Daniel 6:9-10 (NIV 8-9)

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Do you know how to detect deceit and avoid it? Observe how was it that Darius the Mede was deceived: 

Daniel 6:9-10 (NIV 8-9)

"Now, Your Majesty, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered - in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed". So King Darius put the decree in writing"


When you compare these verses in the New International Version with the original Aramaic you can see a very good translation to English. The phrase "put the decree in writing" is from the idiomatic point of view a right one because "reshá" from Aramaic - "rashá" in Hebrew - is both write or sign. But must of the translations render it "to sign", meaning that they came to the king with the document ready and he only needed to sign it. 

If you read the previous message you have seen that we pointed the attitude of the deceivers, who came with a plan that included the "solution to a serious matter of the state" and flattered the king, appealing to his vanity. Now we see how the manipulation is completed. They didn't come to the king with a suggestion, but with a demand. The idea was that the king would accept and sign it directly - as he did. All the time we read that they allude to the "law of the Medes and Persians", because being Darius a vassal king of Cyrus of Persia, they could have him accused before his superior of violating the laws - we'll see that they pressed him when he tried to save Daniel. 

How did those deceivers succeeded in manipulating the king?

In the previous message who showed several examples of manipulation. Satan manipulated Eve and Our Lord Jesus - but the Lord defeated him all the time. The evil one has also manipulated Israel and the church - and is very active manipulating the international opinion about the Jewish State, and manipulating the doctrine of the church, because he wants to destroy both. In every manipulation there are several features that are evident, and we talked about three of them: lie, snare and confusion. The manipulative ones lie to their victim, they prepare a snare to cause him to do something against his will and they keep him in confusion so that the real motive remain unknown. 

Why could they manipulate the king? 

There is an obvious truth that we forget sometimes: you can only deceive someone who doesn't know the truth. When you know the truth, any information confirms it (and is also true) or denies it (then it is false) But to escape the snare or to see the confusion is a little bit more difficult. In that case is necessary a special anointing of the Holy Spirit called REVELATION. 

Let's compare the deceived king with Our Lord, who were not, in the following three aspects: 

1) King Darius didn't question the issue. He trusted the liars. In the same way that Eve trusted the snake, the antisemites believe the Palestinian "authority" and many sinners believe "Christian" preachers who twist the Scripture, the king ignored the truth. When we believe in lies then we are serving Satan and become his slaves. That's why Our Lord said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:31-32) 

2) King Darius didn't get information about the matter they presented to him. This aspect and the next show us that he treated the matter in a rather neglecting way - which we can understand because the "solution" was prepared and because they appealed to his proud and vanity, making him to have the same authority than a god. A simple question could have disarmed the liars: "Why must I sign this?" But he didn't seek information and remained in ignorance. That's why they could deceive him. 

The word of God shows us a special attitude about being willing to learn, in the Jews of Berea. Many of them believed the preaching of the apostle Paul and became Christians. The word says, "Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true" (Acts 17:11) The Word describe them as "of noble character". Noble comes from Greek "eugenés" which includes both to have a noble birth or to behave in a noble way - as in English. 

Everybody who has been deceived about the events taking place in Israel should be free from error in a very easy way: seeking the truth, knowing the real facts of what's happening there. Certainly, not giving ear to the biased media which presents the "evil Jews" as tormenters of the "poor Palestinians".  

Of course, the antisemites will not receive the truth; they don't want to. But the truth is that with the exception of Egypt and Jordan, the rest of the Muslim world - it means circa a BILLION persons on this planet - doesn't recognise the right of the Jews to their land and doesn't recognise the State of Israel as a member of UN. Many among this billion people are funding or belong themselves to terrorist groups which goal is to erase Israel, and their means, to kill or to terrorize Jews. The fact that the Palestinian Arabs have been living as refugees for three generations is a proof of this inhuman and fanatical hatred; these "brethren" - who are denied citizenship and human rights since 1948 - are presented as a proof of the "results of creating a Jewish State". But their condition has never been Israel's responsability but theirs. They didn't accept the partition of the British Mandate of Palestine. There is a huge responsability also in the Arab neighbouring countries which attacked Israel to erase it. Of course, people under antisemitic influence - Jews haters - are under the influence of an unclean spirit, they are Satan's children and they need to be delivered, so that they can receive the truth. 

In the same way, those who are being deceived by false workers of Christ in order to live in sin, can be enlightened seeking in the Word of God - as those Jews of Berea did. Of course, they should need the "noble spirit" of those Jews. It seems to be easier to receive the lies of those "preachers" which affirm that it is "biblical" to live in sin, than to seek in the Word of God the real will of God. But this position implies to live in sin, and the result is eternal death. Christ came to set us free from our sins, because sin should pull us to hell. 

3) The king didn't consider the consequences of his act. The edict he signed implied to condemn to death every person who should practice any religion. Common sense only should have shown him that for some people religion is a less important thing and for others is a question of life and death, as it was for Daniel and his Jewish friends. Jews went to death in the days of Antiochus IV Epiphanes because they chose to die before breaking the law of God. Real believers can't be separated from God, not even for a month, as the Romans also could verify with the Christians which under death menace, went to terrible death before denying Jesus - this history is happening again in the Middle East with the savage persecution of Muslim terrorists against Christians and other religious people. The same reason that showed the king that Daniel was worthy to be chief over the other governors, should have been a proof that he wouldn't leave his God because of a royal decree. 

The whole history of Daniel 6 shows us that there is a great difference between human and spiritual authority. Darius was appointed by Cyrus of Persia as king of Babylonia. But he was manipulated by those under his command. Our Lord Jesus was the son of a carpenter, who became a wandering prophet, and under His whole life He had no earthly authority at all. He was rather abhorred, envied and persecuted by earhly authorities in his time. But His answers and acts show us that He had perfect authority in the spiritual realm. Let's observe the differences: 

1) Jesus questioned Satan's lies. The evil one manipulated the Scriptures and offered the Lord kind of favors so that He would obey him and not God the Father. But Our Lord answered with the adequate Scriptures. 

2) Jesus knew the Scriptures perfectly. He was totally informed about the truth. 

Most of the Lord's teaching was in form of parables, words of wisdom and prophecies. But an appreciable part of it is quoted from the Old Testament. The Lord knew and cited the Scriptures, not only as the Pharisees or the teachers of the law did, but applying them in its proper context and interpreting them properly. He was unjustly accused of many things, but never of using the Scriptures in a twisted or wrong way, because He never did such a thing. 

3) Jesus saw the spirits behind the manipulation. In the previous message we cited two examples of manipulative people who came to Him to cause Him to fall - the story of the woman who was found in adultery, and the question about paying taxes to Rome. In both cases, the manipulative ones came to Him disguised as good believers seeking His counsel. But the Lord SAW the real reason of the questions, the spirit which was operating through them. Instead of answering "yes" or "no", He answered with words of wisdom that not only showed that those questions were totally out of place, but revealed a deeper knowledge of God's heart. 

If you have been living until now without Jesus, under the deception that there's no problem with that, let me tell you that this is an error which can lead you to eternal death. God is good, and He wants all people to be saved. But He is also just. God doesn't save the ones who don't want to be saved. There are many people seeking a relationship with God through the virgin Mary or saint Juliana of Nicomedia, through Confucius or Mohammed, through Budha or Krishna. But Jesus said clearly, "I am the way, and the life, and the truth; nobody comes to the Father but by me" (John 14:6) The life of God is in Jesus Christ, the truth of God is Jesus Christ, to walk in the right way is to walk as Jesus Christ walked. If you seek a relationship with the God of Israel, the creator of heavens and earth, it begins with receiving Israel's Messiah, the Son of God, who died on a cross because of our sins and who lived on earth as the perfect model of God among us. There are no saints, prophets of philosophers who can renovate the bridge between God and mankind, only Jesus. There's nobody who can set us free from sins, only Jesus. There's nobody who can be called "God among us", only Jesus. And there is nobody who can give us the Spirit of God, only Jesus. 

Receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior! He promised the Holy Spirit to those who receive Him. The Holy Spirit is the revealer of truth, the revealer of the spirits behind the actions and words of men, the Spirit who gives us the life of God. 

In the love of Christ, your brother

Israel Leonard

PS. Jesus is coming soon!

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