Babylon's End

Monday, February 28, 2011: Jeremiah 51:56 (NKJV)

Because the plunderer comes against her, against Babylon,

And her mighty men are taken.

Every one of their bows is broken;

For the Lord is the God of recompense,

He will surely repay.

Is there a penalty for a nation that wars against Israel? Yes there is, by God Himself.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011: Daniel 5:23 – 24 (NKJV)

And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified.

Was pride Belshazzar’s problem? Yes, in spite of knowing what was right.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011: Daniel 5:25 – 27 (NKJV)

Then the fingers of the hand were sent from Him, and this writing was written. “And this is the inscription that was written:

MENE , MENE , TEKEL , UPHARSIN .

This is the interpretation of each word. Mene: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; Tekel: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting

What was sent from God? What was the verdict? Fingers sent from God wrote that Belshazzar was weighed in the balances and found wanting.

Thursday, March 3, 2011: Daniel 5:28, 30 – 31 (NKJV)

Peres: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.” That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain. And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.

What sentence was passed? The kingdom of Babylon and Belshazzar’s life ended that night.

Friday, March 4, 2011: Isaiah 44:24a, 28 (NKJV)

Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer,

And He who formed you from the womb:

“I am the Lord, who makes all things,

Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd,

And he shall perform all My pleasure,

Saying to Jerusalem, “You shall be built,”

And to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.”’

What was prophesied of Cyrus? Isaiah prophesied that Cyrus would rebuild Jerusalem and the foundation of the Temple. (Prior destruction implicit)

Daniel's Vision of the Four Beasts

Monday, February 21, 2011: Daniel 7:1 – 4 (NKJV)

In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head while on his bed. Then he wrote down the dream, telling the main facts.

Daniel spoke, saying, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other. The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings. I watched till its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.

How was the in the first beast changed? Eagle’s wings of the lion were plucked off and he was given a humble heart.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011: Daniel 7:5 – 8 (NKJV)

“And suddenly another beast, a second, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And they said thus to it: ‘Arise, devour much flesh!’

“After this I looked, and there was another, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.

“After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words.

What were the remaining three beasts like? A bear, a four-winged leopard and a dreadful beast with ten horns.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011: Daniel 7:9 – 10 (NKJV)

“I watched till thrones were put in place,

And the Ancient of Days was seated;

His garment was white as snow,

And the hair of His head was like pure wool.

His throne was a fiery flame,

Its wheels a burning fire;

A fiery stream issued

And came forth from before Him.

A thousand thousands ministered to Him;

Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him.

The court was seated,

And the books were opened.

What books were opened? These could be the record of deeds and the book of life disclosed in Revelation 20:12.

Thursday, February 24, 2011: Daniel 7:11 – 14 (NKJV)

“I watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking; I watched till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame. As for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.

“I was watching in the night visions,

And behold, One like the Son of Man,

Coming with the clouds of heaven!

He came to the Ancient of Days,

And they brought Him near before Him.

Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom,

That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him.

His dominion is an everlasting dominion,

Which shall not pass away,

And His kingdom the one

Which shall not be destroyed.

Who is this ‘One like the Son of Man’? This is clearly a prophecy of the reign of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Friday, February 25, 2011: Daniel 7:15 – 18 (NKJV)

“I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit within my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.

I came near to one of those who stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things: ‘Those great beasts, which are four, are four kings which arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.’

Who are the beasts? Kings of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and one as yet unknown.

Valley of Dry Bones

Monday, February 14, 2011: Ezekiel 37:1-3

The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

What did the Hand of the Lord do? Ezekiel was displaced without movement.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011: Ezekiel 37:4-6

So I answered, “O Lord GOD, You know.”

Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.”’”

What would God do? God would change the dead bones into bodies.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011: Ezekiel 37:7-8

So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.

How important is ‘but’? Without the Breath of the Spirit, there is no life.

Thursday, February 17, 2011: Ezekiel 37:9-10

Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.”’” So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.

Does Israel today have breath? No, in my opinion, it doesn’t.

Friday, February 18, 2011: Ezekiel 37:11-14

Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’ Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it,” says the Lord.’”

What is breath analogous to? Birth or rebirth. Do you have breath?

Who lives? Who dies?

Monday, February 7, 2011: Ezekiel 33:7, 11 (NKJV)

“So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me.

Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’

What was to be the watchman’s warning to Israel? Repent (turn away from evil) and live.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011: Ezekiel 33:12 – 13 (NKJV)

“Therefore you, O son of man, say to the children of your people: ‘The righteousness of the righteous man shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression; as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall because of it in the day that he turns from his wickedness; nor shall the righteous be able to live because of his righteousness in the day that he sins.’

When I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, but he trusts in his own righteousness and commits iniquity, none of his righteous works shall be remembered; but because of the iniquity that he has committed, he shall die.

Summarize. Good actions + sin = death; sins + repentance = life.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011: Ezekiel 33:14 – 16 (NKJV)

Again, when I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ if he turns from his sin and does what is lawful and right, if the wicked restores the pledge, gives back what he has stolen, and walks in the statutes of life without committing iniquity, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of his sins which he has committed shall be remembered against him; he has done what is lawful and right; he shall surely live.

Will the sins of the repentant be forgotten? No: God wills Himself to remember the sins no more.

Thursday, February 10, 2011: Daniel 3:16 – 18 (NKJV)

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.

If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”

God let the three friends be captured and made eunuchs. What were their present beliefs? The same God was to be worshipped only. They chose sure death to worshipping an idol.

Friday, February 11, 2011: Daniel 3:26 – 27 (NKJV)

Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here.” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego came from the midst of the fire.

And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them.

Remember that the strong men-of-war, who bound and threw them in, died in the heat. How did the fire affect the three? Fire had no power over their bodies, their hair were not singed, their clothes unaffected, and they did not even smell of smoke!