​In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus answers questions regarding His second coming. In His answer, He refers to the ‘abomination of desolation’ that the prophet Daniel spoke about. The scripture encourages those who read this portion to understand what it all means.

So…what does it all mean? What does the ‘abomination of desolation’ have to do with Jesus’ second coming? What does Daniel say about this? And why is it important that we understand? 

These are all questions we pondered and answered in our study of Daniel this past Sunday. Turn in your Bible to Matthew 24 and Daniel 11 and watch the message from Sunday as we concluded our study of the book of Daniel.

​There is a real but unseen spiritual realm where a battle is being fought. There are angels and there are fallen angels who are constantly battling over us. But we are not caught in the middle of the fight—we can participate in it (see Ephesians 6:11-13). Your prayers change how things go in that battle—and sometimes persistent prayer is what is necessary to win the battle. 

So remember who and what you’re fighting for. Be persistent in prayer, continuing firmly and obstinately in spite of difficulty and opposition. Fight by faith and remember Nehemiah’s encouragement: “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.” (Nehemiah 4:14)

Be persistent in prayer—in spite of difficulty the devil throws your way. Resist the devil and eventually he must flee from you (James 4:7).

​Whether we realize it or not, we are in a fight. But this fight is not a physical one—it is a very real spiritual battle with spiritual weapons and spiritual enemies. Just because you cannot see this battle does not make it any less dangerous or any less real. 

Knowing this, what does it look like to fight by faith? How do we fight an enemy who is real, but unseen? How can we engage in this fight while resisting all the devil’s methods of attacks?

These were questions that we asked as we considered Daniel 10 this past Sunday. In this chapter, Daniel shows us the importance of fighting by faith on behalf of his people. Watch our study in Daniel 10 as we learned the importance of being persistent in prayer.

In Daniel 9, Daniel receives a gift. This wasn’t a physical gift, but the skill to understand something very specific. The gift was the ability to understand the exact timeline of all the remaining future of the nation of Israel. 

At first read, it’s clear to see why Daniel would need the skill to understand one of the most astounding prophecies in all of scripture. But as we slowly and carefully work our way through the passage, the details come into focus.

Watch our second study of Daniel 9 as we reviewed the first part of the chapter then considered the prophecy Daniel received regarding the future of the nation of Israel.

There are many lessons that we can take away from a close study of the first section of Daniel 9. Here are some lessons that we learned this past Sunday:

God longs to use you, speak to you, and bless you with insight and understanding at every age of your life. Remember that Daniel was a teenager when he was taken to Babylon. Daniel determined in his heart ahead of time to obey and serve God, who used him greatly and miraculously throughout his entire life.

The same Holy Spirit who helped Daniel to understand the Scriptures is the same Holy Spirit who helps us to understand the Scriptures. Daniel read Jeremiah just like we read Daniel. And just as Daniel realized from the Scriptures that something very significant was about to happen, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we can do the same. 

When we pray for our nation, we need to include ourselves in need of God’s mercy. When Daniel realized the significance of what was going to happen, his reaction was one of mourning, praying, fasting, and confession for his nation’s transgressions. He even included himself as a transgressor as he sought mercies from God.

When we pray, we need to present our supplication with wisdom and passion. Daniel didn’t hold back when he approached God for mercy. The word ‘supplication’ means to beg for something humbly and earnestly. It’s more than okay to be passionate in prayer as long as you remember who you’re speaking to and why He should listen to you: “we do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies.” (Daniel 9:18)

God is merciful. God is merciful and gracious, longsuffering and abounding in goodness and truth. Daniel acknowledged that God had every right to refuse listening to his prayer—and yet, we do not approach God because we are righteous but because He is merciful. 

Student of Scripture—read and heed the lessons God longs to teach you as you open your heart, and your mind, and your eyes, and your ears to His word!

Prophecy is one of the main ways that God authenticates Himself as the Author of the Scriptures. Over 25% of all the verses in the Bible contain detailed information concerning the future. Over half of all those prophecies have already been fulfilled just as God said they would.

Throughout the book of Daniel, we’ve observed that what was future prophecy for Daniel is ancient history from our perspective. Daniel 9 is one of those chapters where we see ancient history and future prophecy from our perspective.

Watch our study from Sunday as we began our study in Daniel 9, considering both the prophecies foretelling events that occurred in the ancient history of the nation of Israel and prophecies for the future not yet fulfilled.