Participants: Chris Holland
Series Code: IIWC
Program Code: IIWC201506A
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00:01 PHILOSOPHY'S ACHILLES HEEL A kings dream and the future #2
00:06 PHILOSOPHY'S ACHILLES HEEL A kings dream and the future #2 00:12 PHILOSOPHY'S ACHILLES HEEL A kings dream and the future #2 00:20 PHILOSOPHY'S ACHILLES HEEL A kings dream and the future #2 00:28 PHILOSOPHY'S ACHILLES HEEL A kings dream and the future #2 00:36 PHILOSOPHY'S ACHILLES HEEL A kings dream and the future #2 00:44 PHILOSOPHY'S ACHILLES HEEL A kings dream and the future #2 00:51 PHILOSOPHY'S ACHILLES HEEL A kings dream and the future #2 01:32 >>Announcer: It has stood the test of time. 01:35 God's book, The Bible 01:38 Still relevant in today's complex world 01:44 It Is Written 01:46 Sharing messages of hope around the world! 01:59 >>Chris: Have you ever had a dream and not remembered it's content? Or maybe you've had a 02:03 dream, didn't get to the end and went back to sleep to try to get to the end? Today on It 02:10 Is Written it is part 2 of the message, An Ancient King's Dream and the Future Foretold. 02:18 In today's program we will build upon what we started last week last week. You'll 02:22 remember in last week's show, that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had a dream. He knew 02:28 the dream was important, but couldn't remember the dream and of course didn't know what 02:33 it meant. And as we studied the story, we noted that Babylon's wisemen, the 02:38 soothsayer, Chaldeans, and astrologers were not able to produce the dream or it's 02:46 interpretation. This therefore demonstrated that the Babylonian gods themselves 02:51 were not able to reveal the king's dream, or provide the interpretation. The test was 02:58 so difficult, as a matter of fact, that the wise men complained about it as being 03:05 unfair. They failed the test miserably. 03:13 The principles that can be extracted from that exercise can be summed up in this way: 03:18 only events that have an extremely low probability of fulfillment (like revealing 03:25 the king's dream) strongly point to information that comes from a divine source. 03:33 This was the foundational principle that we outlined in last week's show. This week we 03:40 will utilize that principle to answer questions such as: How does God choose to reveal 03:46 Himself in a context where those who worship Him claim contradictory things about 03:51 Him? Is objective, absolute Truth possible or is it some kind fairy tale? How do we 03:58 know that the content of the Bible actually comes from a supernatural source? What is 04:05 the correct philosophy of history? And finally, is God a personal being that is 04:11 involved in the affairs of men and women today or is Hesome impersonal and disconnected 04:20 being? In order to answer those questions: We will go right to the dream and it's 04:27 interpretation. As a reminder, here is the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, as revealed by 04:33 God to Daniel and now to the king. Daniel 2:31-35: 05:41 Can you imagine Nebuchadnezzar sitting there and hearing the dream? I can just picture 05:48 Nebuchadnezzar scooting to the front of the chair as Daniel shared the dream. He may have 05:55 even said, yes Daniel, that's it, that's the dream, that's what I saw. But, you know, a 06:04 dream without it's interpretation really means nothing. And Daniel wasn't 06:11 through. God not only gave him the dream, but also the interpretation. Let's read Dan 06:19 2:36-45 08:42 Amazing. Nebuchadnezzar was given a vision that outlined the major powers surrounding 08:50 Jerusalem. But were and are these things historically fulfilled and able to be 08:59 verified? As we look at Daniel's interpretation of the dream, it becomes evident that 09:06 these metals of gold, silver, bronze, iron, then iron mixed with clay and finally the 09:12 stone cut without hands, all of them refer to kingdoms. These kingdoms began in 09:19 Daniel's day and end in the latter days.It is interesting to note that the metals 09:28 decrease in value as you go from top to bottom of the statue but increase in density 09:36 and strength as you go down. Daniel began first by informing Nebuchadnezzar that 09:44 the nation of Babylon of which he was the king was represented by the head of 09:51 gold. Daniel stated, "you are this head of gold." I'm sure that Nebuchadnezzar was happy 09:57 to hear those words. And what a fitting description of gold symbolizing Babylon. Despite 10:07 the glorious nature of Babylon's kingdom, Daniel informed the king that Babylon 10:15 would be conquered by an inferior kingdom, a kingdom depicted by silver. Now let me 10:22 pause for just a moment. This also lends itself to a probability check. What would 10:33 be the probability of a foreign resident of a conquering kingdom, informing 10:40 the king that his kingdom would end? I would say very remote. For anyone, and a 10:49 foreign national at that, telling a king that his kingdom will end - would 10:54 usually end on a bad note for that individual. Yet Daniel does just that. Daniel calls 11:04 this kingdom by name in Daniel 5:28. He names this kingdom as Medo-Persia. Medo-Persia's 11:14 rise to power is also an improbable event that we will cover at a later time. But, 11:22 just as silver is inferior to gold in terms of value, so Medo-Persia would be an 11:27 inferior kingdom to Babylon. 11:34 Next Daniel said that a kingdom of bronze would conquer the kingdom silver. 11:40 History tells us that Medo-Persia did fall and Greece would rise to power. In 11:47 fact in an extremely unlikely turn of events a young man from Macedonia would lead 11:54 Greece to conquer the known world. Yet the dream continued by the bronze or brass of 12:03 Greece giving way to a kingdom of iron. Once again, history demonstrates the accuracy of 12:13 the interpreted dream. Just as Babylon and Medo-Persia fell, so Greece would give way to 12:21 what historian James Cardinal Gibbons referred to as "the iron monarchy of Rome." Yet in 12:31 another interesting twist, this kingdom of iron is not defeated or taken over. Rather 12:40 the dream shared that it was divided.a mixture of iron and clay. History would point out 12:50 that Rome actually was never defeated, but in fact simply divided and this is what 12:59 happen in the 5th century AD. The dream was clear that Rome would not be conquered but 13:07 divided. Daniel was clear, there would be no fifth world empire. This iron clay mixed 13:17 kingdom symbolized a divided Rome. That divided Rome would eventually develop into the 13:25 modern countries of Western Europe. But what makes the prophecy even more interesting 13:33 is that the Bible says that these kingdoms would attempt to unite with one another. In 13:40 order to accomplish this unity, history tells us that these nations would mingle 13:46 their descendants together. It's fascinating to note that by the time of the first world 13:52 war, nearly all of the ruling houses of Europe were related. Charlemagne attempted to unite 14:03 Europe into the old Rome, Napolean attempted it. And Hitler did as well. But all of 14:08 these efforts to unite have been prevented by 7 words in Daniel's prophecy: they shall 14:19 not cleave one to another. Even in our modern day, the European union has sought to 14:28 unite most prominently with a common currency. However, even the Euro couldn't unite the 14:36 old Roman empire. God gave a message and it was true. The methods of military, political 14:47 and economic unity all failed.This friends is just as the Bible predicted that they 14:58 would. 15:02 Next Daniel informs us that a stone cut without hands would come and strike the image on 15:09 its feet and usher in an eternal kingdom. The rock represents: Christ and His 15:16 return to re-establish the eternal principles of His kingdom which are based on the 15:22 Ten Commandments The principles of the kingdoms of the world represented by the 15:29 metals in the dream are in direct opposition to and in conflict with the eternal 15:37 principles of God. While the stone may not seemingly have any value, it's value is that 15:46 it is cut without hands - not of human origin. The metals are manufactured and shaped, 15:57 the stone is of divine origin without human influence. As we look at this dream, as 16:07 Nebuchadnezzar looked at this dream, there are only two explanations for it. One, it 16:15 is completely by chance, and the other is that it was given by the God of heaven. How 16:23 probable is it that by chance Daniel was able to outline exactly the number of 16:32 kingdoms, that would happen a thousand years after he lived? This wasn't chance. It points 16:41 to the God of heaven as the divine source of the information that we have in 16:49 the book of Daniel and in the Old and New Testament Scriptures. My dear friends, 16:55 based on the evidence of probability, that stone cut without hand which represents 17:03 the 2nd Coming of Christ is just as certain as the rise and fall of Babylon, 17:10 Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and the division of Rome. How did Nebuchadnezzar react? Let's 17:20 read in Daniel 2:46-47 17:50 I want you to notice what the king did not say. He didn't say, "that was a good guess 17:57 Daniel, how did you do it?" You know, the Babylonians were a highly mathematical people, 18:04 yet the king also did not ask him what formula or logarithm he used to discover the dream 18:14 and its interpretation. That king instinctively realized that there was only one 18:24 answer. That answer was and is.only the true God of heaven can do this. The king could 18:28 trust Daniel. He could trust the interpretation of the dream. Daniel's God passed the 18:36 probability test. 18:41 What about you friend? What will we do? The remarkable historical fulfillment of 18:48 words that were written 2,600 years ago.attributing those things to chance.well that 18:57 just doesn't make sense. To be frank, it's simply futile and dishonest to claim that this 19:06 is all just a coincidence. As we continue to probe the book of Daniel for the next several 19:13 weeks, there are many things that people try to attribute to coincidence. But we will 19:20 see that none of this is just by chance. What we will find is that the symbols and 19:28 concepts found in the Bible must be interpreted by the Bible itself. And when done 19:33 that way, we'll see amazing things open before our eyes. Going to sources outside of 19:39 the Bible as an authoritative source to explain what is in the Bible is like depending on 19:47 the wise men of Babylon. They just won't have the answers. Here on It Is Written our only 19:56 textbook is the Bible. So, what about those questions we asked at the beginning of the 20:02 show? It is fundamental for us to understand, that when we consider the ultimate 20:09 questions of life we should only trust information that comes from sources that pass 20:16 the probability test. We are discovering time and again that only the Old and New 20:23 Testament Scriptures can pass such a test. How does God choose to reveal Himself in a 20:29 context where those who worship Him claim contradictory things about 20:34 Him? It is very simple, God has invited us to test Him. We call this the probability 20:42 test. Here in Daniel 2, guessing the contents of the dream was impossible. Daniel's 20:49 revelation of the dream given to him by God provided the king with irrefutable evidence 20:56 that Daniel's God is the true God. 21:04 Today, many religious and philosophical documents claim that their writings are 21:09 inspired and authoritative, even though their statements about God contradict one 21:14 another. What shall we trust? The Bible can be trusted. Daniel chapter 2 mentions 21:23 specific events that occured over a 2,600 year period of time and history has confirmed 21:29 every detail. It would in fact be easier to guess the contents of a dream than to 21:39 successfully predict 2,600 years of human history. This is the method that God uses in 21:46 order to reveal Himself in world where many claim contradictory things about Him 21:52 The probability test is the method that God uses in order to give honest seekers and 21:59 inquirers of truth the confidence that His Word reveals Him to be the true 22:07 God. That also answers another question, how do we know whether objective, absolute 22:13 Truth is authentic or whether it's just a fairy tale? Let's take the 2nd Coming of Christ 22:19 as the test case. Postmodern philosophy claims that this is a personal belief of 22:25 Christians. Yet, since postmoderns claim that objective truth is impossible, 22:32 they would take the position that the 2nd Coming is a fairy tale. However, evidence would 22:39 suggest otherwise. Daniel 2 successfully predicted the rise and fall of Babylon, 22:45 Greece, and Rome. It predicted the division of Rome, and that attempts would be made to 22:58 re-unify the old empire and that they would fail. Once again on the basis of the 23:07 probability of each of these events being successfully predicted, we can be sure that 23:14 the next event is absolutely certain. That next event is the 2nd coming of Jesus. 23:26 This dream reveals the truth of the matter. How do we know that the content of the Bible 23:32 actually comes from a supernatural source? The contents of this dream, it's 23:36 interpretation and historical fulfillment point to a supernatural source. Human 23:43 guesswork, wisdom and imagination are impossible. The only rational explanation 23:50 is that the source of the information arose from God who communicated it to the 23:57 prophet. This dream also argues for what is the correct philosophy or understanding of 24:04 history. God is a personal being involved in the affairs of human beings. Unlike the 24:12 wise men of Daniel's time who believed that the gods did not dwell with flesh. Against the 24:23 Platonic/Aristotelian view that history constitutes merely a shadow of reality. 24:27 Against the higher critical view of history in which God is unalterably bound to the 24:34 laws of nature. Against the evolutionary view of history in which God himself has been 24:39 evolving through the natural process of history. Against Marx's view of dialectical 24:47 materialism, which is the basis and bedrock of communism. No, Daniel 2 24:53 demonstrates that God is actively involved in human history culminating in what 25:02 the Bible refers to as the 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ. We can be sure. It is as certain as 25:11 the rise and fall of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. God interacts with people 25:20 today by hearing and answering prayer. Daniel trusted God and tested God. We, too can trust 25:32 God. He has passed the test. He has revealed the future. That future is a restored 25:39 kingdom, restored to His perfect ways. Where we can dwell forever. Don't you want 25:46 to be a part? You can trust Him. That is for sure. 25:54 All that I am, all that I have 26:00 I lay them down before You, oh Lord 26:07 All my regrets, all my acclaims 26:14 The joy and the pain, I'm making them Yours 26:22 Lord, I offer my life to You 26:26 Everything I've been through, use it for Your glory 26:34 Lord I offer my days to You 26:39 Lifting my praise to You as a pleasing sacrifice 26:50 Lord I offer You my life 27:00 Things in the past, things yet unseen 27:06 Wishes and dreams that are yet to come true 27:13 All of my hopes, all of my plans 27:19 My heart and my hands are lifted to You 27:30 Lord, I offer my life to You 27:34 Everything I've been through, use it for Your glory 27:42 Lord I offer my days to You 27:47 Lifting my praise to You as a pleasing sacrifice 27:58 Lord I offer You my life 28:05 Lord I offer You my life.. 28:19 ..my life. 28:30 >>Chris: For today's offer, I would like to offer for free, the "Focus on Prophecy" 28:34 lessons. Now in addition to that, for any size donation, I would like to offer a portion 28:41 of the "Philosophy's Achilles heel" series. The 2 parts -- "An ancient king's dream and 28:48 the future fortold". Here's the informaiton you need to receive today's offers. 29:20 >>Chris: Friends, I hope you enjoyed today's program. I want to invite you to like us 29:24 on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ItIsWrittenCa nada, and there you can 29:31 receive update about the ministry, inspirational quotes and links to our archived 29:36 programs. Join us again next week as we continue this series and find certainty in 29:44 God's word. Until then remember, It Is Written, man shall not live by bread alone, 29:50 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. |
Revised 2015-11-13