¤ ¤
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Can you guess who's the most
popular and powerful super hero
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of all time? There's many
to choose from today. Superman,
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Wonder Woman, Batman,
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Holt, Spiderman, Captain America
and Ironman, to name just a few.
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By definition, these fantasy
figures are brave, courageous,
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faithful, fearless and embody
life and hope. They've morphed
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from the realm of big legend and
fantasy into larger than life
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characters who captivate our
world today through radio, film,
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television and electronic games.
Who's the most popular and
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powerful of them all? Well I
don't know. I guess that could
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be debated forever because
remember, they're just fictional
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characters. There's nothing real
about them. But I'd like to tell
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you about one of my all-time
favorite super heroes and he's
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for real. There's nothing
fictional about him. He's the
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real deal. Like all superheroes
he's brave, courageous, faithful
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fearless and yes embodies life
and hope. He represents the very
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best attributes of humanity
and the ultimate force for good
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imaginable. He represents us at
our very best. He's an ideal of
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humanity's true values and
morals and is a real life human
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being, one of us. Not
some distant icon, some fantasy
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figure. His selflessness,
compassion and his desire to
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always do the right thing
are traits that we can all learn
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from and aspire to. So stay
tuned to hear about one of the
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greatest real life super heroes
our planet has ever seen. It may
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be, must maybe, we'll discover
the secret of how to develop
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some of these super hero
attributes for ourselves.
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¤ ¤
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Daniel. The very name of this
super hero of God brings vivid
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images to our minds. Dreams of
world empires, golden statues,
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fiery furnaces, lions' dens,
horns, beasts, powerful angels
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delivering mysterious end time
prophecies, the rise and fall of
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great empires through the
corridors of time. Few people
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have seen more action packed
into one lifetime than Daniel.
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Today we're going to look at
the life and times of Daniel and
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consider the special message
he has for us today. This is
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Daniel's story.
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¤ ¤
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We go all the way back to the
year 605 B.C. A great Babylonian
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warrior king, Nebuchadnezzar,
went on the war path. He set out
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to invade Jerusalem. In fact the
Bible tells us that this ancient
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king made three invading trips
to Jerusalem. Three times he led
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his mighty army 1500 km
from Babylon across the fertile
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crescent to Jerusalem, and each
time inflicted a more severe
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punishment. On his first trip in
605 B.C. he took home with him
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many of the precious utensils he
found in Solomon's golden temple
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and in addition he and his
troops took hostage a selected
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number of Jewish young people
and Daniel was one of those
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taken prisoner. Daniel and his
fellow captives were taken north
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from Jerusalem along the
Mediterranean coast, then east
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to Carchemish and south along
the Euphrates River and finally
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into Babylon located near the
modern day city of Baghdad in
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Iraq. The journey covered over
1500 km and probably took about
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two months. They would
have known in their hearts that
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they'd probably never see
their homes or families again.
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One thing you can say about a
long forced march like that one
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is it either breaks you or
makes you and by the time Daniel
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arrived in Babylon he'd made
some very important decisions.
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Now if you think you live in
a high pressure environment, if
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you think you have to succeed
in a hostile, very secular world
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then you'll want to get to
know Daniel and you'll be very
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interested in what happened
next. You see he rose to
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incredible heights and did so in
an alien land. His captors tried
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their best to reprogram him
but he ended up reprogramming
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history. As a bright young
member of Jerusalem's nobility,
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Daniel had been chosen to serve
in Nebuchadnezzar's palace. The
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Babylonians wanted to retrain,
reteach and reprogram him.
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Eventually they wanted him to
worship their God and represent
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their interests. Some of
the retrained young men would be
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sent off to rule portions of
the vast Babylonian empire and
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that's the predicament Daniel
found himself in walking in the
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shadow of Babylon's glorious
temples and palaces. He was
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surrounded by an alien
and alluring culture with very
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different values and his captors
were determined that their
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values would become his values.
They wanted to get Babylon
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inside him and Babylon had
it all. It was appealing and
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tempting to a bright young mind.
Babylon was an advanced, highly
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developed, innovative and
sophisticated society. Way back
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in those days they knew
all about solving quadratic
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equations, reciprocals, squares
and square roots, cube and cube
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root. In fact, they were
so advanced that some of their
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system has come down to us
today. They were the ones who
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came up with 60 seconds in a
minute, 60 minutes in an hour
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and 360 digress in a circle.
And Babylonian astronomers were
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world leaders. They carefully
recorded eclipses and knew how
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to interpret and predict them.
They'd also introduced bills,
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promissory notes, receipts,
letters of credit, compound
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interest and even a system
of checks. But Babylon was also
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a world leader in some other
kinds of knowledge and practices
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The dark arts: Magic, pagan
mythology, astrology, divination
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and sorcery permeated
their society and Daniel was
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surrounded by all this new,
exciting and alluring culture
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with very different values. And
that's the challenge that faces
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many of us today. We are
surrounded by a culture that is
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increasingly secular. The values
we see promoted all around us
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are often opposite from our own.
The demands of a materialistic
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world tend to stifle spiritual
life. In the razzle dazzle of
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graphic images all around us
God is usually left out of the
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picture. So the question is,
how do we hang onto important
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values in a hostile environment?
How do we keep our faith in the
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middle of Babylon? Amazingly
enough Daniel succeeded in doing
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that against all the odds. He
thrived in a hostile environment
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After all the attempts to
reprogram him, his faith was
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still standing, his values were
still standing tall. I believe
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that this young Hebrew has a
lot to tell us about succeeding
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spiritually in a secular
environment. So let's look at
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what happened to Daniel in exile
There was a plan for Daniel and
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some of the more promising
of the captives. Here's what it
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says in Daniel
chapter 1 and verse 5:
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Daniel and his friends were to
have Babylon's finest. They were
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privileged but there was a catch
This is isn't just kindness.
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It's a deliberate strategy to
turn Daniel and his friends into
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Babylonians through and through.
Many of these foods violated
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the health principles and
regulations of his religious
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beliefs. They'd been declared
unclean in the scriptures
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and much of it
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had been offered to idols and
for sure the intoxicating wine
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isn't on his approved list. The
law that God gave to the Hebrews
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contained instructions about
diet and they'd become a part
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of Daniel's identity. So the
Babylonians were really saying
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eat like us, conform to our
customs and as the saying goes,
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beggars can't be choosers. A
captive has to eat whatever is
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placed before him. Who were
these exiles to turn down the
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delicacies of the king himself?
So what was Daniel to do? Well
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this is what he did. Look at
Daniel chapter 1 and verse 8:
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I love those five words, Daniel
purposed in his heart. He made
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up his mind. He made a
resolution that he was going to
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be faithful to God. He resolved
he wasn't going to lose his
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identity bit by bit. He wasn't
going to just keep quiet. Daniel
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asked the chief steward if he
could eat something else. This
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man balked. He was afraid to
change the menu that the king
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had ordered. But here Daniel
showed his true colors. This
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young man proposed what
was perhaps the world's first
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comparative dietary
study. Here's what it says in
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Daniel chapter 1
verses 12 and 13:
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What was Daniel saying here?
He was saying that he and his
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friends would do better if they
stuck to God's principles and
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followed the diet that he
had prescribed. And furthermore,
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Daniel said that he could prove
it. He could prove it in just 10
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days. The steward reluctantly
agreed. Two menus were served
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for 10 days and at the end
of that period Daniel and his
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friends looked healthier than
everyone else. They were doing
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just fine without all that
wine and rich food. Daniel has
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something important to teach us
here. When his values stuck out
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a bit in the crowd he
didn't apologize. He didn't make
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excuses. He wasn't embarrassed
about being different. No Daniel
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was confident that God's
way was best. God's principles
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produced the best kind of life.
Daniel was sure about that. If
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God's way was best in Jerusalem,
it would be best in Babylon;
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simple as that. So what can we
do to keep our faith strong in
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the middle of Babylon? Well
first of all, be confident that
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God's way is best. If God's
way is just a bunch of rules, if
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you're just conforming to his
will because you have to, then
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you'll conform to something else
when you have to. God's way is
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best for you. Believe that.
Become convinced of that. If you
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do, you'll stand tall in any
environment. Now let's look at
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another challenge young Daniel
faced in Babylon. One night King
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Nebuchadnezzar lay awake
fretting about a dream that he'd
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had and couldn't quite remember
it. It seemed like it was
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important. It seemed like it
meant something, but he couldn't
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for the life of him recall what
he'd seen. So, in the morning
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the king summoned his wise
men, his magicians, enchanters,
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sorcerers and astrologers.
He wanted to know what his dream
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meant. They answered confidently
Tell us your dream and we'll
00:14:01.90\00:14:06.34
interpret it. But Nebuchadnezzar
replied, No, you tell me what I
00:14:06.37\00:14:10.98
dreamed. He figured if they were
so great at revealing mysteries
00:14:11.01\00:14:15.45
and interpreting dreams, then
they ought to be able to also
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tell him what he'd dreamed. Well
the wise men turned pale. They
00:14:19.95\00:14:25.36
couldn't get inside the king's
head. They couldn't tell the
00:14:25.39\00:14:29.76
king what he'd dreamed. No one
could do that but the gods, they
00:14:29.80\00:14:33.23
said, and they don't live among
men. Well Nebuchadnezzar did not
00:14:33.27\00:14:38.77
like to be disappointed so
he ordered all the wise men
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executed, and that included
Daniel and his friends even
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though they weren't present.
Well hearing the soldiers were
00:14:46.58\00:14:51.22
on their way Daniel prayed
earnestly to God. He prayed to
00:14:51.25\00:14:54.79
the God who reveals deep and
secret things. He prayed for an
00:14:54.82\00:14:59.26
answer. And then Daniel got up
off his knees and asked to see
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the king. Daniel did
indeed get an audience before
00:15:03.83\00:15:07.37
Nebuchadnezzar and this is what
he said to him as recorded in
00:15:07.40\00:15:11.44
Daniel chapter 2
verses 27 and 28:
00:15:11.47\00:15:15.94
Daniel didn't really have the
answer for the king. He didn't
00:15:34.50\00:15:38.87
claim to possess secret
knowledge as did the other
00:15:38.90\00:15:40.94
Wiseman. He didn't claim to have
special powers but he did know
00:15:40.97\00:15:46.17
a God in heaven who reveals
secrets. He knew a God who had
00:15:46.21\00:15:51.11
the answers. And on that fateful
day Daniel, the Hebrew captive,
00:15:51.15\00:15:58.25
proceeded to tell Nebuchadnezzar
precisely what he had dreamed.
00:15:58.29\00:16:01.52
The king had seen the image of
a huge metal man made of gold,
00:16:01.56\00:16:07.53
silver, bronze and iron. He
watched as a stone smashed into
00:16:07.56\00:16:13.44
the statues feet and broke the
entire image into pieces. Then
00:16:13.47\00:16:19.04
Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar that
in this dream God was giving him
00:16:19.07\00:16:23.45
a glimpse into the future.
In fact, he was showing him the
00:16:23.48\00:16:28.12
broad sweep of history right
down to the climax of earth's
00:16:28.15\00:16:32.52
history. The image represented
a future succession of empires
00:16:32.55\00:16:38.99
from Babylon to Medo-Persia to
Greece and Rome and then on into
00:16:39.03\00:16:43.26
the time of modern Europe. That
stone represented the kingdom
00:16:43.30\00:16:49.17
of God, which will never be
destroyed. This is one of the
00:16:49.20\00:16:53.81
most remarkable prophecies in
the Bible. It covers thousands
00:16:53.84\00:16:57.58
of years of world history and
it pictures the succession of
00:16:57.61\00:17:02.75
world empires with amazing
accuracy. Daniel would rise to
00:17:02.78\00:17:07.59
an honored and trusted place
in Nebuchadnezzar's government
00:17:07.62\00:17:10.66
and he did it by not hiding his
faith, by not compromising his
00:17:10.69\00:17:16.73
values. He did it by showing
people around him that God has
00:17:16.77\00:17:21.30
answers. Don't think that
God's truth shrinks just because
00:17:21.34\00:17:26.51
you're surrounded by Babylon, by
the secular city. God still has
00:17:26.54\00:17:31.78
answers. God's truth is still
relevant. So when you feel the
00:17:31.81\00:17:37.35
walls of Babylon closing in,
remember, first of all, believe
00:17:37.39\00:17:43.12
that God's way is best.
Second show people that God has
00:17:43.16\00:17:50.33
answers. Now let's look at
one more challenge Daniel faced
00:17:50.37\00:17:53.47
while exiled in
Babylon. Later we find Daniel
00:17:53.50\00:17:57.14
appearing among the
00:17:57.17\00:17:58.51
governors of King Darius.
Now this is a remarkable fact.
00:17:58.54\00:18:02.58
Because Darius was a Mede. He
ruled the Medo-Persian empire.
00:18:02.61\00:18:08.22
That's the empire that defeated
and succeeded Babylon. A king's
00:18:08.25\00:18:13.46
right hand man doesn't stick
around when a kingdom collapses
00:18:13.49\00:18:17.29
or is overthrown. He's usually
lucky to keep his head. But
00:18:17.33\00:18:22.46
Daniel had become such a
valued advisor that he retained
00:18:22.50\00:18:27.04
a place in court even after
Babylon fell and the Medes and
00:18:27.07\00:18:31.34
Persians came to power. In fact,
Daniel became one of the three
00:18:31.37\00:18:37.38
most powerful men under King
Darius in the whole Medo-Persian
00:18:37.41\00:18:41.58
empire. Here's
what the Bible says in
00:18:41.62\00:18:43.99
Daniel chapter 6 and verse 3:
00:18:44.02\00:18:46.32
Well not everyone, of court,
was thrilled with this idea.
00:18:59.13\00:19:04.47
High officials in fact were
becoming more and more jealous
00:19:04.51\00:19:08.58
of this foreigner among them,
this foreigner who'd risen to
00:19:08.61\00:19:12.48
such a high position. They began
conspiring against him. They
00:19:12.51\00:19:17.82
looked for something to accuse
him of, some indiscretion, some
00:19:17.85\00:19:22.29
way he'd used his position for
personal gain. But they couldn't
00:19:22.32\00:19:26.70
come up with a single thing. So,
they focused on his religion.
00:19:26.73\00:19:30.83
Maybe they could that to trap
Daniel, maybe they could trip
00:19:30.87\00:19:35.64
him up over religion. Daniel was
never a part of the worship of
00:19:35.67\00:19:40.61
idols. He had always worshipped
one God, the God of heaven. So,
00:19:40.64\00:19:45.28
these officials laid a careful
trap for the Hebrew. They
00:19:45.31\00:19:49.88
approached King Darius one day
with a flattering suggestion.
00:19:49.92\00:19:53.99
How about having a King Darius
month? All petitions should be
00:19:54.02\00:19:58.73
directed to the monarch during
this 30-day period. Anyone who
00:19:58.76\00:20:03.67
prays to any other God or
man should be cast into a den of
00:20:03.70\00:20:08.37
lions. Well Darius thought this
was a nice gesture of loyalty.
00:20:08.40\00:20:13.44
He signed the decree into
law. Soon Daniel heard about the
00:20:13.48\00:20:18.88
decree and he realized he
was in trouble, big trouble. He
00:20:18.91\00:20:24.32
couldn't pray to Darius anymore
that he could pray to a log. But
00:20:24.35\00:20:29.62
what should he do. Well it was
only a month. Surely the God of
00:20:29.66\00:20:33.76
heaven could live without his
prayers for that long. Maybe he
00:20:33.80\00:20:39.27
could simply hide the fact that
he was petitioning Jehovah, the
00:20:39.30\00:20:43.61
one true God, and not King
Darius. Well this is what the
00:20:43.64\00:20:47.71
record says Daniel did when he
got home. It's found in chapter
00:20:47.74\00:20:52.28
6 and verse 10 of
the book of Daniel.
00:20:52.31\00:20:54.48
Look at his courage, look at his
faith. Daniel prayed to the God
00:21:10.67\00:21:16.30
of heaven. He wasn't
showing off. He wasn't making a
00:21:16.34\00:21:20.41
spectacle of his faith. He
was simply following his custom.
00:21:20.44\00:21:24.95
That was Daniel's custom. It's
what he'd been doing for years,
00:21:24.98\00:21:29.92
praying to the God who
had revealed himself in such a
00:21:29.95\00:21:33.46
special way in that Jerusalem
temple. He'd prayed to the God
00:21:33.49\00:21:37.19
of heaven as a youth carried off
into exile. He'd prayed to the
00:21:37.23\00:21:42.86
God of heaven when presented
with the king's delicacies. He'd
00:21:42.90\00:21:46.40
prayed to the God of heaven when
facing execution along with the
00:21:46.43\00:21:50.21
wise men. He'd prayed to the God
of heaven when empires collapsed
00:21:50.24\00:21:56.01
and kingdoms changed hands and
he was praying still steadfastly
00:21:56.04\00:22:01.28
facing Jerusalem. It was a
matter of principle for Daniel.
00:22:01.32\00:22:04.29
He wasn't going to deny his
God in order to accommodate an
00:22:04.32\00:22:09.46
arbitrary decree. No. He would
simply live out his faith as was
00:22:09.49\00:22:15.40
his custom since early days.
Those jealous officials took
00:22:15.43\00:22:21.00
notice. They spotted him at his
window and hurried off to court
00:22:21.04\00:22:24.74
to report his violation.
King Darius was dismayed when he
00:22:24.77\00:22:30.81
learned that his trusted friend
Daniel had been caught. He
00:22:30.85\00:22:35.02
realized too late the true
intent of that decree, but he
00:22:35.05\00:22:39.25
couldn't change the royal law.
So, Daniel was thrown into a
00:22:39.29\00:22:45.53
den of lions. He spent an entire
night with these hungry beasts.
00:22:45.56\00:22:51.43
But in the morning an anxious
King Darius found him still
00:22:51.47\00:22:54.70
standing, alive and well. Here's
how Daniel put it as recorded
00:22:54.74\00:22:59.61
in Daniel chapter 6 and verse 22
00:22:59.64\00:23:03.38
How do we keep our faith strong
in the middle of Babylon. We do
00:23:09.15\00:23:15.22
what Daniel did. We aim to
please God. Now that may sound
00:23:15.26\00:23:21.00
simple, but the aim is really
important. Because a lot of
00:23:21.03\00:23:25.50
times our aim is toward other
people. We're worried about what
00:23:25.53\00:23:30.44
they think of us. We're
worried about what they might be
00:23:30.47\00:23:33.44
whispering behind our back.
We're concerned about being
00:23:33.48\00:23:39.08
excluded or looked down on. In
a very secular environment, we
00:23:39.11\00:23:43.18
often aim one eye at God and the
other at the people around us.
00:23:43.22\00:23:46.96
But Daniel prayed with both eyes
on the God of heaven. His aim
00:23:46.99\00:23:52.33
was true. His heart was strong.
He aimed to please God, not his
00:23:52.36\00:23:57.73
jealous peers. That's what gave
his life meaning and stability.
00:23:57.77\00:24:04.31
That's how we survive and thrive
in the middle of Babylon. First
00:24:04.34\00:24:09.24
believe that God's way is best.
Secondly, believe that God has
00:24:09.28\00:24:15.32
answers and thirdly, aim to
please God. Do this and you'll
00:24:15.35\00:24:20.79
come to know for yourself
that in every situation, every
00:24:20.82\00:24:25.79
environment, God is faithful.
Daniel shows us how to keep
00:24:25.83\00:24:30.43
faith intact even as an exile,
even after the fall of Jerusalem
00:24:30.47\00:24:36.91
Even after his whole world had
collapsed, his faith was still
00:24:36.94\00:24:40.68
standing. His values were still
standing tall. Are you still
00:24:40.71\00:24:45.85
standing today or do you feel a
bit pressured, a bit worn down?
00:24:45.88\00:24:50.85
Has your faith taken a beating
lately? If you're swaying
00:24:50.89\00:24:56.26
instead of standing please
reach out to Daniel's God today.
00:24:56.29\00:24:59.46
Determine that you'll
keep standing with the God who
00:24:59.49\00:25:04.80
reveals secrets, the God who
plans the future, the God who
00:25:04.83\00:25:07.74
can keep us safe even in the
lions' den. Determine that in
00:25:07.77\00:25:12.81
your heart right now as we pray.
00:25:12.84\00:25:16.51
Dear Father, thank you for
giving us the shining example
00:25:16.54\00:25:21.45
of Daniel in the courts of
Babylon. Thank you for being
00:25:21.48\00:25:25.15
trustworthy. Thank you for
coming through in all kinds of
00:25:25.19\00:25:30.19
circumstances. We want to trust
you more completely today. We
00:25:30.23\00:25:34.40
affirm the fact that you
have the answers. Our aim is to
00:25:34.43\00:25:39.73
please you always. Accept our
commitment now in the name of
00:25:39.77\00:25:43.24
our Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.
00:25:43.27\00:25:48.34
The story of Daniel has
encouraged and inspired people
00:25:48.38\00:25:53.38
all over the world. Few people
have seen more action-packed
00:25:53.42\00:25:57.59
into one lifetime than Daniel.
He was indeed one of God's real
00:25:57.62\00:26:02.89
life superheroes. Sometimes
we can feel overwhelmed when
00:26:02.92\00:26:08.66
struggling with the challenges
of life in a hostile and secular
00:26:08.70\00:26:12.00
world. But if you're looking for
ways to live a better life and
00:26:12.03\00:26:16.71
find inner peace and true
happiness, if you'd like to get
00:26:16.74\00:26:20.61
closer to God, then I'd like
to recommend a free gift we have
00:26:20.64\00:26:23.78
for all our viewers today. It's
a free Bible reading guide on
00:26:23.81\00:26:29.38
the book of Daniel. This booklet
is our gift to you and is
00:26:29.42\00:26:33.99
absolutely free. There are no
costs or obligations whatsoever.
00:26:34.02\00:26:37.56
So, make the most of this
wonderful opportunity to receive
00:26:37.59\00:26:41.70
the gift we have for your today.
Here's the information you need:
00:26:41.73\00:26:46.10
Phone or text us at 0436333555
in Australia or 0204222042 in
00:26:46.13\00:26:59.18
New Zealand or visit our website
www.tij.tv to request today's
00:26:59.21\00:27:07.96
free offer and we'll send it to
you totally free of charge and
00:27:07.99\00:27:11.29
with no
obligation. Write to us at:
00:27:11.33\00:27:32.15
Don't delay.
Call or text us now.
00:27:32.18\00:27:36.25
If you've enjoyed today's
journey to ancient Babylon and
00:27:36.28\00:27:40.79
our reflections on the life and
times of Daniel, then be sure to
00:27:40.82\00:27:44.89
join us again next week when
we will share another of life's
00:27:44.93\00:27:48.46
journeys together. Until
then remember the ultimate
00:27:48.50\00:27:53.57
destination of life's journey.
Now I saw a new heaven and a new
00:27:53.60\00:27:57.27
earth. And God will wipe
away every tear from their eyes.
00:27:57.31\00:28:00.94
There shall be no more death nor
sorrow nor crying. There shall
00:28:00.98\00:28:05.21
be no more pain. For the
former things have passed away.
00:28:05.25\00:28:09.38
¤ ¤
00:28:09.42\00:28:25.67