Theme: Living out our Faith – A Study of the Life of Daniel
Topic: Living with an understanding of Bible Prophecies
Main Text: Daniel 11:1-45
Key verse: Daniel 11:32, “Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong and carry out great exploits.”
Introduction:
This week, we look to learn more about living with an understanding of Bible prophecies. Prophecy at its most basic definition is “a message from God.” So, to prophesy is to proclaim a message from God. The Bible is replete with prophecies of varying types, details, and dimensions. We normally think of prophecy as “foretelling”, i.e., revealing the future, but strictly speaking, prophecy can also be “forth-telling”, proclaiming what God has said. We are focusing on the foretelling aspect. During this series on the book of Daniel, we have read and studied several elaborate prophecies, some quite vivid and others somewhat vague, from this man of God. In our key text from Chapter 11 of the book of Daniel, we read about the prophecies detailing activities, intrigues, and interactions between four (4) Persian “kings”. The narrative tells us about the king of the North, the king of the South (a mighty king), their successor, and various powers jostling for what seems like territory and the control of Israel (Israel, in prophecy, refers to the people of God, which is us). It is important to learn to understand Bible prophecies, considering and interpreting them while placing ourselves in their contexts, bringing their relevance to our lives as we grow in our Christian Faith. Daniel 11:33a, the first part of our key text, underscores one of the principal reasons why we should learn to effectively understand Bible prophecies -“. . and they that understand among the people shall instruct many”. Other passages that can usefully be studied later for a better understanding of Biblical prophecy, include 1Cor 14:3, Joel 2:28, Acts 2:17-18, 1Cor 13:9, 14:1, Dan 2:20,22.
Q1. (1a) 1. Read Daniel 11:1-4, a) Consider whether the four kings described in this passage are actual rulers of Persia or representative of territorial forces, trends, or movements in the world system? (1b) When reading prophecy, we are often tempted to take the words literally? Discuss the limitations of such an approach.
Paragraph 2:
Bible prophecies depict spiritual/foreshadowing events. This is so, despite being often graphically and literarily described and presented in scripture. The four Persian kings in Daniel 11 represent four movements/cycles or trends or forces in the World System. We know from Dan 10:13 that the Prince of Persia is an evil force upon earth – he blocked the angel sent to answer Daniel’s prayer. The Persian kings described in Chapter 11 are most likely different expressions of evil activities from the same kingdom of darkness jostling for supremacy on earth. The complexity of intrigue and recorded activities in this elaborate prophesy present an insight into the immense effort being expended by the kingdom of darkness in contending for our souls daily. Understanding Biblical prophecy requires the Spirit of God (Dan 2:20,22). He is the author of prophecy (Acts 2:17-18, Joel 2:28). He gives insight.
Q2. (2a) Read Daniel 11:18, 20. What do the things spoken of here, conquering many cities and imposing great taxes, imply for man and the contention for our souls here on earth? What kind of taxation comes to mind? (2b) Read Daniel 11:24 . . Discuss the strategy of this king to lure men into darkness? (2c) Read Daniel 12:1 . What do we observe has been happening all the while in chapter 11? Discuss God’s stance when His children are under attack.
Paragraph 3:
At the heart of Bible prophecies is God’s desire to recover man from the grip of darkness and the contention for man’s soul. In Daniel 12:1 we see a culmination of the prophesy in Daniel 11.We see that all through the elaborate activities of the contentions and battles being prosecuted by the four Persian Kings, God had a firm plan and strategy in place while. Daniel 12:1 says, “At that time Michael, the archangel who stands guard over your nation, will arise. Then there will be a time of anguish greater than any since nations first came into existence. But at that time every one of your people whose name is written in the book will be rescued.” Daniel 12:1 NLT. This principle exists in all Bible prophecies. God is always at hand to rescue His own.
Q3. (3a) Read Dan 11:32. Given these elaborate plans and activities of the kingdom of darkness, what should be the Christian attitude to the contentions for his/her soul? (3b) discuss the fact that our life exists in a battlefield considering Dan 11. Mention some examples of the physical manifestations of some of the evil strategies we have read about in Daniel 11 (3c) Discuss the statement that life in Christ is a shield/cocoon against these battles.
Prayer: Our Dear Father, thank you for the way You have comforted us over the ages with Bible Prophecy. We know that You love us and that Your eye is constantly fixed on our lives to gain us for Yourself. Please help us to live in Christ and the wisdom of His life so that all the benefits and blessings of bible prophesy will be ours . . .In Jesus Name, Amen.