Daniel
Chapter 2
Vs. 1-23
One night King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream. It upset him so much he could not sleep. He called in his advisors: men who used magic, men who looked at the stars and believed the stars could tell what would happen.
He said I have had a dream. It has upset me. I want to know what it means.
In the King James Version of the Bible it says that the kings said the dream was “gone from him”. Other versions do not say this.
The advisors said: Tell us what the dream was and we will tell you what it means.
The king said: You tell me what I dreamed. Then tell me the meaning.
The king became angry. He said If you do not tell me what I dreamed I will tear off your arms and legs and tear down your houses.
If you tell me what I dreamed and what it means I will give you wonderful gifts and honor.
The advisors said again: Tell us the dream and we will tell you what it means.
The king felt that they did not know the answer and the were trying to put him off to get more time. After all he had just said he would kill them all if they did not tell him.
If these magic men are so powerful and if they have the ability to get “in touch” with special powers then let the special powers tell them what the dream was.
These men could not do it. Whatever special powers they were in touch with it did not work this time.
So they told the king that “No one could tell the king his dream except the gods and they do not live on earth with men.”
But Daniel knew “a god” that did not live on earth among men. And that “god” did know and that “god” was able to tell Daniel.
So the king send orders for his man in charge to find all the wise men and kill them.
When the man came to Daniel Daniel showed wisdom. He said to the man “Why are you killing me?” So the man told him what happened. Daniel said “Take me to the king.”
He asked the king to give them a little more time so they could tell him the dream.
Daniel knew the Lord well enough to know that God could show him what the dream was.
Daniel told his friends about what happened. He asked them to join him in praying that God would give him the dream so he could tell the king.
God answered their prayer. That night God showed Daniel the dream and what it meant.
Daniel gave words of praise to God for answering his prayer: vs. 20-23
Vs. 24-45
Daniel went to the man in charge and told him “Do not kill all the wise men. Take me to the king and I will tell him the dream.”
(You would think all the wise men would be thankful to Daniel for saving their life. But as time went on they mostly were just jealous.)
When Daniel was in front of the king, the king asked him “Can you tell me my dream?”
Daniel would not take credit for himself. He said: “There are no wise men who can tell you what you dreamed. But there is a God in heaven who can show all secrets.”
Daniel said: I will tell you what you dreamed and what it means. It is not because I am any wiser than the other men but it is because God wants you to understand what you saw.
The Dream:
There was a statue of a man. A very big statue. It made you afraid to even look at it.
The head was gold. The chest and arms were silver. The belly and tops of the legs were bronze. The legs were iron. The feet were of iron and clay.
As you were watching from a mountain nearby a stone was cut from it in a way that was supernatural meaning not by a natural way but was done by God.
The stone came crashing onto the feet of the statue. The feet broke apart. Then the statue fell down.
The statue broke into little pieces and the wind blew them all away.
The rock that hit the feet of the statue became a great mountain it covered the whole earth.
The Meaning of the Dream:
You King Nebuchadnezzar are a great king over many other kings.
The God of heaven has made you become a great king over many.
(This would be “news” to King Nebuchadnezzar. He never thought of a God in heaven as being over him. And that this God of heaven gave him the power to be king over all would be a new thought. King Nebuchadnezzar thought he by his own strength and smarts became king of all.)
(This would be something to think about a God over kings. A God in heaven who is over all.)
Nebuchadnezzar, You are the head of gold.
Your kingdom will come to and end. The next kingdom will not be as strong. This kingdom is the silver chest and arms.
Then a third kingdom will be. It will be less strong. It is the belly and top of the legs made of bronze.
A fourth kingdom comes. It is the legs of iron. Iron can crush and break things. This kingdom will crush and break all kingdoms before it.
The feet and toes made of iron and clay shows that these kingdoms will try to join together but iron and clay does not stick together and these kingdoms will not be able to work together.
During the time of the iron and clay kingdoms the God of heaven “the rock”
will crush these kingdoms. Nothing of them will be left. The God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will fill the whole earth and be forever.
Daniel finished. “This is the dream and the meaning. God has shown it to you. It is true and is will happen for sure.”
Vs. 46-49
Then King Nebuchadnezzar bowed down before Daniel and worshipped Daniel.
He commanded that the people bring sacrifices and incense to burn before Daniel.
The king said to Daniel: Your God is the God of all gods. The Lord over kings. He is able to show secret things. You told me what I dreamed.”
The dream was important and the king knew it had a special message. He wanted to be sure to get the right meaning.
Daniel was the only one who could do it. Because God gave him the answer.
Then the king gave Daniel a high leadership place. Daniel was head over all the other wise men. He gave him many gifts.
Daniel asked the king to favor his 3 friends. (After all, they had helped pray for the answer of the dream.) And so the king gave them leadership places also.
What Bible Teachers say Daniel’s Interpretation Means:
The head of gold was Nebuchadnezzar the Babylonian Kingdom. It lasted for 60
more years until 538 BC (538 years before Christ came)
The silver chest and arms was the Medo-Persian Kingdom (Medes and Persians).
It lasted for 202 years until 336 BC.
The bronze belly and tops of legs was the Greek Empire. Ruled by Alexander the Great.
The iron legs were the Roman Empire. It was a very powerful kingdom.
The next kingdom would be a mixture of iron and clay. This means that the kingdoms do not mix together well. There are ten toes on the feet. Many Bible teachers say this means 10 kingdoms. Ten kingdoms trying to get along together but they do not mix.
Then comes “the rock” God and he smashes 10 kingdoms and they are gone. The rock becomes a mountain the fills the whole earth and last forever. This is God’s kingdom that smashes all the other kingdoms and then it lasts forever.
The question has always been who will be this number 5 kingdom?
A kingdom made up of 10 kings.
The Roman Kingdom ruled over most of Europe and the Middle East. They ruled over the top part of Africa after the Greek kingdom fell.
They did not rule over China, Japan, the islands of the sea, Australia, America, or Mexico. They did not rule over main parts of Russia or the lands up near Norway.
The Roman Government Kingdom ruled over the then “known” world. There were lands that they did not know about. But most of the lands that they knew about they ruled.
The question is what nations will be part of this “10 toes kingdoms” made of iron and clay. Two kinds of government ideas that do not mix.
We have two kinds of government ideas today. One is capitalism and one is socialism.
The United States has capitalism. We believe that everyone should work for what he gets. They he should be responsible to pay for what he gets. If he can earn a lot of money and be rich—-fine. If he can not and has less money—fine. Some people are poor and some people are rich.
People can own their own business and make money. The government does not have much control over the people. The people have the control.
Many countries in Europe have socialism. The government owns most of the businesses.
The people pay very high taxes to the government and then the government gives the people medicine and education, etc. The government has a lot of control over the people.
The question is are these the two “iron and clay” kinds of kingdoms? Or is it something else?
Right now the religious groups in the Middle East are showing great strength. Their government is ruled by their religion. They have many rules. Their government is very different than any of the other nations.
Could it be that these Middle East religion groups will be one the kingdoms that make up the “toes” ? One that is the “iron” or ‘clay” and the other nations the other part?
Some Bible teachers have been teaching that Europe will have 10 “kingdoms” nations groups areas. Right now there are many more than 10, but some say they are talking about some of the nations going together to make one nation. When they are all done there will be 10 bigger nations covering Europe.
And where will the United States be in all of this? We do not know. We can see how ideas in our country have been changing to more socialism kind of ideas. It makes many people nervous. Some people are afraid we will lose our capitalism kind of government.
Only time will show what will happen. But people who know and understand prophecy keep watching to see how things are going to match up with what the Bible says will happen.
So far the dream that God gave King Nebuchadnezzar has happened just like God said.
So we will have to watch and see who this number 5 kingdom will be.