1. GOD'S PREVIEW OF HISTORY

(Daniel 2)

Introduction

The prophecy of Daniel 2 spans world history from the days of the prophet Daniel to the second coming of Jesus Christ. It is one of the most remarkable and comprehensive prophecies in the Bible because it presents a continuous outline of the rise and fall of the world's great empires until God establishes His everlasting kingdom.

The chapter begins with King Nebuchadnezzar, ruler of Babylon, receiving a prophetic dream.

"In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams..."
 Daniel 2:1


1. Why does God sometimes communicate through dreams?

"For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not. In a dream, in a vision of the night... then He openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction; that He may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man."
 Job 33:13–17

Note

God often uses dreams to impress the mind with important truths. In Nebuchadnezzar's case, God used a prophetic dream to reveal future world history and to direct the king's attention to the God of heaven.


2. What happened after the king awoke?

"I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream."
 Daniel 2:3

Because the details of the dream had left his memory, the king demanded that his wise men reveal both the dream itself and its interpretation.

"If ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces..."
 Daniel 2:5

Note

Although Nebuchadnezzar forgot the details, he retained a deep impression that the dream carried great significance.


3. How was the false wisdom of Babylon exposed?

God demonstrated the inability of Babylon's wise men through three steps:

Their inability proved that human wisdom could not reveal divine mysteries.


4. What did the wise men admit?

"There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king's matter... there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh."
 Daniel 2:10–11

The Babylonian astrologers openly confessed that no human being possessed such knowledge.


5. How was the dream revealed?

"Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven."
 Daniel 2:19

Note

God revealed to Daniel the exact dream He had given Nebuchadnezzar. This provided Daniel an opportunity to witness that the true God alone reveals future events.


6. To whom did Daniel give the credit?

Daniel gave all glory to God.

"There is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known... what shall be in the latter days."
 Daniel 2:28

Daniel claimed no personal wisdom.


7. What was the purpose of the dream?

"He that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass."
 Daniel 2:29

The dream revealed the course of world history from Babylon until God's eternal kingdom.


8. What did Nebuchadnezzar see?

The king saw a gigantic image composed of different metals.

Head — Gold

Breast and Arms — Silver

Belly and Thighs — Bronze (Brass)

Legs — Iron

Feet and Toes — Iron mixed with Clay

(Daniel 2:31–33)


9. What did the Head of Gold represent?

"Thou art this head of gold."
 Daniel 2:37–38

Babylon

605–539 B.C.

Babylon represented the first universal empire.

Note

Babylon was:


10. What did the Breast and Arms of Silver represent?

"After thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee."
 Daniel 2:39

Medo-Persia

539–331 B.C.

The Medes and Persians conquered Babylon and ruled the world for over two centuries until defeated by Alexander the Great.


11. What did the Belly and Thighs of Bronze represent?

"Another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth."
 Daniel 2:39

Greece

331–168 B.C.

Under Alexander the Great, Greece became the third universal empire and spread Greek culture throughout the ancient world.


12. What did the Legs of Iron represent?

"The fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron."
 Daniel 2:40

Rome

168 B.C. – A.D. 476

Rome crushed all previous kingdoms and became the greatest military empire of the ancient world.


Division of Rome

The feet and toes of iron mixed with clay represent the breakup of the Roman Empire into separate kingdoms.

Historically these included:

Three of these (Heruli, Vandals, and Ostrogoths) were later uprooted, as explained in Daniel 7.


13. Will Europe ever become one united world empire again?

"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."
 Daniel 2:43

Note

Many rulers attempted to unite Europe, including:

Every attempt ultimately failed, fulfilling Daniel's prophecy that Europe would remain divided.


14. Which kingdom will ultimately triumph?

"In the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed..."
 Daniel 2:44

The stone cut out without human hands struck the image, destroyed all earthly kingdoms, and became a great mountain filling the whole earth (Daniel 2:34–35, 44–45).

The Stone Represents

Unlike all earthly empires, God's kingdom:


Conclusion

Nebuchadnezzar recognized that Daniel had accurately revealed both the dream he had forgotten and its interpretation. Deeply impressed, the king fell upon his face and declared:

“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.” — Daniel 2:47

The prophecy of Daniel 2 stands as a powerful testimony to the inspiration of Scripture. As Daniel said:

“The dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.” — Daniel 2:45

History has fulfilled each part of the prophecy exactly as foretold, and we are now living near the close of human history. Soon the God of heaven will establish His everlasting kingdom, which shall never be destroyed.

To be a part of that eternal kingdom, we must receive Christ personally and experience the new birth. Jesus said:

“Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” — John 3:3

Let us choose today to surrender our hearts to Christ and prepare to be citizens of God’s eternal kingdom.


Daniel 2 demonstrates that God controls history. Every kingdom rose and fell exactly as predicted:

Image

Kingdom

Approximate Period

Head of Gold

Babylon

605–539 B.C.

Breast & Arms of Silver

Medo-Persia

539–331 B.C.

Belly & Thighs of Bronze

Greece

331–168 B.C.

Legs of Iron

Rome

168 B.C.–A.D. 476

Feet of Iron & Clay

Divided Europe

A.D. 476–Present

Stone

God's Eternal Kingdom

At Christ's Second Coming

The accuracy of this prophecy confirms the inspiration of Scripture and assures believers that God's kingdom will soon replace all earthly governments.

"The dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure." — Daniel 2:45