July 14, 2001 – July 20, 2001
MEMORY VERSE “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.” Daniel 2:44.
STUDY HELP: Prophets and Kings, 491–502.
Introduction
“The Lord was working in the Babylonian kingdom, communicating light to the four Hebrew captives, that He might represent His work before the people. He would reveal that He had power over the kingdoms of the world, to set up kings and to throw down kings. The King over all kings was communicating great truth to the king of Babylon, awakening in his mind a sense of his responsibility to God. He saw the contrast between the wisdom of God and the wisdom of the most learned men in his kingdom.” Special Testimonies on Education, 10.
“Nebuchadnezzar Dreamed Dreams”
1 What was the effect of his dreams on the king’s state of mind? Daniel 2:1.
NOTE: “Soon after Daniel and his companions entered the service of the king of Babylon, events occurred that revealed to an idolatrous nation the power and faithfulness of the God of Israel. Nebuchadnezzar had a remarkable dream, by which ‘his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.’ But although the king’s mind was deeply impressed, he found it impossible, when he awoke, to recall the particulars.” Prophets and Kings, 491.
2 What command did the king make of his astrologers and wise men and how did they respond? Daniel 2:2–9.
NOTE: “Dissatisfied with their evasive answer, and suspicious because, despite their pretentious claims to reveal the secrets of men, they nevertheless seemed unwilling to grant him help, the king commanded his wise men, with promises of wealth and honor on the one hand, and threats of death on the other, to tell him not only the interpretation of the dream, but the dream itself. . . . Still the wise men returned the answer, ‘Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation of it.’” Prophets and Kings, 492.
“There is Not a Man That Can Show the King’s Matter”
3 When the wise men failed to satisfy the king, what was his reaction? Daniel 2:10–13.
NOTE: “The inability of the wise men to tell the dream, is a representation of the wise men of the present day, who have not discernment and learning and knowledge from the Most High, and therefore are unable to understand the prophecies. The most learned in the world’s lore, who are not watching to hear what God says in His word, and opening their hearts to receive that word and give it to others, are not representatives of His. It is not the great and learned men of the earth, kings and nobles, who will receive the truth unto eternal life, though it will be brought to them.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 412.
4 What was Daniel’s suggestion when he heard of this matter? Daniel 2:14–18.
NOTE: “Upon hearing this, Daniel, taking his life in his hands, ventured into the king’s presence and begged that time be granted, that he might petition his God to reveal to him the dream and its interpretation. To this request the monarch acceded. ‘Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions.’ Together they sought for wisdom from the Source of light and knowledge. Their faith was strong in the consciousness that God had placed them where they were, that they were doing His work and meeting the demands of duty. In times of perplexity and danger they had always turned to Him for guidance and protection, and He had proved an ever-present help. Now with contrition of heart they submitted themselves anew to the Judge of the earth, pleading that He would grant them deliverance in this their time of special need.” Prophets and Kings, 493, 494.
“He Revealeth the Deep and Secret Things”
5 How did Daniel learn the king’s dream and its interpretation and what was his response? Daniel 2:19–23.
NOTE: “And they did not plead in vain. The God whom they had honored, now honored them. The Spirit of the Lord rested upon them, and to Daniel, ‘in a night vision,’ was revealed the king’s dream and its meaning. Daniel’s first act was to thank God for the revelation given him.” Prophets and Kings, 494.
6 How did Daniel reply to the king’s question? Daniel 2:26–28.
NOTE: “Behold the Jewish captive, calm and self-possessed, in the presence of the monarch of the world’s most powerful empire. In his first words he disclaimed honor for himself and exalted God as the source of all wisdom. To the anxious inquiry of the king, ‘Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof? ’ he replied: ‘The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, show unto the king; but there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days.’” Prophets and Kings, 494, 497.
“The Form Thereof Was Terrible”
7 How did Daniel describe the details of the king’s dream? Daniel 2:31–35.
NOTE: “The image shown to Nebuchadnezzar in the visions of the night represents the kingdoms of the world. The metals in the image, symbolizing the different kingdoms, became less and less pure and valuable, from the head down. The head of the image was of gold, the breast and arms of silver, the sides of brass, and the feet and toes iron mingled with clay. So the kingdoms represented by them deteriorated in value.” Review and Herald, February 6, 1900.
8 What did the golden head of the image represent? Daniel 2:36–38.
NOTE: “The vision of the great image, in which Babylon was represented as the head of gold, was given Nebuchadnezzar in order that he might have a clear understanding in regard to the end of all things earthly, and also in regard to the setting up of God’s everlasting kingdom. Although in the interpretation he was declared to be ‘a king of kings,’ this was because ‘the God of heaven’ had given him ‘a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.’ His kingdom was universal, extending ‘wheresoever the children of men dwell,’ yet it was to be followed by three other universal kingdoms, after which ‘the God of heaven’ would ‘set up a kingdom,’ which should ‘never be destroyed.’” Youth’s Instructor, October 11, 1904.
“After Thee . . .”
9 What did the silver breast and arms symbolize? What was the kingdom that superseded Babylon? Daniel 2:39, first part. Compare Daniel 5:28, 30, 31.
NOTE: “The image revealed to Nebuchadnezzar, while representing the deterioration of the kingdoms of the earth in power and glory, also fitly represents the deterioration of religion and morality among the people of these kingdoms. As nations forget God, in like proportion they become weak morally. Babylon passed away because in her prosperity she forgot God, and ascribed the glory of her prosperity to human achievement. The Medo-Persian kingdom was visited by the wrath of heaven because in this kingdom God’s law was trampled under foot. The fear of the Lord found no place in the hearts of the people. The prevailing influences in Medo-Persia were wickedness, blasphemy, and corruption.” Youth’s Instructor, September 22, 1903.
10 How was the third kingdom symbolized? What was the name of this kingdom? Daniel 2:39, last part. Compare Daniel 7:3–7, 20, 21.
NOTE: “Every nation that has come upon the stage of action has been permitted to occupy its place on the earth, that the fact might be determined whether it would fulfill the purposes of the Watcher and the Holy One. Prophecy has traced the rise and progress of the world’s great empires—Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. With each of these, as with the nations of less power, history has repeated itself. Each has had its period of test; each has failed, its glory faded, its power departed.” Prophets and Kings, 535.
“The Fourth Kingdom”
11 How is the fourth kingdom described? Daniel 2:40.
NOTE: “What kingdom succeeded Greece in the empire of the world, for the legs of iron denote the fourth kingdom in the series? The testimony of history is full and explicit on this point. One kingdom did this, and one only, and that was Rome.” Uriah Smith, Daniel and the Revelation, 54.
“When the empire of Babylon was so strong and its influence so far-reaching that seemingly the most powerful foe could not take its sceptre, Daniel, a man inspired by God, prophesied that it would pass away, notwithstanding its apparent magnificence, and that a second would succeed it. He prophesied also that the second empire would be succeeded by the third, and that a fourth empire should arise, more fierce, more determined, and more powerful than any kingdom that had preceded it. As strong as iron, this kingdom would subdue and break in pieces all the nations of the world.” Review and Herald, February 6, 1900.
12 How is the later stage of Rome described? Daniel 2:41–43.
NOTE: “We have come to a time when God’s sacred work is represented by the feet of the image in which the iron was mixed with the miry clay. . . . The mingling of church craft and state craft is represented by the iron and the clay. This union is weakening all the power of the churches. This investing the church with the power of the state will bring evil results. Men have almost passed the point of God’s forbearance. They have invested their strength in politics, and have united with the papacy.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 1, 51.
“The kingdoms that followed were even more base and corrupt. They deteriorated because they cast off their allegiance to God. As they forgot Him, they sank lower and still lower in the scale of moral value. The vast empire of Rome crumbled to pieces, and from its ruins rose that mighty power, the Roman Catholic Church. This church boasts of her infallibility and her hereditary religion. But this religion is a horror to all who are acquainted with the secrets of the mystery of iniquity. The priests of this church maintain their ascendancy by keeping the people in ignorance of God’s will, as revealed in the Scriptures.” Youth’s Instructor, September 22, 1903.
“A Kingdom Which Shall Never Be Destroyed”
13 What was the outcome of the history revealed in the king’s dream? Daniel 2:44, 45. Compare Luke 20:17, 18.
NOTE: “Read the book of Daniel. Call up, point by point, the history of the kingdoms there represented. Behold statesmen, councils, powerful armies, and see how God wrought to abase the pride of men, and lay human glory in the dust. God alone is represented as great. In the vision of the prophet He is seen casting down one mighty ruler, and setting up another. He is revealed as the monarch of the universe, about to set up His everlasting kingdom—the Ancient of days, the living God, the Source of all wisdom, the Ruler of the present, the Revealer of the future. Read, and understand how poor, how frail, how short-lived, how erring, how guilty is man in lifting up his soul unto vanity. . . .” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 1166.
14 What was Nebuchadnezzar’s immediate reaction to the revelation made by Daniel and what request did Daniel make? Daniel 2:46–49.
NOTE: “The Lord was working in the Babylonian kingdom, and communicating light to the four Hebrew youth, in order that He might represent His work before the idolatrous nation. He would reveal that He had power over the kingdoms of the world,—power to enthrone and to dethrone kings. The King over all kings was communicating great truths to the Babylonian monarch, and awakening in his mind a realization of his responsibility to God. Nebuchadnezzar saw clearly the difference between the wisdom of God and the wisdom of the most learned men of his kingdom.” Youth’s Instructor, September 8, 1903.