This past Tuesday night, one of our elders began the Elder’s Meeting by reading from Daniel 11. Daniel chapter 11 is an account of the vision that Daniel received 536 B.C. which was in the latter part of his life. According to Daniel 10:4-6, Daniel was standing on the bank of the Tigris River when he looked up and standing before him was “a man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. His body was like topaz, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude.” The image was so overwhelming that Daniel passed out and fell into a deep sleep. (Many scholars believe the man standing in front of Daniel was Jesus).
As the story unfolds the man standing before Daniel eventually touched him and restored his strength and then informed him that he would reveal future events which were written in the Book of Truth. And then beginning in chapter 11:2 all the way through chapter 12:4, the messenger tells Daniel story after story of the rise and fall of many empires and nations and kings. The whole chapter is a prophecy of king after king who rise to power, only to be overtaken by another king. And the neat thing is, the notes along the bottom of my study Bible give the information of when each of those events took place in history. Every one of the prophecies that were revealed to Daniel in his vision in chapter 11 eventually came to pass.
When our elder concluded his reading of a portion of Daniel 11, he reminded us of the sovereignty of God to rule the world. He reminded us we need not fret about which president sits on the throne, simply because God knows about the rise and fall of all these earthly kingdoms.
As the story of Daniel’s vision concludes in chapter 12, we discover that not all the future events were clear for Daniel, however the messenger (I also believe it was Jesus) assured Daniel that he would be blessed if he would continue to walk in faith. And at the end of chapter 12, Jesus told Daniel, “As for you, go your way until the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will receive your allotted inheritance.” What a great word of encouragement!
Well, a couple of days later, I was visiting with the elder about his devotion, and after discussing that America is turning its back on God by saying what is evil is not evil and what is good is not good, we agreed that it appears the “empire of the great America” is going down. We then talked about the role of the church in the midst of a crumbling nation, and then he gave this image. America is like the Titanic, we’ve struck our iceberg, it’s going down. And if in his sovereignty God has determined that America is about to reap what it’s been sowing, there is nothing we can do to stop America from self imploding. Our job is simply to help people discover where they can find a life boat. And of course our life boat is Jesus.
And the same was true for Daniel. In Daniel 11:33-35 we read the words of the messenger, “Those who are wise will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered. 34 When they fall, they will receive a little help, and many who are not sincere will join them. 35 Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time.”
And so it will be for you and me in these last days, those who are wise will help many discover the Truth. And, we may also experience much persecution. Difficult times remind us of our weakness and our inability to cope. We want answers, leadership and clear direction. However, even though it may feel like the ship is sinking, this is an exciting time, in that, many people will be searching for truth. This is a time for our faith to be refined and strengthened as we share the gospel message of the Kingdom of God that has no end.
May it not be so, that you and I would fret during this time. God holds the future and us in his hand. Let’s just continue to be faithful in being the salt of the earth and the light of the world. And in the end, we will receive our inheritance.
Grace to you, and peace,
Mike Altena