Hi Mike,

What has motivated me to contribute are two thoughts. The first was a statement you made in a study:
“It is truly an empty life to see all the suffering that is endured in this world and not see any purpose or end in it all.”
The second was something that has been rolling around in my head for over a year and became even more compelling recently through events I have witnessed. That thought was that focusing on an “evil report” can be a distraction, maybe even an idol if a ‘care of this world’ distracts one from whatever ” . . . is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy . . .”.
For the past year or more the “news”, or rather the “evil report”, has displaced my focus on “whatever is noble, etc.” to the point that my personal relationship with God has become more of an afterthought. It disturbs me, and my comments are a caution to those who find themselves getting caught up in all the negative news of the day. When I do pray, it is primarily for God to draw me back to Him, whatever it takes.
Regarding Dan 10, I recognize there are physical and spiritual applications of scripture, and I also understand the importance of symbols, signs and shadows. The scriptures illuminating the “back office” workings of God’s court prior to Christ’s appearance are all pretty consistent; God directs a spirit to accomplish His will, and it is done in the realm of physical man. Dan 10, however, is different. Instead of a spirit (even an evil one) submitting to the will of God, Dan 10:13 seems to be describing two or more spirits playing what appears to be something like a game of chess with human characters:
“But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.”
I guess I had forgotten this story which to me adds to the back story of God’s sovereign ruling in the affairs of men in order to accomplish His will.

J___

Hi J____,

I understand and appreciate that you are admonishing us all to avoid getting caught up in the affairs of this life to the extent that we cannot apply those verses in Php 4 which you reference:

Php 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Thank you for that admonition.
You said:

That thought was that focusing on an “evil report” can be a distraction, maybe even an idol if a ‘care of this world’ distracts one from whatever ” . . . is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy . . .

Then you go on to say:

For the past year or more the “news”, or rather the “evil report”, has displaced my focus on “whatever is noble, etc.” to the point that my personal relationship with God has become more of an afterthought. It disturbs me and my comments are a caution to those who find themselves getting caught up in all the negative news of the day. When I do pray, it is primarily for God to draw me back to Him, whatever it takes!

Well, I can certainly identify with all of that. I too, long ago asked God repeatedly to not allow me to be deceived. At that time I had no idea that “liv[ ing] by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” included the words “he deceiveth the whole world”:

Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Like we all do in our own time, I reasoned that “the whole world” was the ‘world out there’, and I was always in a church that had ‘come out of the world and was privy to the truth’, and therefore was never really ‘deceived’ by Satan. So I wanted to just skip that part about being deceived, and, as we all do, I wanted that to be something that everyone else experienced.
In time, through God’s mercy, I was granted to see the total darkness I had been in all those years. I thought I was in the one true church of God, and I began to understand that living by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God is a matter of recognizing that all the works of Adam are simply the works of the flesh, the very flesh in which I reside.

Mat 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

So for me to fulfill these words of our Lord, I need not take a man’s wife, kill that man, and marry his wife to cover up my adultery, all I need to do is to acknowledge this concerning my own flesh:

Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I [ of myself, verses 24-25] find not.

Now that I understand all of this, I still plead with God to burn out of me any and all things which would so easily beset me and keep me from running this race to win the prize of the high calling.
I confess that if I had known what I was asking for back then, I probably would never have made that request, but God knows our frame because He is the one who made us in such a weak and marred condition, of such a temporal and weak composition (“rebellious… enmity against God… and His ways… flesh and blood”).
Like you, I still recognize my own inability to remain faithful to the end, and I wonder what will be the next trial and how I will react to that trial. But I always take advantage of the promise that we “through patience and comfort of the scriptures… have hope” of making it through to the end.

Rom 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

So I have hope, not in myself, but in knowing that my whole life is already written in His book, and I am simply living by every word of that book. It is all in His hands and all He is doing is giving me the faith to believe those words, and I believe He doing that for you also:

Rom 16:25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,
Rom 16:26 But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:

We know that “the obedience of faith” is not our own but His faith, and we know that He will not lose one of His elect, who we pray and work to become, “not of [ our] selves… but of His good pleasure”.
Now, concerning the events of the realm of the spirit in Dan 10, I can see your point that what is mentioned there, as compared to what is mentioned in Job and elsewhere, is like comparing a game of checkers to a game of chess. But both games are already written in God’s book, and while we are not made privy to what God, through the realm of the spirit is doing with Putin and Obama, while you and I cry out to Him to come to our side and show us His mind in all things as Daniel was doing, He has also heard our prayers and has told us “seal not up the book, for the time is at hand”, [ unlike Daniel who was told to seal the book – we are told the outcome, and he was not] and we have been given to know that the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ whom we are. While this is true only in down- payment form at this moment, it is true outwardly already in the mind of God, who speaks of those things which are not as though they were.
As I said in my previous e- mail, those added details of Dan 10 just confirm the truth of Rom 1:20:

Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world [ Christ calling the archangel Michael to assist Him in His dealings with the prince of Persia, or Him calling me or our to deal with the false doctrines we confront daily] are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

Assad, Putin, Obama, and all the monied families of this world, whom God is using to direct the affairs of nations, are nothing more than clay in the Potter’s hand, and that is the message of both Job 1 and 2, and of Dan 10. The more details we see of how God works his works in the kingdoms of men, the clearer becomes the truth of this verse of scripture:

Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

Look at all the details of the spirit realm which were given to King Nebuchadnezzar. This is Nebuchadnezzar relating his dream to Daniel before Daniel gave Him the interpretation of the dream:

Dan 4:17 This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.
Dan 4:18 This dream I king Nebuchadnezzar have seen. Now thou, O Belteshazzar, declare the interpretation thereof, forasmuch as all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known unto me the interpretation: but thou art able; for the spirit of the holy gods is in thee.
Dan 4:19 Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonied for one hour, and his thoughts troubled him. The king spake, and said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream, or the interpretation thereof, trouble thee. Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, the dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine enemies.
Dan 4:20 The tree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth;
Dan 4:21 Whose leaves were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all; under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and upon whose branches the fowls of the heaven had their habitation:
Dan 4:22 It is thou, O king, that art grown and become strong: for thy greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven, and thy dominion to the end of the earth.
Dan 4:23 And whereas the king saw a watcher and an holy one coming down from heaven, and saying, Hew the tree down, and destroy it; yet leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him;
Dan 4:24 This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the most High, which is come upon my lord the king:
Dan 4:25 That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.
Dan 4:26 And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots; thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule.

The “they” spoken of here is ‘they’ of the realm of the spirit. They are those through whom God works with the princes of Babylon, Persia and Grecia. God, through the spirit realm, rules in the kingdoms of men, and Nebuchadnezzar is made to see just how in- depth that truth and that rulership is. Notice what “they” are given to do to King Nebuchadnezzar, just as “they” did to Job (Job 1 and 2), to King Saul (1Sa 16:14-15), King Ahab (1Kg 22:22-23), and to all men:
Nebuchadnezzar is a type of each of us. We all see God’s power displayed as Nebuchadnezzar has seen with Daniel telling him his own dream, and then interpreting that dream, and Daniel’s three friends being delivered from Nebuchadnezzar’s hand through the fiery furnace. Yet we take to ourselves the credit for our own actions, even after it has been demonstrated to us that we are blinded by an angel of God, and we cannot even sin until the Lord causes us to do so (Rom 7:17-23 and Rev 12:9).

Dan 4:28 All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar.
Dan 4:29 At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon.
Dan 4:30 The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?
Dan 4:31 While the word was in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.
Dan 4:32 And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.
Dan 4:33 The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like birds’ claws.

Only after our judgment are we given to know that “His ways are [ humbling] judgment” upon the beast which we just naturally are.

Dan 4:34 And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:
Dan 4:35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?
Dan 4:36 At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me.
Dan 4:37 Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.

Only after Nebuchadnezzar had been told by God that he was among “the basest of men” did God let him know what He was doing with Him. Likewise with Saul of Tarsus and you and me, until we come to see ourselves as “chief… of sinners”, we will not be given to know that God is working every detail of what is taking place in our own kingdom of men”. But when we do come to see that, then we come to know that “His ways [ are] judgment” upon the kingdom of our old, rebellious, self- righteous old man, as Nebuchadnezzar confessed after his own typical judgment.
I hope this helps to make clear what I was trying to say in our last email about Dan 10. It may be chess compared to checkers, but God has already determined in advance every move which every pawn, every knight, every rook, every bishop, every queen, and every king will make and who will win the game. Your old man is doomed, and the new you will be the victor.
Your brother in the victorious Christ within us, according to His will.

Mike

[ Additional note by JB] “I was reading the article on Dan 10 and it caught my attention that the “seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High rules” is no different than the seven last plagues that fill up the wrath of God, which without, no man was able to enter into the temple, till those seven plagues of the seven angels are fulfilled in everyone’s life.
So we live by every word of God and are not exempt from anything within the sum of the word. We are all placed within the furnace, which is commanded to heat the furnace seven times more than it is usually heated, and we are all kings that need to be humbled by the seven plagues of the seven angels which are used to destroy our kingdom so that the kingdom of God which like a mustard seed will grow until all enemies are devoured leaving them neither root or branch because God will be all in all and the same all will be saved.”
In Lev 26 it is stated four times ‘I will bring seven times more plagues upon you.’

Lev 26:18 And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.
Lev 26:21 And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; .
Lev 26:24 Then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins.
Lev 26:28 Then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins.

Groaning and travailing waiting for the adoption and the redemption of our body,
JB

1Ti 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”