The Rest Is History ~ Bob Coy

Now in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; and his spirit was so troubled that his sleep left him. Then the king gave the command to call the magicians, the astrologers, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. . . . Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. So Daniel blessed the God of heaven.-Daniel 2:1, 2, 19 (NKJV)

The second chapter of Daniel has been called "the key of Bible prophecy" because it provides us with information that unlocks many other prophecies. It begins with Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, having a terrible nightmare. He demanded that the magicians, astrologers, and sorcerers in his kingdom reveal what the dream was and what it meant. No one could do it, except for a God-fearing Hebrew named Daniel.

Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar that in his dream he saw a giant statue of a man that was made out of different types of metals. The head consisted of gold, the chest and arms of silver, the stomach and thighs of bronze, and the legs of iron. Then Daniel declared that the different metals represented different empires that would rule the world. The golden head represented the Babylonian Empire, the silver arms and chest signified another kingdom, and so on. This prophecy was declared around 600 B.C.

The rest is history. In 445 B.C. the Babylonian Empire was overthrown by the Medo-Persian Empire, which was a fulfillment of the silver chest and arms. Then, in 331 B.C., the Medo-Persian Empire was replaced by the Greek Empire, which was represented by the bronze stomach and thighs. In 146 B.C., the Greek Empire was conquered by the Roman Empire, which is seen in the legs of iron.

In an amazing display of His omniscience, God revealed several centuries of world history to Daniel in a matter of minutes. It's comforting to know that the Lord sees exactly what's around the corner and that He's more than able to tell us what we need to know, when we need to know it.

Discuss with your group how God can speak through miraculous moments and reveal the future. Read Daniel 2 together. What price does a prophet pay to speak the truth?

Dig into Daniel 2. How did Daniel glorify God in the face of political pressure? How did God use him to communicate His purposes? What do you learn from this passage?

Decide as a group to pray for those in political leadership over you. Be obedient to 1 Timothy 2:1–4. Take time to lift up these leaders by name and call upon the Lord to work in them and through them!