[A recent Bible lecture by Pastor D. P. Miller at College View, Nebraska]
Daniel telling the king his dream and its interpretation
In all the ages of the past, when God’s word has been ignored, and human wisdom exalted in its place, confusion has reigned and final destruction has resulted.
Nimrod was leader in a movement which meant deliberate defiance of God’s word, and the result was confusion and dispersion. Gen. 10: 8-10; 11: 1-9.
The children of Israel failed to follow the Lord’s instructions, until God’s wrath was kindled against them, and Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came and slew thousands with the sword, and destroyed their city, and carried the remainder captive to Babylon. 2 Chron. 36: 17-20. But not until warning after warning had been given them; for the record says: “And the Lord . . . sent to them by His messengers, rising up betimes, and sending. . . . But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised His words, . . . till there was no remedy.” Verses 15, 16; Jer. 25: 8-11.
The universal kingdom of Babylon reached just such a state of pride and independence, and was humbled in the dust, and finally overthrown; and that, too, in the face of explicit warning from the Almighty. “Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice unto them, shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles. . . . They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the Lord, and the weapons of His indignation, to destroy the whole land. . . . Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them. . . . And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms. . . . shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.” Isa. 13: 2, 5, 17, 19.
Nebuchadnezzar’s Troubled Dream
Nebuchadnezzar, the proud king of Babylon, had a dream one night, which troubled him greatly, so much so that “his sleep brake from him.” Then the king commanded to call his wise men to show him the dream and the interpretation, but they were unable to do so. And “for this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.” Dan. 2:1-13. Truly God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, neither are our ways His ways. Isa. 55: 8, 9.
In taking the four Hebrew youth, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, captive from Jerusalem to Babylon, by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the Lord was preparing the way for a mighty revelation of His divine power. The Israelites failed to carry out God’s purpose to convert the heathen from idolatry to the worship of the true God; but instead, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen, until God could no longer suffer them to pollute His holy house. But there were a few faithful ones whom the Lord could make His channels, and do through them what He could not do through a whole nation. Daniel and his three companions were for three years in the king’s palace, where they were taught the tongue of the Chaldeans (Dan. 1:3, 4); and at the end of three years, the king found them to be ten times wiser than all the magicians and astrologers in his realm. Dan. 1:19, 20. Finally Daniel was classed among the wise men, whom the king in his fury commanded to be slain; but Daniel presented the matter before the Lord, and was rewarded by the revelation of both the dream which Nebuchadnezzar had seen, and its interpretation, in a night vision. Dan. 2:16-23.
The Dream and Interpretation Revealed
Then Daniel came before the king to make known to him the dream and the interpretation. In utter astonishment the king said to Daniel, “Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?” Verse 26. Daniel answered: “The secret which the king hath commanded can not the wise men . . . show unto the king; but there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days.” Verses 27, 28. A wonderful double stroke which no finite mind could devise—the idolatrous religion of Babylon exposed, and the God of heaven revealed!
A few words and a great image, and the history of the world is given from 603 B.C. to Christ’s second coming to set up His eternal kingdom. Four universal kingdoms were to arise in succession; first Babylon, represented by the head of gold, and another represented by the breast and arms of silver, and a third kingdom of brass. The fourth kingdom was to be as strong as iron, and finally divided into ten kingdoms. Dan. 2: 36-41.
The latter symbol—the ten toes—was part iron and part clay, portraying the broken, ever-to-be-divided state of the fourth kingdom. And altho royalty, by intermarrying, would attempt to bind the ten kingdoms into one again, yet they would not cleave any more than iron and clay would mix. Verses 42, 43.
How true this has been! and how strikingly has this prophecy been fulfilled! It was said of the late queen of Great Britain, that she was grandmother to all Europe. But unity was impossible. Why?—Because God had said it, and nothing that men can do will ever bring about universal peace on this earth. Men may try to arbitrate between nations, and talk disarmament all they please; but God’s word says, “Sudden destruction cometh upon them.” 1 Thess. 5:1-3.
The Four Universal Monarchies of the Vision
Babylon was overthrown when God’s limit of mercy was reached by Belshazzar, in his memorable feast with his lords, his wives, and his concubines; for they drank wine in the sacred vessels of the Lord’s house, and praised the gods of silver and gold. Dan. 5:18-23. The Medes under Darius, and the Persians, led by Cyrus, Darius’s nephew, took the city by stratagem,4B.C. 538. The record says: “In that night was Belshazzar . . . slain. And Darius the Median took the kingdom.” Verses 30, 31. Thus the symbol, the breast and arms of silver, represented the Medes and Persians. Dan. 2: 32, 39. The Medo-Persian kingdom met its fate B.C. 361, when Alexander the Great, king of Grecia, took the kingdom. Dan. 8: 4-7, 19-22. Thus the brass represented Grecia.
The Last One Broken into Ten
Rome, the fourth and last universal kingdom, was divided into exactly ten kingdoms; namely, the Alemanni and the Franks in A.D. 351; the Burgundians, the Vandals, and the Suevi in A.D. 406; the Visigoths in A.D. 408; the Anglo-Saxons in A.D. 449; the Ostrogoths and the Lombards in A.D. 453; the Heruli in A.D. 475.
Dear reader, what should concern you and me most to-day, is the statement in Dan. 2:44; for it says, “And in the days of these kings [kingdoms] shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall . . . break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” In the face of such facts and evidences given in God’s word, which prove that we are in the closing days of earth’s history, what is there for us to do but to obey God’s truth, and prepare for the coming of Christ, the eternal King!
The Lord is not dealing with a single nation now, but with all nations; and those who do not obey the gospel, and are deceived by the cry of peace and safety and better times ahead, will meet the doom foretold in God’s warning word. 2 Thess. 1: 7-9; Rev. 6:14-17. Unmixed wrath is to be poured out upon the world, because of idolatrous worship, and rebellion against God’s commandments. Rev. 14: 9, 10. Past history should enable us to see that the limit of God’s mercy is almost reached, and His Spirit will soon give up striving for men, and will leave the rebellious to the full control of Satan for a season of confusion, to end in complete destruction.
But, thank God, there will be a covering for His people, and every obedient soul will be saved out of that destruction. Dan. 12:1; Ps. 91: 7-11. Then shall the Stone become a great mountain, and fill the whole earth; for the dead in Christ shall rise, and swell the ranks of the waiting, triumphant host (1 Thess. 4:14-17); and when the earth is made new, the second Adam will have accomplished what the first Adam failed to do, namely, to replenish the earth with a righteous people. Gen. 1: 28; 2 Peter 3:10-13. Glorious day, hasten on!
