Expository & Systematic Bible Study – Daniel Series 20/03/2023

Study 9 - THERE IS A GOD IN HEAVEN WHO RULES ON EARTH

Daniel 2:46-49

“Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and
commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours unto him. The
king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God
of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest
reveal this secret. Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many
great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief
of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon. Then Daniel requested of the
king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of the
province of Babylon: but Daniel sat in the gate of the king” (Daniel 2:46-49).
Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that troubled him, and when he woke up, he forgot the
dream. Then he got all the magicians to reveal and interpret the dream unto him. And
the magicians told him that no king on earth had ever done something like that. So
he threaten them to be killed. And Daniel with all the three Hebrew children was part
of the people to be killed. But Daniel went before the king to have some time for him
to get the revelation and interpretation to the king. Daniel was brought before the king,
and Daniel was able to reveal and interpret the dream to the king. And the king was
surprised that Daniel was able to do this. And then in his pagan attitude, he
worshipped Daniel and commanded that all his counsellors should offer an oblation
to Daniel.

God is in heaven, occupies the whole of heaven and the universe and He rules on
earth at that time, in this time and all eternity.

1. DEEP CONVICTION AND CONFESSION OF GOD'S ATTRIBUTES

Daniel 2:47,28

The nature, knowledge, attributes, and ability of God

(i) The God Who Knows and Reveals all Secrets - Daniel 2:47,28; Matthew 13:35;
Romans 16:25-27; 2:16. The God of the whole universe, Creator of heaven and earth,
and He knows because He is Omniscient, Omnipotent and Omnipresent. What God
knows; He reveals those secrets unto His people. “The king answered unto Daniel,

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and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings,
and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret” (Daniel 2:47).
The king recognised that Daniel was serving a true God. And this God knows all things
done by you whether in the secret or public, covered or forgotten. HE knows all things.
“That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open
my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the
foundation of the world” (Matthew 13:35). That is Christ too because He also is
God. He will reveal all things from the foundation of the world. “Now to him that is
of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus
Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since
the world began, But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the
prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known
to all nations for the obedience of faith: To God only wise, be glory through
Jesus Christ for ever. Amen” (Romans 16:25-27). Even the things that were kept
secrets since the world began, God is able to give them unto us in revelation. For
Nebuchadnezzar, his dream was for a few days. But God knows everything that was
kept secret since the world began, and when the time comes, if you do not repent, the
revelation will still come. “In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by
Jesus Christ according to my gospel” (Romans 2:16). ‘This is a reminder for every
individual inside or outside the Church, that God knows all secrets, and there is a day
coming when God will judge the secret of men’ (Pastor (Dr) W.F Kumuyi). The question
for you is, have you reconciled with God all the secrets of your life so that the Lord
will forgive and erase all those secrets from your accounts and wash in the blood of
Christ? But if you don’t repent, those secrets will follow you as a shadow, and on the
day of judgement, God will judge all those secrets by Jesus Christ. Today, grace is still
available, and the Lord will forgive all those who repent in Jesus Name.

(ii) The God Who Knows and Rebukes the Sinful - Daniel 2:21,45; 4:32-34,37; Job
12:19; Psalms 9:5. The sinful; whatever and whoever they are in any generation, God
knows about every Emperor and HE rebukes the sinful. We serve a God Who does not
fear His creature, whoever he or she may be. “And he changeth the times and the
seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the
wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: Forasmuch as thou
sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it
brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great
God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the
dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure” (Daniel 2:21,45). God
removes and establishes kings. God rebukes the sinful; whosoever they are. “And
they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of
the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass
over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men,
and giveth it to whomsoever he will. The same hour was the thing fulfilled
upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen,
and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like
eagles' feathers, and his nails like birds' claws. And at the end of the days I
Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding
returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured
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him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his
kingdom is from generation to generation:” (Daniel 2:32-34). Here was Daniel
talking to Nebuchadnezzar. God hates sin, the sin of pride, idolatry, and wickedness
that Nebuchadnezzar was guilty of. And Daniel came with the judgement of God upon
him, he did not mince words, not coloured the words with motivational talks. Can you
put yourself in the place of Daniel? Can you tell the authority of the day that God
loves justice and hates sins? Put yourself in the place of Daniel, can you tell the truth
to your friends who are sinning? Like Daniel, you must be cut out for the truth and
convictions. That it is the word of God that will come out of you when you meet
somebody like Nebuchadnezzar. How can you follow prophets whose prophecies are
not fulfilled? “He leadeth princes away spoiled, and overthroweth the mighty”
(Job 12:19). He judges the mighty.

(iii) The God Who makes Known and Refreshes His Saints - Daniel 2:23,29;
Proverbs 22:19-21; Ephesians 3:3-8; 2 Peter 1:16-21. The Lord refreshes the hearts,
minds, knowledge, and commitment of the saints. And they are not dry, weak not
suffocated with all the things happening around them. “I thank thee, and praise
thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast
made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made
known unto us the king's matter. As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into
thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that
revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass” (Daniel
2:23,29). He reveals secrets of what shall come to pass. “That thy trust may be in
the LORD, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee. Have not I written
to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge, That I might make thee
know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words
of truth to them that send unto thee?” (Proverbs 22:19-21). ‘The Lord has given
us the Bible to reveal unto us the things that have happened in the past, happening
now, and will happen in future’ (Pastor (Dr) W.F Kumuyi). Everything we need to tell
any man, the solution to every problem is in the Bible, so always go back to the Bible
and give them the word and not your mind.

2. DECLARED COMPREHENSION WITHOUT CONVERSION FROM GRIEVOUS

ABOMINATIONS
Daniel 2:46-47; 3:1-2,15

Nebuchadnezzar, even though he made that confession, there was no repentance, no

praying nor conversion of heart, for we discovered what he did again in chapter three,
that he raised an idol. “Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and
worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and
sweet odours unto him. The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it
is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets,
seeing thou couldest reveal this secret” (Daniel 2:46-47). We must be patient and
slow in affirming some so-called testimonies of people. See the testimony of
Nebuchadnezzar here. We should not be too fast in appointing people to church offices.
Nebuchadnezzar after his testimony still went on to set up an idol for people to worship,
“Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore
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cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in
the province of Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together
the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the
counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the
dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. Now if ye
be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut,
psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the
image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same
hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall
deliver you out of my hands?” (Daniel 3:1-2,15). Look at his wickedness and
idolatry. Be very slow in affirming the testimony of people. Don’t be sycophants or
men-pleasers, let them show by their lifestyles the testimony of their conversion.

(i) The Vain Worship of an Unconverted Pagan - Daniel 2:46; Acts 10:25-26; Romans
1:21,24-25; Revelations 13:4,6,8. “Because that, when they knew God, they
glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their
imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Wherefore God also gave
them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour
their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie,
and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed
for ever. Amen” (Romans 1:21,24-25). They knew God but glorify Him as their God.
Nebuchadnezzar knew God, yet he had paganism and idol worship in his heart. How
about you? You know that God saves, heals, and delivers. But when you are sick, do
you go to idol worshippers and herbalists? Do you give God that pure worship and
wholehearted service? Do you keep to that knowledge when you worship the Lord?
And your character and lifestyle do not follow what you know about God. Do you give
allegiance to men more than you give to God? Do you try to modify and change the
truth of God to fit into your carnal lifestyle and character? You know what God wants,
but because of the fear of men, you try to change the truth and worship the creature
more than the Creator. “And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto
the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast?
who is able to make war with him?” (Revelations 13:4). Many people live by the
fear of pain, suffering, death, and rejection. They knew that the beast is of the devil,
but because of fear, they gave in to the antichrist to take the mark of the beast. And
when that happens, they are lost forever. Do you join the secret cults because of the
pain of rejection, you cannot worship God, but you take the cult sacrifice. But the
Lord will deliver you, and you will not worship the creature more than the Creator. As
Jesus overcame the temptation of Satan, so the Lord will give every one the grace and
conviction to overcome the temptation of Satan.

(ii) The Valueless Words of an Unchanged Person - Daniel 2:47; Isaiah 29:13-16;
Ezekiel 44:10,12; Titus 1:16. The words that people speak, but when they come before
challenging situations, they cannot stand because their words are vain and valueless.
Those words are superficial and don’t have any foundation or conviction behind them.
“Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their
mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from
me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:” (Isaiah 29:13).
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Those that don’t have real conversion and conviction, they just parrot the words of
God with no foundation. It is not what they say, but the way they live, and their
character at home. Is the heart changed and converted by the Lord? ‘It is not what we
say, but the way we live’. It is about holiness without which no man shall see the Lord.
‘The most important thing is living transparently before the Lord, and be ready when
the Lord will come’ (Pastor (Dr) W.F Kumuyi). Nebuchadnezzar said the right thing but
his heart was not right before the Lord. “And the Levites that are gone away far
from me, when Israel went astray, which went astray away from me after their
idols; they shall even bear their iniquity. Because they ministered unto them
before their idols, and caused the house of Israel to fall into iniquity; therefore
have I lifted up mine hand against them, saith the Lord GOD, and they shall
bear their iniquity” (Ezekiel 44:10,12). They still retained the title of a Levi, but
their hearts were far away from the Lord. They kept on ministering and serving with
their idols in their hearts as well. “They profess that they know God; but in works
they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work
reprobate” (Titus 1:16). Our relationship with God, the character in the sight of God
is what matters before the Lord not just the confession of the mouths. Their character
does not show the sanctification that we believe. And they fight and rebel against
Church leadership.

(iii) The Visible Wickedness of an Unclean Proclaimer - Daniel 3:15,19-22;

Proverbs 30:12; Jeremiah 4:14; Romans 1:29-32. He was a great proclaimer that there
is a God in Heaven, and from there God can still reveal the secret unto men, but he
was unclean and wicked. “Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound
of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of
musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye
worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery
furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?” (Daniel
3:19). He was talking to believers here to compel them to fall down and worship his
idol. And he threatened to destroy them, he was taking the place of God, to exalt his
idol above God. But the Lord will give you the courage to stand with conviction like
these three Hebrew children. Our God is able to deliver us. Some Christians do not
want Nebuchadnezzar to be angry at them, but they stood their ground and threw
them into the fire, but the fire did not burn them.

3. DANIEL'S CONSECRATION AND COMPANIONS WITH GOODLY ADVANCE

Daniel 2:48-49

Daniel was advanced, and promoted because of what he has done in glory to God, the
Lord granted that they will be a promotion for him, and he requested that his
companions too, and they were promoted alongside Daniel. “Then the king made
Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over
the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men
of Babylon. Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel sat in the
gate of the king” (Daniel 2:48-49). It was God that brought the promotion to Daniel.

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(i) The Notable Promotion of Faithful Daniel by the King - Daniel 2:48; Psalms
75:6-7; Luke 16:10-13; 1 Corinthians 4:2. “For promotion cometh neither from the
east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth
down one, and setteth up another” (Psalms 75:6-7). God is the Final Authority.
But the problem of people today is that they don’t wait on God for their promotion. ‘It
is God that promotes us. And if a man gives you what God is not in it, you should politely
reject that offer’ (Pastor (Dr) W.F Kumuyi). Let God Himself do this. If men promote us,
it endangers and enslaves our lives.

(ii) The New Position of Faultless Daniel in the Kingdom - Daniel 2:48; 6:4,28;
Revelations 14:4-5; Jude 1:24-25. “Then the presidents and princes sought to find
occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none
occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error
or fault found in him. So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in
the reign of Cyrus the Persian” (Daniel 6:4,28). Daniel was faultless before the
Heavenly King and the earthly Kling as well. The people knew that the king was to
promote Daniel, so they conspired against him. And for some people they will begin
to cut corners, but not Daniel. He stood his ground, and he was cast into the lion’s
den. And yet the lions could not touch him. And this Daniel prospered. And you will
prosper as well. Don’t be afraid of living righteously and doing the Will of God. Then
the Lord will promote and prosper you, and you will reach where He has ordained for
you in all eternity.

(iii) The Noticeable Privilege of Fearless Disciples in His Kingdom - Daniel 2:49;
3:28-30; Ephesians 2:6; Revelations 3:21. “Then Daniel requested of the king, and
he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of the province of
Babylon: but Daniel sat in the gate of the king” (Daniel 2:49). Hold on and be
careful when they give you that position in the world. Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego did not do that. ‘Don’t be so grateful to man, that you forgot that it is the Lord
that gave you that promotion through that man’ (Pastor (Dr) W.F Kumuyi). Let us
remember that God is our God, and He has total dominion over us, and we owe Him
our allegiance only. The great vocabulary you need to put in your language is ‘NO’.
Whatever we receive from any man we don’t become subservient to them that they
begin to control our soul and destiny. Nobody will control your soul and destiny. The
power to say no to every Nebuchadnezzar for whatever they offer to us. Your life will
not end in regret. We will serve the Lord all the days of our lives in Jesus Name.

Note:
This is an outline from the message preached by Pastor (Dr) W.F Kumuyi, the General Superintendent of the
Deeper Christian Life Ministry Worldwide at the Monday Bible Study in Lagos HQ Church, Nigeria, West Africa
on Monday 20th March 2023.

Watch the GS Message Video - https://youtu.be/AGGzW58GqsE