Balancing Ministry N' Work

Last week we started looking at the second apocalyptic vision given to Daniel. In some ways it mirrors part of the vision given in chapter seven but it does focus more on the third kingdom and how God uses it to bring about judgement on His people who will turn their back on Him. The ram was equivalent, to the Mede and Persian Empire, that ruled for a period of time. The ram was then attacked and beaten by a goat that moved so fast that it floated through the air and it had a larger horn than the ram. Which meant that the goat was more powerful than the ram. When we compare to the vision in chapter seven the ram was the second beast and the goat was the third. The goat rules for a while until its large and powerful horn is broken. This symbolizes the death of Alexander the Great and then four horns come forward which represents the splitting of the kingdom into four. While none of these horns grow to the size of the original, one of them comes to the forefront and represents k...

Daniel chapter 8 is the second of the apocalyptic visions found in the second half of the Book of Daniel. Like chapter 7, this one also takes place during the reign of king Belshazzar. We will find some areas where this vision ties to chapter seven and Nebuchadnezzar’s from chapter two. Daniel 8:1-2 “ 8  In the third year of King Belshazzar’s reign, a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after the one that had appeared to me earlier. 2  I saw the vision, and as I watched, I was in the fortress city of Susa, in the province of Elam. I saw in the vision that I was beside the Ulai Canal.” The first vision in chapter 7, came during the first year of the king’s reign and this one came a short two years later. In this vision Daniel saw that he was in Susa in the providence of Elam beside the Ulai Canal. Susa is one of the Persian royal cities that is more than 200 miles from Babylon. Roughly one-hundred years after Daniel received this vision the king Xerxes built ...

For the last couple of weeks there has been this word bouncing around my head, Legacy. When I think of Legacy I think of guys like Charles Spurgeon, Billy Graham, Chuck Smith, and others who have spoken into of our lives whether directly or in-directly. In my opinion, these guys left a Godly Legacy. I am not talking about them being famous, wealthy, or who they may have had dinner with. When I say these guys left a legacy, I mean that they had an impact on the lives of other people. I know I picked some famous preachers, but that is because they are well known, and chances are you have heard of them. It is not about the quantity of lives that they have touched, they just make good examples for us. I define a Godly Legacy as having an impact on the lives of others for our Lord and Savior Jesus. A Godly Legacy comes from someone doing what they were created by God to do. Do you ever wonder what your legacy will be? I am wonder if at the end of our lives will we have done what...

In the first apocalyptic vision Daniel received we have talked about how four winds of heaven stirring up the great sea, meaning that God has and is orchestrating the events we have been discussing. Four beasts representing the different kingdoms or periods that God put in place to achieve His plan. The first beast was Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar, the second beast was the Mede-Persian Empire, the third beast was the time of Alexander the Great, and the fourth started with the Roman Empire and still exists today. Looking in a little more detail about the fourth beast we are told in Revelation that the dragon, or the devil, gave its power, throne, and authority to the antichrist. The antichrist or the little horn that grew out of the fourth beast was blasphemous and persecuted all who follow Jesus. The fourth beast will exist until the antichrist is judged Then we got to the part of the vision that points us to the second coming of our Lord and Savior. It started with Hi...

Last week we started Daniel chapter 7 and only went through half of the verses I had originally planned. We may get stuck in the weeds now and again as we work through the second half of Daniel, but I think it is important that we understand what it means. 7 verses and 4 beasts that line up with the statue from Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. The dream, the beasts, and the creation of each of the kingdoms they represent were brought about by the one and only almighty God. He is the one that rules over all earthly kingdoms and He is the one that elevates one to rule when the time is right. The first beast that looked like a giant lion with eagle’s wings, the statues pure gold head, was Babylon under the leadership of king Nebuchadnezzar. The second beast that looked like a bear that was told to gorge itself on flesh is the silver chest and arms from Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. They represent the Mede and Persian Empire that grew by conquering nation after nation. A leopard with ...

The second half of Daniel has a lot of meat in it. We will talk about history, the weak kings of Babylon, the persecution in Jerusalem, and the coming Messiah. I encourage you to spend some time each week reading and re-reading the chapter we are going through. Daniel chapter seven is the start of the apocalyptic section of the book and it contains the first of the four apocalyptic visions. This chapter is said to provide the clearest picture of the coming of Jesus that is found in the Old Testament. Daniel said: Daniel 7:13 “ 13  I continued watching in the night visions, and suddenly one like a son of man was coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was escorted before him.” Jesus said: Mark 14:61-62 “ 61  But he kept silent and did not answer. Again the high priest questioned him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” 62  “I am,” said Jesus, “and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right h...

In chapter six we have seen Daniel proving himself to be someone that king Darius could count on and trust. The king was thinking about placing Daniel in charge of the entire kingdom. Daniel’s peers and those that reported to them did not like that idea at all. So, they dug and dug to try and find something that would knock Daniel down a notch or two in the king’s eyes. They came up with a plan to make Daniel choose between serving the king and serving his God. They convinced the king that it would be a good idea to pass a law that required everyone to pray to the king and only the king for the next 30 days. The law was passed, and the trap was set for Daniel. Daniel continued to pray to his God, not as an act of defiance to the king but as an act of faithfulness to his God. He did not bow to man’s wishes but honored God above all else. The trap was sprung, but the king was not happy. He tried to find a way out of this, but the law of the land was solid. The king had no...