S E R M O N S

We come to the 25th and final exposition of the book of Daniel. So if you'll take your Bibles and turn there, I'm glad no one applauded or said, Amen. Daniel chapter 12. The book, as you will recall now, is inspired by God and was written to encourage the exiled Jews of that day by revealing his sovereign plan to them, a plan that included what he is going to do throughout redemptive history, especially over the many years with respect to Gentile domination. Here we have learned of the successive stages of Gentile domination through the centuries, leading to the most vile and wicked ruler of all, the Antichrist, who will be praised by the vast majority of the world's population; people that are naive, people that are depraved, like those that make up the Neo pagan world of liberalism in our country and around the world today. But we've also seen how the greatest conqueror of all the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the Messiah, will defeat all those who stand against him; all those who stand against his covenant people Israel. We've seen how his righteous judgment against them will one day come to fruition. And he will according to Zechariah 12 and verse 10, "'pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only son. And they will weep bitterly over Him, like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.'" And over the course of this study, we have been immersed in grand truths with respect to the holiness of God, the majesty, the transcendence of God, the sovereignty of God, His faithfulness, and His love towards all of the redeemed. And what a comfort to know that our God is the unassailable sovereign over all of His creation. That his kingdom purposes cannot be thwarted by man or by devil. And as we have seen, a day of divine retribution is coming. A day of judgment is coming upon this earth. Now, while such a claim may cause liberals to hyperventilate on their yoga mats, and choke on their Starbucks, nevertheless, it is the truth. And we must proclaim that truth to them, that they might know the one true and living God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, before we examine these final verses in Daniel, I wish to answer a criticism that occasionally comes my way from listeners outside the church. They are probably listening today. And that criticism is basically why do you interpret Bible prophecy literally, rather than figuratively, rather than spiritually. And indeed, I believe the prophetic Scriptures, and like all scripture, should be interpreted in a literal, in a normal, natural way, in a sense that is consistent with the original intent of the author, the Old Testament authors. Of course, taking into consideration figures of speech and symbols. Moreover, I believe that the New Testament continues the narrative of the Old Testament prophets. It does not redefine them or reinterpret them. And so as a result, real practically speaking, I believe that Israel is Israel and not the church. I do not believe Israel has replaced the church. I believe, for example, that Daniel's prophecies of Israel's judgment, and future restoration will occur both spiritually and physically. Jesus will actually reign on the earth in an intermediate Kingdom between the Second Coming in the final concentrations of all things in the eternal state. And this is a position known as pre millennialism, as most of you know. Now other very godly people, friends of mine, believe differently. They use a spiritual hermeneutics-- hermeneutics is the science and art of biblical interpretation--so they believe that the New Testament transforms or transcends the Old Testament, a storyline rather than continues it. This requires a spiritual interpretation. And so in varying ways, they will look for hidden meanings embedded in some of the Old Testament passages. And they look to New Testament revelation to help shape and inform them. They believe Jesus and the New Testament authors therefore reinterpret or redefine, or spiritualize, the kingdom message of the Old Testament. And as a result, they believe that Israel has been replaced permanently by the church, and the promised blessings to Israel are merely spiritual, and ultimately, they are to be interpreted in a spiritual way, not a literal way. And they understand, for example, Revelation to be a description of the current reign of Christ in this present age, a position known as amillennialism. And so they would believe that we are living in the kingdom now spiritually. Now, this is not a test of orthodoxy. Not at all. But I do want to defend just for a moment, why I interpret and we interpret as a church, the scriptures the way we do.

And in order to do that, I want you to turn for just a few minutes to Second Peter chapter one. We're going to look at verses 16 through 21, just for a moment, the context here, Peter is preparing for his crucifixion. He knew he was about to die a horrible death, as Jesus has promised. And we read about that in verse 14 of Second Peter one. But what's fascinating is what is foremost on his mind as he faces his imminent death is the absolute importance of fighting against false teachers, who he calls in chapter three and verse 16, "the untaught and unstable," who distort the scriptures "to their own destruction." And chapter two and verse one, he says, "there will be also false teachers among you." In other words, within the church, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies. In other words, they will smuggle them in; the original language helps us understand. They will smuggle them in under the guise of something else. And we see this for example, in the Neo pagan, Neo Marxist, woke social justice, social gospel movement that has invaded the church. So in chapter one of Second Peter, he, like the Apostle Paul, argues for the absolute supremacy of Scripture that has originated from God Himself, and therefore must never be added to, detracted from or in any way redefined by fallen man. He is passionate about a proper understanding of Scripture, which will lead to sanctification. If you don't know and understand the scriptures, you will not be able to apply them to your life by the power of the Spirit and grow into conformity to the Lord Jesus Christ. It's just not going to happen. So he is passionate about this.

So in Second Peter one, beginning of verse two, he says, "Grace and peace be multiplied to you and the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him, who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He is granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them that you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. Now for this very reason, also, applying all diligence in your faith, supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence knowledge." In other words, moral excellence and knowledge will promote sanctification. He goes on to say, "and in your knowledge, self-control and in your self-control perseverance and in your perseverance godliness, and in your godliness brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours, and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, for he who lacks these qualities, is blind or short sighted," In other words, like the false teachers, "having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Therefore rather than be all the more diligent to make certain about his calling and choosing you, for as long as you practice these things you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you." So what he's saying is the key to salvation and sanctification is a high view of Scripture, and a total surrender to all that God has said, something the false teachers refuse to do, as he will go on to say. So in light of that, in chapter one and verse 16, he says this, "For we do not follow cleverly devised tails, when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty," referring to what they saw on the Mount of Transfiguration. "For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to him by the majestic glory, 'This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased"--and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven, when we were with Him on the holy mountain." And then he says this, "So," or it could be translated, "and, we have the prophetic word, made more sure." Prophetic word refers to the declarations of the mind and the will of God in Scripture, "we have the prophetic word made more sure," which means more certain, more reliable, more reliable, more certain, more sure than what? The answer is our own perceptions, our own experience, what we saw with our own eyes, what we heard with our own ears. In other words, what he's saying is friends, Scripture is more reliable than anything you know, or anything you think you know, anything that you have ever experienced. And we all know that when we relay something that we've experienced, we always leave something out that we forgot, or we may distort something or whatever. Not scripture. It is absolutely pure. Scripture is breathed out by God. And so the omniscient one who cannot lie, is the one who speaks. And his infinite perfections in his character, his very honor is at stake in His Word. And that's why he goes on to say, "to which you do well to pay attention." "Pay attention" literally means to be consumed, to be controlled by as to a lamp shining in a dark place. If you've ever been in a pitch black cave, you know what it's like. You follow the light if you see one, and obviously the unregenerate they grow up in the darkness of their own depravity and in the world. And only a fixed focus on the Word of God on Scripture will give them the light to see Christ and to make their way to glory by faith in Him. So we are to pay attention to this light "until," he says "the day dawns," referring to the eschatological day of Christ, we read about that same phrase in Zechariah, 12, 8 through 14. "And the morning star arises in your hearts." In other words, we keep watching that light until the Lord returns in all of his glory and judgment. "And the morning star arises in our hearts," referring to the complete and perfect revelation of Christ when we are finally in his presence, and we see Him as He is; when we are made like him. So what Peter was saying is, Scripture is more sure, it's more certain, more reliable than anything you have ever experienced. Anything you have ever thought, anything you have ever conceived, anything you have ever imagined.

Back to Second Peter 1:20. He says, "But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's interpretation." Fascinating term "interpretation," it means to release or unloose or to unravel something. And here he is for referring to private unraveling. This doesn't speak so much of how we interpret Scripture, but the source of Scripture, the origin of Scripture. In other words, no part of God's revelation originated from or finds its source in human experience, or human wisdom, human cogitation, human ingenuity, whatever. Therefore, there is nothing subjective or secretive about scripture that requires my input or your input in order to make it relevant, to make it somehow understandable or authoritative or sufficient, so that God can somehow, with our help, accomplish his purposes through Scripture. No, it stands on its own. Its source is divine. All "scripture is breathed out by God," Second Timothy 3:16. It's not tainted by fallible human wisdom. It's not tainted by human ideas or experience. By the way, that same term "interpretation" is used in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, in Genesis 40, where it describes how Joseph received direct revelation from God in the form of a dream. And he was very careful not to in any way, taint what God said, with any of his own interpretations when he communicated it to others. And Peter goes on in verse 20. And he says, "For no prophecy was ever made." In other words, it never comes from, it never finds its origin, by an act of human will, human authorship. But men moved by, literally carried along, by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. So clearly, Peter wants us to know the source, the origin of Scripture, it is from God, it is not from man, therefore, and this is the passion of my heart, do not trifle with the truth. Do not tamper with the text. God said it, I believe it and I bow before it. That's it. You don't need me to say, well, I know that's what God said. But that's not what he meant. Let me tell you what he meant. Now, beloved, what you do is you move from interpretation to Revelation, and I am not inspired, neither of you. So that's why I'm very careful to stay with the text. Notice "men were moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." The term "move," "phero" in the original language. It's the same Greek verb that is translated "made" in verses 21 Verse 18, and verse 17. In other words, the word of God is the word of God. It's not the word of man. He not only inspired men to write it by the superintending work and guidance of the Holy Spirit, he's the one that made it. This is his word. This is why the Bible is authoritative. "Men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God."

Now I also find it interesting in verse 21, he says, "men spoke." In the miracle of inspiration, the Holy Spirit caused these men to speak like I'm speaking to you right now. Well, what do we do when we speak? Well, we use normal language to communicate what we are saying to other people, so they can understand us. There's no hidden meaning. There's no deeper meaning, there is no secret Bible codes, there is no secret symbolism that we need to discover. There is no, as I hear from time to time, fuller sense that must be discovered or redefined, or reinterpreted or spiritualized. Now, of course, there are rules of interpretation. There are rules of hermeneutics. Even when we speak, we understand that I mean, we have to look at the context, we have to look at vocabulary, metaphors, symbols, figures of speech, we all understand that. But we obey the normal rules of grammar, the syntax, the authorial intent, and all of those things. And so, it's for this reason, that I reject the allegorical, spiritualized method of interpretation, especially with respect to Bible prophecy. The Jews didn't understand it that way. They weren't looking for some secret hidden meaning they just knew this was what was promised to them.

And by the way, it's for this reason, if I can add something else, I want to say this kindly. I don't give two hoots for your word of knowledge, or your special prophecy, or your ecstatic gibberish or something that God told you when you had a quiver in your liver. Or somehow, you heard from somewhere, maybe your imagination or it could be a demon. I don't care anything about that. The canon of Scripture is closed. Jude three makes that very clear. It's for this reason, we contend earnestly in the Greek for the once for all delivered for the faith. The scriptures was handed down to the saints and that's what it says, "we contend earnestly for the faith, which was once for all delivered to the saints," and then when it comes to Bible prophecy, I have no confidence in those obscure secret kind of allegorical spiritualized interpretations. And while I respect those that differ, that is just not my position, I want to be very careful with that. In Revelation 21:18, we read, "I testify to everyone who hears the words is actually 22:18. "I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part, from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book." All I want to know is what God has said. And all I have to say to you, is what God has said. This is why Peter said in verse 19, "we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention." And so this is why we use a literal, grammatical, historical hermeneutic when interpreting scripture. God moved, men spoke, and we can understand it; the normal meaning of language. And so when we look at any passage of Scripture, we look at it in a straightforward reading, and interpretation, like in the book of Daniel.

By the way, this is why Jesus said in Matthew 24:15, that we are to "understand" he says, the book of Daniel. Well enough of all of that I'm sure my critics are perfectly satisfied now. And we can rejoice and share heaven together. All right, now let's look at these final verses in Daniel 12.

You will recall now the first three verses of Daniel 12, reveals to us three precursors of the establishment of Christ's earthly millennial kingdom, you will recall that Israel is going to experience a time of unparalleled tribulation, then there will be supernatural deliverance, and finally, the kingdom citizens will be raised from the dead. And now the angelic messenger that is speaking to Daniel turns his attention to Daniel, in verse four, where we pick it up this morning. He says this, "'But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time, many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase. Then I, Daniel looked and behold, two others were standing, one on this bank of the river and the other on that bank of the river. And one said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, 'How long will it be, until the end of these wonders?' I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever, that it would be for a time, times, and half a time. And as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed. As for me, I heard, but could not understand; so I said, 'My Lord, what will be the outcome of these events?' He said, 'Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed, and sealed up until the end time. Many will be purged, purified and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly, and none of the wicked will understand but those who have insight will understand. From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1290 days. How blessed is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1335 days! But as for you, go your way to the end; then you will enter into the rest, and rise again for your allotted portion at the end of the age.'"

Now, here, beloved, I believe we have a chronology of the Great Tribulation. Let's look at it more closely in verse four. "'But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words,'" It literally means I want you to preserve these words, I want you to protect them; they are prophetic, divine inspired revelation. Do this, he says, "until the end of time.'" "Seal up the book," he says, close up--that's what it means. Secure all of this material until the end of time, which is a reference to the tribulation period. That's the way it's used in chapter 11, verse 35, as well as verse 45. And then he says something fascinating. He says, "'Many will go back and forth and knowledge will increase.'" The concept of going back and forth is the idea that they're going to run about trying to find answers to explain all of the chaos and judgment that's coming upon the world during the trial time of Tribulation. And he says, as they do so, "knowledge will increase." In other words, they are going to read Daniel, what you have preserved to the end and their knowledge concerning what God has promised will become clear to them.

Verse five, "Then I, Daniel, looked and behold, two others were standing, one on this bank of the river and the other on that bank of the river." It's referring to two other angels. This is similar to the vision described in chapter eight, verses 13 through 16. And evidently, these two angels, who are lesser in status to the grand angel that's dressed in linen who was above the waters of the river, as we will read. Evidently, these two angels were talking about God's plan, as it relates to the affairs of men. And so they asked this question. "And one said to the man dressed in linen," one of these angels said to the more glorious Angel, "who was above the waters of the river, 'How long will it be until the end of these wonders?'" In the context here, "How long will it be till the end of Daniel's 70th week, the end of the tribulation?"

I want to pause for a moment because I'm always fascinated with angels, especially their curiosity. First, Peter 1:12, we read, "It was revealed to them," "it" referring to the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow in verse 11, "it was revealed to them," referring to the Old Testament prophets, "that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preach the gospel to you, by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven." These things, catch this now, "into which angels long to look." I mean think of all the righteous men and women of the Old Testament who long to understand those things that were revealed, even those things that they had written. But now we have seen these things, we have heard these things, we understand who Christ is. Now, think about this, even the angels who are not recipients of redemption, even the angels long to look at what God has done, what he is doing, what he is going to do, through Christ Jesus, our Lord. And again, you think about it, I mean, they're, they're all around us, watching us. I can't wait to get to heaven. In fact, I can't wait to meet my guardian angels, and then apologize to them for what I put them through. But they're longing to look at these things, even the Old Testament prophets, even Daniel, as we see here, in this text. He didn't understand it all that he wanted to know more. But think how much more we know now, and how much more is yet to be revealed in glory one day.

And we get a flavor of this in Daniel 12 six, he says, "'How long will it be until the end of these wonders?'" In verse seven, "I heard the man dressed in linen who was above the waters of the river," which by the way is to suggest his supernatural authority and power, "as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven and swore by Him who lives forever." And here we get a sense of the profound solemnity of the oath that he is taking here; that oath he is about to utter. And notice the phrase, he "swore by Him who lives forever." I love that phrase, "the one who lives forever." And who is this? Well, it's the Triune God. First Timothy six, Paul says in verse 15, "He who is the blessed and only sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality, and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen, or can see, to Him be honor and eternal dominion, amen." And to think someday we shall see Him as He is, and he will see us. We see a similar scene, by the way, in Revelation 10, beginning in verse five, "Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land, lifted up his right hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven, and the things in it, and the earth and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it, that there will be delay no longer," he says.

So, again, back to the question, how long will it be until the end of these things? And the angelic messenger swears "by Him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times and a half a time." Again, as we've studied, this is a reference to the last three and a half years of the tribulation of Daniel's 70th week. And then he adds this "and as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed." So God is going to allow the Antichrist to shatter his covenant people, those whom he chose to be holy, but who refuse to believe in their Messiah. And finally, at the end of the three and a half years of unprecedented persecution, what he calls here, "the end of these wonders," finally, the power of Jewish deception will be shattered, and their unbelief will be broken. Finally, in their state of brokenness and humiliation, they will believe, and they will be saved. You may recall how 17 years earlier; God revealed the same truth to Daniel. It's recorded in Daniel seven, and verse 25. There we read, "He will speak out," referring to the Antichrist, "against the Most High, and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times and a half a time." And then he goes on in verse 26 and he says, "But the court will sit for judgment, and his dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever. Then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven, will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him." My How I long for that day. And in that day, Israel will finally function according to its intended purpose that we read in Scripture, as a chosen nation. So many passages speak to this. I think of Isaiah 41, beginning in verse eight, "'But you Israel, My servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, Descendant of Abraham My friend, you whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called from its remotest parts and said to you, 'You are My servant, I have chosen you, and not rejected you.'" My what a promise. Exodus 19, verse six, "You shall be to Me, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." At this time, dear friends, Israel will finally enjoy world supremacy in the coming Kingdom, where it will fulfill its grand purpose of being a blessing to all of the nations of the world, as asserted in the original covenant that we read in Genesis 12 and verse three, where God says, "In you, all the families of the earth will be blessed."

Now, some will ask and appropriately so, what about the church age? What about us, the church, where we live right now? Well, this, this needs to be seen; the church age needs to be seen as an ongoing fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy that is going to culminate in the Messianic kingdom. We are not some disconnected parentheses, no, no, not at all. The church shares in the promises of Israel, but not in her unique identity as a chosen nation. There is a distinction here, you will recall in Romans 11, beginning in verse 16, Paul described Israel as the natural branches from a cultivated olive tree, some of which have been broken off for the present time due to quote, "a hardening of heart." And Paul also reminds the Gentile church that we are the wild olive branches. We are the ones that have been grafted into, quote, "the rich root," referring to the rich root of Abrahamic covenantal blessings and privileges that God promised to him. So indeed, the church shares these promises with Israel but never takes her place as a nation. And despite their rebellion, God has not abandoned his chosen people. Paul understood this. You will recall, in Romans nine he speaks of Israel's election. In Romans 10, he speaks of Israel's defection. And finally, in Romans 11, he speaks of Israel's salvation, when the Messiah returns. And what an amazing story it all is, right? This is his story, the story of Christ. With Israel being a magnificent object lesson of how God deals with all mankind. He saves some, he judges others, all to reveal His glory through the Lord Jesus Christ, who is both Lamb and Lion.

So again, back to the question in Daniel 12, six, "'How long will it be until the end of these wonders?'" Answer, "'For a time, times and a half the time. And as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed.'" Folks, it's important to remember that God revealed these events to Moses. We read about this in Leviticus 26, as well as Deuteronomy 28 and 38, or 30. And repeatedly, he speaks about it in Isaiah, for example, in chapter four of Isaiah, beginning in verse three, "It will come about that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be Jerusalem will be called holy--everyone who is recorded for life in Jerusalem. When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and purged the bloodshed of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning." Another one in chapter six of Isaiah beginning in verse 11. "Then I said, 'Lord, how long?' And He answered, 'Until cities are devastated and without inhabitant, houses are without people and the land is utterly desolate, the Lord has removed men far away, and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. Yet,'" and here's the promise, "'there will be a 10th portion in it,'" there's always going to be a remnant. "'And it will again be subject to burning, like a terabinth or an oak who stump remains when it is felled. The holy seed is that stump.'" Likewise, Isaiah chapter 26, beginning in verse 20, we read, "Come, my people, enter into your rooms and close your doors behind you; hide for a little while until indignation runs its course. For behold, the Lord is about to come out from His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; and the earth will reveal her bloodshed and will no longer cover her slain."

We read the same types of promises in Jeremiah 30. We read about them in Zechariah 11, Zechariah 13, Zechariah 14, in Jesus' Olivet Discourse, and in Matthew 24, and 25, and Luke 21. And this will continue, as Jesus declared in Matthew 23:39, until Israel finally cries out, "'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!'" Only then will they enter into their millennial rest, according to Isaiah 40 verse two, "having received of the Lord's hand, double for all her sins." Oh, dear friends, what a picture of of God's judgment on sin and disobedience, as well as his blessings on faith and obedience.

And here I'm reminded of the promises found in Isaiah 59 and 60. In Isaiah 59, you might recall after describing the multiplied transgressions of Israel and his judgment upon them, that passage closes with a message, a certain message of redemption and restoration. We read of it in here in Isaiah 59, verse 20. Here's the promise, "'A Redeemer will come to Zion, and to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,' declares the Lord. 'As for Me, this is My covenant with them,' says the Lord: My Spirit, which is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your offspring, nor from the mouth of your offspring's offspring,' says the Lord, 'from now and forever.'" And I would submit to you that that has not happened yet, but it will.

Then the dominating theme in the next chapter, Isaiah 60, is the restoration as well as the world supremacy of the nation of Israel. Beginning in verse one, "'Arise, shine; for your light has come, the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness the peoples; but the Lord will rise upon you and His glory will appear upon you. Nations will come to your light and kings to the brightness of your rising.'" Verses four through nine goes on to describe their return to their promised land after the worldwide dispersion and how the nations that once oppressed them will come and pay homage to them as God's chosen people, and how God will will contribute to their prosperity and the adornment of the sanctuary of their God; the days of apostasy are over. The days of idolatry and destruction and exile are over.

Now back to Daniel 12, verse eight. "As for me," Daniel said, "I heard but I could not understand; so I said, 'My Lord, what will be the outcome of these events?'" "Outcome" in Hebrew can be translated the final end. In other words, what will be the nature of these events that characterize this outcome? Obviously, he's thinking, you know, when will my people finally be delivered from all of this? And I'm sure he's going back to what he saw in Daniel seven, with respect to the little horn, the Antichrist, "from the time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time," chapter 12 and verse one. What's going to happen to my people during this time, and here's what the angel said to him. I've had professors say this to me before I remember. "'Go your way, Daniel.'" In other words, stop. That's enough. Literally, in the Hebrew, "go, Daniel." What it means is in the conversation, you're just trying to satisfy your own curiosity, be content with what I've given you here. "For these words, are concealed and sealed up until the end of time." So to be sure, all those who will experience these things during that day, will find comfort in what God has revealed.

I also find it interesting that 600 years later, do you realize, God answered Daniel's inquiry through the apostle John, on the Isle of Patmos, and the Apokalypsis lesou Christos," the revealing of Jesus Christ, the book of Revelation. He gives us many, many more details, not all, but many more details. By the way, there's a great lesson to be learned here, I believe. And that is this, God simply doesn't give us all of the details. He doesn't tell us everything. And you know, for good reason, we wouldn't understand it if he did. And we may not like it if he did. He didn't want to put up with all of that. He gives us however, all we need to know. And in that we need to be content. And this is true, not only with Bible prophecy, but with all the great doctrines of Scripture. I mean, I can't explain how in creation, He speaks things into existence. But I'd love to know how that works. Wouldn't you? He just doesn't tell me. I don't understand the doctrine of the Trinity, the doctrine of the Incarnation, I don't understand the doctrine of Providence--what a miracle that is. I don't understand why you save some and not all. I can't harmonize man's responsibility in salvation, and God's unconditional sovereign election. In fact, in Romans nine, he says, Hey, don't even ask that question. I mean, you're, you're like a pot, and you don't want to ask the potter why you made me that way. You know, you're just, frankly, a dumb pot. So let's don't even go there. And by the way, folks, as soon as you try to untie these Gordian knots that we see in Scripture, the ones that God has tied, you cease to be biblical. And you start making stuff up. As soon as you try to explain the unexplainable mysteries of God, as soon as you try to penetrate the unpalatable, you deify yourself. And you put yourself into a position where now I am going to explain what God has done. And then you end up twisting the scriptures to support your premises. And you play the fool like all false teachers. It's kind of like asking a kindergartener to explain the nature of black holes and wormholes in the universe. You know, what they say, may sound brilliant, but in the end, their insight is on par with that of a dung beetle trying to explain quantum theory, you know. And by the way, their contribution to theology is about as noble. And that's what false teachers tend to do. By the way, I didn't mean to insult dung beetles, but I think you get the point. Deuteronomy 29:29, "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law."

Now, the angel doesn't get into specifics pertaining to the outcome of these events as Daniel inquired, but he does say this, notice verse 10, "Many will be purged, purified and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly." So he's referring here to the Lord's chastening work on Israel. In fact, the same three words are used in Daniel 11:35 when he described his judgment upon Israel, by the Gentiles, following the rule of Antiochus Epiphanes. So again, verse 10, "Many will be purged, purified and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly." Then he says this, "and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand." And of course, spiritual blindness is one of the chief characteristics of the unregenerate. They simply cannot see the light of the glory of Christ. Jesus said in John 9:39, speaking to the Pharisees, "'For judgment, I came into this world so that those who do not see may see, and," he has this, "that those who see may become blind.'" which is an ironic way of him saying, "Those who think they walk in the light, but in fact walk in the darkness, will be those that I will further harden." Because of their rebellion, he judicially hardens the hearts of those who hear the truth and reject the truth. It's for this reason, in Second Timothy four, four, Paul tells Timothy and all of us that, that the unregenerate "will turn away their ears from the truth and turn aside under myths." And the grammar there suggests that they will do this without an awareness of their desertion, and then they will become consumed by the lies that they embrace. By the way, how else can you explain the stuff that we see in our world today? Just absolutely amazing. I mean, now we got drag queens in so called churches, leading children in Bible studies. I've heard of sermons where they're trying to explain to the congregation how we need to be careful not to misgender some, you know, male buttercup who thinks he's a female. Or some controlling feminazis who thinks she's a man. You know, I mean, it's just beyond our ability to comprehend. These people need Christ dear friends, and only he can give them the light of truth. It's for this reason that Paul says in First Corinthians 2:14, "a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them because he is spiritually appraised." Scripture is not their spiritual authority, they are. As well as the culture in which they live, which denies and distorts the truth.

So back to the text as we wrap it up this morning, when the Antichrist seizes control, and these catastrophic judgments come upon the world in the tribulation, especially upon Israel, verse 10, says, "Many will be purged and purified and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly, and none of the wicked will understand but those who have insight will understand." In other words, the elect of God, by His grace, will turn to the truths of Scripture, they will be saved. They will turn to Daniel's prophecies; they will be able to embrace the truths that God has revealed. According to Zechariah 13, in verse eight, we know that 1/3 of the Jews will survive. That means two thirds will be killed. He says there, Zechariah 13 eight, "and I will bring the third part through the fire, refine them as silver is refined and test them as gold is tested. They will call on my name and I will answer them and I will say, 'They are My people.' And they will say, 'The Lord is my God.'" So I'm sure Daniel is comforted now with his this information, that those who have insight will understand that His people will be able to understand what God has said; they will be able to read these prophecies that he must now conceal. And then the angel adds this in verse 11, "From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished, and the abomination of desolation is set up." Now we know that that's when the Antichrist establishes himself to be God and defiles the restored Jewish temple. You read about it in Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15. When that happens, he says there will be 1290 days. Now, what's interesting here is in other places, we know that the Great Tribulation is three and a half years, 1260 days. Time, times, two and a half of time--Daniel 7:25, for example, Revelation 11, three and 12:6, it is 1260 days. So what's the deal here? Is this a misprint? Why does it say 1290 days in this passage? Now, some expositors suggest that we need to take this symbolically that these numbers have no specific meaning. As I argued earlier in this exposition, I don't interpret Scripture that way. It would make no sense to me why in several passages, would it be 1260 and then here in verse 11, 1290. And as we're going to say, in verse 12, 1335. There's something going on here. All these numbers are too unique and too close to being the same length to justify a symbolic meaning. Moreover, in Daniel eight and verse 14, 2300 days are mentioned, and that was proven to be absolutely precise, according to history. So why the additional 30 days? Well, we can't say for sure, God doesn't tell us. But I think it is reasonable to say that given the unimaginable destruction, and carnage upon the earth that will exist when Christ returns and as a result of his return, this is probably a time period needed to do one of two things, maybe both. First of all, it may be a reference to a 30-day period, for cleansing or purifying the temple of God as did Judas Maccabeus and his army did after defeating Antiochus Epiphanes in 164 BCE after they defiled the temple. You read about that in first Maccabees four verses 36 through 51. We also know for example, in Second Chronicles 30, beginning of verse two, we read about something similar when King Hezekiah postponed the celebration of the Passover for one month, quote, "because the priests had not consecrated themselves in sufficient numbers, nor had the people been gathered to Jerusalem. Thus, this thing was right in the sight of the king, and all the assembly." It might also require another 30 days needed to complete the judgment of Christ; to determine who will be permitted to enter the kingdom and who will be not permitted. We read about that in Matthew 25:31, and so forth. Both of these are possibilities, we can't say for sure. But then he says this in verse 12, "How blessed is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1335 days!

Now let's look at this closely just for a moment, "keeps waiting," it could be translated, one who keeps waiting earnestly, that’s the idea in the original language. And the term "attains to" comes from a root word that means to touch and hear; the imperfect form of this means "he will touch." In other words, he will gain with effort. So a paraphrase of what its saying here is this, how blessed it is he who keeps waiting earnestly, is finally able to touch the 1335th day. Huh? Why 1335? I mean, come on, that's 45 days longer than the 1290, 75 days longer than the 1260-day duration of Daniel, the end of Daniel's 70th week. So what's going on here? Well, once again, God doesn't tell us but I think it's safe to assume that this will be another 45 days that is necessary for God to establish the governmental aspects of Christ's reign, his rule and a time to place all of the kingdom citizens, all of us in our proper realm, and how we're going to function, place us in the regions of our inheritance and so forth. And we get a hint of this in verse 13, "But as for you, go your way to the end;" "Go your way to the end," technically, here, the imperfect word "go," "go" parallels the same term in verse nine, where he is told "go your way, Daniel," in this conversation and so forth. And so here he says, "then you will enter into rest and rise again for your allotted portion at the end of the age." And so I believe it's referring to that same type of thing; after the tribulation days are complete, Daniel, along with the Old Testament saints are going to be resurrected, they're going to be given their allotted portion in the millennial kingdom. You will recall in Colossians one and verse 12, Paul says "Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light." The term "inheritance," "kleros" in the original language speaks of an allotment, especially according to the terms of a will. You realize the father has a will and a portion of it has your name on it; has my name on it, the saints in Light. And in that text Paul reaches back in the Old Testament by alluding to the specific land allotments that were given to the Israelites when they entered the land of Canaan. Read about it in Numbers 26 and 33. So inheritance can literally be translated portion of the lot. And the text says the father has qualified, literally it means authorized us, according to His grace, to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. Which "saints in Light" is a synonym for the kingdom of God and heaven. And in this glorious kingdom, beloved, each believer will be given a specific portion of the total divine inheritance. That is what is willed to us. This will include specific privileges and possessions, spiritual blessings beyond our ability to comprehend. Colossians 3:24, We read "Know that from the Lord you will receive the reward of your inheritance." My I can't wait. Ephesians 1:11, "Because of our Father's great mercy, we have obtained an inheritance." Hebrews 9:15, "Those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance." And I especially rejoice in what Peter said that we "have hope to obtain an inheritance," First Peter one four, which denotes property, denotes possession. Oh, dear Christian, may we all dare to be a Daniel in these difficult days knowing what God has promised, what is coming? And without question, Daniel would echo the testimony of the apostle Paul, and say, "I am not ashamed. For I know whom I have believed in, I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day," Second Timothy 1:12. And with the apostle John, we can all say, "Come, Lord Jesus." Let's pray together.

Father, truly your word is a lamp unto our feet and a light into our path. And as we contemplate the glories of your grace, and the power of your sovereign election, and all that you have planned not only for Israel, but for the church, for all of us who have been grafted into the rich root of Abrahamic blessing, Lord, how we celebrate these things. And may we all live lives that are pleasing to you that manifest the glory of Christ, that others might see him through us. We thank you, we rejoice in these great truths. And we pray that indeed, you will come quickly. Amen.

It is always such a great joy to be able to minister the word of God to you. And I would invite you to take your Bibles and turn once again to Daniel chapter 12. We are making our way through this book. We'll look at a couple more verses here this morning. Under the heading "Israel's Final Deliverance." Given the brutality of war that we are witnessing today, it should be of no surprise to any of us that there is one coming as God has prophesied through his word, called the Antichrist who will oppress and persecute people like never before. And his primary focus will be on Israel, as we have studied thus far, when last week we looked at Daniel chapter 12, and verse one. Furthermore, given the moral freefall in our country, it should be of no surprise that God is even currently judging America in the wrath of his abandonment, America has become a land of sodomites and drag queens and entitlement snowflakes, climate change wackos. I mean, it just goes on and on, doesn't it? It's just hard to believe that people are caught up in these things worse yet, even the evangelical churches got caught up in this whole woke cult running around telling people that they need to repent of their whiteness of repent of how their ancestors abused a certain group of people and aligning themselves with the Neo-pagan Marxist ideologies of critical race theory and all of these things. Of course, this is typical, by the way of liberalism, this is nothing new. Man's problem, for them, is not his inherent depravity, his sinfulness. No, no, no, no, that's not the problem. The real problem is societal oppression and political corruption. So the gospel needs to be all about social justice, rather than God's justice, reconciling sinful man to a holy God. And as we have been examining, God chose Israel, to be an example of how he pursues both individuals to be reconciled unto himself and how he judges and blesses nations as national entities. And through the nation of Israel, we know biblically that He will restore fallen humanity and bring salvation and being bring restoration to all of the nations eventually, in his millennial kingdom. When Jesus returns, we know that he will rule the nations from Israel. And through that rule, and through those people, and all of the redeemed, He will bless all of the nations as a microcosm of how God deals with individuals, and nations. He judged Israel because of her rebellion against Him. This is, by way of reminder, of what we have studied thus far. We know biblically that he deliberately determined 490 years to accomplish his purposes in delivering his people, Israel. Daniel 9:24 reveals to us the nine, I'm sorry, the six objectives to be accomplished in this regard. And this is really at the heart of the gospel, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, referring to Christ's sacrifice, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy place. You see, God's kingdom plan is ultimately all about bringing glory to himself, and that can only be accomplished through the death, the sacrificial death, of the Lord Jesus Christ. So the gospel is all about reconciling sinful man to a holy God, not resolving social inequities, and ethnic injustices. That is not the gospel. For this reason, we as a church, I reject this whole evangelical wokeness movement and refuse to fellowship with those that embrace that. That is a distortion of the biblical, the true gospel. That is a gospel that will not save, it will only produce further division and damn people to an eternal hell. And Satan knows it very well. I'm reminded of Galatians one, verse eight, or Paul said, "But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he used to be accursed! For am I now seeking the favor of men or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond servant of Christ." Now, to be sure, any student of Scripture will very quickly recognize that it is man's innate sinfulness, not what's happening in society, that is the real problem. Just ask the people in Ukraine. Moreover, when we examine Bible prophecy, the whole fool's paradise of liberalism quickly dissipates, its exposed for what it is. Because what we see biblically, in prophecy, is that the whole world is moving inexorably towards a day of divine judgment, a day of retribution. And God has a kingdom program, that he has ordained in eternity past and he is implementing precisely and perfectly, a kingdom program that cannot and will not be thwarted. And in that I find great relief and joy. Indeed, his kingdom, under the rule of the Messiah King, the Lord Jesus Christ, will eventually resolve all of the ills of society, of this fallen world. And as we examine Daniel's prophecy, we see that the progression of the Gentile nations that have oppressed Israel will one day be defeated forever. God's kingdom will be established, and that involves both spiritual as well as material elements. He has sovereignly chosen his covenant people Israel to be the vehicle to accomplish his plans. Both national Israel and her land are frankly, microcosms of what he will do with all people groups. As God blesses Israel, He will bless all of the nations of the world; His kingdom, will affect every aspect of life on Earth. When we re-examine these things, biblically, we see that his kingdom will affect people socially, geographically, agriculturally, even the animal kingdom and on and on it goes. The second Adam must accomplish what the first Adam did not do. And that is to rule and subdue the earth for the glory of God, that must be accomplished, and it will. But all of God's blessings are linked to Israel's acceptance of the Messiah, as well as the nations of the world. And then once the kingdom age is complete, the eternal state begins when Jesus hands his successful mediatorial Kingdom reign to God the Father, as we read in First Corinthians 15.

Now, what I have just rehearsed for you is obviously a radically different worldview for most in our culture, nevertheless, because it flows out of Scripture, it is true. Now, you will recall that the closing verses of Daniel 11 describe Antichrist's military and political career. And then in chapter 12, we discover three important precursors to the establishment of Christ's earthly millennial kingdom. And I think these three precursors will give us a bit of a framework to understand what is revealed here in the rest of Daniel. Let me give those three precursors to you as just a little outline. Here we will see that Israel will first experience a type of unparalleled tribulation. Secondly, Israel will experience a supernatural deliverance and then finally, kingdom citizens will be raised from the dead.

Now last week, we looked at the first part of this: Israel will experience unparalleled tribulation. Notice Daniel 12 one, "Now at that time, Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time." And as we studied last week, this intense suffering at the hands of the Gentiles will occur during Daniel's 70th week of judgment or the time of the Great Tribulation. Jeremiah 30, verse seven, speaks of this, as do many other passages. There we read, "Alas, for that day is great, there is none like it; and it is the time of Jacob's distress, but he will be saved from it." And as we examined last week, this includes Michael's victory over Satan, that will occur 12 0 days, or three and a half years, before the Messiah's Second Coming, according to Revelation 12, verses six and verses 14. And that brings us to where we are today.

The second precursor to the kingdom will be Israel will experience a supernatural deliverance. Notice at the end of verse one, "And at that time, your people, everyone who is found written in the book," which, as you know, is God's record of the righteous redeemed, all of those, "will be rescued." Don't you know this would have brought great comfort to Daniel, because remember, he's praying for his people. He's trying to understand when are they going to be rescued from Babylon. And of course, God is answering this way beyond that discreet period of time. All the Gentile nations that would dominate Israel, beginning with Babylon, and then Persia, then Greece, then Rome, and eventually the 10-nation confederacy of the Antichrist, the revived Roman Empire, all of those will eventually come to an end.

Now, I want to spend a little bit of time talking about how Christ will rescue his people, quote, "at that time." And, of course, all of this centers around the gospel. So let me take you to a few other passages of scripture for a few minutes this morning. The first way he will rescue his people is through the two witnesses whom Antichrist kills, and who will be resurrected, and will visibly ascend to heaven. We learn about this in Revelation 11, if you will turn there Revelation 11, beginning in verse three. "And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1260 days;" that's the last part of the Tribulation, "clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and the two lamp stands that stand before the Lord of the earth." By the way, just a quick note here that the two olive trees and two lamp stands were symbolic of the oil of the Holy Spirit's power that would perpetually fuel the lamps of divine truth pertaining to saving grace. We saw them in the tabernacle, in the temple. That's what it's referring to here. He goes on to say, "And if anyone wants to harm them, fire flows out of their mouth and devours their enemies." Boy, sometimes I wish I had that power, don't you. "So if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way. These have the power to shut up the sky so that rain will not fall during the days of their prophesying; and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire. When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss," referring to the Antichrist, "will make war with them, and overcome them and kill them. And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt." That's referring to Jerusalem, it's so wicked it's being symbolized by Sodom and Egypt, "where also their Lord was crucified. Those from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead bodies for three days and a half days, and will not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate; and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth." In other words, this will be a time where the unregenerate, those that hate Christ will rejoice that two of his good witnesses have finally been defeated, who wants to hear all of that stuff about the gospel. But it doesn't end there. "But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God came into them. And they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were watching them." That has to be one of the greatest understatements in all of the Bible. "And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, 'Come up here.' Then they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them. And in that hour, there was a great earthquake, and a 10th of the city fell; 7000 people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. The second woe is past; behold, the third one was coming quickly."

So many will see this, and indeed, they will be rescued; they will come to faith in Christ. Well, not only will God use his two witnesses to rescue his people, but secondly, his 144,000 sealed disciples. Revelation seven, verse four, we read, "And I heard the number of those who were sealed, 144,000 sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel." This will be the greatest missionary force in the history of the world that will be unleashed by God himself during the last half of the tribulation. Revelation 14 and verse three describes them as those "who had been purchased from the earth." Verse four, they're morally pure servants that "follow the Lamb wherever He goes." Verse five says, "And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless." So these will be preserved from the impending plagues, from the four winds as we read in this prophecy, that will fall upon the unbelieving world. They will be preserved, they will be sealed so that they can be instruments of God's saving grace and serve him in his elective purposes for Israel, and for all who would come to faith in Christ. In other words, they too will preach the gospel, and many will be rescued. The bulk of the nation will be nourished according to Revelation 12, six for 1260 days. And you will recall that will happen while the pursuing armies are swallowed up by the Earth, in verses 15 and 16.

And of course, finally, the most glorious of all aspects of God's rescue will occur when Christ returns as the Messiah King. I read a little bit of this earlier in our scripture reading. Look at Revelation 19, just beginning in verse 11. "And I saw heaven opened and behold a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges in wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him, which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed and fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword so that with it, He may strike down the nations and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty and on His robe, and on His thigh He has a name written, 'KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.'" Beloved, that is my Jesus. I hope it's yours.

Zechariah 14 also describes Israel's rescue in magnificent detail. There we read beginning in verse one, "Behold, a day is coming for the Lord when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered and women ravished and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city. Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle. In that day, His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will be moved toward the north and the other half toward the south. You will flee by the valley of My mountains for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; yes, you will flee just as you fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah, then the Lord, my God will come and all the holy ones with Him!"

As a footnote, in Matthew 25, verses 31 through 40, Jesus describes how the few believers that survive the great tribulation will be honored. Those that were beheaded because of their faith in Christ will be resurrected from the dead to reign with Him. Revelation 20 verse four speaks of this as well. "Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who have been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus, and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for 1000 years."

And this beloved leads us to the third precursor of the establishment of Christ's earthly millennial kingdom. And that is, kingdom citizens will be raised from the dead. Oh, how I love to reflect upon this magnificent truth, because I have loved ones that have gone on, and they're going to be raised from the dead. And when I die and you die, we're going to be raised from the dead. Notice what it says, back to Daniel 12 and verse two, "Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life." And of course, that will include those beheaded for the witness of Jesus during the Tribulation, "but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt."

Let me remind you of some of the great truths that are revealed in Scripture with respect to death and resurrection. At death, we know biblically that the soul vacates the body. In fact, for believers we read in First Corinthians five, "To be absent from the body is to be," what? "present with the Lord." We await that time, Paul tells us in Philippians 3:21, "when Christ will transform our lowly body." And as I age it gets lowelier and lowelier, "and conform it to his glorious body." And in Acts, chapter 24, verse 15, we read that there will be "a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust." There's no such thing as a mere mortal do realized that? Everyone will live forever. But you will live either as the just, one that has been justified by faith in Christ; you will live in glory with Christ, or you will live as the unjust and you will be raised to everlasting judgment and torment because you ignored the gospel, you laughed at it, you scoffed at it, you preferred your sin. You thought that your works were good enough to get you in Heaven, you bought all of the great lies that Satan has perpetrated upon the world. But for the just, oh, this resurrection is our promised hope. And it has been the promised hope of the redeemed down through redemptive history. A hope that is based upon the resurrection of Jesus Christ. You see, his resurrection guarantees our resurrection. Jesus said, "'Because I live, you shall live also,'" in John 14. Because of Jesus death, think of it dear friends, that tyrant of all tyrants will hold no fear on those who have been saved by His grace. We have been released from the grip of death. Yes, we will die, "but for me to live is Christ," Paul said, "and to die is gain." "Oh death, where is your victory? Oh, death, where is your sting?" First Corinthians 15.

Now, may I remind you, or maybe for some of you, teach you what the chronological order of resurrection really is? We see this described especially in First Corinthians 15. So if you'll go there for a moment, we'll look briefly at a few of these passages. In verse 20, of First Corinthians 15, we read, "But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep," referring to the righteous dead, whose spirits have gone on to be with the Lord but await their bodily remains being...awaiting recomposition and resurrection and so forth. So notice this, Christ's resurrection is the "first fruits." In other words, the first installment of the harvest of the elect to those who are asleep. They are to be considered the full harvest. And this is so exciting, please understand, Christ's resurrection didn't occur somehow in isolation. If it had, it would have no impact on the rest of the harvest. No, you see, he was, as we read here, "the first fruit" of the rest of the harvest that already existed. Think about that. You see you can't have a first fruit, if there is no other fruit, if there is no existing crop. And that existing crop was and is the elect of God that has existed in eternity past to this very day and for eternity. So although their souls are in heaven, enjoying the unfathomable riches of being in eternal glory, their bodies which were fatigued, and perhaps disabled and all used up, the bodies are in the grave, the soul is with the Lord. Or perhaps their bodies are scattered all over the earth, we don't know. But one day, the DNA of that decomposed body will be recomposed, and they will wake, they will rise in unimaginable power and in unimaginable glory and they will be united with their glorified soul. That Prince of preachers the 19th century in London, Charles Spurgeon, stated this in his own inimitable way and when he commented, quote, "The righteous are put into the graves, all weary and worn. But such they will not rise. They go there with the furrowed brow, the hollow cheek, the wrinkled skin. They should wake up in beauty and glory. The old man totters fither, leaning on his staff, the palsy comes there trembling all the way. The halt, the lame, the withered, the blind journey in doleful pilgrimage to the common dormitory. But they shall not rise decrepit, deformed, or diseased. But they shall rise strong, vigorous, active, glorious, immortal, the shriveled seeds so destitute of form and comeliness shall rise from the dust of beauteous flower. A green blade, all fresh and young shall spring up, where before there was the dried, decayed grain." I had a friend tell me the other day that his kid said, what they're going to say at his funeral is, "well the nut is gone, but the shell remains." And there's some measure of truth to that. But in Scripture, we see death in the symbolism of sowing, do we not? First Corinthians 15, verse 42, "So also is the resurrection of the dead," Paul tells us, "It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body."

Oh dear Christians, the implication of the resurrection of Jesus Christ exceeds the importance and the power and the potential of all other events in history. Think about it. It is rivaled only by the actual creation of the universe. You see, within the resurrection body of the Lord Jesus Christ, existed the supernatural power source of eternal life and God's everlasting kingdom. Dormant within the resurrection body of Christ that appeared to Mary, is the seed of resurrection glory for all whom the Father had given him. Think about that. The infinite power source of the universe and God’s everlasting kingdom was and is, within him. If you are united to Christ, in saving faith, if you truly love him and submit to him, think about this now, you are like a nuclear warhead waiting to explode in unimaginable power and glory. And what a precious comfort this is to every child of God. And is for this reason Paul said in Second Corinthians four beginning in verse 16, "Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory, far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal." So the power contained in the resurrection body of Jesus is infinitely power, for it houses the omnipotent power of our Creator God. And one day we will behold his body, we will see him as he is. And what's amazing is he will look like us in many ways. From his glorified body, will emanate the effulgence of his celestial glory, his majesty. The resplendent light of his glory will blaze from him more brilliant than the light of the sun. And to think Christ is "the first fruits." That means the rest of the fruits are going to have some resemblance to the first fruits, right? That's not very complicated. In other words, he has a precise sample of a coming harvest, which means our resurrection bodies will, in many ways, be like his. Minus the incommunicable attributes that are his alone.

Now, back to First Corinthians 15, notice the resurrection of those who belong to Christ in verse 22. At the end, he says, "In Christ, all will be made alive." Verse 23, "But each in his own order." Then he says, "Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming." And Paul goes on to describe the rest of the harvest of which Christ was the first fruit. And he says, "each one in his order." The term "tagma" in Greek, it was a military term used to describe the arrangement of troops. And so we see even in the resurrection of all people, God has an order; he is an orderly God, he is purposeful in all that he does. So here we learn of the order of the resurrection harvest, which comes in three stages at Christ's coming. Again, notice that Christ the first fruits, and after that those who are Christ's at his coming. Now, the first stage of resurrection is for those who have come to saving faith from Pentecost, to the time of the rapture, and they will be joined with living saints at the rapture, First Corinthians 15:23, "those who are Christ's at His coming." This will include the resurrection of all of the church saints, both dead and alive at the rapture. According to First Thessalonians four beginning of verse 16, this will be when "the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words."

The second stage of the resurrection harvest is for those who come to faith during the tribulation. You see, most of the people will be martyred, but it will also include all of the Old Testament saints as well. They will all be raised to reign with him during the millennium, Revelation 20, beginning of verse four, "And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus, because of the word of God and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead, and on their hand and they came to life and reigned with Christ for 1000 years." So back to Daniel 12 two. This is what it's speaking of here, "Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground, will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others,” referring to the rest of the unsaved, "to disgrace and everlasting contempt." You can read about this as well in Isaiah 26 and Romans two verses five through eight, where it explicitly states that there will be a resurrection of the righteous as well as of the wicked.

The third stage which Paul calls, quote, "The end." In first Corinthians 15:23, refers to those who die during the millennial kingdom, they will probably, we don't know for sure they will probably be instantly transformed at death into their eternal bodies and spirits. And so this only leaves those who are the ungodly, those who have rejected Christ. And that occurs, they will be raised at the end of the millennial kingdom, at the Great White Throne Judgment of God, Revelation 20. And they will then be sent to Hell. Acts 24:15, "there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust." And John describes a, quote, "resurrection of life and the resurrection of judgment,” in John 5:29. But oh, dear Christian, once again, the implications of the resurrection for all who belong to him, are utterly inconceivable. And I feel so sorry for those that do not know Christ, because to the natural man or woman, the things of the Spirit are foolishness, and they cannot understand them. So they hear all of this and they think, I can't believe that anybody would believe this stuff. Well, obviously, they can't, not because of a lack of intellect, but because they're spiritually dead. And until they come to faith in Christ, none of these things will make any sense and none of this will be their hope, or their joy. But all the resurrection implications for us are absolutely astounding. Romans eight verse 23, "we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly," catch this now, "for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved." You see, our redemption includes more than just our soul and our spirit. Our redemption also includes our bodies. And this will occur when Jesus returns and raises our bodies from the dead. Glorification is the stage, one of the stages, the final stage, in the whole process of redemption, when he fashions for those that he has redeemed and those that is he has inhabited, into a glorified body and reunite that with their soul. It's astounding. Again, think about this. The seed of our DNA will one day blossom forth in the eternal perfection of divine holiness, divine glory, the majesty of Christ. Why? Because we are united to him. Christ is the first fruits of this resurrection harvest and his resurrection guarantees ours. Likewise, we will be given a glorified body like his; you might say he was the prototype.

Again, back to First Corinthians 15, verse 49. And "just as we have borne the image of the earthly." We shall also bear the image of the heavenly. John says in First John three two, "when He appears, we shall be like Him." Paul stated in Philippians 3:21 that Jesus will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body. So this is referring to a supernatural metamorphosis and instantaneous re-creation. Well this makes all of the suffering of life just kind of pale into insignificance doesn't it? Don't you long for that day? Paul said in First Corinthians 15:19, "If for this life only, we have hoped in Christ, we are of all men most to be pitied." Aren't you thankful that we have a hope beyond this life?

Beloved, never forget the fact that as believers we are forever united with Christ in every aspect of His work of redemption, which includes his resurrection. We have died, we have been buried and we are resurrected with him. Paul said, "It is no longer I who live, but Christ that lives in me." You have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Amazing theological concepts. And while we await for our glorified bodies, our true essence as glorified saints is concealed in this world. We can't even see it ourselves. Other people look at us, we look just as ugly as everybody else, right? But because our life is hidden with Christ in God--I know this is corny, but it's kind of like Superman, you know, he just looked like Clark Kent until he got in the phone booth or whatever it was, and all of a sudden, there he is. I told you it was corny, but I think it gets the point across, doesn't it? I mean, that's who we really are. Peter says that we have been born anew to a living hope, how? Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. First Peter, one three. Jesus resurrection, you see, is explicitly connected with our regeneration, our new birth, that supernatural instantaneous impartation of spiritual life to the spiritually dead, that spiritual resurrection that happened within our nature within our soul. And you see, when Jesus rose from the dead, he had a new quality of life, he had a resurrection life, in a human body and human spirit, they were perfectly united for fellowship and obedience to God forever. And in Christ's resurrection, you see, he earned for us a new life just like his. And when we are born again, we receive all of the new resurrection life in our spirit. At that moment of the new birth, we are made alive with new resurrection power, waiting for that to happen in one day, our resurrected bodies will follow suit. Hallelujah. This resurrection power of Christ is the supernatural power of God, dear friends, that is at work within us right now. Right now. Paul prayed for the Ephesians that they would know, quote, "what is the immeasurable greatness of His power in us who believe, according to the working of his great might, which he accomplished in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and made Him sit at His right hand in the heavenly places." You see this resurrection power includes everything we need to live a life that is honoring to Christ; a life that can have victory over remaining sin in our life. In fact, Romans 6:14 says that sin will no longer have dominion over you. It includes our power for ministry, to work for the sake of the kingdom.

Now back to Daniel 12. As we wrap this up here this morning, this third precursor of the kingdom, you first have Israel's rescue, followed by the resurrection, which will then lead to the kingdom and blessings in God's kingdom. Verse three, "Those who have insight will shine brightly, like the brightness in the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever." He speaks of "those who have insight," it can be translated those who are wise, or those who have spiritual discernment. It's the same expression by the way that was used in chapter 11, verse 33, and verse 35, where it referred to those who lived in the days of Antiochus Epiphanes who were willing to die for their convictions, and who were willing to make it a priority to help others become wise, with respect to knowing who God was, and being obedient to Him, even as they battled the lies of Antiochus Epiphanes. So they will have insight. "Insight", it carries the idea of having the ability to see something with mental clarity, to see something for what it is, to have spiritual discernment. That's what it means. And in this context, it refers to spiritually discerning Christians during the time of the tribulation, who will, as he says here "lead the many to righteousness." And oh, dear friends, this is what we need today, isn't it? This is what we need in the church today. Most evangelical Christians today have the theological acumen of a second grader and the spiritual discernment of a transgendered seventh grader. They just don't understand what Scripture says. They don't know what it says. And when they hear it, they mock it. Think of all the Christians who support these political leaders that hold the things that are an absolute abomination to God. Think about that. Our kids are being exposed and poisoned by the urban culture. All of the vulgar music and Hollywood idols and sports figures that hate God and our kids are expected to embrace the Neo paganism and Marxist ideologies of critical race theory and Black Lives Matter and all of the other garbage that is out there today. Instead of celebrating and rejoicing in the blood bought unity found in the multiethnic household of God. That's what our kids need to understand. Oh, how we need believers within sight, those with spiritual discernment willing to help others.

So again, notice here in closing, "Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever." We know that when Jesus returns, he will remove the ungodly and only his redeemed will enter the kingdom. As Jesus said in Matthew 13:43, "Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father." My, what motivating truths for evangelism and discipleship. Let me ask you, dear friends, are you a witness for Christ in your sphere of influence? Are you actively engaged in presenting the gospel? Persuading others to see the horror of their sin and the glory of the cross? Is that how people would describe you? Or are you a chameleon Christian that is able to change your color depending upon the situation you're in. So that nobody will know that you stand for something that they might be opposed to. Because after all, you don't want to get canceled. Oh, dear friend, if that is you, please repent of that. Please repent of that.

Well, we'll stop here this morning. Three important precursors to the establishment of the Kingdom. Though the days in which we live are getting darker and darker, know this, that the darkest hour is just before the dawn, right? Judgment is coming. But so too, is our Messiah King. And one day he has promised that the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Even so, Lord Jesus, come quickly. Let's pray.

Father, thank you for the eternal truths of your word, may they bear much fruit in our lives, to the praise of your glory. And I pray if there be one here today that knows nothing of what it is to truly see their sin to acknowledge it, to long for forgiveness, Lord, we know that they're not going to see that unless you do a mighty work within them. And so we would plead with you by the power of your spirit; to so overwhelmed them with conviction that they will literally run to the cross and plead for the mercy that you will so quickly give. We thank you. We give you praise for all things in Jesus name. Amen.

Oh my what a wonderful time of singing we've just had. Isn't it great to be able to give expression to the doxologies of our heart because of God's grace, that which he has wrought within us by the power of his Spirit through the gospel? Will you take your Bibles and turn to Daniel chapter 12s , as we continue to make our way through this amazing book. This morning, we are going to be looking at verse one. But I'm going to also take you into Revelation Chapter 12, for much of our time, because they are linked together. This is the first part of a series entitled Israel's final deliverance. And may I remind you as we open up the Word of God that the Lord fixes his gaze and lavishes his blessing in a very special way upon those who are aware of the profound impact their sin has had on themselves, and certainly in violation of God's law. Those who know that they are unable to stand in the presence of his holiness on their own. Therefore those who have an all-consuming heartfelt desire to worship the Lord their God, he looks especially at those people, we're reminded of this in Isaiah 66 and verse two, he says, "'But to this one I will look.'" In other words, this is the one that gets my attention. "'To him who is humble,'" a term that literally means willing to take the lowliest position before God. "'To him who is humble and contrite of spirit.'" "Contrite" in the original means to be lame, to be disabled. And also "'who trembles at My word.'" "Trembles" carries the idea of being stricken to the absolute core of your being because of your sin, and because the glory of His Word. So I trust this is the state of your heart and your mind this morning, as we come before the word of God. Anything less is a mockery of God. And it is certain proof that you are not right with Him.

Now today, we return to Daniel's prophecy. We're going to see much of where the world is heading. And I want to remind you that this is Daniel's fourth, and his final vision; a magnificent, prophetic panorama that is first introduced in chapter 10. And chapter 12 is really a continuation of the angelic response to Daniel's prayer of confession and of intercession on behalf of His people Israel; that they might be delivered from Babylonian captivity and restored to their land. And as you will recall, God sent an angel--l we believe it was probably Gabriel, to answer his prayers. But his answer encompassed far more than just delivery from Babylon, but rather, it moves to a magnificent plan to deliver his people from their sin, a remedy that can only be accomplished through the death of Christ and will ultimately come to fruition when he returns.

Moreover, his answer looked beyond the present the current Gentile oppressors of Babylon, to a final day when they will be delivered from all earthly oppressors, and enjoy the triumph that will be accomplished when Christ returns in power, and in great glory. So again, here in Daniel 12, we have a continuation of Gabriel's response that began all the way back in chapter 10, about verse 20. And goes through, actually verse four of chapter 12, where we're at and then as we will see, in coming weeks in verses six through eight, Daniel has some questions. Gabriel responds again in verse seven, and then beginning in verse nine through the end, he continues his response.

Now, again, bear in mind that the theme of the previous chapter, chapter 11, is the focus of the rule of the Antichrist. But now in chapter 12, the attention shifts to those who are going to be ruled by the Antichrist, which will include the whole world. But ultimately the focus is upon Israel, those who must endure his rule during the Great Tribulation, the pre kingdom judgments, as I like to call them. Daniel 70th week, all of those terms are synonymous. So let's examine the word of the Lord through his angelic messenger, recorded by his prophet Daniel. Daniel 12, verse one. "'Now at that time, Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress, such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time, your people, everyone who's found written in the book will be rescued.'" Now let's look closely at what the Spirit of God has revealed to us here. Notice the phrase "now at that time," again, a reference to the Great Tribulation, under the rule of the Antichrist, the subject of the previous chapter, the one who, according to Daniel 11:46, will "pitch the tents of his royal pavilion between the seas and the beautiful Holy Mountain." In other words, between the Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea, there on Mount Zion. "Yet he will come to his end and no one will help him." Now, may I remind you that Jesus also elaborated upon this future day in Matthew 24, in his Olivet Discourse, beginning in verse 21, he says, "'For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.'"

Now back to verse one of Daniel 12. "'Now at that time, Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise.'" Alright, let's think about who is Michael? Well, you may recall earlier in chapter 10, Michael was the angel that God dispatched to assist the angel Gabriel, who was, according to verse 13, battling the prince of the kingdom of Persia, a powerful demon, perhaps even Satan himself, "'who was withstanding me for 21 days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes came to help me.'" The term Michael, the name Michael means who is like God, and we know biblically that he is one of the most powerful, perhaps the most powerful of all of the angels. He is the one that leads and protects the people of Israel, according to chapter 10 and verse 21. In Jude nine, we read how that Michael is the "archaggelos," the Ark Angel, which means the chief angel or first angel, so we have a little sense of who he is.

Again, "'Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people will arise.'" Now, prophetically, this includes the final victory of Michael over Satan. That will occur 1260 days or three and a half years, according to Revelation 12, verse six and verse 14, right before the Messiah returns, as we will see in a moment. Look again at the end of verse one there, “'And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was the nation until that time.'" Again, the intense suffering at the hands of the Gentiles will occur during this, this time of tribulation, Daniel's 70th week. In fact, Jeremiah spoke of this in Jeremiah 30. In verse seven, he said, "'Alas! for that day is great, there is none like it, and it is the time of Jacob's distress. But he will be saved from it,'" referring to Israel.

So again, Daniel 12 one at the end, it says" there will be a time of distress, such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time, your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued.'" So here we see that the Messiah King, the Lord Jesus Christ, will rescue Israel. We know later on in verse two, he is going to resurrect the dead. And also in verse three, he is going to reward the righteous. Now what about this book of life? What is that all about? Well, that is God's record of the righteous redeemed his record of the elect. We read about that, for example, in in Psalm 69, verse 68, those who have been elected by his grace, those who have been justified in his sight. Jesus said in Luke 10 and verse 20, "'rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.'" Aren't you thankful that we serve a sovereign God that has accomplished our redemption, and is made certain that it will stand throughout eternity? If it were left up to us, it would never happen. These are those according to Acts 13:48, who were quote, "appointed to eternal life and who will believe." At the the Great White Throne Judgment, we read in Revelation 20 and verse 12, John says, "And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books according to their deeds."

So given this, let's look at this first verse of Daniel 12, as a whole. "'Now, at that time, Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people will arise. There will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who was found written in the book will be rescued.'" Now, this is obviously a season of unparalleled suffering for Israel, that is being described here. And it was also described in Daniel's first vision, you may recall, in Daniel chapter seven, beginning in verse 21, we read, "'I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints in overpowering them until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One. And the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom.'" That horn, by the way, referring to the Antichrist, verse 25, of Daniel seven, he goes on, and says, "'He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.'" In other words, three and a half years, the last three and a half years of the tribulation. This is also described in Daniel's third vision, Daniel 9:27, "'And he,'" referring to the Antichrist, '"will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week,'" in other words, in the middle of the seven years, '"he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering, and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed is poured out on the one who makes desolate.'" Beloved, I believe that it is during this time of unparallel suffering for Israel, during the Tribulation, that Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the people of Israel, will arise.

Now, let's back up for a moment and look at the big picture, because I get a lot of questions along this line. And this may help to give you a sense of where these things probably fit in a little summary here of events, as I understand them from Scripture, the next event on the prophetic timetable, the prophetic calendar, is probably the rapture of the church, the snatching away of the church. He will remove the church and once again focus on Israel. And it also could be a time when the battle of Gog and Magog takes place Ezekiel 38 and 39. With the rapture maybe occurring sometime thereafter, we're not sure. But eventually the Antichrist will sign a peace agreement with Israel to be their protector and to be their ally and so forth. But it will be a phony piece, but that signing of that covenant will be the trigger of Daniel's 70th week. The trigger of the tribulation, and that will set into motion the seal and then the trumpet. And finally, the bowl judgments that are described in Revelation six through 19. And in the middle of that tribulation, the Antichrist is going to desecrate the temple. He's going to set him up, set himself up to be God. He's going to demand to be worshipped at that point, the Jews will know they have been taken, and the persecution will begin to mount upon them. And many new Christians at this point now, many Jews are going to come to saving faith in Christ. Revelation seven, we know that God will raise up at that time, he will raise up and seal 144,000, Jewish evangelists, 12,000 Jewish men from each tribe. In Revelation 11, God is also going to raise up what is called two witnesses, two prophets, to preach a message of judgment to the world that is enduring these amazing events. And they are going to do that, according to Scripture, 1260 days or 42 months, or three and a half years. During that time, many will be saved. In Revelation 13, God is also going to dispatch three angels, who according to the text says, will fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth. So you can imagine what is going to happen during that day. And with so many coming to faith in Christ, and giving their full allegiance to him, the Antichrist is going to be apoplectic, he will be infuriated with all that is going on and seek to destroy the remnant of Israel and all Christians. In fact, we know that only a third will survive. We read about this, for example, in Zechariah, 13, beginning in verse eight, "It will come about and all the land that declares the Lord, that two parts in it will be cut off and perish, but the third will be left in it. And I will bring the third part through the fire, refine them as silver is refined and test them as gold is tested. They will call on my name, and I will answer them; I will say 'They are my people.' And they will say, 'The Lord is my God.'" At the end of all of that, then you have the battle of Armageddon. And you have the King of kings and Lord of lords descending in power and great glory to judge the nations, win that battle and so forth, and establish His glorious kingdom.

Now, let's back up. Where does Daniel 12 one fit into all of this? Well, Revelation chapter 12, if you'd like to turn there, Revelation, chapter 12, verses six through 17, helps us understand the chronology here. And basically, the answer is Michael is going to arise sometime around the midpoint of the Tribulation, when he casts Satan, the dragon out of heaven. This is a fascinating promise, a fascinating passage of scripture. Let me set this up a little bit--after suffering his defeat at the hands of Michael as we're going to see, Satan is going to vent his spleen against Israel, knowing his time is short, he is going to want to eradicate the pernicious and perfidious Jewish people once and for all, removing any possibility of them or anyone else inheriting the Messianic Kingdom with the coming of Christ. Satan's ultimate doom, however, will follow the events of the end of the seventh trumpet and bowl judgments that are described in Revelation 15 through 18. So let's take a little excursus here, let's go into Revelation Chapter 12, for a moment. Again, background is everything. So let me give you a little bit of background and we're just jumping right into the middle here of Revelation. So I want you to know where you're at, in this text, Revelation 12 through 14 those chapters is basically as a parenthetical section in the book that provides a chronicle of Satan's career. And it actually recapitulates what had been said earlier in Revelation chapter six through 11. So we have a little parenthesis here that chronicles Satan's career. And the first six verses of chapter 12 provide a sweeping overview of Satan's ancient rebellion and war with God as well as his covenant people Israel, and they are symbolized, by the way, as the woman. That's a reference to Israel and her son, reference to the Son of God the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, the scene in Revelation 12 describes Israel during this last first half of the Tribulation, notice verse six, "Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for 1260 days." So here we see that during the Tribulation, Satan will increase his efforts of Jewish genocide through the reign of the Antichrist, and thereby try to prevent anyone from populating the millennial kingdom. But God arises again as the defender of his people, to hide them and to nourish them for 1260 days, or in other words, three and a half years. Again, Jeremiah 30, verse seven, this is the time of Jacob's trouble or Jacob's distress, and God's going to protect them in some undisclosed place there in the wilderness. And frankly, it's reminiscent, is it no,t of the 40 year wandering in the wilderness where God provided for his people? We know prophetically that many of the Jews are going to remain in Jerusalem, they're going to remain close to the temple, they're going to try to survive, many will be saved through the testimony of the two witnesses, and so forth, yet many are going to be slaughtered.

And then next, in verses seven through 12, John records this amazing battle in heaven. And probably like most men, I love battles, especially when my guys win. Right? I love it. So this is a battle in heaven, where Michael is used to permanently expel Satan from the presence of God; he's going to cast him to the earth. And soon thereafter, we know he's going to be cast into the, into the abyss, the Lake of Fire, which will be his eternal dungeon. I also want to add a little footnote here. All of this is future, though grammatically, you will notice that it is presented in the past tense. This is a literary device that is commonly used to describe a future event in such a way as to indicate that it is already an accomplished fact. It's to emphasize the certainty of an event. grammarians call it a proleptic aorist. Indeed, much of John's vision here is proleptic, where future events are so certain, they can be described in the past tense, as if they have already occurred, the very important concept that you need to understand in order to have the proper hermeneutic to interpret Bible prophecy.

Now let's notice closely this war in heaven, verse seven of Revelation 12. "And there was a war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging with the dragon." Now, you know that throughout history, Satan has waged war against God and his holy angels. We know that beyond the veil of our senses, is a war that's going on--a vast spiritual war. Untold conflicts happening all the time, even at this very moment. I am always aware that when I come into this pulpit, and we meet here, in this place, that there are angelic beings that are unseen that are protecting us. Remember, again, as well, Satan has a highly organized army of demons that he commands. Ephesians 6:12 speaks of this, including those that are in charge of nations, in charge of empires, like the prince of the kingdom of Persia in Daniel 10. In fact, without question, we could say that most of our political leaders here in the United States are Satan's puppets; highly influenced by demons and all of the false teaching and false philosophies that have been building up down through the centuries. So this is not the first time Michael and his forces have encountered this enemy. Now, I wondered in my own mind, many, many years ago, I wonder how they fight you know, what does that look like? You know, do they have these Star Wars sabers? I mean, you know, what do they do? Well, guess what? The Bible doesn't tell us. You know, it just doesn't say. Scripture is silent regarding how they wage war. So the actual tactics and the kinds of casualties, all of that remains a mystery to us. But here we see God dispatching Michael once again, and along with undoubtedly, a celestial army that he leads to wage war with the dragon. And this is what we believe is going on here in Daniel 12 one. Now grammatically, if we look at Revelation 12, seven, the phrase "Michael and his angels waging with the dragon," that reveals to us grammatically in the original language that it is Satan, that is the instigator of this conflict. In fact, the phrase could be translated, "Michael and his angels had to fight the dragon." Now, we want to ask the question, What triggered this attack? It's a good question for any student of the Bible. Well, we can't be sure. But when we put all of the things together, it might be, I mean, we know that it's happening in the middle of the week after Israel has fled into the wilderness for the final three and a half years, according to Revelation 12, six. But the trigger may well be a combination of these supernatural victories that are occurring at the hands of the two witnesses on earth that God has dispatched, along with the sealed 144,000 that are that are protected and proclaiming the gospel, many people coming to saving faith in Christ. Also the three angels of chapter 14, verses six through 11, are flying in mid heaven, making various warnings to those on the earth during that tribulation period. And so all these things combined could be what energizes Satan's attack, because he does have a diabolical plan to destroy God's people and prevent the establishment of the millennial kingdom. He has done this throughout redemptive history in various ways.

But notice, again, in verse seven, at the end, it says, "The dragon and his angels waged war, and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven." So here, beloved, we see how the cleansing of heaven is now complete, right? They're no longer in heaven. But they're really remains a purification on Earth, so now they're on Earth. And we begin to understand in verse nine, what happens with respect to Daniel's defeat. Notice verse nine, "And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him." "Thrown down," he says it three times. I want you to notice as well here, the Lord describes the enemy of our souls, this wicked fiend in five ways he's called the great dragon, underscoring the vicious cruelty of this monster. He's also called the serpent of old, identifying him as the serpent in the garden that tempted Eve and brought sin into the world. He's also called the devil, the slanderer, or the maligner, the one who roams the earth collecting evidence to accuse saints before God's holy bar of justice, as Scripture reveals to us. He's also called Satan, transliteration of the Hebrew word Satan, referring to our superhuman adversary, and he's also described as the one who deceives or misleads the whole world. Indeed, he is a genius in seducing people to believe that which is false. And then when he causes them to fall, he accuses them before God. Can there be anything more evil than that? What a, what an exceedingly dangerous and vile creature.

Notice again in verse nine, the Lord uses the phrase "thrown down." It literally means to cast down or to forcibly remove or expel. In this context, it carries the idea of being manhandled. Are you familiar with that? He's manhandled here. This is a supernatural body slam. That's what's going on here. I love it. When he’s slammed from Heaven down to earth. I mean, that's a that's a big slam. Right? This underscores the humiliating ignominious defeat, and the method of his expulsion. He's going to be overwhelmed by a vastly superior force and physically hurled from heaven to earth. You know, I was thinking about this. I've been thrown out of places before. I know what that's like, maybe you have been to, but I've never had anybody pick me up and throw me. Especially that far, right? I mean, it's an amazing thought that that's what's going to happen and I confess I, I find great satisfaction when I contemplate this theme. You know, I can imagine Michael saying, come on, make my day. So here we learn of the dragon's inevitable defeat.

But notice the reaction. Oh, how I love this verse 10. "Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, 'Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God, day and night.'" So here the glorified saints in heaven erupt in song. And undoubtedly, this will be us dear friends. A glimpse of our future. The accuser of the brethren has been thrown down. And obviously his relentless and slanderous accusations fell on deaf ears. Because we have a great mediator at God's bar of justice. Because we have a faithful high priest. Because we have been declared righteous; Romans five verse two, "having been justified by faith," we have what? We have "peace with God." Despite all of the accusations, despite all of our sin, we have peace with God because we have been declared righteous on the basis of the imputed righteousness of Christ. That's justification. "Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exalt in hope of the glory of God." And beloved, this heavenly celebration erupts because faith has become sight.

Now, let me give you an overview, once again, a possible progression of events. As we look at Scripture, from a literal grammatical perspective, probably soon after the rapture of the church. A Russian-Arab coalition will launch a massive attack against Israel. That could happen before, but we can't say for sure, that is the battle of Gog and Magog in Ezekiel 38 and 39. Israel being a key ally of NATO, and the United States will be under attack. And that group of European nations will probably be this Revived Roman Empire that the Antichrist will lead; an alliance of nations that will most likely feel threatened as well, from this north/south coalition of Russia, and the Arab nations coming against Israel. And although God is going to destroy this coalition, utterly defeat them on the mountains of Israel, which by the way, you should keep in mind as you watch the Russian army coming into, into Ukraine, know that eventually that army is going to be destroyed, which by the way is heartbreaking. I've got a number of dear friends in Russia, a lot of believers, a lot of them were out of the KGB, were saved from that and were saved from the Russian military and they're pastors. Lord willing, I don't know, we may see some of them at the shepherd's conference; we usually do every year. But believe me, many of the men fighting for Russia don't want to be there. It is a wicked, barbaric army. But anyway, they will be defeated on the mountains of Israel. The entire world at that point will be amazed. The Islamic world will be stunned and they will be forced to admit what they have denied for centuries. And that is that the God of Israel is the one true God; there is no other and Allah is a figment of their imagination of satanic deception.

At that point, according to Ezekiel 39 and verse nine, it will give them seven years to burn the weaponry, seven months to bury the dead in order to cleanse the land. Then all of the nations of the world will suddenly view Israel in a way that they never have before, a power to be reckoned with. And after describing the supernatural defeat of the Russian-Arab Alliance, we know that God spoke through the prophet of Ezekiel, and says this, in Ezekiel 38:23, "'I will magnify Myself, sanctify Myself, and make Myself known in the sight of many nations, and they will know that I am the Lord.'" Right now, that is an absolute joke to the majority of the people in the world. Verse seven of chapter 39 of Ezekiel, "'My holy name I will make known in the midst of My people, Israel, and I will not let My holy name be profaned anymore, and the nations will know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel.'" Indeed, many will know, not all will bow. In fact, people in hell will blaspheme him forever, knowing full well who he is.

So after this defeat, the Arab-Muslim world will be powerless to prevent Israel from destroying their sacred Dome of the Rock, there in Jerusalem building their own temple. Israel's newfound power, combined with the political and economic upheavals in the world, would be the perfect storm for the Antichrist, for a world ruler to come to the forefront and provide peace, for everyone. Satan's aid, the Antichrist, representing a European confederacy--which is rapidly by the way, becoming a Muslim confederacy, I hope you understand that in Europe--he will see the need to ally himself with Israel. He will negotiate a covenant of peace with her. I think about this day and it's fascinating. Israel typically comes to a peace table with everyone discriminating against her. But for the first time in modern history, she will actually come away with an international blessing, so to speak, something that they have never, never seen. But the signing of this covenant will be the trigger that will set into motion the, the time of Daniel's 70th week and the first half of the Tribulation. Israel will experience peace. The world will experience some peace. But it will be a false peace; a calm before the storm. And during that time, God will begin to set into motion wrath that will be poured out upon the nation's-- the seal and then eventually the trumpet, and finally, the bowl judgments of Revelation six through 19, resulting in millions of casualties both of unrepentant Jews and Gentiles. And many people that will come to saving faith in Christ. But by the middle of the tribulation, we believe it is there, where Satan will be cast out of heaven. This again is where Michael comes on the scene. Enraged by his humiliating defeat, and knowing whose time is short, to prevent the establishment of the Kingdom, upon the earth that he now rules, he will begin again to vent his fury against the 144,000, the indestructible two witnesses, and all of this will cause Satan to influence the Antichrist to invade Jerusalem. Daniel spoke of this, again back in Daniel 11, beginning of verse 44, "He will go forth with great wrath to destroy and annihilate many. He will pitch the tents of his royal pavilion between the seas and the beautiful Holy Mountain." This is as Daniel prophesied again in Daniel 9:27. This is consistent with what the Lord Jesus prophesied in Matthew 24:15, and the apostle Paul, in Second Thessalonians two four. The Antichrist is going to invade the Temple Mount, put an end to all of their worship, and he is going to seat himself in the Holy of Holies, displaying himself as being God. The Scripture says, that is "the abomination of desolation." The temple in the land at that point, will be ritually defiled and many Jews will flee into the wilderness where God will protect them, where God will nourish them. And all of this will set into motion when Satan is thrown down out of heaven to earth.

Now let's go back to Revelation 12 verse 13. Notice the dragons pursuit of the woman. "And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman referring to Israel, who gave birth to the male child." "Persecuted" here, in the original language literally means to chase, or to hunt, to pursue with the intent, to do violence. And here Satan is depicted as this dragon monster, chasing a woman, Israel who gave birth to the male child, the Lord Jesus. And this is consistent with other Old Testament prophecies, especially Daniel's prophecy, of which the Lord referred to in his Olivet Discourse regarding this time, remember what Jesus said in Matthew 24, beginning in verse 15. "'Therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken up through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place, (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.'" This, by the way, is the region to the east of Jerusalem, the wilderness mountain regions. Daniel 11:41, again speaks of this, "But these will be rescued out of his hand: Edom, Moab and the foremost of the sons of Ammon." Goes on to say "'Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. Whoever is in the field must not run back to get his cloak. But woe to those who are pregnant. And to those who are nursing babies in those days! But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath.'" You must understand that travel on Shabbat, on the Sabbath day, is a violation of the law and legalistic Jews would be furious and would try to impede travel. Jesus goes on to say in Matthew 24:15, as I've read earlier, "'For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. Unless those days had been cut short, no life would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.'" The scene, we know, is one of a surprise attack. Israel is not going to expect her ally, the Antichrist, and all that he commands, to suddenly come against them. After all, they've been promised peace and safety. And unlike any other city in the world, Jerusalem has already been besieged 27 times. And unless they're besieged again prior to this time, that will make 28. And this will be the final season of judgment upon the stubborn and stiff-necked people. And during the siege of Israel, of I should say of Jerusalem, we read that the Lord of hosts will strengthen Jewish soldiers Zechariah 12, verses five through nine, Micah 4:11 through chapter five and verse one. And according to Zechariah 14 and verse two, the Antichrist will be able to only recapture half of the city. That will probably be the eastern half of the city since later when the Lord returns according to Zechariah 14 four, the Mount of Olives will split into each side of the mountain moving north and south. And this will allow an East/West escape route for his remnant. They will cross the Kidron Valley directly through the Mount of Olives; an amazing thought, allowing them to join many others in the Judean wilderness who had been protected there since the mid tribulation flight.

I want you to notice the word "split," which translates the Hebrew word, "baqa." It's the same verb used in another magnificent split that allowed God's covenant people to flee to safety from another army pursuing them. When God "split" the Red Sea. In Exodus 14, we read it in verse 16, as well as 21. So some future day the Jews will read these texts I believe, and they will immediately understand the connection. It's interesting you think back to Egypt; Pharaoh was a type of the Antichrist, the Antichrist being the antitype. And even as God blocked the pursuit of Pharaoh's Egyptian charioteers at the Red Sea, once again, he's going to block the armies of the Antichrist in this great split. In fact, his armies will be prevented from fleeing north and south leaving them utterly vulnerable. In the Kidron Valley, which is also known as the Valley of Jehoshaphat, "Jehoshaphat," meaning "God will judge" and there they will be utterly destroyed.

So here in verse 13, we see Satan pursuing Israel through the Antichrist. Verse 14, "But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time and times and half the time, from the presence of the serpent." In other words, the last three and a half years of the tribulation. Notice the woman's flight here, Israel's flight, he uses the phrase, "the two wings of the great eagle." Now that was a familiar concept to the Jewish people. It would have been a familiar concept to John, it certainly has nothing to do with an airplane as some people want to assert. In fact, the Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv is 30 miles west of Jerusalem. That's going to be where the forces of the Antichrist are going to be kept; it has nothing to do with that. This phrase is in keeping with other terms and concepts of Israel's former deliverance from Egypt. Exodus 19, verse four, we read "You yourselves, have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagle's wings, and brought you to Myself." So once again, the Lord is going to miraculously deliver his people in ways that we are not told. And the imagery here also of wings, is emblematic of speed, and of great strength. We read this in other Old Testament passages. But it's ultimately a picture of divine protection. In fact, Moses' great song of deliverance speaks of this describing what happened to the Egyptian charioteers. Deuteronomy 32, verse nine, "'For the Lord's portion is His people; Jacob is the allotment of His inheritance. He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of a wilderness; He encircled him, He cared for him. He guarded him as the pupil of His eye, like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that hovers over its young, He spread His wings and caught them, He carried them on His pinions.'" Again, Revelation 12:14 doesn't tell us how he does all of this, but it clearly will be through some miraculous intervention. And he will somehow recapitulate something similar to what he did in the splitting of the Red Sea. And this may well be another example of Daniel 12 one, when Michael, the great prince who stands over the people of Israel will arise, God will dispatch a division of his angelic forces, under the leadership of Michael.

But notice verse 14, again, "the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time from the presence of the serpent." So many of the Israeli remnant will be supernaturally transported into some region of the wilderness mountain area east of Jerusalem. And there, the Lord will once again care for his covenant people, nourishing them, feeding them perhaps manna, once again, as he did 3400 years earlier, in their desert wandering; assuming that this will happen in the near future, which we do not know.

And finally, the dragon redirects his animosity here in verse 15. "And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood." This symbolizes this invading force that will just sweep upon the vulnerable. But notice the Lord's glorious protection, verse 16, "But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth." Now, we can't be sure, but when we look at the context and the symbolism of the Earth, swallowing up this approaching hoard, it seems to indicate that God is going to use a massive earthquake to accomplish this eradication of the enemy, just as he used the waters of the Red Sea to destroy the Egyptian charioteers. In fact, in Exodus 15:12, Moses said, "'You stretched out your right hand, the earth swallowed them.'"

So here we learn that Satan's forces, under the rule of the Antichrist, are going to meet a similar fate. And because he is once again prevented from carrying out his nefarious scheme, he redirects his animosity towards another group, verse 17. "So the dragon was enraged with the woman and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus." Here we see that who he goes after now are believers out of Israel. The rest of the children, literally the seed. This will include Jews who will remain under siege in Jerusalem, but also the 144,000 Jewish evangelists that continue to fearlessly preach the gospel, as well as all believers who, I love this "keep the commandments of God, and hold to the testimony of Jesus." By the way, grammatically, the two phrases "the commandments of God" and "the testimony of Jesus," are both what we call "subjective." Meaning they can be translated "the commandments which God gave," and "the testimony which Jesus bore, the truth that he taught." So this is more than just a testimony about Jesus dear friends. What is being described here are the divine truths that were revealed and taught in the New Testament. So Satan will go after those who preach and teach the New Testament. And this will include what I'm teaching today, from the "Apokalypsis lesou Christos," the revealing of Jesus Christ, the book of Revelation, that reveals Satan's defeat and Messiah's triumph. If you think this is politically incorrect, now, just think what it will be like in those days. And I believe with all my heart that there will be people in those days, who will turn and hear what I have said today and other preachers have said today, or who've taught on these things, and will understand more clearly what the Word of God has revealed, and what a comfort that will be to them.

Dear friends, I hope as you read these things and study these things, your heart will be filled with praise and adoration for our sovereign God. Isn't it great, especially given all of the insanity that's all around us, isn't it great to know that we serve a holy and a sovereign God that has redeemed us by the blood of the Lamb and His promise to deliver us, ultimately, from all of these things, and that one day, one day, people will bow before my Savior and my king? And they will do that, either in terror or in triumph. And I pray that it will be triumph for each of you. If you don't know Christ, dear friends, you need to get serious about the tragedy of your own sin and come to God in saving faith and ask him to save you. And for the rest of us, let's just pray that Jesus will come soon. Right? Amen.

Father, thank you for these eternal truths. While there are many things we don't fully understand, and, and we can't be dogmatic about a lot of things, nevertheless, we have your word. And then when we look at the normal meaning of language, we can begin to piece together some sense of what you're up to, and what will happen. But Lord, it's not all of the details that matters. It's the big picture that matters and the big picture is that you are the Holy God Of Israel, The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and that we as Gentiles have been grafted into the root of Abrahamic blessing, that covenantal blessing, in such a way as to make us part of the family of the redeemed the church. Lord, we celebrate all of this. And we thank you that we can find such comfort from your Word, especially in these dark and chaotic days, knowing that you have a plan and you are working it perfectly, to the praise of your glory, as well as for our eternal good. So we thank you and we give you praise in Jesus name. Amen.

We return this morning to our study of Daniel. So if you will take your Bible and turn there to Daniel chapter 11, the amazing book in the Bible, and even this chapter, which is filled with some 135 prophecies that have already been fulfilled literally, which naturally leads us to believe the rest will as well. And this morning, we're going to look at the last verses of this chapter, verses 36 through 45. Now to prepare your hearts, let me just remind you, folks, even as invasive briars grow naturally upon the face of the earth, the insidious thorns and weeds of sin grow naturally in our hearts. And the flowers and fruits of righteousness, therefore, need to be cultivated, they need to be nurtured if we are to enjoy them. And the divine gardener gives us all of the resources, we need to do just that. And he uses primarily his Word and his Spirit. So I trust you're willing to allow the Word to do its work in your heart today, and nourish you with its living water. And how sad to see fruitless trees withering in a church, or people that claim to be Christians bearing bad fruit, which is a certain indication that they were never planted by God. In fact, Jesus said in Matthew seven, "'A good tree cannot produce bad fruit. Nor can a bad tree produce good fruit, every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then you will know them by their fruits.'" Fruits, referring to the fruits of genuine repentance that manifests Christ-like obedience and holy living. So with this, we focus our attention on the Word of God, which is also likened to mother's milk, right? Remember what Peter said, we are to be like "newborn babies and long for the pure milk of the word," First, Peter two two. Why, why should we do that? "So that by it you may grow and respect to salvation, if you have tasted of the kindness of the Lord," if you have truly been born again. And if you haven't, then you're going to be terribly bored here today, you will have no appetite for the Word of God. And unless you repent, you will perish in your sins. So will you humble yourself, and trust in Christ and those of us who know and love him, let's open up our hearts to his words.

So we returned to Daniel 11. Remember, this is where Daniel once again presents the Antichrist in this fourth and final revelation, prophetic revelation, which he has also done in the three preceding revelations that he received. And may I remind you that what we are examining here has nothing to do with Antiochus Epiphanes, he was the type that pointed to the antitype, who is the antichrist that is to come. And you may recall our little outline that we began several weeks ago when I was with you the last time. We first of all looked at the final willful king, the Antichrist in verse 36. And then secondly, the final world religion, verses 37 through nine and then today we will look at the final military conquests of the Antichrist. Let me give you a little review, in terms of the final willful king in verse 36. Remember, there we read, "Then the king," the Antichrist, "will do as he pleases and he will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will speak monstrous things against the God of gods; and he will prosper until the indignation is finished, for that which is decreed will be done." And of course, in chapter 12, verse one, we have some helpful insights into when this will occur, namely, a time it says "of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued." So this is pointing to the time of the Great Tribulation, the prekingdom judgments before Christ returns. And as we see there in verse one of chapter 12, the rule of the Antichrist will encompass the most severe persecution in the history of Israel, and ultimately the world. Again, verse 36, "and he will prosper until the indignation is finished, for that which is decreed will be done." And what is it that was decreed? Well, Daniel 9:24, we read "70 weeks" literally 70 sevens, or 70 times 70 years; 490 years "have been decreed," which means they have been decided, they have been determined "for your people and your holy city." So God has deliberately set aside 490 years in redemptive history to accomplish his purposes in delivering his covenant people Israel, their capital, city, Jerusalem, all of which is consistent with Daniel's prayer. Obviously, these things did not happen at His first coming.

And this brings us to the second division of that prophecy, which is in verse 25, where God's angelic messenger gives us the historical context. He says in verse 25, "So you are to know and discern from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there will be seven weeks and 62 weeks; it will be built again with plaza and moat, even in times of distress." Remember, there are two divisions there. Let me remind you of them so that you get the context of all that's happening here. The first division is seven weeks or seven times 7;49 years. And then the second division 62 weeks; 62 sevens is 434 years. And that means that something special occurred 49 years after the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. And what is it that occurred at that time? Well, that was the period of Ezra and Nehemiah, when they combined their efforts to establish a working capital city of Judah, it took almost a whole generation. And then the 62 weeks or the 434 years later, Messiah the Prince comes on the scene. And we know that that happened in the triumphal entry on nine of Nissan in AD 30. So 49 plus 434 equals 483. 483 years have been completed. But the final seven years have not. The starting point or the terminus a quo of this 490 years of Gentile domination and judgment upon Israel was 445 BC, when Artexerxes gave the decree to Nehemiah to return and rebuild the city. We read about that in Nehemiah chapter two. Now remember, there is an extensive time gap here between the first 69 weeks, in other words, the first 483 years and the final 70th week. And that's not at all uncommon in Bible prophecy. It's also important to remember that ultimately over the course of these 490 years of judgment, Daniel 9:24 reveals six objectives that God will accomplish during that time. First of all, he says to "finish the transgression." In other words, the violation of his law they revolted against his authority. And specifically, this refers to Israel's unrelenting and unrestrained rebellions against God. And then secondly, "to make an end of sin," which is a more general term of just dealing with all of the wrongs, to seal it up so it will be concealed to judge it with finality. And then thirdly, "to make atonement for iniquity." "Kaphar" in Hebrew, it carries the idea of a covering by means of an expiatory sacrifice. "To make a covering" is what it means, in other words, to provide a moral or a legal repayment for a fault or injury. And that's what happened when Christ went to the cross on our behalf. And also he says, "to bring in everlasting righteousness," also "to seal up vision and prophecy," which literally means to hide from view and demonstrate that its functions are over. In other words, visions, revelation, they're over. Prophecy, the message of the prophets, it's over. And finally "to anoint the most holy place," to anoint means to officially inaugurate into public ministry the most holy place, literally the Holy of Holies, the millennial temple.

And then in Daniel 9:27, he goes on to describe what will happen during that final week of years, that 70th week that we are anticipating. "And he," referring to the Antichrist, "will make a firm covenant with the many for one week." So in other words, a great deceiver will lure Israel into a protective agreement called "a firm covenant." "But in the middle of the week, he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until the destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate." So in the middle of the week, in other words, three and a half years in, this satanically, empowered and possessed antichrist will seize the temple. He will betray the Jews, demand to be worshipped, even as his four runner, Antiochus Epiphanes. This is the one pictured in Revelation 13 verses one and verse five, "the beast coming up out of the sea," given quote, "a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies and authority to act for 42 months was given to him," referring to the last half of the seven years of Daniel's 70th week.

Now back again to Daniel 11:36, the end of the verse it says, "he will prosper until the indignation is finished, for that which is decreed will be done." And of course, what was decreed, was the 490 years of judgment upon Israel, leading up to the return of the Messiah in the establishment of his long-awaited kingdom. So this vile blasphemous ruler will prosper until that time, as long as a sovereign God has decreed. I hope you find that as comforting as I do. To know that ultimately, he is the one in control. And then secondly, by way of review, very briefly, the final world religion beginning in verse 37, which is ultimately going to be the worship of the Antichrist, says "he will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the desire of women, nor will he show regard for any other god; for he will magnify himself above them all. But instead, he will honor a god of fortresses, a god whom his fathers did not know; he will honor him with gold, silver, and costly stones and treasures. He will take action against the strongest of fortresses with the help of a foreign god, he will give great honor to those who acknowledge him, he will cause them to rule over the many, and will parcel out land for a price." I will not go over all that we learned the last time, but if you want to know the details of that, you can go back and listen.

This brings us to our text today. The final point, referring to the final military conquests, and this is truly, truly fascinating. Let me read the text beginning of verse 40. "At the end time, the king of the South will collide with him, and the king of the North will storm against him with chariots, with horsemen, and with many ships." Now, to understand this, what we need to do is remember the designations of the south and the north in earlier passages, and of course, that referred to the Ptolemaic and the Seleucid rulers respectively. So it's fair to assume that these regions in the future will bear some similarity. You will recall that the South went to Ptolemy, General Ptolemy. And so the Ptolemaic power of Egypt is probably in view here. Ptolemy was one of the generals of Alexander the Great. And I might add that today, Egypt's military power is ranked number 12 out of 140 nations in the world. So it is a very formidable power. It is the most powerful country in the League of Arab States, a regional organization, which consists of 22 Arab nations in the Middle East. Which, by the way, includes Syria and Lebanon, that we see in the news all the time, and also includes nation states in Northern Africa, on the Horn of Africa. So I think it's fair to see Egypt as representative of the Arab nations that will, according to this prophecy, collide with the Antichrist. This quote, "king who will do as he pleases," according to 11:36, the one "who will do as he pleases and exalt and magnify himself above every god," which by the way, would include Allah. And "will speak monstrous things against the God of gods." So he will one day mock the god of Islam, the god of Judaism and the God of Christianity. You can imagine how people will react to that. Notice also in verse 40, the king of the South will apparently form a coalition against the expansionist campaign of the Antichrist, with it says, the king of the North, who "will storm against him with chariots, horsemen, many ships." That, by the way, is just representative of have their counterparts in modern warfare, which would have been unheard of in Daniel's day.

Now, what about the king of the North? Well, in earlier passages, we know that this referred to Syria, especially as it related to Antiochus Epiphanes, who ruled the Seleucid Empire at that time. And remember, Syria and Babylon originally went to general Seleucus. However, Syria today doesn't even remotely qualify as some kind of military powerhouse comparable to the ancient Seleucid dynasty. And it is certainly not a realistic threat that could come against the revived Roman Empire, ruled by the Antichrist. So given all of this, and given other passages of Scripture, I think the most reasonable designation of this future king of the North is Russia. Moscow being directly north of Jerusalem. Now, while I cannot be certain, I will also argue at some level that this prophecy pertains to the battles associated with Ezekiel chapter 38, and 39, the prophecy of Gog and Magog and the future invasion of Israel, that I think may well occur prior to the tribulation. Now, some of these things that I'm going to say are going to be speculative on my part. Some of my argumentation has holes in the bucket. But I think my bucket has less holes than some of the other buckets. And I'm not going to explain all of the buckets, I'm just going to show you my bucket, okay? And we're not starting a new denomination, I can't be dogmatic on these things. But I think I will give you an exegetically defensible, tentative hypothesis of what this battle may be all about. No one can be dogmatic about any of this, including the timing. By the way, the Lord knows this and he's deliberately vague about many of these things. You know, if we knew exactly who and when these things were going to happen, you know, that we would all react in ways that would make fools out of ourselves. And so what's important is not who and when these things take place, but the certainty that they will take place, and that God is in charge, and he will judge as he has promised.

Now, concerning Ezekiel 38, and 39, and I read chapter 39, few minutes ago, there are reasonable arguments that those battles are referring, or that that battle refers to the time the Battle of Armageddon in Revelation 16. Others say that it will happen at the end of the millennium. And you can read about that, for example, in Revelation 20, verses seven through nine, but we can't be certain. And I believe that there are just too many disparities in the description of these events to justify those positions. And again, as I say, all positions have holes in the bucket, as does mine. But let me give you why I think this may happen before the tribulation. One of the main reasons is that this will provide the necessary time for Israel to bury the dead and burn the weapons according to Ezekiel 39, nine. Something they would not have time to do, or the ability to do, during the future prekingdom judgments of the tribulation that are going to be horrific. And I believe you will agree that the world stage is set for these things to happen; we're seeing this right before our eyes today. I mean, think about it. It's not at all difficult to imagine a 10 member, NATO Confederacy, European Confederacy, a revived Roman Empire being led by some maniacal fiend that would be a threat to Russia and to the Arab nations. Remember, while Israel is not a member of NATO today, it is one of his staunchest allies in the Middle East. Russia's fear of NATO is what's driving Putin's military buildup on the border of Ukraine right now as we speak. So it's not at all difficult to imagine a coalition of southern and northern forces coming against the forces of a NATO Alliance ruled by some megalomaniac. And right now, we know that Russia and China and Iran and North Korea are testing the resolve of a pathetically weak and incompetent president and administration. And an ultra woke administration, even an ultra woke military, that are more concerned about LGBTQ inclusion and critical race theory than keeping us safe.

Now, hold your finger on Daniel nine, I mean, Daniel 11, for just a moment, I want to take you to Ezekiel for just a few minutes. Think carefully with me. Let me give you a little, little context here. In Ezekiel, chapter 37 you have the vision of the valley of the dry bones depicting a national resurrection of Israel regathering back into the land, where eventually at His second coming, the Lord promises in verse 14, "I will put my Spirit within you and you will come to life and I will place you on your land." Verse 24, "My servant David will be king over them and they will have one shepherd;" my servant David, referring to the Messiah, David's descendant, it could not be the David of the Bible, he's been dead by now 400 years. In verse 26, he promises to ultimately fulfil the Abrahamic and Davidic and new covenants. As together, he will establish his millennial kingdom. In verse 26, we read, "'I will set My sanctuary in their midst forever, My dwelling place also will be with them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people. And the nations will know that I am the Lord who sanctifies Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forever.'" Obviously, this hasn't happened, but it will. So that's Ezekiel 37. Go to Ezekiel 38. He gives the detailed prophecy of a future invasion before all this happens. And I believe that this may well be what is being described here in Daniel 11:40, but I can't be dogmatic. And then in Ezekiel 39 that we read a little bit ago, we are given a description of Gods coming to the aid of Israel, destroying all of her enemies, and a description of the aftermath and ultimate restoration into their land during the millennium. Then in chapters 40 through 48. You have a detailed description of the millennial temple and so forth. So sandwiched in between, catch this now, sandwiched in between Israel's regathering and promised spiritual resurrection in chapter 37, and the millennial temple in chapters 40 through 48 is this invasion that will occur that’s detailed in chapters 38 and 39, telling us that this battle is somehow linked to the last day's temple. I will not take you to Ezekiel 38-- let me just review a few things. In verses two through six there's a prophecy of Maygog ruled by God the prince of Rosh, which is reference to the ancient land of the Scythians easily identified as the former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan. And GOG, there we read, allies with his allies, including Meshech and Tubal, which are territories of Turkey. And Persia, which is Iran. Kush and Ethiopia, which is Sudan. Put, which is Libya. Gomer, Germany. Beth-togarmah which is Turkey, and may also include Azerbaijan and Armenia. And all of these nations today have various military and economic alliances with Russia, who has historically supplied them with arms. And of these nations today are Islamic nations. Including six of the former Soviet republics to the north of Israel. And we all know that these people have a violent hatred of the nation of Israel. Furthermore, it is no secret that all of these nations want to defeat the United States, Israel's greatest ally and protector.

And Ezekial specifically tells us that one day they are going to form this Confederacy and invade Israel. You might say, well, what's the big deal with Israel? Why would they want to invade Israel? Well, first of all, let me just give you a few thoughts here. First of all, Satan is ultimately the god of Islam. And he has always been opposed to God's covenant people, the Jews. He wants to prevent the Messiah from returning and so forth. Secondly, the Muslims and other non Muslim Arabs have been, and continue to be, utterly humiliated by Israel stunning military victories over them. It makes Allah look pretty weak and pathetic. It even calls into question his existence. They also believe that the land of Israel belongs to them because they are the descendants of Abraham through Ishmael. But thirdly, the Muslims in the Arab world are insanely jealous of how Israel is one of the most prosperous nations in the world. Despite its tiny size, it's considered the Silicon Valley of the Middle East. And militarily, it is considered to have one of the most powerful militaries in the world. I checked; right now it has the third most powerful air force in the world, United States, number one, Russia, number two; Israel, number three. It's fascinating. There are 1.3 billion Muslims in the world and only about 15 million Jews. In fact, there are more people in the state of Florida than there are Jews in the whole world. Jews constitute 2.5% or 2.5 tenths of 1% of the world's population, all right? Yet the Muslims insist that the Jews are trying to dominate and take over the world. But a fourth reason why they would want to come upon Israel and I think the most powerful motivation for the Islamic world is that, and even the non Muslim countries, is their ambition for global dominance. They believe that they are to follow the steps of Mohammed and conquer the world for Allah. He alone is to be the authority. And everyone that does not obey him is to be put to death. They must obey his law. And the primary tool for this religious expansionism is jihad, a holy war, that purges and converts by the edge of the sword. Worse yet, we know that mainstream Shiite Muslims believe in the return of a messiah-like figure called the 12th Imam. And his coming can be hastened through apocalyptic chaos and violence perpetrated upon Christians and Jews. So when you have this kind of a mindset, you can begin to see why they would want to come down upon Israel.

Now Russia's motivation is very different. Russia is also a very proud nation right now. She is a wounded bear that looks upon Israel with envy. Her motivation is not theological, but political. And they need the help of the Muslim world to defeat the United States and NATO and Israel. Again, we're all kind of a part of the same group, therefore, they must align themselves with the Muslims and Arabs of the world. And this also would allow them to have access to the vast oil reserves their Arab allies currently have. But it would also help them if they had Israel, to tap into the magnificent resources in the land of Israel; natural resources crucial for their survival and prosperity, including water and chemicals in the Dead Sea, and also gain access to Israel's cutting edge technology and their advances, their military advances, and their vast arsenal of nuclear weapons. No doubt these factors pertaining to the Arab Islamic world and Russia, help explain Ezekial's prophecy where God says that He will, quote, "put hooks into their jaws," chapter 38 verse four, and bring them down upon Israel. Verse 13, "to plunder, to carry away silver and gold, and to take away cattle and goods to capture great spoil." I might add that right now a preemptive airstrike by Israel on Iran's nuclear program could set all of this into motion very, very quickly. So Ezekial's prophecy describes this alliance of nations that will swoop down on Israel from the North. Chapter 38 and verse eight, and several other passages, says you're going to sweep down to the "mountains of Israel," also a region of "unwalled villages," chapter 38, verse 11. Which is currently true of Northern Israel, I've been there on multiple occasions. And these invaders will according to chapter 38, verse six and verse 15, come out of the "remote parts of the North." But according to 39 Chapter, verse four, God will defeat them on the "mountains of Israel." And I believe it's possible for these things to occur before the tribulation actually begins with all of the elements describing Israel in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39, already in place.

I might add another note. And I've talked with some of the Jewish people in Jerusalem about this. Orthodox Jews in the current temple movement, in Israel, interpret as equal in this very way. They are convinced that the war of Gog and Magog will be the next great war that Israel will fight. And it will ultimately be fought over control of Jerusalem, and the Temple Mount, primarily. But all of the rest of the resources of Israel as well. And ultimately think this, they think, that this will be the final battle described in Zechariah 12 through 14. But I might add, just parenthetically, before Israel receives the restoration temple, promised in Ezekiel 37, it must go through the final purging of Daniel's 70th week. Now, let's just speculate here for a moment. Imagine the clout Israel wouldn't suddenly have if all of these things actually happen. If these armies are destroyed, on the mountains of Israel, the whole world would stand in absolute amazement at what was obviously supernatural. And when you read how God destroys them with earthquakes, and pestilences, and then fighting amongst themselves, you see that obviously God did this. No nation would dare to go against them. And Israel at that point, as the text says, at least the vast majority of them, will know that it was YAWEH that did this. Imagine how the seven month burial of the dead and the seven year burning of the weapons of the defeated armies would be a witness to all of the nations. This burning could begin three and a half years before the Antichrist signs the covenant with the Jews, which by the way, will technically trigger the tribulation, the Daniel's 70th week. And they would then burn into the middle of the tribulation, that time when the Antichrist would then take over and want to be called God. Imagine how even the secular Jews in Israel today, who really couldn't care less right now about the building of the temple and all of those things, and infuriating the Muslim world, imagine how they would be, they would suddenly realize, "let's join in with Orthodox Jews because God did this." And with most of the Muslim world defeated and in shock, there would be no one to stop Israel. Israel would become an oasis in the world, an oasis of peace in the world that will gradually begin to disintegrate into wars and famines and natural disasters that are described in the seal judgments in Revelation six. And then add to all of this suddenly the church being snatched away. The Rapture of the Church, sometime around this great battle, either before or during or after, the church is going to be translated into heaven. Imagine the further chaos and confusion that would occur in the world. And think what this would do.

With the unprecedented carnage on the mountains of Israel. With a bewildered and defeated Islamic world, with a Russia that is utterly neutered. And then with the sudden disappearance of millions of Christians, the world would be sent into a tailspin of confusion. The world's economy would immediately fail. Every government would be in a state of shock. Every leader with nuclear capability would have his finger on the trigger, prepared for further hostilities in the world, would be craving, craving, for security, for peace. What a perfect storm for the first seal of judgment in Revelation six to be unleashed upon the world, and what's that first seal? What is the first thing that's going to happen?

Let me read it to you, Revelation six, beginning in verse one. "Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying, as with the voice of thunder, 'Come.' I looked, and behold, a white horse and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer." This first seal describes the pseudo peace that will lull the world, including Israel, into a false sense of security, and a vision of utopia; the calm before the storm, that will be offered to them by the Antichrist. This would be the perfect time for this world leader to come onto the scene and for people to follow Him. To do all that he asks, wanting all that he will promise. I mean, we've seen people do that. I remember, in the days of Barack Obama. I mean people just thought that, my, this is, you know, this is the kingdom, you know. Daniel 7:23, through 24 describes this time when it it will be at the age of a one world government, it will eventually splinter into 10 governments, a new world. Alliances will occur. At that time, it would be probably far more powerful than NATO and the UN combined. And this 10 nation confederacy will then thrive under the leadership of the Antichrist, until the middle of the tribulation.

At first, the Antichrist, we know according to prophecy, will represent the nations. He will make concessions to Israel. I mean, after all, look what God has done for them, this astonishing defeat of the Russian Arab Alliance and then he will unite the rest of the world, primarily the Europeans and an alliance with Israel. Give them a covenant of protection, a covenant of commerce and peace. And oh, here's the new world order. But it will be nothing more than a ploy, and preparation for his fiendish, satanically inspired plan; his goal of Jewish genocide in establishing himself as God. Daniel 9:27.

So back to verse 40. "At the end time, the king of the south will collide with him and the King of the North will storm against him, with chariots, with horsemen, and with many ships. And he," referring to the Antichrist, who is the subject of this passage, "will enter countries, overflow them and pass through." The original language carries the idea of an overflowing river, like a flooding river. He will pass through this defeated North/South alliance in that realm in Israel. And again, remember today Israel is one of the key allies of NATO, the United States and an alliance of nations that will most likely be part of that Roman Revived Roman Empire ruled by the Antichrist. And although God will do the destruction of this North/South coalition that will come against Israel, that attack would have been considered, or probably will be considered an affront to the Antichrist who will claim the victory.

Verse 41, "He will also enter the Beautiful Land," referring to the land of Israel, that land that he will ultimately want for himself, "and many countries will fall; but these will be rescued out of his hand: Edom, Moab and the foremost of the sons of Ammon. By the way, the counterparts of these ancient lands in the southeast of Palestine today is Jordan.

Verse 42, "Then he will stretch out his hand against other countries, and the land of Egypt will not escape." So Egypt and her Arab allies will be easy targets because they basically have no more military. They're defeated on the mountains of northern Israel. So he will head south to occupy these countries. Verse 43, "But he will gain control over the hidden treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; and Libyans and Ethiopians will follow at his heels." That's a reference to the idea of them readily and eagerly capitulating to all of his demands, and his authority and becoming part of his vast and growing empire. "But rumors from the East and from the North will disturb him, and he will go forth with great wrath to destroy and annihilate many." This is likely a reference to a new alliance that will come out of the North and may even include some of the Jews. We don't know, but probably out of the East. This is a reference to the Chinese who will see his growing domination in the world as a threat to their power. So this satanically empowered Antichrist it says "will go forth with great wrath to destroy and annihilate many." Remember Satan is the one that is empowering him and he will not be defeated until the Lord defeats him.

Verse 45, "He will pitch his tents and his royal pavilion between the seas and the beautiful Holy Mountain." The ancients would have understood this. Whenever a conquering general would come into a land he would put up his main tent in the middle of a place and then his attendants would have their tents around them and it would be a way of symbolizing his utter domination of that region. And that's what is going to happen one day. He will pitch the tents of his royal pavilion, which could be translated, he shall plant the tents of his palace, between the seas and the beautiful Holy Mountain. The Holy Mountain is Mount Zion, where the temple will be erected, and the seas would be the Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea. So in other words, they're in the region of Jerusalem.

So verse 46, again, "He will pitch his tents and his royal pavilion between the seas and the beautiful Holy Mountain," Mount Zion, where the new newly erected temple will stand. But notice this last phrase, "yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him." Indeed, dear friends, this satanically empowered, counterfeit ruler, a counterfeit of the Lord Jesus, along with his religious helper, the false prophet, and all of his forces are going to be defeated in the Battle of Armageddon. We know that Revelation 19, that will happen in the valley of Jehoshaphat. Let me read to you what Joel has to say in his prophecy. Chapter Three, beginning of verse two, he says, "I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat." Jehoshaphat, by the way, means "Yahweh judges." Yahweh judges. "I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter into judgment with them there on behalf of My people, and My inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; and they have divided up My land." Drop down to verse 12, "Let the nations be aroused and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat. For there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, tread, for the wine press is full. The vats overflow, for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun and moon grow dark and the stars lose their brightness. The Lord roars from Zion and utters His voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth tremble. But the Lord is a refuge for his people, and a stronghold to the sons of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, dwelling in Zion, My Holy Mountain. So Jerusalem will be holy, and strangers will pass through it no more."

Dear friends, we don't know the time of these things. But we do know the results. Our God reigns, he rules. And he is coming to judge the nations of the world and all those who reject his command to repent and believe and place their faith in the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. And I hope and I pray that you are among the ranks of the redeemed. Because if you're not, one day you will meet the Lord Jesus Christ in the fullness of his wrath. Most today, scoff and mock at God's prophetic word, but a day is coming when all of the scoffing and all of the mocking will cease. The day is coming when according to Philippians, two beginning of verse 10, "at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth." He goes on to say that "every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Oh, how I pray, that that will be your experience one day. Let's pray together.

Father, thank You for the eternal truths of your word. While we cannot understand in any way, the fullness of all that you have said, what we can grasp is that you are a sovereign God, a holy God that will indeed judge sin. And we thank you that despite the horrors of your judgment, and the unrelenting terror, of an eternal hell, we thank you that you have given us grace in the Gospel. That you have provided a way for us to be delivered from the wrath to come through faith in Christ. And I plead with you that there will be a great outpouring of your spirit among sinners today. Let it begin here at Calvary Bible Church and in our community. But Lord may have spread throughout the world that many might be saved to the praise of your glory. For its in Christ's name that I pray. Amen.

We returned this morning to our study of the book of Daniel. And it is not only the passion of my heart, but my most solemn responsibility to make sure that I teach this so that you understand it. This is the Word of God to us. And it is very important that we know what he has to say. So if you will turn to Daniel chapter 11, we will be looking at several of the verses between verses 36 and 45, under the heading "The Willful King, the Antichrist." And as you will see, this will just be part one. Now, today, we move beyond the 135 fulfilled prophecies in Daniel 11, verses two through 35. We're moving beyond that, to events that have never been fulfilled historically; descriptions where there is no specific correspondence in history. So this morning, we examine this, and we will see that it has great relevance even for us today, because it is pointing to things beyond where we live now. But where we are headed? Many asked me, Pastor, where do you think all of this chaos in the world is headed? All of the insanity and ungodliness in our country? Where is all of this going? The false narrative of critical race theory and the militant aggression of the woke cult that has now invaded evangelicalism, the LGBTQ mafia, and the transgender insanity? Where is all of this going? The COVID fear mongering and the experimental vaccine mandate, and the passports that now, I don't know how many 1000s of truckers and people are in Canada, I noticed that, in my old stomping grounds over in British Columbia, there's a huge group of people, even there in Victoria, where is all of this going? Of course, it's moving towards a social credit score, I hope you realize that. That's ultimately what the elites want, just like China, so that they can control us. We've got runaway inflation, open borders, the slaughter of the unborn, totalitarian politicians that are not only incompetent and immoral, but in many ways they're delusional. And half of the country votes for these people. Where is all of this going? Well, according to Scripture, the short answer is God is allowing Satan to prepare the world for the rule of the Antichrist, where there will be a one world government a one world ruler, a one world economy, and a one world religion. The dream of every social warrior, social justice warrior--globalism, a socialistic utopia, but by the way, one that cannot coexist with biblical Christianity. False Christianity, yes, that'll be part of it, but not biblical Christianity. As I stated in my book, "Why America hates Biblical Christianity," the vast majority of Americans in both political parties live for this world. Christians live for heaven. Their priority is the pursuit of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Ours is the glory of God. They live for this life only, we live for eternity. They set their affections on the things of the earth, we set our affections on the things above. They lay up treasures on earth, we lay up treasures in heaven. They consider this world their home, we consider ourselves strangers in it. They obsess over preserving the planet, we believe God will destroy it and recreate it. They obey the ever changing morality of a sin cursed culture, we obey the never changing laws of an infinitely Holy God. They believe man can achieve utopia on Earth, we believe God alone can bring in everlasting righteousness, peace and prosperity. Can there be any greater disparities and worldviews than these few examples? I think not. Dear friends, our hope is in Christ, the King of kings and the Lord of lords who will one day rule over a new heaven and a new earth. The one who is coming for us. One day the curse will be lifted and sin, Satan and death, that was defeated at the cross, will be removed forever. And everyone who has been washed in the blood of the Lamb will see his face and we will reign with him forever. That is the hope of the believer. These eschatological promises shape everything we do, at least they should. And if they don't for you, there's something terribly wrong with your faith. Something terribly wrong with your understanding of Scripture. We live in light of eternity, not for this life only; the certainties of our salvation, and heavenly destinies cause us to say with the Apostle John, "Come, Lord Jesus." Now, remember, the book of Daniel is to the Old Testament, what the book of the Revelation is, to the New Testament. In fact, Daniel is the key to interpreting the Olivet Discourse that Jesus gave us, for example, in Matthew 24. Remember, there he said, in verse 15, "'When you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place, let the reader understand then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.'" Later on in verse 21, "'For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved, but for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.'" There are obvious parallels between Daniel's prophecies and many New Testament prophecies. When John says in First John two 18, "You heard that the Antichrist is coming?" Indeed, they had heard that but the ultimate and final antichrist, the man of lawlessness, will one day be allowed to reign just before Christ returns. Paul speaks of this in Second Thessalonians two beginning of verse three, he says, "Let no one in any way deceive you for it will not come," referring to the day of the Lord, the final period of divine judgment, "unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called God or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God displaying himself as being God." This is referring to the abomination of desolation recorded in Daniel nine. Paul goes on to say, "Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things, and you know what he restrains him now so that in his time he will be revealed? For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. Then that lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth, and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming." And there Paul is merely rehearsing what Daniel says that no human agency will destroy the AntiChrist, but the Lord Jesus Christ will bring it into his life "by the appearance of His coming." Paul went on to say, "that is the one who's coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason, God will send upon them a diluting influence, so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness."

So throughout Scripture we see Daniel's influence. In fact, Daniel's prophecies provide the foundation for the chronological structure, and much of the symbolism of Revelation chapter six through nine. Through Daniel's prophecy, we see God revealing the successive stages of Gentile domination throughout the ages. And that will continue until Messiah returns in power and great glory as King of kings and Lord of lords. When he judges the nations, when he defeats them, when he establishes His glorious Millennial Kingdom is universal reign upon this earth, that day, in which he will fulfill all of the physical as well as spiritual covenant promises to a regenerated Israel, that day, in which we too shall reign with Him. Now, it's important for me to remind you from time to time of the big picture of Daniel, sometimes, especially when you're in Bible prophecy, it can feel like you're an aborigine and you have never seen a car and some guys up there telling you all about a transmission. All right? So we need to come back and say, "let me tell you what a car is." In Chapters one through seven, the inspired Prophet reveals God's sovereign rule over history over all of the nations and those who lead them. In fact, in Daniel chapter two, and Daniel seven, he reveals how God will unexpectedly and astonishingly establish his kingdom, after the utter ruin of four literal, successive Gentile Empires, that being Babel in middle Persia, Greece, and Rome, and then a revived Roman Empire, at the end of the age ruled by the Antichrist. And just as those four ancient kingdoms were literal kingdoms, so too the revived Roman kingdom will be real; a real geographical and political kingdom, as well as the Messiah messianic kingdom that will come and destroy it and replace it. Then in chapters eight through 12, God reveals His sovereign rule over Israel's future. And that, of course, is where we've been over the last several months. There, he unveils his kingdom promises both during and after Gentile domination in the world, what is called the times of the Gentiles. And I also want to remind you that the last seven chapters of Deuteronomy, chapters 28, through 34, provide, as David Larson says, quote, "The Matrix out of which the great prophecies of the Old Testament regarding Israel emerge." In other words, if you want to get a blueprint of what God sees overall, for his covenant people, this would be it. I have given you a handout on this before I'll not repeat all of it. But suffice it to say that in chapters 26, and 28 of Deuteronomy, we see the conditions of blessing that would follow obedience. And then chapter 31 speaks of the coming apostasy. Again, in chapter 28, we read about the affliction that God will bring upon Israel while still in the land because of her apostasy. In chapter 28, we read about how Israel will be taken captive. In chapters 27 and 32, we read how the enemies of Israel will possess her land for a time. Also, in Deuteronomy 28 and 29, we read how the land itself will remain desolate. Deuteronomy 28 and 32 we read how Israel will be scattered among the nations and then in chapter 28, though punished, Israel will not be destroyed if she repents. And also in chapter 28, as well as chapter 30, we read how Israel will repent one day in her tribulation. And finally in chapter 30, verses three through 10, we read how Israel will be gathered from the nations and brought back to her divinely given land. And we see all of this unveiled in Bible prophecy. Much of it has been fulfilled literally to date. But the rest will follow. And we must also remember that the Spirit of God inspired Daniel to write this magnificent book to encourage God's people, his kinsmen, those that were in exile in Babylonian exile, to encourage them throughout their weary sojourn even beyond the days of Babylon. And here we also witnessed the miracle of divine providence that's orchestrating all of the events of world history to accomplish his ultimate purposes. And that is to exalt our Savior and King and to redeem all whom the Father has given him. According to Revelation seven beginning in verse nine, this will include, "a great multitude which no one could count from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice saying, 'Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.'"

Now, a few technical things, but this is very important, otherwise, I wouldn't waste your time with them. All right? So bear with me. Before we examine the text, you must understand that there is a stark contrast between the prophecies pertaining to Antiochus Epiphanes in verses 21 through 35 and that of the king who according to verse 36, will do as he pleases, and who will exalt and magnify himself above every god. You see, neither Antiochus Epiphanes, or even Herod the Great, ever sought to exalt and magnify himself above every god. In fact, despite the 135 stunning and precise prophetic fulfillments concerning the Persian and Grecian empires, revealed in chapter 11, two through 35, the events and the descriptions that are being revealed in verses 36 through 45, have no specific correspondence to history, despite many tortured attempts to prove otherwise. And we see two phrases in verse 35 that really serve as markers of this transition from that which has been fulfilled, to that which is yet future and unfulfilled.

Notice verse 35. We read, "Some of those who have insight will fall, in order to refine, purge and make them pure, until the end time." In other words, the persecution of the saints will continue until Christ returns and that's referred to as the end time. Now, to be sure, this would include the era of Antiochus Epiphanes, but his tyrannical rule of horror could not be called the end time. There was no climactic end time or an age of his of persecution against Israel, that ceased with the death of Antiochus Epiphanes. It's just simply not there. His reign merely prefigured such a time, the age detailed in Daniel 70th week, the time of the tribulation, the great judgments, the pre kingdom judgments. The next phrase in verse 35, only strengthens this transition when the Prophet states "because it is still to come at the appointed time," referring to the events pertaining to the person and the work of the Antichrist that's going to be described now in verses 36 through 45. The coming willful king, of whom, now catch this, Antiocus Epiphanes was merely a type. He just foreshadowed the Antichrist. And as we will see, these descriptions will parallel other descriptions of the Antichrist given elsewhere in Scripture.

Moreover, to say as some do that verses 36 through 45, is a further historic and prophetic account, fulfilled in Antiochus Epiphanes makes this whole section of scripture beg for relevance. Here's what I mean. Why would the policies of this person be introduced for the first time and reviewed in detail? If this were a reference to Antiochus? Whose person and policies and detailed life history have already been given, that would be a non sequitur. As far as the Jews were concerned, no further treatment of Antiochus is necessary because he's dead and gone. Furthermore, Antiochus was never introduced in the preceding verses as, quote, "The king," the form that we see in verse 36, using the definite article, "the king." Not even his predecessors were ever referred to as "the king." They were always designated as a mighty king, or the king of the south, the king of the north. Antiochus, who was only called a king one time, and that was jointly with Ptolemy, in verse 27. But as we will see, beloved, in verse 36, using the definite article, "the king" is a reference to what Daniel has been discussing in the past and previous revelations. You will recall in Daniel seven, verse eight, "he" referring to the Antichrist, is called the "little horn that starts out small" Do you remember that? And he gradually appears among the other horns, but by verses 24 and following he overpowers the other 10 horns. Let me read that to you, Daniel seven, beginning in verse 24. "As for the 10 horns out of this kingdom, 10 kings will arise." Again now, this is yet future. "And another will arise after them and he will be different from the previous ones, and will subdue three kings. He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times and a half a time. But the court will sit for judgment, and his dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever." Now that's certainly no reference to Antiochus Epiphanes. In Daniel 8:23, the Antichrist is called a king, "insolate and skilled in intrigue." In Daniel 9:26, he's called "the prince that shall come." You see, all of these passages are revealed to us in the context of the coming tribulation, Daniel's 70th week.

And finally, I must add, that it is only fitting that Daniel would speak here of the Antichrist in his fourth and final revelation, since he has already set him forth in the three preceding ones. So what we are about to examine, I would humbly argue against brothers that I love who would say differently, that this has nothing to do with Antiochus Epiphanes, but everything to do with the antitype, of which Antiochus Epiphanes was merely the type. This is speaking of the coming Antichrist. This is speaking of a time of distress. Chapter 12, here in verse one speaks of this "time of distress." In other words, he's going to rule during a time of history where we have the most severe persecution of Israel, which corresponds to what Jesus said in Matthew 24:21. And also what Jeremiah the prophet prophesied, in Jeremiah chapter 30, beginning in verse seven, we read "'Alas! For that day is great, there is none like it, and it is the time of Jacob's distress. But he will be saved from it. It shall come about on that day,' declares the LORD of hosts, 'that I will break his yoke from off their neck, and will tear off their bonds and strangers will no longer make them their slaves, but they shall serve the Lord their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them. Fear not, O Jacob My servant, declares the Lord, 'and do not be dismayed, O Israel; for behold, I will save you from afar, and your offspring from the land of their captivity, and Jacob will return and will be quiet and at ease. And no one will make him afraid for I am with you,' declares the Lord, 'to save you, for I will destroy completely all the nations where I've scattered you. Only I will not destroy you completely, but I will chase you justly. And will bone by no means leave you on punished.'"

So with that introduction, let's read the text here in Daniel 11, beginning in verse 36. "Then the king," referring to the Antichrist, "will do as he pleases, and he will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will speak monstrous things against the God of gods and he will prosper until the indignation is finished. For that which is decreed will be done. He will show no regard for the gods of his father's or for the desire of women, nor will he show regard for any other god for he will magnify himself above them all. But instead, he will honor a god of fortresses, a god whom his fathers did not know; he will honor him with gold, silver, costly stones and treasures. He will take action against the strongest of fortresses with the help of a foreign god, he will give great honor to those who acknowledge him, and will cause them to rule over the many and will parcel out land for a price. At the end time, the king of the South will collide with him, the king of the North will storm against him with chariots, with horsemen, and with many ships, and he will enter countries overflow them and pass through. He will also enter the Beautiful Land and many countries will fall; but these will be rescued out of his hand, Edom, Moab and the foremost of the sons of Ammon. Then he will stretch out his hand against other countries, and the land of Egypt will not escape. But he will gain control over the hidden treasures of gold and silver and over all the precious things of Egypt; and Libyans and Ethiopians will follow at his heels. But rumors from the East and from the North will disturb him and he will go forth with great wrath to destroy and annihilate many. He will pitch the tents of his royal pavilion between the seas and the beautiful Holy Mountain; yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him."

Now I've given you a little outline here, very simple. We're going to look first of all at the final willful king, the Antichrist in verse 36, and then secondly, we'll look at the final world religion, that's verses 37 through 39. And then the next time when I am with you, we will look at the final military conquests in verses 40 through 45. Let's look closely at what the Spirit of God has for us in his word, under the heading the final willful king, the Antichrist. Verse 36, "Then the king will do as he pleases, and he will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will speak monstrous things against the God of gods." Now, as I said earlier, in chapter 12, verse one, we are given some helpful context for when this will occur, namely, "a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time and at that time your people, everyone who is found in the book, will be rescued." So this fits in the context now of the Great Tribulation, Daniel 70th week, the pre kingdom judgments. And it will be at that time, once again, verse 36, that this "king will do as he pleases, and he will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will speak monstrous things against the God of gods." Now, I would add that no world ruler has ever done this in the context of Roman power over the Israelis in the land of Israel, including the Hellenistic Antiochus Epiphanes who worshipped the pantheon of Grecian gods and demanded that the Jews do the same thing. But this does fit the descriptions that we find elsewhere in scripture of the Antichrist.

Daniel spoke of this and Daniel 7:25, "He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One." Daniel 8:24, "'His power will be mighty, but not by his own power, and he will destroy to an extraordinary degree and prosper and perform his will. He will destroy mighty men and the holy people.'" Paul speaks of this and Second Thessalonians two, four, as "the man of lawlessness who will be revealed the son of destruction who opposes and exalts himself above every so called God or object of worship, so that he takes the seed in the temple of God displaying himself as being God." And again, as I mentioned before, Matthew 24 The Antichrist will desecrate the temple, Jesus tells us, committing the "abomination of desolation" deifying himself, he will be the greatest enemy of Israel in all of history. And this act of apostasy will be the most blasphemous act in the history of the world. We could go to the book of Revelation in chapter 13. Looking at verses six through eight, there, we learned how God has ordained 42 months, a 42 month season of blasphemy against himself. And this will include the Antichrist blaspheming him against three things There we read, "And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, first of all, to blaspheme His name," and of course, the name of God expresses the consummate perfections, the sum of all of his attributes. He will blaspheme his name. Secondly, and his temple. The temple is where God exists and transcendent glory, the glories of heaven from which Satan by now has been expelled. And then also against those "who dwell in heaven." This is a reference to the saints and the holy angels, whom Satan hates. The text goes on to say, "It was also given to him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him." Now we see further evidence of this megalomaniac, who will do as he pleases in Revelation 17, beginning of verse 12, and "The 10 horns which you saw are 10 kings, who have not yet received the kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast," that's him the Antichrist, "for one hour." One hour is a figure of speech denoting a very brief period of time, one that is shorter than the reign of the beast himself. In that context, we read how there will be 10 subordinate rulers of 10 lesser kingdoms that will join a confederacy with the Antichrist and become a part of his empire. We read about this again back in Daniel chapter seven, verse seven, as well as verse 24. Back to Revelation 17, verse 13, "These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast." So they will be united in their allegiance with the beast as together they oppose the Lamb of God, and all who belong to him.

So again, back to verse 36. I know you're thinking, we'll never get out of verse 36, we will. "Then the king will do as he pleases, and he will exalt and magnify himself above every god, and will speak monstrous," it could be translated astonishing things, "against the God of gods." Now, I would submit to you that this isn't a stretch at all for us. I mean, we see politicians blaspheming God, constantly, routinely. They're constantly passing laws that are an insult to the one true God and imagine what it will be like when all power is consolidated in one man. Imagine what that will be like. The text goes on to say, "and he will prosper until the indignation is finished, for that which is decreed will be done." Interesting term, indignation. Daniel uses the same phrase, "the indignation" in chapter eight, verse 19. When speaking of the tribulation period, There we read, "Behold, I am coming to let you know what will occur at the final period of the indignation for it pertains to the appointed time of the end." Again, referring to the final seven years before Christ returns, Daniel's 70th week. You read about it in Daniel nine, verse 27. So again, verse 36 at the end, "he will prosper until the indignation is finished, for that which is decreed will be done." Well, what was decreed? What's he talking about here? Well go back to Daniel nine in verse 24. There we read of the "70 weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city." Literally 70 sevens, 7 heptads, units of 7. 70 times seven, 490 years have been decreed. The text is telling us that God deliberately decreed or determined these 490 years to be cut off from all of the rest of history to accomplish his purposes, with Israel, his people Israel and their capital city Jerusalem, which was consistent with what Daniel was praying for to understand.

Obviously, by the way, this didn't happen at his first coming, but it will happen in his Second Coming. Notice in Daniel 9:24, there are six objectives to be accomplished in this decree. First of all, to finish the transgression, referring to the violation of God's law, they revolted against God's authority, especially their unrelenting and unrestrained rebellion against God. He is going to finish that, he's going to deal with that. Secondly, to make an end of sin, which is a more general term of all wrongs, to seal it up, that it might be concealed. In other words, to judge it with finality. Thirdly, to make atonement for iniquity, "kaphar" in Hebrew, to cover by means of an expiatory sacrifice. It's the idea of making a covering. It's the idea of atonement to provide a moral or legal repayment for a fault or an injury. And also it it was decreed, number four, to bring in everlasting righteousness. Number five to seal up vision and prophecy. This speaks of hiding from view and demonstrating that these functions are over. Vision being revelation prophecy, being the message of the prophets. And then six, to anoint the most holy place. In other words, to officially inaugurate into public ministry, the Most Holy Place. Literally, the holy of holies in the millennial temple. All of these things have been decreed. Daniel 9:27 goes on to describe what's going to happen during this final week of years. "And he will make a firm covenant," "He" being the Antichrist, "with the many for one week." In other words, this great deceiver is going to lower Israel into a protective agreement called a covenant. "But in the middle of the week, he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering, and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed is poured out on the one who makes desolate." So in other words, in the middle of the week, after three and a half years, this satanically possessed antichrist will seize the temple, he will betray the Jews and he will demand to be worshipped like his forerunner, Antiochus Epiphanes. And this is the one pictured as well in Revelation 13 verse one, and verse five, as the "beast that comes up out of the sea...given a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies and authority to act for 42 months was given to him," referring to the last half of the seven years.

Back again to Daniel 11:36, "he will prosper until the indignation is finished, for that which is decreed will be done." Yes, what was decreed the 490 years before the Messiah would finally do all of these things and establish his long awaited and promised millennial kingdom. So this vile, blasphemous ruler will prosper. But only as long as a sovereign God allows him to prosper.

So we've seen the final, willful king, the Antichrist in verse 36. What about the final world religion? And this just touches on it, there are other passages, especially in Revelation that reveal more of this, but we see this in verses 37 through 39. Notice verse 37, "He will show no regard," actually, for three things, first of all, "no regard for the gods of his fathers." Now, the King James Version is misleading. Here it says, "The God of his fathers," capital G. And so many people will read that and say, well, this means the Antichrist must be a Jew. Because the God of his fathers would be the Messiah, he's going to reject the Messiah. But the word translated God is Elohim, not Yahweh. And this is a name for God in general, applying to all gods and had the writer, I believe, intended to refer to the one true God of Israel, he would have used the term Yahweh not Elohim. So the proper translation is he "He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers", which would include the full pantheon of pagan deities worshipped by the Romans and all peoples, since we know the Antichrist is going to come out of this revived kind of European Roman Empire. But it would also include having no regard for the one true god worshipped by the saints. So the point is simply this, when the end comes, this theme will not only be the Antichrist, the pseudo Christ, but he will be an utterly godless person rejecting any and all gods of his ancestors. But the verse goes on to say "he will show no regard for the desire of women." Now, what does this mean? Perhaps it means he will be a homosexual, perhaps a misogynist of some sort, or perhaps he is prefigured by Antiochus Epiphanes. Maybe he will just who by the way, was a notorious womanizer. It may mean that he will just not share the normal graces of a woman, that he will not have any tenderness some people say, or graciousness or kindness. Another view says since the Messiah is often said to be the natural desire of Jewish women who longed to be the mother of the Messiah. Some will say that he disregards the one beloved by women referring to the Lord Jesus Christ. John Walvoord, says this, quote, "pious Jewish women in premessianic times had one great desire, they wanted to be mothers, with a view to him, who is the promise seed of the woman." He's referring there to the promised seed and in the protevangelium of Genesis 3:15. He went on to say "his birth was beloved by these godly mothers of Israel, this king then hates God and hates his blessings, Son, the Lord Jesus Christ."

So I'm giving you various views, we can't say with certainty. All right, and I know what you're going to say. So I'm just going to handle it right now. Rather than have you line up at the end of the service, which one do I think it is? Well, I believe that he's probably referring to the Antichrist as a homosexual. Since homosexuality is an assault against the image and the glory of God revealed in creation; homosexuality defies God's moral order and it is an inversion of God's physical order. And as a result, we know from Romans one, that those who live in that world are eventually given over to a reprobate, depraved mind, that is utterly worthless and irrational. So I would think that that would probably fit. But I don't know, you don't know, we don't know.

Verse 37, again, he will show no regard for the gods of his father's, or for the desire of women. And then thirdly, nor will he show regard for any other god; for he will magnify himself above them all." So not only will he reject all other gods, he will claim deity for himself. As I said earlier, Second Thessalonians two verse four, Paul describes him as the one "who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called God or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God." And then in Daniel 11:38, we go on and we see what is revealed to us. But instead, he will honor a god of fortresses." "mauzzim;" fortresses means a strong place, namely, in this context, his unprecedented satanically empowered military might and power. "A god," he goes on to say "whom his fathers did not know." Now, mind you, ancient Rome believed their military conquests were done in accordance to their pantheon of gods and they even deified their emperor, but not so the coming Antichrist. He rejects all gods, save himself and his confidence, his faith, you might say, the object of his worship will be his military power. And here that is personified in the phrase the "god of fortresses." Now we all know that military readiness and military conquests are very expensive. And so the text goes on to say "he will honor him," referring to his god of fortresses, military might and power, "with gold, silver, costly stones and treasures," literally everything that is valuable. Young asserts, quote "For religion, he will substitute war, and war he will support with all that he has."

Verse 39, "He will take action against the strongest of fortresses with the help of a foreign god." In other words, his overwhelming, seemingly invincible, military power, this is the foreign god. "And he will give great honor to those who acknowledge him and will cause them to rule over the many, and will parcel out land for a price." In other words, he is going to reward those he conquers with honor and land and positions of authority as long as they obey him and serve him and worship him; those who pay homage to their king. Beloved, can you see a counterfeit here? The more the obedience, the more the reward. And so as Satan's pawn he will know how to appeal to the sinful heart of men who will sell their soul for the fleeting pleasures of this life. We see it all the time. They will be men who fear man rather than God. Beloved, this will be the final world religion, the worship of the Antichrist. John MacArthur said something interesting along this line, quote, "Through all the ages, there has been a Cain for every Abel there has been a Jambres for every Moses, there has been a Babylon for every Jerusalem, and a Herod for every John the Baptist and a Judas for every Peter. And ultimately, there will be another and final antichrist, for the true Christ."

O Child of God, this is where the world is heading. And aren't you thankful that we have been saved by his grace and that our God reigns. But he will use the wicked to accomplish his purposes, to bring glory to himself and to fulfill all of his covenant promises. Well, this is a good stopping point. Let me let me encourage you for a moment as your pastor, you know, although we see the world heading in these directions and moving inexorably towards a day of judgment and although we resent and we fear the despots that rule over us--may I remind you that these are mere men, right? These are mere men. We worship Almighty God right? Scripture describes them as those who pursue vanity, they chase the wind, they're spiritually dead, at enmity with God, enemies of God, they're mere worms, clay, dying grass, fading flowers. And you're going to be afraid of them?

All of our lives in Scripture are likened to a vapor, to a bubble, to a shadow and we're going to be afraid of them? Really. Jeremiah Burroughs was a 17th century Puritan clergyman who endured great persecution at the hands of the apostate church of England and the king, along with many other clergyman who refuse to obey the superstitions, and the unbiblical ceremonies of the Church of England. And yet he reasoned from scripture, about their fragile state, the fragile state of the wicked that persecuted him. These people in power, he compared them in Scripture, I should say scripture compares them and he saw this as dross dust, a rotten root, straw trodden down from the dung hill. The froth and foam of the sea and threads in the fires. He said, quote, "The greater men are in their power, the sooner they perish." And he went on to add, "Wicked men are going to their destruction as a thing rolling by the wind." Just think of it dear friends, the wicked that are in power over us today blaspheme God, in the midst of all of their pleasures. And yet, one day very soon, they will be in hell, where they will blaspheme God forever in their pain. Don't be afraid of them. Pity them, pray for them. Give them the gospel. Be of good cheer for your God, not man. What did Jesus say? Do not fear those who will kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Therefore, like Paul, we need to be able to say I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. And in his excellent book, "The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment," that I would encourage you all to read, Jeremiah Burroughs defined Christian contentment this way, "Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God's wise and fatherly disposal in every condition." End quote, and I might add, including the wickedness that's being forced upon us in our day. So may we all joyfully submit to Christ's tutelage during these difficult days, and rejoice in every circumstance, knowing that God is in it, and he is accomplishing great things for our good and for His glory. Let's pray together.

Father, we thank you for the magnificent truths of your word. And pray that by the power of your Spirit, we will be able to not only understand them, but apply them in such a way as to bear much fruit for your glory. And for those that may be within the sound of my voice, that need to be in a right relationship with you through faith in Christ, they know nothing of what it mean for Christ and enjoy the fullness of His presence in their life. Lord, I pray that you will so overwhelm them with conviction today. That they will be absolutely stunned, horrified at the reality of their sin and what it deserves. And therefore be amazed at the grace that can be theirs if they bet placed their faith in the giver of grace, our precious Savior, the Lord Jesus, Lord, we plead with you to accomplish this great work. And we do this in Jesus name. Amen.

Will you take your Bibles and turn to the book of Daniel, We return again to Daniel chapter 11. We're going to be looking at verses 21 through basically 35 this morning.

I might say to preface our time together, as you know, last week you weren't here because of the snowstorm. I was here. Actually, I was here on Saturday, and it was recorded. And so I was pretending like I was speaking to you trying to look in the silly little camera. But I was joining in with, I guess, about 5000, plus pastors all around the United States, who were preaching on sexual morality, joining together with our brothers in Canada, to protest the law that they have implemented, that forbids you from basically proclaiming the truths of scripture regarding homosexuality and transgenderism, and all of those types of things. And I just want to say, folks, never underestimate the privilege we have to come together and hear the truth. Because this time, I believe is short. Nancy and I were reading from John 15, this morning, where, you know, Jesus reminds us that the world is going to hate you because it hated me and because you're not of this world. And certainly we see that, in fact, my friend John MacArthur, who also spoke on this issue, had his sermon removed from YouTube, perhaps you heard, because he violated their hate speech policy. And it's because of primarily the following statement. John said, quote, simply stated, "There is no such thing as transgender. You are either xx x or x, y. That's it. God made man male and female, that is determined genetically that is physiology, that is science, that is reality. This notion that you are something other than your biology is a cultural construct, intended as an assault on God." Indeed, amen. That is the truth. But people don't want to hear the truth, do they? And unfortunately, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. And sadly, we live in a world that is basically ruled by fools. They need the gospel, they need Christ, because to the natural man, the things of the Spirit are foolishness, we are told, and they cannot understand them. And so the only way they are going to understand the truth is to be saved by the truth. And it is our responsibility to do all we can to present the truth and to preach the truth, which we will continue to do this morning by looking into Daniel.

So we return to Daniel's fourth and final vision, revealed in chapters 11 and 12, where probably the angel Gabriel, the angelic messenger, comes to Daniel and proceeds to give him predictive revelation pertaining to Israel's future, especially as it relates to Gentile dominance over Israel and the return of the Messiah King, the Lord Jesus Christ. And in Daniel 11, verses two through 35. We have approximately 135 detailed prophecies that were fulfilled accurately and literally, which I believe gives evidence that prophecy yet unfilled, will also be fulfilled in the same literal manner. I've given you an outline, I think maybe you even have it in your hands today. Last week, we looked at the kings of Persia, the kings of Greece, the kings of the south and north, referring to Egypt and Syria. And now we come to verse 21. And we will look at Antiochus IV Epiphanes. And as I put in my notes for you, his intense persecution of the Jews fueled the Maccabean revolt, resulting in heavy Jewish casualties and the temple defiled and this became the precursor to the final Gentile ruler, the Antichrist.

An so Antiochus IV Epiphanes typifies the coming Antichrist, as we will see this morning. Now by way of quick review, because I realize this is a bit complicated. Most of us, most of you are probably not up on your ancient history in the Near East, and especially what it has to say in this passage in Daniel 11. So if we go back to verse 17, we read that he referring to Antiochus, will "set his face to come with the power of his whole kingdom, bringing with him a proposal of peace, which he will put into effect; he will also give him the daughter of women to ruin it." And this speaks of Antiochus now, who was the father of Antiochus that we're looking at today, but he wanted to gain control over Egypt, but not through military invasion. And he was planning on attacking Rome. And the last thing he needed was for the Egyptians to cause him any trouble. So he sends his daughter Cleopatra I to marry Ptolemy V. This happened in 197 BC. This was part of a peace treaty that he did with the Egyptians, but he also wanted her to spy on them, and help him promote Syrian interest in the Ptolemaic family.

Verse 17, again, "But she will not take a stand for him, or to be on his side." And indeed, this is what happened. She did not go along with his plan, and she actually simulated in with the Egyptian family and assisted them. In fact, she even helped the Egyptians assist the Romans, when Antiochus fought against them. Verse 18, "Then he will turn his face to the coastlands and capture many." And this happened--Antiochus launched a very successful campaign along the Aegean region, the country surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, especially the islands that were their portions of Asia Minor and Greece. Again, verse 18, "But a commander will put a stop to his scorn against him' moreover, he will repay him for his scorn." And we know historically, this is exactly what happened. The commander was a Roman general Lucius Cornelius Scipio. And he was commissioned by Rome to stop Antiochus, which he did. So in 188 BC, in utter humiliation, Antiochus was forced into a peace treaty with Rome, and he had to relinquish all of his holdings in Asia Minor to the Romans. Verse 19, "So he will turn his face toward the fortresses of his own land, but he will stumble and fall and be found no more." This is what happened. He returns to his own land, having lost all that he gained even though he still ruled over Syria and Palestine and the Mesopotamian region, Babylonia, Iran, which is was Medo-Persia. But as prophesied, he stumbled and fell and was found no more and he was killed. We know while seeking to rob the Temple of Bel in Elam, Persia.

Verse 20, "Then in his place, one will arise who will send an oppressor," referring to one who forces others to pay taxes, "through the Jewel of his kingdom," referring to Palestine, "yet within a few days, he will be shattered, though not in anger nor in battle." This is a reference to Seleucus IV Philopater, who ruled from 187 to 176 BC. He was the son and the successor of Antiochus the Great and because his father had drained all of the Treasury and in all of his warring to try to conquer other places and because they owed Rome 1000 talents, he, annually, had to get money. So, he sent a guy named Heliodorus to seize the funds of the temple treasury in Jerusalem. And as we read the last time, we were together, according to Second Maccabees three this attempt was thwarted by an appearance at the temple of a divine apparition. So Heliodorus returned home empty handed and later he assassinated Seleucus IV Philopater as prophesied consistent with the end of verse 20. Yet within a few days he, referring to Seleucus IV Philopater, will be slaughtered, though not in anger nor in battle. So after just a short 11-year reign Seleucus died mysteriously, they believe through poisoning. And then we come to verse 21, where we're going to start today.

"In his place," in other words in the place of Seleucus IV Philopater, "a despicable person will arise, on whom the honor of kingship has not been conferred, but he will come in a time of tranquility and seize the kingdom by intrigue." And this brings us to the fourth point in our little outline, Antiochus IV Epiphanes Now, mind you, these things are occurring some 300 years after Daniel has them revealed to him through the angelic messenger.

Dave Harrell

Now, a little history here, following the death of, Seleucus IV, his brother, Antiochus IV, seized the throne illegally from the son of his murdered brother, Demetrius Soter, who was held hostage by Rome. And so the new king adopted the name Antiochus IV Epiphanes, and he's going to rule just from 175 to 164 BC. By the way, "Epiphanes" means glorious. He liked that name. I'm Antiochus IV, the glorious one. By the way, the Jews hated that name so much that they nicknamed him Antiochus Epimanes-- "Epimanes" meant "madman." Now he was previously alluded to as the "little horn" in Daniel eight, nine through 14 and 23 through 25, as we will see. So indeed, as prophesied, "a despicable person will arise on whom the honor of kingship has not been conferred, but he will come in a time of tranquility and seize the kingdom by intrigue." An interesting term in the original language-- "intrigue" can literally be translated "slippery places." In this context, it refers to slippery actions, he was a slippery character, a person who is cunning and deceptive and evasive and untrustworthy, who equivocates with words and deals. Remember, we had a president who was nicknamed Slick Willy, this is the concept, this is who this guy was. And history reveals how he would do this with intrigue. He flattered Eumenes, King of Pergamum, along with other key leaders in Syria, promising them prominent positions if they helped him gain the throne. And Rome even fell for his flattery and all of his promises. And they backed him for a while. They wanted him to help them maintain peace in the east. This is the age-old political strategy of quid pro quo, right? You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. This is the grease that basically makes the machinery of power run smoothly and wickedly.

I might add. It's important to remember that God has always been true to his promise in judging wicked nations, and don't you see this constantly, all through all of these prophecies and even to this day? And I might add that throughout the Old Testament, one of the things that we see is that that he destroys these wicked nations because they practice idolatry and immorality, especially homosexuality and bestiality and all manner of abominations. And we see this, again, happening throughout the history of all these things that we're reading. But one of the key components, one of the key methods of God's destruction in these nations is the removal of qualified men from leadership. By the way, he does the same thing today in the church. He removes qualified leaders. In Isaiah three he described for example, his judgment on Judah and Jerusalem. Verse four, he says, "and I will make mere lads, their princes. And capricious children will rule over them, and the people will be oppressed each one by another, and each one by his neighbor. The youth will storm against the elder and the inferior against the honorable." In other words, the young who are typically ruled by their emotions rather than by integrity, rather than by truth, will be the ones in charge. Verse 11, of Isaiah three, "Woe to the wicked, it will go badly with him for what he deserves will be done to him. O my people. Their are oppressors are children and women rule over them. O my people, those who guide you lead you astray and confuse the direction of your paths." This is exactly what we see when we examine the fall of these ancient empires. And I might add, this is exactly what we see in the United States of America today. Exactly. Immoral, ungodly, undiscerning, incompetent leaders that are ill suited to be in authority over anyone. And the results are always catastrophic, because that's exactly God's intention. This is one of the ways that he judges the wicked. And it's not an exaggeration to say that many of our leaders today are not only intellectually challenged, challenged to the point of just being downright stupid, but they are delusional. They believe things that have no basis in reality. The whole transgender thing is one example of that. So dear friends when you see and you feel this incredulity in your heart, these, these babbling fools in leadership over us, know that this is an evidence of God's judgment upon those who mock him, who mock his word. Those who literally criminalize those things that he deems holy, those that legalize those things that he deems an abomination.

So Antiochus Epiphanes was just another pagan fool ruled by his depraved heart, evil to the core with no regard whatsoever for the one true God that would eternally damn him, as well as damn all those who follow Him. And this will also be the fate of those who follow the satanic deceivers who rule our country. So indeed, a despicable or a slippery person arose and seize the kingdom by intrigue. But the angel also made another prediction in verse 22, "The overflowing forces will be flooded away before him and shattered." That phrase, "overflowing forces will be flooded away before him," could literally be translated "arms of the overflow shall be overflowed." And this is what happened. The invading forces that sought to conquer Syria, were themselves conquered. This was true historically, especially with respect to the Egyptians described later on in verse 25.

Dave Harrell

Now, let me give you a little background here. Antiochus' father, Antiochus the Great promised to give Coele-Syria, "coele" in Greek meant meant hollow. And Coele-Syria was basically the Beqaa Valley that was kind of a hollow area, you might say, in between Mount Lebanon and what was called Anti-Lebanon. Those mountains in that region. Well anyway, his father had promised to give Coele-Syria, as well as Palestine the Land of Israel today, to Egypt as a dowry with his daughter Cleopatra, upon her marriage to Ptolemy Epiphanes. So when Antiochus Epiphanes comes to the throne, comes to power and takes his father's place, he is going to pretend like he is going to go along with his promise, but in his heart, he's thinking, no, no, no, I want all that for myself. And so, in order to keep peace between the two empires, he decides he'll go along with this. But surprise, surprise, in 170 BC, five years after he ascends the throne, he leads a military campaign down through Coele-Syria, down through Palestine, and comes up against Egypt, as we'll see in verse 25. He's determined to claim all of these areas for himself, and later since Ptolemy VI Philometor of Egypt, when he sees that Antiochus is going to do this, and he's not going to make good on the promised land, he decides he's going to attack him. So that's a little bit of the history here. And when Antiochus Epiphanes catches wind of this coming invasion in 170 BC, he goes out to meet him and utterly defeats them on the southeast sea coast of the Mediterranean halfway between Gaza and the Nile delta.

Dave Harrell

So, verse 22, fulfilled precisely, "The overflowing forces will be flooded away before him and shattered and also the prince of the covenant." I believe here that the prince of the covenant is probably referring to Ptolemy VI Philometor because he agreed to be an ally with Antiochus if the Syrians would help him gain the throne to Egypt, which had been taken away from him by his younger brother Ptolemy VII Euergetes, whose nickname was Physcon. In Greek, it means fatty, or fat. So it literally means potbelly. Okay. So this is his fat little brother. All right, that might be easier than saying Ptolemy VII Euergetes, all right? So I'm gonna call him fatso here's that we kind of keep all this in mind. So Ptolemy VI Philometor is fatso's older brother, all right? You with me? It's his older brother. Their mother was Cleopatra. All right? And she is also the sister now of Antiochus Epiphanes. So both Ptolemy VI Philometor and Ptolemy VII Euergetes, or fatso, are his nephews. Alright, so you got one big happy family here. We got one big happy family; quality leaders are there brimming with integrity. We've had families like this lead us in our country as well. Now remember earlier, and 169 BC, Ptolemy VI Philometor had launched an attack against Antiochus Epiphanes' forces, as I mentioned a minute ago to regain those territories of Palestine lost to the Syrians. But he was defeated. Not only was he defeated, but he was captured by his uncle and held hostage. And that's when the people of Alexandria and Egypt put fatso on the throne. Okay, so this is what you got going on here.

Dave Harrell

Verse 23, "After an alliance is made with him," referring to Ptolemy VI Philometor, who I believe is the "prince of the covenant," he will practice deception. So here's what happened. Good ol uncle Antiochus professed friendship with his hostage nephew to gain assistance against the new ruler of Egypt, which would have been Ptolemy's chubby little brother, Ptolemy VII. And he's basically saying, Look, you help me against your brother, I will help you. I'll see to it that you get your throne.

Verse 23, again, "and he will go up and gain power with a small force of people." And indeed, at this stage in Antiochus' reign, his nation of Syria was small in comparison to what he had before; he had to give so much back to Rome, with their rise to power. So as predicted, as the angel has said here, he "practiced deception," and he went up against Egypt and gained power. Verse 24, he did this, "In a time of tranquility," it could be translated "without warning." "In a time of tranquility, he will enter the richest parts of the realm." And this is what he did, he seized the finest products of the most fertile and prosperous areas of his domain. These areas included, of course, Egypt and Judea and other provinces, where Syrian forces were successful. 24, in the middle of the verse, it reads, "and he will accomplish what his fathers never did, nor his ancestors, he will distribute plunder booty and possessions among them and he will devise his schemes against strongholds, but only for a time." And this is what he did. He was kind of a Robin Hood type of a guy. He would rob from various areas and give to other areas to make them all unite behind him. And by doing this, he also kept some of the areas that he ruled over a bit weak, he didn't want them to rise and have too much power, otherwise he would have to deal with them. But as the text says, he would only do this quote "for a time," which means for as long as God will allow it, which wasn't long because again, he only ruled 12 years. He died in 164 BC.

Verse 25, "He will stir up his strength and courage against the king of the South with a large army; so the king of the South will mobilize an extremely large an mighty army for war; but he will not stand, for schemes will be devised against him." This is what happened. Antiochus amassed a great army to invade Egypt. In fact, in first Maccabees 1:17, we read that Antiochus, quote, "entered Egypt with an overwhelming multitude with chariots, elephants and cavalry." So indeed, the king of the south now mobilized an extremely large army. And although Antiochus' army was smaller, and even though they marched all the way from Syria, all the way down to the borders of Egypt, nevertheless, they defeated Ptolemy Philometor. And how did they do this? Verse 25. It says that "he will not stand, for schemes will be devised against him." Interesting schemes devised against him. Verse 26 clarifies this, "Those who eat his choice food will destroy him, and his army will overflow but many will fall down slain." And this is what happened. Historically, the king had treacherous advisors at court, trusted counselors who convinced him to attack knowing that he probably would not be successful. In fact, the Hebrew literally reads, quote, "his army shall be overflowing in size, but still, many of its numbers shall fall in death." And this is what happened, as I say, Ptolemy attacked, he was defeated and he was taken captive by Antiochus.

Verse 27, "As for both kings, their hearts will be intent on evil, and they will speak lies to each other at the same table; but it will not succeed for the end is still to come at the appointed time." You see Antiochus, as well as Ptolemy, were both very selfish. And both kings were in, you might say a chess match, to try to manipulate the other one to their own advantage. And both are making promises they had no intention on keeping. And they did this it says "at the same table." In other words, at the table where there should be the table of hospitality, where there should be honesty and integrity, that should have been the highest priority, but it wasn't. So they both dealt treacherously with one another, both speaking lies in place of the truth in order to gain ground.

Verse 27, goes on to say, "But it will not succeed, for the end, or literally it can be translated "the goal," the goal "is still to come at the appointed time." In other words, God's predetermined appointed time to accomplish his goals during the end of the age. And although Antiochus pitted brother against brother in the end, it's interesting, none of them are able to control all of Egypt. It is important to note that when Antiochus went into Egypt, he was able to conquer the region of Memphis, kind of in the center of Egypt, upon which he did put Ptolemy Philometor on the throne, thinking that eventually he would dethrone him, but he needed his help there for a time. So that did happen, but his younger brother, his chubby younger brother was able to repel Antiochus, and he was able to maintain rule over the region of Alexandria. So Ptolemy Philometor's little brother still ruled Alexandria.

However, here dear friends, the plot thickens, as they say, shortly after Antiochus returned from Syria, the Ptolemy brothers decided that they would come together and form an alliance to rule jointly. And Ptolemy accomplished this by marrying their common sister, who now is Cleopatra II named after her mother, and she became queen. Eventually, by the way, she would marry the other brother, but that's a story for another time, okay, lots of incest that went on during those days. Then verse 28, "he," referring to Antiochus, "will return to his land with much plunder." Again, the word of God is always accurate. That's precisely what happened. We read in the histories, found in first Maccabees 1:19, "Thus they got the strong cities in the land of Egypt, and he took the spoils thereof." But in Daniel's prophecy, in verse 28, it goes on to say, "but his ,heart will be set against the holy covenant the holy covenant referring to all things religious in Judaism, the whole system of the Mosaic Law and so forth, "and he will take action," the text says, "and then return to his own land." So fueled by wounded pride, he decided to vent his anger on the Jews that he despised. And so, on his way back north to Syria, he stops in Palestine, he plunders the temple, destroys some of the religious personnel and he puts a stop to the ceremonial and sacrificial systems of Judaism. Now, by the way, Satan is already helping to accomplish all of this, under the authority of God's sovereignty. One historian tells us that "the occasion of the action," referring to Antiochus now coming into Jerusalem, "involve the Jewish reaction against the high priests, Menalaus, who has catered to the favor of Antiochus in the past days. Antiochus now sought to assist Menalaus and put down a minor revolt." So you've got an apostate here, that's the high priest, the Jews are rebelling against him, but he's with Antiochus. So Antiochus comes up, Menalaus says, hey, I need a little help here, I've got some problems with these guys. And so they decide to put them down. So this was all the excuse, that Antiochus needed to unleash his fury upon God's covenant people. We read about this historical event in first Maccabees, chapter one, beginning in verse 20. "And after that entire cause had smitten Egypt, he returned again in the 140 and third year, and went up against Israel in Jerusalem with a great multitude, and entered proudly into the sanctuary, and took away the golden altar and the candlestick of light, and all the vessels thereof, and the table of the shobread and the pouring vessels and the vials, and the sensors of gold, and the veil and the crown and the golden ornaments that were before the temple, all which he pulled off. He took also the silver and the gold and the precious vessels. Also, he took the hidden treasures, which he found, and when he had taken all away, he went into his own land, having made a great massacre, and spoken very proudly. Therefore, there was a great mourning in Israel in every place where they were, so that the princes and elders mourned the virgins and young men were made feeble, and the beauty of women was changed. Every bridegroom took up lamentation. And she that sat in the marriage chamber was in heaviness. The land also was moved from the inhabitants thereof, and all the house of Jacob was covered with confusion."

Now, let's go back to Daniel 11, in verse 29. "At the appointed time" referring to God's appointed time, "he will return and come into the South." Another amazing prophecy and that's what Antiochus did. Two years after his moderately successful campaign in Egypt, he decides to go back, because he learns about this coalition between his two nephews and their sister. And so he decides to go back down there with his armies to punish them and gain the land. But Daniel 11:29 says, "this last time, it will not turn out the way it did before." Remember, his first conquest into Egypt was moderately successful. But the prophecy here is that the next one will not be and here's why. For ships of Kittim will come against him." Kittim is a reference to to the Cyprians, the islands and coastal regions off the Northeast Mediterranean Sea area. And this included the regions west of Palestine, all of the the northern coast of the Mediterranean. And this is where the Romans had come with their ships. And what Antiochus didn't realize is the Romans had formed an alliance with the Egyptians and their ships were harbored off of these coasts. So what happens historically is Antiochus is going to come down now, he thinks he's going to take over Egypt, but the Romans, now working with the Egyptians, sent an emissary out to meet him. His name was Popillius Laenas and he was sent from the Roman Senate, and he had a letter that basically told Antiochus to go home and leave Egypt alone. Well Antiochus didn't like that. And history records how he paused and he was furious. Here, he's got his armies come all the way down here and now, here's the Romans. And he wasn't wanting to give an answer, so the emissary of Rome takes a stick, and he draws a circle in the sand around Antiochus and says that you must give me an answer before you step out of the circle. And basically, he knew that he didn't have a choice. So in utter humiliation, he had to agree and go back home.

Verse 30, "Therefore, he will be disheartened and will return and become enraged at the holy covenant" again, Judaism and its religious system. This you might say, the Jews, you might say, we're the most available dog to kick, right? He's got to go through that region again, and he's just furious. So "he will be disheartened will return to become enraged at the holy covenant and take action; so he will come back and show regard for those whose forsake the holy covenant." Again, now remember, this guy is Satan's man. Satan hates the Jewish people. He hates the God of Israel, our God; he hates all that God has promised with respect to the return of the King of kings. And so he's going to do all he can to thwart the purposes of God. And this has been true down through history. So what happened? Well, on his return trip home, he stops in Palestine, Vents his fury on the Jews and he was especially mad because there was a rumor going around that he had been killed. But he wanted to let them know that I am not dead. So he came to Jerusalem. And as the text says, "He will come back and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant." So what does he do? He finds some of the Jewish apostates who were willing to side with him and help him eradicate every vestige of Judaism and all of the observances of the mosaic ceremonies and so forth. And of course, the leader of that group was that same apostate high priest, Menalaus, who fully cooperated with Antiochus.

If I can pause for a moment. Dear friends, the greatest threat to the church today, has been and always will be, apostates within the church, apostates within the church. I fear professing woke believers far more than I fear godless pagans. You know, Paul tells us in Acts 20, speaking to the elders there in Ephesus that "savage wolves will come in among you not sparing the flock. And from among your own selves, men will arise speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them, therefore be on the alert." This is why we are told for example, in Second Corinthians six to come out and be separate. We have no fellowship with these kinds of people. This is why judgment is to begin with the household of God, as we read in first Peter 4:17. And there is a purging dear friends, it's going on in the church today. A purging. And the fires of persecution are always purifying fires for the church. For God chastens those that he loves. And this was the same type of dynamic that went on when Antiochus now comes to Jerusalem.

Back to verse 31, "Forces from him will arise." "Forces" could also be translated "arms." Arms "will arise, desecrate the sanctuary fortress, and do away with the regular sacrifice." Now bear in mind Antiochus wanted to force Grecian customs on the Jews. Remember, he had spent a great deal of time in Athens before becoming king of Syria. So he fully embraced all of the mythological gods and goddesses. And so what does he do? He does away with the regular sacrifice. In other words, he outlaws all of the mosaic ceremonies, and then it says "and they will set up the abomination of desolation." The prophecy was true, Antiochus sets up a statue of the Olympian Zeus. They believe even with the features of Antiochus--sets that up in the Holy of Holies.

Verse 32, the prophecy says "By smooth words, he will turn to godlessness, those who act wickedly toward the covenant." In other words, he's going to use flattery as he has before; he's slick, he's going to make promises he knows he could never keep, but you're going to promise them wealth and power, if you will join me. So "by smooth words he will turn to godlessness, those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will display strength and take action." Folks, there will always be a remnant of the faithful who will stand firm. Come what may. And that's what you had back then. In fact, in first Maccabees one, verse 61, we read, "How be it many in Israel were fully resolved and confirmed in themselves not to eat any unclean thing. Wherefore they chose rather to die, that they might not be defied with meats, and that they might not profane the holy covenant." And indeed, many of them did die. It's estimated that some 80,000 were killed or enslaved at this time.

Let me take just a few minutes here and give you the history of what the ancients describe with respect to what happened then first Maccabees one beginning in verse 29. "And after two years fully expired the kings in his chief collector of tribute into the cities of Judah, who came unto Jerusalem with a great multitude, and spake peaceably words unto them, but all was deceit. For when they had given him credence, he fell suddenly upon the city and smote it very sore, and destroyed much people of Israel. And when he had taken the spoils of the city, he set it on fire and pulled down the houses and walls thereof on every side, but the women and children took the captive and possess the cattle. Then builded they the city of David with a great strong wall and with mighty towers and made it a stronghold for them. And they put therein a sinful nation, wicked men and fortified themselves therein. They started also with armor and victuals. And when they had gathered together the spoils of Jerusalem, they laid them up there and so they became a sore snare. For it was a place to lie and weighed against the sanctuary, and an evil adversary to Israel. Thus, they shed innocent blood on every side of the sanctuary and defiled it, insomuch that the inhabitants of Jerusalem fled because of them. Whereupon the city was made and habitation of strangers and became strange to those that were born in her and her own children left her. Her sanctuary was laid waste like a wilderness, her feast were turned into mourning, her Sabbath into reproach her honor into contempt. As had been her glory, so was her dishonor increased, and Her Excellency was turned into mourning. Moreover, King Antiochus wrote to his whole kingdom, that all should be one people, and everyone should leave his laws. So all the heathen agreed according to the commandment of the king, yay, many also the Israelites consented to his religion, and sacrificed on the idols and profaned the Sabbath. For the king had sent letters by messengers unto Jerusalem in the cities of Judah, that they should follow the strange laws of the land, and forbid burnt offerings and sacrifice and drink offerings in the temple, and that they should profane the Sabbaths and festival days and pollute the sanctuary and holy people, set up altars and groves, and chapels of idols, and sacrifice swine’s flesh and unclean beasts, that they should also leave their children uncircumcised, and make their souls abominable, with all manner of uncleanness and profanation. To the end, they might forget the law and change all the ordinances. And whosoever would not do according to the commandment of the king, he said, he should die. In the self-same manner, wrote he to his whole kingdom and appointed overseers over all the people commanding the cities of Judah to sacrifice city by city. Then many of the people were gathered unto them, to wit, everyone that first took the law and so they committed evil to the land, and drove the Israelites into secret places, even wheresoever they could flee for Sucher. Now, the 15th day of the month, Kiselev live in the 100 and 40th and fifth year, they set up the abomination of desolation upon the altar, and builded idols throughout the cities of Judah on every side, and burnt incense at the doors of their houses and in the streets. And when they had wrent in pieces, the books of the law which they found; they burnt them with fire. And whosoever was found with any of the book of the testament, or if any committed to the law, the king's commandments was that they should put him to death. Thus did they by their authority unto the Israelites every month to as many as were found in the cities. Now the five and 20th day of the month, they did sacrifice upon the idol altar, which was upon the altar of God. At which time according to the commandment, they put to death, certain women that had caused their children to be circumcised, and they hanged the infants about their necks and rifled their houses and slew them that had circumcised them. How be it, many in Israel were fully resolved and confirmed in themselves not to eat any unclean thing. Wherefore they would rather die, that they might not be defiled with meat that they might not profane the holy covenant. So then they died in there was a very great wrath upon Israel." So there you have the history. Beloved, this demonstrates Satan's absolute contempt for the Most High God, and his covenant people, and all of the promises that God has given to all of his people down through the ages. And again, bear in mind that this guy is merely the type of the coming antitype, the Antichrist. So what I've just read is a harbinger of that which is to come, which will be far worse.

Back to our text, and Daniel 11:33. "Those who have insight among the people will give understanding to the many." In other words, during this time, there will be godly people with discernment, who will instruct the naive and instruct the ignorant. Yet it goes on to say "they will fall by sword and by flame, by captivity and by plunder for many days, that when they fall, they will be granted a little help and many of them will join them in hypocrisy." This is a reference to the Maccabees, you may remember that Mattathias Maccabeus, who had five sons refused to offer sacrifice to the Greek gods. And so he killed the king's representative, rather than to do this. And he along with his sons fled to the mountains, and they began to gather their own army and they enlisted others to join the revolt. And they were successful for a time but at the end, they were defeated. It says, "and many will join them in hypocrisy." It can be translated, "joined them by intrigue." And that's what happened. Out of fear of reprisal from some of the Jewish rebels, a lot of the Jewish people decided to join the uprising, but there were others that joined just to sabotage the efforts, because they were, they were still loyal to Antiochus and feared him. You may recall when we studied Daniel eight, that vision there, I give a lot of exposition on this whole period, because it speaks of this as well. In fact, in Daniel eight, verse 12, we read "on account of transgression the host will be given over to the horn along with the regular sacrifice, and it will fling truth to the ground and perform its will and prosper. Then I heard a holy one speaking and another holy one and said to that particular one who was speaking, 'How long will the vision about the regular sacrifice apply, while the transgression causes horror, so as to allow both the holy place and the host to be trampled?' And he said to me, 'For 2300 evenings and mornings, then the holy place will be properly restored.'" Now while we can't be dogmatic about the precise dates, we can go to first Maccabees four beginning in verse 52, through 59. There we read that "The Holy Place was properly restored on the 25th day of the ninth month of the year, 164 BC." And if you work backwards, 2300 days from that date, you come to the fall of 170 BC, which again, is absolutely astounding. And this is why so many historians say there's no way that this could be prophetic. This has to be some forgery written by some phony guy in the second century, who is basically recording history and saying it was prophecy. In chapter eight and verse 25, it says, "And through his shrewdness, he will cause deceit to succeed by his influence; and he will magnify himself in his heart, and he will destroy many while they are at ease. He will even oppose the Prince of princess, but he will be broken without human agency." That is he will be destroyed without human intervention. And that's exactly what happened.

Let me give you the history. Again, according to the second book of Maccabees, he was horrifically injured in the following manner which eventually led to his death. We read, "But they all sing, Lord, the God of Israel struck him with an incurable and invisible blow. As soon as he stopped speaking, he was seized with a pain in his bowels, for which there was no relief, and with sharp internal tortures. And that very justly, for he had tortured the bowels of others with many and strange inflictions. Yet he did not in any way stop his insolence, but was even more filled with arrogance, breathing fire in his rage against the Jews, and giving orders to drive even faster. And so it came about that he fell out of his chariot as it was rushing along, and the fall was so hard as to torture every limb of his body, as he who only a little while before, had thought in his superhuman arrogance, that he could command the waves of the sea, and it imagined that he could weigh the high mountains in a balance, was brought down to earth and carried in a litter, making the power of God manifest to all. So the ungodly man's body swarmed with worms. And while he was living in anguish and pain, his flesh rotted away. And because of the stench, the whole army felt revulsion at his decay."

Later on, on his deathbed, he learned that the armies of Israel had gone into the land of Judah and that he had been routed. And again, according to first Maccabee six, beginning in verse 18, "When the king heard this news, he was astonished and very much shaken, sick with grief because his designs had failed. He took to his bed, there he remained many days assailed by waves of grief where he thought he was going to die. So he called in all his friends and said to them, 'Sleep has departed from my eyes and my heart sinks with anxiety. I said to myself into what tribulation have I come, and into what floods of sorrow am I now, and I was kindly and beloved in my rule. But I now recall the evils I did in Jerusalem when I carried away all the vessels of silver and gold that were in it, and for no cause gave orders that the inhabitants of Judah be destroyed. I know that this is why these evils have overtaken me. And now I am dying in bitter grief in a foreign land.'" And according to what is called the "Scroll of Antiochus," we read that he drowned himself in the sea. Dear friends, in all of this, God was at work. And as we close this morning, we see in verse 35, that he was refining, he was cleansing, he was purifying his people through the fires of suffering. There we read, "Some of those who have insight will fall in order to refine, purge and make them pure until the end time; because it is still to come at the appointed time." And indeed, the persecution of Israel will continue until Christ returns, referred to here as the end time, a time of Daniel's 70th week, the time of the Great Tribulation, the pre kingdom judgments prior to our Lord's return. And this phrase, "until the end time," really serves as a transition to the events that are, as it says, still to come at the appointed time. And these are events pertaining to the person and the work of the Antichrist that's described in verses 36 through 45. The coming willful king of whom Antiochus Epiphanes was merely a type. Verse 36 describes him, "Then the king will do as he pleases, and he will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will speak monstrous things against the God of gods; and he will prosper until the indignation is finished, for that which is decreed will be done."

Although American forces were warned about the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor, they ignored the warning. And you know what happened? And dear friends, even with what you have heard today, you are being warned that a Day of Judgment is coming, Jesus is coming again. And when you see him, he will either be your Savior and Lord, or your judge and your executioner. And right now there is an ark of safety available to you in the gospel of Jesus Christ. I plead with you to come to Christ in repentant faith. Enter into that ark before the deluge of judgment encompasses this earth. For those of us who know and love Christ, let's celebrate the fact that our Savior and our King reigns supreme; that he has ordained the end from the beginning and that he is coming again in power and great glory. Amen? Amen.

Let's pray together. Father, thank you for the truths of your word that are so profound. But Lord, they are meaningless to those who are dead in their sins. So I pray that you will breathe life into those that are lost and dying, that they might be raised from the dead spiritually speaking, that they might repent and come to faith in Christ. And for those of us who know and love Christ, who are debtors to his grace, I pray that what we've heard this morning will just encourage our hearts knowing that yes, difficult times are coming. But we serve the King of kings and eventually, all of this will be over as promised. We thank you, we give you praise, in Jesus name and for his sake. Amen.

Will you take your Bibles and turn to Daniel chapter 11. As we continue to make our way through this amazing Old Testament book, we're going to be looking at verses two through 35. Quite a large chunk, lots of ancient Near East history--I have given you a handout with the outline that will help you perhaps navigate that a little bit. There's lots of hard to pronounce names and lots of things you probably maybe have never even been aware of. And so I thought, rather than you burning up ink and trying to frantically write all these things, I'd give you at least a general outline. So I hope you will have that. But here in these verses, there are 135, approximately, detailed prophecies that were fulfilled, absolutely astounding. Dear Christian, never underestimate the treasure that we have in the Word of God.

Now, let me give you a little background, you will recall in Chapter 10, we had an introduction here, an introduction to Daniel's fourth and final vision that's going to be revealed now in chapters 11 and 12. And there we witnessed not only the preincarnate glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, and thus his sovereign rule over his created universe, but also God's plan for the ages, especially with respect to his covenant people Israel. Chapter 10 provides great insight into Yahweh's permissive will to allow Satan to rule this world temporarily, the systems of this world. We saw examples of how he ruled nations back then. And certainly he continues to do the same thing today, as he, in many ways, rules our nation, which explains the moral freefall, and just the mass deceptions that we are experiencing from our government, from the media, from educators, from churches, from culture in general.

Now, beginning in chapter 11, through chapter 12, the angelic messenger sent to Daniel, who we believe is probably Gabriel, proceeds with predictive revelation pertaining to Israel's future, especially as it relates to the Gentiles dominance over Israel until the return of the Messiah. And I might say that the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70 was a mild preview of what is going to happen in the future with Israel and in the world, in what's called Daniel's 70th week; the pre kingdom judgments just before Christ returns. In fact, Jesus spoke of this in Luke 21 and verse, verse 24, where he said, "they will fall by the edge of the sword and will be led captive unto all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled." And certainly that happened in AD 70. And it will continue to happen, especially, as I say, during Daniel's 70th week, and from the era of Israel's captivity and 586 BC to Babylon, until her restoration in the Messianic Kingdom that you can read about, for example, in Revelation 20, the first six verses--God has allowed Gentiles to dominate and to threaten Jerusalem, and Israel. And all through the book of Daniel, we have seen how this has played out. We've seen how this has been fulfilled already, historically, and are waiting to be fulfilled prophetically.

And here in Daniel 11, God has revealed to us some astounding, detailed prophecies. In fact, this is one of the most astounding passages in all of Scripture. It is so historically accurate, that the third century AD pagan philosopher, Porphyry, considered it forgery. He argued that some other author wrote these events that occurred some time previously, a guy that wrote it sometime in the second century, and many liberal scholars believe that to this day that this is so historically accurate, that there is no way that this could have been predicted. So some clown wrote it in the second century and just recorded history and pretended like it was prophecy. By the way, that attack was refuted by one of the early church fathers. Jerome, who lived in the fourth century. He defended Daniel's authorship in a commentary based upon the original Hebrew text.

So I must say that in a world that is filled with lies, don't you get tired of it? I mean you will see one thing on television, you can see it with your own eyes, and you hear somebody telling you that that's not what you see. I just get so tired of it. But isn't it great to be able to come together and to look at truth? The truth of the Word of God. And these prophecies demonstrate that indeed, God is omniscient about the future, because he is sovereign over the future. It is his future. And with respect to Christ, it is history, his story. Furthermore, the book of Daniel demonstrates the divine inspiration of Scripture. This is an unequaled treasure that we have in our hands.

Now, before we embark upon this journey here in Daniel 11, this morning, and look at these prophecies, let's take a moment and ask, I think, a very appropriate question. Why would God reveal these things to Daniel? I mean why such detailed precision regarding the Gentile domination of the covenant people? Daniel would never live to see these things. He's receiving these prophecies at about 85 years old, right? So why give all of this to him? Many of those who read his prophecies would never live to see them come to fulfillment either. What possible benefit could that have been to him? To them? Or to us today? Well, I would submit to you that there are six reasons. And when I thought these through and wrote them down, I realized that this is a whole sermon in and of itself, but I'm just going to give you the points and move on. All right, six reasons.

First of all, these prophecies were given to demonstrate number one, the sovereignty of God, that indeed, God is in charge of his creation. He has ordained the end from the beginning. Secondly, to demonstrate the veracity or the truthfulness of Scripture, there is no other religious book ever in the history of the world that contains prophecies, especially fulfilled prophecies. Thirdly, to demonstrate the horrors of sin, because, dear friends, if you do not see the horror of sin, you will never see the glory of the cross and you will never seek forgiveness. And also to demonstrate the rule of Satan in the affairs of men, and how he is constantly doing everything he can with his minions, to thwart the purposes of God. Number five, to demonstrate God's faithfulness to his covenant promises; even as I have just read recently, just a few minutes ago, in Romans 11, God is faithful to his covenant promises with respect to Israel, with respect to even we Gentiles, who are the wild olive branches grafted in to the root of Abrahamic blessing. And then, finally, and this is the real censure, isn't it, to anticipate the glory of Christ's avenging justice. To anticipate the glory of Christ's avenging justice. The Father has given him all authority to execute judgment. Someday every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. And it's great to know where the story is moving.

So let's look closely at Daniel's prophetic vision. And please understand while the details are accurate, they are also selective. And this is true of all Bible prophecy. In other words, it's not going to include every king, every battle, everything that happened. And I might also add, what I address will be a selective as well. There's literally hundreds of other events and stories that could be included in this discussion. Not all of the rulers, not all of the events of this era were discussed or recorded. However, I will also add that later on, there will be great detail given to Antiochus Epiphanes more than any other ruler. And the reason for that is the specific impact his wickedness had on Israel and the similarities of his actions with the coming Antichrist who he typifies. So you have an outline and again, I've added notes, due to the complexity of ancient Near East history. It's funny, as I was thinking this through again, this week, some of the ancient ways of remembering these things, when I was in seminary, began to come back to me just a little bit. You know how you come up with silly little sentences and things to remember people's names and everything. And some, I was laughing about that, some of it was coming back, but not enough for me to remember all of it. So I have to write it down as well. I'm not going to read all of these-- let me give you the four main points. We're going to look at, first of all, the kings of Persia in verse two, and then the kings of Greece in verses three and four. And then the prophecy will move to the kings of the south and the north, the south being a reference to Egypt, the North to Syria, that will be in verses five through 20. And then, fourthly, look at Antiochus, the fourth, Epiphanes in verses 21 through 36. And actually, we won't get to that today we'll look at the first three, primarily.

So let's look at the kings of Persia. Remember now, Daniel has asked, Gabriel has come, God has sent him. He wants to know what's going to happen. He's burdened for his people. And here's what the angelic messenger tells him beginning in verse two of Daniel 11. "'And now I will tell you the truth, behold, three more kings are going to arise in Persia. Then a fourth will gain far more riches than all of them; as soon as he becomes strong through his riches, he will arouse the whole empire against the realm of Greece." Now, since the fourth king mentioned is obviously Xerxes, the other three had to have been his predecessors who would have been Cambyses, Pseudo-Smerdis, Darius and then of course, Xerxes. And that reign of Xerxes would have included--some of you are familiar with the 300 Spartans that held off the Persians in the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC--hat's kind of when all of that happened. So he's telling him here, here's what's going to happen. Now, there were other kings who ruled in Persia, but these three kings ruled immediately prior to Xerxes, who indeed, attacked Greece and set up a counter attack by Alexander the Great, as we will see.

Now, let me give you a little background. Xerxes father, Darius Hystaspes, tried to conquer Greece in 490 BC, but he was soundly defeated. So when Xerxes comes to the throne, he wants revenge. He doesn't like his father being humiliated. And as stated in verse two, Xerxes was fabulously wealthy, he had conquered Lydia, all of Babylonia and Egypt and like his predecessors, he taxed the people heavily to gain his power, his influence, and to fulfill all of his pressures, which politicians love to do at our expense. So nothing has ever changed, right? In fact, his 180-day feast, described in Esther chapter one attests to his wealth. And that, by the way, was done at the culmination of a four-year period of preparation to go in and conquer Greece. He had many 1000s of troops. It is believed that he had amassed the largest army in the history of the ancient world. So Xerxes and his massive army, as well as navy, set out to avenge his father's humiliating defeat at the hands of the Greeks.

And this moves us to point two: the kings of Greece beginning of verse three. Look what the messenger tells Daniel, "'And the mighty king will arise, and he will rule with great authority and do as he pleases.'" This is a reference to Alexander the Great. Let tell you what happened in the story. Xerxes attacks Greece, and he was not only defeated, but the Greeks seized his entire Persian kingdom, a region far greater than the Persians ever ruled. In fact, with around 40,000 men, Alexander the Great, annihilated the Persians. He took all of Asia Minor, he took all of Northern Syria. He took the island fortress of Tyre down to Egypt, Mesopotamia, all the way over to what is modern Afghanistan, to the very borders of India. You may recall, his final victory was with King Porus and his war elephants in the Battle of Jhelum, in 326 BC. So Alexander the Great beats Xerxes, and he carves out a vast kingdom for himself of about 1.5 million square miles. And he did this in 10 years. By the way, I detail a lot of the brilliant strategies and weaponry of Alexander the Great and his forces in my exposition of Daniel two if you want to go back and look at that.

Verse four, "But as soon as he has arisen, his kingdom will be broken up and parceled out toward the four points of the compass, though not to his own descendants, nor according to his authority which he wielded, for his sovereignty will be uprooted and given to others be besides them." And this is exactly what happened. Alexander the Great died at the young age of 32. And his vast kingdom, as the prophecy says, was broken up and parceled out to four of his generals. Macedon and Greece went to Cassander. Thrace and Asia Minor went to Lysimachus. Syria and Babylon went to Seleucus and Judah and Egypt went to Ptolemy.

Gabriel continues now in his predictive revelation, point number three: the kings of the south, referring to Egypt, and north, referring to Syria. Notice verse five, "'Then the king of the South will grow strong." This is a reference now to Ptolemy the first Sotar of Judah and Egypt, he reigned from 304 to 283 BCE. "'The king of the south will grow strong, along with one of his princes.'" And this historically refers to Seleucus I of Nicator, "'who gain ascendancy over him and obtain dominion; his dominion will be a great dominion indeed.'" So in other words, Seleucus would become stronger than Ptolemy with respect to the extent of his dominion. And that's exactly what happened, as prophesied. Seleucus I Nicator, ruled over Syria and Babylonia in 321 BC until another general Antigonus Babylon and forced him to flee. But later Antigonus was defeated at Gaza in 312 BC, allowing Seleucus to regain his territory, plus the entire region of Midia, thus fulfilling verse five. Astounding.

Verse six, "'After some years, they will form an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the south will come to the king of the North to carry out a peaceful arrangement.'" And history affirms that this did happen. Egypt and Syria did make an alliance with one another in 250 BCE, some 50 years after both Ptolemy, and Seleucus proclaimed themselves to be king. Let me give you a little background here. It's really interesting. Ptolemy and Seleucus both died soon thereafter. And the son of Ptolemy, whose name was Ptolemy II Philadelphus, assumed the throne in Egypt. And the grandson of Seleucus whose name was Antiochus II Theos assumed the throne in Syria. By the way, aren't you glad you've got these notes so you don't have to write all this down?

Now, the plot thickens, as they say. In order to form an alliance, as the prophecy says must happen. Ptolemy II Philadelphus of the South sent his daughter Berenice to marry Antiochus II Theos. Who, by the way, was forced to divorce his wife Laodice. It was a forced marriage with Berenice. And he had to divorce his wife Laodice. Look at verse six again, "'But she will not retain her position of power, nor will he remain with his power, but she will be given up along with those who brought her in, and the one who sired her as well as he who supported her in those times.'" It's exactly what happened. History tells us that two years after the forced marriage between Antiochus and Berenice, her father, Berenice's father, Ptolemy II died. At that point, Antiochus decided he's going to take back his previous wife, Laodice. All right? Having been forced to divorce her. But Laodice wasn't too happy with what he had done so she had him poisoned. I hate that when that happens, right? Moreover, she developed a plot to kill her rival, Berenice, and all her attendants and her one infant son, by Antiochus, upon their arrival. Exactly what verse six tells us. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned right? Or as we would say, down here, mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. And so this is what happened.

Verse seven, "'But one of the descendants of her line will arise in his place, and he will come against their army and enter the fortress of the king of the North, and he will deal with them and display great strength. Also their gods with their metal images and their precious vessels of silver and gold, he will take into captivity to Egypt.'" This is what happened. Berenice's brother, Ptolemy III Euergetes reigned from 246 to 221 BC, defeated Seleucus II Callinicus, and returned to Egypt with all of the spoil. And according to Jerome, the ancient church father, Ptolemy confiscated quote, "40,000 talents of silver," now let me stop there. A talent is 75 pounds, take 40,000 time, 75 pounds, you get 3 million pounds of silver. Get an idea? That's 1500 tons, according to my calculations. I mean, that's over a trillion dollars. I mean, that's the type of stuff our government would love to get a hold of, right? Jerome said that, "Ptolemy confiscated 40,000 talents of silver, and 2500 precious vessels and images of the gods among them, those which candidacies had taken to Persia when he conquered Egypt." By the way, this would have required massive caravans, several years just to move all of this.

Back to verse eight at the end, "'and he on his part, will refrain from attacking the king of the north for some years.'" And indeed, from 241 to 223 BC, the two nations remained at peace with one another. So everything that was prophesied in verses seven and eight, were fulfilled precisely. By the way, what we're talking about here happened 300 years after Daniel died.

Verse nine, "'Then the latter will enter the realm of the king of the South, but will return to his own land.'" And indeed, Seleucus Callinicus, succeeded in regaining his position in Syria. After Ptolemy's victory over his realm, but in 240 BC, he unsuccessfully attacked Ptolemy and Egypt and as the text says, "returned to his own land" in defeat.

Verse 10, "'His sons will mobilize and assemble a multitude of great forces; and one of them will keep on coming and overflow and pass through, that he may again wage war up to his very fortress.'" It's interesting verse 10 here, "his sons," The younger son was Seleucus III Seronis and the older son was Antiochus III the Great. I love it when they put the great on there, you know, Jake Hutchison the Great, you know, whatever. That's what these guys used to do back then. And the younger was killed on a campaign in Asia Minor and just like the prophet prophesied Antiochus the Great became the king at the young age of 18.

Verse 10 again, "'His sons will mobilize and assemble a multitude of great forces; and one of them will keep on coming and overflow and pass through that he may again wage war up to his very fortress.'" And as predicted, Antiochus III, the Great, recaptured territory in Phoenicia from Ptolemy IV Philopater. And his forces, like the prophet says, "overflowed and passed through" all of the Egyptian territory that included the land of Palestine. But it goes on. Verse 11, "'The king of the South,'" who is Ptolemy okay? "will be enraged and go forth and fight with the king of the North,'" who is Antiochus, "'Then the latter will raise a great multitude.'" All right, and according to Polybius, who was a Greek historian of the Hellenistic period, he lived to, like 200 BC, up to about 100 BC or so. Polybius says this, quote "Ptolemy had amassed 70,000 infantry, 5000 cavalry and 73 elephants." Quite an army. And he says, "Antiochus had," quote "a multitude consisting of 62,000 infantry, 6000 cavalry, and 102 elephants." But Antiochus, we know, was given into Ptolemy's hand, exactly as it says at the end of verse 11, "'But that multitude will be given into the hand of the former.'" Amazing, isn't it? You can see why the liberals say there's just no way that anybody could predict this type of detail of history.

Verse 12, "'When the multitude is carried away, his heart will be lifted up, and he will cause 10s of 1000s to fall, and yet he will not prevail.'" So Ptolemy IV defeated Antiochus forces at the Battle of Raphia in 217 BC. And according to Polybius, the historian, Antiochus lost nearly 10,000 footmen and another 4000 were captured. But notice the end of verse 12. "'Yet he,' Ptolemy IV, "will not prevail.'"

Verse 13, "'For the king of the North will,’” again Antiochus the Great, "'will again raise a greater multitude than the former, and after an interval of some years, he will press on with a great army and much equipment.'" We know that's exactly what happened in 203 BC. Ptolemy Philopater and his wife died in Egypt, and their four-year-old son ascended the throne. His name was Ptolemy V Epiphanes. Well, this was the perfect opportunity for Antiochus the Great to launch a second invasion into the coastal region of Syria, which he did. And as prophesied, he had, quote, "a great army and much equipment." And he had acquired this from his other campaigns that he had been doing in the intervening years in the eastern regions of his domain as far as the Caspian Sea, even to the border of India. So now with an even greater army, and even more equipment than before he launches his attack.

Verse 14, "'Now in those times, many will rise up against the king of the South,'" referring to Ptolemy. And he says, "'The violent ones among your people,'" speaking to Daniel now, I mean, the violent ones among the Jews "'will also lift themselves up in order to fulfill the vision, but they will fall down.'" And we know historically that some of the pro Seleucid Jews who were tired of being subjugated by Egypt by the Ptolemies, join forces with Antiochus, to fight against Egypt. Plus, they were tired of being in this No Man's Land in Israel. That's where all these battles are fought, right? They're tired of everybody from the north and the south, they come along, and where did they fight? Right there in their land. They were tired of all that. So they decided to throw in with Antiochus. But it says in verse 14, "they will fall," down literally, in the Hebrew, but they shall stumble, probably a reference to the Jews who were not able to rid themselves of these warring kingdoms, or free themselves from their tyranny, because all of this just continued to go on. And interestingly enough, in many ways, it's still happening today.

Verse 15, "'Then the king of the North,'" who was Antiochus, "'will come, cast up a siege ramp will capture a well-fortified city; and the forces of the South will not stand their ground, not even their choicest troops.'" Now bear in mind, siege warfare was common in those days, you can go to the Near East today, in Israel, for example, and you can see remnants of siege warfare, the enemy would come in, they would build rather large wall around the whole perimeter of the city, while everybody's watching, in a way to communicate to the people that there is no escape. And they would do this with rocks. And then they would find the best place to begin to build a mound, little by little to go up until they could finally breach the walls. And this might take a couple of years. But when you have 1000s and 1000s and 1000s of troops, like little ants, they keep doing that until finally they conquer the city. That's what happened. Now, he speaks here of capturing this "well-fortified city and the forces of the South will not stand their ground, not even their choicest troops.'" And this is interesting. This is a reference to three prominent Egyptian generals, Eropus, Menocles, and Damoxenus,who were sent by Egypt to relieve Sidon and hopefully free them from this siege that was about to destroy them. But it says "'for they will be no strength to make a stand.'" And as predicted Antiochus soundly defeated Ptolemy V at the Battle of Panium near Mount Hermon and captured the city of Sidon.

So now with Syria in his control, this put an end to the Ptolemaic rule in Palestine. Verse 16, "'But he who comes against him will do as he pleases.'" Again, Antiochus was able to do anything he wanted to impose his will upon the Egyptians and their territories, including Palestine. And it says, "'and no one will be able to withstand him, he will also stay for a time in the Beautiful Land,'" referring to the promised land, the land of of Israel, "'with destruction in his hand.'" And indeed in 198, BC, Antiochus ruled over the promised land. But notice what the angelic messenger goes on to predict.

Verse 17, "'He,'" Antiochus, "'will set his face to come with the power of his whole kingdom, bringing with him a proposal of peace which he will put into effect, he will also give him the daughter of women to ruin it.'" You see Antiochus, we know historically, wanted to control all of Egypt, but not through a military invasion, and through military force. And now that he had all the control of Palestine and other eastern territories, he was in a great position to negotiate from a position of strength with Egypt. Furthermore, Antiochus, we know, was planning at that time on attacking Rome. And the last thing he needed is to have the Egyptians rise up and cause trouble. So he's got to do something to kind of calm things down and make sure that his rule was being affected there. So he sent his daughter, Cleopatra I, to marry Ptolemy V in 197 BC, as part of this peace treaty with Egypt. Now there was a bit of a problem here in 197 BC, Ptolemy was only 10 years old. So the marriage did not take place until 193 BC. I mean, let's wait till he's 14 right? And then then you can get married. However, Antiochus had another motive for sending his daughter and that was to get her in the family so that she could spy and help promote Syrian interests in the Ptolemaic family. But notice verse 17, there at the end, "'but she will not take a stand for him or be on his side.'" Indeed, she did not go along with the plan, she actually assimilated very well into the family even assisted them. In fact, Egypt even ended up assisting the Romans when Antiochus fought against them.

Verse 18, "'Then he will turn his face to the coastlands and capture many.'" And we know that happened, Antiochus launched a successful campaign in the Aegean region, which would have been the countries on the Mediterranean Sea, including the islands there. He conquered all of them, a substantial portion of Asia Minor, and Greece. "'But a commander will put a stop to his scorn against him.'" Moreover, "'he will repay him for his scorn.'" And this commander was the Roman General Lucius Cornelius Scipio. He was commissioned by Rome to stop Antiochus, which he did. Antiochus had bragged about how he was going to conquer all of Greece. But in 191 BC, he was driven from his stronghold in Thermopylae, and the next year, he was defeated at Magnesia and Lydia of Asia Minor. And finally in 188 BC, in utter humiliation, he was forced into a peace treaty with Rome. And he had to relinquish all of his territory in Asia Minor and give it to the Romans.

Verse 19, "'So he will turn his face toward the fortresses of his own land, but he will stumble and fall and be found no more.'" That's exactly what happened. He returned to his own land having lost all that he had gained. However, his own land included all of Syria, all of Palestine, all of Mesopotamia, all of Babylon, all of what is around the middle Persian realm, and we know that he was killed while seeking to rob the Temple of Bel in Elam, Persia. So much for Antiochus III the Great.

Verse 20, "'Then in his place one will arise who will send an oppressor.'" The Hebrew concept of that word oppressor, refers to one who forces others to do something, especially pay taxes. "'Than in his place one will arise who will send an oppressor through the Jewel of his kingdom,'" referring to Palestine, "'yet within a few days, he will be shattered, though not in anger nor in battle.'" Now, this is a reference to Seleucus IV Philopater, son and successor of Antiochus the Great. Here's what went on then, because his father had drained all of the treasury to do all of these wars and because he owed Rome annual payment of 1000 talents, he had to get money from somewhere. So he sends a guy named Heliodorus, to seize the funds of the temple in Jerusalem. That's a great place to go get money. And according to Second Maccabees three, Maccabees or non-canonical Jewish writings detailing Jewish history. According to the Second Maccabees three, this attempt was thwarted by the appearance at the temple of a divine apparition. Let me read you some of that old ancient history to give you a sense of what happened according to the historians. "When he had arrived at Jerusalem and had been kindly welcomed by the high priest of the city, he told about the disclosure that had been made and stated why he had come, and he inquired whether this really was the situation. The high priest explained that there were some deposits belonging to widows and orphans, and also some money of Heranicus, a son of Tobias, a man of very prominent position, and that it totaled in all 400 talents of silver and 200 of gold. To such an extent the pious Simon had misrepresented the facts. And he said that it was utterly impossible that wrong should be done to those people who had trusted in the holiness of the place, and in the sanctity and inviolability of the temple that is honored throughout the whole world. But Heliodorus, because of the orders he had from the king said that this money must in any case be confiscated for the king's treasury. So he set a day and went in to direct the inspection of these funds. There was no little distress throughout the whole city. The priests prostrated themselves before the altar in their priestly vestments and called toward heaven upon him who had given the law about deposits, that he should keep them safe for those who had deposited them. To see the appearance of the high priest was to be wounded at heart for his face and the change in his color, disclosed the anguish of his soul, for terror and bodily trembling had come over the man which plainly showed to those who looked at him, the pain lodged in his heart. People also hurried out of their houses in crowds to make a general supplication because the Holy Place was about to be brought into dishonor. Women girded with sackcloth, under their breasts thronged the streets, some of the young men who were kept indoors ran together to the gates and some to the walls, while others peered out of windows, and holding up their hands to heaven, they all made supplication. There was something pitiable in the prostration of the whole populace and the anxiety of the high priest in his great anguish. While they were calling upon the Almighty Lord, that he would keep what he what had been entrusted safe and secure, for those who had entrusted it, Heliodorus went on with what had been decided. But when he arrived at the Treasury with his bodyguard, then and there, the sovereign of spirits, and of all authority, caused so great a manifestation that all who had been so bold as to accompany him, were astounded by the power of God and became faint with terror. For there appeared to them a magnificently caparisoned horse." Caparisoned is an old word, it means equipped, it means decked out with rich ornamentation and decoration and that type of thing. "With a rider of frightening mean, and it rushed furiously at Heliodorus and struck him with its fernet hooves. Its rider was seen to have armor and weapons of gold. Two young men also appeared to him remarkably strong, glorious, beautiful and splendidly dressed, who stood on either side of him and flogged him continuously, inflicting many blows on him. When he suddenly fell to the ground and deep darkness came over him, his men took him up, put him on a stretcher, and carried him away. This man who had just entered the aforesaid treasury, with a great retinue, and all his bodyguard was now unable to help himself, they recognize clearly the sovereign power of God." End quote. Now, it's all that true? We're not sure, this is what the historians tell us. But something happened and we know that Heliodorus returned home empty handed, and later on, we know that he assassinated Seleucus Philopater, as prophesied.

Notice verse 20. "Yet within a few days, he,'" Seleucus Philopater, "'will be shattered, though not in anger nor in battle.'" So after a short 11 year reign, Seleucus died mysteriously, apparently through poisoning. Another historian tells us that his son, Demetrius Sotar, had been taken hostage to Rome, when Heliodorus, his Prime Minister, evidently sought the throne for himself and committed this act.

But notice verse 21, "In his place,'" referring to Seleucus Philopater, "'a despicable person will arise, on whom the honor of kingship has not been conferred, but he will come at a time of tranquility and seize the kingdom by intrigue.'" And folks, this leads us to our fourth point in the little outline that referring to Antiochus IV Epiphanes.

Let me just introduce this briefly in closing this morning. Following the death of Seleucus IV, his brother, Antiochus IV seizes the throne illegally, from the son of his murdered brother, this Demetrius Soter, who was still held hostage by the Romans and the new king adopted the name Antiochus IV Epiphanes in 175 BC. Epiphanes means glorious. He had to have his own name. Though he was a relatively obscure monarch in the ancient Near East, who, by the way, only ruled for nine years in the days and the decline of the Syrian power and the rise of Rome in the West. He was certainly Satan's emissary. Commissioned to inflict enormous casualties on God's covenant people. And his bitter persecution of the Jews ended up fueling the Maccabean Revolt resulting in heavy Jewish casualties, resulting in the defilement of the temple and the altar. And he therefore typifies the coming Antichrist whose diabolical reign and ruin are described later on in verses 36 and following. In fact, folks and Daniel 11:31, as well as 12:11, Daniel mentions the, quote, "abomination of desolation." Persecution of Israel committed by Antiochus Epiphanes. And we'll get into that the next time we get together on this. But likewise, Jesus referred to this important event. First spoken of in Daniel, Jesus speaks of this in his Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24, beginning in verse 15, we read, "'Therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place, let the reader understand, that those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.'" Later on in verses 21 through 22, he warns of this coming period, as "Great Tribulation upon Israel upon the world." This is what's coming. It is a time of tribulation without parallel in human history. He went on there to say, "'For then, there will be great tribulation, such has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved, but for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.'" Hope you understand Jesus expects a literal fulfillment of this prophecy, consistent with the literal fulfillment of Daniel's prophecies, concerning the abomination of desolation committed by Antiochus Epiphanes.

I might add that I believe with all my heart, Jesus expects a literal fulfillment of all Old Testament prophecies. So because of the unique parallels, beginning in verse 21, the rise of Antiochus IV Epiphanes occupies a lot of space in this chapter. In fact, it is a major section in this entire prophetic revelation which we will examine in our next exposition of this passage.

Well, friends, I hope you are awestruck by the accuracy of God's word. I hope that if nothing else, you will be further committed to study the Word, to see its absolute power, that a sovereign God has given this to us. Again, 135 detailed prophetic statements that were fulfilled literally. And why would he give all of this to Daniel, and ultimately to us? To demonstrate the sovereignty of God, the veracity of Scripture, the horrors of sin, the rule of Satan; to demonstrate God's faithfulness to his covenant promises and to help us anticipate the glory of Christ's avenging justice. So given all this, dear friends, may I ask you, what is your attitude towards God? Towards his word, towards his Son, our Savior and King, the Lord Jesus Christ? What is your attitude? Is he the sovereign creator? Sustainer, Redeemer concentrator of all things? Or is he just a myth? Is he some smiley face Santa Claus that is kind of stingy, but you can learn how to manipulate him so he will hand out the goodies? Is that who he is? Friends, I hope you can see from the Word of God that he is indeed our Creator, our sovereign God. And that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, infallible, authoritative, all sufficient Word of the living God. It is not a book of myths. I hope it's your spiritual authority because if it's not, what is? Is it culture, is it your own ideas? Is it the foolishness of man or the wisdom of God? Well, I hope it's the latter and not the former. Because someday, all of us will see him face to face. And as I say, you will either see him in terror or in triumph. Remember that. Let's pray together.

Father, thank you for your Word that speaks so powerfully to all of us who have been given the ears to hear. And we know, as always, that your Word will either harden or soften hearts. Lord, I beg you that it will be the latter and not the former. You've told us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. And certainly we've been given much of that here today. I pray that you will help us to grab hold of the great truths that you have given us with respect to your sovereignty, your holiness, and to your ultimate plan of redemption. That we might live consistently with these truths, and that others might see Christ in us, the hope of glory. For it's in his name that I pray. Amen.

This morning, we returned once again to our verse by verse study of the book of Daniel. So if you will take your Bibles turn to Daniel chapter 10. And I've entitled my discourse to you this morning, "A Glorious Preparation for Revelation." This is another astounding text that is often overlooked. But it is a text that has much practical application and instruction for our everyday lives. Because as we will see, Satan's efforts to thwart the purposes of God and to destroy his people, continues to exist to this day, as it did in the days of Daniel. And what we know biblically, as we will see from the prophecies, forthcoming from chapters 11, and 12, These things will worsen prior to the Lord's return as demons prepare the world for the rule of the Antichrist, by influencing wicked people, we see this already with the wickedness in the whole liberal, progressive movement, global elitist, and so forth. And in this chapter, we are going to gain great insights into the role of demons, and how they influence rulers and nations, and how world events are often shaped because of the things that they are up to. And we will also understand their unique commission to destroy the people of God and thwart God's sovereign purposes and plans. Just to get you thinking, I want you to understand, dear friends, that Satan is alive and well and he has a demonic horde that is actively and aggressively at work today. It is no coincidence that an unqualified career politician in a state of cognitive decline, with virtually no accomplishments and 40 years of politics, was elected President of these United States. It is no coincidence that this President and his top military advisors would humiliate United States of America in the withdrawal from Afghanistan. It's no coincidence that there is over 100 cargo tanker sitting off the coast of California, waiting to be unloaded. It is no coincidence that we have a supply chain crisis. It is no coincidence that the economic policies of the Democratic Party are not only destroying the economy in the United States, but also weakening the dollar all around the world. It's no coincidence that there is no end to the new COVID variants requiring unconstitutional experimental vaccine mandates, unending boosters, vaccine passports, destructive lock downs. And now they're coming after our children who are at virtually no risk. It's no coincidence that globalists continue to use fear to condition the masses to obey the government authorities. It is not happenstance that they are now pushing for embedded biometrics so that they can somehow have a digital vaccine passport. It's not just random reality that progressive corporate and tech billionaires censor those who reject their political ideologies. It is not just happenstance that progressive politicians have shut down the oil pipelines in our country, that they push this global warming hoax that they burden businesses with ridiculous environmental restrictions that sabotage our economy. And it's not just random reality that our government promotes subsidized unemployment. All of these things are going someplace. It's not coincidence that liberal politicians and religious phonies continue to promote the woke, critical race theory, LGBTQ insanity. Not only promote it, but try to impose those values on everyone. It's not coincidence that hundreds of 1000s of illegal aliens are flooding our porous borders and being released into our population without proper vetting. It's not just coincidence that the godless political left now rule our country through activist judges, through unelected bureaucrats, through public school teachers and academia and mainstream media and social media, and Hollywood. These things aren't just happening. They are all part of Satan's plan as he continues to rule this world temporarily. It's not coincidence that the two institutions that God has ordained and promised to bless--the two institutions of which Christ is to be the head--marriage and the church, are both under attack in our country. It's not by accident that we see an escalation of military conflicts around the world, especially the resurgence of anti semitism. It's not just by accident that Russia is now aligning itself with Turkey and Iran is being aided by Russia and by China. It's not just a coincidence that the European Union and NATO are beefing up their military might. It's not just something random, some happenstance that there is an increased demand for a central bank, digital currency. Beloved, all of these things are a result of Satan's plan and demonic activity. And through his minions, Satan is paving the way for global governance under the rule of the Antichrist, absolute totalitarianism, as we see in the prophetic Scriptures, a one world ruler, a one world economy, and a one world government. And what we are witnessing today is not only the systematic destruction of life as we know it in America, but hear this, we are witnessing God's sovereign plan being enacted, even through the use of his ape, Satan and his minions, and in that we can find comfort, can we not? What you're about to hear today, and over the next few weeks is a detailed explanation of the truths God has revealed to us through His Word. And sadly, many of these things most professing Christians know nothing about.

Well, let me give you a little background here of where we're going in the last three chapters of the book of Daniel, beginning here in Daniel 10. God is revealing prophetic truths concerning the future world events, beginning with the reign of Cyrus in 536 BC, all the way through the future reign of the Lord Jesus Christ, when he establishes his kingdom. So as there's this vast, historical, prophetic panorama that is being unfolded, this covers the same period here in chapter 10 and following that was set forth in Chapter Eight of Daniel, the reign of the Medo-Persian Empire, and later the Grecian empires. But what we're going to see is much more detail regarding the rule of Alexander the Great as well as the pre kingdom judgments, also known as the Great Tribulation.

Now, you will recall in Daniel nine, because it's been a number of weeks over the Christmas vacation, we moved away from Daniel and now we're back in it, but you will remember in Daniel nine, especially verses 24 and 27, that God revealed some amazing truths to Daniel. The background there--Daniel had offered heartfelt confession of sin, he was praying for his Israeli kinsmen, and he offered intercession on their behalf that they might be delivered from Babylonian captivity restored to their land and so forth. And God sent his angel Gabriel to answer his prayers. But in his answer, we see that what Daniel prayed for was not enough. That God's answer encompassed a far greater deliverance than merely the deliverance from the Babylonian captivity, he disclosed his plan to deliver his people from their sin, a remedy that could only be accomplished by Christ's death on the cross, at the end of his first coming, but his answer also looked beyond their Gentile oppressors in Babylon, to a final day, when they will be forever delivered from all earthly oppressors. And that will be accomplished by the triumph of Christ at His Second Coming. All of this will require 490 years, that is 70 weeks, as is revealed in that text, 70 weeks of years, literally seven sevens. And that was divided into two seasons of deliverance, the first requiring 69 weeks of years, or 483 years leading up to the death of Christ. And then, after an indefinite period of time, the final week, often called Daniel's 70th week, would ensue, culminating in the second coming of the Messiah, who will defeat the enemies of the Antichrist bent on exterminating all of ethnic Israel, and all who refuse to worship him. The details of that victory are given to us in chapter seven. And this brings us now to where we're at today. This is Daniel's fourth and final vision. And as I say, it is a magnificent prophetic panorama that is first introduced in chapter 10, through the first verse of chapter 11. That's what we will look at here today. And then we're going to see beginning in 11, to 35, there's the prediction concerning the immediate future from Daniel's perspective regarding Darius all the way to Antiochus. And then in verses 36 through verse four of chapter 12, you will see another division where he leaps into the far future, giving us great insights into what's going to happen just prior to our Lord's Second Coming. And then in chapter 12, verses five through 13, he gives a final message, and revelation to Daniel. So let's examine now, this introduction of Daniel's final vision recorded for us in chapter 10.

Again, I've been titled this "A Glorious Preparation for Revelation." We're going to look at it under three headings very simple, Daniel's mournful prayer to understand Israel's future. And then secondly, Daniel's terrifying vision of the glory of Christ. And then thirdly, Daniel's angelic strengthening, necessary to proceed. Now he begins in verse one by giving us the setting. In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a message was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar." You will recall this was the name that was assigned to Daniel when he first arrived as a young teenage boy in Babylon. So this now is about 536 BC. This is given to Daniel when he's about 84 or 85 years old. And this is about two years after Gabriel's appearance to Daniel in chapter nine, and also about two years after the Jews were allowed to return back to Judea, to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple. Daniel was praying and he goes on to say, "And the message was true and one of great conflict." In other words, the message that he is about to receive, the message that we now have, under the inspiration of this prophet, speaks of great conflicts between nations in the future. And then he says, "But he understood the message and had an understanding of the vision."

So first, let's look under the heading of Daniel's mournful prayer to understand Israel's future and see what the Spirit of God has for us. Verse two, "In those days, I Daniel, had been mourning for three entire weeks. Have you ever mourned for something for three entire weeks." Have you ever had that level of burden, he was burdened for his people. He saw the troubles they had encountered when they returned back to Judea. It's been about two years now. The physical difficulties, the enemies in the land, their spiritual difficulties. He knew the horrors as well of the divine judgment that awaited them in years to come. He could look back and recall the 400 years of oppressive bondage in Egypt, despite the promises God made in his covenant to Abram in Genesis 15. He was burdened for these things. He was very aware of the captivity and banishment in its several stages, with the invasions of Nebuchadnezzar in the past. But, dear friends, the predictive revelations he had received made him aware that the sufferings of his people were just beginning. He wanted to understand these things. The subjugation under the Romans, the eventual destruction of Jerusalem, was absolutely unimaginable. And persecution has continued down through history, to this very day. But the revived Roman Empire under the rule of the Antichrist, in Daniel's 70th week, would be the worst of all, oh, dear friends the ravages of sin. Do you mourn over it in your life and in the lives of others in the lives of the people of the world? Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn for they will” be what? Comforted. Seldom do we really come to grips with sins, deadly consequences, especially in our culture of ease. In fact, most professing Christians have never really suffered for their faith. Because most professing Christians are just professing Christians. They're Christian in name only, they're chameleons. They have a dead faith that cannot save. They're pretend Christians so they blend in with the culture, so they're not going to be persecuted. But of course, friendship with the world is enmity with God, and God will judge all who rebel against Him. But Daniel now is mourning over the future of his people. He's longing for understanding, to be sure he loved the Lord and he loved his people. He was truly a godly man, something that is rare in his day, and in our day, in fact, later, the angel described him in verse 11, as "a man of high esteem," verse 12, a man who set his "heart on understanding," humbling himself before his God. And we see the depth of his passion in verse three, "I did not eat any tasty food, nor did meat or wine into my mouth." Of course, being in the king's court, he had the advantage of all of these luxuries, but he limited himself to a meager diet, so that he could focus on what was really at hand. And plus, he was distressed over all of this, so he had very little appetite. He said, "nor did I use any ointment at all until the entire three weeks were completed." You see, it was customary for them in those days to anoint exposed flesh with oil to protect it from the sun's rays. But all of that also was a symbol of joy, which would be discontinued in times of mourning. And these acts of self-denial were not intended to somehow really get God's attention; that's not why he was doing this. But rather, the intention was to help him concentrate on the matters at hand and to help him maintain the proper priority of his heart. And sadly, self-discipline and self-denial are foreign virtues in our culture, of self-indulgence and gluttony and sloth, all you have to do is go to Walmart and you will see that.

Dave Harrell

Verse four, "On the 24th day of the first month, while I was by the bank of the great river, that is, the Tigris." Let me pause there for a moment. This is important. This would have been the month of Nissan. So he prayed through the Passover season that was celebrated on the 14th of that month immediately followed by the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which lasted for seven days. So this was a fitting time for his petition to the Lord, because it was the time that commemorated Israel's original exodus from the bondage of Egypt, going into the promised land. But now he's witnessing another exodus, his people going back to their land after the Babylonian captivity, and he wants to understand more what's going to happen to them.

So we moved from Daniel's mournful prayer to understand Israel's future to secondly, Daniel's terrifying vision of the glory of Christ. Verse five, "I lifted my eyes and looked and behold, there was a certain man dressed in linen." All through Scripture, dear friends, linen is white. And white linen is a symbol of purity, it was worn by the priests, and I can't help but think of Isaiah one and verse 18, "Though your sins be as scarlet, they will be as white as snow. Though they are red, like crimson, they will be like wool." In fact, the Saints in glory are described in Revelation three, five as being "clothed in white garments. He goes on to describe what he sees. This being had a waist, that was "girded with a belt of pure gold of Uphaz." We don't know where that is, it's an unidentified place in Scripture. So he sees this heavenly being appearing as a human. But obviously, it has all the trappings of deity. It is indescribable, terrifying glory. Imagine what it would be like to be on the bank of a river, and to look out across the river and all of a sudden you see this elevated in front of you. It produced paralyzing fear. I believe, dear friends that this was a theophany, a visible manifestation of the pre–Incarnate Christ, the Lord of Glory who reigned supreme over all of his creation, in the purity of his holiness. And the reason why I, and many other conservative scholars would believe this, is because Daniels description has undeniable parallels with other descriptions of the glorified Christ in Ezekiel and Revelation. In fact, John the Apostle had the same reaction when he saw the glorified Christ in Revelation 1:17. It says, "I fell at his feet like a dead man." It goes on to say in Revelation one beginning in verse 13, "In the middle of the lampstand I saw one like a Son of Man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet and girded across his chest with a golden sash. His head and his hair were white, like white wool, like snow, and his eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters. In his right hand, he held seven stars and out of his mouth came a sharp two edged sword and his face was like the sun shining in its strength." We can go to Ezekiel chapter one and see a very similar description and a similar reaction.

Now notice the similarities back to Daniel 10, beginning in verse six. His body that he says, also "was like beryl." Beryl was, I should say is, a magnificent gem having a yellow and gold luster to it, kind of quartz like in structure. He goes on to say, "his face had the appearance of lightning, his eyes were like flaming torches." Imagine looking into the face, the glowing face of deity, and seeing the penetrating eyes of divine omniscience, looking back at you. Absolutely terrifying. This is what he sees. "His arms and feet were like the gleam of polished bronze and the sound of his words, like the sound of a tumult." We're not sure what he said, but his voice sounded like a thunderous crowd of people speaking in unison. Verse seven, "Now I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, while the men who were with me did not see the vision; nevertheless, a great dread fell on them and they ran away to hide themselves." They couldn't see what was going on, but they knew Daniel, and they saw what was going on with his face, the color of his skin, and they could tell something supernatural was occurring. And they rent ran and hid themselves.

So verse eight, "I was left alone and saw this great vision; yet no strength was left in me, for my natural color turned to a deathly pallor, and I retained no strength." Beloved, this is always the reaction in Scripture, when someone is given a glimpse of the glory of God, it is one of sheer terror, and overwhelming sense of utter unworthiness and helplessness. At that moment, all sense of self sufficiency and self-aggrandizement evaporates like a fog when the Son comes out, and beams its rays upon it. Verse nine, "But I heard the sound of his words; and as soon as I heard the sound of his words, I fell into a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground." He was in a state of shock, he just passed out. It was just overwhelming. Now, I think it's fair to ask the question, why would the Lord appear in this way, and terrify his humble servant to the point of death? Well, Scripture doesn't necessarily say, but when we look at this context, and we look at other passages of Scripture, I think it's fair to assume that what God wanted to do is to remind Daniel of his ineffable glory and his sovereign might. Behold, Daniel, look at me, the one to whom you were praying. I want you to see the preexistent, self-existent, uncreated Creator of the universe. I want you to look upon the one who is omnipotent, the great I Am that is omnipresent, that is omniscient, that is sovereign over all of his creation. I am the invincible ruler of the universe, be comforted with that, be strengthened by that. I am the one according to Isaiah 46:10, "declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times, things which have not been done, saying, 'My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish my good pleasure.'" O, dear Christian, when the storms of life, toss your little boat to and fro and you feel like you're going to be drowned in the depths of the sea. You must look up and behold the glory of God and be comforted by his great strength and care. Be confident in his purposes in your life come what may. If you're drowning in sorrow, perhaps here today, if you're collapsing under the weight of some great burden, if you're confused about the direction of your life, dear friends, please hear me. You need a soul destroying, I should say sin destroying, soul invigorating, so captivating vision of the glory of God. This is what Daniel needed. And it was something I'm sure he never forgot. You say Well, yes, pastor, but but how I how can we see such a vision? We cannot see what he saw. Well, that's true. In fact, the apostle Paul tells us that for now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face someday we will see Him face to face. Now I know in part he says, but then I will know fully just as I have also been fully known. But we can, dear friends, see the glory of Christ in the gospel. We can through the eyes of faith see him revealed on every page of Scripture. We can see him in his true church. Indeed, he abides in each one of us, Christ in you the hope of what? The hope of glory.

The apostle Paul made it clear in his epistles, that all that God is and all that God does speaks of his intrinsic glory, especially his invasion to the material universe through the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ, which the apostle John described in these words, "and the Word became flesh," John 1:14, "and dwelt among us. And we saw his glory; glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." Sadly, we live in an evangelical culture today that has little concern, to see the glory of Christ. His word is not that big of a deal, his person is not that big of a deal. People really don't want to know him intimately. They don't care to commune with him to nourish their souls upon his word. They just live for themselves. And certainly, this is true of the unregenerate. In fact, those without Christ, and if that is you, you're probably sitting here right now and you're absolutely bored stiff. And the reason for that is you are alienated from God, and you are darkened in your understanding, and you are without Christ, and therefore you are without hope. And I would challenge you to do business with God this day, repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. But many professing Christians leave their first love, right? And as a result, they have no zeal for the glory of God or a passion to live in such a way that others will see the glory of Christ in them. They are just caught up in the world. And they don't see the Lord's glory, because frankly, they care nothing for it. The Titans game on Sunday is much more important. So their lives are powerless. And they serve what David Wells calls "a weightless God."

Let me give you a little background here because it's very important. The Old Testament Hebrew term for glory is "kavod." And it comes from a root word that means heavy or weighty. It carried the idea of the heaviness of something and was therefore used even as a measure of worth or a measure of value. For example, we might say that something is worth its weight in gold. So you see the value there. Therefore, the term is often used in a figurative sense in Scripture, to suggest the remarkable worthiness or intrinsic value of a person and when applied to the Lord Jesus Christ, as Daniel sees him, as he beholds him, he is absolutely astonished by the weight of his glory, which produces an ever increasing zeal for his glory. Beloved, bear in mind, because we are united to Christ, he dwells within us, and we not only reflect His glory, but it actually radiates from within us. But many today in evangelicalism know nothing of any of this. They know nothing of the glory of God, in his holiness, for example, which is the all-encompassing attribute of his infinite perfection, and purity and power. But oh, dear friends, to see the effulgence of the celestial majesty of God, the resplendent light of his glory glowing off of him. I long for that day, I hope you do as well. Even though I can't see it, as Daniel did, I can see it in my mind's eye and through the eyes of faith, through his word, I can see it clearly. But oh, how much more clearly, when we see him face to face. Child of God it is our zeal for God's glory that unleashes the power of the Holy Spirit of God within us, causing our lives to redound to the glory of God and our souls to be flooded with the inexpressible joy of his presence and his power. This is what God wanted to reinforce in Daniel. But sadly, as I say, many serve what David Wells calls "a weightless God." Here's what he said, "It is one of the defining marks of our time that God is now weightless." In other words, this is the opposite of "kavod." "I do not mean by this, that he is ethereal, but rather that he has become unimportant. He rests upon the world so in consequentially as not to be noticeable. He has lost his saliency for human life. Those who assure the pollster of their belief in God's existence may nonetheless consider him less interesting than television. His commands less authoritative than their appetites for affluence, and influence his judgment, no more awe inspiring than the evening news and his truth less compelling than the advertisers sweet fog of flattery and lies that," he says, "is weightlessness."

Contrast this dear friend to the Lord's command given to us in Psalm 96, beginning in verse two, "Sing to the Lord, bless His name, proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day. Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples, for great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods." Oh, dear Christian, the pre incarnate glory of Christ, mind you, dwells within you, in some mysterious way that we cannot fathom. Remember that he has redeemed us that he might inhabit us, and one day glorify us in ways similar to his glory. And let this be the driving force of your life. Let this animate your heart to perpetual praise and confidence in his sovereign plan. Much of which is delineated in His Word. This is why I believe he appeared to Daniel has such an amazing, unforgettable way. I mean stop and think about it. If you saw for just one second what Daniel saw, what would happen? I'll tell you what would happen. Every priority in your life would suddenly be different, right? Everything would change, and your confidence in his plan and purposes would be unshakable.

Now, back to the text. We've seen Daniel's mournful prayer to understand Israel's future in his terrifying vision of the glory of Christ. And now thirdly, we're going to see Daniel's angelic strengthening, necessary to proceed. Verse 10, "Then behold, a hand touched me." Now this is probably the hand of Gabriel. As we will see, Gabriel had done this before, for example, in Daniel nine. And he says he "set me trembling on my hands and knees." So get the scene now, Daniel is at the riverbank here he has seen this. He's now raised up from his face in the ground, but he still tottering to and fro on his hands and knees, he can hardly even remain in that posture. Verse 11, "He said to me, 'O Daniel, man of high esteem, understand the words that I am about to tell you and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.' And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up, trembling. Then he said to me, 'Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words.'" Oh, dear Christian, what a powerful reminder that God hears and he answers prayer. But remember, he hears and answers the prayers of those who fear Him, who humble themselves before him, who seek understanding. And what a testimony to see how God dispatches his angels, to do his bidding to minister to us. Remember Hebrews 1:14, they are "ministering spirits," the writer tells us "sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation."

Now, what follows is evidence of how demonic forces are exceedingly active in thwarting the purposes and plans of God, exerting their influence on the rulers of nations. Verse 13, "'But the prince of the kingdom of Persia,'" This is now a reference to some powerful demon, perhaps, even Satan himself, "'The prince of the kingdom of Persia, was withstanding me for 21 days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia.'" This is really fascinating. Michael, whose name means "who is like God" is one of the most powerful of the holy angels. He is the one who leads and protects Israel as we see, for example, later on in verse 21. In fact, in Jude nine, he's called Michael, the archangel, "archaggelos" in the original language, meaning the first angel. He is the one that goes on to say, who disputed with the devil, and argued about the body of Moses. That's another story for another time. And the phrase here in this text, "for I had been left there" is really interesting. In Hebrew, it helps us see in the passive voice, it's referring to being left over or remaining in a position of preeminence. As if to say he was the only one left on the field of battle. That's the idea. And so the point here is with the help of Michael, Daniel's visitor, who I believe is probably Gabriel, gained the victory, and was thus left beside the kings of Persia. In other words, he replaced Satan's demonic envoy and now assume the position of influence with the Persian ruler. Notice "kings" is plural. So the godly influence extended now to Persian kings for actually a period of two centuries, until Alexander the Great would come along and conquer them, and become the new ruler of the world. And these angelic battles, dear friends, have continued down through the millennia of redemptive history. Now, bear in mind, this conflict even continued even after the message was given to Daniel. So because Daniel was receiving the message isn't the reason for the conflict. Rather, it was probably, we can't say for sure, but probably related to Cyrus's decree to allow the Jews to return to Judea and rebuild the temple. Oh my, from Satan's perspective, that's one of the worst things that could ever happen. Because if Jerusalem is intact, and the people are in the land and the temple is rebuilt, what might happen? The Messiah might return, can't have that. This, dear friends, is why the Temple Mount in Jerusalem remains to this day the most disputed piece of real estate in all of the world. It is the epicenter of the battle between Satan and God. So God used his holy angels here, Michael and Gabriel to influence the Persian monarch to release the Jews against the will of Satan and the battle ensues, a battle that continued even with the demonic forces over Alexander the Great and his Grecian empire that would follow.

Verse 20, will speak of that. God's people would be under their jurisdiction, following the Persian dominance. And as I say, this warfare continues to rage to this very day, as the holy angels may battle Satan's minions that endeavor to rule this world system. And you know, Satan is the ingenious and diabolical general of a demonic army that's waging this invisible war against God and all who belong to Him; Ephesians six speaks of this in particular. He is according to Second Corinthians four four, "The god of this world; who has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ." But he is also an enemy that God will one day defeat. We read about that in Revelation 12, for example. You know, Hitler was one of Satan's great stooges. In Mein Kampf, he posited the lie that there was a Jewish conspiracy to gain world leadership. Do you realize that it's still going around to this day? Staggering. This became the heart of the Nazi propaganda that led to World War Two. And as a result, 85 million people were killed in a span of about five years. 55 million of them innocent civilians. Joe Biden and his administration are Satan stooges today, as have been other administrations that we've had. Their policies are not only destroying America, but they are absolutely antithetical to the will of God in Scripture. Their obsession with the brutal dismemberment of unborn and unwanted babies is just one example of this. They scoff, they censor Christians. And frankly, those who support these rulers are deceived, and they are damned because they do not know God. I can't imagine a person calling themselves a Christian voting for these people. It's incomprehensible. Like the godless Pharisees, of whom Jesus said, "'You are of your father, the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I speak the truth, you do not believe.'" Jesus went on to say "'He who is of God hears the words of God. For this reason, you do not hear them because you are not of God.'" For generations, the American people have been lied to by demonically empowered, elected politicians. Teachers in our public schools that tell them that there is no God. There is no creator, that all the magnificent things in this world, all of the living systems, in this physical universe, are really the exalt of some big explosion 13 to 15 billion years ago. We continue to be lied to by psychologists and philosophers who tell people that they are basically good. And if given the proper environment, their true nature will show. And oh boy their true natures do show. All you have to do is look at what happens in these so-called protests. Look what happens in the crime of so many of these cities. They tell people that man is basically deprived, not depraved. Oh, you can't say that. So they scoff at man's need for the saving, transforming power of the gospel. We've been lied to by college and university, professionals, professors, by progressive liberals who fanned the flames of identity politics. With the unbiblical concepts of critical race theory and intersectionality, the found the national tenets of the Black Lives Matter movement and so forth. We've been lied to by generations of false religions, false teachers, even within the ranks of evangelicalism to the point where so many evangelical churches today are populated by people that do not know Christ. They do not understand the gospel. They want nothing to do with the truth. And even many people who do know Christ are so superficial. They have no biblical discernment. And when you look at their lives, it's hard to distinguish them from the lives of the unregenerate today. We can't trust the media. We can't trust politicians. We can't trust the FBI, the DOJ, on and on it goes right. Why? Because "the whole world lies in the power of the evil one," First John 5:19. Ephesians six, Paul says in verse 12, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." Who knows to what extent UFOs are tied to all of that? I don't know and I don't care. But we see this so clearly in our text this morning.

Back to the text, verse 14, Gabriel says, "'Now I have come to give you an understanding of what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision pertains to the day's yet future.'" In other words, what I'm about to tell you is the future far beyond what you've been praying about with respect to Israel.

Verse 15, "When he had spoken to me according to these words, I turned my face toward the ground and became speechless. And behold, one who resembled a human being was touching my lips; then I opened my mouth and spoke and said to him, who was standing before me, 'O my Lord, as a result of the vision anguish has come upon me, and I have retained no strength. For how can such a servant of my lord talk with such as my lord? As for me, there remains just now no strength in me, nor has any breath been left in me.'" In other words, he's saying here that I can't even hardly breathe, I'm so terrified. "Then this one with human appearance touched me again and strengthened me. He said, 'O man of high esteem, do not be afraid. Peace be with you; take courage and be courageous!' Now, as soon as he spoke to me, I received strength and said, 'May my lord, speak for you have strengthened me.' Then he said, 'Do you understand why I came to you?'" In other words, he's reminding him here that, that I've come to answer more than just what you were asking about pertaining to the immediate future of your people, but to show you also the spiritual warfare that is occurring in the world today. He goes on to say, "'But I shall now return to fight against the prince of Persia; so I am going forth, and behold, the prince of Greece is about to come.'" So this Prince of Greece now is going to be another emissary of Satan, to influence Alexander the Great and his people, and on and on, it goes down through history. So he obviously wanted Daniel, and all of us to be fully aware of the kind of spiritual warfare that's going on behind the veil of human awareness. And dear friends, were it not for God's omnipotence, which includes his use of the holy angels to accomplish his purposes, and fighting back the angelic, the demonic forces of this world, were it not for all of that, the people of this world would kill every single Christian and burn every single Bible.

Verse 21, "'However, I will tell you what is inscribed in the writing of truth.'" In other words, what I'm about to tell you is reliable, it's infallible, it's inspired. It's come from directly from God himself. Then he says something interesting, "'Yet there is no one who stands firmly with me against these forces except Michael your prince.'" In other words, Michael and I have this covered. We have this covered.

Then verse one of chapter 11 really goes with this, "In the first year of Darius the Mede, I arose to be an encouragement and a protection for him." In other words, two years earlier, Gabriel says, I went to assist Michael in a time of need. So relax, we've got this covered. By the way, that would have evidently been the time when the Jews returned to Judah under Sheshbazzar in Ezra one. And there was that return we know from Ezra, was fraught with all kinds of demonic resistance. And probably resistance may be coming from Darius and Cyrus, requiring both Michael and Gabriel to somehow intervene to gain the victory.

So, beloved, this is the introduction to what is to come in chapter 11, and chapter 12, a glorious preparation for revelation. And may I challenge you in closing this morning--dear friend, if you do not know Christ, today is the day that you need to place your faith in him because he is coming again. And for those of us who know him, oh, dear Christian, may we all get serious about our walk with Christ, about living lies for the glory of Christ and not for ourselves? I think of what Paul said in Philippians, three, beginning of verse seven, "Whatever things were gained to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ." More than that, he says, "I count all things to be loss." And here's why. "In view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them, but rubbish, so that I may gain Christ." No, this dear friends, God's plans cannot be thwarted by man or by demon. His kingdom will come and his will will be done on earth as it is in heaven. And let us all rejoice with great confidence in those realities and live consistently with them. Amen.

Father, thank You for the truths of your word that speaks so directly to our hearts. I pray that because of them even this day, you will save sinners and you will edify and encourage saints that we may live for your glory until you come again to take us unto yourself. We thank you, we give you praise. In Jesus name. Amen.

Will you take your Bibles and turn to Daniel chapter nine. Once again, we are going to be looking at verses 24 through 27. As we continue to make our way through this amazing book, this will actually be part two of what I've entitled 70 sevens. Before we look at the text. I'd like to remind you of a few things that will, I think, help us set our mind where it needs to be, given what we have before us in this passage of Scripture. We understand from scripture that Satan is the father of lies, he was a murderer from the beginning, there is no truth in him. Paul tells us that he is, "the god of this world that blinds the minds of the unbelievers that they might not see the light of the glory of Christ." We know from First John five and verse 19, that "the whole world lies in the lap of the evil one." Temporarily, he is the god of this world. And his primary purpose is to thwart the purposes of God, and to do that at every level, in every way he possibly can. And he does this primarily through deceptions, false ideologies, false philosophies, using false teachers, using political movements that are rooted in false presuppositions. And we see this all the time in our culture today. In fact, we see this most blatantly, in political and theological liberalism, twin evils that destroy nations, and deceive people, damn men souls. We live in an age of mass delusion. Millions are ruled by impressions and beliefs that are contradicted by reason and rationality. We look at things like critical race theory. And millions of people actually believe that that is based in facts rather than leftist propaganda. Millions of people believe that there's nothing nefarious going on with all of this vaccine and vaccine mandates and all of these types of things. Millions of people believe that biological males can be females if they want to be, and vice versa. Millions believe there are more than two genders. In fact, there can be well over 100 according to some. They believe that you can choose to be whatever you want. I was reading just this last week, maybe you saw it in the news, the governor of New York has now made it illegal to misgender a transgender or transsexual person who identifies with the opposite sex. In other words, Misgender means to use the wrong pronoun that that person wants you to use. Millions believe that a 17-year-old boy is a white supremacist and vigilante when he was protecting himself from the physical attacks of three white males, criminals, that that who were trying to kill him, and all of this is on video. But that doesn't matter. Facts don't matter to people that are delusional. Dyjuan Tatro, senior adviser to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said this in regard to this written house trial that we've seen unfold this week. Quote, "The American legal system is rooted in racism and functions to uphold white supremacy." That's like saying two plus two is five. Folks, this is the work of Satan in the heart and the mind of people that have no fear of God. What the Bible calls fools, and those people will despise wisdom and instruction and as a result, we know biblically that God punishes those who reject him by giving them over to a depraved mind, literally a worthless mind. And they become delusional. We read about this, for example, in Romans one beginning of verse 28, "And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice, there, gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving and merciful. And although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them." This is what happens according to what Paul said in Second Timothy four and verse four, I believe it is, "when people turn away their ears from the truth, they will turn aside unto myths." In other words, whenever there is the deliberate rejection of truth, that will result in the delusional acceptance of lies. And that's where we're at in the world today in our culture today. That, by the way, is a form of divine judgment. But Jesus promises that those who believe in Him, according to John 8:31, "'If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine, and you will know the truth. You will know the truth and the truth will make you free.'" Therefore, as we come together today, I think of what Paul said in Second Corinthians 10, verse five, we are "destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ." So dear friends in an age where virtually everything we hear from our corrupt political leaders and corrupt health care experts, knowing that most everything is a distortion of the truth, and when most everything we hear or read from the news media is merely parroting their propaganda, it is truly a blessing--and I hope you understand where I'm coming from with this--It is truly a blessing to open up the truths of the Word of God and immerse ourselves in them. What would we do without His Word? We would walk in darkness. But his word is a lamp into our feet and a light into our path. Jesus said in John 17:17, praying to the Father, "'Sanctify them in the truth, thy word is truth.'" And Paul tells us in First Timothy 3:15, that the "church of the living God is to be the pillar and the support of the truth." And of course, the greatest of all truth is that of the Lord Jesus Christ, who said, "'I am the way and the truth and the life no one comes to the Father, but through Me.'T that's the truth of the gospel. We have much to be thankful for here in the United States of America. But dear friends, the greatest object of our praise has to be God's mercy and grace that he has given us through the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the power of his Word.

Let me remind you of the context here in Daniel. Because once again, we have an opportunity to immerse ourselves in some truth okay? After a heartfelt confession of sin for his Israeli countrymen, and praying as well for himself, he interceded on their behalf that God would somehow deliver them from exile from Babylonian captivity, restore them to their land. So God sends his angel Gabriel to answer his prayers. But his answer encompasses a far greater deliverance beyond that of the Babylonian captivity. He discloses his plan to deliver them from a far greater enemy, and that is the enemy of their sin itself. A remedy that can only be accomplished through the death of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross at His first coming, and so his answer is going to include that. But it's also going to include something more than just deliverance from their Gentile oppressors there in Babylon. But he's going to also speak to a final day when they will be delivered forever, from Gentile oppressors, all earthly oppressors. And that will occur at the triumph of the Lord Jesus Christ, when he returns as King of kings and Lord of lords. And as we've already learned, all of this is going to basically require 490 years, 70 weeks, literally 70 sevens, divided into two seasons of deliverance, the first season requires 69 weeks, or in other words, 483 years that will lead up to the death of Christ. And then after an indefinite indefinite period of time, there will be the final 70th week, and that will culminate in the second coming of Christ, the Messiah, who will defeat the the armies of the Antichrist, who is bent on exterminating all of ethnic Israel and all who worship Him. So that's the context here.

So let's return to the text. Let me read it to you, beginning of verse 24, of Daniel 9. "'Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place. So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, until Messiah the Prince, there will be seven weeks and 62 weeks; it will be built again with plaza and mote, even in times of distress. Then after the 62 weeks, the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week. But in the middle of the week, he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed is poured out on the one who makes desolate.'"

So in verse 24, remember, he begins with 70 weeks, literally 70 sevens, 70 heptads, in other words, units of seven. So in other words, 490 years have been decreed. Remember that is from a Hebrew root that means to cut out, or to divide, to cut off, to determine. This has been determined for your people and your holy city. So God has deliberately determined a 490 year period of time, he's cut this out from the rest of history to accomplish his purposes in delivering his covenant people Israel from their sins, and deliver them once again, to their capital city, Jerusalem, and so forth. This is all consistent with Daniel's prayer. And I might add, as we're going to see, these things did not happen at Christ's first coming as some want us to believe. And then he lists six magnificent objectives that will be accomplished during this period of time. He goes on in verse 24, to say, "to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy place." And you will recall last week we went into this in detail. So here God reveals the future--future realities way beyond that which occurred within Antiochus Epiphanes, far beyond the events surrounding the life and ministry of Christ, far beyond anything that has ever happened in history. 490 years of judgment must occur in order for these six glorious objectives pertaining to your people, Israel, and your holy city, Jerusalem could be realized, verse 19. All of which looks to the Messianic Kingdom of Christ here on Earth. So this brings us to our text this morning, to the second division of the prophecy where God's Messenger, the angel, Gabriel, reveals the historical context in which these six objectives will be accomplished.

So let's look at the text closely, beginning in verse 25. "'So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there will be seven weeks and 62 weeks; it will be built again with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.'" Now notice the two divisions of time here. First, you have seven weeks, in other words, seven sevens or 49 years. And then after that, another 62 weeks, or 62 sevens, which equals 434 years. This means that something special occurred 49 years after the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. And then as we will see, 62 weeks later, or 434 years later, Messiah the Prince comes on the scene. Now the question is, what is the starting point? The "terminus a quo?" When did this begin? This first 69 weeks, this 483-year period, that will also include a final seven years or a 70th week? Now there are various calculations to give us the answer to this. And I will not bore you with all the technical aspects of those calculations, but I will give you what I believe is the most compelling of all, and there's only minor variations in them.

The first division of seven weeks, or 49 years began in 445 BC, when Artaxerxes gave the decree to Nehemiah to rebuild the city of Jerusalem, Nehemiah two. And we know that he completed his work around the 15th year of the Persian ruler, Darius Ochus, that would have been around 409/408 BC, according to historians like Prudeo as well as Josephus. But we have to admit that history is sketchy on all this. Furthermore, the full 49 years of that first division probably included that work of Ezra and Nehemiah combined, as they were trying to establish a working capital city of Judah. We know for example, if we studied Nehemiah, that the debris in Jerusalem was so great that it was impassable in places. And so it took almost a whole generation just to clean out the city before they could rebuild it. Nehemiah's work included the construction, as the prophecy said, of "the plaza and moat." Plaza could be translated wide place or street and moat is the fortification ditch filled with water and so forth. It's also clear from Nehemiah's account as you will recall that all of this work was done "in times of distress," as the prophecy says. And that also includes the great difficulties that Ezra had, during that time, in which he tried to restore the spiritual foundation of the people in order for Jerusalem, and the people of Israel, to function as they should. That's the first division of 49 weeks.

The second division of 62 weeks, or 434 years, until Messiah the Prince can also be calculated by using the same terminus a quo or the starting point of 445 BC. And the terminus ad quim, if you want to use the Latin or the ending point would be AD 32, the date of the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem. So what you have is 49 plus 434. That equals 483. The exact number of years according to the biblical chronology. Now there was a man by the name of Sir Robert Anderson, who was a good theologian, but he was also a great investigator. In fact, in the 19th century he was the chief investigator for Scotland Yard. This man did a masterful job of mathematical calculations where he demonstrates most compellingly, that between the dates of March 14 445 BC--that's Nissan the 20th year of Artaxerxes, as we read in Nehemiah two one--between that date and April 6 AD 32, which was the date of the triumphal entry, there are exactly 173,880 days, or 483 prophetic years of 360 days, which fulfills the prophecy to the very day. As Leon Woods states, "The idea of considering prophetic years, that's lunar years of 30 days to the month, rather than solar, in this context, finds support in that the scriptures elsewhere, in prophetic passages speak of 42 months as equaling 1260 days." Like we read in Revelation 11 two, verse three as well, Revelation 12, six and 13 five. So this is based on the calculation that they would use 360 days in the year.

So back to verse 25, "'So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem,'" 445 BC, '"until Messiah the Prince,'" 32 AD, '"there will be seven weeks.'" In other words, 49 years, which was that period of restoration for Nehemiah, and Ezra, '"And 62 weeks,'" or in other words, 62, sevens, another 434 years, you add the 49 and the 434. Together, you get 483 years, forgive me for having to be so technical. But if you want to know the truth, you have to study it. All right? And I don't think you need your calculators for this. But it is fascinating to see the precision in the Word of God.

Now we come to verse 26. '"Then after the 62 weeks.'" In other words, there's been the seven weeks, and now you've got 62 more weeks. '"After the 62 weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing.'" This is a reference to Christ's crucifixion. "Cut off,” “karath" in Hebrew means to put an end to, or to destroy, or to kill-- Genesis 9:11, Deuteronomy 20:20, Jeremiah 11:19. And sometimes in the Old Testament, it is a term that's even used to describe an execution. We read, for example, in Psalm 37, nine "evildoers will be." here it is "cut off." Proverbs 2:22, "The wicked will be cut off from the land." So, "After the 62 weeks that Messiah will be cut off," and he goes on to say, "have nothing." "Ayin" in Hebrew, it means nothingness, no one, nothing he deserved was awarded to him. I mean, think about it, Israel rejected him, his disciples abandoned him, his father forsook him as he bore the wrath that we deserve in his body on the cross. Indeed, in his humiliation, he had nothing, not even a grave. And so all of this came to pass.

So once again, verse 26, "'After the 62 weeks, the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing.'" Obviously this has happened. We know that Jesus entered into Jerusalem on Monday, the 10th of Nissan--that's April. The precise day by the way, when, according to Mosaic Law, sacrificial lambs for the Passover were to be selected. You read about this in Exodus 12. And he was cut off, he was crucified then, on Friday, the 14th. Bottom line, dear friends, Christ's death occurred shortly after the endpoint of the 69 sevens, that 483 years as Daniel prophesied, the 69 weeks were then fulfilled in total.

But notice what else he reveals in verse 26. "'And the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood.'" Then he adds this "'even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.'" Well, we know that this is exactly what happened. 43 years later, after Christ, "the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary." That's a clear reference to the Roman invasion and AD 70. We know historically that General Titus Vespasian, along with 50,000 elite Roman troops came to Jerusalem, and they ended up leveling Jerusalem, the city, including the temple. And by the way, the temple was destroyed on the very anniversary of the destruction of the First Temple in 586 BCE. My what a coincidence. Immediately 500 Jewish leaders were executed. And according to Josephus, there was about 2.7 million persons that occupied the city at that time. Many pilgrims had come for the Passover, and the Romans massacred 1.1 million Jews, about 100,000 were taken into slavery. People were scattered all over the world.

So as prophesied, "its end will come with a flood even to the end, there will be war desolations are determined." A more literal rendering in the Hebrew is "and the end of it will be in the overflowing, and unto the end, there will be war, a strict determination of desolations," or the "determined amount of desolations." So this seems to indicate not only what happened in AD 70, but also indicate that there this will be the ongoing experience of Israel until the end of the times of the Gentiles. The end, which we see in verse 27, is decreed. And of course, this is reality that's corroborated by many other prophecies. Now, bear in mind, all of this occurred before the final 70th week is revealed in verse 27.

So let's look at verse 27. "And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week but in the middle of the week, he will put us stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate." So verse 27, "and he," who is this? This is a very important question. A very controversial passage of scripture. Who is this referring to? The Messiah, or the prince who is to come? Our amillennial brethren would argue for the former, the premillennial position would argue for the latter, the latter is my position, the position of this church. And this is a key understanding Bible prophecy. I do not believe it could possibly be a reference to the Messiah in the previous verse, although there are many who will argue that that's what it's referring to, because they deny the future fulfillment of this text and see this last unit of Daniel's prophecy following immediately after the 69th week, and ultimately finding its fulfillment in the ministry of Christ. I do not agree with that position. And I want you to understand why. Primarily, it's because there's nothing in the context of Daniel's 70th week that corresponds to anything in Christ's earthly ministry, despite the most labored forms of interpretation. More specifically, let me give you a few thoughts so that we have this on the record. Rather than me just telling you what I think, I want you to know why I think what I think-- why we teach what we teach--why we believe what we believe.

First of all, the 70th week is depicted as a period of time that is distinct, it is separate from the first 69 weeks, and those first 69 weeks are clearly treated as one unit or one period of time. Secondly, the text goes on to describe how this person makes a quote, "a firm covenant" with the people. Well, that's something that Christ never did in his earthly ministry. The only way you can come up with that is come up with some fanciful, spiritual interpretation. Thirdly, even if he had made some kind of a covenant, it makes no sense to mention that here after the statements concerning his death and the destruction of Jerusalem. And fourth, in what way did Christ put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering? Now, some will say, well, that's a reference to his death on the cross. But I would humbly argue that that just doesn't fit the context of this prophecy. And how would these ancient people possibly make even a remote connection to something like that. Moreover, the sacrifices did not cease until AD 70, some 40 years later. That was stopped by the Romans, not by Christ. Fifthly, Hebrew grammar, and this is very important for an exegesis, Hebrew grammar requires that the subject of the verb be linked to the last eligible antecedent. Namely, in this case, verse 26, "the prince who is to come" who "will destroy the city and the sanctuary," that is the Roman prince, not going all the way back to 25, "Messiah the Prince." And it's also obvious here that something further needs to be said about this destructive prince who is to come. And then sixthly, in Matthew 24:15, in Jesus' Olivet Discourse, he refers to quote, "the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet." And when he speaks of that, he describes that as a future event beyond his earthly life and ministry. So the pronoun here in verse 27, and "he will make a firm covenant" refers to the "prince who is to come" in verse 26, not the Messiah. However, go a little bit further, because the events described at the end of verse 26, and those described in verse 27, and other parallel passages, as we will see, I do not believe that this refers to the Roman ruler of AD 70, but rather to another ruler of a Roman Empire, a future Roman Empire, that Daniel has already described, in his previous visions, represented by the figures of quote, "the fourth beast," and the 10-horned beast of chapter two, and the little horn in chapter seven. Who is this? The Antichrist, ruling a revived Roman Empire. So this means that there must be an extensive time gap between the 69th week and the 70th week, which is not at all unusual in Bible prophecy.

I might also add in Daniel 7:24, Antichrist is described as the one who will rule a massive kingdom that basically comprises the old Roman Empire, but it will be one of a western confederacy of a united Europe that Daniel describes as a 10-nation empire.

So one more unit of seven needs to take place. And in this text, in Daniel 9:27, that Jesus refers to as the prophetic template that we are to use to determine the chronological sequence of the birth pains, the beginning of birth pains. Remember in Matthew 24, and Mark 13, all of these things point to something yet future. And I might also add, as we will see in a moment, all of this correlates with Revelation six.

So again, back to the text, bear with me here, "and he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week." In other words, there is going to be a great deceiver that will lure Israel into a protective agreement called a firm covenant. "But in the middle of the week, he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering, and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed is poured out on the one who makes desolate." Again, referring to a future Antichrist during Daniel's 70th week, a time also known as the Great Tribulation.

If we go to Revelation chapter six, we see the description of the seal judgments. The first one in verse two and this will be the first Seal Judgment that will come upon the earth is an era of unparalleled world peace. Isn't that what everybody wants today? World peace? Oh, yes, but it will be a great hoax. It will be a calm before the storm. There we read about "a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went off went out conquering and to conquer." He had a bow, no arrows just a bow, implying a diplomatic rather than a military victory, a peace sealed by a covenant, not by a war. And a crown was given to him he went out conquering and to conquer. The certainly fits the Antichrist, the one who will conquer the world in a bloodless triumph one day. So the first seal with its white horse and rider symbolizes a force of counterfeit righteousness that will come upon the earth that will bring the world into a pseudo peace, a deceptive world peace, a false peace, whose architect will be the Antichrist. He will seduce the world as a great political leader, with his political savvy and his personal charisma. And he will put forth a compelling plan to the world that will bring everybody together. It will be the greatest kumbaya in the history of mankind. He will form a strategic alliance with European nations and with Israel, and even Israel will be seduced by his sham, and finally he will rebuild the third temple. But three and a half years later, in the middle of the week, they will learn of his charade, when he desecrates the temple as we read here in verse 27. So "he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week," in other words, three and a half years in "he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering." Now I might add, dear friends, that this obviously means that a new temple has been built by this time. And I would encourage you to go online, and you can see the architectural plans for the third holy temple. All of that is in place today. Go to the Temple Institute. I've been there in the Old City in Jerusalem. I've seen many of these things with my own eyes, but they have everything all set up ready to go. They said they could build it within a year. You can go online and see a virtual reality tour of a mockup of their temple. But we read here that the Antichrist is going to demand that they stop their worship and worship Him. Now I know it's hard for us to fathom a political leader that wants to be worshipped, right? Ha. But this is what is prophesied.

So back to verse 27, "'And on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even one until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.'" So in the middle of the week, three and a half years, this satanically possessed antichrist will seize the temple, he will betray the Jews, demand that they worship him, just like his forerunner, Antiochus Epiphanes, and he will do this for 42 months, according to Revelation 13 and verse five. The last half of the seven years, this is part of the pre- kingdom judgments just before Christ returns. This is the one pictured in Revelation 13 in verse one and five as the beast that comes up out of the sea. Let me read this to you. He "was given a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for 42 months was given to him." We dropped down to verse seven, "It was given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. And all who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world, in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain." Now, what will he do that is so abhorrent to God? Well, the answer can be found as well in Second Thessalonians two beginning in verse three. He is described as "the son of destruction who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship." And then Paul goes on to say, "he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself and as being God." Of course, this has always been Satan's modus operandi. This is always how he has functioned. He has always wanted to be the one to be worshipped. This is why he is so determined to deceive people, even to this day, through false Messiahs and false prophets. Again, he is the father of lies. Second Thessalonians two in verse nine, we read more about him about the Antichrist, he is "the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved." Grammatically, this passage of Scripture in the original language indicates that this detestable thing, standing in the holy place will be some kind of permanent image probably of the Antichrist that's going to be displayed in the temple. This, dear friends, is the abomination of desolation that Jesus referred to in Matthew 24:15, where he quotes the passage that we're looking at right here in Daniel 9:27. This is what Paul was referring to, in Second Thessalonians two, three, as, quote, "the apostasy," which is associated with "the man of lawlessness" that must come first, just prior to the final day of the Lord. So God makes it abundantly clear to his people through Daniel, that a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is going to be poured out on the one who makes desolate and indeed, we know according to Second Thessalonians, two, eight, "the Lord will slay" this lawless one, "with the breath of His mouth by the appearance of His coming." Oh, I love those passages. They're so exciting. I love it when the bad guy gets it, right? Then he, along with the False Prophet, we read and other passages will be "thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone," Revelation 19:20. And this will bring to completion the prophecies of Daniel's 70th week.

Dr. David Larsen, in his excellent book, "Jews, Gentiles, and the Church," said this, "The stage for the beast and his religious cohort, the False Prophet, is the tribulation period, quote, 'the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world,' Revelation three one, or the time of quote, 'messianic woes,' as the Jews have spoken of them. In this timeframe, certain gigantic collectivism will arise to form the driving wedge of Satan's massive effort to frustrate God's purpose. Problems on earth seem insurmountable. No human leadership seems competent to address the complexity of the issues. A demographic explosion with moral social, economic, ecological and political ramifications baffles the think tanks of the world. Humankind's vaunted self-sufficiency evaporates in the face of insoluble questions. The church notwithstanding her frequent impotence and perennial failure is now gone, and the salt and light she has afforded are missing. Hom sapiens are adrift, rudderless." Larson goes on to say, "Nature abhors a vacuum, the old adage has it. The scriptures depict a brilliant charismatic personality, a demagogue of the first order, striding dramatically onto the stage of human history. It is George Orwell's '1984' and Aldous Huxley's 'Brave New World.' So desperate is the human race for solutions and answers that freedom easily becomes a casualty in the panic for security." As the late Paul Henri Spaak, prominent Belgian diplomat and astute European strategist, put it so boldly, quote, "We do not want another committee, we have too many already. What we want is a man of sufficient stature to hold the allegiance of all the people and to lift us out of the economic morass into which we are sinking. Send us such a man, be he god or devil and we will receive him." End quote.

Now, there is much speculation about who this man will be, where he will come from. But I would argue that it's all speculation. However, we do know much about his character, as well as his diabolical plans. I'll get into it just a little bit here in closing this morning. According to Daniel's description of the Antichrist, we learn that he will have no normal desire for or interest in women, Daniel 11:37, which will probably mean that he will be homosexual, or at least will be heterosexual, be celibate. And because of this, combined with his unprecedented religious ecumenical power, and setting himself up to be the object of worship, some believe that he will be the Roman Catholic Pope. We don't know, it's speculation; it’s possible. But what is fascinating to me is that the biblical descriptions of the person and the work of the Antichrist are precisely how the Muslims describe their redeemer in the Quran. And the Sunnah, sometimes called the Hadith, which is the words and the practices spoken by Muhammad, their oral traditions. And for them, the Christian Jesus is the Antichrist. The Satanic counterfeit. Yes, Muslims believe in Jesus, dear friends, but it's not the Jesus of the Bible. The Muslim Jesus plays a crucial role in their eschatology.

Let me review this for you briefly. They teach that Jesus was not the second person of the triune godhead, not the Son of God, but merely a man and a man that did not die. They teach rather that he went to heaven like Elijah. And this is very important for their theology. This means that in no way did he provide an atonement for sin. He did not die and be buried and raised from the dead. And they believe that he is in heaven right now alongside Allah, waiting for Allah to send him back. Why? If you read what they write, it's to correct all of the Christians and the Jews who have misunderstood who he is. And he will get married when he comes back, he'll have children, he'll die and he will be buried next to Muhammad. That's what they teach. Islamic eschatology is very revealing. There's three great signs in the form of man at the end of history, let me give them to you. First of all, they believe in the "Mahdi." He is the redeemer of Islam. He's also called the 12th Imam. He's coming to slaughter all those who refuse to worship Allah, and to establish an everlasting world dominating kingdom of Islam. This will be, for them, the final caliphate. He will have an army, he will carry black flags and on the black flags in Arabic is the word punishment and you've seen these black flags that Iran has and ISIL and all of that stuff. Today, they use this flag of jihad. And they claim that the Mahdi's ascendancy to power will be preceded by an army from the east. They'll be carrying black flags and banners of war. And the Hadith indicates that these black flags will come from the area of Corizon and they will signify that the appearance of the Mahdi is nigh. Corizon is in today's Iran. Surprise, surprise. And some scholars have said that this hadith means that when the flag, black flags appear from Central Asia, in the direction of Corizon, then the appearance of the Mahdi is imminent. If you study their eschatology, they say that he will make a peace agreement with Israel and the West for seven years. His reign will last for seven years, he will come riding a white horse, as it says in Revelation six one through two, according to their sources and he will be loved by the people who will massacre the Jews. He will establish his rule on the Temple Mount. He will discover hidden scriptures and Torah to show that they were wrong. You have to say is this the Antichrist? Well, all of the details in Scripture certainly point to this. The biblical Antichrist may well be the Islamic Mahdi, can't say for sure. They also believe that Jesus is going to return as a prophet. But by the way, the Mahdi is greater than Jesus. He returns as a radical Muslim, he arrives at Minaret near Damascus. He's going to come to help prove, help the Madhi prove that Christians and Jews were wrong. He will worship and serve the Mahdi. He will establish a real law, he will quote "shatter crosses," meaning destroy Christianity, he's going to refute all the truths of the gospel, deny that Jesus was the Son of God and died for sinners, rose again and so forth. And he will kill the Islamic Antichrist, who, from our perspective is the true Jesus that we worship, and then he will die and be buried with Muhammad. So dear friends, all that the Muslim Jesus is and does parallels the person and the work of the false prophet in Revelation 13, as well as chapter 16 and 19, "the beast coming out of the earth." By the way, bear in mind, dear friends that Satan is the master counterfeiter. He offers you things that looks like the real thing, looks like the truth, but it's not. And in Scripture, we see how he counterfeits the triune Godhead. Satan is the father, the Antichrist is the Son, and the False Prophet is the Holy Spirit.

A third thing that you need to understand about Islamic eschatology is that the true Jesus, the Son of God, our Savior and Lord, they call the Dajjal. Dajjal, the Great Deceiver, their antichrist. They say that he is blind in one eye, he returns on a mule, that he's an infidel, a false miracle worker. And he claims to be Jesus the Son of God. He will attempt to stop the Mahdi and Islamic Jesus who will slaughter him. I know some might say, Do you mean that the United States could someday be under the authority of the black flag of Islam? I can't say. But certainly it's a tenable hypothesis. Given everything that we see, even now, our current administration is sympathetic to Islam. I mean, we just gave Afghanistan, we just surrendered Afghanistan to these people.

It's inconceivable, yet this has happened. Europe is gradually being taken over by them. And I believe we're next given the delusional policies of the left here in America. Just before the pre kingdom judgments of the Tribulation, I believe that the true church is going to be snatched away according to First Thessalonians 4:16 16th through 18th, First Corinthians 15:51, through 52, and Israel will once again become the focus of God's attention. And when the snatching away, the rapture of the church happens, the United States will be utterly devastated. Imagine the sudden departure of Christians all over the world. God has warned us that just before Christ returns, Israel will be surrounded according to Zechariah 12 three, by all of the nations of the earth, "all of the nations of the earth will be gathered against Jerusalem." All includes the United States. Dear Christian, I would just encourage you to wake up and look and see how the world is being prepared for the Antichrist. We see this in Daniel's prophecies, we see it all through Scripture. He will be the most deceptive, demonic power and violent dictator in the world that beyond anything that we've ever seen; we see this all through Scripture.

And then there will be his false prophet, who will be his great religious enforcer and chief supporter. The Bible prophecies tell us that there will be a one world government, a one world religion, a one world economy. The stage is set for all of that right now. Had we talked about these things even 50 years ago, it would be hard for anyone to comprehend how these things could come to pass.

Well, in summary, I believe that the next thing to happen on the prophetic calendar is the snatching away of the church and the rapture. The Antichrist will appear on the scene to somehow bring the world into an understanding of what has happened. He will offer a peace plan to the world protection of Israel. Then after three and a half years, he is going to betray them, demand to be worship. And the abomination that brings desolation will occur, resulting in unprecedented desolation throughout the last half of the Tribulation, where Satan tries to destroy Israel through the Antichrist and his vast armies a time. Jeremiah 30, verse four and following calls, "the times of Jacob's trouble." Then Jesus will return as promised, in power and great glory as the King of kings, the Messiah of Israel. He will crush Satan, Israel will repent, be reconciled to Jehovah, be finally restored to their land, he will establish his millennial kingdom on earth, all at the end of Daniel's 70th week. And again, I would argue that God is not finished with Israel, even to this day, they are his beloved enemy. Isaiah 62, beginning of verse 11, says, "Behold, the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the earth, 'Say to the daughter of Zion, Lo, your salvation comes. Behold, His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him. And they will call them, the holy people, the redeemed of the Lord, and you will be called, sought out, a city not forsaken.'" Today, the people of the world, especially our political leaders, have absolutely no understanding why the Temple Mount in Jerusalem is the most disputed piece of real estate in all of the world. And there is a reason for that. According to Scripture, a Jewish Temple is going to be built there next to Islam's Dome of the Rock. And that temple is the epicenter of two opposing kingdoms, kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. And we see this all through Bible prophecy, including what we've just studied here in Daniel nine. O, dear friends, what an unfathomable blessing it is to be a part of the Kingdom of God, amen? And to know that God is sovereign over all things, he is working his plan, and he's given us somewhat of a template to let us see where things are going. I mean, we can't be precise with a lot of these things, but what we can be precise about is Jesus is coming again, he is going to make the crooked straight, he is going to take us unto himself, and we are going to enjoy him forever. And during this Thanksgiving season, I pray that you will contemplate these things, this time when his kingdom will come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. And I pray that all of you are ready to see Jesus. Because dear friend, one day every knee is going to bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. We're promised that and you will see him one day. And when you do, you will see him either in terror or in triumph. You will see him either as your judge and executioner or your Savior and Lord. I just pray that all of you who love Him and long for his return will express your gratitude. Not just this Thanksgiving season, but every day of your life, because that will be the theme of our song throughout eternity. Let's pray together.

Father, thank you for your Word. And even though there are always things within it, especially in the context of eschatology that we can't be certain of, but certainly, we can be certain that you are in control. You have a plan to ultimately bring glory to yourself and to think that we are somehow part of that plan, what an amazing truth. And so we give you thanks, we give you praise. And for those that may not know you as Savior and Lord, even though they may have some religious ideas and do some religious things, Lord, I pray that if they're not truly born again, will you be merciful to them? Bring conviction to their heart and save them by your grace? And may we be instruments of your righteousness to that end. We thank you. We give you praise. Even so, Lord Jesus come quickly. Amen.

Will you take your Bibles and turn to the book of Daniel in the Old Testament? If you have not been with us, we go verse by verse through whatever book is before us. And we come now to Daniel chapter nine. We're going to be looking at verses 20 through 24 today, under the heading "Seventy sevens," Seventy sevens, and you will understand that more as we get into the text. I was thinking this week that there's probably never been a more sobering era in human history to study Bible prophecy than in the days in which we live right now. We live in an age of idolatry and sexual deviancy, fear, insanity, government corruption, and authoritarianism. We continue to witness the power of fear as these corrupt pharmaceutical companies with their own regulators, with the fox guarding the hen house, as you might say, continue to push their experimental vaccines on people; now even on our children, to protect us from a virus that has just a fraction of a fraction of a percent of killing you. The deception and the corruption, even within the CDC, the NIH, the FDA, is routinely censored. I've been looking into this a lot, here of late, because so many of you are asking me about this. And certainly I'm not here to give you the pros and cons of the vaccine. But I can tell you that much of the adverse reactions to this vaccine are being censored. Only onset treatment is being censored. We see big pharma has collaborative efforts with world governments big tech, with media; national and international public health organizations all working together to control the money, control the power, controlling economies, that control governments around the world, even our own children, our families, our careers, all under the guise of promoting and preserving health. And out of all of this, we see authoritarianism rising in the United States of America. like never before. Neo Marxist democrats will tell us we know best, so we will tell you what to do, what to think, how to teach your children. And so we experienced today censorship, lock downs, mandates, job loss, slander of those who dare say anything contrary to the agenda, the officials of the CDC and WHO. All of this is commonplace. Perhaps you just heard on the news, and I read the letter from the CDC, that after a formal demand, the CDC now concedes, it has no proof of a single instance of a naturally immune individual spreading the virus. And yet the deceptions go on, the pressure goes on. Folks, totalitarian regimes have always used fear to control people. One of the first things to go will be free speech. That's what we're seeing like never before.

Another reason why I believe this is prime time to study Bible prophecy is because of the rise of apostate Christianity. I would argue that the vast majority of evangelicalism today is thoroughly apostate, consistent with what Jesus said in Matthew seven and many other passages. Luke 18 verse eight, Jesus said, When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?'" The idea being that, not much. Remember when judgment came before was no oh, there were how many faithful ones? Eight. And Jesus tells us that when he comes again it will be like in the days of Noah. His return will be marked by persecution, apostasy and unbelief even among those who named the name of Christ. Today we look around in the so-called evangelical church, and we see sodomites, lesbians, transgender deceivers filling pulpits. Apostasy in the form of this wake, woke cult is overtaking the ranks of evangelicalism at an alarming rate. Class warfare, heretics preach their Marxist oppressor/oppressed ideology under the banner of redemptive social justice. I hear this stuff and I just shake my head. That somehow the redemptive work of Christ, to reconcile sinners unto himself is equal to the redemptive work of social redeemers of leftists, to reconcile sinful white people, to oppressed minorities. And then to have the audacity to claim that their definitions of justice and righteousness and the Gospel, bear the same weight of authority as that which is in the Word of God. Folks is not only ludicrous, it's blasphemous. And I just wonder, how much longer will God tolerate this escalation of evil, before the nostrils of God begin to flare and he rises from his throne, and he says, This is it. And he sets into motion the great day of his wrath, a day that is repeated throughout the Old Testament and even into the new. The Old Testament prophets called it the day of the Lord. Folks, this is coming. The Lord Jesus Christ warned of this as well in his Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24, where he described the unparallel sufferings that will come upon the earth just prior to his returns, also described in the book of Revelation as the time when, quote, "the wrath of the Lamb, will be poured out upon," quote, "the inhabitants of the earth." And that will happen through a succession of dreadful cataclysms known as the seal and the trumpet, and the bowl judgments. And I might add that by comparison, the horrors associated with the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, pale in comparison. The Holocaust pales in comparison to what is coming upon this earth. These final judgments will culminate in the greatest of all eschatological conflicts known as the Battle of Armageddon. You read about it in Revelation 16. This is also known as, quote "the day of vengeance." according to Deuteronomy 32, verse 14 and Isaiah 63 and verse four.

I want to read you a passage of Scripture before we get to Daniel, actually, I want to read several to help you get the context here. In Isaiah 13, the Lord speaks through his prophet, and he looks beyond in this prophecy; beyond the immediate conquest of the Medo-Persians against Babel into a greater and final destruction of Babel, and that will occur by the Messiah when he returns. In Isaiah 13 beginning of verse six, we read this, "Wail for the day of the Lord is near! It will come as destruction from the Almighty. Therefore, all hands will fall limp, and every man's heart will melt. They will be terrified, pains and anguish will take hold of them; they will writhe like a woman in labor, they will look at one another in astonishment, their faces of flame. Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, cruel with fury and burning anger, to make the land a desolation; and He will exterminate its sinners from it. For the stars of heaven in their constellations will not flash forth their light; the sun will be dark when it rises, and the moon will not shed its light. Thus, I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud and abase the haughtiness of the ruthless. I will make mortal man scarcer than pure gold and mankind than the gold of Ophir. Therefore, I will make the heavens tremble and the earth will be shaking in its place at the fury of the LORD of hosts, in the day of His burning anger."

Beloved, the world in which we live is marching inexorably towards this Day of Judgment. Jesus' ominous words in Matthew 24:15 and verse 21. And following, describe this period, known as the Great Tribulation and when you read about it, it just sends shivers up your spine. There Jesus says, "'Therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place, (let the reader understand) then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains....For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.'" Jesus tells us that this will catch people unawares. They've ignored the warnings. He goes on to say in verse 36, "But of that day, and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.'" They were preoccupied with all of the commonplace, mundane matters of life, life as usual--don't pay any attention to what that Bible says, or those crazy preachers tell you.

By the way, Jesus also gave some good news in that prophesy, Matthew 24, beginning in verse 29. First he says, "'But immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.'" And then here's the good news, "The sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds from one end of the sky to the other.'" Since the church will have been translated to heaven in the rapture, the elect refers to Jews and Gentiles that are saved during the time of the tribulation. That's the way the term is used throughout the Olivet Discourse. And dear friends this will put an end to the times of the Gentiles that we've been looking at in the book of Daniel. The book of Daniel confirms these prophetic realities. My dear and departed friend Dr. David Larsen offers an excellent summary of this as we read in Daniel, he says this, "The times of the Gentiles, culminate in judgment as portrayed by the prophet Daniel's metallic colossus in Daniel two. The structured Gentile world power persist to the end of the age and ultimate ruination when struck by the rock cut out of a mountain but not made by human hands, a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces, Daniel 2:45. The metals, while decreasing in value, increase in shear strength, until we come to the mixed iron and clay and the feet and the 10 toes, corresponding to the great image of the four beasts of Daniel seven. Out of the last of which creatures come 10 horns, Daniel seven, seven and following." He goes on to say, "Among these 10 horns arises a little horn of a particularly devious sword, who wages war against the saints, Jews who are saved in the tribulation period, and indeed inflicts great duress upon them," quote, "until the Ancient of days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High and the time came when they possessed the kingdom. This time of suffering for the saints, the Jewish messianic woes is the trauma preparatory to the establishment of the Messianic kingdom." And he adds, "The little horn should be seen as the Antichrist."

Well with this now, we return to Daniel nine. And in the first 19 verses, you will recall that Daniel offers a heartfelt confession of sin, both his as well as his Israeli kinsmen. And he also intercedes on their behalf, pleading for not only forgiveness, but also restoration for a regathering of Israel to her land. A restoration that would also be spiritual--that the glory of God might be put on display in them before the world. He understood from his study of the Word of God, especially as he was looking at what Jeremiah said, that God was going to impose 70 years of judgment upon Israel because of their idolatry, and for their deliberate neglect of his sabbatical years. We see these warnings in Leviticus 26. And Daniel, of course, as you might remember, was wondering, hmm, how and when this captivity, when is this exile going to end. But as we are going to see, God's answer encompasses a far greater deliverance than what he was talking about; deliverance from their captivity. His plan included the deliverance from a more formidable enemy, the enemy of sin, the culprit that caused all of the problems to begin with. A remedy that could only be accomplished by Christ's death on the cross at his first coming. Moreover, God is going to look beyond their Gentile oppressors in Babylon, and the others, to a final day when they will be forever delivered from all earthly oppressors. And all of this will be accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ, at his second coming.

Well all of this is going to require 490 years, 70 weeks of years, or 70, sevens, and we're going to see that these are divided into two seasons of deliverance. I'm giving you a little summary of what we're going to study at great length. The first season will require 69 weeks of years. In other words, 483 years, and that will lead up to the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. And then after an indefinite period of time, that final 70th week would ensue a time yet future, culminating in the second coming of the Messiah King with his armies from heaven, who will destroy the Antichrist, who is bent on exterminating all of ethnic Israel, and all Christians who lived during that time, even Gentiles, all who refuse to worship him. Daniel gives the details of this in Daniel seven.

And so let's look at God's answer now, to Daniel's prayer beginning in verse 20, of Daniel nine. "Now, while I was speaking and praying and confessing my sin, and the sin of my people Israel and presenting my supplication before the Lord, my God, in behalf of the holy mountain of my god." Let's pause here, I want you to look at this. "The mountain of my God," in other words, on the basis of the city of Jerusalem, and the restoration of your temple where your people worship. That's what he's looking at here. And I might add, this is an important distinction. He's not praying for the church. He's not praying for the body of Christ or for all of the elect down through redemptive history. This present, church economy or the stewardship of God's grace was hidden to Daniel, it was hidden to the Old Testament prophets, we read about this in Ephesians three, two through 10, Romans 16:25, through 26. The focus of his prayer to God, and the answers that God gives him, has to do with the restoration of quote "your desolate sanctuary," as we saw in verse 17, and verse 18. "Oh my God," he says, "incline Your ear and hear! Open your eyes and see our desolations of the city which is called by Your name." So God's answer will address his dealings with Israel on the bases of his covenant promises to them that he will indeed fulfill all that He has promised to them. That's what Daniel, that's what all of them were looking for. This is one of many reasons why I believe the church will not go through the tribulation. That's another whole study. The church will not be a part of Daniel's 70th week there, God is focusing on his promises to Israel. There's many other exegetical reasons why I would argue that, but throughout scripture, and especially here and Daniel nine, we see, God's plan for Israel is distinct from his plan for the church. The church will later on become the temporary custodians of God's truth. And I might add that I do not believe that the church has permanently replaced Israel in God's plan of redemption. Many people teach that and believe, some of my very best friends believe that. I do not see that in Scripture. This is certainly not a test of orthodoxy but it's an important distinction. If you're going to understand what we believe here at Calvary Bible Church with respect to premillennialism, this is an important distinction.

And I might add, it's worthy of a bit of a digression here, if you will bear with me, I do not believe that ethnic, national, territorial Israel are all permanently absorbed into the universal Christian Church, thereby permanently eliminating their national identity. This is often known as Augustinian or Roman Catholic eschatology. Sometimes it's called supercessionism, amillennialism, replacement theology and so forth. I do not believe that all of the promises given to Israel in the Old Testament were forfeited by their unbelief. I don't see that in Scripture. I don't believe that all of those promises are now given to the church in some spiritual sense, as God's chosen people to be his witness, his witnesses Israel failed miserably. Indeed they did. But is there a level of sin that surpasses grace? I think not. Psalm 130 and verse three, "If thou Lord, oh Lord should mark iniquities, Who could stand"? However, as we look at Scripture, because they quote, "rejected the chief cornerstone," Matthew 21:42, Jesus said in verse 43, "'Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and be given to a nation producing the fruit of it.'" Now, the supercessionism will argue that here, Jesus permanently rejects the nation of Israel, and the nation to whom the kingdom would be given is now the church. I think that is highly unlikely for several reasons. Just briefly, if we look at this text, we see that Jesus is addressing the chief priests and the Pharisees. He's addressing these wicked, hypocritical leaders of Israel that were determined to kill him. He was not addressing Israel as a nation as a whole. In fact, three verses later in verse 45, Matthew tells us that the religious leaders quote, "understood that he Jesus was speaking about them". Although Jesus antipathy towards the Jewish leaders continued to increase throughout his earthly ministry, he never shows any contempt for the multitudes. In fact, on the previous day, we see how he wept over Jerusalem, and they constantly acclaimed him as the messianic Son of David. Furthermore, other passages in Matthew's gospel reaffirms the idea that Jesus fully anticipated Israel's future restoration. In chapter 19, verse 28, he offers much needed reassurance to the disciples and He says, "'Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon 12 thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel.'" "You who have followed me in the regeneration," "palingenesia" in the original language, it literally means rebirth, regeneration. It's referring to the Messianic age, clearly a reference to the earthly kingdom described in Revelation 20 verses one through five. It'll be when he says the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne and you also shall sit upon 12 thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. I might add that Peter also understood Jesus words. In Matthew 19:28. He understood that he was referring to a messianic kingdom, he wasn't referring to the church. Later, when Peter called the men of Israel to repentance and Acts three, in verses 20 through 21, he spoke of, quote, "The Christ appointed for you "whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from ancient time." You see, none of the prophets had spoken about the church, none of them had spoken about the inclusion of both believing Jews and Gentiles in a new spiritual community, the body of Christ, that was a mystery not disclosed in the Old Testament. Romans 16, verse 25, we read that it's a "mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past." We see the same thing in Ephesians, three, two through six.

So back to Matthew 21:43, "'Therefore, I say to you,'" referring to the wicked leaders of Israel, "'the kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and given to a nation.'" An "ethnos," a new nation spiritually, but also the same nation historically; a restored future Israel, we read about it in Romans 11:11, through 15. A nation that will experience a new birth. Isaiah 66, five through 13. A nation producing the fruit of it and so forth. Another passage affirming the restoration of Israel, and why I see a distinction between Israel and the church, and I believe that's what Daniel is seeing and what God is speaking about, in Daniel nine--in Acts chapter one and verse three, we learn that Jesus met with his disciples for a period of 40 days after His resurrection. 40 days. And what was the main topic that Jesus spoke about? He was speaking it says of the things concerning the kingdom of God. Then in verses six through seven, Luke records Jesus final interchange with his apostles before his ascension, when he once again affirmed the idea of restoration of national Israel. There we read, "When they had come together, they were asking Him saying, 'Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to to Israel?' And He said to them, 'It is not for you to know times are epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority.'" Now, I would humbly submit to you that if God was finished with his covenant people, Israel, and the church had therefore permanently replaced her as a new spiritual Israel, this would have been a perfect place for Jesus to have made that abundantly clear. If that were true, why wouldn't he have corrected them? Why wouldn't he have said, no, no, no, no, wait a minute. I've been with you for 40 days speaking to you concerning the kingdom of God. Don't you understand that ethnic, national, and territorial Israel is now absorbed into the universal Christian church, thereby eliminating their national identity? Don't you understand that the physical Messianic Kingdom once promised, Israel has now been changed to a spiritual kingdom, and you're living in it right now? Don't you guys get that? Well, obviously, he didn't say that because I don't believe any of that's true.

Romans 11 and verse one, Paul said "God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be!" The apostles understood this. And like Paul, they long to see the spiritual salvation and the physical restoration of their nation Israel. So it was appropriate for them to ask, "Lord, is it at this time you are restoring the kingdom to Israel?" We can go to the book of Romans in Romans chapter nine. The focus is on Israel's election, he assures them that God has not forgotten, he has not rejected his chosen people. Quite the contrary. In chapter 10, the focus is on Israel's defection. There, the apostle Paul explains why Jews rejected their Messiah and remain in ignorance and unbelief. Why salvation is now extended to the Gentiles, all of which is part of God's plan, even for Israel. And then in chapter 11, the focus is on Israel's salvation. God made it very clear that the specific promises that He had made, to his chosen nation, would come to fruition. Now some of those were conditional dependent upon their obedience, but his greatest promises were unconditional based upon God's character. And to this day, because of their unbelief, God is disciplining them as a nation. They have been temporarily put aside, as Paul says in verse 25, "until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in," and then in verse 26, eventually he says, "all Israel will be saved just as it is written, THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins." So I'm convinced that Israel was God's unique focus of redemption in one dispensation in the Old Testament, while the church, consisting of both Jews and Gentiles, has been his focus since their rejection of Jesus. However, I believe Scripture teaches that God will eventually focus once again, on Israel during the millennial reign of Christ on earth when all of the covenant promises that he has made to Israel will be fulfilled literally, including the the earthly blessings and the earthly Messianic kingdom. Prophetic literature is filled with the pivotal role Israel plays during that time. So I believe that the church shares in the promises of Israel, but not in their unique identity. (Audio not able to be transcribed)....And in that he says, quote, "The prophecies concerning Israel are the key to all the rest, true principles of interpretation in regard to them will aid us in disentangling and illustrating all prophecy together. False principles, as to them will most thoroughly perplexed and overcloud the whole word of God," end quote. And speaking on Ezekiel 37 that we read earlier in our scripture reading--in 1864, at the Metropolitan tabernacle, Charles Spurgeon was soliciting funding for the British Society for the Propagation of the gospel amongst the Jews. And Spurgeon declared this, quote, "The meaning of our text," referring to Ezekiel 37, the dry bones that come to life and so forth, "The meaning of our text as opened up by the context is most evidently, if words mean anything, first, there shall be a political restoration of the Jews to their own land, and to their own nationality. And then secondly, there is in the text, and in the context of most plain declaration, that there shall be a spiritual restoration, a conversion, in fact of the tribes of Israel." He went on to say, "Her sons, though they can never forget the sacred dust of Palestine yet die at a hopeless distance from her consecrated shores. But it shall not be so forever. They shall again walk upon her mountains, shall once more sit under her vines and rejoice under her fig trees. And they are also to be reunited. They shall not be two, nor 10, nor 12, but one, one Israel praising one god, serving one king, and that one king, the son of David, the descended Messiah. They are to have a national prosperity which will make them famous. They, so glorious shall they be that Egypt and Tyre and Greece and Rome shall all forget their glory and the greater splendor of the throne of David." And then Spurgeon said this, "If there be meaning and words, this must be the meaning of this chapter. I wish never to learn the art of tearing God's meaning out of his own words, if there'll be anything clear and plain, the literal sense and meaning of this passage; a meaning not to be spirited or spiritualized away, must be evident that both the two and the 10 tribes of Israel are to be restored to their own land, and that a king is to rule over them."

Now, after a long and weighty digression that I felt was important for me to get out, back to Daniel nine, verse 21, "While I was speaking in prayer, then the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision previously, came to me in my extreme weariness about the time of the evening offering." That's a reference to the meal and drink offering would have been between three and 4pm. I find it intriguing here, he speaks with his extreme weariness, any of us who have labored long hours and prayer; for that which is burdening our hearts, we know that it is difficult, even physically. But isn't it interesting, it had been 70 years since Daniel had offered the sacrifices in Jerusalem. Now the temple is destroyed, but notice he continues to worship the Lord, as if he was right there in the temple as if nothing had ever changed. Would that we all be so faithful in honoring the Lord. Verse 22, "He gave me instruction and talked with me and said, 'Oh, Daniel, I have now come forth to give you insight with understanding. At the beginning of your supplications the command was issued, and I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed." It could be translated, "counted precious." So God hears his prayer, dispatches Gabriel to answer it. And then Gabriel says, "so give heed to the message and gain understanding of the vision."

And here he begins, "70 weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city." Now 70 weeks, literally 70 sevens, or 70 heptad units of seven. So 70 times 70, 490 years have been decreed. The term "decreed" comes from a Hebrew word, "chathak," it means "to divide, to determine, to to cut off, to decide something to determine something." So the 70 weeks has been divided, has been cut off, "for your people and your holy city." And so in other words, God has deliberately determined that these 490 years would be cut off from all the rest of history to accomplish his purposes in delivering the people of Israel and their capital city, Jerusalem. And that's all consistent with Daniel's prayer. Which by the way, did not happen. All of those things did not happen when Jesus came the first time.

Now I want to focus on the six magnificent objectives that are to be accomplished in this regard. Notice what he says, again, "70 weeks had been decreed for your people in your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place." So here, beloved, God reveals the future events I might add, that are far beyond that which occurred with Antiochus Epiphanes, far beyond the events surrounding the first coming of Christ, far beyond anything that has ever happened in history. So in other words, 490 years of judgment must occur before the six glorious objectives can be realized. All of which look to the Messianic Kingdom on earth, all consistent with Old Testament prophecy, even New Testament prophecy.

For example, in Acts three, verse 19, we read, "Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time." Again, go to Romans 11, beginning in verse 12. Paul says, "Now if their transgression is riches for the world, and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be!" Referring to the unbelieving Jewish people. Verse 15, "For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be, but life from the dead?" And in verse 25, "For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery--so that you will not be wise in your own estimation--that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved just as it is written, THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB. This is my covenant with them, when I take away their sins. From the standpoint of the gospel, their enemies for your sake," you Gentiles, "but from the standpoint of God's choice, they are beloved, for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable."

So again, six magnificent objectives are to be accomplished during this 490 years. The first three are all negative realities that must be a eradicated. Namely, man's global rebellion against the Most High God. So the goal first here is to deal with sin and Satan, both of which are defeated at the cross. The first three are to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity. Now, it's important that we look at these closely because if you're like most people, you come to a passage like this, you read through it, have no real idea what it said, but you kind of move on to something else that will kind of speak to your heart-- when you're missing out on a whole lot. So let's don't do that.

Notice what the Spirit of God says, through Gabriel. First of all, "to finish" where it could be translated and "restrain the transgression." Transgression here is a term used to describe the violation of God's law, those that revolt against God's authority, specifically, Israel's unrelenting and unrestrained rebellion against God. If we were to go to Ezekiel, Chapter 20, beginning in verse 34, you will see how the prophet describes the elimination of all the apostates from the land of Israel during the Millennium. And Jesus described the same thing is going to happen among the Gentile nations in his Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24 and Matthew 25. In fact, during Christ's earthly reign, Isaiah 11 and verse 10, tells us that "the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." Can you imagine that? Sin will not be completely eliminated because unregenerate children will be born to those who enter into the millennial reign of Christ. And many of those unregenerate children will continue to reject Christ. So there will be occasional situations of rebellion, requiring the Lord to rule over them with a rod of iron as we're told. But that's going to be the exception, not the rule. Christ himself during that time is going to restrain sin during his reign, but it will be utterly non existent in the eternal state. You must bear in mind that the millennial reign of Christ is the consummating bridge between human history and the eternal state where sin will be eradicated completely.

He then uses, Gabriel now uses, nuances of terms and repetition in these parallel clauses he says, not only to "finish the transgression," but also "to make an end of sin." This is something else that's got to happen during this 490 year period, to make an end of sin. Here the term for sin is a more general term for all wrongs. And it carries the idea here when he says to make an end of, it's to seal it up, that it might be concealed, to even the idea of judging it with finality. And again, these are nuances. They're almost synonyms of all that God is going to do with respect to sin. Hebrews nine in verse 26, we read, "But now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself." So all of that was set into motion at the cross.

But then there's this magnificent climax, he says also, "to make atonement for iniquity." Atonement, a Hebrew term "kaphar," it means to cover by means of an expiatory sacrifice, or literally to make a covering. To provide a moral repayment for a fault or an injury. In fact, if we look at Scripture, we see progressive revelation, and how the death of Christ was foreshadowed by many Old Testament types and symbols. Remember the coats of skin that God made for Adam and Eve in the garden? That was a picture of a coming Redeemer. The animal offering of Abel in Genesis four, the offering of Isaac by Abraham in Genesis 22. It goes on with the Old Testament sacrificial system that we read about, especially in Leviticus 17, the brazen serpent, erected by Moses in Numbers 21. The Passover lamb in Exodus 12. All of these things point towards an atonement. Atonement, by the way always involves two things satisfaction and substitution, satisfaction of the offended holiness of God accomplished only by an acceptable substitution. An innocent life must be given for the guilty, one who has offended the holiness of God. And this is why Jesus had to taste death for everyone, right? This is how salvation is made possible. This is the only way God can forgive sin and still remain holy. And what this accomplished, the way is paid for the second, three positive objectives in this 490 years. And that is, number one, to bring in everlasting righteousness.

I'm reminded of Isaiah's prophecy to Judah in Isaiah five, verse seven, he says, he speaks of Israel as the vineyard of the Lord of hosts, "The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah His delightful plant." So given the idea here is, given all that God has done for them, he's expecting them to do better than what they've done. And he goes on to say, Thus He looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed for righteousness, but behold, a cry of distress." In Hebrew, it's a play on words. He looked for justice, which is "mispat", but behold, bloodshed "mispah." I looked for "mispat" and I got "mispah". And the same thing he goes on to say, I look for righteousness, which is "sedaqa', I look for "sedaqa," and I got "seaqa" So where's the righteousness going to come from? It has to come from the one who would make atonement for sin, the only one who can bring in everlasting righteousness. Only the Lord Himself can do this. It's fascinating. The removal of sin that he accomplished on the cross will be appropriated by Israel as a nation when Christ returns. It's an amazing thought. Many passages that speak to this, I'll give you but one, Jeremiah 23, beginning of verse five, "And behold, the days are coming." I love it when the prophets say that, "Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. In His days, Judah will be saved and Israel will dwell securely. And this is His name by which He will be called the Lord, our righteousness."

Well not only is he going to bring in everlasting righteousness, we read that there'll be a time when he will "seal up vision and prophecy." Seal up, the term that carries the idea of hiding from view and demonstrating that its functions are over. What would that would be, well vision, to seal up vision, the functions of the vision, what's vision? Revelation, not only revelation, but prophecy, the message of the prophets. My dear professor, Dr. Whitcomb said this, quote, "Similarly, in the post apostolic phase of church history, we have no further need of such ministries, possessing as we do the completed revelation of God and Holy Scripture." He's referring here to vision that is special revelation, and prophecies and so forth. He went on to say, "during the first half of the 70th week of Daniel, two witnesses will prophesy to Israel."

I need to backup, we have no further need of such ministries, possessing as we do the completed revelation of God and Holy Scripture. You know, we've got the closed canon here. We don't need somebody to come along and say, God told me this, God told me that; we don't need that. Don't pay any attention to that. But he says, "During the first half of the 70th, week of Daniel two witnesses will prophesy to Israel in order to launch the 144,000, and others into global witness for Christ after the rapture of the church, you read about that in Revelation 11." But he says, "All such prophetic ministries will end forever at our Lord's return to Earth.

So it's during this time, it's going to bring in everlasting righteousness, seal up vision and prophecy, and then finally, "to anoint the most holy place." The term anoint means to officially inaugurate something into public ministry. And what is the most holy place it could be translated literally, the Holy of Holies. This underscores the profound importance of the millennial temple that is described in Joel three in verse 18, Isaiah 60 verse seven, Jeremiah 33 verses 20 through 22, Ezekiel 37:26 through 28. And then Ezekiel chapter 40, all the way to chapter 48. Prior to this, during the Great Tribulation, the Antichrist we know will desecrate a newly constructed temple. We read about that and our Lord's Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24. Also in Second Thessalonians two verse four, Revelation 13:15. But when the Messiah returns, that will be done away with and a magnificent new temple will be built, And Ezekiel tells us this, "and the glory," remember the glory of the Lord, the Shekinah, that left, all right? And didn't return until Jesus returned and it was veiled in his body. Now it says, "The glory of the Lord will come into the house by the way of the gate, facing toward the east," Ezekiel 43 and verse four. So the Lord will come into His temple. And of course, during the eternal state, there will be no temple, because the Lord himself will be the temple.

So these six objectives, Gabriel tells Daniel will be accomplished in these 77s, 490 years that God has carved out of history to accomplish his purposes in delivering the people of Israel, their capital city, Jerusalem, consistent with all of his covenant promises. 490 years before Messiah would finally established the long awaited kingdom, for which Daniel prayed. Now, the next verse tells him when the clock is going to start ticking. And we'll look at that beginning the next time. Oh, dear friends, what a glorious future awaits the redeemed. Amen? And what a glorious God to not only make this possible, but to make it certain. I get so excited when I think about it. All of this stuff we deal with is one day going to be over. And the Lord is going to reign, every knee will bow every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord, let's pray together.

Father, thank You for these eternal truths. We pray as always that by the power of your Spirit, you will ignite our hearts and prays to the one who gave Himself for us our Redeemer and our coming King. And Lord, for those that may not know you, that may have some religion, but they have really never been broken over their sin. They've never cried out to you for the mercy that you will give. As a result of repentant faith, I pray that you will break their hearts, give them no sleep upon their pillow until they do business with you. We commit this to you by your grace, and for your glory. Amen.

It is my great joy and privilege to be able to minister the word of God to you this morning. So will you take your Bibles and turn to Daniel chapter nine, we continue to make our way verse by verse through this great Old Testament prophetic book. And we are looking at part two of Daniel's prayer of confession and intercession, as we just read a few minutes ago. In Jesus prayer in John 17, he said, "'This is eternal life, that we may know you the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.'" And dear friends, that is the purpose of what every faithful pastor will do on a Sunday morning. We are here to open up the Word of God so that you might know who God really is, and to know His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, You will recall that it was for this reason that Paul said, I count all things to be lost in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord. And so we are here to learn more about these things, especially as we look at the prayer life of this choice servant of God, that lived many years ago, a man that we will one day see and be able to fellowship with, for eternity, an amazing thought is not? Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones said, "It is in prayer that we come as near as we ever shall, in this world, to the ultimate purpose for which God has created and redeemed us. That is, that we might know Him and glorify Him." Dear friends, disciplined, fervent, persistent prayer will be the very air that a Christian breathes if indeed, they truly love the lover of their soul. It will be a part of who you are. The truest passions of a man's heart can be heard most clearly in his or her prayers. For it is there that the Spirit's secret work is most evident, and his power is most manifested. In fact, Spurgeon said, "Prayer is the cylinder nerve that moves the muscle of omnipotence." He also said, "It is the highest activity of which the human soul is capable." So as we come to the word this morning, we do so with these things in mind as we examin Daniel's prayer of confession and intercession.

May I remind you that Daniel nine is divided into two parts, the first 19 verses speak to the issue of his prayer. And then the final verses speak, regarding God's answer to his prayer. And we've been examining this chapter under four headings. We've looked so far at the impetus of his prayer and the focus of his prayer. And now this morning, we will conclude the study on the humility of his prayer and the burden of his prayer. Let me give you a bit of a review here regarding the impetus of his prayer. In the first two verses there we read, "In the first year of Darius, the son of Ahasuerus, of Median descent, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans. In the first year of his reign, I Daniel observed in the books, the number of the years, which was revealed as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah, the prophet, for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely 70 years." So here, once again, we see that the impetus for Daniel's prayer was his study of the Word of God as it was revealed to the prophet Jeremiah concerning the 70 years of judgment that God had imposed upon his nation Israel, because of their idolatry, and especially because of their neglect of his appointed sabbatical years. And there's warnings about this, for example, in Leviticus 26. And Daniel was also familiar with the last seven chapters of Deuteronomy. That's Deuteronomy 28 through 34 that provide as David Larson says, quote, "The matrix out of which the great prophecies of the Old Testament regarding Israel emerge." I wanted that for an overhead last week, and we weren't able to get that. So now you have it in your bulletin. So you can study that later. So you see it once again, that these are the types of things that Daniel would have understood as a student of the word. So he knew what God had said, but he didn't really know when the clock had started to tick when the judgment would be over and so forth. But to be sure, the word of God animated within his heart, a desire to come before God, and to cry out to him for understanding. And certainly the study of the Word will always be the the spirit generated wind in our sails, that move us along, in worship and praise in our life. Shallow study, I might add, will produce shallow praying, and all of that will produce a shallow Christian life that will forfeit blessing. So the emphasis of his prayer was, when is the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely the seventy sevens, when is that going to occur?

Secondly, by way of review the focus of his prayer, verse three, we see, "I gave my attention to the Lord to seek Him by prayer, and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes." Again, the because of the deep burden for his countrymen, his rebellious countrymen, and because he longed for the glory of God to be manifest in the world, he jettisoned all of the distractions in his life, that he might focus his attention solely on the Lord. Adonai, here, the Lord, master the Lord God. And He alone is the ruler of heaven and earth, all authority is his. He is the object of faith and worship. And so he looked intently to God, nothing else got in his way.

And that brings us now number three to the humility of his prayer. And we will begin here, especially in verse five, and we are going to see that his humility has manifested primarily in his sensitivity to sin, and hatred of sin, not only in his countrymen, but also in his own heart. Again, verse four, "I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed and said, 'Alas, oh Lord, the great and awesome God who keeps His covenant and loving kindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly, and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances.'" Here beloved, we witness one of the most common effects of in-depth study of Scripture. Notice what he says, "I prayed to the Lord," be translated Yawei, which is the sacred and personal name that God derived from what is called the tetragrammaton, meaning the four letters, the four Hebrew, consonants translated in English as Yahweh, Y H. W. H. You will recall that when Moses came before God at the burning bush, and inquired of God, concerning his name in Exodus three, God responded to him and said, "'I am who I am. Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'I am' has sent you.'" And in this we see the great theological truths concerning the great I Am. He is saying that I am the self-existent eternal one that always has existed and always will exist. So this name speaks to his self-existence, his preexistence, the one who has no beginning and no end. That's who Daniel is praying to. He is the one that is eternal and unchanging in his nature. He is the infinitely Holy covenant making and covenant keeping God of Israel who was gracious to all upon whom he has set his love. And apart from this understanding of the one true God, dear friend, your prayers will be superficial, at best, and self-serving at worst. So this is where we must begin.

I might add to this is, it's important for you to understand. So I'm going to dwell on this for a moment. This person in the name of God, Yahweh is used 6800 times in the Old Testament. But in the book of Daniel, it is only used in this chapter and it's done so seven times. We see this as well in the New Testament with reference to Jesus, the Son of God. You will recall, for example, in John one and verse one, we read, "In the beginning was the Word," and the word "was" is the imperfect tense of the verb, "to be" from which we get "I am." The point is, in the beginning, the great I AM, the Lord Jesus Christ, was already in existence, because there was never a time in which he did not exist. And repeatedly in the New Testament, especially in John's gospel, we read about the "I am." Jesus repeatedly uses this as his title. He said, "I am the bread of life." "I am the light of the world." "I am the door of the sheep." "I am the good shepherd." "I am the resurrection and the life" "I am the true and the living way." "I am the true vine." You will recall as well, when Judas and the officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees along with their troops when they came to arrest Jesus, Jesus said to them, "'Whom do you seek?' They answered him, 'Jesus the Nazarene.' And he said to them, 'I am he.' When he said to them, "I am he,' they drew back and fell to the ground." John 18. I might add that in the original language, the word "he" is not there. He simply said, "I am." He is the great I Am, Jesus was claiming for himself, the name of God, that is rooted in Exodus 3:14, "I am."

Now back to Daniel, although he did not know how Yahweh would one day reveal himself as the incarnate Christ, he knew who God was, he understood this and he worshipped him in spirit and in truth. So indeed, he says, verse four, "I prayed to the Lord, my God," to the great I AM, and once you notice that, he says, "my God," it's not some impersonal force, but rather he speaking of a personal Savior, a personal master in his life, the one he worshipped and loved and served. He goes on to say, "and confessed, and said, 'Alas, oh Lord, the great and awesome God.' The term "awesome" here could be translated, "the one who is to be feared." You are "'the great and awesome God who keeps His covenant and loving kindnesses for those who love Him and keep His commandments.'" Now, once you notice the startling contrast here. Here we read of a great and an awesome God beyond our ability to even comprehend, and yet he is also the one who "keeps his covenant and loving kindnesses for those who love Him and keep His commandments." The ineffable tetragrammaton, meaning the too wondrous to utter from the lips, four letters, YWHY, this is the one the one who is exalted in the heavens, beyond our ability to fathom, is also the one who condescends to our lowly estate, in all of our sin, to save us from our sin, and to reconcile us unto himself. Daniel sees the essence of this, in his prayer. Reminds me of the great hymn that we've sung many times that written by Isaac Watts. "Alas, and did my Savior bleed and did my sovereign die. Would he devote that sacred head for sinners such as I? Was it for crimes that I had done, he groaned upon the tree, amazing pity, grace unknown, and love beyond decree."

So dear friends, these astounding truths pertaining to the character of God, the perfections, of who he is, are concentrated here in Daniel's prayer. And in light of this, we might pause for a moment and say, how should we live? Given all that God is. Well, there are many answers to that, but certainly in Romans 12 and verse one, Paul says, "Therefore," in other words, in light of all that God is and all that he has done, that he's spoken of, in the previous 11 chapters, "Therefore, I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living in the holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship."

So back to Daniel's prayer in verse four, "I prayed to the Lord my God, and confessed and said,' Alas, o Lord, the great and awesome God who keeps His covenant and loving kindnesses for those who love Him and keep His commandments, we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly, and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances." Dear christian, there's much instruction here. One that will be the truest expression of humble worship. May I pause for a moment and give you a few things to think about? First of all, when it comes to the kind of prayer that is really effective, that honors God, it is going to flow out of a heart, number one, that is consumed with God's glory. This is what we see with Daniel. Daniel is overwhelmed with the character of God, the infinite perfections of God, as he has revealed himself in Scripture. This was what silenced Job you will recall, after he demanded an audience with God to plead his case, thinking that perhaps God lacked information. Or even worse yet, maybe he was being unfair. And you will recall what God did. He intimidated Job with his glory for a number of chapters. And finally, God changed his perspective. He didn't change his circumstances, but he changed his perspective. Job said in Job 45 or 42, verse five, "I have heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eyes sees you. Therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes." Dear Christian I might add that like never before in my life, I believe that today is the day when the church needs to have a zeal for the glory of God. And I fear that is missing. We need to have a zeal that can only come from a soul captivating, a soul exhilarating, a sin destroying vision of the majesty of God. "Soli deo Gloria" was the bedrock affirmation of the Reformation. We see this in the eternal purpose of God's plan of redemption to bring glory to himself. And of course, this includes two basic things, he's going to restore the kingdom and he's going to redeem the people. He's going to transform us in such a way as that our life will redound to his glory. But this all begins when we are consumed with his glory. And this only, this only occurs when we have a decisive commitment to personal righteousness and holiness, anchored in the bedrock of divine revelation where we learn who God is.

But once you're consumed with God's glory, as Daniel was, the next thing that happens is confession of sin. Confession of sin, there we can say, with Isaiah, remember when he saw the Lord, high and lofty lifted up, he said, "Woe is me, for I am undone." We can say with the Apostle Paul in Romans 7, "O, wretched men that I am, who will free me from the body of this death," referring to the sin that remained is in his unredeemed humaneness. Oh Child of God, please hear me. If you're not first amazed at the character of God, at the holiness of God, in contrast to your sin, you will never be amazed by God's grace. And you should not sing that hymn. When we see him for who he really is, we will be reduced to nothing. And all that will be left is for us to cry out to him for mercy. And as we experience that mercy, as we confess our sin, we experience that mercy, and we celebrate his grace. This is what we read in Hebrews 10 verse 19, "Therefore brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water."

So when we're consumed With God's glory, it will produce within us a desire to confess our sin. First John one nine, you're all familiar with it, "If we confess our sin," confess in Greek is a compound word "homologeo." "Homo" means the "same," "logeo" means "to say." When we confess, we are saying the same things about our sin, as God does. We're agreeing with God. And when we come before him, and we agree with God about who we really are, what we really do, etcetera, what does he do? "He is faithful, and he is righteous, to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

And this will produce number three: confidence in God's precious promises. This is what we see with Daniel. Daniel was convinced because of the promises of God, because he was the covenant making and the covenant keeping God that he would forgive those who come to him in brokenness of sin. Again, for the Lord is "the great and awesome God," verse four, "who keeps His covenant and loving kindnesses," which can be translated, "his steadfast love," "for those who love Him and keep His commandments." Dear friends, he knows our weaknesses. He knows our frailty, our inability to be perfectly obedient. And so what does he do in his great love for sinners? He extends his steadfast love, his loving kindness. The Hebrew term "hesed," is the one that is used. The term connotes not only his willingness to forgive, but his loyalty in keeping his covenant promises. Daniel understood these things. He understood that God keeps His promises even though his people don't. Isaiah 66 two, the prophet says, "But to this one, I will look," God is speaking through the prophet here. "But to this one I will look," this is what gets God's attention, "To him who is humble and contrite of spirit and who trembles at My word." Beloved, I hope that is the attitude of your heart.

So when we're consumed with God's glory, we confess our sin when we have confidence in his promises. And finally, it produces a commitment to serve Him, come what may, that he might be glorified. And that's going to be the theme later on in the prayer here in verses 16 through 19. You will recall, Isaiah's confession, and his subsequent forgiveness, caused him to hear the voice of the Lord. When he said Whom shall I send? Who will go for us? And what did he say? Here am I send me? Well, this is the passion of "all who love Him and keep His commandments," verse four. So I might add, that if you have no desire to obey the Lord, no desire to serve him, on the basis of the Word of God, you do not love him. Don't kid yourself. Verse five, again, he says, "we have sinned." He's including himself here. How often we're prone to see the speck in your brother's eye, but we don't see the log on our own. But he says, "we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly, and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances." Boy he covers the full spectrum of sin here. And the shocking nature of their sin is even amplified further in verse six. "Moreover, we have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers and all the people of the land." In other words, it's bad enough to disregard your written word, but beyond that, they rejected the words of the prophets that God had sent to them, to call them to repentance, to warn them of impending judgment.

We read in the Old Testament that even in the days of revival during the reign of Hezekiah, when the king's messengers went to the land, and called all of the people to Passover in Jerusalem, according to Second Chronicles 13, verse 10, it says, "Many of the people laughed them to scorn and mocked them." Boy, if that isn't an indictment of our culture today. And by the way, they laughed them to scorn and mocked them, knowing that the Assyrians had already been successful in conquering some of the cities. I mean, folks sin is insanity. You know, it's insanity. We see this in our country today. It is disintegrating before our very eyes freedoms being stripped away. You've got gross immorality dominating our culture; our economy is suffering. We are hopelessly in debt. Our borders are overrun with illegal aliens. Marxists totalitarians continue to force us to adhere to their demands. We have demented fools, basically, that are ruling over us. I use "fool" in the biblical sense. The fool is a person that has no fear of God. Our enemies no longer fear us. But despite all of these things going on, when we come along and warn people and offer them the gospel, what do they do? They laugh us to scorn. And they mock us. Boy, nothing has changed in 2500 years, right? Nothing is changed.

Look again at the contrast presented in verses seven through nine. "Righteousness belongs to You, O Lord, but to us open shame, as it is this day--to the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and all Israel, those who are who are nearby and those who are far away in all the countries to which You have driven them because of their unfaithful deeds which they have committed against You." I want you to also notice that he brings no indictment here against the Lord, as if he were wrong in his judgment. I'm reminded of Isaiah 30 and verse 18, where we read, "Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, and therefore he waits on high to have compassion on you, for the Lord is a God of justice. How blessed are those who long for him?" As we look at verses eight through 10, we see more of these contrasts with respect to their stubbornness, their contumacy, their intransigence, versus the compassionate mercy of the Lord, verse eight; "Open shame belongs to us, O Lord, to our kings, our princes and fathers." Fathers used here metaphorically to describe the leaders of Israel. Why? "because we have sinned against you." But then he goes on to say in verse nine with the contrast, "To the Lord our God, belong compassion and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him; nor have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God to walk in His teachings, which He set before us through His servants the prophets."

You see, friends, like all of us, the people were blind to the horrible power of their sin nature. They were so deceived, they couldn't see the deceitfulness of their own heart, and were it not for God's grace and his word and the power of the Spirit, that's where we would be as well. Verse 11, "Indeed, all Israel has transgressed Your law and turned aside, not obeying Your voice; so the curse has been poured out on us, along with the oath which is written in the law of Moses, the servant of God, for we have sinned against Him." By the way, this is a specific reference to the covenant curses recorded in Leviticus 26, and Deuteronomy 28, and so forth. And then Daniel goes on to specify the evils that God is going to pour out upon his people Israel, because of the rebellion. In verse 12 we read, "Thus He has confirmed His words which He had spoken against us, and against our rulers who ruled us, to bring on us great calamity for under the whole heaven, there has not been done anything like what was done to Jerusalem. As it is written in the law of Moses, all this calamity has come on us; yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our iniquity and giving attention to Your truth. Therefore," verse 14, "the Lord has kept the calamity in store and brought it on us; for the Lord our God is righteous with respect to all his deeds, which he has done, but we have not obeyed his voice."

I want to give you some Old Testament background, which requires us to hear some of the passages of Scripture that many times we overlook. I want to take you back some 900 years prior to what Daniel was talking about when God revealed through Moses what he would do to the people if they failed to obey him. And of course, now Daniel sees that come to fruition. There are curses that are promised in Deuteronomy 28. First of all, beginning in verse 49. Let me give you a sample of this. "The Lord will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as the eagle swoops down, a nation whose language you shall not understand, a nation of fierce countenance who will have no respect for the old nor show favor to the young. Moreover, it shall eat the offspring of your herd and the produce of your ground until you are destroyed, who also leaves you no grain, new wine or oil, nor the increase of your herd or the young of your flock until they have caused you to perish. It shall besiege you in all your towns until your high and fortified walls in which you trusted come down throughout your land, and it shall besiege you and all your towns throughout your land which the Lord your God has given to you. Then you shall eat the offspring of your own body, the flesh of your sons and your daughters in the Lord your God has given you during the siege and the distress by which your enemy will oppress you." In other words, the enemy will starve you until you will resort to cannibalism, which is exactly what happened. If you've ever studied siege warfare, it's an amazing thing. I've been to places in Israel where you can see the remnants of the siege warfare like at Lachish with Sennacherib and the Assyrians, the great fortified city of Lachish. Also at Masada. What they would do first of all, is the hoard would come in, and they would take months and they would build a stone fence around the entire city. For all of you to see, to say to you, there is no escape. There is no escape. And they post their military people all around. And then they find the best way, the closest way to build a ramp up to the walls. They also find other places where they can build other ramps and other towers. And they little by little over time, began to build around so that they can breach the walls. And all along they are starving the people. As people died within the city of Jerusalem, during the Babylonian siege, their corpses were more than they could bury so they would throw them over the walls. The stench of putrefaction was so great it would, just imagine how it would choke you. Of course, anyone that handles corpses knows that it's easy to contract all manner of diseases. And that's what happened after two and a half years of siege. Imagine that, two and a half years, as the Babylonians surrounded Jerusalem, starvation set in. And that caused the people to begin to eat their young and those that would die. God warned them about this some 900 years prior Leviticus 26:29, "You will eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters you will eat." I want you to obey me and I'll bless you, if you disobey me, I will bring my wrath down upon you. Ezekial warned of this, in Ezekial 5:10, "Therefore fathers will eat their sons among you and sons will eat their fathers. For I will execute judgments on you and scatter all your remnant to every wind." Likewise, Jeremiah 19, verse nine, "I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters. And they will eat one another's flesh in the siege and in the distress with which their enemies and those who seek their life will distress them." But they ignored all of the warnings of the prophets. We're militarily invincible, we can handle it. After all God is on our side. Lamentations 2, after it had happened. Jeremiah laments, "See O Lord and look with whom you have dealt. Thus, should women eat offspring, the little ones who were born healthy." Chapter four verse 10, "the hands of compassionate women boiled their own children that became food for them because of the destruction of the daughter of my people. The Lord has accomplished his wrath. He has poured out his fierce anger and he has kindled a fire in Zion, which has consumed its foundations."

Back to the warnings, the curses in Deuteronomy 28 verse 54, "The man who is refined and very delicate among you shall be hostile toward his brother and toward the wife he cherishes and toward the rest of his children who remain, so that he will not give even one of them any of the flesh of his children which he will eat, since he has nothing else left during the siege and the distress by which your enemy will oppress you, and all your towns. The refined and delicate women among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground of delicateness and refinement, shall be hostile toward the husband she cherishes and toward her son and daughter, and toward her afterbirth, which issues from between her legs, and toward her children whom she bears; for she will eat them secretly for lack of anything else, during the siege and the distress by which your enemy will oppress you in your towns." Beginning in verse 58, of Deuteronomy 28, "If you are not careful to observe all the words of this law, which are written in this book, to fear this honored and awesome name, the Lord your God, then the Lord will bring extraordinary plagues on you and your descendants, even severe and lasting plagues and miserable and chronic sicknesses. He will bring back on you all of the diseases of Egypt of which you were afraid, and they will cling to you. Also every sickness and every plague which, not written in the book of this law, the Lord will bring on you until you are destroyed. Then you shall be left few in number, whereas you are as numerous as the stars of heaven, because you did not obey the Lord your God. It shall come about that as the Lord delighted over you to prosper you and multiply you, so the Lord will delight over you to make you perish and destroy you; and you will be torn from the land where you are entering to possess it. Moreover, the Lord will scatter you among all the peoples from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth. And there you shall serve other gods, wood and stone which you are your father's have not known. Among those nations you shall find no rest and there will be no resting place for the sole of your foot; but the Lord will give you a trembling heart, failing of eyes and despair of soul. So your life shall hang and doubt before you and you will be in dread night and day, and you shall have no assurance of your life. In the morning, you shall say, 'Would that it were evening!' And at evening you shall say, 'Would that it were morning!' because of the dread of your heart which you dread and for the side of your eyes, which you will see. The Lord will bring you back to Egypt and ships by the way, which I spoke to you, 'You will never see it again!' And there you will offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but there will be no buyer." Let me read you some ancient history from Josephus, regarding what Daniel saw on the siege of Jerusalem, and why he was passionate about praying to the Lord, that the desolations of Jerusalem would come to an end for his for the glory of the Lord. Here's what Josephus the ancient Jewish historian said, "Now the king of Babylon was very intent and earnest upon the siege of Jerusalem, and he erected towers upon great banks of Earth, and from them, repelled those that stood upon the walls. He also made a great number of such banks, round about the whole city, the height of which was equal to those walls. However, those that were within bore the siege with courage and alacrity, for they were not discouraged either by the famine or by the pestilential distemper, but were of cheerful minds in the prosecution of the war. Although those miseries within oppressed them also. And they did not suffer themselves to be terrified either by the contrivances of the enemy, or by their engines of war, but contrive still different engines to oppose all the other with all till indeed, there seemed to be an entire struggle between the Babylonians and the people of Jerusalem, who had the greater sagacity and skill. The former party, supposing they should be, there by too hard for the other, for the destruction of the city. The latter placing their hopes of deliverance and nothing else but in persevering in such inventions, in opposition to the other as might demonstrate the enemy's engines were useless to them. And the seeds they endured for 18 months until they were destroyed by the famine, and by the darts which the enemy threw at them from the towers." He goes on to say, "Now the city was taken on the ninth day of the fourth month in the 11th year of the reign of Zedekiah. And when the city was taken about midnight, and the enemy's generals were entered into the two ample, and when Zedekiah was sensible of it, he took his wives and his children and his captains and friends and with them fled out of the city through the fortified ditch and through the desert, and when certain of the deserted had informed the Babylonians of this at break of day, they made haste to pursue after Zedekiah and overtook him not far from Jericho, and encompassed him about with those friends and captains of Zedekiah, who had fled out of the city with him. When they saw their enemies near them, they left him and dispersed themselves, some one way, some another, and everyone resolved to save himself. So the enemy took Zedekiah alive when he was deserted by all, but a few with his children and his wives and brought him to the king. Then, Nebuchadnezzar began to call him a wicked wretch, a covenant breaker, and one that had forgotten his former words when he promised to keep the country for him." Josephus went on to say, "And when he had used these words, Zedekiah, he commanded his sons and his friends to be slain while Zedekiah on the rest of the captain's looked on, after which he pulled out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him and carried him to Babylon. And these things happened to him as Jeremiah and Ezekiel had foretold." He went on to say, "And now it was that the king of Babylon sent Nebuzaradan, the general of his army to Jerusalem, to pillage the temple, who had it also in command to burn it in the royal palace and to lay the city even with the ground and to transplant the people into Babylon. Accordingly, he came to Jerusalem in the 11th year of King Zedekiah and pillaged the temple and carried out the vessels of God both gold and silver, and particularly, that large labor which Solomon dedicated as also the pillars of brass and their chapters, with the golden tablets and the candlesticks. And when they had carried these off, he set fire to the temple in the fifth month, the first day of the month in the 11th year of the reign of Zedekiah. And in the 18th year of Nebuchadnezzar. He also burnt the palace and overthrew the city." Then we read, "The general of the Babylonian king now overthrew the city to the very foundations, removed all the people and took for prisoners the high priests Araya, and Zephaniah, the priests that was next to him and the rulers that guarded the temple, who were three in number. And the eunuch who was over the armed men, and seven friends of Zedekiah and his scribe, and 60 other rulers, all whom, together with the vessels, they had pillaged. He carried to the king of Babylon, to Riblah city of Syria. So, the king commanded the heads of the high priests of the rulers to be cut off there. But he himself led all the captains and Zedekiah to Babylon. He also led Josedech, the high priest away, bound."

That gives you a flavor of what happened, dear friends. You understand now the passion of Daniel's heart. People were warned, but they ignored the one that loved them enough to call them unto himself. Verse 12, back to Daniel nine. "Thus He has confirmed His words which He had spoken against us and against our rulers who ruled us, to bring us great calamity; for under the whole heaven, there has not been done anything, like what was done to Jerusalem." So we see the humility of his prayer, most prominently in his confession. And finally, we see the burden of his prayer. And here, he petitions the Lord for forgiveness for restoration.

Notice verse 15. "And now, o Lord our God, who have brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and have made a name for Yourself, as it is this day--we have sinned, we have been wicked." Now mind you, here he is reminiscing about the God of glory that delivered his people out of the bondage of Egypt, to put his glory on display. Later on in the New Testament, he delivers both Jew and the Gentile from the penalty in the bondage of sin, through his death and his resurrection, and in Christ. As we've seen in other passages in Daniel, one day, there will be a future millennial reign upon the earth and there he will once again manifest his glory to the people as he re gathers Israel. And has he restores them to their land. As we read in Jeremiah 16, and many other Old Testament passages, verse 16, then of Daniel's prayer, he says, "O Lord, in accordance with all Your righteous acts, let now Your anger and wrath turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become a reproach to all those around us. So now, our God, listen to the prayer of Your servant, and to his supplications. And for Your sake, O Lord, let Your face shine on your desolate sanctuary."

And then finally, we come to an eloquent crescendo of his prayer, in verses 18 and 19, where he says, "O my God, incline Your ear!" It literally it could be translated, stretch out your ear, it's like hold your ear with a cup of your hand and listen carefully to my plea. "O my God, incline Your ear and hear! Open Your eyes and see our desolations in the city which is called by Your name; for we are not presenting our supplications before You on account of any merits of our own, but on account of Your great compassion. O, Lord hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! For Your own sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name." He uses five verbs here: forgive, listen, take action, do not delay. Once again, dear friends, you see a passion for God's glory, to deliver his people who are called by his name and thus to bring honor to himself.

Oh dear friends in closing, I hope you don't miss the great truths herein. Not only are these great historical facts that we can look back to, but they also demonstrate some great theological truths, not the least of which is this; God means what He says. God means what He says. All sin is going to be punished. And thankfully, he has made a way for someone other than ourselves, to pay for our sins, and that is His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He paid in full the penalty of the sins of all who would place their trust in Him as their only hope of salvation. But hear this. If you reject his call to repentance, to come to faith in Christ, your sin will be paid for not by Christ, but by you yourself. And you will pay for that, in the torments of an eternal hell. Because God means what He says. Dear Christian, I hope you will give heed to the instructions that we gleaned from Daniel's prayer. There's such a pattern here. And here we see the truest expression of humble worship. I pray that when you come before the Lord your God, you will, as we discussed be, first of all, just absolutely consumed with his glory, understanding who he is, as he has revealed himself in Scripture. And if you begin there, what will automatically happen is you will confess your sin. Because whenever we stand in the presence of his holiness, we are laid bare. In that confession, will by the power of the Spirit of God, cause us to have confidence in the precious promises of God that are inherent in the Gospel promises available to all who are broken over their sin, and cry out for mercy. And that will lead finally to a commitment to serve him, come what may, that he might be glorified. And that we might experience the fullness of joy that he longs for us to experience. So let's bear these things in mind. And I would ask you to read this prayer again, in your study this week, with these things in mind, and let the Spirit of God teach you even further. Let's pray together.

Father, thank You for these eternal truths that speaks so directly to our hearts. Despite the fact that these things happened millennia ago, Lord, nevertheless, you are an unchanging God, you are a holy and a sovereign God. And yet you are a forgiving, long suffering God who longs to reconcile sinners unto yourself. May we all be reminded of these great truths. And because of this, be animated to further worship and praise and service to you. So we commit the preaching of your word, to the power of your Spirit to do what you will, for your glory. In Christ's name I pray. Amen.

Solely on the basis of God's grace, I have been given the responsibility of opening up the Word of God to you, to help you to understand it and to apply it to your lives. And so, with this in mind, I ask that you take your Bibles and turn to Daniel, chapter nine. If you haven't been with us, we go verse by verse through whatever book of the Bible we are studying. And we now come to Daniel's prayer of confession, and intercession here in Daniel nine. This will be part one of a little series on this because it'll take a little while to get through this. In fact, today I will be addressing basically the first three verses. But let me read Daniel's prayer through verse 19. Daniel nine beginning in verse one. "In the first year of Darius, the son of Ahasuerus, of Median descent, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans. In the first year of his reign, I Daniel observed in the books, the number of the years, which was revealed as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely 70 years. So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed and said, 'Alas, oh Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly, and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances. Moreover, we have not listened to Your servants, the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers and all the people of the land. Righteousness belongs to you, oh, Lord, but to us, open shame, as it is this day, to the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those who are nearby and those who are far away and all the countries to which You have driven them, because of their unfaithful deeds which they have committed against You. Open shame belongs to us, oh Lord, to our kings, our princes and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him; nor have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God to walk in His teachings, which He set before us through His servants, the prophets. Indeed, all Israel has transgressed Your law and turned aside not obeying Your voice. So the curse has been poured out on us, along with the oath which is written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, for we have sinned against Him. Thus He has confirmed His words which He had spoken against us, and against our rulers who ruled us, to bring on us great calamity for under the whole heaven, there has not been done anything like what was done to Jerusalem. As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come on us; yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our iniquity and giving attention to Your truth. Therefore, the Lord has kept the calamity in store and brought it on us. For the Lord our God is righteous with respect to all His deeds, which He has done, but we have not obeyed His voice. And now, oh Lord, our God, who have brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and have made a name for Yourself as it is this day, we have sinned, we have been wicked. Oh, Lord, in accordance with all your righteous acts, let now Your anger and Your wrath turn away from Your city, Jerusalem, Your holy mountain, for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become a reproach to all those around us. So now our God, listen to the prayer of Your servant, and to his supplications and for Your sake, O Lord, let your face shine on Your desolate sanctuary. O my God, incline Your ear and hear! Open Your eyes and see our desolations and the city which is called by Your name, for we are not presenting our supplications before You on account of any merits of our own, but on account of Your great compassion. O Lord hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! For Your own sake, O my god, do not delay because Your city and Your people are called by Your name.'"

What a magnificent model for prayer that we have here before us. Here we have an 82-year-old servant of God pouring out his heart before the Lord. The same model by the way we can see in an Ezra's prayer in Ezra nine. We can see it as well in Nehemiah's prayer in Nehemiah nine. And certainly, it's a pattern that we would all do well to emulate as we will discover. But I might add that the comprehensive structure of Daniel's prophecies for both Gentiles and Israel has earned it the well-deserved title of the revelation of the Old Testament. Daniel nine is perhaps the key to understanding God's redemptive purposes down through history. That's why it is so important for us to understand it very well, especially as it relates to God's chosen people, Israel and the coming of their Messiah, and our Messiah, to the earth to reign.

Now, by way of introduction, Daniel nine can be divided into two parts. The first 19 verses consist of Daniel's prayer. And the final verses consist of God's response. And today, I will briefly introduce God's response, but primarily focus on Daniel's prayer. And I might add that you cannot properly understand God's response apart from understanding Daniel's prayer. They go hand in hand; not only the contents and nature of his prayer, but also, I might add the heart attitude of this choice servant of God. And here, beloved, we will see that it's not merely a man's words that makes his prayer effective, it is the attitude of his heart. And here we will learn much of that as we study a man whose godly character shines most brightly in his prayer of confession and intercession.

So let's embark upon this amazing journey through Daniel nine. I'd like to do so under four headings. First of all, we will look at the impetus of his prayer. Secondly, the focus of his prayer. Thirdly, the humility of his prayer and finally, the burden of his prayer. And we'll just look at the first two this morning. So the impetus of his prayer, notice verse one. And this basically gives us the context, gives us the setting. Daniel writes, "In the first year of Darius, the son of Ahasuerus of Median descent, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans," that is the Babylonians. So, what we are reading here occurred after Darius the Mead, who was a subordinate of King Cyrus, was tricked into throwing Daniel in the lion's den. All right. So this occurs after that, and I have to stop and pause for a moment. Imagine all that Daniel, I mean, he's about 82 years old. Now imagine all that he has been through thus far in his life, to be exiled to Babylon, as a teenager, to receive divine revelation during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar concerning the great image of chapter two, concerning the high tree of chapter four. And then the vision of the four great beasts during the reign of Belshazzar. Imagine going through all of that. And then 14 years later, he sees the handwriting on the wall and explains that to the king, followed immediately by the invasion of the Medo-Persians. Then the subterfuge of his jealous colleagues that eventually land did him in a lion's den, on and on it goes, it's amazing. And yet through it all, he remained faithful, and God blessed him. And God blesses us because of him, as he is doing here today. Think of all the ways that God protected him, and used him, and how through the miraculous agencies of divine providence, Daniel, accomplished everything that God had ordained for him, and for the world; in the world to be accomplished in the secret counsels of his will.

So, we move on, "In the first year," verse two, "of his reign, I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the Lord," or of Yahweh, "to Jeremiah, the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely 70 sevens." So, he observes the word of Yahweh, which is the personal covenantal name of God. In verse four, he describes him as the one who keeps his covenant and loving kindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments." And so Daniel had the utmost confidence in Israel's covenant relationship with YAWEH. So this is where he goes. And he's inquiring about the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely 70 years. And here in beloved is the impetus of his prayer. This is what is driving him to his knees. This is the great burden of his heart. He has studied the Word of God that God has given to his servant Jeremiah, concerning the 70-year judgment that God imposed upon his nation, Israel, because of their idolatry, and because of their neglect of his appointed sabbatical years. And he gave this warning, God gave this warning back in Leviticus, chapter 26, verse 14, he says, "If you do not obey Me and do not carry out all these commandments," and he goes on to list things that he's going to do, which include beginning in verse 31, "I will lay waste your cities as well, and will make your sanctuaries desolate and I will not smell your soothing aromas. I will make the land desolate so that your enemies who settle in it will be appalled over it. You however, I will scatter among the nations and will draw out a sword after you as your land becomes desolate, and your cities become waste, then the land will enjoy it Sabbath's all the days of the desolation, while you and your enemies' land, then the land will rest and enjoy its Sabbath. All the days of its desolation, it will observe the rest which it did not observe on your Sabbath while you were living on it." So the covenant people violated the commandments concerning many things, but especially the land Sabbath, and this became the basis of God's punishment upon them, the 70 year judgments that they are now experiencing a Babylonian captivity.

By the way, I hope you get the idea that God is serious about his commands. He means what He says. Now, Daniel would have also been very familiar with the last seven chapters of Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy 28, through 34. And in those last seven chapters, we have as David Larson says, "The Matrix out of which the great prophecies of the Old Testament regarding Israel emerge." Let me take you there for a moment. I believe there is an overhead to this end. But in Deuteronomy 26, verse three through verse 13, and Deuteronomy 28, verses one through 14, we read about the conditions of blessing to follow obedience. Evidently, you don't have an overhead. I'm sorry, that was supposed to be... I'll tell you what, I will get this to you. Okay. So I won't read all of these verses. I'll just give you the flow, alright? So if you look at these chapters, you will see first the conditions of blessing to follow obedience. Then the coming apostasy. He warned of the affliction that God would bring upon Israel while still in the land because of her apostasy. We read about how Israel will be taken captive, the enemies of Israel will possess her land for a time, the land itself will remain desolate. Israel will be scattered among the nations, though punished, Israel will not be destroyed. If she repents, Israel will repent in her tribulation. And finally, in chapter 30, verses three through 10, Israel will be gathered from the nations and brought back to her divinely given land. Daniel would have been aware of all of these things because he was a great student of the word. He knew what God said. But what he didn't know is when and how these events would occur.

So back to verse two, he says, "I observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah, the prophet, for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely 70 years.' Now, we know that the prophet Jeremiah predicted this, in 605 BC, 67 years prior to Daniel's prayer. Jeremiah's prophecies were first uttered in Jerusalem when Daniel was just a young teenager. We read about them in Jeremiah 25, beginning in verse 11. There, the Spirit of God speaks through His servant and says, "'This whole land will be a desolation and a horror and these nations will serve the king of Babylon 70 years, then it will be when 70 years are completed, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation,' declares the LORD, 'for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans and I will make it an everlasting desolation.'" It's interesting to note that according to Jeremiah 26, Jeremiah's words were so abhorrent to King Jehoiakim, king of Judah, at that time, that he had them cut in little pieces, in stages, almost like a ceremony, and had them thrown in the fire. Sinful people only hear what they want to hear, right? It's always been that way. People that have no fear of God, they care nothing about what God has to say. This is precisely what we see in our country today with politicians that criminalize biblical morality, and they legalize immorality give free reign to public schools and educators to indoctrinate their children in the disgusting sexual deviancies of the LGBTQ lifestyle and the racist Neo Marxist ideologies of critical race theory. And it goes on and on and on.

So God's covenant people Israel heard the word but they ignored what God said. They despised the prophets. They rejected them despite their warnings, and they embraced the wicked culture around them. Oh, how people hate the truth when it does not fit their agenda. It's always been that way, always will be. It's for this reason that Paul says that they will "turn away their ears from the truth and they will turn aside unto myths." And the myths just go on and on even in our culture today. I mean, what moron would believe that there are more than two biological genders. Jesus said this is why eternal judgment comes upon man. Although the light of Christ has come into the world, Jesus said that "men love the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds are evil." So this is what happened back in Jeremiah's day, and Daniel's day. Let me give you a little of the history from the Word of God with respect to the fall of Jerusalem.

In Second Chronicles 36, beginning in verse 16. We read "they continually mocked the messengers of God," boy, doesn't that sound familiar today? "They continually mocked the messengers of God, despised His words and scoffed at His prophets until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, until there was no remedy. Therefore, he brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary." Literally he took young men into the sanctuary of the temple and butchered them there. Goes on to say, "he had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or infirm; He gave them," God gave them, "all into his hand. All the articles of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king and of his officers, he brought them all to Babylon. Then they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burned all its fortified buildings with fire and destroyed all its valuable articles. Those who had escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon; and they were servants to him and to his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia," catch this, "to fulfill the word of the Lord, by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its sabbaths. All the days of its desolation it kept sabbath until 70 years were complete." Ah, but God warned them. He warned them, for example, through Jeremiah the prophet, but they would not listen. In fact, King Zedekiah also resented Jeremiah's prophecies, resented the warnings about impending judgment. And it was King Zedekiah that had Jeremiah lowered by a rope into a waterless system until he sank into the mire. We read about that in Jeremiah 38. He would have perished had God not rescued him. Dear friends, please hear me, whether you like it or not, whatever the Lord God says, he will surely do. And when he commands you to repent, and place your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, he means what he says. And if you reject that, you will perish in your sins and spend eternity in hell. God means what he says and we see this all through redemptive history, all through Scripture.

The Great 19th century Jewish historian and scholar Alfred Edersheim, who by the way, was a Jewish convert to Christianity, gives us some historical details of the final Babylonian takeover because it did happen in stages. Edersheim says this, "Then the king and all the regular army sought safety and flight during the darkness of the night, Jeremiah 39 four, as the Chaldeans held the northern part of the city they fled southwards between the two walls, through the Tyropoeon, then out of the fountain gate and through the king's garden. They made haste to gain the Jordan, but their flight could not remain unobserved, they were pursued and overtaken in the plains of Jericho. The soldiers dispersed in various directions, but the king himself and his household were taken captives, and carried to the headquarters at Riblah, where Nebuchadnezzar himself was at the time. Here, King Zedekiah was formally arraigned and sentence given against him. His daughters were set free, but his sons were slain before him. It was the last sight the king saw. His eyes were then put out, he was bound hands and feet with double fetters of brass, and so carried to Babylon. There he died in ward, Jeremiah 52:11." How tragic. Let's put this in perspective. What if China comes and takes us over? Slays your children in front of you, kills perhaps your wife, your husband, your loved ones, and then takes you to be a slave to China. That's what we're talking about here friends. Fascinating story, however, regarding Jeremiah's unfailing commitment to the Lord his God trusting in all that he promised, he was so certain that God would restore Israel both spiritually and physically; restoring them to their land that we read that while he was in prison, the Lord had him purchase a piece of property, Jeremiah 32 and verse eight. It says "a field that is in Anathoth," which is in the country of Benjamin, and he purchased that for 17 shekels of silver. It's a fascinating story. Let me read you just a little of it because it encourages all of us to see one who was so faithful in trusting in what God says he will do. Jeremiah 32, beginning in verse 11. Jeremiah says, "Then I took the deeds of purchase, both the sealed copy containing the terms and conditions and the open copy; and I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch, the son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the sight of Hanamel my uncle's son and in the sight of the witnesses who signed the deed of purchase, before all the Jews who were sitting in the court of the guard." By the way, what we see here in this context is they were all imprisoned here. All right, so all of this happened in that context. Then we read, "And I commanded Baruch in their presence, saying, 'Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, "Take these deeds, the seal deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware jar, that they may last a long time." For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, "Houses and fields and vineyards will again, be bought in this land."" What amazing confidence. Truths that God had revealed to him. Jeremiah then prayed for understanding. He was wanting to understand more, why would you have any purchased this land. And then we read more in that chapter of God's assurance of Israel's future restoration. Jeremiah 32, verse 37, and following, he says this, "'Behold, I will gather them out of all the lands to which I have driven them in My anger, and My wrath and in great indignation; and I will bring them back to this place, and make them dwell and safety. They shall be My people, and I will be their God. And I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me always for their own good and for the good of their children after them. I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me. I will rejoice over them to do them good and will faithfully plant them in this land, with all My heart and with all My soul. For thus says the Lord, 'Just as I brought all this great disaster on this people, so I am going to bring on them all the good that I am promising them.'" Then he says this, "'Fields will be bought in this land of which you say, "It is the desolation, without man or beast, it is given into the hands of the Chaldeans.'" And then he goes on to add, "'Men will buy fields for money, sign and seal deeds, and call in witnesses in the land of Benjamin, in the environs of Jerusalem, in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the lowland and in the cities of the Negev, for I will restore their fortune,' declares the Lord.'" Of course, none of this has happened yet. Neither spiritually, nor physically, nor can it happen, until God does a work of grace in the heart of his people and they come to faith in the living Christ that they have rejected, only then will they return to their ancient land, which is consistent with the terms of the new covenant that we read in Jeremiah 31 and Ezekiel 37. That's when all of the land promises will be fulfilled.

So with this knowledge, Jeremiah could now anticipate that one day, think about this, one day in his resurrected body, God would allow him to redeem the land that he had purchased while in prison. It's an amazing thought, oh, what glorious anticipation? What an encouragement to that beleaguered imprisoned prophet and all that were around him. Ezekiel speaks of this as well in Ezekial 36 beginning in verse 35, "'They will say, '"his desolate land has become like the Garden of Eden; and the waste, desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited." Then the nations that are left around about you will know that I the Lord have rebuilt the ruined places and planted that which was desolate; I, the LORD have spoken, and we'll do it.'"

Now, back to Daniel nine, and the impetus of his prayer. While praying about these issues, after studying these ancient scrolls of Jeremiah, again, he's reminded in verse two, "Of the years which was revealed, as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah, the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely 70 years." So this makes perfect sense, he's 80 plus years old, and he's thinking you know what, this time period should be pretty much over. What's fascinating is he did not question the literal fulfillment of this prophecy or a literal interpretation of the words, the numbers of 70, the time period of years. But rather, he was wondering when did the clock start ticking so we can determine when it will stop ticking. That's the burden of his heart. He had certainly read what Jeremiah wrote to his fellow exiles in Jeremiah 29, beginning of verse 10, "For thus says the Lord, 'When 70 years had been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to Me and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart, I will be found by you declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you in to exile.'" By the way, this text is sadly used out of context, very often as a warning, and an encouragement to America. As if God is addressing America here. Beloved, I hope you understand that is ridiculous. America is not a theocracy. God's plans for America is the same plan that he has for every other pagan nation. It is a plan of judgment. One day, this great country will disappear and it will be replaced forever by the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. So please don't be, I know some of you probably have that up on your wall or on facebook, please take it down or at least explain the context there. Okay?

So Daniel is longing for this calamity to end, his longing for a restoration to begin, and we can now see in history, that the first 69 weeks of years were completed at Christ's first coming as promised in Daniel 9:26. We'll study that more when we get there, though Daniel didn't understand that meaning. And now in this 21st century era of redemptive history, and because of the New Testament record, we can understand something more that we will discover once we get there. And that is that there exists an extended period of time, prior to the final 70 years, that final seven-year period, a seven year period that will culminate in Christ's glorious return and the establishment of his kingdom. That's a period known as the Great Tribulation. There is no seven-year period in history that has clearly fulfilled the last unit of seven in Daniel's prophecy. The culmination of Daniel's prophecy is the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, that we await. And when he returns, the 70th seven of Israel to judgment will be fulfilled. And the times of the Gentiles will be over, all of which are pictured in Daniel's prophecies of the four great world empires that we have been studying. But Daniel didn't understand this. And he's praying that the 70-year judgment had run its course. After all, Daniel's vision recorded in Daniel nine occurred in 538 BC, about 67 years after the Babylonians captured Jerusalem and Daniel had been taken into captivity 605 BC. I might add a footnote here, through the angel Gabriel we are going to see in verses 24 and 27 that God will graciously give him a very detailed and very stunning answer to his prayer. The "terminus a quo," or the earliest possible date of the starting point for all of this would have been 605 BC. Which also takes into consideration the desolations of Jerusalem, which would have been the destruction of all the territory that occurred around Jerusalem that predated her actual fall. And the "terminus ad quem," or in other words, the close of the period, as we will see is 539 BC, when the Jews returned to the land. And when they returned to the land, I might also add, that God providentially prevented them from actually rebuilding the temple until the actual 70 years after the destruction of the previous a temple had elapsed. So I'm just giving you kind of an overview here, God is very precise with these things. More details coming when we get to verses 24 and following.

So Daniel knew that these promises were going to be fulfilled literally. But what is also true is that Daniel knew, now catch this, that God uses human agency to accomplish his sovereign purposes. He uses the faithful, humble prayers of his saints, to accomplish what he has ordained. Thus, Daniel prays. Moreover, Daniel knew that effective prayer requires utmost humility and confession and faith and obedience on the part of the supplicant. James 5:16, tells us that "the effective prayer," that the fervent passionate prayer, "of a righteous man can accomplish much." Those who know themselves to be both sinners, as well as righteous because of Christ. Those people when they humbly come before God, and their lives are centered upon the word of God, when they pray, it moves the heart of God to accomplish what he has already ordained. Daniel is a prime example of this.

So we've now understood the impetus of his prayer, when the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely the 77 years would occur when they'd be over. And now we move secondly to the focus of his prayer in verse three, he says, "So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer, and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes." As I alluded to earlier in my discussion of the prophetic matrix of Israel's history that we see in Deuteronomy 28, through 24, Daniel understood that the final curse would result in her exile. But he also knew that according to Deuteronomy 30, verses one through five, God is going to restore them, if they will repent. And so he's going to pray to that end. And it is with this spirit with this heart attitude, of genuine repentance, not just for his people, but for himself, he comes before the throne of grace, verse three, "So I gave my attention to the Lord;" gave my attention could be translated, "so I set my face, I turned my face," it's like God, I'm looking for you. To address you face to face, he's probably looking heavenward. And because of his deep burden for his rebellious countrymen, and because he accurately assesses even his own depravity, what he does here is, he removes all of the distractions in his life that might divert his attention, so he could focus exclusively on the Lord, give his undivided attention on he says, "the Lord God," Lord here is Adonai; Lord, master. He alone is the ruler of heaven and earth. So he approaches him, he is the object of Daniel's faith, the object of his worship, I trust, the same can be said for you. When you approach the Lord your God, do you see him not only as the covenant making, the covenant keeping God, but do you also see him as the Lord and Master, the ruler of heaven and earth. Too often we come into the presence of God as if we're multitasking, distracted with other things. As if we're talking with him while looking at our cell phone. You've seen people do that in restaurants. They'll come in and usually before they sit down, they pull out their phone and they start looking at their cell phones. You'll have four people sitting at a booth and not one of them are looking at each other. Folks, by the way, that is rude. That is rude. Often, that's how we pray. We're so distracted with other things. We're self-centered rather than God centered. And when we do that, we show a lack of respect for the Lord our God and no real burden. Beloved, get serious about your prayer life. When you come into the presence of the Lord, make it an event, not an afterthought. See it as a priority worthy of your utmost attention, not some intrusion on your time. See him as the thrice Holy God of Isaiah six, who is surrounded by the seraphim, seated upon his throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of his robe, filling the temple and on and on, see him that way. And when you see him as he really is, believe me, you will not be distracted by anything else. That's the attitude that we need to have, when we pray. Don't see him as some smiley face deity that's lucky to have you on his team, only deserving of some occasional and hurried interaction. It's perhaps no better gauge of a man's spiritual maturity than his secret devotion to God and prayer. You show me a man or a woman who is lacks in prayer and I will show you a man or a woman who is a spiritual infant. A person who fails to grasp the majesty and the holiness of God that deserves our utmost worship, in prayer. The incarnate Son of God was our supreme example, wasn't he? Mark 1:35. We read that in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went away to a secluded place and was praying there. Pre-dawn, private worship was the habit of our Savior, is it yours? Daniel prayed three times a day. What about you? And I'm not saying that there needs to be some prescription here. But the point is, is this a priority in your life? It certainly was for Daniel. And may I remind you is that God is honored by our trust in his infinite resources. Do you realize that? He is honored when we come before him and we cry out to him for understanding and for help. He delights in meeting our needs. Just like a heavenly Father, or our earthly father would do, so too our Heavenly Father.

In his sermon, "The Most High: a Prayer Hearing God," Jonathan Edwards preached on this issue in the context of quote, "A fast appointed on the account of epidemical sickness at the eastward of Boston." They had a great pandemic there. And his text was, "O Thou that hears prayer, Psalm 65, two," here's a small part of what he said, and I believe you have this in your bulletin. "Why is God so ready to hear the prayers of men? To this I answer, because he is a God of infinite grace and mercy. It is indeed a very wonderful thing that so great a God should be so ready to hear our prayers. That we are so despicable and unworthy. That he should give free access at all times to everyone, should allow us to be important without esteeming it and in decent boldness, and should be so rich and mercy to them that call upon Him. That worms of the dust should have such power with God by prayer, that he should do such great things in answer to their prayers and should show himself as it were overcome by them. This is a very wonderful when we consider the distance between God and us, and how we have provoked him by our sins and how unworthy we are of the least gracious notice. It cannot be from any need that God stands in of us, for our goodness extends not to him, neither can it be from anything in us to incline the heart of God to us. It cannot be from any worthiness in our prayers, which are in themselves polluted things. But it is because God delights in mercy and condescension. He is herein infinitely distinguished from all other gods. He is the great fountain of all good from whom goodness flows as light from the sun." Beloved, please understand, the blessings that we receive from his beneficence are only secondary to the glory that he receives in giving. You must bear that in mind. No wonder Paul says we're to rejoice always, that we are to pray what? Without ceasing, It needs to be the attitude of our heart. "Pray without ceasing and everything giving thanks for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." Dear Christian, I challenge you here. If you have no real desire to spend intimate time alone with the Lord your God, then he is not the source of your greatest satisfaction and joy and you are pursuing other lovers. As I have written elsewhere, concerning pastors and church leaders, "While a lack of self-discipline contributes to this laxity, it is primarily a consequence of loving other things more than God. Some idol has taken the place of God and distracted you from this essential discipline and privilege. Frankly, no ministry will be effective. No marriage will be fulfilling. No family will ever be blessed apart from the pleadings of private prayer. To be sure prayer will never be the early dawn priority of the sluggard who likes to sleep in, nor will it be the priority of the Sunday morning pastor or church leader who pretends to be serving Christ for a few hours on Sunday, but the rest of the week lives for himself. But it will be the priority of the battle-weary soldier of the cross in desperate need of strength. That warrior who begs for more discernment, for more endurance, humility, love, patience and fruit, who pleas for more light and the word and boldness in battle. Because that soldier knows that apart from Christ, he can do nothing." Dear friends, this was the heart of Daniel. This needs to be our heart.

So verse three, "I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer," prayer being intercession, "and supplication," which refers to just entreaty for mercy. He looked intently to the Lord his God to express his own heart, confession, and to plead for more answers. And of course, we know that prayer is the great work of the Spirit of God in the heart of the redeemed. It is the Spirit of God that that animates our hearts, to pray to seek after the only one who can meet our needs. This is as we read earlier, in Zechariah 12:10, "The Spirit of grace and supplication." The apostle Paul described this in Romans eight beginning in verse 26. He says, "The Spirit helps our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints, according to the will of God." So Daniel, gives his attention, his undivided attention, on the Lord, his God, seeking Him, it says, "By prayer, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes." And certainly, these things reveal the attitude of his heart, attitude of utmost reverence and humility. I want you to understand, he didn't fast to somehow impress God. He didn't fast to somehow gain God's attention. He fasted primarily for two reasons. First of all, he was so deeply burdened, he had no appetite. When you're deeply burdened, you lose your appetite, right? But secondly, more importantly, he didn't want to be distracted by anything that would take his time away from coming before the Lord his God, and having to make meals and be a part of all of that would do that. Beloved, when you do business with God, when you come boldly before the throne of grace, make that the undisturbed priority of your life.

He also wore sackcloth, which was a coarse, dark colored garment, sometimes they just wore it around their waist. Sometimes they wore it over their whole body. It was made out of goat's hair, typically worn in times of mourning. Certainly this would manifest what was going on in his heart. He also spoke of ashes, which was typically sprinkled on a person's head; sometimes they would sit in ashes or both. And that symbolized deep penitence, a sign of, of distress. A sign of repentance for sin committed. And so here we have it, with great humility and faith, Daniel comes before the Lord his God to understand these things. Burdened to see when there would be relief. And as we will see, his prayer is one of both personal and national confession.

Friends, I trust you share Daniel's burden for the return of Christ. Trust that you long for repentance in your own heart and in the lives of those around you that you long for purity of life. And I trust that you will make prayer more of a priority in your life. Make that a lifestyle, the lifestyle of disciplined, fervent, private, persistent prayer and watch what God will do. We will continue to see what Daniel prayed for and how God answered him, Lord willing, the next time we're together. Let's pray.

Father, thank You for these eternal truths. I pray that you will cause them to find lodging in each of our hearts. That you will germinate them by the power of your Spirit, that they might grow forth a great plant that will manifest the fruit of the glory of Christ, in our lives in your church, that many will come to saving faith in our precious Savior. For it's in his name that I pray. Amen.

So once again, we come to Daniel, in our study of that amazing book. And we are in Daniel chapter eight, as we have just read a few minutes ago, a few remarks to prepare our hearts for the word this morning. As I think about it, having lived in a country that has been largely sympathetic to Christianity, it's hard for us to realize the seething and growing hatred people have towards those who love and worship Christ. Our world today can be likened to the wickedness that was upon the face of the earth during the days of Noah, that resulted in God's judgment through the worldwide flood. You may recall that in Genesis six, five, we read "That the Lord saw the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." Certainly, that is an apt description of much of what we see, in our world today, even in our country. The militant unbelief in our country validated by the gross immorality, and the sheer insanity of our culture is certain proof that Satan is alive and well. And that he has launched a full-scale attack on the kingdom of God. The Bible, the Gospel, the Lord Jesus Christ, and His true church, all of these things are mocked and ridiculed. And it's just a matter of time that they will be outlawed. After all, what fellowship does light have with darkness. Jesus said, "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own, but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world because of this, the world hates you." But I fear today we underestimate the level of hatred. In fact, just try sharing the gospel with people and see the reaction. And if you're going to be honest with the gospel, you have to begin with the bad news that all that we are, and all that we do is fundamentally offensive to a holy God. That you are born with a sin nature, and you will perish in your sins, unless you place your faith in the living Christ, who paid the penalty for them. Try telling that to people and watch the reaction. Were it not for the freedoms embedded in the Constitution and frankly, more importantly, the mercy of a sovereign God, I fear that we would all be put to death. This has been what has happened over the course of many years of history. And today, we see government officials that do everything they can to legislate what God loathes and criminalize that which God loves. And of course, this has happened down through the millennia of time, and Satan will continue to do everything he can to thwart the purposes of God. But ultimately, I might add to no avail, because in the end, because our God reigns, the kingdom will come.

Now, what we have here in Daniel eight, is an illustration of Satan's wrath being poured out upon God's covenant people Israel in that day, especially under the past rule of Antiochus Epiphanes, which, as you will see, I believe foreshadows an even greater persecution in the future, for Israel and for all who love Christ, under the rule of antichrist. Israel's only hope, the hope of all Gentiles, is ultimately in Christ alone. And we can be thankful that in him we are more than conquerors; "hupernika," we are super conquerors in Christ. He alone is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Now, this is a bit technical, I want to try to make it as simple as possible. Let me tell you what, in summary, what the chapter says; give you an overview, we'll look at it a little bit more in detail and then summarize it.

This vision paints in very broad strokes, the future history of the Medo-Persian and the Grecian Empire. The second and third empires, in Daniel's history of quote "the times of the Gentiles." But with much greater detail, he describes the exceedingly wicked ruler and Antiochus Epiphanes who served as one of the kings of the Syrian division of Alexander's great empire after Alexander the Great died. And however, the prophecy, I believe, goes beyond the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes and foreshadows a future leader that will persecute Israel even more greatly referring to the Antichrist, the final world leader. Now once more as we look at this vision, we see that the Spirit of God uses animals to symbolize these kingdoms. You will recall in chapter two; a bear was used to symbolize the Medo-Persian Empire and the leopard to symbolize Greece. Now in Chapter eight you have a two horned ram symbolizing Medo-Persia, and a one horned male goat symbolizing Greece. However, the one horn on the male goat, as we're going to see, is suddenly broken off and replaced by four conspicuous horns, which symbolizes the four kingdoms of the Diadochi it was called, which means successors, the four rival generals that emerged after Alexander died. And these generals fought for control of his kingdom. And in this vision, we're also going to see that a little horn appears and grows from among those other four horns. A horn that grows to be exceedingly great and that symbolizes Antiochus Epiphanes, the eighth king of the Syrian dynasty of the Seleucid Empire, who came out of one of the four kingdoms of Alexander's successors. He is like the little horn of the fourth kingdom, which was Rome in Daniel seven, he's like him, the one that brought such great persecution upon Israel. However, the one horned male goat that we're going to see here, in Daniel eight is not Rome, nor is the little horn in chapter eight, a reference to the antichrist that will defeat be defeated an the Messiah’s kingdom will come and replace that as we see in Daniel seven. You got to be careful, just because something is similar, doesn't mean that it's identical. A mistake that many Bible expositors I fear make. So bottom line, unlike Daniel's vision recorded in Daniel seven that summarizes the times of the Gentiles in the coming of the messianic kingdom that will replace the Gentile kingdoms when Christ returns, the vision here in chapter eight finds its primary fulfillment in the Medo-Persian and Grecian empires. However, when the angel Gabriel interprets the vision to Daniel, his explanation seems to go beyond Antiochus, to a future world ruler, of which he is merely the type of a greater antitype, the greater antitype being the ultimate King that will oppose Israel in the last days, namely the Antichrist. So as we look at the text, first of all, the first verses here we see the historical setting.

Notice verse one, "In the third year of the reign of Belshazzar the king a vision appeared to me, Daniel, subsequent to the one which appeared to me previously. I looked in the vision and while I was looking, I was in the citadel of Susa, which is in the province of Elam; and I looked in the vision, and I myself was beside the Ulai Canal." Or it could be translated "river." Interesting enough, the Hebrew word "ram" springs from the same root as Elam. You're going to see some of the significance here in a moment. Now bear in mind, this is the second vision God gave to Daniel. At this point Daniel was the same age as I am today, 69 years old. I'm sure he didn't look as young as I do, but that was his age. This occurred in 551 BC, 12 years before Belshazzar's feast, you will recall in Daniel five, where he saw the handwriting on the wall, handwriting pertaining to God's judgment upon him and the Babylonian Empire. Now Susa was a city about 230 miles east of Babylon, and about 120 miles north of the Persian Gulf, that several years later became the one of the Royal cities of the middle Persian Empire. This was the place by the way, where the famous code of Hammurabi was found. The Babylonian law code that dates all the way back to 1772 BCE, that was the Babylonian law written by King Hammurabi of Babylon. By the way, it's still on display in the Louvre Museum in Paris. And I might also add that later on, this was the same Palace region where Esther served as queen. And later it was also the place where Nehemiah was the cup bearer of Artaxerxes the First. So that's a little bit of the background.

So that's the setting now to the vision, verse three, "Then I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a ram, which had two horns was standing in front of the canal. Now the two horns were long, but one was longer than the other, with the longer wind coming up last, I saw the ram, budding westward, northward and southward and no other beasts could stand before him, nor was there anyone to rescue from his power, but he did as he pleased and magnified himself." Now, first of all, you're going to see that I'm going to go back and forth between what these verses say and Gabriel's interpretation of them in verses 15 through 27. So we have an interpretation here of what we just read in verse 20, "The ram which you saw with the two horns, represents the kings of Media and Persia." So this speaks of the dual monarchy of Medo-Persia, symbolized by the silver arms; the two arms of the image in Daniel 2:32. And the two sided bear that we read about in Daniel seven. Under Cyrus we know that Persia eventually became the dominant of the two empires, and they superseded the Median side of this dual monarchy. And it's also interesting to note that the Persian rulers bore the head of a ram a jeweled ram's head whenever they stood in front of their army, according to the fourth century historian Arminius or Salinas. Likewise, Kyle says, quote, "In the Bundehesh," which was a Persian religious book, "In the Bundehesh, the guardian spirit of the Persian kingdom appears under the form of a ram with clean feet and sharp pointed horns. And the Persian King when he stood at the head of the army bore instead of the diadem, the head of a ram." Now m,ind you the Spirit of God is revealing this to Daniel long before it happened. And here a ram symbolizes as we see, the Medo-Persian Empire, and later on the Grecian Empire is going to be symbolized by a male goat. My friend, Dr. Walvoord, said this, "Not only are both the ram and the goat mentioned in the Old Testament as symbols of power, but different lands were assigned to the signs of the zodiac, according to astronomical geography, geography. In this view Persia is thought of as under the zodiacal sign of Aries, the ram. And Greece as sharing with Syria, the principal territory of the Seleucid monarchy, the zodiacal sign of Capricorn, the goat. The word Capricorn is derived from the Latin capri, a goat, and cornu, a horn." End quote. Can't you see the hand of Satan through all of these things? Now notice in verse three "The two horns were long but one was longer than the other with a longer one coming up last." And then he says, "I saw the ram butting westward, northward and southward and no other beasts could stand before him nor was there anyone to rescue from his power. But he did as he pleased and magnified himself. Now folks this is amazing prophecy, absolutely astounding to predict what we know historically happened. The primary military conquests of Cyrus and his successors advanced in three different directions westward to Babylonia to Syria to the Asia Minor, northward to Armenia and all the way up into the Caspian Sea region, and then southward into Egypt and Ethiopia. This is exactly what God predicted.

Now, as Daniel just describes this, he says in verse four, no other beasts were basically able to stand against the Medo-Persian horns. So obviously, there's some other unnamed animals that he's seeing here, symbolic of their powers. And we know that historically, this ram was without equal in that day. History reveals how Cyrus marched virtually unopposed across northern Mesopotamia, to Asia Minor, and there he conquered, everything, including the wealthly Croesus, you remember that story. And then he headed on to Babylon without hardly any effort. We read about this, by the way, in Isaiah chapter 45, the first four verses, and here you see how God even uses the wicked to accomplish his purposes. There we read, "Thus says the Lord to Cyrus His anointed, who might have taken by the right hand, to subdue nations before him, and to loose the loins of kings, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut: I will go before you and make the rough places smooth, they will shatter the doors of bronze, and cut through their iron bars, I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden wealth of secret places, so that you may know that it is I, the Lord the God of Israel, who calls you by your name. For the sake of Jacob My servant, and Israel, My chosen one, I have called you by your name, I have given you a title of honor, Though you have not known Me."

So verse four, "no other beasts could stand before him, nor was there anyone to rescue from his power, but he did as he pleased and magnified himself." So what we see is that a sovereign God orchestrates all of these things. And by divine design, the Medo-Persian Empire became the undisputed, dominant Gentile empire of its day. Until Alexander the Great came along. That's what he sees next in verse five. "While I was observing behold, a male goat was coming from the west over the surface of the whole earth without touching the ground; and the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. He came up to the rim that had the two horns which I had seen standing in front of the canal and rushed at him in his mighty wrath." Now, if we look at the interpretation in verse 21, we see what Gabriel describes. "The shaggy goat, he says, represents the kingdom of Greece, and the large horn that is between his eyes is the first king." And we know this to be Alexander the Great. Once again, astounding accuracy of what would happen some 300 years after Daniel's vision. Beloved, only a sovereign omnipotent, omniscient God could accomplish this. Indeed as Daniel records in verse five, "a male goat," by the way, a male goat is greater in strength and in agility than a ram sheep. The "male goat was coming from the west over the surface of the whole earth without touching the ground." And we know historically that Alexander began his conquest in the west and he moved to the east with uncanny speed. And this is even symbolized by the phrase over the surface of the whole earth without touching the ground. You will recall in chapter seven in verse six, he was represented by the four wings of a leopard, indicating that speed once again. Verse five, "and the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes." Now, normally, a male goat is going to have two horns. But this one is unique; here he has one very large, very conspicuous, or it could even be translated prominent horn, and to be sure this is Alexander the Great, who was a military genius, educated, by the way, by Aristotle. He was born in 356. He was the son of Philip of Macedon, who was a great warrior and a statesman, who ruled Macedon for three decades. You may recall he lost his right eye in a battle due to an arrow. But eventually he was assassinated, resulting in his son Alexander, succeeding him as king in 336 BC; Alexander was 20 years old. Alexander knew that his father hated the Persians. In fact, all of the Greeks hated them since the days of Cyrus. He also knew that his father was preparing to invade them so fueled with seething hatred for an oppressive enemy. He set out to accomplish his father's wishes a year and a half after he had taken the throne. And he began his conquest in 334 BC.

Verse six, "He came up to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing in front of the canal and rushed at him in his mighty wrath." Could be translated his powerful fury or his infuriating strength, he was empowered by the feelings of intense anger. The Greeks hated these people. And so it was time for revenge. So they attacked them. Verse seven, "I saw him come beside the ram, and he was enraged at him, and he struck the ram and shattered his two horns and the Ram had no strength to withstand him. So he hurled him to the ground and trampled on him, and there was none to rescue the ram from his power. Then the male goat magnified himself exceedingly." Indeed, we know historically with around 40,000 men, he annihilated the Persians taking all of Asia Minor, even northern Syria. He conquered the island fortress of Tyre, went on to Egypt and Mesopotamia, all the way to modern Afghanistan, all the way to the borders of India. Maybe you've seen on some of the old movies, the great victory that he had over King Porus with the war elephants. The Battle of Jhelum in 326 BCE, and he carved out an empire of 1.5 million square miles. And he did that in 10 years. That's astounding. So indeed, the male goat magnified himself exceedingly.

Well, as we all know, pride comes before a fall. In verse eight, we see "But as soon as he was mighty, the large horn was broken." We know that history records how he claimed to be a god, and he provoked many of his Macedonian leaders to rebel. In doing so, they were frustrated with him because he merged some of the Persians with the Greek elements of his army, he married some of the Persian women and so forth. Historians Green and Renault say this quote, "His mind full of new projects, Alexander built a fleet to explore the coasts of Arabia and Africa. He sailed up the Tigris to Opus, the ancient Assyrian city where Cyrus the Persian had defeated the Babylonians in 539. They went on to say that Alexander entered Babylon for the last time in the spring of 323, worn out by wounds, hardship, and overdrinking. He fell ill of a fever. Soon he could neither move nor speak. He was propped up and each officer and soldier filed past, He acknowledged each man with his eyes or a slight movement of his head. Within two days Alexander died, and he was not yet 33 years old." So the large horn was broken.

Verse eight, the and it says, "And in its place there came up for conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven." We find the interpretation in verse 22, "the broken horn and the four horns that arose in its place represent four kingdoms, which will arise from his nation, although not with his power." And indeed, these four generals did not have the same intellect, the same power as Alexander. You must remember that Alexander's empire, though it was vast, it was not united politically, governmentally, as an empire. So soon after his death, the generals began to fight amongst each other over who's going to be in charge and over what area. And we know that four dominant generals emerged Antigones of Babylon and North Syria, Ptolemy, the first solder of Egypt, Cassander of Macedonias and Lysimacus of Thrace and Bithynia. I might also add that you see the same divisions described in Daniel 11 and verse four.

But notice a fascinating development here in verse nine. "Out of one of them came forth a rather small horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Beautiful Land," referring to the land of Palestine, the land of Israel. Now a little historical background here, General Antigones lost Babylon and Syria to Seleucus the First of Nicator, the first of the kings of the north, listed in chapter 11 of Daniel. And then a little over 100 years later, and the Seleucid dynasty came forth a small horn, as Daniel says, by the name of Antiochus, the Fourth Epiphanes. He was the eighth king of this dynasty. He ruled from 175 to 164 BC. He is described in Daniel 11:21 as the quote, "despicable person." How would you like to have that title, the despicable person? I think I've been called that as well. One of the most vicious persecutors of Israel, but it's it's interesting, by the way, Epiphanes, translated means the "illustrious one." And because the Jews hated him so much, they called him Epimanes, which means madman.

Verse 10, "It grew up to the host of heaven and caused some of the hosts and some of the stars to fall to the earth and it trampled them down." Now we know that stars can at times refer to angels in Scripture, but in other places, it is used to describe spiritual leaders. We see this in Daniel 12 and verse three. And we see now the interpretation that Daniel gives. And here in this interpretation, you're going to begin to see the elements of a dual prophecy, describing not only the events and the person of Antiochus Epiphanes, but also the future antichrist. Verse 23, "'The later period of the rule when the transgressors have run their course, a king will arise insolent and skilled in intrigue. His power will be mighty, but not by his own power, and he will destroy to an extraordinary degree and prosper and perform his will; He will destroy mighty men and the holy people.'" Indeed, we know in verse 10, he will trample them down. So let's go back to verse 11. It is the small horn now that emerges and grew large it says "it even magnified itself to be equal with the Commander of the host," mostly likely a reference to God himself, and "it removed the regular sacrifice from Him." "Regular sacrifice" can be translated, "the continual ceremonial sacrifices," the observances of the Jews in the temple. So he "removed the regular sacrifice from him, and the place of His sanctuary was thrown down."

Now, I want to take you for a moment to Second Maccabees, where we can get some historical details about what happened during this time. First and Second Maccabees, written in the first century by unknown Jewish historians, part of the apocryphal books, they're not canonical books; they're not inspired, but we get a lot of history from them. So here's what we read. "Two years later, the king," referring to Antiochus, "sent the mission commander, the chief collector to the cities of Judah, and he came to Jerusalem with a strong force. He spoke to them deceitfully in peaceful terms, and they believed him. Then he attacked the city suddenly, in a great onslaught and destroyed many of the people in Israel. He plundered the city and set fire to it. Demolished its houses and its surrounding walls. And they took captive the women and children and seized the animals. Then the king wrote to his whole kingdom that all should be one people and abandon their particular customs. All the Gentiles conform to the command of the king and many Israelites delighted in his religion. They sacrificed to idols and profane to the Sabbath." He goes on to say, "The king sent letters by messenger to Jerusalem and to the cities of Judah, ordering them to follow customs foreign to their land, to prohibit burnt offering sacrifices and libations in the sanctuary; to profane the Sabbath and feast days; to desecrate the sanctuary and the sacred ministers; to build pagan altars and temples and shrines; to sacrifice swine and unclean animals; to leave their sons uncircumcised, and to defile themselves with every kind of impurity and abomination, so that they might forget the law and change all its ordinances. Whoever refused to act according to the command of the king, was put to death." We go on to read, "Many of the people, those who abandoned the law, joined them and committed evil in the land." We read how they, "drove Israel into hiding wherever places of refuge could be found. And then on the 15th, day of the month, Kislev in the year 145, the king erected the desolating abomination, upon the altar of burnt offerings. And in the surrounding cities of Judah, they built pagan altars. They also burned incense at the doors of houses, and in the streets, any scrolls of the law that they found were tore up and burned, whoever was found with a scroll of the covenant, and whoever observed the law was condemned to death by royal decree." So they use their power against Israel against those who were caught each month in the cities. On the 25th day of each month, they sacrificed on the pagan altar that was over the altar of burnt offerings. In keeping with the decree, they put to death, women who had their children circumcised, and they hung their babies from their necks, their families also, and those who had circumcised them were killed. Circumcision, of course, being a sign of the Mosaic Covenant. So Daniel sees the terrible future for his people Israel. Verse 12, " And on account of transgression, the host will be given over to the horn along with the regular sacrifice and it will fling truth to the ground and perform its will and prosper." By the way, we must bear in mind that Satan knows that true worship is dependent upon the written law, dependent upon the Scriptures, the truth of the Word of God. So he will, as he has always done, do everything he can to eliminate first, the credibility of the word. And then secondly, the word itself.

Verse 13, "Then I heard a holy one speaking and another holy one said to that particular one who was speaking, 'How long will the vision about the regular sacrifice apply while the transgression causes horror so as to allow both the holy place and the host to be trampled?' He said to me, 'For 2300 evenings and mornings, then the holy place will be properly restored.'" Now we know that according to the creation count in Genesis one, that the formula "evening and morning" refers to a literal day. And while we can't be dogmatic about the precise dates that are mentioned here, according to First Maccabees four verses 52 through 59, we see how the Holy Place was properly restored on the 25th day of the ninth month of 164 BC. And if we work backward 2300 days from that day, we come to the fall of 170 BC. We get a sense of this in First Maccabees one beginning in verse 10. Let me read this to you. "They're sprang from these a sinful off shoot. Antiochus Epiphanes son of King Antiochus. Once a hostage at Rome, he became king in the 137th year of the kingdom of the Greeks. In those days there appeared in Israel transgressions of the law, who seduced many saying, 'Let us go and make a covenant with the Gentiles all around us since we are separated from them, many evils have come upon us.' So the proposal was agreeable. Some from among the people promptly went to the king and he authorized them to introduce the ordinances of the Gentiles. Thereupon, they built a gymnasium in Jerusalem according to the Gentile custom. They disguised their circumcision and abandoned the holy covenant. They allied themselves with the Gentiles and sold themselves to wrongdoing. When his kingdom seemed secure, Antiochus undertook to become king of the land of Egypt, and to rule over both kingdoms. He invaded Egypt with a strong force with chariots, elephants in calvary, and with a large fleet to make war on Ptolemy king of Egypt. Ptolemy was frightened that his presence and fled and many were wounded and fell dead. The fortified cities in the land of Egypt were captured and Antiochus plundered the land of Egypt. After Antiochus defeated Egypt, in the 143rd year, he returned and went up against Israel and Jerusalem with a strong force. He insolently entered the sanctuary, and took away the golden altar, the lamp stand for the light with all its utensils, the offering table, the cups and bowls, the golden sensors and the curtain, the cornices and the golden ornament on the facade of the temple. He stripped it all off, and he took away the silver and gold and the precious vessels. He also took all the hidden treasures he could find." Dr. Whitcomb said, quote, "We can see from this portion of the remarkably accurate historical document of First Maccabees that the beginning of the 2300 days of trampling of, quote, 'the host,' here in Daniel 8:13, as well as the holy place, could very easily have occurred in the fall of 170 BC. It was when the apostate Jews, quote, 'abandoned the holy covenant.' End quote, and received official authorization from Antiochus to, quote, 'observe the ordinances of the Gentiles,' end quote. It was then that this six year and four month period of horror began just as God prophesied."

We see some of the interpretation back in verse 25. Gabriel says, "'And through his shrewdness, he will cause deceit to succeed by his influence.'" Once again, bear in mind, the dual prophecy of not only Antiochus Epiphanes, then, but the Antichrist yet future. "'Through his shrewdness, he will cause deceit to succeed by his influence; he will magnify himself in his heart and he will destroy many while they are at ease. He will even oppose the Prince of princes, but he will be broken without human agency.'" That is, he will be destroyed without human intervention. And we know that Antiochus Epiphanes died of a foul disease. We also know that he learned, on his deathbed while he was sick, that his armies had gone into the land of Judah, and had been routed by the Maccabean revolt. You remember Judas Maccabeus. And according to First Maccabee six, beginning in verse eight, we read this "When the king heard this news, he was astonished and very much shaken. Sick with grief because his designs had failed, he took to his bed, there he remained many days assailed by waves of grief, for he thought he was going to die. So he called in all his friends and said to them, quote, 'Sleep has departed from my eyes and my heart sinks from anxiety, I said to myself, into what tribulation have I come, and in what floods of sorrow am I now? Yet I was kindly and beloved in my rule, but I now recall the evils I did in Jerusalem. When I carried away all the vessels of silver and gold that were in it, for no cause gave orders that the inhabitants of Judah be destroyed. I know that this is why these evils have overtaken me. And now I am dying in bitter grief in a foreign land.'" How sad the dying words of a wicked man who is now enduring the torments of solitary confinement, in an eternal hell.

So Gabriel closes his interpretation to Daniel, verse 26, "'The vision of the evenings in the mornings which has been told is true; but keep the vision secret," in other words, keep it sealed up, "for it pertains to many days in the future.' Then I, Daniel was exhausted and sick for days.'" The idea here is that when he begins to see the horrors that await his beloved Israel, it just took a toll on him emotionally. "'I was exhausted and sick for days. Then I got up again and carried on the king's business. But I was astounded at the vision, and there was none to explain it.'"

Now, as we wrap this up this morning, we need to back up, want you to notice the full context of the interpretation beginning in verse 15. And here, we will have a better understanding of what Daniel's vision says, I believe, about the future of the Antichrist. Verse 15, "'When I Daniel had seen the vision, I sought to understand it, and behold, standing before me was one who looked like a man. And I heard the voice of a man between the banks of Ulai, and he called out and said, 'Gabriel, give this man an understanding of the vision.'" This was probably the voice of God; God calling Gabriel. Gabriel, by the way, is a term that means "Mighty One of God." I might also add that Gabriel was the one that announced to Zacharias and to Elizabeth that they were going to have a son whose name was John the Baptist. It was Gabriel as well that announced the birth of Christ, to Mary. And so this is who we have here, verse 17, "So he came near to me where I was standing." In other words, it would appear that, that he's seeing all this and he sees this angelic person that looks like a man, and he starts coming towards him. I'm trying to, you know, get a vision of this in my own mind what that might be like, the whole thing is just so overwhelming. "So he came here to where I was standing and when he came, I was frightened and fell on my face; but he said to me, 'Son of man, understand that the vision pertains to the time of the end.' Now, while he was talking with me, I sank into a deep sleep." literally, he fainted. I think I would do its just, this is just overwhelming. You just can't handle it. "I sank into a deep sleep with my face to the ground, but he touched me and made me stand upright." So apparently, he sees the angel from a distance, comes towards him, scares him to death. He's overpowered by the manifestation of perfected holiness, which by the way, is always the response that you see of people in Scripture. Dear friends, anyone who has a cavalier attitude, when they say, oh, yeah, I talked with an angel or I talked with God, any person that talks that way, is a liar. Because this is the response that would happen.

Now notice the phrase at the end of verse 17, "'Son of man, understand that the vision pertains to the time of the end.'" Also, in verse 19, we see the phrase used again, "'Behold, I'm going to let you know what will occur at the final period of the indignation for it pertains to the appointed time of the end." Now, what did these phrases mean? Do they only refer to the last days of the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes? I think not. I cannot see how his six years of persecuting Israel could be considered, quote, "the final period of the indignation pertaining to the appointed time of the end." I mean, what ended at that time at some level of persecution of Israel for just a moment, but I mean, he died 100 years before his kingdom came to an end. And when he died, Israel's persecution and suffering continued at the hands of Gentile domination. And there was certainly no outpouring of blessing upon Israel after the Seleucid Empire. So that just doesn't make sense to me that it's just referring to that time. Moreover, their suffering only increased because what followed the Seleucid reign? Rome. The iron legions of Rome. So surely Gabriel's reference to quote, "the final period of the indignation," (break in audio, not able to be transcribed)...That is exceedingly more significant than the final historical events at the close of Antiochus' reign. And most premillennial scholars agree that Gabriel's interpretation encompasses more than just those events, but sees this pointing to the wicked rule of one who is foreshadowed by Antiochus Epiphanes, namely the wicked rule of the Antichrist, the one whose future character and conduct can be seen in the details of verses 23 through 25 that describes not only Antiochus Epiphanes, but also the Antichrist.

The fourth century AD, Latin scholar and Bible translator, and theologian by the name of Jerome reported that the Jews of his day saw more than Antiochus in this prophecy, Jerome said, quote, "This is also our understanding concerning the Antichrist who shadow has thus been projected before." End quote. So I believe it is reasonable, let me put it that way, to assume that the appointed time of the end, for example, in verse 19, refers to the final God ordained defeat of the Gentile domination over Israel. When, as Jesus said in Luke 21:24, "the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled." In other words, when Christ returns at the end of God's judgment of Daniel 70th week, the tribulation period, only then will the reign of the Antichrist and Gentile domination be over forever. Only then, will messianic blessing replace God's continuing indignation against Israel through Gentile oppression. Only then will Israel be able to experience the spiritual and the physical blessings that God promised them in the Abrahamic covenant. So when Gabriel tells Daniel in verse 17, "Son of man, understand that the vision pertains to the time of the end." And when he says in verse 19, "Behold, I am going to let you know what will occur at the final period of the indignation for it pertains to the appointed time of the end," it is reasonable to believe that this is pointing to the culmination of God's 70th week of judgment. We read about it, for example, in Daniel nine verse 24. "Seventy weeks had been decreed for your people in your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place." So, in my humble opinion, the oppression of antichrist is only a partial fulfillment of the prophetic vision. Whereas the final rule of the Antichrist, which I might add, was presented in Nebuchadnezzar's dream in Daniel's first vision. That final rule fulfills every aspect of this vision, especially as it relates to those phrases. Verse 17, the vision pertains to the time of the end. And the final period of the indignation for it pertains to the appointed time of the end.

Dr. David Larsen, who you, some of you that were here years ago, may recall when he came to speak to us, puts this in perspective in his excellent book, "Jews and Gentiles in the Church." He says this, "At the halfway point in the seven years of tribulation, the smoldering and latent anti semitism of the world ruler bursts into a flame of fury, and a frenetic rage, according to Daniel 9:27, he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple, he will set up an abomination that causes desolation." Let me pause for a second, where have we heard that before? Dr. Larsen went on to say, "Something happens among the Jews in Israel in response to the testimony of the two witnesses of Revelation 11 and the great hatred that Antiochus Epiphanes had for the Jews. In the second century BC, there is a fore glimpse of the Antichrist's vicious aggression toward the Jews in the tribulation period. The world ruler will then turn his evil genius to the final solution to do what Hitler and all the anti Semites of history have been unsuccessful in doing. The little land of Israel and Jerusalem, become the objects of universal scorn and hostility." End quote.

But thankfully, dear friends, we know that because of God's faithfulness, because of his covenant promises, because of his infinite grace, he will indeed save all that he has promised to save, including a remnant of Israel, of ethnic Israel. We read about this, for example, in Romans 11, beginning in verse 25. Paul says "a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, 'THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB. This is my covenant with them, when I take away their sins.'" Oh, dear Christian, I pray that these great prophetic truths will animate your heart to a more dedicated sense of worship and service, knowing that the Lord is going to come again. May he find each of us faithful at our post, and I hope that you will be overwhelmed as I am when I study these things, that once again, we serve a sovereign God who has ordained to the end from the beginning. He is an omnipotent, omniscient God, that in his providence, in the miracle of his divine providence, can orchestrate all of the events of history of everyone's life, to somehow accomplish all that he has promised. And then to think that we're a part of that by his grace. Folks, if that doesn't get you excited; I'm not a real emotional person, but believe me in my heart, this just, this thrills me. This is overwhelming to think; what God has promised, what he is doing, what he will do, and to think that he has saved us. That he is our Savior, our Redeemer, and our King. And so I pray that this will motivate you. May I challenge you to live in light of his glorious return and warn others that need to come to him and repentant faith. Make your life a life that manifests the love of Christ, that others will see him in you? Amen? Amen.

Let's pray. Father, thank you for these eternal truths that are so overwhelming. Thank you for the promises that are ours in Christ. Thank you for your saving grace, and certainly for the power of your word, that your Spirit uses to sanctify us and conform us evermore into the likeness of your beloved Son, our Savior, the Lord Jesus. And Lord, for those that do not know you as Savior, that know nothing of the intimate joy of communion (break in audio, not able to be transcribed).

As always, I am humbled and I assume you are as well, to be able to open up the Word of God and submit ourselves to what the Spirit of God has for us this morning. So will you take your bibles and turn once again to Daniel chapter seven, we will be looking at these verses in this amazing book. And we are (audio is not able to be transcribed). This is the fourth and final part of this little series emerging from Daniel seven. Now, before we look at the text, may I just say that our study of bible prophecy is a great encouragement to every believer. And certainly, it was intended to be so in the ancient days of Israel, while those dear people were under exile. And so when we come to the prophetic word, we find our hearts just being animated with joy, because we can see that God has a plan. And he is working it precisely the way he intended. The coming Messiah was the main focus of the Old Testament beginning in Genesis three, following Adam's fall when God promised that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent's head. You will recall in Genesis 3:15, and then all the way through to the last book of the Old Testament (break in audio; not able to be transcribed).

And more than 100 of those promises were literally filled (break in audio; not able to be transcribed) reason that the remaining two thirds will also be literally fulfilled. So how encouraging it is for us to look into the prophetic word and see what God has in store, especially during these days in our culture and around the world today. In fact, Christians today are witnessing biblical values being replaced by laws that impose a godless, immoral, oppressiveness toward conservative values in general, Basically, a war in the country, an ideological war, a civil war that's raging out of control. I was thinking my, here we are in the United States of America, a place that was once that great bastion of freedom and protector of the world and we're just watching it crumble under the weight of out-of-control spending and crippling debt and open borders, incoherent foreign policies. We're watching our country being led by corrupt and incompetent, frankly, totalitarian politicians. We've got a president that's clearly in a state of cognitive decline. We see the rise of, of Neo Marxism all around the country. We're being swept away by a tsunami of immorality, as we drowned, frankly, in the sewage of the LGBTQ w x, y, z, sexual deviancy and the the woke culture that even many evangelical churches are embracing. We are seeing escalating violence because police are afraid to do what they need to do. We're seeing the COVID pandemic with the massive impact that it has had on human life and on the economy. And then the growing threat of totalitarian world powers. It's frightening to read what China and what Russia are creating with respect to their military powers and their plans and so forth. I mean, folks, we all know that our children are being raised in a radically different America than it even was 20 years ago. And I shudder to think what their life is going to be like. We're looking at a godless, immoral idolatry country. And it can be infuriating. It can be disheartening and it's easy for us to start wringing our hands and losing hope as if all is lost, but folks once again God is in control. Yeah, things are probably going to get a whole lot worse, but in the end, Jesus is coming; our hope is in the Lord. It's not in America. It's not in our military powers. It's certainly not in our politicians. We fix our hope completely, as Peter said, "on the grace to be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ." And in our text this morning, we are given hope, a certain hope, a blessed hope of a coming King, our Redeemer, our Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, let me once again, because I know this can be complicated. Let me review a little bit of where we've come thus far in Daniel chapter seven and give you the context. Remember that in the first eight verses of Daniel seven, the Spirit of God gives his servant Daniel, basically a panoramic view of world history, including the rise and fall of four Gentile Empires symbolized by four great beasts that rose up from the sea; empires that would dominate, certainly Jerusalem and God's covenant people. And the fourth beast as we've studied, the Roman Empire, was very different. It had 10 horns on the head of a great monster, of reference we know, to 10 actual kingdoms that will exist simultaneously during Daniel's 70th week of judgment or the future tribulation period, just prior to Christ's return. And as we've studied that has to refer to a revived Roman Empire, yet future, in the New Testament era. And also we saw there that an 11th horn appeared, a little horn that comes up after the others, which is revealed to be the Antichrist. And then later, if you jump over to verse 15, through verse 28, we see that an angelic interpreter gives Daniel a big picture, general interpretation of all that he saw, and he explained how that those beasts represent human kings and their kingdoms, and he also reveals their kingdoms will not last. But they will ultimately be replaced by God's kingdom and ruled by the saints of the highest one. That's us, folks. How exciting. But in between verse 18, and the angelic interpretation that you see in verse 15, and following, there is an abrupt cutaway scene, if you will, in the narrative. Immediately after that terrifying description of that fourth beast, with its blasphemous, little horn, the Antichrist uttering great boasts, Daniel was suddenly transported into the presence of God. And as if to confirm to him that, hey, I'm in control, I will judge and I will establish my kingdom. And in that section, that we began to look at last week, there are two dominant themes that emerge. Number one, God is the omniscient judge. That's what we studied last time. And then today, we're going to see that Christ is the coming King, in verses 13 and 14. So by way of eschatological or end times context, with the pre kingdom, tribulation judgments upon the nations of the world now complete, the Messiah King, the Lord Jesus Christ, has been presented now before God the Father, the Ancient of Days, to receive the father's gift of the worldwide kingdom that is to come.

So in verse 13, we read this, "'I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven, one like a Son of Man was coming."'" Now, the phrase "clouds of heaven" depicts the majesty and the power and the authority of his glorious person. And repeatedly in Scripture, we see that the clouds of heaven are used to depict the revelation of deity. And when it says, "one like a Son of Man was coming," this is in contrast to the beastly character of the other kingdoms. So Christ is being referred to here; he is human-like, he's not beast like, he's like a Son of Man, though God very God, he will come and manifest all the perfections of unfallen humanity and he will reign in human form.

In Matthew 26, you may recall when Jesus was under oath in the high priest court, he prophesied regarding his eschatological coming his "parousia" and he made reference to this very passage there in Matthew 26 beginning in verse 63, we read this, "And the high priest said to Him, 'I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.' Jesus said to him, 'You have said it yourself; nevertheless, I tell you, hereafter, you will see the Son of Man, sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven.'" Beloved, this is what was revealed to Daniel; this is what is being revealed to us. This is the one we await. This is the one that the world will witness one day. Luke also records the same details in Acts one verses nine through 11, in the context of Jesus' ascension back into glory, and his promised return. There we read, "And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky, while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. They also said, 'Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you've watched Him go into heaven.'"

So back to Daniel, Daniel sees the Messiah coming and in verse 13, he goes on to say, "'And he came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him.'" Here we witness the sovereign bestow of the eternal kingdom of the self-existent, preexisting, uncreated Creator of heaven and earth, the Lord Jesus Christ. As we read, for example, in John one, the first three verses, astoundingly now, Jesus Christ, will be installed as God's mediatorial kingdom on a renovated earth. He will be given regal authority and he will exercise it by divine grant. I'm reminded of Psalm chapter two and verse six, where God says, "'I have installed My King upon Zion, My holy mountain.'" This is what we're seeing here. Beloved, he is the redeemer King. He is the one that has purchased our redemption by his very blood, He is the one that has made us Kingdom citizens. He is the one according to Hebrews two, where "Through death, He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is the devil, and might free those who through fear of death, were subject to slavery all of their lives." This is the Jesus that we worship.

Back to verse 14, "'And to Him was given," three things, "dominion, glory and a kingdom.'" Dominion is a reference to his ruling authority, glory is obviously a reference to the majesty of his regal authority, and a kingdom speaks of an organized form of his government. Now think about this, unlike the previous four empires that were described, even in Daniel two, as well as in Daniel seven, empires that were ruled by fallen men and destined to fail, Christ's supernatural kingdom, that is coming, will never fail. We read this, where he goes on to say, "'That all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him.'" Can you imagine that day? No more Congress, no more Senate. No more all of that stuff. No more CNN. "All the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him." Folks, I can't tell you how motivating that is to me. I hope it is to you as well. His dominion is an everlasting dominion. It's not waiting for the next voting cycle. It's an everlasting dominion, which will not pass away and his kingdom is one which will not be destroyed. Dr. Alva J. McClain, the founder and first president of my alma mater, Grace Theological Seminary, wrote this in his book "The Greatness of the Kingdom," which by the way, it is one of the greatest books that I have ever read, I would encourage you to read it, "The Greatness of the Kingdom." Here's what Dr. McClain said, "All the functions of government are centered in the glorious person of this mediatorial king. The prophet Isaiah paints a vivid picture of the political situation in the days of the established kingdom; "Then the eyes of men shall see the King and His beauty, ruling upon the earth as a judge, law giver and King" (reference is out of Isaiah 33). A remarkable forecast of the conventional divisions of modern government; judicial, legislative and executive." He goes on to say, "The chief problem in the operation of government has always been to keep these necessary functions in a state of proper balance, and at the same time to provide some center of unification. This problem has never been wholly solved. Human government therefore always swings between the two opposite poles of regimentation and fragmentation. The former leading to a sacrifice of liberty in the interest of strength, the latter to a sacrifice of strength, in the interest of liberty. And the head of the state tends to become either a dictator or a mere symbol." Sound familiar? But McLain goes on to say, "When God's own glorious king takes over the kingdoms of Earth, it will be safe at last to concentrate all the functions of the state in one Person, capital 'P'. This does not mean that he will do everything, but rather that he will be the directing head and final authority. Thus providing a unifying center, both infinitely wise and good for all of the activities of government, something which no state on earth has ever enjoyed. Under his beneficent rule, it will no longer be necessary to sacrifice political unity and strength in the interest of political liberty." And then he quotes John 8:36. "If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed."

So, folks, this is what we have to look forward to, in the second coming of Christ when he establishes his earthly kingdom, and his rule for 1000 years that will eventually merge into the eternal state. The millennial reign of Christ will be the glorious prelude, you might say, of the everlasting kingdom of Jesus Christ. And although good Christians may disagree on certain aspects of eschatology, we must as John Calvin said, quote, "Hunger after Christ, till the dawning of that great day when our Lord will fully manifest the glory of His Kingdom, the whole family of the faithful will then keep this in view that day." End quote.

Now, I want to put what we've learned in Daniel seven, in perspective, as it relates to biblical history, frankly, world history. You know, history has many themes, typically dependent upon the perspective of the historian, and those themes will often focus on the unique background of a specific culture, as we all know, and this has been stated in many ways; whoever wins the war gets to write the history. And many times that history isn't accurate. Typically, the historical narrative will include convenient revisions necessary to promote the agenda of a particular political group, or particular culture, like most Muslims, for example, deny the Holocaust. Many people believe that the Civil War was all about slavery, and that had very little to do with any of it. It had to do with tariffs and states rights and big central government and so forth. But what is missing from virtually every historical record, all of the history books regarding world history, is the big picture that God has revealed to us in His Word. And I want to give you a little flavor of that. This is a history that begins with in the beginning; God created the heavens and the earth. And it ends with the Lord Jesus Christ saying, "Yes, I am coming quickly." To which the apostle John says, "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus, the grace of the Lord Jesus be with all men."

Now, what I'm about to do in reviewing some of this requires me to go rather quickly. I'm giving you some technical things, and I would encourage you to not take notes because you will get lost. Instead, just listen, get a flavor of this and then if you want to take notes, go back and listen to it online, I think that would probably be helpful. If you want to take notes, that's fine. But I'm just saying that you might get lost because I'm not going to wait for you to write these things down, or I'll never get through this, okay? I want you all to maintain the big picture of God's plan of redemption in history. And in order to do that, think of it this way, there are two dominant themes in Scripture. Number one, we see that God has a plan to redeem his people. And this is pictured as a sacrificial lamb as a Savior, a suffering servant, and so forth. But not only is his intention to redeem the people, but also to restore the kingdom. And there we see emphasis on the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Messiah King. And all through Scripture, you're going to see those two themes being articulated. We see for example, a picture of a promise lamb, in Genesis after the original sin. You will recall when God killed an innocent animal, a substitute had to die, to cover sin, a shadow of a coming Redeemer that would one day make atonement for sin. And we see this Lamb pictured in the deliverance of the Jewish people in Egypt. And the sacrificial system, we see it pictured as well in all the prophecies throughout the Old Testament. And then eventually, when we come to the Gospels, we see Jesus coming in utter obscurity and in humiliation. But at the end of the New Testament, we see him coming in the book of Revelation in exultation. When he arrives in the gospel, he has a lamb that opens not his mouth. The one who died to save sinners. And then all through the New Testament, we learn about his plan of redemption, about the signs that will point to his return as King of kings and how we are to live for His glory, and so forth. And again, in the gospels, you see him in his humiliation as the sacrificial lamb, and then the "Apokalypsis lesou Christos," the revelation of Jesus Christ. You see him in his exultation, the Lion of Judah, the King of Israel, who will return and establish his glorious kingdom. Folks, that's the big picture.

Now, let me take you a little bit deeper into some of the details that I hope will be helpful. If we examine the detailed genealogical record in Genesis, we learn that 1656 years after he created Adam, because of extreme wickedness, God destroyed the whole planet, in a flood. All except eight people who, according to Scripture, found favor in the eyes of the Lord, referring to Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives. Adam saw the world into its ninth generation, and Adam died, literally one generation before the flood. 500 years after the flood, we see that God sent his uninfluenced elective love on a particular ethnic group of people, the Jewish people, later became Israel. And we know according to scripture that he made a unilateral, unconditional, irreversible covenant with Abraham that would further demonstrate his sovereign plan to redeem the people and restore the kingdom; those two themes. That covenant is found, for example, in Genesis 12, and it contains four primary elements. We see that out of Abraham would come number one, a seed, referring to Christ, the Messiah, who would be both Redeemer and King, both the lamb and the lion. But in that covenant, it also included the promises of a land, a specific territory that would be set apart by God as a place for his people, a place where he would one day dwell with them in holy and intimate communion. And also the promise of a nation whereby Abraham's magnificent reputation and legacy would be displayed materially and, and spiritually and socially, and the glory of God's grace would ultimately be put on display. And then also finally, in that covenant, there was a promise of divine blessing, as well as protection. God would curse those who curse them and bless them who bless them. And the great promises that are in the Abrahamic Covenant are reiterated over and over and over again in the Old Testament and in the New Testament.

Then if you jump ahead some 600 years later, God made another covenant with the sons of Abraham, one given to Moses. And that covenant was temporal in nature, one that was bilateral and conditional. And that was the Mosaic Covenant. On Mount Sinai, God gave his law to his chosen people, Israel, to demonstrate that they were sinners, that the sinfulness of sin was rampant even in their heart. To demonstrate to them their utter inability to save themselves and their desperate need for a Savior, and eventually, a king. Moses became therefore, the first mediatorial ruler of a theocratic kingdom in history. And he was authorized to stand before Israel according to Exodus four 16, quote, "instead of God." In fact, Moses is presented in Scripture as a type of Christ, who alone, Christ alone, will be the one who is the perfect embodiment of God's mediatorial ruler in the Messianic kingdom. But this historical kingdom was broadened at Mount Sinai now to include the people of Israel. Exodus 19 Six, God says, "You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." At Sinai, God commissioned Israel to be the ones to mediate blessing to the whole world, to be a witness nation, to be the custodians of divine truth. And during that time, God inspired Moses to frame a civil government to exist upon the earth, that would ultimately illustrate the kingdom of God. And the theocracy of Israel became the greatest model of government in the history of the world. A sample of a future kingdom problem promised to Abraham, where God himself will reign as Messiah, Messiah of Israel.

And then over the course of history we see many other mediatorial rulers being set in place. These were leaders and judges of Israel. We see them from Joshua to Samuel; men chosen directly by God, invested with regal functions empowered by the Holy Spirit. And then God established a monarchial form of government whereby he mediated his rule through various kings, all of which were sinful, but which pointed to the need for a righteous king that would one day defeat Satan, sin and death. All of this is pointing to the one who would redeem the people and restore the Kingdom. The only remedy for this problem, of course, was the promised Messiah, the Savior king. And for this reason, about 1000 years after God made his covenant with Abraham, and about 500 years after he gave his law to Moses, God made another promise to one of his mediatorial rulers, whose name was David. The covenant that God made to David, the Davidic Covenant as it is called, is found in Second Samuel seven. And it was basically a reaffirmation of the regal terms of the Abrahamic covenant, but also with the addition that the ultimate provision of those covenantal rights would be permanently attached to a historic dynasty of King David. In other words, King David's throne would ultimately belong to his descendant, the son of David, the Lord Jesus Christ. And although its ultimate fulfillment would be interrupted for a season, it would eventually be fulfilled in a future kingdom, a restored Israel, where finally, the covenant nation would be all that it was intended to be, originally.

Repeatedly the Old Testament prophets spoke of this coming earthly kingdom and its Messiah King. And despite Israel's repeated unfaithfulness, God promises over and over again, how he will remain faithful to them. But eventually because of Israel sin, we know that God transferred world power to the Gentiles as recorded in Daniel two. And ultimately, the presence of God's blessing left them as recorded in Ezekiel 10 and 11. And because of Israel's long trend toward apostasy, God pronounced judgment upon them through the prophet Daniel and the 70 weeks of years, the 490 years we'll get to that in Daniel chapter nine, verses 24 through 27. And this judgment would would span from the Persian Artaxerxes' decree to rebuild the temple in 445 BC to the Messianic Kingdom. The first 69 weeks of that judgment, or 483, years were completed when the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, entered into Jerusalem on nine Nissan AD 30, and was cut off, as was predicted, in other words crucified, just as Daniel had prophesied. And this means as we've studied, and as we will continue to study, that there are seven years of judgment that remain, Daniel's 70th week, seven years of tribulation, the pre-kingdom judgments that will come upon the earth, where finally, the unholy trinity of Satan, the Antichrist, and the false prophet, will be defeated and the nations of the world will be judged and defeated; all those that hate Christ.

Now, because Israel rejected her Messiah, according to Ephesians, three, the mystery phase of the kingdom was ushered in as the church became the temporary replacement of Israel as the new custodians of truth. The body of Christ where Jews and Gentiles are described as, as heirs together sharers together, in the promises of the Lord Jesus Christ, in Jesus Christ. But I do not believe that Israel is ever absorbed into the church. I believe it remains distinct from the church as an ethnic people. And as a nation, I believe that Israel still has a prophetic future. And we can see this, can we not, in the miracle of the Israeli state today, rising up out of the ash heap of the Holocaust, they're now returning to their land, even in unbelief, as the prophets predicted, they're surviving against all odds. It's amazing. So the present church age, I believe, must be seen as an ongoing fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy that ultimately culminates in the Messianic Kingdom and not merely some disconnected parentheses. The church shares in the promises of Israel, but not in her unique identity as a chosen nation, as Paul described in Romans 11:16 through 24, as the natural branches from a cultivated olive tree, some of which have now been broken off at the present time due to a hardening of heart. And there Paul reminds us that the Gentile church is the wild olive branches that had been grafted into the rich root, he says. Which is the covenant privileges originally promised to Abraham. So we're partakers of all of that, all by God's grace and deed. The church you might say, shares in the promises with Israel, but never takes her place as a nation. Despite the rebellion, God has not abandoned his chosen people. Paul understood this, you will remember, in Romans nine, Romans 10 and Romans 11. In Romans nine Paul describes Israel's election, in Romans 10 he describes Israel's defection and in Romans 11 he describes Israel's salvation when their Messiah King returns. And what an amazing history folks, ultimately, this is his story, right? The one who is going to redeem the people and restore the kingdom. And Israel is just this magnificent object lesson in how God deals with all mankind, saving some, judging others, all to reveal his glory through Christ who is both Lamb and Lion. In Isaiah 59, after describing the multiplied transgressions of Israel and his judgment upon them, that text closes with a message of certain redemption and restoration that we read. And later on in Isaiah 60, but in Isaiah 59, verse 20, let me give you a sample of this, he speaks of, quote, "A redeemer will come to Zion, a redeemer will come to Zion, and to those who turn from transgression and Jacob declares the Lord. As for me, this is my covenant with them, says the Lord, my spirit which is upon you, and my words, which I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your offspring, nor from the mouth of your offspring’s offspring, says the Lord from now on and forever." My what a day that will be.

Then the dominating theme of Isaiah 60, that we read earlier in our scripture reading, is the restoration and the world supremacy of the nation of Israel. As we read in the first three verses of Isaiah 60, Arise, shine, for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness the peoples; but the Lord will rise upon you and His glory will appear upon you, nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising." We go on and study that chapter, we see that in verses four through nine, how they returned to their promised land after worldwide dispersion, and how all the nations that want to oppress them will come and pay homage to them, as God's chosen people. They will contribute even to the prosperity and the adornment of the sanctuary of God, and the Lord Jesus Christ; days of apostasy and idolatry and destruction and exile will finally be over according to verse 18 of Isaiah 60. Israel will finally function according to its original and intended purpose as a chosen nation. As God said in Isaiah 41, beginning in verse eight, "But you Israel, My servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, descendant of Abraham, My friend, you whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called from its remotest parts, and said to you, 'You are My servant, I have chosen you, and not rejected you.'" Again, Exodus 19 two, “You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." Only God can bring that to fruition.

So Israel will finally enjoy world supremacy in the coming Kingdom, where it will fulfill its grand purpose of being a blessing to all of the nations as asserted in the original covenant in Genesis 12 and verse three, where we read, "And in you, all the families of the earth will be blessed." Now, folks think of this, Daniel is seeing this picture, in his dream, and he's already had to deal with this with Nebuchadnezzar's dream earlier in Daniel two. But here in Daniel seven, Daniel is 67 years old, he's been in exile all of these years, what an encouragement to hear all of this, to see all of this. And what an encouragement it should be to us. You know, man has always dreamed of living in paradise, right? A place far different from the existence that we have now. You know, today we have diseases and death, violence, war, poverty, endless work, a myriad of other problems that remind us that we're really made for something very different, right? Don't we all feel that, especially as things get worse here in our country? I mean, everything culture has dreamed of in a utopian world. Every longing makes us frankly, easy prey to the next politician who's going to come along and say, vote for me, I will give it to you. I remember Obama, Obama's theme was hope and change. Well, that worked out great. And then Trump comes along make America great again.

That's not working out too good either, is it? But now we have Joe Biden, build back better. That's almost laughable, what's happening. But my point is all of these promises, they never come to fruition, right? I mean, think about this, all of the advances we have in technology, in healthcare, science, philosophy, education, and yet all of these things still plague us. All of the problems of the world, ah, but dear friends, our hope is in the Lord. And Scripture describes, shall we say, a divine utopia that is coming, where the Lord Jesus Christ will reign, one that is brought about by God, not by man. That's the point.

So we know according to Bible prophecy that after seven years of cataclysmic judgment upon the earth and the utter destruction and even reconfiguration of the Earth, what was lost in the garden will suddenly be regained for 1000 years. The millennial kingdom will be ruled by the Messiah, a world dominated by truth and holiness and righteousness and judgment. A world that, according to Scripture will be transformed spiritually and socially, morally, politically. I mean, even the geologic structure of the earth and its climate and the animal kingdom, religious life, all of these things are going to be radically altered and maintained by the rule of God Himself. It's going to be a day when the effects of sin on society and the environment will be reclaimed. When all of the social injustices will be reversed, Israel will finally be restored as the witness nation of Jehovah, which was her original purpose; again, to be a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation, proclaiming that there is one who will redeem the people and restore the kingdom. And finally, in Jerusalem, the covenant God of Israel will reign as the mediatorial King according to Zechariah eight three, "Thus saith the Lord, 'I am returned under Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.'" In a day when God Himself will erect a magnificent temple beyond anything that we could imagine. Zechariah 14 verse nine, "And the Lord will be," I love this, "king over all the earth; in that day, the Lord will be the only one and His name the only one."

If we go to the New Testament, we see this as well. The kingdom was promised there. We see it promised in stages, we learn, for example, in Luke's gospel that a new institution, the church, will temporarily replace Israel until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. Luke 21:24, In answer to the disciple's question, in acts one six, when they asked, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" You will remember what he said. He replied that it was "not for them to know times or seasons, which the Father has fixed by his own authority," in verse seven. Though he does not answer their question, he used the terms "times and seasons," "chronos and kairos," which seems to indicate two different periods, not one. But then as he departs, the angel gives us a clue about his return and says, "He will come in the same way you saw Him go into heaven," verse 11. Obviously, this will be a time of when the restoration takes place. And God reveals these things through his servant Luke in his Gospel, as well as in the book of Acts; that the kingdom is going to come really in two stages. It is here both already, but also not yet. The kingdom was already there in a spiritual sense, and that God was rebuilding the house of David through his greater son in the raised and the reigning Jesus. In Christ's first advent, the Abrahamic and the Davidic and new covenants all receive an initial, shall we say, partial fulfillment, but obviously, much more was to come. That's what we are awaiting, in fact, in Luke one, remember Mary was promised that her son will be great, that the Lord will give him the throne of his father David and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end. And after that, you can put, "not yet, not yet; we're waiting for that." In Luke one the Holy Spirit spoke through Zacharias and promised that the Lord God of Israel would, according to verse 72, "To show mercy toward our fathers, and to remember His holy covenant, the oath which He swore to Abraham our father, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days." And after that you can put, "not yet." In Acts two beginning in verse 30, through verse 36, Luke tells us that Jesus is currently right now, sits at the right hand of on the throne of the Father on the throne of David already, that's already happening. But he also adds that he will rule over the house of Israel and make his enemies a footstool for his feet, "not yet." We see this as well in Jesus' promise that he would not celebrate the Passover feast with his apostles again until all of the kingdom promises were fulfilled. In Luke 22 and in Matthew 26, beginning of verse 29, he says, "But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine, from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom." "Not yet." Moreover, the kingdom had not yet come to its fullness in the New Testament, because the apostles were not sitting, according to verse 30, of Matthew 26, "on thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel," "not yet." So indeed, we see the already, but "not yet" promise of a messianic kingdom, in the New Testament, where it is referred to by different names. In Matthew 19, verse 28, Jesus called it the regeneration, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne. In Acts three and verse 19, Peter called it the "times of refreshing that will come from the presence of the Lord." And then in verse 21, he goes on to describe it as the "period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from ancient time." And then in Ephesians, one and verse 10, Paul described it as "an administration," which can be translated dispensation, "suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens, and things upon the earth." And we know that at the end of the Messianic age, God will utterly destroy both heaven and earth and create a new heaven and earth that has never been, nor ever will be, polluted by sin. Oh child of God, this is the big picture of history, his story.

Often when I'm in the vault of study, I've got music playing. And it just so happened, that when I came to kind of the end of all of these thoughts, I was listening to our good friend Mo Pitney, Blake, I think you know, your brother. And he was singing Fernando Ortega's, "Give me Jesus." And I was thinking, my what a fitting way to just end my thoughts with you this morning. "You can have all this world. You can have all this world, you can have all this world. But give me Jesus, the one who redeems his people, and restores his kingdom."

Let's pray together. Father, we're always overwhelmed when we immerse ourselves in your word and see how you have revealed things to us that the world does not know, does not want to know to the natural man. The things of the Spirit are foolishness, he cannot understand them because he is spiritually appraised. And Lord, we know that were it not for your grace, we would not understand them either. Certainly, we would not embrace them as the magnificent truths of your sovereign plan to redeem your people and restore your kingdom. So we give you praise for your word, for the indwelling Spirit that causes us to understand it as you illumine our minds. But Lord, we praise you as well, for the Spirit who indwells us, that we might live these truths out in such a way as to bring great glory to the Lord Jesus Christ in great joy to our hearts. May that be the passion of every believer within the sound of my voice. And Father, as always, for those that do not know you as the living Christ, those who have never truly been born again and have really no desire for the things of the Spirit, I pray that you will convict them of their sin, that you will give them no rest upon their pillow until they cry out for your saving grace and experience the miracle of the new life of regeneration. So we commit this to you as always, Father, we thank you We give you praise in Jesus name, and for his sake. Amen.

What a joy it is to be able to open up the Word of God and to hear from him. So if you will take your Bibles and turn to Daniel chapter seven, Daniel chapter seven, I might say that I hope you have your Bible with you, I know many of you use your little devices, I would encourage you not to do that. No serious Bible student will ever just use a little device, you need your Bible, you need to make notes in it, you need to underline things. And after a while, you will see all of Scripture kind of as one piece, not a little screenshot. Moreover, you will learn where passages are based on where they reside on a page. Sometimes I can't remember the exact place, but I know it's up in the right-hand corner. You know how that is. So when I say, open your Bibles, I hope you will do that. Now. Now that I've offended some of you.

Nevertheless, let's look at Daniel seven. Okay. And this morning, we are going to look at verses nine through 12, under the heading The Great Panorama of World History, and this is the third part, we will have one more part, I believe, next Sunday. And then we will conclude Daniel seven. Now before we look at the text. As I was thinking about this, and all that is revealed here in this passage of Scripture, I think, my isn't it wonderful that we have the word of God and that we can come together and worship, you know, we should never take that for granted. I mean, think about it, we live in a culture that is shaped by satanic deception, and idolatry. This is where we live. It's like living in Sodom and Gomorrah. We have leaders that seek to legitimize the grossest forms of immorality through legislation. We live in a culture where our leaders will fight for the right to kill unwanted babies. We have people in leadership today that actually believe that boys can become girls can become boys, or both, or neither. Absolutely insane. And so isn't it a blessing to be able to step out of the kingdom of darkness, so to speak, and come here, and be able to worship the Lord our God and spirit and in truth, what a joy and so we come again, to the Word of God, where we have an opportunity to hear from him. And again, when you think about it, sometimes because of all of the difficulties, especially in our culture, these days, sometimes it's easy to feel a bit cut off from the presence of God. I mean, we see no burning bush, we have no parting of the Red Sea. We have no pillar of cloud by, by day and fire by night, we have no Shekinah glory, illuminating a tabernacle, or the temple. So it is easy for us to lose a sense of awe when we come into the presence of the Almighty. And you might say we need a Jacob's Ladder, that spans the great chasm between heaven and earth. Between the transcendent holiness of God and the mundane existence in this world that's filled with so much evil. And beloved, we have that ladder in the Word of God. So let's climb it today. Whenever we open up his word, we enter into the presence of the one who should make us tremble. We are suddenly stricken with a sense of awe with a holy delight, that begs language, and I might add, if this is not your experience, when we open up the Word, there is something terribly wrong with your heart, perhaps even the status of your soul. So as we open up the God breathed word this morning, let's do so with a sense of reverential awe and joy. For in so doing we are entering into the presence of God. This is the closest we can get this side of glory right?

So having said that, let's look at Daniel seven beginning in verse nine. Let me read the text this morning, that we will be looking at and then we will examine it closely. Daniel says, "I kept looking until thrones were set up in the Ancient of Days took His seat. His vesture was like white snow, and the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne was ablaze with flames. Its wheels were a burning fire. A river of fire was flowing and coming out from before Him; 1000s upon 1000s were attending Him and myriads upon myriad's were standing before Him; the court sat and the books were opened. Then I kept looking because of the sound of the boastful words, which the horn was speaking; I kept looking until the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire. As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away but an extension of life was granted them for an appointed period of time. I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven, one like a Son of Man was coming, and he came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed."

Now, by way of review, in the first eight verses of chapter seven, the Spirit of God speaks through His servant, Daniel, and he gives us a panoramic view of world history, including the rise and fall of four great Gentile Empires that were symbolized by four great beasts rising up out of the sea, empires that would dominate Jerusalem and God's covenant people down through the millennia. The fourth beast is also symbolized by ten horns on the head of a great monster. And you will recall that an 11th horn appears a little horn comes up after them, which is revealed to be the Antichrist. And then later, as we examined last week, in verses 15 through 28, an angelic interpreter helps Daniel understand the big picture, a general interpretation of what Daniel saw. And he set the stage for more actors and for more drama and he explains how those beasts represent human kings and kingdoms that will come. He also reveals their kingdoms will not last, but they will one day be replaced by God's kingdom and ruled by the saints of the highest one. But in between verse eight, and the interpretation beginning in verse 15, there is an abrupt cutaway scene that we will be looking at today. You know how sometimes you will be watching some movie, and then all of a sudden, they'll cut away to something that is relevant to it, but it's very different. And it helps explain, and that's what we have here. So immediately after the terrifying description of the fourth beast with its blasphemous, little horn, uttering great boasts referring to the Antichrist rule over a future revived Roman Empire, Daniel is suddenly transported, if you will, into the very presence of God. It's as if God is saying, Look, Daniel, don't worry. I've got it all under control. This is all part of my plan. And as we look at this passage this morning, I believe there are two dominant themes that will help us understand better what the Spirit of God would have us know. First of all, we're going to see that God is the omniscient judge. And secondly, Christ is the coming King. We will examine the first one this morning. And I might also add, for all of us as twice born saints, this should cause us to just break forth in praise, right? And glad adoration; I mean, aren't you glad that we don't live in a random universe? Aren't you glad that the signs that are popping up all over everywhere that say, enjoy life now there is no afterlife. Have you seen those? They're popping up all over; Aren't you glad that's a lie? Aren't you glad Jesus said in John 6:47, "'Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has ever lasting life.'" Now, aren't you glad that our God reigns in absolute authority over all of his creation? He is the one Isaiah tells us in chapter 46 and verse 10, who declares "the end from the beginning, and from ancient times, things which have not been done, saying, 'My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure.'" So let's look closely at what God revealed to Daniel, pertaining to events yet future. And I want to emphasize this I say “yet future because there are some who believe that the fourth empire really reflects the Grecian empire of Alexander the Great, some believe, perhaps, even the Roman, the historical Roman Empire. But I would agree with other conservative Bible expositors that there are at least three factors, in verses nine through 14, that cannot be explained by what occurred during the duration of those two empires. First, Daniel's vision is one of, of God, the Father standing upon a throne to pronounce final judgment to the nations, which includes their utter and their permanent disillusion. And also, it includes being replaced by the everlasting kingdom of God, ruled by the Son of Man. And I would submit to you that nothing close to any of this has ever happened. Secondly, in verses 11, and 12, the little horn representing the ruler, the last rule, or I should say, of the times of the Gentiles, is destroyed, along with his empire. And there exists no reasonable explanation of this during the historical Greek and Roman Empires. And thirdly, the fifth Kingdom is established by the Son of man who comes with the clouds of heaven, he is presented before God the Father, beginning his everlasting kingdom. And again, no satisfactory interpretation can account for any of this in the ancient Greek and Roman Empires. Therefore, the only reasonable conclusion is that these things belong to a future consummation.

So with that little introduction, notice first, how Daniel and all of us, are reminded that God is the sovereign ruler, he is the one that is the judge. Notice in verse nine, he says, "'I kept looking until thrones were set up.'" In other words, he seeing here a courtroom is set up for the proper dispensing of justice upon the Antichrist and his kingdom, in the fourth kingdom. Now, I might add, this is a bit technical, but I want to make sure you understand these things. This is not a reference to the Great White Throne Judgment that takes place at the end of the millennial reign of Christ that you read about in Revelation 20, verses 11 through 15. But rather, this is either a special judgment or a special judgment relating to the little horn, the Antichrist, and the beast, the kingdom. Or it's the sheep and goat judgments that we read about in Matthew 25, which is going to take place at the end of the tribulation, it could be one in the same we're not really sure. But that will occur just before Christ establishes his millennial reign. Now, when Jesus returns to earth, in power, and in great glory, he will judge the inhabitants that are living on the earth, all of the nations, as we've read, will gather before him. And the purpose of that judgment is to determine who will inherit the kingdom and who will not. That's what we read about in Matthew 25, a little bit ago. That's the sheep and goat judgment, but the purpose of the Great White Throne Judgment is very different. It's to see who will be sent into the lake of fire. That's Revelation Chapter 20 and verse 15. Moreover, the subjects of the sheep and goat judgment are both believers and non-believers who are alive when Jesus returns. Thus the labels, sheep, and goats read about that in Matthew 25:32. But the subjects of the Great White Throne Judgment are only nonbelievers. It involves, for example, the resurrection of the last. Let me read you the passage in Revelation 20 began beginning in verse 13, "And the sea gave up the dead which were in it and death and Hades gave up the dead, which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds, Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." So the sheep and goat judgment occurs at the end of the tribulation, and is therefore associated with the second coming of Christ, it's to determine who will enter into the millennial kingdom. Whereas the Great White Throne Judgment occurs at the end of the millennium after the 1000 year reign of Christ with his saints, according to Revelation 20, verses four through seven. And all of that is associated with the transition into the eternal state. So a little bit of theology there; little eschatology to help you keep things in perspective.

Now back to what Daniel sees here, in this courtroom that's being set up for what I believe is either a special judgment on the Antichrist and the final kingdom, or maybe the sheep and goat judgment may be one in the same we can't be sure. But think about this. What a magnificent contrast from verses seven and eight, where the blasphemous scoffing of the little horn, depicting the vile nature of the Antichrist, who's going to rule in that final revived Roman Empire just before Christ returns. I mean, what a contrast. We see here, all of a sudden, he's seeing God the Father sitting upon his throne. And you know, when you think about these blasphemous, scoffing things, I mean, we see that today all the time, every time I turn on the news, and I hear our leaders in Washington, I hear the same type of stuff. It's frightening, and I also am reminded of what God sees and his attitude towards it. You will recall in Psalm chapter two, beginning of verse two, "The kings of the earth," he says, "take their stand, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, 'Let us tear their fetters apart, and cast away their cords from us!'" I love this next sentence, "He who sits in the heavens laughs, Tthe Lord scoffs at them. Then He will speak to them in His anger and terrify them in His fury, saying, but as for Me, I have installed My King upon Zion, My holy mountain." And that beloved, is my king, and your king, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Back to verse nine, notice these thrones "were set up." And you wonder, okay, "Thrones," there plural here, who else will be present at this tribunal? Well, we can see from scripture that it will be the saints of God, including, and especially the tribulation saints who were executed for their faith in Christ, and their refusal to wear the mark of the beast and worship him. We see the same identical symbolism in Revelation 20 and verse four. There we read, "Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus, and because of the word of God and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead, and on their hand, and they came to life and reigned with Christ for 1000 years." Now back again to verse nine. He says, "'I kept looking until thrones were set up and the Ancient of Days took His seat.'" If you've ever been in a courtroom, you know what it's like. The judge comes in, everybody stands and he comes in, he sits down, and that means it's time to begin the proceedings. I believe this to be God the Father, not the Son. The Son is introduced later on in verse 13, as the Son of Man who is seen approaching the Ancient of Days and who is presented before him. Then he says, "His vesture was like white snow and the hair of His head like pure wool.'" You can tell Daniel is trying to describe the indescribable. This emphasizes his purity, his omniscience, is truthfulness. We see the same symbolism, for example, in Isaiah chapter one and verse 18. There we read that familiar passage, "Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be," what? "as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool." And in David's contrition, you will remember how he prayed in Psalm 51 and verse seven, he said, "Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." We see the same symbols of God's purity and his omniscience and his truthfulness in rendering judgment in Revelation three and Revelation four and Revelation 19. In fact, this whole scene corresponds with what John saw and recorded in Revelation chapter four, and five. He goes on, and he says, "His throne was ablaze with flames, its wheels were a burning fire. I'm not sure what this really means. But somehow, you get this feel that it's like a chariot throne that that can move according to his command. But flames and fire, we know, are often associated with holiness and the terrifying judgment of God. We see this throughout Scripture. You will recall when Moses warned the covenant people of the dangerous consequences of their idolatry. He said this in Deuteronomy four in verse 24, "For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God." Not surprisingly, Daniel's description of the throne of God parallels what is Ezekial saw. In Ezekial one in verse four, we read, "As I looked, behold, a storm wind was coming from the north, a great cloud with flashing fire forth continually and a bright light around it and it's in its midst something like glowing metal in the midst of the fire." Again, you can tell Ezekiel is just trying to wrap words around that which is utterly ineffable, Oh, child of God, don't miss this. God is not to be trifled with. He is infinitely holy, and he will judge sin on the basis of his character.

The Psalmist tells us in Psalm 97, and beginning in verse two, "Clouds and thick darkness around Him, righteousness and justice, are the foundation of His throne. Fire goes before Him and burns up His adversaries round about." I must add, like God the Father, Christ as the Son of Man is equally glorious, and terrifying in his judgment. We read, for example, in Revelation one beginning in verse 14, where John describes the Lord Jesus in similar terms. There we read "His head and His hair were white, like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters." Beloved, once again, this is the mighty sovereign that I serve, that you serve. This is the Lord our God. We cannot even imagine what the judgment will be like upon the nations who refuse to honor him. God has promised a day of vengeance, dear friends; his holiness demands it. His pure character demands that his justice must and will prevail. And we know that even prior to that judgment, at the end of the tribulation, the wrath of God is going to be so fierce that it will cause people to want to die. We read about this in Revelation six, beginning in verse 15. And as I read this, think about your friends and your loved ones that reject Christ. Think about all of the arrogant people, even in our country, who mock the Lord Jesus Christ and mock his word, and who think we are idiots for believing that he's actually going to return. Here's what we read in Revelation six beginning in verse 15, And this is in the context of the pre kingdom judgments that will be poured out upon the earth, just prior to our Lord's return, "Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves, and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, 'Fall on us, and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath is come and who is able to stand?'" Matthew 25, that we read earlier, verses 34, as well as 41. Jesus says, "'Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed to have My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.'" And in verse 41, he says, "'Then he will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire, which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.'"

Now Daniel continues in verse 10, to describe the throne of God. There he says, "A river of fire was flowing, and coming out from before Him." So again, this is a further depiction of the glory and judgment of God upon his adversaries. It's like it's flowing out from him. "1000s," he says, "upon 1000s were attending Him and myriads upon myriads were standing before Him." In other words, innumerable saints and angels are surrounding him, worshipping Him, ready to do his bidding. This is a scene that underscores just the majesty and the power and the purity of the righteous judgment that he is about to administer. This is reminiscent of that day when the law was mediated to Moses on Mount Sinai; recorded in Deuteronomy 33 and verse two, there we read, "The Lord came from Sinai, and dawned on them from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran, and he came from the midst of 10,000 holy ones; at His right hand, there was flashing lightning for them." You know, it's impossible to even guess how many angels there are. One of my grandkids, I forget which one, asked me, "Papa, how many, how many angels are there?" We don't know, just a whole bunch of them. Look up in the stars, t's kind of like that, you can't even begin to count them. Indeed, their number is vast beyond measure. We know that holy angels are elect angels, who do not need redemption from a fallen state, unlike Satan, and the demons who sinned, there is no salvation for them. These are, these are magnificent creatures that we can't even imagine. They are not bound by physical space. They can be invisible or visible, they are without gender, they cannot reproduce after their own kind. And when they appear, they always appear as a man, never as a woman. These are ageless, immortal beings that are messengers of God, messengers of God's truth. They serve him perfectly, as well as ministering to us; they are our ministering spirits. And I would submit to you that they're all around us right in here. They can't see us, I mean, we can't see them, but they can see us. It's amazing. And this is what Daniel sees, surrounding the throne of God, "1000s upon 1000s were attending Him and myriads upon myriads were standing before Him."

And then the drama continues. Its almost as though you can hear a pin drop. It says, "The court sat, and the books were opened." Literally, the original says "the judgment sat." So in other words, the court is now in session, and it is ready to render justice.

Now, it was customary for the ancient Persians to record in a book all of the acts of a person worthy a future reward. You can read about that, for example, even in the Bible, in Esther chapter six verses one and two. So this would have been a familiar concept for Daniel and for the Jewish people that were in exile, that he was encouraging. And repeatedly in scripture we learn that God keeps a record of human actions. Deuteronomy 32:34, Psalm 56 eight, Isaiah 65 six, the passage we're in here, Malachi three and verse 16. In fact, in Matthew 12, verses 36 and 37, you will recall how Jesus condemned the Pharisees, saying that "every careless word that men shall speak, they shall render account for it in the Day of Judgment." You see, folks, God is omniscient. There is nothing that he does not know, nothing that he ever forgets. So he has a precise record of all the evil deeds. You know, I mean, it's still inconceivable, but it's probably more conceivable to us than it would have been to my grandparents and great grandparents, because they didn't have computers that can keep track of everything these days, right? We see this in Isaiah chapter 65, beginning of verse six, "'Behold, it is written before Me," God says, In other words, their guilt is recorded before me. "I will not keep silent, but I will repay; I will even repay into their bosom, both their and their own iniquities in the iniquities of their fathers together,' says the Lord." We see another similar description of books being opened in the context of the Great White Throne Judgment in Revelation 20 and verse 12. That final and that short-lived reunion of the damned. There we read, "And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books according to their deeds." Malachi offers another example. The context here in Molokai chapter three, is to encourage the true and righteous remnant of Israel, those that loved and served God but knew that judgment was coming upon Israel, God wanted to encourage them by telling them how he remembered them. And in Malachi three, beginning in verse 16, we read, "Those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him, for those who fear the Lord, and who esteem His name." Then we read, "'They shall be Mine,' says the Lord of hosts, 'on the day that I prepare My own possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his own son, who serves him.'" This book of remembrance may well be synonymous with the book of life in which the names of God's children are recorded. We can read about that in Exodus 32, verses 32 and 34, as well as Daniel chapter 12 and verse one. Jesus said in Luke 10, in verse 20, "Rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven." We read about the book of life as well in Revelation 13, in verse eight, where it speaks of "the book of life of the Lamb, who has been slain." Even tells us when those names were recorded, you will recall, they were recorded, it says, "from the foundation of the world," absolutely astounding. God chose us according to his elective purposes, before creation. Before creation. The death of Christ sealed our redemption forever. Once again, I'm convinced that all that Daniel sees here, demands a fulfillment that is yet future and there's just no reasonable explanation that can point to anything in history that can be attributed to what God reveals to Daniel. And again, what a what a powerful encouragement, I hope you share this. This is such an empowering, powerful encouragement to me, knowing that God is working a plan. And one day he's going to right all the wrongs. He's going to make the crooked straight, as Isaiah records. What a motivator to serve Christ and to wait for his return. Notice what Daniel sees next in verse 11, "Then I kept looking," and here's why, "because of the sound of the boastful words which the horn was speaking." Obviously, this is speaking of the arrogant blasphemies of the Antichrist. And this catches his attention. That's what he's saying here. It's almost as if he's saying, and this is my own paraphrase here, "Lord, how long are you going to put up with this pompous clown. I mean, I just keep hearing this guy making all this noise." When I think about this, I am reminded of times, when my children, when they were little, as well as now, my grandchildren, I've still got a couple of little ones, when they're out with me at a place like Walmart or whatever. And there's some spoiled, rotten brat, that is just pitching a fit, cussing out his parents or whatever. And what do my kids do? They're looking at me like, are you going to...Is anybody... You know, how long are you going to put up with this? As if you know, I can do anything about it. That's kind of the same thing that's going on here. Daniel's just wondering, again, "I kept looking because of the sound of the boastful words which the horn was speaking."

I want to pause here for a moment. You know, many of us look at what's going on in our country today and we say the same thing. When we see our political leaders and hear what they say, we say to ourselves, "Lord, how long are you going to tolerate this? This is beyond insanity." I mean, you would expect people to think this way if they were drooling lunatics, but these people are supposedly sane. And they're saying these things and doing these things. How long before you meet out your judgment upon these emissaries of Satan, who mock you? We all grow impatient, do we not? And increasingly frustrated. We can all join with the Psalmist who lamented in Psalm 13, beginning in verse one, when he said, "How long O, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul? Having sorrow in my heart all the day long? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?" Psalm 13, one and two. But dear friends, we must remember that God's ways are not our ways. And God's timing is always perfect. We tend to measure time in terms of days and months and years. And he measures time, in terms of millennia. For a day is like 1000 years to the Lord. Remember what Peter says in Second Peter three, beginning of verse seven, "But by His word, the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men." In other words, judgment is coming. But he goes on to say, "But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like 1000 years and 1000 years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but," here it is, "is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance." So dear friends, be patient. I have to tell myself that, Lord, hurry up and teach me patience, right? Trust in God's promises. As the psalmist said in Psalm 30, verse five, "weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning."

A beautiful picture hangs on our wall in our living room, some of you have probably seen it. It's a picture of this magnificent eagle flying in the mountains through the trees. And there's a verse attached to that. The great text out of Isaiah 40, beginning in verse 29, where we read, "He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who," what? "wait for the Lord; Those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run and not get tired they will walk and not become weary."

Now, back Daniel's dream, verse 11, "Then I kept looking because of the sound of the boastful words, which the horn was speaking, I kept looking until," you've heard me say it before; I love the word "until." I love...that means something's about to happen that needs to happen. "I kept looking until the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire." Don't you know if you could have seen Daniel's response like, finally, finally. Think of all the stories that we've read and all of the movies that we've seen, where the villain just wins every battle. It's like, don't we ever get any justice here, and they just keep bringing you to a point where you're about to scream, and then all of a sudden, there's justice. That's what we have here. Justice will prevail.

Now, practically speaking, the books that were opened, prove the guilt of the beast. And speaking here of this restored form of the Roman Empire that the Antichrist will use, yet will rule yet future, the sentence of death is therefore justified. I also find it interesting here; of course, the beast, that meaning the kingdom as well as the little horn, the Antichrist, all of that is going to be destroyed together. And as I think about it, there will be no mausoleum to house the physical remains of this coming and final world dictator. Notice the ignominious end of this vile tyrant. It says "its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire." Dear friends, the lowest bowels of hell, await those who try to be like God. And in his description of the fall of the king of Babylon, Isaiah tells us in Isaiah 14 what happens, and this is also a picture we believe of Lucifer, the fall of Lucifer, where we saw the same kind of arrogance in the judgment to follow. Isaiah 14 beginning in verse 14, "'I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High. Nevertheless, you will be thrust down to Sheol, to the recesses of the pit. Those who see you will gaze at you, they will ponder over you, saying, 'Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, who made the world like a wilderness and overthrew its cities, who did not allow his prisoners to go home? All the kings of the nations lie in glory, each in his own tomb. But you have been cast out of your tomb like a rejected branch clothed with the slain who are pierced with a sword, who go down to the stones of the pit, like a trampled corpse.'" There is nothing more ignominious, nothing more monarch than having his body trampled underfoot. Now bear in mind here, the slaying of the beasts that Daniel sees, this destruction of a revived Roman Empire, will be achieved as a result of the Ancient of Days judgment when the Messiah King returns. And we know from other passages of Scripture when, that when the Lord returns, He will destroy the Antichrist's vast army that will be assembled in the valley of Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat, by the way, means "Yahweh judges." That will be the battle of Armageddon, read about it in various passages. Zachariah 14, one through four, Joel three. Let me read you a little bit of this beginning in verse 12, of Joel three. "Let the nations be aroused and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit to judge all of the surrounding nations. Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, tread, for the wine press is full, the vast overflow, for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! But the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision The sun and moon grow dark and the stars lose their brightness. The Lord roars from Zion and utters His voice from Jerusalem and the heavens in the earth tremble, but the Lord is a refuge for his people, and a stronghold to the sons of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, dwelling in Zion, My holy mountain. So Jerusalem will be holy, and strangers will pass through it no more."

So Daniel has been given here a, a front row seat to all that's going to happen with this arrogant, blasphemous little horn and his kingdom. The beast that was slain and its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire. Let me take you to Revelation chapter 19, which describes what's going to happen with the Antichrist, his capture, as well as the false prophet that will work with him. Beginning in verse 20, of Revelation 19, we read this, "And the Beast was seized," meaning captured alive, "and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast, and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire, which burns with brimstone."

Now, finally, having witnessed the judgment of the beast and the little horn, he then focuses his attention to the rest of the beast, as it says here, referring to the lion, which represented Babylon and the bear, Medo-Persia, and the leopard that represented the Grecian Empire. So in verse 12, we read, "As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time." Now, to understand this, you must remember that whenever one of the three previous kingdoms were conquered, the people and their culture, were all absorbed into that new kingdom. And even to this day, we see elements of those vast ancient empires in all of the nations of the world. And this continuation will exist, even in the final empire that revived Roman Empire under the rule of the Antichrist. Thus, as Daniel says here, "an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time." But listen carefully, unlike the previous three beasts, the fourth beast, that final kingdom will come to a sudden, in a violent and a permanent end. As Leon Woods rightfully states, quote, "This contrast for the fourth is understandable. For the rule succeeding it will be the millennial reign of Christ, which will not absorb Rome's people and culture, with all their deficient, degenerate features. That will be a new, unique rule perfect, righteous, and equitable in every way." End quote. And these dear friends will be the subject of verses 13 and 14 that we will examine the next time.

Now, may I challenge you in closing? Oh, dear Christian, live in light of eternity. Jesus is coming. If you don't believe that, again, there is something terribly deficient with your faith. Give yourself completely to Christ, in worship and in service. Don't forfeit the blessings that he longs to lavish upon you, because of your faith and your obedience. Be bold and uncompromising in your gospel witness, in your testimony for Christ. So that when, not if, but when Christ returns in all of his glory, he will find you and me faithful at our post. Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain for the Lord, amen?

Let's pray together. Father, thank you for revealing to us these things that strengthen, confirm, our faith in all that you have promised. Thank you that someday you will indeed be glorified in all of the earth. And Lord thank you that by your grace you have saved us. And Father, if there be one here today that knows nothing of what it really means to be united to Christ in saving faith, I pray that you will remove from them all of the phony excuses and all of the false religious pretenses that would somehow make them believe that they are yours, when in fact they're not. I pray, Lord, that you will overwhelm them with the guilt of their sin and the glory of the cross; that this will be the day that they will repent. They will come to you in saving faith, crying out for a mercy they do not deserve, a grace that they cannot merit, that today will be the day that they will experience the miracle of the new birth. We commit that to you. We plead this for the glory of Christ. For its in his name I pray. Amen.

Will you take your Bibles this morning and turn to Daniel chapter seven, we are going to look at verses 15 through 28 today under the heading, "The Great Panorama of World history." This is the second part in a little series that flows from this text. And I might just share my heart with you for a moment, whenever I lock myself in the vault of study during the week, and certainly when I come before you, I'm just, frankly, overwhelmed with the privilege that I have and that we all have to look into the Word of God to realize that he has spoken to us. Whenever I humble myself before the word under the banner of sola scriptura, whenever I just allow the text to speak to myself to my heart, I just find myself lost in wonder. We don't ever want to take for granted the fact that we have the truth. In a world of lies, we've got the truth. And I'm not only amazed at God's sovereignty, in other words, he has absolute authority, and rule over all things; when I look into scripture, especially when I look at the prophetic word, but I'm also amazed at his condescension, that he would voluntarily descend from his glorious holy throne, in order to communicate to a worm like me, and you. It's an amazing thought. Again, that our ineffably glorious and holy God would reveal Himself to us is staggering to me, and what a privilege that we have, as twice born saints, to have his inspired word, a word that reveals his character, a word that reveals his judgment for sin and disobedience, the word that reveals the blessings that we have for faith and obedience. And all of the things that goes with the revelation of who Christ is, the one who voluntarily bore our sin in his body on the cross, the revelation of the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm so weary of all that we hear in our country. It's just depressing, you know. So it's so good to be able to look and see the truths about the kingdom. You know, that's, that's coming. And that's what we do here. And to be sure, as Peter says, “we are aliens and strangers in this world.” Don't you feel like an alien and a stranger here? We are citizens of another kingdom. We don't belong here. And moreover, God has revealed things to us; think about this, that the rest of the world does not know. And I don't say that to be haughty. They just don't know. And they don't want to know. And this certainly includes the detailed outline of the series of events that will precede and portend the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ in all of his glory, as we have been studying here in Daniel's prophecies.

Now, before we look at the text, I know that eschatology, the study of the end times, Bible prophecy, and so forth, can be confusing to a lot of people. So I want to give you the big picture. And I was trying to think of an analogy, and one that came to my mind is that of a jigsaw puzzle. My father, before he died, liked to work jigsaw puzzles, and there was one it was like, 1000 pieces. And he spent months on that. And you know, it'd be really hard to put that jigsaw puzzle together if you didn't have the picture of what it's going to look like on the box, right? If he just had the pieces of the puzzle. And so sometimes we need to back up with Bible prophecy. And we need to see the big picture. And sometimes we just need one of those puzzles like our children have, that's just got like 15 pieces, you know, and we can kind of put that together and then we can begin to build from there. So I'm gonna give you a little bit of Bible prophecy that on the corner of the box, it says two to four years, okay? Doesn't mean two to four years to put it together. It means you know, two to four years old could do this. So scripture, as we look at it, real simply, suggest that the next event on the prophetic timetable, and by the way, I'm speaking now as a pre-millenarian, as someone that takes the word very, very literally taking into consideration the symbolic meanings and so forth. The next event on the prophetic timetable is the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, that will occur in two stages. The first stage is the rapture of the church. When he comes for his saints. Underline the word "for" he comes for his saints, and they are caught up to meet him in the air, as First Thessalonians 4:14 through 17 tells us. And then the second stage is his physical return to Earth when he comes with his saints, not for his saints, but with his saints, as we read, for example, in Jude 14; he comes to execute judgment against his enemies and so forth. And in between those two stages, we have seven years of tribulation. And that tribulation period is sometimes, or can be called, and is often called, interchangeably with the idea of Daniel's 70th week. So when you hear me talk about Daniel's 70th week, it's the same as the tribulation. Daniel 9:24, through 27 describes this there, and we will get to that eventually. But that describes 70 weeks of years or 490 years of judgment that God has committed to Israel, and 69 of those weeks or 483 of those years have been fulfilled precisely, again, as you will see. And when the Antichrist arises on the scene, he will rule during that time; he has not yet appeared because the rapture of the church has not yet transpired. And so Daniel 70th, week is also the tribulation period and with the church removed, during that time, God will once again focus his attention on national Israel. And during that tribulation period, the Antichrist will rise to power. And he will rule over a revived Roman Empire until the Messiah returns and defeats all of his enemies.

And again, now the rapture of the church, which is the snatching away, or the removal of the church, will mark the beginning of a very painful process for unbelieving national ethnic Israel. But that will be a time eventually, when they will be grafted back into the olive tree of God's covenantal blessing that was originally theirs, as we read about in Romans 11:24. But if you look at the next verse in Romans 11, you will see it will also be a time indicating the end of the Gentile rule, the fullness of the Gentiles has come, Paul says, and that period of time will lead up to the national redemption of Israel, that is spoken of in verse 26, of Romans 11, when, quote, "all Israel will be saved, as it is written, 'The deliverer will come out of Zion, and he will turn away ungodliness from Jacob.'" There's many passages that speak about what will happen during that period of time, that period of judgment during the tribulation. Jeremiah 30, in verse seven is a key text in understanding this, There we read, "Alas! for that day is great, there is none like it; and it is the time of Jacob's distress, but he will be saved from it.'" referring to Israel. And clearly, the pre kingdom judgments upon the earth during Daniel's 70th week pertain to ethnic and national Israel, not to the church. I believe there's a distinction between the two, I do not believe that the church has permanently replaced Israel. In fact, nowhere is the church mentioned in any of the Bible's descriptions of the tribulation, it has been removed. However, you also need to understand that many Jews and many Gentiles will come to saving faith during the time of the tribulation, after the rapture during the Tribulation. And they will be persecuted severely for their faith. And I might also add that what we're witnessing in our world, yea even in our country today, is a precursor to that final period of unprecedented hatred and persecution towards those who follow Christ. All of that is satanically empowered and we see satanically empowered Neo-Marxist liberals in our country. They hate everything that is holy.

Now, with that little background as we return to the prophecies of Daniel seven, which let me remind you, parallel that of Daniel two remember? We have learned that there will be a succession of four Gentile Empires that will dominate Jerusalem and God's covenant people until the Messiah returns and establishes his earthly kingdom. However, remember now, there is a vast time gap that exists between the close of the fourth kingdom of Rome and its powerful future reemergence under the rule of the Antichrist, who was called in Daniel seven, eight, "the little horn" or "the little king." And remember, as we look back there, in Daniel seven, we see that he came up among 10 others. In Daniel seven, eight we read, this is a horn that "possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth, uttering great boasts." And it is here that we're going to focus our attention yet again this morning in verses 15 through 28.

Now, I am deliberately skipping verses nine through 14, we're going to come back to that. There, Daniel records his vision of heaven when God makes his final judgment on the earth. And he utterly and permanently destroys the little horn, and the Antichrist and his vast empire, that time when the Son of Man returns and establishes his kingdom. Again, none of those things have transpired during the historical Greek and Roman age, as some might claim, but await a future and glorious consummation. So with that background, there's a few of the big pieces alright? So let's come now and let's look again, at what the Spirit of God reveals to Daniel.

A little bit of background again here with Daniel; Daniel sees these four great beasts in verse three, they're coming up from the sea, they're different from one another. And he sees these amazing descriptions of each one of them. We examined that last week. But then notice in verse seven, "'After this,'" he says, "'I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying, and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had 10 horns. While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes, like the eyes of a man and a mouth, uttering great boasts.'" Alright, so Daniel sees all of this, he's overwhelmed by it. And naturally, he would like to have some further understanding of what all of this meant. And here's what was going through his mind beginning in verse 15. "'As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed within me. And the visions in my mind kept alarming me.'" Now, as one might expect, if you put yourself in that position, you would want to know more; what in the world is going on here. And I might also add, like every single believer who has an insatiable appetite for the truth of the Word of God, God is going to feed you. And that's exactly what we see happening here; verse 16, "'I approached one of those who were standing by,'" referring to one of the angels, "'and began asking him the exact meaning of all this. So he told me it made known to me the interpretation of these things.'" So beginning of verse 17, we have the angelic interpretation, notice what he says, "'These great beasts, which are four in number, are four kings who will arise from the earth. But the saints of the highest one will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever for all ages to come.'" So here, this angelic interpreter gives a big picture, kind of a general interpretation to set the stage for more of the actors and more of the drama that's going to come about.

And we see here that, first of all, that these beasts represent human kings and their kingdoms and secondly, we see that their kingdoms are not going to last. I'm so glad that that's the case that they will not last, they will be replaced by God's kingdom and ruled by his saints. Now, it's also important to note that this is the first time in the vision that we are introduced to the saints of the Highest One, which I believe suggests they have had no part to play in the panorama of world history until this final stage, when they are said to, quote, "receive the kingdom," which is the same kingdom, given to the Son of Man in verse 14, the eternal King of that final realm. Other Scriptures reveal that the citizens of this kingdom are indeed the saints of the Highest One, those who have been made holy by faith in Christ. But this will also include Jews and Gentiles who will come to faith in Christ during the time of the tribulation; but they are going to suffer greatly under the rule of the Antichrist. In fact, Zechariah speaks a bit about this in chapter 13, beginning in verse eight, There we read, "'It will come about in all the land,' declares the Lord, 'that two parts in it will be cut off and perish; but the third will be left in it. And I will bring the third part through the fire refined them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested, they will call on My name, and I will answer them, I will say 'They are My people.' And they will say, 'the Lord is my God.'" Indeed, the Lord will one day perform a greater deliverance even than that of Exodus. Jeremiah speaks of this in Jeremiah 16, beginning of verse 14, "'Therefore, behold, days are coming,' declares the Lord, 'when it will no longer be said, 'As the Lord lives, who brought up the sons of Israel, out of the land of Egypt.' but 'As the Lord lives who brought up the sons of Israel, from the land of the north, and from all the countries where He had banished them,' For I will restore them to their land, which I gave to their fathers.'" And we're beginning to see some of that occur even today.

So again, back to verse 18, "'the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come.'" This word "possess," in the original language carries the idea of ownership, the idea of authority. Satan, and his demonic and human agents will no longer rule the earth, as he does today, as they do today. Satan is going to be bound, he is going to be sealed up in the abyss during the millennial reign of Christ. We read about that in Revelation 20, beginning in verse one. There, John says, "Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss, and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for 1000 years. And he threw him into the abyss and shut it and sealed it over him. So that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the 1000 years were completed." So again, the saints of the highest one will receive, they're going to possess the kingdom forever. That's us, folks, we can celebrate that we can rejoice in that. I mean, this is our inheritance. It's an amazing thought.

I was thinking about what Paul said in Colossians 1:12. If you want to look there for a moment, there, he says, we’re to give "thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light." Paul is saying that in that context, that because of the finished work of Christ, and all that he has done for us, God has qualified, the term could be authorized, it could be translated, "authorized" or "empowered us" to be partakers of "the inheritance of the saints in the Light." It literally can be translated for the portion of the lot. It's a fascinating thought. This reaches back to the individual partitioning of Israel's inheritance in the Promised Land of Canaan. You can read about it in Numbers 26 and Joshua 14. So what he's saying is that each one of us, as believers, will receive our own individual portion of the total divine inheritance. There are other passages that speak to this but I think of Romans 8:17, "If children," Paul tells us, we are "heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ." An amazing thought, what an astounding promise.

So indeed, as the angel revealed to Daniel, the saints are going to receive and possess the coming Kingdom. We're going to reign with him. Second Timothy two verse 11, "It is a trustworthy statement," Paul says, "For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with Him." Revelation 5:10 says the same thing, "And thou has made them to be a kingdom, and priests to our God and they will reign upon the earth." Verse 20, or chapter 20, and verse four of Revelation, "And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus, and because of the word of God and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand and they came to life," and here we go, "reigned with Christ for 1000 years." Now, obviously, this is all in stark contrast to the four kingdoms of Daniel's prophetic dream. You don't have any saints reigning there. That's the time of the Gentiles. Can you even imagine what it will be like? When according to Zechariah 14 and verse nine, "The LORD will be king over all the earth." All right? You turn on the television, you don't see Joe Biden, you know, you see the Lord. "When the LORD will be king over all the earth; in that day, the Lord will be the only one and His name the only one." Can you imagine what it will be like when according to Habakkuk, two and verse 14, "The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." Can you imagine that day? No more corrupt, greedy, self-serving lying politicians; the Lord will be ruling.

So Daniel learns now how the saints of the Highest One are going to receive and possess this eternal kingdom that was given to the Son of Man. But notice what else troubled his mind in verse 19, "Then I desired to know the exact meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its claws of bronze." The claws of bronze, by the way, is a new detail here, in the whole scene of this, "and which devoured," he says, "crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet." And he wants to know, "the meaning of the 10 horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, and before which three of them fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth uttering great boasts and which was larger in appearance." The original there carries the idea that it was, it was greater, it was sturdier, and it became even more imposing. It was larger in appearance than its associates. And then it says in verse 21, "'I kept looking and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them.'" Well, we know that this is again, a reference to the Antichrist, he is the beast, for example, in Revelation 13, let me take you there for a moment. Revelation 13, beginning in verse five. "And there was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for 42 months was given to him." I want you to notice, this was given to him here, the Lord reminds us that He is the sovereign God who is even ordained this. So God ordains, this 42 month season of blasphemy against himself, he is going to use this ultimately, for his purpose. And this will include blasphemy against three things, back to Revelation 13, six, "And he opened his mouth and blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name." God's name encompasses the consummate sum of all of his infinite perfections. Not only his name, but it says "and His tabernacle." In other words, where God resides, and in transcendent glory in heaven, the place from which Satan was expelled, so he's blaspheming, that, and also "those who dwell in heaven," referring to the saints and the holy angels, whom Satan hates. And then we see his murderous campaign in verse seven of Revelation 13, "And it was given to him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him." Verse eight, and "All who dwell on the earth," which by the way, in the book of Revelation is a phrase used to describe unbelievers, and "All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world and the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain." In the New Testament, the phrase "the foundation of the world" is a synonym for before time began, or eternity past. So remember now two thirds of the Jews during this time will be killed by the Antichrist during the Tribulation as we read in Zechariah 13, eight through nine. And then according to Zechariah, 14, one through five, Jerusalem is even going to succumb to his forces. Beginning in verse one of Zechariah 14, "Behold, a day is coming for the Lord, when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle." By the way, don't we see the precursor of all that right now? "I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle and the city will be captured, the houses plundered the women ravished and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city."

But dear friends, that is not the end, and the hour of Israel's greatest peril, a deliverer is going to come as promised. And that's what we see in the very next verse, verse three of Zechariah 14, "Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations as when He fights on a day of battle. In that day, his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south." He promised to return physically, didn't he? And he's going to return the same place from which he left, verse five, You will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of My mountains will reach to Azel; yes, you will flee just as you fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord, my God will come, and all the holy ones with Him! There is the glory of the Second Coming. In the rapture, he comes for His saints, in the second part of his Second Coming, that second stage, he comes with his saints.

Now back to Daniel 11. This is what the angel reveals to Daniel in his interpretation of verse 21. The horns waging war with the saints, he's overpowering them. And then verse 22, "Until," I love that word "until," that's a great study in and of itself in the New Testament, until.... horrible things are happening... until then there's victory. "Until" verse 22, "the Ancient of Days came and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom." When I was a boy, I used to watch a program. And the guy would say, "I love it when a plan comes together." You remember that? I love it when this plan comes together, and it will. Now you might say, Well, what's going to happen to the little horn? What's going to happen to the Antichrist? Ah, I'm so glad you asked. Turn to Revelation 19, for a moment, beginning in verse 19. Here, John is seeing the theater of operations. Verse 19, of Revelation 19, we read, "And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies," referring to the Antichrist and his allies, "assembled to make war against Him who sat upon the horse and against His army." Now, as a footnote, the Lord may already be in Jerusalem by this time with the army of the saints and his angelic forces somehow hovering in the skies. We don't know for sure. This might help explain why some of the Jewish inhabitants of Jerusalem will suddenly give glory to the God of heaven, according to Revelation 11:13. But we do know that the Antichrist and his allies will amass their forces in this region to "make war against Him who sat upon the horse and against His army." When you think about it, amassing such a vast force will take weeks, and I believe the satanically empowered antichrist will deliberately assemble all of his troops, and we'll be awaiting the warrior king’s arrival, knowing that the three and a half years of his promise coming is about to elapse. In fact, Daniel 11:45 We read, "He," referring to the Antichrist, "will pitch the tents of his royal pavilion between the seas and the beautiful Holy Mountain; yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him." And that's a description of the geography there between the Mediterranean Sea and Jerusalem. Now, we're not told anything about the specifics of his attack, but we know the outcome is going to be instant. It is going to be devastating and the next scene is a cause for great rejoicing Revelation 19 verse 20, "And the beast was seized," carries the idea there of being captured alive, he "was seized, and with him the false prophet, who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast, and those who worshipped his image." And the false prophet is the one who promoted the false worship. And he's going to be treated the same as the beast. It goes on to say these "two were thrown alive into the lake of fire, which burns with brimstone." I've never had this happen to me, and I hope it don't ever have it happened to me, but as a man, I can't think of anything more humiliating than being picked up and thrown. And that's what's going to happen to be "thrown alive" even worse yet, "into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone." To be thrown alive by your arch enemy is a mortification that begs language.

But dear friends, this is the horrific fate of the Antichrist and given the fact that they will be thrown alive into the lake of fire indicates that then either instantly, probably instantly, they're going to be equipped with some kind of body suited for the torments of hell. And then notice again, the ultimate fate of these vile creatures in verse 20, of Revelation 19. "These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone." Now, brimstone is a sulfuric chemical that can become explosively hot. You can see remnants of it, in fact, you can go on YouTube, and you can see evidence of this and the ancient realm of Sodom and Gomorrah, where little balls, little white balls of brimstone, the only place that they exist on the planet, they're little pellets made up of 99%, pure sulfur, and they are embedded in the ashes. You can see Sodom and Gomorrah and some of the other cities that were destroyed in that way. And you can see people taking a lighter and you light that, and it'll just be a blue hot flame that will burn. Well, this will be the final abode, dear friends, for Satan, for his demonic forces, for the Antichrist, for all unbelievers; horrific. Revelation 14:11 describes the suffering of hell as a place where quote, "the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest, day and night." Unimaginable.

Now, back to the angelic interpretation of Daniel's dream, look at verse 23, "'Thus he said: the fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth,' referring to the Antichrist kingdom, 'which will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it.'" Now remember, this fourth kingdom includes not only the ancient Roman Empire, but there's been a big time gap here now, and we believe that there will be a future revived Roman Empire, as we have already studied some. We see this referenced in Revelation chapter 13, as well as 17. And this is affirmed even in the next verse 24. "'As for the 10 horns,'" the interpreter says, "'out of this kingdom, 10 kings will arise and another will arise after them.'" So the Antichrist is going to arise after the first 10. Verse eight, you will recall tells us that he is going to come up from among them. But this the sudden rise, due to the power of his charismatic personality and political promises, is going to be even more understood during that time because of his conquests. And this is what's going to make him different from his contemporaries. Notice the end of verse 24, "'and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings.'" Now, if we go back to verse eight, we read three of the first horns were pulled up by the roots before it. So again, we see a reference here that the antichrist is going to uproot or displace three of his predecessors during that time; he's going to take over their kingdoms for himself. I might add that nothing like this has ever happened, in the ancient, the early Roman Empire, so I believe that this must refer to a revived Roman Empire. Moreover, that the Antichrist's rule future Empire will initially be divided into 10 administrative districts ruled by 10 kings, is further underscored in Revelation 17 and verse 12, There we read, "Then 10 horns, which you saw are 10 kings, who have not yet received the kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour. These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast." I might add that this restoration idea is is further underscored by the events that are described in the remaining three visions of Daniel especially in Daniel 8:23 and Daniel nine, verses 26 and 27.

The interpreter then continues in verse 25, he says, "He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One." "Wear down" means exactly what it sounds; it carries the idea of just being oppressed by unjust authority. Boy, we're feeling evidence of that even now. But it'll be exponentially worse during that time. You know, in general terms, Moses predicted the sufferings of Israelite believers during this time of tribulation, in Deuteronomy six, and I should say, 28, I think is Deuteronomy 28. And Leviticus 26. And Isaiah even prophesied a future period of great purging, in chapter four, verses three and four. As did Jeremiah. He described it as "the times of Jacob's distress, “Jeremiah 30, in verse seven. We see the same thing in Ezekiel 20 and Zechariah 12, Malachi three.

Dr. Whitcomb said, quote, "So devastating will be that final phase of the day of man that two thirds of the nation of Israel will die, quote, 'and I will bring the third part through the fire,' Zechariah 13 Nine. Israel's Messiah," he went on to say, "assured her that," quote, "then there will be a great tribulation such has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall, Matthew 24:21. In fact, unless those days are," quote, "cut, short, none will survive at all. But as Jesus said, in Matthew 24:22, for the sake of the elect, those days shall be cut short."

Now, according to other prophecies, this will actually begin when the Antichrist deceives the world with presumably, some resurrection from the dead, we read about this in Revelation 13. If we were to look at the context there, he will have broken his covenant with Israel that's described in Daniel 9:27. And according to Revelation 13, the False Prophet has helped to create this image of the Antichrist, this large image in the Jerusalem temple, to be worshipped by all mankind. And certainly that's always been Satan's desire. And so his quote, "speaking out against the Most High, and his wearing down of the saints," is going to happen in the last half of Daniel's 70th week, the last half of the tribulation, and it will continue for 42 months, we're told. During that time, the Antichrist is going to be given authority, quote, "to make war with the saints and to overcome them," Revelation 13 seven.

Now, by this time in the tribulation, many of the Jewish believers will have fled into the wilderness to somehow seek protection. You read about this in Revelation 12. And Jesus warned and told them, advised them to do this. You can read about that in Matthew 24, verses 15 through 20. However, we also know that there's going to be a magnificent missionary core of redeemed Jews consisting of 12,000 men from each of the 12 tribes called the 144,000. And they will be protected from death by God and Jesus speaks of this in Revelation 24:14. They will carry this gospel of the kingdom to the whole world for a witness to all nations, and then the end shall come. In other words, they will finally do what he intended for them to do in the beginning.

So again, verse 25, "He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend," not succeed, "intend to make alterations in times and in law." This is probably a reference to the Antichrist attempt to change God's sovereignly allotted time to reign, to allow him to reign with such blasphemy and terror before his promised demise. I recall how Hitler promised that the right would reign for 1000 years, it didn't quite happen. But this is the same type of thinking. Furthermore, we read the Antichrist is going to attempt to alter God's righteous law, he will try to do that in every form. And of course, that's not a surprise. I mean, he's being inspired and empowered by Satan, who is the father of lies. Second Thessalonians two and verse three, Paul calls him the man, the Antichrist, the "man of lawlessness." And, you know, again, we see elements of this growing rapidly, I can't tell you how many people I've talked with, that have said, I just can't believe how quickly things are going down the tubes here in the country. It's absolutely astounding. In fact, if you look at the platform of the Democratic Party, it basically reads as a diatribe against everything that God deems holy. It's for this reason that no discerning Christian could ever support these people. In Isaiah five and verse 20, you will recall, ancient Judah was being judged for a number of things, but one of them is recorded there. "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight!"

And we learn more of how the Antichrist is going to try to change the times in the laws. Daniel 11, beginning in verse 36, "Then the King will do as he pleases, and he will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will speak monstrous things against the God of gods, and he will prosper until the indignation is finished, for that which is decreed will be done." And then it says, "He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers, or for the desire of women," probably meaning he will be a homosexual, "nor will he show regard for any other god, for he will magnify himself above them all." In other words, he is going to be the quintessential megalomaniac of all times. This is who is coming.

Back to Daniel seven at the end of verse 25, "And they will be given into his hand referring to the saints for a time, times, and half the time." This signifies the final period, the final three and a half years in Daniel's prophetic 70th week, the last three years of the tribulation. Now, as a note here, with the church removed, the conditions at the beginning of the Tribulation will be very much like what we saw at Christ's first coming. To quote, Dr. Charles Feinberg, who by the way was a great Jewish scholar, studying to be a rabbi that came to saving faith in Christ, taught at Talbot Seminary. He was one of John MacArthur's teachers, and many others; A great and godly man who's now gone home with the Lord. But here's what he says, quote, "Israel will be back in the land, the sacrificial system will be in force. Because of the rebuilt temple. The nation will be reconstituted as a homogeneous national entity with its leaders who will be able to negotiate contracts with foreign powers, specifically the Roman Prince," referring to the Antichrist, "and the Sabbath, (and by implication, all the religious calendar which was interrupted by the crucifixion of Christ, and the scattering of Israel worldwide), will be in force again, according to Matthew 24:16, through 21." So the point here is, all of the saints will be given into his hand for this period of time when he calls times, times and a half a time. The church has been removed now, Daniel 70th week, the Tribulation, will begin.

And I might remind you that as we look at the prophetic calendar through the lens of Scripture, we see that at the beginning, the first half of the tribulation, the Antichrist begins to rise to power. The pre kingdom judgments that are described in Revelation six through 18, will begin and they will increase in frequency and in severity, like a woman in travail with a child. Persecution will begin early on against believers, both Jews and Gentiles, but they are going to gain momentum in terms of severity and frequency, again, like labor pains. And then according to Daniel 9:27, in the middle of the week, the abomination of desolation will occur. And that's when the Antichrist will break his original covenant with Israel, which again, decided that they needed to resume their ancient sacrificial system in their temple and so forth. And this desolation, this ruin, is what the Jews, when this happens, the Jews will realize that the Antichrist is turned against them. It will ruin, it will desecrate all that is holy in their temple, the presence of God they believe is there, and so forth.

And at the middle point of the tribulation, midway through the Tribulation, that's when all hell begins to break loose on the earth; a horrific period of tribulation and hardship like the world has never known. Jesus spoke about it, again in Matthew 24, and verse 21, and so forth. But God is going to use all of this to save a remnant of his people. I might also add that the church, the pure Bride of Christ, during that time, is going to be replaced by the great whore, the great harlot, which will be a false apostate, ecclesiastical monstrosity, the type of thing that we even see growing today, this demand in the world for us all to just coexist. That's what's going to happen under the leadership of the Antichrist, but he will ultimately be the one that sets himself up to be God, and that great harlot will ultimately require the world to worship the beast. Now, this will continue, it says, "For a time, times and a half the time." Again, the second half of Daniel's 70th week, it's measured in several ways in Scripture. It's also described as 42 months in Revelation 11 two and chapter 13, in verse five. It's also described as 1260 days in Revelation 11, three and 12 six, and also "times and times and half the time" in the text that we're in now, as well as Revelation 12:14. So the saints then are given into his hands during that period of persecution. But notice this, verse 26, "But the court will sit for judgment." This is the same expression that is used in verse 10 that we will examine the next time when the Ancient of Days will pronounce judgment on the little horn on the Antichrist. "The court will sit for judgment and his dominion will be taken away annihilated and destroyed forever." In other words, no other ruler from that point on, will assume power. It's an amazing thought.

And that final hour just before the Lord returns when Jerusalem, which would be the last stronghold of the saints, when the Jerusalem is on the brink of collapse, Zechariah tells us that the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, Zechariah 14 one through three. And I love verse 27, "Then the sovereignty, the dominion, and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven, will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One." That's us, folks. Then it says, "His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him." Beloved, think about this, throughout the course of human history, obviously throughout the course of our lives, we have never known anything but corrupt tyrannical leaders. I mean you look at Washington today, and they're as crooked as a barrel of snakes. We've never known anything like what's being described here. But one day, all of that is going to come to an end. Verse 28, "At this point, the revelation ended. As for me," that’s Daniel, "my thoughts were greatly alarming me and my face grew pale, but I kept the matter to myself." You know, we have a great advantage over Daniel, in that we not only have the complete canon of Scripture to help us understand these things, but also we can look back and see what he was looking forward to and couldn't see, the only thing he couldn't see is the same thing we cannot see. And that's the final revived Roman Empire and the Antichrist. And so to that extent, we ought to also be, as he was, greatly alarmed, greatly alarmed at the judgments that are to come upon the earth.

You know, I think about that all the time. I see people going about their lives, going about their business, they're having their families, they're having fun, they're going to the Titans game, they're doing all these things that you know, a lot of them are legitimate, but they have no idea what God is up to. And unless they repent and place their faith in Christ, they will perish in their sins. They will be destroyed forever. Dear friends, I pray that we will all have an increased burden for the lost because of this; that we will be salt and light in this decaying and very dark world, as we await the imminent return of our Savior and our King. Great, great truths, what we have to look forward to.

Let's pray. Thank you, Lord, for your Word that speaks to our hearts. While we never can understand fully all of the things that you have revealed to us, we can certainly see that again, you are a sovereign God working your perfect plan, to bring glory to yourself. And to think that somehow, we are a part of all of that, it's absolutely astounding. So I pray that these great truths will humble us and will ignite us with an ardent zeal for evangelism that many will hear the good news of the gospel from our lips and from our lives, certainly from this church. We thank You, Lord, and we pray that you will come quickly in Jesus name. Amen.

This morning I would like to begin, what will be at least a two part, maybe a three part, maybe a four part, I'm not sure, series coming out of Daniel chapter seven. I've entitled the series "The Great Panorama of World History." So if you will take your Bibles and turn to Daniel seven. In a few minutes, we will look closely at the first eight verses. You know, though our country is rotting from the head down, and that we find ourselves struggling under the corruption of all that we see in the world, especially the militant unbelief, that is fomenting more and more hatred towards Christianity, isn't it wonderful to know that our God reigns? And this is what we will see here. As we begin this study of Daniel seven, if you haven't been with us, we've been going verse by verse. We've been going through Daniel, verse by verse and now we're coming here to Daniel chapter seven. And I need to help you understand a bit of the context in the first six chapters of Daniel. Primarily, what we have is a lot of history. It's historic in nature with very little predictive prophecy. But now we're coming to the second half of Daniel, where we look predominantly at predictive prophecy, rather than history. So there will be very little history here. And once again in chapter seven, as you may recall, from our previous studies, we have what's called a "chiastic pattern" being used to create emphasis and repetition, clarification. It's from the Greek word "chi," which is their x. And in a caustic pattern, you will remember that elements one and four of the pattern, and that you will find in one or more verses or chapters, will parallel in thought with elements two and three and another part of that verse or another part of the chapter. So structurally, what we see is Daniel seven, parallels Daniel chapter two. And I want you to understand that and thus, Daniel seven completes that "chiastic" arrangement. For example, in chapter two, you have four Gentile empires symbolized by different parts of a colossal human image and in chapter seven, you have the same Gentile empire symbolized by four great beasts rising up out of the sea. And chapter two, we read of a 10-fold division of a fourth kingdom symbolized by 10 toes on the feet of an image, whereas in chapter seven, they are symbolized as ten horns on the head of a great monster. In chapter two, the 10-fold subdivisions of the fourth kingdom of Gentile domination will be smashed by the stone, which is Christ, and we see something similar in chapter seven. There, we learn that an 11th horn is also going to appear a little horn that comes up after them and grows to be larger than all of them. And that is a revelation of the final Antichrist. And what we see as well in Daniel seven is the rise and fall at the hands of the great stone, which is Christ. That will be the primary emphasis in Daniel seven. Moreover, in both visions, in chapter two and chapter seven, we see differences in perspective. The magnificent beauty of the human image in chapter two depicts, quote, "human achievement in government, culture, art and science," according to Whitcomb. He went on to say, "but in the seventh chapter, we see that same fourfold empire of man from God's perspective, and how does it appear as wild and ravenous beasts that is how a holy God views the sinful and satanic maneuverings of nations upon the earth. Men's achievements apart from and in opposition to him are not spectacular from heaven's perspective. In fact, they are far worse than the activities of wild carnivorous animals for no animal ever sins or, for that matter is ever cruel. What they do is done by genetically programmed instinct patterns that were warped from God's curse upon Adam and his progeny. There is no hell for the animal kingdom. But men are wicked and cruel in the sight of God, and are under his judgment," That Whitcomb says, is the emphasis of chapter seven. Now please remember, both chapters, as well as the entirety of the book of Daniel, are meant to encourage the exiled Jews, his Jewish kinsmen, and frankly, all of the redeemed by explaining the succession of four Gentile empires that will dominate Jerusalem that will dominate God's covenant people, yea dominate the world, until the Messiah returns and establishes His kingdom. In fact, Leon Wood says, quote, "When God's people were taken captive to Babylonia, it seemed from the human perspective that God was through with them." And certainly, I would add, that's what the Jewish people thought. We see it in Scripture, for example, in Jeremiah 33, beginning in verse 24, we read this, "Have you not observed what this people have spoken, saying, 'The two families which the Lord chose, He has rejected them'? Thus they despise My people, no longer are they as a nation in their sight. Thus says the Lord, 'If My covenant for day and night stand not, and the fixed patterns of heaven and earth I have not established, then I would reject the descendants of Jacob and David, My servant, not taking from his descendants rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But I will restore their fortunes and will have mercy on them.'" What a magnificent promise of future restoration and blessing. Wood goes on to say "God was not through with them. However, and he desired that they know he was not. An effective way to do this was to reveal the historical future which God had in mind for them. They not only would return from this captivity, but would in due time see their Messiah, come to deliver them from spiritual bondage to sin, and later from physical bondage to a powerful earthly empire, this latter deliverance to be followed by a grand kingdom period on their own," end quote.

So once again, the Spirit of God speaks through His servant Daniel, and in so doing, he provides a magnificent panoramic view of world history, including the future events that culminate in the inauguration of the future and final kingdom and eternal kingdom of God. And we know that the prophecies herein, parallel other, not only Old Testament, but New Testament prophecies. For example, descriptions of a future abomination, committed by one who makes desolate. That's prophesied in Daniel 9:27, as well as chapter 12 and verse 11, are also predicted by Christ Himself, in Matthew 24 and verse 15. Also, the final stage of Daniel's fourth empire, prophesied in Daniel chapter seven, and eight, and nine and 11, where a beast is seen rising up out of the sea, parallels Revelation, chapter 13, is a description of the coming out of antichrist that will emerge from Satan's world system. And we will look closely at many of these parallel passages as we continue to make our way through Daniel's prophecies.

I might also add that as we approach the sacred text this morning, it's important for you to realize that there is a time gap that exists between the close of the fourth kingdom of Rome and its powerful future emergence under the rule of the Antichrist, and we now anticipate this. And I might also add that this is not coincidental. What man calls coincidence God calls providence. It was no twist of fate, that Christ at his first appearing occurred during an ancient period of Roman domination. And dear friends, it will be no twist of fate, that he will come again during a second period of Roman domination, the final stage of what Jesus called in Luke 21:24, "the times of the Gentiles." So these and many other astounding truths await the diligent student of Bible prophecy, especially here in Daniel. No wonder so many conservative scholars agree that Daniel could be called the revelation of the Old Testament, of which the Lord promised in Revelation one, three, "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near."

You know, it's sad, many Christians have very little understanding of the prophetic literature in Scripture, and frankly, many are indifferent towards it. They're more interested in who the Titans are playing than the second coming of Christ. But this was certainly not true of Daniel, when he received the special revelation of God, to give to his people, it deeply impacted him. And that's why as we read earlier, in Daniel seven, in verse 15, we read, "'As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed within me, and the visions in my mind kept alarming me.'" Then he says, "'I approached one of those who were standing by,'" referring to one of the angelic beings, "'and began asking him the exact meaning of all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things.'" And then we go on to read how the inspired angel gave him the interpretation of the intervening verses. In verse 28, he says, "'At this point, the revelation ended. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts were greatly alarming me, and my face grew pale, but I kept the matter to myself.'" Oh, child of God, please hear me, a day is coming when God is going to judge this world, and Christ is going to return in power and great glory. And he will establish his millennial reign upon a renovated earth. And today, the world mocks at all of this, they mock Christians, they consider all of this to be the ravings of some lunatic fringe, but a day is coming for them. And I say this with great regret, when according to Revelation six and verse 16, they will cry out to the mountains into the rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?'" So I trust that your heart is prepared to hear these things. And that you will be animated to further praise, knowing what God is up to, and that you're a part of this. And what a joy to know that our God will prevail, that He will reign supreme upon the earth. To know that one day at the name of Jesus according to Philippians 2:10, "Every knee will bow of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth And that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

All right, so hang on, here we go. Let me give you the context here of Daniel seven. Daniel seven is a flashback to the reign of Belshazzar. He reigned around 553 BC. Nebuchadnezzar by this time has been dead for about nine years, Daniel would have been 67 years old when he received this vision, this dream. And so this also, therefore took place for years prior to the miraculous handwriting on the palace wall on the night of Belshazzar's death, and the fall of Babylon that's described in chapter five. So the events of chapter seven occur chronologically between Daniel four and Daniel five.

Now let's examine what God has revealed to us. Verse one, "In the first year of Belshazzar, king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions in his mind as he lay on his bed; then he wrote the dream down and related the following summary of it. Daniel said, 'I was looking in my vision by night and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea.'" Stirring up could be translated, bursting forth upon. Now we know that the word wind is used about 90 times in the Old Testament, and 30 times in the New Testament and over half of the time, it is used to describe the sovereign power the unassailable rule of God. And of course, that's the dominating theme of Daniel. And the sea typically represents the mass of a fallen humanity, or the nations of the world. So the symbolism here seems to indicate the sovereign power of God, striving against sinful humanity, probably through the use of angelic forces, coming at them from the four winds of heaven, in other words from every direction, stirring up a storm of strife, and trouble and turmoil in order to ultimately accomplish God's purposes. And of course, we see these winds gaining strength in our day and the destruction of our own nation. Frankly, we should fear the godless rulers over us more than we fear COVID or anything else. COVID is a great distraction to the real enemy.

But notice what Daniel sees next in verse three, "'And four great beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another.'" We know from verse 17, there's an indication there that these four great beasts are four kings, who will arise from the earth. So verse four, "'The first was like a lion, and had the wings of an eagle. I kept looking until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man; the human mind also was given to it.'" And of course, we know this is a reference to Nebuchadnezzar, who Jeremiah described as, quote, a "lion from the thickets of the Jordan," Jeremiah 49, verse 19, as well as chapter 50 and verse 44. You see, every year the Jordan River would flood in the spring, it would, it would flood all of the thickets and that would cause the lions to leave the valley of the river and go into the villages and destroy many people. And so that is how Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians were described here. Moreover, because of the great speed in which deadly competitors, armies, could operate, and conquer their enemies, Ezekiel describes him as having the wings of an eagle; Ezekial 17 three as well as verse seven. But as Daniel witnessed in his dream here, this eagle's wings were plucked. I don't know if you've ever seen a bird with all of its feathers plucked, but it's a pretty humiliating, kind of a ghastly sight. And that's what we have here. There's a prophecy that the proud feathers, of that majestic king of all the birds, would be removed. And we know that God humbled Nebuchadnezzar, during the seven years of his insanity. And his beastly character was tamed, ultimately, by God who transformed the nature of the beast, you might say, into that of a human, and eventually he surrendered to the will of the Most High God.

But then Daniel goes on and he sees something else in verse five, "'And behold, another beast, a second one resembling a bear.'" Now, it's interesting here, unlike the first beast, here, the empire alone is symbolized not its ruler. And we know biblically that the bear symbolizes the Medo-Persian empire that was mentioned repeatedly in chapter six. And then it says something interesting here, "'It was raised up on one side;'" it's a very curious description. And as I studied the original language and studied different commentaries, frankly, I never found anything that really satisfied my conclusion as to what this means. And frankly, what I'm going to tell you, I'm not real sure about, but I can give you what some think. Some believe this is a reference to the Persian dominance. At first we know that the Medes the Midian influence, dominated the empire under the reign of Cyrus and his son Cambyses, but, but 50 years later, the Persians gained the dominance under the rule of Xerxes. And during that time, the Persians basically absorbed all of the Medes into its empire. And we also know in Daniel's second vision, recorded in chapter eight, the Medo-Persian empire is symbolized in verse three by two horns of a ram, and then the second horn comes up last and grows higher than the first. So you know, when it says "this bear was raised up on one side," some think it may have something to do with that. I'm not sure. But I do know this, having experienced grizzlies in the wild, I'll tell you a very brief story. I was in the middle of Alaska on a hunting trip, I had been bow hunting caribou, I'd killed my caribou and I had another older gentleman with me that had never been in the bush before. And I had a frightening experience with probably the same grizzly that I'm about to tell you about the day before. So he wanted to go with me. He had a rifle. I had my 300 Magnum with me as well. We go up, we're taking pictures, I'm taking pictures of an eagle, I say, "Adrian, put this in my backpack." So he puts it in my backpack, and all of a sudden he goes, "Dave." And I turned around, and here was this grizzly. And he ran up to us and stopped about 15 feet away. And so I just stood there with my gun, not knowing what he was going to do. But I will never forget what he did. He raised up on one side. What he did is he raised up on one side like this with his paw like this. And he started grunting, going back and forth looking at me. And then he would stop and just stare. And then he would put his paw down and he would move a little bit. I knew what he was trying to do because I could see his nose. He was trying to get wind, he moves over about five or six feet, gets up on one side again, and starts at grunting and going back and forth looking at me and then he would stop and his nose would go up. He did that about five or six times until he got at about a complete semicircle around me. And all of a sudden, he made this loud noise and spun around and took off like a scalded dog in the opposite direction. I'll never forget he threw gravel all over us, he took off so fast. What happened is he got wind of us. Okay? By the way, the one thing that's predictable about a grizzly bear is that they're completely unpredictable. Thank God for guardian angels, and 300 magnums, right? But my point is, I know from firsthand experience, that when a grizzly wants to intimidate you, and is in a position to strike, he's going to raise up on one side. And that is a very intimidating position. And that very well may be the meaning of what the Spirit of God is saying here, that this second bear resembling a bear, or the second beast that resembles a bear was raised up on one side. Notice also, we read that "'three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and thus they said to it, 'Arise, devour much meat.'" And this probably represents the three great conquests of the Medo-Persians that we know historically, where they conquered Media, in Asia Minor in 546. Then they conquered Babylon in 539 BC and then Egypt in 525 BC. And we know that this powerful bear of the Medo-Persian Empire absolutely dominated the world for over 200 years until Alexander the Great came on the scene. And we see him here in verse six. "'And after this, I kept looking and behold another one like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird; the beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.'" In other words, it was granted to him by the providence of God that he could rule. Now frequently in the Old Testament, we see leopards used to symbolize that which is swift, that which is ferocious, that which is cunning. For example, in Jeremiah five six and Hosea 13 and verse seven, it speaks of how they will lie in wait for their prey, and anyone who encounters them will be torn to pieces. And that is certainly an apt description of the Grecian army under Alexander the Great. You will recall that they were the ones that invented the Greek phalanx, a single rectangular mass of military formation, interlocking shields, with spears and spikes. The spikes were the long ones were called "sarissas." Had long spears, they were about 13 to 20 feet long. They had a sharp iron head shaped like a leaf and a bronze plate and that they would anchor that into ground to stop chargers and so on. They were basically an unstoppable force. These spears could penetrate the armor of the enemies. And it's interesting as well in verse four, Nebuchadnezzar is described as having the wings of an eagle, an eagle has two wings, right? But Alexander has four wings, doubling Nebuchadnezzar's speed and his agility, and thus his ability to invade and conquer. And we know that history proves this. He conquered Asia Minor, the entire middle Persian Empire, including Syria and Palestine, and all of Egypt, and all of the eastern territories, all the way up to the borders of India. He did this in 10 years, and he died at age 33. It was said that his army of around 40,000 could move at such speed and agility that they were able to defeat much larger armies like the Persians; vastly outnumbered them some three to five times more.

But notice also what Daniel sees, "this beast also had four heads." Now, that these four heads are mentioned, after the four wings, indicates that something happens that occurred after these rapid conquests. And no doubt this points to the four major sectors of Alexander's vast Grecian empire that were ruled by his four generals after his death. Babylon in in North Syria was ruled by Antigonus. Egypt was ruled by Ptolemy, the first Soter, and then Macedonia was ruled by Cassander, Thrace and Bithynia by Lysimachus. It's important to note that these four heads, conformed to the four horns of the male goat, that we will read about in chapter eight.

But then notice what else God reveals to Daniel in verse seven, "'After this, I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, the fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet.'" And of course, this is a reference to the Roman Empire with its Roman legions. This is the most dreadful and terrifying and the strongest of all of the preceding empires. Daniel somehow sees its ferocious teeth as it growls violently at anyone that would dare stand in its way. And unlike Alexander, who seldom crushed the people that he conquered, the Roman Empire, this beast was very, very different. As it says "they devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet." They were absolutely ruthless. When you read the history, they were brutal in their subjugation, they would torture people and, and kill hundreds of 1000s, then they would take them into slavery and sell them as slaves. But notice also in verse seven, it says, "'and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.'" Now, as I said earlier, this parallels Daniel chapter two. And there we even read the same substance it was of iron and the 10, toes of the feet, and so forth. We'll address that more in a moment. But historically, we know that in 241 BC, Rome began by occupying Sicily, and then it moved in the second century BC to conquer Spain. When we've been in Spain, we saw lots of remnants of a Roman rule there, then on to Carthage, at the Battle of Zama in North Africa in 202 BC. It gradually turned the Mediterranean Sea into its own private lake, frankly, it conquered everything all around it. And after subjugating the lands of North Italy, it moved eastward to conquer Macedonia and Greece and Asia Minor. And then the Roman General Pompeii conquered the remnants of the Seleucid Empire, which was Syria, and then it went on to subjugate Jerusalem in 63 BC. And so little by little they continued this massive expansion; decade after a decade gaining control eventually of southern Britain and France and Belgium and Switzerland and Germany west of the Rhine River. Dr. Wolvoord says, quote, "The Roman Empire continued to gradually grow for more than four centuries reaching its height in AD 117, in contrast to the sudden rise of the preceding empires. It likewise declined slowly beginning In the third century. The decline became obvious in the fifth century AD when the Romans leaving Britain in AD 407 and suffering a sack of Rome in 410 by the Visigoths. It was not until AD 1453 that the last Roman or Byzantine ruler was killed in battle. And that was when the Sultan Mehmet conquered Constantinople." Now, I want you to understand that Rome's influence in our world today and in our country can still be seen, especially in Europe and in the United States. Not just physically but socially and religiously, legally. Our art and architecture, science, technology, farming, literature, on and on it goes. We know that Latin for example, is the basis of French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese and Romanian and Catalan languages. And many of our English words have Latin roots. Latin words continue to influence our western justice system. Our court proceedings mimic the proceedings of ancient Rome, the curved roofs that we see and large scale arches that are used to support our enormous buildings and bridges came from Rome. The amphitheaters and sports stadiums with tiered seating came from the Roman Colosseum. And religiously, after the early persecution of Christianity by the Roman government in 65, to about 300 AD, the Roman Emperor Constantine came along and he established himself as the head of the church. Instead of Christ, he was the head of the church, and around 313, he made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. And of course, that gave birth to the apostate religious system that we see today, known as Roman Catholicism. The first actual Pope in Rome was probably Leo the First in 440 ad. And we know that Constantine embraced his version of Christianity, he granted its special status. He formalized and centralized its doctrinal discussions, and he imposed those decisions on quote, "an official church." And they believe, for example, that the church then permanently replaced Israel; that God was finished with the Jews. Augustine was around that time he rejected Chiliasm, which is Millenarianism, or the idea that Christ would reign upon the earth for 1000 years. There was a strong hatred of Jews in that day. Monasticism and asceticism scandalized the notion of any kind of physical delights in an earthly kingdom. And so they believe that all of that was gone. You have Origen who implemented spiritualizing the text of Scripture; Augustine came along, did the same type of thing. So you have an allegorizing method, or hermeneutics, of interpreting scripture. And this produced what's called supersessionism, replacement theology, sometimes called amillennialism, as well. And this basically became the doctrinal eschatology of the Roman Catholic Church. They basically believe that the kingdom is the Roman Catholic Church. And so all of that came out of that. But bottom line, what I want you to see is that Roman Catholicism came out of that beast, and we still have remnants of it today. And that ushered in the darkest period of history. In all of history, rightfully called the Dark Ages, between about 500 and 1500 AD. There Satan rules supreme through his popes and bishops and priests, and throughout Europe; biblical Christianity became illegal. My point is, to this day, Europe and the United States bear the marks of this ancient fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong.

Now, with all of this in mind, we can better appreciate some of the new elements that God reveals to Daniel in this dream, new aspects of predictive prophecy, the likes of which we've never seen; the end of verse seven, so this fourth beast, he says, "'was different from all the beasts that were before it and it had 10 horns.'" Now, what we will see as we look at other Bible prophecies and consider them all together, is that this is a reference to 10 actual kingdoms that will one day exist simultaneously during Daniel's 70th week of judgment, during the time of the tribulation, the future tribulation, the pre-kingdom judgments upon the earth, just prior to the Lord's return what many, rightfully I think call, a revive Roman Empire yet future. Leon Wood says, quote, "As this will be a time when 10 contemporary kings will rule, among whom another will arise, uprooting three in the process and they move on to become the head of all." Let me stop there for a moment. We see this elsewhere in Scripture. Let me give you an example. In Revelation chapter 17, and verse 11. There is a reference to this beast, the antichrist that will appear with 10 horns in verse 12, symbolizing 10 kings who had not yet received power in John's day in the first century AD. In Revelation 17, we read this beginning in verse 12, "The 10 horns which you saw are 10 kings who have not yet received the kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour. These have one purpose and they give their power and authority to the beast." Now, Revelation was written in the last decade of the first century between about AD 94 and 96. Near the end of Emperor Domitian, which was from AD 81 through 96. And obviously, none of what John describes here in Revelation 17 had happened in his day, therefore, it has to happen later on, and we've never seen anything like it either. He goes on to say, in Revelation 17:14. To tell us when this revive Roman Empire will appear with the beast, the Antichrist, he says there, "These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with him are the called and chosen and faithful." This of course is a reference to the battle of Armageddon just prior to the Lord's return.

So let's go back to Daniel's prophecy. We can safely conclude that the 10 horns of verse seven, have not yet appeared in the panorama of world history. But notice what else the Spirit of God reveals to Daniel in verse eight. It says, "'While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one came up among them.'" Again, horn is frequently used in Scripture, as a symbol of power, especially powerful rulers. For example, in Psalm 132, beginning in verse 17, in the context, there's it speaking of Christ, the Lord Jesus establishing his earthly kingdom being installed by God on the throne of David in the city of God. And there we read there, "I will cause the horn of David to spring forth; I have prepared a lamp for Mine anointed. His enemies I will close with shame, but upon himself, his crown will shine." So back to verse eight, we also see a little horn. Now the language here, in the grammar, indicates it starts small, but it gradually gains strength and size. It's like there's an seemingly insignificant ruler that begins to emerge. But by verses 24 and following, he overpowers them. There we read, "As for the 10 horns, out of this kingdom 10 kings will arise, and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones, and will subdue three kings. He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law, and they will be given into his hand for a time, times and a half of time. But the court will sit for judgment and his dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever." On subsequent expositions, I'll explain more of that, but I might add that this also refutes the argument that this little horn is a reference to the ruler of the Greek Empire, Antiochus Epiphanes, that we read about in chapter eight. You see, this cannot be Antiochus Epiphanes, emerges from the third empire that was symbolized by the four wing, the leopard of chapter seven, that clearly responds to the four horned goat of chapter eight. And so the little horn mentioned in Daniel seven eight emerges not from that third horn but from the fourth beast, which is Rome. So again, "'While I was contemplating the horns,'" verse eight, "behold, another horn, a little one came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it.'" Now later on in verse 20, of Daniel seven, the interpreting angel amplifies this prophecy. There we read "The meaning of the 10 horns that were on its head and the other horn which came up, and before which three of them fell.'" So in other words, someday, we don't have any idea what this is actually going to look like other than one day, the Antichrist is going to, to rise in power and prominence, and he's going to destroy three of the future kings. Verse 24, says "he will subdue three kings." Now we'll go back to verse 20, of Daniel seven. And who is this diabolical ruler to come? Well, namely, that horn, which had eyes and a mouth, uttering great boasts, and which was larger in appearance than its associates. So that's some of the interpretation.

Go back to verse eight of Daniel seven. Again, we read that, "this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth, uttering great boasts." So what do we have here? Well, we have a future revived Roman Empire, out of which another king is going to emerge, described as the beast, of for example, Revelation 17, as we've looked at, but also Revelation 13. So I want you to turn there and see the parallels in Revelation 13, with Daniel seven. Revelation 13, beginning in verse one. "And he," which is a reference to Satan, who's called the dragon in the previous chapter in chapter 12, verse nine and 17, and Satan "stood on the sand of the seashore." Again, this is symbolic of the nations of the world, over which now, Satan is standing as the self appointed ruler. And then we read this, and "I saw a beast." In Greek, "therion," it could be translated a monster, something that is ferocious and a violent creature. "I saw a beast coming up out of the sea," the same imagery. Once again, the metaphor of the sea is used to describe in the Old Testament, that realm of wickedness, the sphere of Satan, the source of satanic sea monsters, if you will. In fact, the ancients considered the sea to be the quote, "reservoir of evil." They likened it to the abyss. In fact, in Revelation 11, seven, and 17, the beast is seen coming up out of the abyss, that prison that incarcerates the most vile demons where Satan will be incarcerated during the final days of the millennial kingdom. So John sees this this monstrous man arising from this wretched penitentiary. The diabolical and desecrating nature of this future demon possessed man can be seen all in the epithets used to describe him in Scripture. For example, Daniel calls him not only the little horn, but the insolent King, the prince who has to come, the one who makes desolate, the despicable person, the strong-willed King. Zechariah calls him the worthless shepherd. Paul called him in Second Thessalonians two and verse three, "the man of lawlessness, the son of destruction." And in verse eight, "the lawless one." And again in where we are in Revelation, he's called the beast. So this man will be a charismatic demagogue, brilliant, persuasive, yet deceptive and deadly and cruel.

And next in Revelation 13, we see the likeness that he has to the one that empowers him, and in verse one, it says, "having 10 horns and seven heads." We have almost the identical description of Satan in chapter 12 and verse three, where we read "the great red dragon having seven heads and 10 horns, and on his heads were seven diadems." As indicated earlier, horns is emblematic of strength and power. And in this symbolism, we see the beast, Antichrist, is going to rule over these 10 nations, these 10 kings. Again, Daniel seven in verse 16, we that we've that we're looking at the number 10 is emblematic of the political and military power of the Antichrist and in Daniel 7:23 we read that he will one day rule the whole world. And he there he is pictured as the fourth beast; there will be a fourth kingdom on the earth. And so this is again a description from Daniel that links the fourth kingdom of Daniel's vision, to the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar saw in Daniel chapter two, the kingdom of Rome with "legs of iron, yet his feet partly of iron and partly of clay." And remember, this will be the one that quote, "a stone will cut out without hands," picturing Christ and it's going to strike it on the feet of clay and crush it, as we read in verses 33 and 34. So the Lord tells us through John's vision that this beast has 10 horns, again, symbolic of a coming revived Roman Empire and seven heads, representative, I believe, of the seven successive world empires that we read about in Revelation 17, which would have been Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and then the final kingdom of the antichrist. These all make up once again, the times of the Gentiles. And notice on his tin horns were 10 diadems; "diadema" in the original language, a crown that marked the regal status of a subordinate king. And this is symbolic of the regal authority associated with these 10 rulers and their empires, all of which will be subordinate to the beast to the Antichrist.

And finally, we see that on his heads were blasphemous names. These names will demonstrate their allegiance to the beast, whom they will deify, rather than God himself. And this was practiced, by the way, in the days of ancient Rome, where emperors used various divine titles and put it on them, and obviously, such an inscription is blasphemous. And in verse two, we read, “And the beast which I saw was like a leopard and his feet were like those of a bear and his mouth like the mouth of a lion." Well, obviously, you can see that the imagery here is rooted in Daniel seven, where Daniel portrayed the four beasts, the lion, the bear, the leopard, and then the fourth beast, which is a composite of the first three described as that dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong beast. By the way, I find it interesting here, that John lists these animals in reverse, because he is looking back into history, whereas Daniel was looking into the future. So these three animals, the leopard and the bear, and the lion symbolizes the ferocious, vicious power of these three successive worlds empires of Babylon, Medo-Persia and Greece. But the fourth beast, representing the Roman Empire is emblematic of that future final kingdom of the antichrist that will incorporate all of the cruelty and all of the power of the first three. This empire will be unparalleled in human history.

You know, as we watch our presidential elections, and I've been able to see several of them over the course of my life now, it's amazing how people can completely utterly abandon all logic, all history and all common sense and end up worshipping a man. And it's fascinating that when people are desperate, when they're afraid, when they're unsure about the future, they will turn to man rather than to God. And that's what we will see here. And you know, every dictator in the history of the world has preyed upon people in such a way. They will, if there aren't any fears, they will create fears to somehow subjugate them. Adolf Hitler seized upon a depressed economy and the fears of the German people and he guaranteed quote, "peace with honor, peace for our time," and the people bought it. And the rest is history.

Well, dear friends, the rule of the Antichrist is going to exceed the deceptions and wickedness of Hitler 1000-fold and for good reason. Notice in verse two of Daniel 13, or of Revelation 13, "And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority." You know, it's hard to imagine what this world will be like when the church is removed at the rapture. But think of the utter freefall of morality when the Holy Spirit quote "steps aside" as he will, according to Second Thessalonians two seven, "when he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way," literally steps aside, which we know he will do in the midpoint of the tribulation. This will allow Satan's dictator to come onto the scene to rule without restraint for 42 months, according to Daniel 7:25 and Revelation 13 five.

Well as we close, back to Daniel, chapter seven, verse eight, we read that, "this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth uttering great boasts." You know, he may be alive today, we don't know. But he's coming. You know, there's an old adage that says, nature abhors a vacuum. And indeed, whenever a vacuum is created, it is immediately filled with something, you know, whether it's water or air or some other form of matter. But our country, yea, our world, is experiencing a leadership vacuum, a vacuum of righteous leadership that's essential to our survival. The world needs a leader and, in their minds, they need a political hero. In fact, one prominent Belgian diplomat and astute European strategist by the name of Paul-Henri Spaak, put it this way, quote, "We do not want another committee, we have too many already. What we want is a man of sufficient stature, to hold the allegiance of all people and to lift us out of the economic morass into which we are sinking. Send us such a man, be he God or devil, and we will receive him." Well, dear friend, Satan is going to supply this leader. And he is the beast of Daniel seven. That horn that "will possess eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth, uttering great boasts." But friends, let me encourage you, make no mistake, God is still in control. All of this is part of his plan. And we know that at the end of the seven-year period of Judgment, the LORD Jesus Christ is going to return and he is going to destroy all of those who oppose him. And he will put an end to the times of the Gentiles. My how I look forward to that day. And in the parallel account, that we read in Daniel two verse 44. We can be encouraged, there we read “'In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever. Inasmuch as you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands. And then it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold, the great God has made known to the king, what will take place in the future; so the dream is true, and its interpretation is trustworthy.'" Oh, dear Christian, fear not. The Lord is on his throne, our King is coming. And a day is coming when the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.

Let's pray together. Father, we thank you so much for these prophecies that not only encourage the hearts of the exiled Jews so many years ago but have encouraged the hearts of the redeemed down through the centuries. To know that you are the sovereign ruler of heaven and earth and that in unassailable power, you accomplish all that you have ordained in eternity past. Lord again, we thank you that we are part of this whole kingdom plan. We are the undeserved recipients of your favor. We are debtors to your grace. So we thank you. We give you praise, and we pray, Lord Jesus, that you will come quickly. And finally, Lord, I pray that if anyone is within the sound of my voice that really knows nothing of what it means to be reconciled to a holy God through faith in Christ, they know nothing of what it means to have the intimate fellowship and joy that's available to those who have been born again, I pray that you will bring conviction to their heart and that today they will confess their sin, and that they will confess that Jesus is indeed Lord, they will ask him to save them by his grace. So we thank you. We give you praise, and we commit these things to you, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

This morning we are in Daniel chapter six. And I've entitled my discourse, "Daniel in the Lion's Den." A story I'm sure you're all very familiar with. I remember those pictures in my Bible story books when I was a little boy. And then the Sunday school classroom, pictures of Daniel. And for some reason, there are always three lions. But I am going to dispute that fact in a little bit, as you will see, but you're familiar with this story, a marvelous example of exemplary faith and of godliness in Daniel, but it's also a vivid illustration of vanity among political leaders, a picture of jealousy among political subordinates, also a picture of just the vicious hatred the ungodly have toward the righteous, something that we experience in our culture. And we will also see some of the common strategies that the enemy uses to defeat us. You will see remarkable similarities between the political machinations and legal maneuverings of the wicked in ancient Medo-Persia, and that empire, with what we see here in the ungodly politicians in the United States and other nations. We will also see how they enact laws that they know godly people will not obey and criminalize those things that God honors, so that we can be destroyed. But more importantly, what we're going to see is the character, and the conduct of godliness and the blessings that God will lavish upon those who are committed to him, and serve him and trust him with all of their heart.

Well, let me give you an overall summary and then we're going to look at the text this morning. What we have here are political colleagues and subordinates of Daniel, who served as one of the three chief officers under Darius, the Mede. And we're going to see how these men grew increasingly jealous of Daniel, who was clearly the favorite of the king. But worse yet, Daniel was a godly man, a righteous man. And ungodly people hate that kind of person. So these guys end up hatching a plot to get rid of Daniel and they appeal to the king's vanity. They tricked him into signing a law that they knew Daniel would not obey. And when that proved to be the case, the king was forced to sentence Daniel to a gruesome death in a lion's den, although he tried many ways to prevent it. And then what we're gonna see, as you know, God delivered Daniel, to the king's delight. And then knowing that he had been tricked, the king sentenced Daniel's accusers to be thrown into the den along with their families. Now, some technical things, if I don't deal with this, I know some of you are going to ask me so let's just settle it right now. Okay. Who was Darius? Or Darius? Sometimes it's pronounced, there's much debate concerning his identity. The "Darius," the title, is really a title rather than a proper name, and it can it means holder of the scepter. Now, some like my former professor in seminary, Dr. John Whitcomb, will argue compellingly that this was Gubaru, a subordinate of Cyrus the Great, who according to chapter nine, verse one was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans, "was made king" is in the passive voice. So there's the assumption that Cyrus made Gubaru the king; Cyrus appointed him as governor over Babel and immediately after its fall. In fact, Dr. Whitcomb says quote, "from 535 to 525 BCE, the name Gubaru appears frequently in cuneiform texts as the," quote "governor of Babylon and the region beyond the river," end quote. Exercising almost kingly powers in this vast domain covering all of Babylonia, Syria, Palestine, and the entire Fertile Crescent during the prolonged absence of his administrative superior, Cyrus the Great. And also if you look in into the Nabonidus Chronicle, Gubaru we see, installed sub-governors it says in Babel. So that's one argument. Another side says, quite compellingly, that Darius the Mede is another name of Cyrus the Persian. This is based upon, at least in part, a translation of a verse we're gonna see here in chapter six verse 28, where the Aramaic permits it to read, "Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius even the reign of Cyrus the Persian." So, which is it? I don't have a clue. Nobody does. And you know what, it really doesn't matter. The point is, this was the king during this time.

So like all nations and empires, the great Babylonian Empire has been conquered. And it has disappeared and it has been replaced by the Medo-Persian Empire. Many wonder how much longer the United States will last? Well, we don't know. That is in God's hands. Remember, in Daniel 2:21, we read "He removes kings and establishes kings." And concerning the nations of the world, Paul told the Athenians in Acts 17:26, that God has "determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation." So we can trust God with that, even with our own country. Nebuchadnezzar learned this the hard way. Remember, it caused him to confess in Daniel four 17, that "the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind, and bestows it on whom he wishes and sets over it the lowliest of men." And certainly we're watching the systematic destruction of our country, because of the leadership and the kind of people that put these people in power. But despite the confidence that many people have, over the great power of the United States, both economically and militarily, we must know that eventually this country will wither. And it will die like all great nations and all people have throughout the centuries. And we can be comforted knowing that although godless empires have always tried to thwart the purposes of God in various ways, we know that in the end, what they do has zero effect on the kingdom purposes of God. And we can be comforted in that. In fact, in Isaiah chapter 40, verse 15, we read "Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales. Behold, He lifts up the islands like fine dust," went on to say, "All the nations are as nothing before Him. They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless."

So again, the Babylonian Empire has been defeated and been destroyed. Medo-Persian Empire has taken over, and Darius the Mede begins now to organize his rule that takes us to the text. Notice verse one. "It seemed good to Darius to appoint 120 satraps," that means kingdom protectors, "to appoint 120 satraps over the kingdom, that they would be in charge of the whole kingdom, and over them three commissioners, (of whom Daniel was one), that the satraps might be accountable to them, and that the king might not suffer loss." Then we read a verse three, "Then this Daniel began distinguishing himself among the commissioners and satraps because he possessed an extraordinary spirit." That means, by the way, something more than he was just a really nice guy. In the original it carries the idea of one who demonstrated exceptional abilities. So much so that, "the king plan to appoint him over the entire kingdom." So Daniel, it says "began distinguishing." The grammar here is a participle indicating continued action. So there's this ongoing and obvious pattern, that in his life that demonstrates his superior wisdom, and abilities. Now, what we're going to see here is what we've all seen throughout the days of our lives. And that is wherever God blesses, Satan curses. Right? And the only thing that Satan despises more than godliness is the public promotion of a godly man in government. And that's what we're going to see here.

But by the way, that's why you see so little godly people in government in positions of power, godliness is quickly canceled in our ungodly culture. And remember, as John says, In First John 5:19, that "the whole world lies in the power of the evil one." And so what the enemy does is he places people in power that are going to promote his agenda. So what we have here is the king is very impressed with Daniel, who, by the way, by this time is somewhere close to 90 years old. Let's just round it and say he's 90 years old. And he makes Daniel now second in command. By the way, I find that to be encouraging as I age, I mean, who says you're washed up when you're 90, right? I mean, look at this guy, It's amazing.

So, Daniel was put into this position, and my what a long road it has been for him. I mean, think he started out as a as a young man who refused to eat the king's food and therefore worship the idols of the Babylonians. And now look where he is. I'm reminded of Second Corinthians 16 Nine, that reads "The eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the world, that He may strongly support those whose heart are completely His." But oh, pity the gifted, godly man who ascends to some coveted position of power and prestige. That kind of promotion will surely unleash the green eyed monster of jealousy among colleagues and political foes, not to mention the rage of the unregenerate world. So notice verse four. "Then the commissioners and satraps began trying to find a ground of accusation against Daniel, in regard to government affairs; but they could find no ground of accusation or evidence of corruption in as much as he was faithful, and no negligence or corruption was to be found in him." My would that we all have such an exemplary life, and testimony. You might want to ask yourself, how would other people describe me? How would they determine for themselves whether or not I am truly a man that is following God? Or am I just a man like most that follows the culture and so forth? Verse five, "Then these men said, 'We will not find any ground of accusation against this Daniel unless we find it against him with regard to the law of his God.'" So in other words, let's find a way to make his devotion to his God illegal, right. Sound familiar? Let's find something he believes in and outlaw that. We see this all the time, don't we? Cultures legalize unrighteousness and criminalize righteousness. They pack the Supreme Court with people that are going to legislate from the bench to push their agenda and so forth. By the way, this is at the heart of the whole woke cult that is growing so rapidly in America. Let's celebrate and let's legislate what God hates and condemn and criminalize those things that he loves. Let's make sure we defend everyone's right to liberty so that they can do whatever they want; without opposition, which by the way, includes killing their unborn baby Let's even celebrate the gross immorality and the deviancy and the insanity of the LGBTQ community and condemn everyone who opposes that. I know, let's also fabricate some demonstrably false claims about white supremacy, and systemic racism and demand social justice. And that way we can foment resentment between ethnic groups, and gender, and ultimately turn people against anyone that disagrees; then we can break down society, and we can remake it the way we want. Which by the way, is way more than equal opportunity is equal outcome, the equal distribution of wealth and political power, and so forth, basically, Marxist socialism. And then, when people don't obey the rules of social justice, which by the way, has nothing to do with the justice of God, when they don't obey that, then they can be treated as criminals. And of course, this dear friends is the legacy of socialism, communism, which can never coexist with biblical Christianity. I hope you understand that. However, it thrives in woke Christianity, which is not Christianity at all.

So these jealous conspirators hatch a plot to criminalize Daniels devotion to Yahweh so that they can get rid of him. And I'm reminded of John 3:19, that some "men love darkness rather than Light." Why? Because their "deeds are evil," and Daniel's life was a shining light of righteousness. Ungodly people hate that. Now, to be sure, these wicked characters knew about Daniel's devotion to Yahweh and his very public prayer life. which reminds me many times I will hear Christians say, especially Christian politicians say, you know, my faith is a private matter. But not if you're a Christian; our faith is not to be a private matter. Ours is a public profession of faith in the living Christ. We're not ashamed of the gospel are we? Christ Himself has commissioned us to make disciples of all the nations. How are you going to do that f you hide in a closet, so to speak. I was thinking of this, this morning, in fact. Matthew 5:16, and you don't have this verse on the on the screen here. But there the Lord said, "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven." That's how we need to live. That's how Daniel lived. And we read in Luke 12, beginning in verse eight, Jesus says, "'And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess Him also before the angels of God, but he who denies Me before men, will be denied before the angels of God.'"

So everyone knew who Daniel worshipped, who he proclaimed, his life was a living testimony. And again, I trust that your life is the same. I hope that if I were to ask your friends, what do you think about so and so? Well, I, you know, I'm not real sure. I think they go to church somewhere. I hope they would say, oh, you know, that person is a devoted worshipper of Jesus Christ. So that's what we have with Daniel. And by the way, I find it interesting that in the first year of Darius, his reign, which was around 538 or 537 BC, he issued a decree to allow all of the Jewish exiles to go back to Jerusalem after their 70 years of captivity. And that occurred prior to the scenario that we are reading here. So without a doubt, Daniel would have had much to do with that since he was second in command, right? You can imagine that Daniel's character and his conduct had a profound influence on the king and everybody around him. He was God's man. God empowered him to accomplish his purposes. And I might add that this is his desire for your life as well. Every single one of us, who have truly come to saving faith in Christ are now inhabited by the living God. We have been gifted to put his glory on display, we're all part of this magnificent spiritual organism, the body of Christ. Why? So that our life will redound to His glory. So that's what we have here with Daniel.

Go to verse six. "Then these commissioners and satraps came by agreement to the king." Obviously, they've been collaborating together, they've been scheming, "and spoke to him as follows: 'King Darius, live forever! All the commissioners of the kingdom,'" which by the way, was probably a bit of an exaggeration, but it sounds good. "'All the commissioners of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps the high officials and the governors have consulted together that the king should establish a statute and enforce an injunction that anyone who makes a petition to any god or man besides you, O king, for 30 days, shall be cast into the lion's den.'" Which of course, was one of the most cruel and terrifying forms of punishment, a powerful deterrent against anyone who would dare rebel against the king. Now, we must understand that throughout history, ancient monarchs were looked upon as a manifestation of deity. So such a tribute to his glory would not have been considered foreign to them. This was fairly common. And of course, such flattery certainly appeal to the king's vanity, which is a weakness that we all must guard against. And they probably figured, you know, 30 days is long enough for us to catch him in the act so that we can tell on him to the king. Verse eight, Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document so that it may not be changed according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which may not be revoked.'" So, in other words, we just love you so much king, we just worship you, are just the greatest. By the way, there's a whole lot more that would have been said than what we have here in the text, but can't you imagine, you're just the greatest, and they're just laying it on here, you know? Okay. So this is what they're asking him to do.

Now, this idea of "laws of Medes and Persians that can't be revoked," you see, this was very different than when Nebuchadnezzar ruled Babylon. You see, with Nebuchadnezzar, his every desire was law. And if he changed his mind, that was the new law, but it didn't work that way with the Medes and the Persians. Whatever the king said, was bound by the unchangeable nature of his decrees. In fact we get a sample of this and Esther chapter one and verse 19, where we read how the laws of the Medes and the Persians "cannot be repealed." And in chapter eight and verse eight, "a decree which is written in the name of the king and sealed with the king signet ring, may not be revoked." But you also must understand it was thought that for a king to decree something, and then later on change his mind, indicated that he made a mistake. Oh, well, we can't have that. Because the king is infallible, he's like a god. And to admit that he made a mistake would undermine his credibility and his authority. I have to laugh how often do you hear a president say, you know, folks, I am really sorry, I blew it, man, was that a mistake, please forgive me. You know, you're never gonna hear that. Instead, they're gonna double down on some some stupid decision and brag about how great it was and and how successful they are. And then if there's any problem with it, they're gonna blame it on somebody else and, and then quickly shift the public's attention along with a complicit media so that they're not looking at it anymore. And then they just move on. We've seen that, I've seen this my whole life. So have you. This has always been and will always be the modus operandi of arrogant, corruptive and deceptive little buffoons that are often put in authority over us.

So in a moment of weakness, the king lets his ego get the best of him. Verse nine, "Therefore, King Darius signed the document, that is, the injunction." Now, the trap has been set. Verse ten, "Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber, he had windows open towards Jerusalem);" and he closed the window so no one could see him pray. Oh, no, that's not what it says, does it? No. "And he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously." Man, what a testimony, I just love, I can't wait to meet Daniel someday, I can't wait to meet him. I mean, here's a guy that feared God, not man. He obeyed God, not man. He trusted in God to do whatever God deemed best with his life. Oh, dear friends, would we be the same way? Then Daniel didn't change his habit of worshipping the one true God simply because some, frankly, puny, little, depraved creature that God has made and put in authority said that I want you to disobey your God. No, I'm not going to do that. By the way, remember this the next time a group of politicians enact some law that requires you to bow the knee to Baal. Folks, when that happens, when they ask us to disobey God, we need to blow them off like a telemarketer at dinnertime. See them as little Lilliputians from Lilliput. You guys remember that? Okay, Jonathan Swift, the great novel Gulliver's Travels.

So, Daniel, hears the threat, all right? And he knows what these characters are up to. He knows their character, he knows what's going on. And he, I'm sure, he also knows their somewhere out there in the shadow, they're watching right now. But he shows no fear. He's going to continue to pray, as he always has. He's not going to embrace the world. He is not going to capitulate to the culture, his life is going to confront it. I might add a few minutes ago, we read from Psalm 55. You remember when David's heart was in anguish, and he was afraid, and the tears of death fell upon him because of his enemies? What did he say? He said this "As for me, I shall call upon God, and the Lord will save me evening and morning and at noon," three times a day. "I will complain and murmur, and he will hear my voice. He will redeem my soul in peace from the battle which is against me, for they are many who strive with me." Well, this was Daniel's pattern, as well. Three times a day in good times as well as now in bad times. And I trust that you all have a habit of prayer; doesn't necessarily have to be three times a day. But hopefully you will pray without ceasing, as the Scripture says. You will pray at all times, that there's a sense in which you're in constant communion with your God...(audio is not translatable).....

In other words, they came, they came purposely to witness the rebellion. That's the idea here, "and found Daniel making petition and supplication before his God." Gotcha. "Then they approach," verse 12, "and spoke before the king about the king's injunction, 'Did you not sign an injunction that any man who makes a petition to any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, is to be cast into the lion's den?' The king replied, 'The statement is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians.'" Now, let me pause here. It doesn't say this... (audio is not translatable)....but it began to weep a little bit. Oh, dear friend, our colleague pays no attention to you. Can't you hear it? Oh, King he keeps making his petition three times a day. We can't believe it, it's Daniel.

Verse 14, "Then, as soon as the king heard the statement, he was deeply distressed and set his mind on delivering Daniel; and even until sunset he kept exerting himself to rescue him. You see what was going on here, is the king suddenly realized that he had been hoodwinked by these jealous colleagues of Daniel. Now it has sprung; he could see how his pride had gotten the best of him. And he's probably gathered all of his counsel, his legal counsel around said, guys, okay, we got to do something here. What can we do? Can we find a loophole in the law, somehow, some way to deliver this great man? Well, so we see that he keeps exerting himself to rescue him in verse 14. And then these devious plotters come again to press the matter in verse 15, "Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king, 'Recognize, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or statute, which the king established may be changed.'" And again, I'm sure they put on a real show, feigning sorrow. Verse 16, "'Then the king gave orders, and Daniel was brought in and cast into the lion's den." in the aramaic (audio is not translatable)....

Archeologists have discovered a number of these pits in various places. And Carl F. Kyle, the famous 19th century Old Testament scholar, describes one he says, quote, "It consisted of a large square cavern under the earth, having a partition wall in the middle of it, which is furnished with a door which the keeper can open and close from above. By throwing in the food, he entices the lions from one chamber into the other, and then having shut the door, they enter the vacant space for the purpose of cleaning it. The Cavern is open above; its mouth being surrounded by a wall of a yard and a half high, over which one can look into the den." So it would have been something like this. Go back to verse 16, Daniel was brought in, cast into the lion's den, and then we read that, "The King spoke and said to Daniel, 'Your God, whom you constantly serve, will Himself deliver you.'" The language here, in the whole context, suggests that he probably said this, as Daniel was entering the den. They typically had a side, as well as a top opening with metal grates allowing on the side for people to view the horror. And also, for ventilation, Daniel probably went in through the side opening. But my what a testimony right? For the king to say, "Your God, whom you constantly serve." I love that. Folks, I don't care how much people hate you for the cause of Christ, that must be our testimony, that this is the God that we constantly serve. And he says, "He will deliver you." This is what he's hoping.

So verse 17, "A stone was brought and laid over the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet ring, and with the signet rings of his nobles, so that nothing would be changed in regard to Daniel." So this stone would have been the type of thing like even on Jesus tomb or round stone that would have been rolled, to kind of help with the gate with all that's on the side of the den. And it is sealed with the king's signet ring as well as the rest of the nobles. Now, I said that I doubt if there were three lions let me chase that rabbit for a moment. Because I've always thought about things like this as a little boy, I was wondering how many lions were in there, they say three, but it doesn't say that in the Bible. I don't know. I've always been curious about things like that. But you know, given the large number of people that were later thrown into the den, we could safely safely estimate that it was a whole lot more than three. Probably a couple of dozen or more. I mean later in verse 24, we read that Daniels quote, "malicious accusers, their children and wives were all thrown into the den, and they had not reached the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones." Now, even if the only men accused consisted of a dozen or so of the ringleaders out of the 120 along with their families, just the group that would have lived in Babylon, it would suggest that there had to have been more than three lions so to speak. It would suggest that as well, that these lions and we know from other historical records, that many times they would be practically starved in order to be ready for the people to be thrown into the pit. Now I have seen lions in the wild in Africa. They are fearsome beasts, they can be between three and 500 pounds. A lion can consume 20 to 30 pounds of meat in a single day. And 20 children. And let's say that each of them offer about 20 pounds of meat. That's 800 pounds. If one lion were to eat 20 pounds, that's 40 lions. So I don't know how many were there. But let me just say, this is a horrifying thing. There had to have been a number of lions in there. You know, that's the type of odds that God likes, right?

So Daniel enters the den and the gate is sealed, verse 18, "Then the king went off to his palace and spent the night fasting, and no entertainment was brought before him; and his sleep fled from him." He is greatly distressed over all of this, he has no appetite. He wants no diversion (audio is not translatable).....

",,,,and went in haste to see the lion's den. When he had come near the den to Daniel, he cried out with a troubled voice. The king spoke and said to Daniel, "Daniel, servant of the living God,'" I have to have to smile their "servant of the living God;" I'm sure in the back of his mind...(audio is not translatable)... "Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you constantly serve, been able to deliver you from the lions?' Then Daniel spoke to the king, 'O king, live forever!'" I'm not sure I would have said that in my flesh. If I did, I'd probably be thinking, wait till I get my hands on you. "'Oh, king, live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the lion's mouths and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as I was found innocent before Him; and also toward you. O king, I have committed no crime.'" Don't you wonder what his colleagues that put him in this situation, what they were thinking when they, I don't know, if they were there to see this? They certainly heard about it later. Can't you imagine what would have gone through their mind? I mean, this adds new meaning to the deer in the headlight look, you know? I mean, they knew they were dead meat. I guess there is a pun there. And I also have to think, my, these guardian angels, so to speak. Obviously, this angel was visible to Daniel. Text doesn't say this, but don't you know that as he goes in there, and the lions then are released into his chamber from the little sliding door that they have, don't you know that somehow the angel appeared to him doesn't say what he looked like. But I could just imagine the angel saying, "Daniel, come here, don't worry, puts his arm around him. You'll be alright. God's at work here." And then lions come in and just kind of lay down or something. We don't know. But my goodness. When God delivers, he delivers gloriously.

Now, did Daniel see the pre-icarnate Christ? Was that who this was? The text doesn't say, might have been. That might have been who was with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, we don't know. But Scripture does have much to say about angels. Psalm 34 seven, "The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him and rescues them." Psalm 91 verse 11, "He will give His angels charge concerning you to guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands that you do not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and cobra, the young lion and the serpent you will trample down." (audio is not translatable).... those who will inherit salvation. I've often thought over the course of my life, my goodness, I have absolutely given the angels a run for their money in protecting me, and you could say the same thing. Who knows?

Now back to the king. I can't imagine what would have gone through his mind. Daniel's not hurt. He's innocent. He had to have known that what he was witnessing was a miracle. And he had to have known that that miracle was caused by the true living God that Daniel worshipped, Yahweh. And he had to have also known that he had been tricked into doing this whole thing. And so I would imagine he was a bit steamed, verse 23, "Then the king was very pleased and gave orders for Daniel to be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den and no injury whatever was found on him, because he had trusted in his God." So again, he probably went in through the side entrance, they had opened the door, all of the lions had come in. Now, Daniel is standing there, and the lions are still in that area, he can't go out the way he came in, because all of that has been sealed. And the lions are there, so what do they do, they probably drop a rope or something down and they they pull him up out of the top. Now, I want to pause here for a moment, dear friends. Please understand, that though we can trust in the Lord our God with all of our heart, that doesn't mean that he's always going to deliver us the way we want. Sometimes he allows the lions to devour us. Sometimes the flames consume us. Sometimes the cancer is not healed, right? Think of all of the martyrs who testify to these truths. But what we can be assured of is that his grace will always be sufficient, regardless of what we endure, he will always be there and if we die, we will pass immediately through the veil of death into glory, and receive..(audio is not translatable). And Daniel understood this, he trusted God come what may. And here we see God miraculously delivering his servant from Satan's attempt to destroy...(audio is not translatable) God judges the wicked, even at times on Earth, which is nothing compared to eternity.

Verse 24, "Then the king gave orders, and they brought those men who had maliciously accused Daniel, and they cast them, their children and their wives into the lions' den, and they had not reached the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones." So they were dropped down from the top since the lions would have already been in that section. Obviously, the angels restraint had been lifted. And these terrifying beasts were now being used to judge the wicked. I can only imagine in my mind the terror in the hearts of those people, those men and their wives and their children. I have heard lions up close. I've heard them roar, and it is deafening. It is terrifying. Imagine being lined up and hearing all that's going on, until it was your turn. But oh dear friends, the judgment of God and hell is so exceedingly worse than that, we can't even begin to imagine it. Which makes us rejoice all the more in the grace of God through the gospel.

By the way, this was a common practice to kill the whole family and the children among Persian monarchs. In fact, the ancient Roman historian and soldier, Ammianus Marcellinus states, quote, "the laws among them," referring to the Persians, "are formidable, by which on account of the guilt of one, all the kindred perish."

So verse 25, "Then Darius the king wrote to all the peoples, nations and men of every language who were living in all the land: 'May your peace abound!'" And then I might add that in verses 26, through 27, it is really written in the original language in the form of a hymn, and Daniel probably helped him write this. But notice what it says, "'I make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom, men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel; for He is the Living God and enduring forever and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed and His dominion will be forever. He delivers and rescues and performs signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, who has also delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.' So, this Daniel enjoyed success in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian." Again, it could read, "even in the reign of Cyrus the Persian."

Oh dear friends what a magnificent demonstration of the faithfulness of God and the power of God. And oh dear Christian, we need to celebrate this, don't we? This is the God that we serve. This is the God that we love. And I know many of you are struggling in difficult circumstances today. Life can be very, very hard. But I'm reminded of Second Corinthians 1:5, "Though the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance," it says, we know that we can find relief knowing that Satan's rule is just temporary. All of the stuff that we endure is temporary, the Lord is coming. And there is going to be complete deliverance far beyond what Daniel experienced in the lion's den. And I would add that the tragedies and the atrocities of life should animate our hatred towards Satan, and toward sin. It should never stir up anger towards God and the inevitable sorrows of life. In the sin cursed world are really opportunities for us to long all the more for glory, when according to Revelation 21 four, "He will wipe away every tear from our eyes, there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying or pain, the first things have passed away." But until that glorious day, we must remember that God has never abandoned us in our sufferings, for indeed, in his permissive providence, he has ordained to allow them to accomplish his glorious purposes in us, and through us. And through life's storms, we can trust God, and we can experience the joy of who he is. That's the amazing thing about all of it. And we can remember that his goodness, and justice remains untarnished in everything that he does. We can never accuse God of being unjust or being unfair. In fact, Moses said in Deuteronomy 32, four, "The Rock! His work is perfect, for all His ways are just; a God of faithfulness and without injustice, righteous and upright is He. And it's for this reason that Peter encouraged the persecuted saints, in first Peter five, beginning of verse seven, he says, "Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you at the proper time, Casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you." Folks, even in the hopelessness and helplessness of excruciating sorrow, and gratuitous evil, we can rest assured in his promises that He will never leave us nor forsake us. Moreover, as in the case of Daniel, whenever we look closely, at whatever trial we find ourselves in, we can always see his tender mercies, we can always see His goodness, we can always look and see his power being put on display. And then in the midst of the pain, as we see those things, we find comfort, do we not? We find comfort, we experience just the soul satisfying joy of his presence, consistent with those promises. Again, he will never leave us nor forsake us His grace will always be sufficient, as we read and Second Corinthians 12 nine and his throne is always accessible. Hebrews 4:16 "Therefore, let us what let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Oh, dear friends, truly as we read in Lamentations 3:22 "The Lord's loving kindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness." And in light of these great truths, we can affirm what James said in James one beginning in verse two, "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." Oh, we have so much to be thankful for do we not? Let's pray together.

Father, thank ou for this magnificent story that teaches us so much about your character, your love, your faithfulness, your power, your sovereign rule over all things. And we thank you that through the life of Daniel, we can see how you long to lavish your blessings upon those who are devoted to you truly, without compromise, Father, may we be that kind of people. And Lord, for those that know nothing of what it is to be united to you through faith in Christ, who know nothing of what it is to truly love the Lord with all their heart, to have an appetite for your word and, and long to spend time with you and enjoy the intimacy of fellowship that belongs to the redeemed Lord, for those that know nothing of that, once you bring conviction to their heart today, overwhelm them with the horror of their sin caused them to see the sword of your wrath dangling over them. But by the same token, help them to see their for the grace that is there as the forgiveness that is theirs. For all who will cry out to you and repentant faith. Thank you, Lord, that you save sinners. Thank you that you have saved us. Bless us encourage our hearts through what we've heard today. In Jesus name, Amen.

Will you take your Bibles and turn to Daniel chapter five as we continue to look into this amazing Old Testament book. I have been titled my discourse to you this morning, "Godless Defiance and Divine Judgment." And you will understand more of what that means as we look at this text to this morning. Living in a morally bankrupt society that could be likened to Sodom and Gomorrah and having to endure many of the political issues that are so anti-Christian can be both depressing as well as infuriating. I understand that, you understand that. However, despite the righteous indignation that believers might have, towards those who mock Christ, and those who hate all who belong to Him, we should all shudder when we consider what awaits them if they choose not to repent and place their faith in Christ. I want to remind you of this before we look at this text. Dear friends a day is coming, according to scripture, when unbelievers will stand in abject horror, before the Lord Jesus Christ seated upon his great white throne of judgment, they will stand before the divine bar of justice. A time is coming when they will appear as condemned prisoners in the indescribable emptiness between the end of the present universe in the creation of the new heaven and the new earth. A time is coming when they will look upon the one whom they have ignored and ridiculed and defied and rejected all their life. It will be a time, according to Scripture, when the unrighteous dead will hover in the unspeakable void of empty space and look upon the righteous, omniscient, omnipotent, sovereign creator of the universe, and there, they will appear with new resurrected bodies, suited for the eternal torments of hell. This is what Jesus referred to in John 5:29 as the "resurrection of condemnation." There they will be judged for their works, for every thought, for every word, for every action, everything will be measured against the righteousness of God. And they will be found wanting. And were it not for the righteousness of Christ, we would be with them, were it not for his grace, we would stand with them. Revelation Chapter 20. We're given a glimpse of the scene. There we read beginning in verse 11. "Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them, and they were judged every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."

Whenever I think about God's judgment upon the wicked, two things immediately well up within me. One is how thankful I am for his saving grace in my life. But secondly, just an overwhelming sense of burden for those that don't know Christ. We all need to bear this in mind as we endure some of the wickedness that's all around us, as we endure people that hate us. Yes, today, they have the power, so to speak. They live in Satan's world; he is the god of this world; God has allowed that temporarily. But as the old preacher said," There's payday someday. There is payday someday." The apostle Paul addresses this in Second Thessalonians, one beginning in verse six. He says, "For after all, it is only just for God to repay with affliction, those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted, and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God, and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, for our testimony to you was believed." The inspired apostle went on to describe the nature of his prayer for all of the persecuted saints. And this is what we need to hear. He says, "To this end, also, we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness in the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you and him, according to the grace of our God, and the Lord Jesus Christ." This, beloved, must be the decisive commitment of your heart, even in the midst of righteous indignation that you might have towards ungodly oppressors. And what we see today, in the text before us, is a prime example of God's judgment on those who defy him, what I would call godless defiance. And we see this all of the time, all you have to do is turn on the television. Listen to the news, you see it all the time. And as we examine this historical narrative this morning, we glean some very clear patterns that emerge from the text. Patterns regarding human depravity and how it is often manifested and how it progresses. So as we come to Daniel five, let me take you back to the context. This is ancient Babylon. And this is the story of Belshazzar, the ungodly grandson of Nebuchadnezzar that is now dead. Daniel was an old man, the prophet Daniel was an old man by now, about 81 years old. Now Belshazzar was a co-regent with his father Nabonidus, who was an absent king, who basically abandoned the capital city of Babylon for many years at a time. In fact, he maintained a separate royal residence at Tema in Northwest Arabia, which would be southeast of Edom. It's recorded that there was one period of 14 years when he never even visited the capital. The famous Nabonidus chronicle speaks of Belshazzar as quote "the Crown Prince, who was regarded as king," because he was left there in Babylon to control the military from at least 549 to 545 BCE, while his father, Nabonidus was establishing a new military and commercial fortress at Tema. You can also read in a text called a "Persian Verse Account of Nabonidus," the following, quote, "He freed his hand," referring to Nabonidus, freeing the hand of Belshazzar. "He entrusted the kingship to him, then he himself undertook a distant campaign." Also, the Babylonian Chronicles which were written in Babylonian cuneiform discovered in some of the excavations in the 19th century. There we know exactly when this story happened. From that ancient document it happened on the 16th day of the month, Tishri, Nabonidus' 17th year. That translates into Saturday, October 12 539 BC.

In fact, the cuneiform reads, quote, "The army of Cyrus entered Babylon without a battle." You'll understand that more him here in a minute. And the Greek historian and leader there in Greece many years ago during that time, Herodotus, notes that "Babylon failed during a time of festival, and celebration." So that's a little background here. So let's examine the text. And let's do so with a view towards understanding some of the key elements that occurs when people defy who God really is; when they have no fear of God. People that have no fear of God are called fools in the Bible. So let's look at a fool beginning in verse one.

"Belshazzar the king held a great feast for 1000 of his nobles, and he was drinking wine in the presence of the 1000." Now here we see a common characteristic of a defiant fool. That is a passion for drunken debauchery. These people love to party, they love to use alcohol and drugs to create a fool's paradise, so that they can deny the works and the Word of the living God. In fact, if you go to Isaiah five, you will see that this is one of the reasons why God judged ancient Judah. Now, I want you to understand how foolish this is what I just read about Belshazzar, having a great feast of 1000 nobles drinking wine in their presence. You see the context here is as follows: The Persians had already conquered all of the territory surrounding the city of Babylon. They had already defeated Nabonidus in battle, and he had fled for his life. And he left his son, Belshazzar, there in Babylon with the remaining forces to somehow fight the Persians from behind the walls. So now what you have, is this enormously powerful Persian military surrounding the city. Morale was extremely low. We know that the people were fed up with their leadership, you might say Belshazzar's approval ratings had slipped very, very low. If you took a poll of the people in Babylon, they would, the majority would say the Empire is going in the wrong direction. So that's what's going on here. So what should you do as a leader? Throw a party, throw a party, tell the press secretary to spin the situation. You know, let's boost the morale of the people beginning with the leaders. And it's time to exalt the king, fuel his pride, bolster his self-image and his own self-confidence. And like most petty dictators, kings, or even presidents that have ever existed, Belshazzar had an insatiable appetite for self-aggrandizement. So let's gather 1000 of the nobles, let's impress them with my cavalier attitude towards danger. Let's somehow help them understand that we can handle this. Our military is powerful, we can defeat this enemy. And moreover, as you're going to see, let's bring everybody together so that I can publicly defy the God of ancient Judah.

By the way, these large banquets were not at all uncommon. History records that Persian monarchs would feed as many as 15,000 guests at daily feasts. Imagine that. And we know that there were 10,000 guests at the marriage feast of Alexander the Great. So this is how they functioned in those days. But you need to also understand that this was an opportunity for Belshazzar to reaffirm their commitment and their faith in their Babylonian gods that they believed had protected them in the past. So bring on the food and the drink. And the women. Verse two says that he ordered his wives and his concubines to join them. You see, this was for the purpose of providing sexual pleasure. Inevitably these events would end up in a drunken orgy. So the spin machine now is set into full motion. It's time to enjoy some carefree hilarity. It's time for drunken debauchery. And we all know how quickly alcohol consumption can cloud a man's judgment, temporarily drown out your sorrows. Proverbs 20 verse one says "Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is intoxicated, intoxicated by it is not wise." So godless defiance will often manifest itself in a passion for drunken debauchery.

But there's a second characteristic that we see emerging from the text and that is a fearless disregard for God's judgment. I want you to see how this plays out beginning in verse two, "When Belshazzar tasted the wine," by the way, in the original the idea here is, is not only sensing its flavor, but also feeling its intoxicating effects beginning to take over. So, "when Belshazzar tasted the wine, he gave orders to bring the gold and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them." By the way, when it says "Nebuchadnezzar, his father," that term is also used to describe a grandfather, which Nebuchadnezzar was. So this was an act of, of unbridled pride, of defeat, of defiance, deliberate blasphemy, to somehow say, I am not intimidated with Yahweh, who I know judged my grandfather. But you know, at least his grandfather kept the sacred vessels according to chapter one and verse two, "in the treasure house of his God." No Babylonian king had ever done such a thing, taking the sacred vessels that they had taken from the temple in Jerusalem. And again, he's wanting to demonstrate his fearless disregard for the Judean God that had humbled his grandfather through his judgment. That's why later on in verse 23, Daniel is going to say to him, "but you Belshazzar, have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven; they have brought the vessels of His house before you and you and your nobles, your wives, and your concubines have been drinking wine from them, and you have praised the gods of silver and gold of bronze iron, wood and stone, which do not see here or understand. But the God in whose hand are your life-breath and all your ways you have not glorified." I'm reminded of Proverbs nine and verse 10, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." But fools have no fear of the Lord, the God of the Bible. In fact, in Psalm 14 one we read that, "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt, they have done abominable things." Proverbs 26 and verse 10, "The great God who formed everything gives the fool his hire and the transgressor his wages." And that dear friends is about to happen. As the story unfolds, notice verse three. "Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God, which was in Jerusalem; and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone."

By the way, history records that the way they did their praise was through singing. So they are singing with instruments to their false gods. I'm reminded of Romans chapter one, beginning in verse 22, where the apostle Paul says, "Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and of four-footed and animals and crawling creatures. Therefore, God gave them over and the lusts of their hearts to impurity." Then he goes on, he gives them over as well to "degrading passions," that of homosexuality, and then finally to "a depraved mind to do those things which are not proper." And sadly, the things that he goes on to describe are basically those things that many of our politicians exalt and celebrate and force upon us. It says, they're "being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them."

So now Belshazzar, who wants to tell everybody that he is not intimidated with the God of Judea, the one that had proved himself so powerful in the past with his grandfather, this king now, is about to be humbled. So imagine the scene. Try to go there in your imagination. The king is all liquored up along with the nobles, they're laughing it up. They're having a big party having a gay old time drinking and singing. I mean, folks, this is spring break in Babylon, you get the picture. It's spring break in Babylon. And imagine the beautiful golden and silver vessels falling to the floor in the midst of drunken revelry. An orgy of Satan loves to mock the one true God. Notice what happens next. "Suddenly, the fingers of a man's hand emerged." As I studied the original language here, it's really fascinating. When it says emerge, it's the idea of coming out. And so this hand is coming out of the wall, in what we would call a three dimensional materialization. So it looks like a huge hand coming out of the wall. And this hand "began writing opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace." So this was the perfect place for it to be illumined where everybody could see. And we read "and the king saw the back of the hand that did the writing." Boy, imagine the scene. How quickly all of that gaiety turned to sobriety, to terror. I'm sure at that point, you could have heard a pin drop. These people that had suppressed the truth in unrighteousness we're now experiencing the reality of the living God doing something to pry the lid off of their foolish denial. I'm sure no one in that room doubted his power at that moment, even though they weren't sure what was going on. But surely, these people were very familiar with the Judean Yawei the history of what he had done over the years, even from Egypt on, was astounding and terrifying. And now with the Medo-Persian siege warfare machine surrounding the city, they undoubtedly knew that whatever was said on that wall was a harbinger of something very bad. Something horrible, was about to happen.

Now, it's interesting that the German archaeologist, Koldewey, when he excavated Babylon, he says that the largest room he found in the palace complex was 55 feet wide by 169 feet long, and they had plastered walls. He also describes a niche in one of the long walls opposite the entrance, where it is suggested that the king would have been seated during times of feasting, so you get the scene. Notice verse six, "Then the king's face grew pale, and his thoughts alarmed him and his hip joints went slack and his knees began knocking together." This is symptomatic of sheer terror. When it says that his hip joints, which could be translated the joints of his loins when they went slack, it's an indication that there was a real possibility that he suddenly lost bladder and bowel control. Which is a common physiological reaction under circumstances of acute stress and extreme fear also, the term "loins" in Scripture is often used to describe the seat of our body of our strength. And so all of his bottomly strength suddenly vanished. Pride comes before destruction dear friends, mark it. And that's what we see happening here. And I find it most telling to see what he did next. One would think that suddenly he would know what's going on. Because he knew his own heart, he knows what he was trying to do. You would think that suddenly he would cry out to the Judean God, Yahweh, for mercy, for forgiveness for trying to desecrate his sacred vessel. You would think that he would suddenly humble himself and plead for undeserved mercy, that he would repent. But no, that's not what he did.

Notice in verse seven, "The king called allowed to bring in the conjurers, the Chaldeans and the diviners." Dear friends, not only do defiant fools, have a passion for defiant, debauchery, and a fearless disregard for God's judgment. But thirdly, and this is what we see here, they seek the wisdom of man rather than God in their hour of need. They seek the wisdom of man rather than God in the hour, their hour of need. I mean, I think, even with our own country, a country that is so incredibly divided, a country that is struggling with disease, a country that is weakened. Wouldn't it be wonderful to see our leaders humble themselves before the living God? The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? Wouldn't it be wonderful to have our president give an executive order to bring in all of the godly pastors that they could find, to seek counsel from them, and then to call for a day of public repentance? For the way they have mocked the living God for so long here in this country? Wouldn't it be amazing to declare not just a day of prayer, but a month of prayer to seek forgiveness and mercy? And then to commit together to resending all of the laws that make a mockery of who God is? Laws that have enacted and legislated things that God abhors. But no, they will not do that, they will seek the counsel of other depraved men who have no answers.

Worse yet, as we come back to Belshazzar, he's going to buy their loyalty and bribe them to tell them what he wants them. To tell them he wants to hear something. So notice what he does. In verse seven, "The king spoke and said to the wise men of Babylon, 'Any man who can read this inscription and explain its interpretation to me shall be clothed with purple and have a necklace of gold around his neck and have authority as third ruler in the kingdom.' Then all the king's wise men came in, but they could not read the inscription, or make known its interpretation to the king. Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, his grace grew even paler, and his nobles were perplexed." According to one scholar, Hitzig, the grammar here in the original language indicates that the phrase "were perplexed" in this form, quote, "not only comprehends the idea of alarm, but also that of confusion and excited movement." Get the scene of a cage filled with rats, surrounded by cats. And you'll see the frenzy that's going on in this room. People pacing about wondering what is happening.

And then notice verse 10, "The queen entered the banquet hall because of the words of the kings and nobles." Now someone goes and tells the queen what's happening. Now who is this queen? Well, some evidence suggests that this was the queen mother, Belshazzar, his own mother, Nitocris, the daughter of Nebuchadnezzar and the wife of Nabonidus. Others would argue, and this is compelling as well, that this might have been the aged widow of Nebuchadnezzar Amytis, for whom he had built the Hanging Gardens, because she was so homesick for the hills of her beloved Media. But whoever it was, it's obvious that this woman was well acquainted with Daniel well acquainted with Yaweh. So much so that she may have been a genuine convert. So she's careful to describe Daniel here, by the way, and in ways that Nebuchadnezzar described him in chapter four, verses eight, verses nine and verses 18. This is what she says, "Then the queen spoke, 'O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts alarm you or your face be pale. There is a man in your kingdom, in whom is a spirit of the holy gods.'"

Let me pause here. You will remember when we studied chapter four, this phrase "holy gods" came up, and it can be translated, and I think better translated, "the Holy God," because the plural gods can refer to a single deity in both Aramaic as well as in Hebrew. "'There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy God and in the days of your father,'" referring to his grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar, "'illumination, insight and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods were given in him. And King Nebuchadnezzar, your father the king, appointed him chief of the magician's, conjurers, Chaldeans and diviners. This was because an extraordinary spirit, knowledge and insight, interpretation of dreams, explanation of enigmas and solving of difficult problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Let Daniel now be summoned and he will declare the interpretation.'" Isn't it interesting? She did a real "no, no" here in the king's court. She used Daniel's Hebrew name. Moreover, her intimate knowledge of Daniel, as well as his God, and her willingness to speak so boldly to the king, are indications again, that she not only knew Daniel well, but may have been a convert to the Judean God, our God, the One True God.

Verse 13, "Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king spoke and said to Daniel, 'Are you that Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, who my father, the king, brought from Judah? Now I have heard about you that a spirit of the gods is in you, and that illumination, insight and extraordinary wisdom have been found in you. Just now the wise men and the conjurers were brought in before me that they might read this inscription and make its interpretation known to me, but they could not declare the interpretation of the message.'" Now, mind you, what is inscribed on the wall is still there. Verse 16, "'But I personally have heard about you, that you are able to give interpretations and solve difficult problems. Now if you are able to read the inscription and make its interpretation known to me, you will be clothed with purple and wear a necklace of gold around your neck, and you will have authority as the third ruler in the kingdom.' Then Daniel answered and said before the king, 'Keep your gifts for yourself, or give your rewards to someone else; however, I will read the inscription to the king and make the interpretation known to him. Oh king, The Most High God, granted sovereignty, grandeur, glory and majesty to Nebuchadnezzar your father. Because of the grandeur which He bestowed on him, all the peoples, nations and men of every language feared and trembled before him; whomever he wished he killed and whomever he wished he spared alive, and whomever he wished he elevated and whomever he wished he humbled. But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit became so proud that he behaved arrogantly, he was deposed from his royal throne, and his glory was taken away from him. He was also driven away from mankind and his heart was made like that of beasts, and his dwelling place was with the wild donkeys. He was given grass to eat like cattle and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until he recognized that the Most High God is ruler over the realm of mankind, and that He sets over it whomever He wishes. Yet you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this, but you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of His house before you and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines have been drinking wine from them; and you have praised the gods of silver and gold and bronze iron, wood and stone which do not see hear or understand. But the God and whose hand are your life- breath and all your ways, you have not glorified. Then the hand was sent from Him, and this inscription was written out. Now, this is the inscription that was written out: 'MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN,' This is the interpretation of the message: Mene-- God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it. TEKEL-- you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient. PERES-- your kingdom has been divided.'" In other words, it's about to be broken and given over to the Medes and Persians. Fascinating.

So, knowing Daniel served the Most High God, that he was deliberately trying to dishonor, that he was deliberately defying, and fearing that what Daniel said, just might be right, we read in verse 29, "Belshazzar gave orders and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a necklace of gold around his neck and issued a proclamation concerning him that he now had authority as the third ruler in the kingdom." How sad. There's not a hint of repentance. There is not a hint of a contrite heart pleading for undeserved mercy. Therefore, there's no saving grace. Friends, if you ever believe that it's somehow man, rather than God, that initiates salvation, You simply don't understand Scripture. God must do that. And for whatever reason here God has not done that.

Verse 30, that same night Belshazzar the Chaldean King was slain. So Darius the Mede received the kingdom at about the age of 62." Oh, how quickly and how violently God can humble the proud, the high and the mighty. What happened that night? Well, the Athenian born military leader, philosopher and historian Xenophon said that" Cyrus diverted the river Euphrates" so that quote, "the bed of the river, where it traverses the city became passable for men." And he also recorded that this happened while the Babylonians were feasting in a time of drunken revelry. He also stated that Gabrius was the commander under Cyrus led the men into the palace where they found the king, quote, "already risen with a dagger in his hand," and then we read that they overpowered him, along with his attendants and killed them. The Nabonidus chronicle says that Cyrus commander, Gabrius has entered, quote, "Babylon without a battle." How tragic. The great Babylonian Empire, how quickly it deteriorated because of incompetent, corrupt and morally bankrupt leadership. It reminds me of our country today, and all that we see happening in it. The rise and fall of empires, dear friends, is always superintended by a sovereign God, who orchestrates all of the events of history, to accomplish his purposes, to ultimately bring glory to himself. The magnificent Babylonian Empire, you will recall was depicted as the golden head of the image in Nebuchadnezzar's dream recorded in Daniel two. You remember that? It would be vanquished by another power depicted by the chest and arms of silver. And of course, that's what we're seeing here. The Medo-Persians came in and defeated them.

And according to that image, according to the prophecy, the Greeks and then the Romans would follow suit, consistent with that prophetic outline of the rise and the fall of four great empires, world empires, that will finally be replaced by a fifth Empire, the kingdom of heaven. Oh, dear Christian, please know, great empires will continue to rise, they will continue to rebel and they will continue to fall including the last Gentile empire of the Antichrist. And it will one day be defeated by the one that we worship here today, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, Jesus Christ. Who will return in power and great glory and establish His kingdom that will never end.

Daniel will go on to say in chapter seven beginning in verse 13, "I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven, one like a Son of Man was coming. And He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which will not pass away and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed."

Well, dear friends, I trust that you will examine your own heart and your own life, in light of this. Certainly if you're one here today, or within the sound of my voice, that defies the Living God, ignores him, just lives for yourself, then you will probably fit somehow into some of the things that we have seen in Belshazzar. You will at least have a penchant for defiant debauchery, love to party, so that you can ignore and deny the reality of your sin and your need for a Savior. You will also be one that has a fearless disregard of God's judgment because you have no fear of God, and therefore you are a fool. And you will seek the wisdom of man rather than the wisdom of God and you will do that even in your hour of need. And if this describes you, you must know that like Belshazzar, you have been weighed in the balance and you have been found wanting. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and our only hope is in Christ. But oh, dear friends, those of you who know and love Christ, those of us who are debtors to his grace, knowing the judgment that is coming upon the unregenerate, knowing according to Second Peter 3:10, the "day of the Lord will come like a thief...the heavens will disappear with a roar,,,the elements will be destroyed by fire and the earth and everything done and it will be laid bare." Dear friends, knowing all of this, we must honor Christ in our life. Come what may. Verse 11, of that same text. We are told, "Since everything will be destroyed in this way," what kind of people ought you to be? You are to "live a holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed it's coming, that the day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise, we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth where righteousness dwells." So then, difference, "since you are looking forward to this make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him."

In closing, John MacArthur, summarizes this so well, all that we've seen from this text and what I'm trying to communicate to you. He says, quote, "True believers must realize that the state of our society is the result of the righteous judgment of God. God has not commissioned his people to reconstruct society. We are not called to expend our energy or his energies for moral reform. We are salt, a preservative for a decaying generation, Matthew 5:13. And we are lights, designed to shine in a way that enables people who see our good works to glorify our Heavenly Father, Matthew five, verses 14 through 16. In other words," he goes on to say "our primary task is to preach the truth of God's word, live in obedience to that truth, and to keep ourselves unstained by the world, James 1:27. Our influence on society must be the fruit of that kind of living, not the product of fleshly energy, or political clout." Dear friends, we serve a glorious, a good, a redeeming God. And we can trust him to do everything that he has promised to do. So let's live in light if his coming. Let's dedicate ourselves to living holy lives and lives that are deeply moved with compassion towards those who do not know the Savior. So they can look at us and see something different. And by God's grace, give us an opportunity to present to them the only truth that can save and sanctify and glorify. Let's pray together.

Father, we are so thankful for the gospel for all that you have done for us. But again, our hearts are broken for those that do not know you. And we know that apart from your regenerating grace, they will never know you. So we pray that you will move upon them continue to use us as salt and light that they might see the truth that they might believe and that they might be saved. So we thank you for the hope that is ours in Christ. Bless us, encourage us, especially in these dark days, and use us mightily for the sake of the kingdom and our coming King. For it’s in his name that I pray. Amen.

As we continue to make our way through the book of Daniel, we find ourselves this morning in Daniel chapter four. So will you take your Bibles and join with me? As we examine this amazing chapter, under the heading "God's Humbling Grace." We know from scripture that God is opposed to the proud but he gives grace to the humble. And to be sure, apart from God's grace, true humility is absolutely impossible. As sinful beings we are so blinded by our pride that we cannot see it. We are told in Proverbs 16 and verse 18, that "pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before stumbling." And in Proverbs 18, verse 12, we read before destruction, the heart of man is haughty." And I'm sure you will all agree that at the root of marriages and families that have been destroyed, you will find pride. In fact, pride destroys communities, and even nations. Today, we are witnessing the systematic destruction of our great nation due to the unbridled pride of ungodly political leaders and those who put them in office. About 150 years ago, the great English pastor, Charles Spurgeon said this, "Almost every event has its prophetic prelude. It is an old and common saying that coming events cast their shadows before them. When destruction walks through the land, it casts its shadow. It is in the shape of pride. Pride is as surely the sign of destruction, as the change of mercury in the weather glass is the sign of rain. Everything hath its prelude. The prelude of destruction is pride. There is nothing into which the heart of man so easily falls as pride. And yet there is no vice which is more frequently, more emphatically, and more eloquently condemned in scripture. Against pride, prophets have lifted up their voices, evangelists have spoken and teachers have discoursed. Yea more, the everlasting God has mounted to the very heights of eloquence when he would condemn the man of pride. And the full gushing of the Eternal's mighty language has been most gloriously displayed in the condemnation of the pride of human nature."

Like all monarchs, including the political leaders that we have here in America and those around the world, Nebuchadnezzar was blind to the reality that all earthly sovereigns are completely subject to the ruler of heaven and earth. Who is the Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed, Jesus declared in Matthew 28, in verse 18, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven, and on earth." Indeed, Peter testified in Acts chapter 10, verse 42, that God "ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead." Dear friends, every man and every woman who has ever drawn breath or whoever will draw breath, will ultimately stand before the Lord Jesus Christ, in worship or in terror. He will either be their Savior and Lord, or their judge and executioner. We are reminded of this, for example, in Philippians, chapter two, beginning in verse nine, where we read that "God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name so that at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Through the prophet Isaiah, God expresses his holy anger against the proud and what will ultimately come about as a consequence of their arrogance in Isaiah chapter 14, beginning in verse nine, he addressed Belshazzar, the final king of ancient Babylon, and by extension, all of the pompous godless rulers of the world that many of us are even forced to endure this day. And there we read hell "from beneath is excited about you, to meet you at your coming. It stirs up the dead for you, all the chief ones of the earth that has raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations, they all shall speak and say to you, Have you also become as weak as we have, you become like us? Your Pomp is brought down to Sheol and the sound of your stringed instruments. The maggot is spread under you, and worms cover you."

Well, we can all be thankful, can we not? That God's grace is available to all of us who are proud. He has his ways of humbling even the most pompous. And that is what we will see in the text before us in Daniel chapter four. At the beginning of this chapter, Daniel, includes an introduction that was written by Nebuchadnezzar, where he exalts the one true God who had humbled him and restored him to his throne, as we will see, so I want to go through this, read it to you make some explanations, and then some applications. Beginning in verse one, "Nebuchadnezzar, the king to all the peoples, nations and men of every language that live in all the earth: 'May your peace abound! It has seemed good to me,'" or literally, it was beautiful before me, '"to declare the signs and wonders which the Most High God has done for me. How great are His signs and how mighty are His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and His dominion is from generation to generation.'" My, what a contrast to human kingdoms that rise and fall and often exchange rulers multiple times within a single generation. And next, the king tells of his dream, which by the way, must have occurred sometime around the end of his reign, some sometime between 605 and 562 BC, I might add just a little footnote, archeologists have discovered a fragmentary tablet which reads, quote, "in the 37th year, which began April 23, 568 BC, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Egypt to deliver a battle." And we know historically that he went to Egypt at this time, and he suppressed a revolt. And they returned home, celebrating yet another victory over a vanquished foe, which undoubtedly fanned the flames of his pride, all the more. Now back to verse four, "'I Nebuchadnezzar was at ease in my house, and flourishing in my palace,'" he says, In other words, all was at rest in his vast kingdom, and even in his mind, and then we read, "'I saw a dream, and it made me fearful.'" The original helps us understand that it was terrifying to him. '"And these fantasies as I lay on my bed, and the visions in my mind kept alarming me. So I gave orders to bring into my presence all the wise men of Babylon, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. Then the magicians, the conjurers, the Chaldeans and the Diviners came in and I related the dream to them, but they could not make its interpretation known to me. But finally, Daniel came in before me, whose name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, and in whom is a spirit of the holy gods; and I related the dream to him."

Now, it's interesting that Daniel came in last, we're not told why. But I would imagine that he wanted to give the other men an opportunity to prove their ineffectiveness. And so he comes in. And Nebuchadnezzar says, "In Him is a spirit of the holy gods." I think a better interpretation here is singular, the Holy God, the reason I say that, is the plural, gods can refer to a single deity in both Aramaic and in Hebrew. And I think given the context, and we will see this by the way, again, in verse nine and verse 18, I believe it's better to interpret this, "and in whom is a spirit of the Holy God," referring to Daniel's God. "And I related the dream to him saying, 'O Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, since I know that a spirit of the Holy God is in you and no mystery baffles you, tell me the visions of my dream, which I have seen along with its interpretation. Now, these were the visions in my mind as I lay on my bed: I was looking, and behold, there was a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great. The tree grew large and became strong, and its height reached to the sky. And it was visible to the end of the whole earth. Its foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant. And in it was food for all the beasts of the field found shade under it, and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches, and all living creatures fed themselves from it. I was looking into visions in my mind as I lay on my bed, and behold, an angelic watcher, a holy one, descended from heaven. He shouted out and spoke as follows: Chop down the tree and cut off its branches, Strip off its foliage and scatter its fruit; Let the beasts flee from under it and the birds from its branches. Yet, leave the stump, with its roots in the ground. But with a band of iron and bronze around it, in the new grass of the field; and let him be drenched with the dew of heaven and let him share with the beasts in the grass of the earth. Let his mind be changed from that of a man and let it and let a beast's mind be given to him. And let seven periods of time pass over him.'" Fascinating, "let his mind be changed from that of a man to a beast." In other words, let him begin to reason and act like an animal. Many times, this is what we see in a, in a disorder called lycanthropy, where a person thinks they are an animal, typically a wolf. This is kind of at the heart of the old world, wolf myths and all of this type of thing. But here it could be boanthropy, where he thinks of himself as an ox. So this is the curse that God placed upon him for seven years. Verse 17, "'This sentence is by the decree of the angelic watchers and the decision is a command of the holy ones in order that the living may know that the Most High is a ruler over the realm of mankind, and bestows it on whom he wishes and sets over it the lowliest of men. This is the dream which I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, tell me its interpretation, inasmuch as none of the wisemen of my kingdom is able to make known to me the interpretation; but you are able for a spirit of the Holy God is in you.'" Verse 19, "Then Daniel whose name is Belteshazzar, was appalled for a while, as his thoughts alarmed him. The king responded and said, 'Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation alarm you.' Belteshazzar replied, 'My lord, if only the dream applied to those who hate you, and its interpretation to your adversaries! The tree that you saw, which became large and grew strong, whose height reached to the sky, and was visible to all the earth and whose foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all under which the beasts of the field dwelt in whose branches the birds of the sky lodged-- it is you, O king; for you have become great and grown strong, and your majesty has become great and reached to the sky and your dominion to the end of the earth. In that the king saw an angelic watcher, a holy one, descending from heaven and saying, 'Chop down the tree and destroy it; yet leave the stump with its roots in the ground, but with a band of iron and bronze around it in the new grass of the field, and let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him share with the beasts of the field, until seven periods of time pass over him,' this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king: that you be driven away from mankind and your dwelling place, be with the beasts of the field. And you'll be given grass to eat like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven; and seven periods of time will pass over you until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes. And in that it was commanded to leave the stump with the roots of the tree, your kingdom will be assured to you after you recognize that it is Heaven that rules. Therefore, O king, may my advice, be pleasing to you: break away now from your sins by doing righteousness and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, in case there may be a prolonging of your prosperity.'" In other words, Daniel takes a real risk here in offering his advice to the king. Kings of that day, certainly Nebuchadnezzar would be among them, were cruel to the people that worked for them. The many poor that built their vast walls and cities, injustices also existed among their judges, that was commonplace. So basically, Daniel is pleading with him to correct your sinful life, conduct yourself with righteousness and perhaps God would be merciful. Perhaps, your change of heart would mitigate the severity of his judgment upon you.

And then we read this in verse 28. "All this happened to Nebuchadnezzar, the king. Twelve months later, he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon." I want you to notice was walking is a participle. It indicates that he was pacing back and forth on the roof of his palace, admiring all of the glory of his kingdom. Verse 30, "The king reflected and said, 'Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence, by the might of my power, and for the glory of my majesty?' That betrayed his heart of pride.

Let me digress for a moment and give you a little glimpse into what his kingdom looked like. Much of the ruins of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon have been recovered by the German archaeologist Robert Conaway. He discovered much of it from 1899 to 1917. I've seen remnants of it in various museums around the world. And here's some of the remarkable characteristics of what was found, according to various sources of documentation. The city was protected by a system of great double walls. The outer line extending 10 miles around the double walls were each 25 feet thick, with 40 feet between and a total of 260 Towers 160 feet apart. Through the center of the city for two thirds of a mile, extended the great 70 feet wide stone paved procession street, having walls decorated with enameled brick showing 120 Lions and 575 dragons and bulls arranged in alternate rows. By the way, the dragons in the bowls were symbols of Marduk and Baal, their idols. The figure of each animal stood out against the uniform background tinted blue with powdered lapis lazuli. Lapis Lazuli is a a very beautiful deep blue, metaphoric rock that's used as a semi-precious stone.

The architecture and ornamentation were skillfully adapted to each other, the animals were carved to scale. And despite their multitude the arrangement was orderly and harmonious. At the northern end of the procession street was the famous Ishtar Gate 35 feet high, decorated with 557 animals in bright colors against a glazed blue background. The city was dominated by a seven story ziggurat, which is a step pyramid 288 feet high known as the Tower of Babel, and nearly 60 million fired bricks were used to construct this huge tower. And on the top of it stood "Etemenanki" which means house of the foundation of heaven and earth. It contained a solid gold statue of Marduk, which weighed 52,000 pounds. According to fifth century BC, Greek historian, Herodotus, you can take the price of gold per pound today, multiply it by 52,000. I tried doing that this last week on my little iPhone computer, it started smoking and so I just backed off but it's somewhere over a trillion dollars. That's a lot of gold. More than 50 temples existed within the city walls. At the north end of the city near the Ishtar Gate was Nebuchadnezzar's palace, his throne room was 171 by 56 feet, having a triple gateway and a richly decorated facade of glazed bricks. Yellow columns who superimposed ionic capitals were crowned by palmettes linked together or linked to each other by a garland of lotus buds. At the northeast angle of the palace are the remains of vaults, thought to be supports for the terrace quote, Hanging Gardens built by Nebuchadnezzar for Amytis, his Median wife, as a reminder of her homeland, it was built upon stone arches, and was equipped with a draw well and chain pump. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were counted as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. So that gives you a little idea of what existed in Babylon.

So all of this, of course, symbolizes to him, and to the ancient world, the majesty and the glory and the power of the king, which just fueled his pride. So you can see why he would say in verse 30, "'The king reflected and said, 'Is this not Babylon the Great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?'" And then we read this in verse 31, "'While the word was in the king's mouth, a voice came from heaven saying, 'King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared.'" I have to stop there for a moment, this is what the king is used to saying, "to you, it is declared," and now all of a sudden, he gets a voice from heaven saying, "to you, it is declared, sovereignty has been removed from you, and you will be driven away from mankind and your dwelling place will be with the beasts of the field, you will be given grass to eat like cattle and seven periods of time will pass over you, until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind, and bestows it on whomever He wishes.'" Then in verse 33, we read "Immediately," or it could also be translated that very hour, and I would imagine it was a little bit of time here for all of this to sink into his mind what he just heard, to reflect upon the reality that God had spoken to him, to come to grips with the horror that was about to befall him. So that very hour, "the word concerning Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled."

Now if you think about it, undoubtedly it took a few days for the king's physicians and the other rulers to figure out what on earth has happened to this guy. And I'm sure Daniel filled them in. So they had to figure out, now what are we going to do with him? So it took some time to determine how to treat him, where to put him. They probably put him in a royal forest, so to speak. Someplace where he could be out of sight of other people, so that no one would know what was going on. He had to be held in the strictest of confidence all that was happening. Otherwise other people would take advantage. So he was driven the text says "away from mankind and began eating grass like cattle. And his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair had grown like eagle's feathers and his nails like bird's claws. Oh, dear friends, the power in the judgment of God. Think of it; how quickly the mighty fall before him.

Then seven years later, we read this in verse 34, "But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me." Obviously, it is God who initiated his humble heavenward gaze that constituted, frankly, the initial phase of his return to rationality, to normal. And as that happened, notice what he says, "I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Jim who lives forever." He did not shake his fist in God's face. But rather, he humbly praised him. Three verbs used synonymously, to express the depths of his worship, and his personal dependency upon the Most High God, I blessed, praised and honored, the most high God.

Then he says, "For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation." My what a contrast with his own temporal kingdom, and all other kingdoms. The Kingdom of the Most High is everlasting, it endures from generation to generation, there is no changing of the guards in God's kingdom. Then he says in verse 35, "All of the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing," and obviously, he's including himself here, but he referring to the Most High God, "does according to His will, in the host of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth." In other words, he is the sovereign God that does whatever he pleases. "And no one," he says, "can ward off," or literally strike, "His hand." The idea of tapping a hand of a child as they reach for something, no, no. We can't do that with God. "No one can ward off His hand," no one can alter what he desires, and what he has ordained to come to pass. Whatever he chooses to do, he does. Then he adds this, "Or say to Him, 'What have you done?'" In other words, here we have a clear acknowledgement of the sovereignty of God, as well as the omnipotence of God, the one who can do anything he pleases, but also the righteousness of God that everything that he does is perfectly just including what he had done for seven years to the king.

Verse 36, he says at that time, "'My reason returned to me. And my majesty, and splendor were restored to me for the glory of my kingdom. And my counselors and my nobles began seeking me out.'" It's the idea here that they approached him to restore him to his former position as king. "'So I was reestablished in my sovereignty and surpassing greatness was added to me.'" Now in ways that were not told God, blessed Nebuchadnezzar, and his kingdom in ways that exceeded the previous glory and greatness. And I find it interesting that during that seven years of time, word didn't get out so that someone or some group would come along and take the kingdom during that time of vulnerability. Instead, his men and probably primarily, Daniel, continued the rule in the king's absence. And again, I would imagine even though the text doesn't say this, that Daniel gathered all of them around and say, Listen, this was the king's dream. Here's what God is going to do. Don't mess with this. He'll be back in seven years.

Verse 37, "'Now I Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and Honor the king of heaven.'" Three active participles denoting continuous action. In other words, this became the modus operandi of his life, a man who praised and exalted and honored the King of heaven. And what a contrast to the temporary worship that characterizes Nebuchadnezzar. Especially with his previous reaction to the dream that he saw in Daniel two and the supernatural deliverance of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from the fiery furnace. Obviously, he saw those things, and he was impressed for a while, and then he reverted right back to his idolatry. I believe that what we read here, along with other passages indicates that Nebuchadnezzar was truly converted. I believe we will see him in heaven someday. You know, I can think of no world ruler in my lifetime that could be characterized in such a way as a man who continually praises, exalts and honors the King of Heaven. In fact, there's a dearth of professing Christians that conduct themselves in such a way. I mean, how many people do you know that could be described as a man and a woman whose character and conduct is clearly motivated by a heart desire to give glory to God and all that they do? Very few people. By God's grace, there's many here amongst the saints at Calvary Bible Church and other churches I know, but as a whole, you don't see too many people who have a passionate desire to proclaim the excellencies of Christ, the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to give praise to the one true God of heaven, who has revealed himself in creation, and in Scripture, and in the person in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Again, how many people do you know, who have a consuming zeal and an exhilarating fervor to put God's glory on display in their life, in their family, and their business, who longs to see his kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. And again, I can't even begin to imagine what it would be like to have a president like this. I mean, we're used to being ruled by those who do the complete opposite. People who celebrate and legislate that which God hates, and those things which condemn people to an eternal hell. And I want you to notice in the text, why Nebuchadnezzar worshipped the Most High. Why he was worthy of such adoring praise. He says, "For all His works," could be translated his course of conduct, the methods that he uses to accomplish his purposes, the ways by which he responds to situations, "all His works are true," or right or righteous. In other words, whatever he does corresponds with his righteous standards. That's why I worship him. That's why I praise him. That's why I exalt Him. "All His works are true." All his works are always an accurate reflection of his holiness. They are always consistent with the perfections of his character, his righteousness.

And then he says, "and His ways are just," meaning they're equitable. They're fair. They're absolutely fair. They conform again to his, his standard of righteousness. And then he adds this, "and he is able to humble those who walk in pride." My what an understatement after what he had just endured. He is able to humble those who walk in pride. A verse really hits me. I hope it does you as well. We all struggle with it, but my what a confession of this man, what a testimony of God's saving grace. His humbling grace, right?

You know, about 20 years later, an aged Daniel would explain to Belshazzar, who was Nebuchadnezzar son, that took his place; he would explain to him about his father, who experienced insanity because of his pride. And here's what we read, out of Daniel five beginning of verse 21. Daniel says to him, "'He was also driven away from mankind and his heart was made, like that of beasts and his dwelling place was with the wild donkeys. He was given grass to eat like cattle and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he recognized that the Most High God is ruler over the realm of mankind and that H sets over it whomever He wishes. Yet you, his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this, but you have exalted yourself against the Lord of Heaven.'" Again, this seems to attest to Nebuchadnezzar's true conversion, unlike his son, who would perish in his sins.

John Walvoord concludes quote, "Nebuchadnezzar reaches a new spiritual perspicacity," a term that means discernment. "Prior to his experience of insanity, his confessions were those of a pagan whose polytheism permitted the addition of new gods. Now Nebuchadnezzar apparently worships the King of Heaven only. For this reason, his autobiography is truly remarkable and reflects the fruitfulness of Daniel's influence upon him and probably of Daniel's daily prayers for him. Certainly, God is no respecter of persons, and can save the high and mighty in this world, as well as the lowly." Dear friends, pride is a deadly sin. And one of the most deceitful of all sins. It's so easy for us to see it in others and not in ourselves. We must recognize that this is a weed that grows faster than all others in the garden of our spiritual life. It is the kind of weed that chokes out all of the desired virtues of Christ's likeness, that we long to see manifest themselves. Those virtues that rob us of true humility, and therefore we need to pray that God will be merciful to us and help us by his grace, to see our own pride, to uproot those hideous evils in the garden of our life. Proverbs 16 in verse five, "Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord." We know that it was pride, was it not, that condemned the devil? We know that is for this reason, we are warned to never put a novice in a position of leadership in the church. According to First Timothy three, six "less being puffed up with pride, he fall into the same condemnation of the devil." Pride is a characteristic of the world that that all believers must battle, we can all identify with that. John tells us "for all that is in the world,": First John 216, "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father but of the world." And in Proverbs 26:12, we read "Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him."

As we look through Scripture, we see the people who are filled with pride, despise authority, they resent correction. They hardened their heart. It's a besetting sin, especially of the wealthy and the powerful. It leads to, it leads people to contempt and rejection of God's Word and those who administer it. It leads people to persecute the poor to stir up strife and contention, even in a church and it leads to self-deception. And ultimately, according to Scripture, the deadly fruit of pride that you will see in a person's life will ultimately be that of shame, debasement and destruction. And those guilty of it shall be a base, according to First Peter five that I've quoted before, "For God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble." And again, "pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall," Proverbs 16:18. You know, folks, pride is the opposite of Christ's likeness. That's what we've got to bear in mind. Christ's likeness is characterized by selflessness, by self-sacrificial love. By humility. I think of First Corinthians 13 one, we read that if we do not humble ourselves in love, we have "become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal." I mean, nobody can stand the obnoxious noise that those instruments make. I know they have their place, but you don't want to hear that long term right? It goes on in verse four, "Love is patient," but can I put it this way, pride is not. Pride is impatient. You want to measure your own life here. Love is patient, pride is impatient. Love is kind, not so with pride. Pride is critical, it is overbearing, it is rude. Love is not jealous we're told, oh pride is. Love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecoming. Not so with pride. Pride is ugly, it is inappropriate is indecent. It is unmannerly. Love does not seek its own. But pride demands its own; my way or the highway. Love is not easily provoked. But pride is a raw wound that will instantly retaliate in the most vicious of ways. Love does not take into account a wrong suffered. So with pride. Pride keeps a record of wrongs and it never forgets, because it wants to make you pay. Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness but rejoices with the truth. Oh, not so with pride. Pride loves juicy gossip and spins the truth to its advantage to destroy other people and exalt itself. Love "bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." Not so with pride. Pride bears nothing, believes nothing, sees the worst in everything and tolerates nothing, unless it fits its agenda. And beloved, if you fail to see yourself somewhere in that list, there is only one reason. Its pride. And what an amazing thing that we as believers of all people, we have no reason to be proud, right? We are debtors to God's grace, we deserve no accolades of praise whatsoever our boast is in the Lord, not in us. And this is at the very heart of the gospel of grace, especially when we understand that in his infinite love, he chose us before time began, set his love upon us, drew us unto himself and saved us by his grace, not through any merit of our own. Boy, when you really get a hold of that every ounce of conceit is shattered forever. Our only glory is in the Lord. Paul said this in First Corinthians one verse 26, "For consider your calling, brethren." You believers here at Calvary Bible Church, "that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised, God has chosen the things that are not so that he may nullify the things that are so that no man may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that just as it is written, let him who boasts, boast in the Lord."

Well, dear friends, we know that pride is going to continue to abound in these last days. I don't have this text before you but I'm reminded of Second Timothy three and verse one, Paul says, "But realize this that in the last days, difficult times will come." Savage times, perilous times; the idea that they're going to mount up layer upon layer upon layer upon layer. And here's what we will see "For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power." And then he says, "Avoid such men as these." Folks we should not be surprised at the arrogance of fools who have no fear of God, but we should be deeply concerned about our own hearts. And that's what I would challenge you with here today. You know, God may not cause us to eat grass in the fields with the cattle for seven years, he might do something far worse, we don't know. But certainly it is his desire to humble us. Because in our sanctification, he wants us to become more like Jesus. And that means that every vestige of arrogance and self-conceit must be done away with. And because he loves us, he will see to it that that happens. He chastens those that he loves. He's constantly at work in us to conform us into the likeness of Christ. In fact, Jesus said in Matthew 23:12, "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled. And he who humbles himself will be exalted."

"My worth is not in what I own, not in the strength of flesh and bone, but in the costly wounds of love, at the cross." Indeed, we boast in Christ who has saved us by his grace. Amen? Let's pray together. Father, we're so thankful for what you have done for us. My what a humbling reality. And as we read of what happened so many years ago, we see the implications of it even in our own lives, certainly in the world in which we live, and we thank you, that your all-sufficient grace is always available to those who will humble themselves in repented faith. So, Lord, we thank you, we give you praise. Continue to speak to our hearts, grow us into the likeness of Christ. And for those that do not know Christ, I pray that today will be the day that they will humble themselves before the Most High and cry out for saving grace. Father, hear the cry of our heart I pray. We thank you. We give you praise. In Jesus name. Amen.

Once again, we have the privilege of looking into the Word of the living God. And I would ask you to take your Bibles and turn to Daniel chapter three. Actually, we will probably look at a few verses before that, but that will get you in the vicinity. And I might also say that this will be a little bit unusual in that I have a lot of Scripture to give you today. So, you'll have to hang on for the ride, if you will. Before we look at the text closely. May I say that the disintegration and humiliation of America brought upon us by woke leftists and the staggering incompetence of our President and his administration makes me long, all the more, for a righteous king, and an everlasting kingdom. According to Daniel seven, and many other passages, that kingdom is coming. In verse 13, we read "I kept looking in the night visions and behold, with the clouds of heaven, one like a Son of Man was coming. And He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom and that all the peoples nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which will not pass away, and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed." While sinful human beings who are part of Satan's kingdom of darkness will always rebel against the Most High God, until Christ returns, whether they like it or not, God's universal kingdom operates without interruption. That's exciting to know. And all his creation are ultimately subject to his rule. And today, we can rejoice knowing that as Paul says, "our citizenship is in heaven." Our citizenship is in heaven, Philippians 3:20, "from which also we eagerly wait for his Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ." And today we experience and enjoy the spiritual aspects of God's invisible kingdom that exist within the hearts of those who have placed their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. But we also longingly await that future day when we are able to experience and enjoy the physical aspects of God's mediatorial kingdom, which will include a literal 1000 year reign of Christ upon the earth, consistent with Revelation 20, where he will rule as the last Adam, that final reign of Christ, often called the Messianic Kingdom, the millennial kingdom, when he will finally transform everything on this planet into conformity with the perfect will of God and His universal kingdom that exists right now. God has given us clear evidence of this progression in Bible prophecy, especially in Daniel two, as you will recall, and there we studied that prophetic outline of the rise and fall of four great world empires that will finally and permanently be replaced by a fifth Empire, the kingdom of heaven. And we can rejoice knowing that God has promised to bring that kingdom. And if we look in Daniel two beginning in verse 44, we read this, "In the days of those king," and by the way, the context here is the, the 10 toes of the iron kingdom that was described in the previous verses 41 through 42, referring to 10 future kings who will continue to control a territory of a revived Roman Empire under the rule of the Antichrist. That will happen during Daniel's 70th week of judgments as we will understand when we get to Daniel 9:24 through 27. But, "In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed. And that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever. Inasmuch as you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold, the Great God has made known to the king what will take place in the future; so the dream is true and its interpretation trustworthy."

Of course, you will recall the symbolism of the stone cut out of the mountain without hands clearly indicates divine origination. Clearly the kingdom of God will not only replace every vestige of all the preceding Gentile kingdoms that have dominated Israel and the world, but also that kingdom will utterly destroy them. Nothing like this has ever happened. There is no evidence in history that fulfills the promise of Revelation 19:15, where Christ is said to "strike down the nations and He will rule them with a rod of iron." Gentile domination in the world today is as strong as it has ever been. But dear friends, that stone cut out from the mountain without hands will one day accomplish exactly what God has promised. When Christ the King returns in power and great glory as the lion of the tribe of Judah. We read about this, when he comes to destroy that last Roman king, the Antichrist, Revelation 19:11. We read, “And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war." He goes on to say beginning in verse 19, "And I saw the beast of the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. And the beast," referring to the Antichrist, "was seized and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worship his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire, which burns with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh."

Beloved, as I watched all that was unfolding in Afghanistan this week. My heart longed to go to the word to hear the end of the story. Because what we're seeing is not the end of the story. Zechariah 14, beginning in verse four, "In that day, His feet," referring to Jesus, "will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south. You will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; yes, you will flee just as you fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him!" Indeed, according to Colossians, three, four, "When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also, as believers, we, "will be revealed with Him in glory." Paul said as much in Second Timothy two in verse 12, we shall "also reign with Him." Tribulation believers, along with the redeemed from both the Old Testament and New Testament eras will reign with Christ for 1000 years as they're promised in Revelation 20 and verse four. Beloved, this is the glory that awaits us. This is the glory we long for, its glory that will be our solely because of God's sovereign grace, and his undeterred plan to bring glory to himself.

Now with that introduction, let's go back to Daniel two for a moment, because we want to get a running start into Daniel three. So little segue here, you will remember the context; Daniel reveals both the dream and the interpretation to Nebuchadnezzar, verse 46, "Then Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and did homage to Daniel and gave orders to present to him an offering and fragrant incense." This by by the way, it was a way of the Babylonians expressing worship to Daniel's God. Verse 47, "The king answered Daniel and said, 'Surely your God is a God of gods and a Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, since you have been able to reveal this mystery.' Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon."

Pretty amazing, isn't it? For a guy about 20 years old, pretty amazing. And it all began when he refused to eat the food and the drink of the king and thus embrace his idols. Truly, God is rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Verse 49, "And Daniel made requests of the king and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego over the administration of the province of Babylon while Daniel was at the king's court." So he brings his friends in, they're obviously going to live somewhere else, Daniel gets to live in the palace.

Now, we come to Daniel three. You must understand that what takes place in Daniel three happened about 10 plus years later. In fact, the events of Daniel two occurred at the beginning of Nebuchadnezzar's reign in about 602 BC. And we know that the fourth chapter of Daniel occurred about the end, which would have been about 568 to 562 BC. And according to the Babylonian Chronicles, which were discovered in 1860, in the region of Nineveh, I have seen them they're displayed in the British Museum if you ever get there, but there's so many things you can see half the Bible is in the British Museum. But there you will read in the Babylonian Chronicles that there was a failed coup attempt against Nebuchadnezzar that occurred in December 595 through January 594 BC. Therefore, it is fair to say that the context of Daniel three is likely the king's response to that failed coup event, where he now summons all of his royal subjects to pledge their loyalty to him. And some scholars believe as well that this may have been written sometime after 585 BC, just after Nebuchadnezzar went back and destroyed Jerusalem. And he probably thought that Israel's God at that time had been severely disgraced if not defeated. In fact, we know, and here in chapter three and verse 15, he says, "what God is there who can deliver you out of my hands?" And so he was strutting his stuff by this time, okay? This is the context.

Now let's examine this historical narrative. It's amazing. Verse one, "Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold." Here, you must understand this was probably, as they would typically do, a wooden image overlaid with gold, and perhaps knowing that he was symbolized by the golden head and the dream that had been revealed to him, maybe he decided to expand that a little bit and make the whole image portray him. We're not sure. But the king makes an image of gold, "the height of which was 60 cubits, and it's with six cubits". So it's 90 feet high and nine feet wide, tall, skinny thing. "He set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon." That, by the way, is a valley plain, several miles southeast of Babylon. And to set that thing in the middle of this valley plain would have been a prime piece of real estate for everybody to be able to see this thing for miles and miles around. I might also add an interesting note, at least it's interesting to me. The Babylonians used a sexagesimal, rather than the decimal numbering system, with a sexagesimal system, the 60 is its base, where 60 is the smallest number that is divisible by every number from one to six. I find that interesting. By the way, we continue to use elements of that today, don't we? There's 60 minutes in an hour, right? There's 360 degrees in a circle. We speak of a dozen eggs or a half dozen. So we still have elements of that today. But I find it interesting that the number six, which is prominent in Scripture is designated as the number of man, Revelation 13:18, which is one number short of God's perfect number seven. In fact, in Revelation 13:18, we read, "Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast," referred to the Antichrist, "for the number is that of a man and his number is 666." The context there is during the tribulation, the Antichrist will be able to be identified somehow by this numbering system. And I find it fascinating that ancient Babylon which we know is a symbol of Satan's wicked world system and kingdom, embraces the number of man. Do with that what you wish, I don't want to start a new denomination based on that, but I just find it interesting.

So here Nebuchadnezzar erects this magnificent idol, to evoke an oath of loyalty and worship, exalting his power and his prestige. Verse two, "Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent word to assemble to the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the rulers of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. Then the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the rulers of the provinces, were a symbol for the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Then the herald loudly proclaimed, 'To you, the command is given, O peoples, nations and men of every language, that at the moment, you hear the sound of the horn, flute, the lyre, trigon, the psaltery, the bagpipe, and all kinds of music, you are all to fall down and worship, the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up." By the way, as a footnote, for those of you like me who have Scottish background, this is not a bagpipe, like we think of a bagpipe. So the Scots weren't there. Right? In the original language, this is really a term, it's really poorly translated here. It's really refers to a percussion instrument, a drum, a timpani. So, that's the scene. When you hear the music when you hear the instrument. Everybody's got a bow down. I was thinking about a passage in Psalm 137, three, where we read how the Babylonian soldiers were so cruel to the Israelites. When they captured them, they would make them sing songs of Yahweh that they sang in the temple. And in that passage we read, "For there our captors demanded of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying, 'Sing us one of the songs of Zion.'" Now again, remember, ancient Babylon is a symbol of the final empire of the Antichrist and the enormous amalgam of apostate religion that will be led by the False Prophet. Revelation 17, five describes it as "a mystery, 'Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and of the abominations of the earth.'" And in Isaiah chapter 14, in verse 11, God promises even there the destruction of the final Babylon at the end of the Tribulation. And I was thinking about this with respect to the music. Isaiah 14:11, "'Your pomp and the music of your harps have been brought down to Sheol; maggots are spread out as your bed beneath you, and worms are your covering.'" So again, when you hear the music, you've got to bow, worship the image. Verse six, "But whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire." This would have been a large brick kiln, there's many of them that they have found; very common. "Therefore," verse seven, "at that time, when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe, and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations and men of every language fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. For this reason, at that time, certain Chaldeans came forward and brought charges against the Jews." Surprise, surprise, right? Ah, cancel culture all the way back in those days, right? The Chaldeans were the original woke police attacking those that did not share their worldview. And they were also undoubtedly jealous of these Judeans who had been elevated to such levels of prestige. These guys that had achieved much more than they had, you know that's not fair. Plus, these guys aren't worshipping our Babylonian gods. You know, pride produces jealousy and resentment, right? We all know that. Let's be honest with ourselves. We've all been there. And whenever you see that in the Bible, especially jealousy, almost inevitably, the next word is, "and strife." Jealousy and strife. When at the core, this is at the core of our depraved nature.

By the way, this is at the heart of all this social justice insanity that you see. I mean, the real problem is not social injustice, it's human depravity. But nobody wants to address that. That's what drives division in the United States, James four beginning in verse one, "What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel." So the Chaldeans come forward with their charges, verse nine, "They responded and said to Nebuchadnezzar, the king: 'O king, live forever!'" You know, they're just dripping with worship; salivating, hoping that they can replace these guys, "'You, O king, have made a decree that every man who hears the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, and bagpipe, and all kinds of music, is to fall down and worship the golden image. But whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire. There are certain Jews, whom you have appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon, namely Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.'" It doesn't say it, but I'm sure they had some little pictures of them they had drawn. "'These men O king have disregarded you; they do not serve your gods or worship, the golden image which you have set up.'"

So what we have here, folks are essentially three charges against them. First of all, as we see they disregarded the king, which betrayed a lack of loyalty to him, which could basically be construed as treasonous. And secondly, they refuse to serve the Babylonian gods, who had favored the king and given him victory. And if you don't favor the gods, you might lose the next battle. And then finally, they refused to worship the golden image which represented the king himself. So their refusal to bow you must understand, was perceived as a threat to national security, but also an insult to the king. And I'm sure even though the text doesn't say this, I'm sure the king was very aware of the personal jealousies that were driving all of this, but he also knew that he could not tolerate insubordination at such high levels. And of course, the biggest issue for the king was wounded pride, wounded pride; that violent fuel of revenge, and retaliation. Look how it plays out in verse 13, "Then Nebuchadnezzar in rage and anger gave orders to bring Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego; then these men were brought before the king. Nebuchadnezzar responded and said to them, 'Is it true Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods, or worship the golden image that I have set up? Now, if you're ready,' in other words, I want to give you another chance here, 'if you are ready, at the moment, you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery and bagpipe and all kinds of music to fall down and worship the image that I have made, very well. But if you do not worship, you will immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?'" Oh, such astounding arrogance. Pride comes before a fall right? You can see it coming and how quickly he forgot the one true God of Israel that had given him the dream and the interpretation, all of which revealed the infinite superiority of Yahweh.

Verse 16, "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, 'O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter,'" meaning, we admit our guilt, we have nothing else to say in this matter. And then, folks, these faithful young men give one of the most succinct and profound responses in all of Scripture, expressing their confidence in the goodness and the sovereignty of God. Verse seven, "If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.'" You know, what's fascinating friends is they had no guarantee that God was going to save them, but they had absolute confidence in his power to do so. You see, the issue was not whether or not he would, or he was able to do this, but rather, is this within the purview of his will. And for them, whatever God chose to do is perfect. Good with it. Good to go.

Verse 19, "Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with wrath, and his facial expression was altered toward Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego." I mean, you can just see, can't you in your mind's eye, this apoplectic grimace? This rage begins to distort his face. He's just foaming at the mouth here at this point. "He answered by giving orders to heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated." Which is really kind of crazy, you know, I mean, why not lower it a little bit and torture the guy some right? I mean, I don't know. Anyway, he's lost it here. "He commanded certain valiant warriors who were in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, in order to cast them into the furnace of blazing fire. Then these men were tied up in their trousers, their coats, their caps, and their other clothes and were cast into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire." Now, it doesn't say this, but it is reasonable to assume that a large crowd had gathered by now to watch the spectacle. There was great expectation to see this horror. Verse 22 "For this reason, because the king's command was urgent and the furnace had been made extremely hot, the flame of the fire slew those men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. But these three men Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire still tied up." You know I have to smile these are exactly the kind of odds that God loves, right? I mean, I mean, let's just make it so over the top ridiculously impossible so that I will get all the glory reminded of Jeremiah 32, beginning of verse 17. "Ah, Lord God, behold, you have made the heavens in the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm, nothing is too difficult for you." And later on in verse 27, God says, "Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too difficult for me?" Verse 24, "Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded, and stood up in haste; he said to his high officials, 'Was it not three men we cast bound into the midst of the fire?' They replied to the king, 'Certainly, O king.' He said, 'Look! I see four men, loosed, and walking about in the midst of the fire, without harm and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!" So he sees these guys walking around in there, they're unharmed, they're untied, and he sees a fourth supernatural being. Is this an angel? Is it is it the pre-incarnate Christ? We don't know, that would be speculation. But certainly, God is up to something, it is supernatural.

"Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the furnace of the blazing fire; he responded and said, 'Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego come out, you servants of the Most High God and come here! I mean he's on a rescue mission now, right? He's on a rescue mission. "Then Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the midst of the fire." My what an astounding spectacle. Can you imagine what everybody's thinking and saying and doing? "The satraps, the prefects, the governors of the kings, high officials gathered around and saw in regard to these men that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men nor was the hair of their head singed, nor were their trousers damaged, nor had the smell of fire even come upon them." My, so much for the schemes of evil man, right? And what a testimony of the power and the supremacy of God to deliver those who trust in him. My dear old professor, Dr. Whitcomb said this quote, "When our God delivers miraculously, he delivers completely. Not one Israelite perished in the Red Sea, not one Assyrian soldier survived to attack Jerusalem in the days of Hezekiah, not one of the 144,000 will perish in the day of Jacob's trouble. In countless cases, when our Lord Jesus Christ healed the sick and raised the dead, there was complete healing." Then he says this, "Spiritually speaking such examples are great, and reassuring to God's people." Indeed, they are.

Well, you would think maybe now these people are going to put their trust in Yahweh. Maybe some of them did, we don't know. But we see verse 28, "Nebuchadnezzar responded and said 'Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who put their trust in Him, violating the Kings command, and yielded up their body so as not to serve or worship any god except their own God.'" By the way, this implies how the king was originally impressed by their unyielding faith, willing to die for their faith in their God rather than worship of the gods. And by the way, what a magnificent thing it is to behold those who share such unyielding faith. I've always marveled at the testimonies of martyrs. What an amazing thing.

And by the way, what happened here was a literal fulfillment of a promise God gave to Israel over a century earlier in Isaiah 43, beginning in verse two, here's what we read there, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you for I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." O dear child of God, we would all do well to remember who our Lord truly is. What we see here in this true story is a contrast between the one true God and the false gods; the false idols of the Babylonians, idols that continue to manifest themselves today in a variety of other forms. And this is a sober reminder, isn't it, that Satan, the god of this world, is the driving force behind Gentile domination in the world, but it's also a reminder that Satan and his minions and all the peoples who follow him, are doomed for eternal judgment unless they repent, and trust in Christ. They will perish in judgment at the hands of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of the Bible, who has revealed himself in the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. The eventual downfall of the nations depicted in Nebuchadnezzar's dream in chapter two, dear friends, really foreshadows the final destruction of all Gentile domination. What we read in Scripture, as the end of the times of the Gentiles. Again, when the Lion of the tribe of Judah returns as King of kings and Lord of lords.

So Nebuchadnezzar now has another opportunity to encounter the God of Israel, preparing him for what is believed to be his ultimate conversion in chapter four. But to close it out in verse 29, we read this, "'Therefore I make a decree that any people nation or tongue that speaks anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb and their houses reduced to a rubbish heap, inasmuch as there is no other god who was able to deliver in this way.'" He obviously had no understanding of what it was to be seeker sensitive right? "Then the king caused Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to prosper in the province of Babylon."

Well, there you have that amazing story. But I wish to challenge you with some very practical and I believe timely truths that emerge from this passage and a few others as we wrap this up here this morning. As I said earlier, we are witnessing the disintegration and the humiliation of America. I just shake my head while woke liberals obsess over absurdities, like micro aggressions and toxic masculinity and systemic racism and LGBTQ pride and all of those things our country suffers under; the rule of fools unrestrained in their depravity. It's so heartbreaking to see this. The horrifying pandemonium and chaos of the evacuation in Kabul and the macabre scenes of carnage after the bombing, bloody corpses floating in an open sewage canal. I mean, don't think for one moment that God hasn't orchestrated all of that for the world to see. Here's where your depravity will take you, America. Images that we will never forget, images that are a testimony to the imbecilic, insane policies of progressive Democrats who are more concerned with critical race theory, and LGBTQ indoctrination and open borders, and socialist spending; more concerned with all of those things than upholding the Constitution and protecting the people, but certainly more important than worshipping the one true God. Our heart aches for those families who lost loved ones killed in that bomb. Our hearts ache for the 1000s that are going to be left behind. I can't bear to think about it. Women and girls that will basically become sex slaves, Christians that will be tortured and killed. The greatest military power in the history of the world now at the mercy of medieval sociopaths, misogynist pedophiles, driven by a satanic religion bent on dominating the world. I talked with a military officer yesterday. I was quick to go write down almost word for word what he said. We were talking about this. He was just shaking his head because he's been there. And he said, many of us are seriously concerned that the administration is somehow working with a foreign enemy. Because nobody can make this many stupid decisions that so directly impact the security of our nation. Folks, we have a national security crisis in Afghanistan. And by the way, I'm not suggesting that, you know, our administration is working with an, I don't know, I don't know what's going on. Certainly, human depravity is perfectly capable of doing all of this. All you have to do is read Romans one, when God gives people over to a worthless mind. I mean, that's probably all this is but we have a national security crisis in Afghanistan. We have a national security crisis at our southern border. I saw where 6900 migrants per day are crossing that border. We have a national security crisis, dear friends inside America, because we have a government that is absolutely bent on legalizing things that God calls an abomination. And criminalizing things that God raises up as a standard of righteousness. From redefining marriage and family and gender, to slaughtering babies in the womb. Our freedoms are being taken away. The goal of all of this, of course, is to ultimately destroy the institution of marriage and the family that God has ordained. Make our children wards of the state. We've been told for years by some of these people that it takes a village. No it doesn't. It takes a godly man and a godly woman, a godly father and a godly mother to raise a family. And when the family's gone, everything's gone. Satan knows that. We are witnessing a moral and a social freefall in America. I could go on about all of these blasphemous abominations, I don't want to do that.

The point dear friends is we are being forced to bow to a satanic image, not unlike what Nebuchadnezzar erected. An image of godless humanism. And the severity of the consequences of all of that are growing daily. As a number of you are aware, I've heard from a number of you who, your jobs are being threatened because you don't do what the culture demands you to do. So in closing, I want to prepare you for that day when you are asked to bow to whatever degree that might be. Just for a few moments, I want to close by looking at Second Thessalonians chapter one, a persecuted church. Paul gave thanks for this church, beginning in verse three, because their "faith is greatly enlarged and the love of each one of you toward one another, grows ever greater; therefore we ourselves speak proudly of you, among the churches of God for your perseverance," the original language, perseverance means the ability to hold up under severe testing, "for your perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure." Then in verse five, he says, "This is a plain indication of God's righteous judgment, so that you will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering." In other words, their persecution, our persecution is always proof positive of God's righteous judgment upon those he loves. And why would he do that? Because the father chastens those that he loves, because he wants to perfect our faith, conform us into the likeness of Christ. And persecution is the refiner's fire that purifies the saints. We all know that suffering for our faith is often the most powerful and effective means that God uses to accomplish his purposes in our life. Verse six, "For after all, it is only just," meaning fitting or proper "for God to repay," literally to give back to recompense, "it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you." Jump down to verse eight, "dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus." This is referring to those who are willfully ignorant of who he really is, and also those who reject Him. Those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These are the ones that reject the promise and the offer of salvation. Like grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Verse nine, then "these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction," the idea of eternal ruin, not by the way, annihilation, but eternal ruin. Revelation 14:11 describes the suffering of hell, as a place where quote, "the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. They have no rest day and night." In Isaiah, chapter 66, verse 24, God spoke through his prophet, and describes the horrifying and eternal state of all who rebelled against him and reject to the Lord Jesus Christ, that place will be one in which "their worm will not die and their fire will not be quenched." So when Paul says here to the Thessalonians, "the penalty of eternal destruction," he speaks of eternal hopelessness, eternal misery. In fact, the term comes from ancient jurisprudence and carries the idea of, of paying the consequences for a wrong committed. Jude seven we read the guilty will suffer "the punishment of eternal fire." Jesus said in Matthew 25:41, "Then He also will say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones into the eternal fire, which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.'" And I find it amazing that the gospel offers the promise of eternal comfort and good hope through grace according to chapter two and verse 16. But the rejection of God's invitation in the gospel will result in the punishment in a place of unquenchable fire. According to Jude 13, a fiery furnace a place of "black darkness, that has been reserved forever." Revelation 21, eight, a fiery lake of burning sulfur. And somebody asked me not too long ago, "Do you preach hell at your church?" My response was, of course, I preach the Bible. And it was amazing how this person who had been in church all their life, said, "Well, you know, I don't believe you know, God would never do that type of thing." How sad.

But also, this penalty of eternal destruction will include, as we read, being cast away from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. Folks, this is the idea of being shut out in the solitary confinement, confinement of an eternal hell to be excluded from the presence of the Lord, from which that judgment proceeded. And I'm sharing this with you because this will be the fate of all who persecute Christians. And we need to love them, and pity them enough to give them the gospel. Because I don't want this to happen to my worst enemy. And when will the separation occur? Well, at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Back to the text at the end of verse seven, "when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire." Drop down to verse 10, "when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day and to be marveled at among all who have believed--for our testimony to you was believed." So this will happen when the Lord Jesus will be revealed "apokalupsis" in the original language, "apo" means to take away and "kalupsis," this is a cover. So this is the unveiling or the taking away of, the uncovering, the laying bare of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. The apostle John saw this in his inspired vision on the Isle of Patmos in Revelation 19 verse 11, we read, "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war." Oh dear friends, what a stark contrast to Jesus first coming when the King of Kings rode up upon a lonely donkey, a beast of burden when he came to bear the burden of our sin in his body. But now he symbolized as the King of kings that was riding upon a magnificent mount, a steed of splendor, the kind ridden by conquering generals in Rome, in majestic, processionals, and triumph.

Notice more about the rider, "He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True." Dear friends, can there be a more perfect title of the king? Can there be a more fitting description of the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ? I think not. "Faithful" carries the idea of being totally trustworthy and dependable. In other words, all that he has decreed in eternity past will come to fruition. And he is "True," which carries the sense of real genuine, he is the very essence of truth. No deception, no spin. No Orwellian doublespeak like we're used to hearing every day. "'I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father but through Me,'" John 14 six. And then finally John says that he's coming "in righteousness He judges and wages war." You see, this is both the motive and the mission of the return. He's coming to judge and to conquer. Yes, today, we are increasingly asked to bow before the satanic image of godless humanism. Dear friends, expect it. We're going to see more of it. But fear God, not man, trust in God and do not bow because our King is coming. And that's what motivated the church at Thessalonica and countless others of the redeemed down through the years. And then remember as verse six says, and he will "repay with affliction those who afflict you." Verse seven and "to give relief." I love that word by the way, it means rest or refreshment, restoration. Boy I'm ready for some restoration, aren't you? For some refreshment? He is going to come, he's going to give relief to you who were afflicted, and to us as well.

Well, in closing, I want to do something that is quite different. In my studies, as I was looking at the Septuagint, which is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, I noticed that that they had inserted the apocryphal prayer of Azariah. Azariah was the Hebrew name of Abednego, as well as another ancient document called "The Song of the Three Youths," which was recorded in the Hebrew Bible. Now, mind you, the apocryphal books are not considered inspired. They're not part of the inspired canon, but I wanted to read you just one little section here that recounts what perhaps Abednego said, when he went to the furnace. If he didn't say it, it would be something very close to this. And I trust that this would be the attitude of our heart. This is entitled "The Prayer of Azariah in the Furnace." "They walked around in the midst of the flames singing hymns to God and blessing the Lord. Then Azariah stood still on the fire and prayed aloud, here's what he said, 'Blessed are You, O Lord, God of our ancestors, and worthy of praise, and glorious is your name forever. For you are just in all you have done, all your works are true and your ways right. And all your judgments are true. You have executed true judgments in all you have brought upon us and upon Jerusalem, the Holy City of our ancestors. By a true judgment you have brought all this upon us because of our sins. For we have sinned and broken your law and turning away from you in all matters, we have sinned grievously. We have not obeyed your commandments, we have not kept them or done what you have commanded us, for our own good. So all that you have brought upon us and all that you have done to us, you have done by a true judgment. You have handed us over to our enemies, lawless and hateful rebels, and to an unjust king, the most wicked in all the world. And now we cannot open our mouths. We, your servants who worship you, have become a shame and a reproach for your namesake. Do not give us up forever. And do not annul your covenant do not withdraw your mercy from us. For the sake of Abraham, your beloved and for the sake of your servant Isaac and Israel, your Holy One, to whom you promised to multiply their descendants like the stars of heaven and like the sand on the shore of the sea. For we, oh Lord, have become fewer than any other nation and abroad low this day in all the world because of our sins. In our day, we have no ruler or prophet or leader. No burnt offering or sacrifice or ablation or incense, no place to make an offering before you and defined mercy. Yet, with a contrite heart and a humble spirit, may we be accepted as though it were with burnt offerings of rams and bowls or with 10s of 1000s of fat lambs. Such may our sacrifice be in your sight today, and may we unreservedly follow you for no shame will come to those who trust in you. And now, with all our heart we follow you. We fear you and seek your presence. Do not put us to shame but deal with us in your patience, and then your abundant mercy. Deliver us in accordance with your marvelous works and bring glory to your name O Lord. Let all who do harm to your servants be put to shame. Let them be disgraced and deprived of all power and let their strength be broken. Let them know that you alone are the Lord God, glorious over the whole world."

Let's pray together. Father, may this be our testimony as well, as we reflect upon the glory of your name, as we reflect upon your goodness and your Grace. And as we long for you to come soon and to take back from the usurper that which is yours. How we long for that day when the glory of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. But until then, may we be found faithful, unyielding, unwilling to bow to the false gods of our culture, may you find us faithful and may you bless us mightily for your sake. And Father, finally, for those that may be here today that know nothing of what it is to be reconciled to a holy God through faith in the only Savior, the Lord Jesus, I pray that today you will overwhelm them with the reality of their guilt so that they might cry out for your undeserved mercy that you will lavish upon them so rich and so free. Save them by your grace. May today be the day that they experience the miracle of regeneration. Father, thank you for our time today. Strengthen us encourage us. May we be salt and light for the glory of Christ. For it's in his name that I pray. Amen.

Will you take your Bibles and turn to the book of Daniel? We will continue our verse-by-verse study of this amazing book in the Old Testament. In a few minutes we will be looking at Daniel chapter two beginning in verse 25. In Psalm 29 two the Spirit of God speaks through the psalmist, and says, "Ascribe to the LORD the glory, due to His name." And of course, his name is the summary of all the glorious attributes of the essence of his holy character. And sadly, the humiliating defeat of our country in Afghanistan and the horror show that is being played out with this botched evacuation is a vivid illustration of what happens to a nation when it does not "Ascribe to the LORD the glory due to his name." To be sure, "pride goes before destruction," we read in Proverbs 16 and verse 18, "and a haughty spirit before stumbling." And this week, we have all witnessed what is perhaps the most chilling illustration of destruction in my lifetime, as the jihadist flag of the Taliban, now replaces Old Glory in Kabul, Afghanistan. My heart aches for the Gold Star families who have lost loved ones in that 20 Year War. And I offer my heartfelt sympathies to those of you, and I know, there are a number of our in our church, who have fought over there, people that we know who have been wounded and killed. I met with a gold star mom on Friday in Paris, Tennessee, at the dedication of a gold star Memorial Highway that will go from Paris Landing all the way into Paris. She lost her son in that war. It's heartbreaking to see what is happening. But frankly, we are a nation that has replaced the worship of the one true God who has revealed himself in creation in Scripture. And in the person in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ with a false god of secular humanism. We have embraced an anti-Christian woke culture that preaches hatred and racism and greed and victimization, in order to gain political power and money, fomenting division and strife that is ultimately leading us towards Marxist totalitarianism. We have defied creational realities by embracing gender fluidity, which is insanity. And we have denied God as the Creator of life, including the creator of two genders, male and female, both made in His image, for the purpose of bringing him glory through his church, and through the institution of marriage between one man and one woman. We have mocked all of that in our country. And while we fight over gender pronouns and transgender rights and critical race theory, our borders are being overrun with hundreds of 1000s of illegal aliens spreading COVID and crime and drugs. And for months, for months, we have listened to the self-righteous, churlish rhetoric of a president who is clearly in a state of cognitive decline, telling us how America is back. This is nothing more than Orwellian doublespeak, purposefully deceptive, confusing, self-centered speech. But while he and his woke administration insist on raising the Black Lives Matter flag and the gay pride banner over American embassies around the world. A medieval army of sociopathic, misogynistic, pedophiles, raise their flag over the American Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. It's heartbreaking. It's infuriating. It's evidence of the wrath of divine abandonment on the United States of America. Friends, our President and our elected leaders need our prayers, and we are commanded to pray for them. And I encourage you to do so; our enemies need our prayers. They need the saving, transforming power of the gospel. That's the only hope. Oh how quickly the mighty fall and how great is that fall. And this is the tragic legacy of liberalism. Wherever you see liberalism, whether it's theological liberalism, or political liberalism, it brings destruction. However, I would add that this is not a political battle that can be won by voting for the right person of the right party. Dear friends, this is a clash between two opposing kingdoms, the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. And again, the gospel is the only thing that can change men's hearts. And only the Prince of Peace can reconcile sinful men to a holy God and sinful men to each other. But frankly, I would add that the greatest threat to our nation right now is not godless liberalism that drives the progressive wing of the Democratic Party and much of the Republican Party. The greatest threat to this nation is Christless Christianity. Pseudo-Christians that are filling churches, and evangelicalism. You know, during Jesus ministry, it's interesting, the brunt of his attacks was not on Rome, was not on Caesar, but on the institutionalized self-righteousness and hypocrisy of the Pharisees. And Satan has always used the twin themes of false religion and secular government to thwart the purposes of God. And nothing has changed to this day. Evangelical pragmatism has widened the gate of destruction filling churches with false believers. We now have so many churches with predators in the pulpit, entrepreneurs in the pulpit, preaching a worldly man centered gospel rather than a Holy Christ centered gospel. Pop culture hipster churches now dominate the evangelical landscape, spewing out meaningless platitudes and psychobabble. Nothing more than religious social clubs and community centers. They worship the next private revelation. Or they worship the next personality. Or they worship the next program or their music or their entertainment; anything and everything but Christ. We have an easy believeism gospel where all you have to do is pray a prayer, walk an aisle, check a box and you're in. And then we have the prosperity gospel that basically says Jesus died to make you happy. And if you learn how to manipulate him, you can pry from his stingy fingers, all of the goodies that you want. And then of course, we have now the social justice gospel, producing woke churches. And I would argue that this is unquestionably the most destructive heresy to come upon the church since its founding at Pentecost. Dear friends, this is liberalism and Neo Marxism rolled together on steroids. It has taken over much of evangelicalism.

Proverbs nine and verse 10, we read that, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." And in Proverbs one seven, "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge." Then he says "fools despise wisdom and instruction." Today we're witnessing a government that is being ruled by fools, and worse yet, are witnessing an evangelical church that is being led by fools. And as a result, America has become a fool's paradise. And we're reaping what we have sown. Our once great country has become an enemy of the Most High God, and he has abandoned us to the consequences of our iniquities. As Romans one makes so clear, we've become a laughingstock around the world. Our enemies openly mock us, our allies are furious at us. In fact, God laughs at us, as I read in Psalm two a few minutes ago, how quickly the mighty fall and how great is that fall. But dear friends, please understand, great empires have always risen, and they have always fallen, and that will continue to happen until the Lord Jesus Christ returns. In fact, it will continue to happen even in the rise and the fall of the final gentile empire of the Antichrist. It will one day be defeated by the King of kings and Lord of lords who will return in power and great glory to establish His kingdom that will never end. Now there's the hope of the Gospel, amen? According to Daniel chapter seven, beginning in verse 13, we read this "'I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven, one like a Son of Man was coming. And He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which will not pass away, and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.'" Dear friends, this is what we see here in Daniel. In God's outline of world history that was given to King Nebuchadnezzar in a dream, a dream that was also given then to Daniel who interpreted that dream.

So, let me provide for you once again, the context of where we will go this morning, you will remember, remember that Nebuchadnezzar had this terrifying dream. And he demanded all of the wise men, all of the Chaldeans to come in, and not tell him just the interpretation of the dream but tell him what the dream was. So he knew they weren't trying to snooker him, because he obviously didn't trust him. And he said that if they couldn't do that he was going to have them torn from limb to limb, and their houses would be made into a rubbish heap. Pretty serious. And in verse 11, we read that "no one else who could declare it to the king, except gods," is what they told him, o one can do that; “whose dwelling places not with mortal flesh." And of course, that's exactly what God wanted them to say. So he could prove himself powerful through his servant Daniel. Well, the king became indignant and furious with his wise man and gave orders to have them all destroyed. They go and they speak to Daniel and his three companions. And he asked if he could speak with the king, so that he could have some time. King gave him the time, he went to prayer with his friends, and we know that God revealed to Daniel, the dream, and the interpretation of the dream. He praised God and then he called the king's commander, Arioch, and he says, "Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon." He said, "Take me into the king's presence, and I will declare the interpretation to the king."

Now we pick it up at verse 25, "Then Arioch hurriedly brought Daniel into the king's presence, and spoke to him as follows, "'I have found a man among the exiles from Judah, who can make the interpretation known to the king!'" Obviously, Arioch wanted to take credit and maybe even participate in the reward right? Verse 26, "The king said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, 'Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen and its interpretation?'" Now, what I want you to notice, dear friends is Daniel didn't immediately launch into the dream and the interpretation This is very important, but rather, he actually agreed with the Chaldeans and gave all the credit to God, unlike Arioch. Notice verse 27, “Daniel answered before the king and said, 'As for the mystery about which the king has inquired, neither wise men, conjurers, magicians nor diviners are able to declare it to the king. However, there is a God in heaven, who reveals mysteries.'"

By the way, this is most important because what he's ultimately saying here is, there is a God in heaven who can do this, unlike the worthless gods of the Babylonians, which was a direct blow to the magical powers of the Chaldeans. Daniel went on to say, "'and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the latter days. This was your dream and the visions in your mind while you were on your bed.'" Now, the term "latter days," is an important term. It is a term used 14 times in the Old Testament. And the New Testament alludes to the Old Testament concept in a number of passages. Each one needs to be interpreted contextually. But as Dr. Walvoord says, quote, "Taking both the Old and New Testament uses together, it is clear that the latter days for Israel began as early as the division of the land to the 12 tribes, Genesis 49 and verse one, and include the first and second Advents of Christ. The last days for the church culminate at the rapture and resurrection of the church, and are not related to the time of the end for Israel. Daniel does not deal with the age between the two Advents except for the times of the end, and the New Testament does not clearly use the term quote, "latter days" of the present church age." So as Walvoord went on to say in the context of what God is revealing in Daniel two, "The latter days include all the visions that Nebuchadnezzar received and stretches from 600 BCE to the second coming of Christ, to the earth." And beloved, what we will see here is a prophetic outline of the rise and fall of four great world empires that will finally be permanently replaced by a fifth Empire, the kingdom of heaven, for which we longingly await, and for which we are commanded to pray, right? "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven."

So, the latter days encompasses the history of Gentile domination over Israel that will one day come to a sudden and a catastrophic end when Christ returns and establishes his millennial kingdom. And we read about this in verse 44, and 45, we just read this to you, we'll come again to it in a few minutes. But there we read, "'In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom, which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever. Inasmuch as you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold, the great God has made known to the king, what will take place in the future; so the dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy.'"

Now let's go back to verse 29. Daniel says, "'As for you, O king, while on your bed, your thoughts turned to what would take place in the future.'" Now, folks, this is absolutely staggering. Do you realize what he's saying here is that God revealed to Daniel what he was thinking about on his bed, before God even revealed the dream. It's an amazing thing. Nebuchadnezzar was basically thinking, I wonder what's going to happen after I'm done. After the Babylonian Empire, what's going to happen next?

Daniel goes on to say, "'and He,'" referring to God, "'who reveals mysteries has made known to you what will take place.'" Verse 30, "'But as for me, this mystery has not been revealed to me for any wisdom residing in me more than any other living man, but for the purpose of making the interpretation known to the king, and that you may understand the thoughts of your mind.'" So once again, Daniel's humility shines bright, as he underscores how God alone is responsible for all of this. God alone is responsible for getting you to even think about the future. God alone is responsible for giving you the revelation, and now giving you the interpretation through his servant. And what he is about to describe now, I might add, corresponds to the vision described in chapter seven, that God revealed to Daniel personally and we will see that later, when we get there.

Back to verse 31, "'You, O King, we're looking in behold, there was a single great statue; that statue, which was large and of extraordinary splendor, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was awesome.'" The word here is from a root word, meaning to fear. So what he saw was a colossal, vivid, bright image that evoked a sense of terrifying all within his heart. It was overwhelming. Verse 32, "'The head of that statue was made of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron, and partly of clay.'" In the original language, literally, baked clay, a piece of pottery, piece of ceramic, if you will. I want you to notice here there is a descending deterioration in the precious value of the metals from the head to the feet. Moreover, each metal is less weight, with the clay and the feet being the lightest of all. However, it's also fascinating to note that each material increases in hardness, from the head to the feet, with the noticeable exception of the clay in the feet, which is the weakest part of the image. Mixing hard brittle quote, "baked clay" or ceramic with durable iron, certainly presupposes a very weak foundation that is subject to collapse. And that's the point.

Now let's look closely at what Daniel goes on to say, verse 34, "'You continued looking,'" we have a participle here, depicting I should say that the king's constant gaze at the image; "'You continued looking until a stone was cut out without hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and crushed them.'" So here he describes a large stone cut out of a mountain, as we see in verse 45. That strikes the feet of the image, its weakest point, and it strikes it with such force that it not only crushes the feet, that Final Empire, but caused all of the other empires that are pictured in the image to disappear without a trace. Verse 35, "'Then the iron the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were crushed, all at the same time, became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them was found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.'" My what a stunning scene, right? This colossal image instantly destroyed by a stone hitting its vulnerable feet and then becoming a mountain that fills the whole earth. All those metals were rendered powerless and worthless, utterly insignificant in comparison with the stone that was cut out without hands that struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and crushed them.

Now, I find it interesting that Nebuchadnezzar here is absolutely speechless. I think I would be too. He never interjects a word. And he must have been dumbfounded to hear this 18-year-old Judean tell him exactly what he saw in his dream, and he obviously knew that a god far superior to anything that he could have ever imagined was involved in this whole scenario. Again, notice what Daniel says in verse 36, "'This was the dream; now, we will tell its interpretation before the king. You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength and the glory; and wherever the sons of men dwell, or the beasts of the field or the birds of the sky, He has given them into your hand and has caused you to rule over them all. You are the head of gold.'" Obviously, the king is the personification and symbol of the Babylonian Empire. Now I can see in my mind's eye, mind you, this isn't in the text, but I think it's fair to say we could kind of sit back and look at Nebuchadnezzar at this point, we could kind of see him sit back, kind of stick his chest out and raise his head up and you see a grin begin to form on his face. His mouth is probably wide open with pride. Although it's also clear, from what Daniel says, that all of these things were given to him by the God of heaven, who was revealing this to Daniel. And what's really interesting is that God had previously prophesied the meteoric rise of Nebuchadnezzar some six years earlier, through the prophet Jeremiah, who warned the kings of Moab and Edom in Amman and Tyre and Sidon, in Jeremiah 27. Beginning in verse six, here's what he had said six years earlier. "'Now, I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon.'" It's amazing. This happened before it ever happened; the prophecy happened before it actually happened with Nebuchadnezzar. So, "'I've given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, My servant, and I have given him also the wild animals of the field to serve him.'" Isn't it interesting that God even uses the ungodly to serve his purposes? We need to keep that in mind given the present crisis we are in. "'All the nations shall serve him and his son and his grandson, until the time of his own land comes; then many nations and great kings will make him their servant. It will be that the nation of the kingdom which will not serve him, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and which, and which will not put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation with the sword with famine and with pestilence,' declares the Lord, 'until I have destroyed it by his hand.'" In verse 14, "'So do not listen to the words of the prophets who speak to you saying, 'You will not serve the king of Babylon,' for they prophesy a lie to you, for I have not sent them' declares the Lord, 'but they prophesy falsely in My name in order that I may drive you out, and that you may perish you and the prophets who prophesy to you.'" So here we see that God even orchestrated false teachers, to lie to them and to get the people to believe that lie so that he might judge them. And in Jeremiah 37, in verse 10, God even warned the Jews at the beginning of Nebuchadnezzar siege of Jerusalem in 588 BC, saying, "'Even if you had defeated the entire army of Chaldeans who were fighting against you, and there were only wounded men left among them, each man in his tent, they would rise up and burn the city with fire.'" So indeed, God providentially appointed Nebuchadnezzar to be not only an irresistible force, but also a magnificent, brilliant, sovereign monarch that would conquer the whole known world at that time, including apostate Israel.

Back to verse 39, Daniel to Daniel goes on to say, "'After you there will arise another kingdom inferior to you.'" And we know that this is a reference to the kingdom of the Medes and the Persians depicted in the dream as the breast and arms of silver, which probably intends to portray the dual monarchy of the Medo Persian Empire. That such a king of kings would be replaced by, quote "another kingdom inferior to you," is a bit puzzling at first glance, is it not? Especially given the fact that the Medo Persian Empire was geographically much larger than the Babylonian Empire? Most conservative scholars believe the inferiority of the Second Empire pertain to its quality of government.

Let me explain this because I think this is accurate. Historically, we know that Nebuchadnezzar reigned for 43 years as an absolute dictatorial autocrat, and he was a brilliant, astounding king. He reigned over a totally unified kingdom and he was greatly feared and respected, and the people prospered. However, when he died in 562 BC, he was replaced by his son, Evil-Merodach . Then two usurpers of the throne, Neriglissar and Nabonidus. And finally his daughter's son, Belshazzar, who was that vile man, that total fool who saw the handwriting on the wall, as you will recall. Remember he was so morally rotten, that he was weighed in Gods balances and "found wanting," Daniel five, verse 27. Well, as a result of all of this, the great Babylonian Empire began to deteriorate because of incompetent, corrupt and morally bankrupt leadership. Which, by the way, is exactly what we're seeing happening here in our country. Now, Cyrus, the ruler of the Medo-Persian Empire, was indeed inferior to the great Nebuchadnezzar; he was not able to wield an autocratic scepter, like Nebuchadnezzar, because his authority was ultimately subject to the law of the Medes and the Persians. So even as silver is about 40 times or so, less valuable than gold, the monarchy or quality of the Medo-Persian Empire, was inferior to the Neo- Babylonian kingdom. In fact, the empire of Alexander the Great that came next, that conquered the Medo- Persian Empire also lacked that kind of central authority, that superior organization and unity that Babylon had, and that the Medo-Persian Empire possessed. And of course, this is exactly what Daniel sees in the progressive inferiority in the succeeding empires. Although we've also got to bear in mind, while there is, as you will see, a descending value in the metals, there is also a ascending strength, suggesting the increased military might, that will increase over the history of the times of the Gentiles. And we especially see this in the explosion of military might that came through the unimaginable military power of the world conflict that's going to come eventually, in Revelation 16, and 19, to which Daniel refers in Daniel 11:36 through 45. Again, we will look at that when we get there.

But I also wish to add that some classical writers, such as the ancient Greek poet Hediod, who lived for about, somewhere they think 750 to 650 BCE, as well as the Roman poet Ovid, who lived from 43 BC to 18 AD. These were some of the guys that viewed history progressing in the same ways as the descending values of the metals. I find that very interesting. Think about this, contrary to evolutionary theory, man did not begin with dust and ascend to gold. Just the opposite happened. And the times of the Gentiles began with gold, but it will end in worthless dust that will disappear in the wind. And as I thought about this, even as evil entered the world through the chief angel, who was at the same level of Michael the archangel, it will end in the eternal separation of divine oblivion. And even as sinners enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin, even as sinners live for themselves and ignore God, their corruption will gradually metastasize as a cancer, until finally, it will utterly eat them away and they will be ruined. What was once promised as pleasure, will end in the solitary confinement of an eternal hell, such as the progress of sin’s corruption, dear friends; both historically as well as personally. What did Solomon say, "Vanity, vanity," it's all vanity, "striving after the wind." That's what life is, unless you fear God and obey Him, live for His glory.

Back to Daniel, two 39. At the end, Daniel then describes the third kingdom, "a kingdom of bronze," he says, "which will rule over all the earth." Now as predicted, a third kingdom arose and conquered the Medo-Persian Empire. And it did rule over all the earth and this was the kingdom of Macedonia, of Greece, ruled by Alexander the Great beginning in 334 BC. His Grecian Empire not only conquered all of the regions of the dual silver kingdom of Medo-Persia, but even further east, all the way to the borders of India. And by the end of his conquests, history reveals that he had carved out an empire of 1.5 million square miles. Now, what might we glean from the fact that the inferior quality of this bronze kingdom was somehow able to conquer the Medo-Persian kingdom, symbolized by the superior silver? Clearly silver is a superior quality of metal than bronze. So in what way were the Greeks inferior, especially given the fact that Alexander's military was mighty? Its accomplishments were far superior than the Babylonians and the Medo-Persians put together. In fact, it is said that his army of around 40,000, sometimes it went up as much as 90, but most of the time is around 40,000, moved with such speed and agility, they were able to defeat armies like the Persians, that were about three to five times larger in size. They were powerful. They invented the Greek phalanx, which was a single rectangular mass of military that locked their shields and their spears together, they had pikes, they had what were called sarissas, that they invented, these were long spears or pikes that they would hold with with two hands and between 13 to 20 feet long and they had a sharp iron head shaped like a leaf, and then they had a bronze bud spike, which could be anchored in the ground to stop charges. You've seen that in some of the movies; they put the sticks down and the horses run into them and all of that type of thing, they invented that. The spike was sharpened well enough that it could pierce through the enemy shields. They also implemented smaller and lighter shields. They developed skirmish infantry's, archery units, light cavalry, heavy cavalry, siege engines. They were so well organized that they had various divisions that were dedicated to specific responsibilities, each working together with perfect efficiency at a moment's notice. They were virtually unstoppable. You may recall they even defeated the war elephants of King Porus in the Battle of Jhelum, in 326 BC. In fact, in Daniel chapter eight, I'm going to take you there for a moment, beginning in verse five. God revealed to Daniel even more about the mighty Alexander the Great that would come. And there he depicted him as a male goat.

We read in Daniel eight beginning in verse five, "While I was observing behold, a male goat was coming from the west, over the surface of the whole earth without touching the ground;" denoting the speed, "and the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. He came up to the ram that had two horns," referring to Medo-Persian Empire, "which I had seen standing in front of the canal and rushed him in his mighty wrath. I saw him come beside the ram and he was enraged at him; and he struck the ram and shattered his two horns, and the ram had no strength to withstand him. So he hurled him to the ground and trampled on him, and there was none to rescue the ram from his power. Then the male goat magnified himself exceedingly. But as soon as he was mighty, the large horn was broken, and in its place there came up for conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven."

So, why is the Grecian Empire symbolized by an inferior metal than the Medo-Persian empire that it conquered? Well, I believe the answer can be explained in that it had an inferior quality of unity, and administration. The efficiency of Alexander's empire crumbled very quickly, great division began to emerge in his kingdom, and that was, that was its ruin. And as we will see more in detail in chapter eight. At Alexander's death at age 33, in 323 BC, four of his generals became kings over four sectors of the vast Grecian Empire, and that was their undoing. Now, notice again, back to verse 32. "The head of the statue was made to find gold," that's Babylon, "its breast and its arms of silver," Medo-Persia, then the third kingdom is described with "its belly and its thighs of bronze," and then a fourth kingdom with "its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay." That's fascinating, isn't it? This third Empire designated by the "belly and its thighs of bronze," verse 32, ends with the thighs from which the legs of iron emerge, indicating it would eventually encompass the territory of both the East and the West. And of course, this is a reference ultimately to Rome, as we will understand more in days to come. Verse 40, "Then there will be a fourth kingdom, as strong as iron; inasmuch as iron crushes and shatters all things, so like iron that breaks in pieces, it will crush and break all these in pieces." And again, this is a reference to the Roman Empire that succeeded Greece historically. I might also add that the parallel symbolism of the animals in Daniel's vision in chapter seven underscores the designation and sequence of all these successive empires, the fourth beast in verse seven being a clear reference to the iron legions of Rome. Now, iron is clearly the least valuable metal in the descending quality of metals, pictured in the image, but it is also the strongest, "inasmuch as iron crushes and shatters all things," crushes and shatters all things, the original language carries the idea of, in these terms, of that which compresses something out of violence, out of its natural shape and shapes it into something else. In fact, I noticed "smashes" is a participle. And it means one which breaks by a hammer, and it denotes continued action. And that's what the Romans did. They just kept beating things down. One historian and scholar, Miller says this, "Rome ruled the nations with an iron hand and like a huge iron club shattered all who resisted its will. The Roman Empire dominated the world from the defeat of Carthage in 146 BCE to the division of the east and west empires in AD 395, approximately 500 years. The last Roman Emperor ruled in the west until 476. And the Eastern Division of the Empire continued until AD 1453."

Now Daniel goes on to tell the king in verse 41, "'In that you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay,'" in other words, brittle baked clay, and partly of iron, it will be a divided kingdom, but it will have in it the toughness of iron inasmuch as you saw the iron mixed with common clay.'" So here's a portrayal of vulnerability of weakness. And I agree with Wood and others who say, quote, "The weakness of Rome, which led to its fall, and which did come to existence, especially in its latter period,” was catch this, "a deterioration of moral fiber among the people. Idleness, luxurious living and dissipation of character found their way into, and intermixed, with the still firmly structured aspects of government." Reminds me of the United States doesn't it you? Here we are in an absolute moral freefall in our country, a country that is obsessed with culture, the culture of entitlement, critical race theory, materialism, drug abuse, and the overall insanity of liberal wokeism. That's clearly the potters clay that is dividing us and will ultimately destroy us.

Back to verse 42. Daniel says, "'As the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of pottery, so some of the kingdom will be strong, and part of it will be brittle. And in that you saw the iron mixed with common clay, they will combine with one another in the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, even as iron does not combine with pottery.'" And in chapter seven, these 10 toes are also depicted as 10 horns. I don't want to confuse you a lot, but we're going to see that that he will speak of this again later on. And within the context of these eschatological events of Daniel seven, eight, as well as verses 24 through 27, as those things unfold, on the stage of world history, we will see that ultimately, this is going to include an 11th horn, portraying the final antichrist. Moreover, in that context, what we see is Daniel's vision flashes forward to the divine throne where judgment is going to be meted out on the fourth kingdom. We read about this in Revelation 20, beginning in verse 11, through verse 15. And because of this, I believe, as do many other conservative scholars, that it is safe to conclude that the 10 toes of the iron kingdom described here in Daniel 2:41, through 42, points to 10 future kings, who will control the territory of a revived Roman Empire, during what is called the 70th week of judgment upon Israel, that Daniel describes in Daniel nine, verses 24 through 27. And that future seven-year period of judgment will end with sins final judgment, and Christ's reign of righteousness, when Christ returns and establishes his millennial rule over the earth, which will become the consummating bridge between world history and the eternal state.

Back to verse 44, "'In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom, which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.'" Obviously, dear friends, nothing close to this has ever happened. So obviously, this must be something future. And to be sure, the spiritual aspect of Christ's kingdom today has not obliterated Gentile domination in the world. So we look at something future here, verse 45, "'Inasmuch as you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay and the silver and the gold, the great God has made known to the king, what will take place in the future; so the dream is true, and its interpretation is trustworthy.'"

The symbolism of a stone cut out of the mountain without hands, clearly points to divine origination. This is something that God is going to do. Clearly this is the kingdom of God that will not only replace every vestige of all the preceding Gentile kingdoms, but this kingdom will destroy them all and replace them all forever. I can only imagine what must have gone through Nebuchadnezzar's mind when he heard all of this. I wish to close this morning with an excellent summary statement from an old friend, Dr. David Larsen, from his excellent book, "Jews, Gentiles and the Church; a New Perspective on History and Prophecy." I highly recommend that book to you. By the way, the Lord took David home this last March, he was a prolific author, Bible expository. He spoke here at Calvary Bible Church in the late 90s. And he served as a professor and chair of the practical theology department at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School from 1981 to 1996, up in Chicago. And here's what Dr. Larson said, quote, "God's call to Israel was to be a nation apart in order that she might bear effective witness to the nations. While even her dispersion and tragic history among the nations will be a real plus, in her ultimate testimony and witness, her restoration as a nation and her quote, 'resurrection from among the nations,' Ezekiel 37, one through 14, will become the fulcrum for her worldwide effectiveness at the end of the age. With her captivity, and only a remnant in the land, Israel was facing an extended period of time called by Jesus, 'the times of the Gentiles,' Luke 21:24, during which Jerusalem would be trampled on by the Gentiles. This prolonged period is the scope of the dream of the great image that God gave to the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel two and repeated to Daniel himself and the vision of the four beasts in Daniel seven. Through this extended period of many centuries, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome, in an earlier continuing and later form, will dominate world history until Jesus Christ comes back to reign. The stone smiting the image of Daniel two 44 through 45 and the coming of the Son of Man is described in Daniel 7:13 through 14."

Well, as we continue to make our way through this amazing book, these things will begin to make more and more sense to you, you'll be able to put the pieces of the puzzle together. So bear with me, read it, study it, meditate on it. But may I leave you with this challenge, dear friends, seriously, let's pray for our nation. Let's pray for our leaders. Let's pray for our soldiers. Let's pray for our enemies. And may I also encourage you strongly to pray for the true Church, that we might remain faithful and not get sucked in to all of this craziness that is out there. I'm reminded of what Paul told the Corinthian believers, he said in Second Corinthians 11, three, "But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ." Dear friends, Jesus is coming again. Jesus is coming again. We are a second coming church because we are a second coming people. And as I finished my meditations on this particular passage, as is often the case, the verse of a song came to mind. It comes from Charles Wesley's great hymn, "Rejoice, the Lord is King." The last verse came to my mind and let me just read this to you in closing. "Rejoice in glorious hope. For Christ the judge shall come and take his servants up to their eternal home. Lift up your heart. Lift up your voice, rejoice again, I say, rejoice." Let that be the theme of our heart this morning.

Let's pray together. Father, we are always overwhelmed when we read your word and see your sovereign hand in everything that you say, everything that you do. We thank you that we are not living in a random world. We thank you that we serve a sovereign a faithful and a good God. We thank you that our hope is anchored securely in the person in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, who has secured our redemption forever. So Lord in all of this, we relax, we rejoice. But we also grieve for those who have no hope. And I would ask that you would help us to have an ardent zeal for evangelism, to spread the Good News of the Gospel everywhere we possibly can, and to live it out in such a way that others will see Christ in us, the hope of glory. And, Lord, if there be one here today that knows nothing of what it means to truly be born again, to truly have an intimate walk with the living God, because they have been united to him through faith in Christ, I would plead with you that you would break their heart this day. Help them to see their sin for what it is. To acknowledge it, to run to the foot of the cross and to plead for undeserved mercy, that will be granted so rich and so free. Lord, we commit this to you as always, I pray especially for our children and our young people, as they are bombarded with all of the lies of the enemy. I pray that you will protect them and use us as parents, as grandparents, as mentors, as Sunday school teachers, all of us who have influence in their lives, Lord use us to speak truth into their hearts, by the power of your spirit and through Your Word. So Father, we thank you for this time. We love you, we praise You and we long for your soon return. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Well, good morning, or whatever time it is, when you're watching this, it's good to be with you via the internet. I am speaking to an empty auditorium, due to a catastrophe that we have had here at the church, due to a break-in. But I'm thankful that we have technology that allows us to continue to proclaim the Word of God. And that's what we want to do this morning. If you will take your Bibles and turn to Daniel chapter two, where we will continue our verse-by-verse exposition of this amazing book. And this morning's sermon is under the heading "Nebuchadnezzar's Dream, God's Outline of World History." And this will be part one of that particular topic. Before we look at it closely, I would like to help you think about some things that will help us really put what we're doing here today in perspective. Today, we are watching the systematic disintegration of our great country. We're watching a government, as well as false religions, do things that are destroying our country. And it's crucial, therefore, for we as Christians, to have a biblical worldview, especially as that might relate to the past, and the present, and the future. And what we have before us here in Daniel, chapter two, as well as subsequent chapters, is a magnificent gift from God, to provide for us an outline of world history, one that was revealed through a dream that God providentially induced to King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, an event that took place over 2600 years ago. And this is a comprehensive chronology of not only what Jesus called the times of the Gentiles, for example, in Luke 21:24, but it's also a prophetic unveiling of Israel's history stretching from the days of Daniel, which would have been about 600 years before Christ, all the way to the second coming of the Messiah King when God establishes his messianic kingdom; when Christ will reign upon the earth for 1000 years, according to Bible prophecy. A time when we will, even as believers, reign with Him, a kingdom that will ultimately merge into the eternal state of the new heavens and the new earth according to Revelation 19 through chapter 22. That will be a great day when according to Revelation 11:15, "The kingdom of the world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever." This will be a time when according to Habakkuk, chapter two and verse 14, "The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." This will be a time as promised, when the Lord Jesus Christ will take his rightful place on the throne of David in a renovated Jerusalem; a time when Israel will no longer fear any of the nations of the earth or indeed, as God has promised through the prophet Isaiah, in Isaiah chapter 11, verse nine, "They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea."

Now, as we look at our world today, we see woke Marxism as perhaps the greatest internal threat to the United States. And most experts will tell us that the greatest external threat is China. But as believers we can be comforted knowing that we are citizens of another kingdom, and we serve the Lord Jesus Christ, our King. So regardless of what happens here in the United States, we know that ultimately, the Lord is working his plan in us and through us. And even though we are alien people on this earth, even though we are a people that have received a word from another realm, and we worship a God that others do not know; even though we wait for that appointed time when he comes and delivers us from this place, despite all of those things, we know that right now we are a part of this mystical body, the church, the Body of Christ. And even churches like ours that meet together all over the world, the true Church, are nothing more than little outposts of a celestial kingdom that the world cannot comprehend. So, no matter what ill befall us here, in our country, or in the world, we know that there is nothing that Satan and his minions can do to defeat us. For indeed, Christ has promised to build his church. And he says that the gates of Hades will not overpower it. Moreover, though, Satan seeks our ruin, we can be excited to know "that greater is He that is within us than he that is in the world." So dear friends, as we come to the Word of God, we want to be encouraged. And we want to be awestruck by the sovereignty of God, who not only knows the end from the beginning, but has also ordained it for our good and for His glory.

Now, I want to give you some preliminary thoughts here, they're a bit technical, but they're very important for you to understand. The inspired writers of Scripture often used a variety of structural patterns in their writings, in order to provide different ways of adding beauty and vibrancy of various passages and even various books. And we see this for example, in the book of Daniel, it has what we call a chiastic pattern, the word chi comes from the Greek it would be our letter X. And when you think about it, if you look at an X at the top of the two lines, you could put number one and number two, and at the bottom number three, and number four. So in a chiastic pattern, what you see is elements one and four, and in some of the verses will be parallel in thought with elements two and three.

For example, in Matthew chapter seven, in verse six, we read, "Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces. There you have a chiastic pattern. In the first line, the word "dogs" or the concept of dogs is linked to line four, "they will turn and tear you to pieces." Likewise, in the second line, "throw your pearls before swine" is paralleled by a reference to being "trampled under their feet" in line three. Now, this is what we see in the book of Daniel. Daniel chapters two and seven, parallel one another. And there he encourages his exiled Jewish kinsmen by explaining the succession of four Gentile Empires that will dominate Jerusalem and God's covenant people until the Messiah comes and establishes His kingdom. But then in Daniel chapters three and six, we see that they are also linked together. There he warns the Jews of what they must endure during the times of the Gentiles. And there he exhorts them to be faithful, come what may. But then also Daniel, chapters four and five parallel each other, and there he offers exhilarating hope, to the faithful Jewish remnant that one day, every Gentile nation will bow before their Messiah. So, bear this in mind as we approach chapter two, because it will be linked in a chiastic pattern with chapter seven. And together, they explain the succession of four Gentile Empires that will dominate the Jewish people until the Messiah King returns in power and great glory. So with that introduction, let's examine what the Spirit of God has revealed through His inspired writer Daniel, and also make some applications along the way.

So, notice in Daniel chapter two, verse one, "Now in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar," let me pause here. This is a reference to the second official year of his reign, which did not include his, what was called the ascension year, or the first year of his reign, according to the Babylonian method of dating the reigns of kings. So this would have been the second year of his official reign, but the third year of the prescribed training for Daniel and his three friends, so, Daniel two probably took place about three years after the events of Daniel one, verses one through 16.

So, again, "Now, in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; and his spirit was troubled," literally in the original language, his spirit smote itself, fascinating thought, "and his sleep left him." So he sees something that is very alarming, that awakens him from his sleep, and he's in a deep state of agitation. Verse two, "Then the king gave orders to call in the magicians, the conjurers, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king." Now, it's hard to know the unique distinctions of these classes of wise men. Because as we look at Daniel, we see that he uses a total of six different terms to describe the scholars and the priests and the sorcerers that advise the king. And certainly we know that all of their activities were demonic and strongly condemned in scripture. But we have a little hint as we look at some of the background, and some of the words that are used. The word "magicians" comes from a Hebrew, a Hebrew root meaning stylus, or graving tool. And so this would indicate that this would be a religious scribe who wrote with a stylus on clay tablets on the cuneiform. They would meticulously chronicle the movements of the stars to determine their future. You must understand that astrology and omens played a big role in their religion, especially in understanding what the gods were going to do in the future. And we see the same term used to describe the teaching priests of Egypt in Genesis 41 and verse eight. And certainly these magicians were in touch with the spirits and with the gods, at least the assumption was that that was the case. And they were also skilled with hepatoscopy, which is the art, the religious art of divination by inspecting the liver of animals. We read about this, for example, in Ezekiel 21 in verse 21. And then there also the conjurers, the Hebrew ashshaph. This may even refer to snake charmers, as the term is sometimes used, but also those who practice sorcery through enchantments. They were also necromancers. In other words, they communicated with the spirits of the dead.

And then he uses the term sorcerers. And these would be people we know that would cut herbs for charms and spells, and they would cast magical spells upon people by harnessing evil spirits to get them to do unnatural things in the world. And then he also uses the term Chaldeans. And what's interesting, in the book of Daniel, that term is used two different ways. First of all, it is used as an ethnic description of people who had migrated from or migrated into Babylonia. For example, Nebuchadnezzar himself and his father, his people, were Chaldeans. But it's also a reference to a class of priests and wise men that were skilled in astrology and sorcery. So, the Chaldeans, the term Chaldeans is a bit of a catch all term for these ancient wise men. Well, bottom line, these were the trusted counselors of Nebuchadnezzar, the man that he summoned to interpret his disturbing dream. And all these terms could basically be used interchangeably. They were all demon possessed, demon influenced, pagan idolaters, like most all of the people who give council to kings and queens and presidents even to this day. However, I want you to understand that although they were demonic, and although they were constantly participating in all of these cultish things, they were also brilliant. We know that Babylonian astronomers kept meticulous records of the movements of the stars and the planets and even comets because they wanted to know the will of the gods. And we know from history that in 500 BC, the Babylonian astronomer, Naburimanuu, used records dating back to 747 BC, to calculate the length of the year at 365 days, six hours, 15 minutes and 41 seconds, and he was only off, scientists tell us, by 26 minutes and 55 seconds. Another historian Martin Beek said this, quote, "A later Babylonian astronomer, Kidinnu, in 390 BC, made some measurements even more accurate than were known in the 19th century AD. He knew the difference between the sidereal year, that is the apparent period of revolution of the sun, from the time it occupies a certain position in relation to a fixed star until it returns to that position, and the tropical year, which is the time elapsing between two successive transits of the earth through the first point of Aries. From this, he discovered precession, which is the motion of the equinoxes on the ecliptic, in a westward direction, that is opposite to the sequence of the signs of the zodiac. Furthermore," Baek says, "he was able to predict solar and lunar eclipses accurately," end quote. So you get some idea of who these guys were. Yes, they were demonic in many ways, but they were also brilliant. And although Nebuchadnezzar's advisors were spiritually dead, they had great wisdom in other areas of sciences. And this, frankly, helps confirm the fact that the wisdom of the world and the supposed revelation from God apart from the one true God is not only worthless when it comes to spiritual matters, but it's also very deceptive. And many people today believe in the wisdom of man. They believe that man has the ability to solve all of the problems of the world. And only a fool could really say that, because as we look at the world today, despite all of the scientific discoveries, we see that it is as wicked today as it is ever been. It reminds me of what Paul said in First Corinthians one beginning in verse 18, "For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. For it is written, 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.'" He went on to say, "Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? As not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For indeed, Jews ask for signs and Greek search for wisdom; But we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God."

So back to the story here. The king calls all these wise men together and Daniel in his companions, as we see, are not among them. That was probably because they were, they were still young, they were inexperienced. They were, they were Hebrews that had been exiled and they weren't part of the old guard of Babylonian wise men. And so the king said to them in verse three, "'I had a dream, and my spirit is anxious to understand the dream.' Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic." And this is significant, by the way, because from here on through chapter seven, Daniel writes in Aramaic rather than Hebrew and here's what the Chaldeans said, "'O king, live forever! Tell the dream to your servants, and we will declare the interpretation.'" Said differently, we will invent some cockamamie, ridiculous but impressive, dignified, sanctimonious sounding explanation. Now, what's interesting is there are extant, in other words, still existing manuals today that we can read. For example, there are what's called the Akkadian manuals that reveal various factors that these ancient wise men would use to properly diagnose a dream, if you will, and then render a proper interpretation. And depending upon the nature and the elements of the dream, they would apply certain rules for its interpretation. Frankly, this is not much different than a lot of the psychobabble of our day; that psychological jargon that you hear from time to time, kind of an esoteric language designed to impress the naive and the ignorant into believing a person has some deeper, more scientific grasp of the truth. This is especially prevalent in Freudian psychoanalytic theory and dream interpretation prevalent in the pseudo-scientific field of psychology.

Well, notice verse five, "The king replied to the Chaldeans, 'The command from me is firm; f you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you will be torn limb from limb and your houses will be made a rubbish heap.'" A terrifying statement. And this was typical of ancient Middle East despots. They were notorious for this kind of cruelty, including the hideous execution of dismembering a human being while they were still alive. Verse six, he went on to say, "'But if you declare the dream, and its interpretation, you will receive from me gifts and a reward and great honor; therefore declare to me the dream and its interpretation.'" Now, I can only imagine in my mind, the horror on the faces of those wise men. And frankly, it's a bit comical. You see, Nebuchadnezzar is a fairly young man at this point. And he has inherited these old wise men from his father's reign. And it's obvious as we go on and read the text, that he did not trust them, he did not respect them. He doubted their supernatural abilities, just like most people scoff at the prosperity, hucksters of our day, that we see on television all the time. So it appears that he wanted to get rid of them, and perhaps bring in his own advisors. So what does he do? He gives them a task that he knows is impossible, unless they truly have a direct line from the gods. So he's probably wanting to prove them to be the demonic frauds that they really were. And I also have to laugh. Both the king and his advisors now we're servants of Satan, even though perhaps unwittingly so, but Satan doesn't really care who lives or who dies. And even today, just watch how quickly depraved politicians will turn on their own if they know that somehow by doing so they can advance their own agenda. The wicked always eat their own, and that's what we see going on here.

So again, the king wanted to make sure that they told him the dream, that they had some supernatural revelation. And he was suspect of the clever sounding claptrap that he was used to hearing from these guys. So he's saying, you tell me the dream, before you tell me the interpretation. And obviously, the wise men knew they were they were dead meat, as we would say, there's no way they could do this. Verse seven, "They answered a second time and said, 'Let the king tell the dream to his servants, and we will declare the interpretation.' The king replied, 'I know for certain that you are bargaining for time inasmuch as you have seen that the command for me is firm, that if you do not make the dream known to me, there is only one decree for you. For you have agreed together to speak lying and corrupt words before me until the situation has changed; therefore, tell me the dream that I may know that you can declare to me it's interpretations.' The Chaldeans answered the king and said, 'There is not a man on earth who could declare the matter for the king, inasmuch as no great king or ruler has ever asked anything like this of any magician, conjurer, or Chaldean. Moreover, the thing which the king demands is difficult, and there is no one else who could declare it to the king, except gods, whose dwelling place is not with mortal flesh.'" And of course, that's precisely what God wanted them to say. You see, this is a divine setup, if you will, so that God could prove himself supreme, prove himself powerful as the only one and true God.

Verse 12, "Because of this the king became indignant and very furious and gave orders to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. So, the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they looked for Daniel and his friends to kill them." They probably went back to the dorm where they were living together, to find them and kill them along with all of the rest. So, what we have here is God exposing these frauds, as well as the phony gods they serve while at the same time preparing to exalt himself through his servant Daniel. Notice verse 14, "Then Daniel replied with discretion and discernment, to Arioch, the captain of the king's bodyguard who had gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon." I want you to notice "he replies with discretion and discernment." Not with fear, not with panic, not with anger. Verse 15, "He said to Arioch, the Kings commander, 'For what reason is the decree from the king so urgent?' Then Arioch, informed Daniel about the matter." Let's stop and think about this. How would you feel if a government agent came to you and said that you were under arrest for a crime that you had not committed, and that you are going to be subject to a barbaric act of cruelty through, dismemberment. Now, obviously, in our flesh, there's going to be panic, we're going to be overwhelmed, there's going to be disbelief, there's going to be a pleading for mercy. But for those ruled by the Spirit, there's going to be something else that prevails, something that comes deep from within that person's character. There will be a quiet calm, as we see here with Daniel. There will be a reply that's wise, there will be a sense of confident assurance, because that person, like Daniel, will know that God is up to something, and that I can trust him, no matter what comes my way, whether I'm allowed to live or die. And Daniel's response, dear friends, is the result of a young man who had a secret devotion to God, a young man that was committed to a life of faithful obedience to his Lord, a man who had experienced how God had blessed him, even in the past, even though he was still a young man, probably about the age of 18. Right? At this point. You see, his was not a blind faith, but a proven faith.

I'm reminded of what the psalmist said in Psalm 55, verse 22, "Cast your burden upon the Lord, and He will sustain you." No doubt Daniel remembered this, or certainly the concept. That text goes on to say "He will never allow the righteous to be shaken. But you O, God will bring them down to the pit of destruction; Men of bloodshed and deceit will not live out half their days, but I will trust in you." Oh, dear friend, please hear me. Now is the time to prepare for battle, not when the enemy attacks, not when the executioner comes, learn well what it is to wear the full armor of God, that you may stand firm in the hour of conflict and be able to withstand the schemes of the devil. Your response in the moment of crisis will reveal the preparation of your heart and the intimacy of your walk with Christ. And for this reason, you will recall Jesus commanded his disciples in the garden in Matthew 26:41, "'Keep watching and praying.'" In other words, be vigilant in the power of the Spirit, "'that you may not enter into temptation, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.'"

Well, Daniel understood these concepts even at the young age of 18. So he responds to this terrifying news with remarkable calm and wisdom and confidence. Notice verse 16, what happens next, "So Daniel went in and requested of the king that he would give him time, in order that he might declare the interpretation to the king." My goodness, talk about faith, Daniel had no idea what the king had dreamed, much less the interpretation. And at this point, Daniel had no idea that God would reveal any of these things to him, but he trusted him to do so, he knew he could do so. And so he stepped out in faith, goes before the king, and says, give me some time that I might declare the interpretation to the king. Verse 17, "Then Daniel went to his house and informed his friends, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, about the matter, so that they might request compassion from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his friends would not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon." I find it interesting, the phrase here, "the God of heaven," literally, "the God of the heavens." This is such a stark contrast to the Babylonians who worshipped the heavenly luminaries, rather than the one who created them and sustains them.

Notice what Daniel and his three friends did now. They go to prayer, they go before the Lord their God in a time of need, would that we all be so inclined, when great difficulties come our way. They didn't panic, they prayed. They knew that God was up to something in their life, they didn't know what it was. And they also knew that they could do nothing apart from Him. And so they go before the Lord in prayer. I'm sure this was a a common practice of those young men. This wasn't something new. In fact, think of what they had to endure over the previous three years with all of this training from wicked people who hate the God that they love. Think of the pressure that they had to conform to, all of the pagan values and all of the pagan ways. It reminds me of many times when I've heard parents lament over what has happened to a child after they had gone away to a college and a university, and they come back brainwashed. It's like suddenly, they're in the cult of wokeism. And within a few months, they become a card-carrying Neo Marxist liberal who hates Christianity. Imagine having three years of this type of brainwashing, imagine what they must have gone through and how they must have felt. But here we see that these young men remained faithful to the Lord. How could they possibly do that? Dear friends, the key to staying faithful is to know the truth, to meditate upon the truth, and to stay faithful to the truth, to know who God is, and to stay faithful in worshiping and serving Him and communing with him. And you will never survive the great trials of life unless you maintain a disciplined personal and private pursuit of holiness. You simply must have a secret devotion to the lover of your soul, or you will never survive. And that's what we see going on here. And what an amazing scene. Can't you just picture these four young teenage men on their faces before God pleading for his mercy, in faith believing? And I'm sure Daniel and Hananiah and Mishael and Azariah had calluses on their knees from extended periods of prayer.

And I must pause for a moment and say how thrilled I am and the elders are and others in the church, to see so many young people, both men, young men and young women coming together in prayer and Bible study, young men and women, dedicated to personal piety and a devotion to Christ. It's thrilling to see them coming together the way the way they are, and what a harvest of blessing this is going to produce in their lives and in the life of their church.

Now, notice how God answered their prayer in verse 19. "Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a night vision." Folks, you've got to stop here and put yourself in that young man's body, and in his mind, and in his heart, to whatever degree you can. This is absolutely, utterly astounding. Not only does God speak to him, but he also gives him a supernatural, shall we say, power point presentation, in 3d and color. And I think, what must have gone through his mind? This is overwhelming. Notice what Daniel does, "Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven," verse 20, We read more of what he said and what he thought, “Daniel said, 'Let the name of God be blessed forever, and ever.'" So fascinating that he begins here, "Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever." Now, as we are going to see later, in his interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream, the Messiah is going to one day return as Israel's conquering king and put an end to the Gentile domination that will ultimately reach its zenith during the reign of the Antichrist. And then at the Battle of Armageddon, he is going to be destroyed. And it's interesting, why God is going to do all of this. In Ezekiel 39, beginning in verse seven, God tells us There we read, "'My holy name, I will make known in the midst of My people, Israel; and I will not let My holy name be profaned anymore. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel.'" No wonder Daniel would say, "Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever." He's just been reminded of what is going to happen.

We go back to Ezekiel 39, beginning in verse 25, we read this, "Therefore thus says the Lord God, 'Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have mercy on the whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for My holy name. They will forget their disgrace and all their treachery which they perpetrated against Me, when they live securely on their own land with no one to make them afraid. When I bring them back from the peoples and gather them from the lands of their enemies, then I shall be sanctified through them in the sight of the many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God, because I made them go into exile among the nations, and then gathered them again to their own land; and I will leave none of them there any longer, I will not hide my face from them any longer, for I will have poured out my Spirit on the house of Israel,' declares the Lord GOD." So indeed, Daniel begins his praise by saying, "Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever."

May I dwell upon this just a little bit more; think of the importance of the name of God and why we should therefore never use it in vain. Remember, when Moses asked God on the mountain, "'What shall I tell the people when they ask what is your name?'" In Exodus three, in verse 14," God said to Moses, 'I am who I am.' And He said, 'Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, I AM has sent me to you.'" In other words, he's saying, I am the self-existent, preexistent, eternal one, who always has been, always is and always will be. I am the self-existent, preexisting, uncreated Creator of the universe. You will recall in John 8:58, Jesus told the unbelieving Jews, "'Before Abraham was born, I am.'" And there again he refers to himself in the present continuous tense. Why? Because he has always and will always exist. So this is a title indicating his self-existence. There has never been a time when he did not exist. So beloved, inherent in the name of God, is the summation of all of his glorious attributes. Daniel understood that the thrice Holy God, the Sovereign Lord of Glory, is in full control of all of his creation, and deserves to be worshipped, deserves to be obeyed. For indeed he is the one, the great I AM, who is returning again someday, so that the nations will know that He is the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. I must ask you, does your life exalt the name of God? Or diminish it? Do people say of you, "my there goes a man or a woman whose life is dedicated to Christ, and truly brings glory to his name?" Or would they think my, I'm sure God is ashamed of that individual who claims to serve Him? Remember this, you're a Christian because of Christ's atoning work on the cross. "For our sins," Paul said, "God highly exalted Him," Philippians two, "and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow, of those who are in, in heaven and on earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." I think about this, if Daniel could bless the name of God, with his limited understanding of all that he would do in his work of redemption, through His Son, our Savior, his Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, how much more should we do in bringing glory to him knowing all that he has done as we look back upon his atoning work.

So again, in verse 20, Daniel says, "'Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever, For wisdom and power belong to Him. It is he who changes the times and the epochs.'" In other words, he's saying, God is the one who controls all of the events of history, either actively or permissively. As Paul said, in Ephesians, 1:11, "He works all things after the counsel of His will." Daniel goes on to say "He removes kings, and establishes kings." And as God's vision reveals to him, he is ultimately the one who is in control of our elections. He knows who he wants in there, not just in our country, but all over the world because he has a plan to bring glory to himself.

Daniel also says, "'He gives wisdom to wise men and knowledge to men of understanding,'" verse 22, "'It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him.'" Think of these dear friends, he alone is the one that can dispel the darkness, of those unsearchable and hidden things of God that we cannot see. And he does this through the power of his Spirit, as he has revealed himself in the word of God. Verse 23, "'To you, O God of my father's, I give thanks, and praise, for you have given me wisdom and power; even now You have made known to me what we requested of You, for You have made known to us the king's matter.'"

Beloved, please hear this. God is highly exalted and greatly pleased when his children praise Him. May this be the dominating trait of our conduct. May this be the theme of our song, the ultimate goal of all that we do and say. Back to verse 24, "Therefore, Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon; he went in and spoke to him as follows: 'Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon! Take me into the king's presence, and I will declare the interpretation to the king.'" Let's pause here for a moment. This is truly remarkable when you think about it because Daniel had the perfect opportunity to say, Arioch, here's what I would like you to tell the king, I can help him with the dream but he needs to destroy all of those phony advisors, needs to get rid of these characters. They know nothing, but I have the answers from the one true God. So we have this chance to destroy these, these corrupt religionists that had done such great damage to God's people, and brought such reproach upon God. But he doesn't do this. Why? The answer is because it wasn't God's time to judge them. As Daniel understood from the interpretation that God had given them concerning the dream, Dr. John Whitcomb said this quote, "Daniel was not a prophet in the Holy Land of Israel, where God's infinite standards of religious truth, established at Mount Sinai, were unique among all the nations of the earth. If Daniel were to accomplish the ideal mission of a prophet of God and Israel, then all Babylonians and subject peoples throughout the empire would be forced to comply with the law of Moses or perish. But this cannot happen. Until the dawn of the kingdom age when Christ rules the world with a quote, 'rod of iron,' Isaiah 11:4. Daniel was aware of this vastly important distinction. And therefore, as we must also during this age of the church, allowed God to determine the times and seasons of grace and judgment. The stone would fall in the latter days of the fourth kingdom, not the first, according to Daniel 2:44, and 45."

So Arioch, the king's executioner, here's Daniel's request, "'Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon! Take me into the king's presence, and I will declare the interpretation to the king. Then Arioch hurriedly brought Daniel into the king's presence and spoke to him as follows: 'I have found a man among the exiles from Judah, who can make the interpretation known to the king!' The king said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, 'Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen, and its interpretation?' Daniel answered before the king and said, 'As for the mystery about which the king has inquired, neither wise men, conjurers, magicians nor diviners are able to declare it to the king. However, there is a God in heaven, who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar, what will take place in the latter years. This was your dream, and the visions in your mind while on your bed.'"

And this is where we will pick it up next week. But in closing, may I challenge you with just a few principles, that hopefully you will see and apply to your life. Number one, dear friends, the word of God is filled with priceless treasures, learn to search for them diligently. And when, by God's grace through His Spirit, you unearth them, all other claims of special revelation, apart from Scripture, will be rejected as worthless and deceptive counterfeits. Secondly, now is the time to prepare for battle, not when the enemy attacks, learn what it is to put on the full armor of God. Learn how to skillfully wield the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God so that you can effectively parry the blows of the enemy that is trying to tempt you, to destroy you and to destroy your family, and learn what it is to have a disciplined habit of prayer, where you commune with the lover of your soul. Thirdly, be a student of the attributes of God. Be a student of the attributes of God, here's why, because your knowledge of him is directly proportional to your faith in him. Ignorant Christians are frightened Christians, shallow Christians are weak Christians, easily defeated, easily deceived. And then finally, let your praises to Him vastly exceed your petitions of him. In other words, spend more time praising him for all he has done, is doing and will do than petitioning his help. And if this is your attitude, like Daniel, you will be able to say bless it be the name of God forever and ever for wisdom and might are his.

Let's pray together. Father, thank you for these glorious and eternal truths that reveal so much to us. It's absolutely overwhelming. We rejoice knowing that you are the sovereign ruler of all that you have created. And we praise you for the fact that you have, in your infinite love, condescended to our lowly estate and you have saved us by your grace. I pray that you will use each one of us as instruments of righteousness to bring glory to your name, that others might see Christ in us the hope of glory, that they too, might come to faith in the only one who can save and sanctify. Lord, thank you for this time we could have together we pray that great blessings will result from what we have learned and what we apply for. It's in Christ's name that I pray. Amen.

I would invite you to take your Bibles and turn to the book of Daniel in the Old Testament, chapter one. This morning, we will continue our study by looking at verses three through 21. And before we look at the text, I would simply ask you to focus as much on Daniel's piety as you do his prophecy. Even at the age of 15, we see an unwavering love and devotion to God. Traits seldom seen in adults, much less in young teenagers. And frankly, it's with great sorrow that I at times, watch some of our own, some of our own young people grow up in the church, but as you watch them, you see that they have no real desire to honor God in their lives. They have no real love for God, no fear of God, no desire to fellowship with God's people, no real hunger for his word. They prefer ungodly people, and the lure of the world is so powerful to their flesh that little by little they begin to adopt all of the ways of the world. You see it in their life. They adopt the world's values, their lifestyle, their dress, their entertainment, their perverted theologies and ideologies. They disregard Paul's warning in Romans chapter 12 and verse two, where he said, "Do not be conformed to the world." My great fear for them is summarized in first John two and verse 15, where we read, "Do not love the world, nor the things in the world, If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." And eventually, for all of the people who love the world more than they love the Lord, you see that they are finally given over to the consequences of their iniquities. Their sins begin to develop their character in such a way as to define who they really are. And God gives them over to a depraved mind. And little by little, they believe the lies of the world, and they do things that are unimaginably wicked. We see this all the time. Because sin is a state or a disposition of the sou,l an intrinsic part of the very essence of man, we see it manifested in ungodliness. And that is the great danger. People that have no love of God and no fear of God. As Solomon said in Ecclesiastes nine and verse three, "The hearts of the sons of men are full of evil and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives." And certainly we are seeing this lived out, in our culture. Ungodliness, frankly, is the outworking of human depravity. We read about this, for example, in Jude beginning of verse 14, "It was," he says "about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, "Behold, the Lord came with many 1000s of His holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him." And frankly, dear friends, ungodliness is the root cause of all of the economic and social problems that we see in the United States. Not capitalism, not conservatism, not systemic racism, or any of the other manufactured leftist boogieman that you see. The root cause is ungodliness. People that do not love God and do not fear him. And the consequences of ungodliness is divine judgment. For example, in Psalm 34, verse 16, we read, "The face of the Lord is against evildoers, to cut off the memory of them from the earth." And then Psalm 32, verse 10, "Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but he who trusts in the Lord, lovingkindness shall surround him." And as we study the book of Daniel, we see how lovingkindness surrounded him, as well as others in the book that he describes, especially his three companions. And how refreshing it is, to see a young man and other young men of about 15 years of age, demonstrating godly character and godly conduct. Living a life that epitomizes what the psalmist calls, "a tree firmly planted." It's for this reason that I've entitled my discourse, "A Tree Firmly Planted." And God blessed Daniel, for this. We read about the firmly planted tree in Psalm one, a familiar passage. There we read, "How blessed is the man," literally how happy "is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers, but his delight is in the law of the Lord," referring to the Scriptures. "And in His law, he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers." And this, dear friends, is what we will see in the life of Daniel and his three colleagues.

Now, let me remind you of the context once again, Israel, the northern kingdom of Israel has already been taken over, now the southern kingdom of Judah has been taken over by the Babylonians they have sunk so low in the rebellion against God and in their idolatry, that finally God judged them. Isaiah tells us in chapter one, verse four, "Alas, sinful nation, people weighed down with iniquity, offspring of evil doers, sons who act corruptly! They have abandoned the Lord, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, and turned away from Him." And indeed, they embraced hideous forms of idolatry that they picked up from the pagans living around them. By the way, I might add that after their Babylonian captivity, the Jews never again turned to idolatry, which is an interesting thought. But I must also add that the cancer of covetousness deceived them into believing that they could ignore God's law regarding the sabbatic year. So for 490 years, they ignored him. They believe that by tilling the ground every year, rather than allowing the seventh year for the ground to lie fallow, that they would somehow be more prosperous. Their mantra was the mantra of every fool, which is basically my way is better than God's way. And because God's judgment is not always immediate, they thought they could get away with it. No big deal. God is not watching. But God was watching and he was keeping a perfect record. And it was time now to square the account. And so he sends in the Babylonians to conquer them, and take them into captivity for 70 years, allowing the land to finally keep the Sabbath one year for every seventh year, they violated his command over the course of 490 years. Now, the last time we were together, we looked at the reason for God's judgment on Judah, and the prophetic significance and symbolism of Babylon. I hope you are grasping these things because these are foundational to understanding this book, and many other passages of scripture. But today, we want to look closer at the historical narrative and the remainder of chapter one and we want to do this under three headings. Very simply, we want to look at God's providential appointments. Secondly, Daniel's unwavering devotion to God and then finally, God's blessings upon faithful servants.

Now, something important to bear in mind here because I want to make this very relevant to where we live here in our day. Please know that the historical narrative that we are about to examine took place during the reign of one of the most brilliant, wealthy, and mighty leaders in the history of the world. Nebuchadnezzar was a brilliant man. But he could not see what was happening right under his nose. Ultimately, he was merely a pawn on God's chessboard. And he didn't realize it. He had no idea that because of his pride, he would soon lose his mind and eat grass with the cattle and live among the beasts for seven years. He had no idea that within the span of about 60 years, Babylon would fall to Darius the Mede. But God had a plan and he was working it precisely. Now, likewise, the United States of America is a fabulously wealthy country. But we are covetous beyond measure. We believe that our military is invincible. And we have leaders who are every bit as narcissistic as Nebuchadnezzar were only they're not even a fraction as brilliant as he was. And what most Americans cannot see is that God has abandoned this country to the consequences of their own rebellion. They cannot see that our leaders live in a fool's paradise. They cannot see that the that the ideologies and policies of our politicians, especially that of liberal Democrats, are destroying our nation. In fact, historically, what we see is that theological and political liberalism destroys everything that it touches. It is to the church what cancer is to the body. It is to a country what toxic waste or radioactive waste is to the environment. And today we see the overall mood in America gradually disintegrating. I was reading in the daily wire that the Washington Examiner reports that the number of illegal alien apprehensions at the United States Mexico border climbed again in June, bringing the US close to 1 million illegal immigrant encounters since the beginning of 2021. Can you imagine that,1 million? it went on to say the US border officials are expected to reveal soon that they encountered nearly 190,000 illegal immigrants in June, a 450% explosion over last June. And the latest sign the President Joe Biden's open-door policy has completely redrawn migration patterns. Now obviously, the priority of our government is open borders and globalism, and to get more votes. It has nothing to do with caring for the people and protecting the people. Because so many of these people are coming into our country and they're spreading COVID all over the country. And yet they're demanding that we get vaccinated, that we wear masks, and that we shut down the economy and that we have to do all of these other things. A recent Gallup survey found that a whopping 42% of all Americans anticipate that societal disruptions related to COVID 19 will continue to be around beyond the beginning of the new year. And according to an ABC News Ipsos poll, we see that Americans optimism about the direction of the country has plummeted nearly 20 points. 55% of the public say they are pessimistic about the direction of the country, a marked change from the roughly 1/3 or 36%. That said, the same in an ABC News Ipsos poll published May 2. Folks that is a 19% shift in just three months. It gets worse since last September, a moratorium that was issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that had been protecting millions of renters who were unable or unwilling to pay their monthly rent. That moratorium is now officially over. And all of that back rent is due. For some renters that will mean that nearly a full year of rent now needs to be paid. And the millions of Americans that cannot, or will not pay this, will now be subject to eviction. And I think of the poor landlords who have lost who knows how much? Well, I want to give you the bad news so that you appreciate the good news. And that is our God's still reigns. He's working his plan perfectly just like he did when Israel was in exile. And even as he carefully placed his choice servants in the courts, in the cities, in the villages of the satanic kingdom of Babylon, he continues to do the same thing today. And I pray that we will all be exhilarated knowing that somehow we are a part of that plan. Each and every one of us. He has promised to build his church and he uses each of us to do that. There is nothing that man nor demon can do to thwart the purposes of God. And I must say that I pray constantly, for God to raise up the next Joseph, or the next Daniel, or the next Hannah, or Naomi or Ruth or Esther out of Calvary Bible Church. And I believe he is and will.

So first, I want us to look at this whole concept of God's providential appointments. Beginning in Daniel one in verse three, "Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, the chief of his officials, to bring in some of the sons of Israel, including some of the royal family and of the nobles, youths in whom was no defect." In other words, they were without physical handicap, "who were good- looking, showing intelligence and every branch of wisdom, endowed with understanding and discerning knowledge." The idea of wisdom here in the original language carries the idea of the ability to make wise decisions. And it also says "they were endowed with understanding and discerning knowledge," literally, they were knowers of knowledge, in the original, knowers of knowledge, which would have included things like science and math and language and history and so forth. And obviously, Nebuchadnezzar placed a high premium on superior intellect. And he says, "who had ability for serving in the king's court." This is a reference to young men who had a pleasing personality, they were engaging in their interpersonal style of relating, he had polished manners, noble etiquette, and so forth. You know, many times people with a high IQ have the personality of a two-toed sloth, you know, and the manners of Tarzan of the Apes, so you can't have that, okay, not in the king's court. And he says, "he ordered him," referring to Ashpenaz, "to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans." So imagine now you're about 14, 15 years old, you've been taken into a foreign country, a pagan country, and you don't know their language, and you've got to learn all of this. Now, their literature, by the way, that Daniel and the others had to learn was extensive. In fact, in that day, their literature dated about 1400 years back, we know, all the way to the days of Abraham. So this was a highly educated group of people in that day. And by the way, much of their literature is still extant, meaning it still exists. Thousands of clay tablets from this period have been found. They were written, by the way, through the use of a wooden stylus to make wedge shaped characters on clay. Cuneiform, it was called cuneiform. And I've seen this for example, in the British Museum, you see a lot of this and they would make these little characters on the clay and then they would bake the clay and preserve the impressions.

Now, from Nebuchadnezzar perspective, this was a very wise move, to hold hostage, these noble sons of Israel, and there were more than just Daniel and his three friends. There were many others. This was very important because this would help keep the Judean royalty in line, but it would also help him know how to govern this very peculiar people. However, it was also very important from God's perspective. God had providentially appointed these teenage men to be in Nebuchadnezzar's court, to learn how these people functioned, and how they could help preserve God's covenant people. But this was also important for Daniel to know how to navigate the treacherous political and religious waters of those pagan people. So these are truly providential appointments. This didn't just happen. God is at work.

But now, the plot thickens as they say, verse five; "The king appointed for them a daily ration from the king's, choice food, and from the wine which he drank, and appointed that they should be educated three years, at the end of which they were to enter the king's personal service. Now among them from the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. Then the commander of the officials assigned new names to them. And to Daniel he assigned the name Belteshazzar, to Hananiah Shadrach, to Mishael Meshach and to Azariah Abed-Nego." Now, Daniel, meant, in Hebrew, "God is my judge." And Belteshazzar, his new Babylonian name meant, "lady protect the king." Hananiah meant, "Yahweh is gracious." Shadrach means, "I am fearful of God." Mishael meant, "who is like God," and Meshach meant, "I am of little account." And Azariah meant, "Yahweh has helped, " and Abed-Nego simply meant, "servant of Nebo," one of their pagan gods. Now as we will see, these young men came from godly homes, which made them hate all the more that ungodliness that they saw all around them. And by the way, godliness will always be repulsed by ungodliness. And you see that in their lives. Notice verse eight, "But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king's choice food, or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself." And here we come to the second point in this little outline.

Here we see Daniel's unwavering devotion to God. Now, some people might say, well, you know what, he was wrong to defy the authority that God had placed over him. But what you must understand is, Daniel knew that God's law was infinitely higher than man's law; they feared God more than man. A truth by the way that we would all do well to remember. You will recall in Acts five, when the apostles were thrown into prison, after violating the command to stop preaching the gospel in the temple, you will remember that story, an angel of the Lord came and open up the gates of the prison. We read in verse 20, of Acts five, he says, "'Go your way stand and speak to the people in the temple with the whole message of this Life.'" And so they did that. And then lo and behold, they get arrested again, and in verse 27, we read, "When they had brought them, they stood before they stood them before the Council. The high priest questioned them saying, 'We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us.' But Peter, and the apostles answered, 'We must obey God rather than men.'" That was Daniel's attitude, that must be ours as well.

Now, why was it important for Daniel to defy the king's orders? Well, let me give you two reasons, two primary reasons. First of all, some of the meat was considered unclean according to the dietary restrictions of the Mosaic law. You can read about this for example, in Leviticus chapter 11. You will remember that those dietary restrictions were given to the covenant people under the old covenant to keep them separate from their idolatrous neighbors. And I might add as a footnote, with the coming of the new covenant and the calling of the church, God ended those dietary restrictions. You will recall in Mark seven, verse 19, Jesus said, "'Whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach and is eliminated (Thus he declared all foods clean)." God also made this clear in Peter's vision, you remember the great sheet that came down from heaven filled with all kinds of animals and Acts 10. And God commanded him to rise, kill and eat those things which had previously been considered unclean. But no such provision existed during the time of Daniel under the Old Covenant.

Another reason why Daniel felt that the meat and the wine would defile them was because they knew that they had first been offered to Babylonian gods, and to eat would be tantamount to recognizing the legitimacy of those gods. And they weren't going to have any part of that. Moreover, the pagans believed, and they knew this, that eating the meat that had been dedicated to their gods would, would curry favor from those gods. And I'm sure both of those were considerations that Nebuchadnezzar had in mind. So think about it, we get these young Jewish men, let's give them good Babylonian names and get them to recognize and obey and benefit from their new gods by giving them the food and the wine that had been given to the gods and so forth. And I might add, that this is always how Satan works, isn't it? You know, force Christians to forsake the one true God in exchange for idols, and then get them to not only tolerate pagan lies, but celebrate them. And of course, he uses secular government and false religions to accomplish these purposes. I mean, I think of all of this "celebrate pride" stuff that we see and "celebrate trans;" and someone was telling me the other day they took their, their young child to the doctor and the doctor, or the I guess the nurse, first ask the child, you know, what's your name? And the second question was, what is your preferred pronoun? It's insane. And now you get in trouble if you misgender someone, if you call a biological male who thinks he's a female, a male, a "he," then you're canceled and all of that type of thing? Well, the point is, the Babylonians had their own way of forcing people to assimilate into their pagan culture. They wanted them to adopt a Babylonian name and eat the foods offered, and the wine offered to their gods, and eventually even to bow before their gods.

So Daniel and his three closest companions knew that the king's order was a way of testing their fidelity to Yahweh, or to Nebuchadnezzar and his gods. Daniel also knew that it was because of Israel's idolatry, that they were in this mess in the first place. So not going to have anything to do with that. And here we see, as I say, "a tree firmly planted by the streams of water." In other words, the nourishing water of godliness that results in spirit empowerment. And undoubtedly, he learned that from a godly family in which he grew up so he was a tree, you might say, which yields his fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither. And in whatever he does, he prospers. Would that we all, manifest such an unwavering devotion to God. And unlike so many young people today, Daniel and his three friends would not bow to the ungodly culture. They loved God, and they feared God, and they would not conform to the world. They would not defile their conscience. And I would challenge all of you young people in particular, do not yield to the pressures of the culture. Do not get near the slippery slope of all of the world's enticements that are so appealing to your flesh. Because what will gradually happen is your love for God, if it was ever there in the first place, will begin to wane. Your love for His Word will gradually disappear. Your love for His people will gradually disappear. Your love for his ways will gradually disappear. And you will become like the world and it will destroy you.

Now I want you to notice the spiritual integrity and the Spirit empowered wisdom of young Daniel, not to mention the providence of God who works all things according to the counsel of his will. Notice verse nine, "Now God granted Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials and the commander of the official said to Daniel, 'I'm afraid of my lord, the king, who has appointed your food and your drink; for why should he see your faces looking more haggard than the youth who are your own age? Then you would make me forfeit my head to the king?'" In other words, you're asking me to defy the king, and if he sees that you're not developing the way you should, he'll probably take my head off. But verse 11, "Daniel said to the overseer whom the commander of the officials had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, ‘Please test your servants for 10 days.'" Well, that's remarkable wisdom, isn't it for a 15-year-old? That's divine wisdom right there. "'Test your servants for 10 days and let us be given some vegetables to eat and water to drink.'" Vegetables, by the way, in the original language, refers to that which is grown from seed. So it would include vegetables as well as grains, so they could have, you know, vegetables as well as bread. Now, obviously, that is not a healthy, nor a desirable diet, especially for 15-year-old boys who typically have a hollow leg and they're developing and so forth. It's certainly not what they were accustomed to. Nor was it one that they chose indefinitely, which we will see. I mean, I can hear the chef's saying to them, Well, guys, let me give you the menu for the day, we have succulent filet mignon, and we have sumptuous lamb chops. We have delicious grass-fed roast beef and gravy. And you can wash it down with the king's finest wine. And I can hear the guys saying, nah, you know, I'll have the salad and the broccoli, and the turnip greens, some carrots, piece of bread. I'll wash it down with water. You know, on second thought, I'll have some of that beef stew but no beef or gravy. You know, 10 days of that would be bad enough. I was thinking about this. And I hope I'm not offending you vegetarians, I'm sure I probably am, I don't mean to be. I couldn't handle that. I mean, one of my favorite commercials years ago was "Beef. It's what's for dinner." I mean, if I ate that, you know, especially after three years, I don't know I'd be so skinny, I'd have to run around in a shower to get wet. I just can't imagine living that way. But here's the point. Now think about this. If I knew that by eating these things, God would be dishonored and that God had said, I don't want you to eat this. And if I knew that, by honoring him, he would bless me. Then you know what I would say and I hope you would say, "give me some broccoli, a glass of water." And that's exactly what they did. So test us for 10 days. Let's see what happens.

Verse 13, "'Then let our appearance be observed in your presence and the appearance of the youths who are eating the king's choice food; and deal with your servants according to what you see.' So he listened to them in this matter and tested them for 10 days. At the end of 10 days, their appearance seemed better, and they were fatter than all the youths who had been eating the king's choice food." Now obviously, what we are witnessing here is divine intervention, you know, for for this to happen in these young men over the course of 10 days, for it to be such a noticeable advantage. Obviously God was at work.

Verse 16, "So the overseer continued to withhold their choice food and the wine they were to drink and kept giving them vegetables." So because of Daniel's unwavering devotion to God, we see number three, God's blessings upon faithful servants. And this is such an important lesson, dear friends. Bear in mind that God is always watching us. He is always faithful to bless our obedience, to bless our sacrifice, to bless our faithfulness to him. I think I think of Second Chronicles 16 nine, "For the eyes of the Lord, move to and fro throughout the whole earth, that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His." Isaiah 66 two God says, "But to this one I will look," in other words, this is the person that gets my attention, “to him who is humble and contrite of spirit and who trembles at My word." Psalm 115, verse 13, I don't think you have this on the overhead. The God says, "He will bless those who fear the Lord," we read that earlier. "He will bless those who fear the Lord, the small together with the great." Beloved, please hear this, God's way is always the best way. Though your flesh will tell you otherwise. But pastor I won't have any fun, and I won't have any friends. If I go God's way, wrong, wrong. What have we read earlier in Psalm one? "How blessed," ow happy, "is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord and in His law he meditates day and night, he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither. And in whatever he does, he prospers." Dear friends, it's real simple. You either believe God or you don't. And if you don't, you will forfeit blessing in your life. And especially if you refuse to obey His command, to repent, and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, your life will end in misery which will be a prelude to your eternal hell. Proverbs 14 Verse 12, "There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." And I think of Moses in Hebrews 11 verse 24, we read, "By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to endure ill treatment with the people of God, than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, considering the reproach of Christ, greater riches than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward." Dear friends, I can tell you, having counseled probably into the 1000s of people over 35 years of ministry, I've seen pretty much everything. I've seen young women who painted themselves up and dressed immodestly to get the attention of boys gradually become sexually involved. Some of them became pregnant out of wedlock. Others got venereal diseases. Others have had multiple abortions, broken relationships. Some of them end up being single parents. Some of them end up addicted to drugs and alcohol end up in suicide. I've seen it all. They found their identity in their body. And little by little as we grow older, that body isn't what it once was. Then what do you have left? I've seen young men who were too cool for school. They wanted nothing to do with godly friends, nothing to do with the church. They did not love God nor did they fear God. They loved themselves, ruled by their lusts, they would make one foolish decision after another end up in miserable marriages, multiple children that brought nothing but heartache; alot of them end up being potheads or alcoholics. They lived in a fool's paradise. And I know a number of them that have died in their sins. I know young people who turned away their ears from the truth and turned aside into myths and they were recruited by homosexuals and they began to live that lifestyle. They were drawn into it. Young people became adults who have had literally hundreds and hundreds of sexual encounters that have destroyed their bodies. I know what it is to watch them die of AIDS. But Oh dear friends I also know of God's redeeming love. And I know of God's grace that saves sinners and sanctifies sinners. I remember one man in particular that comes to my mind that had been a homosexual for years, lived that lifestyle for years. But he came to repentant faith in Christ by God's grace. He experienced the miracle of the new birth, God changed everything about him, gave him new desires, he was married and ended up with children, very happily. And I remember one time him sharing his testimony. And with tear filled eyes, he suddenly broke into song, and he sang, "On Christ, the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand." Folks, that's the power of the gospel. That's the power of obedience. Dear friends, dare to be a Daniel. love God and fear him. Don't embrace the world that God has gone to such great lengths to deliver you from. Daniel understood this, his three friends understood this and here, the Word of God, once again, as I stated earlier in first John two beginning in verse 15, this is so clear, "Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life. It's not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever."

Yes, like Daniel and his friends, God blesses those who are faithful and obedient, who love Him and fear Him. God is opposed to the proud but he gives grace to the humble, I want you to notice how God bless them in verse 17, "As for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom." Can you imagine that? They learn to read cuneiform; they learn to understand that language. And basically, they got a PhD in all this stuff in three years. Then he adds, “Daniel even understood all kinds of visions and dreams." Now, it's important to understand here that the Babylonians believed, and we read this in their literature, that there were certain methods of divination that one had to adhere to, in order to determine the will of the gods. And certainly, priests they believed, specialized in these techniques and these methods. And we know that the demons would assist them, especially in dream interpretation, and unbeknownst to them. But these young Judeans understood that true revelation only comes from God. And God enabled Daniel with a special gift, that he would later use to interpret God's revelations to Nebuchadnezzar in the form of a dream as we will see, and also later when he would use it to interpret the handwriting on the wall of Belshazzar's palace in chapter five, Leon Wood is very helpful here. He says, "While Daniel lived, he was the one gifted by God, and accordingly, the only one used to give the interpretation of them. The pagans believed that dreams regularly carried significance, and they even induced dreams for this reason, certain priests were considered experts in dream interpretation. Scripture teaches, however, that only certain dreams are revelatory, namely those which God gives for that purpose. Daniel's gift was that he was specially endowed for receiving God's interpretations of such occasions of divine communication." He goes on to say, "It may be noted further that when God gave his revelations to Nebuchadnezzar, he used only the dream type of communication, never the vision, whereas he did use the vision with Daniel. In fact, the Scripture shows God regularly employing the dream when given a revelation to pagans. The reason seems to be that, with the dream, the human personality is neutralized and made a passive instrument for the occasion. But with the vision, the person himself is often a participant, and must be constituted to respond and react in a proper manner. Something true only of a child of God. Though the revelation of Belshazzar in chapter five was not a dream, it was still of a type entirely objective to himself in which he played no part. Daniel was necessary for its interpretation, just as he had been with Nebuchadnezzar's dreams." End quote.

Now I might add, that, since the completion of the canon in Scripture, divine revelation, received and delivered through the apostles and the prophets, has ceased along with those offices. There's no such thing today as a prophet, or an apostle. In Ephesians 2:20, Paul states that the church quote "has been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone." But now that the foundation has been laid with the completion of the New Testament, those once necessary offices, are no longer needed and they no longer exist. You must bear in mind that the canon of Scripture is now closed. We read about this in Jude three and Deuteronomy four two, Deuteronomy 12, verse 32, Proverbs 30 and verse six, Revelation 22, verse 18, and 19. And therefore, to insist as some do, that God is still giving new revelation to Christians, is to deny the doctrine of sola scriptura. That the scriptures alone are the sole and fallible source of authority for faith and practice. And we don't need to go beyond the pages of Scripture to hear from God. Moreover, those who claim to receive special revelation, or sometimes you will hear them say, you know, I've received a word from the Lord or, or I've got some prophecy, people that do that, undermine the authority, as well as the sufficiency of Scripture, by placing their suppose revelations on par with the inspired, inerrant, infallible word of God. And that, dear friends, is a blasphemous presumption. This continues to cause great confusion in the church today, unfortunately. And what it does is it paves the way for Christians to elevate subjective feelings as well as personal impressions, to the status of divine revelation, to put it on par with what God has said in his word. And as a result, unfortunately, many people look to these prophets and prophetesses to hear something new and fresh from God. Rather than looking into his self-disclosure that he has given to us in His inspired record. Jude appeals to all believers pleading with us to quote, "contend earnestly for the faith, which was once for all handed down to the saints," Jude three. Likewise, Paul told Timothy in chapter three and verse 16, of Second Timothy, "All Scripture is inspired of God, is breathed out by God, and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work."

Well, enough of that, back to God's blessing on his young servants. As we wrap this up this morning, notice verse 18. "Then at the end of the days, which the king had specified for presenting them, the commander of the officials presented them before Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked with them and out of them all, not one was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king's personal service. As for every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them 10 times better than all the magicians and conjurers, who were in all his realm." And then it says, "and Daniel continued until the first year of Cyrus the king." There Daniel reflects upon the goodness and faithfulness of God, to carry him through 66 years of service in captivity until he was about 81 years old. He served, think about it, in the high offices of Babylon through the course of four Babylonian kings and through the Babylonian defeat by at the hands of Cyrus, the Mido-Persian, which happened in 539 BC, and then served in the court of Cyrus himself and so forth. And what an amazing testimony of God's faithfulness, God's goodness and providence during those dark days of apostasy and judgment upon the Israelites. And how exciting to know that God is always in control. He is always in control. He's working his plan. And he is always using faithful servants who love him, and who fear Him to accomplish his purposes. And what a great example is we have with these faithful young men, whose testimonies continue to be a source of inspiration and encouragement for every believer, persevering in a time of trial. And may each of us stand with Daniel and Hananiah, and Mishael and Azariah. May we all stand with him in these dark days of apostasy and judgment here in our own country. And dear friends, keep looking up, because our redemption draweth nigh. The King is coming. Let's pray. Father, thank you for the eternal truths of your word. Cause us to cherish them, to meditate upon them, to make them the theme of our conversation, the lyrics of our songs that you might be praised in our lives and that others might see the glory of God and his plan of redemption revealed in the Gospel. Lord, we thank you We give you praise. In Jesus name. Amen.

I invite you to take your Bibles this morning and turn to the Old Testament book of Daniel, as we really embark upon our verse by verse study, having had an introduction, the last time we were together. Daniel chapter one. And I've entitled my discourse to you "The Evil of Babylon, Past, Present, and Future." This morning we will look at the first two verses. So follow along as I read. "In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the vessels of the house of God; and he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and he brought the vessels into the treasury of his god."

As we approach our study of this amazing book, we want to maintain the big picture of God's redemptive plan for the ages, one that God has ordained in eternity past to bring glory to himself. And this is the key, frankly, to understanding scripture, especially Bible prophecy. I want you to remember, dear friends, that there exists two opposing kingdoms in the universe, there is the kingdom of God and there is the kingdom of Satan. We see this all through Scripture. The kingdom of God is the primary theme of Scripture. It is the center of gravity around which all other themes providentially orbit, in order to bring glory to the King of kings and the Lord of lords. There are essentially three aspects to the kingdom of God that you must keep in mind. There is a universal kingdom, there is a mediatorial kingdom and there is a spiritual kingdom. God's universal kingdom can be defined as God's eternal, sovereign rule over everything that exists, everything that he created. In David's great song of majesty and love in Psalm 145, verse 13, we read, "Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion, endures throughout all generations."

But Scripture affirms another aspect of God's universal kingdom. And that is a mediatorial kingdom, that can be defined as God's sovereign rule over the earth, through divinely chosen human representatives, who speak on his behalf, and represent the people before him. And here God exercises his absolute authority, and his invisible rule in the spiritual kingdom on earth through the agency of divinely chosen men.

And then finally, in addition to the universal and the mediatorial aspect of the kingdom of God, Scripture reveals a spiritual kingdom that can be defined as an invisible kingdom that exists in the hearts of those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the king. This aspect of the kingdom, by the way, came after Israel rejected her Messiah. And while the kingdom of God can have spiritual requirements and characteristics, as we would see in Romans 14:17, for example, this does not rule out the land and the physical prosperity promises that are also included in the Abrahamic, the Davidic and the new covenants, as we read in Jeremiah 31, through 33, Ezekiel 36 through 37, as well as Deuteronomy 30 in the first 10 verses. During the 40 days between Jesus resurrection and ascension, he spoke according to Acts one three of "the things concerning the kingdom of God;" a reference there to that spiritual kingdom, the sphere of salvation where God reigns within the hearts of believers. Those who have experienced the new covenant blessings have a new heart of the indwelling Spirit, who as Paul said in Second Corinthians three six,"gives life." And aren't you thankful that he has given us life, eternal life? The New Testament epistles reveal how entrance into the spiritual kingdom comes through the message of the gospel and is granted to all believers in this church age.

Now, in opposition to the kingdom of God, is the kingdom of Satan. He has opposed the kingdom purposes of God since the very first sin in the cosmos, that he himself committed. And since his temptation of Adam and Eve to sin against God in the Garden, Satan, along with his demonic horde, has conducted a guerrilla warfare campaign to deceive and enslave men and women in his kingdom of darkness. And the world today exists in that kingdom of darkness and mankind's only hope is through the redeeming grace of God. Paul reminds us in Colossians, one beginning in verse 13, "For He rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." And in Acts 26, verse 18, we see that caused us to turn from darkness to light, and from the dominion of Satan to God. What a marvelous testimony of God's grace.

Now the anti-God world system that God allows Satan to temporary control, consists of human beings who are willing subjects to his rule, those who have rejected the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Moreover, Satan's rule is mediated in his kingdom, by what Paul said in Ephesians, 6:12, "rulers...world forces of this darkness and the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." You may recall last week we looked at some of the evidence of this in Daniel chapter 10, verses 12 through 13. In verse 20, you remember where the angel Gabriel said to Daniel that the prince of the kingdom of Persia, had battled him for 21 days until Michael, one of the chief princes came to help him. He said, For I had been left there with the kings of Persia. And then in verse 20, the angel Gabriel describes another demon, who was assigned to influence the rulers of Greece. In that passage, he says, "and now I must return to fight with the Prince of Persia. And when I have gone forth, indeed, the prince of Greece will come." Dear friends, all of the nations of the world today, including the United States of America are being controlled by demonic forces that influence their leaders. We know according to Scripture, John 12:31, that Satan is the ruler of this world, and he will remain so until the Lord Himself casts him out. First John 5:"19 says that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one." And according to Ephesians, two, two, "he is the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience." And Paul tells us in Second Corinthians 11, that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. History is also replete with examples of human beings who wittingly, as well as unwittingly, do his bidding. Together they rebel against the Most High God and for this reason, God even cursed his own creation. Remember, we read of this in Romans eight beginning of verse 20. He says, "For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, that because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption, into the freedom of the glory of the children of God." And as we will see, Satan, attempted to establish his earthly kingdom in the land of Shinar at the Tower of Babel in the days of Nimrod, according to Genesis 11. The original city of Babylon was therefore, the breeding ground for all of the false religions that would eventually cover the earth.

We will also see that there is great significance in the fact that Babylon conquered Judah. And I want to prepare you for this so that you can understand the whole flow of what the text tells us. The wicked influence that that satanic culture had on God's covenant people, has been in effect down through the centuries. It has had, therefore, a profound spiritual, as well as eschatological, effect on them and an impact on the entire world. And this is all part of God's providential maneuvering to accomplish His plan. History is "his story", the story of the Lord Jesus Christ, the coming King; he is the Almighty sovereign. Remember in Isaiah 46:10, "He is the one who declares the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, 'My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all my good pleasure.'" And you will recall that even Nebuchadnezzar confessed that Yahweh is the God who according to chapter four and verse 35, of Daniel, "does according to His will, in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of Earth; and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, 'What have you done?'" Indeed, our God, the One True God, is in absolute sovereign control over all of His creation, and He is the one "who works all things after the counsel of his will," Ephesians 1:11. And what comfort this is in times of trouble. I know even this week, there were several scenarios that came up in my life and my heart just breaks as I see people that I know doing things and believing things that are just such an abomination to God, watching our country just being engulfed by a tsunami of ungodliness and all of this leftist lunacy, that's absolutely destroying our country. And watching the militant LGBTQ mafia force their wickedness on all of us, it causes me to feel like Lot. Remember in Second Peter two and verse seven, we read that Lot was "oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men," referring to the homosexuals in Sodom, "(for by what he saw and heard that righteous man while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds)." And dear friends, the heart of every Christian should be tormented by the rampant immorality and idolatry and wickedness that we see in our country and is now even being promoted by woke apostate churches. It grieves my heart. But we can rejoice knowing that no matter what the circumstance, no matter how bad it gets, no matter how hopeless the condition, or how unfair our plight, God is ultimately, in absolute control of all things. And his purposes, will not be thwarted by man nor by Devil.

Now, with this reminder of the cosmic warfare between these two opposing kingdoms and kings, let's begin to see how this conflict plays out. As we look at Daniel, I've given you a real simple outline. It's just two concepts we want to see, first of all the reason for God's judgment on Judah, and secondly, the prophetic significance and symbolism of Babylon. Now, first, if you'll bear with me with something technical, but I know it'll come up if I don't. Very important, we must address an apparent contradiction that critics like to use to discredit the book of Daniel as a reliable historical document in verse one, we read, "In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah." Now, there appears here to be a chronological discrepancy, because Jeremiah dates this in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, not the third year. You read that in Jeremiah 46 two, also in chapter 25 in verse one. Of course the critics say "ah, see there, there's a big problem, your Bible is not reliable." Well, this is easily resolved, in that these two men were using two different calendar systems. Daniel used his native Jewish system where the kings of Judah officially would begin their reign on the first day of the seventh month, that would be Tishri or the month of October, and that would be considered the beginning of a new year for the Jewish people. And this would have been important and appropriate for Daniel to do because his goal was to encourage his exiled countrymen that they would eventually be able to return to their homeland. But Jeremiah used the Babylonian calendar system where Nissan, or April, began the new year rather than Tishri or October. The kings of Assyria and of Babylon commenced their reigns in the spring, not the fall, and this would have been appropriate for Jeremiah, because God commissioned him to prepare apostate Judeans for exile to Babylon. So given these two distinct systems of chronology, all of the events that occurred between the spring and fall would therefore be considered one year off. And so what would appear to be a discrediting discrepancy, is in fact, another remarkable proof of the inerrancy and infallibility of Scripture. I might also add, if the book of Daniel was a forgery, as some of the liberal critics would have us believe, if he was some guy who wanted to convince the Jews of his day that his book had been written 400 years earlier, you would think he would have been much more cautious right? Not to contradict the canonical book of Jeremiah, which was written before Daniel. Well, I'm chasing rabbits here, but so much for the critical view of theological liberals on this point.

So again, back to the text, "In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah." Judah now comprised of the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin. And, really, we need to stop here for a moment because I want to give you some fascinating history. Jehoiakim was the eldest son of his father the good and godly King Josiah. But what's interesting is at Josiah's death, Jehoiakim's younger brother, Jehoahaz was crowned king of Judah in 609 BC. Evidently for some reason, that we don't know, the people of Judah did not want Jehoiakim to reign over them. However, because Pharaoh Necho had recently defeated Josiah and the Judean army at Megiddo, Necho decided to dethrone Jehoahaz, who had only been ruling for three months and put Eliakim in his place. Eliakim, was really his name his but Necho changed his name to Jehoiakim. And Jehoiakim, now, proved to be just an ungodly fool who ruled from 609 to 598 BC. We know because of history, because of Scripture, that he was a very covetous man, he taxed the people to death, he made them build a magnificent palace for him and refused to pay them. He sent men to Egypt to bring back God's faithful prophet Uriah so that he could execute him. You read about that in Jeremiah 26 and Jeremiah 36. We know that he had one of the scribes read Jeremiah's prophecy, his inspired warnings, and every few verses, he would take a knife and cut it out and throw it in the fire until the whole thing was burned up. So that's the type of guy he was. He ruled for 11 years, and the last three years he rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar who retaliated with another attack on Jerusalem in 597 BCE. And Jeremiah prophesied in Jeremiah 22:19, that, "He would be buried with the burial of a donkey, dragged and cast out beyond the Gates of Jerusalem." No wonder he wanted to cut up the prophecy right? He didn't like that. And we know that that he was indeed killed in Babylon's second siege and his corpse was left to rot on the ground like a dead donkey and the scavengers ate his flesh. Well, as Paul Harvey used to say, that's the rest of the story, right? So now you know who we're dealing with. By the way, prior to the fall of Babylon in 586, Judah had 19 kings that ruled over them, eight of them were good and 11 of them were bad.

So, with that background, look at the second part of the first verse, "Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it." So this brings me to our first point that I want us to investigate. You must understand the reason for God's judgment on Judah. We could go to many passages, but I want to take you to Isaiah chapter one. Isaiah helps us understand the depths of their wickedness there in verse four, he says, "Alas, sinful nation, people weighed down with iniquity, offspring of evil doers, sons who act corruptly! They have abandoned the Lord, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they have turned away from Him." If you go to Isaiah five, you will read seven woes that God pronounced against them. He cursed them because of their greedy materialism their drunken dissipation, they would have parties with musical accompaniment, it would be their version of a drunken rock band, Spring Break type of a thing. This was what was going on with those people. They redefined morality. You will recall in verse 20, of Isaiah five, "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness." My goodness, we could give 100 examples of that today, here in our country right now. They were cursed because of their haughty humanism, their corrupt leadership; their moral apostasy was profound. And in Isaiah 24, one through six, we read how they had forsaken the law, and ignored God's covenant. But God also solemnly warned his people through the prophet Jeremiah, as well, to repent of their idolatry, lest he judge them, but they refused. Moreover, according to Jeremiah 34, verses 12 through 22, we see how they neglected the Sabbath day, and the sabbatical year. Therefore, God sent them into captivity for 70 years, to reclaim the Sabbath that they had violated and give the land a rest. Folks, I hope you get the idea that God is serious about obedience, right? He's serious about obeying his law, his righteous standard.

And I also want to remind you of his Law, which can be understood as in terms of, frankly, the whole Old Testament scriptures. The law had three divisions. First, there was the moral law that regulated how Israel was to love the Lord their God with all their heart, and their neighbors as themselves, all of which was based upon the 10 commandments. But second, there was the judicial law that regulated Israel's theocracy as a nation. And then there was the ceremonial law that regulated Israel's worship. And we know that ultimately, the Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled each division of the law. That's why he said in Matthew, chapter five, verse 17, "'Do not think that I came to abolish the Law, or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.'" And he did that in various ways. We won't have time to get into right now. But dear friends, we should never forget that while the judicial and the ceremonial laws were fulfilled in Christ and are now obsolete, the moral law is still being fulfilled in the church, in the redeemed because we are united to Christ through faith. And when we violate the Word of God, God will chasten us. And when unbelievers violate the Word of God, God will judge them eternally so, lest they repent, and place their faith in Christ as their only hope of salvation. Now, sadly, most in ancient Judah, grievously violated God's law.

So again, back to the text, "Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem and besieged it." As we look at the historical evidence, even in Scripture, there is no evidence of any fighting. Babylon was such an overwhelming force; it would have been suicidal for Jerusalem to in any way resist. And we read here that, "The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand." This is such a great statement. We find such hope here, the Lord, Adonai, the Lord God, the owner, ruler, the supreme master, the mighty sovereign. He's the one that "gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand." In other words, Nebuchadnezzar, you did not do this, God did. Nebuchadnezzar was merely God's ape, although he didn't know it. This was the sovereign will of the Lord God, which, by the way, is the theme of Daniel. Folks, I want you to remember this. Rulers can only do what God allows them to do. They can never exceed the limits of divine providence, the boundaries of his decreed will.

So again, "The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand." It goes on to say, "along with some of the vessels of the house of God," referring to the sacred vessels of Solomon's temple. Imagine that, Solomon's temple, "and he brought them to the land of Shinar," which is an Old Testament reference to Babylonia that stretched across the lower, lower Mesopotamia. And it says that, he brought them to, "the house of his god and he brought the vessels into the treasury of his god." Now, this is most likely a reference to the Temple of Marduk, in Babylon, the capital of Babylon, which is on the Euphrates River. It's about 50 miles south of modern Baghdad, if you want to get a frame of reference. There were around 50 temples for different deities that existed in that day. But the Temple of Marduk was the most prominent temple located in the most sacred area. One scholar by the name of Woods says quote, "In this area, entered by the magnificent Ishtar Gate, was also a great ziggurat, a sacred tower crowned with a small shrine. The splendid Marduk Temple boasted numerous chapels to deities other than Marduk. But his was the principal one richly decorated with cedar wood paneling, gold, alabaster, and semi-precious stones." So you get an idea of what's going on here. It's also interesting to note that Nebuchadnezzar named his son, Amel Marduk, or could be translated "Evil-Merodach." How'd you like to name your son that? By the way, Nebuchadnezzar was named after another Babylonian deity by the name of Nebo. Now Marduk was sometimes referred to as "Bel", which means "lord." He was the fertility god, and all of their worship involves sexual orgies, things that I wouldn't want to even discuss in public. It also included human sacrifice, throwing babies into the fire, they would bury some of their young ones in the foundations of their homes, in public buildings. They had male and female prostitution; it was just completely vile.

Now for Nebuchadnezzar to come to Judah, and to take these items from the temple, to pillage the Temple of Yahweh, and place the booty in his temple, was a way of symbolizing the superiority of Marduk over YAWEH. It's fascinating that approximately 130 years before what I'm about to tell you actually happened, the prophet Isaiah exposed just how dead those idols in Babylon really were. When he predicted that Babylon would be defeated by Cyrus the Mede, which happened in 539 BCE, and how the middle Persians would come in and take their items and carry the Babylonian deities away in oxcarts. We read this in Isaiah 46 verses one and two. Let me read this to you. He says, "Bel has bowed down, Nebo stoops over; their images are consigned to the beasts and the cattle. The things that you carry are burdensome, a load for the very for the weary beast. They stooped over, they have bowed down together; they could not rescue the burden but have themselves gone into captivity." So, now we have a bit of an understanding of the reason behind God's judgment and what happened.

And secondly, we want to look at the prophetic significance and symbolism of Babylon. I want you to understand that over 100 years before Judah's fall, Isaiah predicted that this would happen. We read about this in Isaiah 39, beginning in verse six, "Behold," he says, "the days are coming when all that is in your house, and all that your father's have laid up in store to this day will be carried to Babylon, nothing will be left says the Lord. And some of your sons who will issue from you, whom you will beget, will be taken away, and they will become officials in the palace of the king of Babylon." Now, it's fair to ask the question, why Babylon? Why the land of Shinar? And again, I would submit to you that it's because the land of Shinar was the first place where Satan tried to establish his own earthly kingdom through his servant Nimrod at the Tower of Babel. Let me give you some Old Testament history. 1656 years after God created Adam, he judged man with a worldwide flood. And all except eight people who, according to the Scriptures, found favor in the eyes of the Lord, referring to Noah, his wife, three sons, and wives, all of them, everybody else was destroyed. And according to Genesis 10, eight through 10, one of the descendants of Ham was a character named Nimrod who tried to build, quote, "a kingdom called Babel Shinar." We read that in Genesis 10:10. By the way that would have been in modern day Iraq, the same region probably of the Garden of Eden, the land of Mesopotamia. And according to Genesis 11, and one, we read that, "the whole earth used the same language and same words." Interesting thought. They all spoke the same language as Noah. And then verse two, we read that they journeyed east to the land of Shinar, and they settled there. So keep this in mind. Now, some 100 years after the flood, Satan now tries to get his foothold on the earth through Nimrod, who was Noah's great grandson, who, as you will see is a foreshadow of the coming Antichrist. We learn more about their motivation in chapter 11, and verse four of Genesis and, "They said, 'Come, let us build for ourselves a city and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.'" And we know that they built this tower, a ziggurat, called the Tower of Babel; a tower that was erected ultimately, to facilitate idolatry. And history reveals that on the top of that tower, and many like them, was the sign of the zodiac where priests would chart the stars to somehow predict the future. By the way, it should be no surprise that we still have that satanic practice with us to this day, another ploy to distract man from worshipping the one true God who alone, not only predicts the future, but causes the future, to conform with his sovereign will.

Well, God was displeased with their rebellion and their idolatry, as you will recall, knowing that it was ultimately from Satan. So according to verse seven, here's what God says, "'Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.' So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city. Therefore, its name was called Babel. Because there the Lord confused the language of the whole earth." So now the people are confused. And each people group begins to coalesce around their respective languages, and they all begin to move to find a region that would support them. And naturally, they took with them all of their idolatries all of their wickedness, much of which historians have discovered was what we would call ancient mother son fertility, cult worship. A combination of myth and legend in history, points to a woman by the name of Semiramis, who was believed to be the wife of Nimrod and if you read some of the story, she was impregnated by some sunbeam that came in through a window. She had this child named Tammuz, he was eventually killed, but came back to life. Basically, what you see is a counterfeit version of Mary and Jesus and so forth.

Well, regardless of the veracity of those names, as many as 180 shrines dedicated to the goddess Ishtar, had been documented in ancient Babylon. Now, the idolatrous mother-son fertility cult worship can be seen virtually in every pagan religious system around the world and Greece. She became Aphrodite, Artemis, Athena, Demeter and Gaya. In Rome she was Venus, Diana, Minerva and Terra. In India, she was the goddess Devaki with a son infant Krishna, Isi and infant Iswara. In Egypt, it was the goddess Isis and son Horus. In Asia they were known is Cybele and Deoius. The Scandinavians called her Disa she's always pictured with a child. Ancient Germans worshipped the Virgin Hertha with the child and in her arms and on and on it goes. And even Israel was later rebuked for worshipping, quote, The Queen of Heaven, the goddess Ishtar, we read about that, in Jeremiah 44, as well as worshipping her son Tammuz in Ezekiel eight and verse 14, which included idol worship that involves just the lowest and most abominable forms of immorality, idolatrous practices, that, unfortunately, God's covenant people refused to give up and so God judged them severely. By the way, as a footnote, it should be no surprise that the name Queen of Heaven or Mother of God is still being used by Roman Catholics today.

So, out of the Tower of Babel came all of the complex of pagan religions; they were spawned there, everything from Islam, to Hinduism, Shamanism to Buddhism. They were all birth there at the Tower of Babel in the land of Shinar. And this helps us understand what John has to say, in Revelation 17, in verse five, where he describes a coming mystery, "Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots, and of the abominations of the earth." Now, I might add that this is not a reference to the historical geographical city of Babylon, but rather to a future religious amalgam that will exist, that will be led by the false prophet that's described in Revelation 13:11 through 18, he will be a counterfeit Holy Spirit, remember, there will be a counterfeit trinity one day of Satan, the Antichrist and the False Prophet. So the false prophet will be a counterfeit Holy Spirit who will seek to exalt the Antichrist, and somehow reinforces efforts to thwart the purposes of God during the time of the tribulation, just prior to our Lord's return.

And as we read the prophetic literature we see that under the aegis of the false prophet and an ecclesiastical ecumenical one world counterfeit religion, will serve the Antichrist, and this religion will seduce the nations like a harlot seduces the fool. And we read in Scripture that the term "fornication" which refers to having sex outside of marriage, as well as harlotry, or prostitution; those terms are often used in Scripture to illustrate spiritual prostitution. In Revelation 14 and verse eight, we read, "she who has made all the nation's drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality." And indeed, we see that one day the nation's will become so intoxicated with her idolatrous pleasures that they will seek to destroy anyone that serves the one true God. Dr. Larson says quote, "Counterfeiting the Holy Spirit's faithful testimony and witness to Christ, the false prophet points unceasingly to the beast, performs mighty wonders and successfully imprints the mark of the beast, (666), the number of man. humanism with a vengeance." And then he goes on to say, "He will imprint that on the deceived," quote, "The inhabitants of the earth, without which they can neither buy nor sell, Revelation 13:16 and following." You know, given what we are witnessing in the world today, all of these things are not only plausible, they are inevitable. Larson goes on to say, "This Christ-less, wordless, but bloodless, and powerless, religious sham, will sweep the vulnerable inhabitants of the earth off their feet. And the greatest hoax of all history, as Jesus described it in Matthew 24, beginning in verse 10, 'At that time, many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold, but the one who endures to the end will be saved.'" Larson goes on to say, "But God is never without a testimony. And even in this dark time, Israel will be his witness. Though sorely persecuted, martyred and hated," quote, "by all nations because of Christ, Israel will preach the gospel of the kingdom. Again, according to Matthew 24 and verse 14, preach the gospel of the kingdom 'in the whole world as a testimony to all nations.' And then Jesus says, 'the end will come.'"

So, the satanic idolatry that originated from Babel, from the original Babylon and the land of Shinar, will eventually culminate in an orgy of rebellion and hatred of the one true God, just prior to our Lord's return. Mystery, "a mystery" John says, "Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and of the abominations of the earth." Folks, history will come full circle. All of these false religious systems will have a family reunion, you might say, they're all going to come home to mama, they will be rolled into one world religion, designed to worship the beast, the Antichrist. And this one religion is personified as a harlot, and indeed, the world is being prepared for that great Babylonish horror, even today, one that will promise to bring all of the world's religions together, coexist, you see it all the time, right? You're gonna bring it all together under under a monolithic banner of ecumenism, a demonic system that will eventually lead to the sole worship of the beast himself. I must add that in Revelation 18 there is a description of a commercial Babylon that will collaborate with religious Babylon, we see that there's also going to be not just a one world religion, but a one world economy. In fact, the prophet Zechariah describes this as well in chapter five, verses five through 11. There he had, you might recall a vision of a woman in a basket, and according to verse eight, she was called wickedness and there we have a personification of religious and ecclesiastical apostasy that will also manifest itself in wanton materialism and secularism, Zechariah five verses 10 and 11. We read, "I said to the angel, who was speaking with me, 'Where are they taking the ephah?' this basket that this woman is in, "Then he said to me, 'To build a temple for her in the land of Shinar; and when it is prepared, she will be set there on her own pedestal.'" If we had time we could look into that text and all of the passages around it and see that a day is coming when the system of organized godlessness that has dominated the world since the time of Nimrod will be will be transported by demonic powers to the land of Shinar and there it's going to be placed on a pedestal, we believe probably in a temple as an idol to be worshipped in the final Babylon, the final world system of the Antichrist. But it will be destroyed and forever removed from the earth when the Lord returns.

I want to comfort you with these words in Revelation chapter 18, beginning in verse one. "After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority and the earth was illumined with his glory, and he cried out with a mighty voice saying, 'Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird. For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality.' I heard another voice from heaven saying, 'Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive her plagues; for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.'" Then dropping down to verse 21, we read that, "A strong angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, 'So will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down with violence, and will not be found any longer, and the sound of harps and musicians and flute players and trumpeters will not be heard in you any longer; and no craftsman of any craft will be found in you any longer, and the sound of a mill will not be heard you any longer; and the light of a lamp will not shine in you any longer; and the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer; for your merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery. And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth.'" Merrill Unger says, quote, "Not until this evil system is removed from Palestine, will it become," quote, "The Holy Land. And not until it's rooted out of the whole earth in its entirety, will God's kingdom come and God's will be done in earth as it is in heaven."

Folks, my point with all of this is to make sure you understand that the original Babylonian captivity of Judah described in Daniel, and in other passages in the Old Testament, was not some kind of a random event without any purpose. But rather it points to, and it symbolizes, an entire worldwide political, economic and religious kingdom of antichrist, for which the world today is being prepared. We simply cannot, and we must not, read these passages in isolation, but see how they fit into the whole counsel of God revealed in Scripture.

Now, in closing this morning, I know many of you have already asked, "Where does the United States fit in to all of these things prophetically?" And I will deal with this more at length at another time. But the answer is nowhere specifically, okay? It may be part of the revived Roman Empire that will be ruled by the Antichrist. If it survives the removal of the church at the time of the rapture, it's going to be profoundly weakened. And certainly already we see serious cracks in the foundations of our country. The wrath of divine abandonment is having its effect on our country. Dear friends, the glory days of the United States of America, are quickly disappearing in the rearview mirror. Well, to be sure, America, to whatever degree it exists when the Lord returns, is going to join with all of the rest of the nations of the world. It too will fall under the spell of mystery Babylon, and under the power of the rule of the Antichrist and his false prophet. And like all nations, it too will come against Israel. We're already seeing that movement. And like all the nations, it will be destroyed.

Let me close by reading Zechariah's prophecy in Zechariah 12, beginning in verse three, "'It will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lifted will be severely injured. And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it.'" And as I said, like all nations, it will be defeated. All these nations will be defeated, including the United States. And a remnant of Israel will come to repentant faith in the Messiah, that the one that they have so long rejected. And we read of this again, back to Zechariah 12, beginning in verse eight. "'In that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the one who is feeble among them in that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord before them. And in that day, I will set about to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.'" There's the fate of the United States, and all of the nations. He goes on to say, '"I will pour out on the house of David, and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced, and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.'" Dear Christian, be encouraged our God reigns. And one day, the glory of the Lord will fill the earth as the waters cover the sea, as the prophet has promised. But dear friends, if you're here today, and you do not know Christ, my word to you is, be warned. But also be encouraged because there is a way of escape if you place your faith in Christ. But if you don't, you will perish in your sins. And you will pay for your sins in the torment of solitary confinement where there is weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. And you will be in torment forever and ever, and ever. That's why the gospel is such good news, Amen? The Gospel provides a way for our sins to be forgiven, and for us to enjoy the imputed righteousness of Christ, who gave his life for all who would believe on him. So I challenge you, if you don't know Christ, today is the day that you need to do business with God. Let's pray together. Father, thank You for the eternal truths of your word. And even though we don't know all of the particulars, we see the grand themes in the grand direction, the trajectory of your plan of redemption, of your plan to bring glory to the king and establish your kingdom. We thank you therefore, for the hope that we find through your inspired, infallible Word. But Lord, we also thank you for your indwelling Spirit that causes our hearts to leap with joy, knowing what awaits us all because of your grace. Lord, give us an ardent zeal for evangelism, to share the good news of the gospel with others that they too might be saved, that they too might enjoy the hope that is ours in Christ. And finally, Lord, I must say please, come quickly, Lord Jesus, come quickly. For it's in your name that I pray, Amen.

We have a great privilege this morning to begin our study in the book of Daniel. So if you will turn there, I would like to offer an introduction this morning. I hope it won't be the most boring sermon you've ever heard, but it is necessary to build the right foundation. I might add that the fore view of human history that is revealed in Daniel's prophecies, not only shed light on the contemporary issues that we see in our world today, but they also animate our hope that the Lord's return could be real soon. So bear that in mind, and I trust your heart is prepared to receive the Word this morning. Let me just read the first six verses. Daniel one beginning in verse one. "In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem and besieged it. The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the vessels of the house of God; and he brought them to the land of Shinar to the house of his God, and he brought the vessels into the treasury of his God. Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, the chief of his officials, to bring in some of the sons of Israel, including some of the royal family and of the nobles, youths in whom was no defect, who were good-looking, showing intelligence and every branch of wisdom endowed with understanding and discerning knowledge and who had ability for serving in the king's court; and he ordered him to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans. The king appointed them a daily ration from the king's choice food and from the wine which he drank, and appointed that they should be educated three years, at the end of which they were to enter the king's personal service. Now among them from the sons of Judah were Daniel and Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah."

Do you ever wonder why the Jewish people have been and continue to be the most hated and persecuted people on the planet? Why does Satan have such a vendetta against the Jews? Have you ever thought about that? Have you ever wondered how the Jewish people could rise from the ashes of the Nazi Holocaust to become the most dominant military power in the Middle East, and one of the most powerful militaries and political states in all of the world? How could that happen? You ever wonder how such a little country about the size of New Jersey, 9000 square miles, with a population of only 9.8 million can survive against the overwhelming numbers of their enemies all around them? Is that not curious to you? You ever wonder how they could survive when they are surrounded by 22 Arab countries occupying 5 million square miles composed of 200 million people. And all of them aligned with all of the Muslim nations of the world, which consists of about 1.8 billion people. Nations that occupy lands that are 672 times the size of miniscule Israel. Dr. David Larsen said, quote, "Abraham purchased burial in Hebron 4000 years ago, and the Jews are still there." He went on to add, "How have the Jews, virtually alone, avoided genetic regression of IQ and achievement and been successful for 4000 years? The Hittites and the Canaanites are all gone. But the Jews are like Jonah, the stubborn Prophet, tossed out into the swirling and stormy seas, ostensibly consumed by the great fish, but ingested, then vomited upon the land once again." You ever wonder why, for 3000 years, Jerusalem, which means "the city of peace" has been a city of unparalleled war and bloodshed? One in which the Lord said in Zechariah 12, three, "a heavy stone for all the peoples," and he added, "all who lift it will be severely injured. And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it." You ever wonder why the Temple Mount in Jerusalem is the most disputed piece of real estate in all of the world? You ever wonder what's going to happen to our country, to the great military powers of Russia and China and other nations? You ever wonder about the coming Antichrist of Bible prophecy? And how his rule fits into what we're seeing today with the rise of totalitarianism and globalism and ecumenism and apostate Christianity. You ever wonder what's going to happen on earth just prior to the Lord's return? Well, dear friends, these topics and many others will be addressed as we study the book of Daniel and other ancillary biblical passages. One of evangelicalism's most prominent 20th century theologians Dr. John Walfvoord, the former president of Dallas Theological Seminary, and a friend of our family, he used to come to our house and we used to play pool together and talk about Bible prophecy when I was a young man. He's gone home to be with the Lord now, but here's what he said, quote, "In many respects, the book of Daniel is the most comprehensive prophetic revelation of the Old Testament, giving the only total view of world history from Babylon to the Second Advent of Christ and inner relating Gentile history and prophecy, concerning Israel. Daniel provides the key to the overall interpretation of prophecy is a major element in Premillennialism and is essential to the interpretation of the book of Revelation. Its revelation of the sovereignty and power of God has brought assurance to Jew and Gentile alike, that God will fulfill His sovereign purposes in time and eternity."

Dear friends, today we embark upon a journey of the one of the most fascinating books in all of the Bible written under the inspiration of the Spirit. By one of God's choice servants, the prophet Daniel, whose name by the way, means "God is my judge." Jesus said in Matthew 24 and verse 15, "When you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken up through Daniel, the prophet, standing in the holy place," and in parentheses he added, "(let the reader understand)," And I might say that's exactly what we are going to attempt to do; understand what Daniel and the other prophets have said concerning what is going to come upon the earth. You need to understand that Daniel is to the Old Testament, what the book of Revelation is to the New Testament. In fact, Daniel is the interpretive key in understanding Jesus' Olivet Discourse, in Matthew 24 and 25. And we will witness obvious parallels between Daniel's prophecies and other New Testament prophecies.

One of my favorite seminary professors, Dr. John C. Whitcomb wrote this, and I believe you have this in your bulletin, as he compares what we see in Daniel and other passages. He says, "No one who has reverently studied the book of Daniel, in the context of the completed scriptures, can deny the crucial contribution of this book to God's complete prophetic revelation. Our Lord spoke often of the Kingdom of Heaven, Matthew five, three, we also see it in Daniel 2:44, and of himself as the Son of Man, Matthew 26:64. Also in Daniel 7:13 through 14. Looking toward his second coming to the earth, he referred to "a great tribulation such has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now," Matthew 24:21. We see it as well in Daniel 12, one and two, "the abomination of desolation that will stand in the temple," Matthew 24:15, but also Daniel 9:27 and chapter 12, verse 11. The Apostle Paul also referred to this work of "the man of lawlessness," Second Thessalonians, two, three through four. We see it as well in Daniel 7:25, and chapter 11:36 through 39, but rejoice that someday the saints will judge the world. First Corinthians six, two, but also in Daniel 7:18, 22, and 27." Finally, Dr. Whitcomb says, "The chronological structure and much of the symbolism of Revelation six through 19 build upon the book of Daniel. We see this in Revelation 13, one through two, chapter 17, verses three and 12. And also in Daniel seven, three through 27, 9:27 11:36 through 39, and 12, one through seven."

Here, dear friends, we are going to marvel at the sovereignty and the power of our God. And as we look at the text, we will see how, through Daniel's prophecy, God reveals the successive stages of Gentile world domination through the ages, until the coming of Messiah, when the Lord our Savior, and King returns in power and great glory as King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, when he judges the nations and he defeats them, and he establishes His glorious Millennial Kingdom is universal reign over the earth. That day in which he fulfills his physical, as well as spiritual promises, to regenerated Israel. That day in which we too shall reign with Him.

Now, the book can be divided into very basic general parts. In chapters one through seven, the inspired prophet will reveal God's sovereign rule over history. His rule over all of the nations, even the ones that exist today. His rule over those who lead them. In fact, Daniel, two and seven reveal how God will one day unexpectedly and astonishingly establish his kingdom, after the ruin of four literal successive Gentile Empires, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. And just as these four kingdoms are literal kingdoms, so too, the coming, messianic kingdom that will destroy them, and replace them, will be a real geographical and political kingdom. And then in chapters eight through 12, we will see God's sovereign rule over Israel's future. There he will unveil his kingdom purposes both during and after Gentile domination in the world; what we read in Scripture as "the times of the Gentiles" that we are living in right now, and we will see how his kingdom promises apply also to Gentiles, like us, probably like most all of us. And I'm thankful that that is true, because, as the Apostle Paul said, in Ephesians 2:11, "we were strangers to God's covenants" we, according to Romans 11:24, are "the wild olive branches" that have been grafted into the spiritual tree of Abrahamic and Davidic and new covenant blessings. Today, ethnic Israel is experiencing a temporary and partial hardening as a consequence of God's judgment upon them. And today, the church has temporarily replaced Israel as the custodian of divine truth and many Gentiles are being saved. But as we will see a remnant of believing Israelites have been preserved; a preview of God's faithfulness to save the nation as a whole, as promised in Romans 11, beginning in verse 25, where the apostle Paul says, to the Gentiles, "For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery--so that you will not be wise in your own estimation--that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved just as it is written, 'THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB. THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS.' From the standpoint of the gospel, they're enemies for your sake. But from the standpoint of God's choice, they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable." In Daniel, we will find profound encouragement, as believers, to see God in control of his universe, and of all of history. And certainly it was a profound encouragement to the ancient Jews and in exile in Babylon, and frankly, throughout their weary sojourn. And here we will witness the miracle of divine providence, as God orchestrates all of the events, all of the contingencies of human history to ultimately accomplish his purposes in bringing glory to himself. Because God intends to do two primary things, one to exalt Christ as Savior and King, but also to redeem His people. And all through Scripture, we see Christ both as lion as well as lamb. And he will indeed redeem all that the Father who has given him according to Revelation seven, beginning of verse nine, "A great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches, were in their hands, and they cry out with a loud voice saying 'Salvation to our God, who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.'"

Oh, dear child of God, what a gift we have in His Word, in his prophetic word. What comfort we can gain as we look at Scripture, especially in light of all of the chaos we see all around us, knowing that there is absolutely nothing that escapes his notice, because there is nothing hidden from his site. Moreover, nothing thwarts his purposes because no power exists, apart from his authority, apart from his permission, and all that He has promised Israel, all that He has promised the church, all that He has promised to you and to me will come to pass. Today, we know that the world laughs at the gospel, laughs at Bible prophecy. People scoff at the idea of God's judgment because they have no fear of God. And they mock anyone who claims that Jesus is coming again. But our response must be like that of Peter's. As we read in Second Peter three, beginning in verse three, "Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, 'Where is the promise of His coming? For ever, since the fathers fell asleep all continues, just as it was from the beginning of creation.'" To which Peter responds, "For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God, the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. But by His word, the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, with the Lord one day is like 1000 years and 1000 years, like one day. the Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but as patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all, to come to repentance."

To be sure, as we examine the prophecies of Daniel, our faith will be fortified, and our souls will be blessed. Moreover, we must understand that that Bible prophecy is one of the greatest evidences of the inerrancy and inspiration of Scripture. In fact, we read in Second Peter one, verse nineteen that, "we have the prophetic word," referring to the entire Old Testament and by extension, all of Scripture, "made more sure," in that context, more sure than just personal experiences, "to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts." John MacArthur said quote, "It is said that future predictive prophecy occupies 1/5 of Scripture, not a small amount. Of that 1/5 of Scripture which is predictive prophecy, 1/3 of that speaks of the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, to judge sinners and to reward and reign with the righteous. So 1/3 of the 1/5 is focused on the second coming of Jesus Christ." He went on to add, "There are about 660 General prophecies in the Bible, half of them are about Jesus Christ. Of the 330 that are about Christ, 110 of them are about His first coming, and 220 of them are about His Second Coming. So there is a huge amount of Scripture that focuses on the second coming of Christ. Another sort of statistical way to look at the importance of this subject is out of the 46 Old Testament prophets, 10 of them spoke of matters related to His first coming, but 36 of them spoke of matters related to His second coming. Someone has estimated that over 1500 verses in the Old Testament look to the return of the Messiah in glory and judgment. One out of every 25 verses in the New Testament relates to Christ's return. For every time Christ mentions His first coming, he mentions His second coming eight times. That is, every time the New Testament mentions His first coming, it mentions His second coming eight times." And then he closes the section saying, "Our Lord referred to it 20 times, and there are over 50 times in the New Testament, we are warned that He is coming." Indeed dear friends, Jesus is coming as he has promised in His Word.

So with this introduction, let's establish a bit of the context of what God is going to reveal to us maybe a good way of doing that is imagine something that might not be too far-fetched. Imagine China coming to the United States and defeating the nation. And suddenly you and many of your family and friends have been killed. You've been taken from your homes. Calvary Bible Church, in terms of its building structure and facilities no longer exists. And some of you are taken away to China. You don't know the language, you don't know the culture, you don't know the people, and you are forced to submit to what they believe. That's basically what happened to Daniel with Babylon. We learn from Deuteronomy 28 that when God settled the tribes of Israel in the Promised Land, he promised to bless them if they were obedient and curse them if they rebelled against him. Well, we all know that, sadly, they were unfaithful. And as we look at the Old Testament, especially in the days of the judges, for example, in Judges three through chapter 16, we see a continuous cycle of apostasy, and then judgment, and then restoration and repentance, and then it would start over again. And while the rule of King David was characterized primarily by obedience and God's blessings, we know that Solomon eventually, quote, "turned away from the Lord," which triggered God's judgment once again. And this continued, despite all of the warnings of the prophets until the northern kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrians in 722 BCE. Then a little over 100 years later, the same fate befell the southern kingdom of Judah at the hands of the Babylonians. And it's so sad for many years, the prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah warned Judah, of the coming judgment. If they refuse to repent of their idolatry and their immorality and their hypocrisy and their injustice and their greed, and on and on and on, but they scoffed at the prophets even though they knew what had happened to the northern kingdom in 722 BC. It's astounding. And gradually, we know historically that Assyria's power began to wane until it succumbed to the powerful and brutal forces of Babylonia. And then in the spring of 605 BC, we know that that Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian forces fought against the Egyptians and what was left of the Assyrian Empire at Carchemish. And the Babylonians defeated them and then just a few months later, they invaded Judah, and subdued them. And dear friends, it was at this time that Daniel and his friends were exiled to Babylon. And then later because of Judah's continued rebellion, eight years later in 597, Nebuchadnezzar once again came upon Judah, forced another 10,000 leading citizens to come to Babylon. You can read about that in Second Kings 24:11 through 16. That included by the way, the prophet Ezekiel, let me read you a little about that surrender in Second Kings 24, beginning in verse 12, "Jehoiachin, the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he and his mother and his servants and his captains and his officials. So the king of Babylon took him captive in the eighth year of his reign. He carried out from there all the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king's house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold, which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the Lord, just as the Lord had said. Then he led away into exile all Jerusalem and all the captains and all the mighty men of valor, 10,000 captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths. None remained except the poorest people of the land. So he led Jehoiachin away into exile to Babylon, also the king's mother and the king's wives and his officials and the leading men of the land, he led away into exile from Jerusalem, to Babylon. All the men of valor, 7000 and the craftsman and the smiths, 1000, all strong and fit for war, and these, the king of Babylon brought into exile to Babylon."

And then there was a third coming of Nebuchadnezzar to Judah that happened in 586 BC when he once again, because of the rebellion, came back and he utterly destroyed Jerusalem and made them a province of Babylonia. And that destruction included the demolition of Solomon's temple, which many times we call the first temple. That magnificent structure that was 20 stories high, a structure that took 150,000 men, many years to build. And according to First Kings 10 in verse 14, we know that it's wall and floor were overlaid with pure gold amounting to 666 talents, that's 25 tons of gold. I had to get out my calculator, see what the price of gold is and get some idea of what that would be worth today, that would be worth approximately $1.2 billion. Folks, so you get the idea that God is serious about His holiness. He is serious about his word, he is serious about his will, and he will judge those who rebel against Him.

Dave Harrell

So in summary, in 605 BC, Nebuchadnezzar pillaged the temple and took the articles to Babylon where he placed them in the Babylonian temple at Shinar. You read about that in Second Chronicles 36, seven. And then again in 598 and seven BC, he returns and he further plunders the treasures of the temple. That's the Second Kings 24 and Second Chronicles 36 and seven, you read about that. And then finally, in 586 BCE, he invades Jerusalem a third time, and utterly destroys it and the temple. And later as we study the book, we will learn from Daniel chapter nine, how in 538 BC, Daniel prayed for Jerusalem, and prayed for the temple to be restored. And in that context, he received the prophecy of the 70 weeks concerning the Messiah's death in Jerusalem. That was fulfilled precisely to the day. He also prophesied in that context, the destruction of the Second Temple, which was the one built by Ezra and Nehemiah sometimes called Zerubbabel's temple, and the one that Herod expanded upon in the first century, and he also prophesied its future rebuilding and desecration under the rule of the coming Antichrist. In that context, he also revealed to him the defiling of that future second temple that would occur at the hands of Antiochus Epiphanes and the replacement, or I should say the placement of a statue of Zeus in the holy place in the temple. You read about that in Daniel 11:31.

Now, I want you to understand that when Daniel first came, he spent eight years in captivity before the first Judeans arrived in 597 BCE. And he spent 19 years before the final group came in 586 BC. And as we look at the whole book, we will see that Daniel bridges the entire 70 years of Babylonian captivity. Now, Daniel and his three close friends, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, were about 15 years old when they were taken captive. Daniel was from royal descent, as we read in Daniel one and verse three. And given the remarkable nature of his character, he must have been raised in a very godly home. We know nothing about really his parents or his home. And apart from his own book, Daniel is mentioned five times in Scripture. In Ezekiel 14 four and also verse 20, he's described as a righteous man along with Noah, and Job. It's good company to be in right? And in Ezekiel 28:33, we see how his wisdom is underscored. And this is especially noteworthy since Ezekial would have known Daniel very well because he was one of Daniel's contemporaries, who came to Babylon eight years after Daniel. And as mentioned earlier in Matthew 24, and verse 15, and Mark 13:14, Jesus points to Daniel's prophecy in Daniel 9:27 and chapter 12, and verse one, as the key to properly interpreting quote, "the abomination of desolation," end quote, that will take place during the great tribulation. Now, it's fair to ask, Why did Nebuchadnezzar take Daniel and his three friends? And the answer in a nutshell is because they were the brightest and the best and he needed to train young Jewish men in the ways of the Babylonians, so that they could come alongside him and help him govern the Jews. But we might also add that God had his own purposes, in all of this, to use Daniel as his mouthpiece, to encourage his covenant people in that day and down through the centuries as well as to encourage all of us today, and also to gain the adoration of the pagan rulers, demonstrating to them that YAWEH was the one true God. Yes, the God of Israel, but the God overall, the ruler of the heavens and the earth, and that his purposes cannot be thwarted.

Regarding Daniel's remarkable character and giftedness, Leon Wood writes, quote, "His three year education in Babylon, which no doubt followed good training before this in Jerusalem, equipped him well for his life's work. Along with this, he must have had a natural ability for administration, because once granted a high position at the court, he remained there. Later, he achieved a place even as one of the three top presidents in the Persian government of Darius. This honor was clearly the result of God's special blessing, but God regularly employs natural means to accomplish His will. Still another quality," Woods goes on to say, "was his admirable faith in God, while still a youth of about 17. He and his three friends had faith to believe that God would reveal to them the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar and the four held a prayer meeting to ask God to do so."

You know, as we approach this book, I must say, especially to you young people, and even especially to you young men, you need to take notice of Daniels godly character, be reminded of what God can do. And a young person who fears him and who trusts in Him who obeys him and worships him. We are told in Second Chronicles 69, "For the eyes of the Lord look to and fro throughout the world that He might strongly support those whose heart is completely His." Now, I must make brief mention of a few important aspects of this book. Here's where he gets a bit technical. And I hope I don't bore you out of your mind. But this is important for you to understand.

First of all, you must know that less than half of the book was written in Hebrew, the rest was written in Aramaic. In fact, the Aramaic part is from chapter two, verse four, all the way to chapter seven. And throughout the chapter, verse 28, I believe. Now why is this the case? Well, it's because Aramaic was the language of the Gentile world of that day. Moreover, as we will see, the subject matter pertain to the Gentiles rather than to Israel directly. I might also add that the shift from Hebrew to Aramaic and back and forth that we see is was found in the scrolls of Daniel discovered at Qumran, and this really underscores the legitimacy of this feature in the Masoretic text of the Jewish canon that's used in the English translation of the Bible. But a second important aspect of the book is this, there have always been and there will always be arguments between theological conservatives and liberals about the authorship and the date of Daniel, when it was written. Now I have deliberately not chosen to bore you with all of these technicalities, many of them are, are tedious, and frankly, unnecessary. I don't want to take away from the majestic flow of the book, if you have questions and you want more information, contact me. And believe me, I can give you places where you can read to your heart's delight, all of these obscure arguments. And furthermore, I must add that, because liberals deny the inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture, because they deny the supernatural nature of those things in Scripture, and because they deny the supernatural nature of predictive prophecy, they have no credibility, in my mind. In fact, liberalism, whether theological or political, is a deadly spiritual virus designed by Satan to deceive and to destroy. We've seen this throughout history, you can look at Europe today and see this, especially theologically, it's like a deadly virus spawned in the laboratories of demons. It makes COVID look like a common cold. But if you will indulge me I will make mention of at least one of these technical criticisms, I think you'll find it quite interesting and quite affirming.

Liberal critics insist that the prophecies of Daniel are so incredibly and undeniably and literally fulfilled, that they must have been written after the fact. Nobody could have possibly predicted all of that. It had to have been written by someone years later, who merely recorded historical facts in the guise of predictive prophecy. And I marvel at the blindness of the unregenerate. And I'm just thankful that, I'm thankful for God's grace, or I'd be right there with them, so would you. I mean, think about it, there are over 100 supernatural prophecies that have been fulfilled in chapter 11, alone, as we will see. Yet liberals deny the supernatural, especially biblical prophecy. Dr. Whitcomb is most helpful once again, one of my former professors, I'll read some of my notes that has been put in book form, or some of his notes that I have this is from him. He says, quote, "Theological liberals who deny the supernatural have maintained that predictive prophecy is a moral impossibility for God. Thus, the book must be a second century BC product of, quote, 'pious deception.' The supposed purpose of the book from their perspective, namely, the encouragement of Maccabean freedom fighters against the monster Antiochus Epiphanes, was somehow accomplished through the deception of a pseudonymous document pretending to be written by a legendary Daniel of four centuries earlier." But he goes on to argue saying, "Jews living in the intertestamental period, especially in Palestine, would never have accepted as canonical a book quote, 'hot off the press that claimed to be over 350 years old, and that was supposedly filled with historical blunders.' Jewish scholars of that period had access to numerous historical records of the Neo Babylonian, Medo-Persian and Hellenistic periods." He went on to add, "Even more important, intertestamental Jews were keenly aware of the identity and boundary lines of their own sacred canon of Scripture, and thus did not hesitate to exclude from their canon such books as Tobit, Judith, and even First Maccabees." And then he says this, "Would Jews, who were dying for their God given faith and their God given scriptures, have looked for encouragement to fictional characters, and events and a pseudo graph. The truth of the matter is that nothing but well-known material and material that was believed to be infallibly true and inspired by God could have kindled their spirits in the midst of that supreme hour of national crisis."

Beloved, please understand my perspective and the perspective of this church, what we have before us is the inspired, inerrant, infallible, authoritative, all sufficient Word of the living God. And what is said here is true, and what is promised will come to pass. We need to treasure it, we need to meditate upon it, we need to guard it, we need to memorize it, we need to obey it. And we need to be encouraged by it. Because it indeed is a lamp into our feet and light into our path.

Well, in conclusion, over the next few minutes, let me give you three outstanding themes that we will see as we journey through this book. And I might add, this is really hard because I saw a whole lot more. There's other themes that are going to come out, but let me just give you three here. Okay. First of all, we are going to be encouraged to see how God uses faithful servants who fear Him and love Him. We see this from the beginning in Daniel one in verse eight. We read, "Daniel" mind you now, a 15-year-old boy, "Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king's choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of officials that he might not defile himself." And you will see and you may recall that he got permission and, and the guys ate vegetables. By the way, this cannot be in any way, advocating vegetarianism. I would rather die than be a vegetarian. But they ate vegetables and verse 15 says, "At the end of 10 days, their appearance seemed better and they were fatter than all the youths who had been eating the king's choice food." By the way, later on, we will see that Daniel really enjoyed meat. Remember that.

And then in verses 17 and following, we see how God blessed them. "As for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom; Daniel even understood all kinds of visions and dreams. Then at the end of the days, which the king had specified for presenting them, the commander of the officials presented them before Nebuchadnezzar. The King talked with them, and out of them all, not one was found, like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the Kings personal service. As for every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them 10 times better than all the magicians and conjurers, who were in all his realm." And you will also recall that later on, Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold and demanded that everyone should bow down and worship that image or be thrown into a blazing furnace of fire. But Daniel and the guys said, not us, we will not bow to your God, chapter three, verse 17. We read of their response after Nebuchadnezzar warned them again in his fury. You know what's going to happen, don't you? And here's what they said in chapter three, verse 17, "'If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire, and He will deliver us out of your hand O king.' But,'" and I love this, '"even if He does not let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.'" Oh dear friends would we be so faithful, would that we refuse to bow down to the demands of our culture? The false narrative of critical race theory, the racist narrative of the Black Lives Matter terrorists, the abominations of the LGBTQ mafia and the delusions of these transgender lunatics. How sad. That we would not bow down to all of the COVID fear mongers and the global tech oligarchs, and all of this woke garbage, all of these deceptions that are being crammed down our throat. A friend of mine, talked with me this week. And he, we were writing back and forth on another matter, and he was telling me about the Cleveland Indians that changed their name. Did you hear about that to the Guardians? And he wrote to me sarcastically, well, frankly, I think the name smacks of masculine toxicity. I anticipate a lawsuit brought by the LGBTQ community against the team, and alas, poor Indians, how will they ever recover? Well, you get the idea. This is where we're at. It's just it's just insane. But dear friends, like Daniel, we must not bow to these things.

A second theme that we will see in Scripture is how Satan works. We will shudder at Satan's guerrilla warfare tactics to deceive the world and thwart the purposes of God. We know that He is the ruler of this world until the Lord cast him out according to John 12, and verse 31. He is the God of this world that blinds the minds of the unbelievers. According to Second Corinthians four, four. John tells us in first John 5:19, that "the whole world lies in the power of the evil one." Paul tells us in Ephesians, two two that he is "the prince and the power of the air of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience." And he is one, as Paul says in Second Corinthians 11:14, who disguises himself as "an angel of light."

And dear friends, as Daniel unfolds the wickedness of Gentile domination in the world, we are going to see how the devil and his minions work. And we will see how he has assigned certain demons to be rulers over certain nations and their rulers. We see this for example, in Daniel chapter 10. The context here is Daniel prays and Gabriel comes to answer his prayer. And then verse 12, Gabriel says, "I have come in response to your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for 21 days. Then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia." And then in verse 20, the angel Gabriel describes another demon assigned to influence the rulers of Greece. And he says, and now I must "return to fight with the prince of Persia. And when I have gone forth, indeed, the prince of Greece will come." Dear Christian, we must understand that even today, in times of fasting and prayer as we cry out to the living God to protect us and help us, and use us as instruments of righteousness, that behind the scenes, there is a great spiritual conflict occurring. There's an unseen struggle between angelic forces going on right now in the world. And this is going to escalate as the day of the Lord approaches. How else can you explain the sheer insanity and depravity that has so quickly gained power in our country. But I must add this, do not fear. The battle has already been won at the cross, Amen? The battle has been won. And Daniel's prophecies will reveal the utter destruction of Satan's kingdom that is currently being mediated upon the earth through the reign of wicked men and women and ultimately through the reign of his version of the incarnate Christ, and that will be the reign of the Antichrist. And here's what Daniel says, in chapter seven, beginning in verse 13. And be encouraged with these words. "'I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven, One like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which will not pass away, and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed."

And finally, we're going to marvel at the miracle of divine providence as we witness His rule over all of the contingencies of history to accomplish his purpose. And indeed, he is continually right now exercising his rule, even though he's allowing Satan to do his thing, at least for a while. And even Nebuchadnezzar confessed in Daniel four beginning in verse 34, "'I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever, for His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation, all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, but He does according to His will, in the host of heaven, and among the inhabitants of Earth, and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, What have you done?'" Dear friends, what confidence we can have in the Word of God, and the prophecies of the book of Daniel and throughout Scripture. And to know that we are part of that plan. We're all part of that plan. We are all members of this one magnificent organism, the body of Christ, we all have a role to play, we've all been given a gift. And as we all work together, the purpose of that is to edify the saints so that all of us together, can exalt the one who is the head of the church, the Lord Jesus Christ.

So let's prepare our hearts as we look into this great text. I would encourage you to read it, it's not very long, I would encourage you to read it at least two or three times a week, become familiar with it. And you will be excited to see what the Spirit of God will reveal to you, in the coming months, perhaps years. We shall see.

Let's pray together. Father, we're so thankful for your word that truly gives us an overwhelming sense of your love, your faithfulness, your sovereign and providential rule over all of your creation. And to know that, by your grace, you have made us a part of your kingdom. And Lord how we long for your kingdom to come and your will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. But until that day comes, I would ask that You would help us to be faithful, even as Daniel and his three friends were faithful and many others. Even in that day, I pray that you will use us all in a mighty way for the sake of the kingdom, that others might see Christ in us, that they too might be saved by your grace and Your grace alone. And if there be one here today that knows nothing of what it is to truly be reconciled to the only God who can justify the ungodly. I pray that today you will overwhelm them with the guilt of their sin that they might come running to the cross and cry out for the mercy that you will so quickly give those who are truly coming to you and repentant faith. So we thank you, we give you praise and all things for Jesus sake and in His name. Amen.