Daniel 2: Can We Trust the Bible?

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1. Introduction:
   1. @ Newsweek, January 2, 2015. Cover story on the Bible
   2. @ “Quotation” Isn’t that right?
   3. @ The article goes on: “Quotation” Do you read your Bible?
   4. But then, Newsweek becomes skeptical: @ “Quotation @ Quotation”
   5. @ Summary:
      1. Everything you think you know about the Bible is wrong
      2. The Bible is merely a human document
      3. You can’t trust the Bible
   6. @ Is Newsweek correct?
2. @ Daniel 2: A powerful chapter giving a powerful answer.
   1. @ Book of Daniel: Written c. 530 BC
      1. Some scholars try to date it to c. 150 BC, because they don’t believe Daniel could have predicted the future.
      2. As we’ll see, it doesn’t matter
      3. The only way Daniel 2 could come true is if it was in fact inspired by God.
   2. @ King Nebuchadnezzar was in bed one night, wondering about the future. @ Daniel 2:1
   3. @ v. 2. Do you turn to astrology, fortune tellers, or horoscopes?
   4. Nebuchadnezzar ordered the “wise men” to tell him both his dream and its interpretation
   5. The jig was up. The “wise men” could easily invent an interpretation, but there was no way they could tell the king what he had dreamed.
   6. @ verse 12
   7. However, Daniel and his friends had not been present, and when the executioner came to his house, Daniel managed to obtain a stay of execution so he could tell the king the dream and the interpretation.
   8. @ Daniel and his friends had a season of prayer. Then, God gave Daniel a vision that night containing the king’s dream and its interpretation. Then there was another praise session.
      1. @When you face trouble, do you pray? Do you trust God to answer?
3. @ verse 26. The king asked…
   1. Daniel says, no person can. But, @ verse 28@
   2. @ Then, Daniel described the dream.
   3. @ verses 31-33 @ @ etc
   4. @ Review
   5. @ Verse 34
   6. Daniel now turns to the interpretation
   7. @ verses 37, 38 @
      1. @ Babylon, a golden city
   8. @ verse 39
      1. @ Medo-Persia—mocked by Babylon, but captured by Cyrus the Great while Babylonian King Belshazzar was drunk
   9. @ verse 39
      1. @Greek empire of Alexander the great. Alexander made extensive use of bronze in his army, as it was lighter than the alternatives yet strong enough.
   10. @ verse 40 @
       1. @ Roman empire.
       2. @ Edward Gibbon quote, using imagery from Daniel 2
       3. Rome set forth to conquer, and imposed the pax romana
       4. @ Under a Roman decree, Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born
       5. Under Roman rule, Jesus lived, died, and was resurrected
       6. Under Roman rule, the Christian church was founded and spread far and wide
       7. But Rome became corrupt. No single foe conquered Rome; as it disintegrated from within (due in part to moral decay), barbarian tribes from without attacked it and carved it up.
   11. @ verses 41, 42 @
       1. @ Eventually, Rome was broken up into ten parts, some of which were strong, and some of which were weak.
4. @ Verse 43: They shall not adhere to one another
   1. @ Charlemagne
      1. Christmas, AD 800
      2. At the age of twenty-nine the pope placed upon his head the crown of the Holy Roman Empire.
      3. The church approved of him and desired a united Europe.
      4. Yet nearly a half-century later he died—defeated. He could not make the iron and clay unite.
   2. @ Louis XIV, that very shrewd emperor of France, also tried to unite Europe into one empire and failed.
      1. Rule: 1643 to 1715,
      2. He was quite successfully conquering the Dutch when they opened the dikes and he was helpless to continue the campaign. Such a little thing to stop such a grand monarch!
   3. @ Napoleon is another ruler who tried and failed.
      1. He came very close to success.
      2. At 29 years of age he seized control of France and set out to give Europe one ruler.
      3. Military genius
      4. His army swept across Europe in unparalleled military action for 16 years, and it appeared that nothing would be able to stop him.
      5. @ After becoming a prisoner, Napoleon is reported to have said: “I wanted to found a European system, a European code of laws and court of appeals: there would have been but one people throughout Europe… Europe would soon have become one nation.”
      6. He should have read in the book of Daniel: “They will not adhere to one another.”
      7. @ It appeared that nothing would stop Napoleon. However, the elements entered into the picture at Waterloo, and Napoleon’s artillery became waterlogged, so he was defeated. Just a simple thing like rain defeated the mightiest conqueror.
      8. @ 30 years after Waterloo Dr. Thomas Arnold of Oxford said: “Quotation”
      9. @ “Quotation”
      10. @ Daniel 2:21 @ God controls the affairs of the world
   4. @ Adolf Hitler
      1. Attempted to conquer the world
      2. @ Defied God. Quotation @ Quotation
      3. @ Franz Hasel
         1. Adventist literature evangelist drafted into Hitler’s army
         2. Firmly opposed to Hitler
         3. Assigned to the Pioneers Company, which was always at the head of the German invasion force.
         4. In charge of all the supplies.
         5. Fought in the Soviet Union.
         6. Gave his commanding officer a Bible study on Daniel 2.
         7. During the time of greatest Nazi success, confidently asserted that Germany would lose the war
         8. As a result, the CO authorized the secret stockpiling of supplies to aid in a retreat
         9. At the war’s end, Hasel’s company was the deepest inside Russia, yet thanks to their stockpile and their understanding of Daniel 2, they made it back to the American lines and avoided becoming Soviet prisoners.
   5. @ European Union
      1. Many attempts to create a United States of Europe
         1. Constitution
         2. Euro
         3. All have failed or appear in trouble
   6. @ All attempts have failed
   7. Can we trust the Bible? Yes!
5. The future
   1. @ Daniel 2:44 @ @
   2. The rock that broke the image into pieces is the Rock of Ages, Jesus Christ.
   3. @ The Bible tells us that Jesus will return soon.
   4. @ When He returns, He will take with Him those who are ready to meet Him—those who have been saved by faith and sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
6. Appeal
   1. Will you commit to reading the Bible daily?
   2. Do you want to go with Jesus when He comes in the clouds?

Version 2

1. Introduction:
   1. Franz Hasel
      1. Christian drafted into Nazi army
      2. Sent to the front lines of the Russian campaign
      3. Man of faith and convictions and not a little gumption (gun, Jews, etc.)
      4. Grew weary of Nazi propaganda. He knew that:
         1. Morally, Germany had better not win the war.
         2. Biblically, Germany couldn’t win the war.
      5. After nearly getting himself in trouble over his anti-Nazi activities, he approached his Hauptmann (commander)
         1. “I understand that you were a professor of history before the war”
         2. “Yes, I was.”
         3. “I’ve been studying my Bible, Daniel 2 to be exact, and I’d like you to verify a few historical facts which relate to this chapter.”
         4. “Sure”
         5. Hasel began to give the Hauptmann a study of Daniel 2. After reviewing the prophecies, he declared: “So, you see, Germany cannot possibly win the war!”
         6. Surprised, the Hauptmann asked to borrow Hasel’s Bible and study notes and promised to get back to him.
   2. And there we leave the story for now.
   3. What was it that enabled Franz Hasel to predict Nazi Germany’s downfall at the height of their sucess, and gave a history professor pause to study Daniel 2?
2. Daniel 2: A powerful chapter giving a powerful answer.
   1. Book of Daniel: Written c. 530 BC
      1. Some scholars try to date it to c. 150 BC, because they don’t believe Daniel could have predicted the future.
      2. As we’ll see, it doesn’t matter
      3. The only way Daniel 2 could come true is if it was in fact inspired by God.
   2. King Nebuchadnezzar was in bed one night, wondering about the future. Daniel 2:1-2 p. 856
   3. Do you turn to astrology, fortune tellers, or horoscopes?
   4. Nebuchadnezzar ordered the “wise men” to tell him both his dream and its interpretation
   5. vv. 2:5, 6: The jig was up. The “wise men” could easily invent an interpretation, but there was no way they could tell the king what he had dreamed.
   6. @ verses 7-12
   7. However, Daniel and his friends had not been present, and when the executioner came to his house, Daniel managed to obtain a stay of execution so he could tell the king the dream and the interpretation.
   8. @ Daniel and his friends had a season of prayer. Then, God gave Daniel a vision that night containing the king’s dream and its interpretation. Then there was another praise session.
      1. @When you face trouble, do you pray? Do you trust God to answer?
3. @ verse 26. The king asked…
   1. Daniel says, no person can. But, @ verse 28@
   2. v. 29: The king had been wondering about the future.
   3. @ Then, Daniel described the dream.
   4. @ verses 31-35
   5. Daniel now turns to the interpretation
   6. @ verses 37, 38 @
      1. @ Babylon, a golden city
   7. @ verse 39
      1. @ Medo-Persia—mocked by Babylon, but captured by Cyrus the Great while Babylonian King Belshazzar was drunk
   8. @ verse 39
      1. @Greek empire of Alexander the great. Alexander made extensive use of bronze in his army, as it was lighter than the alternatives yet strong enough.
   9. @ verse 40 @
      1. @ Roman empire.
      2. “The images of gold, or silver, or brass [bronze], that might serve to represent the nations and their kings, were successively broken by the iron monarchy of Rome.”¹
      3. Rome set forth to conquer, and imposed the pax romana
      4. Under a Roman decree, Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born
      5. Under Roman rule, Jesus lived, died, and was resurrected
      6. Under Roman rule, the Christian church was founded and spread far and wide
      7. But Rome became corrupt. No single foe conquered Rome; as it disintegrated from within (due in part to moral decay), barbarian tribes from without attacked it and carved it up.
   10. @ verses 41, 42 @
       1. @ Eventually, Rome was broken up into ten parts, some of which were strong, and some of which were weak.
       2. These parts became the forerunners of the modern nations of Europe.
4. @ Verse 43: They shall not adhere to one another
   1. @ Charlemagne
      1. Christmas, AD 800
      2. At the age of twenty-nine the pope placed upon his head the crown of the Holy Roman Empire.
      3. The church approved of him and desired a united Europe.
      4. Yet nearly a half-century later he died—defeated. He could not make the iron and clay unite.
   2. @ Louis XIV, the emperor of France, also tried to unite Europe into one empire and failed.
      1. Rule: 1643 to 1715,
      2. He was quite successfully conquering the Dutch when they opened the dikes and he was helpless to continue the campaign. Such a little thing to stop such a grand monarch!
   3. @ Napoleon is another ruler who tried and failed.
      1. He came very close to success.
      2. At 29 years of age he seized control of France and set out to give Europe one ruler.
      3. Military genius
      4. His army swept across Europe in unparalleled military action for 16 years, and it appeared that nothing would be able to stop him.
      5. @ After becoming a prisoner, Napoleon is reported to have said: “I wanted to found a European system, a European code of laws and court of appeals: there would have been but one people throughout Europe… Europe would soon have become one nation.”
      6. He should have read in the book of Daniel: “They will not adhere to one another.”
      7. @ It appeared that nothing would stop Napoleon. However, the elements entered into the picture at Waterloo, and Napoleon’s artillery became waterlogged, so he was defeated. Just a simple thing like rain defeated the mightiest conqueror.
      8. @ 30 years after Waterloo Dr. Thomas Arnold of Oxford said: “What was the principal adversary of this tremendous power? by whom was it checked, and resisted, and put down? By none, and by nothing, but the direct and manifest interposition of God. The deliverance of Europe from the dominion of Napoleon was effected neither by Russia, nor Germany, nor by England, but by the hand of God.”
      9. @ Daniel 2:21 @ God controls the affairs of the world
   4. @ Adolf Hitler
      1. Attempted to conquer the world
      2. @ Defied God. “To my people: We do not need anything from God. We do not ask Him for anything except that He may let us alone. We want to fight our own war with our own guns without God.
      3. @ Franz Hasel
         1. Adventist literature evangelist drafted into Hitler’s army
         2. Firmly opposed to Hitler
         3. Assigned to the Pioneers Company, which was always at the head of the German invasion force.
         4. In charge of all the supplies.
         5. Fought in the Soviet Union.
         6. Gave his commanding officer a Bible study on Daniel 2.
         7. During the time of greatest Nazi success, confidently asserted that Germany would lose the war
         8. As a result, the CO authorized the secret stockpiling of supplies to aid in a retreat
         9. At the war’s end, Hasel’s company was the deepest inside Russia, yet thanks to their stockpile and their understanding of Daniel 2, they made it back to the American lines and avoided becoming Soviet prisoners.
   5. @ European Union
      1. Many attempts to create a United States of Europe
         1. Constitution
         2. Euro
      2. All have failed or appear in trouble
         1. Brexit
   6. @ All attempts have failed
   7. Can we trust the Bible? Yes!
5. The future
   1. @ Daniel 2:44-45
   2. The rock that broke the image into pieces is the Rock of Ages, Jesus Christ.
   3. @ The Bible tells us that Jesus will return soon.
   4. @ When He returns, He will take with Him those who are ready to meet Him—those who have been saved by faith and sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
6. So, what of Franz Hasel, the Christian soldier drafted into the Nazi army?
   1. When we left him, he had just given his Hauptmann a study on Daniel 2, and had shared his conviction that Germany couldn’t possibly win the war, despite all the success they were having at the time.
   2. The Hauptmann carefully studied Daniel 2, and concluded that Hasel’s interpretation was correct.
   3. He secretly ordered Hasel (who was the officer in charge of supplies) to secretly hold back fuel.
   4. At the end of the war, the Germans were in full retreat from Russia, in a mad dash to be captured by the Americans or British, rather than the Russians.
   5. Supplies were precipitously low, and many units were forced to abandon their vehicles when their fuel ran out and continue on foot. Of course, they didn’t make it and were captured by the Soviets and those who weren’t killed outright were very brutally treated.
   6. Hasel’s unit was the deepest in Russia when the retreat began. However, because of his and his Hauptmann’s understanding of Daniel 2, they had spare fuel. They passed many abandoned vehicles, and were able to drive all the way to the American lines, where they fell into much more reasonable hands.
7. Appeal
   1. Will you commit to reading the Bible daily?
   2. Do you want to go with Jesus when He comes in the clouds?

Footnotes