6-5-14. Daniel 11:2-27. THE END WILL COME AT THE APPOINTED TIME-my devotional

Key Verse: 11:27                                                                                                    Kevin E. Jesmer

“And as for the two kings, their hearts shall be bent on doing evil. They shall speak lies at the same table, but to no avail, for the end is yet to be at the time appointed.” (ESV)

Dear Lord, thank you for a fresh new day. May it be a day full of good fruit, blessings and joyfulness. Please bless Augi’s graduation from high school. May he seek Jesus and the Kingdom of God, as of top priority in his life, at the onset of this new chapter in his life. Please grant me one word of God to hold onto and grow though in this passage. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Part 1: Prophecies Fulfilled (2-4).

Our God knows the end from the beginning. He shares about future events with his people. Look at Daniel 11:2-4, “And now I will show you the truth. Behold, three more kings shall arise in Persia, and a fourth shall be far richer than all of them. And when he has become strong through his riches, he shall stir up all against the kingdom of Greece. 3 Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion and do as he wills. 4 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.” (ESV)

These words of prophecy are concerning Alexander the Great of Greece who conquered Persia. He died young and his kingdom was uprooted, divided and given to four generals who fought for control. Two of these kings fought with the Beautiful Land of Israel in between them: the Seleucids of the North (Syria) and the Ptolemies of the South (Egypt).

The details of this chapter are so historically accurate that some scholars assume it was written after the facts. But they say this because they can not accept that God can foretell the future. God is eternal. He sees the earth and the events of the earth from the “space” eye view. He sees the events of the world, but he submits to certain principles of the universe in his governance of this world. God does tell us in the Bible about some future events, like some of the things that unfold in the Book of Revelation, and also some of the Signs of the End of the Age, in the Gospels. God does tell us the future, when he refers to Jesus’ Second Coming and the ushering in of the Kingdom of God in all of its fullness. One thing I know is that God is in control and this world is heading towards eternal life in the kingdom of God, of which I can be a part of because of Jesus Christ my Savior.

Kingdoms fight but spiritual forces are at work behind them. This is revealed in the words of Paul. Ephesians 6:12 reads, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (ESV) We see the news and cringe. We see the possibility of new wars and untold of levels of pollution, and the 6th great extinction. We also know that all of humanities accomplishments and memories will be burnt up when the earth is sanitized by an expanding sun, and galaxy’s collision course with a neighboring galaxy. (That is way in the future.) Humanity’s future without Jesus and the Kingdom of God is not good. But God and his armies are in control. He is bringing about his complete victory. We can trust God and what he is doing in this world. We can entrust our lives and our futures to Jesus. This is comforting to know. I want to put all of my hope and trust and life’s investment in Christ and the Kingdom of God.

Part 2: The End Will Come At The Appointed Time (5-27).

Verses 5-27, “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. 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. 7 “And from a branch from her roots one shall arise in his place. He shall come against the army and enter the fortress of the king of the north, and he shall deal with them and shall prevail. 8 He shall also carry off to Egypt their gods with their metal images and their precious vessels of silver and gold, and for some years he shall refrain from attacking the king of the north. 9 Then the latter shall come into the realm of the king of the south but shall return to his own land. 10 “His sons shall wage war and assemble a multitude of great forces, which shall keep coming and overflow and pass through, and again shall carry the war as far as his fortress. 11 Then the king of the south, moved with rage, shall come out and fight against the king of the north. And he shall raise a great multitude, but it shall be given into his hand. 12 And when the multitude is taken away, his heart shall be exalted, and he shall cast down tens of thousands, but he shall not prevail. 13 For the king of the north shall again raise a multitude, greater than the first. And after some years he shall come on with a great army and abundant supplies. 14 “In those times many shall rise against the king of the south, and the violent among your own people shall lift themselves up in order to fulfill the vision, but they shall fail. 15 Then the king of the north shall come and throw up siegeworks and take a well-fortified city. And the forces of the south shall not stand, or even his best troops, for there shall be no strength to stand. 16 But he who comes against him shall do as he wills, and none shall stand before him. And he shall stand in the glorious land, with destruction in his hand. 17 He shall set his face to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and he shall bring terms of an agreement and perform them. He shall give him the daughter of women to destroy the kingdom, but it shall not stand or be to his advantage. 18 Afterward he shall turn his face to the coastlands and shall capture many of them, but a commander shall put an end to his insolence. Indeed, he shall turn his insolence back upon him. 19 Then he shall turn his face back toward the fortresses of his own land, but he shall stumble and fall, and shall not be found. 20 “Then shall arise in his place one who shall send an exactor of tribute for the glory of the kingdom. But within a few days he shall be broken, neither in anger nor in battle. 21 In his place shall arise a contemptible person to whom royal majesty has not been given. He shall come in without warning and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. 22 Armies shall be utterly swept away before him and broken, even the prince of the covenant. 23 And from the time that an alliance is made with him he shall act deceitfully, and he shall become strong with a small people. 24 Without warning he shall come into the richest parts of the province, and he shall do what neither his fathers nor his fathers’ fathers have done, scattering among them plunder, spoil, and goods. He shall devise plans against strongholds, but only for a time. 25 And he shall stir up his power and his heart against the king of the south with a great army. And the king of the south shall wage war with an exceedingly great and mighty army, but he shall not stand, for plots shall be devised against him. 26 Even those who eat his food shall break him. His army shall be swept away, and many shall fall down slain. 27 And as for the two kings, their hearts shall be bent on doing evil. They shall speak lies at the same table, but to no avail, for the end is yet to be at the time appointed.”

This passage is full of political intrigue. The same intrigue that occurs generation after generation. There is nothing new under the sun. Ecc 1:9 reads, “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.”  It reveals the worldly powers employ deceit, betrayal, attack, defeat, rage, pride, slaughter with equipped armies, violence, rebellion, crafty alliances, overthrow and insolence. When people feel secure, watch out for intrigue (21) and invasion (24). Enemies plot and lie. But the end will still come at the appointed time (27).

We can think about these things in a spiritual sense. The devil causes war, strife, and division through hatred. Jesus is totally different. Jesus brings peace, forgiveness and eternal life in the Kingdom of God. He is full of self-sacrifice born out of his love for us. Life in Jesus’ kingdom is far superior than anything this life has to offer. By the grace of God, I can live in the security that Christ gives. I entrust everything to Jesus. He “has my back.” He is leading me all the way to the finish line in the kingdom of God. Praise the Lord.

But not all Christians are experiencing this peace and security in the world. There are persecuted Christians in far away lands who suffer greatly. I pray for them, that God may grant them strength and give them grace to endure their trials on earth. But one thing is certain, their security is ensured in the Kingdom of God through faith in Christ.

Prayer: Sovereign Lord, the world has too much war, strife and hatred. Thank your that there is peace, security, love and eternal life in Jesus Christ.
One Word: Trust in God. Be rest assured that God’s appointed time will come.