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Series Code: IIWC
Program Code: IIWC201638A
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01:31 >> It has stood the test of time -- God's Book, the Bible -- 01:38 still relevant in today's complex world. 01:42 ♪♪ "It Is Written," sharing 01:46 messages of hope around the world. 02:01 >> Today, friends, we will study the words of a prophet who is referred to as "minor." 02:07 We're going to turn to the Book of Habakkuk. Now, if you're wondering where 02:13 you ought to open to in your Bible to find the Book of Habakkuk, just find the 02:17 Book of Daniel. And there, after you find the Book of Daniel, you'll turn to 02:23 Hosea and then Joel and Amos. And then you keep turning through Obediah, Jonah, and then 02:30 to Micah, then to Nahum. And following Nahum, you will find the Book of Habakkuk. 02:38 Now, Habakkuk is just three chapters long. He falls into this category of 02:44 minor prophets, but there is no doubt that this minor prophet has a major message for God's 02:52 people today. Now, the name Habakkuk in Hebrew literally means "to embrace." 03:00 In fact, the form of his Hebrew name has led some scholars to conclude that he may have been a 03:06 temple singer that worked in God's great and magnificent temple that Solomon had built. 03:12 Now, scholars are not in full agreement on when exactly Habakkuk wrote his book, but it 03:18 is clear that he wrote sometime around the time of King Josiah. It's likely that Habakkuk had 03:25 lived through a portion of the reign of Manasseh. And you'll remember Manasseh, 03:30 the most evil king to ever reign in Judah. He reigned 55 years. 03:35 The Bible says that he was so evil that he actually sacrificed his own children in fire. 03:41 Jewish tradition tells us that Manasseh had the prophet Isaiah arrested. 03:46 He was placed in a hollowed-out log, and then that log was sawed in half. 03:51 That is who Manasseh was -- the most evil king ever to raise in Israel. 03:58 He was the son of Hezekiah. Now, the Bible records that Manasseh did, in fact, have a 04:07 conversion experience in the Assyrian jail after he had been dragged away and taken prisoner 04:12 by the Assyrians. The Bible's description is one of Manasseh being arrested, and 04:17 it says that he was taken away in fetters. Now, what likely happened to 04:22 Manasseh is that when the Assyrians arrested him, he would have had leather tied to his 04:28 hands, connected to leather tied around his ankles, and then a connecting piece that would have 04:34 gone from his wrists, where they then would have taken a spike, driven it through his nose, and 04:41 tied leather to it. The Assyrians were a vicious people. 04:46 And Manasseh sat in his jail, and he prayed. And even though Manasseh 04:52 experienced a conversion experience in that Assyrian jail, even though he returned 04:57 and broke down the idols, his son, Amon, did not have that same experience. 05:03 The Bible says that Amon did evil in the sight of the Lord. And then came onto the scene 05:09 Josiah, and under Josiah, there was revival. But after Josiah, that revival 05:16 faded away. And so it is in that context that we find Habakkuk when he 05:26 comes to ministry. And in Habakkuk chapter 1, Habakkuk cries out to the Lord, 05:34 asking questions of God. This is what Habakkuk said. 06:12 Essentially, as Habakkuk cried out to God, he asked Him the fundamental question -- "God, 06:17 when are You going to do something about the wickedness that exists on the earth and the 06:23 wickedness among your people?" God answered Habakkuk and said that He would address the 06:30 wickedness among His people and that He would address that wickedness by bringing the 06:35 Babylonians, who would bring correction to his people, and they would be humbled. 06:42 When Habakkuk heard these words, he cried out and he says, "Lord, that would be too much." 06:50 But Habakkuk humbled himself because he understood that God has appointed times and 06:56 appointed ways to reach His people. And so in humbling himself, he 07:01 first acknowledged the sovereignty of God, and in acknowledging that sovereignty 07:07 of God, promised then to God that he would stand his watch. And then the Lord spoke to 07:16 Habakkuk. It is recorded in Habakkuk 2:2-4. 07:51 The appointed time. The vision is yet for an appointed time. 07:56 Here the Bible makes clear God has appointed times for the fulfillment of prophecy. 08:02 Habakkuk was not the only one who received this message about the Babylonians coming from the 08:08 north. The prophet Jeremiah also predicted that the Babylonians 08:12 would come from the north and defeat Judah. And the record of Scripture is 08:17 that that is exactly what happened. Daniel chapter 1 records the 08:22 invasion of Babylon, led by Nebuchadnezzar and the defeat of Judah, just as predicted. 08:29 But the story of Babylon as recorded in the Book of Daniel is a testimony not to the defeat 08:35 of God's people, but rather it is a testimony of the reality that God has appointed times for 08:42 the fulfillment of prophecy. Now, I want you to open to the Book of Daniel, and there in 08:49 Daniel chapter 2, there is a prophecy, a prophecy that you may know well. 08:53 It is a prophecy that we have discussed in previous programs. There in Daniel chapter 2, it 09:00 records the story of Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar had a dream. 09:05 I want you to remember now -- Nebuchadnezzar was the king of Babylon, and after he had that 09:11 dream, he had an experience that many of us have experienced. And that is, when he awoke, he 09:17 knew he had a dream, but he could not remember it. Now, moreover, he sensed that 09:23 that dream was important. The Babylonians believed that dreams actually dictated your 09:30 future. And so Nebuchadnezzar wanted to understand, and so 09:34 Nebuchadnezzar called together his wise men to help him understand the dream. 09:39 The Bible refers to this group of wise men as astrologers, soothsayers, and Chaldeans. 09:45 He called them together and asked them to tell him the dream and give him the interpretation. 09:51 But the astrologers, the soothsayers, and the Chaldeans, his wise men, they didn't know 09:57 the dream. And so they attempted to bargain with King Nebuchadnezzar. 10:01 "King, tell us the dream, and we'll give you the interpretation," they said. 10:04 Now, Nebuchadnezzar knew what they were trying to do. First, they were trying to 10:09 stall. They didn't know the dream. But number two, he knew that if 10:14 he gave them the dream, well, then they could make up an interpretation. 10:20 And after more continued stalling and bargaining by the wise men, Nebuchadnezzar grew 10:26 irritated. He grew so angry and agitated that he said to these wise men, 10:32 "If you don't tell me the dream and you don't give me the interpretation, I will kill all 10:37 the wise men of Babylon, and I will make your homes an ash heap." 10:44 Now, let us be clear. These were not simple and idle threats by King Nebuchadnezzar. 10:50 These were the threats of a man who had ascended to the throne through power and might and 10:55 through the conquering of the nations. And so because the wise men 10:59 could not give him the dream or the interpretation, Nebuchadnezzar set forth a 11:05 decree, and the soldiers went forth, killing the wise men. The prophet Daniel, who was one 11:10 of the Hebrew captives in Babylon and was a part of this group of wise men but not a part 11:15 of the original meeting with Nebuchadnezzar -- he was also being pursued. 11:23 And so Nebuchadnezzar, in sending out his soldiers to go and kill the wise men, went from 11:27 home to home, and they came to the home of Daniel. And when they came to the home 11:32 of Daniel, I want you to imagine in your mind what Daniel said as he answered the door. 11:39 I can imagine that Daniel said, "Whoa, whoa, wait just a second. What's going on here? 11:43 What's the hurry?" And so the soldiers explained to Daniel exactly what was going 11:47 on -- that the king had had a dream and the wise men couldn't tell him the dream and they 11:52 couldn't give him the interpretation. So Daniel asked the head of the 11:57 soldiers, "Please take me to King Nebuchadnezzar." And so Daniel went before the 12:03 king and asked him for time. You know, Nebuchadnezzar must have trusted Daniel, for the 12:10 testimony of Daniel chapter 1 is that he was an excellent student. 12:14 And he must have been a trusted advisor, a trusted wise man to the king. 12:21 So, Daniel returned to his home after he had been granted time by Nebuchadnezzar, and there he 12:27 prayed with his friends, Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael. And as they prayed, the 12:33 testimony of Scripture is that God answered their prayer. And so Daniel returned and went 12:39 before the King. And when he went before the King, he made something 12:44 abundantly clear that we must not miss. He told the King, according to 12:48 Daniel 2:28... 13:02 Daniel attributed it all to God. And Daniel was letting the king know that he had received a 13:09 special dream because God has appointed times for the fulfillment of prophecy. 13:17 And why is it that it is so important that God has fulfilled prophecy? 13:21 Well, the prophet Isaiah wrote these words in Isaiah 46:9-10. 13:39 This refers to prophecy. Fulfilled prophecy serves as a marker, a knowing, shall we say, 13:47 that God is, in fact, who He says He is. God has appointed times for 13:53 fulfilled prophecy, that He has appointed times in which He can lead people to be prepared and 14:00 be ready for the appointed time of Jesus' return. And as we see prophecies 14:06 fulfilled, it gives us confidence and faith that the promise of God's Word is true. 14:13 And so then we trust that Jesus is, in fact, coming soon. And so Daniel began to tell the 14:21 king the dream. In Daniel 2:31, it records these words. 15:17 Nebuchadnezzar's dream was of a great metal image, metals that at the top were of the greatest 15:22 value and at the bottom the least value, but at the top the least strong and the bottom the 15:28 most strong. Then Daniel went on to say this in verse 36. 15:41 I'm sure Nebuchadnezzar anxiously anticipated the interpretation of this important 15:45 dream, and then Daniel said these words. 15:56 The metal image was a representation of what would take place in the latter times. 16:01 Starting with Babylon and moving forward, it told the history of world empires before, in fact, 16:07 it was history. It was a prophetic prediction of what would happen in the world. 16:13 And what a fitting symbol for Babylon, being the head of gold. When you read the history of 16:18 Babylon, you see the importance of gold in its society. You read about the temple to 16:24 Marduk there in Babylon and the abundance of gold that was there. 16:33 But Babylon was not to reign forever. The prophet Habakkuk, the 16:36 prophet Jeremiah both predicted that the kingdom of Babylon would come to an end. 16:41 And here in Daniel 2:39, Daniel is in absolute agreement when he says the next words. 16:55 Against all odds, the kingdom of Babylon did end. In 539, Persia defeated Babylon 17:02 in the most unlikeliest of circumstances. And they ruled the Middle East 17:08 until 331 B.C. But the dream went on to say that another will come, a third 17:14 kingdom, a kingdom of bronze which shall rule over the earth. This second kingdom of Persia 17:20 would be defeated by a third kingdom, that kingdom represented by bronze. 17:25 The Persians, in fact, not ruling forever, were conquered by the Greeks. 17:31 The Greeks defeated the Persians once again in almost miraculous fashion. 17:36 And, again, what a fitting symbol of Greece. The Greeks wore bronze helmets. 17:42 The Greeks dominated the Middle East under the leadership of Alexander the Great, who 17:47 conquered the known world faster than any other nation in history. 17:51 You can go and read in the history books and see that, just as God predicted, Babylon would 17:56 rule, but then would be defeated by the Persians, and then the Persians would be defeated by 18:01 the Greeks. But then Daniel said... 18:08 The Greeks were defeated by the Romans, and, once again, what a fitting symbol, these legs of 18:14 iron, for the Roman Empire, who ruled with an iron fist. But the question is, as we look 18:22 at this image, we ask, "What's the next step? Who defeated the Romans?" 18:27 Well, the dream articulates in absolute precision what exactly happened to the Roman Empire. 18:43 The Roman Empire, in fact, was never defeated. The Roman Empire simply fell 18:49 apart. It divided. Basically, Rome divided into 18:52 what is today modern Europe. Now, of course there's been many changes since that time, but 18:58 Rome simply fell apart. The Bible, through the prophet Daniel, then goes on to say... 19:12 You see, the division of the Roman Empire was to be a permanent division. 19:17 Many have attempted to reconfigure the Ancient Roman Empire, and Daniel 19:22 used very precise language. "They will mingle with the seed of men." 19:27 Now, if we took a journey today to Denmark and we visited the Frederiksborg Castle and we 19:32 walked into that castle, there in the entryway we would find the family tree of Europe. 19:38 And what we find is a fascinating story because what happened over time was the 19:45 prince of this country married the princess of another country and the duke of one country 19:50 married the duchess of another country. And there was this constant 19:55 intermarrying between the nations that continued on for centuries. 20:00 And all of it had one purpose in mind -- the reunification of the old Roman Empire. 20:07 But notice Daniel said, "They will mingle with the seed of men." 20:12 That intermarrying and having children was an attempt to reunify, but it never came to 20:20 fruition. Additional insights into history tell us that many have, in fact, 20:27 attempted to reunite the old Roman Empire. Charlamagne attempted, 20:32 and he failed. Charles V tried to reunite the old Roman Empire, and he was 20:36 unsuccessful. Louis the XIV tried to reunite the old Roman Empire and was 20:41 also unsuccessful. Napoléon, too, failed. Even in more modern times, there 20:47 have been people who have tried. That's what the Third Reich was all about. 20:51 Hitler attempted to reunite the old Roman Empire, and in doing so, he did horrific things in 20:57 advancing that cause, but ultimately Hitler failed. All of these leaders attempted 21:02 to go against the very Word of God and the predictions he made. And they failed. 21:10 But the dream does not conclude there. Daniel continues on in the 21:14 dream. 21:23 Now, a stone or a rock cut without hands is a direct reference that what is about to 21:30 happen is not a man-made event. The stone cut without hands is telling us that man has nothing 21:38 to do with what happens next. The stone cut without hands is hurled to the earth, strikes the 21:44 image, and completely decimates all the previous empires. They're broken in pieces, and, 21:50 as the dream said, they are blown away as chaff on the summer threshing floor. 21:55 So, who or what is this stone? Well, I'll tell you, dear friends. 21:59 The Bible is quite clear. Deuteronomy 32:4 says this... 22:13 This rock, this stone is the setting up of a different kind of kingdom. 22:17 It is the setting up of God's kingdom. And it is a kingdom that will 22:22 have no end. It is a kingdom that will last forever. 22:26 The Book of Ephesians -- there the apostle Paul wrote these words... 22:40 This stone is a representation of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And as Daniel continued, 22:46 he said these words... 22:53 God is setting up a kingdom that will break in pieces and consume all the previous kingdoms, and 23:00 God's kingdom shall stand forever. Each one of these kingdoms had a 23:08 beginning and an ending. Babylon had a beginning. Babylon had an ending. 23:12 Persia had a beginning. Persia had an ending. Greece had a beginning. 23:16 Greece had an ending. Rome had a beginning, and Rome fell apart. 23:22 And now God says through the prophet Daniel all of them, any remnant of them, will come to an 23:27 end because He's setting up His kingdom. His kingdom will never end. 23:31 His kingdom will last forever. And, friends, don't miss this. God has appointed times of 23:36 fulfilled prophecy that we might know and understand and have confidence in God's Word and 23:43 confidence that we would see the appointed time of Jesus' return and have confidence that that 23:50 time is coming soon. God is setting up His kingdom, which will last forever. 23:56 If we look around the world today, we turn on the news, we look at the Internet, we read 24:02 the newspaper, it's all hard to watch, read, and listen to. In fact, after reading, it's 24:10 almost impossible to go to sleep and have any peace because when we look around, we see that the 24:17 world seems like it's just about to fall apart. We look around, and we -- we 24:24 say, "This -- This can't last forever. This isn't sustainable." 24:27 And the message of God today is this -- "I see the commotion. I see all the craziness. 24:36 I hear what's going on. And here's what I'm telling you, friend. 24:41 I'm setting up my kingdom. And I have the appointed time of my return, and my kingdom will 24:48 never end. It will last forever. My kingdom is a kingdom of 24:52 peace, and you will want to be a part of it." God has appointed times of 24:57 fulfilled prophecy that we might see and have confidence that, just as these prophecies have 25:04 been fulfilled, so, too, will the appointed time of the return of Jesus come to fruition. 25:12 God invites you today, friend, and says, "I'm God, and there is no other. 25:18 I am God, and there is none like me. I know the end from the 25:21 beginning, and I have appointed times to prepare you for the appointed time of Christ's 25:29 return." But here's the fundamental question. 25:36 What will you do? God wants each of us to be prepared for the appointed time 25:41 of His return. That is why He has appointed times of fulfilled prophecy. 25:46 All of it is in an effort to make sure that you have the opportunity, for me to have the 25:53 opportunity to make the decision to be a part of God's kingdom that will last forever. 26:00 The only piece of this prophecy of Daniel 2 that isn't fulfilled is the appointed time of the 26:06 Second Coming of Christ, where God's kingdom will be set up forever. 26:10 So, friend, what will you do? The Scriptures demonstrate over and over again that God has 26:18 appointed times of fulfilled promises. He has appointed times to 26:23 remember His deliverance. He has appointed times we're to wait upon Him. 26:27 He has appointed times where we are to be cleansed and renewed and restored. 26:34 He has appointed times of judgment. He has appointed times of 26:38 fulfilled prophecy. And all of it is in an effort to prepare you for the appointed 26:45 time of His return. Will you heed that call today? Will you listen? 26:51 Will you come to Him, who has opened His arms wide and said, "Come unto me, all ye that labor 26:58 and are heavy-laden." He promises to give you the rest for your soul. 27:04 Jesus is coming soon, at the appointed time. Will you be ready? 27:08 Will you trust in God's Word? Will you take time, get to know Jesus, and be ready for His 27:16 kingdom, which will last forever? Heavenly Father, we are so 27:23 thankful that You have given us prophecy and that through fulfilled prophecy we might 27:28 realize that You are who You say You are, that we might gain trust and confidence in You, 27:36 and that in that faith and confidence in You, we can make a decision to follow Your Son, 27:40 Jesus, and be ready for that day, the appointed time of His return. 27:46 We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Dear friend, God has given us 27:54 Bible prophecy that we might know and understand that He is God and He fulfills His 28:01 promises. Are you disappointed? Are you discouraged? 28:05 God says, "Trust in me," and we can know Him better and know Him more by reading prophecy, 28:13 studying prophecy, and, in studying that prophecy, build confidence in Him that we might 28:20 follow Him and have faith in Him. Today I want to offer you the 28:25 booklet "Daniel & Revelation: Secrets of Bible Prophecy." This full-color booklet will 28:31 walk you through many of the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation that you might have 28:37 confidence built in God, that you would follow him and be ready for the appointed time. 28:44 Here's the information you need to receive today's offer. 28:47 >> To request today's offer, just log on to... 28:55 If you prefer, you may call toll-free at... 29:01 >> My dear friend, God's appointed times of fulfilled 29:05 prophecy help us to draw near to Him and experience His love 29:10 fully. I want to invite you to go to 29:12 our website... 29:16 There you'll find resources to help you draw nearer to this God 29:20 who's doing all He can to save you, that you would be in the 29:25 kingdom. I hope that you enjoyed today's program. 29:28 I invite you to join us again next week. Until then, remember, it is 29:32 written, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of 29:39 God." ♪♪ 29:51 ♪♪ ♪♪ 30:09 ♪♪ |
Revised 2017-12-27