Thursday, April 4, 2019

What do Daniel and Resurrection Sunday Have in Common





Biblical engraving of protagonist Daniel in the lions' den (1873) royalty-free stock photo


No way can the prophet Daniel and Resurrection Sunday appear in the same common thread. What could the resurrection of Jesus possible have in common with Daniel.

The Book of Daniel

Even if the book wasn't in our Bible, the book of Daniel would make an excellent world history book. Daniel gives the reader the history of the world in twelve chapters.

It is one of the most fascinating books of the Bible. Daniel lived over 600 years before Christ, and yet he accurately predicts history until the present day. If that is so, his prediction of future history can be expected to come true as well.


From Daniel chapter 2, we get the history of:
  • Babylonian Empire
  • Medo-Persian Empire
  • Greece and Alexander the Great
  • Roman Empire
Daniel even records the wars between the Seleucid and the Ptolemy countries. He predicts these events years before the wars take place.

Another Prediction by Daniel




Daniel writes in chapter 9 that from the issuing of a decree until Messiah the Prince would be cut off would by 483 years. Many have tried to show this time frame in history.

A smart Britisher, Sir Robert Andersen, in his book, The Coming Prince, shows it very clearly. Mr. Andersen was an astronomer. So, by calculating the moon phases from the time the decree was issued, his schedule of Daniel's time ended on Palm Sunday, five days before Messiah the Prince was crucified.

Totally Amazing!

Jesus' Last Week

When he rides into Jerusalem on Sunday of AD 30, the crowd wanted Jesus to rid them of the oppression of the foreigners, the Romans. The crowd kept saying, "Save now. Save now."

However, to the amazement of all, Jesus had no intentions of liberating the Jews from the Romans. His purpose was to liberate all of mankind from the power of sin and death.

To demonstrate the fickleness of human kind, some of the same ones who were praising Jesus on Sunday were part of a crowd on Friday morning yelling, "Crucify him. . .Crucify him." Since he wasn't going to save them from Roman oppression, apparently they lost faith in this man who claims to be the Messiah.

The last week of Jesus' earthly live saw him suffer things that was reserved for the most heinous of criminals.

He was beaten until he wasn't recognizable and near death. He was spat upon, rejected, mocked and abused.

Even his closest friends, those with whom he had spent the last three years, left him. All, of course, except for John, the beloved.

Then as if he hadn't suffered enough, Jesus was nailed to a cross, a cruel death the Romans used for capital punishment.

Yes, a man who deserved no punishment, who had not committed a single crime, took my place and received my punishment. However, on the darkest day in history, the same history that Daniel wrote about, religion killed the Light of the World.

Resurrection Sunday

Cyprus, Heritage, Tomb Of Kings


As with all men who have died, Jesus was lain in a tomb. As Daniel the prophet said, "The Messiah the prince would be cut off."

Yet early on Sunday morning, a young lady arrived at the tomb where Jesus' body had been placed on Friday. Most likely, this young woman wasn't thinking about him being missing. It is possible that she knew nothing about resurrection. Her only concern that day was, "Who could she find to roll the stone back uphill."

When she arrived and to her amazement, the stone had been removed. She looked inside, and nothing was there. The tomb was empty.

Timing being everything, Mary meets a man whom she believes to be the gardener. She wants to know where they have taken the body. Soon, however, she recognizes this person as Jesus not the gardener as she supposed.

Jesus asks her to go tell the disciples that he is alive. Because of the status of women in that culture, do you find it amazing that the first great evangelist was a woman. That's right! She came preaching, "He's alive. . .He's alive!"

Daniel was right. The prince would be cut off. However, his death and resurrection provided means for the last part of Daniel's chapter 2--a kingdom not built with hands that eventually will become the only kingdom in the world.

Yes, the tomb was empty. Because of this empty tomb, you and I can join this everlasting kingdom. A kingdom not made with hands, but a kingdom that cost God a huge price.


A Great Day in History

I believe Resurrection Sunday to be a great day in history. Without the resurrection, life has no purpose or meaning. Our faith is in vain, and there is nothing after death.

You are welcome to share your opinion about this by leaving your comments below.

B C Ministries, Inc. is here to help. We have many studies on the books of the Bible, and Daniel is one of them. You can get your free copy by ==>Clicking Here!

Leave questions or comments below. We'll get back soon.

Blessings,


Howard


Who You Are Isn't Based on Performance with God. Who You Are Should Have A Direct Bearing on How You Perform.