2:1 In the second year of his reign Nebuchadnezzar had many dreams. His mind was disturbed and he suffered from insomnia.
King Nebuchadnezzar was the most powerful king in the world. Running this large kingdom caused him to have many nightmares. Nebuchadnezzar’s spirit was “troubled,” probably because he planned to require his subjects to worship him as a god, just as the coming world dictator will do in the last days.
2:2 The king issued an order to summon the magicians, astrologers, sorcerers, and wise men in order to explain his dreams to him. So they came and awaited the king’s instructions.
Nebuchadnezzar called in all of the Ph. D.’s of his day. They were just as pagan and superstitious as many of the modern Ph. D.’s in our world today.
2:3 The king told them, “I have had a dream, and I am anxious to understand the dream.”
Nebuchadnezzar was a superstitious pagan, so God used dreams to reach him. Many modern charismatics are just as superstitious as Nebuchadnezzar. They look to dreams, prophecies, tongues, visions, and words of knowledge. They should be looking to the written Word of God.
2:4 The wise men replied to the king: [What follows is in Aramaic] “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will disclose its interpretation.
Daniel wrote chapters 1-2:3 in Hebrew. He wrote 2:4-7:28 in Aramaic. Chapters 8-12 were written in Hebrew.
Aramaic was the language of the court just as French was the language of the court in Europe. Today, English is the international language because of the computer.
In chapters 2:4-7:28, Daniel used his Babylonian political position to write to the Gentile world. Aramaic was the language of the Gentiles. It was used on the Silk Roads, as well as by the sailors on the Mediterranean Sea trade routes.
The wise men flattered the king by greeting him with “O King, live forever.” All kings will live forever, but God chooses their location. These wise men were into the occult. Satan did not know the dream of the king and neither did these wise men who had dabbled into the occult. They wanted to be told the dream so that they could collectively place their own demonic twist to it. Many of these wise men may or may not have known that they were just simply being used as pawns of Satan. Many politicians, cults, isms, and members of secret societies are trapped into this same situation today.
There are so many detailed prophecies in the Book of Daniel, that liberals like to late-date this book to a later time in history. They claim that there are too many Persian and Greek words in the account for it to be written at the time in which Daniel claimed it to be written. This argument is biased and of satanic origin. Daniel was a member of the king’s court. He was trained in Aramaic. As a political advisor, he often dealt with Persian and Greek ambassadors. This means that he would infuse some of their vocabulary into the text. The Aramaic language, along with the inclusion of many Persian and Greek words, is strong internal evidence that Daniel was the author. Jesus even confirmed Daniel as the author, so this should shut down the arguments of any godless liberals who attempt to elevate their human speculation above that of the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God. The liberals were not there when the book was written.
It is important to note that Daniel was there. The liberals were not there. It seems that Daniel would know more about the time of the writing and the historical events which he observed than the Johnny-come-lately-liberals who come around 2500 years later without a shred of historical documentation to support their unbiblical and biased views.
2:5 The king replied to the wise men, “My decision is firm. If you do not inform me of both the dream and its interpretation, you will be dismembered and your homes reduced to rubble!
The king wanted to be sure that he was not swindled. If these men really possessed the supernatural power to interpret dreams, then they should be able to identify the dream and its meaning. If they do not do so, then the king would execute them. Kings in those days had absolute power. They made the laws, interpreted the laws, and executed the laws. They were the king, the judge, and the jury of their people.
2:6 But if you can disclose the dream and its interpretation, you will receive from me gifts, a reward, and considerable honor. So disclose to me the dream and its interpretation!”
Nebuchadnezzar was a superb politician. He could be generous and charitable.
2:7 They again replied, “Let the king inform us of the dream; then we will disclose its interpretation.”
The wise men realized their dangerous predicament. Satan and his demons could not help them because they were not omniscient. They had no idea what the dream was about.
2:8 The king replied, “I know for sure that you are attempting to gain time, because you see that my decision is firm.
The king was beginning to realize that the occultic powers of these men were very limited. They and their demons were not omniscient.
2:9 If you don’t inform me of the dream, there is only one thing that is going to happen to you. For you have agreed among yourselves to report to me something false and deceitful until such time as things might change. So tell me the dream, and I will have confidence that you can disclose its interpretation.”
Nebuchadnezzar was beginning to doubt the occultic rituals of the Babylonian mystery religious system. Daniel was recording the king’s doubts in Aramaic so that the entire Gentile world could read them and have similar doubts about their own demonic idols.
2:10 The wise men replied to the king, “There is no man on earth who is able to disclose the king’s secret, for no king, regardless of his position and power, has ever requested such a thing from any magician, astrologer, or wise man.
The occultists were correct. Only God is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. Only God knows the future. They are admitting that their powers were limited, meaning that they were receiving their instructions from limited beings who possessed limited knowledge and were less than God.
2:11 What the king is asking is too difficult, and no one exists who can disclose it to the king, except for the gods—but they don’t live among mortals!”
These Babylonian occultists admitted that they had no divine communication from heaven. They only possessed limited knowledge from those demonic beings that were less than God. They had to admit this fact in desperation, because they were about to be executed.
12 Because of this the king got furiously angry and gave orders to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.
The king ordered the genocide of all of his counsel. He no longer believed in the powers of the occult.
2:13 So a decree went out, and the wise men were about to be executed. They also sought Daniel and his friends so that they could be executed.
This verdict would sentence to death many innocent men, such as Daniel and his friends.
2:14 Then Daniel spoke with prudent counsel to Arioch, who was in charge of the king’s executioners and who had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon.
Arioch was the captain of the king’s guard. He was the sergeant-in-arms over the executioners.
2:15 He inquired of Arioch the king’s deputy, “Why is the decree from the king so urgent?” Then Arioch informed Daniel about the matter.
Arioch probably knew the imbalanced mental state of his king. He may have shared the king’s condition with Daniel.
2:16 So Daniel went in and requested the king to grant him time, that he might disclose the interpretation to the king.
Daniel must have possessed strong Bible doctrine to be able to make this kind of request to the most powerful king on the earth.
2:17 Then Daniel went to his home and informed his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the matter.
Daniel took this information to three of his prayer warriors. Carnal Christians are not prayer warriors who pray, because they do not have enough Bible doctrine to pray for the right things. Real prayer warriors are students of the Word who know the entire counsel of the Word of God. It is their knowledge and application of Scripture which makes them effective prayer warriors.
2:18 He asked them to pray for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery so that he and his friends would not be destroyed along with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
The prayer was one of mercy, because Daniel and his three friends were sinners saved by the grace of God. The prayer was to the God of heaven, and not to the God of Israel. The Bible never teaches that God is a tribal deity.
2:19 Then in a night vision the mystery was revealed to Daniel. So Daniel praised the God of heaven,
Only God can reveal the dreams which are in the mind of another person. Charismatics use this verse to claim that they receive dreams and visions from God. However, they are living in a different dispensation. In this modern dispensation, the written Word of God is complete. It is the only modern divine revelation to men.
Jude wrote, “Although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints” (Jude 1:3). Notice that the faith was written “once and for all to the saints.” The written Word of God is all that this dispensation needs. The Word of God is sufficient for all things.
Beware of charismatics, cults, and isms who attempt to add to the written Word of God. They will claim that their teaching is from God. It will be mixed with truth and error. Only those with sound Bible doctrine from the entire counsel of the Word of God will be able to discern this doctrinal error.
2:20 saying, “Let the name of God be praised forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to him.
After receiving his night vision, Daniel prayed to God. He began by praising the character of God for His wisdom and power. God is omniscient and omnipotent.
2:21 He changes times and seasons, deposing some kings and establishing others. He gives wisdom to the wise; he imparts knowledge to those with understanding;
God is the one who changes the times and seasons. God is the one who deposes and establishes kings. God is the one who gives wisdom to the wise. God is the one who gives knowledge to those who understand.
God established the sun, moon, and stars with their fixed motions, to serve as the measurement of time and the establishment of seasons. The Global Flood may have changed the timing of the seasons. Many secular scientists haves miscalculated the age of the earth, because they do not recognize the effects of the Global Flood upon their present measurements of time.
2:22 he reveals deep and hidden things. He knows what is in the darkness, and light resides with him.
Daniel continues his prayer of thanksgiving and praise. God reveals deep and hidden things which are not known to men and demons. God knows the future. He knows the darkness of demonism, but there is only light in God. God is light, but God created darkness. Light dispels darkness. The occult exists under the reign of demons, but the demons are under the control of God. Demons can only do what God allows them to do. However, God will turn the evil of the occult into good.
2:23 O God of my fathers, I acknowledge and glorify you, for you have bestowed wisdom and power on me. Now you have enabled me to understand what I requested from you. For you have enabled me to understand the king’s dilemma.”
Daniel continues his prayer of thanksgiving and praise. Daniel thanks God for revealing to him the dream and its meaning.
2:24 Then Daniel went in to see Arioch (whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon). He came and said to him, “Don’t destroy the wise men of Babylon! Escort me to the king, and I will disclose the interpretation to him!”
All of the Satanists were about to be saved by a man of God.
2:25 So Arioch quickly ushered Daniel into the king’s presence, saying to him, “I have found a man from the captives of Judah who can make known the interpretation to the king.”
Arioch quickly ushered Daniel into the king’s presence, because he wanted to stop the massive slaughter by a mad king.
2:26 The king then asked Daniel (whose name was also Belteshazzar), “Are you able to make known to me the dream that I saw, as well as its interpretation?”
The king most likely thought that this was a ploy to stall the execution. His public genocide law was not very popular with the people.
2:27 Daniel replied to the king, “The mystery that the king is asking about is such that no wise men, astrologers, magicians, or diviners can possibly disclose it to the king.
This was a true statement. No one can know the dream of another man, unless it is divinely revealed. Daniel was letting the king know that he had no magical powers.
2:28 However, there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the times to come. The dream and the visions you had while lying on your bed are as follows.
Israel was supposed to be priests to all of the Gentile nations. Instead, Israel fell into idolatry, and became like the other nations. God raised up Daniel to proclaim His name among the Gentiles. Daniel witnessed the truth and glory of Jehovah to the most powerful pagan court in the world.
2:29 “As for you, O king, while you were in your bed your thoughts turned to future things. The revealer of mysteries has made known to you what will take place.
The revealer of mysteries was not the satanic Babylonian God Marduk or the plethora of Babylonian gods. The revealer of mysteries was Jehovah, the God of the heavens and the earth. This is not what the Babylonian court wanted to hear.
2:30 As for me, this mystery was revealed to me not because I possess more wisdom than any other living person, but so that the king may understand the interpretation and comprehend the thoughts of your mind.
Daniel received the vision only by the grace of God. We are saved and given Bible doctrine only by the grace of God.
2:31 “You, O king, were watching as a great statue—one of impressive size and extraordinary brightness—was standing before you. Its appearance caused alarm.
Nebuchadnezzar was a pagan king who looked to idols for supernatural guidance. Therefore, God communicated to this pagan king through a giant idol. When Nebuchadnezzar heard this first sentence, he must have been amazed that this young teenager knew his dream.
2:32 As for that statue, its head was of fine gold, its chest and arms were of silver, its belly and thighs were of bronze. 2:33 Its legs were of iron; its feet were partly of iron and partly of clay.
The statue was made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, and clay. Notice that the statue goes top to bottom from expensive to inexpensive metals. Also, except for the clay, it goes top to bottom from weak to strong metals.
2:34 You were watching as a stone was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its iron and clay feet, breaking them in pieces.
If human hands do not cut out this stone, then the stone must be cut out by supernatural hands. The stone hits the large statue at its feet. This supernaturally cut stone caused the statue to topple and fall. The statue broke to pieces.
2:35 Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were broken in pieces without distinction and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors that the wind carries away. Not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the statue became a large mountain that filled the entire earth.
The metal from the statue became chaff. The chaff was blown away by the wind. Not one trace of the statue debris could be found. The stone became a large mountain which filled the entire earth. A mountain in Scripture was usually symbolic of a kingdom.
2:36 This was the dream. Now we will set forth before the king its interpretation.
Nebuchadnezzar must have been amazed that this Jewish teenager was able to recite his dream in every detail. He was very interested in hearing the interpretation.
2:37 “You, O king, are the king of kings. The God of heaven has granted you sovereignty, power, strength, and honor. 2:38 Wherever human beings, wild animals, and birds of the sky live—he has given them into your power. He has given you authority over them all. You are the head of gold.
Adam was to be the king of the first empire, but he lost his authority at the fall. Therefore, God chose Nebuchadnezzar to become the first world empire. Nebuchadnezzar ruled the greatest empire in the world, but he would butcher it. However, his influence would affect other nations who followed him. Even the modern global world is influenced by Nebuchadnezzar’s previous monarchy.
2:39 Now after you another kingdom will arise, one inferior to yours. Then a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule in all the earth.
The second and third kingdoms would be inferior to Babylon. The second kingdom was Medo-Persia. The third kingdom was Greece. Daniel would give more prophetic revelation on these two kingdoms later in his book.
2:40 Then there will be a fourth kingdom, one strong like iron. Just like iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything, and as iron breaks in pieces all of these metals, so it will break in pieces and crush the others. 2:41 In that you were seeing feet and toes partly of wet clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom. Some of the strength of iron will be in it, for you saw iron mixed with wet clay. 2:42 In that the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, the latter stages of this kingdom will be partly strong and partly fragile. 2:43 And in that you saw iron mixed with wet clay, so people will be mixed with one another without adhering to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay.
The fourth Gentile kingdom would be the last days empire of the Antichrist. It will start as powerful iron, be deduced to ten kingdoms of clay, and then it will become all powerful again. This kingdom will be so strong, that it will shatter everything that gets in its way. It will completely destroy all of the influences of the other three kingdoms.
Rome would become the beginning of this kingdom. It would later disintegrate into the two legs of the Western (Roman Catholic) and Eastern (Orthodox Byzantine) empires. In the last days, it will disintegrate into the ten toes of the empire of the Antichrist. The ten toes will most likely be the division of the earth into ten regions. These ten regions could be ruled by the ten kings in Revelation.
2:44 In the days of those kings the God of heaven will raise up an everlasting kingdom that will not be destroyed and a kingdom that will not be left to another people. It will break in pieces and bring about the demise of all these kingdoms. But it will stand forever.
This fourth Gentile kingdom of the Antichrist will be replaced by an everlasting kingdom which will never be destroyed. It is interesting to note that the nursery rhyme “Humpty Dumpty” is about kings who have attempted to put the Roman Empire back together again. Attila the Hun sacked the city, but he realized he could not repair Rome. He took his barbarians and left town. The Pope crowned Charlemagne as the Holy Roman Emperor, but he could not handle the geography either. Napoleon, Mussolini, and Hitler had their runs, but they were all destroyed. The Antichrist will be successful in reuniting the Roman Empire with the rest of the world, but only for seven years.
2:45 You saw that a stone was cut from a mountain, but not by human hands; it smashed the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold into pieces. The great God has made known to the king what will occur in the future. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is reliable.”
The stone which was cut from the mountain by divine hands is Jesus, the coming Messianic King. He will end the Time of the Gentiles by destroying this last Gentile Kingdom. He will rule from Jerusalem with a rod of iron.
When Jesus returns, He will not need a council, Parliament, or Congress to assist Him. He will become an absolute dictator. He will rule with a rod of iron. He will run the strictest government in history. Anyone who commits a crime will be arrested immediately, possibly by angels. Anyone who does not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ by the time of their 100th birthday will be executed. Any nation who does not attend the Feast of Tabernacles will be punished with drought. Many future people who are born into the Millennial Kingdom will still possess their sin nature. Even in perfect Garden of Eden conditions, they will not like the autocratic rule of the Lord Jesus Christ. They will enjoy hell much better.
2:46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar bowed down with his face to the ground and paid homage to Daniel. He gave orders to offer sacrifice and incense to him.
Nebuchadnezzar was so impressed with Daniel’s interpretation that he bowed down and worshiped Daniel as a god. Nebuchadnezzar commanded others to do the same. Nebuchadnezzar was a pagan king. He was ruled by a totally depraved sin nature. He did not know any better. Since one who is totally depraved and evil cannot seek or understand the one true God, then he will resort to worshiping humans, animals, nature, or even slimy bugs and snakes. This is the best that total depravity can do.
2:47 The king replied to Daniel, “Certainly your God is a God of gods and Lord of kings and revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery!”
Nebuchadnezzar recognized Jehovah as just “a god” of many gods.
2:48 Then the king elevated Daniel to high position and bestowed on him many marvelous gifts. He granted him authority over the entire province of Babylon and made him the main prefect over all the wise men of Babylon.
Even though this was the beginning of the Time of the Gentiles, God placed Jewish leadership over Babylon’s council. A Jewish prophet would possess great leadership over Babylon and all of the tribute nations.
2:49 And at Daniel’s request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the administration of the province of Babylon. Daniel himself served in the king’s court.
This Jewish council would protect the line of David, so that the Messiah could be born. The Messiah will become the stone who crashes these Gentile kingdoms to powder. The stone will strike the fourth and final Gentile kingdom at the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.