Daniel 2: Nebuchadnezzar's Dream & the Times of the Gentiles


Bible Study Series: Daniel, Babylon and the End Times

Daniel Chapter 2 Lesson: Nebuchadnezzar's Dream & the Times of the Gentiles


by I Gordon


Daniel 2 Bible Study Lesson on Nebuchadnezzar's dream time of gentilesWelcome! We saw in the first part of Daniel chapter 2 that King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream. Well, more like a nightmare for it shook him to the core! Now so far we haven't actually heard the dream, though I'm sure you know it and I gave a sneak preview of it in the last message. But we certainly saw his reaction and that was to warn all his wise men that they will all be toast if they don't tell him both the dream and its interpretation. And that is no easy feat! As they rightly said 'No one can reveal it to the king except the gods' (Dan 2:11). Well, I don't know about 'the gods' part but the true God will certainly have something to say about it as we shall see. So what will this Bible study focus on?

  • We'll look at the dream itself. What was it that freaked out the most powerful man on earth at that time?
  • How does this dream outline what Jesus called the 'times of the gentiles'?
  • What are the prophetic implications of this dream for both history and our day? 
  • And what are the practical lessons we can take from this passage? What did God teach Daniel and the king through this event and what does He teach us?

Let's have a look.

Daniel, the dream interpreter

Dan 2:24-28 Then Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to execute the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, "Do not execute the wise men of Babylon. Take me to the king, and I will interpret his dream for him." (25) Arioch took Daniel to the king at once and said, "I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who can tell the king what his dream means." (26) The king asked Daniel (also called Belteshazzar), "Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream and interpret it?" (27) Daniel replied, "No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, (28) but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you lay on your bed are these...

There are plenty of mysteries out there. Who actually was Jack the ripper? Is there really a sea monster in Loch Ness? Who built Stonehenge or the great Egyptian pyramids? Some mysteries are unknowable to the natural man and knowing someone else's dream, as we have here, would certainly fall into that category. I mean understanding future events before they come about is hard enough, but knowing someone's dream about future events before they even tell you...? Ok, that is off the richter! King Nebuchadnezzar's request here is like someone demanding an answer to a question they haven't even asked yet. So let's give it a go. Have you got an answer to the question I am currently thinking of? Hmmm? Well? The answer of course is 'Elephant ears'. How did you go? But Daniel approaches the king saying that he will not only tell the king the dream, but also give its interpretation. Now we can learn from Daniel so listen to what he says to the king:  

Learning from Daniel
'No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come.'
There are two simple points I want to make from what Daniel said here.
  1. Firstly note how Daniel is very careful to make sure that only the true God gets the glory for revealing the mystery surrounding the dream. And hopefully Daniel put a rather large pause between the words 'about' and 'but' just to build the suspense a little. 'No one can explain the mystery he has asked about...', he says. '...but there is a God in Heaven who can!' We also have to be careful to make sure that it is God who gets the glory for our lives and actions. We should never point to ourselves or take the glory for what God has done. As Paul said, 'we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord.' (2 Cor 4:5)
  2. Secondly, Daniel tells King Nebuchadnezzar that the dream is about what will happen in the days to come. A more accurate translation is given in the NASB and NKJV which says that it pertains to the 'latter days'1. The Amplified Bible adds 'in the latter days (at the end of days)'. So the question immediately arises... The latter days of what? The latter days of the king's life? The latter days of the Babylonian kingdom? No... This dream goes all the way through to the latter days of mankind's kingdoms on earth. So here is my very simple point: There is such a thing as the 'latter days' which will see the end of man's rule and the establishment of God's rule on the earth! God has not designed things to carry on forever how they currently are. And we are in the last of those latter days. We really are. We are so close to seeing the end of man's rule and the coming of the days of the true King! Of course the majority can't see this and so we read:
    2Pe 3:3-4 Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, (4) and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation."

Let's now look at what God both gave and revealed in this incredible dream!

The dream revealed - The times of the Gentiles

Dan 2:29-35 As you were lying there, O king, your mind turned to things to come, and the revealer of mysteries showed you what is going to happen. (30) As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have greater wisdom than other living men, but so that you, O king, may know the interpretation and that you may understand what went through your mind. (31) You looked, O king, and there before you stood a large statue--an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. (32) The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, (33) its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. (34) While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. (35) Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were broken to pieces at the same time and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.

So here at last is a description of the dream Nebuchadnezzar had. He saw a tremendous dazzling statue constructed mostly by precious metals. You can just imagine Nebuchadnezzar's face when Daniel said 'an enormous dazzling statue' can you not? His eyes would have widened while his mouth dropped open in amazement before saying 'You got it... you know it... by golly miss molly, you know my dream!' Every word Daniel spoke from then on would have been gospel to this king! So this statue was made of the following in order - gold, silver, bronze, iron, then a mixture of iron and clay. We should note that the metals described decrease in value yet increase in strength. Now I don't think I'm giving anything away by stating that each part of the statue speaks to a coming kingdom that would dominate this world. By the decreasing value of the material used, God was showing that each successive kingdom would be less glorious than its predecessor. But note also that as each metal is stronger than the predecessor, thus each empire would be succeeded by one that was stronger. Each metal described was also prominent in the successive kingdom's coming. Explaining the use of the different metals, Dr. Renald Showers, in his book 'The Most High God', writes

'Babylon used gold extensively in its buildings, images and shrines. Even walls and buildings were overlaid with gold... In ancient times silver signified money. Medo-Persia became noted for basing its power on money... The Greeks developed this metal (bronze) highly and used it extensively... Ancient Rome was noted for its use of iron in its military weaponry.' 
Dr. Renald Showers

But there is something else that stands out in this dream and it was this part that shook the king to his core. A rock (or stone as other translations have it) that was cut out, but not by human hands, struck the statue on its feet causing the entire statue to come crashing down! This rock then became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth. And a great wind blew on the broken statue pieces like chaff and blew them all away so that there was not a trace of them left. Mmmm... interesting. What was God showing the king, and humanity, here? We will look at that soon but let's explore Daniel's interpretation of the statue first. 

The Interpretation - The Times of the Gentiles

Dan 2:36-43 This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king. (37) You, O king, are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory; (38) in your hands he has placed mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds of the air. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold. (39) After you, another kingdom will rise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. (40) Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron--for iron breaks and smashes everything--and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others. (41) Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. (42) As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. (43) And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.

So Daniel begins by declaring that the God of heaven is the One who has given king Nebuchadnezzar his authority and power. Because of that, the head of gold represents the king and his kingdom. So far so good for Nebuchadnezzar. I'm sure he was pleased with the interpretation so far. But Daniel then speaks of three more kingdoms that will arise after Nebuchadnezzar's. I'm not sure that he would have been so impressed to hear that 'after you' another kingdom will arise. 

Jerusalem & the Times of the Gentiles

What God has given us here in this dream are the kingdoms that would dominate the world, and also Jerusalem in particular, from this time of Daniel onwards. In the words of Jesus, it is the 'times of the Gentiles' which began with the Babylonian captivity in 586 BC and carries on until the coming of 'the stone' that will smash all earthly kingdoms. Jesus said:

Luk 21:24 ...Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

Jerusalem has been controlled by Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, the Ottoman empire and even Great Britain after World War I. Even today, Israel is back in the land but doesn't have full control over their capital city Jerusalem with the third holiest Islamic temple dominating the Temple Mount. And yes, this city is still the focus of the world's attention just as the prophet Zechariah declared: 

Zec 12:2-3 I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. (3) On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves.

And during the coming tribulation period Jerusalem will again be captured:

Zec 14:2 I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city.

But all this is thwarted and finished when 'the stone' comes! The gentiles will have their day of control but, as we'll see, this is on a definite God-restricted and God-ordained time scale and time is just about up!

Daniel chapter 2 statue of Gentile kingdomsSo four main Gentile kingdoms are mentioned with the last one, the Roman Empire, being divided between two stages. Firstly it is pictured in the two legs of iron which depict the eastern and western division of the Roman empire that occurred in 286AD. Secondly it is pictured in the feet / 10 toes of iron and clay which represents a future 10 king/division stage. This will be prominent in the last days at the time of the Antichrist as seen in the book of Revelation 17:12-14. So the different kingdoms are as follows:

  • Head of Gold - Babylonian Empire (606-538 BC). 
  • Silver Chest and Arms - Medes and Persian Empire (538-331 BC)
  • Thighs of Bronze - Greek Empire (331-168 BC)
  • Legs of Iron - Roman Empire (168 BC - 476 AD)
  • Feet of Iron & Clay - Revised Roman Empire (?AD -?AD)

Now Daniel spends most time on the fourth kingdom which would be as strong as iron. And in particular he speaks about the feet of this statue. As its ten toes are partly iron and partly clay, so this revived Roman empire will contain division and weakness within its strength. It specifically says that within this last kingdom there will be a brittle component due to disunity. This may come about because of the vast immigration most countries in the West have seen in these last days leaving these nations with a mixture of cultures, religions, ideas and allegiances. And as mentioned, we know from this prophecy and others that the last kingdom that will reign on this earth will be one of ten kings. Daniel 7:23-24 is an associated prophecy to this:

Daniel 7:23-24 He gave me this explanation: 'The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it. (24) The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. 

The Only Gentile Kingdoms

It is worth noting that God has declared that these would be the kingdoms that would dominate the world - Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. And no more! Many others have tried. Countries like Spain, France and Britain have had their time of power but none have dominated the world. Various leaders like Hitler, Napoleon, Stalin and others have desired domination but have not succeeded. The last 2500 years of world history have played out like God said it would. And that is why we do well to pay attention to what He says happens next!  

The Interpretation - The Days of the King

Dan 2:44-45 In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. (45) This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands--a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces. "The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and the interpretation is trustworthy."

And now we get to the really good part because the main thing to focus on is a different kingdom. In contrast to these limited earthly kingdoms, Daniel tells us that one is coming, from heaven, which will be eternal! Can you imagine being king Nebuchadnezzar hearing that? Who has ever heard of an everlasting kingdom? But then it makes sense. This is not a human led kingdom -it is the kingdom of heaven coming to earth! It is pictured as a stone or a rock that will crush all these Gentile kingdoms (but notice that it strikes specifically at the feet - or in the days when the ten kings represented by the ten toes, are in power).

The Stone from HeavenBook of Daniel Bible Study Commentary Chapter 2

So who or what is this stone? Well, we see that this stone was not cut out by human hands. That is the first clue. In other words, the stone is from heaven. If you know your Bible this is simple I know!2 Jesus is:

  • The Rejected Stone. Psalm 118:22
  • The Tried Stone. Isaiah 28:16
  • The Stumbling Stone. Isaiah 8:14-15
  • The Living Stone. 1 Peter 2:4-8
  • The Stone of Israel. Gen 49:24   
  • And let's not forget that Jesus spoke of Himself as the stone and declared what would happen to those who reject this stone:
    "And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder” Mat 21:44.

Here we have Israel’s sin and judgment and the fate of the Gentiles. Israel stumbled against this stone; for them He was a stumbling stone and rock of offense. In consequence they were broken as a nation. But the Gentile world, rejecting Him, will be broken when the stone falls. They will be ground to powder by the falling stone. Our Lord must have had the dream of Nebuchadnezzar in mind when he spake these words. The falling stone of which He speaks and the striking stone in the dream mean the same Person, Himself .
A. C. Gaebelein

Jesus' Kingdom is Coming!

Also note how this kingdom is described as coming for this prophetic dream saw something radical! 

Daniel 2:35 'Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were broken to pieces at the same time and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.

How does Jesus' Kingdom come?

  • It doesn't give us a picture of Christianity slowly expanding and man's kingdom's slowly decreasing. 
  • It doesn't show that Christians will dominate the '7 mountains' of this world and present a 'Christianized' world back to the Lord before He comes - as some in the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) incorrectly teach. 
  • It clearly shows Jesus will smash the earthly kingdoms Himself, without human help, in one event, at one time, when He comes. 
  • It shows that all the kingdoms 'were broken to pieces at the same time'. So while the last human kingdom focused on the revived Roman Empire with its ten toes (kings) there will still be remnants and power in the other kingdoms as well such as Babylon (Iraq, Syria region), Medo-Persia (Iran) and Grecian (Greece/Europe). All will be destroyed at the same time and to such an extent that they will be swept away without a trace! A whole new order will then be set up that is established over the entire earth... The kingdom of God! Yes! Finally!

And our focus should be on His coming. 

“The primitive church thought more about the second coming of Jesus Christ than about death or Heaven. They were not looking for a cleft in the ground called ‘the grave,’ but for a cleavage in the sky called ‘glory.’
Puritan preacher Alexander Maclaren

The greatest mystery is yet to be revealed!

Dan 2:46-49 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him. The king said to Daniel, 'Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.' Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men. Moreover, at Daniel's request the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained at the royal court.

Obviously king Nebuchadnezzar is blown away! He is probably relieved to some extent that this dream doesn't indicate the immediate end of him or his kingdom. In fact, such is his relief and amazement that in a sign of great humility he even lies down prostrate before Daniel! Today in the Word gives the following illustration: 

"The first man to be photographed atop Mount Everest was not the first man to climb Mount Everest. Sir Edmund Hillary chose to be the man behind the camera, and instead photographed his guide, Tenzing Norgay. Hillary later explained why he didn't have his own picture taken instead, saying, “As far as I knew, he had never taken a photograph before—and the summit of Everest was hardly the place to show him how!” All humor aside, Hillary owed the success of his journey to his helper Norgay, and he rewarded his Tibetan sherpa with honor and fame."

Well Daniel was about to receive such honor and fame. Not bad for a young teenage Jewish boy exiled into a strange land! Not that Daniel would have wanted such praise however. He would have preferred God was given the glory. But the king states correctly that Daniel's God is the God of gods and the revealer of mysteries. Nebuchadnezzar would one day be reminded again of this in an even more radical personal way (but more on that in chapter 4).

But that certainly is what God is. With the first coming of the Lord Jesus all manner of mysteries were revealed and this continued with the ministry of the Apostle Paul especially. But the greatest mystery is yet to be revealed. It is one that has been announced and will be revealed at the time of the end. Do you know which mystery I speak of? It is the greatest mystery of all. It is the mystery that has puzzled every generation since being banished from the garden. I'll leave the answer for the small print while you contemplate your answer!3 And so Daniel is given a place of extreme honor and it is good to see that at such a time of exaltation, Daniel didn't forget his friends! He makes sure that they too are given places of authority and are made administrators over the province of Babylon. Unfortunately, things have a habit of changing pretty quickly in this life and we shall see this very thing starting as quickly as the next chapter!

Conclusion

Before closing it is worth asking 'what message do we take from a chapter such as this?' I think the message we take is the same that King Nebuchadnezzar would have taken all those years ago. 

  1. What really matters in life is preparing for the next life: In verse 29 it says that this dream came at a time when he was thinking about his future. As the king contemplated his vast kingdom and all that he had achieved, what did God do? God gave him a vision that showed the whole thing being destroyed and coming to nothing. The king had to learn that the greatness of his kingdom meant nothing as everything is temporary on this earth. It would be reduced to chaff and blown away. The king had to learn that if he wanted to be part of something eternal then he had to be looking to and following the 'stone' that would become an everlasting kingdom over the entire earth! Is this not the same for mankind now? Even as Christians do we not spend most of our time on that which will be destroyed? We also need to remember that our entire life's work will pass through a fire to test it. Only that which is built upon the foundation of the true stone, Jesus Christ, will remain (1 Cor 3:10-15). This is the message that God would have wanted the king then, and us now, to meditate upon. It is fine to study what is happening in this world and how it lines up with Biblical prophecy and that is to be encouraged. But God doesn't primarily reveal these matters just for knowledge sake or as a puzzle to be solved. They are revealed so that our hearts would be reminded and changed by the truth of eternal matters. What matters to you and what occupies your time and thought? Does it have any eternal significance? Important questions don't you agree?

  2. We need to a heightened sense of awe in the true God: The second thing that the king took from this is a great sense of awe in the God of Daniel... the God of Israel. He saw that the God of Israel controls and ordains everything perfectly. He holds all kings and kingdoms in His hand. God does not change. Our Daily Bread writes:

Haddon Robinson illustrated this truth by calling attention to a famous clock. He wrote, "In the town hall in Copenhagen stands the world's most complicated clock. It took forty years to build, at a cost of more than a million dollars. That clock has ten faces, 15,000 parts, and is accurate to two-fifths of a second every 300 years. The clock computes the-time of day, the days of the week, the months and years, and the movements of the planets for 2,500 years. Some parts of the clock will not move until twenty-five centuries have passed." "What is intriguing," Robinson added, "is that the clock is not accurate. It loses two-fifths of a second every 300 years. Like all clocks, that timepiece in Copenhagen must be regulated by a more precise clock, the universe itself. This mighty astronomical clock with its billions of moving parts, from atoms to stars, rolls on century after century with movements so reliable that all time on earth can be measured against it."
Clocks stop. Cars break down. Financial institutions go bankrupt. People disappoint us. But God and His universe remain the same. He is the reliable God!

That is what Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar and all watching learnt that day and that is the lesson for us as well. 

God Bless.



FOOTNOTES

  1. The 'latter days' is a common phrase used in the Bible. See Hos 3:5, Jer 23:21, Mic 4:1, 2 Pet 3:1-4. So as mentioned, be assured that things won't just carry on forever. God has established exactly how many days there will be and the 'latter days' will lead up to a time when God says 'enough! It is time for the kingdom of this world to become the kingdom of the Lord.'

  2. This stone is Jesus, who will strike the ten kings at His coming as is revealed in Revelation 17:12-14. In this passage, they are pictured as ten horns.

    ''The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast. They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast. They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings - and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.' '

    Jesus, as the stone from heaven, shall then reign on this earth as it says above for 'the God of Heaven shall set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed!' Some of the characteristics of this kingdom are seen in Isaiah 2:1-4. And we note from earlier in Daniel 2:35 that the stone/rock that hit and demolished the great statue 'because a great mountain and filled the whole earth'.

  3. The greatest mystery I speak of is announced in Revelation 10:5-7. In it we read the following  : 'Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said , 'There will be no more delay!  But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished  , just as he announced to his servants the prophets.' 

    The greatest mystery that will be revealed is the mystery of God. For centuries mankind has pondered God. Is there a God? Who is this God? Christians have come into a relationship with Him yet the vastness of God still cannot be comprehended. Who is this one who speaks light into being? Who is this one who knows all the stars by name? Who is this one that can create man from the dust of the ground and declares the end from the beginning? He is huge! One day the mystery will be revealed for God, Jesus Christ, will live amongst us again when He sets up His kingdom on earth.