Big Idea - We begin this advent season with a focus on the Prophetic Inauguration of Christ. The prophets all looked for the coming of a Messiah, and they all found their fulfillment in Jesus. Daniel is no exception. He also points to the coming of the Messiah and we see this most clearly in Daniel chapter 7 where Daniel speaks of the Son of Man. This was Jesus' favorite title for Himself. He was the Son of God, but this title He uses for Himself only a couple of times, and only indirectly. But, He calls Himself Son of Man dozens of times. Why did Jesus pick this name for Himself, and what was its significance? It was not an obvious title, like Son of God, and it left people confused by what it meant - John 12:34 (ESV) — 34 So the crowd answered him, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” The title, Son of Man, can only make sense as we see what it means in Daniel 7. Who is the Son of Man, and what was Jesus claiming by using this title?

This is the second vision in the book of Daniel and it is very similar to the first vision in chapter 2 - the vision of Nebuchadnezzar's giant statue. It has many similarities to his final vision in chapters 10-12. These visions all look to a future where four successive kingdoms will dominate the world. In each vision, special focus is given to the final kingdom which will be especially devil and oppressive for God's people. In the vision of chapter 7, what can be said of these kingdoms is that they are beastly. They are monsters. It pictures men, kings, who have turned into beasts devouring flesh, dreadful, terrifying, breaking in pieces, and stamping into the ground what is left. In Genesis 1-2 God created man and gave him dominion over creation to care for it and to shepherd God's creation. But, instead of being shepherds who care for God's gift, we have become wolves that devour and destroy. This is true of all humanity, but the higher one climbs in rank and power the more that power can be used for harm and evil. Daniel paints a bleak picture that the kingdoms, governments, and rulers of the world will not get better, and we will not usher in a time of world peace. Instead, it will reach a climax with a ruler who is the most beastly of all. But, then the scene changes to a courtroom and the judge who will bring an end to all the beasts. In their place will rule the Son of Man, and His kingdom will never end. This kingdom will be the eternal possession of the Saints of God, who were targets of the beasts. Jesus adopts this title as a cryptic way of saying that He is the promised one who is coming to set up a kingdom that will never end for all those who belong to Him.

At first glance, this vision looks like a bunch of power-hungry beasts being overthrown by one who is even more powerful. Those who use power to dominate are conquered by one with even greater power. But how is this any better? Is God, and the Son of Man, just like them? Why is His kingdom any better, just because no one can overthrow Him? The Son of Man is not only the one who will set up a never-ending Kingdom, but we see in this passage that He is worthy to receive such dominion and power to rule and reign. First, we see that God is not a monster but a righteous judge who overthrows the beast on the basis of wisdom, and righteousness. Second, the Son of Man is coronated as King, and He is worthy because He is also God, one in nature and being with the Ancient of Days. He is God who rides on the clouds and will be worshiped by every people, nation, and language. But, He is not the Ancient of Day, pointing to the trinity. Third, He does not grab power to crush people underfoot but rather gives His people a kingdom for their joy and benefit. This Kingdom is not only His kingdom, but it is their Kingdom, and it is their dominion. Fourth, He is called the Son of Man because He is God but also fully human, an obvious OT reference to the incarnation. But why is that important? How does being a man make Him worthy to receive the Kingdom? First, because this dominion was given to man in creation. Therefore, it is the rightful possession of humanity, and He is the ultimate human being who fulfilled God's intended design and purpose in creation. Secondly, HE took on human flesh and blood to redeem fallen and broken humanity. We are the saints, the sanctified ones of the Most High, but His blood. Therefore, He alone is worthy to reign!

Big Idea - There is something in our nature that wants to know what will happen in the future. I think it is more than just simple curiosity. When the future is unknown it makes us feel helpless and out of control. Maybe we think that if we know what is coming, we can somehow control it, or at least not feel helpless about tomorrow. But, this would only work if we could know what will happen and then have the power to change it, to alter what will happen. This is a popular theme in many movies. We hope to have this power over the future, but only if we know what it is. Is this realistic? Is it possible to know the future, and if so, can we do anything about it?

In the book of Daniel, we get some amazing glimpses into the future; at least, Daniel gets a view of the future from his time. Much of what was future to Daniel is now ancient history to us. But, from this vantage point, looking back, we can check to see the accuracy of Daniel's prophecies. One of the most powerful lessons of the book of Daniel is that God can certainly tell us what will happen in the future with incredible and absolute accuracy. This is the first lesson of Daniel 11 - God knows the future with amazing clarity. But, it is also clear that God does not give Daniel a peak into the future so that people can change the future. In fact, the only reason God can give such a detailed explanation of what will happen next is because it is fixed, and not only that but the events of history are set and established by God Himself. God knows what will happen from the beginning to the end of history because He wrote the Script, and He alone has the power to determine its outcome. We cannot change history just by knowing what will happen.

Does this mean we are powerless victims of destiny? Is free will and human choice just an illusion? Are we nothing more than puppets who have no choice but to follow the Script? God is Sovereign over the events and flow of history, but not because He controls us like puppets. It is a mystery and beyond our understanding, but God Sovereignly controls the course of history and its outcome without directly controlling us! We see that the course of history involves kings and rulers who did not follow God and were free agents who were evil and wicked people. In the end, they are accountable for their actions and choices. Not only that but behind powerful earthly rulers are even more powerful spiritual forces who exert influence over human affairs. Here again, we see that God does not move the spiritual forces like chess pieces, but He enrolls angelic beings to combat the forces of evil. What is most amazing is that these spiritual forces are activated and moved through the prayers of the godly! So, the script is written and history is set, but we are a very active part of how it unfolds for good and for evil. We are all active players in the story, and what we do matters!

Our great desire to know and change the course of history, in the end, is motivated by our fear that the future is bad and that serious trouble may lie ahead. What we want more than anything else is to avoid trouble. But, Daniel's vision warns us that there will be periods of incredible trouble and evil in the world. This is seen in two characters who are highlighted in the prophecy. The first time of trouble was under Antiochus Epiphanes. He is seen as a prototype of the ultimate time of trouble, known as the great tribulation when the second and most evil ruler of all time will appear on the scene. These times of trouble cannot be avoided - God appoints it as part of His judgment of the wicked and a time of purifying for the godly. We cannot prevent or avoid it, but we do have the choice about how we respond when these troubled times come. We can hold on to our faith in God and keep worshiping Him, no matter what, or we can turn away from God with the hope that we will escape suffering. But, the hope of escape is a lie. The evil one is a destroyer, and nothing good comes from him in the end. But, there is hope for those who persevere. The evil one will be destroyed, and his reign will be short. We may not be able to change the history of the world, but the one thing we do hold in our own power is our own eternal future. At the end, all will be raised from the dead and all will stand before God in judgment. Those who worshiped God and sought to bring others to righteousness will be raised to life eternal with God. Those who sought the path of escape by following the evil one will be raised to shame and everlasting contempt. Thus, the future that matters most, the eternal future is in your hands. Is your name written in the Lamb's Book of Life? Do you live to worship God and to bring others to righteousness? Then your eternal future will be bright, and you will shine like the morning star for all eternity!

Big Idea - God created the world, and it was good. He created the Garden of Eden and put Adam and Eve in it as a place that was very good, the best! A place where they could experience all the goodness and joy of God walking daily in His presence. But, they rejected all of that and chose to go their own way. They chose the path of sin and rebellion against God. Now, all humanity is under the curse and bondage of sin. In chapter 9, Daniel prays a prayer of deep confession for the sins of Israel. They were God's chosen people who had entered into a covenant relationship with God, but they were still walking in the same path of sin and rebellion as Adam and Eve. Daniel prays for God's mercy, to turn from His wrath, and to make His face shine on the Sanctuary that was in ruins - that is, to restore worship and His glorious presence in Jerusalem. God immediately sends Gabriel to give Daniel the answer, but the answer turns out to be much more involved and over a much longer period of time than Daniel could imagine. In order to give the proper treatment to the patient, you have to have the proper diagnosis. Daniel had some idea of the root problem, but he had no idea that God had a plan to deal with the disease of sin that went far beyond rebuilding Jerusalem and restoring the Temple! What was God's final plan for Israel to deal with the sin that constantly plagued them? When will it all truly end?

Gabriel is dispatched to give the answer to Daniel's prayer because Daniel is dearly loved and treasured by God! The answer comes as an expanded and upgraded explanation of Jeremiah's 70 years. God would return the exiles to Jerusalem after 70 years, but that does not answer Daniel's prayer, because the Temple and the offerings and sacrifices presented there could not really deal with the problem of sin. Something much greater was needed. This plan would unfold, not in 70 years, but in seventy weeks of years! The end result would finally deal with sin - the real problem of the Jews and of all humanity! God's plan would result in six incredible results that completely reverse and bring to an end the consequences of the choice of Adam. Sin would be brought to an end, its guilt removed by making atonement, never-ending righteousness would be restored, all the prophecies would be fulfilled, and a true and eternal temple would be dedicated. How would this amazing promise all come to pass? First, the exiles will return to Jerusalem and the Temple and city will be rebuilt, but in troubled times. This will take seven weeks or 49 years. Then 62 weeks will pass until the Anointed one comes who will be "cut off" that is he will be killed. These amazing prophecies point to the first advent, or coming of Christ, which would occur 483 years after the decree to rebuild Jerusalem was given. This prophecy was fulfilled exactly as given when Artaxerxes I told Ezra to return to Jerusalem in 458 B.C. to rebuild the Temple. Exactly 438 years later, Jesus was baptized and began His public ministry as the Messiah, in 26 AD. A few short years later He was crucified, and by His death, He made atonement for sin, once and for all! Sin was put to an end by His death! For those who put their faith in Him, the Kingdom has come, along with His everlasting righteousness. But, this prophecy is primarily about Israel, and unfortunately, the Jews, for the most part, rejected their King and did not receive the gift of atonement He offered. So, after the 69 weeks of years, but before the 70th week, the Messiah is cut off, and the Temple is once again destroyed. Forty years after Jesus' death, Rome destroyed the Temple, and Jerusalem was once again leveled and left desolate. The Jews were scattered across the Empire and any hope of a restored nation or Temple has been lost for the past 2,000 years. But that is not the end for Israel. There is still one more week - seven years that will unfold and bring about the final consummation of God's plan to put an end to sin and bring in everlasting righteousness. The final week will begin when another prince, one who is the exact opposite of the true Prince, will come. He will appear to be the promised Messiah by attempting to fulfill the role but he is a counterfeit. He will enter into a covenant relationship with the Jews, who by this time will once again be a nation. For the first 3 1/2 years, things will go well, and it appears that there will once again be a rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem, and Jews will once again be offering sacrifices in the Temple. But, that all will change during the second 3 1/2 years as he will bring an end to worship, and his true nature as the Anti-Christ will be made clear. His rule is described as one coming on the wing of abominations who makes everything desolate - he is not a good creator but an evil destroyer. But, after 3 1/2 years of destruction, his decreed end will come, and the destroyer will be destroyed! With Jesus first coming, sin was fully and finally dealt with, but the Evil one and his power to deceive were not fully dealt with, so sin still reigns in the hearts of those who do not know Christ. But at His second coming, Satan will be finally conquered and sin and evil will be finally done away with. What does it mean to live in the gap, between Jesus' first and second coming? It means, that our sin has been fully atoned, we are forgiven, its power is broken and we no longer need to lie under its power or be plagued by its guilt. But it also means that Satan is still alive and well and is doing all he can to pull us back under his dominion. But, through the cross, we have the power to overcome! Lastly, living in between means that God's plan for Israel still waits for the final chapter which is unfolding right before us. The end is growing closer every day; as we will see, it is not a happy time. We must prepare by our resolve to stand firm and hold on to Jesus no matter how bad it gets!

Big Idea - How can we be more effective in prayer? There are many examples in Scripture of how to pray. The prayer of Daniel is only one. But, it is a good model for prayer, and there is much we can imitate from Daniel. In the end, Gabriel told Daniel that he was "greatly loved" and precious to God. This was certainly God's response to Daniel's attitude and heart in prayer. What did Daniel pray that caused God to respond with such affection?

Daniel's prayer contains five elements that we can follow, five things that gave Him favor with God. First, Daniel enters into prayer with a great spirit of humility. Second, he begins his prayer by praising God for His greatness. Third, Daniel confesses the sins of Israel, which stands in stark contrast to God's righteousness. This makes Daniel's plea for help one that is based fully on God's grace and not on any right or demand we can make on God. Fourth, Daniel frames his request on the basis of what God already said He was going to do. Finally, Daniel's greatest concern is not for his own sake or benefit. Instead, his great concern is for the glory of God in the world. But God's honor is not separate from what happens to God's people. He has allowed the honor of His name to be attached to those who bear His name.

Big Idea - What is going to happen next? The world is in great turmoil, and we want to know how it is going to end. Will things get better, or will they get worse? For Daniel and the Israelites living in exile in Babylon, that was just as pressing a question. God had made covenant promises to Abraham that his descendants would be like the sand of the sea, they would possess the Promised Land, and they would become a great nation, the kingdom of priests. God fulfilled all those promises, but the Babylonian captivity had brought an end to all of that. Was God finished with His covenant people? Or did God still care for them and have a plan for them?

In the first half of the book of Daniel, we see God's faithfulness in caring for Daniel and his friends. Their faith is severely tested, but when they trust in God, He was more than faithful to rescue and save them. The second half of the book is a series of visions that Daniel received. These focus on how God will continue to be faithful to His covenant people. He is not done with them. He has a plan, and He will not abandon His chosen ones. But, the visions also reveal that Israel will continue to rebel against God and be unfaithful to Him. This results in periods of great judgment and tribulation. In the vision of Chapter 8, God shows Daniel a vision of the people of Israel restored to their homeland and the temple rebuilt. But, there will come a time of rebellion when people turn away from God, and there is great suffering as God allows them to suffer a period of great judgment. But, the period of tribulation is limited to seven years. The vision gives accurate and detailed accounts of how history will unfold. First, the ram. This is the kingdom of the Medes and Persians would burst on the scene, and they will become the great world power. Then, the goat. Greece will rise to power by the hand of a swift and powerful conqueror who will defeat every enemy he encounters. His kingdom will be divided into four. This pictures with amazing accuracy the rise of Greece under Alexander the Great, and the subsequent division of his kingdom under four generals. Finally, the little horn. From one of the four kingdoms will rise a ruler who will bring great persecution to the Jews and Jerusalem. He will be a tricky and powerful ruler who will come against the holy ones and cause many to suffer and die. Then he will come against God Himself, the temple, and the Jewish religion. His oppression of the Jews will last 7 years, but then his rule will quickly end. That is, God will bring it to an end. This predicts with amazing accuracy the reign of Antiochus Epiphany.

Looking back, we can see how perfectly this vision was fulfilled in every detail. But, it is part of a bigger vision of history that Daniel's other visions encompass. Antiochus is a type or a pattern that will repeated again in history. Many like him have come and gone, but at the very end, there will be one more, and the one will be the worst. He is the little horn of chapter 7, who is the Anti-Christ. We can take away a couple of important lessons from this vision. First, God knows the future, not because He has a crystal ball by which He can look to what is coming next. Rather, He is sovereign over history. He is in control of what is going to happen because He is the one who raises up kings and kingdoms, and He is the one who brings them to an end. Evil rulers have come to power in Jewish history, but also now - in the Middle East, Russia, Myanmar, Nigeria, etc. And they come against God's people, often with violent persecution and hatred. In part, these rulers are instruments of God's judgment on the wicked, but God's holy ones get caught in the cross-fire. Like Daniel, it is a time of testing for those who follow God. Will we remain faithful to God even in times of great tribulation? During those times, we need to double our resolve to follow God and trust Him as Daniel did! Because it won't last forever. From Antiochus Epiphany to the final Anti-Christ, all are stopped short of their evil assaults by the rescuing hand of our mighty God. When we suffer, we need to keep in mind it won't last forever, God will bring it to an end! In the meantime - be faithful! Christ has overcome the Evil One, death, the grave, and sin. He has risen and reigns on high. Evil still exists in this world, but there is coming a day when it will be fully and finally defeated, so trust in Jesus and keep your eyes on Him!

The drunken feast

Writing on the wall

Daniel arrives at the feast

Lessons for our current world

Chiangmai Christian Fellowship

Big Idea - Peter warns us, Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. (1 Peter 4:12). NO doubt, the image comes from Daniel 3! Life can be hard and we can find ourselves in the intense heat and pressure of the furnace of life. It is our nature to avoid the fiery trials, but in Daniel 3 we see Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego choosing the fiery furnace rather than conforming to the demands of the King. What motivated them to make such a choice? Where did their extraordinary faith come from? How can we have that kind of faith?

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego made the commitment and choice to serve their God and worship Him alone because they believed with all their heart that their God was the Most High God who was more than able to deliver them from anything. This understanding of God came from their history as a nation who had lots of experience with God delivering them, but also from their own personal experience in Babylon. Unlike the empty and powerless gods of Babylon, their God was real and powerful. But, they did not make their choice based on any certainty that God would rescue them from the furnace. God was more than able, but they did not assume this was God's purpose. They accepted the reality that God, in His wisdom, had a good plan and purpose for them, and they could trust His plan no matter what. They had great faith, but just as important, they were also yielded to God's plan, not their own. This combination of faith and submission created in them an unwavering devotion to God that stood in stark contrast to the forced devotion of the Babylonians to their king and his gods. Their faith and devotion were not in vain, but God did not actually deliver them from the fire. They must walk through the trial and face the flames, but God walks with them in the trial, and he does deliver them through the fire. In the end, Nebuchadnezzar truly worships the God Most High, who is able to deliver as a result of their life and witness!

Big Idea - Since the beginning of time, people have believed that there is a god or gods in the heavens who have power over the earth. Religion is our attempt to understand who these gods are, what they are like, and, most importantly, how we can communicate with them in order to get their help. In modern times, people have come to a more scientific understanding of the universe, and there is now the sense that we know how it all works and we can control the world based on scientific knowledge, so we no longer need the gods, and there is no proof of their existence. But even science has to admit that the universe had a beginning and, therefore, has to have a source. The order and intelligent design of the universe point to a designer - a god who created it. It brings us back to the same question - is there a god beyond us? If so, what do we need to know about this god? Of course, there are many religions and many theories about this god, or gods. In the end, the real question is not the question of the existence of god but how we can know. How can we be certain we have the right information about god and the right understanding of what he wants from us? When we come to Daniel chapter 2 this is exactly the question King Nebuchadnezzar is struggling with. He has had a dream, and he is convinced it is a message from the gods. He is surrounded by wisemen and experts who claim to know how to communicate with the gods, but the King is not confident that they really know. He wants proof. He wants to be certain that they are really hearing from the gods and not just making things up. So, he puts them to a test. The test is simple: if you really can communicate with the gods, then they can tell you my dream as well as give you its interpretation. If you cannot tell me the dream, you are just making things up! Nebuchadnezzar's question is significant and one we all need to answer. How do we know we have the right god? How can we be certain our understanding of God is correct, and we aren't just making things up? How can we know?

When it becomes a matter of life and death, and their very life is hanging in the balance, the wise men of Babylon have to admit that they really do not know how to communicate with the gods. The problem, they point out, is that the dwelling of the gods is not with flesh - they don't live on earth! They live far beyond us, and therefore, it is impossible to communicate with them. Since that is the case, the King decides they are worthless and declares off with their heads! But Daniel has a very different view of the gods. He believes in the God of the Heavens, which is a code name for the one true God, the God of his forefathers, the God of Israel. What makes this god unique and radically different from all the other gods is that this God has made himself known. He is a God who is a god of revelation. He has taken the initiative to reveal Himself to us, and we can, therefore, know Him. He communicates with us, and we can talk with Him and seek His help and mercy simply by asking in prayer! But how can we know Daniel was right? The same way Nebuchadnezzar came to be convinced - because He reveals mysteries and secrets that no human being could know! Not only in revealing the King's dream, but Scripture is full of revelation about God and about the unfolding events of history that are supernatural and beyond what any human being could know. We can trust the Bible as a source of revelation from and about God because it can be put the test of truth. Did the prophecies of the Bible come to pass? The answer is an overwhelming yes! In fact, the king's dream was such an accurate picture of world history many skeptics are convinced the book of Daniel had to be written after the events took place and not before. But, there is growing proof that Daniel knew too much about Babylon to be written 500 years later. Most significantly, the great skeptic Nebuchadnezzar was absolutely convinced, so much so that he bowed down before Daniel and worshiped his God! He also rewards Daniel and places him in one of the highest positions of leadership in his government! In the end, we see that the wise men of Babylon, along with every other man-made religion, falls short because they fail to recognize the revelation of God that He has given to us. Most importantly they were wrong about the fact that God does not dwell with flesh. The greatest revelation of God and proof that He is real and we can know is found in Jesus, who is the word that became flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God, who did come to earth and showed us in real life who God is. He has ascended to heaven, but He sent the Holy Spirit so that the triune God can make His home, His dwelling, with us personally. Like the king, this personal, direct revelation from God should cause us to bow before Him in awe and wonder and the deepest worship!

Big Idea - Does God ever lose? We love the story of Elijah's showdown on Mt Carmel with the Prophets of Baal. We see the mighty power of God as fire falls from heaven and consumes Elijah's sacrifice on the altar and even the altar itself! God wins! But Daniel is not Elijah. Daniel is taken captive as a prisoner of war, along with items of worship from the Temple. Jehoiakim, King of Israel, is defeated by Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon. In ancient times, conquering a nation also meant you conquered their gods. When Nebuchadnezzar put the captured Temple vessels in the house of his own god, Marduk, it was proof to everyone that Yahweh, the God of Israel, had been defeated by Marduk, the god of Babylon. How could God allow Himself to be defeated? More importantly, what did it mean for Daniel and the people of Israel to be now following a God who lost? This is a very relevant question as we seek to live out our faith in God in a place where the God of the Bible is easily dismissed as nothing. It seems that in Thailand, Jesus cannot begin to rival the thousands of Temples and countless idols that seem to have so much more power than the God of the Bible. What does it look like to live out our faith in a place where it feels like God is losing?

In spite of all appearances, the truth is that God is in control and is at work even when it looks like He has lost. The entire book is really the story of how God works and how God wins even when it seems like He has lost. First, we see that even in the worst of circumstances, God is still in control. He is in the circumstances, no matter how bad it may look. Second, God is the one who helps us solve our problems when we resolve to live for His purpose. Daniel was resolved to be different in order to be faithful to God and a witness to Him. God is the one who made the way for Daniel and his friends to live a life that would honor God and glorify His name before the Babylonians. Finally, God is the one who gives us success. God gave Daniel and his friends the skills and abilities they needed to succeed to stand out above and beyond everyone else. God does win, but His victory is often not evident in the circumstances. Rather, it is in the lives of His servants who shine with the light of God's glory. Daniel is a witness to the glory of God in the midst of terrible circumstances. In the end, Daniel sees the fall of Babylon and the rise of a new kingdom. But, more than that, he sees the future day when God will conquer every kingdom and authority in heaven and on earth. What matters, then, is not how things appear to be right now but our resolve to faith and to faithfulness as those who seek to be a witness to the glory of God in the midst of whatever circumstances we find ourselves. If we live for the glory of God, God will meet us and give us success every step of the way!