Daniel 2:28, commentary and pictures

There is a God in heaven who alone uncovers hidden secrets, and He showed Nebuchadnezzar in the dream and visions upon his bed what will happen in the latter days. The king could not remember the dream when he awoke, and his wise men could neither tell it nor interpret it, exposing the failure of human wisdom, while the dream was taken from him so no false meaning could be put upon it. The secret was then revealed to Daniel in a night vision after he sought time from the king in faith and united Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah in asking for mercy from the God of heaven, which saved them and the other wise men from death. The dream foretold successive world kingdoms from Babylon onward, declining from gold to silver to brass to iron mixed with clay as they cast off God's law, yet all earthly kingdoms are temporary while God rules over kings with power to set up and throw down and Christ's kingdom alone is eternal. The prophecy has been fulfilled with wonderful exactness in history, proving Scripture inspired, and Daniel refused all credit for himself but gave all honor to God, showing that the true follower must ever acknowledge dependence on his Maker.

Dream and Divine Revelation

The declaration belongs to the account of Nebuchadnezzar's dream, which he could not remember after waking, and his wise men could neither tell him the dream nor give its interpretation. Their failure exposed the limits of human and scientific wisdom and the failure of the human wisdom and powers on which the king relied. In revealing the forgotten dream, God gave the Hebrew captives who depended on Him in a foreign land a glimpse of heavenly glory, while those captivated by Babylon's splendor did not receive it, so that His superior wisdom could be seen and minds could be turned from false sources of life to divine truth. The dream was taken from the king so that the wise men could not put a false interpretation upon it, and their inability illustrates that people without knowledge from God cannot understand prophecy.

The revelation was also given to show that God rules over earthly kingdoms and that His wisdom surpasses the wisdom of Babylon's learned men. Its historical events mattered to Nebuchadnezzar, while its lessons were given as well for people living in the present day. There is a God in heaven who alone reveals secrets and hidden things beyond human wisdom, and He made known to Nebuchadnezzar through the dream and the visions upon his bed what shall be in the latter days. He revealed the forgotten dream and its meaning to Daniel, making known through it what would come to pass in prophetic history and in the latter days, given for God's servants and so the king could know the thoughts of his heart. The revelation came from God, not from the Babylonian wise men, not from occult practices, and not from Daniel's own wisdom, and those who trusted God were given wisdom and chosen to represent His kingdom.

Daniel openly gave God the honor as the source of wisdom rather than claiming credit for himself, and because the secret and its meaning came from the God of heaven the king could trust the interpretation as divine revelation. The secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision after the decree went forth to destroy the wise men of Babylon. When that hasty decree was issued, Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom, asked why the decree was hasty, and in faith obtained time from the king and promised to show the interpretation. He then united Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah in desiring mercies of the God of heaven concerning the secret, that they should not perish with the rest of the wise men, and in answer to that united prayer the dream and its interpretation were made known to him in a night vision, leading him to bless the God of heaven. By that gift God saved Daniel and the other wise men from execution.

Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams because he had a living, close connection with the God of all wisdom and feared Him. He and his fellows made diligent effort and close application under God's training to secure knowledge, and the Lord added heavenly wisdom to their effort, which served them in strait places, so their close application was richly rewarded. God will not supply by miracle the deficiencies that come from mental and spiritual indolence, but when human agents exercise their faculties to acquire knowledge and become deep-thinking witnesses for truth, even judges and kings will be brought to acknowledge that the God who made heaven and earth is the only true and living God. Their history is given for admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come. The dream thus made known is the dream of the great image, which includes the mingling of iron and clay.

Prophecy of Latter Days

The dream made known what shall be in the latter days by foretelling successive world kingdoms, Babylon followed by a second and then a third empire and then a fourth stronger and more destructive than those before it, with the metals of the image declining in value from gold to silver to brass to iron mixed with clay, representing kingdoms that deteriorate as they cast off God's law and grow in immorality. It is a prophecy of the kingdoms of men showing that Babylon would not last forever and that earthly kingdoms are temporary, while Christ's kingdom alone is eternal.

Through the dream and its interpretation God disclosed that He rules over earthly kingdoms and kings, with power to set up kings and to throw down kings. He was thereby exalted as more powerful than earthly rulers, and the opening of events extending to the end of time before Nebuchadnezzar was to awaken in him a sense of responsibility to Heaven. Nebuchadnezzar's later acknowledgment of God's everlasting dominion testifies to that supremacy.

The prophecy has been fulfilled with wonderful exactness as confirmed by the record of history. That fulfillment proves Scripture inspired and gives firm ground for faith against skepticism and rationalism, and further study of the prophecy leads to belief that the coming of the Lord is at hand. Contrary to the claim that Daniel's prophecies are unknowable mysteries, they can be understood and explained even by children.

Daniel's understanding of visions and dreams came from God's prophetic power to read mysteries of the future and to record through figures and symbols events in world history extending to the end of time and the close of this earth's history. Great light is given to those who study the prophecies of Daniel and John as special prophecies are fulfilled in their order, so that they bear the message of time and history shows direct fulfillment. The working of the man of sin is the last features revealed, and those who proclaimed the first, second, and third angels' messages now give the third angel's message as the special message kept from false paths.

God gave the sure word of prophecy as a guide to know His will, making known by angels and even Christ to Daniel and to John the things that must come to pass. Matters concerning salvation were not left in mystery to perplex and mislead the honest seeker but were made plain to all who study with a prayerful heart. Every truly honest soul comes to the light, and no church advances in holiness unless its members earnestly seek truth as hid treasure.

Nebuchadnezzar perverted the light given by reading the interpretation according to his own idolatrous mind and ambitions for himself and his kingdom, leading to setting up a golden image to convert all nations to worship of his image. Daniel had made known the forgotten dream and its interpretation many years before the feast of Belshazzar, and this revealing of a hidden secret was remembered in Babylon as the mark of Daniel as God's prophet.

Daniel's Faithful Example

Daniel refused to take credit to himself for revealing secrets, but openly told both worldly men and his brethren that he depended on the Lord and gave all honor to God. The true Christian must ever feel dependent upon his Maker, never be ashamed to acknowledge that dependence, give God all the honor, and weed out of life everything that would grieve His Spirit, so that no cheap, bungling work is brought into God's cause. In God's name Daniel delivered heaven-sent messages of instruction, warning, and rebuke to the king, and this faithful witness did not cost him influence or acceptance but brought him favor in the king's court. Because the dream's secret and meaning came from the God of heaven, not from Babylon's wise men or Daniel's own wisdom, and because Daniel gave God the credit before explaining the dream, the king could trust the interpretation as divine revelation of what shall be in the latter days.

Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams because he had a living, close connection with the God of all wisdom and feared Him. When the decree went forth to destroy the wise men of Babylon, Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom, asked why the decree was hasty, obtained time from the king in faith to show the interpretation, and united Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah in desiring mercies of the God of heaven concerning the secret that they should not perish with the rest, and the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision, leading him to bless the God of heaven. While he and his fellows made diligent effort and close application under God's training to secure knowledge, the Lord added heavenly wisdom that served them in strait places. Their history is given for admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come, teaching that God will not supply by miracle deficiencies caused by mental and spiritual indolence, but when human agents exercise their faculties to acquire knowledge and become deep-thinking witnesses for truth, even judges and kings will be brought to acknowledge that the God who made heaven and earth is the only true and living God.

True higher education is a more perfect knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ whom He sent, all true human science is from the God of science, and by this revelation of secrets to the world through His chosen light-bearers God demonstrates to the world that He is King over all, which a skeptical world talking of higher education does not understand. God made His will and light from heaven known to the Hebrew captives because they were most separate from the customs and practices of a world living in wickedness, and He still communicates His mind and reveals the meaning of His word to all who honor a Thus saith the Lord, appreciate His word, and stand as His peculiar people zealous of good works, least bound up with worldly ideas and most separate from display and vanity and pride and love of promotion. The very first exhibition of His power to the Hebrew captives showed the defective wisdom of the great ones of the earth to be foolishness with God, for the magicians revealed their ignorance before the Lord revealed His wisdom as supreme.

In revealing the dream God gave the Hebrew captives who depended on Him in a foreign land a glimpse of heavenly glory, while those captivated by Babylon's splendor did not receive it. Through Daniel's interpretation He made the knowledge of the true God known to rulers and nations during Israel's captivity and gave idolaters opportunity to receive light. Daniel and his companions gave God's instruction without compromising faith by mixing it with Babylonian religion, and God upheld and honored them as His representatives and as an example of using God-given abilities to reveal God to the world. Daniel interpreted the dream in the light of the Scriptures, the living oracles, teaching that all men, whether king or subjects, are to read their dreams in the light of the living oracles and not read the Scriptures and God's providences in the light of their dreams and fancies. God had light for Nebuchadnezzar and for a purpose comes into close contact with human minds, even idolaters, with providence always at work in human affairs; Daniel was brought into reasoning relation with the king after faithful work as a statesman and plain refusal to handle any work against God provoked discussion, and through him God presented things foretold against Babylon and other kingdoms.