Daniel 2

An Unusual View Of History (2:1 – 2:49)

Daniel was close to God and the Lord had gifted him with special knowledge and understanding. He could see into the unseen realm (1:17) and he was often called upon to interpret these unseen things to the kings of Babylonia and Persia. One night King Nebuchadnezzar had a vivid dream that he apparently could not remember, yet he was greatly troubled by it. He called for his magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers but they could not tell him his dream or its interpretation (2:2-11). The king was so furious that he ordered the execution of all the wise men in Babylon (2:12).

Before all the wise men could be executed, Daniel was able to go before the king. He then prudently requested time while he returned to his friends, pleading with them to ask mercy from God for the revelation (2:18). During the night the vision was made known to Daniel and he praised the God of heaven (2:19-23).

Once more Daniel was brought to the king. He made known to the king that there was a God in heaven who could reveal mysteries (2:28). Daniel proceeded not only to tell the king his forgotten dream, but the interpretation of it as well. King Nebuchadnezzar had dreamed of an enormous, dazzling statue with a head of gold, with a chest and arms of silver, with a belly and thighs of bronze, with legs of iron, and with feet and toes of iron mixed with baked clay (2:31-33). In the king’s dream he saw that a rock was hewn from the mountain without human hands. The rock then crashed into the image turning it to dust, but the rock itself grew into a great mountain, filling the whole earth (2:34-35).

Daniel quickly interpreted the meaning of the vision to an astounded king (2:36). The vision was a picture of the Gentile Age, or the “Times of the Gentiles” that Jesus would later mention in Luke 21:24. This age would come into being as Israel, the theocracy of the true God, would be destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. There would be four world empires in the long and painful Gentile Era, and they would continue intact until our own day. In fact, they are all destined to fall at the same time (2:35), and be demolished by a rock hewn out of the mountain. When we look at Daniel, the rest of the Bible and especially the book of Revelation, we can better understand this picture (cf. Psa. 118:22; Isa. 8:14; 28:16; Rev.11:15). There is little doubt left that the mountain is Mt. Zion, and the rock is the Messiah and his supernatural government from Jerusalem. The fall of Israel began the Gentile Age or the “Times of the Gentiles,” and the final restoration of Israel will bring that age to an abrupt end.

What an unusual view of history! What an unusual world-view! Such a view would never be taught in our schools today. But someday, everyone will likely understand history in just the way Daniel interpreted it. Someday, the history of the whole world may be taught and interpreted, from the standpoint of Israel.

Daniel saw that the image represented the four world empires of the Gentile Age (2:38-43). Successively, they are Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome. Daniel correctly saw that the kingdoms of Media and Persia would work together like two arms, and that the Roman Empire would have two legs, which seems to accurately picture the eastern and western divisions of that empire. He saw that in the end-days it would divide into ten sections or kingdoms, like a man’s toes. Later in the book (7:8; 8:23-24), he saw that from these divisions a king of fierce countenance would arise and bring a brief age of terror and persecution the likes of which had never been seen before. After that, the kingdom would be given to the triumphant saints of the Most High God (7:18).

Daniel saw that the image would fall at one time (2:35). The Babylonian head didn’t just topple off in 539 B.C. when that nation was overcome by the Medes and Persians. It is still in place today and is still directing the affairs of this world. We can be assured that all the godless principles of these world governments still affect our society today, although the nations themselves have long passed from the scene.

As we look at these world empires we can only speculate about the evil principles within them that will ultimately bring the judgment of God on the whole system. Babylon probably represented religion without God. It surely represented a defiled and adulterated religious system mixed with sorcery. It seems that Media-Persia represented a system of law and government without God. The laws of the Medes and Persians could not be changed even if they were wrong or stupid (6:8). Greece undoubtedly represented knowledge without God. It represented humanism, and rationalism, which are very much in vogue today. Rome probably represented power without God – naked military might, and we still have plenty of that around.

In chapter 7, Daniel will be shown the very same view of history again, but with the symbols of beasts. This probably emphasizes that the religious-political-economic world system is not only a “man” system, as seen from the number “666” in Revelation 13:18, but it is essentially a “beast” system, implying great savagery (Rev. 13:1-2).

Nebuchadnezzar’s vision also gives us an interesting assessment of our present world. Modern humanistic thinkers have informed us that our world is ever evolving toward newer and better things. However, Nebuchadnezzar’s vision assures us that world history is rapidly degenerating and heading in an ever downward spiral. As the commentator, Guzik, states: “The image describes devolution, not evolution. Instead of man beginning in the dust and evolving into gold, this vision declares that man’s dominion begins with gold and devalues into dust.” [3] The very quality of governments and nations is becoming cheaper and baser by the moment. This fact is being made more apparent to us as we watch our once-stable western governmental systems decline and crumble. In the end, all the world’s governments will be totally controlled by the grossly evil Beast or Antichrist. Of course, the end-day Beast is just the fulfillment of what the Babylonian/Roman system has really stood for all the time.

Some questions may arise as to why Nebuchadnezzar was the head of gold and so superior in God’s eyes to other kingdoms that would follow. Even with all his flaws, several good things stand out about this king. God was able to reveal his secrets to Nebuchadnezzar and he has done this for few other rulers. Nebuchadnezzar had divine authority not just to rule over humankind but over the beasts of the field and the birds of the air (2:38). In some way he was fulfilling God’s original decree for mankind, that of ruling over the earth. [4] Nebuchadnezzar was quick to recognize divine authority (2:47; 3:28-29). He was also quick to recognize and reward the servants of the true God (2:48-49; 3:30). It is seldom that even one of these golden characteristics is found in rulers since the king’s day.

We cannot pass over this Gentile governmental system without stopping for a moment to examine some of the principles involved in Babylon itself. It is clear that Babylon remains the head of the present evil age or Times of the Gentiles. We know from the Bible that ancient Babylon was founded by Nimrod, the Hebrew root of whose name means “rebel” (Gen. 10:8-10). We know from Genesis 11 that the famous Tower of Babel was located there. These rebellious people were trying to make a name for themselves (Gen. 11:4). They were trying to build a tower that would reach to heaven, and they were building it by their own efforts, using man-made bricks. No doubt there were some religious elements and even some sorcery involved. How different is this attitude from that of Abraham who would later come upon that very scene. We are told in Hebrews 11:10 that “ he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. ”

The city and empire of Babylon clearly represents spiritual bondage. It was to Babylon that the children of Israel were carried captives. They hung their harps upon the willows of Babylon and refused to sing the songs of Zion in their bondage (Psa. 137:2-4). Babylon not only represents spiritual captivity for Israel, but for the church as well. It is one thing to make bricks in Egypt because a person is a slave, but it is quite another thing to make bricks in Babylon for some lofty but questionable religious purpose. In both cases a person is still making bricks and is still a slave.

It is true that Babylon is very mysterious (Rev. 17:5). Yet, we are able to penetrate this mystery somewhat by looking at scripture. There are several extended passages in the Bible that deal with this subject. We see these in Isaiah 47; Jeremiah 50-51; and Revelation 14:8 through 19:3. It is amazing that in a time when materials were expensive the writer of Revelation used so many pages and chapters to deal with the fall of Babylon at the end of this age. Truly this must be important!

We see in scripture that God wants to talk to us about this subject (Psa. 87:4), so let us go further. The sins of Babylon are principally pride, sorcery, covetousness, adultery, idolatry and murder. Jeremiah says: “ For she has been proud against the Lord “ (50:29 NKJV; cf. vs.30-31). Isaiah 47:8 and Revelation 18:7 speak also of her pride and how she has glorified herself.

Babylon was an ancient center of sorcery. It has been said that the art of divining was invented by the residents of that area. Babylonians were experts at magic, incantations and spells. The skill of the “Chaldeans” was proverbial throughout the ancient world. We also can strongly suspect that the famous tower built there was in some way aligned with the planets. The king of Babylon may have at times acknowledged the true God, but he was a worshipper of the pagan god, Bel-Marduk. He was also a sorcerer at heart. In Ezekiel 21:21 we read, “ For the king of Babylon will stop at the fork in the road, at the junction of the two roads, to seek an omen: He will cast lots with arrows, he will consult his idols, he will examine the liver. “ His divination led him up to destroy God’s city, Jerusalem. In Revelation 18:23 we read that the sorceries of Babylon have now corrupted and deceived all the nations on earth. One evidence of this is that many of today’s nations are still pursuing an identical and maniacal plan of destroying Israel.

Another sin of Babylon was her covetousness (Jer. 51:13). We see in Revelation 18, that her covetousness extended to and primarily focused upon religious things. She has made merchandise of the most holy things, even the things of God’s holy offerings, and even the souls of men (Rev. 18:13).

John, in the Book of Revelation, perceived that lady Babylon was also an adulteress. On many occasions she has pretended to be the bride of the Lamb, but her testimony has never borne this out. Long before, Jeremiah saw that the nations were mad from drinking at her cup (51:7), and the writer John in the Book of Revelation simply calls her by what she is, the great whore and the mother of all harlots (Rev. 17:1). Her cup always represented mixture, defilement, and weakening of true religion. We remember that it was also in Babylon that the people partied and drank from God’s precious, holy, Temple vessels. What an ungodly mixture!

Babylon was also famous for her idolatry. We are told that there were 53 temples and 180 altars to Ishtar in Babylon. It was a land of graven images (Jer. 50:38). Babylon had some 300 gods of heaven and another 600 of earth. This did not count the many spirits who were also worshipped. [5] We can gather from all this that Babylon always leads God’s people into false religion, and thus into religious captivity.

At last, lady Babylon was a murderess. John sees her as drunken with the blood of the saints (Rev. 17:6). Through her religious and political machinery she has somehow managed to pursue and destroy godly people in every age. Often they have been killed in the very name of religion. It should not surprise us that in the physical area of Babylon today hundreds and thousands of people are being senselessly slaughtered by suicide bombers and other terrorists.

Well, God wants his people out of this wretched religious-political-economic system. He wants both Israel and the church freed from these confusing, bewildering, and dividing influences. We are commanded to come out of her midst (Jer. 51:45), and even to flee out of her (Jer. 51:6). We must do this lest we partake of Babylon’s sins and receive her plagues (Rev. 18:4). As we can see, our coming out of her is largely a spiritual thing. In Jeremiah 51:50, we are challenged to set our faces toward Zion: “ You who have escaped the sword, leave and do not linger! Remember the LORD in a distant land, and think on Jerusalem.”

At the end of the age, God will deal with Babylon and with her vain idolatry. Jesus, the stone hewn out of the mountain, will smash this image and turn it into dust (2:34-35). Then the government of the whole earth will return to Zion and to her Messiah. The Psalmist says that he will then rule hateful nations with a rod of iron, and will dash them to pieces like pottery (Psa. 2:8-9). His kingdom will then become a great mountain filling the whole earth (Dan. 2:35).

Footnotes

4. J. Dwight Pentecost, “Daniel,” The Bible Knowledge Commenetary; An Exposition of the Scriptures, (Wheaton, IL, Victor Books, 1983-c1985), comments on Daniel 2:39.

5. E.A. Wallace Budge, Babylonian Life and History (New York; Dorsett Press, 1992) p 110.