Dan 4:1-18  The Most High Rules in the Kingdom of Men

[Study Aired November 29, 2021]

Dan 4:1  Nebuchadnezzar the king, unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you. 
Dan 4:2  I thought it good to shew the signs and wonders that the high God hath wrought toward me. 
Dan 4:3  How great are his signs! and how mighty are his wonders! his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation. 
Dan 4:4  I Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in mine house, and flourishing in my palace: 
Dan 4:5  I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me. 
Dan 4:6  Therefore made I a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known unto me the interpretation of the dream. 
Dan 4:7  Then came in the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers: and I told the dream before them; but they did not make known unto me the interpretation thereof. 
Dan 4:8  But at the last Daniel came in before me, whose name was Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods: and before him I told the dream, saying, 
Dan 4:9  O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and the interpretation thereof. 
Dan 4:10  Thus were the visions of mine head in my bed; I saw, and behold a tree in the midst of the earth, and the height thereof was great. 
Dan 4:11  The tree grew, and was strong, and the height thereof reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth: 
Dan 4:12  The leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all: the beasts of the field had shadow under it, and the fowls of the heaven dwelt in the boughs thereof, and all flesh was fed of it. 
Dan 4:13  I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven; 
Dan 4:14  He cried aloud, and said thus, Hew down the tree, and cut off his branches, shake off his leaves, and scatter his fruit: let the beasts get away from under it, and the fowls from his branches: 
Dan 4:15  Nevertheless leave the stump of his roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth: 
Dan 4:16  Let his heart be changed from man’s, and let a beast’s heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him. 
Dan 4:17  This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men. 
Dan 4:18  This dream I king Nebuchadnezzar have seen. Now thou, O Belteshazzar, declare the interpretation thereof, forasmuch as all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known unto me the interpretation: but thou art able; for the spirit of the holy gods is in thee. 

Last week’s study of Daniel chapter 3 focused on who we are and how, through our fiery trials represented by the furnace, those called and chosen are not given to worshiping the image created by Nebuchadnezzar which represents our old man or the beast within.

Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 

Today’s study is about a dream Nebuchadnezzar had and what this dream spiritually signifies. This dream shows us who we are as a beast and the need for us to go through judgment to learn righteousness.

Ecc 3:18  I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts. 

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee. 
Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Dan 4:1  Nebuchadnezzar the king, unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you. 

This verse shows us that what we are going to read in this chapter is addressed to all the people of the world, that is, all humanity. We must understand that what Nebuchadnezzar was going to unveil in the dream he had affects all humanity. However, as we are aware, it is only the elect who can understand the implication of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream on their lives. This is because it is not given to all humanity to understand the word of God in this age except those elected by God who are privileged to do so.

Joh 8:43  Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. 

Dan 4:2  I thought it good to shew the signs and wonders that the high God hath wrought toward me. 
Dan 4:3  How great are his signs! and how mighty are his wonders! his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation. 

As we shall see later, the signs and wonders God has wrought in the life of Nebuchadnezzar, of which he was telling the whole world, relates to the revelation of who he was and how the Lord dealt with him. Our Lord showing us who we are and coming to deal with our old man is the wonderful work that is spoken of by Nebuchadnezzar in these verses. The Psalmist also talks about this wonderful work of the Lord as follows:

Psa 107:31  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! 
Psa 107:32  Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.

The details of this wondrous work of the Lord are as follows:

Psa 107:23  They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;
Psa 107:24  These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep. 
Psa 107:25  For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. 
Psa 107:26  They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble. 
Psa 107:27  They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end. 
Psa 107:28  Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. 
Psa 107:29  He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. 
Psa 107:30  Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
Psa 107:31  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

This wonderful work of the Lord starts with us going down to the sea and doing business in great waters. Going down to the sea and doing business in great waters means being ruled by the flesh and conforming to the standards of this world. This gives the Lord the occasion to come and judge us by raising a storm which causes us to come to our wits’ end. In our desperation, we cry to our Lord to deliver us just like Paul cried:

Rom 7:24  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
Rom 7:25  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Our Lord comes in to calm the storm and bring us to our safe haven. That is to say that through this experience, we learn righteousness and become the sons of God. That is the wonderful work of the Lord or the signs and wonders of His work that Nebuchadnezzar is bringing to our attention so we can praise the Lord!!

Psa 107:22  And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing. 

The rest of Daniel chapter 4 deals with Nebuchadnezzar’s dream which unveils who we are as we go through Babylon and the steps the Lord takes to deliver us.

Dan 4:4  I Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in mine house, and flourishing in my palace: 
Dan 4:5  I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me. 

We thought we were at rest and basking in our own self-righteousness in Babylon just like Nebuchadnezzar, when Christ came into our lives and ‘all hell broke loose’. As we are aware, our Lord Jesus coming into our lives is not for peace but a sword. That is exactly what happened to Nebuchadnezzar.

Mat 10:34  Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. 
Mat 10:35  For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. 
Mat 10:36  And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. 

Rev 18:7  How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

Dan 4:6  Therefore made I a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known unto me the interpretation of the dream. 
Dan 4:7  Then came in the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers: and I told the dream before them; but they did not make known unto me the interpretation thereof. 

The wise men of Babylon are the magicians, astrologers, the Chaldeans and the soothsayers. These men represent the leaders of the various religious organizations of the world whose delicacies have made rich the merchants of the earth (the church leaders) and have caused all the people of the world to drink of the wine of their fornication.

Rev 18:3  For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

These wise men are not given to know the truth and therefore do not have the mind of Christ. As a result, they cannot interpret the dream of Nebuchadnezzar which is given to those whose eyes are being opened and their ears hearing what the spirit of the Lord is saying.

Joh 8:43  Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. 
Joh 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. 

This is what the Lord says of these scribes and Pharisees of today who represents the wise men of Babylon:

Mat 23:4  For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

Mat 23:13  But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.  
Mat 23:14  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. 
Mat 23:15  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

Dan 4:8  But at the last Daniel came in before me, whose name was Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods: and before him I told the dream, saying,
Dan 4:9  O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and the interpretation thereof.

In verse 8, the last person to come before the king to attempt interpreting the dream was Daniel. Daniel represents the elect and, as indicated, the wise men who came earlier stand for Babylon. As we know, the flesh always comes first before the spirit. We had to be in Babylon first before we were given to worship God in spirit.

1Co 15:46  Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. 
1Co 15:47  The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. 
1Co 15:48  As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. 
1Co 15:49  And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

We, the elect, are the ones who are given to know the mind of Christ just like Daniel and therefore, we can interpret the dream of the king or the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is a parable that those who have not been given the mind of Christ cannot understand or interpret.

Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 
Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 
Mat 13:13  Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 

Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. 
Mat 13:17  For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

As we continue in Him, the secret things of the Lord will be made known to us.

Luk 8:17  For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.

Jer 33:2  Thus saith the LORD the maker thereof, the LORD that formed it, to establish it; the LORD is his name; 
Jer 33:3  Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

Dan 4:10  Thus were the visions of mine head in my bed; I saw, and behold a tree in the midst of the earth, and the height thereof was great. 
Dan 4:11  The tree grew, and was strong, and the height thereof reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth: 

According to the word of God, a tree represents man. A good tree therefore signifies the elect, and a bad tree stands for all humanity who are not given to know Christ in this life.

Mar 8:24  And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.

Psa 37:35  I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.

Mat 7:18  A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

Psa 52:8  But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.

Psa 92:12  The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

All humanity, including the elect, starts as bad trees. Those predestined to become the sons of God in this life, however, are transformed to become good trees later in life. The characteristics of the tree in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream qualifies it as a bad tree as described in verse 10 and 11. In verse 10, it is stated that the height was great. Also in verse 11, it is shown that the height of the tree reaches heaven.

Eze 31:3  Behold, Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches and forest shade, and of towering height, its top among the clouds. 

Eze 31:10  “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because it towered high and set its top among the clouds, and its heart was proud of its height, 

Rev 13:5  And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.

What we are being told is that the height of the tree here symbolizes the pride of man. We become proud because we think we control our own destiny and that it is through our effort that we have become righteous. This is the self-righteousness, which is iniquity, spoken of by Ezekiel.

Eze 33:13  When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousness shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it.

Verse 11 also states that the tree grew and became strong. As we age in life without Christ, the old man within us also becomes more entrenched in wickedness and therefore we end up being worse off than when we started.

2Ti 3:13  But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

Again, in verse 11, it is stated that the tree was visible in all parts of the world. This visibility of the tree refers to the worshiping of the beast by all humanity, which is becoming more and more obvious as we see the increase in wickedness in all humanity as we go from bad to worse.

Rev 13:4  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? 

Rev 13:8  And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Dan 4:12  The leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all: the beasts of the field had shadow under it, and the fowls of the heaven dwelt in the boughs thereof, and all flesh was fed of it.

We must remember that this dream is about Nebuchadnezzar who represents who we were when we were in Babylon. This verse compares to the following scripture:

Mat 13:31  Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: 
Mat 13:32  Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.

Matthew chapter 13 verses 31 and 32 can be interpreted to mean that we all take the grain of mustard seed which is the word of God and turn it into images of men or false doctrines which strengthens the devil’s (fowls of the heaven) influence or hold on us as it empowers the old man or the beast within.

Eze 16:17  Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them,

That is what happens to us in Babylon. We become worse off than when we started. Daniel 4:12 talks about our deplorable state in Babylon.

Dan 4:13  I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven; 

According to Strong, the word ‘watcher’ means an angel or a messenger. So, the holy one and the watcher represent our Lord Jesus and His Christ. It is the Lord Jesus, the Chief messenger, who came to announce to us that we, His elect, must be judged for our sins. In other words, we must be cut down as a tree. We, as His Christ, are also carrying the same message that to learn righteousness, one must be cut down or judged.

1Pe 4:17  For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?

Dan 4:14  He cried aloud, and said thus, Hew down the tree, and cut off his branches, shake off his leaves, and scatter his fruit: let the beasts get away from under it, and the fowls from his branches: 

In our marred state in Babylon, our Lord comes into our lives to judge us. This judgment is signified by the hewing down of the tree, the cutting off of its branches, the shaking of its leaves and the scattering of its fruit. We are the tree that is being cut down.

Eze 17:24  And all the trees of the field shall know that I the LORD have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish: I the LORD have spoken and have done it.

The end result of cutting down this tree is that the beasts get away from it. This is another way of saying that the beast or the old man within us is put to death. The fowls getting away from the tree branches is to let us know that we are no longer under the dictates of the devil. In other words, the devil is no longer our father.

Mat 3:10  And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 

Joh 8:44  You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

It is when this cutting down of us as trees is accomplished that we learn righteousness.  We can therefore live righteously because the beast within us is dying, and the devil is no longer our father.

Isa 26:8  In the path of your judgments, O LORD, we wait for you; your name and remembrance are the desire of our soul. 
Isa 26:9  My soul yearns for you in the night; my spirit within me earnestly seeks you. For when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

The import of this dream Nebuchadnezzar had is the same as Ezekiel’s prophecy to Pharoah, king of Egypt.

Eze 31:1  And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third month, in the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 
Eze 31:2  Son of man, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude; Whom art thou like in thy greatness? 
Eze 31:3  Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud, and of an high stature; and his top was among the thick boughs. 
Eze 31:4  The waters made him great, the deep set him up on high with her rivers running round about his plants, and sent out her little rivers unto all the trees of the field. 
Eze 31:5  Therefore his height was exalted above all the trees of the field, and his boughs were multiplied, and his branches became long because of the multitude of waters, when he shot forth. 
Eze 31:6  All the fowls of heaven made their nests in his boughs, and under his branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth their young, and under his shadow dwelt all great nations. 
Eze 31:7  Thus was he fair in his greatness, in the length of his branches: for his root was by great waters. 
Eze 31:8  The cedars in the garden of God could not hide him: the fir trees were not like his boughs, and the chesnut trees were not like his branches; nor any tree in the garden of God was like unto him in his beauty. 
Eze 31:9  I have made him fair by the multitude of his branches: so that all the trees of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied him. 
Eze 31:10  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast lifted up thyself in height, and he hath shot up his top among the thick boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his height; 
Eze 31:11  I have therefore delivered him into the hand of the mighty one of the heathen; he shall surely deal with him: I have driven him out for his wickedness.
Eze 31:12  And strangers, the terrible of the nations, have cut him off, and have left him: upon the mountains and in all the valleys his branches are fallen, and his boughs are broken by all the rivers of the land; and all the people of the earth are gone down from his shadow, and have left him.
Eze 31:13  Upon his ruin shall all the fowls of the heaven remain, and all the beasts of the field shall be upon his branches:

We can see that it is our pride that causes us to be cut down. While in Nebuchadnezzar’s case, we were not told who was going to do the cutting down, in this case, Ezekiel said that judgment would be meted out by strangers and the terrible of the nations. This is referring to one of the four sore judgments of the Lord – the noisome beast. The end result is that it leads to the destruction of the old man.

Eze 14:21  For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast? 

Dan 4:15  Nevertheless leave the stump of his roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth: 

On a positive note, the tree stump that is left is the elect. When we are judged (cut down) by the Lord, we are not destroyed completely. It is our old man or the beast within that is destroyed, and we are left as a tree stump to grow again at the scent of water which is the word of God. In verse 15, being wet with the dew of heaven means receiving the word of God.

Job 14:7  “For there is hope for a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its shoots will not cease. 
Job 14:8  Though its root grow old in the earth, and its stump die in the soil, 
Job 14:9  yet at the scent of water it will bud and put out branches like a young plant. (ESV)

Isa 6:11  Then I said, “How long, O Lord?” And he said: “Until cities lie waste without inhabitant, and houses without people, and the land is a desolate waste, 
Isa 6:12  and the LORD removes people far away, and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. 
Isa 6:13  And though a tenth remain in it, it will be burned again, like a terebinth or an oak, whose stump remains when it is felled.” The holy seed is its stump. (ESV)

The tree stump being bound with iron and brass means that we are dragged by the Lord to Himself. In verse 15, it is also mentioned that the stump must be left in the tender grass of the field so that it will be wet by the dew of heaven. This is to suggest that our Lord will plant us in the church of the first born or the New Jerusalem so that we can be beneficiaries of what every joint supplies, which is the word of God. Remember that grass of the field positively represents the elect.

Zec 10:1  Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain; so the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.

The last statement of verse 15 is that the tree stump’s portion should be with the beasts in the grass of the earth. This signifies that we, as our Lord’s elect, are being sent as sheep in the midst of wolves. In other words, we shall suffer persecution and be hated by all men.

Mat 10:16  Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. 
Mat 10:17  But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; 
Mat 10:18  And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. 

Mat 24:9  Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.

The physical implication of verse 15 was that Nebuchadnezzar would not be destroyed totally but would become like the beast of the fields so that he would appreciate the fact that he is a beast just like all of us. The next verse explains this point.

Dan 4:16  Let his heart be changed from man’s, and let a beast’s heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him.

The period for Nebuchadnezzar to come to the realization that he is a beast was seven years, which signifies the complete period of time that we come to realize during our time in Babylon that we are beasts. Coming to know that we are beasts is the beginning of the process of the Lord to make us His sons.

Ecc 3:18  I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.

Dan 4:17  This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.

According to Strong, the word “watchers” here means holy angels. The watchers and the holy ones are all the same. They represent the elect. This whole issue of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is to bring to our attention the fact that our Lord is at the center of all that takes place in our lives, both good and evil. The Lord giving the kingdom to whomsoever he will means that we play no part in our salvation. As a matter of fact, it is God who has chosen us before the foundations of the world. We did not choose ourselves.

Rom 9:18  Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
Rom 9:19  Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? 
Rom 9:20  Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? 
Rom 9:21  Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? 
Rom 9:22  What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: 
Rom 9:23  And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,

The Lord setting the kingdom up being ruled over by the basest of men means that He chooses the stupid things of this world to confound the wise and the prudent to the effect that no flesh shall glory in His presence.

1Co 1:26  For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 
1Co 1:27  But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 
1Co 1:28  And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 
1Co 1:29  That no flesh should glory in his presence.

Dan 4:18  This dream I king Nebuchadnezzar have seen. Now thou, O Belteshazzar, declare the interpretation thereof, forasmuch as all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known unto me the interpretation: but thou art able; for the spirit of the holy gods is in thee.

As we have said earlier, it is those who have been given eyes to see and ears to hear who have the mind of Christ and are therefore given to know the interpretation of the mysteries concerning the kingdom of Heaven which is signified by Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.

Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 
Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 

Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. 
Mat 13:17  For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.