​The final chapters of Daniel provide a prophetic outline of the end of this age—complete with details and timelines, warnings and promises. And yet, you might be wondering what Daniel might have been wondering—does this have anything to do with me?

At the very end of the book of Daniel—after all of the amazing prophetic details, an angel tells Daniel, “But you go your way till the end for you shall rest and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days.” (Daniel 12:13)

Did you catch that? “But you…” As true as everything is that came before it, there’s something specific for you. There are many instances of “But you” in scripture. One instance is found in the little letter called Jude. It fits so well with what Daniel may have been experiencing and speaks to us here and now as we await for Jesus’ second coming.

In his letter, Jude identifies apostates—people who look, talk, and walk like a Christian, but who are not Christians and are actually emissaries of Satan. After all of that, he writes, “But you…” and we might think that he is going to tell us how to root up and root out these dangerous imposters, but he doesn’t. He simply encourages us to build ourselves up in the faith, to continue to pray, to stay in God’s love, and to be merciful to others (read it for yourself in Jude 20-25). 

God had a course He wanted Daniel to complete, and Daniel needed to remain focused on that. God has a course He wants you to complete—remain and be focused on that. 

​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.

God feeds the ravens. He clothes the lilies. And He loves us so much more than those! He loves us so much that He gives us promises we find in His prophecies. And if His promises hold for something as astounding as the rising and falling of world empires, His promises will hold for something as personal as the problems we face. 

We are learning and choosing to trust Him. We’re learning and choosing to trust God with everything—from His plans for world empires to the problems that keep us up at night. We can trust Him because His promises are true. He has promised to finish the work that He has started in you (Philippians 1:6). He has promised to never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). He has promised to be with you now, even until the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). And despite what happens, He will hold fast. He will keep His promises. He will be faithful to fulfill His word. 

As we wait for those promises to be fulfilled, He tells us to not fear, for “God is pleased to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32). His kingdom is coming! Are you ready? Is He your King? Simply confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead. The Bible says that if you do this, you will be saved (Romans 10:9). Ask God for forgiveness. Believe that Jesus died for your sin and that God raised Him to life. Trust Him as your Savior and follow Him as the Lord of your life!

God is the only One who is trustworthy. He is the only One who can see the beginning from the end with perfect accuracy. So you can trust God’s word! He has established and authenticated it beyond a shadow of a doubt.

One of the ways God has authenticated His word is through prophecy—prophecy like we find in Daniel 8, which foretold events in history centuries before they happened.

Watch our study of Daniel 8 as we carefully considered these prophecies.

​Centuries ago, Daniel was given a vision. This vision was a summary of the earthly empires—from Babylon all the way to God’s everlasting kingdom. The content of his vision is fascinating, but what’s just as interesting is Daniel’s reaction. When he was told that the earth would endure at least four brutal, bloodthirsty, and awful empires before God’s kingdom would come, he wasn’t elated—he was broken and troubled. 

And yet, Daniel did not give in to despair. He was not going to go down without a fight of faith. We see in Daniel a desire to seek insight and to understand if there is any part for him to play personally. And as we wait for the kingdom to come, there is a part for us to play too!

We can learn from Daniel’s response. So often, our hearts are filled with pride when it comes to our knowledge of Bible prophecy. Rather than being broken over what has been revealed to us, we are often tempted to gloat about knowing what will happen. But the part we have to play in this in-between time is not just to know Bible prophecy. Knowledge puffs us, but love builds up. Love is knowledge plus action. We can’t get so comfortable in our own salvation that we forget about those who have yet to yield to Jesus and what the future holds for them.

In light of God’s kingdom coming, you have a part to play. If you are a citizen of His kingdom, tell others about what is going to happen and introduce them to Jesus. If you’ve yet to yield to Christ, you can become a citizen of His kingdom today! Simply confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead. The Bible says that if you do this, you will be saved (Romans 10:9). Ask God for forgiveness. Believe that Jesus died for your sin and that God raised Him to life. Trust Him as your Savior and follow Him as the Lord of your life!