Participants: Pastor Kenneth Cox
Series Code: TOTE
Program Code: TOTE000002
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00:02 Can you believe it?
00:04 Can you build your faith on it? 00:08 The promises of God's Word are sure. 00:12 They do not fail! 00:17 This book has stood the test of time. 00:31 Father in Heaven, 00:34 Tonight as we look at how You have 00:40 revealed in Your Word 00:43 the history of mankind... 00:46 as we see with what accuracy 00:49 You have predicted the events long before they ever took place 00:54 we pray that You will help us 00:58 to realize and to understand and to believe. 01:03 May we place faith in You. 01:09 Give us the wisdom and the understanding that we need 01:14 to see, to grasp the things that are revealed. 01:20 And may our hearts be open; may they be soft. 01:23 May they be prepared for the dwelling of the Holy Spirit 01:27 in our lives. For this we ask in Christ's name, Amen. 01:39 If you turn to the book of 01:41 Revelation - the 17th chapter 01:44 of the book of Revelation - you'll find that it says this. 01:48 Verse 12: 01:57 Now this is Revelation the 17th chapter, folks. 02:00 This is coming right down to the end of God's Word. 02:04 He's talking here about 10 kings that have received 02:10 no kingdom as yet. 02:12 Goes on and says: 02:20 So these 10 kings who have received no kingdom as yet - 02:25 they're going to receive a kingdom - 02:27 and it says when they do receive a kingdom 02:30 they're going to rule for 1 hour with the beast. 02:33 So what we need to find out this evening 02:36 is who are these ten kings? 02:39 We need to establish who those 10 kings are 02:43 and what meaning does it have to you and me today. 02:47 That's what we need to establish tonight 02:49 because those 10 kings you're going to find out 02:52 are very, very important. 02:55 In fact, they affect your life today and my life. 03:01 And it says that they've received no kingdom 03:04 but they are going to receive a kingdom. 03:06 And they'll rule for 1 hour as kings with the beast. 03:10 And as we study, we're going to find out exactly who all 03:13 these different characters that I mentioned to you are. 03:17 We're going to find out who these 10 kings are. 03:19 We're going to find out who this beast is. 03:21 We're going to put all those things in place 03:24 so that you'll recognize them 03:26 and you'll know exactly who they are. 03:28 Scripture tells us here in the book of Daniel - 03:31 we're taking a look at the book of Daniel tonight - 03:33 that you and I can recognize those individuals, 03:37 those characters. We'll be able to see who they are. 03:40 But there's a lot of people as we've moved into the 03:43 21st century that kind of feel like the world 03:46 is out of control. They... And really, all you have to do 03:50 is take a look at the television or the newspaper 03:54 or dwell on some of those things and I guess you could say 03:58 from a human standpoint... it's out of control. 04:02 But it is not out of control as far as God is concerned. 04:07 Listen to these words: 04:21 So it says that God has made all mankind from one blood. 04:25 Watch carefully: 04:32 He's made all... every individual... 04:35 but is says that God has "pre- determined their appointed times 04:42 and the boundaries of their dwellings. " 04:47 God has done that. 04:49 He's the One that establishes when someone comes to power 04:53 and when they don't. He's the One that establishes 04:56 what their boundaries are. 04:58 You and I think that they get together and they decide 05:01 what the boundaries of one nation is after another. 05:03 No! It says that God decides that. 05:06 That takes place with God. 05:08 He's the One that declares that. 05:10 And so you and I begin to see 05:13 that the world may be out of control 05:15 as far as man is concerned 05:16 but it's not out of control as far as God is concerned. 05:21 The Bible talks of a king by the name of Nebuchadnezzar. 05:28 Nebuchadnezzar is the leading monarch of the world 05:33 at this time in history. 05:35 There's no king as great as Nebuchadnezzar at this time. 05:40 He is the greatest of all kings. 05:43 And it says that one night he had a dream. 05:47 That dream made a profound impression upon Nebuchadnezzar. 05:52 And when he woke up the next morning he knew that he had had 05:55 a very, very important dream 05:58 but for the life of him he couldn't recall it. 06:01 Tried but he couldn't recall it 06:03 but yet he knew it was important. 06:06 And so he called in all of his wise men. 06:10 Called them in and told them that he had had a dream, 06:13 he knew it was important, and for them to tell him 06:17 what he dreamed. 06:19 Now what you've got to understand, folks, 06:21 is these wise men that he's called in... 06:24 they're specialists. 06:26 They're specialists in interpreting dreams. 06:29 In fact, as they have done excavations over in that 06:33 part of the world, they have found whole libraries 06:36 that didn't deal with anything other than dreams. 06:41 They studied dreams. They looked at dreams. 06:43 They were specialists in this. 06:45 And so he called them in and said: 06:47 "Tell me... tell me what I dreamed. " 06:51 They said: "Well, king, you tell us what you dreamed 06:55 and we'll tell you what it means. " 06:58 Nebuchadnezzar said: "I'll tell you what. 07:01 You tell me what I dreamed 07:03 and then I know for sure you can tell me what it means. " 07:07 And they said: "King, the gods up in heaven 07:11 wouldn't even make such a request. " 07:13 They said: "There's no way for us to tell you 07:16 what you dreamed. You tell us what you dreamed, 07:20 we'll tell you the interpretation. " 07:21 And the more they talked, the madder Nebuchadnezzar became. 07:27 In fact, finally he became so angry 07:30 he said: "Kill them all! 07:32 They're of no value to me. 07:35 They're nothing but a bunch of pawns. 07:36 Get rid of the whole bunch. " 07:38 And thus the scripture reads: 07:45 I mean, he sent out the decree and said: 07:48 "Get rid of all of them. " 07:49 And they went out and started killing the wise men. 07:59 Well, you see, Nebuchadnezzar - when he had gone down 08:02 and had overthrown Israel 08:05 he had the captain of his guard get about 70 of the young men 08:10 of Israel - intelligent young men - 08:13 and had them brought back to Babylon 08:16 to study there in the courts 08:18 to serve in the court of the king as wise men. 08:22 Four of these young men were special. 08:24 Their names were Daniel, 08:26 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 08:29 They were very, very special. 08:31 They had been found to be ten times wiser 08:36 than all the other wise men of Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom. 08:41 But when Nebuchadnezzar called in his wise men 08:45 he didn't call them in 08:47 because they were young, they were novices. 08:50 They were just starting. You know how that goes, don't you? 08:53 Huh? Why I remember before I went away to school 08:57 they said: "You've got to go get an education. " 09:00 They said: "If you want to do anything, 09:02 you've got to get an education. " 09:05 So I said: "OK. " 09:07 And I went... went to school. 09:10 Got an education. And then when I got out of college, 09:13 got through with my education, 09:16 got out in the field... you know what they said? 09:18 They said: "Well, you really... you can't do anything 09:21 till you get some experience. 09:23 You've got to have experience if you're going to be able 09:25 to do anything. " And so then I said: "OK. " 09:28 And then when I got the experience 09:30 they said: "Ah, you're too old. " 09:32 Isn't that the way that goes? 09:35 You know... so they didn't bring in these young men. 09:37 They were novices; they were just too young. 09:40 But when Nebuchadnezzar gave the decree 09:43 to kill all of them, he included them. 09:45 And so they sought Daniel and his companions to kill them. 09:50 Now, Daniel did something that you and I 09:55 need to look at very, very carefully 09:59 because Daniel asked if he could have time to pray. 10:05 Now folks, let me tell you something... 10:08 there's nothing as strong in the Christian life as prayer. 10:13 More will be accomplished by prayer 10:17 than you and I ever dreamed of. 10:20 And so Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego 10:24 they got together and they prayed that God would reveal 10:28 to them what Nebuchadnezzar had seen in his dream. 10:33 And God did just that... 10:35 showed them what Nebuchadnezzar had seen in his dream. 10:39 And then when they got through with that 10:42 you know what happened? 10:44 Why Daniel ran in and told the king what he had seen, right? 10:48 No... no. 10:51 When they got through praying and God revealed to them 10:54 what Nebuchadnezzar had seen, 10:57 then they took time to thank the Lord. 11:01 Let me tell you something, 11:03 the other thing in the Christian life that is extremely powerful 11:07 is praise. 11:09 To praise God. I want you to listen to Daniel. 11:12 This is what he's saying... 11:13 Daniel 2 verse 20: 11:22 See, he's praising God for what He's done. 11:24 He says: "Wisdom and might is Yours. " 11:35 God's the One that does that. 11:44 Oh, you thought you did that didn't you? 11:47 Huh? You thought you were the one that elected presidents 11:50 of the country. Sorry. 11:53 It's God that raises up kings and takes them down. 11:58 You and I might think... 12:00 but God is the One that controls that. 12:03 He sets up kings and He takes them down. 12:07 Daniel is thanking God for this: 12:16 And so he thanks God for what He has done 12:18 and He has shown to them the dream. Now, 12:22 Daniel is going to go in before king Nebuchadnezzar 12:26 and tell him what he saw in his dream. 12:30 Daniel 2 verse 27: 12:47 He said: "King, you have all these wise men, 12:51 all these magicians, all these soothsayers, 12:54 all these... can't they tell you what you dreamed? " 12:59 See... because they're experts. 13:02 They're experts in dreams. 13:17 "Ah, " he said... "I can't either. 13:20 I don't have any more knowledge than any of the rest, 13:23 Nebuchadnezzar, but there's a God up in heaven 13:27 that revealeth secrets. 13:29 He has made known to the king what's going to be 13:33 in the... " when? 13:36 "latter days. " 13:38 That's talking about the time in which you and I are living. 13:41 The day in which you and I are living... 13:43 the latter days. 13:45 "He has revealed what is to take place. " 13:49 "Your dream and the vision of your head 13:52 upon your bed were these. " Now watch 13:55 as he reveals exactly what king Nebuchadnezzar saw. 13:59 Tells him in absolute detail what he saw in vision. 14:20 Now here stands this great image. 14:24 Nebuchadnezzar now... it all comes back in vivid color 14:29 to him and he sees this great image that was awesome. 14:33 Let's see what the image is like. 14:58 There stands that image. 15:00 All of a sudden here is a stone that is cut out without hands... 15:35 This is the dream; that's what Nebuchadnezzar saw. 15:39 This is the dream. 15:40 Nebuchadnezzar now can remember it... all that he saw. 15:44 And then he says: "Now we will tell the interpretation 15:47 before the king. " 15:48 So now, Daniel has not only told him what he's seen 15:54 he said: "Now I'm going to tell you what it means. " 15:57 Now this dream deals with what, folks? 16:02 What? 16:04 The latter days. 16:06 OK, so you've got to understand, 16:09 we're not studying just any prophecy. 16:11 We're studying the prophecy that deals with the latter days: 16:15 the days in which you and I are living. 16:18 So you need to watch carefully 16:20 because God's Word is very, very important 16:24 when it reveals to us things that are going to take place. 16:30 So he tells king Nebuchadnezzar this is what he saw: 16:58 Very, very clear... no question. 17:01 He said: "Nebuchadnezzar, you are this head of gold. " 17:07 You see the kingdom of Babylon lasted 70 years. 17:12 That's all it lasted was 70 years. 17:15 Of those 70 years, Nebuchadnezzar ruled 40 of them. 17:19 So he said: "Nebuchadnezzar, you are this head of gold. " 17:25 Nebuchadnezzar was one of the greatest generals 17:29 that the world has ever known. 17:32 He never... never once... did he ever lose a battle, not once. 17:37 And because of all the places that he conquered and overthrew 17:42 he took the money - the gold that he gathered 17:45 from all over the world - and he lavished that 17:48 upon the city of Babylon. 17:50 Babylon came into existence 17:53 in 605 BC 17:57 and lasted to 539 BC. 18:01 That was the time that it lasted. 18:03 Babylon... this head of gold. 18:06 The city of Babylon became known world-wide. 18:11 Great, great city that Nebuchadnezzar had built. 18:15 This is where one of the seven miracles of the world - 18:19 the seven hanging gardens... 18:21 You see Nebuchadnezzar's wife was from the plain. 18:26 Excuse me, Babylon sat on the plain. 18:29 Nebuchadnezzar's wife was from the mountain country, 18:32 and so he had built for her those seven hanging gardens 18:36 to remind her of her mountain home 18:39 where she grew up as a child. 18:41 And so it's one of the great wonders of the world. 18:43 But Nebuchadnezzar had taken and he had lavished 18:47 upon this city all kinds of things. 18:50 The city was huge. 18:52 Around the city was walls. 18:55 The walls around the city of Babylon were thick enough 18:59 that you could race two chariots side by side 19:02 around the top of the wall. 19:04 The city was looked upon as being impossible to overthrow. 19:10 They could close the gates to the city 19:13 and historians tell us they had enough food 19:17 inside the city to last them for 40 years. 19:21 So as far as overthrowing it, 19:24 impossible. 19:26 Here God has given Nebuchadnezzar a vision 19:30 and He said: "You are this head of gold. " 19:33 Nebuchadnezzar had built that city, 19:36 and he never wanted that city ever to come to an end. 19:40 In fact, as they have done excavations over in Babylon 19:46 they found a tablet like this with writing on it. 19:51 This is what that tablet said, folks. 20:09 Nebuchadnezzar didn't want that city to ever end. 20:13 He said: "maybe it will last forever. " 20:17 But now we just studied, and it says that God is the One that 20:21 raises up kings and takes them down, right? 20:24 He's the One that sets their pre-appointed borders. 20:28 God does that. 20:32 Now I don't know all of you yet, 20:34 I hope by the grace of God 20:36 we'll have a chance to get better acquainted 20:38 with each one of you. 20:40 But if there's some of you here tonight 20:42 or if there's some of you out there that are watching 20:45 in homes around the world, 20:47 and there's some of you that have questions 20:49 about the Word of God... 20:51 There may be some of you that think this book is a good book. 20:55 There may be some of you here tonight that say: "Well, 20:59 it's... it's a good book of morals. " 21:01 It is. 21:03 And there may be some of you saying 21:04 "Well, it's a good book of history. " 21:06 It is. 21:08 And there may be some of you that say: 21:10 "Well, it's a... it's a good book of literature. " 21:12 It is. 21:15 It's more than that... MUCH more than that. 21:19 This book is divine. 21:21 This book is divine. 21:24 If you think it isn't, 21:26 then I want you to listen to this prophecy 21:29 in Isaiah about the city of Babylon. 21:33 Listen to what it says about it because Babylon 21:35 lies in ruins tonight, and there's a man over there 21:38 by the name of Saddam Hussein 21:41 that doesn't understand this book. 21:43 And he keeps thinking that he can do something 21:47 that the scripture says he can't do. 21:49 See? 21:52 He keeps seeing that maybe there is a possibility 21:56 for Babylon to come back. 21:59 Scripture says it won't happen. 22:02 Listen. 22:03 This is the ruins of Babylon today. 22:07 This is what it says about it: 22:23 Hmmm, said Babylon will be like Sodom and Gomorrah. 22:28 He doesn't stop there; he becomes very, very clear. 22:51 Said: "The city's going to be in ruins. 22:53 It's never going to be inhabited. " 22:55 He said: "The shepherds won't even stay there. " 23:10 Dear friend, if you don't believe in this book 23:13 and you don't believe that it's inspired, that it's divine, 23:16 then you need to answer this prophecy 23:18 in Isaiah the 13th chapter. 23:21 You better know... you better know something 23:26 that you and I as humans don't know 23:29 when you say: "That city will never be inhabited. " 23:32 God said that concerning Babylon. 23:36 The glory of the Chaldeans, their pride... 23:40 would never be inhabited. 23:44 But the dream doesn't stop there. 23:47 God continues on 23:49 and He says to Nebuchadnezzar: 23:59 "Oh, He said, "Nebuchadnezzar, there's going to come another 24:02 kingdom, and it's going to rise and it's going to be 24:06 inferior to yours. " Just the same as silver 24:09 is inferior to gold - OK? - 24:13 so He said the next kingdom would be inferior. 24:15 And dear friend, remember tonight 24:18 it's God that raises up kings; 24:23 it's God that takes them down. 24:25 Because the next kingdom that came on the scene of action 24:29 was the kingdom of Medo-Persia. 24:32 Medo-Persia overthrew Babylon 24:36 in 539 BC 24:40 and it lasted or went to 331 BC. 24:44 There's a general of the Medes and the Persians: 24:50 his name is Cyrus. 24:53 Cyrus has gathered the Medes and Persians together. 24:58 Now folks, listen. This is a coalition of two powers. 25:02 This is the Medes and the Persians; they've come together. 25:06 That's why this image has two arms of silver... 25:10 because you've got two nations that are coming together 25:12 to make one power. 25:14 Unfortunately, that's why in your history books 25:17 when you went to school it was called the Persian kingdom. 25:20 Because the Persians were stronger than the Medes. 25:23 But they... it was really a coalition of two powers: 25:26 the Medes and the Persians. 25:28 Cyrus brought them together. 25:31 Cyrus took his army and they marched on the city of Babylon. 25:36 OK? 25:39 They closed all the gates to the city of Babylon. 25:42 The people even went up on top of the wall 25:46 and threw food to Cyrus and laughed at him 25:49 because the city could not be taken. 25:55 Now if there's some of you still that are not really convinced 26:00 that this book is divine, 26:02 if you're... if you're having trouble really believing 26:06 that this is a book that you can put your trust in, 26:08 that this is a book that you can put your confidence in, 26:11 and you can say: "I can believe it, I can follow it. 26:14 I can trust it; I can build my confidence on this book. " 26:17 If you're having trouble that way tonight, 26:19 then listen to this... 26:22 Isaiah the 45th chapter verse 1: 26:27 God calls... 26:29 God calls Cyrus by name - 26:34 listen to me, folks - 150 years 26:38 before he was born. 26:40 Calls him by name 150 years before he's born. 26:45 Not only calls him by name but He tells exactly 26:49 how he will overthrow the city of Babylon. 26:51 It's God that sets up kings and God that takes them down. 26:56 Listen to this: 27:09 Listen. 27:17 Exactly what He said he was going to do. 27:21 They crawled up on the wall. 27:23 They threw food to Cyrus and laughed at him. 27:27 Cyrus took his men... marched down the Euphrates river. 27:32 The Euphrates river, folks, 27:33 flows right through the middle of the city of Babylon. 27:37 You can see it here. 27:39 Flows right through the heart of the city of Babylon. 27:43 They had built walls down each side of the Euphrates river 27:47 so that there was no way that people could get into it. 27:51 Cyrus took his men. 27:53 They marched down the Euphrates river 27:56 and at a selected spot he had his men begin to dig canals. 28:01 Now let me tell you how worried the people in Babylon were. 28:05 Cyrus sent out a spy, 28:08 and he found out that on a certain night 28:11 that they were going to have a great big party. 28:14 Now here Cyrus has surrounded them; 28:17 they know they're under siege. 28:19 And what are they doing? 28:20 They're partying. 28:22 Having a great big party. 28:24 Cyrus decides that that night he will take the city. 28:27 He has his men break the dikes of those canals, 28:30 divert the Euphrates river into those canals. 28:33 And he and his men march up the muddy bottom 28:37 of the Euphrates river. 28:39 The gates - the two lead gates, the doors 28:42 that opened from the river into the city... 28:46 the guards were drunk and the gates were open. 28:50 And just as the scripture prophesied 28:53 Cyrus and his men marched through those gates 28:55 into the city and took it as God said he would. 28:59 Thus God sets up kingdoms 29:02 and takes them down. 29:04 He is the One who is in control. 29:06 But it doesn't stop there. 29:09 It says: 29:16 Third kingdom of bronze now is going to rule. 29:20 One of the great phenoms of history takes place, folks. 29:24 Probably one of the greatest generals 29:26 the world has ever known 29:28 by the name of Alexander the Great. 29:31 The Grecian empire - Greece - 29:35 overthrew Medo-Persia in 331 BC. 29:41 Greece is going to last to 168 BC. 29:45 Alexander the Great 29:48 met Darius of the Medes and Persians 29:52 on the plains of Arbela... 331 BC. 29:56 Listen: Darius of the Medes and Persians 30:00 has 1,000,000 men. 30:04 Alexander the Great has 40,000. 30:10 And Alexander the Great instituted a new type of warfare 30:17 and overthrew Darius. 30:19 Just as God said! 30:23 Under the leadership of Alexander the Great 30:25 he took his army now - a young man - 30:28 and marched them for 7 years 30:32 without ever going home. 30:34 They took everything that their hand touched. 30:38 When it says that he would rule over the earth, 30:41 Alexander the Great's kingdom was indeed that. 30:44 It ruled the earth. 30:46 Marched them clear to the borders of the country of India. 30:50 Thus the scripture says that the third kingdom of bronze 30:55 would rule. But then it continues... it says this... 30:59 One historian had this to say about Alexander the Great: 31:26 You see, God called him into existence. 31:32 Three kingdoms... the scripture speaks of a fourth one. 31:38 Daniel 2 verse 40: 31:54 So it speaks of this fourth kingdom. 31:57 The fourth kingdom that is to rule was Pagan Rome. 32:01 Rome overthrew Greece 168 BC. 32:07 God referred to it as the iron kingdom of Rome. 32:12 It crushed everything that was before it. 32:16 This is the power, folks, that is ruling at the time 32:20 Jesus was born. 32:22 Because you remember it was the decree of Caesar Augustus 32:26 that sent Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem to pay their taxes. 32:31 You remember it's the same power 32:34 that's ruling at the time Jesus died, because 32:37 it was a Roman soldier that stuck the spear in His side. 32:40 It was a Roman soldier that put the crown of thorns on His head. 32:43 Rome... Rome ruled from 168 BC 32:49 to 476 AD... 32:52 ruling longer than any other kingdom at that time. 32:57 The iron monarchy of Rome. 32:59 A historian by the name of Gibbons 33:02 had this to say about it: 33:16 Now, if you and I were writing history 33:22 and we said there'd be this kingdom and this kingdom, 33:27 and this kingdom and this... there'd be four kingdoms, 33:29 you probably would have said there would have been a fifth. 33:31 See? But God... I keep telling you... 33:35 God's the One that says what happens. 33:38 So watch: 33:44 Now you're understanding what we've done, don't you? 33:46 We're coming down that image. 33:48 We've come all the way from the head clear down to where? 33:52 Feet and the toes. Let me ask you something. 33:55 What is there after feet and toes? 34:00 Huh? 34:01 Nothing, OK? 34:03 We're down to the end. Get it clear. 34:05 We're down to the feet and toes. 34:17 Here we've had four kingdoms and now God all of a sudden 34:21 says: "That's it. From this time on 34:23 the kingdom is going to be divided. " 34:26 Friend, go back and read your history. 34:28 That's exactly what happened! 34:32 Do you understand what we're saying here tonight? 34:35 I'm studying with you from the book of Daniel. 34:38 OK? Do you know when the book of Daniel was written? 34:42 Back around 500 BC. 34:46 Do you know what we're talking about now? 34:48 We're talking about Rome down in 476 AD. 34:53 I mean, here's over 1,000 years. 34:57 And God has predicted with absolute accuracy 35:01 everything that has taken place 35:04 a thousand years before it happens here. 35:07 OK. The kingdom shall be divided. 35:18 So He said the kingdom's going to be divided. 35:20 It's going to be like iron and it's going to be like clay. 35:38 Kingdom going to be divided. 35:40 Rome... have you ever read about Rome? 35:45 Rome is responsible for civilization, folks. 35:50 Up until the time that Rome was there 35:55 civilization didn't advance very much. 35:57 Rome is the one that came in and made the waterways safe. 36:02 They're the ones that made the road safe. 36:05 They made it possible for people to travel. 36:08 Their soldiers marched down the road carrying plaques that said: 36:12 Pax Romana. 36:13 Pax Romana... Roman peace. 36:16 They were the ones that let civilization spread 36:19 across the world. 36:21 They ruled! And God says: "No. 36:26 It's going to be divided. " 36:28 What happened? 36:30 One of the great phenoms of history 36:33 when all of a sudden great masses of people 36:37 all moved at one time. They were called barbarians. 36:43 They were known as the Goths. 36:46 They were tribes of people, 36:48 and they moved down on the Roman Empire 36:51 and broke it apart. Broke it to pieces. 36:54 They were such tribes as the Anglo-Saxons, the Franks, 37:00 the Heruli, the Vandals, the Bergundis. 37:03 All these different tribes moved down on the Roman Empire 37:07 and broke it into pieces. 37:11 Now... now you and I become involved. 37:16 OK? 37:18 Because these 10 Germanic tribes 37:23 came down and broke up the Roman Empire. 37:27 And by the way, did you notice 37:30 Did you notice as we were studying 37:32 that that image had two legs? 37:34 Hmmm? Did you know that Rome is made of two divisions? 37:38 Eastern and Western Rome. 37:41 That's why the image has two legs... two legs of iron. 37:45 OK. They came down and they ran over the Roman Empire 37:50 and broke it up. And those Germanic tribes 37:53 became the nations of western Europe today. 37:58 You see, the Alamanni became the Germans. 38:04 The Bergundis became the Swiss. 38:07 The Franks became the French. 38:09 The Lombards became the Italians. 38:11 The Saxons became the English. 38:13 The Suevi, Portuguese, 38:15 and the Visigoths the Spanish. 38:17 You notice there's three there: Heruli, Vandals, and Ostrogoths, 38:23 that were destroyed. 38:25 On Wednesday night I'll tell you why they were destroyed 38:31 and when they were destroyed. 38:32 God's Word tells you that very, very clear... 38:36 so you don't want to miss that 38:38 when we talk about the rise 38:40 of the Antichrist 38:41 on Wednesday night. 38:43 It'll tell you why they were destroyed. 38:45 But these became the nations of western Europe. 38:48 OK. Now let's take the scripture farther and see what it 38:52 tells us here. 39:01 Now I need you tonight to remember that phrase 39:04 "they will mingle with the seed of men. " 39:07 We're going to come back to that. 39:08 Said: "As you saw iron mixed with clay, 39:11 they will mingle with the seed of men.. " 39:19 So God said: "They're going to try... 39:22 They're going to try to unite the kingdom back together 39:25 but it will not adhere. " 39:29 Well, you remember your history, don't you? 39:33 These Germanic tribes moved down on the Roman Empire... 39:38 broke it up 476 AD. 39:40 It's not too many years after that 39:43 until a man comes to rule by the name of Charlemagne. 39:48 He's that little fellow right up there at the top. 39:51 Charlemagne decides that he's going to establish 39:55 his holy Roman Empire. 39:58 That he's going to bring all of Rome back together. 40:03 That was his ambition; that's what he wanted to do. 40:06 A historian said of Charlemagne 40:10 that his empire wasn't holy, it wasn't Roman, 40:14 and it wasn't an empire. 40:16 Because he wanted to do that, but he died 40:19 a disappointed man... not able to do it. 40:23 Do you know why he couldn't do it? 40:26 Huh? Do you know why he couldn't do it? 40:29 Because God said he couldn't. 40:31 I mean that's just very simple. God just said "No, 40:34 the kingdom's going to be divided. " 40:36 But we don't learn very quick, folks. 40:39 You know, we don't... Many times we read what it says 40:43 and we say: "Well, that really couldn't be true. " 40:46 And so we move a few more years 40:48 and we come to this fellow right up here 40:50 by the name of Charles V. 40:52 And Charles V decides he's going to unite all of Europe 40:57 back together. Launched Europe into a blood bath... 41:02 but was never able to bring it back together. 41:05 Died without seeing his dream fulfilled. 41:08 Then we come to another man in history... 41:11 one by the name of Louis XIV of France. 41:15 You ever read in history about his famous Sunrise Kingdom? 41:19 Louis was a very interesting character. 41:22 He was going to bring all of Europe back together. 41:25 Louis was a very, very fancy dresser. 41:29 He really liked to dress. 41:30 You remember a few years back... quite a few years back now, 41:34 when they had these shoes that had very thick soles on them 41:37 and real tall heels on them? Remember that? 41:39 People wore that... they thought that was the latest fashion. 41:41 Well it wasn't. Louis wore them back then. 41:44 So they've been around a long time. But Louis was 41:48 not able to get his Sunrise Kingdom together. 41:51 Died without seeing it fulfilled because God said: 41:55 "The kingdom's going to be divided. " 41:58 This brings us to probably one of the greatest military 42:02 geniuses the world has ever known: 42:05 Napoleon Bonaparte. 42:09 Napoleon decides he is going to unite Europe. 42:15 And I mean he set out to do just that: 42:18 to unite all of Europe back together. 42:23 Do you know what defeated Napoleon? 42:26 Huh? 42:28 Do you know what defeated him? 42:29 I know some of you are saying: "Oh, yes, I know. 42:31 The Duke of Wellington at Waterloo. " 42:33 No, that isn't what defeated Napoleon. 42:36 What defeated Napoleon was something very, very small 42:42 called a snowflake. 42:45 That's what defeated him. 42:46 You see, Napoleon took his army and marched them 42:49 into Russia, and in the matter of a few months 42:51 they were in Moscow and had it in flames. 42:54 And it looked like there was nothing that could stop 42:57 Napoleon. 42:59 And then he took his army and they started to leave Russia 43:02 and it snowed and it snowed and it snowed 43:08 and the temperature dropped lower and lower and lower 43:12 until almost half of Napoleon's army froze to death. 43:18 And his army was in no physical condition 43:22 to meet the Duke of Wellington at Waterloo 43:25 because it's God that sets them up 43:28 and God that takes them down. 43:30 Now, in case some of you here still tonight 43:33 are struggling and you're saying "Well, I'm not real sure I can 43:38 I can put everything, all my confidence in this book. 43:42 I'm not real sure of that that I can do that, " 43:45 then let me share something else with you. 43:48 You see this man here? 43:50 His name is Kaiser Wilhelm. 43:55 He's the emperor of Germany, OK? 44:01 It says they would "mingle with the seed of men. " 44:07 Remember that text? They would "mingle with the seed... " 44:09 That's an old English term, folks. 44:11 It means they would intermarry. 44:15 That's what it means: they would intermarry 44:17 trying to bring the kingdom back together. 44:20 Now if you don't believe what this book says 44:24 then let me ask you to do something. 44:27 Go to the library. 44:30 By the way, you won't have any trouble getting in. 44:32 It's not over-crowded. 44:34 OK? You can get in without any trouble. 44:36 And look it up... You'll find at the time 44:40 of Kaiser Wilhelm every... every king, every queen 44:46 of Europe was related. 44:48 They had intermarried - 44:51 all of them - until they were all related. 44:53 So that one historian when he talked about the first World War 44:57 he said the first World War wasn't anything but a great big 45:00 family argument. That's pretty true. 45:03 As God said, they would intermarry 45:06 trying to bring it all back together. 45:08 But they couldn't. 45:11 And as the first Word War was coming to an end and 45:14 people were dancing in the streets of Europe, 45:16 in the mind of a young paperhanger 45:19 was dancing visions of a 1,000 year Reich. 45:22 His name was Adolph Hitler. 45:25 Adolph Hitler decided that he wouldn't just rule Europe... 45:30 he would rule the world 45:33 and set out to bring all the world 45:37 under his 1,000 year Reich. 45:40 Now dear friends, I could tell you many, many stories 45:44 about the hand of God and what took place 45:48 during the second World War. 45:50 That God said: "The kingdom would be divided; 45:53 it would not be united, " 45:55 and because of the hand of God that is exactly what happened. 46:00 Because God said it would be that way. 46:03 OK. So what I've taken you is we started 46:07 with that head of gold and we've come all the way down here 46:10 and now we're in the feet and toes. 46:13 Now listen carefully. 46:27 That's in the days of Germany, England, France... 46:32 In the days of these kings we've talked about 46:34 the God of heaven is going to set up a kingdom. 46:42 So in the days of these ten kings - the ten toes 46:46 referred to there in Daniel... 46:48 All right. Now... "It shall break in pieces" 46:57 So it says that God's kingdom 46:59 is going to come in the days of these kingdoms 47:02 and it's going to break them into pieces 47:04 and it will stand forever. 47:07 Now, follow me. 47:19 All right. Now I'm going to Daniel the 7th chapter, folks. 47:24 We've established that those ten toes are ten kings 47:28 right down here at the end of time. 47:30 Now listen carefully. 47:32 The ten horns are what? 47:42 So in Daniel 7 there's ten kings. 47:44 Let's go to Revelation 12. 47:47 Speaking of Daniel 7, excuse me, 47:53 We'll talk about that on Wednesday night. 47:55 Revelation 12: 48:10 So here in Revelation 12 there is a beast that 48:14 has ten horns that represent ten kings. 48:18 And then when we go to Revelation 17 it says: 48:34 Now what I'm trying to tell you tonight, 48:38 what you need to get clear in your thinking, 48:41 is here we have in Daniel 7- I mean Daniel 2- 48:45 we have ten kings. 48:47 Daniel 7 we have ten kings. 48:50 Revelation 12 we've got ten kings. 48:54 Revelation 17 we've got ten kings. 48:57 In every one of those, all are the same ten kings. 49:03 In every one of those prophecies 49:05 they are the same ten kings. 49:08 They are Germany, France, Switzerland... 49:12 they are those very same ten Germanic tribes. 49:16 What I'm trying to get across to you tonight 49:19 is that God is consistent. 49:22 God will not fail. 49:24 He's consistent all the way through His Word. 49:27 And I promise you that as we study these prophecies 49:30 they're going to open up and you're going to see this 49:32 beast in Revelation... in Daniel 7 49:36 and the great red dragon in Revelation 12 49:39 and this beast in Revelation 17, 49:41 you're going to see exactly who they are, 49:43 who they represent, and what they mean. 49:46 It'll be consistent all the way through. 49:49 So, those are the same ten kings. 49:54 What does that mean? 49:56 That means today things are happening in Europe. 50:02 You see, it says: "they have received no kingdom as yet. " 50:07 OK. But you are living at the time in which you're seeing 50:12 all of a sudden the nations of Europe coming together. 50:15 What is called the Common Market 50:18 or the European Community. 50:21 When that happens, folks, that will be the largest 50:25 political, economical block in the world. 50:31 That's what it will be. 50:33 They are coming together forming one power: 50:39 the European Community. 50:56 Europe... This is their poster. 51:01 It shows the Tower of Babel, OK? 51:05 And it says Many Tongues, One Voice. 51:11 Do you understand? 51:13 Do you know that last year this European Community 51:18 decided to take and put their army together? 51:22 It is now the largest army on earth... 51:26 the one that they have. 51:29 When I went to Europe a short while back 51:33 it was no different than crossing the United States. 51:37 I showed my passport when I went into the country 51:40 and I never showed it another time... 51:42 and I traveled across nation after nation. 51:45 They're all coming together, just exactly... 51:48 They are not only coming together 51:50 in political views and concepts 51:53 but they're coming together also when it comes to finances. 51:56 They now have the Euro, 51:58 and that is gaining more momentum all the time. 52:02 So what I'm telling you tonight is you're living 52:05 at the time that these ten kings who have received no kingdom 52:10 you're seeing that all come together 52:12 and they're going to form a power. 52:15 That's what you're seeing. 52:17 And the scripture says that happens in the last days. 52:22 Now dear friend, what I'm asking you 52:26 is: can you believe it? 52:29 Can you build your faith on it? 52:32 "In the days of these kings, the God of heaven will set up 52:36 a kingdom. " 52:45 Listen, folks. 52:55 So it says that the dream "is certain. " 53:00 No question about it... the dream is certain! 53:03 Now I want to ask you something. 53:05 If God gave a prophecy, OK, 53:10 and one event after another in that prophecy 53:13 took place exactly as God said it would, 53:19 I mean with uncanny accuracy 53:22 everything fit exactly as God said it would, 53:26 and 90% of that prophecy 53:30 has been fulfilled just exactly as God said it would be, 53:34 then let me ask you - and the last 10% was still future - 53:39 do you think that will be ful- filled as God said it would be? 53:42 You better believe it will be. 53:45 This prophecy I've shared with you tonight 53:48 has happened exactly as God said it would. 53:53 We only have a little bit of that prophecy 53:55 left to be fulfilled. And you'd better believe 53:58 it'll happen just like God said it would. 54:01 "The dream indeed is sure... certain; 54:07 the interpretation is" what? "sure. " 54:11 Absolutely. So tonight 54:15 you and I can build our faith on this book. 54:19 You don't have to be in doubt about it, dear friend. 54:23 This book has stood the test of time. 54:28 It's been around thousands of years. 54:32 It has never failed and it will NEVER fail. 54:36 God will guide and direct your life 54:39 just as sure as anything. 54:41 He will help you and I prepare for the coming of Jesus Christ. 54:47 Can't be far off... because in the days 54:50 of these kings, the Lord is going to set up a kingdom. 54:55 Tonight, the Lord is coming. Are you ready? 55:01 The Lord's coming. 55:04 It can't go on much longer. 55:06 There's nothing left after the feet and toes. 55:09 We're down at the end. 55:12 Are you ready for the Lord to come? 55:17 Why will you wait, my brothers? 55:23 The promises of God 55:26 are all true. 55:31 Jesus bought your life 55:35 on Calvary's mountain, 55:41 and soon He will come again 55:47 for you. 55:52 The Lord is coming, 55:57 are you ready? 56:04 The Lord is coming, 56:09 are you ready? 56:17 Would your heart be right 56:23 if He came 56:26 tonight? 56:31 The Lord is coming, 56:37 are you 56:39 ready? 56:49 Let us pray. 56:51 Heavenly Father, 56:55 tonight we have seen how You with 57:00 one stroke of the pen 57:04 have outlined the whole history of mankind. 57:08 Lord, help us not to be weak in faith. 57:15 May we put our confidence in You. 57:18 May our hearts be open. 57:20 May we accept Jesus Christ into our lives as our Savior. 57:26 As we sense that we are living down in the end time 57:33 when everything is coming to a close... 57:37 One of these days soon You'll be setting up Your kingdom... 57:42 we ask, Lord, that each one of us may have a place 57:45 in your kingdom. Not because we're worthy 57:49 or not because of things we have done, 57:52 but because we've accepted You as our Savior. 58:01 To obtain a copy of this program or for more information 58:04 please write to: |
Revised 2014-12-17