45. The Stone

Time: 604 BC

Place:  King's Palace

Scripture:  Daniel 2:34-35; 44-45

What Smites the Image?  The Stone

  

The Image & The Stone

Daniel 2:34-35

• While you were watching, a stone was cut out, but not by human hands. 
• It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. 
• Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were all broken to pieces and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer.
• The wind swept them away without leaving a trace.

But the Stone that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.

The Interpretation of The Image & The Stone

Daniel 2:44-45

·        In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people.

·        It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. 

·        This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.

In our previous article, we have seen the four successive worldly empires ruling the earth.  These dominant world powers have come and gone just as God said they would.  

Daniel 2:44 "And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed."  This Kingdom that shall never be destroyed is the Messianic Kingdom, established by Yahweh God  at the second coming of Jesus.  

We are living in extraordinary times to this great climax for the final act of the Rock, cut not by human hands, destroying all the worldly empires.

Tomorrow, we will look at more spiritual principles so that we can see how all these apply to our lives.

:)

43. The Great Image & Its Interpretation

Date:  604 BC
Place: King's Palace
Scripture: Daniel 2:36-45


Read Daniel 2:36-45

36 “This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation.

37 You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory,

38 and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all—you are the head of gold.

39 Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth.

40 And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall break and crush all these.

41 And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay.

42 And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle.

43 As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay.

44 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever,

45 just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”

You can watch the video here:

:)

42. The Dream - The Great Frightening Image

Time: 604 BC
Place:  King's Palace
Scripture: Daniel 2:31-35


Read Daniel 2:31-35

31 “You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening. 

32 The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, 

33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. 

34 As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. 

35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

Take note of the following 3 features!  

1.  The Great Frightening Image

• head is of fine gold
• chest and arms of silver
• middle and thighs of bronze
• legs of iron
• feet partly of iron and partly of clay

2.  A stone - not cut out by human hand

• struck the image on its feet 
• the iron, clay, bronze, silver and gold - all broken in pieces
• became like chaff and the wind carried them away
• not a trace of them could be found

3.  The stone - became a great mountain and filled the earth

Now, Daniel has this unshakable confidence in God.  He is ready to interpret the dream to the King.
Stay tuned!

Tomorrow, we will watch a video and look at the interpretation.

:)