Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream-Part 2
“Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.” Daniel 2:35
Daniel continued his interpretation, moving downward from the golden head of the image in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream to the breast and arms of silver, which represented the kingdom to arise after that of Babylonia. It would be great and powerful, yet inferior to Babylonia. It would be the kingdom of the Medes and Persians. The Median empire included part of modern-day Iraq, Iran, eastern Turkey, and Armenia. Media had been under the control of Assyria for over 200 years until they gained enough power, along with the help of Nebuchadnezzar’s father Nabopolassar and his army, to defeat the Assyrians. Nebuchadnezzar married the daughter of Cyaxares, the Median king, strengthening the alliance between Babylonia and Media. Persian’s kingdom extended over the large area of the western part of modern-day Iran. Media controlled Persia until the reign of Cyrus II. About 549 B.C., he subdued Media, but allowed them to partner with Persia and become a dual nation known as the Medo-Persian empire. About ten years later, the Medo-Persian empire took control of Babylonia and Judea, which resulted in the Jews being under the dominion of Persia for a little over 200 years.
Continuing with the description of the image, Daniel explained that the belly and thighs of brass represented the Macedonian-Greek empire ruled by Alexander the great. About 331 B.C., Alexander defeated the Persians and their king Darius III and declared himself king of Persia. Alexander was a military ruler rather than a political one. Over 150 years later, Greece was conquered by the Romans, the fourth kingdom, represented by the iron legs of the image. As legs are usually the strongest part of the physical body and iron is one of the strongest metals, Rome rose to power because of the strength of her army. It crushed all foes, but Rome became divided, hence the feet of iron and clay. Rome suffered various defeats and internal power struggles, eventually breaking apart into several smaller nations, some strong and some weak. In order to remain strong, the Romans intermarried with those of nations whom they conquered, yet, because of so many different allegiances and cultures, there was no real unifying factor to keep them together, just as iron and clay do not mix. Rome did take control of Jerusalem in 63 B.C., approximately 59 t9 61 years before the birth of Christ.
These four kingdoms, Babylonia, the Medo-Persians, Macedonian-Greek, and Roman dynasties were the only four kingdoms to claim power over the known world in their respective eras. No other man-ruled, man-centered kingdom has ever had the power that these four wielded. There have been others who have tried and failed, such as Hitler of Germany, Mussolini of Italy, and Stalin of the Soviet Union, and today many nations would desire to have world domination, among them China, Russia, and the nations ruled by Islam. As I write this blog, Russia has been trying to take over Ukraine for the last six months, Islamic jihadists are attacking Israel, and China is threatening Taiwan. Man’s thirst for power is never abated. The United States is not a nation that seeks to dominate the world but has been a deterrent to those who seek to control the entire earth. Her power has diminished somewhat due to governmental policies put in place by those who do not understand freedom and the peace which comes from depending upon the Lord and seeking His will. How much longer God will allow America to be a restraining force among the nations in unknown, but however history plays out, it will all be in God’s plan.
However, there is good news. Even during these multitudes of generations of men striving for earthly fame and power, God has been quietly building a kingdom that would never be destroyed and never be left in the hands of power-hungry individuals but would shatter and consume every man-made kingdom. God’s kingdom will stand forever. Since the beginning of man, God has had a remnant of people who worshiped Him and believed in His promise of a Redeemer who would reconcile man back to the Father. Jesus was with God in the Beginning (John1:1-2). It was always God’s plan to send His only Son as a sacrifice for man’s sins. It was during the reign of the Roman Empire when the details of God’s plan were set in motion.
Daniel described the end of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream as a Stone that was cut out of a mountain without human hands. The Stone is Jesus Christ, and He will break in pieces all human effort of self-righteousness, greed, power, and evil. Over 120 years before Daniel’s captivity and prophecies, the prophet Isaiah wrote, “Therefore thus saith the LORD God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a Stone, a tried Stone, a precious Cornerstone, a sure foundation; he that believeth shall not make haste (be ashamed) (Isaiah 28:16). Daniel’s trust in the LORD gave him assurance that all that he told Nebuchadnezzar would certainly come to pass. The only kingdoms that Daniel knew anything about were the spiritual kingdom within which he worshiped and communed with the God of Israel, his homeland of Judah, and the Babylonian empire. These other kingdoms had not yet come to power. Daniel also knew that God would one day send a Deliverer to redeem His people. We know from history that the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Macedonian-Greek, and Roman empires all came into existence, one after the other, and they all eventually disappeared, just as Daniel prophesied. We who are believers in Jesus Christ also know that God is building His kingdom on earth and will return to claim His own and destroy the rule of man over the earth. It’s as good as done!