2025-03-23 - - Daniel 2:31-35 (5)

From Crisis to Clarity

Intro:

George Müller and God's Provision

In the 1800s, George Müller was known for his incredible faith and dependence on God. He founded orphanages in England that cared for thousands of children, yet he never once asked for financial support from people—he simply prayed and trusted God to provide.

One morning, the orphanage had no food to feed the children. The housemother came to Müller and asked what to do. He replied, “Let the children sit at the table. We will pray.” He thanked God for the meal—though there was none in sight—fully trusting that God would provide.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. It was the local baker. He said, “Mr. Müller, I couldn’t sleep last night. I felt the Lord impress on me that you needed bread, so I got up early and baked extra for you.” Moments later, another knock came—it was the milkman. His cart had broken down in front of the orphanage, and the milk would spoil. He asked, “Could you use some fresh milk?”

That morning, the children had a full meal, without Müller ever asking anyone but God.

Link:

Like Müller, we live in uncertain times, but God's sovereignty never fails. Just as He provided for the orphans, He will guide and sustain us as we navigate today’s world. We may not know every detail of the future, but we can trust that God is in control.

This story naturally leads into your discussion about God’s plan in Daniel 2, the rise and fall of kingdoms, and our ultimate hope in Christ’s eternal kingdom.

Would this story work for your sermon, or would you like a different missionary example?

Review:

Last Week we looked at:

2. Daniel’s Divine Interpretation (Daniel 2:36–43)

Lets look at the Statue

Head of Gold: Babylonian Empire. 606-539 BC (Daniel 2:37–38).

Silver: Medo-Persian Empire, inferior to Babylon. 539-331 BC (Daniel 2:39a).

Brass: Greece under Alexander the Great. Greek Empire 331-146 BC (Daniel 2:39b).

Iron: Rome, strong and crushing. Roman Empire. 146 BC - AD 476 (Daniel 2:40).

Iron and Clay: A future ten-nation confederation. This is a divided kingdom of ten (Daniel 2:41–43).

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Were going to look a bit here for a moment to

Let me explain these two views a bit more:

Amillennialism holds that there is no literal thousand-year reign of Christ on Earth (1&2). Instead, amillennialists interpret Christ's millennial reign in a spiritual sense, believing it began during His earthly ministry or at His resurrection and continues in the present age (2). They view the binding of Satan and resurrection mentioned in Revelation 20 as spiritual events, relating to Christ's victory on the cross and the new birth of believers. (2) (A problem I see here is, its been 2,000 years since Christ came, not 1,000. But they would say its symbolic.)

(1) J. B. Hixson and Mark Fontecchio, What Lies Ahead: A Biblical Overview of the End Times (Brenham, TX: Lucid Books, 2013), 188–189.

(2) Mark J. Keown, Discovering the New Testament: An Introduction to Its Background, Theology, and Themes: General Letters & Revelation (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2022), 283.

Premillennialism teaches that Christ will physically return to Earth before the Millennium to establish a literal thousand-year kingdom(1&3). Premillennialists interpret Revelation 20 more literally, expecting Christ to reign visibly on Earth for a thousand years before the final judgment (3&4).

(1) J. B. Hixson and Mark Fontecchio, What Lies Ahead: A Biblical Overview of the End Times (Brenham, TX: Lucid Books, 2013), 188–189.

(3) Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, “Millennium,” in Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988) 1460.

The Moody Bible Commentary 6. Daniel’s Revelation and Interpretation before the King (2:25–45)

The evidence that there will be a literal, earthly, end-of-days kingdom of God and not merely the Church spiritually overtaking human governments is, (1) that all the previous kingdoms depicted in the statue were earthly; (2) that there was no coalition of conquered kings or kingdoms as described in 2:41–42 in the Roman Empire at the Messiah’s first advent as would be required if the Church were the kingdom; (3) that the stone, which represents the kingdom of God, destroys earthly kingdoms, yet the Lord Jesus did not do this at His first advent; (4) that the advent of the kingdom of God is described as a sudden overturn of earthly kingdoms, not the gradual transformation through the influence of the Church, and (5) that this vision is parallel to the four beasts described in chap. 7. All agree that in chap. 7 the kingdom arrives with the return of Jesus the Messiah—so should it be the same with the coming of the kingdom of God here in chap. 2

The other Millennial viewpoint is Postmillenialism. We live through the Millennium which is now and the world gradually improves as God’s spiritual kingdom spreads through the church.

Key Differences:

Pre-Mil, sees the millenium as a Literal 1,000 years, Before the Millennium, the world gets worse.

Believes in a physical rapture of the chruch. (Viewpoint on timing varries.)

A-Mil, sees the millenium purely as Symbolic (its now in the church age) It happens after our current age. The world has both good and evil until the end.

Tends not to believe in a physical rapture of the church, just Jesus comes back and we are with him.

Post-Mil, sees the millenium purely as Symbolic. In Postmillennialism, The Millennium (The 1,000 years is often seen as symbolic for a long period) is generally believed to have begun at Christ’s first coming and is progressing now. The key idea is that the Millennium is not a future event but rather a period of increasing Gospel influence leading to a Christianized world before Christ’s Second Coming.

Tends not to believe in a physical rapture of the church, just Jesus comes back and we are with him.

So Going back to the Feet and Toes based on a Premillenial View

The feet and toes in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (Daniel 2:33, 41-43) represent a future kingdom that is partially strong (iron) and partially weak (clay), indicating a divided or unstable rule. Unlike the previous empires (Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome), this kingdom is not entirely unified. The ten toes are often linked to ten rulers or ten divisions (cf. Daniel 7:24; Revelation 17:12).

There are several interpretations of what this final kingdom represents:

A Revived Roman Empire – Since the legs of iron represent Rome, many believe the feet and toes symbolize a future revived Roman Empire, possibly as a coalition of nations with both strong and weak elements.

Some suggest the European Union or another future federation could be its revival.

1948 Israel became a nation again after 2,000 years.

The prophetic time clock starts to tick again:

It’s been said that God’s Prophetic Time Clock is the nation of Israel.

The rebirth of Israel in 1948 is like the “HOUR HAND”

The regaining of Jerusalem is like the “MINUTE HAND”

The building of the Third Temple is like the “SECOND HAND”

Since Israel has become a nation again, we have seen many powerful Globalist groups start up.

Find Groups & Dates of Global Organizations in (Koofr/Documents/ProphecyWatch/VerifiedListWorldOrganizationAndDates)

Discuss how for years mankind has tried to come together as one. Look how man organization and ideas have started up since Israels rebirth.

A Future Global Government with Ten Regional Divisions – Some view the ten toes as a global system where power is divided into ten regions.

This could include organizations like

the United Nations

Some have speculated recently they are not kingdoms but even Rich men or technocrats.

Even a mix of iron and clay to mean a mix of machines & humans, Iron & Clay.

Or other geopolitical alliances.

We don’t know for sure but what we know is, it will fall like the others did.

The Iron and Clay mix seems to indicate instability where some are stronger then others, leading to division and strife. (Not that we ever don’t get along)

Support: Revelation 17:12 speaks of ten kings ruling simultaneously before being destroyed.

Revelation 17:12 NKJV

12 “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast.

Sources:

John Walvoord, Daniel: The Key to Prophetic Revelation (1971) – Links the toes to future world powers.

Mark Hitchcock, The End (2012) – Suggests a final world order with ten regions.

Teaching: God’s sovereign plan governs the rise and fall of kingdoms; His word is trustworthy.

Application: Finding Peace in Uncertain Times

If you feel anxious or fearful about societal issues and the instability in today’s world, take heart—God’s promises offer hope and assurance. Engage in meaningful conversations that reflect His sovereignty.

Come join us for prayer on Wednesday nights at 6:30 PM, or set up a time to talk with me about what’s on your heart. You don’t have to carry these burdens alone. Talk about it with a trusted Christian friend who will pray with and for you.

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." — Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV)

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3. Kingdom of Christ Confirmed (Daniel 2:44–45)

The Stone:

Daniel 2:44-45 (NKJV): “And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Inasmuch as you saw that the 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 come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure.”

In Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, a stone "cut without hands" smashes the feet and toes, bringing an end to all human kingdoms and establishing a new kingdom that lasts forever

Christological Focus: The stone is Jesus Christ, the Rock:

Matthew 21:42-44 (NKJV): “Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the Scriptures: “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes”? Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.’”

Fulfilling the prophecy with His eternal reign.

Conclusion

Encouragement: Despite chaos and uncertainty, God’s plans unfold perfectly, offering believers peace and assurance through validated prophecy.

Challenge: Perhaps you may be currently facing a challenge, or one might come unexpectedly this week. Take it to Jesus and share it with a trusted Christian friend or the church so we can pray with you. Be BOLD in seeking God’s guidance, and be BOLD in following His direction as you address the challenge, trusting that He will guide you through it. And remember to give thanks to God throughout the process, keeping a heart of gratitude for all His help.

Saved: If you know Jesus as your Savior and someone approaches you for help, be BOLD. Pray with them and for them, and ask God how He wants you to assist them.

Unsaved: If you don’t know Jesus as your Savior and have never trusted in Him, know that His help is only guaranteed if you have a relationship with Him. There are many benefits to being His child—benefits that you won’t experience or be guaranteed if you don’t know Him as your Savior. Acts 16:31 “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

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