Nebuchadnezzar's Dream. Daniel 2:31-49

Notes

1. From gold to iron and clay shows a great deterioration in value and quality. This clearly proves decline and degeneracy of nations and the race, instead of improvement and growth to a golden age of peace and righteousness, which many so fondly cherish.

2. The stone, which represents the kingdom of God, destroys all earthly governments. It does not convert and absorb them; it smites them, and they are broken in pieces. See also Ps. 2:8, 9. Then the stone occupies all the territory, and "fills the whole earth." "All things that offend, and them which do iniquity" having been gathered out of the kingdom (referring to the territory, see Matt. 13:41), it, the territory of these earthly kingdoms, not the people, becomes the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ (Rev. 11:15). It should be noticed that the stone smites the image on the feet, which were not developed till over 300 years after Christ came; hence the kingdom of God was not set up at His first advent.

3. "Thou art this head of gold." That is, Babylon, the kingdom of which he stood at the head and representative, was the head of gold. The different divisions of the image represent the kingdoms which were to follow each other in the supremacy of the world. This is clearly shown by verses 39 and 40, and all students of history know that from Daniel's time these kingdoms were Babylon, Medo-Persia, Grecia, and Rome; hence these kingdoms were symbolized by the gold, the silver, the brass, and the iron of the great metallic image.

4. It should be noted here that the division of the fourth kingdom (Rome) is not based on the fact that there are feet and toes (and naturally ten toes, which might indicate ten divisions of the kingdom), but that the feet and toes are part of potter's clay and part of iron. The scripture says, "Whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potter's clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided." The division is indicated by the iron and clay and not by the toes. Hence in this scripture the division of the Roman Kingdom is symbolized, but not the number of the divisions. The division of Rome into ten parts is clearly shown in Daniel 7 and in the Revelation by the ten horns of the beasts, which symbolize Rome. Revelation 13 and 17.

5. By intermarriage among the royal families some of the kings sought to unite interests and make combinations that would give them power and universal supremacy, but they failed, for the Lord had said that "they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay."

6. The kingdom of God must exist with power to overthrow all earthly governments before it smites them and breaks them in pieces, as taught in the prophecy. Christ is crowned King and receives His kingdom before He comes again to the earth. Luke 19:12-15. When He comes He will wear a golden crown (Rev. 14:14), and on His vesture a name is written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS" (Rev. 19:16). He will then gather the subjects of His kingdom (Matt. 24:30, 31), and when the territory is cleared (Matt. 13:41; Dan. 2:34, 35), then the stone, or kingdom of God, will become a great mountain and fill the whole earth. Thus the kingdom is set up and fully established by a succession of events. The king, capital, subjects, and territory will be brought into harmonious relations.