Armond Ray Erickson

According to Daniel chapter 4, King #Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon was driven from human society to live like a wild animal for seven years (or "seven times") as divine punishment for his overwhelming pride. During this period, he lived outdoors, ate grass like cattle, and grew hair like eagle feathers and nails like bird claws. Humiliation: The Cause: Nebuchadnezzar boasted of his power, saying, "Look how great Babylon is! I built it as my capital". The Condition: He suffered from a form of insanity, living in the wilderness, drenched with dew, and eating vegetation. The Purpose: The period was intended to teach him that "the Most High God rules over human kingdoms". The Restoration: After seven years, his sanity was restored, and he praised God, after which his kingdom and authority were returned to him.

DEUTERONOMY 8:10-20 8:10 When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which he has given you. 8:11 Beware that you forget not the Lord your God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command you this day: 8:12 Lest when you have eaten and are full, and have built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; 8:13 And when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold is multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; 8:14 Then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; 8:15 Who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought you forth water out of the rock of flint; 8:16 Who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers knew not, that he might humble you, and that he might prove you, to do you good at your latter end; 8:17 And you say in your heart, My power and the might of my hand has gotten me this wealth. 8:18 But you shall remember the Lord your God: for it is he that gives you power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he swore unto your fathers, as it is this day. 8:19 And it shall be, if you do at all forget the Lord your God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. 8:20 As the nations which the Lord destroys before your face, so shall you perish; because you would not be obedient unto the voice of the Lord your God. The ancient promises of the God of Israel have not become null and void, and neither have his warnings. The grown children of the adult generation of Israel taken out of Egypt were empowered to enter the "promised land" intended for their parents and given authority to overthrow the existing idolatrous governments and their enablers. Israel is no longer surrounded by idolatrous nations and has no GOD-given authority or reason to invade them for the purpose of overthrowing their governments. And paranoid fear of a few, probably misinterpreted verbal threats does not begin to approach being a justifiable reason to attempt the military overthrow of any government or the military destruction of a government's legitimate efforts to improve its nation's infrastructure. DEUTERONOMY 8:18-20 8:18 But you shall remember the Lord your God: for it is he that gives you power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he swore unto your fathers, as it is this day. 8:19 And it shall be, if you do at all forget the Lord your God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. 8:20 As the nations which the Lord destroys before your face, so shall you perish; because you would not be obedient unto the voice of the Lord your God. The worship, or veneration of other "gods" instead of the LORD GOD, was never simply a matter of bowing before 'doll-sized representations of imaginary gods. In "ancient" Israel it sometimes meant submitting to the murderous demands of invisible Satanic forces in "high places"—literal high places sometimes, which were devoted to the sacrificing of young children to devil gods—and it meant submitting to the demands of warring "hill-top" "ivory tower" rulers requiring the youth under their control to sacrifice their lives in battles with the youth of other nations for no justifiable reason.