Dr. David Jeremiah Presents
Living inthe Ageof Signs
Online Destination
Living in the Age of Signs
Online Destination
Sign 2
Good Question, God’s Answer
Today’s Audio Devotion:
Good Question, God’s Answer
A timeless question has plagued mankind: Why do the good suffer and the wicked prosper? That question surfaces in the Bible in two extended passages: Job 21 and Psalm 73. Job raised the question because he thought he was a righteous man who had been made to suffer. And the psalmist raised the question because it represented an apparent contradiction. Both writers resolved the question by encountering God and His purposes.
In the latter chapters of his book, Job encountered God and gained understanding about His sovereign ways (Job 42:1-6). The psalmist declared that the contradiction in God’s ways “was too painful for [him]—until [he] went into the sanctuary of God; then [he] understood their end” (Psalm 73:16-17). The “sanctuary” represents Job considering his questions in light of the sovereign purposes of God and the fact that God will balance the scales of justice in the end. For him, it was enough to put his trust in God and “draw near” to Him (verse 28).
Don’t let the carefree lives of those who don’t serve God be a source of frustration. Let Him be your only desire on earth (verse 25).
The humble Christian is far happier in a cottage than the wicked in a palace.
A. W. Pink
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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).