The Metal Man – Daniel 2:29-35
Beginning Point in Time: About 605 B.C.
Ending Point in Time: End of the 1,000 years
Summary:
The essence of this prophecy can be summed up in three sentences. Six kingdoms will follow the kingdom of Babylon. When Jesus establishes His kingdom on the new Earth (the seventh kingdom) it will not coexist with the kingdoms of man. He will create a new Heaven and a new Earth and His kingdom will endure forever.
Introduction:
This prophecy forms the foundation upon which all other apocalyptic prophecies have been built. The chronology of seven world empires is laid out in very simple terms. The number seven indicates this is a complete story. Even though the vision says nothing about the amount of time required for fulfillment, approximately twenty-six centuries have passed since this prophecy began. A short discussion on the rules of interpretation is provided at the end of this prophecy.
The Sequence:
Daniel 2:29
As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass.
{29} “As you were lying in your bed, O king, you were troubled about the future of your kingdom. The Most High God, the Revealer of Mysteries, saw your concerns and He has blessed you with as sweeping panorama of things to come.
Daniel 2:30
But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.
{30} This mystery was revealed to me, not because I have greater wisdom than your wise men, for I am but a young man. The God of Heaven has revealed your dream to me so that you, O king, might know the meaning of your vision.
Daniel 2:31-33
Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.
{31} As you looked, there before you stood a large statue – an enormous statue of a metal man, awesome in size and gleaming in appearance.
{32} The head of the statue was made of gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze,
{33} its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of brittle clay.
Daniel 2:34-35
Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
{34} You saw a rock cut out of a mountain,
[1] but not by human hands.
[2] The rock struck the statue at its feet of iron and clay and
{35} the metal man was destroyed. The metal man was ground to powder
[3] and the wind swept the powder away without leaving a trace, but the rock became a huge mountain that filled the Earth.”
[4]
Discussion
Daniel 2:36
This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.
{36} “That was your dream, and the God of Heaven has revealed the meaning to me.
Daniel 2:37-38
Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.
{37} “You, O king, are the king of kings. The God of Heaven has given you a kingdom and a throne. You have not achieved this preeminence according to personal prowess or talents. The God of Heaven has given you dominion, power, might and glory.
{38} He has placed mankind, the beasts of the field and the birds of the air under your control. Wherever they live, He has made you ruler over them all. Your kingdom is represented by the head of gold.
Daniel 2:39
And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth
{39} “Your kingdom will pass away and another kingdom, represented by the chest of silver will swallow up your kingdom as it rises to power, but the Medo-Persian Empire
[5] will be inferior to your kingdom as silver is inferior to gold. Then, a third kingdom will arise and swallow up the Medo-Persians. This kingdom will be known as Grecia.
[6] This kingdom, represented by the thighs of bronze, will rule over an even larger portion of Earth.
Daniel 2:40
And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.
{40} “Later, a larger kingdom will swallow the Grecian Empire. The fourth kingdom will be called Rome
[7]
and it will be as strong as iron – a metal that is stronger than bronze, silver, or gold. This empire will be renowned for its use of iron weapons and it will crush everyone who defies its demands. Nevertheless, the kingdom of Rome will also pass away.
Daniel 2:41
And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.
{41} “Then a fifth kingdom will appear upon the face of Earth. This kingdom will engulf Rome, but it will be different than the earlier empires. Instead of one sovereign authority, Europe will fragment into a mixture of strong nations and weak nations. Even though men will attempt to reconsolidate the world into one sovereign authority, strong nations will not be able to eliminate all of the weak nations because God will not permit it. For centuries, the kingdom represented by the feet will remain a mixture of strong and weak nations, even as iron cannot be mixed with brittle clay.
Daniel 2:42
And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.
{42} “Before the Rock destroys the kingdoms of men, a sixth kingdom – also made up of iron and clay will appear. The kingdom is represented by ten toes. At the time of this kingdom, the whole world will be divided into ten sectors and ten kings will rule as puppet kings under the Antichrist, Lucifer.
[8] Some kings will be strong as iron and other kings will be weak, like brittle clay.
Daniel 2:43
And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, 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.
{43} “The fifth and sixth kingdoms represent a fragmented world. There will be a mixture of strong and weak nations, and even though some nations will make treaties and form alliances with others in an effort to consolidate power, they will not remain united very long because iron does not mix with brittle clay.
Daniel 2:44
And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
{44} “During the days of Lucifer’s puppet kings,
[9] the Rock of Ages, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, will descend to Earth in clouds of glory. He will utterly destroy the kingdoms of men and no trace of them will remain whatsoever.
[10] A thousand years later, Jesus will create a new Heaven and a new Earth and the meek will inherit the Earth.
[11] The heirs of Abraham will live forever in Christ’s kingdom which will endure forever.
Daniel 2:45
Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.
{45} “This is the meaning of the vision of the Rock which was cut out of the holy mountain. The Rock and His coming kingdom are not of human origin. Human hands will have nothing to do with the establishment of God’s kingdom. Just as Moses ground the golden calf into dust at Mt. Sinai,
[12] the Rock of Ages will descend from Heaven at the appointed time and totally destroy the kingdoms of man. No trace of this sinful order will be seen again. The Most High God who rules over Heaven and Earth has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in days to come. The dream is true and the interpretation is certain.”
The Rules of Interpretation
Consider how the Rules of Interpretation (discussed in the Introduction) are observed in this prophecy:
Rule One says an apocalyptic prophecy has a beginning point and ending point in time and the events within the prophecy occur in the order given. Notice how this prophecy begins at the time of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon (605 B.C.) and ends at the Second Coming. There are seven chronological elements within this prophecy: Head, Chest, Thighs, Legs, Feet, Toes, and Rock. Geographically speaking, each kingdom swallows up the previous kingdom as time progresses. This progression continues until the whole world becomes involved during the kingdom of the ten toes. During the time of “these kings” (actually ten kings – Revelation 17:12), Jesus will return and destroy the whole world.
Rule Two says a fulfillment only occurs when all of the specifications are met, and this includes the order stated in the prophecy. History confirms the fall of Babylon to the Medes and Persians.
The Medo-Persian Empire fell to the Grecians, and centuries later, the Grecians fell to the Romans. It is important to notice that some prophetic elements in this prophecy have been fulfilled. Chronologically speaking, we are living in the feet of the image, but this prophecy will not be fulfilled until the Rock of Ages destroys the kingdoms of men at the Second Coming. We can say that this prophecy has been “under way” for about twenty-six centuries!
Rule Three says Apocalyptic language can be literal, analogous, or symbolic. There are symbolic elements in this prophecy because relevant Scripture defines the symbols. For example, Daniel told the king that the head of gold represented the Babylonian Empire and that the chest of silver represented a kingdom that would succeed Babylon, etc. Many people, unaware of Rule Three, distort Scripture by declaring things to be symbolic which God has not made symbolic. The key point is that when God creates a symbol, He clearly defines the meaning of that symbol. When people use definitions for symbols for which God has not provided a relevant text, personal bias, confusion, and manipulation result. The Bible either speaks for itself or it does not, for who on Earth has the authority to speak for it?
Rule Four is not used in this prophecy.
References:
- Psalms 15:1; 43:3; 68:16; Daniel 9:16 Note: In ancient times, the grand and lofty heights of mountains were believed to be the dwelling places of various gods. Even Israel’s God descended to Mt. Sinai, and later, dwelt on Mt. Moriah. (Exodus 19:18; 2 Chronicles 3:1; Psalm 121:1) Return
- Joel 2:1-11; Revelation 19:11-21 Note: To draw close to their gods, ancient peoples often worshiped on the highest hills or mountain tops. (1 Kings 14:23; Jeremiah 3:6; Ezekiel 18:15) The idea of a rock cut out of a mountain without human hands was both elegant and simple. God (the holy mountain) would send His Son (a divine rock, a piece of Himself, not of human origin) to destroy the kingdoms of men and establish a divine kingdom. This vision declares two profound truths: First, God raises up kingdoms and He takes them down when they become hopelessly degenerate. Second, at the appointed time, Jesus will return and destroy the kingdoms of man to establish His own. The kingdoms of men and the kingdom of God will not coexist. Return
- Exodus 32:20; Deuteronomy 9:21; Jeremiah 4:11-25; Matthew 13:36-42; Revelation 19:19-21 Return
- Revelation 21:1-8,27 Return
- Daniel 8:20 Return
- Daniel 8:21 Return
- Luke 3:1; Romans 1:15 Return
- Revelation 17:12 Return
- Revelation 17:12-14; 19:19 Return
- Revelation 16:17-21; 19:15-21 Return
- Matthew 5:5 Return
- Exodus 32:20 Return
