Participants: Stephen Bohr
Series Code: HWIS
Program Code: HWIS000010
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00:33 Let's pray.
00:35 Father in heaven, what a joy it is once again to 00:38 come into Your presence knowing that You are the God who 00:42 knows the end from the beginning. 00:46 And therefore, You can mold history to fulfill Your plan. 00:52 We ask, Father, that as we study this great prophecy of 00:55 Daniel 2 that Your Holy Spirit will be with us to instruct us. 01:00 Help us, Lord, to admire You more each day. 01:04 Because You are the God who knows the end 01:07 from the beginning. 01:09 All wise, omniscient, all powerful, eternal. 01:14 Thank You for being a wonderful Father. 01:17 And thank You for answering our prayer. 01:19 For we ask it in the precious name of Jesus, amen. 01:25 In the next two lectures, we are going to be dealing with 01:29 some foundational material for what we are going to study 01:33 in the rest of our seminar. 01:35 We are now going to begin to transition to the 01:38 Most Holy Place of the heavenly Sanctuary. 01:42 Now this evening, you're not going to see the connection 01:47 of what we're talking about with the Sanctuary. 01:50 But believe me, what we're going to study tonight 01:52 is foundational for what we're going to study tomorrow, 01:55 and very foundational for understanding Daniel 8 01:59 which specifically addresses the theme of the Sanctuary. 02:05 I'd like to invite you to turn in your Bibles with me to 02:08 Daniel chapter 2, which will be our chapter of study for today. 02:13 The first thing that I want us to notice is that God knew 02:19 what King Nebuchadnezzar was thinking when he laid down 02:24 on his bed. 02:26 God is able to read our thoughts. 02:29 Here is a biblical evidence that God reads thoughts. 02:33 It says there in Daniel chapter 2 and verse 29, 02:37 here Daniel is speaking to the king... 03:00 What was Nebuchadnezzar thinking about when he went to bed? 03:03 He was thinking about the future of his kingdom. 03:08 Because it says here, "Thoughts came to your mind 03:11 while on your bed about what would come to pass after this." 03:16 Did God know what Nebuchadnezzar was thinking? 03:19 He most certainly did. 03:20 So God says to Nebuchadnezzar, "So you're interested in knowing 03:24 what is going to happen in the future? 03:26 Okay, I'm going to give you a dream 03:28 so that you understand what's going to happen in the future." 03:32 And so in Daniel chapter 2 and verse 1, we have this dream 03:37 or mention of the dream. 03:39 It says there in Daniel chapter 2 and verse 1... 03:54 So Nebuchadnezzar is thinking about the future of his kingdom. 03:58 God knows what he's thinking. 04:00 And so God says, "Okay Nebuchadnezzar, 04:02 I'm going to give you a dream so that you have an answer 04:07 to your concerns about the future." 04:10 And so God gives Nebuchadnezzar this dream. 04:14 But then Nebuchadnezzar wakes up and he can't remember the dream. 04:19 Notice Daniel chapter 2 and verse 3. 04:23 He says to the wise men of Babylon... 04:34 In other words, he woke up and he forgot the dream. 04:37 Now who do you think led Nebuchadnezzar to 04:39 forget his dream? 04:41 It was God. 04:43 You say, "What possible purpose could God have 04:47 in giving the king a dream and then the king waking up 04:52 and God having him forget the dream? 04:53 What possible purpose could there be in this?" 04:57 God had a purpose. 04:59 You see, God knew that the first thing that Nebuchadnezzar 05:03 would do would be to call the experts of Babylon 05:07 to tell him his dream and what the dream meant. 05:10 Is that exactly what Nebuchadnezzar did? 05:12 He most certainly did. 05:13 Notice Daniel chapter 2 and verse 2. 05:26 Which, by the way, were the priestly cast of Babylon. 05:35 Did God know that Nebuchadnezzar was going to call the 05:38 astrologers and the magicians and the sorcerers 05:41 to tell the king his dream? 05:44 God knew it. 05:45 What was God's purpose in leading Nebuchadnezzar 05:47 to forget his dream? 05:49 The purpose was that these individuals should appear 05:53 before the king and they would not be able to 05:56 tell the king his dream. 05:58 And everybody would see that the religion of Babylon 06:02 was bankrupt. 06:05 In other words, God wanted to unmask these so-called experts. 06:10 He wanted to show that magic, astrology, sorcery 06:15 does not work. 06:17 And the only way to do this would be to give the king 06:20 his dream and lead the king to forget his dream 06:23 so the he would call these so-called experts 06:26 so that God could unmask them and show that the religion of 06:30 Babylon was bankrupt. 06:34 And that's exactly what happened. 06:36 Notice Daniel chapter 2 and verse 10. 06:38 Daniel chapter 2 and verse 10. 07:03 In other words, "King, what you're asking is unreasonable. 07:06 If you told us your dream, we would be able to tell you 07:09 what the dream means. 07:11 But you want us to tell you the dream itself. 07:14 There's no individual who could ever do that on earth." 07:19 And then I want you to notice Daniel chapter 2 and verse 11. 07:23 There was only one source that would be able to 07:26 tell the king his dream. 07:28 And what was that source, according to the magicians? 07:32 Daniel 2 and verse 11. 07:45 And there's three key words that I want us to notice here. 07:56 Do you know what they're saying? 07:57 They're saying, "The gods that we serve like to conceal. 08:04 They like to keep secrets. 08:07 And only if they should choose to reveal the dream 08:11 could we know what the dream is." 08:14 In other words, what they're saying is, "Our gods conceal. 08:18 They hide. They keep secrets." 08:21 Let me ask you, is that the picture that you get 08:24 from the God of the Bible? 08:26 Absolutely not. 08:27 Notice Amos chapter 3 and verse 7. 08:30 Amos chapter 3 and verse 7. 08:33 You see, God is not a God who conceals. 08:36 God is a God who reveals. 08:38 God is not a God who keeps secrets. 08:41 God is a God who reveals secrets. 08:45 Notice Amos chapter 3 and verse 7. 09:01 Notice Daniel 2 verse 29, which we already read. 09:05 Let's read it again, Daniel 2 verse 29. 09:23 Is there a contrast between the pagan gods and the biblical God? 09:27 Absolutely. 09:28 The pagan gods, they have this information 09:31 but they conceal it, they hide it. 09:33 They don't want to reveal it. 09:35 But the God of the Bible is the God who reveals the secrets 09:39 to His servants, the prophets. 09:41 Now do you remember the three key words? 09:44 "Except the gods whose dwelling is not with flesh." 09:50 Can you think of another verse in the Bible 09:52 that uses those three words? 09:55 John chapter 1 and verse 1, and then verse 14. 10:02 What does verse 1 say? 10:03 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, 10:07 and the Word was God." 10:10 There you have one key word. 10:11 And then verse 14 says, "And the Word," who is God, 10:16 "became..." What? 10:18 There's the second key word. 10:20 "...became flesh..." 10:21 And then what does it say? And what? 10:23 "...and dwelt among us." 10:26 Who is the great revealer of God's secrets? 10:29 Jesus Christ in person. 10:32 And so it says... 10:45 Let me ask you, is the devil able to read our thoughts? 10:51 No. 10:52 Do you know how we know that? 10:54 Because the devil was dying to tell the astrologers 10:56 what the dream was so that he could show that the 10:59 religion of Babylon was true. 11:01 And yet he was not able to do it. 11:04 Now the devil, when he sees that God has unmasked his religion, 11:08 he says, "Okay, what I'm going to do now is I am going to 11:13 kill Daniel and I'm going to kill his three friends." 11:16 Because the devil had already seen that these young men 11:19 were a potential problem for him. 11:22 Because in chapter 1 these three young men, along with Daniel, 11:26 had been faithful to God in their eating 11:29 and in their drinking. 11:30 And so the devil says, "These individuals 11:32 are a potential problem for me. 11:35 And so what I'm going to do now, God unmasked my 11:39 religious leaders, but now I'm going to have them killed 11:41 and I'm going to have Daniel and his three friends killed too. 11:44 And the problem is going to be solved." 11:47 Notice Daniel chapter 2 and verse 12. 12:01 Verse 13. 12:08 And whom did they seek? 12:18 But God says to the devil, "Not so quick, buddy. 12:23 You intend to kill Daniel and his three friends. 12:28 But you know what I'm going to do? 12:29 What I'm going to do is I'm going to bring them 12:32 into prominence in the kingdom by your attempt to kill them." 12:37 Is that exactly what happened? 12:39 Notice at the end of this story, Daniel chapter 2 12:42 verses 48 and 49, now Daniel and his three friends 12:46 become famous in the kingdom. 12:48 In other words, instead of being destroyed 12:50 like the devil intended, God allowed them to be 12:54 brought before the king so that they could occupy 12:56 prominent positions in the kingdom and influence 12:59 the kingdom for decades. 13:02 Daniel chapter 2 verses 48 and 49. 13:34 So do you see what's happening here? 13:36 We have a play and a counterplay. 13:38 God knows what the king is thinking and he says, 13:39 "Okay, I know what you're thinking. 13:40 Here's a dream so that you know what's going to happen." 13:45 And then when he wakes up, God says, "Forget the dream. 13:47 Because I want to unmask these charlatans." 13:49 And so the king calls these individuals. 13:53 The religion of Babylon is unmasked so the devil says, 13:56 "Oh yeah, I'm going to kill Your men." 13:57 God says, "No you're not. 13:59 I'm going to bring them to prominence in the kingdom." 14:02 There's a play and a counterplay that is taking place here 14:06 between two forces; the force of good and the force of evil, 14:09 between God and Satan. 14:12 Now let me ask you, what method did God use to show 14:15 Daniel the dream? 14:17 He said to Daniel, "Daniel, wait until it's nighttime 14:21 and you can go out and look at the stars." 14:28 He said, "Daniel, go before the king and tell him to show you 14:34 the palm of his hand." 14:37 No. 14:39 He said, "Daniel, go to a medium and have the medium try to 14:44 conjure up the dead." 14:46 No. 14:47 How did God reveal his secret to His prophets? 14:51 Notice Daniel chapter 2 verses 17 and 18. 14:54 Daniel 2:17-18 15:02 Which are their Hebrew names, by the way. 15:17 Ah, see there's that word, "secret," again. 15:29 What method did Daniel use for God to reveal His secret 15:34 concerning the future? 15:36 He used prayer. 15:39 If we want to know what's in store for our life, 15:41 what do we use? 15:43 We don't go visit astrologers. 15:46 We don't go to a palm reader. 15:48 We don't look at the signs of the zodiac. 15:51 We don't go to consult the supposed spirits of the dead. 15:55 We pray to God that God will reveal His secret to us. 16:01 You know, history is like a game of chess. 16:06 Some of you have heard this comparison before. 16:08 You know, there's this chessboard. 16:11 On one side of the table, God is seated. 16:14 And on the other side of the table, Satan is seated. 16:18 And the movements of the pawns on the board 16:22 are the movements of history. 16:24 And so God says to Satan, "Your move." 16:30 And so the devil moves in history. 16:32 And then God says, "Ha ha, you moved. 16:35 My turn." 16:37 And so God moves to counteract what the devil has done. 16:41 And so history develops as a play and a counterplay; 16:45 Satan trying to interrupt God's plans and God implementing 16:50 His plans. 16:52 Now let me ask you, is the devil playing at a disadvantage? 16:58 He most certainly is. 16:59 If you could play a game of chess where you already knew 17:03 all of the moves that the other player was going to make, 17:07 how much of a chance would there be that you could lose? 17:10 Absolutely none. 17:12 If you knew all of the moves that the other player 17:14 was going to make, there's no way you could lose. 17:16 See, the devil has to guess how God is going to play. 17:20 But God knows every move that the devil is going to make. 17:24 And therefore, He can take measures to counteract 17:27 the moves that the devil wants to make in human history. 17:30 Because God knows the end from the beginning. 17:35 Now let's talk about the dream. 17:38 Daniel chapter 2 and verse 31. 17:40 Daniel 2 and verse 31. 17:43 Here, Daniel says to the king... 18:03 And then you have the dream itself. 18:07 Beginning with verse 32, it says, "The image's head 18:11 was of fine gold." 18:12 Use your imagination. 18:13 You have a handout that has the sequence. 18:16 But use your imagination now. 18:36 So you have gold, silver, bronze, iron, 18:40 and iron and clay. 18:42 And then notice verse 34. 19:20 And so we have several important symbols in this passage. 19:24 We have a head of gold, breast and arms of silver, 19:28 belly of bronze, legs of iron, feet of iron and clay. 19:34 And then you have a stone that is cut out of a mountain 19:37 without hands and it comes and it strikes 19:40 the image on its feet. 19:41 And then the stone becomes a gigantic mountain 19:45 that fills the whole earth. 19:48 Now there's a very important point that I need to underline. 19:50 And that is that there are no gaps in the historical flow 19:55 that we find in Daniel chapter 2. 19:58 Because there are some Christians that are saying, 20:00 in fact many Christians that are saying, 20:02 that there's a gap between the legs and the feet. 20:07 And that gap has lasted 1900 years, so far. 20:11 But there no evidence in this dream that there are any 20:15 parentheses or gaps or lapses in the sequence of powers. 20:22 The sequence of powers flow one right after the other 20:26 without interruption. 20:29 Now I want you to notice the interpretation of this dream, 20:33 because later on in the chapter we have what the dream means. 20:37 Go with me to Daniel chapter 2 and verses 37 and 38. 20:42 Daniel 2:37-38, now we're going to see how Daniel 20:46 interpreted the dream or explained the dream. 20:50 Here, Daniel says... 20:55 Why was Nebuchadnezzar such a great king? 20:57 Well, because he had better weapons than anybody else. 21:00 He had more powerful armies. 21:02 He had more money. He was more intelligent. 21:05 Absolutely not. 21:06 Notice what it says. 21:27 Why was Nebuchadnezzar king? 21:29 Because it was God's will that Nebuchadnezzar be king. 21:32 God placed Nebuchadnezzar there. 21:36 Who is in control of human history? 21:38 God is in control of human history. 21:41 Now notice the last part of this, verse 38. 21:45 It says, "He has given them into your hand 21:48 and has made you ruler over them all." 21:52 And now listen carefully. 21:54 "You are this head of gold." 21:59 Does this prophecy clearly explain what the 22:03 head of gold represents? 22:04 Absolutely. What is the head of gold? 22:06 The head of gold represents Nebuchadnezzar. 22:09 But what was Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom? 22:12 His kingdom was Babylon. 22:13 You see, in prophecy we're going to notice that 22:17 king and kingdom are used interchangeably. 22:20 In fact, let's go to the next verse and you're going to see 22:22 it very, very clearly. 22:24 Daniel chapter 2 and verse 38. 22:29 It has just said in verse 38, the first part of verse 38, 22:37 it says, "You are this head of gold." 22:41 But now notice, I believe it's in verse 39, not verse 38. 22:45 It says, "But after you shall arise another..." What? 22:52 "...another kingdom." 22:54 So is the head of gold a kingdom? 22:56 Sure, because it says, "After you will arise another kingdom." 23:01 So Nebuchadnezzar is the king of a kingdom. 23:04 The head of gold represents the kingdom of Babylon. 23:10 And after the kingdom of Babylon there was going to be what? 23:18 And then notice it says... 23:28 So how many kingdoms so far? 23:30 We have three kingdoms. 23:32 The first kingdom is what? 23:34 Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom. 23:37 The second kingdom is which kingdom? 23:40 The Medes and Persians came immediately after Babylon. 23:45 They conquered Babylon. 23:46 And then after the Medes and Persians, which kingdom rises? 23:50 Greece. 23:51 Now listen to what I'm going to say. 23:53 You don't even have to go to the history books 23:56 to know that the first three kingdoms 23:57 are Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece. 23:59 All you have to do is study the book of Daniel. 24:02 Daniel has the names of all three. 24:05 Which means that it's easy to identify kingdom number four. 24:08 You say, "Now how is that?" 24:10 Does the Bible tell us which kingdom conquered Babylon? 24:14 Daniel chapter 5. 24:16 Belshazzar was the king. 24:18 And Darius the Mede, who's also called Darius the Mede, 24:23 came and he conquered Babylon. 24:25 The troops of the Medes and Persians conquered Babylon. 24:30 So we know what the second kingdom is. 24:32 It is Medo-Persia. 24:34 And then in Daniel 8, which we're going to study later on 24:37 in this seminar, after Medo-Persia it says that 24:40 the kingdom that would arise would be Greece. 24:44 Greece is mentioned by name. 24:47 And so in Daniel itself, even without going to the 24:50 history books, you know that the first kingdom is Babylon. 24:53 You know that the second kingdom is Medo-Persia. 24:55 And you know that the third kingdom is what? 24:58 The third kingdom is Greece. 25:01 Is that clear? 25:02 Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece. 25:06 You say, "Well, what would the fourth kingdom be?" 25:08 Well if you've identified the first three, 25:10 that come one right after another without parentheses, 25:13 without any interruption, it's easy to identify the fourth. 25:18 Which kingdom conquered the kingdom of Greece? 25:21 It was Rome. 25:22 The Roman Empire. 25:23 Let's read Daniel chapter 2 and verse 40. 25:26 Daniel chapter 2 and verse 40. 25:28 It says here... 25:33 Remember that word, "strong." 25:39 That word, "strong," is a key word. 25:55 Is that a fit description of Rome? 25:57 It most certainly is. 25:59 In fact, the great historian, Edward Gibbon, 26:04 wrote the five volume set called, 26:07 The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. 26:10 And he called Rome, "the iron monarchy of Rome." 26:16 Interesting, because he was not a church historian. 26:19 He was secular historian. 26:20 And yet he's calling Rome, "the iron monarchy of Rome." 26:25 So very clearly, the first four kingdoms are 26:28 Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and the Roman Empire. 26:33 But now I want you to notice what we come to in the feet. 26:37 This is what I want to dwell on most in our seminar today. 26:41 Daniel chapter 2 and verse 41. 26:57 That is, this fourth kingdom. 27:04 There you have the word, "strong." 27:06 You remember the word, "strong," 27:07 with regard to the fourth kingdom? 27:09 Now it says here... 27:19 Verse 42. 27:29 Which is the strong part, by the way? 27:31 Is it the iron part or the clay part? 27:34 It's the iron part that's strong. 27:37 It says in verse 42... 27:48 What is the fragile part? 27:50 It is the clay part. 27:53 Now let's take a look at these verses. 27:55 Very important verses. 27:58 How many toes do two normal feet have? 28:02 And the reason I use the word, "normal," is because I've 28:04 asked the question, I say, "How many toes do two feet have?" 28:07 Some people say, "Well, it all depends if somebody 28:09 has had a toe amputated or not." 28:11 And so I say, "How many toes do two normal feet have?" 28:15 They have ten what? Ten toes. 28:18 Which means that the fourth kingdom was going to be what? 28:22 The fourth kingdom was going to be divided into ten kingdoms. 28:26 You say, "How do we know that?" 28:27 It's very simple. 28:29 Is there iron in the feet? 28:32 Was there iron in the legs? 28:34 What did the iron in the legs represent? 28:37 The Roman Empire. 28:39 What does the iron in the feet then represent? 28:42 It must represent the fact that the Roman Empire, what? 28:46 Continues. But it continues how? 28:49 In a divided state. 28:51 It's divided into ten nations. 28:53 Are you with me or not? 28:55 It's going to be divided into ten nations. 28:59 In other words, this fourth kingdom was going to fall apart. 29:02 It was still going to be Rome because you have 29:04 iron in the feet. 29:05 But it was going to be a divided Rome. 29:11 But then I want you to notice that to the iron in the feet 29:15 is added another strange element. 29:17 What is added to it? 29:20 A special kind of clay. 29:23 Potter's clay. 29:26 Question, what existed before? 29:28 The iron or the clay? 29:31 The iron existed before. 29:32 So the iron continues in the feet. 29:35 And then what is added to the iron? 29:38 Afterwards, the clay is added to the iron. 29:43 Now let me ask you this. 29:47 Is this a different kind of Rome in the feet? 29:52 Yes it is. 29:53 Because first of all, it is a Rome that is divided 29:56 into many what? 29:58 Into many nations. 30:00 But secondly, it is an amalgamated Rome. 30:06 Do you understand what the word "amalgamated" means? 30:09 It is a Rome that is a mixture, not only of the iron. 30:16 It's not political Rome alone any more. 30:19 There's another element that is mixed or blended, 30:22 or amalgamated, with it. 30:26 Now let me ask you, is this a legitimate or 30:29 illegitimate union? 30:33 It's illegitimate. 30:34 Who in his right mind would actually join iron and clay? 30:40 They're two totally different elements, aren't they? 30:42 Totally different. 30:44 There's no way that you can amalgamate them or mix them 30:47 and have the result be strong. 30:50 The clay is good as clay and the iron is good as iron. 30:54 The problem is when you what? 30:57 Is when you put them together or you mix them. 31:01 Now, are we dealing with symbols in Daniel chapter 2? 31:07 Is the gold a symbol? 31:10 Is the silver a symbol? 31:12 Is the bronze a symbol? 31:15 Is the iron a symbol? 31:17 Is the stone a symbol? 31:19 Is the mountain a symbol? 31:22 But the potter's clay, that's not a symbol? 31:26 It would have to also be what? 31:29 It would also have to represent or symbolize something. 31:34 Because Rome is going to be divided and it's going to be 31:36 a different kind of Rome. 31:38 It's going to be an amalgamated Rome. 31:40 So we need to know what the clay represents. 31:43 Because we already know that the iron represents 31:45 the political power of the Roman Empire. 31:47 The Roman Empire will continue as a political entity divided, 31:51 but there will be clay added to it. 31:54 So we need to know what the Bible means by potter's clay. 32:00 Now let's examine some passages of Scripture that 32:02 explain what the potter's clay is. 32:06 Go with me to Jeremiah chapter 18 32:10 and verses 1 through 6. 32:12 Jeremiah chapter 18 and verses 1 through 6. 32:16 Listen carefully. 32:46 What kind of clay? 32:48 Potter's clay, yes. 33:05 Now what is represented by the fact that this vessel 33:09 was made from potter's clay by the potter, 33:11 it broke, and then the potter made it all over again 33:16 as a new vessel? 33:17 The fact is that Jeremiah is here describing 33:19 the Babylonian captivity. 33:22 And if you want a text that proves that, 33:24 Jeremiah 19 verse 11, which we don't have time to read, 33:27 uses the same terminology of the potter to refer 33:30 to the captivity of Israel when they were taken 33:33 by Nebuchadnezzar. 33:34 In other words, God formed Israel at Mount Sinai 33:39 as His people, but because of the apostasy, they broke. 33:43 And God, after 70 years, what did He do? 33:46 He restored Israel once again to their land. 33:50 Are you with me? 33:51 So He made the vessel what? 33:53 Again. 33:55 Now we don't have to guess at this, because notice the 33:57 explanation is given there in Jeremiah chapter 18 34:00 and verse 5. 34:02 "Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, 34:05 'O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?' 34:13 says the Lord." 34:23 What does the potter's clay represent? 34:26 It represents God's people; God's Old Testament church. 34:32 In other words, it represents a religious institution; 34:37 God's Old Testament church, Israel. 34:43 Now let's go to Genesis chapter 2 and verse 7. 34:45 And you're not going to see the connection immediately 34:47 with this, but you're going to see it in a few moments. 34:49 Genesis chapter 2 and verse 7. 34:53 Speaking about the creation of man. 34:56 And notice what it says. 35:05 What was God? God was the what? 35:07 The potter. I'm going to prove it to you. 35:14 How many of you have ever tried to form anything out of dust? 35:18 You can't. But see, this was wet dust. 35:21 This was really potter's clay. 35:23 We're going to read another text in a moment. 35:28 What faculty of man was made out of dust? 35:31 His physical body, right? His body. 35:34 Did that body have all of its different members; 35:38 arms, legs, heart, lungs, stomach, fingers, nose, mouth? 35:44 Did it have all of the different members or parts? 35:47 Absolutely, it was a perfect body with all of its members. 35:51 But it was a lifeless body. 35:53 Notice I didn't say a dead body. 35:54 It was a lifeless body. 35:56 What was lacking? 35:58 The breath of God, or the spirit of life. 36:00 And so it continues saying, "...and breathed into his 36:04 nostrils the breath of life, and man became a..." What? 36:09 "...a living being." 36:10 Did every member now start functioning? 36:12 Did the heart start beating? 36:14 Did the lungs start breathing? 36:16 Did the stomach start digesting once Adam and Eve 36:19 started eating? 36:20 Of course. 36:21 Did their fingers start moving? Did they start walking? 36:24 Yes, now that the body was all together as one 36:28 with many members, and the spirit entered the body, 36:31 now all of the members functioned in perfect unity. 36:37 Now notice Isaiah chapter 64 and verse 8. 36:41 Isaiah chapter 64 and verse 8. 36:44 Here is where the Bible tells us that God, when He created man, 36:48 He did it like a potter. 36:49 It says there... 36:51 And you might want to write down, this isn't on your list, 36:53 Isaiah 45 verse 9 uses the same terminology. 36:57 Isaiah 45 verse 9. 36:58 It says in Isaiah 64 verse 8... 37:20 So what did God form man out of? 37:23 What kind of clay? 37:25 Potter's clay, right? 37:27 And then what did He do? 37:28 He breathed into man's nostrils the breath of life, 37:31 and now man became a living soul. 37:33 In other words, every member of his body started what? 37:38 Functioning. 37:39 Now this is talking about the literal creation of man. 37:43 But this literal creation of man has a symbolic meaning as well. 37:48 You say, "What do you mean a symbolic value?" 37:50 Because in Daniel 2 we're not dealing with the literal, 37:52 we're dealing with what? 37:53 We're dealing with symbols. 37:55 Now let me ask you, what is the body of Christ? 38:00 Symbolically speaking or spiritually speaking? 38:04 The body of Christ is the church. 38:07 Notice Colossians chapter 1 and verse 18. 38:10 Colossians chapter 1 and verse 18. 38:13 Speaking about Jesus it says... 38:28 So what is the body of Christ? 38:31 The body of Christ is the church. 38:35 Who created the church? 38:38 Jesus said, "Upon this rock I will build My church." 38:44 So who was it that created His body? 38:47 Jesus created the church. 38:48 He created the body. 38:52 In what condition was that body before the day of Pentecost? 38:56 Did they all come together? 38:58 The Bible says that they were all of one what? 39:01 One accord. 39:02 But what was still lacking? 39:05 What didn't the body have yet? 39:08 The body did not have the breath. 39:12 So what happened on the day of Pentecost? 39:14 Acts chapter 2 and verses 2 through 4. 39:38 By the way, they not only spoke in tongues. 39:40 All of the gifts of the Spirit now came alive in the church. 39:44 Are you catching the picture? 39:46 Now we're dealing with symbols. 39:48 In Genesis 2 verse 7, you have the literal creation 39:51 of literal man. 39:52 But that represents, that's representative of... 39:54 It's symbolic of the church of Jesus Christ which He created 39:59 out of potter's clay, so to speak. 40:01 And then He gave it what? 40:03 The Holy Spirit, the breath of life. 40:05 Let me ask you, did the body now start functioning? 40:08 Did every member of the body start fulfilling its function? 40:11 Yes, and you know what? 40:13 I'm not inventing this illustration. 40:16 The apostle Paul gives this illustration. 40:19 Notice 1 Corinthians chapter 12 and verses 12 and 13. 40:23 Very clear. 40:24 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verses 12 and 13. 40:52 Question, then. 40:54 What does the potter's clay represent? 40:57 We noticed in Jeremiah that the potter's clay represents what? 41:01 God's people. 41:03 Israel. 41:04 What does the body represent in the New Testament? 41:07 What does the potter's clay represent in the 41:09 New Testament? 41:10 It represents the body of Jesus Christ in the New Testament, 41:14 which is His what? 41:15 His church. 41:16 So what does the potter's clay represent? 41:19 It represents the church. 41:22 Are you with me? 41:24 Now there's one other illustration where you can see 41:27 that the potter's clay represents the church. 41:33 You remember that vision that Ezekiel had 41:35 of the valley of the dry bones? 41:38 And there were body parts strewn all over the valley? 41:42 And then God called upon all of the parts of the body to 41:45 come together through Ezekiel? 41:47 And then what did God give those bodies? 41:51 He gave those bodies what? 41:54 The breathe of life, the spirit. 41:55 And they stood up. 41:56 What is represented by all of the parts of the body 41:59 coming together and the spirit coming into the body? 42:03 Ezekiel 37 makes it very clear. 42:06 Notice Ezekiel 37 verses 10 and 11. 42:26 Are you catching the picture? 42:35 So the potter's clay represents the church. 42:38 So what was going to happen during the period of the feet 42:40 of the image when the Roman Empire was divided? 42:42 There was going to be a union of what? 42:45 Of church and state. 42:51 Are you following me? 42:53 In other words, during the period of the feet 42:55 you were not only going to have an empire. 42:58 It was going to be an empire that united church and state. 43:03 Remember this, because we're going to come back to this 43:05 tomorrow when we study Daniel chapter 7. 43:07 Now listen. 43:09 Revelation 17 presents the same idea, but with 43:13 different symbols. 43:14 Go with me to Revelation chapter 17. 43:16 And this is speaking about the end time. 43:19 Revelation chapter 17 and verses 1 and 2. 43:23 Revelation chapter 17 and verses 1 and 2. 43:28 Different symbols, same meaning; union of church and state. 43:34 It says here... 43:48 What does a woman represent in prophecy? 43:50 It represents the church. 43:52 If it's a pure woman, what kind of church are we talking about? 43:55 A pure church. 43:56 We talked about the woman of Revelation 12, remember? 43:58 It represents God's faithful church. 44:01 Now if it's a harlot woman, what kind of church 44:03 are we talking about? 44:05 We're talking about a church that is apostate. 44:09 Now how did she become a harlot? 44:11 How did the church become a harlot? 44:13 How did she become a fornicating woman? 44:16 Well let's continue reading. 44:17 It says... 44:22 And now comes the explanation of how 44:25 the church became a harlot. 44:37 How did she become an adulteress harlot? 44:42 Because she committed fornication with whom? 44:45 With the kings of the earth. 44:46 Is this a union of church and state? 44:48 It most certainly is. 44:50 A union of church and state. 44:54 Does a church have a right to exist as a church? 44:56 Yes. 44:57 Does the state have its function as state? 45:00 Absolutely. 45:01 Where does the problem come in? 45:03 The problem comes in when the union is illegitimate. 45:07 Because the church is suppose to be married only to whom? 45:11 To Jesus Christ. 45:12 Jesus is the husband and the church is His bride. 45:16 So what happens when the church starts trying to get the 45:18 kings of the earth to do what Jesus Christ should be doing? 45:22 The church becomes adulteress. 45:24 The church becomes a harlot. 45:26 Is that exactly what happened when the 45:28 Roman Empire fell apart? 45:30 Did a church arise that used the political power of Rome 45:34 to persecute those who were not in harmony with the church, 45:37 yes or no? 45:38 Absolutely. 45:39 It can be proven from history. 45:42 Now you knew I wasn't going to go through this 45:44 whole presentation without reading from Ellen White. 45:48 The little old lady knew this all the time. 45:51 And she didn't go through all the study, all the biblical 45:54 study we've gone through. 45:55 See, you know, you can go to the internet and you'll find 45:58 all kind of trash about Ellen White. 46:00 Don't even bother to read it. 46:02 They're the same old rehashed arguments 46:04 that come out all the time. 46:06 Knick picking little things here and little things there. 46:09 Listen, in Scripture you also have little details 46:12 that appear to be discrepancies. 46:14 For example, one gospel says that there was one 46:16 demon possessed man and the other says 46:18 that there were two. 46:19 They say, "Oh, you can't trust the Bible because 46:21 one says one and the other says two." 46:23 Listen, if you're going to let that shake your faith, 46:26 then you're never going to come to believe. 46:29 The fact is that little details like this make no difference. 46:32 It's the big picture. 46:35 And the more I read Ellen White and I see how she's 46:38 in harmony with Scripture, I marvel. 46:41 Not because she's another Bible, not because she 46:43 takes the place of the Bible, not because she knows 46:46 more than the Bible. 46:47 Not because she brings more doctrines 46:48 that are not in the Bible. 46:50 But because she explains and amplifies and simplifies 46:53 what is in the Bible. 46:56 Now listen to this statement. 46:57 It's found in Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, 47:00 volume four, page 1168. 47:03 She said this. 47:14 She says we're now in that time. 47:47 And when she says, "honor the Sabbath," it doesn't mean 47:49 that they legislate to make the Sabbath the day of rest. 47:51 It means that they respect God's right, the people of God's 47:55 right, to keep the Sabbath and guarantee that right. 47:59 Like in the first amendment to the Constitution. 48:01 She says... 49:13 Isn't that a remarkable statement? 49:15 It's an amazing statement in the light of what we've 49:17 studied from Scripture. 49:19 Now we can't end without talking about the 49:21 mountain and the stone. 49:23 What does the mountain represent? 49:25 Let's go back to Daniel chapter 2 verses 34 and 35. 49:28 This is the climax of this dream. 49:31 Daniel chapter 2 verses 34 and 35. 49:34 This is the dream itself. 49:36 In a moment we're going to read the interpretation 49:38 of what this means. 49:40 It says there in Daniel 2:34... 50:11 Now what does this mean, the mountain that 50:13 fills the whole earth? 50:15 In the explanation of this dream, in verse 44 50:20 we have what this means. 50:22 Daniel chapter 2 and verse 44. 50:39 In other words, there's not going to be any more kingdoms. 50:50 So the mountain represents Christ's everlasting kingdom 50:55 that fills the whole earth. 50:58 And now the question is, how is that kingdom established? 51:03 Well, here we come to the stone. 51:07 See, the stone has to do something 51:10 to destroy the kingdoms of the world so that this stone can 51:16 become the mountain that fills the whole earth. 51:19 Go with me to Daniel chapter 2 and verse 45, 51:22 and I want you to notice an interesting detail 51:24 about this stone. 51:50 So you have a stone, and it says that the stone 51:52 is cut out of the mountain, how? 51:55 Without hands. 51:57 Now what does that stone represent? 52:00 Go with me to Matthew 21 verse 42. 52:03 And this is only one verse of many that I could read 52:06 from the New Testament. 52:07 Matthew chapter 21 and verse 42. 52:09 This is the conclusion of a parable that Jesus gives 52:12 of the vineyard workers. 52:13 We'll come back to this parable in our lecture 52:15 this coming Sabbath morning. 52:18 Matthew 21 and verse 42. 52:21 "Jesus said to them, 'Have you never read 52:25 in the Scriptures, "The stone which the builders rejected 52:31 has become the chief cornerstone. 52:33 This was the Lord's doing and it is marvelous in our eyes."'" 52:37 To whom was Jesus referring when He spoke about the 52:39 stone that the builders rejected? 52:42 He was talking about Himself. 52:44 So what does the stone of Daniel chapter 2 represent? 52:48 It represents Jesus Christ. 52:51 Now notice that we're told here that this stone 52:55 was cut out of the mountain, how? 52:59 Without hands. 53:00 What does that mean, "without hands?" 53:03 Let's go to two verses that explain it. 53:06 Hebrews chapter 9 and verse 11. 53:09 Hebrews chapter 9 and verse 11. 53:10 Let's see what "not with hands" means. 53:14 It says there, speaking about the Sanctuary, 53:16 the heavenly Sanctuary compared to the earthly Sanctuary... 53:28 Which tabernacle is that? 53:30 Which is the greater and more perfect tabernacle? 53:33 It's the heavenly Sanctuary. 53:35 Who build the earthly Sanctuary? 53:37 Moses. 53:39 Was it built by human hands? 53:41 Absolutely. But notice... 53:57 You know, there's this idea among Christians that we need to 53:59 take over the world. 54:01 We need to use the power of the state to establish 54:04 Christ's kingdom in the United States. 54:06 We need to return to the good old days 54:09 when this was a Christian nation. 54:12 You know the best way to make this a Christian nation 54:15 is not by appealing to President Obama to do it. 54:18 It's by having the church go out and under the power of the 54:21 Holy Spirit preach the gospel and the truth of Jesus Christ. 54:25 That's the mission to which God has called the church. 54:28 God has not called the church to go to Washington, D.C. and 54:31 lobby for the state to do what the church should be doing. 54:34 Besides, the state never changes hearts. 54:37 It's the Holy Spirit through the power of the gospel 54:40 preached by the church that brings a change 54:43 to the human heart. 54:45 In other words, the kingdom of Christ will not be established 54:49 by men within history. 54:50 It will be established from outside of human history 54:53 by a miracle of God. 54:55 It is not of this creation. 54:59 Notice one more text. 55:00 Mark chapter 14 and verse 58. 55:03 Mark chapter 14 and verse 58. 55:05 Here, Jesus is talking about His own body. 55:10 You know, who brought the body of Jesus into existence 55:14 when He became incarnate? 55:17 Mary, right? 55:18 He was born from Mary. 55:20 Like we're born from women. 55:23 But what about the resurrected body of Jesus? 55:26 Oh, that body was given by a miracle of God, 55:31 by the Father. 55:32 It says in Mark 14 verse 58... 55:40 That's the temple that they had built and Herod had remodeled. 55:50 That means, without human intervention. 55:54 By a divine miracle of God. 55:56 How is Christ's kingdom going to be established 55:59 on this earth? 56:00 It will not be by men maneuvering within history 56:04 to establish a golden age. 56:05 It will come from outside of human history. 56:08 A miraculous stone, Jesus Christ, that will establish 56:11 His everlasting kingdom. 56:14 Now listen carefully. 56:16 We have a choice that we need to make. 56:19 We can either decide to fall on that stone 56:23 and be converted or that stone will fall on us and crush us. 56:30 See this is all fine and dandy; we're talking about 56:33 empires and kingdoms, but what about us personally? 56:36 Let's finish by reading Matthew chapter 21 and verse 44. 56:40 I believe Jesus is referring here to this prophecy of 56:44 Daniel chapter 2. 56:46 He says there in verse 44, "Whoever falls on this stone..." 56:50 He's talking about Himself. 56:51 Whoever's heart is broken and is converted. 56:56 "...will be broken." 56:57 But now notice. 56:58 "...but on whomever it falls, it will..." What? 57:03 "...it will grind him to powder." 57:09 So the plea of God with us is to receive Jesus Christ 57:14 as our Savior and Lord. 57:16 To fall on the stone so that He breaks our selfish heart. 57:21 And in this way, when Jesus comes we'll be in His kingdom. 57:25 The stone will not destroy us, but the stone will save us. |
Revised 2014-12-17