12-01-2024 Hope in the Lion’s Den (Daniel 6:6-27)

Hope in the Lion’s Den Daniel 6:6-27 Jeremiah 36:31 I will punish him, his descendants, and his officers for their iniquity. I will bring on them, on the residents of Jerusalem, and on the people of Judah all the disaster, which I warned them about but they did not listen.’” Daniel 1:1-2 1 In the third year of the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and laid siege to it. 2 The Lord handed King Jehoiakim of Judah over to him, along with some of the vessels from the house of God. Nebuchadnezzar carried them to the land of Babylon, to the house of his god, and put the vessels in the treasury ofhis god. O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear. Daniel 5:30-31 30 That very night Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans was killed, 31 and Darius the Mede received the kingdom at the age of sixty-two. Daniel 6:1-10 Revelation 21:1-4 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 I also saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband. 3 Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away. Daniel 6:11-28 The Story of Daniel in the Lions' Den Helps Us See: • The powers of this world can and do come against the power of God. • Blamelessness (vs. 22) and trust (vs. 23) are the keys to successful survival in the face of questioning our deepest convictions. • The Law of God is the only immutable law. • This story is as much about the future (eschatological) as it is historical.  __________________ has been conspired against.  __________________ was found guilty when he did nothing wrong.  __________________ was given a death sentence.  __________________ was locked away, presumed dead, never to be heard from again. The sealed tomb was returned to, expecting death, and the unexpected was found–LIFE! We are people who live in the hope that the current reality doesn't define the future. The future of the Lions' Den is the hope of "O come, O come, Emmanuel..."