The book of Daniel provides a rich treasury of material for the student of the kingdom of the Messiah. Daniel was carried into exile in Babylon by the army of Nebuchadnezzar, in 606 B. C., when Jehoiakim, king of Judah was delivered into the hands of the Chaldeans. He was one of those youths who were "without blemish, handsome and skilful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to serve in the king's palace." Because of his fidelity, God gave him understanding "in all visions and dreams." The record bearing his name is a compilation of both prophecy and history. In it are found recorded not only the visions of Daniel, but also his interpretation of visions manifested to the heathen kings, Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar.
Our present purpose will not permit of an extended exposition of all the points in this remarkable book, and we must content ourselves with an analysis of one of the visions of Nebuchadnezzar, with occasional reference to other salient and relevant material. The reader is urged to read chapter 2 of Daniel, and to carefully note the contents.
Briefly the facts are these. Nebuchadnezzar had certain dreams which perturbed him greatly, troubled his spirit and drove sleep from his eyes. The actual dreams departed from his memory, so he summoned his court magicians and sorcerers, and demanded that they inform him of the dreams and then interpret them. Failure to do this would result in their being torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins. The enchanters were in dismay, and said, "There is not a man on earth who can meet the king's demand."
This enraged the king who accused them of stalling for time, and in his fierce anger he ordered all of the wise men slain. Arioch, the captain of the king's guard, was entrusted with the mission of slaying the counsellors, which was to include Daniel, and his companions from the land of Judah. However, Daniel spoke with such prudence and discretion to Arioch, that he was permitted to go in and secure a reprieve for a stated time. Daniel returned to his house and with his friends petitioned God, who gave him the solution in a vision by night.
When Daniel was brought before the monarch, he made it clear that none of the Chaldean Magi could explain the mystery. He further declared that there was a God in heaven who revealed mysteries and had chosen this method of making known what would be in the latter days. This term, when used by the prophets, generally had reference to the age of the Messiah. That the dream and vision of the heathen king were prophetic, is evidenced by the following statement, "To you, O king, as you lay in bed came thoughts of what would be hereafter." We are about to study one of the most amazing revelations of the rise and fall of four great universal kingdoms, which were to be overthrown by a fifth world kingdom which would never crumble. The king to whom this was depicted was the head of the first of these, and it was appropriate that to him should be given the preview of the unfolding drama of world history.
1. The head of gold.
2. The breast and arms of silver.
3. The belly and thighs of brass.
4. The legs of iron.
5. The feet of iron and clay.
6. The stone cut out without hands.
7. The mountain which filled the earth.
It is worthy of remark that the same four universal empires were also pictured to Daniel in a vision which is described in chapter 7. In his dream, however, they were viewed as fearsome wild beasts, rising successively from the agitated waves of the Mediterranean Sea, as it was churned and tossed by the four winds of heaven. To the proud and haughty heathen monarch, who was a worshiper of Bel and Nego, these mighty nations appeared as an impressive and awe-inspiring image; to the captive Daniel they appeared as ferocious, bloodthirsty, persecuting powers. The God of heaven adapts his revelation to the state of those to whom it is given.
The giant image represented prophecy in a systematic form. The various portions were composed of diverse elements, yet all were related to each other in such a fashion as to form one body, indicative of the idea that all were motivated and regulated by the same principle. There was no room between the divisions, but each was immediately successive to its predecessor, so that it would appear that each one after the first, grew out of the preceding one. The nations symbolized must be consecutive in order and appearance and as there was an unbroken and unified prophecy there must be the same kind of history in fulfillment of the prophecy.
It will be observed that the component elements were on a descending scale of values from the first through the last, starting with the head of gold and ending with iron mingled with clay. This denotes a natural deterioration in the empires prefigured. In prophecy, different metals are used to indicate various degrees of worth, excellence, dignity, political strength or durability. Clay or dust indicates weakness or instability. Thus, iron mingled with clay would represent an admixture of strength and weakness produced by coalitions and alliances of various kinds.
The nations of the world were assigned their places in prophecy only as they came in contact with the chosen people of God. When they maligned, persecuted or subjugated the elect, they appeared on the screen of God's predictions, to receive advance notice of their coming fate. Thus it was with Egypt (Jeremiah 46) ; the Philistines (Jeremiah 47) ; Moab (Jeremiah 48) ; the Ammonites (Jeremiah 49:1-6) : Edom (Jeremiah 49:7-11), etc. The key to such prophecies is found in the pronouncement upon Moab: "Make him drunk, because he magnified himself against the Lord; so that Moab shall wallow in his vomit, and he too shall be held in derision. Was not Israel a derision to you? Was he found among thieves, that whenever you spoke of him, you wagged your head?" (Jeremiah 48:26, 27).
The four world empires symbolized in the giant image all held sway over the people of God in regular succession. The first, Babylon, made three expeditions against Jerusalem, finally, in 586 B.C., destroying both the city and temple. At this time, Zedekiah, king of Judah, was captured in the plains of Jordan, while attempting to escape to the Arabah. He was taken to the Babylonian king at Riblah, who slew his sons in his presence, put out his eyes, bound him in fetters and took him to Babylon. This fulfilled the statement of Ezekiel with reference to Zedekiah, who was called a profane, wicked prince. "Thus saith the Lord God: Remove the diadem, and take off the crown...Perverted, perverted, perverted will I make it, and it shall be no more until he come whose right it is, and I will give it him" (Ezekiel 21:26, 27). Not another king of the lineage of David occupied the throne until he came "whose right it is."
It was in a strange land, when Judah was in exile, with no city, temple or daily sacrifice, that God reassured his people through Daniel's interpretation of the night vision of the haughty ruler who had carried them captive. In spite of sword, famine and pestilence, of slavery and bondage, God still knew his people. He had not forgotten his promise to David. Thus a calendar of history was presented in the form of a towering giant, and nation after nation would exercise universal dominion, until the fulness of time ushered in another kingdom which would smite the oppressing powers and vanquish them forever. There was destined to be a clash between the universal ambitions of the sons of men, and the benevolent rule of the Son of God, but the outcome was already determined. "The dream is certain and its interpretation sure."
1. The head of gold. This represented the kingdom of the Chaldeans, or Babylonians. The first name was derived from the country, the second from the capital city (Dan. 4:29,30). At the time of the vision, it embodied the vast territories of Chaldea, Assyria, Arabia, Syria and Palestine. It was aptly called "the hammer of the whole earth" (Jeremiah 50:23). But the doom of Babylon was decreed, and the power to overthrow her was named. "The Lord has stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes, because his purpose concerning Babylon is to destroy it" (Jeremiah 51:11). Accordingly, "Belshazzar the Chaldean king was slain. And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old" (Daniel 5:30). This was in 536 B. C.
2. The breast and arms of silver. This is a symbol of Medo-Persia. This great power began with Darius the Mede, uncle to the Persian, Cyrus the Great. The latter became sole governor of Medo-Persia upon the death of Darius. That this is the kingdom which Daniel predicted would succeed the Chaldean, is evident from the handwriting which appeared upon the palace of Bel-shazzar, a part of which was thus interpreted: "Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians." This combined kingdom is mentioned in Daniel 5:28; 6:8, 12, 15; 8:20; Esther 1:3.
3. The belly and thighs of bronze. This symbolizes the third universal empire, which is the Macedonian, or Grecian. It was founded by Philip of Macedon, but received its greatest extension under his son, Alexander the Great, who swept like a flaming meteor across the world's surface. This young and daring general overthrew Darius Codomanus, at Arbela, October 2, 331 B. C., thus ending the famous Persian empire.
The appearance of brass, or bronze, in this part of the image is peculiarly appropriate. All historians of note mention the "brazen-coated Greeks." The famous Macedonian soldiers all wore armor of burnished brass, and carried shields and weapons of the same metal. The sunlight glinting from the armor when they assembled in battle array was dazzling and luminous.
The regime of Alexander was as brief as it was startling in its accomplishments. He died in B. C. 323 leaving no suitable heir or successor. As a result his kingdom was divided between his four chief generals, Cassander, Lysimachus, Ptolemy and Seleucus. Cassander received Macedon and Greece; Lysimachus received Thrace and the countries bordering the Hellespont; Ptolemy ruled over Egypt, Lybia, Palestine and Arabia; while Babylon, Media, Persia and Assyria, fell to the lot of Seleucus. In process of time these were combined under two heads; the Lagidae in Egypt, and the Seleucidae in Syria. The kingdom of Greece is identified by name as the conqueror of Medo- Persia in Daniel 8:20,21.
4. The legs of iron. This metal is a symbol of strength and crushing power. "There shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks in pieces and shatters all things." History reveals the mighty Roman Empire as the fourth world power. Perhaps the two legs of the giant man signify the two divisions of the former empire which were combined to create the world dominion of Rome. The kingdom of the Seleucidae reached its culmination when Pompey defeated Antiochus in 65 B.C., that of the Lagidae was terminated in 30 B.C., when Octavius Caesar captured Alexandria, after having already defeated Anthony and Cleopatra at the battle of Actium. With these conquests, Rome became the mistress of the whole world. The iron hand had crushed, shattered and broken all opposition. That the kingdom of the Caesars was a world dominion is proven by Luke 2:1. That it was the empire whose capital was Rome is determined by comparing Acts 25:10-12 with Acts 28:16. All of the four kingdoms are named in the sacred scriptures.
5. The feet and toes of potter's clay and iron. "And as you saw the feet and toes partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom; but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom will be partly strong and partly broken." The ten toes of the giant image are representative of the same thing as the ten horns of the fourth beast described in Daniel 7:7. These symbolize the ten divisions composing the Roman Empire.
Iron and potter's clay are the exact opposites in texture and nature. The first is strong and crushes all things; the second is fragile and easily shattered. Thus the fourth dominion was to maintain the power and strength to batter down all opposition, but at the same time was to possess such qualities of weakness and fragility as would prove its own undoing. The empire was "partly brittle" as a result of its methods of extension and growth. By force, treaty, colonization, coalition and intermarriage, vast portions of the habitable earth were brought under the dominance of Rome, but it is one thing to encircle diverse nations, and a totally different thing to absorb and assimilate them. Herein lay the weakness of Rome. She had the strength to capture but lacked the power and time to consolidate. "As you saw the iron mixed with miry clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay."
a.
Origin
b.
Effect
c.
Nature
d.
Durability
Insofar as origin was concerned, it was divine. The expression "without hands" indicates absence of all human agency. In Hebrews 9:24 it is said, "Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands," which is the equivalent of saying he is "a minister of the true tabernacle which God pitched, and not man" (8:2). Our spiritual body is spoken of as "a house not made with hands" and this is said in the same verse to be "a building of God" (2 Corinthians 5:1). Thus, the kingdom of the stone was of divine origin.
The previous world powers were established and gained their universal dominion by human sagacity and ingenuity, by military genius and prowess, by force of arms and strategy of attack, but the kingdom set up by the God of heaven was not dependent upon any of these. Indeed its strength lay in the fact that it proceeded not from these considerations. "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts" (Zech. 4:6).
The effect of the kingdom represented by the stone was altogether different than that of the previous powers. They merely absorbed and perpetuated the wealth, subjects, territory and spirit of their predecessors. Each preceding kingdom lived again in the acts and deeds of the one succeeding it, so that it might be said as spoken by the seer upon Patmos, "He exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him" (Revelation 13:12). The form, the seat of government, the officials and the sovereigns, these were changed with the coming of each regime, but the spirit and nature were perpetuated.
The Medes and Persians smote the Chaldeans, the Greeks smote the Persians, the Romans smote the Greeks, yet the man remained entire, the image was unbroken. Of these very kingdoms it was said, "They had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time" (Daniel 7:12). That which keeps a man alive is his spirit. The spirit of world dominion was not destroyed when Babylon, Medo-Persia and Greece fell to the superior powers which were actuated by the same motives. The stone smote the image with such force that "the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces." These became like chaff and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. The spirit which prompted such powers was to be forever crushed, and never to be resurrected while the earth remains.
This brings us to the fact that the nature of the kingdom of the stone was to be diverse from that of the universal monarchies. They exerted cruel and tyrannical pressure against the people of God. They were held together by idolatry and fear. But the kingdom of God would consist of the people of God, and would be maintained by faith and love. The world empires existed upon the principle that might makes right. This was the spirit which animated them. The kingdom of heaven is motivated by an opposite principle, that right makes might. This is the true source of power. These two could not exist side by side in God's universe and under his moral sway. So the stone was destined to clash with the image and as a result the idolatrous empires were to be swept away.
This clash of divergent ideologies was to come during the Roman empire. The stone smote the image upon the feet. This was an auspicious time for the Messiah to be enthroned and for the test to be made. Rome had subjugated the whole world. It was an era of peace upon earth. The kingdoms of men had reached their zenith. It was a golden age of the empire. The benign influence of Grecian culture bathed the intellects of men as the enervating rays of the sun falling upon the earth. Yet it was an age of lassitude, doubt and weariness. Faith in the old gods had been undermined, the servile classes were tired, helpless and hopeless. The temples of Jupiter and Apollo were still standing, but gone was that simple trust which once was placed in these imaginary deities. The cultured world had turned to Philosophy, which led its devotees into dead-end streets of human reasoning and left them no room to turn around.
The patrician of Rome believed that his city and empire would last forever. This was "the Eternal City." Religion consisted of absolute reverence of the emperor. The State represented the highest good. True patriotism consisted in this belief. To live and die for the state was the whole duty of man. The state was all in all. The Roman emperor as the highest representative of the state was the chief deity. At the altar erected to him sacrifices were offered which glorified the power and majesty of his universal sovereignty. The highest virtue attainable unto man was to devote his all to the state.
It was at this time Christianity, symbolized by the stone, was launched upon the earth. It was still just a stone, small in comparison with the giant image seen in the vision of the haughty Nebuchadnezzar. It had, as the captain of its host, one who had been crucified as a common criminal. Its emissaries were not politically powerful, rich, learned or cultured. They were tradesmen, soldiers, fishermen, publicans-- the despised and poor of the world. But they challenged all to open combat. With a daring born of true conviction, they hurled down the gauntlet to philosophers and commoners alike. The issue was clear-cut. To the Christian, the highest of all things was not the mighty Caesar, nor the Roman empire. He rendered unto Caesar what was his, but declared his subjection to another and greater king. He asserted that Rome herself was not the hope of the universe, but rather declared that "here we have no continuing city." He insisted upon taking his message to all nations and of enlisting them under another standard than the golden eagle.
And Rome recognized the battle for what it was, the call to a battle which must end only when one of the militant foes was vanquished and "no trace remained." The charge was clearly stated: "They advocate customs which it is not lawful for us Romans to accept or practice" (Acts 16:21). The Christians were branded as atheists, haters of the human race, and enemies of virtue. Rome fought with insensate fury, with the sword, rack, stake, rope of strangulation, fire and dungeon. Her life and all she held dear was threatened. She must destroy all that was Christian, or go down for ever into oblivion. Every Christian was guilty of treason in the most aggravated form, and treason could be dealt with by only one penalty--death to the traitor.
The humble followers of the Messiah did not become dismayed, for their faith recognized no odds. They were valorous in life but victorious in death, for their courage was stronger than death. To the heathen death was the one thing to be most feared; to the Christian it was gain. These men knew how to die because they had learned how to live. Because they had something worthy to live for, they had something worth dying for. And if they taught the faith in life, they proved their faith in death. They met death, not with contempt or indifference, but in a certain and sure hope of victory. How could the pagan empire win? Every world empire had been launched upon the power to threaten death to its enemies. Now a new kingdom had arisen whose citizens rejoiced in death, welcomed the freedom it brought, and went to join their King by dying. The state could persecute men, abrogate deeds, kill bodies, but it could not with sword or fire touch faith--the faith which refused to worship any earthly thing, even the Roman state. The kingdom of the stone was different!
There was a contrast in durability also. "In the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall its sovereignty be left to other people...and it shall stand for ever." The principle of self-destruction was contained in each of the heathen monarchies. As might decreased, others arose in strength and the sovereignty passed to other people. The Assyrians were lost in the Babylonians, they in turn in the Medes, these in the Persians, the Persians in the Greeks, the Greeks in the Syrians and Egyptians, these in the Romans, and the Romans in the Gothic hordes. This could be only because each monarchy had other rivals in the same field, and all that was essential to loss of sovereignty was the growth of a superior force. But no such rival exists, or can exist, in the field of the kingdom of God, for it is armed only with truth, and there can be no disharmony or conflict between truths.
The kingdom of the stone will continue as long as its Maker. Dying men establish dying realms; only a living God can establish an eternal kingdom. Truth is constant, unwavering, everlasting.
The dreams of the king, and the interpretation of the prophet, came at a time when the fortunes of Israel were at a low ebb. The Chaldeans had swooped down upon the holy city and the chosen people of God had been carried into exile beyond the Euphrates. Yet it was at this very time when the power of Babylon seemed invincible, and the people of the Lord appeared to be powerless, that God revealed the coming destruction of the former, and the ultimate triumph of His purpose. Is there not in this fact a source of cheer and hope in all ages when the faithful are harassed and troubled by the forces of this world? Man's extremity truly provides God's opportunity, and His grace is made perfect in man's weakness.
To those who have fled for refuge to the mountain that grew out of the stone there is no cause for fear. No weapon formed against it can prosper. No machinations of the evil one can shake its foundation. Security and peace can be found only in the kingdom that shall never be broken in pieces. Tyranny has its day, and despotism rules but a moment. History is filled with the accounts of puny men who sought to elevate themselves to the heights, only to have their hopes dashed and destroyed by the grasping hand of death. The road to greatness is not paved with the stones of selfishness, but with those of self-denial. The stone which crushed the giant image is destined to grind into powder every vain ambition of mankind.
This accords with the facts. The might of Rome was challenged by a humble group of men and women, who were mainly slaves, uneducated, poor and despised. Without literal sword, spear or shield, and by the shedding of no blood except their own they met the challenge of world tyranny and overcame it. Within a few centuries the Caesars were toppled from their throne.
There will never be another world power such as was exhibited by Babylon, Persia, Greece or Rome. The ambitions of men may prompt them to seek universal sway over the nations of the earth, but they will be doomed to disappointment, frustration and defeat. Napoleon Bonaparte, the German Kaiser, Adolf Hitler--all these have suffered the fate which will overtake all who dare to defy the edict of prophecy. There were four universal empires of men, and no more. With the inception of the fifth, established by the God of heaven, demanding universal allegiance, there can never be another. A mountain in prophecy signifies a great kingdom, while hills signify lesser powers. "The mountain of the Lord's house is established in the top of the mountains and exalted above the hills."
There is one important fact which should not be overlooked in the symbolism of the giant man. The kingdom of God was pitted against four world dominions. It was not opposed to government as such. Its opposition was to four specific powers, and even then, not because they were governmental, but because of the spirit or principle which animated them. These powers were idolatrous (the giant image), and cruel (the wild beasts). The prophecy is clear. "It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms, and bring them to an end." Not all kingdoms, but all these kingdoms.
The giant image did not represent civil government, as such, in opposition to the kingdom of God. It represented four world tyrannies over men which existed as enslaving forces, through abuse of the principle of government. The kingdom of God has never set itself against the principle of government. It has never even sought to change or alter the form of government in any land. It is by nature opposed to evil, and recognizes that evil men may seize the governments of men and manipulate them to their own personal interest and gain, just as the same kind of men may seize control of the churches and "make merchandise of souls." But it does not oppose the right of civil government to exist to serve in its proper sphere because of abuses of power, any more than it opposes the right of the church to exist to serve in its proper sphere because of abuses of power.
So long as Caesar properly conducts civil affairs he acts within the sanction of God. In this respect, and in this respect only, he is a minister of God for good. If he infringes upon a field other than his own he is condemned, not because he is a civil ruler, but because he gets out of his place. The angels that sinned were not cast down to the pits of nether gloom because they were angels, but because "they did not keep their own position, but left their proper dwelling" (Jude 6). Other angels which did not over-step their boundaries, and other governments were not destroyed merely because the four great cruel pagan empires crushed out the rights of men. The great mistake of the sinning angels was rebellion against God. The grave error of the four heathen monarchies was in forgetting that they were ministers of God, and in seeking to become God.
The prince of glory, who was soon to be coronated as ruler upon the throne of heaven, announced the principle of his authority and its extent. "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." There are things within the realm of Caesar. They must be given unto him whose right they are. There are things that belong unto God. They must be given to him. They need not conflict. But emperor worship is sinful. Caesar is a servant of God. He is not God. When he seeks to become God he must be removed, not because he is Caesar, but because he thinks that he is God.
The God of heaven did not abdicate his universal moral dominion when he set up the special kingdom of David, nor has he relinquished it merely because his Son sits upon the throne of David. Civil government is merely an expression in systematic form of the united mind of society. It is a manifestation in codified form of a social consciousness, by which rights are recognized, the weak protected, the distressed relieved, the helpless provided asylum, and the properties certified and guaranteed to their owners. The ruler "is the servant of God to execute his wrath on the wrongdoer" (Rom. 13:4). So long as the ruler thus acts, he conforms to God's will and purpose.
So long as the kingdom of God exists, that long will this earth be safe from another universal dominion. But that kingdom will last for ever. It cannot be captured, overthrown or destroyed. Its sovereignty cannot be left to other people. There is no room upon earth for two kingdoms, utterly opposed to each other, both of which fill the whole earth. The mountain of God fills the whole earth. No other kingdom can again do so. In order to do that it would have to dethrone Jesus from his place in the hearts of men. And imperfect though our service be, as rendered unto him, yet his sovereignty, his right to rule, is recognized by countless millions scattered over the face of the globe.
He rules the earth with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of his righteousness
And wonders of his love."