I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed and said, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and extends loving kindness toward those who love Him and keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed wrong, and have behaved wickedly and have rebelled, turning away from Your commandments and ordinances. (Dan 9:4,5)
“So we have the prophetic word made more certain. You do well to pay [close] attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and light breaks through the gloom and the morning star arises in your hearts.” 2 Peter 1:19
And the Old Testament also reflects upon the idea of “the Morning Star,” in Numbers 24:17
“”I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near. A star shall come forth from [the descendants of] Jacob, A scepter shall rise out of [the descendants of] Israel And shall crush the forehead of Moab And destroy all the sons of Sheth.”
Christ is here represented as the “Morning Star,” and when He returns, he will shine in his full glory. Until that day we have Scripture and the Holy Spirit to illuminate it [the Morning Star concept] for us and to guide us as we seek the truth about Bible Prophecy. (see also Luke 1:78; Eph 5:14; Rev 2:28; Rev 22:16).
One of the key concepts to derive from Bible prophecy is that it is often nothing to do with dates, history, predictions, or doom and gloom. While Bible prophecy does set before us the motif of “the great controversy,” which is essentially, the war between good and evil, as well as being the main message intended for us to carry forward into the world we live in today.
The best way to think of Bible prophecy, is not by “History,” which by nature is often secular, and activist; but rather, to reflect upon the different ways that prophecy represents “H.I.S. – S.T.O.R.Y.”
We can count on an “everlasting” good story through Bible prophecy. We can count on the triumph of good over evil, through Bible prophecy. For Bible prophecy is in verity, about the cross. The motif of “Christ and Him crucified” is what sets apart true Christianity from everything else. Bible prophecy, in both Old and New Testaments, is an everlasting story. Bible prophecy IS “the everlasting gospel,” as reflected upon in Rev 14:6-12, and many other places.
That precious Morning Star is especially what the Christmas story is about – “HIS – Story” and the moral purpose of Bible prophecy is intended to arise in the hearts of those who are honestly seeking truth about this “everlasting gospel:”
“Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” (Mat 2:2)
His Story, the everlasting gospel story, is the story of Jesus, which begins for us in a dilapidated manger that no one else wanted to sleep in.
“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you and to give you assurance of these things for the churches. I am the Root (the Source, the Life) and the Offspring of David, the radiant and bright Morning Star.” (Rev 22:16)
Jesus is both David’s “source” and “heir.” As the Creator of all, Jesus existed long before David. As a human, however, he was one of David’s direct descendants (see Isa 11:1,2,3,4,5; Mat 1:1-17). As the Messiah, he is the “bright morning star,” the light of salvation to all. Once when Jesus addressed the crowd. He said, “I am the Light of the world. Anyone who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” (John 8:12)
And so this is why in scripture, prophecy is called a Light that shines in a dark place. Bible prophecy, correctly represented is the Light in your clouds. The Light of the world is Jesus. (There is Light in every cloud).
To illustrate further the moral purpose of Bible prophecy, and how this purpose can fit into our daily lives, and provide us with a foundation to lean upon in all of the really dark times, we can reflect upon the Bible prophecy found in Daniel, chapter nine.
Here in Daniel, chapter nine, we find a series of visions that teach a similar truth to the experiences of the first six chapters. In chapters 1—6, God is portrayed as being in control of the present. In chapters 7—12, God is seen as also controlling the future. Many self-proclaimed prophets and pundits set forth this chapter as very complicated, and mostly about dates, and history, but not usually as His Story.
Although Daniel, as prime minister of the mightiest kingdom, at the time, on the earth, was cumbered with cares and burdens, he did not let this deprive him of the privilege of studying into things of much higher importance. The purposes of God revealed to His prophets is in Scripture, much more important than secular history and its activism for denominated dross.
The book of Daniel says that this prophet understood by books, that is, the writings of Jeremiah, that God would accomplish seventy years in the captivity of His people. This prediction is found in Jer 25:12; Jer 29:10. The knowledge of it, and the use that was made of it, show that Jeremiah was early regarded as a divinely inspired prophet; otherwise his writings would not have been so soon collected, and so extensively copied. Though for a time contemporary with him, Daniel had a copy of his works which he carried with him in his captivity. Though he was so great a prophet himself, he was not above studying carefully what God might reveal to others of His servants.
Daniel had apparently understood that this 70 years were now drawing to their close, and that God had even begun the fulfillment of the prophecy, by overthrowing the kingdom of Babylon, which back then must have been terrifying. And the implications for its meaning to the world today have been denominated until we can barely recognize what to believe anymore, that is, if we can get past all of the fear mongering being proffered by big media, including many church entities.
What did Jesus say about all of the events in the book of Daniel, and in chapter nine?
“And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),” (Mat 24:14,15)
The book of Daniel gives a demonstration of the principles according to which God’s wisdom, power, and authority operate through the HIS STORY of nations for the eventual accomplishment of God’s divine purpose. Daniel was given a forward vision of this prophecy of The Second Coming of Christ:
“While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the LORD my God for the holy hill of my God, while I was speaking in prayer,the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice.” (Dan 9::20,21)
I wrote the following poem to reflect a little closer on what was going on, sort of behind the scenes during the times of Daniel, Chapter 9. We may be sure by this wonderful prophecy that the best ways to both prepare and respond to the things we fear may be or will be coming is to dare to be a Daniel. Dare to live Daniel’s life of prayer, in response to all the major world events of this our day, just as Daniel did back in his day:
During the oft-talked about “time of the end,” many, unlike Daniel, will be unprepared because they mistaken “prophecy” as just a series of names, dates, or places, and a few very fearful predictions about these things. But it is obvious that Daniel learned more than just predictions and dates. Daniel learned to pray. This poem reflects what the prophet of old had learned, and what God, through Daniel, is telling us to do today.
During troubled times, we may follow in Daniel’s steps, as we learn to pray in earnest, and with open hearts:
“Understand The Vision” Dan 8:17
(This poem is based on Daniel 8,9)
By the River of Ulai, the prophet “looked up”
As he was seeking
And when he “lifted up his eyes,” Daniel heard
King Jesus speaking
And down the corridors of time to the beast of
This our troubled day
We see the “Little Horn” is speaking peace as he
Forces church his way.
In the “latter times” of his kingdom when
Transgressions marked are “full.”
The time “appointed for the vision” on the
Mind of each will pull
“Dark sentences” embraced the King, when
transgressors all “stood up”
For they only “stand” to destroy; to deceive
We dare not, ever, drink the cup
Daniel fainted at this little bit that he could
See while rapt in vision
Saying how “no one understood” it; as they held
Truth in derision
But the prophet understood the vision as the
Angel swiftly flew
For Daniel prayed and “made confession;” nothing
Less could ever do
In this vision of the end Gabriel spoke to Daniel
Past his praying and his tears
For Jeremiah, wrote before him of the long and
“Desolate years”
And gave Daniel understanding from “the books;” all
The “numbers of the days”
And we can have the understanding too; as we walk
These times in God’s sweet ways.
70 Weeks were “determined” for Jerusalem of old so
That everyone could see
How God will send His mighty angel when we need to
Know the prophecy
Daniel knew the secret of the walk we all must make
With Jesus in our day
He truly understood the “numbers of the years” for
Daniel learned to pray and to
“Consider The Vision” Dan 9:23
Through His chosen agencies God will graciously make known His purposes. The Holy Spirit wants to help us to “consider the vision” today. Then the grand work of redemption will go forward. People will learn of the reconciliation for iniquity and of the everlasting righteousness which the Messiah has brought in through His sacrifice. The cross of Calvary is the great epicenter of the everlasting gospel:
Christ is the foundation of every true church. All who are brought to a new faith are to be established on Him. (Gal 6:14, Eph 2:13). The plain, simple truths of the gospel are to be kept before minds. Christ crucified as the atonement for sin is the great central truth of the gospel, round which all truths cluster. To this great truth all other truths are tributary and are thus invested with both power and influence according to their relation to this theme.
The love of God was to be revealed to the world in the death of his beloved Son, crucified on Calvary for the sins of the world. He was to present to the world the gospel, which was to be the power of God unto salvation. This was not a new truth, but through the traditions of men it had become obscured, and the original truths, by separation from their Author, had lost their meaning to the world. When Christ came, a flood of light was to be shed upon the utterances of patriarchs and prophets. Through this revelation, neglected obligations were to be taken up. Obedience was to take the place of rebellion, and the truth would work a transformation of character in all who should receive it. The great atoning Sacrifice was to be the central and supreme truth, about which all other truths were to cluster. And Christ himself came to the world to bear this truth to his rebellious subjects.
The Church must begin to teach only the great practical truths that must be stamped upon the soul. Teach the saving power of Jesus, “In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of our sins.” It was at the cross that mercy and truth met together, that righteousness and peace kissed each other. Let every student and every worker study this again and again, that they, “setting forth the Lord crucified among us,” may make it a fresh subject to the people. Show that the life of Christ reveals a perfect character.
The Church needs to teach that, “as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” (John 1:12) Tell it over and over again. We may become the sons of God, members of the royal family, children of the heavenly King. Let it be known that all who accept Jesus Christ and hold the beginning of their confidence firm to the end, will be heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ “to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fades not away, reserved in Heaven for you who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Pet 1:5). In future prophecy news letters we will focus on this idea much more in depth. (Gal 6:14).