Participants:
Series Code: SISS
Program Code: SISS000074S
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00:01 Music...
00:29 James: All right, we are back, right? 00:31 We weren't gone for very long were we? 00:34 Laughter... 00:35 So, we got to Daniel chapter 2... 00:37 we started in Daniel 1 with an intro, 00:39 we got into Daniel chapter 2, 00:40 we're looking at the basic theme 00:42 and so, now we're going to move right into Daniel chapter 3. 00:44 We're going to start, of course, with a word of prayer, 00:46 we want to encourage our Viewers... 00:48 this book is connected to the book of Revelation, 00:51 we're going to be looking into the practical... 00:53 the theme... and then we're going to go back... 00:54 and we're going to do a verse-by-verse through the book, 00:56 so, it's going to be... it's going to be really full, 00:59 we're going to have a lot... it's going to be exciting, 01:00 just to get this picture of the book of Daniel 01:02 is going to be beautiful. 01:04 So, Jason, would you start us out with a word of prayer? 01:06 We'll jump right in. 01:07 Jason: "Dear heavenly Father, we thank You so much 01:09 for the opportunity to study Your precious Word. 01:12 We just ask for Your Holy Spirit 01:15 to lead and guide us into all truth. 01:17 Be with us as we study the Bible. 01:19 Help us to retain the information that we learn today, 01:23 in Jesus' name we pray, amen. " 01:24 All: Amen. 01:26 James: So, Daniel chapter 1, we talked about this theme... 01:29 the theme of the cross... 01:31 God humbled Himself 01:32 and also the theme of being... resisting the wine of Babylon, 01:36 being ten times wiser. 01:37 In Daniel chapter 2... 01:39 Daniel chapter 2, of course, God humbling Himself 01:41 and wanting to exalt Himself... 01:43 being exalted in Daniel chapter 2, 01:44 we looked at Philippians chapter 2 and saw 01:46 that this is the way of the cross... 01:48 the way of the gospel... 01:49 and, of course, this way helps us as we follow God 01:52 to be prepared for the end of time... 01:54 resist the influence of Babylon and be... 01:57 have the wisdom of God to be able to know how to... 01:59 to... to navigate these end-time events 02:02 that we're going to be facing. 02:03 And Daniel chapter 3 now, 02:05 we're move in... into Daniel chapter 3 02:06 and what do we have here? 02:07 We have, of course, Nebuchadnezzar 02:09 compromising the truth... 02:11 making an image that Daniel showed him in Daniel 2, 02:14 but all of gold... 02:16 I think that one of the things that I want to bring out here 02:20 and Ivor I'll hand it to you too to supplement this, 02:23 is the element of fear. 02:24 So, in Revelation... the gospel comes 02:27 with a message to fear God 02:29 and in the world, there is a fear of God and a fear of man, 02:32 and the fear of God and fear of man are completely different. 02:35 The love of God leads us to fear Him and to be in awe of Him 02:38 in a way that is completely different from human fear... 02:41 the natural fear that we have. 02:43 It's something that we see in Daniel chapter 3, 02:47 in the fiery furnace because Nebuchadnezzar... 02:51 when he was compromising the truth... 02:53 he is calling all the people to worship this image... 02:57 all of gold... or to die. 02:59 They're going to be cast in the fiery furnace 03:01 and, of course, they fear the king and his commandments 03:05 so they go ahead and they bow down and worship 03:07 and Nebuchadnezzar himself... 03:10 the reason why he makes the image all of gold is because... 03:14 and we'll get into this in more detail 03:16 is because he doesn't want his kingdom to come to an end. 03:18 Yvonne: Ah... All: Hmmm... 03:20 James: He's the head of gold 03:21 and the head ends right here, right? 03:22 And so, he wants his... 03:24 everyone is afraid of coming to an end, 03:26 God has put eternity in our hearts 03:28 we're told in Ecclesiastes. 03:30 Everyone wants eternal life in some form or another... 03:33 we believe in that and so, in this sense, 03:36 everyone worships because they're afraid... 03:39 Nebuchadnezzar makes the image because he's afraid 03:41 and then he comes in contact with three people 03:43 who aren't afraid. 03:45 All: Hmmm... hmmm... 03:46 "I don't care what you said, King, 03:47 you can make that furnace as hot as you want... 03:49 we're worshiping God. " 03:51 And he's not so angry about the fact that they're disobeying him 03:55 as he is about the fact that they've got something 03:57 that he doesn't have and that is... no fear. 03:58 All: Hmmm. Yvonne: That's good. 04:00 The everlasting gospel says, "Fear God... " 04:02 and when you fear God, you fear nothing else. 04:04 When you fear God, you fear nothing else 04:06 and so, as you... as we follow this gospel theme through here, 04:09 what we find is... we find God's people 04:11 being filled with the gospel... 04:13 being filled with the fear of God 04:14 and that allows them to face every other obstacle 04:17 in this world. 04:18 Anywhere with Jesus I can safely go... anywhere? 04:21 All: Anywhere. 04:22 James: Fear I cannot know. Yvonne: Yes. 04:26 James: And so, this is the same theme that you find 04:28 in that beautiful hymn, "Amazing grace. " 04:31 'Twas grace that led my heart to fear, 04:34 And grace my fears relieved. 04:36 Yvonne: Hmmm... 04:38 James: So, the fear that we get rid of.. that's the earthly fear 04:40 and there's the fear the gospel fills us with 04:42 and that's the heavenly fear. 04:43 Ivor: Hmmm... um... so, let's add to that. 04:46 In Daniel chapter 3, basically what we have happening 04:50 is, Babylon... the king of Babylon 04:53 has heard a message from the previous chapter. 04:58 The message he has heard is: Babylon is fallen... 05:01 Babylon is going to fall. 05:03 James: Yeah. Yvonne: Hmmm... hmmm... 05:05 Ivor: He doesn't like that message 05:07 and as a result, he sets up an image 05:09 and commands all... 05:11 rich and poor... free and bond... 05:13 Yvonne: Hmmm... come on... come on... 05:15 Ivor: Great and small... right 05:16 and that connects us with Revelation 13. 05:19 Yvonne: Right... right. 05:20 Ivor: Why? Because in Revelation chapter 13, 05:22 we see an image being set up 05:23 and all commanded to bow down before this image. 05:27 So, if we put this together, 05:28 Daniel chapter 1... at the end of time, 05:32 there's going to be a people who avoid the wine of Babylon. 05:34 All: Hmmm... hmmm... 05:35 Ivor: Because they avoid the wine of Babylon, 05:36 they're going to be ten times wiser... 05:38 they're going to preach a message that Babylon is fallen. 05:39 All: Hmmm... hmmm... 05:41 Ivor: This message is going to be so powerful 05:43 that Babylon... in response to that message... 05:47 I'm going to start throwing in some terms here 05:50 that you guys are probably not going to understand right now 05:52 but I'm just kind of vibing with James 05:53 just for a moment to set him up... 05:55 All: Laughter... 05:57 Ivor: The king of Babylon hears tidings... 06:04 James: Hmmm... 06:06 Ivor: Tidings that trouble him. 06:08 All: Hmmm... hmm... 06:09 Ivor: And in fact, in Daniel chapter 2, 06:12 it begins with... "The king was troubled 06:14 by this dream. " 06:16 James: That's right. 06:17 Ivor: So this message is a troubling message. 06:19 James: To Babylon. 06:20 Ivor: To Babylon... 06:22 and as a result of this troubling message, 06:24 the response to this great message... this loud message... 06:30 this loud cry... 06:32 this... this gospel that, 06:35 "Yes, your kingdom is not the kingdom that's going to last" 06:37 and his response is... 06:39 James: The "sleep-awakening message. " Ivor: That's right. 06:40 James: Waking up those virgins, waking them up. 06:42 Ivor: He is like, "Okay, yeah, we're not having this, 06:44 so, we're going to set up an image 06:46 and command all to bow down. " 06:47 James: Hmmm... hmmm... 06:49 Ivor: So, again, you put the first three chapters 06:50 of Daniel together, 06:51 you have a message for God's end-time people. 06:53 There will be a... at the end of time 06:55 a people who will avoid the wine of Babylon... 06:57 they will be ten times wiser... chapter 1. 06:59 James: Hmmm... hmmm... 07:00 Ivor: Chapter 2, they will be given the insight 07:04 to preach a message that no one else understands. 07:06 Yvonne: Hmmm... 07:07 Ivor: Chapter 3, As a result of this message, 07:10 Babylon will seek to stop its own fall 07:14 by enforcing... by creating an image 07:18 and commanding all... rich and poor... 07:22 great and small... free and bond... 07:25 to bow down before this image 07:27 and whosoever does not bow down, 07:30 should be killed. 07:31 James: Hmmm... hmmm... boom! Yvonne: Oh... 07:34 Ivor: God is showing us... now... now... check this out, 07:36 we have not even gotten into the prophecies 07:39 of the book of Daniel yet, 07:40 but in the first three chapters, God has already told us, 07:43 "Hey, I'm just letting you know 07:44 from the stories that I'm showing you 07:46 what's going to happen at the end of time. " 07:48 James: "And I'm reviewing Revelation for you, 07:50 just a little review of Revelation... 07:51 remember Revelation?" 07:53 Ivor: Absolutely. 07:54 James: And by the way, you mentioned this 07:56 and I just wanted to build on it a little bit, 07:57 nobody else knows that message... 07:58 "They're ten times wiser... " 08:00 except for God's people in Babylon. 08:01 Nebuchadnezzar... 08:02 "now God's people... come out of her my people... " 08:04 you know what I'm saying? Ivor: Yes. 08:06 James: So, Nebuchadnezzar gets it. 08:07 He's struggling with it... you know... 08:09 but he gets it... he finally gets it. 08:10 So, so... while God's people are ten times wiser 08:14 and while none of the Babylonians can understand it, 08:16 there are people in Babylon that will understand it. 08:18 There are people out there that will understand... 08:20 that's Revelation 18. 08:22 Ivor: Yeah, and, you know, we... ah... 08:25 this is just amazing because remember what Daniel did in... 08:29 maybe I should just say from when we talk about Daniel 2, 08:33 but who were the wise men that didn't understand this? 08:36 It was the Magi... right? 08:38 Yvonne: Hmmm... 08:39 Ivor: And, do you remember, like when Daniel goes in... 08:43 because there is a decree... "Kill all the wise men... " 08:48 so when Daniel gets the understanding of this... 08:51 of this dream, he doesn't go in and say, 08:53 "All right, yup, kill the bad guy and let me... " 08:57 no, no, no... he actually contended for their lives. 09:00 James: He did, first thing. Yvonne: That's right. 09:02 Ivor: Now, what do you think they must have felt 09:05 towards Daniel after they were like, 09:06 "Whoa, we were about to die 09:08 and this man, like, saved our lives. " 09:09 Do you think they might have been like, 09:11 "Daniel, we like you... " 09:13 James: Should have been... should have been... 09:14 Yvonne: I would hope so. 09:15 Ivor: Because, check this out, who were the ones 09:18 that understood the prophecy of Jesus' coming? 09:20 James: Hmmm... hmmm... Yvonne: The Magi... 09:23 Ivor: The Magi... they were the ones... 09:26 and the question is, how did they know? 09:28 How did they understand the 70-week prophecy 09:31 that pointed to Christ? 09:32 Where did they get this information from? 09:33 Yvonne: Hmmm... 09:35 Ivor: And I believe there is... there is a good chance 09:37 that because of what Daniel did there... 09:41 James: There was a "Remnant. " 09:42 Ivor: That was it... that was passed down 09:45 and then, when it came time for the prophecy, 09:47 God's people weren't even aware of it, 09:50 the very ones that the character of Christ 09:53 was demonstrated to. 09:54 James: Yeah. Yvonne: Hmmm... 09:55 James: There was a remnant in there... 09:57 there was a remnant in Babylon 09:58 and there was a remnant in God's church 09:59 because we know in Daniel chapter 3, those... those Magi 10:02 those wise men accuse Daniel's friends. 10:05 They accuse them before the king, 10:07 "Hey, they didn't bow down. " 10:08 Because the king... he's looking out there... 10:09 he can't see everyone, so they accuse... 10:11 so, we know that some were bad, in that sense. 10:13 It's the same principle that we see... 10:15 God has His faithful people all through Babylon 10:18 and He's calling them out. 10:20 Ivor: Yeah. 10:21 James: All right, look, Revelation... 10:23 excuse me... "Revelation!" Daniel chapter 4... 10:24 I'm going to do that a lot 10:26 so, you guys just feel free... 10:28 just get it on and... and bring it out. 10:32 Daniel chapter 4, then, we move now... 10:34 seems like we move completely away from... 10:36 no... no... Daniel chapter 4, Nebuchadnezzar... okay. 10:39 Okay, here is the theme in Daniel chapter 4... 10:42 part of the theme in Daniel chapter 4, 10:44 so, Nebuchadnezzar is this proud king that God knows... 10:50 He knows his heart... 10:51 just like He knew the heart of Paul, okay, 10:53 he's this proud king but God says, 10:54 "I want him in my kingdom. " 10:56 Ivor: Okay. 10:57 James: So, there are people out there... they are proud... 10:58 they're hardy... they're self-righteous... 11:00 they're conquering... they're all about themselves... 11:02 they're all about what they're going to do... 11:03 but God says, "I want them in my kingdom, 11:05 I see their heart... I want them in my kingdom. " 11:07 And so, when Daniel comes in to Babylon... 11:10 when Daniel humbles himself and shows the way of the cross 11:13 and God humbles Himself, 11:14 Nebuchadnezzar... the contrast with that 11:17 and then, finally Nebuchadnezzar 11:19 seeing that this is a God of Gods, 11:20 the contrast just awakens him 11:23 and as it awakens him, he is intellectually convicted 11:27 that this is true. 11:29 There are a lot of people out there... 11:30 a lot of people watching 3ABN... 11:31 lot of people watching Salvation in Symbols and Signs, 11:33 lot of people listening to... 11:35 and they're intellectually convicted 11:36 those guys are right on track... 11:38 those guys are there in harmony with God... 11:40 but their... their... their hearts... 11:42 their commitment... their will... 11:44 their surrender is not there yet... it's just not there 11:46 and that's where Nebuchadnezzar is in chapter 3. 11:47 Yvonne: Hmmm... 11:49 James: He knows the truth of this image, 11:51 but he perverts it just a little bit... 11:52 Yvonne: In 4... chapter 4? 11:54 James: In chapter 3... he's perverting that truth 11:56 but in chapter 4, now you have a hard experience, 11:59 now it gets to the heart. 12:01 Nebuchadnezzar in chapter 2 12:03 is still only intellectually convicted, 12:06 by chapter 3, that... 12:08 that intellectual-only conviction is manifest. 12:11 What does he do? Ah, he compromises the truth. 12:14 If we only have an intellectual conviction... 12:17 a doctrinal conviction of truth, we're going to compromise... 12:20 we're going to compromise... 12:21 in the end of time, we're going to compromise... 12:22 company after company is going to go out, 12:24 we're just going to get... we're just going to compromise it... 12:25 we're going to give in to the world, 12:27 but, if God can reach our hearts... 12:29 if He can get it down to the 12:31 heart level, we're get to surrender. 12:33 How does that happen? Well, God wants to make it easy, 12:35 but with Nebuchadnezzar, that wasn't happening. 12:39 Yvonne: Right. 12:40 James: So, he went through a major trial... major trial 12:42 and so, we... we got to remember... 12:44 we have to remember that... that... 12:48 that God is in those trials... God is in those trials. 12:53 Nebuchadnezzar... chapter 4... 12:54 Nebuchadnezzar comes out of the seven-year trial... 12:57 seven-year trial... 12:58 like a crazy man, right? Yvonne: Hmmm... 13:01 James: And he says, "God is so good. " 13:04 Yvonne: Yes. James: "God is good. " 13:06 So, I'm going to... 13:08 I'm going to covet the trial... 13:10 I'm going to covet the fire... I'm going to covet it 13:12 because I know that's where God is 13:14 and I want to be where God is. Yvonne: Hmmm... 13:15 James: And that's what Nebuchadnezzar has realized 13:17 so, as he comes out... 13:18 Nebuchadnezzar... really Daniel chapter 4 is his testimony. 13:20 Ivor: Hmmm... hmmm... 13:22 James: And what happens? When God... 13:23 when God humbles Himself and then He lifts Himself up 13:26 and he reveals Himself as He really is, 13:27 it humbles us and we surrender. 13:29 If God can surrender, we can surrender. 13:31 So, God surrenders first 13:33 and then, Nebuchadnezzar ends up surrendering to God. 13:35 It's a beautiful picture of how the gospel works 13:37 in Daniel chapter 4. 13:39 Ivor: And we'll... going along the line of... 13:42 of end-time events once again, 13:44 what do you have happening in Daniel chapter 4? 13:47 In Daniel chapter 4, you have Nebuchadnezzar having his dream 13:52 of this tree, right, which represents his kingdom, 13:55 but where does the tree reach? 13:57 All: To the heavens. 13:58 Ivor: And what does that tree represent? 14:00 It represents His pride, right? 14:03 It represents his soul. 14:05 In Daniel chapter 4, Babylon's sins 14:09 have reached unto heaven. 14:17 So, let's put those four chapters together. 14:20 Yvonne: Hmmm... hmmm... 14:21 Ivor: At the end of time... Daniel chapter 1... 14:24 at the end of time, there's going to be a group of people 14:25 who avoid the wine of Babylon. 14:27 They will be 10 times wiser. 14:29 Chapter 2... 14:30 God is going to give them special insight 14:32 to preach a message that no one else understands. 14:33 All: Hmmm... 14:35 Ivor: They will preach a message that Babylon is fallen. 14:37 Chapter 3: Babylon, in response to this message says, 14:39 "Now, we're going to set up an image 14:41 and command all to bow down. " 14:43 Chapter 4: When Babylon does this, 14:46 her sins have reached unto heaven. 14:48 All: Hmmm... hmmm... hmmm... 14:50 Ivor: When Babylon does this, 14:52 her sins have reached unto heaven. 14:54 In these first four chapters of Daniel, 14:56 God is showing us... comes like this pattern of... 14:59 "Hey Guys, listen... 15:00 it hasn't happened yet but I'm just showing you 15:02 that this book has been written, you know, 15:04 thousands of years earlier than this event is going to... 15:06 but I'm just showing you... " 15:07 This is to encourage God's people 15:09 that, "Don't fear 15:11 because I've already shown you what is coming. 15:14 Yvonne: Hmmm... 15:15 Ivor: When you see the image set up, 15:17 just know, when they do that 15:18 their sins will have reached unto heaven. 15:20 James: Hmmm... hmmm... 15:21 Ivor: Just know that these events... 15:23 check this out... just know that these events 15:24 will lead to Michael standing up. 15:28 James: Hmmm... hmmm... Yvonne: Hmmm... 15:30 Ivor: Daniel 12. Yvonne: Come on. 15:31 Ivor: What are the odds, right? James: Hmmm... hmmm... 15:33 Ivor: I mean, just think about that. 15:35 The last chapter is Michael standing up, 15:37 like, "All right... done deal. " 15:39 James: Yup. Yvonne: Yes. 15:40 Ivor: So, one... two... three... four... 15:42 are beginning to show us a pattern of events 15:45 that are going to unfold 15:46 culminating with Michael standing up 15:50 and the dead coming to life. 15:54 Yvonne: Wow! James: Hmmm... 15:55 Ivor: Yeah. James: Hmmm... 15:57 Yvonne: Ooooh! that was so good. 15:59 James: All right, Daniel chapter 5... 16:01 can we move to Daniel chapter 5? 16:03 So, in the context now, of what Ivor just said and I love this, 16:09 this thing that's running through... 16:12 in Daniel chapter 5, you have belligerent, disobedience, 16:17 neglect and turning away from the light that God has given. 16:22 All: Hmmm... hmmm... 16:24 James: When Nebuchadnezzar is alive, 16:27 he has been given intellectual truth, 16:29 he's been completed convicted that the God is the God of Gods 16:34 and Lord of Lords in Daniel chapter 2, 16:36 and even as he fights with that, 16:38 God works in his heart through this trial... this experience... 16:42 that brings him to full surrender to God. 16:44 His grandson, Belshazzar, on the other hand 16:46 has all this light and all this truth 16:47 and he completely neglects it. 16:49 It's... it's... it's... it's so neglected that in a sense 16:53 and I don't know if this is true or not 16:54 but it appears to be true, 16:56 he doesn't even know who Daniel is. 16:57 He doesn't even know who Daniel... 16:58 the Queen Mother comes in and says, 17:00 "Hey, you know, there's a guy that your grandfather knew, 17:01 he's really wise and really smart. 17:03 He's like, "Ah... Daniel could... 17:04 "Hey, Daniel, are you the guy that my grandfather... " 17:07 you know, 17:08 and Daniel basically has none of that. 17:09 He says, "You knew... you had all the light... 17:12 you had all the truth... there's a God in heaven. " 17:14 And this is the part that I love about this... 17:16 this is the gospel again and this is again... 17:17 I'm bringing up this gospel theme... 17:19 prophetic theme... gospel theme, 17:21 He comes in and he says, and we're going to start here, 17:25 Jason, read for us, would you? 17:27 In Daniel chapter 5 and verse... um... 17:34 22... 22 and 23. 17:35 Jason: 22 and 23? James: Yeah. 17:37 Jason: "But you his son, Belshazzar, 17:39 have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this. 17:42 And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. 17:45 They have brought the vessels of His house before you, 17:49 and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, 17:52 have drunk wine from them. 17:54 And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, 17:57 bronze and iron, wood and stone, 17:59 which do not see or hear or know; 18:01 and the God who holds your breath in His hand 18:05 and owns all your ways, you have not glorified. " 18:09 James: Oooh... that's Acts 17 right there, 18:10 that's the gospel right there. 18:12 Jason: Amen. Yvonne: That's powerful. 18:13 So, Daniel is having none of this political maneuvering. 18:16 He's... he's like, he comes in and... 18:18 and Belshazzar says to him, "Are you... are you the guy... 18:22 the Jew... of the Jews that my grandfather brought captive?" 18:25 And Daniel is like, 18:27 "I'm not even going to go there... 18:29 I'm not even going to go there... 18:31 you knew all of this, Belshazzar you knew all of this 18:34 and besides that there's a God of heaven 18:37 who gives you breath every day. " 18:38 Yvonne: Hmmm... 18:40 James: "He gives you everything you have, 18:41 He loves you Belshazzar. " 18:42 Now, I think, personally, at this point, 18:44 I think Belshazzar... this is Revelation again... 18:48 he doesn't repent... 18:49 so the writings on the wall... this is like... 18:51 this is like 7 last plagues... 18:53 he doesn't repent but he could have... 18:55 he can't... he won't... but he could have. 18:57 In other words, God is still willing for him to repent 18:59 but he is so set in his ways 19:01 that even after Daniel reveals all this to him 19:04 and Daniel tells him, "I don't want any of your stuff" 19:06 Belshazzar still gives him the stuff. 19:09 James: That's... it's just proving he's set in his ways, 19:11 he can't be reached. 19:13 His grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar, could be reached. 19:15 So, there comes a time when the gospel is preached... 19:18 the everlasting gospel is preached... 19:20 and people make a decision and judgment comes. 19:22 Ivor: Yeah. Yvonne: Hmmm... 19:23 James: And that's what you see here taking place. 19:24 As God brings us through here, 19:26 He's got His emissary in Babylon, 19:27 He humbles Himself before the nations... 19:29 He's exalted through the dream... 19:30 intellectual conviction captures the world 19:34 but then, there's this compromise taking place 19:36 and the true come through the fiery furnace 19:39 and those who aren't true, don't... 19:41 and in chapter 4, the ones that are struggling 19:44 go through a fierce trial... 19:45 Nebuchadnezzar goes through this fierce trial... 19:47 and the others who don't listen... 19:49 who don't respond... who don't accept... 19:51 who just want to go party... 19:52 just want to go have a good time... 19:54 they don't care about the truth of God's heart 19:56 and His love for them, 19:57 their destiny is sealed. 19:59 Ivor: Yeah. Yvonne: Hmmm. 20:00 James: It's all sealed up. Jason: Yeah. 20:02 Ivor: Along the end-time scenario 20:04 by picking up with chapter 6, or chapter 5, rather, 20:07 what we have in Daniel chapter 5 is... 20:10 you know, after this whole scenario with 20:13 you know, that writing on the wall, 20:18 and, "Your kingdom is numbered and finished... " 20:21 right, what happens? 20:22 In Daniel chapter 5, Babylon is defeated 20:27 okay, and how was Babylon defeated? 20:30 Well, there's a guy outside the city walls of Babylon. 20:35 His name is Cyrus. 20:36 In Isaiah 45 verse 1 and Isaiah 44, 20:39 he's called the "anointed one. " 20:41 James: Hmmm... hmmm... Yvonne: Hmmm... 20:43 Ivor: Cyrus... it is very well understood 20:45 and known and believed that he is a type of Christ 20:49 and so, he was the Leader of the Medo-Persian Empire 20:53 and according to Isaiah 45, 20:54 what the Bible says is that this Cyrus would dry up 20:58 the deep... speaking about the Euphrates. 21:01 He would dry up the River Euphrates 21:04 and basically, that would prepare the way 21:07 for these kings who came from the east and from the north... 21:10 came from the east and from the north... 21:12 so, what you have happening in Daniel chapter 5, 21:15 is this figure who is a type of Christ 21:18 comes and destroys Babylon. 21:20 So, let's put it all together, 21:23 Daniel 1: at the time of the end 21:25 there's going to be an end-time people 21:27 who will avoid the wine of Babylon, 21:29 they will be ten times wiser. 21:30 As a result of that, they will preach a message 21:33 that no one else understands... 21:34 they will preach this message that Babylon is fallen. 21:37 Babylon, in response, will set up an image 21:40 and command all to bow down, 21:41 when they do this, 21:43 their sins will have reached heaven 21:44 and when their sins will have reached heaven, 21:47 Cyrus... 21:48 James: Returns... Yvonne: Hmmm... 21:51 Ivor: Cyrus returns... 21:53 Cyrus dries up the Euphrates and if you remember, 21:56 in our Revelation Study where we talked about 21:59 what happens under one of the plagues... 22:01 James: Chapter 16. Yvonne: Hmmm. 22:02 Ivor: The River Euphrates is dried up 22:05 in preparation for the fall of spiritual Babylon. 22:09 James: And the Kings of the East. 22:10 Ivor: And the Kings of the East. Yvonne: Wow! 22:11 Ivor: And so, basically now, 22:13 we have just hit five chapters of Daniel 22:16 that all show us in chronological order... 22:18 it's... I mean... that's just mind blowing. 22:21 Yvonne: It is... it is. 22:23 Ivor: In the way the chapters have been put for us, 22:25 you find there this pattern of what is going to happen 22:28 at the end of time 22:29 and it's just... it's just mind blowing. 22:31 James: It's beautiful. 22:33 Yvonne: It's amazing to me how God has done this for us 22:38 and the fact that He's equipped you all to see this 22:43 because this... this helps us to see 22:45 what He's saying through His Word, 22:48 it's not just happenstance. 22:50 It's not just some words that are written 22:52 but this whole pattern that we see in Revelation... 22:57 we see it in Daniel and it sets us up 22:59 for the end times... it's amazing. 23:01 Ivor: And let me add here that remember, 23:03 we have not yet touched in detail... Daniel 2, Daniel 7, 23:10 Daniel 8, Daniel 9, Daniel 11, we haven't touched any of these. 23:13 James: We're just in the stories. 23:14 Ivor: We're just in the stories and just from the stories... 23:16 the stories are affirming 23:18 the prophetic parts of the book of Daniel. 23:22 Yvonne: Yes. 23:24 Ivor: And sometimes we may that you know, like, 23:25 "Oh well, these are the stories, these are not really prophetic, 23:28 and these are the prophecies. 23:30 Yvonne: That's true... that's very true. 23:31 Ivor: Like, "Let's skip Daniel, let's get to Daniel 2... 23:34 guess what? If... if... if right now you got rid of 23:38 Daniel 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11, 12... 23:40 James: You'll be good. 23:41 Ivor: Just in 1 through 6, God has already shown us 23:43 the whole end-time scenario. 23:45 Yvonne: Wow! 23:46 Ivor: He's just given us the whole book of Daniel... 23:47 I mean, the whole book of Revelation 23:49 in Daniel 1 through 6 just in these stories. 23:52 James: And what I love about this, Ivor, 23:55 that's so beautiful to me is that... how important it is 23:58 to have the intellectual and a spiritual experience. 24:00 Yvonne: Hmmm... 24:01 James: And so, these stories remind us 24:03 of the spiritual experience. 24:04 They kind of show us how to maneuver... how to navigate 24:06 our relationship with the kings of this earth... 24:09 how to... how to preach the message, 24:11 what kind of spirit we should have 24:12 and we're going to get into all that detail 24:14 as we... as we move into this. 24:15 Daniel chapter 6... 24:16 Daniel chapter 6. 24:18 So, now we've transitioned now in Daniel chapter 6 24:21 to the Medo-Persian Kingdom 24:22 and what's really powerful about Daniel chapter 6 24:26 again, emphasizing the gospel is the spirit that Daniel has. 24:30 Now, Daniel was the main man of Nebuchadnezzar, 24:34 he was a big guy in Babylon but all of a sudden, boom! 24:37 immediately, he set up in Medo-Persia. 24:40 He is... he's one of the top three... 24:43 in fact, Darius is thinking, 24:44 "Man, I think I want him to be Number 1." 24:46 Why? Because he has such a good spirit... 24:49 he has an excellent spirit. 24:50 And, you know, when you think about the trust, 24:53 we think about the loyalty that Darius wants to have 24:58 for those who rule this kingdom... 24:59 for him to choose someone from Babylon... 25:01 someone who's in Babylon, 25:02 to have that trust and loyalty in this guy, 25:05 that's amazing! 25:07 So, what God is saying is, 25:08 "If you comport yourselves with My Spirit, 25:11 if you're filled with My Spirit, 25:13 there are going to be people out there 25:14 who, you may think are your enemies... 25:16 who you may think are completely the opposite of what you believe 25:21 but if you have my Spirit, they're going to see that in you 25:24 and they're going to want you to be a part of... 25:26 they're going to want you to be a part of their team... 25:28 they're going to want to connect with you 25:30 and have you be part... so what you have to offer... " 25:32 and that's what we see in Daniel chapter 6... 25:35 it's not just this intellectual... 25:36 it's also the spirit we carry, 25:38 and this compels Darius 25:41 to actually try to defend and protect Daniel 25:44 who he doesn't know that well, 25:45 he's known his wise men for a long time 25:47 and he says, "Your God is going to be able to protect you... 25:49 and I have faith in your God... " 25:51 and eventually it brings him to a place 25:54 where he exercises complete faith in Daniel 25:56 and that's what we need to see, 25:58 that's what we're going to see 25:59 when we talked about the wise men in Daniel chapter 2, 26:02 in Daniel chapter 3 and some of them being the Magi 26:05 and that takes us to Daniel 12 where it talks about those 26:08 that are from Edom and Moab and Ammon escaping... 26:11 that word "escape" is the same word in Daniel 12:1... 26:15 I'm talking to Ivor now, they escaped... 26:19 that they are delivered... it's the same word. 26:21 Ivor: Yes. Yvonne: Hmmm. 26:22 James: You've got God's people delivered 26:23 and you've got these other people... Moab, Edom and Ammon, 26:28 they're escaping also. 26:29 So, this is what's happening with Darius. 26:31 He's escaping also. 26:32 He's escaping from this... this Babylonian captivity. 26:35 Ivor: Yeah, Daniel chapter 6... 26:37 Daniel is thrown into the Lion's Den, 26:40 so, there's a death decree that is given 26:43 pertaining to the Law of God. 26:44 James: Hmmm... 26:45 Ivor: "We're not going to find anything with this guy 26:47 unless we find it against the Law of God... " 26:49 and what happens? 26:51 In this death decree, Daniel is delivered. 26:53 Right, Daniel is delivered. 26:55 James: From the lion. Ivor: From the lion... 26:56 and those that initiated the decree are themselves punished. 27:00 So, at the end of time, God's going to have a people 27:03 who avoid the wine of Babylon... 27:05 they're going to be 10 times wiser... 27:06 they're going to preach the message that Babylon is fallen.. 27:08 as a result, Babylon sets up an image 27:10 and commands all to bow down. 27:12 When they do this, their sins will have reached heaven 27:14 and if that happens, Cyrus... or Jesus 27:17 prepares the way by drying up the River Euphrates 27:19 and those that were under the death decree 27:22 die as a result of being faithful to the Law of God 27:24 will be delivered 27:26 while those who initiated the decree 27:28 will themselves be punished, Daniel 1 through 6. 27:31 James: Ooooh! Boom... boom. 27:32 That's beautiful... that's powerful. 27:34 God... God has wrapped it up for us right there 27:36 and we've also wrapped up our time. 27:39 Ivor: Absolutely. Yvonne: Wow! 27:40 James: We are out of time for this second session. 27:42 Yvonne: That's incredible. 27:43 James: So... it's... it's a good start... it's a good start 27:47 and we'll try to get through the rest of this 27:49 in our next session... 27:51 maybe... next two sessions... we'll see... 27:53 All: Laughter. 27:54 James: All right, praise God... praise God... 27:57 beautiful... love it. |
Revised 2020-03-09