Daniel Interprets The Dream

This passage is a great introduction to prophecy. It has many of the same features of other prophetic passages, without being too difficult to interpret.

It is also helpful that the interpretation is given. Daniel helped Nebuchadnezzar understand the dream, but he also recorded the interpretation for us.

One of the biggest reasons this is a good passage to begin studying prophecy is the general agreement that all sides have on the passage.

It’s not a passage people argue and fight over. It’s not highly debated.

Before we dive into the passage, I’d like to lay some guardrails for understanding prophecy

Let scripture interpret scripture

Understand the context of the passage

Practice exegesis not eisegesis

Avoid reading prophecy into history, especially current events

Understand your presuppositions

Daniel Tells the Dream (31-36)

Before describing the dream, he gives the king a glimpse into the interpretation.

In verse 28, he explains to the king that the dream was given by God and that it tells of “latter days”

This phrase latter days is important because it sets some context

It is days that are after the days of King Neb., but not necessarily that last days

This phrase, latter days, allows us to set a very generalized timeline for the fulfillment of this prophecy

Given that, as we will see, it starts with Babylon and we are not told it is the last days, we can understand this in light of the history of the region.

Daniel then began to tell the king the dream

He tells him of the statue and describes it as mighty, bright and frightening

This statue was made of four sections and 5 materials

head of gold

chest and arms of silver

midsection and thighs of bronze

and legs of iron

But the feet were mad of iron and clay

The king also saw a stone being cut and hitting the statue’s feet

The statue crumbled and blew away like sand

Chaff is the part of grain that is light and unused

it is worthless

It would be separated from the grain that was useful by tossing the grain in the air, the useful parts of the grain would fall to the ground and the chaff would be blown away

The entire statue blew away like chaff, but the rock became a great mountain and filled the whole earth

After telling the dream, Daniel turns to the interpretation

Daniel Give the Interpretation (37-45)

Gold: Babylon

Silver: Medo-Persian

Bronz: Grece

Iron: Rome

Daniel’s interpretation is the reason we can look at this passage and understand it

Daniel began by giving respect and honor to king Neb

Referring to him as “King of kings” tells us that Daniel saw him as having power beyond that of just any king, but at the level of being the leader of the world

He reinforced that the God of heavens has given the king these powers (37) and rule over the earth (38)

King Neb is the head of gold

Gold being symbolic of the more valuable of the kings to come

Following Babylon, another kingdom will come and as symbolized by silver it will be inferior to Babylon (39)

This second kingdom is believed to be the Medo-Persian empire

Daniel will actually live to see this transition

Many believe the dual kingdom combination of this empire is symbolized by the two arms

The third kingdom would be symbolized by bronze and will rule over all the earth (39)

This third kingdom is the kingdom of Greece, ruled by Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great was such a great conquer that he is said to have wept because there was no more land for him to conquer

The last kingdom is symbolized by iron and Daniel explains that iron can crush all things just like this 4th kingdom. (40)

The 4th kingdom is Rome.

Rome was an empire that dominated the world like no other.

The brought both war and peace

When they came to you, they would destroy you, but once they ruled, you benefited from the pax romana, Roman Peace

Daniel then explains that the clay mixed into the feet are to tell us that the kingdom will be divided

making it partly strong and partly brittle

The empire that began as iron regressed to a state of clay mixed with iron. This mixture speaks of progressive weakness and deterioration. Two metals together form an alloy which may be stronger than either of the metals individually. But iron and clay cannot be mixed. If iron and clay are put into a crucible, heated to the melting point, and poured into a mold, when the pour has cooled the iron and clay remain separate. The clay can be broken out which leaves a weak casting.

J. Dwight Pentecost, “Daniel,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 1335.

Gold: Babylon

Silver: Medo-Persian

Bronz: Grece

Iron: Rome

This kingdom, like the previous three will fall

Part of the reason for their all is their inability to be united, and stay together (43) just like iron and clay cannot mix

The real reason for the claps of Rome was not it’s failures, but the Will of God

We are told that God will set up a 5th kingdom, one that will never be destroyed

It will destroy the other kingdoms and bring them to an end and His kingdom will stand forever

And Daniel promises that this interpretation will happen. (45)

In almost every place, all major scholars agree to what this prophecy means

in two places there is debate

First, people disagree to the reason Rome would “hold together”

Some hold that it was their inability to unite the different people groups under their subjection

Their inability to become “one nation” if I can steal a phrase

Others argue that it was their organizational and militarily might (iron) and immoral licentiousness (clay)

In Romans 1, Paul even lays out the evils of the people

In the end, the reason they were destroyed is irrelevant to the prophecy. What we must know is that God will destroy them and establish His kingdom

The referring to the crumbled statue as chaff seems to echo Psalm 1

Psalm 1:4–5 “4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;”

The stone is representative of Christ

Christ is often referred to as a stone or rock

Acts 4:11 “11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.”

The kingdom is also promised to the messiah an Psalm 2

Psalm 2:8–9 “8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.””

The Kingdom

The biggest part of contention in this passage revolves around WHEN this 5th kingdom begins

Here is where the 5th guardrail from earlier comes into play

There are mainly three views of the Kingdom

In generally, these three views differ based on WHEN the kingdom Jesus preached will be established

Pre-millennial: Christ will return then establish a physical kingdom on earth

A-millennial: Christ’s kingdom is spiritual and not physical, and is currently established while awaiting Christs return

Post-millennial: The church will be God’s vehicle in building the kingdom and once the kingdom is ruling the earth, Christ will return

While these are the three main views, they are not exhaustive, and while just about everyone falls into one of these three categories, my explanation is by far not exhaustive

But I wanted to teach you these words because they will play a role in prophecy as we continue

How people view the kingdom will often influence how the interpret the portion of this dream about the kingdom.

Specifically the disagreements are around the phrase “and in the days of those kings”

Some argue that the phrase “And in the days of those kings” in verse 44 is a reference to the 10 toes on the feet.

Each toe represents a future king

Many go so far as to say that those future 10 kings will rule a region of the former Roman Empire

Many have gone on to say the EU, or the G7, G8, G9 (depending on the time) were the 10 nations represented by the 10 toes

I do not hold to this. Mainly because the toes do not seem to be representative of any other king or kingdoms

They are only mentioned as part of the feet and legs

Instead, I believe the phrase “in the days of those kings” to be a reference to the 4 kingdoms in the dream

God is telling us, in the same time as this dream, God will establish His kingdom

We see during the time of the 4th kingdom the messiah comes

He teaches of His coming kingdom

And he establishes His kingdom

Even in the Great Commission Christ shows that, at least in some way, He is ruling “All authority is given me”

At least to some degree, Christ’s kingdom is active today.

But what must we understand about this?

That God’s kingdom will defeat the kingdoms of the world

The kingdom will rule the entire earth

The kingdom will stand forever

The kingdom will be built by God

This Interpretation is Sure