Daniel in the Lions’ Den Is NOT Just a Story for Children Daniel, Chapter 6

Lorraine Day, M.D.

9-2-06

31  And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.
6: 1  It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom a hundred and twenty satraps that should be over the whole kingdom.
2   And over these three chancellors, Daniel being one of them.  These satraps shall be reporting on their decrees to the three of them, so no damage will be done to the king’s administration.

If we look back at Chapter 3, the account of the three young Israelites who refused to bow down to King Nebuchadnezzar’s statue of gold, we remember that history tells us that before that time there apparently had been some dissension in the kingdom.  Nebuchadnezzar had called together ALL of his administrators throughout the known world, all of which was under the control of Babylon.
They were called together to give complete allegiance to the king under the penalty of death in the fiery furnace.
Now, in Chapter 6, we are told that these 120 satraps, or administrators, were to be not only governing their various districts in the kingdom, but they were also to report to the three top men in the kingdom, one of which was Daniel, what was going on in their district, so “no damage will be done to the king’s administration.”  This was the king’s way of gaining knowledge of any insubordination or uprising in his kingdom.

3   Then this Daniel is set permanently over the chancellors and satraps, forasmuch as an excellent spirit is in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.

“Only one of the three chancellors, because of his excellent spirit, finds great favor with Darius and he soon is placed at their head.  We would probably call him the “prime minister,” even though this was his permanent position. . . It was natural for Daniel to take the lead at first because of his knowledge and experience.  The spirit in which he conducted himself in his office appealed so strongly to the king that his temporary position was made permanent.”  Concordant Studies in the Book of Daniel, p 148,149
It is not difficult to understand how the other chancellors would become jealous of Daniel.  Daniel was not only a holdover from the previous administration – Babylon – the enemy that the Medes had just conquered, Daniel was not even a Babylonian, he was an Israelite, a former prisoner taken in the conquest of Palestine.  Why should he get the TOP job in Medo-Persia?  Especially with 120 satraps drooling for advancement to the top echelon!
As is the nature of mankind, both then and now, the chancellors and satraps begin a CONSPIRACY to destroy Daniel.  Mankind has NOT changed.

4  Then the chancellors and satraps sought to find a pretext against Daniel in regard to the administration of the kingdom.  Yet no pretext or corruption at all could they find, forasmuch as he was faithful and no carelessness or corruption at all is found in him.

For those in this day, who are so ignorant, or so naïve, or so unrealistic to believe that “Conspiracies” do not exist in government today, I can only pray for them.  Conspiracies in government have been occurring since Nimrod and the tower of Babel.  Certainly, as we see above, king Nebuchadnezzar had found dissension (a conspiracy) in his kingdom.  That’s why he called all his administrators together to bow down and give allegiance to him and his statue.
Now we see that the administrators of the kingdom of Medo-Persia have entered into a Conspiracy against Daniel.
EVERY nation and kingdom that has ever existed on the face of the earth has been rife with conspiracies.  Our history books tell us of ruling kings, and even heirs to thrones, who had all his brothers murdered, so he could be – or remain – king.
For anyone to suggest that there are NO Conspiracies in government now, that things “just happen” because of the ineptitude of government, is naïve indeed!

5  Then these masters are saying, “We will not find any pretext against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.”

Not only do we have a Conspiracy in the making, but one that involves religious persecution.  The State will try to exert its authority over the conscience of the individual.  This is exactly what is on the verge of happening in America.

6  Then these chancellors and satraps gather together and go to the king, and say unto him, “King Darius, live forever (for the eons.)”
7 All the chancellors of the kingdom, the prefects and satraps, the retinue and the viceroys have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any god or man for thirty days, except from you, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.
8  Now, O King, establish the decree and sign the writing, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be altered.
9  Wherefore king Darius signed the written decree.

“The elevation of Daniel and his high place in the king’s esteem created jealousy and hatred among the other officials of the court.  They resented being placed under a foreigner, a mere Israelite.  No doubt some of them wanted the highest place themselves. . . It is usually rather easy to find some dereliction of duty or corrupt practice connected with the administration of public office such as Daniel’s, with its many temptations.  But they could not even make the charge of carelessness.  Daniel had been an exemplary official.
“When they could find no occasion against him they plotted to make one.  If they could not do it politically they would do it religiously.  Evidently they knew of Daniel’s faithfulness to God as well as his faithfulness to the king.  To bring these two into collision was the purpose of their plot.  It really was a clever conspiracy, and, humanly speaking, a success.  The king was led into the trap and Daniel was let into the vault of the lions.
“The statute was so flattering to the king that he was blinded to its implications and to the absence of his favorite minister, who should have been present.  It is astonishing how even a little adulation will affect the judgment.  Darius was really being deified for a time, for he accepted a place that God alone can fill.  This is the besetting sin of universal monarchs, and is seen in every one of them.  Nebuchadnezzar, Darius, Alexander, the man of lawlessness—all usurp the functions of the Deity and lead men away from God, in contrast to Christ, Who leads men to Him.”  Ibid, p 150,151

10  Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem.  Thus at stated times, three times in the day, he knelt on his knees and prayed and acclaimed before his God just as he formerly had done.

Nothing can stop a believer from going to God.  A decree against him will only make him fly from it to Him for refuge.  Daniel had been accustomed to retire to his chamber three times a day, at set times, in order to worship and pray to God.
This decree would not stop him.
There are “Christian” groups now that believe that had Daniel lived today, he would have comported himself differently.  “Now we worship in spirit in the presence of the Father at all times and places,” say these theologians, “but in our outward acts we must be subject to the superior authorities.”  They quote Romans 13:1,5 as their reference and say that the government’s laws are God’s mandates.  They claim that Daniel “is no pattern for us in our attitude toward the political authorities.”
They believe that God wants us to obey the political leaders, and if God finds something wrong with the political leaders, He will remove them.
But THEY are WRONG!
God still requires the same faithfulness to Him that Daniel exhibited.  We are NEVER to obey the laws of the land if they cause us to disobey God.  God is certainly sovereign, but He allows despots and evil rulers to be in authority in part to test our commitment to Him. 
These “Christians” need to read and understand the entire Bible.  We are never to obey governmental authority if it causes us to compromise our spiritual principles.

11  Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.
12  Then they came near, and spoke before the king concerning the king’s decree; “Did you not sign a decree that every man who is petitioning from anyone – whether a god or man – within thirty days, except of you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?  The king answered and said, “The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, that cannot be changed.
13  Then they answered and said before the king, “That Daniel, who is of the sons of the captivity of Judah, knows no regard for you, O king, nor for the decree that you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day before his God.”

“Now the enemies of Daniel make sure that he does not escape out of their trap.  First they go to Daniel himself, at the proper time, and find that they had not overrated his faithfulness. . . Once more Daniel’s foes make absolutely certain that their plot will not fail.  They fear to accuse Daniel until they have the king’s assurance that the decree prohibiting the making of any petition has his unqualified confirmation.  The king is blind to their machinations, and innocently puts all the stress possible on the certainty and irrevocability of the decree.  ‘Certain is the matter as a decree of the Medes and Persians that cannot be changed.’
“Now that they have the trap set, they spring it.  Daniel is accused not only of disobeying, but of opposing the decree by failing to promulgate it.  Daniel, it seems, did not promulgate this decree, as he should have done, seeing that it came from the king.  Daniel probably saw in it much damage for the king, not only in its disastrous effect upon his subjects, especially his compatriots, the Israelites, but on the king himself, whose vanity and pride and arrogance were being flattered by corrupt politicians, so that he was in danger of usurping the place of the Deity,” that monstrous sin that will be the ultimate downfall of the leaders of the One World Government – the present-day “Babylon” – the New World Order that is totally controlled by the Zionist Jews.

14  Then the king, when he heard the matter, was greatly displeased with himself (literally “in bad odor” to himself.  The Syriac uses the word stink here, which, in Hebrew, is used of the Nile, in the plagues of Egypt, when the fish died (Ex 7:18).  In other words, the king thought the plan that had deceived him “stunk!”), and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he strived till the going down of the sun to deliver him (Daniel).
15  Then these men assembled together and came unto the king, and said to the king, “You know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, that no decree nor statute that the king establishes may be changed.

“What a contrast there is between the power of the Medo-Persian king and that of the Babylonian kings!  Nebuchadnezzar obeyed no law but his own will (Daniel 5:19).  No official in his kingdom, nor all of them combined, would dare to cross his desires.  That is the way God rules, hence it is figured by the head of gold.  In the hand of the perfect Ruler, it is the ideal form of government.  In Medo-Persia, the power of the monarch was limited by laws that even he dared not break.
“Had Darius been Nebuchadnezzar he would not have been bound by the trick played on him by his corrupt and jealous officials, but would have sent them to the lions instead of Daniel.  What a spectacle to see the great king baffled in his efforts to save a just and deserving official and friend from a cruel and iniquitous conspiracy!  (This brings to mind the weak and compromising Pilate in his treatment of Jesus.)  If the most powerful man in the kingdom cannot get justice, what of the poor and humble?”  Ibid. p 156
This incident gives us an insight into the impotence of governments to do the right thing.

16 Then the king commanded and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions.  Now the king spoke and said to Daniel, “Your God, Whom you serve continually, He will deliver you.
17  And a stone was brought, and laid on the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet ring, and with the signet ring of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel.

“After the king had exerted himself to the utmost to deliver Daniel and had failed, the bloodthirsty officials pressed their crafty claim.  The king dared not alter his decree, for that would be contrary to the well-known edict.  Finally he gives in.  In his own impotence he turns to Daniel’s God, and utters one of the most remarkable confessions of faith that ever came from the mouth of a heathen monarch.  Even for Daniel, it would have taken great faith to declare his confidence that God would deliver him.  Darius’ failure to find a way seems to have impressed him mightily with his own helplessness.  And this is the best preparation for trust in God. 
“So he says to Daniel, ‘Your God, Whom you serve continually, He will deliver you.”

18  Then the king went to the palace, and spent the night fasting: neither were musicians brought before him, and he could not sleep.
19 Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions.
20  And when he came to the den, he cried in a staunch voice unto Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is your God, Whom you serve continually, able to deliver you from the lions?
21  Then said Daniel, O king, live forever.
22  My God has sent His angel and has shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me; forasmuch as before Him, innocence was found in me,; and also before you, O king, have I done no wrong.
23  Then the king felt enormously relieved, and as to Daniel he says to hoist him up from the vault.  When Daniel is hoisted from the vault, no harm at all is found in him, because he believed in his God.

“When Daniel comes forth he is entirely unharmed because of his faith in God.  He then became one of that vast cloud of witnesses spoken of in Hebrews, Chapter 11, and 12, verse 1, whose deeds are recorded in the noble annals of faith.  No doubt he was in the mind of the author of Hebrews when he tells us of a prophet who, through faith, bars the mouths of lions (Heb 11:33).”  Ibid, p 158

24  Then the king commanded, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children and their wives; and the lions overpowered them, and broke all their bones in pieces before they ever came to the bottom of the den.

Those who chose not to believe the story of Daniel in the Lion’s Den might bring up many an explanation why the lions had not devoured Daniel, such as, the were not hungry.  But such attempts to destroy the miracle of his preservation are prevented by the fate that befell his accusers.  They did not even reach the floor of the den before the lions ravenously and powerfully destroyed them.

25  Then Darius the king wrote unto all people, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you.
26  I make a decree, that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for He is the living God, and steadfast forever, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and His dominion shall be even unto the end.
27  He delivers and rescues, and He works signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, Who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.
28  So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

“God turned the evil into great good.  The jealousy of the ministers and satraps led them to seek the death of Daniel.  Who would have thought that it would lead to the glorification of God throughout the world?  Such are the wondrous ways of the God of Daniel, Who is also our God!  From the most sordid motives, the most despicable crime, He makes a background to display His wisdom and power to the peoples of the earth. 
“Not only was the aged prophet prospered instead of being destroyed, but God’s name and fame was spread abroad throughout the earth.”  Ibid 159,161

Lessons From This Story For Adults Today

1.    Conspiracies are ALWAYS present in governments, and have been since the beginning of nations.  To suggest that they don’t exist in our government today is just plain silliness.  The Bible is not only a book of history, but it is a compendium of one conspiracy after another.  The story of some individual or some group plotting to steal from, to maim, or to kill, someone else is told repeatedly throughout the Bible, throughout the 4,000 years it chronicles.
The same holds true today.  If one just opens his eyes and seeks for truth, God will lead him into ALL truth, which includes the numerous evil conspiracies occurring in governments all over the world, including the present government of the United States.
The Oklahoma Bombing, 9/11, Waco, Ruby Ridge, are ALL conspiracies by OUR OWN government (and itsMaster – Israel) against us – the citizens of America.  If you don’t believe it, just check out my website atwww.goodnewsaboutgod.com and many other websites on the internet.
2.    Daniel made no attempt to deliver HIMSELF from his fate.  He did not take up arms to try to stop the guards from taking him to his almost certain death.  He did NOT believe in “Self-Defense.”  He left his deliverance to God – as every true Christian should.  If Daniel had tried to take his defense into his own hands, he would have taken himself out from under God’s protection, and most certainly would have been killed by his enemies or devoured by the lions.  If Daniel had taken his defense into his own hands, he would also have eliminated the possibility of God’s miraculous deliverance of Daniel.
3.    If Daniel had heard about the scheme of the conspirators BEFORE they had gone to the king, and had decided to make a PRE-EMPTIVE strike on his enemies, (as the U.S. is doing in Iraq – with the SUPPORT of virtually EVERY “Christian” denomination in America), Daniel would have taken himself out from under God’s protection and would have been under the control of Satan.  He again would have reaped what he had sown.  “God will NOT be mocked.”
4.    If Daniel had chosen to obey the king’s (the government’s) order by hiding his faith by ceasing his prayer to God three times a day, Daniel would have become a hypocrite, denying God, and would again have taken himself out from under God’s protection.  We do not know exactly what would have become of Daniel, but the Bible tells us, “Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap.”
5.    Daniel gave ALL the glory to God!  He took none for himself.

   
© Lorraine Day, M.D. 2006. All Rights Reserved.
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What Does it Mean to be “Saved by Grace”?

“For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: It is God’s gift (approach present), not of works lest any man should boast.”  Eph 2:8

  Lorraine Day, M.D.

The “Christian” Church’s Definition of the word “Grace”
The word “Grace” according to Bible scholars and theologians means “unmerited favor” – the concept that none of us in the human race deserve to be saved because we are all wretched sinners.  But God through His “graciousness” sent His Son (apparently instead of God coming to earth Himself) to die for all sinners, so those who “make the right choice” and accept Jesus Christ as their Savior will not have to die eternally. 
Instead, God apparently will overlook the fact that we are all sinners (because as they say, no one IS perfect – or even CAN be perfect) so Jesus’ blood on Calvary somehow “covers us up” so God apparently cannot see that we are sinners.  Or at least God apparently looks the other way and let’s us into heaven anyway because “Jesus died in our place.”
WE can never be perfect, or so we are told, so we just “try our best” and “God makes up the rest!”
This is the doctrine of the “Christian” Church.
This is the “Christian” Church’s definition of “grace.”
New Testament Christians
The members of the majority of today’s “Christian” Churches claim to be New Testament “Christians” which usually means that they believe they are “Saved by Grace” and that the Law (the Ten Commandments) was done away with at the Cross and does not have to be kept anymore. 
Yet the majority of Christians would be horrified if their Pastor informed them that this means that children, whether young or grown, no longer are required to honor and respect their parents, that the Bible permits murder, adultery, stealing, lying, coveting, the worship of idols, and profaning God’s name.
No, the Christian Church believes that one MUST keep THESE Commandments in order to be called a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ.  In addition, all these things are spoken of in the New Testament.  So, even though, according to today’s Christians, the “LAW” (the Ten Commandments) “was done away with at the Cross,” nine of the Ten Commandments (excluding the Fourth Commandment – the Seventh-day Sabbath Commandment) were reinstated in the New Testament, they say, mandating their incorporation into the Christian life – even though “no one can really keep them.”
This means that ALL of the Ten Commandments STILL must be kept, or one must at least attempt to keep them, except apparently, the Fourth Commandment, the Seventh-day Sabbath (Saturday) Commandment.  That one, according to the vast majority of the Christian Churches of today, was the ONLY one actually “done away with” at the Cross.
We are told that keeping the Fourth Commandment is “works” and was given only to the “Jews” even though the Sabbath was made holy by God and instituted by God in the Garden of Eden for Adam and Eve (who certainly were NOT Jewish) and for their offspring – the WHOLE Human Race! 
And even though Jesus Himself said that the Seventh-day Sabbath (Saturday) was given by God to ALL of humanity!

“The Sabbath was made for mankind (humanity – anthropos in the Greek – the root word for the study of Humanity - anthropology) and not mankind for the Sabbath.”  Mark 2:27

And even though Jesus Himself (Who is God in the flesh) said that He is LORD of the Sabbat 
            “The Son of Man is LORD of the Sabbath.” Luke 6:5

Worshiping on the day that God Himself has set aside for us to worship Him is considered “works,” according to New Testament “Christians.”
And since we are no longer “under the law – but under grace,” God doesn’t care on which day we worship Him.  According to this premise, we are saved by “faith” – “belief” – by believing that Jesus died on the Cross, in our place, so we don’t have to die.
But this is the Fourth Commandment.  And Jesus said:

If you LOVE ME, keep my commandments.”  John 14:15

The Bereans “searched the Scriptures to see if it was so.”
Let us, like the Bereans that Luke praised for their diligence in the study of the Scriptures, search out this subject and find out what the Bible tells us.
What is the Greek word translated “Grace” and what is its meaning?
The Greek word translated “Grace” is the word charis (#5485 in Strong’s Concordance) and is the same word also translated “Joy” whenever it suits the translators.  In its several forms, the word means joy, pleasure, gladness, cheerful, happy, well-off, and possibly the most accurate of all “calm delight.”
There is nothing about this word in the Greek that suggests the definition of  “unmerited favor.”  This appears to be a definition manufactured by Bible scholars and theologians who have decided on their own that since the human race is terribly unworthy and really deserves to go to hell, God is going to do them a BIG favor by saving them (even though they don’t deserve it) IF they make a decision to accept Christ and join with other believers, which in most cases means - - join the Church!
This is a convenient and “serviceable” definition to further the expansion of the Corporate Organized Church - the Big Business of religion.
What does it mean to have “faith”?

“For by grace are you saved THROUGH FAITH!”

God says He saves us by Grace – but that Grace is accomplished THROUGH faith.
The King James Bible defines Faith as:

The substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”  Hebrews 11:1

This definition of faith makes little sense to the average Christian.
A literal translation of that same text is much more understandable.

“Now faith is an assumption of what is being expected, a conviction concerning matters that are not being observed.”  Hebrews 11:1 Concordant Literal Translation

In plain words, having Faith means we are assured that what God has already promised, WILL come to pass – He WILL do it – and we are convicted (convinced - absolutely certain) concerning these matters (that have been promised by God but) have not yet taken place.
The word “faith” is the same word as “belief” or “trust” in the Bible.  See #4102 in Strong’s Concordance.  All three words are the SAME word in the Greek.
Faith does NOT mean that God will do whatever you decide you WANT Him to do.  Faith means that you truly believe that God WILL do what He has already promised to do – and your actions will demonstrate that belief. God gives us MANY promises in the Bible.  Having Faith means that we believe them ALL.  And because of our faith – our actions will correspond.  We will ACT on what we believe.  Our actions will attest to our faith.
Other people will be able to KNOW what we believe by our actions.  For example:  If we claim to believe that God is our Healer - - and then we go to “man” for our healing, that proves that we do NOT “believe.”
James tells us that,
          “Faith without works, is dead.”  James 2:26
Faith – without the actions that correspond to that faith – reveals that you have NO faith.  Your “faith” is dead!
What Does it Mean to “Believe”?
 The Bible says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be SAVED.”  Acts 16:31  “Belief” appears to be the ONLY thing necessary for a person to gain eternal life!  If “belief” is ALL that is necessary to have eternal life, does one just have to “think” or “utter” the words, “I believe” and they are automatically saved?  Is it that easy?  What does it mean to “Believe”?
Jesus used the word believe, or a form of that word, eighty times.  Obviously, it is/was very important to Him.
Some Christian denominations teach that all one has to do is say a short recitation acknowledging that he or she is a sinner, that Jesus is the Son of God, that He was born of a virgin, died on the cross for our sins, was resurrected from the dead and now lives forever, in order for a person to be saved.  That is considered the “belief” that is necessary in order to be saved. 
Apparently, if one just says those words, then eternal life is guaranteed to that person.
But what will heaven or the new earth be like if all who are there have only had to recite those words, then they have gone on living pretty much the way they were before.  It is true that the denominations preach that God is against blatant alcoholism, adultery, overt stealing, obvious lying, and murder of an individual (apparently corporate murder - as in war - is acceptable), but with those few exceptions, life goes on pretty much as it did before.  However, there IS one mandatory rule - one MUST attend church regularly and be “involved” in the “church” in order to be considered a “good” Christian!
This is MAN’S version of the word “Believe.”
Let’s look at GOD’S definition of the word “Believe!”
The Bible says that Faith - WITHOUT works - is Dead!   The word translated “faith” in the Bible is exactly same word as “belief.” 
This means that Belief (faith) - - WITHOUT the actions that correspond - - - is Dead!
If one says he “believes”  - but his life does NOT correspond to what he says he “believes,” then he does NOT believe, no matter how much he argues to the contrary. 
Let’s look at the different areas of a person’s life that MUST change when he or she becomes a Christian in order to manifest his or her “BELIEF!”
Do we BELIEVE that God is in charge of our Safety?
If a Christian says he believes in God, but at the same time, believes in self-defense, he demonstrates that he does NOT believe in God.
God says, “Fear not,” numerous times in the Bible, (Ps 34:7, Isa 41:10, Ps 34:15) and if we believe that WE must defend OURSELVES, then we DON’T believe in God.  We DON’T believe that God WILL do what He has ALREADY PROMISED He will do - and that is to watch over us.  However, that does NOT mean that God will keep us from all harm.  We know that martyrs have - and again will - die for Christ.  If God allows harm to come to us, then He will accomplish something positive in our lives through that experience.
We MUST learn to trust Him and NOT try to take our safety into our own hands.  If we do that, we CANNOT claim that we “trust God!”  If we take our safety into our own hands, where does God come into play?  HE is the one who promises to protect us.  But he CAN’T do that if we take our protection into our own hands.
We must believe in “God-defense” and NOT self-defense!

Do we BELIEVE that God is our Plan-maker?
J. N. Andrews, the first missionary of the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) church, and the person for whom the SDA Theological Seminary is named, said 
            “Find a field of labor, ask God to help, take off your coat, and go to work!”
That’s the sequence that virtually ALL Christians believe in.  That’s the sequence that virtually ALL Christian organizations and denominations believe in.  But, unfortunately, that’s the WRONG sequence!
Christians wrongfully “decide” what work God wants - or needs - done.  Then they proceed to decide exactly HOW that work should be done.  THEN they ask God to bless THEIR plans THEIR process to complete THEIR plans! - - - as if God doesn’t have the ability to formulate His OWN plans or the PROCESS by which they should be carried out.
The more of US we have in any deal, the LESS God can accomplish.
Whenever GOD makes the plans and designs the process to complete the plans HE has made, things turn out perfectly.  When we do things OUR way, disaster is always the result - - even when we THINK things have turned out pretty well - at least temporarily.
Let’s look at some Biblical examples demonstrating the results when GOD makes the plans AND the process - versus MAN taking over God’s job!
GOD makes the PLAN and the PROCESS.  (Man just follows God’s orders and carries out GOD’S plans.)
1)  Noah and the flood - building the boat.  God told Noah He would save Him from the flood.  How did God save Noah?  Answer:  God told Noah to build a boat.  Notice that God did NOT leave the PLAN up to Noah.  God made the Plan. 
Then God told Noah EXACTLY how to build the boat, down to the last detail.  God did NOT leave the PROCESS up to Noah, either.  God decided the process.
Noah’s job was to carry out, in EVERY detail, the Plan AND the Process that God had given him.  When Noah allowed God to make the plans and the process by which the plans were to be carried out, there was great ultimate success.
2)  Joshua and the battle of Jericho:  God was the Plan-maker for the Battle of Jericho - - NOT Joshua.  God made the Plans - - NOT Joshua, and God designated the Process.  Joshua’s job was to do EXACTLY what God told Him to do.  When Joshua did that, he had great success.

3)  The original Passover in Egypt:  God told the Israelites to put the blood on the doorpost.  That was NOT the Israelites idea, nor was it Moses’ idea.  It was God’s PLAN to save the First Born of the Israelites, and God designated the Process by which it was to be done.  The Israelites did NOT make the Plans, nor did they design the Process.  It was ALL of God.  The ONLY job of the Israelites was to do EXACTLY as God had told them.  THEN the First-born of the Israelites were spared.
When MAN makes the PLAN and/or the PROCESS the ultimate outcome is ALWAYS failure.
1)  Jonah:  God told Jonah to go to Nineveh to warn the people to repent.  Jonah had a different plan - his OWN plan, which almost cost him his life.
2)  Joshua and the battle of Ai (Joshua 7:1-12):  Joshua, flush with victory over Jericho, forgot Who his Plan-maker was.  Joshua decided to make his OWN plans and design his OWN process to carry out the plans for the battle of Ai, instead of letting God make the plans and process.  Joshua’s plans resulted in a disaster for the Israelites with significant loss of life.
3)  Israelites deciding to fight for themselves instead of letting God fight for them:  When God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, they had NO weapons!  They had only pieces of gold, silver and yard goods.  It was God’s plan that the Israelites do NO fighting.
When the Israelites were hedged in by mountains on one side and the Red Sea on another side, and the Egyptians in hot pursuit, God NEVER wanted the Israelites to take charge of their own safety.

“And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will show to you today; for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever.
“The Lord shall fight for you, and you shall be quiet.” Exodus 14:13,14

God opened the Red Sea and saved the Israelites.
However, a short time later, we see that the Israelites acquired their own weapons (probably by picking up the weapons of the Egyptians drowned in the Red Sea) and defending themselves against the Amalekites (Exodus 17:8-13).
From then on, Israel tried to fight their OWN battles which resulted in much loss of life, and many failures.
4)  Peter picking the replacement for the 12th apostle (Acts 1:15-26):  Jesus, Himself, picked ALL the twelve apostles.  After Judas had betrayed Christ and committed suicide, Peter decided that HE should choose the next disciple.  Jesus had NEVER given Peter the authority to do that. 
Jesus had ascended to heaven but He still had the authority, the obligation and the ability to pick His OWN disciples.  Peter assumed that since Jesus was no longer visible on earth that He could not - or would not - still be in charge of His group.
Peter and the other disciples picked Mathias.  After that occurrence, Mathias is never again mentioned in the Bible.  Jesus ignored the choice of Peter and the other disciples.  When the time came for the twelfth disciple to be chosen, Jesus, HIMSELF, chose Paul!
It was to Paul that God revealed His plan of Universal Restoration.  Paul evangelized most of the then-known world.  And Paul became  the author of the majority of the New Testament.  
5)  Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden:  God had a Plan and a Process.  “Eat of every tree of the Garden, EXCEPT the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.” 
Adam and Eve chose to make their OWN plans.  And HERE we all are, drowning in sin.
In fact, the Bible is just one long historical record of MAN refusing to do things God’s way and instead insisting on doing things MAN’S way --- and the disastrous outcomes that followed!
Do you believe that God WILL:
Save EVERYONE?  Acts 3:21;  1 Tim 4:10;  1 Tim 2:1-6;  Rev 21:4,5; John 3:35 and John 6:37-39;  Phil 2:10,11,  1 John 3:8;  Romans 8:19-23
Make EVERYONE perfect?  Matthew 5:48 (literal translation)
Heal EVERYONE who believes?  Acts 16:31 (Check on the meaning of the Greek word “sozo.”  It means to heal PHYSICALLY and to heal SPIRITUALLY.)
Heal ALL our diseases?  Ps 103:3;  Jeremiah 30:17; Exodus 23:25;  Exodus 15:26
Keep us FREE from EVERY disease?  Deut 7:11-15
Sustain us financially?  Phil 4:19;  Luke 12:24;  Ps 84:11;  Matthew 6:32;  Luke 12:28-30; Deut 29:9;  2 Chron 26:5
Provide our food and water?  Luke 12:24;  Phil 4:19;  Luke 12:20
Save our children?  Isaiah 49:25
Teach us DIRECTLY?  1 John 2:26,27;  Isa 54:13;  John 6:45;
Lead us into ALL truth?  John 16:13
Never forsake us or ANYONE else?  Heb 13:5
Direct EVERY moment of our lives and tell us exactly what HE wants us to do? Phil 2:13;  Jer 10:23;  Prov 3:6; Isa 45:13
Answer ALL our prayers?  Ps 34:17;  Jer 33:3;  Psalm 55:17;  Isa 65:24;  Psalm 91:15;  2 Chron 7:14;  Matthew 21:22;  Luke 11:10;  1 John 5:14
Give us peace so we can “be anxious for NOTHING”?  Phil 4:7;  John 14:27;  Prov 3:24;
Give us understanding of His end-time prophecies?  1 Thess 5:1-9;  Rev 1:3;  John 13:19
Sustain us through terrible torture and possible death?  Hebrews 11:32-40;  Heb 13:5
Sustain us through terrible torture and possible death of our children?  Heb 11:32-40;  Heb 13:5
Be able to save the most wicked, wretched individual who has ever lived on this earth?  Hebrews 7:25;  Romans 5:20;  Psalm 103:3

“Without faith (belief) it is IMPOSSIBLE  to please God; for he that comes to God MUST BELIEVE that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”  Hebrews 11:6
“Anything is possible if you have faith (belief).”  Mark 9:23
“Now the just (righteous) shall live by faith (belief).  And if ANY man draw back, My soul shall have no pleasure in Him.”  Hebrews 10:38
“Faith (belief) comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.”  Romans 10:17

“Grace” is the OPPOSITE of “works”
Ephesians 2:8 also tells us that “grace” and “faith” are the opposite of “works.”
If we are NOT saved by any type of “works” then that means that our salvation is ALL of God and NONE of us!  It means that GOD is TOTALLY responsible for our salvation – and we are NOT.
If we must “accept” Jesus Christ in order to be save, then we MUST “do something” to gain our salvation.  Then it is NOT “ALL of God” because WE must “do something.”
If we “make the right choice” and “choose” to worship God, then we CAN boast about it – because WE did it – WE made the right choice (and many others have NOT – and they will - deservedly? - burn in hell! – or so we are taught).
That is the OPPOSITE of “Grace.”
What does it mean to be under Grace and NOT under the Law?
“The phrase ‘under the law’ refers to the Law’s attitude toward you, not your attitude toward the law.  A sinner who is convicted of sin (crime) is ‘under the law,’ and the law will stand over him to force him to pay restitution to his victims.  A sinner who has been released from his sentence – either by paying the debt in full, or working it off, or having a near kinsman pay his debt, is NO LONGER ‘under the law.”  His debt is paid.  Grace in the Law of Jubilee, Stephen Jones, www,godskingdomministries.org
The law has no jurisdiction over those who are obeying the law.  It only has jurisdiction over those who aredisobeying the law. 
That is why author Ayn Rand, in writing about the inherently progressive evil of ALL governments run by man, including the U.S. government, said:

“The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws.”

When we are obeying the law completely, we are no longer “under the law.”
When we are OBEYING the Law, the Law has no jurisdiction over us.
The Christian Church has so severely distorted the interpretation of this text that it teaches that Christians no longer have to obey the Law, they no longer have to obey the Ten Commandments, because - - - they are now “under grace.”
Does Grace really mean “Unmerited Favor”?
If grace means Unmerited Favor, as most pastors say, that means we don’t deserve to be saved.  That God brought us into this world of sin, something we had no choice in, and something we would never have wished on ourselves, to live a life full of pain and sorrow, and then, in the end, the vast majority would be eternally lost!
That would be a horrible, vicious God – a God who would rival the cruelty of the pagan gods.
Yet God has planned every moment of our life long before we were born and HE is responsible for everything we do and every decision we make.  So, if we don’t deserve to be saved, then God planned it that way.  And it’s HIS problem, not ours.
But God HAS planned for ALL of us to be SAVED.  He states it clearly over 100 times in the Bible.  Seewww.goodnewsaboutgod.com for the article “What Happens at the Judgment?” and see “100 Scriptural Proofs That Jesus Christ Will Save All Mankind” at www.tentmaker.org/books/ScripturalProofs.html
Therefore, the word “Grace” CANNOT mean “Unmerited Favor” because Jesus has had the Salvation of the WHOLE WORLD planned BEFORE He created the world!  See “Why did God create human beings into a universe (and world) already contaminated with sin?” at www.goodnewsaboutgod.com

Let’s take another look at our study text.

“For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: It is God’s gift (approach present), not of works lest any man should boast.”  Eph 2:8

God’s gift (literal translation=approach present) is the equivalent of the Hebrew word “corban,”  The Greek word isdo’ron which literally means GIVE-GUSH, or to gushingly give.
This is the same word in the Greek that is used for the gifts that the Magi brought to Christ at His birth (Matthew 2:11), and the offering that Abel brought to God (Hebrews 11:4).
This text, Ephesians 2:8, shows that “grace” is the opposite of “works.”
Let’s look at possibly the prime example of God’s Grace as given to us in the Bible account of the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt.  This reveals exactly the character of God.
The Exodus of the Israelites from Israel to the Promised Land
When God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, through the wilderness and into the Promised Land, we are told that it was an example for us to study, contemplate and learn from. 
Egypt, in the Bible is symbolic for “sin.”  God bringing the Israelites (His followers) “out of Egypt” symbolizes God bringing His followers today “out of sin.”  The wanderings through the wilderness represent our “wanderings” through life, frequently becoming rebellious against God, lacking faith repeatedly, until finally, after we “reap what we have sown” as the consequences of our rebellion and wrong choices, eventually God takes us into the Promised Land – which represents heaven (a temporary place for the Millennium) and subsequently the New Earth, where everyone will spend Eternity.
What is it about this journey of the Israelites that God wants to teach us, in this era?

A.   God brought the Israelites out of Egypt by HIS OWN power, NOT their power.  The ten plagues on Egypt were all of God’s doing. 
B.   The Israelites came out from Egypt with ONLY yard goods, gold and silver.  They had NO weapons.
C.   When they reached the Red Sea and were hemmed in by the Sea and surrounding mountains, with the Egyptians fast approaching, they began to whine and complain that they had been brought out there to die.  God made sure that they had NO weapons.  Moses said to the Israelites, “You keep still and watch GOD fight for you.”
D.   God made sure that the Israelites had NO boats.  God opened the Red Sea and allowed the Israelites to go through on dry land.  The Egyptians had no faith, and the water collapsed on them.
E.    The desert of Sinai is so barren NOTHING will grow there.  God made sure that the Israelites could NOT grow any of their own food.  God fed the Israelites with manna – bread from heaven – representing Jesus Christ the REAL “Bread from heaven.”
F.    God made sure that the Israelites were in a desert where they had NO way of getting water for themselves.  God gave the Israelites water to drink – from the Rock – which represented Jesus Christ, the Living Water.
G.   God made sure that the Israelites were in an unbearably hot desert, with NO trees for shade and NO air conditioning.  God kept them cool during the day by His cloud cover.
H.   The desert can get extremely cold at night.  The Israelites had NO system of heating.  God kept them warm at night by His cover of fire.
I.      God gave them civil laws to settle disputes.  God gave them laws for criminal behavior.
J.     When they followed God’s commands, none were sick.  When they finally entered into the Promised Land, “not one was sick among them.”

What we learn from the experience of the Israelites in the Exodus is that

GOD DID EVERYTHING!
It was “ALL of God, and NONE of them.” 

God brought the Israelites into the Promised Land by HIS mighty hand.  The Israelites had nothing to do with it.  God did it ALL!
THAT is “GRACE” - - - when GOD does it ALL!
God proclaimed the Israelites a stiff-necked people!  He brought the Israelites into the Promised Land IN SPITE of themselves, NOT because they made the right choices.
God put the Israelites in such circumstances that they eventually had NO CHOICE except to rely on God.  They had NO ONE ELSE to turn to.  They could NOT rely on themselves, because they were powerless to do ANYTHING to save themselves.
This is the perfect illustration of Grace – that God does it ALL. 
All of humanity will eventually enter the Promised Land (heaven and/or the New Earth) – and Jesus will be responsible for every one.  He does it ALL.  NONE of it is done by us.
God loves EVERY PERSON He has created SO MUCH that He is going to bring EVERY ONE of them into the “Promised Land.”
God predestines that we make decisions that will lead us down a path “of our own choosing” until we have hurt ourselves enough to realize that we cannot run our own life.  When we recognize our need - from experiencing so much pain - we will turn to Him, because we will finally realize there is nowhere else to turn.
“We have to realize that we cannot earn or win anything from God through our own efforts. The greatest spiritual blessing we receive is when we come to the knowledge that we are destitute.  Until we get there, our Lord is powerless.  He can do nothing for us as long as we think we are sufficient in and of ourselves.  We must enter into His kingdom through the door of destitution.  As long as we are ‘rich,’ particularly in the area of pride or independence, God can do nothing for us.”  My Utmost for His Highest, November 28, Oswald Chambers.
It is God who puts into our heart the desire for Him to run our life 
            “No one can come to Me unless the Father draws him.”  (John 6:44)
That desire that God places in us will lead us to study the Bible with diligence, to pray fervently, and eventually to understand the true character of Christ.
            “By beholding, we become changed.”  (2 Corinthians 3:18)
By studying about the Lord, contemplating His life, and praying to Him, we will get to know Him – up close and personal - and eventually He will put His life – His character – His “Holy Spirit” (or more correctly translated, God’s breath of holiness) - in us.  We will then manifest His character and disposition – His holiness.
This is “eonian life” – the character of Jesus Christ manifested in and through us.
This sequence of events eventually WILL happen to every person who has ever lived on earth.  Then everyone will have the character of Christ.  They will have the “law” written inwardly on their heart, rather than on an “outward” table of stone. 

For this is the Covenant I will make with the House of Israel (the true believers in Jesus Christ) after those days, Saith the Lord; I will put My laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts, and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people.”  Hebrews 8:9,10
When the law is “put in our mind and written in our heart” we will have the heart and mind of Christ and we will automatically do right.  It will be our nature to do right.  When Jesus is making every decision in our life, we WILL be perfect.

We will all be SAVED by “Grace” – by Christ alone – NOT of our own doing in ANY way – lest ANY man or woman can boast – that he or she has “made the right choice.”
God will do it ALL!
And BECAUSE God does it ALL, He GUARANTEES the Salvation of the WHOLE Human Race!

 

The Proof in the Exodus Story

Below are some of the Biblical Scriptures revealing the rebellion and total lack of faith of the Israelites going through the wilderness.  They were constantly grumbling and complaining and planning mutinies against Moses, the one whom God had chosen to lead them through the wilderness.  They were a stiff-necked, obstinate, rebellious people. 
God brought them into the Promised Land NOT because THEY had any goodness within themselves.  God brought them into the Promised Land to prove who HE was, to prove that He could save the most wretched group of people on the face of the earth.

And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot.  Deut 29:5
"Your clothing did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years.  New American Standard Version.

Then the sons of Israel did according to the word of Moses and requested from the Egyptians articles of silver and articles of gold, and garments.  And God gave the people favor in the eyes of the Egyptians, when they requested them.  Ex 12:35,36
The sons of Israel journeyed from Ramses toward Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, those of mastery, besides the little ones.  Moreover a mixed multitude ascended with them, and flocks, herds and cattle, exceedingly heavy.  Ex. 12:37,38
When it comes to be that your son is asking you tomorrow, saying: What does this mean? Then you will say to him, ‘With steadfastness of hand, God brought us forth from Egypt, from the house of slaves. . . Now it comes to be as a sign on your hand and as brow-bands, between your eyes; for the steadfastness of the hand of God brought us forth from Egypt.  Ex. 13:14,16
It came to be when Pharaoh had dismissed the people that God did not guide them by way of the land of the Philistines, though it was near. . . Ex 13:17
Then God was going before them by day in a column of cloud to guide them along the way, and by night in a column of fire, to give light for them to go by day and night.  The column of cloud by day and the column of fire by night did not remove from the presence of the people.  Ex 13:21,22 
So Pharaoh will say of the sons of Israel:  They are perplexed in the land; the wilderness has closed in on them.  Thus I will make the heart of Pharaoh steadfast, so he will pursue after them.  Then I shall be glorified in Pharaoh and in all his arm; and the Egyptians will know that I am God.  Ex. 14:3,4
The Israelites said to Moses, Get away from us and let us serve the Egyptians for it is better for us to serve the Egyptians than for us to die in the wilderness.  Then Moses said to the people: Do not fear!  Station yourselves and see the salvation of the Lord which He shall work for you today, for as you see the Egyptians today, you shall not anymore see them again unto the eon.  God shall fight for you: as for you, you shall be silent.(“You shut up!”)  Ex 14:12-14
God said to Moses, Raise high your rod and stretch out your hand over the sea and split it, that the sons of Israel may enter into the midst of the sea on dry ground.  And behold I will make the heart of the Egyptians steadfast that they may enter after them; for I shall be glorified over Pharaoh and over all his army, over his chariots and over his horsemen.
The column of the cloud journeyed from before them now stood behind them.  Thus it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel.  Over there came the cloud and darkness, yet here God lightened up the night.  So the Egyptians did not come near to the Israelites all the night.  Ex 14:19,20
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and, by a strong east wind all the night, God caused the sea to go.  Thus He made in the sea a drained area when the waters were split apart.  Ex. 14:21
God said to Moses; Stretch out your hand over the sea that the waters may return on the Egyptians, on their chariots and on their horsemen.  So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned before morning to its perennial flow, while the Egyptians were fleeing to meet it.  Thus God shook off the Egyptians, in the midst of the sea, for the waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen, all the army of Pharaoh that had been entering after them into the sea.  Not even one of them remained.  Ex. 14:26-28
Thus God saved Israel on that day from the hand of the Egyptians.  Then Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the shore of the sea.  Exodus 14:30
When they came to Marah, they were unable to drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter.  Then the people grumbled against Moses because they had not water saying, What shall we drink?  So Moses cried out to God and God directed him to a tree.  So he flung it into the waters, and the waters were sweet.  There God made for them a statute and a judgment and there He tested them, for He said:
If you shall hearken to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is upright in His eyes, and give ear to His instructions and observe all His statutes, then all the illnesses that I place on the Egyptians I shall NOT place on you, for I am the Lord who heals you.  Ex. 15:22-26
And they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm trees; and they encamped there by the waters.  Exodus 15:27  (God directed them to the water he had provided.)
And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt. Exodus 16:1 (Note that they had only been gone from Egypt for SIX WEEKS.)
And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured (literally = grumbled) against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness;
And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots (pots of meat) and when we did eat bread to the full, for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.  Exodus 16:2,3
Please Note:  In these two preceding texts, the words “congregation” and “assembly” are used.  These Hebrew words mean “a group of people.”  The words mean NO MORE and NO LESS. 
This is the Hebrew equivalent of the Greek word ecclesia, which ALSO means an unstructured “group of people.”
But the Bible translators have translated the Greek word ecclesia as “church” with all its implications of a structured Organized Church, with a pastor and a hierarchy.  This is a deliberate and gross MISTRANSLATION of the word ecclesia and is purposely done to foster the idea of a Biblical basis for an Organized Church – a doctrine that is TOTALLY false and has NO basis in the Scriptures.
God Alone!
If one reads the entire Exodus story, one can clearly see that over and over again, the Israelites did NOT trust God, they grumbled, complained, and rebelled constantly, yet God was able, through the severe consequences of the trouble they brought on themselves, to change their hearts, instill faith in them, and bring them into the Promised Land – by HIS Mighty Hand - ALONE!

© Lorraine Day, M.D. 2006. All Rights Reserved.
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