Verse of the Day: V3 “And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:”
1. The Resolution (V1-19)
V3 “And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:”
Daniel’s resolution was to seek God through prayer and fasting when he read in the book of Jeremiah of God’s judgment upon the people of Israel. Indeed, when we are faced with crises, the first priority is to pray, fast and seek God for His wisdom in dealing with them.
2. The Repentance (V20-23)
V20 “And whiles I was speaking, and 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;”
The Bible did not record the sins of Daniel yet the fact that he confessed and repented his sin affirmed that all had sinned and came short of the glory and holiness of God.
3. The Reconciliation (V24-27)
V24 “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.”
The 70 weeks are divided into 69 weeks and the 70th week. The 69 weeks, which included the Messiah being cut off or the death of Christ at the 62nd week, had already passed. Today we are waiting for the 70th week, which is known as the Great Tribulation. The Great Tribulation, which will last for 7 years, will take place after the Rapture. The Rapture which can take place anytime from now is the time where we, Christians, who believe in Christ shall be called up to be with God forever. During the Great Tribulation, the people of the prince or the antichrist shall reign for 3 ½ years where he will promise peace to the people, then the next 3 ½ years he will torment the people who believes in Christ. After the Great Tribulation, all the people of Israel shall finally return to their land and thus fulfilling God’s great promise. This period of return or reconciliation is known as the Millennium where the Messiah, Jesus Christ, shall reign for a thousand years.
V26 “And after threescore and two (62) weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.”
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please help me to repent my sins and believe in Your promises.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 10:38 am
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Verse of the Day: V8 “Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.”
1. The Great Ram (V1-4)
V3 “Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last.”
Prophet Daniel saw a vision of a great ram which had two horns. The great ram was none other than the Medes-Persian kingdom, with one horn representing the king of Media, and the higher horn representing the king of Persia.
V20 “The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.”
2. The Great Goat (V5-8)
V5 “And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.”
Before long the great goat or the Greek kingdom invaded and defeated the great ram or the Medes-Persian kingdom. The great horn of the great goat was Alexander the Great, the first king of the Greek kingdom. However, at the peak of Alexander’s greatness, he died suddenly of an illness. After his death, there was chaos and infighting, and the Greek kingdom was weakened and eventually divided into four smaller kingdoms ruled respectively by his four generals. Indeed, in the history of mankind, there is never a kingdom or a king, who is the greatest, as only God and His kingdom is the greatest.
V8 “Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.”
3. The Great God (V9-27)
V9 “And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land.”
The little horn was Antiochus, one of the four generals, who attempted to destroy the pleasant land or Israel. Indeed, in the history of mankind, kingdoms and kings have attempted to destroy Israel, yet they have never succeeded, because the great God always protects and preserves Israel, His people, as well as His Christians, the believers of God.
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, thank You for protecting and preserving me as You are the greatest.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 10:41 am
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Verse of the Day: V28 “Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.”
1. The Horror (V1-8)
V1 “In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.”
Daniel dreamt of the 4 great beasts which were the 4 great empires of the world. The first beast was the lion or the great Babylonian empire. The second beast was the bear or the great Medes-Persian Empire. The third beast was the leopard or the great Greek-Macedonian Empire. The fourth beast was a fierce beast with ten horns or the great Roman Empire. It was a horror and a nightmare for Daniel to see empire after empire fighting against one another, killing one another, and rebelling against the Almighty God.
V3 “And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.”
2. The Hope (V9-14)
V9 “I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.”
The Ancient of days is none other than Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Daniel realised that the only hope and salvation for man is for him to trust and believe in the Ancient of days who shall ultimately save him from the fiery pits of hell to the pearly portals of heaven.
V10 “A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.”
3. The Heart (V15-28)
V15 “I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.”
Daniel was grieved and troubled by the dreams and visions yet he kept them in his heart and only wrote them by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to be revealed to the future generations. He learned never to quit but to trust in the Almighty God now and forever.
V28 “Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.”
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please help me never to quit but to keep trusting You now and forever.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 10:45 am
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