Today’s Scripture

Psalm 111            Daniel 7:9-10            Hebrews 12:1-2     Mark 13:24-31

 

Grace, mercy and peace to all from God our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, our risen and ascended Lord and Savior.                   Amen.

 

            His life is an open book.  That is an expression about someone who’s life’s secrets are revealed in public.  It happens at campaign time when the opposition and the press want to disclose virtually everything about a candidate.  It happens in high profile trials when someone’s background is so thoroughly investigated.  The lives of England’s royalty and our presidents gets pretty good coverage.  Their lives are like an open book to us.

 

            Sometimes we’re pretty happy being just ourselves in our familiar surroundings and being able to close the door on some events of our lives.  The truth be known, most of us enjoy being a closed book in a great many respects.  No one needs those skeleton-filled closet doors left too open now, do we?

 

            The court was seated and the books were opened.  [Daniel 7:12b]

 

            This short passage from the Book of Daniel tells us a lot about the day of God’s judgment.  This passage also tells significantly of God’s grace on that judgment day.  This passage is a welcome relief from the constant barrage of fantasies and fables we are subject to day in and day out in this world.  In light of all of those nice and not so nice sounding things, those elegant depictions, those distortions of timing and what is really happening.  This passage is like a breath of fresh air that clears out the nonsensical rubbish that crowds our attention from the media to the best-sellers, to the back fence conversations, to the celebrities, to the articles and to the false teachings of many faiths and our society today. 

 

            This chapter in Daniel is a prophetic vision given to Daniel.  In this vision God portrays world powers and different dynasties as four different beasts.  The fourth of these beasts is a kingdom that will devour the entire earth until handed over at last to the saints as an everlasting kingdom.

 

            Today we ask that good Lutheran and Christian question, “What does this mean?” 

 

            Thrones were set in place.  These are seats for those who will be gathered together.  The original words used indicate that this takes place hastily and the thrones or seats are thrown together quickly. 

 

            The Ancient of Days is a term used only in this chapter from Daniel.  Ancient of Days indicates the only one who has existed from the beginning.  That person is God.  He commands all of our days, from beginning to end.  He knows them all.   

 

            The Ancient of Days is described with clothing as white as snow and hair as white as pure wool.  It is the impression of majesty.  The whiteness of snow and pure wool are symbols of purity and holiness.  David cries out for this pureness in his prayer of confession when he cries out for God’s mercy saying, “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.   [Psalm 51:7]   God declares his mercy when he says in Isaiah, "Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool,” [1:18].  God is perfect in such holiness.  Only God can make a sinful person clean as freshly fallen snow.  Only God can restore one to his righteousness as pure wool.  This morning we celebrate that miracle in the gifts given to William John in faith in his baptism in Christ.

 

            His throne was flaming with fire and its wheels were all ablaze.  Fire does two things.  It consumes and destroys things.  It refines things by making them pure, driving out all impurities.  God’s fire destroys evil.  God’s fire destroys sin and the effects of sin.  God’s fire destroys all who are opposed to him.  God’s fire also refines.  His fire cleanses his faithful from any impurities, so they can rest in his presence again. 

 

John the Baptist pointed to the one who will baptize with fire, Jesus.  The fire of the Holy Spirit sanctifies believers in the waters of baptism and the blood of Christ.  The Holy Spirit is represented by the flames that appeared on disciples’ heads that Pentecost, indicating the zeal and energy in which God’s word goes out and spreads throughout the world. 

 

On the banners in the front of our church are quotes from Isaiah’s vision in the temple.  As he was called, he declared that he was a man of unclean lips.  The angel of the Lord took a coal from the fire and touched his lips with that coal, purifying his lips.  It is only then that Isaiah can respond, “Here am I, send me, send me.”

 

            The fire from God’s holy throne does three things.  It destroys all that is impure.  It purifies those faithful to him.  The river of fire that flows from his throne is the flowing force of his word as it is preached to all nations.  Jesus promises in today’s Gospel, my word will never pass away,” [Mark 13:31].  

 

Nothing can stand in the way of God’s word as we have seen evidence in all cultures, in all nations, and in spite of many and various means of trying to suppress God’s word.  It is a great comfort to us to know that God’s word has such power and will overcome all evil in this world, no matter how insecure, frustrated, defeated, or let down any one of us feels at a given time.  It also reminds us of our own weakness.  We cannot work faith in and of ourselves.  It is God’s power that does even that miracle, working faith by his word alone.

 

            The thousands upon thousands, ten thousand times ten thousand tells us the uncountable number of angels and faithful who surround and attend God.  They are his messengers and his servants.  They do the things God sends them out to do.  Imagine 10K X 10K = 100 million.  We cannot fathom, even today, 100 million persons in one assembly.  And that picture tells us the immensity of the gathering of angels who gather around God.  In Deuteronomy 33, Moses blesses the tribes of Israel, describing that God is coming with this innumerable army of holy ones, his angels.

 

            And now, with all of his heavenly hosts attending him, the books are opened.  These are the books recording the accounts of every person.  Imagine, your life, an open book, in the presence of God and all of his angels?  Who can stand?  Not one! 

 

            Those books are revealed again in Revelation 20 [v. 12 & 150.  “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and the books were opened.  Another book was opened, which is the book of life.  The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books… If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

 

            We cannot save ourselves through our own works.  We know that our life, opened like a book, reveals nothing but the sinfulness that condemns us.  But, the gift of God is eternal life.  God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  That is why the writer to the Hebrews reminds us to throw off all that hinders, the sin that entangles you, and to run the race of perseverance, that of faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins that only he brings.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

 

            In faith in Jesus and in your baptism, your name is written in the book of life.  That life is given you in Jesus’ words, “Your sins are forgiven, get up and walk.”  Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  In him, all who believe and are baptized will be saved. 

 

            The beasts are the powers of this world.  They will be destroyed by fire.  Beasts of all times have been destroyed by that fire  The only truth that remains from the beginning of time is God’s word.  "Is not my word like fire," declares the LORD, [Jeremiah 23:29]. 

 

            Later in this vision, beginning in verse 13, is our hope.  Daniel saw “one like the son of man coming with the clouds of heaven.  He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence.  14  He was given authority, glory, and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him.  His dominion is an everlasting kingdom that will not pass away, and his kingdom is on that will never be destroyed.

 

            Concluding this vision is God’s promise, to send his son, also the son of man.  Jesus declared that “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given me,” [Mat.28].  We confess God’s truth in our creeds that today Jesus sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.  (Apostles’ Creed)  And our joy is that in addition to the books of our lives, all believers names are written in Jesus’ name in The Book of Life.  Amen.