Daniel the prophet

At the time when Jeremiah was warning his people in Jerusalem that Nebuchadnezzar, the mighty king of Babylon, would return to destroy Jerusalem for their wickedness, Daniel was already a Jewish captive in Babylon. He had been taken into exile in an earlier campaign in BC 606, and placed among an elite group of Jewish captives whom Nebuchadnezzar had appointed to be educated in the wisdom and culture of Babylon (Daniel 1). Daniel remained there throughout the 70 years captivity that Jeremiah had foretold, rising to hold a position of prominence in the court because of his wisdom and integrity (Daniel 6:28; Jeremiah 25:8–12).

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (Daniel 2)

In the second chapter of Daniel weread of aremarkable incident. Nebuchadnezzar had a dream which impressed and disturbed him greatly. He saw a great image of a man whose head was of gold, his chest and arms of silver, his belly and thighs of brass, his legs of iron and his feet part of iron and part of clay. He then saw a stone smite the image on its feet with such force that it fell and was broken to pieces. The stone grew and became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. The dream was so vivid and the figure so bright and terrible that Nebuchadnezzar felt compelled to find out what it all meant.

He called for his magicians and astrologers to tell him both the dream and its interpretation. But of course they could not. When news of this reached Daniel he appealed to his God, who revealed that He had indeed made known to Nebuchadnezzar in this dream what was to happen “in the latter days” (Daniel 2:28).

This is only one of several prophecies in the Bible that tell of “latter day” events.

The image dream (Daniel 2:28–45)

Daniel proceeded to accurately describe the dream and the interpretation as God had revealed it to him. An artist’s impression is shown on the following page, together with Daniel’s interpretation and the way history has verified the details.

The God of heaven will set up a kingdom (Daniel 2:44)

This stone power and its work is clearly interpreted in verse 44 by Daniel when he says: “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 for ever”.

Note these interesting points in verse 44

• At a set time God will set up a Kingdom

• This Kingdom shall never be destroyed (as Babylon, Medo-Persia etc were)

• The rulership of this Kingdom will not be left in the hands of men. Jesus Christ, with those faithful followers who have been made immortal at his return, will rule over it (Matthew 25:34; Luke 19:17).

• God’s Kingdom, with Jesus Christ as King, will destroy all other political systems.

• God’s Kingdom shall stand for ever (2 Samuel 7:12–16; Luke 1:31–33).

So in this fascinating dream and its interpretation we have the history of the world from the days of Nebuchadnezzar until the time when God will send Jesus Christ back to set up God’s Kingdom on earth.

This is the Kingdom that Jesus taught his disciples to pray for when he said: “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). We also read of this time when Jesus Christ will rule the world: “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 11:15).

The prophet Daniel himself was given several visions that also reveal the history of the world from BC 606 through to the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth.

The Kingdom of Men

God rules in the kingdom of men (Daniel 4)

One of the fundamental and very important lessons that we learn from the prophecies of Daniel is that God is in control of world events, and is progressing them according to His revealed plan.

Daniel again impressed this lesson on the mind of Nebuchadnezzar when he interpreted another dream of Nebuchadnezzar’s, recorded in Daniel 4. This mighty king, ruler of the world at that time, was compelled to recognise the authority of Daniel’s God: “And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation. And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?” (Daniel 4:34–35).

Daniel had told him that “the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men” (Daniel 4:17). Nebuchadnezzar now acknowledged this to be so.

Adapted from “The Exploring the Bible Course” by David Evans