“And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” Daniel 2:44
In Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of a statue, where the head was gold, and represented his own kingdom, there follows the description of other kingdoms, man-made, and man-sustained. But there will come a day, a moment, when a stone will be cut out of a mountain without hands. This stone will strike the image, destroying it to the point where its remnants will be like the chaff of the threshing floors, which is carried off by the wind. This stone will become, as Daniel put it, “…a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.” (2:35) Not only will this stone represent the Eternal Christ, who will come to destroy these kingdoms, and establish His own eternal one, but it shall indeed fill the whole earth. Certainly there will be the fulfillment of Habakkuk’s prophesy, when he wrote: “For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” (2:14)
In the book of Revelation, we discover more in detail how God will work to bring about justice on this earth, and how He will deal with the last of these kingdoms in particular. The unveiling of Christ in the beginniing of the book as the “Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the Ending,” is essential to see, for He alone possesses the power and authority to bring such monumental changes to this earth, and at the same time, deal with every foe, all that militates against the knowledge of the Lord. We find in Revelation that its great message, and the finality and accomplishment of God’s will on this earth, is for the church, the body of Christ, to see and grasp. This is not only evident by the seven specific letters addressed to the churches in Asia Minor, but by what the Lord said near its conclusion: “I, Jesus, have sent Mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.” (22:16) The book of Revelation is a continued historical account of how God, in the last days and beyond until Christ comes, will deal with mankind to establish His kingdom on earth. It then goes beyond the millinieum to the Re-Creation, that moment when God will deal conclusively with Satan and all his followers, then create a new heavens and earth. Magnificent in the unveiling of the glorified and conquering Christ, and cataclismic in God’s dealings with those nations who have rejected Him, God reveals to the church what is to come, both in judgement and blessing. But more importantly, the revelation is given to every believer in the church, so that the individual will be motivated and strengthened to pursue Christ increasingly. From the need to be restored to her first love, to the absolute necessity of receiving Christ in His fulness by going quickly to the door, and opening it wide, the believer is called above all else to “sup with Him,” commune with Christ. Such an experience is born out of the worship of Him in Spirit and truth, being regularly alone with Him, cultivating one’s love for Him. For the individual believer, the whole of the historical, prophetic message, has its application in this, that every child of God is called first and foremost to love God, abide in Christ, and walk with Him in the light of true fellowship with nothing between. God desires to manifest His glory in the church, and in every member of the body of Christ in these last days, so that the greatest number of those who are lost in sin, will be found and won to Him. The highest calling of the church is to commuion with the living Christ, one day to be realized completely.
Dear Father, Strengthen us to live in Christ. In Jesus’ name, Amen.