Episode 156: Daniel 2:24-49 The Dream Revealed

We worked through the end of chapter 2. Here we witnessed Daniel going before Nebuchadnezzar with his dream and its interpretation. Daniel makes it clear to Nebuchadnezzar how it is impossible for men to know what he dreamed, but God in heaven knows all things and He gave Nebuchadnezzar this dream to reveal to him what is coming. Daniel then tells him he dreamed of a massive statue with a head of gold, chest of silver, waist of bronze, legs of iron and feet of iron and clay. A stone is cut without hands and strikes the feet of the statue and the rest of the statue falls on it and is shattered to dust and blown away by the wind. After this the stone grows to fill the whole earth. Then Daniel explains what the dream means. The different metals of the statue represent world empires. The head of gold is Nebuchadnezzar and the kingdom of Babylon. Daniel explains how each of the successive sections of the statue replace the one before it. The feet of iron and potters clay are not stable and the stone cut without hands destroys the feet and the statue. We then jumped forward and looked at Luke 20:17-18. Here Jesus refers to himself as the stone the builders rejected, but this stone has become the cornerstone. He then uses imagery from Daniel to talk about how everyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces and it crushes anyone on whom it falls. This reference to Jesus as a stone is one of a half dozen references scattered throughout the New Testament. The amazing thing about this dream is how it has been accurately played out in a straightforward manner. Each of the successive world empires which came to power fit with the different sections of the statue. While some may argue the point I think the feet of iron and clay match really well with the way Rome became divided over time. We could accurately say this division was probably aided and brought on by the rise of Christianity and the way in which Christians would rather die then offer incense to the emperor. The amazing thing to consider is how Christianity has grown. It is now found on every continent on earth. It is the largest religion in the world and continues to grow. While it may be stagnant or in decline here it is clearly vibrant in growing in other parts of the world. In a dramatic way we see the dream of Nebuchadnezzar continuing to work its way out as the stone cut without hands continues to grow. One other thing really striking about this story is its impact on Nebuchadnezzar. He honors Daniel and declares Daniel’s God to be God of gods and Lord of kings. In this statement Nebuchadnezzar is recognizing the supreme power and authority of Yahweh. This is Nebuchadnezzar’s first encounter with Daniel and his God and we will see God continue to reveal His great power to Nebuchadnezzar as a way of calling Nebuchadnezzar to Himself and leaving him without excuse.