He not only speaks against the Most High, he oppresses the saints. Previously, the king had accused his wise men of stalling for more time. WebInstead of using the lesson ideas for teaching Daniel 2:128, you could show the portion of the video that depicts the events related to Daniels interpretation of Nebuchadnezzars dream (time codes 6:1713:49).As students watch the video, invite them to look for what Daniel did when he needed wisdom and guidance. First, the prophecies of Daniel are divinely inspired and revealed, and thus they are true and reliable. This scene in Daniel is also similar to a prophecy recorded in the Book of Revelation: 4 and they worshiped the dragon, because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?. [23], The king's behaviour implies a distrust of his court dream-interpreters, and sets the scene for his later celebration of Daniel's God. 4849 Then the king promoted Daniel to a high position in the kingdom, lavished him with gifts, and made him governor over the entire province of Babylon and the chief in charge of all the Babylonian wise men. In many of the verses, Daniel refers to we instead of I and us instead of me. God stirred up the sea, and from its foaming, raging waters came forth four horrifying beasts. Per Daniels request, the king allows him more time to seek an interpretation of the dream from God. As Daniel continues to watch, another horn emerges, as three of the other horns are plucked out by the roots to make room for it. By 650 AD they were block-printing prayers. The first beast was lion-like, with wings like that of an eagle.79 Its wings were plucked from it; if this happened in mid-air, he must have plummeted to the ground. [1], It is generally accepted that the Book of Daniel originated as a collection of folktales among the Jewish community in Babylon and Mesopotamia in the Persian and early Hellenistic periods (5th to 3rd centuries BCE), expanded in the Maccabean era (mid-2nd century) by the visions in chapters 712. When He came with His kingdom, they would be sure to recognize Him (24:27). And Nebuchadnezzar either wants Daniel to fill in the details or maybe he's hoping that Daniel will give him an interpretation which will explain away his fears. The Church in Prophecy La Vista Church of Christ The Son of Man had the power to forgive sins, as well as to heal a paralytic (Matthew 9:6). The Cross And Christs Suffering For Sins (1 Peter 3:18-22), 6. And it was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and thus they said to it, Arise, devour much meat! 6 After this I kept looking, and behold, another one, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird; the beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it. Prophecy becomes necessary from time to time to remind men of those things God has planned for the future which He will surely fulfill. What it does not destroy or consume with its teeth, it crushes under foot, much like a bull in a china shop. Dan. Images from the Book of Isaiah seem to be especially favoured. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory; and wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all, you are this head of gold. Before the kingdom of God is established on the earth, four earthly kingdoms will rise and fall. What is it that these men are testifying against You? 63 But Jesus kept silent. 32 The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. The saints should neither believe nor behave on the basis of how things appear to be (the wicked prospering and prevailing over the righteous). 28:28; Rom. Daniels first inner turmoil occurs in chapter 7. 2:42 In that the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, the latter stages of this kingdom will be partly strong and partly fragile. [13], Chapter 2 in its present form dates from no earlier than the first decades of the Seleucid empire (late 4th/early 3rd centuries BCE), but its roots may reach back to the fall of Babylon and the rise of the Persian Achaemenid empire, and some scholars have speculated that the dream of four kingdoms was originally a dream of four kings, Nebuchadnezzar and his four successors. Therefore, gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:13). Leadership Then in a night vision the mystery was revealed to Daniel. And he solves all mysteries, I know, because youve solved this mystery.. This surprise seems to be over the raw fact of what God would do to Nebuchadnezzar. [20] In Daniel 2 these two merge, and the claim of God's sovereignty extends beyond the immediate story to take in all of history. Should we be troubled as well? (5) Prophecy is not written as hype but revealed to produce the hope of glory and endurance in present tribulation. Persecution Prophecy is not revealed in a historical vacuum. For instance, Daniel says, you have made known to us the dream of the king and this was the dream and now we will interpret it for the king. Prophecy greatly benefits the Christian because it enables him to see things from the bigger and broader perspectivefrom Gods perspectiveso that when he suffers, he knows it is but a part of the process of getting to glory. Daniel (Old English poem He had been charmed, but not changed. 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. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. You must also be aged 55 or under, and meet English language, health, and character requirements. Prophecy is not a pep rally, which generates a great burst of short-term enthusiasm but does little to inspire faith and endurance in the midst of suffering. Consider these lessons as we conclude. 11 And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon. A striking component of Daniels interpretation of Nebuchadnezzars dream is that when he first heard the dream, he was astonished (Dan. Yet, contact with believers alone does not convert. Abraham had to believe and behave on the basis of Gods promises, rather than on the basis of his perception. The silver chest and arms are a future ruler that will be inferior to Nebuchadnezzar. He came and said to him, Dont destroy the wise men of Babylon! The Greek view proposes the silver chest and arms are the Median Kingdom, brass belly/thighs are the Persian Empire, and iron/clay legs are the Greek Empire. Concurrence Our text challenges such a conclusion, and later prophecies in Daniel further document that the coming of the King and of the kingdom will be some time further in the future. All scholars agree that the statues head of gold represents Babylonian rule. The Ancient of Days is a designation for God, not found elsewhere in the Bible. We see a gapan almost insurmountable gapbetween suffering and glory; God does not. Daniels interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzars dream reveals the giant statue represents a succession of earthly rulers. Salvation God's Sovereignty He summons his magicians and astrologers to interpret it, but demands that they first tell him what the dream was. The ruler changed Nebuchadnezzar became distressed when he received his first night vision (2:1) because he did understand some of his dream. It will be like the stone cut from the mountain by the invisible hand that crushed the iron, the bronze, the ceramic, the silver, and the gold. The expression, son of man, is not new to Daniel nor to the Jews of his day. The saints should also expect the wicked to prosper, for a season. 9 I kept looking until thrones were set up, And the Ancient of Days took His seat; His vesture was like white snow, And the hair of His head like pure wool. The gap is not the prophets problem; it is ours. 4:2833 records the first part of the fulfillment of the kings dreamnamely, his fall and exile. Tang Dynasty (618-907AD) marks the birth of paper money. For this reason, I wish to clearly state the foundational presuppositions and principles on which this exposition of Daniel is based. He has given you authority over them all. Some of his alarm arose from his not yet having been given the interpretation of his vision. Indeed, the king did much to construct Babylon, as he was known primarily as a builder, not as a warrior. Escort me to the king, and I will disclose the interpretation to him!. No wise man, enchanter, magician, or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. 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. In our passage, Daniel asks for and receives an explanation. Ceremonial Laws What Is So Impactful about Nebuchadnezzars Dream? Indeed, after giving his interpretation, Daniel begs the king to repent of his sins and to show mercy to the poor (cf. The fourth beast is a fourth king, different than the others. Note that the doxology in Dan. At Daniels request the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to administrative posts throughout Babylon, while Daniel governed from the royal headquarters. Good works 2:28 However, there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the times to come. [30] Verses 41b-43 give three different interpretations of the meaning of the mixture of iron and clay in the statue's feet, as a "divided kingdom," then as "strong and brittle," and finally as a dynastic marriage. Belshazzars rise to power and ascent to the throne seems to have inaugurated a new age for Babylon. So Daniel praised the God of heaven, 2:20 saying. For you have enabled me to understand the kings dilemma., 2:24 Then Daniel went in to see Arioch (whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon). 5 And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear. 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. Enter your email address to join hundreds of others in following this website and to receive notifications of new posts by email. Q. James 1:5 tells us if we ask God for wisdom, he will provide it generously. What the vision refers to is not specified. Kingdom of God They surely knew this text to be messianic, but they had always applied it to the Gentiles. Subscribe to the Bible Blender Newsletter. 45 This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human handsa rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces. The other three are removed from power but allowed to live for some time after their removal (verse 12). (13) In some sense, the last kingdom is still on-going. In spite of all these beasts do and say, in spite of their power and even their success, neither they nor their kingdoms will last. [18] The marriage might be a reference to either of two between the Seleucids and the Ptolemies, the first in c.250 BCE and the second in 193. Daniel himself served in the kings court. From an eternal perspective, the coming of Christ and His kingdom is but one coming. When the Lord Jesus Christ came to earth, having added perfect humanity to His undiminished deity, He spoke of Himself very often as the Son of Man. In the Gospels, Jesus began not only to identify Himself as the Messiah, the promised Son of Man, but also to explain all that this involved. No convincing explanation for this has been put forward. [14], The Book of Daniel is an apocalypse, a literary genre in which a heavenly reality is revealed to a human recipient; such works are characterized by visions, symbolism, an other-worldly mediator, an emphasis on cosmic events, angels and demons, and pseudonymity (false authorship). [19], The overall theme of the Book of Daniel is God's sovereignty over history,[5] and the theme of the tales in chapters 16 is that God is sovereign over all earthly kings. Unusually, the feet are an odd combination of solid iron and brittle clay. We take great care to develop a strong client relationship, coupled with efficient communication. The verses do not tell us how Daniel reacted to the kings response, but the kings response would be typical. Since the head of gold seems to describe the same king and kingdom as the first beast, it may not be too far afield to conclude that Nebuchadnezzar is the king represented by the first beast. Terms and Conditions Before the Israelites were delivered out of Egypt and brought into the land of Canaan, they suffered at the hands of the Egyptians. Daniel records that which triggered Nebuchadnezzars fall was his pride of the beauty and extent of Babylon. According to our text, the prophecies of Daniel 7 will not be fulfilled for a considerable period of time. Moreover, at Daniels request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained at the royal court. Daniel Timeline - The Prophet Daniel in Biblical History 4445 But throughout the history of these kingdoms, the God of heaven will be building a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will this kingdom ever fall under the domination of another. PCCC- Parker County Cowboy Church was live. - Facebook 3 While they are saying, Peace and safety! then destruction will come upon them suddenly like birth pangs upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. It is a testimony to his faithfulness to God that over a decade into Daniels court service to the king, Nebuchadnezzar still knew his real name (cf. 47 The king answered Daniel, and said, Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret. 48 Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts; and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon. The point of this prophecy is not to tell us who future kings will be, but rather what they will be like.