A little background on what has happened since chapter three:
The Israelites have been in Babylon for more than forty years. Daniel is now well past 50 years of age.
Nebuchadnezzar is in his 70’s and nearing the end of his reign and his life. A big change has come over him. Chapter four is one of the greatest testimonies written.
Note the difference in the king’s words now compared with just two chapters prior.
Chapter 4: 1 Nebuchadnezzar the king,
To all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth:
Peace be multiplied to you.
2 I thought it good to declare the signs and wonders that the Most High God has worked for me.
3 How great are His signs,
And how mighty His wonders!
His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And His dominion is from generation to generation.
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, “Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abed-Nego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here.” Then Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abed-Nego came from the midst of the fire.
1
4 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house, and flourishing in my palace.
The king was happy and prosperous. Although he had great wealth and personal satisfaction, his soul was not at rest. He was financially wealthy, but spiritually destitute. He believed God existed because he witnessed God’s mighty hand in the protection of the Israelites. And yet, he has not accepted God as Lord. He still is involved in a pagan, godless society. This is evidenced by what happened next:
1 The Antichrist, False Prophet and some of their followers will perform great signs and wonders during the
Tribulation period. Jesus said false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect – if that were possible. Matthew 24:24.

Babylon was a walled city with a great moat surrounding it and a gate which could be raised or lowered.
He had many armed guards. There was no reason for the king to be fearful, yet this dream terrified him.
4:5 I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts on my bed and the visions of my head troubled me. 6 Therefore I issued a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. 7 Then the magicians, the astrologers, the
Chaldeans, and the soothsayers came in, and I told them the dream; but they did not make known to me its interpretation. 8 But at last Daniel came before me (his name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god; in him is the Spirit of the Holy God), and I told the dream before him, saying: 9 “Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the Spirit of the Holy God is in you, and no secret troubles you, explain to me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation.
The king called in his magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans and soothsayers, and again they were unable to interpret the dream.
2 3 Note his description of Daniel “in him is the Spirit of the Holy God.” He acknowledges God, but does not serve Him. The king confirms Daniel has a spirit within him which is holy.
The dream:
10 “These were the visions of my head while on my bed:
I was looking, and behold,
A tree in the midst of the earth,
And its height was great.
11 The tree grew and became strong;
Its height reached to the heavens,
And it could be seen to the ends of all the earth.
12 Its leaves were lovely,
Its fruit abundant,
And in it was food for all.
The beasts of the field found shade under it,
The birds of the heavens dwelt in its branches,
And all flesh was fed from it.
2 How do we know the difference between a Godly interpretation and an ungodly interpretation of a dream?
Jesus spoke of false prophets in Matthew 24. We will know them by: 1) they contradict the Bible; 2) they approve of anything the Bible calls sin; 3) they speak against Jesus (anything from his virgin birth to the resurrection); 4) they call for harm to anyone who believes in Jesus Christ; 5) they stress political correctness above Biblical correctness; 6) they call for worship of any god, goddess or human being other than the God of Heaven; 7) they come from other religions or ignore the Bible. GOD’S WORD FOR THE BIBLICALLY INEPT, by Daymond Duck, page
99.
3 Acts 16:16-19 speaks of a slave girl possessed by an evil spirit. She was very good at telling fortunes and predicting the future. She even earned a lot of money for her owners, but after Paul spoke to the demons within her and commanded them to come out at the name of Jesus Christ, she lost the ability to do those things.

13 “I saw in the visions of my head while on my bed, and there was a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven. 14 He cried aloud and said thus:
‘Chop down the tree and cut off its branches,
Strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit.
Let the beasts get out from under it,
And the birds from its branches.
15 Nevertheless leave the stump and roots in the earth,
Bound with a band of iron and bronze,
In the tender grass of the field.
Let it be wet with the dew of heaven,
And let him graze with the beasts
On the grass of the earth.
16 Let his heart be changed from that of a man,
Let him be given the heart of a beast,
And let seven times [ a ] pass over him.
To understand the dream, it is necessary to know a tree can sometimes represent something other than a tree.
In Psalm 1:3 it represents a man. “He [the man who follows God] is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. “
Jeremiah 17:8 “He [the man who trusts God] will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.”
It can also be a nation.
Ezekiel 31:3 “Consider Assyria, once a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches, overshadowing the forest; it towered on high, its top above the thick foliage.”
Note the beginning of the vision it is “it,” and by the end of the tree it represents him.
If the tree represents the king, he was the leader of the known world kingdom at the time. He would have fit the description perfectly.
The tree was a fruit tree, providing for everyone to eat. It was a shade tree. Wild animals could be sheltered in it.

The messenger It is believed he saw an angel. 4 Note the calamity that is proclaimed against the tree:
1.
The tree would be cut down.
2.
The branches would be cut off
3.
The leaves would be stripped off
4.
The fruit would be scattered.
5.
The animals would flee.
6.
The birds would be scattered
The tree would be destroyed and affect every living thing dependent upon it.
Note that the stump and roots are left behind when the tree is cut down. (v. 15)
1.
Leave the stump in the ground
2.
Leave the roots in the ground
3.
Bind them with iron and brass
4.
Do not disturb the grass around them
5.
Let him be watered with the dew of heaven
6.
Let him live
7.
Let him dwell with the animals among the plants of the earth
It was to be cut down, but not destroyed. Note the change of reference from “it” to “him.”
How long was this to last? Seven years (times) found in verse 16. His mind was to be changed to that of an animal. He would have to bear a mental affliction, but it was for a definite amount of time.
Verse 17
17 ‘This decision is by the decree of the watchers,
And the sentence by the word of the holy ones,
In order that the living may know
That the Most High rules in the kingdom of men,
Gives it to whomever He will,
And sets over it the lowest of men.’
1.
The decision is announced by the messengers/angels. 5 6
2.
So the living may know gives purpose to their decision a.
God is ultimately in charge of every kingdom of earth
4 There are 192 references to “angel” and 93 references to “angels” in the King James Version of the Bible. Angels are messengers who do God’s bidding without question or reservation. Frequently the angels would take on the form of humans to relate to people on earth.
5 This would imply there is a council of angels, similar to how the Sanhedrin Council ruled over the Jews, there was a ruling council or class of angels.
6 There seems to be a ranking of celestial powers: archangels, angels, seraphim, cherubim, principalities, authorities, powers, thrones might and dominion. Colossians 1:16 Graham, Billy ANGELS page 47

b.
God gives control of the nations to anyone He wishes c.
God sets over them the lowliest of men, meaning sometimes we are ruled by fools indicating our relationship with God. He gives us what He thinks we deserve.
Verse 18 “This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, declare its interpretation, since all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation; but you are able, for the Spirit of the Holy God is in you.”
When Daniel heard the dream, he knew immediately what it implied. He was stunned and also troubled by it. Daniel restates the dream emphasizing the beauty, strength and purpose of it.
Remember, Nebuchadnezzar was the “head of gold” in the dream of the statue in chapter two.
The dream is furthermore about God’s judgment and grace:
1.
Cut the tree down: the judgment
2.
Leave the stump: God’s grace in his desire to judge sin, but not reject the sinner
3.
Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven and live like the wild animals: judged in that he would be driven from the palace and his wonderful lifestyle 7
4.
Until seven times pass by him: judgment would be limited for a specific time
Verse 25 They shall drive you from men, your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make you eat grass like oxen. They shall wet you with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever
He chooses. 26 “And inasmuch as they gave the command to leave the stump and roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be assured to you, after you come to know that Heaven rules. 27 Therefore, O king, let my advice be acceptable to you; break off your sins by being righteous, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity.”
Note the promise of his kingdom being restored.
Did Nebuchadnezzar heed the warning? He did not.
Verse 29 begins “Twelve months later…”
God’s judgment does not always come quickly, yet it does come. It could be that since judgment did not fall on the king immediately, he shook it off and thought there would be no judgment at all.
Verse 30 reads: 30 The king spoke, saying, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?”
7 The palace in Babylon at the time of Nebuchadnezzar was a walled city and covered six square miles, contained several temples and shrines as well as the Hanging Gardens, one of the seven wonders of the world.

Self-exultation is contrary to the teachings of Jesus. Those who serve are great, those who boast are humbled. (Matthew 23:12)
31 While the word was still in the king’s mouth, a voice fell from heaven:
“King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you! 32 And they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen; and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.”
33 That very hour the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar; he was driven from men and ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.
The words weren’t off of the king’s lips when judgment fell. The king was stricken with a mental illness or madness that lasted exactly seven years. 8 Everything happened to Nebuchadnezzar just as God’s messenger had stated it would happen.
The King’s testimony has a happy ending:
34 And at the end of the time [ b ] I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever:
For His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
And His kingdom is from generation to generation.
35 All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing;
He does according to His will in the army of heaven
And among the inhabitants of the earth.
No one can restrain His hand
Or say to Him, “What have You done?”
36 At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my honor and splendor returned to me. My counselors and nobles resorted to me, I was restored to my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added to me. 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down.
“At the end of that time” means God didn’t change His mind, but rather a select and distinct amount of time had been ordained for the king to be living outside the palace. His mental illness was for a time, not forever.
And what did the king do? He praised God. His life was changed. His kingdom was greater than it had been prior to the judgment of God.
8 It is thought this is a foreshadowing, or prophetic type of what is to come at the end of the age. The antichrist will rule for seven years at which time Jesus will return and take control of the Kingdom of the earth. This time is called “the time of Jacob’s trouble” in the Old Testament, the “Great Tribulation” in Revelation and the “Day of
Indignation.”