Kingdom Down: A Study in DanielSample

The Spirit of Babylon vs. The Spirit of God

In opening the book of Daniel, you’ll be able to see all of human history, nations, kings and kingdoms, elections and politicians, and decisions from the perspective of Jesus Christ, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, so you can live your life Kingdom Down instead of hell up.

At Daniel’s time in history (600 B.C.), the Israelites are exiles. They were taken from their home in Israel and made to live under a godless king, given new names, a new diet, and new laws. Despite all of this, as a teenager, Daniel remains faithful to the Lord and serves as an example of how to not be overcome by a culture that is opposed to God and the Bible.

The book of Daniel is all about that which is unseen. Behind the world that we see is a world that God rules and reigns. There is a reality in the presence of God, with angelic beings that are just as real as the world in which we live as human beings. Daniel will reveal all of that to give you hope and courage, so that you keep your faith in a world that's lost its mind.

The story of Daniel takes place in a city called Babylon, which is in modern day Iraq. One of the interpretive keys to Daniel is seeing Babylon as two things: an ancient culture and nation, as well as a spirit, a demonic counterfeit to the kingdom of God.

Daniel is not just a book about what happened but about what always happens when there is a conflict between the Kingdom of God and the spirit that is seeking to establish the kingdom of Babylon. That being said, in the Book of Revelation, there are some interpretive clues given to us regarding Babylon. Babylon appears throughout the Bible and it concludes at the end of Revelation, the New Testament corollary and prophetic book that connects to Daniel. It shows us what happens when King Jesus comes back and sets up a Kingdom that never ends and crushes all other kings and kingdoms.

Revelation 14, 16, 17, and 18, speak of Babylon and call it the “mother of prostitutes”. God creates a people he calls his bride. Satan counterfeits with a people that are the prostitute of Babylon. It is God creating and Satan counterfeiting. And so, Babylon is the counterfeit of the people who belong to God. And then it says over and over and over at the end of Revelation: “fallen, fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great”. The spirit of Babylon will work through nations, cultures, times and places. This spirit begins before Daniel and that work continues until Jesus comes back to end this war once and forever.

Daniel is all about how to fear the Lord over man because, at the end of the day, you can spend all your time pleasing people and trying to stay out of trouble, or you can spend eternity reaping the rewards of faithfulness to the one true King.

While the spirit of Babylon wants to topple, train, and tempt you, the Spirit of God is sent to strengthen and sustain you. I can’t wait for you to discover what God has to say through this incredibly timely and timeless book of the Bible.

In what ways do you see culture opposing Christianity today, and how are you standing strong spiritually against the attacks of the enemy?