Daniel 7

God’s Vision and Interpretation of Human History: an Exegesis of Daniel Chapter 7

 

Background for Daniel’s Dream

 

In Daniel Chapter 7, Daniel is given a great and glorious vision and interpretation of human history, and how his vision will affect the Saints.  The first part of Daniel chapter 7 Daniel is given in God’s vision for history (versus 1-14).  The vision came to Daniel in 553 B.C44 years after Daniel had been taken into captivity.  He first tells us, “that in the first year of Belshazzar King of Babylon Daniel saw a dream and the visions in his mind as he lay on his bed; then he wrote a the dream down and related the following summary of it”.  Daniel in a very dramatic dream is given what would be the course of human history.  Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has died his son Nabonidus has gone off to Arabia to found a new city where he can gaze at the stars and has left his son Belshazzar in charge of the city of Babylon. 

 

Daniels vision Of Human History

 

If we were to ask ourselves the question what was Daniels vision for human history?   Daniel was taken into captivity in 597 B.C. when Nebuchadnezzar had first come to the city and taken many of the young men captive and in 586 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar had finally destroyed the city of Jerusalem.  Daniels vision for human history was the revival of the nation of Israel we know that because in chapter 9 we find that Daniel is praying for the revival of Jerusalem.  Daniel as any Jew would have been hoping that God would restore Israel back to its former glory that David and Solomon had raised it to.  This vision is shocking to Daniel because it is not a vision of the earthly glory of the nation of Israel but rather a picture of Israel ted by the nations until the end of the age.  This was not what Daniel was expecting so it caused him great distress.

If we have the wrong vision of human history we also will be disappointed.  God gives us a clear picture of the future where we are going and where we will end up, so that we don’t mistake the journey for the destination.  The destination is ultimately the rule of God over the earth and the preeminence of Israel over the nations but in this vision it will not happen the way Daniel expects.  Israel will not be restored immediately to its former glory but instead will be a third rate power caught up in the political intrigues of human history. 

This is a shocking picture for us as American Christians because it tells us that the goal of human history is not the greatness of America and the coming of democracy to bring peace to the world but this is merely a sideshow on the journey to the fulfillment of the final goal of history which is the rule of God over all the earth.  If we don’t understand this vision of history we will be sidetracked by our place in history and so we need this vision just as Daniel needed this vision to see where we are going and what will be the final destination.  America will ultimately be destroyed the final beast kingdom that Daniel sees will come and destroy our nation. 

St. Augustine had the exact situation in mind when he wrote about in The City of God.  The Christian’s of his day’s faith was shaken because Rome was sacked but not destroyed.  Christians of Augustine’s day had thought that Rome was the final destination for all of human history.  And Augustine reminds his reader that it is merely a stop on the train of God’s plan for human history and that the ultimate goal was the kingdom of God not the kingdom of men.

We also need this reminder or we can become so worldly minded that we are of no heavenly good.  We can become so absorbed with our lives with our property with our health with our kids and with the enjoyment of our lives that we forget that where we are is only the journey and not the destination.  In many ways this vision is a reminder that we are aliens and strangers headed for an eternal city that is our final destination.  Let’s now turn to the vision that Daniel is given for human history.

 

The Vision the Daniel Was Given.

 

Daniel in his night vision sees the four winds of heaven stirring up the great sea.  Now the great sea can either mean the Mediterranean Sea or it can be a metaphor for the nations of the world.  But right from the beginning of this vision we see God over the flow and course of human history, God is stirring up the great sea, God’s winds are blowing upon the nations, God is causing one beast after another to rise and conquer the previous beast.  Daniel sees the four great beasts coming up out of the sea each different from the other (verse 3).  We are going to see that each of these beasts represents empires that impact the people of God and they extend all the way until the end of the age.

 

The Babylonian Empire

 

            The first beast that Daniel sees was like a lion and it had wings like an Eagle.  How would have Daniel understood this image?  Daniel would have immediately understood this as a symbol for the kingdom of Babylon which was currently ruling the world.  Every day as Daniel entered the city of Babylon through the Ishtar gate he would’ve passed 120 winged lions on the walls.  This image would’ve immediately told Daniel that he was looking at the kingdom of Babylon.

            Daniel in this description of the winged lion is reminded of God even over the greatest of rulers.  We are told “I kept looking until its wings were plucked off and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on 2 feet like a man a human mind was also given to it”.  This is a reminder of Daniel chapter 4 where the “divine” King Nebuchadnezzar is humbled and made insane for seven years until he acknowledges the God of heaven as the true deity.  Nebuchadnezzar had claimed to be the divine King of the world but God clipped his wings and reminded him that he was but a man so that Nebuchadnezzar acknowledges who God is and God’s place over the universe (Daniel 4: 28-37).

           

The Kingdom of the Medes and the Persians

                                            

            The vision continues in verse five where Daniel sees a second beast arising out of the sea that resembled a bear.  This image may have not been immediately clear to Daniel but it is clear to us with an understanding of the flow of human history.  The kingdom that conquered Babylon was the kingdom of Medo Persia.  This of course Daniel experienced (Daniel chapter 5) on October 29th 539 B.C. Cyrus king of Persia conquered the city of Babylon and took dominion over the Babylonian empire.  Daniel is given more detail about this empire that further helps us identify this empire.  The bear is raised up on one side which probably symbolizes the preeminence of Persia over Media.  The three ribs in the Bears mouth probably represent the three kingdoms that Medo Persia conquered in order to come to prominence in the world, the kingdoms of Libya, Babylon and Egypt. Again we see God’s sovereignty over the nations because Medo Persia is given by God over the world until God’s purposes have run their course this beast is told, “Arise, devour much meat!”  God gives the nations their time and their authority and then holds them accountable for the evil that they do.

                             

The Kingdom of Alexander the Great

 

            The next kingdom that Daniel sees is in verse six.  In his vision he is given a picture of a leopard with four wings on its back and four heads.  Daniel definitely would not have known the meaning of this symbol and would have wandered at the nature of this picture.  Again, with an understanding of human history the vision becomes very clear, for the next kingdom that conquers the world of Daniels day is the coming of the Greek empire under the kingship of Alexander the great.   Alexander defeats the Persians in three epic battles and conquers the entire known world.  At age 33 in the city of Babylon he died suddenly.  Upon his , his for generals divide the kingdom into four parts with each general taking a part.  Thus we have four wings or the division of the kingdom into four parts, and four heads the four different rulers who took possession of his kingdom.  Again we see God’s sovereignty over the nations in this vision because we are told that dominion was given to him to rule.

 

The Roman Empire

 

            The next empire has been puzzled over by theologians.  If you take the secession of empires this would have to be Rome.  Rome replaced Greece as the ruler of the world.  The problem that many have is how is this beast the fourth and the final at the same time?  Rome has long sense ceased from existence.  Some have solved this by saying that in the end of times the Roman Empire will be restored.  They have tended to look at the European Union and say that this is a fulfillment of the reestablishment of the Roman Empire.  This interpretation tends to be very Eurocentric.  However the Main problem with this interpretation is that all of the Middle East was also a part of the Roman Empire.  In fact the distinguishing characteristics of the Roman Empire over the rest of the empires mentioned previously in the study is that Rome ruled all the way around the Mediterranean Sea.  Rome by far is the most powerful and long-lasting empire in human history.  

            Let us first examined the details and then see how they are to be understood.  In verse seven we are told, “After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth.  It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet and it was different from all the beast that were before it, and it had 10 horns.”  Up until the 10 horns this first description describes Rome perfectly.  So for now let us set aside the 10 horns and take that up in a later paragraph.  Rome is the fourth beast that has arisen in human history in our chronology.  Rome was dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong.  Woe to the nation who rebelled against Rome, Rome was ruthless in its retributions and its armies for centuries were unstoppable.  When Rome marched against an enemy their goal was complete devastation and subjugation.  Those who were not killed were taken as slaves to be, part of the workforce that drove the engine of the Roman machine. 

How was Rome different from the other four beasts?  I believe it is in the fact that Rome was never replaced by another empire.  If you study human history many have tried to restore the Roman Empire but no one has been successful in bringing all of the parts that were in the Roman Empire back together again.  Charlemagne called his empire the Holy Roman Empire but really only ruled a small portion of what was the Roman Empire. 

The Roman Empire first divided into two parts with half of the Empire being ruled from Constantinople and the other part being ruled from Rome.  The western part in Rome ceased to exist in the fifth century and was divided into individual nation states.  The eastern half of the Roman Empire existed all the way until 1453 when Constantinople was finally sacked by the Turks.  Prior to 1453 beginning in the seventh century the eastern part of the Roman Empire was slowly absorbed by the Islamic invasions that flowed off of the Arabic Peninsula after the of Mohammed.  The eastern half of the Roman Empire had been all of Greece and the Middle East and North Africa but Islam slowly took away that territory.    

This leaves us with a bit of a puzzle how do we understand the 10 horns of the fourth beast.  We are told in the interpretation in verse 24 that the 10 horns are 10 Kings that will arise.  Therefore we have to understand that in some sense this kingdom would be divided into individual parts.  Just as the Greek empire was divided into four parts and we understand that as the four divisions of Alexander’s empire.  I believe that the 10 horns represent the dividing of the Roman Empire into 10 parts.  One of the problems in interpretation that arises is this pattern has never a merged on the scene of human history.  Therefore it is difficult for us to know exactly what Daniel is being told.  Either this is a pattern that will emerge later or we are to understand it symbolically (10 can mean the parts representing the whole in Biblical numerology). 

Either way we are safe with our interpretation of the fourth beast as the Roman Empire because Rome has been divided into individual parts but the final pattern that is pictured in this passage is yet to emerge.  Just look at the map of the world that was formally the Roman Empire and you will see that this time in human history Rome is divided into individual nation states.   The final division of 10 just has not arrived yet.  The problem with speculation lies in the fact that most who take this as some type of European Union fail to realize that Rome included all of the nations that surround the Mediterranean Sea.  Therefore in order for this to be fulfilled the union would have to include most of Europe, Eastern Europe, Turkey, the Middle East, and North Africa.  Until these areas are divided into 10 the beast has yet to arrive. 

The point is Rome would not be replaced but would remain divided until the time of the little horn when the little horn reunites the 10 parts (whatever they may be) and the power of the Roman Empire would once again reemerge on the scene of earth’s history.  This does not mean that the city of Rome will once again be the power behind the empire, but rather Daniel seven has the emergence of the little horn as the one who unites the power of the Roman Empire and becomes the final beast.  The problem with taking this passage and trying to understand it in terms of something other than the Roman Empire being divided it makes the chronology meaningless.  Especially since were talking a succession of empires.  Daniel is telling us there would not be an immediate succession as in previous history Babylonian to Medo Persian to Greek to Roman but there would be a gap when the nations would be divided into individual parts until the time that the little reunites the power of the Roman Empire and conquers the world.

In verse eight Daniel sees something strange in his vision he sees the arrival of someone he calls the little horn we read, “while I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth uttering great boasts”.  Daniel sees that the final conflict for God’s people would be with the little horn who reestablishes the power of the Roman Empire.  It is very interesting to me that the little horn is not one of the 10 which in my mind communicates the thought that the little horn is not from the original territory of the Roman Empire but is from outside of it and is a foreign entity.  Daniel is told that the little horn comes up among the 10 and up roots three.  This uprooting of three of the parts that were the Roman Empire caused the rest of the seven to capitulate and go along with the empire building program of the little horn.  The fact that he has eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth that utters great boasts reminds us of the fact that he is a mere human ruler.  He is not the divine messianic king that we are looking for from heaven. 

 

A Vision of God’s Sovereignty

 

            Beginning in verse nine we are given a vision of God yes the little horn is powerful he is restored the power of the Roman Empire.  He is making great boasts about himself telling the world how great he is.  In the midst of the pomp and pageantry of the world we are to be impressed with God’s position over the universe and not man’s position over the kingdoms of men.  We are told, “I kept looking until thrones were set up, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; His vesture was like white as snow and his hair of his head was like pure wool His throne was ablaze with flames, its wheels were a burning fire.  A River of fire was flowing and coming out from before him; thousands upon thousands were attending him and myriad upon myriads were standing before him the courts set in place and the books were opened”. 

It is this vision of God ruling over history sitting on his throne that we as believers especially need when we face worldly powers.  It is not a false pomp and pageantry of the rulers of this world that we are to be impressed with it is the reign of the sovereign God seated on his throne moving the course of history towards is appointed end.  And it is God’s judgment that we must fear and not the judgment of men who can only kill the body but cannot throw the soul into hell.

In spite of the great boasts of the worldly powers of this age we must continue to persevere in our allegiance to the God of heaven because ultimately God will execute his judgment upon them and they will be destroyed by his sovereign power.  Verse 11 says, “then I kept looking because of the sound of the boastful words which the horn was speaking; I kept looking until the beast was slain, and his body was destroyed and given to the burning fire.  We can be assured as Christians that the dominion of man will ultimately come to an end and there will be a point at which God’s reign will be executed over the earth and worldly powers will once and for all be destroyed.  The little horn’s kingdom will ultimately be destroyed and he will be thrown alive into the Lake of fire (Revelation 19: 20).

 

A Vision of the Kingdom of Christ

 

            In verse 13-14 we are given a vision of Christ in his messianic kingdom.  We read, “I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the ancient of days and was presented before Him.  And to Him was given dominion and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve him.  His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.”  One of Jesus’ favorite titles for himself was the Son of Man is what ties Jesus in to this passage. 

The disciples were constantly thinking that Jesus as the Messiah should bring in the eternal kingdom and yet in his first coming this was not Jesus is mission it was to bring about the forgiveness of sins through his on the cross.  Yet when Jesus stood before Caiaphas the high priest he said, “Jesus said to him you have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you hear after you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven”.  Jesus is saying you may put me to today but someday I will come back as the ruler of the world. 

God’s vision for human history is ultimately the kingdom of Christ ruling the nations of the world.  This is consistent with what we see in the book of revelation we see the coming of Christ kingdom.  In essence Daniel seven is a microcosm of the book of revelation in the Old Testament.  Just as the people of the Old Testament needed to see that God’s vision was for his messianic kingdom and not for independent rule in Jerusalem we also need to see that the goal of history is not the rule of the United States of America but the kingdom of Christ ruling the nations of the world.  If we are going to live in the world we need to remember that history is moving towards the rule of the kingdom of Christ.  Therefore our lives are to reflect the thought that someday we will be a part of Christ’s kingdom and that all earthly Powers will be done away with.  And Christ will be the only power that will be left in the world.

 

God’s Interpretation of Human History

 

            Daniel seven continues in verse 15 where Daniel is given God’s interpretation of human history.  Daniel was very alarmed by this vision that he is given and he is disturbed in his mind by what he has already seen.  In verse 16 Daniel inquires of one of the angelic messengers the exact meaning of the vision that he was just given.  The explanation is as follows, verse 17, “these great beasts, which are four in number, are four Kings who will arise from the earth.  But the Saints of the highest one will receive the kingdom and possessed the kingdom for ever, for all ages to come.”  In essence Daniel is told I have bad news for you but I also have good news for you.  The bad news is the four beasts are four Kings who will arise from the earth and will te your people.  The good news is God has planned that the Saints would ultimately receive God’s kingdom and it wouldn’t be a temporary kingdom like the kingdoms of earth but would be and eternal kingdom that would last for ever and ever.  Daniel is told in essence Daniel you’re going to get the kingdom that you desire but it’s just not going to come on your timetable.  There’s going to be some difficulties that God’s people are going to have to go through but in the end it will be a kingdom far greater than any kingdom that has ever ruled this world. 

           

The Meaning of the Fourth Beast

 

            The Angel then gives this explanation of the fourth beast.   This beast is a kingdom that will arise and will conquer the whole world because of its great military power.  What is different about this kingdom?  I believe the difference is that the fourth beast that arises is the first to conquer all the way around the Mediterranean Sea.  But in the final phase of this kingdom we will see that through the power of the original Roman Empire the little horn will be able to conquer the whole world.  In other words the Roman Empire will be the vehicle for the little horn’s conquest of the world.  We see in this that the little horn will not be some subtle conspiracy that will arise in the world he will be a mighty conqueror who will bring nations down not through intrigue but through .  So many today are looking at conspiracies to be the final beast, chips under the hand, the tion of global bankers, the New World order, the Masons, etc.   However if we take this literally Daniel is clearly saying that the fourth beast will come to world tion through military conquest not through conspiracy.

 

The Explanation of the 10 Horns

 

            In verse 24 the Angel then begins to give Daniel the explanation of the meaning of the 10 horns.  “As for the 10 horns, out of this kingdom 10 Kings will arise; and another will arise after them and he will be different from the previous ones and he will subdue three Kings.” 

The question that arises from this verse, are the Kings subsequent or chronological.  If they are subsequent then we are looking for the appearance of the former Roman Empire to be divided into 10 parts with 10 rulers in order for this passage to be fulfilled.  If they are chronological then we are looking for 10 rulers in a row who will be usurped by another King. 

The first argument I would use for these Kings being subsequent is found in the third beast.  Just as the four heads and the four wings of the third beast represented the four generals who inherited Alexander’s kingdom so I believe the imagery of the 10 horns clearly represents that 10 Kings will ultimately inherit the power and territory of the Roman Empire. 

The second argument that I would make is from Daniel chapter 2 where we see these 10 in the 10 toes of the statue that Nebuchadnezzar sees in his dream verse 44, “in the days of those Kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put to an end all these kingdoms but it will itself endure forever” the Kings that Daniel is referring to are the 10 toes of the statue.  Daniel is told in the days of those Kings God will set up his eternal kingdom.  So I take it from this that the Kings which are 10 a number are subsequent and not chronological. 

Therefore we are looking for the Roman Empire to be divided into 10 equal parts by 10 rulers.  In other words this becomes a point of identification for us that we are looking at the beast empire that the Bible has been warning us about.  This is why the imagery of 10 is so important all throughout biblical prophecy.  Beginning in Daniel two we see the 10 toes of Nebuchadnezzar statue, and moving onto the book of revelation we see that the beast of revelation chapter 13 has 10 horns and 10 crowns on his horns.  This is something that we are to look for so that we will know that we are dealing with the beast that God has been warning us about all throughout biblical prophecy.  

The problem is that many today speculate and try to guess what the meaning of the 10 horns may be rather than using them as a point of identification that will become clear when you arrive at the moment in time that God is speaking of.  Biblical prophecy is meant to give warning and becomes clearer when the fulfillment arrives.   To spend our time speculating as to what possible structure could be the meaning of the 10 is pointless.  When the former Roman Empire is divided into 10 equal parts you will know that you are looking at the final phase of the fourth beast that Daniel seven is warning us about. 

 

The Little Horn

 

            The final actor in our drama is the little horn.  He comes along at the time that the 10 are on the scene of world history and he subdues three Kings.  We have already seen that he is not one of the 10, but Daniel tells us that he is different from the previous ones.  This I believe is another indication that he is an outsider conquering what was formally the Roman Empire.  He is not like the 10 Kings who are ruling the power of the Roman Empire, but will be something other than Western in his outlook.  Whatever he has will make him distinct from the Roman Empire that he is subduing and using as a vehicle for world conquest.

            In order to come to power he will conquer three of the 10 rulers and the rest will capitulate.  In Revelation 13: 4 the people of the world are recorded as saying, “who is like the beast, who is able to wage war with him”.  His military power will impress the other seven Kings so much that they willingly give their power and authority to the little horn.  Revelation 17 speaks of these 10 Kings in verse 12 where we read, “That 10 horns which you saw are 10 Kings who have yet received a kingdom, but they will receive authority as Kings with the beast for one hour they have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast”.   Once the 10 horns are sufficiently impressed with the power of the beast they will give him their complete allegiance to accomplish his purposes.

            Daniel is given some characteristics of this little horn that were not previously given in the vision.  He is told in verse 25, “He will speak out against the most high and wear down the Saints of the highest one, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law’s and they will be given into his hand for time, times, and a half a time”.  We are told five things that this little horn will do.  First he will speak out against the most high.  This is a reference to the fact that he will oppose the God of the Bible.  In the book of revelation we are told that this little horn will set himself up as the object of worship and the world will worship him. 

He will not only set himself up against God himself but he will become the arch enemy of the Saints.  Daniel tells us that he will wear down the Saints of the highest.  From an Old Testament perspective we would have to say first of all that he will be anti-Semitic but also from a New Testament perspective we can understand that Christians are in view here as well.  This theme of the persecution of the Saints is continued in many other passages in the Bible, such as: Matthew 24: 9-13, Revelation 12:17, 13:7.  In this passage is perfectly pictured in revelation chapter 12 where we have Satan’s hatred of the Jewish people and his wrath against Christians.  Satan will use the beast to try to destroy the Jews and to persecute the church before Christ comes back.

He will oppose God’s law and try to change the calendar.  In other words he is going to have a different system of law and a different system of keeping time than what has been commonly understood.  Probably Western law which is based upon the Bible will be replaced with some other system of law that will be different from the one that is commonly accepted.  The Roman calendar that we all follow will be replaced with a different system of keeping time that will not begin with the birth of Christ, but will begin with some other date. 

What I find interesting at this point is that Islam fits this perfectly.  Islam has a different set of laws called sharia law which is different from the law which is based upon the Bible.  Their calendar dates from the day in which Mohammed became a political leader and so they have a completely different system of keeping time.

Daniel is given the duration of his rule when he is told, “and they will be given into his hands for a time, times, and a half a time.”  This same construct is used in Revelation 12:14 where it speaks of the amount of time that Israel is protected in the wilderness out of Satan’s reach.  This phraseology is prophetic speak for 3 1/2 years.  Time equals one, times equals two, and a half a time equals one half year and when you total little all up to equals 3 1/2 years.  This time frame is often used in biblical prophecy as we just saw it is used for the time.  That the woman who is Israel is protected in the wilderness but revelation 13:5 gives it as the duration of the beast rule.  There we are told “that the beast will have authority to act for 42 months” or 3 1/2 years.  We are told here the duration at the Saints will have to endure the little horn will be 3 1/2 years. 

After the 3 1/2 years God will take away the power of the little horn and he will be annihilated and destroyed forever.  Worldly powers only have a short time on the world stage and then they are gone.  They make great boasts they threaten the people of God and try to remove us from our allegiance to God but here we are reminded that their duration is short and in the end God will always decide in favor of his people.  Therefore no matter what comes our way we must stand firm in the truth that God is given to us and not let any worldly power move us away from our relationship to him.

 

The Saints Will Rule

 

            God’s final point of interpretation is that once all of the evil powers of this age are finally destroyed the Saints will be given dominion over the world.  In verse 27 we are told, “then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the Saints of the Highest One; his kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom and all the dominions will serve and obey him.”  This is the beautiful truth that we have to look forward to God will ultimately decide in favor of us and will give us dominion over the nations.  The Bible says that we will rule and reign with Christ and we can trust that this will come about.  In the end all dominion and authority and power will belong to God alone and those who have live for his glory in the world.

Let God be your vision. Joshua 16-17

In my last newsletter article I wrote about how the twelve spies who went into the land of Canaan saw the land from two different perspectives. The 10 saw the land from the perspective of what they could do, but the two, Joshua and Caleb, saw the land of promise from the perspective of what God could do. The report of the two was very different as the one group focused on the fact that there were giants, cities with high walls, and they saw the power of the people of the land but none of them saw God except Joshua and Caleb.
What difference will seeing God in the equation of our circumstances make in our lives? What I would like to look at in this news letter article is an obscure passage in the book of Joshua chapter 16 where it speaks of the allotment of land for the tribe of Manasseh. It says in verse 10: (NIV) They did not dislodge the Canaanites living in Gezer; to this day the Canaanites live among the people of Ephraim but are required to do forced labor. (Josh 16:10) What do we see in this verse? We see that they were not able to do what God said that they would be able to do. God had said that he would go before them and drive the inhabitance out of the land. Yet the sons of Manasseh were not able to accomplish what God had said they would be able to accomplish. Why not? Is God’s word not trustworthy or was there something else wrong in this situation?
We get a little glimpse of the problem when you look at the next chapter. If you look at Chapter 17 starting in verse 12 we see that once again it says that Manasseh was not able to occupy the towns of the Canaanites. Then in the next few verses we have the people of Manasseh complaining to Joshua that their inheritance is a little squeezed and asking for more land. Joshua tells them that they have all the land that they need, all they have to do is go and take it. Again we see the perspective that God would be with the Manassites if they would go forth. In verse 16 we see the reason that the Manassites were not able to take the land that God had given them was because they saw iron chariots rather than God. Josh 17:16 “The people of Joseph replied, “The hill country is not enough for us, and all the Canaanites who live in the plain have iron chariots, both those in Beth Shan and its settlements and those in the Valley of Jezreel.”” To the person who does not see God, the iron chariots can be pretty menacing; after all they were the tanks of the ancient world.
People who see God rather than their circumstance do not see obstacles, they only see potential, but people who do not see God can only see failure. You see that, if we look at our circumstance without seeing God we will always come up short in the resource category. But when God is at the center of our vision our resources are unlimited. Iron chariots are no match for the infinite power of God. David found that to be true in 2 Samuel 8:3-4 where he was able to capture 1000 of Hadaezer’s iron chariots.
What is your circumstance? What are the iron chariots in your life? Maybe it is a child that has wondered from the church and is wondering in the world. Do you see God in your equation or your own resource? Maybe it is the spouse that does not believe? Do you see God in your circumstance? Maybe it is a financial problem that is way beyond your own resource. I ask you again, do you see God as your own resource? As a Church do we see the iron chariot of our own limited power or do we see the potential of God? Let us look through the eyes of faith and through the promises of God so that together we can embrace the victory of God.

The Importance of Confession

One of the amazing principles taught consistently throughout the Scriptures is, when we come clean and confess our sins, God is so generous to forgive. But if we refuse to come clean and deny that we are guilty before God, he will not forgive. This is taught clearly in 1 John 1: 8 – 10. Many today, when you talk to them about Christ will say, “I am a good person”. What they are saying in essence is that, “I’m good enough on my own merit to go to heaven.” This answer is no different than the Pharisees who said, “I thank you that I’m not like other men” (Luke 18:9 – 14). John deals with this answer when he writes, “8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” (1Jo 1:8-10).
John tells us first of all, that if we claim to be without sin we are self deceived and God’s truth is not in us. The “truth” that John is talking about, is the word of God. When we come face-to-face with the word of God we come face-to-face with who we are. The person who says, “I’m a good person”, has not come face-to-face with the truth of the word of God. Without the conviction of the word there is no salvation. That is why John writes earlier in verse 7, “but if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purified as us from all sin”. “The light” that John is talking about is the light of the word of God. John is saying that salvation is found in walking in the light, where the truth about us is revealed and where there is constant exposure to our own sinfulness. Now that can be a pretty scary place to be, because we are exposed and left bare in our guilt and condemnation. But the good news is once we recognize our guilt are sinfulness then we can flee to the promise of God, which is salvation through Christ. When a person insists upon “I’m a good person” they are showing that they have never allowed the word of God to convict their hearts with the truth.
John also tells us if we claimed we have not sinned we make God out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. When a person says, “I’m a good person”, he is denying what God is said about them. God has said, “There is none righteous, no not one” and “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”. In essence what they are doing is calling God a liar because they are denying God’s testimony about themselves.
The good news, is what John tells us in verse 9 where he writes, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness”. Once we are exposed by the truth of the Scriptures and feel guilt, and are exposed to the judgement of God, and we confess our sin, then we find that God will freely forgive. That’s why John uses the words “faithful and just”. Faithfulness means that God is absolutely consistent in his generosity, it doesn’t matter how bad a person has been when we confess our sins God will forgive, he is faithful. Just means that God is right in doing so there’s no injustice when God forgives when we confess.
In a self-righteous culture we must not shrink back from declaring the sinfulness of all people. This may sound cruel at first glance and a bit too narrow, but the truth of the matter is, this is the essence of evangelism. There’s no comfortable way around this if we are going to be faithful to the Great Commission. We need not be afraid to point to the fact that people are sinners, because this will help them understand the grace of God. How do we do this? We must expose people to the truth of the scriptures. The requirements that God has given us in his word that are absolute and binding on all people.
Here’s where the difficulty comes for us, we have so many people around us who go to church, and so we tend to assume that they are okay. Many of these churches do not preach the gospel so they give their members the impression that by their own goodness they can go to heaven. The question isn’t whether they go to church are not, but what are they trusting in. If someone is trusting in anything other than the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross, 2000 years ago, for the remission of their sins then they are not saved. Religion, good deeds, being a nice guy, generosity, being a good family man or woman, church attendance, etc. can never save a person from their sins. God’s standard is absolute and that standard is his righteous and holy law, which every person will be judged by.
The best diagnostic question still is, “If you were to die today why should God let you into heaven?” Because the answer reveals what the person is trusting in if they say, “I’m a good person” then they need a little more law. They need to be convicted of the fact that they are not good enough to go to heaven on their own. If they show that they are convicted of their sins then they need the gospel to show them the solution for their sins.
My heart is more and more stirred with gospel themes; and my prayer is that your will be as well, and that together we at St. Paul’s will see a great harvest for the gospel.

Blessings,

Pastor Steve Wenner

How to deal with those who struggle with sin.

I would like to deal with the topic of how we are to relate to those who struggle with sin. In my previous articles that dealt with my discussion with Rev. Neff and my response to him was about weather homosexuality is a sin. The danger for us is to think that homosexuality is worst than any other sin and to shun homosexuals because it seems more socially repugnant than other sins. I think the issue is very relevant to us because it is just been announced that Dick Cheney has a homosexual daughter. Dick Cheney response to his daughter is to support and love her and affirm her in her homosexuality. The republican candidate for congress, Allen Keyes told reporters that he would love his daughter like Dick Cheney but he would tell her that homosexuality is a sin. How should we as Christians respond to those around us who struggle with homosexuality, or of course any other serious sin?
The first thing that we need to understand is that homosexuality is not any worst than any other sins in God’s eyes. Sin is sin and it separates us from God. Next we need to understand that to be tempted in a certain way is not sin. When the Bible speaks of sin it speaks of sinful actions not the direction of temptation. Sin is when temptation is acted upon and we give into it as the Apostle John writes, “Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness” (1Jo 3:4). Temptation is something that we as a Christian will never be free from; it will be a life process to learn to resist it. We speak today about homosexual orientation, really what we are saying is the way a person is tempted. We all have some sort of orientation; some area that we are consistently tempted in; some sinful attraction that draws our hearts, whether it is coveousness, or lust, or overeating, or pride, or adultery, hatred, anger, malice, slander and so on. The list could be endless.
Here is how we know that temptation is not sin, because the Lord Jesus was tempted. Here are just a few references. “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil” (Mt 4:1). Now in order for Jesus to be tempted there must have been some attractive force at work in Jesus’ heart that pulled him in the wrong direct or it would not be a temptation. Hebrews takes this idea a step further when its writer says, “Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted” (Heb 2:18). Jesus’ temptation caused him suffering and therefore was very real, the book of Hebrews elaborates even further when it says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are— yet was without sin” (Heb 4:15). The Bible says that Jesus was actually tempted in the same kinds of way that we are, yet Jesus has overcome temptation and he understands the power of it. So if it is not sin for Jesus to be tempted than it is not sin for us to be tempted. To be tempted or to be orientated in any direction is not sin. Sin is born when we act on the temptation and give into it.
Satan has two strategies one is to convince us that we have to give into temptation and that we are powerless against it. The other is to make us feel guilty that when are tempted, and to convince us that it is wrong for us to feel that way so that we become discouraged and give up and give into the temptation. The beauty of the sinless temptation of Jesus is that he offers us an alternative. We can be free from the futile thinking that temptation or desire makes us automatically sinful. As one tempted, Jesus holds out the help we need so that we are not powerless again the temptations that we face.
Many today have drawn the wrong conclusion, they think that because a person has an inclination in a given direction, that is the way they were made, and therefore it is right to practice their natural desires. I.e. if a person has a attraction towards a person of the same sex than that is the way they are, and it is right for them to act upon their natural desire. One may be tempted to murder, or to steal, or to embezzle, or to take another man’s wife, if we followed to logic of today, that because we are orientated in that direction it must be right and therefore good. Do you see how that would lead to social chaos? The fallen world in which a person grew up in and the brokenness of their circumstances may orientate someone towards homosexuality, but to jump to the conclusion then that it is than right to practice what the God condemns, is the wrong conclusion.
We as the church of Jesus Christ must offer to the tempted the grace that can help in temptation. That means we must not discriminate between temptations but must deal compassionately with the weak and tempted. To hate any one because they have a certain sinful tendency is hypocrisy because we all have an orientation that tempts us, just not the same ones. We must affirm the full humanity of Jesus and the fact that he knows the pull of temptation and he has over come it and offers his grace to help in temptation. As Paul writes in 1Co 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
We need to help people realize that the devil is a good fisherman and he know just the lure that will capture our attention. God is not the author of temptation, in other words he did not make you that way. But the fact that a given sin is attractive is a manifestation of our own broken circumstance. James put it this way, When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed Jas 1:13-14 . Jesus Christ who has been tempted in every way just as we are is able to deal gently with the tempted and give them the grace that they need to overcome it. That is a message that we must trumpet as we love the weak and point them to Jesus how is able to save to the uttermost.
I agree with Dick Cheney, I would love my daughter unconditionally if she came to me and said that she was tempted to be a lesbian. I also agree with Allen Keyes that I would make sure that she understands that it is a sin to practice homosexuality, but I would assure her that just because she is at times tempted by a desire for other women sexually it is not sin until she gives into the temptation and acts upon it either through homosexual practice or lust, because I would not want her to be over burdened with false guilt. I would point her to Jesus who can forgive all her sins and who has the power to help her resist the temptation to practice homosexuality. I would encourage her to give her body to Jesus as a living sacrifice and to be celibate and chaste as the bride of Christ and to prepare for his coming. Finally I would assure her that singleness is desirable and honorable alternative for her.

God Bless you all,

Pastor Steve Wenner

Life lessons from a heart attack!

Life lessons from a heart attack!

Some of you who don’t regularly attend may not have heard that I had a heart attack on April 14th at about 12:15 a.m. I awoke to terrible pain in my back which of course I thought was a muscle spasm. Well the pain was so bad that I ended up going to Little Company of Mary Hospital in Evergreen Park where I was confronted with the fact that I was having a heart attack. I ended up getting an Angiogram and a stint was put in. I certainly did not expect a heart attack at my age, 42 but that is exactly what I had. What I would like to share with you this month is some things that God has reinforced to me through the heart attack. God never waists any trials in our lives but always uses them for our good to make us more ready to be with him in eternity. So here goes.
The first lesson that was enforced to me is that life is really a vapor. I have begun to look at people differently since I had my heart attack and I had a friend that died of one at age 44 two weeks before I had mine. I now am more in tune to the fact that every ones life is in danger, life can come screeching to a halt in a moment. None of us are really secure in this life. James reminds us in 4:14, “Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” This means that we can not take life for granted. We must focus on our lives in light of God and eternity. We must live every day to please God because none of us has a guarantee that we will have tomorrow. If you have never placed your faith in Christ don’t delay you may not have another opportunity. If you have placed your faith but are really not living for Christ don’t delay. You may not have tomorrow.
The second lesson that was enforced to me is that God is in control of our circumstances and we must learn to trust what he allows in our lives. The safest place that we can be is in the hands of our God. There was the moment when I was told that I was having a heart attack. Now I had a choice at that moment, I could panic or remind myself that I was in God’s hands. I chose the latter and I was ask why I was so calm? I had the opportunity to tell those who were working on me that “for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.” (2 Timothy 1:12b). God has not promised us a trial free life but he as promised that we will not be abandoned or forgotten when we are going through trials. They are an opportunity to know God better as we experience his grace in the midst of them.
If it is true that God has not promised us a trial free life than the third lesson that was enforced to me is that our hope is not in this life, but is in the life to come. Hope is an expectation of good. If we can not expect a life free from trials than our hope should not be in this life. God has promised because Jesus has been raised from the dead that we will also be raised, not to this same mortal life but to life immortal, where we will experience the bliss of eternity with God. Our faith connects us to this hope, and this hope will not disappoint us, because God has given us his Spirit who assures us of sonship in spite of the trials of this life. (Romans 8:18-27)
The more we can be people of faith who focus on the hope that God has promised us the more confident we will be in spite of the trials of this life. You see, peace in our circumstances comes to us, as we focus on the promises of God not the circumstances of life. That is why Christians around the world are victorious in spite of their sufferings they focus on their eternal hope not their sufferings and so should we. That is the central lesson of Hebrews 11 is that the people of faith were people who focused on hope to come not on the things of this life and we can be the same kinds of people as we focus on hope.
If everything that I have said so far is true and it is then the forth lesson that was enforced to me is that, the only thing that gives us certainty is the gospel. Therefore the gospel needs to be the source of certainty for our lives and the main message to those around us. No other beliefs can give certainty because they are based upon works. Only the gospel gives us certainty because it is based upon the promise of God and the work of Christ. This gives us immense confidence God will not let us down because if he did he would not be God. Those around us, who think that they will get to heaven by their good works, can never know for sure that they have done enough. All other messages give false hopes because they are not based on reality. The gospel gives us a genuine hope because it is based upon the fact of Jesus’ death and resurrection and ascension to glory. People live their lives trusting in their good works but they do not know that God will not except their good works because that would be a rejection of his own Son and God will not reject his own Son.
The final lesson that was enforced to me is that someday I will have a new body. This is the central hope of the gospel. If this body dies than I go to be with Christ to await the resurrection at the 2nd coming of Christ. One of the reasons that we should long for the day of Christ’s return is the hope of immortality. Death will dog our footsteps until Christ comes back than death for us as believers will be destroyed forever and we will spend eternity with Christ in a new glorious body that will never die.
I am thankful that the doctor thinks that my prognosis is good, but this is not my hope. I would have just as much hope if the doctor said my prognosis was bad, because this heart attack has enforced to me that nothing in this life is my hope, only what I have in Christ is my hope and I hope it is yours as well.

Blessings Pastor Wenner

How to face Trials.

 

The natural tendency is to become bitter when we face trials. Yet if we are really honest and look at life honestly then we will recognize that everyone faces trials of many kinds. It is not whether or not we will face trials, but when. In some ways we struggle with this topic because we think that it is God’s job to keep us from trials. The reality is that God has not promised to keep us from trials but has promised to keep us in trials. We will struggle in the Christian life if we expect things that God has not promised.

God has not promised that we are not going to have financial setbacks. God has not promised that we are never going to get sick. He has not promised that our loved ones are going to live forever. He has not promised that we will meet Mr. or Mrs. right. He has not promised that all of our dreams will come true. What he has promised us is that he has guaranteed our eternal destiny with him in heaven and that he will give us the grace to face any difficulty that we go through. He has promised that he will continue his work in our lives until the day we are taken by death, or taken by Christ at the 2^nd coming. He has promised that if we will seek him we will find joy no matter what our circumstances. Paul said this so well when he said, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” (Php 4:13) In the context Paul is talking about contentment.

James tells us how to handle trials, He says, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have [its] perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.” (Jas 1:2-6 NAS95)

The first thing that James says to us is change your attitude about your trials. You can determine that you are not going to let the trial steal your joy and that comes because you determine not to have an expectation that is unrealistic. James is telling us to expect trials if we expect that we are going to have them when they come they will not throw us. God’s love for us is not determined by whether or not we have trials. God’s love for us is evidence because he sent his son to die for our sins. (1 John 3:16)

The second thing that James tells us about trials is that we should focus on the results that trials accomplish in our lives. What according to James do our trials accomplish? Trials test our faith and prove that our faith is genuine. Trials produce perseverance and perseverance perfects our faith. It assures us that we are God’s child when we continue in spite of the difficulties that we face. Peter says the same thing in 1^st Peter chapter one, “6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 7 so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.”

The Third thing that James tells us is that when we face trials we should ask God for wisdom when trials come. Many times we struggle with trials because we do not understand the reason, or even what God wants to do in our lives through the trial. James says that if we lack wisdom in our trials we should as God and he will give us the wisdom that we need. God is not stingy he will bless us with wisdom if we will seek him for it, but there is a condition to receiving God’s wisdom. The Condition is faith, and that is a response where we approach God trusting his Character. If we approach God with an untrusting attitude that doubts his goodness we will not receive God’s wisdom. The key to facing trials then is faith when you come right down to it. Do you trust God’s goodness and intention or do you become angry at him. Anger at God is not faith.

Listen to Horatio Spatford’s faith when he faced the death of his two daughters in a shipwreck. He wrote these words of faith,

“When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, It is well, it is well, with my soul. Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That Christ has regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul. It is well, with my soul, It is well, with my soul, It is well, it is well, with my soul.”

 

Blessings Pastor Wenner