IT IS WRITTEN
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>>Announcer: It has
stood the test of time.
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God's book, The Bible
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Still relevant in
today's complex world
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It Is Written
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Sharing messages of
hope around the world!
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One of the great questions of
life, is are we alone? Here's
what I mean, is our very
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existence the just the chance
coming together of the right
amino acids.or is there
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something more? Is there a god?
If there is a God, then who is
He? You know, over the last
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several weeks, we have seen,
demonstrated over and over again
that God is real and He does
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exist. Even more we have seen
that He is very personal and
that he cares for you and for me
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and desires to enter into a
meaningful relationship with
each and every one of us. We
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have seen that as we have
studied the book of Daniel. As
we study the book of Daniel,
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it's important to note, thatit
is roughly divided into two
major sections: chapters 1-6 is
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the first section and chapters
7-12 which make up that second
section. The first section of
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chapters 1-6 is primarily the
historical section. Here's what
I mean, it mostly contains the
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stories and events that occurred
in Babylon during the lifetime
of Daniel. The second section
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places more emphasis on
prophecy. And as we study, we
will see some of the most
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amazing and precise
prophecies in all of the Bible.
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Today, in our time together, we
will focus on the very last
chapter of the historical
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section, chapter 6.It seems with
each chapter if Daniel that we
have studied, we have found test
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after test of probability, and
each of those tests being passed
by God with flying colours. Each
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of those tests demonstrate
certainty in the Bible and point
to the certainty of the Old and
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New Testament as books that can
be trusted as the infallible
word of God. As we turn our
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attention to Daniel 6, we will
highlight, once again, a number
of highly unusual or improbable
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events, and these events will
once again demonstrate that we
can have certainty in God's
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word. Let's begin by reading the
first three verses of Daniel 6.
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Now, this is a fascinating
situation. You'll remember that
the Babylonians were defeated by
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the Medo-Persians. At that time,
Daniel was a resident of
Babylon. And now Darius, the
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leader of the Medo-Persians,
chose Daniel as the chief
governor over the entire realm
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of the Medo-Persian empire.
This, in and of itself, is an
extraordinarily improbable turn
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of events. Why, might you ask?
Well, because Daniel already had
three strikes against him in
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being chosen for this very
important position. Number one
was his age; number two he
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belonged to a captive race; and
number three, the usual practice
that occurred when one nation
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took over another was to
eliminate the previous nations
leaders. But let's take a closer
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look at each of these factors.
You'll remember that when Daniel
was deported to Babylon in 605
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BC he was approximately 18 years
old. Now this appointment to be
chief governor, here in Daniel
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6, must have taken place in
either in 539 BC or in 538 BC
after the Medo-Persians defeated
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Babylon. So all of this means
that Daniel was somewhere around
85 years old when Darius
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appointed him as chief governor.
Now, I don't want to offend any
of my 85 year old viewers out
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there, but in ancient times,
most 85 year olds were thought
to have lost the mental edge
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they once had, and were thought
to have had their physical
abilities deteriorated. In fact,
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the reality is, that many 80
something year olds would rather
that younger men take up
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responsibilities that a high
pressure job like the head of
state requires. Daniel, however,
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was no ordinary man. As you'll
remember, the secret to Daniel's
amazing mental and physical
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abilities were revealed in Dan
1. You'll remember, Daniel
refused the intoxicating effects
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of alcohol and the heavy meat
diet that the rest of the
Babylonian nobility were
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enjoying from the king's table.
Instead he requested a vegetable
diet with plenty of water to
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drink. The result was that he
and his friends were 10 times
wiser than the rest of the
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students enrolled at the
University of Babylon.You know,
it probably would do us well to
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practice the diet of Daniel
ourselves. Now, as a side note,
Daniel's diet was actually God's
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original planned diet for the
human race. In Genesis 1:29, in
giving the original diet God
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said,
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So, Daniel treated his body as
God had outlined it should be
treated. In addition to his
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diet, we see other things that
were different about Daniel
Daniel 6 records that Daniel
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prayed regularly to the God of
heaven, a relationship that he
carried on since he was a young
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man. It's in a relationship with
God through prayer and the study
of His Word that Daniel was
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given grace and strength to meet
each day's duties, and to be
God's representative in the
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kingly courts of
Babylon and Medo-Persia.
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At the age of about 85 Daniel
believed that the Scriptures
were authoritative and inspired.
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This was because he saw the
fulfillment of prophecy after
prophecy, even in the most
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unlikely possibilities. He even
lived to see part of the
prophecy of Dan 2 fulfilled, in
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his life, when Babylon fell to
Medo-Persia. This is why he
could trust the Bible's
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recommendation for the health
and lifestyle, which went
contrary to the best
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recommendations of Babylon, the
most powerful and influential
nation on the face of the earth
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at the time. So, as a result,
although it is highly unlikely
for 85 year olds to function as
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heads of state, Daniel's belief
in Scripture and his
relationship with his God gives
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us a view into what God can do
in the lives of those who trust
His Word. The second
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strikeagainst Daniel was that he
belonged to a captive and
conqueredrace. Later in Daniel
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6, when the administrators of
the Medo-Persian empire accused
Daniel of breaking the law, they
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referred to him as "that Daniel,
who is one of the captives from
Judah" (Dan 6:13). It is not
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exactly flattering to either the
king or the rest of the
administrators of Medo-Persia to
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select as chief governor someone
who comes from an inferior race.
The third strike against Daniel
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was that it is extremely rare
for someone like Daniel who held
a high office in Babylon to now
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be chosen as the chief governor
of the Medo-Persian realm, who
conquered the Babylonians.
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Although the Persians, on
occasion, left indigenous rulers
and officials of conquered
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territories in place, they did
not extend this privilege to
Babylon. Belshazzar, the co-king
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of Babylon, was slain the very
night the city was taken and
Nabonidus, the other co-king,
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was exiled to the far
away province of Carmania.
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So startling was this turn of
events, that one writer compared
placing Daniel as chief governor
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to the British people asking
Herman Goring, the first
minister of their mortal enemy
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Germany, to become prime
minister of Britain after the
collapse of the Nazis. However,
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in spite of these three strikes
against Daniel, Darius discerned
something special in this man.
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The Bible says that Daniel
possessed an excellent spirit
that resulted in him
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distinguishing himself from the
other leaders in the empire.
This was not the first time that
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royalty had noticed that Daniel
had an excellent spirit. In Dan
4:8, king Nebuchadnezzar
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recognized that the Spirit of
God was at work in Daniel. In
Dan 5:12, the queen mother
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reminded Belshazzar that Daniel
was filled with the Spirit of
God. And in both of those
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instances, the best of the wise
of men of Babylon could not
solve the pressing problems at
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hand. Possessing an excellent
spirit meant that Daniel had
extraordinary abilities.
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According to Daniel 5:12, it
meant that he had, and I am
quoting, "knowledge,
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understanding, interpreting
dreams, solving riddles, and
explaining enigmas." In addition
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Daniel 4:9 emphasizes that this
excellent spirit enabled Daniel
to reveal secrets. However,
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having an excellent spirit also
meant that Daniel was the
epitome of diplomacy, wisdom and
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tact.And all of these qualities
were the direct result of his
trust in the Scriptures and
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relationship with God.
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And so it was, with credentials
like those, that Darius quickly
saw that Daniel's age, the
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inferiority of his race, and the
custom of executing or not using
previous prime ministers would
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not stand in the way of him
appointing Daniel chief
governor. Yet, there was still
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another highly improbable event
that ismentioned in Dan 6:4. The
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test says, I want you to think
about it for a moment, it was
certainly understandable and
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natural for those Medo-Persian
princes to be jealous of Daniel.
However how improbable is it
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that they would band all of
their investigative powers
together and find nothing to
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discredit Daniel? Friends, that
is virtually impossible. We see
it today in elections, that
00:16:02.06\00:16:09.13
candidate or candidates that
appear trustworthy and above
reproach, only to have something
00:16:09.23\00:16:22.18
found on their record. But with
Daniel, there was nothing. It's
very unusual to find no fault in
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the administrative practices of
one who is being highly
scrutinized by others who would
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love to have his job. But it was
not only Daniel's administrative
practices that were above board,
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these men could not even find
any fault in the man himself.
There was nothing, Daniel didn't
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have an attitude problem, he
wasn't disrespectful, lazy,
arrogant, mean spirited, bigoted
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or holier than thou. Now think
about it, it's one thing for
your friends and supporters to
00:16:59.88\00:17:06.76
speak well of you, but it's
quite another when your enemies
are forced to declare that they
00:17:06.86\00:17:13.33
can neither find fault with your
administration of the affairs of
the kingdom, nor with you as a
00:17:13.43\00:17:23.67
person. You see, Daniel not only
believed that the Scriptures
were the truth, he was willing
00:17:23.77\00:17:28.18
to put everything they
recommended into practice. He
not only talked the talk, but he
00:17:28.28\00:17:37.59
walked the walk. That was
the very essence of his life.
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There was another, a third,
highly improbable event that
occurred. This third event
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revolves around the scheme to
entrap Daniel. Because Daniel
was above reproach, the princes
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of the realm attempted to bring
Daniel down. The only way they
could do so.was to make illegal
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Daniel's religious practice. And
so these princes tricked the
kick into signing a decree that
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no one could worship any other
god except the king, for thirty
days. Daniel 6:10 says,
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Daniel was willing to continue
to pray to the God of heaven
despite the certainty of death
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penalty which involved being
devoured by lions. If there was
ever a time for Daniel to give
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up on a belief that he always
suspected was a lie, that was
the time. The reality is, that
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history demonstrates that there
are very few people who are
willing to die for something
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that they know is untrue. This
is why in the face of impending
death many confess to crimes
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that they committed many years
ago, on their deathbed they have
nothing more to fear from an
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earthly court, but many of them
do not want to face a heavenly
tribunal while still hiding
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terrible secrets that took place
many years before. In the same
manner, that time was Daniel's
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perfect opportunity to declare
that his belief was nothing more
than a hoax, it would have
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spared his life. But there is no
record of Daniel forsaking his
relationship with God. Why?
00:20:06.13\00:20:13.24
Because His God was real and the
relationship was real, very
real. And that continues today.
00:20:13.34\00:20:25.59
But for Daniel then, in
unbending integrity in the face
of certain death, his life
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testified to the truth of what
he believed. And so for Daniel,
even if all of the princes, even
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if all the people in the realm
believed that his religion was
inferior and a lie, Daniel still
00:20:45.31\00:20:56.28
stood fast for what he believed.
And in the aftermath of that
decision to be unwavering in his
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belief, a fourth highly
improbable event occurred. What
was that fourth event, Daniel
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was thrown into a den of hungry
lions and he was not eaten, not
even touched. How is that
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possible? Friends, you can be
certain that the scheming
princes made sure that those
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lions were hungry. They did not
want to see any possibility of
failure in their attempt to get
00:21:31.89\00:21:37.33
rid of Daniel. Yet, the morning
after Daniel had been thrown
into the lions den, the Bible
00:21:37.43\00:21:46.47
records that king Darius arose
very early in the morning to see
what had happened. Daniel
00:21:46.57\00:21:54.21
6:20-22 records the amazing
interaction, Darius crying out,
00:21:54.31\00:22:04.22
Absolutely astonishing, Daniel
was rescued from the lions. This
was truly miraculous. The lions
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were indeed hungry because in
the aftermath, the king knew of
the scheme of the princes and he
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had them cast into the den of
lions and Daniel records there
sad fate, Daniel 6:24
00:22:55.54\00:23:04.78
My dear friend, this event in
the life of Daniel is a
testimony to two distinct
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realities. First, those who
decide to place their trust in
God's Word and enter into a
00:23:24.47\00:23:32.34
relationship with him experience
many highly improbable things in
their lives that others do not.
00:23:32.44\00:23:43.52
Second, is the demonstration
that God doesn't always deliver
us from our trials, problems and
00:23:43.62\00:23:52.13
challenges in life, but rather
He walks through them with us.
He gives us the strength to make
00:23:52.23\00:24:02.20
it through no
matter what happens.
00:24:02.30\00:24:07.28
All of that would be enough, but
there is a fifth highly
improbable event that occurred
00:24:09.38\00:24:16.15
in the events of Daniel 6. It is
connected to the fourth. I want
you to listen carefully, Daniel
00:24:16.25\00:24:23.93
was miraculously delivered
without changing in any way the
unalterable decree that sealed
00:24:24.03\00:24:32.97
his fate. Now follow me here.
There was absolutely no earthly
way in which Daniel could
00:24:33.07\00:24:42.48
escape. The king had signed the
decree, which according to the
law of the Medes and Persians is
00:24:42.58\00:24:47.75
unalterable. This prevented any
legal attempt at rescuing
Daniel, which the king himself
00:24:47.85\00:24:56.76
tried to do, but was
unsuccessful. In addition, a
stone was also brought and laid
00:24:56.86\00:25:04.13
at the mouth of the den, and the
the king sealed the entrance
with his own signet ring and
00:25:04.23\00:25:10.27
with the signets of his lords,
"that the purpose concerning
Daniel might not be changed."
00:25:10.37\00:25:21.85
According to Daniel 6:17. Those
wily princes obviously did not
trust the king, fearing that he
00:25:21.95\00:25:27.99
might engineer a rescue so they
insisted that their seals should
also be placed on the stone. And
00:25:28.09\00:25:38.50
in the end, although Darius saw
a lot of excellent qualities in
Daniel, he was not ready nor was
00:25:38.60\00:25:47.04
he willing to exalt Daniel's God
by breaking the laws and saving
him. And thus demonstrating to
00:25:47.14\00:25:53.45
all of the subjects of his
kingdom that Daniel's God was
supreme. However, after it was
00:25:53.55\00:26:00.76
all said and done, ultimately
the true God of heaven was
exalted. Because my dear
00:26:00.86\00:26:10.43
friends, just as the highly
improbable nature of the
prophecies and their fulfillment
00:26:10.53\00:26:18.51
speak to the certainty and
reliability of the Scriptures,
so does and individual's
00:26:18.61\00:26:27.35
Spirit-filled life, and living
according to Biblical principles
no matter what the cost. Darius
00:26:27.45\00:26:35.52
saw that in Daniel. He observed
the outworking of God's
providence and the amazing way
00:26:35.62\00:26:41.46
that Daniel's stood for
principle and His God delivered
him though an impossible
00:26:41.56\00:26:46.97
situation. What about you
friend? Where are you in your
walk with the Lord? Chapter
00:26:47.07\00:26:56.95
after chapter demonstrate that
God is real, that He cares for
you, and He wants to be in
00:26:57.05\00:27:06.19
relationship with you. You know,
the promise of scripture is not
that you will be rich, that
00:27:06.29\00:27:15.00
you'll never get sick, that bad
things won't happen. But God's
promise is in Philippians 4:19
00:27:15.10\00:27:29.38
is,
00:27:29.48\00:27:30.65
He will take care of us. He will
walk with us through the trials
of life. Joshua 1:9 promises,
00:27:38.12\00:27:47.30
Today friend, why not reach out
your hand, clasp his hand, and
trust Him.He is trustworthy.
00:28:01.14\00:28:14.76
Let's pray
00:28:14.86\00:28:16.73
Heavenly Father, we thank you
that you are trustworthy and
that You have given us a
00:28:18.03\00:28:23.16
trustworthy map of Your
scriptures. May we embrace that
and embrace a relationship with
00:28:23.26\00:28:30.31
You. We pray in
Jesus name, amen.
00:28:30.41\00:28:35.31
Friend, do you want to pursue
that relationship with God?
Today I want to offer you the
00:28:44.62\00:28:48.52
book "Steps to Christ". Here
is the information you need for
00:28:48.62\00:28:53.46
today's offer. Friend, thank you
so much for joining us. If you'd
like more resources, go to our
00:29:44.38\00:29:48.75
website, ItIsWrittenCanada.ca.
Please join us again next week.
Until then remember, It Is
00:29:48.85\00:29:56.99
Written, man shall not live by
bread alone, but by every word
that proceeds from the mouth of
00:29:57.09\00:30:03.63
God. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
00:30:04.87\00:30:06.03