[music] Thanks
for joining me today
00:01:31.42\00:01:53.41
on It Is Written.
I'm John Bradshaw.
00:01:53.41\00:01:55.88
I'm glad to have you with
me. The Bible is full of great
00:01:55.88\00:01:58.65
stories. We can
think of the story of
00:01:58.65\00:02:01.18
the Exodus, when Moses
led Israel out of Egyptian
00:02:01.18\00:02:03.95
slavery, through the Red
Sea that was miraculously opened
00:02:03.95\00:02:06.76
up by God, then through
the wilderness for forty years
00:02:06.76\00:02:09.46
while God fed them
with bread from heaven.
00:02:09.46\00:02:11.73
A great, great story.
In the Bible there's the
00:02:11.73\00:02:15.23
story of Joseph.
Betrayed by his brothers and
00:02:15.23\00:02:17.70
sold into slavery in
Egypt, Joseph made an incredible
00:02:17.70\00:02:21.67
rise from languishing in a
prison cell to being second
00:02:21.67\00:02:23.20
person only to Pharaoh
in the Egyptian government.
00:02:23.20\00:02:27.44
He was reunited with his
family and was responsible
00:02:27.44\00:02:29.91
for getting God's people
AND Egypt through a devastating
00:02:29.91\00:02:32.88
famine. High
drama, and a magnificent
00:02:32.88\00:02:35.12
story. We could
add to that list and
00:02:35.12\00:02:38.59
mention Nehemiah restoring
Jerusalem and building the
00:02:38.59\00:02:41.89
wall of the city while his
enemies were trying to ruin
00:02:41.89\00:02:44.76
his work. There's
the story of Esther,
00:02:44.76\00:02:47.13
who rose from difficulty
to become the Queen of the
00:02:47.13\00:02:49.36
Medo-Persian Empire, married
to the most powerful man on
00:02:49.36\00:02:52.70
the planet - and used by
God to bring deliverance to her
00:02:52.70\00:02:56.24
people. Now these
stories don't just
00:02:56.24\00:03:00.48
exist merely to be good stories.
00:03:00.48\00:03:02.71
They're not in the Bible just
to entertain us or as bedtime
00:03:02.71\00:03:04.88
stories for our children.
The great Bible stories were
00:03:04.88\00:03:09.32
carefully preserved and
then included in the Bible to
00:03:09.32\00:03:12.82
teach important lessons -
lessons about God and about
00:03:12.82\00:03:15.42
faith and about
prophecy and about salvation and
00:03:15.42\00:03:18.43
forgiveness and redemption.
Those stories are in the
00:03:18.43\00:03:21.43
Bible to give us hope and
understanding and insight.
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There's a well-known Bible
story we're going to look at
00:03:25.87\00:03:28.14
today. It comes
to us from the times
00:03:28.14\00:03:30.14
of the prophet Daniel.
And at the end of our program
00:03:30.14\00:03:33.74
today I'm going to tell you
how you can get a copy of an
00:03:33.74\00:03:36.38
important book I've written
on the subject of the Book of
00:03:36.38\00:03:38.58
Revelation, explaining
some of Revelation's great
00:03:38.58\00:03:41.75
prophecies and showing what
the book of Revelation, what
00:03:41.75\00:03:45.29
End-Time Prophecy
is REALLY all about.
00:03:45.29\00:03:47.59
So make sure you get that
information at the end of the
00:03:47.59\00:03:49.49
program today so we can
get today's free book to you.
00:03:49.49\00:03:53.56
[Music] The book of Daniel
is an enormously important book
00:03:53.56\00:03:59.23
of the Bible, especially
relating to last-day Bible
00:03:59.23\00:04:01.87
prophecy. Jesus
quoted from the book of
00:04:01.87\00:04:04.31
Daniel. John borrowed a lot of
00:04:04.31\00:04:06.71
imagery from the book of
Daniel when he was writing
00:04:06.71\00:04:09.18
Revelation. Daniel
was raised in the city
00:04:09.18\00:04:12.78
of Jerusalem, but of the 363
verses in the book of Daniel,
00:04:12.78\00:04:18.35
Daniel himself is in Babylon
or the kingdom of Babylon for
00:04:18.35\00:04:22.49
362 of them. And
that's significant.
00:04:22.49\00:04:27.30
[Music] In the opening verse
of the book of Daniel God's
00:04:27.30\00:04:31.27
people are attacked - in
fact conquered - by the ruling
00:04:31.27\00:04:33.77
heathen power in the
world. Stop an think about that.
00:04:33.77\00:04:36.57
That is shocking.
God's people were intended to
00:04:36.57\00:04:39.57
be the recipients of the
blessings of God, especially
00:04:39.57\00:04:44.68
providence of God. But
instead they experienced
00:04:44.68\00:04:48.72
70 years of
captivity in Babylon.
00:04:48.72\00:04:51.75
The prophet Jeremiah
prophesied this would happen,
00:04:51.75\00:04:54.92
and he tells us why in
Jeremiah chapter 25, we'll
00:04:54.92\00:04:59.49
start in verse 4:
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Now notice this.
Here's what God says next,
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Judah had disobeyed God.
Instead of being faithful to
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God they even went so far
as to serve and worship other
00:05:45.34\00:05:47.81
gods. And that's
something God just
00:05:47.81\00:05:50.08
couldn't tolerate - when
His people rejecting Him and
00:05:50.08\00:05:52.95
serving other gods,
living lives of disobedience.
00:05:52.95\00:05:55.62
So, here's what God said.
00:05:55.62\00:05:58.55
Judah went into captivity
because of their unfaithfulness
00:06:41.20\00:06:44.23
to God - and because
they rejected the true God and
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served and worshiped false gods.
00:06:50.47\00:06:51.74
I think it's important
that we notice something here.
00:06:51.74\00:06:54.21
Here's what God did.
Instead of just cutting them
00:06:54.21\00:06:56.38
off forever, God had a
plan to work with Judah and to
00:06:56.38\00:07:00.68
bring His people to the place
where they would turn back to
00:07:00.68\00:07:02.95
Him. Even though going into
00:07:02.95\00:07:05.42
captivity was tough
medicine, it was God's mercy on
00:07:05.42\00:07:08.42
display. God had
chosen His people to
00:07:08.42\00:07:12.23
be a light to the world -
in fact, Paul said in Acts 13
00:07:12.23\00:07:15.53
that the children of Israel
had been chosen by God to be
00:07:15.53\00:07:17.27
a light to the Gentiles,
meaning, essentially, that
00:07:17.27\00:07:22.84
God wanted to use Israel
to share the knowledge of His
00:07:22.84\00:07:26.91
goodness with the whole world
- including, ultimately, to
00:07:26.91\00:07:28.78
you and me. If
Israel was failing
00:07:28.78\00:07:31.08
miserably in staying close
to God's will, God could hardly
00:07:31.08\00:07:34.12
use them as His
witnesses to the world.
00:07:34.12\00:07:38.02
God didn't give up
on His people easily.
00:07:38.02\00:07:41.42
Speaking of the northern
kingdom of Israel, God said
00:07:41.42\00:07:44.03
this in Hosea 11:8,
00:07:44.03\00:07:47.00
Now when we say
Judah was sliding into sin
00:08:00.14\00:08:04.11
and apostasy, we're not
talking small-time stuff.
00:08:04.11\00:08:05.78
Jeremiah writes that
there was murder going on, and
00:08:05.78\00:08:08.62
oppression, and
Sabbath-breaking, Baal
00:08:08.62\00:08:12.25
worship - and that was some
seriously bad stuff involving
00:08:12.25\00:08:14.59
terrible immorality
and even child sacrifice.
00:08:14.59\00:08:19.16
God felt he had to resort
to drastic measures to get the
00:08:19.16\00:08:21.76
attention of His
people. God said,
00:08:21.76\00:08:26.57
So Israel, acting
like they were doing
00:08:39.68\00:08:42.38
nothing wrong, went
into captivity, with God's
00:08:42.38\00:08:45.52
intention being that when
they came out of captivity
00:08:45.52\00:08:48.62
they would have experience
or would have experienced a
00:08:48.62\00:08:51.83
change of heart.
00:08:51.83\00:08:53.36
[Music] And it was while they
00:08:54.10\00:08:56.23
were in Babylon that God
communicated some of the most
00:08:56.23\00:08:58.53
remarkable prophecies in
the Bible to and through a young
00:08:58.53\00:09:03.30
man named Daniel. We
are going to look at one
00:09:03.30\00:09:06.01
of those remarkable
prophecies - one with immense
00:09:06.01\00:09:09.48
significance for
earth's last days - in just a
00:09:09.48\00:09:12.48
moment. [Music]
00:09:12.48\00:09:25.56
I hope you'll get the book
I'm offering you this week.
00:09:25.56\00:09:28.86
It's called "Revelation Today",
it unfolds the end-time scenario
00:09:28.86\00:09:33.47
presented in the
book of Revelation.
00:09:33.47\00:09:35.54
Just call or write and I'll
send you "Revelation Today".
00:09:35.54\00:09:38.77
There's no cost, no obligation.
All you need to do is call
00:09:38.77\00:09:42.24
1-800-253-3000, and
ask for "Revelation Today".
00:09:42.24\00:09:47.08
You can call 24 hours a
day. You can also request your
00:09:47.08\00:09:50.35
free copy of "Revelation
Today" by writing to:
00:09:50.35\00:09:53.69
It Is Written, P O Box 6,
Chattanooga, Tennessee 37401,
00:09:53.69\00:09:59.29
and we'll mail you a copy to
your address in North America.
00:09:59.29\00:10:02.63
To get it right away you
can download a FREE electronic
00:10:02.63\00:10:05.37
version of the
book "Revelation Today"
00:10:05.37\00:10:07.34
from our
website: itiswritten.com
00:10:07.34\00:10:09.84
Our toll-free
number is: 1-800-253-3000.
00:10:09.84\00:10:14.71
And our web
address is: itiswritten.com
00:10:14.71\00:10:18.75
[Music] Every
Word is a one minute
00:10:20.05\00:10:21.95
Bible-based daily
devotional presented by
00:10:21.95\00:10:24.52
Pastor John Bradshaw and
designed especially for busy
00:10:24.52\00:10:27.09
people like you. Look
for Every Word on selected
00:10:27.09\00:10:30.56
networks or watch it
on-line everyday on our website
00:10:30.56\00:10:33.43
itiswritten.com.
00:10:33.43\00:10:35.36
[Music]
00:10:36.16\00:10:39.13
It's entirely appropriate
to ask yourself at times, "Why
00:10:43.77\00:10:46.41
did God say that?
What's the reason God
00:10:46.41\00:10:48.58
told us this thing or
showed us some other thing?"
00:10:48.58\00:10:50.98
In Exodus 20:4 we read
that God says, "Thou shalt not
00:10:50.98\00:10:54.58
make unto thee
any graven image."
00:10:54.58\00:10:56.85
And He goes on to say we
shouldn't bow down to them
00:10:56.85\00:10:58.65
and worship them. Why is that?
00:10:58.65\00:11:01.36
Well I'll tell you.
Idol worship is false worship
00:11:01.36\00:11:03.73
- and limiting one's conception
of God to a carving or statue
00:11:03.73\00:11:06.43
or idol that can't speak or
see or hear seriously restricts
00:11:06.43\00:11:09.93
your understanding
of who and what God is.
00:11:09.93\00:11:12.27
Not only that - get confused
about who God is and you'll
00:11:12.27\00:11:16.07
be confused about who YOU are.
00:11:16.07\00:11:18.07
Idolatry drags God down low.
While you likely don't have a
00:11:18.07\00:11:22.21
golden calf in your living room
maybe there are other idols in
00:11:22.21\00:11:25.31
your life - other
things you've put before God?
00:11:25.31\00:11:27.82
Worth thinking about - and
worth getting rid of if need be.
00:11:27.82\00:11:31.55
I'm John Bradshaw
for It Is Written.
00:11:31.55\00:11:33.42
Let's live today by Every Word.
00:11:33.42\00:11:36.73
I'm John Bradshaw -
Thanks for joining me today
00:11:36.73\00:11:38.63
on It Is Written. And
please be sure to stay by
00:11:38.63\00:11:41.40
at the end of this program
and get today's free gift book,
00:11:41.40\00:11:43.40
Revelation Today, which will
help you get a whole lot more
00:11:43.40\00:11:47.30
out of Bible prophecy
and will help you understand
00:11:47.30\00:11:49.00
what the book of
Revelation is really all about.
00:11:49.00\00:11:51.91
There's a lot more to it
than beasts and horns and images
00:11:51.91\00:11:54.04
and symbols. And
Revelation Today will
00:11:54.04\00:11:55.98
help you see that. [Music]
00:11:55.98\00:12:00.48
When King
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon
00:12:00.48\00:12:02.05
attacked the city of
Jerusalem, many Jews were
00:12:02.05\00:12:04.65
taken captive and marched
across the hot Middle Eastern
00:12:04.65\00:12:07.86
desert to Babylon - situated
in what we would call today
00:12:07.86\00:12:11.66
Iraq. Daniel was
most likely just a
00:12:11.66\00:12:13.90
teenager at the time, a young
man - you could get away with
00:12:13.90\00:12:16.67
calling him a boy. And
he was separated from his
00:12:16.67\00:12:19.53
family and taken to a
foreign land and immersed in
00:12:19.53\00:12:23.37
paganism. His
denomination didn't have
00:12:23.37\00:12:25.71
any churches in Babylon,
so Daniel was really separated
00:12:25.71\00:12:27.98
from his upbringing
and his religious customs.
00:12:27.98\00:12:30.51
And he couldn't worship God
in the manner in which he was
00:12:30.51\00:12:34.65
accustomed. As soon
as Daniel arrived in
00:12:34.65\00:12:38.85
Babylon the challenges
came at him thick and fast.
00:12:38.85\00:12:41.69
Daniel was challenged on
the basis of his faith in God.
00:12:41.69\00:12:44.46
[Music] So what would he do
00:12:45.86\00:12:48.40
when he was tested on
the principles in which he
00:12:48.40\00:12:49.80
believed? No
sooner had Daniel arrived
00:12:49.80\00:12:53.34
in Babylon than he
was faced with a dilemma.
00:12:53.34\00:12:55.10
The King had ordered that
some of the outstanding youth
00:12:55.10\00:12:57.57
that head been brought to
Babylon should be fed with
00:12:57.57\00:13:00.08
food from the royal household
- really a great privilege.
00:13:00.08\00:13:01.68
But to eat the kings
food would have been almost
00:13:01.68\00:13:06.08
certainly for Daniel to eat
unclean food, and he knew God
00:13:06.08\00:13:08.52
didn't want him
eating unclean food.
00:13:08.52\00:13:12.25
On the other hand, to refuse
to eat the food would have
00:13:12.25\00:13:13.59
been to incur the
wrath of the king.
00:13:13.59\00:13:15.46
So Daniel could either eat
the food and dishonor God, or
00:13:15.46\00:13:19.16
not eat the food and dishonor
the king - and maybe, in
00:13:19.16\00:13:25.53
fact, probably definitely
- be severely punished.
00:13:25.53\00:13:28.77
In choosing to honor God,
God honored Daniel and worked it
00:13:28.77\00:13:30.67
out that Daniel could eat
a simple vegetarian diet, and
00:13:30.67\00:13:33.68
as a result Daniel and his
friends Shadrach, Meshach and
00:13:33.68\00:13:36.38
Abednego were blessed by God
with good health and with the
00:13:36.38\00:13:38.88
favor of the
Babylonian officers.
00:13:38.88\00:13:43.08
Daniel learned early in
Babylon that it was better to
00:13:43.08\00:13:46.45
put God first, no
matter what the cost might be.
00:13:46.45\00:13:49.09
[Music]
00:13:50.86\00:13:54.36
Then in Daniel chapter
two, King Nebuchadnezzar
00:13:54.86\00:13:56.77
had a remarkable dream
where he saw a great image.
00:13:56.77\00:13:59.37
The image had a head made
out of gold, its chest and arms
00:13:59.37\00:14:02.04
were of silver, its
mid-section was bronze, its
00:14:02.04\00:14:04.64
legs were made of iron
and its feet were made out of
00:14:04.64\00:14:07.14
iron and clay.
Ultimately, in answer to the
00:14:07.14\00:14:18.62
prayers of Daniel and
his three friends, God gave
00:14:18.62\00:14:21.59
Daniel the interpretation
of the dream and Daniel
00:14:21.59\00:14:24.66
explained it to the king.
Daniel explained to the king
00:14:24.66\00:14:32.00
that the dream was about
the rising and falling of
00:14:32.00\00:14:36.20
kingdoms, and that the
kingdom of Babylon would one
00:14:36.20\00:14:38.81
day be conquered
by another kingdom.
00:14:38.81\00:14:41.84
Shocking news to the king.
Daniel told of the time that
00:14:41.84\00:14:48.18
a great Rock would come
and sweep away the kingdoms of
00:14:48.18\00:14:50.95
the world. In
other words, Jesus would
00:14:50.95\00:14:53.15
return to the earth and set
up a kingdom that would last
00:14:53.15\00:14:54.86
forever. And then
in Daniel 3, we see
00:14:54.86\00:15:02.50
an important theme develop
that actually has prophetic
00:15:02.50\00:15:05.00
ramifications. While
Daniel 3 contains one
00:15:05.00\00:15:07.44
of the great Bible stories,
there's an important lesson
00:15:07.44\00:15:11.84
in that story that helps
us to understand the great
00:15:11.84\00:15:13.94
spiritual crisis
soon to come to the world.
00:15:13.94\00:15:15.71
Keep this in mind.
God's people were in
00:15:15.71\00:15:17.98
captivity in large part
because they had stopped
00:15:17.98\00:15:21.45
worshiping God. And
Daniel 3 deals with this
00:15:21.45\00:15:25.02
question of worship.
Daniel himself doesn't appear
00:15:25.02\00:15:28.59
in Daniel 3 - we're not
told where he is but we can
00:15:28.59\00:15:33.23
presume he was out of Babylon
on business for the king.
00:15:33.23\00:15:35.23
By now he has been
promoted by Nebuchadnezzar to a
00:15:35.23\00:15:37.40
position of great authority,
and Daniel isn't mentioned at
00:15:37.40\00:15:42.07
all in chapter 3, at
least not in this story.
00:15:42.07\00:15:43.84
King Nebuchadnezzar had a
statue built like the one he
00:15:43.84\00:15:44.94
saw in his dream, except
unlike the image in his dream
00:15:44.94\00:15:48.41
this image was
made entirely of gold.
00:15:48.41\00:15:55.85
That was Nebuchadnezzar's
way of saying, My kingdom isn't
00:15:55.85\00:15:59.32
passing away not matter
what Daniel's God says!'
00:15:59.32\00:16:02.06
Imagine this! The
statue was 90 feet
00:16:02.06\00:16:06.36
high and made of solid
gold. Nebuchadnezzar called
00:16:06.36\00:16:10.77
everyone who was anyone to
assemble on the plain of Dura
00:16:10.77\00:16:13.57
to inaugurate the image.
They would bow down to it -
00:16:13.57\00:16:16.57
and worship it. And
Nebuchadnezzar made clear
00:16:16.57\00:16:19.61
that anyone who refused to
worship this image would be
00:16:19.61\00:16:22.88
thrown into a fiery furnace.
Nebuchadnezzar had a lot of
00:16:22.88\00:16:26.05
building done while he was
king - there were kilns all
00:16:26.05\00:16:28.28
over Babylon, for building
bricks, and in Iraq as it was
00:16:28.28\00:16:35.69
then there was no shortage
of fuel to get a fire burning
00:16:35.69\00:16:38.76
white hot. But
Shadrach, Meshach and
00:16:38.76\00:16:42.00
Abednego wouldn't
bow down to the image.
00:16:42.00\00:16:45.13
Even though their lives
were on the line, they wouldn't
00:16:45.13\00:16:47.17
violate their conscience
and they wouldn't dishonor God,
00:16:47.17\00:16:51.37
even though they were
miles from home and even though
00:16:51.37\00:16:53.98
what they were being
asked to do was culturally and
00:16:53.98\00:16:56.95
religiously
acceptable where they were.
00:16:56.95\00:17:00.38
They wouldn't do it. To
them, worshiping God was
00:17:00.38\00:17:03.65
sacred. It was
important enough that
00:17:03.65\00:17:06.86
they would lose their
lives over it if they had to.
00:17:06.86\00:17:10.03
They wouldn't give
their worship to anyone
00:17:10.03\00:17:13.86
but God. And
something incredible
00:17:13.86\00:17:19.23
happened. When
they went into that
00:17:19.23\00:17:21.54
fiery furnace, Jesus stood
with them in the flames and
00:17:21.54\00:17:25.94
they weren't hurt.
Their hair wasn't even singed
00:17:25.94\00:17:30.01
and they and when they
came out of the furnace, they
00:17:30.01\00:17:32.38
didn't even smell of smoke.
Nebuchadnezzar said this in
00:17:32.38\00:17:34.98
Daniel 3:24 and 25,
00:17:34.98\00:17:37.85
The pre-incarnate
Christ stood with them.
00:17:58.04\00:18:00.38
The Son of God came
from heaven to honor these
00:18:00.38\00:18:02.41
faithful young men who
chose to worship God rather than
00:18:02.41\00:18:05.25
compromise and bow down
before an idol - even though
00:18:05.25\00:18:08.62
they might pay for
that with their lives.
00:18:08.62\00:18:12.25
That's courage, isn't
it? That's faithfulness.
00:18:12.25\00:18:15.36
In the Ten Commandments
God says in the first
00:18:15.36\00:18:17.56
commandment, Thou shalt
have no other gods before me.
00:18:17.56\00:18:20.36
Exodus 20:3, KJV And God says
00:18:20.36\00:18:22.80
in the second commandment,
speaking of idols and images,
00:18:22.80\00:18:26.23
Thou shalt not bow down
thyself to them, nor serve
00:18:26.23\00:18:28.54
them. Exodus 20:5 KJV
00:18:28.54\00:18:32.31
These young men understood that.
00:18:32.31\00:18:34.41
Worship was important to them.
00:18:34.41\00:18:36.31
Worshiping God God's
way was important to them.
00:18:36.31\00:18:40.42
There's a great prophetic
connection between what
00:18:40.42\00:18:43.35
happened out there on the
Plain of Dura that day and
00:18:43.35\00:18:45.32
what s going to take place
in the world just before Jesus
00:18:45.32\00:18:50.23
returns. We'll
look at that next.
00:18:50.23\00:18:55.26
[Music]
00:18:56.20\00:19:07.08
It's time for today's
bible question - here it is:
00:19:12.48\00:19:15.58
If God is supposed to be
all about love, why did my Dad
00:19:15.58\00:19:19.39
die of cancer last year?
I prayed for him to live.
00:19:19.39\00:19:23.83
I've been struggling
with the idea that maybe God
00:19:23.83\00:19:27.46
doesn't love me.
That's a serious concern.
00:19:27.46\00:19:32.57
The one thing you can know
for sure is that God is love.
00:19:32.57\00:19:36.37
The Bible says those very
words in 1 John 4. John 3:16 -
00:19:36.37\00:19:41.14
"For God so LOVED the world..."
The situation you've referred to
00:19:41.14\00:19:45.78
is very serious - it's
tragic. I'm very sorry.
00:19:45.78\00:19:49.78
In the Bible there were numerous
sad or tragic situations.
00:19:49.78\00:19:54.46
John the Baptist lost his
life. Peter was imprisoned and
00:19:54.46\00:19:57.76
was freed by God,
but James was imprisoned
00:19:57.76\00:20:00.30
and lost his life. Now
does that mean God didn't
00:20:00.30\00:20:03.80
love or care about those people?
00:20:03.80\00:20:06.23
Of course not. The
sad fact is that we live
00:20:06.23\00:20:09.34
in a world of sin.
When Adam and Eve chose
00:20:09.34\00:20:12.17
to come out from under God's
dominion, sin was introduced
00:20:12.17\00:20:15.61
into the world. Satan
worked in the human family
00:20:15.61\00:20:18.45
and introduced all kinds of sin.
Disease is one of the results
00:20:18.45\00:20:23.15
of the sin problem.
God could have stopped sin
00:20:23.15\00:20:26.09
and sickness from happening,
but only if He took away
00:20:26.09\00:20:30.09
people's freedom of choice.
And what kind of world would it
00:20:30.09\00:20:32.96
be if we didn't
have freedom of choice?
00:20:32.96\00:20:35.53
When humans sinned, God
decided that He would let sin
00:20:35.53\00:20:38.87
run its course - even knowing
that there would be terrible
00:20:38.87\00:20:42.24
consequences.
However, in the middle of
00:20:42.24\00:20:44.67
all of that He has given us
the opportunity to choose to
00:20:44.67\00:20:47.31
follow Him and to
be ultimately restored.
00:20:47.31\00:20:50.15
Now keep this in
mind. God knows what you're
00:20:50.15\00:20:53.35
going through. He
lost a Son because of sin
00:20:53.35\00:20:57.95
in the world. You
can be sure that God
00:20:57.95\00:20:59.89
is familiar with
your pain - by experience.
00:20:59.89\00:21:03.16
Sin even cost Jesus His life.
Now, the great news is that
00:21:03.16\00:21:07.76
Jesus is coming again.
There'll be a resurrection
00:21:07.76\00:21:11.67
on that day. The
Bible says the dead
00:21:11.67\00:21:14.37
in Christ shall rise.
And you can look forward
00:21:14.37\00:21:17.61
to seeing your father again,
and knowing that we'll all
00:21:17.61\00:21:21.04
live together in a world
where there will be no more sin,
00:21:21.04\00:21:23.78
no more death, no more sadness.
00:21:23.78\00:21:26.51
God is going to
make it all okay.
00:21:26.51\00:21:29.85
You can trust
Him. He DOES love you.
00:21:29.85\00:21:34.52
You can submit your
Bible questions to us here at
00:21:34.52\00:21:36.69
It Is Written by going to
our website: itiswritten.com.
00:21:36.69\00:21:40.43
Hit the QUESTIONS tab and
then submit your question,
00:21:40.43\00:21:43.73
and in a future program --
all going well, hopefully --
00:21:43.73\00:21:47.50
I'll be able to
answer your Bible question.
00:21:47.50\00:21:51.17
On It Is Written today
we're looking at the prophetic
00:21:56.95\00:21:58.85
connection between the
experience of the three
00:21:58.85\00:22:01.22
young men in the fiery furnace,
and the prophecies of the Book
00:22:01.22\00:22:04.52
of Revelation - end-time
prophecies that will very
00:22:04.52\00:22:06.92
likely affect most
people watching this program.
00:22:06.92\00:22:10.06
Let's look at the
book of Revelation.
00:22:10.06\00:22:12.36
In Revelation 13, a
beast rises up out of the sea.
00:22:12.36\00:22:15.56
We've mentioned before on
It Is Written that in prophecy
00:22:15.56\00:22:17.40
a beast represents a kingdom.
If you want Biblical evidence
00:22:17.40\00:22:21.54
for that you look in Daniel
7, where in verse 23 it says,
00:22:21.54\00:22:24.81
The fourth beast shall be
the fourth kingdom on earth.
00:22:24.81\00:22:28.18
Daniel 7:23 KJV That's clear.
00:22:28.18\00:22:30.18
In Revelation, beasts rising
up out of the sea represent
00:22:30.18\00:22:33.35
nations rising up out of
populated parts of the earth.
00:22:33.35\00:22:36.92
So if you want to make a
parallel, in Revelation 13
00:22:36.92\00:22:39.69
you have a kingdom or a
nation, just as you have in
00:22:39.69\00:22:42.69
Daniel 3. What
does the nation in
00:22:42.69\00:22:45.49
Revelation 13 do? We
read this, Revelation
00:22:45.49\00:22:49.06
13:4, it says,
00:22:49.06\00:22:52.00
Here's a kingdom
receiving worship -
00:22:58.17\00:23:01.38
worship that only
God should receive.
00:23:01.38\00:23:04.58
Now that's what was
going on in Daniel 3.
00:23:04.58\00:23:06.98
Now there's more on that.
Revelation 13:8 says, And all
00:23:06.98\00:23:12.79
that dwell upon the
earth shall worship him.
00:23:12.79\00:23:16.99
Revelation 13:8 KJV
And yet it goes further.
00:23:16.99\00:23:19.13
Remember, in Daniel 3 the
king enforced false worship,
00:23:19.13\00:23:23.23
and anyone who wouldn't
cooperate would be sentenced
00:23:23.23\00:23:25.73
to death. Now, do
we see that happening
00:23:25.73\00:23:28.97
in earth's last
days? Revelation 13:15,
00:23:28.97\00:23:32.37
Now let me ask you -
who should people worship?
00:23:47.99\00:23:50.86
Of course - God.
Getting away from worshipping
00:23:50.86\00:23:54.36
God was what led Israel into
apostasy in the first place.
00:23:54.36\00:23:57.57
But what's going to happen
in the final days of earth's
00:23:57.57\00:23:59.40
history? An
IMAGE will be set up -
00:23:59.40\00:24:02.87
that's what
happened in Daniel Chapter 3.
00:24:02.87\00:24:05.17
An image will be set up,
and all will be commanded
00:24:05.17\00:24:09.08
to worship the image.
Those who don't will be forced
00:24:09.08\00:24:12.55
to pay a high price for
that. Those who do worship the
00:24:12.55\00:24:16.92
image will receive what
the Bible calls the Mark of the
00:24:16.92\00:24:19.35
Beast and they'll be lost.
That's an even higher price
00:24:19.35\00:24:22.39
to pay. In
Daniel three, you have
00:24:22.39\00:24:25.06
the conflict of the last
days playing out in microcosm:
00:24:25.06\00:24:27.86
a pagan leader establishes
an image and commands false
00:24:27.86\00:24:31.07
worship contrary
to the will of God.
00:24:31.07\00:24:34.07
In Revelation 13 you have
the same thing, but on a global
00:24:34.07\00:24:36.91
scale: in contradiction to
the word of God, an image is
00:24:36.91\00:24:41.24
set up and false
worship is commanded.
00:24:41.24\00:24:44.58
And what we see in
Daniel is very telling: very few
00:24:44.58\00:24:48.28
opposed the false worship.
In Revelation 13:8 we read
00:24:48.28\00:24:56.96
this, And all that dwell upon
the earth shall worship him.
00:24:56.96\00:25:00.33
That's Revelation 13:8
Now here's something to keep
00:25:00.33\00:25:04.30
in mind. In John
4:24 Jesus said, God
00:25:04.30\00:25:07.24
is a Spirit: and they that
worship him must worship him
00:25:07.24\00:25:11.41
in spirit and in
truth. Worshiping God
00:25:11.41\00:25:16.18
God's way. If
we'll make the Bible the
00:25:16.18\00:25:19.35
basis for our lives we won't
have to worry about being on
00:25:19.35\00:25:22.28
the wrong side of this crisis.
00:25:22.28\00:25:23.89
If we've decided to do
what is in harmony with the word
00:25:23.89\00:25:25.85
of God - if God's will is
the basis for everything in our
00:25:25.85\00:25:29.16
lives, if Jesus is living
His life in us - we're going to
00:25:29.16\00:25:32.59
be okay. See,
the good news is that
00:25:32.59\00:25:36.16
God's people triumph in the end.
00:25:36.16\00:25:39.17
There's a massive spiritual
battle going on in the world
00:25:39.17\00:25:40.30
today, and there's an
enemy that wants no one to be
00:25:40.30\00:25:41.37
saved. But God's people who have
00:25:41.37\00:25:48.58
chosen to be faithful to
Him receive the Seal of God, and
00:25:48.58\00:25:51.88
can know that just like
Jesus stood in the fiery furnace
00:25:51.88\00:25:54.85
with Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego, He'll do it again
00:25:54.85\00:25:58.42
and stand with His
people in their time of trial.
00:25:58.42\00:26:03.63
The same Jesus who stood
with those three, faithful young
00:26:03.63\00:26:06.46
men says to us today, I
will never leave you or forsake
00:26:06.46\00:26:09.53
you. That's Hebrews
13:5, Lo, I am with you always,
00:26:09.53\00:26:11.63
even unto the end of
the world. Matthew 28:20
00:26:11.63\00:26:14.34
But he that shall
endure unto the end,
00:26:14.34\00:26:16.91
the same shall be
saved. Matthew 24:13
00:26:16.91\00:26:19.97
I hope you'll get the book
I'm offering you this week.
00:26:27.68\00:26:31.35
It's called Revelation Today,
and it unfold the end-time
00:26:31.35\00:26:34.19
scenario presented in
the book of Revelation.
00:26:34.19\00:26:37.16
This little book is going
to help you understand what
00:26:37.16\00:26:39.39
the book of
Revelation is really all about.
00:26:39.39\00:26:42.06
It untangles the end-time
prophetic scenario to let
00:26:42.06\00:26:45.67
you see how the battle between
good and evil ultimately plays
00:26:45.67\00:26:48.57
out. Just call or write and I'll
00:26:48.57\00:26:51.47
send you Revelation
Today . There's no cost, no
00:26:51.47\00:26:54.44
obligation.
It's absolutely free.
00:26:54.44\00:26:57.31
All you need to do is call
1-800-253-3000, and ask for
00:26:57.31\00:27:01.98
Revelation Today. You
can call 24 hours a day.
00:27:01.98\00:27:05.75
If the line's busy,
please, just keep on trying.
00:27:05.75\00:27:08.76
You can also request your
free copy of 'Revelation Today'
00:27:08.76\00:27:11.93
by writing to: It
Is Written, PO Box 6,
00:27:11.93\00:27:15.26
Chattanooga, Tennessee, 37401
00:27:15.26\00:27:18.97
and we will mail a copy to
your address in North America.
00:27:18.97\00:27:22.34
To get it right away you
can download a FREE electronic
00:27:22.34\00:27:25.07
version of the book
Revelation Today from our
00:27:25.07\00:27:27.41
website: itiswritten.com
It Is Written is a faith-based
00:27:27.41\00:27:32.35
ministry and your
support makes it possible for us
00:27:32.35\00:27:35.32
to share God's good
news with the world.
00:27:35.32\00:27:38.22
Your tax-deductible gift
can be sent to the address on
00:27:38.22\00:27:40.99
your screen, or
through our website at
00:27:40.99\00:27:43.26
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Thank you for your continued
00:27:43.26\00:27:46.29
support. Our
toll-free number is:
00:27:46.29\00:27:49.43
1-800-253-3000.
And our web address is:
00:27:49.43\00:27:53.40
itiswritten.com
00:27:53.40\00:27:56.67
There's a great
spiritual crisis coming.
00:27:57.47\00:28:00.08
God stood with those three
young men, Shadrach, Meshach
00:28:00.08\00:28:03.85
and Abednego when
they stood for him.
00:28:03.85\00:28:06.21
Let's pray together now that
we will follow God, God's way
00:28:06.21\00:28:08.85
and stand for Him today and
tomorrow, knowing that Jesus
00:28:08.85\00:28:11.52
will stand with us. Let's pray.
00:28:11.52\00:28:15.66
Our Father in heaven, we
thank you that we can know
00:28:15.66\00:28:17.73
you through faith in your
son Jesus, who died for us to
00:28:17.73\00:28:20.66
take care of our sin debt,
who died for us so that we in
00:28:20.66\00:28:24.63
turn could have faith in him
and receive new hearts and be
00:28:24.63\00:28:27.30
cleaned up of all of our mess.
00:28:27.30\00:28:29.60
We read in the Bible there
are challenging times ahead.
00:28:29.60\00:28:32.64
I know we don't have
to lose sleep about that.
00:28:32.64\00:28:35.01
But I also know that we
need to be making decisions now,
00:28:35.01\00:28:39.35
Lord, that our hearts
are given to you so that as
00:28:39.35\00:28:42.22
Christ lives his life in
us, we can stand for you no
00:28:42.22\00:28:45.55
matter what. Thank
you that Jesus stands
00:28:45.55\00:28:47.82
with us. Keep us
and bless us, please.
00:28:47.82\00:28:52.06
We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.
00:28:52.06\00:28:56.06
[Music]
00:29:01.64\00:29:14.85
Thank you for joining me today.
I look forward to seeing you
00:29:16.22\00:29:18.22
again next time.
Until then, please remember:
00:29:18.22\00:29:20.82
It is written: Man shall
not live by bread alone, but by
00:29:20.82\00:29:25.63
every word that
proceeds from the mouth of God.
00:29:25.63\00:29:30.27
[Music]
00:29:31.47\00:29:39.44