The Prophecies of Daniel
Part 2: The Colossus Continued
Two weeks ago I laid the foundation for the teaching series that we are in the midst of concerning the prophecies of Daniel. I took the time to show you how important it is to rightly divide the word of truth or another way of saying that is how to handle the Word of God correctly. We need to have a good understanding of the plan of God for the ages if we are going to be able to read a Bible passage and put it in its right context.
This is especially true when it comes to interpreting prophetical passages. Because when we don’t understand who God is talking to, who He is talking about, what dispensation is being spoken of, etc. then we can easily misinterpret what God is saying to us. In fact, that is why there are so many different interpretations of Bible prophecy today.
[And just to refresh your memories, the book of Daniel, is written by a Jew, about the Gentiles, and has absolutely nothing to do with the Church, because the church was a mystery that wasn’t revealed until the New Testament book of Ephesians.]
I told you that Daniel was unique among the prophets of the Old Testament in that he was given visions by God concerning the Gentile kingdoms of the world. Specifically, he prophesied about the period of time called the Times of the Gentiles. The Times of the Gentiles is a specific time period in which the Jews will be stripped of their king and the Gentile nations will rule over them and the whole earth. It began in 606 BC when the Babylonian Empire took that last two Jewish tribes captive. And it will continue until Christ returns at the end of the Tribulation period to set up His earthly kingdom.
I. Brief Review
For this series we are going to be looking specifically at the visions and dreams that are given in Daniel and not at each and every event that is recorded there. We began our study of the prophecies with the second chapter of the book of Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of a giant statue or Colossus. Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had a troublesome dream one night, but when he awoke from it he could not remember what it was about. None of Nebuchadnezzar’s chief advisors could tell the king what he had dreamed about either or how to interpret the dream. But God gave a young, Jewish boy named Daniel the ability to do so, and even though he was a captive, Daniel saved the lives of many people in the process.
The Colossus that Nebuchadnezzar dreamed about was a visual picture of the Times of the Gentiles. Through the use of various metals and the statue of a man, God was revealing in great detail who would hold sway over the earth from the time of Babylon until the last days when Christ returns to earth.
[I hope you were able to bring your handout of the Statue back with you today. Let’s look at it as I briefly run through the metals and the empires they represented.]
The statue’s head was made of gold and represented the Babylonian Empire, the world Empire that was in power at the time of the giving of the dream. The people of the Babylonian Empire are the ancestors of today’s Iraqis.
The chest and arms of silver represented the next world Empire – the Medo-Persian, which was is sometimes called just the Persian Empire. It was made up of a union of two peoples the Medes (today’s Kurdish people) and the Persians (today’s Iranians). The two arms of the statue exemplify these two peoples.
The Persian Empire was followed by the Grecian Empire under the leadership of Alexander the Great. At his death this kingdom was separated between his four generals, making the Grecian Empire a fourfold kingdom instead of a single one. The brass or bronze of the statue’s belly and thighs represent the Grecian Empire.
The Greeks were followed by the Romans. The iron legs of the Colossus stand for the Roman Empire, which is the Empire that lasted the longest period of time. The two legs show us how the Empire was divided between its eastern and western divisions in 364 AD.
And the last Empire we discussed last week was the one that we can see forming all around us today. It is the Empire of the Last Days represented by the feet of iron and clay. I showed you how the presence of the iron indicated that the influence of the Ancient Roman Empire would be present in this final kingdom. We can see that today because almost all the modern technological countries of the world have governments, economies, culture, etc. that have been influenced by or based upon the structure of the Ancient Roman Empire.
The mix of iron and clay shows us that this empire will be a mix of nations that will come together to form a union or federation of nations with each nation retaining its own unique identity. We can see the forming of this empire today in the existence of the United Nations and the European Union.
I also realized something else about this empire this week as I was studying for today. We said that the two arms of the colossus depicted the two peoples of the Medo-Persian Empire, and the two legs of the statue represented the division of the Roman Empire. I do not know for certain, but I believe it is also possible that the two feet of the image could be showing us that this final Last Days’ Empire is also somehow divided in two, perhaps between the east and the west like the Ancient Roman Empire was. It’s something to keep an eye out for.
[For more details you can pick up a copy of last weeks’ teaching “The Prophecies of Daniel: Part 1, The Colossus”.]
II. Interpretation of Colossus Continued
So, now let’s finish the interpretation of this dream in the second chapter of the book of Daniel.
A. The Antichrist’s Empire – Ten Toes of Iron and Clay
Read with me if you will Daniel 2:42-43, “As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. [43] And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.”
I’ve made a mental division between the feet and the toes of this Colossus that many prophecy scholars don’t make. I did this to put some End Time events in chronological order in my own mind. I believe that we, the church, will not see this ten-toed empire come to fruition. I believe the rapture comes first. We are living in the time of the Last Days’ Empire. We can see the Empire represented by the feet of the statue developing before our very eyes. But before time reaches the division of this empire into its ten toes, I believe we will be gone.
Now, having said that, we need to realize that Daniel does not make the distinction between the feet and the toes of the statue because he cannot see the church and therefore can’t predict our escape. So while the division is not there in any of the visions, I put it there in my own mind so I can keep track of the order of some End Time events.
Just like the feet of the Colossus are made of a mixture of iron and clay, the toes are as well. This tells us that the toes are going to come out of and be a continuation of the Last Days’ Empire represented by the feet. In truth, this is one Empire that we see forming now and will continue after we are gone in another form.
1. Ten Toes = Ten Kings
Now throughout our interpretation of the Image we’ve seen that the existence of two limbs denotes a division of some sort in the empire it is depicting. This has been proven to be true in history. The two arms denoted the two peoples of the Medo-Persian Empire. The two legs showed us the division of the Roman Empire. We’ve said that the two feet may also represent a division of some sort in the Last Days’ Kingdom, it’s just a little harder for us to see since we’re living in the Last Days instead of looking back upon history like we are with the other kingdoms.
But if we carry this idea of limbs denoting division we see that the statue ends with another division, this one a ten-fold division. The specific mention of the toes of the statue separate from the feet in vs. 42-44 tells us that this Last Days’ Empire, after the rapture of the church, is going to be divided into ten kings with the Antichrist ruling over them all.
During this time the final great Gentile ruler, the Antichrist, will come to power. Now, while we don’t see the Antichrist specifically depicted in the statue, we will see him in later visions. But for now, just realize that this final kingdom will be a mixture of nations and peoples that will form an unstable union. And in its final stages this kingdom will be divided between ten rulers.
2. Size and Duration of Last Days’ Empire
Something else to take note of is the size of the feet and toes in relation to the rest of the statue. Remember when we talked about the Roman Empire lasting the longest amount of time and the legs representing Rome taking up almost half the height of the image? Well, look at the size of the feet and the toes. What do you think their size means?
It means that the Last Days’ Empire will only last for a short period of time. It means that the ten-toed division of the Empire, which the Antichrist will rule over, will last an even shorter amount of time. In fact, this short period of time is called the Tribulation period, and it will only last for seven years.
Referring to this specific period of time, the Apostle John wrote in Revelation 12:12, “...But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.”
And Christ says in Matthew 22:24, “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect [Jews] those days will be shortened.”
God is visually showing us how merciful He will be to the Jews during the Tribulation by comparing the Antichrist’s short reign of power to the short length of the toes on the giant image given in Daniel 2.
B. The Earthly Kingdom of Christ – The Rock/Stone and the Mountain
Now, while the image of the Colossus shows us the entire length of the Times of the Gentiles from Babylon, the head, to the Antichrist’s Tribulation, the toes – the dream did not end there. In fact, Nebuchadnezzar’s dream revealed the formation of another kingdom and the end of mankind’s rule of the earth. Let’s read a few verses about this other kingdom.
Daniel 2:34-35, “While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on the feet of iron and clay and smashed them. [35] Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were broken to pieces at the same time and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.”
And then the interpretation of that passage is found in Daniel 2:44-45. “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. [45] This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not of human hands – a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces…”
The climax of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is the smiting of the Colossus by a stone or rock cut out of a mountain without the use of human hands. The fact that humans had nothing to do with creating this rock means that the rock existed first. The rock has divine or spiritual origins. It is not a creation of mankind. So, just who or what does this rock of divine origin represent?
Isaiah 8:14, says that the Lord Almighty, “…he will be a sanctuary; but for both houses of Israel he will be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.”
Ephesians 2:20, “Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.”
Psalm 18:2, “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.”
1 Corinthians 10:3-4, “They all ate the same spiritual food [4] and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.”
The Rock that smites the image of man’s power on earth is Christ Jesus, Himself. And notice the actions of the Rock. It doesn’t fill the whole earth by degrees and crowd out the Colossus and thus take over the earth. The Rock, in one sudden blow, demolishes the Image and its remains are blown away. This is a sudden act of judgment upon the nations of the world, and it is final. God leaves no remnants of mankind’s power behind. Even the dust left from the image’s destruction is blown away.
1. When Will Image Be Destroyed?
When will the Rock destroy the Image? When will Christ judge the nations? Verse 44 says, “In the time of those kings…” What kings? The kings that are represented by the ten-toes. God will come to judge and destroy the power of man at the end of the Tribulation period, when the Antichrist’s federation is ruling. God will put an end to it and an end to the Times of the Gentiles.
Now some people get confused when the read that the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were all broken to pieces at the same time. They question how this could be when the Empires that some of them represented are already long gone. Well, as outward visible empires, this is true. But we need to realize that as each empire fell, its customs, knowledge, culture, etc. were absorbed and incorporated into their successors. The Last Days’ Empire that we are living in, is actually a mixture of all of the previous empires. We will see proof of this mixture of empires in later visions which Daniel was given.
2. The Millennial Kingdom
Now, the Rock didn’t just destroy the Image. It did something else. It grew into a mountain that fills the entire earth. This mountain is the Millennial Earthly Kingdom of Christ. This is not a spiritual kingdom. Just as all the other empires of the dream were literal empires, this kingdom will also be a literal kingdom. And Daniel says in vs. 44 that it will never be destroyed and it will never be turned over to another people to rule. Jesus Christ, Himself, is going to set up a kingdom on earth, which He will rule and reign over forever.
By the way, this really puts a kink unto the theory of some people who claim Jesus’ kingdom on earth is present already and that we help to further it by working to bringing people to Christ. The Kingdom Now theory says that Christ will return to earth when the Church has worked to set up His kingdom for Him. But as you can see from this passage in Daniel, Christ doesn’t need our help, He will come suddenly, with judgment and set up His kingdom without the use of human hands.
III. More Insights about the Colossus
Okay, so that is the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. It shows the succession of world powers from the time of Babylon until Christ’s return. But there are a few more insights about this Colossus that give us a better view of this time.
A. Why A Man?
The first thing I want to point out to you is the use of the image of a man. Do you know why God gave Nebuchadnezzar a vision of a man and not something else? Why did He use a man to pictorialize Gentile power? Why not a tree, or an animal, or a mountain, or building?
God used the image of a man, because the Times of the Gentiles are all about the deification or lifting up of mankind. It is the time of the worship of mankind and his ingenuity and achievements. Man holds himself up as a god. This is still true today, because we are still living in the Times of the Gentiles. Today we call it humanism. It’s the mentality that man can do anything, and he can do it all by himself.
Therefore, the image of a man is an appropriate symbol for the period of the time the Colossus represents. We’ll find out in later visions that God views this time of Gentile power much differently than we do.
B. The Metal Man
Another interesting thing about this vision is the different metals used to describe the empires.
1. Decline In Value
Looking at the image you will see that it starts with gold then moves to silver then brass or bronze, then iron, then iron mixed with clay. The value of the metals diminishes as it goes down the image. Since the image depicts the rulership of mankind, I believe the diminishing value of the metals is God’s way of pointing out the deterioration of mankind throughout history.
This is totally opposite of what evolutionists are teaching. They say we are evolving into some better creature all the time. But the sad truth is that ever since sin entered the world at the Garden of Eden all of creation, mankind included, has been deteriorating or de-evolving. The metals of the statue symbolize this fact.
2. Decline in Weight
Likewise, not only does the value of the metals diminish from top to bottom, but so does the weight of the metals. Gold is heavier than silver, which is heavier than brass, and so on. That means the image is top-heavy. And as you probably know, anything that is top-heavy is ripe for a fall. It doesn’t take much to knock over something that is top-heavy. And of course this top-heavy image shows us just how ripe mankind is for a fall.
CONCLUSION
600 years before the birth of Christ, God made known to a Gentile king what was to come in the future. When we stand in the 21st century and look back at how accurately and how detailed these predictions were, we can only marvel. These prophecies are unlike any others. They are not vague and could apply to whatever historical event we want them to. They are minutely detailed, and each and every detail was and is being fulfilled. No other religion or belief system can say the same. We truly serve an awesome God.
And with this realization should also come an urgency to be prepared. For if the prophecies that have been fulfilled already have held true, then we know that the prophecies that are still to be fulfilled will also hold true. Jesus Christ is coming again to set up a literal earthly kingdom. He is returning to judge the people and the nations for how they treated His children and for how they responded to His call for repentance and salvation. Are you prepared for His return? According to our studies, His return is getting closer every day.
That ends the dream and the interpretation in Daniel 2. As we go through the next visions you are going to see that they cover the same topic matter as this Colossus – namely the Times of the Gentiles and the world empires that reign over the earth.
The reason God gives these additional visions is because with each successive one He gives Daniel more and more detail about the empires and the leaders that reign during the Times of the Gentiles. So these upcoming visions are going to show us more about these past empires and what to expect in the final one. They will also give us details about the final Gentile world ruler, the Antichrist. We will even see that God gives us a time frame of the End Times to work with in Daniel 9.
Next week we will be moving on to Daniel 7 and the next vision of the 4 Wild Beasts. So if you didn’t get a chance to read this chapter this week, take some time to read Daniel 7 in prep for next week.
Sermon Sources:
Froese, Arno. Daniel’s Prophecies Made Easy: Prophecies Made Easy Series. Midnight Call Ministries. The Olive Press, Columbia, SC. Copyright 2004.
Larkin, Rev. Clarence. The Book of Daniel. Clarence Larkin Estate, Glenside, PA. Copyright 1929.
Larkin, Rev. Clarence. Dispensational Truth or God’s Plan and Purpose in the Ages. Clarence Larkin Estate, Glenside, PA. Copyright 1918.
Lindsey, Hal. Study of Daniel. Series on CD.
