In Moscow stands the New
Tretyakov Gallery, a museum that displays art and artifacts from the days of
the former Soviet Union. Scattered along the banks of the Moscow River near the
museum are statues of once-powerful leaders that have been smashed and disfigured.
Images of Stalin and Lenin have their noses knocked off and their heads
separated from their bodies.[1]
These gloomy scenes bring
to mind the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2. He saw a statue with a
glorious head of gold, a chest and arms of silver, a torso of bronze, legs of
iron, and feet of iron and clay (2:31-33). It portrayed the succession of four
great ruling nations of the world. From history we know they were Babylon,
Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. Then a stone “cut out of the mountain without
hands” (2:45) rolled down and smashed the statue to smithereens. This pictured
God’s judgment of those four kingdoms and His supremacy over all the earth.
There are at least three
applications I think we can take away from this amazing prophecy. First, human government is directed by God.
When Daniel gave this prophecy Persia was just a vassal state under the
subjugation of the Babylonians. When Nebuchadnezzar dreamed this dream the
Greeks were a civilization still trying to carve out independence in the
Mediterranean. The glorious city of Rome was nothing but a small village on the
side of the Tiber River. The metallic man shows that God not only knows the
future rise and fall of kingdoms, but He is actively working to bring those
regimes into His plan.
I am reminded of what
occurred in 1787 at the Constitutional Convention which was held in
Philadelphia, PA. The goal of course was to develop a framework for the United
States government. On a particularly muggy day in June when the congress was
stalled in debate Benjamin Franklin addressed the other Founding Fathers and said,
“I have lived a long time sir and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs
I see of this truth—God governs in the affairs of men.”[2]
Second, human government is destined to deteriorate.
The image Nebuchadnezzar saw dazzled him with the brilliance of the precious
metals, but it was resting on delicate foundation of iron and clay. While the
kingdoms of man may look like they will stand the test of time every one of
them is destined to crumble. One devotional writer gave the following
illustration. My simple advice is not to place your hope in any man-made form
of government to solve the world’s problems.
Third, human government will be deposed by the
return of Christ. The only hope for humanity lies in the redemption found
in Jesus Christ. He is the King of kings
and the Lord of lords who is coming back to rightfully claim the throne that
belongs to Him.
When the great General
Napoleon was finally subdued and his armies disbanded, he was exiled to the
desolate island of St. Helena by the British. In the solitude of his defeat,
Napoleon had plenty of time to think about his wasted career and the vanity of
trying to conquer the world. In his last
days he regretfully wrote:
“Soon I shall be in my
grave, such is the fate of great men. So it was the Caesars and Alexander and I
too am forgotten. And the name of a
conqueror and an emperor is a college theme!
Our exploits are tasks given to pupils by their tutors who sit in
judgment upon us, awarding us censure or praise…I die before my time and my
dead body too must return to the earth and become food for worms…What an abyss
between my deep misery and the eternal reign of Christ, which is proclaimed,
loved and adored and which is extending over all the earth.”
Even so, come quickly Lord
Jesus.
No comments:
Post a Comment