The All Conquering Kingdom

Da 2:35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were broken to pieces at the same time and became like chaff on a threshing-floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.

Daniel 2 describes the progress of the All conquering Kingdom of God. The rock did not come as an appendage to one of the existing kingdoms, but completely overcame and replaced them.

Not only does this again demonstrate that all earthly authority will return to God, but it is also true when the Kingdom comes at a personal level. We cannot just accept the Kingdom of God as an appendage to our old way of life. To truly accept Christ we must first reject all the ways we once walked in. That is why you cannot separate repentance and faith. God is not willing to share us. To gain his kingdom we must be prepared to embrace the cross, as death to self and a resurrection to God. We become new creations, just as the destruction of the statue and it replacement with God's rock represents.

Jesus also stresses this in his parables of the Kingdom in Matthew 13. Both the parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl of Great Price tell that the one who gained them first had to "sell all he had". We cannot exist in two Kingdoms. To enter the Kingdom of God means to forever forsake the Kingdom of "Me".

King of Kings

Da 2:37 You, O king, are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory;

Rev 19:16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

I love Daniel chapter 2. The vision of the statue and the rock not cut by human hands that fills the earth is a wonderful image of the Kingdom of God.

Our God is the King of Kings. This phrase is used so often in Christian circles, and trips of the tongue so readily that we have lost the significance of what it really means. It does not merely mean he is the best King amongst Kings, but that he is the ultimate King over all other Kings. The rulers of the Nations are not the final authority, there is one who rules over them, just as they rule over others.

All authority comes from God. He is the source of all rule and governmental power on the earth. The message of Daniel 2 also shows that all authority is destined to return to him too. The rulers of the nations are just stewards and custodians of the authority they hold. It was not theirs to begin with, and it is not theirs to keep. God raises up who he wants, and God can just as easily take their power away. Ultimately all authority will revert to where it really belongs - The Kingdom of God. It was never God's intention that his earth should be ruled by a multiplicity of secular nations, but by one people in his image who rule on his behalf. God has not changed his mind, his Kingdom plan is still on track. The nations are just there as guardians over the earth until the rightful owner is ready to take possession.

It is interesting that this vision was given to King Nebuchadnezzar, one who's royal title was "King of Kings". He got given a dream by the true owner of that title!

Daniel Masterclass

Appologies once again for my absence from Blogging.

I have started the Series of teachings on Daniel that I mentioned at
the start of my Blog.This seems to be consuming almost all my free
time at the moment, as the weeks I am not teaching I am preparing the
notes for the next session.

It's going really well. We have had 2 sessions so far with 3 more to
go. I have 32 people signed up for the course. I'm really encouraged
by the numbers. It's great that that many people are prepared to get
up early on a Saturday morning to hear exposition from the Old
Testament.

Feedback has been very positive. Part of what I am trying to do in my
teaching is to show how Christ is revealed in the Old Testament (hence
my choice of Daniel - what better book could you choose? It was the
one Christ himself chose when he adopted the Messianic title "Son of
Man" over and above any of the others)

When things calm down a bit, I hope to start blogging some of my
insights from the word again. If there is the demand I may even post
links to the notes from my Daniel classes - just for my faithful
readers... (at least I know I have 1! -- Thanks Cerys :-))