Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20110327.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Daniel: Hope And Direction In A Troublesome World
H. Detailing Daniel 2: God's Use Of Evil Rulers To Purify His People
5. Sampling The Angelic Conflict Impacting History 530 To 176 B. C.
(Daniel 11:2-20)
    Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

    Though we learned last Sunday that the angelic conflict impacts much of history, we may wonder just how to identify its signals so as to pray effectively about current events. After all, Scripture calls us to " watch and pray" regarding the angelic conflict (Ephesians 6:18 with 10-17), so we must know just what we are to identify in "watching"!

    This insight is greatly needed as we can illustrate as follows:

    (1) President Obama's decision to use tomahawk cruise missile strikes from American ships and submarines in the Mediterranean Sea to keep Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi's forces from killing up to a million of his own people in Benghazi, Libya was debated on the editorial page (p. 10A) of the March 21, 2011 issue of the nationwide USA TODAY paper. (Ibid., "Allied assault weakens Gadhafi," article by William M. Welch and Tom Vanden Brook, p. 1A; Ibid., "Other Views" section, citing remarks made by Jamie Rubin, former assistant secretary of State on CNN)

    The paper's editor mused that though this "intervention . . . has already averted an imminent slaughter of innocents . . . if Gadhafi maintains power, the intervention will be an embarrassing failure, and Libya will be at serious risk of becoming a failed and divided state."

    Yet, "to stand idly by and allow Gadhafi to slaughter up to a million people" was unacceptable to the international community (Ibid., Rubin), and Thomas S. Kidd's article ("More freedom, less pragmatism") on page 11A of the same paper urged "U. S. Presidents" to "employ foreign policies that rely more on our God-inspired founding principles and less on short-term gains." He added that "amid . . . this weekend's military intervention in Libya, we need clarity about our guiding principles."

    (2) The question of whether or not taxes should be increased to pay public worker union employee salaries was reflected in the paper's Letters to the Editor section. A pro-union author, Mark Revis of Moreno Valley, California, urged that the highest earning 1 % of the public should be made to pay more taxes.

    However, conservative radio talk shows nationwide are all complaining about how high taxes are harming the country.

    So, we ask, "If the angelic conflict affects world history, are there Scripture illustrations of its signals we can use for discerning them today so we know how to pray effectively about them?!"

    Need: "If the angelic conflict deeply affects history, does God offer illustrations of how to identify it so we can pray effectively about it?"

  1. There are many examples of angelic conflict impacted events in Daniel 11:2-20, a passage that predicts events from 530-176 B. C.:
    1. We before learned Daniel 11:2-20 records what would occur in an era set in God's "Book of Truth" that predicts all events, and that these events would be affected by the angelic conflict, Dan. 11:5-6, 20-21.
    2. Scholars claim this era was 530 to 176 B. C., B. K. C., O. T., p. 1367.
  2. We view the passage to identify angelic conflicts involving rulers:
    1. The 530 to 176 B. C. events Daniel 11:2-20 predicted are as follows:
      1. Three rulers would yet arise in Persia, the third being the strongest due to his wealth, and he would use it to lead many against Greece. This was king Xerxes who wed Esther, Daniel 11:2; Ibid., p. 1367.
      2. Xerxes' effort failed as Greece's Alexander the Great defeated him, Daniel 11:3, Ibid.; E. M. Burns, West. Civ., 1963, p. 159-160.
      3. However, once in power, Alexander's kingdom would be uprooted and split 4 ways, Daniel 11:4. After defeating Persia, he died of "malaria with complications from alcoholism," his land being split 4 ways and ruled by his 4 generals, Ibid., B. K. C., O. T., p. 1368.
      4. Two of these 4 kingdoms, the Seleucids of Syria and the Ptolemies of Egypt, would battle each other with Israel caught in between:
        1. Ptolemy I of Egypt would see his rule become eclipsed in power by Seleucus I who ruled Syria north of Israel, Daniel 11:5; Ibid.
        2. Their heirs, Antiochus II (north) and Ptolemy II (south) would make an alliance with Ptolemy II giving his daughter, Berenice, to Antiochus II in marriage, Daniel 11:6a; Ibid.
        3. However, since Antiochus II would divorce his wife, Laodice to wed Berenice, Laodice would have them both killed, and install her son, Seleucus II Callinicus, on the throne, Dan. 11:6b; Ibid.!
        4. In reaction, when Ptolemy III, Berenice's brother, would rise to power in Egypt, he would avenge his sister's death, invading Syria, killing Laodice and taking much spoil, Dan. 11:7-8; Ibid.!
        5. This action would fuel more such reactionary battles between these two kingdoms, with many people in the "north" getting slaughtered by Ptolemy IV of Egypt, Daniel 11:9-12, 13; Ibid.
        6. Finally, many Jews would help Antiochus III fight Ptolemy IV again likely hoping to gain final liberty from Egypt and Syria, but to no avail, Dan. 11:14; Ibid., B. K. C., O. T. , p. 1368-1369.
        7. Antiochus III would defeat Egypt at Sidon (Dan. 11:15-16), and give his daughter, Cleopatra, to Ptolemy V to lead Egypt to side with him in having a son of Cleopatra's be Egypt's next king, but in vain, Dan. 11:17; Ibid., p. 1369; Z. P. E. B., vol. 1, p 890.
        8. Cleopatra was beautiful, seductive and ambitious, so she was a threat to Egypt's court, and was banished from it, Ibid., p. 890. [Cleopatra later seduced Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, nearly splitting the Roman empire to the fear of many Romans, Ibid.]
        9. Antiochus III would then try to attack Asia Minor and Greece in an effort to unite the 4 Grecian kingdoms under him, but he would fail like Daniel 11:18-19 predicted, Ibid., B. K. C., O. T.
        10. Seleucus IV would then rule on Syria's throne, and heavily tax Israel to give to Rome to retain his splendor, but he would be poisoned by his treasurer, Heliodorus, Daniel 11:20 NIV; Ibid.
    2. We thus list the era's signals of the angelic conflict regarding rulers:
      1. The use of wealth to exert power. (Xerxes)
      2. Selfish ambition, James 3:15-16 NIV. (Xerxes)
      3. A lack of self-control, James 3:15-16 NIV. (Alexander the Great)
      4. Jealousy of another kingdom's success. (Ptolemy I, Ptolemy II)
      5. A murderous use of power to vent personal vendettas. (Ptolemy III)
      6. A lust for power and wealth. (Ptolemy I, Ptolemy III, Heliodorus)
      7. Needlessly slaughtering many people. (Ptolemy IV)
      8. Vain struggles for liberation from rulers. (Hebrews, Daniel 11:14)
      9. Seducing others for personal gain, James 3:15-16. (Cleopatra)
      10. Committing immorality for gain, James 3:15-16 (Antiochus II)
      11. Imposing heavy taxes on subjects for personal gain. (Seleucus IV)
      12. Giving tax revenues to foreigners for personal gain. (Seleucus IV)
Application: May we (1) trust in Christ to become a child of God, John 1:11-12. (2) May we heed Scripture to pray effectively (1 John 3:22) (3) and discern and pray about such evils on the world scene.

Conclusion: (To illustrate the message . . . )

 We have a refreshingly positive illustration of goodness in a world leader that we can use in our sermon conclusion:

Thomas S. Kidd's USA TODAY article cited earlier in our introduction gave an illustration that reveals the absence of selfish ambition in a leader, one signaling good leadership.

It occurred in March, 1983, 28 years ago this month when U. S. President Ronald Reagan gave a speech to the National Association of Evangelicals "in which he called the Soviet Union and evil empire.' His words elicited guffaws from cultural elites: The New Republic mocked the president as Reverend Reagan' and said that he misunderstood the secular character of democracy.' But Reagan touched a chord that resonated with average Americans -- as well as Eastern European dissidents -- who knew that the Soviets' oppressive regime was indeed the malevolent power of the Cold War generation."

Kidd reported that many people responded positively to President Reagan's speech, affirming: "People still crave moral vision, even in foreign affairs."

It is noteworthy that, in the case of the Soviet Union, President Reagan put what he held was right in his personal conscience above what seemed "politically correct" at the time as he dared publicly to call the Soviet Union evil! He thus revealed an absence of personal ambition. He is to be commended for making such a speech.



May we thus DISCERN good from evil in angelic conflict issues that wage on the national and international scene, utilizing the revealing illustrations of the history of Daniel 11:2-20 as a guideline, so we KNOW HOW to PRAY regarding world events!