Ancr:It has stood the test of time. 00:00:07.23\00:00:12.00 God's book, the Bible. 00:00:12.00\00:00:17.20 Still relevant in today's complex world. 00:00:17.20\00:00:21.93 It Is Written. 00:00:21.93\00:00:25.36 Sharing hope around the globe. 00:00:25.36\00:00:30.43 Thanks for joining me today on It Is Written. 00:00:36.56\00:00:39.10 I'm John Bradshaw. 00:00:39.10\00:00:40.23 I'm glad to have you with me. 00:00:40.23\00:00:42.06 The Bible is full of great stories. 00:00:42.06\00:00:44.63 We can think of the story of the Exodus, when Moses led 00:00:44.63\00:00:46.96 Israel out of Egyptian slavery, through the Red Sea 00:00:46.96\00:00:49.96 that was miraculously opened up by God, then through the 00:00:49.96\00:00:52.80 wilderness for forty years while God fed them with bread 00:00:52.80\00:00:54.90 from heaven. 00:00:54.90\00:00:56.00 A great, great story. 00:00:56.00\00:00:58.90 In the Bible there's the story of Joseph. 00:00:58.90\00:01:01.03 Betrayed by his brothers and sold into slavery in Egypt, 00:01:01.03\00:01:04.60 Joseph made an incredible rise from languishing in a 00:01:04.60\00:01:06.80 prison cell to being second person only to Pharaoh in the 00:01:06.80\00:01:08.86 Egyptian government. 00:01:08.86\00:01:11.80 He was reunited with his family and was responsible 00:01:11.80\00:01:14.26 for getting God's people AND Egypt through a devastating 00:01:14.26\00:01:17.23 famine. 00:01:17.23\00:01:18.46 High drama, and a magnificent story. 00:01:18.46\00:01:22.03 We could add to that list and mention Nehemiah restoring 00:01:22.03\00:01:24.20 Jerusalem and building the wall of the city while his 00:01:24.20\00:01:27.90 enemies were trying to ruin his work. 00:01:27.90\00:01:30.23 There's the story of Esther, who rose from difficulty to 00:01:30.23\00:01:32.46 become the Queen of the Medo-Persian Empire, married 00:01:32.46\00:01:35.40 to the most powerful man on the planet - and used by God 00:01:35.40\00:01:38.66 to bring deliverance to her people. 00:01:38.66\00:01:43.06 Now these stories don't just exist merely to be good 00:01:43.06\00:01:45.73 stories. 00:01:45.73\00:01:47.00 They're not in the Bible just to entertain us or as bedtime 00:01:47.00\00:01:49.16 stories for our children. 00:01:49.16\00:01:51.93 The great Bible stories were carefully preserved and then 00:01:51.93\00:01:56.10 included in the Bible to teach important lessons - 00:01:56.10\00:01:58.43 lessons about God and about faith and about prophecy and 00:01:58.43\00:02:01.43 about salvation and forgiveness and redemption. 00:02:01.43\00:02:04.66 Those stories are in the Bible to give us hope and 00:02:04.66\00:02:07.46 understanding and insight. 00:02:07.46\00:02:10.23 There's a well-known Bible story we're going to look at 00:02:10.23\00:02:12.50 today. 00:02:12.50\00:02:13.50 It comes to us from the times of the prophet Daniel. 00:02:13.50\00:02:16.93 And at the end of our program today I'm going to tell you 00:02:16.93\00:02:19.43 how you can get a copy of an important book I've written 00:02:19.43\00:02:22.16 on the subject of the Book of Revelation, explaining some 00:02:22.16\00:02:24.80 of Revelation's great prophecies and showing what 00:02:24.80\00:02:27.96 the book of Revelation, what End-Time Prophecy is REALLY 00:02:27.96\00:02:30.66 all about. 00:02:30.66\00:02:31.93 So make sure you get that information at the end of the 00:02:31.93\00:02:33.83 program today so we can get today's free book to you. 00:02:33.83\00:02:37.90 [Music] The book of Daniel is an enormously important book 00:02:37.90\00:02:43.60 of the Bible, especially relating to last-day Bible 00:02:43.60\00:02:46.16 prophecy. 00:02:46.16\00:02:47.56 Jesus quoted from the book of Daniel. 00:02:47.56\00:02:50.03 John borrowed a lot of imagery from the book of 00:02:50.03\00:02:52.60 Daniel when he was writing Revelation. 00:02:52.60\00:02:55.73 Daniel was raised in the city of Jerusalem, but of the 363 00:02:55.73\00:02:59.46 verses in the book of Daniel, Daniel himself is in Babylon 00:02:59.46\00:03:04.96 or the kingdom of Babylon for 362 of them. 00:03:04.96\00:03:08.50 And that's significant. 00:03:08.50\00:03:11.66 [Music] In the opening verse of the book of Daniel God's 00:03:11.66\00:03:15.63 people are attacked - in fact conquered - by the ruling 00:03:15.63\00:03:18.13 heathen power in the world. 00:03:18.13\00:03:19.73 Stop an think about that. 00:03:19.73\00:03:20.93 That is shocking. 00:03:20.93\00:03:22.80 God's people were intended to be the recipients of the 00:03:22.80\00:03:25.26 blessings of God, especially favored by God, kept by the 00:03:25.26\00:03:29.03 providence of God. 00:03:29.03\00:03:30.46 But instead they experienced 70 years of captivity in 00:03:30.46\00:03:34.23 Babylon. 00:03:34.23\00:03:36.10 The prophet Jeremiah prophesied this would happen, 00:03:36.10\00:03:39.26 and he tells us why in Jeremiah chapter 25, we'll 00:03:39.26\00:03:43.83 start in verse 4: 00:03:43.83\00:03:46.83 Now notice this. 00:04:04.73\00:04:06.03 Here's what God says next, 00:04:06.03\00:04:09.03 Judah had disobeyed God. 00:04:25.43\00:04:27.73 Instead of being faithful to God they even went so far as 00:04:27.73\00:04:30.80 to serve and worship other gods. 00:04:30.80\00:04:33.06 And that's something God just couldn't tolerate - when His 00:04:33.06\00:04:36.00 people rejecting Him and serving other gods, living 00:04:36.00\00:04:38.43 lives of disobedience. 00:04:38.43\00:04:39.96 So, here's what God said. 00:04:39.96\00:04:42.96 Judah went into captivity because of their unfaithfulness 00:05:25.56\00:05:28.60 to God - and because they rejected the true God and 00:05:28.60\00:05:34.83 served and worshiped false gods. 00:05:34.83\00:05:36.10 I think it's important that we notice something here. 00:05:36.10\00:05:38.56 Here's what God did. 00:05:38.56\00:05:39.73 Instead of just cutting them off forever, God had a plan 00:05:39.73\00:05:42.70 to work with Judah and to bring His people to the place 00:05:42.70\00:05:46.53 where they would turn back to Him. 00:05:46.53\00:05:48.36 Even though going into captivity was tough medicine, 00:05:48.36\00:05:51.36 it was God's mercy on display. 00:05:51.36\00:05:54.56 God had chosen His people to be a light to the world - in 00:05:54.56\00:05:57.53 fact, Paul said in Acts 13 that the children of Israel 00:05:57.53\00:06:00.46 had been chosen by God to be a light to the Gentiles, 00:06:00.46\00:06:06.40 meaning, essentially, that God wanted to use Israel to 00:06:06.40\00:06:08.06 share the knowledge of His goodness with the whole world 00:06:08.06\00:06:12.30 - including, ultimately, to you and me. 00:06:12.30\00:06:14.16 If Israel was failing miserably in staying close to 00:06:14.16\00:06:17.06 God's will, God could hardly use them as His witnesses to 00:06:17.06\00:06:20.30 the world. 00:06:20.30\00:06:22.36 God didn't give up on His people easily. 00:06:22.36\00:06:25.76 Speaking of the northern kingdom of Israel, God said 00:06:25.76\00:06:30.30 in Hosea 11:8, 00:06:30.30\00:06:33.30 Now when we say Judah was sliding into sin 00:06:44.43\00:06:48.40 and apostasy, we're not talking small-time stuff. 00:06:48.40\00:06:50.06 Jeremiah writes that there was murder going on, and 00:06:50.06\00:06:52.90 oppression, and Sabbath-breaking, Baal 00:06:52.90\00:06:56.53 worship - and that was some seriously bad stuff involving 00:06:56.53\00:06:58.86 terrible immorality and even child sacrifice. 00:06:58.86\00:07:03.50 God felt he had to resort to drastic measures to get the 00:07:03.50\00:07:06.13 attention of His people. 00:07:06.13\00:07:08.00 God said, 00:07:08.00\00:07:11.00 So Israel, acting like they were doing 00:07:24.03\00:07:26.73 nothing wrong, went into captivity, with God's 00:07:26.73\00:07:29.86 intention being that when they came out of captivity 00:07:29.86\00:07:32.96 they would have experience or would have experienced a 00:07:32.96\00:07:36.16 change of heart. 00:07:36.16\00:07:37.76 [Music] And it was while they 00:07:38.43\00:07:40.60 were in Babylon that God communicated some of the most 00:07:40.60\00:07:42.90 remarkable prophecies in the Bible to and through a young 00:07:42.90\00:07:47.60 man named Daniel. 00:07:47.60\00:07:49.23 We are going to look at one of those remarkable 00:07:49.23\00:07:51.60 prophecies - one with immense significance for earth's 00:07:51.60\00:07:56.30 final days - in just a moment. 00:07:56.30\00:07:58.36 [Music] 00:07:59.83\00:08:05.73 Its time for today's Bible question. 00:08:16.30\00:08:19.06 If God is supposed to be all about love, why did my Dad 00:08:19.06\00:08:22.86 die of cancer last year? 00:08:22.86\00:08:26.10 I prayed for him to live. 00:08:26.10\00:08:28.80 I've been struggling with the idea that maybe God doesn't 00:08:28.80\00:08:32.86 love me. 00:08:32.86\00:08:33.26 That's a serious concern. 00:08:33.26\00:08:35.16 The one thing you can know for sure is that God is love. 00:08:35.16\00:08:38.86 The Bible says those very words in 1 John 4. 00:08:38.86\00:08:42.66 John 3:16 - For God so LOVED the world... 00:08:42.66\00:08:47.56 The situation you've referred to is very serious - it's 00:08:47.56\00:08:50.13 tragic. 00:08:50.13\00:08:51.13 I'm very sorry. 00:08:51.13\00:08:52.46 In the Bible there were numerous sad situations. 00:08:52.46\00:08:56.36 John the Baptist lost his life. 00:08:56.36\00:08:59.76 Peter was imprisoned and was freed by God, but James was 00:08:59.76\00:09:03.43 imprisoned and lost his life. 00:09:03.43\00:09:05.50 Now does that mean God didn't love or care about those 00:09:05.50\00:09:08.36 people? 00:09:08.36\00:09:10.10 Of course not. 00:09:10.10\00:09:11.76 The sad fact is that we live in a world of sin. 00:09:11.76\00:09:14.73 When Adam and Eve chose to come out from under God's 00:09:14.73\00:09:18.56 dominion, sin was introduced into the world. 00:09:18.56\00:09:21.26 Satan worked in the human family and introduced all 00:09:21.26\00:09:24.20 kinds of sin. 00:09:24.20\00:09:25.43 Disease is a result of the sin problem. 00:09:25.43\00:09:31.40 God could have stopped sin and sickness from happening, 00:09:31.40\00:09:34.36 but only as He took away people's freedom of choice. 00:09:34.36\00:09:36.23 And what kind of world would it be if we didn't have 00:09:36.23\00:09:38.50 freedom of choice? 00:09:38.50\00:09:39.86 When humans sinned, God decided that He would let sin 00:09:39.86\00:09:42.53 run its course - even knowing that there would be terrible 00:09:42.53\00:09:45.86 consequences. 00:09:45.86\00:09:47.16 However, in the middle of all of that He has given us the 00:09:47.16\00:09:49.76 opportunity to choose to follow Him and to be 00:09:49.76\00:09:52.43 ultimately restored. 00:09:52.43\00:09:54.03 Now keep this in mind. 00:09:54.03\00:09:55.53 God knows what you're going through. 00:09:55.53\00:09:58.36 He lost a Son because of sin in the world. 00:09:58.36\00:10:02.36 You can be sure God is familiar with your pain - 00:10:02.36\00:10:05.70 by experience. 00:10:05.70\00:10:07.63 Sin even cost Jesus His life. 00:10:07.63\00:10:09.93 Now, the great news is that Jesus is coming again. 00:10:09.93\00:10:13.96 There'll be a resurrection on that day. 00:10:13.96\00:10:16.60 The Bible says the dead in Christ shall rise. 00:10:16.60\00:10:20.20 And you can look forward to seeing your father again, and 00:10:20.20\00:10:23.63 knowing that we'll live together in a world where 00:10:23.63\00:10:26.66 there will be no more sin, no more death, no more sadness. 00:10:26.66\00:10:30.70 God is going to make it all okay. 00:10:30.70\00:10:33.53 You can trust Him. 00:10:33.53\00:10:34.93 He DOES love you. 00:10:34.93\00:10:37.66 You can submit your Bible questions to us here at It Is 00:10:37.66\00:10:40.70 Written by going to our website: itiswritten.com. 00:10:40.70\00:10:43.96 Hit the QUESTIONS tab and in a future program -- all going 00:10:43.96\00:10:47.43 well, hopefully -- I'll be able to answer your Bible 00:10:47.43\00:10:52.56 question. 00:10:52.56\00:10:55.90 [Music] 00:10:55.90\00:10:59.30 Planning for your financial future is a vital aspect 00:11:02.40\00:11:04.70 of Christian stewardship. 00:11:04.70\00:11:06.46 For this reason, It Is Written is pleased 00:11:06.46\00:11:08.40 to offer free planned giving and estate services. 00:11:08.40\00:11:10.93 For information on how we can help you, 00:11:10.93\00:11:13.40 please call 1.800.992.2219. 00:11:13.40\00:11:17.70 Call today or visit our special website, www.hislegacy.com. 00:11:17.70\00:11:25.46 I'm John Bradshaw - Thanks for joining me today 00:11:30.53\00:11:32.43 on It Is Written. 00:11:32.43\00:11:34.20 And please be sure to stay by at the end of this program 00:11:34.20\00:11:36.03 and get today's free gift book, Revelation Today, which will 00:11:36.03\00:11:40.03 help you get a whole lot more out of Bible prophecy 00:11:40.03\00:11:41.86 and will help you understand what the book of Revelation 00:11:41.86\00:11:44.30 is really all about. 00:11:44.30\00:11:45.73 There's a lot more to it than beasts and horns and images 00:11:45.73\00:11:47.86 and symbols. 00:11:47.86\00:11:48.80 And Revelation Today will help you see that. 00:11:48.80\00:11:50.93 [Music] When King 00:11:50.93\00:11:54.50 Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked the city of 00:11:54.50\00:11:56.80 Jerusalem, many Jews were taken captive and marched 00:11:56.80\00:11:59.90 across the hot Middle Eastern desert to Babylon - situated 00:11:59.90\00:12:04.56 in what we would call today Iraq. 00:12:04.56\00:12:06.50 Daniel was most likely just a teenager at the time, a young 00:12:06.50\00:12:08.90 man - you could get away with calling him a boy. 00:12:08.90\00:12:12.10 And he was separated from his family and taken to a foreign 00:12:12.10\00:12:14.60 land and immersed in paganism. 00:12:14.60\00:12:18.10 His denomination didn't have any churches in Babylon, so 00:12:18.10\00:12:20.50 Daniel was really separated from his upbringing and his 00:12:20.50\00:12:23.13 religious customs. 00:12:23.13\00:12:24.33 And he couldn't worship God in the manner in which he was 00:12:24.33\00:12:28.46 accustomed. 00:12:28.46\00:12:30.06 As soon as Daniel arrived in Babylon the challenges came 00:12:30.06\00:12:33.63 at him thick and fast. 00:12:33.63\00:12:35.50 Daniel was challenged on the basis of his faith in God. 00:12:35.50\00:12:38.33 [Music] So what would he do 00:12:39.66\00:12:42.23 when he was tested on the principles in which he 00:12:42.23\00:12:43.63 believed? 00:12:43.63\00:12:44.96 No sooner had Daniel arrived in Babylon than he was faced 00:12:44.96\00:12:48.00 with a dilemma. 00:12:48.00\00:12:48.93 The King had ordered that some of the outstanding youth 00:12:48.93\00:12:51.40 that head been brought to Babylon should be fed with 00:12:51.40\00:12:53.83 food from the royal household - really a great privilege. 00:12:53.83\00:12:55.43 But to eat the kings food would have been almost 00:12:55.43\00:12:59.83 certainly for Daniel to eat unclean food, and he knew God 00:12:59.83\00:13:02.33 didn't want him eating unclean food. 00:13:02.33\00:13:06.06 On the other hand, to refuse to eat the food would have 00:13:06.06\00:13:07.40 been to incur the wrath of the king. 00:13:07.40\00:13:09.26 So Daniel could either eat the food and dishonor God, or 00:13:09.26\00:13:12.96 not eat the food and dishonor the king - and maybe, in 00:13:12.96\00:13:19.36 fact, probably definitely - be severely punished. 00:13:19.36\00:13:22.60 In choosing to honor God, God honored Daniel and worked it 00:13:22.60\00:13:24.50 out that Daniel could eat a simple vegetarian diet, and 00:13:24.50\00:13:27.50 as a result Daniel and his friends Shadrach, Meshach and 00:13:27.50\00:13:30.20 Abednego were blessed by God with good health and with the 00:13:30.20\00:13:32.70 favor of the Babylonian officers. 00:13:32.70\00:13:36.90 Daniel learned early in Babylon that it was better to 00:13:36.90\00:13:40.26 put God first, no matter what the cost might be. 00:13:40.26\00:13:42.96 [Music] 00:13:44.66\00:13:48.26 Then in Daniel chapter two, King Nebuchadnezzar 00:13:48.70\00:13:50.60 had a remarkable dream where he saw a great image. 00:13:50.60\00:13:53.20 The image had a head made out of gold, its chest and arms 00:13:53.20\00:13:55.80 were of silver, its mid-section was bronze, its 00:13:55.80\00:13:58.40 legs were made of iron and its feet were made out of 00:13:58.40\00:14:00.96 iron and clay. 00:14:00.96\00:14:02.73 Ultimately, in answer to the prayers of Daniel and his 00:14:02.73\00:14:13.96 three friends, God gave Daniel the interpretation of 00:14:13.96\00:14:17.16 the dream and Daniel explained it to the king. 00:14:17.16\00:14:20.16 Daniel explained to the king that the dream was about the 00:14:20.16\00:14:27.76 rising and falling of kingdoms, and that the 00:14:27.76\00:14:31.46 kingdom of Babylon would one day be conquered by another 00:14:31.46\00:14:33.53 kingdom. 00:14:33.53\00:14:35.66 Shocking news to the king. 00:14:35.66\00:14:37.60 Daniel told of the time that a great Rock would come and 00:14:37.60\00:14:43.80 sweep away the kingdoms of the world. 00:14:43.80\00:14:45.86 In other words, Jesus would return to the earth and set 00:14:45.86\00:14:47.86 up a kingdom that would last forever. 00:14:47.86\00:14:52.56 And then in Daniel 3, we see an important theme develop 00:14:52.56\00:14:57.53 that actually has prophetic ramifications. 00:14:57.53\00:14:59.83 While Daniel 3 contains one of the great Bible stories, 00:14:59.83\00:15:04.86 there's an important lesson in that story that helps us 00:15:04.86\00:15:06.86 to understand the great spiritual crisis soon to come 00:15:06.86\00:15:08.83 to the world. 00:15:08.83\00:15:09.53 Keep this in mind. 00:15:09.53\00:15:10.83 God's people were in captivity in large part 00:15:10.83\00:15:13.36 because they had stopped worshiping God. 00:15:13.36\00:15:17.43 And Daniel 3 deals with this question of worship. 00:15:17.43\00:15:20.06 Daniel himself doesn't appear in Daniel 3 - we're not told 00:15:20.06\00:15:26.23 where he is but we can presume he was out of Babylon 00:15:26.23\00:15:27.63 on business for the king. 00:15:27.63\00:15:29.06 By now he has been promoted by Nebuchadnezzar to a 00:15:29.06\00:15:31.23 position of great authority, and Daniel isn't mentioned at 00:15:31.23\00:15:35.90 all in chapter 3, at least not in this story. 00:15:35.90\00:15:37.66 King Nebuchadnezzar had a statue built like the one he 00:15:37.66\00:15:38.76 saw in his dream, except unlike the image in his dream 00:15:38.76\00:15:42.23 this image was made entirely of gold. 00:15:42.23\00:15:49.66 That was Nebuchadnezzar's way of saying, My kingdom isn't 00:15:49.66\00:15:53.13 passing away not matter what Daniel's God says!' 00:15:53.13\00:15:55.80 Imagine this! 00:15:55.80\00:15:57.06 The statue was 90 feet high and made of solid gold. 00:15:57.06\00:16:03.70 Nebuchadnezzar called everyone who was anyone to 00:16:03.70\00:16:05.36 assemble on the plain of Dura to inaugurate the image. 00:16:05.36\00:16:08.56 They would bow down to it - and worship it. 00:16:08.56\00:16:12.36 And Nebuchadnezzar made clear that anyone who refused to 00:16:12.36\00:16:15.06 worship this image would be thrown into a fiery furnace. 00:16:15.06\00:16:18.70 Nebuchadnezzar had a lot of building done while he was 00:16:18.70\00:16:20.66 king - there were kilns all over Babylon, for building 00:16:20.66\00:16:23.90 bricks, and in Iraq as it was then there was no shortage of 00:16:23.90\00:16:30.40 fuel to get a fire burning white hot. 00:16:30.40\00:16:34.90 But Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego wouldn't bow down to 00:16:34.90\00:16:37.73 the image. 00:16:37.73\00:16:38.96 Even though their lives were on the line, they wouldn't 00:16:38.96\00:16:41.00 violate their conscience and they wouldn't dishonor God, 00:16:41.00\00:16:45.20 even though they were miles from home and even though 00:16:45.20\00:16:47.80 what they were being asked to do was culturally and 00:16:47.80\00:16:50.76 religiously acceptable where they were. 00:16:50.76\00:16:54.13 They wouldn't do it. 00:16:54.13\00:16:55.83 To them, worshiping God was sacred. 00:16:55.83\00:16:58.83 It was important enough that they would lose their lives 00:16:58.83\00:17:02.06 over it if they had to. 00:17:02.06\00:17:03.83 They wouldn't give their worship to anyone 00:17:03.83\00:17:07.66 but God. 00:17:07.66\00:17:11.86 And something incredible happened. 00:17:11.86\00:17:14.43 When they went into that fiery furnace, Jesus stood 00:17:14.43\00:17:17.46 with them in the flames and they weren't hurt. 00:17:17.46\00:17:21.36 Their hair wasn't even singed and they and when they came 00:17:21.36\00:17:25.43 out of the furnace, they didn't even smell of smoke. 00:17:25.43\00:17:27.50 Nebuchadnezzar said this in Daniel 3:24 and 25, 00:17:27.50\00:17:31.73 The pre-incarnate Christ stood with them. 00:17:51.86\00:17:54.13 The Son of God came from heaven to honor these 00:17:54.13\00:17:56.16 faithful young men who chose to worship God rather than 00:17:56.16\00:17:59.00 compromise and bow down before an idol - even though 00:17:59.00\00:18:02.43 they might pay for that with their lives. 00:18:02.43\00:18:06.06 That's courage, isn't it? 00:18:06.06\00:18:07.83 That's faithfulness. 00:18:07.83\00:18:09.16 In the Ten Commandments God says in the first 00:18:09.16\00:18:11.36 commandment, Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 00:18:11.36\00:18:14.16 Exodus 20:3, KJV And God says 00:18:14.16\00:18:16.63 in the second commandment, speaking of idols and images, 00:18:16.63\00:18:20.06 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve 00:18:20.06\00:18:22.36 them. 00:18:22.36\00:18:24.43 Exodus 20:5 KJV These young 00:18:24.43\00:18:26.80 men understood that. 00:18:26.80\00:18:28.23 Worship was important to them. 00:18:28.23\00:18:30.13 Worshiping God God's way was important to them. 00:18:30.13\00:18:34.23 There's a great prophetic connection between what 00:18:34.23\00:18:37.16 happened out there on the Plain of Dura that day and 00:18:37.16\00:18:39.13 what s going to take place in the world just before Jesus 00:18:39.13\00:18:44.03 returns. 00:18:44.03\00:18:45.80 We'll look at that next. 00:18:45.80\00:18:49.96 In Matthew 4:4 the Word of God says It is written 'Man 00:18:49.96\00:18:53.60 shall not live by bread alone but by every word that 00:18:53.60\00:18:57.30 proceeds out of the mouth of God'.'Every Word is a one 00:18:57.30\00:19:00.63 minute Bible-based daily devotional presented by 00:19:00.63\00:19:03.53 Pastor John Bradshaw and designed especially for busy 00:19:03.53\00:19:06.46 people like you. 00:19:06.46\00:19:09.36 Look for Every Word on selected networks or watch it 00:19:09.36\00:19:12.26 on-line everyday on our website itiswritten.com. 00:19:12.26\00:19:16.50 Receive a daily spiritual boost. 00:19:16.50\00:19:19.23 Watch Every Word. 00:19:19.23\00:19:20.50 You ll be glad you did. 00:19:20.50\00:19:21.40 Here is a sample: 00:19:21.40\00:19:23.40 In a courtroom, a witness is often 00:19:30.46\00:19:32.70 called upon to testify as to what he or she has seen. 00:19:32.70\00:19:35.60 Typically, if several witnesses testify in the same 00:19:35.60\00:19:38.26 way - agreeing on certain facts - one side or the other 00:19:38.26\00:19:41.73 feels like they've got a pretty good case. 00:19:41.73\00:19:44.03 Listen to what John wrote in 1 John 1:1: 00:19:44.03\00:19:47.13 'For John, Jesus was REAL. He had seen 00:19:53.76\00:19:58.36 Him, touched Him. 00:19:58.36\00:20:00.16 What we read in the Bible is not a myth. When it comes to 00:20:00.16\00:20:03.26 Jesus, we're reading about someone others saw, knew, & 00:20:03.26\00:20:06.13 touched... If John appeared in court, he'd be a pretty 00:20:06.13\00:20:09.30 convincing witness. You can be convinced today - the 00:20:09.30\00:20:12.36 Christ of the Bible is real, true, and you can have 00:20:12.36\00:20:15.93 confidence in Him today. 00:20:15.93\00:20:17.66 I'm John Bradshaw for It Is Written. Let's live today by 00:20:17.66\00:20:21.03 Every Word. 00:20:21.03\00:20:23.03 On It Is Written today we're looking at the prophetic 00:20:24.80\00:20:26.70 connection between the experience of the three 00:20:26.70\00:20:29.00 young men in the fiery furnace, and the prophecies of the Book 00:20:29.00\00:20:32.30 of Revelation - end-time prophecies that will very 00:20:32.30\00:20:34.70 likely affect most people watching this program. 00:20:34.70\00:20:37.83 Let's look at the book of Revelation. 00:20:37.83\00:20:40.13 In Revelation 13, a beast rises up out of the sea. 00:20:40.13\00:20:43.36 We've mentioned before on It Is Written that in prophecy 00:20:43.36\00:20:45.20 a beast represents a kingdom. 00:20:45.20\00:20:48.06 If you want Biblical evidence for that you look in Daniel 00:20:48.06\00:20:50.50 7, where in verse 23 it says, The fourth beast shall be the 00:20:50.50\00:20:54.00 fourth kingdom on earth. 00:20:54.00\00:20:55.96 Daniel 7:23 KJV That's clear. 00:20:55.96\00:20:57.96 In Revelation, beasts rising up out of the sea represent 00:20:57.96\00:21:01.20 nations rising up out of populated parts of the earth. 00:21:01.20\00:21:04.76 So if you want to make a parallel, in Revelation 13 00:21:04.76\00:21:07.53 you have a kingdom or a nation, just as you have in 00:21:07.53\00:21:10.53 Daniel 3. 00:21:10.53\00:21:12.36 What does the nation in Revelation 13 do? 00:21:12.36\00:21:15.36 We read this, Revelation 13:4, it says, 00:21:15.36\00:21:19.93 Here's a kingdom receiving worship - 00:21:26.03\00:21:29.16 worship that only God should receive. 00:21:29.16\00:21:32.36 Now that's what was going on in Daniel 3. 00:21:32.36\00:21:34.76 Now there's more on that. 00:21:34.76\00:21:36.36 Revelation 13:8 says, And all that dwell upon the earth 00:21:36.36\00:21:43.26 shall worship him. 00:21:43.26\00:21:44.76 Revelation 13:8 KJV And yet it goes further. 00:21:44.76\00:21:46.90 Remember, in Daniel 3 the king enforced false worship, 00:21:46.90\00:21:51.03 and anyone who wouldn't cooperate would be sentenced 00:21:51.03\00:21:53.53 to death. 00:21:53.53\00:21:55.43 Now, do we see that happening in earth's last days? 00:21:55.43\00:21:58.23 Revelation 13:15, 00:21:58.23\00:22:00.30 Now let me ask you - who should people worship? 00:22:15.83\00:22:18.70 Of course - God. 00:22:18.70\00:22:20.90 Getting away from worshipping God was what led Israel into 00:22:20.90\00:22:23.33 apostasy in the first place. 00:22:23.33\00:22:25.43 But what's going to happen in the final days of earth's 00:22:25.43\00:22:27.26 history? 00:22:27.26\00:22:28.26 An IMAGE will be set up - that's what happened in 00:22:28.26\00:22:31.36 Daniel Chapter 3. 00:22:31.36\00:22:32.96 An image will be set up, and all will be commanded 00:22:32.96\00:22:36.86 to worship the image. 00:22:36.86\00:22:38.66 Those who don't will be forced to pay a high price for that. 00:22:38.66\00:22:42.80 Those who do worship the image will receive what the 00:22:42.80\00:22:45.93 Bible calls the Mark of the Beast and they'll be lost. 00:22:45.93\00:22:48.43 That's an even higher price to pay. 00:22:48.43\00:22:51.46 In Daniel three, you have the conflict of the last days 00:22:51.46\00:22:54.16 playing out in microcosm: a pagan leader establishes 00:22:54.16\00:22:57.16 an image and commands false worship contrary 00:22:57.16\00:22:59.96 to the will of God. 00:22:59.96\00:23:01.93 In Revelation 13 you have the same thing, but on a global 00:23:01.93\00:23:04.76 scale: in contradiction to the word of God, an image is 00:23:04.76\00:23:09.10 set up and false worship is commanded. 00:23:09.10\00:23:12.43 And what we see in Daniel is very telling: very few 00:23:12.43\00:23:16.13 opposed the false worship. 00:23:16.13\00:23:17.93 In Revelation 13:8 we read this, And all that dwell upon 00:23:17.93\00:23:25.93 the earth shall worship him. 00:23:25.93\00:23:28.10 That's Revelation 13:8 KJV Now here's something to keep 00:23:28.10\00:23:32.10 in mind. 00:23:32.10\00:23:33.06 In John 4:24 Jesus said, God is a Spirit: and they that 00:23:33.06\00:23:37.26 worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. 00:23:37.26\00:23:41.36 John 24:4, KJV Worshiping God God's way. 00:23:41.36\00:23:45.76 If we'll make the Bible the basis for our lives we won't 00:23:45.76\00:23:49.23 have to worry about being on the wrong side of this 00:23:49.23\00:23:50.86 crisis. 00:23:50.86\00:23:51.66 If we've decided to do what is in harmony with the word 00:23:51.66\00:23:53.63 of God - if God's will is the basis for everything in our 00:23:53.63\00:23:56.93 lives, if Jesus is living His life in us - we're going to 00:23:56.93\00:24:00.43 be okay. 00:24:00.43\00:24:02.60 See, the good news is that God's people triumph in the 00:24:02.60\00:24:04.60 end. 00:24:04.60\00:24:07.03 There's a massive spiritual battle going on in the world 00:24:07.03\00:24:08.16 today, and there's an enemy that wants no one to be 00:24:08.16\00:24:09.23 saved. 00:24:09.23\00:24:10.53 But God's people who have chosen to be faithful to Him 00:24:10.53\00:24:17.63 receive the Seal of God, and can know that just like Jesus 00:24:17.63\00:24:21.43 stood in the fiery furnace with Shadrach, Meshach and 00:24:21.43\00:24:24.33 Abednego, He'll do it again and stand with His people in 00:24:24.33\00:24:29.33 their time of trial. 00:24:29.33\00:24:31.40 The same Jesus who stood with those three, faithful young 00:24:31.40\00:24:34.23 men says to us today, I will never leave you or forsake 00:24:34.23\00:24:37.33 you. 00:24:37.33\00:24:38.33 Hebrews 13:5, NKJV Lo, I am with you always, even unto 00:24:38.33\00:24:40.83 the end of the world. 00:24:40.83\00:24:42.13 Matthew 28:20 KJV But he that shall endure unto the end, 00:24:42.13\00:24:44.70 the same shall be saved. 00:24:44.70\00:24:45.80 Matthew 24:13 KJV I hope you'll get the book I'm 00:24:45.80\00:24:50.60 offering you this week. 00:24:50.60\00:24:51.90 It's called Revelation Today, and it adds a lot of the 00:24:51.90\00:24:54.66 details to the end-time scenario presented in the 00:24:54.66\00:24:56.86 book of Revelation. 00:24:56.86\00:24:58.23 This little book is going to help you understand what the 00:24:58.23\00:25:00.60 book of Revelation is really all about, and untangles the 00:25:00.60\00:25:03.30 end-time prophetic scenario to let you see how the battle 00:25:03.30\00:25:05.80 between good and evil ultimately plays out. 00:25:05.80\00:25:07.80 It's good news - God's people ultimately triumph. 00:25:07.80\00:25:11.50 Jesus stands with His people, and He'll stand with you. 00:25:11.50\00:25:15.50 Just call or write and I'll send you Revelation Today . 00:25:15.50\00:25:21.23 There's no cost, no obligation. 00:25:21.23\00:25:23.66 It's absolutely free. 00:25:23.66\00:25:25.13 All you need to do is call 1-800-253-3000, and ask for 00:25:25.13\00:25:28.10 Revelation Today. 00:25:28.10\00:25:29.50 You can call 24 hours a da If the line's busy, please 00:25:29.50\00:25:32.10 just keep on trying. 00:25:32.10\00:25:33.50 You can also request your free copy of Revelation 00:25:33.50\00:25:36.20 Today' by writing to: It Is Written, Box O, Thousand 00:25:36.20\00:25:38.70 Oaks, CA 91359, and we will mail a copy to your address 00:25:38.70\00:25:44.13 in North America. 00:25:44.13\00:25:45.66 Please note. 00:25:45.66\00:25:46.83 This free book is limited to the supply on hand. 00:25:46.83\00:25:51.26 To get it right away you can download a FREE electronic 00:25:51.26\00:25:52.53 version of the book Revelation Today from our 00:25:52.53\00:25:54.43 website: itiswritten.com It Is Written is a faith-based 00:25:54.43\00:25:58.53 ministry made possible by viewers like you. 00:25:58.53\00:26:01.76 Thank you, for your kind support. 00:26:01.76\00:26:04.56 Your help makes it possible for us to share God's good 00:26:04.56\00:26:07.10 news with the world. 00:26:07.10\00:26:07.70 Your tax-deductible gift can be sent to the address on 00:26:07.70\00:26:09.90 your screen, or you can support us online at 00:26:09.90\00:26:11.70 itiswritten.com. 00:26:11.70\00:26:13.03 Thank you for your continued support. 00:26:13.03\00:26:16.63 Our toll-free number is: 1-800-253-3000. 00:26:16.63\00:26:19.73 And our web address is: itiswritten.com 00:26:19.73\00:26:25.43 There's a great spiritual crisis coming. 00:26:25.43\00:26:30.66 God stood with those three young men, Shadrach, Meshach 00:26:30.66\00:26:33.06 and Abednego when they stood for him. 00:26:33.06\00:26:34.90 Let's pray together now that we will follow God, God's way 00:26:34.90\00:26:36.66 and stand for Him today and tomorrow, knowing that Jesus 00:26:36.66\00:26:39.00 will stand with us. 00:26:39.00\00:26:41.16 Let's pray. 00:26:41.16\00:26:43.73 Our Father in heaven, we thank you that we can know 00:26:43.73\00:26:45.93 you through faith in your son Jesus, who died for us to 00:26:45.93\00:26:48.96 take care of our sin debt, who died for us so that we in 00:26:48.96\00:26:53.16 turn could have faith in him and receive new hearts and be 00:26:53.16\00:26:55.86 cleaned up of all of our mess. 00:26:55.86\00:26:58.46 We read in the Bible there are challenging times ahead. 00:26:58.46\00:27:01.53 I know we don't have to lose sleep about that. 00:27:01.53\00:27:04.00 But I also know that we need to be making decisions now, 00:27:04.00\00:27:07.86 Lord, that our hearts are given to you so that as 00:27:07.86\00:27:11.26 Christ lives his life in us, we can stand for you no 00:27:11.26\00:27:12.93 matter what. 00:27:12.93\00:27:13.86 Thank you that Jesus stands with us. 00:27:13.86\00:27:17.80 Keep us and bless us, please. 00:27:17.80\00:27:19.83 We pray in Jesus' name, Amen. 00:27:19.83\00:27:23.66 [Music] 00:27:29.96\00:27:34.13 Thank you for joining me today. 00:27:43.63\00:27:44.56 I look forward to seeing you again next time. 00:27:44.56\00:27:47.40 Until then, please remember: It is written: Man shall not 00:27:47.40\00:27:50.63 live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from 00:27:50.63\00:27:55.13 the mouth of God. 00:27:55.13\00:27:56.96 [Music] 00:27:58.46\00:28:02.06