The SAME God...

Here is a thought that God brought to my mind this week...

Does God change? Some of us would be very quick to answer this with a loud "NO!" and rightly so! God Himself says in Malachi 3:6:

"For I [am] the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed."

So God does not change! With that in mind, try and picture the events of God and the children of Israel in their journey from Egypt to Canaan. What came to my mind was the Red Sea being parted, the pillar of fire directing them by night and the cloud by day, and other POWERFUL events! Look at these texts:

"Did [ever] people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live? Or hath God assayed to go [and] take him a nation from the midst of [another] nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?"- Deuteronomy 4:33, 34

"Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, [in] the field of Zoan. He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters to stand as an heap. In the daytime also he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a light of fire. He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave [them] drink as [out of] the great depths. He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers."- Psalms 78:12-16

"He sent Moses his servant; [and] Aaron whom he had chosen. They shewed his signs among them, and wonders in the land of Ham. He sent darkness, and made it dark; and they rebelled not against his word. He turned their waters into blood, and slew their fish. Their land brought forth frogs in abundance, in the chambers of their kings. He spake, and there came divers sorts of flies, [and] lice in all their coasts. He gave them hail for rain, [and] flaming fire in their land. He smote their vines also and their fig trees; and brake the trees of their coasts. He spake, and the locusts came, and caterpillers, and that without number, And did eat up all the herbs in their land, and devoured the fruit of their ground. He smote also all the firstborn in their land, the chief of all their strength. He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and [there was] not one feeble [person] among their tribes. Egypt was glad when they departed: for the fear of them fell upon them. He spread a cloud for a covering; and fire to give light in the night."- Psalms 105:26-39

"One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the LORD your God, he [it is] that fighteth for you, as he hath promised you."- Joshua 23:10 

All these texts show that the power with which God worked for His people was OUT OF THIS WORLD! 

Imagine if you were there when the Red sea parted... What would you say or even think! Or imagine you witnessed this:

The pillar of fire by night! Such amazing manifestations of God's power to rescue His people! If we viewed God in this way more often, we could trust in God more to give us the power to overcome temptation or to last and endure through trials... But has God changed? Does God still work for His people with such power now? He has not changed at all! Notice these texts:

"Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings..."- Psalm 17:8 

So here we see that David's prayer, and God's promise is to keep us as the apple of the eye, under the shadow of His wings, and we know this promise is directly for YOU and for me because 2 Corinthians 1:20 says: 

"For all the promises of God in him [are] yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us."

So all the promises in Christ are a YES and SURE! Now look at Deuteronomy 32:9, 10:

"For the LORD'S portion [is] his people; Jacob [is] the lot of his inheritance. He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness: he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye."

The Bible tells us that God kept His people, the children of Israel, as the apple of His eye, which is the same thing He promises to do for us! So the same power in which God used to keep the children of Israel then, is the same power in which He promises to keep us now! 

We see this point being made again in Isaiah 51:9, 10:

"Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in the ancient of days, in the generations of old. [Art] thou not it that hath cut Rahab, [and] wounded the dragon? [Art] thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?" 

Here we see that it was the 'arm of the LORD' that cut Rahab (another word for Egypt) and it was the 'arm of the LORD' that wounded the dragon, who is Pharaoh according to Ezekiel 29:3:

"Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold I [am] against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river [is] mine own, and I have made [it] for myself." 

So in Isaiah 51:9, 10, the 'arm of the LORD' has cut Egypt (Rahab), and wounded the dragon (Pharaoh), and dried the sea and made it a way for the ransomed to pass over. This is all about God rescuing His people from Egypt, which as we have established, was a POWERFUL event! The next time we see the 'arm of the LORD' is in Isaiah 53:1 which says:

"Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?" 

Isaiah 53 is a prophecy about Jesus and how He would die for our sins, and it starts of with the question "...to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?" So the 'arm of the LORD', the thing which brought the Israelites out of Egypt with such magnificent power, is then linked with Jesus' mission to save us from our sins. We see this point made again in John 12:37, 38:

"But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him: That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?"

So the Jews not believing on Him fulfilled the prophecy "...and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?" If they had believed, then the arm of the Lord would have been revealed! Now, the question is, what were they to believe in the first place? The answer is in John 20:30, 31:

"And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name."

The Bible records Jesus' miracles so that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through believing we might have life through His name! So the Jesus performed miracles in front of the Jews so that they might believe on Him and be saved and receive eternal life! They didn't and the 'arm of the LORD' was not revealed, so here again, we see the 'arm of the LORD' being linked with God saving His people, but this time, not from Egypt, but from their sins! 

So the same mighty power that God used to rescue the Israelites from Egypt, He has used to save me and you from our sins, and the same power with which He kept the Israelites in the wilderness is the same power He now promises to keep me and you from falling (Jude 24)! You may not see a pillar of fire, or any parting seas, but God will keep you with as much power as those things because...

"For I [am] the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed."- Malachi 3:6

God Bless,

Adam

Main Study 5: From the Beginning...

Before you start, in the first week, we learnt that it is the Holy Spirit that teaches us the truth about God's Word (John 16:13), and, He freely offers that gift and teaching to those who claim it with a whole heart, with the result been that when we search and seek with our whole surrendered heart, WE WILL find Him! (Jeremiah 29:13). So before you carry on, ask God to guide you (Psalm 25:5), compare everything with the Bible (Isaiah 8:20), and believe that God will guide you! (Mark 11:24).

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So far, we have seen some amazing facts about God's Word; the Bible... If you haven't read about those facts, then please go to "Main Study 1: God's SatNav" and see why God's Word is the ONLY thing to receive your directions from! Then from Main Study 2-4, we saw that God was the only One who actually backed up His claim of being the one and only true God with irrefutable evidence. The fact that He can perfectly tell the end from the beginning, or in other words tell the future, was His 'Let me prove it to you!' statement and we with Nebuchadnezzar then had the choice to accept this amazing evidence and say, as did Nebuchadnezzar:

"The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth [it is], that your God [is] a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret."- Daniel 2:47

If you haven't read those studies, Main study 2 to Main study 4 are those that talk about this amazing prophecy!

Now that we have seen these things, we can more confidently believe the statement Jesus made in John 17:17 which says "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." God's Word is truth, and so whatever it says, we can rely on! This is important, as the Bible gives us information about this world that no other book can... It is this information we shall spend some time looking at!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

These days, the news generally broadcasts only one type of news; bad news. Everyday we hear of wars, famines, earthquakes, murders, financial crises, economic downturns, civil wars, strikes, redundancies which are just the tip of the huge iceberg of problems that this world has to deal with on a day to day basis. In fact, we have been so accustomed to it, we are often surprised when we hear some good news, which is soon tainted and corrupted with even more bad news. The obvious question we have to ask is 'Why?' Why is it that these things happen? Who causes it? If God is so loving, then why is it that these things happen?!

Well, 1 John 4:8 says:

"He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love."

So the Bible affirms that if you could sum up God's characteristics all into one word, it would be 'love'. The question then has to be asked again... Why do these things happen? What is going on?

Well, before we answer about what is going on in earth now, we need to go all the way back to the beginning. Let's see what the Bible has to say about the beginning.

1) What does the Bible say about the beginning of this earth? 

Genesis 1:1 says:

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."

So the very first text in the Bible tells us a fundamental point, that in the beginning, God was there, and that He created the heavens and the earth. Look at what Psalm 100:3 says about God and creation:

"Know ye that the LORD he [is] God: [it is] he [that] hath made us, and not we ourselves; [we are] his people, and the sheep of his pasture."

God created US, we did not create ourselves, and as He is our Creator, He looks at us as sheep of His pasture. God looks on me and you tenderly, and with a watchful and protective eye, just like a shepherd would do for his sheep! 

So if God was there at creation...

2) Was God there before the earth was created?

Psalm 90:2 says: 

"Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou [art] God."

Before the earth and the world was formed, even from everlasting to everlasting, God is God. This text tells us that God has ALWAYS been, and will ALWAYS  be.


3) Is there anywhere else in the Bible where we see that God was at the beginning?
John 1:1-3 confirms this by saying:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." 

So here we see that from before creation, 'in the beginning', was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, and the Word was in the beginning with God. Infinity before the time that humans can comprehend, God has been.

4) Who is the Word?
John 1:14, 17 says:

"And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth... For the law was given by Moses, [but] grace and truth came by Jesus Christ."

The Word is Jesus. The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (like John 1:10, 11) and is full of grace and truth, and then we see in John 1:17 that grace and truth came by Jesus Christ, showing again that the Word is Jesus. So Jesus has always been, and Jesus was with God, and Jesus was (and is) God. All things were made by Jesus, but loved us so much that He humbled Himself and took on the form of a man, to become like you and me, to die for us and offer to us freely the gift of eternal life (Philippians 2:5-8).

5) So as God has always been, WHERE has He been?
Psalm 11:4 says:

"The LORD [is] in his holy temple, the LORD's throne [is] in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men."

From this text we can see that God is in heaven, and that He has a throne. 2 Chronicles 18:18 tells us that God sits on His throne. (If the Bible text, like this text, isn't typed out, hover your mouse over the reference, and you should be able to read it as a window should pop up, and then disappear when you move your mouse of the Bible text) So God is in His holy temple, and the LORD's throne (which He sits on) is in heaven. 

Notice Psalm 113:5, 6 which says:

"Who [is] like unto the LORD our God, who dwelleth on high, Who humbleth [himself] to behold [the things that are] in heaven, and in the earth!"

So here we see that God is so high, that He humbles Himself to look at the things in heaven, and in the earth, so the heaven which God is situated in is different to the 'heaven and earth' which He looks at (which we see was created in Genesis 1). So God is in his holy temple, and the LORD's throne is in heaven, which is different to the 'heaven' which we can look at i.e. the sky or space. 

6) What does God's throne tell us about the state of heaven?

Yes! God's throne tells us about what heaven is like. We shall answer this question in parts. Firstly, notice these texts:
Psalm 103:19 says:

"The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all."

God has a kingdom that rules over all! The throne is the centre of the kingdom, from where the laws and commands are made, so God's throne rules over all! It is the greatest and most central point of a kingdom (Genesis 49:40). We also see that in Psalm 45:6 it says:

"Thy throne, O God, [is] for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom [is] a right sceptre."

So let's recap:

• God is love, yet this world is in turmoil, and the question we are asking the Bible is "why?"
• Before the Bible answers this though, we must first go back to the beginning, where we see that God was there. In fact, infinity before that, God has always been there!
• We then saw that God is in His holy temple, and His throne (which He sits on) is in heaven, so God is in heaven.
• Then we saw that not only does God have a throne, but a kingdom which rules over all! Hence, His throne rules over all.
• We also saw that His throne is for ever and ever; everlasting.

Now, put that to one side for the moment, and look at these set of texts:

Exodus 25:8, 9 says:

"And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I shew thee, [after] the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make [it]."

Here we see that Moses and the Israelites are commanded to make the LORD a Sanctuary, that He may dwell among them. We also see here that this Sanctuary was to be made as the LORD showed Moses, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments. In other words, the Sanctuary on earth was to be made after a pattern of another. What was this pattern?

Hebrews 8:5 says:

"Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, [that] thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount."

The context of this text is talking about the priests of the Sanctuary which we saw before that the Israelites were commanded to make (see Hebrews 8:3, 4). This text tells us that these priests served to the example and shadow of heavenly things, and then the writer explains himself saying "...for, See, saith he, [that] thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount." (We have just read this in Exodus.) So here again we see that the sanctuary that the Israelites made was a shadow or pattern of something else, and this text tells us that the pattern was of heavenly things. A shadow can never be a different to the thing that it is causing the shadow, for example, a square box in the sun would only produce a square shadow, never a round one, so in the same way, the earthly Sanctuary being a shadow of heavenly things tells us that what we see in the earthly Sanctuary would not be different to what we would see in heaven. To make this clear, look at this text: 

Hebrews 8:1, 2 says:

"Now of the things which we have spoken [this is] the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heavens; A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man..."

This text tells us that there is a heavenly Sanctuary, which the LORD pitched and not man, and so the earthly Sanctuary was made to the pattern of this! We see this point elsewhere in texts such as Hebrews 9:11; Hebrew 9:23 and Hebrews 9:24.

Why is this important? We can look at the earthly Sanctuary, and look where God dwells in that or what God does in that, and we can safely say that is where God dwells in Heaven, or that's what He does in Heaven too!

Psalm 11:4 told us that the LORD is in His holy temple, the pattern of this would be that the LORD is in the earthly sanctuary, and we also see that His throne is in the heavens, so somewhere in the earthly Sanctuary, (the pattern of that which is in Heaven) was God's throne (where He sat).

Before we answer this though, if you have never heard of the Sanctuary, or you do not know what it looks like, here is a basic image of the plan, setting out of the earthly Sanctuary:

A picture of how the whole Sanctuary would look (Read Exodus 25-40)

And here is a picture of what it would look like in the Tabernacle :

Here is a picture of inside the Tabernacle. There are two compartments here, separated by a veil. The compartment where the priest (the man in blue and white) is, is called the "holy place"- Exodus 26:33. The compartment to your far left, after the veil, is called the "Most holy place"- Exodus 26:34

Now look at what this text tells us about where God dwells/sits in the earthly Sanctuary, and remember this would represent His throne in the heavens. Exodus 25:21, 22 says:

"And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which [are] upon the ark of the testimony, of all [things] which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel."

So in the earthly Sanctuary, we see that God's throne, or where He sits, is above the mercy seat, between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, and there He gives all the commands to the children of Israel. Here is a representation of what this would look like:

Read Exodus 25:10-22 for a description of the ark of the Testimony and the mercy seat which was on top of it

So in the earthly Sanctuary, God's throne was represented by the mercy seat on top of the ark of the Testament. Now here is the amazing thing! Look at what God says to put into the ark of the Testament:

Exodus 25:21 says:

"And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee."

So underneath God's throne would be this testimony, and remember, this represented God's throne in heavens which is for ever and ever and rules over all! So the foundation of God's throne in the earthly Sanctuary, the thing upon which He sat, was the Testimony which He would give Moses. What is this testimony that God gave Moses? 

Exodus 31:18 says: 

"And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God." 

What was on these tables of testimony?

Deuteronomy 4:13 says:

"And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, [even] ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone."

On the two tables of stone were written the Ten Commandments (see Exodus 20:1-17). These tables were in the ark of the Testament, on which the mercy seat (God's throne) was on top of. In other words, at the very centre of God's throne, the foundation of His throne, was His Law, the Ten Commandments. Remembering that His throne lasts for ever, then the foundation of God's throne must last forever, and knowing that His throne rules over all, then God's kingdom, that is EVERYTHING, is governed by this Law. 

Now look at what Jesus says these Laws some up to.

Matthew 22:37-40 says:

"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." 

The foundation of God's throne, the foundation of His whole kingdom is His Law, and these are summed up in two principles; love to God, and love to one another. So God's kingdom is a kingdom that is governed by these two principles, where every subject loves God supremely, and their neighbour selflessly, and this Law, the Ten Commandments, lasts forever. 

Love was the state of God's kingdom, total selfless love expressed in total obedience to God's Law, the foundation of His throne and kingdom. This is where it all began, this was the state of God's kingdom, where everyone chose to, and happily obeyed. So what went wrong? How did we become like this? By God's grace, we shall find out next week. Until then...

God Bless, 

Adam

It has been too long...

Hello everyone!

It has been WAY too long since my last post...
By God's grace, that phase has now ended and weekly posts will be resumed!

The Word of God is full of riches! That wisdom, Job 28:17 tells us, "The gold and crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it [shall not be for] jewels of fine gold."


I pray that we all see the infinite value of God's Word, and that He will teach us that which we need to know. Here is a thought that I would like to leave with you...

Over the last few days, God has been teaching me about trusting in Him... And this thought came to my head... When you are a child, and you run into your father's arms, you feel as if the whole world cannot get you, as if you are protected from EVERY danger that you is against you (even though it may be imaginary!)

Imagine the protection we have when we trust in our Heavenly Father's arms... David put it this way:

"Shew thy marvellous lovingkindness, O thou that savest by thy right hand them which put their trust [in thee] from those that rise up [against them]. Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings, From the wicked that oppress me, [from] my deadly enemies, [who] compass me about."
(Psalms 17:7-9)

God holds His arms out... Run into them... He will not let us down if we trust in Him, no matter what happens!

God Bless,

Adam

Main Study 4: Let me prove it to you! (Part 3)

Before you start, in the first week, we learnt that it is the Holy Spirit that teaches us the truth about God's Word (John 16:13), and, He freely offers that gift and teaching to those who claim it with a whole heart, with the result been that when we search and seek with our whole surrendered heart, WE WILL find Him! (Jeremiah 29:13). So before you carry on, ask God to guide you (Philippians 4:6, 7), compare everything with the Bible (Isaiah 8:20), and believe that God will guide you! (Mark 11:24).

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you do not know what this image is about, it would be best if you go back to the blog post entitled "Main Study 2: Let me prove it to you! (Part 1)" and work your way from there till you get to this point! For those who do know what this image is about, we pick up the amazing and powerful account from Daniel 2.

Remember, Isaiah 46:9-10 tells us that God proves Himself to be the TRUE GOD through prophecy (which is the act of telling the future). Looking through the Bible, we see many prophecies which show that God laid out A LOT of proof in the Bible to show that God's claim of being God is true and proven. We then went to Daniel 2, where we saw that Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon who has taken captive some of the Israelites from his invasion of Judah (Daniel 1:1, 4), has had troubling dreams (Daniel 2:1).

On a side note, if you remember the first main study, the Bible told us that God's Word is TRUTH (John 17:17), meaning that anything that does not harmonise with God's Word (the Bible) is false. So here we have a very TRUE historical account that ACTUALLY happened! Any apparent contradictions with history, or even with itself, can and will, through prayer and diligent searching for truth, be found to be an AMAZING line of harmony with history and other scriptures! So here we have, the MOST reliable account of history given to us, that is, God's Word, and it is written for YOU. 

So we find ourselves back to Daniel 2:36. Previously, Daniel has just told Nebuchadnezzar his (that is Nebuchadnezzar's) dream, and it was correct. Even before that, we see Daniel praying for a revelation of that dream, and God answers his prayer (Daniel 2:18-19) and Daniel answers and gives us some powerful attributes of God (Daniel 2:20-23), and yet, on a personal note, in the awesome power and strength and might of God, who removes and sets up kings, and concerns Himself with such big powers of the world, the Bible would still tell us this:

"How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! [If] I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee."- Psalm 139:17-18

God's thoughts about YOU are so numerous! God even says this!

"Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of [my] hands; thy walls [are] continually before me." - Isaiah 49:15-16

Even in God's INFINITE power, He still remembers someone like me and you, we are continually on His mind! In fact, He loves us so much that the Bible tells us this:

"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."- Philippians 2:5-8

The Bible tells us that Jesus, who is God, did not think it robbery to be equal with God. (For example, Satan wants to be like God (Isaiah 14:14) but he can never be God because he just is not God; the created can never turn into the Creator. Only God can be God, for any other being to be called God would be a false claim, so for Satan to call himself God would be robbing God. But Jesus is God and did not think it a robbery to be called God!) That is the infinite level of status Jesus had! He is God! But He would then lower Himself to an infinite level of humiliation, that is, to mine and your level, just so that He could die for our sins on the cross and give to us, if we accept it by faith, eternal life! That is why we see in Matthew 1:21-23 we see that another name for Jesus (the one who shall save us from our sins) is Emmanuel, which as the Bible says, means "God with us." God's INFINITE power does not affect how He sees His finite children (Psalm 103:13).

We then saw that the dream that God gave to Nebuchadnezzar, which is to tell us of "what shall be in the latter days" (Daniel 2:28), contained the following (read Daniel 2:31-35):

A great image

A head of fine gold

Breast and arms of silver

Belly and thighs of brass

Legs of Iron

Feet of Iron and Clay

"...A stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet [that were] of iron and clay and brake them into pieces. 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."

Then we saw that in Daniel 2:36, Daniel starts to interpret the dream, and this was given to him by God, so this interpretation must also be true! In Daniel 2:37, 38, as we saw last time, it says "Thou, O king [art] a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. 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."

Babylon is the head of gold.

The Babylonian Empire

Notice Daniel 2:38, Daniel tells us that Babylon is a world empire because "wheresover the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of heaven hath he given into thine hand..." The Bible tells us Babylon goes all the way back to Genesis 11:9, and look what principles it was founded on! Babylon ruled from 605-539 B.C. Then what happened next? The Bible tells us!

In Daniel 2:39 it says "And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth." The Bible tells us that another kingdom was to arise! Now, imagine that you are king, and you hear that! What would you think?

As Babylon was a world empire, that means the second empire also has to be a world empire! Do you remember in "Let me prove it to you! (Part 2)", we saw the Bible mentioned a prophecy about Cyrus? Cyrus was the king that overthrew Babylon (Isaiah 45:1-3). This second kingdom, represented by the chest and arms of silver, is the kingdom of the Media-Persia. They ruled from 539-331 B.C. By God's grace, in a later study, we will see that the Bible even names this kingdom! (Daniel 8:20).

Territory of the Persian Empire

We also see in Daniel 2:39 that the next kingdom is another world empire! This kingdom, which is represented as the belly and thighs of brass, as history concretely backs up, is the kingdom of Greece! This is also named with stunning detail later in Daniel! (Daniel 8:21). Greece ruled from 331-168 B.C.

Territory of the Greek Empire


In Daniel 2:40 it says "And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdues all [things]: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise." The next kingdom is also a world empire, and here Daniel gives us the detail of its crushing power and destructive capability.

The legs of iron represented Rome. Rome conquered, and ruled from 168 B.C.- 476 A.D. It's brutality is a commonly noted feature of history!

Territory of the Roman Empire

So we have so far that the Bible has outlined far into the future the ruling powers of the world! Once again, God proves Himself! But He does not stop there! After this, the Bible does not say that Rome was conquered. In Daniel 2:41 it says "And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay." The Bible tells us that fourth kingdom will be divided! History tells us that no kingdom conquered Rome, but it was victim of decline and corruption, and broke up from the inside. The Bible told us how the fourth kingdom was going to end, BEFORE IT HAPPENED!

In fact, in Daniel 2:42, the Bible gives even more detail to the split! It says "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." We see the kingdom being broken up. In fact, we can assume that this statue had ten toes, and the kingdom of Rome broke up into 10 separate nations, these being: 

• Anglo-Saxons: English 
• Suevi: Portugal
• Lombards: Italy 
• Alemanni: Germans 
• Burgundians: Switzerland 
• Vandals: don’t exist today
• Visigoths: Spain 
• Heruli: don’t exist today
• Franks: France 
• Ostrogoths: don’t exist today

The modern nations you see listed came out of these ten separate nations! Daniel 2:42 told us that a divided Europe (which came out of a broken Rome) was going to exist! These have existed since 476 A.D. to the present. Once again, we see history prove this (and the present!)

God goes EVEN further! Daniel 2:43 tells us "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." Every kingdom so far has been a world empire, until Rome falls and we have divided nations! Now we see the divided nations trying to cleave together!

Here we see that these divided nations shall mingle together, but they shall not cleave one to another! That word cleave is also seen in Genesis 2:24 to explain the true marriage relationship. This shows that these nations would be marrying and intermingling, but never coming to true unity together! Yet again, we see this in history! By the time of World War 1, all the ruling houses of Europe were related, but this didn’t prevent this terrible war!

All attempts to bring Europe under the leadership of one person have failed because the Word of God said they would!

A very important point is in Proverbs 16:12 which says "[It is] an abomination to kings to commit wickedness: for the throne is established by righteousness." Righteousness is obedience (1 John 5:17 tells us that "All unrighteousness is sin..." and 1 John 3:4 says "... sin is the transgression of the law." So unrighteousness is disobedience, and so, obedience is righteousness!) The truth is this, no kingdom lasts in disobedience to God's Law! Just as no child can stay disobedient and linked in a true relationship to their parents, it is the same with God! Even in a more far reaching sense, no being on this Earth can expect to defy the laws of nature and live, and it is the same with God's Law too! (We will study this more thoroughly at a later date.) We can see through history that these kingdoms have walked over God's Law, and as a result, just could not last!

So Daniel got to the end of the dream, and there was one thing left to explain. Everything so far has been proven by history to come through exactly as the Bible foretold, and so it is a DEFINITE that the next kingdom would also come! Daniel 2:44 tells us "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." The last event in the dream/prophecy brings an everlasting kingdom.

Psalm 145:13 says "Thy kingdom [is] an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion [endureth] throughout all generations." So here we see that the everlasting kingdom is God's! Here are some other texts to show this:

"How great [are] his signs! and how mighty [are] his wonders! his kingdom [is] an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion [is] from generation to generation."

Daniel 4:3

"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. 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."

Daniel 7:13-14

This text shows that the Son of man receives dominion, glory and a kingdom, and his kingdom is that which shall NOT be destroyed, we saw this in Daniel 2:44! The last kingdom is the everlasting kingdom of Christ! 

"For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ."

2 Peter 1:11  

As sure as Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, Rome, Divided nations of Europe happened, is as sure as the return of Jesus Christ to this Earth! Prove it? Just look at Daniel 2. 

Do we know when it is coming? No. But the Bible tells us that it IS very soon! The certainty of God's Word is shown in Daniel 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."

God has just made known to you the future, and He said that the dream is certain, and the interpretation is certain! Now watch what Nebuchadnezzar says, which proves what the Bible has taught us throughout these last few studies, found in Daniel 2:47, it says: 

"The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth [it is], that your God [is] a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret."

Nebuchadnezzar admits to God, YOU HAVE PROVEN IT! What God claimed to be, He really is! He also claims to be your Saviour (Isaiah 43:3), so that means He is! The Second coming of Christ is SURE, and so the question we should then ask ourselves, how can I be ready? What is it that will make me ready? (The answer will blow you away!)

"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in the present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."

Titus 2:11-14

To be ready for Jesus, our need is Jesus, so what are you waiting for?

God Bless,

Adam

Main Study 3: Let me prove it to you! (Part 2)

Before you start, in the first week, we learnt that it is the Holy Spirit that teaches us the truth about God's Word, and, He freely offers that gift and teaching to those who claim it with a whole heart. So before you carry on, ask God to guide you, compare everything with the Bible, and believe that God will guide you!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So last week, we looked at the issue of proving things! The simple point was made that everyone must prove what they claim to be! We then saw that God, when He rightfully claimed to be THE ONLY God, also gave proof of His claim. As a recap we saw that in Isaiah 46:9, 10 it said:

"Remember the former things of old: for I [am] God, and [there is] none else; I [am] God, and [there is] none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times [the things] that are not [yet] done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure."

(If you are wondering what the [ ] mean, in the KJV, and other versions, the translators have added words to the text; this is called supplied words. As the Hebrew and Greek is translated directly into the English, the sentence structures are very hard to understand, as would be estimated due to the difference in language structure, so, the supplied words help the reader to read the passage in a more grammatically correct way.)

So we saw that God tells us that through prophecy (the act of telling the future), He gives us proof of His claim of being God. We also saw that Peter affirms this proof in 2 Peter 1:19, that above seeing Jesus transfigured with his own eyes, he had a "more sure word of prophecy." Then we looked at a few prophecies that we can link to history and see that the Bible was accurately correct! God had once again proven His claim, that He is God! Not only this, in John 14:29, Jesus adds that through seeing prophecy fulfilled, we may believe!

An additional point is found in 2 Peter 1:19:

"We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts."

The Bible says that we would do well to take heed of prophecy, in the same way we would take heed of a light when we were in a dark place! This shows the importance of prophecy. "...until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts."... The Greek translation for day star means 'morning star'. Revelation 22:16 tells us this:

"I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star."

Jesus says that He is the morning star! So the Bible tells us that we should take heed of prophecy until Jesus arises in our hearts! It always links to the gospel!

So in Part 2, we will be looking at Daniel 2, a prophecy that, once again, fulfils the claim of Isaiah 46:9, 10. This, and really all the posts, are by no means exhaustive... that is the beauty of God's Word, it is infinite (Isaiah 40:8), so read this prayerfully, then study it more thoroughly! 2 Timothy 2:15 tells us to "Study to shew thyself approved unto God..." God wants to teach YOU personally.

Reconstruction of the Ishtar Gate

So we start in Babylon. The context is found in Daniel 1 (read it through). We are introduced to an invasion in Daniel 1:1: 

"In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it." 

In Daniel 1:3-5, Nebuchadnezzar tells Ashpenaz, chief of the eunuchs, "that he should bring [certain] of the children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes" and the characteristics of these people are listed in verse 4. The plan was to teach the "learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans." Added to this, the king appoints a daily provision of the king's meat, and his wine, to nourish them for three years that at the end of it, "they might stand before the king."


Reading through the chapter, we see qualities that all of God's people should seek to attain to, only through relying on Christ! (John 15:5). Daniel and his friends stand up for right principles and come off far better than those who followed the regime set out in verse 5! (A beautiful example of Romans 12:1-2). At the end of the three years, we see that the Hebrew boys "in all matters of wisdom [and] understanding, that the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians [and] astrologers that [were] in all his realm." (Daniel 1:21)

We then go to Daniel 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."

Now we see that Nebuchadnezzar "dreamed dreams" and his spirit was troubled so much so that he could not sleep! This dream that he dreamt must have been a very disturbing dream!

Nebuchadnezzar dreaming

Now in Daniel 2:28, 29, we see what the dream was about:

"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; 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." 

So in this passage, we see that Nebuchadnezzar's dream was about what shall be in the latter days and what shall come to pass hereafter. God (He that reveals secrets) was making known to Nebuchadnezzar what shall come to pass! In other words, God revealed to Nebuchadnezzar prophecy. In light of what we learnt last week, God is going to (once again) prove His claim of being the one and true God to Nebuchadnezzar, and to us.

So did Nebuchadnezzar understand his dream? In Daniel 2:2-11, it says: 

"(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. 
(3) And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.
 (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. 
(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. 
(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. 
(7) They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it. 
(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. 
(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. 
(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. 
(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." 

Clearly, Nebuchadnezzar did not understand his dream! (1 Corinthians 2:14). He puts in some drastic measures to try and understand the dream. The Chaldeans ask the king to tell them the dream and they would tell the king the interpretation, but Nebuchadnezzar replies "The thing is gone from me: if we 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. 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." The result of not being able to tell the dream and the interpretation is death.

In fact, Nebuchadnezzar adds his own 'prove it' challenge! Notice verse 9, the Chaldeans have claimed to be able to tell the interpretation, but Nebuchadnezzar says if you can tell me the dream, then I know that you can tell me the interpretation!

In verse 10, the Chaldeans admit that "There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king's matter..." They also admit something else... "...there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh." Compare this with Daniel 2:28, the Chaldeans know that only the God of heaven can show the dream to the king! This proves the claim of Isaiah 46:9, 10 again!

So did Nebuchadnezzar start the death decree? Daniel 2:12-13 tells us:

"For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise [men] of Babylon. And the decree went forth that the wise [men] should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain."

The death decree did begin! Imagine that! Daniel and his friends discover that they are about to be killed because of the anger of the king! So how did Daniel deal with this? What would you do? In Daniel 2:14-18 it tells us: 

"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: 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. Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation. Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions: 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." 

Daniel answers to Arioch, and asks him why the death decree is so hasty from the king! Then Daniel is brought up to speed about the previous events. Daniel then goes to the king and asks him for time and also tells him "that he would shew the king the interpretation." This shows Daniel's faith. Daniel knew that the God answers prayers (Mark 11:24) and so told the king that he would show the king the interpretation. Then Daniel goes and tells his friends and they prayed to the God of heaven concerning the secret, so that he and his friends should not perish. 

So did God answer his prayer? Daniel 2:19-23 says:

"Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: 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: He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what [is] in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him. 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."

Yes! God answered his prayer! Then Daniel thanked the God of heaven! (Psalm 33:21 and 1 Thessalonians 5:18) Notice the attributes and capabilities of the God of heaven! Wisdom and might are His, He changes the times and the seasons, He removes kings and sets up kings, He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the understanding, He revels the deep and secret things, He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him (all these deserve more study! This shows what a MIGHTY God He is!) Daniel now knows the king's matter!

So, what was this dream about? We know that it somehow tells what shall come to pass in the future! (Daniel 2:28, 29). Daniel 2:31-35 says:

"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. This image's head [was] of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. 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. 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."

A representation of the image

So Nebuchadnezzar sees:

• A great image, whose brightness was excellent, and whose form was terrible (formidable, dreadful)
• The image had a head of fine gold
• Breast and arms of silver
• Belly and thighs of brass
• Legs of iron
• His feet part of iron and clay
• A stone being cut out without hands, which smote the image at his feet and broke it to pieces, and everything is broken to pieces and becomes like chaff 
• The stone that smote the image becomes a great mountain and fills the whole earth.

The dream has been foretold. Now jumping to Daniel 2:47, which says:

"The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth [it is], that your God [is] a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret."

So God gave Daniel the correct dream! Nebuchadnezzar knows this too! So what is the interpretation? What does this dream mean? How does it tell what will come to pass? Probably more prominent is the question of what does it have to do with me?

Daniel 2:36 says:

"This [is] the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king." 

So Daniel starts to interpret the dream...

Daniel 2:37, 38 says:

"Thou, O king, [art] a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. 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." 

So Daniel states the power of Nebuchadnezzar, and the fact that his kingdom is a world empire. Also, Daniel states who gave Nebuchadnezzar that power and kingdom! If you remember Daniel 2:21 which told us that God "removeth kings, and setteth up kings"; the point is repeated. Daniel lets Nebuchadnezzar know that the only reason why Nebuchadnezzar was in his position was because God put him there. In fact, God prophesied Nebuchadnezzar's power in Jeremiah 27:5-7 and his title 'king of kings' was also given to him by God (see Ezekiel 26:7). This once again, adds to God's claim in Isaiah 46:9, 10.

Daniel says "Thou [art] this head of gold." Here we have our first interpretation. Nebuchadnezzar is pointed out as the head of gold, and hence, his kingdom (Daniel 4:30). Babylon is the head of gold.

Next week we will finish of the rest of the dream.

God Bless,

Adam

Main Study 3 Delayed!

Hello everyone!

2 Timothy 2:15 tell us to study to show ourselves approved! The main study for this week will be postponed until due notice as I need to study it out more before I post it! So my apologies if you were expecting it this week!

However, read Daniel 2, as it will be based on this chapter!

God Bless,
Adam

A Little Thought About Creation...

Firstly, watch this video...

Amazing isn't it... Psalm 8:3, 4 says this:

"When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?"

What is man? The obvious answer that I would give is... nothing. And yet, there is a God who would, after creating these GIGANTIC bodies, say something like this:

"But the very hairs of your head are all numbered." 

Matthew 10:30

And because He knows even the number of hairs on our head, we can claim this:

"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." 

1 Peter 5:6-7 (emphasis supplied)

He cares for you.

God Bless,

Adam