--Sharing our Saviour Yahushua the Messiah to the World!--
-Please Read this FIRST- On this site
we prefer to use the actual Name of our loving Heavenly Father as it was
written in the Word, and thus you will note that we will use the Four
Letter “Memorial Name” of
- YHVH,
which is pronounced as YaHVaH or YaHWaH. In addition we will also
use our Heavenly Father’s attribute/title, which is Elohim rather
than “God,” which sadly is the name of a pagan god. In addition we
also love to use the actual and real Name of our beloved Messiah which
is 
- Yahushua or Yahshua in short, for
this is our Saviours original Hebrew Name as given to Him at birth in Lukas - Luke 1:31. This was the only Name ever used
when He was on the earth by His family, disciples and His followers OVER THE
centuries, even until today! However, it was changed to a foreign name by the
founder of the new “pagan church of Rome.”
Occasionally, we may also use other Hebrew or Greek names as well as different
words in our studies for certain common words used are from pagan backgrounds
and thus are not suitable. All names will be translated when they are FIRST
used in a study or at various times as needed for clarity. There is a full
explanation of YHVH’s blessed “Memorial Name” as well
as the wonderful blessed Name of our Messiah and Saviour, thus please
read … “The Memorial Name.”
A Study from the Book of Daniel
Introduction:
We will commence this study by reading Yechehel - Ezekiel 36:19 & Vs
31 to 36:
“I dispersed them (Israel)
among the nations, and they were scattered through the countries; I judged them
according to their conduct and their actions … Then you will remember
your evil ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your sins
and detestable practices. I want you to know that I am not doing this for your
sake, declares the Sovereign YHVH (LORD). Be ashamed and disgraced for your
conduct, O house of Israel!
This is what the Sovereign YHVH says: On the
day I cleanse you from all your sins, I will resettle your towns, and the ruins
will be rebuilt. The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate
in the sight of all who pass through it. They will say, ‘This land that
was laid waste has become like the Garden of Eden; the cities that were lying
in ruins, desolate and destroyed, are now fortified and inhabited.’ Then
the nations around you that remain will know that I YHVH have rebuilt what was
destroyed and have replanted what was desolate. I YHVH have spoken, and I will
do it.”
The
Word of YaHVaH Elohim, blessed be His Sanctified Name, is a document of
instruction and a love letter to those lost in the world. The message is, “Return
unto Me, and I shall return unto you.” Yirmyahu - Jeremiah 3:1.
This is the proclamation of peace from the
YHVH unto all that will believe in Him and follow Him. The prophets have
delivered this message unto the children of Israel,
and during the past two thousand years, it has been delivered to the Gentiles
through the Gospel of peace and love, although as a side note, not necessarily
through the church of Rome and its harlot daughter’s who has a lot to
answer for! However, YHVH Elohim (the LORD God), desires sinners to repent and
return to Him in and through the shed blood of the Lamb Yahushua the Messiah.
In spite of their sins He loves them, but always remember that the Almighty
hates “sin”!
In the Tanach, being Hebrew word
for the books of the Old Covenant, the Almighty addressed Himself to the
children of Israel
with many promises, but He also gave many warnings. There are the do’s
and the don’ts. The do’s came complete with loving promises of
good things to come, and the don’ts with severe warnings of powerful
punishments. The Almighty, having told Israel how He would punish
them for their sins, then reassures them with a promise, and this was the one
related to the covenant He had made with Abraham,
that He would never destroy Israel.
The simple fact is beloved, YHVH Elohim will ALWAYS keep His promises and He
does this to the letter! In addition when He states that something
to be “Olam” meaning to be “forever”,
this Hebrew word also means “eternal” and the vastness of
the “universe” Therefore YaHVaH Elohim, blessed be His
Sanctified Name, does not suddenly change His mind as for some reason the
church tends to believe in certain situations, well at least when it suits
their theology, even though it goes against the teaching of our beloved Saviour!
But it is just like mankind, who tend to think that they are great and
undisputable.
Beloved be weary, for even those who think
they are great will fall, as this study will prove, for the Almighty
will make those who will not listen to His Word and keep it fall mightily,
unless they look up and return to Him in truth!
This is an extensive, but a most interesting
and, I believe an enlightening study!
Part One - The Invasion Judah
and Jerusalem!
Let me first set the scene as the Children of Israel, Judah and
Israel were taken by Babylon into captivity, which will bring us to an amazing study,
but this section will bring you unto a piece of reality!
“At that time
the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon
came up against Jerusalem, and the
city was besieged. And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon
came against the city, and his servants did besiege it. And Jehoiachin the king
of Judah
went out to the king of Babylon,
he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers: and
the king of Babylon took him in
the eighth year of his reign. And he carried out thence all the treasures of
the house of YHVH, and the treasures of the king's house, and cut in pieces all
the vessels of gold which Solomon king
of Israel
had made in the temple of YHVH, as YHVH had said.
And he carried away all Jerusalem,
and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand
captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest
sort of the people of the land. And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the king's mother, and the king's
wives, and his officers, and the mighty of the land, those carried he into
captivity from Jerusalem
to Babylon. And all the
men of might, even seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths a thousand, all
that were strong and apt for war, even them the king of Babylon brought captive
to Babylon. And the king of Babylon
made Mattaniah his father's brother king in his stead, and changed his name to Zedekiah.” 2 Melachim – 2
Kings 24:10-17.
This ancient brick summarised the main events of each year from 605 to 594 BC
It is located in the British
Museum
The brick contains the Babylonian account
of the fall of Jerusalem in 597 BC.
Each annual entry is separated by a horizontal line and begins with a reference
to the year of the king's reign. Which was also spoken of by the prophet Yirmyahu
– Jeremiah;
“This is the
message against the army of Pharaoh Neco
king of Egypt,
which was defeated at Carchemish
on the Euphrates
River
by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon
in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah
king of Judah.” Yirmyahu - Jeremiah 46:2.
Battle of Carchemish (605 BC)
when Judah
came under Babylonian control - The front side of this stone reads:
“The king of Akkad (Nabopolassar, father of
Nebuchadnezzar) stayed in his own land. Nebuchadnezzar, the crown prince,
mustered the army and took command of his troops. He marched to Carchemish on the banks of the river Euphrates
and crossed the river to go against the Egyptian armies which lay in Carchemish.
They fought with each other, and the Egyptian army fled before him. He
accomplished their defeat, beat them into nonexistence. As for the rest of the
Egyptian army which had escaped so quickly, that no weapon had reached them, in
the district of Hamath. The Babylonian troops overtook and defeated them so not
a single man escaped to his own country. At that time, Nebuchadnezzar conquered
the whole area of the Hamath. For twenty-one years Nebopalasser had been king
of Babylon, and in the
eighth day of the month of Abe, he died. Nebuchadnezzar returned to Babylon,
and on the first day of the month of Elue, he sat on his throne (605
BC).”
The point of showing you this stone, and I
will show another down the page, is to bring a reality to the precious Word of
YaHVaH Elohim, that His Word is TRUE! We must take heed to what He is saying to
us, for IF we divert in any way from His Word, or do not listen to His
servants, than we will suffer the consequences, as Israel did, and as we will
learn, Nebuchadnezzar eventually did as well, for he, like so many had to
discover that …
“The Way UP
is DOWN”
In this study, we are going to look at a
powerful story in the Book of Daniel
chapter 4.
Many do not realise
that this chapter is completly different to any other
chapter or book in the entire Word of blessed Scriptures!
This chapter is remarkable for
two reasons.
1. It is a State document.
2.
Not a document of war, but one of peace and a living testimony.
The amazing thing is that this is the only
State document or Proclamation in written Scriptural history of a Sovereign who
claims, “Elohim (God) has conquered me.” It proves that YHVH,
blessed be His Sanctified Name, not only touched the lives of Israel, but also of many Gentiles
as well, and even a great and powerful conqueror of Israel.
We learn in this chapter that the great Nebuchadnezzar had the kind of
experience that all who live in the flesh, and those who live in sin, must go
through in order for them to be able to “Return to YHVH Elohim!” In
this study we will learn that “the only way UP is the way DOWN.”
And this will happen in two very different way’s …
1. Voluntarily.
2.
By the power of Elohim.
The following is the historical basis for this
study. Obviously we are aware that Judah is this
time in captivity in Babylon.
Nebuchadnezzar had chosen four young princes to be in his service out of the
house of Israel.
However, he gave each of them a new pagan Babylonian name, names that reflected
an attribute of a Babylonian god as each was one of the Babylonian god’s.
These are as follows:
Dani’el ... = “Elohim
is Judge.”
Belteshazzar ... = “Ba’al protect his life.”
Hanan’yah ... = “YHVH is Gracious.”
Shadrach ... = “By commandment of Achu.”
Mi’sha’el ... = “Who is like Elohim (Elohim).”
Meshach ... = “Who
is like Achu.”
Azar’yah ... = “YHVH is my Helper.”
Abed-Nego ... = “Servant
of Nego.”
YHVH Elohim of Avraham - Abraham,
Yitzchak - Isaac and Ya’akov
- Jacob, spoke to Nebuchadnezzar on
three occasions. Each time He spoke with increased power and more fiercely than
before. This being the lesson; it is better to listen to the Almighty the first
time round, or you may have to take the brunt of what comes with disobedience.
In Chapter 2, Elohim speaks to
Nebuchadnezzar in a dream and this caused him a great disturbance, for in this
dream he was clearly told that his power and reign was not going to last and
that his empire would be replaced.
Praise YHVH Elohim, for one day
all the earth will be part of a new and everlasting Kingdom and this will be
the glorious “The Kingdom of Elohim”!
The question we should ask,
“Did Nebuchadnezzar listen to what the Elohim of Israel was saying to
him?” The answer emphatically, is NO. In verse 7 it says that he
brought in before him all his magicians, astrologers, the Chaldean and
soothsayers and he told them the dream, but they did not interpret the dream.
Finally Nebuchadnezzar called for Daniel and consulted with him regarding the meaning
of his dream. Having received a clear and decisive answer, being the obvious
one, he rewarded Daniel for the
interpretation and then bowed himself before Daniel
instead to the great YaHVaH
Elohim of Israel,
who had so clearly spoken to him.
In chapter three, verses 4 to 6,
it was a good twenty years later when we read that Nebuchadnezzar declares a
new state religion and he sets up a golden image. Nebuchadnezzar had now come
to think of himself as a god and whosoever does not bow down to it was to be
cast into the furnace.
Again, YHVH Elohim being very
patient speaks to Nebuchadnezzar, but this time He did this through a mighty
miracle and not just through a dream.
“‘You,
O king, have made a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn,
flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, shall
fall down and worship the gold image; and whoever does not fall down and
worship shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. There are
certain Hebrews whom you have set over the affairs of the province
of Babylon:
Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abed-Nego; these men, O king, have not paid due regard to you. They do not
serve your god’s or worship the gold image which you have set up.’
then Nebuchadnezzar, in rage and fury, gave the command to bring Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abed-Nego. So they brought these men
before the king. Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying to them, ‘Is it true,
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, that you do not serve my god’s or
worship the gold image which I have set up? Now if you are ready at the time
you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony
with all kinds of music, and you fall down and worship the image which I have
made good! But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the
midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the Elohim (God) who will deliver
you from my hands?’ Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we have
no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our Elohim whom we
serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver
us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we
do not serve your god’s, nor will we worship the gold image which you
have set up.’ Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression on
his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abed-Nego. He spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven times
more than it was usually heated” Daniel
3:10-19.
These
faithful servants of the Elohim of Israel, Sha’drach,
Me’shach, and Abed’ne’go
(although we need to remember that Daniel
was not present at that time) refused to worship the golden image and
Nebuchadnezzar was furious after they belittled the golden image by saying “Our
Elohim whom we serve will deliver us from the burning furnace.” Thus
here we can see that these three men had a great and a mighty faith!
Because they had declared this, Nebuchadnezzar
had the furnace heated seven times hotter than its usual heat, and it must have
been ferocious! The loving Elohim, blessed be He, showered His love and
protection on these three faithful servants, and thus we see what faith can do.
Let us read about the actual event:
“And he commanded certain mighty men of
valour who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and cast them into the burning fiery
furnace. Then these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their
turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning
fiery furnace. Therefore, because the king’s command was urgent, and the
furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego.
And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abed-Nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
Then King Nebuchadnezzar
was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counsellors,
‘Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?’ They
answered and said to the king, ‘True, O king.’ ‘Look!’
he answered, ‘I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and
they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.’
then Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke,
saying, ‘Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, servants of the Most High
Elohim, come out, and come here.’ then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego
came from the midst of the fire” Daniel 3:20-26.
Amazingly
Nebuchadnezzar was elated to see that they were safe and then proclaimed a new
law. The decree was that the Elohim of Sha’drach, Me’shach,
and Abed’ne’go must not be ridiculed
anywhere in the empire. In spite of having seen the power of the Elohim of
Israel, once again Nebuchadnezzar would not submit himself to the true Elohim
of Israel!
It is simply amazing that to this
day people who have heard the Word of truth, and may even have been touched by
Elohim in a special way, although, this may have come through His servants, yet
those who have still do not come back to the Truth of the Word of Elohim and as
spoken by His precious son Yahushua our Saviour, or be it through miracles or
prophesies that are being fulfilled in our very day, and I am not speaking
about the ones performed by TV evangelists, but those that are happening
throughout the world, such as the promised miracle of the reestablishment of
the State of Israel as Elohim said would happen, and this is just the beginning
of the prophecies that will have the globe heading into a cashless society as a
monetary collapse is in sight, anarchy on the rise with the youth of the earth
being out of control, increasing number of earthquakes, storms, famine, floods
wars and terrorists. Need I go on?
The truth is that the time is nearing that our
Master and Saviour will come again very soon and we need to heed to the Word
of truth, but are we listening, or will you be just like Nebuchadnezzar?
But sadly history proves that people do not
heed to warnings and this may be judged from re-action of the scribes even
after our beloved Yahushua the Messiah raised the dead and healed the blind.
After all these signs and wonders were performed all over the land, the
Pharisees and Sadducees still stood there watching it happen and still asked;
“Pharisees and Sadducees came, and
testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.” Mattityahu
- Matthew 16:1.
The question is this, were these men of
authority blind? Obviously not, but they certainly were spiritually blind
to the prophetic Word of YaHVaH
Elohim, blessed be His
Sanctified Name! These men were blind because of self-righteousness and pride,
therefore due to the presence of our Messiah, they simply could not, or rather
refused to see the power of Almighty at work, Just as many christians today
refuse to accept the TRUTH of YaHVaH’s Word on certain subjects, for they
have been infiltrated by pagan ideologies for far too long! We have seen how
Nebuchadnezzar was so blind although he has had so many encounters with the
Elohim of Israel! Yet once again, having seen a great miracle of in the
furnace, Nebuchadnezzar once again refused to see what Elohim was trying to
tell him, “Come before Me!”
In chapter 4 Elohim spoke to
Nebuchadnezzar in two separate ways, a dream and a miracle, and this
time it was going to have a devastating effect upon the life of he who had been
a mighty ruler and king, Nebuchadnezzar, and he would wish he had listened
earlier. I pray that those reading this message will not need to go through the
next stage, but sadly far too many will. I call this part the Tribulation!
There is no doubt that YaHVaH Elohim,
blessed be His Sanctified Name, spoke to Israel
in many ways, through His prophets, through signs and wonders and of course
through His Word. The call is always simple, “listen, and heed to
Elohim and cast away all evil in your lives.” Elohim, blessed be He,
speaks to us through His Word, as well as I have already stated earlier through
the fulfilment of prophecy, including in these very days!
I pray that we are alert and will listen for
it is simply amazing how many in the churches are simply not doing what our
beloved Elohim is asking of them, fast, pray and seek Me for discernment and
then read My Word in order to gain an understanding of what I am saying to you,
and not of what man has been telling you through age old fables, which has been
mixed with paganism! Sadly far too many, just like Moshe – Moses had when he was called to do a mighty task, had
far too many excuses why he was not able to do it! Well, beloved, believe me,
we may not be capable, but our Elohim, through the power of the Ruach HaKodesh,
the Sanctified Spirit can do anything for we may not think that we have the
capability of understanding the word, but Elohim will be your guide, if you are
only willing to allow Him to be your motivation and your strength!
YHVH Elohim, blessed be His
Sanctified Name, delivered Israel out of Egypt with great signs and wonders,
and they danced and praised their Elohim on the other side of the Red Sea. But
sadly, all too soon this joyfulness wore off and they commenced to grumble.
Again, the all-Merciful Elohim showered His love upon Israel
and gave them “manna” from heaven. Thus once gain they praised Him,
but all too soon this joy also turned unto sadness and unhappiness, as they
became bored with the food that loving Almighty had provided them. And they
cried …
“We remember the fish,
which we did eat in Egypt
freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the
garlic: But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this
manna, before our eyes.” Bamidbar - Numbers 11:5-6.
For
interest, the author was once an ultra orthodox Hebrew/Jew who through an
amazing miracle, one night back in December 1977, during my evening prayer time
in my study after dinner, I was reading the Book of Daniel, chapter 9, when a
voice within very clearly spoke to me. Considering, that nothing of the kind
had ever occurred to me before, this was something of a shock at first, but
being a person who had always loved my Heavenly Father with all my heart and
being, what was said, I knew was from above and from Him!
“Know therefore and understand, that
from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem
until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The
street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times. And after
the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself.” Daniel 9:25-26a. NKJV.
These words, as well as what was given unto
me, including the understanding of the Feasts of Elohim, which I had been
celebrating for all those years, which had been a prophetic picture of Mashiach Yahushua.
That night I believed, repented, and became a completed Hebrew in Messiah!
However, my beloved wife, who knew that I had been a very long time in my
study, being a young leader of the Jewish community, when I returned, she asked
what was the matter, I said, “Beloved, you know my love for the Almighty,
however, tonight, He has revealed that Yahushua is our Messiah.” Upon
hearing this, she tore her dress, which is the normal Jewish sign for death,
and that night I died to her, the Jewish community, the vast majority of my
friends, business, being connected, and I was without a home and having left
all with my lovely lady, I was penniless, but rich in Elohim and Messiah! There
is so much more to this story, but, I must continue with Israel
as I had mentioned a little earlier, the Father kept giving them blessing after
blessing, and they praised Him, and then they were unhappy and grumbled.
Thus being from a Jewish background, at least I
can make the following statement without too many reprisals. I
believe that we who are called in the Word the “Israelites”
at times really should have been called the “Grizzel’ites”
for sadly Israel continually grumbled and complained, even after our Heavenly
Father by His mighty hand delivered Israel out of bondage from Egypt and
provided Israel with all their needs as well as safety!
When Israel
was living in the land of promise they saw their land and their lives flourish,
under the rule of King David
and Solomon. However, that declined
rapidly as Israel
had been divided into two Kingdoms and was ruled by some very wicked Kings and Queens. Elohim warned the Royal households to
“repent and return unto Him,” through His chosen prophets.
These prophets reminded the people of Elohim’s Word, especially of His
warning in Vayikra - Leviticus chapter 26 and Davarim - Deuteronomy chapter 28.
“If you will not hearken
unto Me, and will not do all these commandments … I will set My face
against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you
shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursues you … I will
bring a sword upon you … I will send the pestilence among you; and ye
shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy … You will become a thing
of horror and an object of scorn and ridicule to all the nations where YHVH will drive you” Vayikra -
Leviticus 26:14-25 & Davarim - Deuteronomy 28:37.
Sadly,
Israel
and Judah
did not heed the Word of Elohim and was sent into dispersion, just as YHVH had
told them back in Sinai. However, Elohim did make an everlasting covenant
with Avraham - Abraham, Yitzchak - Isaac and Ya’akov - Jacob. The good news being that the very same
chapter which contains the prophecy of dispersion, also gave Israel
the following assurance,
“Yet for all that, when
they are in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, nor shall I
abhor them, to utterly destroy them and break My covenant with them; for I am
YHVH their Elohim. But for their sake I will remember the covenant of their
ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations,
that I might be their Elohim: I am YHVH.” Vayikra - Leviticus
26:44-45. Read also Davarim - Deuteronomy chapter 28,
We
need to understand that our heavenly Father always speaks first, then,
if those He addresses do not heed He must act!
But whatever happened to Nebuchadnezzar?
Now as we have seen in this study, YaHVaH Elohim,
blessed be His Sanctified Name, clearly spoke to Nebuchadnezzar in a number of
dreams as well as through a miracle, but would this proud and stubborn man
heed, sadly no, he did not! Thus Nebuchadnezzar, just like Israel,
would have to learn the hard way and that would be that … “the
only way up, so often means
having to go down.”
Elohim had to resort to drastic
measures to humble His children, for that journey through the wilderness that
could have been done in just 11 days, took a long and arduous 40 long years in
that miserable hot and freezing cold wilderness, and now it was time for Nebuchadnezzar
to find out what was going to befall him for his wilderness journey was about
to begin!
Nebuchadnezzar, according to
chapter 4 was living at a time of restfulness, a time of peace and great
prosperity. He had conquered everything he had ever desired.
The Scriptures describes that Nebuchadnezzar
had built a great city full of magnificent buildings with grand decorative
gates and rows of pillars, and all this was just for grandeur and his personal
pleasure. The palace walls alone were over 6 miles long. His master builders
had also built a man-made mountain built for his wife’s pleasure. This
mountain was known as the “hanging gardens.” People from all over
the region would come as sightseers to see his great city. It was obvious that
Nebuchadnezzar was a vain man for he even had every brick stamped that included
the following words “I Nebuchadnezzar built this.” Each brick had
six lines of script in Cuneiform. To date, well over a thousand bricks have
been discovered with the inscription as well as many others, and these are
placed in various museums, including in the British
Museum.
The author in his role as a “Biblical Archaeologist” visited the
museum in London in 1992 and was
fortunate to be able to hold and study one of these “bricks of
Nebuchadnezzar, which was a great honour!
This is simply amazing
to behold, a scene that makes this study come to life!
Nebuchadnezzar was so much in love with his
city and himself, that he was totally blind to the message YHVH had given him
in his first dream. Here he was strolling around the city as proud as a
peacock, saying to himself, “look what I have achieved,” much the
same as men do to this day, giving themselves the glory and forgetting that
Elohim (God) is the Creator of heaven and earth and all that is therein.
Nebuchadnezzar felt that he was in complete
control of his empire and his life. Well that is what he thought, but there was
a great big shock awaiting him and what lay ahead of him was well deserved
considering the many chances he was given!
In spite of
Nebuchadnezzar’s shortcomings, Elohim loved him enough to take away all
that peace and rest that filled his life in order to teach him a huge lesson
and give him real peace that can only come from knowing the One True YaHVaH
Elohim!
Read Daniel 4:4-27.
“I,
Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house, and flourishing in my palace. I saw a
dream, which made me afraid, and the thoughts on my bed and the visions of my
head troubled me. Therefore, I issued a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon
before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream.
Then the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers came
in, and I told them the dream; but they did not make known to me its
interpretation. But at last Daniel came before me (his name is Belteshazzar,
according to the name of my god; in him is the spirit of the Sanctified gods),
and I told the dream before him, saying: ‘Belteshazzar, chief of the
magicians, because I know that the spirit of the Sanctified god is in you, and
no secret troubles you, explain to me the visions of my dream that I have seen,
and its interpretation. These were the visions of my head while on my bed: I
was looking, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was
great. The tree grew and became strong; its height reached to the heavens and
it could be seen to the ends of all the earth. Its leaves were lovely, its
fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade
under it, the birds of the heavens dwelt in its branches, and all flesh was fed
from it. I saw in the visions of my head while on my bed, and there was a
watcher, a Sanctified one, coming down from heaven. He cried aloud and said
thus: 'Chop down the tree and cut off its branches, strip off its leaves and
scatter its fruit. Let the beasts get out from under it and the birds from its
branches. Nevertheless leave the stump and roots in the earth, bound with a
band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field. Let it be wet with
the dew of heaven, and let him graze with the beasts on the grass of the earth.
Let his heart be changed from that of a man, let him be given the heart of a
beast, and let seven times pass over him. This decision is by the decree of the
watchers, and the sentence by the word of the Sanctified ones, in order that
the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, gives it to
whomever He will, and sets over it the lowest of men.' This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have
seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, declare its interpretation, since all the wise men
of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation; but you are
able, for the spirit of the Sanctified god is in you.’ then Daniel, whose
name was Belteshazzar, was astonished for a time, and his thoughts troubled
him. So the king spoke, and said, ‘Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or
its interpretation trouble you.’ Belteshazzar answered and said,
‘My lord may the dream concern those who hate you, and its interpretation
concern your enemies! The tree that you saw, which grew and became strong,
whose height reached to the heavens and which could be seen by all the earth,
whose leaves were lovely and its fruit abundant, in which was food for all,
under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and in whose branches the birds of
the heaven had their home, it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong;
for your greatness has grown and reaches to the heavens, and your dominion to
the end of the earth. And inasmuch as the king saw a watcher, a Sanctified one,
coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it,
but leave its stump and roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and
bronze in the tender grass of the field; let it be wet with the dew of heaven,
and let him graze with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over
him’; this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the
Most High, which has come upon my lord the king: they shall drive you from men,
your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make you
eat grass like oxen. They shall wet you with the dew of heaven, and seven times
shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of
men, and gives it to whomever He chooses. And inasmuch as they gave the command
to leave the stump and roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be assured to you,
after you come to know that Heaven rules. Therefore, O king, let my advice be
acceptable to you; break off your sins by being righteous, and your iniquities
by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your
prosperity.’”
This
was the third time Elohim had spoken to Nebuchadnezzar, this time being through
a dream as well as a vision. Nebuchadnezzar had seen a great tree, which was
mighty and great. The leaves were beautiful and birds and animals all came to
it. It was a true picture of his life to date! But suddenly the tree was cut
down and it fell to the ground, yet a stump remained from which would grow a
shoot some seven years later.
Having consulted with all of his
wise men, obviously not one of whom had a suitable answer, thus Nebuchadnezzar
called for his trusty servant Daniel.
We might ask, “Why did Nebuchadnezzar’s wise men not translate
the events described?” They could have done so without any difficulty
whatsoever, but the truth is they were too afraid to do so. The simple reason
is that the vision was so plain; I feel that if anyone but Daniel had explained it Nebuchadnezzar would have had
them executed for challenging his authority. You see, what you may not realise
is that the tree in the vision was completely clear to everyone!
It was Nebuchadnezzar himself, who had earlier
given a speech, and this speech is recorded on tablets of clay, these bricks
are also on display in the British
Museum
and again I have personally examined these in 1992. On the tablet Nebuchadnezzar
simply said … “My Empire is like a spreading tree.”
Obviously, the many birds and the beasts in and around the tree represented the
many nations that had come to visit Babylon
over the many years all because of its grandeur and many wonders.
Thus having received no
satisfaction from his soothsayers, priests and prophets, etc, Nebuchadnezzar
called once more for Daniel to explain
the dream and vision, and as we have read, Daniel
gave it to him like a true man of Elohim.
He told the king that he would be cut down and
that he would grovel in the dust like an animal. Yet that a stump would be left
and that it would be bound with iron and brass, so it would not completely
disintegrate. And that at the appointed time it would bring forth a new shoot
and that it would grow again.
After this powerful message, did
Nebuchadnezzar heed to the warning? No of course he did not for great kings
never want to hear the truth, for they are just too great and powerful, but he
is not powerful enough for YHVH Elohim, and the king was about to find this
out!
Did the king not hear or heed to these words “break
off your sins by being righteous, and … showing mercy to the poor?”
You would think that this was a very simple instruction, and if the king had
heeded to this message from the Creator of Heaven and Earth, Daniel said, “Perhaps there may be a
lengthening of your prosperity.” Yes perhaps Elohim will spare you.
The wicked Nebuchadnezzar simply refused to
hear them, like he did all the other times. Twelve months later he was still
strutting around his palace gloating at all of his mighty achievements and most
likely forgotten the warning he had been given, but Elohim had not.
Then suddenly came the time that YaHVaH Elohim,
blessed be His Sanctified Name, had spoken about, and He utterly removed
Nebuchadnezzar from his great and powerful empire that he had built, and
Nebuchadnezzar was cast into a far away lonely field, where he would live like
an animal and he was left there for seven long arduous years
Finally after seven long years in exile, there
came that time when Nebuchadnezzar’s heart must have softened, for now he
finally looked in the right direction, and as he was as low as he could be,
laying flat on the ground and totally humbled, he “looked up”
and acknowledged and commenced to praise the living YaHVaH the Elohim of Israel!
Read Daniel
4:34-37.
“And at the
end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my
understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and
honoured Him who lives forever: for His dominion is an everlasting dominion and
His Kingdom is from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the
earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of
heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or
say to Him, ‘What have You done?’ At the same time my reason
returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my honour and splendour
returned to me. My counsellors and nobles resorted to me, I was restored to my kingdom,
and excellent majesty was added to me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and
extol and honour the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways
justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down.”
Nebuchadnezzar
was restored to his kingdom and here comes a great truth; all things were
BETTER for Nebuchadnezzar than it had been before.
Beloved, it is the same for all
who came to Messiah Yahushua, when we first believed. For, we came to believe
in the Elohim of Israel and His promised Messiah! Once we had proclaimed
Messiah Yahushua our Master and Saviour, we also had to go down on our knees
and humble ourselves before our Saviour and ask Him for forgiveness. It can
only be when we BELIEVE and REPENT when we receive forgiveness and life
everlasting in the “Kingdom
of Elohim.”
Beloved “eternal life” is available to all those who believe,
repent and uphold the blessed teachings of YaHVaH Elohim!
But sadly, today most have erroneous teachings, which have come from an evil
source in Rome, by the hand of a man called Simon the sorcerer who is spoken of
in the Book of Acts and he was also the first “Bishop of Rome” and
not our Saviour’s Apostle Shime’on called Peter, who never set a
foot in the city of Rome, but he did go to Babylon, and Rome is called the
other Babylon, thus the confusion!
But, we are to follow Messiah’s
commandments, for did He not say;
“If you love Me (said Yahushua), you
will obey what I command.” John
14:15
The other good news is that for the
“Little Flock” in Messiah Yahushua, life will be better in the end
than it was in the beginning! Once we were also living in sin, but when we
finally lifted up our eyes to heaven and believed in YaHVaH Elohim
in and though Yahushua, our beloved Saviour, who washed us clean from our sins!
“Yahushua … said,
‘Arise, and be not afraid.’ And when they had lifted up their eyes,
they saw no man, save Yahushua only” Mattityahu - Matthew 17:7-8.
Because
Israel
as a Nation did not “lift up their eyes” and did not believe in
their Messiah, they were scattered throughout the world. Like Nebuchadnezzar,
Israel
was thrown into exile, scattered into the lands of their enemies. However,
Elohim, blessed be He, left a stump for Israel to hold on to, the
Covenant He had made with Israel.
“He is YHVH our Elohim; His
judgments are in all the earth. He remembers His covenant forever (Le’olam
- Eternally) … the covenant which He made with Abraham
and His oath to Isaac” Tehillim
- Psalms 105:7-9.
The
Way Up was Down for Nebuchadnezzar, as it was
for all of us. Israel
has been downtrodden, persecuted, even murdered whilst in dispersion. The
faithful in Messiah can hold onto the Word and should pray for Hebrew (Jewish)
lives to be restored to Messiah, as well of our own loved ones and our
neighbours, and those, who Elohim will appoint as a divine appointment on any
given day, thus be ready to share His Word!
As we have read in Yechehel -
Ezekiel chapter 36, Elohim has an everlasting love for Israel, thus the
restoration of the nation of Israel is now partially a reality, with the
secular Nation of Israel restored, but it is also time for Jewish individuals
to be restored to their Elohim and remove that heart of stone and replace it
with a heart of faith, a heart of flesh and allow those scales to fall from
their eyes, in order that soon we may see a “Spiritual Israel”
restored! (NOTE: I am not speaking of christians, who call them selves by that
name, for there is no such a group Scripturally!)
“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and
you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all
your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will
take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh” Yechehel -
Ezekiel 36: 25-26.
The
faithful have been charged by Yahushua, to “go and preach repentance and
call for the remission of sins.” We, like Daniel,
are called to share the Word of YHVH Elohim to the Gentiles as well as Israel.
For they, just like Nebuchadnezzar will have to learn this simple truth; The
only way Up and gain life eternal, You must first Go Down and in faith and
accept Messiah as Saviour in full repentance!
However, this message also applies to so many
when it comes to accepting the truth of His Word! Sadly, they just will not let
their traditions go, and I should know, considering having been one who was an
orthodox Jew, who was filled with so many traditions of men, as well as
countless teaching from the rabbis! However, that very night in 1977, when the
Father called me, I was very clearly told to separate myself for seven years
and not to read any books of men, only to wait on Him and only read His Word in
the Original Hebrew (Ivrit), for He did not wish me to be defiled by the false
teachings that is so prevalent, but also to cleanse me from certain Hebraic
ones, thus I also had to be completely cleansed.
Thus, during this time I was being led by
YaHVaH Elohim His Name be Praised and Exalted and the Ruach HaKodesh!
This has led to a wonderful understanding of His Word, as it comes directly
from Him, His original Word in the Hebrew and as the Father sent me a wonderful
Greek brother in Him, thus we also have the Greek in our ministry! Therefore
beloved, we must be ready to accept what the Father has to say, regardless some
of the consequences, and yes, sadly my life changed greatly as my wife rejected
me and I was left alone without a home. Although I did not wish to be divorced,
and neither did she, but many years later, we came in contact again and myself
and my Greek brother and another servant in Messiah were able to look after her
during her illness, until she sadly passed away. Although having ministered to
her she was blessed in many ways by having us with her, but sadly she never
accepted Messiah, which was obviously a great sadness to me!
Beloved, as we go down in
prayer and intercede for others, YaHVaH Elohim,
blessed be His Sanctified Name, this will not only lift you up, but also
those you pray for!
“Teach me Your way, O YHVH. I will walk in Your truth.
UNITE MY HEART TO FEAR YOUR NAME!”
Tehillim
– Psalms 86:11
May YHVH Elohim bless and keep you in the palm of
His hand always, in Messiah Yahushua’s loving Name!
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Yahushua
said; “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me
draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the
Prophets: They will all be taught by Elohim. Everyone who listens to the Father
and learns from Him comes to Me. No one has seen the Father except the One who
is from Elohim; only He has seen the Father. I tell you the truth he who
believes has everlasting life.” Yochanan
(John) 6:43-48.
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