Catching the Vision
31. You, O king, saw and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before you; and the form was terrible.
32. This image’s head was of fine gold, his chest 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. You saw until that a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay and broke them to pieces.
35. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became as chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that struck 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. You, O king, are the king of kings; for the God of Heaven has given you a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
38. And wherever the children of men live, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the air has He given into your hand and has made you ruler over them all. You are the head of gold.
39. And after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to you, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
40. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: for as much as iron breaks in pieces and subdues all things: and as iron that breaks all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.
41. And whereas you saw 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 iron, for as much as you saw 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 you saw 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 stand forever.
45. For as much as you saw that the Stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the Great God has made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.
Daniel 2:31-45
The Meaning of the Vision
There is over twenty six hundred years of human history included in this Scripture text. What the Babylonian king had seen as a mysterious dream, Daniel the prophet made known through a miraculous vision from God. God showed king Nebuchadnezzar these things so that he would know that the march through time had already begun. God’s method for revealing this vision was the use of an image. Images were forbidden under Jewish law for the mere fact that they would present a false representation of God and also lead people into idolatry and the worship of things. Yet God used an image to send a message to the king of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom was filled with images and idols, but God would send this image to show that He was in complete control. It demonstrated that all man-made things would ultimately fail and be destroyed when God sets up His unshakeable Kingdom on earth.
Daniel explained that there would come four notable kingdoms upon the earth. He did not give their names but in their descriptions he gave the types of kingdom that would rule the entire world for a time. First in the statue was the head of fine gold. By far, Nebuchadnezzar was the wealthiest kingdom of them all due to the fact that they had ransacked and pillaged the entire known world including the Temple of God at Jerusalem. They had taken all the wealth and stored it in the temple of Babylon. Later in Daniel, this same Nebuchadnezzar would boast of his vast wealth but suffer God’s punishment because he failed to give God credit for those achievements.
The second kingdom of silver was likewise represented by a precious metal. Such kingdoms exemplified forms of government that included the Medes and Persians. While their governments had kings, they also included shared leadership existing of governors and leadership councils. It is noted that Daniel was still alive during the transition from Babylonian rule to the Medes and ultimately to the first year of Cyrus of Persia. All of this happened over a period of seventy years. The point is to demonstrate that as time progressed, the vision of the statue had shifted from the head of gold to the chest and arms of silver according to the Word of the Lord. It should also be noted that the statue represents man-made attempts to govern the earth. Sometimes they recognize where the power originates and sometimes they don’t. Ultimately, God is still in charge.
As we journey forward through that twenty six hundred year trek of time, we come across the third form of human government represented in Nebuchadnezzar’s statue. It is the kingdom of brass. Not as good as gold, not even as valuable as silver, but because it shines, men count it as valuable. This brass or bronze as it was also known, represents the kingdom of Greece. This later transitioned into the Greko-Roman empires. Please note that this location on Nebuchadnezzar’s statue was the stomach and legs. It covers another two hundred years and then was divided into two parts. The noted leader of this empire was Alexander the Great. Alexander conquered the known world through his military exploits and died at the age of thirty-three. By the way, historians believe that Alexander was buried alive in 323 BCE due to a disease of muscle paralysis. Either way he died and that was the end of his reign. Another man, also in that statue, depicted as the Stone hewn out of the mountain, also died at the age of thirty-three but came back to life. That Stone ascended back to Heaven until the appointed time when all things will be placed under His Feet. That Stone declared, “All Power is given unto Me in Heaven and in Earth: Go.”
Meanwhile, back at Nebuchadnezzar’s figure, we discover that the fourth kingdom is described as iron. This area is at the bottom of the statue from the thighs and down to the feet. Here is where it gets very interesting. This is not only a depiction of the end of earthly government, but also a representation of weakness in human government. While Nebuchadnezzar was wicked and ruthless, it is interesting how when Daniel told him that God had appointed him, he believed it. Despite all the other things that this king did, that one recognition is symbolized as the head of God. God told him that he was placed there and was appointed for a reason. Nebuchadnezzar said, “Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a Revealer of secrets, seeing you could reveal this secret.” Daniel 2:47. Having seen this vision and understood what it represented, this first king on that figure took time to recognize God. The Bible says, “cursed is any nation that forgets God.” Now we can understand how these lesser nations responded to God. While some may have given little observance to God’s authority, many only acknowledge God in order to gain greater power for themselves. We can observe from the progression through time that the kingdoms gradually became weaker and weaker.
With the emergence of the Roman empire around 63 BCE, rather than acknowledge God, many of the emperors considered themselves to be a god. The worst form of corruption is to think of one’s self as god. Here is where the iron becomes mixed with potter’s clay. With this you find that while this form of government tolerates God, it believes there is a separation between human powers and Divine guidance. This is the basis for power as the figure moves from the legs to the feet. The corruption is due to man’s trust in himself rather than trusting God. Even in a democracy, people believe that God created but then left the government in human hands. It is government of the people, for the people, and by the people. This brings us to the bottom of the statue and the end of human government because it is utterly weak and brittle.
Daniel’s interpretation gives a clear picture of the meaning of the brittle feet. First, every human government that has dominated the world has caused injury. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: for as much as iron breaks in pieces and subdues all things: and as iron that breaks all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. If we somehow believe that the United States is innocent in this matter of causing injury, just look at its history. It runs the sinful spectrum of displacing the Native Americans, to enslavement of Black Americans, to suppression of female Americans, to exploiting the poor Americans. You name it, this government has done it – all for the sake of greed.
Daniel’s interpretation also reveals something else that is startling. And whereas you saw 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. The question arises as to who are “they” in this passage and also what does it mean to mingle themselves with the seed of men? Specifically, because of people being so diverse, they will not be able to agree on how to carry out the functions of government. Democracy is only as strong as the people who can remain united. Guess what’s happening in the United States as we speak? We are becoming disunited. The Bible said it was going to happen. This prophecy from Daniel has given us a vivid picture of the end times. The United States is not the only nation that faces this challenge. Discontent with government and political uprisings are occurring all around the globe. Even under dictatorships, people are demanding fairness in government. Of course, places like Russia and China can downplay their political unrest by controlling the media. Even in the United States, we are left wondering who is right and who is wrong. The answer is none. Why, because it is all based on human government and those governments are destined to fail. We are literally watching the end times beginning to unfold before our eyes. Daniel’s interpretation is the critical key to seeing how these events will play out in human history.
It’s Not Over Until God Says Its Over!
But now comes the “rest of the story.” If you only watch the vision to see the failure of human government, you are going to be depressed and sadly disappointed. That is not the end of the story. Daniel saw something else that is even more incredible. Daniel saw the Kingdom of God established on the earth. It bears repeating that the Book of Daniel is really the key to understanding prophecy. What Daniel interpreted in this one statue has been fulfilled in the past and now we are watching the closing episode.
I love mysteries from the stand point that you don’t know when it is going to happen but you know that the hero is bound to show up. As for this dilemma of human government, the Hero shows up. 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 stand forever … For as much as you saw that the Stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the Great God has made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure. You and I are seated in the front row of God’s Prophetic Time Line. We are watching these events unfold. Some are getting discouraged at the sight of failing governments, but God said it would happen. Some are frustrated that the rich are taking over the government, but God said it would happen. Some are even more afraid that their rights will be taken away, but God said it would happen. But instead of watching what’s happening on man’s side of government, look up for your redemption is closer than you think. Lift up your eyes and look unto the hills from whence cometh your Help, it comes from the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and earth.
It is interesting that God showed Daniel that a Stone or Rock would be hewn out of a mountain. This means, a piece of the Mountain would be carved out in order for it to roll down on the kingdoms of the world. This is none other than Jesus Christ. He is that Rock in a weary land. Jesus is that Rock from whence the waters flowed. Jesus Christ is that solid Rock that we stand on. Jesus is that Rock of Ages because He came from God and will perform everything that the Father has given Him to do.
We are almost at the end of this statue. The only thing we are waiting for is our Hero from Heaven to show up and take care of business. Daniel said that He was certain that it was going to happen. You and I can be certain that God will do exactly what He said He would do. As human government crumbles, you have an option. You can go down with it or you can place your trust in the Rock. Having all the money in the world cannot buy your way out of crumbling before the King of kings.
There are a couple of take-a-ways that are absolutely critical to the children of the Most High God. First, you must accept what God is allowing through human government. It is really out of your hands at this point, but it is always in God’s Hands. Second, stop being afraid. If you look to the Rock you will see that you can be comforted by this prophecy rather than being upset. The next item on God’s agenda as the world crumbles, will be the protection of His Saints. We are going to get through this. God always makes a way even if He has to take us out of the world. That too is included in prophecy. Third, pray for people to be saved by sharing with them God’s Vision. God not only spoke of human government ending, He also spoke that “whoever believes in Him would have everlasting life.” Some still don’t know about that unless you tell them. Lastly, praise God and thank Him that this whole thing was planned from the beginning. Nothing takes God by surprise. The more you trust the Lord Jesus, you will come to realize that the Stone is actually the solid foundation on which you stand. So stand. May God bless you!