Sorry, I’m not very good with visions and things, so you’re on your own with Daniel. There are some really good commentaries that can help make sense of the names and prophecies and things.
I think our reading in 1 John 2:20-28 contains a very powerful idea. The author concludes his argument by saying, in verses 27 and 28, that because the Holy Spirit lives in believers they don’t need anyone to teach them what is true and what is false. The Spirit is the teacher, and He only teaches what is true. Does that strike you as a powerful idea? It does me… I mean, sometimes life is confusing and there seem to be lots of gray areas. How do we know what is right and what is wrong, when so often it seems impossible to tell the difference? If we are to believe this passage of 1 John, then we can know with certainty what is true and what is false; we don’t have to be confused anymore. Verse 24 reminds us that we must stay faithful in our fellowship with God the Father and Jesus the Son, and it is on that foundation that the Spirit in us is able to guide us into holy discernment.
Psalm 121 has been one of my favorites since college, when I learned a song with these words. You know it? It asks: When I encounter hard times, where do I go for help? Do I look to the mountains? Or to people or to technology (to make the psalm more modern)? I think there’s a rhetorical answer to the question, “does my help come from there?”– NO! Our help, our only true help, comes from God, the maker of heaven and earth. From the Matthew Henry commentary: “We must see all our help in God; from him we must expect it, in his own way and time. This psalm teaches us to comfort ourselves in the Lord, when difficulties and dangers are greatest”. I like the imagery of the poem– of a God who never sleeps, for He is always watching over His children; He shades us from the hot sun and protects us from all other dangers; He keeps us safe wherever we go, forever and ever.
What promises we read today! A God who never slumbers in His care for us, a Spirit who lives within us and guides into truth… and the Love of a perfect Father for His children (1 John 3:1). My prayer as we begin to celebrate the Christmas season is that you will be struck anew by the miracle of the gospel, and the awesome beauty of a triune God who created us and continues to sustain us. May He keep you safe and full of joy.
