God Rules the UniverseJim Davis
Daniel 2:31-45
The most important aspect of living life on planet earth is understanding who is in charge. Who makes the sunrise and set? Who is in charge of the kingdoms of this world? To whom must the whole world answer? To whom must I answer? Where does the buck stop?
The book of Daniel emphatically declares God as ruler of heaven and earth. Nebuchadnezzar had difficulty making this proclamation but he finally said, "His [God's} dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: "What have you done?" (Dan 4:34-35 NIV)
The first chapter of Daniel reveals God in charge of the nations as well as the personal lives of those living in within those nations.
Daniel 1:1-2
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his god. (NIV)The world sees things different. In ancient times, when a king won a victory it meant that his gods were more powerful than the gods of the opposing forces. Nebuchadnezzar carried articles from the temple of God to the temple of his god. He gave his god credit for the victory. This made him feel powerful, but it was Jehovah God who determined the outcome of the battle. God not only gave the battle to Nebuchadnezzar, he gave the battle "along with some of the articles from the temple." God was in control of Nebuchadnezzar, but at this point he would have vehemently denied it.
After Nebuchadnezzar’s death his son Belshazzar came to power and saw a hand write a message on the wall. When Daniel came to interpret the handwriting on the wall for Belshazzar he said:
Daniel 5:18-21
"O king, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness and glory and splendor. Because of the high position he gave him, all the peoples and nations and men of every language dreaded and feared him. Those the king wanted to put to death, he put to death; those he wanted to spare, he spared; those he wanted to promote, he promoted; and those he wanted to humble, he humbled. But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like cattle; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and sets over them anyone he wishes. (NIV)God's rule is comprehensive. Daniel presents God's sovereignty ruling and overruling men and nations. In the book of Daniel, God is not only involved ruling the nations, but His rule also involves the personal lives of the people of the earth.
In the first chapter of Daniel we see God ruling in the lives of those he has allowed Nebuchadnezzar to capture. Daniel was taken captive as a young man for the purpose of brainwashing him as he served in Nebuchadnezzar's palace. But notice who is in charge of Daniel's life, "Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel . . . To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds." (Daniel 1:9, 17 NIV)
The book of Daniel, written 600 years before Christ, gives Christian's in the 20th a comprehensive worldview from a cosmic perspective. The message of Daniel is a key to understanding the rise and fall of empires and emperors. It is not military or financial, but rather moral and spiritual causes which effect their fall. The destruction of the great kingdoms of the past was no accident of history, but the outworking of the judgment of God on kingdoms, which had turned from his laws and forsaken his ways.
The Coming of Christ Kingdom
The cosmic battle for the kingdoms of the earth and the souls of men is just as real today. In fact, Daniel's interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar dream in chapter two reveals God moving men and nation to the culmination of the establishment of his spiritual kingdom through Jesus Christ.
Daniel 2:31-45
"You looked, O king, and there before you stood a large statue-- an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were broken to pieces at the same time and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth."This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king. You, O king, are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory; in your hands he has placed mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds of the air. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold.
"After you, another kingdom will rise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron-- for iron breaks and smashes everything-- and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others. Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.
"In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands-- a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.
"The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and the interpretation is trustworthy." (NIV)
As Daniel prophecies in the 6th century B.C. he unfolds the world order of empires until the coming of Christ’s kingdom. This prophetic vision gives insight to many features of the kingdom of Christ.
The Features of Christ’s Kingdom
The kingdom is God's creation. "And in these days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom." (2:44) In Nebuchadnezzar's dream Daniel traced the work of God through four world powers: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. The fifth kingdom would be the kingdom of God. The decisive moment for the kingdom of God is seen as taking shape in the days of the fourth empire. The fourth empire was Rome. Rome ruled Palestine when Jesus came to Galilee, preaching that the kingdom of God was near.
Mark 1:14-15
After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" (NIV)Jesus not only preached the "kingdom of God is near" he also came preaching "the gospel of the kingdom". The gospel of the kingdom proclaimed the means of salvation as the means of entrance into God's eternal kingdom. In Matthew 16:19, Christ promised to give the keys of the kingdom to Peter. In Matthew 16:28 Christ promised the kingdom would come in the lifetime of his apostles. On Pentecost Peter proclaimed the key terms of entrance to Christ's spiritual kingdom. Peter is not standing at the pearly gates admitting individuals entrance to heaven. He did stand up on Pentecost and proclaim the terms of entrance into Christ spiritual kingdom.
Daniel said that it was a kingdom, "which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people." (2:44) God has made Christ both Lord and Christ in the heavenly realms; it is an eternal reign with Christ throne in heaven.
Daniel also had a vision in which Christ's everlasting dominion is revealed.
Daniel 7:13-14
"In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. (NIV)Christ ascended into God's presence "he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight." (Acts 1:9 NIV) In Acts 2, on the day of Pentecost, Peter portrays Christ reigning as both Lord and Christ on the throne of David in the eternal realm. No one will succeed him on his throne.
Acts 2:29-36
"Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, "'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet." ' "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." (NIV)In Revelation John reminds us of God's rule over the rulers of the earth. As John reveals his Revelation we see Christ bringing Rome to her knees.
Revelation 1:4-6
John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father-- to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. (NIV)Members of the seven churches of the province of Asia made up a kingdom of priest in Christ kingdom. It is essential that we see Christ church is his kingdom and as the indestructible kingdom God.
God's kingdom is an all-victorious kingdom; "it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever." There was a rock in Nebuchadnezzar's dream that smote the kingdoms of the world. "While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them." (Daniel 2:34 NIV)
Daniel 2:45
This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands-- a rock that broke the iron [Babylon], the bronze [Medo-Persian], the clay [Greece], the silver and the gold [Rome] to pieces. "The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and the interpretation is trustworthy." (NIV)From a cosmic perspective God was bringing each successive kingdom to its demise. It is amazing, when Rome fell the evil of the kingdoms of Babylon, Medes-Persian, Greece and Rome was finally and completely punished. The fall of Rome brought the end all the evil powers, which reigned from the time of Daniel. Their powerful influence was completely destroyed.
Daniel said in his interpretation of the king’s dream: "In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands-- a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces." (Daniel 2:44-45) History records numerous reasons for the fall of these empires, but Daniel tells us the rock, which destroyed them was not the work of human hands.
Each successive world kingdom in Daniel’s prophecy becomes weaker as is indicated by the gold, silver, bronze, iron and clay. God’s power brought the demise of each kingdom. Christ was the "rock" cut out of the mountains without hands, which completely shattered the influence of all these kingdoms as Rome fell.
Jesus Christ was the rock that struck the statue, which "became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth." (Daniel 2:35 NIV) The first century Christians were scattered through persecution. From a worldly perspective we see a shattered people. Christ kingdom seemed shattered and hopeless, but Christ's cause reached an all time high as the final foundations of Rome were crumbling under the judgment of God.
Matthew 21:42-44
Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: "'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes'? "Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed." (NIV)Christ's kingdom is not a worldly kingdom, which wages war as worldly kingdoms do.
John 18:36-37
Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place." "You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." (NIV)The true kingdom of Christ is within the hearts of men. That is where it has always been. God took the kingdom from Israel because she refused to bear fruit.
Luke 17:20-21
Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you." (NIV)Jesus told the Jewish leaders that God’s kingdom would be taken away from them.
Matthew 21:42-44
Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: "'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes'? "Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed." (NIV)Conclusion:
The true church today is not a cheap imitation of first century Christianity. She is the kingdom of Christ. Christ continues to reign on the throne of his kingdom.
Paul says Christ will reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet, then he will deliver the kingdom to his Father.
1 Corinthians 15:24-26
Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. (NIV)Philippians 2:9-11
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (NIV)It is apparent from these scriptures Christ came preaching the gospel of the kingdom for the purpose of fully establishing his kingdom on Pentecost. His kingdom will continue to the end when the kingdom will be handed over to the Father.
Hebrews 12:28-29
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our "God is a consuming fire." (NIV)We must not forget that Christ still reigns to make his enemies his footstool
Acts 7:48-49
"However, the Most High does not live in houses made by men. As the prophet says: "'Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me? says the Lord. Or where will my resting place be? (NIV)