And I do want to
welcome every one of you
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back into our afternoon session
here at our Pillars of Prophecy
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event. And this morning
was just such a blessing.
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Pastor Bohr was
really ministering.
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He touched me in areas
and taught me something
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that I didn't know.
Don't you enjoy it when you
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learn something that
you didn't know before?
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And this was
just a tremendous...
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This whole Camp Meeting so far
to me has been one of the most
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powerful that we've ever had.
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Of course something that
I'm told is that I say that
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at every Camp Meeting. But
I truly believe God continues
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just to pour out His Holy
Spirit and touch our hearts
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and draw us closer to Him.
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Well we're going to start
this afternoon's session with
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Pastor David Shin.
Pastor Shin is the pastor of
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the East Lansing and
Williamson churches in Michigan.
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He has extensive
studies in historical theology.
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As a matter of fact, he has
his Master's degree in that.
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And something that I find
endearing about Pastor Shin
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is that he has a heart
for young college students.
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He likes to go on the
college... on the campuses
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and minister the gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ
00:02:02.12\00:02:04.71
to these young people. And so
we appreciate him so very much.
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Today he's going to continue
with the study in Daniel
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He's going to... His
session is going to be
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about the dream. So
open your hearts to him.
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But before Pastor Shin
comes we have our very own
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Pastor C.A. Murray
that's going to come
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and minister a beautiful song.
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We appreciate C.A.
around here, don't we?
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He's a blessing to
us in so many ways.
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The title of his song is
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My Faith Has
Found A Resting Place.
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My faith has
found a resting place,
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Not in a man-made creed;
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I trust the Ever living One,
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That He for me will plead.
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I need no other evidence,
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I need no other plea,
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It is enough that Jesus died
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and rose again for me.
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Enough for me that Jesus saves,
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This ends my fear and doubt;
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A sinful soul I come to Him,
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He will not cast me out.
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I need no other evidence,
00:04:06.58\00:04:11.20
I need no other plea,
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It is enough that Jesus died
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and rose again for me.
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The great
Physician heals the sick,
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The lost He came to save;
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For me His
precious blood He shed,
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For me His life He gave.
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I need no other evidence,
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I need no other plea,
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It is enough that Jesus died
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and rose again for me.
00:05:06.51\00:05:12.42
My soul is resting on the Word,
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The living Word of God,
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Salvation in my Savior's name,
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Salvation thro' His blood.
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I need no other evidence,
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I need no other plea,
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It is enough that Jesus died
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and rose again
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for me.
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Thank you, C.A.,
for that beautiful song.
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Let's bow our heads together
as we pray this afternoon.
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Our Father in
heaven, we thank you
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that we need no other evidence.
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We need no other plea.
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It is enough that Jesus
died and rose again for me.
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Father, we're
gathered here this afternoon
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as Your people to look
at the Pillars of Prophecy.
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We pray that our
faith would be built up.
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That our assurance in the
future would be rock solid
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in Jesus Christ. And today
as we look at the prophecies
00:07:05.28\00:07:09.13
of Daniel we pray that You
would lead us and guide us.
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For we ask these
things in Jesus' name, Amen.
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Before we get into
the heart of today's study
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found in Daniel chapter 2 I
wanted to spend a few moments
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recognizing that we are
living in an age and a time
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in which people are
wondering about the future.
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And it happens
to be the year 2012.
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And I want to begin
by reading a quotation
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that was in the media by
an individual that believes
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that 2012 is a significant
year for our human civilization.
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And I quote. It says:
"You have to understand
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that there will be
nothing... nothing left"
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Gerald told ABC News
from his home in Belgium.
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"We will have to start every-
thing... the entire civilization
00:08:05.19\00:08:10.09
from scratch. " That's because
Gerald believes that the world
00:08:10.29\00:08:15.52
as we know it
will end in 2012. "
00:08:15.72\00:08:18.23
And he points to the ancient
Mayan cyclical calendar -
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the longest of which last
renewed itself approximately
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5,125 years ago -
is set to end again
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supposedly with
catastrophic circumstances.
00:08:31.40\00:08:35.28
He speaks of the
ancient Egyptians
00:08:35.58\00:08:39.03
who he claims saw the year 2012
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as a year of great
change. And he goes on:
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"Only the prepared will survive
and not even all of them. "
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These may sound like
the ravings of a mad man
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or perhaps the head of
a small apocalyptic sect
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but Gerald is not the only one
who believes in the apocalypse
00:08:59.45\00:09:03.19
of 2012. Thousands of people
00:09:03.39\00:09:05.65
worldwide seem to be
preparing in one way or another
00:09:05.85\00:09:10.10
for the end of days in 2012,
and survival groups exist today
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in Europe, Canada,
and the United States.
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I'd like to move on to
another group of individuals.
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These are
scientists that are saying that
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our civilization as we
know it may come to an end
00:09:29.22\00:09:32.56
in the next century.
00:09:32.76\00:09:34.20
By the way, I don't
believe in the 2012 scenario
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just to be clear.
00:09:37.44\00:09:39.27
And this is from a
program called The Earth 2100.
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And what this program did
was they went to some of the
00:09:44.74\00:09:48.63
top scientists at Harvard,
Yale, some of the Ivy League
00:09:48.73\00:09:53.00
schools of our day and
asked them what was their
00:09:53.10\00:09:56.12
future or what was the future
of the human civilization.
00:09:56.42\00:10:01.39
And the question goes like this
as they begin this program...
00:10:01.59\00:10:04.87
And this is from a secular
media source. And it says:
00:10:05.07\00:10:08.03
"Are we living in the last
century of our civilization? "
00:10:08.23\00:10:12.33
These are not religionists.
00:10:12.63\00:10:14.77
These are intelligent people.
Secular, perhaps agnostic.
00:10:14.98\00:10:18.36
And they say: "Is it possible
that all of our technology,
00:10:18.56\00:10:21.97
knowledge, and wealth
cannot save us from ourselves?
00:10:22.17\00:10:26.06
Could our society actually
be heading toward collapse? "
00:10:26.37\00:10:31.65
According to many of
the world's top scientists
00:10:31.96\00:10:35.61
the answer is yes...
unless we take action now.
00:10:35.81\00:10:40.25
Experts say that
extreme changes in climate
00:10:40.55\00:10:44.02
combined with dwindling
resources, famine, war, disease
00:10:44.22\00:10:48.73
have the potential to create
- and notice the words here -
00:10:48.93\00:10:52.25
a post-apocalyptic world in
less than one hundred years.
00:10:52.45\00:10:57.79
Harvard University and Woods
Hole climatologist John Holdren
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says: "We cannot continue
going down the same path.
00:11:03.01\00:11:07.05
If we continue on
as business as usual,
00:11:07.35\00:11:10.02
we are going to see
more floods, more droughts,
00:11:10.22\00:11:12.68
more heatwaves, more wildfires,
00:11:12.89\00:11:15.42
more ice melting, faster
sea levels rise" Holdren says.
00:11:15.62\00:11:20.99
Here's a climatologist. A
person from Harvard University
00:11:21.19\00:11:23.87
that says as he looks
into the future as a scientist
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he doesn't believe that we
have much hope of making it
00:11:28.50\00:11:32.33
out of the next hundred years.
00:11:32.53\00:11:34.12
There's another book
by Dr. Eugene Linden.
00:11:35.54\00:11:40.08
And this is a book that was
at the top of the New York Times
00:11:41.75\00:11:44.94
Best Selling List.
He's a renown journalist
00:11:45.04\00:11:48.59
for Time Magazine.
And his book is entitled
00:11:48.80\00:11:52.25
The Future In Plain Sight.
00:11:52.45\00:11:54.56
And he says: "The rise of
true believers and other clues
00:11:54.76\00:11:58.59
to the coming instability. "
00:11:58.69\00:12:00.53
That's code for a
crisis in the future.
00:12:00.63\00:12:03.56
And he notes: "These
things are characteristics
00:12:03.76\00:12:08.16
of a coming
collapse in the near future.
00:12:08.36\00:12:10.86
No. 1: the collapse of our
integrated global economy. "
00:12:11.06\00:12:15.88
We saw that in 2008... almost.
00:12:16.18\00:12:19.25
"The massive, unprecedented
migration of the rural
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to the world's bursting cities.
00:12:24.49\00:12:26.37
Urban, national, and global
overcrowding through population
00:12:26.57\00:12:30.38
explosions. The widening gap
between the rich and the poor.
00:12:30.58\00:12:34.13
The ominous
rising of the sea levels.
00:12:34.33\00:12:36.70
The spreading
collapse of the bio/eco systems
00:12:37.20\00:12:41.14
of life on our planet.
00:12:41.34\00:12:42.79
Mounting water and food
shortages from troubling
00:12:43.09\00:12:46.18
climate changes.
00:12:46.29\00:12:47.62
The resurgence of
spreading infectious diseases. "
00:12:47.82\00:12:51.06
And then he says:
"Last but not least
00:12:51.36\00:12:53.98
growing radical,
right-wing, fundamentalism
00:12:54.19\00:12:56.65
in all world religions. "
00:12:56.85\00:12:59.35
Here's a secular individual
saying that the way he sees it
00:12:59.56\00:13:04.33
there is going to come an
instability here in the near
00:13:04.53\00:13:08.45
future. And there's a gentleman
by the name of Stephen Hawking.
00:13:08.55\00:13:12.08
He's an astrophysicist.
He holds the Lucasian Chair
00:13:12.28\00:13:14.99
of Mathematics at
Cambridge University.
00:13:15.19\00:13:17.02
And many people esteem
him to be the modern-day
00:13:17.22\00:13:19.49
Albert Einstein.
00:13:19.70\00:13:21.34
He has Lou Gehrig's
disease... is paralyzed
00:13:21.54\00:13:24.11
and has to communicate
through a speech synthesizer
00:13:24.31\00:13:28.47
which detects 1.0 mm
movement of his index finger.
00:13:28.68\00:13:32.18
This gentleman that does
not believe in God says that
00:13:32.38\00:13:35.61
this is the solution for the
problems that we as a human race
00:13:35.81\00:13:40.23
face... and I quote.
This is Steven Hawking...
00:13:40.43\00:13:43.32
a brilliant
scientist. And he says:
00:13:43.52\00:13:46.29
"It is important
for the human race
00:13:46.42\00:13:50.41
to spread out into space
00:13:50.51\00:13:53.98
for the survival
of the species. "
00:13:54.18\00:13:56.81
Are you hearing me?
00:13:57.11\00:13:58.87
This is the solution!
00:13:59.17\00:14:01.06
The brightest man that many
people say had the highest IQ
00:14:01.09\00:14:04.25
that is off the charts, and
he's looking into the future
00:14:04.35\00:14:06.58
and he says: "The human
solution for our extinction
00:14:06.68\00:14:10.34
is to spread out into space. "
00:14:10.54\00:14:12.38
Now I don't know about you,
but that is not very comforting
00:14:12.48\00:14:14.84
for me. "It's important for
the human race to spread out
00:14:14.94\00:14:19.52
into space for the
survival of the species, "
00:14:19.62\00:14:22.38
Hawking says. "Life on earth
is at an ever-increasing risk
00:14:22.58\00:14:28.28
of being wiped out by disaster
such as sudden nuclear war,
00:14:28.48\00:14:33.69
a genetically-engineered virus,
00:14:33.90\00:14:36.26
or other dangers we
have not yet thought of. "
00:14:36.46\00:14:40.34
Here the brightest people that
are looking at earth's problems
00:14:42.55\00:14:47.71
and they are scratching
their heads and saying that
00:14:48.02\00:14:51.28
we do not have the solution.
00:14:51.48\00:14:54.31
Whether it be the economy;
whether it be natural disasters;
00:14:54.61\00:14:59.64
thinking people everywhere
are looking into this century
00:14:59.84\00:15:04.04
that we are living in right now
00:15:04.24\00:15:06.09
and saying that we,
if we are not careful,
00:15:06.29\00:15:08.87
we are headed toward extinction.
00:15:09.07\00:15:11.97
And they use the word
post-apocalyptic world.
00:15:13.46\00:15:18.91
I'm so glad for prophecy. Amen?
00:15:21.95\00:15:26.74
Because if I did
not believe in God
00:15:27.14\00:15:29.77
or the
inspiration of the Word of God
00:15:29.97\00:15:33.05
what do you have
to hang your hat on?
00:15:33.35\00:15:36.03
Absolutely nothing!
00:15:36.53\00:15:38.51
And I'm so glad that
3ABN this weekend has focused
00:15:38.91\00:15:42.88
on the Pillars of Prophecy.
00:15:43.09\00:15:45.62
And I want to start out
by beginning with the words
00:15:46.02\00:15:50.46
of Jesus. If you would
turn with me in your Bibles
00:15:50.57\00:15:53.29
to John chapter 14 verse 29.
00:15:53.39\00:15:55.56
Jesus talks about predictive
prophecy, and He talks about
00:15:55.76\00:15:59.60
the purpose of
predictive prophecy.
00:15:59.70\00:16:01.97
John chapter 14 verse 29.
00:16:02.07\00:16:03.76
As we look at world
events, as we look at the coming
00:16:04.07\00:16:08.07
instability, the coming
crisis that many people...
00:16:08.27\00:16:12.10
will take us to the very
brink of human extinction,
00:16:12.30\00:16:15.41
we can look at John
chapter 14 verse 29-
00:16:15.61\00:16:18.17
the words of Jesus
Christ Himself - and have hope.
00:16:18.37\00:16:21.42
John chapter 14 verse
29 He says: "And now I have
00:16:21.62\00:16:25.79
told you... " What does
the Bible say? "before it comes
00:16:25.90\00:16:30.07
that way when it does
come to pass you may... " What?
00:16:30.37\00:16:34.21
"you may believe.
" The Bible tells us
00:16:34.41\00:16:36.73
Jesus tells us before it
happens that way when it happens
00:16:36.93\00:16:40.09
"you may believe. " Now
predictive prophecy is not
00:16:40.19\00:16:43.54
so it can just tickle our fancy
so we can know what will come
00:16:43.74\00:16:47.09
in the future. It always
points us to Jesus Christ.
00:16:47.29\00:16:51.12
Prophecy is always
Christ-o-centric. Amen?
00:16:51.32\00:16:55.40
Jesus is always at
the center of prophecy
00:16:55.70\00:16:59.34
and here Jesus tells
us that when it happens
00:16:59.54\00:17:02.61
"you may believe. "
00:17:02.81\00:17:05.56
And it's my prayer today that
as we look at the prophecies
00:17:05.86\00:17:09.69
of the Bible that it will
build our faith in Jesus Christ.
00:17:09.89\00:17:14.16
I'd like to turn to one
other New Testament passage.
00:17:15.35\00:17:18.45
It's found in Matthew
chapter 24 and verse 15.
00:17:18.55\00:17:21.87
This is known as the
great eschatological chapter
00:17:22.08\00:17:26.28
in the Bible. Jesus is
looking down to the end of time.
00:17:26.48\00:17:30.16
He's worried
about the Christians.
00:17:30.36\00:17:31.89
And in Matthew chapter
24 verse 15 Jesus gives
00:17:32.09\00:17:36.39
an endorsement that I
find nowhere else in scripture
00:17:36.59\00:17:40.77
from the mouth of
Jesus Christ Himself.
00:17:40.87\00:17:42.70
Matthew chapter 24 verse 15.
00:17:42.90\00:17:44.87
Jesus - focusing on
end-time events - He says:
00:17:47.44\00:17:50.51
"Therefore when you see
the abomination of desolation
00:17:50.71\00:17:56.10
spoken of by Daniel the prophet
standing in the holy place
00:17:56.30\00:18:01.15
whoever reads
let him understand. "
00:18:01.35\00:18:05.15
Now we can preach a whole
sermon just on this verse.
00:18:05.45\00:18:09.14
But I want to point out
three simple observations
00:18:09.34\00:18:13.50
from Matthew
chapter 24 verse 15.
00:18:13.70\00:18:16.10
And number 1: Jesus assumes
00:18:16.30\00:18:20.92
or rather I
should say Jesus declares
00:18:21.12\00:18:23.84
that Daniel is a
prophet. Amen. Amen.
00:18:24.14\00:18:28.78
Here Jesus is giving
the divine endorsement and
00:18:29.16\00:18:32.41
Jesus Christ Himself
says Daniel is trustworthy.
00:18:32.61\00:18:36.44
He gives revelation
that is inspired by God.
00:18:36.65\00:18:41.70
Amen? Daniel is a prophet.
00:18:41.90\00:18:44.60
And if you believe in
Jesus you have to believe
00:18:44.81\00:18:48.89
that Daniel has something
to say for God's people
00:18:49.09\00:18:51.91
living in the end of time. Amen?
00:18:52.11\00:18:53.28
There's a lot of
people - Christians - that say
00:18:53.48\00:18:55.53
that the book of
Daniel is a closed book.
00:18:55.63\00:18:57.84
It's irrelevant.
00:18:58.04\00:18:59.57
It doesn't have anything to say
about God's people living in the
00:18:59.60\00:19:02.28
last days. But if
you believe in Jesus
00:19:02.38\00:19:04.64
Jesus says Daniel's a prophet.
00:19:04.84\00:19:06.60
Thus we can trust in
him... trust in Daniel.
00:19:06.90\00:19:10.49
Number 2: Jesus points
out that the book of Daniel
00:19:10.69\00:19:15.53
is relevant to
God's last-day people.
00:19:15.73\00:19:21.24
It is relevant not irrelevant.
00:19:22.24\00:19:27.25
It is something that we should
pay attention to as we are
00:19:27.46\00:19:32.30
approaching the very final
moments of earth's history.
00:19:32.44\00:19:34.80
Number 3: Jesus
gives a divine endorsement
00:19:35.50\00:19:41.31
that we should read and
study the book of Daniel.
00:19:41.51\00:19:46.66
Now I don't know about
you, but that's a pretty good
00:19:47.80\00:19:50.31
endorsement. There are
times that I meet someone that
00:19:50.41\00:19:55.53
I want to know what
their reading list is.
00:19:55.66\00:19:58.19
And I say: "Are there any books
that you should recommend? "
00:19:58.39\00:20:02.51
And they give me a list of books
and I go when I have the money
00:20:02.72\00:20:07.61
on Amazon. com and
I purchase those books
00:20:07.81\00:20:11.33
just based on the recommendation
of the person that gave me
00:20:11.53\00:20:14.73
those books to read.
00:20:14.83\00:20:17.16
And here's Jesus saying:
"Look, God's people living
00:20:17.37\00:20:20.79
in the last days...
read the book of Daniel. "
00:20:20.89\00:20:23.84
I don't know about you,
but that's a pretty good
00:20:24.14\00:20:26.22
endorsement. Amen?
00:20:26.32\00:20:27.78
And it's with these thoughts,
with these concepts at heart,
00:20:27.98\00:20:32.77
that we are looking
at the book of Daniel.
00:20:32.97\00:20:36.03
Pastor Stephen Bohr
gave a beautiful theme
00:20:36.23\00:20:40.29
presentation on
the book of Daniel.
00:20:40.50\00:20:42.49
And I'd like to highlight
some of these as we go on.
00:20:42.69\00:20:45.48
The book of Daniel is
divided into two major portions:
00:20:45.68\00:20:48.25
the prophetic and the
historic or the narrative.
00:20:48.46\00:20:51.73
There are eight stories found
interspersed throughout the book
00:20:51.86\00:20:55.82
of Daniel. And
incidentally, six of the stories
00:20:55.92\00:20:59.38
are characteristics
that we are to develop
00:20:59.58\00:21:02.40
and two of the stories are
characteristics that we are
00:21:02.60\00:21:06.67
to avoid.
Incidentally, the word Daniel -
00:21:06.77\00:21:10.26
the name Daniel -
means God is my judge.
00:21:10.46\00:21:15.39
And when you look at the
last church living right before
00:21:15.90\00:21:19.70
the end of time it is the
word - the name - Laodicea.
00:21:19.81\00:21:24.35
Incidentally the word Laodicea
doesn't mean lukewarm...
00:21:24.55\00:21:26.88
even though that's one
of the characteristics.
00:21:27.08\00:21:28.90
Laodicea means a people judged.
00:21:29.10\00:21:31.70
I believe that Daniel
is a type of God's people
00:21:32.00\00:21:36.53
living right before the final
moments of earth's history.
00:21:36.74\00:21:40.76
The book of Daniel is
built upon the principle
00:21:42.05\00:21:44.52
of repeat and enlarge.
00:21:44.72\00:21:46.75
And I've been given
the privilege of looking at
00:21:46.95\00:21:48.57
Daniel chapter 2.
00:21:48.67\00:21:50.07
Daniel chapter 2, 7,
and 8 repeat the same theme,
00:21:50.27\00:21:55.62
the same structure,
but enlarge upon themselves
00:21:55.83\00:22:00.04
as they go
through this presentation.
00:22:00.24\00:22:03.05
I'd like to invite you
with that brief introduction
00:22:03.35\00:22:07.02
to turn with me in your
Bibles to Daniel chapter 2-
00:22:07.22\00:22:09.93
the book of Daniel chapter 2-
00:22:10.24\00:22:13.31
as we look at the
narrative and then we go into
00:22:13.51\00:22:16.89
prophetic revelation
found in the book of Daniel.
00:22:17.19\00:22:19.87
Daniel chapter 2. By
the way, Daniel was taken
00:22:20.08\00:22:23.07
as a 17-year-old boy. Many
scholars assume that he was
00:22:23.28\00:22:27.70
just a teenager
around 17 years of age.
00:22:27.90\00:22:30.20
He was taken from
Jerusalem into Babylon
00:22:30.40\00:22:34.24
and they say that he probably
had to go on a 1,000-mile march
00:22:34.44\00:22:39.37
through the
desert as a teenager.
00:22:39.57\00:22:42.74
They say that he was placed
under the prince of the eunuchs
00:22:42.94\00:22:47.61
which scholars assume
that he was a eunuch himself.
00:22:47.81\00:22:51.11
You don't read about
Mrs. Daniel in the Bible.
00:22:51.31\00:22:53.72
That was because they had to go
through this terrible process.
00:22:53.92\00:22:57.52
The king wanted to
ensure that these men
00:22:57.72\00:23:00.83
were always thinking
about the king's business
00:23:01.03\00:23:03.29
and not anything else.
You can imagine as a teenager
00:23:03.49\00:23:06.38
he goes through this terrible
experience: he's emasculated.
00:23:06.48\00:23:10.45
He has to go on a 1,000-mile
march through the desert
00:23:10.65\00:23:14.70
from Jerusalem to Babylon.
00:23:14.81\00:23:17.38
And you would have to
think that in Daniel's mind
00:23:17.58\00:23:20.29
there would be some questions
in regards to God's faithfulness
00:23:20.49\00:23:24.48
but Daniel remained
faithful to God as you see in
00:23:24.58\00:23:27.38
Daniel chapter 1.
00:23:27.48\00:23:29.09
Let's read on in
Daniel chapter 2.
00:23:29.29\00:23:31.37
"Now in the second year
of Nebuchadnezzar's reign
00:23:31.57\00:23:34.16
Nebuchadnezzar had dreams.
And his spirit was so troubled
00:23:34.36\00:23:38.50
that his sleep left him.
00:23:38.70\00:23:41.35
Then the king gave
command to call the magicians,
00:23:41.55\00:23:43.99
the astrologers, the
sorcerers, the Chaldeans
00:23:44.20\00:23:47.25
to tell the king his dream.
00:23:47.46\00:23:49.42
So they came and
stood before the king.
00:23:49.62\00:23:52.05
And the king said to them:
00:23:52.25\00:23:54.23
'I have had a dream and
my spirit is anxious to know
00:23:54.43\00:23:58.30
the dream. ' Then the Chaldeans
spoke to the king in Aramaic
00:23:58.40\00:24:02.13
'Oh king, live forever.
00:24:02.33\00:24:03.97
Tell your servants
the dream and we will give
00:24:04.17\00:24:07.17
the interpretation. '
The king answered and said
00:24:07.37\00:24:10.75
to the Chaldeans:
'My decision is firm.
00:24:10.85\00:24:13.80
If you do not make
known to me the dream
00:24:14.00\00:24:16.83
and its interpretation
you shall be cut in pieces
00:24:17.03\00:24:20.17
and your houses
shall be made an ash-heap.
00:24:20.37\00:24:23.90
However, if you tell the
dream and its interpretation
00:24:24.10\00:24:27.42
you shall receive from me
gifts, rewards, and great honor.
00:24:27.62\00:24:31.91
Therefore, tell me the
dream and its interpretation. '
00:24:32.11\00:24:36.55
They answered and said:
00:24:36.85\00:24:38.53
'Let the king tell
his servants the dream
00:24:38.73\00:24:41.50
and we will give
its interpretation. '
00:24:41.70\00:24:43.99
The king answered and said:
00:24:44.19\00:24:46.01
'I know for certain
that you would gain time
00:24:46.22\00:24:49.28
because you see
that my decision is firm.
00:24:49.48\00:24:52.20
If you do not make
known to me the dream
00:24:52.40\00:24:55.28
there is only one decree for you
00:24:55.48\00:24:57.94
for you have agreed to
speak lying and corrupt words
00:24:58.14\00:25:01.61
before me till the
time has changed. Therefore
00:25:01.81\00:25:04.38
tell me the dream and I
shall know that you can give me
00:25:04.58\00:25:08.42
the interpretation. ' The
Chaldeans answered the king
00:25:08.62\00:25:11.42
and said: 'There is not a man
on earth who can tell the king's
00:25:11.52\00:25:13.76
matter. Therefore
no king, lord, or ruler
00:25:13.86\00:25:16.83
has ever asked such a thing
of any magician, astrologer,
00:25:17.03\00:25:20.14
or Chaldean. It is a difficult
thing that the king requests
00:25:20.25\00:25:23.08
and there is no other
who can tell it to the king
00:25:23.28\00:25:25.31
except the gods whose dwelling
is not with the flesh. '
00:25:25.51\00:25:28.15
For this reason the king
was angry and very furious
00:25:28.35\00:25:31.92
and gave the command to
destroy all the wise men
00:25:32.12\00:25:34.96
of Babylon. So the
decree went out and they began
00:25:35.16\00:25:38.15
killing the wise men.
00:25:38.35\00:25:39.88
They sought Daniel and
his companions to kill them
00:25:40.08\00:25:42.90
as well. "
00:25:43.00\00:25:44.16
They had a different kind of
employment back in those days
00:25:44.56\00:25:48.62
as you can see. You
didn't just get fired.
00:25:48.82\00:25:51.38
And you can imagine the
audacity of this request.
00:25:52.48\00:25:56.22
The king has a nightmare.
00:25:56.52\00:25:58.73
And in those days they assumed
that every dream had specific
00:25:58.93\00:26:02.45
revelation. And the
king asked the wise men:
00:26:02.66\00:26:05.21
"Listen, I had a
dream but I forgot it.
00:26:05.41\00:26:07.57
Please tell me the
dream and the interpretation.
00:26:07.87\00:26:10.43
The wise men say: "Tell us
the dream and we'll make up
00:26:10.63\00:26:13.21
an interpretation. "
00:26:13.31\00:26:14.58
They didn't say that
but that's what they meant.
00:26:14.68\00:26:16.17
And as they go on they go
back and forth and finally
00:26:16.37\00:26:19.36
the king says to
them: "Look, you're a farce.
00:26:19.56\00:26:22.78
You're a fallacy...
you're not really wise men
00:26:22.98\00:26:25.36
and you're going
to be exterminated. "
00:26:25.56\00:26:28.01
This reaches Daniel...
Let's pick up in verse 14:
00:26:28.21\00:26:32.03
"Then with counsel and
wisdom Daniel answered Arioch
00:26:32.23\00:26:35.74
the captain of the king's
guard who had gone out to kill
00:26:35.94\00:26:38.28
the wise men of Babylon.
00:26:38.38\00:26:39.76
He answered and said to
Arioch the king's captain: 'Why
00:26:39.96\00:26:43.22
is the decree from
the king so urgent? '
00:26:43.42\00:26:45.31
Then Arioch made the
decision known to Daniel.
00:26:45.61\00:26:48.91
So Daniel went in and
asked the king to give him time
00:26:49.12\00:26:52.49
that he might tell the
king the interpretation.
00:26:52.69\00:26:55.87
Then Daniel went to his house.
00:26:56.08\00:26:57.50
Made the decision... made
known to Hananiah, Mishael
00:26:57.70\00:27:00.71
and Azariah and his companions
that they might seek the mercies
00:27:00.81\00:27:04.62
from God of heaven
concerning the secret
00:27:04.82\00:27:07.42
so that Daniel and his
companions might not perish
00:27:07.62\00:27:11.08
with the rest of the
wise men of Babylon. "
00:27:11.28\00:27:13.85
I would like to
pause here for a moment
00:27:14.05\00:27:16.89
because I know that
many of you are individuals
00:27:17.29\00:27:21.84
that are seeking to know
more about the prophecies of
00:27:22.04\00:27:25.90
Daniel and Revelation.
00:27:26.00\00:27:27.43
And this is an important
point that we cannot miss.
00:27:27.73\00:27:32.12
If you are seeking
divine illumination regarding
00:27:33.04\00:27:37.27
prophecy, it
always begins with prayer.
00:27:37.47\00:27:42.89
Amen? Amen.
00:27:43.19\00:27:45.77
Daniel was a
brilliant individual.
00:27:45.91\00:27:48.73
He went to the Ivy
League schools of his day
00:27:48.84\00:27:51.09
and he came out on top.
00:27:51.29\00:27:52.91
He had a very high
I.Q. and even Daniel
00:27:53.12\00:27:55.76
recognized that he
needed divine help.
00:27:55.86\00:27:59.17
So any time you're
studying prophecy we don't go in
00:27:59.37\00:28:02.70
with our own intelligence,
our own methodologies.
00:28:02.91\00:28:06.98
We always have to
submit to the Holy Spirit's
00:28:07.18\00:28:10.05
leading and we go on our knees
and say: "Lord, I need help.
00:28:10.25\00:28:14.46
I need divine illumination
because I can't do this
00:28:14.79\00:28:19.30
on our own. "
And prayer inherently
00:28:19.50\00:28:23.18
assumes our dependence.
00:28:23.21\00:28:26.12
It's saying that this
is outside of ourselves.
00:28:26.32\00:28:28.38
Daniel went home. Got
his best friends together
00:28:28.58\00:28:31.86
and said: "We need to
have a prayer meeting. "
00:28:32.06\00:28:33.68
Incidentally, the Adventist
church began the same way:
00:28:33.88\00:28:35.97
they were wrestling with
the prophecies of Daniel and
00:28:36.07\00:28:37.81
Revelation and they
would have prayer meetings
00:28:37.92\00:28:39.99
and Bible studies. And we
need to have that happening
00:28:40.10\00:28:43.21
again as God's people are
approaching the final moments
00:28:43.31\00:28:46.51
of earth's history.
00:28:46.64\00:28:48.26
You can imagine. Daniel's
there and he's saying: "Look,
00:28:48.29\00:28:51.43
we need to pray because this
is outside of our control. "
00:28:51.53\00:28:54.06
And any time in our
own human experience
00:28:54.26\00:28:56.66
we face an impossibility
we need to go to the God that
00:28:56.86\00:29:00.79
specializes in the
impossible. Amen? Amen!
00:29:00.99\00:29:04.22
And here Daniel
prays and verse 19...
00:29:04.35\00:29:07.56
You can imagine what happened
in the midst of Daniel's sleep:
00:29:07.76\00:29:11.95
"Then the secret was revealed
to Daniel in a night vision.
00:29:12.05\00:29:15.49
So Daniel blessed
the God of heaven.
00:29:15.69\00:29:17.98
Daniel answered... " And this
is a beautiful poetic prayer
00:29:18.18\00:29:21.77
here found in
Daniel chapter 2 verse 20:
00:29:21.87\00:29:24.31
"Daniel answered and said:
'Blessed be the name of God
00:29:24.51\00:29:26.44
forever and ever. His
wisdom and might are His.
00:29:26.64\00:29:30.98
He changes the
times and the seasons.
00:29:31.18\00:29:33.65
He removes kings
and raises them up.
00:29:33.86\00:29:36.64
He gives wisdom to the
wise and knowledge to those
00:29:36.84\00:29:39.79
who have understanding.
00:29:39.99\00:29:41.28
He reveals deep
and secret things;
00:29:41.48\00:29:44.08
He knows what is in the darkness
00:29:44.28\00:29:45.71
and the light dwells with Him.
00:29:45.81\00:29:47.74
I thank you and I
praise you O God of my fathers:
00:29:47.94\00:29:51.97
You have given
me wisdom and might
00:29:52.17\00:29:54.77
and now You have
made known unto me
00:29:54.97\00:29:57.39
what we have asked unto You
00:29:57.60\00:29:59.85
and You have made known
unto us the king's demands. ' "
00:30:00.05\00:30:04.62
Daniel then goes
in before the king
00:30:05.98\00:30:09.02
and tells him what he
dreamed in his own bed.
00:30:09.22\00:30:14.02
Let's go on to verse
26 for the sake of time:
00:30:14.22\00:30:19.46
"Then the king
answered and said to Daniel
00:30:19.70\00:30:21.45
whose name is Belteshazzar:
00:30:21.66\00:30:23.17
'Are you able to
make known to me the dream
00:30:23.37\00:30:25.49
which I have seen and
it's interpretation? '
00:30:25.69\00:30:28.41
Daniel answered in the
presence of the king and said:
00:30:28.71\00:30:31.62
'The secret which the
king has demanded the wise men,
00:30:31.83\00:30:34.86
the astrologers, the magicians,
00:30:35.06\00:30:36.87
and the soothsayers
cannot declare to the king.
00:30:37.07\00:30:39.62
But there is a God in
heaven who reveals secrets
00:30:39.82\00:30:43.44
and He has made known to the
king what will be in the latter
00:30:43.64\00:30:47.36
days. Your dream and
the vision of your head
00:30:47.47\00:30:50.75
upon your bed are these... '
00:30:50.95\00:30:53.81
I'd like to pause for a moment.
00:30:54.02\00:30:55.61
And if you look in verse 28
here Daniel gives God the credit
00:30:55.82\00:30:59.77
for what He has done.
Daniel could have very easily
00:30:59.97\00:31:03.09
said: "I'm a very wise man
00:31:03.12\00:31:05.04
and I've come up with the
dream and the interpretation. "
00:31:05.25\00:31:07.69
And it's important for
all of us - especially those
00:31:07.89\00:31:09.81
of us in ministry like myself -
00:31:10.01\00:31:12.37
to always give God the
glory for what He has done.
00:31:12.58\00:31:15.65
I believe the
pitfall always arises
00:31:15.85\00:31:18.73
when we take the
credit when God uses people.
00:31:18.93\00:31:23.93
Here Daniel goes on and
gives the king his dream.
00:31:24.13\00:31:29.11
Verse 29: "As for you O king,
00:31:29.31\00:31:32.84
the thoughts came upon your
mind while you were on your bed
00:31:32.94\00:31:35.55
about what would
come to pass after this.
00:31:35.75\00:31:38.51
And He who reveals the
secrets has made known to you
00:31:38.71\00:31:42.53
what will be. But as for me
the secret has not been revealed
00:31:42.73\00:31:46.45
to me because I have more
wisdom than anyone else living.
00:31:46.55\00:31:49.24
But for our sakes who
make known the interpretation
00:31:49.34\00:31:52.27
to the king that you may know
the thoughts of your heart. "
00:31:52.37\00:31:56.09
Verse 31: "You, O king,
were watching and behold a great
00:31:56.30\00:31:59.96
image. This great image
whose splendor was excellent
00:32:00.06\00:32:03.28
stood before you and
its form was awesome.
00:32:03.48\00:32:05.59
The head of the
image was of fine gold.
00:32:05.79\00:32:07.98
Its chest and arms of silver.
00:32:08.19\00:32:10.11
Its belly and thighs of
bronze. Its legs of iron.
00:32:10.31\00:32:14.36
Its feet partly of
iron and partly of clay.
00:32:14.57\00:32:17.88
You watched while a
stone was cut out without hands
00:32:18.08\00:32:21.43
which struck the image
on the feet of iron and clay
00:32:21.53\00:32:24.78
and broke them in pieces.
00:32:24.98\00:32:27.26
And the iron, the
clay, the bronze, the silver,
00:32:27.46\00:32:30.00
and the gold
were crushed together
00:32:30.20\00:32:31.89
and became like chaff from
the summer threshing floors.
00:32:32.09\00:32:35.41
The wind carried them
away so that no trace of them
00:32:35.61\00:32:38.86
was found. And the
stone that struck the image
00:32:38.96\00:32:41.97
became a great mountain
and filled the whole earth. "
00:32:42.18\00:32:46.79
Here
Nebuchadnezzar is simply stunned
00:32:48.09\00:32:52.03
because he
remembers what he has dreamed.
00:32:52.23\00:32:54.59
This is an unusual dream
in that it is a metal image
00:32:54.90\00:32:59.02
and it's comprised of
four different metals.
00:32:59.12\00:33:03.03
It is a metal man.
00:33:03.13\00:33:04.44
Its head is of gold;
00:33:04.74\00:33:07.07
its chest and arms of silver;
00:33:07.37\00:33:09.90
its belly and thighs
of brass; legs of iron;
00:33:10.10\00:33:12.77
feet partly of
iron and partly of clay.
00:33:12.97\00:33:17.05
And in the dream as they are
witnessing this impressive image
00:33:17.25\00:33:22.97
there comes a stone that
is uncut without human hands
00:33:23.17\00:33:26.73
and strikes the base of
the image and the entire image
00:33:26.83\00:33:30.03
is pulverized before their eyes.
00:33:30.23\00:33:32.15
The stone grows and
fills the entire earth.
00:33:32.35\00:33:34.81
And then Daniel proceeds
to give the interpretation
00:33:35.01\00:33:39.72
of the dream.
00:33:39.92\00:33:41.51
I want to pause here
for a moment and establish
00:33:41.71\00:33:45.74
for us that I believe that
out of all of the prophecies
00:33:45.94\00:33:49.58
that are given in
the book of Daniel
00:33:49.69\00:33:51.68
this prophecy
lays the foundation
00:33:51.88\00:33:54.98
for the understanding
of the entire book.
00:33:55.08\00:33:56.90
It is the basic framework.
00:33:56.91\00:33:58.61
In other words, if you
misinterpret Daniel chapter 2
00:33:58.81\00:34:02.55
you have no hope when it
comes to Daniel chapter 7
00:34:02.75\00:34:05.40
and Daniel chapter 8.
00:34:05.60\00:34:07.17
And Daniel chapter 2
is the most compelling
00:34:07.37\00:34:11.21
for many individuals
that foretells the future
00:34:11.41\00:34:15.40
many hundreds of years
before these kingdoms ever came
00:34:15.60\00:34:18.27
into being as
you will later see.
00:34:18.37\00:34:20.35
Many people have said that
Daniel really did not write
00:34:20.65\00:34:24.30
the book of Daniel.
Because Daniel chapter 2
00:34:24.40\00:34:26.66
is so
compelling. How did he know
00:34:26.86\00:34:28.96
that these kingdoms
as you will later see
00:34:29.16\00:34:32.07
came in rapid succession?
00:34:32.17\00:34:33.97
Some people assume that Daniel
really didn't write this book...
00:34:34.10\00:34:36.80
it was an obscure
individual that lived in Greece
00:34:37.00\00:34:39.70
many years later and he could
write this from a historical
00:34:39.90\00:34:42.45
perspective rather.
00:34:42.55\00:34:44.33
But you can see that Daniel
is authorized and endorsed
00:34:44.53\00:34:49.13
by Jesus Christ
Himself - Amen? -
00:34:49.23\00:34:51.11
as we have seen
earlier. So you can trust
00:34:51.31\00:34:53.62
that this is
truly inspired by God.
00:34:53.82\00:34:57.24
Let's go to the
interpretation of the dream.
00:34:57.44\00:34:59.42
We don't have to make this up.
00:34:59.62\00:35:00.76
We don't have to pull
these things out of thin air.
00:35:00.96\00:35:02.95
We just have to read the Bible
00:35:03.15\00:35:04.64
which is basically what I'm
doing here in this presentation.
00:35:04.85\00:35:07.27
Let's go to verse 36:
00:35:07.47\00:35:09.00
"This is the dream. Now we will
tell the interpretation of it
00:35:09.20\00:35:13.37
before the king. You, O
king, are the king of kings
00:35:13.47\00:35:18.28
for the God of heaven has
given you a kingdom, power,
00:35:18.48\00:35:22.27
strength, and glory.
00:35:22.47\00:35:23.87
And wherever the
children of men dwell
00:35:24.07\00:35:26.42
or the beasts of the
field and the birds of heaven
00:35:26.62\00:35:29.27
He has given them into your hand
00:35:29.47\00:35:31.49
and has made you
ruler over them all.
00:35:31.69\00:35:34.20
You are this head of gold. "
00:35:34.40\00:35:37.54
Now Nebuchadnezzar is
liking this dream and the
00:35:37.64\00:35:40.25
interpretation so far because
gold was the most precious
00:35:40.35\00:35:44.07
metal out of the
four that were given.
00:35:44.17\00:35:46.60
I want you to notice some simple
observations about the metals.
00:35:46.91\00:35:50.30
It starts with gold,
silver, bronze, and iron.
00:35:50.50\00:35:54.25
It decreases in value
but increases in strength.
00:35:54.45\00:35:59.03
And here Daniel says
"You... the kingdom of Babylon
00:35:59.33\00:36:05.21
is the head of gold. "
00:36:05.41\00:36:08.05
I heard one scholar say
that even as the head defines
00:36:08.25\00:36:11.77
the body so did Babylon
define the rest of the kingdoms
00:36:11.87\00:36:16.38
when it came to
pagan philosophy.
00:36:16.58\00:36:18.94
And it's so true because
seminally, philosophically,
00:36:19.14\00:36:24.16
in the kingdom of
Babylon there are remnants
00:36:24.36\00:36:28.08
of that pagan philosophy
that are with us to this day.
00:36:28.18\00:36:31.86
Sun worship was passed
down from Babylon, Medo-Persia,
00:36:32.16\00:36:36.09
Greece, Rome, and
is with us to this day.
00:36:36.29\00:36:39.23
Idol worship began in Babylon.
00:36:39.43\00:36:42.60
The immortality of
the soul began in Babylon.
00:36:42.80\00:36:45.98
And as each one of these
kingdoms came and conquered
00:36:46.18\00:36:48.97
the previous kingdom
they took on the philosophy
00:36:49.08\00:36:52.10
that Babylon imbibed.
00:36:52.30\00:36:54.95
"You are this head of gold. "
00:36:55.15\00:36:58.31
Babylon ruled from 605 to 539 BC
00:36:58.41\00:37:02.77
and it was known for
its opulent hanging gardens.
00:37:02.97\00:37:07.29
Just some facts here:
the temple Marduk, they say,
00:37:07.49\00:37:10.42
contained 18 tons of gold...
00:37:10.62\00:37:13.29
8-1/2 tons in the
altar and the throne alone.
00:37:13.49\00:37:18.18
It had a 20-year food supply.
00:37:18.48\00:37:22.02
And an interesting
note that Saddam Hussein
00:37:22.22\00:37:25.78
looked to Nebuchadnezzar
has his role model.
00:37:25.98\00:37:29.76
This is from Dr. Klein.
He's a Ph. D., a historian,
00:37:31.49\00:37:36.56
and an archaeologist
from George Washington
00:37:36.66\00:37:38.77
University. He says:
"Saddam also portrayed himself
00:37:38.87\00:37:41.78
as successor to
Nebuchadnezzar. "
00:37:41.88\00:37:44.35
In 1979 he was quoted by
his semi-official biographer
00:37:44.55\00:37:49.95
by saying:
"Nebuchadnezzar stirs in me
00:37:50.15\00:37:52.65
everything relating to
pre- Islamic history. "
00:37:52.85\00:37:57.21
And you can see
pictures if you go online
00:37:58.55\00:38:02.45
to ancient Babylon... which
incidentally is not inhabited
00:38:02.65\00:38:06.31
to this day. And you
can see actually bricks that
00:38:06.41\00:38:08.87
embear or have the name of
Nebuchadnezzar written on them.
00:38:08.97\00:38:13.39
And Saddam Hussein
tried to rebuild Babylon
00:38:13.60\00:38:18.15
and re-inhabit it.
And you can see that he
00:38:18.36\00:38:21.35
evidently failed. But
if you look in Isaiah 13:20
00:38:21.46\00:38:26.08
the Bible gives a
prediction in a prophecy
00:38:26.28\00:38:28.40
that has been
fulfilled to this day.
00:38:28.60\00:38:30.78
It says: "Babylon
will never be inhabited. "
00:38:30.98\00:38:36.05
And the Word of God stands true.
00:38:36.35\00:38:38.55
Here Saddam Hussein
tried to rebuild Babylon
00:38:38.75\00:38:41.93
and he failed in his endeavor.
00:38:42.13\00:38:45.35
Babylon was represented
by the gold and if we go
00:38:46.44\00:38:49.84
in our history books or
even in the book of Daniel
00:38:50.04\00:38:52.20
the Bible tells us in
Daniel chapter 2 verse 32
00:38:52.40\00:38:55.65
its chest and
arms are of silver.
00:38:55.85\00:38:58.73
It says: "And after you
shall arise another kingdom. "
00:38:59.03\00:39:03.18
And we know from history
that the Medes and the Persians
00:39:03.38\00:39:05.84
came and ruled
from 539 to 331 BC
00:39:06.04\00:39:09.32
represented by the
chest and arms of silver.
00:39:09.52\00:39:12.68
And if you look in the book
of Daniel... Daniel chapter 5...
00:39:12.88\00:39:16.15
there was the handwriting on
the wall. Belshazzar was slain.
00:39:16.35\00:39:19.90
And right before the
conquest by Cyrus the Mede
00:39:20.10\00:39:24.36
it says in Daniel chapter 5
that the handwriting on the wall
00:39:24.56\00:39:27.32
said: "Mene,
Mene, Tekel, Upharsin. "
00:39:27.42\00:39:29.80
Mene mene: "God hath numbered
thy kingdom and finished it. "
00:39:30.01\00:39:34.04
Tekel: "Thou art weighed in the
balances and found wanting. "
00:39:34.24\00:39:37.66
Upharsin: "Thy
kingdom is divided and given
00:39:37.86\00:39:41.14
to the Medes and the Persians. "
00:39:41.17\00:39:43.72
They were known for their silver
which is why silver is a fitting
00:39:44.13\00:39:48.33
symbol for this next kingdom.
00:39:48.43\00:39:50.58
Another note of prophecy is that
in Isaiah chapter 45 verse 1
00:39:50.78\00:39:55.02
Cyrus is named by name
150 years before his birth
00:39:55.22\00:39:59.97
and the Bible indicates
how he would conquer Babylon.
00:40:00.11\00:40:04.16
Following Medo-Persia was
the next kingdom of bronze...
00:40:04.46\00:40:09.17
the kingdom of Greece
under Alexander the Great.
00:40:09.38\00:40:12.27
Alexander the Great conquered
the world at a very early age
00:40:12.40\00:40:14.77
in his 30's. He
died in a drunken stupor
00:40:14.97\00:40:18.56
and his kingdom was
subdivided by his four generals.
00:40:18.76\00:40:22.48
Here's a quotation
by a historian. He says:
00:40:22.69\00:40:25.72
"I am persuaded that there
was no nation, city, nor people
00:40:25.82\00:40:29.48
where his name did not reach.
00:40:29.68\00:40:31.40
There seems to me
some divine hand presiding
00:40:31.60\00:40:34.89
both over his
birth and his actions. "
00:40:34.99\00:40:39.34
The next kingdom:
the kingdom of Rome.
00:40:39.84\00:40:42.86
It says: "The
fourth kingdom" - verse 40-
00:40:43.06\00:40:44.98
"shall be strong as
iron inasmuch as iron breaks
00:40:45.18\00:40:48.35
in pieces and
shatters everything
00:40:48.45\00:40:50.71
like iron that crushes the
kingdom will break in pieces
00:40:50.91\00:40:54.65
and crush all others.
" And the next kingdom
00:40:54.75\00:40:57.54
that come on historians verify
00:40:57.74\00:40:59.90
that Rome was
the kingdom of iron
00:41:00.10\00:41:02.74
for their weapons of
warfare were of iron.
00:41:02.94\00:41:06.70
Gibbons' Decline and
Fall of the Roman Empire
00:41:06.90\00:41:08.96
tells us the
images of gold, of silver,
00:41:09.16\00:41:11.42
or of brass might
serve to represent the
00:41:11.62\00:41:14.20
nations, and their
kings were successively broken
00:41:14.30\00:41:17.46
by the iron monarchy of Rome. "
00:41:17.66\00:41:20.89
So for review: the head
of gold represents Babylon.
00:41:21.09\00:41:23.99
The chest and arms of
silver represent Medo-Persia.
00:41:24.19\00:41:26.81
The brass represents Greece.
00:41:27.02\00:41:29.10
The legs of iron
represent the Roman Empire.
00:41:29.30\00:41:32.50
And here the Bible
makes an amazing prediction.
00:41:32.70\00:41:35.33
It did not say that
the next kingdom would be
00:41:35.53\00:41:38.58
a homogenous kingdom.
00:41:38.78\00:41:40.59
It would have been logical
if Daniel was depending on
00:41:40.90\00:41:44.97
human revelation because
in Babylon's day they believed
00:41:45.17\00:41:47.74
in cycles... a cyclical history.
00:41:47.94\00:41:50.71
Another kingdom would have
logically come on the scene
00:41:50.91\00:41:53.85
but the Bible
stops right here and says
00:41:54.05\00:41:56.01
there's going to be 1,
2, 3, 4 and then after that
00:41:56.21\00:41:59.69
it makes a stunning
prediction that stands true
00:41:59.89\00:42:03.83
even to this day. It
says that Western Europe
00:42:04.03\00:42:07.55
will be divided and
never be reunited again.
00:42:07.75\00:42:13.55
We can read in the news today...
00:42:14.80\00:42:16.93
if you go online or
read your newspaper...
00:42:17.13\00:42:19.55
that the European Union
is having its "struggles"
00:42:19.75\00:42:24.44
for the lack of a better word.
00:42:24.65\00:42:26.45
The Bible predicts... we
read in our Bibles in verse 41:
00:42:27.69\00:42:32.18
"Whereas you saw the feet
and toes toes partly of potter's
00:42:32.38\00:42:37.07
clay and partly of iron
the kingdom shall be divided.
00:42:37.27\00:42:40.02
Yet the strength of
the iron shall be in it.
00:42:40.23\00:42:43.30
Just as you saw the
iron mixed with ceramic clay
00:42:43.50\00:42:46.69
and the toes and the feet
were partly of iron and partly
00:42:46.89\00:42:50.07
of clay so the kingdom
shall part partly strong
00:42:50.17\00:42:54.25
and partly fragile. As you saw
the iron mixed with ceramic clay
00:42:54.45\00:42:59.00
they will mingle
with the seeds of men
00:42:59.20\00:43:01.02
but they will not
adhere one to another
00:43:01.22\00:43:03.99
just as iron does
not mix with clay. "
00:43:04.19\00:43:07.26
This prediction holds
true even to this day.
00:43:08.12\00:43:12.48
The kingdom of Rome was
divided into 10 different tribes
00:43:12.78\00:43:17.80
as our next presenter will
point out in Daniel chapter 7.
00:43:18.01\00:43:21.27
The Alemanni became the Germans.
00:43:21.47\00:43:24.24
The Bergundians
became the French.
00:43:24.44\00:43:26.43
The Franks became the French.
00:43:26.63\00:43:29.59
The Lombards the Italians;
Saxons became the English.
00:43:29.79\00:43:33.13
The Suevi... the Portuguese;
the Visigoths the Spanish.
00:43:33.33\00:43:36.90
And there are three
tribes that are extinct:
00:43:37.00\00:43:39.10
the Heruli, the
Vandals and the Ostrogoths.
00:43:39.30\00:43:43.03
The Bible tells us: "But they
will not cleave one to another
00:43:43.23\00:43:48.25
even as iron does
not mix with clay. "
00:43:48.46\00:43:51.43
Today if you go to the
Frederiksborg Castle in Denmark
00:43:51.73\00:43:56.15
and you go inside of the castle
00:43:56.35\00:43:58.23
they have on the walls
paintings of how the medieval
00:43:58.43\00:44:03.92
monarchs tried to unite
Europe through marriages.
00:44:04.12\00:44:08.39
And it seems
like an entangled mess
00:44:08.69\00:44:11.54
as you see that this person's
wife was actually the cousin
00:44:11.74\00:44:15.52
of another person. And you can
see the relations between Europe
00:44:15.72\00:44:19.32
as they tried to
intermingle and reunite
00:44:19.52\00:44:22.86
Europe through family relations,
but the Bible holds true.
00:44:23.07\00:44:27.72
I can list and go on and
on about individuals in human
00:44:27.92\00:44:31.09
history that
tried to reunite Europe.
00:44:31.19\00:44:33.12
You have Charles V, Hitler,
Charlemagne, and Napoleon.
00:44:33.32\00:44:38.47
And in Napoleon's
journal are these words:
00:44:38.67\00:44:41.30
"There'll be one Europe;
there'll be one currency;
00:44:41.50\00:44:44.89
there'll be one language;
there'll be one government
00:44:45.09\00:44:48.25
over all of Europe. "
00:44:48.45\00:44:50.96
And Napoleon is quoted
after the battle of Waterloo
00:44:51.16\00:44:54.56
by saying: "God Almighty
has been too much for me. "
00:44:54.77\00:44:59.83
"God Almighty has
been too much for me. "
00:45:00.89\00:45:05.44
Babylon: the head of gold.
00:45:05.74\00:45:08.14
Persia: the chest
and arms of silver.
00:45:08.34\00:45:10.06
Greece: the thighs of bronze.
00:45:10.26\00:45:12.47
Rome: legs of iron.
00:45:12.57\00:45:13.62
Divided Europe: feet partly
of iron and partly of clay.
00:45:13.72\00:45:17.81
Now I'm not a statistician today
00:45:17.91\00:45:21.80
and I'm not into
mathematics or probability.
00:45:22.00\00:45:25.94
But if someone makes a
prediction and it comes true
00:45:27.24\00:45:31.12
they're one for
one... isn't that right?
00:45:31.33\00:45:33.59
Then they make a second
prediction and it comes true
00:45:33.79\00:45:37.82
they're two for two.
00:45:38.02\00:45:39.36
They make a third
one... they're three for three.
00:45:39.56\00:45:41.92
Four... four for four. And
then they come to the last one
00:45:42.13\00:45:45.78
and they make an
audacious prediction
00:45:45.88\00:45:48.36
just as He said
about divided Europe.
00:45:48.56\00:45:51.25
They're five for
five. Now they make a sixth
00:45:51.46\00:45:55.38
prediction that
has not yet come true.
00:45:55.48\00:45:59.19
How much trust are you going
to have in the last prediction?
00:45:59.49\00:46:04.53
A lot! Now the last
part of this prophecy
00:46:05.89\00:46:11.34
is the pinnacle... is the
point of Daniel chapter 2.
00:46:11.44\00:46:14.68
God is five for five.
00:46:15.93\00:46:19.25
He's batting 100... 100%.
00:46:19.55\00:46:24.77
Babylon,
Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome...
00:46:25.07\00:46:28.05
Ah-ah-ah... not another kingdom.
It's going to be divided
00:46:28.25\00:46:30.49
and furthermore it
will never be reunited.
00:46:30.69\00:46:33.66
God is right five for five.
00:46:34.93\00:46:38.86
Why would you bet against
Him on the next prediction?
00:46:39.16\00:46:44.33
This to me is the
most compelling argument
00:46:45.53\00:46:49.46
for the second coming and
the veracity of scripture.
00:46:49.66\00:46:52.42
This to me anchors
my reason and my faith
00:46:52.63\00:46:58.34
in the Word of God
because Daniel chapter 2 is
00:46:58.54\00:47:01.08
so compelling that
many skeptics have said that
00:47:01.18\00:47:05.09
Daniel was really
written after the fact.
00:47:05.29\00:47:08.02
That's how compelling
Daniel chapter 2 actually is.
00:47:08.32\00:47:11.07
Now I'm not a betting man,
00:47:11.37\00:47:13.55
but let's say that I
go to the horse races.
00:47:13.75\00:47:17.35
By the way, I'm not
endorsing this type of behavior.
00:47:17.55\00:47:19.44
But I'm just saying as far
as a parable is concerned...
00:47:19.64\00:47:22.89
Let's say I go
to the horse races.
00:47:23.09\00:47:24.83
And someone appears out
of nowhere and says: "David,
00:47:25.13\00:47:29.35
I think you should
bet on horse number 5. "
00:47:29.66\00:47:33.09
I go: "OK... why not? "
00:47:34.99\00:47:37.44
I put my money on horse number 5
00:47:37.74\00:47:40.00
and horse number 5 wins!
00:47:40.20\00:47:42.02
Next day I come to the horse
races. I have a little bit more
00:47:43.57\00:47:46.81
money. And he says: "David,
today... horse number 4. "
00:47:46.91\00:47:51.47
So I say: "Oh, he was one for
one before. I'm going to put it
00:47:51.87\00:47:54.34
on horse number 4. " So
I put it on horse number 4.
00:47:54.44\00:47:56.31
Horse number 3 the next day.
00:47:56.62\00:47:59.23
Horse number
2... horse number 1.
00:47:59.43\00:48:01.13
Then the next day he
says: "I want you to bet on
00:48:01.16\00:48:04.01
horse number 15. "
00:48:04.11\00:48:06.20
You know what I'm
probably going to do?
00:48:06.40\00:48:08.29
I'm probably
going to sell my house -
00:48:08.59\00:48:11.75
sell everything that I
have... all of my possessions -
00:48:13.93\00:48:19.20
and place it on horse number 15
00:48:19.40\00:48:21.79
because this guy has
been right five for five.
00:48:21.99\00:48:26.26
Here God is building His case.
00:48:26.56\00:48:29.77
"I tell you before it
happens that way when it happens
00:48:30.07\00:48:34.32
you will believe. "
00:48:34.52\00:48:37.97
Why would you bet against Him
00:48:38.37\00:48:40.84
on the last part
of this prophecy?
00:48:40.94\00:48:43.44
Let's read the last part of this
prophecy in Daniel chapter 2
00:48:43.54\00:48:45.93
verse 44. "And in
the days of these kings
00:48:46.03\00:48:50.11
the God of heaven
will set up a kingdom
00:48:50.51\00:48:56.41
which shall
never be destroyed. "
00:48:56.61\00:48:59.86
Amen.
00:49:00.26\00:49:02.24
"And the kingdom shall
not be left to other people.
00:49:02.45\00:49:06.79
It shall break in
pieces and consume
00:49:06.99\00:49:10.96
all the other kingdoms and it
shall stand... " For how long?
00:49:11.17\00:49:15.68
Forever. "forever. "
00:49:15.88\00:49:17.69
Look in verse 45.
00:49:19.01\00:49:21.45
"Inasmuch as you saw the stone
00:49:21.65\00:49:24.30
was cut out of the
mountain without hands
00:49:24.50\00:49:27.48
and that it broke in
pieces the iron, the bronze,
00:49:27.69\00:49:31.00
the clay, the
silver, and the gold
00:49:31.20\00:49:33.64
the great God has
made known unto the king
00:49:33.84\00:49:37.11
what will come to
pass after this. "
00:49:37.31\00:49:39.31
I love this last sentence:
00:49:39.41\00:49:41.26
"The dream is certain and
the interpretation is sure. "
00:49:41.56\00:49:47.49
You can take
Daniel 2 to the bank.
00:49:47.79\00:49:52.34
God was five for five
00:49:52.64\00:49:55.64
and you can put your faith
00:49:56.62\00:50:00.91
in the reality
that the second coming
00:50:01.31\00:50:05.02
is going to be a reality.
00:50:05.22\00:50:07.40
Amen? Amen!
00:50:07.70\00:50:09.74
It's time that we invest
in the kingdom of heaven.
00:50:10.44\00:50:13.24
And here the book of
Daniel is telling us that the
00:50:13.44\00:50:16.19
second coming of
Jesus is a surety.
00:50:16.29\00:50:19.34
That as we look to the
future that we can base it
00:50:21.18\00:50:24.15
on the reality that God
has predicted the future
00:50:24.35\00:50:27.48
with pin-point
accuracy up until this point
00:50:27.68\00:50:31.82
and He was not wrong.
00:50:31.92\00:50:34.96
I want to read you a statement
from Clifford Goldstein.
00:50:36.69\00:50:40.24
And he writes about
Daniel chapter 2 and he says:
00:50:41.67\00:50:44.54
"Look at the odds. Babylon.
00:50:44.74\00:50:48.37
Medo-Persia. Greece. Pagan Rome.
00:50:48.57\00:50:52.87
Modern Europe. All came in
order just as Daniel predicted.
00:50:53.07\00:50:58.20
The only last thing
left in the prophecy
00:50:58.51\00:51:02.98
is the last one...
Christ's eternal kingdom. "
00:51:03.18\00:51:08.02
That's what the Lord
presents in this chapter
00:51:08.32\00:51:10.71
are tremendous odds that
the promise of His coming
00:51:10.81\00:51:14.88
and the establishment of
His kingdom will be fulfilled.
00:51:15.08\00:51:19.95
Daniel was right
on the first five.
00:51:20.26\00:51:24.13
Why bet against
him on the last? "
00:51:24.33\00:51:28.46
Friends, are you
ready for Jesus to come?
00:51:30.42\00:51:34.98
I believe that we're
living at the very final moments
00:51:36.03\00:51:38.32
of earth's
history and the reality is
00:51:38.42\00:51:40.89
that the second coming of Jesus
00:51:41.09\00:51:44.02
should dictate how we
are living in the present.
00:51:44.22\00:51:46.80
It should impact our
ethics and how we live
00:51:47.10\00:51:50.89
because if we do not
believe in evolution,
00:51:51.29\00:51:54.10
if we don't believe in the
prediction of Stephen Hawking
00:51:54.30\00:51:56.99
that the only solution is
that we go out into space,
00:51:57.09\00:51:59.43
which I believe... ironically
enough I believe is true...
00:51:59.63\00:52:02.37
We are going out into space...
just not in the way that
00:52:02.67\00:52:05.67
he believes. But we're
going on the cloud into heaven.
00:52:05.77\00:52:09.18
Amen? Amen. It
should dictate our ethics.
00:52:09.28\00:52:12.06
And when you're standing
before God at the second coming
00:52:12.26\00:52:15.97
of Jesus and you have
the privilege of being alive
00:52:16.07\00:52:19.83
when He comes, believe you me
00:52:19.93\00:52:22.02
that your
priorities will crystallize.
00:52:22.12\00:52:24.76
You will suddenly recognize
what is really and dearly
00:52:25.06\00:52:29.20
important to
your heart of hearts.
00:52:29.30\00:52:31.07
You're not going to be wishing
"I wish I'd spent more time
00:52:31.28\00:52:35.25
on Facebook" when you're
standing before God at the
00:52:35.45\00:52:39.20
second coming. You're
not going to be wishing
00:52:39.30\00:52:42.03
"I wish I'd spent more
time watching television. "
00:52:42.23\00:52:45.37
But heaven forbid
you may just be wishing
00:52:45.57\00:52:50.22
that you had spent more
time with Him in His Word
00:52:50.52\00:52:53.76
and in prayer.
Priorities crystallize.
00:52:53.86\00:52:57.09
God and people...
God and souls become
00:52:57.30\00:53:00.93
preeminently important as
we approach the second coming
00:53:01.13\00:53:03.92
of Jesus. Because
when you stand before Him
00:53:04.02\00:53:07.02
those are the only two things
that will eternally matter.
00:53:07.22\00:53:10.55
I'd like to close
00:53:12.15\00:53:13.95
with a dream that a man had.
00:53:14.25\00:53:17.36
In this dream he
was hearing voices...
00:53:20.50\00:53:25.66
and it wasn't because he
was schizophrenic or had some
00:53:27.10\00:53:30.42
mental disorder. He
was hearing voices and
00:53:30.52\00:53:33.31
this voice was giving him
instructions about what he
00:53:33.51\00:53:36.70
should do. The voice told
him: "I want you to walk down
00:53:36.81\00:53:40.81
this street. " And so
he listened to the voice
00:53:40.84\00:53:44.06
and he started
walking down this street.
00:53:44.17\00:53:45.42
And it said: "I want you
to turn down this path. "
00:53:45.45\00:53:47.89
So he turned down this path.
00:53:48.09\00:53:49.65
And it said: "Take a right here
at the fork and take a left. "
00:53:49.85\00:53:54.38
And finally he's
listening to these instructions.
00:53:54.58\00:53:56.49
He's feeling almost overwhelmed
and finally the voice
00:53:56.59\00:53:59.51
tells him to stop. So he stops.
00:53:59.71\00:54:03.69
And the voice tells him
something very interesting.
00:54:03.89\00:54:06.28
It says: "Look, I
want you to reach down
00:54:06.48\00:54:09.24
and grab these rocks and
place them in your pocket. "
00:54:09.44\00:54:13.08
So he does this. He
says: "This is very strange
00:54:13.38\00:54:16.85
behavior. " So he reaches
down and places these rocks
00:54:17.05\00:54:19.90
in his pocket. And the
voice told him something very
00:54:20.00\00:54:23.80
interesting. The voice
told him: "When you go back home
00:54:23.90\00:54:27.91
look at those rocks.
00:54:28.11\00:54:30.66
And when you look at those
rocks you'll be incredibly happy
00:54:30.96\00:54:35.72
but you'll be incredibly sad. "
00:54:35.92\00:54:38.89
Thought to himself: "How
can I be incredibly happy and
00:54:39.10\00:54:42.83
incredibly sad at the same time?
That's simply impossible. "
00:54:42.93\00:54:45.40
So he did what
the voice told him.
00:54:45.50\00:54:47.47
He placed them in his
pocket and he went back home.
00:54:47.67\00:54:50.81
Obviously he's curious
as to what those rocks were.
00:54:51.01\00:54:54.28
And he took those
rocks out of his pocket
00:54:55.65\00:54:58.61
and he looked at
them in the light.
00:54:58.82\00:55:01.57
And they weren't
rocks... they were diamonds.
00:55:01.78\00:55:06.37
Priceless diamonds.
00:55:08.10\00:55:11.61
And then he
understood the voice.
00:55:11.91\00:55:15.10
He was happy because
he was a little bit richer
00:55:15.40\00:55:19.55
but he was sad
because if he had recognized
00:55:19.86\00:55:24.47
the value of those rocks
he would have taken more.
00:55:24.67\00:55:28.87
Heaven forbid that we're
standing on the sea of glass
00:55:33.44\00:55:38.24
in heaven and I
believe that none of us
00:55:38.34\00:55:44.33
will recognize
the value of a soul
00:55:44.53\00:55:48.73
until the second coming.
00:55:48.93\00:55:50.98
I pray that we do.
00:55:51.18\00:55:53.29
But heaven forbid that we come
to the reality of the second
00:55:53.49\00:55:56.59
coming foretold
in Daniel chapter 2
00:55:56.69\00:55:58.66
and we say: "Lord, if
I'd only known the value
00:55:58.86\00:56:03.28
of one soul I
would have done more.
00:56:03.38\00:56:06.82
I would have invested more
in the kingdom of heaven. "
00:56:07.02\00:56:10.41
And it's my prayer for us today
00:56:10.71\00:56:13.63
that as we look at the
surety of the second coming
00:56:13.83\00:56:16.69
that we invest our
time, our resources,
00:56:16.89\00:56:19.65
our energies and talents
because Jesus is coming again.
00:56:19.85\00:56:24.64
Amen? Amen. He's
coming to take us home
00:56:24.74\00:56:27.35
and He is the final
solution for earth's problems.
00:56:27.55\00:56:32.14
Revelation chapter 11 verse 15:
00:56:33.80\00:56:36.00
"And there were loud
voices in heaven saying:
00:56:36.21\00:56:39.15
'The kingdom of
our world has become
00:56:39.39\00:56:41.88
the kingdom of our Christ
00:56:41.98\00:56:45.47
and He shall reign
00:56:45.57\00:56:50.08
forever and ever. "
00:56:50.28\00:56:53.22
John chapter 14
verse 29 tells us:
00:56:53.42\00:56:56.06
"Now I have told you
before it takes place
00:56:56.16\00:56:58.47
so that when it does take place
00:56:58.67\00:57:02.07
you may believe. "
00:57:02.27\00:57:04.88
It is my prayer
for you here today
00:57:05.18\00:57:07.24
that you will invest
your life in the reality
00:57:07.54\00:57:12.31
of the second coming
and that when He comes
00:57:12.52\00:57:16.30
you'll be able to
say: "This is our God!
00:57:16.50\00:57:19.65
We have waited for Him
00:57:19.85\00:57:23.01
and He will save us. "
00:57:23.21\00:57:26.84
If we don't meet here, let's
meet on the sea of glass. Amen?
00:57:27.14\00:57:30.80
Amen.
00:57:31.00\00:57:32.53