A Taste of Things to Come.

Daniel 8

Then I heard two holy ones talking to each other. One of them asked, "How long will the events of this vision last? How long will the rebellion that causes desecration stop the daily sacrifices? How long will the Temple and heaven’s army be trampled on?" The other replied, "It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the Temple will be made right again.” – Daniel 8:13-14 NLT

Daniel lived in a spiritually tumultuous time. The land of Israel had been raped and pillaged and its people taken captive to foreign lands. Daniel was one of thousands of individuals who found themselves living in exile in Babylon, and they had been there for decades at this point. Their homeland is miles away. Their Temple, the dwelling place of their God, is destroyed. It is a period of spiritual darkness filled with questions about the future. What is God going to do with His people? Is He going to restore them to the land once again, in keeping with His promises? In chapter seven, God gives Daniel a look into the distant future, at the end of the age. He lets Daniel know what is going to happen long after Daniel is gone. But that does not answer a lot of Daniel's more immediate concerns. Then he has his vision of chapter eight.

In this vision, Daniel is given a little bit closer look at what is going to happen in the future. There are similarities and parallels. But the focus seems to be on the period of time between when Daniel lived and the second coming of Christ. Daniel is living within the Medo-Persian Empire. He is still in Babylon, but it has become part of the Medo-Persian Empire and Belshazzar is the king. His vision takes him to Susa, the capital of the Persian Empire, located about 200 miles east of Babylon. This is where Daniel's vision takes place. In his vision he sees a goat and a ram. The ram was the guardian spirit of the Persian Empire. The goat represents Greece, and its single, prominent horn represented Alexander the Great, who would sweep into that area of the world and wipe of the Medo-Persian Empire. Alexander the Great would die in his thirties and his kingdom would divide into four parts led by four different generals. Out of one of these would come Antiochus IV (Epiphanes), who would wage a relentless attack on the people of Israel, overthrowing the High Priest, looting the Temple and replacing the worship of God with a form of Greek worship. The daily sacrifices would come to a halt after he desecrates the Temple. And Daniel is told that this would go on for seven years.

Each and every one of these things came about just as Daniel saw them in his vision. This speaks of God omniscience, His all-knowing nature. He doesn't just watch the future unfold helplessly like the rest of us. He knows it before it even happens. God was able to show Daniel events that had yet taken place – in amazing detail. And these events are foreshadowings of what Daniel had seen in chapter eight. But they will come about with the same degree of accuracy. In the month of December, 168 B.C., Antiochus returned from a defeat at the hands of the Romans and, in frustration, sent 20,000 of his troops to seize Jerusalem on the Sabbath. He erected an idol of Zeus and desecrated the altar of the Temple by sacrificing swine on it. This idol became known to the Jews as "the abomination of desolation." All of this is a precursor to events that will take place in the end times. At that time, the Antichrist will erect an image of himself and command that everyone, including Jews, worship it. As bad as that time will be, it will also be a kind of alarm clock, telling mankind that the second coming of Christ is eminent. "Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him. Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us. Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction. He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God" (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 NLT). But those events will be the preface for an even greater and more significant one – the coming of Christ. He is going to return just as He said. And as the events of Daniel's vision took place with painstaking accuracy, so will the events associated with the end times. The tribulation will come. The Antichrist will come to power. But Jesus Christ will come again and bring about a great victory, setting up His kingdom once and for all.

Father, these dreams and visions are difficult to understand. But help me to grasp that You know the future and You will bring about everything You have said will happen. It is a certainty. Just as Alexander the Great came to power, so will Christ. But unlike Alexander, Christ's kingdom will have no end. Amen

The Son of Man.

Daniel 7

As my vision continued that night, I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed. – Daniel 7:13-14 NLT

It seems that Daniel not only interprets dreams, he has them. And the dream he has in chapter seven is a doozy. It is full of bizarre beasts, big horns and little, violent wars, and other disturbing imagery. And even with his interpretative skills, Daniel is unable to figure this one out. So in the midst of his dream he approaches the throne of God and is given an explanation. He is given a vision of the future. His dream includes the not-so-distant future and a time that has yet to happen even in our day. Ultimately, his dream is about the end times. He is given a glimpse of the time of the tribulation and the coming of the Antichrist. But more importantly, Daniel is given a view of the coming of the Son of Man – the return of Christ to rule and to reign on the earth. The term "Son of Man" was Jesus' favorite designation for Himself. He preferred it over the more common term "Messiah," because to most Jews that simply indicated a human deliverer sent by God. By referring to Himself as the Son of Man, He was claiming the role of the one predicted in Daniel's dream. He was the coming God-man. He would one day be "given authority, honor and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him" (Daniel 7:14 NLT). His coming kingdom would be an earthly, not just spiritual, kingdom. And it would last forever.

Of all the beings revealed in this dream of Daniels, the most significant one is that of the Son of Man. He is not described in detail. We do not get a good idea of what He looks like. The other beasts are described in frightening detail. But with the Son of Man, the emphasis is more on what He will do than on what He looks like. Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, will destroy the Antichrist and all the nations he will have gathered to rebel against God Almighty. He will use His God-given authority to destroy the enemies of God and usher in a new age of perfect peace. "Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords" (Revelation 19:11-16 NLT).

We may not be able to fully understand just who the other beasts represents. But we do know that the Son of Man is the Son of God, Jesus Christ. And He is going to return to the earth one day to finish His work and establish His kingdom once and for all. His rule will be eternal – it will never end. And unlike the nations represented in Daniel's dream, the Son of Man's kingdom will never be destroyed.

Father, in the midst of all the chaos that surrounds the end times, we can rest in the knowledge that Your Son will come onto the scene and set all things right. He is the Son of Man, the Savior who has come and will come again. He is not finished saving this world. His work is not yet done. Help us keep our eyes focused on the one character in Daniel's dream that truly makes a difference – Jesus Christ, Your Son and our Savior. Amen

Can Your God Save?

Daniel 6

He rescues and saves his people; he performs miraculous signs and wonders in the heavens and on earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.”– Daniel 6:27 NLT

This is what I call a "Sunday School story." It is one of those stories from the Bible that we are told in Sunday School as children when we are growing up. When I was a kid, it was told with the use of Flannel-Graphs, those colorful fabric pieces that were cut-out pictures of the characters that stuck to a piece of flannel. As the teacher told the story of Daniel and the lion's den, we kids would take turns placing the figures of Daniel and the lions on the flannel-covered board. We were amazed at the bravery of Daniel. As a matter of fact, this whole story was about Daniel – thus the name, Daniel and the lion's den. It was all about the faith of Daniel, the bravery of Daniel, the courage of Daniel, and the prayerfulness of Daniel. And it is still easy to read this chapter and think that this is a story about a man, a very brave, courageous, prayerful man. But the hero of the story is God. He is the one who ensures that there is a happy ending. He is the one in whom Daniel believed, to whom Daniel prayed, and to whom Daniel owed his life.

Even Darius the Mede recognized that God was going to have to be the one to save Daniel from his predicament, because even as king, he was unable to rescue Daniel from a certain death in the lion's den. "So at last the king gave orders for Daniel to be arrested and thrown into the den of lions. The king said to him, “May your God, whom you serve so faithfully, rescue you" (Daniel 6:16 NLT) Darius knew that it was Daniel's God that would make the difference – not Daniel. And Daniel himself knew that it was God who was going to have to get him out of this mess. When he heard about the new law, Daniel did what he always did, he prayed to God. This time he had something new to pray about, and he did. "Then the officials went together to Daniel’s house and found him praying and asking for God’s help" (Daniel 6:11 NLT). Faced with a difficult situation, Daniel turned to God for help. And the amazing thing is, God didn't answer Daniel's prayer the way I would have expected. He didn't miraculously change the law. He didn't give Darius a disturbing dream and cause him to revoke his decree. He didn't cause a strange new disease to break out among the lions, wiping them out and thus, sparing Daniel's life. No, Daniel was arrested and had to face his punishment. Where was God? What was He doing? What was He thinking? The last words Darius had for Daniel were, "May your God, whom you serve so faithfully, rescue you" (Daniel 6:16 NLT). Even Darius knew it was all up to God now. Only He could prevent tragedy from striking Daniel. And He did.

The next morning, Daniel was found alive and unharmed. There wasn't a scratch on him. And Daniel knew why. "My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight" (Daniel 6:22 NLT). Daniel had trusted in God, and God had come through. Why? Because, "He rescues and saves his people; he performs miraculous signs and wonders in the heavens and on earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions" (Daniel 6:27 NLT). This story is about our God, not Daniel. Sure, Daniel was a man of faith, but the whole point of the story is the ONE in whom Daniel had faith. Yes, Daniel was a man of prayer, but the moral of the story is that it is GOD ALONE who answers prayer. We are sometimes guilty of making the Bible about men. We read stories about the men and women of the Bible and we determine that we either should emulate or avoid their examples. We are told to "dare to be a Daniel." We are encouraged to "fight the good fight" like Paul. We are encouraged to be a "man after God's own heart" like David. And while modeling our lives after other saints isn't necessarily wrong, we would be better off focusing our attention on the God in whom they believed. He is the real moral to the story. God saves. He rescues. There is not predicament too big for Him to handle. He is the living God.

Father, forgive us for making it all about us. Our pride is so great. We sometimes think You exist for us. We seem to believe that the story is all about us. And we lose sight of the reality that without You, there is no story. There would have been no creation. Mankind would never have existed. None of us would have taken our first breath. And not a single one of us would have the slightest chance of making it through this life unscathed without You. You alone are God. You are the star of the play. You alone deserve glory and honor. Not Daniel. Not Moses. Not Paul. And not us. Amen

Sixty Years Later…

Daniel 5

You are his successor, O Belshazzar, and you knew all this, yet you have not humbled yourself. For you have proudly defied the Lord of heaven and have had these cups from his Temple brought before you. You and your nobles and your wives and concubines have been drinking wine from them while praising gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone—gods that neither see nor hear nor know anything at all. But you have not honored the God who gives you the breath of life and controls your destiny! – Daniel 5:22-23 NLT

Daniel is still in Babylon, and a new king sits on the throne. There has been a succession of rulers over Babylon since Daniel was elevated to his high position after having successfully interpreted the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar. Now Belshazzar rules over the Babylonian empire. One night he decides to throw a huge party for 1,000 of his nobles. As a symbol of his power, he commands that the gold and silver cups that were once used in the Temple in Jerusalem be brought for he and his guests to drink from and to toast their false gods. These are the same cups that King Solomon had made when he built the Temple. They had been dedicated to God and were intended for His house and His glory. But King Nebuchadnezzar had taken them when he pillaged Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple.

Now Belshazzar, in his pride and arrogance, decides to use what was dedicated to God for his own personal use. It was a slap in the face of God and an affront to His holiness. And while Belshazzar was well aware of what had happened to his ancestor Nebuchadnezzar when he let pride get the best of him, it didn't seem to faze him. Until he saw the handwriting on the wall. God crashed Belshazzar's party and gave him a message – one that neither he or his magicians could understand or interpret. But when Daniel was summoned, he was able to tell the king its message – your days are numbered, you don't measure up, and your kingdom is going to be divided. That very night, Belshazzar would be murdered and his kingdom taken over by Darius the Mede.

All the way back when Solomon dedicated the Temple in Jerusalem, along with all its contents – including the gold and silver cups – he seemed to understand that there was a day coming when God's people would fail to worship Him faithfully. He prayed, "If they sin against you—and who has never sinned?—you might become angry with them and let their enemies conquer them and take them captive to their land far away or near" (1 Kings 8:46 NLT). He went on to plead with God, "Forgive your people who have sinned against you. Forgive all the offenses they have committed against you. Make their captors merciful to them, for they are your people—your special possession—whom you brought out of the iron-smelting furnace of Egypt" (1 Kings 8:50-51 NLT). Now here they were, all these years later, captives in Babylon. God had not left them or forsaken them. He was still watching over them. And He was protecting the holiness of His name. He was not going to allow Belshazzar or anyone else to desecrate His Holy possessions – whether it was gold or silver cups or His chosen people. Both were in exile. Both were in the possession of the enemy. But they still belonged to God and God had not forgotten that they were His. They were still His people – His special possession – and He was not done with them yet. Belshazzar, like Nebuchadnezzar, was just a pawn in the hands of the sovereign God. The cups were not his to use as he saw fit. Neither were the people of Israel. They were Gods and He had a plan for them.

Father, we are Your possession. We belong to You. And while this world tries to take us captive and use us for its own purposes, we have to constantly be reminded that we do not belong to this world. We are no longer slaves to sin or this world. We are Your holy possessions. We belong to You and while we find ourselves living in a foreign land, You have not forgotten us and You will not forsake us. Help us to remain pure and undefiled while we live in this world. For our own good and Your glory. Amen

Nebuchadnezzar's Pride.

Daniel 4

Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and glorify and honor the King of heaven. All his acts are just and true, and he is able to humble the proud. – Daniel 4:37 NLT

What would cause the pagan king of one of the most powerful nations on earth to sing the praises of the God of Israel – the nation he had just defeated and whose people he had taken captive? Why would this man praise, glorify and honor the King of heaven. The answer is pretty simple. God had humbled him. Nebuchadnezzar had learned the power and prominence of God the hard way. A year earlier, God had given Nebuchadnezzar a dream in which He revealed to him what was going to happen in the not-too-distant future. It took Daniel to interpret the dream, but the meaning was clear. Because of Nebuchadnezzar's pride, God was going to have to humble him. The king refused to acknowledge that it was God who put kings on their thrones and not themselves. After King Nebuchadnezzar had conquered virtually every nation in the region, he took a look at all his accomplishments and the trappings of his success and began to feel a bit proud of his accomplishments. He had a powerful army, a beautiful palace, and enjoyed a life of ease and prosperity. He had it all. Power, possessions, prosperity, and prominence. He had everything he needed. Or so he thought.

Nebuchadnezzar had overlooked one important factor. It was God who had given him his throne and the ability to conquer all the surrounding nations. God had raised up Babylon for his own divine purposes. Nebuchadnezzar was simply a tool in the hands of God. So God took this pride-filled pagan king and humbled him. Daniel advised the king to take the dream seriously and to, "stop sinning and do what is right. Break from your wicked past and be merciful to the poor. Perhaps then you will continue to prosper" (Daniel 4:27 NLT). But Nebuchadnezzar refused to listen. So a year later, as he was walking around the roof of his majestic palace proudly surveying the domain he had built, tragedy struck. He lost his mind. He went crazy. He ended up living in the fields like an animal. He went from parading around the palace, strutting like a proud peacock in his royal robes to living like a wild animal. But when he finally "looked up to heaven," his sanity returned. God restored his mind and his kingdom. But the key was a change in his heart. He had gone from worshiping self to worshiping God. He went from praising self to praising God. Through his tragedy he had come to understand what each and every one of us as God's creation need to know. "His rule is everlasting, and his kingdom is eternal. All the people of the earth are nothing compared to him. He does as he pleases among the angels of heaven and among the people of the earth. No one can stop him or say to him, ‘What do you mean by doing these things?’" (Daniel 4:34-35 NLT).

Pride is a powerful force in the hands of the enemy. He uses it to take our eyes off of God. Satan is not so much concerned that we worship him as he is that we worship ANYTHING other than God. And the worship of self is the ultimate form of idolatry. When we begin to believe our own press clippings and start to think we have made ourselves what we are, that is when we are in real danger. Self-exaltation is ultimately self-destructive. It can be bad for your health. Because God does not share His glory with anyone. The Scriptures remind us, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6 NIV). The lesson Nebuchadnezzar had to learn was regarding God's sovereignty. He had to understand that God is ruler over ALL the kingdoms of the earth, including his own. He had to learn that God was the only true King, not him. He had to learn that God was the consummate conqueror, not him. Nebuchadnezzar had learned the lesson that James simple reiterated: "All his acts are just and true, and he is able to humble the proud" (Daniel 4:37 NLT).

Father, we are a proud people. Even as believers we can begin to believe that we are self-made men and women. We have made ourselves what we are. Our accomplishments and achievements are the work of our hands. But in this passage You remind us that the only thing that separates us from the wild beasts in the field is Your divine, sovereign hand. You can lift us up and You can bring us down. You will not tolerate self-worship. You will not put up with self-exaltation. Keep our eyes focused on You and You alone. May we acknowledge your power and sovereignty without having to learn to do so the hard way. Amen

Daniel's God.

Daniel 2-3

No one on earth can tell the king his dream! And no king, however great and powerful, has ever asked such a thing of any magician, enchanter, or astrologer! The king’s demand is impossible. No one except the gods can tell you your dream, and they do not live here among people. – Daniel 2:10-11 NLT

King Nebuchadnezzar has had a series of disturbing dreams. He gathers all his magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers and demands that they tell him what his dreams mean. Not only that, they have to tell him WHAT he dreamed. Their reaction? Panic. In spite of their illustrious titles, they know that none of them can do what the king is demanding. It would be impossible for them to know what the king dreamed, unless he told them. But King Nebuchadnezzar sticks to his original plan, threatening to kill them if they don't do what he says. When they finally admit that his request is something only a god could do, and gods don't live among men, he explodes and sentences them all to death. This death sentence would include Daniel and his friends, because by this time they were considered to be on a par with the rest of the king's retinue of wise men.

When David gets wind of the king's plan to have them all put to death, he asks for more time, then calls his three friends to a time of prayer. Theyask God to intervene and show them mercy by revealing the dream and its interpretation. Keep in mind, Daniel has never interpreted dreams before, so this is an amazing request. While the king's magicians saw it as impossible, Daniel viewed it as highly possible because of what he knew about the nature and character of his God. This was all new territory for Daniel, but not for God. It may be that Daniel knew the story of Joseph and how God gave him the ability to interpret the dreams of Pharaoh all those years ago in Egypt. But Daniel prays and God responds. He gives Daniel the dream and its meaning. Daniel's reaction is one of praise and thanksgiving at the wisdom, power, and omniscience of God. While the gods of the Babylonians did "not live here among people," the God of Daniel did. He heard Daniel's prayer and did the impossible. Daniel knew what Jesus Himself would later express, "What is impossible for people is possible with God" (Luke 18:27 NLT).

The next day Daniel goes to the king and tells him, "There are no wise men, enchanters, magicians, or fortune-tellers who can reveal the king’s secret. But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the future" (Daniel 2:27-28 NLT). Then Daniel proceeds to tell King Nebuchadnezzar his dream and its meaning. Through the dream, God is giving Nebuchadnezzar a glimpse of what is to come. In his dream the king had seen a great statue made of gold, silver, brass, and a mix of iron and clay. Thefour different materials represent four kingdoms that will exist in the not-too-distant future. The head of gold is Babylon. The breast and arms of silver are Persian (currently a Babylonian vassal state). The belly and thighs of brass represent Greece (at this point just a band of warring tribes). And the legs of iron and feet of clay and iron represent Rome (at this point nothing more than a village on the Tiber River). God is revealing to Nebuchadnezzar the future history of the world, all the way up to the Tribulation. Some of these kingdoms came to power and have already fulfilled the prophecy. But the final Gentile power (Rome), which came to power and no longer exists will be revived in the last days. It will be a confederation of 10 nations which will bind themselves together in order to solidify and strengthen their power. But they will prove weak and unstable (iron and clay). At the end of the Great Tribulation, Christ will return to earth and establish His kingdom in Jerusalem. His kingdom "will crush all these kingdoms into nothingness, and it will stand forever" (Daniel 2:44 NLT). .

The God of Daniel is a great God who not only knows the meaning of dreams, but holds the future of mankind in His hands. His words concerning Babylon, Persia, Greece and ancient Rome all came true. So why should we doubt that what He had to say about the end times will not also come about just like He said? As Daniel said, our God "has all wisdom and power. He controls the course of world events; he removes kings and sets up other kings" (Daniel 2:20-21 NLT). Daniel could count on Him for providing an answer to prayer regarding an impossible request. But He could also count on Godfor not only the future of his own life, but that of the entire world as well. We serve a great God who has a firm grasp on this world. We can trust Him and rest in the knowledge that He is in control.

Father, thank You that the God of Daniel is my God as well. You are the same today as You were then. You are no less powerful, knowledgeable, capable, or approachable. You hear and answer prayers. You still do the impossible and hold the future in Your hands just as surely as You did in Daniel's day. Thanks for the reminder. Amen

Standing On Our Convictions.

Daniel 1

But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods. – Daniel 1:8 NLT

King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has invaded Judah, plundered the Temple in Jerusalem, and taken thousands of its citizens captive. Among those transported to Babylon against their wills are four young Hebrew boys from the tribe of Judah – Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Most of them end up in a refugee camp by the Kebar River, the same camp where Ezekiel received his vision from God. Daniel and Ezekiel are contemporaries, but will find themselves living two radically different lifestyles, and being used by God in extremely different ways. Daniel and the three other young men are among a hand-picked group to be trained as servants for the king's palace. They are chosen for their looks, intelligence, physical prowess, and good judgment. After receiving their new Babylonian names, they begin a three-year intensive training program.

Immediately, Daniel and his friends find themselves faced with a difficult situation. They are Hebrews living in a foreign land, populated by pagans who worship false gods. These found young men are obviously devout followers and Yahweh and know that the food they are being given to eat by the King is not proper for them to eat as Hebrews. If they do eat it, it will make them ceremonially unclean. Sure, it is rich, delicious and there is plenty of it, but it is not what God has commanded them to eat. So they must make a decision. They must take a stand and hold to their convictions – a dangerous thing to do considering their circumstances. But Daniel was determined not to defile himself. He made up his mind to stand by his convictions and honor his commitment to God, even if it meant risking his life. Daniel supplied the conviction and God supplied the protection. When Daniel appealed to his superior and expressed his request to refrain from eating the royal food, he found him resistant to the idea. But Daniel came up with an alternative idea and presented it to him, and his overseer agreed. Why? Because "God had given the chief of staff both respect and affection for Daniel" (Daniel 1:6 NLT). God had prepared the way. Daniel made up his mind to honor God and God made sure the king's chief of staff was predisposed to Daniel.

Daniel and his friends prospered on a diet of vegetables and water. Not because of the food, but because of their conviction to honor God. God was with them. He gave them "an unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom" (Daniel 1:17 NLT). Their ability to learn came from God. Their health and vitality were from God. Daniel's unique ability to interpret dreams came from God. They supplied the conviction and God did the rest. And they stood out from the crowd. We are not told this, but it would appear that the other Hebrew young men who were conscripted with Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah did not stand by their convictions. They ate the King's food. They compromised. But when the three years of training were over, King Nebuchadnezzar found Daniel and his friends to be ten times more capable than their peers. They had stood firm and now they stood out. They had remained faithful to God and He had been faithful to them.

Father, we could use a lot more Daniels today. I need to be more like Daniel – a man of conviction who refuses to compromise in the face of the pressures this world places on us as believers. We are regularly tempted to defile ourselves by compromising our convictions and caving in to the world's demands. Give me the strength to stand firm even in the face of adversity. Amen

From Devastation to Restoration.

Joel 3

But Judah will be filled with people forever, and Jerusalem will endure through all generations. I will pardon my people's crimes, which I have not yet pardoned; and I, the Lord, will make my home in Jerusalem with my people. – Joel 3:20-21 NLT

The book of Joel starts with an image of devastating destruction. But it ends with a promise of forgiveness and restoration. As with all the other prophetic books of Scripture, the message of Joel is one of repentance and warning of coming judgment for their sin and rebellion against God. He warns them that they must return to the Lord in humility and turn from their pursuit of other gods. God promises to restore and forgive them if they do. But should they refuse, He will be forced to judge them according to their sin. The sad reality is that the people of Judah never did repent and they ended up in captivity in Babylon. Many of those left in Judah who the Babylonians didn't bother to take captive – the poor, the weak, and the elderly – ended up being taken captive by the surrounding nations and sold into slavery. The once great nation of Israel and the majestic Temple in Jerusalem would be no longer.

But the real message of Joel and that of the Bible is the redemptive work of God. Despite the unfaithfulness of His chosen people and their unwillingness to return to Him, He would remain faithful to His name and fulfill every promise He had made to them. He is the covenant-keeping God who never goes back on His Word. He can be counted on even when those He has chosen can't be. The message of the Bible is that God is the one who redeems and restores. He is the one who brings people back to Himself. In our sins, we are incapable of returning to Him. We are dead in our trespasses and sins, unwilling and unable to walk away from our love affair with the world and our addiction to sin. But God calls us to Himself. He redeems us out of slavery to sin and restores us to a right relationship with Him. He does for us what we could never do for ourselves. He extends to us mercy and grace. He graciously saves us. It is the story of His Son, the one who took on human flesh so that He might live the life we were called to live – but without sin and in full obedience to His Father. He then suffered the death we deserved do die – in our place. He became the sin substitute, the spotless lamb who gave His life to satisfy the just demands of a righteous and holy God. Sin required a payment and only the shedding of blood would satisfy the debt. Jesus' death paid that price in full and made possible the forgiveness of our sins and the restoration of our souls to God. The story of the Bible is one of restoration. God will one day restore the people of Israel to a perfect relationship with Himself. He will do for them what they could not do for themselves. Because He is faithful. He keeps His promises.

Father, You are the covenant-keeping God. Thank You that in this world where little or nothing can be relied upon, You can be. I can trust You to keep Your promises and to fulfill every one of Your covenant agreements. What a comfort that is in this world of trial and suffering. Amen

Give Me Your Hearts.

Joel 2

Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead. Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish. – Joel 2:12-13 NLT

Judgment was coming, in the form of a mighty army, that would destroy the people of Judah much like the locusts had destroyed all the vegetation in its path. Yet God balances His judgment with mercy. He invites the people to repent and return to Him. He pleads with them to turn while there is still time. He reminds them that He is "merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish. (Joel 2:13 NLT). But their repentance must be real and heartfelt. He doesn't want outward signs of remorse and regret, but true inner repentance – where their hearts reflect a humble attitude that understands their guilt and relies on God's unfailing love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness.

The key is that the people must return to God. Not return to a list of ritualistic and religious observances. God wants their hearts, not their service. The very fact that God commands them to return to Him illustrates that they have strayed. Even while going about the sacrifices that God had commanded, they had let their hearts stray from Him. They were just going through the motions. Their hearts were not in it. Their affections were elsewhere. But the key to restoration is always repentance. God would not relent unless they repented. God would not restore them unless they repented. They would not experience renewal and revival without repentance. But if they truly humble themselves, God will restore them. "Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14 NLT). Repentance includes a heart of humility that reveals itself in God-dependent prayer, a desire to see God, and a willingness to turn away from behavior that offends God. God wants our hearts. He desires our affections. And nothing less will do.

Father, You want my heart, not just my activities. You want me to want You. You want me to turn to You and away from all the other things I have allowed to replace You in my life. Through the power of Your Holy Spirit, give me the strength to turn away from everything else and return to You in humility and dependence. I can't live this life without You. Amen

The Day of the Lord.

Joel 1

“The day of the Lord is near, the day when destruction comes from the Almighty. How terrible that day will be!” – Joel 1:15 NLT

Joel is prophesying to the southern kingdom of Judah. And he starts off his message by using a recent natural disaster to get the attention of the people. A devastating plague of locusts had swept through the land, destroying all vegetation. Joel goes out of his way to describe the extent of the destruction by providing a detailed list of plants that were wiped out: grapes, grain, olives, wheat, barley, figs, pomegranates, palms,, apples, and fruit. It was all gone. And this natural event had left the people in mourning. The drunks because they had no more wine. The priets because there was no grain or wine to offer as sacrifices to God. The farmers because they had no produce. The people because they had no joy. And so Joel calls for a day of fasting to the Lord – a time to cry out to Him for help. Only He could resolve this problem.

But then Joel changes gears and uses this natural disaster to warn the people of another event that was coming – the day of the Lord. As bad as the locusts had been, the coming judgment of God was going to be even more devastating. The hand of the Sovereign Lord was going to sweep over them like locusts, leaving devastation and destruction in its wake. If ever there was a time to mourn, it was now. The people needed to understand that a natural disaster was nothing compared to the power of God when it was unleashed as punishment for sin and rebellion.

In our lifetimes we have witnessed the incredible destructive power of tsunamis, floods, hurricanes, wild fires, hail, and tornadoes. We have seen the power of nature unleashed and the wake of death and destruction it can leave behind. And while it could be easy to say that is the hand of God falling on a wicked world for its sins, it is probably just the evidence of life in a fallen world. But these things should remind us of the awesome power of God, the one who made the winds, the water, and the natural world. His power is even greater than that of a force 10 hurricane. If He did unleash His power in judgment, the results would be devastating. When God acts in judgment, it is with the impact of the original flood that wiped out all mankind. God is a force to be reckoned with. And when He judges, He does so righteously or rightly. He never judges unfairly or with malice. His judgment is well-deserved and completely just. Natural disasters strike haphazardly and without forethought. They just happen. God's judgment comes after much warning and with perfect knowledge of what He is doing.

To appreciate the unbelievable forgiveness, grace, and mercy of God, we must fully comprehend the holiness and power of God. He hates evil, despises sin, and must deal with it righteously. And He has the power to do so. To understand and fear the righteous judgment of God is key to appreciating the grace and mercy of God provided through His Son Jesus Christ. The people of Judah had to understand that their God was greater than a plague of locusts, and that there was a day of reckoning coming that was going to be far more intense than anything they had experienced – unless they repented and returned to the Lord. God will forgive, but He will not overlook sin. He is a righteous, holy, just God who must deal rightly with wrong.

Father, use the book of Joel to let me see and understand Your awesome sovereignty so that I might better appreciate Your incredible compassion and offer of forgiveness. May more regular and ready repentance be my response to the sin in my life. Amen

It's All About God.

Ezekiel 48

The distance around the entire city will be six miles. And from that day the name of the city will be "The Lord Is There." – Ezekiel 48:35 NLT

The book of Ezekiel has finally come to an end. It has been 22 years since Ezekiel first saw his vision of God and received his commission as God's prophet to the people of Judah. His ministry began with an unbelievable glimpse of the glory of God. He was given a word to deliver from the very mouth of God, predicting the coming siege of Jerusalem, the destruction of the Temple and the deportation of the people of Judah to Babylon. In chapters ten, Ezekiel was shown the real tragedy of it all – the glory of God departing the Temple. The very presence and power of God was being removed from their midst due to their sin and rebellion. But two decades later, God gave Ezekiel another vision of a rebuilt Temple, a restored Jerusalem and a revived relationship with the people of God. The book of Ezekiel ends with the city of Jerusalem referred to by the name, "The Lord Is There," and if the Lord is there that means His glory has returned once again to the city. This book began with the glory of God and end with it. God will one day reestablish His permanent residence in the city of Jerusalem. The abiding presence of God is a powerful image with which to sum up this book. While God had to punish His people for their sins, He never abandoned them completely. He remained faithful and committed to His plan for them. Even while they were in exile, He sent His prophets to communicate His message to them. And ultimately, God returned them to the land. But there is a day yet future when God will complete His plan for the people of Israel and fully fulfill His promises to them. He will once again make His place among them, so that the city of Jerusalem can truly be called, "The Lord Is There."

Father, how amazing it is to think about Your faithfulness. To read about the sins of the people of Israel and Judah and to imagine how You, as a righteous and holy God, must have felt as they repeatedly proved themselves unfaithful to you is hard to imagine. Yet You remained faithful. And You will one day restore this rebellious people to a right relationship to You – not because they deserve it, but simply because You are faithful. Thank You for reminding me of just how faithful and trustworthy You are. Amen

River of Life.

Ezekiel 47

Then he said to me, "This river flows east through the desert into the valley of the Dead Sea. The waters of this stream will make the salty waters of the Dead Sea fresh and pure. There will be swarms of living things wherever the water of this river flows. Fish will abound in the Dead Sea, for its waters will become fresh. Life will flourish wherever this water flows.” – Ezekiel 47:8-9 NLT

What an amazing picture of God's faithfulness. Not only is He going to restore the land and the people to it, He is going to rebuild the Temple, reinstate the sacrificial system and renew their hearts. God is going to make it possible for the Israelites to serve Him faithfully so that they can remain in the land. He will give them new hearts and a new desire to serve Him faithfully.

For I will gather you up from all the nations and bring you home again to your land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations. And you will live in Israel, the land I gave your ancestors long ago. You will be my people, and I will be your God. – Ezekiel 36:24-26 NLT

This entire vision give to Ezekiel is about what God is going to do in the future Millennial Kingdom. God is not only going to change the hearts of the people, He is going to change the nature of the land of Israel. In his vision, Ezekiel sees a river flowing from the Holy of Holies. This river will flow out from the Temple grounds and into the Jordan Valley, slowly growing larger and deeper as it makes its way to the Dead Sea. And as its waters flow into the Dead Sea it will transform this lifeless body of water into a fish-filled, tree-bounded paradise. This river of life will dramatically alter the topography of the land. Having been to the Dead Sea, the idea of this barren wasteland being transformed into a tropical paradise is amazing. Trees will grow where no trees exist right now. Fish will swim where no fish can exist right now. Life will flourish in an area known as the Dead Sea. That is a picture of the transforming power of God. He will make all things new. This river reminds us of another river that will exist in the eternal state. The apostle John was given a vision of it and he describes it in the book of Revelation.

"Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." – Revelation 22:1-2 NASB

God is all about restoring life and bringing about healing, and these things flow from His throne. He is the source of life. Only through Him can men be restored to new life. He can take what was once dead and bring it back to life. He can transform dead lives and renew lifeless seas. That's the God we serve.

Father, thank You for life. Thank You for renewing my life and placing Your life-giving Spirit within me. You are renewing me daily, transforming me from dead self-righteousness to true righteousness. And it is ALL Your doing, not mine. Amen

Hindsight Is 20-20.

Ezekiel 46

Each Sabbath day the prince will present to the Lord a burnt offering of six lambs and one ram, all with no defects. – Ezekiel 46:4 NLT

God is giving Ezekiel a tour of the new Temple that will exist in the Millennial Kingdom. This is the period of 1,000 years after Christ's return when He will rule and reign in the city of Jerusalem – sitting on the throne of David. During this time, God will have the Temple rebuilt, the priesthood reestablished and the sacrificial system reinstated. But that begs the question, "Why?" If Christ died for sins once for all (1 Peter 3:18), then why would there be a need for a sacrificial system? If Christ's death on the cross paid the price for our sins once for all, there seems to no purpose for having the sacrifices reinstated during the Millennial Kingdom. But God is very specific in His description of what He will expect during those days. He describes in great detail what sacrifices will be offered and how they should be done. So God must have a purpose.

It is interesting that the two feasts God seems to emphasize are the feast of Passover and Tabernacles or Booths. Both of these events were associated with the Exodus and God's deliverance of the people from their bondage in Egypt. The Passover was instituted as a memorial celebration of God's miraculous deliverance of the people of God from the Death Angel that visited the land of Egypt and struck down the firstborn male of every household, as well as the firstborn male among the livestock. God spared the Israelites as long as they sacrificed an unblemished lamb and put its blood on the doorway of their homes. The Feast of Booths was a time when the people were to erect hastily built shelters to remind them of their wilderness wandering years. They were to be a symbol of God's provision and protection during those difficult years as they made their way to the Promised Land. All of these sacrifices and celebrations are reminders of God's grace, provision, and deliverance. They were all designed to point to God future provision and deliverance through Christ. They were representative of the future work of Christ. In the Millennial Kingdom they will continue to be representative, but more by way of reminder. They will be looking BACK, not forward. These sacrifices, once symbolic of Christ's coming and His future sacrifice on the cross, will be reminders of what Christ has DONE. He will be living among the people, reigning and ruling from the throne of David. They will be looking back, in retrospect, to Christ's redemptive work on the cross. So in that sense, they will be memorials and will probably have nothing to do with the forgiveness of sins. But God is very clear with Ezekiel that these sacrifices will be a part of worship in the Millennial Kingdom and they must be done according to God's exacting standards. It should remind us that God has a reason for everything that He does. The sacrificial system was not just a temporary requirement that lived out its usefulness and purpose. God has a reason behind all that He does and one day that same sacrificial system will be reinstated, completing its purpose of pointing men to Christ. The Lamb of God will sit on the throne in Jerusalem, and innocent, unblemished lambs will be sacrificed as a visual reminder of the redemptive work that Jesus did on the cross.

Father, we sometimes have a hard time appreciating what Your Son did for us on the cross. We find it hard to fathom the depth of the agony and pain He suffered on our behalf. When I think of the sacrificial system and the death of all those animals, I can't help but think how powerful a reminder that will be of Christ's blood being shed and His body being broken. Never let His sacrifice become old hat to me. Amen

Do What Is Just and Right.

Ezekiel 45

For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: "Enough, you princes of Israel! Stop your violence and oppression and do what is just and right. Quit robbing and cheating my people out of their land. Stop expelling them from their homes, says the Sovereign Lord.” – Ezekiel 45:9 NLT

As God continues to give Ezekiel a tour of the Temple in the future Millennial Kingdom, He reminds Ezekiel that things will be different then. Jerusalem will be under the reign and rule of the Messiah. He will sit on the throne of David and rule with righteousness and integrity. He will have a prince who rules under him who will be in charge of the city of Jerusalem and the Temple grounds. This prince will be holy, righteous and just. He will be honest and above-board, ethical in his behavior and just in his administration of his duties – unlike the princes that had ruled in Jerusalem in the years leading up to the nation's fall to Babylon. For hundreds of years, the leadership in Judah had been characterized by greed, corruption, immorality, unfaithfulness, dishonesty, and disobedience to the laws of God. Even in Ezekiel's day, the pattern continued. So God tells them, "I've put up with you long enough, princes of Israel! Quit bullying and taking advantage of my people. Do what's just and right for a change" (Ezekiel 45:9 MSG). They were guilty of embezzlement, fraud, graft, and all kinds of corruption. They were taking advantage of the helpless and hopeless. And the corruption of the leadership was infecting the people. Amos describes conditions among the people of Israel this way:

How you hate honest judges! How you despise people who tell the truth! You trample the poor, stealing their grain through taxes and unfair rent. Therefore, though you build beautiful stone houses, you will never live in them. Though you plant lush vineyards, you will never drink wine from them. For I know the vast number of your sins and the depth of your rebellions. You oppress good people by taking bribes and deprive the poor of justice in the courts. So those who are smart keep their mouths shut, for it is an evil time. – Amos 5:10-13 NLT

Corruption is contagious. It spreads like a cancer and ends up infecting everyone it touches. Violence, greed, oppression, and injustice go hand-in-hand. A nation with lousy leadership is toxic to its people. And God points out that there is a day coming when lousy leadership will be replaced with righteous, godly leadership. No longer will the leaders take advantage of the people. Righteousness will reign. And God's point to Ezekiel and the leaders of his day seems to be, if that is the way it is to be in God's Millennial Kingdom, why not pursue righteous leadership now? Why not rule justly, honestly and righteously in the present if that is the standard for the future? God's vision of His future kingdom here on earth is a glimpse into His heart. It shows us what He desires. It reveals what is important to Him. Holiness, righteousness, honesty, order, compassion, obedience, responsibility, justice – all these things will exist perfectly in His future kingdom, but they are just as important to God NOW. And while sin and the presence of the enemy make it impossible to practice these things perfectly, we are to pursue them passionately. We are to "do what is just and right" each and every day within those areas over which we have responsibility. Our lives, as believers, are to be little kingdoms of righteousness in the middle of a very dark world. We of all people should be attempting to live holy and set-apart lives, doing what is just and right, so that the world might get a glimpse of what true justice, love and mercy look like. What is important to God in the future is important to God now. So let's make His priorities our priorities.

Father, one day You will bring justice and righteousness back to the earth. You will set up Your kingdom here on earth. But in the meantime, help us as Your children to live lives that are examples of what it means to do what is just and right. Help us to be living examples of Your kingdom here on earth. Amen

We Have Our Work Cut Out For Us.

Ezekiel 44

They will teach my people the difference between what is holy and what is common, what is ceremonially clean and unclean. – Ezekiel 44:23 NLT

God reminds Ezekiel that the priests who served within the new Temple would have the same job descriptions and responsibilities that they had in the old Temple. And one of the most significant roles they were to play was that of instructor. They were to teach the people of God the difference between what was holy and what was common or ordinary. One of the ways there were to do this was through the example of their own lives. By keeping God's regulations concerning the sacrifices, they would be showing the people what a set-apart life looks like. Their lives were to be living examples of holiness or set-apartness. And today, according the Peter, we have inherited that role as followers of Jesus Christ. He tells us, "for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light" (1 Peter 2:9 NLT). We are priests in the kingdom of God and we have a responsibility to model a life of holiness to the world. We are to teach others the difference between the holy and the ordinary. And there should be a difference. Our lives should not blend in with the world around us. We should be distinctive in more than just name or religious affiliation. We should not have to TELL someone we are a Christian. It should be evident by the way we live our lives. Peter describes the kind of life we are to live this way: "So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, 'You must be holy because I am holy.'” (1 Peter 1:13-16 NLT).

They say the best lessons are caught, not taught. The most effective form of teaching is still modeling. It is in the way we live our lives that we convey the true difference between that which is holy and that which is common or ordinary. When we live as if we have been set apart by God for His use, we will be living holy. When we live for His glory and not our own, we will be living holy. When we put His will ahead of our own, we will be living holy. When we seek the good of His kingdom instead of our own, we will be living holy. When we love others more than we love ourselves, we will be living holy. People were attracted to the distinctiveness of Jesus. The early church grew in the book of Acts because of the distinctiveness of the apostles and the unusual way in which they lived their lives. Holiness is attractive when modeled correctly and lived out sincerely. As priests of God, we are here to teach the difference between that which is holy and everything else in this world. We are to be different, distinct, and set-apart – holy unto the Lord.

Father, continue to show me how to live a holy life, a life that is truly set apart and distinctive from every other life around me. I don't want to blend in, but stand out as a priest in Your kingdom. I want my life to be a shining example of holiness for the world to see. Amen

The Gravity of God's Grace.

Ezekiel 43

Son of man, describe to the people of Israel the Temple I have shown you, so they will be ashamed of all their sins. Let them study its plan, and they will be ashamed of what they have done. Describe to them all the specifications of the Temple—including its entrances and exits—and everything else about it. Tell them about its decrees and laws. Write down all these specifications and decrees as they watch so they will be sure to remember and follow them. – Ezekiel 43:10-11 NLT

As New Testament believers, we revel in the reality of God's grace. We appreciate the fact that God has given us something incredible which we never could have earned on our own – eternal life and a restored relationship with Him. Yet, I sometimes think we take grace for granted. I love what Dallas Willard says: “We have a problem today in Evangelical circles. We’re not only saved by grace, we’re paralyzed by it.” We have allowed grace to become a one-dimensional concept that is tied solely to our salvation. We talk about the idea of being saved by grace. It is a priceless gift, unearned and undeserved. But the grace of God should have a long-lasting influence on our lives. There is a future element to grace that I must never lose sight of, because the reality is that I can no more earn my coming glorification than I could my salvation. A day is coming when I will be made complete and whole. I will like Christ, with no more sin nature and an ability to live righteously – completely and permanently. Future grace is a great motivator for present behavior. The future grace of God and the reality of my guaranteed place in His presence for eternity should have a tremendous impact on the way I live my life now.

The same was true for the people of God in Ezekiel's day. God had given Ezekiel a glimpse of His future kingdom, complete with a newly constructed Temple, occupied by God Himself. God tells Ezekiel to remind the people, "this is the place of my throne and the place where I will rest my feet. I will live here forever among the people of Israel. They and their kings will not defile my holy name any longer by their adulterous worship of other gods or by honoring the relics of their kings who have died" (Ezekiel 43:7 NLT). God then instructs Ezekiel to describe to the people the details of the Temple he has just gotten a tour of. They were to study its plans and go over every specification. Why? Because this was a real place that was going to exist in real time in the future. It was a picture of the future grace of God as He promises to reestablish His presence among the people of Israel. In spite of all they had done to offend God over the years, He was going to extend them grace in the future, and the proof of it was this vision of the rebuilt Temple as given to Ezekiel.

When Dallas Willard says that sometimes we are paralyzed by grace, I think he means that we can easily allow the "grace alone" message to lull us into a sense of spiritual stupor or laziness. God does it all, so we have nothing to do. But grace is opposed to earning, not effort. The knowledge of God's grace reminds me that I can do nothing to earn His favor. But awareness of His grace should cause me to make every effort to serve Him gratefully and joyfully. By hearing the detailed descriptions of the future Temple, the people of God should be shamed by their own unfaithfulness as opposed to God's faithfulness. The reality that I have a place reserved for me in heaven should make me want to live my differently here on earth. During their lifetimes, the people of God had desecrated the Temple of God time and time again. And ultimately, God had it destroyed. Today there is no Temple in Jerusalem. In its place sits a mosque. But God has promised that the day is coming when the Temple will be rebuilt. Not because the people of God deserve it, but because God has promised it. It's presence will be a proof of God's grace. He will restore the people of Israel – in spite of themselves. That future reality should change their present behavior. And one day God is going complete His work of sanctification in our lives – glorifying us and transforming us into the likeness of His Son – completely and permanently. Awareness of that future grace should shame me when I consider my present behavior. He has done and has promised to do so much for me. How can I live in disobedience and sin when God has such an undeserved future reserved for me?

Father, thank You for future grace. I am grateful for the cross, but never let me lose sight of the reality of heaven. No matter how hard I try, I can't make myself more holy. I can't transform myself into the likeness of Christ by sheer effort. But You will one day finish what You have begun. You will glorify me, making me like Your Son. That future promise should have an impact on my present reality. Amen

Set Apart.

Ezekiel 42

Then he said to me, "The north and south rooms adjacent to the open area are holy rooms where the priests who come before GOD eat the holy offerings. There they place the holy offerings--grain offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings. These are set-apart rooms, holy space. After the priests have entered the Sanctuary, they must not return to the outside courtyard and mingle among the people until they change the sacred garments in which they minister and put on their regular clothes.” – Ezekiel 42:13-14 MSG

I find it really interesting that in the middle of all the detailed descriptions of the layout of the future Temple complex, Ezekiel's "guide" points to a set of rooms and describes them as "holy." Wouldn't the entire Temple be holy? The whole structure would be dedicated to the worship of God, so wouldn't the entire structure be holy? Well, in a sense, yes. But the use of the word "holy" in this context gives us another important aspect of its meaning. It simply means "set-apartness or separateness." These rooms were dedicated or set apart for a distinct purpose. "Here the priests who offer sacrifices to the Lord will eat the most holy offerings" (Ezekiel 42:13 NLT). These rooms would also be used to store the grain, sin, and guilt offerings. Even within the Temple complex, there was going to be a place "set apart" and made distinct. It would be dedicated for a specific purpose and was not to be used for anything else. When the priests were done ministering in the sanctuary, they had to leave the clothes they wore in this room and change into "street" clothes, because even the garments they wore were holy or set apart. Before they could enter the rest of the Temple or go into the more public or common areas, they had to remove their "holy" clothes, because those clothes had been dedicated to God.

All this makes me think about how we have been set apart by God for His use. We are His people. We have been made holy or set apart by the indwelling presence of the Spirit of God. We belong to God. "Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience" (Colossians 3:12 NLT). God set us apart for a purpose. We are now dedicated to Him and should be used only in the way that He sees fit. We no longer belong to ourselves. The priests could not use the holy garments any way they saw fit. They couldn't use the holy rooms for any purpose they came up with. Those things belonged to God. We belong to God. We are only to be used for His purposes, not our own. When God commands us, "You must be holy because I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16 NLT), He is telling us that we must be set apart, distinct and different, just as He is. We must reflect His holiness. We must remain dedicated to His use. To take what is holy and set apart and use it for some other purpose would be to profane it. When we use our bodies for purposes other than those for which God has set them apart, we profane them and fail to remain set apart for His use. "And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God" (1 Peter 2:5 NLT).

Father, You have set us apart for Your use. We belong to You. But we regularly profane ourselves by taking what You have dedicated and set apart and re-purposing it for our use. Forgive us and remind us daily the reason You have set us apart through the sacrificial death of Your Son Jesus Christ. Amen

The Holiness of God.

Ezekiel 41

All the walls were decorated with carvings of cherubim, each with two faces, and there was a carving of a palm tree between each of the cherubim. One face—that of a man—looked toward the palm tree on one side. The other face—that of a young lion—looked toward the palm tree on the other side. The figures were carved all along the inside of the Temple, from the floor to the top of the walls, including the outer wall of the sanctuary. – Ezekiel 41:18-20 NLT

Everything in God's future Temple will have a purpose and a reason for its existence. There will be nothing left to chance. Every detail has been worked out beforehand by God. Every measurement has a reason behind it, whether we can see it or not. Even the width of the doors leading from the outside into the vestibule, then into the Holy Place, and then into the the Holy of Holies are sized increasingly smaller for a reason. Like the divine designer He is, God is focusing the attention of the worshiper onto the most important room in the entire building – the Holy of Holies. Everything points to that place. Everything in the Temple reinforces the Holy of Holies and the One who will dwell there. The entire Temple is about the holiness, the set-apartness of God. The walls inside the Temple will be covered in wood paneling, carved with alternating cherubs and palm trees. Each cherub will have two faces, the face of a man and the face of a lion, one looking left and the other right. These creatures were there for a reason. We can see elsewhere in Scripture that cherubim were used by God to protect His holiness. In the book of Exodus, in the instructions given by God for the construction of the Tabernacle. we are told of the two golden cherubim that were to be placed on top of the Ark of the Covenant, their wings spread out over the Ark. "The cherubim will face each other and look down on the atonement cover. With their wings spread above it, they will protect it" (Exodus 25:20 NLT). In the Tabernacle, the curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies was to have cherubim embroidered on it. In this future Temple, the paneled walls will feature a repeated pattern of cherubim and palm trees. The cherubim represent protection and security. The palms represent life and prosperity. In God, both come together as one. Holiness, health, and happiness – all are realized in God. There is no real life or prosperity apart from Him. And it is His holiness or set-apartness that makes it all possible. Only God can provide true life and prosperity. And in the future kingdom that Ezekiel is getting a glimpse of, God will rule and reign through His Son Jesus Christ and His holiness will permeate everything. He will have protected His holiness all the way until that day, preserving His name and His integrity and insuring that His divine plan is fulfilled so that we might have life and prosperity in Him. The key to it all? His holiness. There is no other god, but Him. He alone is God.

Father, some day the Temple we see described here to Ezekiel will be built. And when that day comes, it will mean that Your plan has been fulfilled. Your program will have been completed. And Your holiness will fill the world. There will be no more gods, no more unfaithfulness, and no more sin. I look forward to that day. In the meantime, help me remember just how holy You are and that it is Your holiness that makes life and prosperity possible, even now. Amen

Order. Symmetry. Balance.

Ezekiel 40

He said to me, "Son of man, watch and listen. Pay close attention to everything I show you. You have been brought here so I can show you many things. Then you will return to the people of Israel and tell them everything you have seen.” – Ezekiel 40:4 NLT

The book of Ezekiel began in chapter one with a vision of God's glory. Then we read the sad account of the departure of God's glory in chapters 8-111. Now as we close the end of the book, God is going to give Ezekiel one last glimpse of His glory. He transports Ezekiel from Babylon back to Israel via a vision in order to give him a look at future events. God has already promised to restore His people to the land and to a right relationship with Him. He is going to rebuild the city and the Temple, and now He is showing Ezekiel what it all will look like. These last nine chapters are designed to provide hope to the people of Judah, even as they live in the less-than-ideal conditions of their captivity. God has a plan and that plan is highly specific. The amount of detail that God gives Ezekiel regarding the layout and measurements of the Temple seem designed to provide confidence in the concrete nature of this vision. It is not a dream, but a reality that is yet to come. And central to that reality is the rebuilt Temple, the center-piece of God's future kingdom. It is the place where God's glory departed (Ezekiel 8-11). With the completion of this new Temple, God's presence will once more dwell among His people. But this vision has yet to be fulfilled. It is a future event waiting for God to bring it about. The Temple built by Nehemiah and Ezra did not meet these descriptions. The Temple built by Herod failed to live up to these plans. And at present, there is no Temple. So what Ezekiel sees has yet to be built. And it will not be built until Jesus establishes His kingdom here on earth. When He returns He will reign in Jerusalem and a new Temple will be built according to the exacting plans and specifications God provides in these passages.

This new Temple will be glorious. It will be a showcase of symmetry, balance and order. It will reflect the perfection of the very God whose dwelling place it is. There is nothing left to chance. No detail is left to the imagination of man. This future Temple will be a glorious structure, beautifully appointed and featuring a perfect blend of balance and symmetry. The detailed measurements and descriptions are designed to give Ezekiel and the people living in exile hope for the future. They will never live to see this construction project started or completed. But they can rest in the knowledge that their God has a plan for the future restoration of their nation. He is not done with them yet. Ezekiel was to play close attention to what he saw and share it with those with whom he lived and to whom he had been delivering God's message of doom and destruction. Punishment was coming, but so was restoration. The Temple had been destroyed, but the day was coming when it would be rebuilt. Just as God had given Moses detailed plans for the Tabernacle in the wilderness, God was giving Ezekiel a detailed description of the Temple grounds that were yet to come. God's plan is not yet complete. He is not done yet. But He will bring it about – down to the last detail.

Father, when I read this chapter, I can get lost in all the details and measurements. They don't see to serve any point and tend to become just a blur of numbers, measurements, and descriptions. But they are there for a reason. Every room, wall, brick, board, and ornament will have a purpose. The order, balance, and symmetry described in these chapters are a reflection of the God this building is to represent. You are perfect and balanced in every way. You are complete in every detail. You are going to fully accomplish what You have started. Right down to the last detail. Amen

You Are For Me.

Ezekiel 39

I will end the captivity of my people; I will have mercy on all Israel, for I jealously guard my holy reputation! – Ezekiel 39:25 NLT

As I read the words of the prophet Ezekiel to the people of Judah, I can't help but hear God speak to my heart. He was telling His people that He was for them. He was on their side – that in spite of their disobedience and unfaithfulness, He was going to redeem and restore them. He said, "Everything will happen just as I have declared it" (Ezekiel 39:8 NLT). God was going to destroy all their enemies – those who ultimately stood against Him. He was going to renew and restore their relationship to Him. God was going to great things that would prove once and for all to Jew and Gentile alike just how great and majestic He really was. "I will make known my holy name among my people of Israel. I will not let anyone bring shame on it. And the nations, too, will know that I am the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. That day of judgment will come, says the Sovereign Lord. Everything will happen just as I have declared it" (Ezekiel 39:7-8 NLT).

The faithfulness of God is not some ethereal concept that has no reality in everyday life. God is constantly faithful. There is never a time when He is not faithful. It would be outside of His character – His very nature – to be anything but faithful. We can learn so much about our God as we read about Him in the Old Testament. We can glean so much about His character as we watch how He interacts with the people of Israel. He is holy and just. He is patient and forgiving. He can be both wrathful and merciful – at the same time. His wrath always has a purpose. His anger is always justified. God punishes justly and restores graciously. He is on our side. He is for me, not against me. He cares enough for me to discipline me. He loves me enough to send His Son to die for me in order that He might forgive me and restore me. What He plans to do for the people of Israel, He has already done for me.  "Then my people will know that I am the Lord their God, because I sent them away to exile and brought them home again. I will leave none of my people behind. And I will never again turn my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit upon the people of Israel. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!" (Ezekiel 39:28-29 NLT).

All of this reminds me of a song I heard recently. It was sung at my niece's wedding by the young lady who wrote and recorded it. The song is called You Are For Me and the words reflect the character of our God. He is for us, not against us. He is faithful, constant, loving and true. He is powerful in all He does. And He is constantly trying to reveal to us just how incredibly unique He is. The amazing thing is that this transcendent, all-powerful, unknowable God has chosen to make Himself known to us. How well do you really know Him today?

So faithful. So constant. So loving and so true. So powerful in all You do.

You fill me. You see me. You know my every move and You love for me to sing to You.

I know that You are for me. I know that You are for me. I know that You will never, forsake me in my weaknesses

I know that You have come now, even if to write upon my heart. To remind me who You are.

So patient, So gracious, So merciful and true… So wonderful in all You do. You know me. You see me. You know my every move. You love for me to sing to You

Lord, I know that You are for me. I know that You are for me. I know that You will never, forsake me in my weaknesses. I know that You have come now, even if to write upon my heart.

To remind me that I know that You are for me. I know that You are for me. I know that You will never, forsake me in my weaknesses. I know that You have come now, even if to write upon my heart. To remind me who You are.

I know that You are for me. I know that You are for me. I know that You will never, forsake me in my weaknesses. I know that You will come now, even if to write upon my heart. To remind me of who You are.

Father, I want to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you are for me. I want to know, from daily experience, just how much You love me. I want your love, constancy, power, love, mercy, grace, and abiding presence to be real in my life through the ups and down of life. I want to know and believe that You really are for me. You will never forsake me – even in my weaknesses. Amen