Coro Baptist Church

The time is drawing near for Daniel and his people to be sent back to Jerusalem. Daniel knows this from reading the prophet Jeremiah– the seventy years are almost up! And so, with that great hope before him he prays to his 'great and awesome God'. He pleads for mercy and forgiveness for himself and for his people and for the Lord's own sake. The Lord hears his prayer and responds immediately! The reply, however, is not what Daniel expected. Yes, the city would soon be restored but it will not be the end of their trouble. In fact, there is even more destruction to come. And yet, this word of great desolation is at the same time a vision of awesome love when transgression and sin will be put to an end and everlasting righteousness will be brought in. How can this be so? An anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. Please pray for myself and one another as we consider these tremendous truths.

In the final chapters of Daniel we are invited to a number of 'behind the scenes' tours as he describes the visions God has given him - a heavenly perspective of the events to take place on earth. And if we are honest, much of the future revealed in Chapter 8 looks rather grim. Terrifying even! And yet Daniel is shown these things so that he and his people can be prepared for what is to come and comforted in the knowledge that the Lord is the one directing each and every scene of history. However appalled or overwhelmed we might be at the state of the world today, we too can be comforted in the same knowledge - the Lord is the one directing the days of our lives and the nations of the world. We too, in Christ, can be prepared and persevere in faith and 'rise up and go about the king's business,' trusting the God of gods and Lord of kings whose kingdom endures forever.

Daniel 7 is a little different. As we've journeyed through the first six chapters of Daniel, we've encountered a series of remarkable narratives. In each one, Daniel and his friends remain faithful to God before powerful foreign kings, often under the threat of severe consequences. At first glance these stories seem to be about Daniel and his friends—but it doesn't take long to realise they are ultimately about God. They reveal the Lord who reigns over every king, every kingdom, and every nation, no matter how powerful. Daniel 7 marks a dramatic shift. Instead of narrative we enter the world of apocalyptic literature filled with vivid imagery and powerful symbolism. Yet while the style changes the message does not. The God who ruled over Babylon in Chapters 1–6 is the same God who rules over all history. This vision lifts our eyes beyond the rise and fall of earthly empires to the day when every human kingdom will be judged and the everlasting kingdom will be openly given to the Son of Man. That is a message of profound hope, comfort, and confidence for God's people today. Join us on Sunday as we discover why.

"Don't be surprised that the world hates you." And when it does, "put not your trust in princes… in whom there is no salvation." In Daniel 6 we see these very things playing out in real life, all the way to the lions' den. Daniel doesn't fit in with the crowd and he is hated for it. But he doesn't allow this enmity to compromise his faith nor his devotion to the Lord. Instead, he puts his trust in the Lord who 'delivers and rescues.' This is our God! He who shut the mouths of lions in Daniel's day will one day shut every mouth when we stand before him. On that day the blood of Christ will speak for all who trust in the Lord, declaring us to be his! – righteous and blameless in his sight. He truly is the Lord who delivers and rescues.

In Daniel 5 we meet a new king, Belshazzar. Yet instead of learning from King Nebuchadnezzar's humbling in Daniel 4, he lifts himself up against the Lord of heaven (5:22-23). The writing was on the wall for King Belshazzar. Is the writing on the wall for us today? As we live in a world consumed by pride, and as we recognise this pride within our own hearts, where can we find hope?

When the Lord chooses to pursue us with his goodness and mercy not even the most stubborn or unlikely convert can escape the grace of God. It may surprise us to learn it sometimes takes the wielding of an axe to soften our hard hearts. But praise be to God that he does so in his severe mercy and lavish grace. As Nebuchadnezzar learns himself, and then teaches us, "all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble." Pray that our own hearts would be humbled to hear the Word this week.

Who do you worship? This is the question we face when reading Daniel Chapter 3, looking at Nebuchadnezzar, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and the two gods being worshipped between them. One god is made by a man and displays as much power as a man can. The other is able to save.

"There is a God!" This is King Nebuchadnezzar's first formal introduction to Yahweh – 'God of gods and Lord of kings' who 'reveals mysteries.' Have you met him? Do you know him? He certainly knows you. We will either be greatly comforted by this truth or completely terrified by it. Because in the end every earthly endeavour to make a name for ourselves will come to nothing and only the kingdom of God will remain. As he reveals himself to us in his Son, Jesus Christ, let's not reject the stone that all other kingdom builders have rejected. For it is only through faith in him that we are welcomed and adopted into his kingdom family forever.

John Owen contended in his book, published in 1683, "No man shall ever behold the glory of Christ by sight hereafter who does not in some measure behold it here by faith". He elaborated that our view of the glory of Christ by faith, however dim, is fit to thrive and widen as a river meets the sea, as we come to our end in this world. Such a widening or even a "recovery from decays" (Owen's words) is the purpose of this concluding study as we consider : (1) Glory beheld by faith, (2) Glorious Triune Love, (3) Rejoicing amidst sufferings in "Hope of the Glory of God", (4) The glory yet to be revealed to us, and (5) Christ in you, the hope of glory Colossians 1:26-27.

As we commence our preaching series through the Book of Daniel this week I encourage you to come prepared– prepared by having read the book itself; prepared by watching the helpful summary by The Bible Project; prepared by prayerful meditation and asking the Lord to show us his character and covenant faithfulness through this series; and therefore prepared to hear God speak to us. In the opening chapter we learn that in all Daniel had to face and accept in his exile in Babylon, knowing the favour of God, he resolved that he would not defile himself but would remain faithfully devoted to his Lord. May the Spirit and grace we have received in Christ evoke the same uncompromising resolution in our own hearts and lives.