8/13/06 - “Prophecy – The Future Told In Advance – Daniel Chapter 2 – Part 2” - 33L - FM
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Hello!  This is Richard Vaughn

Today’s subject – “Prophecy – The Future Told In Advance – Daniel Chapter 2 – Part 2”

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. Daniel went on to tell him of a great metal man image that had a head of gold, chest and arms of silver, thighs of brass and legs of iron. Also it had feet part iron and part clay. Then there was a stone cut out of a mountain without hands that smote the image on the feet and destroyed the image. 

We resume this week with 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.  

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 it's 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.

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.

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.

None of what we study in these prophecies is based on human speculation or conjecture. Why do I say that? Because the Bible interprets itself, especially in regards to prophecy. Week after week as we go through these important prophecies we will be laying a foundation for understanding the most fearful warning ever given by God to mortal man, and that is against receiving the mark of the beast in Revelation 14:9,10. “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God.”
 Before you can understand what the mark is, you must know who the beast is. We will fully disclose that as God has revealed it. But don’t miss a single week or you will be left in confusion.

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.