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We
have now come to some of the most important verses in the word of God the Lord
Jesus over in Luke’s gospel referred to a period known as the times of the
Gentiles.
Luke 21:24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
Up
until this point God’s word had centred on the nation of Israel. Other nations were only incidental. Now God
is introducing what the Lord Jesus calls, “The Times of the Gentiles.” That time when Israel would be under Gentile
domination, the times when the Gentile rulers would in fact rule the world. The
Lord tells us this time will continue while Jerusalem shall be trodden down of
the Gentiles, that is while Jerusalem will be being trodden down by nations.
Even now only part of Israel is in their own hands, and in scripture we see
that there are even darker days ahead for that nation but one day they will
have their promised land. The Times of the Gentiles will be fulfilled. This
takes us right forward to the battle of Armageddon, when Israel will be the
focus then of world domination. Look what Isaiah prophesied.
Isaiah
2:2 And it shall come to pass in the
last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the
top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations
shall flow unto it.
The
times of the Gentiles will run from Nebuchadnezzar’s rule here until the battle
of Armageddon. Israel may have rule
over part of the land today but it hasn’t control of all of the Promised Land.
This
period is not to be confused with the fullness of the Gentiles. Paul says in
Romans.
Romans
11:25 For I would not, brethren, that
ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own
conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of
the Gentiles be come in.
The
times of the Gentiles relates to the political ascendancy of the Gentiles, the
fullness of the Gentiles relates to the spiritual ascendancy. The blindness
that Israel is in at this moment is not permanent. One day God will have his church complete, made up mainly of
Gentiles. Christ will come to the air and the church will go to be with the
Lord. Then once again God will turn his attention to the Jewish people.
Look
at verse four in Daniel two for a moment
Daniel
2:4 Then spake the Chaldeans to the
king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we
will shew the interpretation.
This portion of scripture is written in the Gentile tongue and continues until the end of chapter seven. The rest of Daniel, which relates to the Jews mainly, is written in the Hebrew tongue. Don’t confuse Israel and the church in scripture. Paul describes three distinct groups of people in New Testament times.
1
Cor. 10:32 Give none offence, neither
to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:
Keep
this in mind if you want to rightly divide the word of truth.
No
sooner had the times of the Gentiles begun, than God gave a wonderful outline
of the whole period of Gentile domination of the world. This is what we have in
Daniel chapt two; this chapter is the ABC of prophecy. Someone described it as,
“The most simple and yet the most complete prophetic picture we have in the
word of God “
Lets
take up our study from v 24. Notice firstly:
The
Priorities of Three men.
Daniel
2:24 Therefore Daniel went in unto
Arioch, whom the king had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went
and said thus unto him; Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before
the king, and I will shew unto the king the interpretation.
Robert
Arthington of Leeds, a Cambridge graduate lived in a single room, cooking his
own meals and he gave missions £500000 on the condition that it was spent on
pioneer work. He said, “Gladly would I make the floor my bed, a box my chair
and another box my table rather than that men should perish for the want of the
knowledge of Christ.”
What
was Arioch’s priority?
Daniel
2:25 Then Arioch brought in Daniel
before the king in haste and said thus unto him, I have found a man of the
captives of Judah, that will make known unto the king the interpretation.
Notice
what Arioch said, “I have found.” That was a lie it was Daniel who found
Arioch. Arioch wanted some credit; he wanted to win favour with the king.
Arioch wanted some applause.
May
we never look for man’s applause but only for God’s approval.
What
was Nebuchadnezzar’s priority?
Daniel
2:26 The king answered and said to
Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the
dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?
Daniel wanted to avoid the death of the wise men, Arioch wanted applause, and the king wanted answers. Here is the six million-dollar question. Nebuchadnezzar, this powerful, wealthy and mighty man was troubled about the things hereafter. In spite of all his great wealth and power, he had no security, no hope, no confidence, and no satisfaction. He was crying out for an answer.
Let
us notice secondly that Daniel had a point to make.
A Point to Make.
Daniel
2:27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which
the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the
soothsayers, shew unto the king;
Daniel had to make
something absolutely clear to this old king. This was not a question of Daniel
simply saying the ones whom you turned to could do absolutely nothing for you.
Daniel was driving home the uselessness of the world to meet mans spiritual
needs. Daniel reveals the source of his answer.
Daniel
2:28 But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to
the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the
visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;
Daniel wanted to
impress upon the king that only God could answer this question, only God could
meet this need. Look at verse twenty nine.
Daniel
2:29 As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what
should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to
thee what shall come to pass.
Here we read of a
new title for God, “He that revealeth secrets.”
Daniel
2:30 But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I
have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the
interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy
heart.
Daniel had a point
to make. Daniel was letting the king know that there was nothing special about
him. All the focus, all the attention and all the glory would go to God and God
alone.
Let’s rejoice in
those words, “There is a God in heaven.”
I wonder are you
facing times of adversity, trial and tribulation? Perhaps you need to hear
those words again, “There is a God in heaven.”
There is a God in
heaven that promises us in his word.
Romans
8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God,
to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Perhaps you don’t
know where to turn, whom can I talk too? There is a God in heaven that hears
and answers prayer.
Mark
11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What
things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye
shall have them.
Do you feel like
giving up? There is a God in heaven who keeps and sustains you.
Psalm
91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret
place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
There is a God in
heaven that promises you his presence, his protection and his peace.
Isaiah
26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect
peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
Let us notice
thirdly:
The Parade of Metals.
We now come to the
crucial point. Daniel’s time to reveal the dream to this great king. Can you
imagine the atmosphere as the wise men held their breath? The very man they despised, the very man
whose God they laughed at, their lives now depended on him. The most powerful man in the world was
powerless to do anything. He couldn’t sort out this dream, and he had realised
the limitations of human power. He now
waited with bated breath for God’s servant to speak
We can see from
part of verse twenty-eight and nine that this dream concerned the future. Daniel 2:28 “what shall be in the latter days”., Daniel 2:29 “what should come to pass
hereafter” This image was to
do with the future, this was prohectic.
Whilst it was
prophecy for Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel, most of it now is history. Remember
prophecy is history written in advance. Or as someone put it, history is His story. Let’s examine this image.
Daniel
2:31 Thou, O king, sawest, and behold
a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before
thee; and the form thereof was terrible.
“Thou O king sawest” Daniel had no doubt this was a great
image, not an image in the sense of an idol, but a statue, a statue
corresponding to human form.
“Whose brightness was excellent.”
This was a gleaming image. All these metals must have shone brightly; it surely was an amazing sight to
behold.
“Stood before thee” Nebuchadnezzar got a close up view,
and praise God we are getting a close up view of this image. God has left us in
no doubt what shall come to pass hereafter.
“The form thereof was terrible.” Such was this sight that
Nebuchadnezzar was terrified. Remember how his spirit was troubled and his
sleep break from him, the future through the eyes of an ungodly man is surely
bleak.
We are looking at
this parade of metals here in Daniel, look at verse thirty-two.
Daniel
2:32 a “This image's head was of fine
gold,”
Moving from top to
bottom, we are looking this over from top to bottom. This is the whole of
Gentile history given in advance, from the head to the toes. What an image.
Daniel
2:32 This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his
belly and his thighs of brass,
Head of fine gold,
breast and arms of silver and belly and thighs of brass [bronze or copper] Look
at verse thirty three as we continue to see the parade of metals.
Daniel
2:33 his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.
Moving down we
have these two iron legs. Continuing further down we find the feet, a mixture
of part iron and part clay. Now consider verse thirty-four.
Daniel
2:34 thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the
image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.
Not only did
Nebuchadnezzar see this great image but he also witnessed its destruction, its
demolition.
Notice again the
words, “thou sawest.” This was it, no doubt about
it.
Daniel
2:35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken
to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors;
and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone
that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
Nebuchadnezzar saw
this stone cut out without hands; smash the feet of the image. The image
crashed down and this stone became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
The image was blown away. That which appeared magnificent, that which appeared
mighty was smashed and blown away.
Let us consider now the precise meaning.
Daniel
2:36 This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the
king.
Daniel after
recalling the dream gives the interpretation, the precise meaning of the dream
Daniel
2:37-38 Thou, O king, art a king of
kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength,
and glory. [38] And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the
field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made
thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.
Daniel begins with
the head, firstly speaking to Nebuchadnezzar. He reminds him that he is a great
king but he also reminds him that it is God who has given him a kingdom, power,
strength and glory. We are reminded
again of God’s sovereignty.
Notice the
words “kingdom” and “thou art this head
of fine gold.” This image represents real, actual and literal kingdoms. As we look at this mighty image, it is God
giving us the times of the Gentiles beginning with Nebuchadnezzar and the
Babylonian Empire.
Herodotus, a Greek
historian visited Babylon ninety years after the reign of Babylon. He remarked
that he had never seen a city so full of gold. It was everywhere. The temples,
the chapels, shrines and utensils were all made of gold. Babylon is well
represented by the gold. Isaiah calls Babylon a golden city.
Isaiah
14:4 That thou shalt take up this
proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased!
the golden city ceased!
This was the most
valuable metal and yet this empire was not the most extensive in terms of area
but Nebuchadnezzar ruled with complete autocratic power. What he said was law,
he was a very powerful man. We surely have no problem seeing this head of fine
gold as the Babylonian empire. Most
date it from 605bc to 540bc.
Let’s look at the
next kingdom.
Daniel
2:39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another
third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
Notice the words
“after thee.” Remember how some addressed Nebuchadnezzar with the words, “ O
king live forever.” How foolish there would be another kingdom, another great
gentile power, it would be inferior but not in size though.
Who is this great
second world power? Who followed after Babylon? We need look no further than
Daniel chapter five.
Daniel
5:25-31 And this is the writing that
was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. [26] This is the interpretation of
the thing: Mene; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. [27] Tekel;
Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. [28] Peres; Thy
kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians. [29] Then commanded
Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about
his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third
ruler in the kingdom. [30] In that night
was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. [31] And Darius the Median took
the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.
Verse twenty-eight
reveals it to be the Medes and Persians. Daniel interpreting this dream lays
before us the whole of Gentile world domination, the head of gold, Babylon, the
arms and breast of silver. Notice two arms representing Medes and Persians.
This kingdom was in operation from 540bc. – 332 BC. Approx. We are reading
history written in advance. This kingdom was inferior; they didn’t rule with
the same authority as Nebuchadnezzar, in fact if the king made a decree he
wasn’t able to change it. Look at
Daniel 6 for an example.
Daniel
6:14-15 Then the king, when he heard
these words, was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to
deliver him: and he laboured till the going down of the sun to deliver him.
[15] Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the king, Know, O
king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, That no decree nor statute
which the king establisheth may be changed.
It is interesting
that the kingdom of the Medes and Persians is represented by silver. It was a
period of great wealth. They had an efficient tax system and unlimited
resources. Some have tried to make the Medes number two and the Persians number
three in Daniel’s image, but it can be seen even from Dan 5 v 28 that they were
considered as one kingdom.
Daniel
5:28 Peres; Thy kingdom is divided, and
given to the Medes and Persians.
Let’s move on to
the third kingdom.
Daniel
2:39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another
third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
This third kingdom
was represented by brass. Who followed on from the Medes and Persians? Again we
don’t need to go out of scripture. Look at Daniel eight verse twenty one.
Daniel
8:21 And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is
between his eyes is the first king.
According to Sam
Gordon’s book, “Heaven rules,” this kingdom was established around 332 BC. Again history tells us something of this
kingdom of brass or bronze.
The soldiers of
the Grecian army wore bronze armour, breastplates and helmets. They carried
bronze shields and swords. Their leader
Alexander the Great, conquered the world and then wept when he had no more
worlds left to conquer.
The Grecian Empire
was inferior to that of the Medes and Persians. Again when it came to its rule,
Babylon was absolute, Medes and Persians were more accountable and hadn’t total
power, Alexander the great had his generals to look after, he was under
military pressure at times. Can you see the picture develop here in Daniel two?
At the time of
Nebuchadnezzar’s dream the Persian kingdom didn’t exist. A Grecian Empire would
have seemed an utter impossibility, as for a Roman Empire; the city of Rome was
just being founded an insignificant little village on the banks of the Tiber.
How could this book be so accurate? This is the word of God
Again we don’t
have to go outside of our Bibles to try and figure out this great fourth
kingdom.
Daniel
2:40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh
in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall
it break in pieces and bruise.
What great gentile
power was in control at the beginning of the New Testament period? Who ruled
the world when Jesus was born?
Luke
2:1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar
Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
Rome ruled the
world; surely this is none other than the Roman Empire. This kingdom is marked
by its fierceness. Look at the language used to describe it.
Daniel
2:40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh
in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall
it break in pieces and bruise.
Leupold says, “The
Roman legions where noted for their ability to crush all resistance with an
iron heel.”
More is said about
this kingdom than any other. More time is given to this Roman Empire. The two
legs could represent the division of the Roman Empire into East and west in 364
BC, with Rome in the west and Constantinople in the East. If we have any doubts
about Rome’s power or cruelty we only have to see what happened at the place,
which is called Calvary. Christ knew
all about this great power.
Daniel
2:41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part
of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength
of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.
Daniel brings us
on down to the feet, the feet and toes were a mixture of iron and clay; they
were divided part strong [the iron] and part weak [the clay].
Daniel
2:42 And as the toes of the feet were
part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and
partly broken.
Daniel comes right
out to the toes, partly strong partly broken. This is the final projection of
this great Roman Empire, this great kingdom. Lets read on verse forty-three.
Daniel
2:43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle
themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even
as iron is not mixed with clay.
Here is a rare
mixture of iron and clay, and Daniel says, “It doesn’t cleave the one to the
other,” it’s not mixing too well, it just won’t hold together. Now catch what
he says at the beginning of verse forty four.
Daniel
2:44 And in the days of these kings
Let’s stop there.
These ten toes are now identified as ten kings. We have followed this image
from top to bottom, through kingdom after kingdom and have witnessed history
written in advance, but we have noticed ten toes representing a ten-kingdom
confederation. Now we have to ask ourselves the question, “has anything like
this ever been seen in the history of Gentile world domination?”
Some have tried
and failed to tie this in to the fifth or sixth century when the Roman Empire
broke up, they have divided the world into ten kingdoms.
Dr Ironside points
out, “The ten kings here will rule simultaneously, at the one time and will be
one kingdom. Nothing like this has been seen in history.”
This part of the
image of Daniel chapter two is still future. Whilst the Roman Empire ended in
one way, in another it has continued.
Rome still influences the world, its
Language, its
economics, its politics and of coarse its religion. What we have here is a revived or a recast Roman Empire. There is
going to be a revived Roman Empire.
Let’s read a verse
from Daniel chapter seven. We will discover that the four great Gentile world
powers are found in this chapter represented by various animals. Let’s read the
description of the fourth beast. The Roman Empire.
Daniel
7:7 After this I saw in the night
visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong
exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and
stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts
that were before it; and it had ten horns.
This time the
final projection is likened to ten horns. So we have this ten-nation
confederation once again prophesied. Let’s go to Revelation and we will see
John’s vision in Chapter thirteen.
Rev.
13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the
sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon
his heads the name of blasphemy.
This beast is a
kingdom and a man. Notice once more the ten horns. Turn over to Revelation
seventeen.
Rev.
17:3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman
sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven
heads and ten horns.
Here again we have
this beast, which represents the Antichrist and this fourth world power. Lets
make sure that this is the same ten-nation confederation we have been thinking
about.
Rev.
17:12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no
kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
I think we can be
very sure that these ten toes in Daniel’s image represent something future,
something which has yet to be fulfilled. That means between verse forty-one and
two there is a time gap, for how long we don’t know. This is something that we
find in scripture. We will see it again in chapt nine but look at another
example of a time gap in scripture.
Look at Isaiah Chapter sixty-one.
Isaiah
61:1-2 The Spirit of the Lord God is
upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the
meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the
captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; [2] To proclaim
the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to
comfort all that mourn;
Let’s see
something wonderful. When the Lord was reading the scriptures in the synagogue
at Nazareth he read from this portion of scripture.
Luke
4:18-19 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to
preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to
preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to
set at liberty them that are bruised, [19] To preach the acceptable year of the
Lord.
Then he stopped
and this is what happened.
Luke
4:20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat
down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
Notice what the
Lord didn’t read from Isaiah, “The day of vengeance of our God,” That day was
still future. Between the first Part of Isaiah sixty-one verse two and the
second part there is a gap of more than two thousand years. The day of
vengeance is yet future. So we do have time gaps in scripture. We have another
time gap here in Daniel chapter two, what we see is a revived form of the Roman
Empire. Let’s look at another scripture
again just for a moment.
Rev.
13:3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly
wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
As I said this
verse applies to the Antichrist but it also represents the final world power,
notice what it said. The beast will be wounded as to death but will rise again.
Apply this to the Roman Empire and we have a resurrected Roman Empire, yet
future. We can see this again from Revelation seventeen.
Rev.
17:8 The beast that thou sawest was,
and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition:
and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in
the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast
that was, and is not, and yet is.
Was, is not and
shall be, a revived Roman Empire.
Many would draw
comparisons between these ten toes and what is happening in Europe today.
Remember the EEC was formed in 1957 under the treaty of Rome. It is a
confederation of nations. We see the
clay, weak allied with iron strong countries. Think back to Daniel chapter two.
Daniel
2:43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle
themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even
as iron is not mixed with clay.
Notice the term,”
the seed of men,” the Babylonians, the Medes the Persians, and the Grecians had
national identity but this kingdom has all sorts of nationalities. It is as if
they have lost their national identity.
Babylon was an absolute ruler. We have watched the deterioration in
power, what could the clay represent? Democracy would seem to be a very good
suggestion. Something that has weakened Gentile domination.
Let us put this
together and you can draw your own conclusions. Have we got a confederation of
nations, strong and weak together with democratic institutions?
We see from verse
forty-three that the unity is only superficial.
Daniel
2:43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle
themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even
as iron is not mixed with clay.
They shall not
cleave one to another. This may not be fulfilled in the Europe as we know it
today but the similarities are very striking. What we have is surely a
foreshadowing of what is to come at the least.
Notice that this
great image started with gold and ends up with clay. Evolution says man started
in mud and worked up until he is gold. God says we began like gold and we are
heading downhill. Yes, man has advanced medically and scientifically. Consider
how far man can now travel, think of some of the great inventions, but man has
deteriorated when it comes to worship, when it comes to his word, when it comes
to his worth. Paul warned of such
writing to Timothy.
2
Tim. 3:1-4 This know also, that in the
last days perilous times shall come. [2] For men shall be lovers of their own
selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents,
unthankful, unholy, [3] Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false
accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, [4] Traitors,
heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
Notice also as we
look down the image that the density of the metals decreases. This image is top
heavy, it is bound to fall. This Old
World and it’s rulers will tumble, they are on their way out make no mistake
about it. Notice the tenacity of the
metals increase; iron in the form of steel is the most powerful. God lets us see that mans military might
would increase. The Roman Empire was
the biggest in size and power.
Let us notice now something that is pre-
millennial.
What is the final
doom of these world powers? We have seen their dawn and their duration and now
their doom. We see their commencement,
their course and now their consummation.
Daniel
2:44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom,
which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other
people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it
shall stand for ever.
Daniel now speaks
about another kingdom. Answer these questions honestly.
·
Was the kingdom of Babylon a literal
kingdom?
·
Was the kingdom of Medes and Persians
a literal kingdom?
·
Was the kingdom of Greece a literal
kingdom?
·
Was the Roman kingdom literal?
·
Will God’s kingdom be a literal
kingdom?
Of course it will
be, we couldn’t spiritualise this away, Daniel says in the days of these kings.
If this is the EEC and Christ will come seven years before this, how close must
his return for the church be?
We read of Christ
in Luke chapter one the following.
Luke
1:32-33 He shall be great, and shall
be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the
throne of his father David: [33] And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for
ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
Did this happen at
his first coming? The only crown he received
was a crown of
thorns.
David was promised
an eternal throne.
2
Samuel 7:16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever
before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.
Christ will surely
reign, we read in Revelation chapter twenty.
Rev.
20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such
the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ,
and shall reign with him a thousand years.
Lets look again at
verse forty-five in Daniel two.
Daniel
2:45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the
stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces
the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath
made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is
certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.
Here the image is
destroyed. Gentile world domination will end. A stone cut out without hands
shall smite the image and it shall be demolished. Who is the stone cut out
without hands? Being cut out without
hands would teach us that this is a
supernatural stone. Was Christ’s birth supernatural?
Isaiah
7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall
conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Was Christ ever
called a stone in scripture?
He was a stumbling
stone to Israel.
1
Peter 2:8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which
stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
He is the smitten
stone.
Exodus
17:6 Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou
shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may
drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
1
Cor. 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that
spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
He is the
salvation stone.
1
Peter 2:7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which
be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the
head of the corner,
Here in Daniel he
is the sovereign stone.
Some have tried to
say that this was fulfilled at Christ’s first coming. But of course the Roman Empire continued after the death of
Christ for some 500 years. It wasn’t
crushed from without but was destroyed from within.
Others have tried
to say that this is the church, and through the preaching of the gospel the
church will destroy the world powers and usher in the kingdom. I think we can see that that is nonsense.
Gospel is redemptive, stone is destructive.
Gospel is a process, stone is an act.
The gospel demands submission, the stone is judgement.
Surely if one
looks at this with eyes that are not blinkered they must see that Christ will
return and smite this Gentile world power, headed up by the antichrist. This is what we read in Revelation nineteen.
Rev.
19:11-16 And I saw heaven opened, and
behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True,
and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. [12] His eyes were as a flame
of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no
man knew, but he himself. [13] And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in
blood: and his name is called The Word of God. [14] And the armies which were
in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and
clean. [15] And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should
smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth
the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. [16] And he hath on
his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
If Christ is going
to defeat the enemies of Israel and deal with antichrist, then establish his
millennial reign on this earth as we read in Revelation twenty. His coming must
be pre – millennial.
Daniel 2:45
Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without
hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver,
and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass
hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.
Daniel reminds us
that this is certain and sure. It will surely come to pass. The Lord will smash
this old Christ rejecting world. Read what Zechariah said.
Zech.
14:4 And his feet shall stand in that
day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the
mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward
the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain
shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
When Christ’s feet
touch this earth, he will step on the toes of this great image and crush
it.
JESUS SHALL REIGN WHERE’ER THE SUN
DOTH HIS SUCCESSIVE JOURNEYS RUN
HIS KINGDOM STRECH FROM SHORE TO SHORE
TILL MOONS SHALL WAX AND WANE NO MORE
Christ’s kingdom
shall be established, Jerusalem will be the centre of worship for the world.
Zech.
14:16 And it shall come to pass, that
every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall
even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to
keep the feast of tabernacles.
Let us notice finally the praise of the monarch.
Daniel
2:46-49 Then the king Nebuchadnezzar
fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer
an oblation and sweet odours unto him. [47] The king answered unto Daniel, and
said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings,
and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldst reveal this secret. [48] Then
the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him
ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all
the wise men of Babylon. [49] Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon:
but Daniel sat in the gate of the king.
Notice what
Nebuchadnezzar does and says. He is progressing, he is still polytheist, but he
at least has recognised the sovereignty, superiority and authority of Daniel’s
God. Daniel was rewarded and you notice he didn’t forget his three friends.
Let’s turn back to
chapter one for a moment.
Daniel
1:17 As for these four children, God
gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had
understanding in all visions and dreams.
What would have
happened if Daniel hadn’t have taken his stand? It always pays to take your
stand.
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