GENTLE BREEZE By  NELLY FAVIS VILLAFUERTE Nelly Favis Villafuerte Many of us relate Nebuchadnezzar, one of the greatest Babylonian kings, with the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the wonders of the Old World which the  king built for his wife.  He reigned for 43 years and he gained fame as a builder of cities.  What many do not know, though, was King Nebuchadnezzar’s secret weapon for eliciting more cooperation from the people he conquered.  Simply, he gave lavish religious freedom to his conquered people, the privilege of keeping their gods and allowing them to worship their idols – even going to the extent of worshipping the numerous idols himself just to gain political acceptance over the conquered people. A case of spiritual compromise to gain political power.

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          For a while, King Nebuchadnezzar’s political strategy worked well.  However, when he conquered Judah, and later captured Jerusalem, he encountered some problems.  The God of the people of Judah demanded exclusive worship.  From historical accounts, we see that Israel for about 325 years was divided into two kingdoms, namely Judah (the Southern Kingdom with Jerusalem as its capital) and Israel and Ephraim with Samaria as its capital.

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          King Nebuchadnezzar had awesome power indeed.  The only trouble was that he forgot where he got all such awesome power.  He became proud and boastful.  At one time his arrogant words were:  “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?”

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          How our almighty and omnipotent God who created us, the giver of our talents and who controls our circumstances humbled King Nebuchadnezzar should be a warning to all our elected political leaders.  How our Lord God in a split of a second allowed Nebuchadnezzar to lose his power, possessions, his position, and even his sanity should instill fear and humility in our elected political leaders and make them realize at the height of their euphoria that power is not forever.

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          In the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament we see how Nebuchadnezzar, the mighty king of Babylon, suddenly transferred from the luxurious royal palace to a lowly pasture, acting and thinking like a wild animal, eating grass like cattle; his hair growing like the coarse feathers of an eagle; and his uncut fingernails and toenails became like the claws of a bird.  For seven long years, the boasting king sank to a subhuman level abhorred even by his lowliest subjects and reduced to the state of a beast.  Fortunately for the king, he realized after seven years that it is God who gives power, talent, position, possessions, and life.  He realized that no ruler possessed any authority except by God’s permission.  While human rulers have temporary powers, the omnipotent power of God goes on forever and forever.  The king’s words of repentance were:  “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just.  And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.”  (Daniel 4:37)

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          Let us pray that our elected leaders will always acknowledge that all power comes from God.  Amnesia on this matter will indeed by disastrous for them and for the country.  (Part 8 of An Overview of Bible Prophecy will appear on March 1, 2020)

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This column continues to give out copies of the Holy Bible for free to those who cannot afford to buy their own copies. If interested, please send your letter-request to Ms. Nelly Favis Villafuerte, 5233 Fahrenheit St., Palanan, Makati City. Kindly mention if it is the Tagalog, English, Cebuano, or Ilocano Bible that is preferred. Be joyful and forgiving! (Comments may be sent to Ms. Villafuerte’s email: [email protected].)