God Rules in the Kingdom of Men

Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him; Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will shew unto the king the interpretation. Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus unto him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah, that will make known unto the king the interpretation. The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof? Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king; But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these; As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass. But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart. Daniel 2:24-30

Steps: 11, 12

Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, is wondering what will happen to his kingdom in the future and God chooses to reveal the future of Babylon, and the following kingdoms, to him. When the king wakes up in the morning he can not remember what he dreamed but he knows it was important to him. He seeks help from the wise men but they can not answer his questions. Finally God brings Daniel to the front and reveals the future to Daniel in the context of the king’s dream. God reveals the future in the form of a symbol of a great image made of Gold, Silver, Brass, Iron, and Iron and Clay. Then God reveals that in the future all of these kingdoms will be destroyed and God will set up His kingdom which will remain forever. God reveals that the kingdoms are Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and Papal Rome. He, the God of the future, knows what is coming, and He reveals it to whom He wishes. Daniel was God’s messenger for 70 years and was as faithful to God at the end as he was at the beginning.

Prayer for Today: God, it is amazing to us that You know the end from the beginning. We have to believe that You know our beginning and ending as well. It is fearful for us for You to know us that well, but help us also to believe that You do not want to harm us in anyway. That Your goals for us are good and helpful. Help us to trust Your knowledge, Your power, and Your love. Thank You.