Biblical Prophecy and Daniel III

As we continue to look at Daniel we will learn some new insights from chapter 7 that further explain Daniel’s dream about the 4 beasts that coincide with the 4 parts of the statue from King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel chapter 2. In verses 15-22 of chapter 7 we will gain further insight about the kingdoms and what is to come.

“As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed within me, and the visions in my mind kept alarming me. “I approached one of those who were standing by and began asking him the exact meaning of all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things: ‘These great beasts, which are four in number, are four kings who will arise from the earth. ‘But the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come.’ “Then I desired to know the exact meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its claws of bronze, and which devoured, crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet, and the meaning of the ten horns that were on its head and the other horn which came up, and before which three of them fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth uttering great boasts and which was larger in appearance than its associates. “I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them until the Ancient of Days came and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom.

Why is gay marriage a bad idea?

Just this past weekend some people celebrated their gay lifestyle with their “Pride” parades. It is ironic that people use “pride” for something that God calls an abomination, something disgraceful and disgusting. Many arguments come from the gay/liberal side claiming that homosexuality is ok and that gay marriage is “normal”. Some even say that “Pride” parades are family friendly. Excuse me but homosexuality is a slap in the face of family and a danger to society. Family is the bed-rock of society and homosexuals are attacking the bed-rock and trying to dig up the foundation as well. If they are successful then just as a building cannot survive without a foundation, no society can stand if the foundation (traditional family; husband and wife) is destroyed. Secondly, many say that we should let homosexuals do what they want, even marry if they want because it is none of our business. Do you really believe that? Do we live in a vacuum? Of course not! What one person does always effects others when speaking of sin (do what God says not to do or not doing what God says to do).

Biblical Prophecy and Daniel II

I would like to continue our look at the Biblical book of Daniel and see what else we can learn about prophecy; how it came true during Daniel’s lifetime and how this prophecy is still coming true today. As you may remember, Daniel is a slave in the Babylon during the reign of king Nebuchadnezzar. The king has a dream that none of his wise men or magicians can interpret and he becomes furious. He begins putting them to death and Daniel is called upon to tell the dream and its interpretation. God reveals both to Daniel and he passes the message on to the king, giving all the credit to God. The dream was of a statue with four main parts (the feet and toes were a continuation of the legs) along with a stone that becomes a mountain that fills the whole earth. The mountain represents the last earthly kingdom, God’s, which is to come in the future. All of the interpretation was given in chapter 2 of Daniel. Of the kingdoms there are 2 mentioned by name, the Babylonian empire and God’s final kingdom. The kingdoms in between are not named, although the parts of the statue give us a description of these kingdoms that we will learn more about today. In Daniel chapter 7, Daniel himself has a dream and this dream along with its interpretation help clarify who these other kingdoms are. Let’s take a look at this dream and see what new insights that we can gain.

In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel saw a dream and visions in his mind as he lay on his bed; then he wrote the dream down and related the following summary of it.  Daniel said, “I was looking in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea.  “And four great beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another.  “The first was like a lion and had the wings of an eagle. I kept looking until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man; a human mind also was given to it.  “And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear. And it was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and thus they said to it, ‘Arise, devour much meat!’  “After this I kept looking, and behold, another one, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird; the beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.  “After this I kept looking in the night

Biblical Prophecy and Daniel

I would like to look at the Biblical book of Daniel. Many people have many different ideas about the account of Daniel. As with any prophecy the reader must understand a few very important rules to keep in mind while studying Daniel. This will not be exhaustive but I would like to share a few. First of all, the reader must realize that the writer of the prophecy can either be talking about 3 major groups of people; the Jews, the Gentiles, or the Church (made up of Jews and Gentiles). Sometimes the author can speak of the 3 different groups all in the same chapter so you must pay close attention to the words that are used along with the context to determine which group is being spoken of. In Daniel there are 2 of the major groups mentioned; the Jews and the Gentiles. Another key rule to remember is the time that is spoken of. Sometimes the writer refers to his own time, while at other times he speaks of the immediate future or the distant future. Sometimes he mentions the first coming of the Messiah (Jesus Christ) or the second coming of the Messiah (when He sets His feet on the earth for the second time and not to be confused with the rapture, when He will return to take the Church but not set foot on the earth). Keeping these rules in mind let’s take a look at the major prophecies mentioned in Daniel.

1. Daniel finds himself a slave in the Babylonian empire in the service of King Nebuchadnezzar and he (Daniel) trusts in the Lord through this difficult time. Many people seem to think that if God allows something negative to happen to them that they have license to turn their back on God and do whatever that they want to do. Daniel was a boy/man of principle and even when his life was turned upside down he remained faithful to God and served Him diligently. During Daniel’s time in Babylon, King Nebuchadnezzar has a dream that neither he nor his wise men of Babylon can interpret. Daniel

Have Common Sense: Be Grateful

I love the subject of “Common Sense” because there seems to be such a lack of it in our world today. I have written about how we are not born with common sense and we must be taught it constantly as well as reminded of it often. As I work with the youth of today I have noticed that the simple things that we take for granted as “common sense” are not

The “Prodigal Sons”

I am preparing to go to summer camp with our youth group next week where we will be serving as missionaries at Lake of the Ozarks, MO. I am excited about the chance to share the Love of God through the Word of God with the people of the area. As I prepare to go I have been preparing Bible studies for our group and sermons for the kids with whom we will work. I would like to share a couple of these messages with you. The first one comes from Luke 15 and is commonly known as the “Prodigal Son”. I find this passage even more amazing every time that I read/study it.

Understanding the audience is the key to

Cohabitation: Modern or Sin?

In our modern world there is a controversial subject that is discussed a lot and many people are affected (infected) with this idea, the idea of cohabitation. Cohabitation is also known as “shacking up” or “living together” before marriage. Many people believe that cohabitation is something unique and new for our modern days but that is not the case. Actually, in the US, 40% of adults say that they have tried cohabitation at least once in their lives. Those who cohabitate say that it is better to “try” and see how things work out before getting married and if it does not work out then you can part ways without problems. Do you really believe that this is true? Has it been proven that there are fewer problems with parting ways in cohabitation when compared to parting ways while being married? Let’s look into the Word of God and see what God has to say about cohabitation and if it brings more or fewer problems. Cohabitation means that two consenting adults live together like a married couple (enjoying the sexual relationship) yet they are not married in the eyes of the State or in the eyes of God. Sex outside of marriage (that happens when one cohabitates) is sin (adultery/fornication) and the Bible speaks very clearly about sexual immorality.

How to overcome any sin.

1) You must realize that you are a sinner.

It is easily seen that all people everywhere are sinners.(sin means every action that goes against the Word of God) You do not have to teach a child to steal or to lie or even to cheat, actually you have to teach him not to do those things so even

Pray like the Apostle Paul!

The final prayer warrior of the 5 examples that I began writing about is the Apostle Paul. If you are a Gentile Christian then you owe a debt of gratitude to the Apostle Paul’s missionary work among the Gentiles. He was a man on a mission who planted many Christian churches throughout Europe. After planting and growing those churches he began to write letters back to these churches, encouraging them to grow in their faith. From these letters we have a peek into the prayer life of a man who was totally dedicated to serving the Lord by serving the people around him. Let’s read the following verses and see what we can learn.

For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; (Colossians 1:9-11)

 

1. The Apostle Paul prayed continuously. Paul was a man of prayer and he lived his life “on his knees” so to speak as he did his missionary work. His

10 things I want to change in my country

1. The Bible will be taught in all public schools

I want to prepare leaders who will be willing to go into the public school system and teach the Word of God (specifically “The Truth About Sex”) in all middle schools and high-schools.

People have been deceived into thinking that the Bible cannot be taught in public schools but that is a lie, it can be taught as an optional course if there are people who will be willing to go and teach it. I want my fellow church members to volunteer to go and teach in public schools.

2. I want pornography to be outlawed in my country and for it to be illegal to make a profit off of it.

I want to challenge people around me (neighbors, relatives, fellow Christians) to be very active in writing letters to the authorities in order to protest against porn (on tv, on the internet, magazines, etc).