[Music]
00:00:01.30\00:00:05.07
It has stood the test of time.
00:00:07.40\00:00:09.34
God's Book, the Bible.
00:00:12.44\00:00:14.58
Still relevant in
today's complex world.
00:00:17.55\00:00:21.52
It Is Written ... sharing hope
00:00:22.45\00:00:27.06
around the globe.
00:00:27.06\00:00:29.32
[TV Voice] "Yesterday,
December 7, 1941, a day
00:00:37.33\00:00:46.11
which will live in infamy,
the United States of America
00:00:46.11\00:00:52.35
was suddenly and
deliberately attacked by naval
00:00:52.35\00:00:57.99
and air forces of
the Empire of Japan."
00:00:57.99\00:01:04.96
A day that will live in infamy,
President Franklin Roosevelt
00:01:04.96\00:01:08.03
called it. The
surprise 1941 attack
00:01:08.03\00:01:11.70
on the Pacific Fleet in Hawaii
left 2,400 Americans dead.
00:01:11.70\00:01:17.97
Now later, it was discovered
that several opportunities
00:01:17.97\00:01:21.48
had been missed to
anticipate and possibly
00:01:21.48\00:01:24.58
avoid the attack. But
basically, we never saw
00:01:24.58\00:01:29.12
it coming. Now
fast forward seven
00:01:29.12\00:01:31.75
years.
Journalists said at the time
00:01:31.75\00:01:33.92
of the disastrous earthquake
that hit Japan in early 2011
00:01:33.92\00:01:38.89
that one positive thing was
that of all countries, Japan
00:01:38.89\00:01:42.30
was probably the best
prepared to meet a disaster
00:01:42.30\00:01:44.73
like that one. Yet
that devastating Tsunami
00:01:44.73\00:01:47.94
still claimed thousands
of lives and caused massive
00:01:47.94\00:01:51.47
damage. Why was that?
00:01:51.47\00:01:54.48
Because nobody saw it coming.
00:01:54.48\00:01:57.38
It's impossible for
us to know the future.
00:01:57.38\00:01:59.48
Now, there is no
shortage of those who pretend
00:01:59.48\00:02:04.35
to know the future.
Psychics, astrologers
00:02:04.35\00:02:07.86
and fortune tellers claim
that they have the ability
00:02:07.86\00:02:10.76
to preview tomorrow's headlines.
But the truth is, they wear
00:02:10.76\00:02:15.93
the same
blindfolds as everybody else.
00:02:15.93\00:02:19.37
So, is there anyone who
really does know the future?
00:02:19.37\00:02:22.97
The answer is: Yes
there is. But only one person.
00:02:22.97\00:02:27.44
Today, we are
going back to the future.
00:02:27.44\00:02:32.65
Time travel has always been
popular in Hollywood movies.
00:02:32.65\00:02:35.52
The Back to the Future
trilogy in the 1980's sold
00:02:35.52\00:02:40.32
almost a billion dollar's
worth of tickets worldwide.
00:02:40.32\00:02:43.06
And who hasn't dreamed of
being able to travel through
00:02:43.06\00:02:45.09
time? When I was
a kid growing up,
00:02:45.09\00:02:47.86
Doctor Who was
big on television.
00:02:47.86\00:02:50.10
Not that I liked it.
The story of a British Time
00:02:50.10\00:02:52.73
Lord who traveled through
time and something called
00:02:52.73\00:02:55.37
the "Tardis." Funny
how some things don't
00:02:55.37\00:02:58.24
change. That
show is still big on
00:02:58.24\00:03:00.31
television all
these years later.
00:03:00.31\00:03:02.31
But not all time
travel is fantasy.
00:03:02.31\00:03:05.18
Some of it is very real.
Let's consider the night an
00:03:05.18\00:03:09.62
ancient king was transported
more than 2500 years into
00:03:09.62\00:03:14.22
the future where he visited
not only our time but the years
00:03:14.22\00:03:19.49
ahead of us.
Previewing the future
00:03:19.49\00:03:22.40
is the special province of
Bible Prophecy and what makes
00:03:22.40\00:03:26.30
this form of time
travel so fascinating is that
00:03:26.30\00:03:29.90
the future it brings to
view is 100% accurate and that
00:03:29.90\00:03:34.74
is because it's revealed by
the one person in the universe
00:03:34.74\00:03:39.91
who knows exactly
what the future holds.
00:03:39.91\00:03:43.22
We are not talking about
the wild guesses of tabloid
00:03:43.22\00:03:46.99
psychics or new age channelers.
00:03:46.99\00:03:49.49
Bible prophecy has never failed.
00:03:49.49\00:03:52.53
And you know, that's a problem
for people who claim that
00:03:52.53\00:03:56.10
there is no God or that
the Bible cannot be trusted.
00:03:56.10\00:04:00.14
What do people do about
prophecies that you just
00:04:00.14\00:04:04.11
cannot argue against? As
long as we are all caught
00:04:04.11\00:04:07.58
up in this long war
between good and evil, between
00:04:07.58\00:04:10.65
Christ and Satan, it is
helpful to know not only what
00:04:10.65\00:04:14.15
has already happened,
but what is yet to come
00:04:14.15\00:04:18.09
and it is especially encouraging
to know how the war will end
00:04:18.09\00:04:22.26
and when. So
today, we travel along
00:04:22.26\00:04:25.79
with an ancient amnesiac
king, back to the future.
00:04:25.79\00:04:30.60
The story, as
recorded in the second chapter
00:04:30.60\00:04:33.27
of the Bible's Book of Daniel
begins with a King who had
00:04:33.27\00:04:36.57
a vivid dream but he could not
remember what that dream was.
00:04:36.57\00:04:41.08
Let's listen to Daniel
tell his story beginning
00:04:41.08\00:04:43.51
in Daniel 2:1.
"Now in the second year
00:04:43.51\00:04:47.12
of Nebuchadnezzar's reign,
Nebuchadnezzar had a dream
00:04:47.12\00:04:52.29
and his spirit was so troubled
that his sleep left him."
00:04:52.29\00:04:56.96
Nebuchadnezzar was the King
who ruled the great Babylonian
00:04:56.96\00:04:59.96
empire from the
massive walled city of Babylon,
00:04:59.96\00:05:02.80
more than 600 years
before the Birth of Christ.
00:05:02.80\00:05:05.83
The City covered 500 acres
on both sides of the Euphrates
00:05:05.83\00:05:09.44
river. The river flowed under
00:05:09.44\00:05:11.47
the walls and through
the city. Babylon was located
00:05:11.47\00:05:14.94
in the area of the world
known as the Fertile Crescent.
00:05:14.94\00:05:17.78
It had an intricate
system of canals that irrigated
00:05:17.78\00:05:20.82
lush croplands.
Nebuchadnezzar built the
00:05:20.82\00:05:23.39
hanging gardens of Babylon,
one of the Seven Wonders
00:05:23.39\00:05:26.79
of the World. He
built them for his wife.
00:05:26.79\00:05:30.19
At the center of great
Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar
00:05:30.19\00:05:32.33
built a 300 foot shrine
to the pagan God Marduk.
00:05:32.33\00:05:37.57
He plated the walls and
roof of the building with gold.
00:05:37.57\00:05:41.47
The altar was solid
gold, as were the throne
00:05:41.47\00:05:43.61
and footstool.
It was magnificent.
00:05:43.61\00:05:49.04
But this king is
perhaps history's most famous
00:05:49.04\00:05:51.41
and significant amnesiac.
A powerful king woke up one
00:05:51.41\00:05:56.62
morning and couldn't
remember a dream he'd had.
00:05:56.62\00:05:58.82
You've been there - waking
up in the morning, knowing
00:05:58.82\00:06:01.62
that you had a dream and
the harder you try to recall
00:06:01.62\00:06:04.63
it the further
away from you it gets.
00:06:04.63\00:06:07.46
King Nebuchadnezzar called
together a phalanx of advisors
00:06:07.46\00:06:10.27
and asked them to tell
him what he had dreamed.
00:06:10.27\00:06:13.37
The story is recorded in Daniel
chapter 2, and here is how
00:06:13.37\00:06:16.97
they replied: "O
king, live forever!
00:06:16.97\00:06:21.91
Tell your servants the
dream, and we will give you
00:06:21.91\00:06:24.78
the interpretation."
Daniel 2:4 NKJV They figured
00:06:24.78\00:06:28.42
they could analyze the
dream and make up some sort
00:06:28.42\00:06:31.19
of interpretation once
they knew what the dream was.
00:06:31.19\00:06:33.49
But interpretation wasn't
yet the problem - the first
00:06:33.49\00:06:38.46
thing was to remember
it! King Nebuchadnezzar saw
00:06:38.46\00:06:42.03
through what they were
trying to do, and was not happy.
00:06:42.03\00:06:46.23
"Tell me the dream," he
demanded, "and then I'll
00:06:46.23\00:06:49.00
know that you can give
me its interpretation."
00:06:49.00\00:06:51.71
That is, you're supposed to
be able see into the future!
00:06:51.71\00:06:54.31
Prove it to me now!
Tell me what I dreamed.
00:06:54.31\00:06:57.88
But the wise men protested
saying: "There is not a man
00:06:57.88\00:07:01.48
on earth who can tell the king's
matter; therefore no king,
00:07:01.48\00:07:05.65
lord, or ruler has ever
asked such things of any
00:07:05.65\00:07:10.06
magician,
astrologer, or Chaldean.
00:07:10.06\00:07:13.90
Daniel 2:10 NKJV "No man
on earth who can do what you
00:07:13.90\00:07:17.60
ask" they said.
And they were right
00:07:17.60\00:07:19.60
about that. But
Nebuchadnezzar wasn't
00:07:19.60\00:07:22.07
about to back off. He
knew his dream was important,
00:07:22.07\00:07:25.44
and he wanted to
know what it meant.
00:07:25.44\00:07:27.44
He became so angry that he
decreed that if the wise men
00:07:27.44\00:07:30.51
couldn't tell him his
dream and its interpretation,
00:07:30.51\00:07:33.92
then the wise men in
Babylon would be destroyed!
00:07:33.92\00:07:38.09
Now this was a problem
for prophet Daniel and three
00:07:38.09\00:07:41.66
of his friends.
Shortly after they arrived
00:07:41.66\00:07:44.06
captive in Babylon,
they'd been identified as gifted
00:07:44.06\00:07:47.93
in wisdom, they were
trained as servants for the king
00:07:47.93\00:07:50.93
and they were
recognized as "wise men."
00:07:50.93\00:07:54.40
So the death
sentence fell on them too.
00:07:54.40\00:07:57.87
Now Daniel then asked
Nebuchadnezzar himself
00:07:57.87\00:08:00.08
for time so that he could
pray. He had absolute confidence
00:08:00.08\00:08:05.15
that God would
solve the problem.
00:08:05.15\00:08:07.55
In a night vision,
God revealed the dream
00:08:07.55\00:08:11.09
and its interpretation to
his servant Daniel, and Daniel
00:08:11.09\00:08:14.39
went in to see the
king. He told him this wasn't
00:08:14.39\00:08:17.29
something an astrologer or
magician could help the king
00:08:17.29\00:08:19.96
with, and he said to the
king this, "But there is a God
00:08:19.96\00:08:25.63
in heaven who reveals
secrets, and He has made known
00:08:25.63\00:08:29.47
to King Nebuchadnezzar
what will be in the latter
00:08:29.47\00:08:32.67
days." Daniel 2:28 NKJV God
00:08:32.67\00:08:36.31
was very clear with Daniel
that the king's dream actually
00:08:36.31\00:08:39.35
foretold events that
would occur in the last days
00:08:39.35\00:08:43.05
of earth's history.
The dream began in the days
00:08:43.05\00:08:45.89
of Nebuchadnezzar, and it
moved forward generation after
00:08:45.89\00:08:49.66
generation after generation
to the last days of earth's
00:08:49.66\00:08:53.50
history. Daniel went on to tell
00:08:53.50\00:08:55.90
the king what he had dreamed:
"You, O king, were watching;
00:08:55.90\00:09:00.54
and behold, a great
image! This great image, whose
00:09:00.54\00:09:04.44
splendor was excellent,
stood before you; and its form
00:09:04.44\00:09:08.51
was awesome.
"This image's head was
00:09:08.51\00:09:11.38
of fine gold, its chest
and arms of silver, its belly
00:09:11.38\00:09:15.28
and thighs of bronze,
"its legs of iron, its feet
00:09:15.28\00:09:19.49
partly of iron
and partly of clay.
00:09:19.49\00:09:23.02
"You watched while a
stone was cut out without hands,
00:09:23.02\00:09:25.79
which struck the image on
its feet of iron and clay,
00:09:25.79\00:09:29.60
and broke them in pieces.
"Then the iron, the clay,
00:09:29.60\00:09:33.77
the bronze, the silver,
and the gold were crushed
00:09:33.77\00:09:36.27
together, and became
like chaff from the summer
00:09:36.27\00:09:40.08
threshing floors; the
wind carried them away so that
00:09:40.08\00:09:44.28
no trace of them was
found. And the stone that struck
00:09:44.28\00:09:47.68
the image became a great
mountain and filled the whole
00:09:47.68\00:09:52.02
earth." Daniel
2:31-35 NKJV You can
00:09:52.02\00:09:55.89
imagine the king
saying, "Yes, that's it!
00:09:55.89\00:09:58.59
That's it! That's
exactly what I saw!"
00:09:58.59\00:10:01.56
But then he'd
have said, "But Daniel,
00:10:01.56\00:10:04.77
what does it mean?"
Now notice how Daniel began
00:10:04.77\00:10:07.90
the interpretation:
"You, O King, are a king
00:10:07.90\00:10:11.91
of kings . . . you
are this head of gold."
00:10:11.91\00:10:16.88
Daniel 2:37, 38 NKJV History
tells us the Babylonian Empire
00:10:16.88\00:10:21.48
was the dominant world
power from 605 B.C. to 539 B.C.
00:10:21.48\00:10:28.19
History also tells us that
King Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom
00:10:28.19\00:10:31.63
was full of gold.
In the temple of Marduk
00:10:31.63\00:10:35.00
alone there was 18 tons of gold.
00:10:35.00\00:10:39.53
There was no better
way for God to describe
00:10:39.53\00:10:41.54
the Babylonian Empire than
by using the symbol of gold.
00:10:41.54\00:10:45.44
Nebuchadnezzar was happy
with this interpretation.
00:10:45.44\00:10:48.01
He liked being the head of gold.
00:10:48.01\00:10:51.11
He wanted the head of gold
to last forever, but that wasn't
00:10:51.11\00:10:55.28
to be, as Daniel explained
in verse 39: "But after you
00:10:55.28\00:10:59.82
shall arise another
kingdom inferior to yours;."
00:10:59.82\00:11:02.92
Daniel 2:39 NKJV At the time
Nebuchadnezzar had this dream,
00:11:02.92\00:11:08.40
he was secure as the
world leader, with no reason
00:11:08.40\00:11:11.23
to suspect that
that would ever change.
00:11:11.23\00:11:13.23
But Babylon was to be overthrown
by a kingdom represented
00:11:13.23\00:11:17.37
in Daniel 2:32 as "the
chest and arms of silver."
00:11:17.37\00:11:22.18
Just a few pages ahead in
your Bible, in Daniel 5:28,
00:11:22.18\00:11:25.51
the next world-ruling
power is referred to
00:11:25.51\00:11:28.28
as the Medes and the Persians.
Again, a fitting symbol:
00:11:28.28\00:11:31.89
the two arms joined at the
chest to show two kingdoms -
00:11:31.89\00:11:35.69
the Medes and
Persians, who ruled the world
00:11:35.69\00:11:39.46
from 539 B.C. to 331
B.C. Now the story of how
00:11:39.46\00:11:44.50
the Babylonians were
overthrown is told in Daniel 5.
00:11:44.50\00:11:48.30
King Belshazzar, grandson
of King Nebuchadnezzar, hosted
00:11:48.30\00:11:52.21
a feast for a
thousand of his lords.
00:11:52.21\00:11:54.71
He called for the gold
and silver vessels captured
00:11:54.71\00:11:56.98
from the temple in
Jerusalem to be brought to him.
00:11:56.98\00:11:59.78
Now these were holy -
they'd been used in the worship
00:11:59.78\00:12:03.52
of God - yet Belshazzar
used them to drink alcohol
00:12:03.52\00:12:07.39
from in the
worship of pagan gods.
00:12:07.39\00:12:10.79
In the midst of this
drunken party, a mysterious,
00:12:10.79\00:12:14.10
bloodless hand appeared
from out of the invisible sleeve
00:12:14.10\00:12:17.63
of darkness and wrote
on the wall: MENE, MENE,
00:12:17.63\00:12:21.87
TEKEL, UPHARSIN. The
interpretation of these
00:12:21.87\00:12:25.54
words spelled doom for
the mighty Babylonian Empire.
00:12:25.54\00:12:29.98
Let's read from
Daniel chapter 5.
00:12:29.98\00:12:32.35
"MENE: God has numbered
your kingdom, and finished it;
00:12:32.35\00:12:38.19
TEKEL: You have been weighed
in the balances, and found
00:12:38.19\00:12:41.26
wanting; PERES: Your kingdom
has been divided, and given
00:12:41.26\00:12:47.00
to the Medes and
Persians." Daniel 5:26-28 NKJV
00:12:47.00\00:12:53.70
That very night, the
Medes and Persians diverted
00:12:53.70\00:12:57.01
the Euphrates River that
ran under the massive walls
00:12:57.01\00:12:59.41
of Babylon. They
marched their armies
00:12:59.41\00:13:02.48
straight down the
dry riverbed and came up
00:13:02.48\00:13:05.95
inside the city. Now
incredibly, a hundred
00:13:05.95\00:13:09.02
and fifty years before
this, Isaiah not only foretold
00:13:09.02\00:13:13.69
in chapters 44 and 45 just
how Babylon would be overthrown,
00:13:13.69\00:13:18.49
but he named the leader
of the army who would do it
00:13:18.49\00:13:21.26
all-Cyrus, named
him in the Bible.
00:13:21.26\00:13:24.90
Babylon was conquered in
one night by the Medo-Persian
00:13:24.90\00:13:28.67
army, led by Cyrus,
just as the Bible predicted -
00:13:28.67\00:13:31.01
just as
Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream.
00:13:31.01\00:13:34.64
The Medes and Persians
ruled the world for nearly
00:13:34.64\00:13:40.92
two centuries. But
Nebuchadnezzar's dream
00:13:40.92\00:13:44.22
doesn't end there,
and neither does history.
00:13:44.22\00:13:48.12
Time marches on, one kingdom
replacing another kingdom,
00:13:48.12\00:13:52.76
just as God foretold in
the dream of Nebuchadnezzar.
00:13:52.76\00:13:57.57
Now don't miss this.
What we're seeing is that God
00:13:57.57\00:14:01.67
accurately predicted the rise
and fall of two world-ruling
00:14:01.67\00:14:06.37
kingdoms. But
what would happen next?
00:14:06.37\00:14:11.31
I'll tell you in just a moment.
00:14:11.31\00:14:13.28
In Matthew 4:4, the Word
of God says, "It is written,
00:14:16.02\00:14:19.62
'man shall not live by bread
alone but by every word that
00:14:19.62\00:14:23.59
proceeds from the mouth of God.
00:14:23.59\00:14:25.59
Ever Word is a one-minute
Bible-based daily devotional
00:14:25.59\00:14:29.33
presented by Pastor
John Bradshaw and designed
00:14:29.33\00:14:31.70
especially for
busy people like you.
00:14:31.70\00:14:33.97
Look for Every Word on
selected networks or watch
00:14:33.97\00:14:37.24
it on-line everyday on
our website, itiswritten.com.
00:14:37.24\00:14:41.54
Receive a daily spiritual
boost. Watch Every Word.
00:14:41.54\00:14:44.91
You'll be glad you
did. Here's a sample.
00:14:44.91\00:14:48.75
Abraham Lincoln's son,
Robert, was on a railway
00:14:57.03\00:14:59.46
platform in Jersey City,
New Jersey, when he slipped
00:14:59.46\00:15:02.36
between the
platform and a moving train.
00:15:02.36\00:15:04.37
But someone behind him
grabbed his coat collar
00:15:04.37\00:15:06.43
and lifted him to
safety on the platform -
00:15:06.43\00:15:08.47
saving him from serious
injury and possibly death.
00:15:08.47\00:15:11.77
The man who saved young
Robert Lincoln was Edwin
00:15:11.77\00:15:14.84
Booth, the brother of
John Wilkes Booth - who later
00:15:14.84\00:15:17.68
murdered President Lincoln.
The brother of Lincoln's
00:15:17.68\00:15:20.35
assassin saved Lincoln's
son. Coincidence?  Well, you
00:15:20.35\00:15:24.45
decide, but when God is
at work in our lives, THAT'S
00:15:24.45\00:15:27.96
"providence".
Ecclesiastes 11:5 says,
00:15:27.96\00:15:31.43
"As you do not know
what is the way of the wind,
00:15:31.43\00:15:34.03
or how the bones grow
in the womb of her who
00:15:34.03\00:15:36.23
is with child, so you do
not know the works of God
00:15:36.23\00:15:39.20
who makes everything."
Even when you don't see it,
00:15:39.20\00:15:42.34
God is at work. When
some see a coincidence,
00:15:42.34\00:15:44.61
you can know that God was there.
00:15:44.61\00:15:47.28
Let's live today by Every Word.
00:15:47.28\00:15:50.25
Planning for your financial
future is a vital aspect
00:15:52.05\00:15:54.72
of Christian stewardship.
For this reason, It Is Written
00:15:54.72\00:15:57.99
is pleased to offer free
planned giving and estate
00:15:57.99\00:16:00.42
services. For information on how
00:16:00.42\00:16:02.52
we can help you,
please call 1.800.992.2219.
00:16:02.52\00:16:07.50
Call today or visit
our special website:
00:16:07.50\00:16:10.43
www.hislegacy.com.
00:16:10.43\00:16:15.24
Thanks for joining me
today on It Is Written.
00:16:20.11\00:16:22.28
Today, we're unraveling
one of the most important
00:16:22.28\00:16:25.35
prophecies in the entire Bible.
00:16:25.35\00:16:28.32
I've often called this
the Master Key to Bible
00:16:28.32\00:16:30.79
Prophecy, because if you
get this foundational prophecy,
00:16:30.79\00:16:34.79
you're in a position to be able
to understand later prophecies
00:16:34.79\00:16:38.83
that build upon this one.
The prophecy we're looking
00:16:38.83\00:16:42.36
at today is the dream
God gave Nebuchadnezzar
00:16:42.36\00:16:44.93
in Daniel chapter 2.
And I'll tell you why
00:16:44.93\00:16:47.30
this is the Master
Key to Bible Prophecy.
00:16:47.30\00:16:50.71
When it comes to prophetic
interpretation, there's
00:16:50.71\00:16:52.81
a principle known as
"Repeat and Enlarge."
00:16:52.81\00:16:57.31
That is, God will lay something
out in one part of the Bible,
00:16:57.31\00:17:00.85
then He'll repeat it
later and enlarge upon it,
00:17:00.85\00:17:04.59
giving more information.
In Daniel 2 there's an image
00:17:04.59\00:17:07.69
made of various metals -
and each of those metals,
00:17:07.69\00:17:10.69
each component of the
statue represents a kingdom.
00:17:10.69\00:17:14.10
In Daniel 7, the prophecy,
the same prophecy is repeated
00:17:14.10\00:17:18.10
using different
symbols - beasts -
00:17:18.10\00:17:21.04
and the prophecy is
enlarged upon as more
00:17:21.04\00:17:24.11
information is given.
This follows all the way
00:17:24.11\00:17:27.18
over to the book of
Revelation as the principle
00:17:27.18\00:17:30.58
continues to be used
by the Bible writers.
00:17:30.58\00:17:33.65
So let's review.
In the book of Daniel,
00:17:33.65\00:17:35.95
the greatest monarch of his
day had an impressive dream.
00:17:35.95\00:17:39.92
He dreamed of a huge statue
made from different metals,
00:17:39.92\00:17:43.26
and discovered that the statue
represented the rise and fall
00:17:43.26\00:17:46.80
of kingdoms, including his own.
00:17:46.80\00:17:49.43
It had a head of gold,
representing Nebuchadnezzar's
00:17:49.43\00:17:53.34
kingdom of Babylon,
and its chest & arms
00:17:53.34\00:17:56.24
were made of silver,
representing the Medo-Persian
00:17:56.24\00:17:59.77
kingdom. And
young Daniel, almost
00:17:59.77\00:18:02.58
certainly not yet 20
years old, came to the king
00:18:02.58\00:18:05.35
to interpret the dream.
To tell him what it was,
00:18:05.35\00:18:07.88
and what it meant.
Now here's what happened
00:18:07.88\00:18:11.09
next. The next
kingdom is described
00:18:11.09\00:18:13.39
in Daniel 2:32 as the
belly and thighs of bronze.
00:18:13.39\00:18:19.36
More than two hundred years
before it appeared on the world
00:18:19.36\00:18:21.40
stage, Daniel actually
names Greece - in Daniel 8:21
00:18:21.40\00:18:26.74
- as this third kingdom,
which overthrew the Medes
00:18:26.74\00:18:28.87
and the
Persians. Again, the symbol
00:18:28.87\00:18:31.27
is appropriate: the
Greek army was led by Alexander
00:18:31.27\00:18:34.28
the Great, a young man
who marched his men 11,000
00:18:34.28\00:18:37.65
miles, conquering almost
all of the then-known world
00:18:37.65\00:18:40.88
before he died from
malaria at the age of 33.
00:18:40.88\00:18:43.15
What did Alexander's
men wear into battle?
00:18:43.15\00:18:46.59
Bronze breastplates,
bronze helmets, bronze shields,
00:18:46.59\00:18:50.16
bronze swords.
Once again, God chose
00:18:50.16\00:18:53.19
a fitting metaphor to describe
the kingdom that would rule
00:18:53.19\00:18:55.73
the world from
331 B.C. to 168 B.C.
00:18:55.73\00:18:59.77
But history doesn't end
with this third kingdom.
00:18:59.77\00:19:05.14
Greece didn't
rule the world forever.
00:19:05.14\00:19:08.34
There was a fourth metal
after the gold of Babylon,
00:19:08.34\00:19:11.21
the silver of the Medes
and Persians, the bronze
00:19:11.21\00:19:14.08
of Greece. The next
kingdom is represented
00:19:14.08\00:19:17.72
by iron: "And the fourth kingdom
shall be as strong as iron."
00:19:17.72\00:19:23.83
Daniel 2:40 NKJV The last
kingdom to rule the entire
00:19:23.83\00:19:28.70
known world is
described as iron.
00:19:28.70\00:19:31.20
In 168 B.C. the
iron monarchy of Rome
00:19:31.20\00:19:35.44
overthrew the Greeks.
Just as legs form the longest
00:19:35.44\00:19:39.14
part of the body,
Rome had the longest reign
00:19:39.14\00:19:41.98
of any of the world powers.
Little by little, Rome rose
00:19:41.98\00:19:46.45
to power, fighting many
wars and enslaving many people.
00:19:46.45\00:19:49.92
By the time Jesus was born,
most of the then-known world
00:19:49.92\00:19:53.15
was under Roman rule.
You will remember that
00:19:53.15\00:19:55.99
Joseph and Mary were
on their way to pay taxes
00:19:55.99\00:19:58.29
to the Roman
ruler, Caesar Augustus,
00:19:58.29\00:20:00.80
when Jesus was born.
For more than 500 years,
00:20:00.80\00:20:04.07
Rome appeared to be
invincible -her flag waving from
00:20:04.07\00:20:06.97
the British Isles to the
Arabian Gulf, from the North Sea
00:20:06.97\00:20:10.14
to the Sahara
Desert, from the Atlantic
00:20:10.14\00:20:12.67
to the Euphrates and beyond.
But were the Romans the last
00:20:12.67\00:20:17.48
ruling empire of the world?
What did the Bible predict?
00:20:17.48\00:20:21.92
Here is what Daniel
wrote: "Whereas you saw the feet
00:20:21.92\00:20:25.32
and toes, partly of potter's
clay and partly of iron,
00:20:25.32\00:20:28.02
the kingdom shall be divided."
Daniel 2:41 NKJV How did
00:20:28.02\00:20:34.86
the Roman Empire break
up? The empires before it were
00:20:34.86\00:20:38.10
overcome by other
world powers - but not Rome.
00:20:38.10\00:20:41.50
If this prophecy is right,
it must predict what actually
00:20:41.50\00:20:46.64
happened in history
-that the legs of iron would
00:20:46.64\00:20:49.38
not be succeeded by a
fifth world-ruling power.
00:20:49.38\00:20:53.85
History confirms that
this seemingly unconquerable
00:20:53.85\00:20:56.99
Roman Empire crumbled
in two ways - from within
00:20:56.99\00:21:01.29
and from without.
Wealth poured into Rome
00:21:01.29\00:21:05.69
through taxes collected
from all over the world.
00:21:05.69\00:21:08.23
The simple Roman life
was replaced with luxury
00:21:08.23\00:21:10.93
and ease. The
political world brewed
00:21:10.93\00:21:14.04
with corruption, crime
infiltrated the streets,
00:21:14.04\00:21:16.84
the work ethic was lost
and immorality was rampant.
00:21:16.84\00:21:20.81
And as the mighty Roman
Empire weakened from within,
00:21:20.81\00:21:23.78
Rome was attacked from without
and divided into ten major
00:21:23.78\00:21:28.58
tribes. Ten is no coincidence.
00:21:28.58\00:21:31.62
The God of the Bible
looked down through the ages
00:21:31.62\00:21:34.16
of history and
foresaw this division of ten.
00:21:34.16\00:21:36.66
Therefore, this time
period of history is symbolized
00:21:36.66\00:21:40.16
by the ten toes of
Nebuchadnezzar's image.
00:21:40.16\00:21:43.83
These ten tribes were
the Alamanni who settled
00:21:43.83\00:21:46.80
in what has become
Germany, the Franks who settled
00:21:46.80\00:21:49.74
in France, the Anglo-Saxons
in England, the Visigoths
00:21:49.74\00:21:53.68
in Spain, the Suevi
in Portugal, the Lombards
00:21:53.68\00:21:57.75
in Italy, and the
Burgundians in Switzerland.
00:21:57.75\00:22:01.58
Originally the Vandals,
Ostrogoths, and Heruli took
00:22:01.58\00:22:04.92
over parts of the
Roman Empire, but they
00:22:04.92\00:22:07.22
were eventually destroyed.
Daniel 2:42, 43 predicted
00:22:07.22\00:22:11.73
history from the time of
the downfall of the Roman
00:22:11.73\00:22:13.90
Empire to the end of
time. No matter how many battles
00:22:13.90\00:22:17.40
are fought around the world,
no matter how many Hitlers
00:22:17.40\00:22:20.44
try to conquer the world,
no matter how many Napoleons,
00:22:20.44\00:22:23.81
no matter how many Charlemagnes,
no matter how many times
00:22:23.81\00:22:27.48
men try to unite the
world as one kingdom,
00:22:27.48\00:22:31.45
they will not succeed.
In vain world leaders seek
00:22:31.45\00:22:35.35
to conquer the world.
The Bible says that just
00:22:35.35\00:22:38.09
as iron and clay will not
mix together, so the world will
00:22:38.09\00:22:41.69
not unite again
under one ruler again.
00:22:41.69\00:22:45.93
So where are we living
today? In the very toenails
00:22:45.93\00:22:50.03
of history! Every
part of this prophecy
00:22:50.03\00:22:52.57
has come to pass except for one.
00:22:52.57\00:22:56.81
"You watched while a
stone was cut out without hands,
00:22:56.81\00:23:00.31
which struck the image on
its feet of iron and clay,
00:23:00.31\00:23:03.18
and broke them in pieces.
"And in the days of these
00:23:03.18\00:23:07.02
kings the God of heaven will
set up a kingdom which shall
00:23:07.02\00:23:11.32
never be destroyed;
...it shall break in pieces
00:23:11.32\00:23:14.69
and consume all these kingdoms,
and it shall stand forever.
00:23:14.69\00:23:21.00
Daniel 2:34, 44 NKJV History
has followed this prophecy
00:23:21.00\00:23:27.27
like a blueprint and
will continue to do so.
00:23:27.27\00:23:30.74
The political workings of
this planet aren't random.
00:23:30.74\00:23:34.71
God has been guiding
and controlling all along,
00:23:34.71\00:23:38.01
and only one kingdom
remains to rule the world -
00:23:38.01\00:23:42.48
God's kingdom. That
rock, cut out without
00:23:42.48\00:23:45.52
hands, that is the one
kingdom, which will rule
00:23:45.52\00:23:49.02
forever. John,
in Revelation speaks
00:23:49.02\00:23:52.59
about this coming kingdom,
he says this: "And there
00:23:52.59\00:23:57.20
were loud voices in heaven,
saying, 'The kingdoms of this
00:23:57.20\00:24:00.70
world have become the kingdoms
of our Lord and of His Christ,
00:24:00.70\00:24:04.81
and He shall
reign forever and ever."
00:24:04.81\00:24:09.48
Revelation 11:15
That's the only kingdom
00:24:09.48\00:24:12.78
left to be
established. Soon Jesus Christ,
00:24:12.78\00:24:16.05
the Messiah, born in a stable
in Bethlehem 2000 years ago,
00:24:16.05\00:24:21.32
is going to visit us
again. The heavens will depart
00:24:21.32\00:24:24.93
as a scroll, and Christ
and the angels of heaven
00:24:24.93\00:24:28.33
will descend to the earth
and gather the waiting saints
00:24:28.33\00:24:31.57
of God. And as the Bible says,
00:24:31.57\00:24:34.54
"So shall we ever
be with the Lord."
00:24:34.54\00:24:39.54
So we've seen two
things today: one, the Bible
00:24:39.54\00:24:42.94
can be trusted. This
prophecy is startlingly
00:24:42.94\00:24:45.65
accurate, just like
so many other prophecies
00:24:45.65\00:24:48.18
in the Word of God.
You can have confidence
00:24:48.18\00:24:51.05
in God's Word.
And if the prophecy
00:24:51.05\00:24:53.05
is to be trusted - and
we've seen that it is -
00:24:53.05\00:24:55.12
then we can know that Jesus
is coming back to this world...
00:24:55.12\00:24:58.66
soon.
00:24:58.66\00:25:00.70
Let me ask you,
friend. Are you ready?
00:25:01.73\00:25:03.73
Ready for that great
day? Do you know Jesus Christ?
00:25:03.73\00:25:07.70
Have you made that
simple decision to trust Him,
00:25:07.70\00:25:10.61
to have faith in Him, to
accept Jesus as your Saviour?
00:25:10.61\00:25:16.28
If not, you can choose
right now and allow Jesus
00:25:16.28\00:25:21.48
to be the centre of your
life. Let's do that right now.
00:25:21.48\00:25:25.02
Let's pray. Our
Father in heaven,
00:25:25.02\00:25:28.42
what a blessing to
know that your Word is sure.
00:25:28.42\00:25:31.53
How thankful men and
women around the world can be
00:25:31.53\00:25:35.23
that there is something that
can be trusted and someone who
00:25:35.23\00:25:38.80
can be trusted, just
as you have traced history
00:25:38.80\00:25:42.67
with unerring accuracy.
Lord, we know Jesus will
00:25:42.67\00:25:47.78
soon return and set up
that kingdom that will never
00:25:47.78\00:25:49.91
pass away. We
want to be part of it.
00:25:49.91\00:25:53.65
So we choose
now to choose Jesus.
00:25:53.65\00:25:57.29
We invite you into our lives.
I ask you to live in us both
00:25:57.29\00:26:02.49
to will and to do for your
good pleasure and let us be
00:26:02.49\00:26:05.83
prepared through
Jesus for that great day
00:26:05.83\00:26:08.33
when Jesus returns.
This we pray thanking you
00:26:08.33\00:26:11.37
in Jesus' name, amen.
00:26:11.37\00:26:16.40
I hope you'll get the book
I'm offering you this week,
00:26:38.49\00:26:39.73
it's called Revelation Today.
00:26:39.73\00:26:41.73
It adds a lot of
details to the end-time scenario
00:26:41.73\00:26:44.00
presented in the
Book of Revelation.
00:26:44.00\00:26:45.80
This little book is
going to help you understand
00:26:45.80\00:26:48.20
what the Book of
Revelation is really all about.
00:26:48.20\00:26:50.64
It untangles the
end-time prophetic scenario
00:26:50.64\00:26:52.71
to let you see how the battle
between good and evil ultimately
00:26:52.71\00:26:56.14
plays out. Just call or write
00:26:56.14\00:26:58.15
and I will send
you Revelation Today.
00:26:58.15\00:27:00.22
There is no cost, no obligation.
00:27:00.22\00:27:02.22
It is absolutely free.
All you need to do is call
00:27:02.22\00:27:04.22
1.800.253.3000 and
ask for Revelation Today.
00:27:04.22\00:27:06.22
You can call 24-hours a
day. If the line is busy, please
00:27:06.22\00:27:10.06
just keep on trying.
You can also request your
00:27:10.06\00:27:12.39
free copy of
Revelation Today by writing to
00:27:12.39\00:27:14.73
It Is Written, Box O,
Thousand Oaks, California 91359.
00:27:14.73\00:27:19.30
We'll mail you a
copy to your address
00:27:19.30\00:27:22.14
in North America.
Please note this free book
00:27:22.14\00:27:24.97
is limited to
the supply on hand.
00:27:24.97\00:27:27.41
To get it right away,
you can download a free
00:27:27.41\00:27:29.41
electronic version of the
book Revelation Today from
00:27:29.41\00:27:31.35
our website, itiswritten.com.
00:27:31.35\00:27:34.95
It Is Written is a faith-based
ministry made possible
00:27:34.95\00:27:37.42
by viewers like you.
Your tax-deductible gift
00:27:37.42\00:27:40.49
can be sent to the address
on your screen or you can
00:27:40.49\00:27:42.82
support us on-line
at itiswritten.com.
00:27:42.82\00:27:47.46
Thanks for joining me
today. I look forward to seeing
00:27:49.80\00:27:51.83
you next time.
Until then remember -
00:27:51.83\00:27:54.64
It Is Written: man
shall not live by bread alone,
00:27:54.64\00:27:58.24
but by every word that
proceeds from the mouth
00:27:58.24\00:28:01.18