Don't Try to Dismantle the Monuments

I think that if the typical western evangelical had lived in the time of Nebuchadnezzar we would have tried to dismantle the monument. We would have phoned the talk shows, written letters to the editors, written to our politicians and taken around a petition. But that is not what Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did. They just continued to live their lives in a way to honour their God.
Just recently Christians in Texas decided that they didn't like the atheistic sign on the side of the buses so they petitioned city council to have them removed. They won and they lost their own right to advertise. When we dismantle the monuments we may win the battle but really we lose much more.

Why can't you be tolerant?

Nebuchadnezzar had made a statue and he wanted everyone to bow down to it. Many people have felt that this was a statue of him but the Scripture doesn't say that. All it was was a statue and he wanted everyone to worship it. Now in saying that he didn't say they couldn't worship their gods but in a pluralistic society they must not worship their own gods exclusively because if they did then that would lead to intolerance. When the three Hebrews refused to bow down to the image he became furious and had them thrown into a furnace of fire.
The irony of all this is that it was Nebuchadnezzar who was being intolerant. In his desire to have peace and harmony in his kingdom he couldn't allow someone to claim to have an exclusive view of absolute truth. He said, "Don't convert people to your God" but he was trying to convert people to his view of religion. Who was really intolerant?

Post-millenial

When you read Daniel 2 it is easy to see why some people become postmillenial. The kingdom of God seems to start small but it grows until it fills the whole earth. Now if you only had the view of Daniel it would be easy to see that this is the proper interpretation. However, we do not live in the time of Daniel. We see two comings of the Rock rather than one. When Christ came the first time He put in place the Kingdom but the kingdom will not be realized until the final coming of Christ. We need to know that today the kingdom is a redemptive kingdom. Second we need to know that the kingdom is here and yet the kingdom is not complete and won't be until Christ returns. Finally, it is important that we can only enter the kingdom by our response to the king. That is why I am not postmillenial

After This

When Daniel was interpreting the dream to Nebuchadnezzar he told him that he was the head of gold but "after this" there would be another kingdom and "after this" another, then another. There would always be an "after this".
An athlete may feel that he or she is the greatest but records always seem to get broken, there always seems to be an "after this". Kingdoms may come to power but there is an "after this".
But one day there will be no "after this". The Rock which was cut out without human hands, the kingdom that was not man's kingdom, crushed the others and grew until it filled the whole earth. The kingdom of God does not appear to be a major force today but it will one day and then there will be no more "after this",

99 turns 50

Why should I write about Gretzky on a blog about Daniel? Well last night I saw an interview with Wayne Gretzky and what I saw was an extremely talented man who was very humble. It was not just a false humility but a humility that allowed him to thank those who helped him achieve all he did.
There is a great contrast between Arioch and Daniel in Daniel 2. When Daniel informed Arioch that he could tell Nebuchadnezzar his dream Arioch quickly told the king that he had found a man that could do what the king asked. He was quick to take the credit. Daniel on the other hand told the king that he could not do it except that the God of heaven and given him the dream and the interpretation. How often we are quick to take the credit and we forget that all good gifts come from our God.

How many Kingdoms?

The last time I taught Daniel I had charts like the one here. We discussed the kingdoms, was it four, five, or more. Now I see it as two kingdoms. The kingdom of the world or the kingdom of God. Now the kingdom of the world may come as gold, silver, bronze, iron but they are nothing but inorganic material. There is a lot of glitter and bling but that is all. When everything is stripped away it is only a statue. However the kingdom of God is different. It appears as a rock but not an inorganic rock but a living rock that grows until it fills the whole world. It may not appear to have all the glitz of the world's kingdoms but it is alive and will last for ever.

Why do Christians get cancer

Five years ago I had a cancer operation and since then I have been cancer free. Some people believe that all Christians should be healed and if the aren't it is because they don't believe. Others don't believe healings are for today. I think they are both wrong. Christians do get cancer. Some are healed some aren't. I think many times Christians get cancer so they can Show the world what happens when a Christian gets cancer. The Christian does not lose hope even if they have cancer and are not healed. God can use cancer for His glory.
Daniel faced certain death and he could have questioned Why God had delivered him regarding the food only to have this happen to him. God had a bigger plan. Daniel could show Nebuchadnezzar and the other wise men how he could face a crisis and still have hope in God.

Dreams

Are our dreams from God? Should a Christian expect God to speak to him/her through dreams? Should we be looking for interpretations of our dreams?
Some people would say yes while others would say no. I am of the opinion that the answer should be no. First, I know that God can and has spoken through dreams but does that mean He does it all the time or just in unique situations?
For some reasons Muslims are given to dreams and many times they claim that Jesus spoke to them through their dream. However, I have also heard of Christians who claimed that Mohammad spoke to them in their dreams. Do you think God is allowing Mohammad to draw Christians to Islam through dreams? I don't think so.
So what should we do about dreams? God has given us His scriptures. He will not contradict His word. Why should we expect revelation apart from His word?
Don't be led by your dreams. Be led by Scripture.
Daniel's day was different from our day in that Scripture was not complete. Many of Daniel's dreams were clearly scripture but I know that nobody today can make that claim.

Life in Interesting Times

There is an old Chinese proverb which says, "May you live in interesting times." Daniel certainly lived in interesting times. But it always seems to be interesting times. I went to university in the sixties and that was interesting times. Today we have suicide bombers and terrorists and this is interesting times. Charles Dickens wrote, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."
For the church of Jesus Christ it is always interesting times.
Daniel found his time in the Babylonian court to be interesting times. The king had a dream and couldn't remember it but expected that his wise men would be able to tell him the dream and the interpretation. If not, let them be hacked to pieces. It was an interesting time. Daniel found his faith in God challenged and we today find our faith in God challenged. It is interesting times.
Though the times may be interesting God is faithful. Daniel did not look at the circumstances and despaired but rather he looked to his God and found hope in interesting times.

Being like Daniel shouldn't be our goal

Wait a moment. Isn't Daniel one of the most respected men of Scripture? Wouldn't it be noble to be like him? Absolutely but if that is our goal then we are likely to fail and become discouraged. More I study Daniel the more I realize that I am not like Daniel.
There is good news though. It is the gospel. God is not just faithful to those who are faithful to Him like Daniel. If God was only faithful to those people that wouldn't be good news. God is faithful even when we are not faithful. It is not about us trying to be like Daniel but knowing that the God who was faithful to Daniel is the God who will be faithful to us.
Scripture tells us to fix our eyes on Jesus not to try and be like Daniel. Daniel without the Gospel would be just another man and that is all we will be without the Gospel. When you read Daniel you should just not say what an incredible man but what an incredible God who could take an ordinary man and make him a Daniel. That is the work of the Gospel

It's a God thing

There are some popular sayings that bother me. One of those is "it's a God thing." Well of course it is, it is His world isn't it? People who use the phrase are usually referring to what is one of God's little miracles where He remains anonymous, you know what we often call coincidences.
Do you think that when Daniel woke up one morning in Jerusalem and the Babylonian army was marching down the street he said to his friends, "It's a God thing."? Well it was. Daniel 1 tells us that it was a God thing, God delivered them into the hands of the Babylonians. So when we say that it is a God thing to we mean only if it appears good for us? God can use those things, and often does, that don't seem apparently good for our own good, and that is a God thing.

Rocky

I taught high school and every year when I got my new class lists I would go over the list checking the names for students I knew or had heard about and making sure I could pronounce their names. Grade 9 classes were a new challenge as most of them were new to the school and didn't want to be centred out.
One student that caught my eye was called Rocky with a strong Italian last name. I was sure I was going to meet up with a tough grade nine boy. When I called his name on the first day a small short sighted boy in the front row answered. He was Rocky. I learned that day not to judge a person by their name. Especially in our culture.
However that wasn't true in Daniel's day. His name and the names of his friends all reflected their faith in God but the new names that they were given reflected Babylonian gods. I am sure that during their time together they used their Hebrew names and not their Babylonian ones. Daniel it seems to have maintained his Hebrew name in spite of the Babylonian influence.

God loves to deliver His people

You cannot help but notice in Daniel that God loves to deliver His people. I know that Daniel and his friends stayed true to their faith even if it cost them their lives. I know that we are to say that God will ultimately deliver His people because of the cross. However, you cannot deny that God delivers His people my a number of unusual means.
First He delivered them by giving them favour with the King's official. He did not have to honour their request but he did and it was God who moved his heart.
However God also delivered His people by miraculous means. He kept them from death in the fire and the lions' den.
You might say that was in the Old Testament days. Remember how He delivered Peter from jail not once but twice. Remember that He delivered Paul from his enemies.
People in North Korea can also testify that God delivers His people. Likewise in communist countries and Muslim countries today. A Cuban pastor got arrested and he came to trial with a large rock. When they asked him what that was for he told them that if they shut him out then the rock would cry out. They thought he was crazy so he was let go.
Interestingly, it is those of us who believe in the sovereign power of God to deliver are most likely the ones who don't expect Him to do it.

Thank you Art

I have said a great deal about education in the last few blog entries but I have to add my thanks to one teacher who taught in a Christian school. I will call him Art as that was his first name. He taught our daughter biology but he taught it from a Biblical world view perspective. A few years later our daughter is taking her degree in nursing. Nursing has a non=Biblical world view but in spite of the influence of her professors she kept coming back to what we had taught her and what Art had taught her in her Biology class. So my word to Christian teachers, make sure you teach your subject from a Biblical world view.

A Moral Issue

It was the early 1990's and the new Ontario government wanted to make changes to the education system. The proposed changes for grades 7, 8 and 9 would mean that the students would not be under pressure to perform but rather just enjoy learning. One of my fellow mathematics teachers said that taking away the student's chance of failing was a moral issue. When asked why he told us that there was no accountability in the new education system.
Daniel and his friends understood what it meant to be accountable. When they refused the king's food it could very well mean the end of their career in the government but more than that it could mean the end of their lives. They knew that they were accountable to the Almighty God for their choices.

The Queen's Shilling

There is a saying in England that is taking the Queen's shilling. It means that you are receiving payment for service to your country. When a member of parliament works against the government he should not be taking the Queen's shilling. How can you be dependent upon the Queen for your livelihood and work against her at the same time?
Daniel understood this principle. He refused to eat the king's food because he wanted to show his dependence upon God and not upon the king. However in doing this he wanted to show kindness to the king's official so he suggested a ten day trial.

Seventy Years

How many people have kept the same job for seventy years? One thing that is very interesting is that Daniel not only kept his position for seventy years but he survived the downfall of one world power and was still standing when another took over. How does that happen? Most government employees don't survive the change of government and yet Daniel not only survives but is still there after a foreign power takes over. There is only one answer. God kept him there. Daniel 1:9 says, "Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel."

How can we sing?

In Psalm 137:4 we read, "how can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land." That was the cry of the exiles. However they did learn to sing as they remembered Zion.
We might cry the same. We find ourselves in Babylon and not in Zion. We are exiles, citizens of a heavenly kingdom but living in an earthly one. However as we gather together each Lord's Day we sing the songs of Zion. Those songs should always remind us of our citizenship. Right to the end of his life Daniel remembered Jerusalem. As was his custom he opened his window facing Jerusalem and prayed to his God. What do we do to remind us of our heavenly home?

Food

Food is a popular topic today. There are magazines and television channels that are dedicated to food. There are numerous cooking shows and websites.
So why did Daniel and his friends draw the line at food? It could have been that the food was not kosher or that it had been offered to idols but that doesn't seem to fit with Daniel's life as later he does partake of the king's food and wine. So what was the issue? Let me suggest one. Maybe it was that he did not want to show that he and his friends were dependent upon the king but rather upon the Lord. I think drawing the line there showed that they could trust their God to provide for them. That trust marked their entire lives.
When we say grace, and I prefer the word grace to blessing, on our food at meal time it shows that we acknowledge the giver of all good gifts. When we fast we show that we can trust God for our strength and our very life. They could have said that it was only food and they needed food to live. How do we show to our world that we are dependent upon God?

Education

When I was graduating from high school, back in the dark ages, I knew I should get post secondary education. I was the fourth child in a family of eight and we were a poor family and there was no money for education. After being rejected by the ROTC program I didn't have many options. I planned to go to Bible College but then I received an unexpected scholarship to go to the University of Waterloo to study mathematics. Four years later I graduated with a degree in mathematics and took a job teaching high school mathematics.
Fast forward thirty three years and now our oldest son his graduating from high school. His plan was to take a scholarship to university to study business, as his name was called at the graduation exercise he realized that God was calling him to go to Bible College.
Education is important and some would say that Christian education is more important than a secular education. After all if you go to a secular school you will get educated in areas that may be contrary to ones Christian beliefs. However we do need Christians in all areas of our world.
Daniel and his friends received a secular education that was totally contrary to all that they believed. Some would say that they should have rejected the Babylonian education after all education is a primary way the world has of squeezing us into it's mold. I was so grateful that my parents and my church had prepared me for the world so that it couldn't squeeze me into its mold.
Home schooling, Christian school or public education is the choices we have today but without the home and the church the world can still squeeze us into it's mold.

Just my view

There are a few things that I may say, and I dare say that there may be more than a few that other people will not agree with and some of the viewpoints may be incorrect. It is my desire that my theology would always be correct but it would be arrogant of me to assume that. If that was the case then there would be no room for me to grow and maybe even no room for the Holy Spirit in my life. Right away you can see the fallacy of that.
However, if I say things that you don't agree with remember to think them through for yourself. Be prepared to challenge me and to debate me in a kind and loving way.
Also you need to remember that these are my views and they may not be the view of my church. I would like to believe that I am correct but I am willing to change. Sometimes our views are just taste and not theology and we need to discern the difference.
So remember, these are my views. Challenge them. Question them. Debate them. Remember they are only one person's views.
Keep thinking, keep growing.

What's in a name?

I said last week that we have a new granddaughter. Her name is Brita which means bright shining and her middle name is faith so I expect that she will be a woman with a bright shining faith. Sometimes names are chosen because it is in the family while other times the name may be chosen just because it sounds nice. I taught high school so over the 30 plus years I taught I encountered many names, some had meaning, some were next to impossible to pronounce.
One of the students I taught at the college was a Native student who gave his son and Ojibwa name which means gift of God. His name would always remind him of his native heritage and his Christian heritage.
Daniel and his three friends had names that brought attention and honour to their God but when they ended up in Babylon they were given names that honoured the name of the Babylonian gods. There is a hint that even though the cooperated and took Babylonian names they were not totally happy with that. Daniel held unto his Hebrew name and instead of naming one Abednebo, to honour the god Nebo, it was changed to Abednego.
It would be the same as if your name was Christian and a Muslim nation took you captive and renamed you Mohammad. Apparently Daniel and his friends did not feel that this was a hill to die on. Part of their cooperation, but not compromise, with the foreign nation was to accept foreign names. Why? I am not sure.

Public Education.

Next Sunday we will study Daniel 1. I have often thought about what it would have been like to have seen your young son carried away by the invaders. I am sure that Daniel's parents were concerned about how he would stand in a foreign culture. Obviously Daniel was well trained both by the religious community and by his home. I remember sending our children off to a public school knowing that many things that they would be taught would not be in line with what we believed. However, we taught our children the God's truth and sent them to school trusting that God would keep them. Our children held unto the truth they were taught for which I am so grateful to God. I have seen many who avoided public education because they were afraid of what their children would learn found their children questioning their beliefs and in some cases wondering away from the faith. Remember that a Christian school is no substitute for a Christian home.

Cultural Transformation

Let me say at the beginning that the Gospel will transform culture but cultural transformation is not the Gospel. If cultural transformation was the gospel then maybe all would take is to get the right people elected and the proper laws passed. I think many people can look at Daniel and see his influence on the culture by his position in power. However, for all his influence he could not change hearts, only the cross can do that. That is why the cross of Christ is central to the Gospel. Instead of Daniel pointing to the transformation of the culture he pointed to the judgment of God. The cross shows us that we need a Saviour because we are under judgment.

Wisdom

We are told in Daniel 1 that Daniel and his friends were ten times wiser than the other wise men. Now I am not sure what that means but I think it says that Daniel and his friends did show more wisdom tan the others. Maybe they were correct ten times more often than the others but whatever it means it shows me that this wisdom was God given. James tells us that if we lack wisdom we are to ask of God and He will give us wisdom. That is why I am auras it was God given.
At the end of Daniel there is a wonderful promise: Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. Daniel 12:3. Daniel's life and record shows me that this is true. If it was true for Daniel it can be true for us.

Welcome Brita Faith

It was my pleasure today to hold our new granddaughter, Brita Faith. Some people may question the idea of bringing a child into a world that is so hostile to Christianity. However, we can have faith in a hostile world. God is in control. That is what Daniel teaches. Now it is my prayer for Brita and for everyone that they may live their lives knowing that God is in control.

Dare to be a Daniel

I have mixed feeling about the following hymn. Do you know why?


Standing by a purpose true,
Heeding God's command,
Honor them, the faithful few!
All hail to Daniel's band!

Refrain

Dare to be a Daniel,
Dare to stand alone!
Dare to have a purpose firm!
Dare to make it known.

Many mighty men are lost
Daring not to stand,
Who for God had been a host
By joining Daniel's band.

Refrain

Many giants, great and tall,
Stalking through the land,
Headlong to the earth would fall,
If met by Daniel's band.

Refrain

Hold the Gospel banner high!
On to vict'ry grand!
Satan and his hosts defy,
And shout for Daniel's band.

Refrain

Linguistic Approach

The traditional view of Daniel is to see the first half as historic and the second half as prophetic. But if you look at the language the division is much different. As I said in an earlier post the Aramaic section is chapters 2 - 7. Look at the following outline.
A.  Dream statue representing four kingdoms - Daniel 2
        B. Worship the golden statue or perish in a pit - Daniel 3
            C. Judgment on Nebuchadnezzar - Daniel 4
            C. Judgment on Belshazzar - Daniel 5
        B.  Worship Darius or perish in a pit - Daniel 6
A.   Dream of four beasts representing four kingdoms - Daniel 7

God's People have Hope

The Hebrew sections of the book of Daniel are often looked on prophetic only but they were written to give God's people hope. First, we see very clearly that God is in control. Kings may think that they are but this is God's doing. The prophetic chapters show us that there is hope for God's people. Antiochus or the Antichrist may think that they are suppressing and eliminating the people of God but like all other earthly kings, they are there by God's permissive will. So instead of reading Daniel. 8-12 with uncertainty read it knowing that God is in control and the earthly kings can go so far and no further.

Nations, Take Warning

In the Aramaic section of Daniel he addresses the nations. He tells them that God is in control and He is faithful to His people. Though His people are often unfaithful to Him, He is still faithful to them. Even allowing them to be taken into captivity shows His faithfulness. You only have to go back to Leviticus to see that God is being faithful to His word. These chapters of Daniel also show that God will vindicate His people and He will judge those nations that reject Him.
Habakkuk also reminds us that though God allows judgment to come upon His people by godless nations He will not allow those nations to go unpunished. Today this is a warning to such nations as North Korea, Saudi Arabia sand Iran. They may defy God today and persecute His people they will one day be judged the Judge of all the earth.

A Book in Two Languages

The book of Daniel is written in two languages. It isn't that the first half is written in one language and the second half in another. The first chapter is in Hebrew along with the last five chapters while chapters 2 through 7 are in Aramaic. So why two languages? Daniel was living in Babylon but he wrote in Hebrew which was his native language and Aramaic the cultural language.
It is generally understood that the book also had two distinct audiences. The Hebrew sections were written to the Jews and were written to give them hope while the Aramaic sections were written to the Gentiles showing them that God is in control and He will judge the nations.