Introduction

The entire Book of Daniel speaks of God's sovereignty in the kingdoms of men. This is the message of the first chapter, and indeed, it is the same message of the second. Therefore, we must all cultivate the habit of grasping the central theme. If you grasp the theme, many things will become clear. If you do not, and you read bits and pieces, you will not understand what is being said.

If you ask me what the Book of Daniel is about, it is about God's sovereignty in the kingdoms of men. The Book of Daniel's discourse on this theme is brilliant, using stories to illustrate how God, through Daniel, manifested this theme before the kings of three dynasties and four generations: that God reigns in the kingdoms of men.

The Christian Faith is a Faith Concerning Future Revelation

The theme of this second chapter is: God reveals what must happen in the future. The Christian faith is a faith concerning future revelation. Without revelation concerning the future, Christianity would not be Christianity. Therefore, Isaiah 44:7:

Who is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before me what has happened since I established my ancient people, and what is yet to come— yes, let them foretell what will come. (Isaiah 44:7)

That is to say, our God often challenges idols because, no matter what kind of idol, it can only give you a fortune telling, but only the God revealed in the Bible can reveal the future of human history. In the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, he had a dream, and his mind was troubled, and he could not sleep, which was very distressing. As a result, he summoned all the Chaldean enchanters, conjurers, and sorcerers, including Daniel and his three friends.

After summoning them, he said: I had a dream, and my mind is troubled, and I want to know what this dream is all about. Then the Chaldeans said: May the king live forever! Please tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it. But this king was very interesting, and he posed a difficult problem for these Chaldeans.

The king replied to the Chaldeans: The dream has left me, but if you do not tell me the dream and its interpretation, you will be torn limb from limb, and your houses will be turned into piles of rubble. Aren't you very powerful? But if you tell me the dream and its interpretation, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So tell me the dream and its interpretation.

This topic is too difficult! It's like you asking me, What did I dream last night? Who knows what you dreamed! This sounds very strange, but it doesn't matter, our God can solve these problems. They said to the king a second time, May the king tell his servants the dream, and we will interpret it. The king answered, I am sure that you are trying to gain time, because you realize that the dream has left me. If you do not tell me the dream, there is only 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.

This matter immediately stumped these Chaldean magicians, conjurers, and sorcerers. The Chaldeans answered the king, There is no one on earth who can do what the king asks! No king, however great and powerful, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or Chaldean. What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among humans.

In fact, those who practice magic and sorcery recorded in the Bible are also quite powerful. It’s not that they can't do anything; they can actually do many things. But there is one thing they cannot do, and that is concerning the future revealed by God. They know nothing about the future, because the spirit behind them is not the God we believe in today.

When God sent Moses to Egypt to bring the Israelites out, the magicians under Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, were very good at deceiving the people, but the magic, sorcery, and evil arts they practiced were real. Just like today, many people go to different places to keep some little ghosts and then get some amulets. They do many things, but if they encounter a request like Nebuchadnezzar's, they are finished. These magicians had no ability in the matter of Nebuchadnezzar's dream interpretation, so Nebuchadnezzar became furious.

What this king did was indeed unreasonable. Why? He had a dream and then forgot it. How can you interpret it? You go to a dream interpreter and ask him to interpret your dream. He asks you what you dreamed, and you say, I forgot. You must tell me what I dreamed last night, and you must also tell me the interpretation of the dream. This sounds unreasonable! But he is Nebuchadnezzar, the king, with great power. As a result, he was furious and ordered all the wise men of Babylon to be killed. As a result, people went to look for Daniel and his companions.

Daniel, Who Received God's Revelation with Faith

So, who posed this difficult problem? Don't think that Nebuchadnezzar posed the problem. In fact, God posed the problem! Do you know what happened later? If you have read this passage of the Bible, you will know that Daniel and his three good friends were promoted and greatly rewarded.

This dream is a difficult problem! But Daniel accepted it. Daniel actually hated those wise men and magicians, because those people were detestable to God. If you open the Old Testament, you can see that if there are those who consult ghosts, God said they should be cut off from the people! These people who practice sorcery and magic are actually doing these things.

If you examine them carefully, in fact, among the descendants of many practitioners of sorcery and magic, many have contracted strange diseases, many! Some of the people we have served, if there are ghost-mongers in their families, such as their grandmothers and mothers who are all ghost-mongers, then they will suffer from severe mental illness. Recently, we have dealt with several such people.

As a result, it was discovered that Saul, the king in the Book of Samuel, also suffered from this kind of mental illness, and his reaction was very interesting, very similar to these people! These people practice magic and sorcery, but they cannot help their own families, but the God we trust is not like this. The God we believe in is powerful! So Daniel took over this difficult problem.

Daniel replied to Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, Why is the king’s command so harsh? Arioch then explained the situation to Daniel: The king had a dream, but he forgot the dream. These magicians, sorcerers, and enchanters could not tell the dream the king had, nor could they give the king an accurate interpretation.

As a result, Daniel went in and asked the king to give him some time so that he could tell him the interpretation of the dream! That's bold enough! What if you can't fix it! In any case, it’s death if you can fix it, and it’s death if you can’t fix it, that's what ordinary people think. But this Daniel of ours is different. God gave him wisdom, understanding, and knowledge to understand all kinds of visions and dreams. This time it was a bit difficult. Not only did he have to know the dream, but he also had to know what the dream was. This Daniel is amazing! Daniel was filled with confidence in our God.

You must cultivate a habit. Before doing something, you must believe in God. If you don't believe in God and you are still asking, it is not very useful. Daniel took on this matter and told his three friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah to ask the God of heaven for mercy and reveal this mystery so that Daniel and his companions would not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Daniel's faith was so powerful that he was full of faith when he took on this difficult problem.

Our brothers and sisters must know that when you encounter difficult problems at work, don't hide! In my work position, I have helped my boss solve many technical problems. It is not that I am really great, but I know one thing: our God is great! From the beginning of my belief in the Lord, I have experienced many miraculous things.

So when you encounter difficulties, don't be afraid, don't back down, don't be timid! Know that our God will give people wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, and can also allow you to understand all kinds of visions and dreams, not to mention technical problems, because we have wisdom from heaven! In my past work position, I solved many technical problems, and they were all very difficult problems.

But compared with Daniel, I am far behind. Daniel believed before he asked that he could solve this problem. So before we solve a problem, we must first believe that we can solve the problem! You tell me my dream, and you also have to tell me the interpretation of the dream. What kind of topic is this?

Daniel knew one thing: it’s not that we are great, but that our God is great. He said: It is not because my wisdom is greater than that of all the living, but it is that God has revealed the mystery to me! Our God is a God who gives wisdom, but it is difficult for a person who lacks faith to draw upon the wisdom from heaven. As a result, God revealed this mystery to Daniel in a vision at night. Wow! That's amazing!

There is a very popular saying on Douyin: “This is amazing, this is too amazing, this is a master, this is a master!” Everyone thinks Daniel is a master, but the God behind Daniel is the master! Because the God we believe in is a God who will reveal to us what must happen in the future. He will not only reveal it to us, but also exalt us among all nations.

The emperor posed a difficult problem, but God would reveal the answer to this problem to Daniel in a vision. Then he went to tell the king that the king would exalt Daniel and his three friends in front of all the ministers. As a result, Daniel became the prime minister and was in charge of all the wise men, magicians, and sorcerers of Babylon.

Daniel is amazing, a master, a master among masters! That is not as simple as fortune-telling or divination, but to interpret the dream and tell the dream without even knowing the dream, that is too amazing! God actually did such a thing on Daniel! In fact, before Daniel did this, did he have no fear at all? Yes, but Daniel was full of faith! So brothers and sisters must know that people with faith are amazing!

God is the God Who is in Charge of Everything, Don't Be Afraid, Just Believe

After God revealed the future to Daniel, Daniel praised the God of heaven. Why did God point out these things? Because God wants to tell us that the name of God should be praised from everlasting to everlasting. Because wisdom and power belong to him. He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. 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. I thank you and praise you, God of my ancestors: You have given me wisdom and ability, you have granted us what we asked of you, and then you have revealed to us what the king demanded. Wow! That's great!

Some of our brothers and sisters are afraid of the boss, why are you not afraid of God? You should fear this God. Of course, we know that we must have honor when speaking to the king and the boss, but we must know that whether it is the king or your boss, they are actually under God's control. If you encounter a difficult problem, who knows if God will use this problem to promote you?

Therefore, Daniel solved this difficult problem, which is more powerful than all the wise men, throwing them off by several blocks at once. Not only several blocks, but maybe throwing them off in several cities. As a result, God revealed this mystery to Daniel. What did God use? God used Daniel's faith. People with faith are very powerful. In fact, I am full of faith in God in many things. I am full of faith in the future. I know that the future is in the hands of our God.

If you listen to my Bible study on Revelation, you will find that the Bible study on Revelation is about the future. Until today, I think I am giving the best Bible study on Revelation. I thank God that through Revelation and my prayers, God has explained to me what the future is all about. Why? Because I really love God very much, and those who love God will really receive many benefits.

God Reveals Mysteries to Those Who Love Him

Why are we filled with confidence about the future? Because God reigns in the kingdoms of men. It is not the emperor who reigns, nor your boss, but our God who reigns in the kingdoms of men. God bestows wisdom and understanding upon His servants, those who love Him, and He reveals future events to those who love Him. Just imagine how powerful you would be if you could know the future! If you knew the future, whom would you need to fear in this world? Would we not be exalted above all people among the nations?

That is how Daniel rose to prominence. What was the difference between Daniel and the others? The biggest difference was that Daniel had behind him the God who created the universe. And this God would reveal mysteries to those of us who love Him. Do you love money or do you love such a God? Of course, I would choose to love my God, to diligently keep His statutes, ordinances, and commandments, and then I will be exalted in God's hand above all others.

So Daniel went in to see Arioch, the commander of the guard whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; bring me in before the king, and I will tell the king the interpretation of the dream.” Arioch was overjoyed, and things became easier! He quickly brought Daniel before the king and introduced him, saying that he had found a man among the exiles from Judah who could tell the king the interpretation of the dream.

The king asked Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to tell me the dream that I saw and its interpretation?” He went straight to the point. Daniel answered the king,

Daniel answered the king, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you lay on your bed are these: As you were lying there, Your Majesty, your mind turned to things to come, and the revealer of mysteries showed you what is going to happen. As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have greater wisdom than anyone else alive, but so that Your Majesty may know the interpretation and that you may understand what went through your mind. (Daniel 2:27-30)

Interesting, isn't it? Why did the king think of these things? He wanted to know the future, and God revealed the future to him through a dream. Yet he still did not understand what the dream was.

Your Majesty looked, and there before you stood a large statue—an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. The head of the statue was made of pure 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 baked clay. While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were all broken to pieces and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth. “This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king. (Daniel 2:31-36)

See, this speaks of great confidence.

God Reigns in the Kingdoms of Men

Your Majesty, you are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory; in your hands he has placed all mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds in the sky. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are the head of gold. After you, another kingdom will arise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron—for iron breaks and smashes everything—and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others. Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. And just as you saw the iron mixed with clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay. “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 rock that you saw was 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. “The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is accurate, and its interpretation is trustworthy.”(Daniel 2:37-45)

Now, let me explain Daniel's interpretation. King Nebuchadnezzar ruled the Babylonian Empire, a vast empire spanning Eurasia. The kingdom that followed him was the Persian Empire, which was also very powerful, also spanning Eurasia. Later, the Persian Empire was replaced by the Roman Empire, the fourth kingdom.

But later, Europe, Africa, and Asia became like feet and toes, becoming many kings. Just like today, many parts of Europe, Africa, and Asia are many countries, like feet and toes. These kingdoms are both partly strong and partly weak, which is the state of affairs today. Then, just as you saw the iron mixed with clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united. Just like today, no matter which country, there are all kinds of people, yet they cannot unite with one another, just as iron and clay cannot unite. In fact, many cities today are immigrant cities, and this is the end of the world.

In the time of those kings, God will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, which is the kingdom of God, and it will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end. The kingdom of God will endure forever. Just as you saw a rock was 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—“The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future.” What does it reveal? The end of the world! In fact, our God is the Alpha and the Omega. Our God is the beginning of history and the end of human history.

Brothers and sisters, if you look at things from an eternal perspective, the things you face today are all small matters. If you see that our God reigns in the kingdoms of men, no matter how powerful a kingdom may be, a stone from God's hand can destroy all those kingdoms and establish an eternal kingdom, which is the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. When the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ comes to earth, it will be a very cruel thing for the kingdoms of this earth. This world and the kingdoms of this world will be shattered.

When King Nebuchadnezzar heard this interpretation, he fell prostrate before Daniel. Our God is so amazing! He explained human history from the ancient Babylonian Empire to the end of the world through just such a dream. But what was King Nebuchadnezzar's reaction after hearing this? He fell prostrate before Daniel! You should prostrate yourself before God! But that is how people are. He fell prostrate before Daniel and offered him gifts and incense. Then the king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.”

Today, our God reveals mysteries to us and exalts us among the nations. Even a kingdom as powerful as Babylon will be shattered. Shouldn't we see through everything in this world? Shouldn't King Nebuchadnezzar say, “Ah, so that's how it is”? Why then pursue earthly glory, wealth, and status? If we can see what God has revealed, we should fear this God and pursue what God wants us to pursue.

Because God will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, which is the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, and He will crush all the kingdoms on earth. It doesn't matter whether the kingdoms of this world are bronze, iron, or clay, God will destroy them. Brothers and sisters, you must know that our God is not patching up this world to build His kingdom; He is completely destroying the old kingdoms and then establishing His own kingdom.

Why? Because our God is completely incompatible with the kingdoms of this world. Even so, before the coming of the last days, God will exalt His servants. Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men. At Daniel’s request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to manage the affairs of the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained at the royal court.

Those Who Love and Fear God Lack No Good Thing

God will exalt His servants, even to the point where kings will prostrate themselves before Daniel. Listen to what the king said: “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries.” What then do we have to worry about? What do we fear? We only need to do one thing, which is to fear our God well.

Let us carefully consider the story of God orchestrating this perilous situation. It seemed as if people were going to be killed, including Daniel. What was the outcome? The outcome was that God’s servant Daniel and his three good friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, were promoted by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, their positions elevated, and made governors, in charge of Babylon and all the affairs of the province of Babylon.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, you must know that by fearing God, our God is the beginning of human history and He is also the end of human history, we must know that God reigns in the kingdoms of men. If God reigns in the kingdoms of men, He sets up kings and deposes kings. Do we still need to fear our boss? We can honour him, but we do not need to fear him at all.

The key point of our living is to grasp one thing, which is to fear God like Daniel, to diligently keep all His statutes, ordinances, and commandments, and to receive understanding and wisdom from God. I think that in this world, money is not a problem, living is not a problem, position is not a problem, work is not a problem, and difficulties are not problems. Our God will surely exalt us among the nations, placing us above all the nations of the earth, so that everything we do will find favour in His sight.

I firmly grasp such a concept: those whom I serve, the doctrine I preach is just that. If we firmly trust in God in this matter of living, whether you have three or five children, whether you have elderly parents above you and children below you, or even several elderly parents above you, these are not problems. Do not care about the environment we face. Are the difficulties we face today greater than the difficulties Daniel faced back then? Certainly not. No difficulty is a difficulty before God; nothing is impossible for God.

What is it that we lack? What we lack is to trust in Him firmly, to trust in Him firmly even if we die. Whether we possess such a resolve is very important. It doesn't matter if we have nothing, we don't even care about death, we just want to fear our God and serve Him alone so that we may live out His glory in this world. God will surely exalt us among the nations and let us taste His goodness, so those who fear the Lord lack no good thing.

Conclusion

So, brothers and sisters, do you believe in the Lord conditionally or unconditionally? If you say it is too difficult to believe in the Lord unconditionally, I tell you, it is actually not difficult. If there are conditions to believing in the Lord, and you put God aside when things happen, then you will never be able to solve all the problems you encounter in your life! Follow Daniel’s example and begin to know clearly that God reigns in the kingdoms of men. You must know that God can not only set up kings and depose kings, but God can also set up bosses and depose bosses. If you are a person like Daniel, God will exalt you above all others in the presence of your boss. May God bless everyone!