Kings and Kingdoms

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Kings and Kingdoms

Rev. Spencer R Fusselman • Daniel 7

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Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

1 John 4:1–3.

One of the biggest themes of Daniel 7 revolves around the coming antichrist, it is important to know that the spirit of the antichrist is alive and well in this world. As Paul writes in Ephesians 6 “11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Our war is waging and the influence of deception is conquering quickly. It seems that every day, the darkness gains ground, and the number of those being deceived grows. How does this arm us with compassion for the deceived and oppressed? Spiritually influenced Earthly Kingdoms of destruction will rise, fall, and eventually end at the feet of Christ. No matter how dark this world gets, there will be a righteous judgment against evil, and God’s people will receive the kingdom!

Read Daniel 7. Discuss the imagery and what sticks out to you. How does this compare with Mark 13?

Guess whats NOT in the Bible?

Most Christians look forward to hearing ‘well done good and faithful servant,’, but there will be some that enter the gates of heaven without hearing a word of it. In chapter 10, Daniel is called a “man greatly beloved”. How do we aspire to ‘earn’ such a title? Our goal as believers in many ways is to hear “well done”, indicating that we were faithful servants of His Glory while on earth. Though Daniel stands apart from most biblical characters we study, this week we are digging into why he is so significant, and why God would use him to write such heavy and impactful prophecy. I believe the character of a person is one of the most important attributes we can cultivate as believers. It’s every part of who we are, and who Christ has made us to be. If one claims to be a follower of Christ, but exhibits no Christ-like behavior, can we assume he is saved? As the adage goes, “Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character”. Character, then, is a result of the inner workings of our thought lives. As we meditate on scripture, it stands to reason that we should be transforming our character through the renewing of our minds. Daniel is truly a man of Christ-like character, he was a man of the word, reading and studying scripture, he was a man of prayer and a man of integrity. Over our study of Daniel thus far, what are some attributes of Daniel’s Character?

Reconciliation at the Cross

When Israel first entered the promised land they were commanded to follow God. Even to the extent of letting the land rest every 7th year. Due to their disobedience, they were exiled. God had raised up Babylon to conquer them and exile them for a period of 70 years. Coincidentally, there were 70 years’ worth of sabbath rests for the land, that was due. This speaks to the intentionality, righteousness, and justice of God. Now that this period of ‘rest’ was coming to a close, it was time for reconciliation. The prophecy in this chapter shows us God’s heart for reconciliation as it gives us 6 ‘line items’, three that dealt with sin and three that dealt with righteousness. Further, it may be one of the most important prophesies as it calculated the days to the exact day Jesus would be crucified. As verse 26 shows us, "Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself;”. Looking at this physically, He would be innocent in death while spiritually speaking, He did not receive the kingdom at that moment. Instead of a crown of gold to reign over the Jews, He was given a crown of thorns receiving nothing for Himself at this time. So why is God waiting so long to bring the kingdom? Because of His long-suffering, and His willingness that none should perish and His kindness is to lead us to repentance. (Romans 2:4,2nd Peter 3:9) Read Daniel 9:20-27. Why is reconciliation such a big deal in the Bible? 20 Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God, 21 yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering. 22 And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. 23 At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision: 24 “Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy. 25 “Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times. 26 “And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined. 27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.” The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Da 9:20–27. Part 1: https://cdn.http://subsplash.com/documents/nwzvv4/_source/b93dbdeb-37fc-4264-9a20-53c5399895e6/document.pdf Part 2: https://cdn.http://subsplash.com/.../459b2d1f-8f5c.../document.pdf Full Sermon https://christianfellowship.http://subspla.sh/8mjw6t7

Do you lack reverance for God?

Daniel Chapter 5 reestablishes prophecy as we shift our focus from Nebuchadnezzar to his grandson, some two decades later, with a stark warning for those who, having seen the faithfulness of God, would rebel against God. Much like our lives, Belshazzar had no excuse not to know of God as Nebuchadnezzar previously made Him known to the kingdom, “29… any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this.” (Da 3:29) Such a decree would have been written and passed down. Later in the next chapter, we saw a truly humbled Nebuchadnezzar exalting God The Most High. And now, just two generations later, a king, with no reverence for the living God, must be reminded of God’s Sovereignty. A society with no purpose or conquest gets complacent; complacency leads to indulgence; indulgence to indifference; indifference to irreverence; and irreverence to idolatry and destruction. Thinking highly of itself, Babylon had become complacent. With the medo-Persian empire setting the kingdom under siege, Belshazzar (the king) hosted a party to entertain and distract the nobles from their impending doom. Full of indulgence and irreverence, he defiles the things of God. Using holy items as common things to worship false gods. The Lord wrote on the wall, ‘You have been weighed, you have been measured, and you have been found wanting’ (paraphrase). Read Daniel 5. How does it compare with Romans 1? If you were on God’s scales, how would you measure up?