Nebuchadnezzar Loses His Mind (Daniel 4:19-37)

Kootenai Church

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This morning we're going to learn a whole new application for the term or for the phrase

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Where's the beef and you will see when we get there? meanwhile

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While you're getting seated, we'll go ahead and open in prayer Father we're always delighted to come to your word for out of it are the issues of life

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From it we learn how to worship your son the Lord Jesus Christ from it We learn how to trust you and enjoy salvation from it

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We learn how to live this life in a on in a way that might honor Christ And so this morning as we look into your word with anticipation with fear and with joy

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We ask for your teaching Lord help us to understand what you would have for us this morning that we might

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Bring your word to a world who is just in turmoil And we thank you for the peace that Christ brings in Jesus name.

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Amen So last time I was with you were in the book of Daniel We're still there probably for the next 23 years but we finished with verse 18 and in verse 18 we find out that Nebuchadnezzar is

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Going to have something happen to him he had Chapter 4 Yeah, that's a good thing.

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You probably need to know the chapter so turn with me if you will to Daniel chapter 4 and We will read verse 19 through the end of the chapter

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Daniel chapter 4 so to set this up Daniel It is very likely that this chapter was either written by or through the auspices of Nebuchadnezzar himself

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It could very well be that Daniel wrote it in Transcribing what

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Nebuchadnezzar said to him? But it at any rate it is the the retailing the the story of what has happened to at the time the greatest king on the planet he had

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No end of struggle with pride every time something happened that was good he took credit for it and He had an opportunity to he had several he's had several opportunities

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To repent of that and at this point we will see God provides him with an awesome opportunity to repent of it and many believe he did but this is

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The story of Nebuchadnezzar being taking on the identity of a beast

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Not far from some of the things that happened today with identification Let's turn to as we've already turned to Jack Daniel chapter 4 verse 19

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Then Daniel whose name is Belteshazzar was appalled for a while as his thoughts alarmed him actually

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I'm gonna read verse 18 first to launch into it This is the dream which I King Nebuchadnezzar have seen now you

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Belteshazzar tell me its interpretation in as much as none of the wise men of my kingdom is able to make known to me the

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Interpretation, but you are able for a spirit of the Holy Gods is in you And with that Daniel is made responsible for telling

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Nebuchadnezzar. What's going to happen to him? Then Daniel whose name is Belteshazzar was appalled for a while as his thoughts alarmed him

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The king responded and said Belteshazzar do not let the dream or its interpretation alarm you

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Belteshazzar answered and said my lord if only the dream applied to those who hate you and its interpretation to your adversaries the tree that you saw which became large and grew strong whose height reached to the sky and was visible to all the earth and Whose foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant and in which was food for all under which the beasts of the field dwelt and Whose branches the birds of the sky lodged it is you oh king for you have become great and grown strong and your majesty has become great and reached to the sky and your dominion to the end of the earth and if the king saw an angelic watcher a holy one

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Descending from heaven and saying chop down the tree and destroy it yet Leave the stump with its roots in the ground but with a band of iron and bronze around it in the new grass of the field and let him be drenched with the dew of Heaven and let him share with the beasts of the field until seven periods of time pass over him

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This is the interpretation. Oh king and this is the decree of the Most High which has come upon my lord the king

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That should be driven away from mankind and your dwelling place be with the beasts of the field and you be given grass to eat

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Like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven and seven periods of time will pass over you until you recognize that the

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Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and he bestows it on whomever he wishes and In that it was commanded to leave the stump with the roots of the tree

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Your kingdom will be assured to you after you recognize that it is heaven that rules

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Therefore Oh King may my advice be pleasing to you Break away now from your sins by doing righteousness and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor

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In case there may be a prolonging of your prosperity All this happened to Nebuchadnezzar the king twelve months later

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He was walking on the roof of his royal palace of the royal palace of Babylon The king reflected and said is this not

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Babylon the great which I myself Have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty

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While the word was in the king's mouth a voice came from heaven saying King Nebuchadnezzar to you it is declared

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Sovereignty has been removed from you and you will be driven away from mankind and your dwelling place will be with the beasts of the field you will be given grass to eat like cattle and seven periods of time will pass over you until you recognize that the

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Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and Bestows it on whomever he wishes immediately the word concerning Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled and he was driven away from mankind and Began eating grass like cattle and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven

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Until his hair had grown like eagles feathers and his nails like birds claws but at the end of that period

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I Nebuchadnezzar raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned and my reason returned to me and I blessed the

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Most High and Praised and honored him who lives forever For his dominion is an everlasting dominion and his kingdom endures from generation to generation and all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing but he does according to his will in the host of heaven and Among the inhabitants of the earth and no one can ward off his hand or say to him.

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What have you done? at that time my reason returned to me and my majesty and my splendor were restored to me for the

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Glory of my kingdom and my counselors and my nobles began seeking me out so I was reestablished in my sovereignty and Surpassing greatness was added to me now

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I Nebuchadnezzar praise exalt and honor the king of heaven for all his works are true and his ways

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Just and he is able to humble those who walk in pride So it is in every age

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So in verse 18, we remember Nebuchadnezzar had summed up That he had gone to his other

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Counselors with this dream and they had no idea or Likely they had an idea and were terrified to say at any rate regardless of what happened there he gives this dream to Daniel to interpret and Daniel understands it and he is up as the scripture says

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He is appalled and what he's going to have to say and he's awful. It's awful.

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What's going to happen to this King? So then Daniel whose name is Balthasar in verse 19 says he was appalled for a while as his thoughts alarmed him the king responded and said

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Balthasar do not let the dream or its interpretation alarm you Balthasar replied

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Lord my lord If only the dream applied to those who hate you and its interpretation to your adversaries

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So note that both of Daniel's names are used both his Hebrew and his Babylonian name

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He was both a servant of God and an official in the court of Babylon, which is the most appropriate and likely reason why most of Daniel is written in Aramaic the language of the court of the kings of Babylon or the court of Babylon The word translated appalled comes from a root which means to be stundered to be stunned

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Stunned or rendered that's stundered to be stunned or rendered desolate He is the strength went out of him

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He just didn't know how to move on from to go on from here. Although he had trusted in the Lord It was still terrifying to tell the most powerful man on the planet that you're gonna be eating grass like an ox you're gonna look like an idiot and Everybody is going to Whisper about you and talk about you

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While the King James translate Translates the time of the time here a while That word actually means it doesn't mean a specific length of time, but it is rendered a moment or a while likely here it refers to Just a short period of time he just he stepped back he took a breath he thought okay

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I'm gonna have to tell him what this means and How am I gonna do that? Daniel was a as we have seen earlier throughout the early parts of the book very careful and thoughtful man, and he was

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Specific when he retailed or explained the dreams or the prophecies that that the

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Most High gave him So he was rightfully concerned about what he knew he had to tell the king because it was not a friendly message

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This king was known for dealing with people who disagreed with him in rather unfortunate ways

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Chopping them up throwing them in furnaces and various and sundry other ways It was not he was not a man to cross indiscriminately or actually at all

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So one wonders at this point if there was a furnace nearby Sensing his discomfort and fully understanding why the king reassures

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Daniel that it is safe to tell him what his dream means Daniel's compassion for the king is seen here as In that he wishes to apply this dream to the king's adversaries and not to the king

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While it is a common oriental phrase It is likely that Daniel truly cared about Nebuchadnezzar And he was sad to see that this man was about to pay the price for his pride

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Verse 20 the tree that you saw which became large and grew strong Whose height reached to the sky and was visible to all the earth

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So Daniel starts the interpretation by repeating the facts of the dream just as the king described them

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He uses the same descriptive terms. The king will know that he is indeed interpreting exactly what the king told him verse 21 and whose foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant and in which was food for all under which the beasts of the field dwelt and In whose branches the birds of the sky lodged

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So repeating this dream as I said in the manner exactly as the king told it would assure him that Daniel had paid attention

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Even these details reveal Nebuchadnezzar's pride Daniel is explaining to the king what he thinks about himself in some of the inscriptions that Nebuchadnezzar left and that historians have discovered he bragged about the peaceful shelter and Giant quantities of food that he provided for his subjects.

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He often used language including descriptions of trees in one inscription It says quote the produce of the lands the product of the mountains of the bountiful wealth of the sea within here

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I received under her everlasting shadow. I gathered all men in peace a rain of abundance

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Years of plenty I caused to be in my land Unquote this is Nebuchadnezzar in inscriptions that have been found in In Documents historical documents some of his military campaigns were conducted in the forests of Lebanon He was enthralled by the huge cedar trees another inscription states mighty cedars tall and strong of Costly value whose dark forms towered aloft the massive growth of Lebanon he even bragged at one point about cutting one of the trees down and had an inscription of Had an inscription in stone made of him doing so cutting one of these trees down by himself

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The trees had great significance in ancient Babylon So then in verse 22

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It says it is you will King for you have become great and grown strong and your majesty has become great and reached the sky

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And your dominion to the end of the earth. So now Daniel begins the interpretation here in verse 22

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He acknowledges that this dream does in fact describe King Nebuchadnezzar and There was no doubt that his might had increased and he was the most powerful ruler of the time

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Nebuchadnezzar made this evident in many of his inscriptions Bragging all the time about how powerful he was how many things he had done how many conquests he had made?

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How many people does he have subjected and this was? Rife throughout the kingdom and in the libraries of the day

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This is what you would have read about any questions or comments about those verses verse 23 in that the

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King saw an angelic watcher a Holy one descending from heaven and saying chop down the tree and destroy it yet leave the stump with its roots in the ground but with a band of iron and bronze around it in the new grass of the field

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And let him be drenched with the dew of heaven and let him share with the beasts of the field until seven periods of time

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Pass over him. So Daniel continues repeating Nebuchadnezzar's dream acknowledging the watcher the destruction of the tree with the stump left intact and the impending insanity

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The word let him share essentially means that he would have the same Portion or live the same way as the beasts of the field he would

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Undergo the same difficulties and deprivations and he would be essentially in the same manner wary of men and men would

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Treat him in the same way that they treated other beasts of the field Verse 24.

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This is the interpretation of King and this is the decree of the Most High which has come upon my lord the king

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So now comes the interpretation and Daniel doesn't dance around Where Nebuchadnezzar made oblique references to the angelic watcher?

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He pointedly states that this is a decree of God. This is a decree of the of the

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Most High Verse 25 and here's the decree part of the decree that you be driven away from mankind and your dwelling pace place be with the beasts of the field and that you be given grass to eat like cattle and Be drenched with the dew of heaven and seven periods of time will pass over you and you will pass over you until you recognize that the

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Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on Whomever he wishes

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This is a truly remarkable judgment in that the greatest of kings Would begin to live like the dumbest of animals and I think

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I saw a meme earlier today He's gonna he's gonna act like a cow Some have called this lycanthropy.

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That's actually a specific term It's a form of boanthropy where he thinks he's a cow and if any of you have ever driven cattle

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You know why we eat them Yeah, tell you what

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I have back when I grew up on a cattle ranch and I think Shorthorns are the stupidest creatures on the face of the earth

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Somebody out here has had shorthorns Okay Anyway, so he's going to be living like a beast of the field

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His life would take an incredible turn from the opulence and decadence and comfort of to just barely surviving

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Did it getting rained on snowed on all kinds of things his life? He would live out among the man animals separated from his own people.

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He would eat grass He would be subject to the weather and he would do this apparently for seven years

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Echoing the theme of the book of Daniel Daniel tells the king that the judgment is being made because of his pride and That he will eventually recognize that God is not his false

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Jehovah not his false deities Jehovah is the ruler over all and that his kingdom

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Itself was a result of the graciousness of God and not over of his own efforts

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How important that lesson is to be learned in every age by everyone

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Especially and most importantly those in the church What we have today in America is by the grace of God It is a wonderful opportunity to spread the gospel in every way and shape and form that we can and It is a freedom that is given to us by God himself

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Nebuchadnezzar did not recognize this and For the purposes of what had to happen in history and in prophecy

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God chose to humble this man in an in in an unbelievable and heretofore unheard of way

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So then verse 26 and in that it was commanded to leave the stump with the roots of the tree

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Your kingdom will be assured to you after you recognize that it is heaven that rules two interesting statements in these last two verses

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Excuse me in this verse You will write he says you will recognize that it is heaven that rules and that your kingdom will be

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Reestablished will be assured to you Those are both promises You'll have your kingdom reestablished and you will recognize that it is the

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Most High who rules over all of the universe so God now God would sovereignly maintain his kingdom while he was away from ruling it once he had learned his lesson and here it is clearly a

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Promise that he would learn the lesson God would restore the kingdom to him It is interesting to note that this is the only time in the

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Old Testament where the word heaven is used in place of God You will recognize after you recognize that it is heaven that rules

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This comes on the healing Well part of the reason I guess

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I should say Daniel was not acknowledging the astral astrological silliness of Babylon But was rather pointing out to Nebuchadnezzar that Jehovah who inhabits the heavens the real

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God Who inhabits the real heavens? rules in the affairs of men

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This comes on the heels of his statement just prior to this that the Most High is ruler a common man phrase referring to God Daniel is cementing the fact before he goes into his insanity in Nebuchadnezzar's mind that his kingdom was given to him by God and that his kingdom is being taken to him by from by God and That his kingdom will be given back to him by God Don't miss any of those things

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Nebuchadnezzar. Don't miss them. So then

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Daniel preaches the gospel to him Therefore O King May my advice be pleasing to you break away now from your sins by doing righteousness and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor in case there may be a prolonging of your prolonging of your prosperity

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Apparently Nebuchadnezzar's tendency was to mistreat his subjects Especially the poor here

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Daniel in keeping with his desire that this calamity would not come upon Nebuchadnezzar Strenuously encourages him to change his ways and avoid his judgment now

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Daniel Would have known whether or not this calamity could have been avoided Therefore this calamity could have been avoided and all it would have taken was for Nebuchadnezzar to repent and to begin doing righteousness

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Now for those of you who haven't read the rest of the story, what do you think you think he's gonna repent? All of you have read the rest of the story

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Well, that's not fair So verse 28 all this happened to Nebuchadnezzar the king assuming

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Nebuchadnezzar or one of his scribes or he Assuming he or one of his scribes penned this or he dictated it to Daniel This is like a statement of certification that these things indeed happened to the king so now interestingly enough as is often

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The case in the Word of God we have a period of time past that in which nothing has happened that we know of an awful lot happened in the 12 months between this statement and verse 29 between verse 28 and verse 29 of Which we don't have in Scripture any record, but we know one thing

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The Nebuchadnezzar didn't repent and he had God gave him a year

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He gave him a year To change his mind to repent and so what do we find a year later after this dream?

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Was related to him by Daniel in detail Telling him that you need to recognize that the most high rules in the affairs of men

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All you need to do is repent and this coming calamity that you had a dream of and you kind of knew what was going

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On it won't happen to you What do we do? We forget We get on about the business of our day

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We stop worrying about the things that were so terrifying yesterday That we really should take note of and here's what happens 12 months later he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon and Who does he think built that?

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He thinks he did Now physically he did but it was by the grace of God and he's forgotten that so it's unknown

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And I have to be fair here to Nebuchadnezzar If for whether or not Nebuchadnezzar humbled himself for a short time or simply continued as normal in Any event

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God gave him one more full year to repent of his pride And here's what happened a year later verse 30 the king reflected and said

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Is this not Babylon the great which I? Myself have built as a royal

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Residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty

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How many times did we hear the word my my my favorite?

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Oh my? Nothing about Jehovah nothing about God nothing about grace nothing about blessing.

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I did this aren't I the best? So it's very clear that Nebuchadnezzar had not repented of his pride

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He has taken credit he is taking credit for everything that has happened to him in his lifetime He was well known for his boasting about his accomplishments, and there are numerous

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Inscriptions we have from the libraries of that day that reflect this numerous clay foundation cylinders

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Described Nebuchadnezzar's greatness as a builder have been discovered ancient

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Mesopotamian kings would commission clay cylinders to be inscribed in cuneiform script describing and Dedicating their construction, and then they would bury them in the foundations of structures

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They were building or repairing on one clay foundation cylinder Nebuchadnezzar describes the construction of the outer city wall of Babylon here's what he says

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I Build a strong wall that cannot be shaken with bitumen and baked bricks

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I laid its foundation on the breast of the netherworld and I built its top as high as a mountain

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It was wide enough the chariots could pass each other on The top of this it was impressive.

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There's no doubt about that He's not he's not bragging about something that didn't happen It really did happen one of the most famous Nebuchadnezzar inscriptions is called the

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East India house inscription so named because it was presented as a gift to the East India House Museum it describes

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Nebuchadnezzar's achievement in building the great temples of as Gila and Azita as well as the city walls and royal palaces in Babylon in it in this one he boasts

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I am Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon the exalted prince the favorite of the

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God Marduk the beloved of the God Nabu the Arbiter the possessor of wisdom who reverences their lordship the untiring governor who is constantly anxious for the maintenance of the shrines of Babylonia and Borsippa By thy command merciful

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Marduk may my may the temple I have built in tour for all time And may

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I be satisfied with its splendor? Unquote There's no doubt that Babylon There's really no doubt that Babylon deserved the time deserves the title of one of the seven wonders of the ancient world

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Nebuchadnezzar's building projects consumed tremendous amounts of time money and the lives of many of his subjects the lives of his subjects

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The palace from which he surveyed Babylon was one of the citadels of the north side of the city it had large courts reception rooms throne room residences and the famous hanging gardens a vaulted terra structure with an elaborate water supply for its trees and plants

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Apparently built by Nebuchadnezzar for his median Queen from the palace

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He would see in the distance the city's 27 kilometer outer wall Which he had built his palace stood just inside the double wall of the inner city

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Which was punctuated by eight gates and encircled in an area you can tell this is from European encyclopedias encircled an area three kilometers by one kilometer with the

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Euphrates running through it the palace adjoined a processional Avenue that Nebuchadnezzar had paved with limestone hence his mention of bitumen and decorated

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With lion figures Emblematic of Ishtar this Avenue entered the city through the

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Ishtar gate Which he had decorated with dragons and bulls which were emblems of Marduk and Bell two of his gods

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It continued south through the city to the most important sacred pretties precincts it continued

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To whose beautifying and development Nebuchadnezzar had contributed contributed the ziggurat the

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Tower of Babylon Crowned by a temple of Marduk where the god statue resided in Marduk's temple

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There were also shrines to other gods and in the city elsewhere temples of other Babylonian gods Restored or beautified by Nebuchadnezzar.

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It was a beautiful city. It had a lot of Incredible structures and sculptures and buildings in it it was remarkable unbelievably and so far 149 building inscriptions regarding Nebuchadnezzar have been discovered he rebuilt and then built two more palaces

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He erected 17 religious temples in Babylon and its suburb, Bosopo He completed the two walls that surrounded the city with the outer wall wide enough for two chariots to pass each other on top

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In addition to the hanging gardens he built for the median princess He satisfied her homes in addition.

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He built the hanging gardens He satisfied her homesickness by replicating the mountains of her homeland on the roof of the royal palace

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Conference in one of his prayers to Marduk Marduk that has been found. He said like dear life

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I loved by exalted lodging place in no place I have made a town more glorious than thy city of Babylon from a human perspective

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His boasting was relatively accurate. Although everything was done by slave labor over the years.

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He was in power Imagine how many people it took to build those things and How many lives were disrupted by it?

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These were what God was talking about when he said to righteousness and take care of the poor

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These are the people that he would have forced to build these things Any comments or questions?

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Yes The question is if they've come up with the clay silt cylinders that have the blueprints.

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I don't know. I didn't look into that Brian so that the question is didn't

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Saddam Hussein set out to recreate ancient Babylon Essentially, that's what

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I heard. I don't know Yeah, yes it was yeah

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Yes, this would not have been lost on the

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Jews of the day the stories would have been understood to those who were paying attention that they

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Were under the thumb of a king like this and none of them like that At least the faithful ones would not have liked that well the scripture does say blessed is the

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Lord the nation whose God is the Lord and It is clear that as nations turn from God they come under judgment.

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I believe the question is is do we cease? Similarities to this and I would say yes, we do you can't

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You can't you know go step -by -step but definitely when a nation turns from God his hand is removed from it and When when the

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Jews walked would not would not follow the law God had to take them into captivity and they stayed there 70 years

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And they stayed there 70 years under this kind of a person these kinds of persons

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There were more rulers in Babylon that were worse. Some were better. Some were really short -lived

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Some were ruled for quite a while. But yes, God judges his people It's the church that should make a difference in the country

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If the bar if the world can't tell the difference between the church and the world around it, then we are not salt

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We're not salt at all That was kind of a jump. But nevertheless here we are verse 31 while the word was in the king's mouth a

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Voice came from heaven remember what verse 31 was he was 30. He was bragging about himself

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While that word was in his mouth a voice came from heaven saying King Nebuchadnezzar To you it is declared sovereignty has been removed from you

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The judgment pronounced upon Nebuchadnezzar after the 12 -month Grace period was executed immediately upon this latest expression of pride

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The word translated sovereignty connotes kingdom rule dominion Everything about his rule of Babylon was dissolved for ten years or for seven years

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Verse 32 and you will be driven away from mankind and your dwelling place will be with the beasts of the field

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You will be given grass to eat like cattle and seven periods of time will pass over you until you recognize that the most high is

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Ruler over the realm of mankind and he bestows it on whomever he wishes

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So the dream came true exactly as it was described by Daniel He was driven out from the palace and lived as an animal verse 33 immediately the word covered concerning Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled and he was driven away from Mankind and began eating grass like cattle and his body was drenched

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With the dew of heaven until his hair had grown like eagles feathers and his nails like birds claw

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I'm missing one of my pages. So I'm gonna I'm gonna bring it up on here, but Somehow I got here this morning and had left it at the store

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So there's very little known very little known about the seven -year period of Nebuchadnezzar's life this period

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He suffered from a form of boanthropy, which is a medical term for thinking one is a cow

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Where's the beef remember what I said, it's out in the garden Scholars believe that Nebuchadnezzar was most likely kept in the gardens

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Which were extensive and huge and were large enough to provide isolation from people

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John Wolverine his commentary surmises that Daniel led in protecting

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Nebuchadnezzar from death because remember What would happen in this culture?

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When a king showed some weakness and was actually in a position to be

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Deposed. Do you think his subject would have said? Oh, let's put him in the sanitarium and take care of him for a while until he comes to his senses

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And then we'll make him king again No had it not been for this. He would have been killed and Somebody else would have taken over the kingship right away, which is you'll see as we get farther into Daniel You'll see the successive kings and the times that they lasted and how they in one case well, they murdered each other let me put it at that and We'll get to it when we get to it.

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So Walvoord says this Scripture draws a veil over most of the details of Nebuchadnezzar's period of trial

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It is probable that he was kept in the palace gardens away from the abuse away from abuse by common people

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Although allowed to live in nature He was protected and in his absence his counselors probably led by Daniel himself continued to operate the kingdom efficiently

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Although scripture does not tell us it is reasonable to assume that Daniel had much to do with the kind treatment and protection of Nebuchadnezzar He undoubtedly informed the counselors of what the outcome of the dream would be and that Nebuchadnezzar would return to sanity

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God must have inclined the hearts of Nebuchadnezzar's counselors to cooperate Quite in contrast to what was often the case in ancient governments when at the slightest sign of weakness

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Rulers were cruelly murdered Nebuchadnezzar seems to have been highly respected as a brilliant king by those who worked with him and this

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Helped set the stage for his recovery. So it's it's not known. This is supposition but Something accounts for seven years in which the kingdom could have been taken over by other people other kings other

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Generals in the army and it wasn't it was left to be Redistributed or regiven to Nebuchadnezzar so one other thing that that comes up here is and I That was on page 83, which is in my office

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So I'm gonna be doing this from memory, but there's a story called this the story of Nebuchadnezzar and apparently one of the later

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Kings which we will look at was gone a long period of time and came back and had the kingdom restored to him and that was

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Chronicled in the 2nd century BC that was found in 2nd century BC liberal scholars

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Say aha. This is really the story of Nebuchadnezzar. It's this Nebuchadnezzar guy

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Well, there's a couple of problems with that Nebuchadnezzar really existed Nebuchadnezzar really did

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Serve as king of Babylon for a number of years. He really did disappear for a period of time

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It's chronicled in the Babylonian Chronicles. We don't need that We have scripture and the scripture is the truth, but interestingly enough, there's nothing that supports this liberal interpretation in fact

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Conservative scholars who recognize the genuineness of the book of Daniel as a sixth -grade century

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BC writing see no conflict They see no conflict in Accepting both

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Daniel 4 as it is written and the prayer of Nabanitis as having some elements of the truth Though apocryphal in fact as the discussion

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We will see in Daniel 5 will bring out the fact that Nabanitis lived at Tehama for extended periods

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Well attested to in tradition in history gives a plausible explanation as to why

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He wasn't king when chapter 5 starts and he should have been he was the successor to Nebuchadnezzar Belshazzar was king.

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He was in charge in Babylon in Daniel 5 It is not necessary to impugn the record of Daniel in order to recognize the non inspired story related to Nabanitis So and we will trace the

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Kings when we get to chapter 5 to show you the the historical can't give you the historical context

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I'm talking about because the successive the successive kingship Was given to different people and when we get to Chan chapter 5 one

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Verse away from the end of chapter 4 a whole new king is in place and we're missing a king and we'll see why but verse 34

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But at the end of that period I Nebuchadnezzar so the period is over now

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I Raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me and I blessed the

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Most High and praised and honored him who lives forever For his dominion is an everlasting dominion and his kingdom endures from generation to generation

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That's a different Nebuchadnezzar from prior to this It is unknown if he turned his eyes to heaven and his reason returned or if this is simply a narrative

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Of his coming to the senses in any event seven years have passed. He regains by God's grace

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He regains his senses by God's grace. And what's the first thing he does? He begins by praising

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God in a manner that is completely different from his acknowledgement of his false gods from this point there is no indication of his attitude toward the false gods of Babylon and With the lack of information some have concluded there is insufficient evidence to conclude that Nebuchadnezzar became a believer others

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Excuse me. See this change and recognize that in every age Men are saved without being completely correct in all of their beliefs except for us

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Some live long enough and find that with study their beliefs more and more conform to biblical truths

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Others die before they have the opportunity to have their false ideas corrected Whatever the situation here is it is clear that Nebuchadnezzar has a much clearer

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Understanding of just who Yahweh is when you came to salvation was your theology perfect By the way, when we check out our theology is still not going to be perfect.

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Just thought I'd remind you that But you knew enough by God's grace.

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He changed your heart He regenerated you and gave you the understanding so that your faith could be placed in him

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And as you grow in Christ and study the Word of God and spend time with other believers sharpening iron

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You have jettisoned some wrong ideas and understood scripture better, haven't you?

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Nebuchadnezzar may get a chance to do that the thief on the cross never did but he's just as saved as if Nebuchadnezzar is so There's a chance and many book

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Calvin doesn't believe it happened here Sorry, John. I disagree with you, but I believe that Nebuchadnezzar became a believer, but it's just a personal belief

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Based on what I see later. And by the way at the end of at the end of this chapter we move on to different Kings all the inhabitants of the earth verse 35 says are accounted as nothing but he

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Jehovah does according to his will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth and No one can ward off his hand or say to him.

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What have you done? This is Nebuchadnezzar talking. He just stopped being a cow he's gonna get to eat beef now instead of eating grass and He's saying no one can say what have you done?

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He continues in his psalm like tribute to God He notes that God's sovereignty exists both in heaven and on earth and that nothing can change his will and by the way

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Nothing has changed Nothing can change his will nothing surprises God the crazy world we live in is exactly what he anticipated

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Exactly verse 36 at that time my reason returned to me and my majesty and splendor restored to me for the glory of my kingdom and My counselors and my nobles began seeking me out

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So I was reestablished in my sovereignty and surpassing greatness was added to me It is likely that Nebuchadnezzar's as we pointed out earlier

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His officials were watching out for him and upon seeing his return to sanity quickly moved him back into positions of power

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Even greater supremacy was given to him subsequent to his return to sanity They would have had to have been watched been pretty watchful this guy running around out there with Hair as long as for you know, seven years growth of hair and he claws fingernails like Eagle Cat talons

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All of a sudden he stands up and goes. Well, where am I? What's this all about? Why am I why don't

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I have any clothes on? That's probably something like what happened now.

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I never kid Nezer and here's how the chapter ends Remarkably different from the beginning verse 37 now

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I nebuchadnezzar praise exalt and honor the king of heaven for all his works are true and his ways are just and He is able to humble those who walk in pride how well he would know that here again

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He extols Yahweh in a manner that is not that is not given to his pagan gods It should be noted that there are those skeptics who laugh at this account unable to believe like that something could happen one comment

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Something like this could happen to a great king one commentator noted Skeptics have scoffed at the account of nebuchadnezzar's mental illness in Daniel They have claimed that it is preposterous to believe that such a thing happened to such a mighty king

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However, a Greek writer named megasthenes who lived from 312 to 280 BC Related an interesting story that had been told to him by the

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Chaldeans according to the story after he had completed military contest Conquest nebuchadnezzar was possessed by some

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God or other while on the roof of his palace the story also talked about a man driven through the desert where wild beasts sought their food a

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Lonely wanderer among the rocks and ravines all this though this story differs in several respects from the scriptural account in Daniel The similarities were strong enough to have prompted the conclusion that the

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Chaldean account to megasthenes Was a perversion of what actually happened to nebuchadnezzar in addition

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It is interesting to note that for several years nebuchadnezzar's name Disappeared from the historical and governmental records of Babylon and then it reappeared for a brief time before he died

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Do you think he would have allowed his name to disappear from the historical records of Babylon?

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This guy who was creating and building and was the most the awesome guy who had ever been on the planet

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His final words here are an indictment of his own pride and a recognition that not only is

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God sovereign over men But he was sovereign over nebuchadnezzar himself It is only when

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God crushes pride in men that man becomes truly useful None of this would have been lost on the

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Jews of the day It was important that they saw that their God was still sovereign God was reminding them that even though they were in captivity.

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He was still in stroke in control thus ends one of the strangest stories in the

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Old Testament and That same God is still in charge today no matter what you read in see on CNN, let's pray

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Father we acknowledge that you are sovereign over everything that nothing escapes your sight and in that we take great comfort

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Knowing that you as God as Jehovah have ordained everything that is and everything that will be

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We trust you we love you We look forward to more worship of you this morning