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Series Code: SSH
Program Code: SSH021531A
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00:00 (MUSIC)
00:33 >>WELCOME TO GRANITE BAY SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH. 00:36 WE ARE SO THRILLED THAT YOU HAVE DECIDED TO JOIN US TO STUDY 00:40 GOD'S WORD TOGETHER. A SPECIAL WELCOME TO THOSE OF 00:43 YOU WHO ARE JOINING US LIVE ON THE INTERNET, ACROSS THE 00:46 COUNTRY, AROUND THE WORLD - HOWEVER YOU'RE JOINING US, WE 00:49 KNOW THAT IT IS BY NO MISTAKE THAT WE ARE STUDYING TOGETHER AS 00:54 GOD'S REMNANT FAMILY, READY TO GO TO HEAVEN. 00:58 WE WANT TO KNOW EVERYTHING WE CAN TO GET US THERE TO SEE OUR 01:02 SAVIOR FACE TO FACE. BEFORE WE BEGIN OUR STUDY, LET'S 01:05 SING TOGETHER AS WE ALWAYS DO. WE'RE GOING TO START WITH HYMN 01:10 #434 - WE SPEAK OF THE REALMS - WE'RE GOING TO SING THE FIRST 01:14 AND THE LAST VERSES OF HYMN #434. 01:20 (MUSIC) 01:27 >>WE SPEAK OF THE REALMS OF THE BLEST, THAT 01:32 COUNTRY SO BRIGHT AND SO FAIR, AND OFT ARE ITS GLORIES 01:37 CONFESSED; BUT WHAT MUST IT BE TO BE THERE! 01:43 WE SPEAK OF ITS PATHWAYS OF GOLD, ITS WALLS DECKED WITH 01:50 JEWELS SO RARE, ITS WONDERS AND PLEASURES UNTOLD; BUT WHAT MUST 01:57 IT BE TO BE THERE! DO THOU, 'MIDST TEMPTATION AND 02:05 WOE, FOR HEAVEN MY SPIRIT PREPARE, AND SHORTLY I ALSO 02:12 SHALL KNOW AND FEEL WHAT IT IS TO BE THERE. 02:18 THEN O'ER THE BRIGHT FIELDS WE SHALL GO IN GLORIES CELESTIAL 02:25 AND FAIR WITH SAINTS AND WITH ANGELS AT HOME AND JESUS, 02:32 HIMSELF, WILL BE THERE >>YOU KNOW, THIS WEEK, AS WE'VE 02:39 BEEN STUDYING THE EXILES AS MISSIONARIES, WE ARE ALL EXILES 02:42 AS MISSIONARIES. WE ARE TRAPPED HERE ON THIS 02:45 PLANET, READY TO GO HOME, AND THAT'S WHAT THESE SONGS ARE 02:48 ABOUT THIS WEEK, WE'RE SINGING ABOUT LOOKING FORWARD TO THE DAY 02:52 THAT WE CAN BE WITH OUR SAVIOR FACE TO FACE AND WHILE WE ARE 02:56 HERE OCCUPYING THIS PLANET, THAT WE CONTINUE TO BE THE 02:59 MISSIONARIES THAT GOD WANTS US TO BE SO THAT WE CAN FINISH HIS 03:03 WORK. LET'S SING THE GLORY SONG . 03:06 THIS IS THE CULMINATION OF ALL OF OUR EFFORTS COUPLED WITH THE 03:11 HOLY SPIRIT, THAT WE WILL BE SINGING 'GLORY, GLORY' FOREVER 03:14 AND EVER. THE GLORY SONG - HYMN #435 - 03:18 WE'RE GOING TO SING ALL THREE VERSES. 03:35 >>WHEN ALL MY LABORS AND TRIALS ARE O'ER, AND I AM SAFE ON THAT 03:43 BEAUTIFUL SHORE, JUST TO BE NEAR THE LORD I ADORE, WILL THROUGH 03:52 THE AGES BE GLORY FOR ME. O THAT WILL BE GLORY FOR ME. 04:05 GLORY FOR ME, GLORY FOR ME, WHEN BY HIS GRACE 04:13 I SHALL LOOK ON HIS FACE, THAT WILL BE GLORY, BE GLORY FOR ME. 04:30 WHEN BY THE GIFT OF HIS INFINITE GRACE, I AM ACCORDED IN HEAVEN A 04:38 PLACE, JUST TO BE THERE AND TO LOOK ON HIS FACE, WILL THROUGH 04:47 THE AGES BE GLORY FOR ME. O THAT WILL BE GLORY FOR ME. 04:59 GLORY FOR ME, GLORY FOR ME, WHEN BY HIS GRACE 05:07 I SHALL LOOK ON HIS FACE, THAT WILL BE GLORY, BE GLORY FOR ME. 05:24 FRIENDS WILL BE THERE I HAVE LOVED LONG AGO; JOY LIKE A RIVER 05:31 AROUND ME WILL FLOW, YET, JUST A SMILE FROM MY SAVIOR, I KNOW, 05:41 WILL THROUGH THE AGES BE GLORY FOR ME. 05:49 O THAT WILL BE GLORY FOR ME. 05:55 GLORY FOR ME, GLORY FOR ME, WHEN BY HIS GRACE 06:04 I SHALL LOOK ON HIS FACE, THAT WILL BE GLORY, BE GLORY FOR ME. 06:25 >>YOU KNOW, THIS WEEK I WAS CHATTING WITH MY THREE NIECES 06:27 THAT ARE VISITING AND WE WERE CHATTING ABOUT HEAVEN. 06:30 AND I JUST INVITE YOU, AS YOU GO THROUGH THIS NEXT WEEK, TO JUST 06:34 PICTURE HEAVEN IN YOUR MIND FOR JUST A LITTLE BIT, AND PICTURE 06:37 WHAT IT'S GOING TO BE AND THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL ENLIGHTEN YOU 06:41 AND CONTINUE TO GROW AND WE WILL SOON BE THERE TOGETHER. 06:46 AT THIS TIME I WOULD LIKE TO INVITE PASTOR - OR DR. DEROSE - 06:50 UP FOR PRAYER AND HE WILL TAKE US INTO OUR STUDY. 07:03 >>LET'S PRAY TOGETHER. FATHER IN HEAVEN, WE THANK YOU 07:06 SO MUCH THAT WE CAN LIFT OUR VOICES. 07:09 THANK YOU FOR POINTING OUR MINDS HEAVENWARD. 07:11 AND WE PRAY NOW, AS WE PREPARE TO OPEN YOUR WORD, YOU WOULD DO 07:15 JUST THAT: BRING US INTO THE AUDIENCE OF HEAVEN. 07:17 WE ASK IN JESUS' NAME, AMEN. WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 07:22 THAT MINISTRY IN MUSIC AND THANK YOU FOR JOINING US - WHETHER IT 07:26 BE BY AIR OR WHETHER IT'S HERE LIVE IN THIS VENUE, IT'S 07:30 WONDERFUL TO BE STUDYING THE LORD'S WORD AND AS WE DO, HERE 07:33 IN THE SABBATH SCHOOL STUDY HOUR, WE HAVE A SPECIAL 07:36 FREE OFFER THAT WE'RE OFFERING TODAY. 07:39 IT'S OFFER #114 - IT'S CALLED DEATH WATCH IN SIBERIA - THAT'S 07:45 OUR FREE OFFER, OFFER #114 - AND YOU CAN GET IT BY CALLING 07:49 866-788-3966 - THAT'S 866-STUDY-MORE. 07:59 WELL, WE ARE CONTINUING OUR JOURNEY ABOUT BIBLICAL 08:04 MISSIONARIES - BIBLICAL MISSIONARIES. 08:06 TODAY WE'RE TACKLING LESSON #5 - LESSON #5 IS THEMED EXILES AS 08:13 MISSIONARIES . AND WE'VE ALREADY HAD A NICE 08:16 FOUNDATION FOR THE LESSON AS WE'VE BEEN SINGING TOGETHER AND 08:19 REFLECTING ON JUST HOW GOD LEADS AN EXILED PEOPLE. 08:25 YOU KNOW, IN HEBREWS, AS IT'S SPEAKING ABOUT THE HEROES OF 08:29 FAITH, WE'RE REMINDED THAT WE'RE ALL STRANGERS AND PILGRIMS IN 08:34 THIS PLACE. THIS IS NOT OUR HOME, AS IT'S 08:37 BEEN SAID, WE'RE JUST PASSING THROUGH. WELL, WITH THAT 08:41 BACK GROUND, OUR LESSON ESPECIALLY FOCUSES US ON 08:44 THE PERSONAGE OF DANIEL. 08:48 THERE'S A NUMBER THAT ARE MENTIONED IN THIS LESSON, BUT 08:50 MOST OF THE LESSON FOCUSES ON DANIEL. 08:52 I INVITE YOU TO TURN IN YOUR BIBLES TO DANIEL CHAPTER 1, TO 08:56 GET A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND INTO A BOOK THAT'S BECOME VERY 09:00 FAMILIAR TO SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS AND TO THOSE WHO 09:04 FELLOWSHIP WITH US, BECAUSE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS ARE A 09:06 PEOPLE OF PROPHECY - A PEOPLE OF BIBLE PROPHECY. 09:10 SO DANIEL IS FAMILIAR BECAUSE IN THAT BOOK IT SPEAKS WITH 09:17 QUITE, QUITE SURPRISING TO MANY PEOPLE IF THEY'VE NEVER STUDIED 09:22 IT BEFORE - QUITE SURPRISING CLARITY AS TO OUR DAY. 09:26 BUT DANIEL ALSO, NOT ONLY HAS PROPHECIES, BUT IT HAS STORIES. 09:31 AND THE NARRATIVE PORTIONS OF DANIEL - THE STORIES OF DANIEL - 09:33 SHOW US THE KIND OF CHARACTER THAT WE NEED TO HAVE IN THE LAST 09:37 DAYS. SO, WITH THAT BACKGROUND, LET'S 09:40 BEGIN IN THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE BOOK OF DANIEL. 09:43 IT STARTS IN VERSE 1 OF CHAPTER 1, WITH A LITTLE BIT OF 09:46 BACKGROUND, IT SAYS "IN THE THIRD YEAR OF THE REIGN OF 09:50 JEHOIAKIM KING OF JUDAH CAME NEBUCHADNEZZARE KING OF BABYLON 09:53 UNTO JERUSALEM AND BESIEGED IT." NOW LET'S JUST STOP RIGHT THERE, 09:57 BECAUSE IN ANTIQUITY, EVERYTHING IN THE MIND SET OF THE ANCIENTS 10:01 WAS UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE GODS AND IF ONE NATION BEAT 10:05 ANOTHER NATION IT WAS BECAUSE THEIR GODS WERE BETTER THAN THE 10:09 GODS OF THE PEOPLE THAT THEY CONQUERED. 10:11 SO I WANT YOU TO GET THIS PICTURE IN DANIEL CHAPTER 1: THE 10:15 GOD OF HEAVEN, HIS PEOPLE, HAVE BEEN OVERRUN BY THE BABYLONIANS, 10:19 AND NOT ONLY IS JERUSALEM CONQUERED FOR THE FIRST TIME 10:24 UNDER BABYLON - THERE'LL BE THREE CONQUESTS - BUT UNDER THIS 10:27 FIRST CONQUEST, EVEN THE TEMPLE PRECINCTS ARE DEFILED. 10:33 THE ENEMY COMES IN AND TAKES ARTICLES OUT OF THE HOUSE OF GOD 10:37 AND BRINGS THEM - WHERE? TO BABYLON - TO BABYLON. 10:43 AND SO WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE MINDS OF THE BABYLONIANS? 10:45 'OUR GOD IS BETTER THAN YOUR GOD - OUR GOD'S BETTER THAN YOUR 10:50 GOD. WE'VE WON AND YOU LOST.' 10:53 SO CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY IS TELLING THE JEWS THAT 'YOU ARE 10:59 FOLLOWING A LOSING RELIGION. YOU'RE LOSERS. 11:05 GET ON - YOU KNOW, COME ON, JOIN THE REAL WORLD. 11:08 GET WITH IT BECAUSE THAT'S A THING OF THE PAST. 11:11 NOW IT'S ALL ABOUT BABYLON.' NOW SOME OF YOU MIGHT SAY, 'WE'LL, 11:16 THAT'S KIND OF A STRETCH' BUT IT'S REALLY NOT. 11:19 THAT IS THE MIND SET OF ANTIQUITY. AND SO THEY WERE 11:22 SAYING THAT GOD'S TEMPLE, GOD'S SANCTUARY, 11:26 GOD'S WORSHIP IS IRRELEVANT. 11:28 NOW NEBUCHADNEZZAR WAS A VERY WISE RULER. 11:31 AND WHAT NEBUCHADNEZZAR WOULD DO WHEN HE WOULD CONQUER A NATION - 11:34 HE WOULD TAKE SOME OF THE OWN ROYAL SEED, IF YOU WILL - SOME 11:39 OF THE LINEAGE - THOSE IN THAT NATION THAT WERE DESIGNATED - 11:43 THAT WERE IN LINE TO BE LEADERS, TO BE KINGS, TO BE ROYALTY - AND 11:48 HE WOULD BRING THEM TO BABYLON AND HE WOULD BRING THEM TO THE 11:51 SCHOOLS OF BABYLON AND HE WOULD TRAIN THEM TO BE BABYLONIANS, AT 11:57 LEAST IN MIND. AND SO THAT'S THE SITUATION 12:00 THAT, NOT ONLY DANIEL FINDS HIMSELF BUT, NO DOUBT, MANY 12:04 YOUNG HEBREW MEN GROOMED TO BE LEADERS AND THEN GO BACK TO 12:11 THEIR OWN COUNTRIES AS PUPPET RULERS BEING MANIPULATED, IF YOU 12:18 WILL, BY NEBUCHADNEZZAR. THAT'S THE TRAINING PROGRAM. 12:23 AND SO IT SAYS IN VERSE 5 OF DANIEL CHAPTER 1, "THE KING 12:28 APPOINTED FOR THEM A DAILY PROVISION OF THE KING'S 12:31 DELICACIES, AND OF THE WINE WHICH HE DRANK, AND THREE YEARS 12:35 OF TRAINING FOR THEM, SO THAT AT THE END OF THAT TIME THEY MIGHT 12:39 SERVE BEFORE THE KING. NOW FROM AMONG THOSE OF THE SONS 12:42 OF JUDAH WERE DANIEL, HANANIAH, MISHAEL, AND AZARIAH. 12:45 TO THEM THE CHIEF OF THE EUNUCHS GAVE NAMES: HE GAVE DANIEL THE 12:49 NAME BELTESHAZZAR; TO HANANIAH, SHADRACH; TO MICHAEL, MESHACH; 12:54 AND TO AZARIAH, ABEDNEGO." 12:57 NOW THERE'S SOMETHING INTERESTING ABOUT ALL THEIR 12:59 HEBREW NAMES, THEY ALL HAVE A FORM OF GOD IN THEIR NAMES. 13:03 SO IF YOU LOOK THERE, THOSE NAMES THAT HAVE 'AH' LIKE 13:08 AZARI(AH) OR HANANI(AH) - THOSE ARE DERIVED FROM THE NAME FOR 13:14 GOD: YAH - OKAY? AND THOSE THAT HAVE THE FORM EL 13:20 IN THEIR NAME LIKE MISHA(EL) OR DANI(EL) THAT IS ANOTHER FORM 13:25 FOR THE NAME OF GOD 'EL' OR FROM 'ELOHIM'. 13:28 SO THESE ARE HEBREW YOUNG MEN THAT HAVE BEEN GIVEN NAMES BY 13:32 THEIR PARENTS THAT REMINDED THEM OF THE TRUE GOD. 13:35 NOW THEY ARE GIVEN NAMES BY THE BABYLONIANS - ALL OF THE NAMES 13:39 THEY'RE GIVEN ARE NAMES THAT POINT THEM TO BABYLONIAN GODS. 13:43 DO YOU GET THE PICTURE? SO THIS IS A BRAIN-WASHING PROCESS. 13:47 THEY'RE BEING INDOCTRINATED INTO BABYLONIAN CULTURE. 13:50 NOW THE KING, WANTING TO TRAIN THESE YOUNG MEN TO BE LEADERS IN 13:56 THEIR OWN NATION, IS GOING TO TAKE GOOD CARE OF THEM. 13:59 AND YOU NOTICE WHAT FOOD THEY'RE GIVEN: IN VERSE 5, IT IS 14:04 ACTUALLY OF THE KING'S OWN FOOD AND DRINK THAT THEY'RE GIVEN. 14:09 NOW LET ME ASK YOU A QUESTION: DO YOU THINK THAT THE KING WAS 14:13 JUST EATING AND DRINKING JUST ANY OLD THING? 14:15 ACTUALLY, I'M SURE THE KING WAS FOLLOWING THE CUTTING-EDGE 14:19 WISDOM OF THE PROFESSORS OF BABYLON AT THE TIME AND HE WAS 14:23 EATING THE FINEST DIET THAT YOU COULD EAT, ACCORDING TO 14:27 THE SECULAR STANDARDS OF THE DAY. 14:30 NOW SOME OF YOU MAY THINK, IF YOU'RE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST OR 14:34 HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATING WITH SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS, OR HAVE 14:37 BEEN VIEWING PROGRAMMING FROM SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS, THAT 14:40 SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE RIGHT ON THE 14:43 CUTTING EDGE OF NUTRITIONAL SCIENCE AND EVERY SEVENTH-DAY 14:45 ADVENTIST NOW REALIZES THAT WHAT THEY'VE BEEN PROMOTING FOR YEARS 14:50 - A VEGETARIAN DIET - HAS NOW BEEN VINDICATED BY WORLD 14:54 SCIENTIFIC CIRCLES. WELL, THERE IS SOME TRUTH IN 14:56 THAT, BUT I WILL TELL YOU THAT THE WORLD AUTHORITIES ON 14:59 NUTRITION HAVE NOT GOT IT ALL STRAIGHT. 15:02 YOU CAN FIND MANY FINE NUTRITIONISTS WHO ARE TELLING US 15:05 THAT WE SHOULD BE ENJOYING MORE OF THOSE FOODS AND DRINKS THAT 15:08 WERE ON NEBUCHADNEZZAR'S TABLE, LIKE THOSE FERMENTED BEVERAGES. 15:13 ARE YOU AWARE OF THIS? 15:15 MANY RESEARCHERS - I WOULD SAY BLINDED BY CULTURAL BIAS. 15:20 NOW YOU CAN SAY, 'THIS IS A STRONG CHARGE YOU'RE MAKING, 15:23 DR. DEROSE.' BUT I WOULD SAY IT'S A CULTURAL BIAS. 15:26 AND YOU CAN LOOK THROUGH THE MEDICAL RESEARCH LITERATURE AND 15:29 YOU'RE NOT GOING TO FIND STRONG EVIDENCE THAT WE SHOULD BE 15:32 DRINKING SOME ALCOHOL. IN FACT, YOU'LL FIND THE 15:34 OPPOSITE IF YOU LOOK OBJECTIVELY. 15:37 AND YOU SAY, 'WELL, YOU'RE BEING PRETTY ARROGANT TO ACT LIKE YOU 15:40 CAN LOOK OBJECTIVELY AT THE MEDICAL RESEARCH LITERATURE WHEN 15:43 OTHERS AREN'T.' BUT I'M JUST TELLING YOU, THERE'S PLENTY OF 15:46 LITERATURE OUT THERE SHOWING US THAT EVEN IN MODERATION 15:48 ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES ARE HARMFUL FOR OUR HEALTH. 15:52 NOT ALONE - NOT ALONE OUR PHYSICAL HEALTH, BUT OUR 15:55 MORAL HEALTH. LET'S COME BACK TO DANIEL AND 15:59 SEE WHAT - DANIEL'S TAKE ON IT. YOU KNOW THE STORY, DON'T YOU? 16:04 IN DANIEL CHAPTER ONE, VERSE 8, IT SAYS, "BUT DANIEL PURPOSED IN 16:10 HIS HEART THAT HE WOULD NOT DEFILE HIMSELF WITH THE PORTION 16:15 OF THE KING'S DELICACIES, NOR WITH THE WINE WHICH HE DRANK; 16:19 THEREFORE HE REQUESTED OF THE CHIEF OF THE EUNUCHS THAT HE 16:23 MIGHT NOT DEFILE HIMSELF." DO YOU CATCH THE OPERATIVE WORD 16:29 IN THAT VERSE? IT APPEARS MORE THAN ONCE. THAT WORD IS WHAT? 16:34 >>DEFILE. >>DEFILE. 16:36 NOW I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE THOUGHT MUCH ABOUT THIS WORD 16:38 'DEFILE', BUT CAN YOU DEFILE THE DIRT? 16:41 YOU CAN'T DEFILE SOMETHING THAT'S - DEFILEMENT IS ONLY 16:46 SOMETHING THAT APPLIES TO SOMETHING THAT'S HOLY. 16:50 YOU CAN ONLY DEFILE SOMETHING THAT IS HOLY. 16:53 SO WHAT DANIEL'S SAYING HERE IS THAT IT MAY LOOK LIKE THE 16:57 SANCTUARY IS DESTROYED OR THE SANCTUARY SERVICE HAS BEEN 17:01 VIOLATED, AT LEAST, AT THIS POINT. 17:04 IT MAY LOOK, FROM A SECULAR PERSPECTIVE, THAT BABYLON HAS IT 17:09 RIGHT - THAT THEY'RE THE - THEY'VE - THEY'RE IN THE 17:12 POSITION OF RULERSHIP, BUT GOD TELLS ME THAT MY BODY IS HIS 17:16 TEMPLE. IT MAY LOOK LIKE GOD'S SANCTUARY MESSAGE IS 17:21 IRRELEVANT, BUT IT'S NOT. AND MY BODY IS A SANCTUARY AND I AM NOT 17:28 GOING TO DEFILE MY BODY. HIS ARGUMENT, INTERESTINGLY, 17:34 IS NOT PRIMARILY AN ARGUMENT FROM PHYSICAL HEALTH. 17:38 HIS ARGUMENT IS PRIMARILY AN ARGUMENT FROM MORAL DEFILEMENT 17:44 AND HE'S SAYING, 'I AM GOING TO LIVE - I AM - I HAVE BEEN TAKEN 17:48 AND I'M IN A SITUATION WHERE I'M NOT IN CONTROL, BUT I AM NOT 17:53 GOING TO ALLOW MY BODY TO BE DEFILED. I AM LIVING IN THE 17:56 SIGHT OF A HOLY GOD WHO'S LOOKING DOWN ON ME. 18:02 AND THIS IS A FITTING PLACE TO STOP IN THE STORY BECAUSE I 18:06 REALLY BELIEVE THIS CONTEXT OF DANIEL SPEAKS TO US ELOQUENTLY 18:10 IN 2015 BECAUSE WE ARE IN THE MIDST OF A CULTURE WHERE MANY 18:15 ARE TRYING TO TELL US THAT CHRISTIANITY IS IRRELEVANT. 18:19 'IF YOU'RE A CHRISTIAN YOU'RE JUST NOT WITH IT. 18:22 YOU HAVEN'T HEARD ALL THE EVIDENCE THAT'S OUT THERE. 18:24 AND ONCE YOU DID, YOU'D REALIZE THAT ALL THIS STUFF ABOUT THE 18:27 BIBLE AND THE SANCTUARY AND ALL THIS IS IRRELEVANT.' AND GOD IS 18:30 CALLING US TO BE LIKE DANIEL - TO SAY, 'YOU KNOW WHAT? 18:33 THE SCHOLARS AT HARVARD MAY SAY SOMETHING. THE SCHOLARS AT 18:39 STANFORD AND OXFORD MAY SEEM TO BE IN AGREEMENT. 18:42 THEY MAY BE TELLING US THAT OUR LIFESTYLE AND EVEN A GODLY WAY 18:46 OF LIVING IS NOT RELEVANT. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? 18:49 I HAVE COMPELLING EVIDENCE THAT, IN SPITE OF HOW IT MAY LOOK AT 18:53 TIMES, THAT GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE. 18:58 >>AMEN. >>AND GOD CALLS FOR THAT WITNESS 19:00 TODAY, FROM ALL OF US, THAT WE'RE GOING TO LIVE AS DANIEL 19:03 LIVED, IN THE SIGHT OF A HOLY GOD. 19:08 AND SO, AS THE BOOK OF DANIEL PLAYS OUT, IS ACTUALLY FOUNDED 19:11 ON THAT INITIAL DECISION DANIEL MAKES - AND YOU KNOW WHAT HE 19:15 DOES? HE ACTUALLY PUTS HIS LIFE ON THE LINE. 19:18 AND WE KNOW THAT BECAUSE WHEN DANIEL REQUESTS THE VEGETARIAN 19:22 DIET THAT HE REQUESTS - AND, BY THE WAY, THAT IS 19:24 EXACTLY WHAT HE REQUESTED - IF YOU LOOK AT VERSES 8 AND 9 AS IT 19:31 PLAYS OUT, AND THEN INTO VERSE 10 AND ONWARD, YOU'LL SEE WHAT 19:35 DANIEL ASKED. VERSE 12 IS THE OPERATIVE VERSE: 19:39 "PLEASE TEST YOUR SERVANTS FOR TEN DAYS, AND LET THEM GIVE US 19:43 VEGETABLES TO EAT AND WATER TO DRINK." 19:47 AND SO THAT REQUEST IS NOT BORNE OUT OF SOME NARROW-MINDED VIEW 19:52 OF HEALTHFUL LIVING, IT IS BORNE OUT BECAUSE DANIEL BELIEVED AND 20:01 RESPECTED THE GOD OF HEAVEN AND HIS COUNSEL. 20:04 AND AS A RESULT - YOU KNOW THE STORY, MOST OF YOU - DANIEL IS 20:08 BLESSED NOT ONLY WITH PHYSICAL BLESSINGS - WITHIN TEN DAYS IT 20:11 SAYS THAT WHEN THEY ACTUALLY STUDIED THOSE YOUNG MEN, THEY 20:16 WERE FAIRER AND FATTER IN FLESH, AS SOME OF THE TRANSLATIONS 20:20 RENDER IT, BUT THEY DEFINITELY WERE HEALTHIER. 20:25 THEY LOOKED BETTER. AND SOME OF YOU ARE SAYING, 20:27 'WELL, DR. DEROSE, YOU KNOW, IT WOULDN'T HURT YOU TO LOOK A BIT, 20:29 YOU KNOW, FULLER IN FLESH.' WELL, LISTEN, WE ALL HAVE 20:34 DIFFERENT GENETIC MAKE UPS. SOME OF YOU ARE BLESSED THAT YOU 20:36 CAN HOLD WEIGHT A LITTLE BIT MORE EFFECTIVELY THAN I CAN. 20:40 OTHERS OF YOU THINK THAT I'M MORE BLESSED. 20:42 BUT THAT IS NOT - THAT IS NOT WHAT THE STORY'S ABOUT. 20:46 THE STORY IS ABOUT FAITHFUL LIVING - FAITHFUL LIVING. 20:49 WELL, AS THE BOOK OF DANIEL PLAYS OUT, NOT ONLY DO WE HAVE 20:53 THIS BACKGROUND THAT IS MENTIONED AND SPECIALLY 20:56 HIGHLIGHTED IN DANIEL 1 AND IN - SUNDAY, IN SABBATH'S LESSONS, 21:01 BUT WE HAVE SOME VERY INTERESTING THINGS THEN THAT 21:05 DEVELOP BASED ON THAT STAND THAT DANIEL TOOK BECAUSE YOU KNOW THE 21:08 STORY, BUT WE NEED TO TAKE SOME TIME AND LOOK AT THIS. 21:12 BUT MAYBE BEFORE WE DO, I WANT TO POINT SOMETHING OUT TO YOU. 21:14 AS WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT DANIEL 1, A LOT OF YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO 21:18 RELATE TO DANIEL AND YOU SAY, 'YOU KNOW WHAT? 21:21 DANIEL WAS A REAL GOOD' - AND I HATE TO DO THIS, BUT I'M GOING 21:25 TO PUT A LABEL ON DANIEL - A LABEL THAT'S SOMETIMES USED IN 21:30 CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN CIRCLES: 'DANIEL WAS REALLY A GOOD 21:33 CONSERVATIVE, DANIEL WAS. HE FOLLOWED THE HEALTH MESSAGE 21:38 AND, YOU KNOW, FOLLOWED ALL GOD'S PRINCIPLES. 21:41 WITH THAT BACKGROUND I JUST HAVE TO FAST FORWARD BECAUSE, AS YOU 21:46 GO THROUGH THIS LESSON ON EXILES, IN THURSDAY'S LESSON, 21:49 EVEN THOUGH MOST OF THE LESSON ALL THE WAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY IS 21:53 DEALING WITH DANIEL AND, BY GOD'S GRACE, WE'LL COME BACK 21:56 THERE BEFORE TOO LONG, WE'RE REMINDED THAT THERE WERE SOME 21:59 OTHER EXILES AS WITNESSES WHOSE STORY WAS A LITTLE BIT 22:03 DIFFERENT. ONE OF THEM IS IDENTIFIED, WHO 22:06 WE'LL STUDY MORE IN FUTURE LESSONS, IS ESTHER - ESTHER. 22:12 SO WE'RE LOOKING AT DANIEL 1 IN SOME DETAIL, LET'S JUMP OVER NOW 22:16 TO ESTHER CHAPTER 1. JUST A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND, 22:19 DANIEL WAS TAKEN CAPTIVE IN WHAT MOST HISTORIANS BELIEVE WAS 605 22:25 B.C., DURING NEBUCHADNEZZAR'S FIRST CONQUEST OF JERUSALEM. 22:30 AND SOME 70 YEARS LATER, YOU KNOW THAT THE EXILES WERE 22:35 ALLOWED TO RETURN HOME AND THIS STORY ACTUALLY TAKES PLACE MANY 22:44 YEARS AFTER THAT, SO ROUGHLY 537 B.C. 22:49 IS WHEN CYRUS ISSUES HIS DECREE TO ALLOW THE JEWS LIVING IN WHAT 22:56 WAS FIRST BABYLON, NOW CONQUERED, AT THAT TIME, BY THE 23:00 MEDES AND THE PERSIANS, ALLOWED THEM TO RETURN HOME. 23:03 THE BOOK OF ESTHER IS SET AROUND 483 B.C. SO IF YOU'RE DOING SOME 23:09 QUICK MATH, YOU'RE TALKING OVER 50 YEARS. 23:13 AND WHY THAT'S SIGNIFICANT IS, IF WE WERE TO TAKE THE TIME 23:17 TODAY TO LOOK AT THE BOOK OF EZRA, YOU'D FIND THAT WHEN THAT 23:21 DECREE FROM CYRUS WENT OUT ALLOWING THE JEWS TO GO BACK 23:26 HOME - THEY WERE EXILES - THEY WERE GIVEN THE INVITATION NOW TO 23:30 GO BACK HOME - MAYBE - I KNOW WE'RE JUMPING AROUND A LITTLE 23:34 BIT, BUT EZRA ISN'T THAT FAR FROM ESTHER. 23:36 MAYBE WE SHOULD LOOK AT EZRA 1 - JUST TURN A FEW BOOKS BACK - 23:39 WE'LL COME TO ESTHER IN A MINUTE. 23:41 EZRA CHAPTER 1 - SO CYRUS IS MAKING THIS PROCLAMATION 23:47 ALLOWING THE JEWS TO RETURN BACK TO JERUSALEM AND IN VERSE 5 OF 23:57 EZRA 1 IT SAYS, "THEN THE HEADS OF THE FATHERS' HOUSES OF JUDAH 24:02 AND BENJAMIN, AND THE PRIESTS AND THE LEVITES, WITH ALL THOSE 24:06 SPIRITS GOD HAD MOVED, AROSE TO GO UP AND BUILD THE HOUSE OF 24:10 THE LORD WHICH IS IN JERUSALEM." SO GOD GIVES A MESSAGE - A LOT 24:14 OF WHAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IS - WE'VE BEEN STUDYING ABOUT 24:17 BIBLICAL MISSIONARIES - IS HOW GOD GIVES US CALLS THROUGHOUT 24:20 HISTORY 'TO GO' - TO GO - AND SO, HERE'S THIS CALL THAT COMES. 24:23 IT COMES THROUGH A HEATHEN RULER, CYRUS, AND THE CALL IS TO 24:27 GO. IT'S TO GO FROM BABYLON BACK TO JERUSALEM. 24:34 BUT NOT EVERYONE HEEDS THAT CALL AND SO, WHEN WE COME TO EZRA, 24:39 WE GET THE BACKGROUND. 24:43 AND WHEN WE JUMP A FEW BOOKS AHEAD TO ESTHER, WE FIND THAT 24:46 AMONG THOSE WHO DID NOT GO BACK - AND, BY THE WAY, THERE WAS 24:50 MORE THAN ONE OPPORTUNITY TO GO BACK IN THOSE FIFTY YEARS - 24:53 ESTHER AND THOSE OF HER CLAN ARE STILL IN BABYLON. 25:00 DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE DYNAMIC HERE? 25:02 BUT IT'S EVEN WORSE THAN THAT BECAUSE, YOU NOTICE WHAT HER 25:06 NAME IS, DON'T YOU? HER NAME IS WHAT? 25:09 WE CALL HER 'ESTHER' BUT AS YOU READ THROUGH THE BACKGROUND OF 25:15 THE STORY, YOU LEARN THAT SHE ACTUALLY HAD ANOTHER NAME, 25:19 HADASSAH. SOUNDING FAMILIAR TO SOME OF 25:22 YOU? WHAT IS THE - WHERE DOES THE 25:26 NAME 'ESTHER' COME FROM? DO ANY OF YOU KNOW? 25:28 IT'S ACTUALLY A BABYLONIAN NAME THAT COMES FROM 'ISHTAR' WHICH 25:33 ACTUALLY IS THE SAME NAME THAT WAS TRANSFORMED INTO ASHTOR AND 25:39 ASHTORETH - THIS IS A - IS A NAME OF SECULAR GODS IN THE 25:44 BABYLONIAN MIND SET. AND SO, AS YOU REALIZE THAT YOU 25:50 SAY, 'WELL, IT WAS JUST TO CONCEAL HER IDENTITY THAT MAYBE 25:55 SHE WAS GIVEN THAT NAME, SO THAT SHE COULD MINGLE A LITTLE BIT 25:58 MORE EFFECTIVELY WITH THE PEOPLE.' BUT AS YOU READ THROUGH 26:01 WHAT HAPPENS IN ESTHER CHAPTERS 1 AND 2, YOU FIND SOME THINGS 26:06 THAT SHOULD MAKE US JUST A LITTLE BIT UNEASY. 26:10 WELL LET'S LOOK AT IT: ESTHER CHAPTER 2, VERSE 7 - THIS IS 26:18 WHERE IT REFERS TO HER TWO NAMES. 26:20 IT SAYS, "MORDECAI" - A NEAR RELATIVE OF ESTHER - OLDER - 26:25 "HAD BROUGHT UP HADASSAH, THAT IS, ESTHER, HIS UNCLE'S 26:30 DAUGHTER, FOR SHE HAD NEITHER FATHER NOR MOTHER. 26:32 THE YOUNG WOMAN WAS LOVELY AND BEAUTIFUL. 26:34 WHEN HER FATHER AND MOTHER DIED, MORDECAI TOOK HER AS HIS OWN 26:38 DAUGHTER." NOW SOME OF YOU SAY, 'WELL MAYBE 26:40 ESTHER WAS THE NAME GIVEN BY THE BABYLONIANS - AT LEAST THE 26:43 BABYLONIAN INFLUENCE THERE IN THE MEDO-PERSIAN REALM.' WELL, 26:47 PERHAPS. MAYBE. BUT LOOK AT VERSE 8: "SO IT WAS, 26:50 WHEN THE KING'S COMMAND AND DECREE WERE HEARD," - AND THE 26:53 COMMAND WAS THAT BECAUSE VASHTI, THE QUEEN THAT WE'RE INTRODUCED 26:58 TO IN CHAPTER 1 OF ESTHER - STOOD FOR PRINCIPLE. 27:02 WHEN THE KING WAS IN A DRUNKEN FEAST, SHE APPARENTLY WOULD NOT 27:07 SHOW HER BEAUTY TO THE DEGREE THE KING WANTED HER TO. 27:12 SHE WAS PUNISHED. SHE WAS DE-THRONED AND NOW THE 27:17 KING IS LOOKING FOR A NEW QUEEN. AND SO THEY BRING THESE 27:23 BEAUTIFUL YOUNG WOMEN TO THE KING'S PALACE. 27:27 NOW LOOK AT VERSE 10 OF ESTHER CHAPTER 2. 27:31 "ESTHER HAD NOT REVEALED HER PEOPLE OR FAMILY FOR MORDECAI 27:35 HAD CHARGED HER NOT TO REVEAL IT." 27:38 AND AS YOU READ WHAT THE PREPARATIONS WERE FOR THESE 27:42 WOMEN, IT WAS AN EXTENSIVE, LONG-TERM PREPARATION. 27:47 VERSE 12 TELLS US HOW LONG THEIR PREPARATION WAS. 27:50 DO YOU SEE IT THERE IN ESTHER 2, VERSE 12? 27:54 THEIR PREPARATION WAS FOR TWELVE MONTHS. HOW DO YOU CONCEAL 27:59 THAT YOU'RE A JEW FOR TWELVE MONTHS? HOW DO YOU DO IT? 28:05 DO THE JEWS DO ANYTHING DISTINCTIVELY - AS FAR AS WHAT 28:08 THEY DID ON A WEEKLY BASIS? YEAH, HOW ABOUT WHAT THEY ATE? 28:13 WAS THERE A WAY TO CONCEAL - NOW, AGAIN, WHAT I'M JUST 28:18 TELLING YOU - I'M NOT SAYING ESTHER DID ANYTHING WRONG, I'M 28:21 NOT SAYING THAT ESTHER WAS NOT FAITHFUL. 28:23 IF YOU LOOK AT ESTHER'S BACKGROUND - IF YOU LOOK AT 28:26 WHERE SHE WAS, I WOULD SUGGEST TO YOU THAT IF YOU WANT TO PUT 28:29 LABELS ON PEOPLE, YOU WOULD SAY THAT ESTHER WAS FROM A LIBERAL 28:32 FAMILY AND A VERY LIBERAL BACKGROUND, DOING SOME THINGS 28:36 THAT, IF THEY WERE NOT QUESTIONABLE, THEY SURELY WOULD 28:39 RAISE IN THE MIND OF PEOPLE, QUESTIONS. 28:42 NOW, FORTUNATELY, LIKE I SAID, WE'RE NOT JUST STUDYING - 28:46 TALKING ABOUT ESTHER TODAY, BUT NEXT WEEK YOU'LL GET TO HEAR 28:50 ANOTHER OPINION ON IT AND CAN SET EVERYTHING STRAIGHT. 28:54 SO JUST MAKE SURE YOU KNOW THAT IF YOU'RE DISAPPOINTED, YOU FIND 28:56 OUT WHO'S TEACHING THE LESSON NEXT WEEK AND MAKE SURE YOU GET, 29:00 YOU KNOW, THE RIGHT PERSPECTIVE. 29:04 BUT WHAT I'M TRYING TO SHARE WITH YOU HERE IS WHAT WE TEND TO 29:09 DO IS WE TEND TO PUT PEOPLE IN CATEGORIES. DO YOU REALIZE, IN 29:12 THE BOOK OF DANIEL, WHERE WE'RE GOING BACK TO - THERE IS NOT ONE 29:15 WRONG ACT RECORDED OF DANIEL? NOT ONE THING. NOT ONE. DANIEL'S 29:21 AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT SOME HAVE CALLED LIVING THE SANCTIFIED 29:24 LIFE. WHAT I THINK IS SO SIGNIFICANT ABOUT THIS LESSON IS 29:30 THAT WE TEND TO LABEL PEOPLE AND WHEN WE LABEL PEOPLE, WE 29:36 DISQUALIFY OURSELVES, OFTENTIMES. 29:39 YOU SAY, 'I COULD NEVER DO WHAT DANIEL DID. 29:43 I DON'T HAVE THAT KIND OF A TRACK RECORD. 29:46 I COULDN'T DO IT.' 'I COULDN'T BE LIKE ESTHER. 29:50 I WOULD - I MEAN, SHE WAS REALLY ON THE EDGE. I MEAN, IF THEY 29:53 CALLED ME IN THAT, YOU KNOW, I WOULD SAY, 'I CANNOT DO THIS. 29:56 I CANNOT SPEND THE NIGHT WITH THE KING.' BY THE WAY, THAT'S 29:59 THE TIME PERIOD THAT THEY HAD TO SPEND WITH THE KING - THE 30:03 EVENING HOURS - YOU CAN READ IT IN ESTHER 2. 30:06 SOME HAVE THOUGHT THAT THAT MEANT THAT THERE WERE CERTAIN 30:08 ACTIVITIES THAT THEY ENGAGED IN THAT WOULD BE LESS THAN 30:10 COMMENDABLE. BUT MAYBE ESTHER STOOD FOR 30:13 PRINCIPLE IN THAT VERY SETTING. I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED. 30:16 ALL I'M TELLING YOU IS IF ONE OF YOUR DAUGHTERS OR GRANDDAUGHTERS 30:20 SAID THAT THEY'RE AN INTERN AT THE WHITE HOUSE AND THEY'RE 30:24 SPENDING THE NIGHT WITH A CONGRESSMAN, YOU WOULD NOT THINK 30:27 THAT THIS WAS PROBABLY GOING TO BE AN ALL-EVENING BIBLE STUDY, 30:30 RIGHT? AND THIS IS THE - SO I'M TRYING TO HELP US SEE IS WE 30:35 SOMEHOW THINK THAT IN ORDER TO BE THE RIGHT WITNESS, WE HAVE 30:40 TO, YOU KNOW, LOOK RIGHT. WE HAVE TO BE PERFECT. 30:42 AND I'VE HAD PEOPLE TELL ME THAT IN SO MANY WORDS. 30:44 THEY SAID, 'BUT DR. DEROSE, DO YOU KNOW WHAT I DID?' 30:46 OR 'DO YOU KNOW HOW I LOOK, DR. DEROSE? 30:49 DO YOU KNOW I HAVE THIS - THIS HEALTH PROBLEM?' 30:51 AND 'HOW CAN I TELL PEOPLE ABOUT A BETTER DIET IF I HAVE THIS 30:54 HEALTH ISSUE OR IF I TEND TO HAVE WEIGHT PROBLEMS?' 30:57 LISTEN, THANK THE LORD YOU ONLY WEIGHT 400, REALLY. 31:02 I MEAN - I MEAN, I'VE HAD PATIENTS WEIGHT OVER 600 POUNDS. 31:06 AND YOU SAY, 'WELL THAT'S NO CONSOLATION!' 31:09 BUT THE POINT I'M MAKING IS WE'VE ALL GOT DIFFERENT GENETIC 31:13 BACKGROUNDS AND WE'VE LIVED IN DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTS AND 31:15 WHETHER YOU HAVE AN AUTO-IMMUNE DISEASE OR WHETHER YOU'VE HAD 31:18 CANCER OR WHETHER YOU'RE OVERWEIGHT DOESN'T MEAN THAT 31:21 YOU'RE DISQUALIFIED FROM BEING A WITNESS FOR JESUS. 31:24 THE POINT IS, WE'RE ALL EXILES. 31:28 DANIEL AND ESTHER, IT SEEMS LIKE THEY'RE COMING FROM TWO 31:32 DIFFERENT POLES BUT THE POINT IS, AT THE END OF THE STORY, 31:35 BOTH OF THEM END UP DOING THE SAME THING. 31:38 LET'S LOOK AT DANIEL 6 AND SEE ONE OF THE TELLING EXAMPLES OF 31:45 DANIEL'S COMMITMENT TO THE GOD OF HEAVEN. 31:50 SO ESTHER, YOU KNOW, SHE SAID, 'IF I PERISH, I PERISH. 31:54 I'M GOING TO DO WHAT GOD'S CALLING ME TO DO.' WE SEE THAT 31:57 VERY SAME SPIRIT IN DANIEL. WE SAW IT THERE IN DANIEL 1. 32:02 THE HEAD SERVANT CHARGED WITH TAKING CARE OF THOSE HEBREW 32:07 YOUNG MEN, HE FELT THAT THE REQUEST THAT DANIEL AND HIS 32:11 FRIENDS WERE MAKING WAS GOING TO ENDANGER HIS HEAD. 32:15 IF IT WAS GOING TO ENDANGER THE HEAD OF ONE OF THE OFFICERS, 32:19 WHAT DO YOU THINK DANIEL WAS DOING? HE WAS PUTTING HIS LIFE 32:21 ON THE LINE. I MEAN, TO GO AGAINST THE KING? 32:24 COME ON, DO YOU REALIZE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU GO AGAINST THE 32:27 KING AND SAY THAT YOU KNOW BETTER THAN THE KING ABOUT HOW 32:31 YOU SHOULD LIVE YOUR LIFE? DANIEL 6 - AMAZING STORY - THE 32:38 REALM HAS CHANGED. DANIEL 5 TELLS US THE STORY OF 32:40 BELSHAZZAR, THE LAST ON THE THRONE. 32:44 AND MAYBE - MAYBE I JUST NEED TO PAUSE HERE. 32:47 IF YOU'VE NEVER STUDIED THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF DANIEL 32:49 5, IT IS ONE OF THE MOST CONVINCING EVIDENCES FOR THE 32:54 AUTHENTICITY OF THE BOOK OF DANIEL. 32:57 YOU SEE, THROUGHOUT HISTORY, MANY SECULAR SCHOLARS SAID 33:01 THE BOOK OF DANIEL IS JUST A FARCE. 33:04 THE PROPHECIES IN THERE ARE SO COMPELLING THAT THEY COULD NOT 33:08 HAVE BEEN WRITTEN WHEN DANIEL SAID HE LIVED. 33:11 THEY HAD TO BE WRITTEN AFTER THE FACT. 33:13 YOU KNOW, HOW COULD DANIEL HAVE KNOWN IN ADVANCE ALL THESE 33:17 KINGDOMS THAT WOULD COME ONE AFTER ANOTHER? 33:19 HOW COULD HE MENTION, BY NAME, AN EMPIRE LIKE GREECE THAT WAS 33:24 NOT TO COME FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS? 33:26 THIS ALL HAD TO BE WRITTEN AFTER GREECE CAME ON THE SCENE. 33:29 AND SO MANY TRY TO DATE DANIEL CENTURIES AND CENTURIES LATER. 33:32 BUT HERE'S THE INTERESTING THING THAT COMES OUT TO US IN THE BOOK 33:36 OF DANIEL. IN DANIEL CHAPTER 5 THERE IS A 33:39 RULER NAMED BELSHAZZAR ON THE THRONE. 33:42 FOR CENTURIES AND CENTURIES - MILLENIA - BELSHAZZAR WAS LOST 33:48 FROM HISTORY - NO RECORD IN HERODITUS, THE GREAT HISTORIAN, 33:52 OF A BELSHAZZAR. BELSHAZZAR DIDN'T EXIST - THAT'S 33:57 WHAT SECULAR THEOLOGIANS THOUGHT FOR MANY YEARS. 34:02 AND, IN FACT, BECAUSE THEY COULD FIND NO RECORD OF BELSHAZZAR - 34:06 HE WASN'T IN THE KING LIST OF BABYLON. 34:08 THEY SAID DANIEL WAS JUST A FABRICATION - MADE UP THE NAME 34:11 OF A KING - UNTIL INSCRIPTIONS WERE DISCOVERED - INSCRIPTIONS 34:18 THAT ACTUALLY SHOWED THAT BELSHAZZAR, EVEN THOUGH HE SAT 34:22 AS KING, WHEN BABYLON WAS CONQUERED, HE WAS THE SECOND IN 34:28 CHARGE. HIS FATHER, ACTUALLY, WAS THE 34:32 KING BUT HE WAS AWAY AT THAT TIME - THAT A WHOLE OTHER STORY 34:37 - AND BELSHAZZAR, JUST AS DANIEL 5 RECORDS IT, WAS SITTING ON THE 34:45 THRONE OF BABYLON. THAT'S WHY HE COULD ONLY OFFER 34:48 DANIEL THE THIRD HIGHEST POSITION IN THE KINGDOM - 34:51 BECAUSE HE WAS SECOND. HIS FATHER WAS FIRST. 34:54 SO IN DANIEL 5, WHEN DANIEL IS OFFERED TO BE THE THIRD RULER, 34:57 THAT'S THE HIGHEST POSITION BELSHAZZAR COULD GIVE HIM. 35:00 NOW WHY DO I SAY THIS IS SO COMPELLING? 35:04 IT'S BECAUSE BELSHAZZAR, SHORTLY AFTER THE CONQUEST OF BABYLON BY 35:09 THE MEDES AND THE PERSIANS, WAS LOST FROM HISTORY. 35:12 DANIEL 5 ESTABLISHES THAT THE BOOK OF DANIEL WAS WRITTEN WHEN 35:19 IT WAS WRITTEN - WHEN IT CLAIMS TO HAVE BEEN WRITTEN - DURING 35:22 THE TIME OF DANIEL - DURING THE TIME OF BABYLON'S REIGN. 35:25 AND SO, NOW WHEN WE COME TO DANIEL 6, BELSHAZZAR IS NO MORE. 35:30 THE BABYLONIAN EMPIRE HAS CRUMBLED. 35:34 THE PROPHECIES OF ISAIAH 38 HAVE BEEN FULFILLED. 35:40 AND NOW, IN DANIEL 6, THERE IS A NEW RULING POWER. 35:45 AND THIS IS UNHEARD OF. THE MEDO PERSIANS NOW TAKE OVER. 35:48 AND DANIEL, WHO WAS IN A LEADING POSITION IN BABYLON, IS NOW PUT 35:53 IN A LEADING POSITION BY THE CONQUERING PEOPLE. 35:56 I MEAN, THIS JUST DOES NOT HAPPEN. 35:58 IT DOESN'T HAPPEN IN AMERICA. 35:59 I MEAN, CAN - YOU KNOW IT HAPPENS. 36:01 WHEN THERE'S A, YOU KNOW, WHEN THERE'S A CHANGE OF PARTY IN THE 36:04 WHITE HOUSE, HOW MANY TIMES DO YOU SAY, 'WELL, YOU KNOW WHAT? 36:07 THESE FOUR CABINET MEMBERS DID A GREAT JOB FOR PRESIDENT OBAMA SO 36:11 NOW THAT WE HAVE A REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT - BY THE WAY, I'M NOT 36:15 TRYING TO BE PROPHETIC HERE, BUT LET'S SAY THERE'S A CHANGE OF 36:18 PARTY. THEY'RE NOT GOING TO KEEP THOSE 36:20 FOUR CABINET MEMBERS IN. THEY'RE GOING TO CLEAN HOUSE. 36:23 IT WAS EVEN MORE AMAZING IN ANTIQUITY. 36:29 AND SO IT SAYS IN DANIEL CHAPTER 6 AND VERSE 1, "IT PLEASED 36:33 DARIUS TO SET OVER THE KINGDOM ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY SATRAPS, 36:38 TO BE OVER THE WHOLE KINGDOM; AND OVER THESE, THREE GOVERNORS, 36:42 OF WHOM DANIEL WAS ONE, THAT THE SATRAPS MIGHT GIVE ACCOUNT TO 36:47 THEM, SO THAT THE KING WOULD SUFFER NO LOSS." 36:52 AND THEN AS THE ACCOUNT GOES ON, DANIEL EXCELS. ALL THE OTHERS 36:57 IN LEADERSHIP - AND WHAT HAPPENS? THE KING IS ABOUT TO 37:01 PROMOTE DANIEL AND EVERYBODY STARTS TO GET JEALOUS. 37:05 AND SO THEY INDUCE THE KING TO MAKE A VERY FOOLISH DECREE - 37:13 VERY FOOLISH DECREE - AND YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS, DARIUS SIGNS 37:22 THIS DECREE - IT'S DESCRIBED IN VERSE 7 - THAT WHOEVER PETITIONS 37:29 ANY GOD OR MAN FOR THIRTY DAYS, EXCEPT KING DARIUS, WOULD BE 37:36 CAST INTO A DEN OF LIONS. AND SO THE DECREE GOES OUT. 37:42 IT'S A FOOLISH DECREE BECAUSE THEY ALL KNEW WHAT DANIEL DID. 37:47 DANIEL WOULD PRAY THREE TIME A DAY TOWARDS JERUSALEM. 37:51 NOW'S A FITTING TIME TO STOP, BECAUSE SOME OF YOU ALREADY 37:55 THOUGHT THAT I IMPLIED THAT ESTHER AND HER FAMILY COULDN'T 37:57 HAVE BEEN TOO HOLY BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T GO BACK TO JERUSALEM WHEN 38:02 THAT DECREE WENT OUT FROM CYRUS, BUT DANIEL NEVER WENT BACK TO 38:09 JERUSALEM. NEHEMIAH NEVER WENT BACK. 38:13 BUT I'M JUST SAYING THEY WEREN'T FOLLOWING THAT CALL TO COUNTRY 38:17 LIVING THAT SOME OF YOU HAVE FOLLOWED. 38:19 I MEAN, JERUSALEM, BACK THEN, AFTER IT WAS DESTROYED BY THE 38:24 BABYLONIANS, IT WAS PRETTY - PRETTY BLEAK. 38:27 I MEAN, THEY DIDN'T EVEN HAVE A WALL, OKAY? 38:30 SO BACK TO THE STORY. WHAT DOES DANIEL DO? 38:36 WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOUR FAITH IS UNDER FIRE? 38:40 YOU SAY, 'WELL, IN THE BOOK OF ESTHER - ESTHER, YOU KNOW, 38:44 JUST KIND OF KEPT IT QUIET. WHAT DOES DANIEL DO? 38:48 DANIEL DOES NOT CHANGE HIS HABITUAL PRACTICE BECAUSE OF 38:54 HUMAN LAWS AND HE CONTINUES TO PRAY OPENLY TO THE GOD OF 38:58 HEAVEN. NOW SOME MIGHT SAY, 'WELL, 39:01 THERE'S NO LAW. THERE'S NO BIBLICAL PRINCIPLE 39:05 THAT SAYS THAT YOU HAVE TO PRAY WITH YOUR WINDOW OPEN. 39:08 WHY DID HE KEEP DOING IT?' >>BECAUSE HE ALWAYS DID. 39:12 >>BECAUSE HE ALWAYS DID, SOME OF YOU SAY? 39:15 YOU KNOW, HERE'S THE POINT: WE'RE READING ABOUT EXILES - 39:19 WE'RE READING ABOUT MISSIONARIES. 39:21 YOU KNOW, I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW GOD'S LEADING YOU. 39:24 I CAN'T TELL YOU, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE YOU'RE WORKING IN THIS 39:27 PLACE, YOU'RE OBVIOUSLY NOT FOLLOWING THE LORD, YOU KNOW, 39:29 BECAUSE THOSE PEOPLE ARE ALL MESSED UP OVER THERE. 39:31 I MEAN, YOU KNOW HOW MESSED UP THEY WERE IN THE COURTS OF 39:33 BABYLON? SO DANIEL, FORCIBLY BROUGHT INTO 39:39 EXILE - ESTHER - IT WASN'T HER CHOICE TO BE THERE IN THE KING'S 39:43 PALACE - AND GOD USED THEM POWERFULLY. 39:47 AND, BY THE WAY, BOTH ESTHER AND DANIEL WERE QUITE YOUNG, RIGHT? 39:52 THAT'S WHAT THE EVIDENCE INDICATES - QUITE YOUNG - SO 39:55 SOME OF YOU SAY, 'SO THAT'S WHAT DISQUALIFIES ME, DR. DEROSE, 39:57 BECAUSE I'M A BIT OLDER THAN THAT. 40:00 NO ONE WOULD CHOOSE ME FOR A BEAUTY QUEEN. 40:03 NO ONE WOULD TAKE ME AS A YOUNG PERSON THAT THEY COULD 40:06 INDOCTRINATE. I'M OVER THE HILL, DR. DEROSE.' 40:08 BUT THESE MISSIONARY STORIES WE'RE LOOKING AT ACTUALLY CUT 40:13 ACROSS GENDER, AGE, BACKGROUND, LABELS. LOOK WITH ME REAL 40:26 QUICKLY AT PSALM 90 - PSALM 90 - MOST PEOPLE DON'T KNOW WHO WROTE 40:33 PSALM 90 UNLESS THEY LOOK AT IT AND READ THE FOOTNOTE THAT'S IN 40:38 MOST BIBLES. PSALM 90, WHO WROTE IT? 40:44 >>MOSES. >>MOSES. 40:46 DID YOU KNOW MOSES WROTE A PSALM? AND THE PSALM THAT MOSES 40:51 WROTE HAS A VERY INTERESTING VERSE IN IT. 40:54 AND THAT VERSE IS FOUND IN VERSE 10 - PSALM 90, VERSE 10, "THE 41:04 DAYS OF OUR LIVES ARE SEVENTY YEARS; AND IF BY REASON OF 41:11 STRENGTH THEY ARE EIGHTY YEARS, YET THEIR BOAST IS ONLY LABOR 41:15 AND SORROW; FOR IT IS SOON CUT OFF, AND WE FLY AWAY." 41:19 IN MOSES' DAY, HOW LONG DID PEOPLE LIVE? 41:22 >>SEVENTY YEARS. >>SEVENTY YEARS, MAYBE EIGHTY, 41:25 OKAY? WHAT'S THE LIFE SPAN TODAY? 41:30 WHAT NUMBER DO YOU WANT TO PUT ON IT? 41:36 WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IF SOMEONE'S, YOU KNOW, IF THEY'RE REALLY 41:39 FORTUNATE THEY'LL LIVE TO HOW LONG? 41:41 >>NINETY. >>NINETY? MAYBE A HUNDRED. 41:46 >>SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS. >>SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS? 41:49 HOW OLD WAS MOSES WHEN HE WAS CALLED TO BE THE GREAT 41:52 MISSIONARY TO THE EGYPTIANS? >>EIGHTY. 41:57 >>HE WAS EIGHTY. DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE 42:00 IMPLICATIONS OF WHEN MOSES WAS CALLED? 42:04 MOSES WAS CALLED WHEN HE WAS A DEAD MAN. (LAUGHTER) REALLY. 42:10 HE WAS CALLED WHEN HE WAS A DEAD MAN. 42:13 AND SO YOU'RE SITTING HERE TODAY - YOU'RE SAYING, 'IT'S OVER FOR 42:16 ME, DR. DEROSE, I'VE LIVED MY LIFE. I MEAN, I'M RETIRED. 42:19 I CAN'T EVEN DRIVE MYSELF. THEY TOOK AWAY MY DRIVER'S 42:22 LICENSE FROM ME. WHAT CAN I DO?' 42:24 BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER WHO OLD OR HOW YOUNG YOU ARE. 42:28 IT DOESN'T MATTER WHEN THE PERSON NEXT TO YOU SAYS, 'BOY, I 42:31 HOPE THOSE LIBERALS DON'T SIT NEXT TO ME IN CHURCH.' OR 'BOY, 42:33 THAT GUY IS SO CONSERVATIVE HE'S DISGUSTING.' I MEAN, WE - WE - 42:36 DO YOU SEE WHAT I'M SAYING? WE, AMONG OURSELVES, WE LABEL 42:41 EACH OTHER AND THEN, WHAT DO WE DO? 42:43 WE LOOK AT OURSELVES IN THE MIRROR AND SAY, 'WHAT CAN I DO? 42:45 I'M NOT LIKE DANIEL. I'M NOT LIKE ESTHER. 42:48 I'M NOT LIKE MOSES. BUT THE WHOLE POINT - WHY THERE 42:51 ARE SO MANY STORIES - IS BECAUSE WE'RE LIKE ALL OF THEM. 42:54 WE'RE LIKE ALL OF THEM. DANIEL, IN DANIEL 6, IS THROWN 43:05 IN THE LION'S DEN. AND WHAT IS THE OUTCOME OF DANIEL'S 43:12 EXPERIENCE? WHAT'S THE RESULT? THE RESULT IN DANIEL 6, IS WE 43:20 HAVE THIS AMAZING PROCLAMATION - IT'S REFERRED TO US IN CHAPTER - 43:25 OR IN TUESDAY'S LESSON. IT ACTUALLY QUOTES THIS POWERFUL 43:32 PASSAGE IN DANIEL 6:25 THROUGH 27. 43:38 IT SAYS, 'THEN KING DARIUS WROTE TO ALL PEOPLES, NATIONS, AND 43:43 LANGUAGES, THAT DWELL IN ALL THE EARTH: PEACE BE MULTIPLIED UNTO 43:47 YOU. I MAKE A DECREE, THAT IN EVERY 43:50 DOMINION OF MY KINGDOM PEOPLE MUST FEAR AND REVERENCE THE GOD 43:53 OF DANIEL: FOR HE IS THE LIVING GOD AND HE ENDURES FOREVER. 43:57 HIS KINGDOM WILL NOT BE DESTROYED. 43:58 HIS DOMINION WILL NEVER END. HE RESCUES AND HE SAVES. 44:02 HE PERFORMS SIGNS AND WONDERS IN THE HEAVENS AND ON THE EARTH.' 44:05 HE HAS RESCUED DANIEL FROM THE POWER OF THE LIONS. 44:09 AND WHAT'S INTERESTING - WHAT'S POINTED OUT IN THE LESSON, AS 44:12 WELL, IS A PRECEDING VERSE. BEFORE DANIEL WAS THROWN IN THE 44:16 LION'S DEN IT REMINDS US OF VERSE 20, RIGHT THERE AT THE 44:21 BEGINNING OF TUESDAY'S LESSON, BECAUSE WHAT - WHAT IT'S LIKELY 44:29 DARIUS WAS SAYING BEFORE DANIEL WAS THROWN IN, ARE THE VERY 44:34 WORDS THAT COME OUT OF HIS MOUTH AT THE END OF THAT EVENING THAT 44:39 DANIEL SPENDS IN THE ROYAL LION CHAMBER. 44:44 AND HE SAYS, IN DANIEL 6:20, "O DANIEL, SERVANT OF THE LIVING 44:49 GOD, IS THY GOD, WHOM THOU SERVEST CONTINUALLY, ABLE TO 44:56 DELIVER THEE FROM THE LIONS?" AND THE ANSWER, OF COURSE, IS 45:01 'YES.' GOD WAS SEEN AS THE LIVING GOD. 45:06 DANIEL WAS SEEN AS CONTINUALLY FOLLOWING JESUS. 45:11 YOU SAY, 'BUT I HAVEN'T BEEN SEEN THAT WAY. 45:12 I MEAN, I'VE MESSED UP ALREADY.' LISTEN, THEY DIDN'T EVEN REALIZE 45:16 ESTHER WAS A JEW. THEY DIDN'T SAY THAT TO ESTHER. 45:20 THEY DIDN'T SAY, 'THE GOD THAT YOU SERVE CONTINUALLY.' THEY 45:23 DIDN'T EVEN MAKE THE CONNECTION. THE POINT IS, WHEREVER WE'VE 45:25 BEEN AT IN OUR PAST, GOD GIVES US THE OPPORTUNITY TODAY, AND 45:29 THIS WEEK, TO DO WHAT? TO BE MISSIONARIES FOR HIM. 45:33 TO GO AND REPRESENT HIM. NOT TO DISQUALIFY OURSELVES. 45:36 NOT TO SAY, 'WELL, I HAVEN'T DONE THINGS RIGHT AND IF I SAID 45:39 I WAS A CHRISTIAN WHERE I WORK, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, THEY'VE SEEN 45:41 WHAT I'VE BEEN WATCHING. THEY'VE SEEN THE MAGAZINES I BRING. 45:43 IF I TELL THEM I'M A VEGETARIAN THEY'LL SAY, WELL, THEY SAW ME 45:48 AT BURGER KING LAST WEEK. GETTING A - EATING A HAMBURGER.' 45:53 DO YOU SEE WHAT SATAN TRIES TO DO? SATAN TRIES TO THROW IN OUR 46:00 FACE WHERE WE HAVE SLIPPED - WHERE WE HAVE FALLEN. 46:05 AND WHAT GOD IS TRYING TO DO IS TRYING TO GET OUR ATTENTION 46:09 SAYING WE ALL HAVE THIS MISSIONARY CALLING AND THAT 46:14 MISSIONARY CALLING IS MOST POWERFUL WHEN WE HAVE TO STAND 46:18 FOR SOMETHING WHEN IT SEEMS LIKE THE WORLD IS POINTING IN ANOTHER 46:23 DIRECTION. GO BACK WITH ME TO DANIEL 2. 46:25 IT'S ANOTHER STORY THAT'S HIGHLIGHTED, ACTUALLY, 46:28 IN MONDAY'S LESSON. I KNOW SOME OF YOU LIKE THE, 46:31 YOU KNOW, SYSTEMATIC APPROACH TO LESSON STUDY AND SO YOU'RE VERY 46:34 THANKFUL THAT I'M NOT UP HERE MUCH, BUT I TEND TO LIKE TO 46:38 INTEGRATE THINGS IN MY OWN MIND AND MY MIND JUMPS AROUND. 46:43 AND SOME OF YOU SAY, 'WELL, I'M GLAD THAT SOME PEOPLE HAVE A 46:46 MORE SMOOTH-FLOWING MIND THAN YOURS, DR. DEROSE.' BUT I'M 46:49 TRYING TO PULL ALL OF THIS TOGETHER AND SAY, 'WHAT DOES IT 46:51 SAY TO ME?' AND AS I LOOK AT THESE 46:54 COMPARISONS AND THESE CONTRASTS, GOD HAS A CALL FOR ME. 46:58 AND EVEN IF SOME OF YOU DON'T THINK THAT THAT CALLING IS 47:02 PROBABLY APPLICABLE TO THIS INDIVIDUAL UP FRONT, THAT'S 47:07 OKAY, BECAUSE YOU'VE BEEN WRITTEN OFF BY SOME PEOPLE TOO, 47:11 HAVEN'T YOU? NO, REALLY. 47:14 AND IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT GOD DOESN'T HAVE A MINISTRY FOR YOU. 47:17 'BUT DR. DEROSE, DO YOU KNOW WHO TOLD ME THAT I SHOULD NEVER OPEN 47:21 MY MOUTH AND SAY ANYTHING ABOUT JESUS BECAUSE I ALWAYS MAKE A 47:24 FOOL OF MYSELF?' I DON'T CARE WHO TOLD YOU THAT, 47:25 GOD WANTS TO USE YOU. GOD WANTS TO USE YOU. 47:30 CHAPTER 2 OF DANIEL - AGAIN, A VERY FAMILIAR STORY. 47:34 IN DANIEL 1, WE HAVE THAT AMAZING PROPHECY WHERE GOD, IN - 47:38 IN A WAY THAT COULD SPEAK TO A HEATHEN KING, GIVES HIM AN IMAGE 47:43 OF AN IDOL - AN IDOL MADE UP OF VARIOUS METALS THAT FORETOLD 47:47 KINGDOMS THAT WOULD COME AND GO AFTER THE TIME OF BABYLON. 47:54 BABYLON, OF COURSE, BEING REPRESENTED - BABYLON - IT'S 47:57 KING NEBUCHADNEZZAR AS THE HEAD OF GOLD IN THAT IMAGE. 47:59 IN DANIEL CHAPTER 2, NEBUCHADNEZZAR BASICALLY, AT 48:02 THIS POINT, REJECTING THE VISION OF DANIEL 1. 48:06 HE SAYS, 'NO, THERE IS GOING TO BE NO SUCCESSION OF KINGDOMS. 48:10 BABYLON, THE HEAD OF GOLD, IS GOING TO RULE FOREVER. 48:13 I'M GOING TO BUILD AN IMAGE JUST LIKE THE ONE GOD GAVE ME AND I'M 48:16 GOING TO MAKE IT ALL OF GOLD. BABYLON IS GOING TO RULE 48:19 FOREVER.' AND HE CALLS A BIG WORSHIP SERVICE. 48:24 IT WAS A WORSHIP SERVICE - A BIG FESTIVAL ON THE PLAIN OF DURA, 48:28 WHERE THEY'RE GOING TO CONSECRATE THIS IDOL. 48:32 IT WAS TO BE A WORSHIP SERVICE, THERE IS NO QUESTION ABOUT IT 48:35 AS YOU READ THE CONTEXT. 48:37 AND SO, WHAT HAPPENS IN THE MIDST OF THIS? 48:40 THE CALL GOES OUT. THE CALL GOES OUT IN DANIEL 3. 48:47 I HAVE YOU LOOKING AT DANIEL 2, I KNOW, BUT IN MONDAY'S LESSON 48:52 IT STARTS WITH DANIEL 2 AND THEN TRANSITIONS US INTO DANIEL 3. 48:59 IN DANIEL 2 YOU HAVE THAT INITIAL VISION AND THEN IN 49:02 DANIEL 3 YOU HAVE THE THREE HEBREWS THAT STAND FAITHFULLY. 49:07 WHEN THIS CALL GOES OUT ON THE PLAIN OF DURA, AND IT SAYS IN 49:12 VERSE 8 OF DANIEL CHAPTER 3, CERTAIN CHALDEANS (BABYLONIAN 49:18 INTELLIGENTSIA) COME FORWARD. THEY ACCUSE THESE THREE JEWS - 49:23 SHADRACH, MISHACH, AND ABEDNEGO - OF NOT BOWING DOWN. 49:28 IT SAYS, VERY CLEARLY, IN VERSE 11, "WHOEVER DOES NOT BOW DOWN 49:33 AND WORSHIP SHALL BE CAST INTO THE MIDST OF A BURNING FIERY 49:36 FURNACE." - THEY'RE QUOTING THE KING AND 49:38 THEY'RE SAYING, 'THAT'S WHAT THESE MEN DESERVE. 49:39 THEY HAVE NOT WORSHIPED.' AND SO NEBUCHADNEZZAR GIVES THEM 49:44 ANOTHER CHANCE AND THEY SAY, 'WE'RE GOING TO BE FAITHFUL. 49:47 GOD CAN SAVE US, BUT EVEN IF HE DOESN'T, WE'RE NOT GOING TO 49:52 CAPITULATE.' AND SO, IN THAT TIME OF ADVERSITY, THEY'RE 49:56 THROWN INTO THE FIERY FURNACE. AND YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS? 49:59 GOD DELIVERS THEM. WOULD THEY HAVE BEEN DELIVERED 50:03 IF THEY HADN'T HAVE STOOD FAITHFUL? 50:06 WOULD GOD'S PEOPLE HAVE BEEN DELIVERED, IN THE TIME OF 50:08 ESTHER, IF ESTHER HADN'T STOOD FAITHFUL? WOULD DANIEL HAVE BEEN 50:13 DELIVERED FROM THE LION'S DEN IF HE HADN'T STOOD FAITHFUL? 50:16 YOU SAY, 'HE WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN THROWN THERE.' THE WHOLE 50:18 POINT IS, GOD IS SEEKING TO DO WHAT WE READ ABOUT IN REVELATION 50:21 14 - GIVE A MESSAGE TO EVERY NATION, KINGDOM, TONGUE AND 50:25 PEOPLE. NEBUCHADNEZZAR TRIED TO DO IT ON 50:28 THE PLAIN OF DURA - TRIED TO GET EVERYONE TO WORSHIP A FALSE GOD, 50:30 BUT IN THE END, WHEN WE STAND FAITHFUL AS GOD'S MISSIONARIES, 50:35 THE GOD IN HEAVEN WILL BE WORSHIPED. 50:39 THAT'S THE CHALLENGE FOR ME. IT'S A CHALLENGE FOR YOU. 50:42 IT'S THE CHALLENGE TODAY AS WE INTERACT WITH ONE ANOTHER, AND 50:44 THE CHALLENGE THIS WEEK AS WE GO ABOUT ASKING THE QUESTION OF THE 50:48 LORD, 'WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE ME TO DO? 50:50 WHERE WOULD YOU HAVE ME TO GO?' AND THEN PRAYING FOR THE 50:53 STRENGTH TO FOLLOW. >>AMEN. 50:55 >>WELL, WE DO HAVE A FREE OFFER THAT BUILDS ON THIS MESSAGE, 50:59 ACTUALLY, DEATHWATCH IN SIBERIA - DEATHWATCH IN SIBERIA - 51:04 IT'S OFFER #114. YOU CAN GET IT BY CALLING 51:07 866-STUDY-MORE - THAT'S 1-866-788-3966. 51:16 I INVITE YOU TO BE BACK HERE IN THE GRANITE BAY SEVENTH-DAY 51:20 ADVENTIST CHURCH NEXT WEEK. ACTUALLY, AS WE PICK UP THE 51:23 STUDY OF ESTHER, WE INVITE YOU THAT ARE JOINING US BY WAY OF 51:26 CAMERA TO JOIN US AS WELL, AS WE STUDY MORE ABOUT BIBLICAL 51:31 MISSIONARIES. (MUSIC) 51:40 >>AMAZING FACTS BEGAN IN 1965 WITH A GOD-INSPIRED CONCEPT. 51:45 >>HELLO, THIS IS JOE CREWS AND THE AMAZING FACTS BROADCAST - 51:48 FACTS WHICH AFFECT YOU. 51:51 >>THESE RADIO BROADCASTS WOULD BEGIN WITH AN AMAZING FACT FROM 51:55 SCIENCE, NATURE, OR HISTORY, FOLLOWED BY A BIBLE MESSAGE THAT 51:58 TOUCHED THE HEARTS OF LISTENERS FROM EVERY WALK OF LIFE. 52:02 THE PROGRAM WAS AN INSTANT SUCCESS AND THE MINISTRY SOON 52:06 BEGAN EXPANDING TO INCLUDE BIBLE LESSONS. 52:09 IN 1986 AMAZING FACTS ADDED THE MEDIUM OF TELEVISION TO ITS 52:14 GROWING OUTREACH EFFORTS, OFFERING SOUL-WINNING 52:17 EVANGELISTIC MESSAGES FOR VIEWERS AROUND THE WORLD. 52:21 IN 1994, PASTOR DOUG BATCHELOR ASSUMED LEADERSHIP OF THE 52:25 MINISTRY, ADDING THE BIBLE ANSWERS LIVE CALL-IN RADIO 52:28 PROGRAM AND NEW MINISTRY TV PROGRAMS BEGAN AIRING ON 52:32 MULTIPLE NETWORKS AROUND THE WORLD. 52:36 FOR 50 YEARS, THE DRIVING VISION OF AMAZING FACTS HAS BEEN THE 52:39 BOLD PROCLAMATION OF THE EVERLASTING GOSPEL AND, WITH A 52:44 TEAM OF EVANGELISTS CIRCLING THE GLOBE AND THOUSANDS OF MEN AND 52:48 WOMEN BEING TRAINED THROUGH THE AMAZING FACTS CENTER OF 52:50 EVANGELISM PROGRAM - AFCOE - THE MINISTRY IS HELPING GOD'S CHURCH 52:55 SEE A RICH HARVEST OF SOULS. AMAZING FACTS - GOD'S MESSAGE, 53:01 OUR MISSION. >>AMAZING FACTS CHANGED LIVES. 53:17 >>MY GREATEST WISH IS THAT MY CHILDREN WILL SEE ME THE WAY 53:24 I SEE MY - MY OWN FATHER. HE'S A VERY DEVOTED MAN AND THAT 53:33 KIND OF FRAMED MY CHILDHOOD GOING FORWARD FROM THERE, WHERE 53:36 I WAS ALWAYS INVOLVED IN CHURCH WORK AND I HAD A VERY RICH 53:41 EXPERIENCE WITH THE LORD AT A YOUNG AGE - ALL THE WAY UP 53:47 THROUGH COLLEGE. THEN AFTER I GOT MARRIED I GOT 53:49 IN A COMPANY CALLED COMCAST AND I SPENT THE PAST, ROUGHLY EIGHT 53:56 AND A HALF YEARS - NINE YEARS AT COMCAST AND I WAS ACTUALLY 54:01 WATCHING TELEVISION WITH MY SON AND A COMCAST COMMERCIAL CAME ON 54:06 THE AIR AND HE SAID, 'OH DADDY, THAT'S COMCAST . 54:11 THAT'S WHERE YOU WORK, DADDY.' AND MOST FATHERS WOULD BE PROUD 54:17 WITH SOMETHING LIKE THAT, BUT IT REALLY STRUCK ME THAT, YOU KNOW, 54:21 MY SON'S GETTING OLDER AND HE DOES NOT SEE ME AS A SERVANT OF 54:24 THE LORD, HE SEES ME AS A SERVANT OF MY COMPANY. 54:28 AND I KNEW THAT I WOULD HAVE TO MAKE SOME CHANGES BECAUSE I 54:33 WANTED HIM TO KNOW ME AS A MAN OF GOD. I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD 54:39 BE A PREACHER OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, BUT I KNEW THAT THERE WAS 54:43 ROOM IN THE WORK FOR ME AND FOR MY - FOR MY TALENTS AND I 54:50 WANTED MY SON TO SEE ME OPERATING IN THE WORK. 54:53 THAT'S WHEN I KNEW THAT MY TIME THERE WAS COMING TO AN END. 55:00 I WAS SITTING IN MY OFFICE ONE DAY AND I WAS KNEELING IN PRAYER 55:04 AND I SAID, 'GOD, YOU KNOW, SHOW ME WHAT YOU WANT ME TO DO 55:07 BECAUSE THIS SEEMS LIKE A BIG MOVE HERE AND, YOU KNOW, 55:15 EVERYONE'S THINKING I'M CRAZY AND I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW, 55:20 YOU KNOW, THINGS ARE GOING TO GO IF THEY DON'T GO WELL.' CRAZY 55:27 THOUGHT WHEN YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT GOD AND I LIFTED MY HEAD 55:33 UP IN PRAYER AND THERE WERE JUST LIKE A FLOCK OF, I DON'T KNOW, 55:39 MAYBE THREE HUNDRED BIRDS THAT WERE JUST FLYING AND THEY WERE 55:43 SWOOPING DOWN OVER THE WATER AND THEY WOULD FLY BACK UP AND THEN 55:47 THEY WOULD CHASE EACH OTHER AROUND AND, YOU KNOW, I WAS JUST 55:51 LOOKING AT THE PATTERN OF THE GIANT FLOCK AND THE PROMISE OF 55:55 THE LORD CAME TO ME, WHERE HE SAYS THAT, YOU KNOW, HE TAKES 56:00 CARE OF THE SPARROWS AND YOU DON'T SEE THEM WORRYING ABOUT 56:04 HOW THEY ARE GOING TO BE TAKEN CARE OF FROM DAY TO DAY. 56:09 YOU KNOW, THEY DON'T WRING THEIR HANDS WONDERING, YOU KNOW, WILL 56:13 THERE BE ANY WORMS TO EAT TOMORROW? 56:15 AND THAT PROMISE REALLY STOOD OUT TO ME AND HE SAID, 'YOU 56:20 KNOW, HOW MUCH MORE DO I LOVE YOU? YOU KNOW, I'M NOT GOING TO 56:24 SEND YOU ON A MISSION TO DO MY WORK AND LEAVE YOU HIGH AND DRY, 56:29 BECAUSE YOU CLAIM TO BE MY CHILD. 56:31 YOU CLAIM TO BE MY SON AND EVERYONE KNOWS THAT.' THAT 56:36 ASSURANCE ALLOWS ME TO KNOW THAT WHATEVER HAPPENS HERE, WHATEVER 56:40 HAPPENS AFTER HERE, WE'RE SONS OF GOD AND THERE ARE CERTAIN 56:48 THINGS THAT WE SHOULDN'T WORRY ABOUT. 56:49 FROM THE DAY WE ARRIVED AT AFCOE, IT'S BEEN OBVIOUS THAT 56:56 GOD HAS BLESSED THE AMAZING FACTS MINISTRY, THE AFCOE 57:00 PROGRAM - AND I WILL BE USING MY AFCOE EXPERIENCE, NO MATTER 57:06 WHERE I GO, TO REACH PEOPLE BECAUSE THE PERSONAL TOUCH OF 57:10 FACE-TO-FACE EVANGELISM, SPEAKING AND SHARING THE WORD OF 57:17 GOD OUT OF YOUR OWN MOUTH - THERE'S NO REPLACEMENT FOR THAT 57:20 AND AMAZING FACTS HAS BEEN VERY INSTRUMENTAL IN HELPING ME FIND 57:24 THE AREA OF THE WORK OF GOD AND SHOWING ME HOW LARGE AND HOW 57:33 BROAD IT IS. IT'S BEEN A TREMENDOUS BLESSING 57:36 TO BE IN A PLACE WHERE WE'RE AROUND PEOPLE SEEKING TO DO 57:41 GOD'S WILL AND LISTENING FOR HIS VOICE IN THEIR LIFE AND THAT'S 57:44 VERY, VERY IMPORTANT TODAY. >>TOGETHER WE HAVE SPREAD THE 57:56 GOSPEL MUCH FATHER THAN EVER BEFORE. 58:00 THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT. >>FOR LIFE-CHANGING CHRISTIAN 58:09 RESOURCES, VISIT AFBOOKSTORE.COM 58:14 (MUSIC) |
Revised 2015-07-27