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Royalty and Ruin
“And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a
kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not
be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these
kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. ... The dream is certain, and its
interpretation is sure.”
The King Is Humbled
The king was convinced. In humility he “fell on his face, pros-
trate before Daniel,” saying, “Truly your God is the God of gods,
the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal
this secret.”
Nebuchadnezzar revoked the decree to destroy the wise men.
Their lives were spared because of Daniel’s connection with the
Revealer of secrets. And “the king promoted Daniel and gave him
many great gifts; and he made him ruler over the whole province of
Babylon. ... Also Daniel petitioned the king, and he set Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abed-Nego over the affairs of the province of Baby-
lon; but Daniel sat in the gate of the king.”
In history, the growth of nations, the rise and fall of empires,
appear as if dependent on human will and ability. But the Word of
God draws the curtain aside, and we see the agencies of the All-
merciful One, silently, patiently working out the counsels of His
own will.
Hundreds of years before certain nations came on the stage of
action, the Omniscient One looked down the ages and predicted the
rise and fall of the universal kingdoms. God declared to Nebuchad-
nezzar that Babylon would fall and a second kingdom would arise.
When it failed to exalt the true God, its glory would fade. A third
kingdom also would pass away; and a fourth, strong as iron, would
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subdue the nations of the world.
Why Nations and Empires Fail
If the rulers of Babylon had always kept the fear of the Lord
before them, they would have been given wisdom and power that
would have kept them strong. But they made God their refuge only
when they were perplexed. At such times, failing to find help in their