“Immediately the word concerning Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled; and he was driven away from mankind and began eating grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.  “But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever;
         For His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
         And His kingdom endures from generation to generation. 
    All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,
         But He does according to His will in the host of heaven
         And among the inhabitants of earth;
         And no one can ward off His hand
         Or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’

 “At that time my reason returned to me and my majesty and splendor were restored to me for the glory of my kingdom, and my counselors and my nobles began seeking me out; so I was reestablished in my sovereignty, and surpassing greatness was added to me.

 “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride.”

Daniel 4:33-37

“…that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” 

Philippians 2:10-11

Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, went from the height of power, to the depths of depravity, overnight.  In his proud state, he said essentially, “I am my own god. I need no other.” God forewarned him of the discipline to come should he remain in that proud state, but after 12 months, he continued in his arrogance.  So God gave him up to depravity, and he became like an animal.  He “died,” in a sense.  In that humbled state, God disciplined him. The Bible says that period was 7 “times”, whether it was seven years or months, we do not know, but the number 7 in the Bible represents perfection.  God was perfectly disciplining Nebuchadnezzar.  He knew just what was necessary to bring the king to a point of recognizing his own need for God. 

And what happens? The king says at the end of that time he lifted his eyes to heaven, and worshipped the King of heaven, acknowledging that God was God, to be praised and adored.  At that time, God restores Nebuchadnezzar to a place that was BETTER than the power and position he had before!  He “resurrects” him from the dead into a new man, with a new heart.  And look what Nebuchadnezzar says about it: “God is able to humble those who walk in pride.”

So what do we see here? We see a picture of how God can and does bring a man to love and fear Him, but not out of coercion.  He disciplines (and its not pleasant), but perfectly, and in love.  And so the king CHOOSES to love and follow God. Not because God beat him into submission, but because he had a repentant heart and genuine love for God.  Somehow, God is able to turn a heart with love to love Him back, and yet it does not violate the man’s voluntary decision or choice to love God.  Philippians tells us that every human being is going to bow and acknowledge Jesus as Lord.  But does God want people bowing to Him grudgingly, or out of fear, or under His hand forcing them to do so? Does that bring glory to God? No, God wants glory and acknowledgment from those who love Him.  He wants worshippers who worship Him in spirit and in TRUTH-who truly love Him.  THAT brings Him glory.  And He gets the most glory-all the glory-when everyone is bowing out of love. 

So God can take a life-one full of arrogance and pride and God-lessness, and He is ABLE to humble that man so that the man, of his own choice, acknowledges God.  Nebuchadnezzar himself says that God is just in doing so-ALL his ways are just.  God does only that which is good, and discipline for restoration and regeneration is the heart of our Father.  His discipline is always to bring us closer to, not further from, Him.  He wants to restore us, but He first has to correct us.  But then He makes us better than we were before!

So if someone dies in this life, and they do not acknowledge Jesus as King and Savior, they are not lost forever.  Our God is the God who searches for the one lost sheep, the one lost coin, waits for the one lone prodigal son.  He will have to correct and discipline that person, but one day, they too, of their own choosing, will in love and faith say “God, YOU are God. I am not.  I need You, there is no other.” 

And so one day, it will be as Jesus says in Revelation: He will make ALL things new.  All will be new creations in Christ Jesus.

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