Daniel 2

CHAPTER 2THEME: The dream of Nebuchadnezzar about a multimetallic image; the interpretation of Daniel concerning the four kingdoms of “the times of the Gentiles"We are in one of the great sections of the Word of God as far as prophecy is concerned. The multimetallic image (ch. 2), the four beasts (ch. 7), and the seventy weeks of Daniel (ch. 9) form the backbone and ribs of biblical prophecy. You could never have a skeleton of prophecy without these passages of Scripture in the Old Testament. Everything the Lord Jesus said in the Olivet Discourse was based on the Book of Daniel. The disciples asked Him, “…Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” He replied, “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet …” (Mat_24:3, Mat_24:15). This chapter, then, is a very important chapter in the Word of God. Men everywhere are asking, “What is this world coming to? How are things going to be worked out today? There are crises everywhere.” My friend, the times of the Gentiles are going to run out. The gentiles have not done a very good job of running the world. We can see the beginning of that way back in the Book of Daniel, and we may come close to seeing the end of it. However, the church of Jesus Christ will leave this earth before the fullness of the Gentiles comes in; and, when the church leaves, Christ will come back to the earth to rule. This prophetic chapter is basic to the understanding of all prophecy. That is why I keep insisting that to know just a few little verses of Scripture and to be able to interpret them can be a dangerous thing. This is the way the cults begin: they use only certain verses of Scripture. The men who start these cults understand history and human nature; they know man’s need for a doctrine which satisfies the natural mind. Liberalism and the social gospel appeal to the natural mind. A young preacher in the East told me of a minister in a neighboring town who was building a great empire of his church. Yet that man drinks and curses and goes out with the boys, probably doing everything else the boys do. The young preacher asked me, “How is that man drawing people to his church? They come to hear him and to join his churchnot mine. But I am attempting to preach the Word of God!” I told that young man that we need to realize that if we are going to represent God in the ministry, we are going to be in the minority. The other minister was appealing to the natural mind. He may have baptized manyhe may have got them under the water and got a lot of water on thembut he had not led people to a saving knowledge of Christ. Saint Augustine, who became a great man of God, was asked why he had succumbed earlier to the Manichean heresy of his day. He replied that it was “so complete and reasonable.” The philosophical approach used by so many preachers today is probably the most dangerous approach to the Word of God that is imaginable. They never think to go to the Word of God as the foundation and the authority. Rather, they want to give you the interpretation of some man of the past, such as Plato. When I was preparing to enter the ministry, that is the direction I wanted to take because it appeals to people and it shows how smart you are. Thank God that I got under the assistance and influence of two men who put me on the track of simply teaching the Bible, letting the chips fall where they may. It is so important to study the entire Word of God, and therefore this section is important to us.

Daniel 2:1

THE DREAM OF NEBUCHADNEZZAR AND HIS DEMANDS UPON THE WISE MEN OF BABYLONI am confident that Nebuchadnezzar, who had now been lifted and exalted to a very high position, wondered about this great empire that had come into existence under his leadership. Actually, Babylon was the first great world empire. Nebuchadnezzar had done something that the Egyptians had not been able to do because Egypt was self-contained. The biggest mistake any pharaoh ever made was to leave the Nile River. If he just stayed there, he was well protectedhe had a wall of desert around him which nobody could breach. All he needed to do was guard the Nile River which was the only entrance into Egypt. The Egyptians began to reach out, but they never did become what you would call a world empire, although they did influence the world as few nations have. However, this man Nebuchadnezzar began as a petty chieftain and united several tribes. Then he took over the Assyrian Empire, then the Syrian, and he was on the march. And he overcame the Egyptians. The Greeks would have been unable to offer resistance, but he made no effort to move in their direction. He didn’t need to, as he was actually ruling the then-known world. Nebuchadnezzar had to think this thing over, and when he did, he found he had a world empire on his hands. It was sort of like the old bromide about getting a lion by the tailyou can’t hold on and you can’t turn him loose. That is the position Nebuchadnezzar was in, and God spoke to him at that time. This man was troubled in his sleep, wondering about the future of this great empire he had founded: Where was it all going to end? Do you know that after about 2500 years of human history since Nebuchadnezzar we are still wondering about that? We have the answer here in this chapter, by the way.

Daniel 2:2

Nebuchadnezzar called in all his wise men. These were the men who had been trained even as Daniel and his friends had been trained. They were the old boys who were called in for this conference. In other words, the king summoned his cabinet. These wise men were men of great intellect and learning. It is true that they held many superstitions and concepts of a heathen religion, but, my friend, I don’t know how much farther we’ve come today. I know some Ph.D.’s who reject the BibleI think they are heathen and a little superstitious, by the way. Isn’t it interesting that the Bible has been ruled out of our schools; yet they are teaching astrology and all kinds of superstitions which have been rejected by civilized people in the past. Don’t look down on the wise men of Babylonthey are just as smart as some of our Ph.D.’s and Th.D.’s today. These men comprised the brain trust of Babylon, and they were brought before the king to hear his unique command:

Daniel 2:3

The king explains that he has had an unusual dream which he believes to have some far-reaching significance. You see, God made it clear to him that He had something to say, but this man in his darkness knew only that it was something important.

Daniel 2:4

“Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriac, O king, live for ever.” To me that seems to be about the silliest thing they could ever say, but that was the way they flattered the king"O king, live for ever.” I am sure that many a king who sat there on the throne had a heart condition and might well have said, “Well, boys, you are wrong. I’m not going to live forever. I’m going to have a heart attack one of these days, and I won’t be around.” However, they seem to have avoided that issue. It is important to note that at this juncture in the Book of Daniel there is a change from the Hebrew to the Aramaic or Syriac language, as it is called here in verse Dan_2:4. From verse Dan_2:4 of this chapter through verse Dan_7:28 of chapter Dan_7:7, the book is written in Aramaic or Syriac. Aramaic was the court language, the diplomatic language of that day. It was the language of the Gentiles, the language of the world. It would correspond to what French was a few years ago; today I think English is the language that has supplanted French in that position. The significance of this change is quite remarkable: God is now speaking to the world, not just to His nation. Israel has gone into Babylonian captivity. God has taken the scepter out of the line of David, and He has put it in gentile hands. It will stay there until the day He takes the scepter back. When He does, nail-pierced hands will take the scepter, because it is God’s intention for Jesus to reign. The subject here is a worldwide kingdom. The idea that the Word of God is confined to some local deity and that the Bible has quite a limited view is entirely wrong. If we examine it carefully, we find that God has in mind a worldwide kingdom. In Psa_89:27 He says of the covenant He made with David: “Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth.” Then in verses Psa_89:34-37 of the same psalm He says: “My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me. It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven.” In other words, God is saying, “If you can go out and see that the sun has disappeared from the heaven and the moon is not out at night, then you will know that I have changed My mind; but as long as you see the sun and moon, you will know that I am going to put My king over this earth.” We are talking now about that which is global and not some local situation. This concerns the first great world ruler, and the language used is the language of the world of that day.

Daniel 2:5

This would be a rather extreme judgment, but you can see what the king wants. Frankly, a faulty translation of this verse gives the impression that the king had forgotten his dream. He hadn’t forgotten his dream. He knows the dream, senses its importance, and refuses to divulge it to the wise men. Why? He wants to get a correct interpretation of it.

In the margin, the American Standard Version of 1901 translates “The thing is gone from me” as, “The word is gone forth from me.” In other words, Nebuchadnezzar is saying to these men, “I will not change my mind about this judgment I am pronouncing. Don’t beg me to tell you the dreamI’m not going to do it. You are going to come up with the dream if I am to listen to your interpretation of it.” The Berkeley Version has a helpful translation at this point also: “The king answered the Chaldeans, ‘This word I speak, I mean! If you do not tell me the dream and what it means, you shall be torn limb from limb and your houses will be destroyed.’” That translation really tones it down, but nevertheless the penalty is still excessive and extreme. Nebuchadnezzar is putting fear in these men. They have to come up with the interpretation of the dream, but they first of all have to give what the dream was.

Daniel 2:6

Conversely, Nebuchadnezzar could be generous and charitable. This man was greatly governed by his emotions, as we are going to see. He tells them, “I am going to amply reward you if you give me the correct interpretation.”

Daniel 2:7

The wise men realized their dangerous predicament, and they again cautiously suggest to the king that he supply the dream and they will supply the interpretation.

Daniel 2:8

The king says, “You see that I mean business and so you are stalling. You want a little more time.” The Berkeley Version clarifies this verse: “The king replied, ‘I see plainly that you are trying to gain time; because you see how capital punishment awaits you.’” That is taking a little liberty with the translation, but that actually is the meaning of it.

Daniel 2:9

The king really reveals here his lack of confidence in the wise men of Babylon. I think they probably had failed him on previous assignments, just as the prophets of Baal failed old Ahab (but since Ahab died in battle, he didn’t have a chance to retaliate). Nebuchadnezzar feels these men have been feeding him a great deal of malarkey, and he is now putting them to a real test. His reasoning at this point is very logical: If they can tell him his dream, then it is reasonable to conclude that their interpretation is genuine. If they cannot tell him his dream, any interpretation would be under suspicion.

Daniel 2:10

DECREE TO DESTROY THE WISE MEN FOR THEIR FAILUREThis is the first true statement the wise men have madeno man on earth could give the dream, only God could. In desperation they are pleading for their lives, trying to show the unreasonableness of the king’s demand. If you leave out the supernatural, of course his demands are unreasonable. However, they have made claim to be superior, and he is asking them to demonstrate that.

Daniel 2:11

What they are saying is that they have no communication with heaven. They even confessed that their gods were not giving them very much information. They conclude their argument by saying that no human being could meet the king’s demands. This paves the way for Daniel to come onto the scene.

Daniel 2:12

The king exhibits here a violent temper for which he was noted. It is another symptom of the psychosis he is suffering and which we will see later on. The king orders the wise men to be destroyed summarily.

Daniel 2:13

The king’s decree includes Daniel and his brethren. Although they are just being trained, they are being taught by the same crowd in which the king has now lost confidence. The rash order to destroy the wise men of Babylon is going to take in a great many men who were really innocent and who could not be held responsible. The dictatorship of Nebuchadnezzar could be carried to the nth degreehe could do what he wanted to.

Daniel 2:14

DANIEL’S DESIRE TO TELL THE DREAMDaniel is really puzzled at the hasty and unjust decree of the king, but he uses tact as he approaches Arioch. Arioch is the captain of the king’s guardhe is in charge of the Secret Service of that dayand, naturally, is often in the presence of the king. It would be interesting to know all that Arioch communicated to Daniel. I wonder if he suggested to Daniel that the king was off his rocker or that the king didn’t have all his marbles. It is not recorded here if he did, but I think he touched his head and said, “You know how the king is!”

Daniel 2:16

Daniel got an audience with the kinghe is already in favorand he requested the king to give him time to tell him the dream. This seems presumptuous; in fact, it seems to be the act of a very brash young man. However, succeeding events will reveal that it was the confidence of a man with faith in God.

Daniel 2:17

“That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven.” This is an expression which you will find only in the books of the captivity, including Ezra, Nehemiah, and Daniel. You see, after the departure of the glory of God from Jerusalem, from the Holy of Holies in the temple, He was addressed as “the God of heaven.” These Hebrew young men knew that God did not dwell in some little temple in Jerusalem. He is “the God of heaven.” “That they would desire mercies” reveals the basis of their prayers. God does not answer prayer because of the worth or the effort or the character or the works of the one who is praying. All prayer must rest upon His mercy. To pray today in Jesus’ name simply means that we come to God, not on our merit, but on His merit, looking to Him for mercy.

Daniel 2:19

DANIEL DESCRIBES THE DREAM AS A MULTIMETALLIC IMAGEI would think that the way God revealed this to Daniel was to give him the same dream He gave to Nebuchadnezzar. This would seem to be the reasonable explanation.

Daniel 2:20

This is one of the several recorded prayers of Daniel. Daniel was a man of purpose, a man of prayer, and a man of prophecy. God alone has revealed this secret to Daniel, and this is his tremendous prayer of thanksgiving. Now Daniel is ready to go in and ask again for an audience with the king.

Daniel 2:24

Daniel wants to stop the bloody slaughter that would have taken place, and apparently Arioch has no heart for the matter eitherhe doesn’t want to slay all the wise men.

Daniel 2:25

Arioch rushes Daniel into the presence of the king with the good news that the dream will be divulged.

Daniel 2:26

Quite obviously and, I think, logically, the king was rather skeptical. All of these wise men had not been able to come up with the dream and its interpretation, but here comes this young fellow Daniel who says he will be able to. The king asks him, “Do you mean to tell me that all the other wise men had no answer, but you think you can answer me? Maybe this is just another attempt of the wise men to stall for time!” His question sounds rather cynical, but Daniel has a marvelous answer for him:

Daniel 2:27

Daniel immediately makes a distinction between the wisdom of Babylon and the wisdom of God. The apostle Paul wrote, “…hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?” and also, “…the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1Co_1:20, 1Co_1:25). Daniel now has the unique privilege of introducing to the darkened mind of this pagan king the living and true God. He says, “There is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days.” This is very important because it is going to be the emphasis in the Book of Daniel; this dream refers to the end of the times of the Gentiles. The end of “the times of the Gentiles” runs concurrently with “the latter days” of the nation Israel: both come to their fulfillment during the Great Tribulation period. The day in which you and I live is “man’s day.” Paul said in 1Co_4:3, “But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment [day]: yea, I judge not mine own self.” We are living in the day of man. It is also well to note that the term, “the times of the Gentiles,” is not synonymous with the term, “the fulness of the Gentiles.” Rom_11:25 says, “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.” The fulness of the Gentiles ends with the Rapture of the church. The terms, “the latter days” and “the times of the Gentiles,” are not synonymous with “the last days” of the church which come to a fulfillment at the Rapture and precede the Great Tribulation. “The times of the Gentiles” will continue right on into the Great Tribulation, and at that time God will again turn His attention back to the nation Israel.

Daniel 2:29

Nebuchadnezzar was bothered as he lay in bed at night, wondering what the future held. Although he started out as a petty king, he now finds himself a world ruler.

Daniel 2:30

The dream had to do with the future of Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom and the outcome of his great world empire. Nebuchadnezzar was troubled about the future of this empire of which he suddenly found himself the possessor and dictator. The dream was God’s answer to his problem. Daniel makes it clear that he himself deserves no credit, that God in heaven had revealed the dream, that God was prompted to reveal the dream to spare the lives of the wise men as well as to satisfy the curiosity of this man Nebuchadnezzar. God is going to speak to Nebuchadnezzar in a language that he will understand, the language of the outward splendor and glory of his kingdom. In the dream God showed him the outward splendor of his kingdom. This dream was also the dream of a Gentile, and in it God spoke to him by using an image. The image in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream was not an image to be worshiped; but, because Nebuchadnezzar did fall down before images in the city of Babylon, God used an image in his dream. In this land of idolatry, such a vision was the only language Nebuchadnezzar could truly understand. Babylon was known as the fountainhead of pagan religion, the womb of heathen idols. We will see in this section the history of the rule of this world by the Gentiles. Because of the failure of the house of David, God is now taking the scepter of this universe out from the hands of that line of David, and He is putting it in the hands of the Gentiles. It will be there until Jesus Christ comes again to this earth. Then Christ will take the scepter and rule on this earth as King of kings and Lord of lords. “The times of the Gentiles” is from the day of Nebuchadnezzar right on down through our day until the Lord comes to reign.

Daniel 2:31

That is, the image excited terrorit was awe-inspiring. It was very glamorous, terrific, and stupendous. As Daniel began to describe the dream, I wish that I could have been there to see the expression on Nebuchadnezzar’s face change from cynicism to unconcealed amazement. When Daniel began to say, “You saw a great image, the brightness of which was terrific and stupendous,” I think the eyes of Nebuchadnezzar lighted up. He shifted to the edge of his throne and said, “Boy, that’s it! You are starting out right!”

Daniel 2:32

When Daniel said this, I think the king again said, “Boy, you are exactly right!” Now Nebuchadnezzar is prepared to listen to the interpretation. Tregelles has said of this dream: “Here all is presented as set before the king according to his ability of apprehensionthe external and visible things being shown as man might regard them.” As we have said, God is speaking to him in a language that he can understand. This tremendous image that is before him just stands there. There is no movement at all. It is simply awe-inspiring, glamorous, terrific, and stupendous. The head was of gold, the breast and arms of silver, the belly and thighs of brass, the legs of iron, and the feet were iron and clay mixed together. The image therefore consisted of a very strange assortment of metals. It was not an alloy of metals, but a multimetallic image of four metals plus a silicon (that is, sand or clay).

Daniel 2:34

We will get the interpretation of this later on. We will let Daniel give the interpretationwe do not need to guess about it at all. The thing to note here is that, as Nebuchadnezzar beheld the image in awe and wonder, the stone, coming from beyond the environs of the image and without human origin or motivation, smote the image on the feet of iron and clay with such force that all the metals were pulverized. Then a wind blew the dust of the image away, so that it entirely disappeared. Then the stone began to grow as a living stone, and it filled the whole world, taking the place of this image.

Daniel 2:36

DEFINITION OF FOUR WORLD EMPIRES AND THEIR DESTINIESNebuchadnezzar was the first great world ruler. I think that this was God’s ideal for Adamhe was given dominion, but he lost it. The world has known four great world rulers; there have been four great nations who have attempted to rule the world. They all just butchered the jobnone of them made a real success of itbut the first one, Nebuchadnezzar, did the best job. Daniel immediately began to interpret the dream. The different metals represent world empires. Nebuchadnezzar is identified as the head of gold. He exercised rulership over the then-known world. No one questioned his authority. His was an absolute monarchy, and there have been very few since then, by the way.

More is said about this Babylonian empire in other sections of the Bible, including Dan_5:18-19 and Jer_27:5-11. Through Jeremiah God said: “I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me. And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him. And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son’s son, until the very time of his land come …” (Jer_27:5-7). God made Nebuchadnezzar the one at the top; He made him the first great world ruler, and there has been none like him since then.

Daniel 2:39

The kingdom which will come after Nebuchadnezzar will be inferior to his. The third one will be inferior to the second, and the fourth will be inferior to the third. That means the fourth one is the worst form of all. That is where we are today. There are two kingdoms mentioned in this verse. The arms of silver represent Media and Persia. In Dan_5:28 we are told the future of the Babylonian kingdom: “Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.” We don’t need to speculate as to who the second kingdom isit is made clear. Remember that Daniel lived in both the kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar and the kingdom of Media-Persia. We read in Dan_6:8, “Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.” The third kingdom would be a kingdom of brass and would “bear rule over all the earth.” This is the Graeco-Macedonian Empire of Alexander the Great. This brings us to the fourth kingdom. It is important to note that there are only fourthere is no fifth kingdom. The period of the fourth kingdom is where we are today.

Daniel 2:40

This is a remarkable passage of Scripture. More attention is directed to this fourth kingdom than to the other three kingdoms put together. Four verses are used here by Daniel to describe it and interpret it. Only one verse, verse Dan_2:39, is used to describe the second and third kingdoms, the Medo-Persian and the Graeco-Macedonian empires. The fourth kingdom is the kingdom of the latter days. Remember that Daniel had told Nebuchadnezzar that that was the reason for the image. God is speaking to Nebuchadnezzar, an idol worshiper, through this image, and He is telling Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. He is a world ruler, and he is concerned about where it is all going to end. My friend, we are living in the period of the latter days, and that is still the question today: What is this world coming to? We need to stand back and look at this image again for a moment. It is awe-inspiring and of tremendous size. I think it towered over the entire plain of Babylon as Nebuchadnezzar saw it in his vision. It is a multimetallic image. It has a head of gold, and that speaks of Babylon. The breast and arms are of silverMedo-Persia. The brass is Graeco-Macedonia. The legs are of iron, and that is Rome. In the feet, clay is inserted into the iron, which is the last form of the Roman Empire. The image represents four empires, and there are several observations to be made about them. There is a definite deterioration from one kingdom to another, and this is made clear in several very specific ways. This deterioration is contrary to modern philosophy and opinion. Our viewpoint today is that we are all getting better and better every day: evolution is at work, and it is onward and upward forever. We feel that we have the best form of government and that we are superior peopleneither of which is true. The human race has always liked to pat itself on the back as Little Jack Horner did: Little Jack Horner Sat in the corner, Eating of Christmas pie: He put in his thumb, And pulled out a plum, And said, “What a good boy am I!” However, what we have here is the deterioration from one kingdom to the othereach is inferior to its predecessor. This is revealed through the image in several ways:

1. The quality of the metals: gold is finer than silver, and silver is finer that brass. Brass is finer than iron, and iron is better than clay. There is definite deterioration.
2. The specific gravity of the metals: each metal shows deterioration; Tregelles (as quoted by Culver) is the scholar who called attention to this factor.
3. The position of each metal: the head has more honor than do the feet.
4. The specific statement of Scripture: “And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee” (v. Dan_2:39). Scripture is clear that each kingdom is to be inferior to the one before it.
5. The division of sovereignty: the definite division of sovereignty denotes weakness. Nebuchadnezzar is the head of gold, but there are two arms of the Medo-Persian Empire. The Babylonian Empire was strong because there was not that division. The Graeco-Macedonian Empire begins with one, but soon is divided into four. Rome has two legs of iron, but it eventuates into ten toes which are composed of both iron and clay. In the United States today we like to believe we have the very best form of government, and people eagerly say they “believe in democracy.” Actually, our form of government is not a democracy, but a representative form of government. No one asks me to come to Washington, D.C., to make any decisions. There are many who do go to Washington to tell them how to do it, and I think somebody needs to tell them. The problem is that it is the wrong people who are doing the telling. I am of the opinion that a democracy is really not the best form of government. God’s form of government is going to be just exactly like that head of gold, only the ruler will be that Rock that is “cut out without hands"none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. He is going to reign over this earth, and He is not going to ask anybody for advice about it. He will not have a Congress, and He will not have a Cabinet, and He will not be calling upon you to vote for Him. In fact, if you don’t make a decision for Him in this life, my friend, you just won’t be there at all. Don’t rebel against that fact, because this happens to be His worldHe created it. You and I are just little pygmies running around down here.

God has as much right to remove you and me from this little world as I have to remove those ants that get into my house and yard. I set out poison for those fellowsI want to get rid of them. Why? Because they don’t fit into my program. There are a lot of us who don’t fit into God’s program. This is His world, and He is going to make it to suit Himself. God’s form of government is going to be one of the most strict forms of government that the world has ever seen. I do not think a rooster is going to crow in that day without His permission to do so. The Lord Jesus Christ is going to be a dictator, and if you are not willing to bow to Him, I don’t think you would even want to be in His Kingdom when He establishes it here upon the earth. Maybe it is good that He has another place for folk like that, because it will not be pleasant for them to be herethey wouldn’t enjoy it at all. God’s form of government is the absolute rule of a king, the sovereignty of one ruler. It is going to be autocratic, dictatorial, and His will is going to prevail.

That is the reason it is well for you and me to practice bowing to Him and acknowledging Him. He is going to take over one of these days. Before we move on, we need to notice one more thing: No great world power follows Rome. The Roman Empire is the last, and it will be in existence in the latter days. Actually, it exists today. All of these other empires were destroyed by an enemy from the outside, but no enemy destroyed Rome. Attila the Hun came in and sacked the city, but he was so awestruck by what he saw that he realized he could not handle it. He took his barbarians and left town.

The Roman Empire fell apart from withinno enemy destroyed it. Rome is living in the great nations of Europe today: Italy, France, Great Britain, Germany, and Spain are all part of the old Roman Empire. The laws of Rome live on, and her language also. No one speaks Latin today, but it is basic to understanding French, Spanish, and other languages. Her warlike spirit lives on also: Europe has been at war ever since the empire broke up into these kingdoms. What is happening in Europe today? There is a new psychological viewpoint developing. The young people there do not want to be called Italians or Germans; they like to be called Europeans. Such thinking is creating a basis for the man who is coming someday to put the Roman Empire back together again. He is known in Scripture as the Man of Sin, or the Antichrist. They have a Common Market in Europe today, and they may be well along in restoring the Roman Empire. But not until God takes down the roadblock will that man appear and all this come to fruition. Because he is Satan’s man, God will not let him appear until He has called out His people to His name. When He has done that, He will remove His church from the earth. God is carrying out His program whether it looks like it or not. Therefore, there is one coming who will put the Roman Empire together again. I never speak of the resurrection of the Roman Empire; that implies that it died. Let me again quote a nursery rhyme: Humpty-Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty-Dumpty had a great fall; All the King’s horses, and all the King’s men Could not put Humpty-Dumpty together again. You see, the Roman Empire fell apart like Humpty-Dumpty. There have been a lot of men who tried to put it together again, but they have not succeeded. That was one of the missions of the Roman Catholic Church at the beginning. Also, Charlemagne attempted to put it back together. Napoleon tried to do so, and also several emperors of Germany. Hitler and Mussolini attempted it, but so far the man has not yet appeared who will accomplish it. God is not quite ready for him to appear.

Daniel 2:44

DESTRUCTION OF GENTILE WORLD POWERSESTABLISHMENT OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN UPON EARTHWhat will be the final end of this last kingdom, the kingdom of iron mixed with clay? The clay, I believe, represents the masses, the different nations of the ten toes. The iron speaks of the fact that Rome lives on in this final form of the old empire. How is it all going to end? We are given the answer in this concluding section of chapter 2. The Antichrist, or the Man of Sin (he has about thirty-five aliases in Scripture), is the one who will bring back the Roman Empire. He will be a world dictatorhe will rule the world just as Nebuchadnezzar did at the beginning (see Rev. 13). That is an ideal form of government, but if the wrong man is at the top, it is horrible. This was true of Nebuchadnezzar, as we will see, and it will certainly be true of the Antichrist. When the Lord Jesus comes, He is going to rule as an autocratic ruler, and He is going to put down all rebellion against Him: “Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel” (Psa_2:9). I don’t think He wants me to apologize for Him today. If you don’t like it, I suggest you get on the next trip to the moon or Mars and get off this earth. He is going to take over this earth, and I think He may take over the place you choose, also. This is His universeit belongs to Him. “The stone [which] was cut out of the mountain without hands” represents none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. This is not a man; this is God’s Anointed. The Lord Jesus Himself made it clear that He is that Stone. In His day there were probably more people who understood what He was saying than there are today. In Mat_21:44 He said, “And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.” He is the Stone, the living Stone, the foundation"For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1Co_3:11). If you fall on that Stonethat is, rest in Him by faith, come just as you are without one plea but that His blood was shed for youyou are broken, you come as a sinner, with nothing to offer. But He is a wonderful Stone to rest upon. The Stone is one of many figures of speech in Scripture which speak of Christ in His office as both Savior and Judge. He is the Rock of salvation (see Deu_32:15), and He is the Rock of judgment (see Deu_32:4). These verses in Daniel speak of the time when He is coming to the earth as Judge to put down earth’s rebellion against God. The reference here is to the second coming of Christ to the earth, which is depicted for us in detail in Rev_19:11-21. His coming is going to be climactic, catastrophic, and cataclysmic. It is mentioned again and again in Scripture (see Zec_14:1-3; Joe_3:2, Joe_3:9-16; Isa_34:1-8; Ps. 2). Man’s boast of ruling this earth and establishing a utopia will end in the dismal destruction of this so-called civilization. It is hard for us to get this fact in our thinking: We live in a world that is judged. This world is not on trial. I hear people say, “I’ll take my chances.” My unsaved friend, you do not have a chance. You are lost. You are without God.

You have no capacity for God. All you have in your heart is perhaps a little desire to be religious. You’d like to win a few more ribbons for going to Sunday schoolyou don’t intend to miss a Sunday. But, my friend, you need to trust Christ as Savior, and that is not easy to do, is it? It is not easy to bow to Him and to acknowledge Him. However, either you are going to come to that Stone, or that Stone is coming to you.

I’d rather come to the Stone. God is going to end man’s little day down here. God’s Kingdom will prevail, and for one thousand years the earth will be tested under the personal reign of Christ. Apart from a brief moment in which Satan and sin will be permitted to make their last assault on the righteous reign of God, the Kingdom will continue on into eternity (see Rev. 20).

Daniel 2:46

The effect of Daniel’s interpretation upon Nebuchadnezzar is so profound that he actually worships Daniel and commands others to do likewise. He doesn’t know any better; he only knows the worship of physical objects, and he intends thus to worship the living and true God. This was his introduction to the God of heaven. In this book we can watch the growth of faith in the heart of this idolatrous king. It will break through the darkness of paganism, and he is going to come into the marvelous light of the knowledge of God.

Daniel 2:48

Sitting in the gate of the king is a practice that is mentioned elsewhere in Scripture. In Genesis, Lot sat in the gate of Sodom; that meant that he was a judge. And in the Book of Esther, Mordecai was also given that officehe sat in the gate as a judge. Daniel now is rewarded and elevated by Nebuchadnezzar, but he does not forget his three Hebrew friends. They likewise receive high positions in the government of Babylon. This young boy Daniel is moved into a position of sitting in the gate. He was a judge, a Supreme Court Justice, but he also acted in the capacity of prime minister. Throughout this book we will find that he is the one with whom Nebuchadnezzar confers. He judges the people, and he is also prime minister of the kingdom of Babylon.