THE AMAZING PROPHECY OF DANIEL 2-
THE MYSTERY OF THE GREAT
IMAGE!
3-
DANIEL AND FRIENDS
12,13 For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.
And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.
The
king was furious and commanded his soldiers to execute all of the wise
men. Unfortunately, Daniel and the three Hebrew young men with him were
classed among the wise men; though at the time; Daniel and his three
friends were not with the wise men called before the king. The pagan
'wise-men' were jealous and did not associate with the 4 Hebrews if they could avoid
it.
Daniel was a
Hebrew captive brought to Babylon by the forces of Nebuchadnezzer. Now Daniel,
who served the God of heaven, was among the wise men but he had not been called
to tell the King's dream so the first thing he knew, here were the guards coming
to take him and his 3 friends to be executed!
When
the soldiers came to get Daniel for the execution, he was shocked, but he
asked for time that he might consult the God whose dwelling was not with
men, and asks for wisdom to make the dream known to the king.
15 -18 He answered and said to Arioch the king's captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.
Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation.
Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:
That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
The
king granted Daniel time to talk to his God - the God of creation. What a
responsibility rested upon Daniel's shoulders. Not only were his life
and the lives of his three friends at stake, but the lives of all the wise
men of Babylon! Daniel returned to his house and explained the
situation. They all pled for mercy from the God of heaven to reveal this
mystery, so that they might not be executed with the rest of the wise men
in Babylon. What a prayer meeting that must have been! Four young Hebrews
praying that God would reveal the dream of a heathen king-and before a
fateful deadline!
Daniel then
prayed to God with his friends and then God gave Daniel the same dream and the
meaning of it!
Verses19-23 Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know
understanding: He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.
I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king's matter.
The
God of Daniel that very night revealed the secret dream to him in a night
vision. The God of heaven did not fail to hear and honour those prayers!
So Daniel blessed the God of heaven and said, "I thank you and praise
You, O God of my fathers; You have given me wisdom and might, and have now
made known to me what we asked of You, for you have made known to us the
king's demand." What excitement there must have been in the hearts
of Daniel and the three Hebrew friends! Daniel ran to the chief
executioner, Arioch, and said, "Do not destroy the wise men of
Babylon. Take me before the king, and I will tell the king the
interpretation."
"VERSE 24,25. "Therefore Daniel
went in unto Arioch, whom the king had ordained to destroy the wise men of
Babylon; he went and said thus unto him: Destroy not the wise men of Babylon;
bring me in before the king, and I will show unto the king the
interpretation. Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the
king in haste, and said thus unto him, I have found a man of the captives of
Judah, that will make known unto the king the interpretation."
26-28 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?
Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king;
But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;
As
Daniel came into the presence of the king, Nebuchadnezzar asked him if he
was able to make known what the king had dreamed-along with its
interpretation.
Let's
take a look at how Daniel replied to the king: "... the secret which
the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and
the soothsayers cannot declare to the king. But there is a God in heaven
who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what
will be in the later days..." Notice that Daniel did not take the
credit for this knowledge. He knew that only God could reveal the future.
No doubt he had studied Isaiah 46:9, 10: which
says "For I am God and there is no other; I am God, and there is none
like Me, declaring the end from the beginning. And from ancient times
things that are not yet done."
This
wisdom came from God, who had taken this occasion to outline the history
of the world for over 2,600 years through a dream He gave to King
Nebuchadnezzar. First, Daniel gives the background of this dream that the
king had dreamed: "As for you, O king, thoughts came to your mind
while on your bed, about what would come to pass after this; and He who
reveals secrets has made known to you what will be."
"VERSE 29,30 As for thee, O
king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass
hereafter; and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to
pass. But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I
have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the
interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy
heart."
CONTINUE-PART
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