31"You, O king, were looking and behold, there was a single great statue; that statue, which was large and of extraordinary splendor, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was awesome.32"The head of that statue was made of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze, 33its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.34"You continued looking until a stone was cut out without hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and crushed them.35"Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were crushed all at the same time and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them was found But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

The DREAM REVEALED. Dan. 2:31-35

A. The Statue 2:31-33

B. The Rock Strikes the image on the feet. 2:24-35a

C. The Rock Grows Into a Mountain that fills the earth. 2:35b

 36"This was the dream; now we will tell its interpretation before the king.37"You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength and the glory;38and wherever the sons of men dwell, or the beasts of the field, or the birds of the sky, He has given them into your hand and has caused you to rule over them all. You are the head of gold.

A. Head of Gold Is the Babylonian Empire. 2:36-38

1. “You are the head of Gold –Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon.

2. That the King stands for the entire kingdom is inferred by vs. 38 

"After you another kingdom will arise, inferior to yours."

3. That Nebuchadnezzar established Babylon as the world empire

confirmed historically.

     a. The archives of Assyria & Babylon confirm that

Babylon was under the control of Assyrians until the time

of Nabopolassar and his son, Nebuchadnezzar. (Pritchard

Ed.), Ancient Near Eastern Texts, pp. 303-305).

     b. Babylonian records describe the events that led to the

conquering of the Assyrians kingdom and the establishment

of the Babylonian world empire by Nabopolassar, who

immediately died and was succeeded by his son,

Nebuchadnezaar (Ancient Near East Texts, pp. 303-3-5).

B. Breast and Arms of Silver = the Medo Persian Empire. 2:29

1. Daniel himself later predicted that the Medo-Persian Empire

was to conquer the Babylonian Empire. (Dan. 5:28-30)

2. Former prophets also predicted the Medes would conquer

Babylon (Isa. 13:17; Jer. 51:11); Cyrus is specifically named

as the king who will free the Jews from their captivity.

(Isa. 44:26-45:1,13)

3. The Bible records the historical fulfillment of the prophecies

that the Medes and Persian conquered Babylon. (2 Chron. 

36:20-23 ; Ezra 1:1-8; Dan. 6: 1-28).

4. Historical records of Babylon and Persia describe the fall of

Babylon to the Medo-Peresian Empire under Cyrus.

(Anciet Near Eastern Text , pp. 305-307, 315-316; Olmstead,

History of the Persian Empire).

Liberal scholars, in an attempt to make the Grecian Empire the 4th kingdom in the image of Daniel 2, divide the Medes from the Persians to make the second and third kingdoms. Daniel clearly presents the Medo Persian kingdom as a single unit under Cyrus. (6:8, 12,15,28, ; 8: 20-21). Babylon and Persian cuneiform records indicate that Medo-Persia was a single kingdom with Cyrus as the principal king and Gobryas (gor-juhs) (Darius of Daniel 6) as a sub-king appointed over the province of Babylon (Near East Texts, p. 306; History of the Persian Empire, pp. 49-51,57.

39"After you there will arise another kingdom inferior to you, then another third kingdom of bronze, which will rule over all the earth.

Belly & Thighs of Bronze= Grecian Empire. Dan. 2:39.

1. Daniel predicts in chapter 8 that Greece will conquer the Medo Persian Empire and then sub-divide into 4 separate kingdoms. Dan. 8:5-22.

2. Historical records confirm that Greece conquered the Medo-Persian Empire and later was separated into 4 different kingdoms. (1st Macabees 1:1-9; Josephus, Antiquities, 524 book XII, 1:1; History of the Persian Empire, pp. 495-524__Ancient Near East Text, p. 317).

40"Then there will be a fourth kingdom as strong as iron; inasmuch as iron crushes and shatters all things, so, like iron that breaks in pieces, it will crush and break all these in pieces.41"In that you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it will be a divided kingdom; but it will have in it the toughness of iron, inasmuch as you saw the iron mixed with common clay.42"As the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of pottery, so some of the kingdom will be strong and part of it will be brittle.43"And in that you saw the iron mixed with common clay, they will combine with one another in the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, even as iron does not combine with pottery.

The Legs with Feet, Partly of Iron & Partly of Clay=Roman Empire. Dan. 2:40-45

1. The 4th kingdom includes both legs and feet. Dan. 2:40-42

2. Daniel predicts this 4th kingdom in greater detail in chapter 7; we will later see how perfectly this fits Rome.

3. The New Testament names the kingdom of the first century as the Roman Empire under its Emperors, Augustus (Lk.2:1-2) Tiberius (Lk.3:1-2), and Claduis (Acts 11:28).

4. Historical Records describe the conquering of the divided Grecian Empire by Rome/Seutonius, Lives of the Twelve Caesars, pp.21-23__"I came, I saw, and I conquered."

5. The difference between the feet and the legs.

a. Some commentators interpret the feet to indicate a later chronological stage of the Roman Empire, thus the toes are stretched to the end of time (please don't laugh). The legs are viewed as a time when Rome was a strong united kingdom and the feet as a time when Rome was divided, the Key to Prophetic Revelation, pp. 75-76.

b. The above interpretation is false to say the least. Prior to the establishment of the Roman Empire, when a nation conquered another the people of the conquered nation were usually deported. That is exactly what happened to Judah when they were moved from their homeland and deported to Babylon. Rome ended this practice for the most part. Instead of deporting people, the Roman Empire left people intact as much as possible and moved Roman officials and the Roman army in to manage. The Roman Empire then was many nations (mixed clay) and all of these different nations were held together by the iron (Rome).

c. Iron does not mix with clay: through marriages Rome sought to strengthen its hold on different nations, but marriages failed as in the case of Cleopatra and Julius Caesar and later Anthony and Cleopatra. The Roman colonies remained separate from the people and Roman citizenship was so sacred that the iron never mixed with the clay.

The Divine Kingdom

44"In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.45"Inasmuch as you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold, the great God has made known to the king what will take place in the future; so the dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy."

The Rock Strikes the Feet__________

A. Thus, Jesus, the rock hits the image on its feet, in an area where

the clay/iron condition existed in the first century:

Palestine. In weak Palestine was to be born the king who would

ultimately conquer Rome: Jesus Christ.

B. Later during the ministry of Jesus, the Jews were no longer 

permitted an independent king. Pilate a 

Roman governor, exerted the iron fist of Rome into an area that 

was partly clay during Christ's birth.

C. The Stone which grew into a Mountain represents Christ &

His Kingdom. Dan. 2:44-45.

1. In the days of the kings of the Roman Empire: 4th kingdom, 

Lk 2:1; 3:1.

a. John the Baptist said that the kingdom was at hand. Matt. 3:2.

b. Jesus said the time was fulfilled for the kingdom, Mark 1:15.

c. The kingdom would come with power in the apostles' lifetime.

Mark 9:1.

d. Power was to come with the Spirit. Acts 1:8.

e. Christ to sit at God's right hand and rule in the midst of his enemies. 

Psa. 110:1-6; Acts 2:30-36 (on David's throne).  

f. Christ to reign while He sits. Acts. 2:34; 1st Cor. 15:25-26.

g. We are in the kingdom now___Col. 1:13; Rev. 1:6,9.

2. Christ is the Stone. Matt. 21:33-43; Lk. 20:18; Rev. 2:26-27; 19:15.

a. Christ rules with rod of iron, crushing all. Lk. 20: 18; 

Rev. 2:26-27; 19:15.

b. Christians to rule over all nations by participating in judgment 

over them. 1st Cor. 6

2-3; Matt. 25:32.

3. The Stone grows into a mountain as the gospel is preached

in all the world and Christ's kingdom

(we call the church) fills the entire earth. Matthew 28:19-20.

a. Chronological order of Revelation 20.

1 Rev. 20:1,2---Satan bound 1000 years in bottomless pit

2 Rev. 20:3---Satan loosed for a little while.

3. Rev. 20:4---Thrones of Judgment.

b. Satan's binding in regard to sin: his powers limited and his habitation diminished: but he is free to roam about dragging his chains.

c. Bottomless pit, abussos, the pit, the abyss, hades, tartarus. Lk. 8:31; Rom. 10:7; Rev. 9:1; 11:7; 17:8; 2nd Peter 2:4.

d. Christ descended to Hades at death___Acts 2:27, 31 bound Satan and in a senses destroyed his power abolishing death, 2nd Tim. 1:10; spoiling Satan's house, Col. 2:13-15; and thus secured the key and authority over death and Hades. Rev. 1:8.

e. Satan cannot harm the Christian who clings to Jesus (1st John 5:18).

f. Christians live and reign with Jesus as royal priests. Rev. 1:6,9; 1st Peter 2:5-9; Eph. 2:5-6. This is the first resurrection___Jn. 5:24-27 and occurs at baptism, Romans 6:3-4.

The second resurrection is bodily and occurs at the end of the world when Christ returns on the "last day" Jn. 5:28; 6:40; 12:48 (notice not lasts days plural).

g. Satan is loosed: battle of God and Magog: many say its Russia and the battle is soon to occur. How if the 1000 years hasn't come? If Christ reigns 1000 years and the Satan destroys Christ's work, what was the millennium for anyway? If now, then Satan's brief freedom will only permit Christ's second coming to be that much more glorious when he snatches the church from what appears to be certain defeat.

 46Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and did homage to Daniel, and gave orders to present to him an offering and fragrant incense.47The king answered Daniel and said, "Surely your God is a God of gods and a Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, since you have been able to reveal this mystery."48Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts, and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon.49And Daniel made request of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego over the administration of the province of Babylon, while Daniel was at the king's court.

A. Nebuchadnezzar's pagan response to Daniel's feat (Dan. 2:46).

a. Bowed before him and worshiped him, as Jerome says, in the same way the Lycaoians did in Acts 14:11-15. As Alexander the Great did before the High Priest of Israel (Josephus, Antiq. 11.8.5).

b. Prov. 14:19---the evil bow down before the good.

c. Daniel had nothing to do with the order, and though he probably protested could do nothing under the order of the Emperor of the world.

B. Nebuchadnezzar's first recognition of the true God, while still accepting other gods (Dan. 2:47).

C. Nebuchadnezzar's political exaltation of Daniel (Prov. 14:35; Gen. 41:39-40).

D. Chief prefect over the wise men: counselors of the king; Daniel could thus exert the most powerful and godly influence on the king.

E. Daniel's friends are exalted over the governmental affairs of Babylon.

F. Note that Daniel remained at the king's court, while his friends went out into the province.