Daniel 2:34
Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.
The stone cut out without hands is Christ Jesus and His everlasting kingdom, which strikes the image on its feet of iron and clay and breaks all earthly kingdoms to pieces. The blow falls in the time of the last divided state of Rome, not yet at Christ's first coming, when God sets up His kingdom during the time of those kings to consume all other kingdoms and fill the whole earth. The human image of gold, silver, brass, iron and clay shows four great empires from Babylon through Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome, growing baser and weaker as they turn from God until He removes them to humble human pride. Its fulfillment with remarkable exactness in history proves Scripture inspired and shows the Lord's coming is at hand, with present division, arming for war, unrest and distress of nations as the sign the stone will soon smite the image. Those who reject the stone as Redeemer will be crushed by it as an avenging mountain falling upon them, so the only safety is to build all hopes upon Him as the tried foundation.
Dream Setting and Recovery
Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands belongs to Nebuchadnezzar's remarkable dream, which deeply troubled him and which he could not bring to remembrance when he awoke. The magicians, astrologers, sorcerers, Chaldeans and other wise men of Babylon could not tell the king the dream and its interpretation, so he decreed to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. Daniel asked for time and prayed with Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah for mercies from the God of heaven concerning the secret, and the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision, sparing them from execution.
Daniel related the dream fresh to the king's mind and gave its interpretation, showing remarkable events to transpire in prophetic history. The forgotten dream was thus made known many years before Belshazzar's feast. The warning was to Babylonia, the first and greatest world-moulding empire, and was fulfilled in the same generation when Babylon fell under Nabonadius and Belshazzar in 538 B.C. in an hour of feasting and revelling.
God revealed heavenly glory and future events through Daniel to the Hebrew captives who depended on Him rather than to those captivated by Babylon's splendor, showing His wisdom greater than the wisdom and scientific power of Babylon's wise men. Through Daniel's interpretation God gave light to Nebuchadnezzar concerning Babylon and other kingdoms, exalting Jehovah as more powerful than any earthly kingdom and king and bringing God into close contact with human minds, even idolaters, for a purpose. Daniel did his assigned work as statesman while refusing any work against God, and by God's providence over human affairs the king was brought into reasoning relation with Daniel about the prophecy.
Daniel interpreted the dream in the light of the Scriptures, the living Oracles, teaching that king and subjects must read dreams in the light of Scripture and not read Scripture and providence in the light of their own dreams, fancies, ambitions and understanding. Nebuchadnezzar read the interpretation according to his own idolatrous mind and human understanding. He copied the vision's image as a statue wholly of gold, though the vision's image was of different materials, representing Babylon's glory and power and especially himself.
With his counselors he sought to reject, distort and misuse the revelation whose meaning had been made clear through Daniel, to exalt human power, obstruct knowledge of God, and convert all nations to its worship as a sign of loyalty to Babylon, though its lessons were given for people living in the present day. The dream had been taken from the king so the wise men could not attach a false interpretation to it. The three faithful servants who would not bow were joined by Christ Himself in the fiery furnace, which wrought upon Nebuchadnezzar's heart to believe in God's superior power.
Kingdoms Pictured by Image
Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands belongs to the dream-image prophecy through which God revealed what would happen in the future. The human-shaped image represents the kingdom of man and the kingdoms of the world. Its divisions and different metals represent four great world-shaping empires arising in succession before human rule ends. The sequence begins with Babylon at its height under Nebuchadnezzar, which profoundly shaped civilization, followed by Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome.
The head was of gold representing Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon, the breast and arms of silver representing a second kingdom to supersede it, the sides of brass representing a third, and the feet and toes of iron mingled with clay representing a fourth kingdom strong as iron to subdue and break in pieces all nations. The metals grow less valuable and baser from the head downward, showing that the kingdoms deteriorate in value, power, glory and moral worth as they separate further from God. That deterioration is the result of making void the law of God, seen in immorality, failure to keep the fear of the Lord before them, and separation from God by transgression.
Each empire was allowed a period of trial to fulfill God's purposes and to test whether it would exalt the one Ruler, the only true God. Each failed its test in obedience, its glory faded, its power departed, and it gave way to another. This demonstrates that God is the ruling power who changes times and seasons and removes kings and sets up kings to fulfill His purpose and to humble human pride and bring human glory to nothing. Babylon's prosperity was given by God for His glory, but in prosperity she forgot God and gave honor and glory to human achievement. Medo-Persia was visited by God's wrath because His law was trampled underfoot, the kingdoms that followed became even more base and corrupt because they cast off God, and Rome in its divided iron-and-clay state crumbled into pieces as wickedness, blasphemy and corruption increased.
Nebuchadnezzar wrongly imagined from the head of gold that his kingdom would become still greater, instead of recognizing the end of earthly things and the coming of God's kingdom. The smiting and breaking to pieces is God humbling and testing proud men and nations that refuse to obey His law, taking wisdom from them and giving the penalty of transgression unless they humble their hearts and confess sin. The same image also pictures deterioration of religion growing weak morally and spiritually just in proportion as God is forgotten. This is seen in the Roman church keeping people in ignorance of God's will and in Protestants leaving the old landmarks for forms, ceremonies and outward display, for as nations forget God they become weak morally in the same proportion.
Stone Cut Without Hands
The stone cut out without hands is Christ Jesus and His eternal kingdom, while the earthly kingdoms pictured by the image are temporal and must pass away, for Christ's kingdom alone will never pass away. It is set in motion and grows by an invisible hand, instinct with life and rolled onward and growing as it is rolled.
It strikes the image upon its feet of iron and clay, and that blow begins the destruction of the whole image. This takes place in the time of Rome's last divisions, when God sets up His enduring kingdom, and it had not yet occurred at Christ's first advent since Rome was not yet divided into the ten kingdoms. The prophecy of Daniel 8:25 that Rome will be broken without hand refers to this stone and its blow against the image.
The stone portrays God overthrowing human power and establishing His everlasting kingdom in place of human kingdoms that do not last but pass away. The dream reaches to the close of time, showing Babylon falling and other earthly kingdoms ruling in succession until every earthly power is superseded by God's kingdom, which will never be destroyed. God establishes it during the time of the kings, it breaks and consumes all earthly kingdoms and so marks the end of those powers, it is never destroyed, it is not handed over to another people, and it fills the whole earth.
The kingdom the Lord was to establish and through His power maintain against all the power and craft of Satan was made known to idolatrous Babylon as proof that the God of heaven is Ruler over all monarchs and kings of earth and that rulers of earthly kingdoms have a Ruler in the heavens whose name goes forth as God over all gods. While earthly kingdoms rule by ascendancy of physical power, Christ's kingdom banishes every carnal weapon and every instrument of coercion, its ensign is a lamb, and it is established to uplift and ennoble fallen humanity. The stone cut from the mountain without hands and filling the whole earth is God's truth triumphing and spreading throughout the world as gospel work carries the truth to people in many places.
The stone is Christ, at first passive and humbly bearing all the abuse heaped upon Him like a rejected stone bears the abuse of workmen who stumble over it. He will then lift Himself in life and power above those who despised and rejected Him, and to those to whom He was a rock of offense He will appear as an avenging mountain falling upon and crushing them. After bearing abuse He is exalted as head of the corner, and the stone falls upon all who reject Him as Redeemer and remain impenitent, breaking their glory to pieces and scattering it as dust which the wind drives away. The only safety is to build hopes and prospects upon Him as the tried, tested foundation.
When Christ visits the wicked His judgments fall not only upon the Jews but upon all who have refused the grace of God. This came upon the unbelieving Jews in the destruction of their city and temple, and it will be the fate of all impenitent rejectors.
The living, growing mystic stone also is God's medical missionary work set in operation through sanitariums. When set in motion in a needy field it opens doors for the entrance of Bible truth and removes prejudice, as established sanitariums help new institutions proclaim the third angel's message. This applies especially in the Southern field among the colored people, where the work breaks down barriers and honors them as having souls like white people.
Fulfillment Proves Scripture True
Daniel 2:34 stands within the connected chain of prophecy in Daniel 2:1-49 and Daniel 2:31-45, which through figures and symbols foretells the rise and fall of universal kingdoms and events in world history extending to the close of time. Its events are represented figuratively and unfold in history in their proper order, relating in this verse to the mingling of iron and clay. They are prophetic waymarks that must be carefully guarded and correctly applied as they lead toward the close of earth's history.
The prophecy has been fulfilled with remarkable and wonderful exactness and in the most literal manner with definite timing, together with the signs of the times, as seen in the record of history. This fulfillment provides testimony and proof of the inspiration of Scripture and an anchor against rationalism and skepticism. Contrary to the popular belief that the prophecies of Daniel are mysteries and cannot be understood, this prophecy can be understood and explained even by children, and through them can interest parents and others.
Its fulfillment shows the coming of the Lord is at hand, a solemn and important truth to be brought before the people. Its literal fulfillment gives tangibility to faith in the second coming of Christ and makes a deep impression on those who had believed in the second advent but had no clear idea of prophecy and no definite idea when it was fulfilled. The stone cut out without hands will soon smite the image upon its feet and break up present earthly kingdoms. Its fulfillment is near because kingdoms are now uncertain, jealous, divided and rending apart, arming and drilling soldiers for war, shaken by labor unrest, heavy taxation, hunger, strikes and fierce riots, with rulers living as prisoners under armed guard. This turmoil is the peril of the last days and the sign that all are ranging under banners and preparing for a great event, with one class watching for the Lord and the other for Lucifer's wonder-working power, ending in Christ the Deliverer coming to end misery and dissolve all earthly things.
Understanding and Present Work
The dream was deliberately taken away from the king so that the wise men could not put a false meaning upon it. Their failure to recover and declare it stands for learned people without discernment from God, who are unable to understand prophecy. The lessons of that dream were given by God for people living in the present day.
The verse belongs to the prophetic history given to Daniel in symbols and pictures that appeal to understanding through sight. God Himself used such visual symbols to set forth the lessons He wanted taught so that they could be better understood. They were to be set forth plainly upon tables so that he who reads might understand. Such divinely appointed use of pictures and symbols does not break the second commandment, which forbids image worship. The kingdom the Lord was to establish and by His power maintain against all the power and craft of Satan was thus made known to idolatrous Babylon, that the God of heaven is Ruler over all monarchs and kings of earth and His name goes forth as God over all gods. While earthly kingdoms rule by ascendancy of physical power, Christ's kingdom banishes every carnal weapon and every instrument of coercion, its ensign is a lamb, and it is established to uplift and ennoble fallen humanity. The light of this truth given to Daniel is to shine from faithful watchmen in these last days with still greater brightness from the accumulated light of centuries.