1. DRAMA OF THE AGES FLY THROUGH HISTORY WITH THE ANCIENT BOOK 15. THE BIG SHADOW-PLAY: THE BOOK IS BORN

2. Camped at the foot of Sinai (Jabel el laws), a wonderful revelation was given these people. God came down in fire and spoke his Law in their hearing.

3. Then a copy was given to Moses written on stone by God's own finger.

4. Although the Law had been known from Creation, it had not been necessary to write it down as the people were taught from father to son and had very good memories.

5. Mankind having degenerated greatly, now it was given in written form.

6. Also many statutes and civil laws were given to Moses who wrote them into books.

7. When Moses came down from the mount, what did he find but that the people, forgetting so soon the Law they had heard from the very mouth of God, had turned back to nature worship and were dancing and celebrating around a golden calf, symbol of the sun god Baal.

8. How soon these pagan people forgot the lessons God was trying to teach them!

9. The first five books of the Bible and the book of Job were all written by Moses.

10. This was the start of the Ancient Book we call our Bible.

11. Some say that man could not write that early, but they forget, man is not ascending, he is degenerating. There is evidence of writing even in the time of Abraham.

12. There are three sets of laws in the books of Moses, 1st the eternal Moral Law, the 10 Commandments written on stone.

13. 2nd a collection of civil laws to guide in daily living written by Moses in a book.

14. 3rd there were a set of Ceremonies and Sacrifices, guidance for the priests and the worship at the Tabernacle that was later built.

15. These were a living prophecy and every aspect of them had something to tell of the Messiah and Salvation.

16. However, the practice of these ceremonies was to end when Jesus died on the cross.

17. When the people repented of the worship of the calf and returned to God, He guided them to build a wonderful sanctuary where daily and yearly services were held, all pointing to the work and ministry of the Messiah.

18. When this was all completed, Israel was on the march again.

19. But on the very edge of Canaan, Israel rebelled and refused to obey God. Back into the wilderness they went for forty years.

20. DRAMA OF THE AGES FLY THROUGH HISTORY WITH THE ANCIENT BOOK 16. ISRAEL DESTROYED AND JUDAH CAPTIVE

21. We will skim over many years now; Israel did go into Canaan.

22. But again they did not fully obey God and drive out the wicked nations completely.

23. Later ten tribes were destroyed and scattered; lost forever, because of their insistence on pagan idol and nature worship.

24. Even Judah succumbed and though God sent prophet after prophet to warn them to turn away from their sin and return to God, they refused, even killing many of the faithful prophets.

25. Finally God allowed the aggressive nation of Babylon, under the young prince Nebuchadnezzar, to capture, sack and burn Jerusalem and lay her temple in ruins.

26. The people who survived were mostly taken to Babylon as slaves.

27. DRAMA OF THE AGES FLY THROUGH HISTORY WITH THE ANCIENT BOOK 17. DANIEL'S MYSTERIOUS TIMELINE

28. The years had rolled by; years filled mostly with a sad tale of apostasy and rebellion against God.

29. Israel was now in captivity this time in the kingdom of Babylon.

30. We may well ask, why does God allow His people to be oppressed by heathen nations when they have themselves turned from God and followed heathen ways?

31. It served two main purposes, it showed Israel the vanity of the heathen worship and it brought the heathen in contact with at least some who knew God's truth and could share it.

32. God always has a few who do not forsake Him and follow popular ways.

33. One of these was Daniel. Taken at a young age to the Great city of Babylon, he served in the court of the king.

34. Because of his faithfulness, God chose to use him as a prophet even there in Babylon.

35. God sent a dream to the King and no one could interpret it but Daniel, later God gave many prophetic dreams to Daniel himself.

36. Many of the prophets were primarily concerned with pleading with the people of the time to return to God, but Daniel was give long range prophecies, leading to our time and beyond.

37. One of the prophecies is called 'The Mystery of God'.

38. Finally after eons had past with people looking by faith to the future Savior, it pinpointed when the work of the Messiah and the Great Sacrifice was going to be made.

39. We will put a chart here of this prophecy

41. DRAMA OF THE AGES FLY THROUGH HISTORY WITH THE ANCIENT BOOK 18. IN THE FULLNESS OF TIME

42. We find the Savior's ministry pinpointed in this amazing prophecy of Daniel 8-10.

43. This serves to show it is indeed a true prophecy.

44. But there is more to it - It extends down to modern time and ends in the year of 1844.

45. In the time before the coming of Jesus, Satan worked very hard to make sure that the people of Judah would not recognize their Savior when He came.

46. But here was this clear prophecy—what was he to do? He got the Jews interested in Greek philosophy and urged them to combine the 'better parts' of this spiritualistic stuff with their own religion.

47. In addition to this, he got many to prize and cling to the pagan numerology and the Babylonian mysteries brought back from Babylon.

48. By mixing this together and calling it 'higher education' soon the Jews did not even understand their own scriptures!

49. Those in Judah at the time of Jesus who were considered the best educated, had studied in Alexandria, one of the capitals of Greek philosophy.

50. They thought they were wise but became fools. The same thing has happened today!

51. At the very time foretold, AD 27, Jesus was baptized of John in the river Jordan.

52. The Holy Spirit descended on Him and thus He became the 'Messiah' which is the 'Anointed One'.

53. DRAMA OF THE AGES Continues: 19. THE PRICE PAID