Application – When you look around and see evil triumphing, remember that God will not forget. And you will be no more" '" (Ezekiel 28:11-19; see also, Isaiah 14:5-6, 12-15). It is not something that believers should divide over. What does daniel chapter 8 mean. While there was much cause for rejoicing at the release and return of the Jewish captives, let them see it in the broader perspective of God's purposes and promises. What does it mean that it became great even as great as the prince of host? Prophecy is given not so we will understand all that the infinitely wise God is doing. The offering and sanctuary will be trampled for 2300 days and then it will be restored –.
To commemorate that day, the Jews celebrate Hanukah. We should begin by noting that the focus of chapter 8 is the "little horn, " just as the "little horn" is the central focus of chapter 7. The first is an antichrist who foreshadows the final most powerful and evil antichrist in the end-times. He deals with four major Gentile nations. 4) What does Daniel tell us about the timing of this vision?
While these four horns took over and had four kingdoms, they did not have the power the king of Greece had when he took over the world. In his lifetime, he conducted military expeditions in relation to all of these areas.... It may be possible, in some way, that our struggle with the identity of the "little horn" is like that which the Old Testament prophets had with the Messiah. Daniel 7 and 8 both have a "little horn" which receives a great deal of attention in the vision. Does that time period make a significant difference on history? 8. Discussion Questions for Daniel 8 - Redeemer Church. knocked the other animal to the ground and stomped all over it. As Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac was a type foreshadowing Jesus given in sacrifice for us by the Father, so Antiochus Epiphanes is a type, giving a hint of the types of cruel persecution God's people will suffer in the last days.
Why reveal a vision to a prophet he cannot understand, even with the help of an angel? The Lord opens our eyes and gives us understanding. As God guided history, He used Alexander's passion to spread Greek culture to prepare the world for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Verse 12 puts the success of the horn just described in verses 10 and 11 in perspective. At verse 10, the little horn achieves things which are more than human. Daniel chapter 9 questions and answers. Daniel had a purpose for including this information in his introduction. In each one the invading Macedonians went against far larger armies. An account of Daniel's response to the vision in verse 27 concludes the chapter. While we believe God's word is true, we often don't know when these things will happen. The coming Antichrist will also destroy and persecute. Daniel's Response Verse 27.
Some of the host and some of the stars it threw down and trampled them – Daniel is recording a vision and many of the things in the vision are symbolic. How can I write, or stand before a congregation, and say I simply do not understand the text on which I am speaking? The "little horn" seems to change before our eyes, from a mortal man to an incarnation of Satan himself. Through this interaction we see how much God cares for His people. Though the vision will deal with the emergence and destiny of the Greek Empire, the Greek Empire was not much of anything at the time the prophecy came to Daniel. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. In the twenty-first century, people seem less willing to use their brains. Our text tells us clearly that the success of this evil horn is by divine permission in order to fulfill God's purposes. Daniel chapter 8 questions and answers.com. Prophecy has never been fully understood in advance, nor will it ever be so. Why should this surprise me?
The first angel asks how long this transgression and defilement of the holy place and the oppression of the host will go on. I can look back and see that the ram was Medo-Persia and that the goat symbolized Greece. "He may well have been puzzled about why Yahweh would permit even this brief time of brutal oppression under the little horn. " K. Therefore seal up the vision: Daniel must do this because in his day the vision referred to a period far distant in its ultimate fulfillment. Daniel 8 Bible Study and Commentary. 93 "Up to Daniel 8:11, it is not difficult to find fulfillment of the vision in the history of the Medo-Persian, Alexandrian, and post-Alexandrian periods. This, in fact, was the time of the Maccabean tribulation, 168-165 B. C., at the end of which the sanctuary was 'cleansed' by Judas Maccabeus in his restoration of the evening and morning sacrifices (2 Maccabees 10:1-5). But they can hardly be the same.
Now in the third year Belshazzar, Daniel is having yet another dream similar to the one he had at first. Arrogant, cunning, and deceptive, he is powerful, but "not by his own power. " 5) Why does Daniel tell us where he was when he received this second vision? Because of Alexander's influence, koine (common) Greek became the common language of the civilized world – and the language of the New Testament. In plain, when the powerful king of the goat was broken, four kings took over and continued to expand the kingdom throughout the world. · Moreover king Antiochus wrote to his whole kingdom, that all should be one people, and every one should leave his laws: so all the heathen agreed according to the commandment of the king. D. He shall destroy – His father is the devil and the devil seeks to kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10). Later, it would become the capital of the Medo-Persian empire. In the ancient manuscripts, the Book of Daniel here resumes using the Hebrew language. This will be where his power ends! "Alexander, who had conquered more of the world than any previous ruler, was not abl61e61 to conquer himself.
The "horn" is granted a period of time to rebel against God and to succeed, not because he is stronger than God, but because his rebellion is a part of the purpose of God. There is much truth in this. Daniel was not just sleeping, he was in a deep sleep on his face toward the ground like one who has just been knocked out cold. Thus, Antiochus Epiphanes and his cruel treatment of the Jews foreshadows the antichrist who is to come. Small Group Questions. 6) What is unique about the second dream which sets it apart from the first? I sought to understand it – A hunger to learn is one of Daniel's outstanding character traits. The forces of Alexander first met and defeated the Persians at the Granicus River in Asia Minor in May 334 B. C., which was the beginning of the complete conquest of the entire Persian Empire. "Greece with all its refinement, culture and art, produced the Old Testament Anti-Christ while the so called Christian nations produce the New Testament Anti-Christ. " In the introduction to his second vision, (8:1-2), Daniel is indicating that his vision in chapter 7 and that described in chapter 8 are related and must be interpreted in relationship to each other. One may gain the impression from verses 10 and 11 that the horn takes on God and wins.
In what practical way(s) do you need God to comfort you this week? Because of transgression, an army was given over to the horn to oppose the daily sacrifices; and he cast truth down to the ground. The goat is now the dominant world power from whose grasp none can be delivered. At the time Babylon was in power. The code of Hammurabi was found there in 1901. Which was told is true; Therefore seal up the vision, For it refers to many days in the future. D. The goat struck the ram and broke his horns – The text says that the goat ran at the ram with "powerful wrath. "
Antiochus Epiphanes put a stop to temple sacrifices in Jerusalem (by him the daily sacrifices were taken away). 13. stands for the two kings of the Medes and Persians. The ram from the beginning of this chapter with the two horns were the Medes and Persians. Why do you think both visions are given to Daniel during the reign of Belshazzar?
Unfortunately, some have gone off on this passage and entertained all types of wild speculation and theories. C. Who understands sinister schemes… through his cunning: Antiochus was known for his flattery and smooth tongue.
We both felt "burned by" and heavily disappointed in the church for many reasons, even far before it all came crashing down due to the pastor's sin and other circumstances. His word is our daily bread. And I am also not ignoring the fact that the church is full of sinful people nor that there is hard pain and baggage to come along with it. Relax Christian, You Don't Have to Go to Church. While I know that Christ looks to the heart and that I can get spiritual nourishment from the Bible and other Christian writings, I also know that I still need the encouragement I get from going to church. People only hear the nice bits of the Christmas message, then, because it has not gone deep, they forget it all with the first family row, or the first hangover or indiscretion of New Year.
Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty" (John 6:35). You may just need to stay right where you are. Obviously, some will worshipping with other Christian congregations. And if He be not there, one of the first tokens of His absence will be slothfulness in prayer. Once a year, I am invited to speak to a class at a local university. We definitely don't have to do anything for God, nor is our salvation based on our works or church attendance. Going to church doesn't make you a christian image. My husband/wife doesn't want to go so I don't go. Do I need to attend church to be a Christian? If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. Likewise, if your church is on fire, you will not have to advertise it. The Kingdom of God is not going to be advanced by our churches becoming filled with men, but by men in our churches becoming filled with God. It is down to each of us, you and me.
All that existed in the New Testament were house churches where people were already living together in deep, relational community. As United Methodists, our answer is an even more emphatic yes. We may still have some Christian beliefs, but we can no longer credibly say we "believe in Jesus. " All rights reserved. We have watched people who claim to love Jesus hurt the people around them deeply. It refreshes and uplifts me to hear the gospel of Christ preached by faithful men of God. We need to show the people around us how we care for one another and how we care for them. He uses distraction, bitterness, hard-heartedness, pride, awkwardness and even feel good/treat yourself days to his advantage. People aren't welcoming. If a Christian is simply someone who assents to belief in the Triune God, then the answer is no. It is a shame when the church itself is a cemetery, where the living sleep above the ground, as the dead do beneath. This reply, however, is much too simple, and it must be qualified. The church is in Christ as Eve was in Adam. Going to church doesn t make you a christian science. We are given the opportunity to make the daily choice to leave our past lives behind us and move forward toward the righteous life that He has set out for us.
There is nowhere in Scripture where Jesus commands us to go to a building called "Church". I also know that throughout the ages there have been many that have remained immune to the message of God's love. Going to church does not make you a Christian, no more than standing in a garage makes you a car. The church's job is to equip the saints for works of service in the world. The community will already know it. But a family all-the-more, seeking God to love more, serve more and share light in a super, super dark world. We never can thank God enough for giving us not only a whole Gospel to believe, but a whole world to give it to.
I once went to pick up my daughter from the gymn, and having come straight from a church meeting I was wearing my collar. Christianity isn't a building or an hour-long Sunday morning activity. All those women were going in looking for some comfort from talking to their dead mother or father or friend. In the Bible, the book of Acts tells us that Christians "devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers (Acts 2:42). Do I Have to Go to Church to Be a Christian. A true follower of Christ will find that they do need to attend church; there they receive help and encouragement from, andwith, those who are working to build this body of Christ. The local church is espoused to Christ, but there is always the danger of that love growing cold. 13 Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. The service nor the people need to be perfect for you to hear His life-changing word. Matthew 16:18 says, "…On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. A great part of walking in the light is walking with others who are striving for the same thing. Yet, Christians, being born of the Spirit, will still long to attend church to receive God's gifts and be in fellowship with other believers.
Sadly, that is not the case everywhere, but there is no reason why churches should not be growing. Do I really need to go to church to do that? Like Martha, we can be so busy working for Christ that we have no time to love Him. They gathered together to share in reading and recalling the teaching they received from the apostles. Read More Posts Like This: With Grace, Lindsey.
Everywhere in England the Church of God is growing, and often the Church of England is part of that growth. True life change happens in the church. Old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new. There is value in sharing life with other people who are seeking to be the best version of themselves. I promise you that as many reasons as you might have not to go, there are even more reasons to trust God and pour your life and heart out for Him alongside His people. Christ holds that prayer is a tremendous power which achieves what, without it, was a sheer impossibility. We declare that we accept the freedom God gives us to resist evil, injustice, and oppression. Christian without going to church. The church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men. "Let us hold fast the confession of our faith without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. I laughed with Elinor but that eagerness stayed with me. So while it may be helpful (and to many it is), it is not necessary. Whether inside or outside the church building, whether in your Sunday best or in ragged pajamas—be encouraged.
You can freeze together, as the Church of the Frozen Chosen; or you can melt together with the fire of the Holy Spirit. And the fact that you are not so using it, and simply don't believe in it and its efficiency and efficacy as our fathers did, and that so many nowadays agree with you, is certainly a major reason why the churches are so cold, and the promises seem so tardy of fulfillment. It is almost time for 2012 to go and 2013 to arrive. We see throughout the Bible that Christ Himself was part of the church. We promise to serve WITH THE CHURCH. Without hearing the Word read and preached, without gathering with other Christians around the table to share and feast upon Christ who is host and sacrifice for us, and without becoming part of the fire of the Spirit as it moves among the living members of Christ's body, we become like embers of a fire separated from the community of grace.
The local church, led by Jesus, is the hope of the world and God's means to disciple the nations and hasten his return. The creeping wilderness will soon take over that church that trusts in its own strength and forgets to watch and pray. She is a wife to a loving husband and a stay-at-home-mom to two sweet little boys. In proportion as a church is holy, in that proportion will its testimony for Christ be powerful. Lindsey Maestas is a Christian based out of Albuquerque, NM. The very early church had far more challenges than we face but it grew fast. I sat in the waiting room waiting for Elinor, and as I did there was a steady stream of people, mostly women going past me. The church is not a select circle of the immaculate, but a home where the outcast may come in.
Christians don't tell lies they just go to church and sing them. For many people, because of the struggles we mentioned above, organized religion is the very barrier they need to overcome to get closer proximity to Jesus. To that I say: Choose a place and stick with it. As a reminder, the Enemy has the power to use both good and bad things to keep you from God things – but only if you let him. Sadly, we do not seem credible to so many people. I fully understand that the 'American Church' with massive buildings, coffee shops and rockstar worship leaders with too-tight-skinny-jeans may not be what Christ had in mind. There are many more verses that say the same thing. I was saved at the age of 19 years old at Mars Hill Church with Pastor Mark Driscoll (a few years before his church fell apart.