NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S DREAM
What did Daniel say the king saw in his dream?
Daniel 2:31 Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible.
What was its appearance?
Of what were the different parts composed?
Dan 2:32-33 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.
From gold to iron and clay shows a great deterioration in value and quality. This clearly proves decline and degeneracy of nations and the race, instead of improvement and growth to a golden age of peace and righteousness, which many so fondly cherish.
What did the king see besides the great image?
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.
What did the stone do to the image, and with what result?
Daniel 2:34-35 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. 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 threshingfloors; 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.
What did the stone become?
The stone, which represents the kingdom of God, destroys all earthly governments. It does not convert and absorb them, it smites them, and they are broken in pieces. See also Psalms 2:8, 9. Then the stone occupies all the territory, and “fills the whole earth.” “All things that’ offend, and them which do iniquity” having been gathered out of the kingdom (referring to the territory, see Matthew 13:41), it, the territory of these earthly kingdoms, not the people, becomes the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ (Revelation 11:15). It should be noticed that the stone smites the image on the feet, which were not developed till over 300 years after Christ came; hence the kingdom of God was not set up at His first advent.
Psalms 2:8-9 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. 9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
Matthew 13:41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
Revelation 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
What did Daniel say of Nebuchadnezzar and his kingdom?
Daniel 2:37-38 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. 38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.
“Thou art this head of gold.” That is, Babylon, the kingdom of which he stood at the head and representative, was the
head of gold. The different divisions of the image represent the kingdoms which were to follow each other in the supremacy of the world. This is clearly shown by verses 39 and 40, and all students of history know that from Daniel’s time these kingdoms were Babylon, Medo-Persia, Grecia, and Rome; hence these kingdoms were symbolized by the gold, the silver, the brass, and the iron of the great metallic image.
What did he say of the kingdom which should arise after
him?
Daniel 2:39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
What is said of the third kingdom?
What is said of the fourth?
Daniel 2:40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.
How is the division of the fourth kingdom represented?
Daniel 2:41 And whereas thou sawest 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, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.
It should be noted here that the division of the fourth kingdom (Rome) is not based on the fact that there are feet and toes (and naturally ten toes, which might indicate ten divisions of the kingdom), but that the feet and toes are part of potter’s clay and part of iron. The scripture says, “Whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potter’s clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided.” The division is indicated by the iron and clay and not by the toes. Hence in this scripture the division of the Roman Kingdom is symbolized, but not the number of the divisions. The division of Rome into ten parts is clearly shown in Daniel 7 and in the Revelation by the ten horns of the beasts, which symbolize Rome. And also Revelation 13 and 17.
What else is represented by the iron and clay of the toes?
Daniel 2:42 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.
What is symbolized by the mixing of the iron and clay?
Daniel 2:43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.
By intermarriage among the royal families some of the kings sought to unite interests and make combinations that would give them power and universal supremacy, but they failed, for the Lord had said that “they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.”
When will the kingdom of God be set up?
Daniel 2:44 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.
The, kingdom of God must exist with power to overthrow all earthly governments before it smites them and breaks them in pieces, as taught in the prophecy. Christ is crowned King and receives His kingdom before He comes again to the earth. Luke 19 : 12-15. When He comes He will wear a golden crown (Rev. 14:14), and on His vesture a name is written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS” (Rev. 19:16). He will then gather the subjects of His kingdom (Matt. 24 : 30, 31), and when the territory is cleared (Dan. 2:34, 35), then the stone, or kingdom of God, will become a great mountain and fill the whole earth. Thus the kingdom is set up and fully established by a succession of events. The king, capital, subjects, and territory will be brought into harmonious relations.
Luke 19:12-15 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. 13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. 14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. 15 And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.
Revelation 14:14 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.
Rev 19:16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
Matthew 24:30-31 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Daniel 2:34-35 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. 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 threshingfloors; 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.
What is said of this kingdom?
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.
By what is it represented in the king’s dream?
For what purpose was it given?
What is said of the dream and its interpretation?
What effect did the telling and interpreting of the dream
have upon the king?
Daniel 2:46 Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours unto him.
What did he say to Daniel?
Daniel 2:47 The king answered unto 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 thou couldest reveal this secret.
How did he honor him?
Daniel 2:48 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.
What position did the king give to Daniel’s companions?
Daniel 2:49 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.
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