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Previous Study | Index | Next Study  God Unfolds The Future Download PDF of this page. One night a minister was traveling from his home to an appointment some distance away. The night was dark and rainy. As he traveled along the mountain highway, the headlights of his car went out. At that point the road was wet, crooked, and dangerous. Fear gripped his heart as he tried to bring his car to a safe stop. Not until the lights went out did he realize how valuable they were and how much he depended on them to show him what danger lay ahead and to guide him around treacherous curves. With God’s help he avoided a serious accident. Never again were those precious headlights taken for granted. As we speed down the dark highway of life, we need a bright light to guide us. Everywhere we hear such perplexing questions as: How can I know what to do and what to believe? What does the future hold for me and mine? Thank God, He has not left us in the dark. He has a wonderful light to guide us through this dark night into a kingdom of everlasting light and life. Let us now see how this light reveals where we are and where we are going. 1. What has God given man to guide him in this age? II Peter 1:19 The Bible Says: ________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 2. Through what agents does God communicate His secrets to mankind? Amos 3:7 The Bible Says: ________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ IN THIS DREAM GOD OUTLINED THE FUTURE TO AN ANCIENT KING. DANIEL 2:29. NOTICE HOW GOD USED DANIEL. 3. Why should this dream be of special interest to us? Daniel 2:28 The Bible Says: “God... maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be___________________________________________________________.” 4. Who revealed the dream to Daniel? Daniel 2:27, 28 The Bible Says: ________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 5. What had the king seen in his dream? Daniel 2:31-35 The Bible Says: “Thou, O king, sawest, and behold____________________ _____________________________________________________________.” Note: In this dream God outlined the history of this world from the days of Nebuchadnezzar to its very end. By the use of different metals in the image He revealed that there would be four world empires in the succeeding years. History reveals that these empires were: Babylon (head of gold), Medo-Persia (chest and arms of silver), Greece (thighs of brass), and Rome (legs of iron). By this image He showed that the fourth world empire would be divided, represented by the feet composed of iron and clay. 6. What was represented by the head of gold? Daniel 2:37, 38 The Bible Says: ________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ Note: Babylon, with its magnificent display of wealth, was one of the wonders of the ancient world. Its beautiful buildings were interspersed with luxuriant gardens. Indeed it was the capital city of a golden kingdom. 7. How would the second kingdom, Medo-Persia, compare with Babylon? Daniel 2:39 The Bible Says: ________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ Note: God, through the prophet Daniel, told Belshazzar that the Babylonians were to be succeeded by the Medo-Persians. Daniel 5:25-31. 8. What part of the metal man represented the third kingdom of Greece? Daniel 2:39 The Bible Says: ________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ Note: “The battles of Granicus B.C. 334, Issus in the following year, and Arbela in B.C. 331, settled the fate of the Persian Empire, and established the wide dominion of the Greeks.” —H. Gratten Guinness, The Divine Programme of the World’s History, page 308. 9. What part of the image represents the fourth world empire, Rome? Daniel 2:40 The Bible Says: ________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ Note: “The images of gold, or silver or brass, that might serve to represent the nations, and their kings, were successively broken by the iron monarchy of Rome.” —Edward Gibbon, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, chap. 38, General Observations at end of chapter, par. l. 10. As the feet, part iron and part clay, represented a divided condition, what was to happen to the iron kingdom of Rome? Daniel 2:41 The Bible Says: ________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ Note: Between A.D. 351 and 476 a series of invasions by barbaric tribes from Europe completely overran the Western Roman Empire and brought it to its end. These tribes included: Saxons (English), Franks (French), Alemanni (German), Burgundians (Swiss), Lombards (Italians), Visigoths (Spanish), Suevi (Portuguese), Vandals, Ostrogoths, and Heruli. 11. What statement of seven words shows that the Old World power would never be welded back into one great kingdom? Daniel 2:43 The Bible Says: “They shall not____________________________________ ___________________________________________________________.” 12. At the end of earth’s history, what will God set up? Daniel 2:44, 45 The Bible Says: ________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 13. What event will mark the setting up of this kingdom? Matthew 25:31-34 The Bible Says: ________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ In every age man has looked for a better life in a land where the miseries and troubles of this world will be no more. Whether it be called Utopia, Heaven, or Paradise, man has longed for a place and a time when all sickness, sorrow, and death will end. In God’s plan there is just such a heaven for the faithful. The Bible says that Abraham, the father of the faithful, looked for that type of home. In Hebrews 11:16, speaking of the saints of old, we read: "But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for He hath prepared for them a city." We will learn about that city in another lesson. It will answer the longing of every heart and settle the problems of every sincere child of God. As Christ was dying on the cross of Calvary, there was one bright spot in His hour of agony. The dying thief turned to Him for salvation. From the depths of his contrite heart he cried out, "Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom." Luke 23:42. Back came the promise of Christ that the thief would be with Him in His kingdom. If you would like to make the same request of Christ, mark a cross in the square below:  Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom.Previous Study | Index | Next Study |
