Participants:
Series Code: TMC
Program Code: TMC000002A
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00:12 Father in heaven,
00:15 tonight as we look 00:18 at how You have revealed in Your Word 00:23 the history of mankind. 00:27 As we see with what accuracy 00:30 You have predicted the events 00:32 long before they ever took place. 00:36 We pray that You will help us 00:40 to realize and to understand and to believe. 00:46 May we place faith in You, 00:50 give us the wisdom and the understanding 00:52 that we need to see, 00:57 to grasp the things that are revealed. 01:01 And may our hearts be open, may they be soft. 01:04 May they be prepared 01:06 for the dwelling of the Holy Spirit 01:08 in our lives, 01:09 for this we ask in Christ's name. 01:12 Amen. 01:20 If you turn to the Book of Revelation, 01:23 the 17th Chapter of the Book of Revelation, 01:27 you'll find that it says this in verse 12. 01:31 "The ten horns which you saw are ten kings 01:34 who have received no kingdom as yet." 01:38 Now this is Revelation the 17th Chapter, folks. 01:41 This is coming right down to the end of God's Word. 01:46 And he's talking here about ten kings 01:49 that have received no kingdom as yet. 01:53 Goes on and says, 01:55 "But they receive authority for one hour 01:58 as kings with the beast." 02:01 So these ten kings 02:03 who have received no kingdom as yet 02:05 but they're going to receive a kingdom. 02:08 And it says, when they do receive the kingdom, 02:10 they're going to rule for one hour with the beast. 02:14 So what we need to find out this evening is, 02:17 who are these ten kings? 02:20 We need to establish who those two kings, 02:22 those ten kings are, 02:24 and what meaning does it have to you and me today, 02:27 that's what we need to establish tonight 02:30 because those ten kings you're going to find out 02:32 are very, very important. 02:36 In fact, they affect your life today in my life 02:41 and it says that they've received no kingdom, 02:44 but they are going to receive the kingdom 02:47 in their rule for one hour 02:49 as kings with the beast and as we study, 02:52 we're going to find out exactly 02:53 who all these different characters 02:55 that I mentioned to you are. 02:57 We're going to find out who these ten kings are. 03:00 We're going to find out who this beast is. 03:02 We're going to put all those things in place 03:05 so that you'll recognize them, 03:06 and you'll know exactly who they are. 03:09 Scripture tells us here in the Book of Daniel, 03:12 we're taking a look at the Book of Daniel tonight, 03:14 that you and I can recognize those individuals, 03:18 those characters 03:19 we'll be able to see who they are. 03:21 But there's a lot of people 03:22 as we've moved into the 21st century 03:25 that kind of feel like 03:27 the world is out of control, they end, 03:29 really all you have to do is 03:31 take a look at the television or the newspaper 03:35 or dwell on some of those things. 03:37 And I guess you could say, from a human standpoint, 03:41 it's out of control, 03:43 but it is not out of control as far as God is concerned. 03:49 Listen to these words. 03:54 Acts 17:26, 03:56 "And He has made from one blood every nation of men 04:00 who dwell on the face of the earth." 04:02 So it says that God has made all mankind from one blood. 04:05 Watch carefully. 04:08 "He has determined their preappointed times." 04:14 It's made all, every individual. 04:16 But it says that God has predetermined 04:20 their appointed times. 04:23 "And the boundaries of their dwellings." 04:28 God has done that. 04:30 He's the one that establishes when someone comes to power 04:34 and when they don't. 04:36 He's the one that establishes what their boundaries are. 04:39 You and I think that they get together 04:40 and they decide what the boundaries 04:42 of one nation is after another. 04:44 No, it says that God decides that, 04:47 that takes place with God. 04:49 He's the one that declares that. 04:51 And so you and I begin to see 04:53 that the world may be out of control 04:55 as far as man is concerned, 04:57 but it's not out of control as far as God is concerned. 05:02 The Bible talks of a king by the name of Nebuchadnezzar. 05:09 Nebuchadnezzar 05:12 is the leading monarch of the world 05:14 at this time in history. 05:16 There's no king as great as Nebuchadnezzar at this time. 05:21 He is the greatest of all kings. 05:23 And it says that one night 05:26 he had a dream, 05:28 that dream made a profound impression 05:31 upon Nebuchadnezzar. 05:33 And when he woke up the next morning, 05:35 he knew that he had had a very, very important dream. 05:38 But for the life of him, he couldn't recall it, 05:42 tried but he couldn't recall it 05:44 but yet he knew it was important. 05:47 And so he called in all of his wise men, 05:51 called them in and told them that he had had a dream, 05:54 he knew it was important 05:56 and for them to tell him what he dreamed. 06:00 Now what you got to understand, folks, 06:02 is these wise men that he's called in, 06:05 they're specialists, 06:07 they're specialists in interpreting dreams. 06:10 In fact, as they have done excavations 06:13 over in that part of the world, 06:15 they have found whole libraries 06:17 that didn't deal with anything other than dreams. 06:22 They studied dreams, they looked at dreams, 06:24 they were specialist in this. 06:26 And so he called them in and said, 06:28 "Tell me, tell me what I dreamed?" 06:32 And they said, "Well, king, you tell us what you dreamed 06:36 and we'll tell you what it means." 06:39 Nebuchadnezzar said, "I'll tell you what, 06:42 you tell me what I dreamed 06:43 and then I know for sure you can tell me what it means." 06:48 And they said, "King, the gods up in heaven 06:51 wouldn't even make such a request." 06:53 They said, "There's no way for us to tell you 06:57 what you dreamed, 06:58 you tell us then, what's your dream, 07:00 we'll tell you the interpretation." 07:02 And the more they talked, 07:04 the madder Nebuchadnezzar became. 07:08 In fact, finally he became so angry, 07:11 he said, "Kill them all. 07:14 They are of no value to me, 07:15 they're nothing but a bunch of pawns, 07:17 get rid of the whole bunch." 07:19 And thus the scripture reads. 07:21 "So the decree went out 07:23 and they began killing the wise men." 07:26 I mean, he sent out decree and said, 07:28 "Get rid of all of them." 07:30 And they went out, started killing the wise men. 07:35 "And they sought Daniel and his companions 07:37 to kill them." 07:39 Well, you see Nebuchadnezzar when he had gone down 07:43 and had overthrown Israel, 07:46 he had the captain of his guard 07:48 get about 70 of the young men of Israel, 07:51 intelligent young men 07:54 and had them brought back to Babylon 07:57 to study there in the courts 07:58 to serve in the court of the king 08:00 as wise men. 08:03 Four of these young men were special, 08:05 their names was Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. 08:09 They were very, very special. 08:12 They had been found to be 10 times wiser 08:17 than all the other wise men of Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom. 08:22 But when Nebuchadnezzar called in his wise men, 08:25 he didn't call them in because they were young, 08:29 they were novices, they were just starting. 08:32 You know how that goes, don't you? 08:34 Huh? 08:35 Well, I remember before I went away to school, 08:37 they said, "You got to go get an education." 08:41 They said, "If you want to do anything, 08:43 you've got to get an education." 08:45 So I said, "Okay." 08:47 And I went, went to school, got an education 08:52 and then when I got out of college, 08:54 got through with my education, 08:56 got out in the field, you know what they said, 08:59 they said, "Well, you really, 09:00 you can't do anything till you get some experience. 09:04 You got to have experience 09:05 if you're going to be able to do anything." 09:07 And so then I said, "Okay." 09:09 And then when I got the experience 09:11 they said, "Oh, you're too old." 09:14 Ain't that the way that goes, you know? 09:16 So they didn't bring in these young men, 09:18 they were novices, they were just too young, 09:21 but when Nebuchadnezzar gave their decree 09:23 to kill all of them, he included them. 09:26 And so they sought Daniel and his companions 09:29 to kill them. 09:30 Now, Daniel did something 09:35 that you and I need to look at very, very careful 09:40 because Daniel asked if he could have time to pray. 09:46 Now, folks, let me tell you something, 09:49 there's nothing as strong in the Christian life 09:52 as prayer. 09:54 Amen. 09:55 More will be accomplished by prayer 09:57 than you and I ever dreamed of. 10:01 And so Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, 10:04 they got together 10:06 and they prayed that God would reveal to them 10:10 what Nebuchadnezzar had seen in his dream. 10:14 And God did just that. 10:16 Showed them what Nebuchadnezzar had seen in this dream. 10:19 And then when they got through with that, 10:23 you know what happened. 10:25 Well, Daniel ran in 10:27 and told the king what he had seen, right? 10:29 No, no, when they got through praying 10:33 and God revealed to them what Nebuchadnezzar had seen, 10:37 then they took time to thank the Lord. 10:42 Let me tell you something, 10:44 the other thing in the Christian life 10:45 that is extremely powerful is praise, to praise God. 10:50 I want you to listen to Daniel. 10:52 This is what he's saying. 10:55 Daniel 2:20, 10:56 "Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, 10:59 for wisdom and might are His." 11:02 See he's praising God for what He's done, 11:05 he says wisdom and might is Yours. 11:08 "And He changes the times and the..." 11:12 What? 11:13 "Changes the times and the seasons." 11:16 God's the one that does that. 11:18 He changes the times and the seasons. 11:20 "He removes kings and raises up kings." 11:25 Oh, you thought you did that, didn't you? 11:27 Huh? 11:29 You thought you were the one 11:30 that elected presidents of the country. 11:33 Sorry, it's God that raises up kings 11:37 and takes them down. 11:39 You and I might think, 11:42 but God is the one that controls that, 11:44 He sets up kings and He takes them down. 11:48 Daniel is thanking God for this. 11:50 "He gives wisdom to the wise, 11:53 knowledge to those who have understanding." 11:56 And so he thanks God for what He has done 11:59 and He has showed to them, the dream. 12:02 Now, Daniel is going to go in before King Nebuchadnezzar 12:07 and tell him what he saw in his dream. 12:12 Daniel 2:27, 12:14 "Daniel answered in the presence of the king, 12:16 and said, 'The secret which the king has commanded, 12:22 the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, 12:25 and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king.'" 12:28 He said, King, you have all these wise men, 12:32 all these magicians, all these soothsayers, 12:35 all these, can't they tell you what you dreamed. 12:40 Hey, because they're experts, 12:43 they're experts in dreams. 12:48 "But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, 12:51 and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar 12:55 what will be in the latter days." 12:58 He said, I can't either. 13:01 I don't have any more knowledge than any of the rest, 13:04 Nebuchadnezzar. 13:05 But there's a God up in heaven that reveals secrets. 13:10 He has made known to the king what's going to be in the, 13:15 when? 13:17 Latter days. 13:19 That's talking about the time in which you and I are living. 13:22 The day in which you and I are living. 13:24 The latter days. 13:26 He has revealed what is to take place, 13:30 your dream and the vision of your head upon your bed 13:34 were these. 13:35 Now watch as he reveals exactly what King Nebuchadnezzar saw. 13:41 Tells him in absolute detail what he saw in vision. 13:47 "You, O king, were watching, and behold, a great image! 13:53 The image whose splendor was excellent, 13:56 stood before you, and its form was awesome." 14:02 So now here stands this great image. 14:05 Nebuchadnezzar now 14:07 it all comes back in vivid color to him 14:10 as he sees this great image that was awesome. 14:14 Let's see what the image is like. 14:17 "The image's head was of fine gold, 14:21 its chest and its arms of silver, 14:23 its belly and its thighs of bronze, 14:27 its legs of iron, 14:29 its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. 14:34 You watched while a stone was cut out without hands." 14:39 There stands that image. 14:41 All of a sudden here is a stone that is cut out without hands, 14:46 "Which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, 14:50 and broke them to pieces. 14:53 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, 14:55 and the gold were crushed together, 14:58 and became like chaff 14:59 from the summer's threshing floors, 15:02 the wind carried them away 15:03 so that no trace of them was found. 15:08 The stone struck the image became a great mountain 15:11 and filled the whole earth." 15:16 This is the dream, that's what Nebuchadnezzar saw. 15:19 This is the dream 15:21 Nebuchadnezzar now can remember it, 15:23 all that he saw and then he says 15:25 now we will tell the interpretation 15:27 before the king. 15:29 So now, 15:31 Daniel not only told him what he's seen, 15:34 he said, "Now I'm going to tell you what it means." 15:38 Now this dream deals with what, folks? 15:43 What? 15:44 Latter days. Latter days. 15:47 Okay. 15:48 So you've got to understand, 15:50 we're not studying just any prophecy, 15:52 we're studying a prophecy 15:53 that deals with the latter days, 15:55 the days in which you and I are living. 15:58 So you need to watch carefully 16:00 because God's Word is very, very important 16:05 when it reveals to us things that are going to take place. 16:10 So he tells King Nebuchadnezzar, 16:13 this is what he saw. 16:16 "You, O king are a king of kings. 16:18 For the God of heaven hath given you a kingdom, 16:20 power, strength, and glory. 16:23 And wherever the children of men dwell, 16:25 or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven. 16:29 He has given into your hand, 16:30 and has made you ruler over them all, 16:34 you are this head of gold." 16:39 Very, very clear. No question. 16:41 He said, "Nebuchadnezzar, you are this head of gold." 16:48 You see the kingdom of Babylon lasted 70 years. 16:53 That's all it lasted was 70 years. 16:56 Of those 70 years, 16:57 Nebuchadnezzar ruled 40 of them. 17:00 So he said, "Nebuchadnezzar, you are this head of gold." 17:06 Nebuchadnezzar was one of the greatest generals 17:10 that the world has ever known. 17:12 He never, never once did he ever lose a battle, 17:17 not once. 17:19 And because of all the places 17:21 that he conquered and overthrew, 17:23 he took the money, 17:24 the gold that he gathered from all over the world 17:27 and he lavished that upon the city of Babylon. 17:31 Babylon came into existence in 605 BC 17:37 and lasted to 539 BC, 17:42 that was the time that it lasted. 17:44 Babylon, this head of gold. 17:47 The city of Babylon became known worldwide. 17:53 Great, great city that Nebuchadnezzar had built. 17:56 This is where one of the seven miracles of the world, 18:00 the seven hanging gardens. 18:02 You see, Nebuchadnezzar's wife was from the plains. 18:07 Excuse me, Babylon is set on the plains. 18:10 Nebuchadnezzar's wife was from the mountain country. 18:13 And so he had built for her those seven hanging gardens 18:17 to remind her of her mountain home 18:20 where she grew up as a child. 18:22 And so it's one of the great wonders of the world, 18:24 but Nebuchadnezzar had taken 18:26 and he had lavished upon this city 18:29 all kinds of thing. 18:30 The city was huge. 18:33 Around the city was walls. 18:36 The walls around the city of Babylon 18:39 were thick enough 18:40 that you could race two chariots side by side 18:43 around the top of the wall. 18:45 The city was looked upon 18:46 as being impossible to overthrow. 18:51 They could close the gates to the city 18:54 and historians tell us 18:56 they had enough food inside the city 18:59 to last them for 40 years. 19:02 So as far as overthrowing it, impossible. 19:07 Here God has given Nebuchadnezzar a vision 19:10 and He said, "You are this head of gold." 19:14 Nebuchadnezzar had built that city 19:16 and he never wanted that city ever to come to an end. 19:21 In fact, 19:23 as they have done excavations over in Babylon, 19:27 they found tablet like this with writing on it. 19:33 This is what that tablet said, folks. 19:38 "Babylon, 19:40 the city which is the delight of my eyes, 19:44 which I have glorified: may it last forever." 19:50 Nebuchadnezzar since want that city to ever end, 19:53 he said maybe it'll last forever. 19:57 But now we just studied 19:59 and it says that God is the one that raises up 20:02 kings and takes them down, right? 20:05 He's the one that sets their preappointed borders. 20:09 God does that. 20:13 Now I don't know all of you yet, 20:15 I hope by the grace of God 20:17 we'll have a chance to get better acquainted 20:19 with each one of you. 20:20 But if there's some of you here tonight 20:23 or if there's some of you out there that are watching 20:26 in homes around the world, 20:28 and there's some of you 20:29 that have questions about the Word of God. 20:31 There may be some of you 20:33 that think this book is a good book. 20:37 There may be some of you here tonight that say, 20:39 "Well, it's a good book of morals." 20:42 It is. 20:44 And there may be some of you saying, 20:45 "Well, it's a good book of history." 20:47 It is. 20:49 And there may be some of you that saying, "Well, it's a, 20:51 it's a good book of literature." 20:54 It is. 20:56 But it's more than that, much more than that. 20:59 This book is divine. 21:01 Amen. 21:03 This book is divine. 21:05 If you don't think it isn't, 21:07 then I want you to listen to this prophecy 21:10 in Isaiah about the city of Babylon. 21:13 Listen to what it says about it 21:14 because Babylon lies in ruins tonight 21:17 and there's a man over there by the name of Saddam Hussein 21:21 that doesn't understand this book. 21:24 And he keeps thinking that he can do something 21:28 that the scripture says he can't do. 21:31 See, he keeps seeing that maybe 21:34 there is a possibility for Babylon to come back. 21:41 Scripture says it won't happen. 21:42 Listen. 21:45 This is the ruins of Babylon today, 21:48 this is what it says about it. 21:52 "And Babylon, the glory of the kingdoms, 21:54 the beauty of the Chaldeans' pride, 21:58 will be as when God overthrew 22:01 Sodom and Gomorrah." 22:05 Said Babylon will be like Sodom and Gomorrah, 22:08 he doesn't stop there, he becomes very, very clear. 22:14 "It will never be inhabited, it will never be inhabited, 22:21 nor will it be settled from generation to generation, 22:25 nor will the Arabian pitch their tents there, 22:28 nor will the shepherds make their sheepfolds there." 22:32 He said, "The city is going to be in ruins, 22:34 it's never going to be inhabited." 22:36 He said, "The shepherds won't even stay there." 22:40 "But wild beasts of the desert will lie there, 22:43 and their house will be full of owls, 22:47 ostriches will dwell there, 22:48 and wild goats will caper there." 22:51 Dear friend, 22:52 if you don't believe in this book 22:54 and you don't believe that it's inspired, 22:56 that it's divine, 22:57 then you need to answer this prophecy 22:59 in Isaiah the 13th Chapter. 23:02 You better know, 23:05 you better know something that you and I as humans 23:09 don't know when you say 23:10 that city will never be inhabited. 23:14 God said that concerning Babylon, 23:17 the glory, the Chaldees, 23:19 their pride would never be inhabited. 23:25 But the dream doesn't stop there, 23:28 God continues on. 23:30 And He says to Nebuchadnezzar, "But after you, 23:34 after you Nebuchadnezzar 23:36 shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours." 23:40 Oh, he said Nebuchadnezzar, 23:42 "There's going to come another kingdom 23:44 and it's going to rise 23:45 and it's going to be inferior to yours," 23:47 just the same as silver is inferior to gold. 23:53 Okay. 23:54 So he said, "The next kingdom would be inferior." 23:56 And, dear friend, 23:58 remember tonight it's God that raises up kings, 24:04 it's God that takes them down. 24:06 Because the next kingdom that came on the scene 24:09 of action was the kingdom of Medo-Persia. 24:13 Medo-Persia overthrew Babylon in 539 BC 24:20 and it lasted or went to 331 BC. 24:27 There's a general of the Medes and Persians, 24:31 his name is Cyrus. 24:35 Cyrus has gathered the Medes and Persians together. 24:38 Now, folks, listen, 24:40 this is a coalition of two powers, 24:43 this is the Medes and the Persians, 24:45 they've come together, 24:47 that's why this image has two arms of silver 24:50 because you've got two nations that are coming together 24:53 to make one power. 24:54 Unfortunately, 24:56 that's why in your history books 24:57 when you went to school, 24:59 it was called the Persian kingdom 25:01 because the Persians were stronger than the Medes, 25:04 but that was really a coalition of two powers, 25:07 the Medes and the Persians. 25:09 Cyrus brought them together. 25:12 Cyrus took his army 25:14 and they marched on the city of Babylon. 25:18 Okay. 25:20 They closed all the gates to the city of Babylon 25:24 that people even went up on top of the wall 25:27 and threw food to Cyrus and laughed at him 25:31 'cause the city could not be taken. 25:35 Now if there's some of you still 25:38 that are not really convinced that this book is divine. 25:44 If you're having trouble really believing that this is a book 25:47 that you can put your trust in, 25:49 that this is a book that you can put your confidence in 25:52 and you can say, I can believe it, 25:53 I can follow it, I can trust it, 25:55 I can build my confidence on this book. 25:58 If you're having trouble that way tonight, 26:01 then listen to this. 26:03 Isaiah 45:1. 26:08 God calls, 26:10 God calls Cyrus by name, listen to me, folks, 26:16 150 years before he was born. 26:22 Calls him by name 150 years before he's born 26:26 not only calls him by name but he tells exactly 26:30 how he will overthrow the city of Babylon. 26:32 It's God that sets up kings and God that takes them down. 26:36 Listen to this. 26:38 "Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus," 26:41 there's his name. 26:42 "Whose right hand I have held to subdue nations before him 26:48 and to loose the armor of kings," listen. 26:52 "To open before him the double doors, 26:55 so that the gates will not be shut." 26:59 Exactly what he said he was going to do. 27:02 They crawled up on the wall, 27:04 they threw food to Cyrus and laughed at him. 27:08 Cyrus took his men, 27:10 marched down the Euphrates River, 27:12 the Euphrates River, folks, 27:14 flows right through the middle of the city of Babylon, 27:18 you can see it here. 27:20 Flows right through the heart of the city of Babylon, 27:23 they had built walls down each side 27:26 of the Euphrates River 27:29 so that there was no way that people could get into it. 27:33 Cyrus took his men, 27:34 they marched down the Euphrates River 27:36 and at a selected spot 27:38 he had his men begin to dig canals. 27:42 Now let me tell you how worried the people in Babylon were. 27:46 Cyrus sent out a spy 27:49 and he found out that on a certain night 27:52 that they were going to have a great big party. 27:55 Now here Cyrus is surrounding, 27:57 they know they're under siege and what are they doing? 28:01 They're partying. 28:03 Having a great big party. 28:05 Cyrus decides that that night he will take the city. 28:08 He has his men break the dykes of those canals, 28:11 divert the Euphrates River into those canals 28:14 and he and his men 28:15 marched up the muddy bottom of the Euphrates River, 28:20 the gates, the two leave gates, 28:22 the doors that opened from the river into to the city 28:27 that guards were drunk. 28:29 And the gates were open. 28:31 And just as the scripture prophesied, 28:33 Cyrus and his men 28:35 marched through those gates into the city and took it 28:37 as God said he would. 28:40 Thus God sets up kingdoms and takes them down. 28:44 He is the one who is control, but it doesn't stop there. 28:50 It says, "Then another, a third kingdom of bronze, 28:54 shall rule over the earth." 28:57 Third kingdom of bronze now is going to rule. 29:01 When the great phenomenas of history takes place, folks, 29:05 probably one of the greatest generals 29:07 the world has ever known 29:09 by the name of Alexander the Great. 29:13 The Grecian Empire, 29:15 Greece overthrew 29:18 Medo-Persia in 331 BC. 29:22 Greece is going to last to 168 BC. 29:27 Alexander the Great met Darius of the Medes 29:32 and Persians on the plains of Arbela, 331 BC. 29:37 Listen, Darius, 29:39 the Medes and Persians has 1 million men. 29:46 Alexander the Great has 40,000. 29:52 And Alexander the Great 29:54 instituted a new type of warfare 29:58 and overthrew Darius. 30:01 Just as God said, 30:03 under the leadership of Alexander the Great 30:06 he took his army now. 30:08 Young man and marched them 30:11 for seven years without ever going home, 30:15 they took everything that their hand touched. 30:19 When it says that he would rule over the earth, 30:22 Alexander the Great's kingdom 30:24 was indeed that it ruled the earth. 30:27 Marched him clear to the borders 30:29 of the country of India. 30:32 And thus the scripture says that the third kingdom 30:34 of bronze would rule. 30:37 But then it continues, it says this, 30:40 one historian had this to say about Alexander the Great, 30:45 "I am persuaded that there was no nation, city, 30:49 nor people then in being whether his name did not reach, 30:55 there seems to me to have been some..." 30:59 What? 31:00 "Divine hand presiding both over his birth 31:05 and his actions." 31:07 You see, God called him into existence. 31:13 Three kingdoms. 31:15 Scripture speaks of a fourth one. 31:19 Daniel 2:40. 31:22 "And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, 31:25 inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces 31:27 and scatters everything, 31:29 and like iron that crushes the kingdom 31:31 and will break in pieces and crush all the others." 31:35 So it speaks of this fourth kingdom, 31:38 the fourth kingdom that is to rule was pagan Rome. 31:42 Rome overthrew Greece 168 BC. 31:48 God referred to it as the iron kingdom of Rome, 31:53 it crushed everything that was before it. 31:57 This is the power, folks, 31:59 that is ruling at the time Jesus was born. 32:03 'Cause you remember it was the decree 32:05 of Caesar Augustus that sent Joseph and Mary 32:09 to Bethlehem to pay their taxes. 32:12 You remember it's the same power 32:15 that's ruling at the time Jesus died 32:17 because it was a Roman soldier 32:19 that stuck the spear in his side. 32:21 It's was a Roman soldier that put the crown of thorns 32:23 on His head. 32:25 Rome, Rome ruled from 168 BC 32:30 to 476 AD ruling longer 32:34 than any other kingdom. 32:37 At that time, the iron monarchy of Rome, 32:40 a historian by the name of Gibbon 32:43 had this to say about it. 32:45 "The image of gold, silver, or brass, 32:47 that might serve to represent the nations and their kings, 32:52 were successively broken by the iron monarchy of Rome." 32:57 Now... 33:01 If you and I were writing history 33:04 and we said there would be this kingdom, 33:06 and this kingdom, and this kingdom, 33:08 and this there'd be four kings, 33:10 we probably would have said there would have been a fifth. 33:13 See, but God can't keep telling you, 33:16 God's the one that says what happens. 33:19 So watch. 33:23 "Whereas you saw the feet and toes..." 33:25 Now you're understanding what we've done, don't you? 33:27 We're coming down that image and we've come all the way 33:30 from the head, clear down to where? 33:33 Feet and the toes. 33:35 Let me ask you something. 33:36 What is there after feet and toes? 33:40 Huh? 33:42 Nothing. 33:43 Okay, we're down to the end, get it clear. 33:46 We're down to the feet and toes. 33:49 "Whereas you saw the feet and toes, 33:51 partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, 33:53 the kingdom shall be divided." 33:59 Here we've had four kingdoms and now God all of a sudden 34:01 says that's it, 34:03 from this time on the kingdom is going to be divided. 34:07 Friend, go back, read your history. 34:10 That's exactly what happened. 34:13 Do you understand what we're saying here tonight? 34:15 I'm studying with you from the Book of Daniel. 34:19 Okay. 34:20 Do you know when the Book of Daniel was written? 34:23 Back around 500 BC. 34:27 Do you know what we're talking about now? 34:29 We're talking about Rome backing down in 476 AD. 34:35 I mean, here's over a thousand years. 34:38 And God has predicted with absolute accuracy, 34:42 everything that has taken place. 34:45 Thousand years before it happens here. 34:48 Okay. 34:50 The kingdom shall be divided. 34:53 "Yet the strength of iron shall be in it, 34:56 just as you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay." 34:59 So he said the kingdom is going to be divided. 35:01 It's going to be like iron and it's going to be like clay. 35:07 "And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron 35:10 and partly of clay, 35:12 so the kingdom shall be partly strong 35:14 and partly fragile." 35:19 Kingdom going to be divided, 35:21 Rome, you ever read about Rome. 35:27 Rome is responsible for civilization, folks. 35:32 Up until the time that Rome was there, 35:36 civilization didn't advance very much. 35:39 Rome is the one that came in and made the waterways safe, 35:43 they're the ones that made the road safe, 35:46 they made it possible for people to travel, 35:49 their soldiers marched down the road carrying plaques 35:52 that said Pax Romana, Pax Romana, Roman peace. 35:57 They were ones to let civilization 36:00 spread across the world, they ruled. 36:04 And God says, "Now it's going to be divided." 36:09 What happened? 36:11 One of the great phenomenon of history. 36:14 When all of a sudden great masses of people 36:18 all move at one time, they were called barbarians. 36:23 They were known as the Goths. 36:26 They were tribes of people 36:28 and they moved down on the Roman Empire 36:32 and broke it apart, broke it to pieces. 36:35 They were such tribes as the Anglo-Saxons, 36:40 the Franks, the Herulis, the Vandals, the Burgundies, 36:44 all these different tribes moved down on the Roman Empire 36:48 and broke it into pieces. 36:52 Now, now you and I become involved, okay? 36:59 Because these ten Germanic tribes, 37:04 they came down and broke up the Roman Empire. 37:08 And by the way did you notice, 37:10 did you notice as we were studying 37:12 that that image had two legs? 37:16 Did you know that Rome was made of two divisions? 37:19 Eastern and western Rome. 37:22 That's why the image has two legs, two legs of iron. 37:26 Okay. 37:27 They came down and they ran 37:29 over the Roman Empire and broke it up. 37:32 And those Germanic tribes 37:34 became the nations of Western Europe today. 37:39 You see the Alamanni became the Germans, 37:45 the Burgundies became the Swiss, 37:48 the Franks became the French, 37:50 the Lombards became the Italians, 37:52 the Saxons became the English, 37:54 the Suevi, Portuguese and the Visigoths, the Spanish. 37:58 You notice there's three there. 38:01 Heruli, Vandals and Ostrogoths that were destroyed. 38:07 On Wednesday night, 38:09 I'll tell you why they were destroyed 38:12 and when they were destroyed. 38:13 God's Word tells you that very, very clear, 38:17 so you don't want to miss that 38:18 when we talk about the rise of the antichrist 38:22 on Wednesday night. 38:24 It'll tell you why they were destroyed. 38:26 But these became the nations of Western Europe. 38:29 Okay. 38:31 Now let's take the scripture farther 38:32 and see what it tells us here. 38:34 "As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, 38:38 they will mingle with the seed of men." 38:42 Now I need you tonight to remember that phrase. 38:45 They will mingle with the seed of men. 38:48 We're going to come back to that. 38:49 Said as you saw iron mixed with clay, 38:51 they will mingle with the seed of men. 38:54 "But they will not adhere to one another, 38:57 just as iron does not mix with clay." 39:00 So God said, "They're going to try, 39:03 they're going to try to unite the kingdom back together 39:06 but it will not adhere." 39:10 Well, you remember your history, 39:12 don't you? 39:15 These Germanic tribes 39:16 moved down on the Roman Empire, broke it up 476 AD. 39:21 It's not too many years after that until a man comes 39:26 to rule by the name of Charlemagne, 39:29 he's that little fellow right up at the top. 39:32 Charlemagne decides that he's going to establish 39:35 his Holy Roman Empire. 39:39 That he's going to bring all of Rome back together, 39:43 that was his ambition, that's what he wanted to do. 39:48 A historian said of Charlemagne that his empire wasn't holy, 39:53 it wasn't Roman and it wasn't an empire 39:57 'cause he wanted to do that but he died 40:00 a disappointed man not able to do it. 40:04 Do you know why he couldn't do it? 40:07 Do you know why he couldn't do? 40:10 'Cause God said he couldn't. 40:12 Amen. I mean, that's very simple. 40:14 God just said no, 40:15 the kingdoms going to be divided. 40:17 But we don't learn very quick, folks. 40:20 You know, we don't many times we read what it says 40:23 and we say, well, that really couldn't be true, 40:27 and so we move a few more years 40:29 and we come to this fellow right up here 40:31 by the name of Charles V. 40:33 And Charles V decides 40:35 he's going to unite all of Europe back together, 40:39 launched Europe into a bloodbath 40:43 but was never able to bring it back together. 40:46 Died without seeing his dream fulfilled. 40:49 Then we come to another man in history, 40:53 one by the name of Louie XIV of France, 40:56 you ever read in history about his famous sunrise kingdom? 41:01 Louie was a very interesting character. 41:03 He was going to bring all of Europe back together. 41:06 Louie was a very, very fancy dresser. 41:09 He really liked to dress. 41:11 You remember a few years back, quite a few years back now 41:15 when they had these shoes 41:16 that had very thick soles on them 41:18 and real tall heels on, remember that? 41:20 People wore that they thought that was the latest fashion. 41:23 Well, it wasn't, Louie wore them back then. 41:25 So it'd been around a long time, 41:27 but Louie was not able to get his sunrise kingdom together, 41:32 died without seeing it fulfilled 41:34 because God said kingdoms going to be divided. 41:39 This brings us 41:41 to probably one of the greatest military geniuses 41:44 the world has ever known. 41:47 Napoleon Bonaparte. 41:50 Napoleon decides that he is going to unite Europe. 41:56 And I mean he's set out to do just that. 42:00 To unite all of Europe back together. 42:04 Do you know what defeated Napoleon? 42:08 You know what defeated him? 42:10 I know some of you are saying, "Oh, yes, 42:11 I know the Duke of Wellington at Waterloo." 42:15 No, that didn't what defeated Napoleon. 42:18 What defeated Napoleon 42:20 was something very, very small. 42:23 It's called a snowflake. 42:26 That's what defeated him. 42:27 You see Napoleon took his army and marched them into Russia. 42:30 And in a matter of a few months 42:32 they were in Moscow and had it in flames. 42:35 And it looked like 42:36 there was nothing that could stop Napoleon. 42:40 And then he took his army 42:41 and they started to leave Russia 42:43 and it snowed, and it snowed, and it snowed 42:48 and the temperature dropped lower, and lower, 42:52 and lower until almost 42:54 half of Napoleon's army froze to death. 42:59 And his army was in no physical condition 43:03 to meet the Duke of Wellington at Waterloo 43:05 because it's God that sets them up, 43:08 it's God that takes them down. 43:11 Now, okay, some of you here till tonight 43:14 are struggling and you're saying, 43:16 "Well, I'm not real sure I can, 43:19 I can put everything, all my confidence in this book, 43:23 I'm not real sure of that that I can do that." 43:26 Then let me share something else with you. 43:29 You see this man here. 43:32 His name is Kaiser Wilhelm. 43:36 He's the emperor of Germany. 43:40 Okay. 43:42 It says they would mingle with the seed of men, 43:48 remember that text? 43:49 They would mingle to see, 43:50 that's an old English term, folks. 43:52 It means they would intermarry, that's what it means. 43:56 They would intermarry 43:58 trying to bring the kingdom back together. 44:02 Now if you don't believe what this book says, 44:05 then let me ask you to do something. 44:08 Go to the library, by the way 44:11 you won't have any trouble getting in, 44:13 it's not overcrowded. 44:15 Okay. 44:16 You can get in without any trouble 44:17 and look it up, 44:19 you'll find at the time of Kaiser Wilhelm 44:23 every, every king, 44:25 every queen of Europe was related. 44:30 They had intermarried all of them 44:33 until they were all related 44:34 so that one historian 44:36 when he talked about the World War I, 44:38 he said the World War I wasn't anything 44:40 but a great big family argument. 44:42 And that's pretty true. 44:45 As God said they would intermarry 44:47 trying to bring it all back together 44:49 but they couldn't. 44:51 And as the World War I was coming in to an end 44:54 and people were dancing in the streets of Europe. 44:57 In the mind of a young paperhanger 44:59 was dancing visions of a thousand year Reich, 45:03 his name was Adolf Hitler. 45:06 Adolf Hitler decided that he wouldn't just rule Europe, 45:11 he would rule the world 45:14 and set out to bring all the world 45:18 under his thousand-year Reich. 45:21 Now, dear friends, 45:23 I could tell you many, many stories 45:25 about the hand of God and how... 45:28 What took place during the World War II 45:31 that God said the kingdom would be divided, 45:34 it would not be united 45:35 and because of the hand of God that is exactly what happened. 45:41 'Cause God said it would be that way. 45:44 Okay. 45:46 So what I've taken you 45:47 is we started with that head of gold 45:49 and we've come all the way down here 45:51 and now we're in the feet and toes. 45:54 Now listen carefully, 45:57 "And in the days of..." 46:01 What? 46:02 "These kings. 46:04 In the days of these kings 46:06 the God of heaven will set up a kingdom." 46:08 That's in the days of Germany, England, France. 46:12 In the days of these kings 46:14 we've talked about 46:15 the God of heaven is going to set up a kingdom, 46:18 "Which shall never be destroyed, 46:20 and the kingdom shall not be left to other people." 46:23 So in the days of these ten kings, 46:25 the ten toes referred to there in Daniel. 46:29 All right. 46:30 "Now it shall break in pieces 46:34 and consume all of these kingdoms, 46:36 and it shall stand forever." 46:38 So it says that God's kingdom 46:40 is going to come in the days of this kingdom, 46:42 these kingdoms 46:44 and it's going to break them into pieces 46:45 and it will stand forever. 46:50 Now follow me, 46:53 "As the toes of the feet 46:55 were partly of iron and partly of clay, 46:57 so the kingdom shall be partly strong 46:58 and partly fragile." 47:01 All right, now 47:02 I'm going to Daniel the 7th Chapter, folks. 47:05 We've established that those ten toes 47:07 are ten kings right down here at the end of time. 47:11 Now listen carefully, "The ten horns are..." 47:16 What? 47:18 "Ten kings 47:19 who shall arise from this kingdom. 47:21 And another shall rise after them." 47:22 So in Daniel 7, there's ten kings. 47:25 Let's go to Revelation 12, 47:29 speaking of Daniel 7, excuse me, there shall, 47:31 "He shall be different from the first one, 47:32 and shall subdue three kings." 47:34 We'll talk about that on Wednesday night. 47:37 Revelation 12, 47:38 "And another sign appeared in heaven, 47:40 behold, a great fiery red dragon 47:43 having seven heads and ten horns, 47:48 and seven diadems on his heads." 47:51 So here in Revelation 12 47:53 there is a beast that has ten horns 47:55 that represent ten kings. 47:59 And then when we go to Revelation 17, it says, 48:03 "The ten horns which you saw 48:05 are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, 48:09 but they receive authority for one hour with the king, 48:12 with one hour as kings with the beast." 48:16 Now what I'm trying to tell you tonight, 48:19 what you need to get clear in your thinking 48:22 is here we have in Daniel 7, 48:24 I mean Daniel 2, we have ten kings. 48:28 Daniel 7, we have ten kings. 48:31 Revelation 12, we've got ten kings. 48:34 Revelation 17, we've got ten kings. 48:37 And every one of those 48:40 all are the same ten kings. 48:44 And every one of those prophecies 48:46 they are the same ten kings, 48:48 they are Germany, France, Switzerland, 48:53 they are those very same ten Germanic tribes. 48:57 What I'm trying to get across to you tonight 49:00 is that God is consistent. 49:02 God will not fail, 49:05 He's consistent all the way through His Word. 49:07 And I promise you that as we study these prophecies, 49:10 they're going to open up 49:12 and you're going to see this beast in Revelation, 49:15 in Daniel 7 49:17 and the great red dragon in Revelation 12. 49:20 And this beast in Revelation 17, 49:22 you're going to see exactly who they are, 49:24 who they represent and what they mean. 49:27 He will be consistent all the way through. 49:30 So those are the same 10 kings. 49:35 What does that mean? 49:37 That means today things are happening in Europe. 49:43 You see it says they have received 49:45 no kingdom as yet. 49:48 Okay. 49:50 But you are living at the time 49:52 in which you're seeing all of a sudden 49:54 the nations of Europe coming together. 49:57 What is called the common market 49:59 or the European committee, community. 50:02 When that happens, folks, that will be the largest 50:07 political economical block in the world. 50:12 That's what it will be. 50:14 They are coming together forming one power, 50:20 European community. 50:24 Time magazine, December 31, 1992, 50:28 "Project 92..." 50:29 It's talking about this, 50:31 "Has given fresh momentum to taking Western Europe 50:34 further down the road to unity." 50:39 Europe, this is their poster, 50:42 it shows the tower of Babel. 50:45 Okay. 50:46 And it says many tongues, one voice. 50:52 Do you understand? 50:54 Do you know that last year 50:57 this European community 50:59 decided to take and put their army together? 51:03 It is now the largest army on earth. 51:08 One that they have. 51:10 When I went to Europe just a short while back, 51:15 it was no different than crossing the United States. 51:18 I showed my passport when I went into the country 51:21 and I never showed it another time. 51:23 And I traveled across nation after nation, 51:25 they're all coming together just exactly, 51:28 they are not only coming together 51:30 in political views and concepts, 51:34 but they're coming together also when it comes to finances. 51:37 They now have the Euro 51:39 and that is gaining more momentum all the time. 51:43 So what I'm telling you tonight is you're living at the time 51:47 that these 10 kings who have received no kingdom, 51:50 you're seeing that all come together 51:53 and they're going to form a power. 51:56 That's what you're seeing. 51:58 And the scripture says that happens in the last days. 52:04 Now, dear friend, what I'm asking you 52:07 is can you believe it? 52:11 Can you build your faith on it? 52:13 In the days of these kings 52:16 the God of heaven will set up a kingdom. 52:20 "The great God has made known to the king 52:23 what will come to pass after this." 52:26 Listen, folks, 52:29 the dream is certain, 52:32 the interpretation is sure. 52:36 So it says that the dream is certain, 52:41 no question about it, the dream is certain. 52:43 Now I want to ask you something. 52:47 If God gave a prophecy. 52:50 Okay. 52:51 And one event after another in that prophecy 52:54 took place exactly as God said it would. 52:59 I mean, with uncanny accuracy 53:02 everything fit exactly as God said it would. 53:07 And 90% of that prophecy has been fulfilled 53:12 just exactly as God said it would be, 53:15 then let me ask you, 53:17 and the last 10% with still future, 53:20 do you think that'll be fulfilled 53:21 as God said it would be? 53:24 You better believe it will be. 53:26 This prophecy I've shared with you tonight 53:30 has happened exactly as God said it would. 53:34 We only have a little bit of that prophecy 53:36 left to be fulfilled 53:37 and you better believe 53:39 it'll happen just like God said it would. 53:41 The dream indeed is sure the... 53:47 Certain the interpretation is what? 53:50 Sure. Absolutely. 53:53 So tonight, you and I 53:58 can build our faith on this book. 54:01 You don't have to be in doubt about it, dear friend. 54:05 This book has stood the test of time. 54:09 It's been around thousands of years, 54:13 it has never failed and it will never fail. 54:17 God will guide and direct your life 54:20 just as sure as anything. 54:22 He will help you and I prepare 54:25 for the coming of Jesus Christ. 54:28 Can't be far off 54:29 because in the days of these kings, 54:34 the Lord is going to set up a kingdom. 54:37 Tonight, the Lord is coming, 54:40 are you ready? 54:43 The Lord's coming, it can't go on much longer. 54:46 There's nothing left after the feet and toes, 54:50 we're down at the end. 54:53 Are you ready for the Lord to come? 54:58 Why will you wait my brothers 55:04 The promises of God are all true 55:11 Jesus bought your life 55:16 On Calvary's mountain 55:22 And soon He will come again for you 55:33 The Lord is coming 55:38 Are you ready? 55:45 The Lord is coming 55:50 Are you ready? 55:57 Would your heart be right 56:04 If He came tonight? 56:12 The Lord is coming 56:18 Are you ready? 56:30 Let us pray. 56:33 Heavenly Father, 56:36 tonight we have seen how you with 56:41 one stroke of the pen 56:46 have outlined the whole history of mankind. 56:50 Lord, help us not to be weak in faith. 56:55 May we put our confidence in you. 56:59 May our hearts be open, 57:02 may we accept Jesus Christ into our lives 57:05 as our Savior. 57:07 As we sense 57:10 that we're living down in the end time 57:14 when everything is coming to a close, 57:18 one of these days soon 57:21 you'll be setting up your kingdom. 57:24 We ask Lord that each one of us 57:25 may have a place in Your kingdom 57:28 not because we're worthy 57:31 or not because of things we have done 57:34 but because we've accepted you as our Savior. 57:38 For this we ask in Christ's name. 57:40 Amen. |
Revised 2019-01-14