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Daniel and the King's Dream - The Book of Daniel · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. But Daniel purposed in his heart that
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  Speaker 1: he would not defile himself with a portion of the
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  Speaker 1: king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank. Therefore
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  Speaker 1: he requested the prince of the eunuchs that he might
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  Speaker 1: not defile himself. Daniel 1.8 Lord, because my purpose means
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  Speaker 1: more to me than my comfort, I will be mindful
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  Speaker 1: to treat my body in a way that will allow
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  Speaker 1: me to carry out my mission while here on earth. Today,
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  Speaker 1: like Daniel and the young men, I am making a
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  Speaker 1: conscious decision to honor my body by not defiling it
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  Speaker 1: with food or substances that would stop me from experiencing
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  Speaker 1: the fullness of all you have in store for me.
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  Speaker 1: I thank you, Lord, for the will and the fortitude
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  Speaker 1: to stand strong when I'm tempted to choose the comfort
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  Speaker 1: of laziness and poor health habits. I declare that health
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  Speaker 1: is a top priority. I declare that through my decision
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  Speaker 1: to live a healthy lifestyle, my mind will be sharper
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  Speaker 1: and more creative than ever before. I praise you and
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  Speaker 1: thank you in advance for uncommon outcomes and alliances that
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  Speaker 1: are working on my behalf to help realize the dreams
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  Speaker 1: and destiny you've placed on and in me. No matter what,
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  Speaker 1: I will not be ashamed of my acceleration, because I've
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  Speaker 1: made the decision to honor my body, which is the
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  Speaker 1: vehicle needed to take me to my future. In Jesus' name, amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thanks for making prayer a priority in your life. To
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  Speaker 1: hear the Bible come to life, stay tuned for the
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  Speaker 1: Bible in a Year. Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: Christ Compassion Community These three characteristics connect all believers. Here
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  Speaker 3: Daniel and the King's Dream In the last story, we
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  Speaker 3: were introduced to Daniel and his friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
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  Speaker 3: The three young men were specially chosen out of the
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  Speaker 3: Judean captives to sit under the king as wise men.
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  Speaker 3: King Nebuchadnezzar attempted to indoctrinate them into Babylonian ways. However,
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  Speaker 3: they proved that following the Lord proved to be more
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  Speaker 3: useful for human flourishing. Now Daniel comes in close contact
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  Speaker 3: with King Nebuchadnezzar, as he is tormented by his dreams.
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  Speaker 3: Like Joseph before Pharaoh, Daniel will interpret his dreams to
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  Speaker 3: the glory of God. Inspired by the.
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  Speaker 4: Book of Daniel. Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's
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  Speaker 4: episode of the Bible in a Year podcast. We're really
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  Speaker 4: glad that you've joined us. In our most recent reading,
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  Speaker 4: we learned how Daniel and his friends chose to stay
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  Speaker 4: clean and undefiled, rejecting the king's food and meat sacrifice
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  Speaker 4: to idols. God rewarded their faithfulness and show of strength
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  Speaker 4: and began to show himself to the Babylonians. Daniel and
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  Speaker 4: his faithful companions were placed in prominent positions and allowed
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  Speaker 4: to continue to serve their God and obey His laws. Today,
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  Speaker 4: we'll hear how God uses Daniel to interpret disturbing dreams
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  Speaker 4: that haunt King Nebuchadnezzar. And just as God worked through
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  Speaker 4: Joseph in Egypt through dreams, God will bring glory to
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  Speaker 4: Himself in the midst of this pagan land. Let's listen
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  Speaker 4: now to today's reading.
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  Speaker 3: Darkness covered the nation of Babylon. and the stars draped
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  Speaker 3: over the horizon like a heavy blanket. The captives of
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  Speaker 3: Israel and Judah slept soundly, as did the citizens and
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  Speaker 3: servants of the king. Yet there was one who stirred
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  Speaker 3: that night. He tossed and turned in his bed, yelling
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  Speaker 3: for help. Tormented by his own nightmares lay King Nebuchadnezzar.
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  Speaker 3: The chill of the evening air filled his room, but
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  Speaker 3: he awoke covered in sweat. The next morning the king
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  Speaker 3: summoned his greatest magicians and wise men to interpret his dream.
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  Speaker 3: They stood before him, eager to please and gain favor
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  Speaker 3: with their lord. I had a disturbing dream, the king said.
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  Speaker 3: I need a wise man to discern for me its meaning.
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  Speaker 3: It torments me even as I stand awake. Oh, king,
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  Speaker 3: live forever, the magicians said as they bowed. Tell us
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  Speaker 3: your dream so that we may interpret it for you.
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  Speaker 3: Nebuchadnezzar was no fool. He glared at them and stood
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  Speaker 3: up from his throne.'' If I tell you my dream,
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  Speaker 3: you could spin whatever lie that suits you. If you
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  Speaker 3: are truly men of such knowledge, then you should be
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  Speaker 3: able to tell me what my dream is.'' The magicians, seers,
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  Speaker 3: and wise men all mumbled to one another. They had
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  Speaker 3: no such insight. The king interrupted them, saying,'' Whoever tells
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  Speaker 3: me will gain a great reward. I will give them
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  Speaker 3: honor and riches.'' However, if I catch you in a lie,
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  Speaker 3: I shall tear you limb from limb with my own
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  Speaker 3: bare hands. The men quivered at the king's words. No
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  Speaker 3: man on earth is able to dive into the mind
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  Speaker 3: like that, they said. No one has ever asked such
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  Speaker 3: a thing from a magician or seer. No one knows
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  Speaker 3: the dreams except the gods. This riled the king to anger.
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  Speaker 3: He was furious and commanded for all the wise men
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  Speaker 3: of Babylon to be destroyed. For decades they had spun
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  Speaker 3: lies and taken advantage of past kings. No longer! So
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  Speaker 3: the decree went out for the wise men of the
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  Speaker 3: city to be burned. Eventually word got to Daniel and
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  Speaker 3: his companions that they were in danger. The king was
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  Speaker 3: hell-bent on destroying anyone who claimed spiritual knowledge. Daniel did
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  Speaker 3: his best to remain calm and sent word to Nebuchadnezzar's
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  Speaker 3: chief servant. and requested an audience with the king. Daniel
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  Speaker 3: was taken to Nebuchadnezzar's palace. The pillars were a smooth ivory,
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  Speaker 3: and the walls were adorned with gold. It reminded him
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  Speaker 3: of the temple back home, or at least what the
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  Speaker 3: temple used to be. Daniel looked ahead at Nebuchadnezzar sitting
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  Speaker 3: upon his throne. It was fitting that his palace looked
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  Speaker 3: like a temple, since the king was his own god.
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  Speaker 3: Daniel was a young man, too young to have the
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  Speaker 3: respect of a king like Nebuchadnezzar. Are you able to
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  Speaker 3: make known to me my dream boy? The king snapped.
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  Speaker 3: Daniel paused and looked deep in the king's eyes. He
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  Speaker 3: was a truly terrifying man. Large, muscular, and demanding of power. However,
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  Speaker 3: Daniel could see a deep hurt behind him. Underneath the
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  Speaker 3: rough exterior was a tortured soul. No wise man or
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  Speaker 3: enchanter can know the mystery the king has asked, Daniel replied.
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  Speaker 3: The king's brows furrowed and he was about to raise
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  Speaker 3: his fist at Daniel. However, Daniel continued, there is a
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  Speaker 3: God in heaven who knows all and sees all. He
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  Speaker 3: has made known to me your dream, not because I
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  Speaker 3: am wise or special, but because the Lord has a
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  Speaker 3: message for you. The king took a moment to calm
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  Speaker 3: down and then gestured for Daniel to speak. Daniel paused,
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  Speaker 3: collecting his thoughts, and then spoke. You saw a mighty image,
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  Speaker 3: a statue. It stood before you, terrifying and large. The
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  Speaker 3: head of this statue was gold, its chest and arms
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  Speaker 3: were silver, its middle was bronze, and its legs were iron.
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  Speaker 3: Its feet were partly of iron and clay. You beheld
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  Speaker 3: the statue with awe and respect. Then a mighty boulder
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  Speaker 3: rolled down from the hills and struck the statue. You
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  Speaker 3: ducked for cover as the different materials broke apart and
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  Speaker 3: were ground into a powder. Then like dust, they were
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  Speaker 3: carried off in the wind. There was silence as Daniel
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  Speaker 3: awaited the king's response. His normally sharp and impassive face
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  Speaker 3: was covered in shock and dread. The king said nothing.
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  Speaker 3: So Daniel continued. The Lord has also given me an
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  Speaker 3: interpretation for your dream. You, King Nebuchadnezzar, are the head
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  Speaker 3: of gold. God has given you headship over all the
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  Speaker 3: surrounding kingdoms. Everything around you is owned by you and
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  Speaker 3: serves you. However, another kingdom will rise after you. That
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  Speaker 3: is the kingdom of silver. After that kingdom, another will come,
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  Speaker 3: the kingdom of bronze. The fourth kingdom will be as
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  Speaker 3: strong as iron. This will be the kingdom to crush
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  Speaker 3: all the others. Then there will be a final kingdom
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  Speaker 3: that is like the feet of iron and clay. It
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  Speaker 3: will be divided like clay, but still holding a firmness
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  Speaker 3: like iron. It will be both weak and strong at
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  Speaker 3: the same time. In those days, the kingdom of God
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  Speaker 3: will be set in place. Filled with weak vessels but
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  Speaker 3: containing the strength of the Lord, this is the final
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  Speaker 3: kingdom that will stand forever. Daniel studied the face of
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  Speaker 3: King Nebuchadnezzar. He looked solemn and contemplative. He stood from
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  Speaker 3: his throne and fell to his knees before Daniel. The
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  Speaker 3: king of Babylon, strongest man in the entire world, world,
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  Speaker 3: crumbled before the God of Israel. Truly your God is
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  Speaker 3: the God above all other gods. He is Lord over
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  Speaker 3: all kings. The mighty king was humbled and his heart
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  Speaker 3: began to draw near to the God of Daniel. Daniel
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  Speaker 3: was awarded with gifts and titles. He was given authority
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  Speaker 3: over the entire province of Babylon and was put in
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  Speaker 3: charge of all the wise men in the land. He
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  Speaker 3: appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego as his assistants. Slowly, the
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  Speaker 3: brutal nation of Babylon was coming in contact with the
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  Speaker 3: love and sovereignty of God. Daniel and his companions continued
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  Speaker 3: to govern with wisdom. They drew close to God for
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  Speaker 3: all things. They would need to, for all their faiths
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  Speaker 3: would be tested greatly. Their resolve to follow God would
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  Speaker 3: be tried with fire and violence. Revival is not easily gained.
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  Speaker 4: We begin today's reading with a story that takes us
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  Speaker 4: back to the days of the Pharaoh in Egypt, the
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  Speaker 4: most powerful man in all the land, perhaps the world.
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  Speaker 4: And in this case, it was Nebuchadnezzar. And he is
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  Speaker 4: tormented with disturbing dreams. And when the ruler has no rest,
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  Speaker 4: there will be no rest for those in his circles.
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  Speaker 4: He is surrounded by wise men and seers who claim
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  Speaker 4: powers of understanding and knowledge given to them by the gods.
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  Speaker 4: So they asked the king to tell them what he
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  Speaker 4: saw in his dreams, and they would interpret them. But
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  Speaker 4: Nebuchadnezzar was wise to their game. If he told them
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  Speaker 4: the dream, they could interpret it as they wish, telling
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  Speaker 4: him what he wanted to hear. But what use would
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  Speaker 4: that be? No, this required a deeper understanding. They were
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  Speaker 4: to tell him what he dreamed, then what it meant.
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  Speaker 4: Their response? That's humanly impossible, my king. What man has
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  Speaker 4: that ability to see into your mind? And they were right.
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  Speaker 4: No man has such power. The king offered a great
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  Speaker 4: reward to the man who could tell him what he
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  Speaker 4: needed to know. But if they were lying, they would
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  Speaker 4: pay with their life. What nobody knew was that there
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  Speaker 4: was a young man among them who could help. His
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  Speaker 4: name was Belteshazzar, or Daniel as he was known in Hebrew.
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  Speaker 4: And it was not Daniel who could see the king's mind,
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  Speaker 4: but the God that Daniel served. Simply approaching the king
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  Speaker 4: was a bold, potentially life-threatening move. But Daniel trusted God.
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  Speaker 4: He knew that there was a deeper purpose for his life.
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  Speaker 4: A bigger story was happening in that moment. And before
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  Speaker 4: he even went to the king, Daniel went to God, praying, praising,
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  Speaker 4: and worshiping him. This is something we must never forget
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  Speaker 4: in the chain of events that follow. Daniel went first
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  Speaker 4: to God. Daniel didn't approach the king in his own strength,
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  Speaker 4: but only after praising God and being filled with his strength.
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  Speaker 4: Only then did Daniel go to the king, and he
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  Speaker 4: confirmed that no man could give him his dream or
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  Speaker 4: its meaning. But, said Daniel, Can't you almost imagine Daniel's
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  Speaker 4: pregnant pause as he watched the king lean in, waiting
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  Speaker 4: for more? But, O king, the God of heaven does know,
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  Speaker 4: and he wants me to tell you. Even in that moment,
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  Speaker 4: Daniel was humble, confessing that he was just a spokesperson,
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  Speaker 4: nothing special. It was God who was to be regarded,
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  Speaker 4: and he wanted the king to hear from God. So
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  Speaker 4: Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar exactly what the king saw in his dream.
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  Speaker 4: a great statue made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, and clay.
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  Speaker 4: The king watched it in awe as a boulder tumbled
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  Speaker 4: down and destroyed the statue. He passed the first test
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  Speaker 4: because what he said was truly the dream that the
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  Speaker 4: king had dreamed. Now Daniel gave him the meaning. The
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  Speaker 4: statue represented Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom and other kingdoms that would follow.
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  Speaker 4: This is history pre-written. In the end, there would be
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  Speaker 4: a kingdom made of weak vessels, but filled with the
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  Speaker 4: strength and the power of God. This was God's kingdom,
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  Speaker 4: and it would never end or crumble. This is a prophecy,
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  Speaker 4: a prediction, of the coming kingdom of God when God
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  Speaker 4: reigns over all, when Christ returns. Nebuchadnezzar fell before Daniel
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  Speaker 4: in awe, and then he said in Daniel 2, verse 47,
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  Speaker 4: Surely your God is the God of gods, and the
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  Speaker 4: Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries. for you
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  Speaker 4: were able to reveal this mystery. This pagan king still
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  Speaker 4: had a long way to go to becoming a follower
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  Speaker 4: of the Lord, but this was in many ways a step,
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  Speaker 4: a beginning of his heart turning to the Lord. He
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  Speaker 4: placed Daniel in charge of all the wise men in Babylon,
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  Speaker 4: and Daniel appointed his friends as helpers. But all was
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  Speaker 4: not yet well, and Nebuchadnezzar would soon create an idol
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  Speaker 4: of himself and forget the one true God that he
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  Speaker 4: had just professed. We'll hear about that the next time.
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  Speaker 4: Dear God, thank you that you can work through us
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  Speaker 4: and for us and for your purposes when we obey you.
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  Speaker 4: Thank you that you can read the hearts of men
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  Speaker 4: and women and that you can deliver messages by your
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  Speaker 4: word that we all need to hear. May we speak
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  Speaker 4: your truth always like Daniel, even to the highest power.
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  Speaker 4: And thank you, God, that you have established your kingdom
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  Speaker 4: now in our hearts and yet to come through our
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  Speaker 4: Lord Jesus Christ when he returns in great power. and glory. Amen.
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  Speaker 4: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
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  Speaker 4: I'm Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download the Pray.com
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  Speaker 4: app and make prayer a priority along with Bible study
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  Speaker 4: in your life. And if you enjoyed this podcast, be
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  Speaker 4: sure and share it with someone you know because it
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  Speaker 4: can truly make a difference in someone else's life. And
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  Speaker 4: if you want more resources on how you can know
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  Speaker 4: the Bible and live the Christian life, contact me at jackgraham.org.
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  Speaker 4: That's jackgraham.org for many resources that will help you in
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  Speaker 4: your walk with God.