And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honored him that liveth forever, 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? (Dan 4:34-35)
A reproduction of the throne and building built by Nebuchadnezzar of Daniel 4, was reproduced by order of Saddam Hussein who fancied himself as the descendent of the Nebuchadnezzar in our study. He sought to restore the greatness of the City of Babylon and thereby to gain the leadership of the Middle East with its great stores of crude oil and military power. Then he could destroy Israel and the devil West. It was, admittedly, a great and daring plan but it was not God's plan. Babylon will one day be completely destroyed as told in Rev.18. It will be a religious destruction as well as a commercial and political destruction.
The original Nebuchadnezzar in our text was a brand snatched from the burning. That is, somehow God chose to pull him from the paganism of that area and used him to portray the future history of the world. Seldom will a king come to know the true God from such a background. In fact, it's hard enough for political leaders to connect with God in our own Washington, D.C. where the real Gospel freely circulates among the unbelievers.
At the end of the days means at the end of the seven years of his living with the cows as a madman. We recall that his introduction into the cow pasture was sudden, even while bragging words were coming out of his mouth. He was suddenly mentally deranged. And now in God's own time, he is suddenly returned to sanity and apparently at the same time he looked up. We are reminded that a lot of people have been changed when they looked up. It is not strange for those who look up to bless the most High God and to praise and honor Him that liveth forever.
It is also not strange to those who look up, to suddenly understand that the God of heaven does as He pleases and no one can stay His hand. That's hard for today's Harvard and Yale graduates. It wasn't hard in the earlier years of these institutions, but it is hard today. I pray often that the Spirit of God will be poured out upon our big universities and that students by the thousands will look up to the God of heaven. Wouldn't that be frustrating to their learned professors? It would be worth the gas money to drive up there and see it. It would do the administration good to get a taste of being with truly sane people who have it all together. It's just a thought. I DO pray that very thing—often. If God can reach old stubborn Nebuchadnezzar, could He not also shake some of the impossible people in our high towers?
It is such a wonderful thing that happened to Nebuchadnezzar. There may be someone reading this that needs the Lord as much as the old king. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Rom. 10:13). Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved (Acts 16: 31). If you are saved, I believe you will get to meet Nebuchadnezzar.
Memory Verse: The master verse on prayer. Write on a 3x5 card or napkin and put in your pocket.
1Jn 5:14-15 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him (1Jn 5:14-15).
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