Title: Our Citizenship
Summary: The biblical perspective on our place in this world with its kingdom and nations is that earthly kingdoms are neither divine nor eternal, therefore, we must not get caught up in them and remember that we belong to the eternal Kingdom of God and serve the purposes of our king as his subjects, even in the midst of the difficulty that comes from being allied to the Kingdom of heaven rather than the world.
Text: Daniel 11
Scripture Reading: Phil 3:17-21
Intro:
1. Heard story about frog who went to go see fortune teller
a. I see a beautiful young woman in your future. She will want to know all about you, inside and out, be fascinated by you
b. Frog got excited. Where will I meet her? By a river? At a picnic?
c. No, it will be in a biology lab
d. Sometimes knowing the future not a pleasant thing – but sometimes we need to know in order to prepare selves
2. Daniel is given a pretty detailed glimpse of the future in Dan. 11
a. The most detailed prophecy of what was to come
b. Spent several weeks reading over Dan 10-12
i. Covers Persia, Greek, & Greek successor states
ii. From about 500 BC to 100 BC
iii. At least 4 Kingdoms and many kings in this chapter
c. Not want to get bogged down in detailed history lessons
i. Point for Daniel was not to give detailed history of world
ii. The text mainly focuses on details pertinent to Israel
d. Will hit the highlights, then focus on the timeless lessons for us
3. Give a spiritual perspective on our place in this life:
I. No earthly kingdom is divine or eternal (v.1-4)
A. In those short verses, have already covered several kings and kingdoms
1. Have been countless kingdoms and nations since the beginning
2. Will be many more, unless Christ comes again
B. This text covers 400 years of history
1. Have been 4 kingdoms during that time, rose and fell
a. Persia, with Cyrus, followed by three other kings, then a rich king, Xerxes.
b. Greece, under Alexander the Great
c. His kingdom divided into 4, two of which concern Israel – Ptolemaic Kingdom of the South, and Selucid Kingdom of the North
2. We know that after this, other large empires came and went
a. Rome, Byzantine Empire
b. Ummayad Empire
c. Mongol Empire
d. Ottoman Empire
3. This does not include smaller empires, such as Phoenician, Hittite, Egypt, Parthians, Scythians, etc. etc. etc.
C. ILL: Wise County Texas, news story about a man clearing out some brush on his ranch
1. Came across a tombstone. Then another, and another.
2. Discovered a long forgotten cemetery. Newest tombstone from 1952
3. Can you imagine?
a. At some point, this would have been an important place
b. Loved ones buried there
c. At some point, long forgotten
4. This is also true of world empires – many we know little to nothing about
D. We need to be reminded of this
1. So easy to get wrapped up in what will pass away
2. Daniel lived his whole life as an exile
a. He recognized that he was a foreigner
b. He was not Babylonian, nor was he Persian
c. As a result – when Babylon fell to Persia, it did not shatter him
3. Rise and fall of nations will not shatter us either
a. Do you realize – We live in a very young nation
b. In the overall scheme of things, it is just as fragile as any other nation that came before
c. But we are not bent out of shape, because we belong to an eternal kingdom…
II. We belong to God’s Kingdom
A. We already have been shown this kingdom several times in Daniel
1. Dan 2:44 – Neb’s Dream
a. the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever,
2. Dan 7:14 – Daniel’s Vision of one like the Son of Man
a. …with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man,band he came to the Ancient of Daysband was presented before him. To him was given dominion and glory, and a kingdom … His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away and his kingdom on that shall not be destroyed
B. Jesus is that Son of Man who established this eternal kingdom
1. Started his ministry with: Mk 1:15 - “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
2. Mk 9:1 - “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”
3. Jn 18:36 - “My kingdom is not of this world.
a. Jesus’ Kingdom is a different kind of kingdom, a spiritual one
b. His Kingdom is bigger than politics, nationalities, or boundaries
c. His Kingdom exists alongside the Kingdoms of the world
d. They will end, his will last for eternity
4. What does it mean to belong to his kingdom while living as exiles in another? … We will be pressured to conform to the world
a. (v.29-32a) Talking about Antiochus’ Greekification Program
b. More detail in 1 Maccabees 1 and Josephus Wars 1
i. Wanted people to abandon exclusive worship of Yahweh and honor the Greek gods
ii. Erected an image to Zeus in temple, sacrificed pig on altar to Zeus
iii. Prohibited people from keep Sabbath, circumcision, kosher, etc. forced them to observe pagan worship
iv. Those who obeyed, he rewarded, those who did not, he tortured
C. This why nations often depicted as great beasts in Apocalyptic literature
1. Have seen these beasts in earlier visions of Daniel – Destroyed in the end
2. In Revelation, Rome is depicted as two beasts, and as a harlot
a. Also destroyed in the end
b. Shows that the enemy uses both intimidation and seduction
3. Still a Greekification Program Today putting pressure on us
a. The pressure to be politically correct, woke, or enlightened
b. Pressure to accept civic religion – people more political than ever before it seems
c. Pressure to make your outdated religion line up with the times
i. Whether it is morality, sexuality, politics, etc.
ii. If your religion doesn’t evolve with the times, then you will pay a price
D. Rom 12:2 – Do not be conformed to this world,[c] but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.[d]
1. The biblical word for this – “holiness”
2. Root idea of holiness is different and dedicated
a. We are not of the world, but dedicated to God
b. We discern and do his will
c. We resist being conformed to the world, but to be transformed into the image of Christ
3. This will lead to conflict with the world…
III. We Continue to Fulfill our God-Given Purpose (v.32b-35)
A. Text shows what God’s people are to be doing
B. What the purpose of God’s people is not
1. (v.14) 14 “In those times many shall rise against the king of the south, and the violent among your own people shall lift themselves up in order to fulfill the vision, but they shall fail.
a. Selucids (north) and Ptolemies (south) will war against each other
b. Many of God’s people will get caught up in and fight on one side or the other
c. But they will fail
2. (v.27) 27 And as for the two kings, their hearts shall be bent on doing evil. They shall speak lies at the same table, but to no avail, for the end is yet to be at the time appointed.
a. Character of the kings – liars, bent on doing evil
b. They will not last, their end is coming
3. Reminder – NOT to get caught up in these things
a. Focus of God’s people is NOT on nation building
b. Nation is destined to end, don’t get caught up with it
c. Focus is on Kingdom building
C. What the purpose of God’s people is (v.32-34) 32 He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. 33 And the wise among the people shall make many understand, though for some days they shall stumble by sword and flame, by captivity and plunder. 34 When they stumble, they shall receive a little help. And many shall join themselves to them with flattery, 35 and some of the wise shall stumble, so that they may be refined, purified, and made white, until the time of the end, for it still awaits the appointed time.
1. Stand firm
a. This is exactly what Eph 6:11 says – Stand firm against the schemes of the Devil
b. Make up our mind not be deceived, enticed, tempted, manipulated
c. Whether it is the latest news cycle, friends, co-workers, or family
d. We put on full armor of God, and stand firm
2. Take action
a. We are not passive bystanders
b. Even in midst of opposition, we continue to do as Christians have done from the beginning
c. We serve and worship God, serve others in the name of Christ, share Gospel of the Kingdom
d. Instead of putting passion in politics, we put passion in ministry
i. ILL: New ministry coming – Griefshare
ii. Looking for other ministries to help fulfill our mission, one at a time – Friendspeak is coming next
3. The wise will make people understand & increase wisdom
a. Spend time in the word, understand our place in God’s kingdom
b. Gain perspective and understanding of our relationship with God, and our relationship to the world
i. World with its kingdoms will be destroyed
ii. Includes the USA, and every other nation
iii. Only the Kingdom of God is eternal
Concl:
1. Jesus said in John 3:5 – One must be born of water and Spirit to enter his Kingdom (inv)
2. If obeyed, then ask: Which Kingdom do you belong to? Where is your citizenship? Where is your loyalty? How does it show in your speech and actions? What do you invest self in, physically, emotionally, spiritually?