Some types/ symbols we see in this chapter are:
- The impossible task of telling someone else's dream typifies God having given an impossible task to men - to never sin
- No one could do it, so the wise men would die, typifying how no one can never sin, so the saints would die
- Daniel saves himself and the group of people by God's mercy typifying Jesus saving himself and the saints by God's mercy
- The reward is given to Daniel and the wise men typifying the reward given to Jesus and the saints
An artist's impression of the image in Nebuchadnezzar's dream
God had given the king of Babylon a vision of the future, including specifics such as; the chronological order of three empires after Babylon; and the establishment of God's kingdom on the earth.
The timeline of empires in world history is not sequential - it's not as simple as one empire, and then the next. Historians believe the following (approximately): Babylonian empire 1894BC – 539BC, Medo-Persian empire 550BC – 333BC, Grecian empire 750BC – 146BC, Roman empire 753BC – 476AD. So, at what point does one empire begin and another end, signifying the change of metals in the image? Daniel explains “after thee shall arise another kingdom” v.39,Waiting for response for Daniel 2:39 not giving a clear explanation to the king, simply that another kingdom/empire would "arise". The general suggestion is that the sequential order of the metals in the image follows the order of when the empire was at its strongest – Babylon was at it’s peak first, then Medo-Persian, then Grecian, and finally the Romans. But this doesn't make sense as the British Empire is recorded as having the most land, followed by the Mongolian. Because kingdom can also be translated as reign, an alternative suggestion is that this is the order of the empires that reigned over God’s chosen people – the people of Israel. This would make sense as; they are God's chosen people and God gives many prophecies about them; and this fits very well with the rest of the image. Daniel wouldn't have made this clear to the king of Babylon because his purpose when going to his companions was "that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon” v.17.Waiting for response for Daniel 2:17 It was God's purpose that his people would eventually return to their land, and so it makes sense Daniel would have said only what was required to fulfil his purpose, as many others do in the Bible. Genesis 12:11-13,Waiting for response for Genesis 12:11-13 Genesis 27:18-19Waiting for response for Genesis 27:18-19
Nebuchadnezzar was the head of gold. v.38Waiting for response for Daniel 2:38 He clearly had a huge amount of gold as he made a huge head of gold that people were commanded to worship. Daniel 3:1,4-5Waiting for response for Daniel 3:1,4-5
The chest and arms of silver are the Medo-Persians which Babylon fell to. There were two groups within the Medo-Persian empire – the Medes and the Persians, just as there are two arms in the image. Silver was inferior to gold, just as this empire was inferior to the Babylonian, this can be deduced from looking at the timelines of the empires - Babylonian empire has been estimated to stand for about 1300 years where the Medo-Persian empire only about 200.
The belly and thighs of brass represent the Grecian empire, which overthrew the Medo-Persian in about ~331BC. "Brass" can be translated to bronze, and "thigh" can be translated side which would make sense as the legs are of iron. Bronze was widely used for weapons and armour during this time and under Alexander the Great, who never lost a battle, the bronze highlights their military prowess.
The legs of iron represent the empire which superseded the Grecian, the Romans. Romans are represented by iron as they used it widely in their empire. Iron is the strongest of the metals, symbolizes the Roman empire’s strength. The two legs may symbolize that the Romans was headed by the church and the state powers, another suggestion is the East and West divisions.
The feet of part iron and part clay represent the empires after the Romans. In ~70AD the Romans sold the people of Israel into slavery and they were scattered throughout the world and reigned over by many nations, some strong and some weak v.42.Waiting for response for Daniel 2:42 These nations have had alliances, but never been a single empire v.43.Waiting for response for Daniel 2:43 This is where we are at the moment!
A stone which had been cut without hands then destroyed the image and filled the whole earth, represents the coming of Jesus and the events after his return. Jesus is the rock cut without hands, being the son of God and born of the Holy Spirit by God's will. The rock coming to the earth is Jesus' future coming to the earth. It destroying "all these kingdoms" shows how he, with the saints, will destroy all the other kingdoms. v.44Waiting for response for Daniel 2:44 Jesus is consistently represented in the scriptures as a stone and he spoke of himself as a stone “grinding to powder”. Luke 20:17-18Waiting for response for Luke 20:17-18 It "filling the whole earth" v.35Waiting for response for Daniel 2:35 represents his reign extending over the whole earth. His kingdom shall stand forever, with Jesus eventually passing the rule to God. 1 Corinthians 15:28Waiting for response for 1 Corinthians 15:28
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, was the ruler of the ancient world,vs.37-38Waiting for response for Daniel 2:37-38 having conquered all the neighbouring kingdoms. Settled in this undisputed supremacy, he fell asleep one night contemplating the future v.29Waiting for response for Daniel 2:29 and had a dream v.1Waiting for response for Daniel 2:1 sent by God which showed him, not only what would happen to his kingdom and its successors, but also what would happen ultimately in the purpose of God in the latter days: “There is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days”.v.28Waiting for response for Daniel 2:28 Briefly, the message was that ultimately “the God of heaven shall 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 [bring to an end] all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever”.v.44Waiting for response for Daniel 2:44 This chapter describes Nebuchadnezzar's dream, his inability to remember it, the revelation of the dream to Daniel, and the meaning of the dream. This is extremely interesting to us because we can look back on world history and see that events have occurred precisely as outlined through Daniel and, as we live in the “latter days”, we can anticipate the setting up of God’s kingdom as promised.