October 19: THE FATE OF A NATION

Then I, Daniel, looked: and there stood two others, one on this riverbank and the other on that riverbank. And one said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be?”  Daniel 12:5-6

Daniel is still by the Tigris River (10:4) and now he sees on opposite sides of the riverbank two others, in addition to the man clothed in linen (this is Jesus!) You will remember that Daniel’s most recent vision began after he had fervently prayed for three weeks, interceding for his people, the Jews, and wondering about their fate as a nation. Daniel looked up with recognition of the glorious One above the waters of the river. The Lord Himself had come to show Himself in response to Daniel’s prayer. But now, after receiving the vision about the great struggle between two earthly powers, simply called the North and the South (in chapter 11) with God’s people continually caught in the middle of the conflict, it is understandable that Daniel would have felt a heavy sense of discouragement.

Let’s take a moment and look ahead to the days when Jesus was on earth, and He had just miraculously fed the 5000. The people wanted to crown Him king right then and there. They were more than ready to throw off the Roman yoke, and Jesus had demonstrated that He could easily feed armies, giving them the military might to fight and beat the Romans. This was a popular misconception among all Jews regarding the purpose of the Messiah and their fate as a nation. But Jesus evaded the crowd and went alone to pray. The hopes of the disciples were dashed. We move immediately to the stormy scene on the sea when Jesus walked on the water toward the disciples’ boat. Their doubts about the Lord rendered them frightened at the sight of Him. But as soon as He spoke, they readily received Him into the boat (see John 6:20-21).

No doubt, Daniel was awestruck at the sight of the Lord, and the sound of His words like the voice of a multitude (Daniel 10:6). Seeing Him again at the end of the vision, it’s as though one of the angels can read the question on Daniel’s mind: “How long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be?” It is a legitimate question, yet it requires an understanding of these wonders, no? Since God’s people were to be a nation set apart for greatness, Daniel and the disciples of Jesus carried in their hearts a deep concern about the fate of their nation on the earth, in the eyes of the rest of the world. But the wonders to be carried out by the Lord are centered upon the salvation of as many souls as will come to Him. The saved saints of God are to become a peculiar treasure to Him, with citizenship in the everlasting nation of the saved!

And the LORD hath avouched thee this day to be His peculiar people, as He hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all His commandments. Deuteronomy 26:18 (KJV)

Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Titus 2:14 (KJV)

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9 (KJV) Note: Currently, as the LORD is performing a cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary, He is also working among His people on earth to purify and cleanse them of misconceptions and erroneous ideas before His return. After all, His people are the temple of the LORD, a place for Him to dwell (Acts 7:48-49; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).