Daniel 8
COMMENTARY:
: 17 As Gabriel approached the place where I was standing, I became so terrified that I fell with my face to the ground. “Son of man,” he said, “you must understand that the events you have seen in your vision relate to the time of the end. (NLT)
: 17 So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and feel upon my face: but he said to me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vison. (KJV) (995 “Understand” [biyn] means consider, perceive, discern, teach, explain, or declare.)
DEVOTION: The Bible sometimes can be confusing. The visions of Daniel in the Old Testament were given to show him God’s plan for the future. God knows everything. HE knows everything that will happen in your life.
HE is there to help you make the right decisions but will not force you to. Our choice is a gift from HIM. HE wants us to make the right choices but sometimes we don’t and HE is willing to forgive us if we ask.
Daniel asked the angel Gabriel for help in understanding the vision. One of the things that he told Daniel was that the vision was going to happen in the future. It was not going to happen in his lifetime.
End times are events that are going to happen just before the return of Jesus Christ after a seven year period of Tribulation here on the earth. Those who are believers today will be watching the seven years in heaven. They will return with Christ to conquer this “little horn” that represents the followers of the Devil. One of his followers is known as the Antichrist. He is someone who is the opposite of Jesus Christ. He will make false promises to the children of Israel to have them sign a peace treaty but he will break it after three and a half years.
There is more but we will share it in the future as we continue our study of the Word of God together.
CHALLENGE: Our responsibility is to learn what we can from the Word of God and apply it to our daily life as the LORD gives us wisdom to help others as well as ourselves.
: 25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand. (4820 “craft” [mirmah] means deceit, treachery, false, dishonesty, or deception.)
DEVOTION: One of the ways that false leaders keep their people in line is to lie to them. They use deceit to keep them in line. They use any method they can find to keep the people following them afraid to change leaders. This is what was happening during the reign of the “little horn” in this chapter of Daniel.
In history the little horn was Antiochus Epiphanes who went into the Temple in Jerusalem and offered a pig on the altar of the LORD. He was a very proud ruler. He liked to think of himself as a god. He was not. He was a type of the Antichrist that was coming to make war on the people of Israel and on the Prince of princes. The
This leader was able to fake peace with the people of God and then cancels their worship of the LORD. He wanted them to worship him alone. This is the Antichrist of the end times. However, he doesn’t win in the end. He has his fifteen minutes of glory but then he is defeated they the Prince of princes. This Prince of princes is none other than the returning Messiah. This is Jesus Christ who died for our sins. HE will defeat the Satanic trinity in the end times. HE would do it by the word of HIS mouth. HE didn’t need an army.
Remember that Satan and his followers are always lifting themselves up in pride. Pride comes before the fall. We need to learn a lesson from this passage. The leaders of nations come and go as the LORD wills. There is only one who will be the Sovereign Ruler of the universe and that is Christ. HE will only have to speak the word and Satan is defeated.
We can have victory before the end if we turn to the LORD for our daily strength. Are we asking for HIS help daily? Are we in his WORD daily? Are we serving HIM daily? It is a daily choice. Watch out for false leaders!!! Watch out for fake peace!!
CHALLENGE: Discernment is important in our walk with the LORD. There are many who will say Peace to us but really mean War. Remember our enemy appears as an “angel of light.”
: 25 “Through his cunning He shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule; And he shall exalt himself in his heart. He shall destroy many in their prosperity. He shall even rise against the Prince of princes; But he shall be broken without human means. (NKJV)
DEVOTION: There are many cunning people in our world. They are those who take advantage of those who are weak or not too smart. They can trick them into believing anything they tell them because they sound good. They are convincing in their attitude.
All they are doing is deceiving people. We have had many people in recent history who have taken people for all their money. They spend their money until they get caught and then spend some time in jail. However, the ones they hurt usually never fully recover from their loss.
These individuals start not trusting anyone which includes the LORD. The one revealed in this passage is one what will deceive people into believing that he can bring peace to the world. He will offer a treaty and then break it. He is a liar.
The good thing about this passage is that he is going to meet the LORD and be defeated. The LORD is Sovereign in our world. HE can defeat anyone who deceives us.
We need to watch who we listen to and what we believe. The message of the Gospel is true. This individual will cast down the truth. He will sound like he is saying the truth but it will be a lie. He has many followers not only outside the church but some inside the church as well.
CHALLENGE: Don’t give up on all people just check them out through the Word of God. The Holy Spirit will give you discernment.
: 27 And I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days; afterward I rose up, and did the king’s business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it. (2470 “sick” [chalah] means ill, weak, to be worn down in strength, to be tired, be exhausted, or afflicted.)
DEVOTION: Each of us receives a gift from the Holy Spirit to be used in the local church to bring glory to God. Some receive more than one gift but again they are to be used to serve HIM in the local body.
Daniel was a servant of the LORD in public office. He had many responsibilities even in his old age. He was given another vision that was hard for him to understand. It upset him. It troubled him. He was one who liked to understand and always asked questions regarding the future according to God’s plan.
He was given an answer by the angel Gabriel. Luke 1:19 informs us that it was the angel Gabriel that told Mary about the birth of her son Jesus. Each angel has a given responsibility in the service of the LORD. Remember it is thought that there are about twenty- two different types of angels in the service of the LORD.
Gabriel answered his questions but he was still exhausted from the experience. God told him that he was to seal up the vision until the end times. What was being explained was not going to happen for many days. In fact, they still haven’t happened completely even now. It is what is going to take place in the time of the Great Tribulation.
We are to realize that when we work for the LORD
HE sometimes uses us until our strength is all gone. HE knows we need a time of rest after a time of service.
Pastors who preach the Word of God each Sunday are to receive their message through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. If they preach with all their heart what they hear from the LORD for the people of God on Sunday they will be tired. It is a good tired.
Our God understands that sometimes HE stretches us to the end of our strength to get HIS message across to us, so that, we can get the message to the rest of the people of God.
CHALLENGE: If the LORD has given you a message, share it with others. Remember that any message from the LORD always agrees with the rest of Scripture.
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