Bible Study Notes for Lord’s Day,
August 16, 2009
Daniel 2 Part 3
He Removes Kings and Raises Up Kings
Introduction Daniel and his three friends are in captivity in Babylon.
God especially gifted them to serve in the court of King Nebuchadnezzar,
in order to bring a godly influence and righteous change in pagan
Babylon. At a point, Nebuchadnezzar had a very troubling dream,
which was an opportunity for God to work in his life through the
prophetic ministry of Daniel. We are doing 3 studies on this:
1st message - Nebuchadnezzar’s occultic wisemen were not able
to interpret the dream. We studied the difference between God and
the gods, as people try to access supernatural power to help us
in the natural. A big occultic push today, especially with the kids.
There is real supernatural power today through the one true Living
God.
Daniel asked that they stop killing the occultic wisemen of Babylon,
but he also became the head of the wisemen. I believe he began to
lead them in the supernatural ways of the Lord, not the demon spirit
gods they were accustomed to.
2nd message - How Daniel and his friends sought the Lord, when the
king had ordered all the wisemen executed. How they received the
information they needed and saved their lives. We learned that we
also can learn to hear God’s voice, and be led, and blessed
in our lives - to bring the supernatural to bear on the natural
though communication with God.
3rd message - Today - The interpretation of the dream, what it meant
for Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel, what it means to us today. The dream
describes the flow of history, kings and kingdoms, and the Final
King and Kingdom. God revealed all this to Nebuchadnezzar through
Daniel.
Dan 2:21 He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings
and raises up kings;
Rev 11:13 “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms
of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!”
I. Daniel recognizes Yahweh as being above all kings v20-30
20 Daniel answered and said:
“ Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
For wisdom and might are His.
21 And He changes the times and the seasons;
He removes kings and raises up kings;
He gives wisdom to the wise
And knowledge to those who have understanding.
22 He reveals deep and secret things;
He knows what is in the darkness,
And light dwells with Him.
23 “ I thank You and praise You,
O God of my fathers;
You have given me wisdom and might,
And have now made known to me what we asked of You,
For You have made known to us the king’s demand.”
24 Therefore Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed
to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him:
“Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; take me before the
king, and I will tell the king the interpretation.”
25 Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king, and said
thus to him, “I have found a man of the captives of Judah,
who will make known to the king the interpretation.”
26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar,
“Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen,
and its interpretation?”
27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, “The
secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers,
the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king. 28
But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made
known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your
dream, and the visions of your head upon your bed, were these: 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. 30 But as for me, this secret
has not been revealed to me because I have more wisdom than anyone
living, but for our sakes who make known the interpretation to the
king, and that you may know the thoughts of your heart.
II. Daniel describes the flow of history from then to the end v31-36
31 “You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image!
This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you;
and its form was awesome. 32 This image’s head was of fine
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 clay.
34 You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck
the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces.
35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold
were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing
floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was
found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain
and filled the whole earth.
36 “This is the dream. Now we will tell the interpretation
of it before the king.
A. Babylon v37-38
37 You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given
you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory; 38 and wherever the children
of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven,
He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them
all—you are this head of gold.
B. Medo-Persia v39a
39 But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours
C. Greece v39b
39b then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over
all the earth.
D. Rome v40-43
40 And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as
iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that
crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others.
41 Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay
and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength
of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with
ceramic clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron
and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly
fragile. 43 As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle
with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just
as iron does not mix with clay.
E. The Kingdom of God v34-35, 44
34 You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck
the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces.
35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold
were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing
floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was
found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain
and filled the whole earth.
44 And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up
a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall
not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume
all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.
IV. Daniel reaffirms God’s power, reign and revelation v45
45 Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain
without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze,
the clay, the silver, and the gold—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.”
V. The First Emperor bows before the Final Emperor v46-49
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.
Conclusion Daniel 2:20-30, Rev 11:13
Daniel 2:20-30
20 Daniel answered and said:
“ Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
For wisdom and might are His.
21 And He changes the times and the seasons;
He removes kings and raises up kings;
He gives wisdom to the wise
And knowledge to those who have understanding.
22 He reveals deep and secret things;
He knows what is in the darkness,
And light dwells with Him.
23 “ I thank You and praise You,
O God of my fathers;
You have given me wisdom and might,
And have now made known to me what we asked of You,
For You have made known to us the king’s demand.”
Rev 11:13 “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms
of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!”
Pastor Steve Boggan
Living Waters Christian Fellowship
Heritage Ranch by Lake Nacimiento, CA
Website - livingwaters.cc
