What the statue means in the Book of Daniel chapter 2
To date, there have been many theories about what kingdoms the statue in the book of Daniel depicts. The vast majority of them are based on words like "I think that", "I believe that". But don't look at what someone thinks, because thoughts are deceptive and may be said by a person whose thoughts are directed by Satan. Always look at what the source, i.e. the Holy Scriptures, states, and then compare it with the history of this world, and you will see that the predictions in the Bible are fulfilled in every detail. Don't rely on yourself, but before every reading of the Scriptures, especially the interpretation of prophecies, pray to God to help you look at the issue correctly.
It is impossible to describe such a complex topic in a single article. The times of the second coming of Jesus to earth, are announced and described in many places in Scripture, most of them are found in the Book of Daniel, the Book of Ezekiel and Revelation. All of these books should be read. Don't just focus on what others say, even when they cite the words of Scripture, check for yourself whether what they say and write is actually stated there, and not disconnected from the rest of the sentences.
Read the entire Book of Daniel, especially chapter 2, as it will now be discussed. Nebukadnesar had a dream in which he saw a statue of a man symbolizing the countries of the world. These countries will sometimes be depicted in animal form in subsequent verses of the Book of Daniel and Revelation. However, always the countries they symbolize are shown in the same order and with the same meaning. For a better understanding of the 2nd chapter of the Book of Daniel, one should also read the others, which confirm and describe what is contained in the second part.
Dream of a golden statue
Daniel 2.31-35 "[31] Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. [32] This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, [33] His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. [34] Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. [35] Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth."
In the following verses, God revealed to Daniel the meaning of the dream, and we can find out today from history which countries are being referred to. Babylon, Medo-Persia and Greece are given directly in the 8th chapter of the Book of Daniel. However, let's return to the second chapter.
Gold - head
[36] This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king. [37] Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. [38] And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.
The golden head represents the powerful and strong state of Babylon, which was ruled by King Nebukadnesar at the time. The gold symbolizes the wealth that Babylon, the richest country in that region of the world at the time, boasted.
Silver - breast and arms
[39] And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee,
Babylon was conquered by the great and powerful kingdom of Medo-Persia, which was no longer as rich as its predecessor, so the breast and arms were made of silver.
Brass - belly and thighs
[39] and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
We are, of course, talking about the Macedonian-Greek empire during the reign of Alexander the Great. This state was no longer as rich as Medo-Persia.
Iron - legs
[40] And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.
This kingdom, unlike its three predecessors, is nowhere in Scripture mentioned directly by name. Knowing history, we can easily read that the Bible points to Rome, whose army was very well and heavily armed.
Iron and clay - feet
[41] And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. [42] And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. [43] And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry 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.
Legs is the division of the Roman Empire into two parts: The Western Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire. The fingers mixed with clay and iron represent the breakup of Rome into several states that now make up the European Union:
- Anglo-Saxons - England
- Franks - France
- Alemanni - Germany
- Burgundians - Switzerland
- Visigoths - Spain
- Swebs - Portugal
- Longobards - Italy
as well as three tribes: Ostrogoths, Vandals and Heruli, who did not bow to pressure from the bishops of Rome and professed Arianism. The Roman Catholic Church, with all its influence, ruthlessly exterminated all who disagreed with its precepts, as will be discussed in more detail in the following chapters. The idea of ancient Rome never collapsed, and today we see this in the European Union, which repeatedly invokes the former state and even the not-so-distant collapse of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation.
[44] And 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. [45] Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.
The kingdom that the God of heaven will create is people who sincerely love the one and true God. The stone falling on the statue is a symbol of Jesus Christ, who will survive to the end times. According to this prophecy, there will not be another empire, and this has been the case since the fall of Rome. Europe is ruled by individual states, where none of them has ever fully captured and will never capture the others as much as the Romans did.
It is obvious that in other parts of the world there were empires as great and powerful as those mentioned above, so why doesn't the Bible mention them? The Scriptures describe events that involve the land of ancient Israel and the later center of Christianity, which is today's Europe.
