Summary
Title: Kingdom Bound: Prophetic History – Daniel 2:31-45
Aim: To understand the Kingdom of God as the big picture.
Intro: The older I get the more I appreciate history – perhaps because most of my life is now history. According to the dictionary, history is “that branch of knowledge concerned w/past events, especially those involving human affairs.” It is “a record or account, usually written & in chronological order, of past events…” We can learn much from history, & should – especially to avoid the pitfalls to which our forebears fell prey. The saying goes, “Those who fail to learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.” Not sure if mankind has really learned much from history, because we continue to fall into the same pits/snares. But if you add God into the mix, or rather, because God is before history, if see history from the understanding of God’s sovereignty, you get a clearer picture. He really is “God of the ages, history’s maker.” History is truly “His story.” History reveals to us much of the “big picture” plan of God & where we fit. And history teaches us that God is in control, that He is faithful/true, & that His word is sure. Nowhere is that more evident than in Biblical prophecy. If we consider the myriad of prophecies in the Bible that have been fulfilled to the last iota, we are then emboldened to trust God regarding things not yet fulfilled, at least not completely. Our theme for 2014, which we are still developing, is “Kingdom Bound” – We are bound for the kingdom of God – eternal life, reigning w/Him (if we are in Christ), but we are also now bound by the kingdom – God’s rule in our lives now. It touches/shapes our lives now, as we seek to follow Christ. As we think about this & look at history, esp the history of the Kingdom of God, then we learn the sureness of God’s word. History tells us that God’s word is sure. There’s a great account in Daniel 2 that declares this truth loudly. In Scripture we have both history & prophecy. The book of Daniel is quite a good example of that. We know from Daniel 1 that Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, w/his mighty army laid siege to Jerusalem, conquered Judah & Jerusalem, & took captive the king of Judah, Jehoiakim, & some of the people of Israel, especially those considered “the cream of the crop,” including Daniel. Babylon was a great empire, spanning almost all of what they knew of the world. Also learn from Daniel 1 that Daniel & 3 other young Hebrew men – Hananiah, Meshael & Azariah – were part of a group set apart to be educated & trained to be servants to the king. They appealed to the steward over them to let them eat vegetables & drink water instead of the king’s choice food & wine, which would defile them. They were blessed by God to be found healthier, wiser & more skilled than all the rest, so they were chosen ones, Daniel even one of the king’s counselors. One night, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream, which greatly disturbed him. So he called for his top magicians, enchanters, sorcerers & Chaldeans (men considered the wisest in all the land) & asked them to tell him his dream & its interpretation. They naturally told him that no one could do that – how could they know what he dreamed? But the king decided that if they couldn’t tell him the dream & its interpretation then they were of no use to him. He ordered that all his counselors be executed. That included Daniel, tho he didn’t know what was going on to this point. When they came to get Daniel he asked why he was to be executed, was told the story, & appealed to the king to give him some time & he would tell him his dream & the interpretation. King consented & Daniel prayed & asked his friends to pray. He didn’t know what the king’s dream was, let alone the interpretation, but God knew. We read in 2:19 that “Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night.” Daniel thanked God (vs20-23) & went to the king. Told him, “No man can do what you’ve asked, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, & He has revealed this to me.” So we come to Daniel 2:31-45, where Daniel related to the king his dream & revealed the interpretation [READ]. So here it is – Nebuchadnezzar dreamed of a great image, representing 4 great world empires, followed by a mixture of kingdoms, not united, try as they may. Except for the head of gold, all of this was prophecy to Daniel – had not transpired in history yet, but God was revealing to Nebu what was going to be. To us, except for the very last piece, it’s all history. The 4 empires represented by the image in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream were the Babylonian empire, which was the present reality at that time – spanned 66 yrs, from 605-539 BC; then the Medo-Persian empire, spanning 208 yrs, from 539-331 BC; then the Greek empire, spanning 163 yrs, from 331-168 BC; and the Roman empire, spanning 519 yrs, from 168 BC – 351 AD. Daniel explained that Nebuchadnezzar (& Babylonian empire) was the head of gold. Talbot wrote that “Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom was likened unto gold because it was an absolute monarchy.” All the power/authority rested in Nebuchadnezzar. David Gudzik agreed w/Talbot & wrote that “the 3 successive empires which came after Babylon were inferior to Nebuchadnezzar’s reign in the sense of their centralization of absolute power. Nebu was an absolute monarch, but the succeeding empires were progressively less so. They were larger & lasted longer, but none held as much centralized power.” Newell further wrote, “Babylon, the head of gold, was an absolute autocracy. [In the Persian Empire] (chest & arms of silver) [its] nobles were equal to the king in all but office. Greece (middle & thighs of bronze), indicated the still lower value of its aristocracy of mind & influence. [The Greek empire was the largest in its territory – “rule over all the earth,” again, all of what they knew of the earth]. Rome (legs of iron) was a democratic imperialism, w/military dominion dependent on the choice of army & citizenry & administered in the spirit of martial law.” These empires are recorded for history. The Medes-Persians conquered the Babylonian empire & assumed its reign. The Greeks defeated the Persians & assumed their realm; & the Romans defeated the Greeks & assumed their territory (or most). I know this account doesn’t take into consideration other great world empires (Chinese dynasties, Mayans, Incas, or even British Empire). This is primarily because these 4 empires directly impacted Israel & the Jewish people, God’s chosen ones thru whom the Messiah would come. After the legs of iron (Roman Empire) the image had feet & toes partly of “potter’s clay & partly of iron.” Robert Jameson wrote that this is still Rome, “represent[ing] a 2-fold state, 1st strong, w/legs of iron, then weak, w/toes part of iron & part of clay…pointing to the 10 kingdoms into which the Roman kingdom was finally to be divided.” Others think that the toes could represent the ultimate redevelopment of the Roman empire just before Christ comes again, “a confederation of kings yet to be fulfilled,” maybe the same as the 10 horns of the beast in Revelation 17. I confess to you that I really don’t know, tho in my humble opinion the 10 toes may represent all the kingdoms of the world since the time of Christ & the birth of the Church. But what Gudzik wrote is definitely true: “As a whole, the image accurately represents human power & empire. It seems invincible, but is actually unstable at its base. Since the fall of the Roman Empire there has never been world-dominating empire equal to Rome. Many have tried – Huns, Islam, so-called Holy Roman Empire, Napolean, Hitler, Stalin, etc, but none have succeeded. The image describes devolution, not evolution – it has lesser & lesser value, devaluing from gold to dust.” But, Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar, “in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break into pieces all these kingdoms & bring them to an end, & it shall stand forever…” The rock/stone that was cut out of the mountain w/out human hands is Jesus Christ & His kingdom. In his 1st epistle (2:6) Peter quoted Isaiah 28:16, where God said, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen & precious, & whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.” The King & His kingdom are 1 & the same. Jesus said (Mt. 21:42-44, the 1st part a quote of Ps.118:22-23), “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, & it is marvelous in our eyes. Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you & given to a people producing its fruits. And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; & when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.” Israel rejected Christ as the Messiah & thus the rejected the cornerstone of the kingdom. As said, the kingdom of God was Jesus’ primary focus. He preached that all should “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.” It was at hand because He was there. Jesus came to die for us, yes; but He also came to usher in God’s kingdom “on earth as it is in heaven.” The kingdom of God is not the Church, tho they are vitally linked. The Church is God’s vehicle to expand His kingdom thru the whole earth, by taking the gospel thruout all the world. The cutting out of the stone can be associated, I believe, w/the 1st coming of Christ & all that He did – setting in place all that will be, including judgment. The stone becoming a great mountain & filling the whole earth (vs35) can be seen in the spread of the gospel of the kingdom & the furtherance of the kingdom thruout the centuries since Christ’s death & resurrection. The breaking into pieces of the image (& thus all these kingdoms) certainly speaks of final judgment, when Christ shall come again. Like the kingdom of God itself, so this prophecy is a now & a not yet. It’s like (as Lyle once said in our Wed. night Bible study) looking at the tops of mountains – can see the tops but not all the valleys between. Looks like one mountain & like one fulfillment, but it spans many mts & much time. The breaking into pieces or crushing is not the gradual salvation of the world by the Church, but judgment by Christ the King. Heslop wrote, “Smashing is not salvation. Crushing is not conversion. Destroying is not delivery, nor is pulverizing the same as purification.” There is a coming judgment & a destroying of the kingdoms/governments of the world. 4 things that came to mind as I considered this prophetic history which I think are important for us to understand: 1) God rules over kingdoms & kings, raising/setting them up & removing them. Nebuchadnezzer’s dream involved 4 specific kingdoms, but they could easily represent all the kingdoms/nations/rulers of the world thruout history, including the United States. There is no authority except what God gives & no kingdoms/nations that God hasn’t raised up for His purposes (just like Babylon was used by God to punish Israel). Kingdoms come & go, as do kings & presidents & despots. But the kingdom of God & the reign of Christ the King shall never come to an end. 2) God’s rule spans history & determines the future. None but the Babylonian empire had come on the scene when Nebu had his dream, but God knew what would happen, because He determined it & brought it to pass. Under Persian rule, the Hebrews were allowed to go back to Israel. Under the Greeks the language of the New Testament spread. Under the Romans, their infrastructure of roadways allowed the gospel to be taken all over Asia Minor/Europe. Think of other historical events – the invention of the printing press gave rise to the Protestant Reformation, w/the Word of God translated/printed in the language of the people; the spread of the British Empire & the settlement of America led to the work of missions all over the world; even the rise of communism, w/the attempt to wipe out Christianity, became the seed bed of faith for millions in China, Russia. God has always been at work carrying out His eternal plan & building His kingdom. That means that 3) Christ is not just a personal king, but a universal King & Judge. This is a big picture matter. It’s huge, spanning all of history & all of the future. As said last week both in SS & message, it’s not about my best life now, it’s about God’s kingdom come & His will done. It’s about finding our place in God’s big picture – not making much of ourselves, but making much of Christ, being used of Him to further His kingdom until the King comes again. Talk about life purpose! And finally, 4) The historical fact of these empires prophesied by Daniel assures us that the final “piece” will also be fulfilled completely. God’s word is sure. Christ the King will crush the world’s kingdoms & rule over all. Don’t you want to be on the side of the King when He comes? I have always thought of that vs in Mt.21:44 in this way: those who fall upon the stone (Jesus) are broken – we lose our lives to Him, but gain His life. He restores, saves those who fall upon Him. But those upon whom the stone falls are crushed – destroyed. These are those who reject Him & are judged by Him. Which are you? I urge you to fall upon the Stone, lest He fall upon you. We who are in Christ are kingdom bound – bound for the Kingdom & eternal life. But if that is so, we are also bound by the kingdom now. Can’t have one w/out the other. It’s imp that we see the big picture & surrender to the King & be about His business.
