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Venerable Market Square Arena in downtown Indianapolis collapsed in a heap of dusty, smoky rubble last month. It died in 15 seconds, its path to destruction paved not by terrorists but by developers. With it went memories of heroic basketball struggles, battles of epic proportions in this basketball-worshiping state. It didn’t matter that Market Square Arena was only 37 years old. Owners of sports franchises in major cities demand bigger and better arenas to make more money, of course.

One of these days something far more powerful than the explosives that brought down Market Square Arena will smash the kingdoms of this world. It will make H-bombs look like firecrackers. It will be Daniel’s huge rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands.

In his interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, Daniel drew a picture of “an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance.” Representing the various world powers, it was nevertheless crushed by a rock that “became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.” Nothing was left of the earthly kingdoms except chaff, which was swept away by the wind.

Daniel’s rock represents God’s kingdom that will never be destroyed. “It will crush all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.” We serve an enduring kingdom. We are not part of something like Market Square Arena, or Napoleon’s empire, or the British empire.

We declare Jesus as savior and king in the context of rapidly shifting world powers, all of which thought they were invincible. The world’s kingdoms always think like that. “We’ll make ourselves so strong, they won’t dare to attack us,” reads a caption under a cartoon drawing of a couple of Stone Age warriors with their latest weaponry. Into Nebuchadnezzar’s dream shot a man who knew better. Daniel knew who he was and who God was. He harbored no false notions of his own wisdom and cleverness. He prayed and then he took God’s news, first into Nebuchadnezzar’s court and then into Darius’ lions den.

“Dare to be a Daniel?” we teach our children to sing. Who dares today to say to the world, “Your kingdoms will wind up like chaff under God’s mighty rock.” Because we have tested God’s faithfulness, like Daniel did, and because we have a sure word of prophecy like he did, we can be as bold and courageous as he was.

Sometimes we are immobilized by the awesome power of this world, not just military and political power, but also the power of the mass media to turn people into copycats of America’s incredible consumers of everything under the sun. Is God’s power in the gospel really strong enough to save people from this, as well as from idolatry and false, empty religions?

Everywhere we take the name of Jesus we confront established powers, like the pervasive idolatries of Babylon. Religion is power; culture is power. But whatever kingdoms that rule the people of this world, they will not last. Nebuchadnezzar’s head of gold was doomed; likewise, all the kingdoms that followed his.

Our task in world missions is no easier than Daniel’s was. Unlike him, however, we have the enormous benefits of knowing that Jesus Christ came to build His kingdom. He calls us to give powerful witness to pagan cultures, like Daniel did. We know that someday God’s huge rock will fall on all earthly kingdoms and that His kingdom will fill the earth. That fact dispels despair and defeatism. The cross of Jesus Christ towers over the wrecks of time, and it empowers us to be faithful witnesses.

August 3, 2001