Now, what do the four metals of the image represent? We will see that they are four gentile kingdoms. But, you do not need anyone, including me, to interpret them for you. Allow God to interpret the great image—and the meaning of the four elements of which it is composed. Verse 37 states, “You, O king [Nebuchadnezzar], are a king of kings: for the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.” Verse 38 adds, “You are this head of gold.” The Bible has just interpreted itself. Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon represent the first kingdom. Verses 39-40 go on to describe three successive kingdoms that would follow the kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon. Here is how they are described: “And after you [Nebuchadnezzar] shall arise another kingdom [of silver] inferior to you, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and subdues all things: and as iron that breaks all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.” These verses show a succession of WORLD EMPIRES depicted by different metals composing the giant image. These were literal kingdoms. What you have just learned is vital knowledge that very few understand today. God expressly reveals to us now that He is the One who establishes and removes—and establishes and removes again—earthly kingdoms. This has much to do with the identity of the beast. The first kingdom, which was the head made of gold, represented Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian or Chaldean Empire (625-539 B.C.). In 539, the Medes and Persians defeated the Babylonians. The silver breast and arms represent this second empire. The duration of the Medo-Persian kingdom was 558-330 B.C. The belly and thighs of brass represented the third kingdom, the Grecian (333-31 B.C.) or Greco-Macedonian Empire. The Greco-Macedonian empire was led by Alexander the Great. After just a one-year reign, Alexander died and his generals (Lysimachus, Cassander, Ptolemy and Seleucus) divided his enormous empire into four regions: (1) Egypt, (2) Macedonia and Greece, (3) Thrace and Western Asia, and (4) Syria and all territory east to the Indus River. These are the four heads of Alexander’s “leopard” kingdom. Finally, the fourth kingdom is depicted by lower legs of iron, with feet and toes of iron mixed with clay. This represents the greatest of the four kingdoms—the Roman Empire, which defeated and succeeded the Greco-Macedonian Empire. These are well known facts of world history. Few dispute the basic historical accuracy of the timing, scope and greatness of these four kingdoms. However, we must understand why God focuses on these gentile kingdoms. In the greatest sense, the Bible is almost entirely a book about how God worked with the nation of ancient Israel. He chose, revealed Himself to, and gave His Law to govern this nation. God had warned Israel that if they disobeyed him, they would be punished (Lev. 26; Deut. 28). After a long series of ups and downs, they rejected God, His leaders and His Law for the last time. After sending most of the tribes of Israel into captivity in Assyria about 125 years earlier, God sent the last tribe, Judah, into captivity in Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar. (Daniel himself was a young Jewish slave.) From the time of Judah’s captivity forward, starting with Babylon, God raised up successive gentile world empires that He foretold would continue for the remaining 25 centuries before He established His Kingdom.
Posted on: Thu, 14 Nov 2013 05:33:22 +0000
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