Thus far, we confirmed the identity and mission of the anointed leader of Daniel 9:24-27, Jesus Christ. Now we will learn when He will overthrow the Roman Empire and bring in the Messianic Age. We will do this by studying the dream of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. Please read the passage below before reviewing the study questions.
“O king, as you looked on, there appeared a great statue. This statue, which was huge and its brightness surpassing, stood before you, and its appearance was awesome. The head of that statue was of fine gold; its breast and arms were of silver; its belly and thighs, of bronze; its legs were of iron, and its feet part iron and part clay.
As you looked on, a stone was hewn out, not by hands, and struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and crushed them. All at once, the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were crushed, and became like chaff of the threshing floors of summer; a wind carried them off until no trace of them was left. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.” (Daniel 2:31-35)
- What kingdom does the head of fine gold represent?
“You, O king—king of kings, to whom the God of Heaven has given kingdom, power, might, and glory; into whose hands He has given men, wild beasts, and the fowl of heaven, wherever they may dwell; and to whom He has given dominion over them all—you are the head of gold.” (Daniel 2:37, 38)
Answer: The head of fine gold represents the kingdom of Babylon.
- What kingdom do the breast and arms of silver symbolize?
“But another kingdom will arise after you, inferior to yours…” (Daniel 2:39)
“…your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and the Persians…That very night, Belshazzar, the Chaldean king, was killed, and Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.” (Daniel 5:28,30,6:1)
Answer: The arms and chest of silver represent the kingdom of the Medes and Persians, or Medo-Persia.
- What kingdom do the belly and thighs of bronze stand for?
“But another kingdom will arise after you, inferior to yours; then yet a third kingdom, of bronze, which will rule over the whole earth.” (Daniel 2:39)
“The two-horned ram that you saw [signifies] the kings of Media and Persia; and the buck, the he-goat—the king of Greece; and the large horn on his forehead, that is the first king.” (Daniel 8:20,21)
Answer: The belly and thighs of brass represent the conquerors of Medo-Persia, Greece. In a later vision given to Daniel concerning the same kingdoms, the angel Gabriel identifies this kingdom by name.
- What kingdom do the legs of iron embody?
“But the fourth kingdom will be as strong as iron; just as iron crushes and shatters everything—and like iron that smashes—so will it crush and smash all these.” (Daniel 2:40)
Answer: The legs of iron embody the spirit of the kingdom that conquered the kingdom of Greece in 168 BC, the Roman Empire.
Further Reading: Battle of Pydna
- What do the feet of iron and clay represent?
“You saw the feet and the toes, part potter’s clay and part iron; that means it will be a divided kingdom; it will have only some of the stability of iron, inasmuch as you saw iron mixed with common clay. And the toes were part iron and part clay; that [means] the kingdom will be in part strong and in part brittle. You saw iron mixed with common clay; that means: they shall intermingle with the offspring of men, but shall not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay.” (Daniel 2:41-43)
Answer: The feet represent the divided Roman Empire, known today as Europe. All attempts made to reunite it, whether by conquest, marriage, diplomacy and/or religion, have failed to this day.
Further Reading: The Ten Divisions of Western Rome
- What kingdom does the stone cut without hands represent?
“…a kingdom that shall not be transferred to another people. It will crush and wipe out all these kingdoms, but shall itself last forever— just as you saw how a stone was hewn from the mountain, not by hands, and crushed the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold.” (Daniel 2:44,45)
“As I looked on, in the night vision, One like a human being Came with the clouds of heaven; He reached the Ancient of Days And was presented to Him. Dominion, glory, and kingship were given to him; All peoples and nations of every language must serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, And his kingship, one that shall not be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:13,14)
“The kingship and dominion and grandeur belonging to all the kingdoms under Heaven will be given to the people of the holy ones of the Most High. Their kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey them.’” (Daniel 7:27)
Answer: The uncut stone represents the kingdom of G-d. The Messiah will reign over it and the holy ones of the Most High for eternity. This time is referred to as the Messianic Age.
- How can Jesus reign over this kingdom when He was killed?
“But the LORD chose to crush him by disease, That, if he made himself an offering for guilt, He might see offspring and have long life, And that through him the LORD’s purpose might prosper.” (Isaiah 53:10)
“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.” (1 Corinthians 15:3-8)
“As I looked on, in the night vision, One like a human being Came with the clouds of heaven; He reached the Ancient of Days And was presented to Him. Dominion, glory, and kingship were given to him…” (Daniel 7:13,14)
Answer: It was the Lord who purposed to make Jesus an offering and for Him to rule over the Messianic kingdom. It was also His purpose for Jesus to have a long life and see the salvation of His people. The only way this can happen is if Jesus was resurrected…and He was.
Over 500 people saw Him alive after His crucifixion and from there He ascended to Heaven. There, He received the dominion promised to Him (Matthew 28:18) and now, He is preparing to come again.
Further Reading: Psalms 16:10; John 10:17,18, 14:3; Acts 1:1-3,6-11
- When will Jesus return for His people and bring in the Messianic Age?
“And the toes were part iron and part clay; that [means] the kingdom will be in part strong and in part brittle…And in the time of those kings, the God of Heaven will establish a kingdom that shall never be destroyed…” (Daniel 2:42,44)
“…It will be a time of trouble, the like of which has never been since the nation came into being. At that time, your people will be rescued, all who are found inscribed in the book.” (Daniel 12:1)
“And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.” (Revelation 20:9)
“For behold! I am creating A new heaven and a new earth; The former things shall not be remembered, They shall never come to mind.” (Isaiah 65:17)
Answer: In this time period, in the days of the divided Roman Empire (Europe), Jesus will return. Specifically, He will return to deliver His people during the time of trouble yet to come.
After the final judgment upon the wicked, G-d will re-create the heavens and the earth. When this work is done, the Messianic Age will begin.
Further Reading: Malachi 3:19-21; Revelation 21:1-6
SUMMARY
We learned that Jesus will overthrow the Roman Empire when He returns to deliver His people. We also learned that He will bring in the Messianic Age after the final judgment upon the wicked.
Only those who have made a firm covenant with Jesus, the anointed leader, will be delivered on that day. (Psalms 50:5; Daniel 9:27) Their names will be found in the book of life. (Daniel 12:1; Revelation 21:27) May your name be inscribed in the book before that day.
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