Eternal Promises

What comes to mind when you hear the words, “the end?” Most people think of the end of their lives. How will it end? When will it end? Questions like these can consume the mind, especially the mind with no eternal hope. How much time do you spend planning for the future, attempting to precisely predict when life events will occur? Most likely, it’s quite a bit. Perhaps nothing is more stressful than worrying about matters concerning the future, such as aging parents, retirement, household finances, job stability, a medical diagnosis, or when to have children. 

Daniel also pondered his future and for the benefit of all humanity, the Lord sent him a vision of what his future would look like.  Daniel asked the Lord for the wisdom to understand how the future would unfold, yet the Lord chose not to tell him everything, only what Daniel needed to know, which was more than sufficient. The Lord’s response is the same to us living today, but unlike Daniel we have the New Testament and the resurrection of the “man clothed in linen” (Daniel 12:7), Jesus Christ. 

After receiving the news about the great tribulation and the important numbers that pertain to it, Daniel is told “…go your way till the end; for you shall rest, and you will rise to your inheritance at the end of the days” (Daniel 12:13).

Daniel is given one command and two promises in this verse. In fact, these very words could be spoken to the modern day follower of Christ. Since 535 B.C. (when Daniel received this vision) to present day, God has remained unchanged and unmoved by the darkness that continues to permeate. Nevertheless, the command given to Daniel to “go on his way till the end” (emphasis mine, Daniel 12:13) is almost identical to the words Jesus spoke of those who will come to follow Him during the Great Tribulation, “but he who endures to the end shall be saved” (Matthew 24:13). Translation, believers are to endure through every kind of persecution, trial, and spiritual attack until the end of their lives and they should expect more to come as they surrender more of their lives to His will. 

Next, Daniel is given two supernatural promises. First is the promise of “rest.” The Hebrew context used here for rest is a euphemism for death. Meaning, Daniel most likely didn’t understand “that to be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8). Nonetheless, this is how followers of Christ now understand death; rest in heaven from the stress of this world. Second, is the promise of being resurrected; this was even harder for Daniel to understand because during his life, being resurrected from the dead was an unknown doctrine and not fully understood. In summary, Daniel knew his future included eternal rest and bodily resurrection.

These promises from God are everlasting and unchanging, and like He told Daniel, the Lord is commanding His children to faithfully and obediently endure to the end until He brings them home for eternal rest.

Death or Dishonor

Words like obedience, consistency, dedication, and discipline describe a soldier of the cross. They are the natural response of a soul in love with the Lord. Why are these attributes so important for the disciple of Christ? Compare them to essential occupations that civilization relies upon. For example, a military solider without discipline is ineffective; a teacher without dedication is fruitless; a doctor without consistency is dangerous, and a Christian without obedience is worthless. Daniel possessed all four of these attributes and despite the efforts of the other Persian governors and satraps to discredit him, he was found without fault. 

You see Daniel, now in his eighties, was chosen to be one of three governors over the entire Persian Empire and most likely he was the only Jew in a leadership position. In fact, Daniel had so distinguished himself from  the other governors “because an excellent spirit was in him” that King Darius was considering “setting him over the entire kingdom” (Daniel 6:3). Have you ever envied another person for their accomplishments or success? Have you ever been angry because of a coworker’s recognition? This is what happened when the other leaders found out about Daniel’s potential promotion. They opposed Daniel for many reasons, but primarily they were concerned about losing money when Daniel became their boss. These other governors and satraps were dishonest, greedy, and they knew their financial schemes would come to an end if Daniel was promoted. 

So after they “could find no charge or fault” in Daniel they attacked him where it would hurt the most; they attacked his faith. Thus, after learning of the news that whoever prayed to another god other than the King of Persia would be thrown into the lion’s den, Daniel went “in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem…and prayed” (Daniel 6:10). 

Many years before Daniel was forced to chose between his Jewish diet and the Babylonian diet and now as an old man he would also have to chose and without hesitation Daniel demonstrated tremendous courage in the face of extreme consequences. Daniel chose God, the One true God, and he prayed. He didn’t seek to conceal his prayer toward Jerusalem, he obediently sought the Lord “three times a day on his knees.” Daniel knew what could happen, he knew disobedience meant being “thrown into a lions’ den,” yet he was unmoved. Daniel wasn’t thinking about rebellion, he was focused on obedience. Daniel was seeking to “obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). In short, Daniel was eventually thrown into the lions’ den, yet the Lord closed the mouths of the lions and Daniel was completely unharmed. 

Daniel chose death over dishonoring himself before Lord, Daniel was a man of courage and faith, he loved his Lord more than his own life, and ultimately Daniel only feared the Lord. 

Do you love the Lord enough to choose Him over your own life? 

Uncompromising Obedience

Temptation and pressure are always part of integrating into a new social environment or culture. It occurs when we join a new company, move to a new state or city, or perhaps even join the military. Whenever followers of Christ assimilate into a new culture they are faced with various kinds of temptations and pressures; pressures that make us choose. Since the days of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, God’s people have faced tremendous pressure to conform to the world and the people whom lived around them and since the beginning of time God has provided everything His people needed to know right from wrong. With Adam He defined his limits and instituted the first family, with Noah He established the institution of government, and with Abraham He promised to make him into a great nation. 

Imagine being a Jewish teenager whose entire family has been taken into captivity to a pagan nation. Imagine being an Israelite who is seeking to honor God amongst a people who don’t respect your beliefs or know anything about the One True God and His Law. This was the life of Daniel. Daniel loved the Lord and was determined to not defile himself within his new Babylonian culture. 

King Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had chosen Daniel from among other Jewish “youths” for a three year training program. Daniel was described as having no defect, good looking, and intelligent. As challenging as it would be to read the Babylonian literature and learn their language, Daniel was about to face an issue he could not compromise on; his Jewish diet prescribed by God's Law. The scripture reads “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank…” (Daniel 1:8). 

It’s important to understand that Daniel was a Jew and was strictly forbidden from eating foods and drinking wines that were dedicated to idols, but that is exactly what Nebuchadnezzar wanted Daniel and his buddies to do. It was now time for Daniel to choose, would he compromise his convictions or would he stand with God? His name Daniel meant “God is my judge,” so Daniel knew what was at stake if he compromised. It was an extreme honor to be chosen for the king’s training program which no doubt further intensified the pressure in his mind. Nonetheless, “Daniel purposed in his heart that he would no defile himself.”

It’s no different for the modern day soldier of the cross. Like Daniel the more you know about God and His Word, the more courageous and convicted you will be about not defiling yourself. Daniel was gracious towards the king’s officials, he wasn’t defiant nor did he start an argument. He proposed an alternative way, God’s way; and he and his friends would come out victorious.

How convicted are you about obeying God in the face of opposition, temptation, and defilement? Daniel “made up his mind that he would not defile himself”…wont you? 

Final Payment

The largest ransom ever paid to a kidnapper was $60 million in 1974, which is equivalent to $293 million in 2015. However, this pales in comparison to the ransom paid by Jesus. The ransom paid by Jesus is unlike any ransom the world has ever known. It’s a ransom rooted in love and it’s a ransom that is undeserved. It’s a ransom paid not just for one person or even two, but for “all.” While the ransoms we hear about in the news are motivated by money, the ransom paid by Jesus was motivated by love. Furthermore, the ransoms paid by parents or siblings of kidnap victims are almost always paid grudgingly, fearfully, and out of necessity, the ransom paid by Jesus was completely voluntary due to His willingness the save the world from its captivity to sin. 

Following his statement that Jesus was the Mediator between God and man, Paul states that Jesus “gave Himself as a ransom for all, to be a testimony in due time" (1 Timothy 2:6). This is miraculous news for the entire world. This verse begins with an incredible statement of sacrifice; that Jesus “gave Himself.” Translation, Jesus freely gave up His body as a sacrifice. He willingly humbled Himself to the point of death and suffered humiliation at the hands of the Roman government so  those who would come to believe in Him as their Savior could live forever. Jesus “gave Himself” up for those who loved Him and those who hated Him. For those who fed Him and those who spit on Him. He “gave Himself” up so His followers could live forever. That is love!

Jesus gave Himself “as a ransom for all.” This can be compared to Jesus’ own statement that He came to give His life “as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). This certainly doesn’t mean that Jesus will save everyone, however He will save those (many) who become His disciples through faith and repentance. But the key word here is “ransom.” To understand the word properly a person must think of a slave. A slave is always owned by someone and in spiritual terms, everyone is either owned by Jesus or by Satan. Unknowingly, most of the world is in slavery to Satan; while those who follow Christ are His slaves. Thus, when Jesus went to the cross He became a “ransom for all” by redeeming the souls of His past, present, and future believers. His blood payment was sufficient for the lives of all who come to Him as Lord. A payment that demanded blood, His divine blood.

Being completely innocent, Jesus “gave Himself” to free humanity from sin and deliver all who believe upon His finished work and resurrection from the eternal death we all deserve. His ransom has now become “a testimony in due time” for Paul and for every follower who has followed after him. The testimony of Jesus’ ransom humbles a believer to surrender all to Him and to call Him Lord. 

Are you being held in captivity to sin? If so, call upon the only one who can set you free, Jesus!

The Great Mediator

When two people have a disagreement there is often the need for a mediator. In our modern day we know a mediator as a go-between who seeks to resolve a conflict between two people or two parties. However, this is not how the apostle Paul refers to Jesus. In the Greek the word “Mediator” means a “trustworthy neutral.” Human beings are sinful by nature and the penalty for sin is eternal death (Romans 6:23), thus a Mediator is needed. The gospel tells us that a penalty had to be paid for our sins, so God sent His Son to the cross to satisfy this penalty. Since humanity could not pay this penalty Jesus served as Mediator between God and man. As the God-man, Jesus was the only one qualified to serve as Mediator. As both fully human and fully God, he was uniquely qualified to represent both humanity and God. 

Nearly two thousand years ago Jesus was nailed to a cross to permanently resolve (mediate) the issue of sin between God and man. Prior to that, humanity was spiritually separated from God and relied upon a High Priest and animal sacrifices to temporary atone for their sins. Access to God was restricted to a select few. So in order to accomplish His divine plan to redeem the world back from Satan’s grip God sent His Son to Mediate. 

Following Paul’s command Timothy to pray for “all men” he makes it clear that God “desires all men to be saved” (1 Timothy 2:4). Paul then follows this critical truth by stating “…there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). Only Jesus could ratify a new covenant with the Father. He stepped onto the earth as God in the flesh to mediate a peace treaty between God and sinful humanity. 

Finally, Paul identifies Jesus as “the Man Christ Jesus.” Paul does this to prove that Jesus was not just fully God but also fully human which was an essential qualification to enable Jesus to serve as Mediator with humanity. There is only one way to God and to heaven and its through Jesus (John 14:6). It’s not through Muhammad, it’s not through Buddha, and it’s not through good works. 

Mediation is complete, the new covenant is secured, peace has been obtained, eternal life is real, and God’s work to redeem man is finished. Jesus has granted humanity direct access to the throne of grace, the grace that has saved us. The only requirement is genuine belief in faith and repentance.

Jesus’ mediation work on earth is finished. Now He stands ready to intercede for all who believe in Him and have received their salvation through grace.

Will you allow Jesus to be your Mediator and Intercessor? 

Prayers, Petitions, and Thanksgivings

Genuine prayer is unbiased and without prejudice; it’s also deeply personal and very mysterious. Followers of Christ are commanded to pray for their enemies and their friends. They are commanded to pray for those they love being around and those they dislike being around. They are commanded to pray for those who love them and those who hate them. Genuine prayer is completely foreign to the way the world believes. The world curses those who do it wrong, genuine followers of Christ pray for those who do them wrong. Prayer will always be misunderstood by an unbelieving world. Why? Because only those who have an intimate connection with Jesus Christ have an understanding of God’s heart.

Paul writes the letter of 1 Timothy to provide Timothy instructions on how to confront and respond to the false teachers who had infiltrated the church in Ephesus. Thus, after making it clear that the church must return to doctrinal purity Paul wrote this about prayer, “…I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority…” (NASB) (1 Timothy 2:1, 2).

The first thing Paul commands Timothy to do is pray. There is a lot Timothy could do; he could confront the false teachers, he could preach, he could go door to door ensuring people were clear about the doctrine of Christ; nevertheless, Paul calls Timothy to pray first. In fact, Paul commands Timothy to pray in four different ways. First, he was to pray through “entreaties,” which means he was to present to God his needs with the hope of having them met. Second, he was to pray through “prayers,” which we know as the act of calling on God. Third, he was pray using “petitions,” which means he was to have informal and intimate conversations with God at all times, and fourth he was to pray with “thanksgivings,” which meant he was to express gratitude and appreciation in his prayers.

Finally, Paul commands that prayers “be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority.” “All men” means all men and “all men” means everyone. Followers of Christ are to pray for Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, atheists, democrats, republicans; essentially anyone they know who is without salvation. Paul’s intent was that believers are to be concerned with those who are on a path to eternal hell. The challenging part of this verse comes when he calls believers to pray “for kings and all who are in authority.” This is challenging because emotions are involved. This is not a suggestion, this is a command. Believers are commanded to pray for their bosses and anyone in authority, to include the President. Even when believers greatly dislike a President for his beliefs and decisions, and completely disagree with him, they are still commanded to pray for him; just like Paul prayed for the Roman Emperor Nero who was killing Christians when he wrote this letter to Timothy.

Is your heart prepared to pray for “all men?” Complaining won’t change things, but praying will change you and the situation.

Every Eye Will See

Everyone sees the world through a different lens, which is one of many reasons why we have so much conflict in this world. However, when Jesus returns to the earth “every eye will see Him.” There will be no doubt that Jesus’ is descending to the earth for His second coming. He will arrive back on earth with clouds of glory that will be unmistakable and undeniable. There will be no red carpet rolled out on top of the Mount of Olives and there will be no time to display gigantic welcome back banners, nonetheless, “every eye will see Him.”

But let’s back up for a moment. Envision Jesus seated at the right hand of the Father where He has been serving as Mediator, Intercessor, and High Priest while governing with absolute authority over the universe. Then God the Father tells Him its time, it’s time to return to earth. Jesus rises from His heavenly throne, puts on His mantle as Judge, His robe as the King of Kings, and descends through the clouds to the same city where He was crucified. The end has finally arrived. There will be no more opportunities for salvation or mercy, the only event left for this world will be judgment and hell.

With an introduction a King deserves, Paul introduces Jesus as “the One who is and who was and who is to come,” “the faithful witness,” “the first born of the dead,” and “the ruler of the kings of the earth” (Revelation 1:4, 5). The he writes “Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him…” (Revelation 1:7).

Jesus is coming back, that is a guarantee, and His return will be completely visible. Jesus will reveal Himself to an unbelieving world that is about to face final destruction and judgment. In fact it was the prophet Daniel who predicted that Jesus would come with the clouds (Daniel 7:13) and in this one moment every argument, doubt, or debate about Jesus being real will be put to an end. Those who are alive will stand in either jubilation or fear, depending on who their hearts and souls belong to.

Finally, “even those who pierced Him…” will see. But who are “those who pierced Him”? These are the Jews who were ultimately responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus. But you might say, these Jews died thousands of years ago, how will they see Him? Because scripture tells us so. The prophet Zechariah foretold that “the house of David” would pierce Him and they would mourn for Him as one mourns for an only son (Zechariah 12:10). Peter also referred to the Jews as the ones who “nailed Jesus to a cross” (Acts 2:23). The Jews living during Christ’s second coming will mourn and weep with genuine repentance for what their ancestors did to Jesus on the cross.

The reality is that our sinful nature is what pierced Jesus and nailed Him to the cross. While being completely undeserving God’s mysterious grace saves those who genuinely believe and repent.

Do you mourn over your sin? You should; it’s what draws you closer to Christ where inner peace and rest are found.