DREAM, DOOM AND DISCOVERY

DREAM, DOOM AND DISCOVERY
God’s Sovereignty and the Flow of History
Daniel 2
Introduction:
The other day I was preaching on Mark 1:14 at the Mission Prison institution. After the message an inmate approached me and point out something in the text that I should have preached on but missed. “you’re absolutely right,” I said to the man, “I did miss that.”

Then I opened my Bible and read Mark 1:1 to him (“The Beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God”). If I could live for another 50 years and preached that 1 verse every Sunday, I would not exhaust all of the themes that are contained in it.

The same is true with Daniel (in fact with all of scripture). Chapter 2 of Daniel touches on many of the major themes of the God’s activity in history. We also see the global expansion of what was once chiefly Judeo-centric revelation- a foreshadowing of the coming “age of the Gentiles.”

I. The Kings Dream Forgotten: READ 2:1-8

1. How to Spot a False Prophet (2:1-8)
These fawning magistrates of Babylon, like any group of men who surround a dictator, were very good at tickling the king’s ears and telling him what he wanted to hear.
But God blinded their eyes to the truth by causing the king to forget his dream and forcing the King’s edict to impede their deception. Otherwise I am sure that the King would have preferred whatever flattering interpretation that they offered him.

Now the Spirit expressly says that in the last days, some will depart from the faith, giving head to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons. For a time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but, according to their own desires, because they have itching ears” they will surround themselves with men who will teach them self improvement fables because they will ashamed of the offense of the gospel (1 Tim 4:1; 2 Tim 4:3,4).

The tradition of the magi has never left the church. Israel brought it back from Babylon and it continued on to the Pharisees. The Babylonian captivity to error has even persevered through various branches of the church.

We see it present today in men like Benny Hinn. They dream dreams and declare emotionally charged visions that never materialize. They flatter irrational people with promises of prosperity and give lying testimonies of healings but those who are visibly ill are prevented by Hinn’s goons from approaching the altar and receiving prayer.

Someone might say that it is very unprofessional for a pastor to criticize another pastor- then I am guilty of unprofessionalism. What doctor would not speak out against another so-called doctor whose cure was worse than the disease?

2. The Magi’s Doom secured (vv. 9-16)
The magi were proud to be sent into the Kings chamber. But the arbitrary power of dictators is ever unstable and “deaf to reason” (M. Henry).

“There is not a man on earth who can tell the Kings matter…” they protest, “there is no other who can tell it to the king except the gods” (v. 10,11).

There is a grain of truth in their ignorance, just as there is a grain of truth in the false teachings of men like Benny Hinn. God does speak through dreams and interprets them; He even speaks to us today. I have heard of countless testimonies of Moslem’s in strict Islamic nations who have converted to Christianity as a result of dreaming about Jesus.

Throughout the Bible God warns and guides His people through dreams. He spared Joseph from the dungeons of Egypt and raised him up to equality with Pharaoh by means of dream and their interpretation. He spoke to our Lord’s earthly father in a dream and assured him that what was to be born of Mary was from God.

II. Daniel’s Discovery Exposed (vv. 17-46)

1. The Revelation: God Gives it (17-23)
One sure way of discerning the origin of the interpretation is that an interpretation whose origin is from God is rarely flattering and always God glorifying as is the case in verse 19.

“Wisdom and Might are His,” in other words, we should not be so impressed with the intellect or the strength of men and kings, so much as we should be impressed with the origin of their wisdom and strength.

“He changes the times and the seasons” (v. 21). If any one doubts the sovereignty of God as the author of history, you must contend with passages like this one. God isn’t just wise to foresee future events, He also has the power to ordain them according to His will.

“The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord” (Pr 16:33).

I like how our Baptist Faith and Message describes the rule of God,

God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. He is all powerful, all knowing, all loving, and all wise. (BFM 2000).

The London Baptist Confession says this:

God the good Creator of all things, in his infinite power, and wisdom, upholds, directs, disposes, and govern all Creatures, and things, from the greatest even to the least, by His most wise and holy providence… according unto His infallible foreknowledge, and the free and immutable Counsel of his own will…. (LBC 1689).

The life of Joseph and his brothers’ betrayal demonstrates that even the things that are intended for evil towards them that love God are used by Him for our profit.

2. The Proclamation: Man Spreads it (24-45)
The Gospel was given to us not so that we could bury it and keep it to ourselves, but so that we could advance it throughout the world through the preaching of the gospel.

Likewise, Daniel’s received revelation is not for him alone, but for the advance of God’s purpose, which is to warn the King and to glorify God

a. Read vv. 24-35: The Dream
The image itself is noteworthy because it is an idol, and would have been recognizable to Nebuchadnezzar as such. In fact, the image is likely the inspiration for the ninety foot high golden image that Nebuchadnezzar erects in chapter three.

Perhaps idolatry is the essence of Jesus’ temptation when Satan offered him the Kingdoms of the world, as though they were in his power to give. When Jesus saw them, he was impressed enough by them to be tempted by Satan to worship him (Luke 4:5-7).

Nebuchadnezzar is a pathetic character. Although he predates him, Nebuchadnezzar is reminiscent to Pontius Pilate in the way that he vacillates between knowing what is right and being powerless against his own depravity and inclination towards evil.

A major portion of the book of Daniel is spent showing Nebuchadnezzar that not him but God is the source of his power. Every time that God humbles this pagan ruler, he responds with some of the most profound words of praise to God in the Hebrew Bible.

Let’s briefly spend some time looking at the interpretation (Read vv. 36-44). I don’t need to spend much time on this because it is probably better explained when we get to Daniel’s vision of the four beasts in chapter 7.

This image is a timeline of the Kingdoms of the world stretching from about the 6th century BC (which is the golden head) down to AD 1054 and the Great Schism of the Holy Roman Empire between Rome and Constantinople.

What is startling is the precision of this prophecy, particularly when chapter seven brings it in further clarity. This dream is a powerful evidence of authenticity scripture’s origin with God.

From the other side of time and space, God has sent us a message of hope and salvation and He corroborates it through the fulfillment of prophecy. Only a being who existed outside of time could have this accurately predicted 1500 years of human history this way.

Notice that there is continuity between Babylon and Rome. Babylon is supported by Rome and the ten kingdoms (which persist to this day).

The stone that is carved out represents Jesus and the Great Mountain is his church. Daniel is given a parallel vision in chapter seven, look how he sees this same event in more clarity there:

I saw One like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven.
He approached the Ancient of Days and was escorted before Him.
14 He was given authority to rule, and glory, and a kingdom;
so that those of every people ,nation, and language should serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away,
and His kingdom is one that will not be destroyed. (7:13-14)

How brilliant! The doctrine of the church begins in the dream of a pagan ruler half a millennium before the churches birth on the day of Pentecost. “The dream is certain and its interpretation is sure.” (v. 45).

3. The Response: God is Glorified (46-49)
How do we respond to the God of the Church? With the same reverence as the Babylonian King? (Read 46-49).