The prophecies in the book of Daniel take on a major dimension when it comes to understanding the Bible because of their accuracy. However, many people feel that this accuracy is unwarranted. The philosopher Porphyry, born in Tyre (c. AD 234), who became a respected citizen of Rome, where he died (c. AD 305), claimed that the book of Daniel had to be written after the fact, because it is historically accurate.[i]
Not only do atheists criticize the Bible as a myth, but so do those who seek other gods. Admittedly, these people delight in showing how ignorant they are, and because of this, there is no point in arguing with them. However, since they are so far removed from the scene of events, historically, we can take comfort in the fact that their ignorance is merely due to their hubris and exalted opinion of themselves—not because they possess any real knowledge about what took place over two thousand years ago. The fact is there are archeological records of certain persons existing and particular events occurring that affirm the exact truth of what took place—the discovery of Noah’s Ark in Turkey[ii] and Mt Horeb and Mt Sinai in Saudi Arabia (Exodus 3:1; 34:29) are evidence of this; even if this information is dismissed. Nevertheless, what has been written in the book of Daniel, people find difficult to believe. For no human being has the ability to record the future with such accuracy. The fact that the book of Daniel does have such accuracy in its predictions, simply affirms the book as reliable.
Daniel’s
Reliability
We can accept that the book of Daniel is a historically reliable book of events that were predicted beforehand. However, for us, what really highlights the events recorded in the book of Daniel is what Jesus said:
But when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let him who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter in, to take anything out of his house. Let him who is in the field not return back to take his cloak. But woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babies in those days! Pray that your flight won’t be in the winter. For in those days there will be oppression, such as there has not been the like from the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will be. Unless the Lord had shortened the days, no flesh would have been saved; but for the sake of the chosen ones, whom he picked out, he shortened the days. Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, there!’ don’t believe it. For there will arise false christ’s and false prophets, and will show signs and wonders, that they may lead astray, if possible, even the chosen ones. But you watch. Behold, I have told you all things beforehand. But in those days, after that oppression, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. (Mark 13:14-26)
What this passage tells us is the book of Daniel is needful for us to understand, if we are to appreciate the truth, and relevant matters, concerning the return of Lord Jesus Christ. The abomination of desolation mentioned in the book of Daniel has a bearing on factors concerning when the Son of Man will appear in the clouds. Jesus said that some nasty events are going to take place, and when the day the abomination occurs, woe is in store. Except for the elect—that is, those whom Jesus has chosen—the planet would be destroyed. The behavior of men and women is going to be so depraved. From the book of Luke we learn:
As it was in the days of Noah, even so
will it be also in the days of the Son of Man. They ate, they drank, they
married, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the
ship, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise, even as it was in
the days of Lot: they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted,
they built; but in the day that Lot went out from Sodom, it rained fire and
sulfur from the sky, and destroyed them all. It will be the same way in the day
that the Son of Man is revealed.
(Luke 17:26-30)
When Lord Jesus returns to Earth, we are told that this will be a time similar to the days of Noah and the days of Lot. In the days of Noah, the whole Earth was destroyed by water. In the days of Lot, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, but we just see that only Sodom is mentioned. In the book of Isaiah we read:
The look of their faces testify against them. They parade their sin like Sodom.[iii] They don’t hide it. Woe to their soul! For they have brought disaster upon themselves. (Isaiah 3:9)
In Noah’s day, we learn violence reigned (Genesis 6:11). The Apostle Paul gives us some additional insight. We read in the book of Romans:
For the wrath of God is revealed from
heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the
truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known of God is revealed in
them, for God revealed it to them. For the invisible things of him since the
creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that
are made, even his everlasting power and divinity; that they may be without
excuse. Because, knowing God, they didn’t glorify him as God, neither gave
thanks, but became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless heart was
darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and traded the
glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man,
and of birds, and four-footed animals, and creeping things. Therefore God also
gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to uncleanness, that their bodies
should be dishonored among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for a
lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is
blessed forever. Amen. For this reason, God gave them up to vile passions. For
their women changed the natural function into that which is against nature.
Likewise also the men, leaving the natural function of the woman, burned in
their lust toward one another, men doing what is inappropriate with men, and
receiving in themselves the due penalty of their error. Even as they refused to
have God in their knowledge, God gave them up to a reprobate mind, to do those
things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual
immorality, wickedness, covetousness, malice; full of envy, murder, strife,
deceit, evil habits, secret slanderers, backbiters, hateful to God, insolent,
haughty, boastful, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without
understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, unforgiving,
unmerciful; who, knowing the ordinance of God, that those who practice such
things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but also approve of those who
practice them. (Romans 1:18-32)
Notice: not only in the above text do we see violence and pandemic evil activity taking place before the wrath of God destroyed the known world, but we see that men and women were deserting their natural God-given roles and being consumed with lust for members of their own sex. The lesbian, homosexual, transgender, bisexual (LTBGI[iv]) perversions that are evident today were rampant back in the days of Noah and is evidence of outrageously depraved minds. What people were claiming in the 1970s, as part of the movements for feminism and homosexual rights, today, seems like a joke. The absolute insanity of grown men dressing up and behaving like little girls and the government endorsement of godless behavior that is occurring today would cause people, if it were possible, from that now bygone era of feminism, to come out of their graves in righteous anger. For we are beginning to see the literal fulfillment of what occurred in the days of Noah and the days of Lot in our very streets, but this is worse because it is being sanctioned with government approval. People who object to depraved behavior, or who refuse to permit it take place publicly, are being persecuted, more than when the people of Sodom pressured Lot.
Those of us who read the Bible, begin to see that the realities of life described within its pages are not myths, but actually the very activities taking place within our communities. When we read that we are to take note of what is written in the book of Daniel, we are not expecting to find something that we would not be able to understand. Yet the book of Daniel is shrouded in mystery. While, on the one hand, explanations of mysterious dreams are provided, on the other hand, everything is not so easily understood, because different ideas abound concerning what is found within the book’s pages. The book of Daniel gives rise to a number of possibilities in its interpretation. Certain events have occurred that appear to fulfill the prophecies, while some prophecies are unfulfilled and other prophecies appear partially fulfilled. In certain instances, matters are obvious, for there is a dream with its interpretation provided. In other instances, what seems obvious does not quite fit with the historical narrative, and this is where the difficulty begins.
Vision
Given to a Pagan King
The first dream, for some interpreters, seems to have major significance for today. On the other hand, those subscribing to the historical view see this dream as having no bearing upon current events, since they see the prophecy as fulfilled. Found in Daniel, chapter two, we read:
Daniel answered before the king, and said, The secret which the king has demanded can neither wise men, enchanters, magicians, nor soothsayers, show to the king; but there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has made known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Your dream, and the visions of your head on your bed, are these: as for you, O king, your thoughts came on your bed, what should happen hereafter; and he who reveals secrets has made known to you what shall happen. But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but to the intent that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your heart. You, O king, saw, and behold, a great image. This image, which was mighty, and whose brightness was excellent, stood before you; and its aspect was awesome. As for this image, its head was of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of brass, its legs of iron, its feet part of iron, and part of clay. You saw until a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet that were of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken in pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that no place was found for them: and the stone that struck the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. This is the dream; and we will tell its interpretation before the king. You, O king, are king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the strength, and the glory; and wherever the children of men dwell, the animals of the field and the birds of the sky has he given into your hand, and has made you to rule over them all: you are the head of gold. After you shall arise another kingdom inferior to you; and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. The fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron, because iron breaks in pieces and subdues all things; and as iron that crushes all these, shall it break in pieces and crush. Whereas you saw the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, because you saw the iron mixed with miry clay. As the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. Whereas you saw the iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men; but they shall not cling to one another, even as iron does not mingle with clay. In the days of those kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall its sovereignty be left to another people; but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Because you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God has made known to the king what shall happen hereafter: and the dream is certain, and its interpretation sure. (Daniel 2:27-45)
God
the Revealer of Secrets
Daniel makes a very important point when saying that this dream comes from God and only those who are given revelation will be able to divine or discern this. Many are the things people inquire into that they are not able to understand, because the god of this world has blinded their minds. We see here that this was the case with all the diviners, astrologers and practitioners of magical arts in Babylon. In the book of Deuteronomy, we read:
The secret things belong to Yahweh our God; but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. (Deuteronomy 29:29)
The secret things are what God is doing in respect to fulfilling His plan for the fullness of time and bringing about the redemption of His people (a specified number that He had originally intended for God-likeness before sin came into being). Now the reason why the Son of God appeared—as Jesus of Nazareth—was to destroy the works of the Devil (1 John 3:8). In order for this to occur, mysteries were created. And only those who are capable of receiving truth get to understand them. Unless a person desires to do the will of God and does it, there will be no understanding imparted to the truth of God’s will. When we think of Israel as being the chosen people, who were to know the secret things of God, we have to wonder why King Nebuchadnezzar would have been chosen to have this mystery revealed to him. Nevertheless, even though Nebuchadnezzar was chosen to have the dream, only a son of faith, a true son of Abraham, was given the interpretation. This is very important for us to understand. Unless we have faith and are honest in our appraisal, regarding the degree of our faithfulness in trusting God to supply our needs, we could be sidetracked and found believing falsehoods rather than the truth. When Daniel presented the truth to Nebuchadnezzar, there was no doubt. Likewise, in understanding this book, we need to concentrate on the obvious and not become speculative or deceptive in our approach, because if we have the wrong motives, we will not only deceive others but also ourselves.
The
Image as the Embodiment of Man
The passage that Daniel interpreted seems easy to understand. There was an image of a man that had a head made of fine gold; its breast and its arms were made of silver; its belly and its thighs were made of brass; beginning just above the knees, its legs were made of iron; its feet were part of iron and part of clay. Then a stone not made of hands smashed into its feet. The stone became a mountain that filled the Earth. The gold, silver, brass, iron, clay and stone each represent kingdoms but not six kingdoms with another ten to come; rather four kingdoms of men, and two created by God.
One very important point that is overlooked is that the king of Babylon is given reign over everything on Earth, wherever the children of men dwell, including the beasts of the field and the birds of the air. Now, we know that this is not true. The king of Babylon ruled only over a particular region that borders the Red Sea along Saudi Arabia in the southwest through to the Persian Gulf, from Egypt to Cyprus and Southern Turkey around the Mediterranean, reaching up to Armenia, then down through Iran to claim the top portion of the Persian Gulf. Since the king of Babylon is not actually given reign over the entire globe, this prophecy needs to be understood contextually within the purpose of God. Essentially, we are referring to no more than Israel itself and the ruler of the globe, Satan. But when saying that this image of a man was given reign over all the Earth, this has to be a reference to Adam; for he was given reign over all the Earth.
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” (Genesis 1:27-28)
From a natural understanding of the text, if we understood that an image of man, representing the kingdoms of men, was brought low by a stone from Heaven, not made by human hands, and this kingdom that arose from the stone filled the whole Earth, we are looking at the obvious. So why do people find so many different explanations about this dream and its interpretation? What is wrong with the obvious interpretation?
Let us look at the obvious interpretation and see if there is anything wrong with it.
Would
a Jew interpret this different to what a Christian would? We would have to say
that this would be expected because the Jew today does not believe as the
Christian does. However, we would expect a Jew, prior to Jesus, to be looking
for the promised Messiah, who is to come. Evidently, Jews are still waiting for
the Messiah. In which case, as far as the Jews are concerned, the stone made
without hands that struck the image of the man would be representative of the
Messiah who is still to come. To the Christian, and the Jews who accepted Jesus,
the Messiah has come. So how would we view this from a New Testament
perspective?
Theologically speaking, most would interpret this dream as the Son of God coming down to Earth to destroy the kingdoms of humankind that were attempting to set up dominion. As has already pointed out, the Son of God came to destroy the works of the Devil. The kingdoms of Earth are not of God, even though He has permitted them to exist. Apart from Israel, these kingdoms were of the Devil. If they were of God then there would have been no need to destroy them by setting up a kingdom that would fill the whole Earth. The truth is God allows the Devil and his agents to inspire people to do certain things in accordance to the freewill they possess. Within the predetermined framework of human habitation, God utilizes this freewill to bring about His purpose. The Apostle Paul writes:
Have this in your mind, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, didn’t consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, yes, the death of the cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11)
Here in Philippians, we see the Son of God exercised freewill and became human to do the task that He accomplished. Therefore, the Father has highly exalted Him and bestowed upon Him every honor possible, so all men, and all creatures, will acknowledge Lord Jesus Christ as being higher in status than anyone else. In other words, the Son of God will rule over the Earth and all the people who dwell on it; not to mention all the creatures who have been created in Heaven or exist in the realm of eternal torment.
Son
of God’s Kingdom
What is important for us to understand is the Son of God came to Earth to set up a kingdom in the hearts of men and women. This kingdom will begin like a cornerstone and grow into a mountain. The imagery is portraying how a small element will become the dominant element. Beginning with Pentecost, after the death and resurrection of Lord Jesus, the Kingdom of God has been growing on Earth. This kingdom is established in the hearts of men and women. For the Kingdom of God is within us, it is not an external kingdom, even though there are subjects. Those who accept Lord Jesus Christ and are baptized in the Holy Spirit become subjects. Therefore the Kingdom of God continues to grow until the preordained number of inhabitants is attained. This number is conditional upon individuals exercising their freewill and accepting the inheritance that is offered them.
The Apostle Peter provides us with another analogy that also applies to this dream of Daniel’s. We read:
Come to him, a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God, precious. You also, as living stones, are built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Because it is contained in Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, chosen, and precious: He who believes in him will not be disappointed.” For you who believe therefore is the honor, but for those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected, has become the chief cornerstone.” (1 Peter 2:4-7)
The stone that struck the image has become the cornerstone upon which the rest of the building—or in this case, the kingdom—is to be built. This is going to be a kingdom that is a living structure, and it is going to fill the Earth. This is not going to be a man-made structure that is built from gold, silver, brass, iron or clay, and be like some dead idol; rather, this kingdom is going to be a living organism, because this is created by the Living God. Men make dead things that are incapable of reproducing themselves, as living organisms have the ability to do. Only God is the Creator of life.
Even though the image of a stone in the dream given to Nebuchadnezzar is portrayed as being hewn without human hands, and is merely a type, the reality is that this signifies a living stone and not a stone that men would cut from rock. At the same time, we are to understand that this is also the Rock of Salvation and provides a sure foundation upon which to build. The promise given to Abraham was understood along the lines of being a city and a kingdom with sure foundations. This is what the writer of Hebrews reveals:
By faith, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed to go out to the place which he was to receive for an inheritance. He went out, not knowing where he went. By faith, he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a land not his own, dwelling in tents, with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked for the city which has the foundations, whose builder and maker is God. By faith, even Sarah herself received power to conceive, and she bore a child when she was past age, since she counted him faithful who had promised. Therefore as many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as innumerable as the sand which is by the sea shore, were fathered by one man, and him as good as dead. These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them and embraced them from afar, and having confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. If indeed they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had enough time to return. But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. (Hebrews 11:8-16)
All who were looking for the Messiah would understand that the stone made without hands was to be their Savior. We who have found Lord Jesus Christ, and who have entered into an abiding relationship with Him, understand that this stone made without hands is representative of Him. The kingdom of Lord Jesus Christ is growing as more people look to Him and become Christians. The Scriptures further confirm this view in the following texts:
So then you are no longer strangers and
foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household
of God, being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ
Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone; in whom the whole building, fitted
together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built
together for a habitation of God in the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:19-22)
He who descended is the one who also
ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things. He gave some
to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, shepherds
and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, to the work of serving, to the
building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the
faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full grown man, to the
measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we may no longer be
children, tossed back and forth and carried about with every wind of doctrine,
by the trickery of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error; but speaking
truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, Christ;
from whom all the body, being fitted and knit together through that which every
joint supplies, according to the working in measure of each individual part,
makes the body increase to the building up of itself in love. (Ephesians
4:10-16)
For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s farming, God’s building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another builds on it. But let each man be careful how he builds on it. For no one can lay any other foundation than that which has been laid, which is Jesus Christ. But if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or stubble; each man’s work will be revealed. For the Day will declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself will test what sort of work each man’s work is. If any man’s work remains which he built on it, he will receive a reward. (1 Corinthians 3:9-14)
For us the message is clear. There is no real need to look into the dream of Nebuchadnezzar and create speculation as we seek to interpret what the different kingdoms might be. If we only have a Bible, we can see that this dream fits easily into what we can see in the Scriptures. So why should we complicate matters? The simple reading of what we find in the first dream is easily understood by seeing how this fits into the scheme of God’s salvation plan.
From
Gold to Clay: the Degeneration of Man
There is no need to wonder which kingdoms the silver, brass, and iron represent. When we start doing that, we begin to question the two legs and the feet of iron and clay. Additionally, feet have toes. What do the ten toes represent? Could there have been twelve toes on this giant statue? The only mention of the number of toes a person has in the Bible is of a giant who had six toes on each foot (2 Sam. 21:20; 1 Chr. 20:6). Were every toe part clay and part iron, or were some of them iron only? What can we say about the feet? They were also part clay and part iron. What kingdoms do they represent? Is the mixing of the seed of men referring to marriages? Now we are distracted and open to speculation. The Devil is able to get a foot in the door. To prevent the Devil from deceiving us with his wiles, we need to address these questions and find answers.
Gold in the Bible is considered the most precious of metals. This metal has qualities that other metals do not possess. Gold does not rust or change its composition. Gold does not tarnish or lose any of it luster. Gold is unique. Gold possesses eternal qualities; therefore, it rates as the most valuable of metals. Yet we learn that our faith is more precious than gold. For it is only through faith (not grace) that we are declared righteous before God. (Romans 4:5; 1 Peter 1:7; 2 Peter 1:1)
Silver is a precious metal that like gold is used for monetary exchange. Unlike gold, silver tarnishes. Because of this, people claim that silver is an inferior metal to gold. Therefore, the kingdom that is to follow that of King Nebuchadnezzar is inferior to his. Yet when we see the dream explained, the kingdoms do not stand because they are all inferior to the Kingdom represented by a stone that comes from Heaven. Does this mean that all the metals are inferior to stone? Already we are finding ourselves tempted to speculate. The truth is each metal has different properties and therefore is useful for different purposes because of these properties—also gold is rarer than silver, which is less abundant than iron ore or clay.
In the Tabernacle of Moses, we discover silver being used for atonement and redemption (Exodus 30:11-16; 38:25-27). Silver was also used to make amends for trespass offerings (Lev. 5:15-16), which means to atone for violations between people. The Apostle Peter says that precious blood of Lord Jesus redeems us, not silver or gold (1 Pet. 1:18-20), even though gold represents faith that is vital for salvation and silver represents knowledge of salvation—that is, what we have to do for salvation. In either case, faith without works is dead, and supposed knowledge, being untrue, is worthless. Tarnished silver is not representative of true knowledge but misinformation. It is the same as deception. Tarnished silver represents deception that seems like truth. Tarnished silver represents corrupted knowledge.
The third kingdom is represented by brass. The word translated brass is actually bronze. Bronze is a mixture of copper and tin and evidently is harder than either copper or tin. Unlike gold and silver, this third metal is the creation of man. This metal termed brass in English translations is used in the Bible to represent sin—so we will use the term brass. When Moses was given instructions to set up the tabernacle, a brass laver was used for the priests to wash their hands and feet before they offered up the sacrifices. This represented washing off sin that may have affected the priests during their dealings with other people, as they interacted with them, and any sin they may have committed inadvertently in their personal walk. The sin was left in the brass basin. These were the instructions given to Moses:
Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet in it. When they go into the Tent of Meeting, they shall wash with water, that they not die; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to Yahweh. So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they not die: and it shall be a statute forever to them, even to him and to his descendants throughout their generations.” (Exodus 30:19-21)
The fact that brass in the Bible is representative of sin is none more evident than when Moses was to create a brass serpent and put it on a pole; of which, in similar fashion, Jesus said that He must also be lifted up and become as a serpent—that is, sin. For we read:
Moses made a serpent of brass, and set
it on the pole. If a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked at the serpent
of brass, he lived. (Numbers 21:9 )
As Moses lifted up the serpent in the
wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up that whoever believes in
him should not perish, but have eternal life.
(John 3:14-15)
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Brass is typically referred to as being hard, and equated with the hard-hearted and obstinate persons who persist in sin and rebelliousness.
Because I knew that you are obstinate…your
brow brass. (Isaiah 48:4)
They are all grievous rebels, going
about with slanders; they are brass…(Jeremiah 6:28)
Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to me: all of them are brass… (Ezekiel 22:18)
What we are seeing, as we begin to consider the metals of which the image is made, appears to be another message associated with the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, besides a man being toppled by the Son of God, who came as a servant, rather than the King of Kings. One thing is sure, brass is hard, and the prophet Micah points out that hoofs made of brass can be merciless to those who are trampled by them.
Arise and thresh, daughter of Zion;…I will make your hoofs brass; and you will beat in pieces many peoples, and I will devote their gain to Yahweh, and their substance to the Lord of the whole earth. (Micah 4:13)
The third kingdom is to be merciless, more so than the first two; many say that this typifies what happened when Alexander the Great swept across the land that was previously the Persian Empire. Alexander did something other than conquer the people in a military sense, he acculturated them into Greek thinking and thereby prepared even parts of India to be receptive to the gospel that was to come. This could be to what Micah was referring when speaking of the people beaten into pieces and their gain devoted to the Lord—bearing in mind that a true Jew is actually circumcised of heart (Romans 2:29) and therefore a Christian. Thus, the message of the gospel shall redound to the glory of the Lord as His name fills the whole Earth.
The third kingdom actually breaks up and creates two different kingdoms because the brass forms the thighs, the top half of the legs; these break out into the separate kingdoms of iron. Effectively, the representation of the metals include two kingdoms (or dynasties) that are recognized as separate historically, but are in effect extensions of the third kingdom. This fact is important to grasp if we are to understand the fulfillment of this prophecy.
Iron:
The Continuation of Hellenistic Influence
The legs of iron, and the feet and toes that are partly clay, typify another kingdom. The kingdom of brass actually ran down into the thighs, which indicates that the previous kingdom is responsible for these two offshoots that concern the Jews. Many believe that the legs are the Roman Empire; but this is impossible really. The Roman Empire was not dependent upon the Macedonian Empire and did not come out of its split. That the next kingdom came out of the Macedonian Kingdom is indicated by the fact that not only the loins are covered with brass, but also the thighs. The legs from the top of the knees are then a continuation of the previous kingdom. The Macedonian Kingdom was split into four kingdoms and two of these affected Jerusalem. These were the Seleucid Kingdom reigning out of Antioch, Syria, and the Ptolemaic Kingdom reigning from Alexandra, Egypt. In the end, both of these kingdoms became weakened, as if they were iron turning into clay. But bear in mind, iron furnaces harden clay.
When Julius Caesar died in 44 BC, General Mark Antony, patrician Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, and Ceasar’s adopted son, Octavian, divided the Empire into three divisions. Mark Antony, married to Octavian’s sister, was given rule over the Eastern division, which included Greece, Asia Minor, Tarsus, Cyrene, Crete, Cyprus, Israel and Ptolemy Egypt. Mark Antony fell in love with the last Ptolemy, Cleopatra VII, and handed over Tarsus, Cyrene, Crete, Cyprus, and Israel to Cleopatra and her children. Their fate came to an end when they both committed suicide. The Ptolemaic Kingdom ceased.
The Seleucid Kingdom had been reduced to a few cities in Syria. After the Maccabean revolt between 166-160 BC, the Seleucids were weakened by continual internal strife and they struggled in other battles with Northern neighbors. Eventually, without a fight, their diminished territory became a client kingdom of Rome, as did Israel. Mainly this was because of the political instability within the family; so they were made a province of Rome, as was Israel in 6 BC. Yet we know that kings existed in Israel during this period, even though it was a Roman province. This is how the kingdoms of the Ptolemies and Seleucids supposedly turned into clay under Roman rule (however, these two kingdoms are not represented by the clay).
Corrosion
of Metal
Iron in the Bible is regarded as the hardest and the strongest of metals. Yet it is also known to rust and is not like pure gold, which retains its luster and does not tarnish as other metals, such as silver and brass. The harder the metal, the easier it corrodes. Gold does not corrode or tarnish. Silver tarnishes, but very slowly. Bronze (and brass) tarnishes more quickly than silver.
The second kingdom after that of Nebuchadnezzar (represented by the gold) is said to be inferior, just as silver is inferior to gold because it will corrode, whereas gold does not. After silver comes the kingdom made of brass. Made out of copper and tin, brass corrodes quicker than silver. Iron, being harder than gold or silver or brass (copper and tin), corrodes very quickly compared to these other metals.
In order, we have three kingdoms represented by metals that subsequently corrode faster than the previous mentioned metal. This is the case, even though each metal is harder than the preceding one. This implies that the more hard-hearted the individual kings are, the easier they are to corrupt and, therefore, the quicker they diminish in moral strength over time.
The Roman Empire was not as short-lived as these empires and lasted as an empire for five hundred years. Prior to this, Rome was effectively a major kingdom for five hundred years before becoming an empire. And if we consider the fact that Rome was founded in 753 BC,[v] it existed over a century before King Nebuchadnezzar came on the scene. The Babylon Kingdom that began with Nebuchadnezzar lasted 87 years from 626 BC to 539 BC. The Persian Kingdom that began when Astyages became king of Media in 585 BC,[vi] was taken over by Cyrus in 539 BC and lasted until the slaying of Darius III in 330 BC[vii] The Macedonian Kingdom was divided up at the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC by his four generals: Antigonus, Antipater, Ptolemy, and Seleucus.[viii] The dynasties birthed by Seleucus and Ptolemy reigned until the death of Philip II Philoromaeus (56 BC) and Cleopatra VII (30 BC). [ix]
The Seleucids and the Ptolemies were rivals and yet they intermarried. In 198 BC, Antiochus the Great’s daughter Cleopatra married Ptolemy V Epiphanes. Antiochus IV Epiphanes invaded Egypt in 173 BC and in 168 BC had cause to return but was stopped by the Roman representative Popilius Laenus and was ordered to leave Egypt.[x] Still having reign over Judah, trouble from the Jews saw him enmeshed in the war of Jerusalem, where he killed tens of thousands of Jews and performed the desolating sacrilege in the Temple, recorded to have been the erection of Zeus’ statue and the sacrifice of a pig.
Interestingly, the Lucifer Trust has the only chapel at the United Nations and its sole statue is the pagan god Zeus.[xi] This suggests that the Antichrist to come is a manifestation of the ancient Zeus, who became the chief god of the Olympians after overthrowing his father, Cronus, king of the Titans, and creating a new order comprising of mostly his siblings and children.[xii] The parallels of the mythical Zeus to the downfall of Lucifer and his attempts to reign over humans, who were created in the image of God, are not to be dismissed.
What history tells us is there was a union between these two legs of the statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream that was unstable in the end. The clay in the feet and the toes appear to represent this instability.
However, when we use the Bible as our guideline to understand what these metals represent and what clay might mean, we discover something very interesting about clay that is mostly overlooked. For though these two kingdoms were divided and yet they intermarried and both became provinces of Rome, once the last two respective heirs to the thrones were dead, the clay tells us something of great significance about the statue and what was happening at that time.
Rome
Overshadows the Image of the Man
One
thing we do know is that the Roman Kingdom was not represented by the clay or
the iron because it existed before the Kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar and functioned
as a republic until 100 years before the time of Octavian Augustus in 31 BC.
The Roman conquest of the Mediterranean began in 264 BC. The timeline for the
Roman kingdom and its growth does not fit into the timeline of the rise and
fall of the kingdoms depicted by the image of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream—which is
very import-ant when it comes to understanding this prophecy. The emerging Roman
Kingdom/Empire actually overshadows the kingdoms represented by the image in
Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. Not once does the Roman Kingdom cease to exist before
the stone strikes the statue, nor as a result of the stone striking the statue,
as in the case of the Jews rejecting their Messiah, Lord Jesus Christ. The
pattern for the kingdoms represented by the image is they cease to exist as a
result of being struck by the stone. In this respect, Rome represents the god
of this world overshadowing the kingdoms of men; somewhat reminiscent of the
covering cherub on the mountain of God overshadowing the man.
By the abundance of your traffic they
filled your insides with violence, and you have sinned: therefore I have cast
you as profane out of the mountain of God; and I have destroyed you, covering
cherub, from the middle of the stones of fire.
(Ezekiel 28:16)
The clay of the feet and the toes (not the toes only), according to Daniel, would be a divided kingdom that also intermingles with the seed of men, which is believed within certain circles to represent intermarriage.
Whereas you saw the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, because you saw the iron mixed with miry clay. As the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. Whereas you saw the iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men; but they shall not cling to one another, even as iron does not mingle with clay. (Daniel 2:41-43)
Marriages
of Ptolemies and Seleucids
Both the Ptolemies and the Seleucids were related by marriage. The descendants of these families ruled into the first century AD within royal domains. The following list from Chris Bennet, published under the auspices of Tyndale House, reveals the intermarriage between the two royal households of the Ptolemies and the Seleucids.
Apama, wife of Magas, stepson of Ptolemy
I
Antiochus II, husband of Berenice,
daughter of Ptolemy II
Cleopatra I, wife of Ptolemy V
Alexander I, first husband of Cleopatra
Thea, daughter of Ptolemy VI and Cleopatra II
Demetrius II, second husband of
Cleopatra Thea, daughter of Ptolemy VI and Cleopatra II
Antiochus VII, third husband of
Cleopatra Thea, daughter of Ptolemy VI and Cleopatra II
Antiochus VIII, husband of Tryphaena,
daughter of Ptolemy VIII and Cleopatra III
Antiochus IX, second husband of
Cleopatra IV, daughter of Ptolemy VIII and Cleopatra III
Antiochus VIII, third husband of
Cleopatra Selene, daughter of Ptolemy VIII and Cleopatra III
Antiochus X, fifth husband of Cleopatra
Selene, daughter of Ptolemy VIII and Cleopatra III
Antiochus IX, fourth husband of Cleopatra Selene, daughter of Ptolemy VIII and Cleopatra III
The reign of the actual dynasties of the Ptolemies and the Seleucids over their respective territories, which included Jerusalem, may have been brought to an end, but descendants of the two dynasties continued to reign as members of royal households. Chris Bennet states: “Descendants of Cleopatra Thea, daughter of Ptolemy VI and queen of Syria, can be traced well into the second century AD through the marriage of her grand-daughter Laodice to Mithridates I king of Commagene.”[xiii]
The issue concerning intermarriage extends beyond the Ptolemy and Seleucid dynasties intermarrying. This is indicated by the statement that clay and the iron is explained as they “shall mingle themselves with the seed of men”. One of these substances has a godly spiritual nature and the other a corrupt nature.
Iron
in the Bible
When it comes to iron, among other things, it is used figuratively in the Bible to reference the ungodly nature:
· Obstinacy—neck of iron sinew: Because I knew that you are obstinate, and your neck is an iron sinew, and your brow brass. (Isaiah 48:4)
· Moral corruption: They are all grievous rebels, going about with slanders; they are brass and iron: they all of them deal corruptly. (Jeremiah 6:28)
· Self-affliction: Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron. (Psalm 107:10)
· Slavery—yoke of iron: Therefore you will serve your enemies whom Yahweh sends against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in lack of all things. He will put an iron yoke on your neck, until he has destroyed you. (Deuteronomy 28:48).
· Chastisement—the iron furnace: But Yahweh has taken you, and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be to him a people of inheritance, as it is today (Deuteronomy 4:20). Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to me: all of them are brass and tin and iron and lead, in the middle of the furnace; they are the dross of silver. Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: Because you have all become dross, therefore, behold, I will gather you into the middle of Jerusalem. As they gather silver and brass and iron and lead and tin into the middle of the furnace, to blow the fire on it, to melt it; so will I gather you in my anger and in my wrath, and I will lay you there, and melt you. Yes, I will gather you, and blow on you with the fire of my wrath, and you shall be melted in the middle of it. As silver is melted in the middle of the furnace, so you will be melted in the middle of it; and you will know that I, Yahweh, have poured out my wrath on you (Ezekiel 22:18-22).
· Severity of punishment—rod of iron: You shall break them with a rod of iron. You shall dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel (Psalm 2:9).
· Barrenness: Your sky that is over your head will be brass, and the earth that is under you will be iron. (Deuteronomy 28:23).
· Strength—limbs like bars of iron: His bones are like tubes of brass. His limbs are like bars of iron (Job 40:18).
Humans:
Made from Clay
Clay is used figuratively to describe humans, who are made from clay, and once they are fashioned, they are put in an iron furnace to become a vessel of noble use—although the Apostle Paul notes that some pottery is used for purposes that are not so noble—for example, night chamber pots.
But we have this treasure in clay
vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not from
ourselves. (2 Corinthians 4:7)
Now in a large house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of clay. Some are for honor, and some for dishonor. (2 Timothy 2:20)
Interestingly, God says that He has taken the Israelites out of an iron furnace to be people who have an inheritance in Him. When Moses is relating this to the Israelites, these are the ones who have been molded in the wilderness, not the ones who came out of Egypt as adults. The people of Israel, collectively—not individually, but as a nation—had been molded as clay and hardened in the furnace of affliction, as God disciplined them in the wilderness to prove the intentions of their heart.
But Yahweh has taken you, and brought
you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be to him a people of
inheritance, as it is today. (Deuteronomy 4:20)
You shall remember all the way which Yahweh your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, to prove you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments, or not. (Deuteronomy 8:2)
Clay plays an important part in the lives of people within the days of biblical culture. Clay can be softened and fashioned into any object a person so desires; ranging from a hollow object to one that is solid, such as a brick, and then baked very hard in a furnace (kiln). The following is what the Bible has to say about clay and the people of God:
He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay. He set my feet on a rock, and gave me a firm place to stand. (Psalm 40:2)
You turn things upside down! Should the
potter be thought to be like clay; that the thing made should say about him who
made it, “He didn’t make me”; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, “He
has no understanding?” (Isaiah 29:16)
Woe to him who strives with his Maker—a
clay pot among the clay pots of the earth! Shall the clay ask him who fashions
it, ‘What are you making?’ or your work, ‘He has no hands?’ (Isaiah 45:9)
But now, Yahweh, you are our Father. We
are the clay, and you our potter. We all are the work of your hand. (Isaiah
64:8)
House of Israel, can’t I do with you as
this potter? says Yahweh. Behold, as the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you
in my hand, house of Israel. (Jeremiah 18:6)
Or hasn’t the potter a right over the
clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel for honor, and another for
dishonor? (Romans 9:21)
But we have this treasure in clay
vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not from
ourselves. (2 Corinthians 4:7)
He will rule them with a rod of iron, shattering them like clay pots; as I also have received of my Father. (Revelation 2:27)
Using the Bible, we learn that gold represents faith, silver represents truth, brass represents sin, iron represents shackles and a furnace, whereas clay represents the people collectively (i.e. nation—Rev. 2:26-7) molded by God.
Nebuchadnezzar’s Image – Metals and Spiritual Interpretations
|
Part
of the Image |
Metal |
Spiritual
Interpretation |
|
Head |
Gold |
Man in the image of God — pure, upright, and
full of faith |
|
Chest and Arms |
Silver |
Division and duality — knowledge of good and
evil, rise of self-will |
|
Belly and Thighs |
Bronze (Brass) |
Cultural brilliance with spiritual decay —
glorification of man's wisdom |
|
Legs |
Iron |
Harsh strength and dominion — Rome's forceful
rule, suppression of spiritual life |
|
Feet (mixed) |
Iron and Clay |
Unstable union of strong and weak — fallen
powers mixed with human fragility and rebellion X |
(Fig. 5)
The
Stone Without Hands is The Rock
The image before us represents people attempting to acquire the faith that enables knowledge to be utilized for the good of mankind. However, instead of overcoming their bondage to sin and being redeemed by virtue of their faith, what has happened is the opposite. The religion of Babylon (Babel) attempts to usurp what our Heavenly Father desires for mankind. Consequently, God has shattered the image that man has of himself as a builder of kingdoms and has created a kingdom that will be eternal. This kingdom will be established through Lord Jesus Christ to bring about the fulfillment of time.
Putting this into perspective then, the image is a demonstration of the fall of man, with God taking charge over matters and creating something new. Instead of using metals and clay, God uses a stone that is actually the Rock.
Everyone therefore who hears these words
of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man, who built his house on
a rock. The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on
that house; and it didn’t fall, for it was founded on the rock. (Matthew 7:24-25)
Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. I also tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my assembly, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give to you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven; and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven.” (Matthew 16:17-19)
The Apostle Paul points out the importance of this Rock. For the Rock without hands is not just an ordinary rock. Even though the Rock is interpreted variously by expositors, there is one fact that we cannot escape: the Rock is the Son of God (Deuteronomy 32:4).
Now I would not have you ignorant,
brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the
sea; and were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and all ate
the same spiritual food; and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank
of a spiritual rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. (1 Corinthians
10:1-4)
The Rock, his work is perfect, for all
his ways are just. A God of faithfulness who does no wrong, just and right is
he.
(Deuteronomy 32:4)
But Jeshurun grew fat, and kicked. You
have grown fat. You have grown thick. You have become sleek. Then he abandoned
God who made him, and rejected the Rock of his salvation. (Deuteronomy 32:15)
Of the Rock who became your father, you are unmindful, and have forgotten God who gave you birth. (Deuteronomy 32:18)
The original plan was for the Son of God to become the Son of Man. Unfortunately, the Evil One decided to introduce his creation into the equation and deceive mankind into believing that they too could ascend to the Heavens and be as God. The image that Nebuchadnezzar dreamed about portrays the destruction of man’s effort to become ruler of this world under the influence of the Evil One (depicted by Rome, unseen in the background and not part of the image, but nevertheless makes itself known around the time Christ comes to Earth, as far as the people of God are concerned). Thus, we see that the Man was originally made to be spiritually rich, but because he forsook the true riches, he began to become an inferior being, step by step, not realizing that originally he was made of clay (which unless fired in a furnace, when dry, turns into dust) and the One who made him, has the final say. The potter has the final say over the clay, and can break it into pieces, if he so desires.
Now this clay portion of the image that is mixed with the iron is two kingdoms. The kingdom represented by the iron, however, has two branches that break out into kings. Kingdoms have different kings over time. Kingdoms can also have varying geographical borders over time. Kingdoms do not have to have the same family members reigning either, for the kingdom to remain. In the second kingdom, which is that of Persia, we also had the Medes reigning. The breast and two arms made of silver represent this kingdom known as the Medo-Persia. Therefore, questions arise when we read that “the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly broken” and “the iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men; but they shall not cling to one another, even as iron does not mingle with clay”.
Mixed
with Clay: Seed of Men
Traditionally, the seed of men is taken to mean children, as in the case of this verse:
Behold, the days come, says Yahweh, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man, and with the seed of animal. (Jeremiah 31:27)
In Jeremiah, the seed of man is a reference to human offspring and the seed of animal to an abundance of animals, not bestiality and hybrids, as some might infer. In Scripture, the seed of men more often than not refers to the offspring of men and women. When the seed of men is mentioned in Daniel there is a difference. The phrase “intermingled with the seed” suggests something that is not human being mixed with the seed of men and women. It is possible, that there could be an error in the transcribing of the copies of the original, and this seed of men may refer to the inbreeding that characterized the Ptolemies, who were incestuous, with siblings marrying each other and having children, whom they also married in some instances and bore offspring.
Another interpretation of the seed of men referenced in the explanation of the vision is made on the basis of what is found in the book of Ezra, when the Israelites were returning to the land of Judah. We read:
For they have taken of their daughters
for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy offspring have mixed
themselves with the peoples of the lands. Yes, the hand of the princes and
rulers has been chief in this trespass.” (Ezra 9:2)
On the basis of this verse, the mingling of the seed of men is interpreted to mean that the rulers are going to marry foreigners or people who are inferior to them. The toes (of which the number is not mentioned) are represented as ten kings who intermingle their seed with inferior classes.
Regardless of how people interpret this intermingling of the clay and the iron, the one feature that must be the key to their interpretation of this prophetic message is the fact the intermingling does not mix. With this, we have to agree, for the importance of this fact is the key to understanding this prophecy.
Prophecy
Concerns Israel Only
This prophecy actually concerns Israel and not the kingdoms of the world. We know this because there were many more kingdoms in the world during the period of this vision than just Babylon, Medo-Persia, Macedonia and its fractured offshoots; in particular, the Seleucid and Ptolemy kingdoms. What needs emphasizing is the fact this prophecy is about the kingdoms that are part of God’s plan to bring about his purpose. As for God’s plan to bring about His purpose for mankind, Israel was the nation He was concerned about, not Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome or any other kingdom (e.g. Zhou Kingdom of China, Maurya Kingdom of India). For Israel alone was the nation that God created for Himself—not any other nation.
Now therefore, if you will indeed obey
my voice, and keep my covenant, then you shall be my own possession from among
all peoples; for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of
priests, and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the
children of Israel.” (Exodus 19:5-6)
He shows his word to Jacob; his statutes and his ordinances to Israel. He has not done this for just any nation. They don’t know his ordinances. Praise Yah! (Psalm 147:19-20)
What we see in this statue is the people of Israel represented as slowly falling away from being a people who had faith to those who are merely clay. In order for the promise of God to be fulfilled, another kingdom had to be created, one that would be everlasting. One of which, Jesus said:
For I tell you, among those who are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptizer, yet he who is least in God’s Kingdom is greater than he. (Luke 7:28)
The first two kingdoms represented faith in God and the knowledge of God; with faith in God being superior to merely possessing knowledge of God. The third kingdom represented sin. Brass represents sin. This kingdom of brass actually continues from the torso onto the thighs above the knees. Instead of the helmet of salvation (faith in Lord Jesus Christ), the breastplate of righteousness (possessing the knowledge of what is right), and girding the loins with the belt of truth, human deceit is entertained. Deceit will always bring people undone. Humanism is the deceit of the Devil, and egoism is what he uses to inflame his curse. The culture of Greece, Hellenization was spread far and wide by Alexander the Great, and also flourished under the Ptolemy and Seleucid dynasties. In fact, Antiochus IV Epiphanies used this to create a division among the Judahites (the tribe of Judah). Hence the seed of men—Greek philosophy—did not mix with the clay. The clay was placed with the iron that became as a furnace, wherein chastisement and punishment were meted out by the two dynasties that controlled Israel after Alexander the Great’s conquest.
Key
To This Prophecy
While there appears to be many possibilities, every interpreter (this writer is aware of) has overlooked what appears to be the key to understanding this prophecy. The intermingling of the seed of man with the purpose of God is the key to understanding this prophecy. Otherwise, how is it that the stone not made from hands could smash this last kingdom, when the last of the two dynasties that had ruled over Israel had been taken over by the Roman Empire some thirty years before Jesus was born, and ruled over Jerusalem until AD 70. Atheists hold this fact up as proof that the Bible is erroneous, and that the book of Daniel was written after the fact, because of the gap. Meanwhile, many of the false interpretations that have abounded, close this gap, by claiming that the Roman Empire is represented by the iron. Interpreters have come up with numerous ideas of what is going to happen regarding the Roman Empire and ten kings, which they claimed are represented by ten toes (even though the number of toes is not mentioned). By focusing on the toes, each interpreter has overlooked that not only the toes but also the feet were intermingled with the clay. The statue stands on its feet not its toes, suggesting that it was weak. Moreover, any future king(s) had to intermingle with clay feet as well as the toes. Mind you, some have suggested that the clay represents the Greek idea of democracy, as we know it today; while getting closer to the truth, this, also, is off the mark.
When we consider chapter two, verses forty-two to forty-five, we learn that the toes of the feet were part iron and clay, partly strong and partly broken, and there would be no clinging to each other.
As the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. Whereas you saw the iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men; but they shall not cling to one another, even as iron does not mingle with clay. In the days of those kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall its sovereignty be left to another people; but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Because you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God has made known to the king what shall happen hereafter: and the dream is certain, and its interpretation sure. (Daniel 2:42-45)
No
Civil War of Ten Kingdoms
If the toes mentioned represented ten kingdoms, each kingdom would be ten divided kingdoms with civil war. Whereas if this illustration represented those who were of God and those who were influenced by the seed of man (evil seed sown by the Devil in parable of darnel weeds—Matthew 13:24-30,36-43), then this requires no speculation.
Then Jesus sent the multitudes away, and
went into the house. His disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the
parable of the darnel weeds of the field.”
He answered them, “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the children of the Kingdom; and the darnel weeds are the children of the evil one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. As therefore the darnel weeds are gathered up and burned with fire; so will it be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his Kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and those who do iniquity, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be weeping and the gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. (Matthew 13:36-43)
When other seed is intermingled in the field with the good seed, this produces a crop of what was intended and another that was not intended. Only when the crop has matured can the differences be determined. But when it comes to clay and iron, these are clearly two different substances and there is no fear of mistaken identity. Nevertheless, the intermingling of one with the other is spoken of as occurring, but in terms of the seed of men and not kingdoms. Kingdoms are the fruit of the seed of men. What we read in Daniel concerning seed suggests something else that has to do with men other than politics and kingdoms.
When Jesus was instructing his disciples, Peter (the apostle) began to rebuke Him for saying that He would die. From Jesus response to Peter, we learn that there are two sides, God’s side and man’s side. What is interesting is Jesus says that Satan is on the side of man, and not the other way around.
He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He spoke to them openly. Peter took him, and began to rebuke him. But he, turning around, and seeing his disciples, rebuked Peter, and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you have in mind not the things of God, but the things of men.” (Mark 8:31-33)
The fact that Satan is on the side of man, clearly means the seed of men is different to the seed of God. Therefore, when we read in Daniel “they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men; but they shall not cling to one another, even as iron does not mingle with clay” we have to ask who are “they”. The answer to this is “they” are the people of God, for they are the clay. The number of toes is not mentioned here; probably because the toes have no relevance to the number of the kingdoms of men in respect to the statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream—which is overlooked by many who major on the toes. The only significance the ten toes would have in relation to this has to do with God’s righteousness being different to that of man’s standard and the Ten Commandments are being violated. There is more significance in pointing to the Ten Commandments and the seed of men not being able to mix, being that of Satan; but this is not exactly what the clay and the iron represent, because there is no mention of ten toes. What is relevant here is the people of God were mixing with the seed of men, and this is Satan’s side. Therefore, Israel has demonstrated that unless God Himself sets up a new kingdom, there is no possibility of righteousness reigning on Earth. Not that God was not aware of this, but in order to demonstrate that He is righteous, He had to give the people of the nation of Israel, according to the flesh, every opportunity to demonstrate their true colors. Unfortunately, Israel failed to obtain what was promised because the people lacked faith, as the Apostle Paul states:
What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, who didn’t follow after righteousness, attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith; but Israel, following after a law of righteousness, didn’t arrive at the law of righteousness. Why? Because they didn’t seek it by faith, but as it were by works of the law. They stumbled over the stumbling stone; even as it is written, “Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and a rock of offense; and no one who believes in him will be disappointed.” (Romans 9:30-33)
The
Kingdom That Will Never Be Destroyed
We know that the Kingdom of God is already here and the building of the this Kingdom began at Pentecost. This Kingdom is an enduring kingdom that has not been built by the hands of men, and neither has it been built out of clay, which was a type of God’s people as a nation in the Old Testament in respect to the Earthly kingdoms of men. God’s Kingdom is of the Spirit. God is spirit and those who worship Him can only do so in spirit and truth. This is the eternal dimension. This is the Kingdom that is going to fill the whole Earth with righteousness. Men may be made from clay and be but dust, however, those who are to become members of the Kingdom of God will receive everlasting bodies that will not perish. That which began at the resurrection of Jesus and was inaugurated at Pentecost is the Everlasting Kingdom of God, which is still in the process of being finalized.
Summarized, the image that Nebuchadnezzar dreamed about represented what God was going to do to the kingdom of man by smashing the reign of the Evil One and setting up a kingdom not made with hands. This occurred when Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Before Jesus died for the sin of mankind, He spoke of what would happen at the day of Pentecost when speaking of the Holy Spirit and the Kingdom of God that was to come, saying:
When he has come, he will convict the world about sin, about righteousness, and about judgment; about sin, because they don’t believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to my Father, and you won’t see me any more; about judgment, because the prince of this world has been judged. (John 16:8-11)
The stone that felled the statue that represented the man that God created, which had been corrupted by sin, actually portrayed what was to happen when the Son of God came to Earth to set up the Kingdom of God. For God had created Israel as a nation unto Himself to be a light among the nations, expressing the virtue of faith (represented by the gold). Instead of being imperishable by walking in the Word of God, the remnant of the nation was taken captivity by the Babylonians, where faith was once more expressed towards God. As a nation the Israelites (now only Jews[xiv]) where permitted to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. Thereby using the activities of men, as they sought to politically dominate the nation He had created, God brought about the means by which the ruler of this world would be judged. The image that Nebuchadnezzar saw, testifies to this. From scattering the nations at Babel to creating a nation for Himself, God has once more defeated that which resided in Babel (now known as mystery Babylon) by allowing the ruler of this Earth to deceive himself sufficiently to think that he had finally destroyed the purpose of the Creator in having created man, by consuming the Son of Man on the Cross of Calvary:
He was despised, and rejected by men; a man of suffering, and acquainted with disease. He was despised as one from whom men hide their face; and we didn’t respect him. Surely he has borne our sickness, and carried our suffering; yet we considered him plagued, struck by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought our peace was on him; and by his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray. Everyone has turned to his own way; and Yahweh has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:3-6)
The members of his body shall be devoured. The firstborn of death shall devour his members. (Job 18:13)
The image also represents Judah turning to God by faith while in Babylon, but when brought back to Jerusalem, the people, who possessed the knowledge of God, began to become corrupt and hardened their hearts through the corruption of sin—represented by the metals being tarnished. Consequently, the Judahites are finally tested in a furnace of iron, in attempt to mold an acceptable nation out of clay (representative of Adam). The end being that the nation of Judah is unacceptable and Heavenly intervention is required to bring about what God desires. A new nation, a new kingdom, born of the Eternal Spirit, was birthed after the Son of God destroyed the work of the Devil—the firstborn of death—and rose from the dead, when the Holy Spirit was given at the feast of Pentecost in AD 31. All this was done using the freewill possessed by every human being, even though foreknown.[xv]
***
[i] Nathaniel Lardner, The Works of Nathaniel Lardner,
vol. 4 (London: 1815), 224..
[ii] Noah’s Ark National
Park in Turkey exists because what appears to be a geological structure
corresponds to the dimensions of the boat that Noah was instructed to build in
Genesis 6:15. Using ground-penetrating radar, researchers demonstrated that the
structure conforms to the required dimensions and shows evidence of the
internal walls and supports that would have been necessary to house animals. A
sample taken from the site was tested and found to contain iron.
The fossilized structure is dismissed by many
because the investigating team was organized by amateur archaeologist Ron
Wyatt, a Seventh-day Adventist, who also claimed to have discovered the Exodus
Crossing, Mount Sinai, and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. However, there are
substantial artifacts supporting these finds, which some argue are more
credible than the claims made by certain scientists regarding the origins of
the Earth. Critics of these scientific claims often assert that the theories
presented are flimsy and lack validity, especially when they contradict
evidence. This skepticism extends to individuals who may identify as Christians
but prioritize their careers or personal beliefs over the acceptance of these
findings due to doctrinal concerns. Ron
Wyatt, "Noah's Ark," Ark Discovery, accessed March 20,2025,
http://www.arkdiscovery.com/noah%27s_ark.htm.
[iii] Ezekiel 16:49 states:
Behold, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: pride, fullness of bread,
and prosperous ease was in her and in her daughters; neither did she strengthen
the hand of the poor and needy. Incredibly, today, gay pride is exalted, but
those who pride themselves in being gay (homosexuals, sodomites) statistics
show are the least likely to help the poor, preferring to booze and party.
[iv] LBTGI—Lesbian,
Bisexual,Transgender, Gay, Intersex.
[v]The Founding of Rome”
accessed January 18, 2017 http://www.roman-empire.net/founding/found-index.html
[vi] “Astyages,” Encyclopaedia Britannica, accessed
January 18, 2017, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Astyages.
[vii] “Darius III,” Encyclopaedia Britannica, accessed
January 18, 2017, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Darius-III.
[viii] “Alexander the
Great,” Ancient History Encyclopedia,
accessed January 18, 2017, http://www.ancient.eu/Alexander_the_Great/.
[ix] “Ptolemy,” International Standard Bible Encyclopedia,
accessed June 13, 2016, http://www.bible-history.com/isbe/P/PTOLEMY/.
[x] ibid
[xi] Makow, Henry. Illuminati: The Cult That Hijacked The World.
Silas Green: Winningpeg.
2008. p67.
[xii] “12 Greek Gods and
Goddesses,” Encyclopaedia Britannica,
accessed July 15, 2017,
https://www.britannica.com/list/12-greek-gods-and-goddesses.
[xiii]Chris Bennet, “Ptolemy
Dynasty,” Tyndale House, accessed
June 13, 2016,
http://www.tyndalehouse.com/egypt/ptolemies/affilates/aff_ptolemies.htm.
[xiv] Paul the Apostle was
from the tribe of Benjamin and yet he considered himself a Jew (Romans 11:1;
Acts 22:3).
[xv] Many people cannot fathom how God can foreknow events and yet allow men
to have freewill. The answer to this is found in the book The Only Words Written By The Finger Of God.
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