Taking note

Daniel says that upon receiving the vision from an angel in Daniel 10, ‘When he had spoken such words unto me, I set my face toward the ground, and I became dumb.’

Jordan explains, “That’s a good way to be, isn’t it? If an angel starts giving you that kind of stuff the best thing to do is just look down and shut up.

“Daniel says when the angel talked to him ‘straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me.’ You know, folks, you hear people say they saw an angel or something and it didn’t affect them; they’re nuts! Daniel said, ‘Man, it just took the wind right out of me. I mean, it just sapped all my strength. I became just limp.’

“Verse 18 says, ‘Then there came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me.’ The angel speaks to him and gives him the word and the word strengthens him. Then the angel said, ‘Don’t you know why I’ve come to you?’

“When Gabriel begins to give him the information that strengthens him. Folks, there are two things that happen when prophetic truth is given out to Daniel and to Israel. No. 1 it strengthens them; it gives them heart strength and courage, and No. 2 it enlightens them. ‘I’m come to make you understand; I’m come to make you know what’s going on.’

“There’s an interesting comparison between this and the Book of Ephesians. Paul prays for the saints there that, ‘The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.’

“When you begin to get mystery truth, you know what it will begin to do? It enlightens you. It gives you knowledge about what’s going on. Then he says in the other prayer in Ephesians, ‘That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.’

“Prophetic truth gave Daniel and the prophetic saints enlightenment and strength, and our truth does the same thing for us.

“Notice in verse 21 is a real touching thing: ‘But I will shew thee that which is noted (marked down) in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.’

“You see the angel’s attitude and estimation toward the Word of God? You know what that Book is? Jesus said ‘sanctify them by thy word, thy word is truth.’ Paul said ‘rightly divide the word of truth.’

"Chapter 11:2 says, ‘And now will I shew thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia.’

“You know what Daniel had? He had copies of God’s Word and the angel said, ‘The copies you got there, Dan, and what I’m going to give you to write down, it’s gonna be true.’ That’s fantastic, isn’t it?

“Isn’t it wonderful to know God have you a Book and called it the truth and you don’t have to worry about error and mistake, or human opinion or viewpoint?

“The only absolute final authority in this universe is that Book and that’s why it’s different from every other book in the universe and that’s why the world hates it, can’t stand it, gets upset, gets it’s liver in a quiver every time you pull it out.

“You go get out here on the CTA with a Playboy or a Hustler or a some other godless pornographic thing that doesn’t even have a name on it, and they’ll sit there and pant and look over your shoulder. But you sit there and you get an old black book out and you hold it up and start reading it and you know what they do? They get all nervous.

“I sat on an airplane and the pilot said it was going to be a full flight. I got my briefcase out and got out my Bible and laid it on that seat next to me. The woman who was assigned the seat came up, put her bags up and looked at that book and started looking for another seat!

“You know why that is? Something about that Book, man! That’s God’s word. You know what a saint does? He picks that thing up and he loves it and it’s a friend.

“Look at that old Bible just wore out, coming all to pieces, the back coming off. That’s my friend, man. You know how it is with your Book, don’t you? You wear it out. That’s because you get familiar with your Savior. It’s the Word of truth.”