{"id":1075,"date":"2018-09-30T21:10:09","date_gmt":"2018-09-30T21:10:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mistertipster.org\/?p=1075"},"modified":"2018-09-30T21:10:09","modified_gmt":"2018-09-30T21:10:09","slug":"how-will-the-world-end","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mistertipster.org\/?p=1075","title":{"rendered":"Will the world end in a nuclear explosion?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"1075\" class=\"elementor elementor-1075 elementor-bc-flex-widget\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-5b45e6f elementor-section-stretched elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"5b45e6f\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;stretch_section&quot;:&quot;section-stretched&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-no\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-0f4d90f\" data-id=\"0f4d90f\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1683732 elementor-widget elementor-widget-shortcode\" data-id=\"1683732\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"shortcode.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-shortcode\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-syt6xko elementor-section-stretched elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-min-height elementor-reverse-mobile elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-items-middle\" data-id=\"syt6xko\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;stretch_section&quot;:&quot;section-stretched&quot;,&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-background-overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-rswevtc\" data-id=\"rswevtc\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-86y9lav elementor-widget elementor-widget-video\" data-id=\"86y9lav\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;autoplay&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/watch?v=1u8gpn97pzY&quot;,&quot;video_type&quot;:&quot;youtube&quot;,&quot;controls&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"video.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-wrapper elementor-open-inline\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-video\"><\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-vimc1uy elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"vimc1uy\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"50\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mistertipster.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/TV-BASE-1024x64.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-79\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mistertipster.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/TV-BASE-1024x64.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.mistertipster.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/TV-BASE-300x19.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mistertipster.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/TV-BASE-768x48.png 768w, https:\/\/www.mistertipster.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/TV-BASE-1536x96.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.mistertipster.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/TV-BASE-2048x128.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-lwtmpxv\" data-id=\"lwtmpxv\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5vs48rj elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"5vs48rj\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mistertipster.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/elementor\/thumbs\/ThatsMe_20170824B-po0dlneg7zj3qsj4o0tm1779o435p5i40pr6zsdts0.png\" title=\"ThatsMe_20170824B\" alt=\"ThatsMe_20170824B\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-7kt9gzk elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-stretched elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"7kt9gzk\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;stretch_section&quot;:&quot;section-stretched&quot;,&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-background-overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-wider\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-jpjzcss\" data-id=\"jpjzcss\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-pmkloq4 elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"pmkloq4\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-no\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-0c3cx61\" data-id=\"0c3cx61\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3ilxe6r elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3ilxe6r\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Will the world end in a nuclear explosion?<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-x2vl4jx elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"x2vl4jx\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-no\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-tmescto\" data-id=\"tmescto\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-w3gypgw elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"w3gypgw\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">SHARE THIS PAGE WITH YOUR FRIENDS<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cgocka8 elementor-share-buttons--align-center elementor-share-buttons--view-icon-text elementor-share-buttons--skin-gradient elementor-share-buttons--shape-square elementor-grid-0 elementor-share-buttons--color-official elementor-widget elementor-widget-share-buttons\" data-id=\"cgocka8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"share-buttons.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-grid\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-grid-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-share-btn elementor-share-btn_facebook\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-label=\"Share on facebook\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-share-btn__icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"fab fa-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-grid-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-share-btn elementor-share-btn_twitter\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-label=\"Share on twitter\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-share-btn__icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"fab fa-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-grid-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-share-btn elementor-share-btn_whatsapp\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-label=\"Share on whatsapp\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-share-btn__icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"fab fa-whatsapp\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-grid-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-share-btn elementor-share-btn_email\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-label=\"Share on email\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-share-btn__icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"fas fa-envelope\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-k097cf8 elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"k097cf8\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-no\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-qjirumk\" data-id=\"qjirumk\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3vh87tm elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3vh87tm\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">TIPS for thinking about the end of the world:<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-wm29z0e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"wm29z0e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>There are plenty of ideas about how the world will end\u2014and most of them are wrong. The Bible does say that, at the end of human history, there will be lots of problems on planet Earth. Among other things, \u201cNation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; (Luke 21:10), and \u201con the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men\u2019s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken\u201d (verses 25 and 26).<\/p><p><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">Yeah, that\u2019s a whole lot of trouble. But here\u2019s the thing: people won\u2019t have been nuked off the planet, because the Bible also says \u201cThen they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory\u201d (verse 27)! All the trouble is about to end!<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">So even though times will be bad, you don\u2019t need to worry about a planet-ending nuclear explosion. The real battle is taking place between spiritual forces, and we can\u2019t see them! So, rather than sweat too much about the future, \u201cBe always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen\u201d (Luke 21:36). That way, when whatever is going to happen does happen, with God on your side, you\u2019ll be just fine.<\/span><\/p><ul><li>DO learn what the Bible says about the last days of earth\u2019s history. (You\u2019ll find lots of information in Matthew 24:1-51.)<\/li><li>DO keep reading the Bible and praying for understanding about what\u2019s ahead.<\/li><li>DO trust that God has your back in whatever lies ahead.<\/li><li>DO talk with others\u2014including trusted adults\u2014and get their thoughts on this subject.<\/li><li>DON\u2019T worry about the end of the world. God is still in control and He always will be.<\/li><li>DON\u2019T pay too much attention to news about the Middle East and Bible prophecy. A lot of people have it wrong because they don\u2019t understand the Bible.<\/li><li>DON\u2019T get discouraged if you can\u2019t understand what the Bible is saying about the end of time. God will help you learn what you need to know when the time is right.<\/li><\/ul><p><style type=\"text\/css\">\np.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Helvetica}<br \/><\/style><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-t6bumve elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"t6bumve\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-no\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-jpawvyx\" data-id=\"jpawvyx\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-dkpy88l elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"dkpy88l\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">STORY<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-bsqp3ao elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"bsqp3ao\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-no\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-dk4t6eg\" data-id=\"dk4t6eg\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-kego0yz elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"kego0yz\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Future in a Dream<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-nxozt6t elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"nxozt6t\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">God had an unforgettable message for the king of babylon\u2014and for you<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-wndwlf4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"wndwlf4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">By Trudy Morgan-Cole<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-nfvkfs3 elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"nfvkfs3\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-no\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-0ph2kyc\" data-id=\"0ph2kyc\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4wi5cpm elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"4wi5cpm\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mistertipster.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Future-Dream.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-1095\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mistertipster.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Future-Dream.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.mistertipster.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Future-Dream-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mistertipster.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Future-Dream-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-mc2c9w0 elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"mc2c9w0\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-fs9t9w1\" data-id=\"fs9t9w1\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-vd4x379 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"vd4x379\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">A\u00a0heavy knock sounded\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">at the door of the\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">chamber where Daniel,\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">sat enjoying their morning meal.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">The four young men had just\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">finished a prayer to God, the\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">Creator-God of Israel, who loved\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">and guarded them even here in\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">the court of a foreign king.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">As the four men broke their\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">bread, a servant hurried to open\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">the door. Arioch, commander of\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">the king\u2019s guard, stood outside.<\/span><\/h3><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">\u201cBelteshazzar!\u201d he called,\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">using the Babylonian name\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">the king had given Daniel. He\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">continued with the Babylonian\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">names of the other three men:\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\u201cShadrach! Meschach! Abednego! I am commanded to\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">conduct all four of you to the king\u2019s prison cells\u2014you\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">are under arrest!\u201d<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">\u201cWhat?\u201d Daniel, the natural spokesman of the\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">group, stood. \u201cArrest? What have we done?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">The commander shrugged. \u201cOur orders are to\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">arrest every wise man, every scholar, every astrologer,\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">every magician in the palace\u2014and beyond. You\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">are all under a death sentence.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">\u201cDeath?\u201d Now the other three men were on\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">their feet too. \u201cWe have done nothing deserving of\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">death.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">\u201cThose are my orders.\u201d<\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">Daniel stepped closer to Arioch and tried to look\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">through the veil of authority the man wore. Arioch\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">was a friend; he had helped them many times in\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">their early years at the Babylonian court.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">\u201cPlease be forthright with us, Arioch,\u201d Daniel\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">stated. \u201cWhat is this all about?\u201d<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">Arioch sighed and spread his hands in a gesture\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">of confusion. \u201cHonestly, I don\u2019t know much. The\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">king called a number of his wise men to his audience\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">chamber early this morning, asking th<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">em to\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">interpret a dream. When they were unable to do\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">so, he declared that every wise man in Babylon\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">was under a sentence of death.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">Arioch\u2019s eyes met Daniel\u2019s, neither man able to\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">say what he was thinking: the death decree sounded\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">like something a spoiled 2-year-old would have\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">come up with. Unfortunately, kings with absolute\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">power over vast empires often act like spoiled children,\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">King Nebuchadnezzar perhaps even more than\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">most others. He was used to being obeyed; he was\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">used to his underlings finding instant solutions to his\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">problems.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">Still, this must have been a very important dream.\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">Even Nebuchadnezzar wouldn\u2019t fly into this kind of\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">royal rage over nothing, Daniel thought.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">Sending up a quick, silent prayer, Daniel spoke again.\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\u201cIs there any possibility the king might delay his sentence to give\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">another of his wise men a chance to interpret the dream?\u201d Daniel\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">asked.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">Arioch hesitated. \u201cI don\u2019t know. I can find out. Do you think you\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">can help?\u201d<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">\u201cNone of us can do anything on our own,\u201d Daniel said, \u201cbut the\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">God we serve is powerful, and He often speaks to our people through\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">dreams and visions. It\u2019s possible He may give us wisdom to help the\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">king if we can learn more about the dream.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">\u201cI\u2019ll get word to the king. This chamber will be guarded while I\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">go\u2014do not try to leave,\u201d Arioch warned.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">The four men waited, silent and tense, for the next hour. They\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">talked little among themselves; each prayed quietly.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">When Arioch came again, his face was unreadable.\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\u201cI have good news and bad news for you,\u201d he told Daniel and his\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">friends. \u201cThe good news is that the king is willing to see you to find\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">out if you can interpret his dream.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">\u201cPraise God!\u201d Daniel said. \u201cAnd the bad news?\u201d<\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">Arioch smiled a wry smile. \u201cI learned a little more about this\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">dream the king wanted his wise men and astrologers to interpret,\u201d he\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">said.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">Daniel expected to hear the details from the king himself, but he\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">couldn\u2019t resist asking, \u201cSo? What was it about?\u201d<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">\u201cNobody knows,\u201d Arioch said, \u201cincluding the king. He claims he\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">can\u2019t remember the details of the dream at all\u2014only that he believes\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">it was tremendously important, and it left him deeply troubled. He\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">needs a wise man to tell him what the dream was and then tell him\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">the meaning.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">\u201cThat\u2019s incredible!\u201d Hananiah put in.<\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">\u201cThat\u2019s what the other wise men thought,\u201d the commander said.\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">His manner relaxed now that he was no longer there to arrest them.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\u201cI thought perhaps you could make up something to tell the king, but\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">I guess that won\u2019t work now.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">\u201cNo, it certainly won\u2019t,\u201d\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">Daniel agreed. \u201cWe\u2019ve all had\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">dreams and forgotten them in\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">the morning. But we all know\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">that if something reminds a\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">person of their dream, they\u2019ll\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">recognize and recall it at once.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">If someone made up a false\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">dream, the king would kn<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">ow\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">right away that it was false.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">When he hears the true dream,\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">he\u2019ll recognize it.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">\u201cYou say<span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">\u00a0<\/span>when he hears\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">about his dream,\u201d Arioch pointed\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">out. \u201cDo you really think\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">you can do this?\u201d<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">\u201cNot I\u2014not any of us,\u201d\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">Daniel said again. \u201cBut if the\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">God of heaven wants the king\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">of Babylon to know what he\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">dreamed last night, God will\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">reveal it.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">When Daniel arrived with\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">Arioch at the king\u2019s audience\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">chamber, Nebuchadnezzar\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">looked agitated.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">Daniel bowed respectfully.\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\u201cMy lord king, I request that\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">you suspend the death sentence\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">on your wise men for\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">just a little longer. I wish to ask\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">the God I serve to reveal your\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">dream and its meaning.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">\u201cDo you really think you can\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 10px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;\">\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 10px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;\">do this?\u201d Nebuchadnezzar said, echoing Arioch\u2019s words as he peered\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">at Daniel with keen eyes.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">\u201cI can do nothing, my lord king,\u201d Daniel said. \u201cBut the God of heaven\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">reveals dreams to whomever He chooses. If He will show me your\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">dream and its meaning, I can help you. Just give me a little more\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">time.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">\u201cTill tomorrow! No longer!\u201d the king declared.\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">Daniel hurried back to his friends. \u201cToday we will all fast and pray.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">Let\u2019s ask God earnestly to reveal this dream and spare our lives.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">The four young men knelt in prayer and continued that way most\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">of the day. As the hours slipped by with no message from heaven, no\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">vision from God, Daniel\u2019s heart began to sink. He and his friends\u2014<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">along with all of Babylon\u2019s wise men\u2014would lie under sentence of\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">death tomorrow if this dream did not become clear.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">\u201cTrust God,\u201d Hananiah told him. \u201cOur lives are in His hand. If He\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">wishes to reveal the dream, He will. If He wants to save us some\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">other way, He is able. And if He allows us to die now, then that, too,\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">will somehow be to His glory.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">Daniel nodded, encouraged by his friend\u2019s faith.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">Finally, tired, the four went to their separate chambers to rest.\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">Daniel couldn\u2019t help hoping that God would send him a dream, just\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">as He had sent one to Nebuchadnezzar the night before\u2014a second\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">dream as a key to unlock the first.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">But it was a hot night, and Daniel found himself puzzling over\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">the problem of the king\u2019s dream instead of sleeping. He tossed and\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">turned in his bed. Finally, exhausted, he fell asleep.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">Sometime during the darkness of that night, Daniel opened his\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">eyes to find himself standing on a vast empty plain. No human being,\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">no buildings, nothing at all punctuated the blank, open landscape.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">Turning, he saw just one object rising up on the horizon\u2014one massive\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">structure that towered over the whole plain. It was a statue of a\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">man, immense and regal-looking, larger than any statue Daniel had\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">ever seen.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">The statue was made not of stone but of metal\u2014many different\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">metals. The head was shining gold; the chest and arms gleamed silver.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">The stomach and thighs of the statue were made of yellowish\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">brass, and the legs consisted of dull black iron.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">At first Daniel couldn\u2019t see what the massive feet were made of,\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">but as he moved closer, he saw they were a mixture of\u2014could\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">it be?\u2014iron and clay. How could any sculptor get clay to stick\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">to iron? The mottled unstable-looking feet somehow supported\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">this whole vast image.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">Daniel moved back again, craning his neck to get a good\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">view of this huge creation that dominated the skyline.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">For long moments he stood staring at it, thinking nothing,\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">only taking in the power and majesty of the statue.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">Then, suddenly, he saw something else.\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">Out above the horizon something was hurtling from the\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">sky toward the image. It was a rock. It had appeared out\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">of nowhere; no one had thrown it; yet it was flying directly\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">toward the feet of the great statue.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">Daniel shuddered at the impact as the rock struck\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">the statue\u2019s feet. The clay shattered; shards of iron flew\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">in all directions. The image swayed for a second, then\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">fell headlong to the ground. As it struck, the whole thing\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">shattered as if it were all made of clay rather than of\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">strong unyielding metal. The entire image dissolved into\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">a pile of shards like a shattered earthen pot.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">A strong wind, which had appeared as suddenly as the\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">rock, swept across the plain and tossed the broken pieces\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">like grass in a breeze, swirling them away. A moment\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">later not a trace of the gigantic statue was left.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">Just one thing now stood on the plain: the rock that had\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">shattered the image. As Daniel watched, the rock began to\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">swell and grow like a living thing. It grew quickly, shooting\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">upward like a mountain, spreading outward like the\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">roots of a giant stone tree. It filled the whole plain\u2014the\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">whole world. It rushed toward Daniel with a roar as if he,\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">too, would be swallowed up . . .<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">Daniel sat up, breathing heavily, in his bed.\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">It was the king\u2019s dream. Daniel knew, as certainly as he\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">knew his own name, that the dream he had just experienced\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">was the same one that had disturbed\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">King Nebuchadnezzar\u2019s\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">slumber the night before.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">No wonder the king had been\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">unable to dismiss it, though he\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">could not recall it! Not only was\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">the image in the dream vivid\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">and its destruction strange, but\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">along with the dream came a\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">feeling of excitement, of fear,\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">and yet of hope\u2014a mix of emotions\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">that Daniel couldn\u2019t tie into\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">the dream\u2019s scenes themselves,<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">yet which must be linked to its\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">meaning.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">\u201cThank You, Lord,\u201d he\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">breathed. \u201cNow, will You show\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">me what it means?\u201d<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">Daniel tried to relax and\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">call the picture of the great\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">statue to mind again. He found\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">he didn\u2019t have to scramble\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">for interpretations or come\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">up with any explanation. As\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">simply and clearly as if it were\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">written on a page in front of\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">him, he could see the meaning\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">of each part of the dream as it\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">appeared in his mind.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">He had no doubt at all that\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">God was putting the dream\u2019s\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">interpretation into his mind.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">When it was all clear\u2014and\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">how brilliantly clear, how\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">wonderfully exciting, it was!\u2014\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">Daniel got up. It was still an\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">hour or more before dawn, yet\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">he could sleep no more.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">He sent a servant to waken his three friends. When\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">they arrived at his chambers, Daniel shared with them\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">what he had seen in his dream and the meaning God\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">had revealed to him.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">All four men fell to their knees for a heartfelt session\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">of praise. Not only had God saved their lives;\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">God was using Daniel to reveal things to the king that\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">would affect the course of history!<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">\u201cI wonder how the king will react?\u201d Mishael\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">said later, as they ate a hasty morning meal before\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">Arioch came to bring Daniel before the king. \u201cAfter\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">all, the dream does predict that his kingdom won\u2019t\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">last forever\u2014and every king wants to believe that it\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">will.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">Daniel shrugged. \u201cMaybe he\u2019ll put me to death\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">after all. But it doesn\u2019t matter. I feel absolutely certain\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">that this is a message from God, and I\u2019m doing\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">His will by delivering it. As you said last night,\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">Hananiah, all the rest is in His hands.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">A few hours later Daniel stood again before\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">King Nebuchadnezzar\u2014this time in a private\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">chamber. As Daniel told the king what he had\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">dreamed, he saw the reaction he had expected on\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">Nebuchadnezzar\u2019s face. The king nodded, smiling.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">\u201cYes, yes, that\u2019s it!\u201d he breathed as Daniel listed\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">the metals that made up the different parts of the\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">image. His eyes widened as Daniel told about the\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">great rock and how it grew, and again he nodded.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">\u201cI saw it; I saw it just so,\u201d he told Daniel. \u201cI am\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">amazed. But what about the meaning?\u201d<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">Daniel spoke slowly, choosing his words with care.\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">Kings expected to be flattered, not told that their kingdoms\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">would someday crumble and be replaced.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\u201cYou, O king, are the king of kings. The God of heaven\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">has given you dominion and power and might and\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">glory; in your hands he has placed mankind and the beasts of the\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">field and the birds of the air. Wherever they live, he has made you\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">ruler over them all. You are that head of gold.\u201d1<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">Nebuchadnezzar leaned forward in his seat, a pleased smile on his\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">face, hanging on to Daniel\u2019s every word. Daniel drew a deep breath\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">and went on.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">\u201cAfter you, another kingdom will rise, inferior to yours. Next, a\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. Finally,\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron\u2014for iron breaks and\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">smashes everything\u2014and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">crush and break all the others.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">\u201cJust as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">some of the strength of iron in it. . . . This kingdom will be partly\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">strong and partly brittle. . . . The people will be a mixture and will\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.\u201d2<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">The chamber was silent. The king\u2019s smile had vanished, but he\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">did not look angry, only serious. He was still nodding; he might not\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">like to hear of his empire\u2019s eventual fall, but the interpretation clearly\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">made sense to him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">\u201cWhat about the stone?\u201d he broke in as Daniel paused.\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\u201cI still remember how it grew and filled the whole scene.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">\u201cIn the days of those last kingdoms,\u201d Daniel said, \u201cthe God of\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">\u201cThis is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">a mountain, but not by human hands\u2014a rock that broke the iron, the\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold to pieces. The great God has\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">and the interpretation is trustworthy.\u201d3<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">Daniel fell silent. There was nothing more to say: this was all God\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">had revealed to him, and he certainly wasn\u2019t going to add his own\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">words to God\u2019s. How would the king react?<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">What Nebuchadnezzar did took Daniel completely by surprise\u2014even\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">though he\u2019d long believed that nothing this impulsive monarch did could\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">shock him.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">King Nebuchadnezzar rose from his chair, only to drop to his\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">knees before Daniel, bowing his\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">head as a deep gesture of respect\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">and honor.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">In Babylon everyone bowed\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">before the king\u2014and the king\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">bowed to no one but the gods.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">Yet Nebuchadnezzar was not\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">really kneeling before Daniel,\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">the Jewish exile, but before\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">Daniel\u2019s God, the ruler of all the\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">earth.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">\u201cSurely,\u201d the king exclaimed,\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\u201cyour god is the god of gods and\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">the lord of kings and a revealer\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">of mysteries, for you were able\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">to reveal this mystery.\u201d4<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">In the days following that\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">meeting, Daniel was given honor\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">and power beyond anything he\u2019d\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">ever imagined. He was whisked\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">from a lowly place in the king\u2019s\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">service to the highest circles of\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">power in the land.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">Yet often, as he paused from\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">his duties for his regular hours of\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">prayer, his thoughts turned back\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">to the great image and the great\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">picture of future events God\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">had painted in a dream. When\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">and how would all these things\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">happen? And what part might\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">he, Daniel, have to play in God\u2019s\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">great plan?<\/span><\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">1Daniel 2:37, 38.<\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">2Verses 39-43.<\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">3Verses 44, 45.<\/p><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">4Verse 47.<\/p><p style=\"font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; background-color: #f5f5f5;\"><b>What Does the Dream Mean?<\/b><\/p><p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1099\" src=\"http:\/\/mistertipster.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/32565454_s.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"923\" height=\"519\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mistertipster.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/32565454_s.jpg 923w, https:\/\/www.mistertipster.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/32565454_s-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mistertipster.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/32565454_s-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 923px) 100vw, 923px\" \/><\/p><div><p>H<b>ead of Gold:<br \/>Babylon, 605-539 B.C<\/b>.<\/p><p>On the plain of Dura, Hananiah\u2014known\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">as Shadrach to those around him in the\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Babylonian court\u2014stood with his friends\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Mishael and Azariah. Daniel, the fourth member\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">of their close-knit group of exiles from Judah, was\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">absent that day. King Nebuchadnezzar had sent\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">him far away on an important mission.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>Daniel had risen high in the king\u2019s favor since he\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">had interpreted Nebuchadnezzar\u2019s dream. They had\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">all received new honors and new riches.<\/span><\/p><p>For a while after the dream, King Nebuchadnezzar had\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">seemed to believe its message and had even been interested\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">in learning more about the God of the Hebrews, the God\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">who had interpreted his dream.<\/span><\/p><p>But the king\u2019s self-centered, power-hungry nature had\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">been coming back in full strength. For months he\u2019d had sculptors\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">working on a gigantic statue of solid gold.<\/span><\/p><p>The haughty king had thought, My dream told me that\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">I would be only the golden head in a whole progression of\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">world kingdoms. But I challenge fate and the gods! I will\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">re-create this image in solid gold to show that my kingdom\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">will never end!<\/span><\/p><p>So governors, administrators, and officials from all\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">over the empire were assembled at Dura that day to\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">bow down and show homage to this great statue, a\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">monument to King Nebuchadnezzar\u2019s belief that he\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">would rule forever.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">For anyone who refused to bow, the penalty was\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">death\u2014death in a blazing furnace.<\/span><\/p><p>Hananiah, who knew that as a servant of the\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">God of Israel he would never bow to any foreign\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">idol, drew his cloak a little more tightly around him\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">and looked at his friends.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">In a moment the musicians would strike up the music\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">ordering the crowd to fall to its knees\u2014and the servants of\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">God would remain standing. What would happen then?<\/span><\/p><p>It was hard to imagine at that moment that the kingdom of\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Babylon would ever be destroyed. It was the world\u2019s mightiest\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">nation. Its armies had crushed surrounding countries. The\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">wealth of Nebuchadnezzar\u2019s kingdom\u2014lavishly displayed in\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">the capital city of Babylon with its glorious temples and its\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">famous hanging gardens\u2014was the talk of the\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">whole world.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">No wonder such a king\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">found it hard to believe\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">he\u2019d ever be defeated.<\/span><\/p><p>But the God who\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">rescued the three\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Jewish exiles from\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">the fiery furnace\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">had plans King\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Nebuchadnezzar\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">could not have\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">foreseen.<\/span><\/p><p>The great\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">kingdom\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">of Babylon\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">would survive\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">for just two more\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">generations.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">By the time of Nebuchadnezzar\u2019s\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">grandson, Belshazzar, the mighty army of\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Cyrus the Medo-Persian was knocking at the gates.<\/span><\/p><p><b>Chest of Silver:<br \/><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Medo-Persia, 539-331 B.C.<\/span><\/b><\/p><p>The prophet Daniel himself\u2014by now an old man\u2014was in\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">town on the very night when the Medo-Persian empire overthrew\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">the city of Babylon, fulfilling the first part of his prophecy\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">King Belshazzar was throwing a banquet that night\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">when suddenly, horrified, he saw a disembodied hand\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">writing unfamiliar words on the palace wall. All the\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">guests were thrown into confusion until someone\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">thought to send for Daniel.<\/span><\/p><p>Daniel was able to read the strange words\u2014<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin \u2014and\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">to tell the king their meaning.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Once again it was a\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">message from God: the\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">days of the Babylonian\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">king had come to\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">an end. He had\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">been \u201cweighed\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">on the scales\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">and\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">found\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">wanting\u201d\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">(Daniel\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">5:27). The\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">kingdom\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">would fall into the hands of\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">the Medes and Persians.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">That very night the city fell and the prophecy came\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">true.<\/span><\/p><p>Under the Persian king Cyrus the Jewish exiles were\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">allowed to return home to Judah and try to rebuild their\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">land. Many chose to return\u2014but many others stayed and\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">made Persia their home.<\/span><\/p><p>One of those was a young Jewish girl named Esther, who\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">found herself caught up in a chain of events that led her to\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">become the wife of King Xerxes.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Esther stood in the courtyard before the Gate of All\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Lands in her husband\u2019s summer palace at Parsa. The\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">gate was flanked by two huge winged bulls bearing\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">the inscription: \u201cI am Xerxes the mighty,\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">king of kings.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/div><p>King of kings\u2014that was the title by\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">which the Persian emperors were known.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Yet it was also, and more truly, the title of\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">the God of her people, the God of Israel.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">He was the true King of kings, the one who\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">controlled the destiny of all people in all\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">lands.<\/span><\/p><p>Esther, feeling very alone and frightened,\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">sent up a desperate prayer: \u201cLord God of\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Israel, I don\u2019t understand why You have\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">placed me in this position of power or\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">what role You have for me to play here.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Do You have a purpose for my life, even\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">here in a foreign monarch\u2019s court?\u201d<\/span><\/p><p>God was indeed guiding Esther\u2014<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">just as He guides all of human history.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">The book of Esther tells us how this\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Jewish teenager was in the right place\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">at the right time to save her people\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">from a bloodbath of destruction.<\/span><\/p><p>Later, in the reign of King Artaxerxes,\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">God used two more faithful Jews who served in the\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">king\u2019s palace\u2014Ezra and Nehemiah\u2014to help bring His law\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">back to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple there.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Yet even the mighty Medo-Persian empire couldn\u2019t last forever.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">King Xerxes tried to push his empire westward to conquer\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Greece and failed.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">The Greek city-states were disunited at that time\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">and tended to fight among themselves. But 150\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">years later they were united under a powerful\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">young general who became known to history as\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Alexander the Great.<\/span><\/p><p><b>Belly and Thighs\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">of Brass:<br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Greece, 331-168 B.C.<\/span><\/b><\/p><p>Alexander the Great\u2019s armies conquered\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">most of the then-known world, including\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Medo-Persia. Alexander himself died in\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">323 B.C. at just 33 years of age. Before\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">his death he wept because there were no\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">more worlds to conquer (or so he thought).<\/span><\/p><p>The empire Alexander left behind him\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">lasted until 168 years before the birth of\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Jesus.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Greek culture laid the foundations\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">for our modern world. Democracy, the\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">system of government now used in\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">much of the world, began in ancient\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Greece.<\/span><\/p><p>Philosophers today still debate the\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">ideas of Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle,\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">the ancient Greek thinkers. Greek art and\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Greek literature have influenced the way\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">people paint, write, and think from their time\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">to the present.<\/span><\/p><div><p>Also in our modern world, every four years athletes from\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">around the world gather to continue a tradition that began in\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">ancient Greece: the Olympic Games. Young\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Greek men competed in races and\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">other athletic contests in honor of Zeus\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">and the other gods who, the Greeks\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">believed, lived on Mount Olympus.<\/span><\/p><p>Greece continued to be the most\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">important world power for more than\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">150 years after Alexander\u2014until an\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">even bigger power came along. One\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">country after another fell to the mighty\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">armies of Rome.<\/span><\/p><p>About this time, the leader of an\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">incredibly dedicated Jewish army arrived\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">on the scene.<\/span><\/p><p>\u201cWe must rid this land of sacrilege!\u201d\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">cried Judas Maccabaeus.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Fed up with the foreign ways of worship\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">that had been forced upon God\u2019s people,\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">this man led an army bent on dealing with\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">the problem. In the end, the worship of God\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">was restored at the Temple. Today, the Jewish\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Feast of Hanukkah remembers that event.<\/span><\/p><p><b>Legs of Iron:<br \/><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Rome, 168 B.C. &#8211; A.D. 476<\/span><\/b><\/p><p>Claudia stood with her back straight, showing no fear, but\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">her heart raced. Across the river, the dull glow of a smoldering\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">fire lit up the night sky. Rome was burning.<\/span><\/p><p>With her fellow Christians, she joined hands and prayed\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">for the people suffering and dying in the city. Surely the\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Lord Jesus would soon return to end this terrible suffering!\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Claudia and her family had heard the message of Jesus\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">preached by Peter, who had been one of Jesus\u2019 followers\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">himself, and later by the great missionary preacher\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Paul. Those two great leaders had recently died, leaving\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">the Christian church in Rome to face an uncertain\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">future.<\/span><\/p><p>Within a matter of days the future\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">became far more frightening than anything\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">they had imagined.<\/span><\/p><p>Life for Christians in Rome was\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">already difficult: they faced suspicion\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">and distrust. But now, in the\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">aftermath of the fire, everyone was\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">looking for someone to blame. The\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">emperor Nero had declared that\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Christians were to blame for the\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">devastation.<\/span><\/p><p>Soon everyone in the Christian\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">community became used to tales of\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">terror: Christians were being dragged\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">from their beds in the middle of the\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">night, forced into circus rings with hungry\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">lions, or crucified as the Lord Jesus\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">had been.<\/span><\/p><p>Claudia and some friends and family\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">hid in the catacombs (underground cemetery)\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">beneath the city. As they waited and\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">prayed for deliverance, they repeated to\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">each other Jesus\u2019 words: \u201cBlessed are you\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">when people persecute you because of Me,\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">for great is your reward in heaven.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p>The Roman empire was the mightiest the world had\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">ever known\u2014truly an empire of iron. For more than 600\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">years Rome ruled the known world, conquering territories\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">that hadn\u2019t even been heard of in Daniel\u2019s day.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Jesus was born in Israel when it was an occupied\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Roman colony. He died on a Roman\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">cross\u2014the most common form of\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">execution for criminals and troublemakers.<\/span><\/p><p>Romans would\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">often leave bodies to rot\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">on crosses as a reminder\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">to those who saw\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">them: don\u2019t mess with the\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Roman government.<\/span><\/p><p>Despite persecution, the religion\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">of Jesus\u2019 followers\u2014\u201cChristianity,\u201d as it came to be called\u2014<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">spread like wildfire throughout the Roman world. By A.D.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">312 the emperor Constantine had experienced something\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">of a conversion, and Christianity became the official religion\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">of the empire.<\/span><\/p><p>But with power came corruption. As the Christian\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">church joined hands with the powerful but cruel Roman\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">government, it began more and more to imitate that government\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">and use its methods.<\/span><\/p><p><b>Feet of Iron and Clay:<br \/><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">The Modern World,\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">A.D. 476-Present<\/span><\/b><\/p><p>The mighty Roman Empire finally fell, weakened by\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">corruption within and attacked by enemies from outside.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">The barbarian tribes of Europe rebelled against Roman\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">rule and finally conquered the city of Rome itself.<\/span><\/p><p>With no central government and no common language\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">or civilization, the Western world began to look like the\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">iron-and-clay feet of Nebuchadnezzar\u2019s image. Some countries\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">were strong, some weak. A brand of Christianity was\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">woven into the government of Rome, but like iron and\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">clay, the two did not mix well.<\/span><\/p><p>Throughout the time period we call the Middle Ages,\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">there was one power that united many people\u2014the\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Roman Catholic Church. As monks and missionaries traveled\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">the world, more and more people became Christian.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>But in many countries \u201cChristian\u201d armies forced\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">people to convert to Christianity at the edge of a sword.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">And the same church whose early heroes had died\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">at the hand of the Roman emperor Nero now\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">put to death people who protested against\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">what the church had become and tried to\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">return to Jesus\u2019 original message in the\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Bible.<\/span><\/p><p>These protestors, or\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">\u201cProtestants,\u201d suffered for their faith,\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">but they led to the Reformation of\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">the 1500s and 1600s, when new\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">church groups sprang up and tried\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">to lead Christians back to \u201cthe Bible and the Bible only.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p>For more than 1,500 years we\u2019ve been living in the\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">feet of the image. Our modern world is still a collection of\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">countries, some weak, some strong, not tied together by\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">any single powerful world empire or king.<\/span><\/p><p>Today many people believe we are \u201cliving in the toes\u201d of\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Nebuchadnezzar\u2019s image. According to the vision, we are literally\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">on the edge of eternity. So what happens next?<\/span><\/p><p><b>The Great Stone:<br \/><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">still to come<\/span><\/b><\/p><p>Kyle and Jenna sat with their parents\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">beside a small fire, shivering in the cold\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">night air.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Over the past months they\u2019d\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">gotten used to living in mountain\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">campsites, having hardly enough\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">to eat, staying on the run. It wasn\u2019t\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">safe to be a follower of God\u2019s Word\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">anymore.<\/span><\/p><p>Things had happened so\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">quickly. Kyle could still remember\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">being in elementary school and not\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">having a care in the world. Now,\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">when he should have been a high\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">school freshman, his whole world\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">had fallen apart.<\/span><\/p><p>New laws made religious\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">freedom just a dream of the\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">past. The world was pulling\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">together, people said, to fight\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">crime, disease, and terrorism.<\/span><\/p><p>One new law was aimed at\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">forcing people to turn back\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">to God. But the drive for unity\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">meant that anyone who thought\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">or worshiped differently was\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">pushed to the edges.<\/span><\/p><p>The only things that kept Kyle\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">and Jenna\u2019s world together were the\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">love and\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">unity of their family and their church family. Fellow\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Christians who\u2019d once been just faces in the next pew were\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">now like brothers and sisters. They\u2019d been through so much\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">together.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">When would the trouble end?<\/span><\/p><p>\u201cLook!\u201d Jenna said, pointing skyward. Kyle followed his\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">sister\u2019s glance, expecting to see military or police helicopters.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Instead he saw something else: a small cloud that,\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">instead of moving across the sky like other clouds,\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">seemed to be rushing directly toward them.<\/span><\/p><p>The people around them were gradually noticing the\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">unusual cloud. Mom was already on her feet, her hands\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">lifted to heaven. \u201cPraise Jesus!\u201d she cried.<\/span><\/p><p>A few feet away, someone else shouted, \u201cThis is our\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Kyle and Jenna were standing too now. Kyle felt a rush\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">of excitement and joy. For so long this day had been just\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">a dream; sometimes he\u2019d even had trouble believing it\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">would come. But now it was here. Jesus was coming!<\/span><\/p><p>Already the cloud was filling the sky. Kyle could actually\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">see angels, hear trumpets. The long wait was over. It\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">was time to go home.<\/span><\/p><p>\u201cIn the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever\u201d\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">(Daniel 2:44, 45).<\/span><\/p><p>\u201cHe who testifies to these things says, \u2018Yes, I am coming\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">soon.\u2019 Amen. Come, Lord Jesus\u201d (Revelation 22:20).<\/span><\/p><\/div><p><b>No fear, angels near<\/b><\/p><p>Ever been scared about being a\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">Christian in the end-times of earth\u2019s\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">history?<\/span><\/p><p>You can ditch your fear.<\/p><p>\u201cCould men see with heavenly vision, they\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">would behold companies of heavenly angels\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">that excel in strength stationed about\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">those who have kept the word of Christ\u2019s\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">patience. . . .<\/span><\/p><p>\u201cThe heavenly sentinels, faithful to their\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">trust, continue their watch. . . . none can\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">pass the mighty guardians stationed about\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">every faithful soul.<\/span><\/p><p>\u201cSome are assailed in their flight from the\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">cities and villages; but the swords raised\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">against them break and fall powerless as a\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">straw. Others are defended by angels in the\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">form of men of war\u201d (The Great Controversy,\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 18.75px;\">pp. 630, 631).<\/span><\/p><div>\u00a0<\/div><div><p style=\"font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">Photo by\u00a0Gonzalo G. 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burning?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1093,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_canvas","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-topics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mistertipster.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1075","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mistertipster.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mistertipster.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mistertipster.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mistertipster.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1075"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.mistertipster.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1075\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mistertipster.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1093"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mistertipster.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mistertipster.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mistertipster.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}