|
Salisbury
Christadelphian Ecclesia
|
The Key to Bible Prophecy - Daniel chapter 2
Apply for the FREE
"Exploring The Bible" Correspondence Course.
The importance of the prophecy of Daniel can be seen in the words of the Lord Jesus Christ in Math 24:15, when encouraging his followers to watch the 'signs of the times'. he refers to the events that Daniel Predicted, with the words "When ye therefore see ..... spoken of by the prophet Daniel, .... WHOSO READETH, LET HIM UNDERSTAND."
The Apostle Peter, likewise stresses the importance of understanding Bible prophecy when he said. "We have a more sure (Greek, more confirmed) word of prophecy; whereunto YE DO WELL THAT YE TAKE HEED." 2 Peter 1:19
The Apostle Paul also, when speaking to the believers in Thessalonica said to them when talking about "the coming of our lord Jesus Christ," that "of the times and the season, brethren I HAVE NO NEED that I write unto you. For yourselves know PERFECTLY that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night." 1 Thessalonians 5:1,2
These words could hardly be said to the majority of people calling themselves 'Christians' today, many of whom calling themselves 'New Testament Christians' reject the Old Testament as unnecessary.
Christ said when speaking of his return, "of that day and of that hour knoweth no man, no not the angels which are in heaven, neither the son, but the father", (Mark 13:32) he went on to say to his disciples in v. 33 "Take ye heed, WATCH and prey; for ye know not when the time is".
Daniel Chapter 2 is to prophecy what the promises to Abraham are to the Gospel.
The background
Nebuchadnezzar the king of the Empire of Babylon had a dream which was unlike any other dream he had ever had. Because of the nature of this dream he believed that it contained vital information, and sought an explanation from the wise men, astrologers etc. that advised him.Being a shrewd individual he realized that if he told them the contents of the dream they would manufacture an interpretation that while it may please him, it would not be the truth. The King reasoned that if, through the power of their Gods they had the ability to truly interpret dreams, their Gods should also be able to reveal to them both the dream and its interpretation. By this he would know that the interpretation was of Divine origin.
As it happened there was a young man (of royal Jewish blood) who had been taken captive by the Babylonians and was a servant in the Kings palace who heard about the Kings strange dream and request, who believed that YAHWEH the God of the Hebrews could reveal both to him and his friends.
Daniel believed that the God he worshiped. "changed the times and the seasons; he REMOVETH KINGS, and setteth up kings; he giveth unto the wise and knowledge unto them that know understanding. HE REVEALETH THE DEEP AND THE SECRET THINGS." Dan 2:21,22
God rewarded the faith of Daniel with an understanding of both the dream and its interpretation.
The Dream
Daniel revealed to the King that he had seen a huge metallic image of a man, who's head was of fine gold, his chest and arms were of silver, the belly and thighs were of brass, the legs were of iron and the feet were a mixture of iron and clay.
The King beheld this image until he saw a small stone was cut out of the mountains, "without hands".
This small stone then smote the image on its feet and it came crashing down, whereupon the stone began grinding the metals of the image to powder and as it did so it grew in size becoming a great mountain.
The mountain became so large that it filled the whole of the earth, leaving no room for the metals.
The Interpretation
Daniel revealed to Nebuchadnezzar that there was 2 parts to the dream.
1. The first being "what shall come to pass in the Latter Days" 2:28. That is when God would intervene in the affairs of men and take away their misrule and establish his kingdom on the earth. 2:44
2. In the second part he described the purpose of the vision to reveal what "should come to pass hereafter". i.e. an unfolding of world history down to the Latter Days."What should come to pass hereafter"
The Head of Gold
v. 38 "Thou, O King art this head of gold." In other words the head of gold represented the Babylonian Empire over which he was the King.The Babylonian Empire last from BC 612 to 542
The Chestand Arms of Silver
The dream revealed that the Babylonian Empire was to over thrown by another power which was the Medes and Persians (2 arms) under the leadership of Cyrus the Persian. The Persians came to dominate the empire which lasted from BC 542 to 334.
The Belly and Thighs of Brass
The dream revealed that even the Persian Empire would not last, and that it in turn would be overthrown by another represented by the brass v 39. History records that this was Alexander the Great and his 'Brazen Coated Greeks' Alexander's Empire was short lived as he died at the age of 33, BC 301. His 4 Generals divided up the empire between them with 2 of the Selucus (Syria) and Ptolemy (Egypt) becoming the dominant 2 thighs.The Greek Empires lasted from 301 to BC 67, when the Romans conquered Egypt.
The Legs of Iron
The Roman Empire was so large that it was divided into 2 sections that eventually grew apart. the Eastern leg, with its capital in Constantinople (modern Istanbul) became know in history as the Byzantine Empire and was finally overthrown in AD 1452.
The Roman Empire in the West lasted up to about AD 493,Feet of Iron and Clay
When the Roman Empire in Europe finally succumbed to the Barbarian invaders who then set up their own individual Nations (represented by the 10 toes). Once they had established their dominions they then sought links with Rome, accepting its religion (Roman Catholicism) and Roman Law, and even acknowledging that they were Roman subjects, ultimately forming what was to be called 'the Holy Roman Empire'.
There have been many attempts to create another world empire since the crumbling away of the Roman Empire, the most notable in the last century, by Adolph Hitler, who sought to establish his "3rd Reich" which was to have lasted 1,000.
Does the vision of Daniel indicate there will be a 5th world Empire?
"The Latter Days"
While the vision indicated that one empire would follow another, no 2 empires have co-existed simultaneously. This can be seen in the comment of the historian Gibbon, who wrote in his "History of the Decline and fall of the Roman Empire"."The arms of the Republic, sometimes vanquished in battle, always victorious in war, advanced with rapid steps to the Euphrates, the Danube, the Rhine and the ocean; and the images of gold, or silver, or brass, that might serve to represent the nations and their Kings, were successively broken by the iron monarchy of Rome". Vol 4. page 403
What Daniel saw however in the latter days was that, "the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver and the gold", would be "BROKEN TO PIECES TOGETHER."
How can this be when one empire (metal) destroyed the empire (metal) that existed before it? The gold of Babylon did not exist simultaneously with the silver of Persia or the brass of Greece.
The only biblical solution is that at the time of the end all the territories represented by the various metals would be combined to form one last attempt by man to create one world empire.
Such an empire will be founded on brittle principles as, 'iron does not mix with clay'The following map shows the extent of this last attempt by man to unite the nations of the world under one government/organization.
Ezekiel Chapter 38 reveals the power that will unite all the nations on the territory representedby the various metals of the image,
The Stone
The second power mentioned in this vision, which will destroy the image of the empires of men, was a stone, "cut out without hands", which became a mountain and filled the whole earth. This represents the Lord Jesus Christ who is symbolized in scriptures as a stone.Daniel explains that God’s kingdom would come, and after breaking all other kingdoms into pieces, it would be established forever. It is interesting to note that this kingdom is depicted as being an international kingdom on earth. The fact that the same language is used of this kingdom as of those preceding it indicated it will be a kingdom in the same manner the preceding empires were kingdoms, but with a difference:
