Daniel 2: The Great Image and God's Eternal Kingdom

Daniel 2

1 And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, with which his spirit was troubled, and his sleep broke from him.

2 Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to show the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.

3 And the king said to them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.

4 Then spoke the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.

5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if you will not make known to me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, you shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.

6 But if you show the dream, and the interpretation thereof, you shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honor: therefore show me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.

7 They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation of it.

8 The king answered and said, I know of certainty that you would gain the time, because you see the thing is gone from me.

9 But if you will not make known to me the dream, there is but one decree for you: for you have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can show me the interpretation thereof.

10 The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man on the earth that can show the king’s matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.

11 And it is a rare thing that the king requires, and there is none other that can show it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.

12 For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.

13 And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.

14 Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of the king’s guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon:

15 He answered and said to Arioch the king’s captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.

16 Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would show the king the interpretation.

17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:

18 That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

19 Then was the secret revealed to Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

20 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:

21 And he changes the times and the seasons: he removes kings, and sets up kings: he gives wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:

22 He reveals the deep and secret things: he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him.

23 I thank you, and praise you, O you God of my fathers, who have given me wisdom and might, and have made known to me now what we desired of you: for you have now made known to us the king’s matter.

24 Therefore Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said thus to him; Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will show to the king the interpretation.

25 Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus to him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah, that will make known to the king the interpretation.

26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?

27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king has demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, show to the king;

28 But there is a God in heaven that reveals secrets, and makes known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Your dream, and the visions of your head on your bed, are these;

29 As for you, O king, your thoughts came into your mind on your bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that reveals secrets makes known to you what shall come to pass.

30 But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that you might know the thoughts of your heart.

31 You, O king, saw, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before you; and the form thereof was terrible.

32 This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,

33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.

34 You saw till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image on his feet that were of iron and clay, and broke them to pieces.

35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

36 This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.

37 You, O king, are a king of kings: for the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.

38 And wherever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven has he given into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all. You are this head of gold.

39 And after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to you, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.

40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: for as much as iron breaks in pieces and subdues all things: and as iron that breaks all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.

41 And whereas you saw the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, for as much as you saw the iron mixed with miry clay.

42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.

43 And whereas you saw iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not join one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.

44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

45 For as much as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God has made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

46 Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odors to him.

47 The king answered to Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing you could reveal this secret.

48 Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon.

49 Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel sat in the gate of the king.

Daniel chapter 2 contains a profound prophetic revelation given through a dream to King Nebuchadnezzar, detailing the succession of four universal earthly empires followed by the eternal kingdom of God Daniel 2:1AMCR 5.2+1.

The King's Troubled Sleep and the Secret Revealed 🌙

In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar was deeply troubled by a dream that he could not remember Daniel 2:1SDP 28.1. He demanded that his wise men not only interpret the dream but also describe the dream itself, threatening them with death if they failed Daniel 2:5PK 492.1. When the wise men admitted their inability to perform such a feat, Daniel and his companions sought mercy from the God of heaven Daniel 2:10-18DAR1909 38.3. God revealed the secret to Daniel in a night vision, and Daniel subsequently went before the king to give credit to the God who reveals secrets Daniel 2:19-287T 161.1+1.

The Great Metallic Image 🗽

The dream featured a magnificent and terrible image composed of different metals, representing a chronological descent through history Daniel 2:31ARSH September 23, 1862, page 129.12:

• The Head of Gold: This represents the Babylonian Empire under Nebuchadnezzar Daniel 2:37-38ESH 7.1+1. Babylon was a universal monarchy of great glory that lasted from 606 to 538 B.C.PTUK January 31, 1895, page 69.3+1.

• The Breast and Arms of Silver: This symbolizes the Medo-Persian Empire, which was "inferior" in certain respects but succeeded Babylon after the death of Belshazzar Daniel 2:39ESH 7.1+1.

• The Belly and Thighs of Brass: This denotes the Grecian monarchy, which began its rule under Alexander the Great and bore rule over all the earth Daniel 2:39ESH 7.1+1.

• The Legs of Iron: This represents the Roman Empire, which was strong as iron and broke all other kingdoms in pieces Daniel 2:40ST186x 7.1+1. Rome exercised a universal iron rule, as seen when Caesar Augustus decreed that all the world should be taxed Luke 2:1FEE 81.2+1.

• The Feet and Toes of Iron and Clay: These signify the divided state of the Roman Empire into various kingdoms, some strong and some brittle Daniel 2:41-42ESH 7.1+1. These divisions correspond to the nationalities of modern EuropeAMCR 5.2+1.

The Stone and the Fifth Kingdom 🏔️

While the king watched, a stone was cut out of a mountain without human hands and smote the image on its feet Daniel 2:34ARSH September 23, 1862, page 129.12+1. This action resulted in the total destruction of the earthly kingdoms, which became like chaff carried away by the wind Daniel 2:35ESH 7.1+1. The stone then became a great mountain that filled the whole earth Daniel 2:35PK 497.3.

This stone represents the kingdom of God, which shall be set up in the days of the divided kingdoms (the toes) Daniel 2:44ARSH September 23, 1862, page 129.12+1. Unlike the previous empires, this fifth kingdom is immortal, will never be destroyed, and shall stand forever Daniel 2:44ST186x 6.1+1. The setting up of this kingdom does not occur gradually through the conversion of the world, but suddenly at the second coming of Christ in power and glory Daniel 2:44-45ARSH September 23, 1862, page 129.12+1.

The Purpose of the Vision ✨

The Lord used this vision to instruct Nebuchadnezzar and all subsequent generations that He rules over all earthly kingdoms7T 161.1+1. It serves as a "Grand Calendar of Prophecy," showing that we are currently living in the final era of human history, symbolized by the toes of the imageSBBS 404.1+2. Knowing these truths allows those who look for the Lord to lift up their heads with joy, for their redemption is near Luke 21:28HST April 17, 1844, page 82.7.