Day 258 – Daniel 7-9

Talking Points

• Daniel chapter 7 is often called the “heart” of the book of Daniel and is counted by some as one of the most important Old Testament chapters. Chapter 7 transitions from the historical accounts of the first six chapters of Daniel to the apocalyptic (revealing of end time events) in the last six chapters.
• In a vision that even Daniel calls “alarming,” end time events and the activity of the Antichrist are prophetically detailed. The description of the “Ancient of Days” is included — a picture of our everlasting God, who is eternal, who is just, and who judges sin. We also read of the “Son of Man” — God in human form. We know this name refers to the Messiah, as Jesus refers to Himself by this title in Mark 14.
• In Chapter 8, Daniel receives a vision of a coming time of intense Jewish persecution that occurred 400 years later (175-163 BC).
• Chapter 9 reveals Daniel’s regret over sin — his own and that of the nation of Israel. Daniel prays confessing and lamenting this sin. God answers with a message of hope in the promise of the coming Messiah. In fact, the product of all three of these chapters is the hope that God is with His people, and His plan of redemption and restoration still stands. What good news! God never leaves His people without a hope!
• Daniel sees what is still true of us today – “Righteousness belongs to You, O Lord, but to us open shame…because we have sinned against You” (9:7-8). May we learn and turn from our sin and give attention to His truth. We cannot present “our supplications before [Him] on account of any merits of our own, but on account of [His] great compassion” (9:18). And, oh, the greatness of His compassion!
• It is important to see the big picture. As we are introduced to these inconceivable visions, our confidence in the second six chapters is built on the context given in the first six chapters. In the first six, Daniel’s credibility is established in his radical obedience. God’s trustworthiness as the one true God is also made wildly clear. Both of those support the validity of the visions and the trust in God’s ability to fulfill them. This is a central purpose of Scripture: We can trust God in the future as we remember His work in the past.

Thoughts

Reading through the Antichrist’s ploys and dealings in the last days, a verse stands out: “He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One” (Daniel 7:25). Notice his two-pronged attack. First, he will disparage the one true God, uttering falsehoods and lies. Second, he will “wear down” the saints. The Hebrew meaning is to wear out by oppression. It’s like a garment that grows steadily weaker and weaker until it is so worn it tears in two. God’s warning is that, in the end times, the Antichrist will apply unbearable pressure with the goal of wearing the saints down.

While we might not yet be in those days, I can’t help but believe Satan’s scheme is still the same. I believe he seeks to “wear down the saints of the Highest One,” making us dull, discouraged, and ready to give up.

But, take hope! The remedy is to be aware of Satan’s tactics and to build up the saints of God! That is why the New Testament is full of admonitions for believers in the Church age to pray for one another continually, to encourage each other faithfully, and to stay in fellowship with each other consistently. Each of us is to have a ministry of strengthening the saints.

Today, may we be wise to the schemes of evil and be in the business of building believers up!