2015-1st Qt Heaven Rules -iph

Revelation 5: Worthy is the Lamb Who Was Slain1. It’s especially important in a book like Revelation that we pay attention to words like “then” when we begin studying a new chapter. For instance, “Then I saw…” (5:1). Thinking back to our last lesson, what’s the context?2. By way of reminder, who is the one “who was seated on the throne” (5:1)?3. When a Hebrew (or anyone living 2,000 years ago) thought of a sealed scroll, what would come to mind?4. We get the sense that something important is being conveyed in Revelation 5:1-4. What is it?5. Revelation 5:5-6 is full of important information. In what way is the Son of God: The Lion of the tribe of Judah – The Root of David – A Lamb standing, as though it had been slain -6. Have you noticed how the number “seven” keeps coming up in this revelation? Take a quick look back. Where have you noticed it? Do you think there is any significance to it?7. One of the elders assures John that “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered” (5:5). How had he conquered? Who or what had he conquered? How do we know?8. The twenty-four elders are pictured as holding “golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints” (5:8). What has just been revealed to us? Why does it matter?9. What can we learn from the new song that is sung once the Lamb takes the scroll from the one who is seated on the throne (5:9-10)?10. “And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them…” (5:13) How could this be true? What does it mean?

• LESSON 13 (April 1) •Daniel 12: The God Who Reigns Over History QUESTIONS WORTH THINKING ABOUT: 1. In light of recent chapters, what should we make of Michael being described as “the great prince who has charge of your people” (12:1a)? 2. “But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book” (12:1b). What is this communicating to Daniel and his fellow Jews? 3. What should we make of Daniel 12:2-3? 4. Why do you think this heavenly messenger would tell Daniel to “shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end” (12:4)? 5. How would you summarize the last paragraph of this incredible book? (12:5-13) 6. How does what we have studied in Daniel 10-12 relate to Jesus’ message to his disciples in Matthew 24? 7. What sort of major takeaways do we need to get (and keep) at the forefront of our minds, now that we have waded through the deep water of the book of Daniel? 8. How does Daniel relate to Revelation (our next book to study)? 9. How does Daniel relate to us today?

• LESSON 12 (March 25) • Daniel 11: The God Who Wins the Ultimate Victory (2) BACKGROUND:  Daniel 11 is a continuation of the massive final vision Daniel received in 536 B.C. The prophecy contained in this chapter is remarkable in its detail and accuracy; some 130 predictions are made in the first 35 verses. The chapter is without rival for precedent in the rest of the Old Testament. Nowhere else is so much specific foretelling to be found in one place.  The acid test of whether prophecy is from God is if it comes to pass (Deut 18:20-22). The fact that this passage is so specific and accurate leads some scholars to conclude it was the work of an historian rather than a prophet inspired by God who knows the end from the beginning. We know better. This chapter describes more than 400 years of events that lay in the future from Daniel’s perspective; it reads like an historical survey of the period with only the names and dates missing.o Dan 11:2 – Xerxes I (Esther 1)o Dan 11:3-4 – Alexander the Greato Dan 11:5 – Seleucus I (“king of the north”) and Ptolemy I (“king of the south”)o Dan 11:6 – Berenice, daughter of Ptolemy IIo Dan 11:7-8 – Ptolemy IIIo Dan 11:9 – Seleucus IIo Dan 11:11-12 – Ptolemy IV o Dan 11:13-19 – Antiochus III o Dan 11:20 – Seleucus IVo Dan 11:21-45 – Antiochus IV (Epiphanes)QUESTIONS WORTH THINKING ABOUT:1. Why was Daniel being shown “the truth” (11:2)?2. “Yet he shall come to his end, with none to help him” (11:45). What does this communicate to Daniel and the people of God?3. What should we, as Christians, take away from this massive prophecy of ancient historical events? What difference does it make? How does it relate to us?

• LESSON 11 (March 18) • Daniel 10: The God Who Wins the Ultimate Victory Wouldn’t it be nice if we knew “the rest of the story” of our lives? Or even better, how great would it be if we had perfect knowledge of what was going on in heaven parallel to our earthly circumstances? Hypothetically, if we knew an answer to our prayers was being delayed by the demon assigned to the Iranians, would we be more or less encouraged? If Job had known why he was being made to suffer, would it have made it easier for him? In this final section of Daniel, the aged prophet was given a very specific, detailed glimpse at the future of his people. He learned that difficult hardship awaited them, but that Daniel personally would die in peace and be resurrected with the rest of God’s saints. Yet, after reading the effect this all had on Daniel, I doubt I want to know too much about the future. As soon as we think we can predict future events, a twist occurs that no one expected. As early as high school, we plan out our whole lives, but they almost never go that way. Could there be more to life than always knowing what’s about to happen next? (The Derision of Heaven, Michael Whitworth) BACKGROUND:  Cyrus’ third year was 536 B.C. The Jews were experiencing great difficulties in Jerusalem. The foundation of the second Temple would be laid in April 536, but the project would be quickly suspended due to the Samaritans’ intense opposition (Ezra 3:8, 10; 4:4-5).  A couple of days before, on Nisan 24 (early April), Daniel saw a “man” standing on the banks of the Tigris River. The description of this “man” (10:5-6) is a majestic one, similar in many ways to what Ezekiel saw in Ezekiel 1:5-28. The “man’s” clothes are reminiscent of what a Jewish priest would wear (Exo 28; Lev 6:10; 16:4).  Daniel’s description of the “man” is almost identical to the description of the glorified Christ given by John in Revelation 1:12-15. Interestingly, Daniel’s reaction to seeing this “man” is identical to John’s (Rev 1:17).  In Jude’s epistle, Michael is called “the archangel” (1:9). In Revelation, Michael leads his army of heavenly angels in the war against “the dragon and his angels” (12:7-9). QUESTIONS WORTH THINKING ABOUT: 1. Why do you think Daniel was “mourning for three weeks” (10:2-3)? 2. Daniel is referred to as a “man greatly loved” (10:11,19). What ought we to make of this? 3. What is revealed in Daniel 10:12-14 is absolutely fascinating. What can we learn from this brief glimpse into the struggles we cannot see with our physical eyes? CLOSING THOUGHT: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Eph 6:12)

• LESSON 10 (March 11) • Daniel 9: The God Who Sees, Hears, and Acts BACKGROUND:  The setting of Daniel 9 is “the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a Mede, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans” (9:1-2; 5:31). It is also the year (539-538 B.C.) in which Cyrus issued the proclamation that the Jews could return to their homeland (2 Chron 36:22-23; Ezra 1:1-2).  The section of Jeremiah’s prophecy that Daniel was studying is Jeremiah 25 and 29.  This chapter is notoriously difficult to interpret. Commentators almost universally agree that the last four verses are the most baffling part of the chapter (and arguably the entire book).  But this does not mean the chapter is irrelevant or something to be avoided. We don’t have to understand every detail for the big picture to emerge. This chapter is about our greatest problem, sin, and how God planned to orchestrate our rescue. For all of its confusion, Daniel 9 is a wake-up call about our need to glory in Christ for what he did in destroying the power of sin and Satan at the cross.  This chapter is not about future events from our perspective, but what God did in Christ to ransom and reconcile us back to him. Also, Daniel 9 relates events involving Israel and the Temple leading up to A.D. 70. Daniel wonders if either will ever be restored. He was arguably unprepared for God’s answer. As you read, note the eagerness and quickness with which God revealed to Daniel those things that would take place to atone for sin. Don’t miss the fact that God was more concerned with assuring Daniel that he would act for the salvation and deliverance of his people, rather than giving a precise chronological description of all that was to take place. As reflected in Daniel’s prayer and Gabriel’s message, God was most concerned with bringing himself glory. And only when God’s people are heartbroken over sin can they properly glorify the Lord. QUESTIONS WORTH THINKING ABOUT: 1. Why would Daniel have been so concerned about the “desolations of Jerusalem” (9:2)? 2. Why is it critically important that we keep Daniel 9 in its context? 3. Daniel 9:3-19 is a rich section of Scripture. What can we learn from Daniel’s prayer? 4. What can we learn from Daniel 9:23? 5. Thinking “big picture,” what should we make of Daniel 9:24-27? CLOSING THOUGHT: “[My word] shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it” (Isa 55:11).

• LESSON 9 (March 4) • Daniel 8: The God Who Bestows and Breaks Power BACKGROUND: • This vision takes place in Belshazzar’s third year (548-547 B.C.). God’s Spirit takes Daniel to Susa, particularly to the Ulai canal, a body of water on Susa’s northeast side. Susa was a fortress-city about 200 miles east of Babylon. At the time of the vision, it was the capital of Elam. Later, Susa served as the winter residence for Persian kings until Darius I made it his capital in 521 B.C. and built a palace there (Neh 1:1; Esth 1:2). Josephus later called Susa “the metropolis of Persia” (Antiquities, 10.269). • Whereas Daniel 7 was a dream, this is described as “a vision.” One of the reasons Daniel 8 is such a remarkable chapter is that it contains a very detailed prophecy concerning the fate of the Jews 400 years after Daniel. • “The glorious land” almost certainly is a description of the land of Israel (Psa 106:24; Jer 3:19; Ezek 20:6, 15; Zech 7:14), the place the captives longed to return (Psa 137:1-6). • We have already read about “holy ones” (i.e. angels) in Daniel 4:13 and 4:23. Gabriel is the first angel mentioned by name in Scripture (Dan 9:20-21; Luke 1:19, 26); Michael is the only other (Dan 10:13, 21; 12:1; Jude 9; Rev 12:7). • “How long?” is a frequently asked question in Old Testament poetry and prophecy (Psa 6:3; 80:4; 90:13; Isa 6:11; Hab 2:6; Zech 1:12; cf. Rev 6:10). QUESTIONS WORTH THINKING ABOUT: 1. Thinking “big picture,” what should we take away from the description of the ram in Daniel 8:3-4? 2. Thinking “big picture,” what should we take away from the description of the male goat in Daniel 8:5-8? 3. Thinking “big picture,” what should we take away from the description of great difficulty in Daniel 8:9-14? 4. Thinking “big picture,” what should we take away from the explanation in Daniel 8:15-27? CLOSING THOUGHT: “But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, ‘Why have you made me like this?’ Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?” (Rom 9:20-21)

• LESSON 8 (February 25) • Daniel 7: The God Who Judges BACKGROUND:  This vision dates to the first year of Belshazzar’s reign (550-549 B.C.), meaning it took place sometime between Daniel 4-5. Belshazzar was coregent with his father, Nabonidus, and Babylon was just a decade away from falling to the Medes and Persians.  It was in 550 B.C. that Cyrus usurped the throne from Astyages the Mede and forged a new empire; though few realized it at the time, the political landscape of the known world was headed for violent change. This vision gave Daniel notice of what was still to come.  Consistent with the concept of God’s “wind” or “Spirit” elsewhere in Scripture (Gen 1:2; John 3:8), the “four winds of heaven” (Dan 7:2) are pictured as an agent of God to exert his will on nations and peoples (Jer 49:36; Zech 2:6; Rev 7:1). QUESTIONS WORTH THINKING ABOUT: 1. God is described as “the Ancient of Days” in Dan 7:9-10 (see also Psa 90:2; 93:2). What ought we to make of that designation? 2. “Son of Man” was Jesus’ most common self-description, occurring more than 80 times in the Gospels. What was he communicating by its use? 3. In Old Testament poetry, God is often said to ride the clouds like a chariot (Psa 68:4; 104:3; Isa 19:1; Jer 4:13), and Jesus spoke of doing the same (Matt 24:30; Mark 13:26), particularly on the eve of his crucifixion (Matt 26:64; Mark 14:62). Put all that together, and what ought Christians to make of Daniel 7:13-14? 4. Based on our study so far, what is being revealed to Daniel in 7:15-28? CLOSING THOUGHT: So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:6-11)

LESSON 7 Four Great Empires in Old Testament History BACKGROUND:  “Now that we have gotten used to the rather straightforward plots of Daniel 1-6 we suddenly find ourselves in a strange world, a world of hybrid beasts and riders on the clouds.Furthermore, we encounter what look like timetables, but timetables that are impossible to penetrate... What are we to make of these images and dreamlike numbers?” (Longman, Daniel,177-178).  There are two significant dangers in studying Daniel 7-12. o The first is to be so intimidated by them that you pretend they don’t exist.Why is this not a healthy or faithful way to handle Scripture? o The second is to be so obsessed with making sense of every detail that you ignore the whole. Why is this not a healthy or faithful way to handle Scripture?  It’s best to acknowledge these six chapters as apart of God’s Word (not the sum of it), and consistently remind our selves that they can offer us hope (Rom 15:4), make us wise for salvation, teach us about righteousness, and equip us for every good work (2 Tim 3:15-17).  To fortify our study of Daniel 7-12—one of the most enigmatic sections of the Old Testament—we’re going to spend significant time in this session talking about the four great empires in Old Testament history that almost certainly are the “great beasts” of Daniel 7.  Despite its difficulties, what Daniel 7-12 can do is give us an exalted view of God, cause us to bow in worship before his throne, to glory in being a member of his eternal kingdom, and to joyfully anticipate the return of his all-conquering Christ. That’s what all Scripture should do:compel worship,realign our priorities, and fill our hearts with joyful expectation. FOUR GREAT EMPIRES IN OLD TESTAMENT HISTORY: 1.The Babylonian Empire – 625-539 B.C.–Daniel 7:4 2.The Medo-Persian Empire–539-331 B.C.–Daniel 7:5 3.The Grecian Empire – 331-63 B.C. – Daniel 7:6 4. The Roman Empire – 63 B.C.-A.D. 476 – Daniel 7:7-8

• LESSON 6 (February 11) • BACKGROUND:  The Medo-Persian Empire was the largest the world had seen at that time. It stretched from India to Ethiopia and, during the time of Esther, was composed of 127 satrapies (Est 1:1; 8:9) —a satrap meant “protector of the empire.” In the time of Daniel, the number was 120 (6:1). Over these 120 satraps were three “high officials,” similar to the seven princes/counselors under Xerxes (Est 1:14) and Artaxerxes (Ezra 7:14).  Solomon’s prayer in 1 Kings 8:35-36 may be the reason Daniel was praying toward Jerusalem (Dan 6:10).  At this point in his life, Daniel was in his eighties. QUESTIONS WORTH THINKING ABOUT: 1. How would you describe the dilemma of the high officials and satraps in Daniel 6:4-5? 2. What does Daniel 6:6-9 tell us about King Darius? 3. What does Daniel 6:10 tell us about Daniel? 4. Was the accusation in Daniel 6:13 completely true? 5. What do we learn about Darius in Daniel 6:14-18? How was he different from King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 3? 6. Daniel 6:23 tells us that no harm was found on Daniel, “because he had trusted in his God.” What can we learn from this incredible account? CLOSING THOUGHT: “And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets—who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions…” (Heb 11:32-33)

• LESSON 5 (February 4) • The God in Whose Hand is Your Breath BACKGROUND:  Between the end of Daniel 4 and the beginning of Daniel 5, we flash forward more than twenty years. Nebuchadnezzar died in 562 B.C. and Babylon fell to Cyrus in 539 B.C. A lot transpired in those two decades. o Nebuchadnezzar’s son, Amel-Marduk, ascended the throne and reigned for about two years. He was assassinated in August 560 by Neriglissar, whose brief reign of four years was very tumultuous. o Neriglissar was succeeded by his son, Labashi-Marduk, who held on to the throne for nine months before being assassinated in a coup. Nabonidus became king in 556 B.C. Belshazzar (who is highlighted in Daniel 5) was the oldest son of Nabonidus. The bottom line: things unraveled for Babylon after Nebuchadnezzar’s death.  On the eve of Babylon’s collapse, Belshazzar held a feast (Isa 21:5; Jer 51:39). The Babylonians knew they were about to be attacked by Cyrus’ army, but they were confident! Herodotus (Histories 1.190) and Xenophon (Cyropaedia 7.5.13) claim Babylon could have endured a siege of twenty years with their massive stockpile of provisions. This feast took place on the night of October 12, 539. Days earlier, the Babylonian army had fallen to Cyrus at Opis. Belshazzar had gathered the “Who’s Who” of the city to invoke the protection of the gods.  Nearly a century and a half prior, Isaiah had prophesied the fall of Babylon (Isa 13, 21, 47), specifically at the hands of a divinely-appointed king named Cyrus (Isa 45). Jeremiah had prophesied that Babylon would sink like a rock to the bottom of history’s river “to rise no more” (Jer 51:64). QUESTIONS WORTH THINKING ABOUT: 1. Do your best to describe why the actions described in Daniel 5:2-4 were so serious. 2. What does Daniel 5:17 tell us about Daniel? 3. What would it have meant for Belshazzar to have “humbled [his] heart”? 4. Daniel references the Babylonian idols in Daniel 5:23. Isaiah exposed the foolishness of devotion to these idols in Isaiah 46. How would you summarize his critique? 5. Daniel draws Belshazzar’s attention to “the God in whose hand is your breath.” What does this phrase mean? (Dan 5:23; Job 12:10; Psa 104:29; Acts 17:28) 6. What should we learn from this man and his kingdom who had been “weighed in the balances and found wanting”? CLOSING THOUGHT: “Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, ‘There is peace and security,’ then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape” (1 Thes 5:1-3).