HP Mansfield - Class 2: The Unpublished Diary of Daniel (Part 2)

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

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   My dear brethren and sisters in Christ Jesus, in opening up our talk this morning we want to again reaffirm the basic message of the book of Daniel. We want to draw the exhortation that is derived therefrom. We pointed out yesterday that in our opinion the basic message of this wonderful book is contained in the fourth chapter and at verse 17 where we have the statement this matter is by the decree of the watchers and the demand by the word of the holy ones to the intent that the living may know that the most high ruleth in the kingdom of men and giveth it to whomsoever he will. And using the Hebrew will set up over it him that is set at naught of men which we said yesterday we believe to be the Lord Jesus Christ the humblest of men who is yet to ascend to the throne of glory in the age to come. Now as we read that verse there is one word that I would like to concentrate upon just for a moment and that is the fact that the term is given in the singular number the kingdom of men. Not the kingdoms of men but the kingdom of men. And by the use of that title in this fourth chapter of Daniel verse 17 I believe that the inspired writer would tell us that there is really only one kingdom.

2. 1:27

   That though it is divided up into many nationalities really it is the kingdom of Satan. And that's the kingdom of the world about us irrespective as to whether we might be in England, Australia, America or the continent. It is all parts of one whole. And this is shown throughout the book of Daniel. And the ten toes are all parts of the divided parts of one empire. And the empire is the kingdom of men. The kingdom of Satan as the Lord Jesus Christ called it.

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   And when we understand that there is of course no room for patriotism as the world considers it today. The fact that I come from Australia is merely an accident of birth. And therefore as far as I'm concerned my patriotism is for the things of the kingdom of God and not for Australia. And I believe the same must apply to all peoples who are called out of the Gentiles to be a people for the name. As we are told in Acts chapter 15 and verse 14. God is taking out of the Gentiles, out of the Gentiles, a people for the name. And therefore we have no partner lot with the world about us. No form of patriotism for it. We see it in all its evil. And we are looking ardently for the time when the present order of things shall be swallowed up in the glorious kingdom of God.

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   Now you will find as you study the book of Daniel that it's linked very closely with the book of Revelation. Many of the symbols that we have in the book of Daniel have a further elaboration in the prophecy of the Revelation. And therefore one ties in with the other. And really they complement each other in a very beautiful and a very wonderful way. The key to the apocalypse is found in the book of Daniel. There's no doubt about that. And the very language used in the apocalypse is similar to that which Daniel uses here. Even in relation, even in relation, let me emphasize, to this basic message of the prophecy of Daniel. Because when you turn over to the 11th chapter of the Revelation and at verse 15, you read in your authorised version, the kingdoms, plural, the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and his Christ and he shall reign forever and ever.

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   But in the Greek, that word kingdoms is in the singular number, the kingdom. And it's taking this statement here, you see, the kingdom becomes the kingdom of our Lord and his Christ and he shall reign forever and ever. And once again, you see, the vast contrast between the multitudinous division of the kingdom of men with that of the kingdom of God is emphasized in the apocalypse as it is here in in the prophecy of Daniel. And of course, that is a very interesting factor because I believe that it enters into our relationships with the world about us and with our God. And with every symbol, with every prophecy, with every doctrine, there's a powerful exhortation if we can only find it and apply that principle. So you see, you come over to the 2nd of Corinthians and at chapter 6 and you find here the principle of separateness emphasized by the Apostle Paul, beyond all doubt.

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   2nd of Corinthians chapter 6 verses 17 and 18, the Apostle says, Wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you, and will be a father unto you. And notice here that the fatherhood of God towards us, his children is conditional upon our separateness from the world about us.

7. 5:32

   Notice how that is emphasized. Come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and pass not the unclean king, and I will receive you, and will be a father unto you. So the fatherhood of God towards us is not dependent upon our knowledge, it is dependent upon our knowledge, but it requires something else.

8. 5:52

   It requires our separateness from the world about us. And I believe that is what is being emphasized by Daniel in that fourth chapter and verse 17 when he speaks of the kingdom of men. And he contrasts it with the kingdom of God. Now this morning I want to take you to some unrecorded incidents in the private diary of Daniel.

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   I want you to try to enter into the picture with me as I try to take you to Babylon when Daniel was there in the city. And we will see some of the circumstances that Daniel must have seen and I believe would have recorded in his mind even if he didn't write a diary.

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    Take first of all one significant factor. One of the greatest prophecies in Daniel that we would all be familiar with is the prophecy of the image of Nebuchadnezzar. Now in the first verse of that chapter, chapter 2, we are specifically told when this took place. It is in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar.

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    We read in verse 1 of the first chapter that in the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, came Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem and besieged it. And then we read in verse 2, Yahweh gave Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into his hand. And you know, this was, this was a very important statement that Daniel is making.

12. 7:29

    He is writing for his contemporaries as well as for ourselves. And they saw Nebuchadnezzar in all his power and glory. They probably saw the king return back from his conquests and march through the Ishtar gate along the processional road right down to the centre of Babylon where there was a great tower of Babylon, the great ziggurat in the midst of that city.

13. 7:54

    And it was a city of glory and of wonder. And the Ishtar gate itself is a very, very wonderful structure. It has been reconstructed today in ancient Babylon. And even in its reconstructed form it does look very, very impressive. And down that processional way the great king would come with the spoils of his victory, bringing with him the hostages, among them Daniel.

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    And he would be applauded by all the Babylonish world as he came back from these conquests. And Daniel writes to his fellow captives, his fellow captives. And what does he say? Yahweh gave Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into his hands. He's not so powerful as he imagines. Have a look at him and all his power.

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    He's only the servant, the slave of Yahweh, the most high rules in the kingdoms of men. And that's the point of chapter 1 and verse 2. The Lord gave Jehoiakim into the hands of this mighty monarch. And though the crowds might be applauding him and shouting him as he marches through the Ishtar gate and on the processional way, the captives like Daniel realise that here was the hand of God revealed.

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    And he's but the servant, the slave, doing the will of Yahweh. And so is Mrs. Tartu. And so are the rulers of Russia. And so are the people of Israel to die. Because the Apostle Paul says in another place, all things are for your sakes. And that's a tremendous statement. All things are for your sakes, even as it is here.

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    Now it is in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar that he has that vision. And the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar would have been the fourth year of Jehoiakim. We go back and we trace what happens on the fourth year of Jehoiakim. If we turn back to Jeremiah chapter 25 and verse 1, we read that it was in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, that was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar.

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    So the second year of Nebuchadnezzar would be the fifth year of Jehoiakim. I have quoted from Jeremiah chapter 25 and verse 1, if you did not catch the quotation. This is a very important verse, actually. It is the one verse in the Bible where we can determine the chronology of Gentile times in relationship to the chronology of the Bible.

19. 10:31

    Because here are two points converging. But that's merely by the way. It was in the fourth year of Jehoiakim that was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar. And therefore the fifth year of Jehoiakim was the second year of Nebuchadnezzar when Nebuchadnezzar had that dream. Now if we turn to the 36th chapter of Jeremiah and verse 9, we shall see what happened in that year.

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    In verse 9 of Jeremiah 36, it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month that they proclaimed to pass before Yahweh to all the people in Jerusalem and to the people that came from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem. Then read Barak in the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of Yahweh in the chamber of Gemariah.

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    You see, in the earlier part of this chapter, Yahweh had called upon Jeremiah to write all the prophecies once again in a book. He called for his friend Barak the scribe. He recited all the prophecies in the ear of Barak and Barak wrote them down. And then Barak was instructed to go forth to the people in a public place at a time when they would be gathered together and to read to them once again all the prophecies of Jeremiah.

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    It was the last opportunity that Yahweh was going to give his people to repent. And so one last opportunity is given them in the mercy of the Father. At a time when they would be gathered together, the prophecies of Jeremiah would be read to them and the people could make up their mind.

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    And that is what happened in the fifth year of Jehoiakim. The year that Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon was having his vision and his dream of the great image. And so the words of Barak were read in the hearing of the people. And they were deeply impressed by it. They went to the princes of the land, the elders of the people.

24. 12:33

    And the elders of the people asked Barak to read those words to them. And they too were greatly impressed by what they heard. They determined to tell it to the king, Jehoiakim himself. Now we read concerning him in the 22nd verse of that chapter. Now the king sat in the winter house in the ninth month and there was a fire in the hearth burning before him.

25. 12:58

    At a very time when this crisis was arising, the king's enjoying life in the winter house sitting before the hearth where there's a fire burning upon the hearth. We read in verse 20 that they went into the king, into the court and they took the words of the scroll and they fetched the scroll, we read in verse 21, and they began to read it in the ears of the king and in the ears of all the princes which stood beside the king.

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    And we can capture the picture. Here was the king in his winter house. There's a fire on the hearth. He's warming himself before the fire in the very lap of luxury. These princes, deeply concerned as to what they had heard, bring the scroll of Jeremiah before him. They begin to read the scroll of Jeremiah before the king who was enjoying the luxury of life.

27. 13:50

    We know what Jeremiah says. We know the words of indictment he others. Fancy those words being uttered in the ears of the king as he sits warming himself before the fire. And the king is not going to tolerate it. He doesn't want to hear Jeremiah's words. He's not interested in Yahweh, the God of Israel.

28. 14:09

    He's eaten up with his own pride and arrogance. And therefore, he's not going to stand these words of indictment upon his reign. And we read what he does in verse 23. It came to pass that when Yehudah had read three or four leaves, he cut it. That is the king. The king cut it with a pen knife and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth.

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    Until all the scroll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth. Yet they were not afraid nor rent their garments. Neither the king nor any of his servants that heard all these words. Those princes had come into the presence of the king deeply concerned, deeply perturbed because of the words of Jeremiah they had heard.

30. 14:53

    They wanted to impress the king. And therefore, they read it before the king. But the king eaten up with pride is not going to be of that sort of language. And he also wants to demonstrate to his princes that he's not afraid of Jeremiah. He doesn't believe his words. So he grabs that scroll, he cuts it up and he flings it in the fire.

31. 15:15

    That's when I think of Jeremiah and all his words. And what that king was doing, sitting upon the throne of David, was basically burning the Bible. Rejecting the voice of Yahweh. Here was the man brought up in the truth occupying a position of eminence amidst the rest of that nation. The leader among that nation getting hold of the Bible, tearing it in pieces, flinging it in the fire and watching it burn.

32. 15:43

    And when they saw that act of defiance, the princes too forgot their fear. And that was the last opportunity for the nation of Israel. Now it's going to go swiftly down to the precipice and over the side in anarchy and annihilation as far as the nation is concerned. Whilst back in Babylon,

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    there is the king of Babylon receiving the image, the vision of that image and saying these words unto Daniel the prophet when Daniel interpreted the vision to him. And he says these words that we have in verse 47. Of the truth it is that your God is a God of gods and a Lord of kings and a revealer of secrets seeing thou couldst reveal this secret.

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    And there was a vast change between the pagan God upon his throne and the man seated on David's throne. And understand this, that when Daniel stood before the king and he outlined that image and what it meant, he did so fearlessly. He did so in a way that showed Nebuchadnezzar how temporary was his will.

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    You see what he said in verse 37. Thou, O king, art a king of kings for the God of heaven. The God of heaven has given you that power. Understand it, Nebuchadnezzar. The God of heaven gave you that power. Not your own armies. And the God of heaven that gave you that power is going to set up his kingdom.

36. 17:28

    Verse 44. In the days of these kings, the God of heaven should have set up a kingdom. The kingdom is going to be taken from you, given to others, and then finally God's kingdom is to be established upon the earth. And the king had the grace to say of the truth that is that your God is a God of gods, a Lord of kings, a revealer of secrets, seeing Melchizedek reveal that secret.

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    What a vast change from that man, that young man, because that was all that Jehoiachin was, who had been brought up in the truth, and who had learned to despise the very things that had brought into power. In contrast to the attitude of the pagan king himself. Whilst Daniel was in Babylon, he found a city that's remarkably like the modern city of today.

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    It was a time of tremendous building activity. It was a time when the commercial affluence of the time was greatly in the advance. And the archaeologists tell us, from the inscriptions that are found upon the walls and that, that remain, that it was not only that, that even the fashions of the people were similar today.

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    The men at that time were assuming an effeminate fashion. The women, on the other hand, they were aping the men. There was a sort of a liberation movement there. And archaeologists tell us of this. So the very character of the people was such as we find it in the earth today. And so he lived in times very much like our own time.

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    And whilst he was there, he received certain letters from Jeremiah. And these, I believe, would have gone into his diary. Take, for example, the words that you find in the 29th chapter of Jeremiah and at verses 4 to 9.

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    Notice in verse 1 that these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem. And he tells them in verse 4, Thus saith Yahweh of haste, the God of Israel, unto all that were carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon, build ye houses and dwell in them, plant gardens and eat the fruit of them, take ye wives and beget sons and daughters, and seek the peace of the city, whither I have caused you to be carried away captive.

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    And then he proceeds to point out to them that they would be there at least 70 years. And therefore they had to develop their own economy in that place because they would be there as he says in verse 10, 70 years. And then, you know, the message told them what they should do in that land, which I believe Daniel scrupulously followed.

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    And in that, we have one of the greatest miracles of the book of Daniel. Now when you think in your mind of all that happened to Daniel in Babylon, what do you think would be the greatest miracle? The vision of the image and the interpretation of it? Would it be the time that he was thrown in the den of lions and escaped the lions?

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    Or the time when his three friends were thrown into the raging fire and escaped? The greatest miracle was not any of those. They were really only transient things. The greatest miracle in the book of Daniel is the transforming effect of Daniel's own instruction to the people. The people of Israel went into captivity, hopeless addicts to idolatry.

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    It was like a drug to them and it had brought that nation to ruin. When the time came 70 years later, after the ministration of Daniel the prophet, those people were completely changed. And now, they went back to the land fiercely, fiercely independent in the worship of God as the one God of Israel.

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    Never again to be affected by the multitudinous gods of the pagans. That was the vast change that came over that people. And you find that vast change as you carefully read the books of Daniel and Ezekiel. That is the greatest miracle in the book of Daniel. And the greatest miracle today, of course, is the power and impact of the word of truth upon the lives of individuals.

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    And I suppose you've seen it as I have seen it in my own lifetime. People that have been vastly changed, even in appearance, by the power of the word of God. And as I speak to you, I have in mind, specifically, certain brethren that I've known. When they came into the truth, they were so different to what the truth made.

48. 22:20

    As I speak to you now, I have to bear in mind some members of my own ecclesia. And I will remember in the case of certain ones whom I was helpful in introducing the truth. One was a young lady. And she was dressed in a very outlandish way, I thought. And, you see, I was instructing her in the truth and it was a little bit embarrassing for me.

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    I didn't know what to do. I could hardly say to her, take these things off. So, you see, I had to be so careful in the way I instructed her in these ways. Do you know this? Not one word was said by me. Not one word was said by me. And yet, she gradually changed.

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    And she's entirely different in her very demeanour to this day. And there we have the power of the word of God. The miracle that is found in the book of Daniel. Which I think that he would carefully assess as the 70 years proceeded. And the work of Daniel became even more effective among the people to whom he ministered.

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    Now, Jeremiah's advice, the letters that he was sent, were spurned by the false prophets who were in Babylon. And there was a contest between Daniel and these false prophets. They spurned the advice of Jeremiah. They said, the temple of Yahweh, the temple of Yahweh are weak. God will never allow his temple to be destroyed.

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    He'll never allow his city to be overthrown. And that is how they, they spake. And they were so determined in this, that they even defied Nebuchadnezzar the king. Jeremiah said, you submit. They refused to submit. We have the results of that. In the 20 and 22nd verses of this 29th chapter of Jeremiah.

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    And here I believe would be another little incident that would go into the diary of Daniel. He would see this in verse 20 of that 29th chapter of Jeremiah. Hear ye therefore the word of Yahweh, all ye of the captivity, whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon. Thus saith Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, of Ahab, the son of Talaiah, and Zedekiah, the son of Maasier, which prophesy a lie unto you in my name.

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    Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall slay them before your eyes. And of them shall be taken up a curse by all the captivity of Judah, which are in Babylon, saying, Yahweh make me like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire.

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    Now understand what is being said. These two false prophets defied Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar gathered together all the people of the captivity. He brought them all together. He brought out those two false prophets. He brought them before the people. He proclaimed the insurrection that they had been guilty of. And then he shrew them before the eyes of the others.

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    Then he roasted them in the fire. And the two false prophets were destroyed and the people were gathered together to see it. So Daniel must have seen it. He saw the end of those two false prophets. And that takes us to an incident that is recorded in the third chapter of Daniel's prophecy.

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    The incident of the three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who were thrown into the fire. And you imagine the circumstances in view of what we have read in the twenty-ninth chapter of Jeremiah. We know the background of the story, how these three men refused to bow down to the golden image that the king had set up.

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    We know what they said to King Nebuchadnezzar when he brought them before him. Nebuchadnezzar didn't want to destroy them. He had already elevated them as the friends of Daniel. He didn't want to destroy them. So he says in verse 14, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods nor worship the golden image which I have set up?

59. 26:20

    And then he gives them another opportunity. And really in the Hebrew word, is it true? Is it on purpose? Is this deliberate? Or have you made a mistake? Look, don't do it. I'll give you another opportunity. We'll get the band playing once again. And then you bow down at the time appointed. But as far as these men were concerned, they said no.

60. 26:43

    As far as that's concerned, we don't want a second chance. We're not careful to answer the next matter. And look at verse 17. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thy hand, O King. But if not, and I've got those words underlined, let it be known unto thee, O King, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

61. 27:13

    Our God can save us. And perhaps he will. But even if he does it, we're not going to bow down. Now notice what the king said to them in verse 15. He said, Look, you're going to be cast at the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?

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    Now the king already has burned two prophets, prophets who claim to be prophets of Yahweh. And Yahweh had not saved them. And even though the king already has given, has given, has acknowledged the power of the God of Israel to reveal that dream, that same God did not save those two prophets from the burning fiery furnace.

63. 28:06

    And the king of Babylon worshipped fire. And therefore to him, the God of the fire, was stronger than Yahweh, the God of Israel. Who's the God that can't save you? You know what happened. Now that we give you another chance, we don't want a chance. We know the drama, how the furnace was burned, because that burning, and how the three men were flung therein, and the miracle of what took place at that particular time when they were flung in.

64. 28:37

    We read in verse 22, because the king's commandment was urgent that the furnace there of exceeding heart and a flame of fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. It slew the very soldiers that took those men up to fling them in the fire. The flames came out and destroyed them.

65. 28:55

    He had stoked that fire up seven times hotter than it was wont to be fire. In order that he might destroy the people of God. Do you know Gog's going to do the same thing? Do you know Gog's going to stoke up the fire that he might destroy the people of Israel? And what's going to happen to that?

66. 29:11

    Gog, the force that stokes up that fire? This is not only history, this is parabolic history. It's going to destroy the very people that are stoking up their fire at the present moment. The whole world is viewing up the war. The weaker saying, we are strong. And the very fire that is being stoked up at this present time will destroy those that are stoking up that fire.

67. 29:33

    And who are going to say, we'll flush into that fire? The people of God. And that's what happened here. Now we read in verse 23 that they fell down bound into the midst of the fire. And every word's important. But in verse 25, no, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire.

68. 29:54

    The fourth is like a son of the gods. They down bound. But then he sees them standing up. The bonds have been burnt. The bonds have been loosened. They've been burnt and so they stand up. And when they come out of that fire, verse 27, the fire had no power, nor was a hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed upon them.

69. 30:25

    The fire had only consumed the bonds that held them together so they were thrown over into that fire. The fire destroyed those bonds but it didn't touch their clothing. There was not the smell of fire upon it. And that was a miracle that staggered the king on that occasion. And a miracle that caused the king to say, as we have him saying, later on in that chapter, I make a decree that every people, nation, language, would speak anything amiss against the god of Shadrach, Meshach, and every mego shall be cut in pieces.

70. 30:59

    And there we have another incident in the diary of Daniel, linked up with the prophecy of Jeremiah. Now let us take that passage that we read this morning in the 51st chapter of Jeremiah. Here we have another dramatic picture, and something that Daniel would have seen. In Jeremiah chapter 51 verse 59, we read, The word which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Saraiah the son of Neriah, when he went with Zedekiah the king of Judah into Babylon in the fourth year of his reign.

71. 31:35

    And this Saraiah was a quiet prince. You can take those words or you can take the marginal rendition if you so desire. But he was a quiet prince. He was a man that was motivated by the teaching of Jeremiah the prophet. He was the brother of Barak, the great friend of Jeremiah. He was a man of some importance, and he was selected by Zedekiah the king to go to Babylon when Zedekiah had to go to Babylon.

72. 32:09

    And as he was going to Babylon, Jeremiah took the opportunity of giving to him a very precious volume and telling him what he must do with that precious volume when he got to Babylon.

73. 32:24

    Zedekiah had been told to come to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar the king. Because Zedekiah had entered into an agreement with surrounding nations to defy Nebuchadnezzar the king. He had entered into a treaty with other nations and they were going to establish a confederacy and revolt against Nebuchadnezzar. Zedekiah had entered into a compact with Nebuchadnezzar that he wouldn't do this.

74. 32:49

    But secretly he did it. And Nebuchadnezzar heard of it. And the instructions were sent to Zedekiah, you come up to Babylon. You come up and you are going to bow down before me and you're going to witness to the world that you will be in subjection to me. And Zedekiah had to go to Babylon with Zeriah that quiet prince.

75. 33:12

    Now try to get the picture in your mind. You can imagine the fear in Zedekiah. You can imagine it when you bear in mind what they used to do with the kings in those days. So the captives in Babylon would have seen the approach of Zedekiah. They would have heard of this. And there they would see Zedekiah creeping his way into the city of Babylon to go into the audience of the king, to crawl before the king, to crawl to that throne while the king sat above him and demanded that he no longer would act in that treacherous way he had.

76. 33:47

    And this man that sat upon the throne of David, upon the throne of the kingdom of God upon the earth, is calling before the pagan king and submitting to him in that way. And with him is Saria, that quiet prince. And so Zedekiah is humbled and he pleads he don't like and he's permitted to have his life and he's humbled before the king.

77. 34:13

    And then Saria is to fulfil the work that Yahweh had asked him to do through Jeremiah the prophet. And we read what he had to do here. Jeremiah said to Saria in verse 61, When thou comest to Babylon and shall see and shall read all these words, then thou shalt say, O Yahweh.

78. 34:35

    What Saria had to do after he had been to Nebuchadnezzar with a king, was to gather all the captives of Babylon together. To gather all the Jewish captives together. And then he had to read to them the prophecy of Babylon. And that comprises chapters 50 and 51 of Jeremiah. You see, when you turn back to chapter 50 and at verse 1, the word that Yahweh spoke against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet.

79. 35:10

    And that continues until verse 58 of chapter 51. And now the instructions are given to Saria what he should do. We read in verse 60, Jeremiah wrote in a book all the evil that should come upon Babylon, even all these words that are written against Babylon, and he gave it to Saria. And when Saria had been to the king with Zedekiah the prophet, he had to gather to himself in some public place all the captives of Judah.

80. 35:43

    And the captives there stood before him, among them Daniel the prophet. And then Saria read these words of Jeremiah the prophet, words that indict Babylon, words that say that Israel is not forsaken of its God, though the land was filled with sin against Yahweh. That's what it says, words that speak of Babylon as being a golden calf in the hand, whereby the nations are made drunk, and a nation against whom Yahweh would move in new time.

81. 36:13

    And the nation would be destroyed and overthrown, so that its glory would be brought down to the dust. That is what Saria read to the captives as they gathered together in some public place in Babylon, after seeing the ignominy of their king, who had to crawl humbly before the pagan God, whose end is now pronounced in this public declaration of the prophecy of Jeremiah.

82. 36:39

    And then when that was finished, this Saria, this choir prince, had to take that scroll to the book, and he had to go to the river Euphrates, and he had to offer a public prayer, and he had to take that scroll and fling it into the waters of the river Euphrates. Verse 62, Thou shalt say, here's the prayer, O Yahweh, thou hast spoken against this place to cut it off, that none shall remain in it, neither man nor beast, but that it shall be desolate forever.

83. 37:08

    And it shall be, when thou hast made an end of reading this book, that thou shalt bind a stone to it, and cast it in the midst of the Euphrates, and thou shalt say, thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her. So you can imagine Sarai going out to the river Euphrates, having read the book, having uttered a prayer, taking the scroll of the book, flinging it in the waters of the river Euphrates, and saying, thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her.

84. 37:41

    And Daniel saw it, and he knew that 70 years were to remain, and then this would happen. And you can imagine, how he would gather those captives together afterwards, and they would study the contents of those two chapters, the prophecy of Babylon, and how they would be waiting anxiously for the time to come when the city of Babylon would be overthrown.

85. 38:09

    They knew from another prophecy that the one to do this was Cyrus. Cyrus would overthrow that kingdom, and we read in the first chapter of Daniel that Daniel continued until the reign of Cyrus. And you know, I think one of the most frustrating moments in the life of Daniel would have been when Cyrus was on the march.

86. 38:32

    But first of all, when you read those words in Jeremiah, when you consider the action of Daniel the prophet, bear in mind the words that you read again in the 18th chapter of the Revelation, regarding Babylon the great that we see about us today, a nation and a system that is doomed to extinction.

87. 38:53

    And there is extinction we are ardently waiting and praying for. And we read in this 18th chapter of the Revelation, and a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and cast it in the sea, saying, thus will violence, shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.

88. 39:14

    So Daniel waited for this. And then news came through to Babylon that there was a man on the march. And this man had set his sights upon taking Babylon and Assyria, and his name is Cyrus. And you can imagine the excitement in the midst of Babylon at that particular time. How they would gather together in the helpless Israel classes, and they would come to consider the matters that God had revealed in relation to the hope of Israel.

89. 39:42

    And how they would see this, and consider it together. And they would take the prophecy of Isaiah, which speaks specifically of Cyrus, mentions him by name, that he will be the one that would overthrow Babylon. And here is Cyrus on the march. He's on the march. And anxiously the people in Babylon would be waiting for that moment when Babylon would fall.

90. 40:10

    But you know, Cyrus went everywhere but to Babylon. Up to Nineveh he went, over to Asher he went, his conquest took place all around Babylon, but not in Babylon itself. And there must have been extreme frustration in the heart of Daniel and the rest of them as they saw this, but he doesn't come towards the city of Babylon.

91. 40:29

    Much the same as we today. We see Russia rising, we see the Israel back of the land, we see signs here and signs there, and we say, look, we're living in the epoch of Christ's return. Surely Job will be manifested in some short time, and the nations will gather together for the last great battle of the nations at Armageddon.

92. 40:50

    And we have become a little bit frustrated because things that exactly occur as we expect them to. They did it in the days of Daniel. But there was a time period then and there's a time period now. And suddenly and unexpectedly it happened. And the forces of Cyrus marched against Babylon. And the city was taken.

93. 41:13

    The waters of the Euphrates were deflected away from the city. And we know how they came into the city itself. Isaiah very clearly and carefully outlines this. And so they marched into the midst of the city. And at the very time when Daniel was there inscribing upon the wall the reading of the angel, they were waiting in the balances and found wanting.

94. 41:35

    At the very night Belshazzar was slain and Cyrus, Adderaius the mean, took the kingdom. There are other interesting little incidents that occurred at that particular time that really would have been unrecorded incidents in the diary of Daniel. Daniel. You know, in the tenth chapter of Daniel, we read how that he was mourning three full weeks.

95. 42:05

    He was mourning three full weeks. Oh, I wonder. Why was he mourning? This was the third year of Cyrus, verse 1. And something caused him to mourn and he doesn't really tell us what it is. What was it?

96. 42:22

    Now there's Cyrus in power. It's the third year of Cyrus. Two years his reign jointly with Darius. Now it's the soul, it's the first year of his soul reign. But Daniel is mourning. Why? Babylon's fallen. Why mourn? Because he's waiting for the decree that should come. And he has this great vision that reveals to him the ultimate purpose of God when he was standing in his life at the end of the days.

97. 42:53

    And he is told at that particular time that even as the decree of Cyrus would go forth and as Israel would come back into the land, the great purpose of God is far into the future, further than Daniel anticipated possibly at that time. But he understood the vision he chose us. And he was stimulated by that which he understood as there was revealed unto him the power of God in the resurrection, even unto eternal life, that Daniel the prophet will receive when he shall stand in his lot at the end of the days.

98. 43:29

    Now you can search these matters out for yourself. You can carefully read the life of Daniel and the life of Jeremiah, and you can picture to yourself the things that are happening to Daniel in Babylon and you can fill in the diary of Daniel if you so desire. With these incidents that he must have seen and must have impressed him though they are not recorded in the prophecy of Daniel itself.

99. 43:52

    Tomorrow we propose to deal with the angelic influence in the life of Daniel and I want to offer you tomorrow some suggestions for personal study of this wonderful book.

100. 44:13

     Children and sisters, you will join me in thanking Brother Mansfield for such a stimulating address. And now there is approximately four minutes for anyone who wishes to make any comments or questions upon the subject matter dealt with.

101. 44:29

     Brother Chairman, Brother First, your contrast you were drawing, Brother First, between the action of Jehoiach and burning the scroll and that of the acknowledgement of Nebuchadnezzar to Yahweh. And he's beautifully brought out in the fourth chapter of Daniel where we have his classic words in the last verse there, where he acknowledges Daniel as God and he says, and if I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise him, extorn and honor the king of heaven, all those works are true and his ways, judgment and those that walk in pride, he is able to abase.

102. 45:08

     He's speaking very graphically of his own life of course. In view of that, when we come to Psalm 87, where we have listed of course the citizens of Zion, and this is really my question to you. We read in verse 4, the psalmist says, I will make mention of Rahab, and we know that he's Peter, of course, and Babylon, among them that know me.

103. 45:40

     Now, we accept that these people mentioned in Psalm 87 are those who will be the two citizens of Zion. Would you say that Nebuchadnezzar could be listed as those of Babylon, or Nalgi, and therefore might possibly be amongst the citizens of Zion? before we pass to that psalm, let us make one or two comments upon the points that Nebuchadnezzar indeed has expressed, as there has been brought home to him the power of Yahweh.

104. 46:18

     Now, in Daniel chapter 2, he must acknowledge that the God of the Hebrews is all wise. You find that in verse 47, of a truth it is that your God is a God of gods and a Lord of kings and a revealer of secrets. He's all wise. Then he must acknowledge him in chapter 3 as all powerful, because in verse 28 he says that.

105. 46:42

     He was able to deliver Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He's all powerful. Now, in this chapter to which he was directed us, the fourth chapter, he acknowledges him as supreme. All his works are truth, his ways are judgment, and those in pride he is able to abase. So that he was brought to understand the truth concerning Yahweh and that relationship.

106. 47:05

     When we come to the 87th Psalm, the Psalm of the citizens of Zion, it says, I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me. This, of course, relates to those that have been called out of those places, of people for the name. The Revised Version has it, as among them that know me.

107. 47:30

     So that Rahab, which is a name for Egypt, and Babylon have been the training ground for some who shall be in the kingdom of God. And, of course, they are those that have come out of Rahab, Egypt, and Babylon are people for the name. Now, as to whether Nebuchadnezzar himself as king shall be there in the eights to come, is a matter that must be determined at the judgment set.

108. 47:57

     But there was one thing Nebuchadnezzar never did, and that was to come out, and that was essential for him to do. He can acknowledge it, but he can't come out. You know, on one occasion, when I used to speak in Western Australia, I used to have the Prime Minister of Western Australia come to the addresses, and he got, not interested in me, but he liked to talk to me, and he invited me out.

109. 48:22

     He took me to Parliament House, which was very nice, and then he took me out to supper, and he said to me, look, he said, I recognize that what you say is true. There's no doubt about it. He says, I can't fault it, but he says, I'm too committed. I can't do anything about it.

110. 48:39

     I am too committed. And he said to me, I actually brought in legislation in favour of Israel, in view of what we've been stressing in the lectures. But he says, I'm far too committed to do what I know that you would say I ought to do. Now, I think Nebuchadnezzar is in that position as well.

111. 48:59

     I think that he is brought to a state of responsibility there because he acknowledges God for what he is. But there was something that he had to do, and that is to acknowledge him in the completer sense was to, of course, separate himself from that way of life. This he did not do.

112. 49:14

     So, it's a matter to live with the hands of the judge of all the earth, the judge of all the earth shall be right in that day. But this beautiful little psalm, of course, speaks of those that have come out of Babylon or come out of Egypt and dedicated themselves as true citizens of Zion.

113. 49:32

     That, of course, is our position today.