Participants: Lonnie Melashenko
Series Code: VOPS
Program Code: VOPS000002
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00:30 Thank you and good evening, ladies and gentlemen.
00:34 On September 11, 2001, 00:37 the world tingled as we pricked up our ears 00:40 and listened to the shocking news 00:41 bulletins coming out of New York City 00:44 and then from the Pentagon, Washington D.C. 00:46 as the newscaster said, 00:48 "Terrorists hijacked planes, the Twin Towers, 00:51 the World Trade Center and the Pentagon." 00:53 It was like a plot from some horror movie. 00:57 What kind of people would do something like this? 01:00 And we thought, "What if I had been on one of those planes?" 01:05 Jeannie's mother was flying out 01:07 from Dulles Airport in Washington D.C. 01:10 to the West Coast that very morning. 01:12 And you'll all remember that 01:13 when the attack hit in New York, 01:15 all flights were immediately grounded. 01:19 Where was mother? 01:21 We knew our little lady 6-year-old Evelyn had landed 01:24 somewhere in the country, but where was she? 01:26 I don't know, Jeannie, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 hours went by, 01:30 we worried and what relief when we finally discovered 01:33 that her plane had landed in Kansas City. 01:37 But tonight we're still reeling in shock 01:40 from the aftermath of the attack on America. 01:43 You know, suddenly the flight on planet earth 01:45 has gotten a whole lot more bumpy, hasn't it? 01:48 Anthrax, Jihad, words we didn't know two years ago. 01:53 The world tonight is on tiptoe. 01:55 Wall Street is holding its breath. 01:58 The fuse is lit and burning and everyone is watching 02:00 the Middle East, wondering something is coming, 02:03 something of epic proportions, our worried world waits. 02:10 In fact, the pundits now say that 02:12 our future is so frightening 02:15 that something greater than man, 02:17 a power above man, outside man must alter the collision course 02:22 that our great nations are now taking. 02:25 But, Ladies and Gentlemen, 02:27 during this very program tonight 02:29 it is my purpose to actually identify this needed force. 02:36 So that from now on you'll be able to read your newspaper 02:38 with a brand new perspective 02:40 and see world events in a brand new light. 02:43 You tonight are on the verge of a truly thrilling discovery. 02:50 Now strange it might seem 02:52 to properly identify this power. 02:54 It's necessary to go back in history 2,600 years 03:00 and take a look at one of the shrewdest cartoons 03:03 of world history ever produced. 03:05 And no wonder God Himself produced it and designed it. 03:10 I want you to go back with me tonight 03:12 to the splendors of an ancient eastern palace, 03:16 wherein one night a great world monarch 03:20 had a most remarkable dream. 03:23 We find that recorded in the Book of Daniel Chapter 2. 03:26 Now this dazzling young monarch 03:29 just happens to be Saddam Hussein's hero. 03:34 Maybe you read it in Time Magazine 03:36 a couple of years-- by the way, 03:37 today is Saddam Hussein's birthday, he is 66. 03:43 Nebuchadnezzar is that king that Saddam Hussein 03:47 has patterned his whole life after. 03:48 He was the king of ancient Babylon, 03:51 who'd forged together that great world empire Babylon, 03:56 determined to establish an eternal dynasty. 03:59 He even went to the pains of stamping 04:01 his own name on every single brick 04:04 that they used in the construction of Babylon. 04:06 By the way, if you win the prize on "Jeopardy" 04:09 or the "Wheel of Fortune" 04:11 and you would happen to be sent over to Baghdad next week. 04:14 Did you know that tourists can still buy 04:15 an original brick from ancient Babylon 04:18 with Nebuchadnezzar's name stamped on it? 04:21 And that proud monarch was determined 04:24 Babylon would always rule the world. 04:27 That's why Saddam likes him as his alter ego. 04:31 And thinking of his empire to come, 04:33 one night King Nebuchadnezzar fell asleep 04:36 and he dreamed a dream. 04:37 Verse 1 says, in Daniel Chapter 2. 04:40 And in that dream, 04:41 the Bible says, he saw terrible things. 04:44 He saw rise and fall of political empires 04:48 crashing one after another. 04:49 In his terror, he awakened 04:51 and he cried out in that palace bedroom 04:53 and his Taliban guards and aides 04:55 and the Secret Service agents 04:56 came rushing in, "What is it, king? 04:58 What is it?" 04:59 "Oh, I've had a dream, awful dream. 05:04 Terrifying things are about to come. 05:06 It's so ominous. I feel sick." 05:08 "Well, what is it? Tell us." 05:10 The king said, "Quick! 05:12 Call the wise men, the astrologers." 05:13 In the ancient days, dreams were very important to them. 05:18 So, fortunetellers were employed 05:20 to foretell the future. 05:21 So here they came, the brains-trust of the empire. 05:24 Some of them were mathematicians, 05:25 astronomers, scientists, 05:27 all with their fancy degrees and PhDs and Fiddle-dee-dees, 05:32 Lecanomancy, Belomancy, Necromancy, Hepatoscopy. 05:36 And they said, "What is it? What is it, King?" 05:38 Daniel 2:3 says, "Oh, I've had a dream 05:41 and my spirit is anxious to know the dream." 05:44 Now mind you, these men were like 05:46 our 21st Century Harvard graduates. 05:50 They were Wall Street's market analysts. 05:53 In Daniel 2:4, they said, 05:55 "...O King, your majesty, live forever!" 05:59 Now you just go ahead "Tell us your dream, 06:01 and we will give you the interpretation." 06:03 The king said, now listen, that's the very point. 06:05 I've forgotten the dream. 06:07 You divines, you claim to have some 06:09 direct communication with the Gods. 06:11 You tell me my dream. 06:12 And verses 5 and 6 record the desperate struggle 06:15 between the so-called wise men, 06:17 who everybody could see now were clearly stalling for time, 06:22 and the king who demanded. 06:26 "My decision is firm. 06:28 If you do not make known to me the dream, 06:31 and its interpretation, you shall be cut in pieces 06:35 and your houses shall be made an ash heap. 06:38 Therefore tell me the dream and its interpretation." 06:41 Oh, come on, King. 06:44 Just tell us a little bit of the dream. 06:47 You tell me the dream 06:48 or I'll have the whole bunch of you 06:49 religious hypocrites killed. 06:52 "O King," verses 10 and 11 says, 06:54 "There's not a man on earth 06:55 who can tell the king's matter." 06:57 And they were right. 06:59 No king, or Lord, or rulers ever asked anything 07:01 of any magician or astrologer or Chaldean. 07:04 They said, "No, there's no other 07:06 who can tell it to the king except the Gods, 07:09 whose dwelling is not with flesh." 07:12 And the king roars. "Slay them all! 07:16 Execute every last one of them!" 07:19 Daniel 2:13, it says, "So the decree went out, 07:23 and they began killing the wise men..." 07:26 But now at the court of Babylon during this very time 07:30 happened to live the young God-fearing 07:33 Jewish prophet by the name of Daniel. 07:35 And he has three companions, we know them by name Shadrach, 07:38 Meshach, and Abednego. 07:40 They had been captured by Nebuchadnezzar's armies 07:43 during one of its campaigns against Jerusalem. 07:45 And so they were now prisoners of war, POWs. 07:49 But because of their superior IQ, 07:52 they weren't made slaves or killed in genocide. 07:57 These three Hebrews and Daniel were training 07:59 as future "aides" for the king. 08:02 I don't know why, but for some reason 08:04 Daniel and his three friends 08:05 hadn't been called in for Nebuchadnezzar's 08:07 "midnight madness" consultation. 08:10 So when the Attorney-General whose name was Arioch 08:14 and his soldiers came to arrest Daniel, 08:16 the Bible tells us that this winsome young man 08:18 Daniel responded with very gracious tact. 08:22 Arioch, we're friends, 08:24 I mean, this seems very harsh and abrupt. 08:28 That's unlike the king. 08:30 What's the matter? Well, Daniel, I'm very sorry. 08:32 Kind of in a hurry, but I guess 08:34 the king had too much pizza last night. 08:37 Daniel 2:24 says, Daniel says, 08:40 "But don't destroy the wise men of Babylon. 08:42 If you'll just grant a temporary stay of execution 08:46 and then take me to the king. 08:49 Arioch, both the dream and the interpretation 08:52 can be made known to the king." 08:55 It's a very fascinating drama that unfolds here 08:57 as the king actually grants Daniel's request. 09:01 And Daniel heads home and he spends the entire night 09:03 in prayer with his companions. 09:05 But that night, that very night 09:08 God revealed the secret dream to him in a vision. 09:12 And the next morning, Daniel calls Arioch 09:14 on his cell phone, if he had one. 09:16 Daniel 2:24, 09:18 "Arioch, don't execute the wise men of Babylon. 09:20 Take me to the king, 09:21 and I will interpret his dream for him." 09:24 Can you see Daniel getting up, 09:26 putting on his tails and bowtie or whatever he wore back then, 09:28 but he steps into the throne room. 09:30 And the king, he's already heard 09:32 a little bit about this and he flatters Daniel, 09:33 and he says, "Well, young man Daniel, 09:36 I understand you are pretty wise, pretty smart. 09:39 You're able to tell me what I dreamed?" 09:43 "Oh, just a minute," says Daniel. 09:45 "I want you to know, I didn't come up with this." 09:49 Notice verses 27 and 28. 09:51 "The secret which the king has demanded, 09:54 the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, 09:56 and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king. 09:59 But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, 10:04 and He has made known to the King Nebuchadnezzar," What? 10:08 "What will be in the latter days..." 10:13 King, when it comes to foretelling the future, 10:16 the brains-trust of your empire of mankind 10:19 is like Enron and WorldCom. 10:21 But, O King, God has taken this occasion 10:25 to outline through your dream 10:27 the history of the world for more than 2,600 years." 10:32 Really, the king says. He leans forward on his throne. 10:36 Go ahead. Daniel, what did I see? 10:40 And he listens intently as loudly and clearly, 10:43 Daniel begins to speak in Daniel 2:29. 10:48 "Your majesty, as for you, O King, 10:53 thoughts came to your mind while you're on your bed, 10:55 about what would come to pass after this, 10:59 and He who reveals secrets 11:01 has made known to you what will be." 11:05 Oh, yes, Daniel, go ahead. What did I dream? 11:10 Verse 31, "You O king, were watching, 11:13 and behold, a great image!" 11:17 This image, whose splendor was excellent, 11:20 stood before you, and its form was awesome. 11:23 That's where the kids get that term, awesome. 11:27 Oh, Daniel, yes, yes, that's it, an awesome image. 11:31 "This image's head was of gold, its chest and arms of silver, 11:34 its belly and thighs of brass, its legs of iron, 11:37 its feet partly of iron and partly of clay." 11:41 And amazed, Nebuchadnezzar listens, Danny, D anny boy, 11:45 you've got it, yes, you got it again! 11:47 That's just as I saw it. 11:49 Verses 34 and 35, Daniel continues, 11:52 "You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, 11:55 which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay 11:57 and broke them in pieces. 11:59 And then the iron, the clay, 12:00 the bronze, the silver, and the gold 12:01 were crushed together and became like chaff 12:03 from the summer threshing floors, 12:05 the wind carried them away 12:07 so that no trace of them was found." 12:13 That's right, says the King. 12:15 That dream, it ended with that mysterious stone 12:18 hurtling out of somewhere in space 12:19 and it struck that image on its feet 12:21 and just shattering and grinding 12:23 the whole statue to powder 12:25 so that it was so fine, the wind just blew it away. 12:29 Verse 35, "And the stone that struck the image 12:32 became a great mountain and filled the whole earth." 12:38 Daniel looks at the king. 12:41 The king is looking back at Daniel. 12:43 He's still leaning forward on the edge of his throne. 12:46 And his face kind of brightens and he says, "Yes, that's it! 12:51 That's the dream exactly as I saw it! 12:53 Amazing. 12:54 It is all coming back now, every detail. 12:56 This metal man, each different metal 12:58 less in value is descend from the head to the toe, 13:01 there is gold, and then there is silver, 13:02 then brass, then iron, then iron mixed with clay. 13:06 Perhaps someone though asks tonight, 13:09 but what possible significance 13:11 can this obscure 2,600 year old dream 13:14 have upon today's news on Iraq? 13:18 Oh, my friend, wrapped up in this strange image 13:22 are hidden certain salient facts 13:24 that are capable of transforming 13:26 our entire outlook on the future. 13:30 Oh, but you say, what does it mean? 13:33 That is the question Nebuchadnezzar asked 13:36 and said the young prophet in verse 36. 13:39 "This is the dream. 13:41 Now we will tell the interpretation..." 13:45 Now please, friend, notice. 13:46 I'm not going to place some modern interpretation 13:48 on this musty old dream. 13:50 It was interpreted for us on the spot 2,500 years ago. 13:55 So again the king nervously 13:57 changes his position on his throne 13:59 and he listens as in just a few words, 14:02 God sketched history from Babylon's time 600 years 14:07 before Christ to the final climax of earth's history. 14:12 And Daniel looks squarely at King Nebuchadnezzar, 14:14 ruler of this world's first Universal Kingdom, 14:17 and he declares, "Your majesty, 14:21 here's what this dream means." 14:22 Verse 38, 14:25 "You, oh king, are this head of gold." 14:31 Babylon. Oh, the king smiles. 14:35 That's fine. Babylon the Golden. 14:38 That fits. Babylon the great. 14:40 The king was thrilled to think 14:42 that he was at the top of that image. 14:43 Babylon was the golden kingdom of a golden age. 14:46 And in fact you look into history 14:48 and you find that they used gold everywhere. 14:50 When you went to school you learned 14:52 that the fabulous hanging gardens of Babylon 14:55 were one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. 14:58 They had a 150 foot wide streets, all paved, 15:03 crisscrossing each other at right angles. 15:05 In fact they had a subterranean tunnel 15:08 underneath the Euphrates River, 15:09 that's were Saddam got that idea of all those tunnels 15:12 and it was connecting 15:13 two of the royal palaces way back then. 15:16 They had a food supply on hand for 20 years 15:19 in case of enemy attack. 15:21 Babylon the Golden. Babylon the impregnable. 15:25 They would never fail, they were eternal... 15:31 they thought. 15:34 As Daniel talked, the king was really enjoying 15:36 the thought of his supremacy up there 15:37 at the top, this head of gold. 15:39 All this fits, Daniel. I'm that head of gold. 15:42 Why don't you just go right on with this wonderful forecast? 15:46 Verse 39, Daniel said, "But, king, after you 15:52 will arise another kingdom inferior to yours..." 15:57 What? 16:00 Come on, now get real, an inferior kingdom 16:03 conquer Babylon and rule the world? 16:05 It cannot be. 16:06 Never will an inferior kingdom 16:08 tumble Babylon and rule the world. 16:11 But archaeologists have excavated clay tablets 16:13 inscribed with some pretty pompous words by Nebuchadnezzar 16:16 and this is actually from history I'm quoting. 16:19 "The fortifications of Esagila and Babylon, 16:22 I strengthened and established the name of my reign forever." 16:29 That is precisely why Saddam Hussein 16:31 once said to the press, 16:32 "Nebuchadnezzar is my hero 16:34 because no one will ever take Baghdad." 16:43 But the Bible says, 16:44 the proud Nebuchadnezzar in Chapter 4:30, 16:47 "spoke saying, 'Is not this great Babylon 16:50 that I have built for a royal dwelling 16:52 by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?'" 16:57 But God's Holy Word said that another power 17:01 would achieve world supremacy 17:03 and supersede the golden kingdom of Babylon. 17:06 In fact God's word even identified 17:08 that next power for Daniel. 17:10 In Daniel 8:20 and 5:28, 17:15 God names this power as Medo-Persia. 17:20 Did this happen? 17:22 You know world history, you know that it did. 17:24 In fact Daniel lived long enough to see it happen. 17:28 But history tells us 17:29 that it was an unusual dual power and empire. 17:33 Well, how did that happen? 17:34 It happened during the reign of Belshazzar, 17:37 who was the very arrogant 17:38 and proud grandson of Nebuchadnezzar. 17:42 Cyrus the Mede, he laid siege to Babylon. 17:46 But the Babylonians scoffed, 17:48 they had walls 387 feet high and 87 feet thick. 17:53 They scoffed at those armies of Cyrus 17:55 gathered outside the walls of Babylon. 17:57 No problem. 17:59 There was no way Babylon could fall. 18:02 But God said Babylon would succumb to a lesser nation. 18:07 In fact he predicted that Cyrus would do the work. 18:11 How? By strategy. 18:14 History tells us, on October 13, 539 B.C., 18:19 that that great golden kingdom of Babylon 18:22 came crashing down and it collapsed in just one night. 18:28 How? 18:29 Well, God had prophesied it 200 years before 18:33 through the Prophet Isaiah, in Isaiah 45:1. 18:36 "Thus says the Lord God to His anointed, to Cyrus, 18:41 whose right hand I have held to subdue nations before him, 18:46 and loose the armor of kings, to open before him," 18:50 notice "the double doors, 18:54 so that the gates will not be shut." 18:57 Our prophecy revealed that Cyrus would do this, 19:01 150 years before he was even born. 19:04 But how would he do it? 19:06 Well, Cyrus could not break down those great big walls 19:08 so he did an amazing thing. 19:09 It sounds very, very simple now 19:11 but nobody had ever heard of it before. 19:14 But the Euphrates River was the key. 19:18 History tells us that Cyrus sent his engineers 19:21 to work upstream on the Euphrates River, 19:24 and they built some dams and dikes to divert the river 19:28 that ran through the center of the city. 19:30 And on a given night, on a given signal, 19:32 one group of those soldiers and engineers turned aside 19:35 that whole Euphrates River, it dropped down to a trickle, 19:39 and so the rest of the army that were hiding in ambush, 19:42 they tramped down into the riverbed, 19:43 marched underneath the great walls of Babylon 19:46 right into the city. 19:48 They had left those two double doors open inside the city 19:51 and that night by surprise-attack 19:52 the Persian army stormed Belshazzar's palace. 19:55 They captured the city, they killed the king 19:57 and Babylon the Golden crashed in one night. 20:04 So now Medo-Persia ruled the world. 20:07 For two centuries from 539 to 331 B.C. 20:11 the chest and arms of silver of that great image ruled. 20:17 A kingdom that certainly 20:18 was a whole lot inferior to Babylon, 20:21 but it happened and history confirms it. 20:24 But, you see, the prophecy goes on 20:26 and history goes on. 20:28 Daniel predicted the kingdom of silver would also fall. 20:33 Notice verse 39, "...Next, O king, a third kingdom, 20:38 one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth." 20:42 Well, did that come to pass? 20:44 I mean, could Daniel have possibly identified 20:46 this third world power, would have hardly even existed yet? 20:51 In Daniel 8:21 he puts it down in black and white. 20:55 The belly and thighs of bronze 20:57 made on this metal image is Greece. 21:01 And he even names it 300 years before it arose. 21:05 Daniel spells that out, 1, 2, 3. 21:09 First Babylon, then Medo-Persia, 21:11 then Grecia, and history backs up the Bible. 21:16 The fantastic story of Alexander the Great, 21:20 that dazzling young general who marched his armies so fast, 21:23 that the Bible says like his feet seemed like 21:25 they touched not the ground. 21:28 Jeannie and I were in Greece with Phil Draper 21:30 and some of our Voice of Prophecy team 21:31 just a little over year ago before everything blew up. 21:35 Two summers ago, we were following 21:36 the journeys of the the Apostle Paul 21:38 and our guide in near Athens showed us exact place 21:43 where Alexander and the Greeks 21:44 collided head-on with Darius III of Persia 21:48 in the Battle of Arbela in 331 B.C. 21:52 And they showed us that little area in the ocean 21:55 there in the Mediterranean. 21:57 He said, there were so many Persian ships 21:59 packed into that little bay, 22:01 they couldn't maneuver, they couldn't turn around. 22:02 Alexander just had some little tiny robots practically. 22:06 His rag-tag band of just 47,000 soldiers 22:11 were pitted against one million Persians. 22:15 Impossible? 22:16 Jimmy the Greek, the oddsmaker in Vegas would say, 22:19 "That's 20:1 odds, no way." 22:22 But Daniel Chapter 6 says, "No. 22:24 The Greeks will tumble the Medo-Persian Empire." 22:28 And it happened. It happened. 22:31 At the young age of 25, Alexander became the ruler 22:34 over the most expensive and extensive world empire 22:37 that he had ever known, Greece, 22:40 the great bronze third world empire. 22:45 You know, if you read world history 22:47 and I took history as a minor in college. 22:48 It's very interesting to read Arian 22:51 who writes this and I'm quoting. 22:52 He writes about Alexander. 22:54 "I am persuaded that there was no nation, 22:57 city, nor people where his name did not reach. 23:01 There seems to me to have been some divine hand presiding 23:05 both over his birth and actions." 23:09 Greece, the kingdom of brass. 23:12 I don't believe it's just a coincidence 23:14 that the Greek soldiers wore brass armor, brass spears, 23:19 brass helmets, brass shields, brass battle-axes, 23:23 because that was the third metal 23:25 of that empire in Nebuchadnezzar's dream. 23:28 And Alexander the Great. What a general. 23:31 I mean, in five short years, 23:35 he marched his armies all over the globe. 23:38 He crossed the Himalayas to India. 23:41 And finally at just 32 years of age 23:44 Alexander sat down and he wept 23:46 because there were no more worlds to conquer. 23:49 A bloodthirsty and licentious soldier he was. 23:52 Alexander often killed his own friends 23:55 for sport in his drunken frenzies. 23:58 Or he'd burn down beautiful palaces, 24:01 simply to watch them burn. 24:02 He was a pyromaniac. 24:05 Unfortunately, Alexander the Great 24:07 dropped dead one day of acute alcoholism. 24:11 And after his death, 24:12 the Greek Empire went downhill fast, 24:15 Until, "On June 22, 168 B.C., at the Battle of Pynda, 24:22 perished the great empire of Alexander the Great, 24:25 just a 144 years after his death." 24:29 But God predicted four world empires, one after the other. 24:36 So after those thighs of brass 24:39 were down now in the legs of iron. 24:42 Notice Daniel 2:40, 24:45 "And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron..." 24:50 Well, turning to history again, sure enough. 24:53 Rome crushed Grecia. 24:57 Rome was the most fierce and ruthless kingdom yet. 25:00 This great iron monarchy with her Caesars, 25:03 who've called themselves gods and demanded worship. 25:06 Everyone knows that Rome was the cruel power 25:09 that put Jesus to death. 25:11 Roman soldiers nailed Him to the cross on Calvary. 25:16 Iron Rome, military Rome, 25:18 characterized by rumbling iron chariots, 25:22 short iron swords and fantastic highway systems. 25:26 But Rome was a horribly fierce authoritative power. 25:32 Daniel speaks again, but now listen, king, 25:35 king here we're down on the legs, 25:37 but now a major change in world history is coming. 25:42 Your majesty, there is not gonna be anymore 25:45 world empires that follow Rome." 25:48 What? No more world empires? 25:53 There's always world-- No fifth empire, Daniel? 25:55 No, says Daniel. 25:56 The Prophecy says, the fourth world empire is the very last. 26:02 Babylon the Golden, Medo-Persia, Grecia, 26:05 then the iron monarchy of Rome 26:06 but then God says a big change is coming. 26:10 Well, Nebuchadnezzar leans forward on his throne 26:14 listening to Daniel as he points now 26:15 down to the feet of that great image. 26:19 King, do you remember that your saw in your dream, 26:22 a great break up? 26:24 Do you remember the feet 26:26 were part of iron and part of clay? 26:30 Yes, but what does that mean? Verse 41, verse 42, 43. 26:36 King, "Just as you saw that the feet 26:38 were part of baked clay and partly of iron, 26:43 so this will be now a divided kingdom, 26:47 so the people will be a mixture and not remain united, 26:51 any more than iron mixes with clay." 26:54 Well, now, Danny boy, do you mean to tell me 26:56 that there will not be one world empire any more? 26:59 Exactly, king. No fifth world empire. 27:03 Rome would rule the world for 600 years, 27:06 but then it would disintegrate. 27:08 Did it happen? Did it? 27:11 You just go down the street to any Barnes & Noble store 27:14 and you read Edward Gibbons' 27:16 The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire. 27:18 Probably many of you have it at home, 27:19 probably haven't read it, it's pretty heavy stuff. 27:22 The Gibbons tells us that Rome did 27:24 divide and break up just like those ten toes. 27:28 Daniel 7:24 said, ten kings would arise. 27:33 In fact Gibbons tells how Rome imploded 27:36 and collapsed through vice, through luxury, 27:41 through political corruption, scandal 27:44 and particularly moral decay. 27:47 We talk about those Roman orgies, 27:50 this is what we're talking about. 27:53 It caved in, becoming an easy prey 27:55 for those barbarian tribes, 27:56 who began to invade the empire around 476. 28:00 Over those Alpine passes to the North, 28:03 they swarmed in from Northern Europe in full revolt. 28:06 They deposed Emperor Augustus, 28:08 and Rome just fractured into segments, 28:11 little nations, little countries, 28:14 corresponding exactly to the ten toes in the image 28:18 that came apart, the iron clay 28:21 and they can't mix. 28:23 Nothing you can do welds iron to clay. 28:26 So Daniel 2:42, 43 says, "So the kingdom now 28:30 will be partly strong and partly fragile. 28:34 As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, 28:37 they will mingle with the seed of men, 28:39 but they will not adhere to one another, 28:41 just as iron does not mix with clay." 28:45 Now, Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm here tonight to tell you 28:49 that in history we here are right down 28:53 there in the toes of that great big image. 28:58 Those barbarian divisions around 476 A.D. 29:02 basically became the nations 29:04 of what we now call today modern Europe. 29:06 In fact if you went to public high school or college, 29:09 you know that historians list these ten barbaric tribes. 29:14 We'll put them on the chart here right now. 29:15 The Alamanni became the Germans. 29:17 The Burgundians became the Swiss. 29:19 The Franks became the French. The Lombards are the Italians. 29:22 The Saxons are the English. The Suevi are the Portuguese. 29:25 The Visigoths are our Spanish friends. 29:27 And the Heruli and the Ostrogoths 29:29 and the Vandals are now extinct. 29:32 But here is the point. 29:34 God predicted these nations of Europe 29:39 and that they would never unite. 29:42 They'll try. 29:43 Daniel 2:43 says, 29:44 "They will mingle themselves with the seed of men." 29:47 In other words, they would intermarry royalty 29:50 but that won't work. 29:51 And, you know, you look at the history of Europe, 29:53 fascinating to me. 29:55 Coney went to school over there in England 29:56 and he can probably verify this, 29:58 they tried everything you can to get Europe together. 30:01 They tried intermarriage, they tried intrigue, 30:02 they tried alimony, they tried palimony. 30:05 But God said no. 30:07 They'll try, but you read the text with me. 30:10 What does your Bible say? 30:11 "They shall not cleave one to another." 30:16 Amen. They would fail. 30:20 Seven words in verse 43 spell the doom 30:23 of all future attempts for world dominion. 30:26 I mean they tried forging one world empire 30:29 down to the Middle Ages clear into the 20th Century. 30:32 In fact now in the 21st century, 30:34 they've even come up 30:35 with some new ways of trying to bring them together, 30:37 they have one of them called the European Common Market. 30:40 In fact they have a new common currency, 30:42 they kind of like it. 30:43 The Euro seems to be 30:44 about the best attempt they've ever had. 30:47 But is it all working? No. 30:49 They are still divided, perhaps more than ever. 30:52 Intermarriage, divorce, remarriage, adultery, incest, 30:56 intrigue, you name it, went on in Europe. 30:57 And suddenly, as you look at world history, 30:59 all of the political rulers 31:01 began to be related to each other. 31:04 So what happens? 31:06 World War I was just one great big family quarrel. 31:10 Most of the rulers of Europe 31:12 were related in some way to Christian IX of Denmark. 31:16 Same with World War II over there in Europe, same story, 31:20 another family argument, as far as Europe was concerned. 31:24 The Czar of Russia, the King of England, 31:26 Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany, they were all first cousins 31:30 related to Queen Victoria, their grandmother. 31:33 By the way, if you ever do get the courage 31:35 to fly on an airline again 31:36 and go over to Europe and you go to Denmark, 31:40 be sure to go to the palace 31:42 and you'll see a famous picture there with a family tree 31:45 of the royal families of Europe. 31:48 And it will show you that they were all related. 31:51 You see, they hoped by some how 31:52 maybe romancing each other, marrying each other, 31:55 that it would bring them together and prevent wars. 32:00 Well, it didn't. It's never worked. 32:03 Because God predicted they could not stick together, 32:09 just as iron and clay will not stick together. 32:12 Everyone tried to glue the nations of Europe together. 32:15 Charlemagne in 800 tried, he was defeated. 32:20 Charles V of Spain, he tried it, defeated. 32:25 Louis XIV of France, defeated. Napoleon, defeated. 32:30 In fact Napoleon finally admitted 32:32 God has just too much for me. 32:35 Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany, defeated. 32:38 Hitler in 1939, defeated. Mussolini, defeated. 32:43 Because a single verse of prophecy 32:45 spelled the doom of all of these efforts 32:47 to unite Europe under one flag. 32:49 God said, "They shall not cleave one to another." 32:56 I'm a Canadian by birth 32:57 and all of my Canadian friends are listening tonight. 33:00 We have a French translator 33:02 and he's sending it up to Montreal 33:03 and all the French Canada. 33:04 You know, I was fascinated this last summer 33:08 when they had that big G-8 33:09 summit conference up there in Kananaskis, Alberta, 33:13 that's right inside Banff National Park. 33:15 Do you remember who was there on June 6, 2002? 33:18 President Bush was there. 33:19 Tony Blair was there from Canada. 33:21 England, France, they were all there 33:23 trying to bring world peace in Europe, 33:27 peace in the Middle East. 33:31 I'm a good citizen. 33:33 I don't wish to be disrespectful or unpatriotic. 33:36 But, Ladies and Gentlemen, these seven words 33:40 spell the ultimate doom of the United Nations, 33:45 the League of Nations, 33:46 the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization, 33:49 the Organization of American States, 33:51 the Palestinian-Israeli peace accord. 33:53 The Bible says, "They shall not cleave one to another." 33:59 Whether it's in Moscow or Beijing 34:01 or the White House, they may get together, 34:04 but the Bible says, they can't stick together. 34:06 It will never be. Those words, same words. 34:12 They hang over every peace table, 34:14 every council of nations, 34:16 every effort toward uniting the world in peace. 34:19 God said, you say it with me, say it right out loud 34:21 so they can hear you in Paradise, California, 34:23 where my folks are listening tonight, everyone. 34:26 "They shall not cleave one to another." 34:31 So, Ladies and Gentlemen, the question we ask you 34:33 in this Voice of Prophecy Speaks series 34:34 is "What's Next?" 34:39 That's the question tonight. 34:41 And The Voice of Prophecy speaks again 34:44 because suddenly the prophet stops short, and he says, 34:47 Oh, look there, king, you see it coming? 34:49 The king looks up as though he sees something. 34:51 Do you see it? 34:52 That's stone cut out without hands, 34:54 and it comes down and strikes the image upon the feet, 34:56 and smashes all those nations to bits. 34:59 And the image explodes 35:00 and shatters in a billion pieces. 35:02 And that stone just grinds it to powder, and blows it away. 35:05 Well, the king watches as that stone sure enough grows 35:09 until it becomes a great mountain 35:11 and fills the whole earth. 35:12 Daniel, what does that mean? 35:14 What is that stone? What does it represent? 35:17 He hears the pronouncement in verse 44, 45. 35:21 "In the time of those kings," 35:24 down in the feet of iron mixed with clay of Modern Europe 35:28 and the United States of America. 35:29 In those days, "The God of heaven 35:33 will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, 35:36 nor will it be left to other people. 35:38 It will crush all those kingdoms 35:40 and bring them to the end, 35:42 but it itself will endure forever. 35:46 King, this is the meaning of the vision of the rock 35:49 cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands 35:52 a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, 35:54 the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces. 35:56 The great God has shown the king 36:00 what will take place in the future. 36:03 King, the dream is true 36:06 and the interpretation is trustworthy." 36:09 My friends, tonight, Daniel 2 is a picture 36:14 of tomorrow morning's newspaper headlines 36:17 that the great next event on the stage of human history 36:21 is the Kingdom of the Stone. 36:23 The second-coming of Jesus, that's what's next. 36:28 That stone cut out without hands 36:30 means that God's kingdom won't be founded 36:32 by the hands of men, but by the mighty hand of God. 36:37 And it is a kingdom that will fill the whole earth 36:41 when that Hallelujah chorus that we sing every Christmas 36:44 will fulfill the prophecy, of Revelation 11:15 36:47 "That the kingdoms of this world 36:49 have become the kingdoms of our Lord, 36:51 and He shall reign forever and ever." 36:55 Hallelujah. Hallelujah. 36:57 Daniel 2 is a panoramic picture of history 37:01 in advance for our benefit. 37:04 And you and I tonight have been permitted 37:07 to peek behind the curtain of time 37:10 and see the continued struggle 37:12 that's gone on for thousands of years 37:13 from Daniel's time clear down 37:15 to the establishment of Christ's kingdom 37:18 and we see whose side will win. 37:22 Soon. What's next? 37:25 Christ's kingdom, the very next event. 37:30 Not the Taliban, 37:31 not Osama bin Laden, not atheism. 37:35 No, listen, we tonight, pardon my expression here. 37:41 We're living down in the very tippy toenails of that image. 37:46 It's almost over. 37:49 Very soon now the great Majesty of Heaven 37:54 will arise and He'll step across the threshold of time 37:57 and He'll see our seething, war-torn planet and He'll say, 38:00 Ladies and Gentlemen, it's closing time. 38:03 Things have gone on far enough. 38:05 The wisdom and brains-trust of humankind is bankrupt. 38:11 It's over. 38:13 But permit me to ask you a question tonight. 38:16 Whether you are watching in the Australian Pacific Rim 38:20 or you are in Papua New Guinea which we have watching tonight 38:24 or you're in South America or in Canada 38:27 or the Islands of the Sea, 38:28 wherever you are listening tonight, 38:29 I have a question for you. 38:32 Friend, listen carefully. 38:34 If all of these predictions 38:36 in just one chapter of the Bible 38:38 are absolutely correct in every detail tracing 38:42 thousands of years of history in advance, 38:44 can't we trust the rest of the Bible, too? 38:50 Can we rely on other truths in God's word 38:52 that are given to guide and help us 38:55 prepare for that coming kingdom? 38:57 Can't we tonight be absolutely certain 38:59 Jesus really is coming a second time soon 39:04 just as this prophecy in Daniel 2 says. 39:08 I believe with all of my heart 39:10 that tonight we are living on borrowed time. 39:16 We're right down there in the toes, 39:19 on the very verge of God's eternal kingdom. 39:22 We've come to the end. 39:24 The next move isn't man's, it's God's. 39:30 Let me say it this way. 39:32 Maybe there is not gonna be any more 39:34 voyager spacecraft invasions into space. 39:38 Folks, we're about to witness 39:39 that great big invasion from space. 39:44 But think, in loving mercy, 39:48 God reveals step by step exactly 39:50 what's coming so that we can face the future 39:53 not with fear, but with confidence. 39:56 And our business tonight, friend, is to determine 39:59 that we're gonna be a citizen 40:01 of the eternal kingdom that's coming. 40:04 And, folks, we can. We must. 40:07 Through the wonderful citizenship freely offered 40:10 through Jesus' blood-stained cross on Calvary. 40:15 You know, God is making up His kingdom. 40:17 He's deciding right now who's gonna be in that kingdom. 40:22 Friend, you did not come to this meeting by accident. 40:28 I believe you're here by divine appointment. 40:32 He is inviting you today to come. 40:35 Get out your Bibles, bring them with you, study. 40:39 Open your mind to God's plan for your future. 40:44 What's next? 40:46 What's next, friend, is the choice is up to you. 40:53 Will you ponder with me these words from Joey's song? 40:57 Are you ready for Jesus to come? 41:03 The theme of the Bible is Jesus 41:09 And how He died to save men 41:16 The plan of salvation assures us 41:22 He's coming back again 41:29 Are you ready for Jesus to come? 41:37 Are you faithful in all that you do? 41:44 Have you fought a good fight? 41:47 Have you stood for the right? 41:52 Have others seen Jesus in you? 42:00 Are you ready to stand in your place? 42:08 Are you ready to look in His face? 42:15 Can you look up and say 42:20 This is my Lord 42:26 Are you ready 42:29 For Jesus to come? 42:40 I invite you to join me in prayer just now. 42:44 Eternal God, 42:47 thank You for the dramatic picture of truth in Daniel 2, 42:53 for the certainty of these words in this amazing dream. 42:59 And, Lord, we really do want to be citizens 43:01 of that eternal Kingdom of the Stone. 43:04 We do. 43:07 All our heads are bowed, 43:08 and we're in attitude of prayer. 43:11 The head of each row there are row captains 43:13 and I'd like that they hand down 43:15 right now to each row a little container. 43:19 Just pass that down quickly, row captains, 43:21 just now, send it down. 43:22 Take one of those little response cards 43:25 and a pencil if you need it. 43:26 Just take it out and pass it 43:27 to the person next to you, every one. 43:31 Just do that right now. Pass it right down. 43:33 Thank you, row captains. 43:35 And our heads are bowed in prayer, 43:37 I want to just pray, Lord, 43:39 right now I want to invite any person 43:41 in this auditorium or wherever 43:42 they're listening across this great globe. 43:46 I want them to consider being in that Kingdom 43:48 and Lord to seriously explore how we can be citizens. 43:54 Jesus is inviting us, personally. 43:58 Jesus is present whenever His Word is preached. 44:00 And His Holy word is lifted up, so He's here, 44:02 King of Kings, Lord of Lords right now. 44:06 O Lord if a world president 44:08 walked into this room right now, 44:09 we'd all stand in honor and respect, 44:13 but Jesus is here. 44:16 So we want to honor You, respect You and choose You. 44:22 We want to be a citizen in Your Kingdom. 44:25 So, friend, wherever you're listening tonight, 44:28 I hope you have that card now in your hand, 44:30 and with your head bowed I'd like to invite you. 44:32 If you'd like to begin putting your faith 44:34 more firmly into God's incredible word, 44:37 the Bible, Books of Prophecy. 44:39 Now you don't know all of the answers, 44:42 but you're just making a choice tonight 44:44 to choose to rest your future in God's hands. 44:48 And you'd like to say, 44:49 God, my eternal security is in You. 44:55 I'm gonna do my best, 44:56 I'm gonna come to these meetings, 44:57 I'm gonna sign up there at the Discover Bible table, 45:00 take those lessons tonight, review them, 45:02 do whatever it takes. 45:04 I'd like to invite you, Ladies and Gentlemen, 45:05 take that card right now, your response card. 45:07 I want to go through it with you. 45:09 If you'd mind putting your name and address, 45:12 give us some information there, but notice the first one. 45:15 I want to prepare for Jesus' soon coming kingdom. 45:20 I hope everyone will check that first one. 45:23 And then number two, 45:24 perhaps you'd like to check this as well. 45:25 I would like to surrender my life to Jesus 45:28 and accept Him as my Savior Lord. 45:32 Check that if you'd like 45:33 to have that as your commitment tonight. 45:35 And then number three, there maybe someone here 45:37 in these various locations who would like to say, 45:39 you know, I came in here, 45:41 but I have wandered away from my Lord, 45:44 but I'd like to desire to come back into His truth. 45:47 Would you just check that third response? 45:50 And then number four, 45:51 there may be individuals here tonight, 45:52 that you're just guests or you've got something heavy 45:55 on your heart, a burden and you have a prayer request, 45:57 just write it down there. 45:59 Our staff tomorrow morning 46:00 will be gathering to pray for your request by name. 46:04 Just make those checks right now 46:06 and when you finish that, would you take that container 46:09 and pass it back down the aisle. 46:11 Return your pencils and your commitment card 46:15 as I continue to pray. 46:16 Lord, I don't know these people, 46:20 but You know them, everyone. 46:23 I want to thank You for each commitment. 46:26 Bless each one with inner peace tonight, what's next? 46:29 We don't know. 46:30 But we've made the big decision, 46:32 we want to be part of Your soon coming kingdom, 46:35 help us get ready in Jesus' name, amen. 46:40 Joey, sing the rest of that song for us. 46:44 Don't cling to the world and its treasure 46:50 This earth will soon pass away 46:56 O give him your love without measure 47:03 He's calling you today 47:10 Are you ready for Jesus to come? 47:18 Are you faithful in all that you do? 47:25 Have you fought a good fight? 47:29 Have you stood for the right? 47:34 Have others seen Jesus in you? 47:41 Are you ready to stand in your place? 47:49 Are you ready to look in His face? 47:56 Can you look up and say 48:01 This is my Lord 48:07 Are you ready 48:10 For Jesus to come? 48:22 Amen. And all the people said amen. 48:25 Ladies and Gentlemen, if you didn't get one of those cards, 48:28 see one of our row captains, 48:29 but be sure you place those back in the containers, 48:32 place them down to the other end of the row. 48:34 Tomorrow night, "Why So Much Suffering?" 48:40 Invite your friends. We'll see you here. 48:42 Same locations all across America 48:44 and Australia and South America, 48:45 Canada, the Islands of the Sea. 48:47 Thank you for coming. Good night. 48:49 And remember as you go 48:50 as we say at the end of our broadcast every single day. 48:53 Remember, friend, God really does love you. 48:58 Good night. |
Revised 2014-12-17