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Daniel 2:1-23    God’s Hidden Kingdom:  Revelation in the Face of Imposters   
Rev. Tim Muse 
BPC 10/20/02  AM Service

Subjects:  Wisdom, Witchcraft, Revelation, Inspiration, Kingdom of God

Introduction

This morning’s sermon is the second in our series on the book of Daniel, entitled “When Times Get Tough, Keep Trusting In Your God!”  In last week’s introductory sermon, we saw that regardless of our circumstances (who we are, what we are tempted with, who we are tempted by, what others are doing)  we must be willing and determined to deny ourselves rather than defile ourselves in our service before the king.  We said this is particularly important because Satan seeks to brainwash both us and our children into embracing for ourselves the world view of his regime, and he will use any means to accomplish this.  Therefore, we need to thing biblically and critically, looking to the Lord for wisdom and exercising personal resolve.

Scripture Reading

¹In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep. ²So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed. When they came in and stood before the king, ³he said to them, “I have had a dream that troubles me and I want to know what it means.”

⁴Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”

⁵The king replied to the astrologers, “This is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces and your houses turned into piles of rubble. ⁶But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So tell me the dream and interpret it for me.”

⁷Once more they replied, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”

⁸Then the king answered, “I am certain that you are trying to gain time, because you realize that this is what I have firmly decided: ⁹If you do not tell me the dream, there is just one penalty for you. You have conspired to tell me misleading and wicked things, hoping the situation will change. So then, tell me the dream, and I will know that you can interpret it for me.”

¹⁰The astrologers answered the king, “There is not a man on earth who can do what the king asks! No king, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer. ¹¹What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among men.”

¹²This made the king so angry and furious that he ordered the execution of all the wise men of Babylon. ¹³So the decree was issued to put the wise men to death, and men were sent to look for Daniel and his friends to put them to death.

¹⁴When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, had gone out to put to death the wise men of Babylon, Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact. ¹⁵He asked the king’s officer, “Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?” Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel. ¹⁶At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him.

¹⁷Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. ¹⁸He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. ¹⁹During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven ²⁰and said:

              “Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his.  He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them.  He gives

              wisdom to the wise  and knowledge to the discerning.  ²²He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.  ²³I

              thank and praise you, O God of my fathers:  You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known

to            to us the dream of the king.”

Here ends the reading of God’s revealing Word, a Word that continues to be concealed before the eyes of the world; but at the same time, a word that is both beheld and believed by those who belong to God!

Prayer

Glorious Father, whose Word is eternal & true, we pray today for illumination, that we might be built up in truth.  We pray for understanding and conviction, that your people might be delivered from destruction, that the false prophets of our day might be publicly exposed, and that the church’s view of Scripture, of revelation, of prayer, of your mercy and of your worship might be such that we are led to participate in the praise and thanksgiving of your name.  This prayer, we offer, in the name of him, who came as truth to us, Jesus Christ, our Lord.  Amen.

Sermon

Harry Potter (hmph) a household name now that needs no introduction.  He’s no longer just a story book character, dreamed up by the woman who created him, but now a “rags to riches” story for that woman as Harry Potter has turned into a billion dollar industry, being embraced as one business man put it in an “absolutely bizarre craze” not only in the United States, but now with growing appeal in others parts of the world as well.

Here’s my Question:  WHY?  Many have already asked and debated the questions like “Should we take our kids to see it?  Is there anything wrong with it?  What effect is it going to have on organized religion and the rest of the world?”  But let’s go beyond those questions to ask WHY?  WHY has Harry Potter been so widely and affectionately received, not just nationally, but even internationally (a World-Wide Appeal)?  … and along with that question, WHY are the occults and eastern religions on the rise?  WHY as one source puts it are there over 5-600 cults and alternatively religions now in North America alone?  WHAT IS IT that UNDERLIES this “seemingly sudden flowering” of new religions and cults, particularly in the U.S. and N. America, but even across the world?

I’ve read one study called “The Flowering of the Cults in the 20^th Century”, which says that one could point to various influencing factors such as the Social Unrest & Upheaval of the 1960’s; the rescinding of the Asian Exclusion Laws and the raising of the Asian Immigration Quotas by President Johnson; as well as significant developments in the Scientific Community such as psychology, parapsychology, and  hallucinogenics   I believe they are right when they say that “Whatever the details, the flowering of the cults in the last two decades is best seen as the convergence and maturing of several trends which had been developing in N. America for many decades.  Unleashed by the demise of Asian immigration restrictions, these trends flowed into a new permissive environment.  Without the many years of effort by members of alternative religions prior to 1965 & the development of the culture to receive the Eastern gospel, there would have been little response to the Eastern teachers when they finally did arrive.”  You see, you and I live among a population (a world wide people group) that is open and permissive to … no, more than that, that is accepting and embracing anything that presents itself as new and as wisdom; looking not only to the hybrids of Christianity which are not Christian at all, to the false religions and cults that have been around for some time but now are more easily distributed due to the informational age we live in, and are even turning toward the East as some are calling it the “fountainhead of pure wisdom” with its  Witchcraft & Wizardry, it’s Magicians, Enchanters, Sorcerers & Astrologers, … JUST AS were found in the days of Daniel.  As the writer of Ecclesiastes puts it “There’s Nothing New under the Sun!”

The world today, just as in the days of Nebuchadezzar is searching for answers.  It’s people are troubled deep within, and though they are not quick to share that which troubles them most, they are looking to any and everything to ease their pain and scratch their itch, even it is only temporary and ultimately will not provide them with true and lasting and fruitful solutions (for example, alcohol, drugs, entertainment, the new age movement, eastern mysticism, etc.)  The world today is not only ignorant when it comes to possessing the answers that it needs, but it is confused when it comes to where or to whom it should look in finding by true wisdom and the solutions that truly save.

Where should a person turn in order to discover truth?  Answer – Because God, out of his mercy, makes known the mystery of his kingdom to his servants, we must believe on him that we might not perish with the rest, rather… that we might respond in praise!  That’s what we find in Daniel 2!

As a believer, you may say “that sounds somewhat familiar, I already know that.”  But, before you turn away, consider what the text says.  Daniel, the wise servant that he was, was concerned not only about himself, but for the welfare of his friends.  We read:  “He urged ..them …to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he   and his friends might not be executed (judged, condemned, and destroyed) along with the wise men of Babylon (imposters, false teachers and officials of his day).”  The point being that this message found in Daniel 2 is not only for you, but for you to share with and persuade your friends who also live in and are influenced by this permissive society and environment.

What does the Bible teach concerning the source of wisdom, power and blessing? 

To Understand the truth of Daniel 2, you must first learn to ask the right question!  It’s amazing, but of the tens of commentaries I’ve read on this chapter, very few if any ask the right question when it comes to understanding and highlighting the greatest truth found in the first half of the chapter… and if you don’t begin by asking the right question, this portion of the book reduces down to no more than a homily on prudence and prayer (these are important, but much more can be gained from this passage).

What’s clear is that this text deals with REVELATION (Making Known a Mystery).  This text also deals with INTERPRETATION (Understanding & the Applying that Mystery)  At Least 28 references in these 23 verses deal either directly or indirectly with making known the mystery and its meaning to the King.  (At least 32 references if you include vv. 24-26)  For example, vv. 2-3  “So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed. When they came in and stood before the king, he said to them, “I have had a dream that troubles me and I want to know what it means.”   v. 4  “Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”    vv. 5-6  “The king replied to the astrologers, “This is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces and your houses turned into piles of rubble. ⁶But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So tell me the dream and interpret it for me.”  v. 7  “Once more they replied, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”  … v. 16  “At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him.”  v. 23  “I thank and praise you, O God of my fathers:  You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of the king.”

With that in mind, here’s the Billion Dollar Question:  What is the DREAM (Mystery) the wise men are being asked to tell & interpret?  Many of you are used to the game “show and tell”… what is the Message & Meaning the Wise Men are being asked to “Tell & Show?”

The Answer is Easy, and we’ll unpack the details tonight.  But for this morning’s purpose, the answer is this:  the wise men are being asked to articulate the message of the Kingdom of God, and to interpret it (apply it)_ for the king himself!  Look at vv. 44-45 “’In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.  This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.”   Think about that, for you and I are being summonsed by the King (God in heaven) to do the SAME in our lives! To Know (or to be able to Articulate) the Mystery of the Kingdom of God (this we do by our Testimony); and to Display our Understanding & Conviction of it’s True Interpretation (this we do by our Witness).  Again, what you have here is a PICTURE of the wisdom, that the wise men of humanity are being summons by the king himself to testify concerning the mystery of God’s kingdom.

What we find is the so-called “Wise Men of the World” DO NOT have the answer concerning the mystery of God and of his kingdom and they are not able to articulate and explain what God is doing the present and in the future!  They can’t explain how he is bringing about the realization of his kingdom, for he reveals that only to his servants, and that in His proper timing!    Though the Psychic Hot Lines CLAIM to know the future …; though the man on television at night with that soft and soothing voice, who draws people in & deceives them into thinking he has some secret powers,  though the Evolutionists;  Astrologers; Horoscopes written up in magazines & newspaper; though the Intellectuals at Harvard, Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Muslims, or any other self-appointed leaders may CLAIM to Possess some extra biblical knowledge concerning God’s plan & His wisdom concerning the future, or to possess some extra human power or ability to do the unthinkable… well, have you ever heard the expression that “if it sounds too good to be true - it’s probably not” … that applies here.  The truth is God himself, has revealed not only the future, but the forgiveness and grace that will enable us to possess peace as we consider His mystery, and he does so through the Bible, and through His Son Jesus Christ, who is the ONLY Savior of this world.  And in vv. 5-6, we find there is a significant punishment for those imposters who claim to be wise, but fail to discern the message; and there is a significant reward for those who in seeking the God of heaven and in receiving his mercy are enabled to both communicate and display the message before Him who is the true king.  “The king replied to the astrologers, “This is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces and your houses turned into piles of rubble. [fulfilled not only in future judgment, but in the present spiritual condition & consequences of the homes of those who do not embrace the gospel]   But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. [fulfilled in the abundance of blessings enjoyed by those who are in Christ].  Here’s the Challenge, not only for them, but for us, as it’s found at the end of v. 6 “So tell me the dream and interpret it for me.”

With this backdrop, let’s look now at the details.  We’ll have to do so in summary fashion by looking at the different responses of Daniel and the False Prophets.  We’ll begin with the latter.

RESPONSES OF THE FALSE PROPHETS

I.                     THOUGH THEY DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE MESSAGE (Gospel), THEY ARE MORE THAN WILLING TO ESPOUSE THEIR IGNORANCE IN ITS PLACE

We see that in v. 4  “Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, ‘O king, live for ever!  Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”  That’s the SAME thing false teachers attempt to do today!  Though they don’t possess the knowledge of the kingdom of God, they are more than willing to espouse their interpretation of the kingdom.  Take for example those beautiful and well crafted commercials of the Mormons.  “Here’s a King James Version of the Holy Bible along with the Book of Mormon.”  In other words, they’re saying, it’s good you have the Word of God, but that’s not enough, let us interpret it for you.  Then there are those who encourage interfaith dialogue in the name of pluralism, who say “Christians, let’s talk, you come to the table and bring your truth, your view of the kingdom and it’s principles, and we’ll bring ours, and we’ll get together and see what we can come up with together.”  In other words, believers, come to the table with those of us who do not possess knowledge of the kingdom and you can learn from us.  Let us interpret religion for you!  The point is if these “wise men” didn’t possess knowledge of the mystery itself, there was no way they possessed the ability to interpret the mystery either.  We are told that archeologist have unearthed Manuals for Interpreting Dreams that were used in this era.  These manuals were so thick, that only an “expert” could find his way through them.  But the truth of the matter is that the message has been unveiled!  The Bible is clear and the Spirit will assist you in understanding it.  You do NOT need some self acclaimed guru to interpret it for you!  Pray!  & Look to the Lord for His revealed Wisdom!  These men gave the appearance of loving the king    v. 4 “O king, live forever,”; but the truth is found concerning their hearts and motives in v. 9  “… You have conspired to tell me misleading and wicked things…”

II.                   THOUGH THEY MISTAKENLY THINK THEY CAN MANIPULATE THE KING, THEIR MASQUERADE WILL BE SOON BE EXPOSED BY THE KING HIMSELF

Have you ever seen a teenager in trouble, & when his parents ask him “Where were you last night?”, the teenager instead of giving the answer responds “YOU tell me where I was.” How many parents ever let their child get away with this?  Not many, and it’s the same with God and the wise men.  The Hebrew of v. 5 says “… the word from me is sure (dependable)”  This points to the authority and dependability of God’s Word.  The king says one of two things will happen:  (1)  If you don’t/can’t tell me the mystery, (v. 9) there is “only one penalty for you”  v. 5  “I will have you cut into pieces & your houses turned into piles of rubble.” (Judgment)  (2) v. 6  “But if you till me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor.”  (Blessing).    v. 6  “So tell me the dream”  How do the “wise guys” respond?  v. 7 “Once more they replied, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”  The truth is they didn’t know the dream or the interpretation.  So, in v. 8, the king says “You’re trying to play me for a fool” & buy time… AS IF you will eventually get away without knowing the dream, BUT IT DOESN’T WORK that way:  I KNOW your Trick, I KNOW your heart…. My Judgment still stands “there is 1 PENALTY for you”  The point is there are many people today who are playing games with the Lord, and they think they are going to get away with it!  They’re thinking  “I’ll buy some more time”,  “He’ll forget about it”; “He’ll change his mind”  “Our Games will Fool him”  or “We can put blame on him, saying:  ‘If only you would have given us more information, etc.’”  There are many, not just practicing witchcraft, but in Protestant churches today, who are playing church, taking advantage of the fellowship and the good times, but clueless when it comes to understanding or articulating the basic truths of God’s kingdom and his salvation.  For these type people, JUDGMENT awaits! … that is, of course, unless they believe and repent, for God is “on to them!”    Where do you stand concerning the message of the kingdom of God?  Do you know the message, & can you respond to the King with that message, or, are you like so many our Evangelism Teams are talking with each week, that are members of Protestant churches, but have no clue when it comes to the truth and means of salvation.

QUESTION  Do you understand the gospel?  Do you understand the requirements of heaven? …& Do you meet them?

                        … or Are you simply trying to buy time, until it’s TOO LATE ……& GOD’S JUDGMENT is Handed Down to ?

III.                 THOUGH THEY DENY THE MESSIAH’S DWELLING, THEY ARE MADE TO DWELL IN DEATH

There are two arguments falsely held by the imposters.  (1) God is unfair in requiring this of them.  In v. 10, we read the astrologers answered the king, ‘There is not a man on earth who can do what the king asks!  No king, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer.”  (2)  God is Unfair b/c God has Not Made this Known to them.  v. 11 “What the king asks is too difficult.  No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among men.”  The Hebrew of that verse says “…except gods whose dwelling with flesh is not”  Does that remind you of John 1:14  and the incarnation of Jesus Christ?  “The Word became flesh & made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One & Only, who came from the Father, full of grace & truth.”  In v. 13,  “So the decree was issued to put the wise men to death…”  The point is no matter how wise one may claim to be, or how wise others claim to be, if they deny the earthly dwelling of the divine being (the God-man, Jesus Christ), only the severest judgment awaits them!  Such is the fate (future) of ALL those who fail to accept the revelation and incarnation of Jesus Christ to men.

RESPONSES OF DANIEL, THE SERVANT OF THE LORD

I.           I         A WISE & PRUDENT RESPONSE

In v. 15, Daniel asked the king’s officer, ‘Why did the king issue such a harsh (hasty) decree?”   He is given the answer to this question.  Then, in v. 16, we read  “At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him.”  As the Tyndale Commentary Series puts it:  “The ability to keep calm under severe shock and pressure, to think quickly and exercise faith in a moment of crisis, these are aspects of prudence and discretion seen in Daniel here.  You see, many today, instead of going to the king, act unwisely and irrationally.  They deny the truth, suppress the knowledge of their actual situation, respond as if they are eternally bullet proof, and again they turn to drugs, alcohol, to human relationships, to impurity, immorality, etc.  There was a time when I lived a dual life.  I went to church, but I didn’t want to spend time with God or deal directly with the Lord.   Note – Daniel didn’t hide from truth.  He acknowledged his dangerous position, & submitted himself to the King!

II.           II        A HUMBLE & PRAYERFUL RESPONSE

Note - Daniel didn’t look to his own wisdom, the wisdom of his friends or of those who claimed to be the wise men of his day.  Daniel turned to the Lord, prayed to the Lord, and pled the mercy of the Lord.  In v. 19, we find:  “During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision.”  As Matthew Henry says:  “When he had gained time he did not go to consult with the rest of the wise men whether there was anything in their art, in their books, that might be of use in this matter, but went to his house, there to be alone with his God, for from him alone, who is the Father of lights, he expected this great gift.” 

You may be questioning today, why should the Lord listen to my prayers?  Look to the example of Daniel.  He was an exile.  He was from a nation the Lord had turned over to be taught a lesson.  Why should the Lord listen and be good to him?   But Daniel trusted in the Lord’s character – he is a Merciful God!  Daniel trusted and put his faith in the mercy (forgiveness and favor) of the Lord.  That’s why sinners today do not need to put their hope in the hoax of the “hocus pocus of ancient astrology, divining, soothsaying, etc.”  Rather, they need to put their faith in the mercy of God & put their face toward him, in prayer and expectation.

III.                 A PERSONAL & WORSHIPFUL RESPONSE

Upon receiving the revelation from God, Daniel did not rush off to report to the king, neither did he go to his friends, he first responded with praise and adoration to his redeemer!  That is the response that we are to respond with today as believers who have been given the message concerning the kingdom of God!  In v. 19, we read “then Daniel praised the God of heaven and said:  Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his.”

We see that worship in vv. 21-22.  Daniel prays and praises saying:  “He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them.  He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.  He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.”  It’s as if he says “HE & NO OTHER!”  We are to worship & praise GOD, the God of the Bible, because HE IS the Source of all True Wisdom & Understanding!  Christianity is NOT a Façade for those who Simple & Ignorant!  The God of the Bible IS ONE who REVEALS DEEP & HIDDEN THINGS!  You DON’T NEED to turn to soothsayers & to religious fruitcakes to learn that which is TRULY DEEP!  God, through his Word & Spirit … reveals the Depth of our HEARTS, the Depth of our SIN, the Depth of our NEED, the Depth of His LOVE, the Deep Things concerning the FUTURE, the he Deep Things concerning HIMSELF! 

Daniel’s praise didn’t stop there.  In verse 23 this praise moves to the first person.  v. 23  “I thank and praise you, O God of my fathers:  you have given me wisdom and power,  you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of the king.”  Here, Daniel prays a “personal” response for both personal and corporate blessings!  Do you take the wisdom of God for granted?  Or, do you respond to God with such personal prayer and piety as Daniel?

I would like to conclude where we began.  This passage is not given just for you, but for you to encourage your friends as well.  If you know the God of heaven (God of the Bible) IS the source of ALL wisdom and power, shouldn’t you be URGING your friends and family to look to him for mercy as well?  Question:  Are you?  You don’t have to look for new or secret revelation, because the message and meaning of the kingdom have already been revealed!  As believers, you know it!  Will you articulate it for others?  Will you interpret it for them and apply it for them.  As the Hebrew of this passage puts it, will you “show” it by your life, your witness and your words?

Prayer

Our Father, we thank you this morning for the wisdom of your word, and we lift up praise and adoration to your name; being confident of the things revealed to us in your word of truth; looking to you for the wisdom, power, and grace that we need; and committing ourselves to care for and share with those like Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, who also need your mercy and grace. May you receive now our praise, for we pray this prayer in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

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