with the orthopedic I saw yesterday, Glen
Jean. I see a few a week. And he said that I start weaning
off of this brace. So for that, I'm thankful. I'm going to ask you to take
your Bible and turn with me to the book of Daniel. Daniel chapter
Four, Daniel four. I started looking at this passage
of scripture five, six months ago and wrote
out a message and just did not feel led to preach it. I've just
had it. It came up yesterday, and I saw
it, and my heart was moved by it, by the glory of our Lord
in it, and I thought, I think I'm gonna preach that. I'd like
to just read, I'd like to read the first, oh, few verses, just
give a background, a foreground, a foundation, for what we're
gonna look at for a few minutes. In Daniel chapter four, the scripture
says, starting in verse one, Nebuchadnezzar, the king, unto
all people, nations, languages that dwell in the earth, peace,
be multiplied unto you. I thought it good to show the
signs and wonders that the high God had wrought toward me. How great are his signs and how
mighty are his wonders. His kingdom is an everlasting
kingdom and his dominion is from generation to generation. Now that is just, that's the
foundation. What Daniel was moved to pin
was starting with the announcement or the conclusion that Nebuchadnezzar
would tell about. He's gonna give a conclusion
now out of those first three verses. Then we're gonna start
in verse four and read through, and we're gonna look at the experience
that he had. But the first three verses, he's
just saying, now this is what I've learned something about.
That's what it's, I've learned something. And then in verses
four to seven, He tells what he did. He tells, this was my
experience. He said, verse four, I, Nebuchadnezzar,
was at rest in mine house, flourishing in my palace, and I saw a dream
which made me afraid. The thoughts upon my bed, the
visions of my head troubled me. where therefore I made a decree
to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they
might make known unto me the interpretation of the dream.
Then came in the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, soothsayers. I told the dream before them,
but they did not make known unto me the interpretation. Now remember,
those first three verses He'd come to a conclusion. He came
to a conclusion of something. And now what we did, we started
reading in verse four, this is what happened to him, to come
to the conclusion that he had just told about. He said, I dreamed
a dream and I couldn't figure out what was going on. So I called
in all the religious people that I knew, people, the soothsayers,
astrologers, everybody that might give me a little insight into
what was going on. And then he said in verse 8 to
verse 18, but at the last, Daniel came in before me, whose name
was Belteshazzar, according to the name of my God, and in whom
is the spirit of the holy gods. And before him I told the dream,
saying, now I want you to notice now, he's called in Daniel, Belteshazzar,
that was the name that he gave him, Nebuchadnezzar gave him.
And he said in verse nine, oh, Belteshazzar, master of the magicians,
because I know that the spirit of the holy gods, and look at
the lowercase g here. You see what I'm saying? Man
by nature is religious. Just because somebody's got a
title behind their name, he's a preacher. I've told you before,
I try very hard to not tell anybody. If I'm out in just common place,
I try not to make a point of telling somebody I'm a preacher,
not because I'm ashamed of it, I'm not. But because of the foolishness
that goes on in this world, I just would rather not be associated
with them. And so here we see Nebuchadnezzar and he's telling
it, he said, I called in all the people that I knew that probably
would give me some help. I called in those soothsayers,
I called in the magicians, I called in all these astrologers and
people like that, and couldn't get any satisfaction out of them.
So verse four, so then he called in Daniel, he called in Belteshazzar. Then verse 10, thus were the
visions of mine head, and he's telling me, he said, I'm gonna
tell you what I dreamed. Thus were the visions of mine
head in my bed, I saw and behold a tree in the midst of the earth,
and the height thereof was great, The tree grew and was strong,
and the height thereof reached into heaven, and sight thereof
at the end of the earth. The leaves thereof were fair,
and the fruit thereof much, and it was meat for all. The beast
of the field had shadow under it, and the fowls of the heaven
dwelt in the boughs thereof, and all flesh was fed of it. I saw in the vision of my head
upon my bed, and behold I, a watcher, an angel. I looked at it up.
It was an angel. One that could give him some
information from heaven. And a watcher, a holy one, came
down from heaven. cried aloud and said, thus, hew
down the tree, cut off his branches, shake his leaves, scatter his
fruit, let the beast get away from under it, from the fowls,
from the branches. So he said, I had this dream,
and as I dreamed this dream, I saw this tree, it was a big,
big tree. And one of the people that I
saw, holy, it was a religious holy man, an angel, and he gave
me this instruction. He said, cut it down, cut it
down. But he said in verse 15, nevertheless,
leave the stump of his roots in the earth, even with a band
of iron and brass and tender grass of the field, and let it
be wet with the dew of heaven, and let a portion be with the
beast in the grass of the earth. Let his heart be changed from
man's, and let a beast's heart be given unto him, and let seven
times pass over him. This matter is by the decree
of the watchers and the hand of 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, he
setteth up over it the basest of men. This dream I, Nebuchadnezzar,
have seen. Now thou, O Belteshazzar, declare
the interpretation thereof, forasmuch as all the wise men of my kingdom
are not able to make known unto me the interpretation, but thou
art able, for the spirit of the holy gods is in thee." Now, there
was something still about Daniel. You keep noticing that he keeps
referring to these holy gods, the little g's, and he's Here's
a man that obviously, according to the scripture, the way he's
talking and the way he's talking about Daniel and who rules in
Daniel's heart, he still referred to him as these little G gods.
He's just one of them. But Daniel, there was something
about Daniel that moved Nebuchadnezzar. And he said, these other wise
men, astrologers, these magicians, they couldn't tell me anything.
I believe you can, I believe you can. And scripture says in
verse 19, And Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astounded
for one hour, and his thoughts troubled him. King Spacan said,
Belteshazzar, let not the dream, the interpretation thereof, trouble
thee. Belteshazzar answered and said,
my Lord, the dream be to them that hate thee and the interpretation
thereof to thine enemies. Daniel Belteshazzar said when
Nebuchadnezzar asked him, he said, these other religious people,
they couldn't give me any help on this. I believe you can. I believe you can. I believe
you can tell me. I believe that the God, and here
again, look at the way he's referring to Daniel's God, just little
g God. He doesn't see him as a God of heaven, truly, he doesn't.
He said, I think you can help me out a little bit. And Daniel,
when he heard what Nebuchadnezzar said, he was astonished, he was
taken back, astonished. for one hour and his thoughts
troubled him. And he said toward the end of
that 19th verse, he said, he said, my Lord, the drain be to
them that hate thee and the interpretation thereof to thine enemies. This
is what he was saying. I wish what I have to tell you
was referring to It's really to your enemies, is what I wish,
that's what he was saying. I hate to have to tell you what
I'm getting ready to tell you. I'm gonna be honest with you.
But I hate to, I wish it was for your enemies, but it's not.
It's not, that's what he just, he was taken back. Nebuchadnezzar
had asked him, said, give me a little help on this. And Daniel's
gonna do it. But he said, I'm telling you.
He said, it's gonna be hard, humanly speaking. It's gonna
be hard for me. If I had to say this about those
that hate you, your enemies, it wouldn't be that hard. But
that's not the way it is. Verses 20, 26. It says, the tree
that thou sawest, which grew and was strong, whose height
reached into heaven, and the sight thereof of all the earth,
whose leaves were fair and fruit thereof much, and all in was
all meat, wait, and in it was meat for all, under
which the beast of the field dwelt, upon whose branches the
fowls of the heaven had their habitation. It is thou, O King,
that art grown and become strong, for thy greatness is grown and
reacheth into heavens, and thy dominion to the end of the earth
And whereas the king saw a watcher and a holy one coming down from
heaven and saying, hew the tree down and destroy it, yet leave
the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with a band
of iron and brass, tender grass of the field and let it be wet
with dew of heaven and let his portion be with the beast of
the field till seven times pass over. This is the interpretation,
O King, this is the decree of the Most High, which is come
upon my Lord the King, that they shall drive thee from men, and
thy dwelling shall be with the beast of the field, and they
shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee
with dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee till
thou know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men,
and giveth it to whomsoever he will. And whereas thy commanded
to leave the stump of a tree, the roots thy kingdom shall be
sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the heavens
do rule. He said, I'm gonna tell you, but this dream's about you. Obviously, Daniel had some hope,
some affection for Nebuchadnezzar because he told him, he said,
I wish this was all about your enemies. I wish I could just
say that God's gonna annihilate all your enemies and he's gonna
put them through trials and tribulations, He said, I can't. He said, this
is about you. That stump, that was cut off. He said, that tree's gonna be
cut down. You're the tree, Nebuchadnezzar.
Stump's still gonna be there. It's gonna be thou, O King, verse
22, strong, greatness is grown, reached to the heaven, thy dominion
to the end of the earth. You saw, verse 23, the king saw
a watcher and a holy one coming down from heaven saying, hew
the tree down and destroy it. Leave the stump, the roots thereof
in the earth, even a band of iron, brass, tender grass of
the field. Let it be wet with dew of heaven.
Let its portion be with the beast of the field till seven times
pass over him. He said, this is all about you. They're gonna cut you down. God's
gonna cut you down. He's going to cut you down. You're
going to leave a stump. Stump's still going to be there.
And it's going to have brass around it. It's going to be,
it's still going to be a dominion over which you will rule. But you're going to be, you're
going to be humbled by God. God is going to take you down.
He's going to show you that he's God in heaven and earth. Then he said in verse 27, wherefore,
O king, and let me tell you what he's getting ready to say, so
you can understand when I read it. He's gonna tell the king,
he said, I pray that you hear what God has to say. I pray that
you do. It's the Lord that's gonna bring
you down. and God help you to hear. Here's
what he says, verse 27. Wherefore, O King, let my counsel
be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness,
and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. It may be
a lengthening of thy tranquility. I hope you hear what God has
to say. I pray that the Lord bless these words, Nebuchadnezzar,
to your heart. I pray God have mercy on me.
That's what he was saying. Then the scripture says in verse
28, all this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. 28 is talking about everything
just happened, everything we just talked about. He had a dream. He didn't know what the meaning
was. He told the dream to the soothsayers. Finally, he got
to Daniel. Daniel told him. He said, I'm
telling you right now, this is what it is. God had shown Daniel
this is what it is. God's gonna cut you down. I pray
God have mercy on you. All these things came upon King
Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of 12 months, He walked
in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon. And the king spake
and said, it is not this great Babylon that I have built for
the house of the kingdom by the might of my power and for the
honor of my majesty. And while the word was in the
king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven saying, O King Nebuchadnezzar,
To thee it is spoken, the kingdom is departed from thee. And they shall drive thee from
men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beast of the field.
They shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall
pass over thee, until thou know that the Most High ruleth in
the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. The same hour was the thing fulfilled
upon Nebuchadnezzar, and he was driven from men and did eat grass
like as oxen. His body was wet with the dew
of heaven till his hairs were grown like eagle's feathers and
his nails like bird's claws. And at the end of the days, I,
Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up mine eyes into heaven My understanding
returned unto me, and I blessed the Most High, and I praised
and honored Him that liveth forever and ever, whose dominion is an
everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to
generation. And all the inhabitants of the
earth are reputed as nothing. And He doeth according to His
will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the
earth, and none can stay his hand or say unto him, what doest
thou? At the same time, my reason returned unto me, and for the
glory of my kingdom, mine honor and brightness returned unto
me, my counselors and my lords sought unto me, and I was established
in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me. Now
I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the king of heaven,
all whose works are truth and his ways judgment and those that
walk in pride he is able to abase. Man by nature is proud. Man by nature is arrogant. Man by nature is totally spiritually
dead in trespasses and sins. God Almighty had sent a man to
preach to Nebuchadnezzar, and he told him. He told him he sent
a dream to Nebuchadnezzar. The dream was interpreted by
Daniel, and Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar, this is what God has to say.
This is what you're gonna do. And after 12 months, after Daniel
told him that, a year after he told him that, Nebuchadnezzar
was out one night at the end of 12 months, as we said in verse
29. All these things, a year went
past. Now you think about this. Here's
a man, son of God, told him this is what's going to happen. And
a year passed. At that time, there's Nebuchadnezzar
out there, walking around in the palace, looking around, seeing
all these mighty works that he thought he had authored. You know, you think, well, it seems as though if God sent
a preacher to tell a man, tell a woman what was going to happen.
If he rebelled against God, it seemed like to me they'd listen.
You'd think. You'd think. Is that not what
we do every time we stand up to preach? I'm telling you right
now. If a man and a woman leaves this
world without a heart for Christ, God is going to destroy him.
He's going to spend eternity. Eternity. I've told you before,
I can't speak eternity. I don't know how to talk that
way. But I can tell you based on a little bit I know, it will
never end. I can't even wrap my head around
that. It will never end. It will never end. It will never
end. Never. And after 12 months, after
God sent Daniel to give Nebuchadnezzar a warning, this is what's gonna
happen. Nebuchadnezzar went out there
one night and looked at that kingdom, and that's what he said,
look at what I have done. Look at how great I am. That is the mouth of every unbeliever. Pride, arrogance. Psalm 39, five
and six. Behold, thou hast made mine days
as a hand breath, and mine age is as nothing before thee. Verily,
every man at his best state is altogether vanity. He's nothing, he's nothing, he's
nothing. At his best state, he's nothing. Selah. Surely every man walketh
in a vain show. I looked that word up. A pantomime, pantomime, just
kind of, you know, pretending, just to pretend, just a pantomime,
just mocking you. I told you about that little
fella. I was in Mexico preaching. We'd gone down there and we'd
gone to this place there, Cody, and there was a little fella
sitting in the back of the congregation. He was standing up, he was a
little boy. And I don't even know what I do when I'm standing
preaching. I don't even know, I don't even
think about the gestures that I'm doing. But that little fella
was standing up on a pew behind me and I was watching him. And
he was looking at me and he was going, Whatever I was doing, that's
what he was doing. Man at his best state, altogether vanity. Surely every man walketh just
in a pantomime. He's just pretending, he's just
a vain show. Surely they are disquieted in
vain. What does that mean? They growl,
that's what it means, they're disquieted. I didn't, be honest
with you, I didn't know exactly what disquieted means. They growl. They make noise. That's all they're
doing. They're just making a show. It's just a big show. He heapeth
up riches and knoweth not who shall gather them. Now, what
was told to King Nebuchadnezzar? That was a revelation from God. It wasn't a parable. It was a
fact. And God had given this man space. Now, I can't explain the depth
of all that I know. I know this. All that the Father
giveth, the Son's gonna come to Him. I know that. All that
the Father has been pleased to set His affection on from eternity,
they are coming to Christ. They are coming to Christ. But
Daniel says over here in verse 27, whereas, O King, let my counsel
be accepted unto thee and break off thy sins by righteousness
and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. It may be
a lengthening of thy tranquility. It may be God may show mercy
to you. Somebody said, well, are you
appealing to a man's free will? You know better than that. But
I'm telling you, We exhort men, come to Christ. Who knows, the
Lord may show mercy. That's what Daniel did. Come
to the Lord. Nebuchadnezzar's words revealed
that he felt that he had established his own security. After a year
he was walking around, And he was looking at that palace. I
was reading today how big that palace was that Nebuchadnezzar
built. I mean, it was pages, you know,
and it was just on and on and on. It was a massive, massive
place. He had built this for his wife.
And I mean, whatever she wanted, this was Nebuchadnezzar. Whatever
he wanted, she just, I mean, and God had given this man through
the mouth of David, Daniel. Daniel was saying, I pray you
listen, I pray you listen. The thought of somebody sitting
here tonight and walking out and dying. Whenever there's a
funeral, you that know the Lord. Whenever somebody leaves this
world, when somebody leaves this world, what is the first thing
you think about when they leave this world? Either they knew
Christ or they didn't know Christ. That's the first thing you think.
Isn't that the truth? That's it. Daniel didn't know.
He just, I pray God, you know. But oh, listen, the words of
Nebuchadnezzar. Oh, he just, here's the mouthpiece
of false religion. It's not this great Babylon that
I built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power
and for the honor of my majesty. Oh, look what kind of ministry
I've had. Look what kind of ministry I
got. I got souls like men used to
put notches on their guns, you know, stocks and stuff like that. Oh, how many souls have I won
to the Lord? But though Nebuchadnezzar surely
thought that no one heard those words, that's what scripture
says. He walked, verse 29, he walked. At the end
of 12 months, he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon.
The king spake and said, it is not this great Babylon that I
built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power. For
the honor of my name, look at verse 31. While the words were
in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven,
saying, O King Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken, thy kingdom
is departed from thee. They shall drive thee from men,
thy dwelling shall be with the beast of the field. They shall
make thee to eat grass as oxen. Seven times shall pass over thee,
until thou know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of
men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. Now we behold that which
was justly due to all men. Daniel had warned him. God had
warned him through Daniel. Let me say it like that. Because
of his pride, and while God did reveal which he would do. Nebuchadnezzar
did exactly what he wanted to do. God warned him, but Nebuchadnezzar
was doing. And when the almighty God does
not immediately annihilate man, the heart of man, I'll read this,
it's Ecclesiastes chapter eight. Ecclesiastes chapter eight. Verse
11, whenever God doesn't spew out judgment immediately, because
sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore
the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. Men can hear the warning of Almighty
God. And they say, you know, I'm doing
fine. I'm in good health. I just went
and got my annual checkup. Doctor says I'm doing great.
All's well. Almighty God gave man exactly
what he deserved. God would have killed mankind
in the garden. Oh, the long suffering of God.
Verse 33. Same hour was this thing fulfilled
upon Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from men, and did
eat grass as oxen. His body was wet with the dew
of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles' feathers,
and his nails like birds' claws. The mighty God had declared it,
which he would do, and here we see the fulfillment of that which
the Lord promised that he would do. God separated him from men
and put him out to pasture. God didn't kill him immediately,
but he stayed out there for seven years. And he had the mind, the
actions, the nature of an animal. He was out there eating grass.
He was eating grass. Bird's fingernails looked like
bird's claws. God dealt with him in a way that
God saw best to do. 3435 at the end of the days,
I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes unto heaven, and mine
understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the Most High,
and I praised and honored him that liveth forever, whose dominion
is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation
to generation. all the inhabitants of the earth
are reputed as nothing to his will and to his will wait all
the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing and he
doeth according to his will in the army of heaven among the
inhabitants of the earth and none can stay his hand or say
unto him what doest thou every every Arthur, that I read
these, and I read quite a few of them, on that, the comments
on this. And every one of them that I
had any confidence in whatsoever said this. They said, was Nebuchadnezzar
a believer? I said, God knows. I thought
that's a good answer. I don't know. I can tell you
this, there's some awful, promising things that said there about
Nebuchadnezzar. And I thank God for those words,
because those those words are words that I've quoted myself. I pray God had mercy on him.
And I got to my thought to myself when I was saying that I pray
God have mercy on me. I pray God have mercy on me. I know five points of Calvinism.
I can tell you the five points of Calvinism. I pray God teach
me the Christ of this Bible. Not that I know five points of
Calvinism, which I agree with, but I pray God have mercy on
me. God Almighty is my witness. This man right here, He could
have been left to himself, but if the Lord was pleased to
humble him, this man set forth a good confession that was worth
hearing. We truly behold the power of
Almighty God to accomplish His will, perform that which He designs
in fulfilling His eternal purpose in the way in which He sees it.
He put this man through seven years of trial. And I thought to myself, what
a blessing if God was pleased to show mercy to that man. Like I said, whether this man
knew God or whether he didn't know God, God knows. I pray God
did. I pray God have mercy on me.
But I can tell you this. the means that God used for that
man right there. He put him under some trials
and some tribulations. He put him under seven years.
He was out there in the field eating grass like an animal. God took his mind away from him.
I'm telling you, it is amazing to me how quickly God can just,
if he just removes his hand, but a little bit, a little bit,
things that you think you know so well, things you think you
remember so well, things that you believe, I'll never forget
that. Be careful, be careful. I'm telling
you, it, Before you know it, you just, if God takes his hand
off you. Verse 36. At the same time, Nebuchadnezzar
said, my reason returned unto me. And for the glory of my kingdom,
my honor and brightness returned unto me. And my counselors and
my lords sought unto me. I was established in the kingdom,
in my kingdom. and excellent majesty was added
unto me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise
and extol and honor the King of Heaven. I tell you, those
words sound wonderful to me. I thank God, I pray God give
me a heart to say that. All whose works are truth, in
his ways judgment, and those that walk in pride, He is able
to obey us. He's able. Think that God Almighty can't
bring a man down, bring a woman down? You think that, you think
you know something? You think you're capable? If
the Lord takes his hand off you, I'm telling you, We're gone,
we're gone. I pray the Lord take these scriptures
right here and teach me and you. Lord, have mercy on me. Lord,
don't leave me to myself. Lord, don't leave me to my foolishness.
Don't leave me to my head knowledge. Lord, teach me. Lord, guide me,
direct me. For your glory, for your eternal
glory, Would you show mercy to this wretched sinner for Christ's
sake? Amen.