July 6: AT THAT TIME… (part 4)
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. Daniel 12:1
The Spirit of God tells it like it is. But for all who abide* in the Prince of peace, there is no reason to be fearful. And that is the key. Gentle Jesus makes a wonderful, winsome series of points and promises for His followers in John 15. He knows firsthand of the relentless efforts of the enemy of souls to draw attention away from the essential issue of a love relationship with our Heavenly Father through His Son. The enemy desires to redirect worship toward himself.
As Daniel’s longest vision comes to a close, the angel speaking to him gives this assurance: And at that time your people shall be delivered. The term your people is precious to Daniel. His supreme love for God and his genuine love for his fellow man were made visible by his faithful actions, day-in-and-day-out. He was recognized by his peers as having an excellent spirit (5:12,14; 6:3). Daniel’s faithfulness to God is remembered whenever we read of the wise men from the East (Matthew 2:1) who came to worship Jesus when he was a young Child (v.9). Daniel’s people are faithful Jews whose circumcision is that of the heart (Romans 2:29). This is the holy covenant that the king of the North rages against (Daniel 11:28-32).
The English words deliver and escape are from the same Hebrew root word. We are reminded that the experience of Every one who is found written in the book matches the people symbolized as Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon (v.41 – see also Isaiah 11:14) meaning those who had abandoned the Lord but made a firm decision to return to Him (see Ezekiel 18:30-32). These understand that it is essential to follow the Lamb wherever He goes (Revelation 14:4).
To be delivered is, in many cases, to escape! But Peter warned against the persuasiveness of false prophets in the last days, describing well the heavy-handed influence of the enemy with the use of words and the twisting of Scripture (2 Peter 3:16). The only way to recognize counterfeit messages is to know the genuine. But only in knowing the Author of the genuine messages personally will genuine safety be found. Beware of counterfeit messengers. For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage . . . (2 Peter 2:18-19) Satan works especially diligently and subtly to pull the followers of Christ away from truth in small increments.
*Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed in Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31-32