Context No. 3103 of 4322 · Daniel (Greek)

Daniel (Greek) 2:44-49: in context

44“In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, nor will its sovereignty be left to another people; but it will break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it will stand forever. 45Because you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. The great God has made known to the king what will happen hereafter. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.” 46Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, worshiped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an offering and sweet odors to him. 47The king answered to Daniel, and said, “Of a truth your God is the God of gods, and the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you have been able to reveal this secret.” 48Then the king made Daniel great, and gave him many great gifts, and made him rule over the whole province of Babylon, and to be chief governor over all the wise men of Babylon. 49Daniel requested of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon; but Daniel was in the king’s gate.

Daniel interprets the king's dream of a great statue. In the days of those kings, he says, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, a stone cut from a mountain without human hands, that breaks all the other kingdoms to pieces and itself stands forever. Nebuchadnezzar falls on his face and confesses that Daniel's God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and promotes Daniel over the province.

The climax of the dream is the everlasting kingdom. All the empires of the vision, gold, silver, bronze, iron, however dazzling, are temporary; but the stone cut without human hands, God's own kingdom, breaks them all and fills the earth, and it will never be destroyed. Every human empire, however great in its day, is on a timeline; God's kingdom alone is eternal. And notice, even the pagan king is brought to confess, truly your God is the God of gods. The interpretation leads not to the exalting of Daniel but of Daniel's God.

Do I set my hope on the one kingdom that will never be destroyed, rather than on the human empires and powers that all have their day and pass?

Sources

Daniel 2:44: "The God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed... it will stand forever."
Daniel 7:14: "His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which will not pass away."
Hebrews 12:28: "Therefore, receiving a Kingdom that can't be shaken, let's have grace, through which we serve God acceptably."