Participants: John Bradshaw
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001267
|
00:06 It has stood the test of time.
00:11 God's Book, the Bible. 00:17 Still relevant in today's complex world. 00:22 It Is Written ... 00:25 sharing hope around the globe. 00:35 "Yesterday, December 7, 1941, a day which will live in 00:48 infamy, the United States of America was suddenly and 00:55 deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the 01:01 Empire of Japan." 01:03 A day that will live in infamy, President Franklin 01:08 Roosevelt called it. 01:09 The surprise 1941 attack on the Pacific Fleet in Hawaii 01:13 left 2,400 Americans dead. 01:18 Now later, it was discovered that several opportunities 01:21 had been missed to anticipate and possibly avoid the 01:25 attack. 01:27 But basically, we never saw it coming. 01:30 Now fast forward seven years. 01:32 Journalists said at the time of the disastrous earthquake 01:35 that hit Japan in early 2011 that one positive thing was 01:40 that of all countries, Japan was probably the best 01:43 prepared to meet a disaster like that one. 01:46 Yet that devastating Tsunami still claimed thousands of 01:49 lives and caused massive damage. 01:52 Why was that? 01:54 Because nobody saw it coming. 01:57 It's impossible for us to know the future. 01:59 Now, there is no shortage of those who pretend to know the 02:04 future. 02:05 Psychics, astrologers and fortune tellers claim that 02:09 they have the ability to preview tomorrow's headlines. 02:13 But the truth is, they wear the same blindfolds as 02:17 everybody else. 02:19 So, is there anyone who really does know the future? 02:23 The answer is: Yes there is. 02:26 But only one person. 02:28 Today, we are going back to the future. 02:32 Time travel has always been popular in Hollywood movies. 02:36 The Back to the Future trilogy in the 1980's sold 02:38 almost a billion dollar's worth of tickets worldwide. 02:42 And who hasn't dreamed of being able to travel through 02:45 time? 02:46 When Ias a kid growing up, Doctor Who was big on 02:49 television. 02:50 Not that I liked it. 02:51 The story of a British Time Lord who traveled through 02:54 time and something called the "Tardis." 02:57 Funny how some things don't change. 02:59 That show is still big on television all these years 03:01 later. 03:02 But not all time travel is fantasy. 03:05 Some of it is very real. 03:08 Let's consider the night an ancient king was transported 03:11 more than 2500 years into the future where he visited not 03:16 only our time but the years ahead of us. 03:21 Previewing the future is the special province of Bible 03:24 Prophecy and what makes this form of time travel so 03:28 fascinating is that the future it brings to view is 03:31 100% accurate and that is because it's revealed by the 03:37 one person in the universe who knows exactly what the 03:42 future holds. 03:44 We are not talking about the wild guesses of tabloid 03:47 psychics or new age channelers. 03:50 Bible prophecy has never failed. 03:53 And you know, that's a problem for people who claim 03:55 that there is no God or that the Bible cannot be trusted. 04:00 What do people do about prophecies that you just 04:04 cannot argue against? 04:06 As long as we are all caught up in this long war between 04:09 good and evil, between Christ and Satan, it is helpful to 04:13 know not only what has already happened, but what is 04:16 yet to come and it is especially encouraging to 04:19 know how the war will end and when. 04:23 So today, we travel along with an ancient amnesiac 04:27 king, back to the future. 04:30 The story, as recorded in the second chapter of the Bible's 04:33 Book of Daniel begins with a King who had a vivid dream 04:38 but he could not remember what that dream was. 04:41 Let's listen to Daniel tell his story beginning in Daniel 04:44 2:1. 04:45 "Now in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, 04:50 Nebuchadnezzar had a dream and his spirit was so 04:53 troubled that his sleep left him." 04:56 Nebuchadnezzar was the King who ruled the great 04:59 Babylonian empire from the massive walled city of 05:02 Babylon, more than 600 years before the Birth of Christ. 05:05 The City covered 500 acres on both sides of the Euphrates 05:09 river. 05:10 The river flowed under the walls and through the city. 05:14 Babylon was located in the area of the world known as 05:16 the Fertile Crescent. 05:18 It had an intricate system of canals that irrigated lush 05:21 croplands. 05:22 Nebuchadnezzar built the hanging gardens of Babylon, 05:24 one of the Seven Wonders of the World. 05:28 He built them for his wife. 05:30 At the center of great Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar built 05:34 a 300 foot shrine to the pagan God Marduk. 05:39 He plated the walls and roof of the building with gold. 05:44 The altar was solid gold, as were the throne and 05:46 footstool. 05:47 It was magnificent. 05:49 But this king is perhaps history's most famous and 05:51 significant amnesiac. 05:54 You know, amnesia can be a pretty serious thing. 05:56 In just a moment, a man for whom amnesia was a matter of 06:01 life and death. 06:03 Don't go away. 06:04 I'll be right back. 06:07 In Matthew 4:4, the Word of God says: It Is Written, man 06:11 shall not live by bread alone but by ever word that 06:15 proceeds from the mouth of God. 06:17 Every Word is a one minute Bible-based daily devotional 06:20 presented by pastor John Bradshaw and designed 06:23 especially for busy people like you. 06:26 Look for Every Word on selected networks or watch it 06:31 on-line everyday on our website, itiswritten.com. 06:34 Receive a daily spiritual boost. 06:37 Watch Every Word. 06:38 You'll be glad you did. 06:41 Thanks for joining me on It Is Written. 06:43 A few years ago I heard a remarkable radio interview 06:46 with a pastor who had suffered total amnesia. 06:51 He couldn't remember anything. 06:53 He couldn't remember who he was, he couldn't remember who 06:55 his family was, he didn't remember his wife... 06:57 Even family photos didn't bring back any memories. 07:00 He had to learn everything all over again. 07:04 He had to get to know his own family. 07:06 He had to get to know his own wife again. 07:09 And he said that she even had to teach him how to kiss, 07:12 which he said wasn't too bad... 07:15 In the Bible, a powerful king woke up one morning and 07:20 couldn't remember a dream he'd had. 07:22 You've been there - waking up in the morning, knowing that 07:24 you had a dream and the harder you try to recall it 07:27 the further away from you it gets. 07:30 King Nebuchadnezzar called together a phalanx of 07:32 advisors and asked them to tell him what he had dreamed. 07:36 The story is recorded in Daniel chapter 2, and here is 07:39 how they replied: "O king, live forever! 07:44 Tell your servants the d2úam, and we will give you the 07:47 interpretation." 07:49 Daniel 2:4 NKJV They figured they could analyze the dream 07:52 and make up some sort of interpretation once they knew 07:55 what the dream was. 07:57 But interpretation wasn't yet the problem - the first thing 08:01 was to remember it! 08:03 King Nebuchadnezzar saw through what they were trying 08:06 to do, and was not happy. 08:09 "Tell me the dream," he demanded, "and then I'll know 08:12 that you can give me its interpretation." 08:14 That is, you're supposed to be able see into the future! 08:17 Prove it to me now! 08:18 Tell me what I dreamed. 08:20 But the wise men protested saying: "There is not a man 08:24 on earth who can tell the king's matter; therefore no 08:28 king, lord, or ruler has ever asked such things of any 08:33 magician, astrologer, or Chaldean. 08:35 Daniel 2:10 NKJV "No man on earth who can do what you 08:40 ask" they said. 08:41 And they were right about that. 08:43 But Nebuchadnezzar wasn't about to back off. 08:46 He knew his dream was important, and he wanted to 08:49 know what it meant. 08:50 He became so angry that he decreed that if the wise men 08:53 couldn't tell him his dream and its interpretation, then 08:57 the wise men in Babylon would be destroyed! 09:01 Now this was a problem for prophet Daniel and three of 09:04 his friends. 09:05 Shortly after they arrived captive in Babylon, they'd 09:09 been identified as gifted in wisdom, they were trained as 09:13 servants for the king and they were recognized as "wise 09:16 men." 09:17 So the death sentence fell on them too. 09:21 Now Daniel then asked Nebuchadnezzar himself for 09:23 time so that he could pray. 09:25 He had absolute confidence that God would solve the 09:29 problem. 09:30 In a night vision, God revealed the dream and its 09:34 interpretation to his servant Daniel, and Daniel went in to 09:37 see the king. 09:39 He told him this wasn't something an astrologer or 09:41 magician could help the king with, and he said to the king 09:45 this, "But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, 09:50 and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be 09:55 in the latter days." 09:56 Daniel 2:28 NKJV God was very clear with Daniel that the 10:00 king's dream actually foretold events that would 10:05 occur in the last days of earth's history. 10:07 The dream began in the days of Nebuchadnezzar, and it 10:10 moved forward generation after generation after 10:13 generation to the last days of earth's history. 10:17 Daniel went on to tell the king what he had dreamed: 10:22 "You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! 10:26 This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood 10:29 before you; and its form was awesome. 10:33 "This image's head was of fine gold, its chest and arms 10:36 of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, "its legs 10:40 of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. 10:45 "You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, 10:48 which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and 10:52 broke them in pieces. 10:55 "Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the 10:58 gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from 11:02 the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so 11:07 that no trace of them was found. 11:09 And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain 11:13 and filled the whole earth." 11:15 Daniel 2:31-35 NKJV You can imagine the king saying, 11:20 "Yes, that's it! 11:21 That's it! 11:22 That's exactly what I saw!" 11:24 But then he'd have said, "But Daniel, what does it mean?" 11:29 Now notice how Daniel began the interpretation: "You, O 11:33 King, are a king of kings . 11:37 you are this head of gold." 11:39 Daniel 2:37, 38 NKJV History tells us the Babylonian 11:44 Empire was the dominant world power from 605 B.C. 11:48 to 539 B.C. 11:50 History also tells us that King Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom 11:54 was full of gold. 11:56 In the temple of Marduk alone there was 18 tons of gold. 12:02 There was no better way for God to describe the 12:04 Babylonian Empire than by using the symbol of gold. 12:08 Nebuchadnezzar was happy with this interpretation. 12:11 He liked being the head of gold. 12:14 He wanted the head of gold to last forever, but that wasn't 12:18 to be, as Daniel explained in verse 39: "But after you 12:22 shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours;." 12:31 Daniel 2:39 NKJV At the time Nebuchadnezzar had this 12:34 dream, he was secure as the world leader, with no reason 12:37 to suspect that that would ever change. 12:39 But Babylon was to be overthrown by a kingdom 12:41 represented in Daniel 2:32 as "the chest and arms of 12:44 silver." 12:45 Just a few pages ahead in your Bible, in Daniel 5:28, 12:48 the next world-ruling power is referred to as the Medes 12:52 and the Persians. 12:53 Again, a fitting symbol: the two arms joined at the chest 12:56 to show two kingdoms - the Medes and Persians, who ruled 13:01 the world from 539 B.C. 13:03 to 331 B.C. 13:06 Now the story of how the Babylonians were overthrown 13:08 is told in Daniel 5. 13:11 King Belshazzar, grandson of King Nebuchadnezzar, hosted a 13:15 feast for a thousand of his lords. 13:17 He called for the gold and silver vessels captured from 13:20 the temple in Jerusalem to be brought to him. 13:22 Now these were holy - they'd been used in the worship of 13:26 God - yet Belshazzar used them to drink alcohol from in 13:30 the worship of pagan gods. 13:33 In the midst of this drunken party, a mysterious, 13:37 bloodless hand appeared from out of the invisible sleeve 13:39 of darkness and wrote on the wall: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, 13:45 UPHARSIN. 13:47 The interpretation of these words spelled doom for the 13:50 mighty Babylonian Empire. 13:53 Let's read from Daniel chapter 5. 13:56 "MENE: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; 14:00 TEKEL: You have been weighed in the balances, and found 14:04 wanting; PERES: Your kingdom has been divided, and given 14:10 to the Medes and Persians." 14:11 Daniel 5:26-28 NKJV That very night, the Medes and Persians 14:16 diverted the Euphrates River that ran under the massive 14:21 walls of Babylon. 14:22 They marched their armies straight down the dry 14:26 riverbed and came up inside the city. 14:30 Now incredibly, a hundred and fifty years before this, 14:34 Isaiah not only foretold in chapters 44 and 45 just how 14:39 Babylon would be overthrown, but he named the leader of 14:43 the army who would do it all-Cyrus, named him in the 14:46 Bible. 14:47 Babylon was conquered in one night by the Medo-Persian 14:51 army, led by Cyrus, just as the Bible predicted - just as 14:57 Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream. 15:00 The Medes and Persians ruled the world for nearly two 15:04 centuries. 15:05 But Nebuchadnezzar's dream doesn't end there, and 15:09 neither does history. 15:11 Time marches on, one kingdom replacing another kingdom, 15:15 just as God foretold in the dream of Nebuchadnezzar. 15:20 Now don't miss this. 15:21 What we're seeing is that God accurately predicted the rise 15:26 and fall of two world-ruling kingdoms. 15:30 But what would happen next? 15:34 I'll tell you in just a moment. 15:39 Planning for your financial future is a vital aspect of 15:42 Christian stewardship. 15:43 For this reason, It Is Written is pleased to offer 15:45 free planned giving and estate services. 15:48 For information on how we can help you, please call 15:53 1.800.992.2219. 15:55 Call today or visit our special website: 15:58 www.hislegacy.com. 16:06 Thanks for joining me today on It Is Written. 16:09 Today, we're unraveling one of the most important 16:11 prophecies in the entire Bible. 16:14 I've often called this the Master Key to Bible Prophecy, 16:18 because if you get this foundational prophecy, you're 16:22 in a position to be able to understand later prophecies 16:25 that build upon this one. 16:27 The prophecy we're looking at today is the dream God gave 16:30 Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel chapter 2. 16:32 And I'll tell you why this is the Master Key to Bible 16:35 Prophecy. 16:37 When it comes to prophetic interpretation, there's a 16:39 principle known as "Repeat and Enlarge." 16:43 That is, God will lay something out in one part of 16:46 the Bible, then He'll repeat it later and enlarge upon it, 16:50 giving more information. 16:52 In Daniel 2 there's an image made of various metals - and 16:55 each of those metals, each component of the statue 16:59 represents a kingdom. 17:01 In Daniel 7, the prophecy, the same prophecy is repeated 17:06 using different symbols - beasts - and the prophecy is 17:09 enlarged upon as more information is given. 17:12 This follows all the way over to the book of Revelation as 17:15 the principle continues to be used by the Bible writers. 17:19 So let's review. 17:21 In the book of Daniel, the greatest monarch of his day 17:24 had an impressive dream. 17:26 He dreamed of a huge statue made from different metals, 17:29 and discovered that the statue represented the rise 17:32 and fall of kingdoms, including his own. 17:36 It had a head of gold, representing Nebuchadnezzar's 17:39 kingdom of Babylon, and its chest & arms were made of 17:43 silver, representing the Medo-Persian kingdom. 17:47 And young Daniel, almost certainly not yet 20 years 17:50 old, came to the king to interpret the dream. 17:53 To tell him what it was, and what it meant. 17:56 Now here's what happened next. 17:58 The next kingdom is described in Daniel 2:32 as the belly 18:02 and thighs of bronze. 18:05 More than two hundred years before it appeared on the 18:07 world stage, Daniel actually names Greece - in Daniel 8:21 18:13 - as this third kingdom, which overthrew the Medes and 18:15 the Persians. 18:16 Again, the symbol is appropriate: the Greek army 18:19 was led by Alexander the Great, a young man who 18:22 marched his men 11,000 miles, conquering almost all of the 18:25 then-known world before he died from malaria at the age 18:28 of 33. 18:30 What did Alexander's men wear into battle? 18:32 Bronze breastplates, bronze helmets, bronze shields, 18:36 bronze swords. 18:38 Once again, God chose a fitting metaphor to describe 18:40 the kingdom that would rule the world from 331 B.C. 18:44 to 168 B.C. 18:46 But history doesn't end with this third kingdom. 18:51 Greece didn't rule the world forever. 18:54 There was a fourth metal after the gold of Babylon, 18:57 the silver of the Medes and Persians, the bronze of 19:00 Greece. 19:01 The next kingdom is represented by iron: "And the 19:07 fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron." 19:10 Daniel 2:40 NKJV The last kingdom to rule the entire 19:15 known world is described as iron. 19:18 In 168 B.C. 19:19 the iron monarchy of Rome overthrew the Greeks. 19:23 Just as legs form the longest part of the body, Rome had 19:27 the longest reign of any of the world powers. 19:30 Little by little, Rome rose to power, fighting many wars 19:34 and enslaving many people. 19:37 By the time Jesus was born, most of the then-known world 19:39 was under Roman rule. 19:41 You will remember that Joseph and Mary were on their way to 19:43 pay taxes to the Roman ruler, Caesar Augustus, when Jesus 19:47 was born. 19:48 For more than 500 years, Rome appeared to be invincible 19:52 -her flag waving from the British Isles to the Arabian 19:54 Gulf, from the North Sea to the Sahara Desert, from the 19:58 Atlantic to the Euphrates and beyond. 20:01 But were the Romans the last ruling empire of the world? 20:06 What did the Bible predict? 20:08 Here is what Daniel wrote: "Whereas you saw the feet and 20:11 toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, the 20:15 kingdom shall be divided." 20:17 Daniel 2:41 NKJV How did the Roman Empire break up? 20:23 The empires before it were overcome by other world 20:26 powers - but not Rome. 20:29 If this prophecy is right, it must predict what actually 20:33 happened in history -that the legs of iron would not be 20:36 succeeded by a fifth world-ruling power. 20:40 History confirms that this seemingly unconquerable Roman 20:43 Empire crumbled in two ways - from within and from without. 20:50 Wealth poured into Rome through taxes collected from 20:53 all over the world. 20:54 The simple Roman life was replaced with luxury and 20:57 ease. 20:58 The political world brewed with corruption, crime 21:01 infiltrated the streets, the work ethic was lost and 21:05 immorality was rampant. 21:07 And as the mighty Roman Empire weakened from within, 21:10 Rome was attacked from without and divided into ten 21:14 major tribes. 21:16 Ten is no coincidence. 21:18 The God of the Bible looked down through the ages of 21:20 history and foresaw this division of ten. 21:23 Therefore, this time period of history is symbolized by 21:26 the ten toes of Nebuchadnezzar's image. 21:30 These ten tribes were the Alamanni who settled in what 21:33 has become Germany, the Franks who settled in France, 21:37 the Anglo-Saxons in England, the Visigoths in Spain, the 21:41 Suevi in Portugal, the Lombards in Italy, and the 21:45 Burgundians in Switzerland. 21:47 Originally the Vandals, Ostrogoths, and Heruli took 21:51 over parts of the Roman Empire, but they were 21:53 eventually destroyed. 21:55 Daniel 2:42, 43 predicted history from the time of the 21:59 downfall of the Roman Empire to the end of time. 22:02 No matter how many battles are fought around the world, 22:04 no matter how many Hitlers try to conquer the world, no 22:08 matter how many Napoleons, no matter how many Charlemagnes, 22:11 no matter how many times men try to unite the world as one 22:18 kingdom, they will not succeed. 22:20 In vain world leaders seek to conquer the world. 22:23 The Bible says that just as iron and clay will not mix 22:26 together, so the world will not unite again under one 22:30 ruler again. 22:32 So where are we living today? 22:34 In the very toenails of history! 22:37 Every part of this prophecy has come to pass except for 22:41 one. 22:43 "You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, 22:46 which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and 22:49 broke them in pieces. 22:51 "And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will 22:55 set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; ...it 22:59 shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, 23:04 and it shall stand forever. 23:07 Daniel 2:34, 44 NKJV History has followed this prophecy 23:13 like a blueprint and will continue to do so. 23:17 The political workings of this planet aren't random. 23:21 God has been guiding and controlling all along, and 23:25 only one kingdom remains to rule the world - God's 23:29 kingdom. 23:30 That rock, cut out without hands, that is the one 23:33 kingdom, which will rule forever. 23:37 John, in Revelation speaks about this coming kingdom, he 23:40 says this: "And there were loud voices in heaven, 23:44 saying, 'The kingdoms of this world have become the 23:48 kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall 23:52 reign forever and ever." 23:55 Revelation 11:15 That's the only kingdom left to be 23:59 established. 24:00 Soon Jesus Christ, the Messiah, born in a stable in 24:05 Bethlehem 2000 years ago, is going to visit us again. 24:09 The heavens will depart as a scroll, and Christ and the 24:13 angels of heaven will descend to the earth and gather the 24:17 waiting saints of God. 24:19 And as the Bible says, "So shall we ever be with the 24:24 Lord." 24:26 today: one, the Bible can be trusted. 24:30 This prophecy is startlingly accurate, just like so many 24:33 other prophecies in the Word of God. 24:36 You can have confidence in God's Word.nd if the 24:39 prophecy is to be trusted - and we'veseen that it is - 24:41 then we can know that Jesus is coming back to this 24:44 world... 24:45 soon. 24:48 Let me ask you, friend. 24:49 Are you ready? 24:50 Ready for that great day? 24:51 Do you know Jesus Christ? 24:54 Have you made that simple decision to trust Him, to 24:57 have faith in Him, to accept Jesus as your Saviour? 25:02 If not, you can choo right now and allow Jesus to be the 25:08 centre of your life. 25:10 Let's do that right now. 25:11 Let's pray. 25:13 Our Father in heaven, what a blessing to know that your 25:16 Word is sure. 25:17 How thankful men and women around the world can be that 25:21 there is something that can be trusted and someone who 25:25 can be trusted, just as you have traced history with 25:29 unerring accuracy. 25:32 Lord, we know Jesus will soon return and set up that 25:35 kingdom that will never pass away. 25:37 We want to be part of it. 25:40 So we choose now to choose Jesus. 25:43 We invite you into our lives. 25:45 I ask you to live in us both to will and to do for your 25:49 good pleasure and let us be prepared through Jesus for 25:53 that great day when Jesus returns. 25:56 This we pray thanking you in Jesus' name, amen. 26:11 I hope you'll get the book 26:24 I'm offering you this week, it's called Revelation Today. 26:26 It adds a lot of details to the end-time scenario 26:29 presented in the Book of Revelation. 26:31 This little book is going to help you understand what the 26:34 Book of Revelation is really all about. 26:36 It untangles the end-time prophetic scenario to let you 26:38 see how the battle between good and evil ultimately 26:41 plays out. 26:42 Just call or write and I will send you Revelation Today. 26:44 There is no cost, no obligation. 26:47 It is absolutely free. 26:48 All you need to do is call 1.800.253.3000 and ask for 26:52 Revelation Today. 26:53 You can call 24-hours a day. 26:54 If the line is busy, please just keep on trying. 26:57 You can also request your free copy of Revelation Today 26:59 by writing to It Is Written, Box O, Thousand Oaks, 27:03 California 91359. 27:05 We'll mail you a copy to your address in North America. 27:08 Please note this free book is limited to the supply on 27:12 hand. 27:13 To get it right away, you can download a free electronic 27:15 version of the book Revelation Today from our 27:17 website, itiswritten.com. 27:20 It Is Written is a faith-based ministry made 27:23 possible by viewers like you. 27:25 Thank you for your kind support. 27:27 Your help makes it possible for us to share God's good 27:29 news with the world. 27:30 Your tax-deductible gift can be sent to the address on 27:35 your screen or you can support us on-line at 27:40 itiswritten.com. 27:41 Thank you for your continued pport. 27:44 Our toll-free number is 1.800.253.3000 and our web 27:48 address is itiswritten.com. 27:50 Thanks for joining me today. 27:51 I look forward to seeing you next time. 27:53 Until en remember - It Is Written: man shall not live 27:58 by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the |
Revised 2015-02-06