Discover Prophecy-2 How Ancient Babylon Foretold the End of the World by David Asscherick

[Music] [Music] [Music] well last night we said that we are here for four reasons and I just like to quickly reiterate those for you the first reason we are here is to try and demonstrate that we are living in the time of the end that we are living in strange times unusual times and it is my studied conviction that we are living in the very time of the end foretold in the Bible and particularly in the great prophecies of Revelation the second reason that we're here is we want to show you from a biblical perspective how this world is going to end many people are insecure about that very thing they know that things don't seem quite right there's just something in the air something says that we are on the verge of something big and so we want to take a look from a biblical perspective not just from one man's perspective or one man's idea but from the Bible's perspective how is this whole thing going to wrap up the third reason we're here is that so we can be ready for these things because this is not just an intellectual exercise we actually want to be ready for the things that are being foretold in the Bible can you say amen to that that's number three to be ready and number four is to stay ready that's why we're here and I hope that's why you're here in getting started with our message tonight everyone should have received a study guide as you came in tonight I hope you did we ask that as you come in night by night you'll just have to register one time that's not something you have to do every night we just want you to register that once that helps us to know how many materials to prepare we'll be giving away some books later in the seminar and also some magazines and other materials and so it's very helpful for us to know exactly how many people were dealing with but if you'd like to take out that study guide there let's just look at the opening paragraph and as we did last night you remember you can basically follow along with the entire presentation right there on your study guide did you get all of your blanks filled in last night yes or no okay who got all of them filled in oh man I have to slow down a little bit I'll do my best so let's take a look at our opening paragraph there on study guide number two it says many are wondering when or if the world will ever come to an end this question has intrigued mankind since the dawn of time but does the Bible have anything to say about this subject the answer is yes it has much to say in fact the Bible is the only reliable guide concerning this subject we will soon see before going into the details of one of the Bible's most incredible prophecies let us first note the four essentials of Bible prophecy the four essentials of Bible prophecy now someone said to me last night as we concluded our presentation that the bibl II is an acronym that stands for the basic instructions before leaving Earth have you heard that before the basic instructions before leaving Earth and I want to thank Kevin for sharing that with me last night we looked at this verse Isaiah chapter 46 verses 9 and 10 God says remember the former things of old for I am God and there is no other I am God and there is none like me declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done that is the definition of prophecy you remember from last night's presentation that a prophecy is a foretelling of future events or a prediction God here says in Isaiah chapter 46 I'm God no one else's God and I'll prove it I know the end from the beginning and I can declare the future before it takes place then we went to the New Testament the very words of Jesus in the Gospel of John fourth book of the New Testament chapter 14 verse 29 jesus said and now I have told you what is that next word before it takes place so that when it does take place you may what everyone believed now that just makes good sense a historian can tell us about the past a news anchor person could tell us about the present and the current events but God is saying I can tell you about more than just the past more than the present I can tell you about the future with perfect accuracy Jesus says I'll tell you before it happens so that when it does happen just as I've said you may believe I used to not be a Bible believer in fact I share that with you briefly last night I've been a Christian for exactly nine years and I praise the Lord for what he's done in my life but until the age of 23 years old I didn't believe in the Bible I didn't believe in I didn't believe in any of that I thought it was all fairytales and foolishness but when I encountered the very prophecy that I'm going to share with you tonight it literally changed my life one prophecy changed my life and I'll tell you more about that as the seminar goes on let's look at the four essentials of Bible prophecy you'll note these right in your study guide there the first one number one says the first essential of Bible prophecy that is why is Bible prophecy given number one to set the God of the Bible apart from other gods as the one everyone as the true God that's exactly right in fact our story tonight our prophecy tonight will be a perfect illustration of that point prophecy is given to set the God of the Bible apart from other gods as the true God number two the second essential of Bible prophecy to accurately reveal the future and thus create faith in the heart of the hearer of course it just stands to reason that if someone or some being could consistently perfectly accurately tell us what was going to happen in the future we would put confidence in what that person has to say some people wonder about Nostradamus they say oh look at this sky he knew the future and when statisticians go back and look at his predictions he was right some like ten or fifteen percent of the time I want to give you some news tonight God is right 100% of the time in fact we're going to look at a prophecy tonight that is just so thrilling so powerful in its ability to create faith in the heart of the here so reason number one to set the God of the Bible apart from any other God as the true God and number two to create faith in the Bible as God's inspired Word third essential of Bible prophecy and this is a critical one to reveal to the hearer the thoughts and what's that next word their priorities of his heart I want to say something here that's very important we do not put on these Bible prophecy seminars merely as an intellectual or an academic exercise we are not just here to satisfy idle curiosity can someone say amen to that God didn't give the prophecies in the Bible like a circus trick or a card trick hey look at me I'm God I can pull a rabbit out of a hat no no no when God gives us these prophecies it's to let us know I'm alive God is saying I'm alive I'm real and I should be the preeminent priority in your life when we start thinking about things more important than sports and entertainment and must-see TV and all of the accoutrements and paraphernalia that clutter our lives we start thinking about ultimate things why am I here where am I going where am i from we start thinking about the real things that matter in life God is at the center of all of those things can you say Amen we start thinking about prophecy God says I'm going to put my finger on the pulse of what's really important in your life we're going to see that tonight to reveal to hear the thoughts of the priorities of his heart God is not just here to give us prophecy so we can stand back like in our art gallery and say who isn't that marvelous isn't that beautiful isn't that tricky isn't that wonderful no God gives us prophecy to change us to what everyone to change us in fact you find this consistently in the Bible it says that the wise don't understand but the foolish do understand in other words it's not your wisdom that enables you to understand the Bible it's your willingness to obey what God says in the Bible that affects your ability to understand it here's the simplest way to remember that I will is more important than IQ did you get that I will is more important than IQ when it comes to understanding the Bible as we said last night the Bible was written for the common person is it a blessing to the scholar is it a blessing to the academic of course it is but the common person can understand the great and wonderful things in the Bible can you say amen to that and number four and probably most importantly of these four essentials is to introduce the hearer to who everyone Jesus Christ and his heart's need of him those are the four essentials of Bible prophecy notice they're right at the bottom just below that on your study guide it says these four essentials constitute the core reason that Bible prophecy was given Bible prophecy is not given merely to accommodate and satisfy mankind's curiosity about the future and I love this next sentence here Bible prophecy serves a moral purpose that is to affect conversion and transformation in the heart of the hearer if this makes sense I want you to say Amen this is these are the four essentials of Bible prophecy take for example Hebrews chapter 4 verse 12 for the word of God is living and active it's not an antiquated book it's not simply an ancient book dusty with with the annals of time no no no the Word of God is living and active sharper than any two-edged sword piercing to the division of soul and spirit and of the joints and Morrow now look at this last part here and discerning the thoughts and intents of the heart the author of Hebrews says God's book is alive the Bible is alive and God's Word can put the finger of God on your heart and a way to really let you know what is important in life what really are your priorities and then second Peter chapter 1 verse 19 Peter says we have something more sure he's actually talking in context about the evidence of his senses he says we have something more sure than the evidence of our senses what is more sure than the evidence of your senses Peter the prophetic word to which you do well to pay attention as a lamp shining in a dark place he says pay attention to it until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts in the context the morning star there is Jesus Christ what Peter is saying is pay attention to the prophecies because the purpose of the prophecies is to cause Jesus to be seen in your heart and in your life thank you very much Nathan okay arian knew you darlene knew you this baby needs its mother so if that's if that's you you need to go see your little baby okay we're going to go tonight to the Book of Daniel why don't you turn there with me if you would the Book of Daniel we're on page 2 of our study guide now Daniel he say well where is the Book of Daniel it's in the Old Testament if you open your Bible right to the middle you'll probably be in Psalms go forward then through Isaiah through Jeremiah through lamentations ezekiel and you'll arrive in the Book of Daniel Daniel chapter 2 Daniel what chapter everyone - we're at the top of page 2 on your study guide top of page 2 on your study guide top of page 2 on the study guide the paragraph there at the top says this prophecy given roughly 2500 years ago is precisely calculated to give us hope and courage in these strange times most people recognize that the world is seemingly spinning out of control violence immorality war pollution terrorism and a host of other factors at unprecedented degrees are causing thinking people to wonder how much longer can we go on like this in fact tomorrow night we're going to take a very specific look at these so-called signs of the times and that will be an awesome presentation I've been doing some brand new research on some cutting-edge signs of the times as to how we know for sure that this world cannot continue to last as it is I want to invite you to come back tomorrow night you will not want to miss that notice what it says yet as distressing as these times are the Bible tells of a better day to come can someone say amen to that and gives us true hope and security even now setting the context let's set the context for our prophecy tonight found in the Book of Daniel first of all this foundational prophecy is found in the Book of Daniel that's what you'd ride in on the line there chapter 2 approximately when was the book written six hundred years BC that is six hundred years before the time of Christ who wrote the book it was written by Daniel except chapter four which was written by Nebuchadnezzar the King we'll talk about that later where was the book written it was written in Babylon the story is is basically a sad one it's a terrible when the people of God had been consistently and and obstinately disobedient to God's law to God's covenant and to God's Word and finally God said listen if you won't hear me in times of prosperity I'll send you adversity it was CS Lewis the great Christian author who said the God whispers to us in our pleasures and shouts to us in our pain sometimes if we won't listen to God when things are going well he'll shake us up a little bit isn't that true yes or no and it's not because he doesn't love you it's precisely because he does love you and that's what you find in the Old Testament God had a people that he loved dearly the nation of Israel and he pled with M&E he urged them and he rebuked them and he tried to compel them through his prophets and consistently obstinately they refused and finally said if you won't pay attention I'm going to send another nation the nation of Babylon they're going to come they're going to destroy your city destroy the temple and carry away some of your finest and best young people and that's exactly what happened the Babylonian armies under Nebuchadnezzar that was the Babylonian king came and absolutely destroyed Jerusalem to the ground thousands tens of thousands were destroyed in that terrible conflagration Nebuchadnezzar took some of the best the a students that sheet the tops out of Jerusalem and he marched them 800 miles across the Babylonian desert brought them back to Babylon where he would train them in the customs and the society and the government and the culture of the Babylonians then he would take them and set them up as puppet rulers over various provinces of Babylon Daniel was one of those who was led out of Jerusalem to Babylon and endured the schooling and almost brainwashing of the Babylonians that helps us to set the context a little bit notice there why was Daniel taken from his homeland you know the answer now what does the name Daniel mean the name Daniel comes from a juxtaposition of two words Elohim in the word Dan which means judge the word Daniel means God alone is my judge God alone is my judge and when Daniel arrived in Babylon one of the first things they did was to change his name because his name reminded him of Jerusalem his name reminded him of the true God they changed his name to belteshazzar which is a name of one of the Babylonian gods took him away Shadrach Meshach and Abednego you've heard those names before but those were not the original names given to those Hebrew boys those were the Babylonian names their real names were Hananiah Azariah and Mishael they would take these boys the cream of the crop and they would put them into these these Babylonian schools and educate them in Babylonian customs and government etc and then they would train them to be among the wise men in Babylon that sets the context for Daniel chapter 2 Daniel chapter 2 look with me beginning in verse 1 in Daniel chapter 2 we find an ancient king a man by the name of Nebuchadnezzar having a dream a nightmare if you will Daniel chapter 2 beginning in verse one are we all there everyone yes or no I've had lots of time to get there it says now in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign I'm reading in verse 1 Nebuchadnezzar had dreams and his spirit was so troubled that his sleep left him then the king gave the command to call the magician's the astrologers the sorcerers and the Chaldeans to tell the King his dreams so they came and stood before the king and the King said to them I have had a dream and my spirit is anxious to know the dream then the Chaldeans spoke to the King and Aramaic that was the official language of the Babylonian court Oh King live forever tell your servants the dream and we will give you the interpretation verse 5 the King answered and said to the Chaldeans my decision is firm if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation you shall be cut into pieces it is safe to say that the King had a very short temper cut into pieces your houses will be made an ash heap verse 6 however this is the good side of the story if you can tell the dream and its interpretation you shall receive from me gifts rewards and great honor therefore tell me the dream and it's what every one interpretation verse 7 they said again to the they said again oh let the King tell his servants the dream and we will make up come up with invent and interpretation notice that Nebuchadnezzar wants two things it's the middle of the night he's he's woken from his sleep he's troubled by this dream and he can't quite remember the dream but something tells him it's important and so he's trying to recall the dream when he can't do it he calls in his wise men the magician's the astrologers the Chaldeans who are the PhDs of the Babylonian court he calls him in he says fellas I've had a dream and there's something about the dream that tells me that it's important but I can't remember the dream I need you to tell me the dream and what it means they had probably gone through this before and and they've probably been woken up in the middle of the night before and the Kings had some strange dream because he ate too much before he went to bed and I had this dream and they said all King this is what it means okay well that's good and they'd go back to sleep and everything was fine but tonight was different he couldn't remember it he couldn't remember the dream and so he said I need to know the dream and the interpretation they said hey listen you tell us the dream and we'll give you the interpretation he said listen I don't have it if you can't give me both the dream and its interpretation it's going to be over for you notice what happens next verse eight the King answered and said I know for a certain that you would seek to gain the time because you see that my decision is firm verse nineteen here it is again if you do not make known the dream to me there is only one decree for you for you have agreed to speak lying in corrupt words before me till the time has changed therefore tell me the dream the King was no dummy and I will know that you can give me the what every one the interpretation you've got verse ten in the Chaldeans answered the king and said there is not a man on earth who can tell the Kings matter therefore no King Lord o ruler has ever asked such a thing of any magician astrologer or Chaldean notice verse 11 carefully it is a difficult thing that the King requests and there is no other who can tell it to the king except who the gods whose dwelling is not with the flesh verse 12 says for this reason the king was angry and very furious and gave command to destroy all the wise men of Babylon verse 13 so the decree went out and they began killing the wise men of Babylon and they sought Daniel and his companions to kill them this sets the stage for our story very heavy drama the plot thickens the King was not just whistling Dixie he was deadly in earnest about understanding this dream they couldn't give him the dream they couldn't give him the interpretation he says that's it now we might think that the King was being a little extreme here we might think that the king was being a little over-the-top here but think about it for just a moment the king paid these people to know things that ordinary people didn't know the job of the magician the job of the sorcerer the job of the astrologer the job of the Chaldean was to be in touch with spirits in the netherworld so that they knew things that common people didn't know and so the king would call on them in these kinds of difficult times and he had the reasonable expectation that they would be able to live err on what they said they could do and the moment he realizes he has a bunch of phonies on the divine payroll he basically says if you can't deliver the goods it's over for you so-called wise men and he sends out the degree in his frustration destroy all the wise men of Babylon well Daniel and his three companions Shadrach Meshach and Abednego had gone through the schools of the Babylonians and so they were number to want among the wise men and a man by the name of Arioch he was the captain of the Kingsguard he showed up one evening Indians to knock on Daniels door I wonder what that conversation was like as daniel opens the door in the middle of the night says he I yeah area what can I get for you Daniel I'm here to kill you huh whoa really pinch myself well I'm not dreaming I wish I was why why are you here to kill me and he made the thing known to Dan is well the King has had a dream and he wants to know the dream and the interpretation nobody can tell it to him pick it up with me in verse 14 then with counsel and wisdom Daniel answered Arioch the captain of the King's Guard who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon he answered and said to Arioch the Kings captain why is the decree from the King so urgent then Arioch made the decision known to Daniel notice verse 16 so Daniel went in and asked the King to give him what every one time that he might tell the king the interpretation now think about that for just a moment Daniel goes in before the King quick question for you does Daniel know the dream at this point does Daniel know the interpretation at this point but Daniel knows the one who knows the dream he goes in before the king you think that took faith yes or no what he basically said his king I don't have it now but I know who does have it and if you'll give me what every one time I can deliver the goods well then Daniel did the same thing that you would do verse 17 then Daniel went to his house and made the decision known to Hananiah Mishael and Azariah that Shadrach Meshach and Abednego his companions why verse 18 so that they might seek the mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon in other words they went and prayed about it isn't that what you do I said isn't that what you do I mean if your neck was on the line and you knew you had to come up with the goods you would pray about it you know the proverbial airplane that takes off of the tarmac there and it's filled with 300 sinners and they get up about thirty thirty forty thousand feet up into the air and they begin to encounter some turbulence and all of a sudden you've got three hundred Saints on board Oh Lord if you just get me off of this plane I'll live my life for you I'm so oh the captain gets the thing under control and it lands safely and 300 sinners walk off you know how it is when the going gets tough when tough times come we know what's most important in life don't we yes or no absolutely in fact we're going to have a message entitled you looked at your advance schedule that says how to face death unafraid and with absolute confidence you don't have to be afraid to phrase that face death if you've put your faith in Him who has already faced death and has conquered it amen we'll come back to that don't get me to preach it on that tonight I got I got stuff to talk about so now look at here we're on the King has a dream verses 1 to 12 we should easily be able to fill these blanks in King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream in the second year of his reign he called for the wise men the astrologers and the Chaldeans could they give the help that the King wanted yes or no no what 2 things did the King want everyone he wanted the dream and the interpretation you've got it according to the Kings counselors who alone could give the information that the King wanted that's exactly right they knew it they said hey listen what you're asking is strange it's unusual no king or Lord has ever asked this of any wise men or astrologer only gods know this notice the next part there Daniel was saw Daniel asked the King for time what did Daniel do after visiting with the King he went and prayed that's what would you have done you would have prayed too now look at verse 19 what is the first word of verse 19 everyone yeah my Bible it says then now I want you to think about that for just a moment then is a chronological term it's a term that has to do with time with what every one time I look at it verse 17 then Daniel are part of me verse 19 then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision so Daniel blessed the God of heaven wouldn't you I mean Daniel's praying hand and ayahs praying Azariah spraying me shylu praying Oh God our heads on the block and all of these other phonies heads are on the block and we don't want only to lose our own lives we want to preserve the lives of these peoples Oh God give us the dream and God came through right on time isn't that awesome are you with me yes or no have you ever had God answer a prayer you know that sense that feeling that God is at work so the Bible says Daniel blessed the God of heaven notice what he says in verse 20 he has a little praise session there Daniel answered and said blessed be the name of God for ever and ever for wisdom and might are his and he changes the times and the seasons he removes kings and raises up kings this gives you a little hint into what the dream is actually about knowledge to those who have understanding he reveals deep and secret things he knows what is in the darkness and the light dwells with him verse 23 I thank you and praise you O God of my father's wouldn't you be thanking him and praising him yes or no sure you were you have given me wisdom and might and have now made known to me what we asked of you for you have made known to us the king's demand now notice right there in your study guide it says what was the first word of verse 19 the word is then why is this word so important in this setting because the Bible teaching is you have to ask before God can give did you hear that you have to ask before God can give you many of the things that you so desperately need why because God is a gentleman he doesn't want to violate your free will he doesn't want to violate your free choice god says ask and you shall receive in fact that's the next page of your study guide there turn the study guide over remember the words of Jesus in Matthew chapter 7 verse 7 ask and it will be given you seek and you will find knock and it will be open to you for everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks it will be open notice how easy this is to remember ask seek knock spells ASX isn't that easy beloved that is a principle of the Bible ask and ye shall receive seek and ye shall find knock on the door shall be open why is it that God could come through in that tight spot why was it that God could deliver the prayer the answer to the prayer right on time because they what everyone asked you've got it now this is where the plot really thickens this is where the drama intensifies we pick it up in verse 24 therefore Daniel went to Arioch whom the King had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon he went and he said to him do not destroy the wise men of Babylon take me before the king and I will tell the king the interpretation what a tremendous act of faith he says take me before the king I'm going to tell him what he's looking for verse 25 then Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king and he said to him I have found a man of the captives of Judah makes you wonder who really found who but that's beside the point who will make known to the king the interpretation the King answered and said to Daniel whose name was built as Shazzer are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen and its interpretation notice the King hadn't changed his mind he still wanted both things the key the dream and the what everyone the interpretation can you do it now I want you to think about this scene here for just a moment Daniel is basically a Hebrew slave for all practical purposes he's a Hebrew bondservant this this his country his nation had been utterly destroyed and subjugated by the Babylonians and here he is probably a 19 or a 20 or a 21 year old boy standing before the most powerful man in the world and the most powerful man in the world is intensely interested in what Daniel has to say never forget this lesson if you have knelt before God you can stand before kings if you have knelt before God with humility you can stand before kings with confidence and the king looks at Daniel and says can you give me the dream and this would have been a perfect opportunity for Daniel to say oh yeah King I'm the man I've got the goods I can tell you what it is because I'm so smart but I want you to notice what Daniel does verse 27 then Daniel answered in the presence of the king the secret which the king is demanded the wise men the astrologers the magicians and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king but there is a what a God in heaven who reveals secrets and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days notice Daniel takes no credit whatsoever for himself he says it's not about me King it's about God and God has shown you this dream so you can know what happens in the latter days your dream and the visions of your head upon your bed were these verse 29 as for you O king thoughts came about into your mind while you were on your bed about what would come to pass after this notice that in verse 28 he says the latter days in verse 29 he says the dream has to do with what takes place after this and he who reveals secrets has made known to you what will be three times he says it's about the future it's about the future it's about the future verse 30 notice the humility in Daniels voice here but as for me this secret has not been revealed to me because I have more wisdom than anyone living but for our sakes who make known the interpretation to the king and that you may know the thoughts of your own heart hey that's one of our four essentials of Bible prophecy isn't it remember that wasn't wasn't that one of our four essentials of Bible prophecy sure it was go back and look that's number three one of the purposes of Bible prophecy one of the core reasons that prophecy is given is to reveal to the hearer the priorities of his heart and Daniel a 21 year old Hebrew boy standing before the most powerful man in the world says I Got News for you you're a pagan King but God cares about you that's the God of the Bible the God of the Bible is a God who cares about everyone even pagan Kings would ransacked his people he wants to show you the thoughts and the intents of your heart Nebuchadnezzar verse 31 notice the absolute confidence with which Daniel speaks you O king we're watching and behold a great image this great image whose splendor was excellent stood before you and its form was awesome begins to recount to him the dream this images head was a fine gold its chest and arms of silver its belly and thighs of bronze its legs of iron its feet partly of iron and partly of clay you watched while a stone was cut out without hands which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay and broke them in pieces then the iron the clay the bronze the silver and the gold were crushed together and became like chaff that is dust from the summer threshing floors the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found and the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth notice verse 36 this is the dream he doesn't say did I get it right King is this the dream I mean I did my best King is that no no no no when God gives you an answer it's always the right one someone say Amen he doesn't say I hope this is the dream I'm really I'm really anxious that this might be the dream it says this is the dream notice the rest of that verse now we will tell the interpretation of it before the King as far as we know Daniel is standing alone in that Great Hall who's we Daniel and his God once again Daniel refuses to take credit for himself he says we will tell the interpretation of it before you go to your study guide now Daniel returns to the king according to Daniel who alone could reveal the dream what's the answer everyone God did Daniel take any credit for his ability to reveal the dream not one drop according to verse 28 - what time does the dream apply the latter days you've got it according to verse 30 why did God give the King this incredible dream so he would know the thoughts of his heart you've got it now the dream itself the king saw a great metal man you can look at it there on the screen you can also look at our image here he saw a great metal man the head was made of what everyone gold the chest and arms were made of silver the belly and thighs were made of bronze the long legs of iron and the feet were made of both iron and clay I can just imagine that as as as daniel is recounting this to the king the king's probably still sitting there in his royal nightie with his royal nightcap on and he he scoots to the edge of his royal throne and he's thinking to himself that's what I saw that's what I saw I saw a great statue its head was a gold its chest and arms of silver its belly and thighs of bronze long legs of iron you that's right Daniel you got it that is what I saw its feet were made of iron in clay but that wasn't the whole dream daniel says then you know what you're talking it was amazing a stone a what everyone a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands and it smashed the image in the head is that what it said it smashed the image in the chest no no it smashed the image in the legs no no it smash the image in the feet you've got it and then that stone that smashed the image in the feet grew and became a great does anyone remember a great mountain filled the whole earth in fact that's the rest of it there what happened to the image in the Kings dream it was smashed what happened to the stone it filled the earth this is the dream I can just imagine Daniel standing before the most powerful man in the world saying with absolute confidence because he had knelt before God he could stand before that King and he said this is what you saw but Nebuchadnezzar wanted to things didn't he he wanted the dream but what else did he want he wanted the interpretation that's exactly right he wanted the interpretation let's go to the interpretation verse 36 this is the dream now we will tell the interpretation of it before the King verse 37 you O king are a king of kings for the God of heaven has given you a kingdom and power and strength and glory notice he even lets King Nebuchadnezzar know that he's just a subject of God a great king yes but nothing compared to the infinite God of the universe verse 38 and wherever the children of men dwell or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens he has given them into your hand he has made you ruler over them all and notice with me here the next six words you are this head of gold you are this head of gold he says it in plain language he doesn't equivocate you know you can go to Christian bookstores right now and you can buy books right now in the Christian bookstore that will tell you that the head of gold is representing the European Economic Community that the head of gold represents the European Union I mean there are so many fallacious egregious and just plain wrong interpretations out there Daniel said you are this head of gold the Bible is its own interpreter can you say amen to that doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this one out he says what is the dream mean and he begins by saying you're the head of gold o King your kingdom is an awesome Kingdom God has given you this kingdom you're it and I could just imagine the king there you know his buttons bursting a little bit thank you yeah that's right had a gold baby don't ever forget it the ancient kingdom of Babylon was an amazing Kingdom the ancient kingdom of Babylon basically was on the scene historians tell us from 605 till 539 BC that is before Christ's Nebuchadnezzar was a king who was a great military Conqueror a great political leader and he was intoxicated with the idea of his babylon lasting forever in fact this is an actual picture of a letter from Nebuchadnezzar a clay tablet letter from Nebuchadnezzar and in this letter part of it says the whole earth vows prostrate before Babylon the whole earth nebuchadnezzar was almost inebriated with this idea that it would go on forever and ever and ever here's a Babylonian clay tablet right inscribed there may it last forever and so when daniel said you were this head of cold i'm sure that nebuchadnezzar like this that's right i'm the head of gold may she last forever but I'm sure that Nebuchadnezzar did not like what daniel said next notice with me verse 39 but after you what to words everyone after you I'm sure King didn't like this part at all shall arise another what everyone kingdom inferior to yours not not as if that wasn't enough that another kingdom was going to come he had to throw salt in the wound and say it's going to be an inferior kingdom but after you shall arise another Kingdom inferior to yours then another third kingdom of bronze which shall bear rule over all the earth and the fourth Kingdom shall be as strong as iron in as much as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything and like iron that crushes that Kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others and whereas you saw the feet and toes partly of potters clay and partly of iron the kingdom shall be divided yet the strength of the iron shall be in it just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay wow this dream isn't so hard to understand after all is it what he's basically saying is this image represents a timeline of what everyone a timeline he says Babylon is the head of gold but after you would come another Kingdom and then another Kingdom and then another Kingdom and that Kingdom would be divided all of these kingdoms by the way are not just little regional powers just little regional entities he says there another Kingdom that would rule over all the world these were the great nations of antiquity now remember that Daniel was written 600 years before the time of Christ he lived during the time of Babylon the Great Ishtar Gate which is even now in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin Berlin this is the very gate that archaeologists have excavated that Daniel would have walked through in our story that's the very gate that he would have walked through his heart pitter-pattering and yet still with confidence is he before the most powerful man in the world that's the gate archaeologists have excavated it we'll talk more about that in another session he says after you another Kingdom would come despite Nebuchadnezzar's desires and despite his hopes and his plans and his ambitions babylon did not continue for ever and indefinitely it was eventually conquered by the kingdom of medo-persia which ruled from 539 to 331 BC 539 to 331 BC it's called the medo-persian Empire because it wasn't just the Medes or the Persians these two nations League together to form what historians call the medo-persian Empire in fact it's really quite a remarkable story we talked a little bit about it last night a man by the name of Cyrus the Great diverted the river Euphrates into a field Babylon was one of the great cities of antiquity fifteen miles on each side square in fact the walls were 200 feet high in some places one of the seven wonders of the world was in that city the great Hanging Gardens and the river Euphrates flowed right through the middle of this city of Balan it was an awesome city Cyrus came to that city the story is told historians tell us that they came to the city and they saw those tall walls and they knew there's no way we could ever siege the city no way we could ever surmount those walls and so what they did on a certain night when the Babylonians were in a riotous drunken feast what Cyrus did in an act of military genius is he went up river several miles he dammed the river and diverted the river off into an adjacent field so that down river the river went down down down down and then they marched in through the gates underneath the river and Babylon that great city of antiquity fell in a single night he met basically no resistance God had said that another Kingdom would come and what God says always comes to pass can someone say Amen even the most powerful King in the world cannot resist the decree of God but a third kingdom would come a third kingdom of bronze which would rule over all the earth which kingdom was it that succeeded the medo-persian Empire of course the mighty kingdom of Greece 331 to 168 BC now I might get myself into a little trouble here because I'm in the Macedonian cultural art center and so I should be perfectly candid and remind us all that Alexander the Great was a Macedonian more than a Greek the great Macedonian Empire that will get me in good with Goran here ruling from one or part of me from 331 to 168 BC Alexander the Great was one of the greatest military minds of all time in fact Napoleon followed the very battle strategies of Alexander the Great Aryan said in his historical library book 17 chapter 12 I am persuaded speaking of Alexander the Great that there was no nation city nor people where his name did not reach and notice this next quotation very interesting there seems to have been some divine hand presiding over both his birth and his actions Alexander the Great conquered the then-known world at the age of 31 years old but he died in a drunken feast at the age of 32 one of the historians Hugo said he could conquer the world but he couldn't conquer himself it is said of Alexander the Great that on one occasion he wept because said he there was no one left to kill Alexander the Great prevailed over the great medo-persian empire history of Rome book 3 chapter 10 on June 22nd 168 BC at the Battle of pigna Parish the Empire of Alexander the Great 144 years after his death and so we have the head of gold Babylon the chest and arms of silver medo-persia and then the bronze or the brass here representing the brass clad Greeks that's what Homer called them in his book The Odyssey the brass clad Greeks God predicted it all long before it came to pass but who would come after the Greeks of course of course of course the great iron monarchy of Rome ruling not just for a hundred years or 150 years but from 168 BC look at those dates 168 BC until 476 ad roughly 700 years the great nation of Rome ruled the iron monarchy of Rome that's exactly what the Bible had said Daniel had said the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as what everyone iron iron crushes all of the metals iron could crush gold iron could crush silver iron could crush bronze he said this King in the long legs of iron would be a kingdom unlike the others it would utterly destroy and smash and obliterate the kingdoms before it the great iron monarchy of Rome all roads lead to Rome rome wasn't built in a when in Rome do as the Romans Rome is the greatest Empire of antiquity God foresaw at all Jesus Christ was nailed to a Roman cross in 31 ad Jesus Christ was watched by Roman soldiers in 31 ad Jerusalem was sacked by Roman armies in 70 AD Rome Edward given the famed English historian said in his well-known series the decline and fall of the Western Roman Empire notice what he said now this is a secular historian fact given was known for his hatred for organized religion but notice what he says look at this imagery the images of gold silver or brass that might serve to represent the nations and their kings were successively broken by the iron monarchy of WA now let me ask you a question where do you think the historian given got that imagery gold silver brass and iron to represent the sweep of history where do you think he got it from he got it from the Bible and particularly from the book of Daniel that's exactly right so this is amazing the king has a dream and it's this statue a head of gold chests in arms of silver belly and thighs of bronze long legs of iron and this image is basically a timeline of what everyone timeline he said you're this head of gold but after you comes another Kingdom and after you another Kingdom and after you the great iron monarchy Rome absolutely fascinating 600 years before the time of Jesus God is looking forward and he can declare it perfectly and plainly because God alone knows and can declare the future can someone say Amen well this raises the question who conquered ancient Rome I mean neither Persia conquered Babylon and Greece conquered me to Persia and Rome conquered Greece but who conquered Rome the answer is no one conquered Rome Rome was not conquered from without it was divided from within notice that look in Daniel chapter 2 again open your Bibles there Daniel chapter 2 notice with me verse 40 Daniel chapter 2 verse 40 and the fourth Kingdom shall be as strong as what everyone iron in as much as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything and like iron that crushes that Kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others but notice verse 41 whereas you saw the feet and toes partly of potters clay and partly of iron the kingdom shall be what God said 600 years before the time of Jesus the kingdom will be what everyone divided and the kingdom was divided that's exactly right the kingdom was divided and that's what's represented by the feet partly of iron and partly of clay partly strong and partly queek the kingdom will be divided and that's the day we're living in right now divided Rome or the so-called nations of Europe Europe today is essentially divided rome from 476 ad to the present tense there is nothing below the statue it's just head arms and chest belly and thighs long legs and the feet that's it you don't got anything else after your toes partly of potters clay and partly of iron the kingdom will be divided here's a chart that depicts the invasions and fragmenting of Rome that began in 100 a 100 AD they say here see e which is the Common Era that's fine and the fragmentation the vandals moving up from from the north of Africa and the Saxons of course up there in England and all of these barbarian tribes begin to basically pick Rome apart at the seams until eventually my dad used to say to me you're getting too big for your britches boy and it fell apart that's history that's history the kingdom divided and today we live in in this very time modern Europe Europe is nothing more than divided Rome in fact if you look at the divisions of Rome here they are the LM ni today are the Germans the burgundians are the Swiss the Franck's of the fringe the lombards are the Italians the Saxons are the English thus wavy are the Portuguese the Visigoths of the Spanish the haru lie the Vandals and the Ostrogoths are all extinct we'll talk more about that in another night all of these barbarian tribes today form what we call Europe the Kingdom remains divided now I want you to go back to your Bible go back to your Bible and look at verse 42 as we come to the end of this remarkable prophecy and as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile as you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay they will mingle themselves with the seed of men that is they will intermarry but they will not stick to one another just as iron does not mix with clay the old King James says they will not cleave my version says they will not adhere they won't stick together let me ask you a question if I had a bucket here and I put into that bucket clay soft malleable clay and iron shavings and I begin to stir it how long would I have to stir the iron in the clay before I had clarin how long would I have to stir it i could stir it forever and I still have clay and iron because clay and iron don't mix are we all together on that yes or no that's what God says they're going to try and stick together have there been efforts to unite Europe yes or no oh sure sure let's just look at a few of the men who tried to outsmart God Charlamagne on his rampage to recreate the so-called holy roman empire unsuccessful charles v of spain unsuccessful xiv of spain or france part of me bathed europe in blood unsuccessful napoleon unsuccessful in fact napoleon himself we are told was shown this prophesy there is a tradition that napoleon himself was shown this very prophecy that europe could not yay would not be divided and it as the tradition goes he took the bible and threw it across the room and when he lost his battle there at waterloo he said god almighty has been too much for me and of course hitler these are men who tried to outsmart god but god had said they will not cleave there have been significant efforts by some of the so-called great men of history to bring europe back under a single unified head but none have succeeded god had declared they will not cleave together and today we are living in the time of divided Europe have there been efforts even in modern times to unite Europe yes or no oh sure sure sure here is a very interesting parallel of this this painting here which is a famous painting a famous painting by the Flemish Renaissance painter his name is escaping me Bruegel famous Renaissance painter Brooke hell painted in the 16th century of the Tower of Babel does everyone see that you know the story of the Tower of Babel man was going to construct this great artifice to his glory and look at this isn't this very interesting when the european economic community first came on the scene this was the official poster do you see the similarities yes or no it's just basically a modern characterization of Brueghel's old famous painting of the Tower of Babel and notice this Europe many tongues one voice has there been a push to unite Europe sure but we're not interested in the politics of it we're not interested in the economics of it we're not interested in any of that the fact is God had said these nations would remain divided would remain what everyone divided and any effort whether military or intermarriage or political to unite Europe is doomed to failure because God has said they'll remain divided if that makes sense amen who from ancient Babylon on so there it is let's go back there the dream is certain and the interpretation is sure there's the date so you can get them all down Babylon was the head of gold rain from 605 to 539 BC meet a Persia were the chest and arms of silver rain from 539 to 331 BC Greece was the great belly of bronze ruled from 331 to 168 BC the long legs of iron from 168 BC almost 700 years later to 476 ad Rome was not conquered it was divided and it remains divided today from 476 ad to the modern times despite some of the so-called great men of history trying to unite Europe and even political maneuverings and economic maneuverings and intermarriage there was a time when Queen Elizabeth was called the grandmother of Europe because the Duchess of this country would marry the Duke of this country and the princess of this country would marry the Prince of that country in the king of this country would marry the queen of that country but it never could cause them to stick together why because God said it wouldn't happen someone say Amen absolutely in the days of these Kings let's finish up the prophecy here it's basically done verse 43 as you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay they will mingle themselves with the seed of men through intermarriage but they will not cleave one to another just as iron does not mix with clay verse 44 and in the days of these kings what Kings these Kings write down here the toes partly of iron and partly of potters clay in the days of these Kings the God of heaven will set up a what everyone a kingdom which shall never be what everyone destroyed the kingdom will not be left to other people unlike Nebuchadnezzar's Kingdom which was left to other people it will break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms and it will stand forever verse 45 in as much as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands and that it broke in pieces the iron the bronze the clay the silver and the gold the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this and notice the last part here the dream is what certain and the interpretation is what sure Daniel knew that he was giving the right answers because the answer came from God absolutely incredible 600 years before the time of Jesus I want you to think about that for just a moment what if you had to predict the next 25 years of human history could you do it the 2500 years of human history could you do it from the time of Daniel 600 BC until present time is some 2500 years of human history and in approximately 150 words Daniel gives us a sweep of human history do you think he could do that 2500 years of human history with absolute perfect accuracy and clarity the first time I ever saw this prophecy I looked at that book and I said there's only two possible options here either someone is playing a very big trick or this book is supernatural are you with me I mean to be able to predict and this is just one of many prophecies incidentally but to be able to predict with that kind of clarity that kind of accuracy is absolutely beyond the Kin of man it must be God now I'm not a gambling person maybe you are I always lose so I just stopped gambling but there is a safe gamble think about it from this perspective if you were a gambling person and God said there would be Babylon and there was Babylon that's one God said that there would be me two Persian there was me - Persia that's - God said that there would be Greece and there was Greece that's three God said that there would be Rome and there was Rome that's four God said that Rome would be divided and Rome was divided that's five God said that Rome would remain divided despite significant overtures to unite at that six the very next thing that God says it would happen is that he would set up his own Kingdom that's the seventh thing now if you're a betting man number one happens over two happens number three happens and before happens number five happens number six happens what do you think about number seven you think that's a safe bet yes or no the stone that struck the image became a mountain and filled the whole earth when God sets up his kingdom at the second coming of Jesus that we'll never be conquered it is an eternal Kingdom for the saved and for those who have put their faith in the God of the Bible can someone say Amen absolutely friends what can be trusted in these uncertain times what can be trusted in these strange times God's Word can be trusted in a world of uncertainty Bible prophecy provides us with certainty [Music] you [Music] [Music] you

Channel: hopemedia

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Keywords: David Asscherick, Hope Media Ministry, hopevideo hopemedia, end of the world

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Length: 59min 23sec (3563 seconds)

Published: Mon Jan 31 2011