Category Archives: God’s will

On Earth as It Is in Heaven, Part 2 – Daniel 10

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Daniel 10 introduces the book’s fourth and final vision, which includes Chapters 10, 11, and 12. It is set in about 537 BC, the third year of Cyrus and approximately two years after the vision of Chapter 9. Daniel’s Babylonian name, Beltshazzar, is used to remind us he is still in Babylonian exile.

Two years earlier the first group of Jewish exiles had returned to Jerusalem in response to Cyrus’s decree to rebuild the Jerusalem Temple (see Ezra 1-2). But we know from Daniel 9 that although some of the captives were returning, the end of the Babylonian exhile was not the end of conflict for the Jewish people.

Daniel 10 momentarily pulls back the curtain separating the visible and invisible realms–the earthly and heavenly, the temporal and eternal–to reveal the divine realities behind human conflicts. This prologue to Daniel’s vision in Chapters 10-12 explained that the historical struggles of the Jews, Persia, and Greece (and all nations by extension) have a supernatural dimension.

Daniel 10:4-7 described a glorious being wearing linen, with eyes like flaming torches and a face like lightning that appeared to him in a vision. Possibly that figure was a manifestation of God Almighty (a theophany). If so, then the figure introduced in verses 5–6 need not be the same being as the messenger who later described needing Michael’s assistance to get his message through to Daniel. But, it seems improbable that God Himself could be held up in the spiritual realm for 21 days and would need assistance from another spiritual being (vs. 13).

While other supernatural beings appeared to Daniel later in the vision (vs. 12:5), the glorious figure described in vs. 10:5-6 was a heavenly attendant of God who reflected God’s glory and thereby demonstrated his credentials to bring the message. Without reading more into the story, he was also the one talking to Daniel in the vision.

The divine figure or angel told Daniel that the prince of Persia resisted him for 21 days until one of the chief princes, the archangel Michael, came to assist him. Some may argue that the “prince” mentioned here was a human ruler, but certainly it was a supernatural being who exercised authority over the Persian nation: “When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God” (Deuteronomy 32:8, ESV).

The 21-day delay (Daniel had spent three weeks in prayer and mourning – vs. 2-3) was because of the resistance of the (demonic) supernatural being that had spiritual dominion over the Persian territory attempting to prevent God’s message from being brought to Daniel (see vs. 1). To bring God’s message to Daniel, the heavenly messenger required the assistance from another spiritual being of greater authority.

While God rules over all creation, the biblical narrative includes real heavenly beings who exercise delegated authority. Some of these heavenly beings have rebelled against God’s plans and purposes. The struggles of earthly empires are connected to this supernatural reality. Yet neither rebellious spiritual powers nor oppressive earthly rulers can prevent God’s ultimate victory. His people will always be vindicated and God’s Kingdom will prevail.

We live in a world of dual realities and God’s will is exercised on earth as it is in heaven. But we must not forget that there are evil spiritual powers exercising spiritual authority over the nations of the earth and attempting to subvert God’s will (in heaven and on earth).

The Apostle Paul declares that Christians must not underestimate the demonic powers that are at work in this world nor try to fight against them in their own power: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:10-12, ESV).

God’s Grand Plan – Daniel 9:16-27

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“While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the Lord my God for the holy hill of my God, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, ‘O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word and understand the vision. Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place'” (Daniel 9, 20-24, ESV).

In the first year of the rule of Darius the Mede Daniel was reading the book of Jeremiah the prophet and realized that the time of Babylonian exile was almost completed (see Jeremiah 25:11-14; 29:10-14). Within the traditional chronology that places Darius the Mede immediately after Babylon was conquered by Persia, Daniel’s reference to his first year likely points to approximately 538 BC. Since the first captives had been taken from Jerusalem around 605 BC, Daniel recognized that Jeremiah’s 70-year period was nearing completion.

So Daniel began to pray to God pleading for the return of the Jews to the promised land in vs. 3-19. Daniel’s impassioned prayer contained expressions of humility worship, confession, and petition. In the prayer Daniel acknowledged that the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of Judah were not acts of an arbitrary God, but the consequences of the sinful actions of God’s people, about which they were repeatedly warned.

Daniel concluded that if there was any hope for them, it would be because of God’s mercy and in His righteousness, not their own.

Then, the angel Gabriel appeared to Daniel and communicated the heavenly answer to Daniel’s prayer by reinterpreting the seventy years as seventy weeks (seventy sevens) that are at hand for God’s people (vs. 24). These seventy weeks are understood to refer to seventy seven-year periods of time or 490 years (70 x 7 years).

So, Gabriel informed Daniel that the period of time Daniel was concerned with, the Babylonian exile, was only one part of a more extensive plan of God that would “bring in everlasting righteousness” (vs. 24, cf. Ephesians 1:7-10).

There are several interpretations of the 490-year era that Gabriel revealed. Some view the 490 years figuratively or as approximate and some views interpret the time period literally. Because Gabriel breaks the seventy sevens into three parts, 7 + 62 + 1 (see vs. 25-27), some views even place a gap or period of time between the 69th and 70th weeks so that the last seven-year period of time is at the time leading up to the second coming of Christ.

While there has been much speculation by biblical scholars stipulating when the 70 weeks begins and/or ends, what’s significant to me is that God through the angel Gabriel notified Daniel that the 70 years Daniel is concerned about is but one week of a 70-week comprehensive plan.

God has a grand plan. It’s a plan for our redemption. But, the scope of God’s plan is always immensely greater that what we can know or even understand.

And, you have a role to play in God’s grand plan of redemption. Your job is to hope and trust in Him and make His Will your own will so that you become both a participant and a facilitator of the cosmic plan of God!

In him we have redemption through his blood…. making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth in him. (Ephesians 1:7-10 , ESV)

Role Player – Genesis 20-21:6

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“The Lord came to Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised. Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time God had told him” (Genesis 21:1-2, CSB).

In basketball not every great player is a starter. You have players who come off the bench who are great defensive players, great rebounders, great ball-handlers or great 3-point shooters. These players may not be the stars of the team but you can’t be a championship team without great role players.

After the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Genesis returned to the story of Abraham. Genesis 20 is devoted to God’s rescue of Abraham’s wife, Sarah, from the harem of King Abimilech.

Abraham had continued his travels around the Promised Land and settled for a while in the region of the Negev. The Negev is a desert region in southern Israel. Abraham obviously had a large entourage and a large number of flocks so when he entered the region he likely requested permission from the king to encamp there.

In making his request Abraham told King Abimelech that Sarah was his sister, not his wife. While it was true that Sarah was Abraham’s half-sister (Genesis 20:12), Abraham omitted the part that she was also his wife. Abimilech took Sarah into his household (or harem) as one of his wives, possibly to seal the deal.

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Can It Be Ishmael? – Genesis 17

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(Originally posted January 13, 2013)

“So Abraham said to God, ‘If only Ishmael were acceptable to You!'” (Genesis 17:18, HCSB).

In Genesis 17 God’s promise to Abraham for an heir and a multitude of descendants is reiterated, but this time in greater detail. Since Sarah, Abraham’s wife, was old and had not borne Abraham a child, she offered her Egyptian servant to Abraham to have a child by her. Abraham consented to the marital arrangement taking Hagar as his second wife when he was 85 years old.

Hagar bore Abraham a son and they named him Ishmael. Customs of the time dictated that any child conceived by Hagar would belong to Sarah and Abraham.

When Ishmael was thirteen years old, God reaffirmed His covenant with Abraham and decreed that male circumcision would be the sign or seal of this covenant. Then God informed Abraham that his wife Sarah would give birth to a son, who he was instructed to name Isaac. And, God told Abraham that He would establish his covenant through Isaac.

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Emptying (The Humiliation of God) – Philippians 2:5-12

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“Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God,did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even to death on a cross. For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow—in heaven and on earth and under the earth—and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Therefore, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, so now, not only in my presence but even more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:5-12, CSV).

There’s some difficult yet beautiful theology embedded between the first and last verses of this passage that describe a fundamental element of the Christian lifestyle.

Because of the rhythmic character of the words in vs. 6-11, these verses are considered to be the lyrics from an early Christian hymn. That Jesus “emptied” Himself is a phrase much debated by theologians and prompting various theories of what aspects of deity Jesus gave up through His incarnation.

We may not know the extent of the divine attributes Jesus emptied Himself of by leaving heaven to come to earth, but the end result of this “emptying” was a sort of divine humiliation. And, in Jesus’ case, the scope of the humiliation–from God to human, from heaven to earth–is beyond our perception.

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God’s Power of Attorney – John 14:8-17

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“Truly I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do. And he will do even greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it…. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. He is the Spirit of truth” (John 14:12-17, CSB).

As Jesus and His disciples shared a last meal together, Judas Iscariot’s impending betrayal was revealed by Jesus to His disciples. Once Judas left the dinner to carry out his unscrupulous scheme, Jesus spoke openly and intimately with His remaining disciples about the events that were about to unfold and what they meant. John 13:31 – 17:26 replays the conversation Jesus had with His disciples.

As Jesus was explaining to His disciples that the only way to know God the Father was through Him, Philip asked Him to show them the Father and that’s all they would need to believe. Jesus reminded the disciples that the Father was in Him and the words He spoke and miracles He performed were by the power of God the Father.

Then, Jesus added that not only did He have the power to do God’s works, He also had the power to enable those who believed in Him, His disciples, to perform the miracles He performed and even greater ones than He did! When Jesus said to ask in His name and He will do it, He was granting His power of attorney.

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Good Intentions Are Not Good Enough – John 2

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While he was in Jerusalem during the Passover Festival, many believed in his name when they saw the signs he was doing. Jesus, however, would not entrust himself to them, since he knew them all and because he did not need anyone to testify about man; for he himself knew what was in man. (John 2:23-25, CSB).

John 2 describes the launching of Jesus’ public ministry through two gospel stories that are very familiar to us – the first miracle of Jesus and the first cleansing of the temple in Jerusalem.

In the first miracle story Jesus was attending the wedding of a family friend when it became apparent that the celebration was low on wine. Jesus’ mother asked Jesus to take care of the wine problem and in a sort of obtuse remark, Jesus responded to His mother that His time hadn’t come (probably meaning the time for Him to be identified as the crucified Messiah had not yet arrived).

Yet, the time to begin His public ministry had arrived and he performed an inaugurating miracle by turning large vats of water–specifically, over 100 gallons–into fine wine! This act didn’t go unnoticed by both the maitre d’ of the ceremony nor by His disciples: “Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee. He revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him” (vs. 11).

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What’s Really Important – Matthew 6:19-21

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“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21, NIV).

In this one concise statement Jesus reveals a fundamental attribute of human behavior: People do what’s important to them!

In other words, your priorities dictate your behavior.

Your life in this world is not so much a matter of what you get out of it as what you put into it.

All of us have plans for the future and goals we want to achieve in life. These could be plans for success in your career, a six or seven figure salary, a new home or maybe an exotic vacation.

Whatever the plans or goals are, we strive for those things that are important to us. And, Jesus makes it clear in this pronouncement that the things that we personally value are the things that control our lives.

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Good Trouble – 2 Samuel 19:1-8

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“‘Now get up! Go out and encourage your soldiers, for I swear by the Lord that if you don’t go out, not a man will remain with you tonight. This will be worse for you than all the trouble that has come to you from your youth until now!’ So the king got up and sat in the gate, and all the people were told: ‘Look, the king is sitting in the gate.’ Then they all came into the king’s presence” (2 Samuel 19:7-8, HCSB).

Sometimes we let our own personal problems and feelings overshadow what God is doing all around us. Such is the case with King David upon hearing of the death of his son and heir apparent, Absalom.

David’s army of Judah had just defeated an army of the other tribes of Israel in a civil war that Absalom led against David. David’s army prevailed and Absalom was killed in the fighting. When David heard the news of the victory and of Absalom’s death, he immediately went into mourning for his son: “So the victory that day was turned into mourning for all the people, for the people heard that day, ‘The king is grieving for his son.’” (vs. 2).

David let his own grief overcome not just his kingly responsibilities but even his gratitude to God for saving the nation.

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Prime Directive – 1 Samuel 14:12-37

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“‘Follow me,’ Jonathan told his armor-bearer, ‘for the Lord has handed them over to Israel.’ Jonathan climbed up using his hands and feet, with his armor-bearer behind him. Jonathan cut them down, and his armor-bearer followed and finished them off. In that first assault Jonathan and his armor-bearer struck down about 20 men in a half-acre field… Saul said, ‘Let’s go down after the Philistines tonight and plunder them until morning. Don’t let even one remain!’ …. But the priest said, ‘We must consult God here.’ So Saul inquired of God, ‘Should I go after the Philistines? Will You hand them over to Israel?’ But God did not answer him that day” (1 Samuel 14:12-14; 36-37, HCSB).

At the beginning of 1 Samuel 14, Jonathan, King Saul’s son, and his attendant attacked a Philistine garrison. Meanwhile, Saul remained encamped on the other side of the pass with about 600 Israelite troops. In that assault Jonathan and his attendant killed about twenty Philistine soldiers.

Then panic erupted in the Philistine camp. Saul and his troops noticed the commotion among the Philistine troops.

Saul started to inquire of the Lord about what was happening in the Philistine camp by conferring with the priests who carried the ark of God. Deciding he might lose the opportunity to rout the Philistines, Saul gathered his troops and attacked and “struck down the Philistines that day from Michmash all the way to Aijalon” (vs. 31), a distance of about 15 miles.

Saul decided to renew the battle the next day and he again inquired of God whether he should go after the Philistines or not. “But God did not answer him that day” (vs 37). From Saul’s distorted theological perspective he was convinced that sin was present in the camp that was preventing the divine assistance.

It turns out the supposed sin was Jonathan’s disobedience to a direct order by King Saul that Jonathan had, in fact, not even heard Saul issue because he was single-handedly attacking the Philistine garrison.

Saul determined that Jonathan must be executed for disobeying his orders, but the Israelite troops interceded in Jonathan’s behalf and Saul relented from executing his son (vs. 44-45).

So why does God seem to favor Jonathan’s impulsive decision to attack the Philistines and not favor Saul’s contemplative actions when he stops to inquire of the Lord before attacking the Philistines?

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