STUDY #2 - AN IMPRESSIONIST OUTLINE OF DANIEL CHAPTER 2

Chapter 2 – Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

A. Nebuchadnezzar Conceals His Dream 2.1-13

B. God Reveals His Dream 2.14-23

C. Daniel Interprets the Dream 2.24-45

D. Nebuchadnezzar Promotes Daniel 2.46-49

We begin with Daniel interpreting Nebuchadnezzar’s dream beginning in verse 31-35: ¶ Thou, O king, didst see and behold a great image. This image, which was very large and whose glory was very sublime, stood before thee, and its form was terrible. The head of this image was of fine gold, its breasts and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of brass, its legs of iron, its feet part of iron and part of baked clay.

Thou didst see until a stone was cut out, not with hands, which smote the image upon its feet that were of iron and baked clay and broke them to pieces. Then was the iron, the baked clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold broken to pieces together and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away that no place was found for them again; and the stone that smote the image was made into a great mountain that filled the whole earth.

Next Daniel interprets the nations the image represents in verses 36-40: This is the dream, and we will tell its interpretation before the king. Thou, O king, art king of kings, for the God of heaven has given thee the kingdom, the power, and the strength, and the majesty. And everything that is inhabited by children of men, beasts of the field, and fowls of the heaven, he has given into thine hand, and has made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.

And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the land. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron; and as iron breaks in pieces and subdues all things, and as iron that breaks all these things, it shall break in pieces and bruise.

The four kingdoms described historically are:

1. Babylon – Nebuchadnezzar’s Kingdom – Took Judah into captivity in 586 BC

2. Kingdom of the Medes and Persians – Daniel chapter 5 describes the bloodless coup that overthrew Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson Belshazzar on the evening he defiled the temple vessels.

3. Kingdom of Greece led by world conqueror Alexander the Great – Alexander the Great conquered the Median-Persian Empire establishing Greece as a world power.

4. Roman Empire – The Roman Empire would be the final empire described in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. They were a fierce nation that ruled by law, order, and brutality. Daniel explains this kingdom will divided describing the feet and toes of the two legs as the division of the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire would divide eventually into East Rome and West Constantinople (named after the Emperor Constantine).

The most important take away on kingdom four, the Roman Empire, in fact, has never been out of existence. It is still alive today. Many interpreters fail to recognize this fact. It is the key to understanding end time prophecy. Let’s continue with the rest of the dream before we discuss this. Verses 41-45: And whereas thou didst see the feet and toes, part of baked potters’ clay and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it some of the strength of the iron, such as thou didst see the iron mixed with baked clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron and part of baked clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly fragile.

Concerning that which thou didst see, the iron mixed with baked clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men, but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron does not mix with clay. And in the days of those kings the God of heaven shall raise up a kingdom which eternally shall never become corrupted, and this kingdom shall not be left to another people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. In the manner which thou didst see that out of the mountain was cut one stone, not with hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God has shown the king what shall come to pass hereafter; and the dream is true, and its interpretation sure.

We see the two legs of the Eastern and Western Roman Empire with toes of iron and clay. It encompassed most of the known world and the conquered nations were composed of many ethnic groups. This made the Empire partly strong and partly broken or brittle. They were not always of one mind or in agreement with the policies of their Roman conquerors. In our day the Holy Roman Empire is the predominate religion in Europe. It is the glue that holds the European Union together and has strong influence on policies the unelected bureaucrats impose on the Union.

In the days of these kingdoms the God of Heaven will establish His kingdom on earth. It is the rock carved out of the mountain without hands that will break in pieces the iron, brass, clay, silver and gold of this world’s kingdoms, followed  by the 1,000 year Millennial Kingdom descripted in Isaiah, Zechariah, Revelation and other books of the Bible.

An argument can be made that the Roman Empire, the fourth kingdom, has continued to exist until this day. Rome fell to the pagan armies of the north but there has always been a Pope or Pontius Maximus sitting on the religious throne of Rome.

Rome fell to the Germanic tribes from the north to the Vandals, Heruli, and Othrogoths from 429 AD – 554 AD. Emperors fled to the eastern leg of the kingdom—to Constantinople and established themselves there. In fact, the Emperor Constantine established the city in 330 AD and moved east from Rome.

In the western Roman providence Emperor Justinian 554 AD began the Imperial Restoration of the western leg of Roman Rule under the Christian Pope. He became the spiritual leader of the Christian religion which came to be known as the Holy Roman Empire. At various times in early history there were two Popes, one from Rome and one from Constantinople vying for leadership of the Roman religion.

Rome was called the Papal State and was comprised of the territory of the City of Rome. As the pagan tribes became converted by the sword to Christianity it would become the Holy Roman Empire. By this time the Pope became as powerful as kings. The Roman Pope eventually became the only Pope of the Empire.

The Pope crowned Charlemagne as the Emperor of the Romans in 800 AD and the Holy Roman Empire developed from there throughout the coming centuries. Powerful families such as Otto of Germany, the Hapsburg Dynasty, Napoleon’s Kingdom, and the Fascist Italian regimes would follow. There was always a desire to unite the Holy Roman Empire into a mighty power. Today the “spirit of Charlemagne” is the glue uniting the European Union.

National Geographic Magazine has an issue called “Inside the Medieval World” that documents this history. It confirms that the Roman Empire is the forth kingdom in this current age. The foundations of the western nations which will be involved in the coming tribulation were formed during the Middle Age along with the Papacy.

The Roman Catholic Church is the most powerful of the Christian religions and embodies the political intrigues and organizational skills of the ancient Romans. They are composed of many nations of iron and clay. They are much more than a religious organization—they are a powerful political one as well. They are a player in the coming New World Order. They will be the glue that ultimately unites the European Union and the Ecumenical religious order.

Summary - The brief impression you can share with others

A. Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in chapter 2 describes the final kingdoms of this earth. The final Kingdom has been in existence since it came to power more than two millennium ago. There are other nations in this world such as in Asia and the Islamic world but they are not the major players. The final Roman Empire will most likely play a major role in the developments which will occur in the Mediterranean area, Jerusalem, and the modern nation of Israel/Judah.

B. Book of Daniel is written to the Jews, or House of Judah, and the Gentiles or House of Israel. They are all western Semitic people as are many Muslim nations. When reading Daniel we must understand he is writing a message to Torah observant peoples who follow the Biblical calendar—not the Roman calendar of modern western nations. This is key to understanding Daniel and end times prophecy. This will become obvious in our study of chapter 7.

C. Understanding world history and the Biblical calendar are a must. Anyone who does not understand this cannot possibly understand the prophecies in Daniel. Chapter 2 establishes the world order of the last days. Today we are experiencing in real time the unfolding of this New World Order established in Daniel 2. Chapter 2 is the key.

Chapter 7, our next study, will reveal who the nations represented by the beasts in Daniel’s dream may be.