We're going to be in Daniel chapter 4. Title of the message is Nebuchadnezzar's pride. And right off the bat, Nebuchadnezzar is praising God right off the bat. Then he's going to go in to tell him why he is praising God. What God has done. What God has opened his eyes to. And we'll see here. I believe that Nebuchadnezzar, from what I've been hearing the testimony he gives, I believe that he was saved. I believe that he accepted Christ. Some people may disagree, you know. And it comes down to it, it really doesn't matter. I mean, it doesn't have anything to pertain with salvation or anything. So, you know, we can disagree on some of this stuff, because I don't know and most of these other people don't know either. Verse 1, Nebuchadnezzar the king, unto all people, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth, peace be multiplied unto you. I thought it good to show you the signs and wonders that the High God has wrought towards me. How great are his signs and how mighty are his wonders. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and his dominion is from generation to generation. How did Nebuchadnezzar get this far? Well, he's telling these stories, what opened his eyes to the precious truth. Now this was a good eight years this was for him. Starting here, he's talking, it happened about eight years ago. So it took, it was a long process as we will see. Nebuchadnezzar was at rest. I never can answer was at rest in my house and flourishing in my palace He was at home just resting and you know, just thinking about How great a man he was, you know, he's looking at everything out there he's responsible for You know and he had a lot of pride and Man, he always said look what I accomplished. Look what I did pride There's nothing been there's the Bible has no positive Thing to say about pride All through the Bible when it talks about pride it is negative. There's no good thing about pride pride is pride is It's terrible pride is I saw a dream, verse 5, which made me afraid, and the thoughts upon my bed and the vision in my head troubled me. Therefore made I a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me that they might make known unto me the interpretation of the dream. Nebuchadnezzar's had a lot of dream that he had to have people help figure out what they were didn't he? Then came in the magician the astrologers the Chaldean the soothsayer I told the dream before them, but they did not make known unto me the interpretation thereof But at last Daniel came in before me whose name was Belt Shazar according to the the name of my God and and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods, and before him I told the dream saying, O Belshaster, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret trouble thee. Tell me the vision of my dream that I may see interpretation thereof. I read a commentary where they said that probably bothered Daniel, comparing him being the master and kind of over them false people that was doing all that false religion stuff. I imagine it bothered him some. As I read here, he's still saying gods. Know he's he knows Daniel. God is powerful, but he but he puts him up On number one among all his gods is worshiping. This is because He hasn't been convinced yet that there's only one true God that's going to happen and Thus was the vision of my head in my bed. I saw, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and the height thereof was great. The tree grew and was strong, and the height thereof reached into heavens, and the sight thereof to the ends of all the earth. The leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and it was meat for all. The beasts of the fields had shadows under it, and the fowl of the heavens dwelt in the burrows thereof, and all flesh was fed of it. I saw in a vision of my head upon my bed, and behold, a watcher and a holy one came down from heaven. He cried it loud and said, Hew down the tree and cut off its branches. Shake all the leaves and scatter his fruit. Let the beast get away from under it and the fowls from his branches. Never left, leave the stump of his root in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass in the tender grass of the field. Let it be wet with dew of heaven. Let his portion be with the beast in the grass of the earth. Well, his dreams here is interesting, isn't it? They cut the tree down. I mean, he was wondering about that. That would be something to think about. He was seeing this big tree. You know, it was his kingdom, and everybody was being taken care of because of his kingdom. And the tree gets cut down, and everything's scattered around, but they put a band around the bottom of the tree. Nebuchadnezzar is going to spend seven years in torment. I call it torment because he's going to have the mind of a beast and he's going to be out in the fields eating food that oxen would eat and stuff. There's a mental illness where some people think they are a beast and they act like a beast. You know, they'll eat the food like a beast would eat or an oxen or stuff. He's gonna spend seven years with this mental illness as we I'm getting ahead of myself But his kingdom is preserved for him God is not going to take the kingdom away from him. He just showing him That he is the one true God that's why I think the first three verses he realizes that after going through all this torment torment he had and Let his heart be chained from man, and let a beast's heart be given unto him, and let seven times pass over him, other words, seven years. This matter is by the decree of the Watcher, and the demands by the word of the Holy Ones, to the extent that the living may know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and give it to whosoever he will, and set up over it the basis of man. The dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen, now thou, Belshazzar, declare the interpretation thereof, forasmuch as all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known unto me the interpretation, but thou art able, for the Spirit of the Holy God is in thee." Daniel's troubled thought, the name of this little bit of it of the verses 19 then Daniel whose name was Belt Shazar was astonished for one hour and his thoughts troubled him the king spake and said Belt Shazar let not the dream or the interpretation there trouble thee Belt Shazar answered and said my lord the dream be it to them but hate thee and the interpretation thereof to thine enemies he didn't want to tell him I think deep down he liked the king Sure, the king was vile. He was quick-tempered. But I think Daniel saw something in him. I believe Daniel and his friends prayed for the king that he would want to know the one and true God, the only God there is, the one that created all things. He didn't want to tell him. He was hoping the dream would have been about his enemies. He didn't want that dream to be about him. And verse 20 tells him about the interpretation. The tree that thou saw which grew and was strong, whose height, whose height, reach unto the heavens and the sight thereof to all the earth whose leaves were fair and the fruits thereof much as it was meat for all under which the beasts of the fields dwell upon who branches the fowls of heaven had their habitation it is thou, O king, thou art grown and became strong for the greatness is grown and reached unto heaven thy dominion to the end of the earth he had a big empire And he was responsible for millions and millions of people. You know, he had to take care of them, be responsible for them, make sure everything was, they were protected, they had plenty to eat, had water and had, you know, all the stuff that a ruler would have to do. He has to make sure his whole kingdom is in real good shape and have people responsible to keep it up and keep everything going the way it should. The seven years of illness, starting with verse 23. And where is the King Sulla Watcher and the Holy One coming down from heaven and saying, cue the tree down and destroy it. Yet leave the stump of the roots thereof on the earth, even with a band of iron and brass in the tender grass of the field. Let it be wet with the dew of heaven. Let his portion be with beasts of the field till seven times pass over him." Seven years. This is an interpretation, O King, and this is the decree of the Most High, which is coming to my Lord the King. that they shall drive thee from men, and the dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and thou shalt wed thee with the dews of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou knowest the most high ruler in the kingdom of men, and give it to whosoever he will. Can you imagine seven years of being out like a wild animal and a beast? Seven years is a long time, isn't it? For what he had to go through. But, you know, God was just showing him that he was the one who rules the world. This God here is the true God. He has control over the whole world. He sets people up. Be kings and if and if they do and he gets tired of them doing things they shouldn't do he he takes them aside They put somebody else to be in charge Verse 26 and whereas they commanded to leave the stump the tree root the kingdom shall be sure unto thee after thou shalt have known the heavens do rule so Daniel's letting him know Yeah, you're going to be a beast for seven years. I And, but you won't lose the kingdom. But there is a way that he could have avoided this. If he would have listened to Daniel and repented of all that he did, he wouldn't have had to embrace God and come to the realization that God is in control of everything. There was no God besides the God of Daniel. That's the only God there is. If he would have get rid of his idols, repented of his sins, Put his trust in the one and only true God. He wouldn't had to with you that seven years Wherefore old king let my cancel be acceptable unto thee and break off thy sins by righteousness and I name correctly in equity in equities by shooing mercy to the poor if it may be a linkling of I can kill quilting King prideful boast verse 28 All they came upon the king never can answer At the end of 12 months. He had 12 months to change his ways, but he did not And now he's going to have to suffer the consequences of his sins and his rebellion in each pride. I At the end of 12 months, he walked in the palace, the kingdom of Babylon. The king spake and said, it's not this great Babylon that I had built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power and for the honor of my majesty. He was bragging about all this he created, pride, prideful. While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken, the kingdom is departed from thee, only for seven years. And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beast of the field. They shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, seven times shall pass over thee. until thou knowest the most high ruler in the kingdom of men, and give it to whosoever he will. The same hour was this thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from men. He did eat grass as oxen. His body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hair was growing like eagle feather and his nails like bird claws. At the end of the days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, listen to this, this is a great testimony, lifted up my eyes upon heaven, and my understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored Him that liveth forever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation. And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing, and He does according to His will in the army of heaven. among the inhabitants of the earth and none can stay his hand or say unto him what does thou At the same time, my reason returned unto me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my honor and bright returned unto me, and my counselors and my Lord thought unto me, and I was established in my kingdom. Excellent majesty was added unto me, that I never can e'er praise and extol honor to the King of heaven, all whom's worth, and all his ways, judgment, those that walk in pride, he is able to abase. I believe, like I said earlier, that Nebuchadnezzar became a believer. I believe that this time he realized that it was God, Daniel's God, the only true God. There was no other God but Daniel's God. He came to a realization. Now he's repented. Now he comes to a realization. You know, it took him seven years To be mentally ill, because he thought he was an animal, had mental illness, seven years. But he finally saw the light. Some people are stubborn. It takes some people trials before they accept Christ. Some people have to get to the very bottom where you can't go any lower before they accept Christ. And some people, you know, accept Christ without having to go through all that. But, you know, there's a lot of people out there, you know, that have to go through things before they finally accept Christ. And I thank you.