Persia and why is he important? Can we trust God's promises?

Audio Transcript: This media has been made available by Mosaic Boston Church. If you'd like to check out more resources, learn about Mosaic Boston and our neighborhood churches, or donate to this ministry, please visit mosaicboston.com.We're in the book of Malachi. Malachi is sent by God as a prophet to reawaken his people who are in spiritual stupor. They have grown numb to God. They are indifferent to the cause of God, the word of God, to the mission of God. They're indifferent to the work of the temple. The reason why they're indifferent is because their heart has been divided, they are in the middle.They're on the one hand loving the world, on the other hand, asking for God to bless them. And they're starting to ask questions like, is this worth it? Is it worth following God? Is it worth doing his work? Is it worth trying to live a godly life? As they're looking around and seeing that the people who are pagans, people who are living any way that they want seems like they're happier, seems like they're living better lives.And the reminder from Malachi here today is that God is a God of eternity, that God is a God of justice, that God has already sent his son Jesus Christ to bear the wrath of God for our sins. Jesus came the first time as a savior of his people, meek and mild, offering salvation, offering forgiveness, but he will come back and he will come back as a king and as a judge.And none of Christianity makes sense if we lose sight of the fact that eternity is real. The very moment you die you stand in the presence of God and you either spend eternity with God or apart from God in a place of eternal, conscious suffering called hell. And when Christians lose sight of that reality, that this is real, we lose sight of the most important thing in our lives, which is the mission of God.We have been saved to now carry the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who are not yet saved. So Malachi is sent by God to awaken his people with a fire from heaven, and I pray that he sends the same fire today. Today we're in Malachi 2:17 through 3:15. I'll begin by reading Malachi 2:17, 3 through 5. You have wearied the Lord with your words, but you say, how have we wearied him?By saying everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord and he delights in them or by asking where's the God of justice. Behold, I send my messenger and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight. Behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.But who can endure the day of his coming and who can stand when he appears? He is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver. They will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old, as in former years.Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who press the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless against those who thrust aside the sojourner and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts. This is the reading of God's holy, inerrant, infallible, authoritative word. May he write these eternal truths upon our hearts.Two main points from the text, don't weary God, and second, don't rob God. First, don't weary God. Malachi 2:17, you have wearied the Lord with your words. They have wearied the Lord. How do you make sense of this? If God is omnipotent, if he's impassable, on the one hand he's transcendent. So he's above suffering or feeling pain. On the other hand, he is being wearied by these people.Isaiah 40:28 says, have you not known, have you not heard the Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth? He does not faint or grow weary, his understanding is unsearchable. On one hand, he can not grow weary, on the other hand, we can try God's patience to the point where he is weary of us, of our reactions.Isaiah 7:13 he said, hear then O house of David, is it too little for you to weary men that you weary God also? You're testing the patience of God. With their disobedience, they are wearing God, they're grumbling. Very few of us repent of the sin of grumbling, of complaining against God. God, you are not doing what you're supposed to be doing. You're not doing your job as you're supposed to be. You are not the God that you're supposed to be.We are wearing God with those complaints. What does it mean that God can be wearied when he is transcended above everything? Well, because in his love, in his kindness, he opens up his heart to us. He chooses to love us and he chooses to feel true love. Therefore, God does feel emotions. Sometimes we lose sight of the fact that God does love in a true love, like a feeling love because he chose to love.And God like a good father, at some point as we see in the old testament, he does get tired of the complaining and he does discipline that. Any parent understands this. Every once in a while you get to the point where you've just had it with your kids complaining. Dad what's for breakfast? Eggs again? No, I want ice cream. No, we're not doing that. What's for dinner? Soup, mom made soup. No, I want something interesting. That's what they do.This morning my daughter woke up... We've been living in the city for 11 years, this morning she woke up, my oldest daughter. She said, "I'm sick and tired of not having my own room, no backyard. I'm sick and tired of being a pastor's kid." That's what she said. I'm sick and tired of being a pastor's kid. And at that moment, I felt just a little bit of what God feels where it's like, "I'm getting tired of this getting. I'm getting tired of your complaints."Is there a sense in which God can experience emotional frustration, disappointment? Yes, because he truly loves. That's why he's wearied because he truly loves. Genesis 6 tells us that the Lord does experience emotions. Genesis 6, before the Lord sends the flood, it said that he regretted that he had made man. He got to the point where he was so fed up with the evil of humanity that he sends the flood.Judges 10:16 says that God couldn't bear Israel's misery any longer. Isaiah 63:9 through 10, in all their distress, he too was distressed. Psalm 2:4, the one enthroned in heaven laughs, the Lord scoffs at them. Luke 15:20 talking about the parable of the prodigal son. The father sees the son repenting, returning and the father, scripture says, was filled with compassion, ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.The reason why the Lord does feel true emotion is because he opens up his heart to love us and hear his people, they just complain. Malachi 2:17, but you say how have we wearied him? By saying everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord and he delights in them or by asking, where is the God of justice? How are they wearing him?They're saying, God, are you even just? God, are you even good? Why? Because we see evil all around us. We see the evil people prospering, God, why aren't you bringing down your condemnation upon them? Are you delighting in that evil? Therefore, they're questioning his character, impugning his character. In Malachi 3:13 through 15, the other side of questioning God is now they don't see the point in serving God.Your words have been hard against me, says the Lord, but you say, how have we spoken against you? You have said it is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the Lord of hosts? And now we call the arrogant blessed, evildoers not only prosper, but they put God to the test and they escape him.God, we see these evil people who are living any way they want and you're not bringing judgment and condemnation upon them. We're serving you, what's the point of serving you? What profit is there? The arrogant are blessed, evildoers prosper. What about us? And this is the age old question of why do the wicked prosper? Why do the righteous suffer?You do the right things, you can't get ahead. They scoff at God and they're doing great. The Jewish people really felt this. They felt true suffering as a people in Malachi's day. They were under the thumb of the Medo-Persian empire who were godless and yet they were prosperous. They're people who've got a back in the land of Jerusalem, but their temple is but a shell of its former glory.And the Jews have become disappointed with God. God, you didn't give us the life that you promised to give us. We expected blessing and yet all we have is suffering. God are you just? It's a synagogue agnosticism, doubting God's existence, his goodness. God are you delighting in evil? Are you good? Are you just? And what they're doing here is they're questioning God's job.God, do you know what you're doing? I could do your job so much better than you. It's hard for me to wrap my mind around how hard it is being God. I get a little understanding of how God gets wearied with us sometimes with our complaining, with our groaning, our griping with my kids. I have four kids, I have four daughters, kids complain. Daughters are just more articulate at it.They're just better at words, better... and they know where... like fast at speaking and they come out. And especially if you have smart kids, that's even harder. The smarter the kids, the more words. And I get to the point where I'm frustrated. There's a frustration because I love you so much, I want the best thing for you. Something interesting.What's something interesting to you? It's always carbs, it's always sugar. No, I don't want to give you carbs and sugar for breakfast because I don't want you to get diabetes by the time you're 40. You're going to thank me later. So I'm at the point where it's like, "Yeah." I've been a pastor for 11 years and I know how... I think this is the hardest time in the history of the world to be a pastor. I think every pastor probably feels that, whatever I'm alive today so I get to say it.Pastor's back a hundred years ago, literally you saw people once a week. Maybe they have appointments with you, tremendous office hours. Today pastors have never been more accessible, email, Facebook Messenger, IG messenger, Twitter, phone, they know where you live. And in Boston, Massachusetts, everyone's got an opinion. Everybody has opinion. That's why you live here, you're very opinionated and you're good at expressing your opinions.And in this pandemic, this has been the hardest time of ministry in my whole life. And I get your emails, I get your messages, I get your texts, I get your phone calls, I get all of it. And your voice is heard. And we truly are a mosaic where whatever your opinion is, on whatever the matter, there's 10 people diametrically opposed to you.And Pastor Shane, Pastor Andy somehow we need to keep everything going. And at the same time, I'm grieving for the state of the church. I'm grieving over it because I love the church. I've given 35% of my life to the church. I see what the enemy is doing through all of this. Yes, you read the studies. Yes, the stats. Yes, the news. But on top of all of that is a demonic war and I see what the enemy is doing in all...By the way, the whole pandemic started when we started a sermon series called Stratagem: How to Discern the Strategies of the Evil One. And literally in the middle of that series we're like, "Pandemic." I've been discerning the work of the enemy through this. I see how the church is being weakened through it. There's an indifference to the church. There's an indifference to the gathering of believers.You know what the word church means? Literally, ekklesia means the gathering of believers physically. We need that. Humans need that. And more than anything the church of Jesus Christ whom he loves, the body of Christ, which is physically together, the Holy Spirit moves when we are together. This is our witness. Our worship is warfare.I say all that to say, we just need to love God, we need to love Jesus. And the mission is more important than anything. Whatever your preference, the mission's more important. People literally die and go to hell every single second to spend eternity apart from God. All I want to say is whatever your preface, whatever everything, there's nothing more important than that.The glory of God and the church of Jesus Christ and stop telling God how to do his job. That's the point of this text. And when we do question God, when we do weary God, what's the response? The response is repent. Repent. Who are you to question God? Job suffers for 38 chapters in the book of Job, he loses his kids and he loses his wealth, he loses his health. He loses everything. He's griping against God for 38 chapters, God shows up and he just says, who are you? Who are you to question me?He's God, he gets to do whatever he wants to do. Our job is to repent of sin and follow him. And then the presupposition that he's dealing with here is, Malachi is dealing here is, you want justice? You're telling God that he's not just, you want justice? How many of us would be alive if God flips the switch and destroys all of the evil in the world?How many of us will be alive in a second? That's what he says in Malachi 3:2, who can endure the day of his coming, who can stand when he appears? He is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. So when we say, wouldn't it be great if Jesus came back? Yes, it would be great. But how many of us are ready? How many of us are ready for the justice of God to come?Malachi 3:1, behold, I send my messenger. Before he sends Christ in the first coming and before he sends Christ in the second coming, there's a messenger. He will prepare the way before me and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to the temple and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight. Behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. Prophecy as usual in scripture has double meaning, sometimes more.The first meaning of this prophecies, John the Baptist is going to come to prepare the way for Jesus Christ. Isaiah 43, a voice cries out in the wilderness, prepare the way the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Zechariah's prophecy when he prophesies over his son who was in the womb, when he prophesied, he says, you will go and prepare the way of the Lord.Jesus applied that prophecy to John the Baptist in Matthew 11. Malachi 4:5 says, behold, I will send Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. Elijah the prophet, his spirit descends upon John the Baptist. That's how the prophecy comes together. And then we see in Malachi 3:1 that he, John the Baptist, is preparing the way for the Lord.So in the sense, this human Messiah that comes is also going to be the Lord. And we see that from Malachi 3:1, behold I, God, send my messenger, John the Baptist in the spirit of Elijah. And he will prepare the way before me, God, me, the Lord, that's Adonai in the Hebrew, whom you seek will suddenly come into his temple and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. And here in the Hebrew, it's Yahweh.There's two Lords. Here what's going on, Yahweh here represents God, the father, Adonai is Jesus Christ. How do we know that? Because we see that difference often in scripture. Psalm 110:1, the Lord, Yahweh, says to the Lord, Adonai, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool. So the Messiah is clearly David's son yet David calls him Lord. And there's two Lords, Yahweh and Adonai.What's this talking about? In the old testament, this is prophecy of the Trinity. That there's three persons in the Trinity, God the father, God the son, God the Holy Spirit. God the father sends God the son by the power of the Holy Spirit. One God, three persons, one essence. And we have this in Malachi3:1, John the Baptist comes as a messenger telling people to repent.What was John the Baptist's message? Jesus Christ, who is God in human flesh, he's here. Therefore, repent of your sins, bear fruit with that repentance. Repentance isn't just saying, God, I'm sorry, all I want is your pardon so I can continue sinning. Repentance is God, I changed my way. I changed my life. God, I want to be used by you because I am yours. That's what repentance is. John the Baptist preached that, prepare the way for Jesus Christ.And the second meaning of the prophecy is before Jesus' second coming, Revelation 11 talks about this, there will be two witnesses who will powerfully bear witness before the coming of Christ, and the second coming, one of those witnesses will be Elijah himself. The preparing the way of the Lord, this imagery, is clearing roads, preparing towns for the visit of the king.It's a messenger sent to the towns who tell people, "Hey, clear the road of rock, of debris. Fill in the ruts and the potholes." God in his grace sends a messenger before his coming. He did that through John the Baptist about Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ lives the perfect life, dies on the cross bearing God's fire of judgment and condemnation for our sin, our rebellion, our wickedness, dies, is buried, on the third day he's risen.And the scripture says by our faith in him, his grace is applied to us. His judgment, his substitutionary atonement, his death, that is counted to our account the very moment that we repent. That's the only way that the fire of God, when it comes, it will be a fire that cleanses, that refines instead of incinerating.God in his grace sent John the Baptist, God in his grace sends the church, sends us, we are priesthood of all believers and God in his kindness before the second coming of Christ will send another witness. Our job now, here, is to see where in our life do we need more of the refiners fire. Malachi 3:2, who can endure the day of his coming, who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap.God wants to pour out his fire upon the church, upon each one of us. Wherever there's an indifference to sin, an indifference to God, a lack of love, a lack luster relationship with him we're to ask, God please send this refiners fire. Please wash us with the fullers' soap, the soap that cleanses. In Malachi 3:4, he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord. To the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old, as in the former years. Here the imagery is God sends his fire to purify. This is the process of making silver.The oriental silver smith would heat it and the impurities, the dross, the slag, they bubble to the surface. He would skim the surface to the point where he could see his reflection in the silver. So this is what God is telling his people. You want justice, justice begins with you. You want God to punish evil, to cleanse the world of evil, it begins with you. It begins with you repenting of your sin and pursuing righteousness on a daily basis.And he is sending the struggles, he's sending the difficulties in order to purify us. All whom he loves, he purifies. It's painful, but it's not as painful as the judgment in the second coming. In the second coming, this is Malachi 3:2, then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow, the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the soldier and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.These people wanted God to judge their enemies, but they didn't judge themselves. They didn't fear God. God says, first judgment needs to come into your own life reawakening cleansing of sin. This is the process of sanctification and that's how we prepare ourselves for the second coming. In the second God will bring judgment. He will bring all of these people a swift witness against them, it's talking about the ultimate judgment.The sorcerers here, anyone who practices the occult, adulterers, anyone who is sexually unfaithful in particular in their marriage vows. Those who swear falsely, those who bend the truth, this is perjury under oath in court or in anything else, those who oppress the wage earner, anyone who is dishonest in their financial dealings. So what's the difference between the two fires? One is a fire that refines, the other fire is the one that incinerates.What's the difference? The difference is the covenantal love of Jesus Christ. Have you accepted the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on your behalf? Have you repented of sin? Have you turned to Jesus Christ? Have you trusted that his death on the cross when the fire of God's wrath came down on him, do you trust that this is Jesus dying on the cross for your sins?Do you see how Holy God is? How sinful we are? How loving God is? How just God is and how much we need his grace. Do you see that? That's the only hope. There's nothing more important than that. There's nothing. There's absolutely nothing more essential than you trusting in Jesus Christ, you repenting of your sin, you following him. There's nothing more essential than that. There's nothing more essential than you worshiping the God of the universe.And then the temptation is, as we see the evil around us, as we are... the more you grow in holiness, the more you walk with the Lord, the more it breaks your heart that there's sin in your own life and that there's just outright evil and injustice around us. And the more godless a city, the more pagan a city, the more it grieves you and it wearies you. It's exhausting spiritually. And there's a temptation to hate the evil person.And here, as we pray for the justice, God come, God, we pray for the second coming, God, swift fire from heaven, please. We'll never lose sight of the fact that these people are eternal souls. And if Jesus Christ comes back right now, they will spend eternity in hell. So as we pray for justice, we are to care with a compassionate heart for those who don't yet know the Lord. We are to develop a compassion for those who are unbelievers.Second Peter 3:8 through 13, do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.And then the heavens will pass away with a roar and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed since all these things are thus to be dissolved. What sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn. But according to his promise, we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.Don't weary God, if we do, if there's a grumbling spirit of complaining toward God, we are to repent of that. And then the second point is don't rob God. Malachi 3:6, for I the Lord do not change. Therefore, you O children of God are not consumed. He's setting this up, he's about to tell him that you've been robbing me. On the other hand, he said, my fire of judgment hasn't come down on you yet because I've chosen to pour my love out on you. I don't change.God is the only one who can say I am that I am. He's the only one who can say that. Every single one of us, we have to say, I am not yet the person that I'm supposed to be. I'm growing in the grace of God. God's the only one who can say I am that I am. A.W. Pink says he can not change for the better for he is already perfect and being perfect, he cannot change for the worse.And God is telling Israel, look, I should have destroyed you, I have not yet. And the reason is because I made a covenant with you. God chooses to love, and God is a God of his word. When God says, I love you, he will love you to the end. He will not let you go. And I'm setting that up all to say these people have been complaining to God, "God, what's the point of serving you when you are not blessing us? We're doing so much for you and you're not giving us what we want."And God here actually says, no, you're not doing everything you ought to be doing. Malachi 3:7 through 8, from the days of the fathers, you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, how shall we return? Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me, but you say, how have we robbed you in your tithes and contributions.We're saying, "God, we're doing so much." And he's saying, "No, no, no. You're not doing everything I've called you to do. You're comparing your obedience to that of the pagans, you're not comparing your obedience to that of God's law. And really here the main issue is they're in this lackadaisical, middle ground of miserable, pitiful, half-hearted Christianity. This is lukewarm Christianity.In Revelation God says, "You're neither hot nor cold, you're warm. You're lukewarm. I'm going to spit you out." It's like coffee, there's only two kinds that are allowed, hot and iced. That's it. Warm coffee is disgusting. You want to spit that out. That's what God is saying. He's saying to his people, "You Christians are miserable." The reason why you're miserable is because you're lukewarm, you're half-hearted.It's the most pitiful condition to be because you can't enjoy sin like you used to because God, the Holy Spirit, rebukes you every time and he disciplines you. And because you want sin more than God, you're not getting the fullness and benefit and satisfaction and joy of God. And in order to diagnose their lukewarmness, he points to their bank account.Well, what's the connection here? The connection is what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, wherever your treasure is, that's where your heart is. Wherever your money naturally flows, that's usually what you love most. And scripture often talks about money as the litmus test, generosity as the litmus test of our relationship with God.Zacchaeus was a tax collector, pagan, was stealing, robbing the people of Israel and he repents. And Jesus says this in Luke 19:8 through 9. Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore fourfold." And Jesus said to him, today salvation has come to him to this house since he's also a son of Abraham.He's not saying he's saved because he gives, but he's saying, because he's saved, he gives. He has this natural generosity. Because he loves God and the things of God, he wants to be generous to the causes of God. And that stands a stark contrast to the tragic accountant of the rich, young ruler who comes to Jesus, falls on his knees, says, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?"And Jesus says, "You know the commandments." He said, "I fulfilled all of them." Jesus says, "You're lacking one thing." Mark 10:21, and Jesus looking at him, loved him and said to him, "You lack one thing. Sell all that you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven, come and follow me." Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful for he had great possessions.And again, this isn't saying that if you sell everything you have, you get salvation. But Jesus was saying, "What do you love most?" How do you inherit turn life? You love God more than anything. You repent of your sin, you love God more than anything. Jesus saw that there was an idol in the way, and that idol was money. This guy worshiped money.Luke 16:10 to 11, and one who is faithful in very little is also faithful in much. And one who is dishonest in very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you true riches? Unrighteous wealth, that's money and true riches here, that's the stewardship of souls. That's the souls of people.God says there's nothing more important than caring for people's souls. And if we have been unfaithful in finances, God will not entrust to us greater responsibility, which is that of caring for souls. So here the question is, are you greedy or generous? And that's always a degree. We always have to check our hearts and see how much greed has taken over.Do we have integrity when it comes to money? Are our priorities or motives for earning, spending, saving, investing, giving, are they in line with God's word? And how much should we give? That's the important question. In the old testament the number 10% comes up often. Abraham once gave Melchizedek 10% of the spoils from a single battle. Jacob promises to give God 10%.The law of Moses, however, prescribes several tithes. And if you combine all of them together it's probably 20 to 25%, some say even a third. In Israel, the tithe function more like an involuntary tax. Here Malachi 3:10 says, bring the full tithe into the storehouse. The 10% is a great place to start, but the idea is we are to give proportionately with what God has given us.So for some of us, 10% is a great place to give, some of us, it's going to be a sacrifice. So in the new testament, first Corinthians talks about giving sacrificially, joyfully and not under compulsion. Give to whom? We give to God. And what's important in Malachi 3:19 through 10 is that God says, give to my house. This is Malachi 3:9 through 12. You are cursed with a curse for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse that there may be food in my house. He's talking about the temple.And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts. If I will not open the windows of heaven for you and to pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. I will rebuke the devourer for you so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. Then all nations will call you blessed for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord.So you're robbing God by not giving to his house, you're withholding the tithes and offerings. Therefore, you're neglecting the ministry in the temple. So the temple is gone now, we don't have the temple. We have the church. The church is the body of believers. So they gave so that the work of the ministry would continue in the temple. We today give to the work of the church. Why? Because Christ loved the church, gave himself up for her, he, though being rich, gave himself for the church so that we could be rich in him.Jesus said, I will build the church. And really the issue is we give to things that God loves. Does God need our money? No, God commands us to give because we need to give, we need to sacrifice. It's more blessed to give than to receive. And God wants us to give to the work of the church because the church is the vehicle through which God's glory is displayed and the gospel is proclaimed in the world.So it really comes down to giving to the things that God loves, the things that God prioritizes, things that God cares for, which is the work of the gospel and salvation of the souls. And here God says, put me to the test, which is fascinating. In the very beginning he's saying, you're testing my patience. Here he says, test me. What's the difference?There they were testing him with their disobedience, here he says, test me with your obedience. There they with testing his patience, here he says, test my promises, test my promises. See if I don't open up the windows of heaven. Malachi 3:10, see if I will not open up the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there's no more need, until there's no more needed.And he's not promising wealth, he's promising enough, satisfaction. Second Corinthians 9:8, and God is able to make all grace abound to you so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. Now this is risky. With finances, it's risky. The reason why it's risky here and the reason why he says test is obedience comes first, blessing comes after.He says, you first give and see if I don't bless. Sometimes we want, "God bless me, if you bless me to a certain point, then I'll give." It's risky, it's faith. But he says, "Test me, let's make a deal." That's what he's saying. And I found this to be true in my own life. And I found when Christians do this, there is really this pattern of God does bless faithfulness.The text began with them questioning God and then he says, you're robbing me, but in the middle he says return to me. And really this is the main issue, the heart of the matter is the heart. Malachi 3:7, from the days of your fathers you've turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts, but you say, how shall we return? It all starts with the heart.It all starts with us realizing how good and gracious God is. That though we were in our sins, though we defied him, rebelled against him, cared nothing for him, despised him. And you say, how have I despised him? By being indifferent to him. Indifference is the worst form of hate. And Jesus Christ comes and he dies for us, wicked sinners, on the cross, the God of the universe bearing the wrath of God.God came to save us from God's wrath and condemnation. He who knew no sin became sin so that we might become the righteousness of God. Christ loses everything on the cross, pours out his blood for us and by grace through faith we're saved when we realize that generosity of God, the largest of his heart, that now duty becomes delight. It all starts with a relationship to return to him, to love him.However, relationship with God does not mean you don't have to obey. This is the problem with much of American Christianity. Oh, it's not religion, it's relationship. I know what you mean. It is relationship with God, with the God of the universe. And if you have a relationship with the God of the universe, of course it means obedience.Repentance is not, God, I'm sorry for my sin so now I can continue living in sin. Repentance is, God, forgive me, a wicked sinner who deserves hell for all of eternity. God, forgive me for loving things more than you, for loving pleasure more than you, for loving idols more than you. God, forgive me. And God does and now you become a child of God and a servant of God.John 15:10, if you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love just as I've kept my father's commandments and abide in his love. There's a connection. You want to experience God's love, you got to keep his commandments. John 15:14, you are my friends if you do what I command you. You can't say, "I love Jesus, my sins are forgiven. I'm under grace. I can live any way that I want." It doesn't work that way.God is a jealous God. He's a zealous God. When he makes you his own, when he makes you his own, he's never letting you go. And if you experience dissatisfaction, indifference in your heart, if you experience this questioning, grumbling spirit in your heart, God, you're not giving me the life that I want to live and then you start to pursue sin, that is the most miserable place to be because he will discipline you.Goes to Hebrews 12, he's a good father and he will discipline you. And sometimes that does mean physical suffering and sometimes even to the point of death, first Corinthians 11 talks about that. There's a sin onto death. So the word here from Malachi for us today is return to the Lord, return to him, be satisfied in him, rejoice in him. There's nothing better.Is it worth following him? Of course. What's the point? The point is we are to glorify him, enjoy him forever. Mark 10:28 through 30, I'll close with this. And Peter began to say to him, "See, we have left everything and followed you." And Jesus said, "Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or a mother or a father or children or lands for my sake and for the gospel who will not receive a hundred fold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands with persecutions and in the age to come, eternal life."Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for the Holy Spirit. And I pray, Holy Spirit, continue to refine each one of us. Lord, those of us who are Christians continue to refine our souls with your fire, refiner's fire and continue to cleanse us and our souls as with soap so that we long for holiness, that we fight sin, that we take up a cross and follow you on a daily basis because we understand that there is a spiritual war to wage and we are to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ and we are pursue you with everything that we do.And Lord, for anyone who is not yet a Christian, I pray today, convert them, regenerate them, draw them to yourself, show them that they right now are on the path of eternal separation from you. I pray, draw them to yourself, convert them, give them the gift of repentance. And I pray that they accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. And I pray all this in Christ's name. Amen.

sermon transcript Babylon’s Judgment Throughout the Ages My goal is to work through each chapter that the Lord has laid on my heart to teach. I preach so that you would have a strong faith in Christ formed in you. The Lord has given me an insight into the nature of faith, that it is the eyesight of the soul. By faith, we are able to see past, present and future invisible spiritual realities that we could not otherwise see. By the Word of God, written for our faith, including the Book of Revelation, such hidden past, present and future realities are unveiled for us. Apart from Christ, we were spiritually blind to these things, but through the ministry of the Holy Spirit based on the Word of God, scales fall from our eyes. We see the past in Revelation 12, with the activity of the dragon, of Satan and his demons throughout redemptive history. He is a wicked adversary who has created a world system that is called Babylon in Revelation 17 and 18. Babylon has a long past history. We are also able by faith to see the present threat of Babylon to our souls. There is a present spiritual reality of Babylon that is assaulting our souls every day. Revelation 18:4-5 is a command from Christ to come out, to be separate from it, to touch no unclean thing, to be pure and holy from this defiling world system that Satan has set up. That will take every strength and grace that God will give to fight that good fight, to finish that race and to keep the faith. There is also a future form of Babylon that is yet to come with the system under the final world ruler, the Antichrist. There is a predictive element to this as well. Babylon: Symbol of Human Defiance and Self-Worship In many ancient cultures, there is a myth of a radiantly colored bird called the Phoenix. Sometimes it is depicted as a large bird which looks similar to a peacock, with purple and red flowing feathers. It could live for a very long time, even as long as five centuries. As the time of its end draws near, it makes an elaborate nest of kindling wood before being consumed in a raging ball of fire. From the ashes, the bird’s progeny rises and begins its own prodigiously long life. This cycle of fiery death and rising from the ashes is a tale often told in the ancient world, and has yielded the expression “like a Phoenix rising from the ashes”. To some degree, the Phoenix is a picture of Babylon as a lasting spiritual reality in human history. The history of the city-state of Babylon has been woven together with overt rebellion against the God of Heaven and against His chosen people. Babylon was an actual city in Mesopotamia, built by a mighty and godless hunter named Nimrod, just years after the flood of Noah. It was built in the fertile region of Mesopotamia, right on the Euphrates River, less than 75 miles from the Tigris River in modern Iraq, only about 50 miles south of modern Baghdad. It was well situated in the area called the Fertile Crescent between the Tigris and Euphrates River, which connected the Persian Gulf with the Mediterranean Sea. It prospered both from the fertile soil and from traffic along the major trade route on which it was located. Thus, it began as a nation of merchants. Ezekiel 16:29 calls it the Land of Merchants. It was also a land of warriors like their mighty founder, Nimrod, the hunter. From Babylon and these other city centers, the concept of the city-state emerged — a region controlled by a city. In the course of time, the inhabitants of the city-state of Babylon said in Genesis 11:4, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, [listen to their motives:] so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” That is the essence of the Babylonian spirit, the defiant spirit of human potentiality and capability, using technology and intelligence to make a name for oneself. The mighty Babylonian empire rose in time. It was a vassal state under the Assyrian empire, dominated by the Assyrians until at last, under Nebuchadnezzar’s father Nabopolassar, they threw off the Assyrian yoke. When Nabopolassar died, Nebuchadnezzar became the mighty king of Babylon. The Babylonian empire was awesome: irresistible in military power, complex in culture, exquisite in architecture, shrewd in politics. Its army came back up the Fertile Crescent to topple what was left of the dying Assyrian Empire, then swept down through Palestine, conquering what was left of the Jews in that land— the kingdom of Judah. The remnant of Jews that were left in Judah and Jerusalem were deported to Babylon, thus ending Jewish reign in Palestine over the Promised Land. The exile to Babylon was a line of demarcation in the history of the Jews. Prophecies Against Babylon Prior to that, however, God raised up prophets among the Jews to predict the fall of Babylon. He did this through Isaiah and Jeremiah and other prophets. Isaiah 13:19-22 “Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the glory of the Babylonians’ pride, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah. She will never be inhabited or lived in through all generations; no Arab will pitch his tent there, no shepherd will rest his flocks there. But desert creatures will lie there, jackals will fill her houses; there the owls will dwell, and there the wild goats will leap about. Hyenas will howl in her strongholds, jackals in her luxurious palaces.” That was written a century and a half before the Babylonian empire came to be. Jeremiah, who was among the remnant deported in the Babylonian exile, also predicted the destruction of Babylon. In Jeremiah 25:12, speaking of the 70-year exile of the Jews to Babylon, it says, “‘But when the seventy years are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation, the land of the Babylonians, for their guilt,’ declares the LORD, ‘and will make it desolate forever.’” Sudden Fall and Gradual Demise of Babylon The beginning of the end for Babylon is written in Daniel 5. During Belshazzar’s feast, the writing appeared on the wall, predicting the immediate end of the Babylonian empire. The Babylonians were arrogant, thinking that their mighty, lofty, thick walls would protect them from the invading Medo-Persian army. Belshazzar hosted a drunken feast that night, neglecting to guard the walls. The Medo-Persian invading army took advantage of this by diverting the Euphrates River from under the walls and crawling through the portcullis, unlocking the city gate, and slaughtering the Babylonians while they lay in drunken stupor. This is the very thing Jeremiah had predicted 70 years before. Jeremiah 51:39: “‘But while they are aroused, I will set out a feast for them and make them drunk, so that they shout with laughter — then sleep forever and not awake,’ declares the LORD.” The destruction and desolation of the literal city of Babylon in Mesopotamia did not happen overnight, but gradually fulfilled the words of the prophets. Cyrus the Great of Persia ruled Babylon but destroyed its immense walls so the citizens could not revolt. Alexander the Great wanted to make it the capital of his empire, but he died there before realizing his dream. In 309 BC, a Greek successor of Alexander the Great leveled Babylon. In 275 BC, Antiochus the First deported the remaining civilian population to other cities. Pausanias, a Greek writer and geographer of the Roman period, said there was nothing left within the walls of Babylon by his time. In the last century before Christ, ancient geographer Strabo wrote, the great city had become a wilderness, thus fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy. Roman emperor Trajan, eager to visit, was disappointed in the wasted, unidentifiable pile of rubble. In the modern age, as recently as a century ago, its ruins were discovered by archaeologists. Saddam Hussein had plans to rebuild Babylon, but was thwarted by his toppling in the Gulf War. Some Iraqi leaders want to turn it into a theme park centered around archeological artifacts, but Allied troops that have been there have taken many of the artifacts and ruined the site, which is uninhabited except by wild animals and birds, as Isaiah said it would be. The Spirit of Babylon The literal city of Babylon slowly sank down into the dust of history, but the spirit of Babylon has risen like a Phoenix from the ashes and moved from place to place ever since, a demonic spirit of the world. 1 Peter 5:13 is the key passage to understand the transfer of the spirit of Babylon from the literal city to another city: “She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you her greetings, and so does my son Mark.” Tradition places Peter in Rome when he wrote that, meaning Babylon was code language for Rome. The spirit of Babylon rose from the ashes to infuse the Roman empire of Peter’s day. Babylon itself was a howling, empty wasteland, but “she who is in Babylon, chosen together with you” indicated the bride of Christ, which was locally the church at Rome. Thus, the spirit of Babylon has moved around according to the dominating empire — Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome; the Vandals, the Huns, the Vikings, the Mongols, the Spanish, the French under Napoleon, the English under Victoria, the Germans under Hitler, and so on. Through the ages, two common aspects have characterized the spirit of Babylon: military power and economic power. In Babylon, neither power is wielded for the glory of God or the advancement of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, but for self glory alone. “Come, let us ‘…make a name for ourselves.’” [Genesis 11:4] The Final Phase of Babylon The final phase of Babylon is yet to come. Antichrist will come as predicted in Revelation 13. He will set up a world-dominating kingdom. Babylon has one final phase, which Revelation 17 and 18 cover. Revelation is not only a prediction of the final seven years of human history, as some take it, but it is also relevant in every generation of church history. Every generation must read and take to heart the warnings therein. Every generation of Christians need to hear Revelation 18: 4-5: “And when you hear the voice of your Savior crying out to you, saying, ‘Come out from her, all my people and be separate.’” We cannot do something exegetically or hermeneutically if we say it is a future book that has nothing to do with us, if we deny the threat that Babylon is to us. Babylon and its essential nature is a wicked world system in defiance of God. We will see its judgment through plagues, and we will hear the voice of God, of Christ, commanding, calling, pleading with us to come out from Babylon and be separate. Babylon’s Judgment Pronounced An Angelic Messenger Proclaims God’s Decree In Revelation 18:1-3, Babylon’s judgment is pronounced: “After this, I saw another angel coming down from Heaven. He had great authority and the Earth was illuminated by his splendor. And with a mighty voice, he shouted, ‘Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great. She has become a home for demons, a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird. For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries, the kings of the Earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the Earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.’” The proclamation of Babylon’s final fall is entrusted to this heavenly messenger, but the decree and power behind the fall of Babylon originates from Almighty God. It is not the angel’s doing, but the angel is the messenger. The angel is described in words that are hard to fathom. He has great authority. Not all angels are equally authoritative. Some angels are called archangels, literally meaning ruler angels. In addition, he has great glory. An overwhelmingly brilliant light surrounds this angelic messenger, like the light of the glory of Heaven that shone around the angel that bore the message that Jesus was born on the hills around Bethlehem, which terrified the shepherds. This angel has the same illuminating glory that shines radiantly, and the light is shining in this dark age. If the earth is still plunged into a thick darkness from the fifth bowl, so deep that it could be felt, there is a general darkness, spiritually and maybe physically at that point at the end. This angel has great authority and glory, and he speaks the decree from God with a voice like thunder, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, for every unclean and detestable bird.” God will cast her down. The final fall of Babylon, or the final phase of Babylon being cast down, is yet in the future, but this proclamation is given with repetition in the prophetic past tense, as though it has already happened, giving a sense of prophetic certainty, urgency and finality to the announcement. Babylon has become a home for demons, a haunt for evil spirits. This borrows the language we already saw in Isaiah 13, where nothing but wild animals and birds settle down in the ruins of Babylon. disgusting carrion birds. Often when we see dead deer and other animals along the side of the road, we also see those nasty black carrion birds, which really are doing us all a service. There is that same sense of decay and death here in Babylon. Jesus said in the Little Apocalypse in Matthew 24:28, “Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.” Remember that demons billowed from the guts of the earth in Revelation 9 with the fifth trumpet, and these especially vicious and evil demons perhaps will haunt the final form of Babylon. Babylon’s Wickedness Exposed The wickedness of Babylon is exposed in Revelation 18:3: “For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.” As with Revelation 17 which presented the great whore of Babylon, the prostitute, there is a sense of the allure and enticement of the world toward evil and sin and immorality, especially sexual immorality. 1 John 2 speaks of the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the boastful pride of life. Being the essence of the world, the enticing allure of lusts, Babylon is a system of worldwide corruption, making all the nations drunk. Babylon’s Excessive Luxury The phrase “…the merchants of the earth” indicates the issue of merchandise, commerce, trade, possessions that can be purchased in exchange for money. Verses 3, 7 and 9 mention Babylon’s excessive luxury. “…the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries. … Give her as much torture and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. …the earth who committed adultery [the kings of the earth committed adultery] with her and shared her luxury.” Once when I was visiting at the home of a wealthy man, I skimmed through a magazine he had called Connoisseur which contained articles about the best of the best in various categories. One was about the best carving knives, valued for pure craftsmanship, made by craftsmen who have descended from the Samurai in Japan, with photos of really sharp knives going through tomatoes with no effort, and then again and again and again until it was microscopically thin. One paring knife cost $6000. Another article was about bespoke suits, tailor-made from Saville Row in London: $30,000 for a man’s suit and $40,000 for a pair of Italian shoes. A number of you are wealthy and very generous with your wealth. But it is wrong for us to read Revelation 18, wealthy as we are, and think that the word “luxury” has nothing to do with us. We admire craftsmen and artists who spend a year on a painting or a sculpture, like Michelangelo who worked for years on the Sistine Chapel. We admire that level of skill and go museums to see their work. Is that an evil and wicked thing to sell and purchase such a luxury? This morning I was praying about the topic of luxury and started to see the future of luxury in the new Heaven. We will make things in Heaven with exquisite skill, but the things we make will not become idols. They will be done overtly for the glory of God. That is the future of fine craftsmanship in the New Heaven and New Earth — no idols and no sinful luxuries. In the present, such things are a threat to our souls; there is a warning against excessive luxury. If we take this before God and ask Him to deliver us from sinful luxury, that is the safest we can be. James 5:5, speaking of wicked oppressors, says, “You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.” I pray that would not be true of any member of First Baptist Church. Do not excuse yourself from looking in the mirror, from asking God, “Is this true of me? I do not want to fatten myself in the day of slaughter.” Babylon’s Judgment Escaped Warning: Flee the Corruptions of Babylon Now There is a category of people who escaped Babylon, whom God delivered. We see the future doom, but this invitation — truly, this command — is given in Revelation 18:4-5: “Then I heard another voice from heaven say: ‘Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.’” This is the application from Revelation 17 and 18, God’s command to His people to come out of her and be separate. There is a warning, a negative motivation — “Flee the wrath to come” — but with a positive implication that “Jesus is better.” That is why we flee, because Jesus is better than anything this world has to offer. He is better than “the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life.” [1 John 2:16] Lord, Make my heart believe that. I want to know and believe that Jesus is better than the lusts and the pleasures of the flesh. The Test of the People of God in Every Generation Paul picks up on the command to flee in 2 Corinthians 6:17: “Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing and I will receive you.” This is the test of God’s people in every generation. We cannot excuse ourselves and say we are not in the final seven years, so therefore Babylon is not a present reality so we do not need to worry about the warnings. Do not do that. In every generation to Christians, The world will continue to offer benefits and pleasures and possessions and powers if we will only in some way deny Christ. We must stand firm in our faith and be holy. The smoke from Babylon’s future fire can be smelled right now only by faith. The heat from Babylon’s future flames can be felt right now only by faith. The cries of Babylon’s future torment can be heard right now only by faith. We must look at our lives and see the way the luxuries of Babylon have worked themselves into our souls, and we must flee. Babylon’s Judgment Justified God Justifies Babylon’s Judgement In verses 6-8, we see Babylon’s judgment justified: “Give back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she has done. Mix her a double portion from her own cup. Give her as much torture and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. In her heart she boasts, ‘I sit as queen; I am not a widow, and I will never mourn.’ Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.” God explains Babylon’s judgment to us. He is the just and right in casting down this city; it is payback time now for all the torment that Babylon has caused His people. She will drink torture and grief from the cup in her hand — she has mixed out a huge cup of luxury for herself and she has been drinking from that cup. God will pay her back the same measure she weighed to herself. Her over-confidence is exposed here. This is the same language we see in the book of Isaiah, that Babylon boasts that nothing bad will ever happen to her. She sits like a queen surrounded by her own; she cannot be touched or threatened, so she believes she will never mourn. Widowhood will never come on her nor the loss of children; she is safe. But she is forgetting about the power and the holiness of God. The judgments listed include death, mourning, and famine. The Source of the Judgment The source of the judgment is listed as well: “…for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.” Isaiah 14 says about the fall of Babylon and of Assyria, “This is the plan determined for the whole world. This is the hand stretched out over all nations, for the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart Him, His hand is stretched out and who is able to turn it back?” Babylon’s Judgment Lamented Her Citizens and Merchants Grieve In Revelation 18:9-19, Babylon’s citizens and merchants will lament and grieve her fall through her judgment. This the end of everything they have loved, everything they have lived for, everything they have built their lives on. Idolaters do not give up their idols easily. The sadness that they feel at the fall of this wicked world system shows the wickedness of their own hearts too. They are sad at the fall of Babylon because they loved her. The kings of the Earth will lament her. Revelation 18:9-10: “When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry: ‘Woe! Woe, O great city, O Babylon, city of power! In one hour your doom has come!’” The merchants of the earth, those who traded with her, will also grieve. Revelation 18:11-17: “The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes any more-- cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and bodies and souls of men. They will say, ‘The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your riches and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.’ The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn 16 and cry out: ‘Woe! Woe, O great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls! In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!’” Even the ships’ captains who delivered the cargo to Babylon will lament her. Revelation 18:17-19:“Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off. When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, ‘Was there ever a city like this great city?’ They will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out: ‘Woe! Woe, O great city, where all who had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth! In one hour she has been brought to ruin!’” The days of luxury and ease sinful self-indulgence will end forever, but not everyone will be grieving. Babylon’s Judgment Celebrated Remember the Blood of the Saints Not everyone will be sad about the fall of Babylon — it will be a source of energetic praise and joyful celebration among the servants of the Lord. Revelation 18:20: “Rejoice over her, O heaven! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way she treated you.” Babylon the Great, in Revelation 17:6, was “drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus.” Worldly people do not understand why Christians do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation. 1 Peter 4:4 says, “They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you.” All of Heaven will Celebrate! When Babylon the Great is finally thrown down, all of Heaven will celebrate. We will hear the sounds of the the fourfold Hallelujah. We will be so done with Babylon when we get to Heaven, we will be healed from it forever. Babylon’s Judgment Completed The End of Babylon’s Glory Babylon’s judgment will be completed and symbolized by the casting down of a large boulder. Revelation 18:21-24: “Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said: ‘With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again. [The overthrow of Babylon will be a violent thing; God will do it. Violence has been a part of the seven trumpets and the seven bowls, and then the Second Coming of Christ.] The music of harpists and musicians, flute players and trumpeters, will never be heard in you again. No workman of any trade will ever be found in you again. The sound of a millstone will never be heard in you again. The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again. Your merchants were the world's great men. By your magic spell all the nations were led astray. In her was found the blood of prophets and of the saints, and of all who have been killed on the earth.’” We can imagine the action of hurling a boulder the size of a millstone, a massive stone used for grinding wheat into flour, into a pond or a lake — the splash would be huge. It is a symbol of Babylon’s violent fall. With the fall of Babylon comes the end of Babylon’s music. What a payback! Think about the Jews in exile and how they sat by the waters of Babylon, mocked by their tormenting captors, in Psalm 137:1-4: “By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. There on the poplars we hung our harps, for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, ‘Sing us one of the songs of Zion!’ How can we sing the songs of the LORD while in a foreign land?” This is a reversal of that. The songs of Babylon will never be sung again. Instead, we will hear a new song, the song of Heaven, the song of Zion, and we will sing and play that song forever. What payback for that mockery that they did to the Jews in exile! It is the end of all of Babylon’s work. All the skilled craftsmen who spent all their time on creating the luxuries will cease their labors. No one will buy them; their time has ended. As I pointed out earlier, skilled craftsmanship will continue in the New Heaven and New Earth forever. I look forward to seeing what we will all create. We will craft things for the glory and the radiant display of God and use our resurrection hands to make things far more skillfully than anything we find here on earth. But these Babylonian craftsmen are finished; no one will buy their luxuries ever again. It is the end of all light. The light of the lamp will not be seen in Babylon again. It will become a place of utter darkness. It is the end of all human relationships. People will be marrying and giving in marriage right up until the day of the Second Coming. At that point, the sound of bride and bridegroom will be heard no more. The Reason for Judgment Revelation 18:23-24 tells the reason: “By your magic spell all the nations were led astray. In her was found the blood of prophets and of the saints, and of all who have been killed on the earth.” Those who have been killed on the earth extend “from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. … all these things [this blood] will come upon this generation.” (Matthew 23:35-36). None of the blood shed will be forgotten. Cain asked rhetorically, “Am I my brother's keeper?” to which God replied, “The blood of your brother cries out from the ground for vengeance.” All the blood that has been shed wickedly on earth will be avenged by the fall of Babylon. In the Greek, the word for “magic spell” or “sorcery” is pharmakeia, from which we get the word pharmacy or pharmaceutical. It relates to drugs and perhaps also to a cultic secret religion. There is an alluring smell of sorcery or magic that Babylon has a hold of the minds and hearts of its subjects. We are only now, in our sanctification and our progressive growth, gradually coming out of the haze and stupor of Babylon’s influence. It is still in our minds and hearts. We are still allured and tempted by some of Babylon’s pharmakeia, but there will come a day when it will have no influence on us at all. Applications See the World with EYES OF FAITH Feed your faith with the Word of God. Read Romans, Colossians, Ephesians; saturate your mind with the Gospels; read the prophecies in Isaiah and Jeremiah. You do not need to focus only on Babylon. Fill your mind and heart with the Word of God and your eyes of faith will get sharper. You will be able to see what is really happening. You will be able to see the surrounding world for what it really is — the world that John writes about in 1 John 2 — as a deadly threat to your soul. Let it motivate you with a healthy fear, not of man, but of the temptations of the world. We should say, “Lord, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” We should be afraid of what the world can do. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, but also the conviction of things not seen. By that we are convicted of sin, and there is a holy fear that comes over us. Hebrews 11:7 says, “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family.” There is a fear that should grip us of Babylon. We do not build an ark, but we walk in Christ and we protect ourselves from the world. Concerning Babylon in America, do we suppose that the most dominant military nation and the most dominant economy is immune from the spirit of Babylon that rises from the ashes of every old empire and takes over? We have godly public servants that are elected to office like Daniel who are counselors to the rulers, able to give good advice, but the system itself is still Babylon. So come out and be separate. There is repulsion and attraction, so be disgusted and repulsed by the things of Babylon that we described here. She is a haunt of every unclean burden, every demonic spirit. Be disgusted by it and be attracted to the theme of the song that Jesus is better. I would rather follow Christ today than binge on Netflix. I would rather have Jesus than sin sexually by the Internet. I would rather have Jesus than do shopping therapy online or at the mall. Jesus is better than those things. I do not need any of those things to feel better in this life. What About Luxury? To any who are wealthy, which is all of us — and if you do not think so, go to Haiti, India, Pakistan, any country in the third world — take heed of Paul’s words to the pastor Timothy. Paul said in 1 Timothy 6:17-19, “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” Let 1 Timothy 6 command you to be generous and live for the future world. You alone know how generous God wants you to be with the wealth He has given you. Do not make assumptions. Ask, “God, what do You want me to do with all this wealth that You have given me?” Today is Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. See abortion as part of the Babylonian system. Some day abortion will be obsolete, praise God. Let’s keep praying and serving and working toward that end. Find ways to help crisis pregnancy centers or women in crisis pregnancies. If you yourself have had an abortion in the past and you are broken and shattered by it, understand the grace of God and the mercy He gives at the cross. If you are sexually tempted with another person, stand firm and do not give in to sexual immorality, which is the root of so many abortions. Come to Christ! My final word has to be to you who are outside of Christ, or perhaps were before you came in here today. Come to Christ. “Come out of her and be separate" is Jesus saying, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Come to Christ. He can disentangle your heart and your soul from Babylon and save your soul. Closing Prayer Close with me in prayer. Father, we thank You for the things that we learn continually from Your Word. We know that the Word is wise, it is powerful, it is able to save our souls through faith in Christ Jesus. Christ the Savior is better. Lord I pray that you call lost people out of darkness into light. Help them to turn away from worldly wealth and power and pleasure, and the things that do not matter, to turn to Christ and find forgiveness in Him. And help us to share that message. We are a wealthy nation; help us to be willing to talk about Babylon the great and its future fall and to warn people, and to urge people to find in Christ a beautiful Savior. In His name we pray. Amen.

Introduction The Book of Revelation was given to enable us to see invisible things that we could not see unless God revealed them to us. Faith is the eyesight of the soul by which we see these invisible spiritual realities. Based on the word of God, we are able to see and understand these past, present and future hidden spiritual truths. Revelation reveals Jesus to us, above all else, as the one who conquered death. “Behold, I am alive forever more.” [Revelation 1:18] In Revelation 1-3, the Apostle John has a vision in which he sees Jesus, radiant and glorious, dressed like a high priest, moving among and ministering to seven golden lamp stands, representing local churches around the world and across every era of church history. He speaks words of rebuke and correction and encouragement to each of the seven churches. After this, in Revelation 4, John has a vision in which he is invited to ascend through the heavenly realms to a door leading into the presence of the Almighty God, who is seated on a throne. All of Heaven —twenty-four elders and four living creatures and 100 million angels — worships Almighty God. In Revelation 5 God has a scroll in his right hand, sealed with seven seals. A mighty angel proclaims “in a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?’” Jesus, the Lion of Judah, the Lamb that was slain — he alone has the right to break open the seals. He breaks them one at a time to unleash the final events on earth. Through John, we witness them unfold in their last phase. The initial phases are happening now, and have been for 20 centuries — wars, rumors of wars, famines and earthquakes in various places, uncertain signs showing that this world is broken. There are so many wrong things in this world, but we are heading toward a place where there will be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain. In Revelation 8 and 9, the seventh seal releases seven angels with trumpets, each blown in turn, ravaging the earth’s ecology. All the green grass and a third of the vegetation and trees are burned up. A third of the ocean turns to blood. A third of the living creatures die in the ocean. A third of the drinking water turns bitter with wormwood. A dark billowing cloud of demonic assault comes up from the nether regions of the earth and torments earth's inhabitants for five months, as though they have been bitten with the stings of scorpions. An army of 200 million demons wages war, slaughtering a third of mankind. Behind the scenes, in Revelation 12, a dragon appears, identified as Satan, who has a vigorous, aggressive hatred for God’s people. He is thrown down from Heaven to earth with a third of the “stars” or angels, known as demons. He pursues a woman, who represents Israel, and her children, who represent all believers in Christ. Satan persecutes the believers, filled with hatred and rage because he knows that his time is short. In Revelation 13, we see his final, most vigorous and effective assault on the people of the world — the Antichrist, or the Beast from the Sea. He comes up out of the sea to dominate the entire world. Every tribe and language and people and nation is under his rule. Another beast, the Beast from the Earth, also called the false prophet, sets up a religious system to force all the inhabitants earth on pain of death to worship the Antichrist and to receive a mark on the forehead or the hand, without which they cannot buy or sell. This worship of Antichrist becomes the final world government and the final world religion. There is no separation of religion and state but a complete combination under the reign of the Antichrist. Revelation 14 begins with 144,000 who are sealed — courageous, bold, pure, holy emissaries from God — based on the earlier sealing of the 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel. They are perhaps Jewish evangelists, and we assume they are male because they refrain from being defiled with women. They are dedicated, following the Lamb wherever he goes and witnessing boldly. The Gospel is being preached even during the time of the Antichrist. God sends three angelic messengers flying in mid-air to warn the people of earth to fear God and give Him glory, to believe the Gospel and trust in Christ, and to flee the intoxication of the system of Babylon — the wickedness of this world system — or face eternal death. The second half of Revelation 14 depicts “the harvest of the earth,” depicting Judgment Day as harvests of grain harvest and grapes. By faith, we must understand and be ready for the coming judgment and the end of the world. The world around us that we see and experience now, which continues as it always has, is less real than the hidden spiritual reality of eternity. Two passages highlight God’s reasons for postponing ultimate judgment: God made a solemn covenant with Abraham that the land he stood on would be an inheritance for him and his descendants and told Abraham when it would happen. Genesis 15:13-16: “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.” For four centuries, God waited for the wickedness of the pagan Amorites in the Promised Land to reach its full measure. He waited as they worshiped pagan idols, bowing before the works of their hands, passing their own children through the fire in worship of blood-thirsty demons. In the same way, God waits patiently now for the sin of the world to reach its full measure. Daniel was an exile from Judah in Babylon. He served in the courts of the Babylonian kings, the last of whom was Belshazzar. Despite the fact that the walls of Babylon were surrounded by the Medo-Persian army, Belshazzar hosted a drunken feast, toasting the gods of bronze, iron, wood and stone. He used the sacred vessels taken from the Temple in Israel. Suddenly a hand appeared and wrote mysterious words on the wall, “MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN…” No one could read them so the king summoned Daniel to interpret the mystery. He read: “‘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.’” All people have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Belshazzar was judged as lacking the massive weightiness of God that should be in all our souls. That very night, he died. Our days are numbered. God is waiting patiently. Judgment Day has not yet come, but it will. God’s patience has a purposeful limit. One purpose is to give the elect time to repent and come to Christ. Another is to allow “the sin of the Amorites [of the world] … [to reach] its full measure,” its maximum level in God’s providence. Unbelievers do not make the best use of the time, unfortunately. Romans 2:4-6: “…do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance? But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God “will give to each person according to what he has done.” This morning, I watched two squirrels working on their nest. They had their mouths full of pine needles and leaves from the forest floor. They climbed 40 feet to an ugly-looking mass of debris from the ground, then repeated the process multiple times. In a similar way, every day, unbelievers add a little more to God’s memory, how they have lived that day without thanking Him or giving Him praise and glory or loving Him with all their heart or without loving their neighbors. They are “storing up wrath” a little more every day. It is tragic. It is our job as believers to warn them about that as Paul did in Romans 2. Unscrupulous businessmen craft new ways to defraud people of their money. Corrupt national leaders use their positions of power to advance themselves and their own interests and to resist the Gospel spread. Urban gangs initiate new members by forcing them to commit random, wanton, malicious acts to show their manhood. Drug addicts resort to crime to feed their habit and cannot free themselves from slavery to the drug. Internet pornographers film the next images that will trap people in addiction. Terrorist cell groups plot their acts of mayhem and murder to further their political or religious agendas. Ordinary unbelievers pursue worldly agendas and pleasures without a single thought of thankfulness to God. Unsaved teenagers swim in a sea of social media, unable to lift up their eyes from their smartphones to see the God who knit them together in their mother’s womb and who sustains them every day. Secularists and social, sexual deviants on college campuses indoctrinate the next crop of college students in a worldview of aberrant, unbiblical sexuality. A river of sin continues unchallenged; people think everything goes on as it always has, and nothing will change. How wrong they are. We can see that day coming when the sickle will swing and human history will be cut off. Two Different Harvests or One Told Two Ways? The Grain and the Grapes Two harvests are pictured here. One of them appears to be a harvest of standing grain, and the other a harvest of grapes. It is told in two parts but it is hard to know if it is the same harvest told two different ways or two different harvests. The harvest of grapes is definitely a harvest of wrath. Revelation 14:19-20 “The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.” That terrifying image depicts God’s wrath falling on the rebels and unrepentant sinners of the earth. The sickle to harvest grain is a heavy curved manual cutting tool with a long handle commonly used before the invention of grain-harvesting machines. Farmers would swing the long stick to cut the standing grain in this way. The sickle to harvest grapes is a similar tool but with a short handle. The Son of Man reaps the grain with his sharpened sickle; then the grapes are harvested. One Interpretation Many commentators think that these are two different kinds of harvests, that the first one by Christ is the harvest of the righteous, the elect. It is a valid idea since many images in the New Testament link evangelism and missions to the image of a harvest. Matthew 9:36-38 says, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’” In John 4, Jesus has an incredible conversation with the Samaritan woman about spiritual things. She is immediately moved to go tell others about him. Meanwhile, the disciples, who were on an errand and did not, it seems, say a word about Jesus, returned and were ready to eat. “…he said to them, ‘I have food to eat that you know nothing about… My food … is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Don’t you have a saying, “It’s still four months until harvest”? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying “One sows and another reaps” is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.’” In 1876, Charles Spurgeon preached a sermon on this text entitled “The Harvest and the Vintage” in which he made this exact connection, that the first harvest is the harvest of the elect by Christ bringing them into God’s garner, and the second harvest is the harvest of wrath. Another Interpretation It is also possible that these are two different images for the same harvest. Joel 3:13-14 has an image very much like in Revelation 14: “‘Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full and the vats overflow — so great is their wickedness!’ Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.” Judgment Day is Coming Regardless of which way we interpret these two harvests, both events will happen. Every last elect person chosen by name from before the creation of the world will come to Christ, brought into God’s barn to spend eternity in the New Heaven and New Earth with Christ. Not one will be lost. “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son. … And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” [Romans 8:29-30] And all of the wicked will be harvested and thrown into the fire. John the Baptist said this very plainly in Matthew 3:12: “His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” The Glorious Reaper Harvests the Earth The Son of Man Identified Revelation 14:14 says, “I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.” The Son of Man is the glorified Jesus Christ, reigning in Heaven. In Revelation 1, John sees “someone like a son of man”, dressed like a high priest, moving through the seven golden lamp stands. The image comes from Daniel 7, which depicts the idea of coming world empires and the Antichrist. In the midst of that, Daniel sees the heavenly court, with the Ancient of Days, God the Father, seated on his throne and a river of fire flowing from it. Daniel 7:13-14 says,“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men 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 is the exact same language as Revelation 14:14. It is an important prophecy about Jesus in the Old Testament. The incarnation — the fact that the Word became flesh, a human being who could speak and eat and be touched and who could die was actually Almighty God — presented a stumbling block. Jesus consistently called himself Son of Man more than any other title. In so doing, he was pointing his listeners to Daniel 7. This title highlights his humanity. He comes on the clouds of Heaven, which shows his deity. He comes in glory and sovereign power, and he receives the right to be worshiped by every nation. Verse 14 emphasizes the combination of his divinity and humanity. In the Old Testament, clouds in connection with God symbolize His judgment on the wicked. Psalm 97 says, “The LORD reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice. Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. Fire goes before him and consumes his foes on every side. His lightning lights up the world; the earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth.” This is the very thing that Jesus prophesied that his enemies would see. The corrupt, wicked Jewish authorities, Annas and Caiaphas, charged Jesus under oath by the living God to tell whether He was the Christ, the Son of God. “Are you claiming to be God?” Jesus said in Mark's Gospel, “I am.” That was enough. But then he made a prophecy with Daniel’s words. Matthew 26:64 says, “In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Jesus is coming on the clouds of heaven in wrath and judgment to bring an end to the wickedness of the earth. The Son of Man Glorified This is the Son of Man glorified, in a position of judgment. His golden crown represents his kingly authority. Gold symbolizes purity and worth. Jesus’ glory of Jesus is his right to judge all the earth. He has the right to judge every human being. John 5:22-23 says, “…the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.” What an incredible statement — we are to honor Jesus with the same honor we give to Almighty God. The Father is jealous for that glory. He will not share His glory with a created being, an idol. But He shares it with His Son, the second person of the Trinity. The whole world will see Jesus’ glory because he “humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” [Philippians 2:8-11] The Father wants us to glorify and worship Jesus, so he comes on the clouds in a position to judge. Matthew 25:31-32 says, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” He will come in his glory with all the angels; all the nations will be assembled before him, and he will judge them. The Father has given to Jesus the right, the authority to judge, because he is the Son of Man. When the Grain is Ripe, the Harvest Will Come The Angelic Exhortation Revelation 14:14-16 says, “I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one “like a son of man” with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, ‘Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.’ So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.” This exalted, glorified figure, the Son of Man seated on the throne, seems to take an order from an angel, but more likely, the angel is a messenger from God the Father, telling him the time to reap has come. Even Jesus, in his reaping, is under the greater authority of the Father. Jesus was instructing and teaching his disciples in the days before His ascension, after His resurrection, and they said, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom in Israel?” He said in Acts 1:7 “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.” The Father decides when it is time to reap; He knows the details He has determined. “The Time Has Come…” In John’s vision, the time has come — the harvest is ripe. Either all of the elect have come to Christ, or all of the wickedness — the sin of the Amorites — has reached its full measure. All the days ordained for the earth were written in God’s book before one of them came to be. The time has come to bring history to an end. Joel 3:13 “Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full and the vats overflow — so great is their wickedness!’ The last days will be filled with overwhelming wickedness on earth, the worst the world has ever seen. 2 Timothy 3:1-5 says, “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God — having a form of godliness but denying its power.” The overwhelming majority of the world will worship the Antichrist as God. It will be like the days before the flood, as Jesus said it would be. Genesis 6:5 says, “The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.” The sin of the Amorites had reached its full measure in that time. The angel says to the Son of Man Revelation 14:15, “Take your sickle and reap because the time to reap has come for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” In the days of Noah, Almighty God, the only one who had the right, shut the door to the ark, which ended the opportunity for salvation at that point. Everyone inside the ark was saved. Everyone outside perished. As it was then, so now the time comes to swing the sickle. For now, God is waiting. 2 Peter 3:9-10 and 15 says, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. … Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation.” But the time will come. Perhaps when all the elect have repented and trusted in Christ, an angelic messenger will announce the fact to heaven. George Whitefield, one of the most effective preachers in the history of the church, during the Colonial era, right before the Revolution, had a great voice and a sense of drama. He would picture an angel going up from that assembly, announcing, “The last person that will be converted today has been converted.” He would call out, “Stop! Isn’t there room for one more?” Everyone wanted to be that one more person. Today is the day of salvation; now is the time to come to Christ. There will not to be an opportunity after the sickle is swung. The Son of Man Swings His Sickle Revelation 14:16 says, “So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.” That is a simple statement with no process described. It is instantaneous. The sickle is sharp like the Word of God. Hebrews 4:12 says, “…the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight, everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we will give an account.” The sickle does not meet with resistance; no stalks are particularly difficult for it to cut. In popular culture, the figure of the Grim Reaper symbolizes death. I worked in an engineering group with a floor worker who had a disturbing tattoo of the Grim Reaper on his forearm. It was a black-hooded living skeleton with a scythe, the end dripping red with blood. I remarked to him that he had a constant reminder of Judgment Day on his arm. In the early days of World War I after the Germans had invaded Belgium and killed maybe a few thousand people, a Dutch propaganda artist named Louis Raemaekers drew a powerful cartoon entitled “The Harvest is Ripe” of a skeleton in tattered clothes with a scythe. It depicted hordes of people in front of him facing impending doom. Little did Raemaekers know what the next four years would bring, that the hundreds who had died in those first few days in Belgium were nothing compared to the millions that would die by the end of the war. In the end, the true Reaper in the Bible is not grim but glorious. He is not impersonal but very personal. He knows exactly what he is doing. It is Jesus Christ. Hebrews 9:27 says, “…man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” The Terror of the Grape Harvest The Second Image The second harvest is clearly grapes of wrath. These grapes are crushed in the vintage. Again, God initiates this judgment by sending the angel from the temple, His dwelling place. Habakkuk 2:20 says, “…the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.” Out of this glorious temple comes this angel, who also has a sharp scythe. The angels are involved in the reaping at the end of human history. A second angel exhorts or commands this reaping angel to begin his work. Revelation 14:18 says, “Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, ‘Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth’s vine, because its grapes are ripe.’” The vintage is the grapes of wrath, wicked rebels who refuse to live by the truth, and believe in Christ. This angel is identified as having “charge of the fire,” which goes back to that Revelation 8 in which the angel coming from the altar with a censer takes fire from the coals and hurls it to the earth. That judgment of God came as a result of the prayers of the persecuted church, crying out for justice. This is God’s answer. Grace and tolerance for the wicked of the earth comes to an end. Clusters of grapes may represent the teeming cities, massive population centers with different tribes and languages and peoples and nations. They are harvested quickly. Joel 3:14 says, “Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.” A Display of God’s Wrath Revelation 14:19-20 says, “The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.” The harvest is a display of God’s wrath. This crushing carnage is hard to picture. It is bloody. In those days the clusters of grapes would be put in the winepress and servants would trample and crush them with their feet. At the bottom, there was a trough through which the juice would flow to be caught in vats and fermented into wine. The flow of blood is difficult to comprehend. The blood came out out of the winepress up to a height of horses’ bridle for a distance of 1600 stadia, almost 200 miles. A horse’s bridle sits at about 4 feet; we are not told the width, but it is an incalculable amount of blood even if it is a narrow trough. In the temple where the animal sacrifice was — up to a quarter of a million sacrifices offered at Passover— there would be a trough through which blood would flow. Outside the city The fact that it was “outside the city” is significant. That indicates the place of judgment and wrath, exclusion from God’s presence and the glory of his majesty. The wicked are thrown outside into the darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. They are cut off from the fellowship of the people of God. Jesus died outside the city for us. Hebrews 13:12 says, “And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood.” He was rejected and sent to the place of judgment and condemnation and hell for us. Revelation 22:14-15 says, “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.” As the second angel swings his scythe, the wicked are harvested and trampled outside the gates. The Final Battle? Could this represent the final battle, Armageddon, referenced in Revelation 16 and 17? The forces of Antichrist gathered together to trample out the last vestiges of rebels who will not receive the mark of the beast or bow down and worship his image. They are huddled, hiding, waiting. Jesus said, “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be shortened.” The kings will gather together and give their power to the one, the Antichrist, to destroy the people of God and fight against Christ. Joel 3 corresponds with Revelation 14. Joel 3:9-16 says, “Proclaim this among the nations: ‘Prepare for war! Rouse the warriors! Let all the fighting men draw near and attack. Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weakling say, “I am strong!” Come quickly, all you nations from every side, and assemble there. Bring down your warriors, Lord! [All the wicked nations are together in one place as warriors from Heaven descend.] Let the nations be roused; let them advance into the valley of Jehoshaphat [“the Lord judges”], for there I will sit to judge all the nations on every side. Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come trample the grapes, for the winepress is full and the vats overflow — so great is their wickedness!’ Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun and moon will be darkened, and the stars no longer shine. The Lord will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the heavens will tremble. But the Lord will be a refuge for His people, a stronghold for the people of Israel.” Revelation 16 and 17 describe that battle. Revelation 14, is a foretaste of it, taking us ahead to that final moment when the harvest will be gathered in the context of a battle; hence, the flow of blood makes perfect sense. They came to shed blood, and their own blood will be shed. This battle is depicted in Revelation 19:11-21: I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. [That’s Jesus in His Second Coming glory.] The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.” This is Joel’s imperative, “Bring down your warriors, O Lord!” I believe — others disagree — that this is when the rapture happens. At that point, he will send his angels to gather the elect from the four corners of the earth; they will meet him in the air as he descends with those who have died and are with Him. They will come down and be together as one to witness him taking care of business. “Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter.’ [That sharp sword that comes out of his mouth is equal to the sharp sickle with which he harvests the nations.] He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” He comes down into a battle in which the ten kings come together to give their power to the one, the Antichrist. They are gathered to fight against the people of God, to wipe them from the face of the earth. Jesus says, “No.” “And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, ‘Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great.’ Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.” That is a parallel image to the river of blood flowing in Revelation 14. That's the Second Coming and the final battle Applications FLEE TO CHRIST! This is the day of salvation. This is the opportunity we have, before these things happen — before the ark door is closed and you find yourself on the wrong side of that door, outside of salvation. I am pleading with you, if you are outside and you know it, come to Christ while there is time. We are celebrating the Incarnation, the first coming; how different the Second Coming will be. How meek and mild was Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger! How beautiful is that image of the gentleness and peacefulness with which God is appealing and pleading with you to repent and come to Christ! Embrace the Terrible Reality of Judgment Day For those of us who have already found safety in the salvation of Christ, our job is to get this message out. Unbelievers are not ready for what will come on them suddenly. 1 Thessalonians 5:2-6 says, “…the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, ‘Peace and safety,’ destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled.” We must be children of the day. Embrace the Work of the Gospel The twin exhortations of 2 Peter 3: in light of all this, be holy, be evangelistic. It is what we are called to do. This month, talk to some unbelievers about the real gift of Christmas, God sending His Son into the world, that He might save us from the coming wrath. Ask what they think the season is all about, what their spiritual background is. Talk about their religious convictions, their holidays and festivals, and then share the truth that is eternally consequential, bigger than one season. Jesus is not the reason only for the season — He is the reason for everything, every moment. Share with people who need the Gospel. Closing Prayer Father, these are potent images, far greater than we could bear if it were not for the truth of the working of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. We know, Lord, that you are a patient God. We know that you are waiting for the sin of the Amorites to reach its full measure, and you are waiting for every single one of the elect who you knew by name before you formed them in their mother’s womb; waiting for each one of them to repent and come to Christ. And so, Lord, I pray that you would help us to be active, that we would not scatter but gather with Jesus. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost, and He said, “Everyone who does not gather with me scatters.” Help us, O Lord, to be active in evangelism, in gathering people to come to Christ. Help us to look beyond the festivities and the shopping and the errands, to look to a surrounding world of people who are “without hope and without God in the world.” Because judgment is coming, the sickle will swing and then it will be over. Help us to be faithful until that day comes. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Introduction Scripture divides into two great categories — milk and meat. Milk is the simple doctrine of the Bible, the center piece of which is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The milk of the Gospel can be organized into four main categories: God, man, Christ, response. We share this with unbelievers. Workers all over the world have gone abroad to try to explain in culturally understandable ways. First, there is a God who made Heaven and earth, and therefore He has the right to rule as king over everything that He made. As our Ruler, He has given us laws by which we are to live. Those laws are very clear and simple, organized broadly into the Ten Commandments: “You shall have no other gods beside me. You shall not make any idols. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. Remember the Sabbath by keeping it holy; do all your work in six days and rest on the seventh, for God made heaven and earth in six days and rested on the seventh. Honor your father and mother. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor.” Jesus taught that though we may not have committed murder physically, if we have murderous hearts we are in danger of the fire of hell. We may not have committed physical adultery, but if we have adulterous hearts, looking at one who is not our spouse lustfully, we are in danger of the fire of hell. He probed the inner workings of the heart, and then organized all of the law in two great commandments: the first and greatest is to “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” We do not keep these Commandments; we break them every day. It is grace from God to know the truth of that. The second great category is man, or the human race. We were created in the image of God to have a relationship with Him, to love and serve and walk with Him, but we fell into sin in Adam, our first father, who ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In him the entire human race fell. We were given a sin nature. When we were able to understand the law, we broke it — we violated the Ten Commandments and the two Commandments; we are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God. As a result, we are threatened with eternal death and hell. We can not save ourselves; we need a Savior. The third category is Christ. God sent his Son into the world, born of the virgin Mary; he lived every single day of his life sinless under the law of God. He obeyed every jot and tittle, every detail perfectly. No one but Jesus has fulfilled the two great Commandments. He loved God with all of his heart; he said, “I always do what pleases him.” Always. And He loved his neighbors as himself, especially by going to the cross for us. Though he had committed no sin and there was no deceit in his mouth, he went to the cross and stood under the fiery wrath of God, who is a consuming fire. He was condemned for us: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him, we might become the righteousness of God.” He offers the free gift of righteousness and full forgiveness of all sins to us. We are able to access that by repentance (turning from our sins) and faith (trusting in Christ). All of our sins can be forgiven. You may know that you have not crossed over from death to life, that you are not a Christian. You have just heard the Gospel, which is milk — that which a child can understand. If you look to the law and know that you are guilty, that you have sinned, and then look to Christ crucified and resurrected with the eyes of your heart, you will see your Savior. You do not have to move a muscle; if you will trust in Jesus, all of your sins will be forgiven. If you genuinely do that, a whole river of righteous acts will start flowing — a commitment to walk in newness of life. Meat is the harder stuff in the word to understand. Peter said about Paul’s writings in 2 Peter 3:16 that he writes some things “that are hard to understand.” (Ironically, some of the hardest statements in the New Testament are written by Peter.) These are beneficial truths — God wants us to know them, but we need spiritual teeth to chew them and it takes a while to understand. Eschatology, or end time teaching, is meat. Here are six reasons why it is hard to understand. First, eschatology is hard to understand because God intends it to be hard to understand. It is not an accident. We do not demand that he learn to make it simpler. He intends to speak to us in language difficult to understand. He wants only believers to get it. He could have written out an exact chronology with names and dates. Daniel 11 is a most astonishing chapter, displaying God’s ability in detail to predict the future. There are 106 uses of the helping verb “will” in the NIV (1984 version), indicating future events. God is showing off. He can give meticulous details about future events. But he did not intend to do that. Instead, he speaks in such a way that only believers will be able to understand, and not all believers equally, but those who need to understand the most will. Second, God has spoken end-time teaching to us in apocalyptic, prophetic, visionary language that is not easy to understand. He uses symbolism — beasts and horns and oceans and winds It is not immediately clear. It needs interpretation, similar to a parable. Third, he has scattered the salient points and Scriptures in different places, such as Matthew 24, 1 John 2, Daniel 7, and Revelation. It requires the work of theologians to put things together. Fourth, the issue of type and fulfillment is a problem. History is filled with events that act out a type of fulfillment of various prophecies that are dress rehearsals of the final. Many people want to stop there, as though they are the final fulfillment. The destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD was clearly not the end — almost 20 centuries of history have occurred since then. But many godly commentators will claim that Matthew 24 is talking about the prophetic destruction of Jerusalem. As Jesus said, “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man,” we see many prophecies that are acted out in small ways, like dress rehearsals,. Hitler was a dress rehearsal, a type of antichrist, very tragic and difficult, but he died in the bunker and history has continued since his time. He was an antichrist, but not the one final Antichrist. Fifth, we have a story with complex chronology. It is hard to follow, not easy to understand. Sixth, current events and exegesis of Scriptures must be married, lined up simultaneously. Many generations have sought to line these things up, but because of so many misfires and predictions that didn't come true, some would discard the whole thing. We are looking at the big picture of eschatology to help bring context to our study of Revelation. Christianity is a unique religion in the world and this is apologetic material. When you are talking to Muslims, atheists, or Buddhists, this is a weapon of truth you can use. Christianity is the only prophetic religion in the world, ultimately. Judaism had prophecies, but it is derailed by not seeing their fulfillment in Christ. There are some Islamic pseudo-prophecies, but with research, you see they are not true. Buddhism and Hinduism do not care about current events at all. They are trying to escape this evil world by denial, saying it is all an illusion, so they make no attempt to make predictions of the future. Christianity alone does this. God said repeatedly in the book of Isaiah that He is the only one who can do it. Isaiah 46:10 says, “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’” He is talking about Cyrus the Great and Persia, but it is also a general true principle that He is the only one who knows the future. Isaiah 14:26-27 says, “This is the plan determined for the whole world; this is the hand stretched out over all nations. For the LORD Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?” God makes a plan, and his sovereign power orchestrates that His plan will certainly take place. Christianity is the only religion that can accomplish His purposes. In Revelation 12, we saw, in apocalyptic visionary writing, a red dragon — the devil, Satan, that ancient serpent who leads the whole world astray. He pursues a glorious, radiant woman, who is best interpreted as Israel because she gives birth to the male child. From the Jews came the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all. Her radiance and glory imply that the children whom the heavenly Zion gives birth are believers in Christ, Jew and Gentile alike. The dragon, Satan, pursues the woman and her children in Revelation 12:17: “Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring — those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.” That rage has been going on for 20 centuries. There has been tribulation in every single century. That recapitulation — as it was so it will be — happens throughout history, but it ramps up at the end such that Jesus said in Matthew 24:21-22, “For then there will be great distress [or great tribulation] unequaled from the beginning of the world until now — and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.” There will be days of tribulation so great nothing like them will have ever been seen in the history of the world. The events of the destruction of Jerusalem in the temple in AD 70 by the Romans do not line up with that pronouncement. The Romans did that all the time. Yes, they killed many Jews, but there remains a far worse future suffering. That section of Revelation 12 ends with the dragon in Revelation 13:1 standing on the shore of the sea, “a beast coming up out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.” This culminates in the Antichrist who is coming and whom we seek to understand today. The beast is a wicked worldwide empire culminating in one ruler over it who will enact these great persecutions in the name of the devil, though he does not understand that is what he is doing. The image of a beast, terrifying and powerful, emerging from the sea, who assaults the people of God and in some sense is able to conquer them, comes directly from the book of Daniel. Essential Lessons from the Book of Daniel The Beasts from the Sea and the Little Horn Daniel 7 and Revelation 13 are clearly connected. Revelation 13 begins with Satan the dragon standing at the seashore summoning the beast from the sea, who ultimately is the Antichrist. That image comes directly from Daniel 7 in which Daniel has a dream of four beasts that come up out of the sea. The sea is turbulent, the winds are ripping the ocean, shredding and churning it, and in succession one beast after another emerges from it. In Daniel 7, the beasts are interpreted as kingdoms, not individuals, including the fourth beast. But the horns of the fourth beast refer to the ruler of that wicked kingdom. In the end the potentate of that wicked kingdom is associated with the kingdom itself as in World War II in which Hitler was the enemy, as though killing him would end the whole thing. Everyone knew that there was a whole Nazi war machine, a whole empire, that had to be conquered, but Hitler was the head. It will be even more so in the days of the Antichrist. The supernatural control he will have over the empire will be unparalleled in history. In the end, the beast becomes one person but it starts as an empire. If there is not an empire behind him, there is nothing to fear. He is just a guy on the street corner saying things. But if he has a worldwide police state empire behind him, there is something to fear. The fourth beast is the most terrifying of all. It has 10 horns, like the beast in Revelation 13. In apocalyptic or visionary imagery, the horn is a king, an individual who holds focused power. One of the horns, called the little horn, grows up and supplants the other horns. It has the eyes of a man and speaks boastfully; it ultimately represents the Antichrist. He derives power comes from his mind and his skill and his mouth, not from his own stature. He is a conniver, a deceiver, able to supplant others by assassination and trickery and other devious methods. Methodologically, I can tell the story — what I think will happen going forward — and not cross reference any Scriptures, but I want to teach you to root everything in Scripture and that is what takes time. If nothing else, I want you to understand methodology and what Scriptures to look at and have you put the story together. Daniel 7:8 says, “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 man and a mouth that spoke boastfully.” The eyes represent intelligence and the mouth speaks with arrogance and boastfulness. In the middle of the vision, we have a significant prophecy about Jesus in the Old Testament. Jesus refers to it repeatedly when He called himself the Son of Man, His favorite title for himself. In doing so, he seems to be pointing his listeners to this portion of Daniel. The vision of what is happening on earth with the beasts and everything is suddenly interrupted to show what is happening meanwhile up in Heaven. We see a throne with Almighty God, the Ancient of Days, seated on it. This is God the Father, the first person of the Trinity. A river of fire flows from the throne. This is the judgment and wrath of God on empires who will persecute His people and who will not worship Him. This is one of the main lessons of the book of Daniel, which God taught to Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4:25: “…the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone He wishes.” No matter what Satan says, that he rules the whole world, he does not. God does, and He rules actively over everything. He is sovereign. It is comforting to us as Christians to ponder this vision of the throne of God and the river of fire flowing from it. The scene goes back to the horn, speaking arrogantly. Verse 11 says, “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.” The empire of the horn will be destroyed. It has been destroyed, but that is just a dress rehearsal, and it will be destroyed again with finality. The blazing fire represents Hell, as we see at the end of the book of Revelation. Isaiah 53 contains the most significant prediction of Jesus’ atoning sacrifice; Daniel 7:13-14 gives us the most significant prediction and prophecy of who Jesus is in His person. “In my vision at night, I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of Heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 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.” The only explanation for this vision is Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, coming into the presence of God the Father, the first person of the Trinity. Jesus receives from God all authority in Heaven and earth, as we know from the Great Commission, and he has the right to set up a kingdom that will never end. All peoples and nations and men of every language will worship him — he is worthy. We believe in the incarnation, that Jesus is both the Son of Man — fully human, and the Son of God — fully God. He is not God the ultimate Father, King God — he is equal to and like Him but a separate person. What is given to the Son of Man is the very thing the little horn and the dragon want. They are in direct competition for this authority, glory, sovereign power, and for all peoples, nations and men of every language to worship him. But Jesus is will win. The Antichrist will not achieve his goal. The vision focuses on the fourth beast and the little horn. The key aspects of the little horn are his astonishing arrogance and blasphemy and his small stature. He rises up to dominate using the power God gives him to attack the people of God and slaughter them for a short time. Verses 19 says, “Then I wanted to know the true meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others and most terrifying, with its iron teeth and its bronze claws — the beast that crushed and devoured its victims and trampled under foot whatever was left.” That describes the worldwide empire — Rome was a type of this prophecy, but as it was in the days of Rome, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man, but even worse. Imagine a Gestapo-like police state that can crush any opposition in the world, both armies on the field and individuals and their personal freedoms. Verses 20-21 continue, “I also wanted to know about the ten horns on his head and about the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell — the horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully. As I watched, this horn was waging war against the saints and defeating them.” That is the point of Jesus’ various warnings to his disciples: “When you see your brothers and sisters being slaughtered, do not give in to the temptation to abandon your faith in me. Remember that I have told you these things ahead of time. Do not fear. Be strong. I am the Resurrection and the Life. You will live forever. You will be given a martyr’s welcome into Heaven and will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of your Father.” The beast is given power to wage war against the saints and defeat them physically on earth, “until [(verse 22) what a blessed word that is] the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment [a ruling from the supremest of all Supreme Courts] in favor of the saints of the Most High [your days, oh Antichrist are done], and the time came when they possessed the kingdom.” The little horn wages war and the Antichrist will kill many like he killed the two witnesses in Revelation 11. They were powerful, but God gives the beast from the Abyss the power to rise up, overpowers and kill them. Verses 23-24 say, “[The angel] gave me this explanation: The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on the earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down, and crushing it. The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings.” The Antichrist will be a king of kings. It makes sense. Right now we have many nations, each with its own potentate, ruler, president or prime minister. He will have the political and military skill to subdue all other kings to consolidate them all under one worldwide government. Verse 25 continues: “He will speak against the Most High [blasphemy] and oppress His saints and try to change the set times and the laws [he will try but fail to get longer than three-and-a-half years to make changes]. The saints will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time [“a time” is one year, “times” is two years, and “half a time” is half a year; together that is three-and-a-half years]. But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the saints of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom and all rulers [that is us] will worship and obey Him [that is Jesus].” He will be perfected — the King of righteous kings and the Lord of righteous lords who have been saved by grace through faith. These kings and lords are not wicked usurper kings but people who worship him and rule their domains and the new Heaven and the new Earth under him. Seventy Weeks Daniel 9 puts the 70 weeks context. Daniel, in exile in Babylon, reads from the scroll of Jeremiah’s prophecy, which gives the clear prediction that the exile will last 70 years. He begins to pray in a marvelous way in Daniel 9:1-19, that God would fulfill His promise that He made in Isaiah and other places to restore the Jews back to the Promised Land and allow them to flourish again. God dispatches the angel Gabriel to give him the answer, which is the 70 weeks. He gives Daniel more than he bargained for — more than he can understand and more than we can understand. He goes far beyond the restoration of the Jews and the rebuilding of the temple written about in Haggai. He includes not only the time of the first coming of Christ who would be cut off, but also the end that Jesus spoke about — the abomination of desolation — which was future even to Jesus at the time. Daniel receives a timetable of seventy “sevens,” or seventy weeks. A “seven” is a seven-year period. Seventy seven-year periods is 490 years total. But they are divided in an unusual, difficult to understand pattern. That is why this is meat, not milk. In Daniel 9:24, Gabriel partially unfolds God’s timetable and purpose: “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your Holy City to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy.” Christians see the words “atone for wickedness” and know immediately there has ever been only one atonement for sin and wickedness, which is the blood of Jesus Christ. That phrase refers to redemption through his blood. The other five items on that list include finish transgression, put an end to sin, bring in everlasting righteousness (eschatological glory), seal up vision and prophecy and anoint the Most Holy. He continues in verse 25: “Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, until the Anointed One [or Messiah], the ruler, comes, [that is a timetable between two specific points in time] there will be seven ‘sevens’ and sixty-two ‘sevens’.” It is not clear why the sixty-nine weeks are broken up into seven and sixty-two, but sixty-nine times seven years is 483 years from the issuing of a decree to rebuild Jerusalem until the Messiah comes. Jerusalem was rebuilt in stages, so there would have been a number of such decrees. This particular one would have been issued sometime in the era of Medo-Persian rule. Some try to reverse-engineer to determine the exact time Jesus entered Jerusalem, even up to the eighth decimal point, though very few real-world things are measured with that precision (certainly not apocalyptic visionary prophecy). Like golf, these sixty-nine weeks get us on the green with about a one-inch putt. Was there anybody around 500 years after Persian rulers first decreed that Jerusalem be rebuilt who is worth our attention and study? The book of Hebrews argues that although we do not see the fulfillment of all prophecy, we do know one person who fits this description — Jesus. From the time when Persian rulers started to issue decrees that Jerusalem be rebuilt until Jesus the Messiah comes was 483 years. What about that last seven — why did he stop at sixty-nine? Verses 25-26 continue: “It [Jerusalem] will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. After the 62 sevens [equaling 69 sevens] the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing [Jesus was rejected and killed by the Jewish nation; He had no allegiance from the them]. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary [multiple times, not just once]. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed.” That general statement is similar to Jesus’ statement in Matthew 24:6 and 8, “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars … All these are the beginning of birth pains.” That covers the intervening time between the 69th week and the final 70th week. History will unfold with wars and rumors of wars and other events. Verse 27 says, “He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ [a repeated reference to three-and-a-half years — time, times and half a time; 1260 days; 42 months] he will put an end to sacrifice and offering [implying animal sacrifice and offering will be reestablished in a physical temple]. And on a wing [some versions add “of the temple”] he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.” Jesus urged the reader of Daniel to read with understanding, which is not easy. In the middle of this seven-year period still to come, after he makes a covenant to establish animal sacrifice, he will stop sacrifices to set himself up, as Paul says, “in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” [2 Thessalonians 2:4] The Angel’s Message In Daniel 10, we meet a mighty angel who gives him a revelation, similar to the mighty angel in the book of Revelation. He gives Daniel all the content for Daniel 11 and 12. The angel says in Daniel 10:14, “Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people [the Jews] in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.” He introduces Daniel to the name of the archangel Michael, whom he designates as the special prince, an archangel who protects the Jews as a nation, the same angel who fights the red dragon in Revelation 12. “Antichrists” and The Antichrist Daniel 11 reveals many antichrists but points to one final Antichrist who will come. Daniel 11 covers the history of the Jews under the domination of Gentile kings, first the Persians briefly, and then the Greeks. The Greeks were the successors of the first Greek king, Alexander, who rose to a height of power. At the height of his power he was cut off and his kingdom divided into fourths. He had no sons, so it was given to his four generals. Two of them in particular rule over what we know as modern day Palestine, or the Promised Land. The kings of the North were the Seleucids who ruled over the Syrian area. The kings of the South were the Ptolemies, who ruled over Egypt. They would meet in battle again and again in Israel or Palestine. The Jews were trampled on by these Greek kings as they fought each other for control. The drama of those battles gives us a picture of the future ultimate Antichrist. In Daniel 11:36-37, one of these literal Greek kings, whom we can identify as Antiochus IV, called Epiphanes because he claimed to be a God, lived about two centuries before Christ. He was arrogant and blasphemous, and openly defiled the Jewish temple by erecting a statue of Zeus and offering pig’s blood in the Holy of Holies. He was not the final Antichrist. He was a minor Greek king who died, and that was that. But his activities are predicted in both Daniel 8 and Daniel 11. Daniel 11:36-37 seem to go far beyond anything Antiochus ever did: “The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take place. [He will be successful until the clock runs out on him.] He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the one desired by women, nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above them all.” Antiochus IV never did that. He actually honored the Greek gods, which is why he set up a statue of Zeus. Paul applies these words from Daniel 11 to a yet-future man of sin in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 with a near-paraphrase: “…for [the day of the Lord] will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness [who must be the Antichrist] is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 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.” That specific arrogant self-worship blasphemy did not happen when the Romans burned Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Titus, who burned it down, did not want it burned and tried to put the fire out, but it had gone too far. From the book of Hebrews, we know that God will never again accept animal sacrifice. The blood of bulls and goats is done, as far as God is concerned, but that does not mean there will not be a temple built. The man of lawlessness will set himself up in the temple the Jews are honoring, that they want rebuilt, which Paul calls “God’s temple.” He will proclaim himself to be God but is not God, any more than the building is God’s temple; but because the Jews think it is, it is a good platform for incredible blasphemy. 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12 says, “The lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.” That is not apocalyptic or visionary. It is an epistle, telling us what will happen. A man of sin is coming who will set himself up in “God’s temple”, proclaim himself to be God, and do signs and wonders. People will be deceived and will worship him. Then Jesus will come back and will destroy him. The Final Generation and the Counting of the Days At the end of Daniel 12, you have a counting of days. The angels ask how long it will be, a question they ask frequently. In every case, the answer is that we cannot know the exact time of the end. There will be a generation of Christians who will know the exact day of Jesus’ return. This 42 month, or 1,260 day, or 3 1/2 year period has been spelled out repeatedly and so clearly that we are waiting for it to happen. Jesus told us that when the abomination of desolation is set up, to start the clock. We have an exact measure which we do not yet know where to begin, but the starting point will be known when it is time, and then we will know how long until Jesus returns. Even more fascinating, to add to the puzzle, the end of Daniel 12 mentions 1,290 and 1,335 days, 30 and 45 days beyond the 1,260 days respectively. Daniel wanted to understand what it all meant, but God told him it was not for him to understand and to seal up the prophecy until the time of the end. The people who live then will understand. For those living in the final generation, when they see the abomination of desolation, they can start the clock. Remember that if those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect, they will be shortened. You will get to know how many more days remain because it will be horrible. Counting the Days Until the End Recall how Jesus said “As it was in the days of Noah so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.” In Matthew 24:36, he says, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” In Acts 1:6-8, the apostles were told, “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Jesus even said, “No one knows, not even the son, but only the father.” We know he knows now; he knew when he ascended to heaven. He is telling us that no one knows now when that day will come. He was telling his disciples that he would not be returning later that afternoon. They had work to do, to preach the gospel to the ends of the earth. We also have work to do. We are building an ark where people can be rescued from the wrath to come. As it was in the days of Noah, there is a place of refuge to go to. The ark we are building is not made of wood nor covered with pitch. It is the Gospel message, an invisible Church, into which you enter to find safety from the wrath to come. In Genesis 7:4, God said to Noah, “Seven days from now I will send rain on the Earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the Earth every living creature I have made.” A week, a month, a year before that statement was made, did Noah know the exact day of the flood? No. What was he supposed to do? Finish the ark. After that statement was made, did he know the exact time the flood would come? Yes, he was able to count down until the exact day. He knew the day the flood was to come, and so it did As it was in the days of Noah, there will be a counting down. It is not for us. We do not see the temple or the abomination of desolation set up in it. It is not the Roman Catholic church or cults or false leaders. Our job is to build the ark, to preach the Gospel, until the Lord returns. But there will be a generation that will need to know. They will understand the 1,260 days, the 1,290 days and the 1,335 days. Closing Prayer Father, thank you for the details that we have studied in the book of Daniel today, getting ready for Revelation 13. Lord, I thank you for all the things that we can learn from studying this incredible prophet. I thank you for the things that we learned in the book of Revelation. Give us perseverance to be able to chew on the meat and swallow. Help us to put together a chronology and an understanding of what is yet to come. But in the meantime, God, help us to build; help us to be like the missionaries we send overseas; help us to be godly parents. Help us to do our role of leading people to Christ. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

It was startling to me to discern the similarities between the attacks against Daniel as he rose in the leadership of the new Medo-Persian empire, and the attackes on our President today. There are so many ways in which the two circumstances, separated by thousands of years, are alike. In some reflection on the matter, I realized the heart of man has not changed - nor have God's ways. There are some very important takeaways to learn here, and this article seeks to bring those elements to the surface.