In this opening night of the Unlocking Prophecy series, we discover principles of prophetic interpretation – and hope for the future – as we learn of an ancient king’s dream and its meaning for today.

<p>In this opening night of the Unlocking Prophecy series, we discover principles of prophetic interpretation – and hope for the future – as we learn of an ancient king’s dream and its meaning for today.</p>

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

Dalton SDA Church

Unlocking Prophecy

Chester Clark

1- Fools Who Fight the Future- Part 1

You know, whether you're in Russia or whether you're in Asia, whether you're in Africa, we all have human nature, don't we?

And we all have struggles and we all have challenges.

And I found that the God of the Bible and the God of prophecy gives us confidence as we look to the future, as we try to understand the world in which we're living in.

So tonight we have a really important topic to cover.

It's sort of what I call the ABCs of Bible prophecy.

You see, when we talk about Bible prophecy, many people, they sort of get glassy-eyed and they sort of think, well, that's too confusing.

Book of Revelation just gives me nightmares.

When you just read it and you don't know any of the context, you don't know where those beasts and those images and all those stories came from, it's really sort of confusing.

But if you start in the beginning, because when John wrote the book of Revelation, he assumed, and God would have assumed, that his readers would have been familiar with the Old Testament, the stories of the Old Testament, particularly the prophecies of Daniel.

It's the ABCs that help us to begin understanding prophecy.

So tonight, I just want to let you know what we're going to do.

Tonight we're going to look at Daniel chapter 2.

I think your brochures and so forth have already told you that, but we're gonna be looking at Daniel chapter 2 because it is the first in-time Bible prophecy.

You might say, well, why do we start with Daniel chapter 2?

Hold on to your seats because Tomorrow night, we're gonna come back and we're gonna pick up Daniel chapter 1.

The stories of the book of Daniel are taken to the book of Revelation and used to describe things that are still future.

And so as we study these stories, we're going to understand better the book of Revelation.

So tomorrow night we're going to be looking at Daniel chapter 1 and Daniel chapter 3.

Tonight we're going to start with Daniel chapter 2.

It's too much to do more than Daniel chapter 2 in 1 night.

Now I have found that it's not so important what I think or what I say.

All over the world I've met people that have asked me questions, but what they really want to know is what does the Bible say.

It's not so important what I think Chester Clark thinks, what's important is what the Bible says.

And so that's what we want to focus on here.

And you're gonna find that as we go through our nightly studies, there are so many verses, there are so many passages, that we couldn't possibly turn to all of them and read all of them in the 45 or 50 minutes they give me to speak here.

So I'm glad for all of you that have brought your Bibles here.

I encourage you to bring paper to write notes on.

But we're not going to take the time always to turn to every verse.

And so we're gonna be putting some of the text on the screen.

I encourage you, I encourage you, I want you to read and study the Bible for yourself.

So take those notes, Take those handouts, study it for yourself.

And when I have a Bible verse, I want you to see this right away, okay?

This is my way of making it very clear what I'm doing.

Because sometimes I'll have text on this, or I'll have passages, or text, I guess I could say, words on the screen that aren't from the Bible, but when you see this Bible right there that means it's a Bible verse.

Okay, and so that Bible's there it's a Bible verse and I'm quoting directly from the usually the King James or the New King James translation.

We sort of take out some of the these and thous and make it you and your, right?

If it's a different translation, you'll see it there.

I'll tell you what translation I used for the story or whatever we're going over.

So you know exactly when I'm quoting the scripture and when I'm giving some other historical source or maybe even my own my own Emphasis thoughts that I want to emphasize I put them on the screen So does that make sense?

When you see the little Bible there, you know It's coming straight from scripture write down those verses turn to your Bibles and look it up for yourself.

And that's what we're going to get into tonight.

So we're starting with Daniel Chapter 2 and I'm excited, are you?

I'm excited to be able to look at Daniel Chapter 2 together with you and begin to unpack the book of Daniel.

Now, Daniel and his friends are in Babylon, we'll talk more about that tomorrow, but they're in Babylon, they are they are captives you might say, they're trained, they've become a part of Nebuchadnezzar's government and as we as we pick up the story in Daniel chapter 2, and much of our time will be there, so you can just turn your Bibles there and follow along, we find the story of what happened 1 night as Daniel and his 3 friends are in this wonderful city of Babylon, a pagan city of Babylon, a powerful city of Babylon.

It was the ruler of that part of the world, the Babylonian Empire, covered a large territory.

And of course Nebuchadnezzar had conquered Jerusalem, the home of Daniel and his friends.

It was what was considered an impregnable city with 20 years of provisions inside the city walls so that even if siege were to be laid, they were confident that They would outlive those who were trying to conquer them.

And yet it was a city where God had a message to give.

Isn't it interesting that in a place like Babylon, God would send his message.

And in an ironic way, he's not only sent Daniel and his friends and perhaps others from the country of Judah and Israel to Babylon as missionaries, he would have a message that he would share directly with the king of Babylon.

It's a fascinating story as we read it in Daniel chapter 2.

Nebuchadnezzar would dream a dream and it's amazing as he woke up the next morning or maybe even during the night he woke up and he couldn't remember what the dream was.

Nebuchadnezzar had some idea that this must be an important dream.

It must have been important and I think as we look on as we see what it is we'll see why He must have thought it was important, but he woke up and he was troubled.

He couldn't remember what that dream was.

Daniel chapter 2, and we pick up the story in verse 3, he's called his wise men together, his counselors.

Now, you have to remember, These wise men claimed to be in contact with the Babylonian gods.

They claimed that they would be able to interpret mysteries and solve, you know, all kinds of spiritual matters.

And so he calls his intelligentsia together of Babylon.

He calls them together and he says this, I have had a dream and my spirit is anxious to know the dream.

Of course, if you were a wise man, what would you say?

Now, I think the wise men had a little council together.

But I imagine they had a little council together and they said, you know what, we better be careful because maybe he does really remember the dream and this is a test.

They said, O King, live forever, tell your servants the dream, "'and we will give the interpretation.'" Daniel 2 in verse 4.

"'The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, "'My decision is firm.

"'If you do not make known the dream to me "'and its interpretation, you shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made in ash sheep." Now that doesn't sound very kind or nice, does it?

But you have to understand, this was a totalitarian king.

This was someone who could do whatever he wanted to do and no 1 could stop him.

And even though these were the important men of Babylon, the brain trust of Nebuchadnezzar, he was serious.

Here he's been paying them a good salary.

He's been keeping them on retainers, you know.

He needs to have the information that he thought that they could give.

And he thinks they're just stalling for time.

Now the wise man answer, I mean Nebuchadnezzar continues, I'm sorry, here it says, however, if you tell the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts, rewards, and great honor.

Therefore, tell the dream and its interpretation." This is your choice.

You either don't tell me the dream and its interpretation and you're finished, and your family's finished, or you tell me the dream and its interpretation and you receive promotions and great honor.

The Chaldeans, the wise men, they said this, King, there is not a man on earth who can tell the king's matter.

Therefore, no king, lord, or ruler has ever asked such things of any magician, astrologer, or Chaldean.

2- Fools Who Fight the Future- Part 2

We are excited to start Fools Who Fight the Future Part 2.

And as we do so, we are going to be looking at the first and the third chapter of Daniel.

Last night we talked about Daniel chapter 2 and we talked about the great Empire of Babylon.

Babylon was founded by Nebuchadnezzar around 605 BC and he defeated the Pharaoh and that's how he sort of became the the prominent ruler of the world.

He defeated Pharaoh and to avoid the destruction of Jerusalem, King Jehoiakim that same year actually agreed to be subservient to the king of Babel, to Nebuchadnezzar, and to pay tribute.

Now if you read the book of Jeremiah, you'll find that there became a political situation where later on, around 601 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar had another skirmish with Pharaoh, which didn't turn out so well in his favor, and Pharaoh began to exert some of his own autonomy and Israel, or Judah I should say, Jehoiakim, king of Judah, began to say, well you know what?

We don't have to pay our tribute to Babylon because we're going to let Egypt protect us.

We'll pay a smaller tribute to Egypt." And you know what?

The prophet Jeremiah counseled the king, don't do it, don't do it.

And that's why Nebuchadnezzar came on the siege of Jerusalem in 597 BC and completely destroyed the city.

Now, this would have been the second time that he came to Jerusalem, but he now takes captives with him back to Babylon.

And there's plenty of history to back this up, and including in the engravings and murals and artwork of the Babylonians.

They took these captives back to Babylon, and this is the story that we pick up in Daniel chapter 1 and verse 3.

So if you have your Bibles, open them to Daniel chapter 1 and verse 3.

We're going to be following along here the story of Daniel and his 3 friends that we find in Daniel chapter 1.

Now you might ask the question, why in the world are we talking about a story?

We want to learn about the prophecies, right?

That's a good question and the reason I believe that we should talk about this story tonight, we're not going to spend a lot of time on it, but the reason I believe we should talk about this story tonight is simply this, because the stories help us to understand the context and the impact of the prophecies when we get to them.

Not only that, these stories are borrowed by John the Revelator.

We're gonna get to Revelation this evening and look at how John borrows some of these stories from the book of revelation to help us understand the prophecies of what's going to happen in the future.

Isn't it amazing how God uses things in the past to help us understand the future?

And that's what we're looking at tonight.

So Daniel 1, verse 3 says, "...the king ordered Ashpenaz, the chief of his officials, to bring in some of the sons of Israel, including some of the royal family and of the nobles, youth in whom was no defect, who were good looking, showing intelligence in every branch of wisdom, endowed with understanding and discerning knowledge, and who had ability for serving in the king's court.

And he ordered him to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans." So what's happening here is that King Nebuchadnezzar, he's trying to figure out a way to keep his growing empire together.

He said, well, if I will bring some of the prominent sons of well-known, maybe even royal families, if I can bring them to Babylon, teach them Babylonian culture, teach them to think the way we think, to even worship the way we worship, then I can send them back as my emissaries, rulers in their own provinces, and this will unite the empire.

He had a great strategy, a great plan, and I'm sure he thought it would work very well.

The problem was that Nebuchadnezzar was so interested in this process that he actually, it appears from the biblical record, he was micromanaging the process.

The king appointed for them a daily ration from the king's choice food and from the wine which he drank, and appointed that they should be educated 3 years at the end of which they were to enter the King's personal service.

So the King evidently is very personally involved in these young men, in their treatment, in the way they're, even the way they're to be fed, what they're supposed to be fed.

That's what the verse tells us here, Daniel chapter 1 and verse 5.

And these 3, 4 young men that stand out in the first chapter of the book of Daniel, I'm sure there were many other Hebrew young men, but we don't know about them.

They were named Hebrew names, and in the Hebrew culture the name is very, very important.

Daniel was named Daniel, which means God is my judge.

Hananiah's name means grace, mercy, gift from the Lord.

Mishael's name means 1 who is asked for or loaned.

These were all names that would remind them of their God, of their worship, of the true worship that their parents, their mothers and fathers had taught them.

And in place of these names, Nebuchadnezzar gave them Babylonian names.

And wouldn't you know, he gave them Babylonian names that were connected to the worship of Babylonian gods.

I mean, he has a method to his madness, doesn't he?

To them, verse 7 says, to them the chief of the eunuchs gave names.

He gave Daniel the name of Belteshazzar, to Hananiah Shadrach, to Mishael Meshach, and to Azariah Abednego.

So Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah became Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

We used to have Bible stories read to us when we were kids growing up.

Have you ever heard someone, maybe your parents didn't say this, but parents would say we're gonna talk about Shadrach, Meshach, and to bed we go.

That's a, anyway, that always stuck sticks in my mind when it was time for bedtime.

But Daniel was 1 of these 4 men that's being spoken of.

He's the author of the book that we're studying.

Notice with me, verse 6 says, now among those of the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

Verse 8 says, But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank.

Therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself." Now you have to understand that the Jewish boys had been raised up being taught that there were certain things they didn't eat.

Their religion, their worship prohibited them from eating food that had been offered to idols, for example.

They were opposed to having that which had been dedicated to the false gods of Babylon.

Now, in Babylon, they were being offered this food, and this brought them to a moral crisis.

There was not only the food that had been offered to idols, there was also food that they as young men had been taught by their parents they should eat.

The king's food and the wine which he drank, they didn't want to take part in.

They were morally convinced they should not do this.

And as they found themselves in this conundrum, they had to make a choice.

Don't you think they could have rationalized?

Don't you think they could have said, well, I mean, it's not like we have any influence over this.

This wasn't something that, you know, the cook decided what we were gonna eat today.

King Nebuchadnezzar himself decided what we're gonna eat today.

It'd be better to serve God alive than to not be able to serve God dead, after all, right?

And so all kinds of rationalizations they could have made, but Daniel, the Bible says, purposed in his heart.

He made a resolve in his mind, in his heart he says, you know what, it doesn't matter what happens, I'm going to be true to my God.

Even though I'm all the way here in Babel, and even though my parents probably were dead, even though they'll never know, I'm going to be true to the faith that I was raised in.

I'm going to be true to the God that I know.

The God that I have the scriptures of, and which I worship and I believe in.

And so Daniel introduces the question, Daniel chapter 1 introduces the question that recurs throughout end-time Bible prophecy.

It's very, very, it's a very, very, it's so prolific throughout Bible prophecy, I would call it a theme of end-time Bible prophecy.

It's introduced right here in Daniel chapter 1, and it's who will you obey?

Daniel chapter 1, it's just a story, right?

But all these things, Paul tells us, were written for our example upon whom the ends of the world are come.

Because in the time of the end, these stories have great impact on our lives.

Living in the day we're living in, the question of Bible prophecy, end time Bible prophecy I'm talking about, is still the same as it was in Daniel chapter 1 in 597 BC on the banks of the Euphrates River in the city of Babylon.

Who are you going to obey and what's the choice?

Are you gonna obey what God has asked you to do or are you going to do what man tells you to do, right?

What's the question that recurs throughout end time Bible prophecy?

And the choice is between obeying the Word of God and obeying the commands of man.

And so this is the question that Daniel and his friends are faced with as they come here to this situation in Babylon.

Verse 10 says, And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who has appointed your food and drink.

Daniel actually asked the chief of the eunuchs to give them a different diet.

Now we're not here, tonight's topic is not, I'm not talking about health, although we could talk about health.

3- Revelation’s Greatest Climax

The year was 1938 and in a special Halloween drama by Orson Welles, airing from New York, called War of the Worlds.

They presented a radio drama that mostly was presented as news bulletins suggesting to listeners that an actual invasion from Mars was taking place.

It was made so realistic by the radio actors that many believed that the dramatized story was actually true.

Ladies and gentlemen, due to circumstances beyond our control, we are unable to continue the broadcast in Roman Earth.

Evidently, there is some difficulty with our field of expertise.

The broadcast was so realistic that many listeners across the United States were gripped by panic and fear.

Some attempted suicide, some fled to remote areas of the country.

The Navy canceled shore leave for the fleet that was docked in New York City, but it was all just fiction.

Martians hadn't invaded and it wasn't the end of life on earth as we know it.

But many people ask the question, how will life on earth end?

Tonight we're going to be talking, looking again in the books of Daniel and Revelation, we're going to be looking at prophecies of how the world will end, how the Bible teaches this will all come to a conclusion.

And not only are we looking at how it will come to a conclusion, you might say, well we've already seen in Daniel chapter 2 how it's going to come to an end, right?

That image was struck by the stone, the stone became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

But we're going to be looking tonight at how soon this may happen.

Now we're not here to set any times or dates, but I believe that we're living in a time when many people are afraid.

We're living in a time when there's a lot of fear and a lot of anxiety.

We look at how the diseases are spreading and how the health crisis that we're confronting around the country are multiplying.

We're looking at all of these different things and we're wondering, could this be our end?

Could it affect civilization, society in a dramatic way?

We're looking at what is happening around us.

And I believe that thinking men and women everywhere are considering the question what's going on?

Why are all these things happening at a rate and rapidity which we haven't seen before?

And I think that's a good question for us to ask today, and we're gonna turn to the book of Revelation tonight.

So if you have your Bibles, turn with me to the book of Revelation.

This is Revelation chapter 19 and verse 11 we're going to begin with.

This is describing What I believe is the climax of Revelation's prophecy.

That's our topic tonight, the climax of Revelation's prophecy.

Revelation chapter 19 and verse 11, and it says, I saw heaven opened, and Behold a white horse, and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

Verse 12, His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns, and he had a name written that no man knew but himself.

Verse 13, and the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

Verse 15 continues, And out of his mouth go the sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron.

And he treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of the Almighty God.

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Series

Unlocking Prophecy

1- Fools Who Fight the Future- Part 1

Transcript

Description

Parent Series

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Recorded

Understanding Difficult Topics

3. The 1000 Years of Peace

1h 10m

Experience Versus Scripture

38m

Workshop: Dealing with Conflicts In Ministry

Dealing with Conflict and Adversity in Personal Liberty

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Driving While Under the Influence

48m

The Sower

Present Truth of the Wheat and Tare

47m

The Faces of the Wicked

51m

Morning Devotional

Sexual Purity: Lost and Found

46m

The Inspired Word

The Inspired Word- Part 4

1h 15m

Why Am I a SDA?

4. What the Devil Hates

51m

Jesus On Prophecy

Prophecy, Spiritual Abuse, and the Divine Right of Man

53m

How to Prepare Yourself for the Latter Rain

46m

Sound Doctrine