God’s Plan For the FutureDaniel – Chapter 2
The Bible translations used in this study
are the King James Version and the Concordant literal Version.Lorraine Day, M.D.
7-10-06
Vs 1 In the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom, Nebuchadnezzar dreams a dream wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep is fleeing from him.
Vs 2 Then the king commanded to call the sacred scribes and the magi and the enchanters and the Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams.
Vs 3 Then the king said to them ‘I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to understand the dream.
Daniel and his three friends had only been in Babylon for a short time as this was the “second” year of Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom, and the course the king had devised for the four young men was to be three years long. So Daniel and his friends were undoubtedly still in training.
Daniel apparently was not asked to take part in the revelation of this dream (probably because he was still in school and considered to be a novice) and did not even know of the events that were taking place in the royal court. It would probably have appeared foolish for the king to ask for a revelation of a dream from someone so young and inexperienced.
“It is marvelous to see how a mere lad, by God’s help, could put to shame the combined wisdom of the wisest of mankind.
“The time of this vision is most significant if we connect it with events occurring in Judea. There also, at this same time, God revealed the fate of Israel and Judah and all the nations, through Jeremiah the prophet. But when it was read before the king he cut it up and burned it (Jeremiah 36:23). Let us note the marvelous contrast:
“Israel’s king, whose first duty it was to hearken to the words of Jehovah, imprisons God’s prophet and (literally and physically) destroys God’s revelation. On the other hand, Nebuchadnezzar (a pagan) is so desirous of knowing what had been revealed to him that he was about to slay his own prophets because they could not give him God’s revelation! This striking contrast shows what a reversal has taken place at this great crisis in human history.” Concordant Studies in the Book of Daniel, p 42.
Nebuchadnezzar, the pagan king of Babylon, wants to know the information from God, while the King of Israel, the leader of the supposed “chosen people” of God, destroys and burns the word from God’s prophet.
Nebuchadnezzar called four different classes of his advisers to help him in his dilemma: sacred scribes, magicians, enchanters (pharmakous, in the Greek – apparently those who foretold the future with the use of drugs and potions), and Chaldeans, apparently those who were the wisest in the entire kingdom of Chaldee (Babylon).
There is no mention of astrologers in this passage, even though kings were known to have them on staff for predictions. However, astrologers were not supposed to derive their knowledge from dreams, but from the position of the stars, so they apparently were not included in this event.
Vs 4 Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriac (Aramaic),
O king, live for the eon! Tell thy servants the dream, and we will disclose the interpretation.
Vs 5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, the matter has departed from me. If you will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, you shall be dismembered, and your houses shall be confiscated.
Vs 6 But if you will tell me the dream and the interpretation thereof, you shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honor; therefore tell me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.
Vs 7 They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will tell the interpretation of it.
Vs 8 The king answered and said, I know of certainty that you would gain time (you want to stall), for you see the dream is gone from me (you know I can’t remember it).
Vs 9 But if you will not make known to me the dream, there is but one decree for you: for you have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the situation be changed. Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can give me the interpretation.
Vs 10 The Chaldeans answered before the king and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can disclose the king’s matter, therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler that asked such things of any sacred scribe, or magician or Chaldean. The matter that the king is asking is heavy and extraordinary. And there is none other that can tell it to the king, except the alueim (gods – or God) whose abode actually is not with any flesh.
The Chaldeans carry on the conversation with the king, thus they appear to be the spokesmen for all the wise men. They speak in Aramaic or Syriac, not in Hebrew. In fact, the whole narrative, from the beginning of their speech to the close of the seventh chapter is written in this Aramaic dialect in the original Scriptures. The Syriac is commonly called “Chaldee” today.
If Nebuchadnezzar had only told them what he had seen in his dream, no doubt they could have come up with some kind of interpretation. But Nebuchadnezzar would have no way of knowing if the interpretation came from God. God, as always, was in total control and ordered the conversation so that these wise men themselves declared that Daniel’s interpretation was divine, before they even heard it.
In addition, God gave the wise men a lesson in “wisdom”, worldly “wisdom.” They had to realize the fatal inferiority of their “wisdom” and the fearful consequences of their failure. They had been threatened with death – in a most horrible way – if they could not answer the king.
But the evasion of the wise men, by asking for more time, only infuriated the king. They thought if they could stall, maybe the king would forget about it because of the intrusion of mightier matters of state, or maybe the king would have to go away on a trip to tend to matters of state, or maybe the king would somehow, with time, recall his dream.
But the wise men are finally forced to confess their ignorance. Yet they did not resign as “wise men.” They still held to the folly of their position. God forces them to a confession and reveals the foolishness of the “wisdom” of the “wise.” They have lost contact with God, the Author of all wisdom.
Vs 12 For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.
Vs 13 And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain: and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.
Vs 14 Then Daniel answered with counsel and understanding to Arioch, the captain of the king’s executioners, seeing that he issues the edict to slay the wise men of Babylon.
Vs 15 He answered and said to Arioch who had the king’s authority, “Why is the decree from the king so urgent (hasty)?” Then Arioch made the matter known to Daniel.
Vs 16 Then Daniel went in, and petitioned the king to give him time, and he would disclose all the interpretation to the king.
Vs 17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:
Vs 18 He is charging them to petition for compassion before the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his partners would not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
“What a humiliating experience was this for the wise men! To be executed for their ignorance! To be unable to allay the wrath of the king! That in which they excelled, fatally fails them! They were supposed to be able to help others out of their difficulties and dilemmas, and to advise the king. Now they could not even save themselves from his anger.” Ibid, p 47,48
But how unfair it was for the king to include Daniel and his three friends in the decree of execution. They had never been asked for their opinion, and they were just young men in training.
But Daniel did not become indignant, but tactfully approached the chief executioner asking why the matter was so urgent. Then, after understanding the facts, he petitioned for an audience with the king.
Daniel knew that the only One who could be of help was the God of heaven. Daniel also knew that he and his companions were the only ones in Babylon who knew the God of heaven well enough to communicate with Him. Because their very lives were at stake, there was no lack of fervency in their prayers.
Vs 19 Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
Vs 20 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God from the eon and unto the eon, for the wisdom and the mastery, they are His.
Vs 21 He alters the eras and the stated times, causing kings to pass away and causing kings to rise, granting wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those knowing understanding.
Vs 22 He is revealing the deep and the concealed things; knowing what is in the darkness since with Him a stream of light solves them.
Vs 23 I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who has given me wisdom and mastery, and has made known unto me now what we asked of Thee; for You have now made known unto us the king’s matter.
God answered Daniel’s petition without delay as the case was urgent. And Daniel blesses the God of heaven. Later Nebuchadnezzar also acknowledged the God of heaven (Daniel 2:47).
Notice also that Daniel states that God “removes kings” and “sets up kings.” God is in charge of everything. The kings obviously think they have done this of their own “free will” but God says HE does it!
Vs 24 Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him; Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will tell unto the king the interpretation.
Vs 25 Then Arioch, in a fluster, brought in Daniel before the king, and said thus unto him, “I have found a wise master of the sons of the deportation of Judah, who will make known unto the king the interpretation.”
Notice that Arioch, the king’s executioner doesn’t miss the opportunity to curry favor with the king. There is no evidence in the Scriptures that Arioch “found” the one who would interpret the king’s dream. It was Daniel, himself, who told Arioch that he (Daniel), through his God, would be able to interpret the dream for the king. Arioch, being of the flesh, tried to take credit, where as Daniel, a true follower of God, gave God all the credit.
Though Daniel was very young at the time and could hardly be called a man, Arioch did not miss the opportunity to curry favor with Daniel, as well. Arioch could see that Daniel might well be in good stead with the king if he interpreted the king’s dream, and could help Arioch in his future career in the palace. After all, Arioch was an executioner, obviously a messy job, and it probably didn’t make him a sought-after guest at parties. Maybe Daniel, in the future, could help Arioch with a job change.
So Arioch referred to Daniel, who probably was still a teen-ager at the time, as a wise “master.” The adjective of this word is almost always rendered mighty. In referring to Goliath, in 1 Samuel 17:51, this word is rendered champion.
Vs 26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen, and the interpretation?
Vs 27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king is asking, not the wise men, the magi, the sacred scribes, or the soothsayers (hieromanceers - severer – those who examine and cut up the victims of sacrifice and base their predictions on this) can disclose to the king.
Vs 28 There is a God in heaven that reveals secrets, and makes known to Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. O king, live for the eon! Your dream, even the visions of your head on your bed; it is this:
Vs 29 As for you, O king, your thoughts came into your mind upon your bed, what should come to pass hereafter; and He that reveals secrets make known to you what shall come to pass.
Vs 30 But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living. It is revealed only to the intent that the interpretation to the king be made known, and that you shall know the thoughts of your heart.
Daniel gives all the glory to God. He takes no credit for himself. No one with an eye to his own interests would have ruined his own reputation by giving all the credit to God.
But Nebuchardnezzar, who had become master of the world, undoubtedly took credit for all he had achieved. “God’s purpose demanded that He make known to men beforehand what was to be in order to reveal to them His own deity and their own creature impotence.” Concordant Studies in the Book of Daniel, p 55
Vs 31 “You, O king, perceived, and behold a great image. This image is grand, and its aspect excellent, rising to your view, and the appearance of the image is terrifying you.
Vs 32 The image’s head is good gold, its chest and its arms are silver, its belly and its thighs are copper,
Vs 33 Its leg are iron, its feet, part of them are iron, and part of them are clay.
(Verses 34 and 35 will be discussed further below.)
The Explanation
Vs 36 This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.
Vs 37 You, O king, are a king of kings; for the God of heaven grants a safeguarded kingdom to you, and might and honor and esteem.
Vs 38 In every place where the sons of mortals are abiding, the animal of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, He grants into your hand. He gives you authority over them all. You are this head of gold.
Vs 39 And in your place, shall arise another kingdom of the earth, inferior to you, that is silver; and another kingdom, the third, that is copper, shall have authority in all the earth.
Vs 40 The fourth kingdom shall be mighty as iron, forasmuch as iron is pulverizing and overcoming all. As iron that smashes, all these shall it pulverize and smash.
Vs 41 And whereas you saw the feet and toes, part of potters clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be composite. And the stability of iron will be in it, forasmuch as you saw the iron mixed with the muddy clay.
Vs 42 And the toes of the feet, part of them of iron and part of them of clay: at the end, the kingdom shall be mighty, yet part of it shall be frail.
Vs 43 (Concordant Version) Seeing that you perceived the iron mixed with muddy clay; thus mixing with wealth is the armed force of the mortal. Yet with wealth it is not clinging, this one with that one, even as iron mixes not with clay.
(KJV of Vs 43) And whereas you saw iron mixed with ceramic 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.
This magnificent image of “man” that Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream is the ideal for which man is striving; good government without God!
“The first kingdom is a golden government, where the form is satisfactory, but the functioning a failure. Nebuchadnezzar did not remove all other kings, but set his throne above them, so that he literally was a king of kings, even as Christ in the coming eons (Luke 1:33). But he had never learned to humble himself or give the glory to God. His power was not directed by righteousness.” Ibid p 59
The second, the silver kingdom, the Medo-Persian empire, is said to be inferior to Babylon. But silver is superior and more esteemed than copper and copper more valuable than iron, while iron is better than clay. This points out that human government is steadily deteriorating, instead of advancing, as we are asked to believe according to the theory of evolution. After thousands of years, the nations are further from the ideal than when they started. We have descended from gold to iron-clay.
Yet in strength, each metal is more excellent than its predecessor. Silver crushes gold, copper overcomes silver, and iron smashes copper. Medo-Persia overcame Babylon, Greece broke the power of Medo-Persia, and Rome (the legs of the statue) crushed Greece (the belly and thighs).
After the rule of Rome comes the feet. The feet are of iron and clay, showing that there is not one government ruling the entire world, but a mixture of governments, some strong and some weak.
It is in this “foot” of the statue that the world has been living since the fall of Rome. The ten toes symbolize the last Ten Kingdoms that will rule the world under the authority of the first Beast Power of Revelation, Chapter 13. These ten toes are synonymous with the ten horns of the Beast. These ten “toes” or ten “horns” signify the Ten Kingdoms that are NOW being put together by the New World Order as shown on this map prepared in 1974, but have been in the plans of the Illuminati for hundreds of years
The First Kingdom is the European Union. The Second Kingdom is the amalgamation of Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. The other eight Kingdoms, as shown on the map, are yet to come. (See www.goodnewsaboutgod.com under
Political information.)
Let’s examine verse 43:
The Concordant Version literal translation is rendered,
“thus mixing with wealth is the armed force of the mortal.”
“The letters eun stand for the word wealth in Hebrew. In Psalm 112:3 we see: Wealth and riches are in his house. Proverbs 10:15 reads: The Wealth of the rich is his strong town. So also Proverbs 19:4: Wealth will add many associates. Unless the word wealth occurs in this passage (Dan 2:43), it does not occur at all in the few chapters of Aramaic or Chaldee which are all we have in the whole of the Scriptures. . . Many of the words in Syriac (Chaldee) are exactly the same as in Hebrew. It seems certain that the Hebrew hohn or eun, wealth, was either a Chaldee word, or that it would be understood by Nebuchadnezzar from his acquaintance with the Hebrew.
“It is easy to see how this translation could be lost in the period before the Septuagint was made. The idea that wealth should weaken a great empire might appear too fantastic to gain credence in those days. Without the evidence before us in the world today we also might find it difficult to entertain.
“The word armed force, in Hebrew, comes from the stem zro, sow, or as a noun, seed or arm (zahra’, zehra’, zroha’). It is supposed that the arm got its name from its use in sowing seed. It is called the sower. In a figurative sense the arm is often used for force in Hebrew as in English, as armed, to arm, army. In Daniel we have rendered arms by armed forces in 11:15, 22, 31.
“Wealth is becoming a controlling factor in world politics to an increasing and alarming extent in the last few decades, and promises to take an even more prominent place in the future. Money rules as never before in the history of the world. It seems more potent than the will of the people.” Ibid. p 62-65
The Wealth of the ruling power of the world today, the Illuminati/ Zionist Jew cabal, combined with their total control (from behind the scenes) of the armed forces of the U.S., U.K., U.S.S.R. and many other countries of the world, certainly gives credibility to the Concordant translation of Verse 43 of Daniel, Chapter 2.
Now back to verses 34, 35:
Vs 34 You saw till a stone was cut out without hands, that smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and broke them to pieces.
Vs 35 Then the iron, the clay, the copper, the silver, and the gold were crushed and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, that no trace was found of them; and the stone that smote the image, became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
Explanation
Vs 44 In their days, that is, of these kings, the God of the heavens will set up a kingdom that for the eons shall never be destroyed. His kingdom shall not be left to another people. It will pulverize and terminate all these kingdoms, and it shall be confirmed for the eons.
Vs 45 Forasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and it pulverizes the iron, the copper, the clay, the silver, and the gold, the great God makes known to the king what shall come to pass after this. Certain is the dream and faithful its interpretation.
The Bible makes plain that this “Stone” cut out “without hands” (it is divine, not human) is Jesus Christ. “The Bible often refers to Christ as a rock or a stone. First Corinthians 10:4 says, ‘the Rock was Christ.’ Isaiah 28:16 speaks of Christ as a special kind of stone, a “precious cornerstone.” In Luke 20:17,18, Jesus said about Himself, ‘The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner.’ Here He was referring to Himself as Isaiah’s cornerstone. He continued, ‘Everyone who falls on the stone will be broken to pieces (that is, converted): but when it falls on any one it will crush him.’ The stone that crushes is Daniel’s supernatural stone.
“The Rock of Ages, then, and not the statue, is the most impressive symbol in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. It represents Jesus Christ.” God Cares, C. Mervyn Maxwell, p 42
All human governments will cease and Christ will rule. This begins when Jesus comes again – at His Second Coming. But many denominations believe that this will be an earthly reign by Jesus, even though Jesus repeatedly said, when He was on earth, “My kingdom is NOT of this world.” Jesus came to change hearts, not to rule physically on this earth. (See the study, “Will the Millennium be on Earth or in Heaven?”)
It was for this very reason that the “Jews”, the Organized Church, at the time of Jesus, demanded His crucifixion. Jesus refused to be their earthly ruler – their concept of the Messiah. They wanted Him to destroy their enemies, yet He said, “Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you.” (Luke 6:27)
Vs 46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should present an offering and incense unto him.
Vs 47 The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth, it is that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldst reveal this secret.
Vs 48 Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon.
Vs 49 Then Daniel requested the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel sat in the King’s court.
“The impression made on Nebuchadnezzar was overwhelming. As Daniel speaks, his dream comes back to his memory. The king begins to realize that he is in the presence of the Supreme, and that Daniel is His prophet, and his first impulse is to worship the representative of the God Who had revealed Himself to him through his own dream. . .
“Daniel, however, had made it as plain as possible that he ascribed everything to his God, so Nebuchadnezzar acknowledges that He is a God of gods, a Lord of kings, and a Revealer of secrets, even as Daniel had said. This recognition of God was real enough, in its way, but made no lasting impression on Nebuchadnezzar’s character, as will be seen by his later conduct. Exaltation does not seem to bring men nearer to God. A much deeper impression was made upon him later, by his humiliation to the status of a beast. Evil seems a more potent means of revealing God than good.
“Daniel’s reward was very great. Politically, he is set over what was probably the most important province of the empire, in which was the capitol itself. It was nearly as high as the honor accorded Joseph in Egypt (Gen 41), who also attained his eminence through the interpretation of a dream. Besides, Daniel is made the grandee of the prefects over all the wise men of Babylon, whose lives and property he had saved.
Daniel’s Friends
“Daniel does not forget his friends. They made their petition to God, with Daniel, concerning the secret which was revealed to him, thus he finds a place for them in his own department, that of Babylon, where they doubtless continued to be his close associates in the administration of the province. Thus we find Daniel not only true to his God, but loyal to his friends.” Concordant Studies in the Book of Daniel, p 81,82
© Lorraine Day, M.D. 2006. All Rights Reserved.
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