Part 3 "Cut to a Stump"

People often ask how can I be so strong and confident in my faith? I have just had another personal tragedy, my 4th miscarriage at the 3 month mark. Knowing that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever gives me the strength to carry on. I wake up each morning and open my Bible and remind myself that He is my Rock and will never leave me. I have walked away from Him in the past, but He never left me. I have learned over my life that God doesn't change...people do. I have made a conscience choice to follow Him and allow the growth I need to mature and become more like His Son everyday.

Something amazing happened to King Nebuchadnezzar in chapter 4 of Daniel. It was 30 years after Daniel's buddies were saved from the burning furnace. The king had another dream and he asked Daniel to tell him what it meant. "The tree you saw, which was strong , with its top touching the sky, visible to the whole earth, with beautiful leaves and abundant fruit, providing food for all, giving shelter to the beasts of the field, and having nesting places in its branches for the birds of the air--you, O king, are that tree! You have become great and strong; your greatness has grown until it reaches the sky, and your dominion extends to distant parts of the earth. You, O king, saw a messenger, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, 'Cut down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump, bound with iron and bronze, in the grass of the field, while its roots remain in the ground." Daniel 4:20-23

God allows tragedy to strike us that is undeniable. But why? Well, it is impossible to live in this world and not face hardships. Life without pain and sin is Heaven not earth. God uses everything that happens in our lives to grow us and He helps us to overcome whatever we face if we let Him. I love the example of the tree being cut to a stump. King Nebuchadnezzar had an amazing and flourishing kingdom. Historians tell us that Babylon was the richest and most luxuriant Empire of all time. God allowed King Nebuchadnezzar to be cut back to a stump, for the purpose of being stripped of disease and grown back into a glorious sight. "The command to leave the stump of the tree with its roots means that your kingdom will be restored to you when you acknowledge that Heaven rules." Daniel 4:26 That is exactly what happened. The king was stripped of almost everything. He finally acknowledged God and praised Him alone. (verse 37)

I have a tree in our yard. This is my favorite tree, a magnolia right outside my bedroom window. Every year we have lived here I have watched it grow and bloom. I take a picture of it in each of the 4 seasons, because it is so beautiful in each one. This is it above when it was in full bloom one spring. We noticed that it was looking sick last year and called the tree guy. He gave me the worst diagnosis, our tree had a soil born virus. The remedy? Cut it down, burn it, and never plant anything there again. I was crushed. I couldn't believe something so beautiful was going to be nothing but a memory. Mike lovingly cut away every branch with the vascular disease. All that was left was a stump and a few branches. It looked dead all fall and winter. Then an amazing thing happened. A few weeks ago we noticed some green growing from the stump!

Little by little we are watching healthy green leaves emerge from the stump and slowly climb up the few branches left. I look forward to the day when I look out my bedroom window again and see my magnolia in its' full and splendid bloom. I have confidence, because I know firsthand that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Nothing is impossible with Him. He wants to grow us all back into the splendor and glory in which we were created.

Part 2 "Do you know the Rock?"

"In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands-a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces." Daniel 2:44-45

Nebuchadnezzar's Dream Part 2

This rock represents the kingdom of Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. This kingdom will fill the whole earth and never be destroyed. Jesus is described over and over in scripture to be the rock, foundation, stone the builders rejected, capstone, the living stone, chief cornerstone, and so on. (see Psalm 118:22-24, 1 Pet 2:4-8, Isaiah 29:16, Matt 21:42-43, Mk 12:10, Lk 20:17, Acts 4:11, Eph 2:20, Ro 9:33 & 10:11)

King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream....it terrified him to the point of hysteria. He knew it meant something big and he paid attention. He didn't rest until an explanation was given. God gave Daniel the dream and it's meaning. At the time of the dream only the head of gold, Babylon had been fulfilled. If every single part of the the statue's pretold analogy has been fulfilled up to the toes over a span of 2,600 years then it is logical to assume God will fulfill it to the end as well. I do not know when the end will come, no one does, but I know we are not at the shoulders or belly button, we are under the feet. The Rock is coming...do you know Him?

"That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9

Part 1 "Neb's dream...interpreted and fulfilled."

Ever feel like some Scripture is over your head or just plain doesn't make any sense? Well, I have, which is why I was reluctant and excited at the same time to study the books of Daniel and Revelation. I am going to post a recap of what I have been studying in small bits so as not to overwhelm, because it is exciting...mind blowing stuff...ENJOY!!!

What started the whole series of events in the time of Daniel was the dream that King Nebuchadnezzar had. (Daniel speaking) "You looked, O king, and there before you stood a large statue -an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. Then, the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and gold were broken into pieces at the same time and became chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the huge rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth." Daniel 2:31-35 (NIV)

One of the remarkable things about Daniel recounting this dream to the king is that the king had told no one the dream, but demanded they tell HIM what he saw! Daniel was given the knowledge from God to tell King Neb what he saw and then he told him what it meant.

" This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king. You, O king, are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory........you are that head of gold. After you another kingdom will arise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron-for iron breaks and smashes everything-and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others. Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw the iron mixed with clay. As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay." Daniel 2:36-43

Okay, so here is the prophetic dream fulfilled up to date....

the HEAD was made of gold, famous ruler was Nebuchadnezzar, historical fulfillment: the Babylonian Empire, 626-539 B.C.

the CHEST was made of silver, famous ruler was Cyrus the Great, historical fulfillment: the Medo-Persian Empire, 539-331 B.C. (the two arms represent the two sides which united to conquer Babylon as the Medes and Persians)

the BELLY and THIGHS were made of bronze, famous ruler Alexander the Great, historical fulfillment: the Grecian Empire, 331-63 B.C.

the LEGS were made of iron, famous rulers were Octavian (Augustus), Tiberious, and Nero, historical fulfillment: the Roman Empire, 63 B.C-A.D. 476

the FEET made of iron and baked clay can be interpreted as the outgrowth of the divided Roman Empire. The toes on the feet may very well represent a political system yet to come. This is the time up to now continuing until Christ's return.

The dream given to Nebuchadnezzar by God, revealed and interpreted by Daniel by God, and perfectly fulfilled to date over the span of 2600 years by God....AWESOME! One of the cool things to me is the representation of the Roman Empire in the legs and feet and how the iron is mixed in the toes. Roman culture is mixed into every culture alive right now. Us for example, our system of laws and democracy, the architecture of our governmental buildings, even our stadiums! As Mike and I have traveled all over Europe together and toured Rome...it is undeniable that the world as we see it today has evolved from a strong Roman influence. Just look around. We are living in a prophetic fulfilled time with more to come.

Standing up to Babylon and against the "god of pop"

This summer I am hosting a Bible study in my home on the book of Daniel. It has been the BEST study I have ever done, personally, and the ladies that are coming are wonderful. We call it "Souper Thursday", because each week we have a different homemade soup before we begin. The fellowship and bonds that we are forming are beautiful, and the prayer support we give each other like no other, but the best part of all is the Word of God made alive for each one of us.

As a Homeschool Mom standing up to our culture is a natural instinct, but this takes it to a whole new level! We are looking at the World, specifically America, with a whole new lens. The recent Michael Jackson hoopla is a wonderful example of modern day Babylonian thinking. The Babylonian creed was and still is, "I am, and there is no other." At his memorial service yesterday it was said that the loss of MJ is so great, and the mourning so profound, that we need for him to comfort us. How can a deceased man comfort you? Only God can do that and by making MJ a god the lie of false fulfillment is produced.

On Dateline afterwards a psychologist who studies the death and impact of celebrities declared just that when she said, "Michael Jackson is no longer the King of Pop, he is now the god of Pop." I, like most of the world, enjoyed and listened to MJ growing up. My brother called me yesterday and asked me if I still had his poster on my wall, because it was selling for $300 on ebay :) I am not against paying tribute to an awesome entertainer. But Michael Jackson is not a god and does not deserve to be worshiped. He was a man living in the same fallen world as you and I. He was a man needing a Savior. There is but ONE TRUE GOD, and I pray Michael knew HIM.

"But the LORD is the true God; he is the living God, the eternal King. When he is angry, the earth trembles; the nations cannot endure his wrath. Tell them this: 'These gods, who did not make the heavens and the earth, will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.' But God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding. " Jeremiah 10:10-12

Why do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

That is the age old question. I know for me personally, that is a question I have asked and a question family and friends have asked as they have watched us go through 3 miscarriages. In January of this year I studied the book of Job looking for that answer. What I learned was that bad things do absolutely happen to even the best of people. Job was one of those people. He was successful, wealthy, respected, and blessed. He loved the Lord with all his heart and was a faithful follower. The enemy challenged God to allow him to test his faithfulness. He reasoned that Job was only a loyal follower because he was blessed, but just allow a little adversity and he would turn on God. God, being all knowing, saw the whole picture and knew that no matter what the enemy could dish out would not compare to Job's love and devotion. Job never cursed God and he controlled his tongue.

I was fascinated by that. I have a very hard time controlling my tongue with a stubbed toe, yet here was Job who went from the top of the mountain to the bottom of the pit. Why do bad things happen to good people? Well here are a few of my beliefs on the subject. You can respectfully disagree with some or all of them, but I pray it helps you can read them with an open mind and trust the God who created you understanding why we are all subjected to pain and trials.

We live in an imperfect world ushered in by Adam and Eve's original sin of rebellion in the garden.God is all powerful, can heal sickness, disease, and reverse even death.

God's will is not sickness and disease, but He does allows it sometimes and works through us while we are in it.

We would not know the height of joy if we never experienced the sting of pain.

Miscarriage may hurt and be difficult, but a life now exists in heaven that did not before.

God calls us to trust Him through everything, not just when it goes well for us.

God uses every circumstance and trial we go through to touch others around us.

He cares about every single tear you shed and wants to comfort you.

If He allows it...there is a reason.

These are beliefs I have learned by walking closely with the Lord and trusting Him...no matter what. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. I will praise Him continually.

I love this definition of "providence" by Harper's Bible Dictionary:

Providence- God's has a plan and purpose for his world. Providence is not a principle of orderliness or reason; rather, providence is the will of the Creator who is actively involved in moving his creation to a goal. History is not a cyclical process of endless repetition; history is being moved toward the predetermined end.