Good Morning! Daniel 7:8 - 2:31-35 - 2:40-45 - The Little Horn Framework Part 1 - 2009.11.27

I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots; and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things (Daniel 7:8).

This is one of the most valuable studies in the Bible. Please lean into the Bible text, determined to learn it for life. It will take some time over the weekend to really study it. Believe it or not, we are working toward the ten horns and the little horn.

If you will memorize four numbers (2—7—13—17) you will have God's view of history to the end of man's earthly rule. Daniel chapters 2 and 7, and Revelation 13 and 17. (D2—D7—R13—R17). Today we will begin reviewing the basic, defining scriptures. Please be patient and do your homework. Mark your Bible. Make notes. Attempt to learn the basic structure of these verses. Note the words in red: gold, silver, brass, iron, iron and clay and stone. Five world kingdoms. Memorize these words. he fifth kingdom (stone) is God's kingdom to be imposed upon the earth.

Daniel 2:31-35 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. (32) This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, (33) His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.

(34) 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 broke them to pieces. (35) 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 (Daniel 2:31-35).

Only four human world-power kingdoms are mentioned. The fifth world-power kingdom is the stone, the God-man, the Christ promised to Moses and prophets who came after him.

Now, please notice these verses: Daniel 2:40-45 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.

(41) And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.

(42) 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.

(43) 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.

(44) 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 forever.

(45) Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke 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.

Next week we will pursue the (D2—D7—R13—R17) verses that provide the framework for the "little horn" that comes out of the ten horns on Daniel's fourth beast. Please read the above four chapters several times in your Bible. I hope you are hungry to know God's viewpoint of human history. If you don't have a hunger to know it, the study may be boring. But it's like being bored when your house is on fire. Part of this time line is just around the corner, perhaps in our life time. You do not want to be on the earth when the little horn is the world's boss and then the Stone smashes the feet and toes made of iron and clay. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31). This is pretty serious stuff. You are welcome to pass it on if you think you should.

Memory Verse for this week: (This is the second week with this important verse.)

(Hebrews 3:12,13) Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin (Hebrews 3:12,13).

Digging Deeper

Yesterday, I wrote: "God actually commanded His people to hide His word in their hearts. Not just their heads, but their hearts. Obviously, no one could memorize all the Old Testament books they had at any given time or even the Books of Moses. There were no Bibles, no books available to any but the hand-copied books available only to the rich until the Gutenberg press was invented about 1450 A.D." But even without printed materials, God saw fit to command His people to hide His word in their hearts.

Obviously this is not for the tenderfoot who lives to be entertained. This is for God's soldiers.

And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: (7) And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up (Deuteronomy 6:6-7).

Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons; (Deuteronomy 4:9).

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee (Psalm 119:11).

Good Morning! Daniel 7:8 - 2:31-35 - 2:40-45 - The Little Horn Framework Part 1 - 2009.11.27

I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things (Daniel 7:8).

This a study and not a devotional. Please be tough and lean into the Bible text. It will take some time over the weekend to really study it. Believe it or not, we are working toward the ten horns and the little horn.

If you will memorize four numbers (2—7—13—17) you will have God's view of history to the end of man's earthly rule. Daniel chapters 2 and 7, and Revelation 13 and 17. (D2—D7—R13—R17). Today we will begin reviewing the basic, defining scriptures. Please be patient and do your homework. Mark your Bible. Make notes. Attempt to memorize the basic structure of these verses. Note the words in red: gold, silver, brass, iron, iron and clay and stone. Five world kingdoms. Memorize these words.The fifth kingdom (stone) is God's kingdom imposed upon the earth.

Daniel 2:31-35 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. (32) This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, (33) His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.

(34) 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 broke them to pieces. (35) 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 (Daniel 2:31-35).

Only four human world-power kingdoms are mentioned. The fifth world-power kingdom is the stone, the God-man, the Christ promised to Moses and prophets who came after him.

Now, please notice these verses:

Daniel 2:40-45 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.

(41) And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.

(42) 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.

(43) 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.

(44) 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 forever.

(45) Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke 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.

Next week we will pursue the (D2—D7—R13—R17) verses that provide the framework for the "little horn" that comes out of the ten horns on Daniel's fourth beast. I hope you have a real hunger for knowing God's viewpoint of human history in advance. Because if you don't have a hunger to know it, I can assure you that it's one of the most boring things you have read in a long time. But it's like being bored when your house is on fire. Part of this time line is just around the corner, perhaps in our life time. But you do not want to be on the earth when the Stone smashes the feet and toes made of iron and clay. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31). This is pretty serious stuff. You are welcome to pass it on if you think you should.

Memory Verse for this week: (This is the second week with this important verse.)

(Hebrews 3:12,13) Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin (Hebrews 3:12,13).

Digging Deeper

Yesterday, I wrote: "God actually commanded His people to hide His word in their hearts. Not just their heads, but their hearts. Obviously, no one could memorize all the Old Testament books they had at any given time or even the Books of Moses. There were no Bibles, no books available to any but the hand-copied books available only to the rich until the Gutenberg press was invented about 1450 A.D." But even without printed materials, God saw fit to command His people to hide His word in their hearts.

Obviously this is not for the tenderfoot who lives to be entertained. This is for God's soldiers.

And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: (7) And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up (Deuteronomy 6:6-7).

Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons; (Deuteronomy 4:9).

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee (Psalm 119:11).

Good Morning! - Daniel 7:8 - Ten Horns and a Little Horn/MORE - 2009.11.26

Good Morning!

I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up

 

among them another little horn, before whom there

 

were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots:

 

and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of

 

man, and a mouth speaking great things (Daniel 7:8).

 

These horns were on the head of Daniel's Fourth Beast.  The other three beasts are defined and placed in history. The winged lion is Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. The bear is Medo-Persia. The leopard is Alexander the Great of Greece. But the fourth beast is not named but we must assume that he comes in the same time line as the other three….one after the other. Rather than a name and place, we are given a description that fits the Roman Empire better than any other. It lasted in its identifiable state for about one thousand years. 

Several of our most conservative Bible scholars and writers believe that although the Roman Empire dissolved from its great cohesive state, that it actually has continued to survive in a dormant and fragmented state. It is yet to rise again into an aggressive and powerful empire resembling iron and clay mixed (as in the feet of Nebuchaednezzar's dream of the great image) and will resume its role as world ruler. Adolf Hitler of NAZI Germany envied the glory and longevity of the Roman Empire and poured much concrete into buildings designed to last hundreds of years. Mussolini of Italy had visions of a revived Roman Empire. French General and President Charles de Gaulle struggled from the days of WWII through his presidency (1959-1969) to restore France to its glory before the days of Napoleon. Europe worked hard after the war to work its nations into an effective common market. Commerce and money is power!

One day—it may be sooner than you think—there will be a formal federation of ten nations in Europe. There is now a clamor to form a United States of Europe. Money power can be as powerful as military power in forming alliances. As the American dollar continues to lose it value, the time is approaching when the EURO, the new currency of Europe, may edge out the dollar as world leader. Europe is growing so strong in its fast development that the United States, Canada, and Mexico are working desperately to build a unit that will compete with the uniting of European nations in financial power. Don't forget the new NAFTA highway being built from Mexico to Canada that no one knows anything about. See: (June 12, 2006) http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=15497  The talk is not fiction of merging Mexico, United States and Canada  (including a new common currency to replace the other three currencies) to compete against the emerging European system.  This kind of reaction to what is happening in Europe should not be taken lightly. It's part of adjusting to a one-world government that's sure to come. It is the reviving of the Roman Empire as displayed in this fourth unnamed beast in Daniel's dream.

Briefly, I will mention that one of those ten states will pluck up three of the ten and the leader of that one new, little horn will be the anti-Christ. We will continue on this theme for a while. It is very big, very important.

Yesterday I said: "Internet searches show little about the Fourth Beast." I should have said "little that is conclusive or worthwhile." Presumptuous?  I must rescue myself. Good engineers and brain surgeons know their margins of error and we require it of them. We want precision and that's narrow. Two plus two is not five.

A long time ago I had read enough commentaries and other literature on end-time Scriptures to conclude with a sigh that the only worthwhile approach to prophecy is literal interpretation unless the text strongly suggests otherwise. Cut out all the speculation and nonsense. A prophecy passage is no excuse to write a piece of religious fiction. If there is an obvious time line, then leave the time line in place.

One life-time student and professor of Bible prophecy wrote that he had read about sixty different explanations and scenarios of scriptures relating to end-time prophecies and Christ's reign upon the throne of David in Jerusalem. All of them can't be right. Therefore my basic assumption in writing about Bible prophecy is to let the Scriptures say what they say and attempt to understand the undefined portions as much as possible by studying history and current events. If I don't agree with a writer, I at least want to know what I disagree with him about. Consider that these ten horns and the little horn that uproots three of the ten is literally going to come to pass.

I don't intend to be here. Be sure and miss it. If you are genuinely saved and the Holy Spirit is living inside your body, you are going to miss it regardless of what religious denomination you belong to. And if you are not saved, you are going to need to raise a lot of turnips to survive because the Mark of the Beast will be required on your hand or forehead for you to buy a loaf of bread. If you take the mark so you can buy and sell, your soul is doomed forever. It's going to happen. This is either dogmatic of the worse sort, or it is precision. You decide.

 

Memory Verse for this week: (This is the second week with this important verse.)

 

(Hebrews 3:12,13)  Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in

 

departing from the living God.  But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest

 

any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin (Hebrews 3:12,13).

 

 Digging Deeper

 

God actually commanded His people to hide His word in their hearts. Not just their heads, but their hearts.  Obviously, no one could memorize all the Old Testament books they had at any given time or even the Books of Moses. There were no Bibles, no books available to any but the hand-copied books available only to therich until the Gutenberg press was invented about 1450 A.D. 

 

So, the only Bible that people had in Old Testament times and in New Testament times was the copies that only the priests were allowed to access and read to the people on special occasions. Other sources were the small portions memorized by individuals and passed by word of mouth to family and neighbors. When synagogues came along after the Babylonian Captivity, some of them had portions of Scripture. In Jesus' day, in the synagogue in Nazareth he read from Isaiah on the Sabbath Day. Memorizing requires commitment, time, and work. But….don't all things worth having require those things?

 

And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:  (7)  And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up (Deuteronomy 6:6-7).

 

Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons; (Deuteronomy 4:9).

 

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee (Psalm 119:11).

 

To be removed from this mailing list, please click here. In the subject line type "remove."  ●To subscribe to this and other Encourager mailings, click here. In the subject line, type "subscribe." Please give your name and email address. ●Please set your spam system (contact list) to accept encourager@biblewalking.com. and  dan@dancarr.org.   ●Thank you for accepting our mail and passing it on. Daniel's vision of the four beasts - Woodcut by Hans Holbein the Younger.(Wikipedia)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good Morning! - Daniel 7:8 - Ten Horns and a Little Horn - 2009.11.25

I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things (Daniel 7:8).

Internet searches show little about the Fourth Beast. Neither do the mainstream Bible commentaries, even those that take a literal fulfillment approach to the dreams and visions of the Book of Daniel. Writers who downplay Daniel as artistic and open to speculation are expected to say nothing. But Bible believers who also study secular history and watch the political swirling of today's European nations are the ones to read and study. But all of them do not weigh in on this topic.

If Daniel is what it claims to be, it holds the key to unlocking the Book of Revelation and understanding the daily news. I take this position. The Fourth Beast is a strange beast. The wood engraving I used yesterday and today attempts to portray all four beasts. The one on the right is the Fourth Beast and its ten horns and iron teeth make it appear less like an animal than any of the others.

Daniel allotted more space to the fourth beast than to all the other three combined. Reading after lifetime students of the Word fascinates me. As in carpentry and medicine, some are better than others. At least a dozen writers contribute significant observations about these verses pertaining to the fourth beast and especially his horns. It is pointed out that the ten horns are not a fifth kingdom since they grow out of the head of the fourth beast (the Roman Empire). This compares to the ten toes in Nebuchadnezzar's dream of the huge image in Daniel 2. The horns are the last development of the fourth beast.

"In the toes of the first vision, the vision of the image, they are iron and clay. Iron is still there—Rome is still there, but the clay, the weakness, is there also. I think the iron represents the autocratic rule of one man, and the clay represents the crowd, a democracy." McGee continues:

"Very candidly, we see that type of weakness in democracy today. We are proud of the freedom we have—I thank God we have it—but it is almost a joke to talk about how important John Q. Public is. You and I are not very important, to tell the truth. Oh, every now and then when it's time for elections, the politicians tell us how important and wonderful and educated we are. However, we have very little to do with the control of our government or with the choice of our president. The lobbyists and the politicians are making the choices. I thank God for the liberty we have, but we have been brainwashed to think as they think."

J. Vernon McGee sounds like he is unpatriotic but not necessarily so. He's just a plain-spoken old Bible scholar who has resisted varnishing things over to make people feel good. He has been with the Lord for several years now but his "Through the Bible" radio program was very popular without any fanfare and is still being aired on many stations. He continues:

"God's ideal government is not a democracy—it is a real dictatorship. When Jesus Christ rules on this earth, He is not going to ask anyone what he wants done. He is going to make the choices, and this earth is going to be run the way He wants to run it. That is the reason it would be best if you and I would become conformed to His image; otherwise we will be very uncomfortable under His dictatorship. Actually, He will put out of His Kingdom anything that offends, anyone who is in rebellion against Him. We are to bow to Him and to His absolute rule.

"Rome fell apart because of internal corruption and rottenness and drunkenness. All four of these empires went down with drunkenness. In our own country we say drugs are a problem, but liquor is legal. Who are we kidding? My friend, there are millions of alcoholics trying to hold down jobs today. That is only part of the problem, because that does not include the number of housewives and even children who are alcoholics but are not represented in the statistics. No one knows about them until they commit suicide or need to be put into a mental institution. That is the picture of America in the dark hour in which we live."

I hesitate to quote McGee so extensively but it is so good that like a popular brand of coffee, you hate to put it down.

"Rome is going to be put together again and it is interesting that men are looking for someone who will be able to do it. The German historian Hoffman has said this: "When Germans and Slavs advanced partly into Roman ground, anyhow into the historical position of the Roman Empire, their princes intermarried with Roman families. Charlemagne was descended from a Roman house; almost at the same time the German Emperor Otto II and the Russian Grand-Prince Vladimir intermarried with daughters of the East-Roman Emperor. This was characteristic for the relation of the immigrating nations to Rome; they did not found a new kingdom, but continued the Roman. And so it continues to the end of all earthly power, until its final ramification into ten kingdoms" (J. Vernon McGee).

To those who have no understanding of what Bible prophecy really teaches, the above statements are raw, salty and offensive. It is not my intention to be offensive. It is, however, my intention to let the Bible speak for itself and to be interlocked into current events of the world political system to show that we are on the brink of the sudden return of Christ to take out His own. His return has always been "imminent." That is, at any time. There are no signs for His return to take out His church. There are signs for what will happen after the church is taken away.

Memory Verse for this week: (This is the second week with this important verse.)

(Hebrews 3:12,13) Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, indeparting from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin (Hebrews 3:12,13).

Digging Deeper

Hardened. This is a Bible term that indicates a spiritual resistance to God's word and God's will for one's life. We like to think that people don't turn to God because they lack basic knowledge. My experience of fifty-plus years in talking with people one-on-one is that most people know enough to turn to God any day they decide to do it. They know that when they turn to God, He is going to be in charge. We want to be in the place of God. People will not have God to rule over them. That is the basic issue.

After we are saved, if we are not careful, we will be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin so that we, again, want to take the place of God. Though the Spirit of God dwells in the body of every body without exception, we can grieve the Spirit of God (Ephesians 4:30). A safeguard against this is that individual Christians should be ready to exhort others to turn back to God.

Good Morning! - Daniel 7:7 - The Fourth Beast Dreadful and Terrible - 2009.11.24

After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns (Daniel 7:7).

This fourth beast with ten horns that is strong exceedingly with great iron teeth is the Roman Empire. It still exists today in its divided, latent form. "The Roman Empire simply fell apart; it lives on in many nations of Europe, in those nations which border the Mediterranean and in North Africa—all those which were a part of the Roman Empire. No one overcame Rome, but it fell apart into these different nations" (McGee). Rome simply went into a severe moral rot and fell in upon itself. The iron teeth of this beast corresponds to the iron legs of the great image in Nebuchadnezzar's dream.

The detail of this fourth beast is found in Daniel 7:19-28. A lot of speculation has been trumpeted in books and lectures that amounts to fiction. We want to avoid that. God has already given us the picture of the future by the Spirit of God in the book of Daniel.

More is said about the fourth beast than all the others put together. We are living in the time of the fourth beast when the ten horns on the beast and the ten toes of Daniel's big image are becoming apparent. We cannot go to a zoo anywhere in the world and find a beast that looks anything like this strange conglomerate.

This beast is not like a lion or a bear or a leopard or like anything in your encyclopedia. It is "dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly." That was like the Roman Empire. The iron teeth of this animal correspond to the iron legs of Daniel's huge image. For a thousand years it stomped on the other nations of the world. Gibbon wrote of it: "The empire of the Romans filled the world, and when the empire fell into the hands of a single person, the world became a safe and dreary prison for his enemies. To resist was fatal and it was impossible to fly."

"Another writer, Dr. Robert D. Culver, who has a very fine book on Daniel entitled Daniel: Decoder of Dreams, has made this statement: 'Two millennia ago, Rome gave the world the ecumenical unity which the League of Nations and the United Nations organizations have sought to give in our time. The modern attempts are not original at all (as many of our contemporaries suppose), but are revivals of the ancient Roman ideal which never since the time of Augustus Caesar has been wholly lost'" (Quoted by McGee).

This beast is relevant and important to us because it is soon going to present itself to the world in its final form. The United States will not forever remain the dominant power of the world. We are part of the fickle masses of the clay in the ten toes of Daniel's image. Democracy has a hard time making hard decisions and denying itself. Greed and buying on credit are like the spectacle of a drunken man. A nation can become the puppet to other nations by its financial policies as surely as being captured by an army. The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender (Proverbs 22:7).

The visions of the three beasts have been fulfilled therefore we can expect the fourth to be fulfilled. "The fourth kingdom of Rome has already appeared. Although it fell apart, it will come back together in ten kingdoms. It will be put together by the one whom the Word of God has labeled the Antichrist" (McGee).

Before the final days of this ten-horn beast, God's people, the church will be called out of the world in the blink of an eye. If you are the Lord's you are going up. Some of my fun-loving friends joke that they believe the day of Christ's calling out of the church is so close that they eat their desert first at every meal.

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: (17) Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (18) Wherefore comfort one another with these words (1Thessalonians 4:16-18).

Maybe today!

Memory Verse for this week: (This is the second week with this important verse.)

(Hebrews 3:12,13) Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin (Hebrews 3:12,13).

Digging Deeper

Lest any of you…. Christians do shipwreck at a surprising rate. It's a heart problem. Rarely is the problem in the head. We drift away from our warmest affection and allegiance for God and begin to focus on self. It's not always the preacher who can be the most help when a Christian is hardening his or her heart. Preachers shipwreck too. Remember Jonah running away from God? And Peter was cold and just wanted to warm a little by the enemy's fire, but it cost him dearly. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall (1Corinthians 10:12).

Rarely will a Christian get up in the morning and say: "I think I'll go to town and sin today and just fall flat on my face." James says this is how it happens: Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death (James 1:13-15).

Run from lust and temptation!

Good Morning! - Daniel 7:6 - The Leopard with Four Wings and Four Heads - 2009.11.23

After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it (Daniel 7:6).

Another like a leopard - four wings - four heads.This was the Greek empire with Alexander the Great as its aggressive king. It has been pointed out that the leopard is a spotted animal and that makes it a fitting symbol of the various nations within that empire with their various customs and languages. It also may be fitting for Alexander himself who was a package of unpredictable opposites. Sometimes he was mild and sometimes violent and cruel. He could be sober or drunk. Though the leopard is small, it is not afraid to attack a lion. This was characteristic of Alexander.

"Four wings" speak of the ability of Alexander to move his army with great speed and to strike suddenly. "In comparison it would have made Nebuchadnezzar's army look like it was on a slow train through Arkansas" (McGee) When Hitler invaded Poland in the fall of 1939, he employed "Blitzkrieg" warfare. Lightning warfare. For many centuries victorious nations are those that are able to move their troops rapidly. During the American Civil War (1860-65) some of the generals were so cautious and slow that they gave the battle to their enemy.

"The Babylonian empire was represented with two wings; and they sufficiently marked the rapidity of Nebuchadnezzar's conquests; but the Macedonian has here four wings; for nothing, in the history of the world, was equal to the conquests of Alexander, who ran through all the countries from Illyricum and the Adriatic Sea to the Indian Ocean and the River Ganges; and in twelve years subdued part of Europe, and all Asia" (Clarke).

The "four heads" are a picture of Alexander's empire after his death. He was only in his thirties when he died in the city of Babylon in the afternoon of 11 June 323 BC after a heavy drinking bout. An Indian sage, Dandamis, had once said: "You will soon be dead, and then you will own just as much of this earth as will suffice to bury you." In 331 BC Alexander had entered the ancient city of Babylon and made it his headquarters while he sought to solidify his gains in that part of the world. He loved Babylon and had ordered its restoration.

McGee says: "Babylon went down in a drunken orgy and so did Alexander—they both went the same way. Our nation is going down the same path today. We are living in a day when the social drink is accepted. Our people don't want their young people on drugs, but they don't mind if they go out drinking. Following the death of Alexander, four of his generals divided the world empire which he had carved out, because each of them knew they could not control the whole. Cassander took Macedonia; Lysimachus took Asia Minor; Seleucus took Syria (out of which came the "little horn" of Daniel 8, Antiochus Epiphanes, who wrought such havoc with the temple in Jerusalem); and finally, Ptolemy took Egypt, and of course, Cleopatra came along later in that line.

Scripture does not give us a historical record of the Graeco-Macedonian kingdom. It falls chronologically between the Old and New Testaments—the period known as the inter-testament period. It was, however, the time when the remnant in Palestine endured the greatest suffering at the hands of Egypt and Syria."

Dominion was given to it. Politicians don't like to acknowledge that the living God has anything to do with the shaping of nations—with their rise and fall. Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had learned the truth of this after he ate grass with the oxen for seven years. Dominion was indeed given to Alexander the Great by the God of heaven and when it was over, it was over. It would be hard to estimate the great influence Alexander had on civilization. The architecture that developed under his brief reign is amazing and its pervasion among nations is even more amazing. Churches in America have savored the Greek columns in building church buildings. The Christian New Testament was written in the Greek language.

What does this have to do with me? God's predictions of the political powers has to be reckoned with. If God can shape and control the world powers, which He does quite well, then He can make a way for you to fulfill His perfect will for your life. Trust Him. Lean on Him. Talk things over with Him.

Memory Verse for this week: (This is the second week with this important verse.)

(Hebrews 3:12,13) Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin (Hebrews 3:12,13).

Digging Deeper

While it is called Today. It can be paraphrase it to mean "while time still lasts for you."While you can say of each new day: "It's another day" or "I can say again: today." This verse also reveals the hardening effect of sin. Sin is dependable to cause hardening of the heart and thus will harden human relationships and especially our relationship with God.

Unbelief within itself is evil. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son (1John 5:10). This is strong language, calling God a liar. It is not a matter of not believing in God but a matter of believing not God. He has said something and wicked people reject His statement and in so doing are calling God a liar. That is evil. Unbelief is evil.