Jesus in Daniel

[face2face]

This thread has no central theme, other than bringing to light Christ's teachings out of Daniel and lessons from Daniel which relate to the Lord Jesus Christ and God's work in him. It will be varied and many!

It's a matter for prayer:

Dan 2:18 He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

How important is communal prayer in your community?

Lord Jesus in Matthew 18:19

“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.

It was also practiced by the early Church:

When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. (Acts 12:12).

In Daniel, the four faithful Jews united their prayers in beseeching God that He would grant them an answer of peace within the allotted
time. The crisis was acute...their lives were at stake!

I'm interested to hear if your communities engages in communal prayer?

Do you feel its effective?
What is it's frequency - formal vs informal
How do you know your prayers are being answered?
When there is a crisis does your community tend to prayer together, or leave it to individuals to pray?

Enjoy the thread!
F2F

 

[face2face]

The Cut Stone

just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”

The stone that became a great mountain filling the whole earth is a symbol of the Kingdom of God, of which the Lord Jesus Christ is the nucleus

Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily. (Isa. 28:16)

The Mountain from which this stone would be cut is sin's flesh (our nature!).

“I am against you, you destroying mountain, you who destroy the whole earth (sin's flesh), declares the Lord. “I will stretch out my hand against you, roll you off the cliffs, and make you a burned-out mountain. (Jer 51:25). (Symbol of Babylon's / Flesh's Destruction)

It's an incredible scene really.

You have Babylon pictured as destroying the whole earth (type of flesh) compared to Christ being cut from the mountain (though victorious over it) filling the whole earth with God's Gory.

Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. Dan 2:35

Note all the figurative language used in these verses.

Hand cutting the stone: God
Stone = Christ
Metals = Empires
Image = The Kingdoms (plural) of Men
Foundation = Christ
Destroying Mountain = Works of the Flesh
The Great Mountain = Works of Christ Character who over came the flesh

Even so come Lord Jesus.

but in very deed, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD; Num 14:21 / Hab 2:14

 

[face2face]

Unlike God Himself, the stone cut out is a title in Dan. 2:35,45 referring to the power of Christ (with his saints) which will destroy the Kingdom of Men in the last days. Being of stone, there is a relationship with the earth, for Christ (and his brethren) have a common
experience with human nature (Hebrews 2:14-17); yet being cut out "without hands" which indicates the Divine molding of the character of the Lord (by God) that properly equipped him to be the "captain of our salvation" Heb. 2:10.

Hindsight reveals these prophecies contained the hidden wisdom of the stones origin (in part); these things were veiled until the fullness of time came and the Son of God would be revealed. The stone would be born of a woman, born under the Law to show his servants how to obey the God of Heaven.

I look with eager anticipation of those things still hidden yet to be revealed more fully at his coming.

F2F