¤¤ ¤¤
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>> It has stood the test of
time -- God's Book, the Bible --
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still relevant in
today's complex world.
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¤¤ "It Is Written," sharing
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messages of hope
around the world.
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>> Léo Major was born January
23, 1921, to French-Canadian
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parents who were living down in
the States. At just a few months
old, his family moved to
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Montréal. Léo's childhood was
fairly uneventful, yet he did
not have a good relationship
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with his father. So, at the
age of 14, he moved in with his
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aunt. Now, in an effort to still
try to win the affections of his
father, Léo Major joined the
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Army in 1940. Eventually, he
became part of the Régiment de
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la Chaudière. His story is so
amazing that it is almost
unbelievable. Major took part in
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the Allied invasion of Normandy
during World War II. He captured
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a German vehicle with German
communication equipment and some
secret German army codes.
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Now, adding to his military
accomplishments, Léo Major
valiantly fought an elite group
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of the Nazi SS. And although he
lost an eye in that battle, he
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continued to serve in the
Régiment de la Chaudière. As if
that were not enough,
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Major was responsible for the
capture of 93 German soldiers.
However, his most heroic feat
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took place in April of 1945.
Now, the Canadian troops were
responsible for the freeing of
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the city of Zwolle in the
Netherlands. The plan was quite
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simple. Bomb the city until the
Germans surrendered their
position. Léo and his friend
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Willy were sent to the city on a
reconnaissance mission. Now, as
they explored the area,
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they realize that the barrage of
bombs would not only kill the
German army but would also take
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the lives of many innocent
civilians. So, Léo and Willy
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decided that they needed to
liberate the city on their own.
The odds were clearly against
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them. Their chances of success
went from bad to worse when
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Léo's friend Willy was shot and
killed by the Germans. And so,
motivated by anger at
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his friend's death, Léo
audaciously pressed on,
liberating the entire city by
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himself. The way he was able to
accomplish such an overwhelming
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task can only be described as
miraculous. He captured a German
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driver, then confronted a German
soldier and told him that the
town was surrounded by a massive
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Canadian force. Then, he
disappeared into the darkness.
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What took place the rest of the
night involved perfect timing
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and precision. The remainder of
the night, he dashed around the
town, creating the façade,
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through various explosions and
gunfire, that a Canadian force
was actually surrounding the
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city. Amazingly, the confused
German soldiers surrendered, and
Léo took them back to the Allied
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camp. By 4:00 a.m., he had
cleared Zwolle of all remaining
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SS troops. The artillery
attack was called off, and, as a
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result, the civilian lives were
spared. Léo Major was the only
Canadian to receive the
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Distinguished Conduct Medal
twice in separate wars. Sadly,
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Major died October 12, 2008. But
his story continues to be told.
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If the right people would not
have been in the right place at
the right times, he could not
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have liberated that entire city
the way he did. What an
incredible risk he took,
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defying unbelievable odds. But
the risk paid off, and many
people owed their lives to him.
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Now, as we've been studying the
appointed time over the last
several weeks, we have seen the
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Bible demonstrate that God is
also on a rescue mission, with a
timing more calculated
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and more precise than
Léo Major's. God prepares to
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liberate his people from a world
destined for destruction. God's
appointed times throughout
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history have been in preparation
for the ultimate, final
appointed time -- the
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Second Coming of Jesus. Friends,
I believe that Jesus is coming
for His people very soon.
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He has had appointed times, not
only throughout history but also
throughout each of our own
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personal lives. He has been
intervening in your life and
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mine in an all-out-ditch effort
to prepare us for that day. The
question remains for us --
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will we accept all that He has
done, all that He is doing, and
all that He will do?
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Or will we reject the warnings,
ignore the warnings, or just be
carelessly oblivious and go on
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living life as usual? Now, as we
consider this sobering question,
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let's review what we have
studied regarding some of the
appointed times we find
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mentioned in the Bible. The
phrase "the appointed time" is
used over 35 times in the New
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King James version of the Bible.
When found in the Old Testament,
this key phrase is based on the
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Hebrew word "moed." In the New
Testament, it is the Greek word
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"kairos." It is literally
translated a set time or a
determined time, a fixed time,
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an appointed sign, or a decisive
moment -- all under the auspices
of an appointed time in the
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purpose of God or in the meeting
of God. Throughout the Bible, we
read about God's appointed
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times, His decisive moments in
history, when He determined to
bring about His purpose -- the
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appointed time when the angels
would return to Sarah, and she
would be with child,
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the appointed time in which the
children of Israel would leave
Egypt, the appointed time in
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which God called upon the
children of Israel to wait upon
the Lord, the appointed time for
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the exile out of Babylon, the
appointed time for the birth of
Christ, the appointed time for
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the baptism of Jesus, the
appointed time for the death of
Jesus, and the appointed time
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of Jesus' return. Throughout the
Scriptures, God has appointed
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times to bring about His
ultimate purpose, and I don't
want you to miss this. The more
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fully the end is in sight, the
more important it is for us to
understand the imminent nature
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of the appointed time of Jesus'
return and to respond to those
appointed moments in our life.
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Too often, mankind puts off
God's appointed times. This is
seen most classically in
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Acts 24:25. In this verse, Paul
is giving the good news of the
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Gospel to Felix. Felix responded
to the appeal of the Gospel by
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telling Paul, "Go away for now.
When I have a convenient time, I
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will call you." You see, God's
appointed time does not
necessarily work at our time of
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convenience. God is more
concerned about our eternal
salvation than our current,
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temporary convenience. Think
back over the course of your
experience in life. It is
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overwhelming, frankly, as I
consider my own story. There
were appointed times where had I
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not been open to God and His
leading, I'm quite certain that
I wouldn't be here today.
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Sometimes, these appointed times
are uncomfortable. It was
predicted that at an appointed
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time, because of the enormity of
Israel's sins, the Babylonians
were going to come and take the
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children of Israel captive. If
we could ask the ancient
children of Israel, I'm sure
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they would tell us that it
wasn't comfortable to be taken
captive to Babylon.
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But what we must understand is
that event, in the most
uncomfortable of moments, God
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was for them. And in our
uncomfortable moments, God is
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for us. While in the peace and
security of Jerusalem, God's
people kept rejecting him.
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God's ultimate purpose in taking
them to Babylon was to save
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them. Unfortunately, some people
think that God is doing all He
can do to keep people out of
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Heaven. However, the Bible, this
book, is clear that God has done
and is doing and will do
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everything He can to reach your
heart and save you for eternity.
So, how can we be certain that
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Jesus is coming back soon? Does
God reveal to us when that
appointed time will take place?
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Let's go to a book and even a
chapter that we have studied
before -- Daniel chapter 8.
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In Daniel chapter 8, we find an
amazing fulfillment of prophecy
that is against all odds.
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Yet it promises certain
salvation. The beginning of
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Daniel chapter 8 finds Daniel in
a vision. This vision took place
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near the end of the reign of
King Belshazzar, which was also
the end of the Babylonian
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empire. Now, Daniel 8:3 begins
to describe this very vision.
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Again, Daniel chapter
8, beginning at verse 3.
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By now, Daniel had been a
captive in Babylon for most of
his life, and he was not
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unfamiliar with visions. When
Daniel saw this vision of the
ram and the goat, he would
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have recalled an earlier vision
he saw. Now, if we turn back a
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few chapters, we are reminded
that Daniel was shown a vision
in Daniel chapter 2 that was
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originally shown to King
Nebuchadnezzar. Now, let's take
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a minute to review that vision.
What is it that Daniel saw in
the vision of Daniel 2?
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He saw an image made of metals,
with the highest-valued metal at
the top and the lowest-valued
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metal at the bottom. The weakest
metal was at the top, while the
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strongest metal was at the
bottom. Daniel was shown the
future of world empires.
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We look back on history and are
able to see how incredibly
accurate this vision was.
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The head of gold represented
Babylon. The chest and arms of
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silver represented Medo-Persia.
The midsection of brass or
bronze symbolized Greece.
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And the legs of iron were a
symbol of Rome, while the feet
of iron mixed with clay
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represented divided Rome. And
what we see in Daniel chapter 2
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is a pattern that establishes a
pattern to interpret all
end-time prophecies.
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Nations -- Babylon, Medo-Persia,
Greece, Rome, and the division
of Rome -- and then the
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Second Coming. Now, at a later
time, Daniel received a second
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vision, which is recorded in
Daniel chapter 7, where he's now
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shown four beasts. These beasts
were strange-looking beasts,
with wings and multiple heads.
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But, once again, Daniel was
shown the same outline of
history -- Babylon, Medo-Persia,
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Greece, Rome, the division of
Rome, and the Second Coming.
However, in this vision, there
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is a scene that is added. A
court was seated, and there was
a judgment that took place
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in between the fourth beast
and the Son of Man coming in the
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clouds of Heaven. So, seeing a
repeated pattern with more
details added is a literary
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technique used in Hebrew to
repeat and enlarge on an idea or
a concept. An excellent example
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of this is found in the Book
of Psalms, Psalm 51. David wrote
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these words... You see, David is
actually saying the same thing
twice and expanding on its
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meaning. "Create in me a clean
heart." Well, what does that
look like? By renewing a "right
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spirit within me." And so,
the repeating and enlarging of
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Daniel 2 and Daniel 7 is where
God gives the outline and then,
in the second vision, fills in
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some of the details. And now,
here in Daniel chapter 8, as we
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will see momentarily, he fills
in further details. So, let's
continue reading the
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vision of Daniel chapter
8, beginning in verse 13.
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Now, this prophecy follows a
very simple outline. Two beasts,
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the ram and the goat, a large
horn, four horns that come up
out of the goat, a little horn
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that comes up out of one of the
four winds, that horn growing up
and taking on a manlike
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characteristic that seems to be
religious in connotation, and
then the 2,300-day prophecy.
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So, what does this all mean? We
don't need to guess. Daniel had
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been earlier shown the same
general outline in Daniel 2 and
Daniel 7 -- nations, judgment,
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then the Second Coming. We would
then expect the same here in
Daniel chapter 8, but
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Daniel did wonder what it meant,
and the angel Gabriel was sent
to him to help him understand
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the vision. In verse 17 and
onward, we read the explanation
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that Gabriel gave to Daniel.
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Now, friends, we've studied this
prophecy before in a previous
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episode. You can go
to our YouTube channel...
00:20:19.05\00:20:21.88
And there, you
can look at the series
00:20:26.69\00:20:29.16
"Philosophy's Achilles Heel."
That will help you walk through
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the prophecies of Daniel and
Revelation in greater detail.
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If you don't have access to the
Internet, just call one of our
00:20:36.93\00:20:40.34
operators and order that DVD
set. Daniel chapter 8 follows
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the same pattern of the earlier
prophecies of Daniel. However,
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Babylon is not mentioned in this
prophecy. That is because
Babylon was fading off the
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scene. It was being weakened and
being attacked by Medo-Persia
and really was no longer
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pertinent to the history of the
world. So, this prophecy starts
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with Medo-Persia. The ram, as
the prophecy indicates, is
Medo-Persia, while the goat is
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Greece. The notable horn was the
first king of Greece, and who
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was that? Of course, that was
Alexander the Great. Then, that
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horn broke, predicting the death
of Alexander. The four horns
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that came up represented the
four divisions of Greece. This
division occurred because
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as Alexander laid on his
deathbed and he was asked, "Who
will be the next king?
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Who shall inherit the kingdom?"
Alexander answered, "He who is
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strongest." The history of
Greece is defined by those four
divisions of Greece, led by
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Ptolemy, Cassander, Lysimachus,
and Seleucus fighting one
another, trying to figure out
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who in fact was strongest.
However, out of one of the four
winds of Heaven, in the West, in
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the western Greek empire, a new
republic began to form. And in
one of the most unlikely
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moments of history, this little
republic, which had been greatly
influenced by Hellenistic
00:22:16.26\00:22:22.70
thinking, destroyed the Greek
empire and developed into the
strongest empire ever in the
00:22:22.70\00:22:29.58
history of the Earth. The pagan
Roman empire further developed
the known world and
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transformed society. But, over
time, pagan Rome took on a
decidedly religious element
00:22:35.75\00:22:43.89
when the Roman emperors gave way
to papal Roman rule. However,
tucked away in verse 19
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is something that I had not
noticed until I recently
restudied this passage.
00:22:51.00\00:22:57.04
The angel visitor says something
that is absolutely critical to
our understanding of the
00:22:57.04\00:23:03.75
appointed time of Jesus' return.
In verse 19, this is what it
00:23:03.75\00:23:10.52
says... This is critical. My
dear friends, we are going to
look at something that is
00:23:24.30\00:23:29.74
absolutely essential in
understanding Daniel chapter 8.
There are some teachers of Bible
00:23:29.74\00:23:37.01
prophecy and preachers who try
to place Daniel 8:19 squarely in
00:23:37.01\00:23:43.08
the past. But when God gave this
to Daniel, he placed it squarely
00:23:43.08\00:23:48.72
in our future. The Scripture
clearly says, "I'm making known
to you what shall happen in the
00:23:48.72\00:23:56.00
latter time." But not just any
latter time -- the latter time
of indignation, for at the
00:23:56.00\00:24:02.70
appointed time, the end shall
be. Now, some of the key
questions that we need to
00:24:02.70\00:24:07.98
understand -- what is this
latter time of indignation? And
00:24:07.98\00:24:17.15
when is the end? As the German
troops were occupying their
city, the citizens of Zwolle may
00:24:17.15\00:24:22.02
have wondered if they were going
to get caught in the crosshairs
and be destroyed in the Allied
00:24:22.02\00:24:28.13
attempt to save them from
the Germans. Does life sometimes
00:24:28.13\00:24:34.24
feel like that to you? Is there
turmoil or a never-ending rat
00:24:34.24\00:24:38.77
race taking over your life? Have
you ever asked God to step in
and do something, only to
00:24:38.77\00:24:44.41
find that things actually went
from bad to worse? Does God see
00:24:44.41\00:24:49.92
the injustice of your world? Is
he indifferent to your cares and
00:24:49.92\00:24:54.76
your burdens? While you may not
see how liberation is possible,
next week, we will learn why the
00:24:54.76\00:25:02.73
latter time of indignation and
the appointed time of the end is
your ticket to freedom and
00:25:02.73\00:25:10.44
joy. In God's own perfect
timing, He risked everything to
00:25:10.44\00:25:18.01
save you. He is not slack
concerning His promise as some
count slackness, but He is
00:25:18.01\00:25:25.39
long-suffering toward us, not
willing that any should perish
but that all should come to
00:25:25.39\00:25:32.49
repentance. God wants you to be
ready for the appointed time.
Why don't you today accept the
00:25:32.49\00:25:39.70
gift of salvation that He
offers? Heavenly Father, we are
00:25:39.70\00:25:48.74
so thankful that as we consider,
sometimes even wonder, whether
You are intervening in our
00:25:48.74\00:25:57.32
lives, that we have the promise
of Your word, which tells us
clearly that You are for us.
00:25:57.32\00:26:03.49
And because You are for us, no
one can be against us. Today, we
entrust our lives to
00:26:03.49\00:26:09.16
You. We thank You, that the
appointed time of Jesus' soon
00:26:09.16\00:26:14.84
return is coming. And we ask
that You help us to prepare,
that we would be ready
00:26:14.84\00:26:20.01
for that day. We pray
this in Jesus' name. Amen.
00:26:20.01\00:26:25.48
Friends, Léo Major conquered an
entire German battalion on his
00:26:26.75\00:26:34.42
own. God is doing something far
more. He is conquering the
principalities and powers of the
00:26:34.42\00:26:42.86
air, the demonic forces. They
were conquered at the cross.
00:26:42.86\00:26:48.37
And now God is conquering their
attack on your life. The story
00:26:48.37\00:26:55.08
of the Bible, the story of the
Book of Revelation, the story of
Daniel is that God wins, Christ
00:26:55.08\00:27:03.15
wins, and Satan loses. In that
great cosmic conflict, the great
battle between good
00:27:03.15\00:27:08.42
and evil, God is calling upon
you to place your trust and your
00:27:08.42\00:27:15.93
faith in Him. As we place our
faith, as we place our trust in
the Father, He will care for us.
00:27:15.93\00:27:23.04
He will watch over us. He will
lead us. And he will guide us.
00:27:23.04\00:27:30.05
Now, in Daniel chapter 8 that we
studied today, we see that there
is a time of the end coming.
00:27:30.05\00:27:38.19
And at the appointed time, Jesus
will come. The question is, how
00:27:38.19\00:27:44.56
can we prepare for that day?
What can we look forward to?
Today for the offer, I want to
00:27:44.56\00:27:50.60
offer you a book I wrote with
all of that in mind. That book
00:27:50.60\00:27:54.90
is called "Hope for a Helpless
Planet." In the pages, you will
find signs of the return of
00:27:54.90\00:28:02.51
Jesus, how Jesus will return,
and then, most importantly,
chapters on how to prepare for
00:28:02.51\00:28:10.35
that day. You won't want to miss
out on this book. Here's the
information you need
00:28:10.35\00:28:14.79
to receive today's offer.
>> To request today's offer,
00:28:14.79\00:28:19.86
just log on to
www.ItIsWrittenCanada.ca.
00:28:19.86\00:28:23.53
If you prefer, you may call
toll-free at 1-888-CALL-IIW. >>
Dear friend, the appointed
00:28:23.53\00:28:32.51
time is the topic for the ages.
It is the hope we have of the
soon return of Jesus, the only
00:28:32.51\00:28:40.58
event and the only person in
history that will bring an end
to all of the turmoil that's
00:28:40.58\00:28:48.36
happening on this Earth --
terrorism, school shootings,
shootings at malls, bombings,
00:28:48.36\00:28:56.83
all of it frightening. But we
have hope, and that hope is that
Jesus is coming soon,
00:28:56.83\00:29:03.84
and He'll bring
all of that to an end.
00:29:03.84\00:29:06.74
Friend, I want to encourage
you to go to our website,
00:29:06.74\00:29:09.01
www.ItIsWrittenCanada.ca.
There you'll find resources to
00:29:09.01\00:29:14.62
help you grow in
your spiritual life.
00:29:14.62\00:29:18.79
I also want to encourage
you to go to our Facebook.
00:29:18.79\00:29:21.72
You can follow us
there at ItIsWrittenCanada.
00:29:21.72\00:29:25.06
You can follow me,
Pastor Holland, and keep up with
00:29:25.06\00:29:28.00
me in my travels and my
preaching schedule. Dear friend,
I thank you so much
00:29:28.00\00:29:34.44
for watching. I want to ask
you to join us again next week.
00:29:34.44\00:29:38.47
Until then, remember, it is
written, "Man shall not live by
bread alone, but by every word
00:29:38.47\00:29:45.91
that proceeds
from the mouth of God."
00:29:45.91\00:29:51.35
¤¤ ¤¤
00:29:51.35\00:30:11.34
¤¤
00:30:11.34\00:30:18.91