December 3
Daniel 11:2-35 | PS 122:1-9 | Prov 29:1 | 1 John 3:7-24
As we complete the book of Daniel, it is hard not to marvel at its contents and be impressed with this man. Though he was obviously intelligent, gifted, and talented, it was not this which distinguished him. He was a man of faith and obedience. Though he was intelligent, this is not what he leaned on. Today, there are so many cynics, so many skeptics, so many unintelligent or modestly intelligent individuals who, in pride, elevate their own intelligence. They say, "prove it to me". They say, "this doesn't make sense to me". They say, "unless I understand this, I choose not to believe." Faith is defined for us in Hebrews 11:1, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." That is why faith is not measured on a scale of intelligence, but more on a scale of humility. It is why Jesus begins His Sermon on the Mount, transforming the way we view the world with, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven." This poverty of spirit, is the opposite of pride. What can be easily missed, is that though Daniel's prophecies span nearly seventy years, there are not that many actual visions or dreams that he is given. These visions are spaced over long segments of time as described by the year mentioned of the particular king that was in power. By faith, Daniel was always prepared. There were times that he was given the interpretations as in Daniel 2 and 4, but there are other times that he simply wrote them down, not comprehending what he was writing, as we read in Daniel 12:8, "Although, I heard, I did not understand. Then I said, "My lord, what shall be the end of these things?" In fact, we read in 1 Peter 1:10-12, that, "Of this salvation the prophets inquired and searched carefully,...To them it was revealed that not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you...". In faith, they wrote that which they didn't fully comprehend. In faith they relied on obedience, not on their comprehension, to put forth the words given them.
Since most of us are not experts on Persian or Grecian history, Daniel 11, might seem tedious. But enclosed in this one chapter is over one hundred distinct and very specific prophecies, including people such as Alexander the Great, Cleopatra, and Antiochus Epiphanes, all of which came true over the next four hundred years. Because of this and the proof this book gives for the truth of God's Word in Scripture, this book has come under more attack by skeptics than most others. Many skeptics claim because of its accuracy that Daniel didn't truly author this book, but instead it was written later with one group claiming it being written around 170 BC and another group stating 50 AD, when in reality it was written by Daniel around 536 BC. So how do we know that it is authentic and how are the skeptics silenced. Among the proofs are: 1) The Septuagint (Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures done by Hebrew Scribes) were compiled in 285 BC before most of these dates and includes the entire book of Daniel. 2) The Dead Sea Scrolls which were written starting in 150 BC contains the book of Daniel. 3) The Roman Historian, Josephus describes when Alexander the Great approached the city of Jerusalem approximately 330 BC, that one of the Jewish priests showed him the prophecy concerning him and the Greek empire in the book of Daniel and he chose to spare Jerusalem. 4) Ezekiel one of Daniel's contemporaries taken in the second wave of captivity in 597 BC mentions Daniel by name in Ezekiel 14:14 and places him in the same category as Noah and Job. 5) Most importantly, Jesus quotes Daniel and refers to him as a true prophet in Matthew 24:15, something He would not have done if the book of Daniel was not true prophecy.
God gets to decide what is revealed to us and when. God's timing is always perfect. The question is whether or not we are willing to accept this truth in faith, and move forward in obedience despite the fact that we don't possess all of the answers. We read in Daniel 12:4, "But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase." Again he writes in 12:9, "...Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end." Yet to John, we read in Revelation 22:10, "..."Do not seal the words of the prophecy in this book, for the time is at hand." In pride, people want answers and want to understand them all. In humility, we understand that we are only vessels and God will reveal to us that which He believes we need to know. The more important question is whether or not our names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Whether one understands it or not, eternity will come when we breathe our last. Our destination will not be determined by answering a multiple choice test to ascertain our knowledge and intellect, but will be determined by whether or not we repented and humbled ourselves before Almighty God, and if we accepted the finished work of salvation offered by Jesus Christ. We are either covered by His blood or not. This might seem overly simplistic, but it is not.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: