Once Upon Elam 

Two years ago, the adult Sunday school class I teach voted to start a new study in the book of Daniel. I was wrapping up a year-long study in Jude, and several options were under discussion for where we might go next.

As I recall, it was the Daniel option I was most anxious about. It is a pivotal book of the Bible insofar as prophetic issues are concerned. I knew it contained information that had elicited much debate among reputable scholars, and I knew it would be no easy task to wade into this book’s imposing content. A healthy part of me was quietly rooting for the class to pick an easier study.

No such luck.

Yesterday, I taught Lesson #100 in our study of “The Book of Daniel.” We’ve just started chapter eight. At this pace, we’ll finish this study roughly midway through President Trump’s second term.

What a blessing this study in Daniel has been to me and to so many others! Though I’ve been teaching this class at my church for about ten years, this is the first study we’ve recorded and posted online.  Those lesson audios are available at www.thewordwithsteve.com

The first half of the book of Daniel is a truly inspiring character study. Daniel was chosen by God at a young age to be tested by profound trials, and to live a life of humility in a foreign and pagan land. I’m convinced we can all learn a great deal about character from the example that Daniel provides us.

It’s the second half of Daniel that forms the bedrock of much of Biblical prophecy, and it presents the topics of Gentile empires, the antichrist, the Tribulation, Armageddon, the end of the world, and the Millennial Kingdom. Those are the more evident themes. Some not-so-evident prophetic themes may also be present, including matters pertinent to the Nephilim, and possibly some references to UFOs.

For my part, I try not to be agenda-driven. While I have my own opinions based upon my years of reading and research, my goal with each lesson in this in-depth study of Daniel is to forthrightly present what I believe the book of Daniel is telling us.

To do this, I must consider the totality of the Scriptures. It’s easy to find one verse or phrase and camp on that to the exclusion of other passages that speak to the same subject. My intent in this study is to gather in the greater context of God’s Word and present the collective view via the lens of the book of Daniel.

And so it was when I came to the little-understood province of Elam in the opening verses of Daniel chapter eight. This obscure bit of geography is located along and above the northeastern edge of the Persian Gulf, and nearly all of Biblical Elam lies within modern-day Iran. In Daniel’s time, Elam was part of the Babylonian empire’s territory.

In chapter eight, Daniel is transported in a vision to Elam. Physically, he is probably in Babylon as Daniel 8:27 suggests, but God supernaturally overcomes his senses and comprehensions and relocates them to the palace of Susa in Elam. Daniel’s perception was his reality. He perceived himself to be in a place roughly 250 miles east of Babylon.

So what’s the big deal with Elam? Well – plenty, in my personal opinion. God’s sovereign plan concerning the Jews finds Elam taking center stage at several key points in the Scriptures. Starting with Daniel’s second vision in chapter eight, a chronological outline of Elam’s role with God’s chosen people unfolds, which can be stated as something like this:

God provides prophecies of persecution

Daniel’s second vision in Elam focuses on the empires of Persia and Greece as they relate to Israel. It was under Persian authority that the Jews returned to Israel and rebuilt their land and their city, Jerusalem.

But it’s within the details of the breakup of the Grecian empire that future persecution of the Jews is announced to Daniel. The Seleucid kingdom was a territory comprised of northern Syria and most of Persia. It emerged after the death of Alexander the Great and his empire’s demise.

Daniel 8:9 indicates a future ruler would emerge from this specific region north of Israel to bring great trauma and persecution to the Jews. The surrounding text says this despot would desolate the temple and violate the sacrificial protocols. Most scholars are divided here – is this a reference to Antiochus Epiphanes, the eighth ruler of the Seleucid dynasty (175 BC – 164 BC), or is it an indication of issues still future to you and I? Is it a reference to the final antichrist?

For various reasons, I am of the opinion that this text is referring to the antichrist. I’ll be unpacking my rationale in the next couple of lessons I teach, but that’s not the point of this article. It was in Elam that God provides prophecies of persecution to Daniel.

God provides protection from predicament

Elam gains the spotlight again roughly 85 years after Daniel’s second vision. Now, Xerxes, the Persian king, has his main palace in Susa. His queen is Esther – the Jewish Esther!

Here at the palace in Susa – in Elam – the riveting events of the book of Esther took place. Here is where human ambition and pride blended with hatred and fraud to incite a historic pogrom against God’s chosen people. Here is where a dilemma arose that exceeded man’s abilities to resolve. And here is where God masterfully moved the chess pieces and called “checkmate” on Satan’s plan to destroy the Jews.

It is in Elam that God provides protection from predicament. The gravity of the threat was so great, and the deliverance from that threat was so profound, that the Jews remember the events of the book of Esther to this day. Every time the Jews celebrate the Feast of Purim, they remember the deliverance from their enemies – in Elam.

God provides permission after prayer

About 100 years after Daniel’s second vision – or roughly 20 years after the events of the book of Esther – the scene in Elam had changed a bit. The Persian empire was still in power, but there was a new king on the throne in Susa. Artaxerxes was his name, and Nehemiah, a Jew, was his cupbearer.

Nehemiah was a loyal advisor and trusted servant to the king; but like other Jews, Nehemiah’s heart was aligned with his homeland and his beloved city, Jerusalem. When he heard that the exiles in Judah “….are in great trouble and disgrace (and) the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates burned with fire,” the news overwhelmed him (Neh.1:3-4).

Nehemiah did what all of us should do when we are moved deeply in our spirit – he prayed for many days on end. Four months later, he found himself before the king, and the king perceived he was sad. He asked Nehemiah what was wrong. The situation was a dangerous moment for someone with Nehemiah’s responsibilities.

But Nehemiah came clean with the king. He told Artaxerxes the reason for his sorrow. He also told the king what he really wanted: to turn in his resignation as cupbearer, to go to Jerusalem, and to rebuild the walls of the city.

Amazingly, the king endorsed Nehemiah’s plan, and he gave Nehemiah his full support. This signature moment marked the beginning of Daniel’s “seventy weeks” (Dan. 9:25).

The book of Nehemiah builds further on the truth that God provides permission after prayer. The Jewish people, under Nehemiah’s leadership, were able to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls and restore the remnant which had returned from exile in Babylon. The timetable for the end times had begun – and it had started in Elam!

God provides plans of pursuit

Before Daniel’s ministry, there was Jeremiah’s. Daniel recognized the divine intentions of God within Jeremiah’s prophetic words (Dan. 9:2).

We can regard Jeremiah’s words today the same way Daniel did then. Some passages in Jeremiah speak to events that are future to us. These prophecies concern a little-known part of the Middle East once called – you got it – Elam!  It’s the same spot where God gave Daniel his second vision, where God used an unlikely queen to thwart a madman, and where God used a penitent cupbearer to start the clock ticking to the second coming of Christ.

The eyes of the world are on Elam these days, though most people simply refer to this area as “Iran.”  But it’s in the territory of Elam where Iran has one of its most strategic nuclear assets – the Bushehr nuclear plant. It’s about Elam that world leaders now debate and deceive each other.

For those who support facts over fiction, it’s no secret that Iran is building nuclear weapons, and it’s no surprise that Israel’s recent spy mission showed the world Iran has lied. As globalist rhetoric drowns out common sense, Israel is being threatened with annihilation and will soon be forced to act in self-defense.

Jeremiah 49:34-38 specifies a disaster in Elam, which suggests radiation fallout and which could be as little as days or weeks away. The entire passage suggests a humanitarian crisis is looming.

But God has “fierce anger” on the leaders of Iran for their posture against His people, and buried within these few verses is God’s commitment to “….pursue them with the sword until I have made an end of them.”   

God’s sovereign plan has always been to act in the most important needs of His chosen people. It was true in Daniel’s time, and in Esther’s and Nehemiah’s too. Events in Elam now still reinforce this constant truth. We should not be unaware of what is happening in the bigger picture since God provides plans of pursuit in Jeremiah 49:34-38, which are there for us to read and understand.

God provides promises of prosperity

A time is coming when the fascinating and traumatic events of Elam will all be a distant memory. At that time – likely when the Lord sets up His Millennial reign – the Bible promises that those who had called Elam their home will return to it and receive great blessing.

At the tail end of the aforementioned verses of Jeremiah 49:34-38 is one more verse that closes out that chapter. It is God speaking, and in verse 39 He says, “Yet I will restore the fortunes of Elam in days to come….” It’s an assurance of great prosperity and spiritual blessing.

Elam will yet be a recipient of God’s concern and compassion as God provides promises of prosperity for this little-understood part of the world. Because Elam, from antiquity, has been a pivot point for God’s dealings with Israel, it fits directly into God’s prophetic plan yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Meantime, as the world careens towards The Day of the Lord, current developments in Elam portend disaster and prophetic fulfillment. As Christians, we are reminded that we serve the One True God who “….declares the end from the beginning according to Isaiah 46:10. 

These are indeed exciting times we live in.  Even so – Maranatha!

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A new trend among teens is snorting condoms. It’s their latest “challenge.”

They insert a condom up one nostril, they inhale it, and then they pull it out from the back of their throat through their mouth. It gets them attention from “friends” they don’t need.

But it’s dangerous to do. It has caused choking, allergic reactions, infections, appendicitis, and pneumonia. Chances are it can also kill a person by blocking their breathing – and it almost did.

“Stupid is as stupid does.” I guess eating Tide Pod laundry detergent packets wasn’t gratifying enough for this forward-thinking crowd. That was so 2017.

Together with the earlier “cinnamon challenge,” the “bath-salt challenge” and the “douse-myself-in-rubbing-alcohol-and-set-myself-on-fire-challenge,” these latest antics confirm to everyone that many of today’s young people have the IQ of a fencepost.

When I was a kid, our “challenge” was to build a ramp and see who could get their banana-seat bike to jump the highest. We had watermelon-seed spitting contests, and we dared each other to drink a full can of Coca-Cola without stopping. My buddy could burp the alphabet all the way to “T” when he drank one.

But times have changed, and a corrupt form of foolishness is now on full display. It has overrun our culture, it has entered our churches, it has invaded our legal system, it has hijacked our nation’s universities, and it has conquered our politics. Virtue is mostly absent, and common sense isn’t very common anymore.

Consider the recent Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting travesty in Parkland, Florida as one qualified case in point.  Here are the facts about what happened:

The FBI received two tips about Nickolas Cruz, with one caller specifying Cruz had a “desire to kill people” and “potential” to shoot up a school.

The Broward County sheriff’s office had been called to Nickolas Cruz’s home 39 times since 2010.

Administrators at the school had considered Nickolas Cruz to be a threat, and they had sent out an email warning about their concerns to other school staff.

Nickolas Cruz had menaced students, and had threatened to “….bring guns to school.”

The other students at the school had talked about Nickolas Cruz’s potential to attack the school. They had filed complaints against him, and Cruz had been suspended for behavioral issues.

Nickolas Cruz himself had proudly bragged, “I’m going to be a professional school shooter.”

Four sheriffs from Broward County stayed outside the school building while the shooting was going on inside.

I could add more facts to that list, but the picture is already clear. Nobody in a position of responsibility acted responsibly.

Law enforcers didn’t enforce anything, and the intelligence community flunked. Social services didn’t provide the proper follow-up, and crisis experts allowed a disaster. To top it all off, “Broward’s cowards” didn’t even try to act brave. Basically – if just one person in the whole equation had done their job well, this tragedy could have been prevented!

But the left concluded the problem was “guns.” Give me a break!

Liberals serve their progressive agenda above all else. It’s Rahm Emanuel’s “You-never-let-a-serious-crisis-go-to-waste” routine. The left saw an opportunity in this shooting tragedy – so damn the facts!

In the weeks after the Parkland shooting, high school students across the country have staged protests in support of stricter gun laws, and college students have rioted to shut down basic free speech. Intoxicated by their “fifteen minutes of fame,” our intellectually-anemic youth have become eager tools of the globalists’ agenda.

These kids are publicly raising clenched fists in their aversion to constitutional liberties, common sense, and personal responsibility. In their zealous pursuit of limited rights and less freedom, they’ve become the perfect poster children for absurdity.

There are so many displays of ridiculous behavior and irrational thinking in our world these days. Just when I think I’ve seen it all, we descend a few more steps into our pit of depravity and foolishness. Rank stupidity is now mainstream.

Perhaps we don’t think about it much, but it’s important to understand the Biblical definition of a “fool.” The Bible has a lot to say about them. We tend to think of a fool as being someone that lacks basic common sense, but God’s Word declares in Psalms 14:1, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”

That statement is less the result of foolishness and more the cause of it.

In all the various ways it’s possible to say it, today’s fools have already concluded, “There is no God.” If they have any shred of regard for Him, they’ve confined Him to a box that permits them to measure Him, and to decide how and when He’s of any use. Some fools of this latter sort are in our churches. A partial belief in God is no better than a wrong one as Matthew 7:21-23 makes frightfully clear.

Because fools disregard God and dismiss His divine Word, they lack a moral compass and the wisdom that results from a proper view of sin. Their senseless behaviors across a wide range of life’s verticals stem from refusing God His rightful place.

This is why Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” A shortage of wisdom and good judgment are hallmarks of those who choose an improper relationship with their Creator.

One’s descent into personal depravity is directly proportional to their display of public foolishness. As the first element becomes more obvious, so does the second one. As the first one gains acceptance, the second one is more welcome too. Because both emerge from spiritual darkness, they are inextricably linked.

When I read the prophetic Scriptures, I am struck by the fabric of foolish thinking and irrational behavior that clothes the final chapters of human history. We’re seeing the early threads of it already – but this is only the beginning. Foolish behavior of astonishing dimension will become the “norm” in due time as mankind distances himself further and further from God.

Here’s a brief outline to illustrate a little of where our foolish world is now and where it’s going:

THEY MISS THE MESSAGE

Romans 1:18-32 outlines the character and choices of those who have rejected God, including the plain message about Him that is contained within His Creation. It reads like today’s news.

There is sufficient testimony all around us to argue that a glorious and sovereign God exists (Psalm 19:1). That is supplemented by the instinctive knowledge of right and wrong which God designed each of us to be born with (Romans 2:15).

This situation sets up a dilemma for folks like Dr. Richard Dawkins, a devout atheist and prominent evolutionist. In his book, The Blind Watchmaker, Dawkins states, “Biology is the study of complicated things that give the appearance of having been designed for a purpose.”  Even Dawkins reluctantly admits the fingerprints of God are contained within the tiniest details of His creation.

The Scriptures make it clear that “missing” God’s message is a much more active process than a passive one. This dynamic is happening now with all those who choose to oppose God and His standards. This irresponsible decision inevitably results in their foolish views and behaviors.

THEY MISS THE MOMENT

The message of the Bible is about – among other things – getting ready to face God. It’s the most significant moment in anyone’s life. This is the essence of the parable of ten virgins in Matt. 25:1-13.

Whether this parable is specific to Christ’s return in the Rapture or His return to set up the Millennial Kingdom is another matter altogether. I’m not seeking to address that debate here. Regardless of which return it is, the basic lesson I am concerned with is relevant to both.

Five of the ten virgins are ready to meet the bridegroom, and the other five are not.  It’s the latter group which many Bible scholars have called “foolish,” and they earn this distinction because they miss their most critical moment. They were not ready for it.

It didn’t need to be this way for these five foolish virgins, but their calamity was precipitated by dismissing the issues that were most important. They were not focused on waiting and watching as they needed to be. They were absorbed in the present, and they found “….pleasure in unrighteousness,” (2 Thess. 2:12).

The sad fact about these five unfortunate ladies is they had the chance to change their ways and do the right thing – much like the foolish people in our world today have the same opportunity. But, these five stayed foolish – just like many stay today. Their foolishness coddled a different agenda which made them miss their most important moment.

THEY MISS THE MARK

There are few demonstrations of foolishness more telling than missing the obvious mark and assigning the fault where it’s not supposed to be. This is what liberals did with the shooting tragedy in Parkland, Florida. Facts there conflicted with what the left wanted to blame.

It is the very same genus of foolishness that will be on display when some people refuse to enter a right relationship with God after enduring His Tribulation judgments (Rev. 9:20-21; 16:9; et al). The Bible makes it clear that unsaved humanity at this time will know the truth. The facts of the situation will be very clear.

Mankind will know who is behind these judgments and why they are taking place. They will know they should repent and get right with God (Rev. 14:6-7), but they will choose to serve their own agenda instead. So – damn the truth!

Their greatest desire will be to stay in their sin, so they will choose to curse God instead. They will blame Him and they won’t get right with Him. They will miss the mark and find fault with God.

THEY MISS THE MEANING

The most effective way to explain an important matter is to state it plainly. The best way to assure it’s remembered is to deliver it uniquely.

Both communication strategies come together in Revelation 14:9-10 where the wicked masses of the Tribulation are warned against worshipping the beast and his image, and against taking his mark. The message is important since eternal fates are at stake. There is no room for its meaning to be left unclear.

God uses a loud angel to get His point across. It’s not every day that folks get an angel hollering at them; it’s fair to think this leaves an impression! The angel is timely and straight to the point – “If you take the mark and worship the antichrist, you’re automatically condemned to unending fiery torture in front of God and in front of angels just like me.”

I’m paraphrasing, but I’m making a point here. Every detail of the warning ensures the meaning is clear. Nobody can claim, “Hey, I didn’t understand,” or, “But, I don’t believe in angels.” No one can ask, “What was he saying?” Excuses won’t work here since every base is thoroughly covered.

But it makes little difference to a lot of people. The greater context of Revelation underscores the fact that masses of foolish humanity will still miss the meaning of the angel’s warning. Fools “take no pleasure in understanding” (Prov. 18:2), and as we learned earlier, they disregard God and His divine Word.

Fools face the same problem at the end of human history as they’ve faced up to it. Fools don’t change.

THEY MISS THE MESSIAH

As mankind comes to the end of human history, he reaches the bottom of the staircase that descends into depravity. His foolish notions reach maximum absurdity as his sinful deeds reach maximum expression.

This is the moment of the Messiah’s physical return. This sets up the climactic occasion when Jesus Christ returns to earth “with power and great glory” (Matt. 24:30) to conquer the antichrist and his hordes. The King of kings and Lord of lords returns with the armies of heaven to put an end to the most traumatic and terrible time on human record (Matt. 24:21).

The good guys win! Everyone will be happy – right?  Wrong.

In one of the most tragic commentaries in all of Scripture, we read instead that “….all the nations of the earth will mourn” (Matt. 24:30). The foolish people of the earth will “wail” (Rev.1:7) when they see Christ returning because he is returning in judgment, and they will realize too late that they are unprepared for it. They missed receiving Him as they should have done, and now they are doomed.

They will miss the Messiah because – going all the way back, they’d missed His message. In their foolishness, they’d missed all the key moments they’d been given to repent. They’d missed the mark and blamed God when they should have assumed responsibility for their choices. The meaning of their foolish decisions had been made very clear to them, but they’d missed all of those opportunities to change their ways.

The Bible teaches that the exercise of foolishness places one’s soul at risk (James 5:20). For many, it’s a process that starts simply enough – but left unchecked, foolishness demands one pay the highest price.

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