We Learn Through Hardship

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” JAMES 1:2-5

 

PONDER THIS

Somebody wrote these little words we often quote: “I walked a mile with Pleasure; she chatted all the way; but left me none the wiser for all she had to say. I walked a mile with Sorrow; and ne’er a word said she; but, oh! The things I learned from her when Sorrow walked with me.” God uses sorrow to teach us and form us. One of the things we learn when we’re going through difficulty that moves us toward maturity is patience.

James 1:4 says, “But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” The word “perfect” there does not mean sinless; it means mature. The Bible says the Captain of our salvation, the Captain of our faith, was made perfect through suffering. Jesus is the One who will mature you. You won’t become mature by aiming to be perfect but by opening yourself up to God, allowing Him to form patience in your heart and make you like Him. It is like how you look at a rose with the dew drops on it in full bloom and say, “That’s a perfect rose.” It is perfectly mature because of the growth it underwent, not because it knew the standard of perfection for a rose or worked harder than other roses. In your suffering, let God teach you and form you, He is ready to mature you and make you like Him.

What are some difficult times that have been formative in your faith?

When have you tried to achieve perfection in your faith on your own strength? What happened?

PRACTICE THIS

Write down a list of the hard things you are going through, then make another list beside it about how God has been growing you through those things.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Triumphant Shame of the Cross

[Christ did not] offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. (Hebrews 9:25–26)

It is not to be taken for granted that there should be a welcome for sinners in heaven.

God is holy and pure and perfectly just and righteous. Yet the whole story of the Bible is how such a great and holy God can and does welcome dirty, unholy people like you and me into his favor. How can this be?

Hebrews 9:25 says that Christ’s sacrifice for sin was not like the sacrifices of the Jewish high priests. They came into the holy place yearly with animal sacrifices to atone for the sins of the people. But these verses say Christ did not enter heaven to “offer himself repeatedly . . . for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world” (Hebrews 9:26).

If Christ followed the pattern of the priests, then he would have to die yearly. And since the sins to be covered include the sins of Adam and Eve, he would have had to begin his yearly dying at the foundation of the world. But the writer treats this as unthinkable.

Why is this unthinkable? Because it would make the death of the Son of God look weak and ineffective. If it has to be repeated year after year for centuries, where would be the triumph? Where would we see the infinite value of the sacrifice of the Son of God? It would vanish in the shamefulness of a yearly suffering and death.

There was shame in the cross, but it was triumphant shame. “[Jesus despised] the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).

This is the gospel of the glory of Christ, the image of God (2 Corinthians 4:4). I pray that no matter how dirty or unholy with sin you are, you will see the light of this glory and believe.

John Piper 

Bible Study

1 John 3:5

[5] You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.

Hebrews 9:12

[12] he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.

1 Peter 3:18

[18] For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,

Hebrews 1:2-4

[2] but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. [3] He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, [4] having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

Dependency on God During Difficulty

“Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.”

EPHESIANS 5:1-2

 

PONDER THIS

We often dislike trouble, but trouble may bring a deepening dependency on God. The Apostle Paul was a highly gifted man. God had poured much grace, much intellect, and much influence on Paul, and Paul had a temptation to get away from God and to depend on himself like all of us.

What is your greatest strength? Your intellect, your money, your personality? No, your greatest strength is God. But you see, when we sail through life without any difficulties, we tend not to depend on God. When we begin to depend on ourselves, the difficulty, heartache, and pain cause us to depend on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Do you know one of the things we learn when we’re going through difficulty that moves us toward maturity? We learn patience. James 1:4 says, “But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” The word “perfect” does not mean sinless, but mature. The Bible says Jesus, the captain of our salvation and faith, was made perfect through suffering. That doesn’t mean He was made sinless; He never sinned. But through every suffering, He leaned into His Father, not sinning, but showing us the way to endure. Press into Jesus. Thank Him for strengthening you to endure just as He did.

When have you had a season that pushed you to recognize you needed to depend on God? What did you learn?

How has God grown your patience through a difficult time?

PRACTICE THIS

Share with a friend who does not know Christ your testimony of dependency on God through a difficult time.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Only Conscience-Cleanser

How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. (Hebrews 9:14)

Here we are in the modern age — the age of the Internet, smartphones, space travel, and heart transplants — and our problem is fundamentally the same as always: Our consciences condemn us and make us feel unacceptable to God. We are alienated from God. And our consciences bear witness.

We can cut ourselves, or throw our children in the sacred river, or give a million dollars to charity, or serve in a soup kitchen, or a hundred forms of penance or self-injury, and the result will be the same: The stain remains and death terrifies.

We know that our conscience is defiled — not with external things like touching a corpse, a dirty diaper, or a piece of pork. Jesus said it is what comes out of a man that defiles, not what goes in (Mark 7:15–23). We are defiled by attitudes like pride and self-pity and bitterness and lust and envy and jealousy and covetousness and apathy and fear.

The only answer in this modern age, as in every other age, is the blood of Christ. When your conscience rises up and condemns you, where will you turn? Hebrews 9:14 gives you the answer: “How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”

The answer is: Turn to the blood of Christ. Turn to the only cleansing agent in the universe that can give you relief in life, and peace in death.

John Piper 

Bible Study

1 John 1:7

[7] But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

Revelation 7:14

[14] I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

1 Peter 4:2

[2] so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.

Hebrews 7:27

[27] He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.

How Can We Seek God?

“But now, O LORD, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our potter; and all we are the work of Your hand. Do not be furious, O LORD, nor remember iniquity forever; indeed, please look—we all are Your people!”

ISAIAH 64:8-9

 

PONDER THIS

How do we seek God’s face? There is the prayer that recognizes God’s sovereignty. We have to believe God is God. Verse 8 means, “Lord, You’re King; You’re sovereign. I’m like clay; You’re like a potter. Mold me and make me after Your will. You are King!” God doesn’t want a place in your life. God doesn’t want prominence in your life. He demands and deserves pre-eminence. Are you willing to say, “God, mold me and make me after Your will”? What if God told you to sell your house and give it to missions? What if God said to you, “I want you to do this thing or that thing?” Are you willing? Have you recognized the sovereignty of God?

God wants to extend mercy. God would much rather forgive sin than punish sin. Do you believe that? God doesn’t hold a grudge. God wants to forgive sin. But God cannot put away our sin by forgiving it unless we put it away by forsaking it. The problem with so many of our prayers is we’re not willing to repent. We want God’s mercy, but we seek no repentance. We want the blessings of being with Him while staying far from Him.

What are some things you selfishly don’t want God to ask you to do?

Have you ever asked God to mold your heart? What was that like?

PRACTICE THIS

Surrender to God the things you selfishly don’t want to do.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Root of Ingratitude

Although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. (Romans 1:21)

When gratitude springs up in the human heart toward God, he is magnified as the wealthy source of our blessing. He is acknowledged as giver and benefactor and therefore as glorious.

But when gratitude does not spring up in our hearts at God’s great goodness to us, it probably means that we don’t want to pay him a compliment; we don’t want to magnify him as our benefactor.

And there is a very good reason that human beings by nature do not want to magnify God with thanksgiving or glorify him as their benefactor. The reason is that it detracts from our own glory, and all people by nature love their own glory more than the glory of God.

At the root of all ingratitude is the love of one’s own greatness. For genuine gratitude admits that we are beneficiaries of an unearned bequest. We are cripples leaning on the cross-shaped crutch of Jesus Christ. We are paralytics living minute by minute in the iron lung of God’s mercy. We are children asleep in heaven’s stroller.

The natural person, apart from saving grace, hates to think of himself in these images: unworthy beneficiary, cripple, paralytic, child. They rob him of his glory by giving it all to God.

Therefore, while a man loves his own glory, and prizes his self-sufficiency, and hates to think of himself as sin-sick and helpless, he will never feel genuine gratitude to the true God and so will never magnify God as he ought, but only himself.

Jesus said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17).

Jesus did not come to minister to those who insist they are well. He demands something great: that we admit we are not great. This is bad news to the arrogant, but words of honey to those who have given up their charade of self-sufficiency and are seeking God.

John Piper 

Bible Study

Ephesians 4:17-18

The New Life

[17] Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. [18] They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.

2 Kings 17:15

[15] They despised his statutes and his covenant that he made with their fathers and the warnings that he gave them. They went after false idols and became false, and they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the LORD had commanded them that they should not do like them.

Jeremiah 2:5

[5] Thus says the LORD: 

    “What wrong did your fathers find in me

        that they went far from me,

    and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?

Romans 1:19

[19] For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.

God Wants to Come Down

Oh, that You would rend the heavens! That You would come down! That the mountains might shake at Your presence—as fire burns brushwood, as fire causes water to boil—to make Your name known to Your adversaries, that the nations may tremble at Your presence! When You did awesome things for which we did not look, You came down, the mountains shook at Your presence.” ISAIAH 64:1-3

 

PONDER THIS

Revival is when God comes down. Look in verse one, “Oh, that You would rend the heavens! That You would come down! That the mountains might shake at Your presence.” That’s what revival is; it is a meeting with Almighty God. Most of us are seeking for God to do something. We want it for our church’s sake. We want it for our family’s sake. We want it for the nation’s sake. But we’re seeking God’s hand and not seeking God’s face. Our hearts need to yearn for God. We need to say, “O God, will You come down?”

Now I want to tell you God loves to come down. God the Son stepped out of Heaven and came down to this world of woe that He might save us. On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came down and baptized that infant Church with wonderful power. As we study the Word of God, we find out that Jesus is coming down again one day. I want to tell you that if you study the Bible, you’ll find out that God has come down many times in the Bible, and every time, we find revival. And in modern history, if you’ll study the record of the Church, you will find that from time to time, in place to place, God has come down. There is no question—He is ready to come down and move. Will you desire and pray for it?

Do you desire to see revival? Why or why not?

What would it look like to be committed to asking God for revival?

PRACTICE THIS

Pray for revival in your in your heart and in your home.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

How to Magnify God

I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving. (Psalm 69:30)

There are two kinds of magnifying: microscope magnifying and telescope magnifying. The one makes a small thing look bigger than it is. The other makes a big thing begin to look as big as it really is.

When David says, “I will magnify God with thanksgiving,” he does not mean, “I will make a small God look bigger than he is.” He means, “I will make a big God begin to look as big as he really is.”

We are not called to be microscopes. We are called to be telescopes. Christians are not called to be con-men who magnify their product out of all proportion to reality, when they know the competitor’s product is far superior. There is nothing and nobody superior to God. And so the calling of those who love God is to make his greatness begin to look as great as it really is.

That’s why we exist, why we were saved, as Peter says in 1 Peter 2:9, “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

The whole duty of the Christian can be summed up in this: feel, think, and act in a way that will make God look as great as he really is. Be a telescope for the world of the infinite starry wealth of the glory of God.

This is what it means for a Christian to magnify God. But you can’t magnify what you haven’t seen or what you quickly forget.

Therefore, our first task is to see and to remember the greatness and goodness of God. So we pray to God, “Open the eyes of my heart!” (Ephesians 1:18), and we preach to our souls, “Soul, forget not all his benefits!” (Psalm 103:2).

John Piper 

Bible Study

Psalm 28:7-8

    [7] The LORD is my strength and my shield;

        in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;

    my heart exults,

        and with my song I give thanks to him.

    [8] The LORD is the strength of his people;

        he is the saving refuge of his anointed.

Psalm 40:16

    [16] But may all who seek you

        rejoice and be glad in you;

    may those who love your salvation

        say continually, “Great is the LORD!”

Psalm 50:14-15

    [14] Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,

        and perform your vows to the Most High, 

    [15] and call upon me in the day of trouble;

        I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

Psalm 50:23

    [23] The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me;

        to one who orders his way rightly

        I will show the salvation of God!”

Is Jesus Alive in You?

“Let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

ACTS 4:10-12

 

PONDER THIS

Solomon’s temple was built without the ring of hammers and the sound of chisels at the worksite. The stones were designed, and the specifications were sent to the quarry. The stones were cut in the quarry and brought to the worksite to be assembled by the workers. One strange-looking stone was in the middle. Nobody seemed to know what it was for, how it would fit, and they kept stumbling over it. It was a stumbling stone; it was in the way. Finally, the project manager said, “Men, move that stone out of the way.” They took that stone over to the edge of the temple mount, rolled it over, and it went down into the Kidron valley.

They were almost complete when it was time for the cornerstone. They said, “bring the cornerstone, we’re ready for it.” But the cornerstone was not there. Where do you think it was? Down in the valley. That’s what this verse is talking about. That stone that the builders viewed as nothing became the cornerstone, the foundation stone for the temple.

Peter’s saying, Listen, you want me to tell you how this is done? That stone that you rejected, Jesus Christ the living stone, is the cornerstone—He is the One who has made each man whole. He is the risen Lord; He is the residing Lord. I want you to know that if you’re a Christian, Jesus, who is alive, lives in you. If we could only get that in our hearts.! We’re not just talking about someday; Jesus is alive and well now in you.

Has Jesus had a cornerstone place in your life? Why or why not?

What happens when we do not build our life on the cornerstone of Christ?

PRACTICE THIS

Talk to a spiritual mentor and ask him or her how he or she has built his or her life on the cornerstone of Christ.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Jesus Prays for Us

He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25)

It says that Christ is able to save to the uttermost — forever — since he always lives to make intercession for us. In other words, he would not be able to save us forever if he did not go on interceding for us forever.

This means our salvation is as secure as Christ’s priesthood is indestructible. This is why we needed a priest so much greater than any human priest. Christ’s deity and his resurrection from the dead secure his indestructible priesthood for us.

This means we should not talk about our salvation in static terms the way we often do — as if I did something once in an act of decision, and Christ did something once when he died and rose again, and that’s all there is to it. That’s not all there is to it.

This very day I am being saved by the eternal intercession of Jesus in heaven. Jesus is praying for us and that is essential to our salvation.

We are saved eternally by the eternal prayers (Romans 8:34) and advocacy (1 John 2:1) of Jesus in heaven as our High Priest. He prays for us and his prayers are answered because he prays perfectly on the basis of his perfect sacrifice.

John Piper 

Bible Study

Romans 8:33-35

[33] Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. [34] Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. [35] Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

Hebrews 9:24

[24] For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.

Hebrews 7:19-22

[19] (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.

[20] And it was not without an oath. For those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath, [21] but this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him: 

    “The Lord has sworn

        and will not change his mind,

    ‘You are a priest forever.’”

    [22] This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant.

John 14:6

[6] Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

What We Need Are Encouragers

“Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.” GALATIANS 6:1

 

PONDER THIS

One day when I was a kid, I shimmied up a coconut tree to get a coconut. It was a big tree. I had my arm around a palm frond, and suddenly, the palm frond came loose; the coconut came loose; and I came loose. I slipped down the tree and hit the ground. I fell on the grass, but my left arm fell on the sidewalk and splintered my elbow, the bone jutting out of the skin. It was awful. I was lying there on the ground, writhing.

My brother was there too. He didn’t run all over town, saying, “Hey, Adrian fell, Adrian fell!” He didn’t stand there and say, “Adrian, you’re the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen. Couldn’t you see the palm leaf was yellow?” He didn’t give me a lecture, and He didn’t leave me, thinking I was no good anymore with a broken arm. No, my brother came alongside of me and gave me some tender, loving help. Thank God, I’ve got that arm again to use.

Some people fall, but they don’t need us going around gossiping about it. They don’t need lectures. They don’t need people leaving them behind when they are wounded. No, we need some Barnabas types. We need people with tender, loving care. The word “restore” in the Greek is the term for setting a bone. It’s tender, loving care.

When has someone encouraged you when you have fallen?

How can encouragement make a difference when you have failed?

PRACTICE THIS

Encourage someone who has struggled in the faith.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Glorify God by Giving Thanks

It is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. (2 Corinthians 4:15)

Gratitude to God is a joyful emotion. We have a sense of joyful indebtedness for his grace. So in a sense in the very emotion of gratitude, we are still the beneficiaries. But by its very nature, gratitude glorifies the giver. When we feel thankful, we acknowledge our need and God’s beneficence, God’s fullness, the riches of his glory.

Just like I humble myself and exalt the server in the restaurant when I say, “Thank you,” so I humble myself and exalt God when I feel gratitude to him. The difference, of course, is that I really am infinitely in debt to God for his grace, and everything he does for me is free and undeserved.

But the point is that gratitude glorifies the giver. It glorifies God. And this is Paul’s final goal in all his labors. Yes, his labors are for the sake of the church — the good of the church. But the church is not the highest goal. Listen again: “It is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.” All for your sake — for the glory of God!

The wonderful thing about the gospel is that the response it requires from us for God’s glory is also the response that is most natural and joyful; namely, thankfulness for grace. God’s all-supplying glory in giving and our humble gladness in receiving are not in competition. Joyful thankfulness glorifies God.

A life that gives glory to God for his grace and a life of deepest gladness are the same life. And what makes them one is thankfulness.

John Piper 

November 25

John 13:31-38

A New Commandment

[31] When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. [32] If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once. [33] Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’ [34] A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. [35] By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Jesus Foretells Peter’s Denial

[36] Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.” [37] Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” [38] Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.

Jude 1:17-25

A Call to Persevere

[17] But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. [18] They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” [19] It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. [20] But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, [21] keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. [22] And have mercy on those who doubt; [23] save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.

Doxology

[24] Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, [25] to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

Job 22

Eliphaz Speaks: Job’s Wickedness Is Great

[1] Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:

    [2] “Can a man be profitable to God?

        Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself. 

    [3] Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are in the right,

        or is it gain to him if you make your ways blameless? 

    [4] Is it for your fear of him that he reproves you

        and enters into judgment with you? 

    [5] Is not your evil abundant?

        There is no end to your iniquities. 

    [6] For you have exacted pledges of your brothers for nothing

        and stripped the naked of their clothing. 

    [7] You have given no water to the weary to drink,

        and you have withheld bread from the hungry. 

    [8] The man with power possessed the land,

        and the favored man lived in it. 

    [9] You have sent widows away empty,

        and the arms of the fatherless were crushed. 

    [10] Therefore snares are all around you,

        and sudden terror overwhelms you, 

    [11] or darkness, so that you cannot see,

        and a flood of water covers you.

    [12] “Is not God high in the heavens?

        See the highest stars, how lofty they are! 

    [13] But you say, ‘What does God know?

        Can he judge through the deep darkness? 

    [14] Thick clouds veil him, so that he does not see,

        and he walks on the vault of heaven.’ 

    [15] Will you keep to the old way

        that wicked men have trod? 

    [16] They were snatched away before their time;

        their foundation was washed away. 

    [17] They said to God, ‘Depart from us,’

        and ‘What can the Almighty do to us?’ 

    [18] Yet he filled their houses with good things—

        but the counsel of the wicked is far from me. 

    [19] The righteous see it and are glad;

        the innocent one mocks at them, 

    [20] saying, ‘Surely our adversaries are cut off,

        and what they left the fire has consumed.’

    [21] “Agree with God, and be at peace;

        thereby good will come to you. 

    [22] Receive instruction from his mouth,

        and lay up his words in your heart. 

    [23] If you return to the Almighty you will be built up;

        if you remove injustice far from your tents, 

    [24] if you lay gold in the dust,

        and gold of Ophir among the stones of the torrent-bed, 

    [25] then the Almighty will be your gold

        and your precious silver. 

    [26] For then you will delight yourself in the Almighty

        and lift up your face to God. 

    [27] You will make your prayer to him, and he will hear you,

        and you will pay your vows. 

    [28] You will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you,

        and light will shine on your ways. 

    [29] For when they are humbled you say, ‘It is because of pride’;

        but he saves the lowly. 

    [30] He delivers even the one who is not innocent,

        who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”

Daniel 10

Daniel’s Terrifying Vision of a Man

[1] In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a word was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar. And the word was true, and it was a great conflict. And he understood the word and had understanding of the vision.

[2] In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three weeks. [3] I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, for the full three weeks. [4] On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river (that is, the Tigris) [5] I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, a man clothed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. [6] His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude. [7] And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision, but a great trembling fell upon them, and they fled to hide themselves. [8] So I was left alone and saw this great vision, and no strength was left in me. My radiant appearance was fearfully changed, and I retained no strength. [9] Then I heard the sound of his words, and as I heard the sound of his words, I fell on my face in deep sleep with my face to the ground.

[10] And behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. [11] And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly loved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for now I have been sent to you.” And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. [12] Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. [13] The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia, [14] and came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is for days yet to come.”

[15] When he had spoken to me according to these words, I turned my face toward the ground and was mute. [16] And behold, one in the likeness of the children of man touched my lips. Then I opened my mouth and spoke. I said to him who stood before me, “O my lord, by reason of the vision pains have come upon me, and I retain no strength. [17] How can my lord’s servant talk with my lord? For now no strength remains in me, and no breath is left in me.”

[18] Again one having the appearance of a man touched me and strengthened me. [19] And he said, “O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage.” And as he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.” [20] Then he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? But now I will return to fight against the prince of Persia; and when I go out, behold, the prince of Greece will come. [21] But I will tell you what is inscribed in the book of truth: there is none who contends by my side against these except Michael, your prince.

Daniel 11

The Kings of the South and the North

[1] “And as for me, in the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood up to confirm and strengthen him.

[2] “And now I will show you the truth. Behold, three more kings shall arise in Persia, and a fourth shall be far richer than all of them. And when he has become strong through his riches, he shall stir up all against the kingdom of Greece. [3] Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion and do as he wills. [4] And as soon as he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not to his posterity, nor according to the authority with which he ruled, for his kingdom shall be plucked up and go to others besides these.

[5] “Then the king of the south shall be strong, but one of his princes shall be stronger than he and shall rule, and his authority shall be a great authority. [6] After some years they shall make an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement. But she shall not retain the strength of her arm, and he and his arm shall not endure, but she shall be given up, and her attendants, he who fathered her, and he who supported her in those times.

[7] “And from a branch from her roots one shall arise in his place. He shall come against the army and enter the fortress of the king of the north, and he shall deal with them and shall prevail. [8] He shall also carry off to Egypt their gods with their metal images and their precious vessels of silver and gold, and for some years he shall refrain from attacking the king of the north. [9] Then the latter shall come into the realm of the king of the south but shall return to his own land.

[10] “His sons shall wage war and assemble a multitude of great forces, which shall keep coming and overflow and pass through, and again shall carry the war as far as his fortress. [11] Then the king of the south, moved with rage, shall come out and fight against the king of the north. And he shall raise a great multitude, but it shall be given into his hand. [12] And when the multitude is taken away, his heart shall be exalted, and he shall cast down tens of thousands, but he shall not prevail. [13] For the king of the north shall again raise a multitude, greater than the first. And after some years he shall come on with a great army and abundant supplies.

[14] “In those times many shall rise against the king of the south, and the violent among your own people shall lift themselves up in order to fulfill the vision, but they shall fail. [15] Then the king of the north shall come and throw up siegeworks and take a well-fortified city. And the forces of the south shall not stand, or even his best troops, for there shall be no strength to stand. [16] But he who comes against him shall do as he wills, and none shall stand before him. And he shall stand in the glorious land, with destruction in his hand. [17] He shall set his face to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and he shall bring terms of an agreement and perform them. He shall give him the daughter of women to destroy the kingdom, but it shall not stand or be to his advantage. [18] Afterward he shall turn his face to the coastlands and shall capture many of them, but a commander shall put an end to his insolence. Indeed, he shall turn his insolence back upon him. [19] Then he shall turn his face back toward the fortresses of his own land, but he shall stumble and fall, and shall not be found.

[20] “Then shall arise in his place one who shall send an exactor of tribute for the glory of the kingdom. But within a few days he shall be broken, neither in anger nor in battle. [21] In his place shall arise a contemptible person to whom royal majesty has not been given. He shall come in without warning and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. [22] Armies shall be utterly swept away before him and broken, even the prince of the covenant. [23] And from the time that an alliance is made with him he shall act deceitfully, and he shall become strong with a small people. [24] Without warning he shall come into the richest parts of the province, and he shall do what neither his fathers nor his fathers’ fathers have done, scattering among them plunder, spoil, and goods. He shall devise plans against strongholds, but only for a time. [25] And he shall stir up his power and his heart against the king of the south with a great army. And the king of the south shall wage war with an exceedingly great and mighty army, but he shall not stand, for plots shall be devised against him. [26] Even those who eat his food shall break him. His army shall be swept away, and many shall fall down slain. [27] And as for the two kings, their hearts shall be bent on doing evil. They shall speak lies at the same table, but to no avail, for the end is yet to be at the time appointed. [28] And he shall return to his land with great wealth, but his heart shall be set against the holy covenant. And he shall work his will and return to his own land.

[29] “At the time appointed he shall return and come into the south, but it shall not be this time as it was before. [30] For ships of Kittim shall come against him, and he shall be afraid and withdraw, and shall turn back and be enraged and take action against the holy covenant. He shall turn back and pay attention to those who forsake the holy covenant. [31] Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate. [32] He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. [33] And the wise among the people shall make many understand, though for some days they shall stumble by sword and flame, by captivity and plunder. [34] When they stumble, they shall receive a little help. And many shall join themselves to them with flattery, [35] and some of the wise shall stumble, so that they may be refined, purified, and made white, until the time of the end, for it still awaits the appointed time.

[36] “And the king shall do as he wills. He shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods. He shall prosper till the indignation is accomplished; for what is decreed shall be done. [37] He shall pay no attention to the gods of his fathers, or to the one beloved by women. He shall not pay attention to any other god, for he shall magnify himself above all. [38] He shall honor the god of fortresses instead of these. A god whom his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. [39] He shall deal with the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign god. Those who acknowledge him he shall load with honor. He shall make them rulers over many and shall divide the land for a price.

[40] “At the time of the end, the king of the south shall attack him, but the king of the north shall rush upon him like a whirlwind, with chariots and horsemen, and with many ships. And he shall come into countries and shall overflow and pass through. [41] He shall come into the glorious land. And tens of thousands shall fall, but these shall be delivered out of his hand: Edom and Moab and the main part of the Ammonites. [42] He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. [43] He shall become ruler of the treasures of gold and of silver, and all the precious things of Egypt, and the Libyans and the Cushites shall follow in his train. [44] But news from the east and the north shall alarm him, and he shall go out with great fury to destroy and devote many to destruction. [45] And he shall pitch his palatial tents between the sea and the glorious holy mountain. Yet he shall come to his end, with none to help him.

Daniel 12

The Time of the End

[1] “At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. [2] And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. [3] And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. [4] But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

[5] Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others stood, one on this bank of the stream and one on that bank of the stream. [6] And someone said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, “How long shall it be till the end of these wonders?” [7] And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream; he raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven and swore by him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end all these things would be finished. [8] I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, “O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?” [9] He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. [10] Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand. [11] And from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days. [12] Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days. [13] But go your way till the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days.”