Prophecy 1
– Nebuchadnezzar's Golden Image
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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.
References:
- Psalms 15:1; 43:3; 68:16; Daniel 9:16
Note:
In ancient times, the grand
and lofty heights of
mountains were believed to be
the dwelling places of
various gods. Even
Israel’s God descended
to Mt. Sinai, and later,
dwelt on Mt. Moriah. (Exodus 19:18; 2 Chronicles
3:1; Psalm 121:1) Return
- Joel 2:1-11; Revelation
19:11-21 Note: To
draw close to their gods,
ancient peoples often
worshiped on the highest
hills or mountain tops.
(1 Kings 14:23; Jeremiah 3:6; Ezekiel 18:15) The idea of a
rock cut out of a mountain
without human hands was both
elegant and simple. God (the
holy mountain) would send His
Son (a divine rock, a piece
of Himself, not of human
origin) to destroy the
kingdoms of men and establish
a divine kingdom. This vision
declares two profound truths:
First, God raises up kingdoms
and He takes them down when
they become hopelessly
degenerate. Second, at the
appointed time, Jesus will
return and destroy the
kingdoms of man to establish
His own. The
kingdoms of men and the
kingdom of God will not
coexist. Return
- Exodus 32:20; Deuteronomy
9:21; Jeremiah
4:11-25; Matthew
13:36-42; Revelation
19:19-21 Return
- Revelation
21:1-8,27 Return
- Daniel 8:20 Return
- Daniel 8:21 Return
- Luke 3:1; Romans 1:15 Return
- Revelation
17:12 Return
- Revelation
17:12-14; 19:19 Return
- Revelation
16:17-21; 19:15-21 Return
- Matthew 5:5 Return
- Exodus 32:20 Return
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