Prophecy 1
– Nebuchadnezzar's Golden Image
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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.
{40} “Later, a
larger kingdom will swallow the
Grecian Empire. The fourth kingdom
will be called Rome[7]
and it will be as strong as iron
– a metal that is stronger than
bronze, silver, or gold. This empire
will be renowned for its use of iron
weapons and it will crush everyone
who defies its demands. Nevertheless,
the kingdom of Rome will also pass
away.
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.
{41} “Then a
fifth kingdom will appear upon the
face of Earth. This kingdom will
engulf Rome, but it will be different
than the earlier empires. Instead of
one sovereign authority, Europe will
fragment into a mixture of strong
nations and weak nations. Even though
men will attempt to reconsolidate the
world into one sovereign authority,
strong nations will not be able to
eliminate all of the weak nations
because God will not permit it. For
centuries, the kingdom represented by
the feet will remain a mixture of
strong and weak nations, even as iron
cannot be mixed with brittle clay.
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.
{42} “Before
the Rock destroys the kingdoms of
men, a sixth kingdom – also made
up of iron and clay will appear. The
kingdom is represented by ten toes.
At the time of this kingdom, the
whole world will be divided into ten
sectors and ten kings will rule as
puppet kings under the Antichrist,
Lucifer.[8] Some kings will
be strong as iron and other kings
will be weak, like brittle 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.
{43} “The
fifth and sixth kingdoms represent a
fragmented world. There will be a
mixture of strong and weak nations,
and even though some nations will
make treaties and form alliances with
others in an effort to consolidate
power, they will not remain united
very long because iron does not mix
with brittle clay.
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.
{44} “During
the days of Lucifer’s puppet
kings,[9] the Rock of
Ages, Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
will descend to Earth in clouds of
glory. He will utterly destroy the
kingdoms of men and no trace of them
will remain whatsoever.[10] A thousand years
later, Jesus will create a new Heaven
and a new Earth and the meek will
inherit the Earth.[11] The heirs of
Abraham will live forever in
Christ’s kingdom which will
endure forever.
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.
{45} “This
is the meaning of the vision of the
Rock which was cut out of the holy
mountain. The Rock and His coming
kingdom are not of human origin.
Human hands will have nothing to do
with the establishment of God’s
kingdom. Just as Moses ground the
golden calf into dust at Mt. Sinai,[12]the Rock of Ages will
descend from Heaven at the appointed
time and totally destroy the kingdoms
of man. No trace of this sinful order
will be seen again. The Most High God
who rules over Heaven and Earth has
shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will
take place in days to come. The dream
is true and the interpretation is
certain.”
The Rules of
Interpretation
Consider how the Rules
of Interpretation (discussed in the
Introduction) are observed in this
prophecy:
Rule One says an
apocalyptic prophecy has a beginning
point and ending point in time and
the events within the prophecy occur
in the order given. Notice how this
prophecy begins at the time of
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon (605
B.C.) and ends at the Second Coming.
There are seven chronological
elements within this prophecy: Head,
Chest, Thighs, Legs, Feet, Toes, and
Rock. Geographically speaking, each
kingdom swallows up the previous
kingdom as time progresses. This
progression continues until the whole
world becomes involved during the
kingdom of the ten toes. During the
time of “these kings”
(actually ten kings – Revelation
17:12), Jesus will return and destroy
the whole world.
Rule Two says a
fulfillment only occurs when all of
the specifications are met, and this
includes the order stated in the
prophecy. History confirms the fall
of Babylon to the Medes and Persians.
The Medo-Persian Empire fell to the
Grecians, and centuries later, the
Grecians fell to the Romans. It is
important to notice that some
prophetic elements in this prophecy
have been fulfilled. Chronologically
speaking, we are living in the feet
of the image, but this prophecy will
not be fulfilled until the Rock of
Ages destroys the kingdoms of men at
the Second Coming. We can say that
this prophecy has been “under
way” for about twenty-six
centuries!
Rule Three says
Apocalyptic language can be literal,
analogous, or symbolic. There are
symbolic elements in this prophecy
because relevant Scripture defines
the symbols. For example, Daniel told
the king that the head of gold
represented the Babylonian Empire and
that the chest of silver represented
a kingdom that would succeed Babylon,
etc. Many people, unaware of Rule
Three, distort Scripture by declaring
things to be symbolic which God has
not made symbolic. The key point is
that when God creates a symbol, He
clearly defines the meaning of that
symbol. When people use definitions
for symbols for which God has not
provided a relevant text, personal
bias, confusion, and manipulation
result. The Bible either speaks for
itself or it does not, for who on
Earth has the authority to speak for
it?
Rule Four is not used
in this prophecy.
