A study on acceptable time periods and the importance of prayer (Part 5)

In the history of our planet, there have been some very significant time periods in which God has visited His people with special favor and deliverance; in our last study a few notable ones came to mind:

• The flood
• The deliverance of Israel, through Moses, from their Egyptian bondage
• The deliverance of Israel at the end of the 70 years of Babylonian captivity
• The first advent of Jesus!

All are significant and worthy of study but, for this particular section, we are going to study the time period connected with the end of the 70 years of Babylonian captivity. We are going to find some mind-blowing parallels that reach down to the end of time, which will teach us VITAL lessons, AND we will realize the critical role that our prayers play in all of this!

Babylon – Time and Judgment:
Nations have a time of probation, as do individuals

~ “To every [thing there is] a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:” Ecclesiastes 3:1

 ~ “Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man’s heart discerneth both time and judgment. ⁶Because to every purpose there is time and judgment,…” Ecclesiastes 8:5,6

Babylon is full of lessons for the nations that exist today. That mighty and magnificent city – “the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency,” had been given time. It’s opportunity to accept the true God came and went, and then judgment.

~ “We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: forsake her, and let us go every one into his own country: for her judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up [even] to the skies.” Jeremiah 51:9

If Babylon had linked her throne with the throne of God, she would have remained forever!

~ “…God is no respecter of persons: ³⁵But in every nation he that feareth Him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with Him.” Acts 10:34,35

It was under Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson’s rule that Babylon came to its end.

~ “And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son’s son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him.” Jeremiah 27:7

God had greatly blessed Babylon. After Daniel had given a beautiful discourse of all the mighty things God had done for Belshazzar’s grandfather, King Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 5:18-21), Daniel then tells Belshazzar:

~ “‘And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; ²³But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of His house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath [is], and whose [are] all thy ways, hast thou not glorified’: ²⁴Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written. ²⁵And this [is] the writing that was written, ‘MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.’ ²⁶This [is] the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. ²⁷TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. ²⁸PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.” Daniel 5:22-28

Belshazzar had had access to the truth. He had been acquainted with the mighty works which God had done during his grandfather’s rule, and had been given ample opportunity to accept truth. But his time came and went, and then judgment. God has kept a record of these events for our good!

~ “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” 1 Corinthians 10:11

Scattered throughout the kingdom of Babylon, for 70 years, were Jews—people to whom God had given “the oracles” and who had an understanding of the true God like no other people. They were to be a light in Babylon—sharing the mighty, saving truths God had shared with them. And God, who NEVER deals arbitrarily with anyone, had given this pagan nation, and individuals within that kingdom, TIME to accept the true God. Within its gates was a wise man – Daniel – who understood that, “a wise man’s heart discerneth both time and judgment. Because to every purpose there is time and judgment…” We must also understand this.

A Prophetic Bible Story:
Of all the stories scattered throughout the Bible, depicting God’s mighty hand of deliverance, no other has impacted me as much as the end of the 70 years of Israel’s Babylonian captivity. The tremendous parallels that are brought out in their deliverance and that of God’s people at the end of time—the mighty role that prayer plays on a grand scale…all are depicted very clearly in this wonderful story. In the Old Testament, Israel is captured and taken to Babylon. God had foretold they would be there for 70 years.

~ “And this whole land shall be a desolation, [and] an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.” Jeremiah 25:11

 ~ “For thus saith the LORD, ‘That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform My good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.’” Jeremiah 29:10

As the end of the seventy years approaches, Daniel realizes that the time promised for their deliverance has come. Interestingly, Daniel had to study to find this out!

~ “In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans; ²In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.” Daniel 9:1,2

As “greatly beloved of heaven” as Daniel was, he was like any other man on Earth. He had to study prophecy to find out what lay ahead. And as he studied, he found that the time had come for their promised deliverance! But just as we studied in the past, God’s promises are conditional. Let’s take a look.

~ “For thus saith the LORD, ‘That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform My good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. ¹¹For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,’ saith the LORD, ‘thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. ¹²Then shall ye call upon Me, and ye shall go and pray unto Me, and I will hearken unto you. ¹³And ye shall seek Me, and find [Me], when ye shall search for Me with all your heart. ¹⁴And I will be found of you,’ saith the LORD: ‘and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you,’ saith the LORD; ‘and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.’” Jeremiah 29:10-14

Their deliverance depended on them praying and seeking God with their whole hearts!!! When we study carefully the mighty stories of deliverance throughout Scripture, we will find that this is the secret in moving the hand of omnipotence – prayer and deep heart searching. And one critical piece of the puzzle is affliction. When we are afflicted, we search for God more than ever!

~ “Before I was afflicted I went astray: …” Psalms 119:67

 ~ “I will go [and] return to My place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek My face: in their affliction they will seek Me early.” Hosea 5:15

Just as Israel in Egypt finally cried out after God, after more than 200 years of slavery (we hang on a long time – we like Egypt, as miserable as it is, like it), so Israel began to cry out from Babylon. Now, as we read in the Bible, every time things get really bad, God’s people cry out. In Egypt, the abuse got so bad that they finally wanted out of there. God heard and sent Moses. In the days of Gideon, things had gotten so bad that the people were ready for a change, and so God chose Gideon. And the list goes on, but not much is said about the affliction that Israel suffered in Babylon to prompt them to cry out for deliverance. But nonetheless, there are some witnesses:

~ “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. ²We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. ³For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us [required of us] mirth, [saying], ‘Sing us [one] of the songs of Zion.’” Psalm 137:1-3

Evidently their enemies taunted them, demanding of them a song to make fun… “Where is thy God now? Sing us a song about it,” they must have sneered, “and what about the 70 years? Where is your deliverer?” …And they mocked their Sabbaths:

~ “Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and of her miseries all her pleasant things that she had in the days of old, when her people fell into the hand of the enemy, and none did help her: the adversaries saw her, [and] did mock at her Sabbaths.” Lamentations 1:7

Jeremiah, prophesying of their experience in Babylon, parallels it with the time of Jacob’s terrible night of trial:

~ “‘For, lo, the days come,’ saith the LORD, ‘that I will bring again the captivity of My people Israel and Judah,’ saith the LORD: ‘and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.’ ⁴And these [are] the words that the LORD spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah. ⁵For thus saith the LORD; ‘We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. ⁶Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? ⁷Alas! for that day [is] great, so that none [is] like it: it [is] even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.’” Jeremiah 30:3-7

There was affliction! So much so, that they are described as going through birth pains! We know that this passage ALSO applies to the experience of God’s people living in the final moments of this earth’s history… but more on that in a later study.

If you examine the history of the people of God, from faithful Abraham until the end of time, you will notice that the great blessings of God have always been preceded by great affliction. You can see it in their deliverance from Egyptian bondage (heavier work load and more beatings). It was not until after Daniel’s three friends were cast into the furnace of fire that they were promoted in Babylon. It was not until after Daniel had been cast into the den of hungry lions, that all in Darius’ dominion were compelled by a decree of the king to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel. No decree was passed honoring the “Israel of God” in the least, until after Haman had made the gallows where he planned to hang Mordecai (“and letters were sent into all the kings’ provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day”). It was not until after the Jesus had fasted, and had victory over the temptations of the Devil for forty days, that angels were sent to minister to Him. It was not until Paul and Silas had been cruelly beaten, put into jail, and their feet bound in the stocks, that success crowned their labors in Philippi and Thessalonica! So we see that the road to every blessing is strewn with afflictions. Get this! David, in describing God’s dealings with the children of Israel, says, “When He slew them, then they sought Him, and returned and inquired early after God!” Yes, even a Pharaoh, when the plagues are falling on him, could say, “I have sinned against the Lord your God, and against you – now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin, and entreat the Lord your God, that He may take away this death only.” And one more beautiful thought from Paul:

~ “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” Hebrews 12:11

Wow! … Now back to Daniel. As Daniel studied and read the wondrous promise in Jeremiah 29, it dawned on him that his part was to pray, seeking God with his whole heart, so that God could work!

~ “‘Then shall ye call upon Me, and ye shall go and pray unto Me, and I will hearken unto you. ¹³And ye shall seek Me, and find [Me], when ye shall search for Me with all your heart. ¹⁴And I will be found of you,’ saith the LORD: ‘and I will turn away your captivity…” Jeremiah 29:12-14

And so, Daniel prayed.

~ “And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: ⁴and I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession…” Daniel 9:3,4

Daniel understood the importance of prayer. But his wasn’t just any prayer. It was a prayer coupled with a deep searching of heart and confession of sin; not only his own sin but of his fore-fathers (read Daniel’s wondrous prayer in Daniel 9:4-19). It was the kind of prayer that will be heard and cause the Lord to “come back” from His place of “waiting” as Hosea 5:15 implies: “I will go [and] return to My place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek My face: in their affliction they will seek Me early.”

Does God really need our Prayers?:
If God is all knowing and all-powerful, then why does He urge us to pray? Does He really need our prayers in order to work? Let’s look at a mysterious Bible passage that gives us some astounding insight into the significance of prayer, and we will better understand why God urges His people to pray.

~ “‘And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before Me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. ³¹Therefore have I poured out Mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads,’ saith the Lord GOD.” Ezekiel 22:30,31

At the time period of this passage, Israel is in national apostasy. God is seeking to save them from the destruction that is coming but strangely, He cannot, unless He can find a man that will intercede—pray for the land. You see, in the great controversy that has been raging since Lucifer fell, there is much at stake. Lucifer accused God in heaven, and then on earth, that God’s laws were not fair—that he had a better way than God’s way. There were many angels that believed Lucifer. So, God gave him the opportunity to prove himself, whether or not his claims were true. There are rules of engagement and although God is a God of infinite power and majesty, He is also a God of ABSOLUTE FREEDOM. He will not violate the choice of His creatures. When we better understand this, passages like the one above won’t be such a mystery. Notice also the following:

~ “‘Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be [any] that executeth judgment, that seeketh the truth; and I will pardon it.’” Jeremiah 5:1

When it comes to human salvation, He needs our prayers. Some say that God changes His mind, but it is because they don’t understand the significance of prayer. For example, the story of Abraham concerning Sodom and Gomorrah – paraphrasing, “if there is 50 will you save it? 40? 30?…” (Genesis 18:24-33). Did God want to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah—and Abraham is simply changing God’s mind? Why would God come to Abraham telling him of what was about to happen in Sodom and Gomorrah? It’s because He knew that if He found a man that would pray, there might be an opportunity for the land to be saved. If God wanted to destroy the place, He would not have told a faithful, praying man like Abraham – God might have run the risk of someone praying for it! But God is not like this, NO! – His will is that, “all men be saved, and come unto the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:4). God NEVER changes His mind because He ALWAYS wants to do what is right, so there is no need to change His mind. In telling Abraham about Sodom and Gomorrah, God was motivating Abraham to pray! Sometimes God allows affliction to come in order to motivate us to pray! Why? Because, as we just learned, when it comes to the salvation of mankind, He can do nothing except in answer to prayer–and this is all based on freedom of choice. He cannot violate our choice—He cannot force His presence where it is not asked to be—that is why He is said to come knocking, not just barging in!

~ “‘Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.’” Revelation 3:20

Therefore, He needs our prayers (our permission, as it were). God is always out to save, never to destroy. As we continue to study Daniel and the end of the 70 years captivity, we will come to realize that THE FULLFILLMENT OF PROPHECY DEPENDS ON GOD’S PEOPLE PRAYING! But affliction must come in order for us to want off of this planet.

~ “…we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.” Acts 14:22

So, what did God do in answer to Daniel’s prayer? It is truly mind-blowing. Stay tuned for our next study on “acceptable time periods and the importance of prayer.”