Dr. David Jeremiah Presents
Living inthe Ageof Signs
Online Destination
Living in the Age of Signs
Online Destination
Sign 2
Exterior Versus Interior
Today’s Audio Devotion:
Exterior Versus Interior
In the Old Testament and in Jesus’ day contact with a dead body rendered a person ceremonially unclean (Numbers 19:16). For that reason, graves and tombs were often whitewashed to keep people from accidentally coming in contact with them. Bright and white on the outside but unclean on the inside.
Jesus used this well-known custom to illustrate that what is on the outside of a person may be very different from what is on the inside. Religiously lifelike on the outside but spiritually dead on the inside. The same can be true today: Being religious on the outside is no guarantee of being spiritually alive on the inside. Jesus said that it is necessary to be born again to enter the Kingdom of God (John 3:3). We must become a “new creation” through faith in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Have you become a new person in Christ? Don’t confuse religious life with true spiritual life.
The Christian faith is ultimately not only a matter of understanding or of intellect, it is a condition of the heart.
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
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Some 2,600 years ago, God gave King Nebuchadnezzar a dream. In this dream, the king saw a five–part statue made of five different metals (see Daniel 2). Each section represented an empire, beginning with Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon. Four of these empires have already risen and fallen in history—a clear fulfillment of Daniel's prophetic interpretation. The fifth and final empire indicates a future Europe—a ten nation coalition that will unite under the Antichrist's rule.
You can read about the King's dream and Daniel's interpretation in Daniel 2, but let's take a quick visual look at what you will find:
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King Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon
Daniel's words to the king are clear. "You are this head of gold" (Daniel 2:37–38).
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Medo–Persian Empire
The Medo–Persian Empire conquered Babylon in 539 BC and remained in power for approximately two hundred years (Daniel 5:28).
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Grecian Empire
Greece's Empire succeeded the Medo–Persians (Daniel 8:21).
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Roman Empire
When the Grecian empire was conquered by Rome, all the lands and peoples of the previous kingdoms were assimilated into the Roman Empire through the strengths of the "iron legions of Rome" (Daniel 2:40).
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Future European Coalition
This empire has not yet risen. Daniel foretells a time when the Roman Empire—Europe—will consist of ten kingdoms or leaders. The future Roman Empire will be present on the earth when God sets up His earthly kingdom (Daniel 2:44).