Today we will consider the characteristics of the men who turn the age. In other words, we will consider the reasons those men who turn the age are used by God. We can see briefly from Samuel the kind of men God used to turn an age. From the record of the book of Daniel, we can further find out the reasons man was used by God.
In reading the book of Daniel, many pay much attention to its prophecies. No doubt, a large part of the book of Daniel shows us the matter of prophecy. But more important than showing us the prophecies, it shows us the crucial position of one who, in the midst of the conflict of God versus Satan, was used by God to turn the age.
In the conflict between God and Satan, man indeed occupies a very critical position. We can see from this book that God has His plan and Satan has his resistance. God wants to accomplish His plan on earth. Yet Satan tries in many ways to frustrate and destroy God’s plan. Between the two, man stands in a special position. If man takes the right stand, God’s plan will be accomplished and Satan’s subtle scheme will be destroyed. If man does not take the right stand, God’s plan will be hindered and Satan’s scheme will succeed.
The book of Daniel describes in a specific way the crucial position man occupies in the conflict between God and Satan. This position is one that turns the age. This position can cause God’s will to succeed and Satan to fail, or it can cause Satan’s subtle scheme to succeed and God to be frustrated. Therefore, we may say that whether an age can be turned depends on what position man takes. Man is between God and Satan. If man’s position is right, Satan will lose his control over that age and will not be able to frustrate the turn. This is what the book of Daniel shows us.
Now let us consider a few of Daniel’s characteristics which enabled God to use him for the turning of the age. I believe that the Lord will use this word to grant grace to us and work among us.
The first characteristic of Daniel was that he was a separated person. Everyone who wants to be used by God to turn the age must be a separated person. We must know that everyone in this age is walking on the same road and is swept into the same current. This way is a way that follows Satan. This way is initiated by Satan and is pioneered by Satan. This way is definitely far from God and is always going downhill. We can find this condition in the book of Daniel.
I hope that the young brothers and sisters will pay attention to one thing when they read the Bible. We cannot merely study an isolated text in the Scripture. We have to grasp the picture presented in the entire portion of the Word. Daniel is a short book. Because many descriptions in it are very brief, we must carefully try to understand the hidden meaning there.
For example, from the very beginning of its narration, we can see a picture of a place called Shinar. The land of Shinar was a place where men revolted and rebelled against God from the beginning. From Genesis to Revelation most of the cases of man’s rebellion against God happened in Shinar, which is Babylon (Babel). Here we see a ruler, a leader, who had dominion at that time over the most powerful regions on earth. We can say that at that time the whole earth was under the hand of the king of Babylon. Hence, this picture shows us how the whole world is under Satan’s hand. Here the king of Babylon is a type of Satan.
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