Wednesday, September 20, 2006
PLAINER WORDS …NEBUCHADNEZZAR: GOD’S NEXT KING
PART I
Anyone who is serious about having some kind of an understanding of prophecy must come to grips with King Nebuchadnezzar and the role he will play in the coming events of the next dispensation. Teachers of prophecy have overlooked the significant place he will have in the pre-millennial Kingdom of God.
Theologians, to their discredit, have relegated Nebuchadnezzar to the trash heap of history. They have refused to disturb the status-quo; to wit, Nebuchadnezzar’s glorious reign “as the head of gold” (Dan. 2:38) was accomplished during his forty-three years as King of the Babylonian Empire. We purpose to set-forth Scriptural evidence that he will reign as a universal monarch, fulfilling prophecy of Daniel, Chapters Two through Four. Let’s first look at Nebuchadnezzar, not through the biased and tainted eyes of orthodoxy and tradition, but rather through the clear, unprejudiced statements of the Word of God.
Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, was a most interesting and unique Biblical character. His name is spelled two ways in the Bible. Sixty times, his name is spelled “Nebuchadnezzar.” Thirty-one times, it is spelled “Nebuchadnezzar.” However, unless quoting a verse, we will spell it as Nebuchadnezzar. The Bible mentions this Babylonian king ninety-one times.
Most all Bible commentators and expositors don’t look upon Nebuchadnezzar with much favor. After all, he defeated the Kingdom of Judah, captured Jerusalem, took thousands of Jews captive, he removed all of the furniture, gold and silver vessels, and fixtures from the Temple, and, then, burned it. Then, he carried captive into BabylonJudah’s brightest and most enterprising people, including those of royal lineage. He was a pagan monarch and a tyrant of the first order. The Jewish dictionaries and the rabbinical writings, as found on the internet, portray him as a monster, so say the least. However, we find in the Book of Daniel many insights into the character and culture of Nebuchadnezzar, much of which is commendable.
He reigned for forty-three years (604–562 B.C.). Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, as a whole, could be regarded as one of the strongest as it was clearly one of the most glorious in all of the long history of the Babylonian Empire. He was not the founder of the Babylonian Empire. Historians of ancient mid-east culture refer to his Empire as the “neo-Babylonian Empire.” He was not a rampaging conqueror, although he did have some conquests. His interest was more of making his Empire a glorious center for culture and enlightenment. The “hanging gardens” of Babylon and the restoration of temples and palaces were some examples. A lot can be learned about him in Daniel, Chapters Two through Four.
As we pondered the character of Nebuchadnezzar, we were struck by the contrast between him, a pagan king, and his contemporary, the eighteenth King of Judah—Jehoiakim. During the very same time-frame of the two kings, Nebuchadnezzar had a powerful dream as recorded in Daniel, Chapter Two. While the Dream experience played out in Babylon, in Jerusalem, Jehoiakim had received a letter from Jeremiah, the Prophet, predicting the fate of Israel and Judah. It wasn’t good news at all! It was about destruction, defeat, and captivity.
When Jeremiah’s report was read to Jehoiakim, he became extremely angry. So-much-so that he cut the report into pieces with a pen knife and burned it (Jer.36:23). As a descendant of the royal line of kings, Jehoiakim’s first duty as the King of God’s people was to hearken to the words of Yahweh. But, instead of performing his God-given duty: what does he do? He imprisoned God’s Prophet, Jeremiah, and burned the written Word of God. On the other hand, Nebuchadnezzar was so desirous of knowing what had been revealed to him in a dream that he was about to slay his own prophets and magicians because they could not tell him what his forgotten dream was, nor give him its interpretation. This was a striking contrast between the two kings.
The Word of God, through Jeremiah, was rejected by Judah’s king, and in the meanwhile, God gave a revelation to a pagan, idol-worshipping King of Babylon, and he was eager to receive it.
Remember, God’s place of meeting His people was over the propitiatory (Mercy Seat). Above it, He spoke with them between the cherubim (Ex. 25:22). But, when they were out of fellowship with Him, He sent them prophets, to speak to them, whether they would hear or not. But, to the heads of other nations surrounding Israel, He spoke at night in their darkness, when they were sleeping, by means of dreams. He, thus, spoke to Nebuchadnezzar. (The Second Chapter of Daniel should be read so that you will be familiar with its content). Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s forgotten dream. It concerned the king being “the head of gold” of a future glorious kingdom.
NEBUCHADNEZZAR BELIEVED GOD
Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar: “This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king. Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold” (Dan. 2:36-38).
So, Daniel told the king that he would be a future “King of kings” (Dan. 2:37-38) in “the latter days.” King Nebuchadnezzar, in his life-time, never reigned over men, world-wide. This reign awaits him in resuurection. This pagan, idol-worshipping king fell upon his face after hearing the words of the Most High, and said to Daniel, “… Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret” (Dan. 2:47).
Here, Nebuchadnezzar performed an act of Biblical faith—he believed God. It was a small, first step of faith. All believers take a first step; each one’s, perhaps, differing from another’s. The king believed what God said to him through Daniel. Whereas, Jehoiakim not only didn’t believe the report from God, he had His messenger imprisoned. To believe God is to do His work (John 6:29).
Peter’s statement in defense of his meeting with the Gentile, Cornelius, should be considered: “But in every nation he that feareth Him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with Him” (Acts 10:35).
In Daniel 2:47, Nebuchadnezzar performed a “work of righteousness.” He believed God! It counted for something—God is no respecter of persons—his one act of faith resulted in “eternal life.” Hard to believe? It shouldn’t be!
“That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world” (John 1:9).
Nebuchadnezzar had a measure of divine “light” as do all other men. It manifested itself in believing Daniel’s interpretation of the God-inspired dream.
Yes, the pagan, idol-worshipping King Nebuchadnezzar believed the Word of God which was reported to him by Daniel. Romans 2:7 would have us know that anyone, world-wide, at any time, past or present, who has never known the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, or of Jesus Christ as the One and Only God, has hope of eternal life. (See PWO, Number 113, He Who Does Good).
“To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, He will give eternal life” (Romans 2:7) NIV.
In the course of his kingly duties, sometime later, the King of Babylon built a great gold image on the plain of Dura. Evidently, he believed that this popular image of the time, probably of a phallus, would promote unity among the various nations within the Babylonian orbit. He was proud of this golden image. To curry favor with Nebuchadnezzar, his advisors insisted that the image should be worshipped by all people when they heard certain musical instruments sound (Dan.3:4-5). The king’s advisors despised the young Jewish lads who were enrolled in the Babylonian “school of statecraft,” as was Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Daniel escaped their hatred since he had had them spared when Nebuchadnezzar wanted to destroy them because they were unable to tell him about his forgotten dream in Chapter Two.
The three Jewish youths refused to bow down to the golden image with the sounding of the music. This resulted in them being placed in a “fiery furnace” because they defied the edict of the King (see Daniel 3:1-30). As Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego stood before Nebuchadnezzar, he told them they were going to be placed in the fiery furnace and asked, “Who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hand?” (Dan. 3:15). They answered: “O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up” (Dan. 3:16-18).
The King became so mad that he commanded that the furnace be turned up seven times higher than normal. The fire was so intense that the men who threw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego into the furnace were burned alive. Nebuchadnezzar was then astonished when he looked into the furnace of fire and said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods” (Dan.3:25) NIV.
King Nebuchadnezzar had a lapse of faith in the Most High God by placing the three in the fire. Most all of us, in our early days as believers, had periods in which, when we were tried, we failed. Our failure didn’t result in us losing our salvation. Neither did the king lose his standing before the most High. Notice Nebuchadnezzar’s strong declaration:
“Then Nebuchadnezzar said, "Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king's command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way” (Dan. 3:28-29) NIV.
We read, here, of another deed-of-faith on the part of the king. I am reminded of a Texas Country singer and song-writer by the name of Billy Joe Shaver. He wrote a Country hit song, “Chunk of Coal.” Billy Joe wrote it after he went to LookoutMountain to commit suicide by jumping from Lovers Leap. His life was spinning out of control so it seemed that a drop from Lovers Leap would end it all. But instead, while sitting on LookoutMountain in Tennessee, he trusted Jesus Christ as his Savior and wrote this hit song in twenty minutes. “I’m just an old chunk of coal, but I’m gonna be a diamond someday.” Billy Joe Shaver was talking about, in resurrection, he would no longer be just an old chunk of coal, but he would be a diamond in that day. Nebuchadnezzar, at this point in his life, was spiritually, just an old chunk of coal—but in the “latter days,” to wit, the Kingdom of God, he’ll be a diamond. Look closely at the king. As an old Chunk of Coal, he decreed that if anyone said anything against the God of the three young Jews, they’d be cut to pieces and their house turned to piles of rubble. Ah, the pride of power still manifested itself in the king’s life. Nebuchadnezzar, as King of the Babylonian Empire, understood the power he possessed, and his power represented the greatest “high” in the world. Its potency would make heroin seem like a placebo .Later, the Most High God would deal with Nebuchadnezzar’s pride.
In Chapter Three, we see another act of faith by Nebuchadnezzar—he believed in the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. Remember, the king knew no Scripture; he had no background of belief in Yahweh. But, he responded to what little knowledge of God was imparted to him by Daniel. Again, remember Jehoaikim’s response to the Word of God coming from Jeremiah, the Prophet. As we have pointed out, contrast the response to the Word of God by the two kings.
Even though the three young Jews defied Nebuchadnezzar, he was gracious enough to perform a good deed; “Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon” (Dan. 3:30) NIV.
These facts about Nebuchadnezzar are being presented to point out that the King of Babylon was being educated, trained, and schooled because he had been chosen and selected by the Most High God to be a “King of kings” (Dan.2:37) and “the head of gold” (Dan.2:38). Daniel’s mission during Nebuchadnezzar’s day was to “make known to King Nebuchadnezzar WHAT SHALL BE IN THE LATTER DAYS” (Dan. 2:28). This did not refer to the latter days of the king’s earthly life in 600-500 B.C. No, it pointed to a life in which Nebuchadnezzar will reign as a universal Monarch in resurrection in the coming dispensation.
We will notice another act of faith in Daniel, the Fourth Chapter. In Chapter Four, Nebuchadnezzar had another dream. God spoke to him, again, in a dream. But, he didn’t understand it. Finally, he had to call Daniel to have the dream of the “great tree” explained to him. We’ll not go into the details of the Tree Dream; read it for your edification. But, this is where Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar that he would spend seven years living in the field like a beast. The king took the interpretation like a man. He didn’t imprison Daniel for the bad news. The king, as predicted, lost his mind and lived as an animal in the field. But, when his senses returned to him after seven years, he made a most profound statement which must be read to appreciate the walk-of-faith of the pagan, idol-worshipping King of Babylon who was in God’s training program. The last we see of him is in Daniel, Chapter Four—he will live again! The King’s confession:
“And at the end of the days [being like a beast] I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured Him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation: And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay His hand, or say unto him, What doest Thou? At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellers and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me. Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and His ways judgment: and those that walk in pride He is able to abase” (Dan. 4:34-37).
These are the words of a “Believer.” He had gone through God’s school, being prepared to rule during the coming Kingdom of God. Gentile kings will rule and reign during the early years of the Kingdom of God (Isa. 42:1-4). Four Gentile kings will follow Nebuchadnezzar’s reign. He learned his lessons well; therefore, he will be King Nebuchadnezzar—the head of gold—the King of kings (meaning the first in a line of kings). He will reign over a world-wide Kingdom—the Scripture does not give it a name. If the Word does not name this world-wide Kingdom, Babylon, neither should Bible interpreters.
“The Companion Bible,” in its note on Daniel 5:1, states that Daniel was eighty-seven years old when he was called to the great feast of Belshazzar to read and interpret the handwriting on the wall. But, notice what Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson, Belshazzar the king, about his grandfather in Chapter Five:
"O king, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness and glory and splendor. Because of the high position He gave him, all the peoples and nations and men of every language dreaded and feared him. Those the king wanted to put to death, he put to death; those he wanted to spare, he spared; those he wanted to promote, he promoted; and those he wanted to humble, he humbled. But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like cattle; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and sets over them anyone he wishes” (Dan. 5:18-21) NIV.