World Destiny - Revealed by Daniel the
Prophet
The Interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's Dream By
Daniel the Prophet
"There is a God in heaven that
revealeth secrets, and maketh known what shall be in the
latter days" – (Daniel
2:28)
The World Your Child Will Inherit
Every thinking man and woman should be
deeply concerned at the ominous drift of world conditions.
We do not mean in international
relationships merely, but in the steep decline of moral
standards that forms the social environment in which we and
our children live.
The present state of things has so
gradually stolen upon the world that the full extent of
deterioration has gone largely unheeded; but if we were in a
position to compare conditions of 40 years ago with those of
today, we would instantly recognize how sharp has been the
decline. Consider these facts:
-
Today crime is increasing at such a rate that it cannot
be effectively controlled, and the problem is steadily
mounting.
-
Despite unparalleled affluence, dissatisfaction is rife,
suicide is on the increase, and in the U.S., one occurs
every 27 minutes, whilst four unsuccessful attempts take
place at the same time.
-
In every country, violence on the roads is attaining new
records; more people are killed in accidents than in war.
-
Complete disunity characterizes national life, thus
America is hopelessly divided between the whites and
coloreds, and violence is continuously erupting in all
ports of the world.
-
Immorality, pornography, permissiveness, drug addictions
are on the increase. With many, the sanctity of marriage
is no longer respected; premarital sexual relationships
are common; and "literature" openly encourages
the lowering of moral restraint.
-
In this age of marriage counselors, psychologists,
guidance clinics, and frank sex education – divorce,
marital unhappiness, child delinquency, and illegitimacy
have never been higher!
-
Discipline has broken down with the decline in family
life, so that teenage students are governed by mob
hysteria manifested by turbulence and violence. Even the
universities, the very seat of education, are noted for
their indiscipline.
-
International morality is in a deplorable state. Brutal
violence is the weapon used to intimidate; people are shot
down in cold blood, terrorism has become almost a way of
life.
-
In this age of steeply rising costs, the cheapest
commodity is human life itself.
-
With increasing world population, particularly in
eastern countries, it is assessed that within 50 years,
starvation will be rife and a gigantic struggle will break
out for control of the arable areas of the globe.
-
And over this world of mad hatreds hangs the black,
threatening cloud of nuclear war.
What Can Be Done?
The above is a brief sketch of the world
your child will inherit. In addition, there is a personal
problem.
Every one of us has an incurable disease
that will one day bring us to the grave: it is the dread
disease of mortality. Man seeks by scientific research to
conquer this, but he makes no progress. Though progress has
been made in medical knowledge and surgery, the diseases that
today are attacking humanity are more deep-seated and terrible
than ever before. Heart, cancer, blood deficiencies, are some
of the deep-seated afflictions that are on the increase, and
that seem to defy man with all his knowledge.
Your only hope is the salvation offered in
Christ Jesus through a physical resurrection from the dead to
life eternal.
The only hope for your child is an
education in spiritual truths that will enable him to face up
to the challenges and pressures that he will inevitably find
in the world as he grows up.
In other words, to counter the forces that
surround us, and threaten to destroy us, we must turn to the
Bible.
We can do so with every confidence, for
fulfilling Bible prophecy in our own day enables us to see
that what it proclaims will surely come to pass.
Prophecies Fulfilling Today
Take but two prophetic statements of the
Lord Jesus, and compare them with conditions that are
currently familiar to us.
He declared that "as the days of Noah
were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be" (Matthew
24:37-39). The record in Genesis 6 reveals that the
days of Noah were noted for a decline of morality (Genesis
6:2-3), widespread wickedness (Genesis
6:5), universal violence (Genesis
6:11), the corruption of Divine principles (Genesis
6:12), and the imminence of a cataclysmic crisis
that destroyed that civilization.
What are the conditions today?
Similar to those that prevailed in the days
of Noah!
Again Christ declared: "As it was in
the days of Lot (in Sodom) ... even thus shall it be in the
day when the Son of man is revealed" (Luke
17:28-30).
Today, on a scale never known to history
– with greed, brutality, beastliness, and criminal instincts
in the ascendancy – the history of Sodom is being repeated,
even to the legalizing of homosexuality, and the world is
heading towards a terrible crisis that will overwhelm
civilization, as it did Sodom.
Sodom’s sin was not merely immorality;
but the general attitude towards it; it was immoral with shame
or any attempt to hide it (Isaiah
3:9). People openly supported the wicked in
opposition to the righteous (Jeremiah
23:14), as is done today. The people of Sodom
manifested "pride" induced by "fullness of
bread and abundance of idleness" (Ezekiel
16:49).
In this age of scientific development,
widespread affluence and an ever shortening working week, the
world is experiencing similar conditions to those of Sodom.
We may well ask, what on earth is wrong
with the world? To gain an answer we must turn to Bible
prophecy.
World History Outlined
The purpose of God, as far as the earth is
concerned, is clearly revealed in a remarkable prophecy
contained in Daniel 2. Every confidence can be placed in it
inasmuch as most of the prophecy has been fulfilled.
In a few verses, it outlines world history
since the days of Daniel to the present, and on to the future.
Daniel the prophet was taken a captive to
Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. That mighty Babylonian monarch had
brought the whole world to his feet, and was concerned as to
what might be the destiny of the empire he had established.
God revealed the answer through a remarkable dream in which
the king was shown the Divine plan of the ages.
The king, however, did not understand the
dream. He sought the assistance of the "wise men of
Babylon", and demanding as an evidence of their ability
to correctly interpret it, that they first tell him the dream
and then explain it. Naturally, they were unable to do this,
and in his anger and disappointment, the king issued a royal
edict against them, threatening them with death if they did
not reveal the desired information within a given period.
Daniel was among those involved in this
edict. He made his plight a matter of prayer. The God of
Israel answered him, revealing the dream to the prophet, and
making known to him its interpretation.
Armed with this knowledge, Daniel sought an
audience with the king, and revealed unto him the desired
information:
"Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This
great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before
thee; and the form thereof was terrible. The image’s head
was of fine gold, his breast and arms of silver, his belly and
thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and
part of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out
without hands, which smote the image upon its feet that were
of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron,
the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to
pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer
threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, that no
place was found for them; and the stone that smote the image
became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth" (Daniel
2:31-35).
This was the dream as the king instantly
recognized. Daniel continued by giving the interpretation. He
showed that the four different metals of the image represented
four world empires that would arise: the 10 toes represented a
multiplicity of nations that would replace the fourth empire;
and the stone which smote the image and completely destroyed
and supplanted it, represented the Kingdom of God which shall
be set up on earth, overthrowing the kingdom of men.
Here is Daniel’s interpretation:
"Thou, O king, art a king of kings;
for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and
strength, and glory … and hath made thee ruler over all.
THOU ART THIS HEAD OF GOLD. And after thee shall arise another
kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass,
which shall bear rule over all the earth. And the fourth
kingdom shall be strong as iron; forasmuch as iron breaketh in
pieces and subdueth all things. … And whereas thou sawest
the feet and the toes, part of potter’s clay, and part of
iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it
of the strength of iron … but they shall not cleave one to
another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. And in the days
of these kings shall the GOD OF HEAVEN SET UP A KINGDOM, WHICH
SHALL NEVER BE DESTROYED: and the kingdom shall not be left to
other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all
these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever … The great God
hath made known what SHALL BE HEREAFTER: and the DREAM IS
CERTAIN, AND THE INTERPRETATION THEREOF SURE" (Daniel
2:37-44).
A brief consideration of this prophecy will
reveal that it outlines the history of the world leading to
the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth. It predicts
the uprise of four world powers followed by a time when
individual and antagonistic nations shall arise prior to
divine intervention upon the setting up of God’s reign on
earth.
Babylon: The Head of Gold
"Thou art this head of gold,"
declared the prophet in interpreting the vision.
Nebuchadnezzar stood as a symbol of Babylon. He was a
competent general, whose military exploits laid the foundation
of one of the most magnificent empires the world has known.
The mighty power of Assyria submitted to him; the smaller
nations of the Middle East: Syria, Lebanon, Moab, Ammon and
Israel, were conquered: the ancient power of Egypt
acknowledged his sovereignty. Throughout the earth, Babylon
was dominant.
At great expense, and with slave-labour
recruited from the conquered nations, Nebuchadnezzar rebuilt
and fortified the city of Babylon, intending that it should
become the permanent metropolis of the earth. The vain boast
of the king was: "Is not this great Babylon, that I have
built for the house of my kingdom by the might of my power,
and for the honour of my majesty?" (Daniel
4:30)
But already the answer had been given in
Scripture. Over 100 years before Nebuchadnezzar rose to power,
Isaiah the prophet had declared:
"And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms,
the beauty of the Chaldee’s excellency, shall be as when God
overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah" (Isaiah
13:19).
The desolate ruins of Babylon today, on the
banks of the Euphrates in Iraq, testify to the truth of these
words.
Nebuchadnezzar rose to power in the 606 B.C., and Babylonish
power came to an end 70 years later in 536 B.C. when Cyrus of
Persia conquered the city.
The golden head of the image had given way to the breast and
arms of silver!
Medo-Persia: The Breast and Arms of Silver
Babylon was conquered by the joint armies
of Darius of Media and Cyrus of Persia, and world power passed
to the joint kingdom of Medo-Persia.
Daniel described the "breast and arms
of silver" as "another inferior kingdom" that
would arise.
Persia was "inferior" to Babylon
in wealth, luxury and magnificence, but not in duration. The
empire continued for 203 years until its power was superseded
by that of Greece. It was appropriately identified with
silver, for, according to the historian Herodotus, the
taxation and tribute was paid to Persian authorities in silver
tablets.
In the year B.C. 333, at the battle of
Issus, the power of Persia was broken by Alexander the Great
of Greece.
Greece: The Belly and Thighs of Brass
"Another third kingdom of brass shall
bear rule over all the earth," declared Daniel. By such
expressions as this, he clearly showed the king, that the
diverse metals in the image represented different world
powers.
In the year 333 B.C., Persia gave way to
Greece as a world power. Greece was noted for brass or copper,
which featured in the armor of its soldiers, who, in
consequence, were called the "brazen-coated Greeks."
Alexander the Great of Macedon was on of
the most successful generals in history. Swiftly he extended
his conquests throughout the world, until, as legend has it,
"he wept because there were no more worlds to
conquer."
But his triumph was shortlived. He died at
the age of 33, during the course of a drinking bout in
Babylon, after his army had incurred terrible sufferings in an
attack deep into India. Upon his death, the Grecian Empire
declined. His empire was divided up by his four generals who
proceeded to wage war upon each other. And ultimately they
were each in turn conquered by a new power that arose from the
west: Rome.
Rome: The Legs of Iron
"The fourth kingdom shall be strong as
iron, breaking in pieces and subduing all things,"
declared Daniel (Daniel
2:40). These words describe the ruthlessness of
Rome in its march to world power. Its legions triumphantly
carried the flying eagle (the symbol of Roman power) in all
directions. Gaul, Spain, Britain, Europe, Syria, Mesopotamia,
Egypt, were all conquered in turn.
Under Augustus Caesar, the confines of the
Empire were pushed to the Rhine, and at his death it covered
an area 100 times greater than the original State.
Rome was never conquered by a foreign
power; it deteriorated from within. And this is indicated in
the amazing prophecy of Daniel. No longer does he speak of
another universal empire taking over; he indicates that there
will be four world powers, and then a division: first into two
parts (the legs of the image), and then into many parts (the
toes of the image).
And time has completely vindicated the
prophecy. In the fourth century A.D., the capital of the Roman
Empire was transferred from the city of Rome to Constantinople
in the east. Ultimately the Empire became divided into two
parts: Eastern and Western Rome, answering to the two legs of
iron, seen in the vision of Daniel 2.
Rome Destroys Jerusalem
Rome encouraged plunder from the conquered
cities and states. It became a parasite feeding on its
dependencies. Its legions marched into Palestine, and
destroyed Jerusalem, as Christ had prophesied. He declared:
"They (the Jewish people) shall fall by the edge of
the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and
Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the
times of the Gentiles be fulfilled" (Luke
21:24).
In A.D. 68, war broke out between Rome and
Judah. It was a most sanguinary conflict in which quarter was
neither asked nor given on either side. Jerusalem was
besieged, and the city reduced to terrible straits. Over a
million Jews perished in the holocaust. In A.D. 70 it fell, to
be ultimately destroyed by the Romans, and its people, the
Jews, were taken captive into all nations.
But they were never destroyed; they
retained their identity. This, also, is in accordance with the
purpose of God. Notice that Jesus limited the period of the
downtreading of Jerusalem, and the scattering of its people,
by the use of the word, "until …" Today, the
Jewish people are returning to the land, and Jerusalem itself
has been freed from foreign domination. For the first time, in
over 2,000 years, the Jews are again masters of the city,
indicating that "the times of the Gentiles" are
about to "be fulfilled."
Why was Rome permitted to gain the ascendancy over Jewry and
Jerusalem?
Because of their opposition to the Lord Jesus Christ. When
even Pilate wanted to free him, they demanded his crucifixion,
impiously declaring: "We have no king but Caesar" (John
19:15), "His blood be on us and on our
children" (Matthew
27:25).
They were given into the hands of Caesar,
and paid the terrible penalty in blood.
They were mistaken in Christ. They desired
a Messiah who would deliver them from Rome; they did not
comprehend that though Christ will ultimately reign from
Jerusalem as King, and will "rebuke strong nations"
(Micah
4:1-3), bringing all dominions into subjection to
his rule (Isaiah
2:2-4; 60:12; Zechariah 14:9; Revelation 11:15), he
had first to provide the means for individual salvation. At
his first advent, he came as "the lamb of God" to
take away "the sin of the world" (John
1:29). He will come again (Acts
1:11), to reward the faithful (Romans
2:7,16), to bring about national redemption (Acts
15:16-17; Jeremiah 23:6-8), and to establish the
Kingdom of God upon the earth.
The Uprise of Christianity
The Son of God was born in turbulent times.
He had come to save his people, but was considered a
revolutionary and slain.
Three days later, however, he rose from the
dead, and proclaimed himself as having the keys of the grave
and of death (Revelation
1:18).
But he was rejected by the Jews, and this
brought about the development of Christianity. This had been
predicted by Isaiah:
"It is a light thing that thou
shouldest be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob; and
restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a
light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto
the end of the earth" (Isaiah
49:6).
Rejected by the Jews, the message of
salvation was eagerly embraced by Gentiles, and the foundation
of Christianity laid in the preaching of the Apostles.
Rome Versus Christianity
Rome, particularly under Nero, made
determined efforts to stamp out this new sect, but instead it
conquered Rome. The arms of the Empire had widened the borders
and extended the scope of human experience, as well-made
military roads made possible easy access to all parts of the
wide-flung Empire. Those roads heard the tramp of marching
legions, and also the preaching of the Apostles, calling upon
people to separate themselves from Gentilism and give
themselves unto God (Acts
15:14). They proclaimed the hope of a risen Christ
who will return to put down all rule and authority, and to
assume his rightful place as King over the earth (Acts
2:30; 3:19-21; Isaiah 9:7; Zechariah 14:9), at
which time he will raise his faithful servants from the grave
to inherit life eternal (I
Corinthians 15:20, 51-58).
The world was turned "upside
down" by the power of this message (Acts
17:6). In fact, it is claimed that the preaching of
the Gospel was a part cause of Rome’s decline. The early
Christians were conscientious objectors; they disregarded the
call to war. The Gospel had caused them to turn from seeking
the things of the world, to seeking salvation at Christ’s
coming. This was a stumbling block to national aspirations and
ambitions, and Gibbon, the historian, traces the victory of
Christianity as partly the cause of Rome’s collapse.
But in the end it was paganism that
conquered. The prophecy of Paul was fulfilled in that he
predicted the rise of false teachers (Acts
20:29-31) and apostasy (I
Timothy 4:1-3; II Timothy 4:1-4).
Christianity gave way to a divided and
antagonistic Christendom which perverted the original
Apostolic faith. Pagan doctrines (such as the immortality of
the soul, the trinity, etc.) were superimposed upon the truth,
and the two main cities of the Empire – Rome and
Constantinople – became the headquarters of the Greek and
Roman Catholic systems, which divided the Empire
ecclesiastically as it also became divided politically.
Thus the Empire was separated into its
western and eastern divisions, as foreshadowed by the two legs
of iron in the image-vision recorded in Daniel 2. The prophecy
clearly and correctly predicted the course of human history.
Divided Europe: The Toes of Iron and Clay
Meanwhile, hordes of barbarians from the
east, pressed heavily upon the northern borders of the Roman
Empire. Some were absorbed therein; others made inroads by
force of arms. In 476 A.D. Rome was occupied by Odoacer, King
of the Heruli. But the Empire as such was never really
conquered; it disintegrated. It became divided by factions,
and in course of time, 10 smaller nations, answering to the 10
toes of the image, quarrelled over the corpse of the Empire,
and laid the foundation for modern Europe.
The Papacy arose to unite these independent
nations by religion and force of arms, so that the Holy Roman
Empire was established in the west. But politically, the old
Empire was replaced by a number of quarrelling smaller
nations, independent of each other, some strong and others
weak. It answered to the requirements of Daniel 2:
"As the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part
of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly
broken. And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay,
they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they
shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed
with clay." (Daniel
2:42-43)
"Iron and clay": Imperialism and
Communism: "partly strong, partly broken": some
powerful, some weak; "shall not cleave, nor mix:" a
disrupted divided state among the nations.
These are the requirements of the prophecy,
and they are exhibited in the world conditions today.
Since the Roman Empire broke up, there has
arisen no power capable of welding the diverse nations of
Europe into one strong, united power. The Continent remains
disunited with some nations strong and others weak. Several
have attempted to revive the Roman Empire, but all have
failed. Frederick the Great, Napoleon, Hitler, Mussolini, all
saw it as an objective, but destiny was against them. Others
have attempted to bring unity through such organizations as
the League of Nations and the United Nations Organization, but
failure has underlined these efforts also.
The prophecy of Daniel 2 has been
completely vindicated by 2,500 years of history. He predicted
the uprise of four great world empires known to history as
Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome, and then correctly showed
that these would be followed by a number of independent and
antagonistic nations.
The remarkable fulfillment of his prophecy
shows that every confidence can be placed in the predictions
of the Bible, and that they do reveal the shape of things to
come. The Bible constitutes the light of truth and Divine
revelation in the midst of the darkness of man’s philosophy
and rule. Individual salvation is promised in its pages, for
all who will embrace its truth, and fulfil the requirements of
the Lord Jesus Christ (Mark
16:16).
Russian Confederacy: The Image United
As King Nebuchadnezzar listened to the
words of the prophet, and recalled the dream he had of the
warrior-image (Daniel
2:31), he was enabled to anticipate the course of
world history. He saw in the head of gold, the glory of
Babylon; in the breast and arms of silver, the might of the
Persian Empire that would succeed it; in the belly and thighs
of brass, a reference to the swift conquests of the Grecian
Empire; in the legs of iron, the ruthless power of Rome; in
the feet and toes of iron and clay, the divided state of
modern Europe.
But, in addition, he saw the image standing
upon its feet as a united whole, and then witnessed a
"stone" divinely "cut out of a mountain"
which "smote the image upon his feet," causing the
top-heavy structure to fall and be broken into pieces. The
stone then grew, and crushing the metals of the image into
powder which the wind blew away, it became a mountain and
filled the whole earth (Daniel
2:34-35,45).
In recording these things, Daniel told the
king that "the great God hath made known to the king what
shall come to pass hereafter" (Daniel
2:45), in "the latter days" (Daniel
2:28).
How is the Image to be united together and
stand upon its feet?
Only by the confederation together of the
various parts of the image which are at present anatagonistic;
that is, by the uniting together of the various nations that
currently exist upon the territories covered by the image.
How is this to be done?
Bible prophecy reveals that Russia will
accomplish it. Russia will subdue Turkey, and incorporate
Persia under its influence. She will extend her power
westward, until all Europe bows before her as those nations
behind the Iron Curtain do already. By mutual compromise, Rome
and Russia will come to agreement, and the image will again be
caused to stand upon its feet.
Ezekiel 38 shows that Russia will weld all
the modern powers found on the territories represented by the
image, into one great military confederations bent on world
domination. The prophecy speaks of this mighty power
"from the north" (Ezekiel
28:15), coming against the "people of
Israel" (Ezekiel
28:16), and involving "all nations" in
war (Zechariah
14:1). The Middle East will thus become the battle
ground of nations, but the issue will be resolved to the glory
of God and to the praise of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Meanwhile, current Russian intrigue in the
Middle East, the extension of her power deep into the west of
Europe, and the bitter and unremitting antagonism that she
shows towards the English speaking world, are straws in the
wind showing that these prophecies are about to be fulfilled.
Everything is happening in accordance with the predictions of
the Bible and as its students have anticipated, and placed on
record for over 100 years.
The Kingdom of God: The Stone That Became a
Mountain
But Russia will fail in her attack on
Jerusalem and the Middle East because her ambitions run
counter to God’s purpose. He has not arranged for the modern
revival of Israel that Russia might take over; the Jewish
return to the land is in preparation for the establishment of
the Kingdom of God under Christ the King. Russia will only be
permitted to involve the Middle East in war in order to humble
the Jewish people, and force them to seek the help of God and
of Christ, whom they have ignored and opposed for so long (Jeremiah
30:4-9; Ezekiel 37:21-22).
Russia will fail because of what was
revealed in the image-prophecy of Daniel 2. The king, in his
dream, had seen a "stone cut out of the mountain without
hands" (Daniel
2:45) smite the image on the feet, and destroy it.
The stone then became itself a mountain, and "filled the
whole earth" (Daniel
2:35).
This stone represented the Kingdom of God,
as Daniel told the king. It was "cut out of the mountain,
without hands" or without human agency, because the
nucleus of the Kingdom is through Divine instrumentality.
Its nucleus is Christ the king, and those
who will reign with him. The latter are those who embrace
Divine truth, and are obedient to the Divine will. Their
destiny is to be and to be raised from the dead to
incorruptibility (I
Corinthians 15:51-58), and to reign with Christ on
earth (I
Corinthians 15:22-25). They are pictured as saying:
"Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us
to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and
people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and
priests: and WE SHALL REIGN ON THE EARTH" (Revelation
5:9-10).
Again:
"Blessed and holy is he that hath part
in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no
power; but they shall be priests of God and of Christ and
shall reign with him a thousand years" (Revelation
20:4,6).
The stone is represented as crushing the
image and growing into a mountain that fills the whole earth,
because the Kingdom of God will only be established by the
exercise of Divine power. Christ returns as the Lion of God (Revelation
5:5), to manifest Divine power in the subjugation
of the nations. The Scriptures declare:
"In righteousness he doth judge and
make war" (Revelation
19:11).
He shall "destroy them which (would)
destroy the earth" (Revelation
11:18).
"The kingdoms of this world become the
kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign
for ever and ever" (Revelation
11:15).
"The nation and kingdom that will not
serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly
wasted" (Isaiah
60:12).
"Yea all kings shall fall down before
him; all nations shall serve him" (Psalm
72:11).
"The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from
heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking
vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the
gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ" (II
Thessalonians 1:8).
"God hath appointed a day in which He
will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath
ordained, whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in
that He raised him from the dead" (Acts
17:31).
"The Lord shall be king over all the
earth" (Zechariah
14:9).
And now take heed of Daniel’s
interpretation of the "stone" smiting the image:
"In the days of these kings (divided Europe) shall the
God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be
destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people,
but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms,
and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the
stone … brake in pieces the iron, brass, clay, silver and
gold; the great God hath made known what shall come to pass
hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation
thereof sure" (Daniel
2:44-45).
This is the clear, certain declaration of
God’s purpose, forming a key to the interpretation of the
Bible. It required the personal, visible return of the Lord
Jesus to the earth (Acts
1:11; 3:19-20; Revelation 1:7; 22:12), and the
establishment thereon of a Divine kingdom that will bring
man’s rule to a complete end.
This clear declaration of Scripture
promises a most desirable, happy consummation to the present
evil state. It provides a satisfactory solution to the
deterioration in moral and other conditions evident in the
earth today, whilst, at the same time, giving men and women of
faith an incentive to obey Christ.
This is the hopeful future to which the
world will ultimately come, and towards which a true Bible
student can look with joy. An understanding of these things
can enrich your life, and provide your children with a
spiritual heritage that will enable all the family to look
beyond the iron curtain of trouble that encloses most people
today, to the glorious Divine purpose when Christ will reign
from Jerusalem over a world at peace (Jeremiah
3:17). In another place, Daniel declared:
"And the kingdom and dominion, and the
greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be
given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose
kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall
serve and obey him" (Daniel
7:27).
Here, again, is a clear declaration of the
Divine purpose. And notice, that the kingdom embraces that
which is "under the whole heaven," or, in other
words, on the earth. "Blessed are the meek,"
declared Christ, "for they shall inherit the earth"
(Matthew
5:5). The meek are those who "receive with
meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save their
souls" or lives (James
1:21). They "search the Scriptures" with
"readiness of mind," to see whether these things are
so, and when they find them so, the "believe" and
act (Acts
17:11).
Thus in truth, sincerity and understanding,
they utter the Lord’s prayer: "Thy kingdom come, that
Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven."
The conditions that will then exist on earth are predicted in
the words of Isaiah 2:2-4:
"It shall come to pass in the last days, that the
mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established (a Temple
of worship in Jerusalem) … and all nations shall flow unto
it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go
up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of
Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in
His paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the
word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the
nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat
their swords into plowshares, and their spears into
pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more" (Isaiah
2:2-4).
Consider the state of things thus pictured:
one unifying religion; people heeding the Word of God and
walking in righteousness; nations in subjection to Divine law;
perfect peace replacing the antagonism and bloodshed of today!
A changed world; a new world order to the
glory of God and wellbeing of man.
That is the destiny the world is coming to
in the mercy of God! And you can be a participant in it if you
seek God’s way.
What Does This Mean To Us?
A consideration of Daniel’s prophecy will
make manifest that the course of history reveals a Divine
purpose that is bringing humanity slowly but surely to the
point where God will intervene in world events, to set up His
kingdom on the earth.
The realization of this constitutes a
challenge to each one of us. It is good to know that God has a
plan for the world, and in due time He will move to establish
His purpose and rid the world of current evils; it is
comforting to learn that the wise administration of Christ
will result in "glory to God in the highest, and upon
earth peace and goodwill towards men;" but that is no
guarantee that we will participate therein. If we desire to
enjoy the benefits of that time we must do something about it
now.
Paul declared that the Gospel "is the
power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth"
(Romans
1:16); and Jesus instructed the Apostles to
"go into all the world and preach the gospel: he that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved" (Mark
16:16).
To believe the Gospel, we must come to
understand the Bible. But that is not so easy as may first
appear. There are so many different sects and religions, each
claiming to proclaim the truth, that one despairs of attaining
unto it. That is the challenge each one of us must face. If
salvation is worth having, it is worth seeking, and that is
what each one of us must do. If we were suddenly faced with a
serious illness that threatened our life, we would leave no
stone unturned in seeking an effective remedy. Each one of us
has a serious illness: mortality! We need to seek a remedy. It
is found only in one place, and we must, with independence of
mind, search the pages of the Bible to attain unto an
understanding of the will and purpose of God, that we might
obey and embrace it.
To that end, we offer our services. We
believe that we can place before you a simple key that will
enable you to come to a better understanding of the Bible, and
become your own interpreter of its glorious message. We shall
be delighted to help you in that regard, and suggest that you
write to us at the address found at the bottom of this page or
use the "Contact Us" link to the left. There is no
monetary obligation associated with this offer: no tithes to
pay nor subscriptions to meet; all we need is a little of your
time, that we might show you something more of the wonders of
the prophecies of the Bible, and set before you the simple
Gospel message that runs as a golden thread of truth through
the Bible.
Is not eternal life worth a few moments of
your time now?
We remind you again: the times are
significant; the issues are vital; you owe it to yourself and
your family to seek God’s way.