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And we have just in a sense begun on the book of Daniel, so turn your Bibles with me, if you would, to Daniel chapter 2. There are many verses there and it’s quite a challenge to preach this passage as you could imagine, if you have read it. But we will try our best, by the Spirit's help that it will not only be memorable and clear, but it will be life-changing for all of us.

Now I began by talking about dreams. This is a passage about dreams and I just want to share with you some famous dreams the world has known. And dreams, all of us have dreams, isn’t it? All of us sleep and all of us dream when we sleep and there’s some dreams that are really unusual.

Let me share with you a dream by Paul McCartney. He’s er…famous for the Beatles band isn’t it? And it is said: “I woke up with a lovely tune in my head. I thought, ‘That's great, I wonder what that is?’ So I got out of bed, I sat at the piano, I found G then I found F sharp minor 7…” I do not know what that means but... “…and that leads you through then to B to E minor, and finally back to E. It all leads forward logically.” Those who are musically inclined, do you know what song this is? If you go from G to F sharp minor 7, B, E, then E…anyone knows? Anyone has a guess? Well, he goes on to say, “I liked the melody a lot, but because I'd dreamed it, I couldn't believe I had actually written it.” The song is one of the most famous songs from the Beatles. It’s the song “Yesterday”. Have you heard of that song? Yesterday… (Pastor singing) okay…haha…that’s all I know and er…he wrote this song “Yesterday” from his dreams. Quite amazing!

Another man who had an amazing dream is this man Elias Howe. He’s not as famous but back in 1865, he was under pressure to mechanised sewing. He was so pressured that in his sleep, he was dreaming somewhere along that line. He dreamed that he was surrounded by a bunch of natives with spears about to kill him if he didn't come up with a design. So he could picture the spears going back and forth, back and forth and he looked at the spear’s tip in the middle of his dream and noticed there are holes in the tips of the spears. And so what he did is that when he woke up, he decided to do something funny and irrational, he chuck away all his previous designs and tried to create a design or further a design based on his dream. And he became successful because Elias Howe gave us the world’s first sewing machine. Back in 1846 alright, I think I got the dates - from 1846. From a dream, believe it or not! 02:59.2

Let me tell you of another man's dream, he is famous. You do not know Elias, that's fine. You must know this man. He is…Albert Einstein! He had a fascinating dream. This dream was that he was sliding down the slopes of a mountain and he was going faster and faster and faster and faster until he approaches the speed of light. Scientists dream like that one ah! (Laughter in the congregation) They can…they can know the speed from their dream, speed of light and when he dreamt about going down in the speed of light, he dreamt that the stars that were regularly shaped in the beginning now became fuzzy and it looked different. It changed in appearance. And when he woke up, he said, “I knew I had to understand that dream, and you could say that my entire scientific career has been a meditation on that dream.” So he began to meditate on that dream. Why is it that when I slide down, the stars change in appearance? And as he thought and as he thought about it, he came out with the famous theory of… (Response in the congregation) relativity and gave us the most famous equation of all time: E=mc². From a…dream. Amazing!

Those of you who are not scientists or musicians, well, be glad that in sports you can also have significant dreams. Who is this man? (Picture shown) Anybody knows? No golf enthusiast? (Response in the congregation) Very good, he is Jack Nicklaus. He is the all-time major titleholder alright? More than Tiger Woods. So Jack Nicklaus - he had a dream. This is what he said: “Wednesday night I had a dream and it was about my golf swing.” People, they are so obsessed about what they do. “I dreamt about my golf swing and I was hitting them pretty good in the dream and all at once I realised I wasn't holding the club the way I've been actually holding it lately.” So in his dream, he’s watching his grip and his hold. “I've been having trouble collapsing my right arm taking the club head away from the ball, but I was doing it perfectly in my sleep. So when I came to the course yesterday morning, I tried it the way I did in my dream and it worked. I shot a sixty-eight yesterday and a sixty-five today.” Because of a… dream. They have life-changing dreams.

Another man with a life-changing dream is Adolf Hitler. Well, he had…he was in a battle, in the trenches. So he was on duty, on guard. He fell asleep and when he slept he had a dream. A startling dream that shocked him. He awoke to a terror and he jumped out of the trench and ran. And it was not long after, that the bomb landed inside the trench and killed everyone else within. He was spared his life because of a…dream.

Another man, Robert Louis Stevenson had a dream about a man who had two personas. A Doctor Jekyll and a Mr. Hyde and in 10 weeks’ time he wrote that novel. Robert Louis Stevenson.

And the last dream I want to share with you is from Abraham Lincoln. One morning in a cabinet, he spoke to his people and he said, “I've been having a strange dream the last few nights. And in this dream, I picture a ship, and it is sailing towards some indefinite shore. I keep having that dream. I do not know what it means.” And at the very same night in Ford’s Theatre, he was shot at the back of the head and which ended his life. So all these people have dreams that are personal, that had some major significance or consequence. And some of them may have international consequences.

And this morning I want to share with you someone in the Bible who also had a dream. This man is greater than Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln was a United States president but this man was the monarch of the entire world in his time. He is the ultimate super power ruler and this man is not an ordinary man. He is noted in the Bible. He is noted in history and people today still talk about him, even though he lived some 2,600 years ago.

You say, “Who is this man?” The Bible, in Daniel chapter 2, introduces us to Nebuchadnezzar. This is the king of a massive empire called Babylon. And the Bible says Nebuchadnezzar had dreams and this dream was so troubling he could not get to sleep (Daniel 2:1 ESV). And he was so troubled he got all his wise men together. He got his magicians, sorcerers, enchanters, gathered them…you can read that in Daniel 2. And he demanded that they would tell him what his dream was, and to share with him and to tell him what it was all about. Of course, none of them could get into the mind of Nebuchadnezzar and tell him his dream. He was furious. So he ordered that all the wise men, all the magicians and enchanters - all of them will be executed and their families will be ruined. He was so cruel that he was willing to tear the limbs off his enchanters, sorcerers and magicians one by one. That is then when Daniel, one of the young man who was captured to Babylon, was about to be dragged out to be executed. Daniel said, “Just give me some time.” He got back, got his four friends, started a little prayer meeting and the very next time we see him in the Bible, he appeared before Nebuchadnezzar, ready to share about Nebuchadnezzar's dream. 08:52.2

So Daniel had been told of God what Nebuchadnezzar's dream was and he began to share. “King, O king. King of kings - Nebuchadnezzar, this is your dream. You dreamt of an image. A very fearsome, awe-inspiring, majestic and colossal image. It stood before you, and this is not an ordinary image because it is a strange image made up of various materials. This is the image with a head of gold; a chest and arms of silver; a belly and thighs of bronze; legs of iron and feet of iron and clay. And not only that, there comes a rock, a stone hewn out of the mountain without hands and it came and it struck the feet of this big statue and smashed the entire statue into pieces and is entirely blown away without a trace left. And the stone that smashed the image, continue to grow into a mountain which then filled the earth.”

You say, “Pastor, are you speaking the truth? Sounds too crazy!” No, it’s not. Let me read to you exactly what the Bible says. “You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening. The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. And as you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; (like the husk of wheat when you toss it into the air) the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. (Nothing’s left of the statue but the stone remained.) The stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.” (Daniel 2:31-35 ESV)

This is the dream Nebuchadnezzar had. Elias Howe dreamt of spears; Einstein dreamt of sliding down a great mountain; Nebuchadnezzar had a dream of this statue. Now, to help you with this, I'm going to show you various pictures. This is a picture of a church last year (picture shown). I googled, and I found out there was a church that was so serious about teaching Daniel, that they actually made a big Nebuchadnezzar balloon, believe it or not. Of course they have a…they have a field, they went to a sports field and they began to blow up King Nebuchadnezzar. So this is an expanded view of it. And they injected air and Nebuchadnezzar is now climbing up…no…no…not Nebuchadnezzar, the image, the statue that Nebuchadnezzar saw came up and you could see how big this is. This is a 30 metre tall balloon. And the church had a wonderful time doing a Bible study on Daniel because there’s really something memorable in that time. I don't have that and what I'll do…I'm going to show you is… a simple video. I just want you to be familiar with this image because it will help you in the understanding thereafter.

(Video shown)

Now of course, all these are artists’ impressions. It may not be exactly what it is. I'm sure it is not, but they are just representative pictures to help us have frameworks in our mind. So this is a great image. A colossal, majestic image er…that was awe inspiring, and it was composed of various parts. The head, again as I have mentioned, was of fine gold; the chest and the arms - of silver; the belly and the thighs - of bronze; the legs - of iron and the feet - of iron and clay - a mixture of it. So what does this all mean? And to add to that, the Bible tells us there was a stone, I’m not sure whether it’s a fireball. I think this one (referring to picture shown) for effects purposes, alright? It's probably just a stone that comes at great speed towards the feet of the image, smashes it up and the stone remains and it became a great mountain. In Daniel 2 we’re told, and it soon filled the whole earth. I could never find…I could not find a picture that shows a mountain filling the whole earth, er…that's the best picture I could find.

And so Daniel was able to reveal Nebuchadnezzar's dream to himself. The question is: what sense do you make of this dream? What's the interpretation? What's the meaning? What's the lesson behind it all? God intended Nebuchadnezzar to know. And therefore, the Bible says, Daniel says, “This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation.” He goes on, “You, O king, the king of kings…” Nebuchadnezzar is the prototype of human power. I mean he is the representation of human achievement. He is called the king of kings. “…to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, he has made you rule over them all.” (Daniel 2:36-45)

“So, this dream Nebuchadnezzar, number one - is about you. You, are in this dream because you are the head of gold.” That's what Daniel said to Nebuchadnezzar, “But this is not all about you because after you, another kingdom inferior to you shall arise, and that is represented by the chest and arms of silver, and that's not the end of the story because a third kingdom will come, and it shall rule over all the earth.” So this is a dream about superpowers. This is not a dream about Singapura. We’re too small, we’re not part of the story here, alright? This is about superpowers that rule over the earth. So after Nebuchadnezzar would be two more kingdoms, and then a fourth kingdom – it’s strong as iron, represented by the legs of iron. This iron breaks to pieces, shatters all things and like iron that crushes, this kingdom is powerful, it breaks and crushes all the previous ones. 16:20.0

And as you saw, there is a fifth, some people think it's 4A and 4B because they are also composed of iron. In any case, this fifth or 4B kingdom is one that is composed of Potter's clay and iron, and because it's made of two elements or substances, it is a divided kingdom. Some of the firmness of iron shall be in it as you saw iron mixed with soft clay. And the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle. As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, they will mix with one another in marriage, but they are not stable; they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay. So this is that fifth kingdom that composes of 2 substances.

And then, there is a sixth kingdom and in the days of those kings. Now therefore, there is a hint which will be verified later on if you go on in Daniel, that the ten toes represent the 10 kings. That will be confirmed as I said, later on in Daniel. And in those days where 10 kings were ruling as the superpower of their time, God now will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed. The previous kingdoms are all succeeded by another kingdom, but there will become… there will come this kingdom of God that will never be destroyed, and this kingdom will not be left to another people. It shall triumph; it shall break in pieces all these other kingdoms and bring to an end, and it shall stand forever. And that is represented by the stone that was cut from a mountain by no human hand. There’s no human effort therein, and that it will break in pieces, even strong things like iron and bronze, clay, silver, gold, and all these is revealed to you by a great God. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.

By now, I hope you're still following me. I don't think there's anything too difficult, but just to make things even simpler for you, what is this dream essentially about? One word - this dream is about kingdoms. Kingdom, kingdom, kingdom, kingdom, kingdom, kingdom. It’s about kingdoms. It’s about what happens from the time of Babylon - Nebuchadnezzar till now, what will be the controlling powers of human history and eternity. What will be the rule; what will be the kingdom. And if you look at this, Daniel also says these are kingdoms in the latter days or what we will call the last days. So this is a prophecy from God, via dream, interpreted by Daniel about the kingdoms that will come after Nebuchadnezzar.

It is very significant, maybe not so much for us today, but it is very significant for Nebuchadnezzar because all the kingdoms are future. He has no clue. No one has a clue as to what they will look like. But today where we live, we can look back and say we can see the kingdom of gold, the kingdom of silver, the kingdom of bronze and it’s quite amazing. But these are the pieces of information with regards to the end times, the last days. 19:52.8

So what are these kingdoms exactly? The first kingdom is the kingdom of gold and without a shadow of doubt, you are the man, God says. And so the first kingdom, first world superpower is the Babylonian kingdom. It is said in Daniel 2 and verse 38, “…you are the head of gold.” It is a very appropriate imagery because archaeologists tell us that Babylon is a land dripping with gold. They’re extravagant with gold; they’re well known for their use of gold; their temple uses more gold than any other nations; the walls are overlaid with gold; their buildings are overlaid with gold; the chief god they worship is a god of gold. So it’s very appropriate, Nebuchadnezzar, the first kingdom is the kingdom of gold because that's what Babylon is all about, and that will be the first.

But this is not a kingdom that lasts. From 606 B.C., it started to reign in great power, but its pomp and its pride lasted only for 70 years before it is succeeded by the next kingdom. And the kingdom here is the Medo- Persian Empire. The Medo-Persian Empire is an alliance of the Medes and the Persians. That’s why Medo- Persians and maybe that's why it is symbolized with the two arms. Now, why is it silver? Interestingly, it is well known historically, again these are extra biblical fact that confirm Scripture. Of course, the Scripture is true regardless of whether you have those facts, but it certainly is encouraging to know that the Medo-Persians are very established in their financial system. Their taxation mechanism is very strong. It is well known to be a nation or empire that has lots of silver being employed. Therefore, quite appropriate that it’ll be a nation of silver.

We know it’s the Medo-Persian also because the Bible say so. Daniel 2:39 says, “Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you.” And in chapter 5, verse 28, “The kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” Now, they lasted a little bit longer, from 536 B.C. they reigned till 330 B.C., when the Greeks took over. Now, this is the Bronze Empire and the Greeks are the first in the world to employ bronze weapons. Alexander the Great, is the leader of this Greek Empire. He was a ferocious warrior. He, at the tender age of 33, conquered such great terrains that it was said he sat by the river Euphrates and began to cry, because he says, “There's no more kingdoms; that's no more places and realms for me to conquer.” That's how powerful the Greeks were, from 330 B.C. onwards.

But likewise, their kingdom didn’t last. First one – 70, next one - another 200, the third one lasted for some 300 years before they were taken over by the fourth kingdom - a kingdom of iron. This nation is well known to use iron as their weaponry, which kingdom is that? (Response in the congregation) The kingdom of…Rome. And so the Romans came in and they crushed their enemies. They didn't just defeat them, they crushed the enemies, just as Daniel has prophesied.

Now the Roman Empire from 27 B.C. continued on. The strange thing about the Roman Empire is that it was never, till now succeeded by another empire. It’s sort of collapse and crumble within, but it is still very much the influence of our day, our laws. There’s why the world is a western world - Rome, the Roman influence. So we have laws and institutions and culture that is very much influenced by the Roman Empire. So it crumbled but it was not succeeded or taken over by anyone. Er…people tried to do…tried to establish another world empire. The Barbarian tried; Charlemagne tried; Napoleon tried; Kaiser tried, but no one had another worldwide superpower empire as described. 24:19.2

So I think today we live in the Iron Empire, a very subdued one. But that's not the end of human history. After this empire will be another empire of iron and clay. And this iron and clay I believe has not come yet at all, and it will be characterised by a very loosely federated king… ten kingdoms, because there will be 10 kings, and it is an unstable environment. I think that will be during the time of great difficulty and if you read Daniel further, out of the ten toes, actually it’s not spoken the toes is about horns, horns is a picture later in Daniel. I’m not complicating things for you yet, but out of the 10 kings will arise 3, and out of the 3, will arise one and this one horn that started little will become the super dominant ruler. And we believe that refers to the antichrist in the last days, in the times of great tribulation. But what I'm saying is that we are not here yet. It can come anytime, but till it comes, we are in the Iron or Roman Empire. So that's why, people believe that the Roman Empire is Phase 1 here (referring to Iron Empire) and it will be Phase 2 here (referring to Iron/Clay Empire). Iron, iron, so this is a revived Roman Empire. In any case, Revelation…okay I’m starting rambo… but in Revelation 17, there is a clear reference to the Roman’s influence. Therefore, I'm explaining why some 4A, some 4B, rather than fourth and fifth empires.

Now, if human history ends here, it will be tragic. Absolutely tragic because it is a time of turmoil, unrest, instability, wars and death but praise be to God, the story, the dream doesn't end here because there is the…okay, the sound effect….zhezhezhezhezhe… okay no, I’m kidding… er… there is… the story goes on, that there will be a rock, or stone out of the mountain, carved out without hands that strikes the feet of this statue and destroys everything there. And then this rock would then grow and become a mountain that fills the earth. In other words, God is saying all these kingdoms, succeeding ones - don’t last. But the one that is from God will last, and it will fill the whole earth. It will be the true, permanent, lasting, dominating superpower of all time. 26:58.1

So you asked, we have identified that gold is Babylon; silver is Medo-Persian; bronze is Greek; iron is Rome; what is the rock? What is the stone? Almost unanimous, everyone believes that the stone is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ and it is not a far stretch to picture Christ in the rock.

In the Old Testament, you will remember the Jews were wandering in the wilderness and the Bible says, the rock that followed them was Christ. Some people say that’s the Rolling Stones. Er… no, the rock that followed them was Christ. So the Bible clearly tells us that Jesus is pictured in the rock. In Isaiah 28, it says here, “Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’” (Isaiah 28:16 ESV) Peter subsequently takes this passage and says this is written about Jesus Christ.

So the Bible uses rock, stone and so on, to picture the Lord. So, almost all commentators believe and agree that this stone that comes, that establishes God's kingdom is none other than Jesus Christ. Also, very interestingly, if you look at Psalm 2, verses 7 to 9, it fits it very well: “I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my son; today I have begotten you.”” Now this begotten, I just want to say, refers to the resurrection of Christ. That is proven in the book of Acts. “Now ask of me and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.” So, after the resurrection of Christ, when Jesus comes again the second time, when he comes, this is what he will do: You shall break them, the nations that exalt themselves against you. “You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.” Fascinating!

So the last kingdom that will come will be the Lord Jesus Christ establishing the Kingdom of God. So this is the grand summary of the dream that Nebuchadnezzar had. It was a dream about 5 kingdoms represented in the statue from Babylon to Medo-Persian, to the Greeks, to the Roman Empire and to a divided kingdom in the days of the toes. And then the ultimate 6 kingdom that will come is the final superpower that dashes everything up and it establishes the rule and Kingdom of God, forever.

So, what's the point? Well, Nebuchadnezzar you have been revealed the end times; you have been revealed the times of the Gentiles. That's what Jesus refers to in Luke 21. You are now told the… the kingdoms that will succeed after you. What has this got to do for you and I?

We began this series in the book of Daniel saying we want to have a modern look at an ancient book. We do not just want to study the facts and the stories. The Bible is written for you and for me and we need to know what has this got to do for us. And I think the theme of this book is to live strong. One of the keys to living strong in a world of Babylon today, I think, is to know that God is in control, and that history is His story. I know this can’t be seen very clearly, but this is a statement that goes: History is His Story. And as children of God, as people of God, when we recognise that Babylon is not the ultimate super power, God is - He is in control. Then it offers me courage, to live strong in a difficult empire, in a difficult world today.

So the story we have read, the dream that we have interpreted by the help of the Spirit, is that history is God's story. It's His story, and that means number 1, that God is sovereign. Absolutely no doubt about it. All these things are not by chance; they are absolutely orchestrated and planned out by God. Even though it looks absolutely strange. Strange from whose perspective? Strange from Israel's perspective.

Imagine you are one of the Israelite. You are promised that you are God's people and God will never forsake you. But here you are: you lost your kingdom; you lost your king. He’s captured and he’s brought into Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom. Israel is lost. Worse still, is that Nebuchadnezzar came and plundered the temple of God. He took all the vessels out and used it to serve his idols. The temple is…is destroyed. And so to the Jew, to the Israelite, to the nation, they will say, what is God doing? Has He messed up? Has He made a mistake? He is no God. And that is a conclusion people can wrongly make. But when you look at this story, God is saying, not only to Nebuchadnezzar, but to the Israelites and to us all: the captivity of Israel is not a mistake. I have it all planned out.

There’re two very good reasons why God would allow the times of the Gentiles:

One - is to purge Israel of their idolatry. As I've mentioned before, after this captivity, you don't read of Israelites going to idols the way they have done. They have always been plagued by idolatry. From the day they were brought out of Egypt, at Mount Sinai, from golden calf right up to before captivity, they have been plagued by this spiritual disease of idolatry. But after the Babylonian captivity, they are purged.

Another very good reason why this has to be so - the times of the Gentiles - is God is showing to all humanity the vanity and the futility of human effort. We always think we can establish a kingdom; we always think we can do something great; we always think we can build a tower of Babel that challenges God. And God is allowing the thousands of years to go by, and to show every man, it is all in vain. So this whole process of human history is not a mistake, but it's absolutely the sovereign will of God.

See, Paul understands that. Paul is a Jew, but he never felt that the captivity of Israel was a mistake. He affirmed it at Acts chapter 17, when he says, “He (that is God) made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place.” (Acts 17:26 ESV) Every kingdom, every people, their duration, their expanse, their territory, their domain is absolutely determined by God. They never stepped out of bounds because God is sovereign. The fact of the matter is, people looking at the Babylonia captivity will say, “God have… God has lost it.” But what we see in Scripture is, God has not lost it. He will restore Israel one day.

There will be a superpower when Jesus comes back, the Jews will be saved in great numbers; the Gentiles will be saved in great numbers and what has transpired after all these kingdoms, after the times of the Gentiles, is that God receives the greater glory. So, whilst we think God made a mistake, the Bible always tells us God has a plan and His plan always works. It looks weird; it looks puzzling; it looks like God has lost it. But the fact of the matter: God has a plan - Wait and see.

Maybe the supreme example of how people feel that God has lost it, but he did not, is the cross. Because hanging on the cross was the Son of God. And the people were mocking him, “If you are the Son of God, save yourself!” People mocked. “How come you couldn’t call down legions to save you?” Legions of angels. They say, “He is no Son of God. He must be a crook; he must be a fake or that God must have made a mistake.” But years after, today you and I, we say, “God did not make a mistake.” The crucifixion of Jesus Christ was absolutely the work of God; absolutely the will of God. And it accomplishes far more than if Jesus had not gone to the cross and it will all be clearly seen when Jesus comes again.

So when life looks like a mess to us, remember God has a plan; when your illness looks like a mess to you, remember God has a plan; when you're going through the trials and hardships of life, remember God did not make a mistake, He has a plan. God is sovereign and He is good and He always works all things together for good to them that love God.

I share with you this example some time ago and I will share it again. I was with my son in the Science Centre. And there in the Science Centre, we saw this amazing picture which I have, I could not understand (picture shown). Anyone could tell me what this picture is about? A boat that has capsized or is in the storm, is it? Wah, you all very imaginative because it…it may look like it, but it may not be. Because what is this? What is this? In the middle of the sea? Can't make head nor tail of this picture, isn’t it? Doesn't make sense! But you see, this is Science Centre. That's more than meets the eye. If you look at this from this perspective, it doesn't make sense, but if I show you another perspective, it makes sense. (Picture shown) What do you see? It’s like West Wally. This makes sense when you look here and you see the face of a man. This is an amazing…I do not know how they draw this, but this is an amazing work, where the drawing is captured on this cylinder that reflects the image of a man. Now this… I show because I think, it reminds me - sometimes when I look at life, it doesn't make sense. I don't understand why? You may say: I don't understand why my child is stricken with this genetic disease; I don't understand why at a time like this, God you gave me the diagnosis of cancer; I don't know why my husband left me; I do not know why I'm struck with this financial difficulty; I'm not sure why my son is in trouble. I can't make sense out of it. Is it that God you forsook me? Is it that God you did not remember me?

It all makes sense only when we see it from God's Scripture and perspective. The point I'm trying to make is history is His story. It looks complicated; it looks unnecessary; it looks messy but it's His story and He is in control. His way is perfect and we can trust Him.

But another application of this dream, I think it’s very clear - while God is sovereignly working things out, we also see that man's pride or man's works are vain. I… actually when I wanted to write, I almost wrote: man is vain. But I thought it might be better - woman is vain…no then I say cannot, you better put man's pride is vain, alright? And it is true, this story tells you man's achievements are vain.

I suppose that the background of this dream is Nebuchadnezzar has conquered so much, that he sat back and say, “I must be a great king. Now, what's going to happen to my great kingdom after this?” And so God told him, “If you think you are a great king, this is what’s going to happen to you. It will be succeeded by different empires and ultimately, it will be destroyed.” Now it’s very interesting when you consider this eh… various kingdoms. You have Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece or the Greeks and then Rome. It actually is a picture of an expanding kingdom influence. When Babylon was at its peak, this was the territory, or dominion of their reign (map shown). Then when you go to the Medo-Persian, it expands (map shown). Then we go to the Greeks, it expands further (map shown). And when you think about Rome and right up till today, it's a huge capture (map shown). But if you look at the dream, and if you look at the imagery here (picture shown), there is a hint that the world is not getting better. In fact, I think it’s more than a hint, if you think about it. It's a hint that the world is getting worse. It’s deteriorating for several reasons.

One - the metal that is used is of inferior value as you proceed downwards. Now, if you want to marry someone, don't offer an iron ring. He will look at you and say, “You cheapskate or what!” You want to offer anyone, you offer diamond ring. At most, or at least in Singapore context, you give a gold ring, right? Because it is valuable. So the first kingdom is of great value in a sense, it seems the most umm… of value. But man's work is as such, with years going by, with empires succeeding, it gets worse and worse.

Number 2, the metal that is used gets lighter. The specific gravity of gold is greater than a specific gravity of iron. In fact, the specific gravity, which is the density of the iron…of the metal is 19, 11, 8.5, 7.8. I memorised. Okay? So it is a decreasing weight. So both in value and in weight, it gets lighter and the kingdoms get more and more divided. From one monarch, to Medo-Persians, to the Greeks and then to the Roman Empire, finally, with the 10 kings - which does not stick together because of clay and iron.

So the Bible actually talks about the decreasing value of human effort. There’s a hint there. But even if you don't buy that, or you don't take that, it’s fine. Because ultimately, the kingdom will be smashed or the kingdoms will be smashed into smithereens.

Now, this is a picture of a place in Salt Lake City, Utah (picture shown). And there, there's this garden where they have this monument that describes Daniel chapter 2. It’s very clear that it’s Daniel Chapter 2 because you see Daniel 2 - the Rock here. This artist called Thomas Child, and he took 2 years to build this monument. He gathered from several places rocks of different colours, to depict the statue of different metals. However, I think this is a wrong monument. It is not what the Bible says. Why? Because the Bible tells us a stone was cut out by no human hand, it struck the image on its feet. Then everything, the iron, clay, bronze, silver, gold, all together were broken in pieces and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors. So they were not left in bulk, standing around, sitting around, but it is carried away, till not a trace of them could be found. It is so absolute because God, I believe is teaching, is conveying, that all of man's effort and pride adds up to nothing. All our works, if not done in the name of God, amounts to nothing. The greatness of men in the peak of their powers, in the greatest empires end up like chaff that will be blown into the wind, and there will be no trace of it. Only he who doeth the will of God endureth or abides forever. 44:32.2

Nebuchadnezzar, all your greatest achievements would mean nothing. Let me say this, we are all little “Nebuchadnezzars” in our hearts. Because we all have that… because we’re so sinful; we’re so flawed; we are so bent away from God. We have this natural tendency to build for ourselves little “Babylons”. We pride ourselves in our “Babylons”; we pride ourselves over our achievements in our workplace; our bank accounts; our status in life; the success of our kids. We build for ourselves “Babylons” and they look good, they look splendored. They are bright, for this lifetime but it never lasts. Let me tell you, there is joy for you, there’s happiness for you when you have lots of money. It is! 有钱能使鬼推磨 (you qian neng shi gui tui mo) (A Chinese saying that literally means if you have money, you can even get the ghost to do your bidding) , they say in Chinese. Money can let you do a lot of things but it would add up to nothing at the end of the day.

So the Bible warns us, do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt and where thieves one day break through and steal. When you die, it's all taken away from you. There’s only one thing that lasts and that is the Kingdom of God. We’re all little “Nebuchadnezzars”. Even after you are saved, you may still, we all still today, may be going about building our own little empires. God says it’s all going to be blown away. Why? Why do you labour for things that do not last? His call is for us to be in His story. History is His story. Be in it and that's where you find everlasting significance.

But the last thing I want to share is this: if God is in control, and if all that we do is vain, it is sad when we are outside God's Kingdom, isn’t it? But in this story, I see amazing mercy and grace. I see the love of God. Because I see in this dream, God is always calling man to himself. You see, God didn't need to tell Nebuchadnezzar the dream.

Number one, he didn't even need to reveal to Nebuchadnezzar the dream, but God chose to reveal it and not only reveal it, interpret for Nebuchadnezzar, for Nebuchadnezzar's sake. So, God gave the dream, God sent Daniel and Daniel said, “This was the dream, and we will tell the king its interpretation and the great God has made known to the king what shall be after this.” God could have ignored Nebuchadnezzar. Because by the way, the Bible describes Nebuchadnezzar as an extremely proud and obnoxious man. He feels that he is the unbeatable, unrivalled super power of his time. He even thinks that he is like God, who should be worshiped by people. You see that in Daniel chapter 3. He is of such arrogance; he is a cruel man who would be willing to tear the limbs off his magicians and enchanters. This is a man that in our estimation, doesn't deserve to be saved. But this is the amazing mercy and grace of God.

Obnoxious man who sets himself against God - God sends a dream and a messenger to warn Nebuchadnezzar and to draw him to himself. Now, Nebuchadnezzar, I believe if you read on, eventually came to faith in God. I believe so and I'll prove that to you in subsequent weeks. But all that would not be possible, if God didn't draw Nebuchadnezzar. Like I’ve said, we all are like little “Nebuchadnezzars”. We are obnoxious; we are proud; we think we are somebody; we even think we can set ourselves and save ourselves. But the reality of the matter is, all that you do will be smashed. There's only one who could save you and that is God Himself.

Maybe today you are troubled, like Nebuchadnezzar, you… you do not have rest, you have no peace. Do you realise that, that even is mercy from God? The fact you’re here this morning, is mercy from God? That He troubles you, and there is the word of God given to you this morning, that you will see that you cannot save yourself and you need Him to save you. Who will save you?

Look at Psalm 2. That great passage, you know the passage that says Jesus will come and he’ll smash…rule the world with a rod of iron and smash the nations as if they were like clay, and it closes with this: “Now therefore, O kings…” I don’t think this refers only to people who rule in kingdoms, people who think we are kings. “Now, therefore O kings,” it applies to us as well, “be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.” Because if not, Jesus comes. “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” (Psalm 2:10-12 ESV)

We live in a day and age where preachers preach the love of Jesus Christ, the love of God. We praise God for this, because that really is who God is. God is love. He loves us. He gave His Son for us. But let me tell you the Bible equally preaches, or declares, the wrath of God. The Bible doesn't teach universalism, meaning everybody will be saved. The Bible teaches us, if you do not come to Jesus Christ, you face the wrath of God. And when He comes, He will execute judgment and His wrath will be quickly kindled. But praise be to God, we live in the age of grace today. You live in an age of grace today. You don't have to be smashed; you don't have to face the wrath of God. If you should kiss the son; if you should come to Jesus Christ. See, we said that the rock that destroys everything is Jesus. Equally, Jesus is the rock of salvation. 51:28.0

I love this song that says:

 

Rock of ages, cleft for me,

Let me hide myself in thee;

Let the water and the blood,

From Thy wounded side which flowed,

Be of sin the double cure,

Safe from wrath… (Whose wrath? God's wrath!) and make me pure.

This rock here, is a rock that is a picture of how we can hide when the fierce wrath of God blows by. You hide in that cleft, you hide in that slot, so that when the wind of wrath blows by, you are safe. You are safe because of Jesus Christ, who gave you His blood, who died on the cross and paid for your sins. And Jesus is able to save you from wrath and is able to make you pure. Be of sin the double cure.

The choice is before you. There is a warning of Scripture this morning. That a God who is sovereign, is pointing out the vanity of human efforts. And in His mercy, He is calling you and I to Himself, through Jesus Christ, His Son. The message of the Bible is that God sent His Son because He loves us and His Son bore the wrath of sin that we deserve on the cross. And if you would kiss the Son, if you were to turn from sin, repent and believe in Jesus Christ, you will hide yourself in that rock.

My dear friends, this is about your soul. I know this is a dream Nebuchadnezzar had, but this is not a dream for him alone. It's also a dream for you. Who would you have? Jesus, the rock who will come and show His wrath or Jesus, the friend of sinners who embraces you with His love? Would you come to Him today? Let's bow for a word of prayer together.

Father we thank You once again for the preaching of Your Word and we ask that it will not remain as mere facts and intellectual knowledge, but help us to exercise faith and repentance to make choices so that our story will be Your story. I pray You bless our friends, our guests who are here today, in a very special way dear Lord - that they may understand Your word and decide to turn from sin and believe in Your Son. So bless each one, we pray this now in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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