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THE BOOK OF DANIEL
CHAPTER 2
Daniel 2:1 And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.
Nebuchadnezzar had a series of dreams which deeply troubled him so he could not sleep.
Daniel 2:2 Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.
He require the magicians to appear before him to interpret the dream.
Daniel 2:3 And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.
Daniel 2:4 Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation.
When the magicians were assembled, they asked the natural question of the king about the content of the dream.
Daniel 2:5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.
The king informed them, however, that he was not going to tell them the dream, and if they would not tell him the dream and the interpretation, they would be cut into pieces and their houses turned into a dunghill.
Daniel 2:6 But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore shew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.
Daniel 2:7 They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it.
The magicians pled with the king to inform them concerning the dream.
Daniel 2:8 The king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me.
Daniel 2:9 But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof.
Daniel 2:10 The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king's matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.
Daniel 2:11 And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.
When they protested that this was a request that no king had ever demanded of his subjects.
Daniel 2:12 For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.
The king was so angry that he ordered their immediate execution.
Daniel 2:13 And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.
Daniel and his three companions, though classified as wise men, were apparently not in the company, but they were sough out for execution.
Daniel 2:14 Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of the king's guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon:
Daniel 2:15 He answered and said to Arioch the king's captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.
Daniel 2:16 Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation.
When the commander of the king's guard, Arioch, informed Daniel of the decree, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him. Apparently Nebuchadnezzar thought of Daniel as being able to interpret the dream for he gave Daniel the time he had requested.
Daniel 2:17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:
Daniel 2:18 That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
Daniel shared his problem with his three companions and together they turned to the God in pray that they might have the secret revealed to them.
Daniel 2:19 Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
Daniel 2:20 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:
Daniel 2:21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:
Daniel 2:22 He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.
Daniel 2:23 I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king's matter.
Daniel had the secret revealed to him in a night vision and immediately gave praise to the Lord. His praise to the Lord revealed his spiritual maturity, careful choice of words, and fitting recognition of the wisdom and power of God and His mercy in revealing to Daniel the secret of the dream.
Daniel 2:24 Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had ordained 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 shew unto the king the interpretation.
Daniel 2:25 Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus unto him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah, that will make known unto the king the interpretation.
Daniel 2:26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?
Daniel 2:27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king;
Daniel 2:28 But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;
Daniel reported to Arioch that he would interpret the dream and immediately he reported to the king that he had found a man that could tell the dream and the interpretation of it. Daniel was given immediate audience with Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel answer to the king's question was careful to attribute the revelation to God rather than to any man intelligence. Daniel tells the king that God has shown him what will happen in days to come. Your dream and visions that passed through your mind as you lay on your bed are these:
Daniel 2:29 As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass.
Daniel 2:30 But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.
Daniel 2:31 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.
Daniel 2:32 This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,
Daniel 2:33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.
Daniel 2:34 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.
Daniel 2:35 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.
Daniel described the vision and said it was like a large statue an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. He further explained that the head of the statue was of pure gold, and the upper part of the body, its chest and arms were of silver. The lower part of the body and the thighs were made of brass. The legs were made of iron and the feet partly of iron and partly of clay. Daniel told the king that he had saw a rock that had been cut out without hand and that the stone struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. The result of the impact of the stone on the statue was that the whole statue broke up into fine pieces and became like chaff on a threshing floor. He then sees the chaff blown away that he saw the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth. The king was astounded that Daniel could tell him the dream.
Daniel 2:36 This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.
Daniel 2:37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
Daniel 2:38 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 head of gold is King Nebuchadnezzar. This is approximately 696 BC when Israel falls from being a major power of the earth and the times of the gentiles begin. Israel fall spiritually when they blasphemed the Holy Ghost and kill Steven in Acts Chapter 7.
Daniel 2:39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
The beast and arms are silver, which are the second and third kingdoms. Two arms for the division of the kingdoms. Only one kingdom with two divisions which are the Medias and Persians. Daniel 5:28 Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians. This approximately 536 BC when Darius took the kingdom. The belly & thighs are made of brass which is the rough goat. Alexander the Great takes the kingdom approximately 330 BC.
Daniel 2:40 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.
The fourth kingdom is iron, which are the legs of the Roman Empire, Caesar. This is approximately 100 BC
Daniel 2:41 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.
The feet and toes are made of clay and iron. This is a future kingdom of the antichrist. There is a gap, which was not made known unto the sons of men, between the legs and feet. It is called the mystery, the body of Christ (Rom 16:25). His legs are Iron which is the kingdom that was in power when Christ was upon the earth. The prophecy program was interrupted between the first coming and second coming of Christ and will not continue until the rapture of the body of Christ. During the mystery program Satan has switched from a political Roman to a religious kingdom that rules over the kingdom of the earth. Revelation 17:18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth. The feet of iron and clay is during the tribulation period before the second coming of the Lord.
Daniel 2:42 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.
The ten toes that are part iron and part clay are the ten kings that will rule with the antichrist during the tribulation before the second coming of the Lord. Revelation 17:12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
Daniel 2:43 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.
Iron mixed with miry clay, the 10 kings shall mingle with the seed of men.
Matthew 24:37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. In the days of Noah, angels were upon the earth and they were taking the daughters of men to destroy the seed line that Jesus Christ would come through. Genesis 6: 2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. In the tribulation period, God will use angels again and also Satan will have his angels on the earth mingling with the seeds of men. The 10 toes are 10 kings which are angels.
Daniel 2:44 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. Revelation 19: 11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
At the second coming of the Lord, He comes to judge and make war. He will rule with a rod of iron and will destroy all the kingdoms of the antichrist.
Daniel 2:45 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.
Daniel 2:46 Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours unto him.
The interpretation of the dream left Nebuchadnezzar overwhelmed and he fell down and worshipped Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him. Daniel's was a righteous man but he had one problem. He didn't reject the worship of Nebuchadnezzar.
Daniel 2:47 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 couldest reveal this secret.
Nebuchadnezzar tells Daniel that his God is a God of gods and a revealer of secrets.
Daniel 2:48 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.
Daniel is raised from a Jew in captivity to being in charge over the entire province of Babylon and in charge over all its wise men.
Daniel 2:49 Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel sat in the gate of the king.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were placed in charge over the affairs of the province of Babylon and Daniel sat in the gate as judge for the king. He continued to serve the king as an executive administrator until Nebuchadnezzar's death in 562 BC.
