Participants 79
Discussion Questions
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How does the apocalyptic section of the Book of Daniel (chapters 7-12) illustrate the sovereignty of God?
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16 Replies
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</div>God is always in control. Daniel’s visions and dreams illustrates that the past, present, and future belongs to the Lord. He is all present, all knowing, and all powerful. All through the book of Daniel, we experience Jehovah-Jireh (provider} for His faithful followers. Chapter 12 ends with hope not just for the Jews but for all of us. The end is the beginning of the Kingdom of God.
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God was always there. He and His angels worked together for a common goal and that was to be the last government standing. He came to Daniel in dreams and revealed some of His truths. There is still more to come, according to the book of Daniel.
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Humans are constrained by the temporary dimension of time. These apocalyptic chapters illustrate that God is not so constrained. He is sovereign over all. He sees the span of human history as we see the view outside our kitchen window. He not only sees the panorama of history, He is responsible for every second of its execution. The apocalyptic scripture illustrates His power over all creation and His supreme wisdom in making the perfect plans to insure all His purposes are accomplished.
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This section shows that God has a plan for the world. It also shows how he is working. Throughout history everything that has happened has been for a purpose. Even though we might not understand it, we can trust in the sovereignty of God, and that he works all things together for good.
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The apocalyptic section of the book of Daniel, painted the vivid picture of God as a sovereign God. He is pictured in the apocalyptic section as the one who determines the time and the events of the universe. He has a set time which he has determined by his sovereign power for event that will take place. The time for the restoration of Judah has been determined by him.
The events that will unfold to bring about the restoration of the Exiles has been planned and settled by his sovereign power. Nothing happed by chance, they followed the sovereign plan and arrangement of God. The enthronement and dethronement of kings come by his divine purpose and plan. King reigns by his sovereign will. He determines when an era is going to expire.
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What are one or two life-lessons you can learn from the Book of Daniel?
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22 Replies
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One lesson I take into my life is that faith and loyalty to the Lord starts with the everyday disciplines like meeting with the Lord everyday and taking Him into all that I do. Another lesson is no matter the situation, God is in control. This doesn’t mean that we won’t face trials and suffering; we most certainly will face our version of fiery furnaces and lion’s dens. Walking with the Lord allows us to have a strong faith and the loyalty to go through it.
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Never give up faith in something that you truly believe, and stand up for what you believe, never be quiet about what you understand to be true, even if it is just your belief that God is real and He truly loves you,
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The story of Daniel’s life and ministry instructs me in the importance of obedience and faith. Daniel was obedient to God, no matter what circumstances he found himself in. He was obedient in all things, even what we might consider the little things. Daniel was obedient in something so seemingly insignificant as his diet. He was obedient in his daily prayers. These very intimate personal choices shone forth in a life of obedience in the public arena.
Daniel was faithful. Even with the threat of the lions’ den hanging over his head, he was faithful to his God. He was faithful no matter his external circumstances. He was faithful to God and God was always faithful to him.
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I always think of the account of the fiery furnace when the young men say “But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (Daniel 3:18). The men stood up for their faith, and they believed that God had the power to save them, but they also knew that that may not be part of God’s plan, and they were willing to stand up for their faith, even if it meant dying.
I also find Daniel a source of inspiration when it comes to my prayer life. Whenever I read Daniel I am always struck by how faithful he was at praying 3 times a day, even after all those years. I am always challenged to be more faithful and consistent in prayer when I read this book.
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Trusting in God. Being faithful to Him no matter what.
