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very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding
devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the
mighty men and the holy people. He will cause deceit to prosper, and he
will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many
and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed,
but not by human power. The vision of the evenings and mornings that has
been given you is true, but seal up the vision, for it concerns the distant
future.’ I, Daniel, was exhausted and lay ill for several days. Then I got up
and went about the king’s business. I was appalled by the vision; it was
beyond understanding.”
(Daniel 8:1–27)
The wise would have to ask themselves these critical questions: does
Daniel’s prophecy reveal the truth, and have these events occurred? The will
of God remains veiled until wisdom gives rise to comprehension. The
precise time is at hand. Three times are significant: time, times, and a half
time. The question is this: What time are we in now? These details are
obvious, and they certainly do apply to a time beyond the life of Daniel.
That is what prophetic vision is intended to do. The truth is seldom
accepted because is suppressed or confused by Satan, causing doubt and
confusion within the mind. Daniel prayed, and as he spoke to God these
were his words:
“I, Daniel, understood from the scriptures, according to the word of the
LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet that the desolation of Jerusalem
would last seventy years. So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him
in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the
LORD my God and confessed:
‘O Lo rd , t he g r ea t and awe s ome God ,
who ke eps h i s c ov enan t o f l ov e wi t h a l l who l ov e h im and obe y h i s
c ommands ,
we have sinned [misunderstood] and done wrong. We have
been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands
and laws. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in
your name to our kings, our princes and our fathers, and to all the people of
the land.’”
“‘Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame—the
men of Judah and people of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in
all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness
to you. O LORD, we and our kings, our princes and our fathers are covered
with shame because we have sinned against you. The Lord our God is
merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; we have
not obeyed the LORD our God or kept the laws he gave us through his