Program Notes

If one wants to examine the rest of the "storyline", it is important to study the book of Daniel. So far most of the "main characters" have been introduced. The tension between the protagonist (God and His "chosen people", the Israelites) and the antagonist (Satan, "the devil", etc.) has been established. Here is a brief summary:

1. God created the "heavens and the earth" which included Adam and Eve (Genesis 1-2).
   
2. With "the serpent's" instigation, Adam and Eve sinned separating humankind from God (Genesis 3:1-7).
   
3. God chose to spare His creation (Genesis 3:8-24)
   
4. God made a covenant with Abraham that included a promise of reconciliation between God and man(Genesis 15).
5. As promised, Abraham had many descendants that became the nation of Israel (I Kings 4:20-21).

Near the end of the 7th century B.C., Israel "the nation" had already cycled through a prolific history. Following are some of the main events:

• After the exodus from Egypt, and the death of Moses, the Israelites conquered the land of Canaan (same general geographical location as present day Israel), most of the same land promised to it as part of Abraham's original covenant (Joshua, Judges, etc.).
• Israel, after ruled by a series of Judges (i.e., Joshua, Gideon, Samuel, etc.) sought her first King (I Samuel 8).
• After King Saul, David, whom God considered "a man after [His] own heart" ruled Israel during a high point of prosperity and expansion (II Samuel 2:1-4).
• David's son, King Solomon, carried the mantle of his father which including the construction of the first temple (I Kings 4).
• After King Solomon's death, the nation of Israel began a gradual distancing of herself from God; this included the division of the country into a northern and southern kingdom (I Kings 11-14).

Around the end of the 7th century BC, Babylon ascended to the world stage as the great empire (http://ancienthistory.about.com). At the front of this global power was King Nebuchadnezzar. Under this temperamental leader, Babylon conquered Judah, the southern half of the Israeli kingdom. One of the prisoners hauled away to Babylon included a young man named Daniel. This set the stage for Daniel Chapter 2, one of the most detailed panoramic eschatological passages in scripture.

In Daniel chapter one, one reads how, through his obedience to God, Daniel rose to a position of respect and authority in Nebuchadnezzar's administration.

Chapter two starts with Nebuchadnezzar being deeply troubled from a dream. Here is the first insight into Nebuchadnezzar's impulsive instability. He summoned all the Babylonian wise men to interpret the dream. Likely to prevent fraudulent speculations, the caveat was that the winner must also recall an accurate account of the dream. To facilitate urgency and inspiration, King Nebuchadnezzar decreed that if the assembled group did not perform successfully, he would "cut [them] into pieces" and turn their houses into "piles of ruble" (Daniel 2:5).

No one knew the dream so, of course, no interpretation was possible. The king stated that all the wise men should be put to death, which included Daniel, who in turn asked the king for time to consider the dream and its meaning. Daniel then, with his friends, sought God's divine intervention.

The next day, Daniel went to the king with the requested revelation. He acknowledged God as the source . He described the dream. He explained that, in it, Nebuchadnezzar saw a statue whose components consisted of respective precious metals:

• A head of gold
• A chest of silver
• A midsection of bronze
• Legs of iron
• Feet of iron mixed with clay

Imagine the king's amazement when Daniel's description matched the exact details of the dream. Daniel continued. He explained that each section of the statue represented a present or coming world power. Daniel explicitly tied the kingdom of Babylon to the head of gold. He then proceeded to mention four other kingdoms. Biblical historians have often linked these references in the following manner (see Wikipedia entry for a quick overview):

1. Chest of Silver = Medo-Persian Empire
   
2. Midsection of Bronze = Greek Empire
   
3. Legs of Iron = Roman Empire

Note that the fourth (after Babylon) has not been linked. Many prophetic scholars (and this writer) believe that this kingdom is yet to come, that it will be a "Revised" Roman Empire. Many currently point to the movement toward a federalized Europe under the European Union as the beginnings of this "final kingdom". An analysis of this theory, however, is beyond the scope of this post.

The most important part of the dream, and its interpretation, as it relates to the series, "The World Is Crazy: Now What?", is the dream's finale. Daniel told the king how, after seeing the statue, he then saw a Rock, uncut with human hands, strike the statue in the feet, destroying it. The rock then morphed into a great mountain and expanded throughout the entire earth.

Daniel reveled that the rock was from God. It was the establishment of His never-ending kingdom.

The rock, not cut by human hands (see John 1:1-2), of which Daniel spoke was the same Rock that Jesus mentioned as being the cornerstone of The Church. It was (will be) Jesus Himself, and He will put an end to worldly powers (see Revelation 19).

This passage, Daniel chapter two, laid out the rest of the storyline. In it, God revealed that there would be five great world powers prior to the return of Christ (the 2nd Advent), a time when all would be made right again, an event anticipated and prophesied over thousands of years in numerous scripture passages. Like knowing the final score without watching the game, it shows how governments will rise, and powers will fall, but in the end and as referenced by Rev. Dave Clardie when describing a minister's comments who emerged from an underground church at the fall of the Soviet Union, "God Wins!"

Read the previous posts in this series:
1) The World Is Crazy: Now What?
2) Cue The Lights
3) The Antagonist
4) Sturm und Drang
5) Enters Stage Right: Israel
6) An Interlude