Sabbath Shalom! Give Shalom a Chance.
The past week, has been riddled with nervous energy,
for me. It's part of life, I understand this, and so,
I can weather storms, with a measure of optimism.
Saturdays, are my walking with Jesus days.
I long for the "peace that passeth understanding."
I yearn for inner peace, that comes from being
right with God.
My October Bible Study, is Ezekiel-Daniel. Daniel
is much briefer, by Chapter, than the other 3 major
prophets, but, Daniel, has the hardest message.
Generations have studied every word of his
concise prophecies. He is on the divine pinnacle,
of all synchronicity, of his age, and the prohecies.
In fact, to the Babylonians, he was utterly magical.
His powers were awesome, and the fact that he firmly
established these miracles, as from JHVH, created
credibility, and worship, of the God of Israel, in
the most unimaginable place, Babylon. In fact, the
mighty King of Babylon, the first prototype for the
beast, became a believer, and Daniel overcame nations,
through his faith, and God's use of him, as the Prince
of Judah, serving a foreign King.
Daniel is a lifetime study, and I always feel like I
am only scratching the surface. He is the next closest man
of righteousness, to Christ. None of the other Prophets,
or Founding Fathers, other than Enoch, had possessed
perfection, to the degree that Daniel is portrayed.
He is also a figure of Christ, and a blood relative
to Jesus, as a Prince of Judah, great-great grandson
of King David.
There is no flaw in Daniel.
His mighty faith, converted the King of Babylon,
Nebuchadnezzar, who was like a Hitler, to the
Jews. He won over the King of the Medes, and the King
of Persia, too.
That's why it bothers me, that modern Iran, is set
to destroy Israel. Persia, was one of the greatest
empires on Earth, and Persians, were very respected,
in the biblical culture. The King of Persia, in
Daniel's later years, was like the Messiah, or Moses,
to the Hebrew nation, too, taking them from captivity,
and funding their reestablishment in Israel. Cyrus spent
millions, to restore the Hebrew Temple. His name is
holy, and esteemed, in the Old Testament. Not every
Persian king was friendly, but, Queen Esther, married
to the King of Persia, was able to persuade him, to
be kind to the Jews, so, Persia, always came around
to kinship, with the Hebrews. If only that would
happen today!
Nothing is impossible. The Ayatollahs may have Iran
by the short hairs, but, maybe a coup, could restore
the grace to Iran, the same as Israel. I believe God
will bless Persia, in the end, for the sake of Cyrus,
and all the good Persian, and Iranian people. I've
had dear friends, who were Iranian, as well.
In Babylon, Daniel, became the highest civilian
position of leadership, next to the King, equivalent,
to Prime Minister. This is an extraordinary feat.
He never once comprimised, either, or served the
gods of the Babylonians, instead, being such a
good example of the strength of JHVH, the God
of Israel, that there were many conversions,
even without his need to prostelytize.
Chapter 10 in "Daniel," is best, when linear, with
"Book of Revelations," along with other latter day
prophecies, like the last chapters of Zechariah,
and Ezekiel.
When Alexander, the Great, conquered the Middle East,
he was shown Daniel's writings, and stunned, by the
prophecies, about him, over a hundred years before.
He asked to see the Oracle of the Jews, and paid respect,
for Daniel, the man of God, continued to awe, each
generation, for over 2 centuries.
So, now, for maybe the 100th time, in my life,
I tackle Daniel. I've read the commentaries,
from the great Matthew Henry, to more obscure
analyses, but, each time, in the end, it's like
finding buried treasure.
In Chapter 10, Daniel is brought to the River Hiddekel,
in Babylon, when he saw the glorious sight, of one of the
messengers, of our LORD, accompanying the Archangel
Michael. He is told that it is Michael, who is the Prince
of Israel, a hard saying. The angel prince of Persia, is
also a righteous Angel. In Isaiah, and Ezekiel, we
learn that the Angelic principalities of Babylon, and Tyre,
(Representing Lebanon,) was Lucifer.
That's why the endgame, involves the same kingdoms, in
Israel, Babylon, Persia, and Lebanon. I embarked on
this study, to try to glean understanding of the times
we are now in.
The Book of Daniel, was considered a "closed book" in
Judaism, until after the birth of the Messiah, in
Bethlehem. Then, the interpretations, began to come
alive. Daniel has the most to say about our times,
however, and it should be a joyful burden, to discover
his secrets.
I pray for the wisdom, that comes from God, to help
me to understand the divine nuances, peppered throughout
Daniel, so, I can feel less afraid, when the nations
prepare for the final battle. It was all told to us,
from the beginning, that this would happen. The fact
that it is, brings me tremendous hope, that Jesus,
will also return, as he promised.
http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/Dan/Dan010.html#top