while we're doing that I'm going to<\/p>\n
introduce our preacher for the<\/p>\n
afternoon<\/p>\n
so so there is a saying don't wake the<\/p>\n
sleeping giant okay don't wake the<\/p>\n
sleeping giant you know you look at our<\/p>\n
preacher today and and often times he<\/p>\n
doesn't say very much but if you wake<\/p>\n
him today you will hear some wonderful<\/p>\n
words today coming from God's word and<\/p>\n
then we're going to wake the sleeping<\/p>\n
giant<\/p>\n
today Jake Thomas is a mtw missionary<\/p>\n
no's been with us for over a year yeah<\/p>\n
but over a year and he's going to come<\/p>\n
and share God's word with us today so<\/p>\n
can we welcome him<\/p>\n
AOSS<\/p>\n
uh I appreciate that introduction a Niti<\/p>\n
no pressure obviously since he left a<\/p>\n
little<\/p>\n
bit pressure on me there uh today's<\/p>\n
sermon is going to be in English so<\/p>\n
anybody who needs Tha translation we<\/p>\n
need to go ahead and get that set up now<\/p>\n
and I'll wait a<\/p>\n
second so that we can make sure<\/p>\n
everybody's good before I<\/p>\n
start<\/p>\n
okay<\/p>\n
can we hear the<\/p>\n
translation yeah okay okay so today<\/p>\n
we're going to be concluding our series<\/p>\n
on the Book of Daniel this is only my<\/p>\n
second time to preach here but they're<\/p>\n
already trusting me to conclude a book<\/p>\n
so feel I don't know if to feel good or<\/p>\n
good or terrified about that but over<\/p>\n
the last several weeks we've looked at<\/p>\n
the terrifying and at times confusing<\/p>\n
visions that cover the second half of<\/p>\n
the Book of Daniel in those Visions<\/p>\n
we've seen what the immediate future of<\/p>\n
the people of God looks like during and<\/p>\n
following their Exile in<\/p>\n
Babylon Daniel seen the the empires of<\/p>\n
the future symbolize this beasts who are<\/p>\n
going to continue to trample and<\/p>\n
persecute the people of God and this is<\/p>\n
the pattern that we see in Daniel that<\/p>\n
human human Empires become like vicious<\/p>\n
beasts when they redefine right and<\/p>\n
wrong when they don't acknowledge God as<\/p>\n
their true king and when they glorify<\/p>\n
their own power I mean we can even see<\/p>\n
this today you know we mentioned some a<\/p>\n
already mentioned some of the conflict<\/p>\n
that we see in the world today um and we<\/p>\n
see the greed and the viciousness of<\/p>\n
humanity and sin as it still runs<\/p>\n
rampant in our world today and the<\/p>\n
people of God are continue to be<\/p>\n
persecuted throughout the world so as<\/p>\n
their Exile in Babylon is ending um the<\/p>\n
people of God are going to go back to<\/p>\n
Jerusalem and they're still going to<\/p>\n
experience suffering this is going to<\/p>\n
culminate in the reign of the Syrian<\/p>\n
King Antiochus the uh epiphanies um<\/p>\n
who's going to profane the temple of God<\/p>\n
who's going to desecrate the temple the<\/p>\n
chapter 12 concludes the longest Vision<\/p>\n
in the Book of Daniel that covers the<\/p>\n
last three chapters of the book we're<\/p>\n
again going to see the suffering and the<\/p>\n
persecution of the people of God<\/p>\n
described but it doesn't end uh in<\/p>\n
despair it doesn't end in hopelessness<\/p>\n
there's a message of redemption and<\/p>\n
deliverance here as well so if you have<\/p>\n
your Bibles with you today open them to<\/p>\n
Daniel chapter 12<\/p>\n
starting in verse one at that time shall<\/p>\n
arise Michael the great prince who has<\/p>\n
charge of your people and there shall be<\/p>\n
a time of trouble such has never been<\/p>\n
since there was a nation till that time<\/p>\n
but at that time your people shall be<\/p>\n
delivered everyone whose name shall be<\/p>\n
found written in the book and many of<\/p>\n
those who sleep in the dust of the Earth<\/p>\n
shall awake some to everlasting life and<\/p>\n
some to shame and everlasting contempt<\/p>\n
and those who are wise shall shine like<\/p>\n
the brightness of the sky above and<\/p>\n
those who turn many to righteousness<\/p>\n
like the stars forever and ever but you<\/p>\n
Daniel shut up the words and seal the<\/p>\n
book until the time of the end many<\/p>\n
shall run to and fro and knowledge shall<\/p>\n
increase then I Daniel looked and behold<\/p>\n
two others stood one on this Bank of the<\/p>\n
stream and one on that bank of the<\/p>\n
stream and someone said to the man man<\/p>\n
clothed in linen who was above the<\/p>\n
Waters of the stream how long shall it<\/p>\n
be till the end of these wonders and I<\/p>\n
heard the man clothed in linen who was<\/p>\n
above the Waters of the stream he raised<\/p>\n
his right hand and his left hand toward<\/p>\n
heaven and swore by him who lives<\/p>\n
forever that it would be for a time<\/p>\n
times and half a time and that when the<\/p>\n
shattering of the power of the Holy<\/p>\n
people comes to an end all things would<\/p>\n
be finished I heard but I did not<\/p>\n
understand then I said oh my Lord what<\/p>\n
shall be the outcome of these things he<\/p>\n
said go your way Daniel for the words<\/p>\n
are shut up and SE sealed until the time<\/p>\n
of the end many shall purify themselves<\/p>\n
and make themselves white and be refined<\/p>\n
but the wicked shall act wickedly and<\/p>\n
none of the wicked shall understand but<\/p>\n
those who are wise shall understand and<\/p>\n
from the time that the regular burnt<\/p>\n
offering is taken away and the<\/p>\n
Abomination that makes desolate is set<\/p>\n
up there shall be 1290 days blessed is<\/p>\n
he who Waits and arrives at the three<\/p>\n
the 1335 days but go your way till the<\/p>\n
end and you shall rest and shall stand<\/p>\n
in your lot of place at the end of the<\/p>\n
days Martin Luther said this about the<\/p>\n
conclusion of the Book of Daniel Daniel<\/p>\n
concludes the record of his terrifying<\/p>\n
visions and dreams on a note of Joy<\/p>\n
namely the coming of Christ's Eternal<\/p>\n
reign of Glory whoever wants to study<\/p>\n
them profit profitably dare not focus<\/p>\n
his attention on the details of the<\/p>\n
visions and dreams but will find comfort<\/p>\n
in the Savior Jesus Christ whom they<\/p>\n
portray and in the Deliverance he brings<\/p>\n
from sin and its misery this is what<\/p>\n
we're going to focus on today we're not<\/p>\n
going to focus necessarily on the<\/p>\n
details and the minutia of this passage<\/p>\n
but on the Redemptive painting that the<\/p>\n
Lord is p is is is showing us through<\/p>\n
the death Resurrection death and<\/p>\n
resurrection of Christ and when he comes<\/p>\n
in when he comes in his full Glory you<\/p>\n
may have had some questions pop into<\/p>\n
your head as I read those verses about<\/p>\n
the details of the visions and answers<\/p>\n
and the answers Daniel and the angels<\/p>\n
get to their<\/p>\n
questions but they're not the point of<\/p>\n
the pth passage too often when we read<\/p>\n
the Bible we get bogged down in the<\/p>\n
details in um everything every little<\/p>\n
aspect of the passage and we miss the<\/p>\n
greater tapestry that the Lord is<\/p>\n
weaving as we go through the passage I'm<\/p>\n
going to offer brief explanations on<\/p>\n
some of these things but they're not the<\/p>\n
point of the<\/p>\n
passage uh it's not for us to calculate<\/p>\n
the day or the hour that these things<\/p>\n
are going to occur especially the<\/p>\n
resurrection that precedes Jesus Second<\/p>\n
Coming Jesus himself says this in<\/p>\n
Matthew 24 but concerning that day and<\/p>\n
hour no one knows not even the angels of<\/p>\n
Heaven nor the son but the father only<\/p>\n
so we can't allow ourselves to get<\/p>\n
distracted by trying to pinpoint exactly<\/p>\n
with an event that we're never going to<\/p>\n
figure out when it's going to happen is<\/p>\n
going to<\/p>\n
happen there's ambiguity in the language<\/p>\n
here because and we know that because<\/p>\n
Jesus can use this passage to talk about<\/p>\n
the destruction of Jerusalem that<\/p>\n
happens in 70 AD by the Romans and the<\/p>\n
Apostle John can also use it in<\/p>\n
Revelation to talk about some future<\/p>\n
tribulation and persecution that the<\/p>\n
people of God are going to experience<\/p>\n
but the important thing to remember is<\/p>\n
that Daniel 12 ends on a note of Hope<\/p>\n
for all future Generations the ambiguity<\/p>\n
in the language is not just about the<\/p>\n
suffering that they're going to<\/p>\n
experience but also about the<\/p>\n
Deliverance that they're going to<\/p>\n
experience we can rest in the fact that<\/p>\n
we know the end of the story and what a<\/p>\n
glorious end it is for those whose names<\/p>\n
are found in the book of life when we<\/p>\n
look at this concluding<\/p>\n
Vision we see a message of endurance<\/p>\n
hope and rest as we start to break down<\/p>\n
the verses here we can divide them into<\/p>\n
two sections the first four verses are<\/p>\n
the conclusion of the vision that spans<\/p>\n
the entirety of chapters 10 and 11 and<\/p>\n
the last eight verses are a new very<\/p>\n
very short Vision where two new Angels<\/p>\n
appear and they ask the angel clothed in<\/p>\n
linen that we've interacted with before<\/p>\n
in this book a question about how long<\/p>\n
this is going to take and then Daniel<\/p>\n
himself is curious what the outcome of<\/p>\n
these things are going to<\/p>\n
be he that's unsurprising that he's<\/p>\n
curious because he's seen visions that<\/p>\n
have left him physically ill about the<\/p>\n
future of his people and the uh the<\/p>\n
persecution and suffering that they're<\/p>\n
going to experience but there is hope<\/p>\n
there's not<\/p>\n
Despair and there's a promise of<\/p>\n
Resurrection ultimately we see that God<\/p>\n
calls his people to endure suffering<\/p>\n
while they hold fast to the hope of<\/p>\n
redemption and rest knowing that the<\/p>\n
resurrection awaits<\/p>\n
them God calluses people to endure<\/p>\n
suffering while they hold hold fast to<\/p>\n
the hope of redemption found in Jesus<\/p>\n
Christ and rest knowing that<\/p>\n
Resurrection awaits<\/p>\n
them we're going to see that in three<\/p>\n
ways in this chapter God is going to<\/p>\n
promise his people that they're going to<\/p>\n
suffer but he will deliver them God<\/p>\n
Alone knows how long his people will<\/p>\n
suffer then God calls us to rest knowing<\/p>\n
what awaits us even if we don't have all<\/p>\n
the<\/p>\n
answers so with that in mind let's take<\/p>\n
a look at verse one<\/p>\n
again it says at that time shall arise<\/p>\n
Michael the great prince who has charge<\/p>\n
of your people and there shall be a time<\/p>\n
of trouble such as never been since<\/p>\n
there was a nation till that time but at<\/p>\n
that time your people shall be delivered<\/p>\n
everyone whose name shall be found<\/p>\n
written in the book as he has done so<\/p>\n
many times before God is going to<\/p>\n
deliver his<\/p>\n
people we again see reference to the the<\/p>\n
Archangel Michael who was referred to at<\/p>\n
the beginning of chapter 10 and that<\/p>\n
part of the vision the one clothed in<\/p>\n
linen um is aided by Michael in his<\/p>\n
battle against the kings of Persia niron<\/p>\n
talked about that a couple weeks ago and<\/p>\n
just what that means for evil and its<\/p>\n
impact on the world but here Michael is<\/p>\n
the protector of the people of God he is<\/p>\n
fighting on their side and he comes to<\/p>\n
their aid<\/p>\n
when the night is darkest when they're<\/p>\n
at their lowest it says enduring their<\/p>\n
worst<\/p>\n
persecution that they've ever<\/p>\n
experienced this comes under the the<\/p>\n
thumb of the King of the North that's<\/p>\n
referred to in Chapter 11<\/p>\n
and so when we think about this is the<\/p>\n
worst worst persecution they've ever<\/p>\n
experienced this is worse than slavery<\/p>\n
in Egypt this is worse than the Exile of<\/p>\n
Babylon that they're currently<\/p>\n
experiencing and so this is truly<\/p>\n
difficult suffering that they're<\/p>\n
experiencing but that is when the Lord<\/p>\n
delivers<\/p>\n
them he promises that he will deliver<\/p>\n
all of those whose names are found in<\/p>\n
the book um and so what when we start to<\/p>\n
think about what that Deliverance what<\/p>\n
does that Deliverance look like here<\/p>\n
it's obvious that that is res<\/p>\n
Resurrection as we read in verse two we<\/p>\n
see<\/p>\n
that there is a resurrection promised<\/p>\n
and that when that happens that will<\/p>\n
also signal the establishment of God's<\/p>\n
kingdom here on<\/p>\n
Earth remember in Nebuchadnezzar's first<\/p>\n
Dream mentioned in Daniel one day God<\/p>\n
will establish a kingdom that will never<\/p>\n
be destroyed we learn here that that<\/p>\n
happens there's also going to be a great<\/p>\n
resurrection of the Dead for God it's<\/p>\n
going to be as easy as waking someone<\/p>\n
who's asleep it's amazing to to see the<\/p>\n
power of the Lord in that moment um that<\/p>\n
he is waking someone who's asleep all of<\/p>\n
the Dead across the Earth so th it says<\/p>\n
also that those rays will either<\/p>\n
experience everlasting life or<\/p>\n
Everlasting contempt it's not a happy<\/p>\n
ending for<\/p>\n
everybody all people will face that<\/p>\n
judgment and will be held accountable if<\/p>\n
their names are in the Book of Life did<\/p>\n
you know that this is the first time<\/p>\n
that the phrase everlasting life is used<\/p>\n
in the Old Testament I think I think<\/p>\n
that's really significant<\/p>\n
because often times when we read the Old<\/p>\n
Testament when we preach on the Old<\/p>\n
Testament we're we're looking only for<\/p>\n
connections to the coming Messiah Jesus<\/p>\n
first Incarnation on Earth and here<\/p>\n
we're not only looking towards Jesus<\/p>\n
Jesus life on Earth but also his second<\/p>\n
coming his his return as the Conquering<\/p>\n
King it's going to be a glorious<\/p>\n
Resurrection for those whose names are<\/p>\n
found in the book of life and that<\/p>\n
Resurrection is singled by the return of<\/p>\n
Christ<\/p>\n
what a p beautiful picture he Paints in<\/p>\n
verse three he says the wise will shine<\/p>\n
like the brightness of the sky above and<\/p>\n
like the stars forever and ever this is<\/p>\n
not just a simple Resurrection to to<\/p>\n
life that the people who whose names are<\/p>\n
in the Book of Life are experiencing<\/p>\n
there's glorification that's happening<\/p>\n
here too and the promise of our Comon<\/p>\n
chory makes should make us willing to<\/p>\n
endure any suffering that comes our way<\/p>\n
this is why James says in James 1: 2-4<\/p>\n
count it all joy Brothers when You Face<\/p>\n
Trials of various times kinds for you<\/p>\n
know that the testing of your faith<\/p>\n
produces steadfastness and let<\/p>\n
steadfastness have its full effect that<\/p>\n
you may be perfect and complete lacking<\/p>\n
in nothing count it a joy when You Face<\/p>\n
trials when You Face suffering because<\/p>\n
of what it produces in you it produces<\/p>\n
steadfastness it produces endurance and<\/p>\n
when that endurance is fully formed it<\/p>\n
produces hope and faith in you that will<\/p>\n
point us to that hope of glory that we<\/p>\n
will receive receive one day Jesus<\/p>\n
himself tells us that in this world we<\/p>\n
will face tribulation but we can take<\/p>\n
heart because he has overcome the<\/p>\n
world we can only know for sure that our<\/p>\n
names are in the Book of Life if we<\/p>\n
trust that Christ has overcome the<\/p>\n
world because he came that we may have<\/p>\n
life and have it to the fullest the most<\/p>\n
famous verse in the Bible says that God<\/p>\n
sent his own son into the world so that<\/p>\n
whoever believes in him should not<\/p>\n
perish but have that everlasting life<\/p>\n
that we're talking about through him<\/p>\n
Jesus did not come to condemn the world<\/p>\n
but he came so that the world might be<\/p>\n
saved through<\/p>\n
him today we need to be reminded that<\/p>\n
before he comes as a conquering King<\/p>\n
Jesus came as a sacrificial<\/p>\n
lamb and he died for each and every one<\/p>\n
of us he is our Living Hope in life and<\/p>\n
death this section concludes in verse<\/p>\n
with verse four with instructions to<\/p>\n
Daniel in particular Daniel is<\/p>\n
instructed to to to uh shut up the words<\/p>\n
and seal up the book until the time of<\/p>\n
the end many will run to and fro on the<\/p>\n
earth and knowledge will increase this<\/p>\n
an interesting contrast with the<\/p>\n
instructions given to the Apostle John<\/p>\n
in Revelation 22:10 where Jesus who is<\/p>\n
talking to John says he uh do not seal<\/p>\n
up the words of Prophecy for of this<\/p>\n
book for the time is near so John's told<\/p>\n
not to seal the book because the time is<\/p>\n
near so what what changed I think the<\/p>\n
simple answer that um most everyone in<\/p>\n
this room could give is that you know<\/p>\n
Jesus came he lived he died he rose from<\/p>\n
the dead and he ascended back to the<\/p>\n
father and you know John was a witness<\/p>\n
to that and he is anxiously awaiting the<\/p>\n
second coming of Christ that's the easy<\/p>\n
part of it and I think it plays a large<\/p>\n
part in the answer um the reality for us<\/p>\n
is that any time after time has passed<\/p>\n
you know Jesus has come so I think that<\/p>\n
that we could settle with that but I<\/p>\n
think there's something else to play<\/p>\n
here you know the end of the verse ends<\/p>\n
with many will run to and fro and<\/p>\n
knowledge will increase um this is a<\/p>\n
difficult phrase that commentators<\/p>\n
disagree about necessarily what it means<\/p>\n
to me I think there is a play on wisdom<\/p>\n
and knowledge Happening Here in verse<\/p>\n
three when it talks about the the wise<\/p>\n
will shine like the stars in the heaven<\/p>\n
in verse 10 that we haven't come to yet<\/p>\n
it says the wise will understand and the<\/p>\n
wicked will not<\/p>\n
understand and then here we have many<\/p>\n
will run to and frow in knowledge will<\/p>\n
increase I think from the beginning when<\/p>\n
sin entered the world one of the major<\/p>\n
signs of of sin's effect on humanity is<\/p>\n
an unquenchable thirst for<\/p>\n
knowledge and as knowledge grows people<\/p>\n
believe that they're they are smarter<\/p>\n
than God and they don't need God anymore<\/p>\n
and so what I think is being described<\/p>\n
here is a people that<\/p>\n
are looking for answers and trying to<\/p>\n
understand the events of the end without<\/p>\n
the help of God they believe that they<\/p>\n
have enough knowledge that they can<\/p>\n
understand stand it on their own that<\/p>\n
they don't need God on the other hand<\/p>\n
the wise rest easily and sleep<\/p>\n
peacefully knowing what God has promised<\/p>\n
will come<\/p>\n
true my question for you is are you<\/p>\n
seeking wisdom or are you seeking<\/p>\n
knowledge do you live a life resting in<\/p>\n
God's promises or are you running<\/p>\n
frantically trying to feel in complete<\/p>\n
control of your<\/p>\n
circumstances it should be it should be<\/p>\n
enough for us to know that our lives are<\/p>\n
in God's hands and the lives of those we<\/p>\n
love are in God's hands<\/p>\n
at this point the vision shifts to a<\/p>\n
very short concluding Vision that that<\/p>\n
encompasses all of verses 5 through<\/p>\n
13 two new Angels appear one standing on<\/p>\n
each side of the bank of the river and<\/p>\n
the one clothed in linen is above the<\/p>\n
river and they ask the one closes in<\/p>\n
linen a question they ask him how long<\/p>\n
shall it be till the end of these<\/p>\n
wonders the end of these<\/p>\n
wonders his answer isn't necessarily<\/p>\n
clear he<\/p>\n
says uh it will be a time times which we<\/p>\n
should understand as as two times and<\/p>\n
half a time until the end of these<\/p>\n
things he also says that the end of<\/p>\n
these wonders uh will be preceded by the<\/p>\n
shattering of the power of the Holy PE<\/p>\n
of the Holy people of<\/p>\n
God so we already read in the first<\/p>\n
section that the time of the end will be<\/p>\n
preceded by God's people experiencing<\/p>\n
unprecedented tribulation and<\/p>\n
suffering so do we think that this is<\/p>\n
talking about the same<\/p>\n
time while the Angel's answer is unclear<\/p>\n
we can consider it definitive because he<\/p>\n
swears on God himself that that this is<\/p>\n
going to happen how he says it's going<\/p>\n
to<\/p>\n
happen so if that's the case we have to<\/p>\n
try to figure out what does this mean<\/p>\n
what how should we treat this span of<\/p>\n
time that he's talking about a little<\/p>\n
bit of math tells us that this is three<\/p>\n
and a half difficult for me to put that<\/p>\n
together for a little bit but we did we<\/p>\n
got there a little more math would tell<\/p>\n
you that three and a half is half of<\/p>\n
seven it's a little extra bonus lesson<\/p>\n
for you<\/p>\n
today and so some some commentators<\/p>\n
believe that this three and a half times<\/p>\n
is a symbolic number that represents<\/p>\n
like half of completion in the Bible<\/p>\n
seven is is generally uh considered the<\/p>\n
number of completion and so this three<\/p>\n
and a half is a very a long span of time<\/p>\n
that but it won't be forever because<\/p>\n
it's not it's half of<\/p>\n
seven<\/p>\n
most commentators though uh believe that<\/p>\n
this is a literal three and a half years<\/p>\n
that is being discussed here and if we<\/p>\n
um also combine this answer with the<\/p>\n
answer Daniel receives in verse<\/p>\n
11 when the angel says that suspension<\/p>\n
of the burnt offering will be 1290 days<\/p>\n
and then there's also mention of 1335<\/p>\n
days so those numbers are you know<\/p>\n
roughly again three and a half<\/p>\n
years you know that's the that is what<\/p>\n
most commentators believe this uh<\/p>\n
represents so if it's three and a half<\/p>\n
years then our next question becomes<\/p>\n
when is that three and a half<\/p>\n
years and most commentators believe that<\/p>\n
this three and a half years being<\/p>\n
described is entius Reign Over Israel<\/p>\n
when the suspension of the burnt<\/p>\n
offering happens when the desecration of<\/p>\n
the temple happens and the angel gives a<\/p>\n
little bit<\/p>\n
more support of that in verse<\/p>\n
11 although the Apostle John does use<\/p>\n
similar links to these in Revelation he<\/p>\n
he uses 42 months and 1290 days to<\/p>\n
describe some of the events that um he<\/p>\n
is prophesying as well it's most likely<\/p>\n
that this is referring to the reign of<\/p>\n
Antiochus in<\/p>\n
Jerusalem but it's not necessarily<\/p>\n
important for us to figure that that out<\/p>\n
exactly the main thing that I want us to<\/p>\n
see from this is that that God Alone<\/p>\n
knows how long his people are going to<\/p>\n
suffer whether three and a half times is<\/p>\n
some unknown span of time whether it's<\/p>\n
three and a half years that happened at<\/p>\n
this particular point that we know of<\/p>\n
God is the one who knows how long it's<\/p>\n
going to be God is the one who knows<\/p>\n
long how long his people are going to<\/p>\n
suffer the question that we have to<\/p>\n
answer is is it enough for us to know<\/p>\n
that God knows how long we're going to<\/p>\n
suffer and we<\/p>\n
don't can we live content lives placing<\/p>\n
ourselves fully in his<\/p>\n
hands because we're at our best when we<\/p>\n
are depending on him alone<\/p>\n
yet in today's world it's really easy to<\/p>\n
convince ourselves that we don't need<\/p>\n
God most of the people in this room<\/p>\n
probably aren't worried about where<\/p>\n
their next meal is going to come from<\/p>\n
you're probably not worried about where<\/p>\n
you're going to sleep<\/p>\n
tonight probably aren't even worried<\/p>\n
about where your next paycheck is going<\/p>\n
to come from in fact most most of you<\/p>\n
probably have something like this in<\/p>\n
your pocket uh you might be using it to<\/p>\n
read your Bible right now because that's<\/p>\n
what I use it for I almost never bring<\/p>\n
my Bible to church anymore I just use my<\/p>\n
phone you know right now I could use my<\/p>\n
phone to order food delivered here if I<\/p>\n
pay an extra 12 bot it'll get here<\/p>\n
faster I could rent a car I could rent<\/p>\n
an apartment I could apply for a<\/p>\n
job smartphones make us convince us that<\/p>\n
our lives are easy they really do in our<\/p>\n
in our ever in our Everlasting Quest For<\/p>\n
Comfort we start to convince ourselves<\/p>\n
that we don't really need God we start<\/p>\n
to convince our our eles that we're in<\/p>\n
control when we convince ourselves of<\/p>\n
that we're it's a it's a mirage it's not<\/p>\n
real how often in your lives do you<\/p>\n
experience a moment where that facade<\/p>\n
comes crumbling down where you realize<\/p>\n
you don't have control or something<\/p>\n
happens in your life that rips that<\/p>\n
control<\/p>\n
away you may not have control but God<\/p>\n
does as you leave here today I want you<\/p>\n
to meditate on two<\/p>\n
questions how can you remind yourself<\/p>\n
daily that the Lord is in control and is<\/p>\n
Sovereign even when you experience pain<\/p>\n
and<\/p>\n
suffering and how can you remind<\/p>\n
yourself daily to depend depend on God<\/p>\n
even when things are<\/p>\n
easy when it doesn't seem like you<\/p>\n
really need<\/p>\n
God try to think about what those things<\/p>\n
might mean for how you would change your<\/p>\n
life how you might need to shape your<\/p>\n
life differently than you are right<\/p>\n
now now we've come to the final section<\/p>\n
of verses verses 8 through<\/p>\n
13 and after after Daniel hears the<\/p>\n
answer to the Angel's question he has<\/p>\n
one of his<\/p>\n
own he ask the angel what will be the<\/p>\n
outcome of these<\/p>\n
things he's basically asking what's<\/p>\n
going to happen next he wants to know<\/p>\n
what's going to happen next if I was in<\/p>\n
issues I would want to know the same<\/p>\n
thing<\/p>\n
but the Angel's response is go on your<\/p>\n
go your own way to your rest he<\/p>\n
basically says you you don't have to<\/p>\n
know it's not up to you if you get to<\/p>\n
know the answer to that or not you don't<\/p>\n
get to know<\/p>\n
everything although the angel does give<\/p>\n
him a little bit of a hint of what's<\/p>\n
going to happen right he re re re<\/p>\n
reiterates the amount of time that the<\/p>\n
temple will be made desolate by<\/p>\n
Antiochus and tells Daniel that the<\/p>\n
world will continue as it<\/p>\n
is more people like Daniel will rise up<\/p>\n
and the wise more people more wise<\/p>\n
people like Daniel will rise up and will<\/p>\n
continue in the same path that Daniel<\/p>\n
has been<\/p>\n
on and the wicked will also continue to<\/p>\n
rise up as<\/p>\n
well empires of of humanity will become<\/p>\n
like beasts more and more and things<\/p>\n
will continue in the same path that<\/p>\n
they're<\/p>\n
on So Daniel gets a glimpse to his<\/p>\n
answer but he doesn't get a full answer<\/p>\n
of what's going to<\/p>\n
happen<\/p>\n
yet God calls him to rest nonetheless<\/p>\n
God calls us to rest knowing what awaits<\/p>\n
us even if we don't have all the<\/p>\n
answers you know for me that's both of<\/p>\n
those things are pretty<\/p>\n
difficult you know I hear God calls us<\/p>\n
to rest and I'm like you know I can work<\/p>\n
on that it's not super easy I like to be<\/p>\n
doing things but you know I I think I<\/p>\n
can do it uh but then you know I hear<\/p>\n
that I'm not going to get all the<\/p>\n
answers and and it gets a little more<\/p>\n
complicated right I start to think about<\/p>\n
like how on Earth am I supposed to rest<\/p>\n
if I don't know what's going to<\/p>\n
happen I don't know if you're like me<\/p>\n
back when I was in school when I would<\/p>\n
get a test I would leave through it just<\/p>\n
once and see kind of kind of gauge<\/p>\n
quickly how many of the answers I<\/p>\n
thought I knew felt comfortable with and<\/p>\n
as that percentage got higher and higher<\/p>\n
that I didn't know you know my heart<\/p>\n
started to be faster my hands got<\/p>\n
clammy you know that's kind of how I<\/p>\n
feel when when I read<\/p>\n
this God calls us to rest even though<\/p>\n
we're not certain of what's going to<\/p>\n
happen we don't know what's going to<\/p>\n
happen and that's hard that's really<\/p>\n
really<\/p>\n
hard but like Daniel that's that's what<\/p>\n
we're called to we're called to emulate<\/p>\n
exactly what he's called to in verse 13<\/p>\n
he's told go your own way and find your<\/p>\n
rest awaiting his promised Resurrection<\/p>\n
awaiting that a lot of time will stand<\/p>\n
Before the<\/p>\n
Throne so how do you find your rest<\/p>\n
well I think the first question we have<\/p>\n
to ask is what is<\/p>\n
rest does that mean we live detached<\/p>\n
lives here simply awaiting our Lord's<\/p>\n
Second<\/p>\n
Coming should we lack ambition because<\/p>\n
we have no interest in the things of<\/p>\n
this<\/p>\n
world I would say no and no I don't I<\/p>\n
don't think those things are right I<\/p>\n
think you know what we've turned rest<\/p>\n
into is a simple lack of<\/p>\n
activity and that's not what the rest<\/p>\n
described in the Bible is in the Bible<\/p>\n
is is much more of of contentedness in<\/p>\n
your spirit it's much more about finding<\/p>\n
rest within yourself not necessarily<\/p>\n
there is rest of your body but it's more<\/p>\n
about resting in the<\/p>\n
Lord we can't we have to find continuous<\/p>\n
in ourselves and it's easy to do that<\/p>\n
when we realize that we are living lives<\/p>\n
in Victory not searching for<\/p>\n
victory that's what I imagine would be<\/p>\n
difficult for Daniel because it's what's<\/p>\n
difficult for me in the past six<\/p>\n
chapters all that Daniel has heard about<\/p>\n
is how terrible it's about to be for all<\/p>\n
his people what what's going to happen<\/p>\n
around them in the world as Empires rise<\/p>\n
and fall and how the people of God are<\/p>\n
trampled underneath these Empires as<\/p>\n
they as they come into power and then<\/p>\n
someone else takes over and everyone is<\/p>\n
just Conquering the people of Israel<\/p>\n
over and over<\/p>\n
again be tough to realize that he<\/p>\n
already lives in Victory when all he's<\/p>\n
seen when they fight their way back from<\/p>\n
Babylon what they're going to EXP<\/p>\n
experiences pain and<\/p>\n
heartbreak despite that he's called to<\/p>\n
rest even though he knows he knows<\/p>\n
better than anybody else who's returning<\/p>\n
from Exile that troubles on the horizon<\/p>\n
he knows better than anybody else that<\/p>\n
suffering is going to come nonetheless<\/p>\n
he's told to rest because his time is<\/p>\n
over but his resurrection will<\/p>\n
come remember what Paul wrote in 1<\/p>\n
Corinthians 15 verses 54-57 say when the<\/p>\n
perishable puts on the imperishable and<\/p>\n
and the Mortal puts on<\/p>\n
immortality then shall come to pass the<\/p>\n
saying that is written death is<\/p>\n
swallowed up in Victory oh oh death<\/p>\n
where is your Victory oh death where is<\/p>\n
your Sting the sting of death is sin and<\/p>\n
the power of sin is the law but thanks<\/p>\n
be to God who gives us the victory<\/p>\n
through our Lord Jesus Christ therefore<\/p>\n
my beloved brothers be steadfast<\/p>\n
immovable always abounding in the work<\/p>\n
of the Lord knowing that in the Lord<\/p>\n
your labor is not in vain<\/p>\n
so clearly rest is not<\/p>\n
just sitting standing by letting the<\/p>\n
world pass Us<\/p>\n
by we should be steadfast Resolute<\/p>\n
immovable abounding in the work of the<\/p>\n
Lord our bodies labor so that the<\/p>\n
kingdom of God May grow here on Earth<\/p>\n
but our Spirits are at rest knowing that<\/p>\n
the battle is already<\/p>\n
won so as this passage draws to a close<\/p>\n
we're reminded of the overarching themes<\/p>\n
that we see here<\/p>\n
we must endure suffering when it comes<\/p>\n
even to the end of our<\/p>\n
Lives we have hope in a future<\/p>\n
Resurrection based on the Promises of a<\/p>\n
faithful<\/p>\n
God Jesus own Resurrection from the dead<\/p>\n
is a seal of that<\/p>\n
promise finally our Spirits are our<\/p>\n
spirit's rests knowing God is in control<\/p>\n
and will bring all these things to<\/p>\n
fruition when I think about this passage<\/p>\n
when I think about the themes that it<\/p>\n
encompasses I'm reminded of of the hymn<\/p>\n
It Is Well with My<\/p>\n
Soul some of you may know the story<\/p>\n
behind that Hymn for those that don't<\/p>\n
I'm going to share a little bit of it it<\/p>\n
is well of my soul was written by a man<\/p>\n
named Horatio<\/p>\n
spafford spafford was a somewhat of a<\/p>\n
modern-day job I would<\/p>\n
say he a he's a wealthy<\/p>\n
businessman who was the father of five<\/p>\n
children he lost a fortune in real<\/p>\n
estate in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871<\/p>\n
uh and around the same time he his son<\/p>\n
his four-year-old son died of scarlet<\/p>\n
fever as his family reeled from this he<\/p>\n
thought it might be best for them to go<\/p>\n
on vacation them to get away for a<\/p>\n
little bit so he put his wife and his<\/p>\n
four daughters on a ship to England<\/p>\n
where they were going to go vacation and<\/p>\n
he stayed behind to finish up some<\/p>\n
business during the<\/p>\n
voyage their ship collided with another<\/p>\n
ship over 200 people died<\/p>\n
died including all four of his<\/p>\n
daughters when his wife survived she<\/p>\n
sent him a message from England and said<\/p>\n
saved alone what shall I<\/p>\n
do immediately he dropped everything he<\/p>\n
got on a ship set sail for England to be<\/p>\n
with his<\/p>\n
wife the captain of the ship that he was<\/p>\n
on pointed out to him the spot in the<\/p>\n
middle of the ocean where the Collision<\/p>\n
happened that killed his<\/p>\n
daughters and as he stood looking over<\/p>\n
the edge of the ship at the roing<\/p>\n
sea he had I can't I can't imagine what<\/p>\n
he would have been going through it<\/p>\n
would have been so easy to curse God in<\/p>\n
that<\/p>\n
moment but words of comfort and hope<\/p>\n
filled his<\/p>\n
heart over the next several days he<\/p>\n
pinned the words that we so often<\/p>\n
sing when peace like a river attendeth<\/p>\n
my<\/p>\n
way when Sorrows like sea Billows roll<\/p>\n
whatever my lot thou Hast taught me to<\/p>\n
say it is well it Is Well with My<\/p>\n
Soul though Satan should Buffet though<\/p>\n
trials should<\/p>\n
come let this Blessed Assurance<\/p>\n
control that Christ has regarded my<\/p>\n
helpless estate and has shed his own<\/p>\n
blood for my<\/p>\n
soul and Lord haste the day when my<\/p>\n
faith shall be sight the clouds be<\/p>\n
rolled back as a<\/p>\n
scroll the Trump shall ReSound and the<\/p>\n
Lord shall descend even so it Is Well<\/p>\n
with My<\/p>\n
Soul Is it well with your<\/p>\n
soul would it have been well with your<\/p>\n
soul in that moment that he<\/p>\n
experienced when Sorrows roll through<\/p>\n
your life is it well with your<\/p>\n
soul When Trials should come when it<\/p>\n
feels like suffering will overtake you<\/p>\n
is it well with your<\/p>\n
soul is his Assurance enough for your<\/p>\n
soul do you eagerly await the day when<\/p>\n
the clouds will be rolled back like a<\/p>\n
scroll find your<\/p>\n
rest find your strength find your<\/p>\n
hope in the death and resurrection of<\/p>\n
Christ endure suffering ing even to the<\/p>\n
end of your<\/p>\n
life because we hope for a day when all<\/p>\n
will be made right we are promised a day<\/p>\n
when all will be made<\/p>\n
right when talking about his his future<\/p>\n
return to his disciples Jesus told them<\/p>\n
to work as Faithful Servants expectantly<\/p>\n
expectantly awaiting the<\/p>\n
return of the master even if the master<\/p>\n
comes back later than he's expected<\/p>\n
continue to work Faithfully<\/p>\n
even as we look forward to<\/p>\n
that live your lives emulating this<\/p>\n
teaching because we don't know when<\/p>\n
Christ will return and we can't<\/p>\n
know Christ calls us to boldly proclaim<\/p>\n
the truth of the Gospel as we labor for<\/p>\n
the kingdom of God and it grows here on<\/p>\n
Earth at the same time find rest in your<\/p>\n
spirit based on the Promises of future<\/p>\n
Glory as you endure suffering as you as<\/p>\n
you labor for the king kingom of God as<\/p>\n
you find rest may you be able to say<\/p>\n
confidently that it is well with your<\/p>\n
soul regardless of your<\/p>\n
circumstances let's<\/p>\n
pray father God<\/p>\n
we Lord we thank you for the gift that<\/p>\n
your son<\/p>\n
is in his death his resurrection the<\/p>\n
life we can find through<\/p>\n
Him Father we pray that as we go our<\/p>\n
separate ways today as we leave this<\/p>\n
place that we would count it Joy when we<\/p>\n
experience trials when we experience<\/p>\n
suffering that they would produce<\/p>\n
endurance and steadfastness in us that<\/p>\n
would point us to you and remind us of<\/p>\n
the suffering that your son faced here<\/p>\n
on<\/p>\n
Earth Lord we also pray that we would be<\/p>\n
always reminded of the hope that we have<\/p>\n
in the Redemption through your son and<\/p>\n
that our Spirits would rest knowing what<\/p>\n
awaits us one day we pray all these<\/p>\n
things in your name<\/p>\n
amen<\/p>","english_search_text":"","":"","original_publish_date":"20231012","video_url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Be7VJMHrhuc","video_id":"Be7VJMHrhuc","video_duration":"35:13","channel_name":"Grace City Bangkok"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/538","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=538"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/538\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":539,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/538\/revisions\/539"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/537"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=538"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=538"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=538"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}