Daniel 2:24 Therefore, Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon; he went and spoke to him as follows: "Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon! Take me into the king's presence, and I will declare the interpretation to the king." (Arioch: Da 2:15) (Destroy: Da 2:12,13 Ac 27:24)

Arioch - The king's executioner (Da 2:14).

Do not destroy the wise men...take me (latter "request" is actually a command in the original Aramaic!) - Daniel put others before himself (cp Php 2:3, 4) and these were not even believers (but included pagan sorcerers, magicians, astrologers, etc!) which testifies to the selfless, humble spirit of this young man --young in age but not "young" in spiritual maturity or godly character!

Think also of the boldness and courage that Daniel manifested in addressing the king's executioner with what is essentially a command to "cease and desist"! But Daniel's boldness was not borne out of false bravado or brashness but was borne out of reception of a sure revelation from the trustworthy God. As Paul says in Romans 10:17 God's Word reinforces our faith which allows one to speak boldly as did Daniel. Believers today also have the same sure word of prophecy from the same trustworthy God and like young Daniel can be bold and courageous as we declare God's plan for the ages to those who are seeking answers. And do not underestimate the "evangelistic power" of eschatology (eschatos = last things, ology = study of) to open the door for the Gospel and conversion (an occurrence I have been privileged to see on more than one occasion as I spoke about God's plan for the ages). (See also the related discussion below)

A LIFE WELL LIVED
IS A LIGHT TO THOSE
IN SPIRITUAL DARKNESS

What impact would Daniel's intervention and role in saying the life of these "wise men" have? A life well lived is a light (Mt 5:16-note, Php 2:15-note, cp Ps 126:6) and it appears quite likely that not all rejected the light, which could well explain the incredible vignette some 500 years later at the birth of a baby Boy in Bethlehem, Matthew recording...

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi (Greek = magos) from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east, and have come to worship Him."...Then Herod secretly called the magi, and ascertained from them the time the star appeared...And having heard the king, they went their way; and lo, the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them, until it came and stood over where the Child was. And when they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And they came into the house and saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell down and worshiped (proskuneo [word study]) Him; and opening their treasures they presented to Him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their own country by another way...Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its environs, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had ascertained from the magi. (Mt 2:1, 2, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16)

Tis' only one life,
Will soon be past.
Only what's done in Christ
Will last!

It is notable that the Greek word magos (plural magi) used by Matthew is the same word used by the translators of the Septuagint (LXX) to translate the Hebrew word for conjurers in Da 2:2, 10, who were among the leading wise men in Babylon.

The respected commentator John MacArthur writes...

We learn from the book of Daniel that the magi were among the highest-ranking officials in Babylon. Because the Lord gave Daniel the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream-which none of the other court seers was able to do-Daniel was appointed as “ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon” (Da 2:48). Because of his great wisdom and because he had successfully pleaded for the lives of the wise men who had failed to interpret the king’s dream (Da 2:24), Daniel came to be highly regarded among the magi. The plot against Daniel that caused him to be thrown into the lions’ den was fomented by the jealous satraps and the other commissioners, not the magi (Da 6:4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9). Because of Daniel’s high position and great respect among them, it seems certain that the magi learned much from that prophet about the one true God, the God of Israel, and about His will and plans for His people through the coming glorious King. Because many Jews remained in Babylon after the Exile and intermarried with the people of the east, it is likely that Jewish messianic influence remained strong in that region even until New Testament times...

The magi from the east (the word literally means “from the rising” of the sun, and refers to the orient) who came to see Jesus were of a completely different sort. Not only were they true magi, but they surely had been strongly influenced by Judaism, quite possibly even by some of the prophetic writings, especially that of Daniel. They appear to be among the many God-fearing Gentiles who lived at the time of Christ, a number of whom-such as Cornelius and Lydia (Acts 10:1, 2; 16:14)-are mentioned in the New Testament...

Though having had limited spiritual light, they (the magi from the East) immediately recognized God’s light when it shone on them. They had genuinely seeking hearts, hearts that the Lord promises will never fail to find Him (Je 29:13). (MacArthur, J: Matthew 1-7 Chicago: Moody Press or Logos)

The fact that Daniel says "do not destroy the wise men" supports the fact that the executions had not yet begun as suggested by some commentators. It also demonstrates God's prophet shares God's heart for all who are lost in spiritual darkness (even those ensnared by magic, witchcraft, sorcery, etc)...

The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance (Note the good news that brings salvation includes teaching on repentance!). (2Pe 3:9-note, cp 1Ti 2:4)

I will declare - The confident assurance expressed by Daniel was founded on the sure revelation he had received from God. Although in our day divine revelation has been completed in the Scriptures, as we go in faith to God's finished revelation and abide in it and it in us, we too can live with a "Daniel like" confidence (cp Da 11:32b).

Daniel 2:25 Then Arioch hurriedly brought Daniel into the king's presence and spoke to him as follows: "I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who can make the interpretation known to the king!" (brought: Pr 24:11 Ec 9:10) (exiles of Judah: literally children of the captivity of Judah. Da 1:6 6:13 Neh 7:6 1Co 1:27,28)

Then Arioch - He astutely recognized the significance of what Daniel was saying, but let us not forget that the underlying reason for all of the favor shown to Daniel was the fact that the good hand of His God was upon him (cp Daniel 1:9, 17).

I have found - Arioch "the opportunist" presents Daniel as his personal "find", a move surely calculated to curry favor with the king.

NET Bible note - Arioch's claim is self-serving and exaggerated. It is Daniel who came to him, and not the other way around. By claiming to have found one capable of solving the king's dilemma, Arioch probably hoped to ingratiate himself to the king.

Daniel 2:26 The king said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, "Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen and its interpretation?" (Daniel: Da 1:7 4:8,19 5:12) (Are you able: Da 2:3, 4, 5, 6, 7 4:18 5:16 Ge 41:15 1Sa 17:33)

Are you able (Da 2:3, 5, 6) - No and yes. No I cannot in my own resources, but yes I can in God's wisdom and revelation (Da 2:21, 22) and as His mouthpiece. He recognized and made clear that there was nothing supernatural about him, except the good hand of His Supernatural God, and so too should we in all our spiritual endeavors for His glory!

This would have been the perfect opportunity for Daniel to take personal credit and receive all the glory. Daniel understood Mt 5:16-note. He knew that he was to perform good works so men could see the works, but he also understood that those visible good works were to bring glory to the invisible God in heaven.

Daniel 2:27 Daniel answered before the king and said, "As for the mystery about which the king has inquired, neither wise men, conjurers, magicians nor diviners are able to declare it to the king (Da 2:2,10,11 5:7, 5:8 Job 5:12,13 Isa 19:3 44:25 47:12, 13, 14)

GIVING CREDIT TO
WHOM IT IS DUE

Neither wise men - Daniel agrees with the proclamation of the not so "wise" wise men in Da 2:10, 11.

Jon Courson commenting on Daniel's humility (cp importance of humility = Pr 15:33, 18:12, 22:4) comments...

Daniel didn’t say, “I can tell you your dream.” He said, “Only the Lord can give you the information and understanding you seek.” I believe this was why Daniel was used from the time he was a young man all the way until he was eighty-five. He didn’t take credit. The fastest way to see the work of God through your life stopped is to begin to think it’s because you’re special. (Jon Courson's Application Commentary: Thomas Nelson)

Daniel 2:28 "However, there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the latter days. This was your dream and the visions in your mind while on your bed (a God: Ps 115:3 Mt 6:9) (reveals: Da 2:18,47 Ge 40:8 41:16 Isa 41:22,23 Am 4:13) (in the: Da 10:14 Ge 49:1 Nu 24:14 Dt 4:30 31:19 Isa 2:2 Jer 30:24 48:47 Ezek 38:8,16 Ho 3:5 Mic 4:1,2 2Ti 3:1 Heb 1:1 2Pe 3:3)

Ray Pritchard...

In many ways Da 2:27,28 might be taken as the theme of the whole chapter: “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.” Human inability is fully met by God’s almighty power. For nothing is impossible with God. (The World According to God)

THE DREAM
DESCRIPTION!

A God in heaven - Here Daniel picks up where the "wise men" left off in Da 2:11 when they stated no one except the gods could declare the dream and its interpretation. In so doing Daniel in essence issues a direct challenge to the impotent false religious system of Babylon with its plethora of dead "gods". And given that Babylon is the mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth (Rev 17:5) or the "birthplace" of all the earth's false religions and idols, Daniel's declaration regarding a God in heaven sounds the death knell to these systems which sinful men have devised in their attempt to fill the void created by rejection of and rebellion against the One True, Living God!

Over 1000 years earlier Joseph another man with supernatural chose to give God the glory...

Joseph then answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.” (Ge 41:16)

THE TIME FRAME:
THE LATTER DAYS

Latter days - This time phrase clearly has eschatological (eschatos = last things) overtones and is virtually synonymous with the term last days (See Discussion of Last Days in the prophecy in Isa 2:2). Last days is a term found mainly in the NT and identifies a time period that from Hebrews 1:2 and Acts 2:17 begins with the first coming of Messiah. Isaiah 2:2 (and parallel passage in Micah 4:1) identifies events that will be consummated at the second coming of Messiah (Second Coming) coinciding with establishment of Messiah's Millennial Kingdom.

Latter days - This phrase occurs 7x in OT = Dt 4:30 [ESV = "tribulation" Dt 4:30ESV]; Dt 31:29; Job 42:12; Jer 30:24; 48:47; Dan 2:28; 10:14 (Take a moment and study each of these passages on the latter days remembering to click the link to read the context) and all except Job 42:12 speak of times preceding and/or terminating with the Lord's return and the consummation of the Messianic Age. So in this passage Daniel uses latter days to define the scope of the prophecy is about to unfold.  From the following context the latter days begins with the time of the Babylonian Empire and ends with the return of Christ (the Stone), a time period that perfectly parallels the "times of the Gentiles" (Lk 21:24).

The angelic messenger sent to interpret Daniel's vision (Da 10:7) declared...

Now I have come to give you an understanding of what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision pertains to the days yet future. (Da 10:14)

Donald Campbell remarks that...

Because the Bible is a supernatural book, it can, and does, have a great deal to say about the future. And this should give comfort and security to the believer in contrast to the unbeliever who "bites his nails" and wonders how things will turn out. Two men were listening to a delayed broadcast of their school's crucial basketball game against a rival university. Suddenly one of them said, "Why am I so nervous? I know how it comes out." To which his friend replied, "Now you know how God must feel when we fret and get so depressed." After all, He knows how it comes out! (Campbell, D. Daniel God's Man in a Secular Society).

Daniel 2:29 "As for you, O king, while on your bed your thoughts turned to what would take place in the future; and He who reveals mysteries has made known to you what will take place. (Ezek 38:10)(Da 2:22,28,47 Am 4:13)

What would take place in the future (cp "the latter days") - Naturally any king would want to know what happens to his kingdom in the future.

He who reveals mysteries (mystery = "key word" = Da 2:18, 19, 27, 28, 29, 30, 47; 4:9) - What a great (descriptive) Name for our God. Mysteries are sacred secrets hitherto unknown, humanly unknowable, and now divinely revealed. The mysteries are not unintelligible nor mysterious (like a Sherlock Holmes "mystery"), but are merely God’s secret until He has chosen to reveal through a pagan king to be interpreted by a divine prophet. The classic NT example is the church, not revealed at all in the OT (see Ep 3:3-note)

Notice that Daniel did not impugn the names or reputations of Nebuchadnezzar’s gods, which is a great lesson for all of us that we need to be very careful when we witness for the only true and living God. Our tact should be to introduce them to the one and only true God and allow the convicting, illuminating ministry of the Holy Spirit to show them the difference. Give them truth which will allow them to discern that which is false. Or as Peter says to believers who were in various fiery trials (1Pe 3:14-note)...

but sanctify (aorist imperative = Command to do this now and do it effectively. It is urgent!) Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, (How are we to present our defense of the God of heaven?) yet with gentleness and reverence (with our words) and (with our words that "back up" the veracity of our testimony of hope!) keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile y-our good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. (1Pe 3:15, 16-note)

Daniel's dream description and decryption are clear examples of the God Who "reveals the profound and hidden things" (Da 2:22).

Daniel 2:30 "But as for me, this mystery has not been revealed to me for any wisdom residing in me more than in any other living man, but for the purpose of making the interpretation known to the king, and that you may understand the thoughts of your mind. (this mystery: Ge 41:16 Ac 3:12 1Co 15:8, 9, 10, 11, 12) (but: Da 2:17,18,49 Isa 43:3,4 45:4 Mt 24:22 Mk 13:20 Ro 8:28 1Co 3:21, 22, 23 2Co 4:15) (Da 2:47)

But as for me - Incredible humility in view of the fact that he has just received one of the greatest revelations ever given, a revelation that lays out the history of the entire world until Messiah returns. Paul made a parallel selfless statement...

Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (2Cor 3:5,6, cp Jas 4:6-note, 1Pe 5:5-note, cp importance of humility = Pr 15:33, 18:12, 22:4)

Joseph exhibited a similar humility when he passed on to God the glory (Ps 115:1-note) declaring to Pharaoh "It is not in me. God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer." (Ge 41:16). Joseph and Daniel are great OT illustrations which emphasize that the man who chooses for God and refuses to compromise with the world (Da 1:8, Ge 39:9), will be a vessel of honor, set apart and useful to Him as their Master (2Ti 2:21-note, cp He 6:12-note).

Donald Campbell (Daniel God's Man in a Secular Society) records the following story...

Dr. H. A. Ironside, famed pastor and Bible teacher, was once convicted about his lack of humility. A friend recommended, as a remedy, that he march through the streets of Chicago wearing a sandwich board, shouting the Scripture verses inscribed on the board for all to hear. Dr. Ironside agreed to this challenging venture and when he returned to study and removed the board, he said

"I'll bet there's not another man in town who would do that!"

Daniel 2:31 "You, O king, were looking and behold, there was a single great statue; that statue, which was large and of extraordinary splendor, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was awesome. (and the: Da 7:3-17 Mt 4:8 Lk 4:5) (Isa 13:11 25:3, 4, 5 Eze 28:7 Hab 1:7)

Single great statue - Emphasizes the continuity and integral relationship of the kingdoms represented. In other words the dominion would change, but elements of one kingdom would continue into the next. This one statue in a sense represented all of the Gentile kingdoms that would exist until the end of this age (when the Stone returns to end Gentile dominion forever).

Its appearance was awesome (Aramaic = dechal used 6x - Da 2:31; 4:5; 5:19; 6:26; 7:7, 19) - The Septuagint translates it with the adjective phoberos meaning inspiring fear, terrible, formidable, frightful.

Standing in front of you - Nebuchadnezzar was directly before this fearful, terrifying sight, which helps us understand why his spirit was troubled (Da 2:1, anxious = Da 2:3).

Daniel 2:32 "The head of that statue was made of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze, (head: Da 2:37,38 4:22,30 7:4 Isa 14:4 Jer 51:7 Rev 17:4) (breast: Da 2:39 7:5 8:3,4 11:2) (beblly: Da 2:39 7:6 8:5, 6, 7, 8 11:3-20)

The head...fine gold - Gold = Da 2:32, 38 = Lion Da 7:4 = Nebuchadnezzar (Babylon) (fell in 539 BC - See Da 5:28, cp Da 8:20, 21, 22)

Breast and its arms - Silver = Da 2:32,39; Bear = Da 7:5; Ram = Da 8:6, 20 = Media & Persia (539-331 BC)

Its belly and its thighs - Bronze = Da 2:32, 39; Leopard Da 7:6; Male, Shaggy Goat = Da 8:8,21 = Greece under Alexander the Great (331-63 BC)

Daniel 2:33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. (Da 2:40, 41, 42, 43 7:7,8,19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)

Legs of iron - Note (1) Decreasing value or preciousness of metals with each succeeding division (2) Decreasing specific gravity (of ? significance) (3) Increasing strength (of the empires) as one descends in the statute and if one looks on a map, each succeeding kingdom is larger than its predecessor.

Fruchtenbaum comments...

Two things should be noted concerning these metals: first, they increase in strength; but second, they decrease in value. The fulfillment will be in the decrease of the character of authority and rule: Babylon was an absolute monarchy with the monarch above the law; with Medo-Persia the monarch was not above the law and he did not have the authority to change his own decrees (cp Da 6:8, 11, 12, 15); the Hellenic kings had no dynastic or royal right to rule, and ruled by force of conquest and personal gifts; and Roman imperialism was a republic which degenerated into mob rule merging with the imperial form of government. Yet there will be an increase in strength of one empire over the other. (Fruchtenbaum, A. G. The Footsteps of the Messiah: A Study of the Sequence of Prophetic Events. 2003. Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries)

Partly of clay - (Da 2:33, 34, 35, 41, 43, 45) Baked clay which though hard was also fragile. Think of it as like tile work that was woven into the image, and certainly Babylonian architecture made frequent use of tile. Note the most fragile component of the statute is located at the strategic stabilizing base, the feet.

Daniel 2:34 "You continued looking until a stone was cut out without hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and crushed them. (a stone: Da 2:44,45 7:13,14,27 Ps 118:22 Isa 28:16 Zec 12:3 Mt 16:18 Ac 4:11 1Pe 2:7 Rev 11:15) (cut: Da 8:25 Zec 4:6 Jn 1:13 2Co 5:1 Heb 9:24) (without hands - Da 2:45) (which - Ps 2:8, 9, 10, 11, 12 110:5,6 149:6, 7, 8, 9 Isa 60:12 Zec 12:3 Rev 17:14 Rev 19:11-21)

Feet- This corresponds to the description below of "feet and toes" (Da 2:41, 42)

A Stone - Not just any Stone, but the Stone of God, the Messiah, the Rock of our salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords. This prophecy could speak of no other, for none other than Christ, the Messiah, could accomplish the formidable task of striking and crushing all remnants of Gentile world power, forever and ever. Amen.

Cut without hands - Not natural and by "default" supernatural. Isaiah's prophecy for example in Isa 28:16 and quoted in part (specifically in 1Pe 2:6) by Peter in 1Pe 2:4, 5, 6, 7, 8 leaves no doubt that the supernatural Stone is the Messiah.

On its feet of iron and clay - This little detail is critically important if this prophecy is to be interpreted accurately. It will be discussed more fully below. The point is that the Stone did not strike at head, arms, belly or leg stage, but at the last stage of the statue.

THE STONE
THAT CRUSHES

In this context the Stone metaphor speaks of the Messiah, Christ Jesus. This picture of Christ as a Stone (or Rock) is intimately woven by the Spirit throughout both the Old and New Testaments and makes for a fascinating and encouraging study.

Daniel 2:35 "Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were crushed all at the same time and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them was found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. (Ps 1:4,5 Isa 17:13,14 41:15,16 Ho 13:3 Mic 4:13) (not a trace - Job 6:17 Ps 37:10,36 103:16 Rev 12:8 20:11) (became: Isa 2:2,3 Mic 4:1,2)

Is it any wonder that this stone smashing statue dream would trouble King Nebuchadnezzar and give him a bad case of divine insomnia!

Then - This time related word marks sequence in a series of events. In this case then marks the time of the feet stage of Da 2:33 at which time the Stone struck at the feet. The picture is that the stone struck the statue and THEN the statue was crushed.

All at the same time - Not just the feet are crushed but the entire image all at the same time.

As we discuss below, the Stone represents Christ and the striking of the Stone marks the return of Christ and the end of the Gentile attempt to dominate the earth.

Became like chaff - A figure of speech which depicts the worthless part of grain that has been threshed. The worthless part is carried away. This is an amazing, humbling thought, for what God is saying in essence is that all of man's empire building and all his vast and glorious achievements (apart from Christ, cp Jn 15:5) amount to absolutely nothing in His eternal estimation! Jesus alludes to this with another figure of speech declaring ...

And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and it fell, and great was its fall. (Mt 7:26, 27)

In a very real sense all the godless Gentile empires throughout history are like this house built on sand (although clearly in context Jesus is speaking to individuals not empires) and they will not survive the rains and floods and wind burst against them..

THY KINGDOM
COME!

It is interesting to note that the fulfillment of this aspect of the prophecy is a delayed answer to a prayer, a prayer that most of us quite likely have prayed many times! In short, the Stone striking of the statue brings about a great mountain (kingdom) which is the answer to the saints' pleas throughout the ages that "Thy kingdom come" (Mt 6:10-note).

The psalmist alludes to this event as God the Father promises His Son...

7 “I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord:
He said to Me, ‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
8 ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance,
And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.
9 ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron,
You shall shatter them like earthenware (Ps 2:7-9)

Wiersbe comments on Ps 2:9 noting that...

Before going to battle, ancient eastern kings participated in a ritual of breaking clay jars that symbolized the enemy army, and thus guaranteed the help of the gods to defeat them. Jesus needs no such folly; He smashes His enemies completely (Rev 19:11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16; Da 2:42, 43, 44). Jesus is God, Jesus is King, and Jesus is Conqueror.

In the Gospel of Luke Jesus alludes to His "crushing" return...

Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust. (Lk 20:18)

W A Criswell comments that...

In Isa 8:14, 15, God is the stone over which both Israel and Judah would stumble, fall and be broken. The phraseology is also used in Dan. 2:34-45. Men will stumble over Jesus to their own destruction.

Not a trace of them - The Stone represents the return of Christ to completely and totally defeat His enemies and establish a new divine kingdom which is devoid of even a trace of the influences of any of the 4 previous Gentile kingdoms - Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Hellenistic, Roman.

But the Stone - The "but" highlights a striking contrast between the complete disappearance of the chaff and the persistence and expansion of the Stone.

Became a great mountain - This cannot be literal because of the phrase filled the whole earth and we know from other passages that mountain is used at times in Scripture for kingdom. Note that comparing Daniel's parallel description in Da 2:44 clearly identifies this great mountain as a kingdom. Please do not misunderstand, for while "great mountain" is figurative language, such language always has only one specific intended meaning and in this context clearly refers to a literal kingdom that will fill the entire earth, a truth which strongly argues against those systems of belief (eg, Replacement Theology) that teach this refers to an invisible spiritual kingdom. (See discussion regarding The Arrival of God’s Kingdom)

In the following passage Isaiah uses mountain in both a literal and figurative sense..

Now it will come about that in the last days, (we are in the "last days") the mountain of the house of the Lord (Literal mountain = the Temple Mount area) will be established as the chief of the mountains (here mountains ~ kingdoms = Christ's kingdom will reign supreme over all other kingdoms) and will be raised above the hills; and all the nations will stream to it.  (Isa 2:2-note; cp parallel passage in Mic 4:1) (See also Re 17:9-note, Re 17:10-note where mountain is used by John to symbolize kings and thus kingdoms).

Filled the whole earth - The Kingdom of Christ will know no limits of its rule. Isaiah prophesies that in that day "the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." (Is 11:9) (See these other passages that allude to the coming Kingdom of Christ -- Ps 22:27, 28, 46:9 66:4 67:1,2 72:8, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 86:9, Da 7:14, Zec 14:8,9, 10, 11, Luke 1:32, 33, 1Co 15:25 Rev 11:15 20:2,3)

At present we do not see the whole earth under the rule of the Messiah, for as John explains in this present age "the whole world lies in the power of the evil one" (1Jn 5:19), Satan, who was given temporary rule over all the kingdoms of the world (Lk 4:5, 6) when Adam forfeited his right to rule over the earth (cp Ge 1:26, 27, 28) with one act of sin.

The prophet Zechariah records that...

it will come about in that day that living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter. And the LORD (Jehovah = Jesus)  will be King over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be the only one, and His name the only one. (Zech 14:9)

In the Revelation, the prophet John records that when...

the seventh angel sounded; and there arose loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world (cp the single great statute that Nebuchadnezzar saw - Da 2:31 the component kingdoms of which were crushed all at the same time - Da 2:35) has become (known as the prophetic aorist = describes an event so certain it is spoken of as already completed) the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever." (Rev 11:15-see notes)

Comment: The seventh trumpet occurs in the middle of the 7 year period known as Daniel's Seventieth Week (commonly referred to as the "Tribulation") and although 3.5 years will pass before the King returns, the events that are set in motion are irreversible so that the terminus, the Lord's reign over all the the earth in His Millennial Kingdom is as good as done!

This event is the answer to the Solomon's prayer...

And blessed be His glorious name forever and may the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen, and Amen. (Ps 72:19)

As Spurgeon says...

For so bright a consummation our heart yearns daily, and we cry Amen, and Amen.

I love the way Isaac Watts phrases this in his great hymn "Jesus Shall Reign". Take a moment and sing to the King of kings - let us practice today what will be our forever privilege in that new eternal day!

Jesus shall reign where’er the sun
Does his successive journeys run;
His kingdom stretch from shore to shore,
Till moons shall wax and wane no more.
(Click for tune and all 14 [!!] glorious verses)

Daniel 2:36 "This was the dream; now we will tell its interpretation before the king. (Da 2:23,24)

This was the dream - Daniel is demonstrative not interrogative! He does not ask meekly "Was that the dream you had?" He boldly declared that it was the dream. When you have God's Word of truth on a subject, you can be fearless and boldly declare the truth as did Daniel. This is another reason we have to be continually in the Word, that it might get into us, into our mind and heart, and then what comes out of our mouths will be what fills our heart.

Now we will tell its interpretation - Note that the king has remained totally silent as Daniel described the king's dream. Had Daniel missed one detail, the king would have interrupted (or even worse) but he did not utter one objection as far as we can discern. Thus clearly Daniel declared the king's dream to perfection, because he had received a perfect divine revelation.

Donald Campbell tells a story of a modern day "Daniel", Billy Graham...

In the early days of Dr. Billy Graham's evangelistic ministry, he held a series of meetings in the Dallas Cotton Bowl. As the services came to a climax, the challenge was to fill the 70,000 seat stadium for a final Sunday evening service. The word was out that certain gambling elements were betting it couldn't be done, but on the last night a cheer went up from the crowd as the last seat was taken. A well-known columnist for the Dallas Morning News devoted an entire column the next week to the event. He posed the question,

"How can a young man without a semi-education draw such a crowd of people when some of highly educated and robed downtown ministers preach to half-filled churches on Sunday mornings?"

Answering his own question, the columnist said,

"It's because Billy Graham preaches what the Bible says. He has a note of authority in his message—a 'thus saith the Lord."

And so did Daniel! (Campbell, D. Daniel God's Man in a Secular Society).

THE DREAM
DECRYPTION!

NLT Study Bible note...

Hippolytus (170-236AD), one of the early church fathers, identified the four kingdoms as Babylonia, Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome. The church father and historian Eusebius of Caesarea (260-340AD) initially identified the first kingdom as Assyria (which once also controlled Babylon), but he later agreed with Hippolytus, as did most of the church fathers. Later, Jerome and Augustine accepted this same understanding, and conservative interpreters largely still agree.

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Broken Statues - In Moscow stands the New Tretyakov Gallery, a museum that displays art and artifacts from the days of the former Soviet Union. Scattered along the banks of the Moscow River near the museum are statues of once-powerful leaders that have been smashed and disfigured. Images of Stalin and Lenin have their noses knocked off and their heads separated from their bodies.

These gloomy scenes bring to mind the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2. He saw a statue with a glorious head of gold, a chest and arms of silver, a torso of bronze, legs of iron, and feet of iron and clay (vv.31-33). It portrayed the succession of four great ruling nations of the world. From history we know they were Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. Then a stone "cut out of the mountain without hands" (v.45) rolled down and smashed the statue to smithereens. This pictured God's judgment of those four kingdoms and His supremacy over all the earth.

One day God will judge the nations of the world, and their monuments will lie in ruins. No matter how powerful the nation, all will crumble beneath the outpouring of God's holy wrath. We can be confident that Jesus Christ, the King of kings, will rule the world in righteousness, justice, and peace. What a glorious prospect! — David C. Egner

Now evil prospers, falsehood reigns,
And darkness dims the light;
But soon the day will come when Christ
Returns to set things right. —Sper

Nations rise and fall,
but Christ's kingdom stands forever.

Daniel 2:37 "You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength and the glory; (king: 1Ki 4:24 Ezra 7:12 Isa 10:8 47:5 Jer 27:6,7 Eze 26:7 Ho 8:10 Rev 1:5 17:14) (the God: Da 4:25,32 5:18 2Ch 36:23 Ezra 1:2 Pr 8:15 Jer 28:14 Rev 19:16)(power: Da 4:3,34 Ps 62:11 Mt 6:13 Jn 19:11 Rev 4:11 5:12)

You O king - Ponder this (1) God raised up this tyrannical pagan king to chasten rebellious Judah (2) Babylon was in power only about 70 years, the same time during which Israel (Judah) was disciplined (3) God used this pagan king to present His prophetic plan for the ages.

King of kings (6x in Scripture - Ezra 7:12, Ezek 26:7 = ascribed to Nebuchadnezzar by the other prophet exiled in Babylon!, Da 2:27, 1Ti 6:15, Re 17:14-note, Re 19:16-note) - The idea of the repetition of "king" is the supreme king among kings. As earthly kings go, Nebuchadnezzar was indeed the supreme example of a human king (NB: Artaxerxes referred to himself as "king of kings" but here in Da 2:37 the declaration is by Daniel, God's prophet). Nebuchadnezzar the earthly, human king of kings is no match for the incomparable King of kings, (Re 17:14-note, Re 19:16-note) the Lord Jesus Christ, Who comes on the scene after the city of Babylon has been finally and forever destroyed (Rev 18:21).

Has given (cp Da 1:2, 9, 17, Da 2:38) - A clear example of God as the one who changes the times and the epochs (Da 2:21) and establishes kings (Da 2:21) once again testifying to the fact that Jehovah is sovereign over all creation and all creatures. In Jeremiah Yahweh refers to King Nebuchadnezzar as "My servant" (Jer 25:8, 9 in the context of God's final judgment on Judah; cp Pr 21:1).

Daniel 2:38 and wherever the sons of men dwell, or the beasts of the field, or the birds of the sky, He has given them into your hand and has caused you to rule over them all. You are the head of gold. (beasts: Da 4:21,22 Ps 50:10,11 Jer 27:5, 6, 7) (Da 2:32)

God of heaven has given...He has given them into your hand...has caused you to rule over - Notice that God's sovereignty is repeatedly emphasized (cp Da 1:2, 9, 17).

John Walvoord notes Daniel's...

fearless declaration that Nebuchadnezzar owes all his power to the God of heaven who has revealed this secret to Daniel. How different this is from the subservient respect given by the other wise men. Here is a voice of truth which even Nebuchadnezzar must receive with submission. (Daniel: The Key to Prophetic Revelation) (Daniel 2 Nebuchadnezzar’s Vision Of The Great Image)

Head of gold - Gold = Da 2:32, 38 = Lion Da 7:4 = Nebuchadnezzar (Babylon) (fell in 539 BC)  Babylon was referred to as the "Golden City" because gold was used found all through the city in decorations of shrines, temples, and other public buildings.

Daniel 2:39 "After you there will arise another kingdom inferior to you, then another third kingdom of bronze, which will rule over all the earth. (another kingdom - Da 2:32 5:28, 29, 30, 31 7:5 8:3,4,20 11:2 Isa 44:28 45:1, 2, 3, 4, 5) (Third - Da 2:32 7:6,7,23 8:5-14 10:20 11:3-20 Zec 6:3,6)

Keep in mind that the 4 kingdoms being described are Gentile powers who fulfill Jesus' prophecy of the times of the Gentiles (Lk 21:24) that will continue until the end of this age (cp Re 11:2-note for description of Gentiles still treading on Jerusalem in the last half of the 7 year period known as Daniel's Seventieth Week, equivalent to the last 3.5 years or 42 months known as the Great Tribulation). The power of the Gentiles will be finally and fully destroyed when the Stone strikes the great statue which represents Gentile power. At this time the Stone Christ Jesus crushes the Gentile powers so thoroughly that He utterly obliterates every trace of all previous past Gentile empires and their rule over the earth, at which time the Stone, Christ Jesus, assumes His throne in the Kingdom as the King of kings (cp Da 2:35, cp Ps 2:6, 8, 9, 12).

See Related Topic - God's Plan for Jerusalem - outlined in 5 distinct mountain (symbolic) peaks beginning in 586BC

After you - A very clear time phrase.

Will arise - Again an example of the truth that God removes kings (Babylon) and establishes kings (Medo-Persia) (Da 2:21)

Another kingdom inferior - Almost every conservative scholar interprets this kingdom as Medo-Persia (Compare Scripture with Scripture - see Da 5:28, 8:20, 21)

Third Kingdom - This kingdom was Greece headed by Alexander the Great  and described by Daniel in a parallel passage (Da 8:20, 21)

Whitcomb comments...

After the death of Nebuchadnezzar in 562 B.C., a drastic deterioration of the qualities of the kingdom occurred under the rule of his son Evil-Merodach, two usurpers of the throne (Neriglissar and Nabonidus), and finally his daughter's son Belshazzar. By 539 B.C. the golden qualities of brilliant and ab­solute dictatorial autocracy which had characterized the forty-three-year reign of Nebuchadnezzar were almost gone. Then it was that "the time of his own land" finally came, and Cyrus, though inferior to Nebuchadnezzar in the authority by which he ruled (being subject to the laws of the Medes and Persians, 6:8, 15), was nevertheless overwhelmingly greater than the morally rotten Belshazzar, who was weighed in God's balances and found wanting (Dan. 5:27). (Whitcomb, J. Daniel Everyman's Bible Commentary)

NLT Study Bible Note...

In antiquity and in our era, some interpreters have argued that Greece is the fourth empire, and they treat the Medes as a separate kingdom. This interpretation is due in part to denying the possibility of prediction and assuming that the book was written about 164BC, when the Roman empire had not yet arisen. But Media and Persia are usually regarded as one empire, and the Median kingdom had been mostly assimilated by the Persians by the time Cyrus II conquered Babylon in 539BC.

NET Bible note

The identity of the first kingdom is clearly Babylon. The identification of the following three kingdoms is disputed. The common view is that they represent Media, Persia, and Greece. Most conservative scholars identify them as Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome.

Daniel 2:40 "Then there will be a fourth kingdom as strong as iron; inasmuch as iron crushes and shatters all things, so, like iron that breaks in pieces, it will crush and break all these in pieces. (fourth: Da 2:33 7:19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 8:24 9:26 11:36-45 Jn 11:48) (Da 7:7 Jer 15:12 Am 1:3)

Summary to this point...

The head...fine gold - Gold = Da 2:32, 38 = Lion Da 7:4 = Nebuchadnezzar (Babylon) (fell in 539 BC - See Da 5:28, cp Da 8:20, 21, 22)

Breast and its arms - Silver = Da 2:32,39; Bear = Da 7:5; Ram = Da 8:6, 20 = Media & Persia (539-331 BC)

Its belly and its thighs - Bronze = Da 2:32, 39; Leopard Da 7:6; Male, Shaggy Goat = Da 8:8,21 = Greece under Alexander the Great (331-63 BC)

Observe that the fourth kingdom warrants 5 verses of description emphasizing its significance prophetically.

A fourth kingdom - Not named in Daniel but from history we know this to be the Roman Empire, larger and longer lasting than the 3 preceding kingdoms. Unlike the 3 preceding kingdoms, the Roman Empire did not fall externally but it imploded internally from moral and social decay of sin.

It will crush and break all these in pieces - Luke testifies to the truth of the fact that Rome crushed all resistance, writing of Jesus' birth

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed (Luke 2:1).

Campbell...

The mark of the fourth empire was strength, but it was destructive strength. The iron legions of Rome "crushed and demolished" all resistance. It is true that the world lived in peace—the pax Romana—but it was a peace enforced by the iron heel of Rome, a peace that stamped out freedom (Ibid)

PROPHECY ABOVE...
FULFILLED

A "GAP"
IN TIME

PROPHECY BELOW...
YET FUTURE

Daniel 2:41 "In that you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it will be a divided kingdom; but it will have in it the toughness of iron, inasmuch as you saw the iron mixed with common clay. (the feet: Da 2:33, 34, 35 7:7,24 Rev 12:3 13:1 17:12)

From our vantage point the prophecies of Da 2:27-40 have fulfilled in history while the prophecies of Da 2:41-45 are yet to be fulfilled.

The feet and toes - How many toes? Ten toes. Compare to the record of 10 horns in the parallel passage in Da 7:7 where we learn that 10 horns = 10 kings (Da 7:24) (cp Rev 17:12-note).

It will be a divided kingdom - In context this still refers to the fourth kingdom and as alluded to above it is divided into 10 kingdoms.

Ray Pritchard...

It is highly significant that no world empire ever arose after the Roman Empire broke up. It is out of the old Roman Empire that what we call “Western Civilization” arose. In a sense though the Roman Empire no longer exists, its influence is still felt through all the nations that came out of the territory it once ruled. And “Western Civilization” itself (which includes the United States in a broad sense) traces its history in large part back to ancient Rome and Greece. (The World According to God)

The question is "Has there ever been a 10 king confederacy in the history of the world that would fulfill this prophecy?" And the answer is "No", which means that this aspect of the Great Statue is yet future to us (written October 8, 2009). And thus this component of the fourth kingdom which was historically identified as fulfilled in the form of the Roman Empire (in the "2 leg and foot" stage) has not yet materialized in the "ten toe" form in history, which means that there is a time delay (if you will) in the fulfillment of this detail of the king's Dream. In the study of prophecy this is commonly termed a "time gap" and is not uncommon in prophetic literature. For more discussion see Jesus' Incredible Teaching on "Time Gaps" in the fulfillment of prophecy. One practical implication of this truth is that if someone told us that Jesus is coming tomorrow to set up His Kingdom, we can say that they are wrong because we do not yet have a kingdom composed of a loose federation of ten kings, some strong, some weak. God says what He means, and means what He says and we can stake our lives on it, now and forevermore. Amen.

Daniel 2:42 "As the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of pottery, so some of the kingdom will be strong and part of it will be brittle. (the toes: Da 7:24 Rev 13:1)

So this "toe stage" is not yet fulfilled and I agree with most conservative evangelical commentators that this will be in a sense a form of the "Revived Roman Empire".

Campbell...

Mussolini said, "I believe in the resurrection of the [Roman] Empire!" But his abortive attempts to resurrect it met with colossal failure for he was ahead of his, or rather God's, time. (Ibid)

Iron....some of the kingdom will be strong - Some of 10 kings will be strong presumably politically and militarily.

Pottery...part of it will be brittle - Implication is that some of these kings will be weaker. It "breaks" much easier than iron. See the fate of 3 of the 10 kings in Da 7:24 and this would seem to be related to the facts Daniel expounds in the present passage.

DIGRESSION ON
THE CONCEPT OF
A TIME GAP

Let's summarize (repeats some of the prior discussion) the answer to the question "Since the statue is a single statue or a unit and the legs of iron are fulfilled in the Roman Empire, how do we get to the 10 toe/10 king stage?"

I think we all agree that the Roman Empire has been fulfilled in history (it ended about 476AD when Romulus Augustus resigned his crown as the last emperor of the Western Roman Empire, marking the beginning of the "middle ages"), but how does the "10 King Stage" fit (a stage characterized by one "kingdom" or loose confederacy of iron and clay - which don't adhere)? Reasoning this out, we are forced to invoke a "gap" of time between the fulfillment of the iron leg stage and the feet and toe stage.

Daniel did not state specifically there was a time gap so we have to ask does the Bible teach such a principle as "time gaps" in the interpretation of Scripture, especially prophetic passages? The answer is that yes it does, so let's look at it...Let's see specifically how Jesus "taught" the principle of a time gap between first fulfillment and final fulfillment of a given passage of Scripture...

First take a moment and read Luke 4:14-21 - In context (Lk 4:1) Jesus is "full of the Holy Spirit" (INTERPRETATION? what you are "full of", is that which controls you - if you are "full of" wine you are controlled by wine as Paul says in Eph 5:18 where believers are commanded to "live this earthly life" just like Jesus did - we are commanded to "be continually filled with [controlled by] the Spirit"). In the passage below notice how Luke describes Jesus' return to Galilee...

Luke 4:14 And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit; and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district. (APPLICATION? JESUS WHO WAS FULLY GOD/FULLY MAN LIVED HIS EARTHLY LIFE IN THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT LEAVING FOR EACH OF US "an example for you to follow in His steps" 1Pe 2:21-note. Similarly Paul commands us "Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ" 1Co 11:1)
15 And He began teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all.
16 And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read.
17 And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book, and found the place where it was written (JESUS OPENED TO ISAIAH 61:1, 2 and began to read -- Notice what He read from Isaiah and what He said when He finished reading)
18 "THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE DOWNTRODDEN,
19 TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD."
20 And He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed upon Him.
21 And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

Below is the original passage Jesus read in the synagogue, a prophecy written by Isaiah somewhere between 740-680BC, more than 500 years prior to Jesus' first coming...compare what Isaiah wrote with what Jesus read...

Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives, And freedom to prisoners; 2 To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,

What do you observe when comparing Isaiah 61:1-2 with what Jesus actually read?

What did Jesus state was fulfilled?

What did Jesus NOT read from Isaiah 61:2 and by deduction what was not yet fulfilled? What does Isaiah 61:2b say about "the day"?

What is the day of vengeance (punishment inflicted in retaliation for an offense)?

When will it be fulfilled?

So clearly Jesus stopped reading Isaiah's prophecy in "mid stream" so to speak. He stated that the favorable year of the LORD had been fulfilled = This fulfillment was His first coming which was to bring salvation ("the favorable year") to the Jews who were listening to Him in the synagogue on that very day and to all mankind (Jews and Gentiles). However when He returns the Second time (see Second Coming), He will bring JUDGMENT ("the day of vengeance of our God"). This truth is amplified in many other passages but is summarized by Daniel in Da 2:34, 35 when the Stone (Christ Jesus) strikes the Statue at the "10 King stage" and crushes it all at the same time. The Stone's striking will in fact be the fulfillment of Isaiah's ancient prophecy regarding God's judgment on this present evil world on "the day of vengeance of our God" (cp Isa 34:8, 35:4, 63:4, Micah 5:15, Ps 96:13, Ps 45:3, 4a, Rev 19:11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20-see notes beginning @ Re 19:11).  As an aside note Isaiah's prophecy of "to comfort all who mourn", which I personally think alludes to the events that follow the return of the Stone, the time when "all Israel will be saved" (Ro 11:26, 27-note, Ro 11:28, 29-note) and Messiah establishes His 1000 year Millennial Kingdom (the Messianic Age) (See the following Scriptures regarding mourning and comforting associated with His return = Rev 1:7-note, Mt 24:30, Zech 12:10, 11,12, Is 61:2b, Is 61:3, Mt 5:4-note)

So just as there was a TIME GAP (now almost 2000 years) between the fulfillment of Isaiah 61:2a (favorable year of the LORD = Christ's First Coming to bring salvation) and Isaiah 61:2b (the day of vengeance of our God = Judgment on the World), so too there is a TIME GAP (of almost 1500 years) between the fulfillment of Daniel 2:36-40 (and specifically the "fourth kingdom as strong as iron" = Rome which ended about 476AD) and Daniel 2:41-45 (As discussed below, the so-called "Revived Roman Empire" in the form of a loose confederacy composed of 10 kings). So the prophet Daniel writing between 605-536BC did not see nor did he describe a specific time gap (but neither did the prophet Isaiah in Isa 61:2). However, reasoning from Daniel's interpretation and what we know has already been fulfilled in history, we can see that there has to be a portion of Daniel's prophecy which is yet to be fulfilled. Daniel will fill us in on more details (especially in Daniel 7) describing this fascinating "Toe Stage" of the Statue. The apostle John also discusses this "Toe Stage" (10 Kings) in the Revelation of Jesus Christ. So we see that the progressive revelation of God's prophetic word building "precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little" (Isaiah 28:13 KJV) Dear reader, don't be discouraged or frustrated if you don't yet have all the pieces of God's prophetic puzzle perfectly perceived! As alluded to God presents this truth in a number of other places in Scripture, but He begins in Daniel 2 with undoubtedly the best outline of future events (the "backbone of all Bible prophecy") in all of Scripture.

Now I think what we have observed leads to an accurate interpretation but not all commentators agrees with what we have observed and concluded for several reasons...

(1) they do not read the prophecy of Daniel literally (and do not seek the single meaning of Daniel's figurative descriptions),

(2) they are liberal and don't accept supernatural revelation/phenomena and/or

(3) they interpret the 10 toe stage as already fulfilled in history (but to read their explanations is like pushing a round peg in a square hold... in my humble opinion).

So let's assume you accept the "Toe Stage" (even if you do not fully understand it) as indicative of a Kingdom composed of a confederacy of 10 Kings that are somehow associated with the old Roman Empire. What do we do with that truth?

Well, first of all we believe the truth of God's Word and that is always to be our main objective. But He has given us these truths that we might know what is to come to pass before it happens, ultimately so that (one of many reasons) we might live as aliens and strangers as Peter called us and might be motivated to make daily, moment by moment choices "to abstain from fleshly lusts, which wage war against the soul." (1Peter 2:11-note) knowing that "our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait (Greek = a continual mindset of expectant looking and anticipation of seeing Jesus in the air!) for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Php 3:20-note - What/who you are LOOKING for will or should radically impact what/who you are LIVING for!)

Secondly, we are to understand the times (compare the "sons of Issachar, men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do" 1Chr 12:32) and watch the news and unfolding of geo-political events comparing them with Scripture. In so doing, most conservative, evangelical, literal Bible commentators believe that the European Union (EU) could possibly be the setting that allows for the fulfillment of the "Ten King Stage", (1) because the EU is a loose confederacy of individual "kingdoms" (2) some of the countries are strong and some are weak (3) the countries that compose the EU while currently more than the number "Ten", are predominantly from Western Europe in countries that were once part of the old Roman Empire which gives rise to the name the "Revived Roman Empire". (Click for a brief summary of the EU)

In sum, the 10 King Stage has not occurred in history. The EU could possibly be a precursor to the 10 King stage but we have to be careful not to try to make the Scriptures fit current events (a constant temptation when you begin to study prophecy and there is a lot of "bad" info on the web so be very cautious what and who you read in this area). Finally, although we have not studied it yet (we will), the Rapture (the removal of the church from earth - 1Thes 4:13-18) is always imminent (could happen at any time) and so the "Ten King" stage could come into existence after we have been removed from earth. .

Daniel 2:43 "And in that you saw the iron mixed with common clay, they will combine with one another in the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, even as iron does not combine with pottery.

Iron mixed with common clay - They are together in one sense but only loosely combined. They are ten entities in themselves and yet they are considered as a common kingdom. Ten kingdoms in one kingdom, but loosely federated with each other. And remember that they came from the Roman Empire, which gives rise to the term "Revived Roman Empire" which you will encounter in most conservative commentaries (especially those that interpret the passages of Daniel literally). Some of these commentaries go on to speculate that these kingdoms could somehow be related to the modern day European Union (which has far more than 10 "kingdoms" - Click for a brief summary of the EU). Although this latter thought is speculative, it behooves modern day "Daniels and Danielles" to keep a watchful eye on the development of the European Union, all the while keeping our main focus on the plumbline of God's Word that is the source of true wisdom and discernment in these last days (Isa 2:2, Jer 23:20, 2Ti 3:1-note, Heb 1:2-note, 2Pe 3:3-note - these are not all of the uses of this phrase) in which we live.

Daniel 2:44 "In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever. (the God: Da 2:28,37) (set up: Ge 49:10 Ps 2:6-12 72:1-20 89:3,4,19-36 110:1, 2, 3, 4 Isa 9:6,7 Mt 3:2,3 28:18 Eph 1:20, 21, 22) (shall never: Da 4:3,34 6:26 7:13,14 Ps 145:13 Eze 37:25 Mic 4:7 Lk 1:32,33 Jn 12:34 Rev 11:15) (crush - Da 8:25 Ps 2:9 21:8,9 Isa 60:12 1Co 15:24,25 Rev 2:27 19:15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)

The great statue of Daniel 2 teaches us that God is in control of the flow of all human history. Empires rise and fall in accordance with His divine purpose, which ultimately is moving toward day of coronation of His Beloved Son as the King of kings and Lord of lords, that glorious day when...

at the name of "Jesus" EVERY KNEE SHOULD BOW, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Php 2:10, 11-note)

In the days of those kings - This is a critically important time phrase and begs several questions including "which days" and "which kings"? The nearest antecedent is "they" in Da 2:43 which in turn is a description of the "toes of the feet". How many toes on 2 feet? Ten toes. How many kings "in those days"? Ten kings. Compare the parallel passage in Da 7:7, 24 (cp Da 7:20, 24) which describes "ten horns".

A kingdom -

It is interesting to note that our Lord alluded to His kingdom in His first coming declaring...

Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm (i.e., it is not advanced by human weapons - but it is advanced by the "spiritual weapon" of truth as goes on to explain)." Therefore Pilate said to Him, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice (i.e., all who are born again - which is also how His kingdom expands - not politically but spiritually!)."  (John 18:36, 37)

Comment: At this time Jesus was referring not to an earthly, political kingdom but to spiritual kingdom. Every time a person is born again they are transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light in a spiritual sense (cp Col 1:13-note, Jn 3:3). When Jesus returns this spiritual kingdom will become His literal earthly kingdom for 1000 years in which He reigns as the Supreme King of kings. It is this latter phase of His kingdom which serves as the fulfillment of this prophecy. One might say that in view of the fact that the Roman Empire (the fourth kingdom in the statute) was in power when Jesus made this declaration regarding His kingdom, there is in a sense a partial fulfillment of this prophecy. In any event the perfect fulfillment will occur in the time of the ten nation confederation of the "revived Roman empire" in the last days.

C I Scofield gives an excellent Scriptural summary of Kingdom of God in the Old Testament beginning with Israel in the Old Testament and terminating in the future kingdom described in Daniel 2. It would be helpful to take a few moments and study these related passages to gain a good sense of the concept of "kingdom" as it refers to God's Kingdom (in contrast to the kingdoms of man, which began in Genesis 10:8, 9, 10 under a king named Nimrod whose name literally means something like "let us rebel", this rebellion being quickly manifest in Ge 11:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 resulting in the LORD's confusing their language and scattering men over the face of the earth Ge 11:7, 8, 9).

I. Dominion over the Earth before the Call of Abraham.

(1) Dominion over creation was given to the first man and woman (Ge1:26, 27, 28). Through the fall this dominion was lost, Satan becoming "prince of this world" (Mt 4:8, 9, 10; Lk 4:5, 6, Jn 14:30, cp Heb 2:5,6,7,8,9)

(2) After the flood, the principle of human government was established under the covenant with Noah (Ge 9:6; Ge 9:16). Biblically, this is still the charter of all government.

II. The Theocratic Kingdom in Israel.

(See also 1Sa 8:7) The call of Abraham involved, with much else, the creation of a distinctive people through whom great purposes of God toward the human race might be worked out (see Israel, Ge12:1, 2, 3; Ro 11:26-note). Among these purposes is the establishment of a worldwide kingdom.

The history of the divine mediatorial rule in Israel:

(1) Its establishment under Moses (Ex 19:3, 4, 5, 6, 7; cp. Ex 3:1-10; 24:12).

(2) Its administration under leader-judges (Jos 1:1, 2, 3, 4, 5; Jdg 2:16, 17, 18).

(3) Its administration under kings (1Sa10:1,24; 16:1-13; 1Ki 9:1, 2, 3, 4, 5).

(4) Its end at the captivity (Ezek 21:25, 26, 27; cp Je 27:6, 7, 8; Da 2:36, 37, 38)

III. The Future Restoration of the Theocratic Kingdom. (Click for more detailed description of the Millennium)

(1) The Davidic Covenant (2Sa 7:8-16, 16, cp Ro 1:3 "descendant of David" = Messiah; Ps 89:3, 4,20, 21,28-37).

(2) The exposition of the Davidic Covenant by the prophets (Isa 1:25, 26 to Zech 12:6, 7, 8). They describe the kingdom as follows:

(a) It will be Davidic, to be established under David's heir who is to be born of a virgin, therefore truly man, but also "Immanuel," "Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isa 7:13, 14; 9:6, 7; 11:1; Jer 23:5; Ezek 34:23, 24, 37:24; Hos 3:4, 5).

(b) It will be a kingdom heavenly in origin, principle, and authority (Da 2:34, 35,44, 45), but set up on the earth, with Jerusalem as the capital (Isa 2:2, 3, 4; 4:3,5; 24:23; 33:20; 62:1-7; Jer 23:5; 31:38, 39, 40; Joel 3:1,16, 17).

(c) The kingdom is to be established first over regathered, restored, and converted Israel, and is then to become universal (Ps 2:6, 7, 8; 22:1-31; 24:1-10; Isa 1:2, 3; 11:1,10, 11, 12, 13; 60:12; Jer 23:5, 6, 7, 8; 30:7, 8, 9, 10, 11; Ezek 20:33-40; 37:21, 22, 23, 24, 25; Zech 9:10; 14:16, 17, 18, 19).

(d) The moral characteristics of the kingdom are to be righteousness and peace. The meek, not the proud, will inherit the earth (Mt 5:5); longevity will be greatly increased; the knowledge of the LORD will be universal; beast-ferocity will be removed; absolute equity will be enforced; and open sin will be visited with instant judgment; whereas the enormous majority of earth's inhabitants will be saved (Ps 2:9; Isa 11:4,6, 7, 8, 9; 26:9; 65:20; Zech 14:16, 17, 18, 19, 20,  21). The NT (Rev 20:1-5) adds a detail of immense significance -the removal of Satan from the scene. It is impossible to conceive to what heights of spiritual, intellectual, and physical perfection humanity will attain in this, its coming age of righteousness and peace (Ps 72:1-10; Isa 11:4, 5, 6,7, 8, 9).

(e) The kingdom is to be established by power, not persuasion, and is to follow divine judgment upon the Gentile world powers (Ps 2:4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9; Isa 9:7; Da 2:35,44, 45; 7:26, 27; Zech 14:1-19, Zech 6:11).

(f) The restoration of Israel and the establishment of the kingdom are connected with the advent of the LORD, yet future (Dt 30:3, 4, 5; Ps 2:1-9; Zech 14:4).

(g) The chastisement reserved for disobedience in the house of David (2Sa 7:14; Ps 89:30, 31, 32, 33) fell in the captivities and worldwide dispersion. Since that time, though a remnant returned under prince Zerubbabel, Jerusalem has generally been under the political authority of Gentiles. The Davidic Covenant has not been abrogated (Ps 89:33, 34, 35, 36, 37), however, but is yet to be fulfilled (Acts 15:14, 15, 16, 17).

Daniel 2:45 "Inasmuch as you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold, the great God has made known to the king what will take place in the future; so the dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy." (saw: Da 2:24,35 Isa 28:16 Zec 12:3 Mt 21:24) (without hands: Da 2:34 Lk 17:20 2Co 10:4,5) (the great: Dt 10:17 2Sa 7:22 1Ch 16:25 Neh 4:14 9:32 Job 36:26 Ps 48:1 Ps 96:4 135:5 145:3 Jer 32:18,19 Mal 1:11 Rev 19:17) (make known, Ge 41:28,32 Mt 24:35 Rev 1:19 4:1)

You saw...a stone - Da 2:35. Symbolizes Christ.

Without hands - Repeated from Da 2:34, emphasizing the supernatural aspect of the stone.

The great God has made known - In other words this interpretation is not Daniel's per se but that of "the great God".

What will take place in the future - Although these notes are written with the assurance that Daniel penned this book between 605-536BC, the so called "higher critics" believe Daniel was a forgery written around 164BC. In light of this belief, they interpret the four kingdoms as Babylon, Media, Persia and Greece. The Apologetics Study Bible however notes that...

The traditional interpretation (Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome) conforms to the text of Daniel, which considers the Medo-Persian Empire as one (e.g., "law of the Medes and Persians" in Da 6:8, 12, 15; cp. Da 8:20). It is supported by other OT testimony (2Chr 36:22, 23; Ezra 1:1, 2, 3, 4), the historical record, and more than two millennia of Jewish (Talmud, medieval Jewish commentators, etc.) and Christian (Church fathers, Jerome, Calvin, etc.) interpretation. (The Apologetics Study Bible: Understanding Why You Believe)

TRUTH ABOUT GOD'S
FINAL KING & KINGDOM
IN DANIEL 2

1) Stone ( = Christ - cp Isa 28:16, 1Pe 2:4, 5, 6, 7,8) not made by human hands - not natural = supernatural (Da 2:34, 2:45)

2) Stone struck the single great statue on its feet of iron and clay (Da 2:34)

3) Stone crushed the feet of iron and clay and the iron, clay, bronze, silver and gold all at the same time

4) Stone that struck the statue became a great mountain (Da 2:35, Mountain = Kingdom in Da 2:44, cp Rev 17:9,10, Isa 2:2)

5) The Kingdom (Great Mountain) filled the whole earth (Da 2:35)

6) The Kingdom will never be destroyed (Da 2:44)

7) The Kingdom will not be left for another people (Da 2:44)

8) The Kingdom will endure forever (Da 2:44)

9) This Kingdom will be set up in the future (Da 2:45)

Daniel 2:46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and did homage to Daniel, and gave orders to present to him an offering and fragrant incense. (fell: Lk 17:16 Ac 10:25 14:13 28:6 Rev 11:16 19:10 22:8) (fragrant incense -  Lev 26:31 Ezra 6:10)

Fell on his face - Nebuchadnezzar in so doing was recognizing that what Daniel had done was not the result of the ordinary human spirit (cp. Da 4:8, 5:11, Ge 41:38).

Did homage - The Septuagint translates this Aramaic verb with the Greek word translated in the NT as worshiped (proskuneo [word study]). But I don't think Nebuchadnezzar is truly worshipping Daniel or at least that Daniel does not perceive it as "worship" for he is the same young man who did not seek credit for the dream interpretation (Da 2:29, 30). And although he did have access to the book of Acts, he clearly knew the principle that a believer was not to accept worship from another human being (Acts 10:25, 26, cp Acts 14:14, 15).

Campbell...

Certainly it is not possible for us to understand how every event of our day fits into God's plan, but we know that history is not drifting aimlessly on. Rather, God is ordering all things to the consummation that He has planned. Let us never forget that what is true for the world at large is also true for us as individuals. The sovereign Lord has a plan for our lives—and there is no true satisfaction till we find it and fulfill it! (Ibid)

Daniel 2:47 The king answered Daniel and said, "Surely your God is a God of gods and a Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, since you have been able to reveal this mystery." (a God: Da 11:36 Dt 10:17 Jos 22:22 Ps 136:2) (Lord: Da 2:37 4:17,32 Job 12:19 Ps 2:10,11 72:11 82:1 Pr 8:15,16 1Ti 6:15 Rev 1:5 17:14 19:16) (reveal: Da 2:19,28 4:8,9 Ge 41:39 Am 3:7)

The king answered Daniel - Notice that Daniel's exaltation of the Lord as the revealer of mysteries was clearly understood by Nebuchadnezzar, who gives the glory to Daniel's God ("your God"). We need to maintain the same God exalting response to any praise or honor others would seek to bestow on us. (We need to continually remember 2Cor 3:5, 6, Pr 15:33, 18:12, 22:4).

Surely your God - How did he know about Daniel's God? In this section Daniel had clearly pointed not to men (Da 2:27) but to the "God in heaven" Who reveals mysteries" (Da 2:28), a truth he immediately reiterated in Da 2:29 followed by a "disclaimer" that there was nothing special about him to warrant reception of this divine revelation. It's as if he had a giant "white board" and drew all lines pointing to God as the source of the dream and the interpretation. Had Daniel taken credit for the revelation, the only one the king would have honored would have been Daniel. Although Daniel had never heard the Sermon on the Mount, he obviously understood and practiced the spirit of Jesus' call to...

Let your light shine (aorist imperative = command to do this now. Do it effectively. Don't delay.) (Where?) before men (How?) in such a way that they may see your good works (Not self serving but God glorifying - the king saw, or better, heard Daniel's "good works"), and glorify (Daniel gave a proper opinion of) your Father Who is in heaven. (Mt 5:16-note)

Campbell illustrates the truth that God is sovereign over the affairs of men but rarely recognized as such...

A European ruler of a previous generation heard a Bible teacher who was touring the Continent and speaking on prophetic themes. He invited him to his palace, examined his charts concerning the future, and then asked him, "Are you telling me that Christ is to come as King and all kingdoms are to be subject to Him?" The Bible teacher replied, "Yes, that's exactly right!" "But," said the sovereign, "that can't be. Why, it would interfere with all my plans!" (Ibid)

God of gods...Lord of kings - Compare Daniel's similar address to the human king (Da 2:37, 38). Nebuchadnezzar was a polytheist and as such worshiped many so-called gods in Babylon. He is here acknowledging not that Jehovah is the ONLY living God (which He of course is) but that He is the supreme among a pantheon of lesser gods. In short he is saying Daniel's God is greater than his gods. By Daniel 4 we begin to see this "seed" of truth take root and bear "eternal fruit" (Read Daniel 4:34, 35, 36, 37).

SUMMARY OF THE
TRUTH ABOUT GOD
IN DANIEL 2

Da 2:18 - He is “the God of heaven”
Da 2:19 - He reveals the mysteries
Da 2:20 - Wisdom and power belong to Him
Da 2:21 - "He...changes the times and the epochs”
Da 2:21,37,38 - “He removes kings and establishes kings”
Da 2:21 - “He gives wisdom to wise men and knowledge to men of understanding.”
Da 2:22 - "He … reveals the profound and hidden things”
Da 2:22 - “He knows … the darkness, And the light dwells with Him.”
Da 2:44 - He “will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.”
Da 2:45 - He knows the future
Da 2:47 - He “is a God of gods and a Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries”

Daniel 2:48 Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts, and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. (great: Da 2:6 5:16 Ge 41:39, 40, 41, 42, 43 Nu 22:16,17 24:11 1Sa 17:25 25:2 2Sa 19:32 2Ki 5:1 Job 1:3 Jer 5:5) (ruler: Da 5:29 6:1,2) (chief: Da 4:9 5:11)

The king promoted Daniel - Daniel is honored just as was Joseph after he had interpreted Pharaoh's dream (Ge 41:25-37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44). The compassionate God now had "His man in Babylon" and in a position to be of benefit to the Jews in captivity.

Campbell...

 It would have been too bad if Daniel had compromised when he first arrived in the court. The fact that he didn't gives a strong clue to the subsequent success of his career. He was the kind of man God uses. (Ibid)

Daniel 2:49 And Daniel made request of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego over the administration of the province of Babylon, while Daniel was at the king's court. (Appointed: Da 2:17 1:17 3:12-30 Pr 28:12) (sat: Es 2:19,21 3:2 Jer 39:3 Am 5:15)

Life Application Study Bible note