What would you do if the Lord sent an angel to talk with you about His plans for your life? Would you be impressed? How would you know for sure that this being standing before you is really an angel of God? Just because he appeared out of nothing, without opening a door or coming through window, this doesn’t make him an angel. He might say that his name is Gabriel or Michael, but names are not proof of his authority. We need to remember that Satan was a liar and a “murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” Satan could send a demon to talk to someone, authorizing that demon to lie about his name and purpose. If an angel stood before me, telling me that he had a message from Jehovah, I would be very cautious. I don’t care if he was white and glistering – his appearance shouldn’t make any difference. Remember that the Devil himself can be transformed into an angel of light.
But what if this angelic visitor worked some sort of miracle? What if he proved himself by raising a heavy table or lifting the chair or bed in which you were sitting? Wouldn’t that prove that he possessed supernatural power? Absolutely. But supernatural power doesn’t mean the same thing as divine power. What if he made a 48″ plasma screen TV miraculously appear on your wall, wouldn’t that prove him to be an angel of God? That would probably disprove him to be an angel of God. We have to remember that Satan’s angels have a great deal of power. They can do feats of apparent magic. They can appear to tell the future. They can’t really know the future, but they can manipulate some short-term events. They can appear to the tell the future, by causing the small things that they predict to come to pass. One of Satan’s ambassadors will soon even give the appearance of raising the dead – isn’t that a miracle? I don’t know how he will do it, but the False Prophet of the Tribulation will convince the whole world that he can give life to the dead. If an angel made your dead violet perk-up, bud and bloom within a matter of minutes, would you sit up, get your pen and some paper, ready to jot down the message of God? Be careful; be very, very careful. This is not God’s usual means of communication, so beware.
Yes, I believe that God leads His dear people along through providential guidance. When the saint really, really wants to do the Lord’s will, God will direct his steps in that will. Rarely will he know beforehand where he will be standing in ten years or twenty years, but if his heart is right, the Holy Spirit will guide his next step and the one after that and then the next, until he reaches the Lord’s chosen destination. God does “speak” with His people in this fashion, but this isn’t the kind of communication I’m thinking of. As we see here in the Book of Daniel, another means of divine communication is through dreams and visions. Nebuchadnezzar had a Jehovah-given dream in chapter two. The king apparently forgot the dream, but it disturbed him enough that he went looking for it again. Then the Lord miraculously gave both the dream and its meaning to Daniel to share with him. In this chapter there is another dream, which Nebuchadnezzar understood to be a message from the gods. And there will be more of this kind of communication later in the book.
But here is my first question of the day – why did this dream bother the king so much? Most of us have dreams from time to time, and many times they are far more spectacular than this. Why was he so sure that this dream was a divine message? Did Nebuchadnezzar ever dream when he knew that it didn’t contain special revelation? Perhaps he had been taught to assume that all dreams were messages from one of his gods. Or in this case, was there something that made him think that this was extra special? He dreamed of a tree which was so large that its branches extended from horizon to horizon. At first everything about this tree was peaceful, beautiful and beneficial. Then the watchers and holy ones commanded that it be cut down, with the stump being saved. It was to be left to the dew of heaven for seven periods of time. If I dreamed something like this, I would awake in the morning, and I might just laugh at it. But I’d probably just forget it. It wasn’t spectacular enough to warrant a retelling to my wife. A message from God – bah, humbug! Furthermore, out of the hundreds of dreams that I have had over the last few years, I have yet to have a clear message from God. As a rule, I would have to say that dreams are less reliable as divine revelation than the visits of angels.
Even though, this is only the introduction to my message this morning, lesson number one is this: You and I have a more sure word of prophecy than did Nebuchadnezzar or even Daniel. We have the inspired Word of God. I can be absolutely sure that these dreams of Nebuchadnezzar were revelations from God, not because he thought so, or that Daniel gave him the interpretation, but because they are declared to be revelations right here in the pages of my Bible. II Peter 1 says, “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” Earlier in I Peter 1, the apostle tells us that God often spoke through prophets like Daniel, but they didn’t really understand what they were being told or what they were repeating. On the other hand, you and I, because the Holy Spirit guaranteed the record of those prophecies, can be absolutely sure of the message of God.
My point is this: if you want to hear God’s voice, don’t be looking for dreams, visions or angelic visitations. Open up your King James Bible and start reading. The Lord has things especially meant for you. You’ll find more material there for your study and meditation than you’ll be able to digest in a hundred years. If you are looking for the spectacular and miraculous, you are leaving yourself open to Satanic deception. That doesn’t mean that God can’t use dreams and angels – as we see here in this book. But for you and me, we should look at the dreams and angels which God has recorded in the Bible, not those messages which are yet to come and beyond the pages of the Word of God.
This morning, I want to break off a piece of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and consider only a couple of thoughts. Nebuchadnezzar said, “I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven; He cried aloud, and said thus, Hew down the tree, and cut off his branches, shake off his leaves, and scatter his fruit: let the beasts get away from under it, and the fowls from his branches: Nevertheless leave the stump of his roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth: Let his heart be changed from man’s, and let a beast’s heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him. This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.” We may, or may not, get to the primary message and overall lesson of this dream later. Let’s call this introductory message: “Under Observation.” There is more than enough here to consider if we consider it seriously enough.
A lot of people who are smarter and wiser than I am tell us that these watchers are God’s angels. Without a doubt angels are messengers of Jehovah, carrying out His will, passing on announcements, and, in a sense, reporting back to Him. Of course, God is omniscient, and not dependent on the information of an intelligence-gathering service. But to interpret these “watchers” and “holy ones” as angels is not contrary to the ordinary understanding of the Word of God. And yet I have one problem with that opinion in this particular case – verse 17. “This matter is by the DECREE of the watchers, and the DEMAND by the word of the holy ones.” This verse seems to give these holy watchers more authority than properly belongs to mere angels. God’s angels can only do those things which they are authorized to do. They can make no decrees themselves, and they can make no demands on their own. It might be argued that these “watchers” were only carrying out the Lord’s decree, but that isn’t what the verse says. More and more scholars are saying that these “watchers” are two or three of the Persons of the Trinity. And I am inclined to agree with them – this reference is to God Himself. But for all intents and purposes, this is only a minor disagreement, and it doesn’t matter very much.
Here is the point: In one way or other, the Lord is watching each and every one of us. In the case of Nebuchadnezzar, the Lord knows every one of his sins, from the smallest to the largest. I know that it’s almost too silly to utter, but utter we must – the Lord knows all our vital statistics. He knows our parentage, our education, our police record, what the FBI knows about us – everything. He also watches us when we get out of bed and get ready for the day. He knows our vanities and pride, and how much we try to make ourselves look like someone else. As I say, the Lord knows our police record, and His dossier not only has a copy of our finger prints, but every item that we’ve touched – whether it was ours or someone else’s. Beyond this God knows those crimes which were planned and committed in no other place but as sins in our own hearts. Just because we were not arrested and convicted, that doesn’t mean that we aren’t guilty. What is more, Jehovah knows of every sin, which we will commit in the future – as we see here with Nebuchadnezzar
Think about the import of this vision which the king is given. He has a dream which declares that his pride is eventually going to overflow, bringing down God’s wrath. Even though he has a special, personal prophecy about which he was greatly disturbed, over the next few weeks he will forget about it and the warning which it carried. A month passes, then two months, then six and nine months pass. Finally after a full twelve months, Nebuchadnezzar’s pride boils over, and God’s judgment falls.
This the God whom we serve and worship; this is the God of Daniel. “His eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings.” “Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.” “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” “God … knoweth all things” – I John 3:20.
What was it that these Watcher’s decreed; what was it that they had determined? The decrees of God are multifaceted, intricate, personal, guaranteed, holy and final. We could probably build a twelve point message on this subject if we really wanted to.
As prophesied, it was decreed that Nebuchadnezzar would loose his mind, but not his kingdom. Personally, it seems to me that this is more common than not – insane leaders who still sit in the seats of power. In this case, a year after the prophesy was given, Nebuchadnezzar was struck with a God-given malady, which robbed him of his sanity. Under most circumstances and legal systems, after what will happen to this man, another man should have begun to warm the cushions on the throne. Perhaps his son, or perhaps more likely, some rival would have assumed the reins of the kingdom. But this was not the case, because Jehovah is the sovereign God over all the affairs of man. The Lord secured the kingdom under Nebuchadnezzar’s name for whatever time was required for his recovery.
Perhaps this is the more spectacular part of this decree, but it was not the most important. The real lesson of this decree is that God guarantees judgment against sin. The omniscient God, the all-knowing Watchers, make sure that there is no sin which goes unpunished. The living and the dead, the “small and great (shall) stand before God; and the books (shall be) opened: and another book (shall be) opened, which is the book of life: and the dead (will be) judged out of those things which (are) written in the books, according to their works. And the sea (will) gave up the dead which (are) in it; and death and hell (will deliver) up the dead which (are) in them: and they (will be) judged every man according to their works.”
“Nebuchadnezzar, there are Watchers in your throne room and in your living room, in your bed room and even in your garage amongst all those fancy chariots. They see everything; they know everything; they judge everything.”
“We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”
That is the decree of God. “As it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” “For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” “He hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.” “After thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.” “For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.”
“Make no mistake about it, there is a decree of God that your sins shall be judged. They will either be judge IN you for all eternity. Or they may be judged in the Saviour, once and for all in the Cross. For all those who will repent, Nebuchadnezzar, and cast themselves down before this holy God, trusting and loving Him, there is personal escape. But if you continue in your independence, self and pride, then you will be directly, severely and eternally judged.”
“This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men.” Is this a part of your doctrinal statement? Is this a part of your day-to-day life? Is Christ Jesus, the Son of God, your Saviour and your Mediator between God the Father and yourself? If you are not living in repentance and faith, your insanity will culminate in the Lake of Fire. You need to bow before Daniel’s God. The God of this chapter must become your Lord and Saviour.