An Awesome Vision (Dan. 10:4-9, 14)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/17/2013 10:30 AM

My Worship Time                                                                               Focus:  An Awesome Vision

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Dan. 10:4-9, 14

            Message of the verses:  “4  On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, while I was by the bank of the great river, that is, the Tigris, 5  I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, there was a certain man dressed in linen, whose waist was girded with a belt of pure gold of Uphaz. 6 His body also was like beryl, his face had the appearance of lightning; his eyes were like flaming torches, his arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a tumult. 7 Now I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, while the men who were with me did not see the vision; nevertheless, a great dread fell on them, and they ran away to hide themselves. 8 So I was left alone and saw this great vision; yet no strength was left in me, for my natural color turned to a deathly pallor, and I retained no strength. 9 But I heard the sound of his words; and as soon as I heard the sound of his words, I fell into a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground.        14  "Now I have come to give you an understanding of what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision pertains to the days yet future."

            I want at this time to look at some of the opening verses in the book of Revelations so we can compare them some of the verses in this section of Daniel.  “12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; 13  and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. 14 His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. 15 His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. 16 In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength. 17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, 18  and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades (Rev. 1:12-18).”  There are similar things seen in these two passages leading many to believe that the person that Daniel saw and the Person that John saw were the same Person, Jesus Christ.  We know that the preincarnate Christ was seen at different times in the Old Testament, and perhaps this was one of them.  I am convinced that this was who was speaking to Daniel.

            It is not clear as to why Daniel was at the Tigris River, but one thing for sure it was in God’s plan for him to be there so that He could give to Daniel one of the greatest prophecies ever given to man.

            The time in which all of this happened was during the time when Israel would celebrate the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and also the Feast of Firstfruits, as they all happened during the first month of the Hebrew year.  Daniel could not participate in these because he lived in Babylon, but we can be sure that he was thinking about them.  One of the things that the people of Israel had to do before celebrating the Passover was to get rid of all the leaven from their houses, which pictured confessing all of their sins to the Lord so that they would have a clean heart in order to celebrate the Passover.  We know from our study of Daniel that he kept himself free from sin and that he prayed three times a day, and as mentioned earlier there is no sin mentioned that Daniel committed, although we know that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, including Daniel.

            As Daniel was at the Tigris River he suddenly saw a vision, he alone saw it, not the men who were with him as they sensed something was going on and hide themselves, and this reminds us of the men who were with Saul of Tarsus when the Lord spoke to Saul at his conversion.  We have already gone over the description of the One who met with Daniel so we won’t go over that again.  Dr. Wiersbe points out in his commentary that we cannot be dogmatic as to who this person was, as some scholars believe it was Christ, some believe it was a glorious angel like described in Revelations 10 and some think it was Gabriel, the same angel that Daniel already saw.  John MacArthur in his study Bible notes writes “The messenger whom Daniel sees in a vision (vv. 1, 7) was distinct from the angel Michael, from whom he needed assistance (v.13).  The description of such glory has led some to see him as Christ in a pre-incarnate appearance (such as Joshua 5:13-15; 6:2; Judges 6:11-23).  He is described almost identically to Christ (Rev. 1:13-14) and Daniel’s reaction is similar to Johns (Rev. 1:7).”

            I think that it is important to quote a rather long paragraph from Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary at this time:  “Frequently in the biblical account of salvation history, you find the Lord Jesus Christ appearing to His servants at special times, either to deliver a special message or to prepare them for a special ministry.  He usually appeared in a fashion compatible with their circumstances or their calling.  To Abraham the pilgrim, Jesus came as a traveler (Gen. 18), but to Jacob the schemer, He came as a wrestler (Gen. 32).  Before Joshua attacked Jericho, Jesus came as a Captain of the Lord’s armies (Josh. 5:13-15), and to Isaiah, He revealed Himself as the King on the throne (Isa. 6; John 12:37-41).  But to the two Jewish exiles—Daniel in Babylon and the Apostle John on Patmos—Jesus appeared as the glorified King-Priest.  After seeing the Son of God, both men were given visions of future events that involved the people of God, events that would be difficult to accept and understand.

            “At the beginning of Daniel’s prophetic ministry, he interpreted the meaning of the awesome image that King Nebuchadnezzar had seen in his dream (Dan. 2), and now at the end of his ministry, Daniel saw an even greater sight—the glorious King of Kings and Lord of Lords!  When we know that Jesus is standing with us and fighting for us, we can accept any circumstance and accomplish any task He gives us.”

            As he concludes his commentary on this section Dr. Wiersbe writes, “The angel had come to give Daniel a special revelation concerning the Jewish people and what would happen to them in the latter days (Dan. 10:14).  As we study this complex prophecy, we must focus on Israel and not on the church, even though all Scripture is profitable for all believers at all times.  Parts of this prophecy have already been fulfilled, but much of it remains to be fulfilled in ‘the end times,’ that is, during the seventieth week of the ‘prophetic calendar’ given in verses 24-27 of Daniel chapter nine.”

            As I began to study this chapter of Daniel I seemed to remember that chapter ten was kind of a prelude to what is given in chapter eleven, where we will actually see the prophecy unfold, however there is much we can learn from chapter ten as we study it, and then look forward to the study of chapter eleven next month.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  “When we know that Jesus is standing with us and fighting for us, we can accept any circumstance and accomplish any task He gives us.”

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Believe the statement above is true in my life.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible Question:  “Forty years” (1Kings 11:42).

Today’s Bible Question:  “In the book of Titus, what four things did Paul instruct us to avoid?”

Answer in our next SD.

12/17/2013 12:02 PM

           

A Concerned Prophet (Dan. 10:1-3)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/16/2013 11:35 AM

My Worship Time                                                                              Focus:  A Concerned Prophet

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Daniel 10:1-3

            Message of the verses: “1 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar; and the message was true and one of great conflict, but he understood the message and had an understanding of the vision. 2 In those days, I, Daniel, had been mourning for three entire weeks. 3 I did not eat any tasty food, nor did meat or wine enter my mouth, nor did I use any ointment at all until the entire three weeks were completed.”

            Introduction to Chapter Ten:  We see the date in verse one of Daniel ten as the third year of Cyrus King of Persia, and this was probably three years after the vision seen in chapter nine if we assume that the king named in chapter nine is the same king, but not all agree with that.  It is possible that Cyrus was the name of the king and Darius may have been a title of the king.  Not all are in agreement with this, but some are.  The year according to Dr. Wiersbe was 536 BC, and this means that Daniel had lived long enough to see the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy telling that the captives would return to Israel.  This would also fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy that the king who let them go was Cyrus.

            We see in verse one that Daniel’s name was used in the third person and that also his Babylonian name was used too, Belteshazzar.  From verse two until the end of the book Daniel will be used in the first person.  Dr. Wiersbe writes on this:  “Daniel in the third person suggests that the statement that opens this chapter may be an official ‘identification title.’”  This also could be the reason that his Babylonian name was given too.

            A concerned prophet (Daniel 10:1-3):  We see in verse one that Daniel was given a message, which he understood, and that he had been praying for three weeks as seen in verse two.  What was he praying about?  This is a good question to ask, but we know that Daniel was a person who was greatly concerned about his people, and prayed much for them, especially those who had already left to go back to Israel to begin the rebuilding of the temple.  They had no modern equipment to use like is available today, so the work would take a long time to complete, and thus Daniel prayed for them.  There were nearly 50,000 Jews who left Babylon nearly a year before, and Daniel probably knew that they had arrived safely because of his position in the government.  This is just like Daniel to pray for something that he had already seen in the prophetic Word of God as demonstrated in Daniel chapter nine.  This is something we all can learn from as we too need to pray for things that God has already said will happen, things like the rapture of the Church, and the second coming of our Lord, who will come at the end of the tribulation period.

            Dr. Wiersbe writes “Daniel may not have understood that the prophecy of the seventy years had dual application, first to the people and then to the temple.  The first Jews were deported to Babylon in 604, and the first captives returned to their land in 536, a period of seventy years.  The temple was destroyed in 586 by the Babylonian army, and the second temple was completed and dedicated in 515, another period of seventy years.  Daniel was burdened that the house of God be rebuilt as quickly as possible, but he didn’t realize that God was fulfilling His plans without a mistake.  The work was stopped in 536, it resumed in 520 and it was completed in 515.  The sixteen-year delay kept everything right on schedule.  This is a good reminder to us as we serve the Lord today, that our times are in His hands (Ps. 31:15) and He is never late in accomplishing His will.”

            Daniel was probably somewhere in his 80’s, perhaps 85 years old when the first refuges returned to Jerusalem, and he had seen much in his days, but we will see as we go through chapter’s ten and eleven that he will see more.  Perhaps Daniel was praying about the future of his people for these three weeks, for we know what Daniel was praying about in chapter nine, and before he even got finished with his prayer God sent Gabriel to answer his prayer.  This time it took three weeks, and we will see why there was a delay later on in this chapter.  Daniel knew that trouble lie ahead for his people, and this may have been another thing that he was praying about too. 

            The psalmist wrote in “Ps 122:6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: "May they prosper who love you.’”  There is another thing that we pray for when we pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and that is that when we pray this prayer we are actually praying for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ, for He is the only one who can bring peace to Jerusalem.  Nehemiah prayed for those who were in Jerusalem and the Lord used him as an answer to his own prayer as seen in Nehemiah 1-2.  Jeremiah the weeping prophet also wept and cried over Jerusalem and we also see these words in Matthew 23:37-39 “37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. 38 “Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! 39  "For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ’BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!’”  Although it does not say it here we know that the Lord did weep over Jerusalem too.  We read in the 9^th and 10^th chapter of Romans about the kind of love that the Apostle Paul had for Jerusalem, as he even wanted to give up his salvation if it would mean they would all be saved. 

            Dr. Wiersbe concludes his commentary on this section with these words:  “God laid a burden on Daniel’s heart, and because Daniel fasted and prayed, we are studying his prophecies today.  May the Lord help us to leave something behind in the journey of life so that those who come after us will be encouraged and helped!”

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  We see in this section that we have looked at the seriousness of Daniel, Nehemiah, Jeremiah, Jesus, and Paul, seriousness over something that they desired to happen that was in the will of God.  They fasted, prayed, and shed many tears over something they believed in and prayed for, and God answered their prayers.  I need to do the same over souls that are lost, and habits that I need to break.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Remember the seriousness of sin, and also lost souls.

Answer to our last Bible Question:  “Luke”

Today’s Bible Question:  “How long was Solomon King?”

Answer in our next SD.

12/16/2013 12:33 PM

The Strange Parenthesis (Dan. 9:25-27)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/26/2013 10:22 AM

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  The Strange Parenthesis

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Daniel 9:25-27

            Message of the verses:  We come to the last SD from the ninth chapter of the book of Daniel and as we look at this topic we will understand how the Church of Jesus Christ is involved in this prophecy even though it is not mentioned.  Before I go onto the topic of the strange parenthesis I want to go back to Daniel 9:26, and at the end of that verse we read:  “even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.”  I believe what is said here is that there will be continued trouble of the Jewish people right up until the time when Jesus Christ, the Messiah returns as described in Revelations chapter nineteen.  There has been continued trouble for the Jewish people since the rejection of their Messiah, and even in a matter that happened over this past week-end there was trouble for them, and it will grow worse and worse especially in the “time of Jacob’s trouble” which is the tribulation period, and especially the last three and a half years of the tribulation as seen in the prophecy in Daniel chapter nine.

            Gabriel did not tell Daniel what was going to happen between the sixty-ninth year and the seventieth year of this 490 year prophecy, and that is what this strange parenthesis is.  There are things called mysteries in the Bible and this is something that had not been revealed, but is not being revealed, and the Church fits into that category as it was not mentioned in the OT, but was all along in the plan of God and was revealed in the NT.  Paul speaks of this mystery in Ephesians 3:1-13, “1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles- 2 if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace which was given to me for you; 3 that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. 4  By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5  which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; 6  to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, 7  of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power. 8 To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; 10 so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him. 13 Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory.”

            Dr. Wiersbe concludes his commentary on Daniel chapter nine with these words:  “Some of the prophecy in Daniel 9:24-27 has already been fulfilled, and the rest will be fulfilled in the end times.  We are today living in the age of the Church, when Israel has been partially blinded and temporarily set aside (Romans 9-11).  Like Paul, we must have a heart concern for the Jewish people, pray for them and seek to share the Gospel with them.  Gentile believers have a debt to the people of Israel (Rom. 15:24-27) because they gave us the knowledge of the true and living God, the inspired written Scripture, and the Savior, Jesus Christ.”  To all of this I say Amen!

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I have a deep love for the Jewish people and it came to me the very moment that I became a believer in Jesus Christ, and as Dr. Wiersbe wrote I have much to be thankful for because of the children of Israel.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Continue to trust the Holy Spirit to led my life, to guide me and to make my life pleasing to the Lord.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible Question:  “Simeon and Anna” (Luke 2:25-38).

Today’s Bible Question:  “Who said ‘If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread’”?

Answer in our next SD.

11/26/2013 10:45 AM

PT-2 "Instruction: Discovering God's Timetable" (Dan. 9:25-27)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/25/2013 10:31 AM

My Worship Time                                    Focus:  Instruction: Discovering God’s Timetable PT-2

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Daniel 9:25-27

            Message of the verses:  In Warren Wiersbe’s commentary he has broken up the 490 years into three different sub-points and we will try to look at each one of these in today’s SD.

            Period # 1—49 years (Daniel 9:25):  “25  "So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.”

            I can remember the first time that I heard the explanation of this verse while visiting a friend in Florida in January of 1974.  I was listening to a series of taped messages by a man named Hal Lindsey who had recently written a book named “The Late Great Planet Earth” which was a book about prophecies from the Word of God.  As I look back on that time I remember that this was the time that the Lord Jesus Christ saved me from my sins as He used the tapes on prophecy to draw me to Himself as each message had the clear gospel presentation at the end of it.

            Daniel 9:25 gives us the starting point of when this 490 years will begin, and since there were three different times in which the Jews were told that they could leave Babylon there has been much disagreement as to when this time period would begin.  The prophecy is about the city and the temple, for that is what Daniel was praying about, along with, of course, having the Jewish people return to the city of Jerusalem.  Sir Robert Anderson has written a book in which he entitles “The Coming Prince” and this book is about the 490 year prophecy from Daniel nine.  He believes along with many people that I have respect for believe that the decree that is spoken of in Daniel 9:25 is given in the second chapter of the book of Nehemiah.  Nehemiah was a cup bearer to the king of Persia and when you have that job you better not look sad in his presence or you could lose your head.  Nehemiah had spent much time in prayer over what was going on in Jerusalem for there had been Jewish people already living there for almost 100 years and the city was still not complete.  Nehemiah’s prayers were answered in chapter two, which was 445 BC and we read about it in Nehemiah chapter two:  “1 And it came about in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, that wine was before him, and I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. 2 So the king said to me, "Why is your face sad though you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of heart." Then I was very much afraid. 3 I said to the king, "Let the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies desolate and its gates have been consumed by fire?" 4 Then the king said to me, "What would you request?" So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5 I said to the king, "If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor before you, send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it." 6 Then the king said to me, the queen sitting beside him, "How long will your journey be, and when will you return?" So it pleased the king to send me, and I gave him a definite time. 7 And I said to the king, "If it please the king, let letters be given me for the governors of the provinces beyond the River, that they may allow me to pass through until I come to Judah, 8 and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress which is by the temple, for the wall of the city and for the house to which I will go." And the king granted them to me because the good hand of my God was on me.”  With this statement the 490 year prophecy began. 

            When you read through the book of Nehemiah you see that there was much trouble in rebuilding the city walls as the people who were working on the walls had a sword in one hand and things to rebuild the wall in the other hand, and this is just as Gabriel said would happen, that it would be done with trouble.

            Period # 2—483 Years (Daniel 9:26):  “26  "Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.”

            The math is like this 49 + 434 = 483, so there are 483 years from the time that the decree was given in Nehemiah chapter two until the cutting off of the Messiah.  Four hundred and eighty-three years from 445 BC puts you into 29/30 AD.  We know what happened then, for Jesus was turned down as the King of Israel and was thus killed, but not for Himself. 

            I have studied this prophecy for many years off and on and I believe that the exact time that this prophecy began was in March of 445 BC as I have already stated and it goes until when Jesus rides into Jerusalem on what is commonly called Palm Sunday, and it is then that He is rejected as their King.  In Luke chapter nineteen we see this take place:  “37 As soon as He was approaching, near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen, 38 shouting: "BLESSED IS THE KING WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" 39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples." 40 But Jesus answered, "I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!’”  Why did Jesus say that if this was not said that the rocks would cry out with these words?  These words were to be said when Messiah came and the Pharisees did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah.  Jesus goes on to say a bit later on “"If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. ‘” This day was the end of the 483^rd year that is written in Daniel, and this it stops the prophecy with seven years left on it.  In Sir Robert Anderson’s book he figures out the different calendars and changes the Jewish calendar, which is a lunar calendar to our Julian calendar which has 365 days in it, while the Jewish or lunar calendar had 360 days in it.  He figures out how many days were involved even to the point of having tree leap years deleted because one has to delete a leap year every so many years, and at the end he comes up with the day that Jesus rides into Jerusalem to offer Himself as King of Israel and is rejected and then killed a few days later, 173,880 days.

            Period # 3—7 Years (Daniel 9:27):  “27 “And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.’
            The book that I mentioned by Sir Robert Anderson “The Coming Prince” does not speak of the prince as the Lord Jesus Christ, but the prince that is spoken of in Daniel 9:26 and referred to as “he” in verse 27.  The text says that this prince will come from the people who destroyed the city and the sanctuary which was Titus and his Roman Legion.  Herod’s temple was a beautiful building that Titus did not want to destroy, but there was gold in between the huge limestone blocks and the only way that they could get the gold out was to tear down the building.  Jesus told the people that this would happen, that not one stone would be left on another:  “43  "For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, 44  and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation (Luke 19:43-44).’”

            What prince then is the text speaking of?  It is none other than Antichrist and this last seven years of this prophecy will begin when this prince who comes out of the territory of the old Roman Empire will come on the scene and make a covenant with the nation of Israel for seven years.  This period is known as the “Tribulation Period” and what happens during this period is described in verse twenty-seven of Daniel along with chapters 6-19 of the book of Revelations, along with Matthew 24. This even is still in our future, but as we look at one key element that happened in May of 1948, and that is that Israel became a nation again, we know that this time is not too far off.  I have never made it a practice to set a date as to when these events will take place, and I firmly believe that the Lord Jesus will return to the clouds over the earth to take His bride home to be with Him before these events take place.  This event we know as the rapture of the Church and are described in 1 Thes. 4:13-18 along with in 1 Cor. 15:51-54.  Our world is much smaller than it used to be, that is because modern technology and modern weapons where enemies can now be many thousands of miles away from us and can still kill us.  We have weapons that can actually destroy the entire earth, but this will not take place for at the height of global war as described in the 19^th chapter of Revelations the Lord Jesus will return to planet earth riding on a white horse with His army with Him and this will end the last day of Daniel’s 490 year prophecy.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  The Apostle Peter writes of how this world will be completely destroyed, which will take place after the 1000 year reign of Jesus Christ on planet earth which begins right after His glorious return and the reason for Peter’s writings is to say that if we know all of these things are going to take place then what kind of people should we be, and what should we be doing to tell others about these events that will take place?  Well I believe that I should be a loving person, ready to tell others of the hope that is within me, and that I should be a person who is in love with my Lord and who follows the things that the Holy Spirit leads me to do.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  I am reading a book that is entitled “War of Words,” and this book has convicted me of how I use my words.  I want to use words that are the kind of words that are pleasing to the Lord.

Memory verses for the week:  1 John 5:13a; Titus 3:5a; and Hab.1:13a

These things I have written…that you may know that you have eternal life.

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy He saved us.

Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on iniquity (sin).

Answer to yesterday’s Bible Question:  “The arc angel” (1 Thes. 4:16).

Today’s Bible Question:  “Who met the baby Jesus in the temple when he was 40 days old?”

Answer in our next SD.

11/25/2013 11:43 AM

           

"Instruction: Discovering God's Timetable" (Dan. 9:20-24)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/24/2013 3:03 PM

My Worship Time                                             Focus:  Instruction: Discovering God’s Timetable

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                    Reference:  Daniel 9:20-24

            Message of the verses:  We will be just looking at verses 20-23 and then also verse 24 which speaks of what is called the “Seventy Weeks.”

            “20 Now while I was speaking and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God in behalf of the holy mountain of my God, 21 while I was still speaking in prayer, then the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision previously, came to me in my extreme weariness about the time of the evening offering. 22 He gave me instruction and talked with me and said, "O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you insight with understanding. 23 "At the beginning of your supplications the command was issued, and I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed; so give heed to the message and gain understanding of the vision. 24  "Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place.”

            We see actually that Daniel was not really finished with his prayer to the Lord, a prayer that consisted of his confession his sins and also the sin of the people of Israel as we have been looking at in our previous SD’s.  Daniel is interrupted by an angel, an angel he had seen in his last vision described in chapter eight, and his name was Gabriel which means “man of God,” or “warrior of God.”  Gabriel was sent to Daniel to answer his prayer, and he was sent when Daniel began to pray.  I suppose that we can conclude from this that angels can move very fast.  Gabriel tells Daniel that he is highly esteemed, and this is a wonderful complement given to Daniel.

            Next we see that Gabriel came at the time of the evening sacrifice, a time when Daniel would usually be praying to the Lord, as he prayed three times a day.  The evening sacrifice that is given at this time is a lamb as seen in Exodus 29:38-41, “38 "Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two one year old lambs each day, continuously. 39  "The one lamb you shall offer in the morning and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight; 40  and there shall be one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with one-fourth of a hin of beaten oil, and one-fourth of a hin of wine for a drink offering with one lamb. 41  "The other lamb you shall offer at twilight, and shall offer with it the same grain offering and the same drink offering as in the morning, for a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the LORD.”  In the NT we find that there are different sacrifices for us to offer to the Lord, and one of them is found in Romans 12:1 “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”  Let us look at Psalm 141:1-2 “O LORD, I call upon You; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to You! 2 May my prayer be counted as incense before You; The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering.”  We see here that David must have also prayed at the evening sacrifice too.

            The Seventy Weeks:  (Daniel 9:24):  “24  "Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place.”

            I have mentioned this before about these seventy weeks, and so I want, at this time to quote Dr. Wiersbe, “The word ‘weeks’ means ‘sevens,’ so Gabriel was speaking about seventy periods of 7 years, or 490 years.  Keep in mind that these years relate specifically to Daniel’s people, the Jews, and their holy city, Jerusalem.  In his prayer, Daniel’s great concern was that his people be forgiven their sins against the Lord, the city be rebuilt, and the temple be restored (vs. 16); and these are the matters that Gabriel will discuss.  To apply this important prophecy to any other people or place is to rob it of its intended meaning.”

            There are six specific things that Gabriel explained to Daniel that would happen during these 490 years, six specific purposes for the Jewish people.  Dr. Wiersbe explains that the first three have to do with sin and the last three have to do with righteousness.  Dr. Wiersbe explains “The Lord would ‘finish the transgression,’ that is, the transgression of the Jewish people, and ‘make an end of’ Israel’s national sins.  This was one of the main burdens of Daniel’s prayer.  Israel was a scattered suffering nation because she was a sinful nation.  How would the Lord accomplish this?  By making ‘reconciliation for iniquity,’ that is, by offering a sacrifice that would atone for their sin.  Here we come to the cross of Jesus Christ, Israel’s Messiah.”  It was Jesus who paid the price of sin as He suffered on the cross in order to bring salvation to those who will receive Him, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:12-13).” 

            The last three specific things that Gabriel speaks to Daniel of are, as we said, has to do with righteousness, and they will happen during the 1000 year reign of Jesus Christ upon planet earth. 

            Dr. Wiersbe concludes his commentary on this section with these words, “These six purposes declare the answer to Daniel’s prayer!  Ultimately, Israel’s sins will be forgiven (Zech. 12:10-13:1), the city of Jerusalem will be rebuilt, and the temple and its ministry will be restored, all because of the atoning death of Jesus Christ on the cross.  All of these wonderful accomplishment will be fulfilled during the 490 years that Gabriel goes on to explain.  He divides the seven sevens—490 years—into three significant periods:  49 years, 434 years and 7 years.”  At the end of this statement Dr. Wiersbe gives us an endnote:  “The Jewish calendar is based on a series of sevens.  The seventh day is the Sabbath day and the seventh year is a sabbatic year (Ex. 23:11-13).  The fiftieth year (7x7+1) is the Year of Jubilee (Lev. 25).  The Feast of Pentecost is seven weeks after Firstfruits (Lev. 23:15-22), and during the seventh month of the year, the Jews observed the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles.”

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Daniel was consistent in his prayer life, and God honored him with one of the most fantastic prophecies in all of Scripture with the answer to his prayer.  This encourages me greatly to continue to pray for things that I believe are in the will of God, and that someday He will answer.  I prayed off and on for 38 years to see a daughter of mine, and God answered my prayer in September of this year.  I, of course was praying for God to give salvation to her and I still do that each day.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Never give up, continue to pray, for God is faithful.

Memory verses for the week:  1 John 5:13a; Titus 3:5a; and Habakkuk 1:13a

These things I have written…that you may know that you have eternal life.

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us.

Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity [sin].

Answer to yesterday’s Bible Question:  “Riches and honor” (1 Kings 3:13).

Today’s Bible Question:  “The Lord himself shall descend with a shout and with the voice of whom?”

Answer in our next SD.

11/24/2013 4:11 PM

           

PT-4 "Praying for God's Mercy" (Dan. 9:16-19)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/23/2013 10:19 AM

My Worship Time                                          Focus: Intercession: Praying for God’s Mercy PT-4

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Daniel 9:16-19

            Message of the verses:  We will be looking at the last sub-point from Dr. Wiersbe’s outline in this SD, and then we will move on to the third and last main point from this ninth chapter which we will see about the seventy-week prophecy.

            Asking for mercy on Israel (Daniel 9:16-19):  “16  "O Lord, in accordance with all Your righteous acts, let now Your anger and Your wrath turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become a reproach to all those around us. 17 “So now, our God, listen to the prayer of Your servant and to his supplications, and for Your sake, O Lord, let Your face shine on Your desolate sanctuary. 18 “O my God, incline Your ear and hear! Open Your eyes and see our desolations and the city which is called by Your name; for we are not presenting our supplications before You on account of any merits of our own, but on account of Your great compassion. 19 “O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! For Your own sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name.’”

            We see the word “Your” seventeen times in this short passage.  We saw the words that were personal pronouns describing Daniel and the people of Israel at least 16 times in verses 5-15, and so we can see that this is a turning point in Daniel’s prayer as he now focuses on what is the Lord’s, as we see in this section that it is the Lord’s anger and wrath, along with the Lord’s city and people to name a few things that belong to the Lord.  We know that all things belong to the Lord, but Daniel is talking about specific things in his prayer that belong to the Lord.

            Dr. Wiersbe begins his commentary on this section with the following words:  “God in His grace gives us what we don’t deserve, and God in His mercy doesn’t give us what we do deserve.”  Daniel is asking for forgiveness in this section, forgiveness from God for the things that he and his people have done, but we see in verse eighteen that Daniel does not ask because of any righteousness that the children of Israel have, for they have none, but he asks the Lord because of His great mercy.  Daniel knew that the children of Israel were to go back to Israel at the end of seventy years, but that did not stop him from asking God to accomplish what He has written through Jeremiah the prophet.  Daniel knew that there was God Messiah coming and that He would come through the line of Israel, for all of this is seen in the Scriptures beginning with the passage in Genesis 3:15 which takes place right after the sin of Adam and Eve.  This verse speaks of “the seed of the woman” which is not the way that we usually hear this as the seed of the man is usually how we hear this, however this speaks of the fact that there would come a time when the Messiah would be born to a virgin woman, and that is what happened.  When we look at the third chapter of the Gospel of Luke we see the Messiah’s “roots” from Mary all the way back to Adam.  Daniel had to know that Israel would go back to their land in order to have the Messiah born there.  Another reason Daniel prayed for Israel to return was to glorify the Lord, for that is something that Daniel desired in his life.  I want to include a verse note at this time that is similar to what I wrote in the beginning of this SD, which has to do with the number of times Daniel uses the words “You and Yours.”  “Note how often Daniel uses the pronouns ‘you’ and your’ as he refers to the Lord:  ‘your commands…your people…your Name…your truth…your holy hill.’  The prayer emphasizes the character of God and not the suffering of the people.  This is God-centered praying.”

            It would be in a year when God would answer Daniel’s prayer, although he would now what the answer would be, as we will discover in the next few SD’s.  Daniel was a wonderful man of God who served under four kings and was able to testify to the One True Living God to all of those kings, and to bring glory to God in all his life.

            Dr. Wiersbe finishes his commentary on this section with the following words: “Daniel now knew God’s immediate plans for the nation of Israel, but what about the distant future?  He has already learned from the visions God gave him that difficult days lay ahead for God’s people, with a kingdom to appear that would crush everything good an promote everything evil.  Would God’s people survive?  Would the promised Messiah finally appear?  Would the kingdom of God be established on earth?

            “Daniel is about to receive the answers to those question.”

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I have mentioned that prayer has been the dominant subject for me this week in my devotions, our Sunday School class, and also in our Wednesday evening prayer meeting message, and what I can take out of this lesson today is what Dr. Wiersbe wrote about Daniel’s prayer that I have highlighted above:  “The prayer emphasizes the character of God and not the suffering of the people.  This is God-centered praying.”

My Steps of Faith for Today: Lean to pray like Daniel prayed that my prayers may bring honor and glory to the Lord.

Memory verses for the week:  1 John 5:13a and Titus 3:5a

These things I have written…that you may know that you have eternal life.

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy He saved us.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible Question:  “Philemon.”

Today’s Bible Question:  “What did God promise Solomon besides wisdom?

Answer in our next SD.

11/23/2013 11:31 AM

  

           

PT-3 "Praying for God's Mercy" (Dan. 9:5-15)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/22/2013 10:26 AM

My Worship Time                                          Focus: Intercession: Praying for God’s Mercy PT-3

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                       Reference: Daniel 9:5-15

            Message of the verses:  We begin our third SD in this second main section of Dr. Wiersbe’s outline on the ninth chapter of Daniel, remembering that this is one of the greatest chapters in all of the Word of God, for in it we see, not only one of the greatest prophecies in all of the Word of God, but also one of the great prayers recorded in all of the Word of God.

            Confessing Sin (Daniel 9:5-15):  “5 we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances. 6 “Moreover, we have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers and all the people of the land. 7 "Righteousness belongs to You, O Lord, but to us open shame, as it is this day-to the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those who are nearby and those who are far away in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of their unfaithful deeds which they have committed against You. 8 “Open shame belongs to us, O Lord, to our kings, our princes and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. 9 “To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him; 10 nor have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in His teachings which He set before us through His servants the prophets. 11 "Indeed all Israel has transgressed Your law and turned aside, not obeying Your voice; so the curse has been poured out on us, along with the oath which is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, for we have sinned against Him. 12 “Thus He has confirmed His words which He had spoken against us and against our rulers who ruled us, to bring on us great calamity; for under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what was done to Jerusalem. 13 "As it is written in the law of Moses, all this calamity has come on us; yet we have not sought the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our iniquity and giving attention to Your truth. 14 "Therefore the LORD has kept the calamity in store and brought it on us; for the LORD our God is righteous with respect to all His deeds which He has done, but we have not obeyed His voice. 15 "And now, O Lord our God, who have brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and have made a name for Yourself, as it is this day-we have sinned, we have been wicked.”

            The first thing I want to write about this morning is the highlighted words or the personal pronouns in the section above.  I count ten times the word “we” is used in these verses and six times the word “us” is used along with words like all and our.  The point that I want to make is that Daniel is including himself in the calamity that has happened to Israel.  I have mentioned in earlier SD’s from the book of Daniel that there does not seem to me any of Daniel’s sins mentioned in the Word of God, similar to Joseph.  This surely is not common in the OT, for many of the sins of the saints are mentioned in the OT and Paul points out that these sins that were mentioned are for the benefit of the saints in the NT so that we will not commit them too.  Now we want to talk about why Daniel would include himself in the sins that caused Israel to go into captivity.  I truly believe that Daniel knew that he was a sinner before God and I think that this is why he includes himself.  The Apostle Paul wrote the book of Romans and in that book he lays the ground work to show that “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”  He does a masterful job in showing that there is none righteous before the Lord as we all have sinned; we all have missed the mark of perfection before the Lord.  Only Jesus lived a perfect life as a human being on this earth, and that is why He was the only One to take all of our sins upon Him on the cross to pay for them, and then die for our sins but that is not the end for after being buried for three days God raised Him from the dead to show that He was satisfied for His payment of our sins.  In order to have the great exchange that God offers us as explained in 2 Corinthians 5:21 “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.”  Get that?  Jesus became sin for us, the One who knew no sin or committed no sin, so that in the grace of God we receive His righteousness so that we can stand in front of God in perfection and enter into His heaven.  Daniel knew this truth and therefore he included himself here causing the problem Israel was in. 

            Dr. Wiersbe writes “God doesn’t have to wait for the entire nation to repent and cry out for mercy; He will start to work when He hears the believing prayers of one faithful intercessor.”  Daniel surely was on faith intercessor. 

            We can also see from this prayer that God had been greatly patient with the nation of Israel, His covenant people, but finally, because of His Word had to send them into captivity, something Daniel realizes as he prays the prayer to the Lord.  There was nothing that Daniel had to stand on as far as goodness for his people, but only on the great mercy that God offers.  “15 The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to them again and again by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place; 16 but they continually mocked the messengers of God, despised His words and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, until there was no remedy (2 Chronicles 36:15-16).”

            There was great consequence for the nations rebellion as verse eight speaks of “Open shame belongs to us, O Lord, to our kings, our princes and our fathers, because we have sinned against You.”  Israel became a people who covered with shame, and the also became a scarred people.  The movie “Fiddler on the Roof” speaks of Israel being scattered, as the movie takes place in (I think) Russia, and shows that the Jewish people were actually still being disciplined for what they did to Jesus when He came to be their Messiah and they rejected Him.  We will get to this part of the prophecy in Daniel at a later date as Daniel actually fortells of this coming.  Other consequences were having enemy soldiers in their beloved city of Jerusalem, and the destruction of the temple.  It is no wonder that they were ashamed of their sinfulness. 

            In an earlier SD on Daniel nine we looked at a passage from the book of Leviticus that spoke of what would happen if Israel sinned like they did in order for God to take them out of their country.  “Leviticus 26:40-45 “40 ’If they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their forefathers, in their unfaithfulness which they committed against Me, and also in their acting with hostility against Me- 41  I also was acting with hostility against them, to bring them into the land of their enemies-or if their uncircumcised heart becomes humbled so that they then make amends for their iniquity, 42  then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and I will remember also My covenant with Isaac, and My covenant with Abraham as well, and I will remember the land. 43 ’For the land will be abandoned by them, and will make up for its Sabbaths while it is made desolate without them. They, meanwhile, will be making amends for their iniquity, because they rejected My ordinances and their soul abhorred My statutes. 44  ’Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, nor will I so abhor them as to destroy them, breaking My covenant with them; for I am the LORD their God. 45  ’But I will remember for them the covenant with their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God. I am the LORD.’"  This tells exactly what happened to Israel because of their sin.

            Dr. Wiersbe writes:  “But there was something even worse than the sins that brought divine punishment to Israel.  It was the refusal of the Jews to repent and confess their sins even after being taken captive!  They spent their time praying for judgment against Babylon (Ps. 137) rather than seeking God’s face and asking for His forgiveness.  God’s will for Israel in captivity was outlined in Jeremiah 29, but the Jews didn’t always follow it.  Daniel’s approach was biblical:  ‘For the Lord our God is righteous in everything He does’ (Dan. 9:14), NIV).  Why would He bring His people out of Egypt and then allow them to waste away in Babylon?  Daniel knew that God had purposes for Israel to fulfill, and so he reminded God of His past mercies (vs. 15).”  When we get into the prophetic message of this chapter we will see some of those purposes.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  There are times when God gives me tests and there are times when I am being disciplined for sinful behavior.  God tests but Satan tempts, and that is good to remember.  I pray that the Holy Spirit will give me insight into when God is testing me and when Satan is tempting me, and when I am being disciplined for sinful behavior, so that I can confess it to the Lord.  Israel did not realize that they needed to confess their sins before the Lord, and as Dr. Wiersbe says all they wanted was release from Babylon.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust the Lord to see me through the physical problems that I am facing at this time.

Memory verses for the week:  1 John 5:13a, and Titus 3:5a.

These things I have written…that you may know that you have eternal life.

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible Question:  “Barnabas” (Acts 13:4).”

Today’s Bible Question:  “What was the shortest of the Pauline epistles?”

Answer in our next SD.

11/22/2013 11:50 AM

           

PT-2 "Intercession: Praying for God's Mercy" (Dan. 9:4)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/21/2013 7:25 AM

My Worship Time                                        Focus:  Intercession:  Praying for God’s Mercy PT-2

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Daniel 9:4

            Message of the verses:  We will be looking at the second sub-point under this main point that is listed above.

            Worshiping the Lord (Daniel 9:4):  “4 I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed and said, "Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments,”

            Daniel did not rush into his prayer by asking God something, although there are times when we have to do that.  Think about Peter when he was walking on the water and then looked around at the waves and prayed to the Lord, “Save me.” 

            I have found it kind of amazing that Daniel’s prayer found in Daniel 9 and Ezra’s prayer is also in Ezra 9, and Nehemiah’s prayer is in Nehemiah 9, so it makes it easier to remember these three great prayers of these three great saints of God from the OT.  Ezra prayed “3 When I heard about this matter, I tore my garment and my robe, and pulled some of the hair from my head and my beard, and sat down appalled. 4 Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel on account of the unfaithfulness of the exiles gathered to me, and I sat appalled until the evening offering.  5 But at the evening offering I arose from my humiliation, even with my garment and my robe torn, and I fell on my knees and stretched out my hands to the LORD my God;” Nehemiah prayed “5 Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah, said, "Arise, bless the LORD your God forever and ever! O may Your glorious name be blessed And exalted above all blessing and praise! 6 “You alone are the LORD. You have made the heavens, The heaven of heavens with all their host, The earth and all that is on it, The seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them And the heavenly host bows down before You.”

            My prayer life begins with confession and then praise, and then supplication and then thanksgiving is the way that I desire it to end.  Dr. Wiersbe says “It is important that we focus on the character of God and not become too preoccupied with ourselves and our burdens.  The ‘invocation’ to Daniel’s prayer is a primer of biblical theology.  His words describe a God who is great and faithful to keep His promises, a God who loves His people and gives them His Word to obey so that He can bless them.  He is a merciful God (Dan. 9:18) who forgives the sins of His people when they come to Him in contrition and confession.”  Nehemiah prayed this same way when in chapter one we see that His prayer was over the building of the walls of Jerusalem that were in ruins. 

            Dr. Wiersbe completes this section writing “It’s one thing to pray to the Lord and quite something else to be a worshiping intercessor.  When we see the greatness and glory of God, it helps to put our own burdens and needs in proper perspective.  By exercising even little faith in a great God, we can move the hand of God to accomplish wonders that will glorify His name.  Dr. Robert A. Cook used to say, ‘If you can explain what’s going on in your ministry, God didn’t do it.”

             Spiritual meaning for my life today:  This week I have been studying the prayer of Daniel from chapter nine, and studying a chapter on prayer for the Sunday school class I go to, and last night the message at our Wednesday night prayer meeting was also on prayer.  I have been praying that God would do a work in my prayer life.  He is answering that prayer.

My Steps of Faith for Today:   Listen to what God is teaching me about prayer and follow it.

Memory verses for the week:  1 John 5:13a and Titus 3:5a

These things I have written… that you may know that you have eternal life.

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy he saved us.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible Question:  “Shunem” (2 Kings 4:8).

Today’s Bible Question:  “Who help Paul on his first missionary journey?”

Answer in our next SD.

11/21/2013 8:25 AM