Prophecy 1
– Nebuchadnezzar's Golden Image
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The Metal Man
– Daniel 2:29-35
Beginning
Point in Time: About
605 B.C.
Ending Point
in Time: End of the 1,000 years
Summary:
The essence of this prophecy can be
summed up in three sentences. Six
kingdoms will follow the kingdom of
Babylon. When Jesus establishes His
kingdom on the new Earth (the seventh
kingdom) it will not coexist with the
kingdoms of man. He will create a new
Heaven and a new Earth and His
kingdom will endure forever.
Introduction:
This prophecy forms the foundation
upon which all other apocalyptic
prophecies have been built. The
chronology of seven world empires is
laid out in very simple terms. The
number seven indicates this is a
complete story. Even though the
vision says nothing about the amount
of time required for fulfillment,
approximately twenty-six centuries
have passed since this prophecy
began. A short discussion on the
rules of interpretation is provided
at the end of this prophecy.
The Sequence:
Daniel 2:29
As for thee, O king,
thy thoughts came into thy mind upon
thy bed, what should come to pass
hereafter: and he that revealeth
secrets maketh known to thee what
shall come to pass.
{29} “As
you were lying in your bed, O king,
you were troubled about the future of
your kingdom. The Most High God, the
Reveal-er of Mysteries, saw your
concerns and He has blessed you with
as weeping panorama of things to
come.
Daniel 2:30
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 thou mightest
know the thoughts of thy heart.
{30} This
mystery was revealed to me, not
because I have greater wisdom than
your wise men, for I am but a young
man. The God of Heaven has revealed
your dream to me so that you, O king,
might know the meaning of your
vision.
Daniel 2:31-33
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. This
image’s head was of fine gold,
his breast and his arms of silver,
his belly and his thighs of brass,
His legs of iron, his feet part of
iron and part of clay.
{31} As
you looked, there before you stood a
large statue – an enormous
statue of a metal man, awesome in
size and gleaming in appearance.
{32} The head
of the statue was made of gold, its
chest and arms of silver, its belly
and thighs of bronze,
{33} its legs
of iron, its feet partly of iron and
partly of brittle clay.
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.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.{34} You
saw a rock cut out of a mountain,[1] but not by human
hands.[2] The rock struck
the statue at its feet of iron and
clay and
{35} the metal
man was destroyed. The metal man was
ground to powder[3] and the wind
swept the powder away without leaving
a trace, but the rock became a huge
mountain that filled the Earth.”[4]
Discussion
Daniel 2:36
This is
the dream;
and we will tell the
interpretation thereof
before the king.
{36} “That
was your dream, and the God of Heaven
has revealed the meaning to me.
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. 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.
{37} “You,
O king, are the king of kings. The
God of Heaven has given you a kingdom
and a throne. You have not achieved
this preeminence according to
personal prowess or talents. The God
of Heaven has given you dominion,
power, might and glory.
{38} He has
placed mankind, the beasts of the
field and the birds of the air under
your control. Wherever they live, He
has made you ruler over them all.
Your kingdom is represented by the
head of gold.
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
{39} “Your
kingdom will pass away and another
kingdom, represented by the chest of
silver will swallow up your kingdom
as it rises to power, but the
Medo-Persian Empire[5] will be inferior
to your kingdom as silver is inferior
to gold. Then, a third kingdom will
arise and swallow up the
Medo-Persians. This kingdom will be
known as Grecia.[6] This kingdom,
represented by the thighs of bronze,
will rule over an even larger portion
of Earth.
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.
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