King James Bible Study – [Mark 8:34 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.]
Date: Thursday, September 16, 2021
Chapters: Daniel 10-12
Message: When Christ Returns
Hello My Friend,
Before I read the Bible I always pray for God to open my eyes, ears, mind, and heart to His Word, but I also thank Him for entrusting me with it. It truly is a privilege to be able to not only read and understand His Word, but to be entrusted to teach it as well. I know that it is not me personally who has any understanding of His Word, it is the Holy Spirit that is teaching me. I know that it is also a great responsibility that certainly do not want to take lightly or for granted. My brother and I were discussing biblical based movies that were created by man who try to portray God as some hallucination, man, or even a woman, and how children’s based movies and series are more biblical. The world will always try to downplay God for the Almighty, and only living God that He is, and the truth is, they do not know who He is because they will never understand the Bible unless they open their eyes and ears, [Mark 4:11-12 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: 12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.]
Jesus always spoke to the world and religious through parables because He knew they would only understand what He was saying if they truly believed in what He was saying. Now, as we finish up the reading of Daniel, Daniel is pretty disturbed by the visions he saw, he, along with his companions stood by the Hiddekel River. Hiddekel was actually one of the rivers that watered the garden of Eden [Genesis 2:14], it is fitting that Jesus would use this river to speak to Daniel. Daniel was tired and weak because he had not eaten anything in three weeks, and also mentally exhausted. As he stood there, something incredible happened.
[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.]
[so that they fled to hide themselves.] This reminds me of when Jesus met with Paul on his way to Damascus to persecute Christians, [Acts 9]. Let me tell you, there is not one faithful Christian that is not seeing all the evil taking place right now, who not mournful about the end times, I know it grieves me. Remember, Jesus only reveals Himself to those who believe in Him, it did not matter if He appeared as the Son of man, the Son of God, or the Angel of the LORD, He is the LORD, and all who trust in and believe in Him will see Him as their LORD. Just like Jesus used Paul to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles, He has chosen each of us to do the same, and maybe even a Jew or two, if they will listen to us, [Mark 16:15-16 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.]
Well, if that is not enough to convince us that we are commanded by Jesus to preach the Gospel, Jesus reveals to Daniel the very same thing and reason why He had chosen him.
[Daniel 10:10-14 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. 14 Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.]
[and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent.] 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 to teach it to others. I certainly do not feel responsible enough to have such an important responsibility from Jesus Himself, and let me tell you, no true and faithful Christian does. All they see is a wretched and weak sinner, not worthy enough to be entrusted with His Word. Well, Daniel felt the same way.
[Daniel 10:17-21 For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord? for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me. 18 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.]
[but Michael your prince.] Remember, Jesus does not use the proud and arrogant, who actually know they are saved, but have no interest in serving Him. He uses humble, willing sinners, who know they are unworthy to serve Him. And do you know why? Because He knows that we need Him to do this. He is our strength, He is our voice, and He is with us every step of the way, [Matthew 28:19-20 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.]
I will be the first to admit that I too mourn numb, or as Daniel would call it, dumb, when reading through Daniel and Revelation because every time I do, we are getting closer to Christ’s return. While I do not have to be concerned of where I will be, I do need to be concerned of where others will be, after all, whether I think they deserve to know Christ or not, is not my decision, God is their judge. And if we think that things are bad now, it will literally seem like all hell is breaking loose the closer we get to His return. Well, that is until a charming, deceitful, beautiful, rich, and cunning man will arise to bring peace to the world. Jesus reveals to Daniel of what will come when king arrives and wins them over with all his flattery.
[Daniel 11:15-16,19-20 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. 19 Then he shall turn his face toward the fort of his own land: but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found. 20 Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom: but within few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle. 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.]
[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 king or president takes over a country. They are just like those frogs that are sitting in a pot of water that is cooking on the stove, oblivious to the fact that they are being brought to their death. Now, Jesus goes on to say how even some of the elect will fall for this.
[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.]
[And some of them of understanding shall fall,] Let me tell you, 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.]
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.]
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. Jesus gives Daniel a timeline to follow.
[Daniel 12:8-13 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. 12 Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. 13 But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.]
[there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.] 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. When? Well, that is a question we all wonder. I even had a six year old ask me why God just does not destroy the devil already when He has the power to do it. No one knows yet, not the angels, and not even Jesus Himself, but Jesus does give us one clue, [Matthew 24:34-39 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. 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.]
Jesus Christ 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.]
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 some time after. Lord, shield our hearts, keep them tender for You, give us Your mercy, grace, protection, wisdom, guidance, and power to continue Your work in us. Give us Your strength and patience to wait and not give into the temptations that are all around us 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, and put Your words into our mouths that we might tell the lost about Jesus before that happens. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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