As Did Daniel

Friday, April 26, 2013, 6:37 a.m. – the Lord Jesus woke me with the song “Nothing Can Separate Us” playing in my mind. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Daniel 6 in the NIV.

 

The Administrators

 

Darius was king. He appointed 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, and he appointed 3 administrators over the satraps. Daniel was one of the three administrators appointed by Darius. Because of Daniel’s exceptional qualities, the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. But this didn’t sit very well with the other administrators or with the satraps. They were jealous of him so they devised a plan to try to find grounds for charges against him, but their plan backfired for there were no grounds to accuse him. He was completely trustworthy. So, they had to come up with a Plan B.

 

In Plan B they went to the king and they talked him into issuing an edict and to enforcing “the decree that anyone who prays to any god or human being during the next thirty days, except to you, Your Majesty, shall be thrown into the lions’ den.” The decree, once in effect, could not be altered and it could not be repealed by law. So, the king listened to his advisers and he did what they recommended. Bad, bad decision!  

 

Now, I love this next part!!

 

“Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.” (Daniel 6:10 NIV)

 

Awesome! He did not bow to the gods of men! He did not back down in his faith. He didn’t cower in fear and deny his God out of fear for his life. He continued to do what was his practice to do every day, and he did so without fear of reprisal, because he put his trust in Almighty God! Amen!!

 

So, these evil conspirators went as a group and found Daniel doing what they knew, apparently, was his daily practice. They found him praying and asking God for help. So these sneaky fellas went to the king and told on Daniel. The king obviously admired and respected Daniel or he would not have been considering putting the whole land underneath his authority. So, it distressed him greatly that he had been talked into issuing such an edict and that he was thus bound by law to carry it out against Daniel. Yet, the king did everything he knew to do to try to save Daniel, but to no avail. The law must stand! The men even had the gall to go to the king to remind him that his edict could not be changed, as though he needed that reminder.

 

The Lion’s Den

 

So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”

 

A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might not be changed. Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep.

 

At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?”

 

Daniel answered, “May the king live forever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.”

 

The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. (Daniel 6:16-23 NIV)

 

Awesome! Don’t you just love it? God protected him from the lions’ mouths just like he protected Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace. In both cases they came out unharmed as a testimony to God’s saving grace and the importance of putting our trust in God.

 

Our Example(s)

 

So, should we take this story as a promise from God Almighty that if we put our faith and hope in Jesus Christ that no harm will ever come to us? NO! Why do I say that? Let me give you some examples from the New Testament with Jesus Christ being the prime example.

 

Jesus Christ, God the Son (sinless) was often criticized for His ministry. He was accused of being Satan and/or of Satan and of his demons, and He was thought crazy by His family members who were embarrassed for Him. Isaiah prophesied about Him that He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with suffering, like one from whom men hide their faces He was despised and rejected of men. His own disciples did not believe Him part of the time. His own brothers definitely didn’t believe Him and they mocked Him, and the religious leaders of His day (and of his religion/faith) were continually on His tail trying to trip Him up and to find some cause to accuse Him to the people. And they were all the time attacking Him for ministering to people’s needs on the Sabbath.

 

The religious leaders conspired against Him, one of His disciples betrayed Him into their hands, the other disciples and His closest companions all fled, deserted and abandoned Him, and one of them vehemently denied Him three times when asked if he was one of Jesus’ disciples. Jesus was arrested and falsely accused, although He had committed no wrong (no sin was found in Him). He was given a bogus trial. He was mocked, spat upon, ridiculed, beaten and then hung on a tree to die as though He was a common criminal. Those who had once waved palm branches and sang His praises were now shouting, “Crucify him!”

 

When He died He took upon himself the sins of the entire world. But praise God He did not remain dead. He rose from the dead triumphant over the grave, death, Satan and sin. Amen! He conquered sin so that we could be free from slavery to sin day-to-day, and so we could be free from the penalty of eternal damnation, and so we could be free to walk in freedom, fellowship, holiness, righteousness, faithfulness and obedience to our God. That is awesome! “Oh what fellowship; oh what joy divine, leaning on the everlasting arms” of Jesus!

 

Trust in God

 

Since that time, many of Jesus’ followers throughout history have had to endure similar suffering, persecution, and even death for their testimonies for Jesus Christ. Jesus promised us that we would be hated as He was hated, and that we would have to endure much of the same type of suffering He went through on our behalf, and because of His name, and because of our testimony for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Yet, there may be times when He may physically rescue us from situations and from harm, but we should not count on it or expect that to be the norm, especially if we are out sharing the true gospel every day. And we should know that if we are not rescued like Daniel was that it does not mean necessarily that we are not putting our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, though it could mean that at times.

 

Yet, even if He does not rescue us physically from harm or even emotionally from persecution and hatred against us, know that He is with us always if we are His true followers and disciples. He will never leave us or forsake us. And nothing can ever separate us from His love! We are conquerors through Him who loves us!! He will give us all we need to endure suffering, persecution, and attacks from the enemy; to combat fear, and to continue to stand strong in our faith, as did Daniel, even in the face of great opposition.

 

As Did Daniel

An Original Work / April 26, 2013

Reposted August 24, 2026, w/slight editing

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Nothing Can Separate Us  

 

Based off Romans 8:28-39

An Original Work / March 28, 2013

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Nothing can separate us

From Christ’s love now within us:

Not trouble, hardship, nor famine,

Nor danger, nor sword.

No, in all of these things

We are more than conquerors!

 

For your sake we face hardship.

We are sheep to be slaughtered.

I am convinced that death,

Nor life, nor anything else

Will separate us from

The love of God now in Christ.

 

What, then, shall we say to this?

God for us: who against us?

He who did not spare His Son

But gave Him for us all –

How will He not, with Him,

Graciously give us all things?

 

Who brings a charge against us?

God justifies His chosen.

Who is He that condemns?

Christ Jesus, died, rose again.

He’s at the right hand of God,

Interceding for us.

 

https://vimeo.com/117314000

Don't Mess With God

I am reading in Daniel 5, and Belshazzar, the son of Nebuchadnezzar, was now King. And he held a great feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he drank wine with them. And under the influence of the wine he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver vessels that his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem. Then the king, along with his nobles, his wives, and his concubines, drank the wine, and they praised their false gods.

 

Daniel 5:5-6 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

“5At that moment the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. As the king watched the hand that was writing, 6his face grew pale and his thoughts so alarmed him that his hips gave way and his knees knocked together.”

 

Then the king called for all the enchanters, etc., to read the inscription and to tell him its interpretation, but none of them were able to read it. And the king was terrified. But the queen let him know about Daniel. She encouraged him to summon Daniel, while assuring him that Daniel would give the king the interpretation of the writing. So Daniel was summoned, and he spoke frankly to the king, reminding him that his father had to acknowledge that the Most High God rules over the kingdom, choosing who should be king.

 

Daniel 5:22-31 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

“22But you his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this. 23Instead, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven. The vessels from His house were brought to you, and as you drank wine from them with your nobles, wives, and concubines, you praised your gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you have failed to glorify the God who holds in His hand your very breath and all your ways. 24Therefore He sent the hand that wrote the inscription.

 

25Now this is the inscription that was written:

MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN.

26And this is the interpretation of the message:

MENE means that God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.

27TEKEL means that you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient.

28PERES means that your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians.

29Then Belshazzar gave the command, and they clothed Daniel in purple, placed a gold chain around his neck, and proclaimed him the third highest ruler in the kingdom. 30That very night Belshazzar king of the Chaldeans was slain, 31and Darius the Mede received the kingdom at the age of sixty-two.”

 

Don’t Mess With God!

 

So, what can we learn from this? We can learn that God is God and that He will do what He said He would do, and we should not take Him and His words lightly. Now His judgments may not be all as immediate as this one was, or as dramatic and testimonial as this was, showing that God means business. But God does not lie. What He says He will do, He will do. And when He decides it is time to act, He surely will act. But He is also a God of grace and mercy, and He does give us humans time to repent and to obey Him, too.

 

But we should never take for granted the patience of the Lord. All who profess faith in Jesus Christ must be those who have denied self, died to sin, and who are now following our Lord in walks of obedience to His commands in holy living, in the power of God. And this is not saying that we will be absolutely perfect in every way, or that we will never sin again (1 John 2:1-2), but that sin must no longer be what we practice (our lifestyle), i.e. what we do habitually and continually, instead of obeying our Lord in practice.

 

Sadly, many who profess faith in Jesus Christ do not take God and His word seriously. Many of them are believing the lies rather than the truth of the Scriptures. They are embracing these diluted and altered false gospels created in the minds of humans, thinking that God will not judge them for their sins since they made a profession of Him as Savior. And so they keep on in their sins of rebellion, lying, cheating, stealing, committing adultery, sexual immorality, and the like, thinking God will do nothing against them.

 

But God is a God of His word. And His word teaches us that if sin is what we practice, and not obedience to our Lord’s commands (New Covenant) that we will not inherit eternal life with God. We will not be saved from our sins. For God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, is instructing us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives. For Jesus taught that to come after Him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin) and follow Him in obedience to His ways.

 

Don’t Mess With God

An Original Work / August 24, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

HOW GREAT THOU ART

 

By Carl G. Boberg and R.J. Hughes

 

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,

Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;

I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,

Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

 

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,

And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.

When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur

And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

 

And when I think that God, His Son not sparing;

Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;

That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,

He bled and died to take away my sin.

 

When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,

And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.

Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,

And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"

 

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art, How great Thou art.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

 

https://youtu.be/aYTKYpnRnAQ?si=YOqGad7s_o7KTBzH

 

Caution: This link may contain ads

You're Always Near

Based off Psalm 138

With all of my heart, I praise You.

Before other gods, I sing Your praise. 

To You, I bow down in worship.

Your unfailing love leads me always.

When I called to You, You listened.

Your answer to me strengthened my heart.

Your kindness to me assures me,

Of Your love for me right from the start.

May everyone sing of Jesus.

He pardoned our sins; gave us new life.

In trouble, I walk. You’re near me.

Though enemies roar, You keep my life.

You stretched out Your hand to save me.

For my foes assail what they won’t hear.

Your love so endures forever.

From us, not depart. You’re always near.

An Original Work / April 5, 2018

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Break Away From Your Sins

Today I am reading in Daniel 4. I will quote some and summarize some of this due to its length. And now King Nebuchadnezzar had another dream, and he told the dream to Daniel and Daniel prayed to God in order to interpret the dream. And this was what was shown to Daniel by God:

 

“20The tree you saw that grew large and strong, whose top reached the sky and was visible to all the earth, 21whose foliage was beautiful and whose fruit was abundant, providing food for all, under which the beasts of the field lived, and in whose branches the birds of the air nested— 22you, O king, are that tree! For you have become great and strong; your greatness has grown to reach the sky, and your dominion extends to the ends of the earth.

 

23And you, O king, saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying:

‘Cut down the tree and destroy it,

but leave the stump with its roots in the ground,

with a band of iron and bronze around it,

in the tender grass of the field.

Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven,

and graze with the beasts of the field

till seven times pass him by.’

 

24This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree that the Most High has issued against my lord the king: 25You will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling will be with the beasts of the field. You will feed on grass like an ox and be drenched with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass you by, until you acknowledge that the Most High rules over the kingdom of mankind and gives it to whom He wishes.

 

26As for the command to leave the stump of the tree with its roots, your kingdom will be restored to you as soon as you acknowledge that Heaven rules. 27Therefore, may my advice be pleasing to you, O king. Break away from your sins by doing what is right, and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed. Perhaps there will be an extension of your prosperity.” (Daniel 4:20-27 BSB Berean Standard Bible)

 

A whole year passed and then the dream was realized. King Nebuchadnezzar was driven away from mankind. He ate grass like an ox, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird. But eventually he looked up to heaven. Then his sanity was restored to him, and he then praised the Most High God, and he honored and glorified our Lord God. The king said:

 

“34For His dominion is an everlasting dominion,

and His kingdom endures from generation to generation.

35All the peoples of the earth

are counted as nothing,

and He does as He pleases

with the army of heaven

and the peoples of the earth.

There is no one who can restrain His hand

or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’”

 

“37Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, for all His works are true and all His ways are just. And He is able to humble those who walk in pride.” (Daniel 4:34-35,37 BSB Berean Standard Bible)

 

The key message in all of this is that, if you are now where the king was, living according to the flesh, and not according to the commands of our Lord, still doing what your flesh dictates, and not what God commands of those who profess to know Him and to be His servants, then break away from your sins by doing what is right, and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed. For God is able to humble those who walk in pride. So, repent of your sins today, and now obey God and His commands by faith in Jesus Christ, in the power of God, all by the mercies and grace of God.

 

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

 

Break Away From Your Sins

An Original Work / August 24, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Seek the Lord 

 

Based off Isaiah 55

An Original Work / July 20, 2012

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Musical Instrumentation by Mark Bradley

 

“Come to Me all you who thirst; come to waters.

Listen to Me, and eat what’s good today,

And your soul will delight in richest of fare.

Give ear to Me, and you will live.

I have made an eternal covenant with you.

Wash in the blood of the Lamb.”

 

Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him.

Let the wicked forsake his way, in truth.

Let him turn to the Lord, and he will receive mercy.

Freely, God pardons him.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways,”

declares the Lord, our God.

 

“My word that goes out of My mouth is truthful.

It will not return to Me unfulfilled.

My word will accomplish all that I desire,

And achieve the goal I intend.

You will go in joy and be led forth in peace.

The mountains will burst into song… before you,

And all of the trees clap their hands.”

 

https://vimeo.com/379408296

The Kings' Golden Statues

Daniel 3:1-3 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

1King Nebuchadnezzar made a golden statue sixty cubits high and six cubits wide, and he set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 2Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent word to assemble the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the other officials of the provinces to attend the dedication of the statue he had set up. 3So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the rulers of the provinces assembled for the dedication of the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and they stood before it.

 

Parallels to Our World Today

 

Now I am going to stop here and I am going to share what immediately came to my mind as I read this. I live in the USA. Our current president is Donald Trump, a very proud and arrogant man who boasts about himself. So our “king” had erected a golden statue of himself on April 28, 2026, which was followed by a formal religious dedication ceremony on May 6, 2026. The statue is 15 feet high, but on its pedestal it is 22 feet high. It depicts Trump with a raised fist, referencing the July 2024 photograph taken immediately following an assassination attempt. The statue is called “Don Colossus”.

 

King Nebuchadnezzar’s statue was also golden and it was sixty cubits high. And a cubit is equal to about 1.5 feet, so his statue was about 90 ft high, nearly or actually 4 times the height of Trump’s statue of 22 feet high. And that immediately took me back to Daniel, chapter 2, where it spoke of 4 kingdoms of the earth, the 4^th being the last one. So this would have to be the kingdom spoken of in the book of Revelation, especially as is described for us in chapter 13. This is the kingdom under the rule of “the beast,” and I believe that is where we are now headed, soon to be realized in its entirety.

 

“40 Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom as strong as iron; for iron shatters and crushes all things, and like iron that crushes all things, it will shatter and crush all the others. 41And just as you saw that the feet and toes were made partly of fired clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom, yet some of the strength of iron will be in it—just as you saw the iron mixed with clay. 42And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. 43As you saw the iron mixed with clay, so the peoples will mix with one another but will not hold together any more than iron mixes with clay.” (Daniel 2:40-43 BSB)

 

Comparing This to Revelation 13

 

Daniel 2:4-6 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

4Then the herald loudly proclaimed, “O people of every nation and language, this is what you are commanded: 5As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6And whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into the blazing fiery furnace.”

 

Revelation 13:7-8,11-12,15 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

“7Then the beast was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation. 8And all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain.” “11Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. This beast had two horns like a lamb, but spoke like a dragon. 12And this beast exercised all the authority of the first beast and caused the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose mortal wound had been healed.” “15The second beast was permitted to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship it to be killed.”

 

We know that much of what is contained within the book of Daniel is prophetic and it is in regard to these last days, the days of the 4^th kingdom of the rule of the beast. And the beast is rising, and he is (or they are) conquering nation after nation to bring all under this one world order of the beast. And the US government serves this beast (as the harlot) in taking down one nation at a time, which has been happening for a long while now, and which is still happening. And the de facto government of the USA is not who we see, but it is a group of the elite and powerful who rule the world.

 

So, basically, what we read about here in Daniel 2-3 (and probably more) parallels to what is happening now in our world. And we can see the signs of it if we pay attention to what is actually taking place and if we do not have our minds blinded by loyalties to any particular politician or political party. And, in reality, the two-party system in the USA is a farce. They are just two sides of the same whole working for the same people while putting on a performance that they are against one another, which is to get the people of this nation fighting against one another over something that doesn’t exist.

 

So, our trust is to be in the Lord Jesus Christ, and He is to be the only one to whom we bow and give our worship (loyalty, devotion, submission) to. And we need to be people of discernment who can see the signs of the times in which we live, and who will not get caught up in the worship of other humans or kings, or any kingdoms of this earth. We must not look to any humans to be our “saviors,” but God – Father, Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit – is the only one we are to look to in order to save us from the evils of this world. So, obey the Lord, die to sin, and live holy lives pleasing to God.

 

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

 

The Kings’ Golden Statues

An Original Work / August 23, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

For Our Nation 

 

An Original Work / September 11, 2012

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Recording Via Gerry Peters, music producer and arranger

 

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Trust Him with your life today.

Make Him your Lord and your Savior.

Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.

He will forgive you of your sin;

Cleanse your heart, made new within.

 

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.

On our knees to God we’re praying,

Seeking God to give us answers

That are only found in Him.

God is sovereign over all things.

Nothing from His mind escaping.

He has all things under His command,

And will work all for good.

 

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

 

Men deceiving: We’re believing

In our Lord, and interceding

For our nation and its people

To obey their God today.

He is our hope for our future.

For our wounds He offers suture.

He is all we need for this life.

Trust Him with your life today.

 

https://vimeo.com/379406352

The Kingdom That Will Never Be Destroyed

I am beginning to read the book of Daniel from the Old Testament. I will summarize some and quote some of it. Now Daniel and his three friends Hananiah (Shadrach), Mishael (Meshach), and Azariah (Abednego), all of whom were Israelites, were, by the order of King Nebuchadnezzar, called to serve in the king’s palace. And they were given food and drink which Daniel and his friends refused, for they would not defile themselves. But after ten days of eating only vegetables and drinking only water, they looked healthier and better nourished than all those who were eating the king’s food.

 

Daniel 1:17-21 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

“17To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding in every kind of literature and wisdom. And Daniel had insight into all kinds of visions and dreams. 18Now at the end of the time specified by the king, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. 19And the king spoke with them, and among all the young men he found no one equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they entered the king’s service. 20In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom. 21And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.”

 

Here I am reading in Daniel 2:1-45, summarizing and quoting some:

 

Now King Nebuchadnezzar had dreams which troubled his spirit, so he ordered the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers to explain to him his dreams. But they were unable to interpret his dreams, so the king ordered that all the wise men (including Daniel and his three friends) were to be executed. So Daniel asked the king for more time so that he could give him the interpretation. And during the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision, and he blessed the God of heaven and declared:

 

“20Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,

for wisdom and power belong to Him.

21He changes the times and seasons;

He removes kings and establishes them.

He gives wisdom to the wise

and knowledge to the discerning.

22He reveals the deep and hidden things;

He knows what lies in darkness,

and light dwells with Him.

23To You, O God of my fathers,

I give thanks and praise,

because You have given me

wisdom and power.

And now You have made known to me

what we have requested,

for You have made known to us

the dream of the king.” (Daniel 2:20-23 BSB)

 

Daniel shared with the king the interpretation of his dream given to him by God, which he acknowledged to the king that it came from God. And now I will admit here that I am not one of these people who understands all these things, even though I have read these Scriptures many times. But the dream had to do with the kingdoms that were to come upon the earth. But then the God of heaven would (and now has) set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed. And it will shatter all those other kingdoms and will bring them to an end, but it will itself stand forever. And that is the kingdom of God/Christ.

 

The Takeaway From This

 

All earthly kingdoms will eventually pass away, but only the kingdom of God, of Christ Jesus our Lord, will remain and last forever. So, what can we take away from all of this? Well, for one we are to obey God and not man if man requires that we do something which is contrary to the will of God. No matter what it costs us, even if it costs us our lives, we are to stand on the Word of God, and obey our Lord and His teachings, doing the things He requires of us. And we are to leave the results in His hands. For He is God, and He has all things planned out for our lives, so we put our trust in Him.

 

With regard to dreams and visions, they have not gone away as some people would have you believe. In the New Testament we read that God spoke to His servants in dreams and visions, and Peter quoted the prophet Joel in letting the people know that in the last days God will pour out His spirit, and His sons and daughters will prophesy (proclaim the words of God, preach), and they will dream dreams and see visions. And we are still living in the last days. But all dreams and visions must be tested against the teachings of the Scriptures to make certain they are from God and not of human flesh.

 

But going back to the kingdoms of men versus the kingdom of God, please do not put your trust in other humans to “save” you from what ails this world. No politician, no matter who they are, is going to save our nations from what ails them. For they are but flesh, and so many of them truly are not of God, even if they profess to be. But so many of them are of Satan, serving the devil and his purposes, and if truth be told they are working against us, and not for us. In the USA, where I live, our entire government is not who they claim to be, but they serve the New World Order “beast”.

 

The Kingdom of Christ

 

So, what does the kingdom of God/of Christ look like? Well, it is not an earthly kingdom of human flesh, but it is a godly kingdom of the Spirit of God and not of man. And we dwell in that kingdom in our spirits and not with our physical bodies, although we still live in these bodies, and these bodies are to be surrendered to God to do His will. And we dwell in the kingdom of Christ via biblical faith in Jesus Christ which requires that we deny self, die to sin (repent of our sins) and follow our Lord in obedience and in surrender to His will and purpose for our lives, in the power of God.

 

For God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age. For Christ “gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works.” “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (See Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:8-10)

 

And we learn in 1 John 1-3 that if we claim that we have fellowship with God, but yet we walk in darkness (sin), we are liars. If we claim that we know God, but we do not obey His commandments, in practice, we are liars. For it is not the one who claims He is “in Christ” who is “in Christ,” but it is the one who has denied self, died with Christ to sin, and who is now walking in obedience to our Lord and to His commands, in practice, and no longer in sin. We have the hope and the promise of eternal life with God in heaven.

 

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

 

The Kingdom That Will Never Be Destroyed

An Original Work / August 23, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

The Kingdoms of Earth Pass Away

 

Lyrics by Henry R. Trickett, 1887

Music by James H. Fillmore, 1887

 

The kingdoms of earth pass away one by one,

But the kingdom of heaven remains;

It is built on a rock and the Lord is its King,

And forever and ever He reigns.

 

The tempest may rage and its anger acclaim,

Yea, the wind and the torrents may roar,

And the strong gates of hell may assail it in vain,

Still the kingdom shall stand ever more.

 

The kingdom of God is now open to all,

E’en the vilest may now enter in;

There’s a welcome for all who will turn to the Lord,

Full salvation and pardon for sin.

 

It shall stand, It shall stand,

Forever and ever and ever,

It shall stand, It shall stand,

Forever and ever. Amen and Amen.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCAO2TpbeY0

 

Caution: This link my contain ads

Forgiveness and Renewal

Jeremiah 50:17 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

“17Israel is a scattered flock,

chased away by lions.

The first to devour him

was the king of Assyria;

the last to crush his bones

was Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.”

 

Biblical Israel Today

 

Who is Biblical Israel today? We are both Jew and Gentile by biblical faith in Jesus Christ, in death to sin and in walks of obedience to God, in the power of God, as led by the Spirit of God in holy and righteous living. We are all whose lives are surrendered to the Lord Jesus Christ, to doing His will and purpose for our lives. But this does not mean that we will never sin (1 John 2:1-2), but it does mean that sin against God should no longer be what we practice. For obedience to our Lord should now be what we live by.

 

It is possible, though, for a true follower of Christ, at some point in their lives, under certain circumstances, to be led astray from their pure devotion to the Lord and to fall back into sin and to need to repent and to return to the Lord in surrender to His will, in obedience to His commands. And it is happening today that many who profess faith in Jesus Christ are being led astray by “lions,” i.e. by people who, by their lies, devour other people by chasing them away from pure devotion to God to let them keep sinning.

 

Israel Today: [Matthew 21:43; John 8:18-19,38-47; John 10:16; Romans 2:28-29; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 9:4-8,25-28; Romans 11:1-36; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Galatians 3:16,26-29; Galatians 4:22-31; Ephesians 2:11-22; Ephesians 3:1-6; Colossians 3:12-15; Titus 2:14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-16; Hebrews 8:6-13; 1 Peter 2:9-10,24; 1 John 2:22; Jude 1:5; Revelation 2:9; Revelation 3:9; see also Genesis 17:7-9; Genesis 18:19]

 

Jeremiah 50:18-19 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

18Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says:

“I will punish the king of Babylon and his land

as I punished the king of Assyria.

19I will return Israel to his pasture,

and he will graze on Carmel and Bashan;

his soul will be satisfied

on the hills of Ephraim and Gilead.”

 

Being Led Into Sin

 

The New Testament Scriptures speak harshly against those who willfully and deliberately lead God’s people, His true sheep, astray. They are guilty before the eyes of God of sin just as much or more than the ones who are being led into sin. And in today’s world, here in the USA where I live, this is exactly what so many “shepherds” of the sheep are doing. For we have many pastors teaching lies to the people, telling them that God does not require of them that they die to sin and obey God and His commands, but He Does!

 

Those who lead others to sin: [Matthew 18:6-9; Mark 9:42-48; Luke 17:1-2]

 

But now this is never to be used as an excuse for sinning against God. No matter what others have done to us or said to us or put pressure on us about in order to get us to fail God and to sin against Him, we are all still responsible before God for our own actions. We are still guilty of sinning against God if we yield to the pressure to disobey God. And so all who have committed sin against the Lord must repent of their sins, and they must now walk in obedience to our Lord and to His commands, as servants of God.

 

Jeremiah 50:20 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

“20In those days and at that time,

declares the LORD,

a search will be made for Israel’s guilt,

but there will be none,

and for Judah’s sins,

but they will not be found;

for I will forgive

the remnant I preserve.”

 

Biblical Salvation from Sin

 

When Jesus Christ died on that cross it was to put our sins to death with Him, and He rose victorious over death, sin, Satan, and hell on our behalf so that, by faith in Him, we will all deny self, die to sin daily, and walk (in conduct) in obedience to our Lord and to His commands as a matter of life practice, because we love God, and we want to serve Him with our lives. We will then be forgiven of our sins, and we will have the hope of eternal life with God, but provided that we continue in walks of obedience to our Lord.

 

For Jesus Christ taught that to come to Him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) Him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to His commands, in His power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls Him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

 

For by God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, which is not of our own doing, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in Him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to righteousness in walks of obedience to God’s commands. We are no longer to permit sin to reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires. For if sin is what we obey, it results in death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it results in sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God (see Romans 6:1-23).

 

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

 

Forgiveness and Renewal

An Original Work / August 22, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

The Ransom

 

An Original Work / September 8, 2011

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Jesus paid the ransom so we’d be forgiven;

Purified from our sin so we’d be set free.

Crucified on a tree; took on Him our sin.

Buried our sin with Him; rose in victory.

Jesus calls us to Him; asks that we flee from sin;

Obey His commandments; live eternally.

 

God our Father loves us, which is why He gave us

His Son to die for us on a cruel tree.

God created us to walk in fellowship

With Him daily trusting in His righteousness.

He has a plan for us to abide in His grace;

Be transformed in our hearts; live for Him always.

 

Won’t you trust in Jesus? Be your Lord and Master?

He wants to forgive you, give you victory.

Over sin and yourself, Jesus set you free.

Daily walking with Him, live victoriously.

Invite Him in your heart. He’ll give you a new start.

Your old life behind you, a new creature be.

 

https://vimeo.com/125864288