The Statue and the Stone

The Statue and the Stone Daniel 2:31-49 The Dream Recounted (2:31-35) The Dream Revealed (2:36-45) The Dream Rewarded (2:46-49)

I. The Dream Recounted (2:31-35)

A statue in the configuration of the human body. The Statue “You, O king, were looking and behold, there was a single great statue” A statue in the configuration of the human body.

1. Its Size “that statue, which was large” (immense, colossal) 2. Its Splendor “and of extraordinary splendor (surpassing brilliance), was standing in front of you, and its appearance was awesome (terrifying)” (2:31).

3. Its Substance 2:32-33 “The head of that statue was made of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.”

Observations About the Metals 1. Progressive lessening in the quality of the metals.. 2. Progressive lessening in the specific gravity of the metals. Gold – 19 Silver – 11 Brass – 8.5 Iron – 7.8 The image is top heavy and weak in its feet. Marked by instability.

It becomes a moving picture. At first, the figure was stationary. There was no action. But suddenly, there was dramatic movement! It becomes a moving picture.

B. The Stone 2:34 “You continued looking until a stone was cut out without hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay, and crushed them.”

2:35 “Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were crushed all at the same time, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them was found.” Gone with the Wind!!!

2:35b “But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.”

II. The Dream Revealed (2:36-45) Daniel just goes right on with the interpretation. “This was the dream; now we shall tell its interpretation to the king.” He doesn’t stop to ask the king if he is correct. Nebuchadnezzar never says a word.

2:37-38 “You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength, and the glory; and wherever the sons of men dwell, or the beasts of the field, or the birds of the sky, He has given them into your hand and has caused you to rule over them all. You are the head of gold.”

The Great Kingdoms of History and Prophecy 2:39-40a “And after you there will arise another kingdom inferior to you, then another third kingdom of bronze, which will rule over all the earth. Then there will be a fourth kingdom as strong as iron.” “kingdom” 9 times The Great Kingdoms of History and Prophecy

Head of Gold Legs of Iron BABYLON Breast & Arms of Silver MEDO-PERSIA Belly & Thighs of Bronze GREECE Legs of Iron ROME Feet Partly of Iron and Partly of Clay

Babylon: 626—539 B.C. (about 90 years) Medo-Persia: 539—334 B.C. (about 200 years) Greece: 334—150 B.C. (about 200 years) Rome: 146 B.C.—476 A.D. (about 600 years)

Alexander Fraser Tytler (a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinburgh) Wrote these words about the same time our original 13 states adopted their new constitution The Fall of the Athenian Republic (1787)

“The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependence, from dependence back into bondage.”

Who is the Stone? And what is the Mountain that fills the Earth? Rock of Ages Who is the Stone? And what is the Mountain that fills the Earth? 2:44 “In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put to and end all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.” ,” Mountain is often a picture or symbol of a kingdom.

The stone cut out without hands is Jesus Christ—the Smiting Stone. “cut out without hands” refers to His supernatural origin; His deity. The mountain that fills the earth is His kingdom—the fifth and final great world kingdom.

2 Key Points of Agreement 1. Almost all agree on the identify of the four kingdoms in Daniel 2. 2. All agree that the rock is Christ and the great mountain is His kingdom that fills the earth.

2 Key Points of Disagreement 1. The Identity of the Statue’s Feet and Toes 2. The Timing of the Establishment of Christ’s Kingdom

The 2 Main Views on the Identity of the Statue’s Fee and Toes and the Timing of Christ’s Kingdom

Feet and Rome I Rome II 10 toes (Historical Rome) (Future Rome) Amillennial/ Premillennial Postmillennial Feet and Rome I Rome II 10 toes (Historical Rome) (Future Rome) Christ’s Present Future Kingdom Established at Established at 1st Coming 2nd Coming

View 1 – Amillennial/Postmillennial View The feet and toes are the historical Roman Empire and the kingdom of Christ is present here and now. It was established by Christ at His first coming. It’s the church and its expansion throughout the world. Main Support: Continuity in the Image

View 2 – the Premillennial View The feet and toes are a final form of the Roman empire (Rome II) and Christ’s kingdom in Daniel 2 is future. It’s the literal, earthly kingdom of Christ when He comes to rule on the earth for 1,000 years at His Second Coming.

Main Support for the Premillennial View: The ten toes represent a form of the Roman empire with ten kings ruling simultaneously, and this has never existed. Rome was not destroyed by Christianity. The previous 4 kingdoms were physical, earthly kingdoms. The destruction of the ten kings is sudden, cataclysmic, and final.

Main Weakness: You must insert a “gap” between the legs of iron and the feet of iron and clay in which the church age exists. The “gap” occurs between vv. 40 and 41. Isaiah 9:6-7 Zechariah 9:9-10

Nathaniel West: “Its impact is not smooth, gentle, evangelical and peaceful rubbing, but perpendicular fracture, pulverization, judicial grinding, atomization, an attending wind of judgment blowing the chaff, dust and power of all Gentile politics so far out of sight as never to be seen any more.”

From our vantage point Daniel 2:27-40 HISTORY Daniel 2:41-45 PROPHECY

Donald K. Campbell: “The prophetic dream reveals that the fourth empire, Rome would appear and have a dramatic history, only to go into eclipse till the end times, when it will reappear.”

Head of Gold Legs of Iron BABYLON Breast & Arms of Silver MEDO-PERSIA Belly & Thighs of Bronze GREECE Legs of Iron ROME Feet Partly of Iron and Partly of Clay

1st Century Roman Empire Modern EU In his dream Nebuchadnezzar’s saw a single extraordinarily great statue. The appearance of the statue was awesome. The head of the statue was made of fine gold, the breast and arms of silver, the stomach and thighs of bronze, the legs of iron and the feet of a mixture of iron and clay. Each of these metallic sections was representative of a successive gentile world empire. The gold head was Babylon, the silver breast and arms were representative of Medo-Persia, the stomach and thighs of bronze were symbolic of Greece, the legs of iron symbolized Rome. Many Bible commentators believe that the mysterious 5th gentile world empire symbolized by the feet made of a mixture of iron and clay is best interpreted as some kind of revived Roman empire. It is most interesting to compare the 1st century Roman empire with that of the modern day European Union – it seems that Daniel 2 is being fulfilled right before our eyes. DAN. 2

The Feet and Toes of Iron and Clay 2:41-43 “And in that you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it will be a divided kingdom; but it will have in it the toughness of iron, inasmuch as your saw the iron mixed with common clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of pottery, so some of the kingdom will be strong and part of it will be brittle. And in that you saw the iron mixed with common clay, they will combine with one another in the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, even as iron does not combine with pottery.”

The Reunited Roman Empire 1. At the outset, the reunited Roman Empire will be a federation of 10 kings. Just like historical Rome it will begin as a Republic, but will later be replaced by a dictatorship under Antichrist. 2. It will combine strong and weak kingdoms. 3. It will have internal problems.

4. It will be in existence just prior to the return of Christ to establish His 1,000 year kingdom. 5. It will be destroyed by Christ at His Second Advent.

The EUniting of the Roman Empire 1951 European Coal and Steel Community (6 nations) 1957 Treaties of Rome (EEC; same 6 nations) 1973 4 more nations join 1981 Greece joins, the 10th member 1986 Portugal and Spain join 1991 The End of the Cold War (Fall of USSR)

1992 Treaty of Maastricht (created the EU) 1995 Austria, Finland, and Sweden join 2002 Single currency – the EURO 2004 10 more nations join; new constitution approved 2007 Romania and Bulgaria added (total of 27 nations) 2009 Lisbon Treaty ratified (established permanent office of “president of Europe”)

The current EU is not the fulfillment of the 10 king form of the reunited Roman empire prophesied in Daniel 2. But it is an important stage setting event that points toward the final form of Gentile world power.

2:45b “The great God has made known to the king what will take place in the future; so the dream is true, and its interpretation is trustworthy (aman).” We can bear witness to this. We have already seen most of this fulfilled in history.

III. The Dream Rewarded (2:46-49) Nebuchadnezzar on his knees Daniel used his place of authority to help put other capable believers in places of power.

Key Lessons 1. History is not determined by earthly rulers but by the Hand of God. God’s hand is on history. 2. God has a plan, and He is ordering history according to His plan. The past parts of this dream were literally fulfilled, so the future ones will be as well.

3. The mightiest empires are temporary; they won’t last. 4. The world stage is set for the reunited Roman Empire and the coming of Christ. 5. Jesus Christ is the center of history. In Moscow stands the New Tretyakov Gallery, a museum that displays art and artifacts from the days of the former Soviet Union. Scattered along the banks of the Moscow River near the museum are statues of once-powerful leaders that have been smashed and disfigured. Images of Stalin and Lenin have their noses knocked off and their heads separated from their bodies. S. Lewis Johnson Chess match “That’s it!” The cross of Christ is God’s “That’s it” The Second Coming is merely the conclusion of what was accomplished when He died at Calvary and rose again. David MacLeod “There is a simple but profound biblical truth here which cannot be overemphasized: apart from the person and redeeming work of Jesus Christ, history is an enigma. . . . Christ, and Christ alone, has the key to the meaning of human history. . . . Apart from the victorious return of Christ, history is going nowhere.”