Is There a Daniel Among Us?…
I have been reading materials and sermons by a preacher most people write off and give no room for influence. When I look at the many books we read by authors who are “NON” Apostolic I have to question what’s the difference with preachers who are “NON” Apostolic? You take what’s good and right from a book and throw the rest away. Right?! Such is the same when it comes to the ministry of David Wilkerson. I am stirred by a message he preached December 18, 2000. His message was called, “Hell Shaking Prayer.”
I share the stirring matter with you today. And I quote:
Daniel is an example to us of how important it is to have a praying minister during times of crisis. We see this in his early years, when Nebuchadnezzar rules. At one point, the king had a disturbing dream that left him bewildered, confused and haunted. He begged his seers to explain the dream to him, but no one could.
This enraged Nebuchadnezzar. He told his court, “You people give me nothing but foolish, empty words. You’re stalling, trying to buy time. But I want truth. I want answers to my deepest yearnings.” Finally, he decreed that all the seers be killed – astrologers, sorcerers, magicians, even “wise men,” including young Daniel and his three godly companions.
When Daniel learned of this death warrant, he called a meeting with his three friends. You can be sure this gathering wasn’t for “interfacing,” or exploring options, or surveying the other Jews to come up with a survival plan. No, Daniel and the three young Hebrew men knew they had to hear directly from the Lord. So they went to their knees and cried out to him for mercy and revelation.
What an incredible prayer Daniel offered: “Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: and he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: he revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth in him: (Daniel 2:20-22).
At this time, the Old Testament church was at its lowest point. God’s people had lost their song, their praises were silenced, and now they were drifting spiritually. The incredible prosperity in Babylon had gripped the hearts of many. And surely Satan rejoiced over Israel’s condition. Then, to make matters worse, he motivated Nebuchadnezzar to issue the death decree for Daniel.
Now every captive Israelite was looking to Daniel. Their future depended on his being in touch with the Lord. They wondered, “Does God speak to anybody anymore? Is anyone able to read the times and know what’s happening? Who can discern the secrets of the Lord?”
Daniel knew exactly what was happening. And he could have acted in any number of ways. He could have organized a huge march on the capitol to demand justice for the Jews. But, you see, the world and hell aren’t impressed by crowds, numbers, demonstrations. Nor are they impacted by mega-churches, with massive buildings and memberships. They’re not stirred by bright, educated young ministers who use polls to achieve results, asking, “What topics do you want us to avoid in our sermons? How can we accommodate you, so you’ll come to church?”
No – the only way this world will ever be impacted is through a sin-exposing word that reveals the heart. The world needs to hear pure, Holy Ghost truth that cuts to the quick and answers the cry of the doubting heart.
WATCH THIS!!!
I believe King Nebuchadnezzar is a picture of modern humankind, crying, “I have power and influence. I have all the material possessions I could want. Yet I have no peace. I have questions, and I need answers to them. All you people who claim to speak for God – intellectuals, cultists, even people of the cloth – if you can’t answer the cry of my heart, then you have no right to exist. You have no purpose. You’re useless to this society.”
David Wilkerson then shares a personal story:
While in Dallas recently, I visited a congregation advertised as a “community church.” The service was so casual, it was grossly irreverent. People drank sodas and chomped on donuts while their children ran amok.
Sounds interesting huh?! I yet quote:
The service started with a comical skit about how to buy a car. Then the worship team sang a few “crossover” songs – love songs you might sing to your sweetheart. Finally, the pastor, a Ph. D., walked up with a tiny slip of paper in his hand containing his entire message. He spoke for ten minutes on how to enjoy your job.
This ministry had been started through a neighborhood survey that asked people what they would want in a church. As a result, the services were designed to be totally non-confrontational. Yet, as I looked around at the congregation, I saw men and women who obviously had deep problems that needed answers. The teenagers looked bored. My heart broke for these people. Everyone there needed a word from heaven, yet all they got was straw. Why? The men in the pulpit were stalling, because they’d lost touch with God.
HERE’S THE GOODS LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:
When This Nation Sees the Handwriting of Judgment on The Wall, People Will Cry Out for Praying Leaders.When the finger of God’s judgment becomes apparent in America, people will no longer turn to prosperity preachers who claim, “All is well.” Rather, they’ll react like the Israelites – seeking out a Daniel company, a godly people who can read the times.
In Daniel 5, Nebuchadnezzar’s son Belshazzar was on the throne. This pagan king threw a huge feast for a thousand of his lords. As the drunken festivities raged on, the king told his servants to bring in the gold and silver vessels that had been taken from the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. Soon Belshazzar’s lords, wives and concubines were drinking wildly from these consecrated vessels.
Suddenly, in a supernatural moment, the fingers of a man’s hand appeared at the feast and began writing a message on the wall. It was a warning that judgment was at the door. Scripture says, “Then the king’s countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another. The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers…and the soothsayers.
“And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and shew me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom. Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled…and his lords were astonished” (Daniel 5:7-9).
What a terror-filled scene. Yet, I tell you, one day very soon, prosperous America will experience the same kind of shock. The writing is now on the wall, and no doubt judgment is at the door. Like Belshazzar, our nation’s leaders will be troubled, their countenances changing, their knees trembling.
Yet, in spite of this, ministers in America are preaching a false peace. All across the nation, compromised shepherds claim God would never bring down America because we send so many missionaries into the world. Yet these shepherds don’t mention that judgment is sure to come because we’ve killed 40 million babies through abortion. When the handwriting appears on the wall, such preachers will be tongue-tied. They’re already “out of the loop” – because God reveals his wisdom only to people of prayer.
I say to all pastors and preachers: God help you if you’re not a person of prayer. In these times of wickedness and pleasure, you should be shut in with the Lord. What will you do when God’s handwriting appears and your people ask you to read the times? How many jokes will be told from the pulpit then? How will you answer them, when they interrupt your sermons and cry, “Please, pastor, tell us what’s happening. Is this judgment? What’s coming next? Why didn’t you warn us about any of this? You told us all was well – but we’ve lost everthing.”
When I found myself at the end of his message … I’m amazed at the prayer he offers to God in the face of his congregation. It is one that I hope, when I pass will be said of me.
(9 years ago) A California law has made it compulsory for elementary schools to teach homosexuality as an approved alternative lifestyle. Alcohol binges have spread from college campuses to high schools and junior highs. And the Internet has become a superhighway to pornography. Almost thirty years ago, I predicted in my book The Vision that an electronic box would bring vile forms of pornography into our homes (VCR’s). Today, 90 percent of activity on the Internet involves pornography.
Simply put, we live in a modern-day Babylon. And tragically, Christians have adopted society’s sinful ways. Our ministry regularly receives letters from Christian wives who write, “I felt my husband drifting away from me, and I couldn’t figure out why. Then I opened the door to his study and caught him leering at porn on the Internet.”
Young people especially are easy prey for Satan’s wiles. Multitudes of Christian teenagers are downloading wicked music through the Napster site. I know of one Christian mother who took a computer class to learn how to tap into what her teenager was downloading. When she opened his computer files, what she saw horrified her: songs by the murderer Charles Manson; songs about cop killing; songs about death, suicide and every kind of promiscuous sex.
God strongly desires to bless his people today – but if our minds are polluted with the spirit of this world, we are in no position to receive his blessings. Daniel made this powerful statement: ” All this evil is come upon us: yet we have not made our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand the truth.Therefore hath the Lord watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us” (Daniel 9:13-14).
Daniel was saying, “We saw all the moral degradation in our land. And we saw our shepherds looking out for their own interests. Our whole society was racing toward destruction. Yet we didn’t turn to prayer. If we had only been praying, God would have turned us from our sins. He even waited on us, making glorious promises to restore us. But we didn’t give him any time. Instead, we just kept drifting slowly away from him, becoming satiated with the sins of the wicked society. That’s why his judgments came upon us.”
You may ask – what is the prayer that shakes hell? It comes from the faithful, diligent servant who sees his nation and church falling deeper into sin. This person falls on his knees, crying, “Lord, I don’t want to be a part of what’s going on. Let me be an example of your keeping power in the midst of this wicked age. It doesn’t matter if no one else prays. I’m going to pray.”
Daniel concluded by saying, “While I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel…informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding…thou art greatly beloved” (Daniel 9:21-23).
Where are the praying people in God’s house today? Where are the faithful shepherds who seek the Lord night and day? These are the ones who’ll be given skill and understanding, because they’re greatly loved.Like Daniel, these servants identify with and confess the sins of the nation and the church. And they cry out in humility, “Oh, Lord, show me where I’ve been drifting, where I have great lack. Then help me to face it and deal with it. Whatever it takes, God, keep me on my knees. I long to see you restore your church.”
I am concerned and spiritually awakened with a heavy burden for my generation. It is a challenge to be pure. Please, don’t judge me before you read the notes below. We need a revival of purity in our churches. Not just physical purity but a much, overdue revival of spiritual purity. Over the next 6 weeks I will be posting my sermon notes for this subject. So … let’s begin the journey!
