It's been 2,000 years since
the glorious light of the cross
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illuminated a world
veiled in darkness and confusion
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about the character of God.
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And still today, the
greatest need of mankind
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is a revelation of
God's love as revealed
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in the life of Christ.
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Amazing Facts
presents the Everlasting Gospel
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with Pastor Doug Batchelor
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coming to you each week
from Sacramento Central Church
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in sunny California!
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Discover hidden
treasures in God's Word today.
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We're going to talk
about a story this morning
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that is very familiar,
maybe take a fresh look
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at a story that
has been referred to
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especially for the
children and it's a story of
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Daniel in the lion's den.
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You find this story in, of
course, the book of Daniel 6,
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and it's not a passage that
is just intended to make for a
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good story for the children
or a fun song they might sing.
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There's a lot of very important
theology in here that is
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relevant for us today.
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I do believe that we
are living in the last days
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of the world's history and
the book of Daniel, we're told
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in a special sense, would be
opened to us in the last days,
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and this story is part of that.
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Now in order to get the
background for the story
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about Daniel in the lion's den,
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you need to just go back
to chapter 5 a little bit
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to understand the
context of what is happening.
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Long before I was a Christian,
and I was hearing the expression
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about the "handwriting on
the wall," I didn't know that
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that was a Bible expression,
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but it's something
that comes from the Bible.
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Very quickly, to
give you the history...
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Daniel, when he was a
young man, had been carried off
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captive to Babylon during the
reign of King Nebuchadnezzar.
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Through a series of miracles,
he was exalted from the position
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of being a captive to
being prime minister and
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chief counselor
for Nebuchadnezzar.
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He maybe had a lesser
capacity under the service of
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Nebuchadnezzar's
son, Evil-Merodach,
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and then Nebuchadnezzar's
grandson, Belshazzar.
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Belshazzar was an irreverent
king, did not have the reverence
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for God as Nebuchadnezzar did.
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He had a drunken feast in which
he was mocking the God of heaven
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...praising the idols
of Babylon by drinking from
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the holy vessels that had been
captured from the temple of God
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in Jerusalem.
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He knew he was not
supposed to do that,
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but he was just
mocking the God of heaven.
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But the Lord said - enough
is enough and in the middle of
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this great, big,
drunken political feast,
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there on the
plaster, against the wall,
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where everybody could see it,
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a bloodless hand began to
write, in burning characters,
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some cryptic letters...
"Mene, mene, tekel upharsin"
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Well, they didn't
know what that meant,
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and when the wise men of
Babylon could not translate it,
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someone remembered... Oh,
there was someone who is in the
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cabinet of Nebuchadnezzar
who had the Spirit of
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the God of Heaven - he
could tell you what it means.
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So Daniel was brought in.
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King Belshazzar says, "If you
tell me what this writing means
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...Everybody is so terrified
by this spiritual spectacle,
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that the party had
come to an abrupt halt...
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The King said, "You tell me what
this means and I'll make you
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third ruler in the kingdom...
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Belshazzar could only
offer third ruler because he was
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the second ruler, his
father was off fighting battles
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somewhere else...
And I'll give you gifts!"
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And Daniel, very
bold, very courageous,
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a man of integrity...
he says, "Keep your gifts
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for yourself...
You don't say that to a
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king typically...
But Daniel knew he wasn't
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going to be king for much
longer, so it didn't matter.
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He was soon going to be
voted out of office by the Lord.
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And said... but I'm
going to tell you for free,
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what the writing
says, and he translated.
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The writing basically said that
you are weighed in the balances,
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you are found wanting;
your kingdom is being divided,
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and given to the
Medes and the Persians.
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And of course, that's
exactly what happened.
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That night, the Medo-Persian
empire had been camped outside
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the walls; they had had this
drunken party in spite of the
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fact that the kingdom was being
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besieged by the
Medes and the Persians.
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They diverted the
Euphrates River where it ran
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under the walls; the army
of Cyrus and Darius, the Mede,
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marched underneath the walls;
the solders inside were drunk;
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they had left the gates,
the inner gates unlocked...
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JUST as it had
been foretold by Isaiah
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hundreds of years
earlier and Babylon fell.
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One of the first things they
did, is they executed the king,
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and all of the rulers in
Babylon but they spared Daniel
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because Daniel was a man
of such sterling character
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and integrity, he was legendary
even among his enemies.
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Daniel was a person who
had sterling character, courage
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and integrity.
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He was a man of honesty.
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He was true to duty as
the needle is to the pole.
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Others knew that
and they respected it.
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Now, go with me to
the book of Daniel 6
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We're going to read
verse 1 with that background.
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The Medo-Persian kingdom
was sort of a dual kingdom.
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The Persians were
later the supreme kingdom,
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but when they first started out,
the Medes had the rulership.
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King Darius of the
Medes, sat over the kingdom.
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Verse 1.. "It pleased
Darius to set over the kingdom
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120 princes or governors
to be over the whole kingdom;
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and over these, 3 governors
of whom Daniel was chief
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or first, that the princes
might give account to them,
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and so the king
would have no loss. "
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Part of delegating
such a big kingdom,
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because not only was
it the Babylonian empire,
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but now the Babylonians had
been absorbed by the Persians,
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so you got this VERY
big kingdom to administrate,
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and so they delegated
to 127 different princes.
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There's a trinity of
3 governors over those.
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Darius said... Look, I
need a REALLY good, honest
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administrator.
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He had heard about Daniel;
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he said... I
think I can trust you.
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Now that really says something
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because how old was
Daniel at this point?
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He had already been in Babylon
70 years from when he had been
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captive probably as a teenager,
so he must be 80-something
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at this point and yet he
is strong enough of body,
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and clear enough of mind that
he is being chosen for a very
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strenuous, demanding position.
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It says something
for the health message
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that you read about
in chapter 1... Amen?
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And so, he puts Daniel in among
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the 3 governors
because he can be trusted...
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Well you know, the
other Medo-Persians
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sort of resent that!
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Here you take this captor from
Judah, he's not even a national,
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and not only you give
him a position of honor,
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but the king was thinking about
setting him over the whole realm
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Verse 3... "Then this
Daniel - while he was working as
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one of the 3 top governors...
distinguished himself above
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the governors and the
princes because an excellent
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spirit was in him and the
king gave thought to setting him
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over the whole realm. "
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An excellent spirit was in him.
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Has anyone every
accused you of that?
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If someone were to say, "Well
you know that person over there,
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that person over there,
they are spirit-possessed"
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Would you think that was
a good thing or a bad thing?
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Depends on what spirit.
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If I were to ask you, "Would you
like to be spirit-possessed?"
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How would you answer?
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Now let's admit it, be honest...
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If I say to you,
"spirit- possessed,"
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what do you automatically
think of? Which spirit?
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We always think of the
bad spirit... you know why?
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We've met so few people
who are GOOD-spirit-possessed.
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And so, you know if I
said, "Well that person
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has got a spirit," you'd say,
"Well let's stay away from them"
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But when it came
to Daniel, they said,
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"He's got an
excellent spirit in him"
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He just exuded the Holy Spirit.
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There was the aura of
God's Spirit about him
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that others recognized.
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And the King
understood that he was faithful.
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He was honest, he
could not be bribed.
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You know, often in positions
of power, power corrupts!
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And the more power a person
has, the more corrupted they are
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...The more
chances for compromise.
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And yet the king saw that
Daniel was true and honest,
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and noble and good...
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You know why Daniel
was so faithful under the
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administration of Nebuchadnezzar
and Evil-Merodach,
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Belshazzar, Darius and
Cyrus, the Bible says he
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continued to the first
year of the reign of Cyrus,
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and that does not mean he
died during the first reign
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of King Cyrus, that
means Cyrus issued a decree
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that the temple
could be rebuilt.
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Daniel may have even gone back!
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He may have lived to
even go back to Jerusalem
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during that time.
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Why did he thrive during
the reign of all those monarchs?
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Because Daniel really
never served them first.
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Daniel could serve them
well because he served a
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higher Monarch first and
they recognized that about him.
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John Wesley said, "He that
fears God, fears nothing else.
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He that does not fear
God, fears everything else. "
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Daniel was not
afraid of anything because
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he feared the King of
Kings and they saw that.
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...And he thought to set
him over the whole realm.
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He was going to make him
prime minister or viceroy
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of the entire empire.
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Now that really
bothered the other politicians
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who thought they
should be in line.
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There was envy.
They were jealous.
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Now before I go very far
in the study of Daniel 6,
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I want you to know the
whole great controversy is
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in this story
between Christ and Satan.
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The battle
between good and evil.
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The life of Christ is even
modeled in the life of Daniel.
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I'm sorry, the life of JESUS is
modeled in the story of Daniel.
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Did Jesus have
enemies that tried to find
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something wrong with Him?
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Did He have spies
following him around?
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Did they resent the
high position that He
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held with the
Father... when He said that
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He was the Son of God?
00:11:04.24\00:11:06.09
That He might
someday rule over Him,
00:11:06.12\00:11:09.07
that He was a
King in some capacity?
00:11:09.10\00:11:11.72
Yeah, they wanted
to get rid of Him.
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Jesus, second only to
God Almighty the Father,
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the idea that Daniel would
be second only to the king,
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they could not stand that.
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What was it that caused
the rebellion of Lucifer?
00:11:24.37\00:11:26.84
He was jealous, he
envied the position of Christ.
00:11:26.87\00:11:29.72
He wanted to be
like the Most High.
00:11:29.75\00:11:32.53
So a plot was put into effect
to get him out of the way.
00:11:32.56\00:11:37.45
They said... We'll
just follow him around.
00:11:37.48\00:11:38.86
We'll get some
small lipstick cameras;
00:11:38.89\00:11:40.59
we watch as he
fills out his tax returns;
00:11:40.62\00:11:43.82
we'll check his driving record.
00:11:43.85\00:11:47.00
So they tried to trap him.
00:11:47.03\00:11:49.86
They tried to find something
wrong and they couldn't
00:11:49.89\00:11:51.32
find anything!
00:11:51.35\00:11:53.37
A man of integrity.
00:11:53.40\00:11:56.12
They sought to find
some occasion against Daniel
00:11:56.15\00:11:59.17
concerning the
kingdom, but they could find no
00:11:59.20\00:12:01.74
charge or fault
because he was faithful.
00:12:01.77\00:12:04.97
What did they say about Jesus?
00:12:05.00\00:12:06.19
Even Pilot said, "I
find no fault in Him"
00:12:06.22\00:12:09.34
They sent spies
who came back and said,
00:12:09.37\00:12:10.90
"No man speaks like this man"
00:12:10.93\00:12:13.10
He was faithful.
00:12:13.13\00:12:16.15
By the way, Daniel was human.
00:12:16.18\00:12:18.53
You can have the
same spirit Daniel had.
00:12:18.56\00:12:22.66
Daniel was faithful
living in a foreign land.
00:12:22.69\00:12:26.07
You and I, as
children of another kingdom,
00:12:26.10\00:12:28.59
are living in a foreign land.
00:12:28.62\00:12:30.62
If Daniel could be faithful
surrounded by Babylonians,
00:12:30.65\00:12:33.57
you could be faithful
surrounded by pagans too.
00:12:33.60\00:12:36.09
Amen? So stop making excuses.
00:12:36.12\00:12:38.96
This story is in the
Bible to encourage you
00:12:38.99\00:12:41.37
that you can live a
godly life and have integrity.
00:12:41.40\00:12:46.37
Verse 5... They said, "We're
not going to find any charge
00:12:46.40\00:12:49.02
against this Daniel -
They can't even say Daniel,
00:12:49.05\00:12:51.84
THIS Daniel...
Unless we find it against
00:12:51.87\00:12:54.70
him concerning
the law of his God. "
00:12:54.73\00:12:57.31
We're going to need to probably
get some religious law enacted
00:12:57.34\00:13:01.72
and use that against
him; somewhere where his law
00:13:01.75\00:13:06.75
and principles conflict with
the law of the Medo-Persians.
00:13:06.78\00:13:11.90
Now you need to really sit
up and pay attention because
00:13:11.93\00:13:14.46
this may happen to
you before it's over.
00:13:14.49\00:13:17.58
So the governors and the princes
thronged before the king,
00:13:17.61\00:13:20.24
and they said, "King
Darius, live forever.
00:13:20.27\00:13:22.98
All of the governors of the
kingdom and the administrators,
00:13:23.01\00:13:26.88
and the princes and the
advisors have consulted together
00:13:26.91\00:13:32.04
to establish a royal statute. "
00:13:32.07\00:13:34.18
Well, they're lying -
it wasn't all of them.
00:13:34.21\00:13:35.99
Daniel was chief,
he wasn't in there.
00:13:36.02\00:13:38.54
I can promise you that.
00:13:38.57\00:13:40.85
They were trying to
give the king the impression
00:13:40.88\00:13:42.97
that they had had
consensus and everybody agreed
00:13:43.00\00:13:45.40
this was a good
thing to unite the kingdom.
00:13:45.43\00:13:49.28
"We're consulting that the
king establish a royal statute,
00:13:49.31\00:13:53.00
and make a firm decree
that whoever petitions or prays
00:13:53.03\00:13:57.15
to any god or man for 30
days, except for you, Oh king,
00:13:57.18\00:14:01.31
he'll be cast
into the den of lions.
00:14:01.34\00:14:04.16
Now, O king, establish the
decree and sign the writing
00:14:04.19\00:14:08.14
that it cannot be changed
according to the law of the
00:14:08.17\00:14:11.57
Medes and the Persians
which does not alter. "
00:14:11.60\00:14:14.52
I underlined in my
Bible, "cannot be changed,"
00:14:14.55\00:14:17.60
"does not alter"
00:14:17.63\00:14:19.79
Now, you might be wondering...
And then it goes on to say,
00:14:19.82\00:14:22.97
"Therefore King Darius,
sign the written decree"
00:14:23.00\00:14:26.92
Now, the Medo-Persians,
when they made a law,
00:14:26.95\00:14:29.80
it wasn't like in North
America, when we vote a law
00:14:29.83\00:14:32.23
and we vote it out,
we say here's a good law,
00:14:32.26\00:14:34.04
now we're changing that
law, we're repealing that law,
00:14:34.07\00:14:35.76
we're modifying that law.
00:14:35.79\00:14:37.08
Depends on who is in
office at the time and whether
00:14:37.11\00:14:39.76
or not we liked it.
00:14:39.79\00:14:43.58
When they made a law back then,
00:14:43.61\00:14:45.34
the law of the
king did not change.
00:14:45.37\00:14:48.71
It would be in the
books for generations,
00:14:48.74\00:14:52.39
or at least for
the life of the king.
00:14:52.42\00:14:55.36
And it wasn't just his
vanity, nobody prays to anybody
00:14:55.39\00:15:00.89
but me for 30 days -
probably appealed to his vanity.
00:15:00.92\00:15:05.27
But you see, they knew something
back then that leaders know...
00:15:05.30\00:15:08.51
When you cannot
unite diverse people,
00:15:08.54\00:15:12.01
because of politics or
because of language barriers,
00:15:12.04\00:15:16.22
because there are cultural
differences or geography,
00:15:16.25\00:15:19.17
you can unite
people through religion.
00:15:19.20\00:15:21.91
It is the HARDEST
thing to overcome.
00:15:21.94\00:15:25.64
You know why the
problems in the Middle East
00:15:25.67\00:15:27.34
are so entrenched?
00:15:27.37\00:15:29.96
They get the
best political minds,
00:15:29.99\00:15:32.39
the best negotiators,
the best advisors to come in
00:15:32.42\00:15:37.55
to that region and try
to get the people together,
00:15:37.58\00:15:40.11
but why are they divided?
00:15:40.14\00:15:41.99
It's not culture, it's
not language that's really
00:15:42.02\00:15:45.77
the problem, it's
not the economics,
00:15:45.80\00:15:47.84
it's not the
traditions... it's the RELIGION!
00:15:47.87\00:15:52.23
If you can get
people united in RELIGION,
00:15:52.26\00:15:54.56
they can overcome
all the other barriers.
00:15:54.59\00:15:57.33
The devil knows that.
00:15:57.36\00:15:58.85
Nebuchadnezzar knew that.
00:15:58.88\00:16:00.94
Why do you think he said...
I'm going to have everybody
00:16:00.97\00:16:03.11
gather on the plain of Dura;
we're going to make a statue;
00:16:03.14\00:16:05.19
we're all going to bow to the
same statue at the same time,
00:16:05.22\00:16:08.51
unite the kingdom;
we'll be welded together
00:16:08.54\00:16:11.13
by common faith and worship.
00:16:11.16\00:16:14.27
King Darius said...
Yeah, that's the way to do it!
00:16:14.30\00:16:17.17
Why do you think the
Caesars had it declared that
00:16:17.20\00:16:19.55
they were gods?
00:16:19.58\00:16:21.02
Do you think they
really believed they were gods?
00:16:21.05\00:16:23.49
Ahhh - I think some of them
probably became narcissistic
00:16:23.52\00:16:27.90
and started thinking that
way, but... megalomaniacs.
00:16:27.93\00:16:32.17
Most of them knew
it was a maneuver to
00:16:32.20\00:16:34.53
manipulate the simple masses;
00:16:34.56\00:16:36.47
believe that the
Pharaoh is a god;
00:16:36.50\00:16:39.22
believe the Caesar is a god;
00:16:39.25\00:16:40.86
unite the kingdom
through common worship!
00:16:40.89\00:16:43.82
You know, that
principle has not changed.
00:16:43.85\00:16:45.84
The devil is going to
use it in the last days.
00:16:45.87\00:16:47.80
He's going to compel the whole
world to worship a certain way.
00:16:47.83\00:16:52.62
So Darius signs
the decree, good idea!
00:16:52.65\00:16:54.89
I got 127 provinces;
the people are scattered;
00:16:54.92\00:16:57.77
we got some Babylonians,
some Medes, some Persians,
00:16:57.80\00:17:00.85
some Jews and all these
different... weld them together.
00:17:00.88\00:17:04.70
You all pray to the
king for 30 days and develop
00:17:04.73\00:17:08.62
morale and support.
00:17:08.65\00:17:11.28
So he signed the
decree, but he didn't know
00:17:11.31\00:17:14.60
that it was really a rouse;
00:17:14.63\00:17:16.01
the whole thing was
to get rid of Daniel.
00:17:16.04\00:17:20.97
Now here's where, for me,
the story is phenomenal...
00:17:21.00\00:17:27.84
Daniel is a man of
sterling conviction and courage.
00:17:27.87\00:17:33.65
You read in verse 10,
I've got this underlined
00:17:33.68\00:17:37.37
in my Bible...
"Now when Daniel knew
00:17:37.40\00:17:42.12
that the writing was signed...
00:17:42.15\00:17:43.47
I doubt with his high
position that they could get the
00:17:43.50\00:17:46.12
document printed,
copied and circulated
00:17:46.15\00:17:49.41
without his knowing,
somebody brought him a copy
00:17:49.44\00:17:53.00
before it went out...
00:17:53.03\00:17:54.46
When Daniel knew that
the writing was signed,
00:17:54.49\00:17:57.76
he went home, he
withdrew from the
00:17:57.79\00:18:00.25
corruption of the
palace back to his house,
00:18:00.28\00:18:04.19
and in his upper room...
00:18:04.22\00:18:07.07
A lot of interesting
things happen in upper rooms.
00:18:07.10\00:18:10.92
You hear about, of course
- Elisha, he goes into that
00:18:10.96\00:18:18.16
upper room and he prays
and that boy is resurrected.
00:18:18.20\00:18:25.37
The Bible talks about the church
being born in an upper room.
00:18:25.40\00:18:28.24
Jesus first
appears in an upper room.
00:18:28.27\00:18:32.61
Daniel goes into his upper room;
00:18:32.64\00:18:34.58
the last supper New Testament
Church was inaugurated there.
00:18:34.61\00:18:39.14
His windows being open...
Now why would that be mentioned?
00:18:39.17\00:18:44.31
What does the law say?
00:18:44.34\00:18:45.72
Anybody caught
praying for 30 days...
00:18:45.75\00:18:50.82
And by the way, I don't
know if there's a connection,
00:18:50.85\00:18:54.41
but it's interesting
when you get to Daniel 12,
00:18:54.44\00:18:57.05
there is a 30-day
period, a 30-year period,
00:18:57.08\00:19:01.43
between the 1260 and the
1290, not sure if there's a
00:19:01.46\00:19:06.38
connection there, but just
thought that was interesting,
00:19:06.41\00:19:08.33
represented a month.
00:19:08.36\00:19:10.42
Not supposed to
be caught praying...
00:19:10.45\00:19:15.13
You know, doesn't
Jesus say, "when you pray,
00:19:15.16\00:19:17.24
enter into your
closet and shut the door"
00:19:17.27\00:19:19.83
Wouldn't this have been a good
00:19:19.86\00:19:20.95
time to go in the
closet and shut the door?
00:19:20.98\00:19:23.75
Why did he pray - not
only did he pray with his
00:19:23.78\00:19:26.61
windows open, he prayed on
his knees so they could see
00:19:26.64\00:19:30.86
physically, he was
in a posture of prayer.
00:19:30.89\00:19:32.63
He could have just sat
there in the window with his
00:19:32.66\00:19:34.86
arms folded and look
like he was meditating,
00:19:34.89\00:19:36.96
but he got down and took
on the posture of prayer,
00:19:36.99\00:19:39.77
and he did not pray
towards the palace in Babylon,
00:19:39.80\00:19:43.43
or in Shushan, he
prayed towards Jerusalem.
00:19:43.46\00:19:47.13
Everything about
what Daniel did said...
00:19:47.16\00:19:49.95
"I am NOT going to worship
MAN, I'm going to worship GOD
00:19:49.98\00:19:54.38
because it's better to
obey God than man, right?
00:19:54.41\00:19:57.53
See, it was something he
had done for a long time,
00:19:57.56\00:20:01.01
and so now, the
people in the courtyard,
00:20:01.04\00:20:03.51
below Daniel's window,
they see everywhere is plastered
00:20:03.54\00:20:06.69
this poster about this
new law and they all began
00:20:06.72\00:20:10.03
to think - Here we
got this neighbor, Daniel,
00:20:10.06\00:20:11.87
and he's got this custom opening
his window and people SEE!
00:20:11.90\00:20:19.32
Another reason he
left his window open,
00:20:19.35\00:20:21.08
Jesus said in Matthew
5, "Let your light so shine
00:20:21.11\00:20:24.48
before men that they
may see your good works,
00:20:24.51\00:20:28.40
not to glorify you,
glorify your Father in heaven. "
00:20:28.43\00:20:31.32
Don't hide what you believe!
00:20:31.35\00:20:33.63
If you're a Christian and
you thank God for your food
00:20:33.66\00:20:35.86
when you're at home,
don't be afraid to bow your
00:20:35.89\00:20:37.82
heads when you're
in a public restaurant.
00:20:37.85\00:20:39.47
If you're on a
airplane, let someone see.
00:20:39.50\00:20:42.71
It always encourages me,
if I'm in some public place,
00:20:42.74\00:20:45.20
and I see somebody
take off their baseball cap
00:20:45.23\00:20:47.94
and bow their head to pray over
00:20:47.97\00:20:49.35
their hamburger wherever
they are... bless their hearts!
00:20:49.38\00:20:53.25
Sometimes I want to
just go up and talk to them!
00:20:53.28\00:20:54.75
Are you a believer -
strike a conversation,
00:20:54.78\00:20:57.00
I noticed you look
like you were praying...
00:20:57.03\00:20:59.10
There are others out
there that are looking!
00:20:59.13\00:21:02.65
Don't be ashamed
of what you believe.
00:21:02.68\00:21:05.22
Daniel was ready to be caught
praying at the cost of his LIFE
00:21:05.25\00:21:14.01
You don't have to
hide when you pray.
00:21:14.04\00:21:17.16
I remember, I traveled with
a singing group and we would
00:21:17.19\00:21:21.80
break up and room, different
rooms and stay in hotels,
00:21:21.83\00:21:26.73
and you break up - the guys
would stay with different guys,
00:21:26.76\00:21:28.76
and the girls with different
girls and I really admired
00:21:28.79\00:21:31.87
one member of the
group, no matter what was
00:21:31.90\00:21:33.45
happening or who
he was staying with
00:21:33.49\00:21:34.75
before he went to bed and
when he got up in the morning
00:21:34.78\00:21:37.61
he knelt there by his bed, he
folded his hands and he prayed
00:21:37.64\00:21:39.96
There's nothing
discrete about it.
00:21:40.07\00:21:42.83
And some of them might
have the TV on in the room,
00:21:42.86\00:21:46.53
and he'd say, "You
know, I'm going to pray now,"
00:21:46.56\00:21:48.59
and he would kneel
down and he would pray...
00:21:48.62\00:21:50.54
And he said, "This is something
I've done since a child,
00:21:50.57\00:21:52.65
and I'm not stopping"
and that taught me something
00:21:52.68\00:21:57.18
that I never forgot.
00:21:57.21\00:21:59.25
Let your light shine - don't
be afraid of what you believe,
00:21:59.28\00:22:04.86
stand up for your convictions!
00:22:04.89\00:22:09.69
Oh, I never finished
reading for you, verse 10...
00:22:09.72\00:22:13.86
"When Daniel knew the
writing was signed, he went home
00:22:13.89\00:22:16.77
with his upper room, place
of visibility, windows open
00:22:16.80\00:22:20.95
toward Jerusalem, knelt on
his knees, 3 times that day,
00:22:20.98\00:22:25.28
and he prayed and
gave thanks before his God"
00:22:25.31\00:22:28.34
He's not only praying,
petitioning God for the people
00:22:28.37\00:22:32.06
which you read about
his prayer in Daniel 9...
00:22:32.09\00:22:34.77
You also hear him giving THANKS,
00:22:34.80\00:22:37.62
prayed for his needs
- he's giving thanks.
00:22:37.65\00:22:39.81
If you knew you were
about to be kitty food,
00:22:39.84\00:22:41.97
would you thank God?
00:22:42.00\00:22:43.94
I mean, some of us would
say, "Oh, I have nothing to
00:22:43.97\00:22:46.90
thank the Lord for,
it's just been a rough week,
00:22:46.93\00:22:49.08
a rough day," and you
know, you just complain
00:22:49.11\00:22:51.55
in your prayers and
tell God what you need,
00:22:51.58\00:22:53.12
or what you want Him to change
and you forget to thank Him.
00:22:53.15\00:22:55.74
Daniel is about to die
and he's thanking the Lord.
00:22:55.77\00:22:59.34
So, doesn't the Bible say,
"... in all things give thanks"
00:22:59.37\00:23:03.23
If he can thank God
THEN, in those circumstances,
00:23:03.26\00:23:06.10
then we can
always be thankful. Amen?
00:23:06.13\00:23:08.35
Three times that day...
and there were probably spies
00:23:08.38\00:23:13.44
set up watching to see -
00:23:13.47\00:23:14.88
Is he going to
continue his custom?
00:23:14.91\00:23:16.22
Is he going to
close his windows?
00:23:16.25\00:23:18.50
Is he going to hide
the posture of prayer?
00:23:18.53\00:23:21.31
Daniel did not change ANYTHING
about his relationship with God
00:23:21.34\00:23:26.23
even though it
might cost him his life.
00:23:26.26\00:23:29.52
Was it because he was stubborn?
00:23:29.55\00:23:31.73
Is there any virtue in
Christians being stubborn,
00:23:31.76\00:23:34.41
wearing our religion on
our sleeve and being obstinate?
00:23:34.44\00:23:37.41
No... I think Daniel
did it because he loved God,
00:23:37.44\00:23:40.54
and he was more
interested in the honor of God,
00:23:40.57\00:23:44.43
his REAL boss than
the King of Medo-Persia.
00:23:44.46\00:23:48.69
He wasn't doing it
because he was just stubborn.
00:23:48.72\00:23:52.94
It was about LOVE!
00:23:52.97\00:23:54.33
And he said... I'm not going
to let ANYTHING come between
00:23:54.36\00:23:57.08
my relationship
and my time with God.
00:23:57.11\00:24:00.18
Now I can't do this
without trying to exploit
00:24:00.21\00:24:05.83
a very simple point...
00:24:05.86\00:24:07.47
The reason there is a book
in the Bible called "Daniel,"
00:24:07.50\00:24:09.82
I believe, is seen
right here in this verse.
00:24:09.85\00:24:14.73
"As his custom
was, 3 times a day,"
00:24:14.76\00:24:18.87
this means Daniel had a
personal devotional life.
00:24:18.90\00:24:23.58
How could you survive a
believer in the God of heaven
00:24:23.61\00:24:28.62
surrounded by first
the Babylon paganism,
00:24:28.65\00:24:32.58
then the Medo-Persian paganism
and all that went with it,
00:24:32.61\00:24:36.74
to be in a position of politics?
00:24:36.77\00:24:39.36
I mean, you know,
one of the most suspect
00:24:39.39\00:24:41.93
occupations for honesty
and integrity is politics.
00:24:41.96\00:24:48.11
A show of hands...
How many of you think that
00:24:48.14\00:24:51.18
most politicians tell untruths?
00:24:51.21\00:24:56.74
The approval rating for
congress, I think is like 20%
00:24:56.77\00:25:00.99
To be an honest
politician, is possible,
00:25:01.02\00:25:05.25
but boy, they're really rare.
00:25:05.28\00:25:08.83
You got Joseph, he was one;
00:25:08.86\00:25:11.05
David was one; Daniel was one;
00:25:11.08\00:25:14.17
not too many!
00:25:14.20\00:25:16.69
It can be done.
00:25:16.72\00:25:19.29
Why is the book of
Daniel in the Bible?
00:25:19.32\00:25:22.37
Why could God use
him the way He did?
00:25:22.40\00:25:24.47
The key is in this verse...
He prayed and he read his Bible.
00:25:24.50\00:25:29.32
How do you know, Pastor
Doug, that he read his Bible,
00:25:29.35\00:25:31.66
it doesn't say that, it says
he knelt down and prayed 3 times
00:25:31.69\00:25:33.83
Why is he praying
towards Jerusalem?
00:25:33.86\00:25:36.12
Because Daniel read
in 2 Chronicles 6:21,
00:25:36.15\00:25:42.10
Daniel read where Solomon said,
"May you hear the supplications
00:25:42.13\00:25:46.29
of your servant and
your people Israel when they
00:25:46.32\00:25:48.73
pray towards this place"
00:25:48.76\00:25:50.78
As-a-matter-of fact,
Solomon specifically said...
00:25:50.81\00:25:52.62
If your people are unfaithful
and they're carried off to a
00:25:52.65\00:25:54.50
foreign land, if they
pray towards this place...
00:25:54.53\00:25:58.35
You know why
Muslims pray towards Mecca?
00:25:58.38\00:26:02.41
Because they learned that
from Solomon saying it makes
00:26:02.44\00:26:06.48
a difference what
direction you pray if you're
00:26:06.51\00:26:08.91
carried away from
your sacred place.
00:26:08.94\00:26:13.14
That starts here with
Solomon, Daniel did that.
00:26:13.17\00:26:16.45
How do I know that
Daniel read the Bible?
00:26:16.48\00:26:19.43
Why did Daniel
pray 3 times a day?
00:26:19.46\00:26:21.76
Because before Daniel was born,
someone named David was born,
00:26:21.79\00:26:26.01
and David wrote a Psalm
that said in Psalm 55:17,
00:26:26.04\00:26:29.49
"Morning, evening and at noon,
00:26:29.52\00:26:31.85
I will pray, You
shall hear my voice"
00:26:31.88\00:26:35.21
Daniel probably
read in Psalm 119:11,
00:26:35.24\00:26:39.25
"Your word I have
hidden in my heart
00:26:39.28\00:26:41.00
that I might
not sin against you"
00:26:41.03\00:26:42.78
And Psalm 119:9,
"How shall a young man
00:26:42.81\00:26:46.05
cleanse his
way... He was carried off
00:26:46.08\00:26:48.25
as a young man.
... by taking heed
00:26:48.28\00:26:50.75
according to Your word"
00:26:50.78\00:26:53.07
Maybe he read in the Bible in
Psalm 22 where King David said
00:26:53.10\00:26:57.49
...listen to this, verse 21,
00:26:57.52\00:26:59.37
"Save me from the lion's mouth"
00:26:59.40\00:27:03.22
Maybe Daniel read
that; maybe he was claiming
00:27:03.25\00:27:05.27
that promise in his prayer...
00:27:05.30\00:27:06.49
"Lord, save me
from the lion's mouth"
00:27:06.52\00:27:09.36
I think Daniel read his Bible,
00:27:09.39\00:27:12.07
and I think Daniel prayed
and he did it 3 times a day
00:27:12.10\00:27:15.01
which means no matter how BUSY
he was or what was going on,
00:27:15.04\00:27:18.34
what political changes
or wars were transpiring,
00:27:18.37\00:27:21.07
and if you think you're
too busy to find time to pray,
00:27:21.10\00:27:23.84
I doubt you're as busy
as the prime minister of the
00:27:23.87\00:27:26.22
biggest kingdom in the world,
00:27:26.25\00:27:28.44
and yet he found time for God.
00:27:28.47\00:27:31.12
No matter what
was on his schedule,
00:27:31.15\00:27:33.32
cell phone going off,
his blackberry, pager,
00:27:33.35\00:27:36.52
Faxes... Daniel would say,
I'm going to my upper room,
00:27:36.55\00:27:40.50
and he prayed, 3 times!
00:27:40.53\00:27:45.31
Do you have a devotional life?
00:27:45.34\00:27:46.57
If you'd like to have
the character of Daniel,
00:27:46.60\00:27:48.33
you might need to have
the devotional life of Daniel.
00:27:48.36\00:27:52.26
And, a good time for God
is not found, it's made...
00:27:52.29\00:27:55.68
you've got to just do it!
00:27:55.71\00:27:57.85
It's like FOOD, you've got
to believe it's more important
00:27:57.88\00:28:01.21
than food.
00:28:01.24\00:28:02.65
The Word of God IS like food...
00:28:02.68\00:28:05.63
As-a-matter-of-fact,
Jeremiah 15:16,
00:28:05.66\00:28:08.29
"Your words were
found and I ate them;
00:28:08.32\00:28:12.23
Your word was to me the
joy and rejoicing of my heart"
00:28:12.26\00:28:17.62
Job 23:12, "I've not departed
from the commandment of His lips
00:28:17.65\00:28:22.20
I've treasured the
words of His mouth more than
00:28:22.23\00:28:25.23
my necessary food"
00:28:25.26\00:28:26.86
And then everyone knows
where Jesus says in Matthew 4:4,
00:28:26.89\00:28:29.88
"But man shall not
live by bread alone,
00:28:29.91\00:28:32.31
but by every word that
proceeds from the mouth of God"
00:28:32.34\00:28:35.06
Your time in God's
Word, your time in prayer
00:28:35.09\00:28:39.00
...how important is it to you?
00:28:39.03\00:28:41.15
Now, here's where I want
to make the connection...
00:28:41.18\00:28:43.60
There's a BIG TEST
coming in the last days.
00:28:43.63\00:28:48.88
There is a big test coming...
some people are preparing
00:28:48.91\00:28:52.24
all along the way;
some people try to cram
00:28:52.27\00:28:54.17
for their finals
right at the last minute.
00:28:54.20\00:28:56.51
There are going to be some
people who are 11th hour workers
00:28:56.54\00:29:00.00
that will still make it.
00:29:00.03\00:29:03.21
But for the most part,
it's those who are studying now
00:29:03.24\00:29:07.41
for the little quizzes
that will pass the final.
00:29:07.44\00:29:11.33
In this big test
that is approaching,
00:29:11.36\00:29:15.13
we're going to make a decision.
00:29:15.16\00:29:16.92
Do I love the Lord so
much, I would rather die
00:29:16.95\00:29:19.77
than disobey Him?
00:29:19.80\00:29:21.97
This is the test that Shadrach,
Meshach and Abednego passed.
00:29:22.00\00:29:25.77
There was a law
made; they had to decide
00:29:25.80\00:29:28.20
...Am I going to obey
the law of God or man?
00:29:28.23\00:29:31.21
They said - even if it means
that I'm going to lose my job
00:29:31.24\00:29:34.28
in Babylon; even if it
means I'm going to lose my life,
00:29:34.31\00:29:39.36
I would rather burn to
death - which can't be pleasant,
00:29:39.39\00:29:43.83
than to bow down
to the graven image.
00:29:43.86\00:29:46.70
One of the commandments
is don't worship images;
00:29:46.73\00:29:48.77
they said... We'd rather die.
00:29:48.80\00:29:51.08
In Daniel 6, Daniel
says... One of the commandments
00:29:51.11\00:29:54.47
says - Thou shalt not
have other gods before Me,
00:29:54.50\00:29:56.46
and that would certainly
include the king of Medo-Persia.
00:29:56.49\00:29:59.33
I'm not going to
worship him as a god.
00:29:59.36\00:30:01.65
We're to pray to the Lord!
00:30:01.68\00:30:03.41
I'm making a decision,
I'm going to obey God's
00:30:03.44\00:30:05.47
commandments instead of
the political commandments
00:30:05.50\00:30:08.18
or the commandments of men.
00:30:08.21\00:30:09.49
I'd rather die, be
torn limb from limb by lions
00:30:09.52\00:30:13.62
than disobey God.
00:30:13.65\00:30:15.19
In the last days, those
who live during that time
00:30:15.22\00:30:18.36
will face the same test.
00:30:18.39\00:30:20.57
Do you love the Lord so
much you would rather say...
00:30:20.60\00:30:23.09
"I'd rather starve
- can't buy or sell;
00:30:23.12\00:30:28.08
be persecuted - lose my job;
00:30:28.11\00:30:31.61
lose my life than break
one of God's commandments. "
00:30:31.64\00:30:35.58
Like the Sabbath, how
important is that one?
00:30:35.61\00:30:40.82
Or maybe, you know, I
won't really break it,
00:30:40.85\00:30:43.61
I'm still going to
keep it, I'm just going to
00:30:43.64\00:30:44.67
keep it a different day
than the one that God picked.
00:30:44.70\00:30:48.12
I mean, I know God
said keep THE Seventh day,
00:30:48.15\00:30:50.50
but as long as it's A seventh
day, maybe it doesn't matter.
00:30:50.53\00:30:53.85
Well, that will be
like Daniel saying...
00:30:53.88\00:30:55.38
"Well, I'm gonna pray to
God, but I'm going to pray
00:30:55.41\00:30:59.71
towards the palace
of Persia while I do"
00:30:59.74\00:31:03.58
He would not compromise
in any little particular.
00:31:03.61\00:31:06.09
What if Shadrach,
Meshach and Abednego,
00:31:06.12\00:31:07.69
when they played the
music and everybody bowed down
00:31:07.72\00:31:09.62
to the statue - I'm assuming
you all know this story...
00:31:09.65\00:31:13.86
What if they had said...
We're not going to pray to
00:31:13.89\00:31:15.63
the statue, but this is a
good time to check our sandals!
00:31:15.66\00:31:18.56
And go down and start...
No, no, we're not, we're just,
00:31:18.59\00:31:22.71
you know, we don't want
to create a spectacle...
00:31:22.74\00:31:24.98
May as well go along...
00:31:25.01\00:31:26.06
They wouldn't compromise!
00:31:26.09\00:31:28.16
They were fanatics
about little things.
00:31:28.19\00:31:31.37
Like God said
the 7th day and that
00:31:31.40\00:31:32.85
means the 7th day and
we know what day that is
00:31:32.88\00:31:34.59
that's the day
we're going to keep,
00:31:34.62\00:31:36.47
even if we're the only ONES!
00:31:36.50\00:31:37.71
Daniel was the only
ONE with his window open,
00:31:37.74\00:31:41.80
praying towards Jerusalem.
00:31:41.84\00:31:43.60
Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego were the only ONES
00:31:43.64\00:31:47.81
standing up when
everyone else bowed down.
00:31:47.84\00:31:50.72
Do you love the Lord so much
that if everybody in this church
00:31:50.75\00:31:53.21
was to give up their
faith, would you still keep it?
00:31:53.24\00:31:57.44
I hear about some people...
00:31:57.47\00:31:59.62
Every now and then
Amazing Facts gets a letter,
00:31:59.65\00:32:03.28
we've had several of them -
00:32:03.31\00:32:04.57
It says something like this...
Dear Sirs, I'm writing you from
00:32:04.60\00:32:08.87
India. I've been
reading the Bible for years,
00:32:08.90\00:32:12.40
and keeping the Bible Sabbath,
I did not know there were
00:32:12.43\00:32:15.01
other people OUT there
that kept it... I've been alone.
00:32:15.04\00:32:18.66
Praise the Lord, I
found other people!
00:32:18.69\00:32:21.08
We've gotten letters like
that from the Middle East,
00:32:21.11\00:32:22.66
from places in
Africa, remote viewers
00:32:22.69\00:32:25.68
they find it on satellite
or they get some literature,
00:32:25.71\00:32:29.38
and they are
trying to be true to God.
00:32:29.41\00:32:31.44
God has His people everywhere
that we don't know about
00:32:31.47\00:32:34.14
that are standing up for Him.
00:32:34.17\00:32:36.65
I want to have that
kind of faith, don't you?
00:32:36.68\00:32:40.20
So Daniel read the Bible,
it was like food for his soul.
00:32:40.23\00:32:45.72
There's a verse in
Great Controversy, page 51...
00:32:45.75\00:32:48.95
If we're going to survive
during this final conflict,
00:32:48.98\00:32:51.80
we need to be a
people of the Word!
00:32:51.83\00:32:54.06
"Satan well knew that
if the Holy Scriptures...
00:32:54.09\00:32:58.40
Let me start
again... "Satan well knew that
00:32:58.43\00:33:01.70
the Holy Scriptures
would enable man to discern his
00:33:01.73\00:33:04.27
deceptions and
withstand his power.
00:33:04.30\00:33:07.01
It was by the word that
even the Savior of the world
00:33:07.04\00:33:10.31
had resisted his attacks.
00:33:10.34\00:33:12.06
At every assault, Christ
presented the shield of eternal
00:33:12.09\00:33:15.23
truth, saying, "It is written. "
00:33:15.26\00:33:17.46
To every suggestion of
the adversary, he opposed in
00:33:17.49\00:33:20.73
the wisdom and
power of the word.
00:33:20.76\00:33:22.87
In order for Satan to
maintain sway over men,
00:33:22.90\00:33:26.26
and establish his
authority, he must keep them in
00:33:26.29\00:33:29.26
ignorance of the Scriptures. "
00:33:29.29\00:33:31.37
We need to read our Bibles.
00:33:31.40\00:33:33.01
Your spiritual life is
going to almost always be
00:33:33.04\00:33:35.42
in proportion for the
place the Word of God holds
00:33:35.45\00:33:38.56
in your devotions.
00:33:38.59\00:33:40.16
How deep and wide
your experience with God IS
00:33:40.19\00:33:43.84
will always be proportionate
to your devotional life.
00:33:43.87\00:33:49.27
It's the time that you
choose to make for God...
00:33:49.30\00:33:53.16
Quality time - where you
really set aside time and say...
00:33:53.19\00:33:57.46
This is just time to
pray, this is time to study.
00:33:57.49\00:34:03.88
This is, I think, a
very relevant chapter because
00:34:03.91\00:34:06.61
there is a storm
coming and we need to
00:34:06.64\00:34:09.34
prepare for what's ahead.
00:34:09.37\00:34:11.75
Now, back to Daniel 6, we
want to return to our story.
00:34:11.78\00:34:14.68
So we've just finished
reading verse 10 where he said,
00:34:14.71\00:34:17.70
once he knew the
writing was signed.
00:34:17.73\00:34:19.97
There were spies
watching him pray.
00:34:20.00\00:34:21.93
They saw him do
it 3 times that day.
00:34:21.96\00:34:24.99
These men assembled
and found Daniel praying
00:34:25.02\00:34:27.99
and making
supplication before his God,
00:34:28.02\00:34:30.07
and they went before the
king and spoke concerning
00:34:30.10\00:34:32.98
the king's decree.
00:34:33.01\00:34:34.51
"Have you not signed
the degree that every man
00:34:34.54\00:34:36.78
who petitions any god
or man within 30 days,
00:34:36.81\00:34:39.03
except you, O king, shall
be cast into the den of lions?"
00:34:39.06\00:34:42.90
And the king answered and said,
"The thing is true according
00:34:42.93\00:34:45.79
to the law of the
Medes and the Persians
00:34:45.82\00:34:47.36
which does not alter"
00:34:47.39\00:34:50.56
So they answered
and said to the king...
00:34:50.59\00:34:53.64
"That Daniel, who is
one of the captives from the
00:34:53.67\00:34:56.09
tribe of Judah, he does not
show regard for you, O King,
00:34:56.12\00:34:59.68
or for the decree
that you have signed,
00:34:59.71\00:35:01.50
but he makes his
petition 3 times a day"
00:35:01.53\00:35:05.39
And I would like to
have had a snapshot of the
00:35:05.42\00:35:08.20
king's face when
he heard them say...
00:35:08.23\00:35:10.80
"That Daniel" - the king,
his mouth probably fell open
00:35:10.83\00:35:14.62
his eyes got big, and I bet he
said... Oh, when I signed that
00:35:14.65\00:35:17.85
decree, I forgot about
Daniel, 3 times a day he prays
00:35:17.88\00:35:21.12
to his God... OH NO!
00:35:21.15\00:35:23.61
He was set up! He
spotted it right then,
00:35:23.64\00:35:28.34
that he had been
played, that there was jealousy.
00:35:28.37\00:35:31.09
They were trying
to get rid of him.
00:35:31.12\00:35:32.52
Pilot knew that the
religious leaders were trying to
00:35:32.55\00:35:35.69
get rid of Jesus just
because of jealousy and envy...
00:35:35.72\00:35:38.48
And he sought to
deliver him, but he couldn't
00:35:38.51\00:35:42.71
because they kept after
him, threatening that it was
00:35:42.74\00:35:45.46
going to be rebellion
against the laws of Rome
00:35:45.49\00:35:48.25
because Jesus was making
himself a king and according
00:35:48.28\00:35:51.03
to the laws of Rome,
if anyone else claimed
00:35:51.06\00:35:52.81
to be king, they
were to be executed.
00:35:52.84\00:35:56.49
Same kind of thing.
00:35:56.52\00:35:58.98
"And the king, when
he heard these words was
00:35:59.01\00:36:01.06
GREATLY displeased with himself,
00:36:01.09\00:36:03.93
and he set his heart
on Daniel to deliver him;
00:36:03.96\00:36:07.07
and he labored till the going
down of the sun to deliver him"
00:36:07.10\00:36:11.37
What time of day did Jesus die?
00:36:11.40\00:36:15.71
Was it the
going down of the sun?
00:36:15.74\00:36:18.01
"And these men
approached the king and said,
00:36:18.04\00:36:23.86
"Know, O king, that it is the
law of the Medes and Persians
00:36:23.89\00:36:27.89
that no decree or statue
which the king establishes
00:36:27.92\00:36:31.29
may be changed. "
00:36:31.32\00:36:32.35
They're pulling out the
fine print and they're saying,
00:36:32.38\00:36:34.49
We realize that you
regret that you signed this law,
00:36:34.52\00:36:36.77
but king, this is the law
of the Medes and the Persians,
00:36:36.80\00:36:40.27
and especially now where we've
just taken over the Babylonians
00:36:40.30\00:36:43.58
we cannot alter our
laws; it DOES NOT change,
00:36:43.61\00:36:46.63
you've written it,
you signed it as a decree,
00:36:46.66\00:36:48.54
it will have no
respect for you as a king.
00:36:48.57\00:36:50.97
The WHOLE empire is going to
00:36:51.00\00:36:52.81
unravel if the
king changes his law.
00:36:52.84\00:36:56.03
And he had all of these corrupt
advisors around him saying,...
00:36:56.06\00:36:59.88
...He got his
lawyers together and he says,
00:36:59.91\00:37:01.78
Isn't there some
loophole, what can we do?
00:37:01.81\00:37:03.96
And they said... It's CLEAR!
00:37:03.99\00:37:05.38
They wrote it up very
carefully because they wanted to
00:37:05.41\00:37:07.86
make sure there was no
way Daniel would get out.
00:37:07.89\00:37:10.35
And the king labored
until the going down of the sun.
00:37:10.38\00:37:12.66
He had to implement the
law before the end of the day.
00:37:12.69\00:37:15.74
Daniel had broken it.
00:37:15.77\00:37:20.36
No way, the law of the kings,
the Medes and the Persians
00:37:20.39\00:37:26.10
could not be changed.
00:37:26.13\00:37:27.18
Now here's a question...
00:37:27.21\00:37:30.39
How firm is the law of God?
00:37:30.42\00:37:34.50
Does God's law change?
00:37:34.53\00:37:37.57
You know, it's
fascinating to me that -
00:37:37.60\00:37:41.02
You've got 3 examples
here where you have kings
00:37:41.05\00:37:44.02
in the Bible that made
laws, they later regretted,
00:37:44.05\00:37:47.61
they wanted to change
and they could not change.
00:37:47.64\00:37:50.43
You remember, of
course, King Ahasuerus -
00:37:50.46\00:37:53.28
He made a law that all
the Jews should be attacked
00:37:53.31\00:37:56.07
on a certain date;
then he found out his
00:37:56.10\00:37:58.90
beautiful wife,
Esther, was a Jew!
00:37:58.93\00:38:01.59
He COULD NOT repeal that law!
00:38:01.62\00:38:04.36
So what he did was
he issued another law
00:38:04.39\00:38:06.58
that gave the Jews the
right to defend themselves
00:38:06.61\00:38:09.69
ahead of time against the
people who would attack them
00:38:09.72\00:38:13.41
and so it sort of
countermanded that law,
00:38:13.44\00:38:16.91
but he couldn't change the law!
00:38:16.94\00:38:19.47
King Herod spoke and
the king's word was law;
00:38:19.50\00:38:21.66
he said that if his stepdaughter
would come out wiggle and dance,
00:38:21.69\00:38:24.39
that whatever she
wanted, up to half the kingdom,
00:38:24.42\00:38:26.76
he'd give it to her;
he spoke, made a promise.
00:38:26.79\00:38:30.21
She said, "I want the
head of John the Baptist"
00:38:30.24\00:38:31.85
He did NOT want to do that.
00:38:31.88\00:38:33.82
He was very sorry to
hear, he knew John was a prophet
00:38:33.85\00:38:36.52
but he was a king
and he had spoken,
00:38:36.55\00:38:37.93
and a king's word is
law when he speaks IT!
00:38:37.96\00:38:42.92
And yet in spite of
the fact that you got these
00:38:42.95\00:38:45.33
examples in the Bible,
of kings that make promises,
00:38:45.36\00:38:48.50
and there are
others I could cite,
00:38:48.53\00:38:50.13
and once they
speak, their word is law,
00:38:50.16\00:38:52.30
they cannot change it!
00:38:52.33\00:38:56.55
A- matter-of-fact,
even King Saul, he said,
00:38:56.58\00:39:01.91
"Whoever it was that had eaten
before the battle was over,
00:39:01.94\00:39:05.10
would die," and his son Jonathan
had eaten and Saul said,
00:39:05.13\00:39:09.43
"Jonathan, you surely will die"
00:39:09.46\00:39:11.52
and Jonathan did die
the same day as his father.
00:39:11.55\00:39:15.12
A king's word is law.
00:39:15.15\00:39:17.55
In spite of all the
examples in the Bible,
00:39:17.58\00:39:22.02
there are people out there
that claim to be Christians
00:39:22.05\00:39:25.65
that believe that when
God spoke the 10 Commandments
00:39:25.68\00:39:28.90
with His own voice and He
wrote them with His own finger,
00:39:28.93\00:39:32.31
in the presence
of a whole nation,
00:39:32.34\00:39:34.19
that He's going
to just change it,
00:39:34.22\00:39:36.05
or He's going to
sweep it aside and say,
00:39:36.08\00:39:37.88
Well, we got a new plan now.
00:39:37.91\00:39:39.50
You know how
ludicrous that really is?
00:39:39.53\00:39:41.83
And yet, folks have
got these clever arguments
00:39:41.86\00:39:44.74
they've concocted that we
can CHANGE the law of God.
00:39:44.77\00:39:48.20
It doesn't change.
00:39:48.23\00:39:50.85
So, the king did
all that he could do,
00:39:50.88\00:39:53.08
and there was no
way out for Daniel.
00:39:53.11\00:39:55.79
So, reluctantly, the king,
verse 16, I'm in Daniel 6:16
00:39:55.82\00:40:04.54
"The king commanded
and they brought Daniel,
00:40:04.57\00:40:06.85
and they cast him
into the den of lions,
00:40:06.88\00:40:11.01
but the king spoke
and said to Daniel...
00:40:11.04\00:40:13.07
"Your God who you
serve continually,"
00:40:13.10\00:40:17.44
"He will deliver you"
00:40:17.47\00:40:20.01
Now, there are a lot of us
that might want to take a pen,
00:40:20.04\00:40:24.14
I've taken a yellow highlighter
in my Bible where it says,
00:40:24.17\00:40:27.47
"your God who you
serve continually"
00:40:27.50\00:40:30.84
Is it possible
for us to serve God
00:40:30.87\00:40:33.03
continually and consistently?
00:40:33.06\00:40:35.06
I think everybody
who is a believer,
00:40:35.09\00:40:36.53
serves God a little
bit some of the time.
00:40:36.56\00:40:39.67
Right? But how
are we to serve God?
00:40:39.70\00:40:44.48
We're His servants all the
time, continually, consistently.
00:40:44.51\00:40:47.98
And then the promise is
- "Your God who you serve
00:40:48.01\00:40:50.65
continually, He
will deliver you"
00:40:50.68\00:40:53.30
Is there a time of
trouble and a storm coming?
00:40:53.33\00:40:56.74
If we serve God continually,
because we love Him,
00:40:56.77\00:40:59.31
will He deliver us?
00:40:59.34\00:41:00.83
I believe that a
promise we can count on.
00:41:00.86\00:41:03.84
"Then they took a
stone and they brought it,
00:41:03.87\00:41:06.73
and they laid it on
the mouth of the den"
00:41:06.76\00:41:09.25
Oh, that sounds familiar...
00:41:09.28\00:41:12.87
was there a stone
placed over the tomb of Christ?
00:41:12.90\00:41:18.51
And by the way, that
lion's den was the equivalent of
00:41:18.54\00:41:22.55
a death sentence.
00:41:22.58\00:41:24.78
Those were Asiatic lions;
I think they're pretty much
00:41:24.81\00:41:28.50
extinct now, but they
were sort of a cross between a
00:41:28.53\00:41:31.77
ferocious bobcat
and an African lion.
00:41:31.80\00:41:35.84
These were FERROCIOUS
animals that were very fast,
00:41:35.87\00:41:40.88
and very hungry,
so this is a miracle.
00:41:40.91\00:41:46.44
"and he sealed it"
00:41:46.47\00:41:47.86
Not only was there a stone
placed on the tomb of Christ,
00:41:47.89\00:41:50.73
but what else
was put on the tomb?
00:41:50.76\00:41:53.53
The government seal
and that seal said...
00:41:53.56\00:41:56.93
"King Darius, King Medo-Persia"
00:41:56.96\00:42:00.95
On Jesus' tomb, it said...
"Pontius Pilot, Governor Judea"
00:42:00.98\00:42:06.55
seal placed on the
stone... Interesting
00:42:06.58\00:42:15.12
"With the signet of his lords
that the purpose concerning
00:42:15.15\00:42:18.78
Daniel might not be changed"
00:42:18.81\00:42:20.30
This reinforced the miracle.
00:42:20.33\00:42:21.95
"Now the king went to his palace
and he spent the night fasting,
00:42:21.98\00:42:26.28
and no musicians
were brought before him,
00:42:26.31\00:42:28.69
and his sleep went from him"
00:42:28.72\00:42:30.51
What do you think the
condition was of God in heaven
00:42:30.54\00:42:32.95
during the time when
Christ was in the tomb?
00:42:32.98\00:42:36.61
Were they playing
their harps in heaven?
00:42:36.64\00:42:40.10
Or was there a
great somberness there?
00:42:40.13\00:42:43.93
"Then the king arose
very early in the morning"
00:42:43.96\00:42:46.92
What time of day did Jesus
rise? Very early in the morning
00:42:46.95\00:42:51.31
"And he went in haste to the
den of lions and when he came
00:42:51.34\00:42:54.21
to the den, he cried out with
a lamenting voice to Daniel...
00:42:54.24\00:42:57.89
and the king spoke"
00:42:57.92\00:42:59.25
The king's heart
yearned after Daniel.
00:42:59.28\00:43:01.57
You know, it said - "The king
set his heart to deliver Daniel"
00:43:01.60\00:43:04.46
This was his best man!
He didn't want to lose him
00:43:04.49\00:43:08.62
"And he said, Daniel,
servant of the living God"
00:43:08.65\00:43:14.60
Why did he say that?
00:43:14.63\00:43:15.66
Because he knew that
Daniel served the real God,
00:43:15.69\00:43:18.22
unlike the gods of Medo-Persia.
00:43:18.25\00:43:21.31
"Has your God, who
you serve continually,
00:43:21.34\00:43:25.08
been able to deliver you?"
00:43:25.11\00:43:26.25
I always thought
it was interesting...
00:43:26.28\00:43:27.35
when he put him in, he said,
"Your God will deliver you"
00:43:27.38\00:43:29.82
But after 24 hours,
he's not so sure anymore;
00:43:29.85\00:43:32.94
the king's faith was wavering.
00:43:32.97\00:43:36.27
"Has your God, who
you serve continually,
00:43:36.30\00:43:38.90
been able to
deliver you from the lions?"
00:43:38.93\00:43:41.70
"Then Daniel said to the
king, "Oh king, liver forever"
00:43:41.73\00:43:44.59
Now that shocked the
king right there because
00:43:44.62\00:43:49.07
they had never heard any voices
00:43:49.10\00:43:50.66
coming from the
lion's den 24 hours later.
00:43:50.69\00:43:54.25
Everybody who went into the
lion's den - nobody came out,
00:43:54.28\00:43:57.35
nothing came out.
00:43:57.38\00:43:59.44
And to hear someone
speaking was a shocking thing.
00:43:59.47\00:44:04.04
"And Daniel said to the
king, "Oh king, live forever,
00:44:04.07\00:44:07.20
my God has sent His angel
and shut the lion's mouth,
00:44:07.23\00:44:11.85
that they have not
hurt me because I was found
00:44:11.88\00:44:13.78
innocent before Him"
00:44:13.81\00:44:15.45
You've read the story
of "Pilgrims Progress"
00:44:15.48\00:44:17.51
where the lion, who
was a type of the devil;
00:44:17.54\00:44:20.16
be sober, be vigilant -
Peter tells us because your
00:44:20.19\00:44:23.35
adversary the devil
goes around like what?
00:44:23.38\00:44:25.84
A roaring lion
seeking whom he might devour.
00:44:25.87\00:44:29.13
So how are you and I
going to survive the lion?
00:44:29.16\00:44:32.34
By having faith in a
relationship like Daniel did.
00:44:32.37\00:44:37.35
Daniel had a devotional life;
00:44:37.38\00:44:39.43
"Thy word I have hidden in
my heart that I might not sin"
00:44:39.46\00:44:42.59
How did Jesus survive
the attacks and temptations
00:44:42.62\00:44:45.19
of the devil, the lion?
00:44:45.22\00:44:46.41
He said, "It is written...
It is written... It is written"
00:44:46.44\00:44:49.47
Jesus had a custom.
Daniel had a custom.
00:44:49.50\00:44:52.35
What was Daniel's custom?
00:44:52.38\00:44:53.41
He prayed, he
worshipped God 3 times a day.
00:44:53.44\00:44:56.34
Jesus had a custom;
every Sabbath He was in the
00:44:56.37\00:44:58.30
synagogue
reading the Scriptures.
00:44:58.34\00:45:00.73
We need some of
those customs in our lives;
00:45:00.76\00:45:02.97
reading the Word, a devotional
life, regular church attendance.
00:45:03.00\00:45:08.71
I've often said - If we
don't have enough faith to
00:45:08.74\00:45:11.79
get us to church once a
week, then how can we expect
00:45:11.82\00:45:13.86
to have enough
to get us to heaven?
00:45:13.89\00:45:17.80
I'm glad for
everybody that's here today.
00:45:17.83\00:45:19.39
I suspect that some of our folks
00:45:19.42\00:45:20.99
are on vacation
from church today.
00:45:21.02\00:45:25.59
When I'm on
vacation, we find a church
00:45:25.62\00:45:29.39
or at least have
worship with the family
00:45:29.42\00:45:32.21
if there's none around,
00:45:32.24\00:45:33.82
but I think it's real important
that we're regular about that.
00:45:33.85\00:45:37.57
You know, reading about
this time when Daniel was
00:45:37.60\00:45:41.29
in the lion's den -
"My God has sent His angel
00:45:41.32\00:45:44.69
and shut the lion's mouth"
00:45:44.72\00:45:49.07
Dwight Moody, I believe it
was, said he always envisioned
00:45:49.10\00:45:52.45
that during the
night, Daniel was an old man,
00:45:52.48\00:45:54.01
he got tired - that he leaned
up against one of those lions
00:45:54.04\00:45:56.80
and used it as a pillow and like
00:45:56.83\00:45:59.86
in the story of
"Pilgrims Progress," the lions
00:45:59.89\00:46:02.39
had no claws, they had no teeth;
00:46:02.42\00:46:07.64
their mouths were
shut by the angel;
00:46:07.67\00:46:09.63
their claws were retracted
00:46:09.66\00:46:10.97
and they just
couldn't do anything.
00:46:11.01\00:46:12.98
And they laid back and
Daniel tugged on the lion's tail
00:46:13.01\00:46:17.25
and said... Could you
please purr for me and vibrate?
00:46:17.28\00:46:20.18
Put me to sleep!
00:46:20.21\00:46:26.32
It's one thing, sleeping
with someone that snores.
00:46:26.35\00:46:28.25
Can you imagine sleeping
with someone that roars?
00:46:28.28\00:46:33.74
Someone said one
time, the reason the lions
00:46:33.77\00:46:35.71
did not eat Daniel was because
he had too much backbone!
00:46:35.74\00:46:41.98
If he was chicken, they
would have eaten him, right?
00:46:42.01\00:46:46.79
"My God has sent the
angel and shut the lion's mouth,
00:46:46.82\00:46:50.03
so they have not hurt me
because I was found innocent
00:46:50.06\00:46:52.96
before Him, also before you,
O king, I have done no wrong"
00:46:52.99\00:46:57.20
Isn't that what Pilot
said, "I find no fault in Jesus"
00:46:57.23\00:47:00.49
"Then the king was exceedingly
glad for him and commanded
00:47:00.52\00:47:03.61
they should take
Daniel up out of the den.
00:47:03.64\00:47:05.74
So Daniel was taken up out
of the den and no injury or hurt
00:47:05.77\00:47:09.34
was found on him whatsoever
because he BELIEVED in his God"
00:47:09.37\00:47:14.34
Daniel was saved by faith.
00:47:14.37\00:47:18.35
It starts out by saying, here
in the beginning of chapter 6:4,
00:47:18.38\00:47:22.69
"He was faithful"
Daniel was full of faith.
00:47:22.72\00:47:26.35
Daniel was not saved by works.
00:47:26.38\00:47:28.14
He had good works but his works
were because of great faith.
00:47:28.17\00:47:32.14
He was saved from the
lion's den by his faith.
00:47:32.17\00:47:36.27
What does real faith mean?
Because he believed in his God.
00:47:36.30\00:47:39.50
He showed his belief
by putting God first.
00:47:39.53\00:47:42.72
"Whoever believes
in Him will not perish"
00:47:42.75\00:47:45.03
Do we have the kind of belief
00:47:45.06\00:47:46.92
where we take our time with God?
00:47:46.95\00:47:48.15
That's what it
means to believe in Him!
00:47:48.18\00:47:50.08
If we say we BELIEVE in God,
we don't ever give him our time,
00:47:50.11\00:47:52.48
then we're lying!
00:47:52.51\00:47:53.85
It's not just saying,
"Oh, I believe He's out there
00:47:53.88\00:47:55.56
and He exists,"
the devil says that.
00:47:55.59\00:47:57.62
It means I believe
in Him and I'm going to
00:47:57.65\00:47:59.66
spend time with Him every day.
00:47:59.69\00:48:01.59
That's what it
means to "be-live" in God.
00:48:01.62\00:48:05.05
We need to have
that kind of relation,
00:48:05.08\00:48:07.67
that's what I want friends;
00:48:07.70\00:48:08.94
got to have that
priority in my life.
00:48:08.97\00:48:12.74
We're going to be
facing the same test.
00:48:12.77\00:48:15.09
You know how quickly the
final events could happen?
00:48:15.12\00:48:17.18
Could you imagine
if there was a 7.9?
00:48:17.21\00:48:20.49
That's what they
just had in China.
00:48:20.52\00:48:22.65
It seems like there's
been a lot of seismic activity.
00:48:22.68\00:48:25.43
Can you imagine a
7.9 in San Francisco?
00:48:25.46\00:48:29.01
...Or in Los Angels?
00:48:29.04\00:48:31.68
What if you combine a
couple of more Katrinas
00:48:31.71\00:48:35.90
with a 7.9? What would happen?
00:48:35.93\00:48:38.76
Would people start
turning to God out of fear?
00:48:38.79\00:48:41.85
I think you'd see
a WAVE of religion!
00:48:41.88\00:48:44.93
The next politician-preacher
that ran for president
00:48:44.96\00:48:48.77
would probably get
elected at that point.
00:48:48.80\00:48:51.15
People would be looking for...
00:48:51.18\00:48:52.94
Things could change very
quickly; laws could be made...
00:48:52.98\00:48:57.21
What kind of
faith do you have now?
00:48:57.24\00:48:59.89
Are you passing the little tests
in preparation for the final?
00:48:59.93\00:49:03.99
"He that is faithful
in that which is least
00:49:04.02\00:49:05.86
is faithful also in much"
00:49:05.89\00:49:08.51
"The king was
exceedingly glad for him"
00:49:08.54\00:49:11.31
Jesus came out alive, didn't He?
00:49:11.34\00:49:13.18
Daniel came out alive.
00:49:13.21\00:49:15.42
"He was taken up out
of the den and no injury
00:49:15.45\00:49:18.63
whatever was found on him"
00:49:18.66\00:49:19.86
They needed no band aids,
not even the smell of smoke
00:49:19.89\00:49:24.44
was on Shadrach,
Meshach and Abednego.
00:49:24.47\00:49:26.67
When God saves you, He
saves you completely! Amen?
00:49:26.70\00:49:31.37
And some people said...
The lions weren't hungry.
00:49:31.40\00:49:33.83
You know, the kingdom had
just gone through transition,
00:49:33.86\00:49:36.62
and the lions had eaten
so many political prisoners,
00:49:36.65\00:49:39.15
that they were all
laying with indigestion
00:49:39.18\00:49:41.67
at the bottom of the den
burping - little lion burps!
00:49:41.70\00:49:46.18
And they couldn't eat another;
00:49:46.21\00:49:47.73
they threw Daniel in, they
just groaned and rolled over.
00:49:47.76\00:49:51.33
No, if you don't think the lions
were hungry, keep reading...
00:49:51.36\00:49:53.67
"The king gave command
and they brought those men
00:49:53.70\00:49:56.88
who had accused Daniel and they
cast THEM into the den of lions,
00:49:56.91\00:50:01.17
them, their
children, their wives,
00:50:01.20\00:50:04.71
and the lions overpowered
them and broke all their
00:50:04.74\00:50:08.04
bones in pieces or ever they
came to the bottom of the den"
00:50:08.07\00:50:12.00
Those lions were
very ferocious lions!
00:50:12.03\00:50:15.66
Now Daniel standing up - not
only was it a witness, listen...
00:50:15.69\00:50:19.10
The king, he sent out a decree
that everyone was supposed
00:50:19.13\00:50:22.13
to pray to the king -
that decree is completely
00:50:22.16\00:50:24.83
forgotten and
swallowed up by the next decree.
00:50:24.86\00:50:27.89
This decree is what the king
sends out that people remember.
00:50:27.92\00:50:31.13
"To all peoples,
nations and languages
00:50:31.16\00:50:34.17
that dwell on the earth,
peace be multiplied to you.
00:50:34.20\00:50:37.27
I make a decree in
every dominion of my kingdom
00:50:37.30\00:50:40.59
that men must tremble in
fear before... King Darius? No
00:50:40.62\00:50:45.85
The God of Daniel,
for He is the living God
00:50:45.88\00:50:50.49
and steadfast forever
and His kingdom is the one
00:50:50.52\00:50:53.55
that shall not be
destroyed; Not Medo-Persia
00:50:53.58\00:50:56.18
and His dominion
shall endure to the end;
00:50:56.21\00:50:59.01
and He delivers and rescues
and He works signs and wonders
00:50:59.04\00:51:02.31
in heaven and on earth,
who has delivered Daniel
00:51:02.34\00:51:04.67
from the power of the lions"
00:51:04.70\00:51:06.79
This is really what God,
the Father, did with Jesus
00:51:06.82\00:51:10.23
when He was resurrected.
00:51:10.26\00:51:12.96
"So this Daniel prospered
in the reign of Darius,
00:51:12.99\00:51:15.66
and in the reign
of Cyrus, the Persian
00:51:15.69\00:51:17.70
In the first year of Cyrus'
reign, he issued the decree
00:51:17.73\00:51:21.78
that Jerusalem should be rebuilt
00:51:21.81\00:51:24.39
and that the
temple could be rebuilt,
00:51:24.42\00:51:26.18
and I'd like to think
that Daniel was as an old man,
00:51:26.21\00:51:30.58
retired from his
responsibilities in Medo-Persia
00:51:30.61\00:51:34.67
where he could go back
and die in his home country
00:51:34.70\00:51:37.64
with the knowledge that the
temple was going to be rebuilt.
00:51:37.67\00:51:40.15
That was a real
prayer of his heart...
00:51:40.18\00:51:42.23
And that the
Messiah was some day coming.
00:51:42.26\00:51:44.92
I expect to see
Daniel in heaven someday.
00:51:44.95\00:51:48.12
It's going to be fun to
talk to him and ask him a lot of
00:51:48.15\00:51:49.91
questions about that
experience, what it was like.
00:51:49.94\00:51:53.20
But you know, he might be
asking us about our experiences,
00:51:53.23\00:51:55.87
isn't that
something to think about?
00:51:55.90\00:51:57.62
What was it like to stand up
for your faith in the last days,
00:51:57.65\00:52:00.58
and know that you would
be killed if you compromise
00:52:00.61\00:52:05.09
your convictions?
00:52:05.12\00:52:06.37
Wouldn't you like to have
that kind of a conversation
00:52:06.40\00:52:08.73
with Daniel where we
could compare notes about
00:52:08.76\00:52:10.59
our adventure of faith?
00:52:10.62\00:52:12.69
You can have that.
00:52:12.72\00:52:14.65
It's going to come from
having a relationship with Jesus
00:52:14.68\00:52:17.23
and believing His word.
00:52:17.26\00:52:18.69
You know I've
changed the closing hymn.
00:52:18.72\00:52:21.44
I was looking for that
song, "Dare To Be a Daniel,"
00:52:21.47\00:52:24.03
but I couldn't
find it in the hymnal,
00:52:24.06\00:52:25.51
but I found one just as good.
00:52:25.54\00:52:27.14
It's called, "Give Me The Bible"
00:52:27.17\00:52:31.05
because Daniel read the
Bible, he had a devotional life,
00:52:31.08\00:52:34.28
and that's what made the
difference in his experience.
00:52:34.31\00:52:37.19
I'd like to encourage
you to say I'm going to have
00:52:37.22\00:52:41.12
a devotional life like that and
I want to have the experience
00:52:41.15\00:52:43.72
of Daniel to
sustain me in the last days.
00:52:43.75\00:52:46.34
If that's your prayer, why don't
you signify that by standing
00:52:46.37\00:52:49.47
as we sing 272...
"Give Me The Bible"
00:52:49.50\00:52:53.32
Give me the Bible,
star of gladness gleaming,
00:53:11.96\00:53:17.42
To cheer the wanderer
lone and tempest tossed,
00:53:17.45\00:53:22.87
No storm can hide that
peaceful radiance beaming,
00:53:22.90\00:53:28.13
Since Jesus came to
seek and save the lost.
00:53:28.16\00:53:33.64
Give me the Bible
holy message shining,
00:53:33.67\00:53:38.97
Thy light shall
guide me in the narrow way,
00:53:39.00\00:53:44.10
Precept and promise,
law and love combining,
00:53:44.13\00:53:49.50
'Till night shall
vanish in eternal day.
00:53:49.53\00:53:56.71
Before we sing the next
verse, we'll be singing all 3...
00:53:56.74\00:53:59.51
I want to give you an
opportunity to respond
00:53:59.54\00:54:01.95
to the Word of God this morning.
00:54:01.98\00:54:03.59
If there's some
special need in your life
00:54:03.62\00:54:06.49
or if you're feeling the Lord
calling you to re-consecrate
00:54:06.52\00:54:10.08
yourself in some way and
you'd like to come to the front
00:54:10.11\00:54:12.67
and request special
prayer, then we'd like to offer
00:54:12.70\00:54:15.42
that opportunity... as
we sing verse 2 together.
00:54:15.45\00:54:21.49
Give me the Bible
when my heart is broken,
00:54:21.52\00:54:27.01
When sin and grief have
filled my soul with fear;
00:54:27.04\00:54:32.68
Give me the precious
words by Jesus spoken,
00:54:32.71\00:54:38.03
Hold up faith's lamp
to show my Saviour near.
00:54:38.06\00:54:43.56
Give me the Bible
holy message shining,
00:54:43.59\00:54:49.25
Thy light shall
guide me in the narrow way.
00:54:49.28\00:54:54.91
Precept and promise,
law and love combining,
00:54:54.94\00:55:00.07
'Till night shall
vanish in eternal day.
00:55:00.10\00:55:07.54
Before we sing the last verse,
00:55:07.57\00:55:09.83
after considering
this wonderful story today,
00:55:09.86\00:55:12.74
and you realize we are
entering into sobering times,
00:55:12.77\00:55:15.80
and we need to have that
close relationship with Jesus,
00:55:15.83\00:55:19.41
so we're willing to open
our mouths and open our windows,
00:55:19.44\00:55:22.94
and let our light shine.
00:55:22.97\00:55:24.42
We know that's going to depend
on a relationship with Him
00:55:24.45\00:55:28.56
that comes from our time
on our knees with our Bibles.
00:55:28.59\00:55:33.22
If you'd like to ask the Lord,
just say, "Lord, help me to
00:55:33.25\00:55:36.01
have a revival in my
personal devotions and make that
00:55:36.04\00:55:38.42
commitment NOW -
to spend time with God
00:55:38.45\00:55:41.37
every day in
His Word and prayer.
00:55:41.40\00:55:42.95
Would you like to
lift your hands and say,
00:55:42.98\00:55:44.09
"Lord, that's my desire,
help me to know You better"
00:55:44.12\00:55:47.92
Let's sing the last verse,
then we'll close with prayer.
00:55:47.95\00:55:52.01
Give me the Bible
all my steps enlighten,
00:55:52.04\00:55:57.75
Teach me the danger
of these realms below;
00:55:57.78\00:56:03.22
That lamp of safety,
o'er the gloom shall brighten,
00:56:03.25\00:56:08.74
That light alone the
path of peace can show.
00:56:08.77\00:56:14.62
Give me the Bible
holy message shining,
00:56:14.65\00:56:20.16
Thy light shall
guide me in the narrow way,
00:56:20.19\00:56:25.70
Precept and promise,
law and love combining,
00:56:25.73\00:56:31.17
'Till night shall
vanish in eternal day.
00:56:31.20\00:56:38.87
AMEN! Sounds good with
the academy singers here.
00:56:38.90\00:56:44.39
Father in Heaven,
Lord, we've heard this
00:56:44.42\00:56:47.68
story before,
but it just energizes
00:56:47.71\00:56:50.50
and encourages us each time.
00:56:50.53\00:56:53.04
We long to have the
relationship with You
00:56:53.07\00:56:55.64
that Daniel
had... where we could be
00:56:55.67\00:56:58.34
people of integrity,
honesty, faithfulness...
00:56:58.37\00:57:01.64
where our lives can be
transparent and consistent.
00:57:01.67\00:57:05.20
Lord, we want to
serve You continually.
00:57:05.23\00:57:08.68
Help us to believe
as Daniel believed.
00:57:08.71\00:57:11.62
Lord, I pray
that we will resolve,
00:57:11.65\00:57:13.64
like Daniel, we're
living in a foreign land,
00:57:13.67\00:57:16.78
and we want to
be Your ambassadors.
00:57:16.81\00:57:19.23
Help us to fortify our minds
with the truth of Your Word,
00:57:19.26\00:57:22.75
that we can stand
through this final conflict...
00:57:22.78\00:57:25.96
to love You so much,
Lord, that we will not close our
00:57:25.99\00:57:29.43
windows or hide our faith,
but we will boldly courageously
00:57:29.46\00:57:33.76
stand up for truth.
00:57:33.79\00:57:35.75
Give us that determination.
00:57:35.78\00:57:37.99
Forgive us for our
compromise in the past, Lord,
00:57:38.02\00:57:40.43
and give us
consistency in the future.
00:57:40.46\00:57:42.84
Bless each person here;
those who have come forward
00:57:42.87\00:57:45.30
for the appeal - whatever
the needs are in their life,
00:57:45.33\00:57:48.46
help them to experience
Your power and Your peace,
00:57:48.49\00:57:51.04
and that we can go from
this place knowing that we
00:57:51.07\00:57:53.29
go with You and we
have nothing to fear
00:57:53.32\00:57:55.60
because we ask
in Jesus name, Amen
00:57:55.63\00:57:57.59