The Mighty Angels of Daniel 9: The Dark Heart of Sin

MP3: The Mighty Angels of Daniel 9

Hosts: Nathan Jones & Vic Batista

The Dark Heart of Sin

Vic Batista: In Daniel 9:9-10, the prophet gets to the root of rebellion. “To the Lord our God belongs mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him. We have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God to walk in His laws which were set before us by His servants the prophets.”

Daniel continues in verse 11, “Yes, all of Israel has transgressed your law and has departed so as not to obey your voice; therefore the curse written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out in us because we have sinned against Him.”

How interesting that even today the Jewish people don’t accept Jesus as Messiah, so in a sense, they still are being disobedient.

Nathan Jones: Later in Daniel 9 we will get into the calculations the Angel Gabriel gave Daniel that foretells to the day when the Messiah would make His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. That’s why Jesus cried as He walked through Jerusalem. He said to the effect, “If only the people understood and accepted the fact that their Messiah is already here. They would have saved themselves from another destruction. Instead, they chose disobedience and unbelief!” The Romans nearly 40 years after Jesus wept came and destroyed Israel in 70 AD. Rome cast the Jews to the four corners of the earth for hundreds of years, all the way up to 1948. Jesus actually wept over this coming tragedy it bothered Him so much.

Isn’t it interesting that verses 9-11 contain the very definition of sin? Sin is rebellion. Sin is rebelling against God and His moral laws. Those laws are meant to protect us from harm and help us avoid hurting others. Daniel isn’t just saying we have sinned here, rather he is explaining what sin is. For those who think sin is a tangible thing, such as an action, that’s not quite right. Sin is a heart issue. From our hearts we rebel against God.

Vic Batista: Another point I want to highlight can be found in verses 14 and 19 where it says, “Therefore the LORD has kept the disaster in mind.” In other words, God gives people every opportunity to repent. He provides the time and opportunity for people to turn back to Him. But, if we don’t, God is not just going to turn His back and say, “Oh, just continue on living in that sin. Just forgot about it!” No, the Lord keeps our rebellion in mind, but when we do turn to Him in repentance, often times He relents from sending judgment.

Nathan Jones: God’s behavior is very similar to the parents of teenagers who are having a party at their house while the parents are away. The kids are up late throwing an unsanctioned party. They’re thinking, “I know my parents aren’t going to be coming back anytime soon, so let’s rock this house!” Then the cops show up because of all the loud noise. But, uh oh, the parents return home unexpectedly early as well. The kids are caught dancing in the middle of their party, that is, until they see the furious look on their parents’ faces. That too is the look on God’s face!

Most people believe that the King of the Universe isn’t coming back. We can party down all we want, for God is not going to be coming back. There isn’t going to be a day of reckoning. We won’t get in trouble for disobeying our Heavenly Parent.

It’s this misguided belief that Jesus is not going to return I think is why we are seeing an increase in the level of sinning going on in our society. We are sinning bolder and louder because our people don’t truly believe there will be any consequences for our behavior. And yet, we know from the Bible that Jesus’ promised that He will return. He will be returning to bring rewards for those who follow Him and judgment for those who live in disobedience to Him. A day of reckoning is indeed coming. Our Heavenly Parent is about to come home!

Vic Batista: When a person has a burden to learn and understand Bible prophecy, they live like the Lord will return at any moment, and that knowledge deeply affects their lifestyle.

Nathan Jones: Absolutely correct! Knowing that Jesus will return soon is a great motivator to live a holy life. We’ll never know exactly when Jesus is going to come back, so we should always be prepared. How is He going to find us when He returns?

The knowledge of Christ’s return also motivates us towards evangelism. We feel a great urgency to get the Gospel out to as many people as we can as quickly as we can before the Lord returns.

Time to Ask

Vic Batista: In Daniel 9:19, the prophet implores, “O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”

Nathan Jones: This is the Ask part in our acronym PRAY. Daniel praised the Lord, he repented of his people’s and his own sins, and now he is asking.

Daniel prays with such urgency! “O, Lord, listen and act. Please answer my prayers. Don’t delay!” It’s not a prayer for the sake of what Daniel wants, rather it is a prayer for the sake of God’s name. God’s glory is what Daniel is requesting. Anybody who prays for the Lord’s will to be done, and for the Lord to be glorified, well, they can be assured that prayer will always, always be answered with a yes.

Vic Batista: Three times Daniel calls upon the name of the Lord: “O, Lord hear.” “O, Lord forgive.” “O, Lord listen.” Daniel’s prayer sounds more like a wail as if he’s crying. This is not a lame prayer, but one deeply felt from his heart. “God, we want you to move.”

Nathan Jones: Notice that Daniel uses the name Lord, not capital LORD, but lowercase Lord, which is a more personal Hebrew word. The prophet is calling out, “Father, Father, please hear me!” This isn’t, “O, King! O, King!” No, this is, “O, Father, O, Father!” The use of God’s personal name shows the relationship that Daniel has with our Father God, and that we as God’s children share today.

Vic Batista: There are so many people out there who have heard about God, but they really haven’t called on His name. They haven’t called upon the name of the Lord in order to come into a saving relationship with Him. They haven’t asked Jesus to forgive their sin. They don’t have to wait, though. Any of us can call on the Lord right now and receive His forgiveness.

Nathan Jones: We all need to do what Daniel did: praise the Lord, repent of our sins, acknowledge that we’re sinners and ask for forgiveness, and then yield to His will. Ask the Lord to save you from your sins and the eternal judgment in Hell that hangs over you. Yield to Christ’s will in your life. Give Him control of your life by making Jesus Lord.

In the fifteenth segment of this series on the mighty angels of Daniel, we’ll get into the Seventy-Weeks Prophecy.