December 2000

[Part Forty-six]

“SEALS OF GOD”

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                King Belshazzar (son of King Nebuchadnezzar) promised Daniel (Heb 1840 “Judgment of God”) “I will clothe you in purple (color of royalty) and put a gold chain around his neck, and make him the third highest ruler in the entire kingdom” Daniel said, “You may keep your gifts for yourself, and give your rewards to someone else, nonetheless, I will interpret the handwriting on the wall for you...(which is this:) ‘God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end; for you have been weighed on His scales and found wanting; and finally, your kingdom is divided and will be parceled out to the Medes and Persians...Then Belshazzar fulfilled his promise that Daniel should be clothed in purple, with a gold chain around his neck; and he was declared third highest in the land. And that very night, Belshazzar, king of Babylon (lit. “CONFUSION”)”was slain. Then King Darius was set in power.” (Da 5:16-17; 26-31)
               Now Daniel found favor with Darius, but the good will of this ruler was equally matched by the envy and hate of the presidents, governors, princes, counselors and captains of the land! They conspired to kill Daniel by exploiting Darius’ vanity., They tricked him into establishing a law whereby all who asked a petition of any God- other than himself -for the next thirty days, would be cast into a lion’s den! They knew, of course, that Daniel made such petitions to his God every day!! When they so accused Daniel before the king, Darius was sorely vexed for he was fond of Daniel. Still, the law was the law and he had to comply. This situation, in many ways, parallels the one with the three Hebrew children when Nebuchadnezzar was trapped by his own vanity as well. Scripture says of him, “His heart was lifted up and his MIND WAS HARDENED IN PRIDE!” (Da 5:20) Now a group of lions is called a “PRIDE”; and God warns us, “Our adversary, the devil (that is, the dark thoughts emanating from our carnal minds) walks about (in our stony hearts) as a roaring LION, seeking those (enlightened thoughts of God) he is able to devour!” (1 Pe 5:8) As Daniel was shut up in a den of ravenous lions where “A stone was laid on the mouth of the den, and the king SEALED it with his own signet and the signet of his lords!” (Da 6:17) so have all men been sealed in a MIND HARDENED IN PRIDE, shut up in a sin nature whose poisonous, deadly thoughts seek to devour our very souls! The stone that sealed us therein is God’s own Word! And that which God shuts, no man can open; and what He opens, no man can shut! (Rev 3:7) Hear this: NO MAN CAN ESCAPE THE PRISON OF HIS CARNAL MIND! Each must be RELEASED by the Mercy of Jesus Christ!
                “Who is more deceitfully wicked than all else?” You are right if you reply, “The DEVIL!” Now hear this: “It is the (human) HEART that is deceitful ABOVE ALL THINGS! It is exceedingly perverse, corrupt, and severely, mortally sick! Who can know it (i.e., perceive, understand or be acquainted with his own heart and mind)?” (Jer 17:9 AV) “God has sealed (imprisoned, shut up) all men in UNBELIEF, so He could HAVE MERCY ON THEM ALL!” When Christ appeared in the flesh, He was tested by human pride and by all the “deceitful, desperately wicked” thoughts of the leonine fleshly mind, but His MIND OF ANOINTING cast off the stone of that sealed den to reveal not a devouring, roaring lion of destruction, but a triumphant roaring LION OF JUDAH (lit. “Praise”)! Only Resurrection Power could cast aside the Stone that sealed Christ in a tomb! NO ONE BUT GOD can look into and know our hearts (1 Sa 16:7); just as NO ONE BUT GOD CAN TAME MAN’S CARNAL TONGUE! (Jas 3:8) And Jesus Christ is God’s LION TAMER!

[TO BE CONTINUED]