¤[music ends]¤¤
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>>John Bradshaw: Thanks for
joining me on "It Is Written."
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We're looking at Daniel
7 in our continuing series
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on the book of Daniel.
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Daniel 1-6 is basically
a collection of stories.
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When you get to Daniel 7,
there's a change of emphasis.
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We're looking at the
prophecies of Daniel now.
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In Daniel 7 we're going to
look at, among other things,
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the identity of the
beast of Bible prophecy.
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We'll see beasts that
rise up out of the sea,
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horns and wings
and seas and animals,
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symbols that help us to
unlock the Bible's mysteries.
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We'll see that Revelation
builds on the book of Daniel,
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and we'll
identify the connection
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between Daniel 7
and Revelation 13.
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And we're going to see
that some of the interpretations
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of Bible prophecy that
have been offered over the years
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have been...creative.
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[whoosh]
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¤[orchestral music swells]¤
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[tinkling sound
of wind-blown sand]
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[whoosh, distant bell rings]
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[wind blowing, sand swishing]
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[recording of Mikhail
Gorbachev speaking Russian]
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You might remember
people saying years back
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that the beast of Bible
prophecy was Mikhail Gorbachev.
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Now, he was the
premier of the Soviet Union
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when Eastern European
communism came to an end
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in the early 1990s.
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Mr. Gorbachev had a
prominent birthmark,
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often referred to
as a port-wine stain,
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on his forehead, which led
thinking people--I kid you not--
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to decide that Mikhail
Gorbachev was the antichrist.
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That mark on his forehead
evidently had something to do
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with the mark of the beast.
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He died in August of 2022
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without ever really
giving off antichrist vibes.
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Now, he did do
commercials for Pizza Hut,
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but you'd have to really
dislike pizza to think that
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that qualified him
to be the antichrist.
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It's worth
mentioning this confusion
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because it will help us
to study the Bible carefully,
00:02:14.30\00:02:17.17
which we should.
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And I have to say I don't
expect everyone will agree
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on any one
interpretation of the Bible.
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There are--how
many denominations?
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So, here's what we'll agree on:
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That the Bible is
the inspired Word of God,
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that Jesus is the Son of God,
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that Jesus died for our sins,
that all people are sinners,
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and that people are
saved by grace through faith
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in Jesus Christ.
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Now, what else?
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We believe God loves us.
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We believe in baptism.
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Oh, wait a minute,
already someone's saying,
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"Ah, but what kind of baptism?"
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So, given that there's
agreement and disagreement,
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let's be gracious as we
attempt to uncover the meaning
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of Daniel, chapter 7.
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We keep in mind that the
first six chapters of Daniel
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are stories, but
once we get to Daniel 7,
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we're now into prophecy.
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Don't worry that prophecy
is too hard to understand.
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If you pray,
think, read carefully,
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and follow a few basic rules,
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you'll find the prophecies
of Daniel can be understood.
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So, let's look at
Daniel 7, starting in verse 1:
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"In the first year of
Belshazzar king of Babylon
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"Daniel had a dream and visions
of his head upon his bed:
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then he wrote the dream, and
told the sum of the matters."
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So, where are we in time?
Babylon fell in chapter 5.
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In Daniel 6 it said
Darius the Mede was king.
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But now in Daniel 7
we're back to Belshazzar
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being king of Babylon.
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So, why the
chopping and changing?
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Now, that's because Daniel
grouped the stories together
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in the first half of the book
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and then the prophecies in
the second half of the book.
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The book was not compiled
strictly chronologically.
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It's just the way the
book was put together.
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"Daniel spake and said,
'I saw in my vision by night,
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"'and, behold, the
four winds of the heaven
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"'strove upon the great sea.
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"'And four great
beasts came up from the sea,
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diverse one from another.'"
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Let's look at them together:
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"The first was like a
lion, and had eagle's wings:
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"I beheld till the
wings thereof were plucked,
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"and it was lifted up
from the earth, and made stand
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"upon the feet as a man, and
a man's heart was given to it.
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"And behold another
beast, a second, like to a bear.
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"And it raised up
itself on one side,
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"and it had three
ribs in the mouth of it
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"between the teeth of it:
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"and they said thus unto
it, 'Arise, devour much flesh.'
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"After this I beheld, and
lo another, like a leopard,
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"which had upon the back
of it four wings of a fowl;
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"the beast had also four heads;
and dominion was given to it.
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"After this I saw in the
night visions, and behold
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"a fourth beast,
dreadful and terrible,
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"and strong exceedingly;
and it had great iron teeth:
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"it devoured,
and brake in pieces,
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"and stamped the
residue with the feet of it:
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"and it was diverse from all
the beasts that were before it;
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and it had ten horns."
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Four beasts: a
lion, a bear, a leopard,
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and then something
that Daniel can't classify,
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which has 10 horns.
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Daniel said, "I considered
the horns, and, behold,
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"there came up among
them another little horn,
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"before whom there were
three of the first horns
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"plucked up by the roots:
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"and, behold, in this horn
were eyes like the eyes of man,
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and a mouth
speaking great things."
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We'll find that that little horn
and the beast of Revelation 13,
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the one with the mark,
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the one the whole world
follows in the end of time,
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we'll find that
they are the same entity.
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Back in 1999, the "Los Angeles
Times" reported on the plethora
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of people identified over
the years as the antichrist,
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referring to the
confusion on the subject
00:06:09.23\00:06:11.30
as "Pin the Tail
on the Antichrist."
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They mentioned Bill
Gates had been named by some,
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as well as King Juan Carlos of
Spain, who abdicated the throne
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in 2014 amid
scandals and allegations.
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Studying the Bible isn't about
making sensationalistic guesses.
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We want to ascertain what
the Bible is really saying
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by comparing
scripture with scripture.
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Daniel had his dream at the
start of Belshazzar's reign,
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around 540 B.C., and
it was quite a dream.
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Daniel said he "saw...the
four winds of the heaven"
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as they "strove
upon the great sea."
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In prophecy, the sea or
waters represents people.
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Revelation 17:15,
"Then he said to me,
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"'The waters which you
saw, where the harlot sits,
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are peoples, multitudes,
nations, and tongues.'"
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Water or seas
represents multitudes of people.
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What Daniel saw
was strife and warfare
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among the people of the world,
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opening the way for
us to understand verse 3:
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"And four great
beasts came up from the sea,
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diverse one from another."
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So, what are these beasts?
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We have a clear
answer from the Bible,
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from this very same chapter.
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Notice what verse 17 says:
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"These great
beasts, which are four,
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are four kings, which
shall arise out of the earth."
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And to nail that down
even tighter, we see verse 23:
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"The fourth beast shall be
the fourth kingdom upon earth."
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So, a beast is a kingdom
or, you could say, a nation.
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So, the power in Revelation
cannot be Mikhail Gorbachev
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or King Juan Carlos of
Spain-- or Ronald Reagan.
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Oh, no joke.
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Some said former President
Reagan was the antichrist
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because his name
was Ronald, six letters,
00:08:06.08\00:08:08.95
Wilson, six letters,
Reagan, six letters--
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Ronald Wilson Reagan, 6-6-6.
00:08:13.46\00:08:17.89
Now, that's not how
prophecy is to be interpreted.
00:08:18.89\00:08:23.26
And it can't possibly be true
because the beasts spoken of
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in Daniel 7--and,
therefore Revelation 13--
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represent a kingdom or a nation.
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So, Daniel here was seeing the
rise and the fall of nations.
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Verse 4:
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"The first was like a
lion, and had eagle's wings:
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"I beheld till the
wings thereof were plucked,
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"and it was lifted up
from the earth and made stand
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upon the feet as a man, and
a man's heart was given to it."
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For the sake of
time, let's take a shortcut
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and introduce a principle
of prophetic interpretation.
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Back in Daniel 2,
King Nebuchadnezzar dreamed
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of a statue constructed
from various materials.
00:09:01.04\00:09:04.14
The head of the
statue was made of gold,
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the chest and
arms were of silver,
00:09:06.64\00:09:08.54
the midsection
was made of bronze,
00:09:08.58\00:09:10.85
and the legs were made of iron.
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Then there were the feet, which
were made of iron and clay.
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Those various metals
represented kingdoms.
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The head of gold, that
was Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon;
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the chest and arms
of silver, Medo-Persia;
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the belly and
thighs of brass, Greece;
00:09:26.39\00:09:29.10
and the legs of
iron represented Rome.
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Babylon,
Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome--
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that's the foundation
in the book of Daniel.
00:09:35.77\00:09:39.24
And it resurfaces several times,
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even providing a
platform for understanding
00:09:41.21\00:09:43.81
the book of Revelation.
00:09:43.85\00:09:45.18
Daniel 2 is foundational.
00:09:45.21\00:09:48.08
What follows in the prophecies
of Daniel and Revelation
00:09:48.12\00:09:52.52
is built on that.
00:09:52.55\00:09:54.32
Now, here's the
shortcut I mentioned.
00:09:54.36\00:09:57.29
In prophecy there's a principle
known as "repeat and enlarge."
00:09:57.33\00:10:02.96
That's where God says something
and then He says it again
00:10:03.00\00:10:07.74
but enlarges upon it,
giving more information.
00:10:07.77\00:10:11.14
He does that in
Daniel and Revelation.
00:10:11.17\00:10:14.18
The information in
Daniel 2 is repeated in Daniel 7
00:10:14.21\00:10:18.91
and enlarged upon, with
additional information given.
00:10:18.95\00:10:22.98
Daniel enlarges upon
what he wrote in Daniel 2.
00:10:23.02\00:10:26.35
So, the beast--
00:10:26.39\00:10:29.19
actually, let me pause
here and point something out.
00:10:29.22\00:10:32.09
That word
"beast" is not an insult.
00:10:32.13\00:10:35.33
It sort of sounds like one,
but it isn't. It's a symbol.
00:10:35.36\00:10:38.90
It could just as easily
say "animal" as "beast."
00:10:38.93\00:10:42.97
In Daniel 7
you're seeing animals,
00:10:43.00\00:10:44.91
which represent something else,
00:10:44.94\00:10:47.24
just like an eagle
represents the United States
00:10:47.28\00:10:50.45
or a kiwi
represents New Zealand.
00:10:50.48\00:10:52.95
So, why did God use symbols
in prophecy instead of just
00:10:52.98\00:10:57.12
coming out and telling us
what He was talking about?
00:10:57.15\00:10:59.45
Wouldn't that
remove a lot of guesswork,
00:10:59.49\00:11:01.22
save a lot of confusion?
00:11:01.26\00:11:03.12
Well, maybe, but
that's not the point.
00:11:03.16\00:11:06.73
Symbols can get a point across.
00:11:06.76\00:11:09.13
Satan is described
as "a roaring lion"
00:11:09.16\00:11:12.63
in 1 Peter, chapter 5.
00:11:12.67\00:11:14.24
That's evocative.
00:11:14.27\00:11:15.67
It, it gives you
more understanding.
00:11:15.70\00:11:18.61
Symbols also serve specifically
to obscure what is being said,
00:11:18.64\00:11:24.35
which sounds
counterintuitive but isn't.
00:11:24.38\00:11:27.38
It might be that what
was written was sensitive,
00:11:27.42\00:11:30.55
and it wouldn't be
wise to spill all the beans.
00:11:30.59\00:11:33.62
When John wrote Revelation,
00:11:33.66\00:11:35.16
he was a prisoner
under house arrest.
00:11:35.19\00:11:38.06
Some of what he wrote
would not have been pleasing
00:11:38.09\00:11:40.23
to the Roman authorities,
00:11:40.26\00:11:41.73
so codifying it
would have been prudent.
00:11:41.76\00:11:45.43
And then there's
another aspect of this.
00:11:45.47\00:11:47.80
For your own good, God
wants you to dig a little.
00:11:47.84\00:11:52.74
The fact that gold is
harder to get to than topsoil
00:11:52.77\00:11:56.58
doesn't stop people digging
for gold--because it's worth it.
00:11:56.61\00:12:01.28
You know that verse:
00:12:01.32\00:12:02.65
"And you will
seek me and find me,
00:12:02.68\00:12:04.59
when you search for
me with all your heart."
00:12:04.62\00:12:07.32
Jeremiah 29:13.
00:12:07.36\00:12:09.59
That's the principle.
00:12:09.62\00:12:10.96
God isn't making it
difficult, but He's asking us
00:12:10.99\00:12:14.56
to apply ourselves so
we can understand His Word.
00:12:14.60\00:12:19.23
Now, if we parallel
Daniel 7 with Daniel 2,
00:12:19.27\00:12:21.87
then we discover--well, let's
have Daniel state it for us.
00:12:21.90\00:12:25.71
"The fourth beast shall be
the fourth kingdom upon earth."
00:12:25.74\00:12:28.51
That's Daniel 7:23.
00:12:28.54\00:12:30.38
We know from our
study of Daniel 2
00:12:30.41\00:12:32.01
the fourth kingdom or
nation mentioned is Rome.
00:12:32.05\00:12:35.75
So, the first one, the
lion with eagle's wings?
00:12:35.78\00:12:39.19
Babylon. We read that "a
man's heart was given to it,"
00:12:39.22\00:12:42.76
a reference to the
conversion of Nebuchadnezzar.
00:12:42.79\00:12:45.49
Following Daniel 2, the
second beast is therefore
00:12:45.53\00:12:48.63
Medo-Persia, the joint kingdom
of the Medes and the Persians.
00:12:48.66\00:12:52.23
And yes, we can figure
that out even without Daniel 2.
00:12:52.27\00:12:55.60
Daniel 5 and
Daniel 6 made that clear.
00:12:55.64\00:12:58.41
It's "raised up...on one
side" because the Persians
00:12:58.44\00:13:01.11
were more powerful than the
Medes, and it has three ribs
00:13:01.14\00:13:03.95
in its mouth because
Medo-Persia conquered
00:13:03.98\00:13:05.95
three significant
nations on its way to power.
00:13:05.98\00:13:09.35
The third kingdom, the leopard,
now, that would be Greece,
00:13:09.38\00:13:12.19
corresponding to the
midsection of brass in Daniel 2.
00:13:12.22\00:13:15.32
It "had upon the back
of it four wings of a fowl;
00:13:15.36\00:13:18.53
the beast had also four heads;
and dominion was given to it."
00:13:18.56\00:13:22.30
Daniel 7, verse 6.
00:13:22.33\00:13:23.83
Leopards are fast animals.
00:13:23.87\00:13:26.20
This one had four wings,
00:13:26.23\00:13:27.97
representing the incredible
speed with which Greece,
00:13:28.00\00:13:31.81
under Alexander the Great,
conquered the ancient world.
00:13:31.84\00:13:35.24
Four heads?
00:13:35.28\00:13:36.95
When Alexander died, he didn't
leave Greece under the power
00:13:36.98\00:13:41.32
of a single individual, but it
was divided among four generals.
00:13:41.35\00:13:46.79
And then, the
fourth beast, Rome,
00:13:46.82\00:13:49.26
which was
"dreadful and terrible,
00:13:49.29\00:13:51.76
and strong exceedingly;
and it had great iron teeth."
00:13:51.79\00:13:56.83
In Daniel 2 Rome was
represented by the legs of iron,
00:13:56.87\00:14:00.67
and now we're
given more information.
00:14:00.70\00:14:04.01
Daniel said, "I\it was
diverse from all the beasts
00:14:04.04\00:14:06.78
that were before it;
and it had ten horns."
00:14:06.81\00:14:09.54
So, here's a wrinkle: 10 horns.
00:14:09.58\00:14:12.45
Not difficult. This is
Rome giving way to...something.
00:14:12.48\00:14:16.99
In Daniel 2 you had Babylon,
Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome,
00:14:17.02\00:14:21.66
and then feet of iron and clay.
00:14:21.69\00:14:24.73
Now, we're not
explicitly told in Daniel 2,
00:14:24.76\00:14:28.30
but we can imagine that the
average foot has how many toes?
00:14:28.33\00:14:32.70
Right, five.
00:14:32.73\00:14:34.14
Two feet in Daniel 2--10 toes.
Here in Daniel 7, 10 horns.
00:14:34.17\00:14:40.58
In Daniel 2, Rome
gives way to 10 nations
00:14:40.61\00:14:44.55
that come up out of its ashes.
00:14:44.58\00:14:46.92
In Daniel 7, same thing,
but the symbol is different.
00:14:46.95\00:14:51.45
This time it's 10 horns.
00:14:51.49\00:14:53.99
Verse 24 says, "The ten
horns out of this kingdom
00:14:54.02\00:14:56.79
are ten kings that shall arise."
00:14:56.83\00:15:00.46
Rome gives way to 10 nations,
just like it does in Daniel 2.
00:15:00.50\00:15:05.90
That's the repeat part.
00:15:05.93\00:15:08.57
When the Roman
Empire disintegrated,
00:15:08.60\00:15:10.24
10 nations rose
up out of its ruins:
00:15:10.27\00:15:12.54
the Suevi, Alamanni,
Lombards, Anglo-Saxons,
00:15:12.57\00:15:16.14
Vandals, Visigoths, Franks,
00:15:16.18\00:15:18.38
Heruli, Ostrogoths,
00:15:18.41\00:15:19.71
and the Burgundians.
00:15:19.75\00:15:21.12
They became people
groups in Europe today:
00:15:21.15\00:15:22.95
Burgundians--Swiss;
00:15:22.98\00:15:24.52
uh,
Anglo-Saxons, uh-- the English;
00:15:24.55\00:15:27.36
Alamanni--now, if
you're a Spanish speaker,
00:15:27.39\00:15:29.19
you'll know that "Alemania"
is Spanish for "Germany."
00:15:29.22\00:15:32.53
So, those nations became people
groups that we recognize today.
00:15:32.56\00:15:37.13
Then Daniel says, "I considered
the horns, and, behold,
00:15:37.17\00:15:41.34
"there came up among
them another little horn,
00:15:41.37\00:15:44.31
"before whom there were
three of the first horns
00:15:44.34\00:15:46.78
"plucked up by the roots:
00:15:46.81\00:15:48.58
"and, behold, in this horn
were eyes like the eyes of man,
00:15:48.61\00:15:53.18
and a mouth
speaking great things."
00:15:53.21\00:15:56.35
And we can identify that.
00:15:56.38\00:15:58.19
Now we're enlarging.
This is new information.
00:15:58.22\00:16:03.26
Daniel 7 introduces
us to a judgment scene,
00:16:03.29\00:16:05.36
and it states that ultimately
"the beast"--the nation--
00:16:05.39\00:16:08.70
"was slain, and his
body destroyed, and given
00:16:08.73\00:16:12.20
to the burning flame."
00:16:12.23\00:16:13.87
In verses 13 and 14,
Jesus, after this judgment time,
00:16:13.90\00:16:18.17
is brought before the Father
and receives an eternal kingdom.
00:16:18.21\00:16:21.94
Daniel states he doesn't
really understand this vision.
00:16:21.98\00:16:26.15
"I Daniel was grieved in my
spirit in the midst of my body,
00:16:26.18\00:16:29.02
and the visions of
my head troubled me."
00:16:29.05\00:16:31.69
He asks the angel, and he's
told of four mighty nations,
00:16:31.72\00:16:35.96
and that God's people
would inhabit God's kingdom
00:16:35.99\00:16:38.23
forever and ever.
00:16:38.26\00:16:39.83
We have access to everlasting
life through faith in Jesus.
00:16:39.86\00:16:44.53
Everyone has that opportunity,
00:16:44.57\00:16:46.94
but, sadly, not
everyone will take it.
00:16:46.97\00:16:50.24
I hope you'll take it and
see that God offers you more
00:16:50.27\00:16:54.18
in this life, as
well as the world to come.
00:16:54.21\00:16:57.95
Now, verse 23:
00:16:57.98\00:16:59.28
"The fourth beast shall be
the fourth kingdom upon earth,
00:16:59.31\00:17:02.75
"which shall be
diverse from all kingdoms,
00:17:02.78\00:17:04.85
"and shall
devour the whole earth,
00:17:04.89\00:17:06.35
and shall tread it
down, and break it in pieces."
00:17:06.39\00:17:09.22
And that's true of
the kingdom of Rome.
00:17:09.26\00:17:12.09
It was a mighty power,
extending across a broad swath
00:17:12.13\00:17:15.36
of the planet from
just south of Scotland,
00:17:15.40\00:17:18.10
taking in England and
Wales, western Europe,
00:17:18.13\00:17:20.60
and then across
Europe and North Africa,
00:17:20.64\00:17:23.04
north and south of the
Mediterranean to as far
00:17:23.07\00:17:25.61
as the Red Sea, the Persian
Gulf, and the Caspian Sea.
00:17:25.64\00:17:30.21
So, 10 horns--10 nations will
come out of the Roman Empire,
00:17:30.25\00:17:35.12
but "another
shall rise after them;
00:17:35.15\00:17:38.35
"and he shall be
diverse from the first,
00:17:38.39\00:17:41.46
and he shall
subdue three kings."
00:17:41.49\00:17:44.56
So, it's obvious we're
not looking at Bill Gates here
00:17:44.59\00:17:48.03
or a supercomputer
or a silicon chip--
00:17:48.06\00:17:51.63
or a Jew in the Middle East.
00:17:51.67\00:17:54.30
A commonly held view is
that the power that rises up
00:17:54.34\00:17:57.54
in earth's last days is a
Jewish man in the Middle East.
00:17:57.57\00:18:01.54
It's said that the antichrist
has to be a counterfeit Christ,
00:18:01.58\00:18:06.05
and because
Jesus was a Jewish man,
00:18:06.08\00:18:08.32
this entity has
to be a Jewish man.
00:18:08.35\00:18:10.89
Which sounds reasonable--
could be right, I suppose,
00:18:10.92\00:18:15.46
except that's not the direction
the Bible appears to lean.
00:18:15.49\00:18:20.93
What's happening in Daniel
is that four kingdoms rise,
00:18:20.96\00:18:25.00
the last one
divides into 10 nations,
00:18:25.03\00:18:27.97
and out of the midst
of those nations, uh,
00:18:28.00\00:18:30.41
another small nation rises
up and assumes a certain role.
00:18:30.44\00:18:35.38
Doesn't sound like a Jewish man.
00:18:35.41\00:18:36.98
I'm going to run
something by you.
00:18:37.01\00:18:40.02
Jesus died and went to heaven
and left the disciples in charge
00:18:40.05\00:18:44.52
of the brand new
early Christian church.
00:18:44.55\00:18:47.12
Over time, this
church began to lose its way.
00:18:47.16\00:18:51.96
Jesus said the church of
Ephesus had lost its first love.
00:18:51.99\00:18:56.30
The church of Thyatira
allowed apostasy to flourish.
00:18:56.33\00:19:00.80
Over time the church
was influenced by paganism.
00:19:00.84\00:19:04.57
And by the Middle Ages
a rash of unbiblical ideas
00:19:04.61\00:19:07.18
permeated Christianity, to
the extent that when people
00:19:07.21\00:19:10.68
promoted baptism by
immersion in the Middle Ages,
00:19:10.71\00:19:13.98
they were persecuted, and
many of them were put to death.
00:19:14.02\00:19:17.65
The Bible was outlawed.
00:19:17.69\00:19:21.22
In the 15th century, the church
in England dug up the remains
00:19:21.26\00:19:26.16
of the Bible translator
John Wycliffe and burned them.
00:19:26.19\00:19:29.60
One hundred years later,
William Tyndale was executed
00:19:29.63\00:19:33.23
for the crime of translating
the Bible into English.
00:19:33.27\00:19:38.04
Martin Luther was persecuted.
00:19:38.07\00:19:40.41
Protestants were
murdered by the millions,
00:19:40.44\00:19:43.65
according to historians.
00:19:43.68\00:19:45.71
The church had
people praying to the dead,
00:19:45.75\00:19:48.88
buying forgiveness, confessing
their sins to human beings,
00:19:48.92\00:19:53.09
and living in superstition.
00:19:53.12\00:19:55.16
It was a mess.
00:19:55.19\00:19:56.69
The church of
that day was so corrupt
00:19:56.73\00:19:58.99
Luther and Tyndale
and others identified it
00:19:59.03\00:20:02.96
as the small kingdom in Daniel 7
00:20:03.00\00:20:05.73
and the nation brought
to view in Revelation 13.
00:20:05.77\00:20:08.84
Now, does that check
out, according to the Bible?
00:20:09.84\00:20:13.64
Well, consider the
identifying marks in Daniel 7.
00:20:13.68\00:20:16.71
It's said to be
small, and that it arises
00:20:16.75\00:20:20.42
among the other 10
horns, and where were they?
00:20:20.45\00:20:23.52
Remember, Babylon,
Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome,
00:20:23.55\00:20:26.45
and the 10 nations arise out
of what was the Roman Empire.
00:20:26.49\00:20:31.06
So this little horn
must arise in Europe.
00:20:31.09\00:20:34.63
In it "were eyes
like the eyes of a man."
00:20:34.66\00:20:37.93
There would be
a man at its head,
00:20:37.97\00:20:40.34
and it would have "a
mouth speaking great things"
00:20:40.37\00:20:42.57
and--Revelation
adds-- "blasphemies."
00:20:42.60\00:20:46.61
Verse 25 says that
whoever this power is,
00:20:46.64\00:20:49.64
it will "speak great
words against the Most High."
00:20:49.68\00:20:52.51
It will "wear out"--or
persecute--God's people.
00:20:52.55\00:20:55.42
It will "think to
change" God's law,
00:20:55.45\00:20:58.65
and it will rule
for 1,260 years--
00:20:58.69\00:21:02.82
"a time...times
and half a time."
00:21:02.86\00:21:05.66
That is a year, two
years, and half a year,
00:21:05.69\00:21:10.57
1,260 days.
00:21:10.60\00:21:12.33
And we remember that a day
in prophecy represents a year,
00:21:12.37\00:21:16.20
so, 1,260 years.
00:21:16.24\00:21:20.58
Only the papacy of
the Roman Catholic Church
00:21:20.61\00:21:23.48
fulfills those specifications,
not a single person,
00:21:23.51\00:21:28.05
not individual church members.
00:21:28.08\00:21:30.75
This represents a
government, a nation,
00:21:30.79\00:21:33.76
which is what the Vatican is, a
very powerful, sovereign nation.
00:21:33.79\00:21:38.43
It has a man at its head.
It persecuted God's people.
00:21:38.46\00:21:42.26
It rose up in western Europe.
00:21:42.30\00:21:44.67
It ruled for 1,260 years
00:21:44.70\00:21:47.14
before having its authority
removed by the emperor Napoleon
00:21:47.17\00:21:51.04
in the year 1798.
00:21:51.07\00:21:53.41
It's different from
the other 10 nations
00:21:53.44\00:21:55.74
as it's a
combination of church and state,
00:21:55.78\00:21:58.45
and it thought
to change God's law,
00:21:58.48\00:22:01.65
actually amending the Ten
Commandments in its teachings.
00:22:01.68\00:22:05.59
This prophecy points
in only one direction.
00:22:05.62\00:22:09.79
Could the prophecy in
Daniel 7 possibly point
00:22:09.82\00:22:12.86
to King Charles of the U.K.
00:22:12.89\00:22:14.93
or former
President Ronald Reagan?
00:22:14.96\00:22:18.10
No. That's just not possible.
00:22:18.13\00:22:22.07
Daniel 7 unfolds
before you as you read.
00:22:22.10\00:22:26.54
Four powerful kingdoms: Babylon,
Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome.
00:22:26.57\00:22:30.78
Then Rome divides;
it did that in 476 A.D.;
00:22:30.81\00:22:34.28
then the 10 horns, then the
little horn, and then judgment,
00:22:34.32\00:22:39.35
meaning Jesus
will be returning soon.
00:22:39.39\00:22:43.99
Beyond the rise
and fall of nations,
00:22:44.03\00:22:45.73
Daniel 7 tells us
that God is in control.
00:22:45.76\00:22:48.66
God sets up
kingdoms and takes them down.
00:22:48.70\00:22:51.70
Prophecy is fulfilling,
and the Protestants reformers
00:22:51.73\00:22:54.84
were accurate in their
interpretation of the prophecies
00:22:54.87\00:22:57.57
of the Bible.
Now, uh, one thing.
00:22:57.61\00:23:00.84
Someone is waiting
for me to address the idea
00:23:00.88\00:23:02.94
that the little horn is a
man named Antiochus Epiphanes,
00:23:02.98\00:23:06.35
a Roman general.
00:23:06.38\00:23:07.92
I'm going to save
that for Daniel 8,
00:23:07.95\00:23:10.05
which we'll look at soon.
00:23:10.09\00:23:11.95
And what I'll share about that
then will be as clear as clear.
00:23:11.99\00:23:17.06
Now, let's review.
What do we see in Daniel 7?
00:23:17.09\00:23:19.76
We've shifted away from the
stories and into the prophecies
00:23:19.79\00:23:22.50
of Daniel, pointing to
events in earth's last days,
00:23:22.53\00:23:25.53
leading up to
the return of Jesus.
00:23:25.57\00:23:27.64
We see a progression,
00:23:27.67\00:23:29.37
the rise and fall of
nations, building upon Daniel 2.
00:23:29.40\00:23:32.87
In Daniel 2, the kingdoms
are represented by metals:
00:23:32.91\00:23:35.58
gold, silver, brass, and iron.
00:23:35.61\00:23:37.78
In Daniel 7, animals: a
lion, a bear, a leopard,
00:23:37.81\00:23:42.02
and something Daniel
doesn't really identify
00:23:42.05\00:23:44.12
because there was no
animal known to him that could
00:23:44.15\00:23:47.29
adequately express this
kingdom's ferocity and power.
00:23:47.32\00:23:50.63
Then, just as in Daniel 2,
the kingdom in Daniel 7 divides
00:23:50.66\00:23:55.83
into 10 nations, and in
the midst of them rises up
00:23:55.86\00:23:59.83
a small but
very powerful nation.
00:23:59.87\00:24:03.14
It would speak great things
and make war against the saints.
00:24:03.17\00:24:07.54
But then, judgment would come.
00:24:07.58\00:24:10.51
Jesus will receive His kingdom.
00:24:10.55\00:24:12.65
And speaking of
that small kingdom,
00:24:12.68\00:24:15.02
"They shall take away
his dominion to consume
00:24:15.05\00:24:17.92
and...destroy it unto the end."
00:24:17.95\00:24:20.36
Now, notice verse 27:
00:24:20.39\00:24:22.06
"And the kingdom and dominion,
00:24:22.09\00:24:23.43
"and the greatness of the
kingdom under the whole heaven,
00:24:23.46\00:24:25.99
"shall be given to the people
of the saints of the Most High,
00:24:26.03\00:24:29.30
"whose kingdom is
an everlasting kingdom,
00:24:29.33\00:24:32.07
and all dominions
shall serve and obey Him."
00:24:32.10\00:24:36.07
So, it's not all
about beasts and horns.
00:24:36.10\00:24:38.81
Daniel is a book of salvation.
00:24:38.84\00:24:41.51
God informs us about how
certain things will happen
00:24:41.54\00:24:44.41
in this world. He's alerting
us to coming world events
00:24:44.45\00:24:47.82
and the trouble
that will accompany them.
00:24:47.85\00:24:50.02
But the net result is that
"the kingdom and dominion...
00:24:50.05\00:24:53.46
shall be given to
the...saints of the Most High."
00:24:53.49\00:24:56.66
And what did we read?
00:24:56.69\00:24:57.86
His "kingdom is an
everlasting kingdom."
00:24:57.89\00:25:00.90
So, Jesus triumphs, as do
those who have faith in Him.
00:25:00.93\00:25:05.70
We live in an evil world
where the devil is at war
00:25:05.73\00:25:08.90
with the teachings of the Bible.
00:25:08.94\00:25:10.57
But those who trust in
Jesus will reign with Him,
00:25:10.61\00:25:13.38
will live with Him forever.
00:25:13.41\00:25:14.98
You can look beyond
life in this troubled world
00:25:15.01\00:25:18.05
to a time when
Jesus returns, for you,
00:25:18.08\00:25:21.32
and takes you to be
with Him for eternity.
00:25:21.35\00:25:23.45
As John wrote in Revelation,
"Even so, come, Lord Jesus."
00:25:23.49\00:25:29.42
I'd love for you to
get today's free offer.
00:25:29.46\00:25:31.86
It's a study on this
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00:25:31.89\00:25:34.23
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00:25:34.30\00:25:36.20
It focuses on this
prophecy in Daniel 7
00:25:36.23\00:25:38.47
and shows the direct
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00:25:38.50\00:25:41.84
You'll learn how
final events will play out,
00:25:41.87\00:25:44.01
and you may
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00:25:44.04\00:25:46.11
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00:25:46.14\00:25:49.21
It's clear the devil wants
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00:26:01.99\00:26:05.73
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00:26:09.50\00:26:12.33
Write to the
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00:26:12.37\00:26:13.77
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00:26:21.98\00:26:24.95
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00:26:24.98\00:26:27.65
>>John: Thank you for
remembering that It Is Written
00:26:28.98\00:26:30.89
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00:26:30.92\00:26:34.66
To support this international
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00:26:37.26\00:26:41.60
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00:26:43.30\00:26:44.73
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00:26:44.77\00:26:48.77
Thank you for your prayers
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00:26:48.80\00:26:50.94
Our number
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00:26:50.97\00:26:54.74
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00:26:54.78\00:26:58.28
>>John: Let me pray for you now.
00:26:59.91\00:27:01.62
Our Father in
heaven, we thank You
00:27:01.65\00:27:02.95
that You make the
prophecies of the Bible clear,
00:27:02.98\00:27:05.99
and that what might be
tangled or twisted or confused
00:27:06.02\00:27:10.63
can be made plain as we read
and prayerfully study the Bible.
00:27:10.66\00:27:15.13
Let Your Word become
more and more precious to us.
00:27:15.16\00:27:18.20
Thank You that
Daniel 7 says Jesus triumphs
00:27:18.23\00:27:21.24
and that we
might do so with Him.
00:27:21.27\00:27:23.14
Friend, would you claim
Jesus as your Savior now?
00:27:23.17\00:27:26.17
Would you say yes to Jesus?
00:27:26.21\00:27:27.58
Would you open up
your heart to Him?
00:27:27.61\00:27:29.74
As you do, know
that Jesus is your Savior
00:27:29.78\00:27:32.71
and you are His child.
00:27:32.75\00:27:33.95
We thank You, dear Lord,
00:27:33.98\00:27:35.28
thank You for the
clarity of the Bible.
00:27:35.32\00:27:37.62
In Jesus' name, amen.
00:27:37.65\00:27:40.76
Thank you so
much for joining me.
00:27:40.79\00:27:42.09
I'm looking forward to
seeing you again next time.
00:27:42.12\00:27:44.06
Until then, remember:
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"It is written, 'Man
shall not live by bread alone,
00:27:45.93\00:27:49.40
but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God.'"
00:27:49.43\00:27:52.93
¤[dramatic,
triumphant theme music]¤
00:27:52.97\00:27:56.97
¤[music ends]¤¤
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