My explanation of Daniel 2:
An explanation of the picture…I am portraying the exact moment in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel chapter 2 when the rock hits the statue and it begins to disintegrate. In the background, the impact begins the dust clouds of buildings that represent a variety of cultures, in past and present kingdoms, that are coming down.
The statue itself, although representing specific kingdoms throughout the ages, also resembles the image of “Oscar” (minus the sword), the Academy Awards statue awarded to Hollywood’s elite in the entertainment “kingdom” which has corrupted the world with the glorification of sin. All the world systems are being demolished as the Lord’s kingdom is being established. I see Nebuchadnezzar’s dream as a simplified overview of the end times. The dreams and visions that Daniel has following that dream are details (if we could understand them) of the end times plus, of course, other scriptures dealing with this topic. I have no idea where we are on the time line. But it is getting bad enough that I can say sincerely, “Come quickly, Lord Jesus.”
Daniel Interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
(Daniel 2:28-45 New Living Translation)
“But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the future. Now I will tell you your dream and the visions you saw as you lay on your bed.
While Your Majesty was sleeping, you dreamed about coming events. The revealer of mysteries has shown you what is going to happen. And it is not because I am wiser than any living person that I know the secret of your dream, but because God wanted you to understand what you were thinking about.
Your Majesty, in your vision you saw in front of you a huge and powerful statue of a man, shining brilliantly, frightening and awesome. The head of the statue was made of fine gold, its chest and arms were of silver, its belly and thighs were of bronze, its legs were of iron, and its feet were a combination of iron and clay.
But as you watched, a rock was cut from a mountain by supernatural means. It struck the feet of iron and clay, smashing them to bits. The whole statue collapsed into a heap of iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold. The pieces were crushed as small as chaff on a threshing floor, and the wind blew them all away without a trace. But the rock that knocked the statue down became a great mountain that covered the whole earth. That was the dream; now I will tell Your Majesty what it means.
Your Majesty, you are a king over many kings. The God of heaven has given you sovereignty, power, strength, and honor. He has made you the ruler over all the inhabited world and has put even the animals and birds under your control. You are the head of gold. But after your kingdom comes to an end, another great kingdom, inferior to yours, will rise to take your place. After that kingdom has fallen, yet a third great kingdom, represented by the bronze belly and thighs, will rise to rule the world.
Following that kingdom, there will be a fourth great kingdom, as strong as iron. That kingdom will smash and crush all previous empires, just as iron smashes and crushes everything it strikes. The feet and toes you saw that were a combination of iron and clay show that this kingdom will be divided. Some parts of it will be as strong as iron, and others as weak as clay. This mixture of iron and clay also shows that these kingdoms will try to strengthen themselves by forming alliances with each other through intermarriage. But this will not succeed, just as iron and clay do not mix. During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed; no one will ever conquer it. It will shatter all these kingdoms into nothingness, but it will stand forever. That is the meaning of the rock cut from the mountain by supernatural means, crushing to dust the statue of iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold. “The great God has shown Your Majesty what will happen in the future. The dream is true, and its meaning is certain.”
