Daniel 2

Well, already in Daniel 2 we have entered some end times discussion. This will not be the focus of the first half of Daniel, but we are going to introduce it now with just a couple small ideas. Stay tuned--we'll expand on these ideas later.

Beth Moore says in the Session 2 video that the rock in Nebuchadnezzar's dream is Jesus Christ establishing his literal 1,000 year reign on earth. She says it will happen suddenly because the rock suddenly hits and topples all the kingdoms at the same time (Daniel 2:34-35).

Let's pause for a moment. Keep in mind that she is drawing this conclusion from the dream itself, not the interpretation of it. Daniel did not give any interpretation about the rock suddenly hitting the statue. Beth Moore is making an interpretation from the dream that Daniel did not make. The significance of the dream which Daniel interpreted to Nebuchadnezzar was that God's kingdom will indeed break and destroy all other kingdoms. God is sovereign over all earthly kingdoms.

When Beth Moore says that Christ's kingdom reign will come suddenly, we need to examine that idea against the whole counsel of Scripture. Jesus says in Mark 4:30-32, "What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade." Also, from Luke 13:20-21, "Again he asked, "What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough." Perhaps most telling, we read in Luke 17:20-21 that "Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you."

Jesus himself describes a kingdom that does not come suddenly, or that people will be able to suddenly point to. Instead he tells us his kingdom spreads gradually through the whole earth, like a mustard seed growing or yeast working through dough.

Not only did Daniel never emphasize a sudden coming of Christ's kingdom from Nebuchadnezzar's dream, but notice what he did emphasize. He says in Daniel 2:44 that God will set up His kingdom to never be destroyed. In the same verse he repeats himself, saying that this kingdom will endure forever. Does that sound like a literal 1,000 year reign of Christ as Beth Moore mentioned? No, this sounds like a kingdom that will last FOREVER--no end to it.

So what do we need to know in response to what Beth Moore said this week? We want to know that there are Scripture passages showing
1) Jesus' kingdom does not come suddenly and
2) That it does not have a finite length to it--1,000 literal years.

But at the heart of the matter, Daniel 2 is not written to learn these things. The ultimate message of Daniel 2 is one we agree on together. As Beth Moore taught (pages 40-42), and we should conclude with, Daniel 2 is a message of God's sovereignty. Over any nation, power, or king--God is in control and will do as He wishes. He has a plan and He will accomplish it. This is the ultimate message of Nebuchadnezzar's dream. This is something we can all take life lessons from.

Daniel 1

In Week 1 of our Daniel study, we will not enter any specific Reformed differences.

One thing that may be interesting to expand upon though is the description of Babylon. We want to get a clear picture of what this city was like as we'll deal with it a lot in our study. Already in Day 1 on page 11 Babylon is described. Beth Moore writes, "At one time her outer garment was 56 miles of impenetrable walls...Towering above the wall was a 650-foot glimmering enamel ziggurat eerily reminiscent of the tower of Babel."

Ziggurats were used in the time of ancient Babylon. They were temples in the form of a pyramid tower. This pyramid tower had a number of stories to it and on the outside there was a staircase winding all the way around it, giving the appearance of a series of terraces.

The picture above is a photo of a model of Babylon. The tall building is a temple and a ziggurat. I hope that helps us get a better picture in our minds of what Babylon looked like.

Beth Moore mentions how the ziggurat that Daniel would have seen in Babylon is "eerily reminiscent of the tower of Babel." It is thought that the tower of Babel was constructed in the form of a ziggurat.

This picture shows actual ruins from the city of Babylon. Can you believe it? These are the real bricks used in an actual city that existed over 2,000 years ago. And these pictures on the brick are the same pictures Daniel and his friends saw in the city. They lived, worked, and walked around this stuff every day. How cool to see little pieces of that today!