How Are the Mighty Fallen!

Nebuchadnezzar recognizes the years went by the spirit of the holy God dwell in this man. I think he got an idea of the holiness of God from the holiness of Daniel W. Daniel of the pure and holy in a virtuous life, and the conclusion of Nebuchadnezzar would be that had a holy and a virtuous God because a man worship to God, and that worship will reflect what pride but what sort of consequences are there when we think more of ourselves than we should and do those consequences have implications for more than just individual people can entire nations suffer from too much pride. Questions that definitely relate to today's lesson on grace to you. Stay here as John MacArthur continues his journey through the prophetic book of Daniel in a message titled how are the mighty fall in its part of John series called the rise and fall of world powers. Open your Bible to Daniel chapter 4, and here's John.

Perhaps the most destructive word in any language is the word try pride. Pride dams Satan and his angels pride has damned men throughout human history. Pride is destructive because it breaks that first and great commandment. We have no other gods before God himself. God is to be the first and only God. God is the only one to be worshiped. He only want to be praised. The only one to be served in his will is absolutely supreme pride asserts that man is to take a place of superiority over God, or that an angel is to take the place of superiority over God. Pride places self love God.

That's the essence of prime and in the Scriptures through the prophets, God said, my glory will I not give to another and he laid down the basic premise.

My glory will I not give to another means that he will not tolerate a usurper elevating himself above God. Listen to what God said about pride. Proverbs 21 for he said, a proud heart is sin. Proverbs 6 he said these things that the Lord hate a proud look. Proverbs 16 five. Everyone who is proud in the heart is an abomination to the Lord. Proverbs 813 the fear of the Lord is to hate evil pride and arrogance.

Proverbs 1618 pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Proverbs 29, 23 says a man's pride shall bring him low.

In Proverbs 11 to says when pride comes, then comes shame not just from the book of Proverbs, we gain an insight into how God feels about the matter of pride is a serious and severe soon and condemned repeatedly throughout the Scripture. It leads to abomination because it desecrates the name of God and the rightful place that he has. It brings about destruction of the end of pride is judgment and it leads to a fall and to shame. In Jeremiah chapter 49 is very interesting verse where the Lord gives a prophecy against Edom. You don't need to turn to it, but Eden was very very proud because Edom was an area in east and south of Jerusalem in error in the wilderness in the desert that had many natural fortresses, and particularly the city of petro great capital city of Edom was a city fortified by virtue of the fact that it was in the midst of walls of great high cliffs and the only entrance and I've been through that entrance is just one wide enough for a single individual to pass and so is very easy for that city to be guarded by one soldier and almost invulnerable in Jeremiah 49 and 16. Jeremiah gives a prophecy against Edom by terribleness has deceived the and the pride of thine heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock that hold us the heights of the hill now, though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the Eagle. What's this line I will bring the down from there Seth, the Lord also Edom shall be a desolation. Everyone that goes by it shall be appalled and hints at its plagues. If you were to go there today as I have, you would find that it is absolutely empty. There's no city there anymore say how can it ever happen. Well petro had water coming into the city and little troughs flowing down the sides of the cliff the trust are still there. They cut off the water supply and pretty soon the people had to give up because they had no water, God brought them down.

James 416 sums it up and got a job at Scripture down. It's very important one. It sums up God's view toward pride. It says God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. God resists the proud but gives grace gives grace to the humble.

Now that is the lesson of Daniel chapter 4 God resists the proud, and gives grace to the humble.

If you ever were looking for an illustration for James 416 you find it in Daniel for it is an apt and graphic illustration of that very basic truth when you are proud God fights against you when you are humble. God gives you grace now proper recognition of the sovereignty of God a proper recognition of the supremacy of God a proper recognition of the humility of man is what this chapter is all about.

And the key phrase in the chapter. Notice in verse 17 is that the living may know that the most high Olaf in the kingdom of man. That's the key phrase the whole chapter is set to teach that truth that everybody may know that the most high, that is God rules in the kingdom of man. No man can set himself up above God will notice in verse 25. Again, the same thing till thou know that the most high room with in the kingdom of men you notice in verse 32 that the most high room with in the kingdom of man in verse 34. I blessed the most Thai praise and honor him who live us forever whose dominion is an everlasting dominion.

His kingdom is from generation to generation. The theme then is to recognize that God is the ruler in the kingdom of men. Now when you don't realize that you're in trouble is a severe thing to set oneself up above God, because God fights against the proud and spares his grace for the humble. In this chapter we meet a proud man. Nebuchadnezzar the king of the Babylonian empire. The first of the great monarchs of the four empires ruled that part of the world. The great Babylonian empire.

This man monarch of monarch, King of kings ruling all the world that he perceived became proud and puffed up and bloated and inflated and self-centered and set himself up as God was on the last chapter even build a great big 90 foot high idle out of gold is an image of himself and forced everybody to bow down and worship and when three didn't. They were thrown into a fiery furnace. So we understand a little about his ego, but in this chapter we see how God brings this man low and then gives grace to him in his humility, he resisted minutes trying to gives grace to him and his humility and if I can extrapolate little bit. I'd like to do that. I think there's more in this chapter than just the story of Nebuchadnezzar. I think Nebuchadnezzar is a symbol of several things. First of all, I believe he is a symbol of of any other individual in history who tries to do the same thing. He is sort of a model or a pattern for how that works out for all of the Shaw's and the ayatollahs in the men's and the Hitler's and the Mussolini's and that whoever else is of the world who want to set up their petty puny little kingdoms, and rule as the monarch of their own self designed empires and set themselves up in their egos is that which is beyond and above God. This is a warning to them as well. And Nebuchadnezzar stands as a symbol of what God does with all people like that.

But beyond that, I think there is here a warning to us who may never rule any empire other than the little one we vent for ourselves and we do in our simplicity of of the very un-complex life and in our lack of public notoriety build an empire and crawl up on top and crown ourselves King. This is a warning to us all and I think even in a broader vein. I think what we see with Nebuchadnezzar. Here is a symbol also of how God will deal with all of the proud empires of the times of the Gentiles, for he crushed the Babylonian empire. He crushed the Medo Persian Empire crushed the Greek Empire. He crushed the Roman Empire will revive the Christian again and establish the kingdom of Christ. So you see, this is not just Nebuchadnezzar, this is any other would be monarch of the world and it is any man, woman or young person of the world and sets up his own little Empire and crawls up on top and declares himself king and defies God and it is also a symbol of how God has dealt with the whole of the Gentile. Notice the times of the Gentiles. And so we learn much from it. A fitting symbol of how God judges pride and gives grace. Where there's humility now I have to tell you this so you know going in. This is the climax of the spiritual biography of Nebuchadnezzar, and we know that in the first three chapters, the Lord is working on Nebuchadnezzar, no. He drops Daniel in his lap, Daniel. First of all defies and by not being willing along with his friends missile Azariah and Hannah and I not being willing to eat the king's meat or drink. The king's wine or do certain things that they do and so immediately he is forced to be confronted by these four young man as he confronts them in questions of and deals of them. He finds it, they are far and away beyond anybody in his kingdom.

In terms of their integrity and their intelligence and their education and their wisdom etc. etc. so beginning late in chapter 1, God begins to build an affinity toward them.

Then we find in chapter 2 that Daniel is given the responsibility of solving an incredible problem. The man had a dream and nobody knew what was a nobody could interpret. But Daniel could and we remember that Nebuchadnezzar was struck by the amazing capability of Daniel to read visions and dreams and rightly interpret them and again God was driving a wedge, as it were, into the mind of Nebuchadnezzar. Then in the third chapter when the decree went out that they were to bow out of the idol and they didn't.

The three did not. Daniel must've been out of town somewhere. Immediately they were throwing the fiery furnace and there appeared with 11. Like with them one like a son of the gods and they came out there wasn't any burning. There wasn't any smell of smoke and Nebuchadnezzar again had seen God at work.

Once in every chapter and now we come in the fourth chapter of the climax of his spiritual biography. I really believe in my heart and this is a you can't be totally dogmatic about this.

I'll try to show you why believe it, but I believe at the end of this chapter. Nebuchadnezzar truly comes to faith in the true God son of entitled the chapter.

The conversion of Nebuchadnezzar. I'd I hate to let Ian on the ending of the chapter.

Why did I do that. Anyway, I wanted you to know, how exciting is going to be as we progress through because I want to know some wonderful's coming now as we look at this chapter, we focused in on the spiritual biography of Nebuchadnezzar and incredible astounding amazing man. One of the geniuses of all of human history brilliant beyond those of his time equipped in many many ways. In a human sense puffed up and proud as the ruler of the world and how God literally crushes him into nothing and turns them around and he doesn't beloved through another dream, another dream now let's look at the introduction. The first three verses very quickly.

Nebuchadnezzar the king unto all people, nations and languages we said that that little triad simply encompasses everybody. It's just a common phrase of the time to embody all the people who would be in sound of this decree or this testimony.

Nebuchadnezzar the king unto all people, nations and languages as well.

In all the earth. Peace be multiplied under you and by the way. Peace is a greeting shalom or whatever was not common only to Israel. It was used all over the ancient world.

We find it in multiple writings of multiple nations and it was the communist form of greeting so he says peace be multiplied under you.

I thought it good to show the signs and wonders that the high God hath wrought toward me. How great are his signs and how mighty ours wonders his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation.

Stop right there.

Now this is really amazing. This is amazing is a world this chapter.

Nebuchadnezzar did not think he probably had a now edited a little by Daniel disabled it was Nebuchadnezzar inspired writer know but God made sure that what Nebuchadnezzar said was accurately recorded in the Bible. The Bible is accurate.

In this sense, when the devil speaks something in the Bible. It is not always true.

Is it but it's truly recorded that that's what he said and so here it isn't that Nebuchadnezzar is an inspired writer is that Nebuchadnezzar is giving his testimony and Daniel was able to record it exactly as it was given under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wonderful thing about it is that it happens to be a wonderful testimony and I believe that's why the spirit of God instructed Daniel to put in. Now I want you to notice that it's in the first person Nebuchadnezzar the king unto all the people, etc. this is his personal testimony. This is kind of like Nebuchadnezzar giving his testimony of how he came to believe in the true God. This is his personal spiritual biography verse two I thought it good to show the signs and wonders that the high God hath wrought toward me. Now he is finally seeing and this is of course a recap really of what you're going to see in the story he is saying I'm a tell you the testimony of how I came to believe in the high God, the God above all of the deities of my own people how great are his signs. He says in verse three.

Although he proved himself and his might. How mighty are his wonders and by the way, signs and wonders are used together frequently in the Hebrew in the Old Testament to indicate miracles he says I've seen enough miracles to know that his kingdom is beyond mine its everlasting. His dominion is abundant beyond mine. It is from generation to generation. So you have here the personal testimony of a pagan king. The first monarch of the times of the Gentiles giving you his spiritual biography right. Let's look at the dream point number one the reception of the dream. Verse four the reception of the dream.

This is his first-hand account. It begins in verse four we what word what is the first word I I Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in mine house and flourishing in my palace, I saw dream which made me afraid. And the thoughts upon my bed in the visions of my head troubled me the word for rest means free from apprehension and free from fear is his kingdom did not have any significant problems at the time the Empire was very settled at this time he was experiencing no serious attacks.

He was prospering in a fantastic way and by the way, the word flourishing their means to grow green to grow green. Everything was Greening and babbling.

Everything was flourishing and babbling. I would venture to say that this is likely between his 30th and 35th year of raining, as were getting toward the end of his life. It's probably get this 25 to 30 years after the fiery furnace that this takes place, and by now. Danny would be 45 to 50 years of age. So we have a tremendous time gap between three and four of 25 to 30 years, and God brings this second dream.

It was a panic him. It blew it right out of his comfort and his rest and he was totally fearful and how did he react to this verse six therefore made.

I decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me. Boy does he have a short memory.

Those losers last time he came in. I can tell him anything and he said is gonna kill them all.

Well 25 years and no one got to keep the system move and I guess so they are still around. So I made it free to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. Then came in the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and they were the highest of the system of casts that they had the soothsayers and I told the dream to them, but they did not make known to me, its interpretation, I called back the same bunch of losers who couldn't help but all last time he goes through the same routine. In verse 18. The reason they didn't tell in the interpretation, it's it says they're not able to make known the interpretation they couldn't tell him because I didn't know but this time they didn't admit they didn't know they just didn't tell. So he gives them the dream and their incapacitated and here we are right back at the folly of human wisdom. The world is in any answers prescriptions 214 says the natural man understand about the things of God. Jesus said in hidden things from the wise and prudent of the world revealed them to babes. The world never knows there ever learning but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth that's always right back in the same pit again with the same guys who claim to know it all and know know it all. Verse eight I love this I mean Daniel was cool.

He had a sense of timing, get this, but at the last Daniel came in but you like that at the last Daniel came he just came in, saw the chaos waited for the set up for his moment and then it says, whose name is Bell dishes are, and since this is a testimony made by Nebuchadnezzar to the Babylonians. In chapter 4, he wants them to know who Daniel is. So he uses his Babylonian name. According to the name of my God is God was Bell, in whom I like. This is the spirit of the holy God. Now will you get that information. While I mean he said he was the most high God way back to when the first dream was told any and he said he was the most high God way back when the fiery furnace happened 25 to 30 years before, but where did you get the idea that God was a lonely God, I'll tell you where in the 25 and 30 years intervening. Do you think Daniel never told him anything.

You better believe it or not, 25 to 30 years Daniel who was the prime minister and the whole empire of Babylon was feeding everything he could feed into the mind of that man cared about will see that in a moment not aware Daniel would be and when he came in at the right moment, but he had a great strategic sense of timing and when all the chaos was going on and they were all standing there with a blank look on their faces and their mouths shut, and the king was trying to get the answer he just came in at the last and relieved all the pressure by giving me it's isn't it wonderful that Nebuchadnezzar recognizes the years went by the spirit of the holy God dwell in this man and the deities you see of the Babylonians were not holy deities. Pagan deities are not any better than the men that worship he had a fuller understanding of the nature of God now than he did before. I think it was. Not only what Daniel taught them but I think it was probably what Daniel was like I think he got an idea of the holiness of God from the holiness of Daniel W Daniel wouldn't defile himself with the king's meat and then it wouldn't drink the king's wine and then you wouldn't indulge in the moralities and the excesses of behavior that are against God Daniel of the pure and holy in a virtuous life, and the conclusion of Nebuchadnezzar would be that he had a holy and a virtuous God because a man worship to God, and that worship will reflect what he believes it got to be when Stanley found David Livingstone in the heart of Africa. He stayed with them for six months. Stanley was professed skeptic when he found Livingstone, but he came away from six months with David Livingstone, a Christian and someone asked what Livingstone said that converted him to which Stanley replied it was not what Livingstone said it was what Livingstone was that brought me to Christ. Livingstone according to Stamm's report never ask Stanley if you are a Christian you never preached to him, nor seem to pray for his conversion. But Livingstone was so thoroughly a Christian that it dawned upon Stanley that one was not a Christian was something less than a Christian reasonable Livingstone was a man of God who permitted the Lord to live through him, and consequently his life was a life of victory and blessing. And by the sheer influence and impact of his virtue. He brought that man to Christ, and that I think is probably in Daniel's case.

What may have happened. Daniel not only spoke of the character of God, but manifested as well. This is grace to you with John MacArthur. Thanks for being with us. John's been pastor of Grace Community Church in the Los Angeles area since 1969. His current study is titled the rise and fall of world powers. John, in the few moments we have left. I want to ask you some questions about Bible prophecy when I became a Christian.

50 years ago, it seemed to me like everyone was talking about the end times in Bible prophecy, and now almost nobody mentions it. Talk about why it's important to understand what Scripture says about the future and is there a happy medium between talking about it all the time and never talking about it all.

Well, yeah, the happy medium would be to talk about it the way the Bible talks about it Brenda that the Bible is explicit about that.

It isn't at all unclear if in fact I've said this a lot.

The book of Revelation is one of the easiest books to follow chronologically because it sequentially takes you from the church age and the second and third chapter 1st chapters well to the final new heaven and the new earth in chapters 21 to 22 so it's very chronological and that's why Revelation begins with this blessed is the one who reads and understands this book and that would've been given to seven churches in the first century, the didn't have anywhere near the history of understanding, dogma, or even interpreting Old Testament prophecy that we would have an yet it was clear to them by virtue of the testimony, the Holy Spirit and in the first chapter. So I think there a couple of reasons why it is fallen on hard times.

One reason is it was oversold and it was overstated for several generations. I think back to the late great planet Earth when everybody had the pajamas on they were on the roof there waiting for the rapture never happened, and prophecy. Prophecy dominated, you would know this prophecy actually had a greater role in evangelical church for number of decades then did the doctrines of salvation.

You in fact the main seminary in America had a whole lot more to say accurately about the future than it did about the present, concerning the gospel.

That's why I wrote the book the Gospel according to Jesus say they didn't get the gospel right but they were they were going down to the nitty-gritty details and prophecy. So I think that's one of the things that they killed it and the second thing is the surge of reformed theology and it sort of this modern generation looks of reformed theology to go back to Calvin. We all know he didn't Understand Prophecy Rd., Tours and every book in the Bible, but Revelation so I think they sort of imported the reformers eschatology, which was all over the map, but II think like anything you go back to the word of God and I want to help people with that so I want to mention something to you. I've given a summary of the entire book of Revelation.

In one booklet he'll take to the whole book of Revelation is a good news will send it to anyone who requests a copy free of charge. Yes to this free resource will quickly take the mystery out of the Bible's final book. And again, it's yours free just ask for the booklet titled a jet tour through revelation when you contact us today.

Call our toll-free number 855 grace or go to TTY.org a jet tour through revelation.

It's densely packed with that helps explain every chapter in this incredible section of Scripture, and it shows you where history is headed and what that means for you today can also help you experience the profound blessing promised to those who read and obey the book of Revelation to get your free copy.

Call 855 grace or go to TTY.org and out as we close a reminder that if you're regularly finding encouragement from this broadcast. Please let us know when you contact us. It encourages us more than you know it helps us measure our impact in your area. Send an email to letters@TTY.again, that's letters@tty.org or if you prefer regular mail. You can write to Grace to you. Box 4000 panorama city, CA 91412 now for John MacArthur on Phil Johnson be here tomorrow when John looks at the Amazing Way, God humbled a powerful King and what that can teach you about overcoming pride in your own life. It's another half hour of unleashing God's true at a time on grace to you