The Everlasting Kingdom
Scripture Reading — Daniel 2:26-45
“The God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed. . . . It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.”
Long before Jesus came, God gave King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon an amazing, puzzling dream. Deeply troubled by it, the king called on his advisers to tell him both the dream and its meaning! With trembling voices they lamented that the king was asking the impossible (Daniel 2:1-11).
Daniel agreed that mere humans could not meet the king’s demand. But Daniel explained that “there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.” And Daniel explained that God had revealed the king’s dream and its meaning to him in a vision (see Daniel 2:17-19).
Daniel told King Nebuchadnezzar that he had dreamt of an amazing statue that was destroyed by “a rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands.” The great statue represented the kingdoms of this world, which rise and fall. But the rock represented the coming kingdom of God and Jesus Christ—and this kingdom would grow to fill the whole earth.
The Bible teaches that God calls all of us to believe in him and become a part of his kingdom. By trusting in Jesus, God’s Son, as our Savior, we can have life to the full. So each of us faces a choice: Will I pledge my life to an earthly kingdom or to the kingdom of God? The way we respond makes all the difference in life.
Sovereign Lord, thank you for sending Jesus to give us full life in your kingdom. May we live for you each day. Amen.
About the author — George Koopmans
George Koopmans has served as an ecumenical chaplain at Medicine Hat College in Medicine Hat, Alberta, since November 2021. Prior to entering into chaplaincy, George served as a pastor to two congregations—one in Minnesota (Luverne), and the other in Medicine Hat. George and his wife, Emily, have four adult daughters and three grandchildren. Hiking, biking, and birdwatching are his favorite hobbies.
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