The Book of Daniel - part 3
Colossus and Kingdoms
In my life I have seen two statues that I would call “colossal”.
“Christ of the Ozarks” in Eureka Springs, AR
The first Brandy and I saw on our honeymoon in Eureka Springs, AR. There, we got to see one of the Seven Wonders of Arkansas, the “Christ of the Ozarks”. It is a giant statue of Jesus standing 66 ft tall. As I stood under it, all I could say was, “That’s a big Jesus right there.”
“Statue of Athena” recreation inside the Nashville Parthenon in Centennial Park
The second, we saw while touring Nashville, TN. Centennial Park in Nashville has a full-scale replica of the Parthenon in Athens, complete with an enormous statue of Athena inlaid with gold.
Both of these statues are not meant to be objects of worship, but rather artistic representations of major figures. The “Christ of the Ozarks” was supposed to be the centerpiece for a Christian-themed amusement park that never came to fruition. The Parthenon of Nashville was an ode to the classical world to which the high society of Nashville wanted to pay homage. However, their size and stature has brought many into a state of awe.
Today, we look at another statue. This one did not exist in actuality, but only within the dream of a great king. Last week, we read how king Nebuchadnezzar was troubled by his dream of this great statue. Daniel prayed for the interpretation of the king’s dream in order to save a large number of people. Today, we will look at the dream itself and see how its meaning has significance for both Nebuchadnezzar and ourselves.
Arioch brings Daniel to the king
Therefore Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him: “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; bring me in before the king, and I will show the king the interpretation.” 25 Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste and said thus to him: “I have found among the exiles from Judah a man who will make known to the king the interpretation.” 26 The king declared to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?” 27 Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, 28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these: 29 To you, O king, as you lay in bed came thoughts of what would be after this, and he who reveals mysteries made known to you what is to be. 30 But as for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your mind.
Daniel 2:24-30
Some interesting trivia for you: Arioch’s title “chief guard” or “captain of the king’s guard” means literally “Chief Butcher”. Instead of butchering the wise men, he quickly brings Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar to interpret the dream. Look closely at the interaction between Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar.
The King asks, “Are you able to make my dream known and give its interpretation?”
Daniel replies that no man is able to do what the king has asked, but there is a God in heaven who can! It reminds us again of the point made last week:
When you need a miracle, you have to go to the only true miracle worker, God in Heaven.
Daniel gives all credit to the Lord. He is the revealer of mysteries, and God has granted the king this vision so that Nebuchadnezzar will know what is to come.
Now, one of my favorite questions is “Why?” For example, why did God give Nebuchadnezzar this dream in the first place? What did the king do to earn such a wonderful vision? Was this for Daniel’s benefit? Was it for ours looking back in history? Later, Daniel will receive his own vision. Why does this pagan king have any part in God’s revelation?
The answer, I believe, is partly found in verse 29. Here, Daniel not only begins to recount the dream for the king, but he also recounts the circumstances before the dream. The king was laying in bed and began thinking of “what would be after this.” Nebuchadnezzar had begin thinking about the future of his kingdom and the wider world. Perhaps in his thoughts he sent up some type of prayer, or he just simply wrestled with some ideas in history. Consider this is only his second year to reign. He knew the story of Babylon’s revolution from Akkadian control, and he undoubtedly has heard stories of other kingdoms. Regardless, his desire is to know what will become of his kingdom, and God grants him knowledge of what will be.
God gives wisdom and knowledge to whomever asks…even pagan kings.
Remember James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” The failure to accumulate wisdom is simply a failure to ask. Does that mean anyone can ask God for knowledge of future events, and they will receive it?—maybe, maybe not. But, it does mean that anyone who is willing to listen to God’s teachings will be taught.
Last, we should note again the humility of Daniel in verse 30. Daniel continues to disregard credit for any wisdom he may have. This dream and interpretation were given to Daniel solely for Nebuchadnezzar’s benefit and God’s glory. The king wanted an answer to his dream. Daniel wanted himself and his friends to live. So, God granted life and wisdom to both.
The Dream Statue
“You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening. 32 The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. 34 As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
Daniel 2:31-35
Daniel recounts for us the dream which centers around the vision of this giant statue. It was “mighty, and of exceeding brightness” and as it stood in front of the king, it frightened him. The head was fine gold, the chest and arms were silver, its middle and thighs were bronze, its legs iron, and its feet were partly iron and partly clay. It was truly impressive.
Then, as the king marveled at this colossus, a stone cut from a divine origin, strikes the colossus’ feet. As the statue falls to the ground, it breaks into tiny pieces which blow away like the chaff of a threshing floor. The stone remains and grows into a mountain which covers the earth.
Now, before we move into its interpretation, I want to give you just a bit more background. This dream is not completely original in its composition. What do I mean by that? First, giant statues littered the ancient world. Egypt, Rhodes, and Mesopotamia all had their share of colossal statues. Second, the division of metals to represent history dates as early as Hesiod of the 8th century BC. Symbolism of metals is found across cultures, even in Babylon’s own religious system. The statue itself was frightening, but not completely unheard of. What was probably the most troubling was the rock of divine origin that destroyed the statue.
God uses what we already know to teach us what we need to know.
The Dream Interpreted
“This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation. 37 You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, 38 and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all—you are the head of gold. 39 Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. 40 And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall break and crush all these. 41 And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage,[c] but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay. 44 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, 45 just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”
Daniel 2:36-45
First, Daniel makes it clear Nebuchadnezzar is the head of gold. His kingdom is the golden kingdom. But, there will come an inferior kingdom of silver, and then another still yet inferior of bronze. But this bronze kingdom will rule over the whole earth.
Here, we are presented with an interpretation question. Looking at the text itself, you should note these kingdoms are not named. Tradition holds we know exactly which kingdoms are represented here, because Jews and Christians in later centuries were able to look back and see what God accomplished. In fact, the certainty of who the first four kingdoms are lead skeptical scholars to conclude Daniel must have come in the second century BC during the Maccabean revolts. I bring this up to make the point:
When interpreting the Bible, we must always begin with what the Bible actually says before adding something else we may know.
What do I mean? Well, here, the passage is not about who the kingdoms are. Nebuchadnezzar is not given the names of the kingdoms, he is simply given they they will exist and their character is not as brilliant as Babylon. The point of this dream is found in verse 44.
“And in the days of those kings the God of seven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor hall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end and it shall stand forever.”
Nebuchadnezzar wants to know what will happen after his rule. God tells him. The Lord gives this dream in order to say, “I am going to do something the world has never seen! And when I’m done, no kingdom on earth will stand. Your kingdom is going to turn to dust just like every other earthly kingdom!” Instead of focusing on who the pieces of the statue are, focus on the fact that Jesus has come and His Kingdom shall never end!
Do not miss the forest for the trees.
The Lord promises to establish an everlasting kingdom that will do away with every earthly power.
Now, for all of you who, like me, say “That’s great, but who are the kingdoms???”, here is your history lesson.
Head of Gold = Babylon
The head of gold is named. It is Babylon itself. It is the head of gold, because it is the first of the major kingdoms (the head), and it is gold because it is the purest. Not pure in the sense of character or godliness, but in originality and splendor. The kingdoms which follow surpass Babylon in geography and wealth, but they are all dependent on Babylon for its culture, religion, and laws. We tend to dismiss Babylon, because it was the smallest, but its influence reaches to us even today, possibly just as much as Greece and Rome.
Chest of Silver = Persia
The chest of silver represents Persia. King Cyrus will conquer Babylon in the near future, and the Persian empire will stretch from the edge of Greece to the Indus Valley of India. Persia give us some wonderful stories, and a very interesting war with Greece, however, it is a silver empire because it culture is derived from Babylon for the most part. Persia’s empire is very similar to Rome in that much of what we know as Persian was Babylonian first. Much of what we know as Rome was originally Greek.
Thighs of Bronze = Greece
The bronze section is traditionally interpreted to be the Greek Empire. Daniel says this empire will “rule over all the earth”. Now, we know geographically Greece did not conquer the whole world, however Hellenism, which is Greek thought, did. At its peak, the Greek empire stretched from the southern parts of Europe to the Middle East and into Egypt. Though it would eventually fall to the Romans, the 21st century Western World still feels the effects of Greco thought, aesthetics, and culture. Rome borrowed from all its conquered countries, but none so much as the Greeks. This is why historian typically refer to Greece and Rome together as “Greco-Roman”. As we continue to move toward a global community, we are seeing the marriage of Western Greco-Roman ideals with Eastern Asian ideals. The Bronze Kingdom has certainly covered the whole world.
Legs of Iron = Rome
The final section presents a bit more of a conundrum. It is widely accepted the Iron Kingdom is Rome. Rome certainly was as strong as iron and trampled every adversary. The reason Rome fell had far less to do with outside invasion and more with inside fighting. When the Visigoths sacked Rome, it was almost an after-thought. For generations, Roman soldiers and farmers had intermingled, intermarried, and generally shared culture with the Visigoths. The Romans believed Rome was the “eternal city” and impenetrable to invasion. But the deterioration of Roman values, Roman families, and Roman loyalty left it open for invasion. After three sieges, it fell to Alaric, king of the Visigoths. Some speculate the city gate was opened by a traitor, while others speculated it was opened by a bribery of food.
Though the city fell, the empire continued well after into the Byzantine Age and into the age of the Holy Roman Empire. Some Protestants have also interpreted Rome’s continued existence as the Roman Catholic Church. This point is where we move from Scripture to speculation. The legs of iron had iron feet mingled with clay. Daniel states the kingdom would be a divided kingdom. Again, this certainly sounds like Rome, because Roman citizens came from a variety of ethnic groups. It also could refer to the fact that Rome spent much of its life under the control of several kings, many times having as many as four at once. But, during this kingdom, and we know it was during Rome’s time, God did something absolutely amazing.
The Rock = Messianic Kingdom
The “rock not cut from human hands” is undoubtedly the Messianic Kingdom. It was during Rome’s rule that Jesus Christ came to us. He entered humanity’s timeline in order to establish an eternal kingdom of which there will be no end.
Now, some may ask, “Where is this Kingdom? Why are there still so many countries?” To that I give these points:
Prophecy throughout Scripture and History has always worked in waves. A prophecy will find some fulfillment quickly, and then fuller fulfillment later. History is cyclical—a point we do not have time for today, but as you study world history, you will find patterns develop which bear out in prophecies.
Remember the rock lands and then grows. Today, we are in the growing period of the rock. 2000 years ago God entered the world, defeated sin and death, and established His Kingdom. The Kingdom has been growing ever since, and Jesus even told us that “this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. Once the rock grows into the mountain that covers the whole world, then the end of this age will come and Christ will establish His rule in the new creation.
Conclusion
As we close, I would like to come back to the main point of this dream. God has told Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel that He will crush the kingdoms of this earth in establishing a new Kingdom that is not cut by human hands. God Himself will establish this Kingdom and be its King. Jesus Christ has fulfilled this promise. Jesus is God in flesh who came to us to save us from our sin and give us the Way into eternal life and His Kingdom.
Today, as we move further in this election year where all manner of worry will surround who will be president, and other countries continue to deal with their own kings and presidents, I want us to remember that as Christians we serve the Risen King—the Eternal King. If you have never given your allegiance to the King of Kings, then today, look to your true King who is your Creator, Redeemer, and Friend.
Jesus wants to save us from our sin and devotion to things and kingdoms that are all passing away. This world will one day crumble in the dust just like the statue of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. Do not find yourself crushed with it. Turn from your sin and take hold of eternal life that is only found in Jesus.