Participants:
Series Code: SISS
Program Code: SISS000095S
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00:01 Music...
00:30 James: So, we are back in Daniel 7, part 3. 00:34 We left off with these characteristics 00:37 of the fourth power that has a little horn that comes up 00:41 and we noted that the three previous kingdoms 00:43 were all pretty much identified in Daniel... 00:45 Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, 00:47 and Rome isn't really identified by name... 00:50 the other three are and yet we know Rome followed 00:53 and then what came in the succession 00:55 of the Pagan Roman Empire... history will tell us. 00:58 The Bible does a little bit of mystery for us... 01:01 Bible prophecy actually gives us characteristics 01:04 and as you look at the different characteristics, 01:06 then you identify the power. 01:08 Here's what we have so far, 01:09 just looking through these verses in Daniel, 01:11 we have the Little Horn coming up 01:15 in the same place as the ten horns 01:19 plucking up one of the ten horns... 01:22 having the eyes of man and a mouth speaking great things... 01:26 and ruling for... and speaking great things against God 01:29 ruling for 1,260 prophetic years... 01:34 making war with the saints and prevailing against them 01:37 and continuing until the ancient of days came 01:41 and a judgment was set 01:43 and changing times and laws 01:46 and being different from the other kingdoms. 01:50 Those are the characteristics we have so far. 01:53 Who is this power? 01:54 Well, let's have a word of prayer 01:55 and see if we can identify it, shall we? 01:58 Jason, would you pray for us? 01:59 Jason: Absolutely, "Dear heavenly Father, 02:01 we thank You so much for the opportunity to study Your Word 02:03 as we continue to go deeper in the book of Daniel 02:06 now getting into some heavier things as well, 02:10 Lord, we just ask that You would please provide us with clarity 02:14 and help us to be able to remember what we're studying, 02:18 in Jesus' name we pray, amen. " 02:19 All: Amen. 02:20 James: Who is this power? 02:22 Ivor: You know, I... 02:25 when we look at... through the book of Daniel, 02:29 it seems as if God is taking a lot of effort 02:32 to eventually get to this point, right? 02:36 I mean, we know the book of Daniel is about 02:38 this anti-God power 02:39 and He just doesn't come out and tell us 02:41 in Daniel 1 or Daniel 2... He's just giving us like, 02:44 "Hey, you know, I'm trying to prepare the way... 02:46 I'm trying to prepare the way... 02:47 I'm trying to prepare the way because 02:49 when I review who this Power is, 02:51 it's just going to seem so unbelievable. " 02:53 James: Yes, good point. Yvonne: Hmmm... 02:55 Ivor: Like, "What?" 02:57 so, if you remember what we talked about in the last Program 03:01 how we showed that the things this Little Horn did... 03:04 does on earth... reflects what Satan did in heaven. 03:08 James: Hmmm... hmmm... 03:09 Ivor: Right? Satan uprooted one third of the angels... 03:11 Little Horn uproots three out of ten horns... 03:13 Lucifer spoke great words against the Most High... 03:17 brought war against the saints of the Most High... 03:21 the angels... thought to change times and laws in heaven. 03:25 So, remember who Lucifer was... 03:29 he was a beautiful and adored and loved angel, 03:34 so, just imagine all of us in heaven and you hearing, 03:37 "Yeah, this Lucifer guy... he's no good. " 03:40 How difficult would that... would that be to believe? 03:43 All: Hmmm... 03:44 Ivor: "What? How dare you?" 03:46 James: It would have been for the third of the angels 03:47 to believe. 03:48 Ivor: For the third of the angels it would be like, 03:50 "How dare... look, this is Lucifer... 03:51 what are you talking about? 03:53 This is the bright, you know, the bright angel... 03:55 the angel of light... what are you talking about?" 03:58 All: Hmmm... hmmm... 03:59 Ivor: And... and one third of the angels said... 04:00 I think they were offended really, 04:03 like, "How dare you put this bad spin on Lucifer? 04:07 How dare you speak about Lucifer in this way? 04:10 He has done nothing but good... 04:12 he is a leader of the angels... " 04:16 that whole scenario really helps us 04:19 to understand how people would react 04:22 when the Little Horn is identified. 04:26 James: Yeah, it's perfect. Yvonne: Hmmm... 04:29 Ivor: "What? I'm offended... how dare you? 04:31 Don't you know the good that this power has done?" 04:33 And remember, Lucifer's disguise was all... 04:36 it's... he didn't come on and say, "Guys, let's be... 04:39 who wants to be evil? Angels...?" 04:41 All: Laughter. 04:42 The angels would have been like, "Are you crazy? No!" 04:44 His argument was an argument of righteousness. 04:47 "Hey, we can be like God... we can be good... 04:50 there's not just one way to righteousness... 04:52 God doesn't have the market on righteousness. " 04:54 So, it wasn't an argument that was like, 04:57 "Let's rebel and be evil. " 04:59 James: Yeah, it wasn't openly evil. 05:01 Ivor: It wasn't openly evil, it was, 05:02 "Hey, we need to reform the Government of God... 05:04 it's time to change... we need to make it better... 05:06 and that's all I'm trying to do and I'm being misunderstood. " 05:09 And one third of the angels 05:10 fell for that deceptive cover of righteousness 05:14 and so, can we expect the same thing on earth? 05:18 Absolutely. 05:20 Can we expect when this Little Horn Power is revealed 05:22 for people to be offended... for people to be mad? 05:25 "How dare you?" James: Surprise. 05:26 Ivor: Surprise, like, "What? No way... 05:29 I can't believe that, no... " 05:30 James: "Look at all the good. " 05:32 Ivor: "Look at all the good... look at all the good... " 05:33 and so, I believe that this is why God paints... 05:37 He's like leading this out... 05:38 He's showing us, "Look... 05:39 I'm letting you know that there is only one power 05:42 that can fit this 05:43 and when you discover who this power is, 05:45 I know what you're going to think... 05:46 you're going to say, 'No, no, no, no, no, no... '" 05:49 When Satan comes... you know, 05:51 the bad guy is going to have a pitchfork 05:53 and we're going to know that he is evil... 05:56 no, no... no... no... no... no... 05:58 if the devil was wise enough to deceive 06:00 one third of intelligent, holy angels in heaven, 06:05 who do we think we are? Yvonne: Right. 06:07 Ivor: You know what I'm saying? Yvonne: That's right. 06:08 Ivor: To just think, "Oh yeah, the devil can't... 06:10 can't fool me. " Yvonne: That's right. 06:12 Ivor: So, that kind of sets the foundation 06:14 for us going into the identity of this power 06:17 because the identity of this power, 06:19 is not something that appears openly evil. 06:23 It is something that actually appears righteous. 06:26 It is something that appears good... 06:28 something that appears holy 06:31 which may seem all the more difficult to believe 06:34 but there can be only one power. 06:36 There is only one power that rules out of Rome... 06:40 there is only one power that... 06:42 that uprooted three of these ten horns... 06:44 there is only one power 06:46 that went to war against the saints of the Most High... 06:51 against Christians 06:52 and there is only one power that did so 06:54 for over 1,000 years of history 06:57 like, we don't even have to say it 07:00 because anyone familiar with history and all would know that 07:02 this is probably one of the reasons 07:04 that most people turn away from Christianity altogether 07:09 and it is because of what "Christians" 07:11 did to one another during the Dark Ages. 07:14 Yvonne: Hmmm... hmmm... 07:15 Ivor: When Christianity merged with the State 07:19 and became a Church-State entity, 07:21 I like to say, "This Little Horn represents 07:24 corrupt Christianity. " 07:26 James: Hmmm... hmmm... Yvonne: Hmmm... 07:27 Ivor: It was Christianity that dominated during the Dark Ages 07:30 in Europe... that said, 07:31 "Hey, you don't believe like we believe, 07:33 we're going to persecute you... " 07:35 and that's who this Little Horn Power is. 07:39 It's Christianity in Medieval Europe 07:43 beginning with Constantine and his compromise 07:47 or, I would say, "The... the mingling together 07:51 of Church and State 07:52 which basically brought about the Church 07:54 in the Dark Ages. " James: The iron and the clay. 07:55 Ivor: The iron and clay... that's right. 07:57 James: And there's only one power 07:58 that sought to change God's times and laws. 07:59 Ivor: That's right. 08:01 James: And I remember because I was raised in a Christian home 08:03 I've mentioned this... I was raised in a Catholic home, 08:05 Roman Catholic... my mom would say, 08:07 Irish on my mother's side 08:08 and it wasn't just religious, it was cultural for us 08:11 and so, I remember, I was raised going to a Catholic school, 08:16 I was raised going to church every week... I was an Altar Boy 08:18 I knew the "Our Father" I knew the "Hail Mary" 08:21 but I didn't know the Bible 08:23 and when I was challenged some years later... 08:26 I was 21 years old when I actually accepted Christ 08:29 as my personal Savior 08:30 and I wasn't planning on running away from my roots, 08:32 I was just planning on exploring them 08:34 and coming to grips with them 08:36 because I hadn't been living a Christian lifestyle 08:38 up until that time since I was a kid 08:40 and when I was challenged on the church... day of worship... 08:44 which... the challenge came actually from a family member 08:48 who said that Saturday not Sunday 08:50 is the day the Bible teaches... 08:52 I thought that was absolutely ridiculous... 08:53 I just thought it was ridiculous 08:55 and I started doing research on it 08:57 to get that family member out of this Seventh-day ideology, 09:02 you know being Sabbath being Saturday... 09:04 and to get them safely back into the fact that, you know, 09:08 Sunday is the day that we worship God 09:09 and that's what the Bible teaches... 09:11 I had no clue what the Bible taught on that 09:13 because I never studied the Bible. 09:14 When I studied the Bible, and began to read Bible verses 09:19 and realized, "Whoa, wait a minute, 09:21 there's nothing in here that says... 09:23 it's all about the seventh day being Saturday 09:25 and I was like, "What?" 09:27 I realized, "Wow, why do all these Christians 09:30 go to church on Sunday?" 09:32 And then I got to Daniel 7:25... 09:35 "He shall think to change times and laws... " 09:38 It was like, "Whoa... the time of worship 09:41 and the Law of God has been changed... 09:43 and God predicted it by this very power 09:46 that came in the succession of... 09:47 reigning for this amount of time... persecuted this... 09:50 had these great words against the Most High... 09:52 fulfilled every characteristic of this prophecy... 09:54 this is the very power that I was raised in... 09:56 no, I can't believe it... " just like you said... 09:58 "This is unbelievable. " 10:00 James: I mean, this is a good thing... 10:03 this is a religious power... 10:04 this is the church I was raised in... 10:05 this is... this is... this is... this is... 10:07 and it was really challenging for me 10:09 because I had to make a decision between what the Bible taught 10:11 and what I believed as a kid 10:13 and it wasn't a hard, hard decision in this sense, 10:18 I had found something in Jesus Christ 10:20 that I never experienced in that religious system 10:22 and so, I couldn't give it up... 10:24 I had to hold on to it and Jesus Christ is the Word 10:26 and the Word was more important to me 10:28 than anything else at that point in my life 10:30 and now, years later... 10:32 I was 21 at the time so talking 30 some years ago, 10:36 or maybe just 20 years ago... 10:37 All: Laughter. 10:39 James: Years later, I'm... 10:41 it's... it's just so crystal clear in my mind 10:43 there's so much more to this 10:45 that's so significant and so important 10:47 that we... that we not only come to grips with it ourselves 10:50 but that... that our Viewers... 10:52 the people that are listening to this Program realize 10:54 and at least get an opportunity to investigate... 10:57 to discover this... to make a decision for themselves 11:00 about this... about this prophecy. 11:01 Ivor: It is important to understand 11:03 because I can imagine maybe people watching 11:06 they're like, "Well, what difference does it make 11:08 what day that I go to church on?" 11:11 And that's really not the argument... 11:13 you know, the early church... 11:14 they went in church every day of the week 11:16 right, so it's not a matter of what day 11:19 is the best day to go to church... 11:21 you go to church on Wednesday and Tuesday 11:24 and Friday and Sunday and whatever day... 11:26 God is always wanting us to worship, 11:28 He's always wanting us to worship, 11:29 however, when it comes to the Sabbath, 11:31 it's a special sign between God and His people 11:34 that He lays out... right there in the Ten Commandments 11:37 and the thing that I would share with people is this, 11:39 you know, the Sabbath can't be kept everyday 11:44 because the Commandment says, "Six days shall you labor 11:48 and on this day, you are to do no work... " 11:50 if you're keeping the Sabbath every day, 11:51 you're not working... 11:54 if you don't work, you shouldn't eat... 11:56 you know, like, you're just not... 11:57 that's not what God is asking you to do, 11:59 He knows we have to make a living and all those things 12:02 so, the Sabbath is a very special day 12:04 in which God commands us to rest. 12:07 Now... 12:11 I say it like... the Bible says this, 12:12 "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves 12:14 as servants to obey, 12:16 his servants you are to whom you obey... " 12:17 you remember the game, "Simon Says... " 12:19 Yvonne: Oh yeah. James: Hmmm... hmmm... 12:21 Ivor: Okay, "Simon says, Stand Up... " 12:23 everybody stands up, right? 12:24 "Sit down... " 12:26 "Oh no... 12:28 I only obey Simon... " right? 12:32 That's the whole purpose of the game. 12:33 Yvonne: Right. 12:34 Ivor: Well, it's the same principle, right? 12:37 If God... if God and Satan were here right now 12:39 and God said, "Pick up that pen... " 12:41 and Satan was like, "No, don't pick up that pen... " 12:44 the issue of picking up a pen or dropping a pen 12:49 is not the issue... 12:51 this issue is, "Who are you obeying?" 12:53 You see what I'm saying? Yvonne: Yes. 12:54 Ivor: The same thing with the tree... 12:56 taking of the tree and eating that fruit that Eve ate... 13:00 it wasn't like... that was... 13:01 she wasn't killing somebody or... 13:03 you know, she just... it was a simple command. 13:06 James: Yes. 13:07 Ivor: The issue was, "Who was she willing to obey?" 13:10 So, people get caught up in the, 13:12 "Well that doesn't make a difference... " 13:13 no, it's not... it's not about the day actually 13:18 as much as it is, "Who do you obey?" 13:21 So, God says, "7" 13:23 and Satan is like... "No, 1... or 5... or what... " 13:28 it's not about the thing itself... 13:31 it's about who you yield yourselves servants to obey... 13:34 and that's what so many people miss... 13:37 if this was not important, 13:39 God would not have put it in Daniel 7:25. 13:41 Yvonne: Yes. 13:42 James: Another thing that is important too... 13:44 that the Sabbath is all about the gospel... 13:46 Ivor: That's right. 13:48 James: And we talked about... we work six days... 13:50 and we rest on the seventh day... 13:52 and you know... we can... 13:53 we can... we can worship God on any of those days 13:56 but you can't keep the Sabbath on any day and here's why: 13:59 because, since the fall, 14:02 we are absolutely powerless to do anything 14:04 in and of ourselves... 14:05 when Christ became a man, he said, 14:07 "I can of mine own self do nothing. " 14:08 The Sabbath is the only day, the 7th day Sabbath, Saturday 14:11 the seventh-day Sabbath... the seventh day of the week 14:14 is the only day that God has blessed 14:15 and sanctified and set aside 14:17 and that is the only way that we can keep that day holy. 14:21 We don't have any power to keep it holy... 14:23 there's nothing in ourselves that keeps anything holy... 14:25 we need the power of God... 14:28 we need the gospel of Jesus Christ, 14:29 so, the fact that God has blessed and sanctified 14:32 and set apart that day means His power is in that... 14:34 it's not our power... it's His power. 14:36 Yvonne: Oh... 14:37 James: And that's what we find when we enter the Sabbath rest. 14:39 We find motivation from heaven... 14:41 from God... from His blessing... 14:43 from His sanctification... from His power... 14:46 to do what we don't normally want to do 14:48 as human beings anyway, 14:49 I mean, I know... because I'm a workaholic 14:51 and if there's a blessing in the Sabbath... 14:53 the blessing that I receive... 14:55 it's the blessing to rest on that day 14:56 because I wouldn't be inclined to do that... 14:58 I would be inclined to go to church for an hour or two 15:01 and then go on about my business and get on with it 15:02 and you know... and all the stuff that I've been... 15:04 so, the power of the gospel 15:07 is in the spoken Word of God 15:10 and He has breathed that power into the seventh day. 15:13 He hasn't breathed it into the first day or the... 15:14 or fourth day or the third day or whatever... 15:16 and that's really important when we come to the Sabbath rest. 15:18 Ivor: Think about this real quick, 15:20 I know you're going to want to share something 15:23 but what Lucifer wanted to do in heaven... 15:25 he said, "I will be like the Most High" 15:27 meaning, "I can be holy like God, 15:30 I can sanctify myself... 15:32 that's what I can do... 15:34 I don't need God in order to be good or holy, 15:36 I can do it myself. " 15:38 Yvonne: Hmmm... 15:39 Ivor: So, when God gives man the Sabbath as a sign, 15:41 He says, "Hey, I want you to keep the Sabbath 15:45 so that you may remember... 15:46 it will be a sign between me and you 15:48 that you may know that I... 15:49 I am the one that sanctifies you... 15:54 you can't sanctify yourself. " 15:57 Right? the Sabbath is how we... 16:00 the Sabbath is God's mechanism... 16:03 it's a reminder that there's nothing we can do... so rest. 16:08 Yvonne: Ooooh. 16:10 Ivor: The Sabbath is not about... 16:11 it's crazy when I hear people say, 16:13 "Sabbath... oh, that's about works... " 16:14 Noooo... 16:16 it's about rest... 16:18 and when you decide that you're going to step out of God's rest 16:22 and choose your own rest, that's "works". 16:25 James: That's "works". Yvonne: Yes. 16:26 Ivor: That's "works. " 16:27 James: That's why the Sabbath is connected with creation 16:29 because when you look at creation... 16:31 the succession of the week, 16:34 you look at God creating the world for us... 16:37 He did it for us... without us. 16:38 We weren't there when He created... 16:40 so, every single day He created... 16:41 we didn't help Him... 16:43 there was nothing we could point to and say, 16:45 "Hey, see that tree... God made the trunk... 16:46 I did the limbs... 16:47 He put on the leaves... I put on the fruit... " 16:49 no... and by the time we were created 16:51 which was on the last day, He's finished... 16:53 we're the last part of His creative act... 16:55 and the first thing He asks us to do is rest 16:57 in everything He did for us without us. 16:59 Ivor: Yeah. Yvonne: Hmmm... 17:00 James: And when you look at re-creation... 17:02 it's the same thing, God created the world 17:04 and He re-created the human race in Jesus... 17:06 "Jesus trod the winepress alone... 17:08 of the people there was none with Him... " 17:10 He lived a perfect life... none of us have done that... 17:13 He suffered our penalty... 17:14 He took upon Himself our consequences 17:17 as our substitute and surety, 17:18 and on the sixth day, Friday, 17:20 He said... just like He did in the Garden, 17:22 "It is finished... " 17:24 and then He rested on the seventh day. 17:26 so, the Sabbath reminds us of everything Christ did for us. 17:28 Ivor: And He gets back to work on Sunday. 17:30 James: Yeah... it's right there. 17:32 All: Laughter. 17:33 Jason: It's interesting that when you look at the... 17:35 the Fourth Commandment, 17:36 it's the only Commandment that begins with "Remember... " 17:39 All: Hmmm... 17:40 James: And it's the one that's most often forgotten 17:43 and I remember hearing somebody... 17:45 I don't know if it was a Pastor or who told me this 17:47 but they were saying, 17:49 "If I ask you to bring me some... some fruit 17:54 or give me a piece of fruit and you bring a banana, 17:58 did you do what I asked?" 18:00 Yes... yes... you did... 18:02 now, if I ask you to bring me a bring me a banana 18:04 and you bring me an apple, did you do what I asked? 18:07 All: No... 18:08 Jason: No, you didn't... 18:09 well, God set aside the seventh-day Sabbath 18:12 and wants us to keep that holy 18:15 but then, when we pick whatever day we want to serve, 18:18 did we do what He asked? 18:20 No, we didn't and so there is... 18:23 there is something special about that day 18:25 and... and also, when you look at the Israelites 18:29 you know, when they were... 18:30 when Manna... they were supposed to gather a certain amount 18:34 on the sixth day, they were supposed to gather 18:36 double the portion so that they rested on the Sabbath day 18:40 and all that stuff and it would spoil 18:43 if they grabbed too much on the other days 18:45 but on the sixth day, when they gathered that double portion, 18:50 it wouldn't spoil because there was something special 18:53 about the Sabbath... the preparation... 18:55 so, I mean... all throughout the Bible... 18:57 you see the Sabbath is there. 18:59 James: The evidence is there... 19:01 the evidence is there all the way through 19:03 and you can't get around it, I know, I tried. 19:05 I tried to get around it... I mean, I was convinced 19:09 and, you know, it was a "pride" thing too, 19:10 you know, being raised in the Catholic church... 19:14 being an Altar Boy... 19:16 being proud of my religious background... 19:17 proud that I was a Roman Catholic 19:19 and proud that I knew that Sunday was in the Bible... 19:22 All: Hmmm... 19:24 James: I mean, I was proud of that 19:26 and so, to be... to learn that I was wrong on that 19:29 you have to... there's got to be a humility there 19:31 and a willingness to accept what God has said 19:34 but this was the clincher for me. 19:35 I mean, there was a lot of evidence... 19:37 you know, the Old and the New Testament... 19:39 Creation week... the Ten Commandments... 19:40 the manna... 19:41 the New Testament... 19:43 Christ as the example was... 19:44 He went into the church as His custom was 19:45 on the Seventh-day... the Sabbath day... 19:47 Lord of the Sabbath... 19:48 the New Testament... 19:50 Acts of the Apostles... they met together on the Sabbath 19:52 they went where prayers were to be made on the Sabbath... 19:54 I mean, all the Gentiles came to them on the next Sabbath 19:56 to hear the Word of God... 19:57 John was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day... 20:00 of course, that's the Seventh-day Sabbath, 20:01 so, all of that, you know, 20:03 "Here are they that keep the Commandments of God... " 20:04 the Law, of course is not the way we're saved 20:07 but it is a standard by which we understand 20:10 that we are sinners and therefore we are led to Christ 20:13 who forgives us for our sins 20:15 and then empowers us to live according to those principles 20:17 of loving God with all our heart and mind and soul... 20:19 loving our neighbors as ourselves... 20:20 I mean, all of those were there. 20:22 but when I read this... 20:23 when I read this, I was like, 20:25 "Wow!" 20:27 Ivor: Why would Satan want to change that? 20:31 James: Hmmm... 20:32 Ivor: It is like, "If it's not a big deal, 20:34 why does he...?" 20:36 You know it's a big deal, if he tries to change it. 20:38 James: That was it, right there, that was the point. 20:40 Ivor: He's like, "I'm going to go after this... " 20:41 well, whatever he goes after, 20:43 that... I want to do the opposite... 20:45 so if he's trying to say, "Go right... " 20:47 I'm like, "Whoa, I'm going left. " 20:49 Yvonne: Yeah, yeah, yeah. 20:51 Ivor: It's just... yeah... 20:53 why would he mess with this if it wasn't a big deal? 20:55 Yvonne: Right, that's so true. 20:57 Ivor: It's the only Commandment that has to do with time... 20:59 so, when we look at changing times and laws... 21:02 we're looking at this very specific mention of the Sabbath 21:06 but it's not just the Sabbath 21:07 because the worship of graven images... 21:09 bowing down before idols... 21:11 James: That's plural... 21:12 Ivor: That's right... and we see again 21:14 what happened in Daniel chapter 3... 21:15 "Worship this image... " 21:17 what happens in chapter 5? 21:19 A Law that is changed that has to do with time and worship 21:24 or worship time if you will... 21:25 James: Six... 21:27 Ivor: Chapter six... and that law can't be changed 21:29 it's... it's solidified 21:30 and now you must do what we say... or you die 21:33 and so, we look at these things, we say, 21:35 "Okay, all these lessons that we've been learning 21:38 from Daniel 1 to 6 are helping us to understand 21:41 what is now unfolding here in Daniel chapter 7. 21:44 All: Hmmm... 21:46 James: So, the other thing I think 21:48 that's really significant here is the connection with the image 21:51 Daniel chapter 2... and where it takes us... 21:54 this takes us to the very end of time... 21:55 it takes us to the judgment. 21:57 A time of judgment is set up and we're seeing a power 22:01 and one of the characteristics of this power... 22:03 so, today we don't see Babylon... literal Babylon... 22:07 we don't see literal Medo-Persia... 22:09 we don't see literal Greece... 22:11 we don't see literal pagan Rome 22:12 but this power is very much alive today... 22:16 it's very much in existence today... 22:18 it's very strong today... over a billion people 22:19 so, what we've got here in the relationship to this is, 22:22 you've got another fulfillment of prophecy... 22:25 another characteristic of this power identified 22:28 that it would continue on all the way to the judgment. 22:30 Ivor: Yeah, in other words, 22:32 the end-time enemy of God's people 22:34 is not some secular king of the south... 22:40 you know, Atheistic... 22:42 what God is saying... 22:44 well, God is showing is that this end-time... 22:47 the end-time enemy of God's people 22:49 is going to be that which appears as Christianity. 22:53 James: Yeah, close counterfeit. 22:54 Ivor: Close... and remember this, 22:56 God is not condemning people in this System, right? 22:59 Just like He didn't condemn Nebuchadnezzar, 23:02 He was against Babylon but not Nebuchadnezzar. 23:05 So, there are millions and millions of "Nebuchadnezzar's" 23:09 if you will who... who are having this experience with God 23:14 that we cannot judge, right? 23:16 But the System itself is something else. 23:20 James: A System that meets these characteristics. 23:21 Ivor: Yes. 23:23 James: A System that changes God's Law. 23:24 Ivor: That's right. 23:25 James: Because I remember when I was a kid, 23:27 you know, I would go into Confession... 23:28 I would come out and I would have to say so many "Hail Mary's" 23:30 and so many "Our Fathers" in front of a statue... 23:31 I mean, I would go and stand... 23:32 and people say, "Oh, they're not really praying to the statue. " 23:34 Well, I was... that's the way I was taught. 23:35 Ivor: Yeah... yeah... yeah. 23:37 James: And that's the second commandment. 23:38 We don't set up any kind of image 23:39 and bow down and worship before them... 23:41 not of God... not of Christ... 23:42 not of any human being... anything... 23:44 and bow down before in show of reverence. 23:46 I don't know how much... I don't know... 23:49 it seems like we have more in Daniel 7 23:51 than we could cover, 23:53 I know that there's something I do want to share in terms of 23:56 what we saw in chapter... chapter 7 24:00 where Daniel is beholding this fourth beast or this Little Horn 24:03 until the Ancient of Days took His seat. 24:08 James: Yeah, let's do that. 24:10 Ivor: So, what I want you guys to kind of get here is 24:12 you have Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome... 24:15 and then this Little... the ten horns 24:17 and then this Little Horn. 24:18 Daniel is beholding this Little Horn until... 24:22 so what does that mean? 24:23 He's looking at this Little Horn and he's beholding... 24:26 whatever he's beholding... it's existing 24:29 and then he says, "I beheld this Little Horn 24:32 until I saw the Ancient of Days. " 24:34 James: Hmmm... 24:36 Ivor: And now he sees the Ancient of Days seated 24:38 and so, basically what he's saying is, 24:39 "I was looking at the dominion of this Little Horn 24:43 until something else happens... 24:44 something else caught my attention. " 24:46 Yvonne: Hmmm... Jason: Hmmm... Hmmm... 24:47 Ivor: So, the question is, how this Little Horn 24:49 must have been ruling for an extended period of time 24:52 from its rise out of Rome 24:54 until he sees this judgment 24:57 and in this judgment, you have the Ancient of Days sitting 25:00 and you have the appearance of Jesus Christ coming 25:03 before the Ancient of Days... 25:05 not coming to the earth... coming to the Ancient of Days. 25:08 James: Yeah, and books are opened. 25:10 Ivor: And books are opened. 25:11 James: And thousands and ten thousands of angels 25:12 are looking on. Yvonne: Hmmm... 25:14 Ivor: This is in Daniel chapter 7 25:15 and we're going to do one re-cap here... 25:16 there's seven we can do... I just want to focus on one. 25:21 Jesus Christ... first temptation appetite, Daniel 1. 25:25 Second temptation... Jesus falling... 25:28 stone being against the foot... Daniel 2. 25:32 Third temptation... "bow down" that's beginning of His ministry 25:35 right? Daniel chapter 4... 25:37 the tree... which really is a counterfeit of the true tree 25:41 which is the cross of Calvary. 25:43 Daniel chapter 5... Cyrus goes underground... 25:46 Jesus... in His death opens the gates, 25:49 Daniel chapter 6... Daniel comes up out of the Lions' Den 25:53 that stone is removed and he is victorious. 25:56 Jesus ascending or... ascending from death 25:59 and then, Daniel chapter 7... 26:01 you have Jesus as our High Priest. 26:02 All: Hmmm... 26:04 Ivor: That's... you know, 26:05 how we're looking at things happening on earth, 26:07 we're still seeing this event unfold... 26:10 Daniel chapter 1 all the way through chapter 12 26:12 is going to show us the... 26:14 not only the movements of the Little Horn 26:16 and the movements of God's people at the end of time 26:18 but it's actually showing you at the same time 26:21 keep your eye on Jesus... 26:22 keep your eye on Jesus 26:24 because in Daniel 8 what we're going to see 26:25 is the cleansing of the sanctuary. 26:27 James: Yes. 26:28 Ivor: Which is what prepares Jesus... 26:30 Michael to ultimately stand up 26:32 in Daniel chapter 12 verses 1 and 2. 26:34 James: And I love that because... 26:36 were you going to say something? Jason: No. 26:38 James: I love that because the picture of the books 26:39 being opened isn't ominous... 26:41 I mean, it's... it's a scary picture... 26:43 and the beast being judged... 26:44 we need to understand that when those books are opened 26:47 and the reason why that beast is judged 26:48 and given to the flames is because 26:50 that beast has developed a System 26:52 that takes people's eyes off of Jesus 26:54 but when the books are opened... when your eyes are on Christ 26:57 and your trust is in His perfect life and substitutionary death, 27:00 you're good... you are good 27:02 and that's why this beast is judged so severely 27:06 because God wants people to be good, 27:08 He wants people to be saved by Christ's righteousness alone 27:11 and not by a works-based System 27:13 and He wants them to rest in Jesus 27:15 which is symbolized by keeping the Sabbath 27:16 because when you keep the Sabbath... 27:18 you remember the Sabbath... 27:19 you're resting in the finished work of Jesus 27:21 for our salvation 27:22 and so, we don't want this to be a judgment... 27:25 "Oh, that's a terrible thing, 27:26 we're not going to make it through... " 27:28 no, this judgment is good news 27:29 because this is the time when Jesus stands for us. 27:31 Ivor: And we'll see that in Daniel chapter 8 27:33 because Daniel chapter 7 is just like, 27:35 "Okay, there's a judgment... what is this judgment about? 27:37 I don't get it... " 27:39 like, "What's going on here?" 27:40 Daniel 8... all this stuff is God saying, 27:43 "Okay, are you focused, are you focused? 27:44 All right, we're ready for Daniel 8... 27:46 I'm going to show you what this judgment is about. " 27:48 James: Amen, yeah, so now I can't wait to get to Daniel 8. 27:51 Yvonne: Laughter. 27:52 James: Got to get to Daniel 8, all right, 27:54 we're out of time for this session, praise God. |
Revised 2020-08-03