5-13-2018 Weekly Message The contemplation of the week: Psalm 49: 1-20 Text: Daniel 8:15-27 The title of the Word: “The appointed time” of God spoken through Daniel and our hope
Today we are living in an era where we cannot even imagine what will happen in the future. What will happen at North Korea and America summit meeting? What is going to happen after Pulling out of America from the nuclear deal with Iran? And the crisis in the Middle East related the relocation of US Embassy to Jerusalem on May 14, and so on.
In B.C. 606, when the Israelites were captives in Babylon, God sent his angel a young man, Daniel who received the Spirit of wisdom of God, let him know the appointed time of God that is the end of the world. After Daniel saw all things to be happening through the vision, he fainted with fear to be sick certain days, afterwards he rose up again. But at that time there was no one that realized that vision. Through the message of this week, we shall be blessed when we understand the vision of Daniel through the words of God.
In Babylon, the most powerful kingdom ruled by Nebuchadnezzar, who was called king of kings at that time, God showed the prophet Daniel what kinds of kingdoms will appear in the world in the future, and which nation will appear at the end of His appointed time. Before that, God first showed to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon through his dreams. God interpreted his dreams to Daniel, and the king of Babylon recognized the interpretation, and fell to Daniel and worshiped him, offering him gifts and spices (Daniel 2: 1-49). We also worship God when we realize this. After that, God showed Daniel through the vision specifically to Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (Daniel 8: 1-27).
Satan took away the earth, which was the Paradise of God from Adam because of sin brought by him, so that God showed the king of Babylon in his dream through the Principalities and Powers that Satan governs, what kinds of kingdom will appear in the world until the end of the Gentile’s era. . But neither the king of Babylon nor any of them could understand the interpretation. But we can understand through the Word of God about his dream and interpretation. But those who do not have the Spirit of God’s wisdom cannot understand however they read the words of God.
God showed a great image to Nebuchadnezzar. Its shape was brilliant and its appearance was scary. The head of the image is pure gold, his breast and arms of silver, his belly and thigh of brass, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron, and part of clay. Before Daniel interpreted his dream, he told him what the king had dreamed of. It is impossible for any person to know the dream itself until he said of his dream, but it is only possible by the Spirit of God. Daniel continued to say of his dream saying, a stone was cut out without hands, which smote image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, thhe clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors, and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them, and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. (2: 31-35).
Daniel interpreted his dream in details: ” Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
38And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.39And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
40And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.41And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.42And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.
And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.44And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.45Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.. “(Daniel 2: 37-45)
At that time, only the kingdom of Babylon ruled the whole world. But through our world history, we know what kingdoms are to be arising after that and which kingdoms will rule the whole world. Indeed, God’s Word is the future history. Mediah and Persia are the breast and arms of silver, and Greece is the belly and thigh of brass, and the Roman Empire is the two legs(East Roma and west Roma)of the iron And Roman Empire was destroyed dividing into many nations including America as well as European countries. From the gold to the iron and clay, all the kingdoms have been weaken gradually.
Finally, God told Daniel about the kingdoms of the last toes, the last kingdoms: ” The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.24And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.25And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. “(Dan 7: 23-25)
But the Antichrist, the king who will make these ten kings submits to him will eventually be judged by God, and all the nations of the world shall be removed through God’s judgment, and the world shall eventually be restored to a world where God alone reigns:
” But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.
27And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.28Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenancechanged in me: but I kept the matter in my heart. : (Dan. 7:26-28)
At last God spoke specifically of the names of the kingdoms to appear after King of Babylon. At that time no one knew what kingdoms would arise after the Babylonian kingdom, but God the OMNI SCIENT knowing all things informed to Daniel showing us all the words of God is the future history:
” The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.
21And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that isbetween his eyes is the first king.
22Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power.23And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.24And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.25And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand. “(Dan 8: 20-25).
The ruler who shall stand up and put the whole world into his own hands is the so-called antichrist who shall oppose the ruler the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. . He will shout the world peace and destroy many things with false peace. Therefore, the rulers of the present world are deceiving the world shouting world peace to prepare for his appearance.
God showed Apostle John of the ruler to appear sooner or later:
“And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.2And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
3And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.4And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? “(Revelation 13: 1-4)
The Holy Spirit has given us the message of hope to the Thessalonian Church members who were waiting for the day of Christ through Apostle Paul
“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
3Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. (2Thess. 2: 1-4) Amen! Hallelujah!