Sun.’s Devo - The Four Kingdoms of the Earth

Read: Daniel 7:1-28; 1 John 1:1-10; Psalm 119:153-176; Proverbs 28:23-24 Earlier in Belshazzar’s reign, Daniel saw a vision of what was going to happen in the future on the earth. In his vision, beasts came out of the sea which represented kingdoms that would rule the earth. These were the same kingdoms that Nebuchadnezzar had seen in his dream which represented metals. *** The first beast was a lion with wings like an eagle and represented Babylon. It’s wings were pulled off and it was grounded to the earth and was given a human mind. I see this as Satan thrown out of heaven to rule the earth through men. *** The next beast was like a bear. It represented Persia which was very cruel. The bear reared up on one side and had three ribs in its mouth. A voice cried to get up and devour the people. The three ribs represented Media, Lydia and Babylon. *** The third beast looked like a leopard and represented Greece. It had four wings and four heads and was given great authority. The four heads represented Cassandra who ruled Macedon and Greece, Lysemachus who ruled Thrace and Bithynia, Ptolemy who ruled Egypt, and Seleucus who ruled Syria. *** The fourth beast was terrifying with huge iron teeth who devoured and crushed its enemies under its feet. This was the Roman Empire. He had ten horns which Nebuchadnezzar saw as ten toes on his statue. The Roman Empire was divided between the Germanic and Romanic influences which did not mix just like the clay and iron didn’t mix. *** During the Roman Empire the Popery rose up who claimed to be God on the earth. *** Next, we see the judgement of God on all the kingdoms on the earth. Jesus came and brought his kingdom with would destroy all these kingdoms forever. *** When Daniel woke from his dream, he was troubled and asked the angel he saw standing beside the throne. He explained that the four kingdoms would rule until the end when the Lord would give the kingdom to God’s holy people. *** Daniel was most concerned about the last kingdom which would try to change their festivals and laws. Daniel was assured that it would be judged in the end and be given to God’s holy people. *** Do we not see that very thing in our world today? The Passover has been changed to Easter. Pentecost is forgotten. All of God’s holy days have been paganize and changed to other names. We are living in the bringing down of this last kingdom. *** First John gives us John’s eye-witness of who Jesus was and what he came to do. Jesus existed from the beginning and came to earth to reveal to us who the Father and his Son was. *** Jesus came to tell us that he is the light and there is no darkness in him. We can totally trust his holiness and goodness. We can fellowship with him only in the light where he is. We get there by confessing our sins and allowing him to cleans us from our wickedness. Then he places his word in our heart. *** Lord, thank you for your great plan for the earth and the future. May we walk in the light as you are in the light and have fellowship with you.

Sat.’s Devo - God Defeats the Lions

Read: Daniel 6:1-28; 2 Peter 3:1-18; Psalm 119:129-152; Provers 28:21-22 Darius set up his kingdom with 120 provinces and placed an official to rule each province. Then he put Daniel and two other administers over the officials. Daniel proved to be so much more efficient and capable than the other two, so Darius was planning to put Daniel over them also. *** The king’s plan was found out by the other administrators and they devised a plot to bring Daniel down. Because they could find nothing to accused him of in his work, they decided to use his religion against him. *** They went to the king and played to his pride. They made it sound like all the other administers, including Daniel, had come up with this idea. They proposed to honor the king by making a law that for the next 30 days, no one could pray to anyone but him. They had him agree to make it an official law that could not be revoked. *** As soon as it was signed, they went to Daniel’s house, knowing he prayed three times a day for wisdom. They caught him praying and brought him before the king. They reminded Darius of his law that could not be revoked. The king was distraught and waited as long as he could trying to find a loophole to free Daniel. He finally had to let them put Daniel in the lion’s den. He told Daniel that he was praying that his God was able to rescue him. *** The king fasted the whole night and early in the morning he went to the den. He called out asking Daniel if his God was able to save him. When Daniel responded that his God had shut the mouths of the lions and that he was innocent, the king had him quickly brought out. Then he had the ones who had maliciously accused Daniel, thrown into the den with their wives and children. The lions leaped up and tore them apart before they could reach the ground. *** Then the king issued a message to the people in his kingdom that they should fear the God of Daniel, who was able to rescue him from the den of lions. *** This is one more story of the way God rescues his people from the pagan system in a foreign land. We are living in a foreign land in a pagan system and yet we are not to follow laws that defy God’s laws. God will protect us when we put him above our own lives and safety. *** In the second letter of Peter he reminds them of the prophecies of the prophets and the apostles. They said that Jesus would return one day, and he will. Even when it seems like it will never happen, it will. In Noah’s day they forgot that the earth came out of the water and God used the water to consume the earth. The earth was judged then and will be judged again, but this time with fire, not water. *** When we get tired of waiting we need to remember that to the Lord, a day is like a thousand years and vice versa. The Lord is waiting for more of his chosen people to come to know him. The day will come where the whole earth will be cleansed with fire and judgment will come. *** God has promised us a new heaven and a new earth which will be filled with God’s righteousness. While we are waiting for that to happen, we need to strive to live pure and blameless lives. We will need to guard against being deceived by other interpretations of what Paul wrote and what is written in God’s Word. Instead we are to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord. *** Lord, help us to do this very thing. May we not be swayed by the next new doctrine or the next revelation, but to weigh it by all your Scripture. Give us discernment to know what to believe and what to ignore. Thank you for your love that comforts us in the days we are living in.

Fri.’s Devo - The Writing on the Wall

Read: Daniel 5:1-31; 2 Peter 2:1-22; Psalm 119:113-128; Proverbs 28:19-20 Belshazzar, Nebuchanezzar’s successor was recorded in history as being a very cruel king. He killed a fellow hunter simply because he killed the animal before he did. In another story, he had one of his servants castrated because one of the women called him handsome. We can tell by the way Daniel spoke to him that Daniel had no respect for him. Belshazzar had a banquet for 1,000 of his nobles and was drinking from the golden cups they had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem. They were praising their gods of gold and silver and bronze, etc., when a hand began writing on the wall. It wrote the words Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parson. The king was brought to his knees in fear. *** None of his magicians could interpret what the words meant. The king’s wife told him about the fame of Daniel and he was brought in. Belshazzar told Daniel all the honors and gifts that would be given him if he interpreted the words. Daniel told him he could keep his gifts or give them to someone else, but he would tell him what the words meant. *** This is what he told him. His days were numbered. God had measured his life and found it meaningless so it would end and his kingdom would be given to the Medes and the Persians. Surprisingly, the king gave Daniel all the things he had promised: promotion, royal robes and a gold chain. That very night, Belshazzar was killed and Darius the Mede took the kingdom. Once again we see how God controls the course of human events. He promotes who he wants and brings down who he wants. *** Peter taught that there were false prophets in the past that taught lies just as there are false teachers in their present time. They would deny Jesus as the Messiah and teach immoral, evil doctrine to con people out of their money. *** They were not to worry because God judged the angels who disobeyed him and put them in pits in hell. He judged the people of Noah’s days and destroyed them with the flood because they were so evil. But, he saved Noah and seven members of his family. God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with hail and fire because of their morality and wickedness. But, he saved Lot and his two daughters. So, God knows how to save righteous godly people out of their trials, while punishing the wicked and saving them for the judgement. *** Peter compared these wicked false teachers to those who God destroyed. They were deceptive, evil and preyed on the innocent. They loved bribes and extortion like Balaam who was offered payment to curse Israel. God stopped Balaam with his talking donkey who rebuked him. God would not allow him to curse Israel whom he had blessed. *** It would be the same for these people of Peter’s day. They would get their full reward. They were slaves to sin and corruption. *** We are also slaves to whatever controls us. So we are not to get entangled in sin and let it control us. If we do get entangled in sin after we have believed, we will be worse off than before. *** Lord, thank you that we are no longer slaves to sin. May we walk free and stay free. May we bring every evil thought captive and not entertain doubt or shame. Thank you for the blood of Jesus that has power to cleanse and keep us clean.

Thurs.’s Devo - The Tree

Read: Daniel 4:1-37; 2 Peter 1:1-21; Psalm 119:97-112; Proverbs 28:17-18 Years later, Nebuchadnezzar had another dream and eventually Daniel, the chief of the magicians was called in to interpret it. *** In his dream he saw a very tall tree planted in the middle of the earth. It provided fruit and shade and provision for all. A messenger came from heaven and commanded that the tree be cut down and its branches lopped off. Only the stump would remain, bound by iron and bronze and surrounded by grass. It would stay there among the wild animals for seven years and have the mind of a wild animal. This would happen so that everyone would know that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world. He gives them to whoever he chooses, even to the lowliest of people. *** Daniel had to tell Nebuchadnezzar that the dream was about him and he was the tree that would lose his mind and live among the wild animals for seven years. Then he would come to his senses and be restored to his kingdom. He would know that it is God who rules heaven and earth. *** One year from that time Nebuchadnezzar was walking on the roof of his royal palace and made the proud confession that he had created this city by his own mighty power. It was then that a voice from heaven said he was no longer the ruler of this kingdom and the dream played out. *** When he returned from his insanity he was able to praise and honor the King of heaven whose acts are just and true. *** In Peter’s second letter he stated that God has given us everything we need to live a godly life. They are found in his promises that enable us to share in his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption that is caused by the evil desires of humanity. *** The processes that leads to a godly life are moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, patient endurance, godliness, and brotherly affection. The more we grow into these characteristics the more effective and productive we will be in the kingdom of God. Peter tells us how important it is to remind ourselves that these are the goals we are striving to live by. *** Peter knows that his time is short and he remembers when Jesus transfigured into his glorious body right before him. God spoke from heaven and told them that Jesus was his dearly beloved Son who brings him great joy. This gave Peter even more confidence in the prophecy of the prophets. Jesus will return in majesty and splendor just as they foretold. *** Lord, may we grow in all the attributes of your kingdom. May our lives be useful to you and what your plan is on the earth. May we participate in what you are doing and live to see your kingdom come to earth like it is in heaven.

Wed.’s Devo - The Fiery Furnace

Read: Daniel 2:24-3:30; 1 Peter 4:7-5:14; Psalm 119:81-96; Proverbs 28:15-16 Daniel went to Arioch who was the man in charge of killing all the wise men and told him not to kill them because he could tell the king his dream and its meaning. Arioch was so relieved and took Daniel straight to the king. *** Daniel made sure that the king knew it was nothing special about him, because no man could do what the king had asked. But, there was a God in heaven who revealed his secret to Daniel because He wanted the king to know what was going to happen in the future. *** Then, Daniel told him his dream. He had seen the statue of a man whose head was gold, its chest and arms were silver, its belly and thighs were bronze and its legs were iron. The feet were a combination of iron and backed clay. Then a rock, cut from a mountain struck it at its feet and the whole thing shattered into small pieces and was blown away by the wind till there was no trace of it. The rock became a great mountain that covered the whole earth. *** Then, Daniel told him what God had revealed as the interpretation. He and his kingdom was the head of gold. After him would rise another kingdom inferior to his (silver) , then another (bronze). The fourth would be strong like iron that would smash the other kingdoms. The feet and toes represented that iron kingdom and another very weak one (clay). They would try to align through marriages but it would’t hold together. *** During the reigns of those kingdoms, God would set up a kingdom that would never be destroyed or conquered. It would stand forever. It would bring down all the other kingdoms in the earth. This kingdom is the Kingdom of God and we are watching that happen in our day. He is destroying all the kingdoms of darkness, exposing their evil and wiping them out. The day is coming when there won’t be a trace of their evil left on the earth. Hallelujah! *** King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face before Daniel and worshipped him. He ordered his people to offer sacrifices and burn incense for Daniel. He praised Daniel’s God and exalted Daniel to ruler over the whole province of Babylon. Daniel asked him to appoint Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to be in charge of the affairs of Babylon. Daniel served in the king’s court. *** King Nebuchadnezzar made a golden statue of himself and at the dedication ordered everyone to bow when they heard the music. He threatened if anyone who refused to bow, they would be thrown into the fiery furnace. It was reported to the king that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to bow. They were brought before the king and asked about it. They said that they would never bow before the statue. They only bowed to their God. They also said that their God was able to save them from the furnace but even if he didn’t, they would never bow to the king’s statue. *** They were ordered to be thrown into the furnace which was heated up seven times hotter than normal. The men who threw them in were burned to death, but Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego walked with Jesus totally unharmed in the fire. *** The king saw them and called them out of the fire. They walked out not even smelling like fire. The king was so in awe and proclaimed that “there is no other god who can rescue like this!” He promoted them to an even higher position than before. *** When God is ready to do something in the earth, there is no one who can stop what he is doing. We are in a time like that. No news media lie, or threat, or false flag can stop the bringing down of the kingdom of darkness. It is coming down. *** Peter proclaimed in his day that the world was soon coming to an end. He emphasized our prayer life and our love for one another. He encouraged us to use our spiritual gifts to help one another. We will face fiery trials like Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego, but Jesus is in the fire with us and will bring us out unharmed. We want to be sure the suffering we go through is because of our stand for Jesus and not because we have done something to deserve suffering. It is a privilege to share in the sufferings of Christ. *** Leaders are told to lead with example and they will be rewarded in the end. It is God who exalts us and promotes us. *** Our enemy is the devil. He is looking for someone to totally devour. We stand in faith against him and he can not hurt us. *** When our suffering is over, God will restore, support and strengthen us and put us on a firm foundation. *** Lord, thank you for the ones who have gone before us and modeled faith. Thank you that we have no need to fear what the enemy has in store for us because you are so much more powerful and it is your good plans that will stand. We put our trust in you.

Tues.’s Devo - Daniel’s Test

Read: Daniel 1:1-2:23; 1 Peter 3:8-4:6; Psalm 119:65-80; Proverbs 28:14 Daniel and his three friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were taken into exile to Babylon when they were teenagers. They were the royal family line or from elite families in Judah. They were taken because they were strong, healthy and good-looking. Along with other exiles, Nebuchadnezzar took sacred objects from the Temple. The year was around 605 B.C. during Jehoiakim’s third year as king of Judah. *** When Daniel arrived in Babylon he was put under the tutelage of a staff officer. He was to eat the food the king but it was not kosher according to God’s law. Daniel asked if he and his friends could only eat vegetables and water for a trial period of 10 days, then the officer could examine them against the other exiles and make his decision. At the end of the 10 days Daniel and his friends looked healthier than the others so they were allowed to continue eating their diet. *** They were trained for three years and the Lord blessed them with the ability to learn and understand every aspect of literature and wisdom. Daniel had the gift of interpreting dreams and visions. *** At the end of their training they were brought before the king and no one impressed him more than Daniel, Hanahiah, Mishael, and Azariah. *** The king had a dream that greatly disturbed him and seemed so important that he called in his top magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers. He told them to tell him what he dreamed and the meaning or they would die. They claimed no one could do that, so the king planned to kill them all. *** Daniel and his friends were not told what had happened, but when the officers came to kill them, they asked why., Daniel asked to see the king to ask for more time and was granted it. *** Daniel told his three friend to pray that God would tell them the secret of the king’s dream. That night in a dream, God gave Daniel the answer to his prayer. Daniel praised the Lord who controls the course of world events. That is a good thing for us to remember in the light of our nation. God is the one who controls our nation and he reveals deep mysteries to his people who seek him. *** Peter gives us some practical ways to act out God’s kingdom on earth. Most of it has to do with what we say. God is watching and listening and will turn his face from those who do evil. If we suffer for doing good, God will reward us. We should always have an answer for the hope that lies within us. Jesus is our hope and he suffered, died and rose to eternal life. When he died, he went to preach to spirits in prison in Sheol (the place of the dead). These were the people who died in the flood. The flood was a picture of God baptizing the earth from the evil that permeated before the flood. *** Then, Christ went to heaven and took his honorable seat next to God. *** Christ suffered on the earth, so we should not be surprised when we do also. Everyone will one day face God and give an account for the lives they lived on earth. They is why we preach the Good News, so they can repent and face God with joy and clean hearts and minds. *** Lord, thank you that you control the course of human events. We pray that our leaders would have your wisdom to choose your answers. May we learn from our mistakes and turn back to you.

Mon.’s Devo - The River of God

Read: Ezekiel 47:1-48:35; 1 Peter 2:11-37; Psalm 119:49-64; Proverbs 28:12-13 Ezekiel was brought to the entrance of the Temple and was shown a stream flowing from under the door of the Temple. It passed on the right side of the altar through the eastern gateway. Ezekiel was taken out the northern gateway to the entrance of the eastern gate. *** The guide took Ezekiel across the stream and the water was up to his ankles. They walked 1,750 feet down the stream and he was taken across it again and this time it was up to his knees. He was taken another 1,750 feet and across the water again. This time the water was too deep to walk across and he would have to swim. The man asked Ezekiel if he had been paying attention. As Ezekiel looked he saw that trees were growing on both sides of the water. The man told him that this river flowed down to the Dead Sea and it would bring life to the Dead Sea. Fish would abound in the waters and many fishermen would fish in the Dead Sea. Various fruit trees would grow on both sides of the river and their leaves would never die but bring healing. Their fruit would be for food. This is what revival looks like. *** God said to divide the land for the tribes of Israel. They would each get a strip of land 3.33 miles wide and 8.33 miles long. The Temple would be in the middle of the city with the priests and Levite’s land to the north. Area around the Temple area would be for public use to grow food and plant gardens. The prince would own land on either side of the public land. To the south would be the strips of the land for Benjamin, Simeon, Issachar, Zebulun, and Gad. To the north would be the strips of land for Judah, Ephraim, Manasseh, Naphtali, Asher, and Dan. *** Each tribe would have its own gate named after it to exit the city. Reuben, Judah, and Levi would have gates on the north. On the east wall gates would be named for Joseph, Benjamin and Dan. To the south, the gates would be named for Simeon, Issachar and Zebulun and on the west the gates were named for Gad, Asher, and Naphtali. The name of the city would be “The Lord is There.” *** Peter warns us of worldly desires that wage a war against our souls. If we live honorably and according to God’s laws, our lives will be a witness for God when he judges the world. Our lives should cause the scoffers to stop calling Christians hypocrites. We should never use our freedom in Christ as an excuse to do evil. We should respect all people as God’s creation and have love for our brothers and sisters in the Lord. *** Believers should be the best employees, best bosses, best wives and best husbands. Our lives should model God’s kingdom. Our focus should first be to beautify our hearts and live submissive humble lives. Our homes should model the family of God and his authority. *** Lord, help us to live motivated by our renewed hearts and minds and not our worldly desires. May our lives make you proud that we are your children and may we model your kingdom.