Big Idea - There is something in our nature that wants to know what will happen in the future. I think it is more than just simple curiosity. When the future is unknown it makes us feel helpless and out of control. Maybe we think that if we know what is coming, we can somehow control it, or at least not feel helpless about tomorrow. But, this would only work if we could know what will happen and then have the power to change it, to alter what will happen. This is a popular theme in many movies. We hope to have this power over the future, but only if we know what it is. Is this realistic? Is it possible to know the future, and if so, can we do anything about it?
In the book of Daniel, we get some amazing glimpses into the future; at least, Daniel gets a view of the future from his time. Much of what was future to Daniel is now ancient history to us. But, from this vantage point, looking back, we can check to see the accuracy of Daniel's prophecies. One of the most powerful lessons of the book of Daniel is that God can certainly tell us what will happen in the future with incredible and absolute accuracy. This is the first lesson of Daniel 11 - God knows the future with amazing clarity. But, it is also clear that God does not give Daniel a peak into the future so that people can change the future. In fact, the only reason God can give such a detailed explanation of what will happen next is because it is fixed, and not only that but the events of history are set and established by God Himself. God knows what will happen from the beginning to the end of history because He wrote the Script, and He alone has the power to determine its outcome. We cannot change history just by knowing what will happen.
Does this mean we are powerless victims of destiny? Is free will and human choice just an illusion? Are we nothing more than puppets who have no choice but to follow the Script? God is Sovereign over the events and flow of history, but not because He controls us like puppets. It is a mystery and beyond our understanding, but God Sovereignly controls the course of history and its outcome without directly controlling us! We see that the course of history involves kings and rulers who did not follow God and were free agents who were evil and wicked people. In the end, they are accountable for their actions and choices. Not only that but behind powerful earthly rulers are even more powerful spiritual forces who exert influence over human affairs. Here again, we see that God does not move the spiritual forces like chess pieces, but He enrolls angelic beings to combat the forces of evil. What is most amazing is that these spiritual forces are activated and moved through the prayers of the godly! So, the script is written and history is set, but we are a very active part of how it unfolds for good and for evil. We are all active players in the story, and what we do matters!
Our great desire to know and change the course of history, in the end, is motivated by our fear that the future is bad and that serious trouble may lie ahead. What we want more than anything else is to avoid trouble. But, Daniel's vision warns us that there will be periods of incredible trouble and evil in the world. This is seen in two characters who are highlighted in the prophecy. The first time of trouble was under Antiochus Epiphanes. He is seen as a prototype of the ultimate time of trouble, known as the great tribulation when the second and most evil ruler of all time will appear on the scene. These times of trouble cannot be avoided - God appoints it as part of His judgment of the wicked and a time of purifying for the godly. We cannot prevent or avoid it, but we do have the choice about how we respond when these troubled times come. We can hold on to our faith in God and keep worshiping Him, no matter what, or we can turn away from God with the hope that we will escape suffering. But, the hope of escape is a lie. The evil one is a destroyer, and nothing good comes from him in the end. But, there is hope for those who persevere. The evil one will be destroyed, and his reign will be short. We may not be able to change the history of the world, but the one thing we do hold in our own power is our own eternal future. At the end, all will be raised from the dead and all will stand before God in judgment. Those who worshiped God and sought to bring others to righteousness will be raised to life eternal with God. Those who sought the path of escape by following the evil one will be raised to shame and everlasting contempt. Thus, the future that matters most, the eternal future is in your hands. Is your name written in the Lamb's Book of Life? Do you live to worship God and to bring others to righteousness? Then your eternal future will be bright, and you will shine like the morning star for all eternity!
