HIDDEN TEACHINGS of the Bible | Nebuchadnezzar Knew What Many Didn't Know

the king that came face to face with Jesus the complete story of Nebuchadnezzar can you imagine walking into Madison Square Garden and seeing 10,000 people bowing down to worship you or your likeness some might feel unusual and many have never even dared to have that thought cross their mind it was not just a passing thought for Nebuchadnezzar but a reality people from all jobs and ages including older men young men grandmothers and children showed their Respect by bowing down during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar he was not merely considered a king but rather a God in the eyes of his subjects he was worshiped and revered as a god this elevated status bestowed upon him was not merely a symbol of power but a recognition of his perceived Divine qualities and other worldly Powers thus his rule was characterized by an aura of Mystique and religious fervor he was an incredibly significant individual so much so that no one else in the world could compare the mere thought of speaking inappropriately to his servants let alone to him directly was enough to strike fear into anyone King Nebuchadnezzar wielded unprecedented power and privilege that exceeded most people in history he built a vast and mighty Empire that eventually subjugated two other great civilizations Assyria and Egypt he held more control over the world during during his Reign than any other man before him however his written testimony reveals that his wealth and power gradually made him Intoxicated by his success he became increasingly arrogant and his position as the most powerful man on Earth gave him a distorted and inflated view of life and the world around him this God was about to face the one true God this one Gentile king would have a visitation from God three times how would he respond and how was this to occur the answer would come from one of his conquered territories in a show of immense strength Nebuchadnezzar's military laid Siege to Jerusalem a city of great significance to the people of Judah the powerful display of babylon's Might left the inhabitants of Jerusalem vulnerable as they brace themselves for what was to come the Bible tells us in his days Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon came up and jeho Kim became his servant 3 years then he turned and rebelled against him 2 Kings 24:1 Nebuchadnezzar the Babylonian King opted for a more calculated tactic rather than completely demolishing Jerusalem after his initial Siege he resorted to controlling the Judean Kings manipulating them like marionet to exert his influence and authority over the country conquered City the political Arrangement between Babylon and Jerusalem was such that the Judean Kings were allowed to retain their throne but only on the condition that they pledged allegiance to Babylon and followed the commands of Nebuchadnezzar despite their initial submission the Judean kings were not satisfied with being mere puppets in this Arrangement deep down Rebellion festered and tension simmered beneath the surface however they were acutely aware of baby 's military might which made them hesitant to act rashly or provoke the wrath of Nebuchadnezzar According to second Kings 24:1 17 Nebuchadnezzar strategically placed zedekiah a young and impressionable ruler as the puppet king of Judah this move was intended to allow Nebuchadnezzar to maintain his control over the region and prevent any potential uprisings or rebellions 2 Chronicles 36: 11-20 tells tells us more of the evil of zedekiah namely that he did not pay attention to Jeremiah or any of the other messengers of God instead he made fun of it and ignored what it was trying to say the evil that zedekiah did is explained in detail in 2 Chronicles 36: 12-14 he was unwilling to listen to the word of God that was spoken through Jeremiah he broke an oath sworn in the name of Yahweh as a vessel of Babylon and he was unrepentant and failed to dissuade leaders and Priests from defiling the temple with the restoration of idolatry practices after what seemed like an endless amount of time God's patience and longsuffering came to an end zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon Jeremiah informs us that during those times numerous false prophets preached a message of Triumph and victory to zedekiah sadly he believed them instead of The Godly prophets like Jeremiah and as a result he rebelled against the king of Babylon the Prophet Jeremiah warned King zedekiah that his Rebellion would ultimately lead to failure despite Jeremiah's counsel zedekiah chose to ignore the prophet's warning and instead had him arrested and imprisoned however even in captivity Jeremiah remained committed to delivering God's message and did not waver in his faithfulness Nebuchadnezzar sought destruction due to the this Rebellion Nebuchadnezzar used a common tactic to conquer walled cities by erecting a Siege wall the objective of a Siege was to surround the city cut off all trade and supplies and eventually Force the inhabitants to surrender due to starvation this event was so significant that it is mentioned four times in the Old Testament in Second Kings 2 Chronicles 36 Jeremiah 3 and the current Passage the famine had become so severe in the city this indicates that Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians were on the verge of victory over Jerusalem during The Siege zedekiah is captured and executed the Babylonians though not as Infamous for their barbarity as the Assyrians were still known for their own brand of Cruelty in a display of extreme brutality they orchestrated the execution of King zedekiah's sons before his very eyes ensuring that his last memory would be a heart-wrenching one then they subjected the king to a lifetime of Darkness depriving him of any hope of ever seeing the light again once inside they headed straight for the city's most sacred Landmark Solomon's Temple This Magnificent structure built as a dwelling place for God on Earth was ransacked the Bible recounts on the seventh day of the fifth month in the 19th year of Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon nebu zardan commander of the Imperial Guard an official of the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem He Set Fire to the Temple of the Lord the Royal Palace and all the houses of Jerusalem every important building he burned down second Kings chapter 25: 8-9 the walls of Jerusalem which provided physical security to the city were destroyed as a result Jerusalem was no longer a safe place for its inhabitants the walls remained in Ruins until they were reconstructed by the returning Exiles during the time of Nehemiah not only did they desecrate this holy site but they also plundered it taking away many of its Treasures he carried away all Jerusalem all the Articles from the temple of God both large and small and the Treasures of the Lord's Temple and the Treasures of the king and his officials 2 Kings 25: 13- 15 and so the Magnificent Solomon's Temple which once stood as a testament to God's glory and Israel's Pride was burnt down Babylonians not content with mere destruction took many of the artifacts and treasures back to Babylon as Spoils of their Victory the fall of the temple was not just the loss of a building it was the heartbreaking symbol of a covenant broken of a relationship strained between God and his people but as history would later show it was was also a testament to the indominable spirit of a nation and the unending mercy of a loving God Jeremiah 52: 17-23 is a detailed inventory of all that the Babylonians looted from the temple Jeremiah 52:1 17- 23 now the calans broke into pieces the pillars of bronze which belong to the house of the Lord and the bronze pedestal which supported the 10 basins and the enormous bronze sea which were in the house of the Lord and carried all the bronze to Babylon they also took away the pots for carrying away ashes and the shovels and the snuffers and the bowls and the spoons and all the bronze articles used in the temple service captain of the Guard also took away the small bowls and the fire panss and the basins and the pots and the lampstands and the incense cups and the bowls for the drink offerings whatever was made of fine gold and whatever was made of fine silver the two pillars the one enormous sea Basin and the 12 bronze bowls Under the Sea and the stands which King Solomon had made for the house of the Lord the bronze of all these things was beyond weighing concerning the pillars the height of each pillar was 18 cubits 27 ft and a line an ornamental molding of 12 cubits 18 ft went around its circum cerence it was four fingers thick and the pillar was Hollow a capital of bronze was on top of it the height of each Capital was 5 cubits 7 and 1/2 ft with the lattice work and pomegranates around it all of bronze second pillar also with its pomegranates was similar to these there was 96 pomegranates on the sides and 100 pomegranates were on the lattice work all around this was the third and most significant wave of capacity in the same manner that the remaining inhabitants were carried off as slaves to Babylon the remaining jewels from the temple were also carried off as a result of the Judgment of God Jerusalem was left in Ruins and was thoroughly pillaged the enemies having heard about how badly the Philistines suffered for mistreating the ark were too afraid to take it but the destruction did not end there many many of the judeans were Shackled and led away from their Homeland they were forced into Exile in Babylon strangers in a foreign Land The Echoes of their heart-wrenching lament can be felt in Psalm 137 by the Rivers of Babylon there we sat down yay we wept when we remembered Zion after the temple was destroyed and the Israelites were exiled their way of thinking and practicing their faith underwent a significant transformation they came to the the realization that their relationship with God was not limited to a certain location or structure they recognized that God was omnipresent and could be felt even in the distant lands of Babylon this new understanding allowed them to adapt their beliefs and practices to their new circumstances and enable them to maintain a strong and enduring connection with their faith and their God the historical account tells us that Nebuchadnezzar was chosen by God to carry out his Divine judgment on the people people of Judah the reason for this was that the people had turned away from God and had become idolatrous and disobedient Nebuchadnezzar was thus used as a means to punish the people and to bring about a correction in their behavior Jeremiah 25:9 Nebuchadnezzar issued an order to have several Jewish young men trained to serve him in the capacity of men of knowledge and wisdom Daniel hananiah Michael and Azariah were among those who were taken captive they were known as belt shazar Shadrach Meek and Abednego calan the first time God confronts Nebuchadnezzar Daniel 2:1 in the second year 604 BC of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar had dreams which troubled and Disturbed his spirit and interfered with his ability to sleep something was dist disturbing about this dream and Nebuchadnezzar knew that it was unusually significant Nebuchadnezzar demands to know the dream and its interpretation from his wise men Daniel 2: 2-9 then the king gave a command to call The Magicians the enchanters the sorcerers and the calans to tell the king his dreams so they came in and stood before the king the king said to them I had a dream and my spirit is troubled and anxious to know the content in me meaning of the dream then the caldan said to the king in Aramaic oh King live forever tell the dream to your servants and we will declare the interpretation the king replied to the calans my command is firm and unchangeable if you do not reveal to me the content of the dream along with its interpretation you shall be cut into pieces and your houses shall be made a heap of rubbish but if you tell me the content of the dream along with its interpretation you shall receive receive from the gifts and rewards and great honor so tell me the dream and its interpretation they answered again let the king tell the dream to his servant and we will explain its interpretation to you the king replied I know for certain that you are bargaining for time because you have seen that my command to you is firm and irrevocable if you will not reveal to me the content of the dream there is but one sentence for you for you have already prepared lying and corrupt words and you have agreed together to speak them before me hoping to delay your execution until the situation is changed therefore tell me the dream first and then I will know with confidence that you can give me its interpretation Nebuchadnezzar did not demand too much from The Magicians astrologers Sorcerers and calans despite their protests these individuals earned their livelihood by claiming to have the ability to communicate with the gods and extract secrets from the spiritual realm if their claims were true they should be able to reveal both the dream and its meaning to Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar said You shall be cut in pieces in the ancient world Nebuchadnezzar the powerful ruler of Babylon was known for his ruthless tactics towards his enemies when he made a threat it was known to be severe and his method of execution was often described in Vivid detail the type of behavior was typical of Eastern monarchs during that era who were known for their cruelty and authoritarian rule Daniel 2: 10 through 11 calans answered the king and said there is not a man on Earth who can tell the king this matter for no King Lord or ruler has ever asked such a thing as this of any magician or enchanter or caldan furthermore what the king demands is an unusual and difficult thing indeed no one except the gods can reveal it to the the king and their dwelling is not with mortal flesh upon hearing these words from the calans it became apparent that they had a deep understanding and appreciation for True Revelation they recognized that Revelation was not something that could be obtained through human endeavor but rather it was a Divine gift bestowed upon Humanity by the grace of God despite their wisdom these men couldn't answer Nebuchadnezzar because only God could Daniel chap 2: 12-13 because of this the King was indignant and extremely Furious and gave a command to destroy all the wise men of Babylon so the decree went out that the wise men were to be killed and they looked for Daniel and his companions to put them to death although he was a despot Nebuchadnezzar understood the dangers of false religion he considered it a curse and saw no value in wise men who couldn't bring him wisdom from God as a new king Nebuchadnezzar may have used the situation to test the suitability of his father's old advisers the dream gave him a reason to clean house God reveals the dream to Daniel Daniel 2: 14-16 then Daniel replied with discretion and wisdom to arok the captain of the king's bodyguard who had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon he said to arok the king's Captain why is the decree from the king so harsh urgent then arok explained the matter to Daniel So Daniel went in and asked the king to appoint a date and give him time so that he might reveal to the king the interpretation of the dream it is clear that Daniel was innocent in the situation at hand and despite this he was able to handle this crisis calmly and discreetly their response is a true Testament to the kind of man that Daniel is it is commonly said that crises do not define a person but instead they reveal their true character Daniel asked the king to give him time this was just a stalling tactic Daniel was willing to take the time to listen to the Lord and wait upon him if the king granted it Daniel chapter 2: 17- 18 then Daniel returned to his house and discussed the matter with haniah Michel and Azariah his companions in order that they might seek compassion from the god of Heaven regarding this secret so that Daniel and his companions would not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon Daniel found himself in a situation where only divine intervention could help him in his companions therefore he emphasized the importance of prayer to all of them Daniel had faith that God could perform a miraculous act that had never been seen before Joseph had previously interpreted dreams through God's assistance but he had never reconstructed them them given what was at stake it is evident that their prayers were intense and severe God always hears and answers Earnest prayers Daniel 2: 19 then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night and Daniel blessed the god of Heaven the secret was revealed to Daniel we are uncertain whether it was a dream or a supernatural Vision that occurred during the night Daniel 2: 20-23 d answered blessed be the name of God forever and ever for wisdom and power belong to him it is he who changes the times and the seasons he removes Kings and establishes Kings he gives wisdom to the wise and greater knowledge to those who have understanding it is he who reveals the profound and hidden things he knows what is in the darkness and the light dwells with him I thank you and praise you oh god of my fathers for you have given me wisdom and power for now you have made known to me what we requested of you for you have made known to us the solution to the king's matter Daniel praised God for his power and might he reflected on how God is in command of all things mightier than even a king like Nebuchadnezzar Daniel expressed his gratitude to God for communicating with mankind he acknowledged that without God's revelation of His abundant knowledge his power and might would be of little help Daniel 2: 24-30 So Daniel went to arok whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon he went and said this to him do not execute the wise men of Babylon bring me before The King and I will reveal to the king the interpretation of his dream and arok hurriedly brought Daniel before the king and said this to him I have found a man among the Exiles of Judah who can explain explain to the king the interpretation of the dream the king said to Daniel whose Babylonian name was belthazar are you able to reveal to me the content of the dream which I have seen and its interpretation Daniel answered the king and said regarding the mystery about which the King has inquired neither the wise men enchanters magicians nor astrologers are able to answer the king but there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets and he has shown King neb Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the latter Days end of days this was your dream and the vision that appeared in your mind while on your bed as for you oh King as you were lying on your bed thoughts came into your mind about what will take place in the future and he who reveals Secrets has shown you what will occur but as for me the secret has not been revealed to me because my wisdom is greater than that of any other living man but in order to make the interpretation known to the king and so that you may understand fully the thoughts of your mind Nebuchadnezzar's dream concerned not only his kingdom but also the future which he believed to be the latter days Daniel describes Nebuchadnezzar's dream Daniel 2: 31-35 you oh King were looking and behold there was a single great statue this image which was large and of unsurpassed Splendor stood before you and its appearance was awesome and terrifying as for this statue its head was made of fine gold its breast and its arms of silver its belly and its thighs of bronze its legs of iron its feet partly of iron and partly of clay hoty as you were looking the stone was cut out without human hands and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and crushed them then the iron the clay the bronze the silver and the gold were crushed together and became came like the chaff from the summer threshing floors and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them could be found and the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth Daniel provided a clear description of a spectacular image made of various materials including fine gold silver bronze iron and a mixture of iron and Clay the materials were arranged in descending order of value with gold on top and iron mixed with clay at the bottom This Magnificent image was destroyed by a stone not made by human hands and what remained of it was blown away like worthless chav the stone however became a great Mountain that filled the entire Earth Daniel 2: 36-45 this was the dream now we will tell the king its interpretation you oh King are the king of Earthly Kings to whom the god of Heaven has given the kingdom the power the strength and the glory and wherever the sons of men dwell and the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens he has given them into your hand and has made you ruler over them all you king of Babylon are the head of gold after you will arise another kingdom Meo Persia inferior to you and then a third Kingdom of bronze Greece under Alexander the Great which will rule over all the Earth then a fourth Kingdom Rome will be strong as iron for iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things and like iron which crushes things in pieces it will break and Crush all these others and as you saw the feet and Toes partly of Potter's clay and partly of iron it will be a divided Kingdom but there will be in it some of the durability in strength of iron just as you saw the iron mixed with common clay as the tent toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay so some of the Kingdom will be strong and another part of it will be brittle and as you saw the iron mixed with common clay so they will combine with one another in the seed of men but they will not merge for such diverse things or ideologies cannot unite even as iron does not mix with clay in the days of those final 10 Kings the god of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed nor will its sovereignty be left for another people but it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms and it will stand forever just as you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands and that it crushed the iron the bronze the clay the silver and the gold the great God has revealed to the king what will take place in the future so the dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy Daniel first accurately reported the content of Nebuchadnezzar's dream this gave Daniel credibility when explaining what the dream meant the interpretation you are this head of gold Nebuchadnezzar was clearly said to be the head of gold after him would come three other kingdoms each represented by the different materials Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream and the succession of Kingdoms then came the final Kingdom set up by God this prophetic dream was clearly fulfilled in history these dominating Empires came after Babylon Meo Persia Greece and Rome the nature of these Empires was accurately reflected by the nature of the image Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream the Empire succeeding Babylon were inferior to Nebuchadnezzar's head of gold in the sense of their centralization of absolute power Nebuchadnezzar was an absolute monarch and the succeeding Empires were progressively less so they were larger and lasted longer than Babylon but none held as much centralized power as Nebuchadnezzar did passage Compares four great empires of ancient times each represented by a different metal to symbolize its character Babylon which was an absolute autocracy is symbolized by gold Persia a monarchy in which the Nobles held a lot of power is represented by silver Greece with its aristocracy of learned individuals is represented by brass finally Rome which was a democratic Empire with a strong military that depended on the choice of the army and citizens is symbolized by Iron the Babylonian Empire lasted for 66 years the MEO Persian Empire for 208 years the Grecian Empire for 185 years and the Roman Empire for over 500 years in the days of these Kings the god of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed Daniel did not make guesses or analyze but God announced the future through him the reason why God can predict history is because he can control it the great king was clearly impressed which was unusual for him as as he didn't usually show respect to anyone particularly a foreign slave who is about to be executed with the other wise men this confirmed that Daniel had accurately reported the dream and skillfully explained its meaning the image of God King Nebuchadnezzar gave the order for the creation of a colossal statue made of gold what was a small God to do he gave his people an opportunity to worship him or so he thought Daniel 3: 1-7 Nebuchadnezzar the king made a goldplated image whose height including the pedestal was 60 cubits 90 ft and its width 6 cubits 9 ft he set it up on the plane of dura in the province of Babylon the Nebuchadnezzar the king sent word to assemble the satraps the prefects and the governors councellors the treasurers the judges the magistrates and lawyers and all the chief officials of the province vces to come to the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up then the SAT TRS the prefects the governors the counselors the treasurers the judges the magistrates and lawyers and all the chief officials of the provinces gathered together for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up and they stood before it then the herald loudly proclaimed you are commanded o peoples Nations and speakers of every language that at the moment you hear the sound of the horn pipe liar Trigon for strin harp damer bagpipe and all kinds of music you are to Fall Down and Worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be thrown into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire so when the people heard the sound of the horn hype liar Trigon dlam bagpipe and all kinds of music all the peoples Nations and speakers of every language fell down and worshiped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up the gold statue that Nebuchadnezzar had commissioned must have been magnificent it stood 90 ft tall it's possible that the king planned it to consolidate his power by bringing together all levels of his officials for a grand ceremony everyone obeyed Nebuchadnezzar's orders because he was determined to establish himself not only as the uncontested political leader of Babylon but also as the supreme religious Authority in the city or at the very least almost everyone as the grand Gathering was underway all the attendees except for Shadrach meak and Abednego paid the respects by bowing down these three boys stood tall stubborn and unyielding their unwillingness to submit to the norm resulted in a tense and unavoidable confrontation the sheer weight of social expectations can be overwhelming whing for many individuals it's a struggle that can be difficult to articulate like children in church looking around during prayer time to see whose eyes are open certain caldan saw the three Hebrew boys Standing Tall among those who had prostrated themselves and ran to Nebuchadnezzar to report it their accusation against the three Jewish captives in high positions drips with envy and bitterness clearly they cannot accept that these individuals have risen to power despite their captivity the jealousy in their words is palpable towards those who have succeeded where they have not because their faith forbade them from worshiping any God other than the true God of Israel the petty Court officials saw an opportunity to eliminate Shadrach meach and Abednego and they did not pass up the chance to do so when Nebuchadnezzar found out about the situation he immediately flew into into a rage Daniel 3: 13-14 then Nebuchadnezzar in a furious rage gave a command to bring Shadrach meach and Abednego and these men were brought before the King Nebuchadnezzar said to them is it true Shadrach Meshach and Abednego that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image which I have set up these Valiant Jewish men defied the king's direct order and placed themselves in the hands of God their response is quite impressive Shadrach meach and Abednego replied to the King Nebuchadnezzar we are not in need of an answer to give you concerning this matter if it be so our God whom we serve is able to rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire and he will rescue us from your hand O King but even if he does not let it be known To You O King that we are not going to serve your Gods nor worship the golden statue that you have set up Daniel 3: 16-18 in other words they said we'd rather fear Our God than your furnace any day even if he decides to let us burn we will still serve the Living God rather than your dead Idol Priceless they prefer death to unfaithfulness to God and had no doubt planned for the possibility of this day for a long time Nebuchadnezzar's level of Rage when his authority was defied is challenging to imagine but apparently his face was livid he ordered to heat the furnace seven times more than was customary to match his Fury when Shadrach meak and Abednego were tossed into the Flames the radiant heat was so great that the men carrying them were killed no doubt wearing flamable clothing the faithful Hebrews had no hope unless hope itself intervened Daniel 3: ver 23- 25 but these three men Shadrach meach and Abednego fell into the middle of the Furnace of blazing fire still tied up in Nebuchadnezzar the King was astounded and stood up quickly he said to his counselors was it not three men that we threw bound into the middle of the fire they replied to the king absolutely oh King he responded look I see four men United and walking about in the middle of the fire on armed and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the Gods when Nebuchadnezzar saw the men walking around in the fire not only did he find it unbelievable that they were unharmed but he also found it unbelievable that there were four of them the fourth appeared to be a God's son implying that he was the pre-incarnate Christ Nebuchadnezzar tells us who the fourth person was the son of God during the most difficult part of their ordeal Jesus was there with them physically in the midst of their ordeal in the fiery furnace Shadrach meach and Abednego may or may not have been aware that the Son of God was with them although there are times when we are conscious of Jesus's presence in our afflictions and other times when we are not we should never doubt that he is present we read I see four men loose walking in the midst of the fire Nebuchadnezzar also not that the four men were free while they were in the fire only the ropes that were holding them together were burnt by the fire God is able to strike with astonishment those individuals whose hearts are most hardened not only against him but also against his people he that made the soul can make his sword to approach to it even to that of the greatest Tyrant Nebuchadnezzar had the mistaken impression that he was the most powerful person in the world but here he met the person who was far more powerful than he was what effect would that have on him will he still have the self assurance to demand the others worship him as if he were a god Daniel 3: 26- 27 then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the Furnace of blazing fire he said Shadrach meach and Abednego come out you're Servants of the most high God and come here and Shadrach meach and Abednego came out of the middle of the fire the satraps the prefects the governors and the King's counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men nor was the hair of their heads singed nor were their trousers damaged nor had even the smell of fire touched them when the king realized that the men he had sentenced had been divinely rescued he summoned them and not a single hair on their heads had been scorched in the process being thrown into Nebuchadnezzar's deadly fire fire had proven to be a piece of cake it is incredible that anyone survived even for a second inside the furnace when so many others perished right outside the entrance God can Deliver Us from a trial or he can miraculously sustain and strengthen us in a trial we are astonished by their faith in the one true God their response in the midst of the trial confirmed three things their unwavering belief in the god of the Bible their trust in The God Who is who he says he is and will do what he says he will do and their faith has revealed by their Reliance on the only one who had the power to deliver them from Evil the recognition of God over the world's most powerful King resulted in the revelation of God's supreme power to unbelievers their faith shows that God is capable of delivering us from our own problems and trials as Christians we know that God is capable of delivering we also know that he does not always act in this manner according to Romans 5 God may allow trials and difficulties in our lives to build our character strengthen our faith or for other unknown reasons we may not always understand why we are going through a trial but God simply asks that we trust him even when it is difficult job despite experiencing incredible pain almost insurmountably Agony and suffering was able to say though he slays me yet will I hope in him we also know that God does not always guarantee that we will never suffer or die but he does promise to always be with us we should learn that in times of adversity and persecution we should adopt the attitude of these three young men but even if he does not we want you to know O King that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up Daniel 3:8 without question these are some of the most courageous ious words ever spoken the fact that the fire did not consume Shadrach Meshach and Abednego astounded Nebuchadnezzar the point is that when we walk by faith we may face fiery persecution but we can be confident that he is with us he will keep us going he will eventually Deliver Us he will save us forever when we are persecuted or in pain we can have hope because we know that this life is not the end there is life after death that is his Assurance to all who love and Obey him knowing that we will spend eternity with God allows us to rise above the pain and suffering we experience in this life Daniel 3: 28-30 Nebuchadnezzar responded and said blessed be the god of Shadrach meach and Abednego who has sent his Angel and rescued his servants who put their trust in him violating the King's Command and surrendered their bodies rather than serve or worship any God except their own God therefore I make a decree that any people Nation or population of any language that speaks anything offensive against the god of Shadrach meach and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb and their houses made a rubbish Heap because there is no other God who is able to save in this way and the King made Shadrach Meshach and Abednego prosperous in the province of Babylon Jesus is mentioned quite a few times s in the Old Testament however he is not referred to by that name nor does he appear in the same form as he does in the New Testament nevertheless he is present in the Old Testament Christ is emphasized throughout the entirety of the Holy scriptures a following statement is as true today as it was in the time of Nebuchadnezzar and all the kings who followed in his footsteps regardless of their stature whether they are politicians Kings tyrants dictators presidents managers supervisors pastors Elders deacons or leaders of any kind they must acknowledge that they are subject to the ultimate sovereignty of God regardless of whether rulers accept it or not God will ultimately have his way a position of privilege power or authority demands wise and humble stewardship God has given us the gift of autonomy which means we have a degree of freedom in making decisions however we may choose to challenge his authority or attempt to resist his Sovereign will but the truth is that God has never met his match he will win he will have his way so if you face a high stressed day and feel like submitting to your Sovereign Lord is not Proactive or productive my advice is to do it anyway you'll be glad you did it later maybe even sooner submitting to God's Authority and seeking his will makes you his ally as written by the sages of Israel centuries ago all the ways of a person are clean in his own sight but the Lord examines the motive commit your Works to the Lord and your plans will be established Proverbs 16: 2-3 what did Jesus look like what did Jesus look like what did Nebuchadnezzar see we don't know exactly what Nebuchadnezzar saw but the Book of Revelation provides a strong idea the title of this book Revelation originates from the primary event it scribes which is the manifestation of Jesus Christ to the people living on Earth in the final days the Throne of God was the focal point of many of the Visions reported by Jewish Mystics and apocalyptic seers the Revelation opens with Jesus as the revealer John was to document the things that he had seen John sees a powerful Jesus that does not compared to any typical man however before John sets his Gaze on Jesus he first first hears his voice Revelation 1: 10-13 I was in the spirit on the Lord's day and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet saying write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches to Ephesus Smyrna pergamum thyra Sardis Philadelphia and leod deia and I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me and after turning I saw seven golden lampstand and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man clothed in a robe reaching to the feet and wrapped around the chest with a golden sash this was it John had seen the son of man the honored Jesus Christ John described the loud voice he heard as distinct and striking as the sound of a trumpet the powerful voice is that of the Alpha and Omega the first and the last who stands at the beginning and the end of everything because Jesus identified himself with these names in Revelation 1:18 we know this was the loud voice of Jesus the first and the last is a title that belongs to the Lord Yahweh the god of Israel the title Alpha and the Omega has the same idea as first and the last this is one of the New Testament passages where Jesus clearly claimed to be God we can only imagine what went through John's mind as he turned the sound of the voice he heard most likely did not match up perfectly with the way he recalled Jesus's voice sounding John described it as of a trumpet Revelation 1:10 however he was aware that it was Jesus because of the Voice's description of itself as the Alpha and Omega the robe and girdle May evoke images of the high priest from the Bible and they may also imply that Jesus is the high priest for his people the only other occurrence of girdles in Revelation is 15:6 also golden where it is Priestly imagery for angels in the Heavenly Temple thus Jesus appears not only as king but as a priest combination of images that grew familiar to Jewish people in the meban period Jesus's face also shines like the sun Greek texts sometimes portray deity shining like the sun or lightning Jewish texts did the same for angels and others but also for God himself even though John was an apostle who had known Jesus while he was on Earth he was overcome with Wonder after seeing this incredible Vision even the 3 years that John lived on Earth with Jesus did not adequately prepare him for the moment when Jesus appeared to him in his Heavenly Majesty in that moment John realized the divine power and Majesty Jesus gave up while living on Earth Jesus is the first and the last the God of all eternity Lord of eternity past and Eternity future Jesus is the one who lives and was dead and is alive forever more he possesses Resurrection credentials and lives to never die again the victory that Jesus achieved over sin and death was eternal he didn't rise from the dead just to die again Jesus is the only one who possesses the keys to Hades and death some believe that the devil has the authority or power to decide who lives and who dies they are OB viously mistaken because only Jesus has the keys to Hades and death God curses Nebuchadnezzar still Nebuchadnezzar had not learned his lesson from a king to an animal the rise and fall of King Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar had married a beautiful princess from the Persia mountains where Tran Iran's capital is now located she arrived at Nebuchadnezzar's Palace but quickly became homesick she missed the mountains the trees and the Wild animals the most when Nebuchadnezzar learned the reason for her dissatisfaction he immediately committed to rectifying the situation he constructed a massive brick mountain and adorned it with an array of trees shrubs and plants its breathtaking appearance ear earned in a place as one of the Seven Wonders of the World the Hanging Gardens of Babylon attracted many visitors above the gardens a private zoo of exotic animals was built to entertain the King's wife familiar with the flat surroundings of Babylon one day he was standing on the roof of his magnificent Palace when he suddenly realized what he had accomplished isn't this the great Babylon that I have built by my own power and Glory he asked himself feeling proud and accomplished he dozed off and dreamed Daniel 4: 4-9 I Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in my house and prospering in my Palace I I saw a dream and it made me afraid and the fantasies and thoughts and the visions that appeared in my mind as I lay on my bed kept alarming me so I gave orders to bring in before me all the wise men of Babylon so that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream then The Magicians the enchanters Magi the caldan who were the master astrologers and the divers came in and I told them the dream but they could not interpret it and make known its meaning to me but at last Daniel came in before me whose name is belt chazar after the name of my God and in whom is a spirit of the Holy gods and I told the dream to him saying oh belto shazar chief of The Magicians because I know that a spirit of the Holy Gods is in you and no mystery baffles or troubles you tell me the vision of my dream which I have seen along with its interpretation Nebuchadnezzar's false peace was shattered by God's intervention this dream is different from the one in Daniel 2 Nebuchadnezzar shared this dream with his counselors but they could not interpret it for him the dream was actually quite easy to interpret so it is possible that the wise men lacked the courage to do so rather than the Insight Nebuchadnezzar said that they did not reveal the interpretation of the dream rather than saying that they were unable to do so the interpretation of this dream is so terrifying that no one wants to tell the king we read at last Daniel came before me why did they wait so long to send for Daniel if the soothsayers and Sorcerers could have solved the problem they would not have needed Daniel's help this is the behavior of people who lack Grace they do not seek God until they have exhausted all other options this means that while what he saw previously with Daniel in the three Hebrew young men was enough to impress him it was not enough to convert him being impressed with God is not the same as being converted Daniel 4: 10-17 the visions that pass through my mind as I lay on my bed were these I was looking and behold there was a tree in the middle of the earth and its height was great the tree grew large and became strong and its height reached to heaven and it was visible to the end of the Earth its leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant and in it was food for all and the bird bir of the sky nested in its branches and all living creatures fed themselves from it and behold I saw in the visions of my mind as I lay on my bed an Angelic Watcher a Holy One descended from Heaven shouted aloud and said this cut down the tree and cut off its branches shake off its leaves and Scatter its fruit let the living creatures run from under it and the birds fly from its branches nevertheless leave the stump with it its roots in the ground bound with a band of iron and bronze in the new grass of the field and let him be wet with the Dew of heaven and let him feed with the animals in the grass of the Earth let his mind in nature be changed from a man's and let an animals mind and nature be given to him and let seven periods of time pass over him the sentence is by the decree of the Angelic Watchers and the decision is a command of the Holy ones so that the living may know without any doubt that the most high God rules over the kingdom of mankind and he bestows it on whomever he desires and sets over it the humblest and lowliest of men the tree in Nebuchadnezzar's dream was known for its size strength Beauty fruitfulness and the shelter it provided we read bound with a band of iron and bronze either for confinement or protection the tree stump would no longer be free Nebuchadnezzar heard the these words in his dream in order that the living may know that the most high rules in the Kingdom of men in light of this the dream wasn't hard to interpret it clearly dealt with the humbling of a great king like many rulers throughout history Nebuchadnezzar desired to assert his authority above all else even above God both the Assyrian and Babylonian Kings considered themselves to be rulers of the entire world as indicated in their inscriptions Daniel chap 4:8 this is the dream which I King Nebuchadnezzar have seen now you belto shazar explain its meaning since none of the wise men of my kingdom are able to reveal its interpretation to me but you are able for a spirit of the Holy Gods is in you Nebuchadnezzar could always rely on Daniel to give him an honest answer even if it was difficult to hear although Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged that Daniel was a man filled with the spirit of the holy God he had not yet surrendered surrendered himself to the holy God Daniel's explanation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream Daniel 4: 19 through 26 then Daniel whose Babylonian name was Bel the shazar was appalled and speechless for a while because he was deeply concerned about the destiny of the king and his thoughts alarmed him the king said belto shazar do not let the dream or its interpretation frighten you Bel the shazar answered my Lord May the dream be meant for those who hate you and its message for your enemies the tree that you saw which became great and grew strong whose height reached to heaven and which was visible to all the Earth whose foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant and on which was food for all under which the beasts of the field lived and in whose branches the birds of the sky nested it is you oh King who have become great and grown strong your greatness has increased and it reaches to heaven and your Dominion reaches to the ends of the Earth in that the king saw an Angelic Watcher a Holy One descending from heaven and saying cut the tree down and destroy it but leave the stump with its roots in the Earth but with a band of iron and bronze around it in the new grass of the field and let him be wet with the Dew of heaven and let him feed with the beasts of the field until seven periods of time pass over him this is the interpretation oh King it is the decree of the most high God which is come upon my Lord the king that you shall be driven from Mankind and your Dwelling Place shall be with the beasts of the field and that you be given grass to eat like the cattle and be wet with the Dew of heaven and seven periods of time shall pass over you until you know without any doubt that the most high God rules over the kingdom of mankind and he bestows it to whomever he desires and in that it was commanded to leave the stump with the roots of the tree and the Earth your kingdom shall be restored to you you after you recognize understand fully that heaven rules Daniel spoke the truth with love just like the prophet Nathan did when he said to King David you are the man in the language of the prophets great men and princes are often compared to trees as seen in Ezekiel Jeremiah and Psalms when Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar's dream he revealed that the king would be driven away from men forced to eat grass like an ox and drenched with the Dew of Heaven at the time Nebuchadnezzar may not have fully comprehended the extent to which these prophecies would come true however it was God's intended plan for the king to come to the realization that heaven rules had Nebuchadnezzar humbled himself earlier he could have avoided the humiliating fate that befell him Daniel 4: 27 therefore O King let me advise you to be considered and found acceptable break break away now from your sins and exhibit your repentance by doing what is right and from your wickedness by showing Mercy to the poor so that if you repent there may possibly be a continuance of your prosperity and tranquility and a healing of your error the proper response to the Peril of judgment is to humbly repent unfortunately Nebuchadnezzar failed to do so he ought to have followed nineveh's example of repentance when Jonah preached to them Nebuchadnezzar was advised to not only stop sinning but also to actively practice righteousness and generosity Daniel 4: 28-33 all this happened to Nebuchadnezzar the king 12 months later he was walking on the upper level of the Royal Palace of Babylon the king said thoughtfully is not this the great Babylon which I myself have built as the Royal residence and seat of government by the might of my power and for the honor and Glory of my Majesty while the words were still in the king's mouth a voice came as if falling from Heaven saying oh King Nebuchadnezzar to you it is declared the kingdom has been removed from you and you will be driven away from Mankind and your Dwelling Place will be with the animals of the field you'll be given grass to eat like the cattle and seven periods of time will pass over you until you know without any doubt that the most high God rules over the kingdom of mankind and and he bestows it on whomever he desires immediately the word concerning Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled he was driven away from Mankind and began eating grass like cattle and his body was wet with the Dew of Heaven until his hair had grown like Eagle's feathers and his nails were like Bird's claws God had given Nebuchadnezzar a period of 12 months to repent although he probably forgot about the dream during that time however God didn't forget as per Daniel 4:30 Daniel knew that the new Babylon was created by Nebuchadnezzar which was previously thought to be untrue but was later verified by recent archaeology During the maban period nobody thought that Nebuchadnezzar had built the new Babylon in the British museum six Columns of writing from Babylon describe Nebuchadnezzar's building projects and his desire to improve the city the British museum houses six Columns of writing that were discovered in Babylon these columns detail the massive building projects undertaken by Nebuchadnezzar as well as his passion for expanding and beautifying the city the majority of bricks on Earth during babylon's excavations bear the inscription Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon supporter of esila and eida exalted firstborn son of nabo poar King of Babylon we read they shall drive you from men eat grass like oxen Nebuchadnezzar received the same announcement that he had heard in his train is indicated to him that the dream was about to come true and he would be transformed into an animal specifically an ox there are some who reject the story of Nebuchadnezzar's Madness as being unhistorical however During the period between 582 BC and 575 BC there are no records of his governmental activities this silence is significant given the near Eastern leaders typically boasted of their accomplishments while hiding their failures Nebuchadnezzar had the chance to Humble himself but he did not as a result God humbled him in a much more severe way than if Nebuchadnezzar had humbled himself Daniel 4: 34-37 but at the end of the days that is at the seven periods of time I Nebuchadnezzar raised my eyes towards heaven and my understanding and reason returned to me and I blessed the most high God and I praised and honored and glorified him who lives forever for his Dominion is an everlasting dominion and his kingdom endures from generation to Generation all the inhabitants of the Earth are regarded as nothing but he does according to his will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitant of the earth and no one can hold back his hand or say to him what have you done now at the same time my reason returned to me and for the glory of my kingdom my majesty and Splendor were returned to me and my counselors and my Nobles began seeking me out so I was reestablished in my kingdom and still more greatness than before was added to me now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and exalt and honor the king of Heaven for all his works are true and faithful and his ways are just and he is able to humiliate and humble those who walk in self-centered self-righteous Pride the God we serve exists and reigns with unlimited sovereignty over All Creatures Nebuchadnezzar could only see the truth about himself when he first saw the truth about God the Babylonian King did see who God was and he eloquently praised his sovereignty after this his reason returned dear friends we need to return to reason and embrace worship more wholeheartedly Even in our public Gatherings we failed to give enough importance to worship let us take a moment to Bow our heads in spirits and adore the one who lives forever and ever this return of Reason results in prayer if we believe what Nebuchadnezzar believed about God it will certainly show in our prayer life we can see the power of God in changing the way people think and behave in altering the course of rivers oceans and the distribution of resources and in assigning angels to their tasks God's intention was to restore Nebuchadnezzar not to humiliate him Nebuchadnezzar learned that God is able to bring down those who walk in Pride the ultimate goal was to bring Nebuchadnezzar to his rightful place before God and among men there are those who see a prophetic significance in the following account according to the scriptures Babylon is used as a representation of the world system as a whole so we can interpret the following the fall of Nebuchadnezzar represents Jesus's Judgment of the Nations the restoration of Nebuchadnezzar foreshadows the restoration of some of those Nations during the millennial Kingdom fortunately God's disciplin worked and as soon as the king returned to the Palace he became a different man he no longer claimed sovereignty or wisdom instead he saw his greatness as a gift from God he sought to honor God rather than himself as the source of every good thing notice how Nebuchadnezzar developed a teachable spirit many Proverbs warn that the sin of pride is a dangerous offense Proverbs 16: 18-19 Pride goes before destruction and a hotty spirit before a fall it is better to be humble in spirit with the lowly than to divide the spoil with the proud huy arrogant Pride leads to humiliation as the passage clearly explains it is better to be humble and poor than proud and Rich the opposite of pride humility leads to honor Pride sets us down an ill-fated path to choose pride is to set oneself up for a fall the pedestal we make for ourselves proves a shaky footing respect reverence and submission to the Lord are all aspects of fearing the Lord because the Lord is infinitely wiser than we are we acknowledge our desperate need for him Proverbs 3:7 do not be wise in your own eyes fear the lord with reverent awe and obedience and turn entirely Away From Evil whenever we see the terms such as destruction fall disaster ruin and downfall in these passages can be understood as a penalty Meed out to the proud to Humble them and correct their waywardness unchecked pride leads to destruction the purpose of the Bible's warnings is to put the proud sinner back on a path that leads to honor and love Proverbs chap 11:2 when pride comes then comes disgrace in the Garden of Eden Pride went before a fall in a dramatic and consequential manner the proud person pursues their own way but the humble one obeys God's word humbly following the Lord's commands makes us surefooted so that we won't slip or stagger humility and fear of the Lord establish us securely on God's path where our feet won't stumble nor will we fall if there is one thing that is so dangerous in life it is to ascribe God's glory to ourselves this is because when we make the huge mistake of taking God's glory it is like having a face off with the maker of heavens and the Earth one thing is sure at that point only one winner is certain and it can't be mere mortals God never sleeps nor Slumber the Bible shares with us the characteristics of God one of the most comforting attributes of God is that God never sleeps nor Slumbers something is comforting and reassuring about trusting the same God who has come through for many others before us his mercy and faithfulness are so lifting as they elicit courage to face every challenge great confidence Springs inside us as we learn to trust the god who never sleeps nor Slumbers as we grow in understanding our eyes will always be on him and our trust in him will become firm and concrete as we get to the point where it is hard to doubt his ability to come through for us Psalm 121 I will lift up my eyes to the hills of Jerusalem from where shall my help come my help comes from the Lord who made Heaven and Earth he will not allow your foot to slip he who keeps you will not Slumber behold he who keeps Israel will neither Slumber briefly nor sleep soundly the Lord is your keeper the Lord is your shade on your right hand the sun will not strike you by day nor the Moon by Night the Lord will protect you from all evil he will keep your life the Lord will guard your going out and your coming in everything that you do from this time forth and forever testimony of the three Hebrew boys is Faith provoking because it shows us that even when all hell looks like it is breaking loose our firm trust in God will bring victory at the end events will always happen that will compel us to take a stand for God however the choice is always ours to make if we trust him enough knowing that he never sleeps nor Slumbers he will come through for us but if we choose fear then we have chosen the devil's control according to the prophet Isaiah those who wait on the Lord will find renewed strength Isaiah 40:31 our mortal strength Supply is not an eternal Reservoir like the almighties let us pray father I pray that you deliver me from Pride which you hate help me never to be convinced that my strengths are my own fortresses I acknowledge that you are my strength and security and that anything good in my life comes from you please help me to walk in humility and rely solely on you father please don't let me place the security of my heart or material possessions like houses and nice things I don't want to pervert Justice or oppress the poor because of my competitive Spirit give me a humble attitude that will allow me to love everyone and treat them with kindness and respect help me to restrain my pride in seasons of Victory and remember that all victories come from you please forgive me for any Pride in my heart or mind as it will only lead to oppression help me to look to you in humility because I know that I cannot walk this life out without your help I pray all of this in the mighty name of Jesus who was a true humble servant direct my footsteps according to your word let no sin rule over me search me oh God and know my heart test me and know my anxious thoughts see if there is any offensive way in me and Lead Me in the way Everlasting create in me a pure heart oh God and renew a steadfast Spirit within me do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing Spirit to sustain me dear Lord Jesus I am seeking your presence today to renounce the spirit of Pride from my life with all firmness I need your help to completely uproot this spirit that has taken residence in my life I rebuke all the stubborn spirit that are operating in my life and I cast them away by the power of your holy name I confess that my pride and arrogance have caused me to lose sight of my glorious Destiny Lord I am asking for your intervention and I humbly request that you restore my destiny to me I pray for your Divine help to break through every spiritual and physical stronghold of Pride that is operating in my life heavenly father I acknowledge that pride has gained control of my life I know it has led me to behave and speak in a way that you find offensive I am asking you to remove every feeling of Shame haughtiness arrogance boasting and frustration from my life please help me to say no to Pride in every sinful Act of the devil I pray that you will fill my heart with your love and grace so that I can live a life that is pleasing to you Lord I need your cleansing power today cleanse me of my sin and let me see myself as you do as a fallible imperfect human in need of Grace I resist and renounce the spirit of Pride from having a Dwelling Place in my life thank you for hearing my prayer amen amen amen that

Channel: Grace Digital Network

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Keywords: grace digital, babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, Jesus

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Length: 71min 37sec (4297 seconds)

Published: Mon Jan 15 2024