Nebuchadnezzar's Statue Dream
Daniel 2:31-35, “You looked, O king, and there before you stood a large statue–an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. The head of the statue was made of pure 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 baked clay. While you were watching a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were broken to pieces at the same time and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.”
Daniel 2:36-38, “This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king. You, O king, are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory; in your hands he has placed mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds of the air. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold.”
Daniel 2:39-45, “After you, another kingdom will rise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron–for iron breaks and smashes everything–and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others. Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.”
THE KINGDOMS OF THE GENTILES
Luke 21:24b, “They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”
What Does each Section of the Statue Represent?
GOLD: Babylonian (605-539 B.C.)
SILVER: Medo-Persian (539-331 B.C.)
- Luke 21:24b, “They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”
BRONZE: Greek (331-146 B.C.)
IRON: Roman Empire (146 B.C. - 400 A.D.)
Revived Roman Empire (??? A.D.)
THE KINGDOM OF GOD
1. Jesus’ Present Kingdom is Spiritual
- John the Baptist preached, “Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand.”
- Luke 17, “The Kingdom of God is among you.”
- Matthew 6:33, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness...”
- Romans 14:17 “For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
2. Jesus’ Future Kingdom is Literal
- Mark 14:25, “I tell you the truth, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew with you in the Kingdom of God.”
JESUS IS THE:
1. Solid Rock of Salvation
- Acts 4:11-12, “He is the Stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone [cornerstone]. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
2. Strong Rock of Power
- Revelation 17:12,14, “The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast. They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of Lords and King of Kings–and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.”
3. Supreme Rock of Authority
- Isaiah 2:2, 4, “In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.”
