How Are the Mighty Fallen! B

Nebuchadnezzar was going to be humiliated. He was going to lose his mind, going to become a beast insane for seven full years. And the lesson he needed to learn was this, every kingdom is God's.

And if he sets up some base man, as verse 17 says, it's only because God has done it, not because that man has done it. Welcome to Grace to You with John MacArthur. I'm your host, Phil Johnson. Today, John's going to look at a fascinating story of pride, destruction, and supernatural restoration.

It's part of John's series titled The Rise and Fall of World Powers. But before we get to the message, John, you know, whether you're teaching on end times prophecy which might take some extra digging to really grasp, or whether it's another subject that might challenge or convict or even be controversial, whatever ends up on this broadcast is something we think people need to hear, and that's because it's biblical. And the fact is, people get it. We're constantly reminded that people are standing with us, and we are grateful for that. Yeah, one of the things that is true about this ministry, because it's been true about my preaching for half a century, is that I teach what the Bible says. And having gone through many of the books in the Old Testament and speaking prophetically, verse by verse, you know, phrase by phrase, through the book of Daniel, for example, through the book of Zechariah, two very prophetic books.

But in going through the New Testament, we don't miss anything. It's part of proclaiming the whole counsel of God, as the apostle Paul said. So it's the nature of the ministry of an expositor, if he lives long enough, like I have and stays in one place, that you're going to cover everything. So the ministry of grace to you avoids nothing. Basically, I've gone through the entire New Testament, from the first verse in Matthew to the last verse in Revelation. And some of those books, through the half a century of teaching, I've gone through two times, and that would be the book of Revelation, and maybe even a third time. So the full range of New Testament truth, and biblical truth as well, has been dealt with in the preaching ministry of this half a century, and that makes it a reservoir for all that grace to you is.

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But for now, stay here as John MacArthur continues his look at the rise and fall of world powers. As we look at this chapter, we focus then on the spiritual biography of Nebuchadnezzar, an incredible, astounding, amazing man, one of the geniuses of all of human history, brilliant beyond those of his time, equipped in many, many ways in a human sense, puffed up and proud as the ruler of the world, and how God literally crushes him into nothing and turns him around. And he does it, beloved, through another dream, another dream. Point number one, the reception of the dream. Verse 4, the reception of the dream. This is his first-hand account.

And now let's look at the second point, the recitation of the dream. Verse 9, O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians. Now he gives him the highest possible title, superior to everybody else.

And by the way, the word magicians, in order to be fair about it, is probably a word that should be translated in a broadest way, scholars. Here was the chief scholar, the most erudite, the most wise, the most knowledgeable, the most gifted. In fact, Daniel literally became a byword for knowledge, a byword for wisdom. In Ezekiel 28, it says, Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel. And that statement is made to the Prince of Tyre, and behind the Prince of Tyre is Satan. I mean, for a man, Daniel had incredible knowledge and wisdom.

And so he comes in. And he not only had that, but he says, I know that the Spirit of the Holy God is in you. And watch this, and no secret troubles you. I know that there's no secret that's a problem for you. Tell me the interpretation of the visions of my dream that I have seen. Interpret my dream, he says.

Nothing's too hard for you. Now here's my dream, verse 10. And this is a strange one.

Watch. Thus were the visions of my head in my bed. I saw, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and the height of it was great. The tree grew and was strong, and its height reached unto heaven, and the sight of it extended to the end of all the earth.

Now that's a big tree, folks. Verse 12, its leaves were fair, its fruit much, and in it was food for all. And the beasts of the field had shadow under it, and the fowls of the heaven dwelled in its boughs, and all flesh was fed from it. That's what he saw in his dream.

But the dream had a second part, and this was the shocker. Verse 13, I kept looking in the vision of my head on my bed, and behold, a watcher. Now that's Nebuchadnezzar's word for an angel. He is seeing this angelic being and an holy one, a watcher and a holy one. Now no two words could better describe the angels.

They are vigilant, they are guardians, and they are holy. And so he sees an angel, and he comes down from heaven, and he cries aloud, and he said thus, cut down the tree. And cut off its branches, shake off its leaves, scatter its fruit, let the beasts get away from under it, and the fowls from its branches.

In other words, the whole deal comes crashing down. That's the devastation and the destruction of the tree. But there's a fascinating feature in verse 15. Nevertheless, leave the stump and its roots, and it includes the stump and the roots, in the earth.

Even with a band of iron and bronze, and this was probably a fence, the best way to interpret that is, you leave the stump and its roots, it's still alive, and put a fence around it, leave it in the tender grass of the field, and then notice this, amazing thing happens. Verse 15, and let him, where did that come from? I never heard of a tree called him, have you? And now we're sneaking up on the interpretation, aren't we? Now we know that the tree is a man. Let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts and the grass of the earth, and we have come to a significant change. Him, that's a man. Let his portion, so we come to him and his, and now we're beginning to catch the interpretation.

The tree is destroyed, chopped down, the whole thing comes to a crashing halt, but the stump is left, and the stump is alive, and the roots are alive, and a fence is around it, so nobody can harm it, and it's protected. Verse 16, let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given unto him, and let seven times pass over him. The heart has reference to all of the thinking, cognitive, reasoning processes of man, which control everything. And his mind is literally to become that of an animal. This is a monstrous psychological affliction known as lycanthropy from Lucas, wolf, anthropos, man, the wolf man, the werewolf concept comes from this.

The guy who thinks he's an animal. Raymond Harrison recites a personal experience with a modern case similar to that of Nebuchadnezzar that was observed in a mental hospital in 1946. And Harrison wrote this, I thought it was interesting. He said, a great many doctors spend an entire busy professional career without once encountering an instance of the kind of monomania described in the book of Daniel. The present writer therefore considers himself particularly fortunate to have actually observed a clinical case of bowanthropy. They observed, he says, a clinical case of bowanthropy in a British mental institution in 1946. The patient was in his early 20s. He reportedly had been hospitalized for about five years.

His symptoms were well developed on admission and diagnosis was immediate and conclusive. He was of average height and weight with a good physique and excellent bodily health. His mental symptoms included pronounced antisocial tendencies and because of this he spent the entire day from dawn to dusk outdoors on the grounds of the institution. His daily routine consisted of wandering around the magnificent lawns in which the otherwise dingy hospital situation was graced and it was his custom to pluck up and eat handfuls of the grass as he went along. On observation he was seen to discriminate between grass and weeds and on inquiry from the attendant the writer was told the diet of this patient consisted exclusively of grass from hospital lawns. He never ate institutional food with other inmates and his only drink was water.

The writer was able to examine him cursorily and the only physical abnormality noted consisted of a lengthening of the hair and a coarse thickened condition of the fingernails. Without institutional care the patient would have manifested precisely the identical physical conditions as those mentioned in Daniel chapter 4. So this is not an unknown psychological phenomenon. In this case it is induced by God. Now let's look at verse 17 and find out the point for all this. This matter is by the decree, and he's still telling the dream here, this matter, this whole deal happened by the decree of the watchers or the angels and the demand by the word of the holy ones, these angels.

And the reason is to the intent that the living may know, watch it, that the most high ruleth in the kingdom of men and giveth it to whomsoever he will and setteth up over it the basest of men. In other words, in the dream the watchers or the angels actually told Nebuchadnezzar that the whole point of this dream was to show that the most high ruleth in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomsoever he will. Now verse 18, this dream I Nebuchadnezzar have seen. Now thou, O Belteshazzar, or Daniel, declare the interpretation of it for as much as all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known unto me the interpretation, but thou art able. And here he says this for the third time, for the spirit of the holy God is in thee. Oh, isn't it wonderful how Daniel stood out in the middle of his society because of a spirit control and spirit-filled life, if we can use New Testament terminology. So we see the reception of the dream in verses four to seven or eight, and then we see from nine to 18 the recitation, now the revelation of the dream. You want to know what it means? Here it comes, verse 19. Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was perplexed for one hour.

Now the one hour is probably not literally one hour. The phrase means for a little while, and his thoughts troubled him. Was he perplexed because he didn't know the answer to the dream?

No. Why was he troubled? Why was he disturbed? He was disturbed, now mark it, because he did know the interpretation of the dream, and his heart was a heart of compassion toward Nebuchadnezzar. And he was sorry and sad that it had to come to this, you see. Daniel stands there for a little while, doesn't say anything. The king spoke and said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream or its interpretation trouble me.

Don't be afraid to tell me. Belteshazzar answered and said, My Lord, the dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation of it to thine enemies. And what he's saying is, I wish what I have to say was true of your enemies and not you. What a compassionate man. It wasn't the silence of perplexity. It was the silence of compassion.

He just didn't want to tell them what he had to tell them. And I think in even saying that, he sealed in the mind of Nebuchadnezzar that he loved him. If he'd have just blurted out the condemnation, Nebuchadnezzar might have questioned Daniel's compassion.

But this is what proves again to that man how deeply Daniel cared. It's a great lesson there, beloved. We know the message. And we know there's a message of judgment and doom and hell. But we never preach that message with a vindictive heart, do we?

We never preach it in a harsh and damning and unloving and judgmental way. But I could never, and I hope you can't either talk to anybody about the loss of their eternal soul, about the judgment of God in their life, without a sense of sadness and compassion. That was Daniel. Daniel hurt because he had to tell this king with whom he had been these many years and for whom he had prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed year after year and to whom he had manifested the virtue of his faith in God. He had to tell him something he did not want to tell him.

We should have that kind of compassion. So Daniel cared. But he went on anyway and spoke the thing that he had to speak. And what did he say? Hear it well. Verse 20, the tree that thou sawest which grew and was strong, whose height reached unto the heaven and the sight of it to all the earth, whose leaves were fair and its fruit much, and in it was food for all, and under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and upon whose branches the fowls of the heaven had their habitation. Here it comes.

Underline it. Verse 22, it is thou, O king. Remember what Nathan said to David? Thou art the man. It is you, O king. Most preachers backed down in the crisis like Daniel didn't.

You're the man. Then came the second part, verse 23. And whereas the king saw a watcher and a holy one coming down from heaven, this angel, and saying, Cut the tree down and destroy it, yet leave the stump of its roots in the earth, even with a fence of iron and bronze, a strong fence, in the tender grass of the field, and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field. And by the way, he recites the dream just verbatim, till seven times pass over him. This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my Lord the King. Here it comes. That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat, and the word is literally herbage, they shall make thee to eat herbage or grass like oxen, they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, that is living outdoors with dew just like the rest of the earth, and seven years shall pass over thee, until thou know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men and giveth it to whosoever he will.

Now listen, just summing it up, it's clear. Nebuchadnezzar was going to be humiliated. He was going to lose his mind.

He was going to become a beast insane for seven full years. But verse 26, and whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots, thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee after thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule. And there is a ray of hope. Look at that, verse 26. The reason the stump was left was because Nebuchadnezzar wasn't going to die, but after seven years, he would get his throne back again after he learned his lesson.

And the lesson he needed to learn was this. Every kingdom is God's, and God rules everything. And if he sets up some base man, as verse 17 says, it's only because God has done it, not because that man has done it. Having said that, Daniel makes an appeal in verse 27. Wherefore, O King, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee. Break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. In other words, let there be righteousness in the life, and let there be the proof of it by the deeds to those in need. The King must break with sin and enter a righteous relationship with God, and then he must prove that righteous relationship by virtuous deeds. He's calling for Nebuchadnezzar to repent, turn from his sin, turn to the Lord, accept the righteous standard, and begin to be merciful. And by the way, we don't have time to go into it, he was a merciless, murderous king. And so there was much to change.

But you know what? Even after this dream and its interpretation, Nebuchadnezzar refused to repent. He refused. Like Felix, you know, who said to Paul, when I have a convenient season, I'll call for you.

I can't be bothered right now. He refused to repent. If Nebuchadnezzar, I believe, in verse 27, if he'd have repented, God would have never allowed this to happen.

You say, what makes you think that? Well, God said he was going to destroy Nineveh, but Nineveh repented and he didn't do it, right? God speaks judgment but when men repent, God turns from his judgment. But Nebuchadnezzar didn't repent. And so we see the reception of the dream through verse 8 and the recitation through verse 18 and the revelation through verse 27 and now the realization in verse 28. Watch what happened.

It came to pass. But look, all this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar when? At the end of how long? Twelve months. Now you tell me God isn't a patient, gracious God. How long did God give Nebuchadnezzar to get his act straightened out?

One whole year. And Nebuchadnezzar was a vile and evil and murderous man. But God gave him twelve months to hear the wonderful and gracious appeal of Daniel. God is so patient.

Verse 30, just to show you how far he was from repentance, catch this. The king spoke and said, he's standing on the top of his palace looking around at this incredible city. Is not this great Babylon that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power and for the honor of my majesty?

It's pretty disgusting, frankly. I mean, he is so bloated. He looked over all of that stuff. I mean, Babylon was the largest and most powerful city of antiquity. And just like Herod in Acts chapter 12 when those words were in his mouth, it happened. Verse 31, and while the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven saying, oh King Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken, the kingdom is departed from thee. God gave him twelve months.

The end of twelve months, that's where he was. God said, that's it. They shall drive thee from men and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make thee eat grass like oxen and seven times shall pass over thee until thou know that the most high ruleth in the kingdom of men and giveth it to whomsoever he will.

You know, some people are just hard cases, aren't they? And the same hour, verse 33, was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar and he was driven from men and did eat grass like oxen and his body was wet with the dew of heaven until his hairs were grown like eagle's feathers and his nails like birds' claws. Stop right there.

Pretty awesome event, wouldn't you say? There he is, outside. Everybody can see him. Somehow he was fenced in, crawling around like an animal on the ground, eating grass, his hair like the feathers of an eagle, his fingers like birds' claws with their nails thick, crusted, curved, a raving maniac for seven years.

And I'll tell you something. In a kingdom like that, you've got a lot of grasping underlings. You've got a lot of people who would like to knock off Nebuchadnezzar. If you go later on in the history and you find after Nebuchadnezzar's death, you find an incredible malo of political intrigue as they try to take over that throne. But for seven years, while the man is a raving maniac, nobody lays a hand on that throne and I believe God used Daniel in the meantime to control it until it could be given back to him.

God brought him down. But the story doesn't end here. From the reception of the dream, the recitation of the dream, the revelation, the realization, we come to the restoration. Fabulous.

And I'm going to just very quickly, a couple of minutes, we'll be done. Verse 34. Notice, and at the end of the days, what's the next word? I. Back to the first person, he's back to his senses. I, Nebuchadnezzar, restored, transformed.

What did he do? I lifted up mine eyes unto heaven and mine understanding returned unto me and I blessed the Most High and I praised and I honored Him who liveth forever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion and His kingdom is from generation to generation. Oh man, David ought to put music to that. Sounds like a psalm. And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing and He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth and none can stay His hand or say to Him, What doest Thou? Oh, He got the message, didn't He? He's transformed. Beloved, God can save the high and the mighty if they get humbled. You know that?

And I'll tell you something. God will humble every man someday. Best that we be humbled while we still have the opportunity to accept His grace, right?

Maybe that's how you got saved. So, this is Nebuchadnezzar's own testimony. Verse 36, at the same time my reason returned to me and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honor and brightness returned unto me and my counselors and my lords sought unto me and I was established in my kingdom and excellent majesty was added unto me.

Now get that. His reason came back. His glory, His kingdom, His honor, His brightness returned and watch this, even the counselors and the Lord sought after Him. They didn't say don't go near that raving maniac. He's been freaked out for seven years.

Stay away. Everybody accepted Him. The kingdom accepted Him. The whole deal as if nothing had happened and I was established and excellent majesty was added unto me, all that a king could be, but I had the right reaction. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, what do I do with my life? I praise, I extol, I honor the King of Heaven, all whose works are truth and His ways justice and those that walk in pride He is able to humble.

Did he get the message? Well, you know it. What a great truth. God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. It's John MacArthur, Chancellor of the Masters University and Seminary. He's currently showing you what the prophet Daniel predicted about the rise and fall of world powers.

That's the title of John's study. And friend, as John mentioned earlier today, we are so grateful for your partnership that allows us to take God's word to people all over the world, helping men and women from all walks of life grow spiritually. To express your support, get in touch with us today. You can send your tax-deductible donation to Grace To You, Box 4000, Panorama City, CA 91412. Or you can call our toll-free number, 800-55-GRACE. Or you can donate online at GTY.org. And thanks in advance for helping stabilize and strengthen lives with biblical truth. Our number again, 800-55-GRACE, and our website GTY.org. And remember, at GTY.org you'll find thousands of free Bible study resources. If there is a passage in the New Testament that has always confused you, or if you simply want to know more about it, John has a sermon on it. Or you can check out our blog. You'll find articles on compelling topics like glorifying God in the gray areas of life, or overcoming sin, or hope for a doomed culture, and many other topics. And if you've benefited from John's current radio series, perhaps let a friend know about it and encourage him or her to tune in to Grace To You on this station. Now for John MacArthur, I'm Phil Johnson. Thanks for being here today, and make sure you are back tomorrow when John examines what may be the most famous graffiti in history. It's another half-hour of unleashing God's truth, one verse at a time, on Grace To You.