The Key to Bible Prophecy - Part 2

Undermined increasingly watching the rise of governments and civilizations conceivably front until you relax and remember God is in charge of tonight on tuning point. Dr. David Jeremiah shoes help. Daniel witnessed the different kingdoms of his lifetime he never lost faith in God so inclusion to the kings of Bible prophecy is. Thank you for joining us today were very happy to have you along with us as we began our study of the book of Daniel. While today we finish up our discussion of the key to Bible prophecy. Let's get started with that.

I'll be back in a few moments with more announcements about the history of turning like the book of Daniel. What he does is first of all, he discredits it he determines not to believe it goes everywhere hunting for contradictions and all the critics have loved to play with the book, they aren't even into the first and second first before they begun to find trouble for… In the first and second verse we read a reference to the map, you could measure taking the vessels from the temple at Jerusalem and putting them into the treasure house of his God, and the critics of the book of Daniel say they never heard of such a thing in secular history.

It was an unknown custom something that was never done. Even in secular history. They couldn't find a reference to within the last quarter. Essentially, an inscription was discovered to the effect that Nebuchadnezzar always put his choices spoils in the house of his God just was a peculiar custom.

I am the first chapter there is a reference to a fellow by the name of Ashkenaz you'll find in verse three and the king spoke on the Ashkenaz, the master of his UNIX that he should bring certain of the children of Israel the King seat of the princes and the critics make a great deal out of this man.

Ashkenaz, the master of UNIX.

They said nobody ever heard of him.

You can find his name in any secular history is an unknown.

This is another thing of Daniel's imagination, but during the last quarter century. The name Aspen as is been found on one of the monuments of ancient Babylon, which is now in the British Museum and this is what it says quote master of UNIX in the time of Nebuchadnezzar." You can get more plain than that limited to just one other illustration in the fifth chapter of the book of Daniel, one of the most striking examples of the defeat of the opponents of the word of God is to be seen in this chapter where Bill Sasser king of Babylon is said to have been slain during a feast on the night of the city's fall. Now secular historians have named the king of Babylon, as map igniters. In other words, when you read secular history.

Secular history says that the king of Babylon when it fell, was a man by the name of Napa nitrous by the Scripture says it was about Shatzer so we've got an obvious contradiction. And if you're a critic of the Bible. Naturally, the Bible is wrong and you're right.

They said that map igniters was not present at the capture of the city and that he was not killed, but taken captive and kindly treated and lived in retirement as a private citizen and they said here is a clear case of error in the Bible. What to do with well very interesting. No one had any idea how these two counts could be reconciled until Sir Henry Rawlinson discovered an inscription on a cylinder on the Euphrates River in the Valley fair containing the facts needed to clear up the problem. Listen carefully. There were two kings of Babel during Daniel's later life a father and a son map igniters who occupied a stronghold outside the city had made his eldest son, Bell Shatzer, coregent, and he allowed him to use the royal title Belshazzar was slain while defending the city. Napa nitrous was spared. Thus, even the apparently insignificant detail explains two verses of the book of Daniel, but I want you to see notice chapter 5 in verse seven.

Chapter 5 in verse seven, the king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers and the king spoke and said to the wise men of Babylon. Whosoever shall read this writing and show me its interpretation shall be clothed with scarlet and have a chain of gold about his neck. Now notice and he shall be what the third ruler in Babylon.

Why, because you already have two you have Napa nitrous and Bell Shatzer coregent's and Daniel couldn't possibly get higher than the third ruler and so in the 29th verse of this chapter we read that they commanded Bell Shatzer and they close. Daniel was scarlet and put a chain of gold about his neck, he made a proclamation concerning him that he should be what the third ruler in Babel. And so the critics not only are wrong, but when we find out why they're wrong and explains the text we didn't understand before we found out they were wrong so we have the current study, which helps us to deal with the book of Daniel, but I want to give you the final blow to the critics as it relates to the book of Daniel. I want you to turn with me in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 24 and there in the 24th chapter of the book of Matthew and verses 14 and 15 and this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come.

When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of who, by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, whosoever read is let him understand now my Bible happens to be a red letter edition of the Bible and you know that this is in red and you also know that Jesus Christ is the one who's making the statement, what is he say he say back in the Old Testament Scripture in the ninth chapter of the book called Daniel. Daniel the prophet wrote about the abomination of desolation and what he said is what I'm talking about right now. Jesus Christ said that Daniel was for real. So I'm interested in the contemporaries and Ezekiel's a big help and I'm interested in current study, and that encourages me but my friends when Jesus Christ is Daniel's for real that's all I need. All I need is that one verse of Scripture to tell me that the book of Daniel is legitimate and I can go into that book and dig out.

It's true with the full confidence that I've got God's word in my hand. Daniel even though the critics rejected is a legitimate canonical book of the Old Testament. Now that's the test of it and that's all were going to talk about that whole subject you're going to hear from people. If you go to a second university even in Christian schools and in liberal Christian schools that Daniel may be in question. I want to tell you it's not a question Daniel Solomon it's okay I would take just a few moments by way of overview to try to give you the theme of the book of Daniel is very important when you study a book to get some kind of a picture of where the books going before you start actually studying the text verse by verse. If I had to say what the theme of the book of Daniel is, it would not be hard for me to say that the book of Daniel has as its theme the universal sovereignty of God. There are two or three key passages that teach this and the whole book is an illustration of turning your Bibles to the second chapter of Daniel and verse 28 Daniel chapter 2 and verse 28, notice this phrase, but there is a God in heaven. I've underlined that in my Bible and blue. There is a God in heaven and faxed in the second chapter 5 different times.

The phrase the God in heaven is used to describe the sovereign God.

In verse 18 in verse 19 in verse 28 in verse 37 and in verse 44 we read the phrase the God in heaven.

In fact, in the second chapter and verse 45. If you will look carefully, you will see that this God in heaven is called the great God in verse 47. He is called the God of God's. And in verse 37 of chapter 4, he is called the King of heaven. The book of Daniel has a high and lofty view of the sovereignty of God. It says in this book that there is a God in heaven that he is the great God that he is the God of gods that he is the King of heaven, but I want you to notice the second key verse in the fourth chapter ties together what the God in heaven has to do with you and with me in Daniel chapter 4 and verse 25. At the end of the verse. This phrase, the most high ruler in the kingdom of man and give it to whomsoever else to put those two phrases together.

There is a God in heaven, and the most high ruler in the kingdom of men and he giveth it to whomsoever he will and now that's illustrated many times in the Bible it states take a look at a couple of because will come to these as we study the book in the first chapter and in the first two verses in the third year of the reign of Jehoiada came king of Judah came that you could measure king of Babylon to Jerusalem and besieged it.

Now notice in the next verse says, and he took the city. No the next verse says, and the Lord gave Joy Kim, king of Judah into his hand.

Nebuchadnezzar thought he captured the city. He didn't know that God gave it to him. God didn't. For the most high ruler in the kingdom of man and giveth it to whomsoever he will have been turning your Bibles to the second chapter and verse 37 and the dream being interpreted by Daniel. He's telling this interpretation of the King in verse 37 he says this vowel okay Arctic King of Kings for the God of heaven hath given the kingdom and power and strength, and glory how to Nebuchadnezzar that wicked this body. King come to the throne of Babel and well it's simple but God of heaven gave it to them.

The most high ruler in the kingdom of man put him on the throne. He didn't.

He's responsible, then turning your Bibles to the fifth chapter and the 18th verse for another illustration.

Daniel is now speaking to the grandson of Mr. Bell Sasser and he says all about King the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar by father kingdom and majesty and glory and honor. So he's telling Belus as of the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar that his grandfather, who was the great despotic king of Babylon was only there because God gave them the kingdom. Now turn back to chapter 4 in verse 17. This matter is by the decree of the watchers and the demand by the word of the holy ones to the intent that the living may know that the most high ruler within the kingdom of man and give it to whomsoever he will and set it up over it. What the basis of man. You say how in the world and Nebuchadnezzar, that wicked old man ever come the power of God's in charge will sometimes God even uses the basest of man to carry out his will. Were going to study a little bit later on in this book, a man by the name of Cyrus the king of Persia and the Bible says in Isaiah 4428 that Cyrus the wicked king of Persia was the shepherd of God he did know anything at all about God when he was a tool he was God's battleax if you will, in turn in your Bibles to chapter 2 in verse 20, and Daniel answered and said, blessed be the name of God forever and ever for wisdom and minor his and he change of the times and the seasons, he removes kings and he said about King's giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to those who know, understand, and we have to say what you trying to teach us. Daniel and Daniel would say to us. I'm trying to tell you that as a man of God I live through the role of 14 I live through the role of Bell Sasser and I live through the rule of Nebuchadnezzar and I live through the world of Darius the Mead and Cyrus the Persian for 60 long years. I saw kingdom's rising kingdom all and I want to tell you that through it all. There's one constant thing that you can't deny that is that there is a God in heaven, and he rules in the kingdom of man and he's in charge. You say to me pastor Jeremiah. We elected the president know you did God put them in their God put the one in before him. I don't always understand what God does.

I just know he does what Daniel would teach us if will study it in the right way is this, that the kingdoms of this world are passing away, and the kingdom of heaven is coming the past and throughout the world.

The most high rate of and I don't know if you can get a hold of the practical application of that when I would tell you what it does for me, as I see this old world reeling and rocking on its axis. All of the craziness that's going on. All of the place. Once your people say what happens if someone gets carried away and pushes the button and the whole well if that happens, it will only happen because the God in heaven lets it happen and if he lets it happen. I want to hear them. A man we don't have any right as Christians to run around this world and frenzied activity. Staying up walking the floor at night wondering what's going to happen because the God in heaven the most high ruler in the kingdoms of men and he's in charge and I want to say one other thing about his rulership and that's this that in the province of time during the times of the Gentiles, while the Babylonian kingdom is involved. And then, while the median kingdom is involved in the Persian kingdom, and the Roman kingdom, and all the other kingdoms of the earth.

They are just illustrations of the frailty of mankind and the fickleness of human government to demonstrate that there's only one king, who can ever rule and rule forever and ever. And that's the King Jesus and one day he's coming back to this messed up world and he's going to set up his kingdom and it will never again be like it is now. You shall rule, and he shall reign forever and forever and forever know when we watched Daniel in the midst of the turmoil of his time he came into Babel and when he was about 16 years of age, and he stayed through all of the captivity for 70 years till he was 86, 87 years of age. He was a ruler in the Babylonian kingdom.

He was a ruler in the median kingdom in the Persian kingdom.

He was at the top of all of those dynasties and he saw what God was doing. For instance, he watched God work on all Nebuchadnezzar you know Nebuchadnezzar was as ruthless as Napoleon and Mussolini and Hitler and Stalin, all wrapped up together. He was a despot. He was a terrible terrible man we give little clue about him in the fifth chapter and verse 19 in chapter 5 in verse 19.

We waited for the majesty that he gave him all people and nations, and languages trembled and cleared before him what he slew and whom he would, he kept alive, and whom he would.

He set up whom he would he put down. In other words, Nebuchadnezzar was a kinda guy. Like you, you are God's children like to my promotion. He worked in his kingdom on the basis of limb. He was a powerful man in all of the men and women of his time feared him, even as the great Führer was feared during his time, but I want to tell you some God do the job on all Nebuchadnezzar. And when you see him the next time. In this text you're going to find him out in the country on his hands and knees eating grass like an ox with the dew of heaven upon his body debase to the very level of an animal.

In fact, God did such a work on him to see in a few moments, that he almost got straightened out. And then there's all Bell Sasser's grandson, Bell Sasser didn't have the same problem that Nebuchadnezzar had Nebuchadnezzar's problem was pride. Bell says his problem was presumption and we read about him in the fifth chapter. Also in verse 23 says here that he lifted up himself against the Lord of heaven as unbelievable. He lifted up himself against the Lord of he thought he was God.

He was so presumptuous as to compare himself with the God of heaven. Then one night God sent him a message fact he wrote it to them specially we read about him at the end of this chapter that he died verse 30 and that night was Bell shadows of the king of the Chaldeans slain, and then you can read about Darius the Mead in chapter 5, and a reference to Cyrus in chapter 6 and verse 28. Think of it Daniel the prophet watched God do all of this he saw him deal with Nebuchadnezzar and when he got done with him.

He brought embellish as early watched him deal with him and when he was done here came Darius the Mead and God dealt with him and when he was done here came Cyrus. In fact, there's one of the most amazing scriptures in all of this book, which says Daniel continued on to the first year of Cyrus. In other words, he started back in the Babylonian kingdom when he came in as a vassal slave under Ashkenaz is a eunuch of the king, and he watched through all of that 70 years of captivity of the people of Israel and during all of that exile is one king came and went and another king came and went. Daniel just stayed and watched God work in the kingdom of men he saw behind the scenes as to what God was doing during all the troubles of the nation from the king's insanity and the murder of his successors during the whirling intrigues the MBAs in the plots of the persecutions this man.

Daniel stood like a pillar amidst the flowing sands because the sovereign God of the universe was the sovereign God of his heart was life were going to learn many things as we study this book together were going to see prophetic things that will startle us as we read them along side of the newspaper were going to take a look into how God has wonderfully almost perfect fashion fulfilled the prophetic things that we understand were going to see prophecy that takes us out into the future and tells us of things to come. Men and women. The lesson we need to learn from this book more than any other lesson is this that there is a God in heaven and that that God in heaven ruler in the kingdoms of men and one day that God in heaven is going to set up his kingdom on this earth, and he will be the King of Kings and the Lord of lords for him and telling men welcome princesses at the beginning of an extended series on the Old Testament book of Daniel is actually what you believe about the issues in the book of Daniel will determine whose side you're on.

When God decides to draw the curtain on the drum of history with all of the uncertainty in the world today. Prophecy is more urgent and reliable than our current headlines and in this book.

This Old Testament book we're going to unpack the teaching in the book of Daniel from the Old Testament. Well tomorrow here on Turning Point. We began the actual study of the book our lesson tomorrow is called a tough-minded teenager will open the book of Daniel and study the first eight verses this is really great stuff because the first part of the book of Daniel is so it's narrative. It's not prophetic its historic story of Daniel and then about halfway through the book of Daniel becomes the prophet that we read and understand the message you just came to you from the Shadow Mountain Community Church in the day with Jeremiah and the senior pastor would love to live and help Turning Point is touching your life so please let us to point PO Box 338, San Diego, CA 92163 visit our website David Jeremiah adult/radio asked me a copy of this series the secrets from the prophecies of Daniel handwriting also pushes the Jeremiah study Bible, English standard version as well as in standard large print in the new King James available in your chosen handsome cover options, go to David Jeremiah adult/radio for the join us tomorrow as we continue the series. The handwriting on the wrong thing. Jeremiah, thanks for taking time to listen to on the non-piece in question will