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PROVERBS 11:14
Counseling today, for the most part, remains very popular. But there does seem to be a shift or a movement away from psychiatrists and psychologists for some people. You see, many people would not be caught dead in one of their offices, they would never go to these so called "professionals" and yet these same people are entering into a therapy program every day.
The new therapy that I am speaking of is called "talk shows". You see, within the confines of your home, at no financial cost to you, you can relax and have your therapy session with the many varieties of talk shows that are out there today. Just to give you an example of what I mean, the proliferation of these shows, listen to this list, and by no means is it an exhaustive list. We have shows like "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee," "Jerry Springer," "Geraldo Rivera Show," "Rickie Lake," "Montel Williams Show," "The Maury Povich Show," "Leeza," "The Oprah Winfrey Show," "Sally Jessy Raphael," "Rosie O'Donnell Show," and "Charlie Rose".
It seems like everyone and anyone has an opinion, has advice on what is right and what is wrong. They love to tell us what is normal and what is not normal, and by what they have on their shows, there is not much that is abnormal to them. And to me it is amazing who is getting these talk shows. I even saw Terry Bradshaw, ex-quaterback for the Pittsburgh Stealers and now commentator for NFL football, has his own talk show. As I said, everyone wants to give people advice, but that advice is coming from their own personal feelings and not from God.
And it is amazing the number of Christian and non-Christian people that get their advice, get their counsel from these shows. And I am not saying that all these talk shows are evil or they are trying to mislead people. I believe most are very sincere at what they are trying to do, but sincerity does not make what they have to say right!
On the other hand their are those shows that are just out to exploit the people and make a profit for themselves. One that I have talked about before is the Jerry Springer Show, the number one talk show in the country and probably the most controversial. Jerry Springer gets people on his show that have conflicts with each other, and instead of trying to get these people to work their problems out, they are encouraged to fight it out on stage. And the audience, those in the studio and those at home, love it. And what do they leave with? The way to deal with conflict is to fight it out! That my friends is not healthy and neither is coming on television and airing your sin before the people of this country. Image after exposing your sin to millions of people you then have to return home to family, friends, jobs, and-so-on. Their lives must be in utter turmoil after these appearances.
And the bottom line is this, what these shows promote is their own ideas, philosophies of life. And the people are eating it up, they just can't get enough, and because of that more of these shows are coming on the television. You see, this counseling is free. The problem with this kind of thinking, this kind of counseling is what Paul said in I Corinthians chapter 3 regarding the worlds wisdom. He said "For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, 'He catches the wise in their own craftiness'; and again, 'The LORD knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.' Therefore let no one boast in men..." I Corinthians 3:19-21.
Now some will jump on that and say "See, we are only to receive counsel from the Lord, for man's counsel is foolishness!" That is not what Paul is saying here. Yes, God is our great counselor, and we should come to Him with all our problems. But Paul did not say that the council of men is foolishness, but the worlds counsel is foolishness. And there is a difference as we shall see this morning.
With that introduction, please turn to Proverbs chapter 11, and lets look at verse 14, as we develop this idea of what Biblical counseling is all about. And I know that for some of you those words sound very scary, but lets see what God has to say regarding counseling before we jump to the wrong conclusions and write it off completely.
PROVERBS 11:14
"Where there is no counsel, the people fall;
But in the multitude of counselors there is safety."
Too many Christians today are playing the "Lone Ranger" and they have tossed their faithful sidekick "Tonto" off the side of the mountain. Thus, they are walking or riding through life all alone. But Solomon is telling us here in Proverbs chapter 11 that there is wisdom in the multitude of counselors. It is important to our walk, our life to utilize this kind of wisdom. You see, for those that are walking alone, they will stumble many times. That tells me that it would be very wise to listen to what others have to say.
That is a problem for many, though. Who do we listen to? Who should we not listen to? There are many people who are very sincere that love to give advice about anything and everything, and it doesn't matter if they are right or wrong, for in their eyes they are doing what is right.
So what do we do? First and foremost we must turn to the Lord and listen to what He is saying to us. When you are torn in many directions, not knowing what you should do, bring it to the Lord. He wants to speak to you, direct you, comfort you. In Proverbs 19:20-21 we read "Listen to counsel and receive instruction, That you may be wise in your latter days. There are many plans in a man's heart, Nevertheless the Lord's counsel; that will stand."
How many times have you found yourself in a quandary over what to do? It seems like you can move in several directions, and all seem to be good, and yet you want to make the right decision, you want to move in the right direction. Look to the Lord and let Him direct your paths. He will give you peace and then you must take that step of faith, which is not always easy, but once you do, what a blessing it is. It is a trust in God, and the more you can learn to trust Him the easier it is to take those steps of faith.
Now how does God speak to us? I have never received a phone call from God. No letters from heaven have arrived in my mailbox. He could have used skywriting to get my attention, but He didn't. I never heard Him call in an audible voice from heaven to me. In fact, I have never received an E-mail from God! Then how in the world does God communicate with us?
Very simply, Paul tells us in Romans 15:4 "For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." You see, God primarily speaks to us through the Scriptures, His Word. Thus, as you read the Word of God we will learn, we will develop patience as we wait upon God, we are comforted by the Scriptures. In other words, the Scriptures give us God's counsel!
But Solomon is speaking here in Proverbs of the counsel of others. Now the difficulty comes when we try to separate the counsel of God from the counsel of others. You see, the reality is that the counsel we give should be according to the Word of God, it should be Biblical counseling. Thus, our counsel should be that in which God is giving and not contrary.
The problem is that many give counsel according to their own wisdom instead of the wisdom of God. That is foolishness. In fact, counsel should only be given by believers, for unbelievers can't speak for God. And yet where do we run when we are in trouble, when we need counseling? To the world. We go to psychiatrists, psychologists, talk shows, soap operas, psychic hot-lines, books, literature, television and movies to receive the counsel of the world. And yet Solomon tells us in Proverbs 12:5-6, "The thoughts of the righteous are right, But the counsels of the wicked are deceitful. The words of the wicked are, 'Lie in wait for blood,' But the mouth of the upright will deliver them."
It is always amazing to me when believers go to the world for advise. It only will lead to trouble and heartache. Many couples have been counseled to divorce. Others receive counsel to file for bankruptcy. Others are told that their sin is not really sin but a disease that they are not responsible for. FOOLISHNESS!JUST PLAIN FOOLISHNESS!
You wouldn't run to a butcher to have brain surgery, would you? Then why in the world would you run to the lost for direction in your life instead of turning to the Lord and mature believers for direction?
Does that mean we are to listen to all believers? Of course not. You see, not every believer is trustworthy, their walk with the Lord may not be right, they might be speaking counsel from their own heart instead of the counsel from the Word of God. And you do not want to listen to a person who is speaking out of the imagination of their own heart.
Let me give you an example of what I mean. After the death of Solomon, his son Rehoboam was king over all of Israel at the age of 41. Now his father Solomon had taxed the people heavily and they wanted some tax relief, they wanted a break. And so a sort of revolt was begun and Jeroboam was the representative for the 10 tribes who wanted this tax break. Jeroboams' request was very simple. He said to Rehoboam "Your father made our yoke heavy; now therefore, lighten the burdensome service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you." I Kings 12:4.
Now in hearing this request from Jeroboam, the king did something that was very wise. He did not rush in and make a judgment, but told Jeroboam and the people to come back and in 3 days he would give his judgment. There are times when it is very wise not to rush into a decision but to wait upon God, pray about it, receive the counsel of others, and that is exactly what Rehoboam did.
He first went to the elders that served under his father Solomon's reign. It is always good to go to mature Christians for guidance and direction. Now age has nothing to do with wisdom, but walking with the Lord does. The longer you walk with Him, the more His wisdom will flow through your life.
Now these elders told Rehoboam "...'If you will be a servant to these people today, and serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.'" I Kings 12:7. The problem here is that Rehoboam did not like the counsel that these men gave, even though it was very good. Their request was to serve the people and they will serve you all the days of your life.
But instead of listening to this counsel he went to the young men that he grew up with for advice. And remember, these young men were not teenagers, they were in their late 30's or early 40's, as Rehoboam was.
Their counsel was a little different than the elders. They told Rehoboam to tell these rebellious people "...'Thus you should speak to this people who have spoken to you, saying, 'Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter on us'; thus you shall say to them: 'My little finger shall be thicker than my father's waist! 'And now, whereas my father put a heavy yoke on you, I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!'" I Kings 12:10-11. And that is the counsel that Rehoboam accepted. He did not want to lead the people but to oppress them, lord over them. It truly was foolish counsel but that is what he accepted.
And so after 3 days Jeroboam comes back with the people to see the conclusion that the king had come to regarding this matter. And as the king spoke harshly to them, they responded by saying "...'What share have we in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel! Now, see to your own house, O David!' So Israel departed to their tents." I Kings 12:16.
Because of this foolish counsel, the nation of Israel was divided. The Northern Kingdom of Israel and its 10 tribes were under the leadership of Jeroboam. The Southern Kingdom of Judah and its 2 tribes were under the leadership of Rehoboam.
There are two points that I would like to make out of this situation that transpired here. The first is this, you don't have to listen to godly counsel. No one is going to force you into listening. God won't even force you. But there will be consequences to your actions. Here we see division, fragmentation of a body of people because of foolish counsel. And when we follow foolish counsel we see the same thing in our own life, division and fragmentation take place.
Let me explain by giving you an example that took place when I was doing some marriage counseling back in Chicago for a couple that were struggling in their marriage relationship. And I tried to get them from pointing the finger at each other and to examine their own heart in this matter. Several weeks into the counseling, which went on far to long, I received a phone call from the wife asking me if it was okay for her to get a divorce from her husband. And I told her that this was not an option in the eyes of God for her. You committed to love this person before God and you need to remain faithful to that promise.
When she saw that I was not going to give her my blessings in her plan for a divorce, she began to tell me what others had told her to do. And she wanted me to understand that this counsel was not of the world, but Christians were telling her these things. And these Christians told her she should and could get a divorce, that there was no reason for her to stay in a marriage that wasn't working out. I told her that I could only think of one reason why she should stay married and not get a divorce, even though her friends had come up with many reasons. My reason was very simple, "BECAUSE GOD SAID SO!"
Now as narrow minded as that may sound, I am not the one that is narrow minded, God is! So if you have a problem with this, argue with God, and not me. In fact, Paul, in his letter to the Romans said "For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man." Romans 7:2-3. I think that is pretty clear!
You see, you can go around and find people that will tell you what you want to hear, but are they speaking for God or out of their own wisdom? Back at Calvary in Elk Grove we had several assistant pastors to assist our senior pastor in the work of the ministry. And it was amazing to watch people as they would go around and seek counsel, not liking what they heard from one pastor, go to the next one, and the next one, trying to get them to say what they wanted to hear. And praise God for we were always in unity in what we said because what we said was based on the Word of God.
The second issue is this. Not everyone is going to give you godly counsel as we saw with Rehoboam. In Proverbs 15:22 we read "Without counsel, plans go awry, But in the multitude of counselors they are established." Now we may think that with a multitude of counselors we need to go with the majority, and that is wrong.
It is good to get counsel from mature believers, those who are going to speak according to the Word of God instead of outside the Word of God. It is as Proverbs 22:17-21 says. We read "Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, And apply your heart to my knowledge; For it is a pleasant thing if you keep them within you; Let them all be fixed upon your lips, So that your trust may be in the LORD; I have instructed you today, even you. Have I not written to you excellent things Of counsels and knowledge, That I may make you know the certainty of the words of truth, That you may answer words of truth To those who send to you?"
In saying all that, that means we are to speak counsel to others, comfort to others, admonition to others, and in doing that it needs to be according to the Word of God. In Psalm 119 we read "Your testimonies also are my delight And my counselors...Remember the word to Your servant, Upon which You have caused me to hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, For Your word has given me life...Therefore I love Your commandments More than gold, yes, than fine gold! Therefore all Your precepts concerning all things I consider to be right; I hate every false way. Your testimonies are wonderful; Therefore my soul keeps them. The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple. I opened my mouth and panted, For I longed for Your commandments. Look upon me and be merciful to me, As Your custom is toward those who love Your name. Direct my steps by Your word, And let no iniquity have dominion over me." Psalm 119:24, 49-50, 127-133.
Don't ignore God's Word thinking it is of no value for the complex problems of our day. That is ridiculous. God's Word is life to us for it will direct us down the right path, it will give us the right counsel. In fact, Paul told Timothy in II Timothy 4:2 "Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching."
Use the Bible when you counsel and not the wisdom of man. When others speak to you, giving you counsel, make sure that the counsel they give lines up with the Word of God. And no matter what anyone says, always bring the matter before the Lord, for as He has shown to others, He will also show to you.
Now if you are going to give counsel to someone, do so in the love of Christ. To often we respond with condemnation, and God does not condemn us, He convicts our hearts in the error of our ways. Paul said in Galatians 6:1-2 "Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."
You see, the point in coming before someone, a believer, and confronting them in their sin is not condemnation, but restoration. You don't have to make them feel bad about their sin, God will deal with that issue. Point them back to the Lord, encourage them, and yes, even rebuke them if necessary, but with the intention of restoration instead of demolition from condemnation.
And lets face it, it is easier to demolish something than it is to build it up. Several years ago I helped a friend tear down a portion of his house so that he could add on another floor. Yes, "Joe the tool man" was deeply involved in this project. And truly it was easy to tear down walls. It was fun to swing the sledge hammer and see the top portion of his house come tumbling down. That was the easy part.
After we were done demolishing that portion of his house, I knew I was in trouble. You see, building it back up takes skill and patience. Knocking it down took no skill and no patience. But thank God that alongside of me were skillful men who could build this house back up, and they did!
Paul is telling us that if anyone is overtaken in a trespass, restore them, build them back up again instead of tearing them down. That word "restore" is a medical term that spoke of resetting a broken bone.
Think about that for a minute. If you don't reset a bone that is broken it will never heal and you will never be able to bear weight upon it. On the other hand, you don't just go in and cut off the leg of the broken bone. Yes, it may be easier, but you have once again made the person unstable, fragmented. What you are to do is restore, or reset the leg so that over time it can heal.
And the beautiful thing about that is when it is reset and heals, that bone is even stronger than before it was injured. That is what we are to do in the body of Christ - restore broken lives into fellowship with God using the Word of God as our manual. As Paul said in I Thessalonians 5:14, "Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all."
Yes there is safety found in the multitude of godly counselors, lets not forget that. I look to the board members here for input in the work here at Calvary Chapel. I seek the counsel from my pastor, pastor Phil, who has given me many times the words I needed to hear or the ears just to listen. My wife has been a great source of comfort, she has great insight into things, and has ministered to my heart often, more than she will ever know. But ultimately I look to the Lord for His direction in my life, and you need to look to Him for direction in your life.
There is great power that is found in the words we speak. It can build up or tear down. It can bless or cause bitterness. It can light the day or cause it to become black as night. It can heal or cause pain. It can be refreshing or as dry as dust. You have the choice to make, what do you want your words to be like? You see, every day, by what we say, we are giving counsel to those around us. Thus, do we want our counsel to be that of God's Word, or that of man's wisdom?
You see, as Solomon said, that where there is no counsel the people will stumble. That means even if we give counsel, but it is not of God, then it is like giving no counsel at all. For as Paul said in Colossians 2:8 "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world,and not according to Christ."
You see, the counsel of the world is empty. But if we give the counsel of God, there is safety for it is the right counsel. As Paul goes on to say in Colossians regarding our faith being placed in the Lord and our counsel coming from Him, he said "For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power." Colossians 2:9-10. Listen to godly wisdom, for it will be life to you. Reject it and it will only cause you problems.
And as you go out and God brings people into your life to minister to, to counsel, do so as Paul admonishes us in Colossians 3:16. He said "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." God's Word, don't leave home with out it!
PROVERBS 8:10-11
Have you noticed over the last several years or so, how cynical people are getting? There is less and less trust in people, trust in business and even trust in governments. Truth today seems to be out of our reach. We don't know when or who is telling the truth or who is lying. From the News media to school teachers to politicians to even pastors and priests, it is getting harder and harder to discern the truth. Because of that we see emerging a mentality of a "CONSPIRACY PHOBIA"!
In fact, conspiracy is such a hot topic today, even Mrs. Clinton, in speaking of the sexual allegations made against her husband, president Clinton, said that it was a "Right wing conspiracy" that was behind all those allegations. Everyone is affected, before you know it there will be support groups for those that feel there is a conspiracy against them!
Even our television shows have picked up on this idea of "cover-ups", "lies" and-so-on. The one show that comes to my mind is "THE X-FILES". In the show "FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully work to uncover the truth behind unsolved cases that defy normal investigation - cases the government has buried or ignored, labeling them 'X-FILES.'"
And in the show, Fox Mulder believes that within the government there is a huge conspiracy, a huge cover-up regarding the truth about UFO's and extra-terrestrials. And Mulder is out searching for the truth, believing one day he will find it. On the other hand, Scully is a little more reserve about a conspiracy theory. She wants to see before she believes, even though she is beginning to believe that Mulder is right, or at least closer to the truth than she is. And as thisshow has evolved the conspiracy's have deepened and become more wide-spread.
Now we call that entertainment, but the reality is, more and more people feel there is a multifaceted conspiracy going on, not only in this country, but throughout the world. That we truly don't know what is going on behind the scenes, that information is being kept from us. Now Christians have picked-up on this and have become terrified of black helicopters spying on them. Concentration camps being set-up for Christians to be incarcerated in. The government taping their phone lines. The spread of germ warfare to decrease populations, such as AIDS and Ebola viruses. The formation of a one world government under one leader with one monitory system that is cashless. And the list can go on-and-on. The point is, people are so conspiracy minded that it completely alters their way of life. Some won't even talk by the phone or television set to people in their homes for fear of "Big Brother" listening in.
Now don't get me wrong, I do believe that our government knows more about us than I would like. I do believe that behind the scenes are the movers and the shakers that are working for a basic goal that we are slowly being made more aware of. In fact, way back on February 17, 1950, James Warburg, a member of the Council of Foreign Relations, (CFR was formed on July 29, 1921), said before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, "We shall have world government whether or not you like it - by conquest or consent."
On October 1, 1990, President Bush, in a UN address, said: "...collective strength of the world community expressed by the UN...an historic movement towards a new world order." And in 1991 he spoke in his State of the Union Message: "What is at stake is more than one small country, it is a big idea - a new world order...to achieve the universal aspirations of mankind...based on shared principles and the rule of law...The illumination of a thousand points of light...The winds of change are with us now."
The problem with that kind of thinking, that is the United States becoming part of a one world government, has been stated back in 1992 by Walter Wriston, a member of CFR and former Citicorp chairman. He said: "A truly global economy will require...compromises of national sovereignty...There is no escaping the system."
That is no small matter, for our sovereignty, our independence is something that is not just an idea, but has been placed in our constitution and protected by the way our forefathers setup this government. Back in 1984, author James McGregor Burns said in his book The Power to Lead: "The framers of the U.S. Constitution have simply been too shrewd for us. They have outwitted us. They designed separate institutions that cannot be unified by mechanical linkages, frail bridges, tinkering. If we are to 'turn the Founders upside down' - we must directly confront the constitutional structure they erected." He is saying that for us to become part of a new world order, a one world government, we need to re-write the constitution!
And on July 18, 1993 - Henry Kissinger, who is a member of CFR and a Trilaterialist, said in the Los Angeles Times concerning NAFTA: "What Congress will have before it is not a conventional trade agreement but the architecture of a new international system...a first step toward a new world order."
SO THERE IS A CONSPIRACY GOING ON! Shouldn't we be terrified? Shouldn't we be worried? What are we going to do? RELAX! Don't get the Maalox out or the Tums. Solomon, in Proverbs chapter 8 gives us some words of wisdom that we should heed in these days we are living in. So please turn to Proverbs chapter 8, and lets begin reading in verse 10.
PROVERBS 8:10-11
Solomon is saying that wisdom, godly wisdom, is more valuable than all the treasures you could find in the entire world. Now that may be hard for some to understand because we have become such a materialistic society. Money is everything to many people. But all the money in the world will not put your mind at ease. It will not give you peace. If you think it will, if you think I am wrong, take a ride out to Hollywood California, for one example, and see all the psychologists and psychiatrists that the wealthy are going to, their offices are packed. Why? Because riches will not buy happiness, it won't put your mind at ease, it won't give you peace.
You see, the answer is coming before God, asking Him for wisdom in a given situation. In fact James 1:5 tells us, he admonishes us that "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him." Thus, we are without excuse. God wants to give us wisdom. In fact, that word "liberally" in the Greek speaks of bountifully. You see, you don't have to face the circumstances of life in your own wisdom. If you need spiritual insight, ask of God and He will speak to your heart and show you the things you need to know and how to apply those truths to your life.
I think many Christians today have become paranoid, fearful, terrified of many things because they have taken their eyes off the Lord and placed them on the situations that are taken place around them. Paul clearly tells us in Philippians 4:6-7 "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." I'm sure many of you know that verse, the question though is not if you know it or not, but do you believe it? He wants to give you peace, just bring it to Him!
Now in regards to the world problems, the conspiracies that are growing every day, lets look at what God has to say. You see, the problem we have is we think that man is in control and God is totally unaware of what is taking place or He can't do anything about it. Wrong! Man may be thinking he is in control, acting totally independent of God, and he may not even believe that there is a God, but the reality is God is totally aware and He has told us exactly what will take place in the days we are living in, the "Last Days" as the Bible calls them.
Why did He do that? So we won't become anxious, fearful, paranoid, terrified of the things that are happening around us. So we won't think that God has lost control, but everything is going as He said it would. In knowing that we can have peace, great peace, for God has warned us of these things long before they were to ever happen, and today we see them coming to pass.
Turn with me to Daniel chapter 2, and we are going to begin reading in verse 31. But just to give you some background information, the time frame is sometime after 606 BC and the Southern Kingdom of Judah has been taken into captivity by the Babylonians. This is their first assault on the Southern Kingdom of Judah and in this siege they took many of the young, strong, intelligent men with them, back to Babylon to be used in king Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom.
Among the captives were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. And they were schooled in the Babylonian ways to be part of the wise men of Babylon. One night the king has a dream that troubles him. So he calls for his wise men to come and interpret the dream, and since he wasn't sure how honest these guys were, since he just inherited the kingdom from his father who died unexpectantly, he tells them to also inform him what he dreamed and then interpret it.
They responded by saying "...'There is not a man on earth who can tell the king's matter; therefore no king, lord, or ruler has ever asked such things of any magician, astrologer, or Chaldean.'" Daniel 2:10. You see, they had these large books of dream interpretations. Thus, as you told them your dream, they would look it up and tell you what your dream meant. But here they were in trouble, in fact they were going to be put to death if they could not respond and give the king his dream and interpretation. The problem was that Daniel and his 3 friends were part of this group and when he heard what was going to happen he had an emergency prayer meeting and then came before the king saying:
DANIEL 2:31-43
"You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome. This image's head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. This is the dream. Now we will tell the interpretation of it before the king. You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory; and wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all; you are this head of gold. But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others. Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay."
In this multi-metallic image that the king saw in his dream, Daniel is going to tell him that each metal was a representation of a world dominating gentile empire. Thus, what we have here is a picture of the world empires from the Babylonians and it will extend all the way into the future, to the last empire when Jesus comes to set-up His kingdom here on earth. Let me show you what I mean. And please understand, in the time frame we have this morning we are not going to be able to expound on these various kingdoms in detail. In fact, you need to read Daniel's visions of these kingdoms to get a clear picture of who they represent. In fact, they are so clear that many liberal scholars say that the book of Daniel had to be written after the fact of these empires because of the details he gives regarding them. No man could know that information ahead of time, and that is true, but God could and does!
The head of gold was the Babylonian empire. This kingdom was run as an absolute monarchy from Egypt to the Persian Gulf. Leon Wood stated that "Nebuchadnezzar was uniquely responsible for [Babylon's] attaining and maintaining empire status. After him its power diminished rapidly, it was far more his kingdom than he was its king. That same was not true of any of the succeeding empires."
The head of gold or the Babylonian empire gave way to the chest and arms of silver or the Medo-Persian empire. And this empire lasted around 200 years.
The chest and arms of silver or the Medo-Persian empire gave way to the belly and thighs of bronze, or the Grecian empire that rose up under the leadership of Alexander the Great, and whose empire lasted around 200 years. This empire swept across the land devouring all that got in its way, so much so that Alexander the Great laid on his bed and wept for there were no other worlds to conquer, it was all his!
The belly and thighs of bronze or the Grecian empire gave way to the legs of iron or the Roman empire. And this empire swallowed up lands and people, and as Leupold said "The Roman legions were noted for their ability to crush all resistance with an iron heel."
Let me ask you this question, "Who defeated the Romans?" No one, it just broke into pieces. And those broken pieces never became world empires again, even though many tried. France had its "day in the sun" under Napoleon who extended the French empire by military victories but was defeated at Waterloo in 1815. Spain, with its Armada, or vast fleet of warships, had its "day in the sun" but was defeated by England in 1588. And England was never a world power. Germany tried twice at world domination. First, under Bismarck, who was known as the "Iron Chancellor" (1815-1898). And then under Hitler from 1933-1945, but they never became world powers.
But as you look at Daniel chapter 2 you will notice that the feet of this image are made of iron and clay. That iron, as we said, is representative of the Roman empire, and thus, in the last days the Roman empire will be revived. But what does the clay represent? It represents people, myriad's of people that were part of the old Roman empire but are now dispersed throughout the world. Thus, by mixing the iron and the clay together you have the strength of the iron and the weakness of they clay and that tells me that this kingdom is inferior to the previous kingdoms.
Some feel that these 10 toes on this image represent 10 nations that have come together out of the old Roman empire, which we would call today The European Community. Interestingly enough, way back on September 18, 1989 Time magazine had an article titled "Charging Ahead On The European Community", and Walter Halstien, who was the first president of the European Commission said: "Anyone who does not believe in miracles in European affairs is no realist...The reality is that Western Europe has finally found its feet, and once again is marching ahead." Is this speaking of the feet on the image in Daniel chapter 2 and is represented by the 10 toes? Maybe!
I think another possibility, and one that I lean towards, is the revived Roman empire being seen in 10 political/economic regions from around the world. That is the world is divided up into 10 kingdoms. Way back on September 17, 1973 the Club of Rome (which had its beginnings in April of 1968 and was formed for the soul purpose of bringing peace and prosperity through a one world government) released a report entitled "Regionalized and Adaptive Model of the Global World System". In this document they have the world divided up into 10 political/economic regions, which we can see emerge with the free-trade agreements of today. A coincidence? I don't think so!
You see, when the Roman empire broke into pieces, the people were spread around the world. Thus, this is a very plausible way to look at what this revived Roman Empire will look like.
How far have we come? Listen to this. Back on September 27 through October 1, 1995, in San Francisco, Mikhail Gorbachev headed an international event called "The State Of The World forum."
In that conference, Sbigniew Brezinski, who was Jimmy Carter's National Security Advisor, spoke to the people at this conference and said: "Finally, I have no illusions about world government emerging in our lifetime...We can not leap into world government through one quick step...A consensual global system is not just a matter of good wishes or good will, but it requires a process...The recondition for eventual and genuine globalization is progressive regionalization."
Do you understand what he is saying? "...The recondition for eventual and genuine globalization is progressive regionalization." In other words he sees this world being divided up, "regionalization" into a one world government. This process will not happen quickly, but over time this will evolve into a one world government. And don't think by evolution it is just a random chance happening, not for a minute. There are the designers and builders of this new world order that have been working on this for a very long time, and now we are beginning to see it emerge, faster than I thought possible. It is possible that we may see it in our lifetime!
On May 3, 1994 president Bill Clinton signed PDD #25 and then declared it "classified". He offered a brief outline to the 103rd Congress. The outline stated that during times of national emergency, whatever that may be, and who decides that it is a national emergency we don't know, the complete command and control of the United States Military would pass from our Commander and Chief, the president of the United States to the Secretary General of the United Nations.
Think about that for a minute. That means folks, that our military will be controlled not by our government, not by our commander, but by the United Nations! I guess it doesn't bother him for he never served in the military, he doesn't know what it means to defend your country! Yes we are quickly seeing our sovereignty being eroded away and we are being set up for a new world order, a one world government, and we don't even realize it.
I find it interesting that king Nebuchadnezzar saw this image as a beautiful multi-metallic image but that is not how God sees it. And I think it is important to see what God sees of this new government that is arising and the ones that came before it. Turn to Daniel chapter 7, and lets look at the world dominating gentile kingdoms through the eyes of God, beginning in verse 15. We read "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.' Then I wished to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its nails of bronze, which devoured, broke in pieces, and trampled the residue with its feet; and the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, before which three fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth which spoke pompous words, whose appearance was greater than his fellows. I was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them, until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom." Daniel 7:15-22. Again, we can only touch on this, but this book is the equivalent to the New Testament book of Revelation. Read it and learn what God is saying in it.
I want you to see the ugliness of these kingdoms. They are beasts, monsters in the eyes of God. And this last kingdom, this revived Roman empire is the worst one of them all. As this kingdom comes to power the antichrist will head it, and he will be the leader, controlling all the kingdoms of the earth and even coming against those that come to Christ during the tribulation period and prevail against them. Many will lose their lives during the tribulation period for serving the Lord, that is those that are saved during this last seven year period of history where God will once again deal with the nation of Israel and poor His wrath out upon a Christ rejecting world.
Now I don't want to leave you on this note, so turn to Daniel chapter 2, as I bring this study to a close. In Daniel chapter 2, lets begin reading in verse 44.
DANIEL 2:44-45
"And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure."
During the time of this revived Roman empire, as the tribulation period begins to draw to an end, at the close of the 7 years, the Lord is going to return. And when He does this rebellious world power will be destroyed and blown away, never to be seen again. And that rock that smote the image in the feet and caused it to come crashing down is none other than Jesus Christ. And His kingdom will fill this earth and righteousness will fill this land.
Don't ever think that God has lost control. If you are fearful of these things you see happening, if you are having "conspiracy phobia", look to Christ and allow His wisdom to give you peace. Treasure it more than all the wealth in the world for His peace can't be bought, only received through His Son, Jesus Christ. You see, you can't have the peace OF God until you have received peace WITH God! It is as Romans 5:1 says "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Once you have made peace with God by accepting Jesus Christ into your life as Lord and Savior, then and only then can you have the peace of God in your life. In saying that, let me leave you with this. God has gone through great lengths, given us great detail of the things that will happen in this world. He has told us these things before hand so that we won't be caught by surprise. And just as Daniel told the king, and as God is telling us, "...The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure."