Bible Ballistics: Walking By Faith Not By Sight!!! Vol. 6#21

Coming to Daniel chapter 8, we need to consider the context of this chapter. As we mentioned last week, Daniel is an older man at this point in the Book, and he tells us clearly that this vision is subsequent to the first dream/vision that he received in chapter 7.

“In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the first.” Daniel 8:1

This took place some two years after the vision of chapter 7, and we know from chapter 5 that during the reign of Belshazzar, Daniel was no longer in a leadership roll in the kingdom, but he was still in the palace service. And we lift him deeply grieved over the vision last week.

“Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.” Daniel 7:28

I don’t think we can fully understand the concern that Daniel had over the dream of Nebuchadnezzar in chapter 2, and now the confirmation of that same dream from a different perspective, yet still the same picture of the four major nations of history and their relationship to God and Israel. In the dream that God gave to Nebuchadnezzar was from an earthly perspective in the spectacular statue of gold, silver, bronze and iron. Fascinating to the degree that King Nebuchadnezzar was taken away in pride with its splendor and the fact that Daniel had declared him to be the “head of gold”. Daniel, on the other hand was given a vision of the future from God’s perspective—as he saw the beastly nature of the world. But if you’ll remember in both visions of the future, the focus was on the fourth kingdom and in particular the ten toes of chapter 2, and the ten horns of chapter 7, and the latter days of those kings who will be in concert with a “little horn”. While we have the benefit of the intervening years of history, Daniel was receiving this picture in total faith in his God. He didn’t demand full understanding, he just accepted the truths that God had entrusted to him and recorded them for posterity—you and me, and I’m so glad he did. As we dig into chapter 8 we’ll see more confirmation of these events. Let’s go—

“And I saw in a vision; and it came to pass, when I saw, that I was at Shushan in the palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in a vision, and I was by the river of Ulai.” Verse 2

Daniel is physically still in Babylon, but sees himself in the Medo-Persian capital (remember chapter 5).

“Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last. 4 I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great.” Verses 3-4

Daniel saw a ram:

with two horns—

high horns—

one higher than the other—

the higher came up last—

pushing west, north, south—

no beasts stood before him—

none could deliver out of his hand—

he did according to his will—

became great.

“And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.” Verse 5

As Daniel is watching the ram he sees a male goat coming from the west. He was moving so fast that he didn’t even touch the ground, and this goat had one ‘notable’ horn.

“And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power. 7 And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand. 8 Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken;” Verses 6-8a

Daniel sees this male goat who:

comes to the two-horned ram—

comes in the “fury of his power” to the ram—

is angry at the ram—

and smote him—

broke his two horns—

the ram couldn’t stand against him—

the male goat overcame—

with no one to deliver the ram out of his hand—

and the male goat became very strong—

but when he was very strong—

the great horn was broken.

Hold on to your hats—we’re about to uncover truth. God’s truth!

“….. and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.” Verse 8b

In the male goat’s place four notable horns arise, which have some relation to the four winds—the directions of north, east, south and west. But remember where the directions are from as we continue (keep your mind in the middle east).

 

“9 And out of one of them came forth a little horn,

which waxed exceeding great,

toward the south,

and toward the east,

and toward the pleasant land.

10 And it waxed great,

even to the host of heaven;

and it cast down some of the host

and of the stars to the ground,

and stamped upon them.

11 Yea, he magnified himself

even to the prince of the host,

and by him

the daily sacrifice was taken away,

and the place of the sanctuary

was cast down.

12 And an host was given him

against the daily sacrifice

by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth

to the ground;

and it practised,

and prospered.

13 Then I heard one saint speaking,

and another saint said unto that certain saint

which spake,

How long shall be the vision

concerning the daily sacrifice,

and the transgression of desolation,

to give both the sanctuary

and the host

to be trodden under foot?

14 And he said unto me,

Unto two thousand and three hundred days;

then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.”Dan. 8:2-14

Here we have a unique parallel, a ‘little horn’ that parallels the other “little horn” from Daniel 7:8. We must note the parallels in behavior and character but also the unique differences for they cannot—I repeat—they cannot be the same. Let’s see the interpretation, which Daniel receives and then we’ll dig into the prophecy.

“And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, and sought for the meaning, then, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man. 16 And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said,

Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision. 17 So he came near where I stood:

and when he came,

I was afraid,

and fell upon my face:

but he said unto me,

Understand, O son of man:

for at the time of the end shall be the vision.

18 Now as he was speaking with me,

I was in a deep sleep

on my face toward the ground:

but he touched me,

and set me upright.

19 And he said,

Behold, I will make thee know

what shall be in the last end of the indignation:

for at the time appointed the end shall be.

20 The ram which thou sawest

having two horns

are the kings of Media and Persia.

21 And the rough goat

is the king of Grecia:

and the great horn that is between his eyes

is the first king.

22 Now that being broken,

whereas four stood up for it,

four kingdoms shall stand up

out of the nation,

but not in his power.  

23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full,

a king of fierce countenance,

and understanding dark sentences,

shall stand up.

24 And his power shall be mighty,

but not by his own power:

and he shall destroy wonderfully,

and shall prosper,

and practise,

and shall destroy

the mighty

and the holy people.

25 And through his policy

also he shall cause craft to prosper

in his hand;

and he shall magnify himself

in his heart,

and by peace shall destroy many:

he shall also stand up

against the Prince of princes;

but he shall be broken

without hand.

26 And the vision of the evening and the morning

which was told is true:

wherefore shut thou up the vision;

for it shall be for many days.

27 And I Daniel fainted,

and was sick certain days;

afterward I rose up,

and did the king’s business;

and I was astonished at the vision,

but none understood it.” Daniel 8:15-27

Daniel once again is concerned and grieved over the visions that God sees fit to reveal to him. Although he didn’t have full understanding of what he saw, he did have full faith in his God who revealed these things to him. Let’s just lay out the things that are clear and plain in this revelation and see what we can come away with for our lives.

Simply put, the ram was the Medo-Persian kingdom. A two-horned kingdom, but one in which the Persians became dominant in the latter times of the kingdom, and while they were a fierce kingdom, they over-stepped in the end of their glory and incurred the anger of the newly rising Grecian Empire, whose first might king we know as Alexander the Great. Many deny the veracity of Daniel’s prophecies here and in chapters 9-11 because they are so historically accurate that the critics insist that they had to have been written after the fact and not before! Our God is the author of “history”…. In fact someone has said that not only does He know the end from the beginning, but also that history is simply—Hi/s/tory! He began it and He knows the end that HE will accomplish!! Yet He has given us great insight to His work and plans. We just need to apply our hearts and minds to know HIM through HIS Word!

The difficulty that some have with this chapter, involves the “little horn” and whether or not it is the same as the “another little horn” of Daniel 7? We must simply put it out as the text gives us the pictures.

In chapter 7 the “another little horn” comes out of the fourth kingdom. Here the “little horn” comes out of the third kingdom. In fact, out of one of the four kingdoms that arise out of the Greek Empire after the death of Alexander the Great (with no heirs). After several decades of debate the kingdom is divided into four parts by and to four of Alexander’s Generals. The kingdom was divided into: Egypt, Syria, Asia and Macedonia (Greece). But the two main kingdoms that are dealt with in chapters 10-12 deal mainly with the conflicts that ensue between Egypt and Syria—and their import comes from the land that lies between the two–that precious land is Israel! So Daniel is told that out of one of these 4 nations will arise a wicked king who will be fierce and will fight against the people of God—Daniel’s people–and the God of Daniel’s people. While this ‘horn’ is not the ‘anti-Christ”, he is a fore-runner, and a picture of the ‘little horn’ that will arise out of the fourth kingdom in the days of the “ten toes” of the statue in Daniel 2, and the “ten horns” of the fourth beast in Daniel 7. I hope this will give some insight to help us understand this chapter in the context of the whole book of Daniel.

While Daniel is given more information that grieves his heart for his people’s failure to follow God and His Word, he still trusts to the faithfulness of his God, not his own ability to fully understand. He kept on keeping on, even though this burden was so heavy that he fainted under the weight of it, he was also physically ill from the burden for a time, yet he got up and carried on with his job in the kingdom and for his God! (Remember chapter 5 and 6)

What about us? Have we so much confidence in God that we can carry on when we don’t understand? When the grief and confusion makes us physically sick? When times are so hard that we feel like giving up? I think Daniel knew and treasured Proverbs 3:5-7, and we can join him there:

“Trust in the Lord

with all thine heart;

and lean not unto thine own understanding.

6 In all thy ways acknowledge him,

and he shall direct thy paths.

7 Be not wise in thine own eyes:

fear the Lord,

and depart from evil.”

Daniel knew HIS God!!! Even as he mentions later in chapter 11:

“And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.” Daniel 11:32

Do you know your God that well? Are we walking with the God who delivers us from sin? Is His life seen in us? The only way to do that is to walk in the power of the cross! Are we living in such a way that we can continually genuinely and sincerely pray with Jesus?

“Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” Luke 22:42

Who is living IN ME? Am I crucified with Christ or still living for ME?

“I am crucified with Christ:

nevertheless I live;

yet not I,

but Christ liveth in me:

and the life which I now live

in the flesh

I live by the faith

of the Son of God,

who loved me,

and gave himself for me.”   Galatians 2:20

I’d like to close with a favorite passage of mine, if you would, a recipe for walking with God by faith? May God bless you to walk with Him in faith this week, no matter what you ‘see’!

“Trust in the Lord,

and do good;

so shalt thou dwell in the land,

and verily thou shalt be fed.

4 Delight thyself also in the Lord:

and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

5 Commit thy way unto the Lord;

trust also in him;

and he shall bring it to pass.

6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness

as the light,

and thy judgment

as the noonday.

7 Rest in the Lord,

and wait patiently for him:

fret not thyself because of him

who prospereth in his way,

because of the man

who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

8 Cease from anger,

and forsake wrath:

fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

9 For evildoers shall be cut off:

but those that wait upon the Lord,

they shall inherit the earth.”    Psalm 37:3-9

Bible Ballistics: BBs #199 Walking Worthy Of Our Lord???

We are called to “walk worthy” of the calling that we have received from our Lord Jesus Christ. This call is repeated throughout the scriptures, and whenever something is repeated, it means we need to regard its import:

“I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,” Ephesians 4:1

“That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;” Colossians 1:10

“That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.” 1 Thessalonians 1:12

We are called to walk “worthy” of our vocation and our calling! We are called to walk “worthy” of our Lord, and be pleasing, fruitful and full of good works for HIM. We are called to walk “worthy” of God Himself, and His kingdom and glory, which we have become a part of. But how do we walk worthy of such an awesome God? Let’s allow God’s Word to answer that question for us.

“For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” Luke 14:11

And James gives us a recipe for walking “worthy” in humility before our Lord in this world. Let’s look at what James has to say to us:

“Submit yourselves therefore to God.

Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

8 Draw nigh to God,

and he will draw nigh to you.

Cleanse your hands,

ye sinners;

and purify your hearts,

ye double minded.

9 Be afflicted,

and mourn,

and weep:

let your laughter

be turned to mourning,

and your joy

to heaviness.

10 Humble yourselves

in the sight of the Lord,

and he shall lift you up.” James 4:7-10

How this flies in the face of all that our culture tells us!

Be independent all by YOURSELF—

Stand up for YOURSELF—

Be proud of YOURSELF—

Promote YOURSELF—

Don’t depend on anyone but YOURSELF—

Don’t depend on anything but YOURSELF—

Demand YOUR rights—

Demand YOUR way—

Demand your share for YOURSELF!!!

But God calls us to a different walk to walk “worthy” of Him and His Kingdom. What is affecting your walk? Are you letting the world dictate your walk, or are you making a difference in this world by living according to the definition of “worthy” that James paints for us?

Submitting to God—

Resisting the Devil (and yes he is real)—

Drawing near to God (continually)—

Cleansing our hands (morally)—

Having a pure heart!

But James doesn’t stop there, he calls us to mourn over the conditions around us—over the sin and wickedness that pervades our culture and our world. To mourn over the fact that men are calling evil good and good evil! It’s where we live, but we don’t have to glory in it. And then James sums it all up for us:

“Humble yourselves

in the sight of the Lord,

and he shall lift you up”

Just as Jesus told us to pray in the model prayer—

“THY kingdom come…..”

“THY will be done….”

Even as He prayed Himself in the garden:

“Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” Luke 22:42

And we must fill our hearts and lives with the Word of God and the God of the Word:

“With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. 11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. 12 Blessed art thou, O Lord: teach me thy statutes.” Psalm 119:10-12

Bible Ballistics: BBs #198   Only One Way To Go???

“This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. 12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:11-12

Jesus is the only way to God. He said so and we must choose whether or not we believe Him! In fact that is ultimately the only question and answer that matters in this world.

“Then said Jesus unto his disciples,

If any man will come after me,

let him deny himself,

and take up his cross,

and follow me.

25 For whosoever will save his life

shall lose it:

and whosoever will lose his life for my sake

shall find it.

26 For

what is a man profited,

if he shall gain the whole world,

and lose his own soul?

or what shall a man give

in exchange for his soul?

27 For

the Son of man shall come

in the glory of his Father

with his angels;

and then

he shall reward every man

according to his works.”  Matthew 16:24-27

So the question isn’t “if” He is coming but when, and also will we be ready? Are you still trying to come to God YOUR way? Or have you bowed your knees before the only Lord of Creation? The One who is God, who with His Father and the Holy Spirit have provided a way of salvation for all. But only those who come to Him in repentance and faith will know the life that HE offers. What have you tried to give God in exchange for your soul? Money, popularity, time, good works, charitable actions, lip service? While those may be fine things, scripture tells us that none of that will, has nor can it ever purchase your soul from the penalty of sin! And we’ve all sinned! Only Jesus, through His death, burial and resurrection for sin, (See 1 Cor. 15:3-7+) paid the price that will deliver us from death and hell. What have you done with Him?

Jesus said:

“If any man will come after me,

let him deny himself,

and take up his cross,

and follow me”!

What does that mean? It simply means that I die to myself and hand over the reins of my life to Jesus, the one who paid the price for my sin. I allow Him to lead and direct my steps. I take up my cross every day and follow HIM where ever He leads me. And in that gesture there is a power beyond anything this world can comprehend! Because when I take up my cross—the very one who died on that cross for me, will walk with me from then on! He walks with me from within, through the power and presence of HIS Holy Spirit; and He walks before me, beside me, in front of me, and behind me, to guard and keep me in every way. You can count on Him today and every day because:

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.” Psalm 37:23

Think about it—the God of the universe delights in His own children!!! And I am one! How about you? And who is a good man? Only those who have been washed in the blood of Jesus, and know His forgiveness for sins and have received new life, are made ‘good’ through His precious blood. Here are a couple of verses to take with you today:

“Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” 2 Corinthians 5:20-21

“Giving thanks unto the Father,

which hath made us meet

to be partakers

of the inheritance

of the saints

in light:

13 Who hath delivered us

from the power of darkness,

and hath translated us

into the kingdom

of his dear Son:

14 In whom we have redemption

through his blood,

even the forgiveness of sins:”   Colossians 1:12-14

Have a blessed day and remember there is ONLY ONE WAY. And HE IS ON HIS WAY! Are you ready to meet HIM face to face? Please trust Him—He loves you and so do I!

Bible Ballistics: Our God Rules All!!! Vol. 6#20

As we continue with our look at Daniel chapter 7, we remember that this is the dream that Daniel received from God during the reign of Belshazzar.

“In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.” Daniel 7:1

We saw last week that the dream was of 4 beasts:

The first beast was like a lion—

 The second beast was like a bear—

 The third beast was like a leopard—

 The forth was a dreadful and terrible beast—

Unlike al the rest

 With no description like anything we know.

 The fourth beast had 10 horns—

Then a little horn came up among the 10—

Now we can continue to see what Daniel received as the interpretation of this amazing dream, and make whatever conclusions we can from the text. We’ll lay it out in our diagraming format:

“I Daniel was grieved

in my spirit

in the midst of my body,

and the visions of my head troubled me.” Verse 15

Daniel was grieved and troubled in his spirit over the things he saw in the vision, and in his body he is feeling the distress and burden of this overwhelming vision. Daniel asks for understanding of the vision, in the vision, because he desires to know truth. This man who has stood for almost 70 years in public service with devotion and integrity always before his God, is now troubled by his own dream not someone else’s.

“16 I came near

unto one of them that stood by,

and asked him the truth of all this.

So he told me,

and made me know

the interpretation of the things.” Verse 16

Daniel approached one of the characters in his vision and simply asked to know the truth of the vision, and his request was granted. James reminds us that we often ask and don’t receive because we aren’t asking the right things, at the right time, or for the right reasons.

“Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. 3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. 4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” James 4:2-4

Daniel was a man of God, with a heart after God, and a life that reflected his integrity and devotion to His God:

no matter the circumstances—

whether in obscurity or prominence—

whether in secret or in public—

whether popular or unpopular.

He was a friend of God—but he served humbly before those in the world. What about us? What do we seek after?

Truth or convenience?

Character or ease?

Intimacy with God or self-satisfaction?

Daniel was a man who wanted truth from his God. And he was willing to walk in it!

“These great beasts,

which are four,

are four kings,

which shall arise out of the earth.

18 But the saints of the most High

shall take the kingdom,

and possess the kingdom for ever,

even for ever and ever.” Verses 17-18

Daniel is given the overview of the entire vision/dream in a nutshell. The four beasts are four kings over the earth. The good news is they aren’t all there is—because Daniel is told that even with the frightful things that he sees in these beasts, they aren’t the final story because, “the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever”! We Win!!! But the focus of the vision seems to be on the fourth beast, so let’s press on, but before we do let’s briefly cover the first three beasts and compare them to chapter 2’s dream.

Lion—equates to the head of gold in chapter 2 and thus is Babylon. I would recommend that you make yourself a list of the things identifying the first beast—wings, plucked wings, stood, had the heart of a man (see chapter 4).

Bear—equates to the arms and breast of silver in chapter 2, and thus is Medo-Persia. Bear raised on one side—remember the Medo-Persians became the “Persian” Empire. The 3 ribs could be Babylon, Assyria and Egypt, and it devoured much.

Leopard—equates to the belly and thighs in chapter 2, and thus is the Greek Empire (which we’ll see more of next week). Notice the leopard had 4 wings and 4 heads. If you would a ‘flying leopard’, and Alexander the Great was known for the speed at which his army moved and conquered.

The Dreadful and Terrible Beast (we’ll call him the DT beast in our study)—was unlike all the others, yet he also parallels chapter 2 and is the legs of iron, and the feet and toes of iron and clay, the only kingdom which is unnamed specifically in the book of Daniel—although it is alluded to, and would be the Roman Empire, but a Roman Empire with two different faces, the first as legs of iron, and a latter day kingdom of iron and clay. And as chapter 2 told us “in the days of these kings” (referring to the 10 toes of the statue), then will,

“the God of heaven

set up a kingdom,

which shall never be destroyed:

and the kingdom shall not be left

to other people,

but it shall break in pieces

and consume all these kingdoms,

and it shall stand for ever.” (Dan. 2:44).

Here we see a parallel of the vision of chapter 7 about the beast and the ‘other’ horn. This also places this “revived Roman Empire”, the ten kings, and the “other horn” at the time in history when Christ shall return and establish HIS kingdom on this earth. But let’s continue with Daniel before we bring our conclusions together:

“Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast,

which was diverse from all the others,

exceeding dreadful,

whose teeth were of iron,

and his nails of brass;

which devoured,

brake in pieces,

and stamped the residue with his feet;

20 And of the ten horns

that were in his head,

and of the other

which came up,

and before whom three fell;

even of that horn

that had eyes,

and a mouth

that spake very great things,

whose look was more stout

than his fellows.” Verses 19-20

The fourth beast is: diverse, dreadful, teeth of iron, nails of brass, which devoured, broke in pieces, and stamped the other beasts (the residue) with his feet. Keep in mind the ‘feet’ that are mentioned here, it’s important when we go back and see the “feet and toes” of chapter 2. This beast also had ten horns in it’s head (while the statue in chapter 2 had 10 toes), then another horn arises, uproots three, and is described as having eyes and a mouth that spoke ‘great things’, and was ‘more stout than his fellows’. We see that the emphasis of this dream/vision is the fourth beast and the “other horn” that comes up after and among the ten. But the emphasis on this “other horn” doesn’t stop there:

“I beheld, and the same horn

made war with the saints,

and prevailed against them;

22 Until the Ancient of days came,

and judgment was given

to the saints of the most High;

and the time came

that the saints

possessed the kingdom.”   Verses 21-22

Here we have an important piece of information that we often overlook, in our eagerness to go on. We see here that this “other horn” that arises out of the ten horns of the 4^th beast comes at a time that must be at the time of the end, because he not only makes ‘war with the saints’ and “prevailed against them”, but the ‘kingdom of the saints’ will replace him. While we have had various times throughout history when men have come against the saints of God, both the Jews as a nation, and/or the church of Jesus Christ, here they are prevailed against until the “saints possessed the kingdom”!!! Now I don’t see any indication that we have at any point, to this time in history, yet “possessed the kingdom”! We are possessed by the KING but we don’t yet possess the kingdom in it’s glory! But we will—IN HIS TIME!!! But there’s more, so let’s press on as Daniel keeps looking:

“Thus he said,

The fourth beast shall be

the fourth kingdom upon earth,

which shall be diverse from all kingdoms,

and shall devour the whole earth,

and shall tread it down,

and break it in pieces.  

24 And the ten horns

out of this kingdom

are ten kings that shall arise:

and another shall rise

after them;

and he shall be diverse from the first,

and he shall subdue three kings.

25 And he shall speak great words

against the most High,

and shall wear out the saints

of the most High,

and think to change times and laws:

and they shall be given into his hand

until a time and times and the dividing of time.

26 But the judgment shall sit,

and they shall take away his dominion,

to consume and to destroy it unto the end.

27 And the kingdom and dominion,

and the greatness of the kingdom

under the whole heaven,

shall be given to the people

of the saints

of the most High,

whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

and all dominions

shall serve and obey him.”     Verses 23-27

Now we find this “other horn” acting against God and His people. He will attempt to change times and laws—God’s sovereign control of all things—and destroy God’s people, both the Jews and Gentiles who believe in Jesus Christ the Son of God. BUT (verse 26) “the judgment shall sit”!!! The Lord Jesus and God Almighty, His Father, shall rule and reign. In other words this ‘horn’ will wreak havoc only until ‘his’ time is up and the Lord Jesus, that ‘stone cut out without hands’ will crush and overcome this wicked one. (See Dan. 2:44) Jesus IS the stone!!! His return will eliminate the competition, eventually in total!

I’d like to share just a couple of scriptures for you to ponder on this week—you decide who is who—Jesus will eliminate the imposter, whether you call him Anti-Christ, the man of sin, the son of perdition, that evil, or the “beast”:

“And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

9 Even him, (our ‘other horn’)

whose coming is after the working of Satan

with all power

and signs

and lying wonders,

10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness

in them that perish;

because they received not

the love of the truth,

that they might be saved.

11 And for this cause God

shall send them strong delusion,

that they should believe a lie:

12 That they all might be damned

who believed not the truth,

but had pleasure

in unrighteousness.”     2 Thessalonians 2:8-12

“And I stood upon the sand of the sea,

and saw a beast (our ‘other horn’)

rise up out of the sea,

having seven heads and ten horns,

and upon his horns ten crowns,

and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

2 And the beast which I saw

was like unto a leopard,

and his feet were as the feet of a bear,

and his mouth as the mouth of a lion:

and the dragon gave him his power,

and his seat,

and great authority.

3 And I saw one of his heads

as it were wounded to death;

and his deadly wound was healed:

and all the world wondered after the beast.

4 And they worshipped the dragon

which gave power unto the beast:

and they worshipped the beast,

saying,

Who is like unto the beast?

who is able to make war with him?

5 And there was given unto him a mouth

speaking great things

and blasphemies;

and power was given unto him

to continue forty and two months.”     Revelation 13:1-5

Do you see the similarities—the ‘horn’ is the beast of Revelation 13, the “wicked” of 2 Thessalonians 2, the ‘anti-Christ’ in 1^st and 2^nd John. This one who will stand against God in the last days, but who will be overcome by the Lamb of God upon His return in power and glory. If you’ll notice in our passage from Revelation 13, the beast is described in reverse order of the beasts that Daniel saw in Daniel 7—the leopard, the bear and the lion. Why in reverse? It’s a matter of timing—Daniel was in the kingdom of the lion/Babylon, so as he looked, he was looking forward to the bear, the leopard and the DT Beast. John, as he wrote the book of the Revelation was in the first part of the Roman Empire—the DT Beast—so he was looking back from the DT Beast and saw the leopard, the bear and the lion, just reverse of what Daniel saw—but both saw the same thing. Think about it.

Daniel closes by telling us that while God has given him this amazing picture of the future, it troubled Daniel to consider that the future for God’s people would include such suffering before the eternal kingdom would come in!

“Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.” Verse 28

So in conclusion Daniel, in contrast to Nebuchadnezzar, saw the reality of the worldly kingdoms—the beastliness of man. Nebuchadnezzar was distracted by the glitter of gold; Daniel was disturbed by the reality of the battles that remained for the people of God. Are you still focused on the glitter of gold, or are you committed to the battle of God.

“Thou therefore endure hardness,

as a good soldier

of Jesus Christ.

4 No man that warreth

entangleth himself with the affairs of this life;

he may please him

who hath chosen him

to be a soldier.” 2 Timothy 2:3-4

What about you and me? Are we fighting the good fight or have we sold out to the enemy. What we will hear when our Lord calls us home or comes for His own?

“His lord said unto him,

Well done,

thou good and faithful servant:

thou hast been faithful over a few things,

I will make thee ruler over many things:

enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”   Matthew 25:21

Let’s recommit ourselves to faithful service, not lazy presumption. Even so Lord Jesus, come quickly!

 

 

Bible Ballistics: BBs #197       We Win!!!

We talked last time about the ‘Match Game’ and how our talk ought to be ‘matched’ by our walk, and today I’d like us to end the week with a bit of encouragement, because regardless of where you stand on the eschatological timeline of events—the most important thing to remember is that Jesus IS coming again, and we who are HIS WIN!!!

That’s about as comforting as it gets!!! Jesus has promised us eternal life, and abundant life right now. In fact Jesus Himself said:

“In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. 5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? 6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:2-6

Jesus not only tells us He is coming for us, but that:

HE is preparing a place for us—

That where HE is now, we will be–

That we (all) can know the way—

Because HE IS the way, the truth, and the life!!!

Friends, we can take confidence in the power and sovereign control of our God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit!!! God reigns supreme and we win. We can take comfort in the reality that our God is in control—NOT the government—NOT the weathermen/women—NOT the Federal Reserve!!! And surely NOT the U.N.! Difficult days may be ahead but our God still reigns, take heart dear friends, We WIN!! But most victories are hard won, and we must remember that God’s Word says:

“Yea,

and all

that will live godly

in Christ Jesus

shall suffer persecution.”   2 Timothy 3:12

We join our Savior who suffered wrongfully, but yielded Himself to His Father’s will. We can do no less!!!

“For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. 20 For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. 21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

22 Who did no sin,

neither was guile found in his mouth:

23 Who, when he was reviled,

reviled not again;

when he suffered,

he threatened not;

but committed himself

to him that judgeth righteously:

24 Who his own self

bare our sins

in his own body

on the tree,

that we,

being dead to sins,

should live unto righteousness:

by whose stripes ye were healed.

25 For ye were as sheep going astray;

but are now returned

unto the Shepherd and Bishop

of your souls.” 1 Peter 2:19-25

Jesus suffered for our salvation, how could we not expect to suffer for Him. And in these days of “Political Correctness” and “Hostility” toward Biblical principles, we should expect no less! But “how can this be encouraging”, you might ask? Well, we can take courage and encouragement in the victory that our Lord Jesus Christ bought at Calvary!!! We win, even though we may endure battle scars or even death for our Lord—WE WIN!!! And we can identify with Paul when he said:

“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. 23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: 24 Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. 25 And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; 26 That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.” Philippians 1:21-26

So??? Rejoice “in Jesus Christ”!!! He is coming soon! And if you don’t know Him, then call on Him today. Is He standing at your heart’s door even now?

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock:

if any man hear my voice,

and open the door,

I will come in to him,

and will sup with him,

and he with me.” Revelation 3:20

Then YOU WIN too!!!