PEERING THROUGH THE DARKNESS

Romans 5:6 (KJV)
^“6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.”

God is always on time; quit sweating it. We have no strength in and of ourselves.  Why do we think we can fix anything?

Romans 5:20-21 (KJV)
^“20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
²¹ That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Do not focus on the darkness; focus on the light peering through the darkness. Everything in the heavens has shaken, and now everything in the earth is being shaken. Do not run from the darkness; run to the light. Where sin abounds grace will abound even more.

God has not given us the spirit of fear but of love, of power, and of a sound mind. We should not lose our mind over the darkness; we are getting our mind right because of the light.

GOD IS LISTENING

Psalm 116:1-2 (KJV)
^“1  I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.
²  Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.”

Grant it, it is strange to pray or communicate to something or someone who never responds. On the other hand, if you ever get a real genuine taste that the LORD is on the other end listening and there is a witness of sort and He does respond; well howdy, from then on you find yourself praying and a talking to God like there is no tomorrow. In Fact, you look forward to it.

MOTIVATED TO ACT

(1 Peter 1:13-19 ESV)

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

                Being sober minded, what exactly does this mean? Sober means not be intoxicated or drunk, quiet or sedate in demeanor, as persons. Therefore, to be sober minded simply means our thoughts are free to think without any influence from sources that are controlling, it is the state of mind free from any controlling element.

                We may have heard it said, that is the alcohol, or, that is the drugs talking. We really mean they are not being themselves. Alcohol or drugs have a way of altering who we normally are or would be. Culture, family ties, sororities, social clubs and such can also alter who we are. Influences as such can if we allow them to, box us into never becoming what we could have been without their influence.

                The Scripture is telling us, preparing our mind for action is to break away from who we have been to who we can become in Christ. To set our hope fully on the Grace of God free from all other influences is the only way we can become the person we should have always been.

                This change of mind can only take place at the revelation of Jesus Christ. This revelation must come to us, it must dawn on us; the reality of His person is the only mindset that can deeply change our person. We cannot change ourselves until our mind is set on change; we must be motivated to action before we can change. The Grace of God is what brings this about in us, without His grace we will continue to be the person the influences connected to us have caused us to be.

                Breaking ties with who we’ve been takes determination and a true brokenness for having been who we’ve been. Broken in the sense we realize this does not work anymore and we do not want it to work anymore. It is call being sick and tired of being sick and tired. This is the kind of motivation we need to move us to action and to prepare our mind for action.

                Once we receive the revelation of Jesus Christ who we’ve been becomes ignorant and wanting in our own eyes. We do not need anyone else to be discontent with who we’ve been; we are discontent with ourselves.

                The way we have always thought becomes faulty and we see the real problem is with ourselves. We realize at that point we are ready for God to help us; we become ready to move from our evil ways to a better way. We can clearly see a holy life is a better life.

                 We must understand, hating ourselves for how we have been cannot change us or fix the way we have done things.  Actually, we must learn to love ourselves enough to let Jesus take charge of who we’ve been. Being at odds with ourselves is not the same as being at odds with the way we have lived our lives. Loving the sinner and hating the sin can be applied to ourselves as much as applied to others.

                Furthermore, how can we love others as ourselves if we have no love for ourselves in the first place? How we love ourselves and how we apply that love will depend on the level of motivation we have in preparing our mind for action. It has been said, “it is easier to help someone else than it is to help ourselves.”

                James 1:19-25 ESV “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear (Hear what? Hear the wisdom of God, hear the gentle voice of Jesus speaking in our hearts), slow to speak (How many times have we hastily said out of anger, I am going to change and we do not change), slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God (Once again, hating ourselves produces an anger paralyzing us to change). Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness (we must become meek to receive) the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

                But be doers of the word (loving ourselves enough to let Jesus take charge), and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing” (James 1:19-25 ESV).

                Distained spirits are spirits in bondage. “Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time” (Revelation 12:12 (KJV).

                When we let go of the distain we have for ourselves and for others, the anger fueling satan’s wrath has no more power over us. Love cast out fear, there is no fear in love; God has not given to us the spirit of fear, but of love, power, and a sound mind.

When we learn how sin operates and the damage it brings, we cannot have disdain for those being deceived by it, because, we have learned how to let go of the hate we have had for ourselves concerning our own sins. We remember what it was like to be imprisoned or lock up with fear. We now know, perfect love cast out all fear.

“And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear” (1 Peter 1:17 KJV).

 “And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.”

When we are in exile fear is the only way we know how to conduct ourselves. Once we have been ransomed, redeemed and set free love becomes the way we conduct ourselves. “Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus”

(Galatians 5 ESV)

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

            Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

            You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion is not from him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!

            For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

            But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

            If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

LISTEN FOR IT

Psalm 143:8 (KJV)
8 Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.
Listen can you hear it; His lovingkindness is calling us every morning. “My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up” (Psalm 5:3).
Nothing like starting the day being sensitive to His presence; nothing like presenting ourselves to Him in the morning, “…for I lift up my soul unto thee.” His lovingkindness is His covenant commitment to us; He has made the choice to make us His priority.
A harmony takes place when we make it our choice, not as a have to or got to thing, a choice because our passion and love for Him calls for it.  The sound resides in Him and it resides in us; we must choose to hear it.

FAMILY TREE ON FIRE

Zechariah 4
It is neither might nor power by which God builds His house (family) it is by His Spirit. In the midst of the throne standing upon the whole earth is one (Jesus) who walks in the midst of His golden candle sticks (Revelation 2:1). Walking personifies the relational means by which God oversees and pulls His family together.
God told Moses to construct the lamp of one beaten piece (Exodus 25:31-40). Nothing tied on, screwed on, or glued on. Once again, by relational means we are all melted together as His family. This lighted tree is on fire with the presence of God, the family tree of God.
There are only two persons representing the Father's heart in the midst of this tree (two olive branches), the Word and the Spirit, they both agree and produce the revelation integrated into the family from limb to limb and branch to branch as the fire in God burns.
 Seven spirits which are the seven eyes of the Lord running to and fro throughout the whole earth; these are seven measures by which God holds the entire universe accountable to Himself. It is by His Spirit the Father has chosen to design, protect, guide and direct His family.

Hope

 Romans 12:12 (KJV)
“12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer”
If there be any hope at all, recognize it and celebrate it, the next step is faith. Actually, hope can save us, “For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it” (Romans 8:24-25). Faith accommodates hope. We must picture in our hearts what we c...annot see in the natural. The supernatural cannot work for us until we give it something to work for.
“While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18). Picturing those things in the supernatural is framed by the Word of God. To have what the Scripture tells us begins with seeing ourselves with it.
Once again, faith accommodates those things we hope for. What is eternal? Those are the things we should be looking at; those are the things we should be hoping for. “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:1-4).
Abraham called those things forth that were not as though they were, that was hope in action; He knew how to celebrate his hope. God said things to Him then he pictured it in his mind, captured in his heart, and his faith accommodated it with every step he took.
Jesus is our “hope of glory.” Can you picture it? Then celebrate it!

THE LORD

Psalm 135:5-6 (KJV)
⁵  For I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.
⁶  Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places.

 Our God is holy, meaning He is distinct, one of kind, like no other. Absolutely nothing comes close to being like our God; He is great and above all gods. He does what He pleases to do. We are all here as a result of His pleasure. We are His pleasure.

See that, understand that, live like you really know that. This would please Him greatly.

Revelation 4:11 (KJV)
¹¹  Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

INIQUITY or INTIMACY

Iniquity is simply "self will UN-harnessed by God’s will;” it is simple, we will our way into things God has nothing to do with. Iniquity does not necessarily have to be something all wicked and everything, it can even have good intentions that seem to be righteous and all.
For instance, Jesus said, "on that day will they not say, have I not cast out devils in thy name, and done many wonderful works in thy name,etc..." Casting out devils and doing many wonderful works, especially in the name of Jesus does not seem to be all that wicked. However, to Jesus, they worked iniquity; they were performing those things out of their own will rather than out of the presence of Jesus (intimacy). They were more in love with their ministry than they were Him.
If we are not careful we carry the idea of Christ in what we do rather than Christ carrying us in what we do. "And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following..." (Mark 16:20). "The Lord working with them” is the key here.
Jesus turned the seventy loose, when they returned; they were all pumped over having cast out devils. Jesus' response to them was not, "good job boys." His response was, rejoice not that you had power over the demons, but rather rejoice that your names were written in the Lambs book of life.
Here again, we are to do these things out of the presence of Jesus (fellowship) with grateful hearts, not out of the sense of duty or out of the sense of reward for having done so. We are co-labors together “with God;" as we are in fellowship "with Him," we see what He is doing and we join Him.
Sometimes we do things out of our gifting or even out of our talent because of the attention or gratification it brings us. It is not about us, it is about the pain we are ministering to; it is about the influence of God advancing the Kingdom through us.

GLAD YOU ARE JEALOUS GOD

Psalm 106:24-25 (KJV)
²⁴  Yea, they despised the pleasant land, they believed not his word:
²⁵  But murmured in their tents, and hearkened not unto the voice of the LORD.

There is something very positive in the negative most do not want to hear. We live in a world interpreting intolerance as judgmental, and non-accepting.  We are spoiled in our God given right to choose and when we make wrong choices and it comes time to pay the piper; we mumble and grumble in our tents as spoiled brats.

The tension exist for a good purpose, it is the resistance calling our iniquities into check. Transgression is not the real problem, iniquity is where transgression comes into being; self-will, self-seeking, me, I , and myself is the hinge swinging the door open to the distance we create between us and God.

The “I” God becomes our God and we wonder why we cannot find fulfillment. Love is never about us getting our way; acceptance and affirmation can only be valid when relationship evolves out of tension. God will remain silent as long as our noise is celebrating around the molten calf we have constructed.

God has declared Himself as a jealous God. I am glad He is; makes His love more apparent to me.

YEP

1 Corinthians 13:13 (KJV)
¹³  And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Yep, it is so. Faith can move mountains, hope can make them appear, and love gives purpose; love is why we are all here.

YEAH, GET IN THERE

1 Timothy 4:13 (KJV)
“Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.”

Reading is not easy; a person might have to think if they did so. It has been said; if you want to hide something write it in a book. Yep, you cannot be absent minded and read at the same time; one must exercise that noggin to read. Attendance has to take place; one must be there to get it.

When we read the Word, the Word reads us; when we open the Word is when the Word will open us. We cannot have what is there until we get in there.  Attend to reading the Word, capture all God has for you, entertain His Word and you will find His Word entertaining you.

“He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions” (Psalm 107:20).

Yeah, get in there

ONLY THE FATHER KNOWS

Matthew 24:36-51 (KJV)
^“36  But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.”
I have heard it said, live as though Jesus came yesterday, died and arose from the grave today, and is coming tomorrow.  Living in the expectancy of His return is how He taught us to live. Absolutely nothing is impossible with God concerning this. To concern ourselves about that moment beyond the expectancy is also taught by Jesus as a subject only the Father holds in His knowing.

In my life time I have seen signs come and go, and I have heard one attempt after another with every sign prediction of that moment as being imminently “NOW.”  “Now” and those predictions have left many predictors with the “oops syndrome.”

We have had enough signs that if there is one significant sign marking that moment, He should have already come many times over.  Signs do not exist to announce the moment He returns, they exist to remind us He is returning and we are to live as though it can happen the moment the Father decides.

We are to live as though He is coming; and with that in mind, knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we are to persuade people to accept His love and live. This is a life style prescribed by Christ. We should not need terror tactics to move us into this lifestyle; we should have been living this way all along.

Besides, people who are lost without knowing His love is swept off the earth daily. We should have an urgency to touch as many as we can with His love so they can love Him back in repentance and live. Those who are working to provide His presence now will not have to work at it when He comes.

Reading the apostles of the Lamb, you will find they believed He would come in their day. They lived that way, they ministered in that way and so should we. No sign should cause us to be any more urgent than we already should be.     

IN THE MIDST

Daniel 7:1-3 (KJV)
¹  In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.
²  Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.
³  And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.

This chapter is a significant shift from the first six chapters of narrative to apocalyptic visions and dreams. Daniel chapters 1-6 serve as a paradigm for understanding chapters 7-12. For e example, chapter 7 seems to reflect chapter 2 and the four medals (kingdoms) mentioned there. It is as though these visions are an encouragement of hope, as we are faithful to being Spirit led as we live simple lives of holiness in times of trouble and persecution, God is faithful to vindicate with justice.

Therefore, God is actively involved in the lives of those whose hearts are actively pursuing Him, and He puts on stage the saints in the midst of tyrant kingdoms; and also, God’s kingdom as victorious over all ages.

Interestingly enough, Daniel never leaves the earth in these writings; nonetheless, heaven appears, and with its appearance revelation explodes in apocalyptic fashion. Daniel’s interpretation of the king’s dream earlier and his vision of chapter seven are basically addressing the same four earthly kingdoms, Babylonian, Median, Persian, and Grecian.

The kingdoms of this world with their kings may arise in strength seemingly beyond challenge, and in the middle of the process, God’s people become as grapes in a wine press. Verses 9-14 gives hope that God’s kingdom appears in the midst of the strongest and most threatening evil presence, and as His judgment comes, He also establishes His kingdom which shall never be destroyed.

These four evil tyrants came up from the sea. Before they did Daniel witnessed the four winds of the heaven striving upon the “great sea.”  It is as though the sea became turbulent announcing the evil presence coming up as they break into the scene of heaven.

War always takes place in the heavens before they break loose on the earth. Daniel saw this development in the spirit. We call these encounters in the spirit apocalyptic. The word apocalypse itself is derived from a Greek word meaning “revelation;” consequently, the purpose of apocalyptic encounters is to reveal that which is hidden (past, present, or future).

The importance of verses 1-3 reveals heaven is consistently present in any age. This great sea can be connected to John’s apocalyptic revelation of Jesus as he too saw “the throne” in heaven. “And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal…” (Revelation 4:6).

Heaven appeared to Daniel, in this appearing he sees “the great sea.” These evil beings pokes their heads up as to wage war or to defy the authority of the throne setting in the midst of his vision. 

The point I want to make, this sea is the floor of heaven in the “Revelation of Jesus.”  This sea is also the beginning of Daniels vision as he witness the four winds of heaven disturb these waters. There is a river flowing from the throne of God emptying into the sea of glass filling up the midst around the throne.

This is the chasm between spirit and flesh. Jesus said the kingdom of God is within us. Basically, here is there and there is here. Somewhere in the midst of prayer the midst of heaven is present.

Daniel 7:9-14

"…and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed":

Daniel’s Night Vision

Introduction to the Text:

Daniel 7:9-14

Daniel is a demonstration, a living paradigmatic witness to the presence of God in the life of the believer that lives for His presence; in particular, it is as we carry His presence that His presence carries us. In January 2005, Dr. Rickie D. Moore challenged us at the beginning of our class in 1&2 Kings with this question, "How do prophets live among kings?" I believe Daniel is an answer to this question and has become the inspiration as to why I have chosen my text (Daniel 7:9-14) as my exegetical study in defense of the following thesis. I believe this text is the defining moment and center piece in the life of the document showing us that the court of heaven will eventually bring final judgment to all the kingdoms of the earth; His kingdom will prevail over evil in the end for His kingdom is eternal and shall never be destroyed.

The first six chapters of Daniel give a strong sense of cultic values lived out in the narratives; the actions and reactions within the courts give great meaning to the "cultic elements" defining the theology of court relations among the kings and kingdoms of Daniel.

Moreover, chapter seven acts as a "central hinge" in the center of the twelve chapters, moving the document from the narratives to "…Daniel’s first – person accounts of heavenly visions about the future and the celestial interpretations he receives." I also believe the text serves as the central theme and heart of Daniel. That being said, God is actively involved in the lives of those whose hearts are actively pursuing Him, and He puts on stage the saints in the midst of tyrant kingdoms; and also, God’s kingdom as victorious over all the ages.

Historically this chapter was written after the persecution and suppression of the festivals, most likely before the rededication of the temple by Judas Macabee in 164 B.C. Also, during this time of Judas’ leadership, heading up the great Jewish National Liberation struggle, is when Hanukkah was developed – meaning dedication or rededication of the Temple. Furthermore, the fact that Daniel 7 is written in Aramaic and is reflected in chapter 8 (written in Hebrew), it is assumed to be the oldest of the visions.

Nonetheless, Daniel’s vision took place during the time of Belshazzar the son of Nabonidus. "A document known as the Prayer of Nabonidus which tells of a ‘dread disease by the decree of the Most High God’ that befell Nabonidus" was found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, and is similar to the account of what befell Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4; of which, some believe Nabonidus was sick for over a decade in Tema, Arabia. This gives reason as to why Belshazzar ruled as coregent with his father from the third year of his reign.

Chapter seven embellishes the theme of chapter two; Daniel’s interpretation of the king’s dream and his vision of chapter seven are basically addressing the same four earthly kingdoms, Babylonian, Median, Persian, and Grecian. In his vision the fourth beast grows horns, the fourth horn speaks with arrogant words; but then, the beast is dealt with, and Daniel further sees with the clouds of heaven. One is like a human being, and to Him dominion, glory, and kingship is given over all peoples, nations, kingdoms and languages, over which, His sovereignty would never pass away. Though these four kingdoms may arise out of the earth, the holy ones of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and ultimately possess it forever.

Interestingly enough, Daniel never leaves the earth in these writings; nonetheless, heaven appears, and with its appearance revelation explodes in apocalyptic fashion. The word apocalypse itself is derived from a Greek word that means "revelation;" consequently, the purpose of apocalyptic encounters is to reveal that which is hidden. Some of the questions needing answers that were hidden are as follows: What kinds of Kings from the Gentile world will they have to encounter? What did the community need in order to survive the rule of these Gentile kings? Just when would the time of distress come to an end?

Thus, the kingdoms of this world with their kings may arise in a strength that seems beyond challenge, and in the middle of the process, God’s people become as grapes in a winepress. Daniel chapter 7:9-14 gives us the hope that God’s kingdom appears in the midst of the strongest and most threatening evil presence, and as His judgment comes, He also establishes His kingdom that which shall never be destroyed.

Analysis of the Text:

[7:9] "I beheld till thrones were placed, and one that was ancient of days did sit." First of all, beginning with verse 9 down to 14, we find 9-10; 13-14 cradled inside chapter 7 as a stunning focal point and is poetic in form. The vision shifts to heaven or heaven appears, and the throne of God is revealed. Although, before any living figure appeared on that scene, the thrones (‏כָּרְסֵא “plural”) stood empty as great signs of hope. We see in this verse that God Himself is the Judge, as the Ancient of Days takes His seat on the throne of judgment. It is imperative to note, He is the only one that came to sit as judge.

God brings His world into Daniel’s world; God came, and suddenly, there becomes here, and here becomes there, as one in the same. "…The Holy Great One will come forth from His dwelling, and the eternal God will tread upon the earth, (even) on Mount Sinai, [and appear from His camp] and appear in the strength of His might from the heaven of heavens" (Enoch 1:4).

"…his raiment was as white snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames, and the wheels thereof burning fire."

"…one that was ancient of days": The eternal Father God; His days have no end.



"…his raiment was white as snow and the hair of his head like pure wool": Represents purity, absence of sin (Isaiah 1:18 and Psalm 51:7).



"…his throne was fiery flames": His judgment (Revelation 4:5).



"…and the wheels thereof burning fire": His resistless energy and restless power (Ezekiel 1:13-21).

[7:10] "A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him." Fire (נוּר‎) surrounding God in the Hebrew Scriptures can be used as a vehicle of judgment or destruction; in addition, it can represent God’s presence and authority in the physical world. A few scriptures reflecting this in the Torah are God’s presence as a smoking firepot (Genesis15:17), a burning bush with Moses (Exodus 3:2-4), His presence in a quaking mountain covered in smoke (Exodus 19:18), and the pillar of fire leading them in the wilderness (Exodus 14:24; 40:34-38).

"…thousand thousands ministered unto him; thousand times ten thousand stood before him." The idea of a heavenly court and council of divine beings was common in the Ancient Near East. Also, it is mentioned in the Kings, "I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left" (1 Kings 22:19). Collins says "The notion of heavenly council persists in rabbinic literature." And, "…it is important to note that the members of the heavenly council are called ‘holy ones,’ both in the Hebrew Bible (Psalm 89:6-8) and in the Canaanite and Phoenician material."

"…the judgment was set, and the books were opened." The books of heavenly record is well established in Scripture (Psalm 56:8; Isaiah 65:6; Malachi 3:16). On the other hand, it is distinct from those of "the book of truth" (Daniel 10:21) and the "book of life" (Daniel 12:1). This book is a record of the deeds and character of individuals. "The notions being consulted again has its background in the life of the royal court, which necessarily kept records of events and decisions (Ezra 4:15; Esther 6:1)."

[7:11] "I beheld at that time because of the voice of the great words which the horn spoke, I beheld even till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed, and it was given to be burned with fire." As simply says by the scripture, in the context we can see that what happens to this fourth beast with its "great words" is a sentence from the court, and it is assumed that the fire coming from the throne destroys the Beast’s body. I believe we must also acknowledge that Daniel keeps looking; we cannot receive if we do not ask, and we cannot see, if we do not look.

[7:12] "And as for the rest of the beast, their dominion was taken away; yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time." Now that the fourth beast has been incinerated by judgment fire, the other three loose their dominion and eventually come to their end as well. Now that God has appeared, they begin to disappear; God’s justice discriminates those that are worse than others.

[7:13-14] "I saw in the night visions, and, behold, there came with the clouds of heaven one like unto a son of man, and he came even to the Ancient of Days, and he was brought near before Him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed."

Finally, one appears that is given dominion, glory, and a kingdom over all the earth and all serve him "One like unto a Son of Man." This scene is written poetically linking it to when the Ancient of Days arrived in verse 9; as a result, this king is separated from the fourth beast and characterized as the one the Ancient of Days has chosen to be the eternal King.

Several Commentators argue if the one that came here came "on" or "in" the clouds "from" or "to" heaven in this scene; regardless of the argument, it was concluded that he had to be supernatural or even deity. As I considered all my sources and pondered the scriptures myself, it is out of the scriptures that I suggest "came" denoted that He appeared in "the midst" of it all.

For example, using John’s terminology in the Revelation of Jesus Christ, he describes some of the activities surrounding the throne he viewed as "the midst" (Revelation 1:13; 2:1; 2:7; 4:6; 5:6; 6:6; 7:17) and in "the midst" of heaven (Revelation 8:13; 14:6). Even in the natural, one can be in conversation with someone and be standing in the midst of many objects, and as the conversation evolves, one can acknowledge the many items surrounding the midst of where they are standing or even at times not recognize other items.

This one like unto a son of man "came" to the Ancient of Days connecting with the one who took the judgment seat (throne) in the court. Dominion is given to this "one" and we see this one sharing the throne in Revelation 22:1 "flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb" (ESV). Once again we see him in the midst of the throne with Father God. "Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matthew 25:34 KJV).

Goldingay makes this comparison that the four animal figures came up out of the sea, but the human like figure, the one like unto a son of man, passed through the clouds (midst of heaven). As John stood in the midst of the throne room of heaven, he was standing on what he called the "sea of glass". "And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal…," (Revelation 4:6 KJV). When one considers all the items or entities mentioned in Daniel’s night vision, one cannot help but report that they all visually were in the midst of it.

In reference to the animal figures Goldingay goes on to say, "They appeared as a result of a heavenly initiative, and are within heaven’s purview and control, but they emerged from the sea, which suggests their disorderly, threatening nature." , and further yet, concerning the new and eternal king, "The human figure who answers to them comes unequivocally from heaven, and as a human figure, is also implicitly destined to exercise authority over animals…."

Although these four kingdoms represent historically the four kingdoms of Babylonia, Persia, Media, and Greece, they paradigmatically represent any and all earthly kingdoms that will in the end hand over their rule to this one who appears as a human, "one like unto a son of man." This "One" is the last and final King, Jesus Christ, and His Kingdom that which shall never be destroyed.

　

Bibliography:

Charles, R.H., The Book Of Enoch 24 Imp. (Great Britain: Longdunn Press, Bristol 1994).

Collins, John J., Daniel A Commentary on the Book of Daniel. (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress

1993).

Collins, John J., Daniel with an Introduction to Apocalyptic Literature. XX vol. (Grand Rapids,

Michigan: William B. Eermans 1999).

Eiseman, Robert, James the brother of Jesus The Key to Unlocking the Secrets of Early

Christianity and the Dead Sea Scrolls. (New York, New York: Penguin Books Ltd 1998).

Goldingay, John, Word Biblical Commentary Daniel. 30 vol. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1996).

Kaiser, Jr., Walter C., "A History of Israel From the Bronze Age Through The Jewish Wars.

(Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman &Holman 1998).

LaSor, William Sanford and others, Survey of the Old Testament, 2 Ed. (Grand Rapids,

Michigan: William B. Eerdman.1996),

Lucas, Ernest C., Apollos Old Testament Commentary Daniel 20. (Nottingham, England:

Apollos 2002).

McGee, J. Vernon, Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson 1904-

1988).

Milik, J. T., "Priere de Nabonide et autres ecrits d’un cycle de Daniel," RB 63 (1956).

Pace, Sharon, Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary Daniel. (Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys 2008).

Redditt, Paul L., "The Community Behind the Book of Daniel: Challenges, Hopes, Values, and

its View of God," Perspectives in Religious Studies, 36, no. 3 Fall (2009).

Vanhoozer, Kevin J., Dictionary for Theological Interpretation of the Bible. (Grand Rapids,

Michigan: Baker Academic 2005).

Vogel, Winfried, The Cultic Motif in the Book of Daniel (New York/Washington, DC/ Bern:

Lang, 2010).

Wallace, Ronald S., The Lord Is King The Message of Daniel. (Downers Grove, Illinois:

Intervarsity Press 1979).

　

　

　

Sermon of the Text:

Daniel’s Night Vision / A Pentecostal Perspective

Daniel 7:9-14

Daniel’s life in the courts of kings began as a Hebrew exiled from his culture and the land of his culture. The old cliché "You can take the boy out of the country, but you cannot take the country out of the boy," fits Daniel’s story. He begins this journey as a teenager and endures it well over eighty years. At the beginning he was made to become a eunuch in the service of king Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon.

Consequently, he had every right to be bitter and resistant to his oppressors; in contrast, he took on an "excellent spirit" (Daniel 5:12). I believe this excellent spirit developed in Daniel under these pressures; refusing to succumb to his present conditions, Daniel chose to honor those who had dishonored him, as he served them with the spiritual gifts God had given him (Daniel 2:23). This lifestyle as a paradigm became his cultic nature as he practiced the presence of God with his devotion to God in prayer.

It is in and out of these devotions that Daniel’s spiritual abilities came into being; it is as we live in the presence of God that His presence lives in us. It is not a surprise to a Pentecostal that these visions were apocalyptic in nature. We believe revelation hinges between the scripture and divine encounters with God. Daniel’s story evidenced these two and gives us a full panoramic view of how the presence of God practiced in the life of a believer, invades this carnal world with a spiritual kingdom that is covertly in control over all things.

As a result, his story reveals that He is God when everything is going right, and He is God when everything is going wrong, and that if we will press into His presence, His presence will press into where we are. "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10).

As we live in the awareness of God at the same time being totally aware of our earthly surroundings, His world and our world come into view as He sees it. It is in this devotional discipline that I believe Daniel’s deep spiritual encounters through dreams and visions took place. More importantly, I believe this is where his holy living took place and how his cultic values for that living were established in his actions and reactions.

In our text, the heavenly Father appears to Daniel as the Ancient of Days. His eternal position on the throne of heaven is evident in the middle of this vision; He is the God of our "was, is, and is to come." His presence encompasses all that has ever been, all that is, and all that is to be. In other words, there is nothing that has happened, that is happening, or ever will happen that does not happen outside of this place. God sees every evil and righteous event on earth from the footstool of heaven’s throne (Isaiah 66:1).

The voice that spoke to John said, "…and I will show thee things which must be hereafter" (Revelation 4:1). He began by showing him what is consistent or constant; he too sees God on His throne. We cannot encounter His presence as Daniel did and as John did without experiencing a measure of the "was," "is," and "is to come" in God. If we are to have a peak into the future as Daniel did, then we must be in fellowship with what is both constant and consistent. We must be willing to forgive in the place of bitterness, willing to honor those who dishonor us, and willing to be faithful to the cultic values squeezed out of relational devotion to God.

As with Daniel, it does not matter what court we may be standing in; Our God and our King from heaven will eventually win over all evil, and until then, we must live our lives out of His presence. He is the eternal King with a kingdom, that which shall never be destroyed.

THE COMMISSION / THE ANTIDOTE TO UNBELIEF

(Mark 16:9-20 ESV)
[[Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.
After these things he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.
Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.]]
The real issue here according to Mark is unbelief. Jesus made it plain, “Whosoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whosoever does not believe will be condemned.” Jesus gives His church the commission as the antidote to unbelief.
We proclaim this gospel to the world around us by living this gospel to the world around us; proclaiming is acting out what we believe. In this the gospel is simply how we treat people. Love does not force its presence Love invites its presence; therefore, Jesus does not give us the commission to become intrusive but rather to become contagious.
Christianity is a call to the anointing in Christ. Demonstrating His anointing is being a witness unto Him. Walking in the anointing is the church providing the presence of Jesus in this world. His way of thinking, His way of living, and His way of being is His anointing.
The commission is Christianity providing the means for God’s Kingdom to display the Father’s heart to His lost children. God releases His love to this world through His Son living His anointing out of us. Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:18-19). This is our message and this is our anointing in Christ.
Christ manifesting His presence through us becomes the commission in action; He is our anointing, He is our ability to become the antidote to unbelief.

THE LIGHT OF LIFE

John 1:4 (KJV)
^“4  In him was life; and the life was the light of men.”

The Scripture also tells us, those who have the Son of God have life and those who do not, do not have life. Get this, Jesus is the life, He is the light of men.  Jesus is the light in our life. This simply means He makes sense even when life makes no sense at all.

“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12). Sometimes Jesus is the only thing making sense in life. There are times in our life things are dark and bleak; we cannot see or understand why things have happened as they have.

In these times we somehow know He loves us and is with us regardless.  As we recognize this He becomes the light in the darkness. Micah says: “Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me” (Micah 7:8).

Life happens and when it does, we can rest in this one truth, Jesus is the light of our life; He makes sense when nothing else does.

KINGDOM COME

Matthew 12:28 (KJV)
“But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.” 

To be driven by the Spirit of God.  “Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand” (Acts 13:9-11). Paul acted under the influence of the Holy Spirit. “Be not filled with wine wherein there is excess, rather be filled with the Holy Ghost.” A high level of alcohol causes one to act under its influence; likewise, a high level of the Holy Spirit in someone causes them to act under His influence.  Being filled with the Holy Ghost is being saturated by His presence, His influence and directives.

There is a kingdom in the heavens and from the throne of God a constant flow of His Spirit pours into the sea of glass. This sea of glass is a transparent floor or chasm between spirit and flesh.  The eternal God sets upon this throne and rules from here.  Flesh is irrelevant and unconscious of this place; yet, spirit has the ability to invade flesh space and possesses dominion over it. Flesh is either under the influence of the Holy Spirit or evil spirits, and our spirit has been empowered by God to choose which will have dominion.

When these evil spirits are subdued by the Spirit of the Living God, Kingdom activity takes place; God’s Kingdom has invaded the here and now. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded” (James 4:7-8).  The Scripture also tells us a double minded person is unstable in all their ways. We must make up our mind which we will submit to. It is all up in this noggin of ours. Inside this noggin our heart chooses; every issue is settled here and flows out of here. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done in this earth as it is in heaven.     

 

GET OUT OF THE WAY

Romans 12:1-3 (KJV)
“1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”
To look up into the stars and see the great distance between them and us gives me the sense of how small I am compared to their place and ours. To know how fast light travels to reflect them and how fast it takes for me to look upon them is mind boggling; that in itself brings them near as far away as they may be.
Connecting our thoughts to what we see is an incredible gift from God. What we see in understanding is even more incredible. The unmerited grace to see, Master Friend, I thank you from the depths of my heart for this one special gift.
To think without any influence beyond what we see is to receive things as they are. Unfortunately, it has been said, “We see things as we are.” It is human nature for us to frame everything we think according to ourselves. Our self-image, our self-consciousness plays a huge role in the way we see things.
To think soberly is to think empty of self-seeking, it is to think without the influence of self-image and self-consciousness; this is the place where we do not think more highly of ourselves than we should.
This is the mind of Christ, this is how His thought process works: “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me” (John 5:30 JV). Self-seeking is not the Master’s posture and if we are to have the mind of Christ neither should ours.
This is where we must come to for our gifts to carry the anointing. Otherwise, as sincere as it may be, as good as it may be, and as much as it may accomplish, it is just us. Getting ourselves out of the way is not as easy as one may think. The anointing can only fill empty vessels.

KING OF LOVE

 John 19
A crown stained in blood Jesus wore for us so our thinking would become as His. Nails held His body to the cross so our sins would no longer have power over us. The spear pierced His side to show His heart broken for us; He encountered all this naked and wounded to clothe us with His love and to heal us of our wounds.
He became the son of man to teach us to become Sons of God. His cross is a fiery baptism emerged in great love to show us how to love. He was sanctified that we too may be sanctified, bore His cross so we could bear ours; He chose to die so we could choose to die.
His suffering is a display of gracefulness to teach us how to be graceful. He stood before His accusers with no regret, no vengeance, and took our sins upon Himself as though they were His. Nasty spit landed upon His wounds to heal our nasty, false accusation pronounced over Him gave Him the authority to carry our testimony in the spirit of prophecy.
This is the King of Love who died for you and me; His suffering was a prophetic movement moving us out of bondage into freedom, out of slavery into servant-hood, out of orphans into His family, out of losers to winners, out of sickness into healing, out of defamation into reformation, out of darkness into light, out of hopelessness into hope, out of war into peace, out of confusion into understanding, and out of unbelief into belief.
He is the king of Love who came down to us, way down, down here where we are and faced what we face, shoulder what we shoulder, and encountered what we encounter; He took upon Himself our likeness so we could become more like Him, He took upon Himself our sins that our sins could be addressed in love and forgiven so we could be free to live righteous, free to make better choices, free to be free.
The King of Love is addicted to loving us so He may break the addiction breaking us. The Holy Spirit is upon Him, He is anointed “…to preach the gospel to the poor; he has been sent to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised…” (Luke 4:18).
He is the King of Love, through His sufferings He has earned the right to look pass the surface and see what is bleeding on the inside of us; He is anointed to set at liberty those who are bruised. He is anointed to set us free from the things inside us broken and bleeding.
The king of Love was not only wounded for our transgressions the outward manifestations of our sins, He was also bruised for our iniquities, the inward bleeding, the inward pain owning the reason why we sin. He is the King of Love who died for us.
It is not a wonder why His testimony is the spirit of prophecy, through His sufferings He has earned the right to carry our testimonies as judicial pronouncements against the accusations the enemy of our souls holds against us. It is not a wonder why we are able to overcome our enemy by His blood and the Word of our testimony; He is the King of Love and Love never fails.