The Statue Versus the Stone
Notes
Transcript
The Statue Versus the Stone
Daniel 2:24-49 sermon notes
I. Intro: Why Dreams?
The book of Hebrews begins with these words: “Long ago, at many times and
in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days
he has spoken to us by his Son.” God once spoke to Abraham through three
visitors; God once spoke to Moses out of a burning bush; God once spoke to
the pagan prophet Balaam through a donkey. But repeatedly in the Bible, we
read of God speaking to individuals in dreams. Why dreams? As far as I
know, the Bible never explains why God spoke the various ways that he did,
but I can think of a few possible reasons for dreams.
First, a dream is private. Typically, no one else has access to what you dream,
unless you describe it. Second, when you’re dreaming, you’re not distracted
by the world around you. Typically, you’re asleep! Third, for God to
communicate this way doesn’t drastically impact the world around us.
Typically, when God shows up, it’s quite the spectacle! Think of the thunder,
lightning, and earthquake on Mount Sinai or the pillar of fire roaming through
the wilderness. Finally, in dreams, we can see places we’ve never been or
people we’ve never met, and we can see and interact with distortions of
reality, things that don’t really exist, in order to gain understanding about
something we never knew before. Now, of course, God is in no way limited in
these areas; he could actually, physically transport a person to a different
place, through supernatural means, and he could actually distort reality in
front of us, like a bush that’s on fire but doesn’t actually burn.
The fact of the matter remains: God chose to speak to individuals in Scripture
at times in dreams. Sometimes, the messages in these dreams were quite
straightforward. Think of the angel in Joseph’s dream instructing him to take
Mary and baby Jesus to Egypt. But, on several occasions in the Old
Testament, the messages God delivered in dreams were not so
straightforward, but rather involved elaborate symbolism. Sometimes, God
sends an angel to interpret the dream to the person who dreamed it. Other
times, God sends a prophet. Enter Daniel. God has given a message to the
Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, and the king is desperate to understand the
message. He’s asked his professional expert dream interpreters to do the
impossible; he commanded them to describe the contents of his dream to him
and then to explain the message. When they admitted their inability to meet
the king’s impossible demand, he ordered their execution. The executioner
showed up on the doorstep of Daniel and his three Jewish friends, and Daniel
asked for an opportunity to do what the king has asked. Daniel and his three
friends asked the Lord to mercifully reveal the mystery, the contents of the
king’s dream and its intended meaning, and the God of Israel did just that. As
Daniel writes down this story, he interrupts the action of the story to include
the contents of his praise of God in Daniel 2:20-23. This puts us readers in
suspense; we want to know what happens next! We want to know what God
has revealed! But, as we looked at last week, Daniel has told the story in such
a way that what we learn about God—that he is the great mystery-revealing,
wisdom-giving God—is more important than the contents and meaning of the
dream. Nevertheless, the dream and its interpretation are important. As we
talked about last week, the message of Daniel 2 is: God alone has the
wisdom and might to rule and explain history, and his eternal kingdom
will finally replace all human kingdoms. We’ll see the second half of that
statement fleshed out today.
We pick up the story this morning in Daniel 2:24-30. In these verses, Daniel
continues to build suspense, but he indicates to the king that God does indeed
want Nebuchadnezzar to understand the message. God has revealed the future
to King Nebuchadnezzar. Let’s read verses 24-30.
II.
God Has Revealed the Future to King Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 2:24-30)
24
Therefore Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to
destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him: “Do not
destroy the wise men of Babylon; bring me in before the king, and I will show
the king the interpretation.”
25
Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste and said thus to
him: “I have found among the exiles from Judah a man who will make known
to the king the interpretation.” 26 The king declared to Daniel, whose name
was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have
seen and its interpretation?” 27 Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise
men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery
that the king has asked, 28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries,
and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter
days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these:
29
To you, O king, as you lay in bed came thoughts of what would be after
this, and he who reveals mysteries made known to you what is to be. 30 But as
for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that
I have more than all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be
made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your mind.
Arioch, the executioner, has come to kill Daniel and his three friends, along
with all of the other Babylonian wise men. Daniel tells him that he is ready to
satisfy the king’s impossible demand. In verse 25, it seems like Arioch might
be bragging a bit: “I have found among the exiles from Judah a man who will
make known to the king the interpretation.” He’s hoping perhaps for some
kind of “finder’s fee.” He must believe that Daniel can do this because I can
imagine that if Daniel were to fail, then Arioch would find the king not
particularly happy with him. Nevertheless, contrast Arioch’s boasting with
Daniel’s humility in this passage.
The king asks Daniel if he can do what he commanded the other wise men to
do, both describe the contents of his dream and also explain its meaning. Look
again at verse 27. How do you think the king would’ve felt when essentially
the first word out of Daniel’s mouth was “No”? He basically gives the same
answer that the other wise men gave the king, the same answer that led to him
calling for their mass execution! Daniel says, no one is able to do what the
king has asked! It’s impossible! Oh, I wonder if Daniel paused before he
pressed on with the words of verse 28! It’s a miracle the king didn’t
immediately leap off the throne and execute Daniel on the spot!
Daniel goes on to explain that “there is a God in heaven who reveals
mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in
the latter days.” That last phrase, “in the latter days,” is important. Daniel has
borrowed that phrase probably specifically from the prophet Isaiah. We’ll see
at the end of Daniel’s explanation how the meaning of the dream connects
specifically with what Isaiah says in Isaiah 2:2, but as Daniel writes this down
for his readers, and as God has inspired these words to be recorded for us
readers as well, he uses this phrase “in the latter days” to draw our attention to
this passage in Isaiah. Let’s just read Isaiah 2:2-4 and set up that connection,
which we’ll come back to later. Isaiah writes,
2
3
4
It shall come to pass in the latter days
that the mountain of the house of the LORD
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be lifted up above the hills;
and all the nations shall flow to it,
and many peoples shall come, and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations,
and shall decide disputes for many peoples;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore.
Isaiah gets a glimpse of the future glory of Jerusalem. The dwelling place of
Yahweh, the God of Israel, the temple, will be exalted, so that Gentiles shall
flood into the dwelling place of Yahweh, and Yahweh will teach them, and
they will follow him. Yahweh will judge, and then there will be only peace on
earth. Daniel suggests that Nebuchadnezzar’s dream connects with this
ultimate outcome. Now, I should tip my hand a bit at this point. Many
students of Scripture see Isaiah 2 as pointing toward the Millennium; I do not.
I don’t see any reason in the text to connect this description specifically with
the Millennium. We’ll come back to why that is later.
Back in Daniel 2, Daniel not only tells the content of the king’s dream, he also
comments on what the king was doing just before the dream came. In verse
29, Daniel notes that Nebuchadnezzar had been thinking about the future of
his kingdom, worrying about his legacy, when he drifted off to sleep and
received this message from the Lord. This may have been a repeated
occurrence as well. But, before Daniel describes the dream itself, he explains
why God has revealed the mystery in verse 30: “But as for me, this mystery
has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all
the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king,
and that you may know the thoughts of your mind.” How kind of God, and
how humble of Daniel. We’re going to see this over and over in the book of
Daniel, but Daniel is utterly respectful and utterly helpful to the wicked kings
he serves. In fact, we’re going to see evidence later on that Daniel seems to
develop intimate friendships with these kings. He genuinely cares about them!
Daniel becomes an example of both loving one’s enemies and respecting and
submitting to governing authorities.
In verses 31-35, Daniel describes the contents of the dream.
III.
Daniel Describes the Contents of the Dream (Dan. 2:31-35)
“You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of
exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening.
32
The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its
middle and thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly
of clay. 34 As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck
the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. 35 Then the
iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in
pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the
wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the
stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole
earth.
31
Notice that Daniel refers to this as an “image.” This is a word that can refer to
an idol specifically. It’s not just a statue; it’s an idolatrous statue in the form
of a man. Also, the phrase “a great image” has a curious feature in Aramaic.
The little English word “a” actually translates the Aramaic word for the
number one. This is “one great image.” Now that probably sounds strange in
English, and that may be why English Bible translators simply use the
indefinite article, “a.” However, the number one has significance for the
meaning of this dream. That it is “one great image” stresses the unity of the
statue. We are going to see that a part of the message of this dream is about
the unity of the kingdoms represented in the statue; though they are
represented by different materials, they are ultimately “one,” united in their
opposition to God and in their destined destruction. But we’re already getting
ahead of ourselves!
Here’s my favorite artistic depiction of the statue. There are dozens maybe
hundreds of different portrayals you can find in books or on the Internet.
Notice two more details in the description before we move on to Daniel’s
interpretation. When the statue is destroyed in verse 35, Daniel adds that the
pieces “became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors.” So, Daniel
provides a comparison; this is not strict description. The image of chaff being
blown away is a common picture in Scripture for God’s judgment. Psalm 1:4
is quite vivid in this regard and may lie in the background of Daniel’s
thinking: “The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives
away.” Secondly, at the end of verse 35, Daniel describes the stone that
destroyed the statue as growing into a great mountain and filling the entire
earth. This takes us back to Isaiah 2:2. Then, in Daniel’s biblical
understanding, the stone is being pictured as Yahweh’s temple which would
grow greater than all mountains, so that all nations will flow into it “in the
latter days.” We’ll expand on this through Daniel’s interpretation at the end.
Now, let’s consider that interpretation. Now we know what he saw, but what
does it all mean? Let’s read verses 36-45.
IV.
Daniel Provides the Interpretation of the Dream (Dan. 2:36-45)
“This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation. 37 You,
O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom,
the power, and the might, and the glory, 38 and into whose hand he has given,
wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds
of the heavens, making you rule over them all—you are the head of gold.
39
Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third
kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. 40 And there shall be a
fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all
things. And like iron that crushes, it shall break and crush all these. 41 And as
you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it shall be
a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you
saw iron mixed with the soft clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly
iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle.
36
43
As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another
in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with
clay. 44 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a
kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to
another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to
an end, and it shall stand forever, 45 just as you saw that a stone was cut from a
mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze,
the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king
what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”
As we walk through this, it’s important to say up front that we must focus on
what’s actually stated in the text. We can see that the parts of the statue
represent human kingdoms; however, only the first kingdom and the final
kingdom are identified specifically. The others are merely described, and
they’re described using figurative language. Therefore, especially in our
discussion of how the fulfillment works out, we need to be humble and allow
for the possibility of multiple viewpoints. Also, we need to hold onto the
connectivity and unity of the statue. As I pointed out, Daniel refers to it as
“one great image,” and when the stone comes to smash the statue, all of the
kingdoms are said to be replaced, not just the last one. To reiterate: we must
allow Daniel’s Spirit-inspired, God-given interpretation to govern our
understanding of this passage and its fulfillment. The text of Scripture—the
details of the text of Scripture—must guide us, first this passage and then
other passages that are connected to this one in some way, both within the
book of Daniel and elsewhere, and then we may move into attempting to
perceive the fulfillment or outworking of this within history. In the end, my
working assumption is that the simplest explanation that accounts for all the
details is best.
A. Identity of the First Kingdom = Babylonian Empire
So, we begin with what is stated most clearly. The first kingdom is Babylon,
represented by Nebuchadnezzar himself. Notice the emphasis again on God’s
gracious sovereignty. God gave Nebuchadnezzar “the kingdom, the power,
and the might, and the glory,” and God gave “the children of man, the beasts
of the field, and the birds of the heavens” into his hand, making him “rule
over them all.” That’s an interesting description, isn’t it? He’s not just king
over the human citizens of his kingdom; he’s depicted as ruler over the land
animals and the birds, too. But Daniel doesn’t just say that he rules over these
categories of creatures; rather, he says that Nebuchadnezzar rules over all of
them, all of humanity, all the beasts, and all the birds. Of course, we shouldn’t
take this literally. We’ll have to watch out for universal language like this and
consider contextually whether it’s intended to be extended literally or not.
Sometimes it is; sometimes it isn’t. Here, in the most direct identification in
this section, Daniel says plainly that Nebuchadnezzar is represented by the
golden head of the statue.
B. Identity of the Final Kingdom = God’s Kingdom
Now, I’d like to jump down to the only other specifically identified kingdom
in the dream, the final kingdom. Glance down at verse 44: “And in the days of
those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be
destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in
pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand
forever.” So, the dream depicts the establishment, the setting up of God’s
kingdom. Note that word “set up”; it's important here, and it will be an
important term in chapter 3. God’s kingdom will be eternal, never destroyed,
never conquered or passed on to other rulers, and it shall prove victorious in
destroying all the other kingdoms depicted in the statue.
Now, as we consider the other kingdoms represented in the statue, let’s just
again re-state the obvious. Daniel doesn’t specify which historical kingdoms
these are. It was apparently not important for Nebuchadnezzar to know them.
But, we can deduce their identities from a larger look at the book of Daniel.
So let’s briefly consider the identity of these other kingdoms, based on what
we can see from other Scripture.
C. Identity of the Second and Third Kingdoms = Medo-Persian Empire,
Greek Empire
Daniel’s first vision, recorded in chapter 7, has to do with four kingdoms
followed by God’s kingdom, and chapter 2 and chapter 7 are parallel to each
other. But in Daniel 7, none of the kingdoms are specifically identified, and
Daniel only shows interest in understanding more about the fourth one. In
Daniel 8, we read about another vision Daniel had that featured a ram and a
goat fighting against each other, but Daniel gets a specific identification of
these two kingdoms in Daniel 8:20-21. The two-horned ram represented the
Medo-Persian Empire, the empire that would historically conquer the
Babylonians, under the leadership of the half-Median, half-Persian, Cyrus the
Great. The goat represented the Greek Empire, which would conquer the
Medo-Persian Empire. When we combine our biblical reference from Daniel
8:20-21 with what we know of from history, it makes good sense for these
two kingdoms to also be reflected as the second and third kingdoms in both
chapter 2 and chapter 7. Daniel’s original readers, reading during the days of
the Persian Empire, could’ve recognized that Persian Empire based on the
symbolism related to silver in the statue and related to the description of the
bear in chapter 7. So, I think we can rather confidently conclude that we have
the historical sequence of the Babylonian, Persian, and Greek Empires
reflected in Daniel 2.
D. Identity of the Fourth Kingdom = Roman Empire
The fourth empire and the fourth part of the statue is more complicated.
Nowhere in Daniel, and indeed nowhere else in Scripture as far as I can tell, is
the fourth kingdom as it’s depicted in the statue of Daniel 2 or as the monster
of Daniel 7 ever commented on and specified as any particular empire.
However, that doesn’t leave us completely in the dark; it does require us to be
more tentative about our conclusion. Nevertheless, from the historical
progression, I think we are probably on the right track to identify the fourth
kingdom as the Roman Empire.
E. Comparison of the Second and Third Kingdoms with the First
So, here’s the artistic rendering again, with the empires labelled as I
understand them. Let’s quickly look at how Daniel characterizes these. Look
at the first part of verse 39. Daniel says to the king, “Another kingdom inferior
to you shall arise after you.” That’s all he says about the Medo-Persian
Empire; they’re inferior to Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar and they’ll come
afterward! Silver’s inferior value to gold communicates the inferiority of the
Medo-Persian Empire to Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian Empire. However, in
what way they’ll be inferior is left unstated. From history, we know that the
Medo-Persian Empire lasts much longer than the Babylonian Empire, and it
would conquer a much larger territory than Babylon. Ultimately, it doesn’t
matter; Nebuchadnezzar needed to hear that the next kingdom would be
somehow “lesser” in quality.
The rest of verse 39 says, “and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule
over all the earth.” Daniel mentions the bronze specifically, which probably
communicates again some kind of inferiority compared to the previous two
kingdoms. In spite of its “bronze” quality, Daniel says it “shall rule over all
the earth.” If this is the Greek kingdom—or any of the empires of the ancient
world—we cannot take this phrase literally. The Greek Empire would
historically extend further than Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian Empire, and
also the Medo-Persian Empire before it. But it would not be some kind of
universal or global kingdom.
F. The Weakness of the Fourth Kingdom
Now we come to the fourth kingdom. Apart from some of the details, what
I’ve said so far agrees with most conservative Bible teachers and preachers.
But this is where I must part ways with some good, faithful Bible expositors,
such as David Jeremiah and John MacArthur. I mention their names
specifically because I want you to be able to know both how much I respect
and learn from these men, and I want you to know exactly what of their
teaching I’m disagreeing with. In their understanding of this statue, they put a
strong separation between the iron legs and the feet of mixed iron and clay. I
agree with them that the fourth kingdom is the historical Roman Empire. I
disagree with them that the feet are intended to be some kind of future
reorganization or revival of the Roman Empire, perhaps in the form of the
European Union or something like it. Here’s why. Look at verses 40-43 and
pay attention to the pronouns: “40 And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong
as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that
crushes, it shall break and crush all these. 41 And as you saw the feet and toes,
partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but
some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with soft
clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the
kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 As you saw the iron
mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, but they
will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay.” Daniel’s
interpretation does not separate the feet and toes from the legs; he keeps them
united as a single kingdom. There is no reason whatsoever to suggest a gap in
this kingdom, so that it “revives” at the very end of human history in
connection with the rise of a final Antichrist figure.
The feet do not represent a future separate stage of the fourth kingdom.
Rather, they are simply there to highlight the weakness of this fourth
kingdom, which is an important point of the meaning of this dream, and
Daniel elaborates on that weakness specifically. The combination of iron with
clay communicates something that is both very strong and very weak at the
same time. Why would he need to mention this? I suspect it’s because the
fourth kingdom probably won’t appear to be weak to those living under its
rule. Its weakness might even be overlooked as a strength. After all, this
fourth kingdom is said to “break and crush all these” previous kingdoms,
which also isn’t a literal reflection of history. The Romans did conquer the
Greeks, and you could perhaps view the Babylonians and Persians as
incorporated into the Greek Empire. Rather, this statement is probably simply
to vividly depict how much stronger the Roman Empire was than its
predecessors, in spite of this weakness.
The nature of the weakness is elaborated in a phrase that is very unclear. The
ESV interprets it as mixing in marriage. The phrase is literally “they will mix
with one another by the seed of men,” and the “they” is the kings that will be
mentioned in verse 44. There are actually at least five different ways to
understand this “mixture,” and I have an opinion on the matter, but I don’t
think we need to pin it down to get the point. The point is that the fourth
kingdom will seem to be the strongest of all the kingdoms, and that is where
God’s unbreakable, unending kingdom will enter in.
Much is sometimes made of the toes as well, so I suppose a brief comment is
in order. Notice that the text never specifies the number of toes. Now, given
that this is an image in the form of a human, it surely had ten toes. But, my
point is that, if the number of toes had specific relevance, as symbolic of ten
kings within the fourth kingdom, as it’s sometimes suggested, then I think
Daniel would’ve made that clear in his interpretation. Since he doesn’t
mention it, I don’t think we should press it into view. Seeing the parallel with
the vision of chapter 7, where the fourth beast ends up with ten horns, some
students of Scripture want to link up those ten horns with the ten toes of the
statue. I’d say that’s unnecessary. While the two visions are parallel, that
doesn’t mean they are saying the same thing. Daniel’s vision in chapter 7 does
indeed elaborate even more on the fourth kingdom, so we shouldn’t be
surprised to see more details given there, but that doesn’t mean we need to
force those details back into chapter 2.
G. The Stone and the Three Stages of God’s Kingdom
Let’s take a closer look at how Daniel interprets that stone in the dream.
Notice the timing indicator at the beginning of verse 44: “And in the days of
those kings.” Which kings? The kings just mentioned as part of the fourth
kingdom. As I understand this vision, the fourth kingdom, including the feet
and toes, represents the historical Roman Empire. When did Jesus show up to
establish God’s kingdom? During the Roman Empire. As we think of the
kingdom of God, from a New Testament vantage point, there are three stages
we can identify: the inauguration of the kingdom, the growth of the kingdom,
and the consummation of the kingdom. All three of these stages were visible
in the dream, but Daniel’s interpretation only highlights the inauguration and
the consummation. Notice again verse 44: “And in the days of those kings the
God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall
the kingdom be left to another people.” That word “set up” is a good word for
the inauguration, the initial establishment of the kingdom. The “setting up” of
the kingdom took place during Jesus’s ministry. Mark the Gospel-writer
summarizes Jesus’s preaching in Mark 1:15 as, “The time is fulfilled, and the
kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
Jesus also indicated that he understood himself to be the stone of
Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, and that he was fulfilling the entrance of that stone
into the kingdoms of men during his ministry. I pulled on this thread during
our series through Habakkuk, but I’ll draw that in here as well. In Matthew
21:44, Jesus describes himself as the stone that, “when it falls on anyone, it
will crush him.” This alludes to the stone of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream; he is
the king who brings God’s kingdom and crushes all earthly kingdoms through
his victorious death and resurrection. The fulfillment of Nebuchadnezzar’s
dream focuses on Jesus’s first coming, not his second, and not the
Millennium.
But the consummation of the kingdom is certainly highlighted as well. The
second half of Daniel 2:44 says, “It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms
and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, 45 just as you saw that a
stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces
the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold.” This is where we need
to remember the unity of the statue. God’s kingdom is depicted as breaking
the whole thing—the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, and the clay. Notice
how Daniel rearranges the materials; the iron and clay aren’t even mentioned
together. This indicates that the statue represents more than just four
successive historical empires; rather, the statue represents all human
kingdoms, all nations throughout history—none of them are meant to last! All
face the judgment of God! Whether for their pride and hubris, for their
brutality and violence, or for their idolatry, all human kingdoms sit under the
judgment of God, awaiting the consummation of the kingdom, when the true
king, the king of God’s kingdom, Jesus Christ will return and execute final
judgment against all who reject him. The only hope for citizens of all nations,
including this nation, is to trust in Jesus, to look to him for salvation, to
become a subject and citizen of his kingdom—now, before it’s too late! His
return is on the divine calendar; that date will not be revealed to anyone before
he arrives. Trust him today!
The destruction of the kingdoms reflects the final judgment of God, the true
consummation of the kingdom, depicted in the dream as the scattering of the
rubble like chaff, and depicted in the book of Revelation as the Rider on the
White Horse arriving to slay all the wicked, which is a precursor to all people
standing before the Great White Throne of God for final judgment. Even King
Nebuchadnezzar, the head of gold, will suffer from this judgment, and he
should take heed that it’s the stone kingdom of God that will be supreme, not
his own, though it be made of gold, and though it be set at the head of these
human kingdoms. But notice the way Daniel words it in verse 44: The stone
“shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end.” The
breaking in pieces is probably language borrowed from Psalm 2:9, a reference
to the Messiah, the descendant of David, coming to bring judgment against
God’s enemies.
Though Daniel doesn’t mention it in the interpretation of the dream—I
suppose because it wouldn’t have been relevant to Nebuchadnezzar—I do
think we get a glimpse of the growth of God’s kingdom in the dream as well.
Look back at verses 34-35: “34 As you looked, a stone was cut out by no
human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke
them in pieces. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold,
all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer
threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them
could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain
and filled the whole earth.” The inauguration of God’s kingdom is depicted in
verse 34 and the beginning of verse 35, when it appears suddenly from God
and impacts the statue, shattering all the kingdoms. Then, the consummation
of God’s kingdom is depicted as the rubble becoming like chaff being blown
away. But the last sentence of verse 35 depicts the growth of God’s kingdom,
the time between the inauguration of God’s kingdom in Jesus’s first coming
and the consummation of God’s kingdom at his second coming. The stone
became a great mountain; Nebuchadnezzar saw the small stone grow into a
great mountain. This is akin to Jesus’s kingdom parables, in which God’s
kingdom is compared to a mustard seed that grows into a massive plant, or to
leaven that gradually spreads through the whole lump of dough.
At this point, let me clarify one other point where I differ from folks like Dr.
Jeremiah and Dr. MacArthur. I do not think it’s biblically appropriate to
distinguish between a spiritual or heavenly form of God’s kingdom versus
God’s kingdom on earth. God’s kingdom is ultimately about the union of
heaven and earth, and I do see it progressing through stages, as I’ve already
said. The Old Testament prophecies about God’s kingdom do not always
distinguish clearly between these stages, but I don’t believe that they allow for
a sharp distinction between spiritual and earthly, as though God’s earthly
kingdom is only appropriate in connection with the Millennium, and
whatever’s going on in the church age doesn’t have any connection with these
Old Testament prophecies. I strongly disagree with this way of sketching out
God’s kingdom. Right now, Jesus is ruling over his kingdom on earth from his
throne in heaven, in fulfillment of the kingdom prophecies of the Old
Testament, including this one. He inaugurated his kingdom on earth,
identifying himself as the king and calling sinful people into his kingdom to
be his subjects and followers, disciples. This is not just a spiritual kingdom.
Jesus’s kingdom parables didn’t make any distinction between a spiritual form
of the kingdom that would lead into an earthly, physical form of the kingdom
in the Millennium, as far as I can tell. The final phase of the kingdom is not
the Millennium; the Millennium, as presented in Revelation 20, is what we
might call a penultimate stage. King Jesus will return to this earth prior to the
Millennium; he will rule over this still-broken world with all of his people
during that period of time; and then he will consummate his reign by
executing the final judgment of Satan and all the wicked from all of history;
and then, finally, he will transform this world into the New Creation, uniting a
New Heaven and a New Earth with the union and overlap God had planned
from the beginning.
Returning to the connection between this dream and the words of Isaiah 2, the
establishment of God’s kingdom, the establishment of God’s temple, the
exaltation of God’s mountain, is for the latter days, a phrase roughly
equivalent with “the end times.” These phrases and other biblical phrases
simply refer to the final season of human history. Folks, that final season
started when Jesus ascended to heaven. We are living in the last days, the end
times. So were the apostles in the first century. So, the latter days encompass
Jesus’s establishment of the kingdom in his ministry, death, resurrection, and
ascension to sit on his royal throne, what we call the church age, all the way
up to Jesus’s return, when he will wrap up human history as we know it and
bring in the next phase of the kingdom, the Millennium, which is just a
precursor to the actual consummation, the New Creation. There’s your biblical
end times timeline! I’m sure I left out some details, but those are the data
points, those are the events, that are supposed to be the focus of our attention
as Christians.
H. Daniel’s Summary
At the end of Daniel 2:45, Daniel summarizes for Nebuchadnezzar, “A great
God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain,
and its interpretation sure.” Nebuchadnezzar had seen a great image; Daniel
wants him to know this great God who reveals mysteries. One of the reasons
Nebuchadnezzar would’ve wanted to understand the message of the dream is
because, if it proved to be a bad omen for him, maybe there’s something he
could do to change the outcome. In the Babylonian worldview, that’s why
dream interpretation was so important. Their theology didn’t conceive of gods
who had a definite plan for history or gods who had the sovereign power to do
whatever they wanted or gods whose plans couldn’t be foiled by human
cleverness. Daniel makes it clear that there’s no getting away from the
fulfillment of this dream.
Well, how does Nebuchadnezzar respond? Look at verses 46-49.
Nebuchadnezzar’s Response (Dan. 2:46-49)
Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and paid homage to Daniel,
and commanded that an offering and incense be offered up to him. 47 The king
answered and said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of
kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this
mystery.” 48 Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great gifts, and
made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all
the wise men of Babylon. 49 Daniel made a request of the king, and he
appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province
of Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king’s court.
V.
46
We might expect Nebuchadnezzar to respond with anger, grief, or confusion.
But, no, he praises Daniel and Daniel’s God. The language is flexible enough
here that we maybe don’t have to envision that Nebuchadnezzar is worshiping
Daniel. Rather, he’s perhaps offering sacrifices and incense in honor of
Daniel. But to see the great king bowing down to the slave Daniel is a
powerful image. His praise of God in verse 47 is significant. He refers to
Daniel’s God as “God of gods.” This is in no way a monotheistic kind of
confession, as though he has converted to become a worshiper of Yahweh.
Rather, he’s essentially added Yahweh to his list of foreign gods that are
worth respecting, and he even seems to exalt him to the top of the list!
Moreover, that he refers to Daniel’s God as “Lord of kings” acknowledges
that he got the main message of the dream, which is also the message of the
chapter for us: God alone has the wisdom and might to rule and explain
history, and his eternal kingdom will finally replace all human kingdoms.
As Daniel had said in his earlier praise of God, “He changes times and
seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings.” Nebuchadnezzar sees Yahweh,
the God of Daniel, the God of Israel, as having sovereignty over human kings.
Even over himself? Will his words here prove to be anything more than pious
religious verbiage expressed in a moment of wonder? Or will his actions line
up with this confession? Tune in next time!
As a result, Nebuchadnezzar keeps his promise; he had offered great reward to
anyone who could reveal the contents of his dream and provide a plausible
explanation of its meaning. So, he promotes Daniel to become a high-ranking
Babylonian official. I’m sure that’s what Daniel always wanted. No, surely it
wasn’t, but we will see Daniel make the most of his position. And he
immediately uses it to benefit his three friends; he requests their promotion as
well, perhaps hoping that their elevated position would keep them safe from
further danger from the fickle king. Will it work? Tune in next time!
Next week, we will look at the famous story from Daniel chapter 3. I hope
you’ll be reading it this week. The setting is probably a few years later, but
we’ll see that Nebuchadnezzar might still have been troubled by this dream
and the downfall of his empire that was depicted there. It may be that his
actions in chapter 3 are an ill-fated attempt to overcome the message of the
dream. He builds one great image, made entirely of gold, intended to unify
and strengthen his empire and his subjects’ commitment to him and his rule,
perhaps hoping to prolong his rule, so that the silver kingdom might not
materialize, at least in his lifetime.
VI. Conclusion: The Statue Versus the Stone
What are we supposed to take away from this? In the way I read this chapter,
it certainly doesn’t provide us with any basis for future speculations about the
very end of history. Rather, it shows us the certainty of the victory of God’s
kingdom. The stone most certainly destroys the statue. The primary
fulfillment of that destruction of human kingdoms has already happened. Two
thousand years ago, the eternal Son of God took on human flesh to inaugurate
the final kingdom. He lived a life of perfect obedience to God, unlike any
other ruler or any other person on the planet. But then he established his rule
in the most unusual, unexpected way imaginable; he allowed himself to be
executed as a criminal, though the courts couldn’t actually convict him of any
crimes. But, make no mistake, the stone that the builders rejected was
showing himself to be the cornerstone of God’s true dwelling place. The
temple of his body was destroyed on the cross, but on the third day it was
rebuilt, filled with the glory of God in a more profound and real way than
Solomon’s temple ever was! The building of the temple is the building of the
kingdom, and because the king died and rose again, he took his throne at the
right hand of God, and from there he sends the Holy Spirit to live in everyone
who trusts in him. The citizens of his kingdom become the temple of God, the
place where God lives in the world! Now, the kingdom grows, the stone
becomes the mountain, as more and more sinners are transferred from the
kingdom of darkness, from merely being citizens of the human kingdoms
related to the statue, into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son.
What do we make of this? We worship! More sincerely than Nebuchadnezzar,
we praise the gracious sovereignty of our great God. God of gods, Lord of
kings, revealer of mysteries—our God reigns! He invites all people
everywhere to acknowledge the lordship of Jesus and be rescued from the
dominance of this world system, freed from slavery to Sin, freed from the
decaying power of death. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be
saved. Believe that Jesus has shown himself to be the Lord of all; believe that
Jesus’s perfect human life was lived in your place, as your representative;
believe that Jesus’s death paid for your sins, freeing you from the burden of
your guilt and from the overwhelming, enslaving power of sin; and believe
that Jesus rose from the dead and is alive right now, showing his power to
give eternal life. Receive that life from him now, and live the rest of your days
waiting for his return to save you from the ongoing affliction of this fallen
world and the continual presence of sin.
The Lord is in control of history. He gives world events meaning. He gives
your life meaning. This dream depicted events that would transpire hundreds
of years later. Let that impress you. Our God knows the future because our
God rules the future. And, if you are impressed by the accuracy of this
prophecy, strap yourself in; you ain’t seen nothing yet! But, Christians, let’s
read prophecy the way God intended it to be read. I think I heard Pastor
Alistair Begg say this about prophecy in one of his sermons on Daniel several
years ago; I think he said, “These things are not intended for our calendars;
they are intended for our comfort.” Indeed. Studying biblical prophecy
shouldn’t breed the kind of arguments and debates that it typically does;
instead, studying biblical prophecy should breed comfort, encouragement, and
hope for God’s people.
I’m sorry to hear that it hasn’t been that way for some of you in the past. I
know it can be jarring and unsettling to hear your pastor disagreeing with
other Bible teachers you respect, or challenging perspectives and
understandings that you’ve had maybe your whole Christian life. All I ask is
that you keep looking at the text. The Bible is what is authoritative and
inerrant, not the preacher. I have developed studied convictions about some of
these things related to biblical prophecy, but that doesn’t mean I’ve
necessarily got it right. I hope you can admit the same thing, and I hope that if
you have questions or don’t understand you might come talk with me. Each
Sunday evening, there’s an opportunity to discuss these things in a small
group setting, and I welcome phone calls, emails, and in-person discussions.
Whether we agree on the finer points or not, let’s keep the main thing the
main thing: God knows the future, God rules the future, and your life is in his
good hands.