Global warming. Killer storms. Rising terrorism. The collapse of America's economy. Do the headlines across the country cause you to wonder what the future holds? Is America on the brink of some great calamity? Or are these signs that God's prophetic clock is ticking?
Can Bible prophecy tell us about what's happening today?
"There is a God in heaven who reveals _____" (Daniel 2:28).
After a long and terrible siege, Babylonian soldiers stormed into Jerusalem. The city was pillaged, Solomon's temple demolished, and the king taken prisoner. Many nobles were chained and led to Babylon as prisoners of war. Daniel was one of them. Later in Babylon, the king had a strange dream. He knew it had some secret meaning, but try as he might, he couldn't remember the dream. His wise men couldn't tell him either. But God could; He was the One who sent it.
Why did God send a dream the king couldn't understand?
"God...has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the _____ days" (Daniel 2:28,29).
God gave King Nebuchadnezzar a panoramic view of what the future held. His dream began in the year 603 B.C. and extended to the last or "latter days" of earth's history. This amazing prophecy covers more than 2,500 years. It also points to our day and how to prepare for what's still ahead.
How can you know the future?
"Surely the Lord does nothing unless He reveals His secret to His servants the _____" (Amos 3:7).
Astrologers, channelers, or even politicians don't have the answer for solving this world's problems. Only God can provide lasting peace. He is the LIVING WAY because He's the only One who understands the mysteries of the future. And He reveals what's ahead to His servants the prophets.
What did God show the king in his dream?
"The image's head was of fine _____, its chest and arms of _____, its belly and thighs of _____, its feet partly of _____ and partly of clay" (Daniel 2:32,33).
God showed the prophet Daniel what the king had dreamed. Nebuchadnezzar saw an image or statue composed of many metals. Each piece of the image was formed from a different metal and pointed to the nations that would control the world.
What did the head of gold stand for?
"You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power and strength and glory. _____ are this head of gold" (Daniel 2:37,38).
The king was flattered by Daniel's interpretation of the dream. Gold was a fitting description for Babylon. Many of its temples and idols were constructed of pure gold. The image of Baal alone weighed over 50,000 tons of gold!
What did the other metals represent?
"But after you shall arise another _____, inferior to yours, then another, a 3rd kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth" (Daniel 2:39).
Each part of the metal image stands for a Super-Power that would control the world. Every one of these nations would play a major role in the lives of God's people.
What nation would replace Babylon as a Super-Power?
See Daniel 2:39 and Daniel 5:28 ______________________________
The Medo-Persians conquered Babylon in 539 B.C. They were inferior to Babylon in power and might. But through divine intervention, General Cyrus overthrew the "head of gold." The Persians then ruled the world from 539 to 331 B.C. Both Babylon and Persia were dominant Super-Powers in their day and aggressively persecuted God's children.
What nation followed the Persians?
See Daniel 2:39 "A kingdom of _____"
Alexander the Great led the Greeks to power in the battle of Arebela in 331 B.C. He ushered in the bronze kingdom of this amazing prophecy. The Greek warriors were well known for their bronze plated armor and weapons. This gave them the edge over the Persians, leading them to take their place as the next Super-Power.
"And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as _____ inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything, and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others" (Daniel 2:40).
The Roman Empire followed the Greeks on the world scene. They rose to power in 168 B.C. The historian Edward Gibbon in his book, The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, explains: "The images of gold, silver, and brass that might serve to represent the nations and their kings were successfully broken by the iron monarchy of Rome." This incredible Super-Power extended its territory farther than any empire before her. She dominated the world during the days of Christ and the New Testament church.
Would another nation overtake the Romans?
"Whereas you saw the feet and the toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be _____"
Rome becomes the dividing line between the ancient and modern world. Its empire wasn't overthrown by a single nation like all the other Super-Powers before her. Instead, its territory was carved up into ten smaller kingdoms. Barbarian tribes overthrew this once invincible Super-Power. Ancestors to 7 of these nations still exist today.
Barbarians that Overthrew Rome
Anglo-Saxons Then - England Today
Vandals Then - North Africa Today
Franks Then - France Today
Lombards Then - Italy Today
Visigoths Then - Spain Today
Ostrogoths Then - Russia Today
Burgundians Then - Germany Today
Will a single nation ever rule the world again?
"As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men, but they will not _____ to one another" (Daniel 2:43).
Many leaders have tried to defy the prophecy of Daniel 2. Generals like Napoleon and dictators like Hitler and Sadam Hussein have tried to control the world. But they have miserably failed because only God controls the future. He "removes kings and raises up kings" (Daniel 2:31). Bloodshed, treaties, and marriage alliances have all been tried to bring the world under one flag. But God wants you to know--world nations will never unite. "They will not adhere to one another."
What will God do in our day?
"And in the days of those kings the _____ of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed" (Daniel 2:44).
The very next world power is the Kingdom of God. The next Super-Power will be divine!
How will God's kingdom be established?
"You watched while a _____ was cut out with hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces...And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole _____" (Daniel 2:34,35).
Jesus Christ is the rock that sweeps away all the nations of the earth (see 1 Corinthians 10:4). This rock stands for Christ's soon return. He will usher in a kingdom that will never end. No nation or army will ever overthrow it.
Why is it important to study Bible prophecy?
"Now I tell you this before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may _____ that I am He" (John 13:19).
"Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it, for the time is at _____" (Revelation 1:3).
Bible prophecy gives you confidence in Jesus, the "way, the truth and the life" (John 14:6). Though everything else fails, He's an anchor you can hold onto. He knows what's coming and He has a plan to prepare you and your family for the greatest event this world has ever known--the Second Coming of Christ!
This prophecy in Daniel has made an incredible difference in my life. I grew up in a home where the Bible was never read. Later in high school, I hung out with the wrong bunch of kids, those who didn't know anything about God and doubted He was even real. Sad to say, I became an atheist. But, I wasn't a hard-core atheist because I knew something was missing in my life. I felt a strange emptiness inside that nothing could fill. But a dear friend invited me to a prophecy meeting where I first heard about Daniel and the king's dream. I was a great lover of history, so it hooked me right in. I thought there might be something in this Bible after all. As I saw history confirming what God had said hundreds of years before it actually happened, I figured this was no ordinary book. I was soon digging in, to find the peace and purpose I was hunting for. I found it all in Jesus, the LIVING WAY.
That's why I believe Bible prophecy plays a big part in finding intimacy with Christ. Jesus has a wonderful plan for your life and mine, one that will draw us closer to Him than we've ever been before. His plan is revealed in the Bible, but especially for our day, it's revealed in prophecy. Within each unfolding vision, He says to you and me, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope" (Jeremiah 29:11). Discover hope in Jesus through the pages of prophecy. God's clock is ticking. He is coming soon, and He wants you to be with Him. Today and tomorrow!
Jesus Christ is the rock that sweeps away all the nations of the earth (see 1 Corinthians 10:4). This rock stands for Christ's soon return. He will usher in a kingdom that will never end. No nation or army will ever overthrow it.
Over 2,500 years in advance, God knew the outcome of this world's history. He outlined precisely the rise and fall of the Super-Powers. History confirms what God has proclaimed. And because what He says about the past has proved true, we can be confident about what He says about the future--your future and mine!
Why is it important to study Bible prophecy?
"Now I tell you this before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may _____ that I am He" (John 13:19).
"Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it, for the time is at _____" (Revelation 1:3).
Bible prophecy gives you confidence in Jesus, the "way, the truth and the life" (John 14:6). Though everything else fails, He's an anchor you can hold onto. He knows what's coming and He has a plan to prepare you and your family for the greatest event this world has ever known--the Second Coming of Christ!
This prophecy in Daniel has made an incredible difference in my life. I grew up in a home where the Bible was never read. Later in high school, I hung out with the wrong bunch of kids, those who didn't know anything about God and doubted He was even real. Sad to say, I became an atheist. But, I wasn't a hard-core atheist because I knew something was missing in my life. I felt a strange emptiness inside that nothing could fill. But a dear friend invited me to a prophecy meeting where I first heard about Daniel and the king's dream. I was a great lover of history, so it hooked me right in. I thought there might be something in this Bible after all. As I saw history confirming what God had said hundreds of years before it actually happened, I figured this was no ordinary book. I was soon digging in, to find the peace and purpose I was hunting for. I found it all in Jesus, the LIVING WAY.
That's why I believe Bible prophecy plays a big part in finding intimacy with Christ. Jesus has a wonderful plan for your life and mine, one that will draw us closer to Him than we've ever been before. His plan is revealed in the Bible, but especially for our day, it's revealed in prophecy. Within each unfolding vision, He says to you and me, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope" (Jeremiah 29:11). Discover hope in Jesus through the pages of prophecy. God's clock is ticking. He is coming soon, and He wants you to be with Him. Today and tomorrow!
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