ancient eternal decree of the Father concerning ruler ship of planet earth. David

has a extraordinary revelation concerning the government of planet earth that kept

his heart in righteousness until the very end.

B. He reveals this truth under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in Psalm 2. In this

psalm David points out four key realities.

1. God the Father has issued an eternal decree concerning the ruler ship of

the planet. He has declared that He alone will set His King on His Holy

hill. God Himself has established His kingdom and His King, and this

King and kingdom shall not be moved. They are set by the very hand of

the Father, the very hand of the all-wise, all-powerful God. This King

shall have nations as His inheritance and the ends of the earth as His

possession. He will rule them with an iron scepter and dash them to

pieces like pottery. He rule cannot be rivaled, thwarted, or brooked. God

has issued an ancient, everlasting decree that His only begotten Son shall

rule over all the affairs of humanity. God has set His Son on His Holy

Mountain and promised Him a ruling partner from human race as

voluntary lovers and worshippers.

2. History is littered with the rebellion of humanity and their kings against

this decree. Kings through the ages have taken their stand and cast off

restraint. They despise that a higher court, a grander palace is established

which has precedent over their command. They loathe the fact that their

leadership is under a greater scrutiny than their own imagination. Who

will tell them how to rule? Who will make them give account of how they

rule? Besides, they appear to have great wealth, great wisdom, great

power and God surely does not see, He does not demand an account.

They do as they please and defy the ancient decree. They ignore its

implications upon them. Insanity runs its course. In utter defiance of

wisdom, of true satisfaction they cast off the cords of love and of

righteousness. They resist pleasures untold and settle for the insanity of

self-promotion, the incessant grappling for power, the perverted exerting

of strength, the folly of displaying their wealth which moths will eat and

rust will destroy. One king grasps to gain power. Then spends his short

time of power worrying if he will lose it. Only to be run through in an

hour of weakness or betrayal and have it all stripped away.

3. Yet, God holds them in derision. He laughs and scoffs at them. He will

execute His wrath. He will judge the nations of the earth. David cries out

concerning this reality in Psalm 9:20.

a. God will act in human history to guard this promised rule. He will act

against every opposing challenge of His complete sovereignty.

b. He is guiding all of human history to the crescendo of the

manifestation of His grand, righteous kingdom and its Beloved King.

God has laid the government upon His Son’s shoulders and will

increase with all the zeal that is in the Almighty’s heart. "Of the

increase of His government and peace there will be no end."

4. God through the generations has proclaimed this decree and warned rulers

and powers. Forerunners have come proclaiming to kings and judges to

align themselves with God’s holy decree of the Sovereign Kingship of His

eternal King and His kingdom, receive loves kind embrace. Serve the

Lord with fear, rejoice with trembling, and kiss the Son. If you refuse He

can remove you in a little while, effortlessly.

Dan 4:1-3 Nebuchadnezzar the king, To all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in

all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you. 2 I thought it good to declare the signs and

wonders that the Most High God has worked for me.

A. The account is written in the first person. Nebuchadnezzar himself writes the

majority of this chapter. Only the brief account of his insane episode is recorded

by someone else.

B. The King Speaks. Something disturbing has happened. The King himself enters

the testimony of Daniel and declares as a testimony to the nations concerning the

signs and wonders which the Lord has done for him. He emphatically declares

great are His signs, mighty are His wonders, and His kingdom is an everlasting

kingdom and His dominion is from generation to generation.

C. Nebuchadnezzar has experienced something so powerful that he sees it as good

and necessary to proclaim, to declare that God has done a work in him through

great signs and wonders. The king has been moved by something extraordinary to

declare the greatness of Someone else, the greatness of another King.

ship.

1. The execution of His kingdom comes through great signs and wonders.

He is the God who loves to do great signs and great wonders. He is the

God Who loves to fascinate the eyes, to wow the hearts of His people,

and to seize the hearts of His enemies with trembling fear

2. The Kingdom of Heaven is also an everlasting dominion. His rulership

has no end. There is another kingdom in which human kings must give

account. Beyond the courts of man is another Judge Who renders

decisions, Who weighs the wisdom of lesser courts.

Dan 4:4-9 4 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house, and flourishing in my palace. 5 I saw a

dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts on my bed and the visions of my head troubled

me. 6 Therefore I issued a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they

might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. 7 Then the magicians, the astrologers,

the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers came in, and I told them the dream; but they did not make

known to me its interpretation. 8 But at last Daniel came before me(his name is Belteshazzar,

according to the name of my god; in him is the Spirit of the Holy God), and I told the dream

before him, saying: 9 "Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the Spirit of the

Holy God is in you, and no secret troubles you, explain to me the visions of my dream that I have

seen, and its interpretation.

A. Nebuchadnezzar reports the ease of his reign at this point. He is no longer

battling for the establishment of his kingdom like the Dan. 2 account. He is at

peace and is flourishing. The nations are subdued and the fame and fortune of

Nebuchadnezzar is such that no rivals dare to oppose his kingship. He is

prospering and he is building a city as a tribute to his greatness.

2:22), comes again to Nebuchadnezzar with a terrifying dream. Even kings are

defenseless in the night. No amount of guards can keep the Holy One from

visiting in the night season. The vain defenses are down, pride is sedated, and

watchers visit in night hours. This is troubling to the proud and mighty

disposition of a great king.

C. Nebuchadnezzar calls in the magicians, the Chadeans, the astrologers, and the

soothsayers. This time Nebuchadnezzar does not have the animosity towards

leadership, and when they cannot make known to Nebuchadnezzar the meaning of

the dream, their leader Daniel comes in to deliver.

D. Daniel is called upon and is identified twice as the one in whom the Spirit of the

Holy God dwells. No secret troubles him, for the Spirit of the God who reveals

mysteries dwells in him.

A. The Decree of the Watchers

a command to chop down a great tree representing King Nebuchadnezzar.

The King will be driven from the place of men by these watchers, will live

among the beasts of the field, will be made by the watchers to eat grass

like oxen, and they shall et you with the dew of heaven for seven times

until the King knows the Most High rules in the kingdom of men and

gives it to whomever He chooses. Then the King will receive back his

kingdom.

There is a group of holy ones called the watchers. They make decisions,

and their decisions are equivalent to the decree of the Most High.

B. Enforcing the Ancient Decrees

1. I think the holy watchers are governmental angels who ensure that the

Ancient Decree described in Psalm 2 is manifest. God has promised the

resources of heaven to ensure that His Son alone will be the earth’s great

King. He has set His King on His holy hill, Zion.

2. Governmental Angels enforce the Ancient decree of the Lord. They

oppose all governmental structures which exalt themselves against the

Kingdom of God.

C. Biblical Support for This View

1. Jesus and the Open Heavens Statement to Nathaniel.

John 1:50-51 Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I

saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe? You will see greater things

than these." 51 And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you,

hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and

descending upon the Son of Man." NKJV

fascinated heart, tells him yet more. Nathanael, you haven’t seen

anything yet. An open heaven is coming Nathanael and you cannot

even imagine what is going to take place. Angels ascending and

descending on the Son of Man. It is the hour where the Kingdom of

God prevails in the person of His Son.

b. Jesus is referring back to Gen. 28:10-17 when Jacob was fleeing for

his life from His brother, Esau, after he had tricked out of the blessing

of his father, Isaac. It was prophesied that the younger would rule

over the older, yet it all looks like it is in shambles. The promise in

Gen 3:15 and Gen. 22:18 is now in jeopardy. Jacob falls asleep and he

dreams of an open heaven where a kingdom is promised to come

through his seed and it will bless all the nations of the earth. It reveals

the divine activity that will establish this promised lineage in this

promised land and the promised seed ruling from this promised land.

A ladder will be set up from earth to heaven and divine agents, called

angels, will ensure this promise.

Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And

between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you

shall bruise His heel." NKJV

Genesis 22:18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed,

because you have obeyed My voice." NKJV

c. Jacob has a divine encounter where God assures him of divine

assistance in carrying out the promises made to his father Isaac and his

grandfather Abraham.

2. In Daniel 4 the watchers are revealed as heavenly agents who enforce this

promised Kingdom. Any king or authority who opposes this Kingdom

with arrogance will be humbled. Thus, these watchers announce and

enforce the ancient decree of Jesus being appointed on His holy mountain,

ruling over the kingdoms of the earth.

3. Other Examples

a. Antiochus Epiphanes IV

c. The Second Coming and the Inauguration of the Millennial Reign

(1) Matt 13:40-43 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned

in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41 The Son of Man

will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom

all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 and

will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and

gnashing of teeth. NKJV

(2) Matt 13:49-50 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels

will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, 50 and

cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and

gnashing of teeth." NKJV

(3) Matthew 25:31 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and

all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His

glory. NKJV

(4) Mark 8:38 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in

this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also

will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with

the holy angels."

(5) Luke 9:26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of

him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own

glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels. NKJV

d. The Role of Angels in Revelation

19:10; 22:9

10, 12; 9:1, 11, 13, 14, 15; 11:5; 14:19; 15:1, 6, 7, 8; 16:1, 3, 4, 8,

10, 12, 17; 18:21

(13) Announce/Proclaim/Decree Coming Divine Activity &

(14) Fight Fallen Angels & Throw Them out of Heaven and One

20:1

(16) Power over Earth, Sea, Fire, and Water

(17) Reaps the Harvest for the Wrath of God and Complete the

(19) A Holy One Decrees/Announces the Destruction of Babylon,

(21) Are with Jesus in His Return, Reaping the Harvest (Separating

41, 49; 16:27; 24:31; 25:31

way of escape.

prosperity."

1. Ex 32:30 Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses said to the

people,"You have committed a great sin. So now I will go up to the

LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin." NKJV

2. 2 Sam 12:22-23 And he said, "While the child was alive, I fasted and

wept; for I said, 'Who can tell whether the LORD will be gracious to me,

that the child may live?' NKJV

3. Jonah 1:6 So the captain came to him, and said to him, "What do you

mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God; perhaps your God will consider

us, so that we may not perish." NKJV

4. Joel 2:13-14 So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the

LORD your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of

great kindness; And He relents from doing harm. 14 Who knows if He will

turn and relent, And leave a blessing behind Him -- NKJV

5. Zeph 2:3 Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, you who do what he

commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be

sheltered on the day of the LORD's anger. NIV

6. Acts 8:22 Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if

perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. NKJV

7. 2 Tim 2:24-26 And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to

all, able to teach, patient, 25 in humility correcting those who are in

opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may

know the truth, 26 and that they may come to their senses and escape the

snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will. NKJV

A. What happens when kings boast before the King of Heaven?

B. Nebuchadnezzar is held in derision and manifests outwardly what is an inward

spiritual reality. God in His kindness lets Nebuchadnezzar witness the external

outworking of an inward spiritual reality.

lauding their greatness. Now, he lifts his eyes to heaven and lauds the Most High.

A. Now, King Nebuchadnezzar joins the witness of the forerunners of the watchers.

He is converted and joins the cloud of witnesses Anointed Rule of the Beloved

Son of God.

1. He praises God in regard to four realities:

a. His dominion is an everlasting dominion and His kingdom is from

generation to generation.

b. All the inhabitants of the earth are nothing.

c. He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the

inhabitants of the earth.

B. He extols and honors the King of Heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His

ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down.

C. Psalm 2 tells us that at the end of the age all the kings will resist. Terminal

insanity will grip the nations. They will gather together against the Lord and His

Anointed One. They will cast off restraint. They will oppose His rule and they

will give power to one who stands in the holy place and proclaims himself as god,

the anointed king. But with the zeal of a mighty King and the power of another

world He will strike the nations. He will slay the take the imposter with the

brightness of His coming.