I ventured out to the park in the sunshine for I felt like I was emerging from a winter hibernation, even though I have not been hibernating. Felt like a long winter (it wasn’t) and a long week too, even if it was only Wednesday. The park meant SPRING and I could use some SPRING IN MY STEP returning. I appreciated some of the beautiful first flowers of spring – not looking delicate like snowdrops, but these were precious and hearty and BOLD yellow treasures low to the ground. (bold, new, and not eaten either, but enduring)
Emerging in SPRING is like SURVIVAL with new and renewed life. Emerging from a Lion’s Den of danger or gloom, harshness or harm, such the classic of the Lord’s pattern for us all. Life after Death. Maybe not a dying death at all with His protection. Classic Jesus jumping in front of the lion for us. SAVED.
Classic Jesus is also allowing us to be bold in witness about life in the midst of trouble. And WOW – I just read an online article that led with “Sharing Jesus in the Lion’s Den” – when I know that I have been writing this whole first half of March about lions mentioned in the bible… Wow, it’s about a brave witness to Jesus who ventures to the middle of the tense protests demonstrating about the middle east war, blockades and forever bad situations. It’s a sad strife of this life we have seen years upon years. This person stepped into the Lion’s fight not just the den. BRAVE.
The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”
I know it’s not normal to be so BRAVE, but Jesus is not normal but extraordinary and Jesus is fully powerful God, and His Righteousness and Strength combined with His Compassion and Love, give us the ability to emerge dangers, to Shine Boldly, and to Love in a merciful way. Daniel is our example to keep faith. Daniel worshipping the Lord in a public way even when forbidden escaped the punishment and told of the Lord’s provisions.
Worship Forbidden? If we are allowed to worship, let us remember those who couldn’t and those who still experience opposition, and pray them Daniel’s commitment and Jesus’s Presence and Protection.
Let us therefore be BOLD like the image of SPRING FLOWERS in the waning Lion of Winter and LET US SHINE, let us EMERGE and even enter new Lions’ Dens of tough activities, knowing Jesus takes us only where He is willing to go.
And Jesus IS EVERYWHERE.
Amen
—
Daniel chapter 6 in the Den of Lions
It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”
So these administrators and satraps went as a group to the king and said: “May King Darius live forever! The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or human being during the next thirty days, except to you, Your Majesty, shall be thrown into the lions’ den. Now, Your Majesty, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.” So King Darius put the decree in writing.
Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help. So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree: “Did you not publish a decree that during the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or human being except to you, Your Majesty, would be thrown into the lions’ den?”
The king answered, “The decree stands—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.”
Then they said to the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, Your Majesty, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day.” When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed; he was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him.
Then the men went as a group to King Darius and said to him, “Remember, Your Majesty, that according to the law of the Medes and Persians no decree or edict that the king issues can be changed.”
So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”
A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might not be changed. Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep.
At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?”
Daniel answered, “May the king live forever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.”
The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.
At the king’s command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in and thrown into the lions’ den, along with their wives and children. And before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.
Then King Darius wrote to all the nations and peoples of every language in all the earth: “May you prosper greatly!
“I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel.
“For he is the living God
and he endures forever;
his kingdom will not be destroyed,
his dominion will never end.
He rescues and he saves;
he performs signs and wonders
in the heavens and on the earth.
He has rescued Daniel
from the power of the lions.”
So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
It’s not a puzzle we are required to learn, we don’t HAVE to figure out all of Daniel’s Visions to move forward, yet it is worth remembering is that even if the puzzling visions Daniel had were SO INTENSE, that God sent an angel, Gabriel, to help interpret them. God never leaves us in the dark, God IS the Light on the Subject. On and IN! “For you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision”
There are marvelous interpretations and teachings of all Bible sections, for me, for us, in this old testament we surely need some. We blessedly often can get the main gist by Holy Spirit Help. My favorite cliff notes of the moment is the Bible Project video (link below). I also found a couple hundred teachings. But I hold off taking these teachings in until after I read the Word for myself… Most importantly, we are to remember that the Word pertains today just as much as then.
First half of Daniel 9 includes what we should be praying: Forgiveness for ourselves and our fellow folks, “that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth.” It’s not just a joy, but it feels a duty to crack.Open our own bibles and it’s an obligation and a necessity to pray for our fellow men and women, society, children, everyone.
Specifically, reading the second half of Daniel 9, v20 on, these dreams prophesied, this one “Seventy-Weeks”, what stands out is the word, theWord, the Holy One, ahhhh the Messiah. Scholars will tell you that seventy weeks prophecy from God calculates to almost 500 in God years. It doesn’t take a scholar to remember God does His own thing in His own time. The sets of prophesied scenarios are of past and future.
“And to anoint the Most Holy.” – Well we know that the Most Holy IS the Messiah. And scholars and wannabees of the day, and for those next years, prayed and prayed and prayed, like Simon and Anna in the temple when Jesus was brought in as a baby. A select few chosen by the Holy Spirit to understand and witness.
The cliffnotes version acknowledges scholarly debate, and reminds us that Jesus used Daniel’s Visions to teach as well, to speak of God as Sovereign and Almighty. And we should trust that we will be active parts in God’s Kingdom, especially with our prayers for all.
Let us keep listening and learning. We know that the Most Holy IS the Most Helpful.
Amen
Link to video:
Daniel 9
New King James Version
Daniel’s Prayer for the People
In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans— in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.
Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession, and said, “O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land. O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those near and those far off in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of the unfaithfulness which they have committed against You.
“O Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him. We have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in His laws, which He set before us by His servants the prophets. Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not to obey Your voice; therefore the curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against Him. And He has confirmed His words, which He spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing upon us a great disaster; for under the whole heaven such has never been done as what has been done to Jerusalem.
“As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth.Therefore the Lord has kept the disaster in mind, and brought it upon us; for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works which He does, though we have not obeyed His voice. And now, O Lord our God, who brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and made Yourself a name, as it is this day—we have sinned, we have done wickedly!
“O Lord, according to all Your righteousness, I pray, let Your anger and Your fury be turned away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people are a reproach to all those around us. Now therefore, our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his supplications, and for the Lord’s sake cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary, which is desolate. O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see our desolations, and the city which is called by Your name; for we do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies. O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”
***
The Seventy-Weeks Prophecy
Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God, yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering. And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision:
“Seventy weeks are determined
For your people and for your holy city,
To finish the transgression,
To make an end of sins,
To make reconciliation for iniquity,
To bring in everlasting righteousness,
To seal up vision and prophecy,
And to anoint the Most Holy.
“Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times.
“And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined. Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate.”
A poem of thank you after my growing/grown son wasn’t feeling well (he is really OK – no need for worry), and he turned to me for help. At the very end of my helping, he breathed out a heartfelt ‘thank you’ – one that makes a mom’s heart WHOLE.
But even if you don’t hear a thank you from a child, God knows and strengthens you… so keep mom-ing, keep parenting, keep loving.
The poem – about thanking God… “It IS in the THANK YOU”
“It IS in the Thank You”
I think that God’s heart must want what I just got.
A “thank you” from a child, from the finish and from the start.
A child grown and yet not,
who just acknowledged that I love them a whole lot.
Oh joy when they expressed that gratitude,
without past clogging attitude.
Even take on a little humility,
in their grown yet needful fragility.
A “thank you” heard little child true,
and surely uttered as a grown up too.
That’s the joy in the thank you from children to mom,
And to God from mom, a thank YOU, from His child too.
.
Mom moments want both to be needed and to be not.
Mom moments like to be wanted and yet to step back a lot,
Free to step in undaunted.
Yet to step aside and be OK, moms needs not be flaunted.
And then as moms of grown kids slowly slow down from the chase.
Moms mom-ing simply want to know their children are well and safe.
.
God moments are different and exquisite.
God never ages out, He’s NEVER far away nor indifferent.
God wants and needs to be needed, AND wanted.
God faces evil undaunted. UNDAUNTED
God never did not have His children in His Embrace.
God IS and God WILL help, a gift to us to continue our race.
God gives MERCY
God gives GRACE.
Daniel was taking up the prayer of a nation, in the humility of a servant. Daniel could see the people rebelled against God, and begged for mercy and appreciated grace. A lifetime was passing of the struggles and yet they had to sit tight… perhaps Daniel can be an example of knowing that God is in control in the ruins, and praises Him anyway.
May we praise God in the trouble and in the rubble and look for His Face to guide us into Grace.
Amen Amen
—
Daniel’s Prayer chapter 9 NIV, v1-19
In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom – in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.
I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: “Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.
“Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame—the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. We and our kings, our princes and our ancestors are covered with shame, Lord, because we have sinned against you. The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you.
“Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you. You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing on us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth. The Lord did not hesitate to bring the disaster on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him.
“Now, Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong. Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us.
“Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.”
‘to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.‘
I’ve never had a dream about the Ancient of Days, but if I did, I pray that I would remember to ask Him a few things while still in the vision/dream… then again, if we just trust the beginning and ending Alpha and Omega, we can try to trust each letter day of the Word in between.
Daniel is deep in writing details he even didn’tunderstand, deep in dream visions so intense he kept writing about them, sharing at some point, always tucking them away in his heart. He was surrounded by times of trouble and yet kept this comfort of God being in control in the front of his mind, and writing. This holy dream is extremely important to our now connecting prophesy of old and new testaments, Daniel had a vision of Jesus coming to save us all. Importantly the scene is to to show Sovereignty of God Almighty, Ancient of Days.
Beasts and power struggles, all real to him in real life AND in prophesy, if the battles of earth are complex then imagine Heaven! What we read in Daniel becomes scholar-necessary to be interpreted. Yet Daniel did the best thing – HE ASKED WHAT WAS HAPPENING. And there was an explanation: the beasts were of the earth. The Lord is the Lord. The beasts, powerful kingdoms of the earth rose and fell, one was different but they all were destroyed eventually.
‘But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.’
If this vision troubled Daniel, who survived many a persecution, but gave him food for thought in all his trials, we aught to learn from Daniel’s STRENGTH in any of these “closer and closer to last days”…
And keep teaching and keep knowing that the ANCIENT OF DAYS will be FOREVER… And we as His “saints-becoming”, as a friend pastor calls us, will inherit and survive to be in His everlasting kingdom…
I’m glad Daniel asked… we should ask too, and simply know: GOD IS FOREVER and in charge today…
Amen
—
Daniel 7 NKJV
Vision of the Four Beasts
In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon [after Nebuchadnezzar], Daniel had a dream and visions of his head while on his bed. Then he wrote down thedream, telling the main facts.Daniel spoke, saying, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other. The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings. I watched till its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.
“And suddenly another beast, a second, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And they said thus to it: ‘Arise, devour much flesh!’
“After this I looked, and there was another, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.
“After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words.
Vision of the Ancient of Days
“I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow,and the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire; A fiery stream issued And came forth from before Him.A thousand thousands ministered to Him; Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, And the books were opened.
“I watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking; I watched till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame. As for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.
“I was watching in the night visions,And behold, One like the Son of Man,Coming with the clouds of heaven!He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.
Daniel’s Visions Interpreted
“I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit within my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. I came near to one of those who stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things: ‘Those great beasts, which are four, are four kings which arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.’
“Then I wished to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its nails of bronze, which devoured, broke in pieces, and trampled the residue with its feet; and the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, before which three fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth which spoke pompous words, whose appearance was greater than his fellows.
“I was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them, until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom.
“Thus he said: ‘The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth,Which shall be different from all other kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, Trample it and break it in pieces. The ten horns are ten kings Who shall arise from this kingdom. And another shall rise after them; He shall be different from the first ones, and shall subdue three kings. He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, Shall persecute the saints of the Most High, And shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time.‘But the court shall be seated, And they shall take away his dominion, to consume and destroy it forever. Then the kingdom and dominion, And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’
“This is the end of the account. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly troubled me, and my countenance changed; but I kept the matter in my heart.”
“He delivers and rescues, and He works signs and wonders, in Heaven and on earth…”
The most praise we can give the Lord is to praise Him in the unknown, when in the pits (or perceiving ourselves in the pits but maybe we aren’t but feel like it), and when we know the world is stacked against us. Like God in the fire with us, protecting us, God is ready to lift us from the pits, even the worldliness that holds onto us. Just hold on, take time to praise, knees to bow then raise and keep walking, keep believing, keep keepin’ on.
Daniel’s story with the PIT with the LIONS is tremendous, and so is the moments just before, when he knew the trouble and praised God anyway.
Daniel lived in exile in a prescribed time away from Jerusalem, where the Israelites were to be captives. Yet Daniel was able to get into the palace, serving multiple kings, having the spirit of God on him, able to interpret dreams and God-written reality. Now the new king had it in for him, and a scheme devised to trap him in his own faith. They could not find any fault so they made a law that no one could worship any god except worship the king. [This being repeated in history over and over, causing Christians to go underground, as many are today. They say there are more Christians secretly worshipping then there are Christians who are openly worshipping in churches…] Well, Daniel went to his room as usual and praised in prayer to God Almighty. Daniel GAVE THANKS!
We must not let attacks keep us from doubting God, we must draw closer to Him, as He is always with us.
The king who made the decree didn’t realize and he was feeling HORRIBLE and wanted to deliver Daniel from this punishment but the advisers insisted… the king Darius even said directly to Daniel, “Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you.” Then the king himself stayed up all night, ran to the pit the next morning… “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you.”
AMAZING.
The king then made a decree “that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel.”
AMAZING to see Daniel’s faith.
Super AMAZING to see God’s Protection and deliverance.
Daniel didn’t need a decree to AGREE, God is a Living God.
We can depend upon Him.
Amen!
—
Daniel 6
New King James Version
The Plot Against Daniel
It pleased Darius [king after Belshazzar after Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon] to set over the kingdom one hundred and twenty satraps [local governors], to be over the whole kingdom; and over these, three governors, of whom Daniel was one, that the satraps might give account to them, so that the king would suffer no loss. Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm. So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him. Then these men said, “We shall not find any charge against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God.”
So these governors and satraps thronged before the king, and said thus to him: “King Darius, live forever! All the governors of the kingdom, the administrators and satraps, the counselors and advisors, have consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree, that whoever petitions any god or man for thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. Now, O king, establish the decree and sign the writing, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not alter.” Therefore King Darius signed the written decree.
Daniel in the Lions’ Den
Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.
Then these men assembled and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God. And they went before the king, and spoke concerning the king’s decree: “Have you not signed a decree that every man who petitions any god or man within thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?”
The king answered and said, “The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not alter.”
So they answered and said before the king, “That Daniel, who is one of the captives from Judah, does not show due regard for you, O king, or for the decree that you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.”
And the king, when he heard these words, was greatly displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him; and he labored till the going down of the sun to deliver him. Then these men approached the king, and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is the law of the Medes and Persians that no decree or statute which the king establishes may be changed.”
So the king gave the command, and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions. But the king spoke, saying to Daniel, “Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you.” Then a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signets of his lords, that the purpose concerning Daniel might not be changed.
Daniel Saved from the Lions
Now the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; and no musicians were brought before him. Also his sleep went from him. Then the king arose very early in the morning and went in haste to the den of lions. And when he came to the den, he cried out with a lamenting voice to Daniel. The king spoke, saying to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?”
Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you.”
Now the king was exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no injury whatever was found on him, because he believed in his God.
Darius Honors God
And the king gave the command, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions—them, their children, and their wives; and the lions overpowered them, and broke all their bones in pieces before they ever came to the bottom of the den.
Then King Darius wrote:
‘To all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth:Peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel.For He is the living God, And steadfast forever;His kingdom is the one which shall not be destroyed,And His dominion shall endure to the end. He delivers and rescues, And He works signs and wondersIn heaven and on earth, Who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.‘
So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
The cat wanted me AWAKE, “GET UP” her paw touched my arm, and wanted me in the daily routine, but she doesn’t have a calendar, it is the WEEKEND and I wanted to sleep… I won this round but not before that cat reached for my ankles to bite. She knows when I’m not going her way. Of course we have a very smart cat. I spend half the time wondering why the cat can’t cut me a break and the other half aching from the bite. I did get up half an hour later and treat her with wet cat food… spoiled but she’s worth it. I often think angels are guiding her to get me up to write, but why the disgruntled bite? Hmmm…
We can’t understand cat, let alone understand half the stuff going on in the world. We can’t understand what brokenness brings to crime, poverty, drug addiction, sadness. We can’t understand illness or early death. We can’t figure out all science even if studying it for years. We just are clueless and maybe gratefully so, for we can’t fix everything either.
One true Bible story is the originator of the phrase: “read the writing on the wall” and oh so many were trying to interpret it. In this story, Daniel was remembered as a dream interpretor and man filled with God’s Holy Spirit. Daniel was called upon by king Belshazzar, son of king Nebuchadnezzar who had that fall of his sanity and dignity last chapter because he didn’t respect God, Nebuchadnezzar repented but son Belshazzar totally disregarded God as well as God’s temple in Jerusalem, even using the holy cups for their party. Well, quite the unusual sighting, even one might say the most bizarre Bible stories, the FINGERS of a HAND appeared! They wrote words on a wall.
The king and the people got so obsessed with “what do the words say?”, needless to say that it’s strange for a hand to appear… how many times do we see the writing on the wall, but doubt it is for us let alone understand it… Well, for king Belshazzar it was NOT good news. Daniel was able to call out Belshazzar’s disobedience to God, even knowing and seeing his father’s experience, and Daniel told Belshazzar that his kingdom was in trouble and so was he. Belshazzar died that evening, was slain, had no respect, hit the end of his line.
It’s a story full of real advice: listen to God, know God is in charge (before we have to see the writing on the wall), be truthfully wanting to understand God’s Will, worship and revere the Lord, do what is respectful…
Yeah… (and get up to read and write when the cat (via angels) tell you to!)
And FYI – this passage again shows Daniel wasn’t in the service of the Lord for gain, only because he (we) all should serve God and God’s plans… Let us not wait for the writing on the wall, when the Word, now, is written down, we have it all… Thanks for the reminders Lord!!!
Amen
—
Daniel 5
New King James Version
Belshazzar’s Feast
Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in the presence of the thousand. While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave the command to bring the gold and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which had been in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple of the house of God which had been in Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone.
In the same hour the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. Then the king’s countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his hips were loosened and his knees knocked against each other. The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. The king spoke, saying to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing, and tells me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck; and he shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.” Now all the king’s wise men came, but they could not read the writing, or make known to the king its interpretation. Then King Belshazzar was greatly troubled, his countenance was changed, and his lords were astonished.
The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came to the banquet hall. The queen spoke, saying, “O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts trouble you, nor let your countenance change. There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God. And in the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him; and King Nebuchadnezzar your father—your father the king—made him chief of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers. Inasmuch as an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and explaining enigmas were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation.”
The Writing on the Wall Explained
Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king spoke, and said to Daniel, “Are you that Daniel who is one of the captives from Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah? I have heard of you, that the Spirit of God is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. Now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they could not give the interpretation of the thing. And I have heard of you, that you can give interpretations and explain enigmas. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.”
Then Daniel answered, and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another; yet I will read the writing to the king, and make known to him the interpretation. O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father a kingdom and majesty, glory and honor. And because of the majesty that He gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whomever he wished, he executed; whomever he wished, he kept alive; whomever he wished, he set up; and whomever he wished, he put down. But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him. Then he was driven from the sons of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses.
“But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this. And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified. Then the fingers of the hand were sent from Him, and this writing was written.
“And this is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.
This is the interpretation of each word.
MENE: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it;
TEKEL: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting;
PERES: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.”
Then Belshazzar gave the command, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a chain of gold around his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
Belshazzar’s Fall
That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain. And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.
“Dust in the Wind”, the 1977 band Kansas sings, “all we are is dust in the wind.”… “Nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky…” Well, not even they do, but the earth and sky certainly have been around longer than people, and us, who are but traveling in the world, temporarily.
Prophet Daniel and others were in Babylon, where God promised they as an Israelite people would have a temporary stay in captivity. Must have FELT like forever, under a ruling kingdom with ever changing rulers, but even the rulers, like all old testament kings, came and went. (We should remember out times also will be temporary and like the weather, change soon enough. Dust in the wind, us too, we should live life fully meanwhile.)
Partially STRONG and partially brittle, that’s how Daniel described a kingdom in a dream by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, whose mind was troubled and could not sleep. Daniel actually interpretted the dream without being told it, so had a DIVINE relationship and revelation by God’s actions.
Knowing this was being sent as a message from God. Daniel stated: “the God of Heaven will set up a KINGDOM that will NEVER BE DESTROYED, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself ENDURE FOREVER. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.”
Wow! Daniel not only got out of a tough situation himself, but spoke of a Sovereign God Whose Kingdom will ENDURE FOREVER! Earthly kingdoms would come and go, but there is ONE of God’s Hands, made by God, to direct our devotion to. This was shared not just to settle down the king, but to show all the people (then and now) the HOPE of our ALREADY ALMIGHTY God, who formed us from that dust.
Let us make the most of the dust today, and rely upon the rock-solid God, Who reigns the Kingdom forever.
Amen
—
Daniel 2:39-49
“After you, another kingdom will arise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron—for iron breaks and smashes everything—and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others. Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.
“In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.
“The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy.”
Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him. The king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.”
Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men. Moreover, at Daniel’s request the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained at the royal court.
Suitable for back to school talk – back to focus – back to God…
God is known for so many good things, miracles and such – and just good living – Daniel’s story tells of, in chapter 1, that devotion to God is a really good thing to have – and this devotion is obedience and understanding that God’s rules and plans are good for us. Even God’s vegetables… really God is good.
Daniel and his friends are “recruited” really forced because this is the time of besiege of Jerusalem by Babylon – and Daniel and three others are being “trained” to serve in the King’s court – trained for 3 years – (that is unbelievable too – three years of what kind of training?) – but Daniel refuses to eat’s the kings table food (which was probably the best they could offer those days) – but God offered something better – and not just vegetables – He offered the wisdom to live. Daniel and his three other companions tapped into God’s wisdom.
First – after refusing to eat – the guard made a plea with Daniel – look I am only doing my job – help me out here – well Daniel made an agreement for a trial basis to test things out – and only 10 days ate under God’s purposes – and guess what – not just eating but exercising too and learning and what not… And they turned out to be the best of the best… and they didn’t have to be enchanters or magicians, just God’s people.
In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.
Yes, it took three years and yes it took work and yes it took wisdom to learn – most importantly it took the dedication to God to live the life that He wanted them to live – and the rest was gravy – no I am not talking about vegetable gravy…
The good stuff God is known for is His dedication to those dedicated to Him. The wisdom to know – and the means to work – even under the oppressive circumstances.
I’m glad God is in control. Let’s listen to Him always.
Amen
—
Daniel 1
Daniel’s Training in Babylon
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his god.
Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility— young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service.
Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.
But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel, but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.”
Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.
At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.
To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.
At the end of the time set by the king to bring them into his service, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service. In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.
And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.
And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
Yesterday we had an earthquake and an aftershock. Everybody is fine which is great. My phone exploded. A friend texted from Florida, Facebook was crazy, but my favorite event was that my daughter CALLED ME seeing if I was okay. Yay, my daughter was worried about me and reached out. I loved that. God tilted the system just enough for the slide of rocks to worry us and stir up LOVE.
TILT.
Now, a full-blown tilt of a pinball machine is what I have experienced growing up. I rarely have done it, but it’s from shaking it too much and you have to unplug the machine and plug It back in. But in the old days you really had to wait for the manager of the pinball arcade to do that unplugging and plugging back in, AND for them to give you your quarter back. You then could restart. Another example, sometimes bowling alley situations had to get restarted, because the ball would get stuck or the pins just froze. I remember that button often worked, but sometimes the manager had to go back to the back. RESET THE TILT.
Now, personally, sometimes my dreams early in the morning will get stuck. Resetting fruitless dream threads bring God to wake me up to say ‘ick’… reset… TILT the system and restart. Go back to sleep or stay awake, either way it’s the Mastermind of God restarting your system, clearing your mind, and saying ‘whew’ that craziness can stop. TILT, because Love has no evil in mind. God instructs angels, I’m sure, to send a cat to wake you, sometimes lately with a cough or a hot flash I readjust and reset. I’m glad sleep is set for restoration. Naps too. REST THROUGH THE TILT.
One last interesting personal thing about the earthquake, I did not notice until I got home, but Mastermind the game box must have been jostled out of my cabinet, pushing the door open, or more open, slid onto the floor and spilled a couple pieces. That is my only explanation of why it was out. Yes, normal gravity would do that too… Precarious stacking gives way, like sliding plates… ah, where is this in the scripture? NOT this minor inconvenience but a warning of times to come? The whole interesting thing about our world is that the Lord Himself is holding it together and the ‘loosing’ of the forces holding it together is natural prophetic fulfillment… Things are going to get worse – things don’t slip by accident but by design. TILT is prophetic but done in love, and Jesus pretold to us to not let it worry us, but for us to keep working to the last minute that the BIG reset of the system goes on. MORE THAN JUST A TILT.
Did I feel the earthquake yesterday? Nope. I was driving both during the earthquake AND during the aftershock… What timing!!! So I was doing my normal thing and kept going… That’s what our Mastermind Lord wants us to do in life: keep going, keep working… We can keep asking our Manager Lord to reset the system and help us in restoration.
He has. He can. He Will.
God is our All in All. Mastermind yes, but always with LOVE in mind. Don’t let the world distract you – shaken or not shaken – keep working for the Lord.
Amen
Daniel 7 NIV – in a dream
“As I looked, “thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened. Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.) In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
Collosians 1:9-23 a letter from Paul to the Collosians
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
The Supremacy of the Son of God
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
Matthew 24 – The Destruction of the Temple and Signs of the End Times NIV
Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
“So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you ahead of time.
“So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather. Immediately after the distress of those days “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ – “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
The Day and Hour Unknown “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Revelation 4-5 NKJV – The Throne Room of Heaven
After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.”
Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads. And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!”
Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.”
The Lamb Takes the Scroll And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.” And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.
Worthy Is the Lamb Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.”
Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain.To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!” And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”
Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.
Debbie Upper 