“Can dreams come true?”
Jan 29, 2012
Daniel 2:1-49
Introduction
Daniel the ABC’s of Bible Prophecy. Revelation contains the XYZs.
I want/use history/Bible to show you/amazing this book is that you hold in your hands.
If you aren’t yet convinced/Bible/supernatural book, you will be before we complete the study of Daniel.
Have you ever had a disturbing dream—one that you had over and over again?
How many of you have ever had a troubling, recurring dream? Sure—all of us have.
Experts say everyone dreams—may seem/dreams last all night—
We only dream about an hour/half out/eight hours we sleep.
And here’s something else—most of the times our dreams are just jumbled nonsense.
But there have been times when dreams have turned out to be very significant.
Joy’s dream….
Sermon
In the Bible there are examples of world leaders having dreams—dreams that were much more than dreams.
o Shall we not forget/baker/cup bearer/pharaoh……
o Dreams are God’s way of communicating significant truth—
o This morning we are going to study one of those dreams—and the events surrounding it.
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I’m referring/dream that Daniel tells us about/2nd chapter
A dream Nebuchadnezzar had 2600 years ago
A dream that has been coming true ever since.
before we look at this amazing dream
Remind you/Daniel/made up/two things: narrative prophecy.
1st six chapters/true stories/life of Daniel...familiar stories like the one we studied last Sunday.
Last six chap/prophecies given to Daniel by God.
2nd chapter/special/little both/narrative/prophecy.
Time won’t allow us to read it, so follow along as we study.
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A. The first verse gives us the setting.
o King Nebuchadnezzar/Babylon/2nd year/reign.
o Assyria, Babylon’s chief enemy, had completely collapsed 5 years earlier.
o This made Nebuchadnezzar/absolute dictator of an empire that reigned with unchallenged authority over most of the known world
o He was the first world leader to rule this much of the planet.
o He controlled/Greece—to Egypt—and eastward/India.
o He built a beautiful city, the ancient city of Babylon, the ruins of which are 40 miles from modern day Baghdad.
“[Ancient Babylon] included vast fortifications, famous streets like the Processional, canals, temples and palaces.
Double wall of fortifications...adorned with rows of bulls and dragons in colored enameled brick.
Nebuchadnezzar’s throne room/adorned/enameled bricks.
There were hanging gardens, to the Greeks they were one of the seven wonders of the world.
Nebuchadnezzar says:4:30 ‘Is not this great Babylon, which I have built for the royal dwelling place by the might of my power and to the glory of my majesty?”
All this goes to show that Nebuchadnezzar was one of the greatest world leaders of all time.
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Remember before the first Gulf War Saddam Hussein declared himself to be the reincarnation of Nebuchadnezzar.
Saddam vowed to rebuild/ancient city/Babylon/restore it to world power status
Which explains why he got/fight/bordering nations so often.
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But back to Nebuchadnezzar.
He had it all: youth, strength, wealth, fame, and power unparalleled in this world.
Huge armies at his command
this was eclipsed by the fact that he couldn’t get a good night’s sleep
He couldn’t/because he kept having/recurring/troubling dream.
This was much more than a DREAM
Was/MESSAGE/God/Nebuchadnezzar/to you and me as well
A message we need to hear and understand.
“One man’s insomnia is another man’s instruction.”
And that’s how we’re going to look at Neb’s dream this morning.
After having this same dream over and over and over again
Nebuchadnezzar was understandably troubled.
He wanted to know what this was all about.
He wanted to understand the dream and what it had to do with him and his mighty kingdom.
B. So he called together his wise men.
Cross between an astrologer/librarian
as you read the story,
You can see them falling all over each other eager for their master’s praise.
In their minds, this dream/golden opportunity for them to get in good with the king.
They thought they couldn’t miss out on this...
Because they/tons of books about interpreting dreams..
They were very good about SPINNING their interpretations to please Nebuchadnezzar.
They thought that once he told them his dream, they could then “cash in” on his insomnia.
But Nebuchadnezzar surprised them.
He basically said, “If you guys are so wise—then you tell me what I’ve been dreaming....and THEN give me the interpretation to boot.”
Obviously Nebuchadnezzar was no dummy—he knew anyone could fabricate an interpretation once the dream was disclosed
He hungered for REAL truth.
He wanted REAL answers.
He knew/dream/sent by God/revelation/things to come.
His anger at the enchanters reveals his inner emptiness.
Does this not correspond with the “God-shaped vacuum” inside every heart?
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Well, his wise men said they wanted to, they couldn’t interpret the dream because they didn’t know what it was—and in their explanation they said a very true thing.
It’s in verse 11: “No man can do this. Only a god could.”
I don’t know about you/I get Goosebumps when I read that
Because our God—the ONLY TRUE God can do anything.
He is all-loving, all-wise, and all-powerful.
Now don’t get the wrong idea in spite of their insight in verse 11 these “wise men” weren’t servants of God
o They where fakes and charlatans.
o They knew their astrology/was empty of any real power.
o They knew it was all a sham...
o So they were understandably afraid of Nebuchadnezzar.
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Wise men admitted/Nebuchadnezzar/they couldn’t do what/king requested so he followed through with his threat and ordered that all his wise men be killed.
Execution squads were sent to carry out his orders.
these orders/included Daniel, Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego
remember, they recently graduated/Babylonian school
And been admitted to the ranks of the king’s wise men.
Well, when the executioner came for Daniel he used his God-given people smarts.
With respect and great composure he asked for clarification.
I mean, he didn’t have a heart attack/panic attack.
Verse 14 says He replied with wisdom and tact saying,
“Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?”
Then after the executioner explained,
Daniel bravely went to Nebuchadnezzar, and asked that he be given a chance to fulfill his king’s request.
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C. How humble Daniel is.
He doesn’t walk up/king/bow down before/king and say, “Live forever, O king.”
He walks in there and stands before him and says,
“I’ve got the answer to your problem.”
By the way folks, when you kneel before God in prayer, you can stand before any man.
When you’ve been/audience/King/Kings/Lord/Lords, you’re not intimidated by any other person.
I mean, when we emulate Daniel and decide to live by our God-given convictions with respect and tact...people are impressed.
When we graciously live Godly lives people/drawn to Him.
Now—I want you to note that according to verse 18, Daniel uses the time Nebuchadnezzar gave him to PRAY.
Many of us would probably have used that time to leave town—to get as far from Nebuchadnezzar and his execution squads as possible—but not Daniel.
o No—Daniel knew who was REALLY in charge.
o He believed God was all-wise and completely sovereign so he and his three friends PRAYED.
o They went right to the top and asked God Himself for help.
This is the first MAIN thing we can learn from the events surrounding this dream.
(1) We can learn that when faced with a dilemma, the first thing we should do/get on our knees and ask/God’s help.
In other words it teaches us the precedence of PRAYER.
Do you remember Paul’s words from Philippians 4:4-7 where he says ……………….Rejoice…
A rough paraphrase would go like this, “Don’t worry about ANYTHING, pray about EVERYTHING.
Go to God—ask for His help FIRST!”
God encourages us/come boldly before His throne.
He wants us to bring Him our questions.
“Can’t sleep..don’t count sheep...talk to the Shepherd.”
God invites ALL our inquiries—all of them.
He loves to help us decide what to do....
when you have/issue and don’t know what to do,
the FIRST thing you must do is pray
Take it right to the top!
Remember—God is completely sovereign.
He is the One who is TRULY in charge.
We must PRAY, because we Need God’s guidance/power if we are to be His representatives on this fallen world.
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Well, after he prayed, Daniel was at peace.
He was able to sleep even though a sword literally hung over his neck—and as he snoozed, God answered his prayer.
As Daniel slept in the character of God...our Heavenly Father told him both Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and its meaning
And what happened next provides us a second bit of important instruction.
You see at this point many of us would leap out of bed, grab our robes and head for the king’s palace yelling, ‘I’ve got it! I’ve got it!’
But not Daniel.
No—before he went to King Nebuchadnezzar,
he went back to God—
He went back to Nebuchadnezzar’s SUPERIOR and PRAISED Him.
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Look at verses 20-23. Daniel says, read them…..
o Don’t you admire Daniel!
o Aren’t you impressed with this young man?
o Don’t you want someone like that to marry your daughters!
I mean, the first thing he did was give four verses of solid, specific praise!
Now be honest—how often do YOU respond to God’s blessings in that way?
(2) Well, this is another lesson/story teaches—it teaches us the PRIORITY of PRAISE...
Because the FIRST thing we must do when God answers prayer is praise Him.
I don’t know about you/I need to embrace/instruction
When God intervenes in my life
I’m tempted to take God for granted and forget to thank Him—but not Daniel.
He knew that without God there would be no interpretation, no wisdom, and no audience with the king.
Daniel knew there be no kings/countries at all if God did not will it
• So we need to be like this ancient prophet.
• We must always praise God for His great faithfulness.
• You see, praise reminds us how capable/gracious our God is.
• It reminds us that without Him, we can do nothing.
• “Praise God!”is a phrase that should always be on our lips
• God is the Source of every good and perfect gift.
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Daniel made/clear that/interpretation came from God/God alone.
o Daniel referred to the Lord THIRTEEN times
o And used only five pronouns/refer to him/three friends.
o Even then, the focus was still on God as the Source of all that had happened.
o What incredible maturity for a young man of 17!
Daniel said, “No man can do this—but there is a GOD IN HEAVEN and He can and has!”
Then in verses 29-45 Daniel shares the dream/interpretation as given by God Himself.
And that’s another thing this chapter can teach us.
(3) It teaches us a great deal about the POWER of Biblical PROPHECY.
And this is an important lesson to learn.
Prophetic parts of the Bible aren’t just about the future—they are about the present.
God gave us books like Daniel/Revelation so that we can know how to live today with tomorrow in mind.
These Scriptures and the prophecies they contain are meant to sober us and ground us in His eternal perspective.
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Before we go any further, let me remind you that there is a difference between PROPHECY and ESCHATOLOGY.
Eschatology/kind of prophecy that concerns end times
Things that will happen at the very end of history.
All other forms of prophecy concerns things that happen before the end
As you’ll see, this dream was both.
Most of the events prophesied in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream have already happened.
This is what I meant when I said his 2600 year old dream has been coming true ever since he dreamed it.
But it’s not done yet.
There is part of it yet to come true
The eschatological part/the part that will happen/end times.
And this is one proof that this book is not just a book.
It is GOD’S BOOK!
The Bible is GOD’S INFALLIBLE WORD!
How else to you explain the fact that ALL of the Bible’s prophecies come true?
How else to you explain/completely reliable in foretelling world events like this?
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Okay—Nebuchadnezzar dreams about a statue made of various metals—a statue that/crushed by a rock not made/human hands.
Let’s quickly review the interpretation God gave Daniel—and as we do—I want you to note how the value/materials/statue go down while at the same time increasing in strength.
The statue is clearly weaker/bottom than/top since the iron is mixed with clay, an inherently unstable combination.
I believe/illustrate/fact/our society may grow stronger externally down through the years—while it grows weaker internally.
As the decades march by we build stronger houses but have weaker families.
We have better roads but less sense of purpose/direction.
We have computers that are supposed to save us time
But we seem to have less time
Especially when it comes to the truly important things of life.
We have more laws and bigger police forces
But less morals.
“America has improved means to unimproved ends.”
Well, enough of that, let’s look at the vision itself.
The statue represents the history of the world empires. But when it was written 2,600 years ago, it was prophecy.
When it comes to world history, Jesus observed there would be a long time of Gentile control over the nation of Israel.
Luke 21:24b, “They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” their capital city.
A. The HEAD was made of pure gold.
In verse 38 Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar that this represented him and the Babylonian Empire.
We now know that it lasted from 626BC to 539BC.
He was pleased to hear that.
In the next chapter we are going to see old Nebuchadnezzar build a giant statue and guess what it is made of?
All gold, no silver, bronze, or iron.
Who do you think Nebuchadnezzar was thinking of when he built that statue?
But if he thought his kingdom would last forever, Daniel was about to burst his bubble.
B. The CHEST AND ARMS was made of silver.
o This represented the kingdom that was to come after the Babylonians
o Kingdom of the Medes and the Persians.
o It lasted from 539BC until 331B.C.
o By the way, these two parts of the statue—the CHEST and the ARMS—represented the joining together of two nations so they could defeat the Babylonians—which they did.
o Now this union of two nations would have made sense to Nebuchadnezzar because he believed that no one kingdom could have ever destroyed his.
In 539, Cyrus the Great conquered the Babylonians at the Tigris River, just outside modern Baghdad.
The Medes and the Persians diverted the Euphrates which caused the water level to drop and enabled them to enter at night through the moat’s unguarded gates.
In this way, great, GOLDEN Babylon fell without a fight or harm to the city—and in its place rose the Medo-Persian empire.
This happened while Daniel was still alive.
This kingdom lasted almost 200 years.
Later, the Persian King Darius, required conquered nations to pay tribute in SILVER which corresponds to the silver chest and arms in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.
C. The belly and thighs of the statue were made of BRONZE
Represented/GREECIAN EMPIRE/lasted from 331 B.C. until 63B.C.
Verse 39 says that this would be a government that would rule over all the earth
That’s what happened thanks/young Greek named Alexander the Great who by 331B.C. had extended his rule as far as India, vanquishing the Persian empire.
“He swept across the world of his day, conquering the known kingdoms of the earth and then wept because he had no other worlds to conquer.”
The Greek soldiers used shields made of BRONZE, hence the BRONZE in the image.
D. The legs were made of Iron/represented/ROMAN EMPIRE.
The image has two legs, which some see as the division between the Eastern and Western parts of the Roman Empire.
The Eastern part/centered/Constantinople (modern Istanbul) which produced the Byzantine culture.
The western part of the Roman Empire remained/in Rome.
And we see its impact in the EAST—where German rulers were called Kaisers and the Russians Czars—both versions of the Roman word, “Caesar.”
Its rule began/63BC and the Western empire collapsed in 476AD
• hard to date the end of the Roman Empire
• The Eastern empire continued and no other world kingdom ever took its place.
• It crumbled from within.
• That’s why we see the unusual feet of the image in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.
This prophecy is so precise it is amazing.
Daniel like/rest/Bible has come under fire/liberal theologians.
o Early/20th Century, liberal theologians said Daniel did not write this book 600 years before Jesus.
o Instead, it was written about 100 years before Jesus,
o Maccabean scribe who took the name Daniel.
o Do you know why they say that?
o Because they assume someone could only write this after these kingdoms were in place.
o So someone had to write it when the Romans (Iron legs) were in power.
o However, I believe this was written by Daniel himself, and so did Jesus.
o Also, most of the OT is written/Hebrew and NT in Greek
o There are Aramaic portions....and this is one of them—and this fact points to an earlier date.
In Matthew 24, Jesus spoke of that which was written by the prophet Daniel.
Another reason we know the liberal theologians are wrong: in 1948, when they discovered the Dead Sea scrolls, a portion of the book of Daniel was found that dated back long before 1 B.C.
This leads me to mention the next part of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream—the ESCHATOLOGICAL part
E. You see, the TEN TOES were made of IRON MIXED WITH CLAY.
The feet represent what/book of Revelation describes/10-nation federation that will come to power under the Antichrist during the seven year tribulation after Jesus comes to call His Bride home at the Rapture.
It will be a federation of nations resembling the old Roman Empire.
The Roman Empire never completely died; it just went into a coma.
Charlemagne briefly revived it in the 9th century.
Pope Leo IV crowned him/Emperor/Holy Roman Empire.
Then Louis XIV claimed to be king/restored Roman Empire.
That was Napoleon’s desire in the nineteenth century.
And what was Hitler trying to do?
Establish the Third Reich, a thousand-year reign of the revived Roman Empire.
Just look at the Roman style buildings he built.
All these failed. What’s happening now?
The nations of Western Europe are acting more and more like states of one superpower rather than sovereign nations.
o 1995 adopted Euro, one currency. Cashless system.
o Now,12 nations of the EC (European Community)
Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Greece.
• For the prophecy to be true, two of the nations of the European Community will have to drop out, which is not too hard to imagine.
• This image in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is still standing, because we are living in the time of man’s kingdoms.
• But there was more to the dream!
F. There was a stone, a rock that was cut out of a mountain without human hands.
That rock came hurtling toward the feet of the statue and demolished it.
What do the feet represent again?
It became dust and is blown away.
What is that all about?
Obviously, the rest of the Bible identifies that rock as Jesus.
This is a picture of the return of Jesus Christ,
Who as 1st Peter 2:6-8 says is “...the Stone the builders rejected, the Stone that has become the Chief Cornerstone.”
The stone doesn’t hit the head, the chest, the thighs, or the legs, but strikes the feet and toes of iron mixed with clay.
I believe this means that the stone
Which represents Christ coming back/earth/establish his kingdom
He will smash the governments of mankind as they are allied together in the Last Days under the leadership of the person the Bible calls the Antichrist.
You may ask, How did you get the Antichrist out of Daniel 2?
• Fair question.
• The answer is, I got it out of Daniel 7
• which we will discuss in more detail later in this series
• Itself contains a depiction of these four great world kingdoms in the form of four animals.
• Daniel 2 gives us the introduction to these four empires
• Daniel 7 gives us the rest of the story.
• And for that matter, Daniel 8/11 give us additional details.
JESUS IS THE: 1. Solid rock of salvation
What does it mean when Daniel said the Rock was cut out from a mountain without human hands?
It means/this Rock/not the product of any human being
Not the child of a man and a woman.
This Rock, Jesus, was designed/produced by/Hand of God.
He is the Rock/Jewish people have previously rejected.
That’s why Peter said in Acts 4:11-12, “He is the Stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone [cornerstone]. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
Sadly, today, many people cast Jesus aside because they don’t recognize Him.
My friend He is that Rock of Salvation, the only Rock of Salvation.
2. Strong rock of power
The key thing to note at this point is when Christ returns, all earthly empires will be totally destroyed.
In the dream not only/stone smash the statue
It causes the pieces to be blown away like chaff in the wind.
Christ’s coming will bring an end to everything built by the hand of man.
If man built it, it’s coming down in the Last Days.
You can take that to the bank: Every building, every stadium, every house, every monument to man’s bloated ego.
A few years ago, the group Kansas sang, “Dust in the wind…all we are is dust in the wind…” That’s really true.
Everything build by human hands will become dust in the wind.
In Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, the rock demolished the ten toes and the entire image.
This is exactly what the Apostle John saw in the Book of Revelation: “The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast. They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of Lords and King of Kings–and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.” (Revelation 17:12, 14)
3. Supreme rock of authority
Read Daniel 2:44…
God will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed
A Kingdom that will endure forever.
This kingdom becomes a mountain that fills the whole earth.
This is the Millennial Kingdom of Jesus Christ.
This clearly introduces the millennial kingdom which has been prophesied by the prophets.”
Invitation
Okay—what does this prophetic dream have to say to you and me?
A. It reminds us that the Bible is true.
Are you living your life according to this book? Wouldn’t you agree that it would be foolish not to?
B. This prophetic dream also shows us that there is a GOD in Heaven and He is still in control.
Aren’t those BEAUTIFUL words?
Say them with me, “THERE IS A GOD IN HEAVEN!”
Doesn’t that bring you peace?
Isn’t it good to know that no matter how the news reports make it seem—God is still in charge.
He is still working out His eternal purposes!
C. And finally, this dream shows us that we are living in the end times. Jesus is coming!
Are you ready for His return?
Father, I pray that You would give each of us a dream—help us to envision what our lives would be like, if we could become more like Your servant, Daniel.
Show us how more peaceful our days would be if we embraced the fact that You are completely Sovereign. Give us a picture of how much LESS stressed we would be—if we learned to REST in Your character.
Show us how our lives could take on new purpose and meaning if we could be as bold as Daniel in the way we obey You. Help us to see how we can gain direction as we study Your Word—how much clearer we would see with a Biblical world view. And now speak to each of us Father. In the power of Your Spirit, tell us the things we need to do—the attitudes and actions we need to embrace in order for Your dream for our lives to come true. I ask this in JESUS’ name. AMEN
