God is Engaged in Our Futures

This morning I am reading from Daniel 7:9-14 NIV:

“As I looked, “thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. [10] A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened.

[11] “Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire. [12] (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.)

[13] “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. [14] He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

I have been jumping around a little lately as seems right. This morning I felt I should read from the Book of Daniel. He is clearly one of the most prophetic and accurate voices concerning the coming times the Jews would experience. When he was prophesying, the Jews were in captivity in Babylon. The dream he had immediately before these verses had to do with the next four regional empires that would control the middle east region and the promised land. He had this dream in the 560's BC, and foresaw the Chaldean (500s), Alexandrian (334-300), Greek (300-30) and Roman (30BC) empires. More importantly, he foretells the coming the Son of Man, namely Jesus, and the establishment of His kingdom that will never be destroyed.

What caught my eyes concerning these passages were the description of Heaven, and the parallels we see in the other descriptions of Heaven, notably those found in Isaiah, Ezekiel and Revelations. I am encouraged by the description of Son of Man, establishing a kingdom which will have no end, and everlasting dominion. He will be worshipped by people of every nation and language. These same themes can be found echoed by Jesus in Matt. 28:18-20. These couple of verses really establish the foundations of the Gospel, and they were written 500+ years before they happened. Jesus came preaching the Kingdom of God, and established it here on earth, with authority and power unlike that which had previously been seen.

For me, all of this just continues to confirm the reality of the Word of God. He is active and involved. He sees the future and brings understanding and perspective. He prepares people, and gives them understanding and insight of circumstances and situations that they will encounter, so that they will not lose heart or hope. These verses from Daniel gave the Jews helpful direction concerning the coming Empires, so that they would understand and have long-term vision. They knew, as time progressed and kingdom's rose and fell, that there day would come. They also maintained their own national identity.

So let us be encouraged personally, for just as God provided prophecies and insight and understanding to the Jews, so can He do for us. He loves us and wants us to know that He is engaged in our lives and is aware of all things, and His purposes will be fulfilled.