WEBVTT 00:00:01.000 --> 00:00:03.319 Thank you, men, for sharing with us tonight about 00:00:03.319 --> 00:00:05.879 your small church. I'd like for all of us just 00:00:05.879 --> 00:00:07.620 to bow and pray for them right now. Would all 00:00:07.620 --> 00:00:09.380 of you who are in 20, before we pray, would all 00:00:09.380 --> 00:00:12.259 of you who are in small church 20 stand up so 00:00:12.259 --> 00:00:17.300 we can see who you are? All right. Well, we know 00:00:17.300 --> 00:00:24.399 who some of the more mature couples are. All 00:00:24.399 --> 00:00:27.079 right, let's pray together. Father, we pray for 00:00:27.079 --> 00:00:29.480 this group of men and women as they build their 00:00:29.480 --> 00:00:33.670 marriages. as they build their ministries and 00:00:33.670 --> 00:00:35.789 their lives as you lead them. We pray that the 00:00:35.789 --> 00:00:42.310 Holy Spirit will cause them to flourish, to grow 00:00:42.310 --> 00:00:45.609 deep roots, and to bear fruit for the glory of 00:00:45.609 --> 00:00:51.630 God. In Jesus' name, amen. Well, let's open our 00:00:51.630 --> 00:00:54.390 Bibles together to the book of Daniel, the fourth 00:00:54.390 --> 00:00:59.520 chapter. Someone handed me a Christmas card this 00:00:59.520 --> 00:01:03.979 morning that has on the front of it pictures 00:01:03.979 --> 00:01:07.120 of nine world leaders including on the front 00:01:07.120 --> 00:01:10.680 of this Alexander the Great, King Tutankhamen, 00:01:11.159 --> 00:01:14.120 Julius Caesar, Maharishi, Maharashtra, Yogi, 00:01:14.879 --> 00:01:19.239 Adolf Hitler, Lenin, Napoleon, Buddha, and Mao 00:01:19.239 --> 00:01:22.219 Tse Tung. On the front it says history is crowded 00:01:22.219 --> 00:01:26.420 with men who would be gods. On the inside a picture 00:01:26.420 --> 00:01:29.219 of the nativity scene And it says, but only one 00:01:29.219 --> 00:01:34.239 God who would be man. I like that because Nebuchadnezzar's 00:01:34.239 --> 00:01:37.060 picture could be on the front of this. He would 00:01:37.060 --> 00:01:39.280 like that, or he would have at least at one point 00:01:39.280 --> 00:01:42.959 in his life. Nebuchadnezzar was one of the great 00:01:42.959 --> 00:01:47.700 kings of the world, the ancient world. He was 00:01:47.700 --> 00:01:51.700 a man who died about 562 B .C. in the month of 00:01:51.700 --> 00:01:59.290 September in that year. Approximately 7 to 15 00:01:59.290 --> 00:02:03.010 years before that. It's hard to pin it down. 00:02:03.569 --> 00:02:06.170 Nebuchadnezzar had an experience that he tells 00:02:06.170 --> 00:02:09.129 us about in this fourth chapter of the book of 00:02:09.129 --> 00:02:14.330 Daniel. Daniel himself was about 50 years of 00:02:14.330 --> 00:02:18.789 age at this time, so you can see that, oh, 25, 00:02:19.750 --> 00:02:24.169 30 years perhaps have elapsed. since chapter 00:02:24.169 --> 00:02:29.430 2, the last time that we saw Daniel. In that 00:02:29.430 --> 00:02:32.250 time he has served the king faithfully in his 00:02:32.250 --> 00:02:36.810 court. He has matured. He undoubtedly has matured 00:02:36.810 --> 00:02:41.490 not only in his personal growth, but in his walk 00:02:41.490 --> 00:02:47.849 with God as well. This chapter, as I said this 00:02:47.849 --> 00:02:51.250 morning, is unique in the Bible because it is 00:02:51.159 --> 00:02:54.620 a personal account written in the first person 00:02:54.620 --> 00:02:59.280 by a king, a gentile king, as a matter of fact. 00:03:00.219 --> 00:03:04.780 Probably chapter four is a state document of 00:03:04.780 --> 00:03:09.219 ancient Babylon, a public proclamation given 00:03:09.219 --> 00:03:13.039 by Nebuchadnezzar recounting to his entire empire 00:03:13.039 --> 00:03:16.360 the experience that he went through. Perhaps 00:03:16.360 --> 00:03:19.180 he did this in order to explain his extended 00:03:19.180 --> 00:03:23.659 absence from the throne. It is possible that 00:03:23.659 --> 00:03:27.479 Daniel helped him write the chapter, but whatever, 00:03:27.960 --> 00:03:30.919 Daniel was led by the Spirit of God to insert 00:03:30.919 --> 00:03:36.780 this into his book. You will have to decide for 00:03:36.780 --> 00:03:39.539 yourself, I suppose, as to whether King Nebuchadnezzar 00:03:39.539 --> 00:03:43.539 possessed in the end saving faith in the God 00:03:43.539 --> 00:03:47.560 of Israel. Whatever you may believe about that, 00:03:47.740 --> 00:03:51.180 You must agree with this, that this chapter is 00:03:51.180 --> 00:03:55.000 a powerful testimony of God's ability to humble 00:03:55.000 --> 00:03:59.460 the proud. It begins by saying, Nebuchadnezzar 00:03:59.460 --> 00:04:02.020 the king to all the peoples, nations, and men 00:04:02.020 --> 00:04:06.039 of every language that live in all the earth. 00:04:06.860 --> 00:04:09.240 Now obviously Nebuchadnezzar wasn't writing to 00:04:09.240 --> 00:04:13.300 those ancestors of the American Indians or people 00:04:13.300 --> 00:04:15.219 in other parts of the world, but he was writing 00:04:15.219 --> 00:04:17.680 to what he thought the whole world was. which 00:04:17.680 --> 00:04:22.220 was his empire. And it was very wide. Many different 00:04:22.220 --> 00:04:25.300 cultures and peoples now had been incorporated 00:04:25.300 --> 00:04:29.819 in the Babylonian empire. He is addressing all 00:04:29.819 --> 00:04:32.139 of them in his greeting in verses one through 00:04:32.139 --> 00:04:36.060 three, and he says to them, may your peace abound. 00:04:37.019 --> 00:04:40.040 Basically, he's starting out with the Hebrew 00:04:40.040 --> 00:04:44.759 word, shalom, or the Aramaic word, the Arabic 00:04:44.759 --> 00:04:49.629 word, salaam. which means peace. Now that's not 00:04:49.629 --> 00:04:54.550 just absence of military warfare, but it's a 00:04:54.550 --> 00:04:58.329 word that implies prosperity, fullness of life, 00:04:58.870 --> 00:05:03.870 peace in every realm to you. He says, it has 00:05:03.870 --> 00:05:07.649 seemed good to me to declare the signs and wonders 00:05:07.649 --> 00:05:12.949 which the Most High God has done for me. Nebuchadnezzar 00:05:13.120 --> 00:05:17.040 volunteers that this testimony comes willingly 00:05:17.040 --> 00:05:22.060 to him as a pleasant act to share what God has 00:05:22.060 --> 00:05:24.759 taught him. Should that not always be true in 00:05:24.759 --> 00:05:28.259 our testimonies? It is too bad that there are 00:05:28.259 --> 00:05:32.560 times we feel our testimonies are jobs that we 00:05:32.560 --> 00:05:36.319 have to perform or heavy burdens that we have 00:05:36.319 --> 00:05:39.959 to carry. When somebody asks us to share a testimony, 00:05:40.800 --> 00:05:43.439 Nebuchadnezzar, the Gentile King, certainly shows 00:05:43.439 --> 00:05:46.600 us the right heart attitude about giving a testimony. 00:05:47.240 --> 00:05:50.279 He says, it seems good, it seems pleasant for 00:05:50.279 --> 00:05:53.639 me to share these things with you. He mentions 00:05:53.639 --> 00:05:56.439 two important words here. He talks about signs 00:05:56.439 --> 00:06:00.600 and wonders. The word sign refers to something 00:06:00.600 --> 00:06:03.639 that has happened which is intended to point 00:06:03.639 --> 00:06:06.199 to the existence of God and to the kind of God 00:06:06.199 --> 00:06:09.800 he is, an all -powerful sovereign God. Signs. 00:06:10.829 --> 00:06:13.990 He mentions wonders. A wonder is something that 00:06:13.990 --> 00:06:18.170 produces awe, amazement, or even surprise in 00:06:18.170 --> 00:06:21.930 the one who observes it. So he begins by telling 00:06:21.930 --> 00:06:24.730 us that what happened to him involved both signs 00:06:24.730 --> 00:06:29.370 as to the existence of the true God and wonders, 00:06:29.689 --> 00:06:34.829 that is, these signs produced awe in him. He 00:06:34.829 --> 00:06:38.610 says how great they are, how mighty they are. 00:06:38.910 --> 00:06:43.170 He begins by extolling God, who is eternal and 00:06:43.170 --> 00:06:47.089 everlasting in his reign. His is an eternal kingdom, 00:06:47.529 --> 00:06:50.629 quite in contrast to Nebuchadnezzar's, which 00:06:50.629 --> 00:06:55.569 had just been interrupted for seven years. In 00:06:55.569 --> 00:06:57.689 verses 4 through 18 of the chapter, he talks 00:06:57.689 --> 00:07:01.290 about a dream. He had had an earlier dream in 00:07:01.290 --> 00:07:04.600 chapter 2. This is a different one. He says, 00:07:04.879 --> 00:07:07.699 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and 00:07:07.699 --> 00:07:10.519 flourishing in my palace. In other words, all 00:07:10.519 --> 00:07:14.319 was well. The empire was going along just fine. 00:07:14.579 --> 00:07:16.779 Nebuchadnezzar personally felt good. His health 00:07:16.779 --> 00:07:20.439 was fine. He was free from fears, literally what 00:07:20.439 --> 00:07:23.379 it means. He was at ease. There was nothing to 00:07:23.379 --> 00:07:26.660 cause him fright. And it says that he was flourishing. 00:07:26.759 --> 00:07:30.079 Literally it says he was growing green. That 00:07:30.079 --> 00:07:33.740 is a very vivid picture of the prosperity. that 00:07:33.740 --> 00:07:36.540 was his in his kingdom at this time. But something 00:07:36.540 --> 00:07:40.879 happened that produced fear. He says, I saw a 00:07:40.879 --> 00:07:44.199 dream and it made me fearful. These fantasies 00:07:44.199 --> 00:07:46.699 as I lay in my bed and the visions in my mind 00:07:46.699 --> 00:07:49.899 kept alarming me. And so what was initial fear 00:07:49.899 --> 00:07:54.339 turned to genuine terror as the king reflected 00:07:54.339 --> 00:07:57.779 on what he had seen. And so he called an assembly 00:07:57.779 --> 00:08:01.959 of wise men, just as he had done before, so that 00:08:01.959 --> 00:08:06.420 they could interpret the dream to him. Now in 00:08:06.420 --> 00:08:08.839 this particular case he asked them to recount 00:08:08.839 --> 00:08:12.139 the dream as he had before but he says interpret 00:08:12.139 --> 00:08:16.120 it for me. They either could not or more likely 00:08:16.120 --> 00:08:20.480 would not interpret the dream because when you 00:08:20.480 --> 00:08:22.819 hear the dream immediately you recognize that 00:08:22.819 --> 00:08:26.600 there is some disaster that is impending and 00:08:26.600 --> 00:08:29.500 so they did not want undoubtedly to deliver that 00:08:29.500 --> 00:08:33.440 kind of a message to King Nebuchadnezzar. It 00:08:33.440 --> 00:08:36.379 was at that point that Daniel suddenly came upon 00:08:36.379 --> 00:08:39.899 the scene. Verse 8, Daniel finally came in before 00:08:39.899 --> 00:08:43.080 me, says Nebuchadnezzar. Now why wasn't Daniel 00:08:43.080 --> 00:08:45.139 there in the first place? Well, who really knows? 00:08:45.220 --> 00:08:48.100 The answer to that, it may have been on Daniel's 00:08:48.100 --> 00:08:50.679 part a tactical move. In other words, let the 00:08:50.679 --> 00:08:55.580 other guys go in and show what they can, but 00:08:55.580 --> 00:08:58.820 then I'll go in and get the job done. and bring 00:08:58.820 --> 00:09:01.039 glory to God in doing it. Perhaps he was trying 00:09:01.039 --> 00:09:03.740 to show the deficiency of the others. Whatever 00:09:03.740 --> 00:09:06.100 his reason, he came in at a very appropriate 00:09:06.100 --> 00:09:09.539 time in all of this. In verses 9 through 18, 00:09:09.679 --> 00:09:12.759 we see the dream recounted. You'll notice that 00:09:12.759 --> 00:09:15.559 Nebuchadnezzar emphasizes in verse 10 and then 00:09:15.559 --> 00:09:19.440 again in verse 13 that he made this dream of 00:09:19.440 --> 00:09:22.679 his a matter of intense reflection. He says, 00:09:22.960 --> 00:09:26.830 I was looking. Again in verse 13, I was looking 00:09:26.830 --> 00:09:30.269 in the visions in my mind. And so this was not 00:09:30.269 --> 00:09:33.049 a quick glance at something, but Nebuchadnezzar 00:09:33.049 --> 00:09:37.389 looked, he stared, he gazed upon what he saw 00:09:37.389 --> 00:09:41.330 in his dream. And what did he see? Well, he describes 00:09:41.330 --> 00:09:48.250 a gigantic, healthy, and fruitful tree. Actually, 00:09:48.250 --> 00:09:51.830 trees were common symbols of rulers in the ancient 00:09:51.830 --> 00:09:55.950 world. Probably Nebuchadnezzar realized that 00:09:55.950 --> 00:10:00.090 this tree represented him, and yet he called 00:10:00.090 --> 00:10:02.309 for the interpretation of it either to confirm 00:10:02.309 --> 00:10:05.289 that or to deny it. Hopefully, because of what 00:10:05.289 --> 00:10:09.169 happened, his magicians would deny what he feared. 00:10:10.730 --> 00:10:13.669 Probably Nebuchadnezzar realized he was the tree 00:10:13.669 --> 00:10:17.580 in the dream. And it says regarding the tree 00:10:17.580 --> 00:10:19.960 that the beasts of the field found shade under 00:10:19.960 --> 00:10:22.440 it, the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches 00:10:22.440 --> 00:10:24.759 and all living creatures fed themselves from 00:10:24.759 --> 00:10:27.559 it. Up to this point Nebuchadnezzar would have 00:10:27.559 --> 00:10:31.620 been pretty happy with the tree because it symbolizes 00:10:31.620 --> 00:10:34.460 the greatness of his reign, the generosity of 00:10:34.460 --> 00:10:39.100 it, what a great ruler he was. But he says as 00:10:39.100 --> 00:10:42.519 he kept looking an angelic watcher or an angel, 00:10:42.679 --> 00:10:46.799 a holy one, descended from heaven. And now some 00:10:46.799 --> 00:10:49.399 action takes place in a scene that had been static 00:10:49.399 --> 00:10:53.379 up to this point. He shouted out and spoke as 00:10:53.379 --> 00:10:57.440 follows, chop down the tree and cut off its branches, 00:10:57.700 --> 00:11:00.139 strip off its foliage and scatter its fruit. 00:11:00.679 --> 00:11:03.179 Let the beast flee from under it and the birds 00:11:03.179 --> 00:11:07.340 from its branches. So you see disaster is in 00:11:07.340 --> 00:11:13.879 the air. Change is coming. Doom is on the horizon 00:11:13.879 --> 00:11:18.149 for this tree. And yet the angel said, leave 00:11:18.149 --> 00:11:22.470 the stump with its roots in the ground, but with 00:11:22.470 --> 00:11:26.809 a band of iron and bronze around it in the new 00:11:26.809 --> 00:11:30.629 grass of the field. Now up to this point the 00:11:30.629 --> 00:11:35.870 angel has spoken about an it, a tree. But he 00:11:35.870 --> 00:11:39.629 changes his words now and he says, and let him. 00:11:41.680 --> 00:11:46.220 So, clearly there is a personality involved symbolized 00:11:46.220 --> 00:11:50.100 by this tree. Let him be drenched with the dew 00:11:50.100 --> 00:11:53.059 of heaven. Let him share with the beasts in the 00:11:53.059 --> 00:11:56.139 grass of the earth. Let his mind be changed from 00:11:56.139 --> 00:11:59.539 that of a mind and let a beast's mind be given 00:11:59.539 --> 00:12:04.039 to him. And so this person symbolized in the 00:12:04.039 --> 00:12:07.120 dream is going to undergo a change. Nebuchadnezzar 00:12:07.120 --> 00:12:09.820 understands this. He hears the angels speak it. 00:12:10.159 --> 00:12:14.620 This person is going to experience what psychologists 00:12:14.620 --> 00:12:20.139 call in our day, zoanthropy. That is, a man, 00:12:20.519 --> 00:12:24.580 a person who imagines himself to be an animal. 00:12:25.480 --> 00:12:29.559 It is in the recognized form of what is called 00:12:29.559 --> 00:12:34.879 mental illness. And it says, let seven periods 00:12:34.879 --> 00:12:40.370 of time pass over him. This sentence is by the 00:12:40.370 --> 00:12:42.669 decree of the angelic watchers and the decision 00:12:42.669 --> 00:12:45.950 is a command of the holy ones And now he gives 00:12:45.950 --> 00:12:49.049 the reason for all of this in order that the 00:12:49.049 --> 00:12:52.769 living may know that the most high is ruler Over 00:12:52.769 --> 00:12:56.250 the realm of mankind and bestows it on whom he 00:12:56.250 --> 00:13:02.389 wishes and sets over it the lowliest of men Well, 00:13:02.389 --> 00:13:04.169 you can see that the first half of the dream 00:13:04.169 --> 00:13:06.110 would have been very pleasing to Nebuchadnezzar 00:13:06.110 --> 00:13:10.879 the last half was where the terror came in. He 00:13:10.879 --> 00:13:13.360 didn't fully understand what all this involved, 00:13:13.360 --> 00:13:16.639 but he knew that it was a pretty bleak future 00:13:16.639 --> 00:13:23.419 if, in fact, he was the tree in the dream. And 00:13:23.419 --> 00:13:26.120 he confirms and says, this is the dream which 00:13:26.120 --> 00:13:29.220 I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now he says, 00:13:29.379 --> 00:13:32.620 now you, Belteshazzar, the Babylonian name for 00:13:32.620 --> 00:13:35.629 Daniel, tell me its interpretation, inasmuch 00:13:35.629 --> 00:13:37.870 as none of the wise men of my kingdom is able 00:13:37.870 --> 00:13:40.529 to make known to me the interpretation. But you 00:13:40.529 --> 00:13:44.309 are able, for a spirit of the holy gods is in 00:13:44.309 --> 00:13:46.649 you." Again, Nebuchadnezzar makes that statement 00:13:46.649 --> 00:13:49.830 in this chapter. He recognizes there's something 00:13:49.830 --> 00:13:53.549 special about Daniel. Gods here in the plural 00:13:53.549 --> 00:13:57.950 could mean that he was saying the spirit of the 00:13:57.950 --> 00:14:02.399 most high god, Elohim, is in you. Or it may be 00:14:02.399 --> 00:14:04.899 that he was simply recognizing at this point 00:14:04.899 --> 00:14:10.519 that the gods, as he viewed it in his polytheism, 00:14:10.919 --> 00:14:15.440 had given to Daniel some special ability. And 00:14:15.440 --> 00:14:17.399 you say, well, didn't he earlier say that it 00:14:17.399 --> 00:14:20.720 was Daniel's god? Yes, he did. But that was a 00:14:20.720 --> 00:14:23.440 long time before this. Time has passed. And it 00:14:23.440 --> 00:14:26.840 seems as though Nebuchadnezzar has forgotten 00:14:26.840 --> 00:14:32.429 some things. So it says, beginning in verse 19, 00:14:32.490 --> 00:14:34.450 which deals with the interpretation up through 00:14:34.450 --> 00:14:38.669 verse 27, that Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar, 00:14:38.730 --> 00:14:42.110 was appalled for a while as his thoughts alarmed 00:14:42.110 --> 00:14:45.549 him. The king responded and said, Belteshazzar, 00:14:45.669 --> 00:14:48.129 do not let the dream or its interpretation alarm 00:14:48.129 --> 00:14:51.090 you. Belteshazzar answered and said, my lord, 00:14:51.629 --> 00:14:54.809 if only the dream applied to those who hate you 00:14:54.809 --> 00:14:59.350 and its interpretation to your adversaries. You 00:14:59.350 --> 00:15:03.769 see, Daniel had an initial hesitancy in explaining 00:15:03.769 --> 00:15:11.070 the dream. There was a genuine sense of loyalty 00:15:11.070 --> 00:15:15.669 on the part of Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar. There 00:15:15.669 --> 00:15:18.350 seems to even have been a sense of compassion 00:15:18.350 --> 00:15:23.990 for the man on Daniel's part. And he felt concern 00:15:23.990 --> 00:15:27.610 for Nebuchadnezzar's welfare. because Daniel 00:15:27.610 --> 00:15:30.549 of course understood exactly what the dream meant. 00:15:31.350 --> 00:15:34.610 Well, the king begs for the interpretation and 00:15:34.610 --> 00:15:39.230 so Daniel then gives it to him. And he recounts 00:15:39.230 --> 00:15:42.490 again the dream and he says in verse 22, It is 00:15:42.490 --> 00:15:47.330 you, O king, this tree, it is you, for you have 00:15:47.330 --> 00:15:50.509 become great and grown strong and your majesty 00:15:50.509 --> 00:15:54.070 has become great and reached to the sky and your 00:15:54.070 --> 00:15:58.909 dominion to the end. of the earth. And so, in 00:15:58.909 --> 00:16:02.110 fact, Nebuchadnezzar's initial understanding, 00:16:02.350 --> 00:16:05.129 undoubtedly, of the dream was confirmed. He was 00:16:05.129 --> 00:16:09.850 the tree in the dream. Again, Daniel recounts 00:16:09.850 --> 00:16:12.529 what happened in verse 24. He says, this is the 00:16:12.529 --> 00:16:15.350 Interpretational King, and this is the decree 00:16:15.350 --> 00:16:18.450 of the Most High, which has come upon my Lord 00:16:18.450 --> 00:16:23.549 the King, that you be driven away from mankind. 00:16:24.609 --> 00:16:27.830 your dwelling place be with the beasts of the 00:16:27.830 --> 00:16:31.850 field and you be given grass to eat like cattle 00:16:31.850 --> 00:16:37.470 and be drenched with the dew of heaven." Now 00:16:37.470 --> 00:16:39.629 we see something a little more specific here. 00:16:39.789 --> 00:16:41.830 It's not just that he's going to have the mind 00:16:41.830 --> 00:16:46.490 of a beast, but Daniel says that he's going to 00:16:46.490 --> 00:16:54.529 think of himself as an ox. This is more specifically, 00:16:54.970 --> 00:17:01.370 bowanthropy. He sees himself as a bovine. Some 00:17:01.370 --> 00:17:04.710 of you ladies would probably now understand your 00:17:04.710 --> 00:17:07.109 husbands better. They're suffering from bowanthropy 00:17:07.109 --> 00:17:09.809 when they act like an ox. Well, you see, that 00:17:09.809 --> 00:17:14.089 was Nebuchadnezzar's problem. Daniel is completely 00:17:14.089 --> 00:17:18.049 honest with the king as he explains the interpretation. 00:17:18.750 --> 00:17:22.119 And he goes on to say, Seven periods of time 00:17:22.119 --> 00:17:25.180 will pass over you until you recognize that the 00:17:25.180 --> 00:17:27.579 Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind 00:17:27.579 --> 00:17:29.940 and bestows it on whomever he wishes." Listen, 00:17:30.440 --> 00:17:32.859 Nebuchadnezzar should have known that already. 00:17:33.759 --> 00:17:38.420 God has been gracious to this Gentile king. Can 00:17:38.420 --> 00:17:42.500 you name another king, except perhaps for Pharaoh 00:17:42.500 --> 00:17:47.460 of ancient Egypt, to whom God more graciously 00:17:47.460 --> 00:17:54.680 revealed himself than to Nebuchadnezzar? Nebuchadnezzar 00:17:54.680 --> 00:18:01.259 had not learned. He remained proud. He did not 00:18:01.259 --> 00:18:04.519 humble himself before the Most High God. And 00:18:04.519 --> 00:18:07.279 so God is going to humble him. And he says, and 00:18:07.279 --> 00:18:09.799 in that it was commanded to leave the stump with 00:18:09.799 --> 00:18:12.160 the roots of the tree, your kingdom will be assured 00:18:12.160 --> 00:18:15.440 to you after you recognize that it is heaven 00:18:15.440 --> 00:18:20.019 that rules. Therefore, O King, may my advice 00:18:20.430 --> 00:18:23.089 be pleasing to you. Daniel does something now 00:18:23.089 --> 00:18:26.990 which is very courageous. He gives the king an 00:18:26.990 --> 00:18:31.609 exhortation. He says, break away from your sins 00:18:31.609 --> 00:18:36.190 by doing righteousness and from your iniquities 00:18:36.190 --> 00:18:40.049 by showing mercy to the poor in case there may 00:18:40.049 --> 00:18:44.730 be a prolonging of your prosperity. So Daniel 00:18:44.730 --> 00:18:47.670 now turns prophet and says directly to the king, 00:18:47.809 --> 00:18:53.230 you need to repent And if you will repent, God 00:18:53.230 --> 00:18:58.849 may extend your prosperity." Thus the interpretation. 00:19:00.470 --> 00:19:03.190 In the next five or six verses, we have it fulfilled. 00:19:04.069 --> 00:19:06.609 Nebuchadnezzar frankly says all this happened 00:19:06.609 --> 00:19:09.849 to Nebuchadnezzar the king twelve months later. 00:19:10.769 --> 00:19:13.809 Notice that God extended his period of invitation 00:19:13.809 --> 00:19:16.410 for twelve months. That seems to be the thrust 00:19:16.410 --> 00:19:20.349 of this. God gave him twelve months to repent. 00:19:20.779 --> 00:19:24.380 to change his ways, and to recognize the Most 00:19:24.380 --> 00:19:28.380 High God. Twelve months to humble himself. The 00:19:28.380 --> 00:19:31.460 king does not do that. He was walking on the 00:19:31.460 --> 00:19:36.059 roof of the royal palace of Babylon. The king 00:19:36.059 --> 00:19:39.519 reflected and said, is this not Babylon the Great, 00:19:40.160 --> 00:19:43.380 which I myself have built as a royal residence 00:19:43.380 --> 00:19:47.519 by the might of my power and for the glory of 00:19:47.519 --> 00:19:52.740 my majesty? You need to understand that Nebuchadnezzar 00:19:52.740 --> 00:19:55.700 was not exaggerating when he called Babylon great. 00:19:57.420 --> 00:20:00.440 He was up on top of his magnificent royal palace 00:20:00.440 --> 00:20:02.559 in the city of Babylon from which he could look 00:20:02.559 --> 00:20:07.779 out over this magnificent city. Remember that 00:20:07.779 --> 00:20:10.380 Babylon is an ancient city. It is mentioned as 00:20:10.380 --> 00:20:14.440 early as Genesis chapter 11 to us as one of the 00:20:14.440 --> 00:20:19.150 key cities of the world. In those years after 00:20:19.150 --> 00:20:21.450 that, it had periods of greatness and periods 00:20:21.450 --> 00:20:23.849 of decline, but now Nebuchadnezzar has built 00:20:23.849 --> 00:20:30.190 it up once again to a period of greatness. When 00:20:30.190 --> 00:20:32.430 you think of Babylon, you need to realize that 00:20:32.430 --> 00:20:36.109 this city was fortified. Nebuchadnezzar built 00:20:36.109 --> 00:20:39.509 part of the fortifications. There were double 00:20:39.509 --> 00:20:43.470 walls around the whole city. Remember, that was 00:20:43.470 --> 00:20:49.819 the most important piece of defense in that day. 00:20:50.220 --> 00:20:53.740 Double walls around the city, which were wide 00:20:53.740 --> 00:20:58.920 enough for chariots to ride on top of them. When 00:20:58.920 --> 00:21:01.180 we say around the city, you need to understand 00:21:01.180 --> 00:21:05.740 that these walls were 17 miles in length. It 00:21:05.740 --> 00:21:09.880 was 17 miles around the walled part of the city 00:21:09.880 --> 00:21:13.200 of Babylon. Now just try to picture that in your 00:21:13.200 --> 00:21:15.539 mind. Drive out to where your home is then drive 00:21:15.539 --> 00:21:18.599 off another direction and just come back and 00:21:18.599 --> 00:21:22.140 add up about 17 miles and you see how large the 00:21:22.140 --> 00:21:24.440 city was within the walls and there were suburbs 00:21:24.440 --> 00:21:29.220 outside it. The walls of Babylon had eight gates. 00:21:29.700 --> 00:21:32.259 The most famous of them was the Gate of Ishtar. 00:21:33.180 --> 00:21:36.920 Ishtar was one of the goddesses of the ancient 00:21:36.920 --> 00:21:42.180 pantheon. Ishtar is where we get the word Easter, 00:21:43.319 --> 00:21:48.180 by the way, because the Roman church in the early 00:21:48.180 --> 00:21:54.759 years combined the worship of Ishtar under Constantine, 00:21:54.900 --> 00:21:57.880 combined it with the worship of Ishtar with the 00:21:57.880 --> 00:22:01.019 resurrection of Jesus Christ, and it became known 00:22:01.019 --> 00:22:05.920 as the Feast of Easter. Interesting, isn't it? 00:22:06.420 --> 00:22:11.640 This gate opened. onto a processional that was 00:22:11.640 --> 00:22:17.779 a thousand yards long. This processional, this 00:22:17.779 --> 00:22:21.119 avenue, was very broad and ornately decorated 00:22:21.119 --> 00:22:26.200 with glazed tiles and bricks, as was the gate 00:22:26.200 --> 00:22:29.859 of the city, Ishtar Gate. That gate, by the way, 00:22:29.859 --> 00:22:34.160 has been excavated and it was ornate, pictured 00:22:34.160 --> 00:22:38.819 with bulls and dragons on glazed tiles. It must 00:22:38.819 --> 00:22:43.119 have been beautiful in its day. Within the city 00:22:43.119 --> 00:22:48.799 there were many temples. If you'd like to pick 00:22:48.799 --> 00:22:53.279 up a book sometime that is interesting for background 00:22:53.279 --> 00:22:55.980 material, you might want to get a paperback that's 00:22:55.980 --> 00:22:59.339 called The Bible as History. Please understand 00:22:59.339 --> 00:23:03.460 when you read it that it is written from basically 00:23:03.460 --> 00:23:08.019 a liberal theological perspective. And so some 00:23:08.019 --> 00:23:11.720 of the dating and so on, you will not agree with. 00:23:12.220 --> 00:23:14.359 But there's interesting background material in 00:23:14.359 --> 00:23:18.160 this book, written by Werner Keller, as I recall. 00:23:19.079 --> 00:23:22.079 The Bible is history. And in the book, he quotes 00:23:22.079 --> 00:23:25.519 Herodotus, one of the ancient historians, regarding 00:23:25.519 --> 00:23:30.400 this city. Quote, the center of the city, says 00:23:30.400 --> 00:23:34.500 Herodotus, which is full of three and four -storied 00:23:34.500 --> 00:23:38.789 buildings, is traversed by dead straight streets, 00:23:38.829 --> 00:23:42.450 I think he means by that very straight, not only 00:23:42.450 --> 00:23:44.890 those that run parallel to the river but also 00:23:44.890 --> 00:23:47.450 the cross streets which lead down to the water 00:23:47.450 --> 00:23:52.009 side. He goes on to say, altogether there are 00:23:52.009 --> 00:23:57.589 in Babylon 53 temples of the chief gods, 55 chapels 00:23:57.589 --> 00:24:01.930 of Marduk, 300 chapels for the earthly deities, 00:24:02.200 --> 00:24:06.119 600 for the heavenly deities, 180 altars for 00:24:06.119 --> 00:24:10.319 the goddess Ishtar, 180 for the gods Nergal and 00:24:10.319 --> 00:24:13.720 Adad, and 12 other altars for different gods. 00:24:14.900 --> 00:24:17.200 In other words, Herodotus, as he gives us these 00:24:17.200 --> 00:24:20.240 words about ancient Babylon, tells us that this 00:24:20.240 --> 00:24:22.819 was a very religious city dedicated to the gods. 00:24:23.339 --> 00:24:26.200 Now we've said before that Nebuchadnezzar's favorite 00:24:26.200 --> 00:24:30.299 god was Marduk. And so in this city he restored 00:24:30.299 --> 00:24:35.000 the Temple of Marduk, which was quite a large 00:24:35.000 --> 00:24:39.220 structure. It was 1 ,500 yards, or feet rather, 00:24:39.359 --> 00:24:43.819 by 1 ,800 feet in size. And right next to it 00:24:43.819 --> 00:24:48.779 was a ziggurat, or a tower that was built up. 00:24:50.099 --> 00:24:52.940 It was a tower that was also to the honor of 00:24:52.940 --> 00:24:57.710 Marduk. It was at its base 130 yards square. 00:24:58.609 --> 00:25:03.490 There were seven stories to this tower. The very 00:25:03.490 --> 00:25:08.009 top of it was a small temple in honor of Marduk. 00:25:08.950 --> 00:25:10.710 And if you measured it from the ground to the 00:25:10.710 --> 00:25:15.349 very top, it was 300 feet high. That's as tall 00:25:15.349 --> 00:25:18.589 as a 30 -story building. I was thinking about 00:25:18.589 --> 00:25:21.150 the Fauché Tower downtown. I was told that at 00:25:21.150 --> 00:25:24.849 one time it was the tallest building west of 00:25:24.849 --> 00:25:28.450 the Mississippi till you got to Seattle. Now 00:25:28.450 --> 00:25:30.250 I don't know how many stories are in the Fauché 00:25:30.250 --> 00:25:35.130 Tower. Does anybody know offhand? How many? 32? 00:25:36.289 --> 00:25:40.509 So you see that this ziggurat in Babylon stood 00:25:40.509 --> 00:25:44.410 up about the height of the Fauché Towers and 00:25:44.410 --> 00:25:48.970 was quite a structure. Babylon is most famous 00:25:48.970 --> 00:25:52.269 for its hanging gardens. The hanging gardens 00:25:52.269 --> 00:25:54.569 of Babylon were one of the seven wonders of the 00:25:54.569 --> 00:25:59.069 ancient world. These elevated gardens had many 00:25:59.069 --> 00:26:02.230 different plants and palm trees planted there, 00:26:02.549 --> 00:26:04.849 transplanted there from different parts of the 00:26:04.849 --> 00:26:09.450 empire. It had an elaborate irrigation system 00:26:09.450 --> 00:26:12.930 that lifted water from the level of the Euphrates 00:26:12.930 --> 00:26:16.470 River up to where these gardens were planted. 00:26:16.720 --> 00:26:23.140 on the rooftops and the terraces. And it is said 00:26:23.140 --> 00:26:26.380 that Nebuchadnezzar built these to remind one 00:26:26.380 --> 00:26:30.900 of his wives of her native media, where there 00:26:30.900 --> 00:26:35.339 were lots of hills and greenery and trees and 00:26:35.339 --> 00:26:40.759 so on, which were not too were not flourishing 00:26:40.759 --> 00:26:44.079 around the city of Babylon, nor was the terrain 00:26:44.079 --> 00:26:47.059 such as she was used to. And so he constructed 00:26:47.059 --> 00:26:50.099 the Hanging Gardens in her honor. There were 00:26:50.099 --> 00:26:53.299 canals that brought water from the Tigris River 00:26:53.299 --> 00:26:56.220 to the city. Even though the river Euphrates 00:26:56.220 --> 00:26:59.339 bisected the city, that river was spanned by 00:26:59.339 --> 00:27:01.579 several bridges within. Outside the city they 00:27:01.579 --> 00:27:04.819 built a large lake that was artificial. It was 00:27:04.819 --> 00:27:07.059 man -made. It was part of the protection of the 00:27:07.059 --> 00:27:09.910 city. but was a reservoir of water, which was 00:27:09.910 --> 00:27:13.170 important to them. So you see, when Nebuchadnezzar 00:27:13.170 --> 00:27:17.009 stood on the rooftop and he said, is this not 00:27:17.009 --> 00:27:21.029 great Babylon that I have built? He was talking 00:27:21.029 --> 00:27:23.730 about some kind of a spectacular city in the 00:27:23.730 --> 00:27:27.990 ancient world. But just as he said that, God 00:27:27.990 --> 00:27:33.829 spoke from heaven. The words were still in his 00:27:33.829 --> 00:27:36.930 mouth when this word came, King Nebuchadnezzar, 00:27:36.970 --> 00:27:40.390 to you it is declared, sovereignty has been removed 00:27:40.390 --> 00:27:43.789 from you. And you will be driven away from mankind 00:27:43.789 --> 00:27:45.849 and your dwelling place will be with the beasts 00:27:45.849 --> 00:27:48.509 of the field. You will be given grass to eat 00:27:48.509 --> 00:27:51.349 like cattle and seven periods of time will pass 00:27:51.349 --> 00:27:54.309 over you until you recognize that the Most High 00:27:54.309 --> 00:27:57.309 is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows 00:27:57.309 --> 00:28:00.599 it on whomever he wishes. Immediately, the word 00:28:00.599 --> 00:28:04.559 concerning Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. I mean 00:28:04.559 --> 00:28:10.240 that fast, the man lost his senses. From a great 00:28:10.240 --> 00:28:13.079 potentate who stood on top of the roof and boasted 00:28:13.079 --> 00:28:16.880 in the city, immediately he was struck with insanity 00:28:16.880 --> 00:28:22.339 and played the part of an animal. Can you imagine 00:28:22.339 --> 00:28:26.450 the impact of this upon his servants? upon the 00:28:26.450 --> 00:28:28.769 leading people who were around him day in and 00:28:28.769 --> 00:28:32.829 day out. And so he was turned out into pasture, 00:28:32.890 --> 00:28:38.970 literally. Probably there was a park, a sanctuary 00:28:38.970 --> 00:28:42.569 that was declared for him. They would not have 00:28:42.569 --> 00:28:46.230 wanted this to be known, most likely, within 00:28:46.230 --> 00:28:50.410 his empire. And so they probably protected an 00:28:50.410 --> 00:28:52.589 area where Nebuchadnezzar was allowed to roam 00:28:52.589 --> 00:28:56.640 and to graze. and to eat the grass and the berries 00:28:56.640 --> 00:28:59.579 and whatever else he subsisted on during those 00:28:59.579 --> 00:29:04.599 days. And the dew of heaven drenched him. And 00:29:04.599 --> 00:29:07.359 the periods of time, if you look at periods later 00:29:07.359 --> 00:29:10.039 in Daniel, it's years, we assume it's years here, 00:29:10.079 --> 00:29:13.130 that seems to fit the context best. During those 00:29:13.130 --> 00:29:16.990 years, his hair grew until his hair had grown 00:29:16.990 --> 00:29:19.809 to the point that his hair was matted and it 00:29:19.809 --> 00:29:22.509 looked like feathers on him. And the nails of 00:29:22.509 --> 00:29:25.849 his hands became so long and curled, as nails 00:29:25.849 --> 00:29:29.829 tend to do, that they looked like the claws of 00:29:29.829 --> 00:29:36.490 birds. And it says at the end of that period, 00:29:36.569 --> 00:29:38.630 notice the result of all of this, beginning in 00:29:38.630 --> 00:29:43.089 verse 34, Nebuchadnezzar says, I raised my eyes 00:29:43.089 --> 00:29:46.289 toward heaven. It took him seven years to do 00:29:46.289 --> 00:29:51.990 that because of the judgment of God. But at the 00:29:51.990 --> 00:29:54.470 end of it he raised his eyes toward heaven and 00:29:54.470 --> 00:29:56.950 my reason returned to me and I blessed the Most 00:29:56.950 --> 00:29:59.890 High and praised and honored him who lives forever. 00:30:00.029 --> 00:30:03.029 The very first thing that Nebuchadnezzar does 00:30:03.029 --> 00:30:07.089 after his humbling experience, after his pride 00:30:07.089 --> 00:30:12.150 being shattered by God, is to worship. He worships 00:30:12.150 --> 00:30:15.630 God who is sovereign, God whose kingdom is eternal, 00:30:15.710 --> 00:30:20.170 he says, who lives forever and ever, whose kingdom 00:30:20.170 --> 00:30:25.029 is also universal, his dominion is everlasting, 00:30:25.789 --> 00:30:28.849 his kingdom endures from generation to generation. 00:30:30.650 --> 00:30:33.170 He says all the inhabitants of the earth are 00:30:33.170 --> 00:30:38.190 accounted as nothing before God. But he does 00:30:38.190 --> 00:30:40.890 according to his will and the host of heaven 00:30:40.890 --> 00:30:45.589 and among the inhabitants of the earth. A universal 00:30:45.589 --> 00:30:48.730 rule. And then he says it's an unquestionable 00:30:48.730 --> 00:30:52.509 rule. And no one can ward off his hand or say 00:30:52.509 --> 00:30:56.549 to him, what hast thou done? He worships God. 00:30:57.609 --> 00:31:00.369 And then there's restoration. He says my reason 00:31:00.369 --> 00:31:03.170 returned to me, my majesty and splendor were 00:31:03.170 --> 00:31:07.230 restored to me for the glory of my kingdom. My 00:31:07.230 --> 00:31:10.890 counselors, my nobles began seeking me out, so 00:31:10.890 --> 00:31:14.849 I was reestablished in my sovereignty, and surpassing 00:31:14.849 --> 00:31:18.609 greatness was added to me." And so God restored, 00:31:18.609 --> 00:31:22.789 as he said he would, the kingdom to Nebuchadnezzar. 00:31:23.289 --> 00:31:25.609 And his testimony in the last verse is this, 00:31:25.670 --> 00:31:29.470 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt, and honor 00:31:29.470 --> 00:31:32.630 the King of Heaven, for all his works are true 00:31:32.630 --> 00:31:36.390 and his ways just, and he is able to humble those 00:31:36.619 --> 00:31:41.440 who walk in pride." Well, was Nebuchadnezzar 00:31:41.440 --> 00:31:45.539 genuinely converted? Will you and I one day see 00:31:45.539 --> 00:31:49.240 Nebuchadnezzar in the streets of heaven? Well, 00:31:49.240 --> 00:31:52.859 it says, the question is debated. This is Dr. 00:31:53.599 --> 00:31:56.720 Wood writing. The question is debated as to whether 00:31:56.720 --> 00:31:59.259 he may have come to the place of true conversion. 00:31:59.980 --> 00:32:02.599 It is important to notice carefully what he says 00:32:02.599 --> 00:32:05.519 in these verses in making a judgment. He goes 00:32:05.519 --> 00:32:08.039 on to point out Nebuchadnezzar was continuing 00:32:08.039 --> 00:32:11.759 in his activity of giving praise to God, something 00:32:11.759 --> 00:32:13.920 apparently different from what had followed both 00:32:13.920 --> 00:32:16.880 his first dream and the deliverance of the three 00:32:16.880 --> 00:32:19.799 friends from the fiery furnace. In other words, 00:32:19.819 --> 00:32:22.420 he's pointing out that the verbs here are continuous, 00:32:22.519 --> 00:32:24.940 they're in the present tense. And he says, I 00:32:24.940 --> 00:32:28.019 continue to praise, I continue to exalt, I continue 00:32:28.019 --> 00:32:33.660 to honor the King of Heaven. My opinion. which 00:32:33.660 --> 00:32:37.160 is not worth very much, is that Nebuchadnezzar 00:32:37.160 --> 00:32:40.279 was genuinely converted and that one day we will 00:32:40.279 --> 00:32:44.940 see him in heaven. From this chapter we learn 00:32:44.940 --> 00:32:48.579 just a couple of things that I want to point 00:32:48.579 --> 00:32:51.960 out in closing. First of all, what a warning 00:32:51.960 --> 00:32:56.279 we see here. Pride is a sin in the eyes of God. 00:32:56.339 --> 00:33:00.440 God detests pride. As sure as water is wet and 00:33:00.440 --> 00:33:05.619 the sun is hot, God will judge pride because 00:33:05.619 --> 00:33:09.539 pride robs God of the place that is due him alone, 00:33:09.859 --> 00:33:13.259 and God is a jealous God. And so what we learn 00:33:13.259 --> 00:33:16.039 from Nebuchadnezzar is that we need to repent 00:33:16.039 --> 00:33:21.599 of pride in our lives before God breaks us to 00:33:21.599 --> 00:33:25.019 get at our pride. Pride is the essence of human 00:33:25.019 --> 00:33:29.240 sin, and God hates it. We see a warning, but 00:33:29.240 --> 00:33:33.649 I see quite an encouragement here, too. because 00:33:33.649 --> 00:33:39.690 Daniel undoubtedly for about 40 years prayed 00:33:39.690 --> 00:33:44.089 for Nebuchadnezzar. For probably 40 years he 00:33:44.089 --> 00:33:46.990 witnessed to Nebuchadnezzar as he had opportunity 00:33:46.990 --> 00:33:50.930 and now he sees his prayer answered as this man 00:33:50.930 --> 00:33:54.309 recognizes and worships the true God. But think 00:33:54.309 --> 00:33:56.490 what an encouragement this must have been to 00:33:56.490 --> 00:34:00.240 the children of Israel. The children of Israel 00:34:00.240 --> 00:34:03.519 who were now in bondage for decades, some of 00:34:03.519 --> 00:34:06.299 whom undoubtedly felt that their God had forgotten 00:34:06.299 --> 00:34:09.239 them and that they would languish forever there 00:34:09.239 --> 00:34:12.960 in Babylon. But now they have written proof from 00:34:12.960 --> 00:34:16.800 the King himself that God is still on the throne 00:34:16.800 --> 00:34:20.500 and that their God reigns, as we were singing 00:34:20.500 --> 00:34:23.940 earlier tonight. Well, let's bow together in 00:34:23.940 --> 00:34:27.429 prayer. Would you join me, please? And now, Father, 00:34:27.570 --> 00:34:29.670 we pray that you will write these lessons on 00:34:29.670 --> 00:34:33.170 our hearts. May we learn from the testimony of 00:34:33.170 --> 00:34:36.869 King Nebuchadnezzar to hate pride, to repent 00:34:36.869 --> 00:34:41.650 of it. May we see how you detest it in our lives. 00:34:42.789 --> 00:34:45.630 And wherein it is there, expose it, we pray, 00:34:46.050 --> 00:34:50.369 and give us hearts of repentance. We might turn 00:34:50.369 --> 00:34:53.969 from it and walk in humility, so that we might 00:34:53.969 --> 00:34:58.059 not have to experience something like this, that 00:34:58.059 --> 00:35:02.480 you would take us through to break us. Lord, 00:35:02.480 --> 00:35:05.800 teach us that lesson and then remind us that 00:35:05.800 --> 00:35:10.059 you're on the throne. There may be some tonight, 00:35:10.059 --> 00:35:14.599 Father, who are discouraged because they have 00:35:14.599 --> 00:35:18.199 languished, they feel. They've gone through tough 00:35:18.199 --> 00:35:20.639 experiences and they've wondered where you are. 00:35:21.500 --> 00:35:25.550 I pray that what Nebuchadnezzar testifies will 00:35:25.550 --> 00:35:29.849 be an encouragement to them that you reign, that 00:35:29.849 --> 00:35:36.989 our God lives and reigns. In Jesus' name, amen.