Episode Transcript
Daniel chapter 3 verses 1 through 6, the title of the message this morning is Gold in the Sky.
If you'll remember, last week's message title was Gold on the Ground.
And now we have a title, Gold in the Sky, One Man's Spiritual Journey, Part 2.
As we closed out chapter 2 last week, Again, our sermon was entitled Gold on the Ground, and in those verses we learned that King Nebuchadnezzar had a spiritual enlightenment, but he did not have a spiritual conversion.
He had a dream that was given to him by God in which he saw this great, big, fierce. looking image that was set up on earth, which had a head of gold, a chest and arms of silver, it had a torso.
And thighs of brass.
It had legs of iron and feet that were part iron and part clay.
And the prophet.
Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar that the head of gold on that image represented him and the kingdom of Babylon.
For he was the leader of that world empire at that time.
But at the end of Nebuchadnezzar's dream, A st was cut out from a mountain without hands.
Just come out of that mountain.
And that stone came down and it smote that great image on the feet.
And it destroyed every world power that that image represented, including his.
And then it became a great mountain and became a kingdom that will never end.
Now, after learning the message of this dream.
Nebuchadnezzar worshipped Daniel, we saw last week.
Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged that Daniel's God was more powerful than all the other gods.
And then Nebuchadnezzar promoted Daniel and his godly friends to positions of great power in his kingdom.
Now, this morning, by God's grace, we're going to learn what Nebuchadnezzar did after.
He received the understanding of that dream from God, how it changed him, what he did.
And for ease of learning.
As we did last week, I've broken this down into five actions that Nebuchadnezzar took.
The first one being: if you're taking notes, he constructed an image.
He constructed an image.
Look here, if you would, in your text, Daniel chapter 3, verse 1, says, Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold.
Now in chapter 2, Nebuchadnezzar, the head of gold in the image, fell down on his face before Daniel and worshipped him.
So when Nebuchadnezzar fell down on the ground, To worship Daniel, that was gold on the ground.
But that time's gone.
Nebuchadnezzar has had time to settle his nerves. since all that took place.
Now Nebuchadnezzar makes a great image of gold, look back in your text, whose height was three score cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits.
When Nebuchadnezzar was on the ground, that was gold on the ground.
When Nebuchadnezzar makes this three score cubic high image, that's gold in the sky.
He makes an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits.
The image was threes cubits, that is taller than an eight-story building.
This was a giant image.
And let me explain to you what I believe is happening here.
Nebuchadnezzar just had a dream about a giant image.
In Daniel chapter 2, verse 31, Daniel said, Thou, O king, sawst and behold a great image.
And that word great in Hebrew means large in size.
It was a giant image.
Whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee, and the form thereof was terrible.
So if you can picture Nebuchadnezzar, he's down here.
And up here is this eight-story tall looking image.
I mean, there's this giant image he's standing in front of, and it's fierce looking.
Nebuchadnezzar feels about this tall in front of it.
He's looking up at this thing.
He's scared to death.
That's why he's wanting to get the translation.
And way at the top of that image, way up in the sky, is a head of gold.
Well, he learns that head of gold represents him.
And now his head gets in the clouds.
Well, look at that.
That's me way up there.
And so I believe Nebuchadnezzar wanted the whole world to see the terrifying image that he saw.
In his dream.
He wants them, by having this 90-foot-tall image, he wants them to stand before it and gaze up and see this terrible, fierce-looking thing.
So he's reconstructing what he saw in his dream.
The only thing is, in Nebuchadnezzar's pride, he made a few changes in the image.
Just a few little.
Tweaks to the image.
You see, the image that God showed Nebuchadnezzar, it had a head of gold.
But in the image Nebuchadnezzar made, the whole image is gold.
Top to bottom.
In the dream God showed Nebuchadnezzar, the body parts changed to inferior metals as you went down the image.
Gold, silver, br, iron, cl.
And so those inferior metals, as they made their way down, it represented future inferior world empires. that would first defeat Nebuchadnezzar's empire.
It would first defeat the head of gold.
And then it would it th then then another empire would defeat another.
And then finally the stone would come out and defeat all of them.
But Nebuchadnezzar left all that out.
And there's another thing Nebuchadnezzar left out.
In Nebuchadnezzar's dream, again, God showed him a stone, the Lord Jesus Christ, grinding the image to powder.
By smiting it on the feet and setting up the kingdom of God on earth, there's no stone mentioned in this image.
No, sir, the image Nebuchadnezzar made was gold from head to to, as if Nebuchadnezzar was saying, I can beat this.
I can keep this kingdom strong forever.
We will be the world empire from now on.
Gold on the ground is now pridefully gold in the sky.
See, idols are called images for a reason.
This is an idol.
But idols are called images for a reason.
You see, an idol is a physical image that represents a spiritual idea.
An idol is a physical image that represents a spiritual idea.
Nebuchadnezzar made this image of gold, which I believe was a representation of the great kingdom that he envisioned Babylon being under his leadership.
Never end from beginning to end, all gold, no stone, breaking it down.
Look back in your text at the end of verse 1.
And he, it says, he set it up in the plain of Durah in the province of Babylon.
He set this huge image of gold up.
So, number one, he constructed an image.
Number two, he compelled the nations.
He compelled the nations.
Look with me in verse 2.
Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent That's important.
Sent.
By the way, the word apostle has the idea of someone being sent out as a delegate.
The king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsel, the sheriffs. and all the rulers of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
So Nebuchadnezzar sent his servants to gather together rulers from all the provinces In his empire, to the dedication of this image.
That's funny because God se us out to gather together His elect from the four corners of the world.
The Bible says that he might gather together in one, all things in Christ.
What this is, is the spirit of Antichrist already at work.
In the Old Testament.
The Spirit of Antichrist was at work way back in the Garden of Eden.
The Spirit of Antichrist was at work at the Tower of Babel.
When you had a one-world empire at the Tower of Babel under Nimrod, the spirit of Antichrist is at work here.
The spirit of Antichrist was at work in the New Testament, the Bible says.
The spirit of Antichrist will be at work at the end times, and we know how that's going to play out then, thanks to the apostles and prophets.
So when Nebuchadnezzar should have been doing what God wanted him to do, he's doing what he wants to do.
You see, Nebuchadnezzar should have been gathering the people together from all these provinces to learn about the stone that's going to reign forever here on earth.
He should have been calling for Daniel to teach everyone, including himself, about the promised Savior and how they could be part of his coming kingdom that would endure forever.
That's what I'd want to know.
I'd say, well, now, if I'm this head of gold and this stone's coming out, and these are future kingdoms down here, this stone comes out and breaks.
Our image and me included, all of our kingdoms go away, and then this stone becomes a kingdom.
How can I be part of that kingdom?
That's what I want to know.
How can I keep from being destroyed?
How can I be preserved?
Oh no, he says, I'll preserve it myself.
My kingdom will not fall.
Let's make this great image, and we'll make it gold from head to toe.
And so instead of Calling everyone to gather around to learn about the stone.
He sent people out to gather the nations together for a global worship of this image that represented his kingdom.
And thus it indirectly brought worship to him.
Make sense?
Now, this is a counterfeit.
Of what God does through Christ.
That's why it the spirit of Antichrist at work.
Again, God also sends His servants out.
To gather the nations.
He told us to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
And through the gospel message, God is gathering His elect.
Together to worship his son, to celebrate his kingdom, and the kingdom is the bride, his church.
In Matthew chapter 22, verses 2 and 3, Jesus said, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king.
Which made a marriage for a son.
Man, that's good.
He's explaining what it's like.
The Old Testament explains that God is the king of everything, of all creation.
And Jesus says, the kingdom of heaven, talking about the kingdom of heaven being here on earth.
Is like a king, and this king says here makes a marriage for his son.
Now, you see, the son is the heir to the throne.
The son that the king is making this marriage for, he is the stone cut out of the mountain.
Now, the marriage, and the reason we're called the bride of Christ is this: the king is also a groom, his kingdom is also a bride.
And so, here's the thing.
Before our conversion to Christ, and apart from our conversion to Christ, apart from the cross of Jesus Christ.
God's human race that he created is completely separated from him.
Completely separated.
And so the kingdom of heaven is like a marriage, Jesus said.
Do you know what that means?
That means through the gospel, when God makes a marriage for his son, that is Creation in Creator being brought back into an eternal union.
That's why it's like a marriage.
God makes a marriage for his son because he's going to unite the king and his people back together forever.
Sin separates us.
The gospel returns us.
The Bible says, Ye who at one time were far off are now made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Isn't that good, brother?
That's the marriage, that's the marriage of the Lamb.
To the people the Lamb died for.
Oh man, the marriage of the Lamb.
So Jesus says, the kingdom of heaven is likened to a certain king which made a marriage for his son, and that king, of course, is the stone in Nebuchadnezzar's Dream.
So in Matthew 22:2, the king makes a marriage for his son.
That's the union of the kingdom, that's us, to Jesus, the king, verse 3, and sent You see that in verse 3?
And sent forth his servants.
Why did he send forth his servants?
To call them that were bidden to the wedding.
You see, as a servant of Jesus Christ, Paul does that a lot of times, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, or a servant of Jesus Christ, or something like that.
God has sent us forth.
And as I'm preaching the gospel to people and I'm telling the good news of what Jesus has done, you know what I'm doing?
I'm bidding them.
I'm inviting them.
Hey, come to the wedding.
Come be rejoined back to your Creator through what Jesus has done.
But what does it say?
They wouldn't come.
And the majority of people that we preach to, that we share a gospel track with, that we witness to, they don't come either, do they?
We give them an invitation, they take it and wad it up and throw it away.
I remember one time I said a gospel booklet.
Out on a table, a smoker's table, smokers' table.
You know, there's people that don't go smoke inside anymore.
They go outside and they'll smoke at a table.
And so I sit on a smoker's table.
I thought, you know what?
They'll come sit down here, they'll get their little cigarette, they'll smoke, and they'll say, What is this?
And maybe they'll read the gospel.
So I set it down out there.
I don't think it was five minutes later I see someone come by, pick it up, look at it, and throw it in the trash can.
Throw in the trash can.
Is that what they do with our invitations?
They wouldn't come.
Now, why wouldn't these people come when they were bid to this wedding?
I'll tell you, it's because they were too busy bowing down to the image of another kingdom.
The kingdom of this world that they belong to.
When you look at Jesus' parables and they're going out and inviting people to come to the wedding, to come to the feast.
They all have excuses.
Well, no, I bought some land, I've got to do this.
No, I've got some animals I just bought, or I've got this over here.
And they all have excuses.
You know what they're doing?
They're bowing down to the kingdom that is.
They're bowing down to a world that is going to be completely destroyed.
Jesus is going to make all things new.
The earth that we know it, the world that we know it, the kingdoms and the politicians.
The politicians that we know right now, it's all going to be done away with.
We're going to have a new heaven, a new earth, a new king, a new life.
And so they invest their time, their affections, their cares, and the things of this world at the expense of rejecting the invitation of being reunited to their Creator.
They wouldn't come, he said.
That's what it's like.
And I can bear witness to that.
I thank God some do come.
I thank God some do.
Nebuchadnezzar's image represented his imagined power and glory.
The glory he wanted himself to have, the glory he wanted his nation, his kingdom to have.
As Nebuchadnezzar's image represented what he imagined his power and glory to be, Jesus Christ is the true image of the all-powerful and glorious God.
He's no imagination.
He's the real thing.
Hebrews chapter 1, verse 3b says Jesus is, quote, the brightness of his glory, God's glory, and the express Image, see that?
The express image of his person.
You see, we have an image that we worship too.
But it is the express image of his person.
Now, when you're looking at me, you have an image on the outside of the man you're listening to on the inside.
And it is that image that you know, and how you know the man on the inside.
In the same way, Jesus is the express image of the invisible God.
He is how we know the God in the most holy place that we cannot see.
So when we worship Jesus, we're not worshiping a dead statue.
We're worshiping the living God by having His image.
He is the express image of His person and upholding all things by the word of His power.
When he had by him purged our sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high.
In spite of the dream that he had, Nebuchadnezzar was trying to secure devotion to his kingdom instead of devotion to Christ's kingdom.
He sent his servants to call people to the great worship service of the image that he made.
Look back now in verse 3, that is, back in Daniel:.
Then the princes.
This is After they were bidden, the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsel, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces were gathered together unto the dedication of the image That Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
And they stood before the image that Nebuch had set up.
So now you have to picture this, all these People from all these different nations coming in.
All these different nations are considered provinces of Babylon since Babylon is in control of them.
So all these representatives from all these nations come in, and they're all standing before this eight-tor-story-tall.
Image of gold, and they're looking up at this fierce-looking thing, just like Nebuchadnezzar did in his dream.
And now they're going to worship this image.
And what it represents.
Now you have to ask yourself: why an image?
I mean, why don't they just bow down to Nebuchadnezzar the king?
Well, remember, an idol is a physical image of a spiritual idea.
The idea is that Babylon will rule forever in all of its glory, larger than life.
And the image is that physical representation of that belief that Babylon is too fierce and powerful to be destroyed.
When people bow down to the image, therefore they're bowing down to the idea behind it.
And that's what's going to happen here on earth one day.
Just before Jesus, the stone comes back to destroy everything that's represented in this image and to rule as king forever.
The false prophet.
There's going be a false prophet that's going to perform miracles, and he's going to call for the world to worship the beast.
But I want you to watch how the false prophet instructs them to worship him.
This is in Revelation chapter 13, verses 13 through 15.
Revelation 13, verses 13 through 15.
And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast, saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast.
Ah, which had the wound by a sword and did live.
The beast is going to survive a deadly wound.
Which will be a counterfeit version of a death and a resurrection.
It's all Antich.
The devil never has any original ideas.
He always counterfeits and perverts God's wor, God's kingdom, God's creation.
And so this beast also will have a deadly wound, but he'll be healed from that wound, and they're going to make a great image of this beast for what it went through and how it survived and all this stuff.
And Nebuchadnezzar's image was about 90 feet tall again.
You see, Nebuchadnezzar wasn't 90 feet tall.
But the image was.
That's why Nebuchadnezzar is not standing up there.
Had it been Nebuchadnezzar standing up there and all those people gathered around, a lot of those people are probably going to be taller than Nebuchadnezzar.
Bigger than Nebuchadnezzar, fitter than Nebuchadnezzar, smarter than Nebuchadnezzar.
Well, he can't have that.
That's not the concept he has.
Nebuchadnezzar is powerful.
His kingdom is powerful.
So you make this image.
And then they come bow to the image instead.
How many of y'all saw the Wizard of Oz?
Man, that was a great show, wasn't it?
A great movie.
You know what I like about The Wizard of Oz?
When they go to see the Wizard, it's this incredible, powerful-looking image.
Lightning and smoke coming like that, and this big voice, and they're trembling, they're scared to death of that image.
Do you know who that image was supposed to be representing?
This little man behind the curtain.
He wasn't anything like the image.
But you know what?
He'd been pulling that off the whole time.
And he wouldn't have them come talk to him.
He'd have them come talk to this image.
And finally, when little Toto comes and he pulls that curtain back, he goes, Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.
That's my favorite part.
You know, that's what the devil does to us.
Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.
That's why we have an image.
That's why.
They're worship this image.
That 's why the Antichrist is going to be worshipped through an image, the man of sin.
Remember, idolatry is not about the truth, it's about the idea behind the image.
The image was large and fierce and forever standing strong.
Nebuchadnezzar wasn't.
And when people stand before the image, they saw the concept that the false prophet wanted them to believe.
And they bow down to that false idea.
When we stand before the image of God, we bow down to the way, the truth, and the life.
When people stand before Christ, they see the actual image of the one true God, the genuine reality of the power and grace of our Creator seen in the man Christ Jesus.
When they bow to the Son, they bow to the Father.
Jesus says, If you've seen me, you've seen the Father.
Why, He's the express image of God.
Nebuchadnezzar constructed an image.
Nebuchadnezzar compelled the nations.
Number three, Nebuchadnezzar composed the music.
He composed the music.
Looking out in verse 4.
Then Harold cried aloud: To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages.
You see how he's trying to gather the whole world together. every tribe, every tongue, every language, this is exactly what the Gospel does.
To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, that at what time you hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sack Psalter, dulcimer, and all kinds of music.
Und the word music.
Now I know it's spelt a little different if you have a King James, but it's still the same word.
All kinds of music, man.
They got a symphony going on here.
I mean, this is going to be one great Top of the line, emotionally stirring worship experience.
Complete with its own orchestra and apparently its own inspirational theme song.
An anthem, if you would.
And now there is an important truth that's staring each one of us in the face as we read this this morning.
And they said the devil uses music to instigate false worship.
You can't deny that.
Here it is.
When the music starts playing, and boy, they got the name all these different instruments they've got.
They're very proud of these different instruments.
And when you hear all these instruments play, this music.
You're going to bow down and worship the image.
The devil uses music to instigate false worship.
And since we know this was false worship, Th we know what kind of music this was.
Here 's a kingdom truth for you this morning: to provoke false worship.
Satan uses music that moves the heart without enlightening the eyes.
To provoke false worship, Satan uses music that moves the he.
Without enlightening the eyes.
Oh, this was emotionally stirring.
It moved them, but it didn't enlighten them.
It couldn't enlighten them.
Why?
Because this was darkness.
This was a lie.
Worship music that gives you chill bumps without giving you Bible truth is a powerful motivator to false worship.
I'm going to repeat that again.
Worship music that gives you chill bumps without giving you Bible truth is a powerful motivator to false worship.
Man, you see these billboards of these mega churches or these little videos, these churches?
And it shows them worship.
There 's always some kind of physical reaction in this worship.
It 's usually Or something like that.
This emotionally stirring stuff.
You know what worship is?
It's when you receive a truth from the Holy Spirit in your mind.
That is, you're reading God's Word or someone is teaching you God's word.
The Holy Spirit gives you an understanding of the word that's being taught.
And when you conceive that truth in your mind, you understand that truth in your mind.
You then respond by giving thanks to God and say, Oh God, thank you.
Oh God, thank you.
That was so good.
I need to learn that.
Lord, thank you.
Lord, you're so good.
Lord, you are the way, the truth, and life.
Lord, you are the true image.
You're not the false.
When you do that, if when we were talking about Jesus just a moment ago and comparing him as the image of God to this false image, and we started talking about how when you worship the Son, you worship the Father, and if in your heart as that truth begins to be revealed, You, Oh, thank you, God.
You know what that is?
That's worship.
That's worship.
Worship is a combination of us having a spirit in us.
Because God is a spirit.
And then God's spirit reveals God's truth to our spirit.
And then our spirit praises him for the truth we received.
Listen to this.
Listen to what Jesus said here.
The Gospel of John chapter 4, verse 24.
Gospel of John chapter 4, verse 24.
Jesus said, God God is a spirit And they that worship him must, must worship him how?
In spirit and in truth.
No other way.
So emotionally stirring music that stirs the heart that doesn't enlighten the eyes, it is a gateway to false worship.
That's why you can have churches that the pastor stands in the pulpit and preaches false gospels.
False.
Yet, prior to the preaching of the false gospel, prior to the preaching of the lies, Everybody was up there doing this right here.
This right here.
You see?
Man.
There's been times I've received the truth and I'd say, God, thank you, thank you, thank you.
There's been times I've done that.
But you know what?
This isn't worship.
This is.
Jesus didn't say true worship must worship him in spirit and the raising of hands or the speaking of tongues.
Or the dancing or anything else, in spirit and in truth.
That's true worship.
Now, if Jesus said that you have those that must worship Him in spirit and in truth, that means some. worship in lies.
Remember Cain?
Cain worshiped.
It was all a lie.
Nebuchadnezzar constructed an image.
Nebuchadnezzar compelled the nations.
Nebuchadnezzar composed the music.
Nebuchadnezzar commanded the people.
Look now, if you would, the herald told the people, verse 5: At what time you hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp.
S, but psalter, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up.
Give your allegiance to our kingdom in the image thereof.
Which was in defiance of the kingdom of Christ, which was on its way.
That's still what people are doing today.
That's why commun nations hate Christianity.
They want no competition.
He constructed an image.
He compelled the nations.
He composed the music.
He commanded the people.
Lastly, he condemned the faithful.
He condemned the faithful.
Verse 6: And whoso falleth not down and worship shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
You see how this is counterfeit?
Where do people go who reject Jesus and his kingdom?
They go to a lake of fire.
The devil counterfeits everything.
And so these people also, if they didn't worship the false image of the kingdom that stands in opposition to the kingdom of Jesus Christ, they're going to be cast into a burning fiery furnace.
This has a spirit of Antichrist all over it.
Revelation chapter 13, verse 15.
And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast.
You listen to that?
People back before the age of technology would have no idea what this was about.
And I may be wrong, but I believe artificial intelligence is going to have a lot going on here.
I really do.
Revelation 13:15, that he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image Of the beast should both speak and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
There is going to be an image set up.
Remember, he told the people to make an image to the beast in the book of the Revelation.
This is something that people create like Nebuchadnezzar.
Nebuchadnezzar made a great image, but he couldn't speak.
It couldn't move.
It couldn't do any of those things.
But you know what?
This image is going to.
This image will be able to speak intellectually.
They'll be able to worship this image.
And this image is going to, I believe, communicate with these people and communicate the concepts and the ideas of the Antichrist.
I want you to notice how the image in the end times will be lifel and able to speak.
Again, it could be artificial intelligence used in conjunction with video and audio technology.
It could be a miracle.
We don't know, but it's going to.
Happen.
It's going to be the fin image ever set up for people to worship.
The image of the last days will have a consistent message that appeals to the people and a consistent portrayal of power and glory before the people's eyes, unlike a frail man.
I was reading the other day.
Boy, our president gets up there and he's powerful looking and everything, but you know what they're doing?
They're focusing on the swelling in his ankles the other day.
You know what else he's doing?
It's noticing he has bruising all over his hands.
And you know what the White House has been doing?
They've been putting makeup on his hands so you wouldn't see the bruising as bad.
That's normal.
They do that in the news, movies, television.
They put makeup on people when they get on there.
Why?
They want to protect their image.
The thing is, he's a 79-year-old man.
His next birthday will be in his 80s.
And you can make someone look as powerful as you want to, but you know what?
The truth is, he's getting old and he's going to die.
But with an image, an image isn't like a man.
A man wears out.
A man gets tired.
A man gets sick.
The image, always powerful and strong and tough and sm, and they'll be able to convey with this image, communic with this image, and this is going to lead the world.
Through the man behind it.
It's going to be an amazing time.
One day, those who belong to the world's kingdom Will accept the message the world gives and they'll bow to its image.
But those who seek a better kingdom, an eternal kingdom, will accept only the gospel of Christ and they'll only bow to him.
And when they do, in that end time, they also, like in Nebuchadnezzar's day, they'll be slain.
By the false religious system of this world.
Revelation chapter 6, verse 9 and 11. 9 through 11.
And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain.
For the word of God.
They were killed for following God's word and for the testimony which they held.
And they cry with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
And white robes were given unto every one of them and it was said unto them that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren that should be killed as they were.
Should be fulfilled.
That's what's coming.
It's going be a time when the church is going to undergo a great trial.
There'll be many people beheaded, killed, sl for their testimony of their faith in Jesus Christ.
You know what?
In the end, we won't have the burning fiery furnace.
We're going to inherit the kingdom of God.
And we're going to live forever, and they will go to the lake of fire.
He condemned the faithful.
But God, in the end, is going to deliver the faithful and condemn them.
Father, we thank you so much for your precious word.
Thank you, Lord, for this amazing passage of Scripture.
It gives us insight into how the world wants to rebel against the kingdom of God.
Man at his heart wants to be worship.
Man wants to be God.
Man wants to be independent of his Creator.
Man wants to rule the world and not submit.
And the world hates anyone that opposes their anti-Christian kingdom agenda.
And Father, we thank you for this understanding so we can understand why the world does not like Christians.
Because Jesus said if they hated me and they persecuted me, they're going to persecute you.
And Father, I thank you that one day, no matter what the people of the image do, we know what the stone is going to do to the image.
In His name we pray.
Amen.
