... you are the head of gold. Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall break and crush all these. — Daniel 2:38-40

So now Daniel tells the king what the dream symbolizes. These verses speak of four great world empires. And while they both knew them to be world empires, they did not know who all four empires represented. But we mainly do today. First is the Babylonian empire, which represents the head of gold. Second is the Medo-Persian empire, which represents the silver chest and arms. The third is the Greek empire which represents the bronze belly and thighs. And fourth is the Roman Empire which represents the iron legs. And most of this interpretation we understand today because we can look back over hundreds of years with a greater perspective than King Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel would have had then.

But there is one thing that would be hard for Daniel and the king to miss about this dream. That is the anticipation of a slow decline in three things: dignity, wealth, and strength.

Honestly, I think we still feel the effects of this predicted decline in our time. Let's be clear that America is not a world empire, unlike the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Greek, or Roman empires. As Daniel stated yesterday, Nebuchadnezzar was given rule over all things, basically a declaration of planetary rule. But his dream anticipated a slow decline — gradual and eventually destructive.

Today I think we are still witnessing many of the effects of this dream. Yet because of the time on the calendar in which we live, we even have more perspective on this dream. We have a view of something God did during that fourth world empire — the Roman empire. God sent a Savior to this world during this period — his Son, Jesus. He sent hope into a world in aggressive moral decline. And through Jesus, God's perfectly moral son, all men were given hope. By God's hand of grace, Jesus became the sacrifice for our immorality and gave us hope of being redeemed from the moral decay of this world. He did all the work because we failed to be moral. And what Jesus wants from us is not perfect morality, so we can attempt to establish a moral utopia here on earth. He wants us to have faith in his perfect and moral sacrifice and belief in his resurrection from the dead till we move from this immoral world into a perfect eternity. Until then, we live as faithful and righteous men in a world in perpetual moral decline.

This is the message we need to tell the world today. This world and its time will have an end. We can live like king Nebuchanezzar, be terrified by this truth, and choose not to turn to God. Or we can live like Daniel and continue to have faith through the decline, telling others the truth along the way, hoping they, too, will turn to God.

So, do me a favor, and tell someone the truth today about Jesus. 

ASK THIS: What can you do to continue having faith in a world in moral decline?

DO THIS: Tell someone about Jesus. He was moral. We are not.

PRAY THIS: God, give me the courage to tell others about Jesus.

PLAY THIS: All My Hope.

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