Participants:
Series Code: SSH
Program Code: SSH022008S
|
00:00 ♪♪♪
00:06 ♪♪♪ 00:11 ♪♪♪ 00:17 ♪♪♪ 00:23 ♪♪♪ 00:29 ♪♪♪ 00:36 Doug Batchelor: Hello, friends. 00:37 I wanna welcome you to our "Sabbath School Study Hour," 00:39 and we're so glad that you can join us today for our study. 00:42 We're continuing in this great quarterly dealing 00:45 with the Prophet Daniel, the book of Daniel. 00:48 And in just a few moments, Pastor Ross is gonna be bringing 00:50 us lesson number eight that talks about "From Stormy Sea 00:54 to the Clouds of Heaven." 00:56 And we've really been enjoying these lessons on Daniel 00:59 and the prophecies. 01:00 And I also want to remind our friends that we have a free 01:03 offer, and if you'd like the free offer that goes 01:06 along with today's study, it's called "Pending: Your Case 01:09 in Court." 01:11 And if you'd like that, all you have to do is ask for offer 01:13 number 192 when you call 866-788-3966. 01:20 That's basically 866-STUDY-MORE. 01:23 And we'll be happy to send this to you. 01:25 You can also get it if you want to text. 01:27 You can download it right now for free. 01:30 Text SH050, and you text that to 40544. 01:37 And this of course is available anywhere in the world, but if 01:40 you want to get the mail in, that's for North America and its 01:44 territories. 01:45 Well, we're in for a very exciting and informative lesson 01:48 today, but before we go to the study of God's Word, I'd 01:51 like to invite out our singers. 01:53 We've got a special group called One Accord that's gonna praise 01:56 the Lord with us today and bring some music. 01:58 And they're a singing group from Weimar and we'd 02:00 like to invite them out at this time. 02:04 ♪ Like the woman at the well, ♪ 02:07 ♪ I was seeking for things that could not satisfy. ♪ 02:16 ♪ And then I heard my Savior speaking, ♪ 02:21 ♪ "Draw from my well that never shall run dry." ♪ 02:31 ♪ There are millions in this world who are craving ♪ 02:37 ♪ the pleasures earthly things afford. ♪ 02:43 ♪ But none can match the wondrous treasure that ♪ 02:48 ♪ I find in Jesus Christ my Lord. ♪ 02:55 ♪ Fill my cup, Lord. ♪ 02:58 ♪ I lift it up, Lord. ♪ 03:01 ♪ Come and quench this thirsting of my soul. ♪ 03:07 ♪ Bread of heaven, feed me 'til I want no more. ♪ 03:15 ♪ Fill my cup. ♪ 03:21 ♪ Fill it up and make me whole. ♪ 03:24 ♪ So my children, if the things this world gave you ♪ 03:31 ♪ leave hungers that won't pass away, ♪ 03:37 ♪ my blessed Lord will come and save you ♪ 03:42 ♪ if you kneel to him and humbly pray. ♪ 03:49 ♪ Fill my cup, Lord. ♪ 03:52 ♪ I lift it up, Lord. ♪ 03:55 ♪ Come and quench this thirsting of my soul. ♪ 04:04 ♪ Bread of heaven, feed me 'til I want no more. ♪ 04:12 ♪ Fill my cup. ♪ 04:14 ♪ Fill it up and make me whole. ♪ 04:18 ♪ Bread of heaven, feed me 'til I want no more. ♪ 04:30 ♪ Fill my cup. ♪ 04:33 ♪ Fill it up and make me ♪ 04:40 ♪ whole. ♪ 04:43 ♪ Fill my cup and make me whole ♪♪ 04:55 Doug Batchelor: That was beautiful. 04:56 And that's our prayer today, that we will have our cups full 05:00 the Word of God as we study this important prophecy, amen? 05:03 Let's have a word of prayer. 05:05 Father in heaven, we are thankful for the promise that if 05:08 we come and we seek in humility for the Spirit to guide us that 05:13 you will answer that prayer. 05:15 Lord, we believe you've given us these prophecies because you 05:18 want them to be understood and revealed, and we pray right 05:21 now that our minds would be quickened by the Spirit and that 05:24 we'll understand the things that are especially pertinent 05:26 for today. 05:28 Be with Pastor Ross as he teaches. 05:29 We pray all this in Jesus's name, amen. 05:33 And as you've heard in my prayer, Pastor Jean Ross is our 05:36 teacher for today's lesson. 05:39 Jean Ross: Thank you Pastor Doug. 05:40 We thought we'd mix it up for you a little bit this 05:42 morning, have Pastor Doug do the intro and I'll be teaching 05:46 the lesson. 05:48 One of our favorite books is the book of Daniel. 05:50 Also I in particular like the book of Revelation, 05:52 but they're prophetic books and they have very important 05:55 information for us, especially for this time of earth's 05:58 history. 05:59 So our study today, as mentioned in the introduction, is Daniel 06:02 chapter 7 is gonna be our key passage of study, and it's 06:08 entitled, "From Stormy Sea to the Clouds of heaven." 06:12 And we have a memory verse. 06:14 You probably see it right there in your lesson quarterly if you 06:16 have one. 06:17 It's Daniel chapter 7, verse 27. 06:20 And as our tradition here, we're going to try and read this 06:22 together. 06:24 Daniel chapter 7, looking at verse 27. 06:26 It says, "Then the kingdom and dominion and greatness 06:30 of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given 06:33 to the people, the saints of the most high. 06:36 His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and a dominion that 06:40 shall serve and obey him." 06:43 So we find our memory text coming to us near the end of our 06:46 study today in the chapter, chapter 7. 06:49 It's near the end. 06:50 It's verse 27. 06:51 There's a total of 28 verses that we find in Daniel 06:55 chapter 7. 06:56 Now, the chapter is divided up roughly into three different 06:59 topics or areas. 07:00 The first, from verse 1 through 8 is a vision of four 07:05 beasts that come up from the sea, as well as 07:08 the little horn power, and we'll get to that in a few minutes. 07:11 And then from verse 9 through to verse 14, we have 07:15 a passage talkin' about the ancient of days 07:18 and one likened to the Son of Man, and we'll talk 07:21 about that. 07:22 That's verse 9 through 14. 07:24 And then we have an interpretation of this vision 07:26 which begins in verse 15 and goes through to the end 07:30 of the chapter, which is verse 28. 07:32 So roughly three parts to chapter 7. 07:35 The first is the vision itself, and then there is a little 07:39 interlude about a event taking place in heaven, and then we 07:44 have the interpretation of the various images that we 07:47 find in this chapter. 07:49 So with that, let's begin. 07:50 We'll go straight to the Scriptures and we'll 07:52 start with four great beasts and ten horns. 07:56 This will cover Sunday's lesson and a little bit on Monday 07:59 as well. 08:01 And you find this in Daniel chapter 7, verse 1. 08:04 So if you have your Bibles, you can turn to that and we're going 08:06 to just spend some time reading through these various 08:09 verses here. 08:11 Daniel chapter 7, and beginning then in verse 1. 08:15 It says, "In the first year of Belshazzar King of Babylon." 08:18 Now, right away we can realize that the book of Daniel is not 08:21 written in a strict chronological order because 08:24 in the previous chapter you read about Daniel in the lion's den, 08:28 and even before that you read about Belshazzar and the fall 08:31 of Babylon. 08:32 So chapter 7 took place prior to actually the fall of Babylon, 08:36 because it says Belshazzar is still the king. 08:39 So you have the story part of Daniel clustered together 08:42 and then you have more of the prophetic part 08:44 or the visions clustered from verse 7 onwards. 08:47 So we're actually jumping back a little bit in time if you 08:50 follow the chronology that we have in the book. 08:53 "In the first year of Belshazzar King of Babylon," it says, 08:55 "Daniel had a dream and visions of his head while on his bed. 08:59 Then he wrote down the dream, telling the main facts." 09:03 And verse 2 says, "Daniel spoke saying, 'I saw in my vision 09:06 by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were striving 09:10 upon the Great Sea.'" 09:13 How many winds? Four winds of heaven. 09:15 Now, what are these four winds of heaven? 09:17 When you to talk about the number four 09:19 in the Bible, it often has reference to the four points 09:21 of the compass: north, south, east, and west. 09:24 You'll remember in Revelation chapter 7, we read about four 09:28 angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding 09:31 the four winds of the earth that they should not blow 09:33 upon the earth. 09:34 So wind in Bible prophecy represents turmoil or conflict. 09:39 And notice it says this took place on what's called 09:42 the Great Sea. 09:44 Now, back in Bible times, when Bible writers were talking 09:47 about the Great Sea, what was the Great Sea that they were 09:50 aware of at that time? 09:52 Most of the scriptural writings we'll find centered 09:55 around Mediterranean of course, mostly in Israel. 09:58 To them the Great Sea was really the Mediterranean Sea 'cause 10:02 that's kind of where the nations would arise and fall. 10:04 And so seas in Bible prophecy, according to Revelation chapter 10:08 17, represents multitudes, and nations, and kindreds, 10:11 and tongues. 10:12 So we know that when it talks about wind blowing upon the sea, 10:15 it represents conflict or turmoil. 10:19 And as a result, we have four great beasts that arise 10:22 from the sea. 10:24 And this is verse 3. 10:25 It says, "Four great beasts came up from the sea, each different 10:28 from the other." 10:29 Now as mentioned in the introduction, we have 10:31 the vision itself and then we have the angel explaining 10:35 the meaning of the vision. 10:36 So we don't have to guess as to the identity of these various 10:40 beasts, these symbols that we find in Daniel 7. 10:43 Matter of fact, if you'll look in verse 15, same chapter, 10:45 Daniel chapter 7 and verse 15, 10:49 it says, "And I, Daniel, was 10:50 grieved in my spirit, then my body, and the visions of my head 10:53 troubled me." 10:55 Verse 16 says, "I came near to one of those who stood 10:57 by and I asked him the truth of all these things. 11:00 So he told me and made known to me the interpretation 11:03 of these things." 11:04 So here's the angel now giving the interpretation of this. 11:07 Verse 17, "These great beasts which are four are four kings 11:12 that shall arise out of the earth." 11:14 No question as to the identity of these four beasts. 11:17 It says they are kings. 11:18 These kings represent kingdoms. 11:21 As you find later on in the same chapter, it refers to the fourth 11:24 beast as being the fourth kingdom. 11:26 So the king represents the kingdom. 11:28 These various creatures or beasts represent kingdoms. 11:32 Now, of course that shouldn't be a strange idea to us today 11:35 because even in our modern society, we still use various 11:39 animals to represent various kingdoms or nations. 11:43 For example in the United States, when we say, "What 11:45 animal will come to mind?" 11:47 we think of the eagle, right, as a symbol of the United States. 11:52 When we say England, what animal comes to mind? 11:56 You think of a lion. 11:58 When you say Canada, what animal comes to mind? 12:03 You think of the maple leaf, but they do actually have 12:05 an animal that represents Canada. 12:06 I didn't know this. 12:08 Apparently it's the beaver. 12:09 So when you think Canada, you got to think of the beaver, 12:12 all right? 12:13 And so different countries have different animals that represent 12:16 them as a nation. 12:18 So we have these four living creatures or these beasts, you 12:21 might say, animals that come up from the sea, and they're 12:25 quite different one from another. 12:27 Verse 4, this is going back to the vision. 12:30 Verse 4 in chapter 7 identifies the first and it says, "The 12:33 first was like unto a lion." 12:36 Now it wasn't just a regular lion. 12:38 It says he had eagle's wings. 12:41 What do wings represent in Bible prophecy? 12:44 Represents speed. 12:46 Represents speed. 12:47 You find out that the first beast, the lion, has eagle's 12:50 wings. 12:52 But you get a little later on in the same chapter, it talks 12:53 about another beast that has four wings. 12:56 So if you think the lion was fast, well, the leopard is even 13:00 faster with four wings, and you'll see the significance 13:02 of that. 13:04 Verse 4 says, "The first was like a lion and it had eagle's 13:07 wings, and I watched 'til the wings were plucked 13:09 off and it was lifted up from the earth, made to stand 13:12 on two feet like a man, and a man's heart was given 13:16 to it." 13:17 Now, who does this first beast represent? 13:18 Represents the kingdom of Babylon. 13:21 It's interesting to note that even in the archaeological 13:23 diggings of ancient Babylon, one of the pictures that were there 13:30 made of tile in the walls of the ancient city was a lion 13:34 with wings. 13:36 So when Daniel spoke about a lion with wings even 13:38 to those who were there at the time in Babylon, they 13:41 knew who this represents. 13:43 This represents the kingdom of Babylon. 13:45 So the lion with wings represents the kingdom 13:47 of Babylon. 13:49 But something happens. 13:50 Verse 5 says, "And suddenly another beast, a second 13:53 like a bear, it was raised up on the one side and three 13:57 ribs were in its mouth between its teeth. 14:00 And it said, 'Thus, arise. 14:01 Devour much flesh.'" 14:03 So what kingdom conquered Babylon? 14:05 Well, we know from our study in Daniel chapter 2 that 14:08 the kingdom that conquered Babylon was Medo Persia. 14:11 Now, probably it's good to mention this right here. 14:14 There is a pattern that we find in Daniel, we also find this 14:16 in the book of Revelation, where a particular series of events 14:20 or subject matter is presented in one chapter, and then as we 14:24 read further we find the same material presented 14:28 under different imagery or different symbols and it's 14:31 magnified. 14:33 Additional details are added. 14:34 So in the book of Daniel, we find Daniel 2 where we have 14:38 the image of gold, and silver, and so on. 14:40 Then we find those same kingdoms represented in Daniel 7, 14:44 but additional information is given. 14:46 Then we find the same symbols or actually same kingdoms 14:49 under different symbols in Daniel chapter 8 14:52 with additional information given. 14:55 So it's repeat and enlarge, repeat and enlarge. 14:57 So that's the pattern that we see both in Daniel and also 15:01 in the book of Revelation. 15:02 Of course, the two books go together. 15:03 So if we take the book of-- or if you look at chapter 2 15:07 of Daniel and we compare that with chapter 7 of Daniel, we can 15:11 see the parallel that's taking place here. 15:13 So you can see Daniel chapter 2 and then you see the various 15:18 kingdoms represented here in Daniel 7. 15:21 So the head of gold in Daniel 2 represents Babylon, symbolized 15:24 here by the lion that has two wings. 15:27 The next kingdom represented is Medo Persia. 15:30 In Daniel 2 it's represented by the chest and arms of silver. 15:33 Here it's represented by a bear raised up on its one side. 15:38 Now, you might be wondering, "Why it's the bear raised 15:40 up on its one side?" 15:41 In Daniel 2, the statue has how many arms? 15:45 Two arms, right? 15:46 Chest and arms of silver represents Medo Persia. 15:49 Medo Persia was comprised of two powers working together, 15:52 the Medes and the Persians. 15:55 It's interesting to note that the Medes came up first, 15:58 but the Persians came to dominance. 16:01 So you might think of maybe the right arm, which typically 16:03 is stronger if you're right-handed. 16:06 The right arm could represent the Persians. 16:08 The left arm may be the Medes. 16:10 And in Daniel chapter 7, this bear comes up from the sea. 16:14 It says he's raised up on the one side. 16:17 Bible scholars have identified that as the Persians. 16:19 They'd grew to dominance over the Medes. 16:22 And matter of fact, they're asking if we can maybe put 16:25 the picture on the big screen. 16:26 Those of you in the studio, it might be easier for them to see 16:29 and they'll work on that and get that for us on the big screen. 16:31 So the bear raised up on the one side. 16:34 Well, what does this bear have in his mouth? 16:36 Three ribs. 16:37 Some people have wondered, "Well, what do these three ribs 16:40 represent?" 16:41 These are the principal nations that was conquered by Medo 16:43 Persia as it rose to dominance, and these were Lydia, Babylon, 16:48 and Egypt. 16:50 These three powers were united in opposition to Cyrus 16:53 and the Medes. 16:54 So the bear here would represent Medo Persia. 16:57 Then we look in verse 6. 16:59 It says, "After these there was another likened to a leopard 17:03 and he had on his back four wings of a bird. 17:06 The beast also had four heads and dominion was given unto it." 17:11 So the kingdom that followed Medo Persia, as you know 17:13 from Daniel 2, was Greece, symbolized by the belly 17:16 and the thighs of brass. 17:19 And here in Daniel 7, it's a leopard with four wings. 17:22 Now, a leopard is a fast animal, but a leopard with four wings is 17:26 a very fast animal. 17:29 And so that symbolizes the kingdom of Greece 17:31 under the leadership of Alexander the Great. 17:33 It grew very rapidly, but just in his early 30s, Alexander 17:38 the Great died and his kingdom was divided up amongst these 17:41 four generals. 17:43 Notice that this leopard has four heads. 17:45 The four heads on the leopard represent the four generals 17:48 or the four divisions of the Grecian Empire. 17:52 The four generals: Cassander, Lysimachus, Seleucus, 17:55 and Ptolemy. 17:57 So they divided up the territory of Greece, and that's what that 18:01 leopard would represent. 18:02 Then number seven, verse 7, it says, "And I saw in the night 18:05 visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, 18:10 exceedingly strong." 18:12 Now the other beasts are an animal that we could 18:15 recognize, the lion, the bear, the leopard. 18:17 But when it comes to the fourth beast, there isn't really 18:19 an animal that Daniel can liken this beast to. 18:23 It's almost a dragon kind of beast, because notice it 18:26 says, "It has great iron teeth." 18:29 Interesting. 18:31 "It devours. 18:32 It breaks in pieces. 18:34 It's trampling the residue with its feet." 18:36 This is verse 7. 18:37 "It was different from the other beasts that were before it 18:41 and it had ten horns." 18:44 So here you're almost thinkin' of a dragon, like maybe even 18:47 a dinosaur kind of beast, right? 18:50 Something different, something that was unknown at least 18:53 to the people then. 18:54 Some of the characteristics that's listed of this fourth 18:57 beast is that it says it has iron teeth. 19:00 Well, if you compare that to Daniel 2, what were the legs 19:04 of the image in Daniel 2 made out of? 19:07 Made out of iron. 19:08 And what did the legs represent? 19:09 The iron monarchy of Rome. 19:12 And then following the legs of iron, incidentally, let me 19:14 just add, how many arms does the image have in Daniel 2? 19:18 Two arms. 19:19 How many legs does the image have? 19:20 Two. 19:22 Isn't it interesting that Rome is made up of two parts? 19:24 You've got Pagan Rome, and as we'll see in a few moments, 19:27 you've got papal Rome. 19:29 Pagan Rome came up first, kinda like the Medes arose first 19:33 but the Persians grew to dominance. 19:35 So you have Pagan Rome that came first, but papal Rome grew 19:39 to dominance and ruled much longer then Pagan Rome. 19:43 So you see some parallels here in Daniel chapter 2 with what's 19:46 been described in Daniel chapter 7. 19:49 So you have these seven-- or you have these ten horns on this 19:53 fourth beast, representing the ten toes of Daniel chapter 19:57 2, and then it talks about a little horn that arises. 20:01 So the fourth beast very clearly is a description of Rome. 20:05 Now, verse 8 is where it gets interesting, kind of focusing 20:08 now on these horns, these ten horns on the beast. 20:11 It says, "I was considering the horns," Daniel 7, verse 8, 20:14 "and there was another horn, a little one coming up amongst 20:18 them before whom three of the first horns were plucked 20:21 up by the roots. 20:23 And there was-- in this horn there were eyes as the eyes 20:26 of a man and a mouth speaking pompous words." 20:30 So Daniel's attention is now directed to the horns on this 20:33 beast. 20:34 He sees ten horns, but as he's looking, suddenly sees three 20:38 of the horns kind of being pushed up and uprooted, 20:42 and another little horn seems to grow. 20:45 And as he looks at the horn, he says, "This is a different kind 20:48 of horn. 20:49 There are eyes as the eyes of a man in the horn. 20:52 And this horn is speaking pompous words." 20:55 Now you can imagine Daniel is looking at this and he's 20:57 wondering, "What on earth does this mean?" 20:59 Well, I think Daniel has a fairly good idea as to what 21:02 the beasts might mean, especially the line with eagle's 21:05 wings. 21:07 He knows that's a symbol of Babylon and these other 21:08 kingdoms that would come, but what about this little horn 21:11 power? 21:12 It was a mystery to Daniel. 21:14 He wanted to know what is this little horn power all about. 21:18 So now we find in verse 19-20, Daniel is particularly 21:23 interested in knowing about this little horn. 21:26 When the angel begins to give an explanation of the dream, 21:30 talks about the beasts that represent four kings that shall 21:32 arise, but Daniel in particular wanted to know about this little 21:36 horn power and what this power did. 21:38 So in the text in Daniel chapter 7, we find ten characteristics 21:44 that's given of this little horn power. 21:46 Now, we know as students of the Bible that this little 21:50 horn power is very significant as it relates to Bible prophesy. 21:53 It represents the papal power or papal role. 21:57 You've got Pagan Rome and you've got papal Rome, and the little 22:00 horn represents papal Rome which played a very important role 22:05 after Christ during the Christian era, but it 22:08 also plays a very important role in end time events. 22:11 So that brings us all the way up to where we are now. 22:15 So what I'd like to just take a few moments, we're not going 22:17 to spend too much time on this, but we do want to look at these 22:20 ten identifying characteristics that we find in Daniel 7 as 22:24 to this little horn power. 22:26 We need to make sure we understand who this power is 22:30 and be able to back it up from Scripture. 22:32 So we find ten characteristics and I'd like to take a look 22:35 at them. 22:37 The first characteristic is that this power arose 22:39 out of the fourth beast. 22:41 Now, we know who the fourth beast is, right? 22:42 Who is the fourth beast? 22:44 Represents Rome, Pagan Rome. 22:46 So this little horn power was to come out of Pagan Rome. 22:51 And when we look in history, it says the papacy is essentially 22:54 a Roman power, both in origin as well as in character. 22:58 It was cradled in Italy. 23:00 It's headquarters have always been in Rome. 23:03 It inherited many of the qualities and material 23:05 assets of Imperial Rome, or Pagan Rome. 23:08 It bears the name "Roman Catholic Church" to this day. 23:12 So we can see a close connection between Pagan Rome and papal 23:16 Rome, both in territory-- the headquarters of Pagan Rome 23:20 was Rome for many years. 23:22 The headquarters of papal Rome is Rome and even the name Rome 23:27 is there still in the church. 23:29 So yes, absolutely, the papacy did arise from this fourth 23:32 beast. 23:34 It says it arose or grew up amongst the ten horns. 23:37 So now we're gonna look at some quotes from some trusted 23:40 historians. 23:41 The first is from a historian by the name of Myers and it's 23:44 the "General History for Colleges," page 348. 23:47 This is what he said. 23:49 He said, "Long before the fall of Rome, there had begun to grow 23:51 up," notice the language he uses, "grow up within the Roman 23:54 Empire an ecclesiastical state which was shaping itself 23:58 upon the imperial model." 24:00 So he's talkin' about the rise of the papacy and he uses 24:02 the words "grow up." 24:03 Remember, it talks about the little horn that grew 24:06 and uprooted three? 24:07 And then we have another historian, James Harvey 24:09 Robinson, who writes, "Besides the Emperors at Constantinople." 24:13 You'll remember they moved the court as the headquarters 24:15 of pagan Rome from Rome to Constantinople, and they left 24:20 the bishop of Rome eventually in charge of Western Rome, 24:24 or the Western Roman Empire. 24:26 It says, "Besides the Emperors at Constantinople, the various-- 24:29 and the various German kings, there grew up in Europe a line 24:32 of rulers far more powerful than any of these, namely, 24:36 the Popes." 24:38 So we do find indeed that the papal power rose 24:41 after the ten horns. 24:42 Now, the ten horns represent the ten divisions of Western 24:46 Rome, or the Western Roman Empire, these Germanic invading 24:50 tribes. 24:51 And we find that the papacy grew to dominance after the territory 24:55 was divided up, and we'll notice that when we talk 24:58 about the number three after the ten horns arose. 25:02 So after a series of humiliations by Barbarian 25:05 invaders, the Emperor Romulus Augustus abdicated in AD 476. 25:13 The political supremacy of the papacy however did not 25:16 begin until 62 years later, in 533. 25:19 Justinian, Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire, 25:23 decreed that the bishop of Rome should be recognized as the head 25:26 of all holy churches. 25:28 This decree was put into effect in 538. 25:31 That's a very important date, 538. 25:34 Thus the papacy grew into full power after the barbarian 25:37 kingdoms, which had divided up Rome's territory. 25:41 So you have ten horns, and then the little horn that comes 25:44 and uproots three. 25:45 So this power was to arise after the Western Roman Empire 25:49 had been divided up amongst these various invading groups. 25:53 Identifying point number four, it says it would be different 25:58 from the other ones. 25:59 Matter of fact, let me just read the verse. 26:01 It's verse 24 of chapter 7. 26:03 It says, "The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this 26:07 kingdom and another shall arise after them." 26:10 That would be the papacy. 26:11 "He shall be different from the first and shall subdue 26:14 three kings." 26:16 So the papacy was different. 26:17 Here is a quote again from the "General History 26:19 of Colleges," "Another consequence of the fall 26:21 of the Roman power in the west was the development 26:24 of the papacy. 26:25 In the absence of the Emperor in the west, the popes rapidly 26:28 gained influence and power and soon built 26:30 up and ecclesiastical empire that in some respects took 26:34 the place of the old empire." 26:36 So papal Rome is now replacing Pagan Rome. 26:41 Point number five, it says it was greater than his fellows. 26:45 Verse 20 in Daniel chapter 7 says this, "And the ten horns 26:50 on its head," talking about these ten kings, "and 26:52 another horn which came up for which three fell, namely 26:56 that horn that had eyes and a mouth speaking pompous 26:59 words, whose appearance was greater than his fellows." 27:04 So the little horn power seems to be greater than the original 27:07 ten horns, three of which are uprooted. 27:10 Here's another quote from "Medieval and Modern 27:12 Times," page 40-41. 27:14 It says, this is the historian Robinson, "He bears witness 27:17 to the fact that the papacy did indeed become the mightiest 27:20 power in Medieval Europe. 27:22 Besides the emperors at Constantinople 27:24 and the various German kings, there grew up in Europe a line 27:26 of rulers far more powerful than any of these, namely, 27:28 the popes." 27:30 And then he goes on to say, "The longest and the mightiest line 27:32 of rulers that the world has ever seen." 27:36 Now, Rome, Pagan Rome, ruled longer than Greece, and Medo 27:42 Persia, and Babylon if you go backwards up Daniel Chapter 2, 27:47 but what's interesting is papal Rome ruled even longer, 1,260 27:52 years, ruled even longer then Pagan Rome. 27:55 So each of these various powers have more territory and they 27:59 have a longer rule, and we can see this bearing fact in history 28:03 as well. 28:04 Another characteristic of this little horn power, very 28:07 interesting, it says he uprooted three horns or three kingdoms. 28:12 Verse 24 of Daniel 7, "The ten horns are ten kings who shall 28:18 arise from the kingdom and another shall arise 28:21 after them. 28:22 He shall be different from the first and shall 28:24 subdue," or King James says "uproot," "three kings." 28:30 Now, here we take a look at what history tells us. 28:32 Most of the barbarian nations to whom the Roman Emperor-- 28:35 Roman Empire had now yielded bow to the authority of the Bishop 28:39 of Rome. 28:40 But there were three tribes that did not accept the papacy 28:43 or the pulpit. 28:45 It says the Heruli, the Vandals, and the Ostrogoths. 28:47 They challenged the sovereignty of the Bishop of Rome. 28:50 Reason being is they were Arian tribes, so they disagreed 28:54 on some theological issues. 28:56 They were more inclined to follow a bishop 28:58 from Alexandria as far as their doctrinal teaching or their 29:02 religious leaning. 29:05 And then we find that the first of these horns was uprooted 29:07 in 497 when Theodoric, leader of the Ostrogoths, crushed 29:12 the power of the Heruli in Italy. 29:14 The Vandals were destroyed in 534 and the Ostrogoths 29:17 in 538, thus making the way for the papacy to rise up. 29:23 These kingdoms were completely uprooted and disappeared 29:25 from European history. 29:27 So the other various tribes, they'd carved out the territory 29:31 of Western Rome. 29:32 We have modern counterparts, the Anglo Saxons, settled 29:35 in English, the Franks settle in France, 29:38 and so on and so forth. 29:40 But when it comes to the Ostrogoths, the Vandals, 29:42 the Heruli, we have no modern counterparts. 29:45 They were completely uprooted and destroyed. 29:48 And in order for the papacy to gain influence over Western 29:52 Rome, these three tribes had to be removed, and that's 29:55 exactly what happened. 29:57 Notice the date when the last of these tribes were uprooted, 30:00 538. 30:02 That's the beginning of the reign of the papal power, 30:05 the 1,260 years of papal supremacy. 30:08 Number seven, it says, "This power would speak pompous words 30:11 against the Most High." 30:14 And we looked at the verse, it's verse 25, "He shall speak 30:17 pompous words against the Most High. 30:19 He shall persecute the saints of the Most High. 30:22 Any shall think to change times and laws." 30:25 We'll talk about that here in just a minute. 30:27 So here are just a few of the pompous words that 30:30 originated from the papacy. 30:32 There's many different quotes we can give, but just a few here 30:35 will make the point. 30:37 This is from Pope Leo XIII, his encyclical letter dated June 20, 30:43 1894. 30:44 This is what he wrote. 30:46 He said, "The pope is as it were God on earth, sole sovereign 30:50 of the faithful of Christ, chief of kings, having plentitude 30:53 of power, to whom has been entrusted by the omnipotent God 30:56 direction not only of the earthly but also 30:59 of the heavenly kingdom." 31:02 Does that sound like a pompous statement? 31:05 He goes on to say, "The Pope is of so great authority and power 31:09 that he can modify, explain, or interpret even divine laws." 31:15 So the papacy has the power to change the law of God. 31:17 At least that's what they propose, because they say their 31:20 authority comes directly from God. 31:22 And they have influence not only on earthly things, but even 31:26 heavenly things. 31:27 Of course, you see the quote there, Prompta Bibliotheca. 31:30 Well, another characteristic of this little horn power is 31:32 number eight. 31:33 It says it's a persecuting power. 31:35 He shall persecute the saints of God, the saints of the Most 31:39 High. 31:40 Well, for centuries, the soil of Europe was crimson 31:42 with the martyrs blood. 31:43 Great armies were raised and crusades were launched 31:46 for the sole purpose of exterminating the so-called 31:49 heretics. 31:50 The historian Lecky writes, "That the church of Rome has 31:55 shed more innocent blood than any other institution that has 31:58 ever existed amongst mankind, will be questioned by no 32:01 Protestant who has a competent knowledge of history." 32:04 That's the "Rise and Influence of the Spirit of Rationalism 32:07 in Europe," page 32. 32:08 It is estimated that over 50 million so-called heretics were 32:13 put to death during the 1,260-year reign 32:17 of the papal power. 32:18 That is an extraordinary number. 32:20 And of course recently, even the Vatican was forced 32:24 to acknowledge that it was a persecuting power in its past 32:29 and it's made some statements in apology for the many that 32:32 were put to death. 32:34 Another interesting characteristic that you have is 32:36 that he thought to change times and laws. 32:39 Becoming more and more arrogant, the papal church did not 32:42 hesitate to temple with the law of God. 32:44 Finding the second commandment out of harmony with its use 32:47 of images in worship. 32:49 What is the second commandment? 32:50 You're not to make or bow down to graven images. 32:54 Now, you can just imagine how that could be a problem 32:56 for the Roman Catholic Church that has lots of statues 33:00 and images in its church. 33:01 So having a problem with that one, the papal church attempted 33:04 to eliminate this sacred precept. 33:07 And I'll mention something about that. 33:09 Of course, the fourth commandment that says, "Remember 33:11 the Sabbath to keep it holy. 33:12 Six days you are to labor and all your work, 33:14 but the seventh is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God," they 33:18 modified and shortened it to just say, "Remember 33:20 the Sabbath." 33:21 And then they got to define which day is the Sabbath. 33:23 At least, they thought they were able to do that. 33:25 The fourth commandment was shortened and the tenth 33:27 commandment was divided into two commandments, which says, "Thou 33:30 shalt not covet." 33:32 They had to divide the tenth into two to make a total of ten 33:34 commandments because they removed the second commandment. 33:37 Now, if you'd like to read the actual commandments that are 33:40 put together by the Catholic Church, you can simply read 33:43 a Catholic catechism. 33:45 It'll actually show you how they removed the second commandment 33:49 and divided the last of the Ten Commandments and shortened 33:53 the fourth commandment that talks about the Sabbath. 33:55 It's clearly there. 33:56 You can just read it for yourself. 33:57 So yes, this power did think to change times and laws. 34:00 And then we have our final characteristic as to who this 34:03 little horn power is. 34:04 It says he reigned for a time, times, and a half a time. 34:08 Now, a time is equal to a year in the Bible, times would be two 34:13 years, and a half a time would be a half a year. 34:15 There are 360 days in a Hebrew month, and when we talk 34:20 about prophetic times, 360 days in a year. 34:23 Thus we can calculate 360, plus 720, that's two times, 34:29 plus a half a time, that's 180, that gives you a total of 1,260 34:33 days. 34:34 Now, in Bible reckoning, when you're talking about prophetic 34:36 time, one prophetic days equal to one literal year. 34:40 So we have a time period of 1,260 years. 34:43 And there are some cross reference numbers there 34:46 in the book of numbers as well as in Ezekiel. 34:49 You can read about that. 34:51 So when did this time period begin? 34:52 Well, in 533, Justinian proclaimed the bishop of Rome as 34:56 the head of all of the holy churches and the true 34:58 ineffective corrector of heretics. 35:00 This decree went into effect in 538 AD when Belisarius, 35:06 Justinian's general, gave the death blow 35:09 to the Ostrogoths, the last of the three great Arian powers. 35:12 In the same year, 538, Justinian published edicts compelling all 35:17 non-Catholics to join the church in 90 days or leave the empire, 35:21 and he confiscated their goods. 35:23 So 538 is the starting time period of the reign 35:27 of the little horn power and he would reign for 1,260 days. 35:32 It says on the 10th of February 1798, on pretense of an insult 35:38 to the French ambassador in Italy, General Berthier, 35:41 Napoleon's famous chief of staff, entered Rome and took 35:45 the Pope a prisoner. 35:46 The Papal states were abolished and Rome was declared 35:49 a republic. 35:50 The Pope himself was carried off to France where he died 35:53 a captive on August 29th, 1799. 35:56 Interestingly, the papacy came to power in 538. 36:00 Adding 1,260 years to 538, we arrive at the date 1798. 36:05 There is no other power in history that fits these ten 36:10 identifying marks other than the papal power. 36:14 There's no other power that has ruled for 1,260 years. 36:17 So there's no question, if you study the Scripture, Daniel 7 is 36:22 pointing to the papal power when it's talking about the little 36:26 horn of Daniel chapter 7. 36:28 All right, so that's the little horn power. 36:30 And of course, the Bible tells us that this power receives 36:32 a deadly wound, but the deadly wound is healed. 36:36 And that's a study later on 'cause that gets you really 36:38 into the book of Revelation. 36:40 But now, the next part of the vision that we want 36:43 to talk about in Daniel 7 begins in Daniel 7, verse 9, and it is 36:48 a vision of what's called the Ancient of Days. 36:51 And this is just a fascinating portion of the chapter, so if 36:55 you have your Bibles, turn to Daniel chapter 7 and let's 36:57 look at verse 9. 36:58 It says, "I watched 'til thrones were put in place 37:02 and the Ancient of Days was seated." 37:05 Now, who do you suppose the Ancient of Days is? 37:08 That would be God the Father. 37:10 Now, you'll find Jesus in the same passage, but he's 37:13 not referred to as the Ancient of Days. 37:15 He's actually given a different title. 37:17 It says, "I watched 'til thrones were put in place 37:19 and the Ancient of Days was seated. 37:20 His garment was white as snow and the hairs of his head was 37:23 like pure wool. 37:24 His throne was a fiery flame. 37:25 Its wheels, a burning fire." 37:28 Now, why would a throne need wheels? 37:31 Well, maybe the throne moves. 37:32 That's why it has wheels. 37:34 Notice the beginning of verse 9 says, "I watched 37:37 until the Ancient of Days was seated." 37:41 So that would indicate that the Ancient of Days, God 37:44 the Father, moves. 37:46 His throne has wheels. 37:48 And in vision, after talking about this little horn power 37:51 that would persecute the church for 1,260 years, that's papal 37:54 supremacy which ended in 1798, the next thing that's brought 37:58 to John's view is something happening in heaven where he 38:01 sees God the Father. 38:02 God the Father moves somewhere, and he's seated, and something 38:06 happens, verse 10. 38:08 Daniel 7, verse 10, "A fiery stream issued and came forth 38:11 from before him. 38:12 A thousand thousand ministered unto him." 38:14 That would be angels. 38:15 "Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him." 38:18 Notice the last part of verse 10, "The court was seated 38:22 and the books were opened." 38:24 So here we find the Ancient of Days, God the Father, moving 38:27 to a place in heaven. 38:29 He is seated, the books are opened, and a judgment seems 38:34 to take place. 38:35 Verse 26, same chapter, the angel is giving 38:38 an explanation of the vision. 38:40 Verse 26, it says, "But the court shall be seated 38:43 and they shall take away his dominion," talking of the little 38:46 horn power, "to consume and destroy it forever." 38:50 Now, some people have asked-- Well, first of all, we know 38:53 the Ancient of Days is God the Father, so this event must 38:55 be taking place in heaven, but what does it mean when it 38:58 says the Ancient of Days is seated? 39:00 Where is God the Father seated? 39:02 And why now in this prophetic history sometime 39:06 after the little on power is God the Father seated? 39:09 You'd think God the Father would be seated in heaven all 39:11 the time. 39:12 Well, remember the earthly sanctuary is a pattern 39:14 of the heavenly, and the heavenly sanctuary that 39:17 we read about in the book of Hebrews has two compartments. 39:20 The earthly sanctuary had three. 39:21 You had the courtyard, you had the holy, and you had the most 39:23 holy place. 39:25 But the courtyard represents the earth and the things that 39:27 took place in the courtyard represents the work that Jesus 39:30 would do for us here on the earth. 39:31 In heaven, you have the holy and the most holy. 39:34 Now, in the heavenly sanctuary, you've got the two compartments, 39:38 the holy and the most holy. 39:40 The high priest would enter into the most holy on one day 39:44 of the year for a work of judgment called the Day 39:48 of Atonement. 39:49 It was a work of cleansing, a work of judgment, cleansing 39:51 of the sins of the sanctuary. 39:53 That was a shadow and a type of something that was to happen 39:56 in heaven. 39:57 So here in Daniel chapter 7, it's describing God the Father 40:01 being seated in the most holy place. 40:04 Now, if you look at the earthly sanctuary, you notice there are 40:06 three articles of furniture in the first compartment, one 40:09 article of furniture in the most holy place. 40:12 The three articles of furniture in the first compartment is 40:15 the table of showbread, opposite to that is the seven-branched 40:19 candlestick, you have the altar of incense, and then you have 40:23 the veil and then you have the Ark of the Covenant 40:24 in the most holy place. 40:27 When you study the book of Revelation, Jesus first 40:29 appears in Revelation chapter 1 standing amongst 40:32 the seven-branched candlestick. 40:34 And in Revelation chapter 4, you have a description 40:37 of the heavenly throne room where God the Father is seated 40:40 upon his throne. 40:41 And directly in front of God the Father seated upon his 40:45 throne are seven burning lamps of fire. 40:48 Well, if you look at the first compartment of the heavenly 40:50 sanctuary, what would represent-- what article 40:53 of furniture would represent the throne of God? 40:56 Well, the one directly opposite the seven burning lamps of fire. 40:59 That would be the table of showbread. 41:01 So in the beginning of Revelation, Revelation 41:03 chapter 1 through to Revelation 5, you find the description here 41:07 in the first compartment of their heavenly sanctuary. 41:11 But in Daniel chapter 7, God the Father moves from the holy 41:15 into the most holy place and the article of furniture 41:18 that's brought to light is the Ark of the Covenant. 41:21 And of course, the Ark of the Covenant is the most holy 41:23 place, and we find that in Revelation chapter 11. 41:25 Matter of fact, we'll even read that passage here in just 41:28 a few moments. 41:30 So here, God the Father is seated and a judgment is 41:33 about to take place. 41:34 Notice the sequence. 41:35 This happens after the little horn power has ended his reign, 41:40 which ended in 1798. 41:42 So what's described here must take place sometime after 1798. 41:46 We don't know the exact date for this judgment in heaven 41:50 until Daniel chapter 8, and we're going to look at that 41:53 next week. 41:54 It's just a fascinating prophecy. 41:55 All right, well, let me keep going. 41:57 What is next brought to view? 41:58 And if you'll look in verse 13, Daniel chapter 7, verse 13, 42:02 still talkin' about this event taking place in heaven. 42:05 Now, it talks about one likened to the Son of Man. 42:08 Verse 13, "I was watching in the night visions. 42:10 Behold, one likened to the Son of Man." 42:14 Now, who would that be? 42:15 Jesus, "Coming with the clouds of heaven." 42:18 A-ha, we've got the second coming of Christ, right? 42:23 Jesus is coming with clouds. 42:25 No, no, no, this is not the second coming of Christ, 42:28 although Jesus does come with clouds. 42:30 Notice where he is going. 42:32 Look at verse 13, "I was watching in the night vision. 42:34 Behold, one likened to the Son of Man coming with the clouds 42:37 of heaven, he came to the Ancient of Days." 42:40 So this is not Jesus coming to the earth, but this is Jesus 42:43 entering in before his Father in the most holy place 42:47 of the heavenly sanctuary. 42:48 It says, "They brought him near before him." 42:51 Who do you think that they are? 42:53 Well, that would be the angels, so I want you to imagine 42:55 the scene. 42:57 God the Father, sometime after 1798, moves from the holy 42:59 place into the most Holy place of the heavenly sanctuary. 43:02 He is seated, the books are opened, judgment is 43:05 about to begin, and then the angels escort Jesus and he 43:09 enters into the most holy place. 43:12 He's standing before the Father. 43:14 There is a judgment taking place. 43:16 Why does Jesus enter in before his Father? 43:18 Because he's our advocate. 43:20 He is our representative before the Father, right? 43:23 And if we're going to be judged from the books, our 43:26 representative needs to be there. 43:28 Our advocate Jesus is they're standing before the Father. 43:31 Now, after this judgment takes place, look at verse 14. 43:35 It says, "Then to him was given dominion, and glory, 43:38 and a kingdom that all people, and nations, and languages 43:41 should serve him. 43:42 His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass 43:46 away; his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed." 43:48 Has that happened? 43:50 Has the kingdoms of this earth become the kingdoms of Christ? 43:54 Has that happened yet? 43:55 Not yet. 43:56 When does that happen? 43:58 At the second coming when Jesus comes again. 43:59 So notice that this judgment that's described here in Daniel 44:02 chapter 7 takes place in heaven before Jesus comes. 44:07 And after the judgment is finished, then the kingdoms 44:11 of this earth become the kingdoms of our Lord 44:12 and of his Christ and he shall reign forever and ever. 44:15 Then Jesus comes. 44:16 So here's the sequence that we see laid out for us in Daniel 44:20 chapter 7. 44:21 The first is the lion with eagle's wings. 44:24 That's Babylon. 44:25 The next is a bear, symbolized Medo Persia. 44:28 The next is the leopard with four wings and four heads, 44:31 symbolizing Greece. 44:32 Then you have the dragon-like beast, which represents Pagan 44:36 Rome. 44:37 Then you have the little horn power that rules for 1,260 44:40 years, representing the papacy. 44:42 And it brings you right up 'til 1798. 44:45 And then after 1798, there is this judgment described 44:48 in heaven. 44:50 And after the judgment is finished, then Jesus comes as 44:55 King of kings and Lord of lords. 44:57 Now, we haven't been told when this judgment begins in heaven. 45:00 We know it's sometime after 1798, but we don't have 45:03 a specific date. 45:05 We'll get the answer to that next week in Daniel chapter 8. 45:09 But we're living today during this time of judgment, 45:12 and soon the work will be finished in heaven and then 45:16 Jesus will say, "He that is holy, let him be holy still. 45:19 He that is filthy, let him be filthy still." 45:21 The judgment ends, probation closes, and Jesus comes back as 45:26 King of kings and Lord of lords. 45:29 So the great panorama of history from the time of Babylon all 45:34 the way to the judgment and the second coming is 45:38 revealed to us in Daniel chapter 7. 45:41 No wonder it's such an important passage of Scripture. 45:45 The time period is given for the judgment in Daniel 45:48 chapter 8. 45:49 Now, just to kind of put this together, remember we spoke 45:51 about God the Father going from the holy place 45:53 into the most holy place in the heavenly sanctuary? 45:56 We also mentioned that in the first part of Revelation, 45:59 the scene is in the first compartment 46:01 by the seven-branched candlesticks. 46:04 And God the Father, the Son, that's sort of the description 46:07 of where they are. 46:09 But then the Father moves to the most holy place. 46:11 Jesus then follows the Father into the most holy place. 46:15 Do we have a description of this in Revelation? 46:18 Yes, we do. 46:20 If you have your Bibles with you, turn to Revelation 46:23 chapter 11, verse 15, and we'll be closing with this passage. 46:26 This is an amazing passage. 46:28 Revelation chapter 11, verse 15. 46:31 This is the sounding of the seventh trumpet. 46:35 The sounding of the seventh trumpet. 46:36 So this brings you right up 'til the time close to the second 46:40 coming. 46:41 Revelation chapter 11, and I'm looking at verse 15. 46:43 Revelation 11, verse 15. 46:45 It says, "Then the seventh angel sounded and there were loud 46:48 voices in heaven, saying, 'The kingdoms of this world have 46:52 become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ and he shall 46:55 reign forever and ever.'" Notice the similarity between what's 46:58 happening in heaven described in Revelation chapter 11 47:01 and what we just read in Daniel chapter 7 about the Son of Man 47:05 coming before the Father and he receives the kingdoms 47:07 of the earth. 47:09 Verse 16, Revelation 11:16, "And the 24 elders who sat before God 47:12 on their thrones fell on their faces worshiping God," verse 17, 47:17 "saying, 'We give you thanks, O Lord God Almighty, the One who 47:20 is, who was, and who is to come, because you have taken your 47:23 great power and reigned."' Verse 18 says, what's happening 47:26 on the earth during this time? 47:28 "The nations were angry." 47:30 So is this before or after the second 47:32 coming? 47:34 Must be before, why? 47:36 Because the nations are angry on the earth, right? 47:38 It says, "The nations are angry. 47:41 Your wrath has come." 47:43 Now, what is the wrath of God as described in Revelation. 47:46 It's the seven last plagues. 47:48 So this is during a time now when the seven last plagues are 47:51 about to fall. 47:52 "And the time of the dead that they should be judged and you 47:56 should reward your servants, the prophets, and the saints, 47:59 and those who fear your name small and great, and should 48:02 destroy those who destroy the earth." 48:04 When are the saints rewarded? 48:05 At the second coming. 48:06 When are the wicked destroyed? 48:08 At the second coming. 48:09 Now, look at verse 19, "Then the temple of God was opened 48:14 in heaven." 48:15 And what is seen in the temple? 48:17 Verse 19, "The Ark of his Covenant is seen in the temple 48:22 and there were lightning, noises, thundering, earthquake, 48:24 and great hail." 48:26 So the events described here under the sounding 48:27 of the seventh trumpet take place in the most holy place 48:32 of the heavenly sanctuary, there where the Ark of the Covenant 48:35 is. 48:36 So in the book of Revelation, you can see Jesus moving 48:38 from the holy into the most holy place. 48:41 And so during the time of Babylon, Medo Persia, Greece, 48:44 Rome, Pagan Rome, and then Jesus comes, Christ ascends to heaven 48:49 after the resurrection. 48:50 He's our High Priest, ministering in the first 48:52 compartment of the heavenly sanctuary until the end of that 48:55 1,260-year time period in 1798 when the little horn power loses 48:59 its political influence. 49:00 Then sometime after that, God the Father moves into the most 49:03 holy place. 49:05 Jesus comes into the most holy place for the final judgment. 49:08 At the end of the judgment, the kingdoms of this earth 49:10 become his and Jesus now comes as King of kings and Lord 49:15 of lords to reap the harvest of the earth. 49:19 You know, it's so exciting to have the Bible. 49:22 We know how the story ends, amen? 49:26 You know, I look at the discussion that's taking 49:29 place in our world and the various political plans 49:34 and ideas. 49:35 And if you don't know the Bible, it's kind of a scary place 49:38 'cause you don't know what's going to happen next. 49:41 But based upon what the Bible says, we can have confidence 49:44 because we know who's in charge. 49:46 We know what's happening. 49:47 We know that Jesus is soon to come and he's going to take 49:51 away all pain, and sorrow, and death. 49:53 He's going to make all things new. 49:56 We know how the story ends. 49:57 Well, this has been just a great study of Daniel chapter 7. 50:02 I'd like to thank those who joined us for our study today. 50:05 Just wanna remind you that we do have the free offer, the little 50:08 book that was mentioned, and we'll be happy to make that 50:11 available to anyone who is watching. 50:13 It's entitled, "Pending," it says, "Your Case in Court." 50:17 Goes along with our study today. 50:19 If you'd like to receive it, the number to call is 50:21 866-788-3966, and you can ask for offer number 192. 50:27 Or you can download a free PDF of the book by simply texting 50:32 the code SH050 to the number 40544, and you'll be able 50:39 to read this great little book, goes along with our study today, 50:41 "Pending: Your Case in Court." 50:44 Again, we want to thank those for joining us. 50:46 Hope you'll tune in next week when we study Daniel chapter 8. 50:52 male announcer: Don't forget to request today's 50:54 life-changing, free resource. 50:56 Not only can you receive this free gift in the mail, you can 50:58 download a digital copy straight to your computer or mobile 51:01 device. 51:03 To get your digital copy of today's free gift, simply 51:05 text the keyword on your screen to 40544 or visit the web 51:10 address shown on your screen, and be sure to select 51:13 the digital download option on the request page. 51:16 It's now easier than ever for you to study God's Word 51:19 with "Amazing Facts" wherever and whenever you want. 51:22 And most important, to share it with others. 51:29 male announcer: "Amazing Facts: Changed Lives." 51:38 male: I'd have to say that I had a wonderful childhood growing 51:41 up. 51:42 I went to a private school up until the seventh grade 'til 51:44 junior high. 51:46 I believe it was at that point in junior high that my life 51:50 began to change. 51:52 Going from a Christian education into a public school was a big 51:55 difference. 51:57 There was a lot of secular influence, peer pressure, 52:02 and for me it was the music. 52:04 I started listening to heavy metal music. 52:06 Every concert that would come to town, I was there. 52:09 That had a profound effect on me. 52:11 I started using marijuana probably age of 14. 52:17 I started drinking, using a lot of cocaine, and that led 52:20 to methamphetamine, and that completely changed my life. 52:25 I dropped out of high school my sophomore year and went to work. 52:30 I would get off of work and we'd go into the bar until 2 o'clock 52:33 in the morning. 52:35 I'd get back up at 5:00 and I'd go back at it again, six, seven 52:38 days a week. 52:42 At the age of 20, I lost my dad to a heart attack. 52:47 I didn't know how to handle the loss so I tried to mask my 52:51 pain with alcohol and drugs. 52:53 Got three DUIs in one year. 52:56 Was arrested. 52:57 They gave me a year in the county jail. 53:01 And the moment I got out, I went back to doing the same thing, 53:04 hanging with the same people, the same crowd. 53:07 I was involved in a hit and run motorcycle accident and I was 53:10 charged with a felony DUI. 53:12 Even though at the time of the accident I was not 53:14 under the influence, I still had methamphetamine in my system. 53:18 At my sentencing day, I left the courtroom and I didn't come 53:22 back, and that left me with a felony warrant. 53:26 I had fallen asleep in a park and I woke up to a park ranger 53:31 knocking on my window. 53:33 I knew I was wanted and I knew that I was not gonna just turn 53:38 myself in. 53:39 I turned to him and I made the comment, "Not today," and I 53:42 took off. 53:44 I led five different agencies on about a 35-minute chase. 53:48 I realized at that point that I wasn't gonna get away and that 53:51 this was gonna end up either me killing somebody or myself, 53:57 and so I made a decision to pull over. 53:59 At that point, everything that I had, I lost. 54:03 I was sentenced to two years in state prison, and it was 54:06 there that God got ahold of me, and that was through Amazing 54:13 Facts Ministries. 54:15 I remember listening on my radio to Pastor Doug Batchelor. 54:19 I wanted to get to know the Bible. 54:20 I wanted to know God, and so my Aunt Marilyn sent me the Amazing 54:27 Facts study guides and it was there that my relationship 54:32 with Christ began. 54:35 I had called home and I knew my mother wasn't doing well, but I 54:40 didn't realize that she had cancer. 54:44 She had about a 30% chance of making it through her 54:50 surgery. 54:51 She had told the doctors that she was not going to have chemo 54:54 and she was not gonna have radiation, that if her God was 54:55 going to save her, then he would save her. 54:59 I remember hanging up the phone to what I thought was my last 55:03 conversation with my mom. 55:07 I turned around, I got down on my knees, and I prayed 55:10 to God. 55:12 I said, "God, if you're there, please save my mother. 55:16 Wherever you lead me in life, whatever you want me to do, I am 55:20 yours." 55:21 And I had a feeling of such peace that I knew that my mother 55:26 was gonna be okay and that my life was going to change. 55:32 There are no words that I can adequately express to "Amazing 55:35 Facts" and to Pastor Doug to say thank you. 55:38 To all those people who support the ministry, I am a product 55:41 of your support. 55:43 My life has changed because of this ministry and I thank you 55:49 from the bottom of my heart. 56:11 ♪♪♪ 56:16 Doug Batchelor: Hi, friends. 56:17 This is Pastor Doug Bachelor. 56:19 Would you like to hear an amazing fact? 56:20 More and more of the world is turning now to natural forms 56:23 of energy to try and find their power, and they're resorting 56:27 to things like the wind farm that we have here in Jamaica 56:29 at Wigton. 56:31 You know, I remember years ago my wife and I going to visit 56:33 the Big Island of Hawaii, and we were amazed at all the potential 56:37 there for natural power, but they weren't using it. 56:40 There at the south part of the island, there was 56:43 volcanic activity. 56:44 You can make geothermal power there. 56:46 If you went to Waimea, the wind was constantly blowing, but they 56:50 had no windmills there. 56:52 If you went over to Kona, the sun always shines, solar 56:55 electric, but they didn't have very much solar electric there. 56:59 And if you went to Hilo, it was always raining, hydro electric. 57:02 And in spite of all that potential for power there 57:05 on the Big Island of Hawaii, they were powering the island 57:08 back then with dirty diesel generators. 57:11 Made me think about how we sometimes waste the power 57:13 of God's Spirit that he's making available to us, and each of us 57:16 can have that Spirit if we simply ask. 57:19 You can read in Zechariah chapter 10, what do we do? 57:22 "Ask of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain, 57:25 and he will send flashing clouds." 57:27 Jesus also said in the book of Luke, "If you then being evil 57:31 know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more 57:34 with your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to them that 57:37 ask?" 57:39 When you look in the book of Acts, when the Holy Spirit 57:41 was poured out, it says there was a sound of a mighty, rushing 57:45 wind, and that power that launched the church back then 57:48 can still power your life today, friends. 57:50 So why don't you ask him? 57:55 ♪♪♪ 58:00 ♪♪♪ 58:10 ♪♪♪ |
Revised 2020-02-17