An ancient Babylonian king's nightmare illustrates the divine plan of salvation for the Nation of Israel - and the redemption of the world through a 1000 year kingdom of peace - governed from Jerusalem.
Nebuchadnezzar ruled the world for forty years beginning in 604 B.C. His personality and style of rule demanded he be in total control. He was a brilliant military strategist, an astute administrator and personally, extremely proud.
He has become one of the legendary rulers of antiquity primarily because his kingdom was involved with the tiny state of Judah. Because of this we have some of the best character insights into any ancient king, recorded for us in the Bible. Early in his career he conquered Judah and destroyed the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. Then he had a dream.
Great importance was attached to dreams in Babylon, the same was true of astrology. The Bible record tells us that the king's mind was troubled by this dream and he could not sleep. He called in his advisors, who were a collection of magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers, to tell him what he had dreamed and to provide an interpretation. We pick up the record from the second chapter of the Prophecy of Daniel. "Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, "O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it." The king replied to the astrologers, "This is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces and your houses turned into piles of rubble. But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So tell me the dream and interpret it for me." Daniel 2:4-6 (NIV)
Then the astrologers offended the king. Again, back to the record. The astrologers answered the king, The astrologers answered the king, "There is not a man on earth who can do what the king asks! No king, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer. What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among men." Daniel 2:10-11(NIV)
Well the king was furious and ordered the execution of all the advisors in his kingdom. However, there was a young prince who had been taken captive from Judah; his name was Daniel. Daniel intervened on behalf of the wise men of Babylon and asked for time to make a presentation to the king.
A God In Heaven
He was given the opportunity. But Daniel carefully prefaced his explanation to the king by saying that it was not by his own wisdom that he could provide the king with the answer.... " 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: "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. 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. "You looked, O king, and there before you stood a large statue -- an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance.
The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay.
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. 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." Daniel 2:28-35(NIV)
The explanation God provided for this great king, through the mouth of his servant was simple but profound. The four metals represented four kingdoms that would arise on the earth. The first portrayed was Nebuchadnezzar's own kingdom, Babylon, the head of gold. After him was to arise another kingdom that would be inferior -- represented by the chest and arms of silver. Following this empire, another of brass then another represented by iron. All the metals were to represent some aspect of each succeeding empire that would arise on the earth. Then, in the end, a time would come when the nations would be like iron mixed with clay.... 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. As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. 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. 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. 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." Daniel 2:41-45(NIV)
Mother of all prophecies
It could easily be said that this is indeed the ‘mother of all Bible prophecies'. The meaning of this dream became the basis of all future prophecies that related to the future of the world but especially to the people of Israel, Daniel's people. As it will be shown later, all of these prophecies were given primarily as they related to the Jews.
The historical context is obvious and well understood by all serious students of the Bible. It displayed four world kingdoms that were to arise causing the dream to run parallel to history. The Babylonian kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar was taken over by the Medes and Persians. They, in turn, were conquered by the Greeks under the brilliant leadership of Alexander the Great. The Greek Empire collapsed, after the death of Alexander into four separate kingdoms ruled by four of Alexanders Generals. This divided state finally gave way to the fourth empire, Rome. This is all a matter of ancient history. Most of the interpretation, however, was given long before most of the events took place.
A great cataclysm
But the vision was not given to Nebuchadnezzar so much to show the succession of empires that would come as to show the great cataclysm that will usher in the Kingdom of God and to define the world situation at that time. It should have also been a lesson to this proud king that all kingdoms of men will eventually be displaced by the Kingdom of God that will be established on earth.
‘In the days of these kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed (when all others before have been)' is critical to our understanding today. When the other various parts of the prophecy have been fulfilled, we can be confident in the certain fulfilment of the balance. What kind of world is here described? A world that is integrated. A mix of weak and strong nations that are holding together as a unit, but supported by the instability of feet of iron and clay.
The key words in the prophecy are stood and broken to pieces at the same time. When the God of Heaven sets up his kingdom that will never be destroyed the world will be integrated and functioning with all the diverse forms of economics, religion and government that existed throughout the histories of all the empires.
Man will erect such an image in the end of time and it will be, as far as the Bible is concerned, essentially Babylon (the head of gold). But the world will also be fragmented. The key words here are mixture and will not remain united. These words aptly describe the world today. In recent years there has been a virtual avalanche of small nations reasserting their independence. Our world is fragmented, mixed and will not be united.
It might be important to mention that the word "mixed" that is used in the prophecy is the same word that is used for "Arab." Arab in the Hebrew means "mixed." It might be an appropriate bit of detail - to make the prophecy come alive in the last days. A world that is standing on feet that are "mixed" or "Arab." Considering the influence the Arab nation have on every aspect of world affairs, it is not a big step to see the Arabs in the divine plan....
Integrated and fragmented. This describes precisely the incongruity of the image. Consider an image with a head of pure gold (the heaviest of the four metals) standing on "mixed" feet made of iron and clay. The New World Order of man will exist as a marvel and will, according to the Bible, be worshipped by all mankind for the wonder of its existence. This world order will stand on the fragile and flamable issues in the Middle East as we see the transition to the Kingdom of God on earth and the redemption of the Nation of Israel.
What is to come
Nebuchadnezzar began a succession of empires that would have a profound affect on Israel and the city of Jerusalem. He destroyed the city at the zenith of his reign and took most of the educated and royalty to serve as captives in Babylon. Under the rule of the Medes and Persians the Nation of Israel was encouraged to return and rebuild the city of Jerusalem and re-inhabit the land. While Alexander the Great had been favourable to Israel, the kingdoms of the Selucids and Ptolemies that followed treated Israel and the Jews with extreme brutality. The temple was desecrated under one of the Selucids, Antiochus IV Epiphanes. The Roman Empire played host to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the Jewish Messiah. The Roman Legions also destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the temple in AD. 70. The Jews were scattered throughout the world to suffer persecution for the next 1800 years.
The modern world, represented by the standing image, will likewise affect the fortunes of God's eternal people Israel. As it continues to integrate, including all the powers, economics, ideologies and political control of the historical empires, it will be standing on feet of clay - as the prophet Daniel predicted. It is my firm believe that it is standing today and will soon, like all empires before, cross the path of the Nation of Israel. When it touches the ‘apple of God's eye' (Deut. 32:10) it will be destroyed.
"In those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them concerning my inheritance, my people Israel, for they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land.... Then you will know that I, the LORD your God, dwell in Zion, my holy hill. Jerusalem will be holy; never again will foreigners invade her." Joel 3:1-2;17(NIV)
This is synonymous to the time spoken of by Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar - ‘to the days of these kings'. Our integrated, fragmented world depicted so long ago in the dream will soon give way to the Kingdom of God that will fill the whole earth and last forever.... ‘This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of the mountain, but NOT BY HUMAN HANDS - a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.... The dream is true and the interpretation has proven trustworthy.
Clyde Snobelen
