Dan. 2:31-49, Hope for the eternal Kingdom of God

Dan. 2:31-49, Hope for the Kingdom of God

31-49, 31 “Your Majesty looked, and there before you stood a large statue—an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance.
32 The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze,
33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay.
34 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.
35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were all broken to pieces 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.
36 “This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king.
37 Your Majesty, you are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory;
38 in your hands he has placed all mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds in the sky. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold.
39 “After you, another kingdom will arise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth.
40 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.
41 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.
42 As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle.
43 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.

44 “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.
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, 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 its interpretation is trustworthy.”
46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him.
47The king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.”
48 Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men.
49 Moreover, at Daniel’s request the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained at the royal court. 
 
<Sermon Summary>
 Daniel and his friend experienced a miracle through united prayer. Together, seek wisdom, prudence, and mercy. Give thanks and praise, and boast only in the Lord. Daniel in the text tells the king's dream and its interpretation. What was the king's response and what was Daniel's blessing?

1. Daniel speaks of dreams (31-35). The king saw a great statue standing in his dream. From the head of gold to the legs of iron and clay. It is a statue whose body is made up of four parts. As it goes down from the head to the feet, the material deteriorates. The world looks like gold, but later it becomes like clay, and it all disappears. A cut-out rock, but not by human hands came out and struck the statue, and it all shattered and disappeared. The rock formed a great mountain and filled the whole world. Therefore, put your hope in God (1 Tim. 4:10; 6:17). Only the Lord of life will fill the whole church, and Jesus Christ will come again and complete the kingdom.

2. He interprets the king’s dream (36-43). The four parts of the statue are the four empires. The golden head is Babylonian Empire(605-562)/Nebuchadnezzar. God has given him authority. The silver chest and arms are the Mede-Persian Empire (539-331). The bronze belly and thighs are the Greek Empire (331-146). Iron legs, iron and clay feet are the Roman Empire (146 BC-476 A.D). They do not unite, they divide and fight.

3. The Kingdom of God (Messianic Kingdom, 44-45)
  Those who are in captivity and we are waiting for the eternal kingdom that God will establish (44-45), where an cut-out rock(not by human hands) will destroy the nations (34-35). Jesus Christ came into the world and started this kingdom(Mk.1:15). Through the sufferings of the cross, resurrection, ascension, and the coming of the Holy Spirit, Jesus is building that kingdom today. With the second coming of Christ, the kingdom will be complete. The great God revealed the future to King Nebuchadnezzar. This dream that the king had is a true and trustworthy thing that the God of heaven will give, abolish, and come true.

4. The King's Response-Daniel's Victory and Blessing (46-49)
  God does amazing things through people in every age. Abram, Joseph, Elijah, the saints at the time of persecution in Rome, Korean Christianity before Japanese imperialism, Daniel and his friends in Babylon, all were used as instruments of God for the kingdom. The king hears Daniel's dream and interpretation and realizes the work of God. He confesses God as the god of gods, the lord of kings, and the revealer of secrets. Then, the world's most powerful man knelt down in front of the shabby prisoner boy Daniel! A truly amazing thing happened. He gave Daniel gifts, made him rule the whole Babylon (prime minister), and at his request, three friends were made rulers of the provinces. Truly, God is amazing! Even today, like Daniel, when we live faithfully to God and seek His wisdom and mercy, He will make miracles common sense. We are the people of the kingdom of God and citizens of this earth (Phil.3:20). I pray that you will become the main character who hopes for the kingdom of God, the source of precious blessings. Amen.