"By smooth words He will turn to godlessness those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will display strength and take action." Daniel 11:32
The words we read in Daniel are dealing with the last days upon the earth before the second coming of Christ. It is a description of the antichrist and the true disciples of Christ. The antichrist is a great deceiver and liar. By his smooth words he will lead his victims into godlessness who act wickedly toward the covenant of God He has made with His people. Notice how the people who display strength and take action against this evil are described — but the people who know their God. This truth should highly motivate us to pursue knowing our God above all else.
Jesus defines the qualification for eternal life in John 17:3, and it is to know the only true God and Jesus Christ.
"This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."
John 17 allows us to hear Jesus praying to the Father for His disciples just before His arrest and crucifixion. In 17:1-2 He prayed:
…"Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life."
Notice it is all about a living, daily relationship when you read John 17.
When I was a young mother this prayer became my standard for me and my children. I prayed His prayer putting my name in Jesus’ place and my children’s in the disciple’s place. I was so desperate for His truth and guidance to be a mother to the four gifts He had given me.
In John 17:6-8 Jesus states:
" I have manifested Your name to the men who You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your Word. Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You, for the Words which You gave Me I have given to them…"
My focus at that time when I read these powerful truths was my children, but as His followers the same standard is true for all God’s children, because we all belonged to Him before we were born. He formed us in our mother’s womb. Psalm 139:13 proclaims:
"For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb."
Therefore I made my goal in life as a mother to manifest His name to my children knowing they were His, and He had given them to me. I continue to strive for them to know everything my Lord has given to me, and the Words I receive from Him I try to make sure, as far as it depends on me, to give it to them. But in reality and in this season of life my children are grown, so it isn’t like when they were in my home daily. However, this applies to our lives no matter what season of life we are in, because we are to go and make disciples for Christ. We do that the same way Jesus did. Read John 17!
Going back to our scripture in Daniel, it is the people who know their God, His Son, and have the Holy Spirit, who will display strength and take action in the days to come. Those who know His Word and fill their hearts and minds with it will recognize the lies of the evil one. The Holy Spirit inside of them will give them discernment and power as the Word promises in Acts 1:7-8:
He said to them,
"It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witness…"
We also need to take note that the following verses in Daniel 11:33-35 declares:
"Those who have insight among the people will give understanding to the many; yet they will fall by sword and by flame; by captivity and by plunder for many days. Now when they fall they will be granted a little help and many will join with them in hypocrisy. Some of those who have insight will fall, in order to refine, purge, and make them pure until the end time; because it is still to come at the appointed time."
The ones who know their God are going to love Him and His will above all else. They are the true bond slaves of Christ as the disciples defined themselves in their letters in scripture. This is something you choose. It is never forced on anyone. But the strength and power to make that choice comes from knowing the Trinity. This relationship must supersede any others in our lives. We then choose to give back to Him our lives to do as He pleases. This comes natural when you love Him more than yourself. Perfect love casts out fear and His love is perfect. If you seek to know Him with all your heart He will let Himself be found. (Jeremiah 29:13) It isn’t about group worship or organized religion. Until we worship alone, one on one, we cannot truly worship corporately in Spirit and in truth, but we can perform outwardly. Jesus states in His Word:
"You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy about you:
These people honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me; But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of Men." Matthew 15:7-9 (Isaiah 29:13)
These are sobering truths from God’s Word we all need to meditate on in order to prepare for our future, and the future of others. Let us not be distracted by the clamoring chaos of this world. Matthew 7:21-23 states:
"Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast our demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness."
Do you know Him and does He know you, or are you just performing religious acts in His name for your name’s sake rather than His will for His glory? May this not be said of us when we stand before Him in judgement at His second coming. His first coming was not to judge or condemn us, but to save us. His second coming will be in wrath and judgement of those who reject His Son.
John 3:17 proclaims:
"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through Him."
It is our choice. Everyone must choose to know Christ to have eternal life, and to truly know Him, is to love Him.
In His love.
Teresa Roberts
Masterpiece Fitness
276-237-6680
My adorable, little grandson, Caleb, who just turned two, is enjoying his fall season of life!
