Weekly Bible Study – June 8, 2015

The Prophecy of Daniel 9.
You and I can experience the silence of God.

PLEASE READ FIRST

Scripture References, Word & Phrase descriptions: If available on the website you're viewing this on, a few links (i.e., those without an already written scripture quote or brief explanation) are hover pop-up active, meaning the scripture reference will just pop-up if you hover your cursor over it (don’t click on the link, just hover your cursor over it), they work best using the Firefox browser – pop-ups in Internet Explorer, Chrome & other browsers only appear for a few seconds at best. If you don’t have Firefox (or hover pop-ups aren’t available on the website you’re viewing this on), that’s OK, move your cursor off and on the link until it is read; or left click the link which will open the verse at the online bible; or you can always use your Bible to look up the verses.

Prepare yourself for learning the Word of God!

Before we begin, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is; you have believed [trusted] in Him for His promised gift of eternal life), it is important to prepare yourself to learn God's Word so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge (confess) your sins privately to God (i.e.; with your thoughts directed only to God the Father).

1 John 1:9 says: "If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (known sins) and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [unknown or forgotten sins]." NKJV (New King James Version) [italics added]

If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins; the issue for you is to have faith alone in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life:

John 6:47 says: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." NKJV [italics added]

Notice again what Jesus said in John 6:47: "…he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." It doesn't say, "will have"; it says, "has." Therefore, the very moment you believe in Jesus Christ for His promise of everlasting life, you have it (it's really just that simple; nothing more and nothing less), and it can never be taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift (Ephesians 2:8c) of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.

John 3:14-18 says: "¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. ¹⁸ He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." NKJV

Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for worship and learning God's Word. If there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:

Study to show yourself approved to God!

Grace Bible Church
Robert R. McLaughlin Bible Ministries

The Tree of Life is a weekly teaching summary:
God’s Word is Wednesday, Friday and Sunday mornings

STUDY TITLE:

The Prophecy of Daniel 9.
You and I can experience the silence of God.



OPTION: If you would prefer to go directly to the Grace Bible Church website to read this study message, all verse reference links are active there (but not hover active) and Enlarged Text is also an available option – right click the above link then left click “Open Link in New Window” or “New Tab”

Terms & Abbreviations used:

PPOG = Predesigned Plan of God
Human Good = Evil + Good Deeds while not in fellowship with God
OSN = Old Sin Nature
TLJC = The Lord Jesus Christ
SSE = Spiritual Self Esteem
PVTD = Positive Volition Towards Doctrine
+H - The Happiness of God
NVTD = Negative Volition Towards Doctrine
Doctrine = Bible Truth

To look up other “terms”, go to:

Alphabetical Listing

BEGIN BIBLE STUDY
Unless otherwise noted, all scripture quotes and references
are from the NASB – New American Standard Bible

The Prophecy of Daniel 9.
You and I can experience the silence of God.

We are noting the fifth prophecy in DAN 9:24 found in the phrase “to seal up vision and prophecy,”

In DAN 9:24, the prophet Daniel tells us what the Lord revealed to him through an angelic messenger when he writes what this angelic messenger said, “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy place.”

The key to understanding this fifth prophecy is noting the Hebrew verb translated “to seal up” which is chatham which literally means to us in our day and age “to bring to a closure about something,” or to close something up by revealing what it really means, or to put one’s stamp of approval on something or someone. And so Daniel is actually saying to his readers that when the Lord comes back He will bring all the dreams, visions, and prophecies which were given to Daniel, to a closure.

As we have seen, Daniel received some visions, dreams, and prophecies as well as “Words from God” concerning things that will happen in the immediate future and things that will happen in the distant future. So Daniel understood that but he didn’t know WHEN these things would happen. Daniel knew principles and passages like JER 29:13, “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” Daniel knew the principle found in passages like HEB 11:6, Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek for Him.

Daniel knew passages like PSA 91:15, “He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him, and honor him.” He knew about ISA 55:6-8, Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near. Therefore, Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the Lord, And He will have compassion on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Neither are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.”

In other words, Daniel could record the vision and dreams accurately, but he did not understand what they all really meant. Just like there are times that you and I can understand the word of God when it is taught but not understand the reason why certain things are about to happen.

So, this fifth prophecy that our Lord will fulfill means that when He comes back the Second time, He will unveil all the visions and prophecies that Daniel was told would be sealed up and hidden until the appropriate time comes called the end times. But that’s not what I truly believe is the importance of the prophecy given in Dan 9:24. For I believe ROM 15:4, For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have confidence. I believe 2PE 1:20-21, But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

So I believe that what Daniel wrote not only meant a lot to a certain group of people but it also had a message to all of us who are living even today. I believe that God still speaks to us personally today as He has done through-out human history. As we read in HEB 11:4, By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.

So, what is one of the lessons that Daniel is teaching us today? I believe it has to do with the lessons about the silence of God. Even the Lord jesus Christ, in His humanity doesn’t know when certain prophecies will take place.

MAT 24:35-36, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.”
Daniel saw the visions and the dreams and heard the prophecies concerning the future of the world but he didn’t know WHEN some of them would happen. Daniel was used to having wisdom and especially knowing what the will of God was. But in Daniel 8 and 9, Daniel was actually being taught something a lot of us have problems with, which is how to function under the timing of God. Or how to wait upon the Lord. Many times to wait upon the Lord can be very INTERESTING and frustrating! Because, let’s face it, most of us want things NOW!

What Daniel was being taught, and one of the things I believe he wanted his readers to understand is that waiting upon the Lord requires getting use to the silence of God. In fact, remember, one of the manifestations of the fruit of the Spirit is called patience, in GAL 5:22, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience. Waiting upon God and having patience and trust in who and what He says demands us to have faith in who He is and what He does. That’s why HEB 11:6 says, And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. And sometimes that means getting use to the timing of God and the Silence of God.

My point is that when the Lord comes back He going to bring all the visions and the prophecies that have been hidden--to the light and make them all known as He places His seal, or His eternal guarantee upon all of them by revealing what they all mean. As Daniel said in DAN 12:4 in the last days, knowledge shall increase.

So, as many of you know now, many of these visions and prophecies have been hidden but someday will become made known. For even though Daniel was a mature believer, for at least 400 years afterward, God did not speak to anyone else, all the way to the book of Malachi, God was silent! Many times God has been silent throughout human history as He was with Job because of the angelic conflict and the historical trial of Satan and all of the fallen angels.

In the book of Job Satan had actually been cross-examining Job and while he is doing so, God was completely silent....which means that He does not interrupt the cross examination of Satan on God’s people. It is a part of what we call evidence testing, one of the highest forms of testing a believer is to have the privilege of being entered into the courtroom trial of the historical phase of the angelic conflict in order to glorify God. And we noted, in the book of Job, the opinion of the Divine Judge, as Job passed the test magnificently; Satan had been silenced by the spiritual life of Job. My friends there is no greater form of worshipping God then silencing Satan.

JOH 4:23-24, “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Job was one of the greatest witnesses for the prosecution in all of the Old Testament. Along with Noah and Daniel, Job is one of the greatest all time believers who passed evidence testing. In fact, the prophet Ezekiel identified three men as one of the greatest believers of all time.

EZE 14:13-14, “Son of man, if a country sins against Me by committing unfaithfulness, and I stretch out My hand against it, destroy its supply of bread, send famine against it, and cut off from it both man and beast, even though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job were in its midst, by their own righteousness they could only deliver themselves, declares the Lord God.”

This means that God is declaring Noah, Daniel and Job as mature winner believers. Now, when Job was being tested by Satan, God would not say anything for the moment because Satan must be permitted to cross examine Job in the historical trial of the angelic conflict without interference from God. This is the silence of God where God cannot speak during the cross examination by Satan. Satan says things to Job like JOB 1:12…If God loves you so much Job why did He give me, Satan, permission to kill your children? Or, if God is so merciful and loving, why did He allow me to take away all your friends, your wealth, and even your health. And yet, remember that Satan would leave the bitter wife of Job alone. Then the biggest accusation that Satan has been making throughout human history is this: If the God you follow is suppose to be a God of love, how can a loving God cast His creatures into a lake of fire and brimstone? And of course the answer to this question is simply found in passages like HAB 1:13, where God cannot even look upon sin, and the fact that God is just and righteous, DEU 32:4, “The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He.”

The rules in the angelic conflict have already been given and Satan has to follow the rules or be thrown into Hades and therefore he is not taking Job’s life but he can do anything else he desires. Under the doctrine of the silence of God, God must remain silent and Job must handle his own problems on his own with the doctrine resident in his own soul. That is if Job truly desires to glorify God in the midst of the angelic conflict. In other words, it wasn’t time for the Lord to reveal His stamp of approval or His seal on Job’s life, at this time.

All undeserved suffering or suffering for blessing requires you to use the inventory of your very own doctrine that you have learned, the doctrine resident in your soul. Not someone else’s counsel! You must do it on your own from the resources of doctrine in your own soul. However, right now Job is having a little trouble with the silence of God. He knows that he did nothing wrong to deserve this suffering. For as the Lord said to Satan concerning Job in JOB 1:6-7, there was a day when the sons of God [angels] came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. Satan, who was the Designated Accuser, came along with them. And the Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.”

GOD singled out Satan and said, “What have you been up to?” Satan answered GOD, “Going here and there, checking things out on earth.”

JOB 1:8, And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.”

GOD said to Satan, “Have you noticed my friend Job? There’s no one quite like him he is honest and true to his word, totally devoted to God and he also despises evil.”

JOB 1:9-10, Then Satan answered the Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing? “Hast Thou not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.”

Satan said “Do do you think Job does all that out of the sheer goodness of his heart?

“Why, no one ever had it so good! You pamper him like a pet. You make sure nothing bad ever happens to him or his family or his possessions, plus you bless everything he does he can’t lose!”

So in JOB 1:11-12, Satan says, “But put forth Thy hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse Thee to Thy face.” Then the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him.” So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord.

Notice that the Lord bragged about Job. Then notice in verse 13, sometime later, while Job’s children were having one of their parties at the home of the oldest son. JOB 1:13-10, Now it happened on the day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys grazing in the field next to us, then the Sabeans attacked. They stole the animals and killed the field hands. The servant said, I’m the only one to get out alive and tell you what happened.” While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” While he was still talking, another messenger arrived and said, “Chaldeans coming from three directions raided the camels and massacred the camel drivers. I’m the only one to get out alive and tell you what happened.” While he was still talking, another messenger arrived and said, “Your children were having a party at the home of the oldest brother when a tornado swept in off the desert and struck the house.”

JOB 1:22, Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.

After Satan did all that he was allowed to do we read again in JOB 2:1-11, Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. And the Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “From roaming about on the earth, and walking around on it.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil. And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to ruin him without cause.” And Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. “However, put forth Thy hand, now, and touch his bone and his flesh; he will curse Thee to Thy face.” So the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And he took a potsherd to scrape himself while he was sitting among the ashes. Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!” But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips. Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, they came each one from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite; and they made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and comfort him.

And that is the last things his friends really did was to try and sympathize and comfort Job. Think about this now and what Job had gone through and God was silent. In JOB 2:3, GOD said to Satan, “Have you noticed my friend Job? There’s no one quite like him, is there honest and true to his word, totally devoted to God and hating evil? And he still has a firm grip on his integrity! You tried to trick Me into destroying him, but it didn’t work.” And in verse 4, Satan literally said, “A human would do anything to save his life but what do you think would happen if you reached down and took away his health? He’d curse you to your face, that’s what.” And GOD said, “All right. Go ahead you can do what you like with him but you can’t kill him, if you do, God said in effect “I’ll kill you”! And so as JOB 2:7 says Satan left GOD and struck Job with terrible sores.

Job was ulcers and scabs from head to foot. Then, added to that His wife said, “Are you still holding on to your precious integrity, are you? Curse God and be done with it!” He told her, “You’re talking like an empty headed fool. We take the good days from God why not also the bad days?” Not once through all this did Job sin. He said nothing against God. This was Job not only experiencing all kinds of human suffering but also the silence of God.

Well, Daniel actually went through something similar when he received all those visions and prophecies and God was silent as far as revealing to him what many of them meant. Again - the silence of God.

The following link is to a good news message describing how one can receive eternal life:
Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.