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Shawn Brummund: Hello, friends.
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We're glad that you're joining
us for yet another edition
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of the "Sabbath School Study
Hour" right here in Sacramento,
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California in the Granite
Bay Church, in partnership
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with "Amazing Facts Ministries."
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We're always glad to have
everybody that's watching online
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from week to week, and of
course everybody that's watching
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on the various
television networks as well.
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We're glad that
you've decided to join us.
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I am confident that your
decision to join us for this
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program will make a real
difference in growing your
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faith, in helping to you
understand Jesus, understand
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the Bible that much better,
and understand that God is
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somebody that we can
trust, as we look at this very
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faith-building
lesson study today.
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Now, just two or three weeks
ago, we started a new quarterly
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study on one of my favorite
books, which is entitled Daniel.
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And Daniel is found of course
in the Old Testament, and he was
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given some of the most powerful
and far-reaching prophecies that
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we can find in all the Bible.
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So if you haven't got yourself
a copy of the new quarterly yet,
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make sure that you get a copy
of this because you want to find
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yourself getting your
nose into it from day to day
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throughout the week and be
acquainted with it before you
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even join us here
on the "Sabbath School
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Study Hour."
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You'll get that much more
out of it as God speaks to both
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of us as we
continue to study his Word.
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Always good to have everybody
here in the Granite Bay Church
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join us as well, and so a
good morning to all of you as we
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continue to study this very
important and powerful book.
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And so those of you who are
watching online, I want to also
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invite you to take advantage
of a free gift offer that we
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have for you which is entitled,
"Saved from Certain Death."
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"Saved from Certain Death."
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And as you get into this
particular study, which is my
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favorite study of all, which
is on salvation, how can we know
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that we have eternal life?
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How can we know that we all--
that death is not the end in our
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experience, that we can
have eternal life together?
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So please call the number
that you see on the screen,
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which is...
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Take advantage of this offer.
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For those of you who have a
phone, a digital phone, that
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would like to download that
for free, you can do that even
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if you live outside of America
and you can't get the hard copy
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gift that we're
offering here today.
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And so just simply text the
code that you see on the screen,
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and that is text code
SH060, and you want to text that
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to the phone number, or the text
number I guess we would call it,
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40544.
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So text that to 40544.
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Take advantage of that either
way and I know that you will be
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blessed as you continue to study
that important topic as well.
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And so before we invite our
teacher forward and we actually
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get into our lesson study, we're
gonna invite our singers forward
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as they have a
special song of praise.
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Join us now.
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female: Happy
Sabbath, church family.
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We're gonna be singing
hymn number 330, if you'd
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like to follow along with us.
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¤¤¤
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¤ Take my life and
let it be consecrated, ¤
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¤ Lord, to thee. ¤
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¤ Take my hands
and let them move ¤
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¤ at the impulse of thy love. ¤
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¤ At the impulse of thy love. ¤
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¤ Take my feet and
let them be swift ¤
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¤ and beautiful for thee. ¤
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¤ Take my voice
and let me sing ¤
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¤ always only for my King. ¤
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¤ Always only for my King. ¤
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¤ Take my lips and let them be ¤
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¤ filled with
messages from thee. ¤
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¤ Take my silver and my gold. ¤
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¤ Not a mite would I withhold. ¤
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¤ Not a mite would I withhold. ¤
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¤ Take my will
and make it thine. ¤
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¤ It shall be no longer mine. ¤
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¤ Take my heart,
it is thine own. ¤
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¤ It shall be
thy royal throne. ¤
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¤ It shall be
thy royal throne. ¤
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¤ Take my love,
my Lord, I pour ¤
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¤ at thy feet
its treasure-store. ¤
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¤ Take myself and I will be ¤
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¤ ever, only, all for thee. ¤
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¤ Ever, only, all for thee. ¤¤
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Shawn Brummund:
Well, thank you for that.
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I wanna invite everyone to join
us as we ask the Lord to bless
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us in prayer.
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Father in heaven, we are
thankful for this opportunity
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to be able to come together,
to be able to study this
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powerful book that you have
given to us, to be able to help
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us to understand, and for
as many of us, to remind us
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and confirm that you
are sovereign, that you are
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the Almighty, that you
are the one that rules all
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of the universe, Father in
heaven, that you are the one
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that knows the
beginning from the end.
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You're the one that
comes from eternity and goes
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into eternity.
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And Lord, we're thankful to
be a part of that here today.
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God, we're thankful for
the offer of eternal life
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that you give to us.
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We claim it through Jesus, even
now, and we thank you for giving
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us that gift.
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Father in heaven, I want to
pray that you will bless our
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teacher today.
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We thank you for our Senior
Pastor, Pastor Doug Batchelor,
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as he's going to be
teaching us here today.
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I wanna pray, God in heaven,
that you will continue to guide
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him with your Spirit, that you
will give him the remembrance
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that you intend for
him to remember in regards
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to the Word in which you
are going to share with us
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here today.
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Please bless each and every
listener and each and every one
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that is worshiping
in the church today.
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Father, that your Spirit
may guide us and lead us.
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In Jesus's name we pray, amen.
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Doug Batchelor:
Thank you, Pastor Shawn.
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Thank you to our singers.
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Good morning to the
people in the chairs.
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How's everybody?
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And I wanna welcome you.
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If some of you are
bold and brave, you can sit
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on the front pews.
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There is no rule that these
are reserved and you're welcome.
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I always do my best to, like,
brush my teeth, and gargle,
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and deodorize, so there's
no threat coming from here.
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And we're gonna be
studying today, Daniel.
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It's lesson number four, and it
is one of the great mountaintops
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of the Bible.
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It's a story of the three Hebrew
worthies in the fiery furnace.
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Wanna welcome those who
are joining us on satellite
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television or maybe you're
watching on one of our social
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media sites.
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We know a lot of people
tune in via Facebook every week
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and wanna welcome those.
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We have people out there
around the world that are online
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members of the Granite
Bay Church, and we're just
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so thankful that you
could join us today as well.
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You know, there's people that
are scattered, different parts
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of the world, usually
English-speaking people
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or at least it's a second
language, and there's no local
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church they can attend, and
they become some of our digital
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members, our online family.
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If you'd like to know
more about how to do that, just
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simply go to Granite Bay
SDA and you could say, "How do I
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become one of
your online members?"
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and our pastors will
walk you through that.
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You might even get an
email from Mrs. Batchelor,
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who helps with that.
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Lesson number four, and we have
a memory verse, and the memory
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verse comes to us from
Daniel chapter 3, verse 17.
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Daniel 3:17, if you want
to say that with me, then
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that'll be helpful.
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You ready?
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"Our God whom we serve is able
to deliver us from the burning,
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fiery furnace, and he
will deliver us from your hand,
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O King."
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All right, let's open
our Bibles, Daniel chapter 3.
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Now, people get
a little confused.
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It's less than four, but
it's Daniel chapter 3 that
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we're studying.
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And you remember in Daniel
chapter 2, King Nebuchadnezzar,
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this great golden monarch
of the Babylonian Empire, this
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king who has had
this dream of this idol.
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And the idol represents
the false kingdoms of the world
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that would be oppressing his
people, and it's made of, what
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are the metals?
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Gold and silver, bronze, iron.
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The feet are
concrete, iron and miry clay.
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That's my theory
and I'm sticking to it.
00:10:14.11\00:10:16.64
And so, the head of
gold is what kingdom?
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Babylon.
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He says, "Thou, O
King, are this head of gold."
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But it bothered Nebuchadnezzar
that the vision went on to say,
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"And after you will
arise another kingdom."
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He didn't want to
have another kingdom.
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He wanted to be the
king of the world forever.
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He wanted his kingdom,
his monarchy, his posterity
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to continue to reign.
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And so when you get to
Daniel chapter 3, it says,
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"Nebuchadnezzar the king made
an image of gold, whose height
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was 60 cubits and
its width 6 cubits.
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And he set it up in
the Plain of Dura in the
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province of Babylon."
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So now the king, you think
at the end of chapter 2 he's
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glorifying God, but some time
had elapsed between chapter 2
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and the vision where he says,
"Your God is a God of gods,"
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to Daniel and maybe
some of his wise men.
00:11:05.99\00:11:11.43
You know, keep in mind, Daniel,
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
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had got promoted at the end
of chapter 2, that the wise men
00:11:15.20\00:11:18.71
of Nebuchadnezzar could
not interpret the dream, but
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Daniel could.
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That probably created a little
resentment in the minds of these
00:11:23.31\00:11:26.98
other magi that the Chaldeans,
the astrologers, that could not
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interpret the king's dream.
00:11:30.85\00:11:32.19
And then Daniel gets
promoted and his three friends
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above them.
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And as you see in Daniel chapter
6, they're threatened by that.
00:11:36.29\00:11:41.03
And so now they're saying, "Oh
Nebuchadnezzar, have you given
00:11:41.06\00:11:43.73
up our idols and our gods
to worship the Jewish God?"
00:11:43.77\00:11:46.27
He said, "Oh no, no, no,
I still worship our gods."
00:11:46.30\00:11:48.70
He wasn't really converted yet.
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And so the combination of
that, maybe the urging of some
00:11:51.37\00:11:55.91
of the wise men, he decided
to-- maybe he could overthrow
00:11:55.94\00:12:02.02
the prophecy.
00:12:03.65\00:12:05.32
If the head of gold is Babylon,
if he makes an idol that's all
00:12:05.35\00:12:08.02
gold, maybe there will be no
silver kingdom and Babylon could
00:12:08.06\00:12:12.89
last forever.
00:12:12.93\00:12:15.00
And you can read in the book,
"Prophets and Kings," page 504,
00:12:15.03\00:12:19.60
"The wise men of his realm,
taking advantage of this,"
00:12:19.63\00:12:23.04
of his return to idolatry,
"proposed that he make an image
00:12:23.07\00:12:27.24
similar to the one that he
had seen in the dream and set it
00:12:27.28\00:12:29.64
up where all might behold
the head of gold, which it had
00:12:29.68\00:12:32.78
been interpreted to
represent his kingdom.
00:12:32.81\00:12:35.65
Pleased with the flattering
suggestion, he determined
00:12:35.68\00:12:38.09
to carry it out and to go even
farther instead of reproducing
00:12:38.12\00:12:41.52
the image as he had seen it."
00:12:41.56\00:12:43.49
You know, gold, silver,
bronze, iron, iron and clay.
00:12:43.53\00:12:47.30
"It would excel the original.
00:12:47.36\00:12:48.63
This image would not deteriorate
in value from the head
00:12:48.66\00:12:51.50
to the feet, but it would
be entirely of gold, symbolic
00:12:51.53\00:12:55.84
throughout Babylon as an eternal
indestructible, all-powerful
00:12:55.87\00:12:59.71
kingdom, which would break
in pieces all the other kingdoms
00:12:59.74\00:13:02.98
and stand forever."
00:13:03.01\00:13:04.68
He said, "I can overthrow
the Word of God and the prophecy
00:13:04.71\00:13:07.15
of God," so he
makes his mammoth image.
00:13:07.18\00:13:10.05
Now just earlier, I almost said
this year, of course it was last
00:13:10.09\00:13:13.15
year now because we're in 2020,
Karen and I, with Jared, were
00:13:13.19\00:13:17.89
in Asia doing some evangelistic
programs, and some training,
00:13:17.93\00:13:21.93
and recording
some "Amazing Facts."
00:13:21.96\00:13:23.93
And while in Malaysia--we went
to Taiwan, Malaysia, Hong Kong.
00:13:23.97\00:13:27.84
While in Malaysia,
we went to Batu Caves.
00:13:27.87\00:13:30.01
They got it up
on the screen there?
00:13:30.04\00:13:31.54
Yeah, that's a statue of Lord
Murugan, and it is great, golden
00:13:31.57\00:13:39.11
statue.
00:13:39.15\00:13:40.45
I don't know, it's
like 250 feet tall.
00:13:40.48\00:13:42.12
And no, we were not
there worshiping the statue.
00:13:42.15\00:13:45.55
We were there
recording an "Amazing Fact."
00:13:45.59\00:13:47.32
Behind the statue are
some beautiful, massive caves.
00:13:47.36\00:13:50.59
Very--big enough you could fly
a plane into it, and people go
00:13:50.63\00:13:54.93
there.
00:13:54.93\00:13:56.26
You can see I'm ascending
up and down the steps, but when
00:13:56.30\00:13:58.07
I saw that, what do
you think I thought about?
00:13:58.10\00:14:00.40
Daniel chapter 3.
00:14:00.44\00:14:02.90
And I did an "Amazing Fact"
about Daniel chapter 3 while we
00:14:02.94\00:14:06.94
were there that day that you
still haven't seen yet because
00:14:06.98\00:14:09.74
we have so much editing to do.
00:14:09.78\00:14:11.08
We've gotta catch up.
00:14:11.11\00:14:12.45
But that is not the tallest
statue in the world, nor is it
00:14:12.48\00:14:14.98
the statue of Liberty.
00:14:15.02\00:14:16.32
Tallest statue in the
world was just built recently.
00:14:16.35\00:14:18.99
It's called the Unity Statue.
00:14:19.02\00:14:20.46
It is in India.
00:14:20.49\00:14:22.06
And you can see the
different statues, tall statues
00:14:22.09\00:14:24.86
of the world, there's a
little chart I put up there just
00:14:24.89\00:14:27.00
for your interest, trivia.
00:14:27.03\00:14:29.73
You've got the first one there,
it's the statue of Our Christ
00:14:29.76\00:14:32.87
the Redeemer.
00:14:32.90\00:14:34.20
It's 38 meters.
00:14:34.24\00:14:35.57
That's above Rio de Janeiro.
00:14:35.60\00:14:36.91
You've probably
seen it on the hill.
00:14:36.94\00:14:38.54
They got the Mother of
Russia there, 91 meters.
00:14:38.57\00:14:40.94
Statue of Liberty, 2 meters
taller, but actually it's not
00:14:40.98\00:14:44.25
taller.
00:14:44.28\00:14:45.61
The statue's shorter,
but it's on a big pedestal.
00:14:45.65\00:14:47.72
So with the pedestal, The
Statue of Liberty is 93 meters.
00:14:47.75\00:14:51.95
Then you've got a couple
of Buddhas in China, in other
00:14:51.99\00:14:55.22
parts of the world.
00:14:55.26\00:14:56.59
And then you've got in India,
this massive, colossal statue,
00:14:56.62\00:15:00.93
597 feet tall, if
you can imagine that.
00:15:00.96\00:15:05.67
It's of one of their founders
of the country, Patel I think is
00:15:05.70\00:15:10.14
the name.
00:15:10.17\00:15:11.47
And boy, I tell you, it
was-- that's really something.
00:15:11.51\00:15:14.81
And you know, man keeps building
bigger and bigger statues in our
00:15:14.84\00:15:17.81
day and age and we're
building bigger--just in this
00:15:17.85\00:15:19.65
generation, and
bigger and bigger buildings.
00:15:19.68\00:15:23.85
You thought that the
Burj Khalifa was tall.
00:15:23.89\00:15:26.55
Right now it's the
tallest building of the world.
00:15:26.59\00:15:28.19
I've been there and
went up the building.
00:15:28.22\00:15:31.16
Karen and I were there, but when
we went, we didn't have time
00:15:31.19\00:15:33.53
to go to the top again.
00:15:33.56\00:15:35.16
And now I understand
that in Saudi Arabia, they're
00:15:35.20\00:15:39.33
planning on building a building
that is a mile high, if you can
00:15:39.37\00:15:43.87
imagine that.
00:15:43.91\00:15:45.24
Makes you think about Daniel
chapter 11, Tower of Babel.
00:15:45.27\00:15:49.24
Well, back to
our story in Babylon.
00:15:49.28\00:15:51.45
They always wanted to outdo
everything before, so he makes
00:15:51.48\00:15:54.65
his massive statue of gold,
sets it up in the Plain of Dura,
00:15:54.68\00:15:59.12
and he says, "We're
going to have an inauguration
00:15:59.15\00:16:02.32
ceremony."
00:16:02.36\00:16:03.69
Now, something right
at the beginning ought
00:16:03.73\00:16:05.03
to trigger your interest.
00:16:05.06\00:16:07.13
What's the
dimension of the statue?
00:16:07.13\00:16:10.20
Sixty cubits by six cubits.
00:16:10.23\00:16:15.34
Now you know, as we read
on in the story, it says he
00:16:15.37\00:16:18.31
makes an idol and tells everyone
if they don't worship the idol,
00:16:18.34\00:16:21.31
they'll be killed.
00:16:21.34\00:16:22.68
Does that sound familiar to you?
00:16:22.71\00:16:24.55
You see that happening
somewhere else in the Bible?
00:16:24.58\00:16:27.15
When you go to Revelation 13,
does it talk about those that do
00:16:27.18\00:16:30.02
not worship the
image should be killed?
00:16:30.05\00:16:32.79
And then there's a number
that is given at the end of
00:16:32.82\00:16:34.79
that chapter.
00:16:34.82\00:16:36.12
What is the number? 666.
00:16:36.16\00:16:38.83
Now, with that in
mind, Dr. Leslie Harding,
00:16:38.86\00:16:41.06
a great scholar in our
church, he told me that
00:16:41.10\00:16:46.23
in Hebrew, if it gives
the the width and it does not
00:16:46.27\00:16:50.27
give the depth, the depth
and the width will be the same
00:16:50.31\00:16:53.81
as the--and then
you've got the height.
00:16:53.84\00:16:56.11
An example of this, if you look
in Exodus 30, verse 1 and 2,
00:16:56.14\00:16:59.15
talking about the altar
of incense, You shall make
00:16:59.18\00:17:01.82
an altar to burn incense on it.
00:17:01.85\00:17:03.65
Make it of acacia wood.
00:17:03.69\00:17:05.29
A cubit shall be its
length, a cubit its width.
00:17:05.32\00:17:08.69
Equal length and width,
and two cubits its height.
00:17:08.72\00:17:13.19
So if it does not give
the figure for the depth, it
00:17:13.23\00:17:16.60
will be the same as the width,
which means that the image is 6
00:17:16.63\00:17:21.74
cubits by 6 cubits by 60 cubits.
00:17:21.77\00:17:25.51
You see what he's saying?
00:17:25.54\00:17:27.64
And yeah, so don't miss that
number 6 in this big statue.
00:17:27.68\00:17:32.98
The numbers mean something,
like when you get to the New
00:17:33.01\00:17:34.88
Jerusalem, 12,000 furlongs.
00:17:34.92\00:17:37.49
Don't use feet.
00:17:37.52\00:17:38.82
I know it's 1500 feet,
but they didn't use feet.
00:17:38.85\00:17:41.49
The used cubits.
00:17:41.52\00:17:42.86
They used furlongs.
00:17:42.89\00:17:44.19
And using their measurements,
the number meant something.
00:17:44.23\00:17:46.86
So in Babylon, 60 and
6 and 6 meant something.
00:17:46.90\00:17:52.33
Anyway, so now this is not--
this image he's making, it's not
00:17:52.37\00:17:57.81
genuine because it's hollow.
00:17:57.84\00:18:01.61
It's not solid gold.
00:18:01.64\00:18:03.41
They could never afford an
image that big, solid gold.
00:18:03.45\00:18:06.35
Even Babylon with all their
magnificent wealth, it's plated.
00:18:06.38\00:18:11.22
Isaiah 40, verse 19, "The
workman melted the graven image
00:18:11.25\00:18:15.96
and the goldsmiths spreadeth it
over with the gold and cast as
00:18:15.99\00:18:19.69
silver change."
00:18:19.73\00:18:21.20
You'll look in Habakkuk 2:19,
there's several verses that say
00:18:21.23\00:18:24.47
this, "Woe to him who says
to the wood, 'Awake,' to silent
00:18:24.50\00:18:28.77
stone, 'Arise.
00:18:28.80\00:18:30.14
It will teach.'
00:18:30.17\00:18:31.47
Behold, it," the wood
and the stone, "is overlaid
00:18:31.51\00:18:33.71
with gold and silver,
and yet there's no breath
00:18:33.74\00:18:37.08
in them."
00:18:37.11\00:18:38.45
They're hollow, and so
they would take these wooden
00:18:38.48\00:18:41.05
statues--some of you read in
Jeremiah 10, where it says he
00:18:41.08\00:18:43.62
goes to the woods and he cuts
down a tree, and he overlays it
00:18:43.65\00:18:46.99
with gold and silver.
00:18:47.02\00:18:48.32
And people say,
"That's the Christmas tree."
00:18:48.36\00:18:49.66
No, it's just what
they did with idols.
00:18:49.69\00:18:51.39
They'd cut down the tree,
and they'd fashion it, and then
00:18:51.43\00:18:53.43
they'd plate it.
00:18:53.46\00:18:54.86
So this is not solid gold, it is
plated with gold, but still it's
00:18:54.93\00:18:59.43
like that statue I
showed you of Lord Murugan.
00:18:59.47\00:19:02.40
That is gold leaf paint that
they use, and they use a whole
00:19:02.44\00:19:06.11
lot of it too on that statue.
00:19:06.14\00:19:10.41
So he wants the the
gold to last forever.
00:19:10.45\00:19:14.95
He's wanting his
kingdom to last forever.
00:19:14.98\00:19:17.85
And someone's going to read
for me in a moment I think Luke
00:19:17.89\00:19:19.95
14:13, but who gets
invited to this feast?
00:19:19.99\00:19:24.16
If you'll look in Daniel chapter
3, verse 2, it says, "And
00:19:24.19\00:19:29.26
the King Nebuchadnezzar
sent word to gather together
00:19:29.30\00:19:32.00
the satraps and administrators,"
that's the princes, "and
00:19:32.03\00:19:35.60
administrators,
and the governors,
00:19:35.64\00:19:37.17
and the
counselors, and the treasurers,
00:19:37.21\00:19:39.01
and the judges, and
the magistrates, and all
00:19:39.04\00:19:41.81
the officials of the provinces
to come to the dedication
00:19:41.84\00:19:45.38
of the image, who King
Nebuchadnezzar had set up."
00:19:45.41\00:19:49.38
And so who gets to come?
00:19:49.42\00:19:52.45
The who's who.
00:19:52.49\00:19:54.09
He's bringing all the
elite, all the important people.
00:19:54.12\00:19:56.79
Why?
00:19:56.83\00:19:58.26
He doesn't send out this
invitation to the general
00:19:58.29\00:20:01.30
population.
00:20:01.33\00:20:02.66
The idea is that if you can get
the heads of all the people--
00:20:02.70\00:20:06.57
You know the most
popular magazines?
00:20:06.60\00:20:08.44
Anyone want to guess?
00:20:08.47\00:20:10.54
The rich and the
famous, the tabloid magazines.
00:20:10.57\00:20:14.98
People don't want to
hear about poor people doing
00:20:15.01\00:20:17.08
nothing nowhere.
00:20:17.11\00:20:18.45
They want to know what the
rich people are doing, what
00:20:18.48\00:20:20.48
the famous people or doing.
00:20:20.52\00:20:21.85
Am I right?
00:20:21.88\00:20:23.18
You just--don't ever buy it,
but if you look at the tabloid
00:20:23.22\00:20:26.35
magazines when you check
out of the market--don't ever
00:20:26.39\00:20:29.09
buy them or it will lower your
perceived IQ, but they're always
00:20:29.12\00:20:35.06
talking about the
rich and the famous.
00:20:36.16\00:20:38.00
Because the king knew
that if these folks would come
00:20:38.03\00:20:40.80
and dedicate his image, then all
the poor people would follow.
00:20:40.84\00:20:43.97
But when Jesus had a
feast, who did he invite?
00:20:44.01\00:20:45.97
Why don't you read
that next verse to us.
00:20:46.01\00:20:48.41
female: Luke 14:13, "But
when you give a feast, invite
00:20:48.44\00:20:52.85
the poor, the
maimed, the lame, the blind."
00:20:52.88\00:20:57.55
Doug Batchelor:
Isn't that interesting?
00:20:57.59\00:20:58.89
Nebuchadnezzar, he
invites the rich and the famous.
00:20:58.92\00:21:01.26
Jesus said when you give
a feast, if you want to be
00:21:01.29\00:21:04.06
blessed by your Father
in heaven, invite people who
00:21:04.09\00:21:06.63
can't repay you.
00:21:06.66\00:21:07.96
Invite people who might be
socially insignificant, 'cause
00:21:07.96\00:21:10.90
he makes the sun to shine
on the just and the unjust.
00:21:10.93\00:21:13.17
So Nebuchadnezzar's doing things
the way the devil would do it.
00:21:13.20\00:21:16.77
It's all about name,
and power, and prestige.
00:21:16.81\00:21:20.68
And so he wants to
persuade the leaders to help him
00:21:20.71\00:21:23.78
inaugurate this new religion.
00:21:23.81\00:21:26.21
He's trying to weld together
a kingdom that will last.
00:21:26.25\00:21:28.88
Now, don't miss this 'cause it
comes up in Revelation as well.
00:21:28.92\00:21:33.69
You know, when you have a world
power and you're tryin' to unite
00:21:33.72\00:21:36.02
it, if you cannot unite
this world power that might be
00:21:36.06\00:21:39.79
divided by language, culture,
customs, race, you can unite
00:21:39.83\00:21:45.80
them by religion.
00:21:46.27\00:21:48.67
Why do you think Hitler had
everybody say, "Heil Hitler"?
00:21:48.70\00:21:52.44
It actually turned
to a religious cult.
00:21:52.47\00:21:56.14
Why do you think Augustus
Caesar said that he was a god,
00:21:56.18\00:22:00.22
and Alexander the Great?
00:22:00.25\00:22:01.55
And Darius said,
"Everybody worship just the king
00:22:01.58\00:22:04.22
for 30 days."
00:22:04.25\00:22:05.59
Why 30 days?
00:22:05.62\00:22:06.92
Because history has shown that
when you cannot unite people
00:22:06.96\00:22:09.72
from all these different
backgrounds through common
00:22:09.76\00:22:12.96
language and custom or race,
that religion can be a unifying
00:22:12.99\00:22:18.20
factor.
00:22:18.23\00:22:19.63
In the last days,
what is the devil gonna do?
00:22:19.67\00:22:21.44
He's gonna
call--cause all to worship.
00:22:21.47\00:22:24.07
Why?
00:22:24.11\00:22:25.41
He wants to have one
world religion that is opposing
00:22:25.44\00:22:28.08
the religion of Jesus in
the last days through common
00:22:28.11\00:22:31.11
worship is what's gonna happen.
00:22:31.15\00:22:33.45
Do we see religious leaders
like the Pope today trying
00:22:33.48\00:22:36.02
to get all the different
religious leaders to come
00:22:36.05\00:22:38.15
together for common purpose?
00:22:38.19\00:22:40.49
Yeah, this pope in particular is
reaching out more than any other
00:22:40.52\00:22:43.83
that I know of.
00:22:43.86\00:22:45.66
So he calls them together
to inaugurate this grade idol,
00:22:45.69\00:22:51.13
but some people
have been invited.
00:22:51.17\00:22:52.83
And maybe these three Hebrews,
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
00:22:52.87\00:22:57.31
did not know exactly what was
going on, and--but there's gonna
00:22:57.34\00:23:03.65
be a problem.
00:23:03.68\00:23:05.71
Here's what his
instructions are.
00:23:05.75\00:23:08.75
They all come to the dedication
and a herald--messages
00:23:08.78\00:23:13.99
circulated among this vast
crowd of leaders from around
00:23:14.02\00:23:17.86
his realm.
00:23:17.89\00:23:19.23
A herald cries out.
00:23:19.26\00:23:20.56
Now, here they're
getting the instructions.
00:23:20.60\00:23:22.73
"To you it is commanded, O
peoples, nations, languages."
00:23:22.76\00:23:27.14
Isn't that what it says?
00:23:27.17\00:23:28.47
"To every tongue and nation,
the gospel goes, and every
00:23:28.50\00:23:31.77
tongue and nation must
worship the beast and image."
00:23:31.81\00:23:34.58
There's a battle in the
last days for every tongue
00:23:34.61\00:23:36.34
and nation.
00:23:36.38\00:23:38.11
He says, "O peoples, nations,
and languages, that at the time
00:23:38.15\00:23:41.65
you hear the sound of the horn,
the flute, the harp, the lyre,
00:23:41.68\00:23:45.89
the psaltery, the symphony
with all kinds of music, you
00:23:45.92\00:23:49.29
will fall down.
00:23:49.32\00:23:50.63
You shall prostrate yourself
and worship the gold image that
00:23:50.66\00:23:54.46
Nebuchadnezzar has set up.
00:23:54.50\00:23:56.33
Whoever does not fall
down and worship will be cast
00:23:56.36\00:24:00.07
immediately into the midst
of a burning, fiery furnace."
00:24:00.10\00:24:04.74
Now, there is a problem for
some of the Jews that might be
00:24:04.77\00:24:08.18
in the audience.
00:24:08.21\00:24:09.51
There may have been many
Jews in the audience that day,
00:24:09.54\00:24:10.88
but there's only
three that stood up.
00:24:10.91\00:24:14.48
It tells us that
Exodus 20, verse 4.
00:24:14.52\00:24:17.42
How many of you know
that third commandment?
00:24:17.45\00:24:21.92
The second commandment, sorry.
00:24:21.96\00:24:23.43
Second commandment, "Thou shalt
not make unto thee any graven
00:24:23.46\00:24:28.16
image of the likeness of
anything in the heaven above,
00:24:28.20\00:24:30.50
or the earth beneath, or
the water under the earth.
00:24:30.53\00:24:33.20
You will not bow down yourself
to them nor serve them, for I
00:24:33.23\00:24:36.57
the Lord your God am a jealous
God, visiting the iniquity
00:24:36.60\00:24:39.47
of the fathers on the children
unto the third and fourth
00:24:39.51\00:24:41.81
generation of them that hate me,
but showing mercy unto thousands
00:24:41.84\00:24:45.55
of them that love me
and keep my commandments."
00:24:45.58\00:24:47.55
You realize that in the
second commandment, you've got
00:24:47.58\00:24:50.09
the promise, "Love me
and keep my commandments."
00:24:50.12\00:24:53.89
Everyone focuses on the
judgment on the third and fourth
00:24:53.92\00:24:56.62
generation, but they don't focus
on, "Mercy on thousands that
00:24:56.66\00:25:02.50
love me and keep
my commandments."
00:25:02.53\00:25:04.73
There's a very clear, explicit
commandment repeated in the New
00:25:04.77\00:25:08.07
and the Old Testament, "Do not
make idols and pray to them."
00:25:08.10\00:25:12.27
It is forbidden.
00:25:12.31\00:25:15.08
So what are Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego gonna do?
00:25:15.11\00:25:19.61
You've got this law.
00:25:19.65\00:25:23.05
You got a government law.
00:25:23.08\00:25:24.42
The government law
conflicts with the law of God.
00:25:24.45\00:25:26.35
Which law
you're going to follow?
00:25:26.39\00:25:29.26
Peter said, "Whether it is right
in the sight of God to obey you
00:25:29.29\00:25:33.76
more than God, judge ye."
00:25:33.80\00:25:35.66
He said we ought to
obey God rather than men.
00:25:35.70\00:25:39.57
Are we gonna be faced
with a similar challenge
00:25:39.60\00:25:42.70
in the last days?
00:25:42.74\00:25:44.81
Actually some of us are faced
with that challenge all the time
00:25:44.84\00:25:47.14
in little things.
00:25:47.18\00:25:48.51
We don't think about it.
00:25:48.54\00:25:49.98
We're often being faced
with a decision, "Will I obey
00:25:50.01\00:25:52.55
God or man?
00:25:52.58\00:25:54.12
Will I obey God or
my own inclination?"
00:25:54.15\00:25:57.62
And if we're falling
down and failing in the little
00:25:57.65\00:26:00.59
tests, the little quizzes that
come from day to day, what will
00:26:00.62\00:26:04.29
we do when the big test comes?
00:26:04.33\00:26:06.86
People always wonder, "What
will I do when I must choose?"
00:26:06.90\00:26:09.30
Well, you're deciding
every day what you're gonna do.
00:26:09.33\00:26:12.57
It's in the little tests.
00:26:12.60\00:26:14.44
"He that is faithful in
that which is least is faithful
00:26:14.47\00:26:17.07
in much."
00:26:17.11\00:26:18.44
Well, these three young Hebrews,
when the music sounded, they
00:26:18.47\00:26:24.48
decided, "You know, guys,
this would be a really good time
00:26:24.81\00:26:27.32
for us to adjust our sandals.
00:26:27.35\00:26:31.49
Let's just get down.
00:26:31.52\00:26:32.82
We won't pray to the
image, but let's fix our shoes.
00:26:32.85\00:26:35.86
We don't want to be a spectacle.
00:26:35.89\00:26:38.29
The Bible tells us to obey
the laws of the land, and we
00:26:38.33\00:26:41.06
won't pray to the idol.
00:26:41.10\00:26:43.47
We'll get on our knees
and we'll pray to God."
00:26:43.50\00:26:46.50
Couldn't they have said that?
00:26:46.53\00:26:48.37
They could have rationalized.
00:26:48.40\00:26:50.41
They could've said, "Look,
they're having a wonderful
00:26:50.44\00:26:52.57
celebration right now.
00:26:52.61\00:26:54.01
We are gonna be known as
the world's worst party poopers
00:26:54.04\00:26:57.98
if we do not bow
down with everybody else."
00:26:58.01\00:27:00.55
I mean, who wants to
stand out in a crowd?
00:27:00.58\00:27:03.18
Not only that, everything
about the event that day was
00:27:03.22\00:27:08.29
calculated by the
king to inspire worship.
00:27:08.32\00:27:10.93
I should say the
devil was behind it all.
00:27:10.96\00:27:13.60
Golden image, can you imagine?
00:27:13.63\00:27:15.33
They probably waited
until the twilight, the sun is
00:27:15.36\00:27:19.10
just--the sky is gilded, you
know, with the clouds, and you
00:27:19.13\00:27:23.20
had a beautiful
sunset, and the sun is on this
00:27:23.24\00:27:27.18
the veiled image, and the
music plays, best musicians
00:27:27.21\00:27:31.38
in the world back then.
00:27:31.41\00:27:33.38
And they pull the little
ripcord and this parachute falls
00:27:33.42\00:27:36.95
off the statue, revealing
it, and everyone goes, "Ah!"
00:27:36.99\00:27:40.89
And they know that's the moment,
the trumpet hits its notes,
00:27:40.92\00:27:44.16
you're to bow down, and
everyone just falls down.
00:27:44.19\00:27:47.13
Everything in that situation
was calculated to make them want
00:27:47.20\00:27:51.23
to worship.
00:27:51.27\00:27:54.64
I mean, there's power in music.
00:27:54.67\00:27:58.81
Is the devil gonna use music
in the last days to inspire
00:27:58.84\00:28:01.51
the wrong kind of worship?
00:28:01.54\00:28:03.78
Music is good, and I think that
music should be part of worship,
00:28:03.81\00:28:08.98
but there is the right kind
of music and there is Babylonian
00:28:09.02\00:28:11.95
music.
00:28:11.99\00:28:13.99
I remember before I
was a Seventh-Day Adventist
00:28:14.02\00:28:16.96
Christian, I worshiped
with Charismatic, Pentecostal
00:28:16.99\00:28:20.06
brothers and sisters.
00:28:20.10\00:28:21.36
A lot of good people.
00:28:21.40\00:28:22.70
I expect to see a number
of those people in heaven.
00:28:22.73\00:28:24.87
They love the Lord and maybe
didn't know better, but boy I'll
00:28:24.90\00:28:28.00
tell you, before their services,
they--the band--not all,
00:28:28.04\00:28:33.34
but some of the churches
I went to, they would whip
00:28:33.38\00:28:35.31
up into a frenzy.
00:28:35.34\00:28:37.35
And I thought to myself,
"This just can't be right.
00:28:37.38\00:28:39.25
I cannot picture
Jesus in this hootenanny."
00:28:39.28\00:28:43.45
I mean, it was, you know,
just a drum beat, and the people
00:28:43.49\00:28:46.02
kicking, and
dancing, and running
00:28:46.05\00:28:47.36
up and down the aisles,
and falling down, and it was
00:28:47.39\00:28:49.46
just bedlam.
00:28:49.49\00:28:51.66
And they'd all start
getting taken away in ecstatic
00:28:51.69\00:28:55.56
utterances and they said,
"This is the Holy Spirit."
00:28:55.60\00:28:58.10
I said, "I'm not reading
that in the Book of Acts."
00:28:58.13\00:29:00.57
I don't know where they're
getting that, but the music
00:29:00.60\00:29:03.77
would always prepare
for the wild worship.
00:29:03.81\00:29:09.81
When things get out of hand
at concerts, it's usually not
00:29:10.31\00:29:13.98
Mozart they're playing.
00:29:14.02\00:29:15.32
Have you noticed that?
00:29:15.35\00:29:16.72
You ever heard
they had a stampede at a
00:29:16.75\00:29:20.16
Beethoven concert?
00:29:20.19\00:29:23.22
That the police were
called in for Chopin?
00:29:23.26\00:29:27.10
No, they don't ever say that.
00:29:27.13\00:29:31.00
So music was
involved, Babylonian music.
00:29:31.03\00:29:35.94
And I'm sure it was very moving.
00:29:35.97\00:29:39.37
And the music played, they
dropped the curtain, unveiled
00:29:39.41\00:29:42.48
the image, and everybody
was overwhelmed, and they
00:29:42.51\00:29:46.65
all bowed down.
00:29:46.68\00:29:48.35
But there were three Hebrews
that day that had made up their
00:29:48.38\00:29:52.72
minds, no matter what, they
were not going to disobey God.
00:29:52.75\00:29:58.03
Now, the music was heavenly.
00:29:58.06\00:30:01.93
They could see the furnace
burning in the distance and it
00:30:01.96\00:30:04.77
was not heavenly.
00:30:04.80\00:30:07.47
So they had the
motivation of the heavenly music
00:30:07.50\00:30:10.24
and the diabolical
furnace that was like hell.
00:30:10.27\00:30:14.28
Neither would move them.
00:30:14.31\00:30:16.98
The people who are there
on the Plains of Dura that day
00:30:17.01\00:30:19.25
were being moved by the heavenly
music--and well, maybe it
00:30:19.28\00:30:23.72
wasn't so heavenly.
00:30:23.75\00:30:25.05
Babylonian
music and the furnace.
00:30:25.09\00:30:28.59
Neither one of those
should be the reason we worship.
00:30:28.62\00:30:31.73
It should not be the people
around us that makes us worship.
00:30:31.76\00:30:35.23
It should not be
fear of the fire.
00:30:35.26\00:30:37.10
How many people go to
church because they're afraid
00:30:37.13\00:30:38.67
of the furnace?
00:30:38.70\00:30:40.50
Isn't that right?
00:30:40.54\00:30:43.07
I remember once I was
giving a Bible study to a pastor
00:30:43.10\00:30:46.91
of a Baptist church, and a
good man, and we were studying
00:30:46.94\00:30:50.11
the subject of the lake of fire.
00:30:50.15\00:30:52.91
And I went through all
the verses that explain that
00:30:52.95\00:30:54.92
there is a lake of fire,
but it doesn't burn forever.
00:30:54.95\00:30:58.75
And there's a lot of compelling
biblical arguments for that that
00:30:58.79\00:31:02.32
are really hard to refute.
00:31:02.36\00:31:03.69
I mean, I've talked
about perished, burnt up,
00:31:03.73\00:31:05.79
consumed, devoured, no
more pain, all things new,
00:31:05.83\00:31:09.96
and the wicked shall blow
away into ashes, burnt up.
00:31:10.00\00:31:13.60
You know, I can--verse,
after verse, after verse.
00:31:13.64\00:31:16.40
And he got real quiet and
he finally said, "Well, Pastor
00:31:16.44\00:31:18.27
Doug," he said, "If I--I've
seen these passages before and I
00:31:18.31\00:31:21.04
know you got some strong
arguments here, but if I told my
00:31:21.08\00:31:23.55
people that, they
wouldn't come to church.
00:31:23.58\00:31:26.25
If they didn't think that hell
burned forever, they wouldn't
00:31:26.28\00:31:28.45
come to church."
00:31:28.48\00:31:29.82
I'll never forget that.
00:31:29.85\00:31:31.32
And I said, "Brother, are
they coming because they're
00:31:31.35\00:31:33.12
afraid of hell?"
00:31:33.15\00:31:34.46
I said, "That's a
sorry reason to come."
00:31:34.49\00:31:36.42
Might be a starting point,
but you know, you don't want
00:31:36.46\00:31:40.96
everyone to come to church
because they're afraid they're
00:31:41.00\00:31:42.63
going to burn.
00:31:42.66\00:31:44.80
And Nebuchadnezzar
was inaugurating his
00:31:44.83\00:31:47.10
worship on fear.
00:31:47.14\00:31:48.47
Is there a large religion
in the world today that "says,
00:31:48.50\00:31:51.34
If you convert from our
religion, we will kill you"?
00:31:51.37\00:31:55.11
Well, if you gotta tell people
you're going to kill them if
00:31:55.14\00:31:57.61
they convert from your religion,
there's somethin' suspicious
00:31:57.65\00:32:00.22
about your religion.
00:32:00.25\00:32:02.68
Isn't that right?
00:32:02.72\00:32:04.05
It's like if you're in a country
that has to build walls to
00:32:04.09\00:32:06.39
keep people in.
00:32:06.42\00:32:08.32
We're building a
wall to keep people out.
00:32:08.36\00:32:10.96
A lot of countries build
a wall to keep people in.
00:32:10.99\00:32:13.83
There's something wrong
with your country if you gotta
00:32:13.86\00:32:15.73
build an iron
curtain to keep 'em in.
00:32:15.76\00:32:17.90
That means they hate it
and they want to get out.
00:32:17.93\00:32:20.54
If you've got to make laws that
we're going to kill you if you
00:32:20.57\00:32:22.47
dare leave my church, that means
that the actual content of your
00:32:22.50\00:32:25.47
religion is not strong
enough to keep them in.
00:32:25.51\00:32:28.38
And if Nebuchadnezzar had to
build a furnace and say, "You
00:32:28.41\00:32:30.38
better worship my image,"
well, something's wrong with
00:32:30.41\00:32:32.71
your religion.
00:32:32.75\00:32:34.12
This is a sign of the
devil's religion when they have
00:32:34.15\00:32:36.65
to employ those tactics.
00:32:36.69\00:32:40.12
So they play the music
and they don't bow down.
00:32:40.16\00:32:46.13
Well, sure enough, there were
people in the crowd that day,
00:32:47.36\00:32:51.03
the other wise men that
maybe were resenting the three
00:32:51.07\00:32:54.64
Hebrews.
00:32:54.67\00:32:55.97
You can get to Daniel chapter
3 verse 8, "Therefore at that
00:32:56.00\00:32:59.87
time, certain Chaldeans came
forward and accused the Jews."
00:32:59.91\00:33:04.11
These are the ones
who were put out of a job.
00:33:04.15\00:33:06.98
They spoke to the king,
"Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live
00:33:07.02\00:33:09.35
forever.
00:33:09.38\00:33:10.92
You, O king,
haven't you made a decree?"
00:33:10.95\00:33:14.09
They're reminding
the king of his law.
00:33:14.12\00:33:15.56
Isn't that what
happens in Daniel?
00:33:15.59\00:33:16.93
They go back to King
Darius and say, "Didn't
00:33:16.96\00:33:18.36
you make a law?"
00:33:18.39\00:33:22.83
"Didn't you make a
decree that whoever doesn't fall
00:33:22.86\00:33:26.07
down and worship the
image will be cast in the midst
00:33:26.10\00:33:28.40
of the burning furnace?
00:33:28.44\00:33:30.34
There are certain Jews that
you have set over the affairs
00:33:30.37\00:33:34.28
of the province of Babylon."
00:33:34.31\00:33:35.74
You can tell they resent
that they maybe were displaced.
00:33:35.78\00:33:39.98
"Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego, these men, O king,
00:33:40.02\00:33:44.72
have not paid
due regard to you."
00:33:44.75\00:33:48.36
It has nothing to
do with Nebuchadnezzar.
00:33:48.39\00:33:49.99
They're just not
going to insult their God.
00:33:50.03\00:33:53.16
"Nor do they serve your gods
or worship the gold image which
00:33:53.19\00:33:56.33
you have set up."
00:33:56.36\00:33:58.77
Now, what's the big question
that we haven't mentioned yet?
00:33:58.80\00:34:04.51
There's a silent question
in this chapter when you talked
00:34:04.54\00:34:07.04
about Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego.
00:34:07.08\00:34:09.31
Yeah, who is in chapter 1 and 2?
00:34:09.34\00:34:13.05
Daniel ends, Daniel 2, by saying
he exalted his three friends,
00:34:13.08\00:34:16.08
so they're all in this together.
00:34:16.12\00:34:17.42
And all of a sudden
you're going, "Wasn't Daniel
00:34:17.45\00:34:19.09
over Babylon?
00:34:19.12\00:34:20.42
Where is he?"
00:34:20.46\00:34:21.79
Well, you can theorize.
00:34:21.82\00:34:23.29
There is no definite
answer, but I suspect that
00:34:23.32\00:34:27.23
Nebuchadnezzar, knowing what
he was up to, knowing how Daniel
00:34:27.23\00:34:30.47
felt about idolatry, Daniel said
that, "Your idol in your dream
00:34:30.50\00:34:34.94
was going to be
pulverized by God's Kingdom.
00:34:34.97\00:34:37.47
That will grow into a great
mountain and fill the whole
00:34:37.51\00:34:39.97
earth," that Nebuchadnezzar
thought, "You know, I don't
00:34:40.01\00:34:42.78
want--I don't want
anybody to ruin my party, and he
00:34:42.81\00:34:45.91
probably won't
want to be there."
00:34:45.95\00:34:47.48
And maybe Daniel just knew what
was up and refused to come, just
00:34:47.52\00:34:51.05
like he didn't go to
Belshazzar's feast either,
00:34:51.09\00:34:53.05
did he?
00:34:53.09\00:34:54.39
They had to bring him in.
00:34:54.42\00:34:55.76
So Daniel's not there, and he
either wasn't invited or by his
00:34:55.79\00:35:00.73
choice, he did not come.
00:35:00.76\00:35:03.47
But Nebuchadnezzar,
when he first hears this,
00:35:03.50\00:35:08.97
he doesn't want to lose them.
00:35:09.00\00:35:12.11
And so Nebuchadnezzar--notice
this in verse 13, it says,
00:35:12.14\00:35:17.15
"Nebuchadnezzar in a
rage and a fury, he gave
00:35:17.18\00:35:21.22
the command."
00:35:21.25\00:35:22.55
He said, "What?
00:35:22.58\00:35:23.92
You're telling me that all
the trouble I went to, I brought
00:35:23.95\00:35:25.29
all these people in so I could
execute this perfect ceremony,
00:35:25.32\00:35:29.59
and some people have
the audacity to stand
00:35:29.62\00:35:32.29
up and ruin my program?"
00:35:32.33\00:35:35.00
So they brought these
three men before the king,
00:35:35.03\00:35:37.07
and Nebuchadnezzar, he saw them,
and these are the young men he
00:35:37.10\00:35:40.14
had just said a few years
earlier they're ten times wiser
00:35:40.17\00:35:42.84
than anyone else.
00:35:42.87\00:35:44.21
He knew who they were.
00:35:44.24\00:35:45.57
Notice he says it by name.
00:35:45.61\00:35:47.54
"Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego, that you do not
00:35:47.58\00:35:52.08
serve my gods or
worship the golden image that
00:35:52.11\00:35:53.82
I've set up?"
00:35:53.85\00:35:55.85
He doesn't wait
for their answer yet.
00:35:55.88\00:35:57.22
"Now, I want to
give you another chance.
00:35:57.25\00:35:58.55
Maybe you weren't ready.
00:35:58.59\00:35:59.92
Maybe you didn't hear
about the consequences.
00:35:59.95\00:36:01.32
I don't want to lose you guys.
00:36:01.36\00:36:02.69
You're good. You're smart."
00:36:02.72\00:36:05.59
Even though he's mad, he
says, "I'm going to give you
00:36:05.63\00:36:07.83
another chance."
00:36:07.86\00:36:09.26
Now, the devil.
00:36:09.30\00:36:10.60
Does the devil want them
to die or does he want them
00:36:10.63\00:36:11.97
to compromise?
00:36:12.00\00:36:13.60
More than anything, the
devil doesn't want to just kill
00:36:13.64\00:36:15.70
Christians, he
wants them to compromise.
00:36:15.74\00:36:19.61
I was reading some church
history this week and frequently
00:36:19.64\00:36:24.55
during the Inquisition,
when Christians were tortured,
00:36:24.58\00:36:28.95
witnesses there say they
did not give up their faith.
00:36:28.98\00:36:32.62
They stood to the end.
00:36:32.65\00:36:33.96
They died, but then their
inquisitors would say, "Yes,
00:36:33.99\00:36:37.49
they renounced Christ.
00:36:37.53\00:36:39.53
They renounced their
views before they died."
00:36:39.56\00:36:42.06
They lied because they felt
defeated if they died for their
00:36:42.10\00:36:45.03
faith, and they
would lie and say they did.
00:36:45.07\00:36:47.97
The devil wants more than
anything to point the finger
00:36:48.00\00:36:50.24
at the church and say they
compromised, they capitulated,
00:36:50.27\00:36:52.67
they gave up.
00:36:52.71\00:36:55.48
And so he wants something--he
said, "I'm going to give you
00:36:55.51\00:36:57.25
another chance.
00:36:57.28\00:36:58.61
I want you to bow down."
00:36:58.65\00:37:00.62
More than anything on the cross,
the devil wanted Jesus to sin.
00:37:00.65\00:37:05.12
He did everything he could
to get Christ to curse, or deny
00:37:05.15\00:37:07.69
his faith, or something.
00:37:07.72\00:37:10.99
The last resort is death.
00:37:11.03\00:37:14.23
It says, "If you didn't hear it,
I'll give you one more chance.
00:37:14.30\00:37:16.87
When you hear the
sound of the harp, the flute,
00:37:16.90\00:37:19.07
the lyre, the
psaltery, and symphony, fall
00:37:19.10\00:37:21.94
down and worship, then good.
00:37:21.97\00:37:24.51
But if you do not worship,
you will be cast immediately
00:37:24.54\00:37:28.74
into the midst of a
burning, fiery furnace."
00:37:28.78\00:37:31.65
And catch this taunt.
00:37:31.68\00:37:33.52
He says, "Who is that God who
will deliver you from my hands?"
00:37:33.55\00:37:39.55
You gotta be very
careful about daring the Lord.
00:37:40.76\00:37:44.66
He was about to find
out who that God was.
00:37:44.69\00:37:47.93
So you notice
what's happening here?
00:37:47.96\00:37:50.07
Again, as in chapter 2, you've
got two kingdoms in conflict.
00:37:50.10\00:37:54.74
You've got Nebuchadnezzar's
idol and the Rock of Ages.
00:37:54.77\00:37:59.51
In Daniel 1, you've got
the diet of Daniel and the diet
00:37:59.54\00:38:04.05
of Babylon.
00:38:04.08\00:38:05.41
In Daniel 3, you've got
Nebuchadnezzar's worship
00:38:05.45\00:38:09.35
and the worship of God.
00:38:09.38\00:38:11.02
Which one is gonna win?
00:38:11.05\00:38:13.52
So there's this
terrible conflict.
00:38:13.56\00:38:15.16
He says, "My worship, my
idol, is bigger than your God.
00:38:15.19\00:38:18.86
My laws more
important than your law."
00:38:18.89\00:38:21.96
You see,
there's a conflict here.
00:38:22.00\00:38:24.37
Daniel is always saying
that God wins in the end.
00:38:24.40\00:38:28.27
"Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
answered and said to the king."
00:38:28.30\00:38:32.34
I don't know which of
them was the spokesman.
00:38:32.37\00:38:35.74
"Oh Nebuchadnezzar, we have
no need to answer you in this
00:38:35.78\00:38:40.32
matter."
00:38:40.35\00:38:41.65
They said, "Look, this
is an easy question for us.
00:38:41.68\00:38:45.99
If that is the case, our God who
we serve is able to deliver us
00:38:46.02\00:38:51.73
from the burning, fiery furnace
and he will deliver us from your
00:38:51.76\00:38:55.93
hand, O king."
00:38:55.96\00:38:57.60
Now first of all, they say,
"Our God is able and he will."
00:38:57.63\00:39:01.30
That's incredible faith
that they should say that.
00:39:01.34\00:39:05.07
They said, "We're
going to put our God first."
00:39:05.11\00:39:07.34
Now you know, some people would
argue, "Well, when in Rome, do
00:39:07.38\00:39:10.11
as the Romans," and I even meet
some Christians that say, "Well,
00:39:10.15\00:39:13.28
you know, you don't want
to offend them, and so you
00:39:13.31\00:39:16.35
worship their god when
you're in their country."
00:39:16.38\00:39:19.55
No, I think you stand
for God wherever you are.
00:39:19.59\00:39:23.16
You don't compromise your faith.
00:39:23.19\00:39:27.23
And they said, "Our
God is able to deliver us."
00:39:27.30\00:39:31.93
But notice verse 18, "But if
not, if he chooses not to, let
00:39:31.97\00:39:37.77
it be known to you, O king, that
we do not--" like, "we're just
00:39:37.81\00:39:41.11
letting you know right now, we
do not serve your gods, nor will
00:39:41.14\00:39:44.45
we worship the gold
image which you have set up."
00:39:44.48\00:39:46.98
Would all of us have that kind
of resolve as we enter the last
00:39:47.02\00:39:50.15
days, that we know whom we have,
who we serve, and he is able
00:39:50.19\00:39:56.19
to deliver what we've committed
to him against that day.
00:39:56.59\00:39:59.39
We are not going to compromise.
00:39:59.43\00:40:00.80
We know who we have believed in.
00:40:00.83\00:40:03.06
They said, "Even if he doesn't
deliver us, we're not gonna stop
00:40:03.10\00:40:07.30
believing."
00:40:07.34\00:40:08.64
It's like Job said, "Though
he slay me, I'm still going
00:40:08.67\00:40:10.47
to trust him."
00:40:10.51\00:40:12.54
I remember visiting
with a brother years ago.
00:40:12.57\00:40:14.44
He was struggling
with serious cancer.
00:40:14.48\00:40:17.45
Didn't have very good prognosis.
00:40:17.48\00:40:20.52
He said, "Doug, I've prayed
and I've asked God to heal me.
00:40:20.55\00:40:23.08
I know he can.
00:40:23.12\00:40:25.05
But I was reading in Daniel
and it says even if he doesn't,
00:40:25.09\00:40:28.09
I'm going to love and trust him.
00:40:28.12\00:40:30.09
No matter what happens,
I'm not gonna compromise.
00:40:30.13\00:40:34.13
I know God can, but
even if he doesn't."
00:40:34.20\00:40:37.03
If you're a believer and he
doesn't choose to heal you, what
00:40:37.07\00:40:40.64
does that mean?
00:40:40.67\00:40:41.97
Well, you're gonna be
healed in the resurrection.
00:40:42.00\00:40:44.34
He's going to heal you, right?
00:40:44.37\00:40:46.54
You'll get a glorified body.
00:40:46.57\00:40:49.14
They said, "Well, we might
die for our faith, but we expect
00:40:49.18\00:40:52.68
a better resurrection."
00:40:52.71\00:40:55.45
You remember reading in Hebrews,
where it's describing people,
00:40:55.48\00:41:01.56
Hebrews 11, verse 32, "And what
shall I more say for the time
00:41:01.59\00:41:06.26
would fail me to tell of
Gideon, and Barak, and Samson,
00:41:06.29\00:41:09.43
and Jephthah, also David,
and Samuel, and the prophets,
00:41:09.46\00:41:12.83
who through faith subdued
kingdoms, worked righteousness,
00:41:12.87\00:41:16.57
obtained promises,
stopped the mouths of lions."
00:41:16.60\00:41:19.84
Who is Paul thinking of here?
00:41:19.87\00:41:22.64
Daniel.
00:41:22.68\00:41:24.01
"Quenched the
violence of the fire."
00:41:24.05\00:41:25.45
Who is he thinking of?
00:41:25.48\00:41:26.98
Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego, right?
00:41:27.02\00:41:30.32
He said, "Our God who we serve,
he is able to deliver us, and he
00:41:30.35\00:41:33.72
can deliver us
from your hand, O king."
00:41:33.76\00:41:37.69
So the king then, when he hears
that, he says, "Who's going
00:41:37.73\00:41:42.43
to deliver you from my hand?"
00:41:42.46\00:41:44.50
They said, "We're
not gonna bow down."
00:41:44.53\00:41:45.83
Notice in Daniel 3:13,
Nebuchadnezzar in rage and fury
00:41:45.87\00:41:49.10
calls Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego.
00:41:49.14\00:41:52.11
Then after they tell the king,
"We are not gonna bow down.
00:41:52.14\00:41:54.91
You don't have to play
the music a second time."
00:41:54.94\00:41:57.55
Now, some of us
would probably say,
00:41:57.58\00:41:59.28
"Well, I'll tell you what, king.
00:41:59.31\00:42:00.68
Let's play that
music one more time.
00:42:00.72\00:42:02.02
Let's see how I feel.
00:42:02.05\00:42:04.22
Maybe something will happen."
00:42:04.25\00:42:05.99
They said, "You don't even
need to play the next verse."
00:42:06.02\00:42:08.92
They said, "We are
not bowing down," amen?
00:42:08.96\00:42:12.59
Now, verse 19, "Nebuchadnezzar
was full of fury."
00:42:12.63\00:42:16.46
You read in Revelation
about the dragon was wroth.
00:42:16.50\00:42:20.77
And the expression
on his face changed.
00:42:20.80\00:42:23.97
He had been showing them some
sympathy and patience, 'cause he
00:42:24.01\00:42:27.38
said, "Look, you guys, not you.
00:42:27.41\00:42:29.01
I don't wanna
throw the book at you."
00:42:29.04\00:42:32.11
He was willing to, you know,
kind of even blur his own law
00:42:32.15\00:42:35.72
a little bit to
give them more time.
00:42:35.75\00:42:38.65
They said, "We
don't need more time.
00:42:38.69\00:42:40.02
We're not changing."
00:42:40.06\00:42:42.29
Now it says, "His face changed."
00:42:42.32\00:42:43.99
His face probably contorted
with anger and he gives this
00:42:44.03\00:42:48.96
severe, urgent command.
00:42:49.00\00:42:51.80
Someone's going to read for
me Isaiah 43, verse 2 in just
00:42:51.83\00:42:55.30
a moment.
00:42:55.34\00:42:56.64
You get the mic there.
00:42:56.67\00:42:58.01
Let me read Daniel 3:22.
00:42:58.04\00:43:00.38
"Therefore, because the
King's command was urgent
00:43:00.41\00:43:03.71
and the furnace exceedingly hot,
the flame of the fire killed
00:43:03.75\00:43:08.72
those men who took up Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego."
00:43:08.75\00:43:12.59
You know, it's interesting that
the ones who were the accusers
00:43:15.12\00:43:22.06
end up dying.
00:43:22.10\00:43:23.40
What happened to the
people who accused Daniel?
00:43:23.43\00:43:26.94
Daniel gets out of the lions
den; they get fed to the lions.
00:43:26.97\00:43:30.11
What happens to
the Pharaohs soldiers?
00:43:30.14\00:43:33.84
The Red Sea parts for
the Israelites and it drowns
00:43:33.88\00:43:37.18
the Pharaoh's soldiers.
00:43:37.21\00:43:39.31
God always proves his miracles.
00:43:39.35\00:43:44.39
And it tells us
that the fire was so hot.
00:43:44.42\00:43:46.82
Now, you know, up in our cabin
in the hills, one of the things
00:43:46.86\00:43:50.53
we like to do in the
winter is we burn brush.
00:43:50.56\00:43:54.00
Up there, it's still one
of the places in America you
00:43:54.00\00:43:56.30
don't need an Act of Congress
and we use common sense.
00:43:56.33\00:43:59.70
We just wait until
the ground's all wet.
00:43:59.73\00:44:02.64
And we had a little fire
going a couple of weeks ago
00:44:02.67\00:44:05.17
during Christmas.
00:44:05.21\00:44:06.51
We were burning a small
pile, but we've burnt some piles
00:44:06.54\00:44:08.31
up there.
00:44:08.34\00:44:09.68
And you know, it doesn't
matter how much it rains.
00:44:09.71\00:44:11.01
If you get a good fire
going up there, it'll burn.
00:44:11.05\00:44:13.95
You can throw just total wet
stuff in there and it burns it.
00:44:13.98\00:44:17.69
And I've got heavy equipment,
so when I start a brush fire, I
00:44:17.72\00:44:20.72
don't fool around.
00:44:20.76\00:44:22.49
I get a bulldozer and I pile all
this slash and these logs up,
00:44:22.52\00:44:25.76
and it's bigger than a house.
00:44:25.79\00:44:27.66
And it's really fun to burn it.
00:44:27.66\00:44:30.50
And the people 10 miles away
in the town of Covelo at night,
00:44:30.53\00:44:33.70
they see the hills glowing
up by the Batchelors' place.
00:44:33.74\00:44:39.21
But we're not the only
ones, don't worry about it.
00:44:39.24\00:44:40.58
Other people do that.
00:44:40.61\00:44:43.31
And but we've had some fires
going where I underestimated how
00:44:43.35\00:44:46.55
big and hot it was, and I'd pick
up this wet log, and I knew it's
00:44:46.58\00:44:50.62
so heavy.
00:44:50.65\00:44:51.99
And to get it burnt, you can't
throw it by the fire, you've got
00:44:52.02\00:44:53.66
to get in the fire.
00:44:53.69\00:44:54.99
So I'd get a running start and
I run up this big ol' raging,
00:44:55.02\00:44:57.39
pulsating brush fire, and I
threw this wet log in, and I
00:44:57.43\00:45:02.70
realized as I got up there,
I got too close because it
00:45:02.73\00:45:06.77
actually burnt the eyebrows.
00:45:06.80\00:45:08.67
It singed my eyebrows and I got,
like, you know, second degree
00:45:08.70\00:45:11.57
burns on my--it looked
like I'd been in a solar booth.
00:45:11.61\00:45:14.91
And little sparks rained
down on my beanie and singed
00:45:14.94\00:45:19.05
holes in the nylon on my beanie.
00:45:19.08\00:45:21.15
And I thought, "Boy, if I
had gone 6 inches closer, it
00:45:21.18\00:45:23.39
would've blistered me."
00:45:23.42\00:45:26.32
Nebuchadnezzar told them to heat
the furnace seven times hotter.
00:45:26.35\00:45:32.49
Now, I'm sure they didn't have
some accurate measuring devices.
00:45:32.53\00:45:35.80
Just letting us know that it was
seven times hotter than it was
00:45:35.83\00:45:38.13
designed to be
heated to melt gold.
00:45:38.17\00:45:40.90
And that thing is making noise,
and the light inside has got
00:45:40.94\00:45:44.97
a blue light, and it's
pulsating, and you can feel
00:45:45.01\00:45:48.34
the convection is sucking.
00:45:48.38\00:45:50.61
Everything's coming in the
door and going out the chimney.
00:45:50.65\00:45:53.55
It's roaring.
00:45:53.58\00:45:56.28
And he's in a fury.
00:45:56.32\00:45:57.65
He says--his
commandment is so hasty.
00:45:57.69\00:45:59.59
He doesn't even undress them
to try and save their clothes,
00:45:59.62\00:46:02.26
you know?
00:46:02.29\00:46:03.59
At least Jesus, they
undressed him and gambled
00:46:03.63\00:46:04.96
for his clothing.
00:46:04.99\00:46:06.29
They're tied up in
all their fine garments.
00:46:06.33\00:46:08.13
And they get two soldiers
on each side and they run
00:46:08.16\00:46:10.17
towards the mouth, and
they heave 'em up in there, and,
00:46:10.20\00:46:12.30
poosh, they're burned.
00:46:12.33\00:46:14.84
Now, if I was the second group
throwing in Meshach, I would've
00:46:14.87\00:46:19.94
said to the king, "You know,
can we get another volunteer
00:46:19.97\00:46:22.88
for this job?"
00:46:22.91\00:46:25.78
He says, "You better get
him all the way in there."
00:46:25.81\00:46:28.35
Second group runs up
with Meshach and they hurl
00:46:28.38\00:46:30.79
him off in there, and they fall
down screaming and writhing,
00:46:30.82\00:46:32.99
and they die.
00:46:33.02\00:46:34.92
If I was that third group
throwing in Abednego, I'd see if
00:46:34.96\00:46:38.73
I could appeal to the king
and say, "You know, can't we
00:46:38.76\00:46:40.93
catapult them in there?
00:46:40.96\00:46:42.26
Do I have to throw him in?"
00:46:42.30\00:46:45.00
All the soldiers, must have been
at least six, that threw them
00:46:45.03\00:46:49.14
in died.
00:46:49.17\00:46:50.47
The fire was so hot.
00:46:50.51\00:46:51.81
So if anyone says, "Oh,
the hot fire just wasn't hot.
00:46:51.84\00:46:53.17
You know, there's
Fijians that walk on fire.
00:46:53.21\00:46:54.88
It wasn't anything," uh-uh.
00:46:54.91\00:46:58.01
It was a first class miracle.
00:46:58.05\00:47:00.92
They were all burned.
00:47:00.95\00:47:03.82
"Then Nebuchadnezzar
was astonished," verse 24.
00:47:03.85\00:47:07.59
Oh, someone's
going to read for me.
00:47:07.62\00:47:08.92
Yeah, go ahead, read
that verse, Isaiah 43 for me.
00:47:08.96\00:47:11.33
male: Isaiah 43,
verses 2 and 3, "When you pass
00:47:11.36\00:47:15.53
through the
waters, I will be with you,
00:47:15.56\00:47:17.93
and through the rivers,
they shall not overflow you.
00:47:17.97\00:47:21.14
When you walk through the
fire, you shall not be burned,
00:47:21.17\00:47:25.04
nor shall the flame scorch you.
00:47:25.07\00:47:27.31
For I am the Lord your
God, the Holy one of Israel,
00:47:27.34\00:47:30.95
your Savior."
00:47:30.98\00:47:32.85
Doug Batchelor: Amen.
00:47:32.88\00:47:34.18
Now, who lived first: Shadrach,
Meshach, Abednego, or Isaiah?
00:47:34.22\00:47:40.12
Isaiah.
00:47:40.16\00:47:41.49
So could they read
the promise of Isaiah?
00:47:41.52\00:47:44.76
Yeah, Daniel read the prophecies
of Isaiah and Jeremiah, no
00:47:44.79\00:47:47.73
question.
00:47:47.76\00:47:49.06
They read that
promise we just read.
00:47:49.10\00:47:50.40
"When you go through the
fire, I will be with you."
00:47:50.43\00:47:53.07
Did Jesus keep his promise?
00:47:53.10\00:47:55.60
Nebuchadnezzar gets
up astonished and he says
00:47:55.64\00:47:58.11
in haste, "Did we not cast
three men bound into the midst
00:47:58.14\00:48:02.01
of the fire?"
00:48:02.04\00:48:03.35
They said to the king,
"It's true, O king, look."
00:48:03.38\00:48:05.48
He said, "I see four men loose
walking in the midst of the fire
00:48:05.51\00:48:09.78
and they're not hurt,
and the form of the fourth is
00:48:09.82\00:48:12.62
like the Son of God."
00:48:12.65\00:48:14.96
If you go through
trials, who goes with you?
00:48:14.99\00:48:18.06
Does Jesus come to you when
you go through fiery trials?
00:48:18.09\00:48:22.46
Yeah, Jesus was with them.
00:48:22.50\00:48:23.83
How did Nebuchadnezzar
know who that was?
00:48:23.87\00:48:27.94
You know, you read in "Prophets
and Kings," page 508, "The Lord
00:48:27.97\00:48:31.54
did not forget his own.
00:48:31.57\00:48:33.31
As his witnesses were cast
into the furnace, the Savior
00:48:33.34\00:48:36.68
revealed himself to them
in the person, and together--
00:48:36.71\00:48:40.18
in person, and together they
walked in the midst of the fire.
00:48:40.22\00:48:43.62
In the presence of the Lord
of heat and cold, the flames
00:48:43.65\00:48:46.69
lost their power to consume."
00:48:46.72\00:48:49.66
You know what the Bible says?
00:48:49.69\00:48:50.93
If you are walking with the Lord
now, you will be able to endure
00:48:50.96\00:48:55.06
the brightness of his coming.
00:48:55.10\00:48:56.63
What's going to happen to
the wicked when Jesus comes?
00:48:56.67\00:49:00.20
They are destroyed
with the brightness
00:49:00.24\00:49:02.50
of his coming.
00:49:02.54\00:49:04.81
Look in Isaiah 33:14,
"Who among us will dwell
00:49:04.84\00:49:08.94
with the devouring fire?
00:49:08.98\00:49:10.51
Who among us will dwell
with everlasting burnings?
00:49:10.55\00:49:13.78
He who walks righteously, who
speaks uprightly, who despises
00:49:13.82\00:49:18.09
gain and oppressions, who
gestures with his hands refusing
00:49:18.12\00:49:22.19
brides, who stops his
ears from hearing of bloodshed,
00:49:22.22\00:49:25.49
and shuts his
eyes from seeing evil?"
00:49:25.53\00:49:27.93
Those are the ones who will
be able to abide the fire of his
00:49:27.96\00:49:31.60
second coming.
00:49:31.63\00:49:33.20
Bible says, 2 Peter 3, "The day
of the Lord will come as a thief
00:49:33.23\00:49:36.27
in which the heavens will
pass away with a great noise.
00:49:36.30\00:49:39.14
The elements will
melt with fervent heat.
00:49:39.17\00:49:41.48
The earth and the works that
are therein will be burned up."
00:49:41.51\00:49:44.31
You and I need to have lives now
where we can walk in the furnace
00:49:44.35\00:49:47.78
with Christ.
00:49:47.82\00:49:51.19
So Nebuchadnezzar,
he says, "Didn't we--"
00:49:51.22\00:49:53.66
He calls his advisers,
"Just want to double check,
00:49:53.69\00:49:56.59
how many did we throw in?"
00:49:56.62\00:49:59.39
"Three."
00:49:59.43\00:50:00.80
"Well, that's what I thought,
but I see four, and the form
00:50:00.83\00:50:05.20
of the fourth is
like the Son of God."
00:50:05.23\00:50:07.10
How did he know what
the Son of God was like?
00:50:07.14\00:50:11.61
Because he had
spent time with Daniel.
00:50:11.64\00:50:14.34
He knew about
the Jewish Messiah.
00:50:14.38\00:50:17.58
He knew that God
would come to the Earth.
00:50:17.61\00:50:18.98
Nebuchadnezzar knew.
00:50:19.01\00:50:22.25
This is a wonderful testimony.
00:50:22.28\00:50:23.79
Then the king,
he issues a decree.
00:50:23.82\00:50:26.29
He has a decree to throw 'em in.
00:50:26.32\00:50:27.72
Now he has a decree bring
'em out and he calls them forth
00:50:27.76\00:50:32.19
from the fire.
00:50:32.23\00:50:33.53
He says, "Oh, Shadrach, Meshach,
Abednego, come forth, servants
00:50:33.56\00:50:35.56
of the Living God.
00:50:35.60\00:50:37.03
Come forth."
00:50:37.07\00:50:38.60
And they come out and the
Bible says that their hair was
00:50:38.63\00:50:42.94
not singed.
00:50:42.97\00:50:44.27
The only thing burnt was
the ropes that bound them.
00:50:44.31\00:50:46.71
Sometimes God allows us to
go through the fire so that
00:50:46.74\00:50:49.58
the shackles
might burn, so to speak.
00:50:49.61\00:50:53.45
We're liberated.
00:50:53.48\00:50:54.78
They were liberated by the
fiery trial they went through.
00:50:54.82\00:50:58.75
And then Nebuchadnezzar says
in Daniel 3, verse 28, he spoke
00:50:58.79\00:51:04.86
saying, "Blessed be the
God of Shadrach, Meshach,
00:51:05.69\00:51:09.03
and Abednego, who sent his angel
and delivered his servants, who
00:51:09.06\00:51:13.27
trusted in him.
00:51:13.30\00:51:15.04
And they have frustrated
the king's word and yielded
00:51:15.07\00:51:17.41
their bodies that
they should not worship."
00:51:17.44\00:51:19.87
This is something
we're all invited to do.
00:51:19.91\00:51:22.64
"Yielded their bodies that
they should not worship any god
00:51:22.68\00:51:25.48
except their own God.
00:51:25.51\00:51:27.65
Therefore, I make a decree that
any people, nation, or language
00:51:27.68\00:51:32.32
which speaks anything amiss
against the God of Shadrach,
00:51:32.35\00:51:35.32
Meshach, and Abednego, he
will be cut in pieces and their
00:51:35.36\00:51:38.66
houses will be made a heap,
a dunghill, because there is no
00:51:38.69\00:51:42.83
other god that can
deliver like this."
00:51:42.86\00:51:44.90
This is incredible.
00:51:44.93\00:51:46.27
He starts with a threat
that you must worship his god,
00:51:46.30\00:51:48.84
but at the end of the story,
because they stand up for God,
00:51:48.87\00:51:52.21
a witness ends up going
to the world because of their
00:51:52.24\00:51:54.64
fortitude.
00:51:54.68\00:51:56.81
You know, I heard a
pastor say one time, because
00:51:56.85\00:51:59.71
of the faithfulness of those
three Hebrews, God accomplished
00:51:59.75\00:52:02.85
that day on the Plain of Dura
what he had been trying to do
00:52:02.88\00:52:06.09
through the Hebrew
nation their entire history.
00:52:06.12\00:52:10.46
During the entire history of
the nation of Israel, God had
00:52:10.49\00:52:14.36
been trying to get
the Israelites to stand
00:52:14.36\00:52:17.80
up for him, stand up for
his law, live a holy life so he
00:52:17.83\00:52:21.67
might witness to the
other nations through them.
00:52:21.70\00:52:25.44
But he was able to accomplish it
with those three Hebrews while
00:52:25.47\00:52:28.11
they were in captivity what
he had failed to do when Israel
00:52:28.14\00:52:30.75
was free.
00:52:30.78\00:52:32.15
All of the who's who of
those nations that had come
00:52:32.18\00:52:35.25
from everywhere to inaugurate
his idol, that day nobody--
00:52:35.28\00:52:40.52
that poor idol.
00:52:40.56\00:52:41.86
Nobody was paying attention
to that idol at the end
00:52:41.89\00:52:43.22
of the day.
00:52:43.26\00:52:44.56
No one was even
looking at the idol.
00:52:44.59\00:52:45.93
They were looking at the
three Hebrews that had stood
00:52:45.96\00:52:48.56
up for their God and saying,
"What manner of man are these?"
00:52:48.60\00:52:54.17
The smoke did not even--there
wasn't even the lingering
00:52:54.20\00:52:58.07
scent of smoke.
00:52:58.11\00:52:59.41
There wasn't one little
ash-burn on their clothing.
00:52:59.44\00:53:02.81
They were impervious to
the fire because they had put
00:53:02.84\00:53:05.75
the commandments of God ahead
of the commandments of men.
00:53:05.78\00:53:09.28
Will God protect us
through the fiery trials
00:53:09.32\00:53:11.22
of the last days?
00:53:11.25\00:53:13.89
Yeah, he says, "Though you
go through the fire, I will go
00:53:13.92\00:53:15.79
with you."
00:53:15.82\00:53:17.73
How were they
prepared for doing that?
00:53:17.76\00:53:21.70
Through
faithfulness in little things.
00:53:21.73\00:53:23.16
In chapter 1, you can see they
care about things like diet.
00:53:23.20\00:53:27.17
In chapter 6, you see
they had a devotional life.
00:53:27.20\00:53:30.01
Daniel prayed three times a day.
00:53:30.04\00:53:31.54
Not just Daniel,
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
00:53:31.57\00:53:34.11
They knew the
Lord. They worshiped God.
00:53:34.14\00:53:36.18
It's because they worship God
all the time, they weren't going
00:53:36.21\00:53:38.55
to worship an idol.
00:53:38.58\00:53:40.12
They said, "We don't
need a second chance."
00:53:40.15\00:53:43.08
Are we going to face the
same test in the last days?
00:53:43.12\00:53:46.79
You know, because of their
faithfulness, all the world,
00:53:46.82\00:53:50.76
those world leaders, went
away from that experience.
00:53:50.79\00:53:53.90
You think they were
talkin' about Nebuchadnezzar's
00:53:53.93\00:53:55.20
golden image?
00:53:55.23\00:53:57.13
His Golden image
never is mentioned again.
00:53:57.17\00:53:58.90
Never appears in history.
00:53:58.93\00:54:00.54
Probably had the thing
dismantled as a titanic failure.
00:54:00.57\00:54:05.64
But the God of
Daniel, and Shadrach, Meshach,
00:54:05.67\00:54:09.91
and Abednego, he's been
immortalized in Scripture
00:54:09.94\00:54:12.51
because they stood up for God.
00:54:12.55\00:54:14.18
Friends, I pray that we'll
be faithful in the little things
00:54:14.22\00:54:17.05
all the time and so we
can stand in the last days.
00:54:17.09\00:54:21.39
Soon we're going to have
the fury of the dragon, just
00:54:21.42\00:54:23.56
like Nebuchadnezzar was enraged.
00:54:23.59\00:54:25.83
And who is he enraged with?
00:54:25.86\00:54:27.60
The people who keep the
commandments of God and have
00:54:27.60\00:54:30.57
the testimony of Jesus.
00:54:30.60\00:54:32.20
Are you resolved to
stand up for the law of God
00:54:32.23\00:54:33.87
no matter what?
00:54:33.90\00:54:35.50
Be faithful even in the little
things and you'll be faithful
00:54:35.54\00:54:38.77
in much.
00:54:38.81\00:54:40.14
Well, we are out of time.
00:54:40.18\00:54:41.48
And I want to remind you
about our free offer, and that
00:54:41.51\00:54:43.91
offer is a special study guide,
"Amazing Facts" study guide,
00:54:43.95\00:54:47.58
"Saved from Certain Death."
00:54:47.62\00:54:48.92
Goes well with our lesson today.
00:54:48.95\00:54:50.52
If you call the number,
ask for offer number 109.
00:54:50.55\00:54:53.59
You can call, it's free...
00:54:53.62\00:54:57.73
That's...
00:54:57.76\00:54:59.63
Or you can download this.
00:54:59.66\00:55:01.03
If you want to download it,
go right now and text "SH060."
00:55:01.06\00:55:06.60
Text that to 40544.
00:55:06.63\00:55:09.97
You can read that lesson today.
00:55:10.01\00:55:11.84
God bless you, friends.
00:55:11.87\00:55:13.17
We'll study his Word
together again next week.
00:55:13.21\00:55:17.41
male announcer: Don't
forget to request today's
00:55:17.45\00:55:19.01
life-changing, free resource.
00:55:19.05\00:55:21.05
Not only can you receive this
free gift in the mail, you can
00:55:21.08\00:55:23.45
download a digital copy
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00:55:23.49\00:55:25.25
or mobile device.
00:55:25.29\00:55:27.59
To get your digital copy
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00:55:27.62\00:55:30.26
text the key word on your
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00:55:30.29\00:55:34.73
address shown on your
screen, and be sure to select
00:55:34.76\00:55:37.77
the digital download
option on the request page.
00:55:37.80\00:55:40.37
It's now easier than ever
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00:55:40.40\00:55:43.57
with "Amazing Facts" wherever
and whenever you want, and most
00:55:43.61\00:55:47.38
important, to
share it with others.
00:55:47.41\00:55:53.42
Doug: Have you ever worried
that you don't have enough time
00:56:02.76\00:56:04.43
in your days, or you could
add another day to your life?
00:56:04.46\00:56:07.50
Well, perhaps there is a way
for you to add a whole 'nother
00:56:07.50\00:56:10.37
day to your existence.
00:56:10.40\00:56:12.07
Watch how easy it is.
00:56:12.10\00:56:14.77
I just stepped into yesterday.
00:56:14.80\00:56:16.87
No, I'm not talking about
going back to the future or back
00:56:16.91\00:56:19.61
in history.
00:56:19.64\00:56:20.94
I happen to be standing
here in Taveuni, Fiji, one
00:56:20.98\00:56:23.61
of the only places in the world
where the International Meridian
00:56:23.65\00:56:27.05
Dateline runs
through a piece of land.
00:56:27.08\00:56:30.02
People have not always been
able to play with time this way.
00:56:30.05\00:56:33.15
Back in 1878, Sir
Sanford Fleming, a Canadian, he
00:56:33.19\00:56:37.16
recommended to the science
community of the world that
00:56:37.19\00:56:40.00
the globe be divided in 24
even segments, each separated
00:56:40.03\00:56:43.80
by 15 degrees of longitude
that would establish the
00:56:43.83\00:56:47.50
international time system.
00:56:47.54\00:56:50.04
In 1884, there was a
Prime Meridian Conference held
00:56:50.07\00:56:52.71
in Washington D.C.
00:56:52.74\00:56:54.04
to standardize time and
select the point for the Prime
00:56:54.08\00:56:58.31
Meridian, which would
be 0 degrees on the globe.
00:56:58.35\00:57:00.85
It ended up being
Greenwich, England,
00:57:00.88\00:57:02.52
but that's not where we are.
00:57:02.55\00:57:03.85
We are on the polar opposite
side of the planet right now,
00:57:03.89\00:57:07.06
but we're gonna
step into the future.
00:57:07.09\00:57:08.56
You wanna come?
00:57:08.59\00:57:11.13
And look at that.
00:57:11.16\00:57:12.46
The Lord is still
with us, even here.
00:57:12.49\00:57:14.03
He'll continue to
take care of you, friends,
00:57:14.10\00:57:15.53
wherever you go.
00:57:15.56\00:57:16.97
Friends, do you sometimes
worry about the future?
00:57:17.00\00:57:19.13
What will you eat?
Will you have a home?
00:57:19.17\00:57:21.07
Are you going to
still have your job?
00:57:21.10\00:57:23.54
What will you wear?
00:57:23.57\00:57:24.87
Jesus tells us in Matthew
chapter 6, verse 25 through 34,
00:57:24.91\00:57:29.14
"Don't take thought for
tomorrow, for tomorrow will
00:57:29.18\00:57:31.55
take thought for
the things of itself."
00:57:31.58\00:57:33.45
He tells us that he
feeds the birds and he clothes
00:57:33.48\00:57:36.38
the flowers.
00:57:36.42\00:57:37.72
He'll take care of us.
00:57:37.75\00:57:39.09
We know that God
will watch over us.
00:57:39.12\00:57:40.59
He forgives the past,
he promises to be with us
00:57:40.62\00:57:43.96
in the present, and he
will continue to lead us
00:57:43.99\00:57:46.56
in the future, but you've just
got to give yourself to him.
00:57:46.59\00:57:49.73
I invite you to
do that right now.
00:57:49.76\00:57:52.07
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00:57:52.33\00:57:56.60
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00:57:57.31\00:58:07.25
¤¤¤
00:58:07.65\00:58:17.19
¤¤¤
00:58:17.66\00:58:27.60