The Unbearable Weight of Knowing the Future vs The (un)Believable Hope of Knowing God

Daniel 8

November 8, 2020 • David Schrock • Daniel 8

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The Beginning of the End: How God Gets Your Bones out of the Grave and into His Kingdom

January 31, 2021 • David Schrock

Who. What. When. I don’t know. Those are not just three of the infielder’s from Abbott and Costello’s famous ‘Who’s on First?’ skit. They are also three important questions to ask in Daniel 12. When will the end be? What will the outcome be? And who will guarantee it? Wonderfully for us, “I don’t know” is not our final answer. Indeed, while mystery shrouds the answer to these questions for Daniel. In the fulness of time, we can see how these answers have been, are being, and will be answered in the person and work of Christ—the Son of Man envisioned in Daniel 7:13–14 and the One raised from the dead as Daniel 12:1–3 promises. Pulling all of this together, as we finish Daniel we will see what God is doing in history—past, present, and future. And just like we have seen throughout, the main point is less about when future events will occur, but who is bringing them about. Indeed, we will see what God in Christ has done for those who believe in him and why that is such good news. (‘Why’ is also Abbott and Costello’s Leftfielder – and you really should watch their skit, if you’ve never seen it before — Proverbs 17:22). More importantly, as you prepare for Sunday, please read Daniel 12 and consider why we have spent our time focusing in Daniel on the WHO and WHAT more than the WHEN. As God permits, I look forward to seeing you Sunday and finishing Daniel together. For His Glory and your joy, Pastor David ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Discussion & Response Questions for Daniel 12 1. What has been the most interesting or encouraging truth you’ve learned in our study of Daniel? 2. How has the focus on Christ as the fulfillment of Daniel helped you? Or been different than previous studies of Daniel? 3. What is theological triage? And how does OBC prioritize various doctrines (i.e., the millennium)? 4. Who is speaking to Daniel in Daniel 12? How do we know? 5. What does the speaker say? What promises are found in these verses? How do they apply to Christ? And to us in Christ? 6. How does the question about when the end will come get answered? How is this like Acts 1:5–8? What does this teach about seeking the timing of the end? 7. What is God’s final word to Daniel? Why is this encouraging to you? 8. What lingering questions do you have about Daniel? Or Daniel 12? 9. Encourage your community group members to read the five chapters of 1 Peter.

Finding Resurrection Life Amidst the Raging Waters

January 17, 2021 • David Schrock

This upcoming week president-elect Biden will take the oath of office and become President Biden. And barring something unforeseen, and we should pray for the peace of our nation, this will set in place a leader who has promised to promote abortion domestically and internationally (in repealing the Hyde Amendment). He is one who has said he will put forward an agenda that prioritizes sexual license, transgenderism, and a host of other unbiblical policies. Coupled with the recent violence at the capitol that has been labeled deceptively as a “Christian insurrection,” we are looking at some interesting (read: challenging) days ahead. That being said, Scripture teaches us that everything that happens on earth is the outworking of God’s eternal decree written down in heaven. Without denying the place of prayer or moral responsibility and political action, God is the one who raises up and tears down governments and governors. And nowhere is this more evident than in Daniel 11, the passage we will consider on Sunday. In what is Daniel's most prolix chapter—and yes, it needs an esoteric word to describe it—Daniel 11 has baffled Christians for generations. Yet, when read with the intricate history of the Ptolemic and Seleucid Empires, it becomes apparent that what Daniel is seeing in this vision is the outworking of political history from Cyrus to Christ and beyond. God is never surprised by national upheaval, because he has ordained it and more, he is accomplishing his purposes by it. On Sunday, we will pray for our nation and we will remind ourselves of the holy nation that will never perish, spoil, or fade. 1 Peter 2 tells us that we are royal priesthood and a holy nation. And as people who have been raised to life with Christ, we can trust in his resurrection, which gives us boldness to live today. These are themes found in Daniel 11–12 and fulfilled in Christ. And on Sunday, we will set our minds upon them, to strengthen our hope of heaven and embolden our lives on the earth. Please take time to read Daniel 11–12:4, especially verses 32–35 and 12:1–3. Even more, pray for God to shine his light upon us, such that we would have wisdom to walk with Christ in these days. God is faithful and he will do it. May we set out eyes on him. I hope to see you Sunday, as the Lord wills and as we desire to gather. For His Glory and your joy, Pastor David ************************************************************************************************************************* Discussion & Response Questions for Daniel 11:2-12:4 1. What makes Daniel 11:2–12:4 so hard to understand? How have you understood it in the past? Or not understood it? 2. What differences does knowing the history between Jesus and Daniel make? How can you learn that history? (Hint: read 1–2 Maccabees or a good commentary) 3. Often breaking big narratives into smaller sections helps digest them. What are the smaller sections of this passage? What are the basic historical features of each section? 4. While there is general agreement that Daniel 11:1–35 are historical, there is a great difference of opinion about verses 36–45. What are the two basic ways Christians have read it? 5. Whatever your view is, can you explain how others understand the passage? And why they do? 6. What clues in the text do we have to rightly understand the context and content of this passage? How do things like the structure of Daniel (esp. Daniel 7–12), Hebrew parallelism, and typology help us? 7. How does Daniel 12:1–4 relate to Daniel 11? How is this passage fulfilled in Christ? What is fulfilled, what is remaining? 8. In 1 Corinthians 15:20–28, we learn that there is one resurrection harvest, not one for Christ and not one for his people. What does that mean? How does that encourage you? 9. What is the main point of Daniel 11–12:4? How might speculation about the end times miss the main point of Daniel? How does keeping the main point in view help you understand the passage? 10. What do you learn about God in this passage? And how does it encourage your faith in these tumultuous days? 11. Is there anything in particular that this passage has to say which relates to the woes of our national government?

Angels Among Us, the Son of Man With Us

January 10, 2021 • David Schrock

Did you see what happened in Washington, D.C. this week? I suspect that you did and like all of America, there are mixed emotions of sorrow, anger, dred, and fear, all provoked by the events and images of January 6. The images of protesters storming the capital are likely not to be forgotten anytime soon. At the same time, how to make sense of them and all that led to them, as well as what may come between now and after the inauguration of Joe Biden, is full of uncertainty. That being said, the truths in Daniel that have comforted us throughout the fall and into the new year remain steadfast and immovable in heaven and on earth. In fact, what we will see this Sunday is not only the sovereignty of God once again, but also the presence of unseen angels warring over the earth. Applied to the present, what we can see in the photos of Washington is not all there is to be seen. Indeed, according to the Bible, some of the greatest realities facing our nation and all nations are unseen beings seeking to deceive, destroy, and disrupt the plans of God. Praise be to God, this cannot occur! God is reigning in heaven, and even what appears to be the undoing of our country is not the undoing of God’s plans! With respect to angels, Colossians 1:15 says, God in Christ has created "all things, both in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities.” In other words, there is an unseen realm that has been created by God, appointed by God, and that is accountable to God. Ever since the world was divided into different languages, these angelic beings have been at work in the world. And though we cannot know what they are currently doing—only God can—we can know that they are present and that the warfare of this world is more than simply a matter of flesh and blood. On Sunday, we will consider this Christian view of the world. In our secular age, the idea of angels is often rejected or ignored. But we cannot make sense of reality, or current events, apart from the angelic realm. Daniel 10 has much to teach on this subject, and as we gather this Sunday, this will be our focus. So take time to read Daniel 10, as well as Daniel 11–12, and pray for God to open our eyes to see what his Word says about his world. There is more than can be seen with the physical eye, and we need eyes of faith to believe God and to walk by faith in this world. To that end we pray and gather on Sunday. As the Lord allows, I hope to see you there. For His Glory and your joy, Pastor David ******************************************************************************** Discussion & Response Questions 1. What evidence is there for angels in the Bible? What do they do, according to Scripture? (See Deuteronomy 32:8–9; 1 Kings 22; Job 1–2; Isaiah 6:1–8; Zechariah 3:1–10; Ephesians 1:21–23; 6:10–19; Hebrews 1:1–2:4) 2. How does the presence of angelic beings inform your worldview and approach to life? How has our modern world made belief in angels difficult? 3. What is Daniel doing when the chapter begins? What does this teach us today, especially as churches remain scattered? 4. Who comes to Daniel? How do we know who this figure is? See Revelation 1:13–16. 5. What does Daniel 10 have to do with Daniel 11–12? How does Daniel 10 prepare us for the final vision? (Hint: Consider how the presence of the Prince of Persia and the Prince of Greece may contribute to the rise and fall of those nations). 6. What do we learn in Daniel 10 about God? Angels? Ourselves? The World? 7. What does this passage teach us about prayer? How might this view of angels inform the way we approach our fallen world? 8. What does this passage teach us about God’s sovereignty? How does that strengthen your faith in these tumultuous days?