Daniel 2:45
Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.
The stone cut from the mountain without hands is God's everlasting kingdom established by Christ Himself through divine power and not by human hands. It is set up while earthly kings still rule and strikes the image to break in pieces the gold, silver, brass, iron and clay, bringing all temporary earthly kingdoms to an end. That kingdom will never be destroyed nor given to another people, but will embrace all kingdoms, fill the whole earth and stand forever. Through this dream the great God made known what would come to pass hereafter, and the dream is certain and its interpretation sure. Its fulfillment in the rise and fall of nations with wonderful exactness proves Scripture inspired and shows the unfulfilled part—that the stone will soon smite the image—is at hand.
Dream Setting and Background
Nebuchadnezzar was deeply troubled by a remarkable dream, and after waking he could not recall its details. He recounted his trouble before his assembled wise men and demanded that they both reveal the dream he could not remember and give its interpretation. The wise men had no light about the dream and could only ask the king to tell it to them, and in giving the interpretation God first forced them to acknowledge their inability to revive his forgotten dream.
God did not open the glory of heaven and what should come to pass hereafter to those charmed with Babylon's splendor, but to the Hebrew captives who felt themselves exiles in a strange land with God as their only dependence. God revealed the meaning of the dream to Daniel and his companions, and their lives were spared, giving Daniel the interpretation to help the king out of his difficulty. In thus silencing the Babylonian wise men and Chaldean magicians, God showed human wisdom to be folly and scientific power to be inefficient, so that man would not glory in his wisdom, and showed the superior wisdom possessed by those who worship Him.
Daniel interpreted the dream in the light of Scripture, teaching that king and subjects must read dreams and providence in the light of the living Oracles and not read Scripture in the light of dreams. Nebuchadnezzar read the interpretation through his idolatrous mind and understanding, exalting Babylon and himself instead of accepting its warning about the kingdoms to come. Flattered into treating Babylon's golden head as a reason to magnify the king and make him an object of worship, he made a golden image resembling the one in his dream, representing the kingdom of Babylon and more particularly himself, to glorify himself and convert all nations to its worship and demanded its worship.
Despite the light given, Babylon's fall came at an hour of feasting and revelry. Many years later, when the writing on the wall at Belshazzar's feast could not be read, the queen-mother remembered Daniel's making known to Nebuchadnezzar his forgotten dream and its interpretation many years before, and on that ground he stood before the terror-stricken throng as God's prophet to reprove Belshazzar and declare Heaven's message.
Kingdoms in Succession
The image seen in visions of the night represents the kingdoms of the world and the kingdom of man, and its divisions and different metals represent four great world-moulding empires beginning with Babylon when it was at the height of its glory under Nebuchadnezzar. Babylon, though so strong and far-reaching that no foe seemed able to take its scepter, would pass away and be superseded by a second kingdom, then by a third, then by a fourth empire more fierce, determined and powerful than any before, strong as iron to subdue and break in pieces all the nations of the world. The named succession is Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome, traced to Rome's final divisions and to the close of earth's history, with its great waymarks to be carefully guarded against mistaken applications that cause confusion.
The metals decline from head to feet — gold head, silver breast and arms, brass sides, and feet and toes of iron mingled with clay — showing the kingdoms became less and less pure and valuable and of declining power and glory. That deterioration in moral value came from making void the law of God, seen in increasing immorality, wickedness, blasphemy and corruption, by separating from God through transgression and moving farther from God, so that rulers could no longer understand His warnings. Babylon passed away because in prosperity she forgot God and ascribed honor and glory to human achievements, until Nebuchadnezzar was humbled till he acknowledged the living God as able to create and to destroy; the breast and arms of silver is the Medo-Persian kingdom, visited by the wrath of God because His law was trampled under foot; and the kingdoms that followed were even more base and corrupt, sinking lower as they forgot God, until the vast empire of Rome of iron mingled with clay crumbled into pieces.
Keeping the fear of the Lord ever before them would have given them wisdom and power to bind them together and keep them strong, but the rulers of the world make God their strength only when harassed and perplexed. Each kingdom and nation was given its day and its period of trial whether it would exalt the one Ruler, the only true God and fulfill His purposes; each was tested and proved by obedience or disobedience, failed, lost its glory and power, passed away, and was replaced by another. The image also fitly represents the decline of religion and morality among their peoples, for men grow weak morally and spiritually just in proportion as they forget God, and sin is ruining nations today.
The prophecy includes the mingling of iron and clay in the feet and toes. Babylon, represented by the head of gold, was given its prosperity and power by God for His glory, but Nebuchadnezzar's pride led him to imagine that his own kingdom would grow into a greater and more powerful one.
Stone and Everlasting Kingdom
The stone cut out of the mountain without human hands is God's everlasting kingdom and Christ and His eternal kingdom, established by the Prince of Heaven and by the Lord through His own power, not through earthly triumph, honor, display, or human hands. It is to be set up in the days of the earthly kings, in the days of Rome's final divisions. The stone smites the image and breaks in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold, breaking and consuming all earthly kingdoms.
Those earthly kingdoms are temporary, will not endure, must pass away, and give way to the kingdom of the Prince of heaven. God's kingdom will never be destroyed nor passed to another people, will embrace all the kingdoms of the world and fill the whole earth, will stand forever, and His people will inhabit it forever. Its character is that of Christ, whose ensign is a lamb; while earthly kingdoms rule by ascendancy of physical power, Christ banishes every carnal weapon and every instrument of coercion. His kingdom is established and maintained against all the power and craft of Satan to uplift and ennoble fallen humanity.
It will embrace all the kingdoms of the world, end Satan's power and glory, and bring his retribution for the sin and misery he introduced. Earthly dominions are finally overthrown, human authority, pride, and glory are brought low and laid in the dust, while Christ's kingdom is exalted and the kingdom belongs to Christ, whose right it is. The stone also signifies Christ's living power in judgment: having humbly endured rejection, He rises in power as a rock of offense and avenging mountain that crushes those who despised and rejected Him.
He first passively bore abuse and rejection as men stumble over a rejected stone, then was exalted as head of the corner. The stone then falls on those who reject Him as Redeemer and grinds their glory to pieces and scatters it like wind-driven dust. This fell first upon the unbelieving Jews in the destruction of their city and temple for rejecting the Son of God, and the same doom falls upon all impenitent persons who do not accept Him. The stone cut without hands and filling the whole earth shows that God's truth will triumph and spread throughout the world.
Certain Revelation and Fulfillment
The great God made known to Nebuchadnezzar through the dream and through Daniel's interpretation what would come to pass hereafter, including what would happen to Babylon and to the kingdoms that would follow it. No human wisdom could unfold it, and in revealing it God showed Himself more powerful than earthly rulers and exalted Jehovah above every kingdom. Daniel interpreted the dream in the light of Scripture, while the king read it through his idolatrous understanding, was flattered by the golden head into magnifying himself and making worship center on himself, and yet Babylon fell in an hour of feasting and revelry. God looked down the ages hundreds of years before the nations arose to make the future known through the great image symbolic of the kingdoms of the world. Daniel's prophetic understanding enabled him to record through figures and symbols events in world history extending to the close of time, with Babylon to be superseded by a second kingdom, then by a third, then by a fourth strong as iron to subdue the nations.
Each kingdom was given its day and its period of trial whether it would exalt the one Ruler, the only true God, and passed away when proved by obedience or disobedience. The dream is certain and the interpretation sure, a sure word of prophecy concerning what was to come. It was given plainly rather than as a mystery meant to confuse honest seekers. God Himself used pictures and symbols to teach His lessons, presenting prophetic history in symbols and appealing to understanding through sight so it could be better understood than in any other way. Those symbols were to be represented plainly upon tables so that he who read might understand and give the lesson to the people.
The prophecy is not an ununderstandable mystery but can be understood and explained so plainly that even children can grasp it and through them interest adults. It has been fulfilled with wonderful exactness as confirmed by the record of secular and ancient history. Each nation arose at the predicted time to fill its appointed place in the most literal manner, in a connected chain of rise and fall. Showing this fulfillment gives tangibility to faith in the second coming and makes a deep impression on those interested but with no definite idea of fulfillment.
This exact fulfillment proves the inspiration of the Scriptures and demonstrates the revelation dependable. It gives an anchor for faith amid later trials and against rationalism and skepticism, leading to positive faith. Its fulfillment shows that God is the ruling power in the affairs of this world, changing times and seasons and removing and setting up kings to fulfill His own purpose. The history of the portrayed kingdoms teaches that God alone is great, rules over the present, brings down human rulers, and reveals the future.
The predicted rise and fall of kingdoms was part of God's plan foretold through His prophets, figuratively outlining historical events that fulfill prophecy in their order to the close of earth's history. The great waymarks of that prophecy must be carefully guarded against mistaken applications that cause confusion. The unfulfilled part points to the nearness of the coming of the Lord, with foretold last-day events now unfolding and soon to be complete. Its fulfillment is at hand at the time when the books of record are opened for final judgment, a solemn truth of great value to be brought before the people.
Warning and Present Application
The lessons of the dream were given by God for people living in the present day, and the failure of the wise men to recover and explain it represents the failure of all who lack wisdom and knowledge from God to understand the prophecies. The symbolic prophecy of the image was meant to make known God's purposes for the nations and the important events of the future, yet that interpretation could be rejected, forgotten, and misapplied to glorify human power and to hinder the spread of God's truth. The same revelation of the treasures of eternity, the glories of the eternal world, and the precious lessons of heaven is still given to those who refuse to be charmed by things of time and sense, who come out from the world and stand separate while faithfully performing their assigned duties.
Daniel and his three companions refused to mix heathen religion with Hebrew faith, even though Babylon's great men were willing to benefit from the interpretation while desiring such mixture. Their example calls students to learn all they can but to be educated in their own institutions, not to seek greater advantage by mingling with those who do not seek wisdom from God and who teach error, but to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. The stone cut out without hands will surely soon smite the image upon the feet and break the earthly kingdoms to pieces. Its nearness is shown by present jealousy and uncertainty among kingdoms, constant drilling of soldiers for war, the rending apart of nations, and increasing wrath, tumult, and fierce riot, which are signs that the last days have come and the great event is at hand.
When the opposing parties of the world stand in conflict, the Lord will appear in glory and set up a kingdom that will never end. He will come as Deliverer for those who are watching and waiting for Him, to end terrible human misery. Building upon Christ as the right foundation is the only safety, while hopes built upon untested foundations will totter and fall. The solemn truth of the Lord's nearness shown by prophecy is of great value and should be brought before the people, for showing its literal fulfillment gives tangibility to faith in the second coming and makes a deep impression on those who have been interested in the prophecies but have had no definite idea of their fulfillment.
The imagery of the stone also applies to medical missionary work begun through sanitariums, for that work is living, grows as it advances, and is moved by an invisible hand. The Southern field especially needs this work, and it is to be set in motion. The knowledge of the kingdom God would establish, given through the Hebrew captives, flashed as light upon Nebuchadnezzar to show that the God of heaven is Ruler over all monarchs and kings of earth. It showed that earthly rulers have a Ruler in the heavens, and that His name is God over all gods.