Categories
Bible Insights

Eternal Kingdom Prophecy

Daniel Foretells the Future

Daniel 7:13–14

“His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:14)

The prophet Daniel lived some five centuries before Mary. You may know the story of Daniel in the lions’ den, where God protected him overnight after his detractors had him thrown into a den of hungry lions.

The next day, the unscathed Daniel is freed and the hungry lions feast on his enemies when they’re tossed in to take Daniel’s place.

But the book of Daniel has much more than the story of his escape from a den of ravenous lions.

The first six chapters share six stories, including the one about the lions.

The last six chapters include four future-focused prophecies that God reveals to him through visions. (The angel Gabriel, who visited Zechariah and Mary, shows up in Daniel’s second and third visions.)

We read the first of his four visions in Daniel 7. In this vision he sees four winds and four great beasts. The fourth beast has ten horns. An eleventh horn appears; it has eyes and a boastful mouth.

Then Daniel sees God (the Ancient of Days) sitting on his fiery throne with a river of fire flowing before him. Millions attend him and one hundred million stand in his presence. Court is in session and the books are opened.

This is all quite perplexing, but don’t stop reading. Next comes the important part, the one that anticipates Jesus.

Daniel witnesses one like a son of man, who arrives with heavenly clouds. The man approaches God and comes into his presence. He receives authority, glory, and sovereign power.

People from all nations and every language worship him. His dominion will last forever, continuing without end. His kingdom will stand strong eternally.

This dream perplexes Daniel, just as it does us. He seeks an interpretation and receives one that explains the four beasts and the ten horns.

When the person explaining the vision to Daniel gets to the last part, he simply says that this kingdom will last forever, and all rulers will worship and obey him (Daniel 7:27).

This final part of Daniel’s vision is what Gabriel alludes to when he comes to Mary and tells her about what Jesus will do (Luke 1:32–33).

Though the precise meaning of Daniel’s vision may not have been clear to him then, it is clear to Gabriel when he comes to tell Mary about Jesus.

If we follow Jesus as his disciple, we’re part of this everlasting kingdom that Daniel saw in his vision.

When we read things in the Bible that don’t make sense, do we seek someone (or the Holy Spirit) to explain it to us?

What is our response when we see Old Testament prophecy fulfilled in the New Testament?

Prayer: Lord God, speak to us and reveal your truth as we read the Bible. May your Word cause us to revere who you are, what you did, and your plan for us.

[This devotional is taken from the December 6 reading from The Advent of Jesus.]

Celebrate Christmas in a fresh way with The Advent of Jesus. It’s a forty-day devotional that prepares our hearts to celebrate the arrival of Jesus in an engaging read. Begin your Advent journey now and gain a greater sense of wonder for the season.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Categories
Christian Living

God Is Sovereign

Discover the Truth About Our Creator’s Sovereignty

Most people recognize God as sovereign. Yet they may not have a good understanding of what that word means. And because of their misperception, God often gets blamed for things he didn’t do.

Sovereign in the Bible

The word sovereign shows up 295 times in the Bible, mostly in the Old Testament, with over 200 times in Ezekiel alone. In all but a handful of cases it’s an adjective along with the word Lord, as in sovereign Lord. God is our sovereign lord.

Only in the book of Daniel does the word sovereign appear as a noun.

Four times we see that “the Lord Most High is sovereign,” three times from Daniel and once from the unlikely source of King Nebuchadnezzar.

And later we read the forward-looking prophecy of Daniel that Jesus is coming and will receive authority, glory, and sovereign power.

Sovereign in the Dictionary

Yet none of these places in the Bible define what sovereign is. But the dictionary is most helpful.

As an adjective—which is how the Bible mostly uses it—sovereign means supreme power. So as our sovereign Lord, we confirm that God has supreme power. No one surpasses his dominion. It is paramount.

As a noun we learn that sovereign refers to someone who exercises supreme, permanent authority, as in a king or queen. God is our king, the king of kings. We ascribe to him ultimate authority without end.

This is how we rightly understand God’s sovereignty.

Sovereign As Most Perceive It

Yet this is not how many Christians—as well as secular society—understands God’s sovereignty.

The common perception is that in God’s sovereign power, he controls everything. Therefore, nothing happens without his approval. But this eliminates us having free will, the ability to make our own decisions—be it right or wrong—about what we do.

More importantly, this incorrect view of sovereignty also means that people can then blame God for everything bad that happens.

How often have we heard someone lament, “Why did God let this happen”?

Yet these things that God gets blamed for stem from four other sources.

  • Other People: One source is people who make bad decisions.
  • Creation: Another cause is the natural order of how God created the world to function.
  • Sin: A third reason is the sinful nature within every one of us.
  • Satan: Last, our spiritual enemy, the devil, wants to mess up our lives and pull us from God. As such, Satan is often the cause of the bad things we encounter in our lives. So blame him.

God can use these things to accomplish his will and ultimately bring about good (Romans 8:28). But it’s an overstretch to say he always causes them to happen.

Conclusion

Yes, God’s sovereignty does allow him to supernaturally intervene in situations. And he can divinely determine to bring about hardship to accomplish his purposes. And he disciplines us to make us stronger.

Though these are both biblical concepts, they emerge as exceptions and not the norm.

To assert that God’s sovereignty makes him responsible for all the horrible events that happen in our life and in our world misrepresents who he is.

We must stop blaming God for our disappointments.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”

​Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.

Categories
Bible Insights

Don’t Be Afraid

It’s Just an Angel

Our perceptions of angels are likely skewed by paintings we have seen. While many of these paintings are great works of art, they cannot begin to capture just how breathtaking and astounding angels must be.

Consider Daniel’s angelic encounter: “His body was like [a precious gem], his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude.” I’ve never seen a picture like that!

Now consider Daniel’s reaction to his angelic encounter:

  • no strength, grew deathly pale, very weak (v8)
  • trembling (v10-11)
  • speechless (v15)
  • overcome with anguish; helpless (v16)
  • strength is gone; can hardly breathe (v17)

Plus, this was likely a “junior” angel, as he required help from a more powerful angel just to reach Daniel. How much more intense would it have been if the “senior” angel showed himself. It is no surprise then, that one of the first things angels say when they reveal themselves is “don’t be afraid.”

However, if an encounter with an angel produces this sort of intense, overwhelming, heart-stopping reaction, imagine what an encounter with the God who created them would be like.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Daniel 10-12, and today’s post is on Daniel 10:4-17.]

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”

​Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.

Categories
Bible Insights

Four People Stripped of the Names God Gave Them

Daniel and His 3 Friends

In my last post, Three People Given a New Name by God, we looked at God renaming people to give them a new identity. Today we will consider the opposite: people whose names were changed in order to strip away their identity.

I’m talking about a young man named Daniel and his three friends.

These lads were forcibly relocated after their country was overthrown. They were removed from their families and all they knew in order to be indoctrinated into the king’s service.

In a final act of reprogramming, they were stripped of their Hebrew names and given new identities.

This was not to encourage them or elevate the trajectory of their lives as God did with Abraham, Sarah, and Israel, but an attempt to remove every last bit of who they were, including their faith.

Daniel became Belteshazzar, Hananiah became Shadrach, Mishael became Meshach, and Azariah became Abednego.

We live in a world that continually gives us names, names to push us down, names to remove the identity God gave us or how he sees us.

Though these may be in the form of nicknames, such as “Shorty,” “Goofus,” or “Blondie,” they are more often labels: loser, worthless, klutz, or stupid.

Daniel and his friends didn’t let others reprogram them from who God made them to be—and neither should we.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Daniel 1-3, and today’s post is on Daniel 1:6-7.]

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”

​Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.

Categories
Bible Insights

Build Up a Wall and Stand in the Gap

Discover How One Person Can Make a Difference

In the book of Ezekiel, God said he looked for one person who could make a difference. One person who could build up the wall and stand in the gap for his people. But God could find no one. What if he had found someone? Instead of destruction, the outcome would have been different.

Look at these four biblical characters who stood in the gap and made a difference.

Abraham

When God revealed to Abraham his plan to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham interceded, pleading for God to not destroy the cities and therefore protect the few righteous people who lived there.

Though God did not relent and spare the cities, he did spare three of its residents: Lot and his two daughters. Abraham stood in the gap (Genesis 18:16-32).

Moses

Twice Moses stood in the gap for God’s people. Two times the Israelites so exasperated God that he wanted to wipe them out and start over, making Moses’s descendants into a great nation. Most leaders would’ve accepted this as God’s will, but not Moses.

He pleaded for God to relent and not destroy the people. Moses stood in the gap and God relented (Exodus 32:10-14 and Numbers 14:12-20).

David

When the Philistines and their champion fighter Goliath confronted the Israelite army, everyone trembled at his size and bravado. No one dared to fight him. But David did. David stood in the gap, and God granted him victory over Goliath and the Philistine army (1 Samuel 17:32-52).

Daniel

Daniel took responsibility for the sins of his people. He confessed the nation’s sins to God and asked for deliverance. Daniel stood in the gap (Daniel 9:4-23).

Can You Stand in the Gap?

What can you do to stand in the gap and make a difference?

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Ezekiel 21-22, and today’s post is on Ezekiel 22:30.]

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Categories
Bible Insights

What is “The Abomination That Causes Desolation?”

The phrase “the abomination that causes desolation” occurs five times in the Bible. Daniel mentions it three times in his prophecies of future events (Daniel 9:27, Daniel 11:31, and Daniel 12:11).

People speculate what he means—such as the destruction of the temple or something foreshadowing the end of the world—but whatever the interpretation, the important thing to realize is that it’s something bad, something evil.

Jesus also mentions the abomination that causes desolation (Matthew 24:15). So at the time of Jesus, this part of Daniel’s prophecy has not yet come true or else Jesus wouldn’t reference it as a future event.

It is still forthcoming. Also, the fact that Jesus mentions it gives added credence to Daniel’s prophecy.

In Mark’s record of Jesus’s mention of this curious phrase, he includes a warning for those in Judea to run to a safe place in the mountains (Mark 13:14). This is not a time to stay and fight; resistance is ill advised.

When confronted with something evil, sometimes we need to oppose it and sometimes we must run from it.

May God grant us the discernment to know the difference.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Daniel 7-9 and today’s post is on Daniel 9:27.]

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Categories
Bible Insights

Five Angels in the Bible With Names

Most of the time when angels are mentioned in the Bible, their names are not given. Apparently, their names aren’t important; their message is what matters.

However, the names of four angels are mentioned:

Michael

The only archangel in the Bible is Michael. Jude reveals Michael argued with Satan about the body of Moses (Jude 1:9). Later, in Revelation, Michael leads his army of angels in a battle against the dragon (Revelation 12:7).

Michael is also mentioned in the book of Daniel, although here he is not called an angel, but “one of the chief princes” (Daniel 10:13), “your prince” (Daniel 10:21), and “the great prince” (Daniel 12:1). In these instances in Daniel, Michael is referred to by another supernatural being, who may or may not be an angel.

Gabriel

Also appearing in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, Gabriel arrives with messages for Daniel (Daniel 8:16 and Daniel 9:21), Zechariah (Luke 1:19), and Mary (Luke 1:26). He is only mentioned these four times.

Raphael

Raphael makes his appearance in the book of Tobit, which is one of the apocryphal books of the Bible. He is mentioned twenty-nine times, in this one book. Raphael appears to Tobias in the form of a man.

Whereas most angels merely communicate God’s message, Raphael accompanies Tobias on his quest, offering advice and encouragement, perhaps even being an instrument of healing for Tobias’s father, Tobit, and Tobias’s wife, Sarah.

Uriel

Another apocryphal angel is Uriel. He is mentioned by name only three times in the book of 2 Esdras (2 Esdras 4:1, 2 Esdras 5:20, and 2 Esdras 10:28). He comes to the prophet Ezra with messages from God. At one point he holds Ezra’s hand and comforts him.

In addition to the above, these four angels (and many more) appear in a single verse in Enoch 9:1: “Then Michael and Gabriel, Raphael, Suryal, and Uriel, looked down from heaven, and saw the quantity of blood which was shed on earth.”

In Enoch chapter 10, God gives each one of them an assignment in the pre-flood world. Notably, Uriel is sent to give Noah a message of the coming flood, Enoch 10:2.

Many other angels are also named in the book of Enoch.

Jeremiel

In 2 Esdras, another book of the apocrypha, we learn of another archangel, Jeremiel (2 Esdras 4:36).

[Discover more about the Bible at ABibleADay.com: Bible FAQs, Bible Dictionary, Books of the Bible Overview, and Bible Reading Plans.]

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Categories
Bible Insights

What About Daniel and Esther?

The discussion of the text that is not found in all Bibles concludes by addressing the books of Daniel and Esther.

In some versions of the Bible, the book of Daniel contains 12 chapters, while in others there are 14. These two chapters are both interesting and insightful.

Daniel 13 is the story of upright Suzanna, who is falsely accused of adultery and sentenced to death. God intervenes by revealing to a young Daniel the duplicity of her accusers; Daniel is able to expose their false testimony and save Suzanna.

Daniel 14 contains two stories of Daniel later in his life. First, he shows that the Babylonian god Bel is not living; he then kills Bel’s prophets and destroys the temple. Second, he proceeds to kill a dragon that the people worship.

His detractors throw him in a pit of lions for a week; God again intervenes to save Daniel.

As far as Esther, the two accounts seem like a condensed version and an unabridged version. The longer version contains a prelude and a postscript, along with helpful insertions throughout, including the edicts that where issued and the prayers of Mordecai and Esther. 

The result is a fuller and more detailed understanding of what took place.

These additional passages are found in The Jerusalem Bible, as well as other versions.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Categories
Bible Insights

Seeking God’s Favor

There are several places in the Bible that talk about seeking God’s favor. In reading these sections it becomes clear that when people seek God’s favor, good things result; when they don’t, bad things result.

For example, Hezekiah sought God’s favor and disaster was averted, whereas the Jewish people did not seek God’s favor and spent 70 years in captivity.

What isn’t readily apparent is how one goes about seeking God’s favor, but Daniel provides the answer. It is simply by stop doing bad things and acknowledging his truth.

Seeking God’s favor isn’t hard, but it’s not often done.

[Jeremiah 26:19, Daniel 9:13]

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Categories
Bible Insights

God Thinks Highly of Us

Are You Highly Esteemed?

Do you ever wonder what God thinks of you? Unfortunately, I suspect that most people who consider such a question reach the wrong conclusion.

But what if an angel were to show up and provide a supernatural perspective about you?

It’s happened:

An angel tells Daniel that he is “highly esteemed.” This doesn’t just happen once, but is said three times on two different occasions. As a result of being highly esteemed, great insight about the future is revealed to Daniel.

A few centuries later, an angel tells a young girl that she is “highly favored.” Her name is Mary. As a result of being highly favored, Jesus is born and the world is forever changed.

Although we can’t earn our salvation, we apparently can be esteemed and favored by God for our actions and dedication; implicitly, the opposite must also be true.

While we may never have an angel visit us to say what God thinks of us, the Bible does reveal this truth. But to find out, you can’t read it as a legal document or an instruction manual.

Embrace the Bible as a narrative, God’s narrative to you.

[Daniel 9:23 and 10:11&19, Luke 1:28]

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.