Participants:
Series Code: SISS
Program Code: SISS000077A
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00:01 Music...
00:29 James: We are doing great. 00:32 Daniel chapter 1 is just exploding with insight 00:36 and I love what we talked about this last session. 00:39 It's... finding our purpose in God 00:42 is to me what Christianity is all about. 00:46 Yvonne: Yes. 00:47 James: We talk about finding truth and finding understanding 00:50 but finding our identity in what God has purposed for us... 00:53 and it can be tricky sometimes 00:55 because when you get into religion, 00:57 there's a lot of people that want you to be like them... 00:59 and there's a lot of cookie-cutter-type stuff 01:01 going on 01:03 and there's a lot of conformity and a lot of pressure 01:05 but each one of us is unique. 01:07 Each one of us has a unique thumbprint, 01:09 we're all "thumbody... " 01:11 All: Laughter. Jason: That's just so funny. 01:13 James: And God... we contribute something 01:15 that no one else can contribute. 01:17 Yvonne: That's right. 01:18 James: And Daniel has contributed something in my life 01:20 because he found his purpose in God 01:22 and Jason, you've contributed something in my life 01:25 because you found your purpose in God 01:26 and so, we each do that right, we each do that 01:29 and that's what I love about this whole story... 01:32 it's very practical. 01:34 It's not just about prophecy and intellect 01:36 and doctrine and you know... 01:37 it's also about us personally 01:39 having this relationship with God. 01:41 So, as we enter this some more, 01:43 let's just start with a word of prayer, 01:44 and Jason, would you like to lead us out in prayer? 01:46 Jason: Sure. "Dear heavenly Father, 01:48 we thank you again for allowing us to study the book of Daniel, 01:52 and to really see all of the amazing things 01:57 that lie within these stories. 01:59 I had no idea this stuff was... was central in these stories 02:05 and so, I'm thankful that it's all coming to the light... 02:08 that I'm seeing it... 02:09 and that our Viewers are seeing it 02:11 and I just ask that You would be with us 02:13 as we continue in this study, 02:15 that You would help us to gain that fresh light, 02:18 in Jesus' name we pray, amen. " 02:19 All: Amen. 02:21 James: So, finding purpose and losing purpose 02:24 and we want to look at a little bit of that, Ivor, 02:26 I know you've got some thoughts you want to share with us 02:28 in relationship to the history and the purpose lost 02:32 by God's people 02:33 and how God worked with them through that. 02:35 Ivor: Yeah. 02:36 So, Daniel chapter 1 verse 1, why don't we read that again? 02:40 Yvonne, would you read... 02:43 Yvonne: Sure. 02:44 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, 02:47 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem 02:50 and besieged it. " 02:52 Ivor: Okay, so this verse just in the last maybe few hours 03:00 has just come and jumped off the page 03:05 as we're preparing for this Series 03:09 and that's kind of how we work, like, we'll... we kinda... 03:12 we... we called each other just like a few days before... 03:16 we hadn't spoken it in a little while, 03:17 all right, James, we're going to talk about Daniel 03:20 and we passed some things back and forth... 03:21 we're like, "All right, we got it, 03:22 we're good to go. " James: Hmmm... hmmm... 03:24 Ivor: And this is one of those things where... 03:26 as I'm looking at Daniel 1:1, it really sets the foundation 03:33 for everything else that happens in the book of Daniel 03:37 culminating with Daniel 11 and 12 03:41 and it's kind of crazy when you hear that like, 03:44 "Did you hear what you just said?" 03:46 Daniel 1:1... read it again... Daniel 1:1, 03:48 what does it say, read it. 03:50 Yvonne: "In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim 03:52 king of Judah, 03:53 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem 03:57 and besieged it. " 03:58 Ivor: Like, how in the world can that verse 04:01 set the foundation for us understanding... 04:03 ultimately understanding Daniel chapter 11 04:05 and the culmination of this whole thing? 04:07 Jason: That's what I'm wondering. 04:09 All: Laughter. 04:10 Ivor: It just sounds like, like... what? 04:11 but, what I want to show is 04:14 how did we get to Daniel 1 and verse 1? 04:16 Yvonne: Hmmm... 04:18 Ivor: That's key... that's crucial. 04:19 It's not in the book of Daniel, 04:21 it happens outside the book of Daniel 04:23 but it is still absolutely crucial so... 04:25 I'm going to throw out a couple of verses 04:28 and maybe if each one of you could take one, 04:30 so, I want someone to take Ezekiel 26 verse 7... 04:33 if someone can take Jeremiah 25 verse 9. 04:39 Jason: I got Ezekiel 26 verse 7. 04:41 Yvonne: I have Jeremiah. 04:43 Ivor: And then, James could you take 04:46 Jeremiah 46 verse 1 and verse 2. 04:49 James: All right... 46... 1 and 2... 04:51 Ivor: And you can also look at verse 13 as well. 04:55 James: Jeremiah 46:1 and 2... Jeremiah 46:1 and 2. 04:58 Ivor: and 13. James: Okay. 05:01 Ivor: So, why don't you go ahead and read... 05:03 James: I did that after you guys got that... 05:04 Jason: Ezekiel 26 verse 7, "For thus says the Lord God: 05:11 'Behold, I will bring against Tyre from the north 05:14 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, 05:17 with horses, with chariots, and with horsemen, 05:21 and an army with many people. " 05:23 Ivor: Okay, so, I just want you to just... 05:26 now, this stuff... I'm going to kind of let you know, 05:29 you're not going to really get... 05:32 what... I just want you to lock this in your mind, right, 05:35 this is preparing you for Calculus, you'll be like, 05:38 "Oh, I get Calculus now... " 05:39 if you understand this, 05:41 so key things I want you to notice here, 05:42 so, Nebuchadnezzar is called a king... from where? 05:46 James: From the north. Ivor: From the north. 05:47 Yvonne: Hmmm... 05:48 Ivor: And he's coming with what? 05:51 Horses, chariots, horsemen, right, 05:54 and he's also called "a king of kings. " 05:58 Okay, now that title for us right there 06:01 should like, be like, "Wait a minute... king of kings? 06:04 oh man, I only know of one King of kings 06:07 and that's Jesus. " Right? 06:08 So, I want you to notice here, we're going to just... 06:11 we're going to give a title to Babylon 06:14 and that title is, "king of the north" 06:16 and that's because he was... Babylon was north of Jerusalem. 06:20 Okay. 06:22 James: East of Jerusalem. Ivor: North east of Jerusalem. 06:26 James: So, so... in other words in order to get to Jerusalem, 06:30 you had to go north and come down from the north 06:32 but this way... 06:34 Ivor: Yeah, so, Babylon would be coming... 06:37 God says, coming from the north... 06:39 James: That's the way you come down. 06:41 Ivor: Yeah, so, when it says Babylon is coming... 06:45 king from the north... 06:46 he's coming downward into Jerusalem. 06:50 So, Babylon... king of the north... 06:53 we're just going to give him that title, 06:55 all right, just say K O N for short... king of the north, 06:58 so we don't have to keep saying king of the north... 07:01 okay, now, remember he's described as a king of kings, 07:05 he's coming with chariots, horsemen and... and an army. 07:08 Okay, all right now, 07:11 now, why don't we look at Jeremiah 25 verse 9. 07:14 Yvonne: Okay, do you want 8 and 9? 07:16 Ivor: You can do 8 and 9, that's fine. 07:18 Yvonne: Okay. 07:19 "Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: 07:21 'Because you have not heard My words, 07:23 behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,' 07:27 says the Lord, 07:28 'and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, 07:31 and will bring them against this land, 07:34 against its inhabitants, 07:35 and against these nations all around, 07:38 and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, 07:42 a hissing, and perpetual desolations. " 07:44 Ivor: Okay, so, this is just affirmation that 07:47 Babylon is king of the north coming from the north, okay. 07:54 Yvonne: You're saying Babylon is king or Nebuchadnezzar is king? 07:57 Ivor: Both... interchangeable. 07:59 You know, Nebuchadnezzar is the king of kings... 08:02 he's king from the north which is Babylon, 08:04 so, all of it is basically, you know, it's the same thing. 08:08 Okay, so, if I say, 08:10 "king of the north" who are you thinking? 08:11 James: Babylon. 08:13 Ivor: You're thinking Babylon, right... 08:14 you're thinking Nebuchadnezzar coming from the north... 08:15 okay, coming against Jerusalem, 08:17 so, this is what's happening in Daniel 1 verse 1, 08:22 right, however, before Babylon could take Jerusalem, 08:27 something else happened, all right, 08:29 there was another power 08:31 that actually went out to attack Babylon 08:34 because Babylon was in a war with another nation in Assyria. 08:37 Egypt was an ally of Assyria, so Egypt... 08:41 okay, so Egypt comes from the south of Jerusalem 08:45 and Egypt went up to... basically attack Babylon. 08:50 So, Babylon is king of the north because he's north... 08:54 then, Egypt would be... we can call Egypt king of the south 08:58 because he's south, right? 08:59 So, I want you to... 09:01 so what happens is that the king of the south 09:06 goes out to attack the king of the north. 09:09 This was called the Battle of Carchemish, 09:13 happened in 605 B.C. 09:15 the very same year as Jehoiakim's third year. 09:18 So, all this is happening right before the king of the north 09:22 can turn his attention on Jerusalem... 09:25 the Holy Land... the Holy Mountain... 09:27 you know, the holy place of God. 09:29 Yvonne: Hmmm... hmmm... 09:30 Ivor: What happens is the king of the south 09:32 attacks the king of the north. 09:35 The king of the north retaliates and defeats Egypt 09:40 and it is only after they defeat Egypt... in that very same year, 09:44 that they surround Jerusalem. 09:47 Daniel 1 verse 1... that's the entire backdrop. 09:52 Yvonne: Okay. 09:53 Ivor: So, if I were to ask you and we're taking a pop quiz, 09:55 so, Daniel 1... what happens? 09:58 The king of the south which is... 10:00 All: Egypt... 10:01 Ivor: Pushes against the king of the... 10:03 All: North. 10:04 Ivor: Which is... Yvonne: Babylon. 10:05 Ivor: Babylon, in turn, attacks the king of the... 10:08 All: South... James: Egypt. 10:10 Ivor: Defeats the king of the south 10:11 yes, then he enters and surrounds the people of God. 10:18 Okay, you just... 10:20 if you can just remember that one thing... 10:21 you have everything you need, you are prepared... 10:25 Yvonne: For 11...? 10:26 Ivor: For 11... Yvonne: Wow! 10:28 Ivor: Now, there's more to come, 10:29 but that's the foundation right there, 10:30 so as we work through this, I just want you to keep... 10:33 because we're going to build on this history 10:34 so, let me add this... add this here... 10:37 and then James, I'll throw it back to you. 10:38 James: You want me to read those verses in Jeremiah? 10:41 Ivor: Yes, please read the verses, yes. 10:43 James: Right now? 10:44 Ivor: Yes, you can go ahead and read them. 10:46 James: All right, Jeremiah 46:1 and 2. 10:48 "The word of the Lord which came to Jeremiah the prophet 10:50 against the Gentiles; 10:51 against Egypt, 10:53 against the army of Pharaohnecho king of Egypt, 10:56 which was by the river Euphrates in Carchemish, 10:59 which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon smote 11:02 in the fourth year of Jehoiakim 11:04 the son of Josiah king of Judah... " 11:06 verse 13... "The word of the Lord 11:09 spake to Jeremiah the prophet, 11:11 how Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon 11:13 should come and smite the land of Egypt. " 11:15 Ivor: Okay, so, here we go, right? 11:17 Here you have, in a very literal context, 11:20 two literal nations, king of the south... 11:22 king of the north Egypt... Babylon... 11:24 Egypt goes out to fight against Babylon... 11:27 Egypt... we would say... 11:28 I'm just going to use this term, 11:29 "Egypt pushes against Babylon" 11:31 and Babylon, in turn, pushes back against Egypt 11:34 because the battle wasn't with Egypt... 11:36 right, but, Egypt comes up... fights against them, 11:39 Babylon pushes back and once Babylon defeats Egypt, 11:43 turns its focus to Jerusalem, surrounds Jerusalem, 11:47 and in Daniel 1... what do we have... 11:50 what is Daniel 1 about? 11:51 We talked about it in one of our earlier programs, 11:54 we talked about end-time scenarios. 11:55 What's Daniel 1? 11:57 The king of Babylon enforces the wine of Babylon, 12:01 okay, so, to re-cap, 12:03 king of the south 12:05 pushes against the king of the north... 12:06 the king of the north 12:07 pushes back against the king of the south 12:09 defeats the king of the south, 12:11 once the king of the south is defeated and out of the way, 12:15 now the king of the north can turn his attention 12:18 squarely to God's people 12:20 and when he turns his attention 12:22 squarely to God's people, 12:23 this is when he seeks to enforce the wine of Babylon. 12:27 All: Hmmm... 12:29 James: Yeah, that's the first thing that happens in Daniel 1. 12:31 Ivor: That's the very first thing that happens in Daniel 1. 12:34 Yvonne: So, why is it in... in Jeremiah 46 verse 2 it says, 12:38 "It's in the fourth year of Jehoiakim. " 12:40 Ivor: Okay, so, there is... 12:42 if you counted according to the Jewish reckoning, 12:46 it would be the third year of Jehoiakim. 12:48 Yvonne: Oh... 12:49 Ivor: Babylonian reckoning... fourth year of Jehoiakim. 12:52 Ivor: So, really it was the very same time. 12:54 Yvonne: Okay. 12:55 Ivor: If you say, 3rd year or 4th year... 12:57 some commentators say 13:01 that it was towards the end of his third year, 13:02 which would be the beginning of the fourth year, 13:04 but it was the same time. 13:06 So, it was basically in the very same year that they defeat Egypt 13:10 they immediately... once Egypt is removed 13:14 there is no more power to try to restrain Babylon's rise 13:20 to full authority. Yvonne: Hmmm... 13:22 Ivor: Once Egypt is moved out of the way... 13:23 and this is crucial to remember, 13:25 once Egypt has been moved out of the way, 13:27 it's Babylon all the way... they're in control. 13:31 Yvonne: No more obstacles. Ivor: No more obstacles, 13:34 now they can sweep through the countries. 13:37 Yvonne: Hmmm... 13:39 Ivor: All right, so I'm kind of throwing language out here... 13:41 James: They were overflowing... 13:42 they controlled all the silver and gold... 13:44 Ivor: All the silver and gold 13:46 and we are just going off on a... not a tangent right now. 13:49 James: Tidings trouble him. Ivor: Tidings trouble him. 13:53 Yvonne: Laughter. 13:54 James: The Libyans and the Ethiopians follow in his steps, 13:57 but tidings trouble him. 13:58 Ivor: Yeah, yeah... 14:00 James: We're reading Daniel 11. 14:01 Ivor: So, this sets ups up, this sets us up. 14:04 So, then, we go into the whole story of... you know... 14:07 the king trying to get everyone, 14:10 "Listen, you're going to eat this unclean meat... 14:13 you're going to drink this wine... 14:15 and, of course, we have Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach 14:18 and Abednego refusing 14:20 because of their connection and their relationship with Christ. 14:22 All: Hmmm... hmmm... 14:24 Ivor: By the way, if I can add something else in here 14:26 before I throw it back to you, okay. 14:27 James: Hmmm... 14:29 Ivor: This is powerful because the way that you overcome... 14:34 the way that Daniel and Shadrach and Meshach 14:36 overcame in this particular chapter 14:38 really points us to Christ 14:41 because we look at the history of Daniel, 14:44 remember that we said that he was a person... 14:47 a man without blame... 14:48 but he goes into a land of captivity 14:51 with his brothers... with his... with his own... 14:54 even though he had no blame. 14:57 We were just talking earlier that he would have had to cross 15:00 the Euphrates to get into Babylon 15:03 almost as if he was being baptized into a new experience. 15:07 Yvonne: Hmmm... 15:08 Ivor: And then we get to Daniel chapter 1 15:11 and his first temptation is appetite. 15:15 Yvonne: Wow! look at that, yes, that's true. 15:19 Hmmm... hmmm... 15:20 Ivor: Think about Jesus who came into this world 15:24 even though He was innocent to share in His brothers'... 15:27 in His... in His own trials... 15:32 He crosses the Jordan to prepare Him... 15:34 but not to prepare Him... 15:36 He crosses the Jordan ready to go into conflict... 15:39 and His first temptation is appetite. 15:42 All: Hmmm... hmmm... 15:43 Ivor: And so, right there from Daniel 1, 15:45 we see this co-relation between Daniel and between Jesus... 15:50 His first trial... Daniel's first trial... 15:53 and Daniel overcame because of his connection with Christ. 15:58 James: Amen. 15:59 Ivor: Right, which is going to point us right back to... 16:01 we must overcome... 16:02 the way we overcome 16:03 is through our connection with Christ. 16:05 Yvonne: Right. Ivor: Yeah. 16:06 James: Amen. Yvonne: That's good. 16:08 James: Also, I was wondering about the besieging, I think... 16:10 and I'm not sure on this, I have to check the history 16:12 but I think that when Nebuchadnezzar came 16:16 to besiege Jerusalem, 16:17 Jerusalem didn't fall right away... 16:19 he lays a siege to it, 16:20 then I think he gets distracted by the Egyptians... 16:23 Ivor: That's it. 16:24 James: And so, he goes off to fight with the Egyptians 16:26 with the siege still around Jerusalem 16:28 but no way of actually taking the city... 16:29 just keeping them in check, 16:31 and they start starving... they start getting hungry... 16:33 Jeremiah, you know, because Jeremiah in there 16:35 for a long time... 16:36 people can't get out... they can't do... 16:37 and then, when he defeats... defeats the Egyptians, 16:41 probably in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, 16:42 then he comes back, 16:43 he's already besieged the city in the third year of Jehoiakim, 16:46 but he defeats the Egyptians and then he comes back 16:48 and actually takes the city. 16:50 Yvonne: Hmmm... 16:51 James: I think that's how the process works. 16:53 Ivor: Yeah, yeah. James: Just before that, 16:54 the Egyptians had taken out Jehoiakim' s... 16:57 another guy... taken him out... 16:58 he's not working for us... he's not cooperating with us... 17:00 take him out and put Jehoiakim in 17:02 and then they go back, 17:03 so, the Egyptians were kind of in-charge. 17:04 Ivor: They were in alliance with... 17:06 James: Yeah, they were in alliance with Jerusalem. 17:07 Ivor: With Israel... Jerusalem, yeah... yeah. 17:08 James: And they're in-charge right there 17:10 until Nebuchadnezzar comes and besieges it 17:11 and then they're cut off... 17:13 and then he goes to get them... to take them out. 17:14 Ivor: Yeah. 17:15 James: Okay, here's the thought I wanted to share... 17:17 again, I'm just getting into covenant... 17:18 I just want to repeat this whole thing of covenant relationship, 17:21 so, in Hebrews we read this verse, 17:23 and the one that the... part of what we read there 17:26 that we didn't talk about a lot was in Hebrews 8 17:29 it says, "This is the covenant... " 17:33 in Hebrews 8 verse 10 says, 17:34 "For this is the covenant that I will make 17:35 with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: 17:38 I will put My laws in their hearts 17:39 and write them in their... in their mind... 17:41 and write them on their hearts; 17:42 and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. " 17:43 And, here's the point, and verse 11... 17:45 "They shall not teach every man his neighbor, 17:48 and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' 17:50 for all shall know Me, 17:51 from the least to the greatest. " 17:53 Now, we're doing a program here 17:55 where we're teaching people stuff, 17:56 but it's not necessary... 18:00 it's like what Ivor said earlier, 18:02 he said, "James and I hadn't talked for a while 18:04 and we just talked to connect about Daniel, 18:06 what's the Lord teaching you? 18:08 What's the Lord teaching me? And I'm saying, 18:09 "Well, this is what the Lord's teaching me... 18:11 this is what He's teaching me... " 18:12 so, we were touching on a couple of things 18:13 that were difficult for us, 18:15 the rest of it... God's taught him, 18:17 God's taught me... and we're just kind of... 18:19 it's just kind of overlapping... you know what I'm saying? 18:20 Yvonne: Yeah. 18:22 James: So, it's the same thing with us, 18:23 people are going to be watching these programs 18:25 and they're going to be going to their Bible 18:26 and God is going to instruct them... 18:28 the Holy Spirit is going to teach them, 18:30 we're just taking the Scriptures 18:31 and we're opening up all this history, 18:33 and maybe some things we find that we're not talking about, 18:35 there may be some things that click... clarify... 18:37 ultimately, the Word of God is the ultimate truth 18:40 and God wants a relationship with every single individual 18:44 that would open the Word of God and open their hearts 18:47 for His purpose 18:49 because Ezekiel had a different purpose 18:50 than Jeremiah had a different purpose 18:52 than Daniel had a different purpose than... 18:53 we all have a different purpose and a place 18:56 and we all fit these pieces of the puzzle 18:58 so, I just wanted to bring that out in... in Hebrews, 19:00 we're going to refer to this quite a bit 19:02 but in Hebrews 8, 10, 11 and 12... 19:04 identifies a new covenant... 19:06 part of that covenant, God's going to do it, 19:08 another part... His law in our hearts and minds, 19:11 another part... forgive our sins and transgressions, 19:13 another part... "I'm going to teach you, 19:15 you don't need to rely on people... 19:16 I'm going to teach you... " 19:17 and if... if we're teaching the Word, 19:19 then we're channels... part of that process 19:21 as long as we're teaching the Word. 19:23 Yvonne: Hmmm... 19:24 James: But ultimately, we're just pointing people 19:25 to the great teacher, 19:27 and that's Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit, 19:29 teaching us the things of God 19:31 and opening up before us 19:32 so, this is what Daniel went through... 19:34 this is the beautiful experience he had as a young teenager. 19:37 So, we got that background, right, 19:40 we're good to step in now to the prophecy... 19:43 it's besieged... finally taken down... 19:47 he takes the vessels... 19:48 takes them back to the house of his god... 19:50 and then he starts looking for people. 19:51 They start looking for young men 19:53 and they're looking for men that are... are outstanding... 19:57 men that look like they're... they're smart... 19:59 and he wants to take these... the... the... the... if you will 20:04 the... the... the... the chief among the Israelites... 20:09 the Jews in Jerusalem and he wants to re-train them. 20:13 So, if you read here, let's just continue on 20:17 in Daniel 1 verse 5, 20:19 "And the king appointed them a daily provision 20:21 of the king's meat, and the wine which he drank: 20:23 so nourishing them three years, 20:25 that at the end thereof they might stand before the king. " 20:26 Sorry... I skipped verse four that's a key verse. 20:29 So, he was supposed to look for children 20:32 in whom there was no blemish... well favored... 20:35 skillful in all wisdom... 20:36 and cunning in knowledge and understanding science... 20:40 and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, 20:43 and whom they might teach 20:45 the learning of the tongue of the Chaldeans. " 20:48 We're being taught the learning of the tongue of the Chaldeans. 20:53 We're being taught right now. 20:54 We've had some conversations of... off Set... 20:57 and there's a lot of Chaldean stuff 20:59 that's coming out as we talk, you notice that? 21:01 There's a lot of Babylonian stuff that comes out, 21:03 we talk about this... we talk about that... 21:04 and this thing we've seen and that thing we've seen. 21:06 It's just all coming out of it, see... 21:07 so, the same thing that happened to Daniel... same thing... 21:10 and it's interesting because as you go through here, 21:13 eat the provisions... you are what you eat... 21:16 "Man does not live by bread alone, 21:19 but by every word the proceeds out of the mouth of God. " 21:21 So... so what have we been eating lately? 21:23 You know, we've been eating the Word of God 21:25 but what else have we been eating? 21:27 We eat Babylonian food... 21:28 or are we eating God's food? 21:30 Right, and then, I'm going to change their names, 21:33 they've got Hebrew names... now, name is character... 21:36 so, I'm going to change their characters... 21:38 I'm going to make them different people... 21:39 I'm going to give them different food... 21:41 I'm going to teach them different knowledge... 21:43 I want to completely transform them... 21:45 so, that's why Paul says in Romans chapter 12, 21:48 "Be not conformed to this world, 21:51 but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind 21:54 that you might prove what is the good and acceptable 21:56 and perfect will of God. " 21:57 You see... so, these verses are really key, 22:00 they're really practical, you know, 22:02 we're not just talking about food here, 22:03 right, we're talking about what we eat spiritually, 22:06 we're talking about the kind of character we're developing, 22:08 we're talking about the kind of language 22:10 that's coming out of us, 22:11 and people sometimes... 22:12 "Oh, yeah, I talk about this, I talk about that... " 22:15 It's just an evidence of what you're putting in. 22:17 So, don't feel condemned or guilty 22:19 because of what comes out of your mouth, 22:20 just recognize that... 22:22 "Okay, the reason why I'm talking about this stuff 22:24 is because that's what's going in. 22:25 If I want something else to come out, 22:27 I need to put something else in. " 22:28 Does that make sense? 22:29 Yvonne: I think the other thing here too 22:31 is that, these men were being stripped of their own culture 22:36 or there was an attempt to strip them of that. 22:38 When you change someone's name, 22:41 you are taking away their identity 22:44 and then, giving them what you want them to have 22:47 and so, that's what was happening here, 22:50 "So, let's fill them with our language... 22:53 let's change their names... 22:54 let's give them our literature... 22:57 and let's actually do a mind shift... 23:00 that's what... that's what they were trying to do. 23:02 It really changed who they were and their principles too 23:07 because when you change... 23:09 when you give somebody else your language... 23:11 your literature... 23:12 the information that you have... your culture... 23:16 you're trying to change who they are. 23:18 Jason: Re-programming them... Yvonne: Yeah. 23:21 Ivor: Because... you know, 23:23 God writes His Law on our minds 23:28 so, if you're trying to get rid of God's Law, 23:34 or change God's Law, 23:36 which you're actually doing... you're trying to change my mind, 23:39 right, you're trying to change my mind... 23:42 so, when it comes to that whole idea of 23:45 "thinking to change times and laws" 23:48 that's like, "Hey, I'm... 23:50 I'm just trying to change your mind, man, 23:52 all I'm trying to do is change your mind... " 23:54 so, if Jesus said, "Let this mind be in you, 23:56 which is in Christ Jesus... " 23:58 I need to change your mind... 23:59 and that's where understanding the Seal of God... 24:02 what does the Seal do? 24:04 It says, something can't be changed. 24:05 right, so, "No, you can't change my mind, 24:08 you can't change what God has put in here... " 24:10 and that's what he's after... so, changing the name... 24:13 "Hey, I'm going to teach you our... our... our language, 24:18 I'm going to have you eat our... our... get on our diet... 24:22 all of that is an attempt to change Daniel's mind 24:25 and I think it just goes back really nicely with, 24:29 "He purposed in his heart. " 24:31 Like, "You're not changing me... 24:33 you're not going to change my mind. " 24:34 Yvonne: That's right. 24:35 Ivor: Right, and that's really what this boils down to 24:37 is, "Can our minds be changed?" 24:40 Or, "Are they firmly rooted on the solid rock?" 24:46 Yvonne: Right... right... it's good. 24:48 James: It's really interesting 24:50 as you go through the book of Daniel, 24:53 how this name... 24:55 it tries to stick... but it doesn't stick. 24:59 For example, in Daniel chapter 4... 25:02 "But at the last Daniel came in before me, 25:05 whose name was Belteshazzar, 25:06 according to the name of my God... " 25:09 so, now right here, 25:10 Nebuchadnezzar is giving his testimony 25:12 and he's actually wavering now, he's letting Daniel be Daniel 25:17 but he's still saying, 25:18 "It's Belteshazzar that I'm talking about... " 25:20 because he's giving a testimony to his people, 25:22 "It's Belteshazzar that I'm talking about 25:24 according to the name of my God but I'm calling Daniel now... 25:26 I'm calling him Daniel now. " 25:27 Yvonne: Right... right. 25:29 James: As you go through here, 25:30 when you get to Daniel chapter 6, 25:31 it's just flat out Daniel... 25:33 you know, that... that name is gone. 25:34 Yvonne: So, forget that name. 25:36 James: So, Darius is like, "You're Daniel... 25:37 you're Daniel now. " 25:39 Yvonne: That's good. 25:40 So, isn't... so when we get to the book of Revelation, 25:42 we get a new name. 25:44 Yvonne: Oh, come on... James: We get a new name. 25:46 Yvonne: That's right... yeah. 25:48 James: And what is that name? That name is unique 25:50 to each one of us, it's unique 25:51 because it's a name that no one else knows 25:53 because it's about our character. 25:54 Yvonne: Wow! 25:56 James: So, God gives us a name that is perfectly in harmony 25:59 with the character that we developed 26:00 and that character is something that's unique to us. 26:03 We have a unique relationship with God 26:06 according to our personality and our character 26:07 and what we've been through. 26:08 Ivor: And that's really neat because 26:10 I think about how many "James's" there are, 26:13 you know, how many "Yvonne's" 26:15 "Jason's" 26:16 there's only one "Ivor" just kidding... just kidding. 26:19 All: Laughter. 26:20 Ivor: But think about that, in the heaven... like... 26:25 you're not going to have... 26:26 no one's going to have the same name. 26:27 That's just amazing. 26:29 Yvonne: Wow! that's beautiful. Jason: That is... that is. 26:31 Ivor: All you have say is, whatever the name is, 26:33 "Oh yeah, we know him... " 26:34 it's not, "Wait, which one?" 26:36 Yvonne: Right... right. 26:37 James: And it's so funny because... because... 26:39 because I saw that coming before you said that, 26:41 I saw it coming, 26:42 I was like, "That's Ivor right there... 26:44 I don't know what your name is going to be in heaven, 26:45 I know you... because I know you... " 26:47 you know what I'm saying? Ivor: Yeah. 26:49 James: It's so... it's so beautiful. 26:50 So, so this book is so connected with the book of Revelation 26:54 and it's so practical in what it's talking about here, 26:57 this... this first chapter here is where everything rests. 27:01 It lays the foundation for everything else, 27:03 not just understanding the prophecy, 27:05 but our ability to find our purpose in God... 27:08 to partake of... because we're inundated now 27:11 you know in this country and the world, 27:13 we're inundated with all misinformation, 27:15 what do they call it now, "False" what is it? 27:17 Jason: Fake news. 27:19 James: Fake news is everywhere so we're... 27:20 they're trying to get control of our minds 27:22 and tell us stuff that isn't true 27:24 and get us thinking... you know... 27:25 and that's what Daniel was going through right here. 27:27 Yvonne: Hmmm... 27:28 James: And the only way he could find his compass 27:30 his true north... was to keep his focus on God... 27:32 keep his focus on the Word of God... on the Bible. 27:35 That's what we need, 27:36 we've got to keep our focus on the Word of God. 27:37 Yvonne: That's good. James: I love that. 27:39 All right, any closing thoughts? 27:41 Praise God, we are going to be picking up right here 27:45 in Daniel chapter 1 and verses probably 5 and 6 27:50 when we come back. 27:51 Yeah. 27:53 Yvonne: You can't lose when you purpose in your heart 27:54 to follow God. 27:56 Jason: That's right. James: Amen, praise the Lord. |
Revised 2020-03-26