Monday: Daniel 2
Daily Lesson for Monday 28th of April 2025
It was during the Babylonian captivity, through the prophet Daniel, that God presented the most compelling descriptions we have of the relationship between His people and the kingdoms of this world. His people were no longer autonomous; they would now be reaping the consequences of their choices. (And, perhaps, learning from them?)
Read Daniel 2:31-35, which gives a sweeping panoramic view of world history until the end of time. What important truths can we learn from this amazing prophecy?
Image © Phil McKay at Goodsalt.com
At the end of the nineteenth century, many people were exuding a new confidence in human progress. The Paris Exposition (1900), for example, was a remarkable showcase of optimism about the future. Surely, with all of our technological and scientific advances, many of humanity’s worst problems would be at an end! As humanity entered the twentieth century, among many thinkers there was this great optimism that Enlightenment ideals—such as human perfectibility and the power of reason—would usher in a wonderful new era for humanity.
World War I, however, quickly shattered those dreams, and by the end of the twentieth century, we had lost more than 200 million people to warfare. We may have advanced in a technological sense, but certainly not in a moral one. To paraphrase Martin Luther King Jr., we have guided missiles but misguided men. And that’s a very scary combination.
Many students of prophecy have noticed that the metals in Daniel 2:1-49 move from most valuable to least valuable: gold devalues to silver, silver devalues to brass, and brass to iron, until we end up with only iron and clay.
Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, and other nineteenth-century thinkers attempted to convince us that humanity is somehow tracking upward—that we are evolving biologically and socially. And though in some ways human existence has improved (at least at a physical level), who actually looks ahead to the future of this world, as it is now ruled and governed, with much optimism about peace, security, and prosperity?
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Jesus warned, “ ‘And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. . . . For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places’ ” (Matthew 24:6-7, NKJV). Despite these warnings, how can we draw comfort from knowing that we have been warned beforehand about them? |
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My earliest recollection of evangelism by Seventh-day Adventists included a diet of "Dead Men Tell Tales". I guess I was about 8 years old when I saw the black-light images of Daniel light up in front of an audience together with a "Magic Lantern" slide show of the archaeological ruins of Mesopotamia. Dates me a bit doesn't it!
Interestingly, at the time, the interpretation of Daniel 2 led to answering the question: will Britain join the European Economic Community (EEC)? This was topical because I grew up in a farming community where we sold most of our butter production to the mother country, Britain. The interpretation was that we were in the ten toes region and the nations would remain divided. The local "cow-cockies" (you would call them dairy farmers) were reassured by this message and some of them became Seventh-day Adventists. Of course, Britain joined the EEC and for a time, the prophecy failed. If the farmers had lived long enough they would have seen Britain change its mind and withdraw from the EEC, but I suspect that most of them had died by the time that happened or were no longer dairy farmers, or Adventists for that matter.
I mention this because topical interpretation of prophecies is something we often get drawn into in our attempt to reinforce the idea the Second Coming is close at hand. Often such interpretation is short-lived and gives the appearance of failure.
Perhaps we need to concentrate on the big picture. The images of Daniel paint a picture of the transient nature of earth's kingdoms which are based on conquering and competitiveness. They burn brightly for a time, but they either decay or are overrun by the next conqueror. And all we have left are some ancient ruins that give joy to the archaeologists.
The big message of Daniel 2 is:
The operative phrase is: "And in the days of these kings...". All along, God has his Kingdom, which operates on a different principle, that is going to outlast the ephemeral existence of the Earthly kingdoms. Ultimately, love does not fail. And in our preaching of prophecy we need to embrace that interpretation and share it with others.
The stone that hit the image at its feet is none other than "Jesus at Calvary's Cross and then resurrection." That was when The Iron feet started becoming mixed with clay to then split into 10 Kingdoms and which will soon be swept away by God's wind and give entrance to Jesus as the true King of Kings and Lord of Lords of this world.
But the stone that hit the toes comes after the iron enclave. This is clearly the second coming of Jesus.
Many of us, if not all of us, who write on this blog have had the privilege and blessing of hearing sermons and seminars on Daniel Chapter Two. Many seminars, sermons, and discussions have viewed this chapter from a panoramic view at times with a spin. How can we use the spiritual lessons contained in the chapter to practically encourage one another in our Christian walk? May we reflect on the following:
1. No matter the troubled times we are in, God is still on the throne. We may be overwhelmed with what is going on around us and around the world, but God is not an absentee landlord. He controls global human affairs (Daniel 2:21). Let us encourage one another to trust in God.
2. Jesus is coming soon. Daniel 2 gives us words of comfort: "The God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed." (Daniel 2:44). Evil will not have the last laugh. Love, peace, justice, and righteousness will reign forever in God's kingdom. This is our blessed hope.
3. God honoured Daniel. He will honour us too if we remain faithful to Him. The stresses we go through in this life are absolutely nothing compared to the insurmountable reward that waits for us if we fight a good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12).
4. Let us cultivate a life of prayer like Daniel. Daniel lived a prayerful life. The God of Daniel is our God, too. God rescued Daniel from the den of lions and the furnace fire. Prayer can make God turn situations around. If He does not, He will grant us the courage to face undesirable situations gracefully.
5. We already know the end of the story: JESUS WINS. Jesus has already overcome the world for us. “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33, NLT.
“You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God” (Hebrews 3:13, NLT).
My wife and I went to "Alumni Week-end" at La Sierra College last Sabbath. There was a fellow there who spoke at the Sabbath School Class about "The Stone" in the Book of Daniel becoming "A Great Mountain and filled the whole earth." But in the mean time God passed him through a near death auto accident which left him not able to walk for several months and then went on to lead us to accept in our lives these "Set Backs" that God brings to us as we go on to live for Him and witness about "The Great Mountain" soon to arrive to this earth. He claimed that "We cannot save lives now." We can only help people live a little longer and that "The Mountain" is always just too great for us to conquer. But I did not even think about asking this "Servant of God" the following question, At least not until the following day, but I was now home and away from that setting:
What about John 10:10? Jesus here says that He came to give us "Life" and to give it to us "More Abundantly?" When I was 28 years of age, I had been a Seventh Day Adventist for 7 years. I was 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighed only 120 pounds, very poor appetite, had no peace or joy in my life, I had three headaches a week and one of them always made me vomit and aspirin did not take away the pain, and I was still enslaved to certain sinful habits. But then, God, sent one of His Servants, to teach me what Ellen G. White wrote in her Book "Education" page 257, "In the prayer of faith there is a divine science; it is a science that everyone who would make his lifework a success must understand." It was a course of lessons and principles of prayer that now I see that This Church should have given to me as soon as I was "Baptized," and not wait until God intervened for me seven years later with this course. This course led me to "Tap into God's Promises in His Word, "The Bible," and I began to have less and less headaches and more and more peace and joy etc. After this, God reconnected me with my fiance, got married, became a Painting Contractor, my appetite got better, gained about 30 pounds and now I am 81 years of age with better health than I had then. Yes, we can with Jesus and the "Divine Science of this prayer," conquer that mountain. Because that mountain is Jesus in our live.
Daniel 2:31–35 describes King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of a great statue made of different materials:
Head of gold
Chest and arms of silver
Belly and thighs of bronze
Legs of iron
Feet partly of iron and partly of clay. Then, a stone "cut out without hands" strikes the statue at the feet, obliterates it, and grows into a mountain that fills the whole earth. From this sweeping prophecy, here are the truths I have learned:
1. Human Empires Are Temporary - Each part of the statue represents successive kingdoms (later identified in Daniel 2:36–45), showing that no human empire lasts forever. World powers rise and fall according to God's plan.
2. History Is Under Divine Control - The sequence is not random — God ordains it. History follows a divine timeline, not just human ambition or chance.
3. Decline in Moral and Political Stability - The metals degrade in value from gold to iron and clay, symbolising a decline in human governments' strength, unity, and quality over time.
4. Ultimate Triumph of God's Kingdom - The stone "cut out without hands" (meaning of supernatural origin) symbolises God's everlasting kingdom, which will ultimately replace all human governments. It is not man-made and will never be destroyed.
5. Urgency and Hope - The vision reminds us that we live in a time of divided kingdoms (feet of iron and clay), which is close to establishing God's eternal kingdom. This inspires urgency in sharing the message and hope in God's coming reign.
The Stone "cut out without hands" represents God’s eternal kingdom, which will replace all earthly kingdoms. It is divine (not human-made) and will last forever (Daniel 2:44).
The metals go from precious but soft (gold) to strong but less valuable (iron) and finally, fragile (iron and clay). This shows that although military power increased, the quality and unity of kingdoms declined. But the most critical point here is that the stone that strikes the feet indicates that God's kingdom will be established in the days of the divided nations, not during a future earthly empire. So as in 2 Corinthians 6:2, he says, 'In the time of my favour I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favour, now is the day of salvation." I pray we heed this urgent admonition and 'do better'.
Even though Jesus spoke of troubling events — wars, famines, pestilences, earthquakes — His warnings actually provide comfort for several important reasons:
1. Foreknowledge Shows God's Sovereignty - Knowing that Jesus predicted these things shows that He is not caught off guard. God still controls history, even when the world seems chaotic. Nothing surprises Him.
2. Preparation, Not Panic - Jesus’ warning helps believers to be spiritually prepared rather than fearful. We are not to be terrified (Matthew 24:6 says, “see that you are not troubled”), because He has already told us these things must happen before the end comes.
3. Evidence That Jesus' Words Are Trustworthy - The accuracy of His predictions strengthens our faith. If the early signs He described are happening just as He said, we can trust His promises about His second coming and the final victory of His kingdom.
4. Encouragement to Stay Focused - Knowing what is coming helps keep our focus on eternal realities rather than being overwhelmed by temporary crises. It reminds us to stay faithful, watchful, and engaged in sharing hope with others.
5. Hope in Final Deliverance - The prophecy doesn’t end with trouble — it points forward to Jesus' return and the establishment of His everlasting kingdom where there will be no more sorrow, pain, or death (Revelation 21:4).
Jesus warned us not to frighten us but to comfort, strengthen, and prepare us so that when these things happen, we can lift up our heads, knowing our redemption draws near (Luke 21:28).
I have been away for almost a year, but am glad God has led me back, it's interesting that I have come back during the topic on prophecy, maybe God wants me to learn something, am so encouraged to find mr Maurice Ashton, I used to love reading your commentary and others às well, I have decided to sit at the feet of Jesus and just listen to him, I want to get back to those good days used to read his word every day, to walk with Him again and I thought this is a good starting point, be blessed, everyone
Welcome back Eric!
Now we are down at the feet of the image. The feet are made of clay and iron. Why? Because they represent 10 different nations. Europe down to the tee. Nations have tried to circumvent this prophecy by forming a European union, it is not working well. They are still sovereign for the most part, nations ten of them. Then in the picture of today's lesson brought to us by Phill McKay artist of the GoodSalt, Inc., we see the feet ten toes. At the feet we see a huge rock coming down out of the heavens and crushing the feet into pieces. Which represents Christ coming to take His people home, people of all languages, creed, nations, and color, all who have given themselves to Christ, and maintained that relationship to death duest part. And if He does not come in our life time, in the blinking of an eye we will be seeing Jesus come to take us home for a thousand years. As we rise in the air it will be because we are hot, not cold.
I am reading from To Know God.
"But wherever Jesus went, people never remained the same. Wherever Jesus is uplifted, there’s either a revival or a riot. Wherever the apostle Paul went, determined to know nothing except Jesus and Him crucified, people went one way or the other. Either they welcomed him into their synagogues, or they ran him out of town. There is no possibility of straddling the fence in the presence of Jesus. So this is what causes the large middle group to disappear just shortly before Jesus returns. At the time of His coming there will be only two groups. This emphasis upon the righteousness of Christ by faith alone has been rising steadily, and nothing is stopping -142- it. It’s the last message just before Jesus returns, and it causes the last events just before He comes again. We can rejoice when we see it happening, for it tells us that Jesus’ coming is very, very near." To Know God, page 141-142.
The human perception of reality in this world is fully described in the news every day. It's not only because bad news sells, but also because humankind is degrading together with its house, the planet. But we should have no fear, because before men get to destroy themselves, God will establish a new Kingdom, redeemed with innocent blood, the blood of its own Creator, Who died and resurrected to come back, and to restore to perfection the whole Earth.