Guess Who?

Can you identify the person who is spoken of in this passage?

You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength and the glory; and wherever the sons of men dwell, or the beasts of the field, or the birds of the sky, He has given them into your hand and has caused you to rule over them all.

If you guessed Jesus, you're wrong. This was spoken of King Nebuchadnezzar by Daniel when he was recounting and interpreting the king's dream about a statue with a head of gold. The head of gold represented King Nebuchadnezzar; in fact, the very next line of the above passage is "You are the head of gold."

But compare this with Colossians 1:15-20, a quote that is really about Jesus.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.

First of all, if you thought that Nebuchadnezzar's description is pretty impressive, how much moreso is Jesus'. Nebuchadnezzar had dominion on earth, but Christ was the creator of that dominion. Nebuchadnezzar may have ruled over all men and beasts, but Christ was before them all and in Him holds all of things together.