Commentary on Daniel: Chapter 2

Daniel 2

Introduction to Chapter 2

Chapter 2 covers history from Babylon to Rome, and provides the foundation for understanding the other apocalyptic sections in the book.

Chapter 7 expands upon chapter 2, especially with regard to the second and third kingdoms.

Chapters 11 and 12 expand upon chapter 2, especially with regard to kingdoms two, three, and four.

These later chapters supply many details that are not mentioned here in chapter 2.

MESSAGE OF CHAPTER 2: God’s promises to Israel have not been forgotten. (This is the same message in Romans 9–11.) The Gentiles (those outside of the covenant) are in charge now, but one day (under the Messiah) the kingdom will be restored to the faithful.

1 In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; and his spirit was troubled, and his sleep left him. 2 Then the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be summoned, to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king.

The world’s most powerful ruler has just assumed the throne – and almost immediately he is troubled by his dreams and can’t sleep. God was trying to tell him something and like most people he found that troubling.

He calls all of his wise men to come and interpret the dream. Note that the term ‘Chaldean’ is used here to denote a special class of wise men. Nebuchadnezzar was himself a Chaldean in the ethnic sense.

‘Dream manuals’ have been found that list historical dreams and the events that followed them. These wise men would have been very familiar with these very long volumes. There general course of action would have been to have heard the dream and then looked it up in their book – but Nebuchadnezzar has other ideas!

Does God talk to us today in dreams?

When God talked to people with dreams in the Old Testament, they knew it. They received a definite message, and God was very persistent about it. Nebuchadnezzar knew that this was no ordinary dream.

If God did talk to us today with dreams then what would he say? What more do we need to hear from God? The word he has already given us is able to instruct us about salvation (2 Timothy 3:15) and equips us for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16).

Are you looking for a message from God? You have one! The Bible is God’s message to us.

Those who claim that God speaks to them today apart from his word generally have found something in his word that they don’t like.

As scarce as the truth is, the demand has never exceeded the supply!

3 And the king said to them, “I had a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.” 4 Then the Chaldeans said to the king, “O king, live for ever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.” 5 The king answered the Chaldeans, “The word from me is sure: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be torn limb from limb, and your houses shall be laid in ruins. 6 But if you show the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. Therefore show me the dream and its interpretation.”

Beginning in verse 4 and continuing through 7:28, the book of Daniel is written in the Aramaic language.

Even the Dead Seas Scrolls make this switch to Aramaic. (This strongly suggests that the original was also written in two languages.)

Other Aramaic sections in the Old Testament: Ezra 4:8–6:18, Ezra 7:12–26, and Jeremiah 10:11.

Nebuchadnezzar asked his advisors to interpret the dream that he had, and the advisors at first seem eager to do so. They ask him to tell them the dream that he had, and I am sure that they would have come up with any number of interpretations. They expressed no doubt regarding their abilities in verse 4.

Nebuchadnezzar, however, is no fool. He asks them to tell him both his dream and his interpretation. Suddenly their confidence vanishes!

The King James Version translates verse 5 to indicate that the king had forgotten the dream. (“The thing is gone from me.”) However, he remembers enough later in the story to be able to confirm Daniel’s interpretation. A better interpretation is found in the Revised Standard Version, which we read above.

ANCIENT BABYLONIAN OMEN: If a man cannot remember the dream he saw then it means that his personal god is angry with him.

Failure meant a horrible death and success meant rich rewards.

The threat in verse 5 is that they would be “made into limbs.” The NIV translation that they would be cut into pieces is not correct – no verb for cutting is used here and no cutting instrument is mentioned.

What the king had in mind was that their arms and legs would be tied to four trees that had been temporarily roped together. When the ropes were cut, the victim would be torn into four pieces. (He was going to turn each wise man into four wise pieces!)

7 They answered a second time, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show its interpretation.” 8 The king answered, “I know with certainty that you are trying to gain time, because you see that the word from me is sure 9 that if you do not make the dream known to me, there is but one sentence for you. You have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till the times change. Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can show me its interpretation.”

They do not think that the king is serious, so they ask him for the dream one more time. (Do they seem a little nervous to you?)

Compare the first request in verse 4 with the second request in verse 7. Notice any difference? In the second request, the wise men don’t start off by hoping that the king will live forever!

In verse 8-9, the king makes it very clear that he is serious, and he lets them in on his strategy. He accuses them of stalling and of planning to lie to him. (Of course, they are stalling! They are repeating themselves in verse 7.)

He says that they were planning to wait until “the times change.” That is, until the crisis has passed and the king has forgotten all about it.

10 The Chaldeans answered the king, “There is not a man on earth who can meet the king’s demand; for no great and powerful king has asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or Chaldean. 11 The thing that the king asks is difficult, and none can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.”

The wise men complain that no one could do what the king wanted. In fact, they say that no king has ever asked such a thing. (Indeed, not even Joseph in Egypt was required to do this.)

The wise men say that if they don’t know the answer then no one knows the answer.

Job 12:2 “No doubt you are the people, and wisdom will die with you.”

Finally, they speak the truth. They admit to the king (whether they know they are admitting it or not) that their profession is a fraud.

This is definitely a lesson we need to hear today. Anytime we look for answers to our problems or answers about our future from someone other than God, we need to seriously consider our spiritual health.

SIMPLE PROOF THAT ESP DOES NOT EXIST: Have you ever wondered how they decide how many numbers to use in the state lottery? (6 between 1 and 50) The lottery is designed according to the laws of statistics. The lottery would not work as expected if ESP existed. The fact that it does work as expected (often there are no jackpot winners at all) proves that their is no “latent ESP” in the populace.

The king, they say, isn’t being fair. He is asking too much. Imagine, asking a fortune teller to tell someone’s fortune!

Again, they hit upon the truth. Only God can reveal someone’s thoughts. What will the logical conclusion be when Daniel reveals the dream? (I imagine they later regretted their words!)

12 Because of this the king was angry and very furious, and commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed. 13 So the decree went forth that the wise men were to be slain, and they sought Daniel and his companions, to slay them.

The king becomes upset when he realizes that his “wise men” are suffering from an acute lack of wisdom. In fact, he becomes furious and commands that they all be killed. (You would think that some of these fortune tellers would have seen this coming and have left town!)

Daniel and his friends, unfortunately, are numbered among this group, and their lives become in danger from the king’s edict.

It is possible that Daniel is still in school. That is, the three years of schooling may not yet be over. If this were true, then Nebuchadnezzar must have ordered that all of those who were preparing to be wise men be killed as well.

This would explain why Daniel was not with the wise men when they first tried to interpret the dream.

As for not standing before the king until the three years were over (1:5), recall that standing before the king was a Persian term for royal service.

14 Then Daniel replied with prudence and discretion to Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to slay the wise men of Babylon; 15 he said to Arioch, the king’s captain, “Why is the decree of the king so severe?” Then Arioch made the matter known to Daniel. 16 And Daniel went in and besought the king to appoint him a time, that he might show to the king the interpretation.

Arioch shows up to take Daniel to death row, but Daniel talks him into taking him to the king instead.

The word for “severe” in verse 15 really means “hasty.” Daniel did not question the punishment, but the haste with which the king ordered it.

This death sentence was Daniel’s opportunity.

It sounded like very bad news, but Daniel saw it as a gift from God and jumped at it. Christians should be eternal optimists!

We usually see the light at the end of the tunnel and think it must be an oncoming train. If God is on our side, then who can be against us. Daniel is a great example of how we should be optimistic since God is on our side.

A “pessimistic Christian” is the ultimate oxymoron.

Daniel seems awfully confident in his abilities. Where did this teenager get such confidence? He knew the source of all wisdom. His confidence was not in himself but in his God!

The stage is now set to introduce King Nebuchadnezzar to the only true and living God. Also, we are about to see a theme that will last throughout the book:

God is still in charge, he is still as powerful as ever, and he still loves and cares for his faithful followers.

This was true even after their temple had been burned, their city destroyed, and they had been dragged away in slavery. [The city was destroyed in 587 B.C. This scene occurred in 602 B.C.]

If there is one clear message in the Bible it is that things are not always as they appear! We must see things the way that God sees them.

17 Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, 18 and told them to seek mercy of the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

Note that his three companions are referred to here by their less familiar Hebrew names.

The term ‘God of Heaven’ is used almost exclusively in the captivity books. Why? (Daniel uses it 9 times, Ezra 6 times, and Nehemiah 4 times.)

When Judah turned from the Lord, Ezekiel had a vision in which he saw the glory of God depart from the holy of holies in the temple and leave the earth. (Ezekiel 10 and 11)

What did Daniel and his friends do? They did not turn to astrology or crystal balls. Instead, they prayed.

Notice that Daniel doesn’t do it all by himself, either. He asks them all to pray with him. Prayer is a team effort!

“Prayer is where the action is. Any church without a well organized and systematic prayer program is simply operating a religious treadmill.”

“The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray.”

What else did Daniel do? He went to bed! He turned his problems over to God and then he went to sleep. Again, I detect an important lesson for us.

Notice that Daniel has already promised to answer the king – before he started praying for the answer. Again, Daniel knows that God will give him the answer that he needs. What confidence! What utter dependence on God!

The “mystery” or “secret” is revealed to Daniel during the night.

The word “secret” occurs 9 times in this chapter.

Ezekiel 28:3 using irony against the prince of Tyre told him “Behold thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that is hidden thee.” Who was Ezekiel referring to? Remember that if Ezekiel referred to Daniel then the late date theory falls in ruin.

20 Daniel said: “Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever to whom belong wisdom and might. 21 He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; 22 he reveals deep and mysterious things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him. 23 To thee, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for thou hast given me wisdom and strength, and hast now made known to me what we asked of thee, for thou hast made known to us the king’s matter.”

Here Daniel expresses his gratitude to God for answering his prayer and saving him from certain death. Notice in verse 20 that Daniel emphasizes God’s wisdom and power.

GOD IS POWERFUL. He controls history. He controls nature. He created the universe and keeps it operating. He is the creator, sustainer, and sovereign of the universe.

GOD IS WISE. We like to think we are wise, but any wisdom we have comes from what God has told us. Although we have certainly progressed in our knowledge of the world, we still know virtually nothing about how it all works.

The further you progress in science, the more you realize just how little we really know.

When you think you know everything they give you a bachelor’s degree, when you realize you don’t know anything they give you a Master’s degree, and when you realize that no one else knows anything either they give you a Doctorate.

Remember what Paul said:

1 Corinthians 1:25,30 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. ... 30 He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom, our righteousness and sanctification and redemption.

In verse 21, Daniel touches upon a major theme in the book. It is God who changes times and seasons, removes and sets up kings, and gives wisdom and knowledge. God is in control.

Men look at the world, see a mess, and say that God is dead. But throughout the Bible, we see that God is always working – especially when things look the worst.

Was the world in bad shape before the flood? Yes. Was God in charge? You bet he was!

From a human perspective, could things have looked any worse than they did at the cross? Yet God was at that very moment working out the culmination of a plan that he had formed at the very beginning.

We must try to see things the way that God sees them! Daniel did and you can see what the result was.

Note that Daniel was not a fatalist. He knew that men could make real decisions and effect history. He also knew, however, that God had the final word on the matter. Daniel did not see himself and the Babylonians as puppets.

Verse 21 says that God sets up and removes kings.

Read Psalm 2:1–4.

1 Why do the nations conspire, and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and his anointed, saying, 3 “Let us burst their bonds asunder, and cast their cords from us.” 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord has them in derision.

Does he just set up the good kings, or does he set them all up? Although we may have trouble understanding it, the Bible says that God sets them all up and we should (at least in that respect) show respect to them all like Daniel did with Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel was polite and respectful to the one who had deported him because he knew that whatever power Nebuchadnezzar had was given to him by God.

We are not required to agree with them (thankfully), but I think that we are required to show them respect and honor. Listen to what Paul and Peter have to say about this:

Romans 13:1-5 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore he who resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of him who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain; he is the servant of God to execute his wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be subject, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience.

1 Peter 2:13-17 Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. 15 For it is God's will that by doing right you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. 16 Live as free men, yet without using your freedom as a pretext for evil; but live as servants of God. 17 Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

Were Peter and Paul just speaking of good rulers? How could they be! There were no good rulers back then. These men were imprisoned and killed by these rulers. I think there is an important lesson for us here, even though we may not want to hear it.

On the other side of the coin, it is certainly permissible to pray that evil rulers be removed. The Christians did this in Revelation, and God answered their prayers by judging Rome.

Are we then supposed to honor a ruler who we think is wicked. Well, read 1 Peter 2:17 again. The answer is clearly yes.

Daniel called God the God of his fathers. Daniel trusted God because he knew what God had done. As Isaiah 28:16 says, God is a tried stone. He has never forsaken his people, and he never will.

Notice that Daniel is absolutely sure that he knows the king’s dream even before he tells the king about it. God said it and Daniel knew it was true. Daniel was thanking God in advance because the king had not yet spared his life.

God had made it known “to me” what “we” asked of him. Again, we are reminded of the power of combined prayer. Daniel asked his friends to pray with him, and he did not forget their contribution when he thanked God.

24 Therefore Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon; he went and said thus to him, “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; bring me in before the king, and I will show the king the interpretation.” 25 Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus to him: “I have found among the exiles from Judah a man who can make known to the king the interpretation.”

Incredible, isn’t it? All by himself Arioch has managed to solve the king’s problem. Notice how he takes all of the credit in verse 25. (This may have something to do with the reward mentioned back in verse 6.)

Many things have changed over the centuries, but human nature has not changed one little bit since the Garden of Eden.

Very often you hear modernists claiming that we need a new church, a new Bible, and a new theology for a new age. But of course we don’t. Man has not changed. Sin has not changed. The remedy has not changed. God has not changed.

We may see ourselves as vastly improved, but all we are doing is worshipping different idols.

Arioch’s complete confidence in Daniel is interesting. He shows no doubt that Daniel will be able to interpret the king’s dream. Daniel had already made quite an impact on Arioch.

26 The king said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?” 27 Daniel answered the king, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery which the king has asked, 28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these: 29 To you, O king, as you lay in bed came thoughts of what would be hereafter, and he who reveals mysteries made known to you what is to be. 30 But as for me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living has this mystery been revealed to me, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your mind.

Notice that Daniel reminds the reader of his Babylonian name but then resumes using his Hebrew name.

And what does Daniel do?

Does he come before the king and say, “I have solved your problem. I know all of the answers. Look what I can do.” No. Unlike Arioch, Daniel does not mention himself.

He says look what God can do. The power was not within Daniel and Daniel knew it. God had told him what Nebuchadnezzar had dreamed. See verse 30.

Again, we are faced with the truth about astrology, magic, and fortune telling. Daniel says that it does not work. Read verse 27. Now, do we agree with Daniel or not? I hope we all agree with him.

Daniel speaks to Nebuchadnezzar with great boldness. Keep in mind that Daniel was under sentence of death, yet he takes this opportunity to tell the king that all of his gods are worse than useless. He tells the king that there is a God who reveals mysteries.

Daniel’s answer to the king is that “there is a God in heaven.” That is a good answer, isn’t it!

Note also the contrast that Daniel draws between the false Babylonian gods and the one true God. The king’s gods were helpless, but there is a God in Heaven who is all powerful.

We need to stop for a moment and consider the phrase “latter days” in verse 28. To what does it refer?

It could simply mean the future. That is, God was going to tell Nebuchadnezzar what would happen later.

This seems to fit well with parallel passage that appears in verse 29. (To you, O king, as you lay in bed came thoughts of what would be hereafter.)

It could refer to the latter days of Jewish history, which ended as far as God was concerned in A.D. 70.

Premillennialists teach that it refers to a time yet future; in particular, to a short time of tribulation preceding the second coming of Christ.

Is this what Nebuchadnezzar would have thought? “Well, I guess Daniel is about to tell me about what will happen in about 2600 years when the Chinese suddenly decide to invade the Holy Land and toss out the Arabs and fight against the troops sent by the Antichrist who will be living in Rome at the time...” Does that make sense?

31 “You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening. 32 The head of this image was of fine gold, its breast and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. 34 As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it smote the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces; 35 then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

Can you imagine the king’s astonished reaction when Daniel started describing his dream? Can you imagine the astonishment (and relief) of his wise men? (Daniel had saved their lives. You will see later how they repay him.) Not only could Daniel reveal the meaning of the dream, he could reveal the content of the dream.

What did the king see? A single great image consisting of four parts:

(1) A head of gold.

(2) breasts and arms of silver.

(3) belly and thighs of brass.

(4) legs and feet of iron and clay.

The king also saw a giant stone.

This stone was cut without hands – that is this stone was not of human origin.

This stone smites the feet of the image and turns the whole thing into dust.

Note: Many interpretations of this vision make a big deal out of the toes of this image. In particular, many make a big deal out of the ten toes on this image.

The toes are not mentioned at all when Daniel first describes what the king saw.

Nowhere does Daniel mention “ten toes.” Certainly, we might be able to infer that there were ten toes, but if there were some symbolic significance to the number 10, you would think that Daniel would have mentioned the number ten.

Afterward, the stone becomes a great mountain and fills the whole earth.

The nations that fight against God are often called mountains, also.

Compare Jeremiah 51:25 where Babylon is called a destroying mountain.

The Babylonians pictured the earth as a huge mountain. In fact, they called the earth “E-kur” which means ‘Mountain House.’ So it is fitting that the eternal kingdom would be pictured as huge mountain.

Also, compare Revelation 8:8 where Rome is pictured as a mountain that is cast into the sea.

Recall Christ’s comments in Mark 11:23. (This really happened in Revelation! I think that Jesus had Rome in mind when he said this.)

Mark 11:23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.

In this passage, we have a great mountain that is from God. What could it be? Perhaps it is a kingdom from God that will replace these earthly kingdoms that are destroyed. Stay tuned...

36 “This was the dream; now we will tell the king its interpretation. 37 You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, 38 and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the sons of men, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the air, making you rule over them all—you are the head of gold.

Luckily we are not left to figure this vision out for ourselves. Daniel tells us what the figures mean.

Daniel makes it very clear from the start who is in charge here.

Nebuchadnezzar had been given his rule and his kingdom by God. Any power, might, or glory that he had was a gift from God.

This was quite a bold thing to say to King Nebuchadnezzar!

Why were these four distinct kingdoms represented by a single figure?

What relationship does Babylon have with Rome, for example?

Taken together, they represent a sustained revolt of organized human society and government against the will of God.

Babylon set the tone for the kingdoms that followed.

Indeed, Babylon was another name for Rome in the New Testament.

1 Peter 5:13 She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings; and so does my son Mark.

Revelation 18:2 And he called out with a mighty voice, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!”

King Nebuchadnezzar is the head of the gold – that is, the head of gold denotes his kingdom, Babylon.

The king may have initially taken this as a complement, until he remembered what had just happened to the head of gold! It was turned to dust with the rest of the image.

Let’s quickly review the history of this first empire.

The Neo-Babylonian Empire of the Chaldeans started in 626 BC when the Chaldean chieftain Nabopolassar captured Babylon and declared independence from Assyria.

Nabopolassar made an alliance with the Medes, and in 612 BC their combined army attacked and destroyed the Assyrian capital Ninevah.

The Assyrians and their Egyptian allies were completely defeated in 605 BC by Nebuchadnezzar, the son of Nabopolassar.

Nebuchadnezzar ruled for about 40 years, but his empire did not last long beyond his death. His sons proved worthless, and eventually Nabonidus engineered a coup and took over.

Finally, in 539 BC, Babylon fell to the Persians. This takes us to the second kingdom that King Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream.

39 After you shall arise another kingdom inferior to you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. 40 And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things; and like iron which crushes, it shall break and crush all these.

The remaining three parts of the image are also kingdoms.

The second kingdom was Medo-Persia, which as we have seen overthrew the Chaldeans about 70 years after this vision. (Daniel lived to see this. Indeed, it was during this kingdom that Daniel was tossed to the lions.)

Why is this second kingdom said to be “inferior” to the first? After all it defeated the first kingdom. Wouldn’t that mean that it was superior?

The Hebrew word for “inferior” means “beneath you.” Thus, it may simply mean that the second kingdom was beneath the first in the image that Nebuchadnezzar saw.

A second possibility is that the second kingdom was inferior to Nebuchadnezzar in the sense that its leader did not share the same absolute and unfettered power that he did.

Later in 6:12 we will see that a Persian ruler lacked the power to annul a law once he had made it.

From this “despotic standpoint” each of these empires was inferior to the ones above it.

Let’s review the history of this second kingdom, Medo-Persia.

As we mentioned earlier, Daniel does not consider the Medes and Persians to be separate kingdoms, but instead explicitly considers them to be a single unified kingdom – which agrees with what historians tell us.

This empire began with Cyrus the Great, who conquered Babylon in 539 BC and died ten years later.

His older son, Cambyses, conquered Egypt and died in 523 or 522. He was succeeded by an upstart who claimed to also be a son of Cyrus.

This upstart was quickly assassinated and Darius (not the Mede) came to power and established a new dynasty.

This empire ruled for about two centuries, but was never able to completely subdue the Greeks on its western border.

Darius’ son invaded the Greeks but was defeated, and his successor tried to set the Greek city-states against each other.

Alexander the Great invaded Persia in 334 BC.

The third kingdom that would rule over all of the earth was Greece which conquered the Persians under Alexander the Great.

Alexander the Great invaded Persia in 334 and completely defeated it in 331.

At one point, Alexander ruled an area from Yugoslavia to India, the largest empire of ancient times.

After Alexander died in 323, his kingdom was split into four pieces ruled over by his former generals.

Consider the following passages from the book of Daniel, which were written hundreds of years before Alexander the Great!

Daniel 8:8 Then the he-goat magnified himself exceedingly; but when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and instead of it there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven.

Daniel 8:21-22 And the he-goat is the king of Greece; and the great horn between his eyes is the first king. 22 As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his nation, but not with his power.

Daniel 11:3-4 Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion and do according to his will. 4 And when he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not to his posterity, nor according to the dominion with which he ruled; for his kingdom shall be plucked up and go to others besides these.

Now you see why the liberals hate this book so much! If they take the early-date view then they must admit that the Bible is from God – and this they cannot do!

Eventually most of the Greek empire was annexed by Rome, the fourth kingdom in Nebuchadnezzar’s vision. By 146 BC, Greece was permanently subdued. Egypt became a Roman province in 31 BC.

The fourth kingdom (strong as iron) was Rome, which overthrew Greece.

The mighty Roman empire started out as a dusty village on Italy’s Tiber River in the 8th century B.C.

Rome was always fortunate in that it confronted its enemies one at a time rather than all at once. That way it was able to grow and strengthen with each victory.

By 270 B.C. Rome had control of the Italian peninsula, and begin to look elsewhere for new worlds to conquer.

After the Punic Wars and the defeat of Carthage, Rome turned its sights toward the East – attacking Philip V’s Macedonia and Antiochus III’s Seleucid empire (both successor states of Alexander the Great).

Without giving any of the intervening details, let’s jump ahead to consider a question that has intrigued historians for centuries.

Why did Rome fall? Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar why Rome fell nearly 1000 years before it happened! Listen to what he says:

41 And as you saw the feet and toes partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom; but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the miry clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 As you saw the iron mixed with miry clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay.

This fourth kingdom would also be a divided kingdom – clay mixed with iron.

In verse 42, the “toes” of the image are finally mentioned, but the toes do not cause the weakness in the fourth kingdom. The weakness is caused by the clay that is mixed with the iron. Again, the number 10 is not mentioned at all.

Was this true of the mighty Roman empire? Yes!

In Revelation 13 and 17 we see very clearly that Rome fell partly because of inner strife. This fits very well with what history tells us about Rome.

Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire lists four reasons why Rome fell: external invasion, inner decadence, inner strife, and the injury of time and nature.

The inner strife was primarily due to the client kingdoms that Rome set up to rule the borders of its empire. Here is how Michael Grant in his book the History of Rome describes the client kings.

The client kings were tied to the service of Rome in order to defend its frontiers and serve as listening posts to the outside world. In return, they were supported by the Romans against internal subversive movements and allowed a free hand inside their own countries.

In his book The Fall of the Roman Empire he describes what eventually occurred with these client kingdoms.

In 382, Theodosius I took the revolutionary step of allowing whole German tribes to reside in Imperial territory as separate, autonomous, allied or federate units. committed to serving in the Roman army, though under the command of their own chieftains. Thereafter the practice continued and increased, until such federates became a regular and widespread feature of the life of the Empire.

Did these groups contribute to the fall of Rome? The Visigoths were the first group to receive federate status and they sacked the city of Rome in A.D. 410 marking the first time in 800 years that the city had been taken by a foreign invader.

Why did Rome fall? Because God wanted it to fall. Because the first century Christians prayed that it would fall. The fall of Rome was a divine judgment. The church triumphed. Its bitter enemy Rome did not.

By the way, don’t fall into the trap of thinking that Rome became a Christian nation. Rome did much more damage to the church by embracing it than it had by persecuting it. Yet still the one true church survived, and the Roman Empire did not.

44 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall its sovereignty be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand for ever; 45 just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be hereafter. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”

The first phrase in verse 44 is vital to understanding this vision because it provides a time frame.

Without a time frame we get the ‘Nostradamus effect.’ That is, any statement can be made to appear prophetic if we can choose the event from all of history.

For example, Nostradamus says that a political leader and his brother will be killed. So we move that statement along the time line until it matches something and we conclude that Nostradamus was speaking about the Kennedys. But are the Kennedys the only match to that vague prediction. Of course not! A prophecy without a time frame is not worth much unless it is extremely detailed.

Matthew 24, for example, is often considered a difficult chapter, but when you consider the time frame in verse 34 the interpretation is much easier.

The book of Revelation includes a time frame. It contains things that were to shortly come to pass after the time it was written. (This is mentioned four times!)

Verse 44 is our time frame regarding the fifth kingdom.

The fifth kingdom would be set up in the days of those kings. Which kings? Either all of the kings of the vision (meaning that the kingdom would be set up before all of the those kingdoms passed away) or the kings of the fourth empire.

Any interpretation that does not have the fifth kingdom set up during this time frame is not a correct interpretation.

Many elaborate interpretations exist that try to have the fifth kingdom set up some time in the future. Generally, they have some sort of revived Roman empire that pops up some 2000 years after the first Roman empire. This is not what Daniel said!

What is this fifth kingdom?

It was not of human origin. It began during the Roman empire. It outlasted and overthrew the Roman empire. It is an eternal kingdom from God. What else could it be? The fifth kingdom is the church.

What do we learn about the church from this vision?

1. The church is not a mistake or a fall back plan. It has been a part of God’s plan right from the start.

Premillennialists teach that Christ came to earth the first time to set up an earthly kingdom but was unable to do so because the Jews rejected him.

As a ‘Plan B’ he decided to set up the church until he could return a second time to set up an earthly kingdom.

The premillennialists have a severe logical problem with their interpretation of Daniel. First, they say that Jesus wanted to create an earthly kingdom in the first century, but failed to do so. But they also say that Daniel talks about the delayed kingdom. Now, how could it be true that the need for a delayed kingdom was unexpected, yet Daniel predicted it?

Thus, they teach that the church is the result of a failed plan.

JESUS CHRIST DID NOT FAIL IN ANYTHING HE DID. EVERYTHING WENT EXACT¬LY ACCORDING TO GOD’S PLAN.

Is the church a mistake? Listen to Paul:

Ephesians 5:25-27 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

Acts 20:28 Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God which he obtained with the blood of his own Son.

This fifth kingdom is the church of Jesus Christ and it will demolish and outlast any human organization just like Daniel says it will.

This includes a large number of human organizations that call themselves churches. And this brings us to another important point that we learn from Daniel about the church.

2. The church is not a divided kingdom.

There is one and only one stone in this image. The kingdoms shatter into pieces, but the stone does not.

There is one church and only one church.

This is not a popular theme these days, but it is the truth. This message may not make us very popular at the local inter-denominational prayer breakfast, but we must continue to proclaim it. The church is unique and distinctive.

Ephesians 4:4-5 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism.

1 Corinthians 10:17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.

Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.

John 10:16 And I have other sheep, that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock, one shepherd.

If God had wanted two churches, he would have made one for the Jews and one for the Gentiles.

Listen to how Ezekiel describes this fifth kingdom:

Ezekiel 37:22-27 and I will make them one nation in the land, upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; and they shall be no longer two nations, and no longer divided into two kingdoms.

The church cannot be split! God has set up an eternal kingdom that cannot be divided. If someone tells you that the church has been split, don’t believe them. There is one church and it cannot be divided.

3. The church is not of human origin.

In verse 34, we see that this stone was cut out by no human hand. This stone is not from man.

The church is not a product of the Restoration movement. Many of us are Christians because of the preachers who came out of the Restoration movement, but the church predates the Restoration movement by some 1800 years.

The church is not a denomination. Read what Paul had to say when denominations first started to form in 1 Corinthians 3:11. He concludes in verse 11 by saying:

1 Corinthians 3:11 For no other foundation can any one lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

4. The church is powerful and eternal. It completely demolishes and replaces its opposition.

I wish we could all learn to look at the church the way that God looks at the church.

The church is more important and more powerful than any human organization.

Do we view the church that way? Do we think of the church as just another in a long list of denominations? Do we want to fit in with and be accepted by all of our denominational friends? If so, we need to carefully consider what Daniel has to say about the one true church.

In Luke 6:26 Jesus said:

Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.

Our goal is not to be liked by all the world. Our goal is to preach the truth to all the world.

We are not told to go into all the world and be liked, or to go into all the world and don’t rock the boat, or to go into all the world and agree to disagree.

We need to preach what the world needs to hear, not what the world wants to hear.

The false prophets always told the people just what they wanted to hear, and as Jesus said, everyone liked them. (That is, everyone but God!)

46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and did homage to Daniel, and commanded that an offering and incense be offered up to him. 47 The king said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.” 48 Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. 49 Daniel made request of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon; but Daniel remained at the king’s court.

This is a remarkable scene. One commentator has written:

“The despot who but an hour before had ordered the execution of all his wise men was prostrating himself before this foreign captive from a third-rate subject nation! Even though he opposed the wisdom of the Chaldeans, this absurd monotheist (Daniel) had somehow found the right answer.”

Did Daniel approve of the king’s worship of himself? No. How do I know? The Bible doesn’t say one way or the other, but I know Daniel.

After all he has said, do you really think that he could have approved of someone falling down to worship him. He had already said that God had interpreted the dream.

Was the king “converted” in verse 47. No, I don’t think so.

He was saying the right things, but only because he just seen a clear and undeniable demonstration of God’s power.

True worship is in spirit and in truth. The king spoke the truth, but the spirit was not there. (We will get some proof of this in chapter three.)

Did the king make Daniel great? No. God made Daniel great. Nebuchadnezzar just noticed it.

The king fulfilled the promise he made in 2:6 and loaded Daniel down with gifts and royal honors, in addition to making him governor of the capital city, and ruler over the wise men. (Don’t you imagine they loved that!)

Did Daniel forget his friends? Not at all. How easy it would have been to forget about his prayer partners, but Daniel did not.

Other Theories About the Four Kingdoms in Daniel 2

Babylon, Media, Persia, Greece

We have already dealt with this theory. It is the view put forth by those who think that Daniel was written around 168 B.C. This view must be rejected for several reasons:

1. Daniel did not believe or teach that an independent Median empire defeated the Chaldeans.

2. This view meant that Daniel thought that the Messianic kingdom would be established before the end of the Grecian kingdom (before 31 B.C.).

3. Jesus quoted Daniel in Matthew 24 and applied the prophecy to the near future.

Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece (under Alexander), the Successor States. This view must also be rejected:

1. Daniel never treated the Greek kingdom as two independent kingdoms during and after Alexander.

2. In fact, Daniel distinctly treated the two periods as two phases of the same kingdom. (In Daniel 8, we have one goat with four horns.)

Rome is the fourth kingdom, but it is split into an ancient part and a future part that has not yet arisen. This view must also be rejected:

This view requires one to believe that the kingdom was not established in the first century.

Mark 1:15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel."

Mark 9:1 And he said to them, "Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power."

Matthew 16:28 Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom."

Jesus said the time was fulfilled in the first century. The premillennialists say that it was not.

This view relies heavily on the “ten toes” in the image, but the number ten is never mentioned!

We will have much more to say about this view as we proceed through the book.

---

God's Plan of Salvation