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The
dream is about a statue with a head of gold, a chest made of silver,
a waist and hips made of bronze, legs of iron, and feet of iron and
clay. A stone smashes the statue and turns into a mountain. What a
strange dream! This last symbol would have had meaning to Nebuchadnezzar
since the Babylonians believed that the earth was a mountain and called
it E-KUR which means “Mountain House.” Babylon was a city
with many gold idols. No wonder the king must have been eager to know
the meaning of the statue.
The
Interpretation. Daniel then continued and explained the
meaning of the statue.
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.
. . now we shall tell its interpretation before the king. You,
O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has
given the kingdom, the power, the strength, and the glory; and
wherever the sons of men dwell, or the beasts of the field,
or the birds of the sky, He has given them into your hand and
has caused you to rule over them all. You are the head of gold.
(NASB) Daniel 2:36-38 |
Babylonian Empire. The head of gold is Nebuchadnezzar or the
Babylonian Empire. Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar the only reason he had
been successful in conquering people and nations was that He, God,
had done it. The prophet Jeremiah explained this when he recorded
the Lord’s words,
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For
thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, “I have
put a yoke of iron on the neck of all these nations, that they
may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve
him. And I have also given him the beasts of the field. (NASB)
Jer. 28:14 |
Nebuchadnezzar
did not do this on his own. It was actually God who gave him the victory
and authority. This is a great reminder for us. When we accomplish
something we consider to be wonderful, we need to thank God for doing
it through us. We need to give Him the credit.
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And
after you there will arise another kingdom inferior to you,
then another third kingdom of bronze, which will rule over all
the earth. (NASB) Dan. 2:39 |
Media-Persia Empire. The next two kingdoms are silver and bronze
which history tells us are Media-Persia and Greece. Later we will
see that Daniel also called them Media-Persia and Greece.
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Then
there will be a fourth kingdom as strong as iron; inasmuch as
iron crushes and shatters all things, so, like iron that breaks
in pieces, it will crush and break all these in pieces. (NASB)
Dan. 2:40 |
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