Daniel 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince Who stands for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
The times spoken of in the above passage are not to be understood as being in the distant future, for the world is now in a perpetually precarious state where uncertainty, and turmoil rule the day.
The sunshine state could possibly be on the brink of becoming the wild, wild, west, where persons could be traveling on a bus going to school or work, and it is conceivable, that every person on that bus could be fully loaded.
Indeed, the time has now come where individuals and families will have to make some hard decisions as to how to proceed in an environment where it is no longer required to have a concealed firearm. In many cases you would find persons responding by taking matters of security into their own hands so as to protect themselves and their families.
We often sing the songs “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way” and there is another one “Only trust Him” but we declare the truth to you, that the times that are coming upon our world will really test our willingness to trust God for everything that pertains to life, including security.
Even though our hearts go out to the latest victims in Tennessee, we have observed that in recent years the term “Our thoughts and Prayers” is beginning to sound like a broken record, for currently we have a lot more mass shootings recorded for this year, than days which have elapsed thus far, 131 versus 90.
The lamblike beast is the only nation on earth that allows its young school aged children to be targeted by persons, who for one reason or another, might decide to do the unthinkable.
Not even the Taliban permits what is being done in America, and according to scripture, it will continue spiraling downward until our troubles culminate in the time of trouble such as never was, since there was a nation.
All of the major gauges do suggest that the world is now caught in a multiprong vortex from which it is becoming increasingly difficult to escape. The storm clouds are gathering both at home and abroad. Let’s read:
[Patriarchs And Prophets pp 101] The issues of the press teem with records of murder—crimes so cold-blooded and causeless that it seems as though every instinct of humanity were blotted out. The spirit of anarchy is permeating all nations, and the outbreaks that from time to time excite the horror of the world are but indications of the pent-up fires of passion and lawlessness that, having once escaped control, will fill the earth with woe and desolation. Even now, in the present century, and in professedly Christian lands, there are crimes daily perpetrated as black and terrible as those for which old-world sinners were destroyed.
Again, earth’s inhabitants are currently bombarded on multiple fronts, with problems and disasters, for which we don’t have the answers, the resources, or the solutions to solve them. Deadly tornadoes are taking their toll, hurricanes are yearly increasing in intensity and frequency, and drug resistant viruses and bacteria are becoming more common.
In addition to this, we have major upheavals taking place with Trade Unions, both at home and abroad as can be seen currently in France, and Israel of all places. Chipotle, Amazon and Starbucks have begun to see their share of trade union woes, and it is just the tip of the iceberg, as the servant of the Lord has accurately predicted. Let’s read:
[ Letters And Manuscripts 1903, Volume 18, par. 9] “Trade unions will be one of the agencies that will bring upon this earth a time of trouble such as has not been since the world began.”
These are not mere aberrations, but are instead the symptoms of deeper spiritual problems which have become endemic in society. Spiritual law always has preeminence over natural or physical law, meaning that the former absolutely has jurisdiction over the latter.
To put it bluntly, whenever spiritual law is interfered with, it would throw off physical laws into increasing discombobulation, downstream until an appropriate remedy is adopted. And if necessary corrections are not made in a timely manner, the severity, and cost of the collateral damage goes up exponentially.
In the days of Elijah, it was the violation of spiritual laws in the worship of false gods, that had triggered that devastating famine which took a deadly toll on man and beast. When the corrections were adopted on Mt. Carmel, the heavens released great torrents of water, and the earth was refreshed. Let’s read:
1st Kings 18:38 Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God.
41 And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.
45 And it came to pass in the meanwhile, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.
Again, in the days of Joshua, spiritual law was being violated by Achan, who had stolen things that were specifically stipulated as being accursed. Thus, when Joshua’s soldiers went into battle against Ai without prayer, they suffered the destabilizing defeat which caused them to question whether or not God was with them.
The reason for their failure was specifically pointed out by God, so that coming generations of mortals would not be deceived as to cause and effect, as it pertains to collateral damages, wherever spiritual law is violated. God is merciful, but His mercy would only go thus far and no further, if persons insist and persist in the violation of spiritual law. Let’s read:
Joshua 7: 10 And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore do you lie thus upon thy face?
11 Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.
12 Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.
Therefore, that phrase in our first passage: “Stand Up” refers to the exercise of Divine authority at a time when forces of evil would have tried to coerce the violation of conscience, by trying to force all of earth’s inhabitants, to worship the image of the beast.
The worship of the image of the beast would then constitute a violation of the fourth commandment, and thus, would bring upon earth’s inhabitants, the wrath of The Lamb, after our probationary time has expired, as spoken of in the book of Revelation. Let’s read:
Revelation 7:1 And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.
2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
Michael, in our first passage refers to Christ, who at that appointed time will rise up to take the reins of control out of the hands of mortal man, not that they were ever in man’s hands, but He will be doing some very strange things, which folks may not have seen or heard Him do before.
Let’s repeat, so that you would hear correctly: Jesus will be doing some strange things at the appointed time, that we may not have heard or seen Him do before.
To those who may have been brainwashed by those smooth-talking, truth denying, or politically correct preachers of the day, when Michael stands up, He is going to do things that you’re not expecting to come from the meek, loving God He is known to be.
That little cute baby that has been worshipped for centuries on Christmas day will turn heads, and will be a cause of great concern when He begins to roll through the earth. In fact, many of the saints of God at that time would have difficulty understanding the extent of His work, in defense of His people, and in defense of His downtrodden law.
The prophets predicted that persons will be caught off guard as to extent of His intrusions at that time, for even the very saints who would be saved, might experience difficulty in coming to grips with Jesus’ movements, as at that time He will be wrapping up the history of planet earth, as we have known it. Let’s read:
Isaiah 28: 21 For the Lord shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act.
22 Now therefore be ye not mockers, lest your bands be made strong: for I have heard from the Lord God of hosts a consumption, even determined upon the whole earth.
Revelation 19: 11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords.
Currently, all the nations of earth seem to be taking one step forward and two steps backward for if one were to take a look at where we are, we seem to be either stuck in neutral, or going in reverse.
The war between Russia and Ukraine is taking a very heavy toll on resources globally, and has triggered a mad stampede into electric vehicles, and everything electric, as if that would solve our problems forever.
There are unforeseen problems associated with the near complete dependence on the electric grid, as is laid out in the green new deal, and such challenges would be manifested only after the switch over has been made.
With oil-based sources of energy, you would have more pollution, but the chances of a catastrophic shut down will not be not as high as when there is total dependence on the electric grid. If, for some reason we were to run into a major problem with our electric grid, the consequences could then be absolutely devastating and catastrophic.
Without back-up generators, and batteries, it could result in shuttering of banking systems, computers will lack the power to operate, satellites would not be able to communicate information efficiently, and those vital services we have come to depend on can suddenly be upended, and the “everything electric” mindset could abruptly be rendered null and void. Let’s read:
HURRICANE CENTRAL
Hurricane Ian In Florida: Millions In The Dark, By Ron Brackett and Jan Wesner Childs, October 05, 2022.
More than 2 million power outages are being reported in more than 20 counties from Southwest Florida where Ian came ashore, up and across the state to areas around Daytona Beach on the state's Atlantic Coast, according to PowerOutage.us. Each outage can represent several people in a household or building, or a business or shared utility account.
One of the issues arising from the power outages is that persons with a Tesla, and other electric vehicles were not able to recharge their batteries, and many got stuck, not being able to make an escape as their fuel burning neighbors could.
The issues that are now plaguing earth’s inhabitants are much deeper, and entrenched than the passing disturbances taking place with geopolitical forces or the capricious outbreaks of nature, whereby storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, and blizzards are becoming more frequent and intense.
The real problem from which all of the other issues stem is a spiritual problem, and it would require a spiritual solution to solve it. It will ultimately, and be finally decided by heads of states that unless earth’s inhabitants turn back to God, there will be no letting up of those adverse circumstances that keep piling up at our doorstep.
But our first passage cautions, that in our efforts to turn back to God, very grave mistakes in judgement will be made that will culminate in Michael standing up for His people, who will remain faithful at a time of unprecedented, global turmoil. Any turning back to God will have to take place on His terms, not ours as we are cautioned of in Revelation 13.
As we studied last week, any universal mandate to coerce the conscience on matters of worship would trigger a swift response from Christ, causing Him to make direct intrusions into the affairs of men so as to protect the faithful during those perilous days.
However, this will not be the first time that Michael will have to “Stand up” or intervene, in the religious affairs of men because there were instances in times past when He was moved to do so, albeit on a more miniature scale.
For instance, when the three Hebrew boys faced the mandated false worship in Babylon, The Son of God made a direct intrusion, and delivered them out of the hand of king Nebuchadnezzar. Some preachers, in trying to describe that intrusion in language that we can understand, might say that God asked one angel and then another, how fast they could reach Babylon.
Then, finally, according to their rendition, God came to Michael and asked the same question, to which He responded: I am there already. Well, we have some news for you; the truth of the matter is that Christ was always there, they just were not seeing Him, but He had always been there. Always!
Michael has never ever left any of His people at any time or at any place, whether it be in good times or bad times; and He has very valid reasons for never leaving us. When He had pulled back His restraining orders from the devil just for a few days we observe what took place with Job and all that had pertained to him.
Thus, Christ’s presence has always been there, but persons were probably not seeing Him. At certain times He may reveal Himself through the presence of angels, or in other instances, He may take it on a personal level, as He did with the Hebrew boys, but Michael has always been there for His people.
When Jacob was fleeing from Laban, and was in dire straits because of the looming threat from Esau, the angels of God made themselves visible to him, and he was thus encouraged on his way, but Christ had always been with him. Let’s read:
Genesis 32:1 And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.
2 And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God's host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim.
The same fact of Christ’s continual presence with us was again made manifest in Joseph’s experience. At that time Joseph had been sold into slavery by his brothers, false accusations were made against him by the seducer, and finally he was incarcerated for standing up for right. But in all and through it all the presence of God never left him. Let’s read:
Genesis 39:2 And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
3 And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand.
20 And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.
21 But the Lord was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
23 The keeper of the prison looked not to anything that was under his hand; because the Lord was with him, and that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper.
When Elisha was surrounded by the immense Syrian army, Michael stood up again to protect him and his servant from the malice of the king. In that instance, the servant wasn’t aware that Michael’s hosts were already on the ground, and so it seemed to the poor servant that they were cornered, and were about to be consumed. But again, Michael was always there. Let’s read:
2nd Kings 6:15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?
16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.
17 And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
And with you and I, and with everyone who believes in Jesus, Michael has always been there, and He will always be there, even though folks may not see Him with their naked eyes, but Jesus’ presence is always with there with us. Always! Let’s read:
Psalms 139:1 O lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.
2 You know my down sitting and mine uprising, You understand my thoughts afar off.
3 You compass my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
Matthew 28: 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.
As it pertains to Daniel 12:1, when Michael will be standing up for all those who remain faithful during the darkest hours of earth’s history, as they refuse to bow to the image of the beast, Jesus will again be doing some very strange things that persons haven’t catered for.
Last week the question was asked: How did the king of Babylon recognize the 4th Person in the furnace as being The Son of God? This will take us into very deep waters, as it pertains to Michael/Christ, who is never short on resources, methods, ways or means when it comes to standing up in the defense of His people.
Here are just three of the many ways that God can inject Himself into the equation as it pertains to Him standing up in defense of His people:
Direct revelation. Tailormade revelation. And the issue of facial recognition.
Direct revelation is when God makes Himself known to a person directly, via a dream or a personal, or a physical encounter. For instance, when Jacob was at the brook Jabbok, he had a direct encounter, as he wrestled with Christ. God also made himself known to him via dreams, which he had on a few occasions.
So yes, there are times when, in defense of His own, God could, and will make a direct intrusion, and the individual in question would be made to understand beyond the shadow of doubt that it is The Almighty God in the house. Let’s read:
Genesis 20: 3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife.
4 But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation?
6 And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore, suffered I thee not to touch her.
7 Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.
Daniel 3: 24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spoke, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.
Tailormade revelation: Tailormade revelations occur when Jesus decides to single out one person out of a group of many people, and reveals Himself to that individual only, while all the others who are present cannot see or hear anything. Let’s read:
Daniel 10: 4 And in the four and twentieth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel;
5 Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz:
6 His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in color to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.
7 And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves.
Acts 9: 3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
Facial recognition: Facial recognition is where God can cause a situation of mistaken identity, where the enemies of His people are rendered confused, on account of their utter inability to correctly read, identify, or recognize another person’s face.
This He has done time and time again, but persons were none the wiser, and therefore, this last issue about facial recognition is particularly troubling for it could trigger confusion and mayhem, or in other situations it could be employed for the good of His people as God sees fit.
Let no one be deceived into thinking that Jesus is limited to finite modes of thought and action, for as we have stated before, when Michael stands up in Daniel 12:1 He would be doing some very strange things. Before we deal with the bad part, let us deal with the good part.
Pay very close attention to the following narrative, being careful to observe the nature of the intrusion, how the issue of facial recognition is employed, the conversations that ensue, and the total inability of mortal man to figure out what exactly is going on. Let’s read:
Luke 24:13 And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.
14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened.
15 And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.
16 But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.
17 And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?
18 And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?
19 And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people.
20 And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him.
21 But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, today is the third day since these things were done.
This same capability is also employed in defense of His people, for as we have stated before, when in Daniel chapter 12 Michael the Great Prince stands up in defense of His people, He will be doing some very strange things. Now is the time to get ready for whatsoever might ensue. Let’s read:
2nd Kings 6: 13 And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan.
14 Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.
18 And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the Lord, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.
19 And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria.
[They then embark on an 11-mile journey through mountainous terrain]
20 And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.
2nd Chronicles 20:17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you.
20 And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.
22 And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.
23 For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another.
24 And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.
Let us repeat again, so that you will hear correctly: When the mark of the beast would have been set up, and coerced worship would have taken center stage at home and abroad, Michael will stand up, and He will be doing some very strange things.
Our willingness and ability to trust God is directly tied to our understanding of His limitless capability, which when understood as being open-ended, will render all of man’s devices, ways, and means which are used against God’s people, as being far less than foolishness.
Each and every device, gizmo, and tracking device is considered by God as total foolishness, when they are contrasted with what Michael will do whenever the threshold of coerced worship is crossed.
The time spent drooling over the latest this and the latest that would be much better spent studying and communing with God for if and when this is done our comprehension of things will take one a whole new different meaning, and the clever inventions of man will pale into insignificance, before the God of Daniel 12:1. Let’s read:
[C.O.L pp 41] In turning from God's word to feed on the writings of uninspired men, the mind becomes dwarfed and cheapened. It is not brought in contact with deep, broad principles of eternal truth. The understanding adapts itself to the comprehension of the things with which it is familiar, and in this devotion to finite things it is weakened, its power is contracted, and after a time it becomes unable to expand.
Let us therefore trust in Jesus, for the beast will do what he is scheduled to do, satan will do what he is scheduled to do, but Michael will do whatsoever He wants to do, for as the scripture says: There is no searching of His understanding; and the information with the interpretation given out today is sure and certain.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which should keep us pondering upon these sacred truths throughout this coming week. Let’s read:
Psalms 91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most-High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
3 Surely, he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flies by day;
6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wastes at noonday.
7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
God Bless