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Post by TRINITY on Apr 17, 2006 22:30:10 GMT 10
Star Wars . . . Babylon 5 . . . Star Trek . . . Deep Space 9 These are scientific fantasies that capture the imagination. Space travel. Time travel. A universe filled with aliens of all types. A universe fill with conflict and deceit. Strange as it may seem, the book of Daniel reveals a cosmic warfare going on behind the scenes not that much different than that found in the Sci-Fi fantasies. On earth, the rise and fall of empires and kingdoms are not simply happenings in world history. Every event is a part of the great controversy that began far away in the universe between Jesus and Satan. Only when it is seen in the context of this cosmic struggle can the book of Daniel be correctly understood. The central theme of the book of Daniel is the cosmic drama being played out in ancient Babylon. Those events are symbolic of the final great conflict that will take place in the end time. In the last days cosmic forces are at work, seeking to destroy those who are faithful to Jesus.
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Post by TRINITY on Apr 17, 2006 22:47:33 GMT 10
In the third chapter of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar tried to force the three young men into false worship by insisting that they bow to the golden image. But, He was unsuccessful in coercing them. Now, in chapter 6, there is an attempt to prohibit true worship. In the last days, as the book of Revelation reveals, God's people will first be enticed to false worship and then be prohibited from worshiping God truly. But God's people will not yield. The reason for their faithfulness will be the same as it was for Daniel and his friends--they will have developed a strong personal relationship with their Lord. A relationship that is more important than anything else we can have as we enter the final scenes of earth's history.
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Post by TRINITY on Apr 17, 2006 22:55:12 GMT 10
Conflict between the God of heaven and the power of evil is one of the central themes of the Bible. This same cosmic struggle is the theme of the book of Daniel, as demonstrated in the events of ancient Babylon. The book of Daniel begins with the seeming defeat of the true God, by Nebuchadnezzar, but ends with a tremendous victory for the God of heaven. Nebuchadnezzar is shown again and again that God is still in control of human events. The focal point of the book of Daniel is the time of the end. Therefore, the events, stories and conflicts in the book of Daniel are very important to us who are living in these last days. There are two issues over which controversy arises in the book of Daniel -- worship and obedience. They are illustrated very clearly in the historical portions of Daniel, and will reappear in the prophetic section of Daniel. This shows that they are to be major issues in the final conflict.
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