Frangena

Q 3. This truth is most precious to God's people during their persecutions, oppressive regimes and when they are tortured by worldly rulers because they give them hope and encourage them to stay rooted in their believe in God's power and authority. I expect the ultimate fulfilment to be when our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ comes again as the righteous judge.

Q 2. (Daniel 7: 13-14) How do these verses describe "one like a son of man"? These verses describe "one like a son of man" as the divine one who has all the authority, glory, power and dominion over all creation. What makes us think he is a divine figure? We think he is a divine figure because: Jesus himself confirmed that he was the "Son of "an" during his trial (Matthew 26:64). "Coming with the clouds of heaven" is an earmark of divinity - it is a prerogative of God alone. What authority and glory does he receive? He receives all authority in heaven and on earth. He gets all the sovereign power and glory. He will destroy and crush all earthly kingdoms and reign forever. Why do you think Jesus called himself "the Son of Man"? Jesus called himself the "Son of Man" because he was indeed a human being brought to earth by the virgin Mary and yet divine because He is the Incarnate God. By calling himself the son of man he did not provoke his enemies before he could finish his ministry on earth. There was no blasphemy, religious or political baggage in that expression. It was an accurate and yet ambiguous definition of who Jesus was.

Q 1. (Daniel 7:1-2) What is the relationship of the Ancient of Days to the various beastly nations that rage against each other and against him and his people? The Ancient of Ages - GOD - is the Righteous Judge of all the worldly nations that are rebellious and fight against one another as well as against God. What happens to these beast-nations? The first three nations named in the text are stripped of their power but given a chance to continue living. The 4th nation is destroyed/killed and thrown into the pit of fire. Why is it so difficult to believe that God is in charge of the world we live in? Seeing and experiencing evil that prevails on earth makes it difficult to believe that God is in charge for most of us. The world is in turmoil. Even small countries like mine is like 'hell'. People get killed and no justice is done. There is so much hatred that one is just amazed at the extend to which our cultural morals have been eroded. But some of us have not given up. We know and believe that our God is the real Emmanuel - He is among us and sees all that is happening. He is never too early. He is never late. He knows the time when his children will be liberated from the oppressors.

Q 6. Christians commonly do the following things that can offend God:We forget that the church of God - buildings - should be observed as holy and be respected as such. We make a lot of noise inside the church building as if we have come to a theatre for pleasure instead of being silent before their Lord. The money donated for development of God's work is sometimes used for worldly issues and not for growth of God's kingdom. We hardly think deeply and cleanse ourselves before the Eucharistic elements prepared for us on the Alter and we just approach God's Table as a routine. 2. I have changed in many ways but I must confess that this is a difficult and continuous journey. I read the Word of God daily. I pray twice a day with the evening prayer focussed on what happened during the day. I participate in Bible studies and other evangelistic sessions like the ALPHA course in order to bring other people closer to God. I make sure to do deep spiritual searching before each and every Eucharist. I have a Spiritual Director who is my Soul Mate in this journey. I have pledged to give a certain amount of money for God's work in the church where I worship.

Q 5. Nebuchadnezzar tells us that God:Is Eternal - everlasting His kingdom is also everlasting Cannot be compared with human beings because he is far too superior to them Is the Sovereign God - he is not answerable to any body Is the King of Heaven and Earth and all his creation All creation is answerable to Him Yes, I did give a testimony about what I have learned about God through my trials. I now know that without trials and hard tests of life, one cannot grow Spiritually. It is through those hard times in life that we learn to see that our God is so trustworthy to those who believe in Him and trust Him. He is never late. He is never too early. He comes at the right time to rescue His children. He provided for me financially when I was in a difficult situation. I never looked back since then. My faith has grown stronger and stronger.

Q 4. Pride showed itself in Nebuchadnezzar's life through the following:He had many achievements and he thought it was because he was intelligent. He gave credit to himself and not to God Almighty. He was proud because he was feared by almost everybody and no one dared to challenge him. He was proud because he had an absolute authority and could do anything he wanted. He was too proud to think like a human being. In my life pride can show when I want to do good works so that people can praise and love me. It can show when I want to take the leading role in all activities and be domineering. Pride can mask itself with humility because it is tricky when we appear as if we are nice and soft and yet we have ulterior motives. We appear humble and yet deep down we have evil thoughts and plans.

Q 3. Nebuchadnezzar should confess his sins and break away from his past sinful ways - repent. I should cease to live like I did before coming to Christ and show by my works of mercy and compassion that I am a new creation and a born again Christian. For us to be kind to the poor means that we should try by all means to assist those who are less fortunate than ourselves. Actually that is what I am doing now by assisting the orphans in a near by orphanage. God's decrees may be conditional when we hear his caution and turn back from the sin we were doing, humbling ourselves and acknowledging that He is our Almighty God in control of our lives.

Q 2. (Daniel4:23-26) What does it mean to "acknowledge that Heaven rules"? To "acknowledge that Heaven rules" is to accept that God is sovereign over everything and to totally submit to Him.In what ways is it hard for a king? It is hard for the king to accept this because he has always been I control of other people and got what he wanted. He is too proud to realise that there is someone greater than him.In what ways is it hard for us? We sort of believe that our worldly knowledge is enough for us to go about our daily work and our projects. We forget that God is there for us to consult.How do we sometimes deny by our actions that God is in charge of all? We often do things our own way without first telling God about our plans and inviting Him to show us direction. We implement our worldly knowledge without consulting our Creator, Sustainer and Provider!

Q1. (Daniel 4: 10-20) Is Daniel actually afraid to interpret Nebuchadnezzar's dream? Yes, Daniel was not only afraid, but he was also "greatly perplexed" and "terrified".Why? Because of the following reasons: Those who bring bad news to the king are often killed. Daniel had grown fond of the king and he was shocked about what was going to happen to him. Daniel wondered what would happen to the kingdom and the king's fortunes when the king becomes incapacitated. Why are we afraid to say the hard things that must be said to help our brothers and sisters? Very few people take hard talk negatively even if it is constructive criticism or a caution and most of us do not want to absurd others. Most of the times we do not want to be in the bad books of other people because we want to be liked.What can we do about it? It is proper to tell others those hard things especially if it is for their own good. All we need to do is to ask God to give us courage and words to use and we should also ask God to soften the hearts of the people we have to tell hard things so that they can see that out motives are meant to help them and not to humiliate them.

Daniel tells the king about the great God who sent his angels to come and shut the lions' mouths - A friend of mine said the lions went into fasting because God sent his Holy Spirit upon them! Daniel did not focus on the injustice done to him but on the outcome and God's response. This was a good evangelistic message to bring others to God. Our living God is always gracious. He has done many things for me too. I am so grateful.

Daniel had private prayer and always looked towards Jerusalem based on the Old Testament. He prayed regularly three times a day on a kneeling position and bowing his head. He gave thanks, praised God, asked for God's mercy and made petitions. I pray twice a day every day (morning on waking up and in the evening before bed time). If time permits I have a short prayer during my lunch time. My prayer is composed of ACTS -meaning: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication. Most of the time I pray from a sitting position because of arthritis. I sometimes fix my eyes on an imaginary stool with God/Jesus sitting on it as I pray.

Daniel was not corrupt. He was trustworthy, loyal and diligent These qualities say Daniel's God is perfect and does not want corruption in all its forms. I want to believe that my employer is happy with the way I do my work, efficient and effective and always focusing on the vision and mission statement of the company.

Nebuchadnezzar summed up their faith and commitment in Daniel 3:28b when he said "They trusted in their God and defied the kings command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God." It is important for me as a Christian to follow God's commands than to follow men's orders. I am prepared to take my cross and follow my Saviour by turning away from sinful lifestyle and doing what the Bible tells me to do as a follower of Christ. This is not easy but one has to keep on striving to live according to God's statutes.

The government official colleagues of these Jews were shocked and amazed that they came out of that furnace unscathed! As for the king, he was not only shocked but he had a change of heart. We hear him calling the three Jews ' servants of the Most High God'. He also said the fourth person in the furnace looks like 'a son of the gods'. The king immediately respected the God of these Jews and respected them as well. The power of the Jews' God could was amazing to all.

The Jews gave the king a bold answer. They showed determination to keep their faith in their God. They believed that their God was the only one who was going to deliver them if they were to be thrown into the furnace. They also believed that everything depended on their God and not on what they wanted, in other words if they die in that fire it will be God's plan. They had steadfast faith in their God and were not going to deviate from worshiping their God because they were being threatened with death.