Cosmic Politics

Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14

Six Flags Over Georgia is one of the South's favorite amusement parks. Thousands of people visit there each year. The park is dedicated to the six political nations that at one time or another ruled the piece of real estate we call Georgia. The Spanish flag unfurled its colors first in the Georgia sunshine, until the French troops moved in. Next it was the British who flew their proud flag by ousting the French and colonizing Savannah. But the American Revolution came and the year 1776 saw yet another banner flapping in the breeze atop the Georgia flag poles. This blue and red Georgia flag waved until the states united under the Constitution. Next an embattled nation killed brothers and burned cities settling a family quarrel with Georgia under the flag of the Confederacy. This dispute settled, a new flag was raised and saluted. It is the sixth flag, the stars and stripes of the United States of America!

The rise and fall of political nations is not unique to Georgia. History is cluttered with the ruined wreckage of fallen empires. Workers in Greece have unearthed the remains of twelve cities which existed at different times belonging to different tribes. Each city was built atop the ruins of the former city. Mexico City has a famous plaza of three cultures. In one spot a tourist may stand and see the ruins of an Indian temple destroyed by the conquering soldiers of Spain. Next to this ruined temple is the rubble of the Spanish government house. It was destroyed when the Mexican Revolution won the prize of independence. In this plaza now stands the Mexican House of Government. How long will it exist before it too is destroyed?

There are some modern day prophets of doom who feel that America is fast approaching destruction and conquest. Our proud flag will one day be trampled in the dust and another hoisted in its place, they predict. Such men point to the decay of the family, crime, a poor economy, welfare, political corruption, and citizens spoiled by "soft" living. These are symptoms, they say, of a diseased and dying nation. "Any nation that can build machines that won't crack up but cannot build men and women who won't crack up is on its way out," they shout! The widespread practice of the occult and witchcraft recently made headlines when a Daytona Beach, Florida, group sacrificed a human being to their god, Satan! No wonder it takes approximately one million sleeping pills to lull America to sleep each night!

Yes, kingdoms do rise and fall. Egypt, Babylon, Greece, Rome, England, Germany-they all have had their heyday. Now it is the United States and the Soviet Union. In this world of short-lived kingdoms is there no country that lasts? Is there no nation that can be looked to for justice and mercy, love and brotherhood? In today's text the Bible tells us of a kingdom that will last. It is a kingdom that will never pass away.

Whose Kingdom?

Whose kingdom is this? The text tells us in verse 7:9 "As I looked thrones were placed, and one that was the Ancient of Days took his seat." Daniel the prophet had a God inspired vision in which he saw a heavenly throne of white radiance and fire. The Almighty God had granted Daniel a peep at eternity. He allowed a man's eyes to behold the greatest throne of all, the everlasting throne of God himself. The prophet Isaiah had a vision of God's throne also. In Isaiah 6:1 he recorded, "I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up."

Atop the state capitol building in Philadelphia is a statue of William Penn, the founder of the state of Pennsylvania. Some years ago the state legislature passed a law saying that no other building in Philadelphia could be built higher than the William Penn statue. Today that law still stands. In all the city of Philadelphia there is none higher than William Penn! God's throne is like this, too! High and lifted up! Thrones have always been high and important. There will always be the thrones of Alexander, Pharaoh, Caesar, Napoleon, Hitler, and the White House. But none will ever be higher than the Great White Throne of God!

Men strained to lift their thrones to the heavens by building the great tower of Babel, They failed. Satan, the fallen angel, even tried saying, "I will ascend to heaven above the stars of God; I will set my throne on high." (Isaiah 14:13). He too has failed. God's heavenly throne and its surrounding kingdom will exist forever unconquered! None higher than this!

Who Rules It?

The text allows us to peep again at the nature of this one kingdom that lasts' In verses 13 and 14 it says, "One like a son of man came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and kingdom... His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed."

Who is this man who has the kingdom that will last? Who is this son of man who comes before God and receives power to rule forever? He is Jesus! He is the kingdom that lasts) He is the chosen one of God, given power to rule and judge the nations. Look here! Christ is before God! Given glory! Allowed to rule! You don't see Stalin here. Lenin is absent. Hitler's name is not called. Where is Napoleon? Where are Alexander, Mao, Khrushchev? Where are the dictators and presidents, the emperors and kings? They have died. They are in their graves. But look here where Jesus Christ is! Standing before God in favor, receiving dominion forever over a kingdom that, as the Bible says, "Shall not pass away, shall not be destroyed."

College students have a habit of writing on bathroom walls. (High school students do too for that matter.) In one particular bathroom on Emory University's campus there is quite a penciled debate going on as to who will eventually rule the world. "Karl Marx will bring us a new day and a new society'" wrote one thinker. Yet another enthusiast wrote, "Where there Is hope, there's dope." And another, "justice comes from the barrel of a gun." "Dare to struggle, dare to win. Students for a Democratic Society," penciled another radical. Down low on the wall however, some young rebel had drawn a tiny cross and beside it these words, "Fools, the real revolution began two thousand years ago on Christmas day when a little heavenly lad came down to get God back his ball that sin stole away!" Yes! That's it! The kingdom that lasts belongs to Jesus. My friends, the real revolution did not begin under the red star of Petrograd in 1916, nor did it begin under the stars and stripes of America in 1776. It began under the star of Bethlehem. And man has never understood thief The U.S. Marine emblem shows an American bald eagle holding the world in its claws. The Russians ruble pictures the world with a hammer and sickle struck across it. According to this text today, it is the picture of Jesus that should be there ruling over the face of the earth. He rules the world. He is the king eternal!

When I was a child we used to sing a song about Jesus and how He ruled the world. Let's sing it now--will you? "He's got the whole world in His hands."

Chorus

HE'S GOT THE WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS.

(Repeat 4 times)

Verses

(1) HE'S GOT YOU AND ME, BROTHER, IN HIS HANDS.

(2) HE'S GOT THE KINGS AND THE NATIONS IN HIS HANDS.

I hope you still believe in the words of that childhood song. They are still true. They always will be. And you can take comfort in this world of political ups and downs knowing that God's kingdom is forever!

"WHAT CITIZENS?"

Yes, God's throne is high and lifted up, and Jesus is allowed to rule this lasting kingdom. But whose kingdom is this? What sort of citizens walk its streets and live in its homes? Who will work its factories? Who will run its offices, shops and homes?

Again the text gives us the answer! Verse fourteen tells us: "To Him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him."

Whose kingdom is this? Everybody's! This kingdom is for everybody. The Bible says it is for all peoples, all nations, all languages. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." "'Whosoever" believes has "everlasting life" in the kingdom. That is who this kingdom is for! God is not the God of the Americans only. He is the God of the Mexicans, the Italians, the Russians, Chinese, and Eskimos. His kingdom is for all who trust Christ.

You young children sing this truth when you lift your voices to the words:

JESUS LOVES THE LITTLE CHILDREN,

ALL THE CHILDREN OF THE WORLD.

RED AND YELLOW, BLACK AND WHITE,

THEY ARE PRECIOUS IN HIS SIGHT.

JESUS LOVES THE LITTLE CHILDREN OF THE WORLD.

The Bible makes it clear that the kingdom of God is for all the peoples of the world. It is for red skins, yellows, whites and blacks! It is for rich and poor, the handicapped and educated. It is for all who repent and turn to Christ in faith. Several years ago I was sitting at a banquet table during a Christian conference. Most of the people present were whites. A number of black Christians entered and sat down to eat with us. This disturbed a lady sitting next to me and she got up and left. After the meal I found her sitting on the porch sulking. "I refuse to eat with Negroes," she said angrily. "Why?" I asked. They're God's children just like you." We went into a long conversation about race, the Bible and love. Still she said she'd never, never eat with a Negro Christian. So I turned to the book of Revelation and showed her where God will one day give a great banquet at the end of the world. Jesus will be there along with every Christian who has ever lived. Now, this means that people of all races, social backgrounds and educations will sit and eat with Jesus. "If you don't want to eat with Negroes, what are you going to do at that banquet?" I asked. "There's only one other place to go," I said. "If you refuse to eat with Jesus and his friends you only have hell to go to!" So, get this straight in your minds right now, dear people: the text says this kingdom is for "All peoples, all nations, all languages." And if you do not like the citizenship of this domain you can always go to hell. Maybe you'd like the company there better, though I seriously doubt it! It just looks like those who want to live with Jesus in his kingdom are going to have to learn to live with all races. So we had better start learning to get along together right now.

What Do They Do?

Yes, we have a kingdom that lasts. It belongs to God Almighty. Jesus rules it. And this kingdom is for all the children of the world who repent and have faith in Jesus Christ. And now, it must be pointed out that citizens of God's kingdom must serve the Lord. The text puts it this way: "And to Him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, all nations and languages should serve him."

Let me ask you a blunt question now. Are you a serving Christian? Do you love God with all your mind, emotion, will and body, and do you love your neighbor, yourself and the environment? Have you ever given God your mind to think through? Have you given Him your lips to speak with? Have you given Him your hands and feet to work with? Is your career for the glory of God? Or are you indifferent, selfish, and lazy about what God is doing in this world?

A soldier wanting to have some fun entered a barracks and yelled, "I'll give ten dollars to the laziest man here! All but one fellow jumped up and immediately began to argue how lazy they were. However, that one sleepy recruit still in bed drawled, "Just roll me over and slip the money into my back pocket." Brethren, I'm afraid that we are too much like that young and lazy soldier. God has recruited us to fight in His army. But most of us are sleepy and lazily passing time in our spiritual bunks. We want God's gifts. We'll take all His benefits! "Just roll me over and stick your blessings in my back pocket! We pray. But we shirk our Christian responsibility to evangelize, to seek justice, to minister to the needs of others.

Jesus' last words to His Church were "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And teach them to observe all that I have commanded you" (Matt.28). Need I remind you that this commandment cannot be fulfilled in the bed? It cannot be fulfilled by lazy half-hearted worldly believers! New Testament believers did not get up off padded mahogany pews and yawn their way around the world. They came down off crosses, they fled persecutions, they walked every road with fire in their hearts to serve the Lord. They gave everything they had for the kingdom of God! Can you say that? Is your total life committed to God?

You do not necessarily have to go to Africa to serve Christ. You can serve Him where you are. And nowhere can you serve the Lord better than in your day's work. If you are a housewife you can scrub and cook and rear children for the glory of God. If you are a lawyer you can struggle for real justice. If you are a teacher you can shape the character of youth for Christ. If you are a merchant you can work and sell honestly. just, about any job you do can be done in a Christian way. And God is asking you to work for His glory where He has placed you. He is asking you to witness to the people He has put within your reach. He is asking you to teach and preach, to make disciples where you are! Will you help fulfill the great commission? You can start where you are! Will you do it? Will you?

Yes, My people, kingdoms do rise and fall. History is certainly cluttered with the ruined wreckage of fallen kingdoms. The Spanish French, Indians, and British have all ruled parts of America. Now the United States rules it. Maybe America will last another 200 years. Maybe it will fall. But there is one kingdom that lasts and lasts and lasts. It is a forever kingdom that belongs to God. Jesus Christ rules it. And those who believe in Christ are its citizens. They live to serve Him all of their days right where God places them. And they serve the Lord knowing that "All power in heaven and earth has been given unto Jesus." This means that the world is not going to the dogs! Neither is it going to the capitalists or the communists. It is going to God, to Christ, and to those who believe. We pray for this kingdom every Sunday in the Lord's Prayer: "Thy kingdom come...For shine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory forever.'' This of all kingdoms is the true kingdom. It is the kingdom that lasts.

Stephen M. Crotts