8/23/09 – 34LAW “Prophecy – The Future Told In Advance – Daniel Chapter 2 – Part 2
Victory Ministries International presents:
Awesome Truths and Amazing Facts
Treasures of awesome truths from God’s Word
and facts that affect you!
Hello! This is Richard Vaughn
Today’s subject – “Prophecy – The Future Told In Advance – Daniel
Chapter 2 – Pt 2”
Prayer & Pledge
Last week we began our study on the prophetic book of Daniel, chapter 2.
We discovered that the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, had a dream
that no one could interpret for him. He could not remember the dream, but
still demanded that the wise men tell him the dream and the interpretation.
His wise men told him there was not a man on earth who could do what
the king asked.
Angrily he passed the death penalty on all wise men in Babylon. However,
Daniel, a man of God, was able to appease the king by telling him that the
God of heaven has revealed to him, both the dream and it’s interpretation.
We resume this week with Verses 31-35
2:31 Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great
image, whose brightness [was] excellent, stood before thee; and the
form thereof [was] terrible.
2:32 This image's head [was] of fine gold, his breast and his arms of
silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,
2:33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.
2:34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which
smote the image upon his feet [that were] of iron and clay, and brake
them to pieces.
2:35 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.
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In verses 31-35, Daniel describes this great image that Nebuchadnezzar
saw having a gold head, chest and arms of silver, thighs of brass, legs of
iron and feet part of iron and part clay. Then a rock strikes the image on
the feet and destroys it.
In verses 36-45 as Daniel begins the interpretation.
2:36 This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof
before the king.
2:37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath
given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
2:38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the
field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and
hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.
2:39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and
another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the
earth.
2:40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as
iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all [things]: and as iron that
breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.
2:41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters'
clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be
in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron
mixed with miry clay.
2:42 And [as] the toes of the feet [were] part of iron, and part of clay,
so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.
2:43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall
mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave
one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.
2:44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a
kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not
be left to other people, [but] it shall break in pieces and consume all
these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
2:45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the
mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the
brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made
known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream
[is] certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.
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In verses 36-45, Daniel started the interpretation. Verses 36-38, Daniel
identifies the Babylonian empire and Nebuchadnezzar as the head of gold,
the first of four empires to rule the world.
Verse 39 describes the next kingdom to arise (chest and arms of silver)
and just as silver is inferior to gold, so this kingdom would be inferior to
Babylon.
Then a third kingdom would arise, the brass or bronze kingdom, then a
fourth kingdom would arise, an iron kingdom. Ruthless in its description in
verse 40.
Next in verses 41-43, he explains how the kingdom falls and becomes a
mixture of strong and weak nations. Verses 44-45, while in the time of the
feet, a great stone would strike it and break it in pieces consuming them,
and God would set up a kingdom that would not be destroyed.
We go on with verses 46-49
2:46 Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and
worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an
oblation and sweet odours unto him.
2:47 The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth [it is], that
your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of
secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret.
2:48 Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many
great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon,
and chief of the governors over all the wise [men] of Babylon.
2:49 Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon:
but Daniel [sat] in the gate of the king.
In verses 46-49, the king was astounded and remembered the dream as
Daniel revealed it. He then placed Daniel in a position of high honor along
with his three friends.
Here are some Amazing Facts about Daniel 2 – It was written in the 6th
century before Christ, and accurately forecasted the future of the world
from Daniels time to the second coming of Christ. In review we discover in
verse 38, the head of gold kingdom was Babylon and it ruled the world
from 612 BC to 539 BC. (A total of 73 years). It was known for its
magnificent displays of wealth, especially the hanging gardens of gold and
the golden winged lions that were all throughout the kingdom.
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Next, in verse 39, the chest and arms of silver kingdom was the Medes
and the Persians who overthrew Babylon in 539 BC and ruled the world
as the Medo-Persian Empire from 539 BC to 331 BC. (A total of 208
years).
The third kingdom, thighs of bronze or brass was Greece. With Alexander
the Great leading its armies, they took over rule of the world as the
Grecian empire from 331 BC to 168 BC. (A total of 163 years) Alexander
conquered the Medes and the Persians at the battle of Arbela. Do you
realize that at the time of Daniel's writing this prophecy, Greece was only a
fishing port?
Then in verse 40, the brass kingdom was crushed by the iron monarchy of
Rome represented by the two legs of iron. That final battle was the Battle
of Pydma in 168 BC. The two legs represented the two great divisions of
the Roman Empire, eastern and western Rome. Rome ruled the world
from 168 BC to 476 AD. (A total of 644 years).
Between the years 351AD to 476AD, a series of invasions by barbaric
tribes from northern Europe completely overran the Roman Empire and
brought it to its knees. In 476 AD the fall of the Roman Empire was
complete. There would NEVER be another nation of men that would rule
the earth again.
Verses 41-43 reveals the feet part of iron and part of clay, the ten toes
symbolized the 10 nations that would arise out of the fall of the Roman
Empire. Some would be strong (iron) and some would be weak (clay). Just
as iron and clay would not adhere, neither would these nations be able to
adhere.
The ten nations that arose out of the Roman Empire were the Alemanni
(Germany), the Franks (France), the Bergundians (Switzerland), the Suevi
(Portugal), the Anglo-Saxons (England), the Visigoths (Spain), the
Lombards (Italy), the Heruli, the Vandals and the Ostrogoths; the last three
nations are no more.
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Verse 43 talks about the mingling of seeds. There were numerous
marriages between royalties of different nations, but they failed to unite the
divided nations. A world divided to this day, from 476 AD to 2004 AD, no
one nation has ever ruled the world again. Some have tried and failed. For
example: Charlemagne tried and failed. In the 7th century he launched 53
expeditions against 14 nations. Spain had Charles the 5th try in the 16th
century and failed. France had Louis the 14th try in the 18th century and
failed. Treaty of Ulrecht in 1713.
Napoleon tried in the 19th century and met his waterloo in 1815. Kaiser
Wilhelm, Adolph Hitler and Mussolini all failed in the 20th century. Because
God's prophecy can't fail.
Verse 43 is the time we live in. The time of the end. The great stone that
will strike the feet is the Rock, Jesus Christ and His second coming.
The study of Daniel 2 is important for a couple of reasons.
First, the prophecy occurred early in the reign of the first kingdom. God
accurately forecasted the world’s future, with three successive kingdoms
and no more ruling world kingdom would follow. We now live in the time of
the toes, awaiting Christ's Second Coming.
The Second reason this prophecy was important is because it lays a
foundation for the prophecy naming the beast that will arise from one of
these kingdoms that will be disclosed in Daniel chapter 7. Next week we
will explore Daniel chapter 7, written around 553 BC when Daniel was
about 70 years old. There are some exciting revelations, as you will
discover the meaning of the 4 great beasts and the little horn power.
Time is up for this week so be tuned in Next Week: “Prophecy – The
future told in advance – Daniel 7 - Part 1”
Until next week, Jesus said in John 5:39, “Search the Scriptures, for in
them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me”.
Come Lord Jesus.
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