Nebuchadnezzar was a powerful king. He had an expansive kingdom, and yet, like all earthly kingdoms, his was doomed. Today on Truth for Life, Aleister Begg shows us how God used Nebuchadnezzar's dream to reveal the king's downfall and to foretell of God's ultimate king and kingdom. We're studying Daniel chapter two, picking up with Daniel's response to the king's difficult request. Daniel is very straightforward.
He decides that what God's will for him is: that he would continue living. that he would like to stay alive. And so that's exactly what he says. And in verse 17, he decides to call his friends together to pray. Not to discover what God's will is for him.
But to receive mercy.
so that he might know the mystery so that they might not be destroyed. And then verse 19, the mystery Was revealed to Daniel in a vision. of the night.
Now you see, in verse 28, Daniel is going to tell the king that there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. And he knows that because in verse 19, he has revealed the mystery. to Daniel. What does that mean? Remember in chapter 1, it says that God had given verse 17 learning and skill in literature and wisdom, and Daniel.
distinct from Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, had understanding in all visions and dreams.
Now verses twenty to twenty three would be a wonderful sermon on their own because they give to us this hymn of praise. And Daniel blesses God, the name of God, forever and ever. to whom belong wisdom and might? He changes times and seasons. He removes kings and sets up kings.
He gives wisdom to the wise, knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and hidden things. He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him. To you, O God of my fathers, he says, I give thanks and praise. For you have given me wisdom and might.
and have now made known to me what we asked of you. for you have made known to us the king's matter. I want you to notice the distinction between what Daniel is saying here and what the enchanters had been saying in verse 11. The thing that the king asks is difficult, true, and no one can show it to the king except the gods whose dwelling is not with flesh. And clearly they say to the king, this is beyond the realm of our training, beyond the realm of our ability, and therefore we're going to have to go somehow into the realm of divinity.
And so, into these multivarious gods, and to them they might appeal. Only somewhere up there is the answer. Daniel is not saying, Yes, I agree. He's saying, No, those gods have eyes, but they cannot see. They have ears, but they cannot hear.
They have mouths, but they cannot speak. There is only one God who knows what he has done, who knows the end from the beginning.
Now, loved ones, you need to understand that the same is true and abounds in contemporary America. Our friends increasingly are filled with talk of the gods. whether they are the golf gods or the weather gods or whatever else it is. It sounds so unbelievable given the nature of the nation and the founding of the nation. But men's hearts and minds have become darkened.
When people cease to believe in God as He has revealed Himself in Scripture, they do not believe in nothing, they believe in just about everything. And the distinction of biblical orthodoxy is clearly stated here. The God who made the heavens and the earth, the God who's in charge of the seasons, the God who's in control of history and so on, is not one of your polytheistic gods. No, he is God of God and light of light and king of kings and lord of lords. You see, that's what our culture actually is not going to be prepared to put up with.
They don't mind if we want to include our little God somewhere in the pantheon of contemporary gods. But if we're going to start to say that the name of God is forever and ever and He is the one who knows what is in the darkness and so on, then of course we're going to find ourselves in a different position altogether. That's why we should prepare for it. But Daniel, you see, was not rude. He wasn't bombastic.
His response to Ariach, who had the responsibility of the execution squad, was with prudence and discretion. Two very lovely individuals. In other words, he was tactful. And as we've seen, he was prayerful. And as we realize, he was purposeful.
In verse twenty-four, he went into Ariach, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. And he went in and he said thus to him, Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon. They're pretty straightforward. Nobody was in any doubt. And so it is that Ariok in verse 25 brought in Daniel before the king in haste and Decides to put himself at the front of the parade.
I have found among the exiles from Judah a man. No, actually you haven't. Daniel is the one who has volunteered. And uh the king declared to Daniel Are you able? Daniel said no.
No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers are able, can show the king the mystery the king has asked. But There is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. And he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in your bed. To you, O king, as you lay in bed came thoughts of what would be after this.
And he who reveals mysteries made known to you what is to be. But as for me, the mystery has been revealed to me not because I'm brighter than any of the other people who are alive, but in order that the mystery might be known by the king and that you may know the thoughts of your minds.
Now get this. The sovereign control of God extends to the dream patterns of pagan kings. That's how much control God has in the universe.
So, when you turn your newspaper over, when you read something, when you look at the world as it unfolds in history, remember this. That's what these exiles needed to know. The Babylonian forces had come in and decimated everything that they knew about true worship, security, freedom, and everything else. Snatched up their brightest and their best, took them away. The vessels that represented the power and presence of God were also taken away into the citadel of the Babylonian gods.
Now, as this book comes to them in their exile, they're discovering, they're making the discovery that God is actually in control of the kingdoms of the world. That he sets them up and he brings them down, and that his kingdom as established. Uh will never Come to an end. I think if they as exiles needed to know that, We as aliens and strangers in our world need to know it. Two.
And then Uh for the first time, as I say in verse thirty-one and following, the dream is recounted. I've done that for you. We won't do it again. You can read it there in thirty-one to thirty-five. And then in verse thirty-six and following, I will now tell you its interpretation.
Now, he starts off wonderfully, doesn't he? You okay? You are the head of gold. You go directly to that at the end of verse 38. You are the head of gold.
Well, that would make him feel quite good, I think, wouldn't you? I knew I shouldn't have killed you, Daniel. You're a good soul, aren't you?
Well, yes, I am the head of gold. You sit up a little higher in his throne. But before he gets to that conclusion, look at what he tells him in 37 and 38. He says, Nebuchadnezzar, you need to know something. In the final analysis, all that you enjoy of position, all that you know of influence, all that you enjoy of prosperity has been given to you by the God of heaven.
That's verse thirty seven. You, O king, The king of kings, the biggest king around, to whom the God of heaven has given. The kingdom? The power. Yeah.
The glory? And all the population, wherever they live, And the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens. He's made you the ruler over them all. You are the head of gold. But you need to know that the reason you are It's because God decided that you should be.
You see, what uh that would matter to the excels as well, wouldn't it? Because they'd be saying presumably the evil has triumphed over the good.
Now they need to understand. that the God who has covenanted to love them to the end Is the one who has been in charge of the fact that they have been dragged away into this position. And that this Evil fellow who is on the throne. is actually there by the appointing of God. That's what I said to you last week: you'll never understand history unless you read your Bible.
You are the head of gold. But then he goes on to say that's the good news. It's not so good. I have to let you know that after you will arise another kingdom, it will be inferior to you, but it will take you over. After that it will be a third one, and after that it will be a fourth one.
And eventually There will be a kingdom that is set up in those days, verse 44, that will never be destroyed, and it won't be like these other four left to another people.
Now, these four kingdoms have traditionally been known, understood, and I think accurately so. As Babylon and Medo Persia and Greece and Rome. That's all I really want to say about that. For those of you who want to spend The rest of the afternoon and the evening speculating about all of that. I wish you a very happy afternoon.
What is the main thing and the plain thing being conveyed by Daniel here? Because it is given without interpretation.
So without interpretation as to all these kingdoms. All that we can do is engage in speculation. which of course would not be particularly helpful. The fact that it is not particularly helpful has not prevented people from doing it continually throughout the years. I have heard many a sermon.
That has been disproved with the passage of time. Explaining to me that one toe equals this and two toes equals that. Take away the first toe you thought of, and before you know it, there you have the whole world in front of you. I never I never got that as a young man. I listened to it carefully.
It got me very excited and often agitated. But it seemed to leave me. Until I stood back from the painting far enough, I step back from the painting, I look at all the painting, and I say, Now, what is the big story on this painting? I mean if I stand up too close to it, I may miss the fact. What is he saying?
He's saying that God sets up and brings down kingdoms. These kingdoms will come and go. He will establish a kingdom that will never come to an end and will not be passed on to somebody else. That, he says, is what you need to know. And that, loved ones, is what you and I need to know.
This morning. Verse 44: It is God's kingdom. It is indestructible. It will never be supplanted or replaced. And it will be universal.
Back in verse, where is it? 35. But the stone struck the image, became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. Main thought is this. Human history.
Is under the control of God. And it has a purpose. which will be achieved. Human history is under the control of God. What what was being conveyed here by Daniel to these exiles was simply this fact, that God would eventually replace all these kingdoms with an everlasting kingdom.
And so it is that in the fullness of time the Babylonian kingdom was overruled by the Medo-Persian, the Medo-Persian kingdom was taken over by Greece, Alexander the Great. Alexander the Great eventually crumbles to a halt, and the Roman Empire takes over. And the Roman Empire rules the world. At least most of the world never managed to conquer Scotland, as it turns out, but it. Actually, they just looked at it, said we're not interested, and that was the end of it.
Um there's nothing up there and uh But they did a good job in England. But while the Romans ruled, In a backwater province of the Middle East. A slip of a girl. Maybe a teenager. Had an angelic visitation.
And out of nowhere came this angelic visitor who announced to her that she We'd have a son. And that his name would be Jesus. That in itself was totally out of any expectation. How will this be, she said, since I am only a virgin? I mean, this doesn't work.
The angel said, Don't you worry, the power of God will overshadow you, and so on. God knows what He's doing in history, He'll take care of it. And furthermore, you need to know that this Jesus will be great, and he will sit on the throne of his father David, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. Jesus. Is the stone?
That is fashioned out of nowhere. that collapses this great statue. The statue is pulverized. By Christ. Who, in the unfolding poetic Picture then becomes the mountain.
Which fills the entire earth. What is being said?
Well, just what Jesus went on to say. Jesus is introduced to us in the New Testament as the stone that the builders rejected, but he is the cornerstone. Jesus says, the one who falls on this stone, speaking of himself, will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone on whom it falls. You you have to believe this. No matter what ISIS does.
No matter The encroaching influence of Islam. This is th this is what you need to know, exile. This is what you need to know, alien. You need to know this. You need to believe this.
This is our ultimate security. Not in political machinations. Not actually in warfare. But in the fact of the promise that is conveyed via Daniel 600 years before the birth of Jesus. And when Jesus stands on the stage of human history, what does he declare?
He says, The time is fulfilled. In other words, all the stuff that has been leading up here is now fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come. What does he mean? I'm the king and I'm here. The people said to him, What are you doing in these miraculous things?
How is it that you deal with the demonic activity? Jesus says, If it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come among you.
Well, they must have said, Well, that'll be it. And that's what many of them said. We'll overthrow the Romans, we'll reestablish our citadel in Jerusalem, we will deal with it geographically, territorially, nationally, and it will all be fine. And then it comes to a crashing halt. Because this one who has declared himself the king of kings is now nailed up on a Roman cross.
and the Romans are apparently in control. And the answer of the world is, this is what we will do to you. But death couldn't keep its hold. The pangs of death could not hold on to him, said Peter, when he preached in Jerusalem. It wasn't possible for him to be held by it.
What a remarkable thing that Peter preached such a great sermon when he had been so out of it for much of the time. Even with this, even after the resurrection, they didn't get it, did they? Are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel? And many of you are all caught up on that yourselves. You don't really know what to do with the nation of Israel.
You don't know what to do. America, Israel, Britain, who, what, whatever. Listen to what Jesus said. The issue is not Israel, it is not territorial, it is not national. It is international.
It is a people, a language, a tribe, a tongue that comprehensively, universally covers the entire globe. This, he says to his disciples, this should be your preoccupation, that you would know the power of the Holy Spirit to come upon you, so that you would go out into all the world and be my witnesses to the ends of the earth, Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. Why? Because this is how the kingdom comes. First, in the person and work of Jesus.
secondly, in the growth of the Gospel as it is proclaimed in the world, and then, and only then, finally, visibly and universally, when Jesus Christ returns.
So that we live between the reality of the now and the not yet. And that For the encouragement. of ourselves. When you think today of reading your newspaper, when you think about the unfolding drama of history, even in the lifetime that I have lived, you know, born what, seven years after the end of the Second World War, with air raid shelters in my backyard as a boy, I used to play in there and ask my parents, what were these things for? Why do we have these in our backyard?
What are these masks?
Well that's the war. Mr. Garbage Off. tear down this wall. the drama of history as it is unfolded for us.
The very volatile, insecure nature of our contemporary world. How is the Christian, whether he is Arab or Jew, in conversion. Whether he is living in the the the the in Kuala Lumpur or whether he is living in Cairo or whether he is living in Cleveland. How are the Christians to navigate this world? In light of the unfolding Truth of God.
that this kingdom will never come to an end. But I must come to an end because my time is gone. Yeah. Tonight when we come to chapter three. We will be Immediately confronted by the big change between the end of chapter two and the beginning of chapter three.
The story ends in chapter 2 with Nebuchadnezzar falling on his face and paying homage to Daniel.
Okay. Chapter three begins with him building a huge big image.
So that other people would bow down. To it. What do we learn?
Well, we learn at least this. that it is possible to have an encounter as Nebuchadnezzar had. to make an impressive response. to the revelation of God's majesty. and yet never to be changed.
Like Herod. He loved to listen to John the Baptist and he did many things, but he wasn't changed. Have you been changed? By the gospel. I just ask you.
It's possible to be charmed but not changed. There are people who come here because they're charmed By the sound of the preacher's voice. who are charmed by whatever it might be. But not changed. Nebuchadnezzar fell down and worshiped the preacher.
and got up on his feet. and build a monument. to himself. That's why when we pray before we open the Bible. We remind ourselves that only God can soften hard hearts, only God can open blind eyes.
And only God can change us from the inside out. And the reason that we study the Bible together is not so that we might have just a better grasp of Daniel chapter 2, but in order that we might have a life-changing encounter with the God who wrote the Bible. That's the whole part. And I call you today. As Jesus called on his day.
The time is fulfilled. The kingdom of God. is at hand. Repent. And believe the good news That's what to do.
Father, thank you. That your word rewards our study and investigation, that you haven't brought us into some mindless encounter with yourself. Our very praise is rational, it engages our minds. We sing because of what is true. We don't sing to make it true.
Lord, save us from being charmed by Anything? Especially if it prevents us from being changed by the power of your truth. Accomplish your purposes today in our lives, we pray. And in as is a church. that we might affirm these truths.
and live in the light of them, for we pray in Christ's name. Amen. You're listening to Bible teacher Alastair Begg on Truth for Life. Here at Truth for Life, we know life can be demanding. It's easy to get caught up in the issues of the world and your day-to-day routine.
Our prayer is that the Bible-centered teaching you hear on this program. provides you with a break from the busyness, a time to refocus upward, to reflect on God's Word, to be refreshed and encouraged. And I hope you're finding this study in the book of Daniel to be encouraging in this way. If you would like to dive deeper into Daniel's story, the book we're offering to day will be a big help to you. It's called Brave by Faith.
It's written by Alastair, and it comes with a companion study guide. It's a nine-session study where you'll explore questions like where is God in our trials? How can Christians keep courage and hope when facing opposition? What does it look like to live as Christians in a post-Christian world? The Brave by Faith book and study guide are yours for a donation?
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Sometimes he delivers us through trials. them. The Bible teaching of Alastair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life. Where the Learning is for Living.
