Participants: John Bradshaw
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001250
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00:07 It has stood the test of time, God's book,
00:11 the Bible. 00:16 Still relevant in today's complex world. 00:22 It Is Written ... 00:24 sharing hope around the globe. 00:36 Leaders come and leaders go from the world stage. 00:40 Some of them are little remembered, while others 00:43 are never to be forgotten. 00:44 One of the most significant figures of world history 00:48 is a man whose exploits see him actually become a man 00:51 of prophetic significance. 00:54 No, his name is not mentioned in the Bible, but his deeds 00:57 and his conquests and ultimately his 01:00 defeat see him fit into one of the most 01:03 important prophecies in the entire Bible. 01:07 [Music] 01:11 Napoleon Bonaparte is one of the most significant 01:13 figures in the history of France, 01:16 and few leaders in recent history have impacted 01:18 the world in as big a way as he did. 01:22 Today he rests here - at Les Invalides. 01:28 The complex is a collection of buildings relating 01:30 to France's military history. 01:33 Originally it was a hospital and retirement home for war 01:36 veterans, but now there are museums and monuments - 01:39 as well as this being the burial place for many 01:42 of France's war heroes - including Napoleon. 01:48 His ashes are kept in an incredibly impressive tomb. 01:51 It's one of the most remarkable structures you'll ever see. 01:58 This great honor was given to Napoleon because he was 02:01 - in many minds - one of the greatest military commanders 02:05 in all of history. 02:08 He came to power as the Emperor of France not long 02:11 after the French Revolution, and his aim was the unite 02:15 Europe under the leadership of France. 02:18 And he very nearly succeeded. 02:26 But one thing was against Napoleon. 02:29 Prophecy. 02:32 The word of God said Napoleon couldn't possibly 02:35 be victorious. 02:36 But Napoleon either didn't know what the Bible said, 02:40 or didn't care. 02:42 Napoleon's history demonstrates that what God 02:45 says comes to pass. 02:51 No matter what any person might try to do, what God says 02:56 is going to happen is going to happen. 02:58 The word of God doesn't fail. 02:59 It could be said of the Bible, as f Isaiah said, "No weapon 03:04 formed against thee shall prosper." Napoleon defeated 03:08 much of Europe, but he couldn't defeat 03:12 the word of God. 03:16 So what was this prophecy that doomed the great military 03:19 leader Napoleon to ultimate defeat? 03:22 We're going to take a look at that prophecy right now. 03:25 We find it in Daniel, Chapter 2. 03:28 The chapter begins with another great military leader, 03:32 a man named Nebuchadnezzar, who was the king of Babylon. 03:35 Babylon was a very powerful kingdom, based in what today 03:38 we would call Iraq. 03:41 One night, the king of Babylon had a dream and it was 03:44 so profound a dream, so impressive a dream, 03:47 it caused Nebuchadnezzar to wake up out of his sleep. 03:50 When he woke up, he tried to recall his dream but he 03:54 couldn't remember what he had dreamed and, therefore, 03:56 he couldn't possibly know what the dream meant. 03:59 Maybe you've had a dream like that. 04:02 You wake up in the morning and you say, well, that was 04:04 interesting. 04:05 And you reach for your dream, you try to remember 04:07 what it was but it just seems to slip away. 04:13 Maybe it was something like that for king Nebuchadnezzar. 04:20 Now before I tell you about the dream, I want to tell you 04:23 that the dream itself is a remarkable thing. 04:27 What you're about to see is one of the greatest 04:28 evidences in the Bible for the reliability 04:31 and the trustworthiness of the word of God. 04:35 This dream given many years ago by God to a heathen King 04:39 has made believers out of a lot of skeptics 04:42 - so get ready to be challenged if you do not 04:45 think that the Bible is God's communication to humankind. 04:52 In Nebuchadnezzar's dream that night he saw an impressive 04:55 multi-metal image stood before him. 04:58 This image had a head made of gold, a chest and arms 05:02 of silver, its loins were of brass and its legs 05:06 were made from iron. 05:08 Its feet were a mixture of iron and ceramic clay. 05:12 Then to the King's dismay he watched a bolder strike 05:15 the image on its feet and knock it down. 05:18 And if that was not enough, the rock ground the entire 05:23 image to dust. 05:24 As he watched, the rock then grew bigger and bigger until 05:29 it encompassed the whole earth. 05:38 Now keep in mind, Nebuchadnezzar was 05:39 an idol worshipper. 05:41 Idols were his gods. 05:43 So when he has a dream about a great big idol that is being 05:45 destroyed, he is alarmed. 05:47 A god being destroyed? 05:50 What would the implications be for Nebuchadnezzar 05:52 and for his kingdom? 05:54 So Nebuchadnezzar called his wise men together and he said, 05:57 "I've had a dream.. 05:59 It seems to me that the gods are speaking to me and so 06:03 I need to know what the dream was and what it meant. 06:06 Tell me, both things, what I dreamed and what 06:09 the dream meant." 06:10 Now, that wasn't an unreasonable request at all. 06:13 If these wise men were as close to the world of the gods 06:16 as they claimed to be, this shouldn't be any 06:19 problem for them at all. 06:23 They responded: "There is not a man on earth who can tell 06:26 the king's matter; therefore no king, lord, or ruler has 06:32 ever asked such things of any magician, astrologer, 06:35 or Chaldean. 06:36 It is a difficult thing that the king requests, and there 06:39 is no other who can tell it to the king except the gods, 06:43 whose dwelling is not with flesh" (Dan 2:10, 11). 06:48 Because they were unable to live up to their reputation, 06:50 because they couldn't interpret for the king what 06:54 his dream was and what it meant, the king ordered 06:56 them to be executed. 06:57 Now this was especially bad news for a young man named 07:00 Daniel and his three friends, Shadrach, Meshach 07:03 and Abednego. 07:04 Because of their exemplary character, they had been 07:06 included in the group of the king's wise men. 07:08 So when the king said that the wise men 07:10 were to be executed, that included Daniel and his 07:13 friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. 07:16 Daniel asked for a little bit of time. 07:19 He and his friends got together and earnestly prayed 07:21 that God would show them the dream and its meaning. 07:24 And God did. 07:26 And so now, Daniel is ushered into the presence of the king. 07:30 Here is what happened. 07:31 "The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was 07:37 Belteshazzar, "Are you able to make known to me the dream 07:40 which I have seen, and its interpretation?" 07:43 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, 07:46 and said, "The secret which the king has demanded, 07:48 the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, 07:51 and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king. 07:56 But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, 08:00 and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar 08:02 what will be in the latter days.". 08:09 The king listened intently as he heard Daniel 08:13 describing his dream. 08:14 He knew this was exactly what he had dreamed 08:17 the night before. 08:18 And then Daniel told the king the meaning 08:21 of the dream. 08:23 "You, O king, are a king of kings. 08:26 For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, 08:29 strength, and glory; ...you are this head of gold." 08:34 Nebuchadnezzar was like France's Napoleon, 08:40 the French Emperor - eager to be the head, 08:44 wanting to be a great leader. 08:49 According to God's plan, Babylon was to be the first 08:53 in a line of world empires. 08:56 This did not appeal to the king at all. 08:59 He had great plans to make Babylon an enduring kingdom. 09:04 Bricks excavated in the ruins of old Babylon were stamped 09:08 with an inscription in which Nebuchadnezzar announced that 09:10 he built the city to last forever. 09:14 Here was the king of the first world empire confronted by the 09:17 plans of the King of Kings. 09:20 How would he respond? 09:21 He could surrender his plans and accept the plan of God. 09:26 Or he could reject God's plans and push his own agenda. 09:34 You know - it's entirely appropriate that I'm telling 09:36 you this story from France - from Paris, the final resting 09:40 place of the Emperor Napoleon. 09:41 Like Nebuchadnezzar, Napoleon had ideas about great dominion. 09:47 And just like Nebuchadnezzar, Napoleon's ideas and God's 09:51 ideas didn't mesh. 09:53 Listen on, and you'll see how this prophecy in Daniel 2 09:57 guaranteed Napoleon couldn't succeed in bringing Europe 10:02 into one dominion. 10:04 [Music] 10:11 With Nebuchadnezzar's dream, much was at stake. 10:13 The real issue was this: Who was going to control 10:17 human history, God or man? 10:20 Every succeeding king had to answer the same question. 10:24 Would they let God be God or would they try to 10:28 play God instead? 10:32 God emphatically told Nebuchadnezzar - "But after 10:34 you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours." 10:37 In answer, Nebuchadnezzar said; "No, I reject 10:42 God's plan." You see in Daniel 3 just how 10:46 Nebuchadnezzar responded. 10:47 He had his own image built that was made entirely 10:51 out of gold. 10:52 You see, Nebuchadnezzar was saying, instead of Babylon 10:55 being the head of the image, Babylon will be the entire 10:59 image. 11:00 Babylon won't only be the first kingdom, Babylon will be 11:05 the only kingdom. 11:10 Now before we consider this prophecy any further, we 11:12 really ought to take a look at a very important word 11:15 and that's that word "inferior." 11:18 God said to Nebuchadnezzar that his kingdom would be 11:20 dominated by an "inferior" kingdom, which humanly 11:24 speaking, doesn't make a lot of sense. 11:27 Normally, you would expect that the superior would 11:30 dominate the inferior. 11:31 But that's not what God said happened. 11:34 Here, we see a progression. 11:35 The gold was conquered by the silver, 11:39 the silver by the bronze, the bronze by the iron, 11:41 each time the conquering metal was inferior 11:47 to the superior. 11:48 But God is driving home a point here. 11:52 If human beings were in charge, then you might expect 11:55 that the superior would dominate the inferior. 11:58 But God is saying human beings are not in charge. 12:04 The fact that the inferior conquers the superior shows us 12:08 that there is something supernatural taking 12:11 place here. 12:13 God is in charge of human history. 12:17 [Music] 12:32 Time for today's Bible question. 12:35 Here it is. 12:36 I've been having some real struggles in my life 12:37 that I hardly know what to do about. 12:41 I have prayed for a solution but I see no way out. 12:46 I want to end my life, but I don't want to go to hell. 12:51 Is suicide the unpardonable sin? 12:54 Let me tell you this. 12:57 Suicide is not the way out for you, 12:59 or for anybody. 13:00 Let me tell you why. 13:01 There are several reasons. 13:03 One, you're going to cause many people terrible pain. 13:07 There are many people who love you deeply, and they're going 13:10 to be devastated should you do such a thing. 13:12 Two, you're going to cause God a lot of pain. 13:17 God hurts when you hurt, and it will cause 13:18 Him huge pain to see you do something like that 13:22 to yourself. 13:24 Is suicide sin? 13:26 Yes it is. 13:27 (Now I know you might be able to say, "But what about...", 13:29 but we're not going there right now...) Murder is sin, 13:34 and suicide is self murder. 13:37 Not good. 13:39 Suicide represents a complete loss of faith in God. 13:42 You're saying, I'm in a place too dark too deep 13:47 for God to get me out of. 13:48 And that's not true. 13:50 1 Cor 10:13 says... 13:53 "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is 13:57 common to man. 13:59 But God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted 14:03 above that ye are able, but will with the temptation 14:06 also make a way of escape, that you may be able 14:09 to bear it." 14:12 If you are struggling, go to God and tell Him 14:14 all about it. 14:16 He will help you. 14:17 And he will help you to see that there is hope. 14:20 One other thing. 14:21 If you're experiencing these thoughts, see somebody. 14:26 Talk to a professional. 14:27 Speak with a pastor or minister if you can. 14:30 See a doctor. 14:31 Call the suicide prevention line in your area. 14:35 You want to take this seriously, and know that there 14:39 are many people who are there to help you. 14:43 If you have a question you'd like answered, go to our 14:45 website - www.ItIsWritten.com and click on the questions 14:50 tab. 14:51 Submit your question, and in a future program we might be 14:54 able to answer your question. 14:57 If you have a Bible question for pastor John Bradshaw, 15:00 please right to It Is Written, Box O, Thousand Oaks, 15:04 California 91359. 15:06 Or visit our website, itiswritten.com and send us 15:09 your questions on-line. 15:14 [Music] The Medo-Persian 15:19 kingdom conquered Babylon in a remarkable way. 15:21 You can read about that in Daniel chapter 5. 15:24 Just as God's plan indicated, Babylon went down and another 15:29 kingdom dominated the landscape. 15:33 While interpreting the dream to Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel 15:36 said: "then (there will be) another, a third kingdom of 15:40 bronze, which shall rule over all the earth" (Daniel 2:39). 15:47 The bronze midsection of the image represented Empire of 15:51 Greece. 15:52 At the battle of Issus in 333 BC the Greek army under the 15:57 generalship of Alexander the Great defeated the Medo 16:00 Persians who were under the direct command of king Darius 16:04 the 3rd. 16:06 Ancient sources tell us that the Greeks were vastly 16:08 outnumbered. 16:09 It seems the Medo Persian army was made up of 400,000 16:13 soldiers while the Greek Army may have had as few as 40,000. 16:18 That is a ratio of 10 to 1. 16:21 However, it was a decisive victory for the Macedonians. 16:25 The Persians were turned to flight and as they fled, 16:29 great numbers of them were massacred by the Greeks. 16:32 It was the first time ever that the Medo Persians had 16:35 been defeated with their king present. 16:42 The kingdom of Greece now had its place in the sun. 16:44 This was a vast empire stretching from the Adriatic 16:48 Sea to the Indus River. 16:50 But according to God's plan, it too would make way for the 16:54 rise of a fourth world ruling power. 16:59 Here's what Daniel said to Nebuchadnezzar: " 17:17 The legs of iron represented the Roman Empire. 17:20 The Roman Empire lasted more than half a millennium. 17:25 But now notice; it was never conquered by another single 17:29 nation. 17:30 Rome marked the end of the line of the four world empires 17:34 that God predicted would dominate the world. 17:37 There would never be another. 17:40 The Roman Empire was simply absorbed by the nations of 17:43 Europe and ceased to exist. 17:46 Amazing! 17:47 But then God makes another startling announcement. 18:10 The next dominant force on the world scene was to be 18:12 the nations of Europe. 18:14 You it's interesting that these things unfolded just as 18:17 God said they would. 18:18 And remember, God had said that these nations would never 18:21 unite again under one empire. 18:24 Well, what do you think man's response was? 18:27 Man's response was "We don't like it. 18:30 We will unite these nations. 18:32 We will bring these nations together again because we will 18:35 be in charge, and not God." 18:38 You know, the history of Europe is really the story of 18:41 mankind's futile attempt to try to prove God wrong. 18:46 God had said these nations would never unite but some of 18:49 the greatest generals in history marshaled some of 18:51 history's greatest armies in an attempt to conquer and 18:55 unite Europe. 18:56 But they tried and they failed. 18:59 Charlemagne tried and failed. 19:01 It could be said Louis the XIV tried and failed. 19:04 And others did exactly the same. 19:06 They tried and failed. 19:08 Mankind was wrong; God was right. 19:12 [Music÷ 19:19 That brings us back to Napoleon. 19:21 At one stage he dominated much of Europe. 19:24 The Arc de Triomphe celebrates his brilliant military 19:27 achievements. 19:31 [Music] Under his leadership 19:32 France probably stood taller in Europe than it did at any 19:35 other time. 19:37 England and Russia were still in his cross hairs. 19:39 But the Russian campaign turned into a disaster 19:43 for Napoleon. 19:44 Knowingly or unknowingly Napoleon was fighting against 19:47 the dictates of the King of Kings. 19:50 Just like Nebuchadnezzar, he said, I will 19:54 control history, not God. 19:57 Just two days before the battle of Waterloo at the 20:00 battle of Ligny, Napoleon defeated the Prussian army 20:03 under Field Marshal Blucher. 20:05 Then torrential rains came and flooded the area. 20:08 This caused Napoleon to actually delay the start 20:11 of the battle of Waterloo ever so slightly. 20:13 .When the battle began, 6800 British were under the 20:17 direction of the Duke of Wellington. 20:19 The French army numbered 72,000. 20:21 But the Prussians sent a support force of 50,000 20:25 to aid the British. 20:26 As the battle unfolded, Napoleon was actually gaining 20:29 the upper hand. 20:30 But then he needed to reposition his artillery 20:34 and when he did, those heavy grounds made it very, very 20:38 difficult for him to do so. 20:40 By the time the Prussians arrived, the die was cast. 20:45 Could it be that it was not the Prussians and the British 20:47 that defeated Napoleon? 20:49 Could it be that God sent those torrential rains to do 20:54 what man could not do? 20:57 I believe that could be the case. 20:59 You see, God had spoken. 21:01 In the book of Daniel, God said they shall not cleave one 21:04 to another even as iron is not mixed with miry clay. 21:08 On Sunday, June 15, 1815 a brilliant career ended 21:13 at the Battle of Waterloo, in Belgium. 21:17 It's interesting. 21:18 The Arc de Triomphe glorifies Napoleon's many campaigns 21:22 and victories. 21:23 But there's no mention on the Arc de Triomphe on Waterloo. 21:27 It was his downfall. 21:29 God knew best. 21:30 Napoleon was fighting against Providence. 21:33 God had - and God has - a plan for this world. 21:42 It's fascinating that Napoleon was like Nebuchadnezzar 21:45 in many ways. 21:46 A great leader. 21:47 A great strategist. 21:49 A great military man. 21:52 But like Nebuchadnezzar, he sought to fight against 21:56 the word of God. 21:57 That can never work. 21:59 But he was like Nebuchadnezzar in another way, too. 22:03 If you're familiar with the book of Daniel you'll know 22:05 that Nebuchadnezzar came to the place where he accepted 22:08 the true God into his life. 22:10 Now, I don't know if we can go so far as to say Napoleon did 22:14 that, but it's true that while he was in exile on St Helena, 22:17 in the last years of his life - a lot like Nebuchadnezzar's 22:21 7 years in the wilderness - Napoleon recognized that what 22:25 Jesus accomplished through Divine love was much greater 22:29 than the genius and military power of any general. 22:34 He said, " 22:52 Napoleon made the ultimate discovery, Jesus 22:59 and His inexhaustible love for the human family. 23:03 Makes you wonder if Napoleon ever surrendered his heart to 23:05 Jesus Christ but I guess that is something that we will just 23:09 never know? 23:10 What we do know is this. 23:12 That is that God has a plan for the kingdoms and the 23:15 nations of the world. 23:16 And if there's a plan for nations and kingdoms, then 23:19 there's little doubt that God has a plan for your life as 23:22 well. 23:23 Now, if the greatest armies in the world could not frustrate 23:27 the plans of God, why would you fight against God's plan 23:31 for your life? 23:32 One thing is different though. 23:34 You do have a very real choice, whether to say "yes" 23:37 to God and let God lead your life, or to say like some of 23:41 these others did, "No, God, I'm going to go my way." 23:47 On whose side will you stand? 23:48 Will you stand with Napoleon, Alexander the Great, 23:52 and Nebuchadnezzar and say "I'm going to do my own thing? 23:56 Or will you make a decision to let God's plans be the plans 24:01 for your life? 24:03 In the days of these kings (the kingdoms of Europe) God 24:07 will set up His kingdom that will never pass away and he 24:11 wants you to be a part of that kingdom. 24:14 He loves you. 24:15 He died for you. 24:17 In heaven now, God is doing everything he can to prepare 24:21 you for eternity. 24:23 He invites you today to surrender your life to him. 24:32 The prophecies of the Bible, inspired by God to help us 24:36 understand the past and the future. 24:39 To help us see that the Bible can be trusted and to 24:41 encourage us to face the future with confidence. 24:45 I want you to have this eye opening Bible-study guide 24:48 about your future. 24:50 You'll understand Bible Prophecy and you'll see how 24:52 you can read the prophecies of the Bible for yourself 24:56 and know what God is saying in these important 24:58 passages of the Bible. 24:59 Bible prophecy will open up to you when you read about your 25:03 future. 25:04 I'm offering it to you free. 25:06 There is absolutely no obligation. 25:08 Just call and ask for About your Future and I'll have it 25:11 sent right to your address in North America. 25:14 In just a few pages you'll learn what the Bible says 25:16 about prophecy and your knowledge of prophecy will 25:19 grow. 25:20 And it's my gift to you absolutely free. 25:24 In this booklet, you'll discover the details of Bible 25:26 prophecy and how God is guiding the affairs of 25:28 nations. 25:30 More importantly, you'll know what's ahead for planet earth. 25:33 About your Future is available right now from It Is Written. 25:36 It's practical and it makes sense of subjects many people 25:41 struggle with. 25:42 Just call 1.800.253.3000 and ask for About your Future. 25:48 You can also request About your Future by writing to It 25:51 Is Written, Box O, Thousand Oaks, CA 91359, and we'll mail 25:57 a copy to your address in North America. 25:59 And be sure to visit our website, itiswritten.com, 26:02 where you will discover more helpful resources on a host of 26:06 life-changing topics. 26:08 It Is Written is a faith-based outreach made possible by 26:11 viewers like you. 26:12 Thank you for your letters and your continued financial 26:15 support. 26:16 Our toll-free number is 1.800.253.3000 and our web 26:20 address is itiswritten.com. 26:27 In Matthew 4:4, the Word of God says, It is written, man 26:31 shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that 26:34 proceeds from the mouth of God. 26:36 Every Word is a one minute Bible-based daily devotional 26:40 presented by Pastor John Bradshaw and designed 26:44 especially for busy people like you. 26:45 Look for Every Word on selected networks 26:48 or watch it on-line everyday on our 26:50 website, itiswritten.com. 26:53 Receive a daily spiritual boost. 26:55 Watch Every Word. 26:57 You'll be glad you did. 27:02 Thanks for joining me today. 27:03 Let's pray together. 27:05 Father in heaven, thank you for this wonderful prophecy in 27:07 Daniel, Chapter 2. 27:08 And thank you for showing us again that just as you have 27:12 a plan for the world, you have a plan 27:14 for each one of us. 27:15 Give us grace, Lord, to be surrendered to you so your 27:19 plans for our lives can be the plans that are carried out in 27:22 our lives. 27:23 Keep us, please, we pray. 27:25 Take our hearts and make them yours. 27:28 I ask in Jesus' name, amen. 27:36 [Music] 27:49 I look forward to seeing you next time. 27:51 Until then, please remember It is written, 27:52 man shall not live by bread alone, but by every 27:57 word that proceeds from the mouth of God. |
Revised 2015-02-06