What to do with Bad News

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Daniel  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  25:53
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Daniel's second vision which terrifies him. Thank God, these troubles are only for a limited time.

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What to do with bad news

Have you ever seen the Passion of the Christ?
How did it effect you?
wait for responses
Pam and I saw it after it had been out a while and it was too graphic for me.
For some weeks, my heart was extremely tender and sensitive.
About that time, we lived here in Dallas and after dinner, Pam would spend the evening with her mom and I would hang out with computer games until Pam was free.
Often getting through war games.
But for several weeks, I couldn’t play those games, I was just too sensitive to the senseless killings.
In today’s chapter in the book of Daniel, chapter 8 Daniel has what?
[pause]
A vision. And it knocks the stuffing out of him.
For a time, he was just sick.
He can’t do his work.
You will want to pay attention to, what Daniel is sick about
how it effected him and
what he ended up doing.
Let’s begin with Daniel 8:1
Daniel 8:1 NIV
1 In the third year of King Belshazzar’s reign, I, Daniel, had a vision, after the one that had already appeared to me.
So we are back in the reign of Belshazzar, the last king of Babylon.
Let’s read on
Daniel 8:2 NIV
2 In my vision I saw myself in the citadel of Susa in the province of Elam; in the vision I was beside the Ulai Canal.
History is more interesting if you can picture the places being talked about.
Here is a map that show from the Holy land on the extreme left and Susa on the extreme right.
Here is just the distance between Babylon and Susa. They are about 225 miles apart.
So during the time Daniel served Belshazzar, the last Babylonian king, he was somewhere, quite possibly in the capital city of Babylon, but in his vision he was in the Citadel of Susa which was or someday would be, a seasonal capital for the Medes and the Persians.
And he sees this Ram, a big horned sheep that is un-beatable.
Daniel 8:3–4 NIV
3 I looked up, and there before me was a ram with two horns, standing beside the canal, and the horns were long. One of the horns was longer than the other but grew up later. 4 I watched the ram as it charged toward the west and the north and the south. No animal could stand against it, and none could rescue from its power. It did as it pleased and became great.
So the Ram knocks over, knocks out country after country in it’s path,
West
North
South
So this Ram is concurring much of the middle east, even Egypt and Greece are threatened.
and this Ram is pretty pleased with himself.
ESV versions says

He did as he pleased and became great

But he is not great for long
Daniel 8:5–7 NIV
5 As I was thinking about this, suddenly a goat with a prominent horn between its eyes came from the west, crossing the whole earth without touching the ground. 6 It came toward the two-horned ram I had seen standing beside the canal and charged at it in great rage. 7 I saw it attack the ram furiously, striking the ram and shattering its two horns. The ram was powerless to stand against it; the goat knocked it to the ground and trampled on it, and none could rescue the ram from its power.
So much for being king of the Hill.
Now this goat with a single horn between it’s eyes, maims and destroys the Ram.
This goat must have been really fast it says because in verse 5 it says

crossing the whole earth without touching the ground.

That’s an image of something very fast.
Does the goat
start thinking it’s pretty great,
just like the Ram did?
[pause]
Yes he does!
Verse 8 beings

8 The goat became very great

Now here comes a split up

but at the height of its power the large horn was broken off, and in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven.

Daniel 8:9 NIV
9 Out of one of them came another horn, which started small but grew in power to the south and to the east and toward the Beautiful Land.
So this animal in the west, heads
South, it threatens Egypt
East, it threatens the Tigris /Euphrates area
But what is the Beautiful land it threatens?
Jerusalem and the Holy Land.
Daniel 8:10–12 NIV
10 It grew until it reached the host of the heavens, and it threw some of the starry host down to the earth and trampled on them. 11 It set itself up to be as great as the commander of the army of the Lord; it took away the daily sacrifice from the Lord, and his sanctuary was thrown down. 12 Because of rebellion, the Lord’s people and the daily sacrifice were given over to it. It prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground.
Now we are getting into the time period of the Maccabean revolt after the Greeks set up a statue of Zeus in the temple and sacrifice a pig before it.
Two very offensive things for a the Jews.

How Long

Our viewing of Daniels vision, thru this narrative is interrupted two angels, Holy Ones discussing how long this was going to have to be endured.
This is the first sign of hope in this chapter.
God is only going to allow his people, his land etc. to be trouble for a set time.
When we get to the end, God makes a change.
Daniel 8:12–14 NIV
12 Because of rebellion, the Lord’s people and the daily sacrifice were given over to it. It prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground. 13 Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to him, “How long will it take for the vision to be fulfilled—the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation, the surrender of the sanctuary and the trampling underfoot of the Lord’s people?” 14 He said to me, “It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be reconsecrated.”
2300 Evening and morning sacrifices will be missed because of this intruder in the Beautiful Land.
That is about 6.3 years, longer if they are once a week or once a month etc.

The Interpretation of the Vision

Here comes the story commentary
Daniel 8:15–18 NIV
15 While I, Daniel, was watching the vision and trying to understand it, there before me stood one who looked like a man. 16 And I heard a man’s voice from the Ulai calling, “Gabriel, tell this man the meaning of the vision.” 17 As he came near the place where I was standing, I was terrified and fell prostrate. “Son of man,” he said to me, “understand that the vision concerns the time of the end.” 18 While he was speaking to me, I was in a deep sleep, with my face to the ground. Then he touched me and raised me to my feet.
Wow, Daniel was terrified.
Even when they are trying to help us, angels can be terrifying as happened to Daniel after seeing this vision and then the angel coming close.
Gabriel gets Daniel up, measures him and tells him the vision is about the time of the end.
Daniel 8:19–22 NIV
19 He said: “I am going to tell you what will happen later in the time of wrath, because the vision concerns the appointed time of the end. 20 The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia. 21 The shaggy goat is the king of Greece, and the large horn between its eyes is the first king. 22 The four horns that replaced the one that was broken off represent four kingdoms that will emerge from his nation but will not have the same power.
So the Ram represented the Media-Persia kingdom
The Goat represented Greece.
Alexander the great is assumed to be the unique and powerful horn and when he died
His four generals divided up the concurred world

The four winds—1. Antipater got Greece. 2. Asia was possessed by Antigonus. 3. Ptolemy got Egypt. 4. Seleucus had Babylon and Syria.

Daniel 8:23–25 NIV
23 “In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a fierce-looking king, a master of intrigue, will arise. 24 He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy those who are mighty, the holy people. 25 He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power.
So things will bet very bad before the end of all this trouble.
But remember
there is an end.
Listen to how bad this last guy is:
fierce looking
master of intrigue
very strong but it’s not his own power (that’s a concern)
causes astounding devastation (I bet people thought this was Hitler during WWII.)
very successful
destroys the mighty, that is the Holy People
causes deceit to prosper
consider himself superior (In our folks day, this could sound a lot like Hitler)
destroys the falsely secure
stands against the Prince of Princes, that is Jesus Christ our Lord
Now take note of the ending to verse 25

Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power

Some of the end times prophecies in seem to clearly describe events in their future and in our past.
But then there are things in them that appear to also apply to
THE FINAL END TIMES.
Many old prophecies such as Hosea 11:1 for example have two meanings.
Hosea 11:1 NIV
1 “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.
Hosea was talking about God’s relationship with the nation of Isreal in the Old Testament, and in the Exodus, yet in Matthew 2:15 this
Verse is used as a prophecy about Jesus
Matthew 2:13–15 NIV
13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” 14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
So many things in these End Times prophecies, seem to clearly be past history to us and yet not totally fulfilled.
Referring back to verse 25,
Who is great and terrible leader who was removed but not by human power?
Daniel 8:25 NIV
25 He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power.
And then the vision is over, the angel tells Daniel it is true but seal it up.
Daniel 8:26 NIV
26 “The vision of the evenings and mornings that has been given you is true, but seal up the vision, for it concerns the distant future.”
So what did Daniel do with all this bad news he was given about the future?
Daniel 8:27 NIV
27 I, Daniel, was worn out. I lay exhausted for several days. Then I got up and went about the king’s business. I was appalled by the vision; it was beyond understanding.
Wow, this vision appalled Daniel.
I wounder just how graphic the vision was.
Daniel lay exhausted for several days.
Was it like watching, The Passion of the Christ 10 x in a row.
In the next chapter, we will get into Daniel realizing it was about 70 years, about time for the Jews to return and rebuild Jerusalem and the temple.
Here he has just seen, that will all be wrecked and messed up again.
That was a lot to take in.
The Jews are going to have many more bad years.
Prophecy was often God giving commands.
But at times, Prophets were doing exactly what we think they always do
telling the future.
In fact, the test of a true prophet is if his words come true.
Deuteronomy 18:20–22 NIV
20 But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, is to be put to death.” 21 You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?” 22 If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed.
If you are a believer, then the book of Daniel is full of prophecy so specific at times it’s startling.
If you are still a doubter, then you may assume the book was written after these historical events.
Our souvenir God predicted the rise of Medo-Persian Empire
He predicted the rise of Greece
with an astounding fighter like Alexander the great
the division of his empire into 4 kingdoms and the rise of Greece again.
After being exhausted by this vision, Daniel overcame it and went on with his work,
serving the king.
In our own lives,
God may allow a season of
torment and calamity.
We may cry out to Him,
How long oh Lord
but know this.
Whatever your suffering in this life, it has an end date
So
Seek help
patiently endure
Look forward to that end date
And do the kings work in the mean time.

What is the kings work?

I’m glad you asked.
You can be an ambassador for Christ
2 Corinthians 5:20 NIV
20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
You can
Micah 6:8 NIV
8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
you can be a disciple maker.
Matthew 28:18–20 NASB95
18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Those would all be great things to do,
when life knocks your socks off,
and you are just exhausted for a while.
Remember these things
this won’t last forever
God can get me through this
I’ve got work to do.
Let’s Pray.
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