Verse of the Day: V2 “The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD.”
1. God’s Way Is Not Our Way (V1-3)
V2 “The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom: departing from the LORD.”
Will you marry a prostitute? This was exactly what God commanded prophet Hosea to do. It must have puzzled Hosea as how could God command His holy and godly man to marry an unholy and ungodly woman. However, this was exactly what God commanded Hosea, and Hosea obeyed God and never questioned God even though he could not fully understand God’s way.
V3 “So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; which conceived, and bare him a son.”
2. God’s Mercy Is Not Our Mercy (V4-7)
V6 “And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And God said unto him, Call her name Lo-ruhamah: for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away.”
God declared that He would have mercy on the people of Judah but not the people of Israel. Though Hosea could not fully understand why God’s mercy was to some, and not to others, he continued to obey God, and named his daughter, Lo-ruhamah or No Mercy.
V7 “But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the LORD their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.”
3. God’s People Is Not Our People (V8-11)
V9 “Then said God, Call his name Lo-ammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God.”
Many people think that they are God’s people, but one day when they meet God, they shall be very disappointed as they are never God’s people. They profess to be Christians but they never possess the Holy Spirit, and are never obedient to God’s commandments.
“And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matthew 7:23).
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please help me to obey You even though I cannot fully understand.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 10:21 am
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Verse of the Day: V2 “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”
1. The Great Tribulation (V1)
V1 “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.”
God gave Daniel a vision that there shall be a time of trouble, known as the Great Tribulation Period, which shall come after the Rapture or the moment when all Christians shall be caught up to heaven to meet the Lord. Those who live during the Great Tribulation will find it almost impossible to believe in Christ because the devil reigns during that time. This is why Christians are commanded to share the Gospel of Christ to their unbelieving loved ones and friends while there is still time before the Rapture.
“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
2. The Great Judgment (V2-9)
V2 “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”
There shall come a time of the Great Judgment where God shall sit on a great white throne and judge every person whether they have receive Christ as their personal Saviour.
“And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” (Revelation 20:11-12).
3. The Great Choice (V10-13)
V10 “Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.”
Today, if you choose to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, you are the wise who understand.
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, I believe in You and I shall have everlasting life with You in heaven.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 10:30 am
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Verse of the Day: V32 “And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.”
1. The Mighty King (V1-7)
V3 “And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will.”
The mighty king was none other than Alexander the Great, the king of Grecian Empire. He not only defeated the great Persian Empire but almost conquered the entire world if not for his sudden death due to ill health. He never knew God, and was determined to do his own will or the devil’s will in destroying the Jews, God’s chosen people. However, he failed because God protected His chosen people.
2. The Vile Person (V21-29)
V21 “And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.”
The vile person was none other than Antiochus Epiphanes. He became the king of Syria because of his flatteries. He never knew God and was against the holy covenant or the Jews. However, he failed to destroy them because God protected His chosen people.
V28 “Then shall he return into his land with great riches; and his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall do exploits, and return to his own land.”
3. The Godly People (V30-45)
V30 “For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant.”
However, king Antiochus Epiphanes did not reign for long, as subsequently the ships of Chittim or the naval power of the Roman Empire defeated them. Indeed, no empire or kingdom except God’s kingdom shall last forever, and no matter how the devil used the mighty king or the vile person to destroy the nation of Israel, God shall always protect His chosen nation. Though many Jews refused to know God, there was still a remnant who knew God and continued to live godly lives. Today God’s people are both the Jews and the Gentiles who know the Lord Jesus Christ. These godly people shall always remain strong because they are God’s chosen people.
V32 “And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.”
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, thank You that I am strong because I know You.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 05:16 pm
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Verse of the Day: V19 “And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me.”
1. Be Sorrowful (V1-7)
V1 “In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed unto Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the thing was true, but the time appointed was long: and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision.”
The Almighty God revealed the spiritual condition of the people of Israel that they had become unholy and evil. This was why Prophet Daniel was sorrowful as he mourned for three weeks for his people to repent of their sins. It was sad and tragic that the people of Israel, who were supposedly to be the people of God, a godly example to the world, had become unholy and evil, and their lives were no different from the people of the world.
V2 “In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks.”
2. Be Standing (V8-18)
V8 “Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength.”
Daniel saw the great vision of not only the wickedness of the people of God but the intense spiritual warfare between the angels of God and the demons of Satan. However, God encouraged Daniel to continue to stand upright despite the wickedness of the people.
V11 “And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling.”
3. Be Strong (V19-21)
V19 “And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me.”
God sent an angel to strengthen and encourage Daniel. Indeed, the Word of God promises that the Almighty God together with Michael, His prince or archangel and the rest of His angels shall certainly prevail against the Devil and his demons both now and forever.
V21 “But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.”
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please strengthen me so that I shall be strong in You and You alone.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 10:17 am
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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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Verse of the Day: V27 “He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.”
1. The Deception Of Man (V1-9)
V4 “Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.”
The leaders in the kingdom of the Medes and the Persians were jealous of Daniel because Daniel was preferred above all of them, and King Darius thought to set him over the whole realm. They could not find any fault with Daniel and eventually they deceived King Darius in establishing a royal statute that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, except the King, shall be cast into the den of lions. They knew that Daniel would disobey the statute as he had always faithfully asked petitions from his God.
2. The Den Of Lions (V10-17)
V10 “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.”
The jealous leaders were right as Daniel continued to pray and give thanks to God three times a day with his windows open in his chamber in spite of the royal statute. He would rather be devoured and die in the den of hungry lions than to stop praying to his holy God.
V16 “Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.”
3. The Deliverance Of God (V18-28)
V22 “My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.”
Faithful Daniel was delivered from the lions without hurt or harm as God sent His angel to shut the lions’ mouths. Indeed, God shall deliver His people from trials and troubles as they believe and trust in Him. Even if God did not deliver Daniel, He would ultimately deliver him from the fiery pits of hell and promote him to the pearly portals of heaven.
V27 “He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.”
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, thank You for delivering me from trials and troubles.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 04:15 pm
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Verse of the Day: V27 “TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.”
1. The Wine (V1-4)
V1 “Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.”
Belshazzar, the king of Babylon, mocked the Almighty God when he used the golden and silver vessels brought from God’s temple in Jerusalem by his father Nebuchadnezzar for their wine drinking during the great feast held with his princes, wives, concubines and lords. In the eyes of Belshazzar, his great feast was more important than God’s vessels.
V2 “Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein.”
2. The Writing (V5-24)
V5 “In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.”
King Belshazzar did not glorify or please the Lord of heaven when he blatantly used God’s golden and silver vessels for their wine drinking during the great feast. That same hour, the fingers of the Lord of heaven were seen writing on the wall of the king’s palace.
V23 “But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:”
3. The Weight (V25-31)
V27 “TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.”
Prophet Daniel interpreted the writing as the Lord of heaven weighed King Belshazzar in His balance, and found him guilty, and thus numbered or would soon end his life and his kingdom. That same night, King Darius of the Median kingdom suddenly attacked and killed Belshazzar, and subsequently defeated the Babylonian or the Chaldean kingdom.
V30 “In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.”
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please help me to always glorify You and You alone.
Posted by: Pastor Dave Sim AT 06:23 am
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Verse of the Day: V32 “And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.”
1. The Alarm (V1-27)
V5 “I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me.”
God sounded the alarm through a dream given to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, which frightened and troubled him. Daniel then interpreted the king’s dream, and warned him to repent of his arrogance and pride otherwise God would punish and humble him.
V8 “But at the last Daniel came in before me, whose name was Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods: and before him I told the dream, saying,”
2. The Arrogance (V28-32)
V30 “The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?”
Indeed, the most High God humbled the arrogant Nebuchadnezzar by making him insane and driving him out of his palace to dwell and eat with the beasts and the oxen in the field.
V32 “And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.”
3. The Awakening (V33-37)
V34 “And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:”
However, the time of awakening came as Nebuchadnezzar lifted up his eyes to heaven and acknowledged and blessed God and realised that it was the most High God who promoted kings as well as removed them. Indeed, there is one and only most High God and not even the most powerful king on earth can be compared to the most High God.
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please humble me to know that You are the one and only most High God.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 06:41 pm
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