The Everlasting Kingdom of God
Daniel 2:24-45

1. Two kingdoms in contrast 31-45

1.1 The kingdoms of this world 36-43

--Every earthly kingdom is established by God

--Every earthly kingdom is progressively inferior

--Every earthly kingdom is essentially the same

1.2 The Kingdom of God 44-45

--God’s Kingdom is divine, something only God can do

--God’s Kingdom is everlasting and unconquerable

--God’s Kingdom starts small and fills the whole earth

There is a mention of time in v. 44: In the days of those kings….

Some say this applies to the kingdom last mentioned and calls for a revived Roman empire which will be crushed with the second coming of Christ when the church is taken up to heaven. A primary weakness is the disregard for the growth of the church before the second coming of Christ.

Some would say these kings refers to the entire statue and the Gentile dominion it represents. The whole statue was struck with the coming of Christ and the establishment of his kingdom which is growing today.

It seems that the point is not to nail down specific dates but to declare what will happen: the Kingdom of God will be established and the kingdoms of this world will be crushed. Daniel is making in graphic language the point of Psalm 2.

2. Two hearts in contrast vv. 24-30

Do I love the kingdom of God or am I subtly trying to preserve my place in this kingdom? Does my understanding of the end humbly admit that there are some things that simply cannot be known clearly? Do I love the glory of God? Do I have compassion for those who, apart from the only salvation that is found in Jesus Christ, will be crushed under the awful judgment of Christ? Do I care more about calling others to my well-defined theological position of all things or calling them to life in Christ?