What was the Statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream?
In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep. 2 So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed… 5 The king replied to the astrologers, “This is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces and your houses turned into piles of rubble. 6 But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So tell me the dream and interpret it for me.” (Daniel 2: 1-2, 5-6)
10 The astrologers answered the king, “There is no one on earth who can do what the king asks! No king, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer. 11 What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among humans.” 12 This made the king so angry and furious that he ordered the execution of all the wise men of Babylon. (Daniel 2: 10-12)
14 When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, had gone out to put to death the wise men of Babylon, Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact. 15 He asked the king’s officer, “Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?” Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel. 16 At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him. (Daniel 2:14-16)
25 Arioch took Daniel to the king at once and said, “I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who can tell the king what his dream means.” (Daniel 2: 25)
King Nebuchadnezzar had a very troubling dream. He knew it was important but he did not understand it – and he may not have been able to remember it fully. The king ordered his wise men to tell him what the dream was and to interpret it. None of his magicians, enchanters, or astrologers were able to tell the king what he had dreamed. Enraged, the king ordered the execution of all his wise men.
13 So the decree was issued to put the wise men to death, and men were sent to look for Daniel and his friends to put them to death.
The king’s officer went to execute the king’s wise men. When he arrived to get Daniel (one of the king’s wise men), Daniel used wisdom and tact when he inquired as to why he was about to be killed. Daniel then went to the king to ask for time so that he might interpret the dream. Note that the king had previously told his magicians, enchanters, and astrologers that no extra time would be given (no stalling). But when Daniel asked for time, the king granted it. Why? Because Daniel had previously proven to the king that he was trustworthy. The king granted Daniel the time he requested.
Daniel & friends ask God to reveal the Dream
17 Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 18 He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven. (Daniel 2: 17-19)
Daniel asked his friends to join him in prayer that God would protect them from being executed and reveal the dream. Daniel praised God for revealing the mystery.
God reveals the Dream to Daniel
27 Daniel replied, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, 28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you were lying in bed are these:
29 “As Your Majesty was lying there, your mind turned to things to come, and the revealer of mysteries showed you what is going to happen. 30 As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have greater wisdom than anyone else alive, but so that Your Majesty may know the interpretation and that you may understand what went through your mind. (Daniel 2: 27-30)
Daniel remained humble. He did not take credit for being able to reveal the dream. Instead, Daniel gave all the glory to God.
The Statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
31 “Your Majesty looked, and there before you stood a large statue—an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. 32 The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. (Daniel 2: 31-33)
34 While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were all broken to pieces and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth. (Daniel 2: 34-35)
The 1st Kingdom (Gold)
36 “This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king. 37 Your Majesty, you are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory; 38 in your hands he has placed all mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds in the sky. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold. (Daniel 2: 36-38)
Nebuchadnezzar was king because God gave him that dominion, power, might, and glory. God chose to give Nebuchadnezzar power over all mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds in the sky. Nebuchadnezzar’s throne was in Babylon. This 1st kingdom was represented by a head of gold.
The 2nd & 3rd Kingdoms (Silver & Bronze)
39 “After you, another kingdom will arise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. (Daniel 2: 39)
Eventually Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom would fall and be replaced by another kingdom. As silver is inferior to gold, the 2nd kingdom would be inferior to the 1st kingdom.
Scholars report that Babylon had massive walls, a strong ability to protect itself, and had enough food storage to withstand a 20-year siege. It was unthinkable that anyone would be able to conquer Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom. It was even more unthinkable for it to be conquered by a lesser kingdom.
When Nebuchadnezzar died, his son Belshazzar, became the next king. Belshazzar was arrogant and refused to humble himself before God:
3 So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. 4 As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone. (Daniel 5: 3-4)
5 Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. 6 His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his legs became weak and his knees were knocking. (Daniel 5: 5-6)
8 Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or tell the king what it meant. 9 So King Belshazzar became even more terrified and his face grew more pale. His nobles were baffled. (Daniel 5: 8-9)
13 So Daniel was brought before the king, and the king said to him, “Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father the king brought from Judah? 14 I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you and that you have insight, intelligence and outstanding wisdom. (Daniel 5: 13-14)
17 Then Daniel answered the king, “You may keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else. Nevertheless, I will read the writing for the king and tell him what it means. (Daniel 5: 17)
18 “Your Majesty, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness and glory and splendor… 20 But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. 21 He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like the ox; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and sets over them anyone he wishes. (Daniel 5: 18, 20-21)
22 “But you, Belshazzar, his son, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this. 23 Instead, you have set yourself up against the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways. 24 Therefore he sent the hand that wrote the inscription. 25 “This is the inscription that was written: mene, mene, tekel, parsin (Daniel 5: 22-25)
26 “Here is what these words mean: Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end. 27 Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. 28 Peres: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” (Daniel 5: 26-28)
30 That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain, 31 and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two. (Daniel 5: 30)
Darius the Mede conquered Babylon that very night and took over the 1st kingdom. Scholars report that the conquering army had blocked/dried up the Euphrates river that ran through the city and simply walked under the massive wall into Babylon. They easily took the city because Belshazzar had been arrogant about the army outside of Babylon and instead of protecting the city, he threw a drunken party.
The Mede / Persian Empire was ultimately under the rule of king Cyrus. In keeping with the prophesies that God gave his people, God used king Cyrus to build the 2nd Temple in Jerusalem. This 2nd kingdom is represented by the chest and arms of silver.
“This is what the Lord says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armor, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut… 2 I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. 3 I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name… 13 I will raise up Cyrus in my righteousness: I will make all his ways straight. He will rebuild my city and set my exiles free, but not for a price or reward, says the Lord Almighty.” (Isaiah 45: 1-3, 13)
According to historians:
From the Mediterranean Sea and Hellespont in the west to the Indus River in the east, Cyrus the Great created the largest empire the world had yet seen. Under his successors, the empire eventually stretched from parts of the Balkans (Bulgaria- Paeonia) and Thrace-Macedonia in the west, to the Indus Valley in the east. His regal titles in full were The Great King, King of Persia, King of Anshan, King of Media, King of Babylon, King of Sumer and Akkad, and King of the Four Corners of the World.[i]
The 2nd kingdom was eventually conquered by Alexander the Great. This Grecian Empire was in power from 331 to 168 BC. This 3rd kingdom is represented by the belly and thighs of bronze.
According to historians:
He [Alexander the Great] spent most of his ruling years on an unprecedented military campaign through Asia and northeast Africa, and by the age of thirty he had created one of the largest empires of the ancient world, stretching from Greece to northwestern India. He was undefeated in battle and is widely considered one of history’s most successful military commanders… In 334 BC, he invaded the Achaemenid Empire, ruled Asia Minor, and began a series of campaigns that lasted ten years. Alexander broke the power of Persia in a series of decisive battles… Alexander died in Babylon in 323 BC, the city he planned to establish as his capital… At the time of his death, Alexander’s empire covered some 5,200,000 km2 (2,000,000 sq mi), and was the largest state of its time. Many of these areas remained in Macedonian hands or under Greek influence for the next 200–300 years.[ii]
The 4th Kingdom (Iron)
40 Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron—for iron breaks and smashes everything—and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others. (Daniel 2: 40)
In 168 BC, the 3rd kingdom was conquered by the Roman Empire. Please note that this is not to be confused with the “Holy Roman Empire” (800 AD -1806 AD). The Holy Roman Empire came much later, never regained all of the territory that was once part of the Roman Empire, and it never included Babylon. The Roman Empire included Babylon.
The Roman Empire covered a vast geographical area which historians divide into two empires: the Western Roman Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire. The Western Roman Empire fell in 476 AD. The Eastern Roman Empire (aka the Byzantine Empire) was in power for another thousand years until it fell to the Islamic Ottoman Empire in 1453.
This 4th kingdom is represented by the legs of iron.
According to historians:
The Roman Empire was among the most powerful economic, cultural, political and military forces in the world of its time. It was the largest empire of the ancient history era, and one of the largest empires in world history. At its height under Trajan, it covered 5 million square kilometers, a territory composed of 48 nations in the 21st century. It held sway over an estimated 70 million people, at that time 21% of the world’s entire population.[iii]
Since the time that the Roman empire dissolved in 476 AD, that geographical area has not been united under one kingdom. Several conquerors have tried: Charlemagne, Stalin, Hitler, and Napoleon. None of them were successful in establishing an empire as big as the 4 kingdoms that preceded them. But during the end of this age, a 5th kingdom will arise.
The Divided Kingdom (Iron mixed with Clay)
41 Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. 42 As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay. (Daniel 2: 41-43)
The 5th kingdom is a divided kingdom. It is not fully united and never could be. It will be partly strong and partly brittle. The use of iron and clay appears to describe a situation in which the two primary components of the kingdom are incapable of fully integrating. It is impossible for clay and metal to fully bond.
Some scholars believe that “iron” refers to the “Holy Roman Empire” others think it is the “Roman Empire. ” There are also scholars who believe that it refers to the Islamic Ottoman Empire. The Roman Empire conquered the Grecian Empire – and the Ottoman Empire eventually conquered the Eastern Roman Empire. It is also worth noting that if you combine the first 3 kingdoms (Nebuchadnezzar, Mede/Persia, Grecian), the Ottoman Empire covers ALL the combined geographical kingdoms.
Either way, the Holy Roman Empire and the Ottoman Empire do appear to play a role in the 5th kingdom. Also, its worth noting that Babylon has played a major part in each of the kingdoms (and in end times prophesies). Regardless of which one is iron and which is clay, both the Ottoman Empire and several countries from the European Union appear to be major players in the end times.
Although a union between the Ottoman Empire and the Roman Empire (or Holy Roman Empire) might seem advantageous, the two empires would not compatible. Both entities would have a focus on world domination but each has a different idea as to how that should look. The union could be strong in some ways but brittle in others. This 5th kingdom appears to be a reference to the end times beast. (See: What is the Beast out of the Sea?)
An Everlasting Kingdom
44 “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. 45 This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces… (Daniel 2: 44-45)
The rock that is cut out of a mountain by non-human hands is a reference to Jesus Christ: the “cornerstone.” This stone will crush the 5th kingdom. It will bring an end to this age. It will fill the whole earth. Jesus will destroy the end times beast (the 5th kingdom) and establish his eternal reign. (See: What is the Return of Jesus Christ?)
22 The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. (Psalm 118: 22)
God reveals the Future
…“The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy.” 46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him. 47 The king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.” (Daniel 2: 46-47)
The Kingdoms at a Glance
Nebuchadnezzar’s Empire (605 BC – 539 BC)
The Mede/Persian Empire (539 BC – 331 BC)
The Grecian Empire (331 BC – 168 BC)
The Roman Empire
- Western Roman Empire (168 BC – 476 AD)
- Eastern Roman Empire (168 BC – 1453 AD)
The Holy Roman Empire (800 AD -1806 AD)
The Islamic Ottoman Empire (at its peak in 1683)
Note that Babylon is included in each of the first 4 kingdoms’ geographical areas. This indicates that the 5th kingdom will also include Babylon. (See: What are the 4 Beasts of Daniel?) (See: What is the Beast out of the Sea?)
References:
[i] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrus_the_Great
[ii] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_the_Great
[iii] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Empire
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