Daniel Chapter 3 Verses 4-7

4 And the herald proclaimed aloud, “You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, 5 that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up; 6 and whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace.” 7 Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

This command applied to all people of every nation and language. It was apparently Nebuchadnezzar’s intention to unite his kingdom under one religion.

When the music started every person was to fall down and worship the image.

‘Horn’ is the only musical term found here that is also found elsewhere in the Old Testament.

‘Pipe’ may come from the Hebrew word meaning to hiss or whistle.

‘Lyre’ is a loan word from the Greek ‘kithara’.

The term ‘Trigon’ comes from the Greek word used in the Septuagint meaning a triangular harp.

‘Harp’ is the Greek ‘psalterion’ and also refers to a stringed instrument.

The term translated ‘Bagpipe’ by the Revised Standard Version may not be an instrument at all, but may simply mean ‘in unison.’ Some think it refers to a percussion instrument.

Can these words be used to date the book as some suggest? One commentator has said:

In view of the tentative state of present knowledge of these words it is precarious to base any theory of the date of the book on the evidence of these instruments.

Those who did not fall down would be cast into the fiery furnace.

The furnaces in Babylon were used to fire the bricks that were used to build the city.

As we mentioned before, each brick bore the name and image of Nebuchadnezzar, and many can be seen today in the British museum. These may have been fired in the very furnace spoken of here.

The fuel was charcoal, and it burned at a very high temperature. Many large brick kilns have been excavated outside Babylon.

The furnace would have been enclosed, since the technology of raising heat by forcing a draught requires it.

Here is how one commentator has described the furnace:

It resembles a railway tunnel blocked at one end but with an entrance at the other. Uprights at frequent intervals support the dome and serve as ventilation shafts also. Charcoal provides the heat, and it is estimated that the temperature would have been 900 to 1000 ϒC.

Death by burning at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar is not unique to this story. Jeremiah also speaks of it.

Jeremiah 29:22 Because of them this curse shall be used by all the exiles from Judah in Babylon: "The Lord make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire."

This has always been the world’s message to God’s people: Comply or face the consequences! The world still has its fiery furnaces, and it still loves to frighten God’s people with them.

A literal translation of verse 7 is that ‘as soon as they were hearing they were falling down.’ Nebuchadnezzar got them to fall down on command, but he could not make them worship. Worship cannot be done on command. It must come from within a person.

Please visit ThyWordIsTruth.com for free audio lessons on Revelation, for a unique daily Bible reading calendar, to read about God's plan of salvation, to read the answers to hundreds of questions submitted by our readers, and for much, much more.

Daniel Chapter 3 Verses 2-3

2 Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent to assemble the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 3 Then the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces, were assembled for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

From Nebuchadnezzar’s viewpoint, it was inconceivable that any reasonable person could refuse this simple demonstration of loyalty to the king.

The titles used in this section point to a well organized bureaucracy.

Satrap: Persian term for “realm protector.”

Prefect: lieutenant governors.

Governors: lord of an administrative district.

Malachi 1:8 says that the province of Judea was administered by a “governor.”

Advisers or Counselors: Persian term for “counsel-giver.”

This term is unique to Daniel in all known Aramaic literature.

Treasurers: Persian term for “treasure bearer”

Judges: Persian term for “law bearer”

Magistrate: Persian term for “over chief.”

The terms for ‘judges’ and ‘magistrates’ occur so far only in Daniel and in Aramaic documents of the 6th and 5th century.

Provincial officials: general term for government officials.

Note that five of these terms are Persian.

This is seen by some as a problem since this episode from early in Nebuchadnezzar’s reign predates the Persian conquest by nearly 70 years.

However, we have already been told that Daniel lived to see the Persian conquest.

Thus, it seems most likely that Daniel wrote the book during the Persian rule and substituted the then current Persian titles for the older Aramaic terms.

The use of these words points to an early date for the book of Daniel.

By the second century B.C. some of these Persian loan terms had become obsolete and could no longer be correctly translated by the Alexandrian Jews.

The satirical effect of this section is clear. As one commentator wrote:

Here are all the great ones of the empire falling flat on their faces before a lifeless obelisk at the sound of a musical medley, controlled by the baton of King Nebuchadnezzar.

Please visit ThyWordIsTruth.com for free audio lessons on Revelation, for a unique daily Bible reading calendar, to read about God's plan of salvation, to read the answers to hundreds of questions submitted by our readers, and for much, much more.

Daniel Chapter 3 Verse 1

1 King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its breadth six cubits. He set it up on the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.

In Chapter 3, we discover what it means to take a stand for the Lord and to refuse to compromise with the gods of this world.

We also meet three men who are truly ‘profiles in courage.’

One of the central themes of this book is the absolute sovereignty of God and his love for his people.

The apocalyptic sections of Daniel portray these attributes of God with signs and symbols.

In this chapter (as well as in chapters 5 and 6) we have historical demonstrations of these attributes.

Like Revelation, the book of Daniel is a book of assurance. God is telling his people that despite what they might think, they have not been forgotten. We must see the book in this context if we are to understand it properly.

THE KING MAKES A GIANT GOLDEN IMAGE AND SETS IT UP BEFORE THE PEOPLE.

Notice that it did not take long for Nebuchadnezzar to forget his newly found religious insights.

Of course, like all polytheists, he probably felt that the Jews would be capable of having multiple loyalties.

The polytheistic perspective is very strange to us. But we need to see that the monotheistic view was just as strange to them. The idea of “one true God” was not something they understood.

The similarity between this image and the one in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream seems to be more than a coincidence.

Recall that Daniel said that Nebuchadnezzar was the head of gold in his dream. (He wasn’t satisfied with being just the head, he wanted to be the whole image!)

Out of all that Daniel told him, Nebuchadnezzar seems to have only remembered the statement “You are the head of gold.” (We also have our favorite verses…)

Perhaps the king was saying to Daniel’s God, “OK. Here is the image. Now where is your big stone?” (Daniel’s prediction that Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom would be replaced had probably not set to well with him.)

Nebuchadnezzar’s plan was a very common one:

He intended to boost his own political power through the use of religion.

We see this happen today when politicians espouse religious views when running for office that are quickly forgotten once that office is obtained.

A characteristic of idolatry is that the idol serves the worshipper to achieve the worshipper’s aims.

How large was the image?

It was 60 cubits tall and 6 cubits wide. At 18 inches per cubit, that means the image was 90 feet tall and 9 feet wide.

The height is about the same as the date-palms that still grow in the plains of Iraq (90 feet), and it was almost as slender.

It was more of an obelisk than a statue.

Archaeologists have found ruins about six miles southeast of the city of Babylon that may be the foundation of this image.

Why 60 by 6?

The Babylonian number system was sexagesimal (base 6) instead of decimal (base 10) like ours (and Egypt’s in that day).

Some see this Babylonian influence elsewhere in scripture, such as in Ezekiel:

Ezekiel 40:5 And behold, there was a wall all around the outside of the temple area, and the length of the measuring reed in the man's hand was six long cubits, each being a cubit and a handbreadth in length; so he measured the thickness of the wall, one reed; and the height, one reed.

It is interesting that the sexagesimal system has survived in our division of time and in our division of the circle into degrees.

From our study of Revelation, we know that 6 has a symbolic meaning. The number 7 denotes perfection and completion and the number 6 denotes something that is hopelessly short of perfection.

In Revelation, the beast of Rome (a new Babylon) was given the number 666. Rome, like Babylon, thought it was great and powerful, but it was hopelessly short of perfection.

The numbers here are not symbolic. They are actual measurements. But the symbolism applies nevertheless.

Liberal critics see the size of the image as a problem, claiming that the disproportionate proportions would have made the image look preposterous.

Too tall? The colossus at Rhodes was taller. (70 cubits compared to 60 cubits)

Perhaps the image was on top of a large pedestal.

They also complain that there would not have been enough gold in all of Babylon to make such a large image, but where does it say that the image was solid gold?

Like smaller statues that have survived, this one was no doubt gold plated.

Compare the following description from Isaiah:

Isaiah 40:19 The idol! a workman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold, and casts for it silver chains.

What was the religious significance of this image?

The construction of this large image is yet another facet of this book that points to an early date.

Archaeological discoveries have shown that Nebuchadnezzar’s building projects extended to some of the ancient Sumerian cities such as Ur of the Chaldees.

Most feel that Dura (meaning ‘walled place’) was a suburb of Babylon.

In these areas, Nebuchadnezzar was a religious reformer. Excavations have shown that when Nebuchadnezzar rebuilt religious temples, he removed the special rooms where the priests conducted their secret ceremonies and replaced them with areas where all could come and view the procedures.

Nebuchadnezzar’s reforms thus centered around permitting the public to participate in the religious ceremonies that had formerly been secret.

This seems to be what occurred in here in Daniel 3. Sir Leonard Wooley said the following:

What was there new in the king’s act? Not the setting up of a statue, because each king in turn had done the same; the novelty was the command for general worship by the public: for a ritual performed by priests the king is substituting a form of congregational worship which all his subjects are obliged to attend.

How did the author of Daniel know about this new phase of worship that began under Nebuchadnezzar if Daniel were written 400 years later?

Please visit ThyWordIsTruth.com for free audio lessons on Revelation, for a unique daily Bible reading calendar, to read about God's plan of salvation, to read the answers to hundreds of questions submitted by our readers, and for much, much more.

Daniel Chapter 2 Verses 46-49

46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and did homage to Daniel, and commanded that an offering and incense be offered up to him. 47 The king said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.” 48 Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. 49 Daniel made request of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon; but Daniel remained at the king’s court.

This is a remarkable scene. One commentator has written:

“The despot who but an hour before had ordered the execution of all his wise men was prostrating himself before this foreign captive from a third-rate subject nation! Even though he opposed the wisdom of the Chaldeans, this absurd monotheist (Daniel) had somehow found the right answer.”

Did Daniel approve of the king’s worship of himself? No. How do I know? The Bible doesn’t say one way or the other, but I know Daniel.

After all he has said, do you really think that he could have approved of someone falling down to worship him. He had already said that God had interpreted the dream.

Was the king “converted” in verse 47. No, I don’t think so.

He was saying the right things, but only because he just seen a clear and undeniable demonstration of God’s power.

True worship is in spirit and in truth. The king spoke the truth, but the spirit was not there. (We will get some proof of this in chapter three.)

Did the king make Daniel great? No. God made Daniel great. Nebuchadnezzar just noticed it.

The king fulfilled the promise he made in 2:6 and loaded Daniel down with gifts and royal honors, in addition to making him governor of the capital city, and ruler over the wise men. (Don’t you imagine they loved that!)

Did Daniel forget his friends? Not at all. How easy it would have been to forget about his prayer partners, but Daniel did not.

OTHER THEORIES ABOUT THE FOUR KINGDOMS IN DANIEL 2

Babylon, Media, Persia, Greece

We have already dealt with this theory. It is the view put forth by those who think that Daniel was written around 168 B.C. This view must be rejected for several reasons:

1. Daniel did not believe or teach that an independent Median empire defeated the Chaldeans.

2. This view meant that Daniel thought that the Messianic kingdom would be established before the end of the Grecian kingdom (before 31 B.C.).

3. Jesus quoted Daniel in Matthew 24 and applied the prophecy to the near future.

Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece (under Alexander), the Successor States. This view must also be rejected:

1. Daniel never treated the Greek kingdom as two independent kingdoms during and after Alexander.

2. In fact, Daniel distinctly treated the two periods as two phases of the same kingdom. (In Daniel 8, we have one goat with four horns.)

Rome is the fourth kingdom, but it is split into an ancient part and a future part that has not yet arisen. This view must also be rejected:

This view requires one to believe that the kingdom was not established in the first century.

Mark 1:15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel."

Mark 9:1 And he said to them, "Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power."

Matthew 16:28 Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom."

Jesus said the time was fulfilled in the first century. The premillennialists say that it was not.

This view relies heavily on the “ten toes” in the image, but the number ten is never mentioned!

We will have much more to say about this view as we proceed through the book.

Please visit ThyWordIsTruth.com for free audio lessons on Revelation, for a unique daily Bible reading calendar, to read about God's plan of salvation, to read the answers to hundreds of questions submitted by our readers, and for much, much more.

Daniel Chapter 2 Verses 44-45

44 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall its sovereignty be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand for ever; 45 just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be hereafter. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”

The first phrase in verse 44 is vital to understanding this vision because it provides a time frame.

Without a time frame we get the ‘Nostradamus effect.’ That is, any statement can be made to appear prophetic if we can choose the event from all of history.

For example, Nostradamus says that a political leader and his brother will be killed. So we move that statement along the time line until it matches something and we conclude that Nostradamus was speaking about the Kennedys. But are the Kennedys the only match to that vague prediction. Of course not! A prophecy without a time frame is not worth much unless it is extremely detailed.

Matthew 24, for example, is often considered a difficult chapter, but when you consider the time frame in verse 34 the interpretation is much easier.

The book of Revelation includes a time frame. It contains things that were to shortly come to pass after the time it was written. (This is mentioned four times!)

Verse 44 is our time frame regarding the fifth kingdom.

The fifth kingdom would be set up in the days of those kings. Which kings? Either all of the kings of the vision (meaning that the kingdom would be set up before all of the those kingdoms passed away) or the kings of the fourth empire.

Any interpretation that does not have the fifth kingdom set up during this time frame is not a correct interpretation.

Many elaborate interpretations exist that try to have the fifth kingdom set up some time in the future. Generally, they have some sort of revived Roman empire that pops up some 2000 years after the first Roman empire. This is not what Daniel said!

What is this fifth kingdom?

It was not of human origin. It began during the Roman empire. It outlasted and overthrew the Roman empire. It is an eternal kingdom from God. What else could it be? The fifth kingdom is the church.

What do we learn about the church from this vision?

1. The church is not a mistake or a fall back plan. It has been a part of God’s plan right from the start.

Premillennialists teach that Christ came to earth the first time to set up an earthly kingdom but was unable to do so because the Jews rejected him.

As a ‘Plan B’ he decided to set up the church until he could return a second time to set up an earthly kingdom.

The premillennialists have a severe logical problem with their interpretation of Daniel. First, they say that Jesus wanted to create an earthly kingdom in the first century, but failed to do so. But they also say that Daniel talks about the delayed kingdom. Now, how could it be true that the need for a delayed kingdom was unexpected, yet Daniel predicted it?

Thus, they teach that the church is the result of a failed plan.

JESUS CHRIST DID NOT FAIL IN ANYTHING HE DID. EVERYTHING WENT EXACTLY ACCORDING TO GOD’S PLAN.

Is the church a mistake? Listen to Paul:

Ephesians 5:25-27 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

Acts 20:28 Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God which he obtained with the blood of his own Son.

This fifth kingdom is the church of Jesus Christ and it will demolish and outlast any human organization just like Daniel says it will.

This includes a large number of human organizations that call themselves churches. And this brings us to another important point that we learn from Daniel about the church.

2. The church is not a divided kingdom.

There is one and only one stone in this image. The kingdoms shatter into pieces, but the stone does not.

There is one church and only one church.

This is not a popular theme these days, but it is the truth. This message may not make us very popular at the local inter-denominational prayer breakfast, but we must continue to proclaim it. The church is unique and distinctive.

Ephesians 4:4-5 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism.

1 Corinthians 10:17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.

Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.

John 10:16 And I have other sheep, that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock, one shepherd.

If God had wanted two churches, he would have made one for the Jews and one for the Gentiles.

Listen to how Ezekiel describes this fifth kingdom:

Ezekiel 37:22-27 and I will make them one nation in the land, upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; and they shall be no longer two nations, and no longer divided into two kingdoms.

The church cannot be split! God has set up an eternal kingdom that cannot be divided. If someone tells you that the church has been split, don’t believe them. There is one church and it cannot be divided.

3. The church is not of human origin.

In verse 34, we see that this stone was cut out by no human hand. This stone is not from man.

The church is not a product of the Restoration movement. Many of us are Christians because of the preachers who came out of the Restoration movement, but the church predates the Restoration movement by some 1800 years.

The church is not a denomination. Read what Paul had to say when denominations first started to form in 1 Corinthians 3:11. He concludes in verse 11 by saying:

1 Corinthians 3:11 For no other foundation can any one lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

4. The church is powerful and eternal. It completely demolishes and replaces its opposition.

I wish we could all learn to look at the church the way that God looks at the church.

The church is more important and more powerful than any human organization.

Do we view the church that way? Do we think of the church as just another in a long list of denominations? Do we want to fit in with and be accepted by all of our denominational friends? If so, we need to carefully consider what Daniel has to say about the one true church.

In Luke 6:26 Jesus said:

Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.

Our goal is not to be liked by all the world. Our goal is to preach the truth to all the world.

We are not told to go into all the world and be liked, or to go into all the world and don’t rock the boat, or to go into all the world and agree to disagree.

We need to preach what the world needs to hear, not what the world wants to hear.

The false prophets always told the people just what they wanted to hear, and as Jesus said, everyone liked them. (That is, everyone but God!)

Please visit ThyWordIsTruth.com for free audio lessons on Revelation, for a unique daily Bible reading calendar, to read about God's plan of salvation, to read the answers to hundreds of questions submitted by our readers, and for much, much more.

Daniel Chapter 2 Verses 41-43

41 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. 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 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.

This fourth kingdom would also be a divided kingdom – clay mixed with iron.

In verse 42, the “toes” of the image are finally mentioned, but the toes do not cause the weakness in the fourth kingdom. The weakness is caused by the clay that is mixed with the iron. Again, the number 10 is not mentioned at all.

Was this true of the mighty Roman empire? Yes!

In Revelation 13 and 17 we see very clearly that Rome fell partly because of inner strife. This fits very well with what history tells us about Rome.

Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire lists four reasons why Rome fell: external invasion, inner decadence, inner strife, and the injury of time and nature.

The inner strife was primarily due to the client kingdoms that Rome set up to rule the borders of its empire. Here is how Michael Grant in his book the History of Rome describes the client kings.

The client kings were tied to the service of Rome in order to defend its frontiers and serve as listening posts to the outside world. In return, they were supported by the Romans against internal subversive movements and allowed a free hand inside their own countries.

In his book The Fall of the Roman Empire he describes what eventually occurred with these client kingdoms.

In 382, Theodosius I took the revolutionary step of allowing whole German tribes to reside in Imperial territory as separate, autonomous, allied or federate units. committed to serving in the Roman army, though under the command of their own chieftains. Thereafter the practice continued and increased, until such federates became a regular and widespread feature of the life of the Empire.

Did these groups contribute to the fall of Rome? The Visigoths were the first group to receive federate status and they sacked the city of Rome in A.D. 410 marking the first time in 800 years that the city had been taken by a foreign invader.

Why did Rome fall? Because God wanted it to fall. Because the first century Christians prayed that it would fall. The fall of Rome was a divine judgment. The church triumphed. Its bitter enemy Rome did not.

By the way, don’t fall into the trap of thinking that Rome became a Christian nation. Rome did much more damage to the church by embracing it than it had by persecuting it. Yet still the one true church survived, and the Roman Empire did not.

Please visit ThyWordIsTruth.com for free audio lessons on Revelation, for a unique daily Bible reading calendar, to read about God's plan of salvation, to read the answers to hundreds of questions submitted by our readers, and for much, much more.

Daniel Chapter 2 Verses 39-40

39 After you shall arise another kingdom inferior to you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. 40 And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things; and like iron which crushes, it shall break and crush all these.

The remaining three parts of the image are also kingdoms.

The second kingdom was Medo-Persia, which as we have seen overthrew the Chaldeans about 70 years after this vision. (Daniel lived to see this. Indeed, it was during this kingdom that Daniel was tossed to the lions.)

Why is this second kingdom said to be “inferior” to the first? After all it defeated the first kingdom. Wouldn’t that mean that it was superior?

The Hebrew word for “inferior” means “beneath you.” Thus, it may simply mean that the second kingdom was beneath the first in the image that Nebuchadnezzar saw.

A second possibility is that the second kingdom was inferior to Nebuchadnezzar in the sense that its leader did not share the same absolute and unfettered power that he did.

Later in 6:12 we will see that a Persian ruler lacked the power to annul a law once he had made it.

From this “despotic standpoint” each of these empires was inferior to the ones above it.

Let’s review the history of this second kingdom, Medo-Persia.

As we mentioned earlier, Daniel does not consider the Medes and Persians to be separate kingdoms, but instead explicitly considers them to be a single unified kingdom – which agrees with what historians tell us.

This empire began with Cyrus the Great, who conquered Babylon in 539 BC and died ten years later.

His older son, Cambyses, conquered Egypt and died in 523 or 522. He was succeeded by an upstart who claimed to also be a son of Cyrus.

This upstart was quickly assassinated and Darius (not the Mede) came to power and established a new dynasty.

This empire ruled for about two centuries, but was never able to completely subdue the Greeks on its western border.

Darius’ son invaded the Greeks but was defeated, and his successor tried to set the Greek city-states against each other.

Alexander the Great invaded Persia in 334 BC.

The third kingdom that would rule over all of the earth was Greece which conquered the Persians under Alexander the Great.

Alexander the Great invaded Persia in 334 and completely defeated it in 331.

At one point, Alexander ruled an area from Yugoslavia to India, the largest empire of ancient times.

After Alexander died in 323, his kingdom was split into four pieces ruled over by his former generals.

Consider the following passages from the book of Daniel, which were written hundreds of years before Alexander the Great!

Daniel 8:8 Then the he-goat magnified himself exceedingly; but when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and instead of it there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven.

Daniel 8:21-22 And the he-goat is the king of Greece; and the great horn between his eyes is the first king. 22 As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his nation, but not with his power.

Daniel 11:3-4 Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion and do according to his will. 4 And when he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not to his posterity, nor according to the dominion with which he ruled; for his kingdom shall be plucked up and go to others besides these.

Now you see why the liberals hate this book so much! If they take the early-date view then they must admit that the Bible is from God – and this they cannot do!

Eventually most of the Greek empire was annexed by Rome, the fourth kingdom in Nebuchadnezzar’s vision. By 146 BC, Greece was permanently subdued. Egypt became a Roman province in 31 BC.

The fourth kingdom (strong as iron) was Rome, which overthrew Greece.

The mighty Roman empire started out as a dusty village on Italy’s Tiber River in the 8th century B.C.

Rome was always fortunate in that it confronted its enemies one at a time rather than all at once. That way it was able to grow and strengthen with each victory.

By 270 B.C. Rome had control of the Italian peninsula, and begin to look elsewhere for new worlds to conquer.

After the Punic Wars and the defeat of Carthage, Rome turned its sights toward the East – attacking Philip V’s Macedonia and Antiochus III’s Seleucid empire (both successor states of Alexander the Great).

Without giving any of the intervening details, let’s jump ahead to consider a question that has intrigued historians for centuries.

Why did Rome fall? Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar why Rome fell nearly 1000 years before it happened! Listen to what he says next...

Please visit ThyWordIsTruth.com for free audio lessons on Revelation, for a unique daily Bible reading calendar, to read about God's plan of salvation, to read the answers to hundreds of questions submitted by our readers, and for much, much more.

Daniel Chapter 2 Verses 36-38

36 “This was the dream; now we will tell the king its interpretation. 37 You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, 38 and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the sons of men, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the air, making you rule over them all—you are the head of gold.

Luckily we are not left to figure this vision out for ourselves. Daniel tells us what the figures mean.

Daniel makes it very clear from the start who is in charge here. Nebuchadnezzar had been given his rule and his kingdom by God. Any power, might, or glory that he had was a gift from God. This was quite a bold thing to say to King Nebuchadnezzar!

Why were these four distinct kingdoms represented by a single figure?

What relationship does Babylon have with Rome, for example? Taken together, they represent a sustained revolt of organized human society and government against the will of God. Babylon set the tone for the kingdoms that followed. Indeed, Babylon was another name for Rome in the New Testament.

1 Peter 5:13 She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings; and so does my son Mark.

Revelation 18:2 And he called out with a mighty voice, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!”

King Nebuchadnezzar is the head of the gold – that is, the head of gold denotes his kingdom, Babylon.

The king may have initially taken this as a complement, until he remembered what had just happened to the head of gold! It was turned to dust with the rest of the image.

Let’s quickly review the history of this first empire.

The Neo-Babylonian Empire of the Chaldeans started in 626 BC when the Chaldean chieftain Nabopolassar captured Babylon and declared independence from Assyria.

Nabopolassar made an alliance with the Medes, and in 612 BC their combined army attacked and destroyed the Assyrian capital Ninevah.

The Assyrians and their Egyptian allies were completely defeated in 605 BC by Nebuchadnezzar, the son of Nabopolassar.

Nebuchadnezzar ruled for about 40 years, but his empire did not last long beyond his death. His sons proved worthless, and eventually Nabonidus engineered a coup and took over.

Finally, in 539 BC, Babylon fell to the Persians. This takes us to the second kingdom that King Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream.

Please visit ThyWordIsTruth.com for free audio lessons on Revelation, for a unique daily Bible reading calendar, to read about God's plan of salvation, to read the answers to hundreds of questions submitted by our readers, and for much, much more.

Daniel Chapter 2 Verses 31-35

31 “You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening. 32 The head of this image was of fine gold, its breast and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. 34 As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it smote the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces; 35 then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

Can you imagine the king’s astonished reaction when Daniel started describing his dream? Can you imagine the astonishment (and relief) of his wise men? (Daniel had saved their lives. You will see later how they repay him.) Not only could Daniel reveal the meaning of the dream, he could reveal the content of the dream.

What did the king see? A single great image consisting of four parts:

(1) A head of gold.

(2) breasts and arms of silver.

(3) belly and thighs of brass.

(4) legs and feet of iron and clay.

The king also saw a giant stone.

This stone was cut without hands – that is this stone was not of human origin.

This stone smites the feet of the image and turns the whole thing into dust.

Note: Many interpretations of this vision make a big deal out of the toes of this image. In particular, many make a big deal out of the ten toes on this image.

The toes are not mentioned at all when Daniel first describes what the king saw.

Nowhere does Daniel mention “ten toes.” Certainly, we might be able to infer that there were ten toes, but if there were some symbolic significance to the number 10, you would think that Daniel would have mentioned the number ten.

Afterward, the stone becomes a great mountain and fills the whole earth.

The nations that fight against God are often called mountains, also.

Compare Jeremiah 51:25 where Babylon is called a destroying mountain.

The Babylonians pictured the earth as a huge mountain. In fact, they called the earth “E-kur” which means ‘Mountain House.’ So it is fitting that the eternal kingdom would be pictured as huge mountain.

Also, compare Revelation 8:8 where Rome is pictured as a mountain that is cast into the sea.

Recall Christ’s comments in Mark 11:23. (This really happened in Revelation! I think that Jesus had Rome in mind when he said this.)

Mark 11:23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, `Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.

In this passage, we have a great mountain that is from God. What could it be? Perhaps it is a kingdom from God that will replace these earthly kingdoms that are destroyed. Stay tuned...

Please visit ThyWordIsTruth.com for free audio lessons on Revelation, for a unique daily Bible reading calendar, to read about God's plan of salvation, to read the answers to hundreds of questions submitted by our readers, and for much, much more.

Daniel Chapter 2 Verses 26-30

26 The king said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?” 27 Daniel answered the king, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery which the king has asked, 28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these: 29 To you, O king, as you lay in bed came thoughts of what would be hereafter, and he who reveals mysteries made known to you what is to be. 30 But as for me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living has this mystery been revealed to me, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your mind.

Notice that Daniel reminds the reader of his Babylonian name but then resumes using his Hebrew name.

And what does Daniel do?

Does he come before the king and say, “I have solved your problem. I know all of the answers. Look what I can do.” No. Unlike Arioch, Daniel does not mention himself.

He says look what God can do. The power was not within Daniel and Daniel knew it. God had told him what Nebuchadnezzar had dreamed. See verse 30.

Again, we are faced with the truth about astrology, magic, and fortune telling. Daniel says that it does not work. Read verse 27. Now, do we agree with Daniel or not? I hope we all agree with him.

Daniel speaks to Nebuchadnezzar with great boldness. Keep in mind that Daniel was under sentence of death, yet he takes this opportunity to tell the king that all of his gods are worse than useless. He tells the king that there is a God who reveals mysteries.

Daniel’s answer to the king is that “there is a God in heaven.” That is a good answer, isn’t it!

Note also the contrast that Daniel draws between the false Babylonian gods and the one true God. The king’s gods were helpless, but there is a God in Heaven who is all powerful.

We need to stop for a moment and consider the phrase “latter days” in verse 28. To what does it refer?

It could simply mean the future. That is, God was going to tell Nebuchadnezzar what would happen later.

This seems to fit well with parallel passage that appears in verse 29. (To you, O king, as you lay in bed came thoughts of what would be hereafter.)

It could refer to the latter days of Jewish history, which ended as far as God was concerned in A.D. 70.

Premillennialists teach that it refers to a time yet future; in particular, to a short time of tribulation preceding the second coming of Christ.

Is this what Nebuchadnezzar would have thought? “Well, I guess Daniel is about to tell me about what will happen in about 2600 years when the Chinese suddenly decide to invade the Holy Land and toss out the Arabs and fight against the troops sent by the Antichrist who will be living in Rome at the time...” Does that make sense?

Please visit ThyWordIsTruth.com for free audio lessons on Revelation, for a unique daily Bible reading calendar, to read about God's plan of salvation, to read the answers to hundreds of questions submitted by our readers, and for much, much more.