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Battle Creek Tabernacle SDA Church

These Things We Know

Chris Holland

These Things We Know: God is Faithful

These Things We Know: God is Sovereign

These Things We Know: God is Good

These Things We Know: God Is the Relentless Redeemer

God Still Speaks Part 1

God Still Speaks Part 2

These Things We Know: God Wins

These Things We Know: God is the Deliverer

These Things We Know: God is the Great Teacher

These Things We Know: God is a Friend

These Things We Know: God Knows the End From the Beginning

These Things We Know: God is the Author

These Things We Know: God is the Finisher

These Things We Know: God is the Promise Keeper Part 1

These Things We Know: God is the Promise Keeper Part 2

These Things We Know: God Fights For Us Part 1

These Things We Know: God Fights For Us Part 2

These Things We Know: God Stands for Us

That is the decision that the prophet Daniel had made, that God's ways were good, that God's ways were sure.

That God's ways were sure and Daniel decided to trust, live and follow God alone.

Today we'll continue our study of the life of Daniel the prophet.

Heavenly Father, we are thankful for the gift of music.

We are thankful that those words can remind us of our commitment to you.

And now dear Lord, as we open your word, it is our prayer that you would touch each and every 1 of our lives, that you, through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, would compel us to live, trust, and follow you no matter what the cost.

Last week we left Daniel praying and beginning to get the answer to his prayer and his questions.

If you have missed any of our series on the book of Daniel which I have entitled, These Things We Know, You can go to battlecreektabernacle.com and find the archived sermons.

You can go to youtube.com forward slash at bctabernacle or you can go to Spotify and look up Battle Creek Tabernacle and there you will find the archives of all of the sermons here from the Battle Creek Tabernacle.

Today, once again, we are in Daniel chapter 9.

I would invite you to open to Daniel chapter 9.

And there in Daniel chapter 9, we will study and understand the prophet Daniel and the answer to his prayer that he had been praying.

We have studied Daniel 8 and 9 over the course of the last several weeks, setting the stage for this understanding that Daniel was about to get.

You'll remember that Daniel had been studying the prophecy of the prophet Jeremiah from Jeremiah chapter 25 and Jeremiah chapter 29.

And Daniel chapter 9 records how Daniel was praying about all that he had read.

He confessed that his people did not listen to God and that they had sinned, committed iniquity, done wickedly, and had rebelled.

But you'll remember he pled, He pled and he asked God to listen, to hear, to take action, and to not delay.

Daniel was trying to understand the prophecy of Jeremiah that the people of Judea would be captive in Babylon for 70 years.

And in Daniel chapter 8, he had been given the prophecy of the 2300 days, which he would have understood to have been 2300 years.

And so now when he prays, do not delay, we can hear his heart cry because that 2300 year prophecy undoubtedly must have sounded like a delay to him.

I wonder, as I did last week, if Daniel, like the disciples, had equated the destruction of the temple to be the end of the world, and was it possible that Daniel equated the restoration of the holy place at the end of the 2300 days to only take place when Jerusalem would be restored?

I wonder if he thought, I wonder if he thought, how is it possible that it will take 2300 years for the sanctuary to be restored because God, you said we would return to Jerusalem in 70 years.

I wonder about the emotions of Daniel as he continued to meditate on those words of the angel in Daniel 8 26 and the vision of the evenings and mornings which was told is true Therefore seal up the vision for it refers to many days in the future.

Do not delay for your own sake, my God, for your city and your people are called by your name.

And Daniel 9 continues with this heart cry.

And in Daniel chapter 9 in verse 20, it says, now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God.

Yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning being caused to fly swiftly reached me about the time of the evening offering.

Have you ever had a moment in your life where you were really glad to see someone that maybe you hadn't seen in a long time?

I have a feeling that This is what it was like when Gabriel showed up.

We have no record that Gabriel showed up in the life of Daniel between the third year of Belshazzar and this first year of Darius, some 10 years.

We have no evidence that Gabriel appeared during that time.

And I imagine in my mind that Daniel was relieved to see Gabriel, that he was probably excited to see Gabriel, but all at the same time, anxious.

This was Gabriel, the angel who would explain the first 3 portions of Daniel 8.

Was it now finally that Daniel would have his prayer answered?

Was the angel gonna tell him about the 70 year prophecy?

Was Daniel finally going to gain understanding into the 2300 day prophecy?

It says that the angel Gabriel came at the time of the evening sacrifice.

This tells us that while there was no temple, Daniel still prayed.

And he prayed at the time of the evening sacrifice.

The evening sacrifice was a lamb accompanied by a grain offering.

And that sacrifice centered around confession and forgiveness.

Gabriel came and in Daniel chapter 9, verses 22 and 23, the Bible says this, and he informed me and talked with me and said, "'O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand.

At the beginning of your supplications, the command went out, and I have come to tell you for you are greatly beloved, therefore, consider the matter and understand the vision.

How do we know first by simple deduction, Was there any other vision given in Daniel which he did not understand?

He had understood everything but he did not understand Daniel chapter 8 in verse 14.

Now while he was still trying to understand Jeremiah, what we are going to see as we study this passage is God was about to give him understanding of the passages from Jeremiah which he had been studying, but also understanding of the 2300 day prophecy which he had been given, but then also something above and beyond even what he had asked.

But then he said But then he said, consider the matter and understand the vision.

Now this is slightly technical, but hang with me.

The word vision here is the Hebrew word mare.

I see you haven't even taken Hebrew and you're Hebrew scholars.

Did I just teach you a Hebrew word for the sake of teaching you a Hebrew word?

Because there is also another Hebrew word for the English word vision.

So now follow me here, and again, slightly technical, but stick with me.

In Daniel chapter 8, verses 1 and 2, Daniel chapter 8, verses 1 and 2, I'm going to encourage you to open your Bible so you can see it with your own eyes.

While it will be on the screen, studies have shown if you read it from the printed page, it will imprint itself in your mind.

Some of you might say that that's old school.

But God seemed to know what he was doing.

So let's, when he taught people how to read and write.

So here we go, Daniel chapter 8, verses 1 and 2.

In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar, a vision appeared to me, to me Daniel, after 1 that appeared to me the first time.

I saw in the vision, and so it happened while I was looking, that I was in Shushan, the citadel, which is in the province of Elam, and I saw in vision that I was by the river Ulai." 3 words, 3 times the word vision appears in Daniel chapter 8, verses 1 and 2.

Well, we're awake, this is good, and every 1 of those times is the Hebrew word hazon.

Hazon refers to a general vision, whereas mireh seems to refer to something of a but more personal vision.

In Daniel chapter 8 and verses 26 and 27, again, I'd invite you to open your Bible to Daniel chapter 8 and verse 26 and 27.

The Bible says, and the vision of the evenings and mornings which was told is true.

Therefore seal up the vision for it refers to many days in the future.

And I, Daniel, fainted and was sick for days.

Afterward I arose and went about the king's business.

Series

These Things We Know

These Things We Know: God is the Promise Keeper Part 2

Transcript

Parent Series

Sponsor

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