But the saints of the Most High shall recieve the kingdom and possess the kingdom for ever, for ever, and ever'.

What an exciting promise from Daniel 7.18 - it's been really exciting to get stuck into the first seven chapters of Daniel this term. As the series drew to a close last night it's incredible to look back on so much fulfilled prophecy, and looking forward to it's total fulfilling when the Lord Jesus returns!

It's been sad to say, or avoid saying, 'goodbye' to so many leavers this week - the old classic 'See you in Heaven if not before' couldn't be more true, and it certainly helps to cement the fact that we are a people who have a hope. One day we shall share in the kingdom of the Most High - 'the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High' (7.27).

I was reading an article about a burglary at Liverpool goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek's house, and how so much of his medals, football shirts, and other memorabilia had been stolen. A Liverpool FC spokesperson made some remark about it being the "memorabilia of someone's career and also a lifetime". But the reality is that nothing on this old earth can match the treasure of being in Jesus, of possessing the new heaven and earth. No CD collection, no hoard of KCB's (keen Christian books), no nothing!

"I've thrown it all away, that I may gain a life in you. I've found all else is loss, compared to the joys of knowing you. Your beauty and your majesty are far beyond compare, you've won my heart, now this will be my prayer: Take the world but give me Jesus - you're the treasure in this life. Now I've seen you as the Saviour, I will leave the rest behind..."

Matt Redman, with a little help from Fanny Crosby and Paul and Mark and Jesus.

"The world has many religions; it has but one gospel." (George Owen)

After our bible-study on Daniel 4 (see yesterday's post), and after looking at Nebuchadnezzar's (and Daniel's) response to Daniel's interpretation of his dream, I have been thinking about what we present and live by as the gospel, and whether or not it is the gospel...
Firstly, I think we need to examine our own attitudes...

"If you believe what you like in the gospel, and reject what you don't like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself."
St. Augustine

"The gospel begins and ends with what God is, not what we want or think we need." Tom Houston

"A gospel that elevates man and dethrones God is not the gospel."
Will Metzger

That's very hard. I shudder to think of the reaction of my friends. I wince when someone mentions judgement/sin/hell. I shy away from its relevance outside of my Christian bubble. I would rather speak of today's news than of the glorious riches of Christ to the gasman.

Yet for myself, and my neighbour, the gospel is what matters.

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
Colossians 2.6-7

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith."
Romans 1.16-17

The King And I...

"Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego... there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way." (Dan 3.28-29).

Nebuchadnezzar was right of course, Daniel's God, the God of the Bible, our Heavenly Father, was and is perfectly capable of bringing about his glory in all the world. Even through the lips of the most powerful pagan king in the world.

We're studying Daniel 3 tonight. One of the things that clearly stands out is the description of Nebuchadnezzar's Golden Image as 'the image Nebuchadnezzar had set up' (e.g. 3. 3,5,7,12). Daniel clearly wants to get across the sheer craziness of what's going on... it's an idol that man has set up... it's lower than man, and yet everyone's being ordered to bow down and worship it by the authorities.

Absolute madness... a million miles away from twenty-first century civilisation, right? Hmm. The idea of identifying idols by the way humans have set them up shows how much man-made worship there is going on. Am I really like S, M, and A? In Nebuchadnezzar's decree at the end of the chapter (post-fiery-furnace-rescue) he points our that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were trusting servants of God, and had 'set aside the king's command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.' (v. 28).

Or am I more like Nebuchadnezzar? Acknowledging God's authority, yet showing no sign of personal submittal ('...therefore I make a decree...', '...shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins...' v. 29). Has he still missed the point? It seems he's still ruling without asking God for wisdom, and with a tyrranical mindset.

Any god except my own God? Any?! Would I rather yield up my body rather than serve and worship any god except my own? Or are we still bowing down to things we've set up?

'He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings...'

Met with a group of brothers and sisters last night for our second excavation into Daniel, this time Daniel 2 (with the help of 7.1-14 and 8.3-8, 20-21). Incredible! From a bit of net-trawling I figure there's a bit of debate as to what the fourth kingdom is, but if we can safely say Babylon is #1 (2.28), Medo-Persia is #2 (8.20), and Greece is #3 (8.21), then historically it makes sense if Rome comes next, thus is #4. How amazing that the stone that forms the everlasting kingdom (2.35, 44), which chapter 7 implies is the Son of Man (7.13-14), strikes during the fourth kingdom.

The look on one of my sisters face when she figured '...hang on... Jesus arrived on the scene during the Roman kingdom... no way...!' was quite something. Immense!

Daniel's attitude to God's revelation is a bit of a nudge... how often do I not bless the God of heaven for the revelation given in his Word...

His Kingdom Come!