The Image Vision of Daniel Two

THE
IMAGE VISION OF DANIEL TWO

By
David L. Cooper

            In times past the Lord often spoke by means of dreams, especially to heathen kings.  He revealed to the Pharaoh of Egypt that there would be seven years of drought in his country (Genesis 40 and 41).  This message was portrayed in a dram.  The significance of it, however, was withheld from the monarch.  He demanded the magicians of the land to make known its meaning.  They failed.  Finally in the providence of God, Joseph was brought from prison to
stand before the king.  Wit exactness, he interpreted the significance of each portion of the dream.  To Pharaoh, it immediately became evident that the interpretation was totally accurate.  The king, therefore, gave Joseph power over the land and placed him next to himself in authority.

To Nebuchadnezzar, the proud, boastful king of Babylon, the Lord likewise conveyed a message by means of a dram.  This revealing dream constitutes the subject of this message.  A second revelation was made to him later, in another dream, but we are not interested in that one presently.

In the last days, we are told by Joel, God will speak to the old men in Israel by means of dreams and to the young men in visions.  This promise is not to the Gentiles but to the Jews only; as yet, this has never been fulfilled.  In God’s own time, it will be.

The question frequently arises as to whether or not dreams have any significance at the present time.  Good people are lined up on both sides of this question, but a scientific investigation showed that very few dreams ever come true.  Most frequently, one has to distort the dream, or the facts which it is supposed to reveal, in order to approximate a fulfillment of the dream.  When all the evidence has been presented, one is forced to conclude that one cannot, in this day, afford to put any credence in dreams.

When the Lord spoke to Pharaoh and to Nebuchadnezzar He used dreams, but provided literal interpretations through His prophets.  The circumstances in each case were such that the monarch was convinced by logic, and evidence, that the dream was of divine origin and that the prophet was the Almighty’s spokesman.

DANIEL
THE INTERPRETER

            Nebuchadnezzar demanded of the magicians that they describe and interpret his dram.  They were unable to do so.  Then Daniel, one among the wise men of Babylon, volunteered to make known the dream and its interpretation, but asked that he be given some time.  The request being granted, he called his immediate friends and engaged in supplication to God for the desired revelation.  Their prayers were answered.  With boldness, Daniel went into the presence of the king and minutely recounted what Nebuchadnezzar had seen in the dream.  The monarch instantly recognized the preciseness of the prophet’s
description.

As related by Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar saw a great image, the head being of gold, the chest and arms of silver, the belly and thighs of brass, the legs of iron, and the feet and toes of iron and miry clay.  This image was standing at the foot of a mountain, out of which a small stone was cut without hands.  Rolling
down the side, it gained velocity and smote the image with terrific impact.  This resulted in the image being broken into fragments which, in turn, were—like the chaff of the summer threshing-floor—blown away by the wind.  The little stone then became a mountain which filled the entire earth.

Such a vivid description and interpretation were conclusive evidence to the king that Daniel was a servant of the true and living God.

THE
INTERPRETATION OF THE DREAM

            Addressing the monarch, Daniel said: “Thou, O king, art king of kings, unto whom the God of heaven hath given the kingdom, the power, and the strength, and the glory; and wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens hath he given into thy hand, and hath made thee to rule over them all:  thou art the head of gold,” (Daniel 2:37, 38).

This statement is essential to the proper understanding of all predictions; in it lies the broad outline of prophecy into which all subsequent revelations
fit.  It is expedient that we examine this passage with utmost care.

According to Daniel, the God of Heaven gave to Nebuchadnezzar—whom he addressed as “king of kings,”—“the kingdom, the power, the strength, and the glory.”  This statement is all-inclusive.  It declares that all governmental authority and power were conferred upon Nebuchadnezzar.  “In what realm?” one may ask.  This statement is all-inclusive.  It declares that all governmental authority and power were conferred upon Nebuchadnezzar.  “In what realm?” one may ask.  This question is answered in the following words:  “Wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven hath
he given into thy hand, and hath made thee to rule over them all:  thou art the head of gold.”  Reread and note the force of these words.  According to this statement, all lands—where there were men, birds, and beasts—were delivered to Nebuchadnezzar.  Were there any men, birds and beasts in America, this continent was included in this declaration.  From such a position there can be no escape, if language has any meaning at all.

Were there birds, beasts and men on these various continents when Nebuchadnezzar was reigning in Babylon?  Archeology answers in the affirmative.  Originally, there was one continent and one sea.  This great body of land was broken up in the days of Peleg (Genesis 10:25).  Before that cataclysm, man and  beast wandered at liberty over that one vast land; but when it was broken up, those in certain sections, who survived that catastrophe, were cut off from all connections with other segments of the world.  In view of these facts, we may be absolutely certain that man and beast were here in America and on the various continents in the days of Nebuchadnezzar.  If these statements are true, then the promise made to Nebuchadnezzar extended to include all those  territories where there was life.

Since worldwide dominion was granted to Nebuchadnezzar, the question arises:  “Did he take possession of the grant and exercise such universal dominion?”  Everyone familiar with ancient history, knows that he conquered all Babylonia, then extended his boundaries as far as Asia Minor in the northwest and Egypt in the southwest.  He likewise extended his boundaries eastward but by no stretch of the imagination can we conceive of his having conquered even the known world of his day.  Nevertheless, God granted to him universal dominion.

The fact that God granted worldwide power to him, but that he did not avail himself of it, should not cause any difficulty to the believer.  A parallel situation may be seen in the promise God made to Abraham, and to his descendants, concerning the Land of Promise.  If one will read the description of the territory granted Abraham and his seed, as found in certain portions of Genesis and other books of the Pentateuch, one will see that the land vouchsafed to them extended from the River of Egypt to the River Euphrates, embracing also the land of the Hittites, who occupied a major portion of Asia Minor.  The Hebrews, in no period of their history, ever took possession of all the land God granted to them.  As a matter of fact, they possessed only a small portion of it.
Only in the days of David and Solomon did their territory extend to include even as much as a narrow strip along the shore of the Mediterranean Sea and eastward to the Euphrates River.  Subsequent to Solomon’s reign, much of this territory was lost and the frontiers of Israel changed and shrunk. At no time since its existence has the Hebrew race taken over all the lands deeded to them.  Their failure does not make null and void the promise of God.  Of this we may be certain:  God will yet literally fulfill the promise to Israel, but only when she is able to receive it.

As another illustration of this same point, let us consider that God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ (Ephesians 1:3).  I do not suppose there is a single Christian living today who would, being in full possession of his mental faculties, declare that he has taken possession of all the provisions which God has  granted him in Christ.  Though we fail, we must not whittle down the promises of God to make them correspond to our meager experiences.  Contrariwise, we should accept God’s statements at their face value and, with humility, confess our failure. Doing so, and understanding such a situation, we cannot comprehend the promise of world dominion God made to Nebuchadnezzar—one which he never appropriated.  His failure, or inability, did not alter—neither did it make null and void—the promise of God.

The image which Nebuchadnezzar saw, and which Daniel described, was—as is indicated by the description—that of a man.  It had a head of gold, supported by a chest of silver.  This part of the anatomy, in turn, was connected to a belly of brass; the belly, in turn, was connected to legs of iron; the feet, of iron and clay, were attached to the legs.  The impression one receives from reading this passage is that the image stood erect at the foot of a mountain.  I have
traveled quite extensively in Egypt.  All images of the Pharaohs which I saw (and there were many, especially of Rameses II), quite accurately resemble the anatomy of a man.  Of course, I have never discovered any image made of metals such as this image, but I have seen statues made of marble and other materials—images of various monarchs of Egypt and—in different countries—of other men.  The heads of all these are connected to the chests by means of the neck.  The chest blends into the belly, and the belly into the thighs—which, in turn, develop into the legs.  In other words, these statues and images constitute single units.  Such is the impression one normally gains from reading Daniel 2 with reference to the image-vision of Nebuchadnezzar.

Unless positive evidence can be produced—that there has been some interruption in time between any of the kingdoms symbolized by the various metals—one must conclude that each, uninterruptedly and immediately, follows its predecessor.  This consideration is most important—especially since there is presently a peculiar interpretation being forced upon the prophetic word, causing no little confusion in certain quarters.  There were no breaks in the image according to the description.  There are, therefore, no breaks of intervening time between those kingdoms symbolized by the various metals.  This position we
must accept without hesitation, unless there is absolute proof showing, unmistakably, that there were any breaks in the image.  One will see in vain for such positive evidence.

To bolster a theory, one might resort to “The Law of Double Reference.”  All students of the Word realize that one of the four types of messianic prophecy—omitting the Christian Dispensation—bends the first and second comings of Christ into a single picture; this class of prediction is an illustration of this law.  One who fails to recognize this principle can never understand, accurately, the utterances of the prophets.  But the fact that the principle of double reference often obtains in plan predictions, does not give license to read into the description of this image vision an interval separating any two of the kingdoms signified.  If, on the other hand, there is positive evidence—either in Daniel 2 or in other passages dealing with the same subject—showing that
there is an omission in the image-vision, we shall do well to recognize the truth on this point and accept it accordingly. In the absence of such testimony, one should not assume that there is a break in the continuity of the prophetic times indicated by the image.  We have neither right, nor logical reason, to assume that this image was anything other than that of a normal man.  The circumstances of the case—studied in the light of related passages—demand that we recognize the image as representing an unbroken period of time, which began with Nebuchadnezzar and ends with the second coming of Christ (Daniel 2:44).

SIGNIFICANCE
OF THE METALS

            The head of this image was of fine gold, the chest of silver, the belly and thighs of brass, and the legs of iron, whereas the feet and toes were of iron and miry clay.  One instantly recognizes design in such an arrangement.  An examination of the use of gold and fine gold in the Scriptures reveals the fact that this
metal was used to symbolize that which is purest or of the first quality.  When governments are under consideration, it would naturally signify that which God considers to be the highest or most ideal form of government.  Since the head of god signified Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian form of rule, we may
conclude that an absolute monarchy (for such was Babylon) is God’s ideal type of government.  Of course, an unrighteous king, even though he ruled as an absolute monarch, could not meet divine approval; but such a type of government, administered by an absolute monarch, could not meet divine approval; but such a type of government, administered by an absolutely righteous and impartial monarch—one who knows the very thoughts and intents of the heart—would fulfill that which is symbolized by this finest of metals.  Nebuchadnezzar and his successors fell far below God’s ideal; nevertheless, that type of government was what God had in mind in this depiction of gold.

The next metal in this image, viewed from the head downward, is the chest and arms of silver.  This portion of the image signified a second type of government; it succeeded the Babylonian kingdom and was inferior to it, even as silver is inferior to gold.  The kingdom which followed Babylon was that
of the Medes and Persians.  Their type of government was a limited monarchy; one that was inferior to an absolute monarchy, as is recognized by all students of politics.

To this second empire were granted the same powers and authority over the entire world that had been given to the Babylonians.  Like their predecessors, they never did “go in and possess their possessions.”  It is true that they swallowed up the Babylonian Empire and pushed their frontiers beyond the boundaries of the former.  Nevertheless, they never did exercise world dominion as outlined in this prediction.  The historical facts show conclusively that
they did not.

The third kingdom was symbolized by the belly of brass.  From the standpoint of real worth, brass is less valuable than silver.  Since this metal was chosen, it is quite evident that the government here symbolically presented would be of a lower type than that of the Medes and Persians.  From history we know that the Greek Empire succeeded the Medo-Persian Kingdom.  The authority and power that had been first in the hands of the Babylonians,
transferred to the Medes and Persians, was passed on to the Greeks.  They took over all the territory that had formerly been under the control of their predecessors and pushed their boundaries quite a distance beyond that of Medo-Persia in its widest extent.  When, however, they were no longer plastic in the hands of God, and could not be used of Him to forward His plan of the ages, He withdrew this delegated power and authority and transferred it to their successors, the Romans.

This fourth empire was symbolized by the legs of iron and the feet and toes of iron mixed with miry clay.  Here again we see a depreciation in the value of the metal used.  It is true that iron is much stronger than the other metals appearing in the upper part of the image; but, from the standpoint of real value, it  was of far less worth than the former ones.  As we learn from history, the Roman Empire succeeded the Grecian Empire and without question, is the one symbolized by the iron.  The authority and power, granted to the Babylonians, transferred to the Medo-Persians, then to the Greeks, were finally delivered into the hands of the Romans.   They in turn extended their boundaries beyond any held by the Greeks—even at the zenith of their power—and incorporated more territory under their rule than any of their predecessors.]

As suggested above, there is nothing in Scriptural language that implies any time gap existed between the third and fourth empires.  Only a demand to bolster an espoused position could lead one to invent a break in the succession of rule between the third and the fourth empires.

SPECIAL
FEATURES OF THE FOURTH KINGDOM

            The legs, feet and toes—symbols of the fourth kingdom—were of iron and iron mixed with miry clay.  The arms attached to the chest of silver signified the dual monarchy of the Medes and Persians.  The legs representing the fourth kingdom signified a division into two sections—the Western and the Eastern Roman Empire.

A glance at history shows us that Rome was a singularly strong unit from the days of Julius Caesar until the empire was divided by Diocletian in 285  A.D.  In view of this fact, we may be certain that the hips of the image were likewise of iron.  This is the logical meaning of the language, which limits the portion exclusively brass to the belly of the image.

When our Lord was upon earth, Rome was in the hip-stage and never reached the leg-stage until Diocletian came to the throne and divided the empire into what later became known as the Eastern Roman Empire and the Western Roman Empire.  At first there were coordination and cooperation between the two sections; the emperor of each considered the other his equal and co-partner.  Eventually, differences arose and what began as a breach developed into a chasm separating the two governments, although they were of the same imperial type.

Those reading this prophecy before the time of Diocletian would naturally conclude that the first kingdom, symbolized by the head of gold, would be a united empire; that the second would be a dual monarchy as indicated by the arms; that the third would be a united kingdom, which fact was indicated by the belly of brass; that the fourth one would be a solid political unity for a while but would develop into two sections as indicated by the legs.  Furthermore, he would naturally believe that just as the legs extended from the torso downward to the feet, so the two empires, into which this one divides, would likewise continue in this dual form—unlike the Medo-Persian Empire with an organic connection, as indicated by the chest and arms—only that each pursues its individual existence, as indicated by the legs.  From the time that Rome supplanted Greece, to the division of the empire, everyone who understood the prophecy had a logical right to expect that the Roman Empire would divide into the two sections indicated by the legs.  After that prophecy was fulfilled, all Bible students had a right to believe that those two divisions would continue through the centuries to the very end of the age.  Since the legs of the image extended from the body to the feet, no one studying this passage could arrive at any other conclusion.  No one today, who is willing to let the prediction deliver its own message to his heart, can logically interpret it differently.  Thus, from the time the prophecy was spoken until the present, everyone believing and accepting the Scriptures as the infallibly inspired Word of God has had a right to believe that Rome continues through the centuries in this two-fold division, as indicated by the legs.

Furthermore, they are forced, logically, to believe that this dual empire will eventually develop into ten divisions, as signified by the toes; if language is definite and can be relied upon, our prediction means just this.  It can mean nothing else.  To force upon it any other interpretation is to do violence to the Word.  Daniel 2 gives no hint as to how this final development will be brought about.  However, Daniel 7 and Revelation 13 and 17 tell us more.

In this connection, let us bear in mind that each of these metals symbolized a definite, specific type of government.  About this position, there can be no question.  This fact may point to the solution of the problem involved, especially as related to the fourth empire.  Since iron symbolized an imperial type of
government, we have a right to believe that the old Caesarean imperialism was destined to continue through the centuries—to the very end—as signified by the
legs that continue from the body to the feet.

We have seen the picture presented in this prophecy.  An examination of the historical facts, as they have unfolded through the centuries, will make this picture more vivid.  Rome was a solid political unity when the Lord Jesus was upon earth.  At that time she was in the hip-stage, as previously suggested.  She reached the leg-stage when Diocletian came to the throne and divided the empire into the Eastern and Western sections, making Constantinople the capital of the East and Rome the capital of the West.  Let us think of this image as facing northward.  The left leg then would represent the Western Roman Empire; the right leg, the Eastern Roman Empire.  The Western section was overrun by the Germanic tribes in 476 A.D.  Speaking in terms of the anatomy of man, I would say that the left leg was broken in that year.  The injury was serious and was never healed until 800 A.D. when Charles the Great, restoring law and order, united all the fragments, into another political unity.  This became known as “The Holy Roman Empire of the Frankish Nation.”  Thus, Western Rome’s center of political gravity shifted from Italian soil to French territory.  This political entity remained intact until 963 A.D.  Then Otto I, the German, crossed the Rhine and conquered the Western section of the Empire.  Seeing an advantage in the civilization which he had vanquished, he incorporated the conquered country into his empire and Romanized his Germanic tribes.  He and his successors then claimed to be the heirs of the old Roman Caesars.  Since they Romanized their civilization and added the conquered territory to their dominions, it is only logical for us to understand that the Empire in the West was continued—the broken leg having been healed.  The center of political gravity had once again been shifted—this time from French territory to Germanic soil.  It continued through medieval times, and subsequently, to be centered in Germany.  It is true that the boundaries of Rome have contracted and expanded intermittently, yet there has been a persistency of a particular type of government—Caesarean imperialism—down through the centuries.  To illustrate this, let me imagine a situation which I know will never develop.  Suppose Germany should conquer Britain and Russia and then invade our Atlantic seaboard.  We would, of course, rally our forces against the aggressors.  In this hypothetical war, let us imagine the enemy driving our forces westward.  The capital, which is now at Washington, D.C., would, of course, be moved westward before the advancing hordes.  In this conceived calamity, let us assume that the invaders pushed our forces as far as the Mississippi River.  In such an event, the capital would probably be established either at Omaha or Kansas City.  At this stage of the struggle, both sides come to the conclusion that neither can win.  Finally, an armistice is requested—fighting ceases.  A peace conference is called.  The aggressors then demand, as an indemnity of the war, that the American government cede to them all the territory east of the Mississippi.  To these unreasonable demands, the American delegates consent and affix their names to the peace treaty.  The conquerors then take possession of the newly acquired territory.  Under such
conditions what would the government, centered in Kansas City, be called?  Everyone would say that it would still be the United States of America.  This is correct.  It would still be the same government, having the same traditions, civilization, organization, institutions and ideals as the one which started with the thirteen original colonies, on the Atlantic seaboard; yet, it would not be on one foot of the original soil.  There would be continuity, not of territorial boundaries, but of the type of government.  We can, therefore, see that in the persistency of the type of government—which is the thing emphasized in Daniel’s vision—lays the continuity implied in the legs of the metallic image of Daniel 2.  The Roman type of government has persisted throughout the centuries in Western Europe.  The same old Caesarian imperialism has prevailed through the centuries.

In 1453 A.D., the eastern half of the Roman Empire went down under the Ottoman Turks.  At that time many of the leaders fled to the West, carrying with them the civilization of the East.  This turn of events laid the foundation for the great Renaissance.  Several political leaders fled from Constantinople into Russia, taking with them their ideas of government.  They infiltrated into positions of power and finally transmuted the government at Kiev into the same types that which had existed at Constantinople, in the old Byzantine Empire.  Thus was transferred to Russian soil the old Caesarian imperialism, which has continued through the centuries, notwithstanding the ebb and flow of national events, up to the present time.  There has, therefore, been a continuity of the type of government, both in the East and in the West, to the present.  It will continue on until the ten-toe-stage is reached.

THE
SMITTING STONE

            In the vision, Nebuchadnezzar saw a small stone cut out of the mountain without hands which rolled down and smote the feet of the image.  The impact broke the image into fragments.  These being removed, the little stone became a mountain which filled the earth.

What is the significance of this stone?  Since the image symbolized four governments, the stone likewise is a symbol.  But of what?  God does not mix His teachings.  We must find the significance of a stone when thus used symbolically.  The first appearance of such a metaphorical meaning appears in Genesis 49:24, where the Messiah of Israel is called “the stone.”  In other places “stone,” as we learn from each context, signifies “Messiah.”  “Rock” as a rule, when  thus used, refers to God the Father, although, in Isaiah 8:14, both a “rock” and a “stone” signify the Messiah.  Since this is its metaphorical meaning, we may assume that this smiting stone is a symbol of the Messiah and—at His coming—clashing with the fourth power of the image.

With tremendous force, this stone strikes the image upon its feet and breaks all the metals into fragments.  Under no condition could such imagery signify the first advent of Messiah; no such stroke at civil governments was made by Him.  Furthermore, Rome was in the thigh-stage when the Lord Jesus  ame the first time.  It has not reached the toe-stage yet.  He does not return until that point is reached.  These facts point to the conclusion that this stone signifies the coming of the Lord in glory and power.  His demolishing all human rule and establishing His reign of righteousness upon the earth.  This is exactly what is said in Daniel 2:44.  “And in the days of those kings (the ones signified by the toes of the image) shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall the sovereignty thereof be left to another people; but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.”

A mountain, when used symbolically—as seen in Jeremiah 51:25—always signifies a human government.  Since this little stone becomes a great mountain, filling the earth, and since the mountain signifies a kingdom, we understand that this mountain is the symbol of the Messiah’s worldwide kingdom, which He will establish when He returns in glory and abolishes all human government and authority.

Thus, under the symbolism of the metallic image—consisting of the four metals—we view the four world empires, from the human standpoint, as did Nebuchadnezzar. No one comparison, in any field, can provide all the facts.  The information appearing in this chapter is supplemented by what is presented in Daniel 7, and completed in the final disclosures of the Book of Revelation.