Daniel 7
COMMENTARY:
: 16 I came near to one of them that stood by and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things. (1156 “asked” [ba‘ba] means seek, desire, request, make petition, beseech, pray for, or beg.)
DEVOTION: There is meaning to life. Those who are followers of Jesus Christ know that HE came to give life meaning. Life without HIM would mean that we have no one to guide us properly. HE gave us instruction in the Bible, so that, we could know what truth really is and how to practice it.
Our world today is trying to tell us that there is no truth. They are trying to say that whatever you think is truth is truth. You can make up your own truth. There is no falsehood. If you believe it is true then it is true.
The Bible states that this is not so. Only God give us truth. All truth is God’s truth. So we need to check out what others say is true.
Example that could be given in school is that you don’t have to obey your parents if you don’t want to. You can declare yourself independent of your parents. Some children have done this.
The Bible states that children are to obey their parents in the LORD and that it is pleasing to the LORD if they do it and HE will bless them for honoring their parents.
Two views, which is right? The choice today is ours. We can either follow the LORD or we can follow what men say to be true. Daniel wanted to know what God was teaching him. We should want the same thing. Listen to God on a regular basis. HE is speaking to us through HIS word the Bible.
CHALLENGE: Our desire should be to be like Daniel and ask questions of the LORD and wait for HIS answers.
: 18 But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever. (6922 “saints” [quaddiyh (Aramaic) means holy, separate, or uniquely pure in morality.) (Remember that Daniel is not in chronological order)
DEVOTION: What a vision Daniel received of the LORD. The New Testament informs us that God spoke in the Old Testament through dreams and visions. Here is a vision of the end times.
Daniel sees the four kingdoms leading up to the Millennial kingdom. The first kingdom is Babylon that Daniel is presently in. The second is the Medo-Persian kingdom that was coming after the reign of Belshazzar. Next comes the Greek kingdom of Alexander the Great. Finally we have the Roman Empire. It is broken up but the little horn is the coming Antichrist of the Tribulation period.
Daniel receives a vision of the throne-room in heaven. The Ancient of Days is on the throne. One like the Son of man is coming before the Father and presented with a kingdom. This is none other than Jesus Christ. It is a beautiful picture. The angel is explaining everything to Daniel as it is happening.
The enemy is able to go against the saints that are on the earth and to speak against the God of heaven for a time period. However, the time period is short and the LORD is going to judge this little horn. He is going to be defeated and the saints are going to be given the kingdom with Christ as their ruler.
Who are these “saints?” It is thought that this word is used of three different groups of saints. The first group is the Old Testament saints that lived until the day of Pentecost. The second group is made up of individuals from the day of Pentecost until the Rapture of the Church. These are New Testament saints. Then there are the Tribulation saints that are followers of the LORD during the time of the Tribulation and into the Kingdom age. In this kingdom the saints are going to serve and obey Christ.
This whole vision troubles Daniel. He cannot understand it all even with an angel explaining it to him. The chapter states that his thinking was troubled and his appearance changed. But he kept all these things in his heart as he knew that they were from the LORD.
Daniel saw the future. It was troubling to him. He saw the different rulers and kingdoms. He saw that they didn’t honor the LORD.
We live in a nation that is turning farther and farther away from the LORD. However, we also live in a nation that has many that love the LORD. It is our responsibility to reach as many as we can before the return of the LORD.
Are we praying for at least one relative, friend, neighbor, or fellow worker to accept the LORD? Who is on your list? Does this vision trouble us? Judgment is coming to our world!!!
An individual who is serving the LORD is going to be set apart for that service. This is even going to happen in the Millennial Reign of Christ. Service is necessary. The LORD requires us to work for HIM in love.
CHALLENGE: With the knowledge of the future we should all have a prayer list of those we love and pray for them daily to become a believer.
: 25 He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, Shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. (NKJV)
DEVOTION: We live in a day and age when everything is changing. Some changes are good but others are bad. One of the things about change is that it can cause confusion for a while.
Daniel is seeing a vision of the future. When there are going to be a lot of changes taking place. One of the changes is that there is coming an Antichrist that is going to change all the laws of the land.
We read in the New Testament that he is going to give a mark on those who are followers of him that will be used to buy and sell things. If you don’t have his mark you will not be able to buy or sell anything.
Who are the ones who don’t receive his mark? They are those who will be following the LORD during a period called the Great Tribulation. This time period covers seven years after those who are followers of the LORD are taken to heaven to stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ to receive rewards. Here on the earth there will be 144,000 witnesses who will receive the seal of the Holy Spirit and they will be witnesses after the church is taken up to heaven.
Now we have two groups on the earth just like today. One group will be witnessing for the LORD and the other group will be fighting anyone who believes in the LORD.
The law of the land in this time period is going to lean toward what the Antichrist sets up. Believers will be persecuted with the intent of death.
CHALLENGE: We have a window now where we can openly witness for the LORD. That window might close at any time. We need to take advantage of all the open doors we have to witness for the LORD.
: 28 Hitherto is the end of the manner. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart. (7475 “cogitations” [ra‘yown] means thoughts, vexation, longings, strivings, contemplation, or mental conception.)
DEVOTION: Have you ever attended a class in high school or college or seminary where the professor/teacher started talking and you didn’t understand a word of what he/she was saying? Now I am not talking about a foreign language. I have attended many classes throughout my life. Some of them were medical classes. Some of them were college classes. Some of the, were seminary classes. I even attended a few doctoral classes. Each one had its own language.
We had a history teacher who just graduated with her Ph.D. and we didn’t understand her at all. She was teaching a college class at a masters or doctoral level to freshmen in college.
Here we have Daniel given a vision of the future that confused him. He didn’t understand most of it even with the explanation of the angel. It was not just the explanation but all the facts regarding the future that troubled him.
We would like everything to be simple. Daniel would just like the kingdom to be set up right away. That is our thoughts sometime as well. God had a plan before the foundation of the world and HE is working HIS plan. HE has NEVER been surprised by what is happening here on this earth. HE never had something happen that HE didn’t know before HE created the world.
Things might confuse us on a daily basis as to what is going to happen next and even when we know the basic plan we still wonder where we are in HIS plan.
Always remember that God is omniscient and nothing happens without HIS knowledge of the beginning and the end.
CHALLENGE: Even in confusion we need to trust HIM. HE will give us what we need to know and then we need to share it with others. Sometimes we can think too much.
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
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)
Wrote the dreamverse 1
Books were openedverse 10
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)
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
Ancient of daysverses 9, 13, 22
Judgment was given to the saints of the MOST HIGH
Fiery stream issued and came forth before HIM
Thousand thousands ministered to him
Ten thousand times ten thousand stood
before HIM – the judgment was set
and the books were opened
Most Highverses 18, 22, 25, 27
Whose king is an everlasting kingdom
All dominions shall serve and obey HIM
Judgeverse 22
Judgment shall sit and take away dominion of beastverse 26
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
Son of manverses 13, 14
Dominion not pass away
Glory
Kingdom not be destroyed
All people
Nations serve HIM
All languages should serve HIM
Everlasting dominion
His kingdom shall not be destroyed
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Belshazzar – king of Babylonverse 1
Four great beasts = kingsverse 17
Lion = kingverses 4, 17
Bear = kingverses 5, 17
Leopard = kingverses 6, 17
Dreadful and terrible – ten hornsverses 7, 8, 17, 19
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Speak great words against the most Highverses 8, 25
War with the saintsverse 21
Change times and lawsverse 25
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Ministeredverse 10
Books were openedverse 10
Grieved in spiritverse 15
Troubled at timesverses 15, 28
Truthverses 16, 19
Interpretationverse 16
Saints [Tribulation]verses 18, 21, 22, 25, 27
Serveverse 27
Obey Godverse 27
Keep matters in heartverse 28
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Danielverses 1, 15-28
had a dream and visions of his
Head upon his bed
then he wrote the dream
And told the sum of matters
grieved in my spirit
visions of my head troubled him
make him know the interpretation of
the things
I would know the truth of the
fourth beast
My cogitations much troubled me
My countenance changed in me
I kept the matter in my heart
Visionverses 2-28
Vision by night
Four winds of the heaven
strove upon the great sea
Four great beasts came up from the sea
lion with eagle’s wings
second beast – three ribs
in his mouth
leopard with four wings
beast with four heads
Little horn – eyes of man
mouth speaking great things
Beast was slain and his body destroyed
and given to the burning flame
I saw one like the Son of man
came with the clouds of heaven
Fourth beast
Diverse from all the others
Exceeding dreadful
Teeth were of iron
Nails of brass – which devoured
broke in pieces
stamped the residue with
his feet
Ten horns in his head that
had eyes
Mouth spoke great things
Made war with the saints and
Prevailed
Fourth kingdom on earth
Devour the whole earth
He shall speak great words against
the Most High
He shall wear out the saints of the
Most High
HE shall think to change times and
Laws until a time and times
and dividing of time
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Saints of the Most Highverses 18, 21, 25
Kingdom forever, even forever and eververse 18
Saints possessed the kingdomverse 22
Everlasting kingdomverse 27
Shall be given to saints of most High
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