Series: Resilience  
Message: Patience  
Preacher: Japhet De Oliveira

Refresh: Open with prayer. Read or listen to Psalm 13.

Read: Daniel 7 & 8 - As you read in the ESV translation, note 1-3 insights/questions that arise. 

Reflect: According to Zdravko Stefanovic, in his commentary, Daniel Wisdom to the Wise, p.235, there are three main types of prophecy: (1) Local or immediate; (2) end-time (eschatological) that can be either national or universal; and (3) apocalyptic or cosmic. We are able to experience all three types in the book of Daniel. The key to breaking prophecy down is making sure you never forget the context it was first written in. It is one of the reasons why I opted for the chronological approach to the book. This means we are in chapters 7 and 8 for this week and will return to chapters 5 and 6 next week. While the story context is critical so are the cross-references to the other prophets, like Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Isaiah, etc. Embracing context is also essential to the historicist’s approach to prophecy. Essentially there are three methods that scholars have used to interpret prophecy: preterist, historicist, and futurist. The preterists believe that while the stories may have been written approximately 600 BC, the prophecies were written 200 BC, thus were applicable in the past. The futurists believe that the prophecies are real, but will only be fulfilled before the second coming of Christ. Seventh-day Adventists have followed the historicist’s approach, as we value the entire Bible’s combined message. This means that some elements are from Daniel’s time and some will take us from Daniel until Jesus’ second coming. Ultimately, the message of all prophecies point to the Gospel and it is fulfilled with the world renewed and restored, with creation living in full harmony with God. 

Recalibrate: 

1. When has learning about the context of a situation changed a decision you made?
2. When kids arrive at school, teachers have no idea if they had breakfast, if they fought with their siblings or parents, of if they had a great morning - how can you be more open to support not knowing?
3. What do you think visually Jesus’ second coming will look like?

Respond: Pray for understanding.

Research: Explore and study further the historicists approach to understanding prophecy.