Music...
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Welcome to Daniel All Access.
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Some months ago, Danny Shelton,
John Lomacang and I were sitting
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and just musing
over some of the things
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that we wanted to do
on 3ABN for this year
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and Danny suggested that we
take a new contemporary look
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at Daniel and Revelation.
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In the light of the times
in which we find ourselves...
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the lateness of the
hour in this earth's history,
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we decided to look
at Daniel again and anew
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along with the
book of Revelation.
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Now, we were not
seeking for new light
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or a new gospel
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or even a new
methodology or theme,
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what we wanted to do was
lift up the light of Jesus
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in the light of
the book of Daniel
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and the book of Revelation.
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We wanted to take a look
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at what these
books have to say for us
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in these latter days,
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I found an interesting quote
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from the book of
Evangelism, page 95
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where Ellen White says,
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"There will be times
when we must stand still
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and see the salvation of God.
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Let Daniel speak... " she says,
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"let Revelation speak,
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and tell what is truth.
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But whatever phase of
the subject is presented,
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uplift Jesus as
the center of all hope,
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the Root and the
offspring of David,
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and the bright
and morning star. "
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That was a
testimony given to ministers.
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It was our intention...
our thought... our mindset...
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that if we just preached
beasts and lions and leopards
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and unclean frogs,
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we may preach prophecy
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but we might not be
preaching the gospel
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and so, we felt it necessary
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to insert Christ in
everything that we do
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in Daniel and in Revelation
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because Revelation is
the revelation of Jesus
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but Christ also
puts in an appearance
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in the book of Daniel
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and so, we are
going to lift up Christ
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during these next
several sittings together
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and by the grace of God,
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take one more step along
that road that leads to glory.
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The title of our
presentation tonight
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is: Sandwiches
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and that may
seem like an odd title
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for a presentation from Daniel
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but ere we shall have
finished you will understand
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what we mean by "Sandwiches. "
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Our next presentation
will be "Dream Catcher"
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followed by "Chutzpah"
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so we got a lot to talk about
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and we pray that
God will speak to us
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and through us
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as together, we
look at his Word.
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Bow your heads with
me in a word of prayer.
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"Father God, we
praise you and we thank you
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because you are a
God above all gods
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and our Father and our friend.
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We ask, Lord, now that as
we open these sacred pages,
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that your
Spirit would be with us
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because we need to
hear a word from the Lord.
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As we look at
the book of Daniel,
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may we find truths
for our lives today
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and we thank you, dear Father,
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in Jesus' name, amen and amen. "
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In this Series, I
want to look at Daniel
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in a number of different ways.
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When you have a
portion of the Bible
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that has been preached on so
many times and so thoroughly,
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it's rather
difficult to find new material
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but you can find new
ways to preach that material
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and if you search
diligently enough,
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you'll actually
find some new things
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that will encourage
you and inspire you.
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Daniel has been a book
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vital to the history
of the Adventist Church,
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from the time that Uriah Smith
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wrote thoughts on
Daniel and Revelation
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in the late 1800s to this day...
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we have always
preached from the book of Daniel
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and there is much encouragement
from Ellen White to do so
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in these last days.
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So, we want to look
at Daniel and Revelation
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later on... as Pastor
Lomacang will bring that,
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but today we want to study
Daniel for a number of reasons
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we want to study Daniel
for its prophetic content.
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Obviously, it is
a prophetic book.
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There is much we
can learn prophetically,
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so, we want to look
at the prophetic content
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but there's more than
just the prophetic content,
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we want to look at Daniel to
study its present truth content.
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That is to say that there
are things in this ancient book
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that are relevant for us today.
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Daniel has much to say
to contemporary Christians
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and for
contemporary Christianity
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so, we want to look
at the prophetic content
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we also want to look at
the present-truth content
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and then we want to study the
pastoral/ecclesiological content
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now what does that mean?
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It simply means that there is...
there's light for pastors...
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and leaders and teachers
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and there is much truth
relevant to the church today
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that we need to talk about
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so, we've got,
prophetic content...
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we've got present-truth content
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then we've got pastoral content
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and ecclesiological
or church content
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that we want to take a look at.
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As such, when we
look at the historical...
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the prophetic narrative
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as it intersects
with Bible truths,
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or the ecclesiological realities
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we're going to add a couple
of new wrinkles... dare I say,
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one... we're going
to have what we call...
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or what I call... a side bar.
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When the Biblical narrative
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has something
to say for us today
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when it has a reality
that we need to be aware of,
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we're going to come out
and do what I call a "side bar"
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that's an
examination of that truth
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in the light of
where we are today.
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So, we will examine the
current-day ramifications
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of Bible truth in our side bars
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because the
Bible speaks to its day
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but it also speaks to our day
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that also has
much to say to us today
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so, we will seek to
examine these things
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in what I call side bars.
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There are Biblical
lessons for each of us,
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there are things
that we need to know
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to apply to our lives in
our walk with Christ today,
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the Bible says, "those things
are written for our learning,
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for our
patience, for our comfort
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and for our hope. "
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Romans chapter 15 verse 4,
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"they are written... "
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1st Corinthians
chapter 10 verse 11 says,
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"for our example"
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so, when you read the Bible,
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there is
something that you can take
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and apply to your life today
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and that's what
we're going to do
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when we have our side bars.
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It is necessary to know...
I like to say, "the what"
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but it's also
necessary to know the "why"
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If you just preach the "what"
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then you're just
preaching what you see
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but it's necessary
to preach the "why"
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because then you
get a good understanding
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of how things are put together
and why they exist as they do.
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So, we're going
to preach the "what"
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we're going to preach the "why"
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we're going to preach the "how"
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and sometimes, we're
even going to preach the "who"
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so, tonight, we're
just setting the foundation,
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we're just sort of
driving our pylons down
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to set our foundation
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so that we can build on
these pylons and this foundation
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as we move into
the book of Daniel.
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So, today, we're going
to take a look at sandwiches
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and everybody's getting hungry,
my stomach is growling...
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I've been fasting
since Tuesday evening
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but, you know,
when you got a burden
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food is not that big a deal,
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so, I don't feel
particularly hungry
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and I feel strong in the Lord
and we praise the Lord for that.
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So, Daniel, as a book...
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is a particular
kind of "sandwiches"
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sandwich... rather...
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so, we are... we are
calling this first presentation
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"sandwiches. "
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My thesis is this...
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that you can view much of
the early part of Daniel...
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really all of Daniel in
terms of a... a sandwich
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so, if you're a visual learner,
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somebody who learns by
signs and symbols... like I am,
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you like to employ visual cues
for your study and memorization,
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then think of Daniel
in terms of sandwiches.
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Daniel is a sandwich.
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Now, I want to
touch on something
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that I was going to...
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actually I was going to
leave it out of the message
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and then I said, "Well,
maybe I'll put it back in
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and then I heard Shawn
Boonstra some time ago,
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preaching on Daniel
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and he touched on it
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and so I said,
"If Shawn can do it,
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then it's good enough for me"
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plus it's integral to what
we want to say about sandwiches.
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That is what we call...
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see that's a good
looking sandwich...
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that's a veggie burger...
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kind of makes you
hungry doesn't it?
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It's a good looking sandwich.
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Audience: Yummy.
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So, Daniel is
a... a... a sandwich.
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It's... it's a
particular kind of sandwich.
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You remember, years ago
there was commercial that said,
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"Where's the
beef?" You remember that?
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The lady asking,
"Where's the beef?"
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And in the book of Daniel,
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the beef
actually is in the middle
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where it ought to be...
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Daniel is a book
of chiastic structure,
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that's a big word
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that has to do with how the
book of Daniel is put together.
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Daniel,
Revelation, parts of Isaiah,
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some other books in the Bible
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also have this
chiastic structure
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written whole or in part
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but Daniel... not
only is a chiastic book,
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it has several
chiastic structures...
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structures... within
the chiastic structure.
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So, in short, what
is chiastic structure?
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Chiastic structure is
the answer to the question,
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"Where's the beef?"
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Now, in... in
western literature,
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usually... in
western literature...
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you save the punchline or
the... the... the big part
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for the end...
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you know Daniel always says,
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"I've read the last part of the
book... the back of the book"
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well, that's how...
that's how western literature is
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is... is constructed...
00:11:50.31\00:11:51.64
the punchline or the... the...
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the big part is always at the...
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the boy gets
the girl at the end,
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the man gets his
inheritance at the end,
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the... the damsel
gets saved at the end
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we always save the... the...
the punchline or the big part
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for the end...
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but in chiastic structure,
00:12:10.03\00:12:12.03
the... the big
part... the important part
00:12:12.06\00:12:15.33
is actually in the middle.
00:12:15.36\00:12:17.20
That's what makes
chiastic structure so different
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the... the good
stuff is not at the end...
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the good stuff is in the middle.
00:12:25.47\00:12:29.21
So, you don't build to a climax,
00:12:29.24\00:12:32.91
in chiastic
structure, "Where's the beef?"
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It's in the middle
where it ought to be
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so the important stuff
in a chiastic-structure book
00:12:39.35\00:12:42.99
is right there in the middle.
00:12:43.02\00:12:45.89
So a "chiasm"
then is a sandwich...
00:12:45.93\00:12:50.43
it... it starts
with a bun, dare I say,
00:12:50.47\00:12:54.90
it ends with a bun
00:12:54.94\00:12:58.07
and then the good
stuff is in the middle
00:12:58.11\00:13:01.48
and Daniel is a
chiastic sandwich.
00:13:01.51\00:13:06.82
So, let's go to it,
00:13:06.85\00:13:08.65
Daniel, as a book, was written
in two different languages.
00:13:08.68\00:13:14.36
It is written in Hebrew,
Aramaic and then Hebrew again
00:13:14.39\00:13:20.03
and this is why
we call it chiastic,
00:13:20.06\00:13:22.16
it's... it's... the
chiastic structure...
00:13:22.20\00:13:25.63
the beef is in the middle
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you've got
Hebrew... Aramaic... beef...
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and Hebrew outside...
00:13:32.21\00:13:34.08
the book of Daniel is as I
said, a chiastic structure,
00:13:34.14\00:13:38.21
the entire book...
00:13:38.25\00:13:39.58
now, here's how it breaks down,
00:13:39.61\00:13:40.95
Daniel chapter 1 verse 1
till Daniel chapter 2 verse 4
00:13:40.98\00:13:47.72
are written in Hebrew.
00:13:47.79\00:13:51.13
Then it goes to Aramaic
00:13:51.16\00:13:54.43
and then, Daniel
chapters 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12,
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back into Hebrew
00:13:59.23\00:14:01.80
so, you've got a
Hebrew bun, an Aramaic middle
00:14:01.84\00:14:06.88
and a Hebrew bun.
00:14:06.91\00:14:08.71
So, it's a sandwich.
00:14:08.74\00:14:12.51
Hebrew...
Aramaic... and Hebrew...
00:14:12.55\00:14:15.12
and we see that in
the book of Daniel.
00:14:15.15\00:14:17.09
Now, by the time
Daniel began to write,
00:14:17.12\00:14:19.15
Aramaic had become the
language of scholarship
00:14:19.22\00:14:22.59
and the language of learning,
00:14:22.62\00:14:23.96
so, he starts in
Hebrew... his native language...
00:14:23.99\00:14:26.76
he switches to
Aramaic in the middle
00:14:26.80\00:14:29.16
and then he ends back in Hebrew,
00:14:29.23\00:14:31.53
so can see it's... it's
kind of a chiastic sandwich
00:14:31.57\00:14:37.14
Daniel, it appears, tries
to lift up Christ throughout
00:14:37.17\00:14:42.71
the Hebrew... the
Aramaic and the Hebrew...
00:14:42.74\00:14:45.41
it appears to me or occurs to me
00:14:45.45\00:14:49.38
that in the middle part... he
wants to include Gentile readers
00:14:49.42\00:14:53.56
because the
message is so important
00:14:53.59\00:14:55.52
that he wants
Gentiles also to pick this up
00:14:55.56\00:14:59.73
so he starts in
Hebrew... he flips to Aramaic...
00:14:59.76\00:15:03.97
and then he
ends again in Hebrew.
00:15:04.00\00:15:07.34
So, what's in the
middle is good for everybody,
00:15:07.37\00:15:12.94
It's as though Daniel...
00:15:12.97\00:15:14.48
under the unction
of the Holy Spirit
00:15:14.51\00:15:17.25
decided that...
that middle section...
00:15:17.28\00:15:19.95
everybody needs to know that
and everybody needs to hear that
00:15:19.98\00:15:23.62
so he wrote that in an
international language...
00:15:23.65\00:15:25.95
the language of Aramaic
00:15:25.99\00:15:27.66
sandwiched between
two Hebrew sections.
00:15:27.69\00:15:31.49
Daniel was written by Daniel
00:15:31.53\00:15:36.53
and the reason I put
that in there is because
00:15:36.56\00:15:38.47
there are some scholars who say
that Daniel didn't write Daniel
00:15:38.50\00:15:40.84
you will find some preachers...
some teachers who say that
00:15:40.90\00:15:44.51
Daniel was written years later
by someone other than Daniel
00:15:44.54\00:15:48.14
but we believe and
most scholars should believe
00:15:48.18\00:15:51.15
and by-the-way...
Spirit of Prophecy confirms
00:15:51.21\00:15:53.55
that Daniel was
written by Daniel.
00:15:53.58\00:15:56.79
Daniel... his name
means "God is my judge"
00:15:56.85\00:16:03.56
God is my judge
00:16:03.59\00:16:08.10
he is youthful... he is a
youthful Hebrew intellectual
00:16:08.16\00:16:14.00
and one of the
greatest prophetic voices
00:16:14.04\00:16:16.64
in the Old Testament
and in the whole Bible...
00:16:16.67\00:16:18.74
he was taken captive in 605 B.C.
00:16:18.77\00:16:22.98
Pause.
00:16:23.01\00:16:24.88
We got a view of
Daniel... he is young,
00:16:24.91\00:16:29.08
he is strong,
he is good looking,
00:16:29.12\00:16:33.36
he is blemish free,
00:16:33.39\00:16:35.89
he is smart,
00:16:35.92\00:16:37.49
he is wise,
00:16:37.53\00:16:39.03
he is God fearing
00:16:39.06\00:16:40.53
and he is faithful.
00:16:40.56\00:16:41.96
I... I chaff
against those pictures...
00:16:42.00\00:16:43.87
did you all see
these pictures of Daniel
00:16:43.93\00:16:45.73
as an old man with a beard
and he did live to that age
00:16:45.80\00:16:49.27
but when Daniel got
started, he was sub-20
00:16:49.30\00:16:52.24
perhaps about 18 years of age,
00:16:52.27\00:16:53.64
strong, tall,
good-looking, blemish free,
00:16:53.68\00:16:57.31
smart, wise, God fearing
00:16:57.35\00:17:00.05
and faithful,
can you say, "Amen. "
00:17:00.08\00:17:01.42
Audience: Amen.
00:17:01.48\00:17:02.82
And we praise the Lord for that,
00:17:02.85\00:17:04.19
you see the difference
between smart and wise,
00:17:04.22\00:17:05.75
smart simply means, you have the
ability to acquire knowledge,
00:17:05.79\00:17:09.59
if you're smart...
someone tells you something...
00:17:09.62\00:17:11.49
you pick it up right away,
00:17:11.53\00:17:13.13
but if you're wise...
00:17:13.16\00:17:14.56
wise is the ability
00:17:14.60\00:17:15.96
to make good use of the
knowledge that you have.
00:17:16.00\00:17:18.87
There are a lot of
people that know a lot of stuff
00:17:18.90\00:17:21.64
but they don't
put it to good use.
00:17:21.67\00:17:23.91
So, you got to be smart...
got to be able to grasp it,
00:17:23.94\00:17:27.58
you also got to be
wise... got to be able to use it
00:17:27.61\00:17:31.25
and Daniel was smart and wise...
00:17:31.28\00:17:35.18
faithful and God fearing.
00:17:35.22\00:17:37.75
So, now, let's examine...
00:17:37.79\00:17:40.26
let us examine life in
the ancient Middle East
00:17:40.29\00:17:44.13
seven centuries
before the birth of Christ.
00:17:44.16\00:17:47.90
Now, the 10 northern
tribes had been destroyed...
00:17:47.93\00:17:53.10
you know, Israel was divided,
00:17:53.13\00:17:54.64
you had two and a half tribes
in the south, ten in the north.
00:17:54.67\00:17:57.17
The ten northern tribes
had been destroyed in 730 B.C.
00:17:57.21\00:18:00.38
by the Assyrian Empire
00:18:00.41\00:18:02.31
and in the ensuing century,
00:18:02.34\00:18:05.61
Syrian power and prestige had
waned and sort of fallen back
00:18:05.65\00:18:10.92
so, a new world power
was coming on the scene,
00:18:10.95\00:18:17.13
they were once a
vassal State of Assyria
00:18:17.19\00:18:19.53
but they began
to grow in strength.
00:18:19.56\00:18:21.33
We call this new world empire
the "Neo Babylonian Empire"
00:18:21.36\00:18:27.10
it was once a small
little vassal State,
00:18:27.14\00:18:30.44
but it began to grow under
the leadership of Nabopolassar
00:18:30.47\00:18:34.94
and his son, Nebuchadnezzar,
00:18:34.98\00:18:36.91
they conquered Nineveh...
00:18:36.95\00:18:38.91
now, the other...
00:18:38.95\00:18:42.98
the other rival for power
in the ancient Middle East
00:18:43.02\00:18:49.49
was the country of Egypt.
00:18:49.52\00:18:52.93
You had Babylon to the north,
00:18:52.96\00:18:58.13
you had Egypt to the south
00:18:58.17\00:19:03.24
and you had this
growing neo Babylonian Empire,
00:19:03.27\00:19:08.34
they're getting
stronger and stronger
00:19:08.38\00:19:10.68
and spreading
their wings as it were,
00:19:10.71\00:19:12.68
Nabopolassar... the father,
Nebuchadnezzar... the son.
00:19:12.71\00:19:17.79
So, again we see a sandwich,
00:19:17.82\00:19:20.99
you got Nebuchadnezzar
and Babylon to the north,
00:19:21.02\00:19:25.89
you got Pharaoh Necho
and Egypt to the south
00:19:25.93\00:19:30.73
and there... stuck in the middle
was Judah or what was left,
00:19:30.77\00:19:37.77
so, Babylon, Egypt...
and there's your sandwich.
00:19:37.81\00:19:40.81
Babylon... Israel
is the veggie burger...
00:19:40.84\00:19:46.15
and Egypt to the south...
00:19:46.21\00:19:47.88
pause...
00:19:47.95\00:19:49.45
Judah, like the now
defunct ten northern tribes,
00:19:49.48\00:19:54.16
had fallen into
sin and disobedience
00:19:54.22\00:19:56.26
and listen,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
00:19:56.32\00:19:58.29
when you look at the
history of the Old Testament
00:19:58.33\00:20:00.10
and God's dealings with Israel,
00:20:00.16\00:20:01.60
they can be boiled
down to two things,
00:20:01.63\00:20:04.27
Sabbath breaking and idolatry
00:20:04.30\00:20:07.64
and really, if you
look at the church today,
00:20:07.67\00:20:12.51
the world today...
00:20:12.57\00:20:14.01
that's pretty much
what we find ourselves.
00:20:14.08\00:20:16.88
Sabbath breaking and idolatry.
00:20:16.91\00:20:20.05
Sabbath breaking means
not only breaking the Sabbath
00:20:20.08\00:20:22.88
but refusing to keep
God's Ten Commandments
00:20:22.92\00:20:25.02
and then, idolatry means
substituting other things
00:20:25.05\00:20:29.16
in the place of God
and His Commandments.
00:20:29.19\00:20:31.43
It was a problem then
00:20:31.46\00:20:34.30
and I daresay,
it is a problem now,
00:20:34.33\00:20:37.53
so, Sabbath
breaking and idolatry,
00:20:37.57\00:20:40.74
so, let's now look at
the geo-political situation
00:20:40.77\00:20:46.01
that we find as a state of play
00:20:46.04\00:20:49.31
in ancient Israel.
00:20:49.34\00:20:51.61
Judah was a political-
social- spiritual wreck.
00:20:51.65\00:21:00.76
That's the only
way you can say it.
00:21:00.82\00:21:02.66
Spiritually... they
were... can I say, "a mess"
00:21:02.72\00:21:07.16
pause...
00:21:07.20\00:21:09.46
socially... not doing well,
00:21:09.50\00:21:11.93
politically... not doing well,
00:21:11.97\00:21:14.30
if you look at the counsels
and the warnings given by Isaiah
00:21:14.34\00:21:19.81
and later by Jeremiah...
00:21:19.87\00:21:21.84
Judah is a
spiritual basket case,
00:21:21.88\00:21:27.65
now, I know that there are
those who are outside America
00:21:27.68\00:21:29.88
who may not know
what a "basket case" is...
00:21:29.95\00:21:31.79
that's a kind of
a U.S. kind of term,
00:21:31.82\00:21:33.79
but a basket case is a...
00:21:33.82\00:21:35.52
is a situation that is
really on life support,
00:21:35.56\00:21:38.13
it's just... just a mess...
00:21:38.19\00:21:39.53
things are not going well,
00:21:39.56\00:21:42.00
Isaiah was giving counsel,
00:21:42.03\00:21:44.00
Jeremiah was giving counsel,
00:21:44.03\00:21:45.93
but they were headed
in the wrong direction.
00:21:45.97\00:21:50.74
Jeremiah's ministry
covers the last five kings
00:21:50.77\00:21:55.51
of the nation of Judah
00:21:55.54\00:21:58.58
and the truth
is... the truth is...
00:21:58.61\00:22:02.38
only one of those kings
was really worth anything
00:22:02.42\00:22:05.75
of the last five,
only one was worth anything
00:22:05.79\00:22:09.06
from a spiritual standpoint
00:22:09.09\00:22:11.19
and that's Good King Josiah.
00:22:11.23\00:22:13.26
Now why do we call
him, "Good King Josiah?"
00:22:13.29\00:22:17.47
Well, because he
was good, he was a king
00:22:17.53\00:22:21.67
and his name was Josiah.
00:22:21.70\00:22:23.97
So, he's good king Josiah
00:22:24.01\00:22:26.21
but he is the last of
the really good Hebrew kings.
00:22:26.24\00:22:32.38
The interesting
thing about Josiah
00:22:32.41\00:22:35.55
is that Josiah was
killed fighting a battle
00:22:35.58\00:22:41.56
that was not sanctioned by God
00:22:41.59\00:22:43.83
pause
00:22:43.86\00:22:45.89
and that's the important point
00:22:45.93\00:22:47.46
he was killed fighting a
battle not sanctioned by God.
00:22:47.50\00:22:51.73
Pharaoh Necho... on the
way to assist the Assyrians
00:22:51.77\00:22:55.97
in fighting
against the Babylonians
00:22:56.00\00:22:57.57
said, "You know what?
00:22:57.61\00:22:58.94
Let me take a
shortcut through Judah"
00:22:58.97\00:23:01.41
and Josiah... a Godly man...
didn't want that heathen nation
00:23:01.44\00:23:08.55
taking a detour
through his country
00:23:08.58\00:23:12.05
so, he went out and
fought against Necho
00:23:12.09\00:23:16.52
he didn't ask God...
00:23:16.56\00:23:18.29
he didn't pray about it,
00:23:18.33\00:23:20.03
he just determined,
00:23:20.06\00:23:21.53
"I don't want these
foreigners on my land,
00:23:21.56\00:23:23.93
let's go and fight them. "
00:23:23.97\00:23:27.00
You see, Josiah was a good
king who made a bad decision.
00:23:27.04\00:23:32.07
Pause.
00:23:32.11\00:23:34.41
So, he went out to fight,
00:23:34.44\00:23:36.44
he was 39 years of age,
00:23:36.48\00:23:38.45
he was defeated
00:23:38.48\00:23:40.85
and at 39 years of
age, Josiah lost his life.
00:23:40.88\00:23:45.09
Here's... here's...
here's the side bar...
00:23:45.12\00:23:48.62
here's the message
that comes from this,
00:23:48.66\00:23:52.09
"You cannot put God or
your faith... on autopilot"
00:23:52.13\00:23:59.97
amen...
00:24:00.00\00:24:01.54
amen
00:24:01.60\00:24:03.10
you can never
dial-in your religion.
00:24:03.14\00:24:07.54
You can never think
that you have the answers
00:24:07.58\00:24:15.42
unless you ask
God for those answers.
00:24:15.45\00:24:18.29
"You can't put God on
autopilot even when you have
00:24:18.32\00:24:22.72
a fully functional
relationship with God"
00:24:22.76\00:24:25.73
I mean, you're praying...
you're trying to serve the Lord,
00:24:25.79\00:24:27.96
pause...
00:24:28.00\00:24:31.37
the way to strengthen
it... your relationship with God
00:24:31.40\00:24:34.60
is by bringing God into every...
00:24:34.64\00:24:37.07
and I put it down three times,
00:24:37.11\00:24:39.37
"every, every
decision large or small!"
00:24:39.41\00:24:42.11
Amen.
00:24:42.14\00:24:43.48
Even if you are a Christian...
even if you are serving the Lord
00:24:43.51\00:24:46.65
you can never
put it on autopilot,
00:24:46.68\00:24:49.78
you got to bring
God into every decision
00:24:49.85\00:24:53.15
whether it be great
or whether it be small,
00:24:53.19\00:24:56.56
whether it be, how
to spend your last dime
00:24:56.59\00:24:59.89
or what to do with your
million-dollar inheritance,
00:24:59.93\00:25:03.06
whether it's who to
marry or where to live
00:25:03.10\00:25:07.04
or where to work
00:25:07.07\00:25:08.77
or what house to buy
00:25:08.80\00:25:10.61
or what car to buy
00:25:10.64\00:25:12.31
bring God into every
decision great or small.
00:25:12.37\00:25:16.75
Josiah was a good
king, he was a good person
00:25:16.78\00:25:20.98
but he made one fatal decision
00:25:21.02\00:25:23.55
and he didn't
ask for God's counsel
00:25:23.59\00:25:26.19
and it cost him his life.
00:25:26.22\00:25:28.49
So, in 605 B.C.,
Pharaoh Necho cuts through Judah
00:25:28.52\00:25:36.00
on the way to fighting Babylon
00:25:36.03\00:25:39.57
and good king
Josiah loses his life.
00:25:39.60\00:25:44.57
Great text...
00:25:44.61\00:25:46.68
"... there is a way that
seems right unto a man...
00:25:46.71\00:25:49.44
the Bible says, "the end
thereof are the ways of death. "
00:25:49.48\00:25:53.78
It may seem good...
it may seem right...
00:25:53.82\00:25:56.65
it may seem logical...
00:25:56.69\00:25:58.02
but if you don't ask
God, you have no guarantee.
00:25:58.05\00:26:02.82
Pause.
00:26:02.86\00:26:04.89
Jeremiah 10:23...
00:26:04.93\00:26:06.76
"... it is not within
man to direct his steps... "
00:26:06.80\00:26:10.57
and what's important
about that particular text,
00:26:10.60\00:26:14.34
Ladies and Gentlemen,
00:26:14.37\00:26:15.70
is that we all have brains...
00:26:15.74\00:26:18.04
amen.
00:26:18.07\00:26:19.84
Yeah... and sometimes,
we like to use our brains...
00:26:19.87\00:26:25.21
amen...
00:26:25.25\00:26:26.82
and you figure,
00:26:26.88\00:26:29.05
"I don't need the counsels
of God... I can do this"
00:26:29.08\00:26:31.35
pause...
00:26:31.39\00:26:32.79
"I can... I can... I can...
00:26:32.82\00:26:34.46
I can add one and
one and get two...
00:26:34.49\00:26:36.06
I can... I can buy that...
00:26:36.09\00:26:37.66
I can go there... I can do that"
00:26:37.69\00:26:39.09
but the secret has been,
is now and always will be...
00:26:39.13\00:26:44.07
surrender...
00:26:44.10\00:26:45.43
even though
you... you got a brain...
00:26:45.47\00:26:47.77
and God gave you a brain...
00:26:47.80\00:26:49.64
check with God...
00:26:49.67\00:26:52.04
amen...
00:26:52.07\00:26:53.41
every decision...
even little decisions...
00:26:53.44\00:26:55.44
and certainly, in the big ones.
00:26:55.48\00:26:58.58
Make no move... without God.
00:26:58.61\00:27:01.65
Now, that's awfully
simple... to understand
00:27:01.68\00:27:05.62
yet simply
awful... if you don't.
00:27:05.65\00:27:09.16
It's pretty profound...
yet it's profoundly simple.
00:27:09.19\00:27:13.13
Awfully simple...
00:27:13.19\00:27:14.53
simply awful... if you don't
00:27:14.56\00:27:17.70
bring God into every decision.
00:27:17.73\00:27:20.84
Now, let me share
quickly how bad things got.
00:27:20.87\00:27:23.37
This is Judah's final four...
00:27:23.41\00:27:25.27
we talk about the final four...
00:27:25.31\00:27:26.88
this is Judah's final four...
00:27:26.91\00:27:28.44
King Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim,
Jehoiachin and Zedekiah
00:27:28.48\00:27:33.01
the last four kings of Judah...
00:27:33.05\00:27:35.95
their final four...
00:27:35.98\00:27:37.95
these last four... served at
the pleasure of outside entities
00:27:37.99\00:27:44.79
in other words... God
didn't put them on the throne,
00:27:44.83\00:27:47.70
the people of Judah
didn't put them on the throne,
00:27:47.73\00:27:50.10
they were placed
on the throne of Judah
00:27:50.13\00:27:53.13
by somebody else...
00:27:53.17\00:27:54.50
Jehoahaz was the son of Josiah,
00:27:54.54\00:27:59.61
he was taken off the
throne and into captivity
00:27:59.64\00:28:04.91
by Pharaoh Necho...
00:28:04.95\00:28:06.92
so, Necho is in-charge of
who sits on the throne of Judah.
00:28:06.95\00:28:10.09
Necho puts
Jehoiakim on the throne
00:28:10.12\00:28:15.22
he doesn't stay very long...
00:28:15.26\00:28:20.13
Jehoiakim is a son of Josiah
00:28:20.16\00:28:25.00
but he is a puppet
king... he's not a real ruler
00:28:25.03\00:28:29.07
he's there at
the behest of Necho.
00:28:29.10\00:28:31.91
Jehoiachin is
Jehoiakim's brother
00:28:31.94\00:28:38.55
and another son of Josiah,
he lasts a short three months.
00:28:38.58\00:28:44.09
Nebuchadnezzar comes back
in 597... times have changed...
00:28:44.12\00:28:50.79
Necho is no longer in-charge,
00:28:50.83\00:28:52.66
Nebuchadnezzar takes
Jehoiachin off the throne
00:28:52.69\00:28:56.06
and takes him back to Babylon.
00:28:56.10\00:28:57.80
Now, the balance of power
has shifted in these ten years.
00:28:57.83\00:29:01.10
Nebuchadnezzar puts Judah's
final king on the throne,
00:29:01.14\00:29:08.14
now, here's what's important
00:29:08.18\00:29:11.38
we read in the book
Patriarchs and Prophets,
00:29:11.41\00:29:12.91
or rather...
Prophets and Kings...
00:29:12.95\00:29:14.42
God told Zedekiah,
00:29:14.45\00:29:18.09
"You're going to be suffering
as a people for your sins"
00:29:18.12\00:29:22.36
"if you... " and
I will use this term
00:29:22.39\00:29:25.09
"behave yourself... I will
make your captivity pleasant. "
00:29:25.16\00:29:29.96
He said to Zedekiah,
"Yield to Nebuchadnezzar,
00:29:30.00\00:29:35.20
Nebuchadnezzar is
going to be my... my whip...
00:29:35.24\00:29:39.31
because you need a spanking,
Nebuchadnezzar's going to do it
00:29:39.34\00:29:42.51
what you need to do is
just obey... be docile... listen
00:29:42.54\00:29:47.08
and it won't be bad for you.
00:29:47.12\00:29:48.45
But Zedekiah rebelled...
00:29:48.48\00:29:49.82
he didn't listen to
the word of the Lord,
00:29:49.85\00:29:51.82
so, what happened
to Judah's last king?
00:29:51.85\00:29:53.89
Zedekiah's two sons were
slain right before his eyes
00:29:53.92\00:29:58.49
and then
Nebuchadnezzar put his eyes out
00:29:58.53\00:30:01.30
and marched him back to Babylon
00:30:01.33\00:30:03.13
and he died on the way.
00:30:03.16\00:30:05.20
Why?
00:30:05.23\00:30:06.57
Because he refused to
listen to the counsel of God.
00:30:06.60\00:30:11.21
So we date Babylon
from the year 605 B.C.
00:30:11.24\00:30:18.68
that is the year
00:30:18.71\00:30:20.05
that Nebuchadnezzar
defeated Pharaoh Necho.
00:30:20.08\00:30:23.39
Pause...
00:30:23.42\00:30:26.12
Daniel and the three Hebrew
boys were taken in that year
00:30:26.15\00:30:30.79
Babylon became the
unrivaled and preeminent power
00:30:30.83\00:30:36.50
in the Middle East.
00:30:36.53\00:30:38.07
Pause.
00:30:38.10\00:30:40.30
Josiah was really
Israel's final king.
00:30:40.34\00:30:43.97
The other four were
puppets of other Governments.
00:30:44.01\00:30:48.14
It occurs to me... that when
you don't listen to the Lord
00:30:48.18\00:30:56.52
and obey the voice of the enemy,
00:30:56.55\00:30:59.95
do you know,
Satan will take you out,
00:30:59.99\00:31:02.99
destroy your life...
00:31:03.02\00:31:05.29
and then turn
around and laugh at you.
00:31:05.33\00:31:08.30
Pause.
00:31:08.36\00:31:09.90
And that's what
happened to Zedekiah.
00:31:09.93\00:31:11.97
He listened to
the wrong voice...
00:31:12.00\00:31:14.00
he lost his children...
00:31:14.04\00:31:15.70
he lost his eyesight...
00:31:15.74\00:31:17.17
he lost his life...
00:31:17.21\00:31:18.87
so there's much
counsel for us today
00:31:18.94\00:31:22.11
in the book of Daniel,
00:31:22.14\00:31:24.71
now, I've got to
move around kind of quick
00:31:24.78\00:31:26.11
because my time is
getting away from me.
00:31:26.15\00:31:27.65
So, what we need to understand
00:31:27.68\00:31:31.12
is that, Israel was
playing the political game.
00:31:31.15\00:31:35.42
For many years, they
had Babylon to one side,
00:31:35.46\00:31:38.59
Israel... or rather
Egypt to the other side...
00:31:38.63\00:31:41.70
they would go to Egypt
and sign treaties with Egypt
00:31:41.76\00:31:44.63
then they would leave
Egypt and go to Babylon
00:31:44.67\00:31:46.87
and sign treaties with Babylon,
00:31:46.90\00:31:48.30
they tried to play
this political game,
00:31:48.34\00:31:50.37
it didn't work then
and it does not work now,
00:31:50.41\00:31:52.81
it never works,
it has not worked,
00:31:52.84\00:31:56.14
and it never will work
00:31:56.18\00:31:57.75
so in 588 B.C. Zedekiah dies.
00:31:57.78\00:32:00.92
The Bible says this,
00:32:00.95\00:32:02.42
"Blessed is the man who
putteth his trust in... " who?
00:32:02.45\00:32:05.02
in God...
00:32:05.05\00:32:06.39
"whose confidence is in Him. "
00:32:06.42\00:32:08.46
Diplomacy doesn't work,
00:32:08.49\00:32:11.36
you got to put
your trust in God.
00:32:11.39\00:32:13.86
Pause...
00:32:13.90\00:32:15.86
I like this,
this is kind of cute,
00:32:15.90\00:32:17.70
this is... this
is something that...
00:32:17.73\00:32:19.47
that Jeremiah told
the last kings of Judah
00:32:19.50\00:32:23.04
that they really
didn't listen to...
00:32:23.07\00:32:25.04
he says, "Now look! You
are trusting in this staff
00:32:25.07\00:32:28.58
of this broken reed... Egypt
00:32:28.61\00:32:31.45
on which if a man leans
00:32:31.48\00:32:33.65
it will go into
his hand and pierce it.
00:32:33.68\00:32:35.45
So is Pharaoh... king of
Egypt to all who trust in him. "
00:32:35.48\00:32:39.05
"Pharaoh, king of
Egypt, is a big noise... "
00:32:39.09\00:32:42.89
and if you look up
the... the translation,
00:32:42.92\00:32:46.29
it's saying he's a big win...
he's a big blowhard... big noise
00:32:46.33\00:32:49.13
his time has
passed his... his...
00:32:49.16\00:32:51.93
"... he has passed
his appointed time. "
00:32:52.00\00:32:54.70
What Jeremiah is saying is,
"You're trusting in diplomacy
00:32:54.74\00:33:00.08
and you're leaning on Pharaoh,
00:33:00.11\00:33:02.24
sounds like a
stick with a sharp point
00:33:02.28\00:33:04.35
and when you lean on a
stick with a sharp point,
00:33:04.38\00:33:07.02
that point's gone to go into you
and... and... and pierce you.
00:33:07.05\00:33:09.68
You're so afraid of Pharaoh
00:33:09.72\00:33:12.19
that you're
trying to appease him,
00:33:12.22\00:33:13.56
Pharaoh... is a big noise,
00:33:13.59\00:33:15.66
he's all talk...
00:33:15.69\00:33:17.03
he has passed by
his appointed time
00:33:17.09\00:33:21.56
so the day for Egypt
is passed it's over...
00:33:21.60\00:33:25.23
so don't trust in
Pharaoh, trust in God. "
00:33:25.27\00:33:28.14
Ladies and Gentlemen, I daresay,
00:33:28.17\00:33:30.27
that's good
counsel today, isn't it?
00:33:30.31\00:33:32.31
Don't trust in
Pharaoh, don't trust in man...
00:33:32.34\00:33:35.24
trust in God...
00:33:35.31\00:33:36.85
blessed is the man who
putteth his trust in God
00:33:36.91\00:33:41.08
because Pharaoh's
just a loud noise.
00:33:41.12\00:33:43.25
Here we go, two quick ones,
00:33:43.28\00:33:44.62
"... cursed is the
man who trusts in man... "
00:33:44.65\00:33:46.99
that's Jeremiah 17:5 and
notice, it's Jeremiah talking
00:33:47.02\00:33:50.89
so, he's talking to
those last five kings
00:33:50.93\00:33:53.40
"... cursed is the
man who trusts in man... "
00:33:53.43\00:33:55.63
two verses later,
00:33:55.66\00:33:58.33
"... blessed is the man
who trusts in the Lord... "
00:33:58.37\00:34:02.17
so, if you trust in man,
you're not going to get anywhere
00:34:02.20\00:34:05.17
if you trust in God,
you are a blessed person,
00:34:05.21\00:34:08.81
can you say, amen.
00:34:08.84\00:34:10.18
So, this now is the story
of... of pre-exilic Israel,
00:34:10.21\00:34:13.95
it is a lesson in
the absolute futility
00:34:13.98\00:34:18.49
of trying to accomplish anything
00:34:18.52\00:34:20.96
outside of the will of God
00:34:20.99\00:34:23.73
and trying to do
anything... any other way
00:34:23.76\00:34:28.06
than God's way...
00:34:28.10\00:34:29.43
Babylon...
Egypt... a dying Assyria...
00:34:29.46\00:34:33.03
they're going to be...
00:34:33.07\00:34:34.40
but God's people
didn't have to be...
00:34:34.44\00:34:38.51
can I say, "the
baloney in that sandwich?"
00:34:38.54\00:34:42.58
if those of you who
remember back in the old days,
00:34:42.61\00:34:47.45
baloney is kind of a cheap
meat, it's beef... it's pork...
00:34:47.48\00:34:49.82
it's lots of stuff
kind of thrown together
00:34:49.85\00:34:51.65
and it's... it's baloney...
00:34:51.69\00:34:53.25
sometimes they
call it "phony baloney"
00:34:53.29\00:34:55.29
you know,
00:34:55.32\00:34:56.66
God's people didn't have to
be the baloney in that sandwich.
00:34:56.69\00:35:00.70
Proverbs chapter 14
verse 34, the Bible says,
00:35:00.73\00:35:06.23
"... righteousness
exalts a nation... "
00:35:06.27\00:35:08.97
that's powerful...
righteousness exalts a nation
00:35:09.00\00:35:15.04
but sin... sin is a
reproach to any people.
00:35:15.08\00:35:21.25
So, in 605 B.C.,
Daniel and several others
00:35:21.28\00:35:27.39
bright, handsome,
intelligent, spiritual young men
00:35:27.42\00:35:31.06
are spirited away to Babylon.
00:35:31.09\00:35:34.86
They are to be acculturated...
assimilated... manipulated...
00:35:34.90\00:35:40.24
into Chaldean
customs and culture.
00:35:40.27\00:35:44.34
Pause.
00:35:44.37\00:35:46.71
And so, their
considerable talents
00:35:46.74\00:35:48.44
were to be used in
the service of the king.
00:35:48.48\00:35:51.75
Nebuchadnezzar was
not... was a pretty smart guy...
00:35:51.78\00:35:53.78
his mindset
was, "Get the best...
00:35:53.82\00:35:56.15
get their
smartest, get their youngest,
00:35:56.18\00:35:57.75
get their brightest
and then make them Chaldean
00:35:57.79\00:36:01.26
and then I can get
service from them. "
00:36:01.29\00:36:02.92
So, he's a thinking guy...
00:36:02.96\00:36:04.63
let's look at
Daniel chapter 1 verse 4.
00:36:04.66\00:36:07.66
Pause.
00:36:07.70\00:36:10.63
"The young men in
whom there was no blemish,
00:36:10.67\00:36:14.90
but good-looking,
gifted in all wisdom,
00:36:14.94\00:36:18.01
possessing knowledge
and quick to understand,
00:36:18.04\00:36:21.51
who had ability to
serve in the king's palace,
00:36:21.54\00:36:24.95
and whom they might teach
00:36:24.98\00:36:27.32
the language and
literature of the Chaldeans. "
00:36:27.35\00:36:31.52
So, think of Daniel when
he first came to Babylon.
00:36:31.55\00:36:35.66
He is young, he is
tall, he is handsome,
00:36:35.72\00:36:39.09
he is good
looking, he is blemish free
00:36:39.13\00:36:42.43
and that can also be said
of Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego
00:36:42.46\00:36:47.87
Hananiah, Azariah,
Mishael... good-looking guys...
00:36:47.90\00:36:51.87
who the king cast
his eye on and said,
00:36:51.94\00:36:54.51
"I can use those
guys in my service"
00:36:54.54\00:36:56.75
and so, that's
why they are spotted,
00:36:56.78\00:36:58.91
and that's why they are taken
into the service of the king,
00:36:58.95\00:37:02.82
that's what
Nebuchadnezzar wanted
00:37:02.85\00:37:05.29
and before we close,
00:37:05.32\00:37:06.65
we will look at how
that reflects back on Israel
00:37:06.69\00:37:10.69
and how things would have been
00:37:10.73\00:37:14.20
had they gotten it right.
00:37:14.23\00:37:16.80
You know, it's
interesting to think...
00:37:16.83\00:37:20.14
pause
00:37:20.17\00:37:22.74
God chose
Israel... His people...
00:37:22.77\00:37:25.87
to be the head and not
the tail, isn't that so?
00:37:25.91\00:37:28.54
The Bible says,
00:37:28.58\00:37:30.88
"Israel was placed on the
crossroads of the nations"
00:37:30.91\00:37:33.52
if you're going to
go from Africa to Asia,
00:37:33.55\00:37:36.48
you had to go
through the Middle East...
00:37:36.52\00:37:39.35
you had to go by... or
near... or through Israel.
00:37:39.39\00:37:42.32
God put them
there for a purpose.
00:37:42.36\00:37:44.69
Pause.
00:37:44.73\00:37:46.26
They were sandwiched in
00:37:46.29\00:37:48.46
between these two great
continents... for a reason
00:37:48.50\00:37:51.70
and that reason was
to show the goodness
00:37:51.73\00:37:55.60
of the God that they serve
00:37:55.64\00:37:58.11
but the truth is,
they never got it right.
00:37:58.14\00:38:04.51
Pause.
00:38:04.55\00:38:06.25
How sad that they
never got it right.
00:38:06.28\00:38:10.22
Now, you've got
these world empires,
00:38:10.25\00:38:11.99
you've got Babylon,
before them, you had Assyria,
00:38:12.02\00:38:14.42
you had Egypt...
00:38:14.46\00:38:15.79
and Israel is there
throughout all of this...
00:38:15.82\00:38:19.16
what would the history of
the Middle East been like?
00:38:19.19\00:38:22.23
What would the history
of the world have been like
00:38:22.26\00:38:25.13
if Israel had
fulfilled its purpose for God.
00:38:25.17\00:38:28.54
The history of this planet
could have been re-written
00:38:28.57\00:38:33.41
if they just
stood up for the Lord.
00:38:33.51\00:38:35.94
If they could have found a way
00:38:35.98\00:38:37.65
to obey God and to listen to God
00:38:37.68\00:38:40.98
and not get drawn in
to the sins and idolatry
00:38:41.02\00:38:44.85
of every culture
that came near them,
00:38:44.89\00:38:47.06
if they could have
just stood for God,
00:38:47.09\00:38:49.19
what marvelous things
could God have done for Israel
00:38:49.22\00:38:54.26
even in the face of
the Babylonian Empire,
00:38:54.30\00:38:57.57
even in the face of
the Egyptian country
00:38:57.60\00:39:00.84
and the Assyrian Empire,
00:39:00.87\00:39:02.74
what could God have done?
00:39:02.77\00:39:04.67
And if we ask that question,
00:39:04.74\00:39:06.57
then, perhaps we ought
to also ask the question,
00:39:06.61\00:39:09.21
what would it be
like if God's people today
00:39:09.24\00:39:12.78
really got on fire for Him.
00:39:12.81\00:39:15.55
What would it be
like if God's church
00:39:15.58\00:39:19.42
really moved at the frequency
00:39:19.45\00:39:22.89
and the
resiliency that God desires.
00:39:22.92\00:39:25.63
How powerful would this
church be if every member...
00:39:25.69\00:39:30.37
if every person lived
out the precepts of God
00:39:30.40\00:39:34.44
in their own life.
00:39:34.47\00:39:37.21
How could the
history of the Middle East
00:39:37.24\00:39:40.18
and indeed, all of mankind
00:39:40.24\00:39:42.54
have been changed
00:39:42.58\00:39:43.91
had God's people
consistently lived for God.
00:39:43.95\00:39:49.58
If Jehovah could have
fulfilled His promises
00:39:49.62\00:39:52.55
through His people,
00:39:52.59\00:39:54.06
what a wonderful, wonderful
world... this would have been
00:39:54.09\00:40:01.40
so, Daniel is a gifted,
Godly, good-looking teenager
00:40:01.43\00:40:08.67
we figure about 18...
00:40:08.70\00:40:10.04
he is the recipient
of many, many miracles
00:40:10.07\00:40:15.94
and the singular
expositor of a prophetic vision
00:40:15.98\00:40:21.32
that ran from his day
00:40:21.35\00:40:23.79
all the way down
to the end of time.
00:40:23.82\00:40:26.55
Now, we're told that Enoch
got glimpses of the end of time,
00:40:26.59\00:40:31.06
there are others who got
glimpses of the end of time
00:40:31.09\00:40:34.36
but no one was given the kind
of vision that Daniel was...
00:40:34.40\00:40:39.87
Daniel saw
intricately and intimately...
00:40:39.90\00:40:42.80
the things that
were going to happen
00:40:42.84\00:40:45.71
before Christ comes again
00:40:45.74\00:40:48.21
and that's what the
burden of our study is
00:40:48.24\00:40:51.58
in the book of Daniel.
00:40:51.61\00:40:53.78
The cosmic consequences
00:40:53.82\00:40:55.88
and the importance of those
things that are going to happen
00:40:55.92\00:40:59.55
in God's time.
00:40:59.59\00:41:00.99
Daniel's name, as we mentioned,
is "God is my judge. "
00:41:01.02\00:41:05.89
He was not the only prophet
to see down into the future
00:41:05.93\00:41:10.77
but none of the
prophetic views in the Bible
00:41:10.80\00:41:15.90
are as extensive
and as protracted
00:41:15.97\00:41:20.68
and as detailed as
the book of Daniel.
00:41:20.71\00:41:25.28
So, it pleased God to
show Daniel these things.
00:41:25.31\00:41:30.82
Now, let me take
another side bar.
00:41:30.85\00:41:32.69
Here it is.
00:41:32.72\00:41:36.02
God is...
00:41:36.06\00:41:38.76
never has...
00:41:38.79\00:41:41.43
never will be
without a spokesman, amen.
00:41:41.46\00:41:45.93
Down through history,
from the days of Adam and Eve,
00:41:45.97\00:41:51.41
Cain and Abel and Seth...
00:41:51.44\00:41:54.98
God has always had somebody
to stand up for Him, amen.
00:41:55.01\00:42:00.42
Audience: Amen.
00:42:00.48\00:42:01.92
Always, he's never
been without a spokesman...
00:42:01.95\00:42:04.35
it could be a
person, it could be a church,
00:42:04.39\00:42:06.62
it could be a nation, it
could be a group of people,
00:42:06.65\00:42:10.53
but throughout
the 6,000-plus years
00:42:10.56\00:42:13.46
of recorded history of
mankind on this planet,
00:42:13.50\00:42:16.10
there's always been
somebody to stand up for God
00:42:16.13\00:42:19.40
and in these last days,
there's going to be a people
00:42:19.43\00:42:22.67
stand up for God, amen.
00:42:22.70\00:42:24.57
That's why we've got
the prophetic landscape.
00:42:24.61\00:42:27.34
Prophecy shows you the future,
00:42:27.38\00:42:30.05
but it also
establishes you in the past,
00:42:30.08\00:42:33.88
so, we look back and see,
00:42:33.92\00:42:36.18
"Yeah, there's always been
somebody standing up the Lord. "
00:42:36.22\00:42:39.22
There's somebody
standing up for the Lord now.
00:42:39.25\00:42:42.02
There will always be somebody
standing up for the Lord
00:42:42.09\00:42:44.69
in the future,
00:42:44.73\00:42:46.06
the only question is, "On
which side, will I stand?"
00:42:46.09\00:42:50.07
Amen.
00:42:50.10\00:42:51.63
Somebody's going to be
saved, don't you think so?
00:42:51.67\00:42:53.50
Christ is coming
back to get someone...
00:42:53.54\00:42:56.50
he's not coming back in vain,
00:42:56.57\00:42:59.27
am I going to be in that number?
00:42:59.31\00:43:01.61
God is... never has...
00:43:01.64\00:43:06.08
never will be without
a spokesman for Him...
00:43:06.11\00:43:09.98
a flesh and blood
witness to his grace
00:43:10.02\00:43:14.72
and His glory.
00:43:14.76\00:43:17.66
Somebody's going to stand
up for the goodness of God.
00:43:17.69\00:43:20.23
Somebody's going to
stand up for the glory of God.
00:43:20.26\00:43:23.20
Someone's going to stand
up for the majesty of God.
00:43:23.23\00:43:26.13
He's always had
that and He always will.
00:43:26.17\00:43:29.77
Pause...
00:43:29.80\00:43:33.94
Abel... Seth...
Enoch... Abraham... Lot...
00:43:33.98\00:43:38.05
Noah... Israel...
the Apostolic Fathers...
00:43:38.08\00:43:41.48
Christians in the
catacombs, Waldenses,
00:43:41.52\00:43:44.85
the Reformers...
00:43:44.89\00:43:46.22
the Albigenses... the Cathari...
00:43:46.25\00:43:48.62
pause
00:43:48.66\00:43:50.76
Manuel de la Cumsa
00:43:50.79\00:43:52.26
Joseph Wolff...
00:43:52.29\00:43:53.70
Ellen White... William Miller...
00:43:53.76\00:43:55.46
the Adventist Church...
00:43:55.50\00:43:57.27
3ABN...
00:43:57.30\00:43:58.70
God has always had a voice
00:43:58.73\00:44:01.84
and even in the darkest hours
00:44:01.87\00:44:04.94
God has a voice...
00:44:04.97\00:44:06.74
even in
Babylon... God had a voice.
00:44:06.78\00:44:09.58
Later on, we're going
to see in Medo-Persia,
00:44:09.61\00:44:12.81
God's got a voice...
00:44:12.88\00:44:14.48
in Greece...
God's got a voice...
00:44:14.52\00:44:17.29
in Rome... God's got a voice...
00:44:17.35\00:44:20.06
during the days
of the Papal Church,
00:44:20.09\00:44:22.32
God's got a voice...
00:44:22.36\00:44:23.76
during the days
of the Reformation...
00:44:23.79\00:44:25.89
God's got a voice...
00:44:25.93\00:44:27.26
during the days of
the Counter Reformation,
00:44:27.30\00:44:29.66
God's got a voice...
00:44:29.70\00:44:31.03
during the days of the beginning
of the Adventist Church
00:44:31.07\00:44:37.31
and the coming of
age in the 1800s...
00:44:37.34\00:44:43.28
God's got a voice...
00:44:43.35\00:44:44.68
into the 1900s...
God's got a voice...
00:44:44.71\00:44:46.95
and God will have a
voice up until the end of time.
00:44:46.98\00:44:51.39
Can you say, "Amen. "
00:44:51.42\00:44:52.75
Audience: Amen.
00:44:52.79\00:44:54.12
So, even in
Babylon, in this cradle...
00:44:54.16\00:44:56.09
this cauldron... this cistern...
00:44:56.12\00:44:58.83
this cesspool of
evil and decadence
00:44:58.89\00:45:01.56
and idolatry...
00:45:01.60\00:45:02.93
God had a people and
those people had a message.
00:45:02.96\00:45:06.17
On the next presentation,
00:45:06.20\00:45:07.54
you will see God do some
things with Nebuchadnezzar
00:45:07.57\00:45:12.91
that he did with no other king
00:45:12.94\00:45:15.64
of no other empire
00:45:15.71\00:45:17.21
of the four major
empires that we will study.
00:45:17.25\00:45:19.95
God did some very special things
00:45:19.98\00:45:22.12
in this most evil and
decadent of... of empires
00:45:22.18\00:45:26.65
God did something
very, very special...
00:45:26.69\00:45:29.52
and God pulled a
brand out of the fire
00:45:29.56\00:45:32.39
in an idolatrous kingdom.
00:45:32.43\00:45:35.53
You know, we
serve a mighty God...
00:45:35.56\00:45:37.17
a mighty God...
00:45:37.20\00:45:38.80
and one of the things
that you can take heart in
00:45:38.83\00:45:41.60
in these last days is nobody...
00:45:41.64\00:45:44.11
the fact that
nobody can run too far...
00:45:44.14\00:45:49.14
can run too
fast... can sin too much...
00:45:49.18\00:45:54.15
can be too bad...
00:45:54.18\00:45:56.12
pause...
00:45:56.18\00:45:58.15
amen...
00:45:58.19\00:45:59.95
pause...
00:45:59.99\00:46:01.69
for God to save you...
00:46:01.72\00:46:03.06
Audience: Amen.
00:46:03.09\00:46:04.79
Amen, no matter how
fast your feet move,
00:46:04.83\00:46:07.86
you can't outrun God, amen.
00:46:07.90\00:46:10.67
No matter how bad
your life has been,
00:46:10.70\00:46:13.50
it's not too dirty to clean up.
00:46:13.54\00:46:17.07
Amen... yeah.
00:46:17.11\00:46:19.94
No matter how
many times you sin,
00:46:19.97\00:46:23.14
there's no sin that you can sin
00:46:23.18\00:46:26.01
that Christ hasn't seen before.
00:46:26.05\00:46:28.82
Amen.
00:46:28.85\00:46:30.49
The Bible says,
"nothing new under heaven"
00:46:30.52\00:46:33.22
you can't invent anything
that Christ hasn't seen before.
00:46:33.25\00:46:37.43
Amen.
00:46:37.46\00:46:38.86
Two: You can't invent anything
that Christ hasn't cured before.
00:46:38.89\00:46:45.73
Amen.
00:46:45.77\00:46:47.30
So, don't drop your
head in sadness and silence
00:46:47.34\00:46:51.01
"Woe is me...
I've gone too far...
00:46:51.07\00:46:54.21
I've sinned too much...
00:46:54.24\00:46:55.64
Christ can't help me. "
00:46:55.68\00:46:57.01
No Sir, one of the things
that the book of Daniel tells us
00:46:57.05\00:47:00.52
is that, regardless of
how bad you think you are,
00:47:00.55\00:47:05.02
where iniquity abounds...
00:47:05.05\00:47:08.56
grace abounds much more.
00:47:08.59\00:47:12.03
So, even in Babylon,
they're suffering for their sins
00:47:12.06\00:47:16.06
make no mistake about it,
00:47:16.13\00:47:17.47
they're in Babylon... because
they turned their backs on God.
00:47:17.50\00:47:21.47
They're in Babylon
00:47:21.50\00:47:23.47
because they refused to
listen to the prophetic voice,
00:47:23.51\00:47:26.44
they're in Babylon
00:47:26.47\00:47:28.28
because they liked
the things of the world
00:47:28.34\00:47:30.58
more than they
liked the things of God
00:47:30.61\00:47:34.08
and be not
deceived, God is not mocked,
00:47:34.12\00:47:37.85
what you sow...
you... hmmm... hmmm...
00:47:37.89\00:47:41.59
and even in Babylon,
suffering for their sins...
00:47:41.62\00:47:46.29
Jesus is there.
00:47:46.33\00:47:49.33
Amen.
00:47:49.36\00:47:50.80
So, when you're
worse at times...
00:47:50.87\00:47:52.83
Satan will tell you,
00:47:52.87\00:47:54.20
"You can't do that again,
00:47:54.24\00:47:56.14
you can't go to God
with that sin again,
00:47:56.20\00:47:57.94
you know how bad you are,
00:47:57.97\00:47:59.34
you... you
haven't even improved... "
00:47:59.37\00:48:00.94
pause...
00:48:00.98\00:48:03.21
but God says,
"No... come as you are...
00:48:03.24\00:48:05.81
come as you will...
00:48:05.85\00:48:07.52
and I will heal you,
00:48:07.55\00:48:09.35
I will not cast you
out I will cleanse you. "
00:48:09.38\00:48:13.29
Ladies and
Gentlemen, that's good news.
00:48:13.32\00:48:16.73
They've got a
70-year prison stretch
00:48:16.76\00:48:20.13
in Babylon...
00:48:20.16\00:48:21.50
and you know who's
right there in jail with them?
00:48:21.53\00:48:24.60
Jesus.
00:48:24.63\00:48:26.40
Hadn't left them alone,
00:48:26.43\00:48:28.50
and we see this
over and over again
00:48:28.54\00:48:31.84
in the coming...
the coming chapters...
00:48:31.87\00:48:35.14
so, God always has a voice
00:48:35.18\00:48:36.91
and even in times when
you're suffering for your sins,
00:48:36.95\00:48:40.95
we got a sermon coming up
called: Schlemiel Schlemazel.
00:48:40.98\00:48:45.72
Now, if you're from New York,
00:48:45.75\00:48:47.66
that's Yiddish...
it's... it's Hebrew
00:48:47.69\00:48:49.72
and in New York, there's a
lot of Hebrew in the English
00:48:49.76\00:48:52.53
and there used to be a
television show called,
00:48:52.56\00:48:54.43
Laverne and Shirley years ago,
00:48:54.46\00:48:55.96
they had Schlemiel Schlemazel
00:48:56.00\00:48:57.47
Schlemiel is a person who
suffers for their own sins
00:48:57.50\00:49:00.04
a Schlemazel is a
person who suffers
00:49:00.07\00:49:01.84
because of the bad
decisions of other people.
00:49:01.87\00:49:03.47
Schlemiel... Schlemazel
00:49:03.51\00:49:04.84
we're going to be
talking about that, I think,
00:49:04.87\00:49:06.21
the 4th or 5th sermon
00:49:06.24\00:49:07.58
but even the... the Schlemiel...
00:49:07.61\00:49:09.14
even the
Schlemiel who is suffering
00:49:09.18\00:49:11.31
because of
mistakes that he made,
00:49:11.38\00:49:13.45
is not beyond the
goodness... the grace...
00:49:13.48\00:49:16.89
the redemptive power of God
00:49:16.92\00:49:19.52
even when you do stupid stuff.
00:49:19.55\00:49:21.06
How many have ever
done "stupid stuff?"
00:49:21.09\00:49:24.43
Raising hand...
00:49:24.46\00:49:27.46
be honest... done stupid stuff,
00:49:27.50\00:49:30.07
sometimes you... you do things
00:49:30.10\00:49:32.43
and you wonder, "Is that me?"
00:49:32.47\00:49:34.60
"How could I be so dumb?"
00:49:34.64\00:49:37.17
"How did I think
that was a good decision?"
00:49:37.21\00:49:39.31
Have you ever had that?
00:49:39.34\00:49:40.68
You question yourself,
"What... what was I thinking?"
00:49:40.71\00:49:43.65
Pause...
00:49:43.68\00:49:45.65
And you suffer for it
00:49:45.68\00:49:47.02
and God does...
00:49:47.05\00:49:48.38
God does not let you
pass by the suffering...
00:49:48.42\00:49:50.92
He allows you to go
through the suffering
00:49:50.95\00:49:53.62
for two reasons...
00:49:53.66\00:49:54.99
one, it keeps you
from doing that again...
00:49:55.02\00:49:57.03
amen...
00:49:57.06\00:49:58.39
yeah, and you think and
you pray before you had...
00:49:58.43\00:50:01.40
and two: when you
get on the other side,
00:50:01.43\00:50:04.53
you know that was
God who got you through.
00:50:04.57\00:50:07.60
Amen...
00:50:07.64\00:50:08.97
So, even when
you do stupid stuff,
00:50:09.00\00:50:12.21
when you are what the...
the Hebrews call a "Schlemiel"
00:50:12.24\00:50:16.44
God is still there with you
00:50:16.51\00:50:19.08
and that's what the entire
Babylonian experience says,
00:50:19.11\00:50:22.78
it says, "They're suffering
because of their own mistakes
00:50:22.82\00:50:27.26
but even when they go to
jail, God is in jail with them.
00:50:27.29\00:50:31.56
Amen.
00:50:31.59\00:50:32.93
God is standing
right by their side.
00:50:32.96\00:50:36.56
Pause...
00:50:36.60\00:50:40.30
God has a people and
God's people have a message
00:50:40.34\00:50:45.31
and that message came through
00:50:45.34\00:50:48.34
in the darkest hours of Babylon,
00:50:48.38\00:50:51.31
because a man named
Daniel stood for his God
00:50:51.35\00:50:56.92
his entire life.
00:50:56.95\00:50:59.55
From the days
when he was a young man
00:50:59.59\00:51:02.39
to the days when he
was a bearded old man,
00:51:02.42\00:51:06.59
he always stood for the Lord
00:51:06.63\00:51:08.56
and Ellen White says this,
00:51:08.60\00:51:10.47
"He stands an
example for every one of us
00:51:10.50\00:51:13.47
in these latter days
00:51:13.50\00:51:14.84
that even in the darkest hours
00:51:14.87\00:51:17.04
when you're in a place
you don't want to be...
00:51:17.07\00:51:18.71
having to go through stuff
you don't want to go through,
00:51:18.74\00:51:21.18
you can still stand for Jesus
00:51:21.21\00:51:23.35
because Daniel
did... all his life
00:51:23.38\00:51:26.38
and wherever he
went... wherever he went
00:51:26.41\00:51:29.78
wherever he went, men
and women saw Christ in him
00:51:29.82\00:51:35.26
pause...
00:51:35.29\00:51:36.62
and were led to Jesus...
00:51:36.66\00:51:39.76
and were led to God.
00:51:39.79\00:51:43.00
Now, there were some
tricks played on him,
00:51:43.06\00:51:44.90
we're going to
talk about those too
00:51:44.93\00:51:46.43
because when you serve the Lord,
00:51:46.50\00:51:48.04
everybody's not
going to love it...
00:51:48.07\00:51:49.57
amen...
00:51:49.60\00:51:51.11
when you serve the Lord,
00:51:51.14\00:51:52.81
everybody's not
going to be your friend,
00:51:52.87\00:51:54.54
when you serve the Lord,
00:51:54.58\00:51:56.44
everybody's not
going to praise you,
00:51:56.48\00:51:58.58
in fact, when
you serve the Lord,
00:51:58.61\00:52:00.65
there are some people
who are going to hate you
00:52:00.68\00:52:03.08
simply because
you're doing right.
00:52:03.12\00:52:05.02
Anybody know what
I am talking about?
00:52:05.05\00:52:06.92
Not doing anything wrong...
00:52:06.96\00:52:08.72
not bad... just serving the Lord
00:52:08.76\00:52:10.09
and there are some
people who will hate you
00:52:10.13\00:52:12.66
and plot against
you... just for doing right,
00:52:12.69\00:52:15.23
we see that in Daniel also
00:52:15.26\00:52:18.13
but always there was a people...
00:52:18.17\00:52:20.64
always there was a message...
00:52:20.67\00:52:23.04
and always there
was the love of God
00:52:23.07\00:52:26.14
that shone so very brightly.
00:52:26.17\00:52:29.64
Daniel and his
three Hebrew friends
00:52:29.68\00:52:31.95
as we will see in
the coming chapters,
00:52:31.98\00:52:34.18
stood for the Lord.
00:52:34.22\00:52:36.18
Oft times they did not have many
00:52:36.22\00:52:39.22
but you know the God we serve
00:52:39.25\00:52:42.86
is not a... a
hostage to numbers,
00:52:42.89\00:52:45.89
you know what I mean?
00:52:45.93\00:52:48.10
Pause...
00:52:48.13\00:52:49.46
You don't need a lot of numbers
00:52:49.50\00:52:50.87
when you got God on your side
00:52:50.90\00:52:53.00
because one plus God is majority
00:52:53.03\00:52:55.10
so I took this from
the Hebrew contemporary...
00:52:55.14\00:52:58.81
the Jewish Contemporary Bible
00:52:58.84\00:53:00.68
pause...
00:53:00.71\00:53:03.71
1st Samuel 14:6
00:53:03.75\00:53:05.81
"... ADONAl" you always
see that in the Hebrew Bible,
00:53:05.88\00:53:10.02
"ADONAl" that's the Lord...
00:53:10.09\00:53:12.39
"can rescue with a few...
00:53:12.42\00:53:15.72
a few people as
easily as with many"
00:53:15.76\00:53:20.50
now, I'm going to tell
you a quick exegetical trick,
00:53:20.56\00:53:22.40
see the word
"ADONAl" there, ADONAl
00:53:22.43\00:53:25.17
when the writers
of the Septuagint
00:53:25.20\00:53:27.90
were looking for a
word to deal with that,
00:53:27.94\00:53:31.11
they came up with
the word, "Jehovah"
00:53:31.14\00:53:35.54
which they took... Y H W H
00:53:35.61\00:53:38.48
just the vowel...
and they took the...
00:53:38.51\00:53:41.08
just the consonants rather...
00:53:41.12\00:53:42.45
they took the
vowels from ADONAl...
00:53:42.48\00:53:44.65
they took the "A" Je
00:53:44.69\00:53:46.89
o... ho... a... vah...
00:53:46.92\00:53:49.02
so, Jehovah and
Adonai are the same
00:53:49.06\00:53:51.69
but the Septuagint people
00:53:51.73\00:53:53.66
in not really
understanding how to translate
00:53:53.70\00:53:56.73
took ADONAl... put the
vowels back into Y H W H
00:53:56.77\00:54:00.54
Yahweh and came up
with the word, "Jehovah"
00:54:00.60\00:54:02.90
so, Jehovah is... dare I
say... an invented word...
00:54:02.94\00:54:07.04
it's not an original word,
00:54:07.08\00:54:08.41
it is the
confluence of Yahweh and Adonai
00:54:08.44\00:54:12.35
and we come up
with the word, "Jehovah"
00:54:12.38\00:54:16.28
but the Bible is telling
us, God doesn't need a number,
00:54:16.35\00:54:20.36
He just needs a
few faithful people.
00:54:20.39\00:54:24.93
God just needs individuals
who will stand for Him
00:54:24.96\00:54:29.73
and love Him and serve Him
00:54:29.76\00:54:35.90
and follow Him
wherever He leads.
00:54:35.94\00:54:40.98
God can save by many...
00:54:41.04\00:54:43.78
God can save by few...
00:54:43.81\00:54:46.51
but the good news,
Ladies and Gentlemen is
00:54:46.55\00:54:49.35
that God can save.
00:54:49.38\00:54:54.19
and as we look at
the book of Daniel,
00:54:54.22\00:54:56.66
we will see how God
saves again and again and again
00:54:56.69\00:55:02.10
and again
00:55:02.16\00:55:03.50
and there are tentacles
going into the book of Esther
00:55:03.53\00:55:05.57
that we will pull together,
00:55:05.60\00:55:06.94
there are tentacles
going into the book of Isaiah
00:55:06.97\00:55:08.94
that we will pull together,
00:55:08.97\00:55:10.31
there are tentacles going
into the book of Zachariah
00:55:10.34\00:55:12.67
that we will pull together,
00:55:12.71\00:55:14.04
there are tentacles
going into the book of Luke
00:55:14.08\00:55:16.14
that we will pull together,
00:55:16.18\00:55:17.51
there are tentacles
going into the book of Hebrews
00:55:17.55\00:55:19.61
that we will pull together.
00:55:19.65\00:55:20.98
Daniel is such
an encompassing book
00:55:21.02\00:55:23.39
and such a wide-ranging book
00:55:23.42\00:55:25.62
and has so much to say to
God's people... and for us today
00:55:25.65\00:55:31.73
that... it is a book
that, again, Ellen White says,
00:55:31.76\00:55:35.53
we need to study again
and again and again and again.
00:55:35.56\00:55:39.33
Our next topic
will be: Dream Catcher
00:55:39.37\00:55:43.41
we'll take a look at the dream
00:55:43.44\00:55:46.11
and the
ramifications of that dream
00:55:46.17\00:55:48.58
and we're going to give you
00:55:48.61\00:55:52.05
some interesting
contemporary applications
00:55:52.08\00:55:54.72
to that dream
00:55:54.75\00:55:56.18
particularly what happens
down in the toes of that dream
00:55:56.22\00:55:59.15
which is our day...
00:55:59.19\00:56:00.59
and we'll see some
things that God has for us.
00:56:00.62\00:56:03.76
Until then, the message
for this night is simply this,
00:56:03.79\00:56:08.06
"Wherever you find yourself...
00:56:08.10\00:56:11.70
even if you're
suffering for your own mistakes,
00:56:11.73\00:56:16.44
know that you
serve a God who loves you
00:56:16.47\00:56:21.11
with an everlasting love,
00:56:21.14\00:56:23.45
know that you serve a God
00:56:23.48\00:56:25.68
who will hear and
answer your prayers
00:56:25.71\00:56:28.68
and even in the
darkest of hours,
00:56:28.75\00:56:31.69
in the toughest of situations,
00:56:31.72\00:56:34.62
in the bleakest
of circumstances,
00:56:34.69\00:56:37.56
you are never alone...
00:56:37.59\00:56:40.40
Audience: Amen.
00:56:40.43\00:56:41.83
God is by your side.
00:56:41.86\00:56:43.57
When we were young,
00:56:43.60\00:56:45.20
we used to sing a
song, "Dare to be a Daniel"
00:56:45.23\00:56:48.80
if you're an old-time Adventist,
you remember that song?
00:56:48.84\00:56:50.91
"Dare to be a
Daniel, dare to stand alone,
00:56:50.94\00:56:53.31
dare to have a purpose true,
00:56:53.34\00:56:55.14
dare to make it known. "
00:56:55.18\00:56:56.95
That was oh...
three or four hymnals ago,
00:56:56.98\00:57:00.12
I don't think
they have that anymore
00:57:00.15\00:57:01.55
but that's what the
young people used to sing.
00:57:01.58\00:57:03.08
Dare to be a
Daniel, dare to stand alone,
00:57:03.12\00:57:05.45
dare to have a purpose true
00:57:05.49\00:57:07.29
and dare to make it known.
00:57:07.32\00:57:09.02
Daniel did all of those things
00:57:09.06\00:57:10.83
and as such, he stands
as an example for all of us.
00:57:10.86\00:57:14.23
We can stand as he stood...
00:57:14.26\00:57:18.00
we can be victorious
even as he was victorious
00:57:18.03\00:57:21.94
and God will see us through
00:57:21.97\00:57:25.17
even as God saw him through.
00:57:25.21\00:57:28.34
That is the message,
again tonight, we've just begun,
00:57:28.38\00:57:32.08
we've got a lot to cover
00:57:32.11\00:57:33.62
and many, many
miles to go before we rest
00:57:33.65\00:57:36.38
but this is a good
book with good lessons
00:57:36.45\00:57:39.15
for you and for me.
00:57:39.19\00:57:41.42
Shall we pray, "Father God,
00:57:41.46\00:57:42.82
we thank you
00:57:42.86\00:57:45.29
for this opportunity to
look into the book of Daniel
00:57:45.33\00:57:49.16
and to see in this book,
00:57:49.20\00:57:51.83
those things
that you have for us
00:57:51.87\00:57:54.77
teach us Lord... and
then fill us with your Spirit
00:57:54.80\00:57:59.41
that we may do your will...
your way... and your work.
00:57:59.44\00:58:03.31
Open up the truths of the book
of Daniel to our understanding
00:58:03.35\00:58:08.05
and help them to
apply... apply them to our lives
00:58:08.08\00:58:11.75
and we thank you
Father, in Jesus' name, amen. "
00:58:11.79\00:58:15.42