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Sunday: Christ – The Center of Daniel

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Read Luke 24:25-27; John 5:39; and 2 Corinthians 1:19-20. In what ways is Christ the center of the Scriptures?

There is no question that Jesus is central to the Scriptures, and this includes Daniel as well. For example: Chapter 1 shows, although in a limited and imperfect way, that Daniel’s experience is analogous to that of Christ, who left heaven to live in this sinful world and confront the powers of darkness. Moreover, Daniel and his companions are endowed from above with Christ-like wisdom to face the challenges of the Babylonian culture.

Jesus on the cross

Image © Lars Justinen from GoodSalt.com

Chapter 2 describes the figure of the end-time (eschatological) stone to indicate that the kingdom of Christ will eventually replace all the kingdoms of the world. Chapter 3 reveals Christ walking with His faithful servants within a furnace of fire. Chapter 4 shows God removing Nebuchadnezzar from his kingdom from for a period of time so that the king could understand that “Heaven rules” (Dan. 4:26, NKJV). The expression “Heaven rules” reminds us that Christ, as “the Son of Man” (Dan. 7:13, NKJV), receives the dominion and the kingdom, as depicted in Daniel 7. Chapter 5 shows the demise of King Belshazzar and the fall of Babylon to the Persians during a night of revelry and debauchery. This foreshadows the defeat of Satan and the obliteration of end-time Babylon by Christ and His angels. Chapter 6 shows the plot against Daniel in ways that resemble the false accusations voiced against Jesus by the chief priests. Moreover, as King Darius unsuccessfully tries to spare Daniel, Pilate unsuccessfully tries to spare Jesus (Matt. 27:17-24). Chapter 7 depicts Christ as the Son of man receiving the kingdom and reigning over His people. Chapter 8 shows Christ as a priest of the heavenly sanctuary. Chapter 9 portrays Christ as the sacrificial victim whose death reconfirms the covenant between God and His people. And chapters 10-12 present Christ as Michael, the commander-in-chief, who fights the forces of evil and victoriously rescues God’s people, even from the power of death.

So let us bear in mind that Christ is central to Daniel. At every chapter of the book there is some experience or idea that points to Christ.

Amid struggles, trials, or even times of great happiness and prosperity, how can we learn to keep Christ at the center of our lives? Why is it so important that we do so?

<–Sabbath Monday–>

Amen!(1)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SabbathSchoolNet/~3/OO7Gk_lB1to/

How Missionaries Shaped African Adventism

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by Arthur Sibanda  |  27 December 2019  |   “Daddy, uJesu likhiwa yini?” (“Daddy, is Jesus a white man?”) The question caught me off-guard. My daughter is only five, and yet I found myself struggling to mumble a response to her innocent question. Because her question reflects the collective fears and insecurities of Christianity in Africa. […] Source: https://atoday.org/how-missionaries-shaped-african-adventism/

Sabbath: From Reading to Understanding

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A Scroll, Hourglass and Sundial

Image © Pacific Press

Read for This Week’s Study: Luke 24:25-27; 2 Peter 3:11-13; Jonah 3:3-10; Num. 14:34; Dan. 9:23; Dan. 10:11-12.
Memory Text: “So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ ” (Acts 8:30, NKJV).

Our church was born from within the pages of the book of Daniel, our study for this quarter. As we begin, we should keep the following points in mind as a template to help guide us through our study.

First, we should always remember that Christ is the center of Daniel, as He is of the entire Bible.

Second, Daniel is organized in a way that shows literary beauty and helps us to understand its major focus.

Third, we need to understand the difference between classical and apocalyptic prophecies. This will help us distinguish between the prophecies of Daniel and those of others such as Isaiah, Amos, and Jeremiah.

Fourth, as we study the time prophecies of Daniel, we should understand that the prophetic outlines of Daniel span long periods of time and are measured according to the year-day principle.

Fifth, we shall emphasize that the book of Daniel not only conveys prophetic information but is profoundly relevant to our personal life today.

Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, January 4.

Sunday–>

Amen!(0)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SabbathSchoolNet/~3/IT5uoy1aReM/

Introduction: Daniel, Prophet of the End

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Introduction:

As the nineteenth century disappeared into the twentieth, a sense of optimism pervaded the West. Through science and technology, humanity was advancing toward a golden age, a future of wonderful possibilities when war, pestilence, poverty, and hunger would finally be ended. That was the hope, anyway.

Of course, the twentieth century proved this hope not only wrong but foolish and naïve.

Quarterly Cover, Daniel

Image © Pacific Press

This helps explain why, when we entered the twenty-first century, it was with no great sense of optimism about a better future.

From a worldly perspective, the world still seems in pretty dismal shape and, worse, holds little prospect of improvement. Humans seem just as inclined toward greed, oppression, violence, conquest, exploitation, and self-destruction now as our ancestors were in ages past. Meanwhile, many of our great technological advances, though sometimes serving humanity well, have aided us in our greed, oppression, violence, conquest, exploitation, and self-destruction.

None of this should be surprising, of course, not with texts like “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9, NKJV) or “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places” (Matt. 24:7, NKJV).

And yet, amid all this despair and calamity, we have the book of Daniel, our study for this quarter, a book that’s especially relevant for us who are living in the ayt qatz, “the time of the end” (Dan. 12:9). And that’s because in the sacred pages of Daniel we have powerful, rational, faith-affirming evidence not only for our belief in God but in the Lord Jesus Christ and His death on the cross, as well as the promise of His return and all that His return entails.

Think about it. All through Daniel (chapters 2, 7, 8, 11), we have been given, from various angles, the following sequence of empires: Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, Rome, and God’s eternal kingdom after the Second Coming. From our perspective today, living when we do, we can see that all the worldly kingdoms have come and gone as predicted. Or, in the case of Rome, it came and remains, at least for now, just as Daniel wrote. It is depicted in the feet and toes of Daniel 2:33, Daniel 2:41, and is manifested in the still-divided nations of Europe as well as the Roman church itself. Thus, we have an affirmation of biblical prophecy as broad and as solid as the history of the world that someone living in the time of Babylon, or Greece, or even in the earlier days of Rome, could not have had.

Living where we are on the prophetic time scale, we also can see that Daniel was correct about all these kingdoms; thus, we have even more reasons to trust him regarding the only one yet to come: God’s eternal kingdom, after the Second Coming.

Yes, the book of Daniel remains a powerful, faith-affirming document, especially for Seventh-day Adventists, who find within its pages texts seminal to our church, especially Daniel 8:14: “And he said to me, ‘For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed’” (NKJV). This text is parallel to Daniel 7:22, Daniel 7:26-27, which shows that after the great heavenly judgment, given “in favor of the saints of the Most High”, God’s eternal kingdom will be established. In contrast to the fleeting, earthly empires, it will last forever.

And yet, alongside the “big-picture”, we see just how close Christ can be to us, individually. From King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream to Daniel’s deliverance from the lions’ den, the book shows us God’s immanence, or His nearness to us; as Daniel told wicked King Belshazzar, He is the God “who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways” (Dan. 5:23, NKJV).

In short, the book of Daniel, our study for this quarter, remains what it was when penned thousands of years ago: a powerful revelation of the love and character of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Elias Brasil de Souza serves as director of the Biblical Research Institute at the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists World Headquarters. He holds a PhD in Old Testament exegesis and theology from Andrews University.

Amen!(0)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SabbathSchoolNet/~3/EoZOq2D1TNo/

Shunning Satan’s Snares

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Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. 1 Peter 5:8.
Satan is rallying his forces to contend with the advancing work. He would bring reproach upon the work of God by setting brother against brother, and bringing in the elements of suspicion and evil surmising. I am bidden to say to our people, “Do not devise evil one against another. Do not cherish unbelief in your hearts. Do not harbor suspicion against your brethren and sisters.” This is one of the most successful ways in which Satan works to alienate the hearts of those who should be doing God’s service. Spend much time in earnest prayer for your individual selves. Talk and act as if in the presence of God….
Disaffection began in heaven because Satan could not have the place he coveted. Disaffection and distrust had never before entered any heart. When Satan began his evil work, he did not himself see where it would lead. But the thoughts he entertained after a time were expressed in suggestions of evil, and these, diffused among the angels, led to the great rebellion which was the beginning of all the woe and misery that has befallen mankind.
To those who are inclined to suspect others of wrongdoing and to charge their brethren with evil, I would say, “Please read in the book Great Controversy the chapter entitled ‘The Origin of Evil.’” Bring home its truths to your individual hearts. Remember that it was the spirit of envy and evil surmising, cherished in the heart of the rebel angel, that began the evil work that opened the floodgates of woe upon our world.
Satan is working in every church to spoil the flock of God. He seeks to lead brother to think evil of brother, and in this way he causes a great deal of grief and pain. I am instructed to say to every soul who professes to be a follower of Christ, “Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips, that they speak no guile.” Through self-exaltation Satan works to ruin the soul, and his working may be seen in every church. My brethren and sisters, keep strict guardianship over your spirit. Guard your words, lest Satan lead you to repeat his own history.
Guard your thoughts. In these closing days of earth’s history Satan is working with desperate effort to seduce souls into sin. Keep your tongue as with a bridle. Keep your thoughts upon the Word of the living God. The same spirit that prompted rebellion in heaven is at work in our churches…. We are living in the last days of this earth’s history, and Satan is making determined efforts to subvert the mind.—Letter 66, April 10, 1909, “To Those Assembled at Camp Meeting.”
The Upward Look p. 114
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Prayer Requests
—-Brian is supposed to come home Sunday. Please pray for travelling mercies. Rose
—-This is a praise report. I made it out of the hospital last night and I am home now. My pancreatitis is gone and my gall bladder is much better. I still have pneumonia and still need my gall bladder removed, but I want to recover fully first. Please continue to pray for my health. Connie
—-Please pray for my 95 yr old Dad, he hasn’t been feeling well, and is having many issues with his 15 yr old granddaughter who stays there, after her mom just left her there and took off with her boyfriend, now she is acting up doing drugs. pray her mom come back and gets her daughter. Becky
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Dear Friends,
Years ago, we lived for a short time in a coastal city in North Carolina. There was a beautiful park in the middle of town where we often took our children for a walk. The park had a little lake in the center of it. The five mile walk around the lake gave us good exercise. The walkways were bordered by beautiful azalea bushes of various hues. No matter how many times we walked in this park, we never tired of its beauty.
In the lake there were many alligators. These alligators stayed in the water among the cypress trees that grew in one part of the lake and never ventured close to the people. They posed no danger as long as everyone stayed out of those cypress trees. In fact, on one side of the lake children swam and we could rent paddleboats and rowboats. When a person rented a boat, he was always warned to stay away from the cypress trees. It seemed like the alligators had an unwritten rule that said, “You don’t bother us, we won’t bother you.”
One night all that changed forever. After the bars closed one night, a man and his buddies, who had been drinking way too much, decided to steal one of the boats on the “human” side of the lake. This man bragged that he was so tough, that he could go over to the “alligator” side and survive. Even as drunk as they were, his friends protested. He would not listen. Unsteadily getting into one of the boats, he began his last journey. His friends refused to go with him. They stood around for awhile and then staggered home. All that the police found the next morning, was the empty boat and the man’s hat floating on the surface of the water.
After that incident, there was one huge “gator,” that became very bold. He often ventured over to the shore on the “human” side and stalked anyone who looked like he would make a good meal. Of course, out in the daylight with many people around, he was not successful, but it did make everyone uncomfortable and the authorities were trying to decide what to do with him.
One day, as we were walking along, we noticed a person sitting near the water. That big old alligator must have thought he would taste good, because it was stalking him. The man got up and moved to another place where he could sit and look out over the water. Soon, the alligator swam over to where he was. We stopped to watch for awhile. No matter where that man went, that alligator followed. Finally, the man became so nervous that he left.
So it is with us. We have an enemy, who is seeking to destroy us. This enemy is much more dangerous than that big, old alligator. The Bible warns us, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, . . . walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith.” 1 Peter 5:8,9 The evil one is continually stalking us, trying to destroy us “because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” Rev 12:12
Praise God, we have a Savior Who will soon completely destroy the evil one! Our Great Redeemer says to Satan, “I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.” Eze 28:18,19 Precious promise! We look forward to that time when our great adversary along with sin and sinners will be no more. Malachi tells us, “For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.” Malachi 4:1 “What do ye imagine against the Lord? He shall make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.” Nahum 1:9
What a wonderful day that will be when sin will be totally eradicated from the universe. John speaks of this grand and glorious time in Revelation 20-22. “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new…. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.” Rev 21:1-8
May we resist the devil for we have the promise that if we do, he will flee from us. (James 4:7) May we accept our Dear Saviour’s offer of salvation today, while the door of mercy is still open. May we allow Him to cleanse us from all sin, that we may be ready for His Coming and to dwell with Him forevermore.
Rose

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rosesdevotional/~3/67xgbnXfHco/shunning-satans-snares.html

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