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Jean Ross: Good
morning, friends,
00:00:33.33\00:00:34.60
and welcome again to
"Sabbath School Study Hour" here
00:00:34.63\00:00:36.93
at the Granite Bay Seventh-day
Adventist Church in Sacramento,
00:00:36.97\00:00:39.27
California.
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I'd like to welcome
those who are joining us online
00:00:40.64\00:00:42.44
across the country
and around the world.
00:00:42.47\00:00:44.61
I know we have our online
members and we always like to
00:00:44.64\00:00:46.91
recognize them at the time
of our "Sabbath School" program.
00:00:46.94\00:00:50.75
Thank you for tuning in and
being a part of our extended
00:00:50.78\00:00:53.52
"Sabbath School" class.
00:00:53.55\00:00:55.28
We'd also like to welcome our
regular "Sabbath School" members
00:00:55.32\00:00:57.95
and those who are
visiting with us today.
00:00:57.99\00:01:00.12
We are delighted that you
are here to study the lesson
00:01:00.16\00:01:02.92
and we're very excited
about this quarter study.
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It's all about
the book of Daniel,
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that wonderful,
important, timely,
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prophetic book that we
find in the Old Testament.
00:01:10.13\00:01:12.83
And so, we're going to continue
our study today on lesson
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number two on
the book of Daniel.
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It's entitled, "From
Jerusalem to Babylon."
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Now, if you don't have a
copy of the lesson quarterly--
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I know many of you
here have the quarterly,
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but some of those who
are joining us online,
00:01:27.12\00:01:28.72
you might not have
a lesson quarterly.
00:01:28.75\00:01:30.79
If you'd like to
download today's lesson,
00:01:30.82\00:01:33.22
you can simply go
to, lesson.aftv.org,
00:01:33.25\00:01:37.79
lesson.aftv.org.
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You can download lesson
number two and you can study
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along with us on
the book of Daniel.
00:01:43.23\00:01:45.47
We also have a free offer we'd
like to let our friends know
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about who are joining
us online or on various
00:01:47.90\00:01:50.37
television networks.
00:01:50.41\00:01:51.71
We have a book we
would like to share with you.
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It's got a very
captivating title.
00:01:53.64\00:01:56.44
It's called "Hogs
and Other Hazards,"
00:01:56.48\00:01:59.21
and we'll be able to send this
to anyone who calls and asks.
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The number is
... and you can ask
00:02:02.18\00:02:08.36
for the book entitled,
"Hogs and Other Hazards,"
00:02:08.39\00:02:11.83
or ask for offer number 160.
00:02:11.86\00:02:14.63
There's another way that
you can get the free offer,
00:02:14.66\00:02:16.67
by simply texting the code
"SH136" to the number 40544,
00:02:16.70\00:02:24.67
and you'll be able to download
and read our free offer today.
00:02:24.71\00:02:29.61
Well, before we
get to our study,
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we like to begin by
lifting our voices in song.
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So, we have our song leaders
that'll be leading us in our,
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"Sabbath School" song today.
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¤¤¤
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male: Good morning.
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We're going to begin our singing
this morning with number 518,
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"Standing on the Promises,"
which is what Daniel and his
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friends were so good at doing,
was standing on God's promises.
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We'll sing 518,
all three verses,
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"Standing on the Promises."
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¤¤¤
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¤ Standing on the
promises of Christ my King ¤
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¤ Through eternal
ages let his praises sing ¤
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¤ Glory in the
highest, I will shout and sing ¤
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¤ Standing on
the promises of God ¤
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¤ Standing, standing ¤
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¤ standing on the
promises of God my Savior ¤
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¤ Standing, standing ¤
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¤ I'm standing on
the promises of God ¤
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¤ Standing on the
promises that cannot fail ¤
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¤ when the howling storms
of doubt and fear assail ¤
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¤ By the Living Word
of God I shall prevail ¤
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¤ Standing on
the promises of God ¤
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¤ Standing, standing ¤
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¤ standing on the
promises of God my Savior ¤
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¤ Standing, standing ¤
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¤ I'm standing on
the promises of God ¤
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¤ Standing on the
promises of Christ the Lord ¤
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¤ Bound to him eternally
by love's strong cord ¤
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¤ Overcoming daily
with the Spirit's sword ¤
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¤ Standing on
the promises of God ¤
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¤ Standing, standing ¤
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¤ standing on the
promises of God my Savior ¤
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¤ Standing, standing ¤
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¤ I'm standing on
the promises of God ¤
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¤¤¤
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Jean: Let us pray.
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Dear Father in heaven,
we thank you that we have
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this opportunity to
open up your Word and study
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a very important passage,
something that's practical,
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something that's
useful for us today.
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And we want to invite
your Spirit, as always,
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to come and guard
our hearts, our minds.
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Help us to understand, but more
than just simply understand,
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help us to apply these
important biblical principles
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that we'll be looking at today.
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For we ask this in
Jesus's name, amen.
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Our lesson today is going to
be brought to us by Pastor Doug.
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Doug Batchelor:
Thank you, Pastor Ross,
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and welcome everybody to
our "Sabbath School Study Hour."
00:05:44.04\00:05:47.44
And I want to welcome those who
are watching on TV or online,
00:05:47.48\00:05:51.01
and some on
satellite around the country.
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I'm really excited because
this quarter we're getting
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into a study on Daniel,
and today we actually dive
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into Daniel chapter 1.
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And if you don't
have one of these--
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and this is the study
guide, the outline we use.
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We don't always
follow it word for word,
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but it creates a good
guide for us to get through
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the different
chapters in the book of Daniel.
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You can get one online by going
to the Adventist Church website
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under "Sabbath School," or you
can probably just pick one up
00:06:17.77\00:06:20.58
for free at your local
Seventh-day Adventist Church.
00:06:20.61\00:06:22.94
Now, we know a lot of
people watching this program,
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including some of
our online members,
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do not have a nearby
local church they can attend,
00:06:27.45\00:06:30.45
and that's when the
online version is very helpful.
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All right, Daniel
chapter 1, and we want to dive
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into our study today.
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Have a lot of really, I
think, valuable information,
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and this lesson is one that
can actually lengthen your life,
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seriously.
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Our memory verse
is Daniel 1, verse 17.
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If you have your
Bibles, you might want to open
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and you can read this with me.
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Daniel 1:17, here it's in
the New King James version.
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Are you ready?
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"As for these four young
men, God gave them knowledge
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and skill in all
literature and wisdom,
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and Daniel had understanding
in all visions and dreams."
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Now, the book of
Daniel begins with somewhat
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of a note of defeat.
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The children of Israel,
because of their unfaithfulness,
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they are carried off.
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Let's read in the first chapter.
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chapter 1 of
Daniel, verse 1 and 2,
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"In the third year of the reign
of Jehoiakim king of Judah,
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Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon came to Jerusalem
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and besieged it.
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And the Lord gave Jehoiakim
king of Judah into his hand,
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with some," notice that word,
"some," "some of the articles
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of the house of God, which he
carried into the land of Shinar
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to the house of his god;
and he brought the articles
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into the treasure
house of his god."
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Very beginning of
the book of Daniel,
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you see that there's
a battle between gods.
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It looks as though the God
of Israel is being defeated
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by the god of Babylon.
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What's the first kingdom or
city that you hear mentioned
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in the Bible?
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Remember Cain, he
went and he built a city.
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And then you read about Nimrod,
and you read in Genesis 8,
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verse--
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I'm sorry, Genesis
10, verse 8 and 10,
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"Cush begot Nimrod; and he began
to be a mighty one on the earth.
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And he was a mighty
hunter before the Lord;
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therefore it is said,
'Like Nimrod the mighty hunter
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before the Lord.'
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And the beginning of
his kingdom was Babel,"
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and it goes on to say,
"Erech, Accad, and Calneh,
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in the land of Shinar."
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Now, didn't we just read
that Nebuchadnezzar carried
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the temple gold from
God's temple to his god?
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And so there's almost
like a battle between gods.
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In the very beginning,
you see that God said for man
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to go out to fill the
earth, to scatter, to multiply.
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Instead, they
build a tower of what?
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Tower of Babel.
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Babel represents
opposition to God.
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It represents--
00:09:07.98\00:09:09.28
I think the word
"babel," the original word,
00:09:09.31\00:09:12.08
it means "Gate of God."
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And it's almost like man
was trying to build his own way
00:09:14.88\00:09:18.29
to heaven.
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But later, the word
"babel" came to mean "Babbling.
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"When you call a baby a
baby, you know why you say
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it's a baby?
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It's 'cause babies babble,
and it's connected to that word.
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Because the tower languages
were cursed, you remember?
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And no one could
understand each other
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and they were all babbling.
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And that's how
the word went through
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that metamorphosis there.
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And so there's
a battle between--
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you get to Revelation, you've
got Mystery, Babylon the Great,
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the Mother of Harlots and
Abominations of the Earth.
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That's Revelation chapter 17.
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And then you get to
Revelation chapter 21,
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"And I saw the new
Jerusalem coming down from God
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out of heaven."
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So there's this battle
that's running between Jerusalem
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and Babylon that you see going
from Genesis to Revelation.
00:10:00.16\00:10:06.90
So Nebuchadnezzar,
because of the unfaithfulness
00:10:06.94\00:10:09.60
of the people of God--you
can read about this in 2 Kings,
00:10:09.64\00:10:12.77
just so you have the background.
00:10:12.81\00:10:15.44
In 2 Kings,
chapter 21, verse 10,
00:10:15.48\00:10:18.18
"And the Lord
spoke by his servants,
00:10:18.21\00:10:20.45
the prophets, saying, 'Because
Manasseh the king of Judah
00:10:20.48\00:10:23.92
has done these abominations,
he's acted more wickedly
00:10:23.95\00:10:26.79
than all of the Amorites.'"
00:10:26.82\00:10:28.36
Amorite was sort
of a generic word
00:10:28.39\00:10:29.72
for all the Canaanite
people that lived in the land,
00:10:29.76\00:10:32.39
the Promised
Land, before Israel.
00:10:32.43\00:10:34.10
"That he did more
wickedly than all the Amorites
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who were before him.
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I will wipe
Jerusalem as one wipes a dish,
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wiping it and
turning it upside down.
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So I will forsake the remnant of
my inheritance and deliver them
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into the hand of their enemies.
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And they shall become victims
of plunder of all their enemies
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because they have done evil in
my sight and provoke me to anger
00:10:50.81\00:10:53.92
since the day their fathers
came out of Egypt to this day."
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And so because of
their unfaithfulness,
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Nebuchadnezzar came.
00:11:00.72\00:11:02.49
And during the time
of the first captivity,
00:11:02.52\00:11:07.50
the first group
that was carried off,
00:11:07.50\00:11:08.90
he didn't destroy the temple.
00:11:08.93\00:11:10.27
He didn't burn the temple.
00:11:10.30\00:11:11.60
He didn't take
everything out of the temple.
00:11:11.63\00:11:13.10
He took some of the
articles from the temple.
00:11:13.13\00:11:15.64
Jehoiakim
eventually surrendered.
00:11:15.67\00:11:18.64
He carried off
certain of the young people.
00:11:18.67\00:11:21.78
Now I'm getting ahead of
myself, but he comes back later
00:11:21.81\00:11:25.28
and the temple is destroyed.
00:11:25.31\00:11:26.61
So if we go to Daniel
chapter 1, and we read here--
00:11:26.65\00:11:30.29
I'll be thankful if we can
get through the book of Daniel,
00:11:30.32\00:11:33.05
chapter 1 today.
00:11:33.09\00:11:35.46
And it says that he besieged
it and he carried these articles
00:11:35.49\00:11:39.59
from the house of God
to the land of Shinar,
00:11:39.63\00:11:41.90
to the house of his god.
00:11:41.93\00:11:44.43
Now, you know, before
the book of Daniel's over,
00:11:44.47\00:11:46.84
Nebuchadnezzar comes to believe
in a different God, doesn't he?
00:11:46.87\00:11:51.07
To the house of his god
with the treasures of his god.
00:11:51.11\00:11:54.41
Did he take the candlestick? No.
00:11:54.44\00:11:59.71
Did he take the
altar of incense?
00:11:59.75\00:12:02.45
No.
00:12:02.48\00:12:03.92
Did he take the Ark of
the Covenant to Babylon?
00:12:03.95\00:12:06.49
No, he just took
some of the treasures.
00:12:06.52\00:12:09.16
He allowed them to continue
to worship their God and
00:12:09.19\00:12:11.69
he left the important articles
for their worship there.
00:12:11.73\00:12:14.10
He did not destroy the temple.
00:12:14.10\00:12:16.13
That's because they agreed
that they would pay taxes.
00:12:16.16\00:12:19.77
So Jehoiakim is one of
the sons of good King Josiah.
00:12:19.80\00:12:25.37
Probably next to David,
maybe even better than David.
00:12:25.41\00:12:29.84
Josiah was among the
best kings of Judah that
00:12:29.88\00:12:33.15
they ever produced,
probably better than Hezekiah.
00:12:33.18\00:12:36.92
There's no record of Josiah ever
doing anything wrong or evil.
00:12:36.95\00:12:40.89
Near the end of his
life, he gets killed going
00:12:40.92\00:12:42.82
into a battle he was advised
not to go into, but you know,
00:12:42.86\00:12:45.69
that was a question of
courage, you might say.
00:12:45.73\00:12:48.63
And so his son
Jehoiakim, he's too young.
00:12:48.66\00:12:52.67
He gets carried
off by Nebuchadnezzar
00:12:52.70\00:12:54.34
and Nebuchadnezzar puts
his Uncle Zedekiah in charge.
00:12:54.37\00:12:57.41
He says, "Now, you
promised before the Lord
00:12:57.44\00:12:59.11
you will pay taxes."
00:12:59.14\00:13:00.51
He made a vow before
the Lord he would pay taxes,
00:13:00.54\00:13:02.41
he would submit to Babylon.
00:13:02.44\00:13:03.88
But then after Nebuchadnezzar
left and a few years of
00:13:03.91\00:13:06.38
paying taxes, he said, "No, we
don't want to do this anymore."
00:13:06.41\00:13:10.25
And everyone
advised him not to do it.
00:13:10.29\00:13:11.95
Jeremiah the prophet said,
00:13:11.99\00:13:13.29
"Zedekiah, you made a
vow in the name of the Lord.
00:13:13.32\00:13:15.59
You need to submit
to the king of Babylon.
00:13:15.62\00:13:18.09
The king of Babylon being over
us is a punishment for our sins.
00:13:18.13\00:13:21.96
Just embrace it
and you'll have peace.
00:13:22.00\00:13:24.53
You fight against him, it's
going to be worse than ever."
00:13:24.57\00:13:27.20
He would not listen to
the prophets like Jeremiah.
00:13:27.24\00:13:31.27
And so, you read then in 2
Kings chapter 24, verse 18,
00:13:31.31\00:13:36.81
"Zedekiah was 21 years
old when he became king,
00:13:37.81\00:13:40.18
and he reigned 11
years in Jerusalem.
00:13:40.22\00:13:42.52
His mother's name
was Hamutal the daughter
00:13:42.55\00:13:44.59
of Jeremiah of Libnah."
00:13:44.62\00:13:46.72
Different Jeremiah of course.
00:13:46.76\00:13:48.42
"He did evil in
the sight of the Lord,
00:13:48.46\00:13:49.92
according to all
that Jehoiakim had done.
00:13:49.96\00:13:52.76
For because of the anger of the
Lord this happened in Jerusalem
00:13:52.79\00:13:55.96
and Judah, that he finally
cast them out from his presence.
00:13:56.00\00:13:59.37
Then Zedekiah rebelled
against the king of Babylon."
00:13:59.40\00:14:02.17
Nebuchadnezzar
then conquered the city.
00:14:02.20\00:14:05.61
Zedekiah had his
sons killed before him,
00:14:05.64\00:14:08.08
his eyes plucked out.
00:14:08.11\00:14:10.08
The temple was burned.
00:14:10.11\00:14:12.11
The city was
burned and everybody
00:14:12.15\00:14:13.85
was carried off captive.
00:14:13.88\00:14:15.82
So during the first captivity,
a small group was carried off
00:14:15.85\00:14:19.72
to Babylon, and that's when
you get to Daniel chapter 1.
00:14:19.75\00:14:22.96
And it tells us
that-- it says in verse 3,
00:14:22.99\00:14:27.96
"The king instructed Ashpenaz,
the master of his eunuchs,
00:14:27.96\00:14:31.93
to bring some of
the children of Israel,
00:14:31.97\00:14:34.27
and some of the
king's descendants,
00:14:34.30\00:14:35.97
and some of the
nobles, and the young men
00:14:36.81\00:14:38.74
in whom there's no
blemish, but good-looking,
00:14:38.77\00:14:41.91
gifted in all
wisdom, possessing knowledge
00:14:41.94\00:14:44.08
and quick to understand,
who had ability to serve
00:14:44.11\00:14:46.51
in the king's palace,
and whom they might teach
00:14:46.55\00:14:49.22
the language and the
literature of the Chaldeans.
00:14:49.25\00:14:51.65
And the king appointed
for them a daily provision
00:14:51.69\00:14:54.39
of the king's delicacies
and of the wine which he drank,
00:14:54.42\00:14:58.46
and there'd be three
years of training for them,
00:14:58.49\00:15:01.03
so that at the end of
that time they might serve
00:15:01.06\00:15:03.50
before the king.
00:15:03.53\00:15:05.03
Now from among those that
were chosen from the children
00:15:05.07\00:15:07.80
of Judah were Daniel,
Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
00:15:07.84\00:15:13.58
And to them the chief of
the eunuchs gave the names:
00:15:13.61\00:15:16.41
to Daniel he gave
the name Belteshazzar;
00:15:16.44\00:15:19.35
Hananiah, Shadrach;
Mishael, Meshach; and Azariah,
00:15:19.38\00:15:25.12
Abednego."
00:15:25.15\00:15:26.79
And so here they're
carried off and it tells more
00:15:26.82\00:15:29.76
about these young
men who were carried off.
00:15:29.79\00:15:32.13
This is under the section
under, "Faith Under Pressure."
00:15:32.16\00:15:35.00
You remember in Isaiah
39, Hezekiah became sick.
00:15:35.03\00:15:42.24
He prayed that
God would heal him.
00:15:42.27\00:15:43.81
He had a terminal
illness, but he prayed that God
00:15:43.84\00:15:46.61
would heal him.
00:15:46.64\00:15:47.94
He wept and he cried, and Isaiah
was sent back to Hezekiah.
00:15:47.98\00:15:50.81
He said, "All right,
you're still terminal."
00:15:50.85\00:15:52.55
By the way, we're all terminal.
00:15:52.58\00:15:54.55
Did you know that?
00:15:54.58\00:15:56.42
He said, "But I'm
going to prolong your life."
00:15:56.45\00:15:59.02
And he said, "I'm going to
add to your days 15 years."
00:15:59.05\00:16:03.16
And during that
time, Manasseh is born
00:16:03.19\00:16:05.86
who turns out not
being such a good king.
00:16:05.89\00:16:08.26
But God makes
the sun go backwards
00:16:08.30\00:16:11.60
as a sign that
he's healing Hezekiah.
00:16:11.63\00:16:14.70
And the
messengers come from Babylon,
00:16:14.74\00:16:17.14
and Hezekiah is
so excited that God--
00:16:17.17\00:16:20.44
that messengers have come
from Babylon and they want
00:16:20.48\00:16:22.94
to find out about the
God that did this miracle.
00:16:22.98\00:16:25.55
And instead of
Hezekiah talking about God,
00:16:25.58\00:16:27.78
he talks about himself.
00:16:27.82\00:16:29.85
And he says, "Wow, I'm honored,
messengers from Babylon.
00:16:29.88\00:16:33.32
That's the center of
intelligence and studies,
00:16:33.36\00:16:35.69
and I want them to
be impressed with me."
00:16:35.72\00:16:38.16
And he shows them
all of his treasures,
00:16:38.19\00:16:40.20
and his armory,
and his perfumes.
00:16:40.23\00:16:41.83
And he shows them everything,
but he doesn't talk to them
00:16:41.86\00:16:44.30
about God, unlike Solomon
when the Queen of Sheba comes.
00:16:44.33\00:16:47.87
So Isaiah comes to
Hezekiah with a judgment.
00:16:47.90\00:16:52.11
And this is Isaiah 39, verse
5, "And Isaiah said to Hezekiah,
00:16:52.14\00:16:56.44
Hear the Word of
the Lord of hosts.
00:16:56.48\00:16:58.75
'Behold, the days are coming
when all that is in your house
00:16:58.78\00:17:01.58
that your fathers have
accumulated until this day
00:17:01.62\00:17:05.52
shall be carried to Babylon.
00:17:05.55\00:17:07.12
Nothing will be
left,' says the Lord.
00:17:07.16\00:17:08.92
And they'll take away some
of your sons who will descend
00:17:08.96\00:17:11.83
from you, who will--you will
beget, and they will be eunuchs
00:17:11.86\00:17:15.40
in the palace of
the king of Babylon."
00:17:15.43\00:17:17.47
Now, did that
literally come to pass?
00:17:17.50\00:17:19.53
We see that in
the book of Daniel?
00:17:19.57\00:17:21.77
That here it says of the king's
seed from the tribe of Judah,
00:17:21.80\00:17:25.87
these bright
young men are taken.
00:17:25.91\00:17:28.31
They're taken to be eunuchs.
00:17:28.34\00:17:31.01
Now, you know,
Jesus talks about this,
00:17:31.05\00:17:33.42
and I don't want to belabor the
point, but Christ said that--
00:17:33.45\00:17:36.12
and you know, he
said, once a man's married,
00:17:36.15\00:17:42.56
he shouldn't get divorced.
00:17:42.59\00:17:44.29
And the disciples were so
surprised that there was really
00:17:44.33\00:17:46.09
no biblical grounds for
divorce other than adultery.
00:17:46.13\00:17:50.00
And one of them said,
"It might even be better
00:17:50.03\00:17:52.17
not to get married."
00:17:52.20\00:17:54.37
And Jesus said--I
mean, it seems strange that
00:17:54.40\00:17:57.44
they would think that, you know,
it's impossible to be faithful.
00:17:57.47\00:18:01.44
And Jesus said, "Well, there
are some people that are eunuchs
00:18:01.48\00:18:04.11
because they're born that way,
and some people are made eunuchs
00:18:04.15\00:18:06.98
of men, and some
people choose to be eunuchs."
00:18:07.02\00:18:09.82
Paul may have been
in that third category.
00:18:09.85\00:18:12.15
He just chose not to marry.
00:18:12.19\00:18:14.52
And then there were people
who were made eunuchs by others,
00:18:14.56\00:18:19.13
and it was common in ancient
times that if you were a king
00:18:19.16\00:18:22.96
and you had a
harem with many wives,
00:18:23.00\00:18:25.50
you wanted your wise
men, and your counselors,
00:18:25.53\00:18:29.57
and people that
worked-- took care of the women,
00:18:29.60\00:18:33.24
they went through that surgical
procedure to make sure that
00:18:33.27\00:18:36.68
all the king's children
were indeed the king's children.
00:18:36.71\00:18:40.05
I think you all
understand what I'm saying.
00:18:40.08\00:18:42.42
And you never
hear about Mrs. Daniel,
00:18:42.45\00:18:45.45
or Mrs. Hananiah,
Meshach, and Azariah.
00:18:45.49\00:18:48.09
So because they were to
be focused on their studies,
00:18:48.12\00:18:52.39
then they were--they
went under that procedure.
00:18:52.43\00:18:56.60
And so, that of course
in itself must have been
00:18:56.63\00:19:00.54
a humiliating for any Jew.
00:19:00.57\00:19:03.24
You know, important
thing for them was children,
00:19:03.27\00:19:06.34
and to have seed, and
hopefully maybe even the Messiah
00:19:06.37\00:19:09.81
would come
through your descendants.
00:19:09.84\00:19:12.78
So then we hear that
the chief of the eunuchs,
00:19:12.81\00:19:15.88
the one who's in charge of these
young men that are going through
00:19:15.92\00:19:18.12
this training--the idea is
Nebuchadnezzar was a very smart
00:19:18.15\00:19:20.92
king, and as he conquered he
realized he needed to organize.
00:19:20.96\00:19:24.16
Education was very important.
00:19:24.19\00:19:25.86
Alexander did that
too, but he got some
00:19:25.89\00:19:27.56
of it from Nebuchadnezzar.
00:19:27.60\00:19:29.00
Alexander established
libraries and schools,
00:19:29.03\00:19:31.63
and he was, you know,
perpetrating the teachings
00:19:31.67\00:19:34.40
of Plato and Aristotle.
00:19:34.44\00:19:36.40
And Nebuchadnezzar
believed you gotta educate.
00:19:36.44\00:19:39.01
Babylon was a
center of learning.
00:19:39.04\00:19:41.74
It was--remember the magi
that we're studying the heavens?
00:19:41.78\00:19:45.75
And they weren't
just all astrologers,
00:19:45.78\00:19:47.95
they were astronomers.
00:19:47.98\00:19:50.05
And so he said,
"Look, I want to have some
00:19:50.09\00:19:54.12
of the Hebrews in my court.
00:19:54.16\00:19:56.46
I've conquered all these people.
I don't know their language.
00:19:56.49\00:19:58.46
I don't know their customs.
00:19:58.49\00:19:59.79
I need representatives
that will be trained.
00:19:59.83\00:20:01.43
Get the brightest
and the best young men
00:20:01.46\00:20:03.53
with the most potential."
00:20:03.57\00:20:05.40
And they need to be good looking
because they're going to be
00:20:05.43\00:20:10.01
in the palace, and you know,
the king doesn't want to look
00:20:10.04\00:20:12.47
at anything that might offend.
00:20:12.51\00:20:14.58
And so he says, you know,
"Get the brightest and the best
00:20:14.61\00:20:16.75
and bring them in that
they can stand before me
00:20:16.78\00:20:18.58
and we can be trained.
00:20:18.61\00:20:20.48
They can be intermediaries
with their own people,
00:20:20.52\00:20:22.32
and maybe there's some
bright ones that could be part
00:20:22.35\00:20:24.35
of the council to help
advise for different problems."
00:20:24.39\00:20:28.29
And so that was the custom.
00:20:28.32\00:20:30.16
Well, if they're going
to be trained in the king's
00:20:30.19\00:20:32.06
university, then they'll be
fed from the king's cafeteria.
00:20:32.09\00:20:36.16
And so, they were told,
"You're going to be able to eat
00:20:36.20\00:20:38.33
from the Babylonian banquet."
00:20:38.37\00:20:43.04
And so it said,
"You'll teach them the language
00:20:43.07\00:20:45.97
and the
literature of the Chaldeans.
00:20:46.01\00:20:47.98
And the king
appointed them a daily provision
00:20:48.01\00:20:50.65
of the king's delicacies."
00:20:50.68\00:20:52.95
This is the nicest food.
00:20:52.98\00:20:54.28
It's from the king's store.
00:20:54.32\00:20:55.78
"And the wine which he drank.
00:20:55.82\00:20:57.79
And this is a
three-year training program."
00:20:57.82\00:21:00.12
How long did Jesus
train his disciples?
00:21:00.16\00:21:03.02
Three and a half years.
00:21:03.06\00:21:04.79
"And it's a three-year
training program that at the end
00:21:04.83\00:21:09.33
of that time they
might serve before the king."
00:21:09.36\00:21:12.20
And then again it mentions
that these three are chosen,
00:21:12.23\00:21:16.17
except there's a problem.
00:21:16.20\00:21:18.47
It says that--and someone
is going to read this for me.
00:21:18.51\00:21:22.24
Who's got--Dan, you
got a microphone there?
00:21:22.28\00:21:24.45
I'm going to have you
read Daniel chapter 1, verse 8.
00:21:24.48\00:21:28.32
Dan: Daniel 1, verse 8, "But
Daniel purposed in his heart
00:21:29.72\00:21:32.72
that he would not
defile himself with the portion
00:21:32.75\00:21:35.29
of the king's delicacies, nor
with the wine which he drank;
00:21:35.32\00:21:39.16
therefore he requested
of the chief of the eunuchs
00:21:39.19\00:21:41.43
that he might
not defile himself."
00:21:41.46\00:21:44.67
Doug: Now, I think
we're safe in assuming
00:21:44.70\00:21:46.30
that it wasn't just
Daniel, but Daniel spoke up,
00:21:46.33\00:21:49.27
and Daniel and his
three friends, they said,
00:21:49.30\00:21:52.17
"We can't do this."
00:21:52.21\00:21:54.24
Now, there's several reasons
that they could not participate
00:21:54.28\00:21:59.01
of the king's banquet.
00:21:59.05\00:22:02.12
One, and I'll spend a
moment talking about this,
00:22:02.15\00:22:05.79
some of the food in
the Babylonian cafeteria
00:22:05.82\00:22:08.59
was very likely unclean, what
the Bible would call unclean.
00:22:08.62\00:22:12.79
Now, where do you find
in the Bible the distinction
00:22:12.83\00:22:15.90
between food that
is clean and unclean?
00:22:15.93\00:22:19.43
Leviticus 11.
00:22:19.47\00:22:20.77
Let me just read
some of this to you.
00:22:20.80\00:22:23.71
"Speak to the children of
Israel," Leviticus 11, verse 2,
00:22:23.74\00:22:27.21
"saying, 'These are the
animals which you may eat
00:22:27.24\00:22:30.51
among all the animals
that are on the earth.
00:22:30.55\00:22:32.95
Among the animals,
whatever divides the hoof
00:22:32.98\00:22:35.32
and has a cloven
hoof and chews the cud,'"
00:22:35.35\00:22:38.55
meets both
criteria, "that you may eat.
00:22:38.59\00:22:41.02
Nevertheless, these you
shall not eat among those
00:22:41.06\00:22:43.93
that chew the cud or
those that have cloven hooves,"
00:22:43.96\00:22:46.83
because they don't have both.
00:22:46.86\00:22:48.50
"The camel, because it chews
the cud but it doesn't have
00:22:48.53\00:22:50.70
cloven hooves,
is unclean to you."
00:22:50.73\00:22:52.60
Well, you know, camel was a
very popular food in the time
00:22:52.63\00:22:55.07
of Christ, and that's why Jesus
said to the religious leaders,
00:22:55.10\00:22:58.57
"They're hypocrites.
00:22:58.61\00:23:00.71
You strain a gnat
and swallow a camel."
00:23:00.74\00:23:03.55
What he meant was they were
straining their water and their
00:23:03.58\00:23:06.41
milk, lest a little microscopic
gnat might get in there 'cause
00:23:06.45\00:23:09.85
it might be an unclean
bug, but they'd eat camel steak.
00:23:09.88\00:23:15.09
And he said, "You're hypocrites.
00:23:15.12\00:23:16.46
Camel's unclean,"
'cause while they chew the cud,
00:23:16.49\00:23:18.89
they didn't have a cloven hoof.
00:23:18.93\00:23:20.90
And I was
talking to Steve Friend,
00:23:20.93\00:23:23.70
Michelle raises alpacas.
00:23:23.73\00:23:25.17
Alpacas are in the camel family,
isn't that right, Michelle?
00:23:25.20\00:23:28.60
And they're
unclean, but people eat them,
00:23:28.64\00:23:32.71
but you're not
supposed to eat them.
00:23:32.74\00:23:34.21
So I just want to make
sure your animals are safe
00:23:34.24\00:23:37.15
from at least this crew.
00:23:37.18\00:23:38.61
male: Don't eat your friends.
00:23:38.65\00:23:39.95
Doug: Yeah, don't eat
your-- ha ha, I got it.
00:23:39.98\00:23:43.59
So the camel was unclean and
it says 'cause it does not have
00:23:43.62\00:23:49.62
cloven hooves.
00:23:49.66\00:23:51.06
"And the rock hyrax,
because it chews the cud,"
00:23:51.09\00:23:53.80
it's like a rabbit creature, but
it doesn't have cloven hooves,
00:23:53.83\00:23:56.36
"is unclean to you.
00:23:56.40\00:23:57.77
The hare, because it chews
the cud but it doesn't have
00:23:57.80\00:23:59.90
cloven hooves,
it's unclean to you.
00:23:59.93\00:24:01.80
And the swine,
though it divides the hoof,
00:24:01.84\00:24:04.37
having cloven hooves,
yet it does not chew the cud,
00:24:04.41\00:24:08.74
it is unclean to you."
00:24:08.78\00:24:11.08
I was just reading a book--
still reading a book about some
00:24:11.11\00:24:13.82
people that were shipwrecked on
an island south of New Zealand
00:24:13.85\00:24:17.79
back in 1865, and they
thought they were wild sheep
00:24:17.82\00:24:21.56
on the island because
they saw the footprints.
00:24:21.59\00:24:24.29
They later found
that it was pigs,
00:24:24.33\00:24:27.13
because they've
both got cloven feet.
00:24:27.13\00:24:29.60
And unless you really
know what you're looking at,
00:24:29.63\00:24:31.70
you might confuse a
pig footprint for a deer
00:24:31.73\00:24:36.47
or for a sheep.
00:24:36.50\00:24:38.77
But a pig is very
different from a sheep.
00:24:38.81\00:24:42.68
It does not chew the
cud. They are scavengers.
00:24:42.71\00:24:46.65
They are not the
vegetarians that the sheep
00:24:46.68\00:24:48.95
and the goats are.
00:24:48.98\00:24:50.29
And he says, "They
are unclean to you."
00:24:50.32\00:24:51.62
Matter of fact, it
says, "You shall not--
00:24:51.65\00:24:54.12
Their flesh you shall
not eat, their carcass
00:24:54.16\00:24:57.43
you shall not touch.
00:24:57.46\00:24:59.23
They are unclean to you.
00:24:59.26\00:25:01.43
These are all--
These you may eat
00:25:01.46\00:25:03.53
of all that are in the waters,
whatever has fins and scales,
00:25:03.57\00:25:06.47
in the sea or in the
rivers, that you may eat.
00:25:06.50\00:25:09.00
But in all the
seas and the rivers,
00:25:09.04\00:25:10.51
if it does not
have fins and scales,
00:25:10.54\00:25:12.31
all that move in the waters and
any living thing in the waters,
00:25:12.34\00:25:14.94
they are an abomination to you."
00:25:14.98\00:25:17.01
So it needed both criteria if
it's going to be clean for food,
00:25:17.05\00:25:21.15
fins and scales.
00:25:21.18\00:25:22.72
Someone always asks,
"Well, is tuna clean?
00:25:22.75\00:25:24.29
Tuna technically is clean.
00:25:24.32\00:25:25.62
They do have
scales. They're very small.
00:25:25.65\00:25:28.12
You have to look
closely, but it's very
00:25:28.16\00:25:29.46
almost microscopic scales.
00:25:29.49\00:25:30.96
Shark is unclean.
Catfish is unclean.
00:25:30.99\00:25:32.96
They're scavengers.
00:25:32.99\00:25:35.60
Snails are unclean, escargot.
00:25:35.63\00:25:38.43
Your crab--I used to
love shrimp cocktail before
00:25:38.47\00:25:43.37
I knew this truth.
00:25:43.41\00:25:45.17
Lobster, used to
catch my own lobster.
00:25:45.21\00:25:47.78
Crawdads I've eaten.
00:25:47.81\00:25:49.78
They're all scavengers.
00:25:49.81\00:25:51.11
They're unclean.
00:25:51.15\00:25:52.88
We have one
president that actually died.
00:25:52.91\00:25:54.95
I can't
remember, was it Harding?
00:25:54.98\00:25:57.02
Who--he ate contaminated
shellfish and he got sick
00:25:57.05\00:26:00.39
and died from it.
00:26:00.42\00:26:02.49
So yeah, God says don't do it.
00:26:02.52\00:26:05.03
And then for the
birds, it tells us--
00:26:05.06\00:26:07.50
he gives us the names the birds.
00:26:07.50\00:26:09.20
"And these you shall regard as
an abomination among the birds.
00:26:09.23\00:26:12.17
They shall not be eaten.
00:26:12.20\00:26:13.87
The eagle, the
vulture, the buzzard, the kite,
00:26:13.90\00:26:16.07
the falcon after its kind."
00:26:16.10\00:26:17.47
These are the
raptors. They're birds of prey.
00:26:17.51\00:26:19.77
"Every raven after its kind."
00:26:19.81\00:26:21.28
Ravens, the
corvidae, they're omnivores.
00:26:21.31\00:26:23.98
They'll eat anything.
00:26:24.01\00:26:25.88
"The ostrich,
the short-eared owl,
00:26:25.91\00:26:28.12
the seagull, the
hawk after its kind,
00:26:28.15\00:26:29.95
the little owl, the fisher owl,
the screech owl, the white owl."
00:26:29.98\00:26:32.45
That's just all the owls.
00:26:32.49\00:26:34.06
"The jackdaw, the
carrion vulture, the stork,
00:26:34.09\00:26:36.36
the heron after its
kind, the hupa, the bat."
00:26:36.39\00:26:39.56
People ask, "Swan, duck?"
00:26:39.59\00:26:42.20
They are in that
category. They're unclean.
00:26:42.23\00:26:44.53
So the two rules for the animal:
cloven hoof, chew the cud.
00:26:44.57\00:26:50.01
Two rules for the sea
life: fins and scales.
00:26:50.04\00:26:54.91
The rule really for the birds,
if you want to simplify it,
00:26:54.94\00:26:57.48
is if it's a foraging bird.
00:26:57.51\00:26:59.51
Now, those are the birds that
are your chicken, your quail,
00:26:59.55\00:27:03.72
your turkey, your
dove, technically sparrow."
00:27:03.75\00:27:07.69
I mean, the Bible says, "Are
not two sparrows," but I mean,
00:27:07.72\00:27:10.09
the very poorest people might
offer a sparrow in the temple.
00:27:10.13\00:27:12.69
You can never offer an
unclean animal in the temple.
00:27:12.73\00:27:15.93
It was an abomination.
00:27:15.96\00:27:17.27
If you were to
bring a pig to sacrifice,
00:27:17.30\00:27:19.47
that would be
the highest insult.
00:27:19.50\00:27:22.17
And matter of
fact, there's an adage,
00:27:22.20\00:27:27.04
if you're going to talk about
someone who doesn't understand
00:27:27.08\00:27:30.08
the culture,
you say they brought
00:27:30.11\00:27:33.98
pork chops to the bar mitzvah.
00:27:34.02\00:27:37.49
That's talking about someone
who just doesn't understand,
00:27:37.52\00:27:39.75
and you don't do that.
00:27:39.79\00:27:41.56
And so--'cause they're unclean.
00:27:41.59\00:27:44.36
So one reason that Daniel
and his friends couldn't eat
00:27:44.39\00:27:46.66
these foods is because the
Bible says they're unclean.
00:27:46.70\00:27:48.66
Now, someone might say,
"Well, that's because that's--
00:27:48.70\00:27:50.43
those are the laws for Jews.
00:27:50.47\00:27:51.77
We don't have to
worry about that today."
00:27:51.80\00:27:53.13
Oh really?
00:27:53.17\00:27:55.24
How many here
are related to Noah?
00:27:55.27\00:27:58.51
Oh, I think that's all of you.
00:27:58.54\00:27:59.84
If you're not, we'd
like to talk to you later.
00:27:59.87\00:28:03.41
You had some relatives
that survived the flood,
00:28:03.45\00:28:06.61
but everyone's related to Noah.
00:28:06.65\00:28:07.95
Did God make a
distinction between clean
00:28:07.98\00:28:09.68
and unclean foods for Noah?
00:28:09.72\00:28:11.79
He did.
00:28:11.82\00:28:13.12
Everyone says, "The animals
all went on the ark two by two."
00:28:13.15\00:28:14.96
Not exactly.
00:28:14.99\00:28:16.36
The unclean animals went
two by two because those unclean
00:28:16.39\00:28:19.96
animals didn't need to
worry about being eaten
00:28:20.00\00:28:22.73
during their voyage.
00:28:22.76\00:28:24.83
But the clean animals were taken
by seven because they could be
00:28:24.87\00:28:27.54
eaten and they were
used for sacrifice afterward.
00:28:27.57\00:28:30.77
You could not eat
anything that could not be used
00:28:30.81\00:28:32.57
for a sacrifice.
00:28:32.61\00:28:33.91
By the way, "Your body is
the temple of the Holy Spirit,
00:28:33.94\00:28:36.38
and whosoever defiles that
temple, him will God destroy."
00:28:36.41\00:28:39.98
That's the New Testament.
00:28:40.02\00:28:41.85
Some people
say, "Well, didn't--"
00:28:41.88\00:28:44.19
So it's not just for Jews.
00:28:44.22\00:28:45.55
Unclean and clean
food was for all people.
00:28:45.59\00:28:48.36
"Didn't Peter have a
vision where God declared
00:28:48.39\00:28:50.29
all foods clean?"
00:28:50.33\00:28:51.63
He did have a vision.
00:28:51.66\00:28:52.96
God did not
declare all foods clean.
00:28:52.99\00:28:55.23
Peter, in interpreting
that vision himself--
00:28:55.26\00:28:58.40
he had this vision where
all this big sheet came down
00:28:58.43\00:29:00.64
from heaven, all these creatures
in it, clean and unclean.
00:29:00.67\00:29:03.00
And God says, "Arise and
eat." Peter says, "Not so, Lord.
00:29:03.04\00:29:08.54
I have never eaten
anything common or unclean."
00:29:08.58\00:29:11.28
Now, that by itself
tells you something.
00:29:11.31\00:29:12.81
That means that
this is Acts chapter 10,
00:29:12.85\00:29:15.88
which is taking place,
you know, probably six,
00:29:15.92\00:29:19.79
seven years after
Jesus has ascended to heaven.
00:29:19.82\00:29:24.69
Peter still
says, "I've never eaten
00:29:24.73\00:29:26.13
anything common or unclean."
00:29:26.16\00:29:27.46
Jesus never
told 'em it was okay.
00:29:27.50\00:29:28.93
Peter's protesting
against the vision.
00:29:28.96\00:29:31.07
Three times the
sheet comes down.
00:29:31.10\00:29:32.77
He never takes anything from
the sheet and he never eats it.
00:29:32.80\00:29:34.94
It's a vision. You
don't eat visions, right?
00:29:34.97\00:29:37.87
Unless you're, you know,
you're in the Spirit, like
00:29:37.91\00:29:41.38
John when he's
being told to eat a book.
00:29:41.41\00:29:45.21
But he never eats anything.
00:29:45.25\00:29:48.05
And then when he's
wondering what the vision means,
00:29:48.08\00:29:50.69
three gentiles come
knocking on the door.
00:29:50.72\00:29:53.39
Peter later says, "God has shown
me not to call any man unclean."
00:29:53.42\00:29:58.33
That vision had nothing to
do with food and it had to do
00:29:58.36\00:30:01.30
with going, taking the
gospel to the gentiles.
00:30:01.33\00:30:04.40
Some people have used
that to say it doesn't matter
00:30:04.43\00:30:06.90
what a Christian eats
anymore, which is really absurd
00:30:06.94\00:30:09.67
because intelligent people
know that God is not mocked.
00:30:09.70\00:30:13.84
Whatever you sow,
you're going to reap.
00:30:13.88\00:30:15.58
Even if you're not even talking
about clean or unclean foods,
00:30:15.61\00:30:18.35
if you eat a lot of cholesterol,
you're going to reap
00:30:18.38\00:30:20.18
a heart attack.
00:30:20.22\00:30:21.85
If you eat a lot of sugar,
you're going to reap obesity.
00:30:21.88\00:30:24.79
You're going to
reap what you sow.
00:30:24.82\00:30:26.32
Anyone knows it
matters what you eat,
00:30:26.35\00:30:28.32
so for a Christian to say
God doesn't care what we eat is
00:30:28.36\00:30:30.53
really ludicrous
when you think about it.
00:30:30.56\00:30:33.26
Of course he does.
00:30:33.29\00:30:34.56
He wants us to
be wise about that.
00:30:34.60\00:30:36.03
How did Eve get in trouble?
Does God care what we eat?
00:30:36.06\00:30:39.60
The whole world is in
trouble now because someone
00:30:39.63\00:30:41.44
ate something they
weren't supposed to eat.
00:30:41.47\00:30:42.94
God said, "Eat from that tree.
00:30:42.97\00:30:44.27
Don't eat from that tree."
00:30:44.31\00:30:45.61
God has never taken
away the health laws.
00:30:45.64\00:30:47.34
The Jewish stomach is
exactly like your stomach.
00:30:47.38\00:30:50.75
And those laws that,
by the way, you know,
00:30:50.78\00:30:55.05
God has blessed
them so they have become
00:30:55.08\00:30:57.25
a very resilient people.
00:30:57.29\00:31:00.12
And you look at history
and you can see that at least
00:31:00.16\00:31:02.79
in part one reason that they
were blessed is they observed
00:31:02.82\00:31:05.46
these health laws.
00:31:05.49\00:31:06.80
So one reason that Daniel
probably did not eat those
00:31:06.83\00:31:09.10
things is because there were
some things that were unclean.
00:31:09.13\00:31:12.67
Secondly, those things
may have been butchered
00:31:12.70\00:31:16.87
in an unclean manner.
00:31:16.91\00:31:18.74
Suppose there was sheep
and chicken on the menu,
00:31:18.77\00:31:21.24
and Daniel could
rightly eat those things,
00:31:21.28\00:31:24.31
but God said that their necks
were to be cut and the blood
00:31:24.35\00:31:28.12
was to be drained out.
00:31:28.15\00:31:29.45
You remember even in the
New Testament, they said,
00:31:29.48\00:31:31.15
"Tell the gentiles they are
not to eat things with blood."
00:31:31.19\00:31:33.96
Not only not unclean
food, even the clean animals
00:31:33.99\00:31:37.76
were not to be strangled.
00:31:37.79\00:31:39.96
That's Acts chapter 15.
00:31:40.00\00:31:41.56
So God had specified
even in the New Testament
00:31:41.60\00:31:43.60
they were not to eat blood.
00:31:43.63\00:31:44.93
That's a health law, so
obviously the health laws
00:31:44.97\00:31:48.94
were not done away with.
00:31:48.97\00:31:50.97
So Nebuchadnezzar's cafeteria
may have also had some things
00:31:51.01\00:31:54.24
in it that were not sacrificed
in the appropriate way.
00:31:54.28\00:31:59.81
Thirdly, the food
that Nebuchadnezzar was
00:31:59.85\00:32:03.22
offering them, much of it could
have been offered to an idol.
00:32:03.25\00:32:08.12
And Daniel, you know, they
sacrificed it to an idol and
00:32:08.16\00:32:10.53
then they bring it to him, and
he did not want to look like he
00:32:10.56\00:32:12.99
was supporting these pagan gods
that now had taken possession
00:32:13.03\00:32:16.23
of the sacred
things from the temple.
00:32:16.26\00:32:19.50
And so, for those
reasons he says very nicely,
00:32:19.53\00:32:25.44
"I don't want to defile myself."
00:32:25.47\00:32:27.54
So they've got
this firm resolution.
00:32:27.58\00:32:29.74
Now, someone's going to
read for me 1 Corinthians 10:28.
00:32:29.78\00:32:33.55
You'll have that, Diana?
00:32:33.58\00:32:35.35
And just before you
read that, I want to mention
00:32:35.38\00:32:37.45
that for Daniel to
say, "We're not going to eat
00:32:37.49\00:32:42.79
what they're giving us,"
you've got to keep in mind
00:32:42.82\00:32:44.43
he's trying to find
out, "How do I not offend?"
00:32:44.46\00:32:48.86
Most of the children of
Israel that were carried away
00:32:48.90\00:32:51.03
to Babylon didn't
stay in the palace.
00:32:51.07\00:32:53.67
They didn't eat
from the king's table.
00:32:53.70\00:32:55.54
Many of them probably
looked like prisoners of war
00:32:55.57\00:32:58.01
by the time they
arrived in Babylon.
00:32:58.04\00:33:00.28
They were enslaved.
00:33:00.31\00:33:02.61
Daniel and his three
friends were extremely fortunate
00:33:02.64\00:33:05.88
in that they probably had
clean quarters to live in.
00:33:05.91\00:33:08.88
They had nice clothes to wear.
00:33:08.92\00:33:11.15
They were protected
by the king's guard.
00:33:11.19\00:33:13.79
They were not living in poverty.
00:33:13.82\00:33:15.12
So, for you as a captive to say,
"This is what I'm going to eat
00:33:15.16\00:33:18.46
and this is what
I'm not going to eat."
00:33:18.49\00:33:19.96
Can that be misunderstood?
00:33:20.00\00:33:22.20
It could sound
like, "Well, how dare you.
00:33:22.23\00:33:25.83
You are so lucky
that you have been chosen.
00:33:25.87\00:33:28.80
Instead of being
carried off and sold in Babylon,
00:33:28.84\00:33:31.17
you've been chosen
to be in the palace,
00:33:31.21\00:33:34.34
and you're going to tell us
what you will and won't eat?"
00:33:34.38\00:33:37.15
And so they've got to pray that
they have a way to say this.
00:33:37.18\00:33:39.85
They probably
said it very humbly.
00:33:39.88\00:33:42.48
They may have even
explain that, you know,
00:33:42.52\00:33:44.15
this is for religious grounds.
00:33:44.19\00:33:46.62
And Daniel said, "We cannot be
defiled because of our faith."
00:33:46.65\00:33:50.46
And so, go ahead,
you can read that verse.
00:33:50.49\00:33:53.13
Diana: But if
anyone says to you,
00:33:53.16\00:33:54.93
'This was offered to idols,'
do not eat it for the sake
00:33:54.96\00:33:58.17
of the one who told
you, and for conscience sake;
00:33:58.20\00:34:01.10
for 'the earth is the
Lord's, and all its fullness.'"
00:34:01.14\00:34:04.47
Doug: Now, the whole
business about him not eating
00:34:05.81\00:34:07.91
the food because it may
have been offered to idols,
00:34:07.94\00:34:10.51
you're going to
find there seemed to be
00:34:10.55\00:34:13.55
a couple of conflicting
opinions in the New Testament
00:34:13.58\00:34:16.28
about can you or can you
not eat things offered to idols.
00:34:16.32\00:34:20.46
This verse that was
just read helps explain it.
00:34:20.49\00:34:23.63
The disciples were
pretty clear in Acts chapter 15,
00:34:23.66\00:34:26.63
"Command them to abstain
from things offered to idols."
00:34:26.66\00:34:30.10
We don't want the pagans to
think that we worship idols.
00:34:30.13\00:34:33.60
Paul, a little
later on, he said,
00:34:33.64\00:34:37.47
"Look, you did not
offer it to the idol."
00:34:37.51\00:34:40.88
And you've got to understand
how it was back in Bible times.
00:34:40.91\00:34:43.71
In the Greco-Roman
world, there were thousands
00:34:43.75\00:34:46.78
of different gods.
00:34:46.82\00:34:48.62
Every market where you
went to do your shopping,
00:34:48.65\00:34:50.79
if you wanted to buy
goat, mutton, or chicken,
00:34:50.82\00:34:54.06
or whatever it was, clean food,
00:34:54.09\00:34:55.66
I mean, biblically a clean meat,
everything that was butchered,
00:34:55.69\00:35:01.70
they had a little idol in
the marketplace and everything
00:35:01.73\00:35:04.13
was butchered in
front of an idol.
00:35:04.17\00:35:06.70
And so Paul said, "Look,
if you buy something there,
00:35:06.74\00:35:10.91
you didn't offer it to the idol.
00:35:10.94\00:35:12.34
The idol is nothing.
00:35:12.37\00:35:13.81
It's dead.
00:35:13.84\00:35:15.61
But if it bothers the conscience
of the person, don't do it."
00:35:15.64\00:35:19.61
You remember when Paul
says in Romans chapter 14,
00:35:19.65\00:35:22.08
"Those that are weak
eat only vegetables."
00:35:22.12\00:35:24.82
Someone said that
says vegetarians are weak.
00:35:24.85\00:35:26.62
No, it had nothing
to do with vegetarians.
00:35:26.65\00:35:28.46
It meant those whose faith
was hypersensitive, weak faith,
00:35:28.49\00:35:31.63
they couldn't eat any
meat because they were afraid
00:35:31.66\00:35:34.36
they might be
worshipping an idol.
00:35:34.36\00:35:37.67
The way I relate
this in modern times,
00:35:37.70\00:35:40.87
how many of you like Asian food?
00:35:40.90\00:35:43.97
I had some this week.
00:35:44.01\00:35:45.74
How many of you have been in
a Chinese or Asian restaurant
00:35:45.77\00:35:48.38
where they've got a Buddha?
00:35:48.41\00:35:53.25
Are you worshipping Buddha?
00:35:53.28\00:35:54.75
I've even seen when you walk in
they got little incense burning
00:35:54.78\00:35:56.75
by a little statue of
Buddha, or they'll have a candle
00:35:56.79\00:36:00.19
in front of a picture of Buddha.
00:36:00.22\00:36:02.46
And if you eat
in that restaurant,
00:36:02.49\00:36:03.79
are you worshipping Buddha?
00:36:03.83\00:36:05.56
Well, if you worry about that,
don't eat at that restaurant.
00:36:05.59\00:36:07.60
Anything that is
not of faith is sin.
00:36:07.66\00:36:11.33
But if you realize, "Hey,
that's just a piece of stone.
00:36:11.37\00:36:15.87
It's not going to hurt my
food," and you can eat with
00:36:15.90\00:36:21.04
a clear conscience,
Paul says, "Enjoy it."
00:36:21.08\00:36:23.08
If it's going to bother
your conscience, don't eat it,
00:36:23.11\00:36:25.35
because you're
not doing it in faith,
00:36:25.38\00:36:27.28
and that which is
not of faith is sin.
00:36:27.32\00:36:29.15
So Daniel, knowing he's
being watched by others,
00:36:29.18\00:36:33.99
there were other
Jews, and not only Shadrach,
00:36:34.02\00:36:36.96
Meshach, and
Abednego, Daniel said,
00:36:36.99\00:36:39.06
"We're not going to eat
also because it's been offered
00:36:39.09\00:36:40.60
to idols and we don't
want to send the wrong signal."
00:36:40.63\00:36:42.80
'Cause you had just
read how Nebuchadnezzar said,
00:36:42.83\00:36:45.47
"My god is bigger than your
God, because my gods have taken
00:36:45.50\00:36:48.37
the treasures from your God."
00:36:48.40\00:36:50.84
Now, of the things that
were taken out of the temple,
00:36:50.87\00:36:53.88
the Ark was not taken.
00:36:53.91\00:36:55.88
Now, this is a point in history
when Daniel's first carried off.
00:36:55.91\00:37:00.08
Nebuchadnezzar
enters the temple.
00:37:00.12\00:37:01.45
He takes some of the
treasures. We just read that.
00:37:01.48\00:37:05.25
He comes back later
during the time of Zedekiah.
00:37:05.29\00:37:07.46
He totally loots the temple.
00:37:07.49\00:37:09.49
He not only takes all
the gold and everything
00:37:09.52\00:37:11.43
out of the temple, he
takes the bronze pillars
00:37:11.46\00:37:13.83
and breaks it in pieces
'cause it's too big to carry.
00:37:13.86\00:37:16.23
He breaks these--the Bible says
these pillars are, you know,
00:37:16.26\00:37:19.20
they're like 40 feet
high and they're as thick
00:37:19.23\00:37:21.97
as a man's hand
all the way around.
00:37:22.00\00:37:25.67
It's just a
massive bronze pillars.
00:37:25.71\00:37:28.01
He takes everything of value.
00:37:28.04\00:37:30.25
Where does the Ark go?
00:37:30.28\00:37:32.71
Do you realize that from
the time before Nebuchadnezzar
00:37:32.75\00:37:35.68
and after Nebuchadnezzar,
the Ark is never mentioned.
00:37:35.72\00:37:38.79
When they come back
from Babylon after 70 years,
00:37:38.82\00:37:41.52
it talks about the different
articles that come back.
00:37:41.56\00:37:43.93
Never mentions the Ark.
00:37:43.96\00:37:45.86
The best that we know is
that Jeremiah the prophet,
00:37:45.89\00:37:50.53
in concert with the priests,
when they saw Nebuchadnezzar
00:37:50.57\00:37:53.37
was outside the city and they
knew the city was going to fall,
00:37:53.40\00:37:56.30
they went into the temple,
and they snuck out with the Ark,
00:37:56.34\00:38:00.24
and they hid it in
one of the many caves
00:38:00.28\00:38:02.74
that absolutely
honeycombed Jerusalem.
00:38:02.78\00:38:05.28
I've been to
Jerusalem several times,
00:38:05.31\00:38:06.61
and under the city
and around the city,
00:38:06.65\00:38:08.48
it is honeycombed
with caves and graves
00:38:08.52\00:38:10.35
and you can get lost in 'em.
00:38:10.39\00:38:12.29
And every time
they do any building,
00:38:12.32\00:38:13.62
they run into some new chamber.
00:38:13.66\00:38:15.56
And it is probably still
hidden there to this day,
00:38:15.59\00:38:19.33
so that's what
happened to the Ark.
00:38:19.36\00:38:21.23
But so, there's a battle
going on between gods here.
00:38:21.26\00:38:24.90
All right, and you look
for instance in Revelation 20,
00:38:24.93\00:38:28.10
verse-- Revelation 2, verse 20,
00:38:28.14\00:38:30.97
"Nevertheless I have a
few things against you,
00:38:31.01\00:38:33.24
because you allow
that woman Jezebel,
00:38:33.27\00:38:35.84
who calls herself a prophetess,
to teach and seduce my servants
00:38:35.88\00:38:39.75
to commit sexual immorality and
eat things sacrificed to idols."
00:38:39.78\00:38:44.79
So can you see that
in the New Testament
00:38:45.79\00:38:47.32
it did matter if you ate
things sacrificed to idols.
00:38:47.36\00:38:50.46
So you didn't--you know,
buying stuff in the marketplace,
00:38:50.49\00:38:53.03
Paul said, "Well, that's
one thing," but if you're--
00:38:53.06\00:38:55.46
if you're participating
in a sacrificial feast,
00:38:55.50\00:38:58.33
that was forbidden.
00:38:58.37\00:39:00.67
So Daniel now
makes a proposition.
00:39:00.70\00:39:02.77
He tells
Ashpenaz, he said, "Look,
00:39:02.80\00:39:06.04
why don't you
give us pulse to eat."
00:39:06.07\00:39:09.21
He said, "Please let your
servants be tested for 10 days,"
00:39:09.24\00:39:12.65
and this is verse 12, "and let
them give us vegetables to eat,"
00:39:12.68\00:39:17.09
just vegetable
stew, "and water to drink.
00:39:17.12\00:39:20.76
Then after ten days, let
our appearance be examined
00:39:20.79\00:39:23.83
before you, and the appearance
of the young men who eat
00:39:23.86\00:39:25.96
the portion of the
king's delicacies."
00:39:25.99\00:39:27.73
Daniel already knew they
were going to be better off
00:39:27.76\00:39:30.77
'cause he'd been living on that
diet when he was a young man.
00:39:30.80\00:39:35.04
And he said, "You see
fit you deal with us."
00:39:35.07\00:39:37.77
He said, "You know, we're
not wanting to be ungrateful.
00:39:37.81\00:39:40.14
We're actually telling you, not
only does this go against our
00:39:40.18\00:39:43.24
conscience, but if your goal is
to have these young men looking
00:39:43.28\00:39:48.02
bright, and sharp, and
smart, give us this diet
00:39:48.05\00:39:51.32
and see which does better."
00:39:51.35\00:39:54.02
And so I think that
the chief of the eunuchs is
00:39:54.06\00:39:56.12
a little intrigued.
00:39:56.16\00:39:57.46
He said, "Okay,
I'll give you ten days.
00:39:57.49\00:39:58.79
What have I got to lose?
00:39:58.83\00:40:00.13
It's not going to kill you
eat vegetables for ten days."
00:40:00.16\00:40:01.56
Now there are kids that will
argue it will kill them to eat
00:40:01.60\00:40:04.30
vegetables for ten days,
but there's probably some beans,
00:40:04.33\00:40:09.00
and legumes, and
porridge, and stuff like that.
00:40:09.04\00:40:12.01
And so basically, you
know what he's saying.
00:40:12.04\00:40:14.44
He's saying, "Give
us a vegetarian diet."
00:40:14.48\00:40:16.91
They didn't want to
risk eating anything
00:40:16.95\00:40:18.28
that had been
sacrificed, which meant no meat.
00:40:18.31\00:40:21.28
And water to drink.
00:40:21.32\00:40:22.62
They're not going
to drink the wine.
00:40:22.65\00:40:23.95
Why would he not drink the wine
00:40:23.99\00:40:25.42
from
Nebuchadnezzar's wine cellar?
00:40:25.45\00:40:30.79
It probably was aged.
00:40:30.83\00:40:33.16
They thought, "Oh yeah, if
it's got a little kick to it,
00:40:33.19\00:40:35.46
that's all the better."
00:40:35.50\00:40:37.70
And you know
the Bible says that,
00:40:37.73\00:40:40.54
"Woe to him that
gives his neighbor drink.
00:40:40.57\00:40:45.34
Wine is a mocker.
Strong drink is raging.
00:40:45.37\00:40:48.18
Whoever is deceived
thereby is not wise."
00:40:48.21\00:40:51.88
Noah drank wine and stumbled
around naked in his tent,
00:40:51.91\00:40:55.38
and Ham was cursed
and Canaan as a result.
00:40:55.42\00:40:59.02
The Bible tells us a lot--
Lot's daughters gave him wine
00:40:59.05\00:41:03.39
to drink and he became one
of the few men in the Bible
00:41:03.43\00:41:06.13
that his children were both his
children and his grandchildren.
00:41:06.16\00:41:13.00
You know what I'm saying?
00:41:13.03\00:41:15.04
He slept with his
daughters, drinking.
00:41:15.07\00:41:17.84
David tried to get
Uriah drunk so he'd go against
00:41:17.87\00:41:19.77
his conscience.
00:41:19.81\00:41:23.75
Wine doesn't have
a very good record.
00:41:23.78\00:41:25.71
It says you give it to
him who is ready to perish.
00:41:25.75\00:41:27.88
It's like a person who drinks
and lies down in the midst
00:41:27.92\00:41:30.35
of the crow's nest in a storm .
00:41:30.39\00:41:33.66
The Bible doesn't say
anything good about wine.
00:41:33.69\00:41:35.52
People say, "But Jesus
turned the water into wine.
00:41:35.56\00:41:37.96
Wine must be okay."
00:41:37.99\00:41:39.29
That word "wine" is the
only word you find in the Bible.
00:41:39.33\00:41:41.43
Wine is also "new
wine," which is unfermented.
00:41:41.46\00:41:44.80
Jesus spoke of his
gospel as new wine and he said,
00:41:44.83\00:41:49.17
"I will not drink of the fruit
of the vine until I drink it
00:41:49.20\00:41:51.81
with you again, new
in my Father's kingdom."
00:41:51.84\00:41:54.68
When Jesus turned
the water to wine,
00:41:54.71\00:41:56.11
he didn't advance it, accelerate
it to being fermented.
00:41:56.14\00:41:59.21
He made it the
very best grape juice.
00:41:59.25\00:42:02.28
They said, "You've
saved the best for last,"
00:42:02.32\00:42:03.99
'cause you couldn't get
fresh grape juice except
00:42:04.02\00:42:05.89
during the harvest.
00:42:05.92\00:42:07.36
So wine is bad,
and so they said,
00:42:07.39\00:42:11.36
"We're not going to drink that."
00:42:11.39\00:42:13.29
And so finally,
you can read here,
00:42:13.33\00:42:16.43
it says that they
ate the vegetables.
00:42:16.46\00:42:21.94
The original diet
God had for man is,
00:42:21.97\00:42:24.67
"I've given you every herb that
yields seed which is on the face
00:42:24.71\00:42:27.74
of all the earth, and every
tree whose fruit yields seed,
00:42:27.78\00:42:30.68
to you it shall be for food."
00:42:30.71\00:42:33.38
And so he gives
these young men this diet.
00:42:33.42\00:42:39.42
Now, you know, I
might mention here it says
00:42:39.45\00:42:41.66
they're unblemished and wise.
00:42:41.69\00:42:45.79
Why were they--why were
they chosen for their looks?
00:42:45.83\00:42:51.30
Are good-looking people
smarter than ugly people?
00:42:51.33\00:42:57.27
I refuse--I refuse
to accept that theory.
00:42:57.31\00:43:01.81
But you know,
does the Bible identify
00:43:01.84\00:43:03.21
some people as good-looking?
00:43:03.24\00:43:05.38
Many of them it
identifies as good-looking,
00:43:05.41\00:43:07.35
with a couple of
exceptions, are actually godly.
00:43:07.38\00:43:11.42
You've got Esther.
00:43:11.45\00:43:13.02
It says she's good looking.
00:43:13.05\00:43:14.36
Joseph, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel.
00:43:14.39\00:43:19.46
Rachel was so good-looking
that when Jacob kissed her,
00:43:19.49\00:43:21.26
he cried.
00:43:21.30\00:43:22.60
That's what it says.
00:43:22.63\00:43:23.93
He lifted up his voice and
he wept after he kissed her.
00:43:23.97\00:43:26.27
Moses, Saul, David, Tamar.
00:43:26.30\00:43:31.14
Now, that's Tamar,
the sister of Absalom.
00:43:31.17\00:43:33.61
Absalom was also good-looking.
00:43:33.64\00:43:35.44
Bathsheba,
Abigail, Abishag, Vashti,
00:43:35.48\00:43:39.85
Job's daughters,
and of course Esther.
00:43:39.88\00:43:43.55
So, these different
people, other than those people
00:43:43.59\00:43:47.12
I mentioned, everyone else
in the Bible is probably ugly,
00:43:47.16\00:43:50.46
so there's hope for you and me.
00:43:50.49\00:43:54.93
At least hope for me, sorry.
00:43:54.93\00:43:59.70
And all right, so we
need to move on here.
00:43:59.73\00:44:04.77
Daniel makes up his mind
that he's going to be faithful.
00:44:04.81\00:44:08.44
And as a result of that,
they're given this final exam.
00:44:08.48\00:44:12.28
You can read in
Daniel chapter 1, verse 18,
00:44:12.31\00:44:14.88
"Now at the end
of that ten days,
00:44:14.92\00:44:18.85
when the king had said
that they should be brought in,
00:44:18.89\00:44:21.39
the chief of the eunuchs brought
them in before Nebuchadnezzar.
00:44:21.42\00:44:24.83
Then the king interviewed them,
and among them, all of them,
00:44:24.86\00:44:28.03
none was found like Daniel,
Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah;
00:44:28.06\00:44:33.60
therefore they
served before the king.
00:44:33.64\00:44:38.94
Now, it says
that he investigated,
00:44:38.97\00:44:40.74
and after ten days it says they
were fairer and fatter in flesh.
00:44:40.78\00:44:44.38
And I know that some people
kind of resent that allegory.
00:44:44.41\00:44:47.72
They think, "Well, why would
I want to be fatter in flesh?"
00:44:47.75\00:44:49.75
Well, they had
just crossed the desert.
00:44:49.78\00:44:51.22
They just made a long
trip after their captivity
00:44:51.25\00:44:53.79
and they wanted 'em to put
some more meat on their bones.
00:44:53.82\00:44:55.89
And he was surprised
that just by eating the bread
00:44:55.92\00:44:58.36
and the vegetables that
they started looking ruddy.
00:44:58.39\00:45:03.06
If you read about this in
the book of Prophets and Kings,
00:45:03.10\00:45:07.24
it says they had
elasticity in their step,
00:45:07.27\00:45:10.97
that their eyes were
sharp, and sparkling, and lucid,
00:45:11.01\00:45:14.54
that their minds were clear.
00:45:14.58\00:45:18.88
And you could just
look at them and say, "Wow."
00:45:18.91\00:45:22.15
Line them up next to the other
captives from other empires
00:45:22.18\00:45:25.62
that were in the king's
university that were eating
00:45:25.65\00:45:27.76
all of the other food and they
all looked a little sluggish
00:45:27.79\00:45:31.99
and they didn't look healthy.
00:45:32.03\00:45:34.83
Daniel and his friends--and
I think that God may have even,
00:45:34.86\00:45:38.20
not just 'cause they were
following the health message,
00:45:38.23\00:45:40.04
I think he may
have just blessed them.
00:45:40.07\00:45:41.90
Because you know,
when you're obeying God,
00:45:41.94\00:45:44.27
you've got a clear
conscience and it does something
00:45:44.31\00:45:46.17
for your looks.
00:45:46.21\00:45:48.68
You know, innocence
will improve your appearance.
00:45:48.71\00:45:54.38
You've heard the story
about when Abraham Lincoln
00:45:54.42\00:45:56.79
became president
for the first time.
00:45:56.82\00:45:58.42
He had all these folks
that we're seeking office
00:45:58.45\00:46:00.22
and he's interviewing all these
people that are seeking office.
00:46:00.26\00:46:02.66
And after one interview, this
person walks out and Lincoln
00:46:02.69\00:46:06.63
turns to his secretary and said,
"I don't want to hire them."
00:46:06.66\00:46:10.77
Secretary said,
"Well, Mr. President,
00:46:10.80\00:46:12.43
he's got great qualifications."
00:46:12.47\00:46:14.70
And Lincoln said, "I
don't like the looks of him."
00:46:14.74\00:46:18.34
And he said, "Mr. President,
you mean you're not going
00:46:18.37\00:46:20.61
to hire someone
because of the way they look?"
00:46:20.64\00:46:23.21
He said, "You know,
after a person's 40 years old,
00:46:23.24\00:46:25.81
they're responsible
for the way they look."
00:46:25.85\00:46:30.02
And sometimes, you know,
you're going to look at a person
00:46:30.05\00:46:34.82
and you can say, "You
know, they don't look innocent."
00:46:34.86\00:46:41.13
How many of you
know what I'm saying?
00:46:41.16\00:46:43.70
So I think just
even the innocence,
00:46:43.73\00:46:45.77
the relationship with
God, made them look better than
00:46:45.80\00:46:49.10
the others that were
eating from the king's table.
00:46:49.14\00:46:53.78
And not only did they find
them fairer and fatter in flesh,
00:46:53.81\00:46:56.78
you look at verse 20, it says,
"In all matters of wisdom and
00:46:56.81\00:47:00.08
understanding about
which the king examined them,
00:47:00.12\00:47:03.65
he found them ten times better."
00:47:03.69\00:47:06.15
Now, how many
days were in the test?
00:47:06.19\00:47:08.29
Ten days.
00:47:08.32\00:47:09.62
And how many times
better does he find them?
00:47:09.66\00:47:11.46
Ten times better.
00:47:11.49\00:47:13.23
You know, ten, when you
think of ten in the Bible,
00:47:13.26\00:47:16.36
it's often a symbol
of, like, the law of God.
00:47:16.40\00:47:19.73
Comes in derivatives of ten.
00:47:19.77\00:47:22.57
And it says that they were
ten times better than all the
00:47:22.60\00:47:26.14
magicians and the astrologers
who were in all his realm.
00:47:26.17\00:47:29.84
And you know, before
three chapters go by in Daniel,
00:47:29.88\00:47:33.35
what four individuals
are the leading counselors
00:47:33.38\00:47:36.28
for Nebuchadnezzar?
00:47:36.32\00:47:38.42
It's the Jewish
Council of Daniel, Hananiah,
00:47:38.45\00:47:40.59
Mishael, and Azariah.
00:47:40.62\00:47:42.16
And if you go to the end
of Daniel chapter 1, it says,
00:47:42.19\00:47:49.86
"Thus Daniel--"
or, let me see here.
00:47:49.90\00:47:54.14
Yeah, "All wiser
than all the magicians
00:47:54.17\00:47:57.57
and astrologers
who were in his realm.
00:47:57.61\00:47:59.94
Thus Daniel continued until
the first year of King Cyrus."
00:48:00.04\00:48:04.71
Now, you know what
that little footnote,
00:48:04.75\00:48:07.15
it's not only saying that his
diet helped him be healthier.
00:48:07.18\00:48:12.12
It helped him be wiser
and it helped him live longer.
00:48:12.15\00:48:17.83
'Cause for him to continue until
the first year of king Cyrus,
00:48:17.86\00:48:21.80
that means Daniel not only lived
through the time of Darius,
00:48:21.83\00:48:25.10
he lived to the one
who followed after him.
00:48:25.13\00:48:27.77
Matter of fact, I
think there were two kings
00:48:27.80\00:48:29.37
between Darius and Cyrus.
00:48:29.40\00:48:30.74
Daniel lived like 90-100 years.
00:48:30.77\00:48:32.51
We're not exactly
sure how old they were.
00:48:32.54\00:48:34.71
It says that they
were to take young men,
00:48:34.74\00:48:37.71
so you know, they weren't--
they weren't little kids.
00:48:37.75\00:48:42.25
They were probably somewhere
between 16 and 20 years of age
00:48:42.28\00:48:45.89
when they were taken,
which means Daniel lived
00:48:45.92\00:48:48.32
somewhere between 90
and 100 years of age.
00:48:48.36\00:48:51.26
And it doesn't really
tell us when Daniel died.
00:48:51.29\00:48:53.80
It means--'cause Cyrus
reigned for many years,
00:48:53.83\00:48:56.46
but Daniel lived
into the reign of Cyrus.
00:48:56.50\00:48:59.53
And so, the Bible
gives us lots of good reasons
00:48:59.57\00:49:03.27
for following the principles
of health that he has.
00:49:03.30\00:49:08.18
Now, is that sometimes
hard for you to practice
00:49:08.21\00:49:11.25
the health
message in a foreign land?
00:49:11.28\00:49:13.98
I have people say,
"Pastor Doug, you know, I'd--"
00:49:14.02\00:49:17.39
First of all, I'm a vegetarian.
00:49:17.42\00:49:19.82
I'm a vegan vegetarian,
and I meet people that say,
00:49:19.85\00:49:21.82
"I don't think that I
could not eat unclean meats,
00:49:21.86\00:49:25.29
because as I
travel, what would you eat?"
00:49:25.33\00:49:26.96
I think, "Oh, that's--, man.
00:49:27.00\00:49:28.26
There's a million things
you can eat in the world today."
00:49:28.30\00:49:30.87
I travel all over the world.
00:49:30.90\00:49:32.33
I managed to
eat as a vegetarian.
00:49:32.37\00:49:33.67
I managed to eat as a vegan
vegetarian all over the world.
00:49:33.70\00:49:37.27
It's actually getting easier.
00:49:37.31\00:49:39.44
And yeah, some of the
places where it's hard--
00:49:39.47\00:49:42.04
go to Spain, everything's,
like, soaked in fish and meat.
00:49:42.08\00:49:46.68
But see, those of you
who've been there know
00:49:46.72\00:49:49.62
what I'm talkin' about.
00:49:49.65\00:49:50.95
But Karen and I
just went to Spain.
00:49:50.99\00:49:52.29
We were able to
stay vegetarians.
00:49:52.32\00:49:54.46
And so, when
people start saying,
00:49:54.49\00:49:55.79
"I don't know
how I could do it,"
00:49:55.82\00:49:57.13
Daniel did it when he was a
captive in the king's palace
00:49:57.16\00:50:00.13
and they were commanding
him to eat the wrong thing.
00:50:00.16\00:50:02.50
He stood up for God.
00:50:02.53\00:50:04.63
Did God honor him?
00:50:04.67\00:50:06.50
Did God bless him?
00:50:06.53\00:50:08.04
Yeah, you're going to
go through different tests.
00:50:08.07\00:50:10.17
Don't cave in so easy.
00:50:10.21\00:50:11.87
You know, I remember hearing one
time that the reason the lions
00:50:11.91\00:50:15.34
did not eat Daniel in the
lion's den is because Daniel
00:50:15.38\00:50:18.45
had too much backbone.
00:50:18.48\00:50:21.82
Daniel stood.
00:50:21.85\00:50:24.05
And you remember that
song, "Dare to Be a Daniel"?
00:50:24.09\00:50:27.96
I think it might
even be in our hymnal.
00:50:27.99\00:50:29.89
We've gotta take a
stand even in a foreign land.
00:50:29.92\00:50:32.73
As Christians, like Daniel, we
are captives in a foreign land
00:50:32.76\00:50:36.73
and we need to stand for
God even in the little things.
00:50:36.77\00:50:40.14
And will God honor us?
00:50:40.17\00:50:42.04
And did Daniel get promoted?
00:50:42.07\00:50:44.24
And was he able to
intercede for his people?
00:50:44.27\00:50:48.01
Are you and I
encouraged today because
00:50:48.04\00:50:49.51
of Daniel's faithfulness?
00:50:49.54\00:50:51.15
Don't ever underestimate
how far your influence will go.
00:50:51.18\00:50:54.12
All right, our time is
up, but I want to remind those
00:50:54.15\00:50:56.35
who maybe missed the
opening announcement,
00:50:56.38\00:50:58.09
we do have a free offer for you.
00:50:58.12\00:51:00.12
This is great.
00:51:00.16\00:51:01.49
It's called, "Hogs
and Other Hazards."
00:51:01.52\00:51:03.29
Talks a little bit
about the health message.
00:51:03.32\00:51:04.96
If you'd like a
free copy of this,
00:51:04.99\00:51:06.93
it's offer number
160 is what you ask for.
00:51:06.96\00:51:09.63
Offer 160, and
here's the phone number, ...
00:51:09.66\00:51:14.64
That's 866-STUDY-MORE.
00:51:14.67\00:51:17.07
And you can also
get it online right now.
00:51:17.11\00:51:19.17
You can text it
anywhere in the world.
00:51:19.21\00:51:20.91
Simply text SH136.
00:51:20.94\00:51:25.61
You text SH136 to 40544,
and I think you'll see that
00:51:25.65\00:51:30.79
there on your screen.
00:51:30.82\00:51:32.45
God Bless you, friends.
00:51:32.49\00:51:33.79
We'll look
forward to studying more.
00:51:33.82\00:51:35.12
Daniel chapter 2, great
chapter, next week in our study.
00:51:35.16\00:51:38.16
male announcer: Don't
forget to request today's
00:51:40.66\00:51:42.43
life-changing free resource.
00:51:42.46\00:51:44.10
Not only can you receive
this free gift in the mail,
00:51:44.13\00:51:46.20
you can download a
digital copy straight
00:51:46.23\00:51:47.97
to your computer
or mobile device.
00:51:48.00\00:51:49.94
To get your digital
copy of today's free gift,
00:51:49.97\00:51:52.71
simply text the
keyword on your screen to 40544
00:51:52.74\00:51:56.85
or visit the web
address shown on your screen.
00:51:56.88\00:51:59.58
And be sure to select
a digital download option
00:51:59.61\00:52:02.12
on the request page.
00:52:02.15\00:52:03.69
It's now easier than ever
for you to study God's Word
00:52:03.72\00:52:06.52
with "Amazing Facts"
wherever and whenever you want,
00:52:06.55\00:52:09.82
and most important,
to share it with others.
00:52:09.86\00:52:12.69
announcer: "Amazing
Facts: Changed Lives."
00:52:16.97\00:52:19.47
male: I met my
ex-wife, and her family were
00:52:24.81\00:52:27.11
a real big into drugs.
00:52:27.14\00:52:28.54
And it started out
with them wanting me to go
00:52:28.58\00:52:31.18
to the doctor to
help get them drugs.
00:52:31.21\00:52:33.52
And you know, I'm noticing
they're going to the doctor,
00:52:33.55\00:52:36.15
they're coming
back with like 60 pills,
00:52:36.18\00:52:38.05
and they're selling these
pills for like 1,000 bucks.
00:52:38.09\00:52:40.46
And I'm thinking, "Wow, this
is a lot of money I'm giving
00:52:40.49\00:52:43.69
these people, so I'm just going
to start selling it myself."
00:52:43.73\00:52:46.86
My problem with that was
that we had all this money,
00:52:46.90\00:52:50.23
but we was absolutely miserable.
00:52:50.27\00:52:52.53
She would go out and sleep
with other guys to get drugs,
00:52:52.57\00:52:56.71
and that ended my marriage.
00:52:56.74\00:52:58.87
But during this time, I have
to get a job to build back up
00:52:58.91\00:53:01.98
to where I was at,
to open my shop again,
00:53:02.01\00:53:04.35
so I get a job at Food City.
00:53:04.38\00:53:05.91
And when I get
this job at Food City,
00:53:05.95\00:53:08.52
there's my wife now, Rebecca.
00:53:08.55\00:53:10.65
She's a cashier there.
00:53:10.69\00:53:12.42
And when I walk in,
she's the most beautiful girl
00:53:12.45\00:53:14.99
I've ever seen in my life.
00:53:15.02\00:53:16.69
I was like, "Man, I could
never have a girl like that.
00:53:16.73\00:53:20.30
Wow, she's so beautiful."
00:53:20.33\00:53:21.76
But as I'm working with her,
she's actually kind of mean to
00:53:21.80\00:53:24.60
me, and she's saying, "I don't
want anything to do with you.
00:53:24.63\00:53:28.60
Get away from
me," stuff like that.
00:53:28.64\00:53:30.71
But you know, I just keep being
nice to her and keep tryin'
00:53:30.74\00:53:33.54
to give her my phone number.
00:53:33.58\00:53:35.04
And it's around Christmas
Eve, we'd just been dating
00:53:35.08\00:53:38.71
for a little
while, moved in together,
00:53:38.75\00:53:40.78
my ex-wife shows up
with my three children
00:53:40.82\00:53:43.82
that I had by her.
00:53:43.85\00:53:45.29
And she's like,
"Here's your kids.
00:53:45.32\00:53:47.06
Here's their birth certificates.
00:53:47.09\00:53:48.39
Here's their
social security cards.
00:53:48.42\00:53:50.19
I'm done."
00:53:50.23\00:53:51.59
And we were starting a family,
we already have three kids.
00:53:51.63\00:53:54.50
During this time, we spent the
next year watching nothing but
00:53:54.56\00:53:58.23
"Amazing Facts" on YouTube.
00:53:58.27\00:54:00.44
I didn't even know they
even had a website at this time.
00:54:00.47\00:54:02.57
I just knew that this little
guy on YouTube was super smart,
00:54:02.60\00:54:06.07
was teaching Bible,
and I wanted to follow him.
00:54:06.11\00:54:09.61
I wanted to be a Christian.
00:54:09.64\00:54:10.95
I gave my life to God
now because of these truths
00:54:10.98\00:54:13.38
that I'm learning
from Doug Bachelor.
00:54:13.42\00:54:15.78
Just because Doug taught
it didn't make me real sure
00:54:15.82\00:54:18.72
about going to this church.
00:54:18.75\00:54:20.16
I really didn't want
anything to do with it.
00:54:20.19\00:54:22.12
But I called the guy
up and I'm telling him,
00:54:22.16\00:54:24.53
and I'm not very
nice about it actually.
00:54:24.56\00:54:26.90
I'm telling him, "Look,
we was thinkin' about coming
00:54:26.93\00:54:28.86
into your church,"
and he's really nice.
00:54:28.90\00:54:31.50
He's like, "Well,
you're more than welcome to.
00:54:31.53\00:54:33.84
We'd like to have you come."
00:54:33.87\00:54:35.44
And I'm like, "Well, hold on.
00:54:35.47\00:54:36.77
I'm going to lay
down some ground rules."
00:54:36.81\00:54:38.61
I'm tellin' him,
I said, "Look here,
00:54:38.64\00:54:39.94
I'm covered in tattoos
and I'm a tattoo artist,"
00:54:39.97\00:54:42.71
and he don't say,
"Well, you know, wow.
00:54:42.74\00:54:45.21
I didn't know all that.
Don't come to my church."
00:54:45.25\00:54:47.08
He says, "You're
more than welcome.
00:54:47.12\00:54:48.75
We would love to have you.
00:54:48.78\00:54:50.59
Please come."
00:54:50.62\00:54:52.89
He asked me what I
want to do and I said,
00:54:52.92\00:54:54.39
"Well, I want to preach."
00:54:54.42\00:54:56.66
I said, "I have
all these truths.
00:54:56.69\00:54:58.36
I have all this knowledge,
stuff I've never known before,
00:54:58.39\00:55:01.23
stuff if I'd've had when I
was younger that would've been
00:55:01.26\00:55:03.70
life-changing to me," I
said, "I got to share this
00:55:03.73\00:55:07.60
with the world."
00:55:07.64\00:55:08.94
I said, "I want to
preach. I want to teach."
00:55:08.97\00:55:11.57
He gives me the
book, says, "Study that."
00:55:11.61\00:55:13.61
Well, now that
I'm a Bible worker,
00:55:13.64\00:55:14.98
I'm able to go reach people
that most of the normal churches
00:55:15.01\00:55:19.18
wouldn't even
bother to even speak to.
00:55:19.21\00:55:21.35
I'm able to go out and
reach the people who have lived
00:55:21.38\00:55:24.49
the life that I've lived.
00:55:24.52\00:55:25.85
I'm able to let them
know that I am like you.
00:55:25.89\00:55:29.29
I've been there. I've done that.
00:55:29.32\00:55:31.63
I want to show you
what my life is like now.
00:55:31.66\00:55:34.10
I'm want to
teach you this Bible.
00:55:34.10\00:55:35.93
I want to show you
what Jesus can do for you.
00:55:35.96\00:55:38.60
It's not too late.
00:55:38.63\00:55:39.93
¤¤¤
00:55:39.97\00:55:49.98
¤¤¤
00:55:51.98\00:56:00.46
Doug: So what is the
brightest light in the world?
00:56:00.49\00:56:03.79
Well, naturally you'd say
the sun, but we're talkin' about
00:56:03.83\00:56:06.13
the brightest
manmade light in the world.
00:56:06.16\00:56:08.50
It's the light that
shines out of the roof of that
00:56:08.53\00:56:10.93
pyramid-shaped hotel in
Las Vegas called the Luxor.
00:56:10.97\00:56:14.97
There in the cap of that hotel,
there's a room that contains
00:56:15.00\00:56:17.77
39 washing
machine-sized xenon bulbs,
00:56:17.81\00:56:21.81
and each of those bulbs
requires about 7,000 watts.
00:56:21.84\00:56:25.15
Altogether, they produce
about 40 billion candle power
00:56:25.18\00:56:29.42
of light.
00:56:29.45\00:56:31.32
Can you imagine
getting that electric bill
00:56:31.35\00:56:33.15
at the Luxor Hotel every month?
00:56:33.19\00:56:35.09
That light is so
bright that planes can see it
00:56:35.12\00:56:37.49
250 miles away.
00:56:37.53\00:56:40.26
They are shooting
light 10 miles up into space,
00:56:40.30\00:56:42.86
meaning if you
happen to be floating by,
00:56:42.90\00:56:45.07
you could read a
newspaper up there.
00:56:45.10\00:56:48.24
And as you might have guessed,
that bright light has become
00:56:48.27\00:56:50.61
the world's best bug attractor,
bringing in moths, and bats,
00:56:50.64\00:56:54.44
and owls, creating its
own ecosystem there at night
00:56:54.48\00:56:57.48
above the hotel.
00:56:57.51\00:56:59.05
But the sad thing about the
brightest light in the world is
00:56:59.08\00:57:01.55
especially when the night air
is clear without any particles,
00:57:01.58\00:57:04.89
the light doesn't hit
anything and it's invisible.
00:57:04.92\00:57:08.82
It shoots up into empty space.
00:57:08.86\00:57:11.79
The brightest light in
the world illuminates nothing.
00:57:11.83\00:57:15.43
You know, the Bible
tells us that there's another
00:57:15.46\00:57:17.20
great wasted light, and
that's the light of God's Word.
00:57:17.23\00:57:20.87
It says in Psalm 119, verse 105,
"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet
00:57:20.90\00:57:25.77
and a light unto my
path," and yet so many people
00:57:25.81\00:57:28.88
are walking in darkness.
00:57:28.91\00:57:30.78
Furthermore, Jesus said,
"If you do have that light,
00:57:30.81\00:57:33.42
make sure you don't
put it under a bushel,
00:57:33.45\00:57:35.42
but you let it shine and
illuminate the lives of others."
00:57:35.45\00:57:38.42
Jesus said in Matthew
chapter 5, "Set your light up
00:57:38.45\00:57:41.49
on a hill like a city
so that all might see it."
00:57:41.52\00:57:44.29
Light only benefits others when
it reflects off of something.
00:57:44.33\00:57:48.80
God wants our lights to
illuminate the lives of others.
00:57:48.83\00:57:53.07
So are you glowing for God?
00:57:53.10\00:57:54.94
Remember, Jesus
said, "Let there be light."
00:57:54.97\00:57:57.77
¤¤¤
00:57:57.81\00:58:06.05