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Scripture Reading: Dan. 2
In this message we will consider the victory of the young descendants of God's degraded elect over the devilish blinding that prevents people from seeing God's vision concerning human government throughout human history.
Nebuchadnezzar had a marvelous dream of a great human image (2:1). That dream should have impressed him deeply, but he forgot the dream because he did not have a heart for God's interest. Then his spirit was troubled to know the dream, and all the magicians, all the wise men of Babylon, and the Chaldeans were unable to tell him the dream (vv. 2-13). However, there was a man, Daniel, who set his heart on the spiritual things regarding God's interest on earth. He did not have the dream, yet he received the vision from God concerning it (vv. 17-23) and interpreted it (vv. 24-45).
In 2:14-45 we have Daniel's vision from God concerning Nebuchadnezzar's dream.
Verses 17 through 23 speak of God's vision being given to Daniel.
Verses 24 through 45 are a record of Daniel's interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream.
In his interpreting of Nebuchadnezzar's dream, Daniel exalted God (vv. 25-30). He did not exalt himself.
The contents of Nebuchadnezzar's dream were a great human image and its destiny (vv. 31-45).
This great image signifies the aggregate of human government throughout human history (vv. 31-33), from the beginning of human government in Babel (Babylon) in the land of Shinar (Gen. 10:6-12), as signified by the head, to the termination of human government in human history in the Roman Empire with the ten kings, as signified by the ten toes. From its beginning to its termination, human government has done and will continue to do three things: rebel against God, exalt man, and worship idols (Gen. 11:4, 9).
In the great human image, the head of gold, corresponding to the first beast in Daniel 7:3 and 4, signifies Nebuchadnezzar, the founder and the king of Babylon (2:36-38).
The breast and the arms of silver, corresponding to the second beast in 7:5, signify Medo-Persia (2:39a).
The abdomen and thighs of bronze, corresponding to the third beast in 7:6, signify Greece, including Macedonia (2:39b).
The legs of iron and the feet partly of iron and partly of clay, corresponding to the fourth beast in 7:7 and 8, signify the Roman Empire with its last ten kings (2:40-43).
In the Bible, according to the human image in Daniel 2, there are only four empires. In the sight of God, therefore, all of human government throughout human history is composed of four empires: the Babylonian Empire, the Medo-Persian Empire, the Macedonian-Grecian Empire, and the Roman Empire. According to the human point of view, the Grecian Empire ended with the death of Alexander the Great. However, according to God's viewpoint, this empire continued with Alexander's successors — his four generals who divided the empire into four sections — and it lasted until the beginning of the Roman Empire. Apparently the Roman Empire has also been terminated. Actually the Roman Empire continues to exist. According to the books of Daniel and Revelation, the Roman Empire will have as its last Caesar the Antichrist, with the ten kings signified by the ten toes of the great image. The Roman Empire, which began approximately thirty years before the birth of Christ, will last until the very end of the three and a half years of the great tribulation. The aggregate of human empires that began with Nimrod at Babel will consummate with the last Caesar of the Roman Empire with his ten kings. Thus, according to the Bible, we are still in the Roman Empire today.
The culture of the world is an accumulation of culture from the time of Nimrod until the present. What began with Nimrod will conclude with Antichrist. The Babylonian, Medo-Persian, and Macedonian-Grecian Empires have vanished, but their culture remains. The Medo-Persian Empire adopted aspects of Babylonian culture, and the Macedonian-Grecian Empire adopted aspects of Medo-Persian culture. In the same principle, the Roman Empire adopted many elements of Greek culture and of the cultures that preceded it. Today we are still under the influence of Roman culture, especially in the matters of law, politics, and government. In this sense, the Roman Empire continues to exist, and we are still in this empire.
Daniel 2:34-35, 44-45 reveals the destiny of the great human image.
The destiny of the great human image is to be crushed by a stone cut out without hands, at its appearing (vv. 34-35a, 44b-45; 7:13-14). This stone cut without hands is Christ.
As the stone that will crush the entire human government of mankind, Christ was not cut out with human hands (as indicated by "without hands" in 2:34, 45); He was cut by God through His crucifixion and resurrection. Through His crucifixion He was cut by being put to death (Acts 2:23), and in His resurrection He was cut out to be, first, the cornerstone for the building up of the church and the crushing stone to destroy the totality of human government (Acts 2:24; Matt. 21:42, 44b).
At His appearing as the stone cut out not by human hands, Christ will crush the great image from the toes to the head. This means that He will strike the ten kings with Antichrist. Revelation 19 speaks of the war between Christ and Antichrist. With Christ there will be His newly-married bride, composed of the overcomers, and with Antichrist there will be the ten kings with their armies. This war will be a fighting of the earth against the heavens, of man against God. Christ will defeat and destroy Antichrist and the ten kings.
According to Daniel 2, this will entail the crushing of the entire human image from the toes to the head. Verses 34 and 35a say, "A stone was cut out without hands, and it struck the image at its feet of iron and clay and crushed them. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed all at once, and they became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found." This signifies the complete destruction of all human government from Nimrod to Antichrist. Human government will therefore be terminated by Christ at His appearing as the God-cut stone.
The Bible reveals that Christ is a stone in three aspects. First, to the believers Christ is the foundation stone in whom they trust. Concerning this aspect of Christ as a stone, Isaiah 28:16 says, "Behold, I lay a stone in Zion as a foundation, / A tested stone, / A precious cornerstone as a foundation firmly established." Second, to the unbelieving Jews Christ is the stumbling stone (Isa. 8:14; Rom. 9:33). Regarding this aspect, Matthew 21:44a says, "He who falls on this stone shall be broken to pieces." Third, to the nations Christ will be the smiting stone. "On whomever it falls, it shall crush him to powder and scatter him like chaff" (Matt. 21:44b). Daniel 2 reveals Christ as the smiting stone crushing the great human image and causing it to become like chaff carried away by the wind.
When Christ comes as the smiting stone, He will not come alone. Rather, He will come with His bride. By that time Christ will have already gained the church, and He will have married His bride, as described in Revelation 19. After His wedding He will come both as the smiting stone and as the One who will tread the winepress (Rev. 19:15; 14:19-20; Isa. 63:2-3). Antichrist will gather a vast number of evil, rebellious human beings around Jerusalem, thus preparing the "grapes" to be trodden in the "winepress" by Christ. His coming will be a great surprise, for these rebellious ones will believe neither in Christ nor in God but only in themselves. Antichrist will even go so far as to say that he is God (2 Thes. 2:4; Dan. 11:36), and for his enjoyment will set up his tent between the good land and the Mediterranean Sea (v. 45). Then Christ as the God-cut stone will come with His bride to strike the toes of the image, destroying it from the toes to the head. In this way, human government will be crushed and terminated.
The great human image will be replaced with a great mountain, signifying the eternal kingdom of God, which will fill the whole earth (2:35b, 44a). This means that after Christ comes to crush the aggregate of human government, He will usher in the eternal kingdom of God on earth.
Daniel 2:35b says, "The stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth." This increase of the stone into a great mountain signifies the increase of Christ. The fact that Christ can increase is clearly revealed in John 3. Referring to Christ, verse 30 says, "He must increase." The increase in this verse is the bride spoken of in verse 29: "He who has the bride is the bridegroom." Christ, therefore, has an increase, and this increase is His bride. Just as Eve was the increase of Adam, the bride is the increase of Christ as the Bridegroom.
The church today is Christ's increase in life, but the eternal kingdom of God is Christ's increase in administration. In life Christ increases to become the church; in administration Christ increases to become the eternal kingdom of God. Hence, Christ is not only the church but also the kingdom of God. Both the church and the kingdom are His increase.
The parable of the seed in Mark 4:26-29 reveals how the kingdom of God is the increase of Christ. Verse 26 says, "So is the kingdom of God: as if a man cast seed on the earth." This seed is Christ as the embodiment of the divine life. According to the parable, this seed sprouts, grows, bears fruit, matures, and brings forth a harvest (vv. 27-28). From the time Christ came to sow Himself into the "soil" of humanity, He has been growing and increasing. Eventually, this increase will become the great mountain that fills the whole earth to be the eternal kingdom of God.
The word regarding Christ as the stone and the mountain in chapter two of Daniel reveals that Christ is the centrality and the universality of God's move. We may say that as the stone He is the centrality and that as the mountain He is the universality. The stone is Christ as the center, and the mountain is Christ as the circumference, the universality. Christ truly is the all-inclusive One. He is the stone and also the mountain; He is the church and also the kingdom. He with His increase is the great mountain that fills the whole earth.
In 2:46-49 we see Nebuchadnezzar's honoring of Daniel. Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and worshipped Daniel, commanding that they offer an oblation and incense to him and saying, "It is certain that your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a Revealer of secrets, for you have been able to reveal this secret" (vv. 46-47). Then Nebuchadnezzar made Daniel ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief of the prefects over all the wise men of Babylon. Furthermore, in response to Daniel's request regarding his three companions, Nebuchadnezzar appointed them over the administration of the province of Babylon. Thus, Daniel and his companions were appointed to govern in the province of Babylon.
