Staying True (2) - Pray with Passion - Daniel 2:13-28a - September 10, 2023

 

Staying True (2) – Pray with Passion – September 10, 2023

This is lesson two (2) in our series entitled “Staying True in a World Far from GOD.”

Our focus scripture is Daniel 2:13-28a.

Our prayers really do make a difference. The power of prayer is awesome. JESUS taught HIS disciples in Matthew 17:20 - “Because of your little faith,” he told them. “For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Background – Daniel 1:17-21:

Faithfulness Rewarded

¹⁷ God gave these four young men knowledge and understanding in every kind of literature and wisdom. Daniel also understood visions and dreams of every kind. 

GOD had gifted Daniel according to HIS will and purpose.

¹⁸ At the end of the time that the king had said to present them, the chief eunuch presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. ¹⁹ The king interviewed them, and among all of them, no one was found equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So, they began to attend the king. ²⁰ In every matter of wisdom and understanding that the king consulted them about, he found them ten times^[g] better than all the magicians and mediums in his entire kingdom. ²¹ Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.

We read on in Daniel 2:1-12:

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

2 In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams that troubled him, and sleep deserted him. ² So the king gave orders to summon the magicians, mediums, sorcerers, and Chaldeans^[a] (The wisest men of the wise in Babylon) to tell the king his dreams. When they came and stood before the king, ³ he said to them, “I have had a dream and am anxious to understand it.”

⁴ The Chaldeans spoke to the king (Aramaic^[b] begins here): “May the king live forever. Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation.”

⁵ The king replied to the Chaldeans, “My word is final: If you don’t tell me the dream and its interpretation, you will be torn limb from limb,^[c] and your houses will be made a garbage dump. ⁶ But if you make the dream and its interpretation known to me, you’ll receive gifts, a reward, and great honor from me. So, make the dream and its interpretation known to me.”

The King was seeking truth from all the wrong places. GOD was leading the King to identify, the person or persons who knew truth from the One True GOD of the Universe, I AM. When we seek truth where do we turn? There is only one where truth resides, GOD/JESUS. The Two are ONE.

⁷ They (Chaldeans) answered a second time, “May the king tell the dream to his servants, and we will make known the interpretation.”

⁸ The king replied, “I know for certain you are trying to gain some time, because you see that my word is final. ⁹ If you don’t tell me the dream, there is one decree for you. You have conspired to tell me something false or fraudulent until the situation changes. So, tell me the dream and I will know you can give me its interpretation.”

¹⁰ The Chaldeans answered the king, “No one on earth can make known what the king requests. Consequently, no king, however great and powerful, has ever asked anything like this of any magician, medium, or Chaldean. (Chaldean - The wisemen of Babylon.) ¹¹ What the king is asking is so difficult that no one can make it known to him except the gods, whose dwelling is not with mortals.” ¹² Because of this, the king became violently angry and gave orders to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. 

Often, people seek truth from the occult world, without knowing it, which is Satan’s domain and equals misleading results and seeking truth from all the wrong places. Christians are to seek truth from one source, GOD and it is NOT from the occult/Satan.

Let’s read Daniel 2:13-16:

¹³ The decree was issued that the wise men were to be executed, and they searched for Daniel and his friends, to execute them.

¹⁴ Then Daniel responded with tact and discretion to Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard,^[d] who had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon. ¹⁵ He asked Arioch, the king’s officer, “Why is the decree from the king so harsh?” ^[e] Then Arioch explained the situation to Daniel. ¹⁶ So Daniel went and asked the king to give him some time, so that he could give the king the interpretation.

Notice, Daniel went to the King.

Let’s read Daniel 2:17-19:

¹⁷ Then Daniel went to his house and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah about the matter, ¹⁸ urging them to ask the God of the heavens for mercy concerning this mystery, so Daniel and his friends would not be destroyed with the rest of Babylon’s wise men. ¹⁹ The mystery was then revealed to Daniel in a vision at night, and Daniel praised the God of the heavens.  [²⁰ and declared:]

Daniel knew that he had to go to the one true GOD for him to know what the King had dreamed because GOD was the source of the dream.

Then Daniel had to trust GOD’S reply. When we pray, we must trust GOD for the answer. The Holy Spirit will guide us accordingly.  

²⁰ and declared:

May the name of God
be praised forever and ever,
for wisdom and power belong to him.
²¹ He changes the times and seasons;
he removes kings and establishes kings.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to those
who have understanding.
²² He reveals the deep and hidden things;
he knows what is in the darkness,
and light dwells with him.
²³ I offer thanks and praise to you,
God of my ancestors,
because you have given me
wisdom and power.
And now you have let me know
what we asked of you,
for you have let us know
the king’s mystery.^[f]

²⁴ Therefore Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had assigned to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He came and said to him, “Don’t destroy the wise men of Babylon! Bring me before the king, and I will give him the interpretation.”

Only GOD knows what is in our minds and hearts.

Did you know that GOD knows your thought life? As mentioned earlier, the human battlefield is the human mind.

Daniel had prayed and asked his colleagues to join him in prayer which is always good to ask others to join us in prayer. GOD revealed the answer to Daniel. It was time to put faith into action.

²⁵ Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king and said to him, “I have found a man among the Judean exiles who can let the king know the interpretation.”

Arioch’s future also hinged on Daniel revealing truth to the King. Arioch had to trust Daniel.

²⁶ The king said in reply to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to tell me the dream I had and its interpretation?”

Daniel did not build himself up but he witnessed to the king about the One True GOD of the Israelites, YAWEH. Daniel did not claim credit for himself. Daniel set the stage for his reply with great confidence. Are we confident when GOD gives us HIS answer to our prayers? We must trust GOD when HE responds to our request. We must be careful because when GOD answers, we can be attempted to think, “Look at what I did!” Oh! Yes, GOD did it but you had to initiate the request.” It takes us going to GOD and making our requests known to HIM. It is all about our relationship with GOD and our trust in GOD. It is our witness of the power and trust we have in GOD through faith in JESUS.

Notice, Daniel does not claim any credit for himself. His reply is all about the One True GOD of the Israelites, as we read on ---

Verses 27-30:

²⁷ Daniel answered the king, “No wise man, medium, magician, or diviner is able to make known to the king the mystery he asked about. ²⁸ But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has let King Nebuchadnezzar know what will happen in the last days. Your dream and the visions that came into your mind as you lay in bed were these: ²⁹ Your Majesty, while you were in your bed, thoughts came to your mind about what will happen in the future.^[g] The revealer of mysteries has let you know what will happen. ³⁰ As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have more wisdom than anyone living, but in order that the interpretation might be made known to the king, and that you may understand the thoughts of your mind.

The Dream’s Interpretation

³¹ “Your Majesty, as you were watching, suddenly a colossal statue appeared. That statue, tall and dazzling, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was terrifying. ³² The head of the statue was pure gold, its chest and arms were silver, its stomach and thighs were bronze, ³³ its legs were iron, and its feet were partly iron and partly fired clay. ³⁴ As you were watching, a stone broke off without a hand touching it,^[h] struck the statue on its feet of iron and fired clay, and crushed them. ³⁵ Then the iron, the fired clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were shattered and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors. The wind carried them away, and not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

³⁶ “This was the dream; now we will tell the king its interpretation. ³⁷ Your Majesty, you are king of kings. The God of the heavens has given you sovereignty, power, strength, and glory. ³⁸ Wherever people live—or wild animals, or birds of the sky—he has handed them over to you and made you ruler over them all. You are the head of gold.

³⁹ “After you, there will arise another kingdom, inferior to yours, and then another, a third kingdom, of bronze, which will rule the whole earth. ⁴⁰ A fourth kingdom will be as strong as iron; for iron crushes and shatters everything, and like iron that smashes, it will crush and smash all the others.^[i] 41 You saw the feet and toes, partly of a potter’s fired clay and partly of iron—it will be a divided kingdom, though some of the strength of iron will be in it. You saw the iron mixed with clay, ⁴² and that the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly fired clay—part of the kingdom will be strong, and part will be brittle. ⁴³ You saw the iron mixed with clay—the peoples will mix with one another^[j] but will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with fired clay.

⁴⁴ “In the days of those kings, the God of the heavens will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, and this kingdom will not be left to another people. It will crush all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, but will itself endure forever. ⁴⁵ You saw a stone break off from the mountain without a hand touching it,^[k] and it crushed the iron, bronze, fired clay, silver, and gold. The great God has told the king what will happen in the future. The dream is certain, and its interpretation reliable.”

Nebuchadnezzar’s Response

⁴⁶ Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell facedown, worshiped Daniel, and gave orders to present an offering and incense to him. ⁴⁷ The king said to Daniel, “Your God is indeed God of gods, Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, since you were able to reveal this mystery.” ⁴⁸ Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many generous gifts. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and chief governor over all the wise men of Babylon. ⁴⁹ At Daniel’s request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to manage the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king’s court.

Prayer is vital as we work in GOD’S vineyard and more so as the Second Coming of JESUS gets closer. Be ready to share the Good News of JESUS with others as GOD gives us opportunity. We must keep our minds focused upon JESUS because that is where the battle is being fought.

Let’s consider what JESUS taught HIS disciples regarding the end times, as we read on:

As Spirit-born believers, there is only one person we need to consult to reveal truth to us. JESUS via the Holy Spirit! This is especially true during the last days leading up to the return of JESUS.

As we approach the second coming of JESUS, it is vital that we know truth and can identify error. We read in Mathew 24:24 - ²⁴ For false messiahs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.

JESUS was teaching about the end times in Matthew 24:3-51.

Let’s read Matthew 24:3-51: JESUS was teaching HIS disciples. This is where we are today. Ask the LORD JESUS to help you understand it and apply it as we live during these times.

Dear JESUS, help all who read this to understand it and live accordingly. Help us, who know the truth, to share that truth with those YOU give us the opportunity to share. This is no time to hide the truth under a bushel. I pray that all who read this will be enlightened and tell others about JESUS and HIS saving grace. Amen!

Why consider this here? The empty cross is the solid foundation of Christianity and will always be the solid rock. We have turned the corner and are now looking at the second coming of JESUS while always salvation is faith in JESUS and HIS resurrection and ascension. HE is waiting from GOD HIS and all born-again people FATHER for GOD to tell JESUS to return to earth and take all Spirit-born people to Heaven.

Signs of the End of the Age as we pickup with Matthew 24:3-51:

³ While he (JESUS) was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples approached him privately and said, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what is the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

⁴ Jesus replied to them, “Watch out that no one deceives you. ⁵ For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and they will deceive many. ⁶ You are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, because these things must take place, but the end is not yet. ⁷ For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines^[a] and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ All these events are the beginning of labor pains.

Persecutions Predicted

⁹ “Then they will hand you over to be persecuted, and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of my name. ¹⁰ Then many will fall away, betray one another, and hate one another. ¹¹ Many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. ¹² Because lawlessness will multiply, the love of many will grow cold. ¹³ But the one who endures to the end will be saved. ¹⁴ This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world^[b] as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

The Great Tribulation

¹⁵ “So when you see the abomination of desolation,^[c] spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place” (let the reader understand), ¹⁶ “then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. ¹⁷ A man on the housetop^[d] must not come down to get things out of his house, ¹⁸ and a man in the field must not go back to get his coat. ¹⁹ Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days! ²⁰ Pray that your escape may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. ²¹ For at that time there will be great distress,^[e] the kind that hasn’t taken place from the beginning of the world until now and never will again. ²² Unless those days were cut short, no one would^[f] be saved. But those days will be cut short because of the elect.

²³ “If anyone tells you then, ‘See, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Over here!’ do not believe it. ²⁴ For false messiahs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. ²⁵ Take note: I have told you in advance. ²⁶ So if they tell you, ‘See, he’s in the wilderness!’ don’t go out; or, ‘See, he’s in the storerooms!’ do not believe it. ²⁷ For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ²⁸ Wherever the carcass is, there the vultures^[g] will gather.

The Coming of the Son of Man

²⁹ “Immediately after the distress of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not shed its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ³⁰ Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the peoples of the earth^[h] will mourn;^[i] and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ³¹ He will send out his angels with a loud trumpet, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

The Parable of the Fig Tree

³² “Learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. ³³ In the same way, when you see all these things, recognize^[j] that he^[k] is near—at the door. ³⁴ Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things take place. ³⁵ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

No One Knows the Day or Hour

³⁶ “Now concerning that day and hour no one knows—neither the angels of heaven nor the Son^[l] —except the Father alone. ³⁷ As the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. ³⁸ For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah boarded the ark. ³⁹ They didn’t know until the flood came and swept them all away. This is the way the coming of the Son of Man will be. ⁴⁰ Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding grain with a hand mill; one will be taken and one left. ⁴² Therefore be alert, since you don’t know what day^[m] your Lord is coming. ⁴³ But know this: If the homeowner had known what time^[n] the thief was coming, he would have stayed alert and not let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴ This is why you are also to be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Business as usual. So, know the signs! And stay alert and ready!

Faithful Service to Christ

⁴⁵ “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give them food at the proper time? ⁴⁶ Blessed is that servant whom the master finds doing his job when he comes. ⁴⁷ Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. ⁴⁸ But if that wicked servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delayed,’ ⁴⁹ and starts to beat his fellow servants, and eats and drinks with drunkards, ⁵⁰ that servant’s master will come on a day he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know. ⁵¹ He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Blessings!!!