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The book of Daniel chapter 2 tells of a statue seen by Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon. This statue is history fulfilled in a
dream given him by God. Daniel was shown the meaning.
Daniel 2
19 Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision.
Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
24 Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had ordained to destroy the wise men
of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him; Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will shew unto
the king the interpretation.
25 Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus unto him, I have found a man
of the captives of Judah, that will make known unto the king the interpretation.
26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name
was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?
27 Daniel answered
in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians,
the soothsayers, shew unto the king;
28 But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar
what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;
29 As for thee, O king, thy thoughts
came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall
come to pass.
30 But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakesthat shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.
31 Thou, O king, sawest,
and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible.
32 This
image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,
33 His legs of iron, his feet
part of iron and part of clay.
34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that
were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.
35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces
together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them:
and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
36 This is the dream; and we will tell the
interpretation thereof before the king.
37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power,
and strength, and glory.
38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he
given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.
39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom
inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
40 And the fourth kingdom shall be
strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break
in pieces and bruise.
41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided;but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.
42 And as the toes of
the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.
43 And whereas thou sawest
iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron
is not mixed with clay.
44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed:
and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall standfor ever.
45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron,
the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the
dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.
This is the vision of the statue:
head of gold
breast and
arms of silver
belly and thighs of brass
legs of iron
feet part iron and part clay
"A stone was cut out without hands" which
hit the image and broke it in pieces (v. 34). It became "like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors" carried away by the wind (v.
35). There was no longer any place for the statue because the stone that hit it grew like a mountain and took up the earth.
The great
statue was destroyed by a little stone.
Verses 36-44 continue and explain the meaning of the dream.
Babylon, under King Nebuchadnezzar,
is the head of gold. This is the same king who was given the dream (v. 38).
After Babylon "shall arise another kingdom inferior to
thee." (v. 39). This is the breast and arms of silver.
"And another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth"
(v. 39). This third kingdom is the belly and thighs of brass.
There shall be a fourth kingdom after it that "shall be strong as iron."
(v. 40). This fourth kingdom is the legs of iron.
This kingdom will be divided and will have the strength of iron and clay (v.
41-43). This kingdom is the feet which are part iron and part clay. Notice that the "toes of the feet" were part of this
kingdom (v. 42).
It is in the days of these kings that the God of Heaven shall "set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed (v.
44).
Prophesy is fulfilled in these historical empires (kingdoms):
Babylon: head of gold
Medo-Persia: breast and arms of silver
Greece:
belly and thighs of brass
Roman Republic: legs of iron
Roman Empire: the feet "part iron and part clay" after its strength
would be divided as iron and clay which cannot be mixed together.
Empirical rulers of the kingdoms:
Babylonian Empire:
Nebuchadnezzar
ruled the Babylonian Empire (609-539 B.C.) under the Chaldean Dynasty (Healy). King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon reigned from
605-562 B.C.
Medo-Persia:
Cyrus the Great ruled the empire of Medo-Persia (559-333 B.C.) (Abbott). He ruled Babylon from 539-530 B.C.
In October of 539 B.C., Persian armies, under the rule of Cyrus, overthrew the city of Babylon. The leader of the Babylonian Empire
at the time was Belshazzar. Cyrus also defeated the Medes in 549 B.C. with the capture of Ecbatana.
Grecian Empire:
Alexander
the Great ruled the Grecian Empire (333-168 B.C.) (Skelton). His rule began at Macedonia located in the northern-most part of
ancient Greece. He reigned from 336-323 B.C. Alexander defeated the Persian army ruled by Darius III at the battle of Issus in 333
B.C. After him, Philip V ruled Macedonia from 221-179 B.C. He was defeated in 197 B.C. by Titus Quinctius Flamininus, Proconsul of
Rome. Perseus of Macedon ruled between 179-167 B.C. Defeated by Aemilius Paulus Macedonicus, a general of Rome, in 168 B.C., he was
the last Macedonian king. Macedonia was broken into four smaller states, also called Merides. It came under Roman rule. Andriscus,
who claimed to be the son of Perseus, occupied the throne for 1 year (149-148 B.C.). Unable to obtain a following in Macedonia, he
was eventually defeated by Q. Caecilius Metellus in 148 B.C. and fled to Thrace, whose prince gave him over to Rome.
Rome:
Rome as
a republic ruled from 168-27 B.C. (Hill). This is the legs of iron. Rome, as a republic, although originally led by kings, became
a Republican form of government in 510 B.C. It held two consuls, or highest ranking masgistrates (leaders), as elected by the people
of Rome. Its society consisted of two groups of people in particular: Patricians, or the elite (rich), and Plebians, or the poorer
class. In 367 B.C., a law was passed which required the election of at least one Plebian consul each year. (Note that, as there were
two consuls, so also were there two legs to the statue, significant of how later it would take shape under empirical rule).
Julius
Caesar was considered the first of the rulers of the Roman Empire which began to take shape in 44 B.C. He started
as consul of the Roman Republic in 49 B.C.
Mark Antony ruled between 43-31 B.C. In 43 B.C., an official alliance with Antony, Octavian
and Lepidus was made, known as the Triumvirate. This ended in 33 B.C. with rivalry and war between Antony and Octavian. Antony was
defeated by Octavian in 31 B.C. Octavian restored the Roman Republic, but in practice retained his autocratic power.
Octavian was officially
considered dictator in 27 B.C. Known as Augustus, he ruled between 27 B.C. and A.D. 14. This began the consecutive rule of Emperors,
and the Roman Republic became known as the Roman Empire.
Tiberius ruled after Octavian from A.D. 14-37.
Caligula: A.D. 37-41
Claudius:
A.D. 41-54
Nero: A.D. 54-68
The year of the 4 Emperors lasted from A.D. 68-69. These emperors were Galba, Otho, Vitelius, Vespasian. A
time of civil war in Rome, it was symbolic of the political disturbances in the history of the Roman Empire.
Vespasian ruled the Flavian
Dynasty (A.D. 69-96). He was last of the 4 Emperors and ruled from A.D. 69-79.
Titus ruled after him from A.D. 79-81.
Octavian
to Titus is the time of the feet part iron and part clay. The time when Julius Caesar first ruled as Emperor (44 B.C.) to when
Octavian began rule as Emperor (27 B.C.) represented the ankles because this was the transition of Rome from a Republic to an Empire.The 10 toes represented the 10 emperors.
The time of the feet part iron and part clay took place from 27 B.C. with
Octavian as the first of a consecutive line of emperors of Rome to A.D. 30 when Jesus was crucified and resurrected.
It
was during this time "in the days of these kings" that the God of heaven would set up a Kingdom that would never be destroyed
(v. 44). Notice that it says "in," meaning during "the days of these kings," not before or after them.
"The stone was cut out
of the mountain without hands." (v. 45). This stone is symbolic of the Kingdom of God. Its Leader is the Messiah. It was "cut
out of the mountain without hands" because it was from God and not man. Its Leader was from God and not man because He was
born of the Father of heaven through Mary - thus, the virgin birth.
Verses 44-45 tell that this "stone" would "break into
pieces" the previous kingdoms and "consume" them.
During the time of Vespasian the Temple was destroyed. Prince Titus was
in charge of the destruction of the Temple, causing the "abomination of desolation" (Dan. 9:26-27, Matt. 24:15).
After the abomination
of desolation took place, the Kingdom was sent to the gentiles and to all nations. The years A.D. 180-192 under the rule of Commodus
began the fall of the Roman Empire. The Empire became broken as an Eastern and Western Emperor. By A.D. 324, Constantine
(Emperor of Rome from A.D. 306-337) defeated all other Roman emperors. He became sole emperor and the empire was again under one leader.
He divided his kingdom into ten official kingdoms and legalized Christianity with the Edict of Milan which proclaimed religious toleration
in the Roman Empire. In A.D. 311, Emperor Galerius officially put an end to Christian persecution.
Despite persecution by previous
emperors, Christianity not only had many followers but flourished within Rome.
"And the stone that smote the image became a great
mountain, and filled the whole earth" (v. 35). This is the ministry of the gospel.
Matthew 24
14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall
be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
Mark 4 30 And he said, Whereunto shall
we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it? 31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is
sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: 32 But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than
all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.
Consider all of the
people since the beginning of Christianity who have called Him their Lord and King (Rev. 19:16).
Christianity is to date the
largest religion in the world, numbering over 30%, or 2 billion, of the world's population.
"And it shall stand forever" (v.
44). It will have no end but will continue forever.
The apostles understood the prophecy of the statue. They and early
Christians that would follow their ministry knew the importance of giving testimony of the Messiah through persecution and martyrdom,
and the consequences that would later come because of it.
Some scholars of the Jewish religion during and after the time
of Christ believed the Messiah's appearance would take place at the time of the existence of the Roman Empire. Some of the priests
knew and understood this.
Others did not understand. They were waiting for a great Kingdom that
would rule as did the previous earthly Kingdoms, by dominating and controlling others under their power.
And they rejected the
Messiah when He appeared.
The Kingdom of the Almighty God would be contrary to worldly Kingdoms that previously ruled
with force. This Kingdom would be ruled by a King who was a small stone, meek and humble...
...who came as a Servant to all mankind.
["Minister" from Greek
diakoneo: meaning "to serve" (Strong 1247).]
And because He came as a humble servant, He has won the hearts of mankind.
Notice that it says "kingdoms," and not kingdom (singular). This
prophecy will occur when there are many kingdoms rather than one specific kingdom in rule amongst other countries, as was at
the time of the statue.
Also, notice that the kingdom (singular, not plural) in existence at the time the stone hit the
statue included the "toes of the feet," meaning kings of this same Roman Empire (v. 42).
To help us better understand when the
Kingdom of God would occur, we can read this Scripture:
John the Baptist declared
the Kingdom of heaven (another term for the Kingdom of God) "at hand" when he was still alive. It would happen during his
time on earth.
Jesus said it would take place during His time.
Pentecost began the Kingdom of God, because the kingdom began
with the salvation of souls (Acts 1:4,2) . Without Pentecost, there is no Christianity, no salvation, and no Kingdom of
God.
Compare these verses to the time of the statue:
The Kingdom of salvation is "within you."
The time
of the kingdoms revealed in the statue compares with the structure of man. If the Kingdom were still to come, then the feet
and toes would be way too long compared to the rest of the statue. This statue would be sitting, or crouching, with feet that long.
In actuality, his feet were the proper length to match the rest of the body.
Thus, the statue "stood" (v. 31).
Babylon:
605-539 B.C.
Medo-Persia: 539-333 B.C.
Greece: 333-168 B.C.
Roman Republic: 168-27 B.C.
Roman Empire: 27 B.C.-A.D. 30
head of
gold: 66 years
breast and arms of silver: 206 years
belly and thighs of brass: 165 years
legs (not including thighs) of
iron: 141 years
feet part iron and part clay: 57 years
After Christ's crucifixion and resurrection, the worldly empires were
defeated. Christ won, and the Kingdom of God had come. Victory followed.
The enemy
defeated, there would not be another worldly kingdom.
But the enemy would try to convince people to follow him by working through
false idols and false messiahs in the name of Christianity until Christ's return to rule as King of the earth.
Revelation 19
11 And
I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth
judge and make war.
12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew,but he himself.
13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
14 And the armies which
were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword,
that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness
and wrath of Almighty God.
16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
17 And I
saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and
gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and
the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both
small and great.
19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him thatsat on the horse, and against his army.
20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him,
with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive
into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword
proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
Verses 17-18 are symbolic. The Messiah will
conquer the earth for eternity as the final and last King of the earth. He will rule in righteous judgment (v. 11), and He will call to
life the elect and all who belong to Him. (Rev. 20:4). This is the first resurrection. (Rev. 20:5).
The sword that
the King uses in battle proceeds from His mouth (v. 15-21). It proceeds from His mouth because He will use words to
enact righteous judgment. The selfish, corrupt, and violent bring condemnation on themselves.
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Recommended
reading for a better understanding of Daniel 2: Read the entire chapter KJV.
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Works
Cited
Abbott, Jacob. History of Cyrus the Great. Harper and Brothers, 1876.
Healy, Mark. Nebuchadnezzar: Scourge of Babylon. Firebird Books, 1989.
Hill, Duncan. Ancient Rome: From the Republic to the Empire. Parragon Books, 2007.
Machiavelli, Niccolo. History of Florence and of the Affairs of Italy. CreateSpace Publishing, 2015.
Skelton, Debra, and Pamela J. Dell. Empire of Alexander the Great. Facts on File, 2005.
Strong, James. Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
of the Bible. Hendrickson Publishers, Incorporated, 2009.
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