The Designer’s Signature in our DNA
June 11, 2024
Who Wants to Live Forever?
June 16, 2024The alarm startled all the king’s noblemen that night. The mighty counsellors of the empire were being rounded up for execution. All because of a mysterious dream. . . .
Come back in time with us to the sixth century BC. The king of the Babylonian empire, Nebuchadnezzar, has had a dream. Perceived as a token from the gods, the message was surely one of life and death. The king woke up very distressed only to find that he couldn’t recall the dream. (You know the feeling. Dreaming of something so real, so relevant, and yet, upon waking, you remember . . . nothing!)
Instantly he summons his go-to guys – the wise men, as per Babylonian protocol, to tell him the dream. ‘Humanly impossible!’ is their resounding answer! Frustrated, disappointed, and angry, Nebuchadnezzar promptly orders their immediate execution.
The story could have ended here. But enter the prophet Daniel. Not initially summoned, yet rounded up for execution too, Daniel turns in prayer to God. He is given a vision of the exact dream Nebuchadnezzar had – a time-line of the world empires from his epoch until the end of time!
The dream
‘You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image [statue]! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome.
This image’s head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.
You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.’ (Daniel 2:31-35)
Wide-eyed, Nebuchadnezzar sits astonished. Indeed, that was the dream!
What's the interpretation?
Head of gold. Daniel begins with ‘you are this head of gold’ (v. 38). Music to Nebuchadnezzar’s ears! And an indication to us of the starting point of this prophecy: BABYLON (605-539 BC).
Chest and arms of silver. Sadly for Nebuchadnezzar, what follows is bad news for him: ‘But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours’ (v. 39). Indeed, Babylon was conquered later by the second empire in our series, MEDO-PERSIA (539-331 BC).
Belly and thighs of bronze. Daniel boldly continues: ‘Then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth’ (v. 39). This third empire was GREECE (331-168 BC), led by the well-known commander-in-chief Alexander the Great.
Legs of iron. ‘And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others’ (Daniel 2:40). The fourth kingdom in the series was an iron-like empire, which can only be ROME (168 BC-AD 476) with its enormous impact on the then-known world. Jesus Christ was even crucified under Roman rule.
All these empires lie in ruins with their artefacts displayed in the museums of the world. But the final part of the statue is very much alive.
When Rome fell in AD 476, its territories were divided between different tribes – the ruling nations of Europe (England, Germany, France, Spain etc.), conquerors and/or colonial powers of the entire globe. History informs us that following the Roman Empire no other single empire ruled the whole world.
Today’s powers such as the UN, EU, NATO, G7, IMF, WB, etc., are all striving for unity through military alliances, economic unions, and global organisations and networks. Yet, a lack of unity extends to our time. The prophecy is crystal clear on this matter: ‘they will not adhere to one another’ (v. 43). That is why the dictatorial Third Reich of Hitler never materialised, and why the dream of a democratic European Union has proved so elusive (we only need to note Brexit and the war in Ukraine).
God assured King Nebuchadnezzar that he was the head of gold. The question is:
Where are we today?
We are living in the final era of the unmixed iron and clay toes. The final and most significant part of the king’s dream deals with one item only – a terrible impact.
The stone is the coming kingdom of Jesus Christ.
He will return on the clouds of heaven, putting an end to all empires and thus bringing the end of the world as we know it.
Yes, one could write this all off as an ancient palace story. But note how the prophet ends his explanation:
‘The great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure.’ (Daniel 2:45)
Over the centuries, history has proved the accuracy of this prophecy, section by section. There is no reason to doubt its final part. When will it be fulfilled? In the near future. Want to know more?
Pastor Christian Salcianu is leading the Adventist Discovery Centre (UK & Ireland), a Bible Correspondence School and Resources Centre, based in Watford, England.
Coordinating its FreeBible programme, he recently authored 'The Message of Truth', a free course and a practical guide for a meaningful reading of the Bible.
Recommended resources
The book of Revelation (or the Apocalypse) outlines the future of our world. There is no need to fear it.
Watch a video series that takes you step by step from the past into the future, bringing Hope, Meaning and Purpose.
For further study of prophecies we recommend our course Focus on Prophecy.
It will help you to understand the current signs of the times: why Europe can’t be united, why there are pandemics, wars and crises.