Emily: welcome to immerse: the daily bible reading experience.
day 300 and 62.
King Nebuchadnezzar sent this message to the people of every race and
nation and language throughout the world, peace and prosperity to you.
I want you all to know about the miraculous signs and wonders the
most high God has performed for me.
How great are his signs?
How powerful His wonders his kingdom will last forever.
His rule through all generations.
I, Nebuchadnezzar was living in my palace and comfort and prosperity, but one
night I had a dream that frightened me.
I saw visions that terrified me as I lay in my bed.
So I issued an order calling in all the wise men of Babylon so they
could tell me what my dream meant.
When all the magicians, enchanters astrologers, and fortune tellers
came in, I told them the dream, but they could not tell me what it meant.
At last.
Daniel came in before me and I told him the dream.
He was named beta shazer after my God and the spirit of the holy gods is in him.
I said to him, belt Shazer, chief of the Magicians.
I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no mystery
is too great for you to solve.
Now tell me what my dream means.
While I was lying in my bed, this is what I dreamed.
I saw a large tree in the middle of the earth.
The tree grew very tall and strong, reaching high into the
heavens for all the world to see.
It had fresh green leaves and it was loaded with fruit for all to eat.
Wild animals lived in its shade and birds nested in its branches.
All the world was fed from this tree.
Then as I lay there dreaming, I saw a messenger.
A holy one coming down from heaven.
The messenger shouted, cut down the tree and lop off its branches, shake
off its leaves and scatter its fruit.
Chase the wild animals from its shade and the birds from its branches, but
leave the stump and the roots in the ground bound with a band of iron and
bronze and surrounded by tender grass.
Now, let him be drenched with the dew of heaven and let him live with
the wild animals among the plants of the field for seven periods of time.
Let him have the mind of a wild animal instead of the mind of a human.
For this has been decreed by the messengers.
It is commanded by the holy ones so that everyone may know.
That the most high rules over the kingdoms of the world, he gives them
to anyone he chooses, even to the lowliest of people, beta shazer.
That was the dream that I King Nebuchadnezzar had.
Now tell me what it means for none of the wise men of my kingdom can do
so, but you can tell me because the spirit of the holy gods is in you.
Upon hearing this, Daniel also known as Belt Shaza was overcome for a time
frightened by the meaning of the dream.
Then the king said to him, belt Shaza.
Don't be alarmed by the dream and what it means.
Belt Shaza replied, I wish the events foreshadowed in this dream would happen
to your enemies, my Lord, and not to you.
The tree you saw was growing very tall and strong, reaching high into
the heavens for all the world to see.
It had fresh green leaves and was loaded with fruit for all to eat
while the animals lived in its shade and birds nested in its branches.
That tree, your majesty is you.
For you have grown strong and great.
Your greatness reaches up to heaven and your rule to the ends of the earth.
Then you saw a messenger, a holy one coming down from heaven and saying,
cut down the tree and destroy it.
But leave the stump and the roots and the ground bound with a band of iron and
bronze and surrounded by tender grass.
Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven.
Let him live with the animals of the field for seven periods of time.
This is what the dream means.
Your majesty and what the most high has declared will happen to my Lord the king.
You'll be driven from human society and you will live in the
fields with the wild animals.
You will eat grass like a cow, and you will be drenched with the dew of heaven.
Seven periods of time will pass while you live this way.
Until you learn that the most high rules over the kingdoms of the
world and gives them to anyone he chooses, but the stump and roots of
the tree were left in the ground.
This means that you will receive your kingdom back again
when you have learned that.
Heaven rules King Nebuchadnezzar.
Please accept my advice.
Stop sinning and do what is right, break from your wicked past and
be merciful to the poor, perhaps, then you will continue to prosper.
But all these things did happen to King Nebuchadnezzar.
12 months later, he was taking a walk on the flat roof of
the Royal Palace in Babylon.
As he looked out across the city, he said, look at this great city of Babylon.
By my own Mighty Power, I have built this beautiful city as my royal residence
to display my majestic splendor.
While these words were still in his mouth, a voice called down from heaven.
Oh, king Nebuchadnezzar, this message is for you.
You are no longer ruler of this kingdom.
You will be driven from human society.
You will live in the fields with the wild animals and you will eat grass like a cow.
Seven periods of time will pass while you live this way.
Until you learn that the most high rules over the kingdoms of the world and gives
them to anyone he chooses that same hour.
The judgment was fulfilled.
A Nebuchadnezzar was driven from human society.
He ate grass like a cow, and he was drenched with the dew of heaven.
He lived this way until his hair was as long as eagle's feathers and
his nails were like bird's claws.
After this time had passed, I Nebuchadnezzar looked up to heaven.
My sanity returned and I praised and worshiped the most high and
honored the one who lives forever.
His rule is everlasting and his kingdom is eternal.
All the people of the earth are nothing compared to him.
He does as he pleases among the angels of heaven and among the people of the earth.
No one can stop him or say to him, what do you mean by doing these things?
When my sanity returned to me, so did my honor and glory and kingdom.
My advisors and nobles sought me out and I was restored as head of my kingdom
with even greater honor than before.
Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and glorify and honor the king of heaven.
All his acts are just and true and he is able to humble the proud.