Daniel was truly a man of God. We first read about Daniel shortly after Judah was captured by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. Daniel, along with other young men, was taken from Judah to Babylon to be trained for the king’s service.
We are probably more familiar with the story of Daniel being thrown into the lion’s den, than we are of his prophecies, which predicted the future. Be that as it may, his predictions of the future are much more important to us. They were so accurate, that critics of the Bible claimed they had to be written after the fact. They claimed the book of Daniel was a book of history rather than prophecy. However, the discovery of ancient manuscripts, some dating back to 250 BC, have quieted those critics.
These words were spoken by God to Moses when He called him to go down to Egypt and bring the children of Israel out of bondage. You remember how Moses tried to excuse himself. He said he wasn’t didn’t speak well — he wasn’t this and that — and he couldn’t go. Like Isaiah, he wanted the Lord to send someone else. Finally, the Lord said to Moses, “What is that in your hand?” He had a staff in his hand. It was just a stick that he had cut for the purpose of driving the sheep with. He could probably have gotten a better or straighter stick for a staff. Yet with that staff, he was to deliver the children of Israel. God linked His almighty power with the staff, and that was enough.
I can imagine that as Moses was on his way to Egypt, he may have met someone who might have asked him where he was going. “Down to Egypt.”
Really? Are you going down there again to live?”
“No, I’m going to bring my people out of bondage.”
The most notable prophecies in the Old Testament are those documenting the life of Christ. There are 60 major messianic prophecies and 270 minor prophecies regarding the coming messiah. In the New Testament, all these prophecies are fulfilled in the life of Jesus Christ.
Below are sixty of the most common prophecies from the Old Testament that were fulfilled by Jesus.
He is the Son of God, Psalms 2:7
Fulfillment, Luke 1:31
The seed of the woman, Genesis 3:15
Fulfillment, Galatians 4:4
The seed of Abraham, Genesis 17:7, 22:18
Fulfillment Galatians 3:16
The seed of Isaac, Genesis 21:12
Fulfillment, Hebrews 11:17-19
The seed of David, Psalms 132:11, Jeremiah 23:5
Fulfillment, Acts 13:23, Romans 1:3
His coming at a set time, Genesis 49:10, Daniel 9:24-25
Fulfillment, Luke 2:1
His being born of a virgin, Isaiah 7:14
Fulfillment, Matthew 1:22-23, Luke 2:7
His being called Immanuel, Isaiah 7:14,
Fulfillment, Matthew 1:22
His being born in Bethlehem, Micah 5:2
Fulfillment, Matthew 2:1, Luke 2:4-6
Great people paying Him tribute, Psalms 72:10
Fulfillment, Matthew 2:1
The killing of the children of Bethlehem, Jeremiah 31:15
Fulfillment, Matthew 2:16-18
His being called out of Egypt, Hosea 11:1
Fulfillment, Matthew 2:15
His being preceded by John the Baptist, Isaiah 40:3, Malachi 3:1
Fulfillment, Matthew 3:1-3, Luke 1:7
His being anointed with the Spirit, Psalms 45:7, Isaiah 11:2, 61:1
Angels seem to be organized according to rank and authority, which include archangels, angels, seraphim, cherubim, principalities, authorities, powers, thrones, might, and dominion (Colossians 1:16). Medieval theologians divided angels into ten different grades. We may not know for sure how angels are ranked; however, we can be sure that they have different jobs and duties and vary in power and authority.
Archangel
Only Michael is mentioned in scripture as an archangel (Jude 1:9). Some Bible scholars believe Lucifer was an archangel before his fall. We can not know for sure whether he was or not, but we do know that the scriptures refer to Michael as “the” archangel, so obviously, he is the only one now. Daniel 10:21 refers to Michael as our prince. He is the angel above all angels, the prince of heaven. He leads the fight against the devil and his demons (Daniel 10:13). Michael will be the primary angel during the end times. He is a warrior without equal, except the Godhead. Whether this is his main job or not, we do not know. But as we see in the Scriptures, Satan is no match for him.
When you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, you will be sealed by the Holy Spirit. You can be sure you will spend eternity with the Lord.
As believers in Christ, we are sealed from the moment we become Christians until the rapture and resurrection. God’s seal is our guarantee of Heaven.
“The Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30).
“Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come” (2 Corinthians 1:21-22).
“God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come…..For we live by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:5,7).
“When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession” (Ephesians 1:13-14).
We have God’s word that He has sealed us until the day of redemption. This means that God has put His personal seal upon us through the Holy Spirit. We have His protection until the day Christ returns. The devil cannot touch us, for we belong to God. He can tempt us and he can make our lives miserable at times, but he cannot take our salvation from us. We can have that assurance that we will share eternity with Jesus.(more…)
The Bible is the word of God. It is just as relevant today as the day it was written. It has the power to change lives. It can equip you to live in a fallen world and prepare you for the future. By following its teaching you can find peace and joy while on earth, and secure your place in heaven so that you can spend eternity with the Lord. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy, for it is the living word of God.
There is no book like the Bible. It is totally unique, it is one of a kind for it was God ordained. It contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers.
It begins with paradise (Eden) lost in Genesis and ends with paradise regained in Revelation. It starts in Genesis with sin entering the world and ends in Revelation with the world being cleansed of sin. The Old Testament tells us of man’s downfall and the coming Messiah. The New Testament tells of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, His life on earth, and the coming redemption of man. The Bible contains information that could not have been written without divine inspiration. Its main theme is the salvation of man. However, the scriptures also include wisdom and advanced knowledge about nature, prophecy, medicine, sanitation, and science. Knowledge that was thousands of years ahead of its time, proving that the scriptures were God inspired.
The Bible teaches us that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, (2 Corinthians 5:8).
Jesus told the thief on the cross, “today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). Jesus didn’t say today you will sleep. The confusion comes from the fact that sleep was often used as a term for death. For instance when Jesus spoke to the disciples about Lazarus: “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.” Then His disciples said,” Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.” However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus said to them plainly, Lazarus is dead” (John 11:11-14).
At death, our spirit separates from our body. Our body returns to the ground and our spirit returns to its maker.
“and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it” (Ecclesiastes 12:7).
The apostle Paul said: “I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far” (Philippians 1:23).“(I) would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8).
Paul was not looking forward to soul sleep, he was looking forward to being with the Lord.
Without a body, there would be no need for sleep. Sleep is for our human mortal body to rejuvenate itself. The body is what requires sleep, not our spirit. The body will go into the ground and sleep, but our souls will be in heaven with the Lord (Ecclesiastes 12:7).
Paul spoke of falling asleep instead of dying when he wrote to the Thessalonians.
“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-15).
Notice in these verses, Paul says that Jesus will be bringing those that have fallen asleep with him, in other words, He will be bringing the saints that have died with Him. If He is bringing them with Him, then it is obvious that they are in heaven now and not in the grave.
In the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, Lazarus went immediately to heaven and the rich man went immediately to hell.
Finally, when John was given a vision of heaven, he described the Christians that were martyred as souls crying out for revenge, they definitely were not sleeping. In every reference in Revelation to human beings in Heaven, they are conscious, not sleeping. As Paul said, to be absent from the body, is to be present with the Lord. The instant we die, we will be in heaven with Jesus! What a glorious time that will be!
Taken fromthe section on Heaven in “Things You Probably Learn in Church.” Things You Probably Didn’t Learn in Church is a book covering several subjects that are not usually not taught in church. Check out this book and my other books at: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B06XK4GJT1
We will never behold the glory of Christ by sight in the next world if we have not in some measure beheld it by faith here in this world.
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1)
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)
The eleventh chapter of the book of Hebrews lists many examples of men that had great faith and the things they accomplished.
Yet, it is not the quantity of faith that saves us. A little faith is just as real faith as the person with the greatest faith. A drop of water is just as real water as the whole ocean. A spark of fire is as real fire as a whole forest fire. A sickly man is just as real of a human being as a healthy man. So it is not the measure of your faith that saves you, but the blood of Christ. We all start out with little faith, but as we grow and see the hand of God in our lives and the lives of others, our faith increases astronomically. So if your faith is small, yet you seek Christ, He will not let you perish. The weakest hands may take the gift as well as the strongest. Christ is that gift, and a little faith is all it takes to begin a journey that will lead to a life of triumphant joy in our Lord.
As Christians, our greatest desire should be to be more like Jesus. How do we do that? By surrendering our lives to Him. By making God’s will more important to us than our own desires. As we strive to do this we will find our own desires being more in line with God’s desire for us. We will experience the love of Christ flowing through us.
When asked what was most important, Jesus replied, “To love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind…The second is to love your neighbor as yourself.”
God is love. His nature is love. It is impossible for Him, not to love. He loved us so much that He gave His son, Jesus Christ, to die a horribly painful death to save us. He did this while we were sinners. We certainly didn’t deserve it. Jesus loves all of us. He loves us when we are unlovable. He loves the worst of sinners, people who we think are unlovable and don’t deserve God’s love are still loved by God. He doesn’t love the sin in their lives, in fact, He hates their sin, but He loves them.
We have all heard love the sinner, hate the sin. This is very hard to do, it seems impossible; it is only possible for us when we allow the love of Christ to flow through us. When we surrender our own will and seek to do God’s will, we will find God’s love flowing through us naturally, without even thinking about it.
If we want to be more Christ-like, we must love those we may not like. We don’t have to like or accept their lifestyle, their behavior, what they stand for, or even their religion. We may not like to be near them or listen to them, but we need to love them as a creation of God. If we do this, we will find that we are becoming more concerned about their salvation and where they will spend eternity. We are becoming more Christ-like. Love others.
The point Jesus is making in the parable of the prodigal son is that we are never too far from God. No matter what we have done, God will always welcome us home.
The Parable of the Lost Son
11 “Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
We are all children of God. Sometimes we stray far away from the family of God. We may have strayed so far that we feel so unworthy, to even ask God’s forgiveness. We may think we are too far gone for God to accept us. The truth is that none of us are good enough. We can never be good enough. The good news is that God has made a provision for us. The blood that Jesus shed on the cross will cleanse us of all our unrighteousness. No matter where we are in life, Jesus is there waiting. He will accept us just as we are at this very moment. All we have to do is ask!
Say this simple prayer or something similar: Jesus I believe that you are the son of God. I believe that you died on the cross for our sins and that on the third day you rose again and are alive in heaven right now. Please forgive me of my sins, (we are all sinners) and come into my life.
If you said this prayer and meant it, you are now a child of God, you are a child of the King. You have come home! God will help you and bless you as only a Godly Father can.
Sharing Jesus 