Countdown to Eternity

by Mark Finley

Before we go to the screen, to study one of the most magnificent prophecies ever written in the Bible. I invite you, with me, to bow your heads, to ask this great powerful God to come and dwell in our hearts. To grant us the peace and the confidence that He only can give. Let's pray together.

Father in heaven, as we look out at the universe, we sense that you are a great, powerful and all-mighty God. We sense that the God that guides the stars, also guides history. And tonight as we look at the rise and fall of nations, as we look at the Bible prediction of the future of our world, open our hearts, open our minds, and give us confidence that this world is in Your hands. In Christ's name. Amen.

My topic tonight, is titled "Countdown to Eternity." The drum beat of history. Is echoing and reechoing in our ears. The march of the nations. And the destiny of the nations reveals that indeed, God's word has been accurate all the time. Tonight, Countdown to Eternity.

Some time ago, I was alone at home. And there racing through a grocery store, as I headed through that grocery store, I came to the check-out counter. When I arrived at that check-out counter, I noted that indeed there was something different that was going on. I came through, and I noted a tabloid newspaper, one of those sensational kinds of tabloid newspapers. One of those tabloid newspapers that, you know, kind of -- you don't read them and neither do I. No, let me assure you that I am no tabloid newspaper buff. Let me assure you that my thinking is that tabloid newspapers are for -- well, sensational folks that are really kind of emotional pea-brains. But as I ran through that check out counter, my eyes fixed on that tabloid newspaper. I looked. And I gazed. And I gazed again. Then, I bought the newspaper. The headlines said "Bible predictions for 1996!" Bible predictions for '96. This was in January, and I knew that our presentations, via satellite, were coming up in October. So, I just wanted to check in on the tabloids for a moment.

Well, they said, in February, February 19 of '96, millions to convert to Christianity. Well, February went by. That one is wrong. In March of 1996, record heat and drought would destroy crops all across America and around the world and there would be great famine. Well, tabloids are wrong on that one. Then they said that in Europe, in '96, in Germany and France, the stock market would crash. And the anti-christ would rise in Europe. Failure number three. That one didn't happen. And then, they said in July of '96, there would be a great rainstorm and thunder and lightning, and a mile high image of Jesus would appear over the U.S. Capitol. I'm losing confidence in the tabloids all the time. I was pretty interested in the next prophecy, though. It said, in the fall of 1996, an evangelist would be preaching. That it would be captured via video. And then it said, this evangelist would ascend up into heaven. And then I read it was in Dallas, not Orlando, I knew that wasn't me! They failed on that one, too. Then they said, that over Montreal, in August, the four horse men of Apocalypse would ride, and then they would ride over Copenhagen as well.

Why would a tabloid newspaper print a headline that said "Bible Predictions for 1996". Why would they do that? Because they want to sell their newspaper. They recognize that thousands of people all over the world, are interested in Bible prophecy. They recognize that thousands of people all over the world, recognize that we are facing the year 2000. They recognize that as we're approaching the year 2000, that maybe, just maybe, in this last decade of the second millennium, that maybe we're faced with the end of time. Maybe there will be a new age usher

ed in. Maybe a new world order will be ushered in. Maybe just maybe these people wonder, and they say, maybe, that we are living on the verge of eternity, and the second coming of Christ. And so, tabloid newspapers want to sell papers. So they tune in to popular opinion. Profit is the bottom line. There is not one Bible text in that whole article. It was filled with half truths and untruths and falsehoods and assumptions.

Yet when we look around the world tonight, we can recognize very clearly that something decisively is wrong. Look for example at the events in the Middle East, in the last few days, in the last few weeks. As the Israelis were digging a tunnel, from the Western Wall to the Via De La Rosa, the place where Christ walked. All of Jerusalem and the west bank area in Gaza Exploded. The Palestinians sensing that that was a signal from Israel that Jerusalem is to be the capital of the Middle East. Became infuriated and so the Middle East, went up in flames, riot, revolution. Police in the streets, beating back the demonstrators. Shooting, killing, not only with rubber bullets, but with live ammunition.

Yes, what does the future hold? Will the middle east explode into some tinder box. What does the future hold? Will world war IV be initiated from the Middle East? Will this planet be reduced to a spinning globe of ash in some nuclear holocaust. Do we have any information from the psychics? Any better information than merely the fortune tellers of our day? Indeed we do. We can go to the reliable word of God. That unfailing book that down through the centuries has revealed the future. In fact, God challenges all the false prophets, and he says in Isaiah 46:10 [text]. What does God do, everybody? What does He do? He declares the end of time from the beginning. And from the ancient times, the things that are not yet done. It is God that declares the end from the beginning. Not some psychic. Not some clairvoyant. Not the newspaper. He says, I am God. And there is none else. None like me declaring the end from the beginning. But has the Bible outlined history in advance? Has the Bible described the destiny of the nations for thousands of years?

Come with me tonight. To an ancient king's dream. Come with me tonight. To the ancient bedroom and palace of the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar. We traveled back in time. A thousand years. Two thousand years. 2500 years. To the ancient bedroom of the king of Babylon. We traveled through the famed Ishtar Gate. Into the heart of Babylon itself. King Nebuchadnezzar went to sleep one night, and as he went to sleep, he had a strange dream. There as he was sleeping, his dream troubled him. He awoke the next morning and couldn't remember what He had dreamt. Have you ever had a dream, you woke the next morning and you couldn't remember it? Maybe you ate too much pizza the night before. Maybe my polish friends ate too much borsht the night before. Or the Germans ate too much sauerkraut the night before. Maybe the Chinese ate too much -- I don't know... rice the night before. But anyway, have you ever gone to sleep, food has laid on your stomach like a lead brick. You had all kinds of thoughts.

It wasn't that king Nebuchadnezzar had a banquet the night before. He went to sleep, but it was God that gave him that dream. It wasn't over indulgence.

As he woke up, he couldn't remember his dream, so he called together the wise men of his empire. He called his psychics, and his astrologers, and his clairvoyance, and his fortune tellers. Read the Bible description in the second chapter of the book of Daniel.

So you see the magicians were those that would cut the liver of the calf and look at the designs and say, this is what your dream means. They would drop oil on water and look at the pattern and say, this is what it means. The sorcerer were those that communicated with the dead to try to discover truth about life and the living. The astrologers, were not astronomers. Astronomers study the heavens. The astrologers attempted to look at patterns in the sky, constellations and p

redict the future.

He called in these wise men, so-called. He urged them and said, what did I dream last night, I have forgotten. What does it mean? They said, king, you tell us what you have dreamt and we will tell you what it means. He said, look if you can't tell me, what I dreamed in my bedroom 24 hours ago, you can't tell me 24 years in the future. Or you can't tell me a hundred years in the future. Or 2500 years in the future. Tell me, what did I dream last night and what does it mean? If you don't tell me, I'm going to cut off your arms, and legs and put a spear through your heart and cut off your head. Then you are really going to be in trouble.

Indeed. What motivation. But these so-called wise men of Babylon were baffled. They had no idea what the king had dreamed. And they were threatened with the decree that they would be executed. The king said, execute them. There was one in the realm, a young Hebrew in his late teens, Daniel. A Hebrew captive that the Babylonians had brought to Jerusalem after they had attacked Jerusalem. They brought Dan yet back to Babylon. He served the true God and came before Nebuchadnezzar. He was an intelligent wise man of Babylon. Not one of the soothsayers. But Daniel was a young Jew who knew God. One of God's chosen people at the time. Daniel said, king, give me time. King, I will go back and I will pray and seek God, because here is a mystery that I cannot explain. Here is a secret too great for me to unravel.

Is there some mystery in your life that you can't explain? Some problem in your life too great to solve? Is there in your own life, some perplexity that you are facing right now regarding the future? Daniel was faced with death. If he could not explain the dream like the other wise men of Babylon. Daniel knew just what to do. There, quietly, he opened his heart to the Creator of the universe. And God revealed to Daniel the answer to the perplexity, the solution to the problem. God unraveled the difficulty. He'll do that for you, my friend. He'll do that for you, sir. He'll do that for you, ma'am. When you're facing that problem in your marriage that is unsolvable. When you are facing that problem with your kids that is unsolvable. When your life seems to be falling apart. There is a God in heaven.

Daniel came back to king Nebuchadnezzar, indeed friend, prayer makes a difference. God revealed the answer to the problem to Daniel. And Daniel came in before the king. And Daniel said: Daniel 2:28 "There is a God in Heaven." Don't you like that? Not maybe He's up there. Not perhaps He's up there. Not as highly likely He's up there. What does the text say everybody? But there what -- there is a God in heaven, who reveals secrets. What does this God in heaven do? He reveals secrets. He'll unravel the mysteries of your life. He'll reveal the secrets about the future. He will give you guidance and wisdom and direction. You can come to him. He's the God of the universe. He's a personal God. He reveals secrets. And he has made known what shall be in the -- What? In the what days? In the latter days. The dream that king Nebuchadnezzar could not remember, that would be revealed by Daniel, takes us from Daniel's day down the stream of time to the latter days.

Daniel began to explain that dream to the king. And he said, king, in your dream you saw a great Image. Indeed, king, that is the -- the king said, That is what I saw. He said, that image was carved out without hands. That image was carved from a stone, from the mountain. And then Daniel began to describe that image. He said, king, that image had a head of gold. It was a great mighty image, a powerful image. It had breast and arms of silver. Thighs of brass. Yes, king, that image had legs of iron. Then that image had feet of iron and clay. Then, O, king, there was a rock cut out mysteriously that came. And as it came, it smashed the image on the feet. And as it did, that image shook and tumbled and went down in pieces. And then, that rock, turned it to powder. That rock filled the earth.

Indeed, what does the dream represent? Now, if you were Nebuchadnezzar, what would you Have said? Yes, Daniel, that is my dream. That image with the head of gold. That image with the breast and arms of silver. That image with the thighs of brass. That image with the legs of iron. That image with the feet of iron and clay. Yes, I saw the stone smash it down. But, Daniel, what does it mean?

Now, there are some people that have the idea that Prophecy is a matter of guesswork. That everybody has their own interpretation. This person believes that. The next person believes that. It's just kind of everybody write something down, you put it in a big basket, you close your eyes. "Ah, that looks good."

Who gave this dream to Nebuchadnezzar? Who gave him the dream? God. If God gave Nebuchadnezzar the dream, folk, don't you think God is wise enough to interpret the dream? The same God that gave the dream to Daniel, gave the interpretation to Daniel. So, let's look at what Daniel, under the inspiration of God's spirit says about the meaning of the dream.

Daniel 2:38. Daniel looks Nebuchadnezzar in the eyes and says, you are this head of gold. And after you will follow another nation inferior to you, a third nation and a fourth nation. Daniel said to Nebuchadnezzar, the four medals, gold, silver, brass and iron represent four kingdoms or nations.

Daniel looked at Nebuchadnezzar and said, you, that is your nation, Babylon, represents the head of gold. Babylon was a mighty nation. That ruled the world from 605 BC to 539 BC. In this dream, God outlined the nations that would be world dominant, from Daniel's time to our time. The nations that would rule the world. He outlined them in succession. He said, there would be four. God then, through Daniel's prophecies named the first three of these nations. He then describes in the new testament the fourth of these nations. He tells exactly what would happen after these four would rule the nation, then what would happen? He describes our day. He describes events that are going on today. We can have confidence in what the Bible says about today and the future, because this prophecy has been following down through the ages like an arrow headed toward a target. This prophecy has been on target. History has been following this prophecy like a blueprint. This prophecy has been confirmed for 2500 years.

Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom, Babylon. Would rule the world. Indeed it did. The archaeologists have recently discovered this tablet called, a letter from Nebuchadnezzar. In the letter, from Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar describes the wealth and splendor of Babylon. He says that the whole earth bowed prostrate at the feet of Babylon. Babylon was a mighty nation. More than 60 miles around. Its walls were some 90 feet high. The wall was so wide that three chariots would race side by side on the wall of Babylon. The river Euphrates ran through the center of Babylon. And it gave it a constant 20-year food Supply. In fact, Nebuchadnezzar's idea was that Babylon would last forever. Here is a clay tablet found not long ago. In which an inscription by Nebuchadnezzar said this: The excellence see of the kingdoms may at last forever. Nebuchadnezzar was a ruler in the Middle East whose kingdom was dominant in that oil rich region of the Middle East. And Nebuchadnezzar wand his kingdom to dominate the Middle East forever.

In fact, Nebuchadnezzar's desire was that his kingdom last forever. And never, ever come to an end. Babylon, you might be interested in knowing, is approximately 60 miles south of the city of Baghdad, modern day Iraq. "Time" magazine had an article on Saddam Hussein. It said that Saddam Hussein's hero is Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. The article was entitled? "The Master of His Universe". I quote the article, "Saddam had himself photographed not long ago, in a replica of the war chariot of Nebuchadnezzar. The Babylonian king, who Saddam apparently reveres as his hero. Despite a bout of insanity, Nebuchadnezzar made his name in history by destroying Jerusalem in 587 BC. And driving its inhabitants into 70 years of

captivity." The notice what the article says, "It is fair warning." In other words, Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem. Saddam's hero is Nebuchadnezzar. Saddam looks toward Jerusalem again to attack it, as his hero Nebuchadnezzar, to dominate the Middle East.

But wait a minute, will Iraq dominate the Middle East? Dominate the world? This prophecy is up to date. The Bible said first, the Babylon the head of gold. Then goes on to say, another kingdom would come on after Babylon. Babylon ruled the world from 605-539 B.C. But from the head of gold, the statue proceeds. Its like we are looking through a window that starts In the past, and takes us into the future. The curtain of prophecy has indeed been pulled aside.

Daniel 2:39. After thee, after Babylon, shall arise another Kingdom inferior to thee. After Babylon. The next nation that was to rise to be a world dominant power, was indeed the nation of Medio-Persia. As described in the breast and arms of silver. Just as silver is inferior quality to gold, so Medio-Persia would not be quite as powerful as Babylon. How did Babylon fall, you ask? King Belteshazzar, in Babylon one night through a drunken feast. Indeed the wine flowed like water. The music played. Babylonian women embraced their Babylonian men. But then, a bloodless hand wrote mysteriously on the wall, interrupting that night of pleasure. Interrupting that feast. Interrupting that party. The bloodless hand wrote words in flaming crimson, words in fire on the wall of Babylon. Daniel the prophet was called to read the words on the wall. Nobody in Babylon could read them. The words on the wall went like this. Mene, "God has numbered your kingdom and finished it." Tekel, "You are weighed in the balances and are found wanting." There comes a last night. To everything and everyone on earth, there is a last party. There is a last drink of wine. There is a last cigarette. There is a last dance. There is a last cigar. There is a last night of pleasure. Judgment fell that night on Babylon. Thou art weighed in the balances, and found wanting. Peres - Thy kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and the Persians.

In fact, the Bible actually named the Medes and Persians before the book. Who would follow Babylon? Described the Meda Persia empire. Cyrus, the king of Persia or general of Persia. That attacked and over through Babylon, was named in the Bible, now watch this, don't miss it, 150 years plus before he was born. Here the prophet Isaiah, chapter 45, describes an event that would happen at least 150 years in the future. Cyrus wasn't even born yet, but God describes him. To subject the nations before him. I'll loose the loins of the kings, to open before him the two leafed gates, the gates shall not be shut.

How did the Medes and Persia overthrow the Babylonians? They had a 20 year food supply. History tells us they actually came to the walls of Babylon. And the Babylonians threw their food over the walls. And said to the Medes and Persians don't worry about us, we'll out-last you. We have food. Cyrus dammed up the Euphrates river that ran through the center of Babylon. He marched his army down the dry river bed. They came up inside the city. The levied gates were open because the drunken feast. You see, there were outer gates and inner gates. He marched under the outer gates. He came up inside the city. And then went through the inner gates that were left open. Indeed, Babylon fell without a battle in one night.

The Bible named Babylon. The Bible named Medio-Persia. The Bible named Cyrus as the leader. You're looking at the Cyrus cylinder found today in the archaeological section of the British museum in London. This cylinder is the rock record that describes Cyrus's attack and his overthrow of Babylon. We can read it in the Bible. But it's also recorded in the rocks. Indeed the Bible is accurate. Indeed, the Bible does not guess, it knew Medo-Persia would rule the world from 539-331 B.C.

After that, another kingdom would rise. That kingdom described in the thighs of brass. Notice Daniel two verse 39. What nation was it that would overthrow the

Medes and Persians? The Greek empire, the Greek under Alexander the Great. At 33 years old, Alexander rose to prominence. Incidentally, Alexander and Jesus both died at 33. One conquered the kingdoms of hell for eternity. The other, attempted to conquer the kingdoms of this earth. The Greeks came down, as mighty warriors attacked and overthrow the Medo-Persian. In fact one historian said this about the repetition with which the Greek soldiers attack and overthrow the Medes and Persians. In that historical library book 16, chapter 12, it says this: "There seems to me to have been some Divine hand presiding both over his birth and actions." Even secular historians recognize that in the rise and fall of nations, in the Divine drama of destiny, in the destiny of nations, that a Divine hand was guiding.

Babylon. Medo-Persia and Greece. But would Greece rule supreme? The Greeks fell to the mighty armies of Rome. Greece ruled the world from 331-168 BC. Rome began to develop military supremacy. And Rome -- Rome described as that 4th kingdom. The Bible says Daniel 2:40. Finally there will a fourth kingdom. Strong as iron. For iron breaks and smashes everything. A fourth kingdom.

Babylon. Medo-Persia. Greece. And then the 4th kingdom, the Romans over through the Greeks. Indeed, the Roman empire extended over the then known world. And it is well-known by historians throughout the world, that Rome indeed followed in this sequence. Rome ruled the world from 168 BC to the mid 4th Century.

In fact, listen to what the greatest historian of Rome, Gibbon. The historian borrows imagery from the book of Daniel. And he talks about the imagery of gold, Babylon. Silver, medo-persia. Brass, Grecia. He says they were broken. Historians recognize that in this prophecy of Daniel, we see the march of history. Would there be a 5th nation that would overthrow Rome? Babylon, medo-persia, Greece, Rome.

I might predict like this: Gold, silver, brass, iron. Copper, tin, zinc, aluminum. In other words, if I were human being predicting, one nation, two nations, three, four. Five, six. Now let me ask you this question. For those of you that are students of history, what do you know about Rome? Was it over thrown by a 5th ruling empire? What nation over threw Rome? What happened to it? It was what? Divided.

Rome was not over thrown by a 5th world ruling nation. So, for this prophecy to be accurate, it means that it must describe a division in the roman empire hundreds of years in advance. Let's see what the prophecy says. Daniel 2:41. Please read it. The Kingdom shall be what? There in Maine? What shall it be. I heard you, Maine. Divided. There in the Midwest, what shall it been? Divided. There in the south, what? It shall be? Divided. There in the western states, what shall it Be? Divided. Canadians, what shall it be? Those that I missed, what shall it be? The Bible says the kingdom shall be divided. Rome was divided. Indeed exactly like the Bible says. The barbarian tribes came down. They overthrew Rome.

The Alamanni settled in the areas of Germany. The Burgundians, that came from the north, settled In Switzerland. The Franks settled in France. The Lombards settled in Italy. The Saxons settled in England. The Visigoths are the Spanish. The rest are three tribes that are now extinct. As we look at Europe tonight, and we see the invasions that occurred after Rome broke up. The Romans ruled the world from 168 B.C. to approximately 351 A.D. The middle of the 4th century. Rome began to crumble and fall apart. When you look at Europe tonight, Europe is divided. It has been divided down through the centuries. The Bible says, first Babylon, followed by Medo-Persia, then followed by Greece, then followed by Rome. Then after the divisions of the roman empire, then indeed, Europe would be divided. History has been following this pattern like a blueprint. But now the prophecy coming down to our day, becomes most fascinating. It becomes most illuminating. It tells about the future of our world. Read, Daniel 2:43.

What indeed would happen? The nations of Europe that were divided, there would be attempts to unite Europe by a "mingling of seeds". That is to say, intermarriage. God said, Europe would be divided. Then political leaders would attempt to inter-marry to bring Europe back together again. Napoleon, for example, married Louis of Austria to unite the Hapsburg line.

For a number of years, I had the wonderful of privilege of living and working in Europe. One of the favorite countries that I have is the Country of Denmark. A beautiful country. I spent about six months in Copenhagen and I would travel to the castles. I'd like to take you with me to the Fredricksborg Castle. As we enter into this castle. We go into the royal chambers of this castle in Denmark. And there on the walls is a family tree of Europe. In fact, in this family tree, you have King Frederick and Queen Diana. This family tree shows how all royal families of Europe at that time were all united through King Frederick and Queen Diana in an attempt to mingle their seeds to unite Europe.

Or, you take Germany. At a one time, the house of Hanover, its lords, tried to marry off with the royalty of Britain to unite Europe. The history of Europe is the history of attempts to mingle the seeds, that is to inter-marry, to unite them. But the Bible says, they shall not cleave one to another. It says, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men. They have done that down through the centuries. Read, Daniel 2:43.

Just as iron and clay do not unite, attempts through intermarriage, attempts through war, attempts through politics. The divisions of Europe, the countries of Europe are an eloquent testimony to the accuracy, the reliability of Bible prophecy. Would-be world rulers, Louis XIV, Charles the V, have attempted to unite Europe. They have failed. The prophecy says, "they shall not cleave one to another." All of the kings and politicians and political leaders, attempting to break that prophecy, have not succeeded. These words have rung true through history. They shall not cleave, one to another. Napoleon tried to unite all of Europe. And as Napoleon attempted to unite Europe, the Bible teaches, that that attempt too would be a failure. When Napoleon was defeated in 1815 at the Battle of Waterloo, it is reported that he said, "God all mighty is too much for me." Indeed he is. Too much for any political ruler.

The head of gold, Babylon. Breast and arms of silver, Media Persia. Thighs of brass, Grecia. Legs of iron, Rome. Feet of iron and clay, divided Rome. Trying to mingle iron and clay. That unification did not happen. Indeed, God's word has proven true down through the centuries. They shall not cleave, and they haven't.

In fact one historian describing the defeat of Napoleon said this, "What was the adversary of Napoleon?" Then he goes on, "Only the destiny and interposition of God", lectures on modern history, lecture 3 by Arnold. Indeed it was God that was in control. The nations are in God's hands. The destiny of the nations is in the hand of the One that created the universe. This world's history has a purpose. History is not a kaleidoscope of events. History is not a mixed assortments of happenings. History is not in the hands of some king. It is not in the hands of some royalty. It is not in the hands of some dictator. It's not in the hands of a president. It is in the hands of God. The Bible says, that would be world rulers would try to unite Europe. In this century, we have experienced World War I and World War II. Great terrible conflict of war. The bombs fall. Thousands of lives lost, millions of lives lost, in this century.

Attempts to unite Europe by varying political leaders. Attempts by armies to settle the destiny of the world. But the destiny of this world is not in the hands of Man. It is in the hands of God. Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin, meeting at Yalta to decide the history and political future after the Second World War. But, again, history is not in the hands of these world leaders. Would-be world leaders

have tried to hold history in their hands down through the centuries. Degaul, and other world leaders, wanting to shape the destiny of the world. Hitler, wanting to shape the destiny of the world. Truman, hoping to shape the destiny of the world. Eisenhower, hoping to shape the destiny of the world. Castro hoping to shape the destiny of the world. But there is only one shaper of the destiny of the world. It is the Lord Jesus Christ. There is only one shaper of the destiny, that is our God. Political leaders will rise and fall. But God is eternal. Political leaders will come and go. But God is eternal.

The head of gold. The breast and arms of silver. The thighs of brass. The legs of iron. The feet of iron and clay not united, attempt to mingle through inter-marriage and political means. But what is the next event? We're not living in the head of gold. We're not living in the breast and arms of silver. We're not living in the thighs of brass. We're not living in the legs of iron. We're living right down in the toes of the image. What is the next event in history? What event will occur next? The Bible says the dream is certain and the interpretation is sure. The Bible then goes on to say, that a rock. A rock cut out without hands. Notice, "in the days of these kings", the days when political leaders are trying to unite Europe. In the days of these kings shall the God of Heaven set up a kingdom. That shall -- what's that word? Never be destroyed.

The rock represents the kingdom of Jesus Christ. We're not in the head of gold. We're not in the breast and arms of silver. We're not In the thighs of brass. We're not in the legs of iron. We're not right at the beginning of divided Europe. There is a rock that is solid. A rock that is stable. There is something for mankind to build his hope in. There is a solid foundation. The rock represents the kingdom of God. A stone cut out without hands. The rock Jesus Christ. This is describing his return. And the next event is the coming of the Lord. The Bible says it, Christ kingdom, will break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms. It shall stand forever. Babylon, temporary, rose and fell. Media Persia, temporary, rose and fell. Greece, rose and fell. Rome, temporary, rose and fell. But there is a kingdom that is on its way. There is a kingdom that is coming that is permanent. That is lasting. That will never fade away. The eternal kingdom of our God.

Friend of mine, tonight, God wants to you live in that kingdom. Where there is no more suffering. Where there is no more heart ache. Where there is no more sorrow. That rock of ages, Jesus Christ, offers you that eternal kingdom.

During the second world war, the bombs were dropping on London. The earth was shaking. Buildings were crumbling. A father and his 7-year-old daughter were the only ones that remained in their family. Two sons were killed in the bombing the. The mother was killed in the bombing. Dad and his daughter were in a bomb shelter. And as they were there, the little girl was so frightened. The earth was just trembling. She said, "Daddy -- I'm afraid of the bombs." "We're in a bomb shelter. We're protected." "Daddy, I can't go to sleep unless you hold my hand." He reached over, took her hand. A bomb came down that shook the shelter. "Daddy, I'm afraid. I can't go to sleep." "Oh, honey, to go sleep. Go to sleep, honey." "I can't go to sleep, Daddy, unless I know your face is turned toward me."

God's face, friend, is turned toward this earth. This earth won't be destroyed as a spinning globe of Ash. This earth won't be destroyed in some famine or holocaust, this earth is in the hand of God. And very soon Christ will come. Soon, and very soon, he will stream down the chorus of the skies, the heavens will be illuminated with His glory. Soon and very soon, we'll be taken to a land where there is no more sickness and sorrow and death. And soon we'll fall at his feet and sing Holy, Holy, in that kingdom that lasts forever.

Let's pray together tonight. One day, when earth is over. We can live in the kingdom that lasts forever. Would you bow your heads right now. Wherever you are,

just bow your heads. Quietness. We want to pray. Talk to the creator of the universe. Ask him to come into our lives. Ask him to help us to be ready. To live with him forever. Would you like tonight just to slip up your hand and say, Lord, I want to live in that kingdom. Where there is no suffering, or sickness, or heart ache or death. Would you just slip up your hand right now. Father, we long to live with you, in all eternity, and bow at your feet and cry holy. When the kingdoms of earth are passed away, when Christ establishes his kingdom, we want to be there. This world is not in the hands of man, but in the hands of God. We thank you, that soon you shall come and a new world order will be ushered in. And Christ's kingdom will ultimately be established. In Jesus name. Amen.