Bible Study: NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S DREAM OF THE GREAT IMAGE

Read all of Daniel 2 to understand the context of the following verses: Daniel 2:31-45 KJV (31) Thou, O King, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. (32) This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass. (33) His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. (34) Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. (35) Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them; and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. (36) This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king. (37) Thou, O king, art a king of kings; for the God of Heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power and strength and glory. (38) And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold. (39) And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. (40) And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron; forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things; and as iron the breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. (41) And where thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. (42) And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. (43) And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men; but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. (44) And in the days of these kings shall the God of Heaven 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 all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. (45) Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter; and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure. ------------------------------------------------------------------------
PART 2: Explanation of Daniel’s Interpretation
A. Head of Gold (Daniel 2:38)
1. Represents the Babylonian Empire which ruled from around 606 to 561 BC
2. The Babylonian Empire was wealthy and powerful.
3. The city of Babylon was very extravagant. Babylon was
celebrated as the most splendid city in the world.
B. Chest and Arms of Silver (Daniel 2:39)
1. Represents the Media/Persian Empire
which ruled from around 538 BC.
2. This empire would be inferior to the
Babylonian Empire, as silver is inferior
to gold.
3. This empire was also rich, but did not
have the great wealth or imperialistic
power of the Babylonian empire.

HEAD OF GOLD

CHEST &
ARMS OF
SILVER
C. Waist of Brass (Daniel 2:39)
1. Represents the kingdom of Grecia or
Greece
2. Ruled from about 330 BC
3. This kingdom conquered nearly the
then known world.
D. Legs of Iron (Daniel 2:40)
1. Represents the Roman Empire
which ruled from around 27 BC.
2. This empire would be strong as iron
and would eventually have the

whole world under its control.
3. Iron was the hardest known metal
at that time, able to break other
metals to pieces. This is also how
the Romans established their
empire; they ruled with an iron
hand and used ruthless means to
gain their power.
4. The Roman Empire separated into
two empires, Eastern & Western,
represented by the two legs.
94
WAIST
OF BRASS
LEGS OF IRON
STONE CUT
FROM THE
MOUNTAIN
WITHOUT
HANDS
FEET & TOES
OF IRON AND
MIRY CLAY

PART 2: Explanation of Daniel’s Interpretation
E. Feet & Toes of Iron & Potter’s Clay
(Daniel 2:41-43)
STONE CUT FROM
1. Represents the revived Roman
THE MOUNTAIN
Empire. (or European Union). The
WITHOUT HANDS
iron represents the Roman aspect.
2. The revived Roman Empire, or
European Union as it is now called,
began in 1993, although it has been
in the process of being established
since WWII. Eventually it will
become global.
FEET & TOES
3. This eventual global empire will be
OF IRON AND
strong as iron, but partly broken
MIRY CLAY
or brittle as miry clay. Many of the
nations will be very wealthy and
many will be very poor (as they are now).
4. This empire will begin as a unified body of many
nations and peoples (Daniel 2:43).
5. The empire will begin as a congregation of united
nations, but will not remain united, as iron does
not mix with clay. Some of the nations will be loyal and
some will be disloyal and rebel.
6. These feet (the Eastern and Western Hemispheres) will turn into ten regions with
ten kings (represented by the ten toes), ruled by the antichrist in the “spirit” of
world unity and as a desperate attempt to “save” the world from collapse.
Again, strong but weak and rich but poor. Unified but greatly divided.
These ten regions combine and work together to give power to the world
government, just like toes give balance and strength to the rest of the body.
7. The feet represent the end of this age with toes being the final aspect of change
in the world government. Then the image will be struck on the feet and come
to an end, being overcome and destroyed by the Stone.

PART 2: Explanation of Daniel’s Interpretation
F. Kingdom of God (Daniel 2:44-45)
1. God’s Kingdom will be established during the time of the toes. When you see the world
divide into ten regions, you will know that God’s Kingdom is very near. We know this
because the Stone (Jesus) strikes the image on the feet. Striking the feet of any image brings
about the collapse of the entire structure.
2. “During the time of these kings” (Daniel 2:44) refers to the kings and nations in verse 43,
who are united, yet do not “cleave” to one another.
3. God’s Kingdom shall be an everlasting Kingdom (Daniel 2:44).
4. God will appoint His own King over the world to rule His everlasting Kingdom. This King
will not be from the earth or mankind (Daniel 2:44).
5. God’s Kingdom is stronger than all other kingdoms (Daniel 2:44). It will destroy, or put an
end to, all kingdoms present and those that have went before once and for all (Daniel 2:35).
They shall never rise again (Daniel 2:35 & Daniel 2:44).
STONE CUT FROM THE
G. The Stone Cut Out of the Mountain Without
MOUNTAIN WITHOUT HANDS
Hands (Daniel 2:45)
1. The Stone is Jesus, and refers to His Second
Coming.
2. The Mountain in verse 45 refers to God,
because Jesus is sent from God, and is of
God... The same as God.
3. As a stone who would be hewn from a
mountain, so Jesus is of God, with the
same attributes and power.
4. The last Kingdom is not set up by human
means or “hands” - it comes from Heaven.

5. This everlasting Kingdom from God will
completely destroy all kingdoms that went
before (Daniel 2:45). They will be destroyed
quickly and all at the same time (Daniel 2:35).
6. These destroyed kingdoms will be forgotten and there will be no evidence that they ever
existed (Daniel 2:35). As “chaff” blown away by the wind, so will be these destroyed
kingdoms.
All must be wiped away in preparation for God’s Kingdom on earth. Jesus is the one who
will accomplish all these things, and He Himself will become the Kingdom that fills the
entire world...the Mountain (Daniel 2:35).
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PART 3: SUMMARY
Nebuchadnezzar did not have this dream for any reason regarding himself, other than to show him
who the One True God is. Rather, God gave this dream to Nebuchadnezzar to bring Daniel to a
place of honor for God’s own purpose; and more importantly, He gave this dream as a timeline for
all future generations, so we would know the kingdoms that will come and go before the return of
the True King, Jesus. This dream also tells us in which kingdom or time period to look for Christ’s
Second Coming.
We know that Daniel 2:44-45 refers to Christ’s Second Coming, because during His First Coming
He came as the Lamb, in peace, not overthrowing or destroying any kingdom, but only to conquer
sin through His death and resurrection.
When Jesus returns at His Second Coming, He comes as the King of kings and Lord of lords,
to conquer the whole world and to destroy all that leads us into sin, establishing His Kingdom,
which will stand forever and ever.

Taken from trumpetcallofgodonline