King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Monday, September 16, 2024
Chapters: Daniel Chapters 9-12
Message: Before And After Christ Returns
Hello My Friend,
I remember when I first discovered that all that I knew about God and Jesus was not accurate other than Jesus being the Son of God born of the virgin Mary and that He died on the cross. I was angry at all the years I lost fearing the religion I was brought up in rather the God who is more merciful than they were. I can account them to the Pharisees, [Matthew 23:13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.]
When I learned the truth I had such a fear of sinning against God that I literally started living by the Law of Moses rather than Christ. There is a difference, we are no longer bound to the Law of Moses because we are bound to the law of grace, through our faith in trusting Jesus Christ as our Saviour, [Romans 3:21-24 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:]
That does not mean that we are to discredit the Law, but it does mean that we are to respect it. Now, with that said, there is are a few reasons why God gives us both the Law of Moses and the law of grace to observe and walk by to some extent. One; God, has not changed His views on sin, what was an abomination to Him before Christ’s passion is still an abomination to Him now. Two; Both laws proved that redemption and atonement must be achieved by undefiled blood, and three; the same message was given to all. As we come to the end of the reading of Daniel, trying to get a grasp of all these visions that God had given him, Daniel turns to the Scriptures. He discovered something as he read through Jeremiah, they were in Babylon because none of them observed or even knew what the Law of Moses contained in it.
[Daniel 9:2–5 In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. 3 And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: 4 And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; 5 We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:]
[to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:] The very first thing we need to be doing when we discover that we have been either ignorant to the Scriptures or backslidden away from them is to seek God’s forgiveness and repentance. Most often we will discover that even if we misunderstood what the Scriptures meant, we still erred in what God’s will is. Daniel, goes on to admit that even he had not known all the Scriptures and that was the reason why they were all guilty.
[Daniel 9:7-8,11 O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee. 8 O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee. 11 Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.]
[all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing,] This is the same as saying, [Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;] It does not matter who we are, we have all sinned and come short of following the Law, which is why we were never bound to it even when God gave it to Moses, [Galatians 3:22-23 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. 23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.]
Living in sin does bring confusion. Once you get saved, your soul belongs to Jesus, not to mention the Holy Spirit lives inside of you, amplifying the need to get rid of the sin. The biggest confusion of all is the churches that are telling them that it is okay to live in sin. And it is not because our righteousness that we are saved, it is our faith alone. Daniel, did not stop with reading what Jeremiah had said, he went further into the Scriptures and discovered and all of what was going on had already been foretold.
[Daniel 9:13-14,17-18 As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth. 14 Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice. 17 Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake. 18 O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.]
[cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate,] The churches are become desolate, look around and the majority of them have only a few faithful, while it is becoming obsolete to see a church full of people. We do not deserve God’s mercies one bit as even at our best we fall short, which is why we cannot stand before God in our own righteousness because compared to Jesus, they are as filthy rags, [Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.]
Nevertheless, God, is truly great in His mercies, not to mention slow to wrath, and the only reason why He is merciful to us is because believe we are His greatest joy. Every soul is precious to Him, but the only ones He will save are those who not only seek Him, through His Son. Now, God, sends His angel, Gabriel to reveal to Daniel something truly incredible, the actual time in which Christ would become the sacrifice that would bring permanent redemption.
[Daniel 9:24-25 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. 25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.]
[Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people…to finish the transgression,] Seventy weeks means one day for each year, or a total of four hundred and ninety years. This date revealed the exact time that Christ would begin His ministry, which began from the time that Cyrus gave the decree to send a group of people to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple until one week before Christ was crucified. The order to restore Jerusalem came in 446 BC, adding that to the four hundred and sixty-nine years would bring us to thirty years over the birth of Christ, of which He would begin His ministry, [Luke 3:21-22 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, 22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.]
[shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks:] At the end of sixty-nine weeks one sacrifice would be offered by one man, making a permanent atonement for the sin of the believer, causing the sacrifice and oblation offerings to cease forever.
[Daniel 9:26-27 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.]
[Messiah be cut off, but not for himself:] This will be the Jews when after the crucifixion of Jesus troublesome times would flood upon their nation as a result. It will be the end of the city, temple, and nation as a whole by the Roman army, which, like a flood, would overspread the land. [he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,] Not for Christ’s, but for our own sake, and for our own salvation He gave His sinless life as a sacrifice and oblation for us, [2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.]
Now, Daniel, is still pretty disturbed by all this, he, along with his companions stood by the Hiddekel River, which was actually one of the rivers that watered the garden of Eden, [Genesis 2:14 And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.]. Daniel, was tired and weak because he had not eaten anything in three weeks, his companions scattered because what they were seeing was an earthquake. However, it was no earthquake, Daniel, left all alone, literally fell down and just laid there by the river.
[Daniel 10:1-2,5-7 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed unto Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the thing was true, but the time appointed was long: and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision. 2 In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks. 5 Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz: 6 His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude. 7 And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves.]
[but a great quaking fell upon them,] The worldly Christian cannot see many things that God reveals to His faithful. And I do not know why God does this, but there are a limited amount of faithful Christians who are able to see beyond earth quakes and hurricanes. Now, I am not going to say that God tells anyone anything outside of the Scriptures, but He does open their eyes to what is in the Scriptures. So, as Daniel laid there with is face in the sand, a man came up to him, touched him and began to talk with him.
[Daniel 10:9-13 Yet heard I the voice of his words: and when I heard the voice of his words, then was I in a deep sleep on my face, and my face toward the ground. 10 And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands. 11 And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling. 12 Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. 13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.]
[the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand…thy words were heard,] You see, every saved born again Christian has the ability to see and understand the same thing, the reason we do not see it all at the same time has to do with our heart and just how much we are able to comprehend, [1 Corinthians 14:26-28 How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. 27 If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. 28 But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.]
[but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes,] Michael, this is the name Jesus is called in the New Testament, the Head of all principality and power, and is none other than Christ the Son of God, the first chief of the princes. Do you understand that Jesus was sent here for you? Those thoughts bring tears to my eyes. As much as I mess up, He still uses me, not only to understand His Word, but teach it to others. I certainly do not feel responsible enough to have such an important responsibility from Jesus Himself. This is how Daniel felt, but watch what happens.
[Daniel 10:18-21 Then there came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me, 19 And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me. 20 Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come. 21 But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.]
[Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me.] Do you know how weak we get in the flesh when our spirit is weak? It takes a toll on our body, and there is only one person who can strengthen us, Christ Himself, [2 Corinthians 12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.]
After all that God had showed Daniel, he gave him a little bit of rest before He showed him another prophecy. A war and union between the Medes and Persians, which will lead up to a one world nation.
[Daniel 11:1-4 Also I in the first year of Darius the Mede, even I, stood to confirm and to strengthen him. 2 And now will I shew thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia. 3 And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will. 4 And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven; and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he ruled: for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those.]
[there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth] This was actually referring to the bitter war between the king of the Syria, Antiochus and the king of Egypt, Ptolemy. In order to end this war, Berenice, the daughter of Ptolemy, was married to Antiochus, on the condition that Antiochus would divorce his wife, and disinherit her son, Seleucus Callinicus. This worked for a while as their main goal was to defeat Israel, thinking that their union would destroy them. It did not last long when the king of the north overtook the south.
[Daniel 11:15-16,21-23 So the king of the north shall come, and cast up a mount, and take the most fenced cities: and the arms of the south shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, neither shall there be any strength to withstand. 16 But he that cometh against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him: and he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed. 21 And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. 22 And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant. 23 And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people.]
[he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.] Keep giving them food, money, and homes to live in without any work to obtain them, and this is how a corrupt government takes over a country. Right now, the devil is in all his glory as nation upon nation becomes more divided in their faith in Christ. And it is going to get much worse, he will have great power over this world, and for a time get his dream to be like God. Even many of God’s people will forsake the holy covenant.
[Daniel 11:26-27,30-32 Yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow: and many shall fall down slain. 27 And both these kings’ hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed. 30 For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant. 31 And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate. 32 And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.]
[For the ships of Chittim] This was Ptolemy, and his brother who came to an agreement with Rome to obtain their help and assistance against Antiochus, who was preparing to besiege them in Alexandria. [have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant.] This would be the Jews, Apollonius, with an army of twenty two thousand men, to whom he gave orders to kill the men, and sell the women and children. This was two years after his former expedition into Egypt, and the havoc he made upon his return.
While this may be in the history books, something else is revealed here with Daniel, the Antichrist, and there will be many “Christians” turning away from their faith, and running to these vile dictators. Nevertheless, Christ’s true and faithful will not be taken by such flattery, but it will cost them their lives. The man reveals the sad prophesy of God’s faithful who will die converting people during this time.
[Daniel 11:32-36 And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. 33 And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days. 34 Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries. 35 And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed. 36 And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.]
[people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.] there will be many “Christians” turning away from their faith, and turning to these vile dictators, winning them over with all their flattery, but Christ’s true and faithful, while we may be few in number, will not be taken by such flattery’s, [Matthew 24:22-24 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. 23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. 24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.]
[magnify himself above every god,] While this will be the Antichrist, is that not just like the devil, exalting and magnifying himself over God? Right now, the devil is in all his glory as nation upon nation becomes more divided in their faith in Christ. And it is going to get much worse, he will have great power over this world, and for a time get his dream to be like God, but he too will have an end. Remember, when Jesus returns, He is going to reign here for a thousand years, along with His saints, at that point Satan will be in prison for that amount of time as well, [Revelation 20:1-6]. Then once Satan is released, that is when the final judgment will take place of those who are not saved. Jesus also explains this to Daniel.
[Daniel 12:1-4 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. 2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. 4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.]
[every one that shall be found written in the book.] The Book of Life, this is the only book that we need our names written in, as it is eternal. This is also the amazing prophecy of the resurrection, in which Jesus refers to, [John 5:28-29 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.]
[many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake,] This is the time when Jesus will be on the great white throne judgment, everyone will be resurrected at this point and they will be judged according to their works, [Revelation 20:12-14 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.]
We may not know the hour in which Christ will return, but there are many signs that the tribulation is soon approaching. Many of the prophecies concerning Persia and Greece have already taken place, including the histories of Xerxes, Alexander the Great, the division of his kingdom on his death, and the long conflicts between the kings of Syria and Egypt. The Antichrist, will come to his end somewhere between Jerusalem and the Mediterranean, and it will be Christ that will bring him to his doom.
[Daniel 12:7-11 And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. 8 And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? 9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 10 Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. 11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.]
[there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.] Do you know how many people try to predict this day? Remember, we read in Ezekiel about the daily sacrifices that will be restored? This is probably to be referring to the time that the Antichrist will be here until Christ returns, and not a countdown until He returns. The reason why we know that there is no specific time that Jesus will return is because He told us that, [Matthew 24:34-37 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. 35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.]
Jesus Christ Revealed/Magnified: [Daniel 10:13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. Daniel 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.]
Today’s Prayer: God, It sure is scary to think of all the crazy things going on all over the world today, it just keeps reminding us that we are getting closer to the tribulation, and Your Son returning all together. Lord, We know that the time will come when He will return with a vengeance to judge those who do know Him. Jesus, Shield our hearts from the flattery of Satan, keep them tender for You, give us Your mercy, grace, protection, and power to continue Your work in us. Give us Your strength and patience to wait and not give into the temptations by the devil trying to divide us. Lead us and guide us, and help us endure the sufferings we face here as we await Your return. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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