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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Thursday, 26 October 2023:
Daniel 11:2 – And when he has become strong through his riches, he shall stir up all against the kingdom of Greece.
Some of Daniel’s prophecies have already occurred, so accurately described by Daniel that many sceptics have tried to suggest that Daniel was written after the events – it wasn’t. Daniel 11:2 speaks of Xerxes, the Persian king who invaded Greece and reigned from 485-464 B.C.
Daniel 11:3, 4 – Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion and do as he wills. And as soon as he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not to his posterity, nor according to the authority with which he ruled, for his kingdom shall be plucked up and go to others besides these.
These verses are believed to prophecy about Alexander the Great. Below is an amazing account by Josephus of Alexander the Great’s actual entry into Jerusalem and the temple:
“Now Alexander, when he had taken Gaza, made haste to go up to Jerusalem; and Jaddua the high-priest, when he heard that, was in agony, and under terror, as not knowing how he should meet the Macedonians, since the king was displeased at his foregoing disobedience. He therefore ordained that the people should make supplications, and should join with him in offering sacrifices to God, whom he besought to protect that nation, and to deliver them from the perils that were coming upon them; whereupon God warned him in a dream, which came upon him after he had offered sacrifice, that he should take courage, adorn the city, and open the gates; that the rest appear in white garments, but that he and the priests should meet the king in habits proper to their order, without the dread of any ill consequences, which the providence of God would prevent. Upon which, when he rose from his sleep, he greatly rejoiced; and declared to all the warning he had received from God. According to the dream he acted entirely, and so waited for the coming of the king. And when he understood that he was not far from the city, he went out in procession, with the priests and the multitude of the citizens. The procession was venerable, and the manner of it different from that of other nations. It reached to a place called Sapha; which name, translated in Greek, signifies a prospect, for you have thence a prospect both of Jerusalem and of the temple; and when the Phoenicians and the Chaldeans that followed him, thought they should have liberty to plunder the city, and torment the high-priest to death, which the king’s displeasure fairly promised them, the very reverse of it happened; for Alexander, when he saw the multitude at a distance, in white garments, while the priests stood clothed with fine linen, and the high-priest in purple and scarlet clothing, with his mitre on his head having the golden plate on which the name of God was engraved, he approached by himself, and adored that name, and first saluted the high-priest. The Jews also did all together, with one voice, salute Alexander, and encompass him about: whereupon the kings of Syria and the rest were surprised at what Alexander had done, and supposed him to be disordered in his mind. However, Parmenio [Alexander’s second-in-command] alone went up to him, and asked him how it came to pass, that when all others adored him, he should adore the high-priest of the Jews? To whom he replied, “I did not adore him, but that God who has honored him with that high-priesthood; for I saw this very person in a dream, in this very habit, when I was at Dios, in Macedonia, who, when I was considering with myself how I might obtain the dominion of Asia, exhorted me to make no delay, but boldly to pass over the sea thither, for that he would conduct my army, and would give me dominion over the Persians; whence it is, that having seen no other in that habit, and now seeing this person in it, and remembering my vision and the exhortation which I had in my dream, I believe that I bring this army under divine conduct, and shall therewith conquer Darius, and destroy the power of the Persians, and that all things will succeed according to what is in my own mind.” And when he had said this to Parmenio, and had given the high-priest his right hand, the priests ran along by him, and he came into the city; and when he went up into the temple, he offered sacrifice to God, according to the high-priest’s direction, and magnificently treated both the high-priest and the priests. And when the book of Daniel was showed him, wherein Daniel declared that one of the Greeks should destroy the empire of the Persians, he supposed that himself was the person intended; and as he was then glad, he dismissed the multitude for the present, but the next day he called them to him, and bade them ask what favors they pleased of him: whereupon the high-priest desired that they might enjoy the laws of their forefathers, and might pay no tribute on the seventh year. He granted all they desired: and when they entreated him that he would permit the Jews in Babylon and Media to enjoy their own laws also, he willingly promised to do hereafter what they desired: and when he said to the multitude, that if any of them would enlist themselves in his army on this condition, that they should continue under the laws of their forefathers, and live according to them, he was willing to take them with him, many were ready to accompany him in his wars.” (Antiquities 11.8.4-5)
Daniel 11:5 – Then the king of the south shall be strong, but one of his princes shall be stronger than he and shall rule, and his authority shall be a great authority.
Ptolemy I of Egypt exerted his control over the Holy Land. Soon after the division of Alexander’s Empire, the Ptolemies dominated this region. Ptolemy I had a prince named Seleucus, who rose to power and took dominion over the region of Syria. He became more powerful than his former Egyptian ruler. The Seleucids are identified with the Kings of the North, and the Ptolemies were the Kings of the South. The dynasties of the Seleucids and the Ptolemies fought for some 130 years. The stronger of the two always held dominion over the Holy Land.
Daniel 11:6 – After some years they shall make an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement. But she shall not retain the strength of her arm, and he and his arm shall not endure, but she shall be given up, and her attendants, he who fathered her, and he who supported her in those times.
Antiochus II (of the Seleucids) married Berenice (daughter of Ptolemy II). There was peace for a time because of this marriage, but it was upset when Ptolemy II died. Once Ptolemy II died, Antiochus II put away Berenice and took back his former wife, Laodice. Laodice didn’t trust her husband Antiochus II; so she had him poisoned. After the murder of Antiochus II, Laodice had Berenice, her attendants, and an infant son of Antiochus II and Berenice killed. After this reign of terror, Laodice set her son (Selecus II) on the throne of the Syrian dominion.
Daniel 11:30-32 – For ships of Kittim shall come against him, and he shall be afraid and withdraw, and shall turn back and be enraged and take action against the holy covenant. He shall turn back and pay attention to those who forsake the holy covenant. Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate. He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.
Ungodly kingdoms will inevitably find themselves opposed to the worship of God as His commands will oppose the sinfulness of their ways. A natural next-step is to seek to eliminate worship of God.
Daniel 11:32 – He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.
Knowing about God won’t be enough to keep people from being led astray by the seduction of the world; you must truly know God and live Him with all your heart. Those who truly know God will not partner with the world in violation of God’s commands.
Daniel 11:33-35 – The wise among the people shall make many understand, though for some days they shall stumble by sword and flame, by captivity and plunder. When they stumble, they shall receive a little help. And many shall join themselves to them with flattery, and some of the wise shall stumble, so that they may be refined, purified, and made white, until the time of the end, for it still awaits the appointed time.
Many will resist the world for a time but will succumb to the pressure that comes from both pain and pleasure. Those who remain faithful until the end will reign with Christ in the new Kingdom of God on earth.
Daniel 11:36 – And the king shall do as he wills. He shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods. He shall prosper till the indignation is accomplished; for what is decreed shall be done.
Daniel transitions to End Times.
For an explanation of the remainder of the prophetic verses in Daniel 11, go to https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/guzik_david/studyguide_dan/dan_11.cfm
1 John 5:3 — For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Today, John adds that if you love God, you will keep His commandments, and it won’t be burdensome to do so. Why? Because it isn’t burdensome to do what you truly desire in your heart to do. Love is the ultimate motivator. Are you truly passionate and joyful about obeying all Jesus commanded, such as loving your enemies, giving abundantly, forgiving, proclaiming the Gospel, etc? Or do you find it burdensome? What motivates you to obey God when you do, and how does it feel?
A heartless captor and executioner or a loving father? Some are motivated to obey God out of fear, but fear is a tremendous burden which robs a person of their joy, stifles the person’s growth, and robs that person of a healthy relationship with God – relationships are built on trust, not fear. But the Bible is full of many verses which speak to the importance of “fearing” the Lord – “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!” (Psalm 111:10) However, yesterday we read in 1 John 4:18: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” So, apparently, we are to fear and not fear – how do we resolve this apparent contradiction?
Luther described too different types of fear, one bad and one good: A bad fear is when God is viewed as an unloving, malicious, malevolent actor who merely seeks to torment and punish his captives or slaves. In contrast, Luther described a healthy fear, a tremendous respect and love, that a child has for a loving father, a love which ‘fears’ offending the father who is so deeply respected and appreciated, but a love which never fears that the father’s love is in jeopardy or dependent upon the son’s perfect behavior. Reflecting back on 1 John 4, our fear of the Lord is awe and amazement of His grace which inspires us to obey Him out of love, not fear of punishment. It is the love of the Father which enables us to love and motivates us to love as He loves – as beloved, loving children, we want to grow up to be just like Daddy. In God’s love, obeying isn’t burdensome.
– 1 John 4:7-21 — Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
Some are motivated to obey God in hopes of gaining approval or blessings. This too is arduous toil which inevitably wanes as it fails to achieve the intended results. And reward-based obedience is self-centered, superficial and artificial, not the foundation a close relationship. Still others will be motivated to obey God from a sense of duty. Once again, duty is a burden, a response to what is required rather than desired, performance more than passion. Duty is powerful and often honorable but still falls short of love – Would you be more excited about someone giving you a gift because she knew she should or because she genuinely wanted to give it to you? Would you be able to tell the difference between an act of duty and an act of desire?
“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” (1 John 5) “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24) All of us recognize our obedience often remains burdensome, a struggle. We have mixed, imperfect motives because we are still growing in our love as we grow in our faith. How do we grow in love? We abide in God’s love — “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19) Obey God and pray that He will increasingly strengthen your desire to obey and your joy in obedience, and joy in the abiding.
– 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 — For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. “Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 26 October 2023: Today, consider the motives behind your obedience, and pray that God will help you obey in love.
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 