The UnSafe Bible

Guess what - we already know who wins in the end! It also doesn’t make it any less boring to know the ending to our story has already been written. Yet the adventure is still ahead! Pastor Ken reiterates that Daniel knew God’s plan for the children of Israel, but that didn’t stop him from maintaining this relationship with his creator! Today, we may be secure in knowing that there’s a heavenly home waiting for us, but don’t let that assurance stop you from having one of the best relationships on Earth with Jesus by your side!

I don’t think the world will ever be empty of haters. No matter if it’s the pursuit of your own happiness or more importantly your faith, there will always be opposition. Much like in our time now, Daniel faced the same hypocrites and naysayers - from his own people! Pastor Ken gives a brief example of the ridicule that Christians face today for the sake of His name. The book of Daniel gives us a huge advantage in how to deal with the negative and stay focused on our God who is fighting on our behalf!

Got a moment for a brief assessment? How are your prayer reflexes? When troubles seem to be raining like a torrential downpour all too often we may be quick to action instead of slow to listen (to God). Pastor Ken emphasizes the fact that in the midst of trouble and despair, Daniel’s first act was the pray to God on behalf of his people. Today, in the midst of the chaos, take time to seek God for wisdom before acting, or even deciding not to act. Allow your nearness to the heavenly Father to spur your faith!

Don’t throw away your instruction manuals! Having a guidebook for anything makes the task much easier, instead of scrambling to make piece A fit into joint F. It’s the same with our Bible. Pastor Ken continues to caution our listening of Daniel in remembering that the book not only discusses events in the time of Daniel but also events that will transpire leading up to the tribulation. It’s a book with dual purposes! Today’s wisdom is not only learning from the past but looking forward to the glorious return of Jesus in our future. 

How well is your life planned out? Now imagine knowing future events of the world beyond your time on Earth. That’s exactly what God did when He gave Daniel visions of the future - 300 years before it took place. Things that would happen way past Daniel’s lifetime, but God had a fantastic plan for it all! Today, Pastor Ken helps connect world history and biblical timelines to ultimately show how God was paving the way for the arrival of Jesus, his death and resurrection, and the beginnings of Christianity. 

It might be outlandish to say, but have you ever experienced the world in the third person? The feeling is known as having an out-of-body experience. It’s not clearly defined in the book of Daniel, but the prophet did encounter visions and dreams God gave him. Pastor Ken even helps us consider that God physically transported Daniel into the heavenly realm to record all that he would tell the people of Israel. However, you don’t need a grand gesture of mental or physical transportation for God to speak to you today!

At a football game, there are 22 active players on the field. Yet there are thousands in the stands, and millions perhaps watching from home. Pastor Ken illustrates that Daniel was the same type of bystander to a lot of spiritual information he received in his prophecy from God - almost like a heavenly overload. For Daniel, it was a somber realization of the things to come for his people, but also what will take place in the many years to come. Today, unlike Daniel’s vision, God calls us to be more than a bystander in our faith!

No one on Earth can truly know what Heaven will be like. Well except if you were a prophet in the Bible that was gifted the ability to see the things of Heaven. How great it is that those prophecies were recorded for us to get a small glimpse into what eternity will be like. Pastor Ken again discusses the importance of the council in heaven and how God establishes order and governance even in the spiritual realm. The situation might look bleak here on earth today, but rest assured that Jesus will come again and set everything in order.

Promises are like unbreakable bonds. Pastor Ken points out that there are specific promises, given from God to New Testament Christians (people who have accepted Christ after his ascension to heaven). One of the blessed gifts is the Holy Spirit that has been left with us on this earth. He is a helper and liaison between us and God! Even better is the fact that the Holy Spirit will never leave us. That unlocked power is forever available to us today in order to fulfill the will of God in our lives wherever we go and whoever we interact with!

Compared to eternity, life is just a hiccup in the expanse of time. And while we are here, God is still planning and preparing for the things to come. Today, we see that not only will God be on His throne but there will also be a divine council - as it is called. Pastor Ken continues to detail and dissect the words of Daniel in a comprehensive study that brings a fresh perspective on the things of God. We may get busy with our daily lives, but take a moment today and thank God for a safe and secure eternity waiting for you.