Daniel 10
Daniel had another vision regarding future verse 1
In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing
was revealed unto Daniel
whose name was called Belteshazzar
and the thing was true
BUT the time appointed was long
and he understood the thing
and had understanding of the vision
Daniel mourned three full weeks verse 2- 3
In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks
I ate no pleasant bread – neither came flesh
nor wine in my mouth
neither did I anoint myself at all
till three whole weeks were fulfilled
Daniel describes a man clothed in fine linen verse 4- 6
And in the four and twentieth day of the first month
as I was by the side of the great river – which is Hiddekel
THEN I lifted up mine eyes – and looked
and behold a certain man clothed in linen
whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz
his body also was like the beryl
his face as the appearance of lightning
his eyes as lamps of fire
his arms and his feet like in color
to polished brass and the voice of his words
like the voice of a multitude
Daniel alone saw the vision verse 7- 9
And I Daniel alone saw the vision
for the men that were with me saw not the vision
BUT a great quaking fell upon them
so that they fled to hide themselves
THEREFORE I was left alone – and saw this great vision
and there remained no strength in me
for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption
and I retained no strength
YET heard I the voice of his words
and when I heard the voice of his words
THEN I was in a deep sleep on my face
and my face toward the ground
Daniel touched by the angel verse 10- 11
And –BEHOLD – a hand touched me [1]
which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands
And he said unto me
O Daniel – a man greatly beloved
understand the words that I speak unto you
and stand upright – for unto you am I now sent
AND when he had spoken this word unto me – I stood trembling
Man talks of a battle between angels in heaven verse 12- 14
THEN said he unto me – Fear not – Daniel
for from the first day that thou didst set your heart to understand
and to chasten yourself before thy God
your words were heard – and I am come for your words
BUT the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days
BUT – lo – Michael – one of the chief princes – came to help me
and I remained there with the kings of Persia
NOW I am come to make you understand what shall befall your people
IN THE LATTER DAYS – for yet the vision is for many days
Daniel tells of his weakness verse 15- 17
AND when he had spoken such words unto me
I set my face toward the ground
and I became dumb
AND – BEHOLD – one like the similitude of the sons of men
touched [2] my lips
THEN I opened my mouth – and spoke
and said unto him that stood before me
O my lord – by the vision my sorrows are turned upon me
and I have retained no strength
FOR how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord?
FOR as for me – straightway there remained no strength in me
neither is there breath left in me
Daniel touched again by an angel verse 18
THEN there came again and touched [3] me one
like the appearance of a man
and he strengthened me
Daniel was strengthened verse 19
And said – O man greatly beloved – fear not – peace be unto you
Be strong – yea – be strong
AND when he had spoken unto me
I was strengthened – and said
Let my lord speak for you have strengthened me
Angel tells of continual fighting in heaven between angels verse 20
THEN said he – Know you wherefore I come unto you?
AND NOW will I return to fight with the prince of Persia
AND when I am gone forth – lo
the prince of Grecia shall come
Message regarding the Scripture of Truth verse 21
BUT I will show you that which is noted in the Scripture of truth
and there is none that holds with me in these things
BUT Michael your prince
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 2 When this vision came to me, I, Daniel, had been in mourning for three whole weeks.
:3 All that time I had eaten no rich food. No meat or wine crossed my lips, and I used no fragrant lotions until those three weeks had passed. (2531 “pleasant” [chemed] means desirable, delight, beauty, the best or most valuable things available, precious things, or treasure.)
DEVOTION: As a young believer you might not understand the importance of fasting and prayer. The book of Daniel emphasizes the importance of communication with the LORD. HE wants us to realize that we have total access to HIM every moment of every day. HE wants to hear from us to show our dependence on HIM. It is one of the most important disciplines of the Christian faith.
Daniel was praying for something he really wanted an answer to in his life and ministry with those who were in captivity. The seventy years that the prophet Jeremiah had spoken of for the term of the captivity were almost over and Daniel wanted to know the future of Israel.
The LORD didn’t send an answer right away but Daniel had to wait twenty-one days for an answer to a prayer he was praying all that time. God sometimes makes us wait for an answer to prayer. We should be willing to wait for HIM. Sometimes HE wants to know how serious we are to get an answer. Fasting or skipping a meal or a day of meal or as Daniel did here he skipped twenty- one days of meals. That is a long time but if we need a serious answer to a serious question we need to think about prayer and fasting for more than one day.
It even sounds like he would have gone longer. The LORD went forty days without food before HE faced the devil in the wilderness. HE set the example for us.
CHALLENGE: Challenges are part of life and sometimes if we are looking for answers from the LORD we need to fast for longer periods of time. Are you willing to do this to receive an answer to prayer?
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 12 Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that you did set your heart to understand and to chasten yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I am come for your words. (6031 “chasten” [‘anah] means humble, afflict, exercised, be bowed down, humble oneself by fasting, abase self or to submit oneself.)
DEVOTION: When a servant of God wants to understand what is happening in his life and in the lives of other he sometimes needs to do it with fasting and prayer.
Daniel wanted to know more information regarding the future. He prayed and waited for the LORD to respond to his prayer. It took twenty-one days of prayer and fasting for the answer to arrive.
We need to understand that there is fighting going on all around us that we never see. The angel Gabriel gives us this insight by informing Daniel that he was fighting with the evil angels of Persia before he could come with an answer to the prayer. He needed the help of Michael the archangel in that battle.
Daniel was told to not fear. We are told throughout the Bible not to fear. God loves HIS children and cares for them. There is nothing to fear. We are to reverence the LORD but to be afraid of the works of the devil should not be in our vocabulary. We need to tell Satan to get behind us.
Our prayer life is key to having the strength to fight off the fears and worries of this life. In the strength of the LORD we can face any enemy and have victory.
CHALLENGE: If we are to have victory we need to practice fasting and prayer at times in our life. God might allow the answer to be delayed but it is coming.
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: 18 Then again, the one having the likeness of a man touched me and strengthened me. (5060 “touched” [naga] means to reach, to afflict, strike, to touch the heart, to make physical contact with, come in contact with, or to be stricken.)
DEVOTION: We all like to have someone love us. We all need a hug once in a while. Even a hearty handshake can encourage our spirit. Today we have many people who have very few real friends or family member who care to encourage. It can be a very discouraging world we live in.
God through HIS prophets and the disciples of the New Testament informs HIS children that HE loves them. “God is love” is the statement we read in a few places in the New Testament.
Here we find that Daniel needed strengthening and the LORD had someone touch him three times. Each time Daniel was strengthened. The LORD want to strengthen us on a regular basis. HE can do it through reading HIS Word the Bible. HE can do it through HIS angels. But most of the time HE uses a fellow human being to encourage us.
Maybe you are one of those HE can use to encourage others through a smile, a warm handshake or a hug. I am a hugger. Some appreciate it and others don’t but the Holy Spirit will give me wisdom regarding who needs a hug and who doesn’t.
Sometime a note in the mail or a phone call with prayer can be just what the Holy Spirit can us to encourage others. One of the ministries that each of us who are believers should have is that of encouragement.
CHALLENGE: Be an encourager to others.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 21 But I will show thee that which is noted in the Scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince. (3791 “scripture” [kathab] means writing, edit, document, or register.)
DEVOTION: Daniel had been reading the prophecies of Jeremiah. This is a reliable book. It is said to be a book of the decrees of God.
Remember the LORD has a plan for the future and that plan is going to happen. Why? Because it is a statement of TRUTH. The Bible is TRUTH. Today we have many telling us that there is no such thing as truth. Everything we say is just our opinion. They say everything is relative nothing is absolute. That is not what the Bible teaches.
Our Bible is absolute truth. Our Bible is inerrant. There is only one way to come to the Father and that is through Jesus Christ HIS son who died on the cross for our sins. Our beliefs are exclusive! They are based on the Word of God alone.
The prophecy regarding the seventy years was going be fulfilled. The truth of the Word of God is stated here. The angel was delivering a message from God to Daniel.
He told Daniel about the fighting that goes on behind the scenes. Good angels fighting bad angels. Each nation has an angel assigned to it. The angel that was to deliver a message to Daniel was prevented for twenty-one days because of the fighting the evil angel over the Persian nation. This could be a good reason not to think that this messenger is a theophany. Christ would not have needed the help of Michael. Michael came to the aid of this messenger. Michael seems to be stronger than just a regular angel. He is the prince of Israel. He is also described as a chief angel. Remember that there seem to be at least twenty-two types of angels revealed in the Word of God. Also, remember that they are always referred to as masculine.
The message is that there is a future hope for Israel. If there is a future hope for Israel, than there is a future hope for us as well. If there is an angel for the nations of Israel, Persia and Greece than there must be an angel for the nation of America.
Do we realize that there is fighting going on between the good angels and the evil angels over the nation of America? We don’t think that there is a lot of demon activity here in America but if we really look around we will find it going on all around us.
Which angel is winning regarding our nation? Remember the LORD rises up leaders and takes them down. That means nations too. Prepare to see the word of God fulfilled. We have the Document of TRUTH!!! Let us share these truths with others.
CHALLENGE: We say that we believe the Bible. Is it absolute truth in our eyes? If so, we need to practice what we learn from the Word of God.
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Daniel fasting 21 days to learn about vision verse 3
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Mourning three full weeks verse 2, 3
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Scripture of Truth verse 21
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Scripture of Truth verse 21
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign, Plural name) verse 12
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Certain man (Gabriel) verse 5- 7, 18
Touched by an angel verse 10-12
Evil angel: prince of kingdom of Persia verse 13, 20
Angel helped by Michael verse 13
Michael – chief prince of angels verse 13
Similitude of the sons of men touched verse 16
Evil angel: prince of Grecia verse 20
Michael – your prince verse 21
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Cyrus – king of Persia verse 1, 13
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
True verse 1
Time appointed verse 1
Understanding verse 1, 12, 14
Fasting verse 3
Touched of the LORD for strength verse 10, 16, 18
Greatly beloved verse 11, 19
Fear not verse 12, 19
Chastened yourself verse 12
Servant verse 17
Strengthened verse 18, 19
Peace verse 19
Be strong verse 19
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Daniel (Belteshazzar) verse 1, 2, 7
Vision verse 7
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Latter Days verse 14
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QUOTES regarding passage
10:21 Gabriel told Daniel the purpose of his visit, answering the question asked in the previous verse. The “Book of Truth” figuratively refers to God’s plan for Israel and the world, not merely the revelation entrusted to Daniel. Keil comments that it “is the book in which God has designated beforehand, according to truth, the history of the world as it shall certainly be unfolded.”
Before sharing the message, the angel added further parenthetical information. Michael’s special assignment apparently was to assist and protect the nation Israel. No one except Michael supported Gabriel in his spiritual warfare—not because no one else was available but because no one else was needed. (Miller, S. R. (1994). Daniel (Vol. 18, p. 289). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
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20–21 In this paragraph of chapter 10, the interpreting angel indicated that he was still in combat for the Lord and would soon have to return to the battlefield and fight against renewed attacks from the demon assigned to Persia by the prince of hell (“the prince of Persia,” śar pārās, v.20). This antagonist would be succeeded and perhaps aided by another satanic champion called the “prince of Greece” (śaryāwān).
These references to contests of strength between the warriors of heaven and the warriors of hell raise interesting questions. Where do such battles take place? Revelation 12:7 suggests that they are waged up in “heaven,” for we read: “There was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.” The subsequent verses relate that in that future contest (which apparently will take place during the Great Tribulation), the dragon (i.e., Satan himself; cf. Rev 20:2) will be vanquished and cast out of heaven, compelled to confine his activities to the earth alone. At present he enjoys the status of “ruler of the kingdom of the air” (Eph 2:2). We have no way of knowing how bodiless spirits—heavenly or hellish—fight one another or what weapons they use. But the Bible tells us that they are organized into various provinces or domains, which are referred to in the NT as archai (“governments,” “rulers”), exousiai (“authorities”), and enjoy the status of kosmokratores (“world rulers,” “powers of this world”). Without flesh and blood, they are evil spirit-beings who occupy assigned superterrestrial regions (cf. Eph 6:12: “the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm”). It is encouraging for God’s people to know that he has mighty champions among the holy angels whose task is to defend the saints against the attacks of the evil one. (Archer, G. L., Jr. (1986). Daniel. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Daniel and the Minor Prophets (Vol. 7, pp. 126–127). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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In the 14th verse the angel tells Daniel that he had come to make him understand what should befall the prophet’s people, the Jews, in the latter days. At this Daniel set his face toward the ground and became dumb. Another angel then drew near and touched his lips, at which he spoke aloud and said unto the glorious being who stood before him, “O my lord, by the vision my sorrows are turned upon me, and I have retained no strength. For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord? For as for me, straightway there remaineth no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me.” The ministering angel touched him again, strengthening him and bidding him fear not but be strong. At this Daniel bade the revealing angel speak on. He tells him that he must return to fight with the prince of Persia, and that when he has gone forth, the prince of Grecia shall come. But first he is commissioned to show Daniel “that which is noted in the Scripture of truth.” This is clearly a record kept, not on earth, but in heaven; the omniscient God having outlined, long before it comes to pass on earth, the events to occur in the kingdoms of men. This revelation is given us in the next chapter.
As “in the roll of the book” it was written of the eternal Son of God, “I delight to do Thy will, O my God; yea, Thy law is within My heart”; and just as every step of His journey from the throne of the universe down to the cross of Calvary, and back to the throne, yea, on to the ages of ages, was foreknown from before the foundation of the world, so has God foreseen all that is to transpire upon this planet in the affairs of men. In the “Scripture of truth” recorded above, all is ever before His eyes: let Satan and evil men rage as they will, He “worketh all things after the counsel of His own will.”
The Christian heart may surely rest in this; rejoicing in this knowledge, that, at all times,
“God sits as sovereign on His throne,
And ruleth all things well!” (Ironside, H. A. (1953). Lectures on Daniel the Prophet (2d ed., pp. 189–190). New York: Loizeaux Bros.)
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10:21 writing of truth. God’s plan of certain and true designs for men and nations, which He can reveal according to His discretion (11:2; Is 46:9–11). except Michael. The angel with Michael intended to handle the demons of Persia and Greece. This actually forms the heavenly basis for the earthly unfolding of history in 11:2–35. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Da 10:21). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
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Ver. 21. But I will shew that which is noted in the Scripture of truth, &c.] Not in the written word, though there are many things relating to what should befall the Jews in the latter day, especially in Deut. 28 but in the decrees and purposes of God, which are sometimes signified by a book, and things written in it; because so particular and distinct, and so sure and certain, and which will be most truly, infallibly, and punctually performed: these are noted, marked, engraven, in the eternal mind of God; they are in writing, and they are truth, as it may be rendered, since there is a distinguishing accent between Scripture and truth; they are written in the book of God’s decrees, and are his true and faithful words and sayings, and will most surely be accomplished: now these are the deep things of God, which angels themselves know nothing of, till they are revealed unto them: the angel here having a revelation of such of them as concerned the future monarchies of the earth, and the case of the Jews under them, promises to shew them to Daniel; which was the work he was appointed to do: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your Prince; Christ the Prince of the kings of the earth, he was the Prince, Protector, and Guardian of the people of the Jews; he is the Angel that went before them in the wilderness, and guarded them in it, and guided them into the land of Canaan; he is the Angel of God’s presence, that bore, carried, and saved them all the days of old, and was their King and their God, their Defender and Deliverer, still; he took their part, and was on their side; yea, he was on the side of, and took part with, them that were for them, the holy angels; and there was none but him that exerted his power, and strengthened Gabriel to act for them in these things relating to their peace and prosperity: or, against these, as it may be rendered; against the princes of Persia and Greece, the evil spirits that worked in these kingdoms, in the children of disobedience there; and had it not been for him, and the exertion of his mighty power, it would have been soon all over with the people of the Jews; as it would be now with the church of Christ, of which they were typical, but the Lord is on their side; Michael the Archangel, and his angels under him, fight for it, protect and defend it; and since he is for his people, who shall be against them? or to what purpose will an opposition be? the gates of hell cannot prevail against the church of God, the saints of the most High. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 6, p. 353). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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FROM MY READING:
2 Kings 20
In answer to Hezekiah’s prayer, the Lord extends his life.
INSIGHT
Hezekiah’s contribution to our lives is probably very great. We read of his zeal for the house of Jehovah and for the worship of Jehovah and of his strict adherence to the Davidic traditions (2 Chronicles 29:3-19; 20-27; 30). His delight is in the Word of Jehovah. In 2 Chronicles 31:21, we read of the “work” which Hezekiah began “in the law and in the commandment.” Apparently he formed a guild of men for this devout literary work. These “men of Hezekiah” evidently included Isaiah (2 Kings 19:2) and also had a hand in shaping the book of Proverbs (Proverbs 25:1). What a contribution this ancient one has made to our lives today! (Quiet Time)
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THE REAL REASON FOR REVIVAL: THE HONOR OF THE CHURCH Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin… Exodus 32:32
The second real reason for revival—and it must always come in the second place, never in the first—is a concern about the honor of the church itself. In Exodus 33 there is nothing more wonderful than the way in which Moses shows his concern for…the nation of Israel. God had been giving Moses some wonderful intimations of His loving interest in him, but Moses is not content with that. Moses does not merely seek personal blessings. He wants to make sure that the children of Israel, as a whole, are going to be involved in this blessing.
He is given again a wonderful example of that in Exodus 32, one of the most glorious passages in the Old Testament. “And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the LORD; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin. And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet….” It is as if he breaks down and cannot speak any longer. He is in great agony of soul. “Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin—…” He pauses and then he is able to speak: “and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written” (Exodus 32:30-32). “I do not want to go on living,” he says in essence, “if You are not going to include them in the blessing.”
God had said, “I am going to blot out this people—I am going to make a nation out of you.”
“No,” says Moses, “blot me out as well. I do not want to go on without them.”
Oh, this is true intercession [needed by those] concerned about the state of the whole church.
A Thought to Ponder: The second real reason for revival is a concern about the honor of the church itself. (From Revival, pp. 191-192, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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A Tree of Life
“She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.” (Proverbs 3:18)
The tree of life in the Garden of Eden was a literal tree, whose marvelous fruit apparently had the medicinal ability to retard the aging process indefinitely, even for men and women under God’s curse (Genesis 3:22-24). This amazing tree will be planted again along the streets and rivers of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 22:2-3).
The writer of Proverbs used this tree and its health-giving qualities as a symbol of four attributes of a God-centered, spiritual life that can bring blessing to all those touched by it. First of all, true wisdom is like a tree of life, imparting true happiness to all those partaking of it, then guarding it.
Next, “the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise” (Proverbs 11:30). A life exhibiting genuine righteousness, like one manifesting genuine wisdom, yields wholesome spiritual fruit to those in real contact with it.
The third figure is given in Proverbs 13:12. “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.” Nothing is more rejuvenating to the spirit than for a dream suddenly to come true after long-continued hope has almost gone. An abiding, confident, always-continuing life of hope is a tree of life.
Finally, “a wholesome tongue is a tree of life” (Proverbs 15:4). “Wholesome” here means “healing.” One can become a veritable tree of life by using the God-given privilege of speech not to complain or criticize, not in vulgarity or foolishness, but to help, encourage, instruct, and comfort.
May God help each of us to be a spiritual tree of life by attaining and demonstrating true wisdom, by living in genuine righteousness, by always maintaining an attitude of confident hope, and by speaking only words of edification that “minister grace unto the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29). (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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Back on October 22, 1844, tens of thousands of Americans who followed a preacher named William Miller, eagerly awaited the Second Coming of Christ. By “await,” I don’t mean that they had a general hope or belief, as in, “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead.”
I mean they expected Jesus to return on that day. In anticipation, many had settled their debts and given away what remained of their property. Some had slaughtered their animals to feed others and freed their slaves.
To put it in contemporary language, they were all in. But the day came, and the day went. Eventually, it became known as “The Great Disappointment,” leaving people disillusioned and financially unprepared for a future they were certain wouldn’t exist.
Today, the Millerites are regarded as, at best, pitiable, and at worst, fools. They are often held up as an example of the dangers of religious thinking run amok.
A recent story in MarketWatch shows that the Millerites aren’t the only ones who let apocalyptic thinking get in the way of prudence.
According to the National Institute on Retirement Security, two-thirds of those born between 1981 and 1996, a.k.a., “Millennials,” have saved nothing for retirement.
There are many reasons this shouldn’t surprise us. In addition to the sense of immortality associated with being young, this generation came of age during the Great Recession. Between student loans and lower-than-expected earnings, they often have trouble making ends meet, much less planning for retirement.
But there’s another, somewhat surprising reason some have offered for their lack of savings: climate change.
One 27-year-old told MarketWatch that, while she wanted to “hope for the best and plan for a future that is stable and secure,” she didn’t see how “things could not be chaotic in 50 years.” She even used the word “apocalyptic.”
When we first came across that story, I wondered if she was an outlier. She wasn’t. Another person interviewed for the article said he wasn’t saving for retirement for the same reasons he wasn’t planning to marry or have children: “The more you read the more you feel like, unless something very radically changes soon, it’s going to be downright cruel to have children in the future.”
They’re not alone in this bleak view of the future. A 2018 report from the American Psychological Association found that 72 percent of Millennials reported that their “emotional well-being is affected by the inevitability of climate change.”
For some, this “inevitability” overshadows their hopes and dreams for the future, including any desire to save for the future. One executive of an online investment firm told MarketWatch that “[f]rom a perception point of view, I hear a lot of cynicism about the ability to build retirement savings or whether they will be able to retire at all.”
The resemblance to those people who, back in 1844, sold their possessions awaiting the apocalypse is not coincidental. As I’ve said before on BreakPoint, modern discourse is often a parody of Christian ideas and concepts. Even after people cease to believe in Christianity, their way of thinking and talking about the world reflects what philosopher John Gray called “secular reincarnation of Christian beliefs.”
An obvious example is the use of the word “apocalyptic.” But so is the idea that history comes with an “expiration date,” which no amount of human planning can forestall.
As my colleague Shane Morris noted on Facebook, “The more you study climate change as a political and cultural phenomenon, the more you realize how much it’s replaced fundamentalist, rapture-centered religion.”
Of course, today’s religious fervor differs from the 19th century Millerites in one very important way. The Millerites’ disappointment came from a dashed hope. But hope is one thing that holders of this 21st century climate-apocalypticism sorely lack.
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A public meeting in Alaska began with an invocation that included the mantra “Hail Satan!” The invocation, given by a member of the Satanic Temple, led to walkouts from attendees and officials, as well as protests outside the meeting.
The incident took place at the Kenia Peninsula Borough Assembly meeting in southern Alaska. Iris Fontana, a member of the Satanic Temple, was the first member of a nontraditional religion to offer the invocation at the meeting after the Assembly was forced to change their policy about who could offer invocations.
In the invocation, she said, “Let us be present in this moment, clear our minds and be free of outdated propaganda and regulations that were created by historical people who were afraid of the unknown. Let us embrace the impulse to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, so that we may let go of comforting delusions, and see the truth in the world. Let us demand that humans be judged for their actions, not their loyalty to useless social norms, labels, and categories. Let us stand firm against all authority that tries to threaten the unalienable rights of all humans. Let us cast aside our differences to use reason, logic, science, and compassion to create solutions for the greater good of our community. It is Done. Hail Satan. Thank you.”
According to the Anchorage Daily News, Fontana also offered an invocation before the assembly in 2016, as well as an atheist, who said “I urge you to try and walk a mile in the opposition’s shoes, and let reason and logic guide your compassion to a decision.”
This led the assembly to adopt a policy which only allowed members of recognized religious groups with a presence on the peninsula to offer invocations. The American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska brought a lawsuit against the assembly on behalf of Fontana, Lance Hunt, an atheist, and Elise Boyer, a member of the Jewish Community in the city of Homer. Anchorage Superior Court Jude Andrew Peterson found that the invocation violated the establishment clause of the Alaskan Constitution.
In November, the assembly voted against appealing the decision and changed their policy to allow all religious groups to offer an invocation. Barrett Fletcher, pastor of the First Lower Peninsula Congregation of Pastafarians, called on the assembly to do away with invocations. He said people will be offended when he offers the invocation and prays to the “creator of the universe, the Great Flying Spaghetti Monster.”
Another community member, Greg Anderson, warned the room to be ready to hear something they don’t like when he offers the next invocation. “This is just some advanced notice for those of you who have a hard time accepting that some people have beliefs that are different than your own. You can turn your back and walk out like I witnessed this evening.”
Scott Slayton writes at “One Degree to Another.”
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