Introduction

Let us turn to Daniel chapter 10. Sharing from this book is indeed a bit challenging, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and wisdom varies. I will share my humble understanding with you all. Please do not assume that what I say is correct. It is best for you to diligently read the Bible and comprehend what it is truly about. You may not fully understand it, but I encourage you to be a seeker.

Chinese Mingding Destiny has a most important principle: seeking. Because the Bible says: For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7:8) If we are not seekers, it is a very troublesome matter. For example, in software development, we often encounter things we do not understand, and we search online. Thus, Google is our best teacher.

As an IT software developer, whether you like it or not, the amount of information you store in your head is not much. Most of the time, we need to search on Google. So, in the software industry, I have summarized a few points: First, search; second, copy and paste. What I mean by this is to encourage everyone to be a seeker when reading the Bible. Those who seek will surely understand. If a person does not seek, it is indeed a troublesome matter.

Recently, I was discussing the issue of seeking with a brother, and I slightly offended him. I encouraged him to think more, to seek more, and to consider matters from the future perspective. Because the past is already set in stone; one cannot travel back in time. But we can understand future matters, and then align ourselves to the target. Suppose we went back to the year 2000, knowing that Taobao would flourish, then starting a Taobao business at that time would have been amazing! We know about JD.com, but it is too late to start a JD.com business now!

What should we seek today? Seek how the next few decades will unfold. If you can have a very clear judgment about the future, then I tell you, becoming a wealthy person is not particularly difficult. The world's needs are never fully satisfied. If you grasp even a small need of the 1.3 billion Chinese people, you will become a billionaire. If each person earns one yuan, what about 1.3 billion people? Of course, earning one yuan from each person is indeed a difficult task.

When we read the Book of Daniel, it is all about future events. Daniel, more than 2000 years ago, was seeking future matters. If a person seeks future matters, he must be wise and intelligent. If one does not seek future matters and just lives day by day, then let me say something that may offend you, but please do not take it badly. Not seeking future matters is foolish!

If you do not know what the future holds, what should you do? Seek! Seek God's revelation! If God tells you what will happen in the future, that would be wonderful! If you do not seek, you cannot become a wise and intelligent person. Jack Ma said this: Unless I have a clear judgment about the next 20 to 30 years, I cannot make plans for the next year or two. This is correct. If you do not have a clear judgment about the future, what are you planning? You cannot plan anything!

Recently, I have been working on a few things. I will make a small advertisement for these things that I am doing. In the future, I can boast about anything. I will first talk about these things that I want to do, whether we can accomplish them or not is another matter. For those who learn from me, I want to train them in several abilities: First, computer languages; second, Mandarin Chinese, which is what we call Chinese; third, English. Chinese and English are the two most critical languages in the world, along with computer languages. On the basis of these three languages, adding marketing skills, investment and financial management skills, and business management, human resource management, and financial management skills. Mastering these skills would be amazing!

Whether we learn Chinese or English, we are building a knowledge system. What does this knowledge system build? It learns the art of kingship! This is the wisdom of our Chinese ancestors, which was already formidable from the Spring and Autumn period. If you continue to learn until the Qing Dynasty, you will be even more formidable! If you learn until the new China, you will be even more formidable!

If you can organize the knowledge of the late Roman Empire, all the way to the key knowledge within the major empires, that would be incredible! Therefore, I say that a person must have a judgment about the future. What will the future be like? The future will certainly no longer be based on diplomas; the future will be based on abilities. Suppose you have a Peking University diploma, but you are incapable of doing anything, that would be troublesome, wouldn't it? There are graduates from Peking University who sell pig trotters, and they are doing quite well.

Emulate Daniel, Be a Man of Focused Seeking of God

The theme of Daniel chapter 10 is: Seeking diligently to understand future matters. What was Daniel doing in the previous chapter? Daniel was praying for God's sanctuary. He suddenly realized that Jeremiah had said that the temple would be rebuilt after 70 years, and he knew that this time had come. So he knelt down to pray for God's sanctuary. What did God tell him as a result? There would be a total of seventy weeks, then seven weeks and sixty-two weeks, and finally one week, until the decreed end.

I feel that our God often makes jokes with people. Daniel knelt down to pray for the sanctuary. What was God's response? The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. This sounds so strange! You want to build it, and after it is built, you want to tear it down. What is this for? As a result, it talks about Jesus Christ coming and being crucified, all the way to the decreed end. It seems that God did not respond to Daniel, but in fact, God's response was on a higher level than what Daniel asked for. Then in chapter 10, Daniel continued to seek future matters.

He said: “Daniel, do not be afraid. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. (Daniel 10:12 NIV)

So how is Daniel seen in God's eyes? He is seen as a wise and intelligent person, highly esteemed. Therefore, everyone must know today that if we do not seek future matters, and just live day by day, as we Chinese say: A man who gives no thought to the future will find trouble at his door. Although we may not necessarily seek anything when we seek future matters, I think that some people like to seek future matters, which is a great advantage. But some people, as they think, buy themselves a grave; as they think, prepare a coffin for themselves; as they think, buy a beautiful urn for their ashes, because they can only think that far. Can you think a little further? It's so much better to think further.

Daniel thought all the way to the end of the world, until the decreed end of the world. What was the result? He became a highly esteemed person. God told him many times, saying what? You are a man highly esteemed. These words are well said! I also want to seek. After reading Daniel chapter 10, I know that I must seek to understand future matters.

In the blink of an eye, it is already 2020. What kind of year is 2020? It seems that Daniel chapters 10 and 11 have already passed. It seems that many of the earlier chapters of Revelation have also passed. I feel that this is good! Really good! Therefore, afflicting oneself and focusing on understanding future matters is a great advantage.

Never be a foolish person, and never stop seeking when you find an urn. What should we seek? Seek to understand what the final end of this world will be. You say, what does seeking the end of this world have to do with us? The relationship is huge! Why? Do you think that after you die, everything will be over? In fact, this world is a very spiritual world. What is an era of rampant plague? In reality, it is the pale horse recorded in Revelation. Before God, there is a living creature saying: Come! As a result, a pale horse comes out, and the pale horse brings plague, wiping out 1/4 of the people on earth. It is terribly life-threatening.

Therefore, we must begin to learn from Daniel, to be a person who seeks diligently and understands future matters. If you cannot seek and understand future matters, you will not be a wise and intelligent person. Originally, our Jesus Christ is the beginning and the end. All things were created for Jesus Christ, and all things are united in Jesus Christ.

If we understand this, and then look at our lives, what will you see? You will find that many things become unimportant. The most fatal thing for people is to take this life too seriously and the future too lightly. But our brothers and sisters must know that we must take the future very seriously, seek diligently, and understand what the end of the world will be like. From now on, align ourselves with future matters. Do you think you will become a poor person? You will not become a poor person.

If you are such a person, you will surely be a highly esteemed person. If God flicks down a wisdom the size of a fingernail from heaven and it lands on our heads, you will be amazing! You must know what the end of the world is like. If we know what kind of situation the end of the world is, you will surely become very wise, and many things today will become unimportant.

I have a habit of speaking very bluntly. My mouth is quite foul, and I speak very harshly. Why am I so harsh? I am not like this usually. If I have planned well, arranged well, and I want to test someone, I will say: You idiot, you foolish person! I will see what their reaction is. As a result, their reaction proves that they are indeed a foolish person. You can tell with a single test. Why? Because of people's emotions.

If one day you discover that I am humiliating you, you should clearly know what I am doing. I am telling you all my cards. So, if you encounter this in the future, you will know what I am doing. In fact, I am not like this usually. Usually, I am quite refined. After doing it, I feel uncomfortable myself. Why? I worry whether the person can take it or not. Well, whether they can take it or not, let them just take it!

God is a God Who Tests People

Our God also often tests people. These last days are extremely critical. Daniel's seeking is no small matter. Seeing the scene of the end times, it is unbelievable! It is an extremely great battle, and this battle is unimaginable! I think, what does the end of this great battle look like? It seems like the saints of God are suffering a one-sided defeat in front of the devil. That is really life-threatening!

God, what will the future be like? In the future, the legions of hell are advancing, and the church is retreating before them. I am telling you, you cannot be in a good mood, and I cannot be in a good mood either. But this is how it is. In our generation, there is a prophet called Rick Joyner. He wrote a book called The Final Quest. The visions that Rick Joyner saw may be what Daniel saw: the church retreating, suffering a devastating defeat.

Why? Because they are fighting with the devil on the plains of the knowledge of good and evil. Later, Rick Joyner described the situation on the battlefield as extremely tragic. In other words, what Daniel saw was probably this situation. Therefore, Daniel mourned for three weeks. As a result, Daniel saw again on the twenty-fourth day of the first month. The person he saw is very similar to the description in Revelation.

I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over. On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris, I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. His body was like topaz, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches,他的手和脚如光明的铜，说话的声音如大众的声音. (《但以理书》10:2-6)

What Daniel saw is the same as what the old John saw in Revelation:

Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. (Daniel 10:8-12)

What did God say to him? I will tell you the future events one by one. The subsequent response is in chapter 11. Let's first look at chapter 10. You will see that Daniel is very distressed.

Suddenly a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. He said, “Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling. Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. (Daniel 10:16-19)

This passage of scripture is not easy to examine. We see that when people enter the spiritual realm and encounter these things, you will find that our reaction in the spiritual realm is utter powerlessness. Because we live in the flesh, our physical reaction in the spiritual realm becomes very pale and weak. This is a very normal reaction, and everyone should not find it strange.

Why was Daniel sad? Because God's plan was completely different from what he imagined. He thought that there would be a holy church in the future, that God's temple would be rebuilt in Jerusalem, and that David's prosperous dynasty would come to Israel again. As a result, in the previous chapter, he saw that the anointed one was cut off, which was completely beyond Daniel's imagination. So he was very sad. And this time, seeing the scene of the final battle, the church retreating, he wanted to know what was going to happen in the future.

God's plan is not our plan. When we encounter things, we all want peace, happiness, and health. How good that would be! But what kind of vision is this? But this is indeed God's plan. In the days of Abraham, Abraham was also a seeker, also a highly esteemed person. As a result, after he sought, one day God appeared to him, and God said: You must know for certain that your descendants will be slaves in Egypt for 400 years, and they will come out from there in the future.

If I were Abraham, I would find these words a bit strange. God, aren't you going to bless all the nations of the earth through me? Those who bless me will be blessed, and those who curse me will be cursed. My descendants should not be slaves in Egypt for 400 years! As a result, our imagination and God's actions are really not the same.

Based on our flesh, based on human vision, we like this, but God is just like that. It is difficult for us to imagine, but God's foolishness is stronger than man's wisdom, completely beyond our imagination. Daniel and Abraham have a common characteristic: when the revelation they received was different from what they imagined, they chose to accept God's revelation, because that is God! Abraham received this matter, and his reaction was very strange. He did not ask God why this would happen.

God Sifts Out His Treasures Through Trials

If something happens to you that is different from what you imagined, be cautious. Why? Because what you imagined may not be useful; what God does in you is what truly matters. So, what exactly is God doing? Actually, God wants to reveal a spiritual truth to us.

As the crucible is for silver, and the furnace for gold, so the Lord tests the hearts. Gold refiners are something to behold; they dig up ore that seems more like stone than gold. Yet within that rock lies gold. Water can wash out some impurities, but it’s imperfect. Fire refines the gold. It burns the gold to 18k, then 22k, then 24k pure gold. All of this is achieved through fire!

How much impurity is in your life and mine? Only through difficulties and trials can we be purified. We must understand that great battles can quickly refine gold, but it is hard work! I say, God, don't refine me this way; I can't take it! But, God, not my will, but yours be done! Please continue to refine me!

We must know that in these end times, the church will become increasingly holy because the battles are becoming more intense. God will seal our foreheads, and nothing will harm us. I am proud because God has chosen me. Until today, the spiritual battles we've fought have all been victories!

When I prayed with someone, the demon within them began to speak: It's bad luck to run into you! Why are you here again? It is to win over the whole earth for God! Being an end-times Christian is full of challenges. You either choose to be eliminated or enter God's kingdom; it is not easy. Were things easier for Christians before the end times? No, it was easier for previous Christians. God is refining us in these last days, like refining pure gold.

Even if our thoughts are completely different from God's, choose to believe in Him! Even for His temple, God does not care. God will raise up a king to destroy the city and the sanctuary; it will ultimately be swept away by a flood, and there will be war. This desolation is decreed. This is God's intention: to sift out all the treasures, like pure gold, from the beginning of creation to the end of the world. This is Mingding Destiny.

Everyone must understand God's plan. His wish is not to bring a bunch of trash or losers into His kingdom. God wants to select and discipline a group of people who are like Him. The gospel we preach today is very different from a cheap gospel. The cheap gospel says: I have been baptized, I have been saved, and I can continue to live like the world! If you are experiencing peace, nothing happening, going to work, getting off work, three meals a day, and sleeping, be careful! It is hard to tell what that is! Is it an old nag (老马), or is it the grace of God?

Today, God is bringing His people into His kingdom. Even in the time of Jesus, God had stated that what He wanted were disciples. What is a disciple? The Bible says:

And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. (Matthew 19:29)

These are disciples! God has never said that He wants believers. If we are merely believers, we cannot win in the great battles. Brothers and sisters, we must understand that God wants disciples! How much of a price are you willing to pay for God? Is your goal to live your own small life, or are you willing to lay down everything for God?

Some say, Lay down everything? Is there such a thing? Read the Bible carefully, the four Gospels and the Book of Acts. You will know what kind of people Jesus wants. Don't be mistaken. One day, you might think you have gone to heaven, only to open your eyes and see a cauldron of oil, as if frying dough sticks or twists! That's what I mean—I have never been to that place which is hell.

Imagine opening your eyes and seeing such a place, filled with chaos and bizarre monsters. This is not heaven! I should be in heaven! Brothers and sisters, we must carefully consider our days on earth. Our days are not long; we must do our best to love God. If we love this world, the god of this world also knows who you are. God knows what you love. Isn't that deadly?

Imitate Jesus and Walk with God

Let me answer another question: Why is there a great battle? Why do we experience such things? Because it forces people to seek and become people in God's kingdom. This is not a common gospel; it is an immense and heavy grace. Do we take our salvation lightly? Do we underestimate the treasure we have received? If you do not value this treasure, but see it as a mere accessory in life, you are in trouble.

God became flesh, and the salvation bought with the precious blood and life of His only Son, Jesus Christ, is so precious! How can we despise this salvation and grace? What do we need to do today? We need to imitate the path of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ has opened a true and living way for us, a way that requires sacrifice.

Why are we willing to pay the price? Because we believe and have received the revelation that this is how the future looks. Being alive at this stage, how should we do our utmost to love the Lord our God? How should we do our utmost to reject the world's value system? How should we trample on the devil, the enemy, become disciples of Jesus Christ, and release the captives? This is God's great grace. Why does God reveal this future to us? Because the earth needs people to pray. The prayers of us Christians can open chapters in human history; each prayer can start a new chapter. Why does God need people to pray before He acts? Because this is the rule set by our God; this is called working with God.

We pray on earth, and God fulfills what we pray in heaven. Only those who walk with God can come into God's presence. If you walk with the devil or an old nag(老马) on earth, what will you do in heaven? Become something that should be destroyed? Heaven does not need that; heaven needs people who will work with God.

In Genesis chapter 5, you will find that only Enoch walked with God in that generation, and then he was taken away. Carefully read the Bible; weren't those who walked with God taken away? How can those who do not walk with God and conform to the god of this world not become something to be destroyed? In this fiery trial, if you are gold, you will become gold; if you are wood, hay, or straw, you will be burned to ashes, nothing. Stop wasting your time; cherish what we have received!

Here in our midst, many have been healed and delivered. Many have had cold and fever symptoms and have been healed through prayer. What a grace! Hospitals have declared that there is no way to treat them, but we already have a way. For God is our greatest doctor. What a grace! Why is this so? Because we pray for God's sanctuary and build God's glorious church, so God is with us!

Today, we focus on seeking and understanding the things of the future. I clearly understand how the future will develop because Revelation and Daniel have clearly revealed these things to us. So, can you wake up and learn to see through all this? Until today, many brothers and sisters in our midst are focused on earthly things.

Today, the people we are training are focused on heavenly things; it does not mean that we do not care about earthly things at all. If we grasp the things of heaven, focus on God's affairs, and seek God's kingdom and righteousness, we will become greatly beloved people, wise and intelligent in God's eyes! We know what will happen in the last days, and we are a part of God's plan. What a grace!

The Devil Constantly Hinders People from Seeking God

Brothers and sisters, the devil constantly hinders mankind from receiving God and seeking God. Not only that, when God's revelation comes to us, the devil also hinders us.

The scripture says:

But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. (Daniel 10:13)

The devil does not want people to know about the future; he wants people to see only the small things of this life: going to college, getting an education, getting a diploma, finding a job, living life, marrying, buying, selling, planting, building, and forgetting about the things of the future. People will become possessions of the devil.

Countries and generals are controlled in the spiritual realm. For example, the Persian Empire is because of the prince of Persia, and the Greek Empire is because of the prince of Greece. Each region has local dark forces to control it. But each region also has an archangel, the angel of God, in charge. Michael is the archangel of the nation of Israel. Each country has an archangel in charge and a prince of darkness in charge.

We need to understand that when we pray, ask, and fight battles on earth, things will happen in the spiritual realm, and chapters of human history will be opened. We will begin to become people who work with God. Today, I encourage everyone to focus on seeking and understanding the things of the future, and you will see through the things of today.

Conclusion

The things we value in this life, such as face, self-esteem, discrimination from others, and living a small life, will all vanish. But if we seek God and seek to understand the things of the future, we will work with God until the end of the world! We will become treasures in God's eyes, pure gold and jewels in God's hands! We will build God's temple, become God's dwelling place, and become God's resting place. What a glorious thing! Let us continue to seek! May God bless everyone!