Daniel and a Den of Hungry Lions When Darius becomes king in place of Belshazzar, he establishes a hierarchy to help him rule, with Daniel as one of three administrators overseeing 120 province governors. Daniel conducts himself so well that the king plans to set him over the entire kingdom. The other two administrators and […]
The Writing on the Wall Belshazzar succeeds his father Nebuchadnezzar as ruler over Babylon. Once established, he throws a grand party for one thousand of his nobles. While drinking wine—perhaps too much—he orders that the goblets taken from the temple in Jerusalem be brought out to serve his guests. In doing so, they praise their […]
See God at work in the Babylonian King’s Life When I consider Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, I think of an evil man who killed countless people and plundered the nations he conquered. Yet, despite his many shortfalls, I wonder if God views him differently. Jeremiah quotes the Lord as calling Nebuchadnezzar “my servant.” God […]
Daniel’s Three Friends When Babylon conquers Judah, Daniel and his three friends—Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah—are seized. They’re deported to Babylon. Their names may be unfamiliar to you. That’s because this trio is better known by the names given to them by their captors: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. We read of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego only […]
Daniel and His 3 Friends In 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 […]
Embrace the Paradox of Choice versus Destiny A theological conundrum is the concept of free will versus predestination. While the Bible teaches that we have the ability to make our own choices (we have free will), it also says that things are predetermined (predestined). Which is it? It is both, presenting us with a delightful […]
Daniel Foretells the Future Today’s Passage: Daniel 7:13–14 Focus Verse: “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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]