The great statue in Daniel and the world situation

“𝑌𝑜𝑢, 𝑂 𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑎 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒 𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑒. 𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑒, 𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑡𝑠 𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢; 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑡𝑠 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑓𝑢𝑙. / 𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑒, 𝑖𝑡𝑠 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝑙𝑑, 𝑖𝑡𝑠 𝑏𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑡𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑚𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑖𝑙𝑣𝑒𝑟, 𝑖𝑡𝑠 𝑎𝑏𝑑𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑡𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑏𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑧𝑒, / 𝐼𝑡𝑠 𝑙𝑒𝑔𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑖𝑟𝑜𝑛, 𝑖𝑡𝑠 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑡 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑖𝑟𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑦. / 𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑙 𝑎 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑐𝑢𝑡 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑡 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑐𝑘 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑡𝑠 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑖𝑟𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑟𝑢𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚. / 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑖𝑟𝑜𝑛, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑦, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑧𝑒, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑖𝑙𝑣𝑒𝑟, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑐𝑟𝑢𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑎𝑡 𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑓𝑓 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑒𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑟𝑠; 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑠𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑛𝑜 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑. 𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑐𝑘 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑎 𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑚𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑒 𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡ℎ.” (𝐷𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑒𝑙 2:31-35)

𝑹𝒂𝒑𝒊𝒅 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒔
The Bible is mysterious in the way it is unlocked through man’s experience in time. Today, we see clearly that the man-exalting civilization that began in Babylon is now matured to the end-time scenario in Revelation, including Babylon the Great and the merchants of the earth who buy and sell as part of her fornication in chapter 18. The Bible is indeed very precise in proclaiming the end of this age. We are not far away. In recent years, we have observed many things that challenge truth and the meaning of humanity, as well as a rapid shift in human values. The pace at which the world is changing is almost unfathomable; technology and artificial intelligence have made more progress in the last ten years—and will make even more in the coming ten years—than ever before. Technology is integrating the worldly influence deeply into human life, and is advancing so fast it is outpacing itself, with profound yet unknown impacts on us and the generations after us.

If you turn on the news, you will quickly see that the core and clarity of the truth has been compromised among humankind. The enemy is busy in his corrupting work, manipulating mankind toward evil, death, and destruction. Civilizations compete with one another for a bigger airport, a faster and broader infrastructure for high speed data, and a stronger alliance with other countries to construct highways from continent to continent under the seas. The ambitious projects of worldly nations are more terrifying than before, and the desire to control and to manipulate are already unstoppable. We might think we are exempt because we seem to reside in a stable, democratic, freedom-focused society that defends for human rights. But the outward government and ideology don’t change the ever-deepening corruption of man and the ever-increasing strength of Babylon. As humans in time, we are all part of the sequence of history revealed by the human statue in Daniel; regardless of which country we come from, we all partake of its beginning and its end.

In Daniel chapter 2, according to the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, we see an image (or a statue) with a gold head, silver shoulders, brass abdomen, iron legs, and feet made of a mix of iron and clay. These elements represent the progression of human history, and the Bible uses these four major elements as symbols of the most powerful governments in human history and the ultimate fate of the world; each empire brings a more degraded value to justify man’s independence—his deviation from his beginning in oneness with God. Amidst such corruption, who has the authority to declare the fate of all human history? Yet the Lord does reveal the vision to His people through Daniel, and declares an indestructible, eternal kingdom that stands separated from the world and the fate of fallen humanity. Although today we are more than 2,500 years from the first declaration of the prophecy, it has become ever clearer to His called ones in this confusing era; we can readily understand the ending of the statue from an uplifted, divine perspective—not a fallen, human one.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑬𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒆
Throughout history, human governments have always endeavored to replace God. As with the statue, human government presents a good appearance, like the gold head—an imitator of the true authority. In the human body, the head is the administrator, controlling the rest of the body. The finger doesn’t need to think. Rather, the head thinks, and then the finger moves. Human history, like the human statue in Daniel, comes from a self-proclaimed glorious beginning: a declaration that it is the rightful headship in human history (see tower of Babel, Genesis 10). In the Bible, Babel, the fallen human government, outwardly looked like a decent, aspirational declaration for humankind yet was actually the seed of rebellion that has matured to the worldly situation today.

Human government came into being through a departure from the true divine government between man and God. By replacing mankind’s intrinsic core value of existence with a system of logic of right and wrong, it eventually becomes a bankrupt system. Human government may have started with a seemingly glorious beginning, but the feet of the statue tell us that we end in the dirt, a mix of clay and iron, which signals the end of human history on earth. No gold, silver or brass appear here, but rather clay mixed with iron. The symbols here reveal a specific condition of humanity. The clay invades the iron, and the integrity of the iron is compromised by the clay. So how will the old world end? When you see clay invading iron, producing a divided and “confused mass,” it will be the closing of time (2:41).

Although we may feel we are sheltered in the Midwest area, the global shifts are also impacting humanity on a basic, family level. Humanity is becoming twisted. If human beings live without their core value, they become machines on autopilot. Without realizing it, we become a vacant society of the living dead. Every day from 9am to 5pm, we are sucked dry by the world. How tragic human life can be in even the most advanced countries on the earth! For a family’s happiness to be measured by the size of the house or the number of cars in the garage, the underlying human value must be bankrupt to the core.

If we have eyes to see, we can recognize the hollowness of the worldly situation that the ending of the image in Daniel reveals. If we understand the Bible, we will be blessed to search for the real substance of our human existence. We will urgently seek after a spiritual value rather than an earthen one. This is our experience. 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞. 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐞, 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐬—𝐰𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧’𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬.

According to the Bible, God created us to be mingled with divinity. God created man with a very specific view to be an eternal building as His expression, Bride, and Body. Humanity is simply the very expression of life, which is the divine life. Therefore, there can be no humanity without divinity. God’s view from the very beginning for a marital relationship with man has never changed. That’s why He created us in this way—to seek after divinity, to be rejoined to the source. Man was never meant to be alone. He can never stand without the true substance of God. That is why the statue is ultimately destroyed; human beings are not meant to manufacture their own authority and purpose, and thus human government can never stand alone. Its fate is specific to God’s principles and His plan.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑪𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑺𝒕𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑵𝒆𝒘 𝑪𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏
Remember the ending: human history does have an ultimate fate. Pay attention to all the elements of the statue: when clay is introduced into this statue, a stone will appear to crush the entire statue from the feet up. When this stone crushes the statue, the materials of the statue “became like chaff from the summer threshing floors,” meaning there is no substantial element anymore (2:35). In the end, none of these substantial elements of the statue can stand; they will become like nothing—like chaff blown away by the wind.

Today, everyone is looking to substantiate their lives through external means. You might think you live by the iPhone or the internet, considering those to be substantial to your human life. Others might look to a house, a marriage, a car, or money. But one day, all these elements will be destroyed. It doesn’t matter whether you believe in gold, brass, silver, iron, or clay. When that mountain from the stone “cut out without hands” appears (2:34), everything physical—everything related to the city of Babylon—will no longer have any value. In the end of human history, man-made authorities and infrastructures will crumble because they lack true meaning and substance. In the end, what you thought was substantial is but the shell of the real thing, and it will disappear like chaff.

𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞. In verse 44, Daniel interprets to the king that there will be an indestructible kingdom of God that will last forever and “will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms.” The Bible says this crushing stone will become a great mountain (2:35). This great mountain replaces all previous elements and fills the whole earth. If you read the Bible, there’s only one true mountain in God’s eyes. We may interpret this mountain as the corporate Christ; we also understand it as the arrival of the new creation. What a visionary Daniel was to have been given this victorious declaration! When everyone was troubled, fearful, and unclear, such a brother received a glorious wisdom to interpret God’s intention and plan. For those of us who live and hope in new creation, what a victory and what a vision!

𝑮𝒐𝒅’𝒔 𝑯𝒊𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒏 𝑾𝒊𝒔𝒅𝒐𝒎
𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝐻𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑠; / 𝐻𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑒𝑠 𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑠 𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑠𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑑. / 𝐻𝑒 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑠𝑑𝑜𝑚 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑠𝑒 / 𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑙𝑒𝑑𝑔𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑜 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔. 𝐻𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑖𝑑𝑑𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠; / 𝐻𝑒 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑜𝑏𝑠𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑘𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠, / 𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑑𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝐻𝑖𝑚. 𝑇𝑜 𝑌𝑜𝑢, 𝑂 𝐺𝑜𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑦 𝑓𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑠, 𝐼 𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑝𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑠𝑒, / 𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝑌𝑜𝑢 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑚𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑠𝑑𝑜𝑚 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡; / 𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑌𝑜𝑢 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑚𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑌𝑜𝑢, / 𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝑌𝑜𝑢 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔’𝑠 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑜 𝑢𝑠. (Daniel 2:21-23)

Just like many people today, at the beginning of chapter two, the King of Babylon was deeply troubled by the vision of the statue in his dream, and he had no one who could explain its meaning to him. What did the signs mean? Although the king’s magicians, conjurers, sorcerers, and wise men may be able to imitate interpretation and do fake tricks, none could divine the truth or understand this wisdom hidden behind the dream.

When Daniel provided an interpretation, he was talking to the highest earthen authority who owned and ruled over everything. This king was on the top of the world, but when he reached the peak of his empire, he was still confused about what humankind is and where it is going. He had the mysterious dream of the image, and tried to use all his power to understand something that was so deep and hidden. Such a powerful man was brought to such trouble and frustration that he ordered the wise men to be “cut into pieces” unless they told him the meaning of his dreams (2:5). From his reaction, we can see a vulnerable person who was surrounded by “false and corrupt words” (2:9). All those around him conspired together to tell lies. Yet in such a frightening and confusing time, the Lord unveiled the mystery of human history to His remnant. As one “among the captives of Judah,” Daniel was considered a nobody (2:25). He was the lowest of the rank at that time, but the Lord gave him the understanding and a proper utterance. In that moment, the Lord not only revealed the dream, but also unlocked the entirety of human history to Daniel.

Worldly people look to leaders and politicians to solve problems or to give a decisive word on the truth. But that’s not where we find the answer to the meaning of our life and the fate of humankind. Daniel shows us that the Lord’s wisdom is above all human understanding and earthen, fallen authorities. 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐢𝐧 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐝𝐨𝐦, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐧. He is the one that deposes kings and causes kings to ascend. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.

𝑶𝒖𝒓 𝑰𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚
Today, we are those ones to whom His eternal plan and His move on the earth have been revealed. Even though the world is rapidly changing, we don’t have to be shaken. When we return to the Bible, we see that all of this has already been predicted. The kings of today’s world are lost, leading blindly. What is happening in the world is confusing for the people around us. They have no way to interpret it. There is no standard or truth—everything is mixed. No one knows the true direction of mankind, only relying on good ideologies or political promises. Humankind is living in the era revealed by the end of the statue. If we still believe in the earthly elements and substances to uphold our lives, it’s time to be awakened.

Today in the church in Toledo, we may not be as wise or as eloquent as Daniel, but we are not ignorant of what the Bible shows us. We may not be a powerful world leader or influential businessman, but unlike them, we are not afraid of the things that are happening before our eyes. We recognize the unstoppable trend we are witnessing day by day. We recognize that humanity was created with the scope of the entire universe. 𝐈𝐟 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫, 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞.

We may be small in number, but our church life has the Bible and the true heavenly nature to substantiate us. We are serving God by upholding our lives in a heavenly way. Our demeanor should be in new creation; it should be divine. We are God’s family and we have God’s value, so our demeanor should reflect that. We still live a human life, but we should not be confused, lost, or crushed, looking only to the physical things. We should come to this core understanding of our human living and be the most tangible people on the earth. We are God’s race in new creation.

For our churching in this area of the country, can we carry out the meaning of our lives in the scope of the global perspective? Reading these elements of the vision of the statue should be a great warning to us to say, “Lord, save me today. Save me from all the gossiping, fashion, trade, commerce, and work. Lord, if these fallen elements are not powerful enough to awaken me, then, what will? I don’t want to be awakened by a major crisis when it’s too late.” We should say to the Lord, “I can be awakened today.” Now is the time. If we have true understanding of the signs of the times as revealed to us from the Lord Himself through the Bible in these days, we should return to the true source of all administration, our precious Lord, to prepare for His coming.

(𝐴𝑏𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑓𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑔𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑜𝑛 10/04/19 𝑎𝑛𝑑 10/11/2019, 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑟.)