Eschatology #3 -Daniel Chapter 2
About this sermon
Pastor Dean Odle teaches Daniel 2 as a God-given outline of successive kingdoms culminating in a divided end-time order destroyed by the kingdom of Jesus Christ. He follows Nebuchadnezzar’s dream from Babylon’s head of gold through the silver, bronze, and iron kingdoms to the feet of iron mixed with clay. Daniel’s revelation, Odle argues, demonstrates God’s sovereignty and the certainty of prophecy.
Chronological teaching outline
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Nebuchadnezzar demands both his forgotten dream and its interpretation, exposing the inability of Babylon’s astrologers and wise men. Odle presents the crisis as a deliberate contrast between occult claims and revelation from the true God.
Daniel seeks mercy with his companions, receives the secret, and credits the God of heaven before explaining the image’s successive metals. Odle emphasizes that revelation belongs to God and that the dream reliably outlines kingdoms after Babylon.
Nebuchadnezzar falls before Daniel and confesses Daniel’s God as God of gods, Lord of kings, and revealer of secrets. Odle uses the language to discuss the triune Godhead and the king’s recognition that no Babylonian wisdom produced the answer.
A stone rejected by builders and cut without human hands is connected with Jesus. Odle explains that it strikes the image’s feet, crushes every human kingdom, and becomes a mountain filling the earth as Christ’s everlasting rule.
Preterist, historicist, futurist, and allegorical approaches are compared. Odle defends a futurist reading because the stone has not yet visibly ended all human government or established the promised worldwide kingdom.
The two iron legs are interpreted as western Rome and the empire’s eastern or North African sphere. Odle argues that the end-time revival must include both geographic inheritances rather than Europe alone.
The United Nations and proposals to weaken or remove Security Council veto power are examined as efforts to create a more enforceable global authority. Odle sees the current limits of the UN as obstacles planners will seek to overcome.
Odle recounts alleged contacts involving the Vatican, Muhammad, and an adviser connected with Catholic interests. These disputed historical claims are offered to explain religious influence on Islam and remain attributed to the speaker.
The Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem, and earlier attempts to join eastern and western power are interpreted through iron mixed with clay. Odle argues that Roman and Islamic spheres repeatedly cooperate without achieving durable unity.
Modern popes praying with Muslim clerics and promoting interfaith relations are cited as contemporary continuation of that attempted alliance. Odle concludes that the fragile world system will nevertheless be displaced by Christ’s everlasting kingdom.
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Lightly edited for readability while preserving the speaker’s meaning and substantive statements.
- 0:00:11
All right. Good morning, everyone. We welcome our fire and grey school of industry students this morning The ones here ones watching and listening. I think I'm sound a little high volume on No one any echoes, but anyway, this is our what is it block 5 this is eschatology and Of course, that's the study of final things in times our eternal destinies and Today we're going to start our study through the book of Daniel now when I say that I'm talking about primarily the prophetic Parts of the book of Daniel we will talk about like today. We're gonna go. We'll just read an introduction We're not going to read chapter one. That's for you to read today we're going to cover thoroughly chapter 2 and the study of the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon that Daniel interpreted is really key to Bible prophecy it is a story that kind of tells you and in destroys actually destroys the false teaching of Preterism and But we'll we'll get into that in just a minute. But anyway, so this is eschatology class 3 book of Daniel And let's just read the introduction this introduction is From the Hebrew Greek keyword study Bible that I use I like their Introductions to the books of the Bible, but let's just read through this. It says Daniel Was a nobleman of Israel possibly a prince. It was taken to Babylon in the first deportation around 605 BC probably while in his early teens His ministry lasted the entire length of the Babylonian exile his last dated prophecy being made in 536 BC When Daniel was in his 80s The meaning of Daniel's name. My god is judge It's certainly in harmony with the overall theme of the book the sovereignty of God this book describes the current and future world Conflicts, but God's control over all events is clearly demonstrated Daniel is probably the most highly organized book in Scripture So I'm attribute this to the fact that near the end of his life Daniel rewrote and organized the whole book into one consolidated message But we don't know that so I love they do speculate The intricate arrangement of the ideas in the book demonstrates the extraordinary wisdom of Daniel The things that appear in Daniel's vision such as the great statue the beasts the angelic messengers the description of God's glory Are very similar to the things that are portrayed in the book of Revelation The book of Revelation cannot be properly interpreted without a general knowledge of the book of Daniel and with that I do agree
- 0:03:15
material from every chapter of Daniel is either quoted or alluded to in the book of Revelation and only two chapters in Revelation do not have some background in Daniel I actually call the book of Daniel the revelation of The Old Testament the book of Revelation for the Old Testament. So that's how important it is now what we're going to do of course chapter one deals with Daniel and his friends his young people being deported to Babylon after Nebuchadnezzar conquers Jerusalem of course, they're placed with the wise men and The astrologers and the magicians and of course They refuse to eat the king's meat which is sacrificed the idols to show that they won't compromise And so things start out, you know, Daniel starts out even in Babylonian captivity taking a stand against Compromise. All right, so this kind of shows you why God could use him in such a mighty way because he was He was going to be faithful to the Lord even in a you know Not the best situation. All right, even among the enemies of God at this time So let's move on through we're going to just read through together We're going to read through the book. I mean in Daniel chapter 2 we're going to read the whole chapter is today we're going to go through the whole chapter and we're going to break down the in the what the dream the prophetic dream that God gave King Nebuchadnezzar and gave Daniel the interpretation We're really going to focus in on that, but let's start reading here Daniel chapter 2 verse 1 And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams where with his spirit was troubled in his sleep break from him Then the king commanded to call the magicians and the astrologers and the sorcerers and the Chaldeans for to show the king his dreams So they came and stood before the king and the king said them I have dreamed a dream My spirit was troubled to know the dream Then spake the Chaldeans to the king and Syriac. Oh king live forever Tell thy servants the dream and we will show the interpretation The king answered and said of the Chaldeans this thing is gone for me If you will not make known unto me the dream with the interpretation thereof You shall be cut in pieces and your house shall be made a dung hill Nice fella that Nebuchadnezzar, huh? So he says but if you show the dream and the interpretation thereof you shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honor Therefore show me the dream and the interpretation thereof And they answered again and said let the king tell his servants the dream and we will show the interpretation of it The king answered and said I know of a certainty that you would gain the time basically you're just trying to delay I've told you what you're gonna do He said because you see the thing is gone from me
- 0:06:17
But if you will not make known unto me the dream There is but one decree for you for you have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me Tell the time be changed therefore tell me the dream and I shall know that you can show me the interpretation thereof The Chaldeans answered before the king and said there is not a man upon the earth that can show the king's matter Therefore there is no king lord nor ruler that asked such things at any magician astrologer Chaldean amazing saying No one can do this. No one's ever done this and no king's ever asked anything like this Let's keep reading And it is a rare thing that the king requires and there is none other that can show it before the king except the gods Whose dwelling is not with flesh for this cause the king was angry and very furious and Commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. Well, of course that would include Daniel and his friends and The Cree went forth that the wise men should be slain and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain then Daniel Answered with counsel and wisdom to Ariac the captain of the King's Guard Which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon he answered and said to Ariac the king's captain Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Ariac made the thing known to Daniel and Daniel went in and desired of the king that he would give him time and then He would show the king the interpretation Then Daniel went to his house and made the thing known to Hananiah Michelle and Azariah his companions And we keep going here verse 18 That they would desire mercies of God of heaven concerning the secret that Daniel and his fellow should not perish with the rest of the Wise men of Babylon. So so Daniel goes back and Ask his buddies and I say hey we need to pray and ask God for God's mercy and grace and help in this matter and they pray Seek God and guess what happens? Verse 19 then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Now, this is just a dream But this is a prophetic dream. What does God use prophetic dreams? God reveals things and dreams so often I cannot even tell you even recently. Well, but we'll be dealing with that here soon but Then what's the secret revealed unto Daniel in the night vision? Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven Daniel answered and said blessed be the name of God forever and ever for wisdom and might are his And he changes the times and the seasons he removeth kings and set his up kings He giveth wisdom unto the wise and knowledge to them that no understanding he reveal at the deep and secret things He knoweth what is in the darkness and the light dwelleth with him I thank thee and praise thee O thou God of my fathers who has given me wisdom and might and has made known unto me now What we desire to thee for thou hast now made known unto us the Kings matter so Daniels prayed he got his answer through a dream a night vision and
- 0:09:18
Then he wakes up and he praises God for the answer Truly a godly man here. It loves the Lord Verse 24 therefore Daniel went in unto Ariok who the king had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon He went and said thus unto him destroy not the wise men of Babylon bring me in before the king and I will show unto the king the interpretation Then Ariok brought Daniel in before the king and haste and said thus unto him I found a man of the captives of Judah that will make known of the king the interpretation The king answered and said to Daniel whose name was they gave him a Babylonian name belt the Shazzar Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen in the interpretation thereof Daniel answered in the presence of the king said the secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men and the Astrologers and the magicians and the soothsayers show unto the king But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets Praise God and maketh known to King Nebuchadnezzar. What shall be in the latter days now that is very important I want you to underline that Daniel says that the Lord the God of heaven the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob the God of his fathers Jehovah Elohim That he is revealed Secrets and that he is showing the king What shall be in the latter days or the last days? Okay, now he's going to show him the progression of things but all the way up to this is very important the Last days and I'm going to show you this vision shows the second coming of Jesus. Okay this was a amazing vision an amazing prophetic dream and revelation about The things that would lead up to The very last days in the second coming of Jesus Christ and the setting up of his kingdom on the earth So let's read verse 20 again, but Daniel says with that to the king But there is a God in heaven that revealeth Secrets and make known to King Nebuchadnezzar. What shall be in the latter days? Thy dream and the visions of thy head upon thy bed are these so he tells Nebuchadnezzar now Not just the interpretation. He tells him what he dreamed It's pretty intense right here, right? Said as for thee. Okay, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon my bed. What should come to pass hereafter? This is prophetic and he that revealeth secrets make us known to thee what shall come to pass But as for me this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living But for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart So here you see Daniel is also humble and he admitted This is not because I'm smarter than anybody else around here. It's just cuz God is revealing this
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