The Book of Daniel: End Time Playbook for the Saints (Part One)
I have been thinking a lot about the Book of Daniel lately. It is one of the most spectacular books of the Bible. Daniel and his friends were exiled to Babylon where God parked them in the royal palace. It was there that God accomplished extraordinary feats to demonstrate His sovereign glory over the most powerful empire in the world.
God plays Nebuchadnezzar like a fiddle. And the resulting tune sings of God’s supremacy over the kingdoms of men. Ole Nebuchadnezzar wasn’t the first king to think he was a god, and he certainly won’t be the last. But no matter how many refrains the song of history may contain; the chorus doesn't change: God reigns.
The Book of Daniel tells of the faithfulness of God’s prophets in Babylon. The pagan palace provides the stage upon which God provides the drama. In a culture warped in idolatry and immorality, God drops some of the greatest prophetic encounters in history on its main characters. One moment revealing to Nebuchadnezzar a string of empires rising from his day and continuing to the end of the age, the next giving insight to interpret the dream and thus save the day. Each chapter telling of the cost of discipleship in a place where obedience to God comes with a high price tag.
But what if the stories in the Book of Daniel contain unique purposes we may have never considered?
What if Daniel and his three friends served as ancient forerunners to the saints living in the end times?
Here’s what I mean… What we often think of in terms of Sunday School curriculum, might be considered as keys to overcoming in the last days. Some of the questions I think we might reconsider:
What does it mean to refuse the table of Babylon?
What does the fiery furnace really mean for us?
What does the Book of Daniel say about the end?
Over my next several blog entries, I want to explore how the Book of Daniel might be seen as a blueprint for saints living in the end times. It provides a prophetic calendar that gives insight to where we are in history and what we should expect in the decades to come. However, even more than that, the Book of Daniel demonstrates what it means to be Saint in a culture blinded with spiritual darkness.
Reading through the pages of Daniel has inspired me to live for God in light of His supremacy, holiness, and sure deliverance for all that trust in Jesus.