Let us break away from the symbology of prophecy for a moment and ask ourselves, what did God mean when He gave the revelation of world powers to humanity? Did He reveal such things just for the sake of proving His foreknowledge? Did He intend for the reader of this prophecy to focus on the shortcomings of mankind? Why not simply make it a message of hope without giving account of what was to transpire? One can give as many reasons as possible for God revealing such matters to man. I will simply suggest three which I believe deserve careful attention.
First, at the time that this prophecy was given, the Jewish people had been taken captive and their city had been destroyed. This was a heartbreaking and world shattering reality. God’s people had enjoyed the revelation of God’s future for them but as apostasy was tolerated, sin defiled God’s designs and plans for their future. Their future which had rested so securely on an impressive history of God’s providence was now taking a turn for the worst. Now as a result the future was handed over to pagan authorities who would trifle with the sanctity of God’s principles. A great controversy, between the principles of God and man, was put into motion on an epic scale that would consume the entire world. God needed to reveal the magnitude of this struggle so that no one would underestimate it.
Second, in revealing the future to a pagan king God was moving in a powerful way among a heathen nation which was ignorant in regards to the Creator of heaven and earth. The Babylonian system of worship was established on pagan rituals and beliefs which disregarded the true power and identity of a Creator God who personally dealt with the affairs of humanity. God would take it upon himself to awaken the conscience of the pagan world by being a presence in their midst. Through methods that they would understand, including dreams, visions, wise men, miracles, etc., God would impress the pagan mind with a very different view of the divine. As much as Nebuchadnezzar struggled with God’s principles to the point of temporary insanity, he eventually declared, "I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned to me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation…" (Daniel 4:34).
Finally, the revelation of world powers serves to reveal God’s work in all of humanity. What began in Babylon will be carried out to every part of the globe. Although the world empires are of human origin and are temporary, there is a strain of faith that runs through them all as we will discover. This faith comes to be known as the gospel of Christ that is to go out among all nations, tribes and peoples. The examples of faith found in Daniel were not only for that time and place. That same faith is to be preserved throughout the history of world governments until the very end.
In summary, the revelation of world powers is given for 1. to reveal a great controversy 2. to reveal the Creator 3. to reveal the work of God in all humanity.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
World Powers (Part II)
Before we continue exploring the interpretation of Daniel 2 and 7 let us briefly summarize what we have concluded thus far. The four beasts of Daniel 7 correspond to the four metals described in Daniel 2. Whereas Daniel 2 outlines a succession of powers, Daniel 7 gives these powers certain well defined characteristics so that their identity, as outlined in Daniel 2, is established beyond a reasonable doubt.
We last left off with the second of four in the sequence of world powers; the Medo-Persian Empire. So what great nation was to set the stage next? The fact that the Grecian Empire under Alexander the Great followed the Persian Empire is hardly debatable. Alexander the Great witnessed first hand the last dying breath of his rival predecessor. With the Persian monarch out of the way, Alexander could enjoy the pleasure of conquest without restraint. It is a well established fact that although Alexander swiftly exceeded the boundaries of the former Persian Empire, his success was short-lived. The characteristics of the four-headed winged leopard in Daniel 7 are striking in relation to the characteristics of the Alexander’s Grecian empire. The leopard with wings represented the swiftness with which Alexander established his dominion. At a remarkable 32 years of age he had outdone the two former dominions of Babylon and Persia in terms of influence and territory. However, because of his lack of temperance and his over the top love for pleasure he pre-maturely terminated his life. The four heads of the leopard are an accurate prediction of the four divisions that would separate the Grecian empire after Alexander’s death.
According to the prophetic record, one final dominating power would arise after Greece. In Daniel 2 this power is symbolized by iron to represent its unyielding nature. Daniel 7 expounds on its character describing it as a dreadful and terrible beast, exceedingly strong, having great iron teeth, devouring and stamping out everything in its path and different from all manner of beasts and having ten horns. There is a wealth of information in this description but in the interest of space we will explore this further over time. Suffice to say that there is only one power greater and stronger than all the previous ones that arose after the Grecian Empire and that is Rome. In every way possible Rome exceeded the previous powers. For example, just in terms of territory, by the opening of the Christian era, this empire took in the whole south of Europe, France, England, the greater part of the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the south of Germany, Hungary, Turkey, and Greece, not to mention its presence in Asia and Africa. Is it reasonable to suppose that some power other than Rome can fit this description? Not without loosening the logic that is set forth by Scripture and history.
In conclusion, beginning with Babylon, we have identified a pattern of succeeding powers over the course of history to include, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. Furthermore, we have established that history and prophecy affirm each other on this issue of world powers. Also, we have discovered a theme of world government in Daniel 2 and 7 which will be of great importance as we continue to study the prophetic word.
We last left off with the second of four in the sequence of world powers; the Medo-Persian Empire. So what great nation was to set the stage next? The fact that the Grecian Empire under Alexander the Great followed the Persian Empire is hardly debatable. Alexander the Great witnessed first hand the last dying breath of his rival predecessor. With the Persian monarch out of the way, Alexander could enjoy the pleasure of conquest without restraint. It is a well established fact that although Alexander swiftly exceeded the boundaries of the former Persian Empire, his success was short-lived. The characteristics of the four-headed winged leopard in Daniel 7 are striking in relation to the characteristics of the Alexander’s Grecian empire. The leopard with wings represented the swiftness with which Alexander established his dominion. At a remarkable 32 years of age he had outdone the two former dominions of Babylon and Persia in terms of influence and territory. However, because of his lack of temperance and his over the top love for pleasure he pre-maturely terminated his life. The four heads of the leopard are an accurate prediction of the four divisions that would separate the Grecian empire after Alexander’s death.
According to the prophetic record, one final dominating power would arise after Greece. In Daniel 2 this power is symbolized by iron to represent its unyielding nature. Daniel 7 expounds on its character describing it as a dreadful and terrible beast, exceedingly strong, having great iron teeth, devouring and stamping out everything in its path and different from all manner of beasts and having ten horns. There is a wealth of information in this description but in the interest of space we will explore this further over time. Suffice to say that there is only one power greater and stronger than all the previous ones that arose after the Grecian Empire and that is Rome. In every way possible Rome exceeded the previous powers. For example, just in terms of territory, by the opening of the Christian era, this empire took in the whole south of Europe, France, England, the greater part of the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the south of Germany, Hungary, Turkey, and Greece, not to mention its presence in Asia and Africa. Is it reasonable to suppose that some power other than Rome can fit this description? Not without loosening the logic that is set forth by Scripture and history.
In conclusion, beginning with Babylon, we have identified a pattern of succeeding powers over the course of history to include, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. Furthermore, we have established that history and prophecy affirm each other on this issue of world powers. Also, we have discovered a theme of world government in Daniel 2 and 7 which will be of great importance as we continue to study the prophetic word.
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