Lesson 33: God Knows the Details
The details given in the verses from the last lesson are so accurate that many people insist that this was written more than 375 years later after it has all come true as described here to Daniel. And yet there are details in these verses that are again described as still future events in the book of Revelation.
Daniel was specifically told that three more kings, after Cyrus, would rule the Persian empire, and that the fourth king would be strong, rich, and oppose Greece. This king was Persian King Xerxes, in whose reign Haman tried to destroy the Jewish people, but was stopped through the prayers of Mordecai and the obedience of Queen Esther (book of Esther).
The “mighty king” to rise from Greece was Alexander the Great. No human, only God, could have known all these years ahead of time that Alexander would die at a young age, that he would not have children, and that his Empire would be split between his four generals, who would each reign over his own part of the kingdom – Cassander ruled Greece, Ptolemy I ruled Egypt and the Levant, Seleucus 1 Nicator ruled Mesopotamia and Iran, and Lysimachus ruled Thrace (now southeastern Europe).
Verse 6 describes in detail what Antiochus II would do to Ptolemy II’s daughter. Verses 7-9 tell the story of Ptolemy III and his avenging of his sister’s murder after the queen’s actions in verse 6. Verses 10-16 describe the actions of Antiochus III who, after being welcomed by the Jews, destroyed their land.
God knows, from the beginning of time, exactly what will happen through the end of time, in the smallest details. He is never caught unaware of the daily events of our lives. When asked how this affects man’s “free will”, one Bible teacher describes it as not so much our “free will” but our ability to choose between available options. For example, one might say they have the free will to choose to marry anyone they wish. This is not true. They could not choose to marry someone who has been dead for centuries, or is unknown to them in the present. They can choose to marry someone within their sphere of knowledge – as long as the other party is also willing to marry them. There are limits to our choices. God also orchestrates our lives in such a way that He limits the choices we have. We still must make a choice, but the options available are within His control.
We might also look at it as a road on which we are driving. When we come to a crossroads, we may have two or three or even four different branches from which to choose. But if God places a broken bridge on one, or a burning tree over another, He has further limited our choices. God will place road-signs in our paths to tell us which is His way – always the path of greatest blessing – and which way leads to danger. He knows what lies ahead on every path, and His love for us is so great that He will warn us of danger for any wrong choice we want to make. This is exactly why He has given us these detailed prophecies – so we can understand that He DOES know what the future holds.
*When have you consciously changed your mind about a choice, only to discover later that God’s hand of protection gave you that warning?
Lesson 33: God Knows the Details Print
Modified on: Wed, 9 Dec, 2020 at 3:04 PM
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