DANIEL 2:34,35
34 ...a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image...
35 ...and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and
filled the whole earth.
We are usually told that this stone, which destroys the image and which supersedes four kingdoms and which then becomes a great mountain and fills the earth - is a coming one-world government which will take over all other governments.
But it seems to me after reading Daniel's own explanation in verse 44, that this great stone, cut out without hands and which filled the whole earth may actually be God's Kingdom. Just a thought.
The text tells us that this event about which it speak was to take place during the time when the fourth kingdom was in power.
Four kingdoms indeed have ruled over Israel since Daniel’s day - and most Commentaries assert this fourth kingdom was the Roman Empire (the other three being the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, and Grecian Empires).
If this stone that destroyed the image and split the fourth kingdom into two parts symbolizes the Kingdom of God, can we say that the Kingdom came to Israel during the time of the Roman Empire and ultimately saw it divided into two, as Daniel said? and did God's Kingdom at that time begin to become a “great mountain to fill the whole earth”?
Well we know that in that period of history, Jesus the Messiah came and announced the Kingdom of God to Israel, and since then people of all nations have entered the Kingdom of God.
Eventually the Roman Empire divided into two before coming to its final end, while to this day Christianity continues to flourish. It can truly be said that at least in some sense, from that time on, the Kingdom of God began to be announced.
The New Testament says the same:
“Jesus went about announcing the Kingdom of God".
"If I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you".
"The Kingdom cometh not with observation, but the Kingdom is within you," Jesus explained.
When did the Kingdom begin to be announced?
"From the time of John (the Baptist) until now, the Kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force," said Jesus.
"Paul went about preaching the Name of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God".
In a sense it can be said that exactly as Daniel foretold in Chapter 7, it came to pass that the Ancient of Days and the saints possessed the Kingdom, during the time of the fourth beast, and that Kingdom keeps on growing and no-one can hinder it.
So is there really as strong a case to be made from these verses, as some suggest, that some form of a revived Roman Empire is yet to arise and rule the world from Europe as an antichrist, within our generation?
Besides, the Jews would hardly accept a Gentile politician as their Messiah (Antichrist), knowing as they do from the Scripture that Christ must come from the Tribe of Judah.
It came to pass in history exactly as it was told to Daniel in the vision, that Christ was to come offering the Kingdom to Israel and that His Kingdom would fill the whole earth, and that this would all happen during the time of the fourth kingdom (the Roman Empire).
If that is so, we would therefore understand these verses to now be fulfilled Scripture, and what need would we have of continually watching events in Europe for the rise of a supposed one-world government which will distinguish our generation as the last?
No comments:
Post a Comment