Dr. David Jeremiah Presents
Living inthe Ageof Signs
Online Destination
Living in the Age of Signs
Online Destination
Sign 2
God With Us
Today’s Audio Devotion:
God With Us
Ahaz, king of Judah, was faced with enemies who sought to conquer Jerusalem (Isaiah 7:1). So the prophet Isaiah told Ahaz that God would give him a sign: A virgin would bear a son who would be named Immanuel—meaning “God with us.” The sign was to convince Ahaz that God would be with him and deliver him from his enemies.
But Isaiah’s prophecy proved to be a foreshadowing of what would happen to another virgin some seven centuries later: Mary, the mother of Jesus. An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him that Mary’s pregnancy was from God (Matthew 1:20-21). And Matthew explains that Mary’s conception was a fulfillment of the prophecy given to Ahaz that a virgin would be with Child and bear a Son who would be called Immanuel, “which is translated, ‘God with us’” (Matthew 1:23). And it happened just as Isaiah prophesied and Matthew confirmed.
Christmas celebrates the reality that God came to dwell among us (John 1:14). And He is with us still by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.
Nothing in or of this world measures up to the simple pleasure of experiencing the presence of God.
A. W. Tozer
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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).