Participants: Pastor Stephen Bohr
Series Code: CGC
Program Code: CGC000020S
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01:13 Let's pray. Our Father,
01:16 we thank you so much for Your holy Word. 01:19 It would be a terrible thing to be in this world without 01:22 any guidance from You. 01:25 We just ask that as we open Your holy Word 01:29 and study this marvelous prophecy of Daniel 2 01:31 that Your Holy Spirit will be with us 01:34 and help us understand that we're living at the very 01:37 last moment of time. 01:39 Help us to commit our lives to Jesus fully and completely 01:44 that we might be ready for His glorious coming. 01:47 And we thank you for hearing our prayer. 01:49 For we ask it in Jesus' name, Amen. 01:53 We want to begin our study today in the book of Genesis 01:57 chapter 1 and verse 28. 02:00 Genesis chapter 1 and verse 28. 02:04 And I'm going to underline two ideas that we find 02:08 in this verse... which we have underlined before. 02:10 But we're going to look at this from a different perspective 02:14 in our study today. 02:17 Here God is creating man 02:22 and notice what He says... verse 28: 02:49 Two ideas. First of all man was given dominion 02:53 and secondly, the territory of his dominion was 02:58 everything relating to planet earth. 03:01 In other words, God expected Adam and Eve 03:06 to reproduce, to fill the earth with a holy race, 03:09 and that God's kingdom would spread all across the earth. 03:14 But then sin came into the world. 03:17 Notice what we find in the gospel of Luke chapter 4. 03:23 The gospel of Luke chapter 4. We read this before, 03:26 but let's read it again. 03:27 And beginning with verse 5. 03:32 The devil takes Jesus to a high mountain, 03:35 and I want you to notice what the devil shows Jesus. 03:40 It says in verse 5: 03:54 You can imagine the broad sweep of human history 03:58 that the devil shows Jesus. 04:01 And then notice what he says in verse 6: 04:23 Do you notice in this passage that at this point 04:26 the devil has stolen the kingdoms of this world? 04:30 Because he's offering them to Jesus and he's saying that they 04:34 have been given over to him. 04:36 And we understand that it was Adam that gave the kingdoms 04:40 over to Satan. And so you have the kingdom 04:44 going from Adam to Satan... 04:48 sitting on the throne and exercising dominion 04:51 because the devil usurped or stole the position of Adam. 04:57 In fact, the reason why Jesus came to this world 05:00 was to recover the throne and to recover the territory. 05:05 Jesus had to come to this world to live a life without sin. 05:09 He had to gain the victory where Adam failed. 05:13 And He came to this world to die for sin 05:16 to pay for all of our sins 05:18 so that Jesus could restore the throne to man 05:23 and could restore the earth and the kingdoms of the world 05:27 to man. And we know that Jesus gained the victory. 05:31 I want you to notice what happened as a result of the 05:35 victory of Christ. 05:37 We find it in the gospel of John chapter 12. 05:40 The gospel of John chapter 12 and I would like to begin 05:45 reading at verse 31. John 12 and verse 31. 05:51 Here Jesus says... This was, by the way, 05:54 a couple of days before the death of Christ. He says: 06:07 Who was the ruler of the world up till this point? 06:11 The devil. And what does Jesus say He's going to do? 06:14 He's saying: "I am going to cast him out. " 06:18 In other words, he's not going to be the ruler any more. 06:21 Now what great event led Jesus to remove the kingdom 06:27 at least legally from the hands of Satan? 06:29 Not empirically... because the devil still controls 06:32 most of the nations of the world. 06:34 But legally Jesus gained this earth back 06:38 when He won over Satan, when He lived a life without sin, 06:42 and when He paid for all the sins of the world, 06:46 Jesus legally - in God's court of law - won the world back. 06:50 And it's only a matter of time until He empirically 06:54 and actually takes control of it. 06:58 Now what event gave the world back to Jesus 07:01 as the second Adam, the repre- sentative of the human race? 07:05 Notice verse 32: 07:21 So what was the event that led to the victory of Jesus 07:25 over the devil and Jesus casting out the devil 07:28 as the ruler of this world and Jesus recovering the throne 07:32 of the world and this earth? 07:33 It was the death of Jesus on the cross. 07:37 When Jesus said "It is finished! " 07:39 the kingdoms now belonged once again to Jesus. 07:43 Jesus had recovered them from the hands of Satan. 07:47 In fact, this is the picture that we find in Revelation 07:50 chapter 12 and verse 12. 07:53 Revelation chapter 12 and verse 12. 07:55 And by the way, in our next lecture we're going to study 07:58 Revelation 12. That will be our chapter. 08:01 We'll go through it with a fine-tooth comb. 08:03 Now notice Revelation chapter 12 and verse 12: 08:07 This is speaking about the victory of Jesus 08:10 over Satan at the cross. And I'm going to read verse 10 08:14 and then I'm going to read verse 12. It says: 08:17 "Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven 08:20 'Now salvation and strength 08:24 and the kingdom of our God and the power of His Christ 08:29 has come. For the accuser of our brethren 08:32 who accused them before our God day and night 08:36 has been cast down. ' " 08:40 Now if we read this in the light of John 12 08:43 we know where he was cast down. 08:45 He was cast down at the cross! 08:47 And so this is the hymn that the heavenly beings are singing 08:51 in consequence of what Jesus has won. 08:55 They're singing. Notice: "The kingdom of God and 08:58 the power of His Christ have come for the accuser of our 09:01 brethren who accused them before our God day and night 09:04 has been cast down. " And then in verse 12: 09:10 You see, before Jesus died on the cross 09:12 whenever there was a meeting in heaven the devil went 09:15 as the representative from planet earth. 09:17 You find that, for example, in the book of Job. 09:19 Actually, Adam should have been in that meeting 09:22 but the devil went because he had taken over the kingship 09:24 of the world. But now we find John saying: 09:43 What has angered the devil? 09:45 The fact that the kingdoms of the world have now been 09:49 taken over by whom? By Jesus. 09:52 Now in our lecture today we are going to study 09:56 the battle for the kingship of the world as it's been 10:01 manifested from the times of the prophet Daniel 10:04 to the conclusion of the great controversy between 10:08 good and evil. Even though Jesus has legally gained the victory 10:12 over Satan, even though Jesus, in God's court of law, 10:16 has the title to this earth He has won, still there are 10:22 conflicts between kingdoms in this world. 10:24 The devil has come down with great wrath. 10:27 There still is the final battle that is going to take place 10:31 where Jesus is actually - empirically - going to take over 10:35 the rulership of this world. 10:37 And we want to study the battle that has been going on 10:40 between Christ and Satan in the history of the kingdoms 10:44 of the world from the days of Daniel until the very end 10:48 of time. Now before we get into 10:51 the study of Daniel 2 10:53 which will be our key chapter 10:55 we need to say something 10:56 about the great prophecies of Daniel and Revelation. 11:00 They function on the basis of a method which is called - 11:05 I call it anyway - the historical flow method. 11:09 Basically, the historical flow method teaches that these 11:13 prophecies begin their fulfillment in the day in which 11:17 the prophet was writing. 11:19 And then those prophecies are fulfilled in sequence 11:24 and they culminate with the setting up of Christ's 11:28 everlasting kingdom. Now it's very important to realize 11:32 that in between the time when the prophet wrote 11:35 and when Jesus sets up His kingdom 11:37 there are no gaps in the sequence. 11:40 There are no parentheses. 11:43 In other words, there is a flow of continued events 11:47 one kingdom falling, the other rising 11:50 that kingdom falling, the other rising 11:52 without any gaps in between from the days of the prophet 11:56 until the second coming of Christ to set up His everlasting 12:01 kingdom. This is what is called the historical method 12:05 or the historical flow method. 12:07 The reason I call it the historical flow method 12:09 is because history flows continuously 12:12 without interruptions or gaps. 12:15 Now this is a beautiful way of interpreting prophecy 12:18 because you can know exactly where we are 12:20 in the course of history at this very moment 12:23 by looking at the sequence of events that have taken place 12:27 from the time that the prophet wrote. 12:29 And so if you follow the line of events in Daniel 2 12:33 you can know exactly where we are now 12:36 in the flow of human history. 12:38 Now let's turn in our Bibles to Daniel chapter 2 12:42 and examine this story. 12:43 And allow me to say that many times 12:46 preachers are so anxious to get to the moment of 12:50 talking about the great image of Daniel chapter 2 12:53 or the great statue of Daniel chapter 2 12:56 that they just very briefly pass over the first half 13:00 of the chapter. But there are some very important points 13:04 in the first half of the chapter that I want to deal with 13:07 before we talk about that great image which Nebuchadnezzar 13:10 saw in his dream. 13:12 Now go with me to Daniel chapter 2 and verse 29 13:15 and let's notice something very interesting here. 13:19 Daniel 2 and verse 29. 13:22 Here Daniel says to Nebuchadnezzar: 13:43 Now if you notice here that Nebuchadnezzar was thinking 13:48 about the future of his kingdom when he went to bed. 13:52 Let me ask you: is God able to read thoughts? 13:56 How do we know He is able to read thoughts in this story? 14:00 Because Daniel is saying: "Thoughts arose in your head 14:04 about what was going to be the future of your kingdom. " 14:07 And who knew what he was thinking? 14:10 God did! And so God, know- ing what the king is thinking, 14:14 gives him a dream to answer his concerns. 14:18 And so we find from the beginning of the story of 14:21 Daniel 2 when Nebuchadnezzar goes to bed 14:23 God knows what he's thinking and God is going to answer 14:28 his concerns. 14:30 God is able to read the mind because Nebuchadnezzar 14:35 thought this, and God gave him a dream in his thoughts. 14:39 Now it's interesting... We are told in the story that 14:43 after God gave him this dream 14:45 when Nebuchadnezzar woke up he forgot the dream. 14:50 Do you think it was an accident that he forgot the dream? 14:54 Who do you suppose led Nebuchadnezzar to forget 14:58 the dream? Well... God knew what he was thinking. 15:02 God gave the dream. 15:04 And so now, undoubtedly, when Nebuchadnezzar wakes up 15:08 and forgets the dream you might call this some type of 15:13 divinely-induced amnesia. 15:17 In other words, it's God that leads him to forget his dream. 15:21 And you say: "Why would God give him a dream 15:23 and then God lead him to forget the dream? " 15:26 There was a very good reason. 15:29 And the reason is very simple. 15:32 God knew that when Nebuchadnezzar woke up 15:36 he was going to call the astrologers, the magicians, 15:41 the individuals who claimed to have communion with the gods, 15:46 to come and tell the king his dream and what the dream meant. 15:51 Now notice Daniel chapter 2 and verse 10. 15:56 Daniel chapter 2 and verse 10. 16:20 Do you notice here what God is doing? 16:23 God is unmasking these methods as totally incapable 16:28 of revealing the dream and its meaning. 16:31 In other words, the reason why God led Nebuchadnezzar 16:35 to forget this dream is because He knew that Nebuchadnezzar 16:39 was going to call all of these charlatans 16:42 and they were not going to be able to tell the dream. 16:44 And in this way God would reveal that the religion of Babylon 16:48 was bankrupt. 16:51 Are you understanding what I'm saying? 16:53 God is actually taking this opportunity 16:56 to show that these methods simply do not work. 17:00 By the way, we see very clearly here that the devil 17:03 is not able to read the mind. 17:05 Do you think the devil was dying to whisper in the ear 17:09 of the astrologers and the magicians what the dream was? 17:14 Oh, it was to his advantage to do it. 17:16 Tell them: "this is the dream" so that then they would tell 17:19 the dream and people would say: "See, the religion of Babylon 17:22 works. You can consult the stars; 17:24 you can consult the magicians; you can consult the astrologers 17:28 because look, they told the king his dream. " 17:31 But the fact is, the devil was not able to tell them the dream 17:34 because the devil was not able 17:36 to read Nebuchadnezzar's thoughts. 17:39 Who is in control in this story? 17:41 In control in this story is God. 17:45 And by the way I'm not going to take the time 17:47 to read Deuteronomy 18. You can do it at your leisure. 17:50 It's on your list of texts. 17:51 Deuteronomy 18 verses 9-12 has a long list 17:55 of occult practices which God forbids. 17:59 Among those practices is astrology, 18:02 channeling... that is, trying to communicate with the dead, 18:07 also the idea of consulting the crystal ball, 18:12 going to psychics. 18:14 All of these methods are forbidden by God. 18:18 In fact, He says there in Deuteronomy chapter 18 18:21 that whoever practices these methods to discover what God 18:25 has in store for the future 18:27 is to be taken out 18:28 and is to be put to death. 18:31 And so these individuals were 18:32 not able to tell the king 18:34 his dream. 18:37 In fact, when the king comes 18:40 and he tells these men: "I want you to tell me 18:43 the dream and I want you to tell me the interpretation 18:46 of the dream, " I want you to notice what they say 18:50 in Daniel chapter 2 and verse 11. 18:53 Daniel chapter 2 and verse 11. 18:55 Remember, these were the individuals who claimed to be 18:58 able to communicate with the gods. Now they're going to admit 19:01 "our religion is bankrupt. " 19:04 Chapter 2 and verse 11 says: 19:22 In other words: "The gods... they keep secrets. " 19:25 "They don't care about us who dwell in the flesh. " 19:29 "Only the gods who don't inhabit in flesh could actually 19:34 reveal these secrets. " 19:35 Now let me ask you: is this in contrast to the 19:38 God of the Bible? 19:39 You know, there's a verse in the gospel of John 19:42 which is the exact antithesis to this. 19:45 John 1 verse 14. 19:47 It says: "The Word was made... " What? 19:51 "was made flesh. " 20:05 The Bible tells us that God is a God who communicates. 20:08 He even takes human flesh to communicate God to us. 20:13 What a contrast with these gods of the Babylonians. 20:16 They don't dwell with flesh. They don't care to reveal 20:20 what's going to happen in the future or dreams 20:23 or the interpretation of dreams. 20:25 What a difference between them and the God of the Bible. 20:29 Now I want you to notice that there's a play and a counterplay 20:33 of events here in Daniel chapter 2. 20:36 When Nebuchadnezzar brings these men and they're not able 20:40 to tell the king his dream much less what the dream means 20:44 what does Nebuchadnezzar do? 20:47 He commands that all of the wise men in Babylon 20:52 be what? Be slain. 20:55 Go with me to Daniel chapter 2. Daniel chapter 2 because there's 20:59 a very important point here. 21:01 Daniel chapter 2 and verses 12 and 13. 21:05 Daniel 2:12-3. 21:08 "For this reason the king was angry and very furious 21:12 and gave the command to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. " 21:17 Nebuchadnezzar is saying that his religion is bankrupt. 21:21 "So you guys... what do I pay you for? 21:24 I mean, you have no communion with the gods. 21:27 Be real. " Now why? Who's acting on the mind 21:31 of Nebuchadnezzar to kill these wise men? 21:35 It's Satan. Why? Notice verse 13: 21:51 So what is the devil doing? He's saying: "Ah-ha! 21:53 You unmasked my astrologers and my magicians 22:00 and you showed that the religion of Babylon is bankrupt. 22:02 OK, I'll take second best. Now I'll use your method 22:06 and I'm going to have Daniel and his three friends killed... 22:11 your servants. " What is the devil trying to do? 22:14 He wants to destroy Daniel and his three friends. 22:17 Why do you suppose he wanted to destroy Daniel 22:18 and his three friends? Because in Daniel chapter 1 22:22 the devil had seen how Daniel and his three friends 22:25 were faithful to God in matters of diet. 22:30 And when the devil saw that they said: "We will not eat 22:34 the food which is forbidden by God that the king serves us. 22:37 We will not drink his wine. " The devil says: "Oh-oh, 22:42 these are a potential problem. 22:46 I can't have them around. " 22:48 And so the devil influences Nebuchadnezzar 22:51 to kill all of the wise men in the hopes that Daniel 22:55 and his friends will also be what? 22:58 Will also be killed. 22:59 But you know God always laughs last 23:03 because by the very act of Nebuchadnezzar 23:07 sending out a decree to kill the wise men 23:10 that very act brings Daniel to prominence in the kingdom. 23:16 Do you see that there's a play and counterplay of things 23:19 that are happening here? You see, it's like a tug-of-war 23:23 in the background. 23:24 What's happening in Daniel 2 on the level of history 23:29 on the level of events that can be seen 23:31 is only a reflection of certain movements 23:35 that are taking place in the invisible world between Christ 23:39 and Satan. God working to save Nebuchadnezzar 23:44 and save Babylon and the devil seeking to destroy. 23:49 And then of course the Bible tells us 23:51 that Daniel finally came before the king. 23:54 And by the way, we all know that text in Amos chapter 3 23:57 and verse 7 where it says that: 24:09 So is God a God who reveals secrets? 24:13 What did the gods of Babylon do? 24:15 They concealed secrets. 24:17 You see, the gods of the pagans were gods that were capricious. 24:21 They enjoyed partying. 24:23 You know you read stories about them partying up there 24:26 and not being concerned at all 24:27 about what's happening on planet earth. 24:29 But the God of the Bible is a God who wants to reveal 24:33 the future; He wants to reveal His secrets. 24:36 And so we notice in Daniel chapter 2- if you'll go with me 24:40 there - Daniel chapter 2 and beginning in verse 17. 25:11 Do you see what's going on here? 25:13 The devil wants to get rid of them. 25:16 Then it says in verse 19: "Then the secret was revealed 25:19 to Daniel in a night vision. 25:22 So Daniel blessed the God of heaven. " 25:26 Do you notice here what method God used to communicate 25:30 His will to Daniel. It wasn't a crystal ball. 25:34 It wasn't his sign of the zodiac. 25:37 It wasn't going to a psychic. 25:40 It wasn't reading a crystal ball. 25:42 It wasn't going to a channeller. 25:45 It wasn't going to a palm reader. 25:48 The Bible tells us that Daniel went directly in prayer 25:52 to the God of heaven, and the God of heaven 25:55 revealed the secret to Daniel. 25:59 Now if Daniel had been one of those television evangelists 26:04 today he probably would have taken all of the credit 26:06 for this great miracle that had taken place. 26:09 But when he goes before the king 26:11 I want you to notice what he says 26:13 in Daniel chapter 2 and verses 27 and 28. 26:17 Daniel chapter 2 verses 27 and 28. 26:21 "Daniel answered in the presence of the king and said: 26:24 'The secret which the king has demanded the wise men, 26:28 the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot 26:32 declare to the king. But there is a God in heaven 26:37 who reveals secrets, and He has made known to 26:42 King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. 26:46 Your dream and the visions of your head upon your bed 26:51 were these. ' " 26:54 And then Daniel tells the king his dream. 26:59 Now let's notice that dream in Daniel chapter 2 27:02 and verses 31 to 35. 27:05 I want this to be very clear in our minds the sequence 27:08 that we have in Daniel 2 and verses 31 to 35. 27:13 It says here in verse 31: 27:16 "You, O king, were watching. And behold a great image. 27:24 This great image whose splendor was excellent 27:27 stood before you and its form was awesome... " 27:57 You notice that? Gold, silver, bronze, iron. 28:01 Do you notice that the value of the metal deteriorates 28:05 as you go from Daniel's day till the end? 28:09 So much for the idea that history is moving toward 28:10 the golden age. God would have put the statue 28:14 upside down if that was true. 28:17 But history is degenerating, 28:19 shown by the devaluation of the metals. 28:23 And then it says in verse 34: 28:35 "Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold 28:39 were crushed together and became like the chaff 28:43 from the summer threshing floors. 28:45 The wind carried them away so that no trace of them was 28:48 found. And the stone that struck the image 28:50 became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. " 28:56 Gold, silver, bronze, iron, 29:01 iron and clay. Then a stone 29:04 cut out from a mountain 29:06 comes down. Strikes the image 29:08 on the feet. Totally demolishes it, 29:11 and the stone becomes a mountain 29:14 that fills the whole earth. 29:16 That was the dream that Nebuchadnezzar received. 29:22 Now Daniel also gave the interpretation of the dream. 29:27 That is, he not only told the king the dream 29:30 but he told him what the dream meant. 29:32 By the way, the Bible teaches that God is able to tell the end 29:36 from the beginning. Isaiah 46:9-10 tells us 29:40 that God knows the end from the beginning. 29:42 And this is an example - a clear, Biblical example - 29:45 of God being able to predict with absolute precision 29:50 events which were going to take place hundreds and thousands 29:54 of years after they were written. 29:57 Now let's notice the interpretation of this dream 30:02 as we find it in Daniel chapter 2 and beginning at 30:05 verse 37. Daniel chapter 2 and verse 37. 30:11 Here comes the interpretation or the meaning of the dream. 30:15 It says: 30:20 Why? Because he had better armies? 30:23 Because he was a wiser warrior? 30:25 Because he had better weapons? 30:28 Is that why Nebuchadnezzar was a king of kings? 30:31 Absolutely not. Notice what it continues saying: 30:57 Why was Nebuchadnezzar king? 30:59 Because God placed him as king. 31:02 In verse 21 it says that God places kings 31:06 and God removes kings. So who is really in control 31:10 of human history? Who is really in control is God 31:13 sitting on His throne in a serene and calm eternity 31:19 guiding the events of planet earth. 31:22 And then the last part of verse 38 says: 31:27 "You are this head of gold. " 31:32 What is the head of gold? Nebuchadnezzar. 31:36 Now we need to understand that when it says: 31:38 "You are the head of gold" it's talking not only about 31:40 Nebuchadnezzar it's talking about his kingdom. 31:43 Because a king has a kingdom. 31:45 And by the way, that's reflected in the next verse 31:48 where it says that after him would arise another kingdom. 31:51 See? After you will arise another kingdom. 31:55 You can't have another kingdom unless Nebuchadnezzar's... 31:58 unless Nebuchadnezzar had a kingdom. 32:01 Are you following what I'm saying? 32:02 And so the Lord says: "You or your kingdom 32:07 is the head of gold. " Now what kingdom was that? 32:10 Babylon. By the way, Babylon existed 32:13 from the year 605 BC 32:18 to the year 539 BC. 32:22 That was the period of dominion of the Babylonian Empire. 32:26 So Babylon did arise and did rule 32:30 the way this prophecy said. 32:32 But now notice verse 39. 32:45 Do you notice that the devaluation of the metals 32:48 does mean that kingdoms are going to be inferior? 32:51 Particularly when it comes to moral quality. 32:56 Now notice it says once again in verse 39: 33:00 "But after you shall arise another kingdom 33:03 inferior to yours. " 33:06 Now let me ask you: which kingdom rose 33:09 after the kingdom of Babylon? 33:11 All you have to do is read history books. 33:14 It was the kingdom of the Medes and Persians. 33:17 By the way, you don't even have to read history books. 33:18 All you have to do is read Daniel 5. 33:21 Daniel 5 speaks about the handwriting on the wall 33:24 when Belshazzar was king in Babylon. 33:27 And it very clearly says: "The kingdom is taken from you" 33:30 from Babylon "and is given 33:33 to the Medes and Persians. " All you need is Daniel. 33:36 You don't even have to go to history 33:38 because the Medes and Persians are mentioned by name. 33:41 But of course history backs up what scripture says. 33:44 By the way, the Medes and Persians ruled from the year 33:48 539 BC to the year 331 BC. 33:53 And then I want you to notice how this story continues. 33:57 It says there in Daniel chapter 2 and verse 39 34:01 once again: "But after you shall arise another kingdom 34:04 inferior to yours. " And now notice: 34:14 Now let me ask you: what was that third kingdom 34:16 which overcame and gained the victory over Medo-Persia? 34:21 You read history books and it's Greece. 34:23 But you don't even need the history books 34:25 because if you go to Daniel chapter 8 34:28 which we're not going to study in this series by the way 34:31 but I've preached on this in other venues 34:34 but in Daniel chapter 8 the Medes and Persians are mentioned 34:37 by name and then the kingdom of Greece is mentioned by name 34:43 as following the Medes and Persians. 34:45 So in Daniel chapter 2 and chapter 8 34:48 you have these three kingdoms mentioned by name: 34:51 Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece. 34:55 There's no doubt that these are these three kingdoms. 34:58 The first Babylon, the second Medo-Persia, 35:00 and the third Greece. But that's not all the story. 35:04 Notice verse 40. It says: 35:27 Now what empire overcame the kingdom of Greece? 35:32 It was Rome. 35:33 History will tell you that. 35:35 Now Rome is not mentioned in 35:36 this prophecy, but by knowing 35:38 that the first is Babylon, the second is Medo-Persia, 35:40 and the third is Greece you know that the fourth one 35:42 has to be Rome. 35:44 Because you have a chain of powers that are being mentioned 35:47 in this prophecy. By the way, the great historian 35:51 of the Roman Empire, Edward Gibbon, 35:54 wrote a series of volumes called The Decline and Fall 35:57 of the Roman Empire. I have that set. 35:59 I think it's probably seven or eight volumes. 36:02 He called Rome "the iron monarchy of Rome. " 36:08 And those of you who have seen movies of Rome 36:11 know how they just totally trampled on any army 36:17 that they came in contact with 36:18 and their weapons were made of iron. 36:21 They destroyed mercilessly when they went to battle. 36:25 And so this fourth kingdom is the kingdom of Rome. 36:29 But now I want you to notice that something very interesting 36:32 happens. Verse 41: 36:49 What kingdom shall be divided? 36:52 The fourth, right? 37:01 Let me ask you: does Rome continue in the feet? 37:06 You tell me. Does Rome continue in the feet? 37:08 How do we know that? 37:10 Because the legs are of iron and the iron is Rome. 37:15 So if the feet have iron, Rome must what? 37:20 Must continue in the feet, but how does Rome continue? 37:24 In a what? In a divided state it says here. 37:29 In a divided state. And I want you to notice 37:32 that not only do you have Rome divided... 37:34 You know, it could have been illustrated by saying 37:36 the feet are also of iron and they have ten toes 37:39 and that means ten kingdoms. 37:40 But this kingdom was going to be different than all of the 37:43 other kingdoms also. 37:45 It was going to be divided in ten, but it was going to be 37:47 different because it was not composed only of iron 37:50 but it was mixed with what? It was mixed with clay. 37:56 Was it still going to be a Roman kingdom? Yes. 38:00 Was it going to be a different kind of Roman kingdom? Yes. 38:04 Was it going to be an amalgamated Roman kingdom? 38:09 Was it going to have two substances mixed 38:12 which really should not be mixed? 38:14 What person in his right mind would build a house 38:18 on a foundation of iron mixed with clay? 38:25 There is a certain unity in Daniel 2 38:28 of the iron and the clay. 38:30 But they should not exist together. 38:32 They're brought together, two elements. 38:35 It is a role that is amalgamated. 38:38 The iron of Rome - the political power of Rome - 38:41 continues, but there is another substance which is added to the 38:44 iron which is the clay. 38:47 Now what does this mixture of iron and clay represent? 38:50 Well let me say first of all that when Rome... 38:53 when the Roman Empire fell in the year 476 AD 38:56 the last emperor was Romulus Augustulus. 38:59 That's a mouthful. 39:01 You know, he was deposed and there were no more emperors 39:04 of Rome. In fact, the Barbarians were invading from 39:07 the northern sector of the empire. And they came 39:10 and they carved up what had been the territory of the Roman 39:13 Empire. And those kingdoms which they established 39:17 carving up what had been Rome 39:19 are the present countries in Europe. 39:23 Do you know that the Roman Empire... there was 1 language 39:27 and there was one culture all over the Empire? 39:31 But when Rome was divided now you have French and 39:34 you have German and you have Spanish 39:37 and you have Portuguese... all of these different languages. 39:40 Because what had been the Roman Empire 39:42 was divided into 10 kingdoms. 39:47 Now what is this mixture of iron and clay? 39:51 We're going to have to go very quickly here. 39:53 Go with me to Jeremiah chapter 18. 39:56 We have to allow scripture to explain scripture. 39:59 Jeremiah chapter 18 and I want to read verses 1-6. 40:05 By the way, we're dealing with symbols here, are we not? 40:07 Let me ask you: is the gold a symbol? 40:10 Is it a symbol? 40:12 Is the silver a symbol? 40:15 Is the bronze a symbol? 40:17 Is the iron a symbol? 40:20 Is the stone a symbol? 40:23 Is the mountain a symbol? 40:25 So must the clay also be a symbol? 40:28 It must represent something beyond literal clay. 40:32 Now the question is: what does clay represent in scripture 40:36 so that we can understand what the mixture of iron and clay is? 40:40 Jeremiah 18:1-6. It says: 41:07 By the way, did you notice that in Daniel chapter 2 41:11 this was not just any kind of clay. It was potter's clay. 41:15 Potter's clay. So if you want to know what potter's clay means 41:19 you have to go to other passages in scripture that 41:21 speak about potter's clay, and that's what we're doing. 41:24 Now notice what it continues saying. Verse 4: 41:27 "And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand 41:30 of the potter. " By the way, that represents the Babylonian 41:33 captivity. When Nebuchadnezzar came and took them captive 41:36 Israel was shattered. But now notice: 41:46 In other words, he brought Israel back to her land. 41:49 Now you say: "Is this the right interpretation? " 41:51 Let's continue reading. 41:53 "Then the Word of the Lord came to me saying: 41:56 'O house of Israel can I not do with you... ' " 42:14 What did the potter represent in the Old Testament? 42:18 It represented God's people. 42:21 God's Old Testament church. 42:23 Israel. Is that clear in your mind? 42:27 Now, let's go to Isaiah 64 and verse 8. 42:33 Isaiah chapter 64 and verse 8. 42:36 This is another text which mentions potter's clay. 42:41 It's referring to creation. 42:43 Isaiah 64 and verse 8 says this: 43:06 So what is composed of clay according to this text? 43:10 Our what? What's composed of clay? 43:14 Our what? Our body, right? 43:19 Who formed the body out of clay? 43:22 God did. He's the Father; He's the Potter. 43:27 We are the Potter's what? Clay... and He formed us. 43:31 Now go with me to Genesis chapter 2 and verse 7 43:34 and notice something very interesting here 43:36 referring to the creation of man. 43:39 Genesis chapter 2 and verse 7. 43:43 Here it says: 43:48 Isaiah 64 explains that the dust was really what? 43:51 It was clay. 44:14 The body became animated. Can I say it that way? 44:18 So the body made of clay by the Potter - God - 44:22 plus the breath that goes into the body 44:25 animates the members of the body 44:27 so that they can all fulfill their function. 44:29 Are you with me or not? 44:31 And of course, Israel is compared with the clay 44:34 because Israel is God's spiritual body in the 44:37 Old Testament. They are God's church in the Old Testament. 44:40 Are you following me or not? 44:41 So it can be said physically about man 44:44 that man's body was formed out of clay, 44:47 God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, 44:50 can also be said of Israel. Because God also formed Israel 44:54 spiritually speaking out of clay 44:56 and then God gave them what? God gave them life 45:00 so that that could function as His people, as His church. 45:05 Now we have one more link that we need to take a look at, 45:07 and that is in the New Testament. 45:10 Go with me to Colossians chapter 1. 45:14 Colossians chapter 1 and let's read verse 18. 45:18 Colossians 1 and verse 18. 45:20 Very interesting verse. It's speaking about God's 45:24 New Testament church. 45:26 No longer is it talking about Israel. 45:28 It's talking about the New Testament church. 45:30 It says there is Colossians chapter 1 and verse 18 45:34 the following: 45:43 Who formed the church? Who formed the church? 45:48 Jesus says: "You are Peter... 45:53 and upon this rock I will build My church. " 46:00 So who formed the church? Who chose the first disciples? 46:03 Who evangelized the first people that became the nucleus of 46:06 the church? Jesus did. Did Jesus form the church? 46:10 Yes He did. He formed the church. 46:13 But let me ask you: when He formed the church 46:15 what needed to happen so the church could begin 46:17 to function? 46:21 Do you remember what happened on the Day of Pentecost? 46:24 They were all gathered together in one accord. 46:27 Had the body all come together? 46:30 Had the body been formed by Jesus? 46:32 Oh yes it had. But what was lacking? 46:35 The breath of life. 46:37 And so what did God do on the Day of Pentecost? 46:40 He breathed into the church what? 46:43 The Holy Spirit... the breath of life. 46:45 Let me ask you: did the church now stand up 46:47 and all of the parts of the body according to the apostle Paul 46:51 in I Corinthians 12... Did all of the parts of the body 46:53 begin to function? Absolutely! 46:57 And so what does the clay represent? 47:02 Tell me. What does the clay represent? 47:04 It represents the church. 47:07 Because as the body of man was made by clay 47:10 the church which is the body of Christ is made with 47:13 spiritual clay. 47:15 As man received the breath of 47:17 life in order to physically live 47:19 the church received the spirit 47:21 of life on the Day of Pentecost. 47:22 As Adam's members began functioning 47:25 when his body was animated by the spirit or the breath 47:28 that came from God, the church now becomes animated 47:30 when it receives the breath of life on the Day of Pentecost. 47:36 And so the clay that formed the body of man 47:38 is symbolic of spiritual clay of which Jesus 47:42 formed what? The church. 47:45 Are you following me or not? 47:47 So let me ask you then - going back to Daniel chapter 2- 47:53 what kind of Rome are we talking about here? 47:57 Are we talking only about an Empire, a political Empire 48:01 of Rome? Or are we talking about a different kind of Rome? 48:07 Are we talking about a Rome that is a political power 48:10 but also is mixed with the church? 48:14 Are you following me or not? 48:16 Is anybody alive out there? 48:18 Have you received the spirit of life? Praise the Lord! 48:21 Come on... animate me, folks. 48:27 Good to hear those amens. 48:30 Now are you following what I'm saying? 48:32 The iron is the political power of Rome. 48:36 That's the fourth kingdom. 48:38 But now an added element... the clay... comes into play 48:44 and the clay represents the church. 48:46 Which means that after the fall of the Roman Empire 48:49 the empire was going to continue in a divided state 48:52 but it was going to be a union of what? 48:55 Of church and state. 48:59 Is that historically true? 49:02 I want you to remember when we're studying because 49:05 this is the skeleton of Bible prophecy. 49:09 Everything else is built on it. 49:11 You know, the reason why there are so many jellyfish 49:15 interpretations of Bible prophecy is because those 49:18 interpretations have no backbone. 49:21 It has no structure. This is the key prophecy. 49:25 This is the backbone of prophecy. 49:27 If we understand this prophecy, all of the others 49:29 fit within its sequence and its structure. 49:33 So there was going to be a kingdom which would unite 49:38 church and state. 49:40 But now we come to the best part. 49:43 There's a stone. Who is that stone? 49:47 Go with me to Matthew chapter 21. 49:50 Matthew chapter 21. 49:53 Let's see who that stone is, the stone that crushes 49:57 and destroys, particularly those who reject it. 50:02 It says in Matthew 21 and verses 42 and 44... 50:06 Matthew chapter 21 and verse 42 we find these words: 50:11 "Jesus said to them: 'Have you never read in the 50:13 scriptures the stone which the builders rejected 50:17 has become the Chief Cornerstone. 50:19 This is the Lord's doing and it is marvelous in your eyes. ' " 50:22 Verse 44: 50:33 Is that what happened in Daniel chapter 2? 50:36 See, you can accept Jesus and have your heart broken 50:39 or converted. And if you don't, 50:43 the stone will fall upon you and crush you. 50:46 That's a very strong warning that God gives in scripture. 50:51 And so who is this stone? 50:53 The stone is Jesus. By the way, did you notice 50:56 that in Daniel 2:34 it says that this stone was cut out 50:59 without hands? 51:03 What does that mean it was "cut out without hands? " 51:07 Go with me to Hebrews 9 verse 11. 51:09 Let's notice that expression "without hands. " 51:12 Hebrews chapter 9 and verse 11. 51:15 It's not speaking about the stone, but it's speaking about 51:18 the sanctuary. And it's the same expression. 51:20 So we can determine what this expression means 51:23 by reading Hebrews 9 and verse 11. 51:26 It says here: 51:51 Why is the stone made without hands? 51:54 Because it is a stone that was not made in this world. 51:59 It was a stone - a supernatural stone - 52:02 that comes from the other world. 52:04 Now the question is: who is this stone? 52:07 The stone is Jesus. By the way, did you notice 52:10 that the stone is cut out of the mountain? 52:14 We read that the stone is cut out of the mountain. 52:17 Taken out of the mountain and then it comes 52:20 and it crushes the image. And I would add that 52:23 afterwards the stone is taken and put back in the mountain. 52:26 Even though the prophecy doesn't say so. 52:28 What is this idea of the stone being cut out of a mountain? 52:31 Which mountain? 52:33 We need to allow scripture to interpret scripture. 52:35 Go with me to I Peter chapter 2 and verse 6. 52:38 I Peter chapter 2 and verse 6. 52:40 Here we find an explanation of which mountain is being 52:43 spoken about and what cutting out the stone means. 52:46 It says in I Peter chapter 2 and verse 6: 53:14 What did God put in Mt. Zion? 53:17 A precious stone. 53:19 Who is that stone? It's Jesus. 53:22 So what does it mean when it says that the stone 53:24 will be taken out of Mt. Zion 53:26 and will come down and smash the image? 53:28 It must be referring to the fact that Jesus is going to 53:31 leave Mt. Zion someday - 53:33 that stone, that precious 53:35 stone - and is going to come 53:36 down to this earth 53:38 and He's going to destroy 53:39 the kingdoms of the world 53:41 and He's going to establish a kingdom which shall never 53:45 be destroyed. 53:47 Now, let's go to the climax: 53:51 Daniel chapter 2 and verse 44. 53:55 This is what we're looking forward to. 53:57 Daniel chapter 2 and verse 44. 54:00 It says here: 54:23 By the way, the mountain in scripture represents 54:26 a kingdom. Babylon in Jeremiah 51 verse 25 is 54:30 called a mountain, a kingdom. 54:33 Zion is the place where God's kingdom is found. 54:37 Revelation 17 speaks about seven mountains which represent 54:41 seven kings or kingdoms. 54:43 In other words, mountains represent kingdoms. 54:45 So if this stone is going to come and destroy all of the 54:50 kingdoms of the world and then this stone is going to 54:53 become a mountain, it means that it's going to 54:56 become a world wide what? A world-wide kingdom 55:00 which will never be destroyed. 55:03 Now I want you to notice 55:06 Daniel chapter 7 and verses 26 and 27. 55:12 Referring also to this same fact, Daniel 7:26-27. 55:18 It says: "But the court shall be seated, and they shall take 55:21 away his dominion. " This is talking about the little horn 55:24 which comes up among the ten kingdoms. 55:26 We'll discuss it later on. 55:27 "To consume and destroy forever. " 55:48 That's what we're looking forward to. 55:51 And then, of course, as prophecy says 55:54 "the meek will inherit the earth. " 56:00 And Jesus once again will restore the kingdom 56:02 to man that was lost at the very beginning. 56:07 And we will live in a new heavens and a new earth 56:11 where righteousness dwells. 56:15 Now allow me to mention some lessons from this chapter 56:18 in closing. Lesson number one: 56:22 the world is not spiraling out of control. 56:26 God knows exactly what's happening. 56:29 He has revealed the end from the beginning. 56:33 Everything has happened the way He said. 56:35 He's in control of human history. 56:39 We have nothing to fear. 56:41 By the way, if history was declared by God so long 56:45 in advance, if all of the events of Daniel 2 56:48 have taken place: Babylon, Medo-Persia, 56:51 Greece, Rome, the ten divisions of Rome, 56:54 the mixture of the iron and the clay which we'll talk 56:56 more about in Daniel 7, what makes you think that 56:59 the last event isn't going to take place? 57:02 If everything has taken place just the way God said, 57:05 we know that the last event will take place. 57:07 And by the way, it's very soon 57:10 because we are presently living in the toenails of the image. 57:16 The toes are the last part and then Jesus will establish 57:21 His everlasting kingdom where righteousness dwells. |
Revised 2020-09-15