The History of The World Pt 1
Daniel 2:1-45
Message #3
In our last message, "When Do You Commit" (Daniel Chapter 1), we talked about the circumstances Daniel and his friends were in when they made their all-in commitment to serve God alone, no matter what. And at the end of Chapter 1, Daniel and the boys had entered the King’s service as a type of Magi, as they were called in Babylon. These were the wise men, astrologers, magicians, etc. in the service of King Nebuchadnezzar.
Daniel and his friends were the rookies, the newbies. But that was about to change in a hurry. Remember, the Book of Daniel has a double personality – history, and prophecy. We can learn much from the history side of Daniel Chapter 2 about how Daniel handles a very difficult situation. And we can also learn so much from the prophetic side of Daniel Chapter 2 about the history of the world, about God’s sovereign control and his sovereign reign over history, both past, and present.
But I felt like I to choose one side to focus on- so I chose the prophecy side. I’ll mention some of the great lessons from the historical side, but I really want us to get a big overview of this chapter on the prophetic side. Many prophecy scholars say that Daniel Chapters 2 and 7 are key chapters to all of Bible prophecy. That makes this chapter pretty crucial in the prophecy area. After all, it is about the history of the world.
So, Daniel and his friends have graduated from “wise man” school – but they’re still Jr. Wise men. But God is about to change all that, because King Nebuchadnezzar is about to have a dream that outlines the history of the rulership of the world, in one dream.
Daniel 2:1-3 (NLT)
1 One night during the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had such disturbing dreams that he couldn’t sleep. 2 He called in his magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers, and he demanded that they tell him what he had dreamed. As they stood before the king, 3 he said, “I have had a dream that deeply troubles me, and I must know what it means.”
God is doing something really big here, and Ol’ King “Neb” can sense it. He has a dream that freaks him out and gives him insomnia, and he demands that his wise men tell him what the dream means.
Daniel 2:4 (NLT)
4 Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, “Long live the king! Tell us the dream, and we will tell you what it means.”
(It is very interesting that Daniel goes from being written in Hebrew right here to being written in Aramaic through Chapter 7. Maybe we’ll talk more about that next week.)
Anyway, this dream telling is nothing new to the wise men. These magi learned a long time ago they could interpret any dream using the principles in their official dream interpretation book. The problem is, this time around, the King demands they tell him what he had actually dreamed, and then tell him what it means.
Daniel 2:5 (NLT)
5 But the king said to the astrologers, “I am serious about this. If you don’t tell me what my dream was and what it means, you will be torn limb from limb, and your houses will be turned into heaps of rubble!
God had seriously rattled Nebuchadnezzar with this dream, and he didn’t want the magi messing with him. So, he uses the basic King of Babylon motivation – tear you limb from limb from limb and turn your house into (literally) a dunghill. But then, in an unusual move, King Nebuchadnezzar adds some positive motivation, which God would use to raise Daniel up.
Daniel 2:6 (NLT)
6 But if you tell me what I dreamed and what the dream means, I will give you many wonderful gifts and honors. Just tell me the dream and what it means!”
Something serious has gone down here, and Nebuchadnezzar wants to know what it means. And it is serious because it is the all-encompassing history of the gentile rulership of the world. And God has laid it out like a big “Transformer” for the King. (You know – a “Transformer.”) But first, God needs to get Daniel front and center.
Daniel 2:7-11 (NLT)
7 (So) They (the astrologers) said again, “Please, Your Majesty. Tell us the dream, and we will tell you what it means.” 8 The king replied, “I know what you are doing! You’re stalling for time because you know I am serious when I say, 9 ‘If you don’t tell me the dream, you are doomed.’ So you have conspired to tell me lies, hoping I will change my mind. But tell me the dream, and then I’ll know that you can tell me what it means.”
10 The astrologers replied to the king, “No one on earth can tell the king his dream! (how true) And no king, however great and powerful, has ever asked such a thing of any magician, enchanter, or astrologer! 11 The king’s demand is impossible. No one except the gods can tell you your dream, and they do not live here among people.”
Well, they have a little bit of it right, but it is not the gods (plural). It is the one true God of heaven that can reveal this.
Daniel 2:12-13 (NLT)
12 The king was furious when he heard this, and he ordered that all the wise men of Babylon be executed. 13 And because of the king’s decree, men were sent to find and kill Daniel and his friends.
There’s nothing like a kingdom-wide execution of all the wise men to bring God's chosen man to the forefront, right?
Daniel 2:14 (NLT)
14 When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, came to kill them, Daniel handled the situation with wisdom and discretion.
Daniel handled the situation with wisdom and discretion; plus, he had already built a base of wise interaction with the people around him. And you can tell, by the next verse, Daniel had built a wise relationship with his commander who had come to execute him.
Daniel 2:15-16 (NLT)
15 He asked Arioch, “Why has the king issued such a harsh decree?” So Arioch told him all that had happened. 16 Daniel went at once to see the king and requested more time to tell the king what the dream meant.
This is faithful confidence. Daniel believed before he saw. His FAITH was the evidence of what he could not see. (Hebrews 11:1) So Daniel asks the King for a little “breathing room.” (Literally). Then he does the only thing a person should do in a situation like this; he’s going to pray like crazy.
Daniel 2:17-18 (NLT)
17 Then Daniel went home and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah what had happened. 18 He urged them to ask the God of heaven to show them his mercy by telling them the secret, so they would not be executed along with the other wise men of Babylon.
What followed was a serious prayer meeting, with four faithful Hebrew boys beseeching the throne God with intensity, and God responded to their faithful prayers.
Daniel 2:19 (NLT)
19 That night the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven.
And notice when God reveals the dram to Daniel, Daniel doesn’t run off to fix the situation. He pauses to write a Psalm of Praise to God.
Look at the focus on God’s sovereignty in these next verses. God is sovereign. He knows all. He owns all. He controls all, and he gives all that is given.
And guys, when we truly begin to understand God’s goodness and his character, we can rest completely in his sovereignty.
Daniel 2:20-23 (NLT)
20 He (Daniel) said, “Praise the name of God forever and ever, for he has all wisdom and power. 21 He controls the course of world events; he removes kings and sets up other kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars. 22 He reveals deep and mysterious things and (He) knows what lies hidden in darkness, though he is surrounded by light. 23 I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors, for you have given me wisdom and strength. You have told me what we asked of you and revealed to us what the king demanded.”
Daniel’s entire Psalm of praise here was in response to God’s awesome sovereignty, and that is actually the biggest lesson in this entire chapter.
So now that praise to God is completed, Daniel can go on with God’s business for him.
Daniel 2:24-25 (NLT)
24 Then Daniel went in to see Arioch, whom the king had ordered to execute the wise men of Babylon. Daniel said to him, “Don’t kill the wise men. Take me to the king, and I will tell him the meaning of his dream.”
25 Arioch quickly took Daniel to the king and said, “I have found one of the captives from Judah who will tell the king the meaning of his dream!”
Arioch didn’t get his position by being stupid, so he tries to slide some credit in for himself on this deal. But you won’t see Daniel do any of that.
Daniel 2:26 (NLT)
26 The king said to Daniel (also known as Belteshazzar), “Is this true? Can you tell me what my dream was and what it means?”
This is big, right here, the King of Babylon says, is this true or not? Can you tell me or not? And Daniel uses it as a huge “point to God” moment.
Daniel 2:27 (NLT)
27 Daniel replied, “There are no wise men, enchanters, magicians, or fortune-tellers who can reveal the king’s secret.
Daniel just told King Nebuchadnezzar exactly what he did not want to hear, that no one on earth could tell the King his dream. And just about as Daniel was about to scream “Off with his head,” Daniel says in verse 28:
Daniel 2:28 (NLT)
28 But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the future. Now I will tell you your dream and the visions you saw as you lay on your bed.
NOW Daniel has the King’s attention… but he is not finished making sure King Nebuchadnezzar knows that it is only God who can provide what he is looking for.
Daniel 2:29-30 (NLT)
29 “While Your Majesty was sleeping, you dreamed about coming events. He who reveals secrets has shown you what is going to happen. 30 And it is not because I am wiser than anyone else that I know the secret of your dream, but because God wants you to understand what was in your heart.
Only God gets the credit, or Daniel has failed in his duty.
Before we move on to the historical lesson side, let me quote from David Jeremiah to summarize all we can learn from Daniel in this critical situation.
David Jeremiah
[Daniel] is composed before crisis,
courageous before the captain who is to take his life,
confident before God in prayer,
careful before his success to give praise to the Lord -
and when God answers his prayer, he is contrite in his spirit.
And so now we get to what we came to this chapter for.
Daniel 2:31-33 (NLT)
31 “In your vision, Your Majesty, you saw standing before you a huge, shining statue of a man (a giant Transformer). It was a frightening sight. 32 The head of the statue was made of fine gold. Its chest and arms were silver, its belly and thighs were bronze, 33 its legs were iron, and its feet were a combination of iron and baked clay.
Let’s review, because each piece of this “transformer” has significant meaning.
Head of GOLD
Chest and arms - SILVER
Belly and thighs - BRONZE
Legs were IRON
Feet - a combination of IRON and BAKED CLAY
There’s a total of FIVE PARTS - Making up the giant Transformer in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.
But now, look at what happens.
Daniel 2:34-35 (NLT)
34 As you watched, a rock was cut from a mountain, but not by human hands. It struck the feet of iron and clay, smashing them to bits. 35 The whole statue was crushed into small pieces of iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold. Then the wind blew them away without a trace, like chaff on a threshing floor. But the rock that knocked the statue down became a great mountain that covered the whole earth.
That’s it. Right there. That is the history of the Gentile rule of the world, all wrapped up in one easy to understand statue. Guys, God wants us to know he has everything under control, and God wants us to know, in the big picture, exactly what is coming in this world. And he wants it to be clear, so we can make a clear choice about which side we want to be on when it all comes down.
So, here we go – the history of the world, according to God.
Daniel 2:36 (NLT)
36 “That was the dream. Now we will tell the king what it means.
First, the head of gold represents the world-ruling kingdom of Babylon.
Daniel 2:37-38 (NLT)
37 Your Majesty, you are the greatest of kings. The God of heaven has given you sovereignty, power, strength, and honor. 38 He has made you the ruler over all the inhabited world and [He] has put even the wild animals and birds under your control. You are the head of gold.
Again, Daniel makes it clear to Nebuchadnezzar, whatever he has; it has been given to him by God alone. God has given you, God has made you, and God has put these things under your control.
First, God’s sovereignty takes center stage, and we need to see God’s sovereignty at center stage in this Chapter.
Babylon was the first real world-ruling empire and really the proto-type of all world-ruling empires to come. And so right here, at the beginning of world-ruling empires, God spells out the history of the world as far as world-ruling empires go. Babylon has always represented man’s rule over the earth, which is why it plays such a big part in end time’s prophecy. Remember it was here at Babel mankind first banded together against God. So, Babylon is the first world-ruling empire, and it is the head of gold in the statue, which made Nebuchadnezzar very happy.
Next are the arms of silver and the second world-ruling empire in the history of the world.
Daniel 2:39 (NLT)
39 “But after your kingdom comes to an end, another kingdom, inferior to yours, will rise to take your place . . .
This is the kingdom that would topple Babylon, and it would become known as the Medo-Persian Empire aptly illustrated by two arms joining at the chest. This is exactly what the Medes and the Persians did in order to create the second world-ruling empire. We will learn about this second empire because Daniel is still alive and writing when this next empire conquers Babylon. And notice the decline in value of the metal of the statue, going from gold to silver already. So those are the first two world-ruling empires, not just illustrated in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, but actually in history.
Next, we get to the belly of bronze.
Daniel 2:39 (NLT)
39 . . . After that kingdom has fallen, yet a third kingdom, represented by bronze, will rise to rule the world.
This is the world domination of the Greeks, established by Alexander the Great, who was a military genius. History says when Alexander the Great had conquered all known empires, he wept because there were no more worlds to conquer. And he did all that before he was 33, because that’s when he died, and he died in Babylon. It’s interesting the soldiers of Greece during their world domination, were dressed in bronze for battle, and historically, Greece held dominion of the world after the Medo-Persian Empire.
But, next came the iron legs, representing the iron rule of Rome.
Daniel 2:40 (NLT)
40 Following that kingdom, there will be a fourth one, as strong as iron. That kingdom will smash and crush all previous empires, just as iron smashes and crushes everything it strikes.
In school, we all learned about the Iron Legions of Rome. Fifty years before Jesus was born, the Roman Empire came into existence, and Rome was the fourth world-dominating kingdom exactly as Daniel’s prophecy predicted. But what’s interesting is the Roman Empire was never conquered. Rome fell from within (which is a very interesting study). And when Rome crumbled from within is was absorbed into the nations we know today as the European and Mediterranean nations.
But the Bible clearly teaches (especially when you combine Daniel Chapter 2 and Dan Chapter 7 along with other prophecy), that in the end times, there will be a confederation of nations that the Antichrist will come out of to rule the world. And Daniel’s interpretation of the dream lays that out perfectly. In the statue, the iron legs of Rome change into something different when world history reaches the feet, and we are living in that changing picture right now. The end of Daniel’s statue is the future Roman Empire.
Daniel 2: 41-43 (NLT)
41 The feet and toes you saw were a combination of iron and baked clay, showing that this kingdom will be divided. Like iron mixed with clay, it will have some of the strength of iron. 42 But while some parts of it will be as strong as iron, other parts will be as weak as clay. 43 This mixture of iron and clay also shows that these kingdoms will try to strengthen themselves by forming alliances with each other through intermarriage. But they will not hold together, just as iron and clay do not mix.
If we were studying different views on prophecy, I’d talk more about how others view end times prophecy here. But instead, let me just tell you where we stand generally, and where most evangelicals stand.
Most prophecy scholars view the feet and toes as a revived Roman Empire. This revived Roman Empire will be a combination of the iron strength of ancient Rome mixed with the fragile clay of other weaker nations. (By the way, the word for clay here is also used for what we would call china or porcelain). So, Rome will return to be a world-ruling empire but in a mixture of the iron fist that Rome once had, along with some toes of clay mixed in, especially when combined with Daniel Chapter 7. This is almost certainly a confederation of nations with roots in ancient Rome returning to join together as a world dominate empire.
Now over the past 40 years or so, the countries of Europe have been working hard to “join together” and revive the world power Europe once had. The first step in this reviving of European world power was actually way back in 1958, and this initial “joining together” of the European Nations was actually first called “The Treaty of Rome.” This was the beginning of what we now call “The European Union.” And since the Treaty of Rome, incredible prophetic events have been seen in the European Common Market and what is now the European Union.
Guys, we need to understand the revived Roman Empire is alive and well today, and their actions have so blatantly fulfilled (or paved the way) for Biblical prophecy that it is absolutely staggering. This is the Confederacy of Nations the Antichrist will almost certainly come out of. We dealt with this when we were studying Revelation. If you want to know some of the mind-boggling facts of the E.U., get our message called “Daniel in Revelation” from Word By Mail.
So there have been four major world-ruling empires (one to come.) It was prophecy when Daniel wrote it. It is historical fact now, and they came about just as God revealed them to Nebuchadnezzar through Daniel. And we have got to see God’s sovereignty in that, and we have got to see the assurance of God’s word in this. In one dream, in one prophecy, in 600 A.D., God laid out the history of the Gentile world. Four of the five phases of that world history have come to pass. One is yet to be, and it is here today in a mind-boggling way. We must ask ourselves - what is the probability of the final phase of this world’s history coming to pass just as God said it would? And finally, we must ask ourselves what should I do about it? What does this mean to me? How should I be living in light of this incredible truth written for us 2,600 years ago and proven in every world phase since then?
Five phases of Gentile world history. Four of which have occurred like clockwork, and the fifth is in place and moving ahead like clockwork. However, that is not the end of it. That’s not where God’s plan ends. It will be during the rule of the revived Roman nations that the story gets really good.
Daniel 2:44-45 (NLT)
44 “During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or conquered. It will crush all these kingdoms into nothingness, and it will stand forever. 45 That is the meaning of the rock cut from the mountain, though not by human hands, that crushed to pieces the statue of iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold. The great God was showing the king what will happen in the future. The dream is true, and its meaning is certain.”
This, my friends, is the return of Jesus Christ to this earth, and the beginning of the Eternal Kingdom of Christ. The Rock, cut from the mountain (but not by human hands), is so clearly Jesus Christ, that no scholars debate it. Jesus is the Rock in so many places in scripture; this is certain this is the coming of Jesus Christ. And we see clearly here the second coming of Jesus Christ because when this rock comes, its first action is to crush all ruling empires of this world and obliterate all signs of not only the existing revived Roman Empire but also every other Gentile Kingdom since Babylon! And then the Kingdom of Jesus Christ will become a kingdom like a mountain, which will stand forever. This is referring to both the Millennial Kingdom and the Eternal Kingdom of God.
There is so, so much more I could say, and so much more I want to say, maybe we’ll come back to this next week. But this is what we absolutely must hear today.
GOD IS SOVEREIGN.
This means he has absolute and unlimited power and control over all; all of everything, including the history of the world.
God is working out his plan perfectly, and he will bring it to pass perfectly. Even when the circumstances seem contradictory to God’s plan, he is still bringing his plan to pass perfectly. And the history of the rule of this earth is going perfectly according to God’s plan, just as Daniel wrote it in 600 B.C.
The history of this world will continue to move forward according to God’s plan perfectly. And it is. (Maybe we’ll look more at HOW it is next week. Maybe we’ll finish the chapter next week.) But for today, it is enough to receive on great truth from God, maybe the greatest of all truths… God is sovereign. He is in control. He is bringing his plan to pass, perfectly… And he has made a way for you to receive the eternal rewards of being part of his plan.
For today, just see that God is in control. He is in control, and he will continue to be in control. And if God is in control, you don’t have to be. You can trust him. He’s got this. We just need to make sure we are with him and not against him. The history of this world is on God’s plan and God’s timetable.
In our Hearts - EACH of us - need to come to the place - that we
Truly Believe that,
Truly TRUST that, and
Truly JOIN God in what he has PLANNED.
Let’s just do that right now, and we’ll pick up some other things in this message next week.
Daniel and his friends were the rookies, the newbies. But that was about to change in a hurry. Remember, the Book of Daniel has a double personality – history, and prophecy. We can learn much from the history side of Daniel Chapter 2 about how Daniel handles a very difficult situation. And we can also learn so much from the prophetic side of Daniel Chapter 2 about the history of the world, about God’s sovereign control and his sovereign reign over history, both past, and present.
But I felt like I to choose one side to focus on- so I chose the prophecy side. I’ll mention some of the great lessons from the historical side, but I really want us to get a big overview of this chapter on the prophetic side. Many prophecy scholars say that Daniel Chapters 2 and 7 are key chapters to all of Bible prophecy. That makes this chapter pretty crucial in the prophecy area. After all, it is about the history of the world.
So, Daniel and his friends have graduated from “wise man” school – but they’re still Jr. Wise men. But God is about to change all that, because King Nebuchadnezzar is about to have a dream that outlines the history of the rulership of the world, in one dream.
Daniel 2:1-3 (NLT)
1 One night during the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had such disturbing dreams that he couldn’t sleep. 2 He called in his magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers, and he demanded that they tell him what he had dreamed. As they stood before the king, 3 he said, “I have had a dream that deeply troubles me, and I must know what it means.”
God is doing something really big here, and Ol’ King “Neb” can sense it. He has a dream that freaks him out and gives him insomnia, and he demands that his wise men tell him what the dream means.
Daniel 2:4 (NLT)
4 Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, “Long live the king! Tell us the dream, and we will tell you what it means.”
(It is very interesting that Daniel goes from being written in Hebrew right here to being written in Aramaic through Chapter 7. Maybe we’ll talk more about that next week.)
Anyway, this dream telling is nothing new to the wise men. These magi learned a long time ago they could interpret any dream using the principles in their official dream interpretation book. The problem is, this time around, the King demands they tell him what he had actually dreamed, and then tell him what it means.
Daniel 2:5 (NLT)
5 But the king said to the astrologers, “I am serious about this. If you don’t tell me what my dream was and what it means, you will be torn limb from limb, and your houses will be turned into heaps of rubble!
God had seriously rattled Nebuchadnezzar with this dream, and he didn’t want the magi messing with him. So, he uses the basic King of Babylon motivation – tear you limb from limb from limb and turn your house into (literally) a dunghill. But then, in an unusual move, King Nebuchadnezzar adds some positive motivation, which God would use to raise Daniel up.
Daniel 2:6 (NLT)
6 But if you tell me what I dreamed and what the dream means, I will give you many wonderful gifts and honors. Just tell me the dream and what it means!”
Something serious has gone down here, and Nebuchadnezzar wants to know what it means. And it is serious because it is the all-encompassing history of the gentile rulership of the world. And God has laid it out like a big “Transformer” for the King. (You know – a “Transformer.”) But first, God needs to get Daniel front and center.
Daniel 2:7-11 (NLT)
7 (So) They (the astrologers) said again, “Please, Your Majesty. Tell us the dream, and we will tell you what it means.” 8 The king replied, “I know what you are doing! You’re stalling for time because you know I am serious when I say, 9 ‘If you don’t tell me the dream, you are doomed.’ So you have conspired to tell me lies, hoping I will change my mind. But tell me the dream, and then I’ll know that you can tell me what it means.”
10 The astrologers replied to the king, “No one on earth can tell the king his dream! (how true) And no king, however great and powerful, has ever asked such a thing of any magician, enchanter, or astrologer! 11 The king’s demand is impossible. No one except the gods can tell you your dream, and they do not live here among people.”
Well, they have a little bit of it right, but it is not the gods (plural). It is the one true God of heaven that can reveal this.
Daniel 2:12-13 (NLT)
12 The king was furious when he heard this, and he ordered that all the wise men of Babylon be executed. 13 And because of the king’s decree, men were sent to find and kill Daniel and his friends.
There’s nothing like a kingdom-wide execution of all the wise men to bring God's chosen man to the forefront, right?
Daniel 2:14 (NLT)
14 When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, came to kill them, Daniel handled the situation with wisdom and discretion.
Daniel handled the situation with wisdom and discretion; plus, he had already built a base of wise interaction with the people around him. And you can tell, by the next verse, Daniel had built a wise relationship with his commander who had come to execute him.
Daniel 2:15-16 (NLT)
15 He asked Arioch, “Why has the king issued such a harsh decree?” So Arioch told him all that had happened. 16 Daniel went at once to see the king and requested more time to tell the king what the dream meant.
This is faithful confidence. Daniel believed before he saw. His FAITH was the evidence of what he could not see. (Hebrews 11:1) So Daniel asks the King for a little “breathing room.” (Literally). Then he does the only thing a person should do in a situation like this; he’s going to pray like crazy.
Daniel 2:17-18 (NLT)
17 Then Daniel went home and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah what had happened. 18 He urged them to ask the God of heaven to show them his mercy by telling them the secret, so they would not be executed along with the other wise men of Babylon.
What followed was a serious prayer meeting, with four faithful Hebrew boys beseeching the throne God with intensity, and God responded to their faithful prayers.
Daniel 2:19 (NLT)
19 That night the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven.
And notice when God reveals the dram to Daniel, Daniel doesn’t run off to fix the situation. He pauses to write a Psalm of Praise to God.
Look at the focus on God’s sovereignty in these next verses. God is sovereign. He knows all. He owns all. He controls all, and he gives all that is given.
And guys, when we truly begin to understand God’s goodness and his character, we can rest completely in his sovereignty.
Daniel 2:20-23 (NLT)
20 He (Daniel) said, “Praise the name of God forever and ever, for he has all wisdom and power. 21 He controls the course of world events; he removes kings and sets up other kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars. 22 He reveals deep and mysterious things and (He) knows what lies hidden in darkness, though he is surrounded by light. 23 I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors, for you have given me wisdom and strength. You have told me what we asked of you and revealed to us what the king demanded.”
Daniel’s entire Psalm of praise here was in response to God’s awesome sovereignty, and that is actually the biggest lesson in this entire chapter.
So now that praise to God is completed, Daniel can go on with God’s business for him.
Daniel 2:24-25 (NLT)
24 Then Daniel went in to see Arioch, whom the king had ordered to execute the wise men of Babylon. Daniel said to him, “Don’t kill the wise men. Take me to the king, and I will tell him the meaning of his dream.”
25 Arioch quickly took Daniel to the king and said, “I have found one of the captives from Judah who will tell the king the meaning of his dream!”
Arioch didn’t get his position by being stupid, so he tries to slide some credit in for himself on this deal. But you won’t see Daniel do any of that.
Daniel 2:26 (NLT)
26 The king said to Daniel (also known as Belteshazzar), “Is this true? Can you tell me what my dream was and what it means?”
This is big, right here, the King of Babylon says, is this true or not? Can you tell me or not? And Daniel uses it as a huge “point to God” moment.
Daniel 2:27 (NLT)
27 Daniel replied, “There are no wise men, enchanters, magicians, or fortune-tellers who can reveal the king’s secret.
Daniel just told King Nebuchadnezzar exactly what he did not want to hear, that no one on earth could tell the King his dream. And just about as Daniel was about to scream “Off with his head,” Daniel says in verse 28:
Daniel 2:28 (NLT)
28 But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the future. Now I will tell you your dream and the visions you saw as you lay on your bed.
NOW Daniel has the King’s attention… but he is not finished making sure King Nebuchadnezzar knows that it is only God who can provide what he is looking for.
Daniel 2:29-30 (NLT)
29 “While Your Majesty was sleeping, you dreamed about coming events. He who reveals secrets has shown you what is going to happen. 30 And it is not because I am wiser than anyone else that I know the secret of your dream, but because God wants you to understand what was in your heart.
Only God gets the credit, or Daniel has failed in his duty.
Before we move on to the historical lesson side, let me quote from David Jeremiah to summarize all we can learn from Daniel in this critical situation.
David Jeremiah
[Daniel] is composed before crisis,
courageous before the captain who is to take his life,
confident before God in prayer,
careful before his success to give praise to the Lord -
and when God answers his prayer, he is contrite in his spirit.
And so now we get to what we came to this chapter for.
Daniel 2:31-33 (NLT)
31 “In your vision, Your Majesty, you saw standing before you a huge, shining statue of a man (a giant Transformer). It was a frightening sight. 32 The head of the statue was made of fine gold. Its chest and arms were silver, its belly and thighs were bronze, 33 its legs were iron, and its feet were a combination of iron and baked clay.
Let’s review, because each piece of this “transformer” has significant meaning.
Head of GOLD
Chest and arms - SILVER
Belly and thighs - BRONZE
Legs were IRON
Feet - a combination of IRON and BAKED CLAY
There’s a total of FIVE PARTS - Making up the giant Transformer in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.
But now, look at what happens.
Daniel 2:34-35 (NLT)
34 As you watched, a rock was cut from a mountain, but not by human hands. It struck the feet of iron and clay, smashing them to bits. 35 The whole statue was crushed into small pieces of iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold. Then the wind blew them away without a trace, like chaff on a threshing floor. But the rock that knocked the statue down became a great mountain that covered the whole earth.
That’s it. Right there. That is the history of the Gentile rule of the world, all wrapped up in one easy to understand statue. Guys, God wants us to know he has everything under control, and God wants us to know, in the big picture, exactly what is coming in this world. And he wants it to be clear, so we can make a clear choice about which side we want to be on when it all comes down.
So, here we go – the history of the world, according to God.
Daniel 2:36 (NLT)
36 “That was the dream. Now we will tell the king what it means.
First, the head of gold represents the world-ruling kingdom of Babylon.
Daniel 2:37-38 (NLT)
37 Your Majesty, you are the greatest of kings. The God of heaven has given you sovereignty, power, strength, and honor. 38 He has made you the ruler over all the inhabited world and [He] has put even the wild animals and birds under your control. You are the head of gold.
Again, Daniel makes it clear to Nebuchadnezzar, whatever he has; it has been given to him by God alone. God has given you, God has made you, and God has put these things under your control.
First, God’s sovereignty takes center stage, and we need to see God’s sovereignty at center stage in this Chapter.
Babylon was the first real world-ruling empire and really the proto-type of all world-ruling empires to come. And so right here, at the beginning of world-ruling empires, God spells out the history of the world as far as world-ruling empires go. Babylon has always represented man’s rule over the earth, which is why it plays such a big part in end time’s prophecy. Remember it was here at Babel mankind first banded together against God. So, Babylon is the first world-ruling empire, and it is the head of gold in the statue, which made Nebuchadnezzar very happy.
Next are the arms of silver and the second world-ruling empire in the history of the world.
Daniel 2:39 (NLT)
39 “But after your kingdom comes to an end, another kingdom, inferior to yours, will rise to take your place . . .
This is the kingdom that would topple Babylon, and it would become known as the Medo-Persian Empire aptly illustrated by two arms joining at the chest. This is exactly what the Medes and the Persians did in order to create the second world-ruling empire. We will learn about this second empire because Daniel is still alive and writing when this next empire conquers Babylon. And notice the decline in value of the metal of the statue, going from gold to silver already. So those are the first two world-ruling empires, not just illustrated in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, but actually in history.
Next, we get to the belly of bronze.
Daniel 2:39 (NLT)
39 . . . After that kingdom has fallen, yet a third kingdom, represented by bronze, will rise to rule the world.
This is the world domination of the Greeks, established by Alexander the Great, who was a military genius. History says when Alexander the Great had conquered all known empires, he wept because there were no more worlds to conquer. And he did all that before he was 33, because that’s when he died, and he died in Babylon. It’s interesting the soldiers of Greece during their world domination, were dressed in bronze for battle, and historically, Greece held dominion of the world after the Medo-Persian Empire.
But, next came the iron legs, representing the iron rule of Rome.
Daniel 2:40 (NLT)
40 Following that kingdom, there will be a fourth one, as strong as iron. That kingdom will smash and crush all previous empires, just as iron smashes and crushes everything it strikes.
In school, we all learned about the Iron Legions of Rome. Fifty years before Jesus was born, the Roman Empire came into existence, and Rome was the fourth world-dominating kingdom exactly as Daniel’s prophecy predicted. But what’s interesting is the Roman Empire was never conquered. Rome fell from within (which is a very interesting study). And when Rome crumbled from within is was absorbed into the nations we know today as the European and Mediterranean nations.
But the Bible clearly teaches (especially when you combine Daniel Chapter 2 and Dan Chapter 7 along with other prophecy), that in the end times, there will be a confederation of nations that the Antichrist will come out of to rule the world. And Daniel’s interpretation of the dream lays that out perfectly. In the statue, the iron legs of Rome change into something different when world history reaches the feet, and we are living in that changing picture right now. The end of Daniel’s statue is the future Roman Empire.
Daniel 2: 41-43 (NLT)
41 The feet and toes you saw were a combination of iron and baked clay, showing that this kingdom will be divided. Like iron mixed with clay, it will have some of the strength of iron. 42 But while some parts of it will be as strong as iron, other parts will be as weak as clay. 43 This mixture of iron and clay also shows that these kingdoms will try to strengthen themselves by forming alliances with each other through intermarriage. But they will not hold together, just as iron and clay do not mix.
If we were studying different views on prophecy, I’d talk more about how others view end times prophecy here. But instead, let me just tell you where we stand generally, and where most evangelicals stand.
Most prophecy scholars view the feet and toes as a revived Roman Empire. This revived Roman Empire will be a combination of the iron strength of ancient Rome mixed with the fragile clay of other weaker nations. (By the way, the word for clay here is also used for what we would call china or porcelain). So, Rome will return to be a world-ruling empire but in a mixture of the iron fist that Rome once had, along with some toes of clay mixed in, especially when combined with Daniel Chapter 7. This is almost certainly a confederation of nations with roots in ancient Rome returning to join together as a world dominate empire.
Now over the past 40 years or so, the countries of Europe have been working hard to “join together” and revive the world power Europe once had. The first step in this reviving of European world power was actually way back in 1958, and this initial “joining together” of the European Nations was actually first called “The Treaty of Rome.” This was the beginning of what we now call “The European Union.” And since the Treaty of Rome, incredible prophetic events have been seen in the European Common Market and what is now the European Union.
Guys, we need to understand the revived Roman Empire is alive and well today, and their actions have so blatantly fulfilled (or paved the way) for Biblical prophecy that it is absolutely staggering. This is the Confederacy of Nations the Antichrist will almost certainly come out of. We dealt with this when we were studying Revelation. If you want to know some of the mind-boggling facts of the E.U., get our message called “Daniel in Revelation” from Word By Mail.
So there have been four major world-ruling empires (one to come.) It was prophecy when Daniel wrote it. It is historical fact now, and they came about just as God revealed them to Nebuchadnezzar through Daniel. And we have got to see God’s sovereignty in that, and we have got to see the assurance of God’s word in this. In one dream, in one prophecy, in 600 A.D., God laid out the history of the Gentile world. Four of the five phases of that world history have come to pass. One is yet to be, and it is here today in a mind-boggling way. We must ask ourselves - what is the probability of the final phase of this world’s history coming to pass just as God said it would? And finally, we must ask ourselves what should I do about it? What does this mean to me? How should I be living in light of this incredible truth written for us 2,600 years ago and proven in every world phase since then?
Five phases of Gentile world history. Four of which have occurred like clockwork, and the fifth is in place and moving ahead like clockwork. However, that is not the end of it. That’s not where God’s plan ends. It will be during the rule of the revived Roman nations that the story gets really good.
Daniel 2:44-45 (NLT)
44 “During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or conquered. It will crush all these kingdoms into nothingness, and it will stand forever. 45 That is the meaning of the rock cut from the mountain, though not by human hands, that crushed to pieces the statue of iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold. The great God was showing the king what will happen in the future. The dream is true, and its meaning is certain.”
This, my friends, is the return of Jesus Christ to this earth, and the beginning of the Eternal Kingdom of Christ. The Rock, cut from the mountain (but not by human hands), is so clearly Jesus Christ, that no scholars debate it. Jesus is the Rock in so many places in scripture; this is certain this is the coming of Jesus Christ. And we see clearly here the second coming of Jesus Christ because when this rock comes, its first action is to crush all ruling empires of this world and obliterate all signs of not only the existing revived Roman Empire but also every other Gentile Kingdom since Babylon! And then the Kingdom of Jesus Christ will become a kingdom like a mountain, which will stand forever. This is referring to both the Millennial Kingdom and the Eternal Kingdom of God.
There is so, so much more I could say, and so much more I want to say, maybe we’ll come back to this next week. But this is what we absolutely must hear today.
GOD IS SOVEREIGN.
This means he has absolute and unlimited power and control over all; all of everything, including the history of the world.
God is working out his plan perfectly, and he will bring it to pass perfectly. Even when the circumstances seem contradictory to God’s plan, he is still bringing his plan to pass perfectly. And the history of the rule of this earth is going perfectly according to God’s plan, just as Daniel wrote it in 600 B.C.
The history of this world will continue to move forward according to God’s plan perfectly. And it is. (Maybe we’ll look more at HOW it is next week. Maybe we’ll finish the chapter next week.) But for today, it is enough to receive on great truth from God, maybe the greatest of all truths… God is sovereign. He is in control. He is bringing his plan to pass, perfectly… And he has made a way for you to receive the eternal rewards of being part of his plan.
For today, just see that God is in control. He is in control, and he will continue to be in control. And if God is in control, you don’t have to be. You can trust him. He’s got this. We just need to make sure we are with him and not against him. The history of this world is on God’s plan and God’s timetable.
In our Hearts - EACH of us - need to come to the place - that we
Truly Believe that,
Truly TRUST that, and
Truly JOIN God in what he has PLANNED.
Let’s just do that right now, and we’ll pick up some other things in this message next week.