I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, “O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?” He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end."
Some things are not for us. I may have a feeling about when things may happen and what may happen. But, I can never know.
Some things are only for God. So leave them to Him and don't stress it. I'm pretty sure the end times are out of our skill sets.
But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God. I will not save them by bow or by sword or by war or by horses or by horsemen.
Not by man, but by God alone.
That is the message we need to take to heart. We want to control the end times, our money, conflicts with others, our time. No matter what you think you control ... you control nothing but yourself. And rarely even that.
We look to the hands of men to deliver us. Other people's money to bail us out of debt. Soldiers and police to keep us safe. Politicians to give us answers.
The answer isn't with them. It is with Christ alone.
But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit.
Worldly people ... devoid of the Spirit.
What a great description of scoffers. Who is the scoffer? You know him already. They are the one that knows the truth, yet denies it. People more interested in their own passions then the Truth.
I look at Proverbs for advice on how to deal with them and what to expect ...
Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you.
Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse, and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.
A wise son hears his father’s instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain, but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding.
A scoffer does not like to be reproved; he will not go to the wise.
Strike a scoffer, and the simple will learn prudence; reprove a man of understanding, and he will gain knowledge.
Condemnation is ready for scoffers, and beating for the backs of fools.
When a scoffer is punished, the simple becomes wise; when a wise man is instructed, he gains knowledge.
"Scoffer" is the name of the arrogant, haughty man who acts with arrogant pride.
Drive out a scoffer, and strife will go out, and quarreling and abuse will cease.
The devising of folly is sin, and the scoffer is an abomination to mankind.
Scoffers set a city aflame, but the wise turn away wrath.
Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”
I did a neat experiment for VBS last summer on this. If you take a cotton ball and put it in a flame it will quickly burn to ash. If you soak the cotton ball in rubbing alcohol, take it out, and set it on fire then it will not burn. The alcohol burns, but the cotton only gets warm.
Our lives are the same. The fire is the stress and hard times you will go through. Without God you will be quickly reduced to ash. With God you still go through the flames, but He takes the burning for you. You experience the hard times and yet they don't consume you.
“O King Darius, live forever! All the presidents of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked.” Therefore King Darius signed the document and injunction.When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.
"As he had done previously"
Isn't that the thing. He prayed to God daily and it didn't matter how society changed around him. He kept on doing what was right.
Anyone can be a fair-weather christian. It is the times of trial that burn away the masks we put on. Our faith isn't a mask that we wear on the nice days. It requires living it out, not putting it on when it is popular and taking it off when it doesn't suit you.
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
There is so much of our wealth, our time, and our very souls that we sacrifice for the world. To get fame. To be "loved" by man. To be rich beyond measure.
I've seen people through away their self-respect for a bit of laughter. Sure, they are being laughed at, but they are seen. I've seen fathers through away their families for just a couple more dollars. Sure, they get the money, but they are alone and hated.
Everything the world tells you to chase ... is dry grass. Dry grass waiting for the flame to quickly consume it. In an instant there is rushing heat and flames ... and then it is gone.
