A Troubling Dream and an Unbreakable Kingdom

Reference

Daniel 2

A Troubling Dream and

an Unbreakable Kingdom

In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his spirit was troubled, and his sleep left him. 2 Then the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king. 3 And the king said to them, “I had a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.” 4 Then the Chaldeans said to the king in Aramaic, “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.” 5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, “The word from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be torn limb from limb, and your houses shall be laid in ruins. 6 But if you show the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. Therefore show me the dream and its interpretation.”

7 They answered a second time and said, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show its interpretation.” 8 The king answered and said, “I know with certainty that you are trying to gain time, because you see that the word from me is firm— 9 if you do not make the dream known to me, there is but one sentence for you. You have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till the times change. Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can show me its interpretation.” 10 The Chaldeans answered the king and said, “There is not a man on earth who can meet the king’s demand, for no great and powerful king has asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or Chaldean. 11 The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.”

12 Because of this the king was angry and very furious, and commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed. 13 So the decree went out, and the wise men were about to be killed; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them. 14 Then Daniel replied with prudence and discretion to Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon. 15 He declared to Arioch, the king’s captain, “Why is the decree of the king so urgent?” Then Arioch made the matter known to Daniel. 16 And Daniel went in and requested the king to appoint him a time, that he might show the interpretation to the king.

17 Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, 18 and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

V20-23 omitted for time.

24 …Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him: “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; bring me in before the king, and I will show the king the interpretation.”

25 Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste and said thus to him: “I have found among the exiles from Judah a man who will make known to the king the interpretation.” 26 The king declared to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?”

27 Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, 28 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 bed are these: 29 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. 30 But as for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your mind.

31 “You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening. 32 The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. 34 As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

36 “This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation. 37 You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, 38 and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all—you are the head of gold. 39 Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. 40 And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall break and crush all these. 41 And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay. 44 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, 45 just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”

46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and paid homage to Daniel, and commanded that an offering and incense be offered up to him. 47 The king answered and said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.” 48 Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. 49 Daniel made a request of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king’s court.

Daniel 2:1–49.

A Troubling Dream

This chapter begins with a dream that troubled the great King Nebuchadnesser. Or as we called him when reading Bible stories with the kids. Nebu-crazy! He is the Babylonian king. He is the most wrote about pagan king in the whole Bible. He received a large kingdom from his father and he added to it. This great king has a dream that troubled him.

Troubled. His spirit was struck. Word that was for hitting an anvil. Sleep left him. Ruling over most of the known world and he is troubled by a dream. His sleep was done or finished.

The Babylonians believe dreams were the result of the gods trying to communicate to you. Hence the reason they trained people in interpreting them. Hence the reason that in chapter 1 it highlights how Daniel, a young man of faith, deported from his home in Israel and now employed in the service of the king of Babylon, and was said to have been given all kinds of knowledge and ability, and specifically in interpreting dreams.

Many believe that Daniel’s 3 years of training had just been completed and this event follows on the heels of chapter 1. But it said in the second year of King Nebuchadnezzer. The reason for this is Babylonians considered the first year of a new king his accession year. That year still belonged to the previous king. So it is year 2 but with an accession year his training would be completed.

A Hangry Boss

Nebuchadnezzer is not one that likes to play. You might say he needs to do a little undercover boss to see how to build better relations with his subjects, but I don’t think he cares. He makes big demands of his magicians. It not just interpret my dream for me. They also have to tell him the dream! I think it might reveal a level of frustration with them. They have let him down before and he is wiser for it.

5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, “The word from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be torn limb from limb, and your houses shall be laid in ruins.

If you can’t do this, no worries. I will simply have you torn limb from limb. Houses turned in piles of rubble.. KJV into dung hills. He is saying your homes will become garbage heaps. Not an idle threat.

Implement policy at church!

But what is the point in having wise men and dream interpreters if they are scams. If they are powerless to do what you need, they are useless.

Part of finding the true God is realizing the gods you have cannot help you. They offer you nothing. The secular gods of this age: popularity, wealth, absolute freedom from everything lead you to destruction. Part of finding the true God is coming to the point that you see those things do not do what they promise. God shows us life comes through sacrifice. In that you find joy and life, and God.

Daniel’s life is threatened by the king’s command. He says he will interpret it, and instead of turning to the Babylonian book of dreams, him and his friends petition God for mercy.

Daniel give his hangry boss a bold answer:

This in contrast to Arioch, captain of the guard, head of the elite body-guard unit of the king; of which one of his functions is executioner. Jason Bourne.

Who says, King I have found someone who can tell you the dream. Not just, here is a person to tell you the dream. God to drop the “I have done…” Look at me. At no point does Daniel seem the least bit interested in this game. When you seek to be faithful before God, it frees you from trying to be something you are not. It frees you from being a jerk to others. Maybe not always but it should free you for the majority of them. Just do what it right.

The Dream and Interpretation

Daniel tells Nebuchadnezzer the dream. He had a dream

31 “You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening.

32 The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. 34 As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

He sees an image. A tselem. This was a statue. Kings often put these around their kingdoms, statues of themselves to remind people who was in power. This image is great, absolute, it is colossal. Its appearance is frightening. May have been what was keep Nebuchadnezzer up at night.

The dream is about later days.

You are the head of gold. 39 Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. 40 And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall break and crush all these. 41 And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay. 44 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, 45 just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.

This statue represents 4 kingdoms. The first is Nebuchadnezzer. He is the head of gold. The next kingdoms will be inferior to his. We are not told in which way but they are lesser.

This dream corresponds to future visions Daniel has (Dan 8:19-23), and in those visions with similar imagery we are told the major world powers are represented: Babylon (46 yeas), Medio-Persia (208yrs), Greece (185 yrs) and Rome (476 ad or 1453 with Eastern empire). There is major agreement among most theologians on the four main kingdoms. There is much debate on the feet and toes and what it means. Medo-Persia is Cyrus the Great (Isaiah 45, Jer 25). Rome is Iron and last much longer but eventually falls.

But the key to this, and the part that was frightening to Nebuchadnezzer, was that rock that was not cut by human hands utterly and completely destroyed this image.

34 As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

The colossal statue is struck and destroyed. Reduced to chaff. Chaff is the dust from threshing. The wind blows it away. This imposing statue of the greatest most precious and adamantine metals is reduced to nothing. This may be what was most disturbing to Nebuchadnezzer. He is the greatest figure in the known world. He is a king, and the dream is of a tselem. He very well may have thought this is the end of his reign. He is going to be destroyed.

The Rock
Not cut out by human hands. It is not of human origin nor is it of the work of humans. It is the work of God.

Struck the feet of the fourth kingdom. This rock will come in the time of the fourth kingdom. It will be an eternal kingdom, it will never be destroyed and it will never being given to another. There will be only one who rules this kingdom.
Broke all of the other kingdoms. It will pulverize them. Reduce these great nations to dust. Another way to say this, this kingdom will be triumphant. King Neby, King Cyrus, King Alexander, King Julius Ceasar, dont mess with this kingdom. You cannot stop it.
Became a great mountain. It will grow and increase so that it is a mountain. Compare a mountain to the statue in the dream. There is no comparison.

44 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever,

In the days of this fourth kingdom God is going to establish his kingdom, and this kingdom will never be destroyed.

Daniel is speaking one of the greatest prophecies ever written. As you look at what Daniel says, you see why liberal theologians are so vehement that this book could not have been written in sixth century bc. But you know what, taking a late date of the first century bc still does not solve these issues. It is still amazing that what he says is pointing to Christ and what is fulfilled in his coming in the first century ad.

Through this pagan king God is telling Daniel what will be in the future. He is telling him exile will continue, other nations will reign, but a time is coming in which the kingdom of God will be established and the nations of the earth are powerless to do anything about it. Trust in God and not in the heads of gold, the arms of silver or the legs of iron. They are nothing. You might have to put up with their foolishness a bit, but God is doing something that will make them tremble.

The nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?

2 The kings of the earth set themselves,

and the rulers take counsel together,

against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying,

3 “Let us burst their bonds apart

and cast away their cords from us.”

4 He who sits in the heavens laughs;

the Lord holds them in derision.

Psalm 2:1–4.

God is communicating his plan of salvation. He is communicating what is going to transpire in human history. There are going to be nations that oppose him and put his people down. Daniel will make that clear. But they are receiving a kingdom that will never perish spoil or fade.

Some of the greatest leaders in the history of the world. Some of the greatest kingdoms. They are nothing. A dot on the line of eternity.

Jesus is the chief cornerstone,

“This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:11–12.

The Lord will send his anointed one into the world. The rock of salvation. Jesus will be tried by the nations and condemned. But it will not stop God’s kingdom. Those very things will lead to the triumph of his kingdom. In Jesus the kingdom of God comes.

And fast forward that to today. We are worried about an election. No election in Daniels time. No, HR to discuss workplace policies. Civil liberties. All good things. God’s kingdom is coming. Nothing can stop. Yes, I worry about the election. And that is why I need a Savior. That is why I need the kingdom of heaven. God has given us something so much greater.

Let me also say this. God is building his kingdom with sinners and rebels who any other king would dispose of as useless. But these sinners and rebels are finding forgiveness and healing and purpose, and he is turning them into a new people that declares his praises. Declares the greatness of the Savior and invite others in.

And this is what tempers my fears of other rulers and presidents. They can’t stop what God is doing.

And this is what tempers my excitement for earthly rulers. They are not bringing God’s kingdom. They are not preaching the gospel. They are not telling others how to be saved. They are not holding rallies to point people to the all sufficiency of Jesus Christ.

Think of all the wars in history. Men fighting for a kingdom they cannot hold on to. And God calls us to fight for a kingdom we cannot lose. What fools are we to spend our days fighting for what we cannot keep!

Church

Matt 16:18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

*Church is God’s plan A for changing the world*

And let me tell you this. The way God’s kingdom is moving forward, the way he designed it to move forward is through the church. It is people coming together to know Jesus and make him know. It is through people who are not trying to live for babylon or Rome or Greece or the USA. It’s great to love your country and I do love this country and I have a conviction about things that need to be done in it. But that is not my ultimate hope nor of supreme importance. Its why I dont want to sell out the mission of the church. It is so much bigger than an election, than a political party, that a nation. We are doing something so much bigger. Of so much more significance. Who you vote for is important. Who you server as God is more important. And if serving this kingdom is important, then so is being a part of the church. If you want to pray for me, pray that we would have more impact on this community and this world. I feel like we are losing and people are disinterested in the church. They have bought into the enemy's view of the church. You participate when it's convenient. You are committed to making political figures known and not Jesus Christ.

Elections have immediate results. God’s kingdom is by faith.

Align ourselves with the kingdom of God is not through political parties, but through the church. The kingdom cuts through all of them. It's great to be involved in politics and parties, but your allegiance to the kingdom must be greater than that. And you have to see the way the kingdom is advanced is not by electing officials but by proclaiming the gospel.

The church is triumphant. It is lowly and unimpressive in the eyes of the world. Its just a rock, not gold, silver, bronze, iron. God is taking lumps of clay made in his image, redeemed by the eternal rock, and making them into his kingdom. As unimpressive as the church may be it will triumph. People are giving themselves to the kingdoms of the world and they will lose everything. World tells you the church is unimportant, no one will understand you, bunch of hypocrites who are judging others. When in reality its people who have been rescued from their own destruction, have found something of eternal significance, and are joining together to give away something they can never lose, to celebrate what their hands have not made,

Until you submit to Jesus you are fighting against the kingdom of God. It's not enough to not be against him. Many in our culture are not against Jesus, but every day they refuse to serve him. Just too busy. Too busy building their own kingdom to work on God’s kingdom. Too busy looking at the head of gold, the silvery, the bronze. They are not submitted to the king. They are not working for him and are useless as Nebuchadnezzers chief magicians. NO earthly ruler would allow it to stand if they called a person into service and that person said he was too busy. It would be treason. If knew what was coming they would be terrified and sleepless.

The king has just witnessed a miracle. His dream was repeated to him and also interpreted. The king acknowledges this God as the God of gods.

Nebuchadnezzers conclusion is ““Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings,”