God is Eternal

While working our way through the book of Daniel, we're concentrating on the life of Daniel,

! which is the first six chapters of this book. The people of Israel find themselves captives.

! There were about 10,000 Jews, especially from Judah and from Jerusalem, that were taken captive

around 600 BC. The reason they were taken captive is because of their rejection, their rebellion

against the commands, the ordinances that God had given to them through the law, especially as it

related to their worship, their worship of the one true God. So they find themselves as exiles

there in Babylon. The temple has been destroyed. Their beloved city of Jerusalem has been decimated.

The walls have been torn down. And they find themselves in this place, distant from Israel,

and from all outward appearances, distant from God. But we're going to find, as we have found,

consistently through the testimony of this little book, that God has been true and present with

his people, even though they have been taken captive, even though they're in the midst of judgment and

discipline from God. God is still present. God is still honoring his promises.

Nebuchadnezzar had a dream at the beginning of chapter 2. The kind of dream that's described in this way,

it's described as dreams, and not just a dream, a singular dream, but a succession of dreams that happen

probably on a succession of nights or multiple times through an evening. He could not escape the terrible

nature of this dream. It unsettled his heart. It troubled his spirit. It kept him from enjoying rest.

And so as a result of this troubling dream, he wants to know what this message means.

He recognizes the nature of this dream as being distinctly from God. And so he calls in his counselors.

He calls in his magicians, his wise men to come and to interpret this dream. But he doesn't want an

approximation. He wants to know precisely what God is telling him through the instrumentation of this

revealed message through this dream. And so he asks the impossible from his wise men. He says,

tell me what the dream is, and then I'll know you can give me the interpretation.

The wise men in hearing this command are mystified. This has never happened to them before. And this

kind of request is impossible for any king to demand. King Nebuchadnezzar, how could you possibly

expect this of any of your counselors? There's no man on this earth who can fulfill your request.

Because the dream exists with the gods. And the gods do not dwell with men.

Which, by the way, was the perfect setup. The perfect setup of the God of heaven,

who made himself present and has been present through the life and ministry of Daniel and his friends.

And through our passage today, will demonstrate itself in a present, gracious, revealed interpretation

to Nebuchadnezzar and subsequently to us. This message, the testimony of a God who is eternal,

who is overall, who not only speaks the future in the subsequent empires that we will see in our passage today,

revealing to Nebuchadnezzar what the course of the next 1,000 years of history will be,

how it will unfold, and testifying that God is not only the one who is able to declare this revealed word,

but he's also the one who can make it happen. God is over all.

We're going to witness through the rise and fall of empires through the course of our passage.

We'll see the testimony of that which dissolves.

In 1979, John MacArthur preached a message on this passage.

And in that message, I find it quite telling,

because we can see the evidences, the real practical evidences of it playing out even today.

But here's what he says,

quote,

Man is not ascending, man is descending.

1 Timothy 3.13, God says,

Evil men shall grow worse and worse.

Things don't get better, they get worse.

We see decay, working in our society everywhere,

nationally, socially, domestically, individually, organically.

All things in this world are caught up in the process of deterioration

that began when man fell into sin in the garden and continues to this very day.

He continues,

No matter what the intentions are,

no matter what the safeguards are,

the dissolution of mankind's efforts is inevitable.

So that history, as studied, becomes a succession of defeat.

An empire begins, reaches a peak, and fades, and dies,

and another one builds on its place.

We're looking at America, he says.

America, in the past, reached its apex.

We are on the downside,

the back slope, as it were.

We're watching a defeat take place.

We see the dissolution of our country on every hand.

Political humanism, ruling the government,

a government once established on the principles of the word of God.

Godless atheism now dominates our education.

A lack of conviction, a lack of courage,

destruction of the family,

is causing a loss of all orientation among people.

End quote.

We are seeing today the testimony of a nation

that once held to the doctrines,

once held to the understanding of a God who is over all.

And now it continues, the downward slope, as it were,

the deterioration of culture is coming to bear in our present day.

So that even just recently, within the past couple of weeks,

Louisiana has passed a law so that the Ten Commandments

are listed on the walls of the classrooms.

And that is now seen, of course, as radical.

What was once understood as being natural,

as being necessary,

is now painted in the picture of that

which is wrong and harmful to culture.

In our text this morning,

we're going to see that God has revealed himself to Nebuchadnezzar.

That God has revealed the unfolding events

of future empires that would rise and fall.

And now standing where we are,

this is history.

And this history, of course, is certain.

God revealed this timeline of future events to Nebuchadnezzar.

And it stands for us as a testimony of a God

who not only knows the future,

but holds the future in his hand.

This morning, for those of us who put their faith in confidence

in a God who is eternal,

there is dependence,

there is a refuge,

there is security,

there is confidence for us

in a God who is over all.

The psalmist says in Psalm 102, 11 and 12,

he says,

And then in verse 25, he says,

Of old you laid the foundation of the earth,

and the heavens are the work of your hands.

They will perish, but you will remain.

They will all wear out like a garment.

You will change them like a robe,

and they will pass away.

But you are the same.

And your years have no end.

The children of your servants shall dwell secure.

Their offspring shall be established before you.

And that is the testimony of a God

who is eternal,

who is infinite,

who is over all.

Our confidence is not in the rise and fall of powers,

the rise and fall of nations,

the rise and fall of kings.

Our hope and our confidence

is in the settled power and authority

of God himself,

who is over all,

who knows the end from the beginning,

and who tells in this event,

tells Nebuchadnezzar,

what will happen in the years to follow.

And those things happen just as God has indicated.

God's plans extend beyond our own.

Generations will come and go,

but God's plan remains intact.

And that is the God

who makes himself known to Nebuchadnezzar

through his servant Daniel this morning.

The God who is eternal.

The God who is infinite.

The God who can be trusted.

So turn with me, if you would,

to Daniel chapter 2,

Daniel 2 · chapter mention

beginning in verse 31.

Daniel chapter 2,

Daniel 2:31

verse 31.

Let me read the first several verses here,

and we'll dive into our text.

It says,

As you saw, O king,

and behold a great image.

This image, mighty and exceedingly,

exceeding brightness,

stood before you.

Its appearance was frightening.

The head of this image was of fine gold.

Its chest and arms of silver.

Its middle and thighs of bronze.

Its legs of iron.

Its feet partly of iron

and partly of clay.

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.

Then the iron, the clay,

the bronze, the silver,

and the gold,

all together were broken in pieces.

And because,

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.

We're going to see

this progression of the dream

first being revealed

and then being explained.

We're just going to follow along

piece by piece

in the narrative this morning

and draw out

the principles that we see about God

as we make our way through.

First, the dream revealed.

And Daniel will begin

speaking about the image as a whole.

He speaks with certainty.

Notice.

Notice.

You saw, O king,

and behold,

a great image.

He speaks with confidence.

There is no hesitation.

There is no doubt

in Daniel's mind

that God is the one

who revealed this dream.

God is the one

who spoke that same dream

to Nebuchadnezzar.

And it is God

who intends

to reveal

the interpretation

of that dream

to Nebuchadnezzar.

And the events

that will take place

are sure

and firm

as we find

in Daniel chapter 2, 45.

Daniel 2 · chapter mention

Notice that

just for a moment here.

A great God

has made known to you

the king

what shall be

after this.

The dream

is certain

and its interpretation

is sure.

Daniel knows

the interpretation

of this dream

and the outworking

of this dream

because it is not

derived from himself.

It is derived

from God.

He is receiving

this direct revelation

from God

and now

has become

this representative,

this ambassador,

this prophet

as it were

to speak directly

to the king

what God has said

to him.

Thus says the Lord,

Daniel will say.

He knows that God

has revealed

the contents

of this dream

and its interpretation.

Daniel is not

making this up

so he can have

complete confidence

to speak for God.

And as a side note,

those of us

who are also

ambassadors of God,

those of us

who are also

commissioned to speak

for God

can speak authoritatively

and confidently

as we speak

from God's word.

We have the same

privilege

as Daniel does

to be a mouthpiece

for God

to the nations.

Whether it be

your workplace

or your community

or even your family,

you have the joy

as Daniel had

to speak

without hesitation

knowing

what God says

directly from the scriptures

and we can share

with others.

Notice how he begins.

You, O king,

you saw, O king,

and behold

a great image.

The word

a great image

is literally

one great image.

The importance

here at the beginning

is to emphasize

the unity

of this image.

It will be significant

as we move our way

into the parts

and we begin

to see the discontinuity

that will now

be representative

through the movement

of these various parts.

But at the whole,

the importance

of this unified image,

the world power

in all its phases

are considered

as one entity.

The image

in totality

is expressed

in terms

of greatness.

Daniel uses

a number of words

to describe

how impressive

this image is.

Notice,

it's a great image,

mighty in appearance,

radiating with

exceeding brightness,

having an appearance

that was terrifying

or frightening.

It conveys

this appearance

of strength

and fear.

fear.

The word frightening

is literally

to fear.

And as Nebuchadnezzar

saw this dream

and even as Daniel

describes this dream,

this image itself

did present itself

to be terrifying.

It was impressive

to behold.

And we'll see

that it represents

the succession

of kingdoms

from Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom

moving all the way

through the kingdom

of Rome.

But while the image

was one in unity,

it exists in parts.

And that's where

we come to next.

The image in parts.

Verses 32 and 33.

The head of this image

was of fine gold,

its chest and arms

of silver,

its middle and thighs

of bronze,

its legs of iron,

its feet partly of iron

and partly of clay.

Now Daniel begins

to describe the image

in its pieces.

It has an identifiable form

and that will be important

to us as well

as we move our way

through this passage.

We'll see the contrast

between that which is

of human origin

and that which represents

human power

in contrast to that

which is of divine origin

and that which expresses

divine power.

It's clear

that while this image

is impressive,

it is still fashioned

by human hand.

And what we realize

is that the image

descends from head.

Daniel describes it

from head to toe,

from ascending order

to descending order.

Notice a head

first of gold,

a chest and arms of silver,

middle and thighs of bronze,

legs of iron and feet

which is a mixture

of iron and clay.

These will be important

as they begin

to characterize

those future

coming kingdoms.

And much can be said

about that

and we'll try to

reference that briefly

as we move our way through.

But notice,

only the head

is singular.

Only this head

is made of gold.

It represents

that of highest quality.

And then the discontinuity

of the other parts

begin to take shape

so that not even

the subsequent kingdoms

represent any form of unity.

It breaks at the arms

and then the midsection

in thigh

and the legs

which all hint

at the separation

and discontinuity

of these empires.

It's not by accident

that it is Nebuchadnezzar

who receives

this great revelation.

And it's not

by accident

that Nebuchadnezzar

is this head of gold.

After all,

we saw from

the first chapter

in verse 2,

Babylon is seen,

is the scene

of this revelation

happens in the land

of Shinar.

And the land of Shinar,

if you remember

the last time

that this reference

was made,

it goes all the way

back to the time

of Genesis chapter 11,

Genesis 11 · chapter mention

where the people

assembled as one.

They gathered there

in the land of Shinar.

They sought to make

for themselves

a way to get to God.

They're building

this great structure,

this monument,

so they can present

for themselves

their authority,

their power,

and their ability

to get to God.

But this gate to God,

Babel,

is now confused.

The people's languages

are mixed.

The people are scattered,

and God demonstrates there

that he is over all.

And now,

Nebuchadnezzar,

who represents,

again,

a unified power,

but it is still,

God is over this power,

and we see

that God is the one

who is still in control.

He is the one

who is still over all,

even in this.

In verses 34 and 35,

we see now

a shattering stone.

Notice,

as you look,

the stone was cut out

by no human hand.

It struck the image

on its feet

of iron and clay

and broke them in pieces.

Then the iron,

the clay,

the bronze,

the silver,

the gold,

and all together

were broken in pieces

and became like the chaff

of the summer threshing floor.

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 scene now shifts

to this image,

now backing away

from this image,

perhaps zooming out a bit

or in the distance,

there's hand

that's cutting

this stone

out of a rock.

A stone that was cut out

by no human hand.

The hand of the God

is evident in this dream.

The divine authority,

divine power

is contrasted

by this human power.

We see that it's a stone

whose origin

is supernatural.

We see that this stone

is a stone

that has extraordinary

power to demolish

the authorities

that are represented

in this image.

we see that this stone

is represented

as growing

and filling the earth

and taking the place

of these human kingdoms.

The stone that is hurled

at the image

and struck its feet,

every section of the image

is now demolished

so that it's turned to dust

and there's no trace

of those kingdoms

to be seen.

Everything

that inspired,

provoked fear

and shattered

is now turned

to nothing.

All that remains

is the stone

that begins to grow

and fill

the earth.

That stone

that demolishes

in order to rebuild,

to reestablish

and to renew.

it's a stone

that is unlike

any other stone

in that it has

some sort

of living property

and that should

be reflective

and representative

of what we know

about the living stone

that was rejected

indeed by men

but chosen

by God

and precious

that stone

of course

the chief cornerstone

elect

and precious

Christ

is this stone.

He is the stone

who will renew

and reestablish

and rebuild.

Unlike what the enemy

will do

as Jesus says

in John chapter 10

John 10:10

verse 10

he says

the thief does not come

except to steal

and to kill

and to destroy

but I have come

that they may have life

and they may have it

more abundantly.

That which is

representative

of the enemy

the adversary

is that he destroys

he steals

he kills

he demolishes

he deconstructs

but from the beginning

God has been

a builder

a creator

a constructor

and so God

will destroy

that which is

foreign

that which is corrupt

so that he can

rebuild

that which is pure

that which represented

human power

human greatness

is no match

for the power

of God.

This dream

has now been revealed

and so Daniel

now establishes

himself

as one who

can not only

reveal the contents

of this dream

but can now explain

what the dream means

and this is what

Nebuchadnezzar

has been after

from the beginning.

What does this dream mean?

The dream explained

in verses 36 to 45

but before we get

to verses 36

and 35

we need to back up

just for a moment

to verse 28

it provides

kind of the context

for this dream

and in this statement

that we see

in verse 28

we come to understand

the purpose

of why this dream

was even given

to Nebuchadnezzar

notice

Daniel says

there is a God

in heaven

who reveals mysteries

he has made known

to King Nebuchadnezzar

what will be

in the latter days

King Nebuchadnezzar

God is not only

the revealer of dreams

God is also

the one

who is overall

God is eternal

God is the ultimate

and supreme power

this dream

was meant

to be given to you

so that you would know

who this God

truly is

as the psalmist says

you will perish

but he will remain

this phrase

the latter days

that we find

here in verse 28

is not just

a phrase

we find

in Daniel chapter 2

Daniel 2 · chapter mention

it's a phrase

we find

all throughout

the Old Testament

and especially

in the first five books

of the law

when it says

latter days

this is an

eschatological statement

which means

a statement

that refers

to the end times

and all throughout

the scripture

whether you're

in Deuteronomy chapter 4

Deuteronomy 4 · chapter mention

or Genesis chapter 49

Genesis 49 · chapter mention

or Deuteronomy 31

Numbers 24

Jeremiah 23

and 30

and 48

and 49

Ezekiel chapter 38

Ezekiel 38 · chapter mention

Daniel chapter 10

Daniel 10 · chapter mention

Hosea chapter 3

Hosea 3 · chapter mention

and Micah chapter 4

Micah 4 · chapter mention

these phrases

exist

the latter days

to draw attention

to the entire

portion of history

all the way up

and to

the time

of the messianic

return

it encapsulates

all of history

as it were

until the coming

of Christ

the coming

and establishment

of his throne

on the earth

and God has revealed

this

working out of history

to Nebuchadnezzar

of all people

why would God

reveal

this plan

to a pagan king

why would God

reveal

this revelation

this message

this prophecy

in a pagan

land

of all places

I think the answer

is twofold

first

to allow

the nations

to understand

God's master

plan

for

the nations

so that

every tongue

and tribe

and nation

and people

will be

ushered in

and allowed

to be part

of this

gospel good news

message

this coming

kingdom

is meant

for all peoples

not just

for the Jews

and so

God reveals

this to

Nebuchadnezzar

of all people

to help

this representative

of this

first kingdom

this first

empire

to recognize

that while

his empire

is small

while it

will be

limited

as he takes

part

in the kingdom

of God

he can enjoy

the benefits

of what God

has promised

through Abraham

I will bless

those who bless

you

I will curse

those who curse

you

in you

all the nations

will be blessed

in Nebuchadnezzar

as one

of those nations

and the first

as it were

of the succession

of nations

and empires

that are to come

and the second

reason is because

to help

to reassure

God's people

who are in

captivity

who are facing

discipline

who have been

removed from

their land

who have

experienced

the destruction

of their

sacred city

and have

experienced

the decimation

of their temple

even

for these

people

God

has not

removed

his promises

God

would not

remove

his promise

from them

and disqualify

them

from the things

he had spoken

to their forefathers

this actually

strengthens

God's promise

it provides

dimension

it provides

perspective

it provides

clarity

to help

them know

how God

is going

to bring

this promise

to fruition

and God

has given

clear

uncompromising

testimony

of his ability

not only to

make promises

but his ability

to keep promises

promises

we can know

that God

is faithful

as we look

at the testimony

of the rise

and fall

of these empires

that were

testified

600 years

before the

final empire

ever existed

only God

is able

in his

eternality

in his

foreknowledge

in his ability

to know the

end from the

beginning

only God

can know

what will

happen

and cause

it to happen

then we come

to the rise

and fall

of empires

the description

of that for us

in verses 36

to 38

notice

this was the

dream

this explanation

now we will

tell the king

its interpretation

you oh king

the king of kings

to whom the

God of heaven

has given

this kingdom

the power

and the might

and the glory

and into whose

land he has

given

wherever

yeah wherever

they dwell

the children

of men

the beast

of the field

the birds

of heaven

making you

rule

over them

all

you are

the head

of gold

this stunning

introduction

you oh king

the king

of kings

what does this mean

well Ezekiel

will repeat

this similar

phrase

in Ezekiel

Ezekiel 26:7

26 verse 7

he will refer

to Nebuchadnezzar

also as a

king of kings

and simply

it means

that Nebuchadnezzar

stands at the

beginning

he stands

at the forefront

of the succession

of these empires

that will come

he is the first

of these kings

and in the

explanation

of this dream

he is the only

king that is

named

every kingdom

that will come

the second

and third

and fourth

and fifth

kingdoms

that will come

there are no kings

that are mentioned

only kingdoms

Nebuchadnezzar

stands as a

prominent figure

in the representative

really of

the kingdom

of Babylon

that lasted

for about

70 years

Nebuchadnezzar

himself ruled

over Babylon

for 43

of those

70 years

he died

in 562 BC

he would turn

the kingdom

over to his

son

who would be

subsequently

assassinated

that son's

son

would rule

for four years

and then die

then the next

son would be

promptly

assassinated

and finally

Nabonidus

would take

the throne

and assume

great power

and share

that power

with his

co-regent

Belshazzar

that we find

in Daniel

Daniel 6 · chapter mention

chapter 6

as it relates

to gold

and the

description

and the

feature

or the

characteristic

of this

empire

being represented

by gold

the Babylonian

empire

was known

as an

empire

of gold

one historian

who came

90 years

after

the empire

of Babylon

came and

described

the prominence

of gold

in the city

of Babylon

he describes

chapels

and vessels

in the

accoutrements

of the

embellishments

made of

solid gold

this all

90 years

after

the fall

of Babylon

no mistake

that God

would assign

gold

to this

kingdom

but notice

the kingdom

for all

of its

power

for all

of its

reach

for all

of its

dominion

that we

notice here

the dominion

over birds

and beasts

and people

you almost

get the picture

that it's

almost like

a second

garden of

Eden

as it were

but all

of that

power

comes from

God himself

God

stands

as the

direct

power

who allowed

Nebuchadnezzar

to enjoy

this kind

of authority

notice

verse 37

to whom

belong

excuse me

to whom

the God

of heaven

has given

this kingdom

notice

verse 38

and into

his hand

God

has given

you

man

and beast

and bird

God

made you

rule

over

them all

make

no mistake

Nebuchadnezzar

this is

from

the hand

of God

God

who is

eternal

God

who raises

up kings

and puts

kings

down

that same

God

is the

one

who

institutes

his

servants

the

rulers

the

authorities

in this

day

as well

as we

find in

Romans

Romans 13:1–7

chapter 13

verses 1

to 7

let every

person be

subject to

the governing

authorities

for there

is no

authority

except

from God

and those

that exist

have been

instituted

by God

therefore

whoever

resists

authorities

resists

what God

has appointed

and those

who resist

will incur

judgment

for he

is God's

servant

for your

good

for he

is a

servant

of God

for because

of this

you also

pay taxes

for the

authorities

are ministers

of God

attending

to this

very thing

and while

they are

ministers

of God

we know

they're

broken

and while

they are

ministers

of God

we know

that

especially

in our

day and

age

they

resist

God

themselves

but God

is still

the one

who raises

up

and puts

down

the various

leaders

that are

put in

place

God

is over

that

and God

has a

purpose

for

those

leaders

and he has

a purpose

for us

in how we

respond

to those

leaders

Nebuchadnezzar

was the head

but Daniel

will continue

to describe

the remaining

parts

that we find

in verses

39 to 43

it says

another kingdom

inferior to you

shall arise

after you

and yet a third

kingdom

of bronze

which shall

rule over

all the earth

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 of these

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 the iron

shall be in it

yet just as you saw

iron mixed with the clay

and as the toes

of the feet

were partly iron

and partly clay

so the kingdom

shall be partly strong

and partly brittle

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

Daniel is now

describing the

subsequent kingdoms

that will rise

and fall

the kingdom

of Mediapersia

the kingdom

of Greece

the kingdom

of Rome

and some future

kingdom

that will have

Rome

like qualities

that we have

not yet seen

but each element

of this picture

is intact

this silver

which represents

Mediapersia

is given to us

because it was

Mediapersia

this silver

is the same word

as money

the characteristic

of the Mediapersian

empire would be

money or silver

and history

bears this out

the Mediapersian

empire

developed a vast

system

of taxation

they required

that their taxes

be paid

in silver

and they literally

filled their coffers

with tons

and tons

of silver

the Mediapersian

empire would last

for about 200 years

and then the next

kingdom that's

represented by bronze

would take its place

the kingdom

of Greece

Greece would come

led by Alexander

the Great

he would come

in 332 B.C.

and the Greek

empire would last

again for another

200 years or so

to 146 B.C.

this representation

of bronze

was seen

in their soldiers

in their weaponry

in their battles

Greek soldiers

would have on their

head

a helmet

of bronze

a breastplate

of brass

a shield

of brass

a sword

of brass

and their primary

instrument

a spear

which was tipped

with bronze

all of these

characteristics

again

representing

the kingdoms

that will come

the fourth kingdom

this kingdom

of iron

Daniel goes on

to describe

this Roman

empire

that would

take power

in about

146 B.C.

it would last

until the 400s

about 500 years

this kingdom

of Rome

would last

and the

languishing

or languishing

effects

of this kingdom

would reach

even until

1453

when Constantinople

was finally

knocked off

in the east

but no empire

would even

take its place

Rome is described

as one that

crushes

historians

would describe

this as one

who breaks

and smashes

and breaks

into pieces

it crushes

Rome ruled

the nations

with an iron

hand

and like a huge

iron club

it is said

that they shattered

all who resisted

its will

again God

illustrating

the coming

of this

Roman empire

here Daniel

is interpreting

this dream

600 years

before Christ

and the Roman

empire

wouldn't even

begin to be

thought of

really

and have

its way

until about

31 years

before Jesus

comes to earth

this iron

mixed with clay

this final kingdom

that Daniel

describes in

verses 41

to 43

this feet

and toes

partly of potter's

clay

partly of iron

it should be

divided kingdom

and some of the

firmness of iron

shall be in it

just as you saw

iron mixed

with clay

we see this

continuing

deterioration

of disunity

from one

kingdom

to the next

and now results

in ten toes

mixed with

iron

in clay

demonstrating

the disunity

the discontinuity

of this kingdom

we come to find

in Daniel chapter

Daniel 7:23–24

7

verses 23

to 24

that these

ten toes

actually represent

ten kingdoms

Daniel

will have

another vision

thus he said

as for the

fourth beast

there shall be

a fourth kingdom

on the earth

which shall be

different from

all the other kingdoms

it shall devour

the whole earth

and trample it

down and break

it to pieces

as for the

ten horns

out of this

kingdom

ten kings

shall arise

and another

shall arise

after them

he

shall be

different

from the

former ones

and shall

put down

three kings

God is still

speaking

in

the kinds

of metaphors

we don't quite

understand

yet

but we

understand

that ten kings

will arise

and as we find

from Revelation

Revelation 17:12

chapter 17

verse 12

the continuing

illustration

the continuing

description

of these

ten kingdoms

ten horns

that you saw

are ten kings

who have not yet

received their power

but they

are to receive

authority as kings

for one hour

together

with the beasts

this kingdom

is still

on its way

it's going to be

kind of a resurgence

as it were

of the kingdom

of Rome

and we don't know

all of the

the evidences

we don't know

all of the

descriptions

of this

kingdom

but this

kingdom

will find

its way

to power

before this

stone

will come

and destroy

that's where

we end our

study this morning

in verses

44 to 45

we see this

eternal stone

and the description

of that stone

is recounted

for us

in the next

several verses

beginning

in verse 44

in the days

of those kings

the God of heaven

will set up a kingdom

that shall never

be destroyed

nor shall the kingdoms

be left

to another people

it shall break

in all pieces

all these kingdoms

and bring them

to an end

and it shall stand

forever

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

the gold

a great God

is made known

to you

the king

what shall be

after this

the dream

is certain

and its interpretation

is sure

notice this phrase

in the days

of those kings

it's quite an

interesting

surprising statement

as it were

in the days

of those kings

now

as the God

of eternity

stands outside

of time

and kind of

binds

all of those

empires

together

all of those kings

that represented

those empires

he puts them

all in one

category

he unifies

them again

and says

he is over all

God who stands

as the one

who is eternal

God who stands

while empires

rise and fall

it is God

who is over

these kingdoms

and these kings

it is God

who will establish

his kingdom

once and for all

this rock

that breaks

and shatters

will now grow

and fill the earth

and the dominion

that he will have

will be over

the entire earth

history

of nearly a thousand

years

has merged

back into one

because standing

above history

is an eternal God

and when Daniel

refers

to again

is the God

of heaven

his kingdom

that will never

be destroyed

God's kingdom

will break

all the others

into pieces

by one

single blow

ultimately

we understand

that God

himself

is the king

of kings

in the Lord

of lords

it is God

who will establish

his kingdom

on the earth

and as we find

from revelation

this kingdom

will have the quality

not only of being

a spiritual kingdom

that Jesus

began to introduce

during his ministry

in his first return

this good news

of the kingdom

of God

that was

so

so prevalent

in the message

that Jesus spoke

and his disciples

reiterated

it does have

a spiritual

dimension to it

but just as

the kingdoms

of the ages

have had

a literal

and a physical

observable

authority

God's kingdom

also

will have a visible

observable

and physical

reality

to it

revelation

tells us

that this kingdom

will last

for a thousand

years

where Jesus

will sit

on the throne

of David

where Jesus

will rule

from Jerusalem

Jesus

will have

his

his day

and it will be

in fulfillment

of the promises

that he's given

to his people

going all the way

back to Abraham

but reinforced

to Isaac

and Jacob

and to David

history has

testified

of the rising

and fall

of these kingdoms

as God

prescribed

it stands

as a witness

to the power

of God

not only to

reveal his word

but his power

to bring

it to pass

so as we've seen

the four kingdoms

at least

that have come

and gone

four empires

we can come

to put our confidence

in the fact

that God

will fulfill

the remaining parts

of this

prophecy

in a similar way

the disciples

asked Jesus

when will these

things be

what will be

the sign

of your coming

and the end

of the age

and Jesus

responds