Hello, I'm Shelley Quinn
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and welcome again
to Issues and Answers.
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We're really excited today,
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because G. Edward
Reid is joining us again
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and we've had a
couple of programs
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with him recently
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and he has had on his
financial counselors hat,
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but today he is
going to switch hats
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because he's not
only very well studied
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in financial
counseling and finances
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but also in eschatology
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So let me
introduce G. Edward Reid,
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author Esquire
Master of Divinity,
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the list goes on.
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Now, Ed, you are
currently serving
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as the
assistant to the president
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for Planned Giving of
Adventist World Radio.
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Yes.
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Tell us just briefly
what is Adventist World Radio?
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Adventist World Radio
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is the official radio
ministry of the Adventist Church
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and the flagship
station was of course on Guam
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and has been there
for over 25 five years now
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and transmitting
the Adventist message
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by a short
wave, F.M., and so on.
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And essentially the entire world
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is now covered with
Adventist Radio transmissions.
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And I've been on the
programs here at 3ABN
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which John Lomacang and
others talking about that,
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but we're not in competition,
we're cooperating with 3ABN.
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So the people,
everybody can hear ministries.
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And the reason
that I'm so excited
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about the radio ministry
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is people are
still listening to radio
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and as you are well aware.
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And it was radio
that brought our family
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into the Adventist
Church many years ago,
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so I'm excited about that.
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So I think whenever
this broadcast go out,
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that there's families
like our little family
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in Northern California
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that we're hearing
the message and will,
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you know, respond positively
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and learn more they
can about the Bible.
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Wonderful.
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I just want to briefly
say you're also an author.
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You did a series.
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We've done a
couple of series on 3ABN,
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one was called "Your Money!
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Isn't It?"
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But the other
was "By My Spirit."
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And you have written
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a number of
books on eschatology.
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Tell us about
those just quickly.
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Well, the first one I wrote
was called "Even at the Door"
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and it's talking about the signs
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in the great prophetic timeline,
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that's how we know
we're near the end.
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And then I wrote the
book "Sunday's Coming"
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and that was research
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based on current
events in the Bible
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and in the Spirit of
Prophecy about that topic.
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And it was...
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I guess it was
the best selling book
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in the Adventist Church
for four years in a row,
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a lot of people,
then I rewrote the book
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and updated it
with ten new chapters
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and that's what we have now.
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And then I wrote
the book "Ready or Not,"
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and that was the basis
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of the "By My
Spirit" series here.
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So the big idea is this,
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one thing to know
that Jesus is coming soon
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but there's
another one to be ready.
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And that's one of the things
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we're gonna talk about
today is "how do you get ready?"
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And then the final, the
last big one that I wrote,
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these are all 250
page books, the big books.
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The fourth one is
"Battle of the Spirits"
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and it's talking about
the role of the Holy Spirit
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and the counterfeit
spirit at the end time.
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It has a lot of
interesting things
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about the early
rain and the latter rain
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and the close of probation,
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the things that
people are interested
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in on end time things.
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Yes, and I just
want to tell our viewers,
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if you're interested in
getting any of Ed's books,
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you can go to his website
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omegabooks.com.
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That's omegabooks.com.
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Now today you gave a
title for this message
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that you're going
to be sharing with us
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the information of
"Preparing for the Lion's Den."
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How did you come
up with the study?
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Well, it's interesting.
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I was tasked with
making a presentation
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to a group of
religious liberty leaders.
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And I thought well, you know,
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most of us know
about the cases in court
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and all those kind of things.
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And I thought how
much better it would be,
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if we would just understand
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"how can we be
faithful in difficult times,
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that because
they're surely coming."
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In fact we're
told in 2 Timothy 3:12,
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"All that live godly in Christ
Jesus will suffer persecution."
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So I did just a
brief introduction
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by talking about some of
the characters of the Bible
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and characters
during the Reformation times
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and so on.
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And I'll just share a
couple of these with you.
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Most of us are
familiar with Jan Hus
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and his friend Jerome,
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that were both
burned alive at the stake.
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And this is an incredible one
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because they were given
the opportunity to go free
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if they would recant
their Christian beliefs
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and neither one
were willing to do it.
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But the interesting
part about it is that,
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someone who was
of the Catholic faith
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at that time, a
zealous priest wrote
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about Hus and Jerome these words
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and this is in Wylie's
History of the Reformation
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check book three.
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He says "Both of
them bore themselves
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with constant mind
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when their last hour approached.
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They prepared for the fire
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as if they were
going to a marriage feast.
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And they uttered no cry of pain.
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When the flames rose
they began to sing hymns,
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and scarce could the
vehemency of the flame
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stop their singing."
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You know, I always love that.
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Because I read somewhere
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where Jan Hus the night before
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had a candle in his cell
and tried to put his hand
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over the flame
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and could not leave
his hand over that flame,
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it was much too painful.
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And then you
think of the thought
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that he actually sang
as they were burning him.
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I believe God had to do
something supernaturally.
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I tell people either
God removes the difficulty
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or goes through it with you.
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And so he was with God,
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like he was with three young men
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in the fiery furnace I believe,
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so they could sing.
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And then you think
of the Apostle Paul
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who went through
so much persecution.
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This is incredible
because in Paul's own writings,
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we typically think
of the salvation things
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that he offers.
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You know, I'm not
ashamed of the gospel of Christ
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and so on, the power of
God and saved by faith and...
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It's incredible but
what he went through,
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almost hidden sometimes.
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But he states in
2 Corinthians 11,
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some of the
things he went through.
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And one of them
he says five times
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I was whipped or
received 40 stripes save one.
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And most people who
study this understand that,
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it was believed that if
you were whipped 40 times
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the way they were
whipped then with metal and bone
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in the end of the whip
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and so on that
it would kill you.
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So it was
whipped only 39 stripes,
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five times
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with in a hair's breath
of killing him five times.
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Then he was stone one
time, they thought he was dead.
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And you can only imagine
getting conked in the head
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with big stones, you
know, it's just incredible.
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And he was
shipwrecked and he says,
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it was a
night-and-day in the deep.
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If you can imagine
without a life preserver
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out in the ocean and thinking
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the shark might
get you at any time
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or some bad thing happen.
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Okay, just being so bone-weary.
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Yeah, just so
tired, it's terrible.
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You just keep your
head above the water.
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And then he's
talking about journeys
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and perils and
all kind of things.
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You can read it
about in 2 Corinthians 11.
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How can people go through
that and still be faithful?
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That's my big question.
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And I will actually
turn to the idea of thinking
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about people
treating each other cruelly.
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Well, how can they even do that?
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I mean, it's amazing.
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And how could you endure it?
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And so when I was
reading in the Book of Daniel,
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I decided, I was
going to make a presentation
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on the third chapter of Daniel
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and on the sixth
chapter of Daniel.
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I'm only gonna talk
about the sixth one today,
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but the interesting part is,
and to me this is fascinating.
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Probably no one in
America will ever be thrown
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to the lions
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or no one will ever be
burned in a big fiery furnace
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because according
to the Eighth Amendment
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of our US Constitution
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that, you know, prohibits
cruel and unusual punishment.
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So, I mean, we even
try to protect criminals
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so they will have no
pain when we put them to death
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if someone ever
does go to death.
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But we do need to prepare
for what we know is ahead
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and that's what I
want to talk about today.
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It's pretty interesting.
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We can go back to the
sixth chapter of Daniel
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and see the
experience of Daniel.
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Daniel's
experience was an amazing one.
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A lot of people think of only
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what they read in
the bedtime stories
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or what they hear the
fantasy stories of Daniel
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in the lions' den and so on.
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And you say,
"Well, what's not to like
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about being Daniel?"
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You know, because for example
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he was of the
royal line of Judah
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and he was not
executed like many others
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where I believe was
taken to the courts of Babylon.
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He was granted a
place at the king's table
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and he was given riches
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and so on,
friends that were honored
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by the world's richest empire.
00:08:21.36\00:08:23.13
He got a good education
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and since we talked
about finances last time
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I was with you,
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no student loans,
no cost to himself,
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you know, doctor's
degree if you please.
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And he was counted
among the counselors
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of the king of Babylon.
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Very amazing and protected
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when he's thrown
in the lions' den
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and on and on
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he was a prophet
and at the same time
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as a prime minister.
00:08:43.32\00:08:44.65
So I asked the question
00:08:44.69\00:08:46.02
"What's not to like
about being Daniel?"
00:08:46.05\00:08:47.39
Well, that's the good news side,
00:08:47.42\00:08:48.76
that's where God protected him,
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but the day-to-day life
of Daniel was very different.
00:08:50.16\00:08:52.59
And a lot of
people don't realize
00:08:52.63\00:08:53.96
what Daniel went
through in his life.
00:08:54.00\00:08:56.26
In 605 B.C.
00:08:56.30\00:08:57.63
when King Nebuchadnezzar
came and surrounded Jerusalem
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and essentially ransacked it,
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killed a lot of people and
took a lot of them captive.
00:09:01.47\00:09:03.77
Daniel's mind
went back to 100 years
00:09:03.81\00:09:05.64
before when Sargon,
00:09:05.67\00:09:07.01
King of Assyria
had come and captured
00:09:07.04\00:09:08.91
the ten northern
tribes of Israel,
00:09:08.94\00:09:11.21
taken them all
captive back to Assyria
00:09:11.25\00:09:13.15
and put other
people in their places
00:09:13.18\00:09:14.65
who became the Samaritans.
00:09:14.68\00:09:16.22
And to me this is amazing
00:09:16.25\00:09:17.75
when you understand
what happened there,
00:09:17.79\00:09:19.72
because the ten tribes of Israel
00:09:19.75\00:09:23.53
were never heard from
again, lost to eternity.
00:09:23.56\00:09:27.66
I mean, you know, for
all conscious history.
00:09:27.70\00:09:30.57
So here's Daniel now
being hauled off to Babylon
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as a captive
00:09:33.17\00:09:34.50
and this little two
tribes that are left...
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It's interesting the tribe,
00:09:36.71\00:09:38.77
you know, in Judah
and Jerusalem area.
00:09:38.81\00:09:41.34
This is all that was left
of King David's big kingdom,
00:09:41.38\00:09:44.68
and now they're being destroyed
00:09:44.71\00:09:46.31
and their only hope was
00:09:46.35\00:09:48.28
that 70 year prophecy
that Jeremiah had made
00:09:48.32\00:09:50.29
that someday
they would come back.
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Can you imagine
living through that?
00:09:52.25\00:09:53.59
And he was a young man.
00:09:53.62\00:09:55.09
He was just a teenager,
16, 17 years old probably.
00:09:55.12\00:09:58.66
And this has something to do
00:09:58.69\00:10:00.03
with good
training and good parents.
00:10:00.06\00:10:01.63
I would think a lot of it.
00:10:01.66\00:10:03.26
But with the
temples being ransacked
00:10:03.30\00:10:04.83
and all the golden
vessels of the temple
00:10:04.87\00:10:07.34
were taken away and so on.
00:10:07.37\00:10:09.04
But when Daniel
was taken to Babylon,
00:10:09.07\00:10:10.61
most people don't understand
what I'm gonna tell you next.
00:10:10.64\00:10:13.04
Daniel was not taken
to Babylon on an airplane.
00:10:13.07\00:10:16.08
He was not taken to Babylon
on a air conditioned tour bus,
00:10:16.11\00:10:18.81
like people go and
visit the Holy Land today.
00:10:18.85\00:10:21.05
He was marched on foot
for over a 1,000 miles,
00:10:21.08\00:10:24.99
most of it desert conditions.
00:10:25.02\00:10:26.62
Well, it would be a death march.
00:10:26.65\00:10:27.99
Oh, it was for many
people, indeed it was.
00:10:28.02\00:10:29.89
It's like the "Trail of Tears"
00:10:29.92\00:10:31.26
in the experience
of the Cherokee Indians
00:10:31.29\00:10:32.66
in the United States.
00:10:32.69\00:10:34.03
And the amazing thing about it,
00:10:34.06\00:10:35.40
he was shackled with
chains around his legs
00:10:35.43\00:10:38.10
and a chain around his neck
00:10:38.13\00:10:39.93
to the next guy
behind him and so on.
00:10:39.97\00:10:41.57
The Bible indicates that.
00:10:41.60\00:10:42.94
It's very
interesting, that's Isaiah 52:2.
00:10:42.97\00:10:45.67
And the
interesting part about it,
00:10:45.71\00:10:47.04
their chains in
uproot, they lost everything.
00:10:47.08\00:10:49.01
People don't understand
how long this probably took.
00:10:49.04\00:10:51.11
It's like a death march.
00:10:51.15\00:10:53.62
There's no
indication in the Bible
00:10:53.65\00:10:54.98
of how long it took,
00:10:55.02\00:10:56.35
but we do know
one thing about it.
00:10:56.38\00:10:57.75
Seven years later
00:10:57.79\00:10:59.12
when the Babylonians
freed them to go back home,
00:10:59.15\00:11:02.89
Ezra and some
50,000 people made the trek
00:11:02.92\00:11:05.19
with the king's
assistance with horses
00:11:05.23\00:11:07.50
and transportation,
it took them four months.
00:11:07.53\00:11:10.20
So most historians think
Daniel was marched in chains
00:11:10.23\00:11:13.03
for like six months,
1,000 miles across the desert.
00:11:13.07\00:11:16.10
And then when he gets there,
they make a eunuch out of him.
00:11:16.14\00:11:18.14
Oh, mercy,
00:11:18.17\00:11:19.51
that's the
incredible thing about it.
00:11:19.54\00:11:20.88
Yeah, to me this is amazing
00:11:20.91\00:11:22.38
because these teenage
guys when they were passing
00:11:22.41\00:11:24.81
in through the walls of Babylon,
00:11:24.85\00:11:26.18
this great city
that's, you know,
00:11:26.21\00:11:27.55
has all the beauty
and the riches about it.
00:11:27.58\00:11:29.48
People are on the walls laughing
00:11:29.52\00:11:30.85
and scoffing at them and so on.
00:11:30.89\00:11:32.29
And so what do they do next?
00:11:32.32\00:11:33.86
And you've mentioned this,
Daniel and his three friends
00:11:33.89\00:11:37.03
were humiliated
by being castrated,
00:11:37.06\00:11:39.23
which means no
family, no children,
00:11:39.26\00:11:41.03
no grandchildren,
no heritage at all,
00:11:41.06\00:11:43.16
their parents are
gone, they're gone,
00:11:43.20\00:11:44.57
it's just
incredible to think about that.
00:11:44.60\00:11:46.67
They changed their names
00:11:46.70\00:11:48.04
from the names
their parents gave them
00:11:48.07\00:11:49.40
to names of the Babylonian gods.
00:11:49.44\00:11:52.07
And the most amazing
thing about it is 66 years
00:11:52.11\00:11:54.78
after they arrived in Babylon
00:11:54.81\00:11:56.71
and Daniel now is
close to 83 years old
00:11:56.75\00:12:00.02
when Belshazzar had that feast
00:12:00.05\00:12:01.65
in which he brought
out the golden vessels,
00:12:01.68\00:12:03.22
they were drinking
wine from the vessels
00:12:03.25\00:12:05.52
from the house of
God, that's when that hand,
00:12:05.55\00:12:07.92
the bloodless hand
came and wrote on the wall.
00:12:07.96\00:12:10.73
And no one knew, the Bible says,
00:12:10.76\00:12:13.43
Belshazzar was so nervous
00:12:13.46\00:12:15.56
and devastated and
excited and fearful
00:12:15.60\00:12:18.67
that his knees smote together.
00:12:18.70\00:12:20.20
I mean, he
couldn't help himself,
00:12:20.24\00:12:21.57
he was just trembling all over.
00:12:21.60\00:12:23.20
So anyway...
00:12:23.24\00:12:25.01
Someone came in,
the Queen and said,
00:12:25.04\00:12:26.68
there is a man of
the captives of Judah.
00:12:26.71\00:12:28.98
And when he came in, 66
years later now, he says,
00:12:29.01\00:12:32.38
"Are you one of those guys
from the captives of Judah,
00:12:32.41\00:12:34.85
I want you to tell me now."
00:12:34.88\00:12:36.22
Now, this is amazing.
00:12:36.25\00:12:37.59
He was thought of as a
captive of Judah his whole life.
00:12:37.62\00:12:40.52
Isn't this incredible?
00:12:40.56\00:12:41.89
Even his
friends made fun of him,
00:12:41.92\00:12:45.06
not his three friends
00:12:45.09\00:12:46.43
but the guys who were
the counselors with him
00:12:46.46\00:12:48.13
and they're always trying
to trap him into something
00:12:48.16\00:12:50.40
and it's really, really good
they're conniving by colleagues
00:12:50.43\00:12:53.23
and so on, to me this
was an incredible thing
00:12:53.27\00:12:54.90
to understand.
00:12:54.94\00:12:56.27
So I thought to myself,
00:12:56.30\00:12:58.07
"How in the world could a guy
00:12:58.11\00:12:59.84
who was essentially
mistreated all of his adult life
00:12:59.87\00:13:03.98
ever stand up to being
thrown into the lions' den?"
00:13:04.01\00:13:07.35
So I came up with seven things
00:13:07.38\00:13:09.78
and I want to
share them with you,
00:13:09.82\00:13:11.15
what I think of
when I think of Daniel.
00:13:11.19\00:13:13.02
Okay.
00:13:13.05\00:13:14.39
And the bottom line is,
00:13:14.42\00:13:16.76
if this could help
Daniel, it could help us too.
00:13:16.79\00:13:19.19
Amen. You see what I'm saying?
00:13:19.23\00:13:20.56
Certainly.
00:13:20.60\00:13:21.93
So the first one is,
00:13:21.96\00:13:23.50
as a young man he made
a total commitment to God.
00:13:23.53\00:13:26.57
We used to sing
a song years ago,
00:13:26.60\00:13:28.14
I have decided to
follow Jesus, no turning back.
00:13:28.17\00:13:32.27
This is the deal.
00:13:32.31\00:13:33.64
You know I've
decided to follow Jesus.
00:13:33.68\00:13:35.01
And I don't know
00:13:35.04\00:13:36.38
whether it was
just his upbringing,
00:13:36.41\00:13:38.48
you know, they
will put God first
00:13:38.51\00:13:40.48
or to recognize that,
00:13:40.52\00:13:42.72
you know, this was his only hope
00:13:42.75\00:13:44.12
and this is going to
be one of our other things
00:13:44.15\00:13:45.89
that we talk about
but the preparation was,
00:13:45.92\00:13:48.09
he purposed in his heart
00:13:48.12\00:13:49.62
that he would
not defile himself.
00:13:49.66\00:13:51.99
This to me is
really, really incredible.
00:13:52.03\00:13:55.06
I'm gonna go
right to the second one
00:13:55.10\00:13:56.43
because some of the
others are a little bit longer,
00:13:56.46\00:13:57.90
we want to make
sure we get them in.
00:13:57.93\00:13:59.27
But the real
interesting part about it to me,
00:13:59.30\00:14:01.64
he made a decision
and this was his decision
00:14:01.67\00:14:04.97
and not
somebody else's decision.
00:14:05.01\00:14:06.98
While being chained to others
and his feet shackled marching,
00:14:07.01\00:14:09.98
he made a decision,
not when I get there
00:14:10.01\00:14:12.41
I'm going to do
whatever I want to,
00:14:12.45\00:14:13.78
I'm going to kill somebody
00:14:13.82\00:14:15.15
or I want to get
out of here or whatever,
00:14:15.18\00:14:16.52
he made a decision,
I'm going to follow God.
00:14:16.55\00:14:18.29
Yes. That's the big deal.
00:14:18.32\00:14:19.85
100% commitment.
00:14:19.89\00:14:21.22
And another one and this
is really interesting to me
00:14:21.26\00:14:22.96
because you mentioned
00:14:22.99\00:14:24.33
that I have a
master's in public health
00:14:24.36\00:14:25.69
and so I'm quite
interested in health
00:14:25.73\00:14:27.06
and I know you are
and many people here,
00:14:27.10\00:14:28.43
and you do health shows on 3ABN
00:14:28.46\00:14:30.37
for the reason of health
and that's the benefit to me.
00:14:30.40\00:14:34.54
It's not meritorious
00:14:34.57\00:14:37.07
and so we have
clear minds, the idea.
00:14:37.11\00:14:39.94
But he made a
decision to honor God
00:14:39.97\00:14:41.84
with his body temple.
00:14:41.88\00:14:43.45
And the Bible
says that he decided
00:14:43.48\00:14:45.35
that he would
request a plant based diet
00:14:45.38\00:14:47.45
and water to drink,
00:14:47.48\00:14:48.82
which meant very
carefully, no pork chops,
00:14:48.85\00:14:51.89
no Big Macs, no
sugary soft drinks, no wine.
00:14:51.92\00:14:55.99
Now what do you think
did happened to these guys?
00:14:56.02\00:14:57.76
Did they become ugly
and stupid as a result?
00:14:57.79\00:14:59.86
The Bible says they became
00:14:59.89\00:15:01.23
ten times wiser
than anyone else.
00:15:01.26\00:15:02.80
And better
looking. And better looking.
00:15:02.83\00:15:05.23
Isn't that incredible?
00:15:05.27\00:15:06.67
Rosier cheeks. Yes.
00:15:06.70\00:15:08.64
They didn't adopt
the vegetarian diet
00:15:08.67\00:15:10.44
as a wonder drug
00:15:10.47\00:15:11.81
or they didn't do it
as a meritorious thing
00:15:11.84\00:15:13.58
to earn salvation, they
did it because they knew
00:15:13.61\00:15:15.71
that this was God's
plan for healthy living
00:15:15.74\00:15:17.71
and they wanted
to have sharp minds.
00:15:17.75\00:15:19.68
Now the
interesting thing about it is,
00:15:19.71\00:15:21.85
I saw a movie years ago
00:15:21.88\00:15:23.22
that was a
scientific kind of a documentary
00:15:23.25\00:15:25.29
and it was
called "Just One Drink"
00:15:25.32\00:15:27.42
and people don't realize this,
but when you drink alcohol,
00:15:27.46\00:15:31.49
every time you do it
destroys brain cells.
00:15:31.53\00:15:34.00
And a guy like me,
00:15:34.03\00:15:35.36
I can't afford to
lose any brain cells
00:15:35.40\00:15:36.73
because you know
we just prepare...
00:15:36.77\00:15:38.10
Well, you've got most of yours
00:15:38.13\00:15:39.47
that are already in
operation, you know.
00:15:39.50\00:15:40.84
Well, the whole point
is, we need all we've got,
00:15:40.87\00:15:42.20
especially when we're facing
difficult times at the end.
00:15:42.24\00:15:45.34
Daniel could
have rationalized it.
00:15:45.37\00:15:46.71
Well, it wouldn't hurt to slip
a little wine with my supper,
00:15:46.74\00:15:49.48
but he decided I'm
not going to defile myself
00:15:49.51\00:15:51.51
with the king's wine
00:15:51.55\00:15:52.88
or the food that he
eats and this is amazing.
00:15:52.91\00:15:55.02
There's so many other things
00:15:55.05\00:15:56.38
that he could have
rationalized about.
00:15:56.42\00:15:57.75
He said, you know, who
am I as a captive to refuse
00:15:57.79\00:16:00.32
what set before me?
00:16:00.36\00:16:02.02
And he's a 1,000
miles from his parents,
00:16:02.06\00:16:03.89
if they're still living even,
00:16:03.93\00:16:05.43
from any rabbis or
anybody who would care.
00:16:05.46\00:16:08.36
He could do whatever he
wanted to do but he said,
00:16:08.40\00:16:10.33
I'm not going to do this.
00:16:10.37\00:16:11.70
He made that decision
and I think that's amazing.
00:16:11.73\00:16:13.64
That is.
00:16:13.67\00:16:15.00
And especially
again when you think
00:16:15.04\00:16:16.37
he was a 17 year old boy.
00:16:16.40\00:16:18.24
Yes, to me it's amazing.
00:16:18.27\00:16:20.28
So I found this little statement
00:16:20.31\00:16:21.64
in the book
"Temperance" page 156.
00:16:21.68\00:16:23.81
Daniel's clearness of mind
00:16:23.85\00:16:25.61
and purpose,
firmness of purpose,
00:16:25.65\00:16:27.82
his power in acquiring knowledge
00:16:27.85\00:16:29.35
and resisting temptation
00:16:29.38\00:16:30.79
were due in a great
degree to his plainness of diet.
00:16:30.82\00:16:34.32
Now as a person
trained in healthful living,
00:16:34.36\00:16:36.19
I can just tell you
that most of us eat too much.
00:16:36.22\00:16:39.29
Most people would
be better off eating
00:16:39.33\00:16:40.66
less than they eat
even if they're not obese.
00:16:40.70\00:16:42.70
Isn't that incredible?
00:16:42.73\00:16:44.07
Because you have a sharper
mind and your body will tell you
00:16:44.10\00:16:45.83
how much food you need
00:16:45.87\00:16:47.20
if you're in a
good dietary plan.
00:16:47.24\00:16:49.70
Very, very interesting stuff.
00:16:49.74\00:16:52.01
The thing is to
eat the proper food
00:16:52.04\00:16:55.24
where you're
getting nutritionally
00:16:55.28\00:16:58.68
or dense food when
you eat a lot less.
00:16:58.71\00:17:00.45
Yes.
00:17:00.48\00:17:01.82
The thing I learned
in public health school,
00:17:01.85\00:17:03.59
as you eat a wide variety
00:17:03.62\00:17:05.29
of unrefined
fruits, grains, nuts,
00:17:05.32\00:17:07.22
and vegetables in
sufficient quantity
00:17:07.26\00:17:08.76
to maintain your ideal weight.
00:17:08.79\00:17:10.43
So you have a
good variety of things
00:17:10.46\00:17:11.99
and that's apparently
00:17:12.03\00:17:13.36
what they had
available down there
00:17:13.40\00:17:14.73
and he was glad to get
it and it did bless him.
00:17:14.76\00:17:16.90
By the way it was not
only the food that blessed him,
00:17:16.93\00:17:18.90
I think God
blessed him too, don't you?
00:17:18.93\00:17:20.27
Oh, absolutely.
No doubt, no doubt.
00:17:20.30\00:17:21.64
Because of making that decision.
00:17:21.67\00:17:23.00
Now the next one, number three
00:17:23.04\00:17:24.87
is that Daniel
purposed in his heart
00:17:24.91\00:17:28.21
that he would be
a regular prayer,
00:17:28.24\00:17:29.94
that he would pray
00:17:29.98\00:17:31.31
and he prayed
on a regular basis.
00:17:31.35\00:17:32.68
Three times a day,
why? Three times a day.
00:17:32.71\00:17:34.35
Why three times
that people often ask.
00:17:34.38\00:17:36.05
This is
interesting, very interesting.
00:17:36.08\00:17:38.05
I'm gonna give you another thing
00:17:38.09\00:17:39.42
and then we'll
answer it from the Bible.
00:17:39.45\00:17:40.79
Okay.
00:17:40.82\00:17:42.16
Three times a day he
prayed and he prayed out loud.
00:17:42.19\00:17:44.66
Yes. Isn't that interesting?
00:17:44.69\00:17:46.73
Now frequently we pray out loud,
00:17:46.76\00:17:48.13
we'll more in a group
like we get prayer groups
00:17:48.16\00:17:49.83
at prayer meeting or
whatever we pray out loud
00:17:49.86\00:17:51.53
for the benefit of
the others in our group.
00:17:51.57\00:17:53.44
But Daniel prayed out loud
even in his private prayers
00:17:53.47\00:17:57.01
and that's interesting
because I'm gonna tell you
00:17:57.04\00:17:59.14
why he did it I
believe and that is in Psalms,
00:17:59.17\00:18:03.18
that was written 500
years before he was born.
00:18:03.21\00:18:05.75
And I'll just
tell you the reference,
00:18:05.78\00:18:07.22
it's Psalms 55:16 and
17, David had written.
00:18:07.25\00:18:11.05
"As for me I will call upon
God and the Lord shall save me,
00:18:11.09\00:18:15.12
evening and morning and at noon
00:18:15.16\00:18:17.46
I will pray and cry aloud
and he shall hear my voice."
00:18:17.49\00:18:21.53
That's Psalm 55:16 and
17. That's interesting.
00:18:21.56\00:18:24.33
Isn't that incredible?
00:18:24.37\00:18:25.70
So we got the
idea from the Bible
00:18:25.73\00:18:27.44
that was written by at that time
00:18:27.47\00:18:29.10
from the writings
of David the Psalms,
00:18:29.14\00:18:31.27
and this to me is incredible.
00:18:31.31\00:18:33.04
Now, another interesting one is,
00:18:33.07\00:18:35.71
"Why would he pray out loud
00:18:35.74\00:18:37.78
systematically three times a day
00:18:37.81\00:18:39.78
when he knew
00:18:39.81\00:18:41.15
that it was
illegal to pray to anyone
00:18:41.18\00:18:42.75
except the king for
that 30 day period of time?
00:18:42.78\00:18:45.85
I've always thought he
was just being a witness
00:18:45.89\00:18:47.52
to those around him.
00:18:47.56\00:18:48.89
Well, this is
kind of interesting.
00:18:48.92\00:18:50.29
He wasn't just
sticking his finger
00:18:50.33\00:18:51.66
in the eye of the king.
00:18:51.69\00:18:53.03
Here's the deal.
00:18:53.06\00:18:54.40
The Bible says
something interesting
00:18:54.43\00:18:55.76
that when you pray,
00:18:55.80\00:18:57.13
sometimes it's best
to go in your closet
00:18:57.17\00:18:58.50
and close the door.
00:18:58.53\00:18:59.87
But when it's illegal to
pray, then you go and hide,
00:18:59.90\00:19:04.84
then you're
showing that the king's God
00:19:04.87\00:19:06.21
is greater than your God.
00:19:06.24\00:19:07.58
So he was doing as a
witness just like you said.
00:19:07.61\00:19:08.94
Yeah.
00:19:08.98\00:19:10.31
And the Bible even says
he was facing Jerusalem.
00:19:10.35\00:19:12.08
And the interesting part
is that you remember Solomon
00:19:12.11\00:19:14.35
in his prayer,
it's in 1 Kings 8,
00:19:14.38\00:19:16.62
when he dedicated the temple.
00:19:16.65\00:19:18.15
If your people
ever go into captivity,
00:19:18.19\00:19:19.72
if they pray by your
name and face Jerusalem
00:19:19.75\00:19:21.82
and then you will hear
them and honor their prayers.
00:19:21.86\00:19:25.69
So he remembered that.
00:19:25.73\00:19:27.43
And the big question for me
is, "Why did he pray out loud?"
00:19:27.46\00:19:30.87
And I think the answer,
00:19:30.90\00:19:32.30
at least from my perspective
00:19:32.33\00:19:33.67
and you have done a lot of study
00:19:33.70\00:19:35.04
and writing about prayer,
00:19:35.07\00:19:36.40
so I'm gonna ask you
what you think about this too.
00:19:36.44\00:19:38.74
Sometimes when I pray
00:19:38.77\00:19:40.11
my mind will
wander a little bit,
00:19:40.14\00:19:41.48
you know, what
I'm talking about.
00:19:41.51\00:19:42.84
Surely.
00:19:42.88\00:19:44.21
And so I think if
you pray out loud,
00:19:44.25\00:19:45.58
it's almost like
God's in the room
00:19:45.61\00:19:46.95
with you and so you honor,
00:19:46.98\00:19:48.32
keeping active and
your mind is straight
00:19:48.35\00:19:50.12
and that kind of thing.
00:19:50.15\00:19:51.49
And it's more
intimate somehow it is.
00:19:51.52\00:19:53.39
You do, you're more engaged
because, you know, you hear...
00:19:53.42\00:19:57.49
Sometimes too I think
that the Bible says faith comes
00:19:57.53\00:20:00.36
by hearing and
hearing by the Word.
00:20:00.40\00:20:02.06
And as you're praying to God,
00:20:02.10\00:20:03.97
it increases your faith
when you're praying aloud
00:20:04.00\00:20:06.80
because, you
know, surely I'm sure
00:20:06.84\00:20:09.70
that Daniel prayed
00:20:09.74\00:20:11.14
some of God's
promises back to Him.
00:20:11.17\00:20:12.97
I'm sure that he was
praying according to the Word
00:20:13.01\00:20:16.75
and that increased his faith.
00:20:16.78\00:20:18.85
Many of the prayers in the
Bible were prayed out loud.
00:20:18.88\00:20:21.18
Yes.
00:20:21.22\00:20:22.55
And I'll give you
just one short example
00:20:22.58\00:20:23.92
and that is Simeon, when he,
00:20:23.95\00:20:25.29
when Jesus' parents
were leaving the temple,
00:20:25.32\00:20:27.36
asked to hold the baby,
went and held up the baby,
00:20:27.39\00:20:29.39
He said words to
the effect out loud
00:20:29.42\00:20:31.19
in front of the parents.
00:20:31.23\00:20:32.56
Lord, let your
servant die in peace,
00:20:32.59\00:20:33.93
I have now seen the Messiah
00:20:33.96\00:20:35.56
and he knew because the Lord
had inspired him to do that.
00:20:35.60\00:20:38.53
Okay, there's another one
that's really interesting to me
00:20:38.57\00:20:40.97
and that would be number four.
00:20:41.00\00:20:42.40
Daniel plan to develop his mind
00:20:42.44\00:20:45.14
and this to me is
very, very interesting
00:20:45.17\00:20:46.98
because I wanted to tell
you a little bit about this.
00:20:47.01\00:20:49.34
Why was Daniel so smart,
00:20:49.38\00:20:50.81
so intelligent and so bright
in comparison to other people?
00:20:50.85\00:20:54.28
Well, one thing that
he meditated on the law
00:20:54.32\00:20:57.49
of the God day and night.
00:20:57.52\00:20:58.85
Yes, interestingly enough,
00:20:58.89\00:21:00.59
and that was exactly right
00:21:00.62\00:21:02.06
because the Bible
says in Psalm 119,
00:21:02.09\00:21:04.63
when we'll
meditate on God's word
00:21:04.66\00:21:05.99
that He will bring wisdom to us.
00:21:06.03\00:21:07.36
Yes.
00:21:07.40\00:21:08.73
And I used to teach
academy and college some,
00:21:08.76\00:21:10.33
and I remember reading
this one from verse 119,
00:21:10.37\00:21:14.40
Psalm 119: 99.
00:21:14.44\00:21:16.10
"I have more understanding
than all of my teachers
00:21:16.14\00:21:18.57
for your
testimonies are my meditation."
00:21:18.61\00:21:21.24
So you get
smarter than your teachers
00:21:21.28\00:21:22.71
if you spend time in God's Word
00:21:22.74\00:21:24.31
and to me that's
an interesting one.
00:21:24.35\00:21:26.25
Well, it's also interesting
00:21:26.28\00:21:27.62
that if placed
00:21:27.65\00:21:28.98
under the
control of God's Spirit,
00:21:29.02\00:21:30.35
he can, the more
thoroughly the intellect
00:21:30.39\00:21:32.15
is cultivated
the more effectively
00:21:32.19\00:21:33.52
it can be used.
00:21:33.56\00:21:34.89
So I'm gonna ask
you a question now
00:21:34.92\00:21:36.26
and this is interesting.
00:21:36.29\00:21:37.63
Some people will ask
me why I studied so much
00:21:37.66\00:21:38.99
and this is one of
the reasons right here.
00:21:39.03\00:21:41.50
We actually
have the idea that...
00:21:41.53\00:21:43.67
Well, I'll just...
00:21:43.70\00:21:45.03
Can God use
anybody who's willing?
00:21:45.07\00:21:47.07
The answer is yes. Yes.
00:21:47.10\00:21:48.64
And the Holy
Spirit can guide them.
00:21:48.67\00:21:50.77
But we're told that
those who have the benefit
00:21:50.81\00:21:53.54
of a thorough education
stand on vantage ground.
00:21:53.58\00:21:56.51
Well, you know, we always
say that God equips the called
00:21:56.54\00:21:59.65
but I believe
that part of the way
00:21:59.68\00:22:01.22
He equips the called
00:22:01.25\00:22:02.58
is when you're
called to do something,
00:22:02.62\00:22:03.95
God will open a door
00:22:03.99\00:22:05.32
that you can go
get trained in that.
00:22:05.35\00:22:06.69
I think you are right.
Now that's pretty interesting.
00:22:06.72\00:22:08.42
And I found a statement
00:22:08.46\00:22:09.79
that I thought
was quite interesting.
00:22:09.82\00:22:11.16
The youth determined to secure
a well balanced education,
00:22:11.19\00:22:13.50
they became skilled and secular
as well as religious knowledge,
00:22:13.53\00:22:16.83
but they studied
science without being corrupted.
00:22:16.87\00:22:20.34
Isn't that interesting? That is.
00:22:20.37\00:22:21.70
They studied science
without being corrupted.
00:22:21.74\00:22:23.41
So these guys were smart,
00:22:23.44\00:22:24.77
not because they were
lazy but because they decided
00:22:24.81\00:22:26.57
that they would
want to learn something.
00:22:26.61\00:22:27.94
Yes.
00:22:27.98\00:22:29.31
Okay, point number
five is an interesting one.
00:22:29.34\00:22:31.21
And this one to me is amazing.
Daniel did not seek revenge.
00:22:31.25\00:22:35.18
Oh, that is a good one.
00:22:35.22\00:22:36.55
This is amazing
00:22:36.58\00:22:37.92
because, you
know, when the wise men
00:22:37.95\00:22:40.89
couldn't figure out
that image in Daniel 2,
00:22:40.92\00:22:43.02
what the image
was or what it meant.
00:22:43.06\00:22:45.29
When Daniel was given the vision
00:22:45.33\00:22:47.06
after praying with his friends,
00:22:47.10\00:22:48.73
the first thing
he said to Arioch,
00:22:48.76\00:22:50.47
the captain of the
guard, do not kill the wise men.
00:22:50.50\00:22:53.47
Now remember, it's interesting,
00:22:53.50\00:22:54.84
they had nothing to do
with what the interpretation
00:22:54.87\00:22:56.74
or find out what the dream
was but he saved these guys,
00:22:56.77\00:22:58.97
who later would turn on him
00:22:59.01\00:23:00.34
and have him
thrown in the lions' den.
00:23:00.38\00:23:01.71
But the interesting...
00:23:01.74\00:23:03.08
And no doubt had
been taunting him before.
00:23:03.11\00:23:04.45
Yes, the amazing
thing is that the right,
00:23:04.48\00:23:07.55
the wicked people
don't realize this
00:23:07.58\00:23:08.98
but many times they're
saved because of the righteous.
00:23:09.02\00:23:11.29
Yes, that's correct.
00:23:11.32\00:23:12.65
For example, they were
saved because of Daniel.
00:23:12.69\00:23:14.62
Had not Daniel been there,
they would have been killed.
00:23:14.66\00:23:16.99
To me it's amazing.
00:23:17.03\00:23:18.59
Paul and Silas
saved all the prisoners
00:23:18.63\00:23:20.10
in the jail of Philippi.
00:23:20.13\00:23:21.46
For the sake of Paul,
00:23:21.50\00:23:22.83
all the lives of
people were saved
00:23:22.86\00:23:24.20
on the ships that
he was sailing on.
00:23:24.23\00:23:25.83
Where would the world be today?
00:23:25.87\00:23:27.20
This is pretty
interesting to me.
00:23:27.24\00:23:28.57
For the sake of the
righteous it is still spared.
00:23:28.60\00:23:32.57
And we won't take time to
read this but you can read
00:23:32.61\00:23:34.51
in the first three
verses of Revelation 7.
00:23:34.54\00:23:38.31
These angels are coming down
00:23:38.35\00:23:39.68
and holding the
four winds of strife
00:23:39.71\00:23:41.38
and another angel come
says, do not hurt the earth
00:23:41.42\00:23:44.39
till I have sealed
the servants of God
00:23:44.42\00:23:46.39
in their foreheads.
00:23:46.42\00:23:47.76
God is
protecting the whole world
00:23:47.79\00:23:50.56
because He wants
to save the righteous.
00:23:50.59\00:23:52.39
Isn't that
incredible? That is. That is.
00:23:52.43\00:23:53.90
To me it's pretty
amazing when you see it.
00:23:53.93\00:23:56.03
Well, another one is,
00:23:56.06\00:23:57.50
this one is
pretty heavy and that is,
00:23:57.53\00:24:00.04
do not get involved in politics.
00:24:00.07\00:24:02.34
Well, we're gonna have some
people writing in on this one.
00:24:02.37\00:24:04.11
Well, I'm gonna tell you that.
00:24:04.14\00:24:05.47
Believe it or not,
00:24:05.51\00:24:06.84
there's hardly a
person you've ever interviewed
00:24:06.88\00:24:08.21
that's not more personally,
00:24:08.24\00:24:09.88
mentally involved in
politics than yours truly.
00:24:09.91\00:24:12.48
I mean I stay up for every
State of the Union Address,
00:24:12.51\00:24:14.55
I stay up for every election,
I vote in every election,
00:24:14.58\00:24:17.12
I stay up till the
last vote is counted,
00:24:17.15\00:24:18.69
even though the
president was elected
00:24:18.72\00:24:20.16
two hours before.
00:24:20.19\00:24:21.52
I'm very interested in stuff.
00:24:21.56\00:24:22.89
And sometimes the two senators
00:24:22.92\00:24:25.03
from our state voted in favor
of increasing the debt load.
00:24:25.06\00:24:28.66
And I thought how did we
ever get those guys up there,
00:24:28.70\00:24:30.60
you know what I'm
really talking about it.
00:24:30.63\00:24:31.97
But listen carefully,
00:24:32.00\00:24:33.44
Daniel was not
involved in politics,
00:24:33.47\00:24:35.84
he was apolitical,
he was not a Democrat,
00:24:35.87\00:24:37.91
he was not a Republican,
00:24:37.94\00:24:39.27
he was a
ambassador for Almighty God
00:24:39.31\00:24:41.14
and we should never
forget that and this is amazing.
00:24:41.18\00:24:43.68
If I came here and
telling you I was a Democrat,
00:24:43.71\00:24:45.51
half the people in the
audience would hate me.
00:24:45.55\00:24:47.28
If I told you I was Republican,
the other half would hate me.
00:24:47.32\00:24:49.72
Do you understand? Yes.
00:24:49.75\00:24:51.09
But if you are ambassador
for God, no one hates you.
00:24:51.12\00:24:52.65
They say that
man is a man of God
00:24:52.69\00:24:54.02
and that's what...
00:24:54.06\00:24:55.39
From now on that's what
I want to be thought of,
00:24:55.42\00:24:57.13
as not as a
Democrat or Republican
00:24:57.16\00:24:58.93
and I do not
speak for either party,
00:24:58.96\00:25:00.30
I speak for Almighty God.
00:25:00.33\00:25:01.76
Amen.
00:25:01.80\00:25:03.13
That this is
something amazing really,
00:25:03.16\00:25:04.60
something I just learned.
00:25:04.63\00:25:05.97
I mean, it's the first
time I've ever said it on TV,
00:25:06.00\00:25:08.00
but it's incredible
when you think about it.
00:25:08.04\00:25:09.37
Well, I think it's interesting
because what you've said,
00:25:09.40\00:25:12.61
I've never heard
anyone say it like that,
00:25:12.64\00:25:14.18
but that's the reason
00:25:14.21\00:25:15.54
that I
registered as an independent
00:25:15.58\00:25:17.05
because I didn't
want to be identified
00:25:17.08\00:25:18.41
with either party.
00:25:18.45\00:25:19.78
Well, it's a fact that we have
the God given responsibility
00:25:19.81\00:25:23.28
to vote for people who
we think will do a good job,
00:25:23.32\00:25:25.42
but we have to vote for people
00:25:25.45\00:25:26.96
that we think
will do a good job.
00:25:26.99\00:25:28.62
We do not live in a
democracy in the United States,
00:25:28.66\00:25:30.59
we live in a,
00:25:30.63\00:25:31.96
what we call a
representative of republic,
00:25:31.99\00:25:35.43
a democratic republic.
00:25:35.46\00:25:37.43
And the fact that
we choose the leaders
00:25:37.47\00:25:39.00
by the democratic process
00:25:39.03\00:25:40.40
but then they have to
uphold the constitution.
00:25:40.44\00:25:42.44
We want to make sure they do.
00:25:42.47\00:25:43.87
Well, I want to
give you the last one
00:25:43.91\00:25:45.84
because it's very interesting.
00:25:45.87\00:25:47.21
And we'll make a few
closing remarks about it.
00:25:47.24\00:25:49.24
Number seven is I think
Daniel took the long view.
00:25:49.28\00:25:52.95
And was number six
the politics thing?
00:25:52.98\00:25:54.98
Yes. Okay.
00:25:55.02\00:25:56.35
Number seven is
take the long view.
00:25:56.38\00:25:57.82
Look to the time of the end
00:25:57.85\00:25:59.19
when God of heaven
will set up a kingdom
00:25:59.22\00:26:00.59
that will never be
destroyed and he knew
00:26:00.62\00:26:02.39
that from the image of Daniel 2,
00:26:02.42\00:26:03.83
when the rock comes and
hits the image on the feet,
00:26:03.86\00:26:05.69
God is gonna set up the kingdom
00:26:05.73\00:26:07.06
that will never be destroyed.
00:26:07.10\00:26:08.43
He's looking for a
city that has foundations
00:26:08.46\00:26:09.80
whose builder and maker
is God with walls of jasper
00:26:09.83\00:26:12.07
and gates of pearl and so
on, very, very interesting.
00:26:12.10\00:26:14.50
He looked forward to wearing
the crown of righteousness.
00:26:14.54\00:26:16.64
It's amazing to me that
from the story of Daniel
00:26:16.67\00:26:18.54
we can understand
that there is a way to cope
00:26:18.57\00:26:21.34
with these things.
00:26:21.38\00:26:22.71
And a way to live a
life without reproach.
00:26:22.74\00:26:24.98
Yes, when people went
to find some dirt on him,
00:26:25.01\00:26:27.78
these bad guys,
they found nothing.
00:26:27.82\00:26:30.12
The only way that
they could find anything
00:26:30.15\00:26:31.89
about him was the
way he served his God.
00:26:31.92\00:26:33.89
Isn't that incredible?
That is an amazing stuff.
00:26:33.92\00:26:35.46
So I ask people,
00:26:35.49\00:26:36.83
"Do you want to live
a life above reproach?"
00:26:36.86\00:26:38.69
"Do you want to live a
life preparing yourself
00:26:38.73\00:26:40.80
to live in the company
of holy beings in heaven?"
00:26:40.83\00:26:42.76
And I think we can
all say, yes, we do.
00:26:42.80\00:26:44.77
Then let's remember to
put God first in our lives,
00:26:44.80\00:26:46.90
to have a regular prayer life,
00:26:46.94\00:26:48.27
to live
healthfully, you understand,
00:26:48.30\00:26:50.17
not to be vindictive,
00:26:50.21\00:26:51.54
not to get involved in road rage
00:26:51.57\00:26:52.91
and all that stuff,
study the best you can,
00:26:52.94\00:26:55.21
get out of politics.
00:26:55.24\00:26:56.58
This is pretty
serious now I'm telling you.
00:26:56.61\00:26:58.11
I can give you a whole
lecture on that one thing,
00:26:58.15\00:26:59.48
but then look to the future.
00:26:59.51\00:27:00.85
I wish we had more time.
00:27:00.88\00:27:02.22
There's a time that is coming,
when there's no more sorrow,
00:27:02.25\00:27:04.25
no more death, no more pain,
00:27:04.29\00:27:05.99
and this is the kind of thing
00:27:06.02\00:27:07.36
that we must look
forward to as Christians.
00:27:07.39\00:27:08.72
Whatever we go
through, when we get to heaven,
00:27:08.76\00:27:10.53
we'll say it's cheap enough.
00:27:10.56\00:27:11.89
I think that this is a new book
that you need to be writing.
00:27:11.93\00:27:14.83
Well, the Book of
Daniel is really inspiring,
00:27:14.86\00:27:16.50
I need to study more about it,
00:27:16.53\00:27:18.00
but this one is the
sixth chapter of Daniel.
00:27:18.03\00:27:19.63
It's quite amazing. Amen.
00:27:19.67\00:27:21.00
And thank you once
again for being here.
00:27:21.04\00:27:23.24
So our question is, "Do
you want to be ready for
00:27:23.27\00:27:26.44
and prepared
for the lions' den?"
00:27:26.47\00:27:28.21
We're all going to face
00:27:28.24\00:27:29.58
some kind of
persecution in our life
00:27:29.61\00:27:31.38
and if we're let
alive at the end times,
00:27:31.41\00:27:34.05
we will face
"our own lions' den."
00:27:34.08\00:27:37.55
We thank you
for joining us today
00:27:37.59\00:27:39.72
and hope that
God has blessed you
00:27:39.75\00:27:41.89
through this message.
00:27:41.92\00:27:43.26
We'll see you next time.
00:27:43.29\00:27:44.83