Participants: Pr. John Bradshaw
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001203
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00:07 It has stood the test of time.
00:12 God's book. 00:13 The Bible. 00:17 Still relevant in today's complex world. 00:22 It Is Written... 00:25 sharing hope around the globe. 00:37 "Yesterday, December 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy. 00:51 The United States of America was suddenly and deliberately 00:56 attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan." 01:05 "A day that will live in infamy," President Franklin 01:08 Roosevelt called it. 01:10 The surprise 1941 attack on the Pacific Fleet in Hawaii left 01:14 2400 Americans dead. 01:16 Later, it would be discovered that several opportunities had 01:20 been missed to anticipate and possibly avoid the attack. 01:23 But basically, we never saw it coming. 01:27 Fast forward 70 years. 01:30 Journalists said at the time of the disastrous earthquake that 01:33 hit Japan in early 2011 that one positive thing was that of all 01:38 countries Japan was probably best prepared to meet a disaster 01:43 like this. 01:45 Yet a devastating tsunami still claimed thousands of lives and 01:49 that with the earthquake still caused massive damage. 01:53 Why? 01:54 Because nobody saw it coming. 01:57 Really, it's impossible for us to know the future. 02:01 Now there's no shortage of those who PRETEND to know. 02:04 Psychics, astrologers, and fortune tellers of every variety 02:09 claim the ability to preview tomorrow's headlines. 02:13 But they wear the same blindfolds as everybody else. 02:16 So, is there anyone who really does know the future? 02:21 The answer... 02:22 is Yes. 02:24 But only one Person. 02:26 Today we're going Back to the Future... 02:29 You know time travel has always been popular in Hollywood 02:32 movies. 02:34 Films like the Terminator and the Back to the Future series 02:37 have sold a lot of tickets. 02:39 But not all time travel is fantasy. 02:41 Some of it's very real. 02:43 Consider with me the night an ancient king was transported 02:47 more than 2,500 years into the future, where he visited not 02:50 only our own time but the years ahead of us. 02:55 Previewing the future is the special province of Bible 02:59 prophecy. 03:00 And what makes this form of time travel so fascinating is that 03:04 the future it brings to view is 100 percent accurate. 03:08 And that's possible because it's revealed by the one Person in 03:12 the universe who knows exactly what the future holds. 03:16 wild guesses of tabloid psychics or New Age channelers here. 03:23 Bible prophecy has never failed. 03:26 And you know, that's a problem, a problem for people who claim 03:31 there is no God, or that the Bible can't be trusted. 03:34 What do people do about prophecies that you just can't 03:37 be argued against? 03:39 As long as we're all caught up in this long war between good 03:42 and evil -between Christ and Satan -it's helpful to know not 03:45 only what has already happened, but what is yet to come. 03:49 And it's especially encouraging to know how the war will end 03:53 -and when. 03:55 So today we travel--along with an ancient amnesiac king--back 03:59 to the future. 04:01 The story -as recorded in the second chapter of the Bible's 04:05 book of Daniel -begins with a king who had a vivid dream but 04:08 could remember what that dream was. 04:11 Let's listen to Daniel tell his story beginning in Daniel, 2:1: 04:19 "Now in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, 04:22 Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; and his spirit was so troubled that 04:27 his sleep left him." 04:29 (Daniel 2:1) Nebuchadnezzar was the king who ruled the great 04:32 Babylonian Empire from the massive walled city of Babylon, 04:35 more than 600 years before Christ. 04:38 The city covered 500 acres on both sides of the Euphrates 04:41 River. 04:42 The Euphrates flowed under the walls and through the city. 04:46 Babylon was located in the area of the world known as the 04:50 Fertile Crescent, in what we would today call Iraq. 04:53 and had an intricate system of canals that irrigated lush crop 04:56 lands. 04:58 Nebuchadnezzar is the king who built the Hanging Gardens of 05:01 Babylon - one of the Seven Wonders of the Word - he built 05:04 it for his wife At the center of great Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar 05:07 built a 300 -foot shrine to the pagan god Marduk. 05:13 He plated the walls and roof of the building with gold. 05:16 The altar was solid gold, as were the throne and footstool. 05:21 You know, amnesia can be a pretty serious thing. 05:24 In just a moment, I'm going to tell you about a couple of men 05:27 who suffered amnesia, and for one of them, it was a matter of 05:31 life and death. 05:36 More in a moment. 05:38 In Matthew 4:4 the Word of God says "It is written 'Man shall 05:40 not live by bread alone but by every word that proeedeth out of 05:44 the mouth of God'." 05:47 Every Word is a one minute Bible-based daily devotional 05:49 presented by Pastor John Bradshaw and designed especially 05:52 for busy people like you. 05:54 Look for Every Word on selected networks or watch it on-line 05:58 everyday on our website itiswritten.com. 06:01 Receive a daily spiritual boost. 06:04 Watch Every Word. 06:05 You'll be glad you did. 06:10 A few years ago I heard a remarkable radio interview with 06:13 a Christian pastor who had suffered total amnesia. 06:18 That is, he couldn't remember who he was, who his family was, 06:22 he didn't remember his wife... 06:24 Even family photos didn't bring back any memories. 06:28 He had to learn everything all over again. 06:32 He had to get to know his own family again. 06:34 He had to get to know his own wife again. 06:37 Now he said that she even had to teach him how to kiss again, 06:40 which he admitted wasn't so bad... 06:42 In the Bible, a powerful king woke up one morning and couldn't 06:46 remember a dream he'd had. 06:48 Now you've been there - wake up in the morning, know you had a 06:50 dream, you try in vain to remember it. 06:56 King Nebuchadnezzar called together a cabal of advisors and 06:59 asked them to tell him what he had dreamed. 07:03 The story is recorded in Daniel chapter 2, and here is how they 07:06 replied: "O king, live forever! 07:10 Tell your servants the dream, and we will give you the 07:14 interpretation." 07:15 (Daniel 2:4) They figured that they could analyze the dream and 07:19 make up some sort of interpretation once they knew 07:21 what the dream was. 07:24 But interpretation wasn't yet the problem - the first thing 07:27 was to remember the dream! 07:29 King Nebuchadnezzar saw through what they were trying to do, and 07:32 he was not happy. 07:34 "Tell me the dream," he demanded, "and then I'll know 07:37 that you can give me its interpretation." 07:40 That is, you're supposed to be able see into the future! 07:43 Prove it to me now! 07:45 Tell me what I dreamed. 07:47 But the wise men protested saying: "There is not a man on 07:51 earth who can tell the king's matter; therefore no king, lord, 07:56 or ruler has ever asked such things of any magician, 08:00 astrologer, or Chaldean. 08:01 (Daniel 2:10) "No man on earth can tell you what you ask" they 08:05 said. 08:07 And they were right about that. 08:09 But Nebuchadnezzar wouldn't back off. 08:11 He knew his dream was important. 08:13 The kings back then felt that the gods communicated to them in 08:16 dreams and he wanted to know what it meant. 08:20 He became so angry that he decreed that if the wise men 08:23 couldn't tell him his dream and its interpretation, then all 08:27 wise men in Babylon should be destroyed! 08:31 Now this was a problem for Daniel and three of his friends. 08:35 Captives in Babylon, they'd been identified as gifted in wisdom, 08:38 they had been trained as servants for the king and were 08:42 recognized as "wise men." 08:44 So Daniel then asked Nebuchadnezzar himself for time 08:48 so that he could pray. 08:50 With his life on the line, he had total confidence that God 08:53 would solve the problem. 08:56 In a night vision, God revealed the dream and its interpretation 09:00 to his servant Daniel, and Daniel went in to see the king. 09:04 He told him this wasn't something an astrologer or 09:07 magician could help the king with, adding, "But there is a 09:10 God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known 09:14 to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days." 09:17 (Daniel 2:28) NKJV God was very clear with Daniel that the dream 09:22 the king had dreamed actually foretold events that would occur 09:24 in the last days of earth's history. 09:28 The dream began in the days of Nebuchadnezzar, and it moved 09:32 forward generation after generation after generation to 09:36 the last days of earth's history. 09:40 Daniel went on to tell the king what he had dreamed: "You, O 09:44 king, were watching; and behold, a great image! 09:46 This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; 09:50 and its form was awesome. 09:52 "This image's head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of 09:55 silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, "its legs of iron, its 10:00 feet partly of iron and partly of clay. 10:05 "You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which 10:07 struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in 10:10 pieces. 10:12 "Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold 10:16 were crushed together, and became like chaff from the 10:22 summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that 10:24 no trace of them was found. 10:25 And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain 10:31 and filled the whole earth." 10:34 (Daniel 2:31-35) You can imagine the king saying, "Yes, that's 10:38 it! 10:39 That's it! 10:40 That's exactly what I saw!" 10:42 But then he'd have said, "But Daniel, what does it mean?" 10:45 Now notice how Daniel began the interpretation: "You, O King, 10:50 are a king of kings . 10:53 you are this head of gold." 10:56 (Daniel 2:37, 38) History books tell us that the Babylonian 11:00 Empire was the dominant world power from about 605 B.C. 11:04 to 539 B.C. 11:06 History also tells us that King Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom was 11:09 drenched with gold. 11:11 In the temple of Marduk alone, Nebuchadnezzar used 18 tons of 11:16 gold. 11:18 There is no better way for God to describe the Babylonian 11:21 Empire than by using the symbolism of gold. 11:25 You can imagine Nebuchadnezzar was happy with this 11:28 interpretation. 11:29 He liked being the head of gold. 11:32 He wanted the head of gold to last forever, but that wasn't to 11:36 be, as Daniel explained in verse 39: "But after you shall arise 11:42 another kingdom inferior to yours;." 11:47 (Daniel 2:39) At the time Nebuchadnezzar had this dream, 11:50 he was secure as the world leader, with no reason to 11:53 suspect that that would ever change. 11:55 But Babylon was to be overthrown by a kingdom represented in 11:59 Daniel 2:32 as "the chest and arms of silver." 12:04 Now just a few pages ahead in your Bible, in Daniel 5:28, the 12:09 next world--ruling power is referred to as the Medes and the 12:14 Persians. 12:15 Again, a fitting symbol: the two arms joined at the chest to show 12:19 two kingdoms -Medes and Persians. 12:23 The Medes and Persians ruled the world from 538 B.C. 12:27 to 331 B.C. 12:29 The story of how the Babylonians were overthrown is told in 12:32 Daniel 5. 12:34 King Belshazzar, grandson of King Nebuchadnezzar, hosted a 12:38 feast for a thousand of his lords. 12:41 He called for the gold and silver vessels captured from the 12:44 temple in Jerusalem to be brought to him. 12:47 From these holy vessels that had been used in temple services to 12:50 worship the God of heaven, he drank wine. 12:54 Now in the midst of this drunken party, a mysterious, bloodless 12:57 hand appeared and wrote words on the wall: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, 13:04 UPHARSIN. 13:06 The interpretation of these words, spelled doom for the 13:09 mighty Babylonian Empire. 13:11 Let's read it from Daniel chapter 5. 13:16 "MENE: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; TEKEL: 13:20 You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; 13:24 PERES: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes 13:31 and Persians." 13:33 (Daniel 5:26-28) That very night, the Medes and Persians 13:36 diverted the Euphrates River that ran under the massive walls 13:39 of Babylon. 13:40 They marched their armies straight down the dry riverbed 13:44 and came up inside the city. 13:46 One hundred and fifty years in advance, Isaiah not only 13:51 foretold, in chapters 44 and 45, exactly how Babylon would be 13:55 overthrown, but he named the leader of the army who would do 13:59 it -Cyrus. 14:01 They were overtaken in one night by the Medo-Persian army, led by 14:05 Cyrus, just as the Bible predicted--just as 14:10 Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream. 14:13 The Medes and Persians ruled the world for nearly two centuries. 14:18 But Nebuchadnezzar's dream doesn't end there, and neither 14:21 does history. 14:23 Time marches on, one kingdom replacing another kingdom, just 14:27 as God foretold in the dream of Nebuchadnezzar. 14:32 What we're seeing is that God accurately predicted the rise 14:35 and fall of two world-ruling kingdoms. 14:40 But what would happen next? 14:42 I'll tell you that just ahead. 15:00 Time for today's Bible question. 15:02 Here it is. 15:03 Can you explain what faith is? 15:04 I'd like to have stronger faith. 15:07 Sure. 15:08 Great question. 15:09 Now, to do this justice we'd really have to spend a good 15:12 while on the subject. 15:13 But briefly, here's what faith is. 15:16 Consider this Bible verse with me. 15:18 Romans 4:21 is talking about Abraham when it says, "And being 15:21 fully persuaded that, what He or what God had promised, He was 15:25 able also to perform." 15:27 Abraham believed God could do what God said He could do. 15:31 And that's faith. 15:33 In the book of Hebrews it says that faith is the "substance of 15:36 things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." 15:40 That means you hope for it, but you believe you have it. 15:43 You don't see it, but you have evidence for having it anyway. 15:47 By faith. 15:49 Abraham couldn't know that he was going to father a child in 15:51 his advanced age, or that his elderly wife would bare a son. 15:55 But God said so, so Abraham believed it. 16:00 That's faith. 16:01 When you take God at His word, and you believe it simply 16:04 because God said it, and you believe God will do what He said 16:07 He will do, simply because He said He will do it, that's 16:10 faith. 16:11 Simple. 16:12 God said it, therefore I'll believe it. 16:15 Now, of course, you want to be careful, careful that you don't 16:18 go off on a tangent. 16:19 There are still a few people who believe that because it says in 16:22 the Bible that God's people will be able to take up snakes 16:26 without being harmed, they ought to go and handle poisonous 16:28 snakes as a sign of their great faith in God'ds word. 16:31 I might suggest respectfully that would be mixing up faith 16:34 with presumption. 16:36 But if you will take God's word, prayerfully, and then believe 16:40 what He says, and if you'll make that your way of life, your 16:43 faith will grow. 16:46 If you have a question you'd like answered, please go to 16:48 ItIsWritten.com, click on the questions tab and submit your 16:51 question. 16:52 My hope is that I'll be able to answer your Bible question some 16:54 time soon. 16:57 If you have a Bible question for Pastor John Bradshaw, please 17:00 write to It Is Written, Box O, Thousand Oaks, California 91359 17:05 or visit our website itiswritten.com and send us your 17:09 questions on-line. 17:11 In the book of Daniel, the greatest monarch of his day had 17:15 an impressive dream. 17:16 He dreamed of a huge statue made from different metals, and 17:21 discovered that it represented the rise and fall of kingdoms, 17:24 including his own. 17:26 It had a head of gold, representing Nebuchadnezzar's 17:29 kingdom of Babylon, and its chest & arms were made of 17:33 silver, representing the Medo -Persian kingdom. 17:36 Now here's what happened next. 17:38 The next kingdom is described in Daniel 2:32 as the belly and 17:42 thighs of bronze. 17:44 More than two hundred years in advance, Daniel actually names 17:47 Greece as this third kingdom, which overthrew the Medes and 17:53 the Persians. 17:54 Daniel 8:21 is where you'll read about it. 17:56 Again, the symbol is appropriate: the Greek army was 17:59 led by Alexander the Great, a young man who marched his men 18:03 11,000 miles, conquering almost all of the then -known world 18:08 before he died of malaria at the age of 33. 18:12 What did Alexander's men wear into battle? 18:15 Bronze breastplates, bronze helmets, bronze shields, they 18:20 had bronze swords. 18:22 Once again, God chose a fitting metaphor to describe the kingdom 18:26 that would rule the world from 331 B.C. 18:29 to 168 B.C. 18:32 But history doesn't end with this third kingdom. 18:35 Greece did not rule the world forever. 18:39 There was a fourth metal after head of Babylon, the silver of 18:42 the Medes and Persians, the bronze of Greece. 18:45 The next kingdom is represented by iron: "And the fourth kingdom 18:49 shall be as strong as iron." 18:51 Daniel 2:40. 18:53 The last kingdom to rule the entire known world is described 18:57 as iron. 18:59 In 168 B.C. 19:01 the iron monarchy of Rome overthrew the Greeks. 19:05 Just as legs form the longest part of the body, Rome had the 19:09 longest reign of any of the world powers. 19:13 Little by little, Rome rose to power, fighting many wars and 19:17 enslaving many people. 19:19 By the time Jesus was born, most of the then -known world was 19:23 under Roman rule. 19:24 You will remember that Joseph and Mary were on their way to 19:26 pay taxes to the Roman ruler, Caesar Augustus, when Jesus was 19:30 born. 19:32 For more than 500 years, Rome appeared to be invincible -her 19:36 flag waving from the British Isles to the Arabian Gulf, from 19:40 the North Sea to the Sahara Desert, from the Atlantic to the 19:43 Euphrates and beyond. 19:46 But were the Romans the last ruling empire of the world? 19:50 What did the Bible predict? 19:53 Here is what Daniel wrote: "Whereas you saw the feet and 19:57 toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, the kingdom 20:00 shall be divided." 20:02 (Daniel 2:41) How did the Roman Empire break up? 20:05 Was it overcome by another world power as had happened in the 20:08 preceding thousand years? 20:10 If this prophecy is to be right, it must predict what actually 20:14 happened in history -that the legs of iron would not be 20:18 succeeded by a fifth world -ruling power. 20:22 Now history confirms that this seemingly unconquerable Roman 20:25 Empire crumbled in two ways -from within and from without. 20:31 Wealth poured into Rome through taxes collected from all over 20:35 the world. 20:36 The simple Roman life was replaced with luxury and excess. 20:40 The political world brewed with corruption, crime infiltrated 20:44 the streets, the work ethic was lost, immorality was rampant. 20:49 And as the mighty Roman Empire weakened from within, Rome was 20:53 attacked from without and divided into ten major tribes. 20:59 Ten is no coincidence. 21:01 The God of the Bible looked down through the ages of history and 21:05 foresaw this division of ten. 21:07 Therefore, this time period of history is symbolized by the ten 21:10 toes of Nebuchadnezzar's image. 21:14 These ten tribes were the Alamanni who settled in what has 21:18 become Germany, the Franks who settled in France, the Anglo 21:22 -Saxons in England, the Visigoths in Spain, the Suevi in 21:25 Portugal, the Lombards in Italy, and the Burgundians in 21:29 Switzerland. 21:30 Originally the Vandals, Ostrogoths, and Heruli took over 21:33 parts of the Roman Empire, but they were eventually destroyed. 21:38 Daniel 2:42, 43 predicted history from the time of the 21:42 downfall of the Roman Empire to the end of time. 21:46 No matter how many battles are fought around the world, no 21:49 matter how many Hitlers try to conquer the world, no matter how 21:53 many Napoleons, no matter how many Charlemagnes, no matter how 21:56 many times men try to unite the world as one kingdom, according 22:01 to the Bible they will not succeed. 22:05 In vain world leaders seek to conquer the world. 22:08 The Bible says that just as iron and clay will not mix together, 22:12 so the world will not be united under one ruler again. 22:18 So where are we living today? 22:21 In the very toenails of history! 22:23 Every part of this prophecy has come to pass except for one. 22:27 Listen. 22:29 "You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which 22:33 struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in 22:38 pieces. 22:40 "And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a 22:43 kingdom which shall never be destroyed; ...it shall break in 22:46 pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand 22:50 forever. 22:52 (Daniel 2:34, 44) History has followed this prophecy like a 22:58 blueprint and will continue to do so. 23:01 The political workings of this planet are not random. 23:05 God has been guiding and controlling all along, and only 23:08 one kingdom remains to rule the world - God's kingdom. 23:14 That rock, cut out without hands, is the one kingdom which 23:19 will rule forever. 23:20 John, in in the Book of Revelation speaks about this 23:27 coming kingdom: "And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, 23:29 'The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord 23:32 and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever." 23:35 (Revelation 11:15) There's only one kingdom left to be 23:38 established. 23:40 Soon Jesus Christ, the Messiah, born in a stable in Bethlehem 23:44 2000 years ago, is going to visit us again. 23:48 The heavens will depart as a scroll, and Christ and the 23:53 angels of heaven will descend to this earth to gather the waiting 23:55 saints of God. 23:59 And as the Bible says, "So shall we ever be with the Lord." 24:02 today: one, the Bible can be trusted. 24:08 This prophecy is stunningly accurate, just like so many 24:11 other prophecies in the Word of God. 24:13 You can have confidence in God's Word.nd if the prophecy is 24:17 to be trusted - and we've seen that it is - then we can know 24:20 that Jesus is coming back to this world... 24:25 soon. 24:26 Are you ready for that day, friend? 24:29 Do you know Jesus Christ personally? 24:31 Have you made a decision to trust Him, to have faith in Him, 24:34 to accept Him as your Saviour? 24:39 If not, you can choose right now to allow Jesus to be the very 24:44 centre of your life... 24:47 Let's pray together. 24:48 Our Father in heaven, we are grateful that your Word is 24:55 certain, and true and sure. 24:57 We are thankful that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the 24:59 Savior of the Bible, the Savior of the world. 25:02 Today, I pray, give us grace to trust in you, to not just know 25:05 the Bible is certain, but to believe it and to live that 25:08 belief. 25:09 I pray dear Lord that Jesus would be the center of our 25:13 lives. 25:14 As our heads are bowed together I pray that you would take over 25:18 our lives and make them yours. 25:20 Take away our sin and give us peace. 25:23 Take away our uncertainty and give us confidence that when 25:26 Jesus comes back to gather our saints he will gather us and 25:31 take us to be with him forever and ever. 25:35 Let that day come soon, I pray. 25:37 We thank you today in Jesus4 name, Amen. 25:41 ♪♪♪♪♪♪♪ Perhaps our program today has 25:57 touched your heart and impressed you with a personal need for 26:00 deeper Bible study. 26:02 Do you desire to listen to God and follow where he leads? 26:06 We've got a wonderful resource that can help you do that in a 26:08 systemic way, the Discover Bible Guides. 26:12 These study guides will take you through the essential truths 26:15 taught in Scripture. 26:16 They give you the big picture showing how it all fits 26:18 together. 26:19 The Discover Bible Guides are a wonderful way for you to become 26:23 grounded in the Word of God and to see how Jesus Christ relates 26:26 to all the areas of our lives. 26:28 So please call or write us and the Discover Bible Guides will 26:32 be on their way to you and the entire course is absolutely 26:35 free. 26:36 For even easier access, you can obtain these wonderful Bible 26:40 lessons on-line at our website. 26:42 Here's the information you need. 26:43 You may request today's offer, The Discover Bible Guides, by 26:49 calling our toll free number 1 800 253 3000. 26:53 Call right now. 26:54 The operator needs only your name, address and phone number, 26:56 plus the name of today's offer, The Discover Bible Guides. 27:01 Lines are open 24 hours daily. 27:02 They may be busy so keep trying. 27:04 You may also request today's offer by writing to It Is 27:06 Written, Box O, Thousand Oaks, California 91359. 27:11 Our free offer is for an address in North America only. 27:15 The Discover Bible Guides are also available on the Internet. 27:18 Just visit our website itiswritten.com. 27:21 Also on line is a complete script of today's program. 27:25 If you wish to help the worldwide outreach of It is 27:27 Written, your tax deductible gift may be sent to the same 27:30 address or you may make a gift on line at itiswritten.com. 27:34 Thank you for your letters and continued support. 27:37 Our toll free number is 1800 253 3000 and our web address 27:42 itiswritten.com Thanks for joining me today and be sure to 27:50 remember It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, 27:56 but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. |
Revised 2015-02-05