Head of Gold = Babylonian Empire / 605–539 BC = Now called Iraq
Arm & Shoulders Of Silver = Medo-Persian Empire / 539-331 BC = Now called Iran
Sides & Belly Of Brass = Grecian Empire / 331-168 BC = Now called Greece
Legs Of Iron = Roman Empire /168-476 AD = Now called Italy
Feet of Iron & Clay = Europe Divided & Asia Divided / 538AD-now = Today World’s Map
This is the essence of what the prophecy of Daniel 2 reveals. God is in control of the events of human history whether is in the past, present or future. The rise and fall of empires appear as if happening by the will of men, but Daniel 2 reveals to us very clearly that God is behind all human events. Nothing happens that God is not already aware of and has not allowed. How comforting it is to know that God still is in control of the events of the earth. Sometimes we may not understand what is happening in our world today, but Daniel tells us clearly that God is in control.
To be Remember: The Bible prophecies is REAL, don't take it for grated!
Expl:
Noah's Ark story - Noah's prophecy Flood will coming.
God told Noah to build an ark for him and his family in preparation for a catastrophic flood that would destroy every living thing on earth. Noah obeyed everything God commanded him to do.
But, when He told the people that time they was laugh at him. They said his crazy man, at the end world flooded.
Now I'm telling to you, John's prophecy , the second coming of Christ will return is TOTAL FULFILL very soon.
Lateran Treaty. The church's wound was healed when it received it's political power. Its political influence was recognized at the fall of the Soviet Union
Treat other people in the way that you want them to treat you. This is a hallmark of Christianity. Be kind to people, even when they are unkind to you. That way, you set an example for them, and you become a representative of the Christian faith.
"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you" - Jesus, as quoted in Matthew 7:12a, NIV translation.
2.Help people In Matthew 25:34-40, Jesus tells us that we are to give food to those who are hungry, give clothes to people who need them, provide shelter for people who have none, visit people who are sick, and give comfort to people who are in prison.
3.Don't worry Do your best. Deal with life's problems. But don't worry. Instead, have faith in Jesus that all things will work out in the way they need to work out.
"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" - Jesus, as quoted in Matthew 6:27, NIV translation.
4.Read the Bible If you read the Bible for about 10 to 20 minutes a day, you can finish the four Gospels - the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John - in one month. The four Gospels describe the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
5.Give thanks and be joyful "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NIV translation.
6.Pray "This, then, is how you should pray:
" 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.' "
- Jesus, explaining how people should pray, as quoted in Matthew 6:9-13, NIV translation.
7.Forgive your enemies "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." - Jesus, as quoted in Matthew 6:14-15, NIV translation.
8.Be careful with what you say "But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." - Jesus, as quoted in Matthew 12:36-37, NIV translation.
9.Learn the Word of God If you read the four Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, you will see many examples of how Christians should act. "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock." - Jesus, as quoted in Matthew 7:24, NIV translation.
10.Tell others about Jesus Tell others about Jesus, that he died for our sins, and that all who believe in him are saved and are given the gift of eternal life in heaven. Talk to people, write a letter, or create a Web site. Encourage family members, friends, and others to attend church with you.
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." - Jesus, as quoted in Matthew 28:19-20, NIV translation.
Finally, suffering may be accepted as inexplicable. This may be because God's favor, or lack of it, is arbitrary, as it seems to be in the stories of Cain and Abel and Jacob and Esau. Or it may be because God is jealous, as is suggested by the story of the tower of Babel. Or it may be for reasons that we do not, and cannot, understand, as is the case in the tale of Job. If we come to this latter conclusion, then we may in faith challenge God so long as we avoid blaming God to justify ourselves.
In answering Job's challenge, God does not attempt to justify what happened to Job, nor does God offer any argument about the purpose of life. At a time when Israel was quite certain of its own righteousness, and thus felt assured that God would be on its side in any future conflict with its enemies, the book of Job offered a prophetic insight into the presence and purpose of God. Yet, as so often in the wisdom literature, we are led more to pondering the mystery of life than to proclaiming with certainty the meaning of that mystery.
If suffering is a part of life and if suffering may be unjust, then what are we to conclude about God? In the tale of Job's suffering God is identified with creation and its mysterious power and order. God is the source of life as it is, of life in all its majesty and all its squalor. The God who allows Satan to toy with Job's life is the source of suffering and injustice as well as health and righteousness.
The answer to the question of life's purpose is God. All questions lead to God, and so God is less an answer to any question than the eternal question itself. Job does not deny God's presence and power, but Job does challenge God's purpose and justice. The conclusion of the story would seem to be that we cannot hope to understand God but, given God's presence in life, we had best be responsive.
If we are unable to affirm God through faith, like Job we had best do so out of fear.
The suffering of Job is unrelated to anything he has done or failed to do. Nowhere in the story does God indicate that Job acted unrighteously prior to the suffering that was inflicted upon him, but on the contrary God boasts of Job's character. The suffering of Job is the suffering of an innocent man, just as the suffering of so many men, women, and children in the world is the suffering of the innocent.
In judging the attempts by Job's friends to explain that all suffering is just, God seems to indicate that suffering cannot be so easily explained. However, in answering Job's challenge God does not offer an explanation of suffering or justice. Thus, God's answer to Job is no answer at all, because God does not explain why life is as it is, but only asserts that no earthly creature has any business challenging the Creator of the universe.
Perhaps the key to understanding God's answer to Job is in his accusation that Job seeks to condemn God in order to justify himself. It is this accusation and not God's assertion of power over all creation that seems to lead Job to abandon his rebellion. Job appears to admit that, even if he was innocent prior to his suffering, he has now committed a sin by condemning God in order to maintain his own innocence.
The implication is that is had Job only maintained his innocence, and not accused God, then Job would not have committed any wrong. Given this reading of the story, and God's rejection of the explanations of suffering offered by the friends of Job, we are led to conclude that suffering may not be just, but that it is to be accepted nonetheless, as the will of God.
Both as individuals and as a people we want to explain suffering and injustice, as a means of bolstering our faith in God. The most direct explanation is that all suffering is God's response to sin. This was God's explanation in the story of Cain and Abel, and this theme is reiterated in the punishment of the Israelites during their wanderings in the wilderness.
Suffering may also be explained as a form of discipline designed to prepare individuals and peoples for the struggles of life. Such a discipline was asked of Abraham, when he was told to sacrifice his only son, and this explanation is also articulated in the wilderness experience of Israel.
God answers Job "out of the whirlwind" with a challenge: "Gird up your loins like a man, I will question you, and you shall declare to me." (Job 38:3) God asks Job to explain how the foundation of the earth was laid and its measurements determined, who separated it from the seas, and how life began. "Have you commanded the morning since your days began," God thunders, "and caused the dark to know its place?" (Job 38:4-12)
God taunts Job with his obvious impotence: "is the wild ox willing to serve you?" Is it "by your wisdom that the hawk soars" and "the eagle mounts up and makes his nest on high?" (Job 39:9, 26) God is even sarcastic at times, for in asking Job to describe the source of light and darkness God comments: "You know, for you were born then, and the number of your days is great!" And in asking Job to explain the creation of the earth God remarks, "Surely you know!" (Job 38:21)
Finally, God says to Job: "Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it." (Job 40:2) Job's answer is to admit that he has no answer to the questions put to him. He says he will not question God any further, but will remain silent.
God responds to Job with a further challenge to his power, as a mortal man in a creation not of his own making, and then concludes with the question: "Will you condemn me that you may be justified?" (Job 40:8) With this, Job relents of his rebellion, despises himself, and does penance before God. Then God judges the three friends of Job, saying that they have "not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has." (Job 42:7) However, after Job appeals for his friends, God relents of their punishment and also restores to Job all that he has lost.
Job's challenge to God to explain his suffering raises the ancient human question, which few of us are willing to voice as our own. Why has God made life as it is? Suffering is clearly a large part of life. The tale of the garden seems to explain suffering as the result of human choices that are contrary to the will of God. This makes perfect sense in the abstract, but in everyday life it is less satisfactory.
Then the story relates that Job is afflicted with sores all over his body. For a time he keeps his peace, but finally with the arrival of three friends who have come to console him, "Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth." (Job 3:1)
Job's friends argue with him in an effort to persuade him to retract his curse. Each in his own way offers a justification for Job's suffering. It is suggested that Job has acted unjustly, even if he did not intend to do so, and is therefore being chastened by God. It is also asserted that, if Job is blameless, he is suffering for the sins of his forefathers, for in the law of Moses it is clearly stated that God will visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children. (Job 21:19)
Since God is just and Lord of history, Job's friends conclude that the suffering of Job can only be just. All that remains unclear, they argue, is the nature of the sin that Job has either committed or inherited.
Job's answer to all these arguments is to assert that his suffering and the suffering of many others is without purpose and therefore unjust. "Why do the wicked live, reach old age, and grow mighty in power?" he asks. (Job 21:7) They clearly go unpunished even though they deny God by saying, "What is the Almighty that we should serve him? And what profit do we get if we pray to him?" (Job 21:15) Job affirms that he has lived righteously, or at least not sinned so grievously as to justify the calamity that has befallen him.
Job finds the assertion that he is suffering for the sins of his father to be unfair and therefore morally unacceptable. He argues that if life is unjust and God is in control of life, then God is unjust, and thus that there is no purpose to his suffering or to life itself. Job concludes that the Lord's blessings are as arbitrary as is their withdrawal, and so he boldly challenges God to account for the sufferings inflicted on him and for the injustice of life.
The story of Job is also attributed to the time of Solomon, although it is probably an older tale that may have been written down at that time. In the story Satan, described as one of the sons of God, dares God to allow him to test the faith of Job, a man declared by God to be "blameless and upright" (Job 1:1) and properly in fear of God.
Satan argues that Job is faithful only because he has been blessed with great possessions and a fine family. "Put forth thy hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will curse thee to thy face," he challenges. (Job 1:11) God accepts Satan's challenge and gives him leave to take away from Job his possessions, and his family, but not to touch the person of Job himself.
Then enemy nomads murder Job's servants, the "fire of God" (Job 1:16) falls from heaven upon his herds, and his children are killed by a great wind from the wilderness. When he learns of these calamities Job tears his robe and worships, saying, "naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." (Job 1:20-21)
With pride in the strength of Job's faith God boasts to Satan of Job's integrity, "although you moved me against him, to destroy him without cause." (Job 2:3) Satan's reply is to dare God: "touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face." (Job 3:5) So the Lord once more puts Job into the power of Satan, requiring only that Job's life be spared.
nor have entered into the heart (or even the imagination) of man
the things which God has prepared (in Heaven)
for those who love Him."
(1 Cor 2:9)
In God’s eyes there is nobody in this world who is any better than you, or whom He loves any more than you. No matter what pain, suffering, or distress you are going through, God knows and He cares. God is in control. Trust in Him. Jesus will lead you step by step, moment by moment, and day by day through this life. It won’t feel easy and the pain is real, but He will bring a peace that is beyond all understanding.
Distraction, things that come our way and we allow too get us out of focus to the mission of Christ. Christ came to seek and save those who are lost. I thank God for salvation and His love for the lost (such was you and I Christians) but I believe Christians focus/vision can get lost when we allow distractions to take us in another direction.
For example, some of us are more susceptible to distraction than others, but all of us are easily diverted from our mental focus. You and I would both be distressed to know how many times in a sermon, prayer or studying the Word of God our attention will drift from the Word of God and what the Lord has to say to and direct His people and our minds drift to something else, like the football/basketball game, or television program, or what you are having for dinner or in the oven, or the guests coming for a visit, or our family, or the ministry group meeting tonight, the bills that needs to be paid, employment, “our” ministry, or how am I going to do this or that, or how is all this going to come together, you fill in the blank __??___. We are constantly forced to refocus our minds which drift so easily. We Christians can become distracted with the cares of this world and not as focused on the Kingdom of God as we should be. Making accuses as to why the Lord and His Kingdom agenda are not the supreme focus of our lives. We need to rearrange our energies and redirect our focus. Two scriptures that help us to do this are Matthew 6:33-34, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble (NKJ).
The Message Bible says it this way, “Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. (Also see vs. 24-32)
Hearing God's Voice - Are You Ready to Listen? Hearing God's voice is something we all long for-but did you know that it's not hard to do? In fact, God wants you to hear His voice! He doesn't speak to us through a quiver in our liver or through vibes or mediums. Hearing the voice of God is as natural as hearing your best friend talk to you. What's more, we can hear Him everyday and not just on special occasions or by chanting special incantations. He speaks to us in the natural moments of life. Do you want to hear God's voice? Then you must be ready to listen.
In an ordinary conversation, we speak, then listen for the response of the other person. It's the same with God! Once we've prepared our hearts to listen through prayer, we're more likely to hear the voice of God. Does He speak to us through an audible voice? Some claim He does, but usually that's not the case. We may not actually "hear" the voice of God, but He speaks to us in many ways. Here are some of them:
