Saturday, May 07, 2005
Where On Earth Is Daniel?
Poor Daniel. He had no inkling yet he trusted and basically recorded what was only gibberish to him. Present-day writers and scholars are deciphering the pictures and numbers and awful scenes which flashed before Daniel. I don’t know how recent these interpretations have surfaced. As history unravels, though, fulfilled prophecies, like the 1948 forming of the Israel nation (Is. 49:12) do clarify interpretation. If this is old news in the world of theology and seminaries, I only have one question. Why isn’t interpretation and fulfillment of Biblical prophecy taught? I have spent many and most Sunday mornings in church. To me, this is all new (and exciting) information about God’s story. Why is this important for us to learn? The brief answer: How can we know our God in Heaven, what He has done and what He is going to do, His amazing power and grace, if we don’t look at His plan for humanity (in particular, His children) through all of history? We are missing the evidences of His perfect will, His incomprehensible omnipotence! Prophecy tells so much about who God is now, in our lives. We have heard God’s story in bits, chopped into almost digestible miracles. But the real miracle is how they all work together to form indigestible truth. It is so beyond our wildest imagining, I don’t think we can really grasp it…but that is what God is.
So now, God has put it upon me to tell the biggest secret in church history. You more studious types who have perhaps heard this secret, forgive my assumptions that no one has heard! I only assume people’s ignorance because no one’s talking to me about “the secret”. “Be ready to give an answer,” Peter wrote. Know what you believe! Sharing our faith is harder than ever in this age of relativism and humanism…science…technology…where "people can do anything! Follow your dreams…only believe!" God has become small. When you understand prophecy, you might find yourself saying, “Oh contraire! Let me tell you what my God has done! Listen how He tells us what’s next!” That is what this study on Biblical prophecy is about. Just a bit more about the last seven next time.
So now, God has put it upon me to tell the biggest secret in church history. You more studious types who have perhaps heard this secret, forgive my assumptions that no one has heard! I only assume people’s ignorance because no one’s talking to me about “the secret”. “Be ready to give an answer,” Peter wrote. Know what you believe! Sharing our faith is harder than ever in this age of relativism and humanism…science…technology…where "people can do anything! Follow your dreams…only believe!" God has become small. When you understand prophecy, you might find yourself saying, “Oh contraire! Let me tell you what my God has done! Listen how He tells us what’s next!” That is what this study on Biblical prophecy is about. Just a bit more about the last seven next time.
