Dr. David Jeremiah Presents
Living inthe Ageof Signs
Online Destination
Living in the Age of Signs
Online Destination
Sign 2
Power of Hope
Today’s Audio Devotion:
Power of Hope
Medical science and psychology advocate strongly for the power of hope—the positive belief and expectation that a remedy or solution is going to manifest in a season of despair. Losing hope has been shown to eventually have negative consequences on health and well-being.
It may come as a surprise that in the Bible, a book about faith and positive expectations, the phrase “no hope” appears. When writing to the Ephesians, Paul says they had “no hope” in the world. Not some hope, not a little hope, but no hope. He was describing to them their condition before coming to faith in Christ. Without Christ, they (and we) were hopeless. But with Christ, we have hope. Not a lucky charm kind of hope but hope that is an “anchor of the soul” (Hebrews 6:19). If Christ had not entered the world, the world would have no hope of knowing God and being reconciled to Him.
As you celebrate Christ’s coming into the world, remember that you have hope because of Him.
Let thy hope of heaven master thy fear of death.
William Gurnall
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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).