“In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.
Daniel 2:44 NIV
Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that troubled him greatly. It was a dream of a giant statue. A statue whose head was gold, with chest and arms of silver, belly and thighs of bronze, legs of iron, and feet of mixed iron and clay. But a rock was cut out, not by human hands, that struck and shattered the statue. And the rock then grew to fill the whole earth.
God gave Daniel the wisdom to interpret this dream for the king. The head of gold was Nebuchadnezzar and his kingdom. And the other parts of the statue were kingdoms that would follow after his. These were all human kingdoms. But the rock that would shatter the statue was a kingdom that God would establish. A kingdom that would never be destroyed and would endure forever. A kingdom that would crush and bring to an end all human kingdoms.
The Kingdom of God
This rock that shattered earthly kingdoms is the kingdom of God. It is a kingdom established by God, where Christ rules as king. A kingdom that has grown to fill the whole world. Other kingdoms fight against it but are unable to overcome it. And it will never be destroyed, enduring long after all human kingdoms have come to an end.
By the grace of God, we have been invited to be a part of his kingdom. And all who come to him in faith and confess Jesus as Lord become citizens of his kingdom, regardless of the denominational or theological labels we then use to describe ourselves. We are one body, serving one Lord, with one hope, one Spirit, one faith, and one God (Eph. 4:4-6).
So, let’s put aside our differences and joyfully serve together as fellow citizens of the kingdom of God. Proclaiming the kingdom (Acts 8:12), overcoming the world (1 John 5:5), and loving one another (1 John 3:23).
