34th Week in Ordinary Time - Tuesday - A Kingdom that shall never be destroyed

Yesterday, we heard how Daniel, because of his faithfulness and obedience to God was given “the understanding of all visions and dreams.”  Today we hear how Daniel, uses this gift, and interprets a dream of King Nebuchadnezzar.

Through the prophet Daniel, God wanted King Nebuchadnezzar to know that his kingdom, so dear to him, could and would undergo destruction.  Other kingdoms would take its place, but they, too, would last only a time.  The prophecy of Daniel foreshadowed the words of Jesus, when he spoke of the Temple of Jerusalem:  it, like everything built by human beings, will be destroyed.  These are not the sorts of things to place our hope in.

Daniel also prophesied that God would set up a kingdom that would not be destroyed.  Daniel did not know that he was speaking about the Church: not church buildings, of course, but the Church herself, made up of “living stones”.  Those who place their faith in Christ the King will have eternal life.

Everything that’s built by human beings can be destroyed.  That’s why something like the Great Pyramids of Egypt are so awesome:  not simply because they are so colossal, but because they have—to an amazing extent—survived the ravages of time.  You can think of one of the large cities on the West Coast of our own country (Los Angeles, for example):  from the air, as you fly into the area, you can be filled with awe.  And yet an earthquake could destroy everything in the area in a matter of minutes.

The U.S. government can collapse, as have countless governments and dynasties throughout history have collapsed.

Yet the Christian, is not terribly shaken by this “bad news”.  It causes us to reflect upon our trivial pursuits, and to repent of them, and to renew our commitment as citizens of the kingdom that does not pass away.  We react to the certainty of the total destruction of everything we can see, not with despair or depression, but with thanksgiving and commitment to Christ, for this earthly life is but to prepare us for life in a kingdom that does not pass away.

To be involved in purely worldly matters is in the end foolish and useless.  Psalm 127 reminds us if the Lord does not build the house, in vain does its builders labor.

The Letter to the Hebrews states, “"Wherefore, we who are receiving the unshakable kingdom should hold fast to God's grace, through which we may offer worship acceptable to Him in reverence and awe"

We worship God in reverence and awe, praying that as the earth passes away we may be found faithful to Christ who died that we may have eternal life, that we may be found laboring always for the glory of God and salvation of souls.