This is the fifth in a series of verse-by-verse expositions of the book of Daniel. This message was delivered at Hillcrest Baptist Church on the morning of September 2, 2012. This message deals with God’s sovereignty over the nations, and the fact that God is always in control. This contains an audio recording of my message, along with my sermon notes and a study outline. Please note that the sermon notes are not a full transcript.
AUDIO – Listen Now:
AUDIO – Download Link:
Study Outline:
SERMON NOTES:
Daniel 2:24-49 / The Revelation
vv. 24-26:
Daniel asks for permission to address the king, and informs him that he knows the dream and the interpretation.
v.27:
Daniel informed the king that no man was able to give the interpretation, but that didn’t mean that the interpretation was no to be had.
v.28:
God revealed the dream to Daniel, and he was quick to give God the credit.
Daniel didn’t try to take any glory for himself, it was all God.
v.29:
Daniel affirms that it was God who had spoken to Nebuchadnezzar. “He who reveals secrets. . .”
It’s only God who knows the secret and deep things. Daniel 2:22
vv.30-31:
Daniel, once again, makes it clear that this was not revealed to him by any of his own merit.
He then proceeds to inform the king.
v.36:
First the dream, then the revelation.
v.37:
Daniel begins by acknowledging the king’s authority, but he is careful to stress that God has given him that kingdom, and God had placed him in authority.
v.38:
The head of gold: Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian Kingdom.
636 – 539 B.C.
v.39:
The breast and arms of silver:
This was a combined empire, The Medo-Persian Kingdom.
539-330 B.C.
Daniel would live to see this kingdom conquer Babylon.
The belly and thighs of bronze:
The Grecian empire established by Alexander the great.
330-63 B.C.
Some people debate this order.
They will try to split the Medes and the Persians into two separate empires (2nd and 3rd), with Greece being the fourth.
The reason they do this is because they don’t believe that this book was written in the 6th century B.C.
They believe that it was written in the 2nd century B.C., and that to a second century writer this would be history, not prophecy.
They don’t believe that anyone, in either century could have predicted the Roman empire.
They simply cannot attribute this to God.
We can know this order, because he will later name them by name.
Daniel 5:28
Daniel 8:20-21
Daniel 11:2
v.40:
The legs of iron the Roman Empire.
63 B.C. – 475 A.D.
vv.41-44:
The Roman Empire was characterized by division (it was a divided kingdom) and it was partly strong and partly brittle.
Though Rome succeeded in conquering the territories that came under its influence, it never could unite the people to form a united empire.
There was an appearance of unity, but many of the conquered people always viewed Rome as an occupier. There was only forced allegiance.
In that sense the people were a mixture and were not united.
Other important Characteristics of the Roman empire:
[A] the empire was strong organizationally but weak morally
[B] the empire was a mixture of numerous races and cultures.
Many people lump the ten toes in with the Roman empire.
So far as Scripture goes, up to this point, it generally fits. But I think there is more to it.
As was just noted, Rome was a split empire, and was a mixture of strong and weak.
First, notice that although he doesn’t actually identify them as a fifth kingdom, Daniel lists the feet separately from the legs.
Second, we need to take v. 44 into consideration, and also note the parallels with the kingdom of the Antichrist.
The ten toes would correspond with the ten horns, ten kings.
Daniel 7:24
Revelation 13:1
Again, it will be a time of moral decay (worship of a false God) and will encompass multiple ethnicities and cultures.
The entire world will be under this empire’s control.
Revelation 13:7
Daniel 2:44
Per verse 44, THIS is the empire which Christ will personally destroy when He establishes His kingdom.
Thus, the ten toes are what many people call the revived Roman empire.
It will be the final earthly kingdom, and is, in many ways, a continuation of the Roman empire.
There is a lot of history that is skipped, but just as we will see throughout Daniel, the present (church) age is never mentioned.
Daniel’s skips the era of Christ and the church, and his prophecies are specifically related to Israel.
After the rapture, Israel will again become the focus, and that is where Daniel picks back up.
v.45:
“Not by human hands” denotes that this stone comes directly from God, and not of human origin. The stone is Christ.
Psalm 118:22-23
Isaiah 28:16
Jesus said of this stone (Himself):
Luke 20:18
This will be His second coming, the earthly phase where Christ establishes His kingdom, not the rapture, of which we sometimes use the term “second coming.”
Christ will judge his enemies, and establish his eternal kingdom.
vv.46-47:
Nebuchadnezzar apparently accepted the fact of his own appointment to power by Daniel’s God, and recognized His authority.
Although, that was likely the extent of the kings profession.
As we’ll see later, there was no indication of true faith.
vv.48-49:
Finally, we see that God exalts His faithful servants.
Once again, these four men rose in power and authority, all so they would be in a better position to do God’s will.
FOUR CONCLUDING POINTS:
A. God is in control of history. He gives authority and He can take it away. He establishes kingdoms, sometimes for His own purpose, and then destroys them. God can overrule even the most wicked, to accomplish His divine purpose.
That is true of our nation, as well. Rather than get all worked up because things don’t go our way politically, we need to trust that God is in control.
I think that far too often, Christians put more emphasis on politics than on the Gospel.
We act as if our future depends upon a certain political outcome. Wrong!!! Our future is in God’s hands not man’s.
Regardless of what many Christians may say, in reality they are placing their faith in government, not God.
While there is nothing inherently wrong with being involved with politics, and the political process, Political activism is not a Biblical mandate, nor is it even addressed.
We need to stop placing hope in a hopeless political system, and divert the majority of our energy sharing the Gospel.
Politics can’t change lives or save souls.
Again, God establishes and destroys kingdoms at His will, and or His purpose. All governments are temporary.
B. Human enterprises decline as time goes on. Nations and Kingdoms may appear to be strong, but they are always in danger of falling over and crashing. As we survey history, on one level we see progress and improvement, but as we dig deeper, we see decay and decline.
C. It will be difficult for things to hold together at the end of the age. Society today is held together by treaties that can be broken, promises that can be ignored, traditions that can be forgotten, organizations that can be disbanded, and money-making enterprises that can fail. It is all Iron mixed with Clay. Man at his best is clay, for God made him out of the dust of the Earth.
D. Jesus Christ will return, destroy His enemies, and establish His Kingdom. While God’s people should do everything they can to alleviate suffering and make this a safer world, our hope is not in laws or political alliances. Our hope is in Jesus Christ.
People’s hearts need to be changed by the grace of God, and that means that God’s people must be witnesses to the ends of the Earth. The only kingdom that will last forever is the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.
Conclusion:
We must yield to God; He is in control anyway. If we don’t allow Him to rule us, He will eventually overrule us.
Allowing Him to rule is much less painful.
Trust in Christ
Yield to salvation
Yield to service
Yield to His will
In Defense: The Blog 
Posted on September 3, 2012
0