A King A Dream and YOU!

A King A Dream and YOU!

A Christian lady died, leaving all her possessions to a nephew. The will read: "To my beloved nephew Stephen, I will and bequeath my family Bible and all it contains, with the residue of my estate after my funeral expenses and just and lawful debts are paid."

The nephew was a lazy fellow, and soon the cash was spent. For forty years he lived a poverty-stricken life.

Then one day, he opened the Bible that had been left to him and found fifty $100 bills scattered between its pages. Yes, $5,000. All the time he was living in poverty, he could have been living in comfort.

It is that way with many people today. God's Word contains great treasures, but many fail to find it. For instance, many people would like to know what is in the future for the world and for them personally.

The Bible contains answers, and yet few take the time to look for them.

1. WHAT IS COMING?

Does God know and care what you are doing, or is He so occupied with His vast universe that he leaves you to care for yourself? Is God concerned with our world and its future?

In 2 Peter 1:19 we read:

"We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts."

We all know how useful a light is in a dark place. In this verse of Scripture we are told that the prophecies of the Bible are as useful as a light when it is dark. God lights the sin-darkened heart of every man who reads and obeys the prophecies of His Word. And Bible prophecy not only lights up the human heart, it is also a great searchlight penetrating the future.

The Holy Bible is filled with prophecies of future events, inspired by the God who sees the future as He sees the past and the present. Then when these things actually happen, history proves that God spoke the truth. And since God alone knows what is coming, the fulfillment of prophecy is concrete evidence that the Scriptures are the inspired Word of the God of heaven. So, fulfilled Bible prophecy is God's way of strengthening our faith.

What is coming tomorrow? A new world of peace and prosperity? Some people think so; others predict the end of civilization. What are the facts? How much can we really know?

God alone can foretell the future accurately and correctly. In the Bible, we find the answer to these searching questions in a remarkable prophecy written 2,500 years ago by the prophet Daniel. The God of heaven staked everything He is on the certainty of this Bible prophecy as He pointed to our day and beyond to coming events.

2. A LOOK INTO THE FUTURE (Part 1 of 3)

Turning now to the Old Testament, we open the book of Daniel, which was written over five hundred years before the birth of Christ. In the second chapter the world's history for 2,500 years is clearly outlined in a remarkable prophecy. By means of a dream, God gave to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon this word picture of the future. Daniel 2:28 says:

"There is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be IN THE LATTER DAYS."

What did God use in this instance as a means of revealing what would happen "in the latter days"? Read the words of the prophet Daniel as he spoke to the king:

"Thou, O king, sawest, and behold A GREAT IMAGE. . . .

"This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his 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 his 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 threshingfloors; 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."—Verses 31-35.

Notice that King Nebuchadnezzar saw a gigantic statue of a man. His head was of gold, his breast and arms of silver, his thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his feet and toes part of iron and part of clay. Mysteriously a stone was cut out from a mountain and struck the image upon its feet, breaking the entire image to pieces. Then the wind swept the fragments away, and the stone became a great mountain and filled the entire earth. This was the dream.

Daniel then told the king that he would interpret the dream, and he proceeded to do so. (Daniel 2:37-45.)

First, the head of gold was explained. To Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Daniel said:

"Thou art this head of gold."—Verse 38.

2. A LOOK INTO THE FUTURE (Part 2 of 3)

This is positive evidence that the head of gold symbolized the powerful empire of Babylon, over which Nebuchadnezzar was ruling.

Second, the meaning of the breast and arms of silver was given.

"After thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee."—Verse 39.

The breast and arms of silver represented the power that was to succeed Babylon, which was Medo-Persia, a sort of dual empire. In 539 B.C. Cyrus, the Persian general, overthrew the Babylonian Empire. From 539 to 331 B.C. Medo-Persia was a mighty world power, with the Persians becoming predominant.

Third, we come to the interpretation of the thighs of brass.

"And another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth."—Verse 39.

The thighs of brass represent the kingdom of Greece, which overthrew the Persians at the Battle of Arbela in 331 B.C. The leader of the Greeks at that time was Alexander the Great.

Fourth, the legs of iron represented the Roman Empire, whose forces defeated the Greeks at the Battle of Pydna in 168 B.C.

"The fourth kingdom [said the prophet] shall be strong as iron."—Verse 40.

The world monarchy of Rome has been repeatedly referred to by historians as the "Iron Empire."

The Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus, ruled this great empire when Jesus was born over 1900 years ago. (Luke 2:1.) Christ and the apostles lived during the period represented by the legs of iron.

Fifth, the mixture of iron and clay in the feet and toes is explained.

"Whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potter's clay, and part of iron, THE KINGDOM SHALL BE DIVIDED."—Daniel 2:41.

Rome was to be divided into ten kingdoms. Did this come to pass? Certainly it did. During the fourth and fifth centuries of the Christian Era ten distinct, independent nations became established within the boundaries of Western Europe. Thus the prophecy was literally fulfilled.

2. A LOOK INTO THE FUTURE (Part 3 of 3)

Here is the commonly accepted list of the ten kingdoms of the Western Roman Empire: the Anglo-Saxons, who lived mainly in England; the Franks, now known as the French; the Alamanni, now called the Germans; the Lombards, who settled in Italy; the Ostrogoths, who later were destroyed; the Visigoths, in Spain; the Burgundians, in Switzerland; the Vandals, once in North Africa but now destroyed as a nation; the Suevi, in Portugal; and the Heruli, which existed as a nation for only a few centuries.

3. WHERE ARE WE TODAY?

Does this prophecy of the second chapter of Daniel say that efforts would be made to unite these divided nations of Europe under one ruler?

Our answer is in verse 43:

"Wheras 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."

As we have seen, Rome, the fourth world empire, was not to be followed by any earthly universal government, but was to be broken up into independent nations. Now in verse 43, the prophecy foretells that men would make an effort to unite these divided nations into one great empire, but that the division would continue to the end of earth's history.

Time and again great men have tried to unite the nations of Europe, but they have failed every time. "They shall not cleave one to another," is the verdict of prophecy. Fourteen hundred years of history show that Europe cannot be united and remain so. This is a remarkable verification of Holy Scripture as revealed in Bible prophecy. No human power, or combination of powers, has been able to break the force of these seven short words: "They shall not cleave one to another." Truly, "the scripture cannot be broken," as Jesus said. (John 10:35.) He also declared:

"Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away."—Matthew 24:35.

The history of the past 2,500 years upholds the accuracy of this prophecy given in the second chapter of the book of Daniel. The course of empires from Nebuchadnezzar's day to ours has been in total agreement with the prophetic outline. How can anyone ignore this direct and historical fulfillment of Bible prophecy? By political intermarriages, military victories, and diplomatic treaties, men have tried to do the very thing that prophecy said would not be done. But they have failed. "THEY [the divided nations of modern Europe] SHALL NOT CLEAVE ONE TO ANOTHER," declared the prophecy. They have not cleaved, testifies history.

4. GOD WILL SET UP HIS KINGDOM

What will be the final outcome of all Europe's conflicts? Our answer is in Daniel 2:44:

"In the days of these kings [the modern nations of Western Europe] shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: . . . it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever."

The perfect kingdom of God is coming. The stone that is to smite the image into pieces will become a great mountain and fill the whole earth. Then Christ, the Rock of Ages, will become the King of the world forever.

The blow on the feet of the image represents the second coming of Christ, the destruction of the nations, followed by the establishment of God's kingdom of peace on earth for His people. (Revelation 19:11-16.) Then—

"God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."—Revelation 21:4.

This day is near! God's kingdom soon will be established on the earth, and then there will be no more sorrow, sickness, trouble or war, bloodshed or death. God Himself will reconstruct this planet into a perfect, new earth in which His kingdom will exist forever. Not by human command, not by any league of nations or organization of human genius will it come to pass, but by the intervention of the glorious power of the eternal God.

In this new world, sin will be unknown. (Revelation 21:1; 22:3.) There will be no more wars. (Psalm 46:9.) Only then will real and permanent peace be established. Christ's new kingdom will fill the whole world. The Man of Calvary will then be the King in His glory.

In considering this prophecy, where are we today? Everything in the prediction of Daniel 2 has come to pass except the final act—the striking of the image by the stone. This shows that, according to God's timetable, we are now approaching the grand climax, Christ's second coming. These are the days we live in. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is about to end earthly time and come to reign over the entire world.

Where are we? We are in the final division of the metallic man, in the toes of iron and clay. This means that we are near the end of human history. We are facing the return of our Lord Jesus Christ in glory and the setting up of His eternal kingdom which will rule over all the earth.

5. THE KING'S DREAM AND YOU

A critic sat in a large auditorium listening to the speaker present this prophecy of world history and of coming events. He had always insisted that he did not believe the Bible, for he considered it just a book of superstitions and myths. But, as the evangelist placed the statement of history beside the Bible's prophetic statements of Daniel 2, the unbelieving man was impressed.

At the close of the service he went to the platform and, grasping the hand of the minister, said: "Preacher, I never believed the Bible before, but tonight you have proved to me that there is an Intelligence who knows the future and controls the affairs of nations. Will you show me how to get to know your God?"

It was a joy for the minister to lead this man into a knowledge of God and the dependability of Bible prophecy! This doubter was convinced by the unfailing Word of God.

Not one single part of the prophetic Word has failed, nor will it. Jesus is soon coming again to end the reign of sin in this world. He is now seeking to prepare the hearts of men for citizenship in His kingdom of peace.

This brings us face to face with the supreme question that comes to every man, Am I ready to be a citizen of Christ's eternal kingdom? Our prayer should be that of the thief on the cross:

"Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom."—Luke 23:42.

Dear heavenly Father: I thank Thee today for Thy loving interest in me personally. I thank Thee for telling us in advance the answers to our questions about the future of our world, for guiding our world and guiding our lives. I thank Thee for the "more sure word of prophecy." Help me to accept it as Thy true Word and to believe it. And, above all, help me to open my heart right now to the Prince of Peace. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.