CHRIST'S INCREASING KINGDOM "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever." (Dan 2:44) -- Tomorrow:
"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. OF THE INCREASE OF HIS GOVERNMENT AND PEACE THERE SHALL BE NO END, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this!" (Isaiah 9:6-7)
Devotion 3 of 36
From the beginning, God has purposed a superior kingdom – a greater and preferred reign that would result in blessing and eternal life. The objective of this kingdom was not the resolution of earthly difficulties or the establishment of a worldly paradise. It would not compete with the kingdoms of this world. Rather, it would overcome all of them, eventually standing alone.
There was a time when majestic political kingdoms ruled the world. They seemed invincible, and were characterized by dazzling glory and resplendent decor and protocol. During the domination of the most glorious of these kingdoms, God revealed His determination to unveil a greater kingdom – a kingdom of another order. He chose to make this known to Nebuchadnezzar in a dream. A holy prophet, Daniel, was chosen by God to reveal the significance of the dream.
If you recall the event, the king could not recall the dream sent to him. It transcended his natural abilities, speaking of things beyond the realm to which he was confined. Eventually calling for Daniel, he was reminded of the details of that magnificent dream. He saw a "great image," whose "brightness was excellent," and form "was terrible." This image had a head "of fine gold." His "breast and his arms were of silver, and his belly and his thighs of brass. His legs were of iron, and his feet were part of iron and part of clay." Truly, from one perspective, an impressive image! From another viewpoint, however, it was marked by inconsistency and degeneration (Dan 2:31-34).
The king was captivated by the vision, looking long upon it. Soon, however, an event occurred in the vision that turned his eyes from the image. With arresting words and in the power of God, Daniel revealed what the wicked king had seen in the vision. "You continued looking until a stone was cut out without hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay, and crushed them. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were crushed all at the same time, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them was found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth" (Dan 2:35-36, NKJV).
There are several things to be noted at this point. First, the stone was not of human origin. It was fashioned, or "cut out WITHOUT HANDS" – the product of Divine activity. Humanity did not help to form it. Nor, indeed, did it have a role in directing the course of the stone! And what is a small stone to a great image? Surely it is no threat! A rolling pebble, flesh reasons, can have no effect upon an impressive statue!
However, this was no ordinary stone! It expanded as it moved, becoming larger in nature and stronger in power! Directed by Divine providence, it headed for the great image, finally striking it in unmistakable and focused opposition. This stone was not like the image, either in constitution or in destiny! David struck Goliath in the head with a stone, but this stone struck the image "upon his feet that were of iron and clay"– the weakest part of the impressive statue!
The image was broken in pieces by this once-small stone, becoming "like the chaff of the summer threshing floors" (v 35). The image could not be renewed. It was utterly destroyed, and that by something small and unintrusive in its beginning.
Notice the order of the materials in the image. When the image was set up, the order started with the most precious, and proceeded to the least precious; from the strongest to the weakest. However, in the destruction of the image, we begin with the weakest, and go to the strongest: i.e., "the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold." The stone struck the image at the point of its vulnerability, bringing it down to the ground, then grinding it into powder.
Daniel proceeds to interpret the dream to the monarch. His words declare the superiority of the kingdom of God, as well as its permanency. "And in the days of those kings THE GOD OF HEAVEN WILL SET UP A KINGDOM which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever" (Dan 2:44, NKJV). Notice, Daniel speaks of the kingdoms as "those kings." Yet, the demise of the image is described as the "end of all these kingdoms." During a time of powerful, and apparently invincible, rulers, a devastating blow would be dealt by the God of heaven. He would decimate the works of the kings, which were their kingdoms, frustrating their reign, and removing their influence.
The kingdoms of which he speaks were earthly kingdoms – empires that ruled the world. At the peak of this form of political power, God would inject into the bloodstream of the world a kingdom that would never be shaken. The condemned kingdoms are identified in Scripture. The first, represented by the head of gold, was the kingdom of Babylon, established during the early 600's, B.C. (Dan 2:37-38). The second world kingdom succeeded that of Nebuchadnezzar, and was the divided Medio-Persian kingdom. Their rule began after the fall of Belshazzar, around 539 B.C. (Dan 5:28). The third was the Grecian empire. Their rule began after the overthrow of the heavenly prince that ruled through the Persians, around 336 B.C. (Dan 10:20). It is generally understood that Alexander the Great, who supplanted the Persian empire, is represented by the "rough (or shaggy) goat with a large horn between his eyes" (Dan 8:11). The fourth kingdom was Rome, dominant during the time of Christ and the Apostles. You may recall our Lord was born when Caesar Augustus was taxing "all the inhabited earth" (Luke 2:1).
Here were the wisdom and power of the world at their apex! The very best and prodigious efforts of the natural man were within these kingdoms. The borders of influence and dominion were extended, and it seemed as though nothing could displace this form of supremacy. With all of the power contemporary governments possess, they are nothing to be compared with those ancient world empires.
During the height of this kind of power, God would set up a kingdom that would never be destroyed. As a world power, Babylon was destroyed, along with Persia, Greece, and Rome. They passed away, losing their dominion. However, the Kingdom of God is not such a kingdom. It will never pass away or be displaced. Persia displaced Babylon, Greece superseded Persia, and Rome replaced Greece – but nothing will replace the Kingdom set up by God!
It may appear as though this Kingdom has declined, and is, perhaps, even destined for failure. But this is not at all the case! While there have been times when Christ's reign was not so apparent, it continues. It will eventually bring the downfall of all other kingdoms, just as surely as that small stone crushed the image in Nebuchadnezzar's dream. It will openly and unquestionably dominate the whole of creation, just as surely as that small stone became a mountain, filling the whole earth!
PRAYER POINT: Father, I thank You in Jesus' name for the nature, power, and duration of Your kingdom – a kingdom into which You have translated the saved.