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