The Millenial Man. The vast kingdom of Babylon was opulent and prosperous, yet Nebuchadnezzar the king stirred in his royal bed.
How long would this golden era last, he wondered, and what would become of his powerful empire when he was gone? With these disturbing questions in mind, the mighty monarch drifted off to sleep. That night, a vivid image of a towering multi-mineral man flashed into his mind with a panorama of color unlike anything he had ever experienced. Throwing aside his embroidered covers, the king jumped out of bed and shouted to his bodyguards: "Call all the magicians and astrologers to come at once.
I must know the meaning of this dream! " 1. Daniel 2:28 But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Answer: ____________________ Note: In this dream of the multi-mineral image, God outlined for all future millenniums the rise and fall of the empires that would have a direct influence on His people. 2. 3. 4. Back to Jerusalem. Lesson 2 The disciples of Jesus were completely devastated.
All of their hopes and dreams for the new kingdom of God had been nailed to a cross the previous Friday. Reeling with grief and confusion, Cleopas and his companion slowly made the seven-mile trip from Jerusalem down to their home in the little town of Emmaus. As the sun was setting that Sunday afternoon and they trod their way down the bumpy road, a stranger drew near to journey with them. Little did they know that this new traveling companion was the resurrected Lord Himself.
As Jesus silently listened, He desperately longed to reveal Himself to His downcast friends. The Coming King. Athaliah, the ruthless queen of Judah, was even more wicked than her mother Jezebel.
When her son Ahaziah died, she quickly seized control of the kingdom by executing all of her grandsons who might reign in her place. "But Jehosheba, ... sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and ... they hid him ... from Athaliah, so that he was not slain. And he was with her hid in the house of the Lord six years. And Athaliah did reign over the land. " 2 Kings 11:2,3. The Rebellious Prince. Absalom was the most handsome, cunning, and ambitious of David's sons.
The Bible says, "But in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty: from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him. " 2 Samuel 14:25. The Supreme Sacrifice. Lesson 5 The sky was still dark when the old patriarch clearly heard God speak.
"Abraham, ... Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. " Genesis 22:1, 2. Abraham began to tremble when he considered the staggering consequences of this command. The Law of the King. After Darius, king of the Medes and Persians, had conquered Babylon, he executed all Babylonian government officials, except one.
That fortunate man was Daniel, a servant of the true God. Seventy years earlier, he had been carried from Judah to Babylon as a captive and made to serve in the palace as an advisor to the Babylonian kings. Daniel became known throughout the kingdom for having "an excellent spirit. " Daniel 5:126:3. Not only did King Darius spare Daniel, but he "thought to set him over the whole realm. " 1. Bricks Without Straw. Lesson 7 Before Moses approached the king of Egypt to seek freedom for the children of Israel, he and his brother, Aaron, met with the oppressed leaders of Israel.
During this meeting, Moses and Aaron encouraged the people to consecrate themselves to the Lord and told them God was about to deliver them from slavery with a mighty hand. The Israelites had been laboring seven days a week to maintain their heavy workload for the Egyptians. But after this meeting with Moses, they apparently decided to begin resting again every seventh day. This is why the furious Pharaoh later said to Moses and Aaron: "Ye make them rest from their burdens. " The Glorious Kingdom. After Solomon was established as the new king of Israel, the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Ask what I shall give thee.
" 1 Kings 3:5. The young king could have requested money, fame, or long life, but he didn't. Instead, he asked for wisdom to justly govern God's people. In answer to that humble and heartfelt prayer, the Lord gave Solomon tremendous wisdom and perception surpassing every other human. The Witch of Endor. King Saul was at his wit's end and trembling with fear.
The entire Philistine army had gathered to attack Israel's smaller and weaker troops. Saul moaned, "If only Samuel were here, he would tell me what to do. " Cities of Ash. Abraham knew that his nephew was making a big mistake when Lot chose to move his family to Sodom.
The cities of the lower Jordan valley were beautiful and lush, but they were also very corrupt. "The men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly. " Genesis 13:13. Finally, God decided to destroy these sinful cities for their abominations, but first He sent two angels to Sodom to rescue Lot and his family. Before entering Sodom, these angels took on the appearance of two wayfaring men. 1. 2 Peter 2:6. Answer : ____________________ NOTE: God destroyed those two cities with eternal fire--the same kind of fire that will destroy the wicked in hell. 2. John 12:48. A River of Life. Naaman was a brave, rich, and famous commander for the armies of Syria who contracted leprosy, the most dreaded disease of Bible times.
Leprosy meant isolation from loved ones and a slow, wretched death. A Hebrew slave girl who worked in Naaman's house said that if her master would only go to the prophet Elisha in Israel, he would heal Naaman of his leprosy. Resting the Land. Our world was first created with a perfect balance in nature. Man, animals, and plants lived in total harmony.
But with the entrance of sin, everything changed. Man started eating animals, and animals began eating each other. Thorns and thistles sprouted everywhere. Bowing to Babylon. King Nebuchadnezzar gave the signal, and as the music from a thousand instruments began to swell, the curtain fell, exposing a dazzling, 90-foot image of gold glimmering in the sunlight. Then, according to King's command, all the officials who had gathered on the plain of Dura fell prostrate to the ground in devout worship. All bowed down except three young Hebrew men, who were servants of a greater King. The Mark of Cain. Adam and Eve's first two sons differed vastly in their personalities and behavior. Cain longed to farm and build, while Abel loved to roam the hills and meadows with his flocks. After sin entered this new world because of Adam and Eve's disobedience, God established a sacrificial system and explained that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness for sin (Hebrews 9:22).
He told them that these sacrifices pointed forward to the time when Jesus would become a man and die as the Lamb of God for the sins of the world. Abel faithfully brought a young lamb as a sacrifice for his sins, but Cain thought it was unnecessary to obey God's command so precisely. He considered the sacrificial system to be messy and reasoned that as long as he brought an offering and worshiped God, the details wouldn't matter. 1. Revelation 7:3. A Heavenly Model. Cleansing the Temple. Esus was visibly grieved as He entered the temple courtyard and surveyed the turmoil. On every hand He saw pens filled with sacrifice animals and heard salesman shouting and bargaining with visiting pilgrims for the highest price. The cooing of doves, bleating of sheep, and lowing of oxen mingled together with the odors of a barnyard to form a concert of chaos.
This bedlam was never God's plan. A Tale of Two Women. A hush fell over the royal judgment hall, and all eyes were fixed on King Solomon. His servants wondered how the young monarch would resolve this perplexing case. Two single mothers were sharing a room, and each gave birth to a baby boy at about the same time. Windows of Heaven. Jacob had never felt so destitute and alone -- and it was all because he had been devious and greedy. The Daughter's Dance. King Herod's wife, Herodias, hated John the Baptist. The desert-dwelling prophet had dared to call her an adulteress for leaving her husband Philip to marry his evil but wealthier brother. Now the wicked queen determined to use her influence over Herod to get even with John.
First, she persuaded him to have John imprisoned. Ten Times Wiser. Voice in the Wilderness. Jesus said, "Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist. " Matthew 11:11. Proving the Prophets. A Jar of Oil. Lisha could see that the young widow was desperate. She threw herself at the old prophet's feet and sobbed, "The creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves!
" The woman's husband had died unexpectedly and left her with a huge debt. In Bible times, a lender had a right to repossess property and even take children as payment if a family could not pay the bills (Job 24:9). "What do you have in the house? " Above the Crowd. Pastor Doug's Testimony. The Unsinkable Ship. Above the Crowd. A Jar of Oil. Proving the Prophets. Voice in the Wilderness. Ten Times Wiser. The Daughter's Dance. Windows of Heaven. A Tale of Two Women. Cleansing the Temple. A Heavenly Model. The Mark of Cain. Bowing to Babylon. Resting the Land. River of Life. Cities of Ash. The Witch of Endor. The Glorious Kingdom. Bricks Without Straw.
The Law of the King. The Supreme Sacrifice. The Rebellious Prince. The Coming King. Back to Jerusalem. The Millennial Man.