Daniel Chapter 2 - Part 2
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Daniel Chapter 2 (Recap)
The Dream
“You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening. The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.
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. 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.
“This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation.
Daniel 2:37
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,
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.
Chart
Babylonian Empire
Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth.
Chart
Medo-Persian Empire - Silver
Greek Empire - Bronze
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.
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Roman Empire - Iron
The Colossus or Image symbolized the “World Kingdoms” in their unity and Historical Succession.
Gentile Dominion is represented by a huge “Metallic” man.
The degeneration of the world kingdoms is seen in the diminishing value of the metal used.
Silver is worth less than gold.
Bronze is less than silver.
Iron is worth less than bronze
Clay is worth less than iron.
The Colossus is top heavy because of the weight.
The deterioration of the “Colossus is shown in the character of the metals composing it.
The power of Nebuchadnezzar was absolute. (Gold)
And because of the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whom he would, he killed, and whom he would, he kept alive; whom he would, he raised up, and whom he would, he humbled.
2. The second kingdom was inferior to the first. It was a monarchy dependent upon the support of an hereditary Aristocracy.
Hereditary: (of a person) holding a position by inheritance.
Aristocracy: the highest class in certain societies, especially those holding hereditary titles or offices.
The King could by no means do as he willed. This is seen in the case of Darius, who desired to save Daniel from the “Lions Den.”
3. The metal of the third Kingdom was Brass, and the government of Alexander the Great was a Monarchy supported by a Military Aristocracy, that was as weak as the ambitions of its leaders.
4. The iron power of the fourth kingdom shows a still further depreciation..
The caesars were nominally elected by the people.
They had also a Senate which was supposed to counsel and control them.
Iron is more perishable, more easily corroded or rusted brass, or silver, or gold; but in the form of steel it is harder than any of them, and cuts through every other metal. ]
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.
Such has been Rome with her iron rule.
But the Colossus grows weaker and weaker until the feet and toes become a mixture of iron and clay.
In other words the government degenerates from an Absolute Monarchy to an Autocratic Democracy
A form of government in which the people largely have the say.
Autocratic: relating to a ruler who has absolute power.
Democracy: control of an organization or group by the majority of its members
This next section is where I believe we are now…
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. And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle. 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.
Ten toes - Represents 10 nations…
Psalms 83 may be a picture of 10 nations in the middle east surrounded by Jerusalem
Some say it may be apart of the European Confederate
?????
One thing is for sure…
The next two verses helps us paint a picture!
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, 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.”
In the days of the kings represented by the “Ten Toes”
The Bible Knowledge Commentary 2:44–45a
Nebuchadnezzar had seen a rock hit and smash the image (2:34). The statue was destroyed by the rock, not by human hands
The Stone which smites the image must be interpreted as Christ who is called a stone in Scripture.
And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”
Whosoever shall fall on this stone (Christ) shall be broken (Softened by repentance) but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder…
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.
As the four kingdoms typified by the Image are literal Kingdoms it follows that the stone Kingdom must be a literal Kingdom, for it takes the place of the Kingdoms that are destroyed, and conquers the whole earth, The stone Kingdom then is the Millennial Kingdom of Christ and the Image or the Times of the Gentiles typified by it cannot come come to an end until the Revelation of Christ at His second coming.
The mountain is the Mount of Olives
On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward.
And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away.
Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and paid homage to Daniel, and commanded that an offering and incense be offered up to him. 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.”