Jump Start # 1333

Daniel 2:40 “There will be a fourth kingdom as strong as iron; inasmuch as iron crushes and shatters all things, so, like iron that breaks in pieces, it will crush and break all these in pieces.”

Our verse today comes from Daniel’s interpretation of the Babylonian king’s dream. There was a stature made out of various materials. Daniel explains that the head of gold was Babylon. Then in a series of explanations Daniel reveals that there will be another kingdom. That will be followed by a third kingdom. Then, our verse, yet another kingdom, a fourth kingdom. Different materials, different characteristics.

It is during this fourth kingdom that God will establish His kingdom, a kingdom that will never be destroyed. By the fifth chapter of Daniel, the Babylonians are out and the Medes and Persians are in power. They are the second kingdom. The third kingdom would rule over all the earth. That fits the Greeks, especially Alexander the Great. After the Greeks came the Romans. Strong like iron. Crushing and destroying all. It was during this kingdom that God’s kingdom began. Luke tells us that Jesus came when Augustus Caesar was on the throne. Roman, fourth kingdom.

Most Bible students have gone through this several times. It helps put the pieces all together.

But here is a thought for today.

While Daniel was speaking to the Babylonian king, God already knew what the next world power would be. He also knew who was following that one. And He knew who was going to follow the third one. It’s like these kingdoms were lined up like floats going down the street in a parade. One follows the next. These things happened just as God said. Between Babylon and Rome, the first and fourth kingdom, many hundreds of years past. A lot of things could happen. An assassination here. A political coup there. Political history is very fragile. We’ve seen this in our times. A terrorist leader is taken out and another nation rises up and causes concern. Wars, conflicts and peace treaties are all part of world history. Yet God knew. God knew exactly what nation was coming next. In the days of Babylon, Rome wasn’t anything. It would get there. God knew it. He saw it. He prophesied it. He allowed it and shaped things so it would happen.

This tells us that things just do not happen. Often, God is behind it and what happens is part of God’s plan.

If God can do this with nations, don’t you think He could do that with you and I? God knows what’s coming down the pike for you. God knows what’s next for you. God has plans. It may be people that come into our lives. It may be events that shape us and mold us. It may be valleys that we must pass through. God sees it all and knows.

This is one reason why we pray. This is one reason why we put our trust in Him. We are limited in what we see. It’s hard for us to understand why some things happen. God knows. He has plans. These plans ultimately have to do with His glory and our salvation. Luck, chance, coincidence are not as much a part of our world as God who shapes and does things.

The changing of these kingdoms in Daniel often resulted from battles. People died. Often it was the kings who were killed. These things happened to bring about the will of God.

God is good. He wants your salvation. He may move things in your life to help accomplish that. God is upon the throne. That thought encourages us. God is in control. That helps us. We are not spinning out of control. We are not drifting with no one at the helm. Nations come and go, and God remains.

Roger