Redeemed from Death!

Hosea 12:6, 13:4  
6 So you, by the help of your God, return; observe mercy and justice, and wait on your God continually."  14 “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. O Death, I will be your plagues!  O Grave, I will be your destruction!  Pity is hidden from My eyes.”

1 Corinthians 15:54-57.  "54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55 “O Death, where is your sting?  O Hades, where is your victory?”  56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

When we follow God, showing mercy and justice as He does, we are looking forward to the resurrection of completed redemption; He conquered death and hell's power to consume us, and we have certainty in the victory which is in Christ alone!  No longer working to earn salvation, we trust fully and solely in Him.  Let us walk that way.

Holy Mercy by Grace

Hosea 11:7-9   
7 My people are bent on backsliding from Me. Though they call to the Most High, none at all exalt Him.  9 I will not execute the fierceness of My anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim. For I am God, and not man, The Holy One in your midst; and I will not come with terror.

When we all in our sin wandered away from God, He sent His Son to quell His just anger for our sin against Him, choosing to forgive in mercy and unearned favor.  This grace promises forgiveness here and forever, paying our price for turning away from all He told us from Eden till now.  He is God, holy and not like us, so can choose not to execute judgment but show mercy.  But those who refuse to find refuge in Christ will still face that justice when face to face with Him.

Righteousness Sown and Rained Down

Hosea 10:12-13  
12 Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, till He comes and rains righteousness on you.  13 You have plowed wickedness; you have reaped iniquity. You have eaten the fruit of lies, because you trusted in your own way, in the multitude of your mighty men.

All we like sheep have wandered from God and live in sin without Christ.  Truly there is nobody who is righteous by His standards of perfection.  We sow our own strength and lies of self reliance intermingled with wicked thoughts and deeds that echo them.  Ah, but God desires mercy and brokenness intermingled in righteousness; but this is only possible in the righteous perfection of Jesus Christ as our Savior, Intercessor, and Lord.  He has come in the flesh to rain His righteousness on us.

Hearts will Fear Judgment

Hosea 10:8 
Also the high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, Shall be destroyed.  The thorn and thistle shall grow on their altars; They shall say to the mountains, “Cover us!” And to the hills, “Fall on us!”

- Luke 23:30.  "Then they will begin ‘to say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!” ’"

- Revelation 6:15-17  And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, 16 and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”"

When God justly deals with our sin at the end of time, men will panic and cry out to hide from His anger against sin, even trying to hide underground.  Nobody can hide or stand in their own perceived goodness; they will only know then they have none apart from that given by Christ.  He died to take our just punishment, and is the only way to be saved from God's just anger for and end of sin. 

Knowing God and Showing Mercy

Hosea 6:4-6  
4 “O Ephraim, what shall I do to you?  O Judah, what shall I do to you? For your faithfulness is like a morning cloud, and like the early dew it goes away.  5 Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets, I have slain them by the words of My mouth; and your judgments are like light that goes forth.  6 For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings."

Faithfulness should not blow away like fog in the morning, burning off as the heat of the day creeps in.  God saves by faith, and the just will then also live by faith, walking with Him in His mercy which we must share with others - no matter how difficult that is for us as mere men.  He wants us to know Him more, to trust Him always in all things, and not rely on what we give up or use in an attempt to somehow earn His favor.  God alone gives life or death, and He judges true - and offers grace freely. 

Turn to God from Sin and Pursue Him

Hosea 5:15 - 6:3. 
15 I will return again to My place till they acknowledge their offense. then they will seek My face; in their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.”    6:1 Come, and let us return to the Lord; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up.  2 After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight.  3 Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth."

When we offend God, we must confess the sin and seek Him with all our heart.  He heals and bandages our wounds of our broken fallen deeds and thoughts, and we can look forward confidently to the resurrection with Him.  This hope should drive us to run after knowing Him, which begins with knowing as much as we can about Him and all creation from His perspective, the Bible.  He speaks to us to draw us to seek Him ever more. 

Stumbling or Humbling?

Hosea 4:4-6.  
4 “Now let no man contend, or rebuke another; for your people are like those who contend with the priest.  5 Therefore you shall stumble in the day; the prophet also shall stumble with you in the night; and I will destroy your mother.  6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.  Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children."

When God uses His servants to speak to His people and they argue against the truth instead of hearing and then checking the Scriptures to see if the things thought are so, then God will allow them to stumble in the dark until they humble themselves under His mighty hand.  So we still need to know and understand to develop a heart of wisdom.  If we reject this, then we will face the consequences. 

Mercy Sown in God's Chosen

Hosea 2:19-23  
19 “I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me In righteousness and justice, In lovingkindness and mercy; ... 23 Then I will sow her for Myself in the earth, And I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy; Then I will say to those who were not My people, ‘You are My people!’ And they shall say, ‘You are my God!’ ”

As the sand of the sea, so are we as God's people. Though not one of His chosen from the Jews, He has made me His, calling me out to Himself!  Now He calls me His child in Jesus Christ.  This is justice overwhelmed by mercy. 

Only Those Made Wise Understand

Daniel 12:4, 10  
4 “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.  10 Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand."

The things shown to Daniel were not to be revealed yet, yet at the end of time people would scramble to discover what God's words meant, increasing their knowledge and understanding - that is, those who are wise and turn from evil.  So those seeking will find, and Jesus will give understanding as we follow Him, seeking wisdom in the obedience of grace and mercy. 

Forever Written in His Book

Daniel 12:1-3 
1 “At that time Michael shall stand up, The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time.  And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book.  2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.  3 Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever."

At times dusk trouble will overwhelm the world as never before.  Yet those who have been reconciled to God in Christ will be saved from God's wrath, those written in the Lamb's Book of Life for eternity.   Others will be shamed and suffer for the same time unending.  So if we are wise, we will both now and then shine for Him by pleading with those facing shame and judgment to turn from their sin to Him. 

The Wicked and the Purified of God

Daniel 11:31-35  
31 And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation. 32 Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits. 33 And those of the people who understand shall instruct many; ... 35 And some of those of understanding shall fall, to refine them, purify them, and make them white, until the time of the end; because it is still for the appointed time.

Daniel's prophecy is difficult to fully understand, yet the most important thing is that one will arise to act as God, speaking evil of Him and supporting those who also act against God.  Ah, but those who really know God will stay strong and do great things, including teaching others the truth of the Gospel.  Yes, some then will be persecuted to make them even better for God.  All is completely in His hands.  God is in absolute control, and the times are in His hands. 

Hear in Humility, Do Not Fear

Daniel 10:12 
Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words."

James 4:10. "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up."

1 Peter 5:6. "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,"

To understand what God says is the foundation; but without total reliance on God's grace in Christ, in humility, we will not be heard by God and we will not follow as we must.  He lifts us up - our attempts lead to falling in pride.  Therefore we listen to hear in humility and do not fear because He hears. 

The Crucified Lord Speaks

John 8:26-29  
26 I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him.”  28 Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. 29 And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.”

Jesus is God; the religious leaders, the Pharisees, could not grasp and would not accept this.  Jesus told them the proof was in speaking God's truth and acting only as the Father directed with the ability given by God alone.  So we need to imitate Christ's example - we must speak the truth from God's words (in love) and rely completely on Him with us and living in us (His Spirit) to please Him, and in so doing, to make disciples.  This is how we see that "many believed in Him." 

Called by His Name and Mercy Alone

Daniel 9:18-19  
18 O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see our desolations, and the city which is called by Your name; for we do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies. 19 O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”

God's nature never changes; He still can be called upon and pleaded with as our broken and contrite hearts lead us to the throne of mercy and grace to find help for our ever needy souls.  For His glory we cry out, leaning on His great mercies.  We are called out by Him and so for Him, and prayer keeps us focused on and following Christ in us, the Hope of glory.  O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! 

Mercy and Forgiveness to Sinners

Daniel 9:9-13 
9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him. 10 We have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in His laws, which He set before us by His servants the prophets. 11 Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not to obey Your voice; therefore the curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against Him. 13 As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth.

God forgives because He shows mercy.  Even when we were still lost in our sin and living by lies, He gave us truth and called us to understand His grace and mercy.  We suffer under the curse of our sin until we believe this truth fulfilled in Jesus Christ alone.  Only then can we be changed and then find the way to live as He tells us and listen His truth with understanding for life - both now and into forever with Him. 

The Appointed Time of the End

Daniel 8:19, 25, 12  
19 And he said, “Look, I am making known to you what shall happen in the latter time of the indignation; for at the appointed time the end shall be.  25 “Through his cunning He shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule; and he shall exalt himself in his heart.  He shall destroy many in their prosperity.  He shall even rise against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without human means. 12 ... he cast truth down to the ground. He did all this and prospered.

The times in the end are mostly hidden, to be revealed as they unfold; yet there are indications and events so see what is happening before time ends.  Here truth is cast down as the evil one uses one to blaspheme God and attack His people. Lies and deception will be the government, and many will be no longer prosperous but cut down.  When he rises against Christ Himself though, he will be defeated.  In all this we cling to truth and know God is in absolute control.  Only those who do not know Him need fear. 

Judgment and God's Kingdom Given

Daniel 7:21-22, 25-27  
21 “I was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom.   25 He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law.  Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time.   27 Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.”

In the end before time stops the enemy will war against God's people, speaking against God and change everything (including laws) to attack God's name and His people.  But with finality Christ will conquer and then give the kingdom to us under Him forever in a new creation.  We will then serve Him and obey without sin in the way! 

Everlasting Kingdom of the Son of Man

Daniel 7:13-14, 18  
13 “I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him.  14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed."  18 But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.’"

Ah, when the Son of Man, the Son of God, comes back in the end He will reign as Lord and King forever.  He stepped down from His throne to allow Himself to suffer and be killed to pay our just sentence for sin, and will step down again in power and majesty to destroy the presence of evil, having already destroyed his power over us by sin in death and hell.  We who are His will then receive that kingdom with the end of time to go forever.  Ah, to serve Him and be in His presence forever! 

We Stand for the Indestructible Kingdom

Daniel 6:26-27  
26 I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel. For He is the living God, And steadfast forever; His kingdom is the one which shall not be destroyed, And His dominion shall endure to the end.  27 He delivers and rescues, And He works signs and wonders In heaven and on earth, Who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.

Daniel prayed and worshipped even when his life was at stake.  Do we stand for Christ no matter the cost?  He is worthy - living, steadfast, eternal ruler and Lord of all.  He alone delivers and rescues, so all must fear and tremble before Him.  He does amazing things in heaven and earth; who delivers from sin and death and Hell but Jesus Christ, the only Son of the living God?  This is so much more than mere lions. Remember that even the demons tremble and fear before Him. 

Believe Jesus is God or Die in your SIns

John 8:12, 24 
12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.  "24 Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”

The way to see truly is Jesus Christ; we are blind without Him, and stumble in the darkness of our limited understanding of all He made and who God is.  If we do don't see with eyes opened by Him that Jesus is the I AM, God among us (Emmanuel), then we will die unreconciled to God in our sins. This is why Jesus is the only way, truth, and life for us forever. 

Weighed and Found Wanting?

Daniel 5:20, 23, 26-28 
20 But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him.   23 And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. ...and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified."  "26 This is the interpretation of each word. Mene: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; 27 Tekel: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; 28 Peres: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.”

To deny God and His honor and glory only leads to destruction - both now and after death.  He has our breathe of life in His hands; how can we say He is not fair to take it away when we are made by Him for Him?  When we sin by disowning Him, we reap fair justice.  We will be counted with Christ or not, weighed by our response to that gospel, and divided as sheep and goats at the judgment seat of Christ.  We are to acknowledge His sovereignty and glorify Him.  Let us believe His Son and honor Him now! 

He Does all He Sovereignly Pleases

Daniel 4:34-37  
34 ... and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever: For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom is from generation to generation.  35 All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven And among the inhabitants of the earth.  No one can restrain His hand Or say to Him, “What have You done?”  37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down."

1 Peter 5:6. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,

God is sovereign, so He has every right to to as He wills, not as we expect or even dare to demand.  Who can hold back His hand or question what He allows or who He raises up or brings down?  He does everything justly and truly.  When we in pride say all is by our ability or effort, He will humble us - if we are listening.  Let God lift us up, not even thinking about doing so ourselves.  When we blow our own horn, it falls flat.  

Sovereign Source of Rulers

Daniel 4:17
"‘This decision is by the decree of the watchers, And the sentence by the word of the holy ones, In order that the living may know That the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, Gives it to whomever He will, And sets over it the lowest of men.’"

Luke 1:52 "He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly."

God gives ability, position, success, and authority.  It is not our effort or great ability, for all we have comes from Him alone.  This mindset is what it means to honor Him and give Him the glory - to give credit to the source of all we both have and are. 

Wonders of His Everlasting Kingdom and Dominion

Daniel 4:2-3
2 I thought it good to declare the signs and wonders that the Most High God has worked for me. 3 How great are His signs, And how mighty His wonders!  His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And His dominion is from generation to generation.

What God has done in history and for me personally must be told.  He works such great and awesome things, from creating the universe to making the blind see to changing my heart for His glory... He rules absolutely and forever.  He is in control of history, allowing what He will to show who He is in the end with judgment, mercy, vengeance, and grace.  I think it good to declare the signs and wonders He has done for me.  What wonders of His everlasting kingdom and dominion! 

God Delivers out of Fire by Christ

2 Corinthians 2:14-16 
14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. 15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?"

The same God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego who delivers from fire leads us to victory in the unseen war for the souls of men.  Always.  This is to show life in Christ to those called out, and a warning to those refusing to hear Him.  It is as a smell of a sweet sacrifice rising up to God - the sacrifice of His Son for all who will hear, turn from sin to Him, believe, and be changed by that active faith.  To those who turn away from that message, there is only the stench of decay and death.  God delivers out of the fire by Christ. 

Worship No Other Gods

Daniel 3:17-18  
17 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”

Daniel 3:25, 28  “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”"  "28 Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God!"

God will deliver or allow hardship and even death.  In all things He is sovereign and honors those who honor Him.  This is why we endure suffering and do not yield to worshipping other so-called gods or dishonor God by following the world opposed by sin to Him.  The Son of God walks among and in us. 

God Alone Knows Our Hearts and Minds

Daniel 2:47  
The king answered Daniel, and said, “Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret.”

Psalms 44:21   "Would not God search this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart."

1 Corinthians 14:24-25   24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninformed person comes in, he is convinced by all, he is convicted by all. 25 And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed; and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you.

God knows our hearts, and He will reveal everything in them when we stand before Him.  God also chooses at times to show some of His people what is in others - by His word and Spirit living in us - so that they may see their need for Him and the truth of their offenses against God and man.  This brings God in Christ all the worship as they see Him through us.  It is not about us, but Him. 

Wisdom, Might, Light, and Hidden Things

Daniel 2:20-22 
20 Daniel answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, For wisdom and might are His.  21 And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding.  22 He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, And light dwells with Him."

Giving glory to God includes things like these - acknowledging that all real wisdom and power belong and are handed out from God alone.  History and all events of time are sovereignty of Him revealed or hidden.  What is hidden can only really be found when He chooses to show it to us, good and bad.  In other words, that our intellect and might is non existent without God's say at each point along the way.  Let us admit this and so honor and glorify the only one who is worthy. 

God Reveals the Truth that We Might Live

Daniel 2:11, 18-19  
11 It is a difficult thing that the king requests, and there is no other who can tell it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.  18 that they might seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. So Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

The king of Babylon demanded truth and not lies for his dream to both be revealed and explained; revealed to show divine knowledge as the source, and known to show understanding.  None but God could show this to a man - and Daniel prayed for mercy to know and understand.  God chose to show the dream and its meaning in a dream with inspiration to understand and wisdom to explain.  God honors those who honor Him, and delivers them.   He reveals the truth that we might live in Him 

The LORD is There!

Ezekiel 48:35

All the way around shall be eighteen thousand cubits; and the name of the city from that day shall be: THE LORD IS THERE (YHWH Shammah). 

This new city shown to Ezekiel after God's people were restored was called the place where the Lord is.  This again echoes Revelation with the New Jerusalem in a new earth in a new universe.  He will start over with the creation, but we who are reconciled by and bought at the price of the blood of Christ will live there forever.  And YHWH Shammah! 

Healing of Tree of Life for the Nations

Ezekiel 47:8,12  
8 Then he said to me: “This water flows toward the eastern region, goes down into the valley, and enters the sea. When it reaches the sea, its waters are healed." "12 Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine.”

In the end after the world is judged, there will be healing for all who are in the Lamb's book of life, who are called, chosen, and faithful.  There will be trees with leaves to heal, similar to the trees in Eden.  Fruit we can eat from, given by God and not forbidden, will sustain us as well.  The healing water of life from God's own throne is the source - Jesus said living water will flow in us now, and then also.

Revelation 22:1-2  1 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.