Daniel 2: The Hand that Guides the Future

Does God really exist? And if he does, do you really think he pays much attention to us as we hurtle through space on a little blue planet? Or is he more like an absentee landlord who started the planet spinning a long time ago and then just forgot about us? Today, we're going to look at an ancient king's amazing dream that gives startling evidence for the existence of God and proves that not only does he notice us, but his hand is still steering history towards one incredible final event. So stay tuned to hear about the king's dream that baffled the world's leading magicians, psychics and astrologers, as well as modern historians, but presents compelling rational evidence that not only does God know the future, but he has revealed it to us as well. They were two of history's greatest generals and also two of history's greatest adversaries, the Duke of Wellington and Napoleon Bonaparte. But what comes as a great surprise is that the Duke of Wellington and Napoleon Bonaparte had a lot in common. Both of them were born on an island in 1769. Both of them lost their fathers in early childhood and both had four brothers and three sisters. Both attended military school in France at the same time. Both excelled at mathematics and both became lieutenant colonels within one day of each other. And perhaps most importantly, both of them are remembered for what happened at the Battle of Waterloo. They were evenly matched with similar backgrounds, similar education and even similar armies. But Napoleon lost and the Duke of Wellington won. And if you ask a historian why it happened, they'll point out a number of things. First of all, they'll tell you that the terrain they were fighting on was the kind that Wellington liked. So he had the home team advantage, so to speak. Secondly, Napoleon didn't count on the Prussian army going 20 kilometres out of their way to join the fight. And lastly, historians point out that Napoleon just didn't have the same kind of courage and energy he had before his exile. So there are lots of ideas as to why Napoleon lost. But one thing that many people agree on is that he probably could have won. And the map of Europe would look a lot different today if he had. Yet something tipped the scales decidedly in Wellington's favour. And it wasn't just strategy or coincidence or the size of an army or fatigue or weather or any of those things. It was something more. There was an invisible hand that refused to allow Napoleon to win. In fact, something happened 2,500 years earlier in an ancient Babylonian king's bedroom that determined what would happen that day at Waterloo. The Bible talks about it Now, in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams and his spirit was so troubled that his sleep left him. It was the middle of the night and the most powerful man on earth suddenly woke up in a cold sweat, his heart pounding and his pillow soaked with sweat. Even though he had been on the battlefield many times, even though he had seen the ugly reality of death close up, he was now afraid of a dream. So he got out of bed and called an emergency meeting of some of the most trusted advisors in his empire, the men who claimed to be able to read minds and foretell the future. They claimed to know the very secrets of the universe. The Bible continues in Daniel chapter two and verse two. Then the king gave the command to all the magicians, the astrologers, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king and the king said to them, I have had a dream and my spirit is anxious to know the dream. Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic. O king, live forever. Tell your servants the dream and we will give the interpretation. No problem, they said. King Nebuchadnezzar, you just tell us the dream and we'll tell you what it means. And as the astrologers and magicians pulled out their charts and dream interpretation books, the king suddenly smelled a rat. He became suspicious that the men who had been guiding the affairs of his kingdom might not really know what they were talking about. So he refused to tell them the dream but still insisted that they figure it out. If you are what you claim to be, he said, you should be able to figure out the dream and the interpretation. And if you can't, I'll put every last one of you to death. A cold shiver must have run up and down their spines because in their hearts, they knew that their books and charts were fraudulent and were completely powerless to help them. Not one of them could reach inside the king's mind and extract the information he demanded. So they pleaded for more time but Nebuchadnezzar was onto them. You've been lying to me for years, haven't you? My word is final. Either you figure out what I dream and tell me what it means or you're all going to die. But we can't do that, your majesty. We just can't read your mind. Here's how the Bible tells the story in Daniel chapter two and verse 10. The Chaldeans answered the king and said, there is not a man on earth who can tell the king's matter. Therefore, no king, lord, or ruler has ever asked such a thing of any magician, astrologer, or Chaldean. And there is no other who can tell it to the king except the gods whose dwelling is not with flesh. For this reason, the king was angry and very furious and gave the command to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. You know, I find it very interesting that when something important happened that changed the course of history forever, the psychics and astrologers didn't know anything about it. And believe me, even though late night TV is still full of people who have psychic hotlines and star charts, those people still don't know what's going to happen. If God has something important to say, he doesn't use tarot cards or star charts or crystal balls to say it. He just comes out and says it. Now, watch how this works. The second chapter of Daniel tells us that because the so-called wise men couldn't perform, Nebuchadnezzar rounded them all up to be put to death. And as they went through the kingdom to find all the Chaldeans and wise men, they knocked on the door of a Hebrew captive named Daniel, who was considered a wise man because of his royal blood, his great intelligence, and his godly life. Two years earlier, Nebuchadnezzar and his armies had struck out westward on a mission of conquest. And as part of their mission, they attacked the city of Jerusalem. They besieged and plundered the city, looted the temple, and carried off many of the sacred golden vessels. Daniel, a young prince, was taken captive. And with the cream of the city's youth, carried off to Babylon as a war hostage, where he was trained to be a servant of the king and one of the empire's wise men. Now, although Daniel knew nothing about this incident surrounding the king's dream, the soldiers came for him as well because he was considered a wise man. But Daniel wasn't a fraud like the other so-called wise men of Babylon. In fact, he was the real thing, a genuine prophet of God. So he asked to see the king in person and was granted permission. Here's what the Bible says in Daniel chapter two and verse 16. So Daniel went in and asked the king to give him time that he might tell the king the interpretation. For some reason, the king trusted Daniel, maybe because he had proven himself in the past. And he gave Daniel the time he asked for. So Daniel then went back to his friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and they got down on their knees and prayed for answers because they knew that if it was important, God would tell them. And sure enough, he did. The very next day, they brought Daniel back to the king. Notice what it says in Daniel chapter two, verses 27 and 28. Daniel answered in the presence of the king and said, the secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king. But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head upon your bed were these. From that point on, Daniel tells the king something that has changed the course of world history. It has affected the way you live today. In fact, it's even the real reason Napoleon lost at Waterloo. Here's what the Bible says the king dreamed. You, O king, were watching, and behold, a great image. This great image, whose splendour was excellent, stood before you, and its form was awesome. This image's head was a fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, and its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which 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 were crushed together and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors, and the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. Suddenly, Nebuchadnezzar was excited. That's it, Daniel. I can't believe it. That's exactly what I dreamed. It was a giant statue made of different metals. It had a golden head and silver arms and brass thighs and iron legs and clay feet. And then a giant rock flew out of the sky and smashed it to pieces. But what in all the world does it mean? What we're about to read proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that we're not alone in the universe because thousands of years in advance, the Bible predicted the rise and fall of every major world empire. It proves conclusively that nothing is left to mere chance. The invisible hand of God steers the affairs of men. Here's what Daniel told the king in Daniel chapter two, verses 37 and 38. You, O king, are a king of kings, for the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory. And wherever the children of men dwell or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven, he has given them into your hand and has made you ruler over them all. You are the head of gold. The golden head of the statue represents Nebuchadnezzar in the Babylonian Empire. It was the greatest of empires, the most decadent, literally drenched in luxury and gold, the head of all empires, but it didn't last forever. But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours. History tells us that the Babylonian Empire crumbled when the Medes and Persians sacked the city in 539 BC. And it didn't matter that they weren't as talented on the battlefield as the Babylonians because an unseen hand tipped the scales in their favour. Wherever God steers history, that's where it's going to go. And he has a very specific destination in mind. The Medes and Persians, represented by the chest and arms of silver, ruled the Middle East until 331 BC when another army destroyed them. Then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. The third kingdom, represented by the belly and thighs of brass, was the Greek Empire of Alexander the Great, one of the greatest military geniuses of all time. Alexander managed to conquer on foot 20 million subjects in over three million square kilometres in something like four years. All by the time he was 32 years old, he was completely unstoppable because he had the unseen hand of God allowing him to win. But Alexander too came to an end in 168 BC. That's when the fourth empire destroyed them, as the Bible predicted in Daniel chapter two and verse 40. And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything. And like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others. Now, if you remember your school history classes, you already know which empire humbled the Greeks. It was the Romans, of course, the same empire that ruled the world when Jesus Christ was born. They were more ferocious than any army the world had ever seen. And they literally stomped all over Europe and the Middle East, subjecting everything in their path. Here's how the famous historian Edward Gibbons described them amazingly in his book, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. And the images of gold, silver, or brass that might serve to represent the nations and their kings were successively broken by the iron monarchy of Rome. It's as if Gibbons were familiar with the Bible, because that's exactly what God said would happen. It's even the same language. The head of gold was Babylon, the chest and arms of silver were Medo-Persia, the belly and thighs of brass were Greece, and the Roman Empire, the legs of iron, eclipsed them all. Because of the unseen hand of God, nobody stood a chance in the face of a Roman army, but Rome too would fail. And now please follow me very carefully, because we're going to see the real reason Napoleon didn't win. Daniel chapter two and verse 41 continues. Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided, yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men, but they shall not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay. Daniel told the king more than 1,000 years in advance that the Western Roman Empire would crumble and break into 10 pieces, like the 10 toes on the feet of the great metal image. And it happened exactly the way God said it would, because barbarian tribes brought Rome to its knees by 476 AD, and the Western Empire broke into 10 pieces, not nine, not 11, but exactly 10. And those barbarian tribes, at least the ones that survived, became the nations of Western Europe today. It all happened exactly the way God said it would. And furthermore, the Bible tells us that try as they might, those 10 tribes will not cleave or adhere to each other. The great unseen hand of God has tipped the scales against anybody who tries to put the Western Roman Empire back together again. He says they shall not cleave one to another. That's why every single attempt, every experiment to unite Western Europe has failed miserably. The royal families tried to use marriages to do it, but it never worked. The warrior king, Charles V, almost did it. But just as he closed in on uniting Western Europe, a revolution broke out, and he was forced to abdicate the throne. Louis XIV, the Sun King, tried to unite Europe, but other countries fought back, and the French king was defeated. And then came Napoleon. He thought nothing could stop him. So in 1812, Napoleon marched on Russia, and God tipped the balances against him. It had nothing to do with the Russian military might, but it had everything to do with God. It started to snow, and out of more than 600,000 French soldiers who went to Russia, 500,000 never came home. And from that miserable defeat, and after a humiliating exile, Napoleon went to Waterloo, and he lost. Because God said nobody would reunite the Western Roman Empire. Everybody who's tried has failed. The Kaiser failed, even though he probably could have done it. Hitler failed, even though in 1942, it looked like he might win. They all failed because God said they shall not cleave one to another. On Thursday, the 23rd of June, 2016, the British people stunned the world with a vote to leave the European Union. For the first time ever, one of the 28 member nations of the European Union had voted to leave. The British decision has unsettled the European Union and raised uncertainty about its future. It's a reminder of how uncertain, unstable, and divided Europe is. Try as they might, they will never bring the Western Roman Empire under one ruler or one king again. It just can't happen, because God said they shall not cleave one to another. The nations of Western Europe will remain divided until the rock in Nebuchadnezzar's dream comes and smashes the kingdoms of Earth. Daniel chapter two and verse 44 says, and in the days of these kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, and the kingdom shall not be left to other people. It shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Nebuchadnezzar, said Daniel, do you see what's going to happen? One day, your Babylonian empire is going to collapse, and after that, there will be three more empires. Then there'll be a time of a divided empire, and finally, God himself is going to set up a kingdom that will last forever. You and I are living down in the very toenails of the great image, and the next event in this prophecy is the setting up of God's kingdom. That happens when Jesus Christ returns. Notice what it says in Matthew chapter 25 and verse 31. When the son of man comes in his glory and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. Four world empires, and every one of them has already come and gone. Then a divided Western Roman empire, which is still with us today. You and I are living under the last human governments described in Daniel chapter two. The next event is the second coming of Jesus Christ. The rock of ages, the cornerstone that the builders rejected, is going to fill this planet with his glory and set up his own kingdom. Let me ask you, are we just an insignificant speck in the universe? Absolutely not. God himself is eventually going to move to planet Earth. Please notice what it says in Revelation chapter 21 and verse three. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people. God himself will be with them and be their God. It's almost over. We're almost there. And if you've been worried about recent world events, stop worrying, because the unseen hand of God is still at work. No matter what happens, nothing will stop Jesus Christ from coming back. He's coming to establish his kingdom, and you can be part of that. All children ask just one question when they're on a journey, don't they? Are we there yet? My parents used to tell me to watch for certain landmarks. God's children want to know too. Are we there yet? And God in his love gives us great landmarks of history to watch for. So let me ask you, since we're almost there, are you ready? Have you made things right with your God? Now, you might ask yourself why God bothers with a little insignificant planet like ours. But don't forget, he's made a huge investment in the human race. He bought us with his own blood. And Jesus has become one of us, a part of the human race. His greatest desire is to come and put an end to earthly kingdoms and set up his own. If you'd like to be a citizen in that kingdom, why not confirm that decision right now as we pray? Dear Lord, with the way the world is, we sense that we're running out of time. We long for Jesus to come and set up his kingdom because we're tired of human governance. Our eyes are fixed on Jesus. We want to know him better and love him more. Guide us as we study the word of God so that we will be ready when he comes. And we ask this in Jesus' name, amen. The amazing prophecy of Daniel chapter two and the great metal image has amazed and inspired people all over the world. There's a lot more to it than we can study in just half an hour. So if you'd like to know more about Bible prophecy and what the future holds for you and your family, then I'd like to recommend the free gift we have for all our viewers today. It's a booklet called A King, A Dream, and You. And in addition to that, we'll enclose a lesson from our Bible course that will start you on the path to understanding the prophecies of Daniel for yourself. These are our gifts to you and both are absolutely free. There are no costs or obligations whatsoever. Thousands have been blessed and inspired by this book, A King, A Dream, and You. So make the most of this wonderful opportunity to receive the gifts we have for you today. Here's the information you need. Phone or text us at 0436-333-555 in Australia or 020-422-2042 in New Zealand, or visit our website, tij.tv, to request today's free offer and we'll send it to you totally free of charge and with no obligation. Write to us at GPO Box 274, Sydney, New South Wales, 2007. Or PO Box 76673, Manukau, Auckland, 2241, New Zealand. Don't delay, call or text us now. Be sure to join us again next week when we will share another of life's journeys together. Until then, remember the ultimate destination of life's journey. Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crime. There shall be no more pain for the former things have passed away.