00:00 Introduction and Greetings

00:24 Upcoming Men's Bible Study

00:34 Discussion on Self-Control

01:02 Q&A Session Preview

01:23 Preparation for the Study

02:45 Daniel's Interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's Dream

07:56 The Role of Angels and Watchers

10:37 Nebuchadnezzar's Humbling and Restoration

11:22 Theological Implications and Historical Context

13:43 The Pantheon and Nebuchadnezzar

14:07 Belshazzar's Historical Context

15:36 The Fall of Babylon

17:10 Daniel's Interpretation and Belshazzar's Fate

19:35 Darius the Mede: A Historical Mystery

22:29 Daniel in the Lion's Den

25:51 Lessons in Integrity and Faith

26:25 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Hey everybody.

2

Welcome back to another episode

of the daily Bible podcast.

3

Pass around.

4

Where are you right now?

5

I'm standing across from you.

6

But where are you tomorrow?

7

Right now?

8

Tomorrow I'll be in the office.

9

At about this time.

10

I meant like tomorrow

morning, tomorrow morning.

11

Saturday morning.

12

Yeah.

13

Cause tomorrow morning

is not Saturday morning.

14

That's true too.

15

I met Saturday morning, Saturday morning.

16

I will be hopefully we're you are.

17

Which is men's Bible study.

18

That's true.

19

I will be there.

20

We will be.

21

Finishing off after starting what?

22

Two or three years ago.

23

Fruit of the spirit.

24

Yeah.

25

We're finding finally finishing

the fruit of the spirit.

26

We're going to be wrapping

up with self-control.

27

Uh, I'm calling it paradoxical fruit.

28

Because paradoxically self-control

is evidence of the Spirit's

29

control over your life.

30

And it's the last in the list of

the fruit, but the, I think it's

31

really foundational to the entirety

of the fruit that we possess.

32

It's the Spirit's control in

our lives to produce love,

33

joy, peace, patience, kindness,

goodness, faithfulness, gentleness.

34

So all of those things depend

upon self control, and I think

35

it's going to be a really helpful

tying in and wrap up our series.

36

And then after that, as I mentioned

before, we're just blatantly

37

going to rip off the women

and we're gonna do a Q and a.

38

With you and me, and I think

you and I will also be, or

39

maybe, maybe we'll have Angelo.

40

Uh, For us moderate it, ask us

increasingly more challenging

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and difficult questions.

42

So we'll see.

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Well, we'll see how that goes,

but I'm looking forward to this

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Saturday and I've been working

on it for hours and hours now.

45

I've read through.

46

A few books to kind of refresh

my memory on the topic and kind

47

of get myself thinking about the

way that it applies to us today.

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And I chose a really interesting text.

49

You would think you would choose

a textbook first Corinthians nine.

50

That's easy.

51

Low-hanging fruit.

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Rookie would do that, but

a skilled expert, like.

53

Myself, who may not

have that as an option.

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Would choose first Peter four seven.

55

And it's a, it's one text, it's one

verse, but we're going to look at

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a lot of other supporting texts to

kind of fill out the picture for us.

57

And I'm really excited about

it because it lends itself.

58

It finishes in a direction

that I would not have guessed.

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And I'm really excited to explore

that with them in awesome.

60

Awesome.

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Should it be good men, make

sure that you are there.

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Uh, if it's.

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It's early enough that you

haven't been there yet.

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Then make sure that you get there.

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It will be a, it would

be well worth your time.

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I want food.

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Yeah, we all want to eat

a lot of food, but sure.

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Register so that we know that you're

coming so we could buy a lot of food.

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So we were talking about that.

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Um, man, when was that?

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I think at our men's breakfast

last weekend, and one of the

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guys there was like, if I want

seconds, can I register twice?

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You nail it.

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Dude.

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I don't know what Kelly's metric

is for her, like calculation for

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how much who to buy, but yeah.

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I don't, I, I rarely see

anything leftover, right?

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Like the guys Polish it off.

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They do.

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We probably could use 20% more be okay.

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Well, we also have the teen men

that are there to, you know,

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Well, yeah, they don't count.

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They should probably, they probably should

eat before you pack it up and put it in.

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Yeah.

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Alright.

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We'll.

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Picking up teens, let's

jump back into to Daniel.

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Okay.

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Ding a four, five and six.

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Uh, yeah, we do that.

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Thanks man.

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Dead air.

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This is great.

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We opened with this.

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Like what day is it?

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Where are you?

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Who are you?

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Uh, yeah, Daniel Ford, uh, Daniel four

opens up Nebuchadnezzar still here.

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And so next chapter we're getting

a different king and then the

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chapter after that, even a different

king, but right now we're still

101

in the beginning of chapter four.

102

By the way Dino's going to

jump around a bit chapters

103

one through six chronological.

104

Uh, after chapter six, it's

going to jump around because case

105

chapter one through six is really

the historical segment of things.

106

Uh, temperatures.

107

Seven through 12 or the

tool Trevor's in danger.

108

Yeah.

109

Thank you.

110

Are more of the prophetic,

uh, elements of Daniel.

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And so it's going to will.

112

We'll guide you through that, but

just know that, so chapters four

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through six, we're still in that

the historical, the chronological

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king, you never can have it here.

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And he opens up the chapter and

he says, in this announcement to

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everybody, he says, Hey, peace to you.

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Uh, it seemed good to me to show

the signs and wonders that the

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most high God has done for me.

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How great are so here you

have a pagan king who is.

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Worshiping the Lord and exalting God

and even calling God the most high God.

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And so the question remains

and we'll answer it.

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When we get to the end of chapter

four is never consider a believer.

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Is he a Christian?

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And what happened to bring him there?

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If he is obviously wouldn't be a Christian

because this is old Testament, but is

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he now part of the people in the hostel?

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Yeah.

128

Let's talk about it.

129

When we get to the a at the end

of chapter four, we'll keep you

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on pins and needles until then.

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Anyways, he's got another dream.

132

He was at ease and prospering and

that's a theme that's going to show up.

133

Uh, later in the chapter as well.

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He's he's a comfortable guy.

135

You think that makes sense?

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He's.

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The king of Babylon.

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He's the king of the most powerful

nation on the planet at the time.

139

And he was, he's got a dream that leaves

him terrified and, and so much so that

140

now he's going to call the magicians

and the Wiseman and everything else.

141

And he's, he's not

gonna hold them captive.

142

He's gonna just tell

them what the dream is.

143

He said, here's the dream.

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And he relays the dream to them

and they're unable to answer.

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And so Daniel entered he's relieved.

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When Daniel comes in at last,

Daniel came in before me, he says

147

in verse eight, And he says to

him, Hey Daniel, here's my dream.

148

And he lays it out and Daniel

is even dismayed at the dream.

149

Daniel here's the King's dream and,

and thinks to himself, oh no, man.

150

And he begins to respond and he

tells the king, he says, king

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made this be for someone else.

152

And not for you.

153

Uh, but basically the

dream breaks down this way.

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There's a tree.

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And the tree is initially large

and fruitful and provide shade and

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shelter for many you'll remember

in Ezekiel, there was another dream

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involving a tree there as well.

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This time.

159

It refers to a person and that

person being Nebuchadnezzar.

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And this tree grows and it's

powerful and it's mighty.

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And then this angelic

messenger, the watcher.

162

Shows up on the scene and orders that this

tree should be cut down, but preserving

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its stump, the stump would be bound by

iron bound, by metal so that nothing

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would, would damage the stump there.

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And then it says this and after seven

periods of time, it would be restored.

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And so when this watcher shows up,

there's a switch in pronouns in the dream.

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Now don't panic.

168

We're not talking pronouns the way that

we talk about pronouns in today's society.

169

But it goes from talking about the, the

tree as it to now talking about heat.

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And so now we know that this

is referring to a person.

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That person is going to be,

this is our first clue that this

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is going to be Nebuchadnezzar.

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And the angel announces that he would

be like a wild animal for seven years.

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So that's seven seasons,

seven periods of time.

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Until he recognized the sovereign

power of the most high down.

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And so Daniel.

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Here's the dream reacts to the

dream, interprets the dream

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and lays it out for the king.

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Uh, and, and tells

Nebuchadnezzar these things.

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And you think that everything's going

to be fine because you think that,

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that the king is going to respond.

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Um, because that Daniel ends by saying,

you know, king repent before this happens

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to you, don't let this happen to you.

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And he had such a high view of

Daniel that you think, okay, well

185

maybe, maybe I should listen to him.

186

I've seen other, these other

interpretations and dreams come true.

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And so after verse 27, you're

thinking, okay, this may work out.

188

Uh, but of course it doesn't chapter 28.

189

Again, the ease and the comfort

and the, the, uh, the, the

190

lack of any trouble leads.

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Nebeker desert.

192

To walk out onto his porch and to say,

look at Babel and look how amazing it is.

193

I've built this for my glory and

majesty, and then it says right there

194

in the text while he's still speaking,

the fulfillment of the dream comes,

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he driven from humanity by this.

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Uh, this ailment that comes from God that

causes them to act like a wild animal.

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And it, it lasts seven years.

198

And at the end of the seven

years, finally, he acknowledges

199

the sovereignty of God.

200

So there's some sort of mental faculty.

201

So for seven years, he's

resistant for seven years.

202

He is still rebelling in his

prideful state, even though he's

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been given the mind of an animal.

204

And then at the end of that, he's finally

broken to the point that he acknowledges

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God acknowledges God's sovereignty.

206

And he has the kingdom

restored to him as well.

207

And so there's, that's kind of

the center section here of this

208

chapter four is the dream its

interpretation and its fulfillment.

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Can you talk about, uh, let's let's

talk about one thing, one thing that

210

stands out here, and I think it relates

to something we've covered previously.

211

Uh, but though not in this context.

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So you talk about a watcher in verse

13, a watcher, a holy one comes down.

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This is a unique word.

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I don't think we see this word.

215

Any other place in the Bible.

216

But what's unique about this when

an on top of the language being

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different is that later on you

find out that the Watchers actually

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have something to do with this

decision for king Nebuchadnezzar.

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To to suffer this fate verse 17 says the

sentence is by the decree of the Watchers,

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the decision by the word of the holy ones.

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To the end that the living may

know that the most high rules, the

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kingdom of men gives it to him.

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He will and sets it over

the lowliest of men.

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Talk about the Watchers and their role

in the administration, or at least some

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kind of, some kind of the decisions

that are governing the world around us.

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Yeah.

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The angels are not all the same.

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Right.

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I mean, we, we have this kind of precious

moments, view of angels, or you have

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the touch by an angel picture here.

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Angels have naked babies with wings.

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Totally.

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Yeah.

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Angels have different

jobs and different roles.

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And you think about the angels

that are by the throne of God.

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They have a unique role in a unique

job, and they're doing things and

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they're, they're creating an unique way.

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But then you think about the other

angels, some angels, as we'll read

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about, even in Daniel there's angels

dispatched to answer prayer there's

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angels dispatch to deliver messages.

241

And so they have a different role.

242

And then you have angels that,

that engage in spiritual warfare

243

with the demonic forces as well.

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So God has his myriads of angels

and they're not all there just

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to play harps and sing praises.

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As to him and heaven,

they're doing his work.

247

They're doing his bidding.

248

And so here you see a particular class

called the Watchers and you're right.

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We don't have a lot of information about

them because we don't know them outside

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of this account in Daniel chapter four,

but they are given by God, some measure

251

of authority to announce judgment

and carry out and execute, decrease.

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That's crazy.

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It's crazy.

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Right.

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And they're angelic beings and they're,

they're having some influence on the

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experience of men, which I brought

this up because I thought of first

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Kings 22, McCaya talks about what's

happening in heaven and the lying spirit.

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That's going to be in the

mouth of one of the profits.

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And he said, I'm going to

go down and deceive him and

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God says, okay, go do that.

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And you're going to be successful.

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So I'm kind of, man, there's so

much more happening in the spiritual

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realm than we ever realize.

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I think that's, what's important

for me at first to see here.

265

Uh, super important because

it has an impact on kingdom.

266

You can ask her, but I'm

sure if this is happening.

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And this one isolated account

in biblical history, I'm sure

268

it's still continuing to happen.

269

And other accounts in places that

we don't even think about, like

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America, like our own backyard.

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So bring this to your mind.

272

As we think about spiritual warfare.

273

And Paul says in Ephesians chapter

six, that we're to put on the full

274

armor because of things like this in

the background where he's thinking

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about the things that we just can't

see that's happening all the time.

276

That's the first thing.

277

And thank you for me for

talking about that second thing.

278

Historically.

279

Uh, you're gonna, if you're going

to look up Wikipedia or Britannica

280

or any of the encyclopedic or.

281

Resources.

282

They're going to say there's nothing in

history that talks about this particular

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episode and king Nebuchadnezzar's life.

284

Uh, why might that be?

285

How do we respond to that as Christian?

286

So, because pagan nations

were not about their humility,

287

there were about their glory.

288

It's one of the reasons why we look

into Egypt and see very little there

289

about any mention of Israelites or the

Israelite slaves that they had there,

290

because it was a black mark on the.

291

Uh, the victories of Egypt, you mentioned

obelisks in our episode yesterday, a

292

lot of times those were inscribed with

all of the, the military victories and

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that the accomplishments that the Kings.

294

And so they weren't there to depict

themselves historically in any way that

295

would lead to defeat or humiliation.

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And so I think here, you see

this with never condenser.

297

I don't think there was a reason for

a pagan king to look back on this

298

and say, yeah, let's make sure that

that stays in the history books.

299

Yeah.

300

So important for us to realize

that not everything that the Bible

301

captures as historical is going

to be reflected in other accounts.

302

Right.

303

We don't need more than the, the Bible

to tell us, but it's interesting and

304

helpful when we see other accounts

and documentations saying, oh yeah, we

305

can testify that this happened here.

306

Uh, these guys have a really good

reason to not publicize this.

307

It doesn't give them a good look.

308

Right?

309

So that's at least one

reason there's probably more.

310

But just let that know when you

start looking at this and look for

311

extra biblical resources on this.

312

You're not going to find a lot

of information there because

313

it doesn't exist at least yet.

314

Right.

315

And that's a big part too.

316

When we come to this next

chapter or a chapter five or

317

six, we'll talk about this again.

318

When we get to Belshazzar.

319

Yeah.

320

Uh, Revelation you brought

up angels and what they do.

321

So.

322

Revelation 14.

323

Okay.

324

14, 14.

325

Uh, and 15, then I looked and behold

a white cloud and seated on the cloud.

326

One like the son of man with

a golden crown on his head and

327

a sharp sickle in his hand.

328

So who is this pastoral thing?

329

In verse 14.

330

Uh, read it again.

331

Then I looked and behold a white

cloud and seated on the cloud one

332

like a son of man with a golden

crown on his head and a sharp sickle.

333

And it's got to be Jesus.

334

Jesus.

335

Right.

336

Verse 15 of revelation.

337

Another angel came out of the

temple calling with a loud voice

338

to him who sat on the cloud.

339

Put in your sickle and reap

for the outer Rebbe's count.

340

Oh, so there you haven't heard.

341

Jewel dispatch from the father to the

son, delivering the message to the sun.

342

Now's the time to start the judgment.

343

So that's another element of this

authority that's imbued to these

344

angels and given to them that

even just so interesting, crazy.

345

It's I just, you, you don't

think about that a whole lot.

346

When we think in immediate terms of

our immediate, the father makes a

347

decree and then these things happen.

348

And that's true in a sense like

he's the ultimate authority, but

349

you don't often think about there's

intermediaries, angelic beings

350

that are functioning all around us.

351

Maybe even now.

352

Uh, between us that are having an

impact on the way that the events

353

of human history are unfolding.

354

I think that's fascinating.

355

Absolutely so exciting.

356

A hundred percent.

357

Yeah.

358

I agree with you.

359

Yeah.

360

Chapter ends then.

361

And it says there in verse 37, now I never

can knows her praise and extol and honor

362

the king of heaven for all his works or

rights in his ways are just, and those

363

who walk in pride, he is able to humble.

364

True statements.

365

Good things.

366

We would say that's a good

thing for somebody to do that.

367

Does this mean that he's a follower

of God and the God of Israel?

368

Now I, my position on this is no.

369

And the reason I say that is because

this is a polytheistic culture and so

370

much like the sailors in Jonah when yeah.

371

Jonah is tossed over and the water

comes down and they worshiped God.

372

The God of heaven.

373

We'll have to God.

374

They're worshiping him.

375

Yeah.

376

They're adding it to their Pantheon there.

377

And I think that's what's happening here.

378

So I don't, we read these things.

379

I don't think we need to go.

380

Oh, look at that.

381

We're going to see

Nebuchadnezzar in heaven.

382

I don't think we are.

383

I'd be stoked if we did.

384

I, yeah, me too.

385

And I'd be happy to be proven wrong.

386

He's like, Hey, listen.

387

You said I heard your podcast or sorry.

388

Disappointing.

389

I thought you were just a polytheist.

390

Yeah, I would agree with you.

391

I don't think that there's a strong reason

to believe that he was changed after this.

392

Yeah.

393

Uh, all right.

394

Chapter five, speaking of change,

warning to a new, a new segment here,

395

new king is here and his belches.

396

Are you wanting to talk about belches

our pastor a quick note on this.

397

It was very popular to say

that Belshazzar was a biblical.

398

Fiction.

399

Uh, it was a, it was an invention

by Daniel who had no first.

400

Uh, person experienced in this.

401

And he was just a figure that the

scripture used as a, as a, I don't

402

know, a device to make their point.

403

And it became very popular to do.

404

Until we discovered thousands

of Babylonian texts that

405

talk about Belshazzar being

a co Regent of NAB rhinitis.

406

Who was aware at this point in time.

407

And so belches are, was this second

in the kingdom, which is why later

408

on when he says to Daniel, you're

gonna be third in the kingdom.

409

Because now this was somewhere else.

410

So belches are, uh, was discovered

recently and they were talking

411

about a hundred years, uh,

less than, uh, what are we?

412

22.

413

What, what years?

414

At 2024.

415

Uh, middle of the 1900.

416

So a hundred years ago, let's just

say for rough and dirty numbers.

417

People were saying the Bible

and vent to people and it

418

just took, it just takes time.

419

So all that to say, last

chapter, we said, okay, who, who.

420

Who who, when, where, how.

421

Maybe we don't have the answers right now.

422

Give, give people time, give

the archeolog archaea all.

423

Give this time to dig.

424

I give them time to dig and

we'll figure some stuff out.

425

So I'll, let's say, I even think about

just the closed nations right now.

426

Like the areas of Iran and Iraq

and, and some of those areas that so

427

much biblical activity took place.

428

Yeah, and we can't get in there to dig.

429

They're not going to let us

out, but what's there like.

430

How cool would that be?

431

Oh man.

432

I'm sure there are treasures that we

would be delighted to find in the Bible

433

would be proven right over and over again.

434

Yeah, maybe someday.

435

All right.

436

Well, Daniel five opens with this party

that's happening and we're going to

437

throw our date here to 5 39 BC, because

the reason we know that is because this

438

is the same, in fact, the same evening.

439

That the Mito Persians are gonna

break through and they're gonna,

440

they're gonna take out Babylon.

441

This is the fall of Babylon happening

right here in Daniel chapter five.

442

But what we have to understand

is that was unexpected.

443

The yes, the Mito Persian empire

had laid siege to the city.

444

Yes, they were a strong foreign nation,

but Babylon was different than Jerusalem.

445

The walls were massive and

they had two sets of walls.

446

They're in Babylon.

447

Not only that they had

20 plus years of food.

448

Uh, within the walls of the city that

they could rely on, they could survive

449

a seizure over 20 plus years, and they

had a water supply that floating under

450

the walls and came into the city.

451

And so that's why they're

here throwing a party.

452

They're not, they're

not worried about this.

453

They're there.

454

It's like, oh yeah.

455

They're just a fly.

456

They're a speck of infant testimony,

lint outside the walls of the city here.

457

We don't even have to give

them a second thought.

458

Right.

459

And so they're partying,

it's prideful, it's boasting.

460

Uh, and, and in this feast to show

contempt for the danger there.

461

Uh, they're even going to say, you

know what we perhaps belches are at

462

heard of the prophecy about what would

happen in that that Babylon would fall.

463

And so he says, look, this God

that prophesied, this I'm even

464

going to call for his vessels.

465

And so he calls for the vessels of the

temple and begins to drink toast to these

466

false gods out of the instruments that

were meant to worship the God of Israel.

467

Just an insult and debauchery and pride.

468

And then all of a sudden, the hand shows

up and the hand starts writing on the

469

plaster of the wall there in the palace.

470

And it, it causes his color to change.

471

It says multiple times there, and

he's, nobody's able to interpret it.

472

Nobody knows what it is.

473

And then his wife says, Hey, there's

this guy, Daniel, you should ask him.

474

Daniel comes in and agrees

to interpret the writing.

475

But before doing that, he

first confronts Belshazzar.

476

He says, man, you knew what happened

to your, your ancestor, your dad.

477

This is about 20 years

or so after the death of.

478

Uh, Nebuchadnezzar.

479

And so you're saying you knew

these things, and yet you still

480

exalted yourself against God.

481

And so this is the message

that's come to you.

482

And the message that came was this

message that said, Hey, you know what?

483

You've been evaluated.

484

You've been measured, you've been weighed.

485

And you've been found wanting

your days are numbered.

486

And in fact, he says, and

even tonight, your kingdom is

487

going to be taken from you.

488

And what's so cool.

489

Well, not for them.

490

But what's so fascinating is as this

is happening, the armies and the

491

Medes and Persians are literally

infiltrating the city right now.

492

And the way they did it is I

mentioned they had a stream.

493

They had a river that went under the,

the walls to supply the city with water.

494

They diverted the water from that river.

495

And they were able to pass in

under the walls, through the dry

496

river bed that had been created

after they diverted the water.

497

And they came in and they,

they had a field day because

498

nobody was expecting them.

499

Nobody was ready and they

ended up taking out belches are

500

putting them to death that night.

501

And, and Darius, the Mede

takes over after this.

502

So a couple more interesting

points historically.

503

Um, Nebuchadnezzar.

504

May or may not have been a

direct descendant of Belshazzar.

505

Our brushes are vice versa.

506

May not have been direct descendant of.

507

Nebuchadnezzar.

508

And there's there's reasons because

the reason of that is because belt

509

Belshazzar was the product of a coup.

510

Um, after.

511

Yeah.

512

After.

513

Nebuchadnezzar had gone off the scene.

514

There's a few more.

515

A few more.

516

Uh, I'll we'll, Marduke a few more

Kings that were in intermediaries.

517

And he shows up on the scene later.

518

And so historians are gonna say,

well, this is not exactly true.

519

Here you go to the Bible again,

saying an accurate historical things.

520

Now, two things at one, there

may be a connection down the

521

line that that's a possibility,

a good possibility, but second.

522

Now Daniel May not be using

this in the traditional sense.

523

You may not be saying your actual

biological father, the scriptures

524

can use this terminology in a

way that isn't strictly speaking.

525

Literal it's meant to say,

look, you're your predecessor.

526

They're.

527

The one that you're acting like

somewhere are the one that you

528

should act like in this case.

529

Uh, he knew these things by

don't, you know, these things.

530

So.

531

It give the Bible some credit.

532

Number two.

533

Derrius the meat.

534

Um, I know we're going

to go to chapter six.

535

Dairy Simeon plays a

pretty large role here.

536

Who's Derris to me, pastor PJ.

537

I do you have a good idea for this here?

538

Here's let me just lay the

groundwork for you guys.

539

Um, Derrius, the Mead is another one of

those characters in history, the biblical

540

history anyway, where we would say.

541

He plays a pretty prominent role.

542

In Daniel's life, but when it

comes to the historical backing,

543

Not quite sure who this guy is.

544

Um, there is not a Derrius.

545

The.

546

Made to our knowledge that fits the bill.

547

Historically for both the Babylonian

kingdom and the Mito Persians.

548

Uh, there's, there's clear lines of

delineation for which ruler rules

549

at what time and what they do.

550

Derrius, the meat is a mysterious

figure that we, to this point don't have

551

conclusive information about who he is.

552

But do you have any thoughts

about that, pastor PJ?

553

Yeah.

554

I don't have the answer if I

did, I would write a book on it,

555

um, and get our church building.

556

Yeah, that'd be great.

557

Uh, no, but it's possible.

558

He could have been a vice region.

559

He could have been somebody that was more

of a governor that was put in place there

560

that he could have been in a placeholder.

561

There's other people that,

that ruled that they're saying,

562

well, maybe it was this person.

563

Maybe it was another name

for this rule or that ruler.

564

But at the end of the

day, we, we don't know.

565

And yet when we look at what happened

with Belshazzar, I think we can

566

have confidence to say we don't, we

don't need to, to question to say,

567

did this guy really exist or not?

568

Um, I think there's reason to say we

haven't found the, the archeological

569

evidence for that yet, but that doesn't

mean that we need to sit here and

570

say, oh, well, this, this clearly is,

is, uh, an anachronism that the Bible

571

just slipped in there to say, okay,

let let's, let's make up a story.

572

A very unlikely.

573

And then that's the thing, another

area where we're aware that there.

574

There's areas in this we're like,

oh, well, what does that mean?

575

What does that refer to?

576

But give the Bible time.

577

The Bible is proven itself over and

over again, even if we don't have

578

what we need right now, at some

point in time, we're going to know.

579

Okay.

580

Yeah.

581

Did the Bible annuity.

582

Like Belshazzar, right?

583

People thought it was a myth and a farce.

584

Nope.

585

He's real.

586

Bible wins.

587

And the other thing too,

is, is for us to have a, a.

588

I don't want to put this, um,

Uh, chronological humility.

589

Uh, not to think that where we are

in our day and time with all of our

590

institutions and seminary and archaeal

archeologists and everything out there.

591

Are in a much better place to be able to

decide whether or not something is true,

592

then those that first were the recipients

of these books and these letters.

593

I mean, the, the book of Daniel

has been part of the Jewish cannon.

594

You know, from the outset.

595

And so that, to, to say that that

all of a sudden, they were willing

596

to just look the other way on this

false name that was slipped in there.

597

When this was within close proximity

of the, the event's actually happening

598

is just a chronological snobbery that

we can sometimes fall into thinking

599

that we're smarter because we're.

600

You know, look at.

601

We're so much more advanced as a culture.

602

We still don't know how

they made the pyramids.

603

Right.

604

Clearly they had some, they had

some kind of genius way of moving.

605

Massive, impossible to.

606

I mean, that's certainly I was going

to bring it up at another time, but

607

since you brought it up, I mean.

608

Whatever it is.

609

They're smarter than we

are in a lot of ways.

610

Yeah.

611

All right.

612

Well, let's talk to up chapter six then.

613

Yeah, chapter six, is that to

summarize this chapter integrity,

614

um, is, is what this comes down to.

615

You've got Darious and he, uh, is

bamboozled by some of the people in his.

616

Uh, it is court there to say, Hey,

pass this law that no one can worship

617

any God except for you and you alone.

618

And the reason they did that is because

these are Daniel's worst enemies.

619

They're jealous of his position.

620

They're jealous that this Jews should

have so much authority in the kingdom.

621

And they say, Hey, king passed this law

because they knew that Danny wouldn't

622

listen to it because they knew the

only reason they would trip them up

623

is if they found a reason in relation

to his relationship with God, which.

624

I mean, let's make that our goal in life

that if our worst enemies emptied out

625

our closets, the only thing that they

would find worthy of bringing a charge

626

against us is to try to trip us up when

it comes to our relationship with Christ.

627

Daniel goes up, knowing the decree had

been signed, opens the windows to his

628

is in his room there and prays towards

the, where the temple had been to

629

praise towards Jerusalem because God.

630

Had he was there.

631

He knew that that's what

God wanted him to do.

632

And so he does it and sure enough,

they find him, they accused him.

633

The king can't do anything.

634

He is grieved over this.

635

And even as he's lowering

Daniel into the lion's den, he

636

says, may your God save you?

637

Which is a fascinating glimpse

into the relationship that

638

dairy has had with Daniel.

639

The king loses sleep overnight.

640

While, while Daniel's in the lion's

den, he rushes back the next morning,

641

pulls the lid off the den and

probably had never done this before.

642

Calls out to the dentist

says, Hey, are you okay?

643

Did your God spare you?

644

And Daniel says, king,

look, my God honored.

645

My integrity.

646

I had done nothing against

him and he sent his angel and

647

shut the mouths of the lions.

648

And I'm here I am.

649

I'm okay.

650

So Daniel's pulled up in,

out of the lion's den.

651

And then in response, the king

takes those that had accused him

652

and he throws them into the pit.

653

And it says before they even hit the

ground there, their bones were broken.

654

They were, they were dead before

they even hit the ground, which

655

shows us that these were not.

656

Broken lions.

657

These were mines that had been tainted.

658

A holy gap.

659

They're waiting for an update.

660

Yeah, this is a really cool story.

661

That's.

662

It's there's a reason why it was one

of everyone's favorites growing up.

663

And there's a reason why we

teach it every year, basically.

664

And in Sunday school, Because

this story just showcases again,

665

the providential protection of

God, which he does, he does do.

666

He doesn't do it all the time.

667

Right.

668

And we should know that we should never

hold God to some kind of entitlement

669

of saying, well, I did this for you.

670

You should do this for me, which

is why I really love I'm Hannah.

671

And I am Michelle, Michelle, and as

a ride because they say, but if not

672

okay, if he doesn't do that, then.

673

Okay.

674

So be it, whatever.

675

God has rights to either

protect us or to let us perish.

676

And that's his prerogative.

677

Now, and that should be our, our

perspective on this, but there are

678

times when he does stuff like this,

and man, it is so cool to see this.

679

I would have loved to have seen.

680

What it looked like.

681

I mean, were the lions in any way

aggressive and then did, did God

682

just like literally shut their mails?

683

They couldn't open it or.

684

Was there something, I don't know.

685

Daniel playing fetch in

the, in the pan all night.

686

I mean, what did God do to make them.

687

Sorry to make them

docile, super aggressive.

688

I just get excited about this stuff, man.

689

I really love this.

690

I enjoy thinking through

what would it look like?

691

And I'm going to ask

Daniel when I get there.

692

And you're like, did he have

a piece of grass in his teeth

693

picking it like a farmer?

694

Thinking back on one of the lions.

695

Riding them around standing on top of

them doing tricks kickflip with a lie.

696

But man, if Daniel was ever married and

the stories that he would had for his

697

grandkids, Uh, let me tell you about

when I spent the night with the lions.

698

I wrote a line.

699

Yeah, I did a kickflip.

700

On the line.

701

Yeah.

702

Yeah, super cool.

703

SQL.

704

Well, its prey.

705

Yeah.

706

We want integrity like that.

707

We want to be, uh, again, men and

women who demonstrate that just

708

like we prayed yesterday about,

uh, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

709

We want to be.

710

People like Daniel, who, uh,

if somebody wants to say, Hey,

711

I'm going to find dirt on them.

712

That the only thing that they

would be able to come up with

713

is, is our commitment to you.

714

Our devotion to you.

715

Um, it lives like Daniels and like

job's remind us that that's possible.

716

It's not insurmountable now.

717

Can we ever reach sinlessness?

718

No, we can't.

719

And we acknowledge that before you got it.

720

We always have reason to depend

upon Christ and his righteousness.

721

But we can be godly holy people.

722

And so I pray that you would

make that true of us as a church.

723

And we ask this in Christ's name.

724

Amen.

725

Amen.

726

All right, y'all keep me in your

Bibles and tune in again tomorrow.

727

For another episode of

the daily Bible podcast.

728

See you then.