The Ministry of Christ

The Ministry of Christ

7th Bible: New Testament

Chapter 2: The History of Christ’s People

Devotions: Daniel 2:28-45

I.  The Time Between the Old and New Testament

·  Old Testament history ends in the 4th century B.C. (400 B.C.)

·  The Jews have returned from exile and the temple is rebuilt – Read the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Prophecy of Malachi was written during this time.

II.  400 years from Malachi to birth of Jesus Christ

·  “there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days”

·  Dream in Daniel 2 speaks of 5 empires/kingdoms

·  4 of the empires during the 400 years between the testaments (intertestamental period)

III.  Description of Image – Daniel 2:31-33

1.  the head of gold (Daniel 2: 38) “Thou art this head of gold” [Babylon]

·  JEWS – the covenant people in exile because of their sin against Jehovah

2.  the breast and arms of silver [Medo-Persia] (see Daniel 5:22-28 Belshazzar was Nebuchadnezzar’s son who did not glorify God)

·  JEWS – king Cyrus makes a decree – the Jews are allowed to return (only 50,000 lead by Zerubbabel return – temple rebuilt (see Ezra 1:1)

3.  abdomen and thighs of brass (Daniel 2:39) [Greece]

·  Alexander the Great – conquered the known world and built Greek empire

·  Made the Greek language known throughout the world – helped in the spread of the gospel

4.  the legs of iron and feet of iron and clay (Daniel 2:40-43) [Rome] (last kingdom before Christ)

·  After the death of Alexander, Palestine switched hands several times (Syrian and Egyptian control)

·  Persecution by Antiochus Epiphanes

·  Judas Maccabeus lead a resistant group (the Maccabees, a family of priests) and the Jews became independent

·  When Syrian kings tried to re-conquer Palestine, the Maccabees called upon the rapidly growing Roman Empire for assistance. Instead of helping, the Romans claimed Palestine for themselves.

·  It was in the days that the Romans ruled the Promised Land that the image in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream was complete.

III.  The Kingdom of Christ

A.  Fifth kingdom in dream (2:44 “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom”)

B.  Set up by God

C.  Represented by a stone cut without hands (2:34 – “Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet”)

D.  Brake in pieces the image which represents the kingdoms of this world. (2:34-35 “brake them to pieces” “then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them”)

E.  Became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. (2:35 “and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth”)

F.  It would never be destroyed (2:44 “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed”)

“And the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” Verse 44b

“Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.” Verse 45