Introduction
We find out the reason today that King Nebuchadnezzar is so concerned about the dreams that he had that he was willing to kill all the wise men of Babylon for being unable to reveal the dream and its interpretation.
Nebuchadnezzar, just like you and I, was concerned about what was going to happen in the future. Certainly, a man with a kingdom as big and as powerful as Babylon wants to know what is going to happen after he is gone. Is his kingdom going to last? Are his children going to run his kingdom into the ground? Is some neighboring king going to try to seize Babylon?
We all think about the future so those are natural questions to ask himself as he lay on his bed. What does the future hold? But this time is different because God, the revealer of secrets, chooses to reveal what the king is asking.
Enter Daniel into the throne room of the king and he makes this statement.
Daniel 2:29 (NKJV)
29 As for you, O king, thoughts came to your mind while on your bed, about what would come to pass after this; and He who reveals secrets has made known to you what will be.
So, let’s see what we can learn as Daniel provides the interpretation that he received from God.
Scripture
Daniel 2:45–49 (NKJV)
45 ...the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure.”
46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, prostrate before Daniel, and commanded that they should present an offering and incense to him. 47 The king answered Daniel, and said, “Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret.” 48 Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts; and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon. 49 Also Daniel petitioned the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego over the affairs of the province of Babylon; but Daniel sat in the gate of the king.
The Meaning Revealed
When Daniel interpreted the dreams, King Nebuchadnezzar discovered that his kingdom will not last, that there will be other Kingdoms after his. After Babylon there will the kingdoms of the Medes- Peres, the Greeks, and the Romans. The Roman kingdom will begin very strong and powerful and amass a great territory and will not be able to control its mass territory and it becomes a divided kingdom. It would become Eastern & Western Rome as ordered by Emperor Diocletian. And from there it was attacked by others and divided even further. And all of these kingdoms, Rome and all the others, will be crushed and brought to an end by the kingdom of God, which will last forever.
Now let’s see how Daniel shined as he revealed this prophecy to King Nebuchadnezzar.
Point #1
Daniel shined because Daniel knew what prophecy could and could not do.
Daniel 2:45 (NKJV)
45 ... The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure.”
When the Bible was complied, twenty (20%) percent of it was prophetic, meaning it was talking about things that have not yet occurred.
Now, living in 2022 some of those things have occurred, not everything has yet occurred, but of those things that have occurred there is no error in how the Bible described that future event.
And Daniel tells King Nebuchadnezzar this prophecy is going to occur exactly as stated. The interpretation is sure. There is no deviation from it.
So, what Daniel is telling King Nebuchadnezzar you cannot change the future, but you can prepare for it. You cannot stop these kingdoms coming into power and then losing power, but you can prepare for it.
I believe that we are living in the last days. Some of the signs that the Bible tells us about are:
1. An increase in Wickedness (2Timothy 3:1-5)
2. Scoffers of the truth (2Peter:1-10)
3. Wars and rumors of wars (Matthew 24:6-8)
4. Earthquakes & Famine (Matthew 24:7)
You and I cannot do anything to stop the end days from occurring. They are going to occur exactly as the Bible has said.
But you can prepare yourself for the end days? Are you making sure that your family is ready for the end days? Is there a friend that you need to lead to Jesus in these end days?
Remember you cannot change the future, but you can prepare for it. Are you preparing for it?
Point #2
Daniel shined because when the Word came from God, Daniel didn’t back down from telling the king the dream and interpretation as exactly as given to him by God.
45 ... The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure.”
Think with me a second. This is the same king that got angry at the wise men, the sorcerers, and magicians because they could not tell him the dream and the interpretation that he ordered them cut into pieces.
Daniel knew about this because we were told that Arioch was looking for Daniel to kill him as one of the wise men in training.
Now, imagine Daniel knowing how prone this king is to anger, to stand before him with the news, Sorry Charlie, your kingdom is not going to last. Can you image what is going through Daniel’s mind?
But Daniel never watered down the Word of God. He spoke it with boldness.
Let me ask you, have you ever watered down something the Bible says so someone would not get angry at you?
Have you ever watered down your behavior so someone would not think you are some holy rollers?
Teenagers especially, have you ever watered down your speech with some cursing so that the people you are with will think you are cool.
Point #3
Nebuchadnezzar reveals to us that people can reverence God without accepting God in their heart.
Daniel 2:46–47 (NKJV)
46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, prostrate before Daniel, and commanded that they should present an offering and incense to him. 47 The king answered Daniel, and said, “Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret.”
Anybody can look at what God has done and admire Him for it. An unbeliever can look at a sunset and admire what God has created.
But it is only a child of God that experiences the power of God within them.
Philippians 2:13 (NKJV)
13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
Since unbelievers can admire and reverence God, a Christian has a hard time distinguishing those who know about Him and admire His handiwork and those who know Him.
Let me give you some pointers.
1. If you are worshipping anything other than God then you probably don’t know Him. Nebuchadnezzar is bowing to Daniel.
The person who knows God is only going to bow to Him.
2. If you talk about God in anyway other than He is my God, you probably don’t know him. Nebuchadnezzar did not know Him, so he says to Daniel your God.
I cannot count how many times someone has come up to me and said: Would you ask your God to pray for me? That should tell you that the other person doesn’t know him.
And what are we to do? We are to make it clear to them that they can know God too.
Point #4
Because Daniel shined, God showed Daniel that He can turn a situation around in a moment’s notice.
Daniel 2:48 (NKJV)
48 Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts; and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon.
Remember one of the first things that King Nebuchadnezzar did when he brought Daniel and his friends from Judah is to enroll him in a three-year university type program to learn about the Babylonian ways and the gods they served.
Now, in a moment, things are turned around and Daniel is the administrator over the wise men. And what do you think they are being taught? The ways of Daniel’s God.
Do you know what that means for us? That God can turn something around in our life in a moment’s notice.
Thought to Ponder
Your faithfulness to what God wants of you will always be met with a blessing.
