Title Dream Interpretation 4 (Dan 2:44-45)
Lecture 24 Dream Interpretation 4 (Dan 2:44-45)
2:44-45
In the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, and its dominion will not be returned to any other people; but it will strike down and destroy all these kingdoms and will stand forever. When he saw the stones crushing iron and bronze and clay and silver and gold, the great God made known to the king what was to come. This dream is true and its interpretation is certain.
The dream of King Nebuchadnezzar was divided into two scenes. In the first scene, the king saw a huge statue, and in the second scene, a stone cut out of human hands struck the huge statue and knocked it down.
Daniel is interpreting the second scene of the king's dream in today's text. Let's look at verse 44. "In the days of these kings," he said. The image that King Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream represented the four kingdoms. Which country was the fourth and last kingdom? It was the Roman kingdom. The Roman Empire was strong as iron, but later the country was divided. The country was divided like a man had ten toes. Therefore, it did not become a single, powerful ruling kingdom like Babylon, and the kings divided and ruled.
“These days of kings” are just then. "The God of heaven will establish a kingdom." What kingdom is this country? It is the kingdom that God Himself established, the kingdom of Christ. Who was ruling this world when Jesus first came into this world? It was ruled by Rome.
"The God of heaven will establish a kingdom." The kingdom of Christ was not established by man. It is a country that God Himself established. This country has four characteristics. First, "It shall not perish forever." The kingdom of Christ will never perish. Babylon also fell. Medes and Persia also perished. Hela was also destroyed. Rome was also destroyed. But the kingdom of Christ will not be destroyed forever. Second, "the sovereignty will not pass to any other people." No power in this world can break the kingdom of Christ. The kingdom of Christ never loses its sovereignty. Third, "On the contrary, strike down all these nations and destroy them." Didn't Christianity eventually conquer the Roman Empire? I won. Fourth, "It will stand forever." That country will last forever. The kingdom of Christ, established by God, will stand forever.
Verse 45 shows the climax of the dream. "A stone cut from the mountain, not by human hands." You will need a tool to knit stones. A hammer and a chisel are required, and human power is required, but it is a stone that does not involve any such thing. "A stone cut out of a mountain, not by human hands." It is a stone created by God. So, it symbolizes the power of God.
"Iron and bronze and clay and silver and gold broken." A stone cut out of man's hand smashed the huge statue made of these things. What did iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold symbolize? It symbolized the power of man, not the power of God. The huge statue that King Nebuchadnezzar saw was made by human hands.
look at me Here's the human ability on the left. And on the right is the power of God. Which one counts more? No matter how great man's power is, he can't stand still in the presence of God's power. But do you really think so? Do you not rely more on things like gold and silver, material things, treasures, and riches than on God? Wrong. And don't you make weapons out of iron and bronze? Why do we rely more on human power than on God's? Why do you want to depend on man more than God? That's wrong. In the old days, writing was written on mud. Why would you want to rely more on human knowledge and human wisdom than on God's power? No matter how great human power is, it is nothing in the sight of God's power.
“The great God made known to the king what was to come when he saw what was broken.” What was God trying to show King Nebuchadnezzar to have this dream? Sovereignty is in God. No matter how great human power is, it is nothing in the sight of God's power. This is to show that God is in control of history.
Daniel's thoughts are very deep. I'm young at best, 15 or 16 years old, so I don't know how you think so deeply. “The great God has made known to the king what is to come.” It didn't say, "God gave the dream to judge the king." "The king is a person who has received great favor from God. God loved the king and chose the king to reveal God's revelation." How much do you reassure and comfort the king even with the same words? I don't know how deep thoughts were at such a young age.
Everyone, as you may have seen in the newspaper, Chairman Choi of Sunkyung went to the United States for lung cancer and had surgery. But what did the surgeon who performed this operation say? I consider this doctor to be a non-physician. “The cancer cells have spread so much that surgery will be difficult.” What happened to that one word? The woman who was nursing next to me said, "Oh! He suffered a shock and died of a heart attack. In the end, the doctor killed him. If it were possible, would she have died if she had just said one word, "It's okay, my life won't be affected." If I had thought and spoke like Daniel did, a healthy person would not have died.
The Talmud, the Jewish book of wisdom, says: There are two types of lies that are not sinful even if they lie. That's a lot of lies. I'd like to know for reference. The first lie that is not a sin is to go to the wedding hall and cheer up the bride and groom. Even someone who doesn't like it would say, "How did you get such a gorgeous bride!" "I found a wonderful groom!" "They're a really good pair!" Even if the groom seems to be losing money and the bride seems to be losing money, what will you do now? I am married and have a family. "It suits you really well, that's cool!" This lie is not a sin. This lie is telling you a lot.
The second acceptable lie is when you buy something. I already paid money to buy it. When you buy something and say, "How are you?", then you are telling a lie. "Good buy." I bought one and wore it. "How about this dress?" Then you say, "It suits you well, it's cool." How upset would you be if you said, "Did you pay money to buy that as well?"
How much more trouble would King Nebuchadnezzar's heart be if he said, "God has given you the dream to judge you." But Daniel didn't say that. “The great God has made known to the king what is to come.” "God has given the king great grace. The king should thank God." This is what he said. We should not be reckless in our words, but think of the other person's point of view.
Finally, he said, "This dream is true and its interpretation is certain." "This dream will surely come true, because it is God-given." Then, "this interpretation is sure" is reliable.
Today, I know that we have to embrace Daniel's heart, comfort and build others up, and consider the other person's point of view. And the power of man is weak, but the power of God is strong. I hope that you will win today with the new strength that God gives you while looking at the power of God. I can't, but God can. Just because you can't do it, don't think that God can't either.
“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
"What do you mean if it is possible? Nothing is impossible for those who believe."
I can't, but God can. If God gives me strength, I can do it too. With such confidence, I pray that you will always believe in God's grace and have a blessed day of victory today.