Tonight, we finally get to know what King Nebuchadnezzar's dream is and how it was interpreted. We're going to see in this passage that Nebuchadnezzar's dream concerned 4 significant empires that were to rule upon the Earth, but toward the end of the interpretation we will see that the fourth Kingdom will be restored and led by the Antichrist himself. But then make a note that Daniel mentions that he was shown a fifth Kingdom. God's kingdom is the fifth kingdom. The Scripture paints a suspenseful scene of Daniel standing before King Nebuchadnezzar as he reveals one of the most amazing prophecies in all of the Holy Scripture. Read verses 31-35.
So Daniel reveals what the dream was. In his dream Nebuchadnezzar had seen a large statue. The statue was enormous and awesome. But it was a frightening image. Five features were noticed about the statue.
• His head was pure gold.
• Its chest and arms were silver.
• Its belly and thighs were bronze.
• Its legs were iron.
• Its feet were part iron and part clay.
While staring at the statue in his dream, the king watched as a huge rock was supernaturally cut out of a mountain and started rolling down the side of the mountain. The stone struck the statue's feet of iron and clay, smashing them. With no foundation under it, the statue collapsed with great force. Its pieces were shattered into dust, so fine that the wind swept away all of the trace of the statue. Then suddenly, where the statue had stood, the huge stone actually began to grow into a huge mountain until it finally filled the whole earth with its presence.
Daniel announced that this was the dream Nebuchadnezzar had been given by the Lord. Now he will interpret and explain the meaning of the dream. The statue represented four kingdoms and the stone symbolized the very kingdom of God Himself.
Read verses 36-37. Daniel informs Nebuchadnezzar that he was the most powerful King on Earth at that time, a king who ruled over many kings. But he must keep in mind one thing: it was the “God of heaven” who had given him the right to rule upon earth. His kingdom in fact, his very life, all his power, honor and strength, are a gift from God himself. Therefore, his rule was a responsibility placed into His hands by God. This suggests that Nebuchadnezzar would be held accountable for the way he ruled over people.
So, in the dream, the statues head made of pure gold represented Nebuchadnezzar and he being the head over the entire nation. That is Biblical history.
Read verses 38-40. The chest and arms of silver represented the reign of the Medes and Persians which actually occurred in biblical history. Daniel said that after the fall of Babylon another world empire would arise, but that it would be inferior to the Babylonian empire. The two arms apparently symbolized the two divisions of the empire, that is, Media and Persia. In biblical history the Medo - Persian empire dominated the near and Middle East for more than 200 years. So, that prophecy came true.
The bronze belly and thighs of the statue represent the Grecian empire. In 331BC, Alexander the Great quickly swept across the Medo-Persian empire and defeated its army in a number of battles. So, that prophecy came true.
The statues legs of iron was the fourth kingdom, which was represented by Rome. And here’s where it gets deep. Rome was to dominate the world for about 600 years. Daniel points out four significant features of this fourth Kingdom;
• the 4th Kingdom will crush all opposing powers with its iron fist (Read v. 40).
• This Kingdom will be a divided empire, a federation of Nations at the end of its history (Read v. 41). This is represented by the feet and ten toes that were part iron and part clay.
• The 4th Kingdom will have parts (Nations) as strong as iron and others as weak as clay (Read v. 42).
• This 4th Kingdom will be a mix of people who will not remain united anymore than iron mixed with Clay (Read v. 43).
It should be noted that the feet and toes are extensions of the legs or the 4th Kingdom (the Roman empire). The feet and the toes are at the end or the bottom of the legs, which suggests that they represent the final phase of the Roman empire. The long legs or long history of the Roman empire are said to be made of iron, but its feet and toes, which represent the end of its history, are said to be a kingdom made of iron and clay. We are not going to go into any depth on this tonight other than to say that chapter 7 and chapter 2 are two different dreams, but the same kingdoms or empires are being described in both. When we get to chapter 7 we will then see a further explanation of chapter 2. Also, chapter 11 will play a part in this same discussion.
Another thing to note about the four kingdoms is that each kingdom seems to decline in power from its former empire. You can also see this in the decline of the value of the metals from head to toe. For example, the gold representing Babylon was far more valuable than the silver representing Medo - Persia, and the silver representing Greece was more valuable than the iron and clay that represented Rome.
We also need to note that the declining power of each succeeding nation did not necessarily represent the military or economic power of the nations because the might and wealth of nations have increased enormously. So, the decline must be referring to the deterioration of morality down through the centuries.
Daniel predicts that in the last days of this 4th Kingdom, during the days of the antichrist, there will be an increase of evil on earth. So, he is talking about the Great tribulation.
Read verses 44-45. The stone cut out of the mountain represents the last kingdom, which will be God's eternal kingdom. This is the final scene, the climax of human history. The final Kingdom and empire to rule the world will be established by the Lord Jesus Christ, the “God of heaven” Himself.
This can get confusing but I'm going to try to hit the highlights of it in the time frame that we have for tonight.
• First, God's kingdom will be set up during the days of the Kings mentioned above in (v. 44). This is a reference to the Kings represented by the feet and ten toes of the 4th Kingdom mentioned in verses 41-43. The four Kings of the four kingdoms just mentioned are not in existence at the same time. So, the Kings mentioned in verse 44 are represented by the toes that will be ruling when Christ returns to set up God's Kingdom on Earth.
• Second, God's kingdom will triumph over all other kingdoms, crushing and shattering them (v. 44b).
• Third, God's kingdom will endure forever (v. 44c). No earthly power will ever be able to conquer or remove God's kingdom. His son, the Lord Jesus Christ, will establish an indestructible Kingdom that will last forever.
• Fourth, God's kingdom will be the rock miraculously cut out of a mountain that crushes the nations (v. 45a). This is a clear picture of Christ, the cornerstone of God's work on earth.
• Fifth, God's kingdom will certainly come. It is a surety guaranteed by God himself (v. 45b).
The Lord showed Nebuchadnezzar events that would take place in the future. And Daniel proclaimed that the dream was from God. The dream is true and the interpretation given by Daniel is trustworthy.
Read verses 46-47. Nebuchadnezzar was overwhelmed at the meaning of the dream, so overwhelmed that he fell prostrate before Daniel. He honored and treated Daniel like a god. He recognized the hand of Daniel's God upon his life. Then the king shocked the members of the Royal Court who were present. He acknowledged that Daniel's God was Superior to all other gods (v.47).
He declared that Daniel's God is the God of gods, the Lord of lords, the Revealer of mysteries. But did you notice that the King was not acknowledging the Lord as the only living and true god. He was merely acknowledging the Lord as the greatest God among gods. He was not claiming to be a converted follower of the Lord. He still believed in many gods and was merely adding the Lord to the gods that he would acknowledge.
Read verse 48. King Nebuchadnezzar immediately promoted Daniel. He made him ruler over the province of Babylon and also the chief counsel over all the king’s advisors, which included the occult advisors. After what Daniel had done by telling the king his dream and then interpreting it, it was only natural for Daniel to be promoted over the province of Babylon and to be promoted Chief counsel to the king. He was also rewarded with many valuable gifts and great wealth.
Read verse 49. At some point Daniel requested that the king promote his three friends as well. So, the three were appointed to serve under Daniel as administrators over the province of Babylon. Daniel remained in the Royal Palace while they apparently oversaw the day to day affairs of the province.
So what can we learn from this passage? From this passage tonight, and if you were involved in any of our revelation studies, you will know that the ultimate triumph of God's Kingdom on Earth will take place. We can rest assured that God will gain victory over all the wickedness and false worship of this world. All the sins of this world as we know them will be abolished from the face of the earth. God's righteousness will cover the Earth as far as the East is from the west. All the kingdoms of this world will become the Kingdoms of the Lord Jesus Christ.
