Attacking God's Instructions for Life

Scripture: He gave me this explanation: "The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it. The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws." Daniel 7:23-25a

Observation: Daniel recounts his first prophetic vision, and it is complex. Scholars have tried to understand it for centuries. It includes this "fourth beast" that is "different" from the others, and it seems logical (to me) that the difference might be that it is not a kingdom based on a specific ruler, but rather on a global ideology. Eventually, one powerful 'king' comes out of this beast and speaks in a manner that directly opposes the Lord himself, and actively oppresses the "holy people".

However, the most interesting element of this king's actions is this ... he will "try to change the set times and the laws." In other words, one of the ways this king will attack the Lord and the people of earth is to take actions that change the manner in which holiday observances are kept, and to alter the moral laws, both of which represent ways mankind is to behave as defined by the Lord.

Application: I cannot possibly understand what or who or when this "horn" is or is about. However, I can completely understand the attack it makes on the world, for it is the attack we are experiencing now in our current age. This is an attack on God's instructions for life. What the horn does is attempt to undo all those instructions, and how it does so is by speaking loudly and boastfully (aka powerfully and arrogantly and defiantly and continually) in direct opposition against the Lord himself and, by extension here on earth, against his holy people.

That is a perfect description of what is happening in this part of the world. The Church is publicly attacked loudly and arrogantly by people representing an ideology that looks to alter ... natural order, moral code, government operations, and even holiday traditions. The weapon of choice is loud, angry, confrontational public rhetoric, which manipulates the populace until hateful ideals that are in direct defiance to the Lord become popular opinion that many accept as logical facts.

I feel like this eleventh horn is here, now, and active. If so, even Daniel in verse 21 noted that this horn "was waging war against the holy people and defeating them" ... and we are being seemingly defeated in this part of the world for sure. However, this also means I can celebrate, for soon the Lord himself will intervene.

Prayer: Lord, let us all continue to live by your instructions for life. As the boastful lies of the enemy lead others astray and change their understanding of both your set times and your laws, may we continue to fight the good fight, bringing the truth to all, and declaring Jesus as the son of man who offers hope and salvation. Amen.