Participants:
Series Code: LGS
Program Code: LGS200103A
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00:01 Hello, I'm Andrew Russell.
00:02 Welcome to Let God Speak. 00:04 Nothing fuels our faith more than a fulfilled prophecy. 00:07 In addition, Bible prophecy confirms God's sovereignty 00:10 over the nations and history. 00:12 It also gives us confidence 00:13 as we face what would otherwise be an uncertain future. 00:17 So today, we will study a prophecy 00:19 that provides the foundation 00:21 for all the great time prophecies of the Bible. 00:49 On our panel today, 00:51 we have Justin and Charissa Torossian, 00:53 a husband and wife team. 00:54 I'm glad you're here to join us. 00:56 Thank you. Thanks. Glad to be here. 00:57 Thank you. 00:59 Well, let's begin with a word of prayer. 01:00 Let's pray. 01:01 Loving Father, today, 01:03 Lord, we are looking into Your word once again. 01:06 Father, give us an understanding, 01:08 Father, that would furnish our faith, Lord, 01:10 and help us to understand, Father, 01:12 that You've got this world in Your hands. 01:15 And if You've got this world in Your hands, 01:16 Lord, we may know 01:17 that You have us in Your hands also. 01:19 And we thank you in Jesus name, amen. 01:21 Amen. 01:22 All right. 01:24 Well, today's study begins with the king, 01:27 King Nebuchadnezzar. 01:28 And we're going to begin in Daniel 2 today. 01:31 So we'll begin with Daniel 2:1. 01:36 And it says here, 01:37 "And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, 01:40 Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams 01:42 where with his spirit was troubled, 01:44 and his sleep broke from him." 01:48 And so the prophet Daniel obviously is alluding 01:51 to something immediately in his first verse, 01:53 and there's something unusual 01:55 that happened here in regard to the King's dream. 01:57 Charissa, can you tell us a little bit more 01:59 about what's taking place. 02:00 Well, it is telling us 02:01 that this dream was not like any other dream he had had. 02:04 I doubt this was the first time he had ever dreamed a dream 02:08 because we all have dreams. 02:09 But this dream was not just the playing back 02:12 of the previous day's activity. 02:14 This was an outstanding powerful dream. 02:16 That's right. 02:18 So in the middle of the night, the Bible goes on to tell us 02:20 that he called all his wise men, 02:22 you know, the counsellors of the king's court. 02:24 And we can read that in Daniel 2:2 and 3. 02:28 Let's read it together. 02:29 "Then the king commanded to call the magicians, 02:32 and the astrologers and the sorcerers, 02:34 and the Chaldeans, 02:36 for to show the king his dreams. 02:38 So they came and stood before the king. 02:40 And the king said unto them, "'I have dreamed a dream, 02:43 and my spirit was troubled, to know the dream.'" 02:48 So here, the wise men come, 02:50 how did they feel about this challenge 02:51 to interpret the king's dream, would you say?" 02:54 Well, I don't know what you think, 02:55 but I think they probably would have felt pretty good. 02:57 The king has called on them. 02:59 This was what they were good at, 03:01 you know, these sorts of things. 03:02 But it quickly becomes apparent 03:04 that there wasn't quite what they expected. 03:06 Yeah, that's right. 03:08 So the chances are they've done this before, 03:09 isn't that right? 03:11 So there was a problem, though it wasn't there, Justin? 03:13 Can you tell us a little bit more? 03:15 That's right. 03:16 See in times before, 03:18 the king would have told them what he had dreamed. 03:20 And then they would have interpreted 03:23 or even maybe made up a bit of an explanation 03:26 as to what the dream meant. 03:28 But this time, the king couldn't remember his dream, 03:31 the Bible says. 03:32 And he actually had to... 03:35 Well, he told them that they had to tell him 03:37 not only the interpretation, but what he dreamed as well. 03:41 Daniel 2:4 says, 03:42 "The Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic, 03:44 'O king, live forever! 03:45 Tell your servants the dream, 03:47 and we will give the interpretation.'" 03:49 But in verse five, 03:51 "The king answered and said to them, 03:52 'My decision is firm. 03:54 If you do not make known to me the dream 03:57 and its interpretation, you shall be cut in pieces, 04:00 and your houses shall be made into an ash heap.'" 04:04 And so, the king divinely providentially 04:07 couldn't remember his dream, 04:09 and told them they needed 04:10 to not only give him an explanation, 04:12 but also tell him what he had dreamed. 04:14 That's right. 04:15 It's very clear in verse eight 04:16 that it says the thing lift him when you read on. 04:20 So they are getting, I mean, 04:23 they must be in a desperate kind of situation, 04:25 isn't that right? 04:27 The Bible goes on to say 04:29 that the king began to accuse them now 04:34 because obviously they can't interpret this, 04:36 they face with this issue of interpreting 04:38 what they do not know. 04:39 And he goes on to say 04:41 that he accuses them of deception, of fraud. 04:46 You know, they're starting to appear charlatans to him. 04:49 And I just want to know, Charissa, 04:53 you know, what do they do next? 04:54 How do they respond here? 04:55 Well, notice what it says in verses 10 and 11. 04:58 It says "The Chaldeans answered the king and said, 05:01 'There is not a man on earth who can tell the king's matter. 05:05 Therefore no king, lord, 05:06 or ruler has ever asked such things 05:09 of any magician, astrologer, or Chaldean. 05:12 It is a difficult thing that the king requests 05:14 and there is no other who can tell it to the king 05:18 except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.'" 05:21 They recognize that this was going to need 05:23 divine intervention 05:25 because nobody on earth could help the king 05:26 and what he was requesting of them. 05:28 And obviously the king was not too thrilled 05:31 about what happens here. 05:33 The Bible goes on to say in verse 12, "For this reason, 05:36 the king was angry and very furious, 05:40 and gave the command 05:41 to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. 05:43 So the decree went out, 05:45 and they began killing the wise man, 05:46 and they sought Daniel and his companions, 05:48 to kill them." 05:50 Yeah. 05:51 So what we find here now is that 05:56 they really confess the limitations, did they? 05:59 Really? 06:00 I mean, they're saying, look, 06:02 you know, there's this notion of other gods, isn't there? 06:05 And so we are limited, 06:07 they may be a source that we are unaware of. 06:10 And we can't do this for you. 06:13 And this is really what we get and so where do we go from? 06:17 What does this mean? 06:18 You know when they told him about this... 06:20 What is the Bible now take us? 06:21 Well, this is where the God of heaven 06:24 steps into the picture. 06:25 In fact, notice what goes on. 06:27 The Bible says verse 14, 06:29 "Then with counsel and wisdom Daniel answered Arioch, 06:32 the captain of the king's guard, 06:34 who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon, 06:36 and he answered and said to Arioch the king's captain, 06:40 'Why is the decree from the king so urgent?' 06:42 Then Arioch made the decision known to Daniel. 06:48 So Daniel went in and asked the king to give him time, 06:52 that he might tell the king the interpretation." 06:55 Daniel is faced with a very difficult situation. 06:59 I mean, he discovers he is on death's row, 07:01 like every other wise man, 07:02 everybody else that's been trained in Babylon. 07:05 And so he goes in and asks for time. 07:08 And the reason he does this, he has a tactic, 07:10 he's going to pray. 07:12 And I think this is a beautiful lesson 07:14 for all of us. 07:15 Whenever we are faced with difficult circumstances, 07:17 it may not be the same one. 07:19 But any circumstance that comes our way 07:22 that presents a difficulty is an opportunity for God 07:25 to work and for us to pray. 07:26 Yeah, amen. Amen. 07:29 So we're tapping into a source that is infinite now, 07:32 outside of man's finite, but this God, this living God, 07:36 Daniel presents Him as infinite, as an advisor, 07:38 the source of all knowledge, the source of all wisdom. 07:41 And so you've mentioned Daniel goes to pray, Justin, 07:47 he goes to pray, 07:48 he calls for prayer meetings, is that right? 07:50 Yes, that's exactly right. 07:51 And he did what every Christian, 07:53 serious and committed Christian has done down through time, 07:55 when in trouble, gone to God in prayer. 07:58 And that's exactly what Daniel did. 07:59 He went, he didn't just pray alone. 08:01 But the Bible tells us in verses 2:17 and 18 08:05 that "Daniel went to his house, 08:07 and made the decision known to Hananiah, Mishael, 08:10 and Azariah, his companions, 08:12 that they might seek mercies from the God of heaven 08:16 concerning this secret, 08:18 so that Daniel and his companions 08:19 might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon." 08:23 And so, amazingly, and not surprisingly to those 08:27 who know our God, who is a God who saves, 08:30 they pray to God and God answers that prayer. 08:34 Interestingly enough, 08:36 the Bible says that, in verse 19, 08:40 that "The secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision." 08:44 And the night vision is a dream. 08:45 Yes. 08:46 And the amazing thing to me here is that Daniel 08:49 and his three companions were facing a death sentence. 08:52 They prayed to God in this prayer meeting, 08:54 they earnestly poured out their hearts to God, 08:57 but then they went to sleep. 08:58 They trusted God enough 09:00 to just leave it in his hands and sleep. 09:03 And that's a beautiful picture of ones who trusting God 09:07 with all of their hearts. 09:08 And because they trusted in God and slept, 09:10 rather than staying up all night praying or panicking 09:13 or being worried, God could answer that prayer. 09:16 And He gave Daniel the same dream 09:19 that Nebuchadnezzar has had. 09:20 Amen. 09:21 That's a real prayer of faith, isn't it? 09:23 Faith is not hanging on to it. 09:25 It's letting go and letting God take care of that for you. 09:30 Does God... 09:32 Was anything that He should answer this prayer? 09:35 Is that how it works? 09:36 I think it's less that God owes us something 09:38 but really, that He loves us. 09:40 And, you know, He loves us so much 09:42 that He longs to hear our prayers. 09:44 He longs to know what we're struggling with, 09:46 what we're going through. 09:47 And He longs to help us, 09:49 and He loves to help us 09:50 when we cry out to Him for help. 09:51 That's right. Amen. 09:53 And, Charissa, Daniel prays two types of prayers. 09:57 Can you tell us a little bit about that? 09:58 Well, the first part of the Prayer is very specific. 10:01 He's praying that God will show him 10:05 what the king dreamed and so that part of the prayer, 10:09 but then he also acknowledges 10:11 that God hears and answers prayer. 10:13 And so he actually goes ahead and prays a second prayer. 10:16 And it begins verse 19, it's actually alluding to it. 10:21 "The Secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision," 10:23 like Justin said, "So Daniel blessed the God of heaven." 10:26 And his second prayer is one of praise 10:29 and thanksgiving to God for answering the prayer. 10:31 Yeah, amen, amen. 10:33 That's a beautiful prayer too. 10:35 That's right. 10:36 Verse 23, it says, "I thank thee and praise thee, 10:41 O God of my fathers, 10:42 who has given me wisdom and might, 10:44 and has made known unto me, now what we asked of You, 10:50 for You have now made known to us the king's matter." 10:55 Yeah, it's one thing to ask. 10:56 It's another thing to say thank you, 10:58 isn't that wonderful? 10:59 Yeah, and if we don't ask, you know the old saying, 11:02 if you don't ask... You don't receive. 11:03 You don't receive. 11:05 Don't receive. 11:06 And God loves to hear the prayer of faith. 11:08 We'll never really come to the knowledge of God 11:11 unless we reach out to Him. 11:12 He's right there. 11:14 Paul, the Apostle Paul says, "He's not so far. 11:15 If only we will just happily reach out to Him, 11:17 He will be there for us." 11:19 How important is saying thank you to God? 11:23 I think it's very important. 11:25 And when we think of our human relationships, 11:27 when you do something, 11:29 especially something significant for someone, 11:31 it means something to you when they say thank you. 11:35 And the reason is because they're acknowledging 11:38 what you have done for them. 11:39 You've gone out of your way that you've helped them 11:41 and to acknowledge that by saying thank you 11:43 is something significant 11:45 when it comes to our human relationships, 11:47 and how much the more with God 11:49 when He works miraculously to help us 11:51 and to work in our lives. 11:55 It's very significant to tell the Lord thank you 11:59 and to be express our gratitude to Him. 12:02 In fact, there was a time in the gospels 12:04 where Jesus was healing these, 12:08 He healed 10 lepers in Luke 17. 12:10 The Bible tells us 12:12 that of all of these 10 lepers who went, 12:15 only one of them came back to thank Him. 12:19 And it tells us here in Luke17:18, 12:23 Jesus replied, and He said, first in verse 17, 12:26 "Were there not tencleansed?" 12:28 You know, Jesus didn't forget 12:29 how many people He had cleansed, 12:31 He knew that there were 10. 12:32 But He says this, 12:33 to highlight it to the people around, 12:35 "But where are the nine? 12:37 Were there not any found 12:38 who returned to give glory to God 12:40 except for this foreigner?" 12:42 And so gratitude to God coming to Him 12:45 and thanking Him for what He has done 12:47 is a very important part of the Christian life. 12:49 And the more that we come to Him, 12:51 and thank Him for things, 12:53 the more that we look into our lives 12:55 to see what we have to thank Him for, 12:57 the more that we'll recognize naturally 12:59 that we have to be grateful to Him for. 13:01 Yeah, that's right. 13:02 And I just love that about the Book of Daniel 13:04 and Daniel 2. 13:06 It's not just about a prophecy, isn't it? 13:08 It's really highlighting this relationship 13:10 and the benefits of that relationship. 13:13 When we think about the praise that Daniel offered, 13:15 what stands out there for us? What we learn? 13:19 Great question. 13:20 You know, I think that it's significant 13:22 that Daniel, he highlighted the character 13:26 and the characteristics of God. 13:28 If we look at that prayer that you just read in verse 23, 13:30 he says, "I thank you 13:33 and praise you O God of my fathers. 13:35 You have given me wisdom and might." 13:37 He recognized that this wisdom only came from God, 13:40 it was from Him and he says, 13:42 "And have now made known to me what we asked of You, 13:45 for You have made known to us, the king's demand." 13:49 And so he acknowledges 13:50 and he exalts this all-knowing omniscient God, 13:54 who loved them so much 13:55 that He didn't want them to be killed 13:57 in this death decree or any of the other wise men. 13:59 And as well as that, 14:01 He wanted to outline the flow of prophetic history 14:04 so that we could know the nations 14:06 that were to come after that time. 14:08 And the nation that would be set up at the end of time, 14:11 of course, that would have no end. 14:13 I don't want to give that away 14:14 because I know it's still yet ahead, 14:16 but he praises God for doing all of this 14:18 and answer to their prayer. 14:19 Yeah. 14:21 So yeah, it's interesting' 14:22 cause Daniel doesn't then really ingratiate himself 14:24 with this knowledge, does he? 14:26 And totally, could have if he wanted. 14:28 He could have taken the glory to himself. 14:30 That's right. But he gets out of the way. 14:33 And I really like that. 14:34 And it's a lesson for all of us to get out of the way 14:37 and let God shine through and let the glory go to Him. 14:40 When the king asked him, 14:42 "Are you able to make known this matter to me 14:45 and its interpretation," verse 26. 14:47 I love what Daniels response is in verse 28. 14:50 He says, 14:51 "But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, 14:54 and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar 14:57 what will be in the latter days." 14:59 very important, "Your dream, 15:00 and the visions of your head upon your bed, 15:02 were these." 15:04 Amen. Amen. There is a God in heaven. 15:06 There is a God in heaven. 15:08 Amen. Amen. 15:09 That's an emphatic statement. 15:10 That's a definite truth, 15:12 won't know until we reach out to Him. 15:14 And until we come to know, the way He works and who He is. 15:18 And the wonderful things we come to know 15:20 with through His Word. 15:21 People often look everywhere else, 15:22 except this book. 15:24 This is where you come to know. 15:26 And so, Justin, 15:27 I'm going to ask you now to give us an understanding now 15:30 of this stream as it's referred to herein Daniel 2. 15:33 But before we do that, 15:34 let's read Daniel 2:31-36. 15:39 And notice, as Daniel addresses the king here. 15:42 He says, "You, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. 15:45 This great image, whose brightness was excellent, 15:48 stood before you, 15:49 and the form thereof was terrible." 15:52 So he's referring to a great image 15:54 that the king saw in his dream. 15:55 Verse 32 says, 15:57 "This images head was a fine gold, 15:59 and his breastand his arms of silver, 16:01 his belly and his thighs of brass, 16:04 his legs of iron, 16:05 his feet part of iron and part of clay." 16:10 He's referred to often as the metal man 16:12 for those who know this prophecy, 16:14 the metal man of Bible prophecy. 16:17 It goes on to say, 16:18 "And then you saw till that a stone was cut out 16:21 without hands, 16:23 which smote the image upon his feet 16:25 that were of iron and clay, and broke them to pieces. 16:28 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, 16:31 and the gold, broken in pieces together, 16:36 and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors, 16:39 and the wind carried them away, 16:41 that no place was found for them, 16:42 and the stone that smote the image 16:44 became a great mountain, 16:46 and filled the whole earth. 16:47 This is the dream, 16:49 and we will tell the interpretation thereof 16:52 before the king." 16:55 So it's very clear, Justin. 16:57 Yeah. So he sees this... 17:00 They both were given the same dream, 17:01 of course, Daniel after Nebuchadnezzar 17:03 and here was this massive statue, 17:05 the head was made of solid gold, 17:08 it's chest and arms were made of silver, 17:10 the belly and thighs were of brass, the waist area, 17:14 and the legs were of iron. 17:17 And then the feet were of iron mixed with clay. 17:20 And then there was this great stone 17:21 that flew out of the sky, crushed the statue on the feet, 17:25 the whole thing was ground to powder, 17:27 and blew away in the wind. 17:29 And so this is what Nebuchadnezzar saw 17:33 in his dream 17:34 and what God showed Daniel in the same dream 17:35 so that he could tell Nebuchadnezzar 17:37 not only the meaning, but even what he dreamed. 17:40 Yeah, the dream itself. Yeah. 17:41 Yeah, that's quite incredible. 17:43 It's truly a remarkable prophecy 17:46 that we're dealing with here. 17:48 Foretelling the future of great nations. 17:51 And, Charissa, 17:53 what was the interpretation of this dream? 17:55 Well, I love how not only does the Bible tell us 17:58 what the dream was, 18:00 but then God also revealed to Daniel 18:02 the meaning of the dream. 18:04 So we're not imposing our own idea 18:05 about what the interpretation is. 18:07 It's actually right here in the text. 18:09 And if you turn that image, on a side, 18:11 it becomes a timeline 18:12 for world history and succession. 18:14 That's the succession of empires 18:16 that would step onto the stage of world history 18:18 right down to add time today. 18:20 The first metal was the head of gold. 18:23 And in verse 38, at the end of it says 18:26 Daniel says to Nebuchadnezzar, "You are this head of gold." 18:29 So this was symbolic of the kingdom of Babylon. 18:32 And there was, I think, the temple of Marduk, 18:35 which had a lot of gold in it. 18:37 So it was a very fitting emblem of this empire. 18:40 And this is the starting point, isn't it? 18:41 This was starting point, 18:43 and we understand 18:44 that this Babylon lasted until about 538. 18:49 If I got this right here, 539 BC, 18:51 and then there was another empire 18:54 that came and over through the kingdom of Babylon, 18:56 and that was the Medo-Persian Empire, 18:59 and it's fascinating to learn 19:00 how they did that through history, 19:02 but Cyrus came along, didn't he? 19:04 And he dried up or diverted the river Euphrates, 19:07 marched his men under 19:08 what was considered to be an impregnable city. 19:11 But yeah, the mighty city of Babylon 19:13 fell to the Medo-Persian army, 19:16 and then the Medo-Persians lost it. 19:18 They represented by that chest of silver. 19:21 And then following this empire was the bronze kingdom, 19:24 which of course, 19:25 is representative of the Greeks, 19:27 and led by Alexander the Great, 19:29 the first king of the Greeks. 19:31 Following Grecian Empire came the Roman Empire, 19:35 and I actually like 19:37 how it's symbolized in the dream 19:38 by the long legs 19:40 because they ruled for the longest period of time 19:42 of all of these empires. 19:44 That's right. 19:45 And then it finishes with the feet partly of iron 19:47 and partly of clay, 19:49 representative of the dividing of Rome, 19:52 the Roman Kingdom into what we know 19:54 is Western Europe today. 19:55 And then, of course, there's this stone 19:57 that comes and it strikes the image, 20:00 which is like the climax of the whole prophecy, 20:03 and that's really exciting as well. 20:05 Yeah. It's fascinating. 20:07 So we have these four metals, right? 20:09 I think it's important to stress that. 20:11 Head of gold, chest and arms of silver, 20:13 belly and thighs of brass, and then the legs of iron. 20:16 And the prophecy begins with King Nebuchadnezzar, 20:18 you are this head of goal. 20:20 The Babylonians were world empire of their time 20:22 and they were succeeded by as you have sharing now, 20:25 these other world empires, four. 20:29 Four, Babylon, Medo-Persia, 20:32 Kingdom of Greciaor Greece as we know, 20:35 the Greco-Roman Empire, and then Rome itself. 20:38 We have a world empire beyond that? 20:41 No we don't. 20:42 They were tried to make a world empire, 20:44 the Bible says in the dream, but they will not be able to. 20:48 That's right. Yeah. 20:49 We have this. 20:51 We find the iron in the feet, and the 10 toes, 20:54 and that represents 20:55 the divisions of the Roman Empire. 20:57 And it's interesting if you look at history, 20:59 historians confirmed that no empire 21:02 came and conquered Rome, 21:03 but they were gradually broken down by Barbarian tribes 21:07 that essentially, you know, 21:09 broke up the Western Roman civilization 21:12 and formed what we know is the European nations today. 21:15 Some of those Barbarian tribes are known as the Franks, 21:18 the Anglo-Saxons, they are the French today, 21:20 the Anglo-Saxons are the English today 21:22 and so forth. 21:23 So it's incredible. 21:25 And this was written when? 21:27 Long time ago. 21:29 600 BC? 21:30 600 BC. 21:32 That's right, quite incredible. 21:33 Charissa, tell us a little bit more about the stone. 21:34 What does that stone represent? 21:36 I'm so glad you asked me 21:37 I sat next to a geologist on a plane once 21:38 and when I told him this story, 21:40 the most fascinating part of it was the stone. 21:43 He's like, "Where did it come from?" 21:44 I just have to interject for a moment 21:46 because I just want to point out 21:47 that we are actually living 21:48 in the time of the divided nations 21:50 of Western Europe today. 21:51 That's where we are in this prophecy. 21:53 Yeah. 21:55 Toenails are tight. 21:57 Notice what it says in verse 44, it says, 21:59 "In the days of these kings," the toenails are tight, 22:03 "the God of heaven will set up a kingdom, 22:05 which shall never be destroyed 22:07 and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, 22:10 it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, 22:13 and it shall stand for ever." 22:16 It's powerful because this is a kingdom 22:18 that comes untouched by human hands 22:21 and it represents the coming of the kingdom of God 22:23 when Jesus comes again. 22:25 Amen. Amen. 22:27 The kingdom of God. 22:28 I think it's also fascinating 22:30 how God chose these specific metals 22:32 not only because 22:34 they pointed us to those nations, 22:36 Babylon was called the city of gold. 22:38 Medo-Persia, 22:39 they were silversmiths in Medo-Persia, 22:42 they use bronze weaponry in ancient Greece 22:46 and Rome use iron weaponry, 22:48 but it's also significant 22:49 that the metals decrease in value. 22:52 Gold is more valuable than silver, 22:54 which is more valuable than bronze, 22:57 which is more valuable than iron. 22:59 And in the same way, 23:01 the intellectual as well as the moral nobility 23:05 of these empires would degrade 23:07 more and more and more over time 23:09 until you have people like Nero in Rome 23:11 who are just terrible prophets. 23:13 The other interesting thing is that they're softer, 23:15 at the top. 23:17 The head of gold, gold is the softest 23:18 and silver is stronger 23:19 and bronze is stronger than that, 23:21 and iron is stronger than that. 23:22 And so there's this progression of strength 23:24 even though the moral strength would decrease, 23:27 the military might of these nations would increase 23:30 as the statue went on, 23:31 and as time went on through the statue, 23:33 until you get down into those feet of iron mixed with clay, 23:37 and then this wonderful, 23:39 solid rock kingdom of Jesus Christ 23:41 comes through the air 23:43 to be that final kingdom of the prophecy. 23:45 And I just love how it's the rock 23:47 because it's really uplifting the rock 23:50 because it's from the rock 23:51 that we get all these metals, isn't it? 23:53 You know, He's the source, He is the source of it all. 23:56 So it's important to see what happens to the stone no. 23:59 Justin, could you refresh us there? 24:01 Definitely. 24:02 Daniel 2:45, 24:05 "In as much as you saw 24:07 that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, 24:09 and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, 24:12 the clay, and silver, and the gold, 24:15 the great God has made known to the king 24:17 what will come to pass after this. 24:20 The dream is certain, 24:22 and its interpretation is sure." 24:25 Daniel is saying that God makes very clear in this dream 24:29 that there will be a kingdom 24:31 that is not succeeded by another power. 24:33 That does not end at a certain point in time, 24:35 but that Christ would come 24:37 and set up His forever perfect kingdom 24:40 that would last through the ceaseless ages of eternity. 24:42 Yeah. 24:44 And to represent what that just turned, 24:45 filling the whole earth is becoming a great mountain 24:47 filling the whole earth. 24:49 I mean, if we can see the reality of this prophecy 24:53 in the rise of these empires, then all of a sudden, 24:57 we are faced with the truth about eternal life. 25:00 Eternal Life is not some fictitious, 25:04 you know, thought that man has come up with. 25:06 It's a reality. 25:08 And it comes from an eternal garden. 25:10 Yeah. 25:12 And just like you're saying 25:13 because the dream has been fulfilled up 25:15 until, you know, those toenails of time down in the feet 25:19 because all of those predictions 25:20 have come to pass, 25:22 we can know that this one will too. 25:23 That's right. We can have that surety. 25:25 Absolutely, absolutely. 25:27 People are looking for that answer. 25:29 People are looking for youthfulness, 25:30 people looking for, you know, understanding 25:33 what happens beyond my life and this world. 25:37 And here we are having the answer 25:39 being revealed to us through the Word of God. 25:42 The Kingdom last as you said, Justin... 25:44 Forever. Forever, forever. 25:46 What impact, Charissa, 25:48 does this have on King Nebuchadnezzar? 25:51 Verse 47 says, The king answered Daniel, 25:53 and said, "Truly your God is the God of gods, 25:56 the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, 25:59 since you could reveal this secret." 26:01 He is totally blown away by it. 26:03 Yeah. 26:04 And that's really wonderful 26:05 because he is the king 26:07 of this incredible pagan Empire, 26:08 but he sees what God has done. 26:10 That's right. Yeah. 26:11 And even before he says that he falls on his face, 26:14 prostrate before Daniel it says. 26:16 And then this was his response of aw. 26:19 It's just incredible. 26:20 He's blown away that God spoke, 26:23 gave Daniel the same dream and then spoke to him 26:26 what the future would look like down through time. 26:30 I was blown away 26:31 when I first came across this prophecy, 26:33 and I'm sure you were too. 26:36 And so, folks, you're looking at three people 26:38 that were blown away by this prophecy 26:40 and furnished with faith immediately. 26:44 And since then, I believe it's been a prosperous 26:47 and wonderful journey with God, wouldn't you say? 26:49 Absolutely. 26:50 And I just love how God just furnishes us our faith. 26:52 And we can continue to look forward to that. 26:55 And I know that He's furnishing the faith of our viewers, 26:57 even as we have looked at this prophecy. 27:02 Well, this amazing prophetic vision 27:05 does not just tell the future. 27:07 It shows that history is not merely 27:09 the haphazard movements of nations. 27:12 Behind it all is the hand of God 27:14 patiently working out His will on Earth. 27:17 I praise that He will soon establish His kingdom, 27:20 isn't that your prayer too? 27:23 We are glad you joined us today on Let God Speak. 27:26 You can watch all past programs on our website 27:28 3abnaustralia.org.au. 27:31 Sabbath school teachers 27:32 can download notes there as well. 27:34 You can email us on lgs@3abnaustralia.org.au. 27:39 Do join us next time. 27:41 God bless you. |
Revised 2020-04-14