Prophecy - 4

Continuing with prophecy we're going to pick up with Daniel--


We were talking about the Beasts in Daniel 7 depicting the same kingdoms that Daniel 2 speaks of and so far it seems very clear that history has proven that the first two beasts correspond with the head of gold and chest and arms of silver in the great statue of Nebuchadnezzar's dream. Will we find the same of the 3rd beast- will it match up with the belly and thighs of brass which is Greece?


Dan 7:6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.


Another kingdom comes up like a leopard with four wings of a fowl on its back. Remember the lion of Babylon had 2 wings like eagle's on it's back and we talked of the swiftness of the conquering? Well if we believe 2 wings mean swiftness then 4 wings means an even faster conquest and the fact this was another of the feline family says a lot as well. While not the majestic king of the animals, a leopard is impressive as well. Leopards are known for their stealth and this is something a conquering king can use to their advantage and we know for a fact that Alexander the Great was one of the most famous of conquerors for Greece.


Read this… and keep in mind the 4 wings on the leopard denoting speed in conquering.


Alexander conquers his world
Inheriting a kingdom from his father didn't really please Alexander. What kind of hero gets everything given to him? This wouldn't satisfy Achilles or Hercules and it wouldn't satisfy him.



Alexander wanted to get started conquering ASAP.
He got his first opportunity almost immediately. Some of the Greek city-states saw the ascension of the 20-year-old Alexander as a chance to regain their independence from the foreign Macedonians. By the way, "foreign" is how the Greeks saw the Macedonians, not how the Macedonians saw themselves. To this day, there's still contention over whether Macedonians are Greeks.
Alexander took care of the little rebellion post-haste. To set an example, he completely razed the Greek city of Thebes in 335 B.C., killing most of the population -- including women and children -- and enslaving those few left alive. After that the Greeks were happily united behind Alexander and he could focus his attention on expanding the empire.
He immediately began pushing east, against the old enemy Persia -- which his father never succeeded in defeating.
After winning a battle for the city of Gordium, Alexander is said to have solved the famously tricky Gordian Knot. He sliced through the thing with his sword rather than fool around it. A legend supposedly foretold that whoever solved this puzzle would rule all of Asia.
Alexander rapidly moved on to destroy the city of Tyre ... push through Palestine, Syria, Iran, and Afghanistan ... and conquer Egypt (or, depending on your perspective, "liberate" Egypt from the Persians). In bloody battle after bloody battle the Persian Empire and most of the known world fell to the hero Alexander and his Macedonian war machine.

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Amazing! Simply amazing how these prophecies fit together. We can choose to ignore things. We can choose to close our eyes and stop our ears from hearing because we don't want anything to mess with our preconceived ideas of how things are and/or will be. We make choices all the time and some choices we make affect our lives- making the true life or death decisions. When we make choices with God's word they can be eternal life or death choices we are making. Let us pray earnestly that we are being guided by the Holy Spirit unto all truth. Let us NOT close our eyes or cover our ears.


Continuing on we need to look at the rest of the verse---


Dan 7:6 ...the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.


Four heads. This is really important to note. For all that Alexander the Great came up strong and very fast conquering, becoming one of the greatest conquering leaders of all time, he died very young. When he died- he died without any heirs but there were four generals… four…


These plans ended in 323 B.C., however, when Alexander was struck with fever and died in Babylon, leaving no heir. His empire was divided among four of his generals.

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…. And these four generals divided Alexander the Great's Grecian kingdom among them. It's NO coincidence that there were four heads on that leopard, no coincidence at all.


A bit of history mentioning the 4 generals--

In 315 he turned his attention towards Seleucus, the satrap of Babylon. Alarmed, Seleucus fled to Ptolemy in Egypt, and warned him of Antigonus’s ambitions. This can hardly have come as a surprise to Ptolemy, or to the remaining successors, for in the same year Ptolemy, Cassander and Lysimachus issued an ultimatum to Antigonus. In it they demanded that he return Syria to Ptolemy, allowed Seleucus to return to Babylon, give Hellespontine Phrygia to Lysimachus and possibly give Cappadocia and Lycia to Cassander. He was also ordered to split Eumenes’s treasury between them all. This would have left Antigonus with part of Asia Minor. Unsurprisingly he refused.

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Seleucus, Ptolemy, Cassander, Lysimachus


These four men took over that which Alexander the Great conquered. So why weren't there ten or twenty, one or two others who took over? There were four major players here that divided the kingdom of Greece and there were four heads to the leopard. Coincidence? Some would say so and others would pick it all apart to pieces not wanting anyone to make connections. People will warp anything and everything they can just to put doubt to God, doubt to prophecy, doubt to understanding.


There will be those who argue that believing and holding fast to a belief is NOT allowing room for God to reveal what He will. I have to believe that if we truly love God and desire His will over our own, His righteousness over our filthiness, His perfect love over our poor excuse for love, His life over ours then God will open our hearts to ALL TRUTH. If we hold false beliefs God will reveal the true beliefs. We must trust in our Savior in all things and believe as He unfolds truth to us. We must be ever ready to follow where God leads.


This is short tonight, but it is a lot to take in, a lot for us to study and pray about. We are learning about prophecy - history proven prophecy.


By His grace!


Amen.

Prophecy 3

Let's take a much closer look at some of these verses we touched on yesterday.


Dan 7:4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.


Now if what we believe is true- that the 1st beast is a representation of the kingdom of Babylon we should be able to understand this a little better.


Let's look up a few things on the internet and see if we can't find a connection of any sort.


From the--


The Ishtar Gate (Assyrian: ܕܵܪܘܲܐܙܲܐ ܕܥܵܐܫܬܲܪ translit: Darwaza D'Ishtar, Arabic:بوابة عشتار) was the eighth gate to the inner city of Babylon. It was constructed in about 575 BC by order of King Nebuchadnezzar II on the north side of the city.

Parts of the gate and lions from the Processional Way are in various other museums around the world. Only three museums acquired dragons, while lions went to several museums

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In the Bible itself we have mention of a lion representing Babylon. Jeremiah prophesized of Babylon's destruction of Jerusalem this way...


Jer 4:6 Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction.
Jer 4:7 The lion is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant.


Jer 20:4 For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will make thee a terror to thyself, and to all thy friends: and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, and thine eyes shall behold it: and I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall carry them captive into Babylon, and shall slay them with the sword.


Jer 50:17 Israel is a scattered sheep; the lions have driven him away: first the king of Assyria hath devoured him; and last this Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath broken his bones.


Jer 50:43 The king of Babylon hath heard the report of them, and his hands waxed feeble: anguish took hold of him, and pangs as of a woman in travail.
Jer 50:44 Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan unto the habitation of the strong: but I will make them suddenly run away from her: and who is a chosen man, that I may appoint over her? for who is like me? and who will appoint me the time? and who is that shepherd that will stand before me?


Still more internet sources show a statue of the lion of Babylon-

The Lion of Babylon, large and splendidly carved in basalt, reminds us again that the lion was the symbol of the goddess Ishtar. In the sculpture, the lion's back has marks indicating that it was meant for a precious saddle upon which the goddess Ishtar would stand.

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The Striding Lion
Iraq: Babylon, Processional Avenue north of the Ishtar Gate
Neo-Babylonian Period
Reign of Nebuchadnezzar II, ca. 604-562 B.C.
Molded brick with polychrome glaze
90.3 cm H, 230.5 cm W
Purchased in Berlin, 1931
Oriental Institute, Chicago
OIM A7481

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Click on the links to see the pictures. These are HISTORICAL facts, not made up fiction. When Daniel said the first beast was like a lion it's easy to associate it with Babylon without having to take a very big leap of faith at all.


What about the rest of what Daniel said--


1st beast-like a lion
had eagle's wings
Wings plucked
Lifted up from earth
Stand upon the feet like a man
A man's heart was given it


What do eagle's wings represent in the Bible?


Deu 28:49 The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand


2Sa 1:23 Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.


Psa 103:5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.


WINGS
wingz (kanaph; pterux):
Biblical references to the wings of birds are common, especially in Psalms, many of them exquisitely poetical. Often the wings of an eagle are mentioned because they are from 7 to 9 feet in sweep, of untiring flight, and have strength to carry heavy burdens: so they became the symbol of strength and endurance. Ancient monuments and obelisks are covered with the heads of bulls, lions, different animals, and men even, to which the wings of an eagle were added to symbolize strength. .


Solomon was thinking of the swiftness of wings when he said, "For riches' certainly make themselves wings, like an eagle that flieth toward heaven" (Proverbs 23:5). So also was Isaiah in 40:31, "They that wait for Yahweh shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint."

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And a Biblical reference--


Hab 1:6 For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwellingplaces that are not theirs.
Hab 1:7 They are terrible and dreadful: their judgment and their dignity shall proceed of themselves.
Hab 1:8 Their horses also are swifter than the leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves: and their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as the eagle that hasteth to eat.


Some Babylon history--


Under Nabopolassar, Babylon threw off Assyrian rule in 612 BC and became the capital of the Neo-Babylonian (sometimes and possibly erroneously called Chaldean) Empire.[6][7][8]
With the recovery of Babylonian independence, a new era of architectural activity ensued, and his son Nebuchadnezzar II (604–561 BC) made Babylon into one of the wonders of the ancient world.[9] Nebuchadnezzar ordered the complete reconstruction of the imperial grounds, including rebuilding the Etemenanki ziggurat and the construction of the Ishtar Gate — the most spectacular of eight gates that ringed the perimeter of Babylon. A reconstruction of The Ishtar Gate is located in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. All that was ever found of the Original Ishtar gate was the foundation and scattered bricks.
Nebuchadnezzar is also credited with the construction of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon (one of the seven wonders of the ancient world), said to have been built for his homesick wife Amyitis. Whether the gardens did exist is a matter of dispute. Although excavations by German archaeologist Robert Koldewey are thought to reveal its foundations, many historians disagree about the location, and some believe it may have been confused with gardens in the Assyrian capital, Nineveh.
Chaldean rule did not last long and it is not clear if Neriglissar and Labashi-Marduk were Chaldeans or native Babylonians, and the last ruler Nabonidus and his son and regent Belshazzar were Assyrians from Harran.

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Nebuchadnezzar engaged in several military campaigns designed to increase Babylonian influence in Syria and Judah. An attempted invasion of Egypt in 601 BC was met with setbacks, however, leading to numerous rebellions among the states of the Levant, including Judah. Nebuchadnezzar soon dealt with these rebellions, capturing Jerusalem in 597 BC and deposing King Jehoiakim, then in 587 BC due to rebellion, destroying both the city and the temple, and deporting many of the prominent citizens along with a sizable portion of the Jewish population of Judea to Babylon.[6] These events are described in the Prophets (Nevi'im) and Writings (Ketuvim), sections of the Hebrew Bible (in the books 2 Kings and Jeremiah, and 2 Chronicles, respectively). After the destruction of Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar engaged in a thirteen year siege of Tyre (585–572 BC), which ended in a compromise, with the Tyrians accepting Babylonian authority.
Following the pacification of Tyre, Nebuchadnezzar turned again to Egypt. A clay tablet,[7] now in the British Museum, states: "In the 37th year of Nebuchadnezzar, king of the country of Babylon, he went to Mitzraim (Egypt) to make war. Amasis, king of Egypt, collected [his army], and marched and spread abroad." Having completed the subjugation of Phoenicia, and a campaign against Egypt, Nebuchadnezzar set himself to rebuild and adorn the city of Babylon, and constructed canals, aqueducts, temples and reservoirs.

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So there is no doubt Babylon was a strong kingdom and under Nebuchadnezzar it grew tremendously into something spectacular. But just as it was swift to grow it also had it's wings plucked- it wasn't to remain strong, and it wasn't to grow and conquer endlessly.


1st beast-like a lion
had eagle's wings
Wings plucked
Lifted up from earth
Stand upon the feet like a man
A man's heart was given it


In fact for all that Nebuchadnezzar along with His kingdom, Babylon, were a force to be reckoned with they didn't remain so. Babylon became weak- like a man in comparison to a lion and to put a man's heart in a lion's chest would never sustain it. A man's heart is weak compared to the heart of a lion, just as a man's courage is much weaker than a lion's.


It isn't farfetched at all whatsoever to compare the head of gold - Babylon with the 1st beast in this later vision of Daniel's. Let's go further and see if we can make connections with the other beasts and their corresponding part of the image in Dan. 2.


Dan 7:5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.


Firstly, a lion in the animal kingdom is the king- the head of the whole animal kingdom whereas a bear isn't so much. Clearly the bear is inferior to the lion and that is one thing to note. Medo-Persia was inferior to Babylon.


Secondly, it was raised on one side. The conquerors of Babylon were the Medes and Persians. And it is a well known historical fact (for history buffs that is) that the Persians were stronger than the Medes when all was said and done.

Let's read a bit about it…


The Medes and the Persians: from the 9th century BC

Of the two main Indo-European tribes moving south into Iran, it is at first the Medes who play the dominant role. With a capital at Ecbatana (modern Hamadan), they establish themselves as powerful neighbours of Assyria. In 612 they combine with Babylon to sack the Assyrian capital at Nineveh. Their spoils are northern Assyria and much of Anatolia, where the Halys river becomes the border between themselves and Lydia.

The Medes already control much of Iran including Fars, in the southwest. This is the heartland of the Parsa or Persians, whose king is a vassal of the Medes - and from whose name the region has until recently been known as Persia in the west.
 
Cyrus the Great: 559-530 BC

The balance between the Medes and the Persians rapidly changes after Cyrus II becomes king of the Persians in 559 BC. He rebels against the Medes in 553. Three years later he captures their king and their capital city, Ecbatana. He then presses west to secure and expand his new empire. He seizes the Lydian capital, Sardis, in 546, together with Croesus, its famously rich king. His armies then continue west to dominate the Greek cities of Ionia, extending his power to the shores of the Aegean.

Babylon and Mesopotamia fall to him next, in 539. The basis of the first Persian empire (the Achaemenid empire) has been set in place within a mere eleven years of Cyrus defeating the Medes. He has earned his title 'the Great'.
 
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Cyrus the Great conquered Media, Lydia, and Babylon.

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Cyrus the Great of the Persian's had 3 major conquests- Media, Lydia, and Babylon.


These could be the 3 ribs, yes?


2nd beast- like a bear
Raised up on one side
3 ribs in it's mouth between the teeth
Said- Arise, devour much flesh


Think about it… A bear comes up next after the lion, then the bear raised itself up on one side, Persia over the Medes and Persia who conquered together. Then Cyrus of the Persians conquered 3 others, Media, Lydia, and Babylon. That bear has 3 ribs in its mouth and yes, the Persians went on to do much conquering…devouring much flesh before being conquered by Greeks.


Read this…


According to Plutarch, Artaxerxes' successor Artaxerxes III (358 – 338 B.C.E.) came to the throne by bloody means, ensuring his place upon the throne by the assassination of eight of his half-brothers.[30] In 343 B.C.E. Artaxerxes III defeated Nectanebo II, driving him from Egypt, and made Egypt once again a Persian satrapy. In 338 B.C.E. Artaxerxes III died under unclear circumstances (natural causes according to cuneiform sources but Diodorus, a Greek historian, reports that Artaxerxes was murdered by Bagoas, his minister).[31] while Philip of Macedon united the Greek states by force and began to plan an invasion into the empire.
Artaxerxes III was succeeded by Artaxerxes IV Arses, who before he could act was also poisoned by Bagoas. Bagoas is further said to have killed not only all Arses' children, but many of the other princes of the land. Bagoas then placed Darius III (336–330 B.C.E.), a nephew of Artaxerxes IV, on the throne. Darius III, previously Satrap of Armenia, personally forced Bagoas to swallow poison. In 334 B.C.E., when Darius was just succeeding in subduing Egypt again, Alexander and his battle-hardened troops invaded Asia Minor.
At two different times, the Achaemenids ruled Egypt although the Egyptians twice regained temporary independence from Persia. After the practice of Manetho, Egyptian historians refer to the periods in Egypt when the Achaemenid dynasty ruled as the twenty-seventh dynasty of Egypt, 525–404 B.C.E., until the death of Darius II, and the thirty-first dynasty of Egypt, 343–332 B.C.E., which began after Nectanebo II was defeated by the Persian king Artaxerxes III.
Alexander the Great (Alexander III of Macedon) defeated the Persian armies at Granicus (334 B.C.E.),

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Did you read that?! The tale of such death, such treachery, the killing of family, of children, poisoning…Yes, much flesh was devoured by the Persians. So it's really not all that farfetched to put all this together, right? History! History coinciding with prophecy.


We have to be able to look at the prophecies given to us by God. God wants us to understand, to know that His word is true and what He said has come to pass and WILL come to pass. Believing in the word of God takes faith, faith being the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen. We are called to believe by faith and it is by faith we must believe. We have to trust in God, it was our original parents who broke that trust in God but it's a trust that can be restored, repaired. We see it in our own lives all the time don't we, on a human to human level. We get hurt by someone and the trust we have is broken but that trust is often restored again. We are called to forgive because every time we forgive we are experiencing on a very small level the much greater experience of God forgiving us. If we don't forgive we can't ever expect to be forgiven. God's grand picture includes US, each and every one of us! In this grand picture there have been those who are called to fulfill God's will in big ways, but many more of us are called to fulfill it in very tiny ways. All of us that have the honor, the privilege of being able to read God's word need to do just that. While people are being tortured and even killed to read this amazing message so many others don't give it a second glance. Right now we are delving into prophecy and as was mentioned before prophecy fulfilled is our history and prophecy unfulfilled our future. As long as we are still living here on earth and our Savior hasn't come for us we are living with unfulfilled prophecy that WILL be fulfilled if not in our lifetime than in our descendents. Every moment we live we are living in prophecy being fulfilled we just don't always recognize it, in fact the majority don't and very, very few do. Remember -- Jesus was a prophecy fulfilled and many didn't and still do not believe, do not recognize the fulfillment.


When I said that we are constantly living in prophecy fulfilled I meant it. We are living in the time of the ten toes awaiting the Stone that will break down this world as we know it and usher in life with Christ.


There are a lot of prophecies, a lot, and many of them have been fulfilled, very few haven't compared to the majority that have. We need to look at our thousands of years of history closely and by the grace of God and through the Holy Spirit's guidance we will be able to discern so much. We will continue to study and pray that we are understanding as God would have us understand fully and in Him and His righteousness, His love.


Amen.

More Prophecy

Remember how the image of the king's dream was an overview of history from then until the end of time? Well Daniel chapter seven expounds upon this revelation. God didn't want us to be in doubt He wanted us to know more, understand with even more conviction.


This time Daniel had a dream and visions as he slept, and it was some years later after Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom was inherited by Belshazzar, a successor.


Dan 7:1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.


Dan 7:2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.
Dan 7:3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
Dan 7:4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.
Dan 7:5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.
Dan 7:6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.
Dan 7:7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.
Dan 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.
Dan 7:9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.
Dan 7:10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
Dan 7:11 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.
Dan 7:12 As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.
Dan 7:13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
Dan 7:14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.


Do you see? Let's start at verse 13 and 14. One like the Son of man. Who is the Son of man?


Remember this verse? Mat 8:20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.


And this? Mat 9:6 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.


How about this? Mat 13:41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity


Here's another- Mat 16:13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
Mat 16:14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
Mat 16:15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
Mat 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.


Without any doubt whatsoever Jesus is the Son of man.

Dan 7:13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man (JESUS) came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
Dan 7:14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.


Jesus' kingdom will not be destroyed, it shall not pass away, Jesus' kingdom is everlasting.


Now remember Daniel 2:44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.


This is the end of a sinful world and the beginning of a new world in Jesus Christ our Savior. Both visions, both dreams, both prophecies end with Jesus ushering in His kingdom, the world as we know it is destroyed, is gone forever. If both end with the same point it is logical to deduce that the visions before the shared culmination also share a commonality- yes? If one prophecy starts with the current kingdom in power and relates future kingdoms till the end of time, the other prophecy must do the same, yes? To have the same RESULT, the previous information must in some manner coincide. So let's read on a bit before going back to study in more detail.


Dan 7:15 I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.
Dan 7:16 I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things.


Here we will have the interpretation-


Dan 7:17 These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.
Dan 7:18 But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.


Four kings- it's important to understand that the word kingdom and king are used interchangeably.


Remember this verse-
Dan 2:39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.


Compare it to this -


Dan 2:38 ... Thou art this head of gold.


If Nebuchadnezzar was the head of gold he was the king of a kingdom he represented the kingdom and after him- after HIS kingdom- another kingdom would arise.


So when we read 'These great beasts which are four are four kings- it's just as true to say- these great beasts which are four are four kingdoms. Even reading just a few words later- 'But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom… see there is the word kingdom again.


Let's read it once more-


Dan 7:17 These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.
Dan 7:18 But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.


Four kings(kingdoms) exactly match the image of the earlier vision-

Gold
Silver
Brass
Iron

Then in verse 7

Dan 7:7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.


The fourth beast had TEN HORNS!


Remember the toes in the image?! They were part of that fourth kingdom - iron and clay! Here we have ten horns! This isn't a coincidence!


We are being given MORE information. So let's quickly run through this again…


Dan 7:1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.
Dan 7:2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.
Dan 7:3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.


4 great beasts came up from the sea different from each other.


Dan 7:4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.

1st beast- had eagle's winds
Wings plucked
Lifted up from earth
Stand upon the feet like a man
A man's heart was given it


Dan 7:5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.


2nd beast- like a bear
Raised up on one side
3 ribs in it's mouth between the teeth
Said- Arise, devour much flesh


Dan 7:6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.


3rd beast- like a leopard
4 wings on its back
4 heads
Dominion given it


Dan 7:7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.


4th beast-
Dreadful, terrible, strong exceedingly
Great iron teeth
It devours and brakes in pieces
Stamps the residue with it's feet
Different from all the other beasts before it
10 horns


Dan 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.

10 horns-
A little horn comes up from among them and 3 of the 1st horns are plucked by the roots
In the little horn were eyes like a man and a mouth speaking great things


I know this is a lot of information so I'm stopping here but more on these 4 beasts and 10 horns tomorrow, by the grace of God.


Lord we need you to open our eyes to all your truth. If there are things we need to know, to understand, to believe please show them to us as you show us your truth. We don't want to be among those who are deceived and we know You tell us that ALL but the very elect will be deceived. We desperately desire to be among your elect precious Lord, in Your righteousness, by Your grace. Help us Lord as we continue to study prophecy- the past studied, the future revealed.


In Your amazing love!


AMEN!

Prophecy...

Prophecy fulfilled IS our HISTORY. Prophecy unfulfilled is our future. There has to come a time when ALL prophecy is fulfilled. There is ALWAYS a time when people are living in the time of prophecy being fulfilled but they don't always recognize it as such- only being able to look back as the prophetic puzzle pieces fit together. This isn't ALWAYS the case though, sometimes when a prophecy is being fulfilled people recognize it. For instance- Joseph interpreted Pharaoh's prophetic dream of the seven years of plenty and then seven years of famine. When the years of plenty began it was noticeable that the harvests were exceptional--

Gen 41:47 And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls.
Gen 41:48 And he gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field, which was round about every city, laid he up in the same.
Gen 41:49 And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number.

With such exceptional harvests the thoughts of the horrific famine to come was probably far from most people's minds. You can bet though that many in the pharaoh's inner circle who knew all about this prophetic interpretation of the pharaoh's dream were watching the years go by and waiting to see if what Joseph had said would come true. When the famine began right on time with Joseph's interpretation those people KNEW after the first few months, and definitely after the first year that this prophecy of Joseph's was being fulfilled. There WOULD be seven years of famine. They were living during a prophecy fulfillment and recognized it as such.

Not all prophecy interpretation is readily understood though.

Read these words in the book of Daniel--

Dan 12:8 And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?
Dan 12:9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.

Daniel who had been given many prophecies and had seen the fulfillment of many of them, could not know the interpretation of all the prophecies given to him. A lot of Daniel's prophecies would not be understood until the time of the end. 'The time of the end' - a period of undefined time that would bring an end to the world of sin and usher in the second coming of a Messiah that hadn't even been born at the time of the prophecy and been in the world once.

Now if Joseph could interpret a dream depicting seven ears of corn equaling seven years it is hardly farfetched for us to use a day for a year when the Bible itself actually explains that this is a real prophetic possibility. This isn't something we can discount out of hand because we don't want to believe in the real possibility that every prophetic time interpretation isn't literal time- a day isn't always a day- but rather a day can equal a years worth of time, and a year isn't always a literal year but 360 days equaling 360 years and so on. Yes, it sounds terribly confusing, but prophecy wasn't meant to be easily understood, prophecy served and serves a purpose by being crouched it obscurity. Isn't faith itself the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen?

When we go to the book of Daniel we can find a fascinating prophetic scene unfolding history from their present time to the world's end. I'd call it an overview with little detail in this particular prophetic presentation. Let's look at it--

Dan 2:1 And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.

*Here we have a king dreaming something that upset him so that he couldn't sleep.

Dan 2:2 Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.

*This particular king- not a king of Israel but of Babylon- believed readily in magicians, astrologers, sorcerers and such, all those things which were an abomination to God.

Dan 2:3 And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.
Dan 2:4 Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation.

*So here we have the king summoning all these supposedly special type of people- those not ordinary but special in their fields of the supernatural and the king tells them he had a troubling dream and wants to know what it is. Of course this would be easy for the kings many supernatural interpreters, they would be told the dream and then make up any sort of meaning for that dream that they wanted to, something the king would reward them for of course so they're eager to know what the dream was about so they can give their interpretation.

Dan 2:5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.
Dan 2:6 But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore shew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.

*Ah ha! The king was going to foil that sort of supposed ability to interpret dreams because the king himself DID NOT know what the dream was that he dreamed! He couldn't recall the dream but only knew that it was a dream he needed to recall and understand. Surely we call can relate to this experience in the sense we've all had dreams that leave our memory and in doing so trouble us a bit as we strive to no avail to recall what the dream was. This isn't an uncommon experience really, dreaming is something we are told we do every time we sleep, we just don't remember them all. Not being a king and not having magicians, astrologers and such at our fingertips to open the unknown to us we don't demand other people tell us what our dream was, we just live with the unsettling feeling until it disappears and we simply forget all about it. So here we have a king demanding his special people tell him what he dreamed and do so on the penalty of death, horrible, painful, torturous death for them and their entire house. Talk about a seemingly petulant, demanding, possibly deranged king wanting the impossible can you even imagine being among those hearing this ultimatum? Of course while their ears were ringing with the knowledge that imminent death was at their doorstep the king also countered it by telling them that if they did tell him his dream and what it meant they'd be rewarded richly. Now how is that for inspiring your subjects to do as you command? Some king, uhn?

Dan 2:7 They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it.

*Of course these men weren't stupid and immediately they replied… tell us the dreams and we'll interpret that's how it's done, we don't do it any other way, we've never done it any other way, there is no other way to interpret a dream- you have to know the dream first. No, they didn't say all that, at least it wasn't related to us that they did but you can be sure it was some of what they were thinking. They had to remind the king of how it was done because he seemed to have forgotten that you just didn't ask for someone to tell you what the dream is- it wasn't done, it wasn't the way of things!

Dan 2:8 The king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me.
Dan 2:9 But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof.

*The king wasn't completely stupid, he knew what the men were doing, they were stalling for time. Who wouldn't be stalling for time when they were asked for the seemingly impossible on the penalty of death. The king wasn't having any of it though, he outright told them if they wouldn't tell him his dream they were just a bunch of lying, corrupt people who wanted him to just forget about it all and he wasn't going to fall for their lies and corrupting, he wanted to be told the dream and then he would believe the interpretation. Why should he believe an interpretation when the interpreter didn't even have the supernatural power to tell him what the dream itself was. Surely if they were all they claimed to be- special people having special powers to understand things others could not- they'd be able to use those powers now when their lives depended upon it. Just imagine… well we don't have to just imagine because this was their response--

Dan 2:10 The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king's matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.
Dan 2:11 And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.

*No one, not a single man on earth can do what you're asking! And because you're asking the impossible no king, no lord, no ruler has EVER asked us to do such an impossible thing! The king wants something only the gods - not man- can do and the gods don't dwell among men in flesh. The king has to ask this thing of his gods not of his men who claim to be able to understand godly inexplicable things when it suits them. How convenient are these practices astrology, magic, sorcery and such. Now I'm not saying they're all bogus- but I am saying they're all ungodly whether we want to believe it or not. God has pronounced them such and they are! People have been brought up to believe they are harmless pastimes and nothing more, but in truth they are under the control of Satan and as such even the best astrological prediction, the greatest trickery of telling the future with sorcery or magic is of the devil and evil. Harmless? Hardly! Being under the control of a being that can work his own seeming miracles and appear as an angel of light is a deadly deception way too many have fallen victim to. Here a God-less king wanted all his supernaturally controlled, his satanic controlled people, to tell him his dream and NONE dared to even believe they could because they knew their source of power wasn't directly from any that would dare commune with them in such a manner. Satan didn't know the dream so his followers couldn't know the dream, all their false gods they prayed to and worshipped could not tell them this dream and they knew it- they didn't have to think about it really because it was an impossibility and they told the king so. They wanted the king to wise up to the fact he was asking the impossible of them, but the king didn't want a bunch of powerless wise men surrounding him pretending to be special and able to use their special powers to serve him.

Dan 2:12 For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.

*Did the fact he was asking what all his wise men thought was impossible deter the king from wanting to destroy them? Nope. Just picture it, these poor deluded men who up until then felt secure in their professions were now filled with terror, they were going to be murdered by an insane king who wanted the impossible!

Dan 2:13 And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.
Dan 2:14 Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of the king's guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon:
Dan 2:15 He answered and said to Arioch the king's captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.
Dan 2:16 Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation.

*Daniel- one of the captured slaves of Israel- was among those considered especially wise and he fell into this category of victims. He would be killed. However Daniel wanted to at least know what he was being killed for because he obviously hadn't been among those in the king's presence when the decree went forth. Told everything that happened, Daniel went to the king and told him if he had time he could do as the king wanted. Imagine it, here comes an Israeli slave daring to actually tell the king he could do the impossible! All those others didn't dare even try to make up something, didn't dare pretend they could do what they claimed was impossible - because it was impossible for them and it would mean death either way for them. The only hope they probably thought they had was in all of them sticking to the fact the king wanted the impossible. Then here comes a captive from another kingdom, a slave, and he tells the king he can do this thing!

Dan 2:17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:
Dan 2:18 That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

*Obviously the king didn't have a problem with giving Daniel a little time just on the offhand chance this troubling dream could really be told to him. The king had nothing to lose by waiting a bit- either way the deaths would come- now or later if the dream was not told to him. So Daniel - wanting to save the lives of himself and his friends- fellow captives from Israel- was going to do this impossible thing. He went to his fellow captives and told them they had to desire the mercy of THE GOD OF HEAVEN. Daniel believed in the TRUE God and as such believed that if God wanted him and his companions to live that He would reveal the secret that none other could reveal.

Dan 2:19 Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

*Then Daniel had a vision in the night! God gave Daniel a vision! God blessed Daniel with the secret!

Dan 2:20 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:
Dan 2:21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:
Dan 2:22 He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.
Dan 2:23 I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king's matter.

*Amazing! Daniel praised God mightily! Such praise is wonderful! Daniel thanked God because Daniel knew it wasn't of himself that he understood things, it wasn't of him that he suddenly knew the dream it was all because of God! Daniel had no power of his own and he knew it! God reveals the deep and secret things! God knows the things in the dark because light dwells with God! All the wisdom, all the might of Daniel came directly from God and no where else! God revealed to Daniel and his companions the king's dream and interpretation doing what NO other could do even with the pain of death hanging over their heads. Our wondrous God! His will is done and He will use those who look to Him for all things!

Dan 2:24 Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him; Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will shew unto the king the interpretation.
Dan 2:25 Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus unto him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah, that will make known unto the king the interpretation.

*Ha! Arioch the captain of the king's guard told the king HE FOUND a man to tell the interpretation. Interesting. Daniel had already gone in to ask the king for time and was granted the time and now Arioch brings Daniel back to the king quickly and tells the king HE found one who could do as the king wanted. Just interesting to note this little fact. People don't hesitate to take credit for good things do they? Even when it's undeserved credit.

Dan 2:26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?

*Of course the king wanted to know if this man could do as he'd asked of all his wise men, he wasn't particularly interested in the fact the guard captain had found him- he wanted to know if what Daniel claimed he could do was in fact true.

Dan 2:27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king;

*Oh yeah! Daniel isn't going to give the interpretation to the king without letting the king know where this knowledge came from and it wasn't from any of the pagan, heathen, God-less supposed wise men filling his kingdom.

Dan 2:28 But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;

*GOD in heaven HE reveals secrets! He is going to reveal to the king what will be in the latter days! God in heaven, no where else, no other god, no other idol, no other has revealed the dream, only the God in heaven!

Dan 2:29 As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass.
Dan 2:30 But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.

*King you had a prophetic dream, this is what Daniel is telling Him. God in heaven was revealing the secrets of the future in that dream. The secrets weren't for Daniel's wisdom, the secrets weren't being revealed so Daniel could become greater than any other person. The secrets are being revealed to save lives not to exalt Daniel.

Dan 2:31 Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible.
Dan 2:32 This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,
Dan 2:33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.
Dan 2:34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.
Dan 2:35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

*Here it is… here is the dream you couldn't recall-

A great image!
A very bright great image standing in front of the king, an image whose form, whose appearance induces fear!
The image had a head of fine gold.
The image had a breast and arms of silver.
The image had a belly and thighs of brass.
The image had legs of iron.
The image had feet of iron and clay.

What an amazing conglomeration of minerals! Gold, silver, brass, iron, and clay. It's obvious from the first reading that the minerals are ordered in value- Gold being much more precious and desire, much more valuable than silver, and so on down the line ending with clay being the least valuable. There is a distinct degradation in the value of this image. If the image were all of gold it would be magnificent. That this image is such a mixture it is no wonder it's a fearful sight. No one at that time would make up such an image and expect anyone to want to purchase it and you can be sure that there were many images of many things in a culture that valued worshipping images of their gods and such. Is it any wonder it is considered horrifying. We might just call it abstract art and not take a second glance at something like this, but the time period then was far from appreciating such abstract art. No artist would dare put together a statue with such things, it just wasn't done.

There it was a terrifying image made up of five different minerals standing there when a stone was being cut from a mountain or quarry it doesn't say here but no hands cut it, no person cut this stone from rock, no stonemason was there but the stone was being cut and after it was cut the stone was thrown at the feet of the image and the feet broke into little pieces. With the feet broken to pieces there was nothing left to hold up the image and the rest of the image broke into pieces, into such small pieces the wind carried them all away. Then that stone which broke up the feet, destroying the entire image began to grow and it fill the entire earth!

What a dream! No wonder it was troubling the king to remember something to incredible. Just picture it being out of reach of recall, right there on the edges of his memory but unable to bring it out to the forefront. It was a prophetic dream holding great meaning not only for the king but for all of future mankind. This was a God-given dream of future events - an overall view of things to happen here on in and no wonder it commanded such great attention. You can bet this dream had the attention of everyone in the kingdom by this time. When a king is ready to murder his entire entourage of wise men, astrologers, soothsayers, magicians, Chaldeans it wasn't some small insignificant happenstance- this was a huge deal!

Now the interpretation!

Dan 2:36 This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.
Dan 2:37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
Dan 2:38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.

*The king himself was the golden head of the image! God had made the king prosper it wasn't just by happenstance, it wasn't by chance that the king of Babylon had such good fortune. He was this head of gold.

Dan 2:39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.

*But like that image, things change. After the head of gold there came a breast and arms of silver - an inferior kingdom. Then another kingdom after the silver one, this kingdom of brass and obviously inferior to the first and second kingdoms. These kingdoms were great kingdoms- not tiny kingdoms but kingdoms whose rule effected all the earth in some manner.

Dan 2:40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.

*Then in the image the legs were of iron, yet another very great kingdom.

Dan 2:41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.
Dan 2:42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.
Dan 2:43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.

*Then the feet- iron and clay- a mixture. Mankind would never again have a kingdom as whole as that of the fourth kingdom but it would become a mixture- the kingdoms would be divided even though through mingling (marriage) they would try to bring it together it wouldn't happen.

Dan 2:44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

*God sets up a kingdom that will never be destroy. We know that Jesus came preaching the kingdom and His kingdom will NEVER be destroyed! God's kingdom will stand forever!

Dan 2:45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

*This is the dream, this is the interpretation that the king wanted, that the king demanded from all his wise men but could not get it. None but Daniel a man who looked to the true God, could bring this knowledge to the king.

Isn't it amazing?! Truly amazing this marvelous vision. You know why it's so amazing? It's OUR history! From the time of the king of Babylon until the end when God's kingdom is all that's left. This is a tremendous overview of history but people don't want to believe it could be so. People want to pick things apart and warp them in a way God never intended. People say the Bible isn't even real and then pick up a book containing the many failed prophecies of Nostradamus and that they believe! People say the Bible is a bunch of fairy tales and fables, fiction and no more, and then they'll pick up a book by Darwin and say this man spoke truth. This prophecy alone- written thousands of years ago can prove to the spiritually discerning that what was predicated has come to pass and what's left to be revealed will happen just as all that was predicted happened- it's TRUTH! So many don't want to believe that God has a real kingdom and that they will one day either be in that kingdom or destroyed as though they never existed. People would rather grasp as some vague afterlife as their future rather than repent and be converted to Christ. People would rather indulge their ego than admit they have no right whatsoever to indulge something so perverted by sin that its worth is ONLY found in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. People will believe lies and fairy tales alright but they won't be of God.

It is proven-

Babylon was followed by Medes and Persia who were followed by the Greeks, who were followed by the Romans who were then followed by divided kingdoms never to be brought together to any great one world kingdom and never will be brought together again into such a kingdom. We live in the time of the divided kingdoms- we live in the time of the toes of iron and clay- we live in time as that stone is being cut without hands and soon will break the feet of the image ushering in God's kingdom forever!

We have the ability to look back and see history fulfilled, only those who wish to be blind will remain so. Only those who wish to have delusions will have them. Those who would much rather believe lies will do just that, they'll believe the lies as if they were truth not caring at all that they are deceived.

There is so much to prophecy and I'd like to study more of it. There is a lot unfulfilled and a lot filled and only by the grace of God may we truly understand as He would have us understand. We are to watch and pray- let us watch-let us pray because we live in the very end of time.

Being such a volatile subject I'm aware that not everyone will agree with my view and I wouldn't dream of asking anyone to believe me. I just hope and pray that as we study your Bibles will be open and you'll pray as never before to have discernment and understanding as the Holy Spirit guides into all truth, I know I'll be praying the exact same thing.


In His Grace! In His Love! By His Mercy!


Amen.

Prophecy...

Prophecy fulfilled IS our HISTORY. Prophecy unfulfilled is our future. There has to come a time when ALL prophecy is fulfilled. There is ALWAYS a time when people are living in the time of prophecy being fulfilled but they don't always recognize it as such- only being able to look back as the prophetic puzzle pieces fit together. This isn't ALWAYS the case though, sometimes when a prophecy is being fulfilled people recognize it. For instance- Joseph interpreted Pharaoh's prophetic dream of the seven years of plenty and then seven years of famine. When the years of plenty began it was noticeable that the harvests were exceptional--

Gen 41:47 And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls.
Gen 41:48 And he gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field, which was round about every city, laid he up in the same.
Gen 41:49 And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number.

With such exceptional harvests the thoughts of the horrific famine to come was probably far from most people's minds. You can bet though that many in the pharaoh's inner circle who knew all about this prophetic interpretation of the pharaoh's dream were watching the years go by and waiting to see if what Joseph had said would come true. When the famine began right on time with Joseph's interpretation those people KNEW after the first few months, and definitely after the first year that this prophecy of Joseph's was being fulfilled. There WOULD be seven years of famine. They were living during a prophecy fulfillment and recognized it as such.

Not all prophecy interpretation is readily understood though.

Read these words in the book of Daniel--

Dan 12:8 And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?
Dan 12:9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.

Daniel who had been given many prophecies and had seen the fulfillment of many of them, could not know the interpretation of all the prophecies given to him. A lot of Daniel's prophecies would not be understood until the time of the end. 'The time of the end' - a period of undefined time that would bring an end to the world of sin and usher in the second coming of a Messiah that hadn't even been born at the time of the prophecy and been in the world once.

Now if Joseph could interpret a dream depicting seven ears of corn equaling seven years it is hardly farfetched for us to use a day for a year when the Bible itself actually explains that this is a real prophetic possibility. This isn't something we can discount out of hand because we don't want to believe in the real possibility that every prophetic time interpretation isn't literal time- a day isn't always a day- but rather a day can equal a years worth of time, and a year isn't always a literal year but 360 days equaling 360 years and so on. Yes, it sounds terribly confusing, but prophecy wasn't meant to be easily understood, prophecy served and serves a purpose by being crouched it obscurity. Isn't faith itself the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen?

When we go to the book of Daniel we can find a fascinating prophetic scene unfolding history from their present time to the world's end. I'd call it an overview with little detail in this particular prophetic presentation. Let's look at it--

Dan 2:1 And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.

*Here we have a king dreaming something that upset him so that he couldn't sleep.

Dan 2:2 Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.

*This particular king- not a king of Israel but of Babylon- believed readily in magicians, astrologers, sorcerers and such, all those things which were an abomination to God.

Dan 2:3 And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.
Dan 2:4 Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation.

*So here we have the king summoning all these supposedly special type of people- those not ordinary but special in their fields of the supernatural and the king tells them he had a troubling dream and wants to know what it is. Of course this would be easy for the kings many supernatural interpreters, they would be told the dream and then make up any sort of meaning for that dream that they wanted to, something the king would reward them for of course so they're eager to know what the dream was about so they can give their interpretation.

Dan 2:5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.
Dan 2:6 But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore shew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.

*Ah ha! The king was going to foil that sort of supposed ability to interpret dreams because the king himself DID NOT know what the dream was that he dreamed! He couldn't recall the dream but only knew that it was a dream he needed to recall and understand. Surely we call can relate to this experience in the sense we've all had dreams that leave our memory and in doing so trouble us a bit as we strive to no avail to recall what the dream was. This isn't an uncommon experience really, dreaming is something we are told we do every time we sleep, we just don't remember them all. Not being a king and not having magicians, astrologers and such at our fingertips to open the unknown to us we don't demand other people tell us what our dream was, we just live with the unsettling feeling until it disappears and we simply forget all about it. So here we have a king demanding his special people tell him what he dreamed and do so on the penalty of death, horrible, painful, torturous death for them and their entire house. Talk about a seemingly petulant, demanding, possibly deranged king wanting the impossible can you even imagine being among those hearing this ultimatum? Of course while their ears were ringing with the knowledge that imminent death was at their doorstep the king also countered it by telling them that if they did tell him his dream and what it meant they'd be rewarded richly. Now how is that for inspiring your subjects to do as you command? Some king, uhn?

Dan 2:7 They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it.

*Of course these men weren't stupid and immediately they replied… tell us the dreams and we'll interpret that's how it's done, we don't do it any other way, we've never done it any other way, there is no other way to interpret a dream- you have to know the dream first. No, they didn't say all that, at least it wasn't related to us that they did but you can be sure it was some of what they were thinking. They had to remind the king of how it was done because he seemed to have forgotten that you just didn't ask for someone to tell you what the dream is- it wasn't done, it wasn't the way of things!

Dan 2:8 The king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me.
Dan 2:9 But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof.

*The king wasn't completely stupid, he knew what the men were doing, they were stalling for time. Who wouldn't be stalling for time when they were asked for the seemingly impossible on the penalty of death. The king wasn't having any of it though, he outright told them if they wouldn't tell him his dream they were just a bunch of lying, corrupt people who wanted him to just forget about it all and he wasn't going to fall for their lies and corrupting, he wanted to be told the dream and then he would believe the interpretation. Why should he believe an interpretation when the interpreter didn't even have the supernatural power to tell him what the dream itself was. Surely if they were all they claimed to be- special people having special powers to understand things others could not- they'd be able to use those powers now when their lives depended upon it. Just imagine… well we don't have to just imagine because this was their response--

Dan 2:10 The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king's matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.
Dan 2:11 And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.

*No one, not a single man on earth can do what you're asking! And because you're asking the impossible no king, no lord, no ruler has EVER asked us to do such an impossible thing! The king wants something only the gods - not man- can do and the gods don't dwell among men in flesh. The king has to ask this thing of his gods not of his men who claim to be able to understand godly inexplicable things when it suits them. How convenient are these practices astrology, magic, sorcery and such. Now I'm not saying they're all bogus- but I am saying they're all ungodly whether we want to believe it or not. God has pronounced them such and they are! People have been brought up to believe they are harmless pastimes and nothing more, but in truth they are under the control of Satan and as such even the best astrological prediction, the greatest trickery of telling the future with sorcery or magic is of the devil and evil. Harmless? Hardly! Being under the control of a being that can work his own seeming miracles and appear as an angel of light is a deadly deception way too many have fallen victim to. Here a God-less king wanted all his supernaturally controlled, his satanic controlled people, to tell him his dream and NONE dared to even believe they could because they knew their source of power wasn't directly from any that would dare commune with them in such a manner. Satan didn't know the dream so his followers couldn't know the dream, all their false gods they prayed to and worshipped could not tell them this dream and they knew it- they didn't have to think about it really because it was an impossibility and they told the king so. They wanted the king to wise up to the fact he was asking the impossible of them, but the king didn't want a bunch of powerless wise men surrounding him pretending to be special and able to use their special powers to serve him.

Dan 2:12 For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.

*Did the fact he was asking what all his wise men thought was impossible deter the king from wanting to destroy them? Nope. Just picture it, these poor deluded men who up until then felt secure in their professions were now filled with terror, they were going to be murdered by an insane king who wanted the impossible!

Dan 2:13 And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.
Dan 2:14 Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of the king's guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon:
Dan 2:15 He answered and said to Arioch the king's captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.
Dan 2:16 Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation.

*Daniel- one of the captured slaves of Israel- was among those considered especially wise and he fell into this category of victims. He would be killed. However Daniel wanted to at least know what he was being killed for because he obviously hadn't been among those in the king's presence when the decree went forth. Told everything that happened, Daniel went to the king and told him if he had time he could do as the king wanted. Imagine it, here comes an Israeli slave daring to actually tell the king he could do the impossible! All those others didn't dare even try to make up something, didn't dare pretend they could do what they claimed was impossible - because it was impossible for them and it would mean death either way for them. The only hope they probably thought they had was in all of them sticking to the fact the king wanted the impossible. Then here comes a captive from another kingdom, a slave, and he tells the king he can do this thing!

Dan 2:17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:
Dan 2:18 That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

*Obviously the king didn't have a problem with giving Daniel a little time just on the offhand chance this troubling dream could really be told to him. The king had nothing to lose by waiting a bit- either way the deaths would come- now or later if the dream was not told to him. So Daniel - wanting to save the lives of himself and his friends- fellow captives from Israel- was going to do this impossible thing. He went to his fellow captives and told them they had to desire the mercy of THE GOD OF HEAVEN. Daniel believed in the TRUE God and as such believed that if God wanted him and his companions to live that He would reveal the secret that none other could reveal.

Dan 2:19 Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

*Then Daniel had a vision in the night! God gave Daniel a vision! God blessed Daniel with the secret!

Dan 2:20 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:
Dan 2:21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:
Dan 2:22 He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.
Dan 2:23 I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king's matter.

*Amazing! Daniel praised God mightily! Such praise is wonderful! Daniel thanked God because Daniel knew it wasn't of himself that he understood things, it wasn't of him that he suddenly knew the dream it was all because of God! Daniel had no power of his own and he knew it! God reveals the deep and secret things! God knows the things in the dark because light dwells with God! All the wisdom, all the might of Daniel came directly from God and no where else! God revealed to Daniel and his companions the king's dream and interpretation doing what NO other could do even with the pain of death hanging over their heads. Our wondrous God! His will is done and He will use those who look to Him for all things!

Dan 2:24 Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him; Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will shew unto the king the interpretation.
Dan 2:25 Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus unto him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah, that will make known unto the king the interpretation.

*Ha! Arioch the captain of the king's guard told the king HE FOUND a man to tell the interpretation. Interesting. Daniel had already gone in to ask the king for time and was granted the time and now Arioch brings Daniel back to the king quickly and tells the king HE found one who could do as the king wanted. Just interesting to note this little fact. People don't hesitate to take credit for good things do they? Even when it's undeserved credit.

Dan 2:26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?

*Of course the king wanted to know if this man could do as he'd asked of all his wise men, he wasn't particularly interested in the fact the guard captain had found him- he wanted to know if what Daniel claimed he could do was in fact true.

Dan 2:27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king;

*Oh yeah! Daniel isn't going to give the interpretation to the king without letting the king know where this knowledge came from and it wasn't from any of the pagan, heathen, God-less supposed wise men filling his kingdom.

Dan 2:28 But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;

*GOD in heaven HE reveals secrets! He is going to reveal to the king what will be in the latter days! God in heaven, no where else, no other god, no other idol, no other has revealed the dream, only the God in heaven!

Dan 2:29 As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass.
Dan 2:30 But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.

*King you had a prophetic dream, this is what Daniel is telling Him. God in heaven was revealing the secrets of the future in that dream. The secrets weren't for Daniel's wisdom, the secrets weren't being revealed so Daniel could become greater than any other person. The secrets are being revealed to save lives not to exalt Daniel.

Dan 2:31 Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible.
Dan 2:32 This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,
Dan 2:33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.
Dan 2:34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.
Dan 2:35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

*Here it is… here is the dream you couldn't recall-

A great image!
A very bright great image standing in front of the king, an image whose form, whose appearance induces fear!
The image had a head of fine gold.
The image had a breast and arms of silver.
The image had a belly and thighs of brass.
The image had legs of iron.
The image had feet of iron and clay.

What an amazing conglomeration of minerals! Gold, silver, brass, iron, and clay. It's obvious from the first reading that the minerals are ordered in value- Gold being much more precious and desire, much more valuable than silver, and so on down the line ending with clay being the least valuable. There is a distinct degradation in the value of this image. If the image were all of gold it would be magnificent. That this image is such a mixture it is no wonder it's a fearful sight. No one at that time would make up such an image and expect anyone to want to purchase it and you can be sure that there were many images of many things in a culture that valued worshipping images of their gods and such. Is it any wonder it is considered horrifying. We might just call it abstract art and not take a second glance at something like this, but the time period then was far from appreciating such abstract art. No artist would dare put together a statue with such things, it just wasn't done.

There it was a terrifying image made up of five different minerals standing there when a stone was being cut from a mountain or quarry it doesn't say here but no hands cut it, no person cut this stone from rock, no stonemason was there but the stone was being cut and after it was cut the stone was thrown at the feet of the image and the feet broke into little pieces. With the feet broken to pieces there was nothing left to hold up the image and the rest of the image broke into pieces, into such small pieces the wind carried them all away. Then that stone which broke up the feet, destroying the entire image began to grow and it fill the entire earth!

What a dream! No wonder it was troubling the king to remember something to incredible. Just picture it being out of reach of recall, right there on the edges of his memory but unable to bring it out to the forefront. It was a prophetic dream holding great meaning not only for the king but for all of future mankind. This was a God-given dream of future events - an overall view of things to happen here on in and no wonder it commanded such great attention. You can bet this dream had the attention of everyone in the kingdom by this time. When a king is ready to murder his entire entourage of wise men, astrologers, soothsayers, magicians, Chaldeans it wasn't some small insignificant happenstance- this was a huge deal!

Now the interpretation!

Dan 2:36 This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.
Dan 2:37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
Dan 2:38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.

*The king himself was the golden head of the image! God had made the king prosper it wasn't just by happenstance, it wasn't by chance that the king of Babylon had such good fortune. He was this head of gold.

Dan 2:39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.

*But like that image, things change. After the head of gold there came a breast and arms of silver - an inferior kingdom. Then another kingdom after the silver one, this kingdom of brass and obviously inferior to the first and second kingdoms. These kingdoms were great kingdoms- not tiny kingdoms but kingdoms whose rule effected all the earth in some manner.

Dan 2:40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.

*Then in the image the legs were of iron, yet another very great kingdom.

Dan 2:41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.
Dan 2:42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.
Dan 2:43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.

*Then the feet- iron and clay- a mixture. Mankind would never again have a kingdom as whole as that of the fourth kingdom but it would become a mixture- the kingdoms would be divided even though through mingling (marriage) they would try to bring it together it wouldn't happen.

Dan 2:44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

*God sets up a kingdom that will never be destroy. We know that Jesus came preaching the kingdom and His kingdom will NEVER be destroyed! God's kingdom will stand forever!

Dan 2:45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

*This is the dream, this is the interpretation that the king wanted, that the king demanded from all his wise men but could not get it. None but Daniel a man who looked to the true God, could bring this knowledge to the king.

Isn't it amazing?! Truly amazing this marvelous vision. You know why it's so amazing? It's OUR history! From the time of the king of Babylon until the end when God's kingdom is all that's left. This is a tremendous overview of history but people don't want to believe it could be so. People want to pick things apart and warp them in a way God never intended. People say the Bible isn't even real and then pick up a book containing the many failed prophecies of Nostradamus and that they believe! People say the Bible is a bunch of fairy tales and fables, fiction and no more, and then they'll pick up a book by Darwin and say this man spoke truth. This prophecy alone- written thousands of years ago can prove to the spiritually discerning that what was predicated has come to pass and what's left to be revealed will happen just as all that was predicted happened- it's TRUTH! So many don't want to believe that God has a real kingdom and that they will one day either be in that kingdom or destroyed as though they never existed. People would rather grasp as some vague afterlife as their future rather than repent and be converted to Christ. People would rather indulge their ego than admit they have no right whatsoever to indulge something so perverted by sin that its worth is ONLY found in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. People will believe lies and fairy tales alright but they won't be of God.

It is proven-

Babylon was followed by Medes and Persia who were followed by the Greeks, who were followed by the Romans who were then followed by divided kingdoms never to be brought together to any great one world kingdom and never will be brought together again into such a kingdom. We live in the time of the divided kingdoms- we live in the time of the toes of iron and clay- we live in time as that stone is being cut without hands and soon will break the feet of the image ushering in God's kingdom forever!

We have the ability to look back and see history fulfilled, only those who wish to be blind will remain so. Only those who wish to have delusions will have them. Those who would much rather believe lies will do just that, they'll believe the lies as if they were truth not caring at all that they are deceived.

There is so much to prophecy and I'd like to study more of it. There is a lot unfulfilled and a lot filled and only by the grace of God may we truly understand as He would have us understand. We are to watch and pray- let us watch-let us pray because we live in the very end of time.

Being such a volatile subject I'm aware that not everyone will agree with my view and I wouldn't dream of asking anyone to believe me. I just hope and pray that as we study your Bibles will be open and you'll pray as never before to have discernment and understanding as the Holy Spirit guides into all truth, I know I'll be praying the exact same thing.


In His Grace! In His Love! By His Mercy!


Amen.

Let the dead bury their dead

Mat 8:18 Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side.


Mat 8:21 And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.


Jesus was ready to leave and those who had spent time listening to Him didn't want Him to go, so much so that they were ready to follow Him. The people knew this was a very special man, He spoke as none other had ever spoke. The hearts of the people were pricked inside their chests. The words weren't spoken offhandedly, the words weren't spoken pompously. Each word that fell from the lips of the Savior held meaning and those hearing these words of the kingdom were touched in ways they'd never been touched before. Have you ever heard a stirring message? Did you ever listen to someone and want to hear more? Perhaps an eloquent Pastor has spoken God's word in such a way you felt the need for more and wished the sermon would go on and on. So often we hear all about people falling asleep during church, children fidgeting, all the people there enduring the hour or so message out of a sense of duty. We have seldom heard of people eager to go to church, people looking forward to the time spent learning more of God, church goers actually wanting the sermon to not end. Yet here Jesus had much to say and many listeners, many who didn't want to leave the presence of the Lord. However- Jesus in His message had preached this…


Mat 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Mat 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.


Mat 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
Mat 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
Mat 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.


Mat 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.


These were the words the people listening to Jesus heard, this was all part of His glorious message.


Do you think this man was contemplating all the messages of Jesus? Or was He dazzled by the many miracles Jesus performed that day after He'd spoken?


Mat 8:16 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick


Just picture the scene- you're there right there to witness first hand the Savior healing people left and right- people you know, people you don't know. Miracle after miracle coming from this amazing, unique man! This amazing teacher speaking in such a way that you'd never heard before- with true authority. How absolutely life changing! No wonder people were telling Jesus they wanted to follow Him.


Now let's read this again--


Mat 8:21 And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.


Suffer me first to go bury my father.


The obvious is that His father has died or is dying, right? Honestly we don't know when He died, or why this man was there with Jesus when His father died. Had his father been ill and someone come to where this man was to tell him his father died? It doesn't seem too logical does it. To have a father on his death bed and not plead with Jesus to revive him- is that logical? It is suspected that the man had a very old father and though he wasn't dead the man knew that sooner than later he would die and it was his duty to remain with his father until then.


What was Jesus' reply to this man?


Mat 8:22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.


Let the dead bury their dead.


How can the dead bury the dead? The dead can't bury the dead because they are dead…but the SPIRITUALLY dead can bury the dead, yes?


Jesus would NEVER be disrespectful, or promote disrespect in a son to a father, Jesus was all about children honoring their parents. Jesus would have understood the customs of burying the dead- the old testament spoke of Abraham burying Sarah, Jacob burying Rachel, Joseph burying Jacob…


Gen 50:5 My father made me swear, saying, Lo, I die: in my grave which I have digged for me in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me. Now therefore let me go up, I pray thee, and bury my father, and I will come again.
Gen 50:6 And Pharaoh said, Go up, and bury thy father, according as he made thee swear.

Gen 50:10 And they came to the threshingfloor of Atad, which is beyond Jordan, and there they mourned with a great and very sore lamentation: and he made a mourning for his father seven days.


Yes, Jesus would know all about burying the dead and wouldn't even hint at it being wrong to burying your father, except this man's father must not have been dead- or else he wouldn't have been there listening and watching Jesus as He preached and performed miracle after miracle. The expectation of someone dying isn't the way we are to live. We should NOT live our lives around the fact that our parents will die, or that anyone we love will die. We can't let the fact of death- however old someone is, ancient or young still- impact our lives taking from us living for our Savior.


This man wanted to follow Jesus but also was living his life in the expectation of his father's death. That man had NO way to know who long his father would live. Often some of the most frail old people seem to hold on a lot longer than expected. When the man told Jesus he wanted to bury his father before following Jesus this was telling Jesus that there was something in the man's life that he put before God. I've already said that honoring your mother and father wasn't the issue here, but we aren't to put anything or anyone before following God.


Jesus even said a man was to leave his parents…


Mat 19:5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?


Jesus also had this to say…


Mat 10:33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
Mat 10:35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
Mat 10:36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
Mat 10:37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
Mat 10:38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
Mat 10:39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.


We are to love NONE above God. God first and foremost then our fellow man.


Jesus said this…


Mat 8:22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.


If we choose to let LIFE get in the way of a life with Christ we are spiritually dead! If we are spiritually dead we might as well bury the dead and not concern ourselves with following Christ as a second thought.


It's true! We have to understand this!!! We have to!


If we choose to let ANYTHING in our life get in the way of a life lived for CHRIST we are spiritually dead!


So many things will call us away from God. So many things will beckon to us with their logic, with their compassionate heart strings, with their family ties, with their allure so great it's all but impossible to resist. The devil will stop at nothing to keep us from God and he'll use anything to get us to put Jesus second in our lives, or third, or fourth…and so on just as long as we don't put Him first and foremost. Life with all its intricate little and big ways will interfere at every turn. Just when we are choosing God first life will throw another curveball at us and when we are hit by that curveball it will be with the intention of knocking us out of the game, out of a life with Christ truly being first.


Let the dead bury their dead. Choose to be among the living, for we are only really alive in Christ! As long as Christ is first in all that we do in life we are living! Whenever we choose to do anything without Christ first we are dead- spiritually dead.


Let the dead bury their dead.


By the grace and mercy of our Savior may we not be among the dead burying their dead!


In His love, in His righteousness, in His kingdom!


Amen!