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Chapter
2 “…I the LORD
make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream.” Numbers
12:6 I. Daniel
2:1 A.
How is the King having these dreams? Job
33:13-18 B.
Who else had dreams? Gen. 20:3;
28:12; 31:10, 24; chapters 37, 40 and 41 II. Daniel
2:2-13 A.
What unusual thing does the king ask of his “wise men?” vss 2 and 5 B.
Why do you think he wanted them to tell him the dream? Vs 9 C.
What great fact do these wise men tell the king that people need to
understand today? Vs 10 D.
So it can’t be done and all are to be executed, including Daniel and his
three friends! III. Daniel
2:14-18 A. Daniel has to a right
to know what is going on. B. Daniel is allowed to
have the King’s ear. C. Daniel and his friends
begin to pray! Esther 4:15-16 IV. Daniel 2:19-23 A. Praise God who answers our prayers! B. Daniel sees more clearly in the dark! C. Daniel’s prayer follows the pattern
described by Jesus in Matthew 6:5-15. 1. Get alone. 2. Address the Father. 3.
Offer praise. 4. Offer your petition. D. Daniel’s specific “thank you” in verse 23. V. Daniel
2:24-30 A.
Daniel needs to see the King! B.
The King is direct: “Are you able to tell me?” C.
Daniel gives honor to Whom honor is due. “God is able!” D.
The “latter days” have been made known. 1.
This can mean just that, “later:” Gen. 49:1; Num. 24:14; Deut. 31:29; Job
42:12. 2.
It can refer to the time after the captivity: Deut. 4:30; Jer. 30:24. 3.
In either case, the “last days” of some time frame is in mind. E. Verse 29 says it
best, “thoughts of what would be after this.” “What is to be!” Compare this to verse 45, “The dream is
certain and the interpretation sure!” VI. Daniel
2:31-35 A. Gold head B. Silver chest, arms C. Bronze waist and thighs D. Iron legs E. Iron and clay feet F. One Mountain size Stone
cut out “by no human hand.” Job 34:20; Dan. 8:25; 2 Cor. 5:1; and something
similar in Lamentations 4:6. Reading
Lamentations is your homework! VI. Daniel 2:36-45 See the next page for details. VII. Daniel 2:46-49 Gold head- King Nebuchadnezzar
was the head of gold. Not just a wealthy kingdom as the gold would suggest
(did you read your homework from last week? 2 Kings 24), but the brains of a
world take-over (other homework from last week Jeremiah 27). The knowledge of
the Babylonians was legendary and it is the first true World Power. Egypt was powerful but it did not venture
too far north or east or west. Silver chest and arms- A mere 63 years
later, Cyrus the Great takes Babylon without a fight. As silver is inferior to gold, the Persian
Kingdom was inferior to the Babylonian Kingdom. The King of the Persians, who had recently
thrown off the yoke of the Medes, quietly slipped into the city of Babylon
and killed its king, the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar (again, last
week’s homework Jeremiah 27:7). Whereas Babylon was the “brains” of a world
take-over, it was the Medes and Persians which were the heart of further
world domination. The heart pumps the blood to every extension of the body
and the Medes and Persians extended world domination “from India to Ethiopia”
(Esther 1:1). This kingdom was in control for over 200 years. Bronze waist and thighs- Though bronze is not
a precious metal and does not symbolize wealth, it is a stronger metal, a
mixture of metals, and better suited for fighting. Greece, under Alexander
the Great, with its great fighting machine and alliance with the countries
around it, took over the world from the Persians by brute force. However, Alexander the Great died only 7
years later and the “world” was divided into four kingdoms which then fought
amongst each other for 300 years. Iron legs and clay mixed feet- The cheapest and yet
strongest metal of all is iron and this is the very powerful Rome which by
this time had methodically spread all over the world creating an uneasy
“union” of self-ruling subordinates one kingdom at a time. This powerful
leading nation could keep a relative calm and peace throughout the known
world and ushered in the “fullness of times” mentioned in Galatians 4:4 so
that Christ could be born, preach, die, rise again and have this Gospel
spread throughout the world with ease. Ephesians 1:3-10. The Stone- At precisely this
time during the Roman Era, at the feet and foundation of world power, God
Himself hurls the “chief Cornerstone” which smashes the image and sets it up
as the “Mountain of God.” Isaiah
2:2-3; 28:16; Ezekiel 17:22-24 The
Fall of Jerusalem “‘I
will make the land desolate, because they have acted faithlessly’, declares
the Lord God.” Ezekiel 15:8 I. 2 Kings 24:1-7 A. Jehoiakim pays tribute to King
Nebuchadnezzar (600 BC). B. Jehoiakim rebels thinking King
Nebuchadnezzar will lose to Egypt (598 BC). C. King Nebuchadnezzar kills Jehoiakim (597
BC). Jer. 22:18-19; 36:30-31 D. King Nebuchadnezzar makes Jehoiachin king
but changes his mind three months later. II. 2
Kings 24:8-17 A.
God passes Judgment on Jehoiachin. Jer.
22:24-27 B.
King Nebuchadnezzar takes what he pleases knowing God has given it to him. C.
King Nebuchadnezzar makes Uncle Zedekiah the King. (597 BC) III. 2
Kings 24:18-20 A.
Son of Josiah and the same mother as his brother, Jehoahaz. 2 Kings 23:31 B.
The beginning of his reign brings on Jeremiah’s prophetic demonstration in
Jeremiah 27. C. A false prophet
arises in Jeremiah 28 and is probably the persuasive factor in causing
Zedekiah to rebel against King Nebuchadnezzar. IV. 2
Kings 25:1-3 (588 BC) A. The tenth year of
Zedekiah’s reign. (587 BC) Jeremiah
32:1-5, 24-36 B. The fighting rages on! Jeremiah 34:1-7 C. Zedekiah’s request for
prayers and the response. Jeremiah
37:3-10 D. Zedekiah has one last
question! Jeremiah 38: 14-23 E. The end is chronicled. Jeremiah 52:1-16 January 10, 587 BC King
Nebuchadnezzar lays siege to Jerusalem. July 9, 586 BC No food left in
Jerusalem. People flee through a break in the wall. August 10, 586 BC Jerusalem is set
on fire and burned to the ground. January 5, 585 BC A fugitive finds
Ezekiel and tells him the news (Ezekiel 33:21). |