HopeLives365

Pastor Mark Finley: The kingdoms of this earth will crumble and the God's kingdom shall last forever and ever. The prophecy of Daniel Chapter 2 graphically portrays a God who has the wisdom to know the future and the might to shape it according to his ultimate purposes.

Guest (Female): This is Hope Lives 365 with Pastor Mark Finley. Today's message: The Prophecy that Stopped Hitler in his Tracks. Enjoy and remember you can always catch up with past messages and stay up to date with Hope Lives 365 and Pastor Mark by going to hopelives365.com. And now, Pastor Mark Finley.

Pastor Mark Finley: In 1940 and 1941, Hitler's German military might seemed unstoppable. His panzer division tanks in Blitzkrieg lightning attacks would set a new standard in 20th-century military warfare. His armies quickly overran Eastern Europe. They plowed through France and the Lowland countries. His bombers pounded London night after night.

In March of 1941, the German leader gave a significant speech to his people stating, "See my people, we do not need anything from God. We do not ask anything from him except that he let us alone. We want to fight our own war with our own guns without God. We want to gain our victory without the help of God."

Hitler arrogantly believed he could conquer Europe with the might of his armies. In 1941, who would dare that he was wrong? His claims appeared accurate. His predictions of a United Europe under Nazi regime seemed to be coming true. His vision of a royal race governing the masses looked very realistic. Who could stop him? Who could restrain the might of his armies? Who could stand before the onslaught of his invasions? Who could dare challenge his ambitions? Who could prove him wrong?

One man did. He was bold enough to challenge Hitler at the height of his power. His name was Arthur S. Maxwell. He was an avid Bible student. Maxwell edited Signs of the Times magazine in the 1940s. Through a series of editorials, he forecast the downfall of Hitler and the failed unification of Europe based on a series of prophecies in the second chapter of the book of Daniel.

Amazing, you say. How could he be so sure? Arthur Maxwell was so confident that the prophet Daniel got it right that he featured Hitler's defeat at the pinnacle of his power on the cover of his magazine. Some of Maxwell's colleagues cautioned him not to be so bold. But he believed God's words. He accepted God's words to the prophet Isaiah.

Isaiah 42:9 says, "Behold the former things have come to pass and new things I declare. Before they spring forth I will tell you." God knows the end from the beginning. He sees the future clearer than we see this moment. The second chapter of the book of Daniel contains an ancient prophecy 2,500 years old that predicted who would rule the world, how each ruler would rise and fall, and how our world would eventually end.

It began when Daniel was alive on earth, when a king dreamed of world events and that dream spanned over two millenniums. Those events have come to pass with such precision that only the hand of God could have been involved. It is a prophecy that proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that God is in control of history. It is a prophecy that has been almost totally fulfilled. Almost, but not quite.

And when you look back over the more than 2,000 years of this prophecy that have been fulfilled, you can look ahead with assurance at the last little bit that remains to be fulfilled. Let's listen to Daniel and let's let Daniel the prophet tell his story. He says in Daniel 2:1, "Now in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams and his spirit was so troubled that his sleep left him."

Who was this Nebuchadnezzar that had dreams he couldn't remember? He was the king who ruled the great Babylonian Empire from the massive walled city of Babylon, more than 600 years before Christ. The city covered 500 acres on both sides of the Euphrates River. The river flowed under the walls and through the city. It provided a constant water supply.

The Greek historian Herodotus reports that the city also had a 20-year food supply. The walls of Babylon were so thick that two chariots could race side-by-side on the walls. Babylon was located in the area of the world known as the Fertile Crescent and had an intricate system of canals which irrigated lush croplands.

Nebuchadnezzar built the luxurious Hanging Gardens, one of the seven wonders of the world, for his wife who had been brought up in the mountains and now missed her homeland. In these terraced gardens, fragrant flowers and fruit trees blossomed and water cascaded through an extremely advanced system of drainage.

At the center of Great Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar erected a 300-foot shrine to the pagan god Marduk. He plated the walls and the roof of the building with gold. The altar was solid gold. The throne and footstool were all of gold. Archaeologists estimate that Nebuchadnezzar used eight and a half tons of gold in his shrine to Marduk.

But then, Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon that ruled the then-known world from 605 to 539 BC, then had a magnificent dream amid all of his opulence and success and power. Nebuchadnezzar had this dream that he couldn't remember. I'm sure that you can relate to Nebuchadnezzar's experience. Waking up in the morning, knowing you had a dream, and trying in vain to remember it.

But I doubt if you ever took it to the extreme that Nebuchadnezzar did. The Bible tells us that he called together his magicians, astrologers, sorcerers, and Chaldeans and asked them to tell him what he dreamt. The Chaldeans replied, as you find in Daniel 2:4, "Oh King, live forever. Tell your servants the dream and we will give you the interpretation." They figured they could analyze the dream and make up some sort of interpretation once they knew what the dream was.

But interpretation wasn't yet the problem. Remembering it was the first step. King Nebuchadnezzar was upset. He saw through what they were trying to do and he demanded, "Tell me the dream and I shall know that you can give me its interpretation" (Daniel 2:9). In other words, the king was saying, "If you can't tell me what I dreamt last night in my dream, how in the world are you supposed to give me its meaning and tell me about the future? You're supposed to be able to see the future. Prove it now. Tell me what I dreamed."

The Chaldeans protested, "There's no man on earth who can do what you ask." They were exactly right. There was no man on earth that could interpret the dream, but there was a God in heaven that could. The situation began to heat up. But Nebuchadnezzar would not back off. He knew his dream was important and he was desperate to know what it meant.

The king became so angry that he decreed that if the wise men could not tell him his dream and its interpretation, he'd kill them. One of the men, Arioch, the king's captain, was sent to kill Daniel. Earlier, Daniel had been taken into captivity when Babylon attacked Jerusalem. Although Daniel was not one of Babylon's psychics, he was one of Babylon's educated elite. He was trained as a servant for the king and was recognized as a wise man.

Now when Daniel asked why he was to be killed, Arioch told him the story of the dream. The Bible says that Daniel went in to see the king and asked for time so that he could pray to the God of heaven who reveals all secrets. He had utmost confidence that God would solve the problem. Not confidence in himself that he could figure it out, but confidence in God to reveal it.

In a night vision, God did reveal the dream and its interpretation to his servant Daniel. Daniel prayed a wonderful prayer of thanks to God. You find it in Daniel Chapter 2, verse 20 to 23. Daniel says, "I thank you and praise you. You've given me wisdom and might." Daniel says, "God, wisdom and might are yours." God is wise enough to know the future and strong enough to architect the future and shape the events of the future.

Daniel was quick to give glory to God, not himself. He knew where his wisdom came from. He was quick to give thanks and praise and honor to the God of heaven. And then Daniel went in to see the king and told him that no wise man, no astrologer, no magician, no soothsayer could reveal the dream. "But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets," Daniel told the king. "And he has revealed to King Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days."

God was very clear with Daniel that the dream the king had dreamed actually revealed events that would occur in the last days of earth's history. It foretold events that would occur at the close of earth's history. The dream starts back in the days of Nebuchadnezzar and it goes forth generation after generation to the last days of earth's history.

Daniel went on to tell the king what he dreamed. "You, oh King, were watching and behold a great image. This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you and its form was awesome. The image's head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay and broke them to pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together and became like the chaff from the summer threshing floors. The wind carried them away so that no trace of them could be found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain that filled the whole earth."

Daniel records this in Daniel Chapter 2, verse 31 to 35. The king was excited. "Yes, that's it. That's it, Daniel. That's exactly what I saw. But Daniel, what does it mean?" Does Daniel begin to stutter and say, "Well, well, I know what you dreamed, but I don't know what it means"? Did God bring him halfway only to leave him there? Of course not. God told Daniel the dream and he told him the interpretation. This is a dream not only for Nebuchadnezzar, but it's a vision for us as well.

And God has made it simple for us to understand. There's no guesswork. It's all spelled out very clearly. Note how Daniel began the interpretation.

Guest (Female): We'll be right back with Pastor Mark Finley. We thank you for listening and hope you're enjoying today's message. Our mission is to attractively present the Christ-centered biblical truths of Scripture in a practical, relevant way to people around the world so that they may experience the abundant life that Christ offers and effectively share with confidence his life-changing truths with others. You can support this ministry and help us reach even more by going to hopelives365.com/donate. And now, back to Pastor Mark Finley.

Pastor Mark Finley: Note how Daniel began the interpretation. "You, oh King, are a king of kings." Daniel 2:37 and 38. Daniel speaks to Nebuchadnezzar and he looks him in the eye and he says, "You are this head of gold." History books tell us that the Babylonian Empire was the dominant world power from 605 BC to 539 BC.

History books tell us that King Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom was splashed with gold. Remember how lavishly gold was used in Bel-Marduk's temple? In that one temple alone, Nebuchadnezzar used tons of gold. There's no better way for God to describe the Babylonian Empire than by using the symbol of gold. Nebuchadnezzar was happy with this interpretation. He liked being the head of gold. He wanted the head of gold to last forever.

His ambition was to establish a kingdom which would reign for millenniums. Sometime ago, archaeologists unearthed this inscription on one of Babylon's clay tablets: "Oh Babylon, the delight of mine eyes, the excellency of the kingdoms, may it last forever." Nebuchadnezzar. But God had other plans. The prophet Daniel continues explaining the dream. "After you shall arise another kingdom" (verse 39).

What would that other kingdom be? What would the name of that other kingdom be? If you're a student of history, you know clearly that after Babylon, Medo-Persia rose. At the time Nebuchadnezzar had his dream, he was as secure as the world ruler with no reason to suspect that it wouldn't be always so. But he was to be overthrown by a kingdom represented in Daniel 2:32 as the chest and arms of silver.

Just a few pages ahead in your Bible, in Daniel 5:28, the next ruling power is named as the Medes and Persians. Again, a fitting symbol. The arms joined at the chest to show two kingdoms, the Medes and the Persians. The Medes and the Persians ruled the world from 538 BC to 331 BC. The story of how the Babylonians were overthrown is told in Daniel 5.

King Belshazzar, grandson of King Nebuchadnezzar, hosted a feast for a thousand of his lords. He called for the gold and silver vessels captured from the temple in Jerusalem to be brought to him. From these holy vessels that had been used in the temple services to worship the God of heaven, he drank wine. Just think about it. What sacrilege. Drinking wine out of the holy vessels that were used to serve the King of Kings, used in the presence of the Shekinah glory of God in the ancient sanctuary. What sacrilege.

In the midst of this drunken party, a mysterious bloodless hand appeared and wrote words on the wall: Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin. The interpretation of these words spelled doom for the mighty Babylonian Empire. "Mene: God has numbered your kingdom and finished it. Tekel: You've been weighed in the balances and found wanting. Peres: Your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and the Persians" (Daniel 5:26-28).

That very night, the Medes and Persians diverted the Euphrates River that ran under the massive walls of Babylon. They marched their armies straight down the dry riverbed, came up inside the city. 150 years in advance, Isaiah not only foretold in Chapters 44 and 45 exactly how Babylon would be overthrown, he named the leader of the army who would do it: Cyrus. They were overtaken in one night by the Medo-Persian army led by Cyrus, just as the Bible predicted, just as Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream.

If you visit the British Museum in London, England, you'll see one of the most amazing archaeological discoveries of all time. The Cyrus Cylinder is the rock record of the Persian king's attack on Babylon. It clearly reveals the name of the Persian king who engineered Babylon's overthrow, Cyrus. It details what happened during and after the attack.

It even mentions Cyrus allowed the Israelites to return from captivity to their homeland to Jerusalem to worship. The rock record confirms the authenticity of Isaiah's prophecy in Isaiah 44:28 and Isaiah 45:1. This remarkable prophecy named Cyrus as the Persian ruler who would overthrow Babylon.

Furthermore, he foretold how he would accomplish the task. This is amazing, this incredible. The prophecy correctly delineated Cyrus would dry up Babylon's rivers. It goes on to predict that the Persian king would pass a decree to allow the Israelites in captivity to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. The details of this prophecy were fulfilled precisely.

Rock records reveal the accuracy of God's word. This Cyrus Cylinder chronicles the Persian king's attack on Babylon. This tablet confirms the authenticity of prophecy. It reveals for all generations, one, that Cyrus did overthrow Babylon. Two, that Cyrus did conquer the city by diverting the Euphrates and marching his armies down the dry riverbed under the gates. Three, as predicted, the inner gates of the city were not shut. Four, Cyrus did pass a decree allowing God's people to return to Jerusalem.

The Medes and Persians ruled the world for nearly two centuries. But Nebuchadnezzar's dream doesn't end there, neither does history. Time marches on, one kingdom replacing another kingdom, just as God foretold in the dream of Nebuchadnezzar. We go now to the march of empire. As there's Babylon the head of gold, there's the breast and arms of silver representing Medo-Persia.

But what about those thighs of brass? What kingdom overthrew the Medes and Persians? The next kingdom is described in Daniel 2:32 as the belly and thighs of bronze. More than 200 years in advance, Daniel, can you believe this, actually names Greece as this third kingdom which overthrew the Medes and the Persians. He names them in Daniel 8:21.

Once again, an appropriate representation. The Greek army was led by Alexander the Great, a young man who marched his men 11,000 miles conquering almost all of the then-known world before he died of malaria at the age of 33. What did Alexander's men wear into battle? Bronze breastplates, bronze helmets, bronze shields, bronze swords. Once again, God chose a fitting metaphor to describe the kingdom that would rule the world from 331 BC to 168 BC.

But history doesn't end with this third kingdom. Greece did not rule the world forever, for there was a fourth metal after the gold of Babylon, the silver of the Medes and Persians, the bronze, the brass. The next kingdom is represented by iron. Daniel 2:40 says, "And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron."

The last kingdom to rule the entire known world is described as iron. In 168 BC, the iron monarchy of Rome overthrew the Greeks. So inescapably did the prophetic portrayal correspond to its historical fulfillment that the great English historian Edward Gibbon, though not a Christian or Bible believer himself, unwittingly used scriptural language in his monumental history of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire when he wrote, "The images of gold or silver or brass that might serve to represent the nations and their kings were successively broken by the iron monarchy of Rome."

He got the fact that they represented the nations, were successfully broken by the iron monarchy of Rome. The four metals used right in a row, exactly what Gibbon said. Just as the legs form the longest part of the body, Rome had the longest reign of any other world power. Little by little, Rome rose to power, fighting many wars and enslaving many people.

By the time Jesus was born, most of the then-known world was under Roman rule. You'll remember that Joseph and Mary were on their way to pay taxes to the Roman ruler Caesar Augustus when Jesus was born. For more than 500 years, Rome appeared to be invincible, her flag waving from the British Isles to the Arabian Gulf, from the North Sea to the Sahara Desert, from the Atlantic to the Euphrates and beyond.

But were the Romans the last ruling empire of the world? What did the Bible predict? Daniel wrote, "Whereas you saw feet and toes, part of potter's clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided" (Daniel 2:4). A divided empire? How did the Roman empire break up? Was it overcome by another world power, as it had happened in the preceding thousand years?

If this prophecy is to be right, it must predict what actually happened in history, that the legs of iron would not be succeeded by a fifth world-ruling power. History confirms that this seemingly unconquerable Roman Empire crumbled for two reasons: from within and from without. From within, wealth poured into Rome through taxes collected from all over the world.

The simple Roman life was replaced with luxury and pomp. The political world brewed with corruption. Crime infiltrated the streets. The work ethic was lost. Sexual immorality was rampant. And as the mighty Roman Empire weakened from within, Rome was attacked from without and divided into 10 major tribes.

Ten is not a coincidence. The God of the Bible looked down through the ages of history. He foresaw the division of 10. Therefore, this period of history is symbolized by the 10 toes of Nebuchadnezzar's image. The 10 tribes were the Alemanni who settled in what's become Germany, the Franks who settled in France, the Anglo-Saxons in England, the Visigoths in Spain, the Suevi in Portugal, the Lombards in Italy, and the Burgundians in Switzerland.

Originally, the Vandals, Ostrogoths, and Heruli took off over parts of the Roman Empire, but they were eventually destroyed. Daniel Chapter 2 predicted history from the time of the downfall of the Roman Empire to the end of time. This is amazing. Daniel's prophecy is incredibly precise. Describing the divisions of the Roman Empire, the prophet declares, listen to this, verse 42: "The kingdom will be partly strong and partly fragile or partly broken."

Throughout the centuries, some of the nations of Europe have been extremely strong while others have been very weak militarily, economically, and politically. The prophecy continues with these insightful words: "They shall mingle themselves with the seed of men, but they will not adhere one to another" (verse 43). So just as iron and clay do not mix, so the nations of divided Europe would never be reunited.

What does the prophet mean when he says they shall mingle their seeds? Political leaders have attempted to unite Europe essentially through three ways. First, politically through war. Second, economically through common currencies, trade agreements, and revenue sharing. And third, through the intermarriage of their offspring.

Guest (Female): You've been listening to Hope Lives 365 with Pastor Mark Finley. We hope you've enjoyed today's message and remind you that you can find more in our many ministry resources at hopelives365.com. And you can support this ministry by going to hopelives365.com/donate. And now, a final thought from Pastor Mark.

Pastor Mark Finley: Napoleon divorced Josephine and married Louise of Austria to unite the Napoleonic line with the Hapsburg line in an attempt to bring Europe together. It was Napoleon who said there'll be a European system, a European code of law, a European Court of Appeals, there will be one Europe.

But God's word said they shall not cleave together. Europe would never be permanently reunited again, no matter what Napoleon or Hitler declared. No matter how many battles are fought around the world, no matter how many Hitlers try to conquer the world, no matter how many potent Napoleons, no matter how many Charlemagnes, no matter how many times men try to unite the world as one kingdom, they will not succeed.

The prophecy of Daniel Chapter 2 graphically portrays a God who has the wisdom to know the future and the might to shape it according to his ultimate purposes. Although wars rage, natural disasters devastate nations, despotic rulers rule, and the affairs of the nation seem out of control, God sits enthroned, patiently guiding all history to its ultimate conclusion.

His kingdom will reign. His purposes will triumph. His plans will be accomplished, and he will win at last. The question is not whether Jesus wins. The question is whether you and I will stand with him and be winners on that last day.