Thursday: A Victorious Prince
The most prominent character in the book of Daniel is the figure initially called “Son of Man” (Dan. 7:13, NKJV) or “Prince of the host” (Dan. 8:11, NKJV). Eventually we learn that his name is Michael (Dan. 10:12), which means “Who is like God?” He comes to help Gabriel in the conflict with the king of Persia (Dan. 10:13). The angel refers to this heavenly being as “Michael your prince” (Dan. 10:21), namely, the prince of God’s people.
Image © Pacific Press collection at GoodSalt.com
Michael appears later in the book of Daniel as the One who stands for God’s people (Dan. 12:1). From Jude 9, we learn that Michael, also called an archangel, fights against Satan and resurrects Moses. Revelation 12:7 reveals that Michael stands as the leader of the heavenly army, which defeats Satan and his fallen angels. Thus Michael is none other than Jesus Christ. As the Persian Empire has a supreme commander, a spiritual force who stands behind its human leader, so God’s people have in Michael their Commander-in Chief, who steps in to fight and win the cosmic war on their behalf.
Read Colossians 2:15. How has Jesus accomplished victory in the cosmic conflict?
As we face the forces of evil, we can have faith in Jesus our champion. He defeats Satan in the beginning of His public ministry. During His earthly life, He defeats Satan in the desert when assaulted with temptations, He fights demonic hordes, and He sets people free from the power of darkness. Jesus defeats evil even when it is disguised behind Peter’s attempt to dissuade Him from moving towards Calvary. In His final words to the disciples, Jesus speaks of His impending death as a battle, which will culminate in a decisive victory over Satan: “Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself” (John 12:31-32, NKJV).
Sometimes we look around, and things look really bad. Violence, immorality, corruption, and diseases crop up everywhere. An enemy, not made of flesh and blood, brutally attacks us from all sides. But no matter how difficult the battles we have to fight, Jesus fights for us and stands as our Prince and High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary.
Read Romans 8:37-39. How can we make the promise of being a conqueror a real experience in our own Christian lives?
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God is our creator and everything in the world or in heaven is under Him
Hi Brethren and Sisters
I have been so busy researching and preparing to present the lesson in one of our local radios recently
I have read all your comments from Saturday until now and to tell the truth you are all good teachers, may GOD bless you all.
The majority of my listeners are non Adventist. please pray for me that the Lord may use me to reach them.
God bless you.
Cyrus Mwangi.
Dear Cyrus, I thank God for your commitment to make Him and His will known to all through the media/radio and pray that He gives you light protection and strength in this noble work you choose do to His glory.
Which radio station is this please ?
Jesus has already defeated the world by His own sacrifice for it at the cross. He loved us so much that gave His life for us. This is a fact. Now, are we willing to let Jesus to defeat whatever is bad in us too? He can only do that if we allow Him to. He made a choice once, a choice to die for us, now the choice we have to do is so much simple, to accept His sacrifice! Is it worth to gain the whole world but lose the fight against ego? The fiercest battle may rely within ourselves.
I am so glad that Jesus has the victory, that He is the one who draws all men to Him. I am so glad that salvation does not depend on me, but on One so much greater than me. Words cannot even express the peace and serenity this brings to my heart, even in the midst of disease and the ominous signs for the future. To know that He is in control and that I can rely on Him to help me fight my battles brings a "Peace that passes all understanding" Philippians 4:7. To have a High Priest advocating for me, who understands what I am going through is a gift beyond anything I could ask or imagine. I am so grateful that God brought my family to the faith when I was a child and that my knowledge and understanding of who He is has grown through the years. That I could have the opportunity to know the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, what a privilege. What grace.
This lesson helped me see some things. What was Christ victorious over? Satan’s desire was to be above the throne of God. Jesus was willing to become a human to show us Gods love. Satan’s lies began with selfishness and pride. Jesus lived a completely selfless life. Satan led the angels to believe that God was not really fair, that they really didn’t have a choice but had to obey Gods law. Jesus gave man free will, a choice of who to follow, even to the point of letting his created beings kill him, rather than take away our choice. In the end, he conquered death, giving us eternal life, but we have to choose it. Our life, with a close connection with God, will show that there is power over selfishness. We can prove Satan wrong when he claimed Gods law could not be kept. That, to me, is the real victory.
Holy Spirit, control my life because I I don’t know how to control it.
A victorious Christ. Christ was victorious in heaven with Lucifer. In the Garden of Eden. With the children of Israel moving through the wilderness, Both in the OT and NT.
Every human being is assigned an angel to be with us and to help us on our Christian pathway until we die or see Christ face to face. Because of this, evil angels also speaks to us to discourage us along this pathway. They do bad things but they can’t unless allow by God. I don’t understand the big picture but was told to be faithful.
Satan and his angels is working in several different ways without people even knowing and understanding.
Eg. I met a man and wife who are Atheists, he was proud to say so, wife said she is on the fence. She said he will never change. I told them about Paul in the Bible. They don’t want to hear the name of God mentioned like if he is their worst enemy. There are other religions that do not need God, Satan and his angels have blinded their eyes.
Amen! The prince of Israel = Michael defeated (and continues to defeat) the prince of Persia and all the subsequent earthly princes (manifestation of Satan at different times) to ensure that Michael had the influence over Persian kings to give favourable decrees for the nation of Israel to be restored so that God's "TIMES" might continue according to the God's calendar. (Dan 2:21).
Romans 5:11 and Hebrews 10:19, 20 are very clear statements of the Holy Scriptures that Jesus fulfilled all that was required of Him for our salvation as per The Day of Atonement symbolism at Calvary and then went to Heaven itself at His Ascension to start His Heavenly Priestly intercession for His people then. So while I do accept that 1844 has prophetic significance it does not have it for the symbolism of The Heavenly Sanctuary at all.
Personally, I see no purpose for "a two compartment structure" somewhere in the universe for Jesus to continue a ministry like the Old Testament Sanctuary Services by how the Old Testament "High Priests" used to do. In the book of Hebrews it is very clear that "Heaven Itself" is the Holy of Holies symbolized by the last compartment here on earth utilized once a year by "the high priest" on the "Day of Atonement."
Pete there are a lot of things God does that we see no purpose for, which is why Proverbs 3:5 says not to lean on our own understanding.
The context of Hebrews 8 and 9 carefully describe the details of the compartments in heaven, so in Hebrews 9:24 it’s clear Jesus did not enter a handmade sanctuary but the one in heaven.