In week two of Believers in Babylon, Ben Stuart leads us in the different perspectives of Nebuchadnezzar, the advisors, and Daniel as a dream is given as a picture of determining destinies.
Key Takeaway
When we see things from God's perspective, we can be used by Him in ways that bring others to see His glory and plan for their lives.
How do we know that the Bible is the Word of God?
- Experience
- Correspondence
- Spirituality
- Supernatural composition and preservation of the Word of God through history.
- Prophecy
Daniel 2 prophecy is so exact that secular commentators say it had to be written later because only God knows the future.
There is a message for both the believer and the Babylonian. God let the Babylonians see what was to come, and he let the believer help the Babylonians understand. This is why God will put believers in power: to help people understand.
- How will the kingdoms fall? A rock. The least precious of all the materials mentioned. The Stone of Stumbling, the Rock of Offense, the Cornerstone, the Rock of Ages. A stone cut without human hands. In the Old Testament, God told them not to cut the altars with human hands. Other religions would carve ornate alters and God's people stacked stones. The purpose was to know that we don't do things that make us acceptable to God. God is the only One who makes peace with us; the stones are carved by Him. In the New Testament, when Paul says, "They are circumcised without hands," he means that only God can give them a new heart. They have more than the outward sign of religion.
- When the Rock touches the feet of that statue, the kingdoms won't just fall; they'll become dust in the wind. His Kingdom shall become a mountain and endure forever and ever. It will be divine, eternal, triumphant, and final, and it will surely come. So, is it Jesus at his first coming? Yes, Jesus quotes Daniel as he nears his death. Jesus says the kingdom is at hand. He is that little stone.
- But Jesus didn't take down the kingdoms of man at His first coming. He established a kingdom, but He will come again at His second coming. When He returns, all earthly kingdoms will fall, and He will rule forever. This is also referenced in Daniel 7. So the Kingdom of God has come into our hearts, and we still pray, "Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
To the Babylonians, the Nebuchadnezzars, those who don't know that God is Heaven or the Cornerstone, who were rejected, Jesus Christ:
- You have glory because you're made in God's image. Your glory is derivative of God. You are what you are because God made you special and unique. God put you here and all that you have is from Him.
- This God will take you out. God's Kingdom will take yours over. All the kingdoms of the earth will fade. His Kingdom will never pass away. So, acknowledge His sovereignty, repent, and bow down. See Acts 17:24-31. God has determined your days to live. He wants you to seek Him, and He will save you.
To the Believer:
- Power is in God's hands, not in whoever currently rules the earth. God rules over the nations, and we know Him, so we are sustained by the knowledge of His power over the rulers.
- This perspective gives us peace. We're supposed to talk like Jesus, who, when on trial, said, "You have no authority over me except what was given to you from above." Our peace in political instability will spook people, but they will come to know what you know.
- We endure, we persevere. Daniel knew he was there for a while, so he allowed God to sustain him. God sent you where you are and positioned you with a perspective that gives you peace with a purpose to persevere for His glory and the good of Babylon. Those who have hope purify themselves. We know our King is coming for us, so we live with confidence in the day of waiting.
Discussion Questions
What is the book of Daniel a combination of?
In Daniel 2, we see God doing something amazing. How do we know that the Bible is the Word of God?
Nebuchadnezzar is greatly troubled about his dream; what did he gather his spiritual advisors to do?
Why did the king put them to the test? What was at risk?
The advisors seek out Daniel. According to Daniel 2: 17-18, what did Daniel do after they approached him?
Daniel is given a revelation from the Lord and cannot only tell the king his dream but interpret it. What was Daniel's response to God and to Nebuchadnezzar about this? See Daniel 2:20-23, 28.
What do the different parts of the statue represent?
Do the feet and toes represent the first coming of Jesus or His second?
If you don't know Jesus, how does Acts 17:24-31 challenge your rejection of Him?
If you're a believer, what is your role in living in this world of instability?
Scripture References
