Daniel 2 Study Guide

Daniel 2

And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.” Daniel 2:1

The book of Daniel is a historic and prophetic book. History tells us that Nebuchadnezzar started his reign in 605 B.C. Therefore the second year of his reign would be 604 B.C. The second chapter of Daniel took place in the year 604 B.C.

Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that was so powerful that the Bible says his spirit was troubled which means he was extremely scared. The king was so terrified because of the dream that it woke him up out of his sleep.

“VERSE 2. Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to show the king his dream. So they came and stood before the king.”

These were the people that were on the Babylonian payroll. They were people who supposed to have connection to the supernatural world and be able to reveal hidden secrets. These were the ‘’go-to” people when you needed answers to any question or if you needed any problem solved.

VERSES 3,4 And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream. Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriac, O king, live forever; tell they servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.”

The king let the magicians and astrologers know that he had a dream that troubled him to the point that he was actually super scared. In Babylonian times dreams were a big thing. When he told them that he had a dream, they asked him to tell them his dream so they could show the interpretation of it. All they needed was information about the dream and all the details that happened in it, then they could come together and make up some “bogus” interpretation that actually sounded good. These people were skilled in deception and had the ability to make things “sound good” even though it wasn’t the truth. God was about to expose these deceivers.

“VERSES 5–12. 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.

6. But if ye show the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honor; therefore show me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.

7. They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation of it.

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.

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 show me the interpretation thereof.

10. The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can show the king’s matter; therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.

11. And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can show it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.

12. For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. 13. And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.”

The verses of Daniel 2:5–12 which we just read brings to view the shocking and extremely bad conflict between the “wise” men of the greatest kingdom then in existence and the most powerful king on planet earth. King Nebuchadnezzar told them that he forgot the dream therefore it was impossible for him to tell it to them. This is why he called them in to show forth their magic and astrology skill and do things which they claimed to be able do.

This was not anything unreasonable for the king to command. It’s like if you are paying a psychic millions of dollars a year to reveal secret things, and now something very scary and awfully bad takes place in your life and you call your million dollar a year psychic in. You tell the psychic that your kid was kidnapped and you command the psychic to tell you where the kid is. Then you find out the psychic you been paying millions of dollars a year cannot help you in your most urgent need. You actually find out that your million dollar a year psychic is a fake. How would you feel? This is similar to king Nebuchadnezzar’s situation because dreams were no small thing in ancient times.

For the king to command them to tell him his dream was within their so-called profession. These magicians were supposed to be able to uncover hidden secrets, accurately predict the future, and reveal unknown things by the aid of their “gods.”

In these verses, the king is implying that it is time for your gods to come through for you and me because I forgot the dream. And If your gods don’t come through, this shows me you and all your gods are all fakes and I will destroy all the wise men who profess to be connected to these gods.

Although they didn’t try to, but they accidentally admitted in verse 11 that they had no connection with these gods and was not able to reveal secret things. This is why the king out of extreme anger nearly lost control of himself and commanded to rid his kingdom from all these fake deceivers who are supposed to be the wise men of Babylon. He commanded that all wise men be put to death!

VERSES 14–18. 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.

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.

16. Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would show the king the interpretation.

17. Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions;

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.”

By the events that has just taken place, we clearly see the wisdom and power of God at work. We see the desire of the true God, which is Jesus Christ Himself before He left heaven and became a man, to make Himself known to the Babylonians that He may rescue their souls from eternal ruin. This is how He made Himself know:

1. God sent a most powerful dream to the king.

2. God purposely made the king forget the dream.

3. God held back Daniel and allowed the magicians and astrologers to have the first chance to reveal the dream to the king.

4. This was done to expose their false gods.

5. Then Daniel went in before the king and asked him to give him time and he will tell the king the dream and the interpretation.

6. This was done to reveal the true God to these lost souls, including King Nebuchadnezzar, so they can have a chance to acknowledge Him and be saved.

The king gave Daniel time and he went home and had a prayer meeting with his 3 friends.

VERSES 19–23.

19. Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

20. Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God forever and ever; for wisdom and might are his;

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;

22. He revealeth the deep and secret things; he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.

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.

God came through like He always does. This shows the power of prevailing prayer. This also shows the power of believers uniting in prayer. Daniel received the information through a prophetic vision which he had at night. Daniel then blessed and praised the God of heaven. We are always to give thanks to God for the things that He does for us. Daniel’s praise and thanksgiving shows us that it is the true God of heaven, and Him only that can reveal deep and secret things. This proves that the Babylonian gods are false and the God of the Hebrews is the true God.

“VERSE 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 show unto the king the interpretation.

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.”

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?

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, show unto the king;

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 went in before the king and plainly told him that his so-called wise men cannot show unto the king his dream. He made it clear that it was way beyond their ability to do it. Their false gods are not able to help them because they don’t exist.

After making it clear that his magicians and wise men and their false gods could not do supernatural things and reveal hidden secrets, Daniel now introduces the God of heaven as the true God who has power to reveal hidden secrets. Daniel told the king that God sent him the dream to make known to him what shall happen in the last days of this earth’s history.

Daniel 2 shows us where we are in this earth’s history and how close we are to the end of all things. The book of Daniel and Revelation was written especially for those who should live in the final days of planet earth. Our attention should be on these two books as never before so we can get prepared for the end of the world at the second coming of Jesus Christ.

VERSE 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.

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.”

As king Nebuchadnezzar was getting ready to fall asleep, he was laying on his bed thinking about the future. He had a deep desire to know what was going to happen in the coming decades and centuries. Daniel then told the king that the One who reveals secrets has made know to him what will come to pass in later generations.

Daniel also humbly acknowledges that he doesn’t have any more wisdom than anyone living. It was only through the favor of God that he received the dream and interpretation of it. The dream was for the sake of God’s own children especially those who should live at the end of the world and to honor Nebuchadnezzar’s desire to know the future.

VERSE 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.

The king saw a great and very large image. The brightness of this image was extreme. As this very bright image stood in front of the king in his dream it terrified him and caused him to fear greatly! Nebuchadnezzar was an idolater and he worshiped false images. So when he saw an image in his dream it immediately caught his attention.

VERSES 32–36 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 threshing- floors; 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.”

36. This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.

Daniel goes on to explain to the king the dream that he saw. The king saw a great image which head was of gold, his breast and arms were of silver, his belly and thighs were of brass, and his legs were of iron, and feet were part of iron and clay. As the king was looking on this amazing image he then saw a stone that hit the image on its feet which completely destroyed it and the stone became a great mountain and filled the entire earth.

After telling the dream to the king Daniel said, THIS IS THE DREAM. Daniel didn’t ask the king if this is what he saw, he told him that was the dream he saw. He knew that the Lord God of heaven had showed him the dream and he knew that his God is truth. After Daniel told the king the dream then he gave the interpretation of it.

Verse 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.

We now enter upon the interpretation of the dream. The interpretation is given in nine verses from verses 37 to 45. These short verses covers the history of this world starting with Daniel’s time about two thousand five hundred years ago, past powerful kingdoms coming into existence and being taken out of existence, past the setting up and destruction of earthly governments, past centuries and millenniums, past our own time, over into the eternal world.

Daniel 2:37–45 is packed with all this information of human history. Just nine simple verses of the Word of God, 37–45 of the second chapter of Daniel contains all this world’s history. This alone proves that the Bible is the true Word of God.

The four metals on the image represented four world kingdoms which would rule the entire world. Daniel told king Nebuchadnezzar that he represented the head of gold on the image. What kingdom did Nebuchadnezzar rule?

“In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.” Daniel 1:1

The Bible tells us that Nebuchadnezzar was the king of Babylon. Therefore the head of gold on the image represents the kingdom of Babylon. Gold was a perfect symbol to represent Babylon because it was the most richest and wealthiest kingdom that ever ruled this planet. The riches and wealth of the kingdom of Babylon would make American look poor in comparison. Babylon ruled the entire world from 605 B.C. to 539 B.C.

Nebuchadnezzar rebuilt all of Babylon’s major cities on a lavish scale. God used him to make the kingdom of Baby extremely beautiful and very luxurious. He was a good builder. History says Nebuchadnezzar’s, “building activity at Babylon was what turned it into the immense and beautiful city of legend.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neo-Babylonian_Empire

History even acknowledges that Babylon was a very large and beautiful city of the past. This is why God chose to use the symbol of gold to represent the kingdom of Babylon because it was just that beautiful.

The Holy Spirit through Isaiah calls Babylon the glory of kingdoms. “And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.”Isaiah 13:19

This kingdom was so beautiful and powerful that all thought that it would last forever. Then Daniel goes on to explain something nobody would have ever thought, he says:

“And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee.”Daniel 2:39

Nebuchadnezzar did not expect any other kingdom to over take and conquer Babylon. The wall of Babylon was 87 feet think and extremely high. Who can even get in this powerful city when the gates were locked? It would be like saying some nation would conquer the United States and it would no longer be a Nation. This is how powerful and strong Babylon was. But the prophecy said that another kingdom would rise after the kingdom of Babylon and conquer it.

The chest and arms of the image represent another kingdom that would conquer Babylon. That kingdom was Medo-Persia.

The Medo-Persia kingdom was a kingdom that consisted of the Meds and the Persian people. They conquered Babylon in 539 B.C. The history of the fall of Babylon to the Medo-Persia kingdom is the subject of Daniel 5. Daniel 5 tells of the fall of Babylon and clearly says that it was by the Medo-Persian kingdom. The history in the encyclopedia says the same thing. The Bible is a history book because prophecy is history written in advance.

Next the prophecy says that another third kingdom would rule the world. “…and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.” Daniel 2:39

This third kingdom of brass was the kingdom of Greece. Alexander the great ruled this kingdom. Greece conquered the Medo-Persia empire in 331 BC. This was the third world kingdom that Daniel foretold would come into existence.

“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.” Daniel 2:40

The legs of iron on the image represent the kingdom of Rome. Rome ruled the world from 168 BC to 476 AD. The kingdom of Rome started to become a power in the world around 215 BC. During this time the kingdom of Greece now saw Rome as a threat and united with another kingdom to defeat them. Greece was defeated by the Roman empire in 197 BC and then in 168 BC. When Rome defeated the kingdom of Greece in 168 BC then they became a world power and in that very year the world’s history transitioned from the belly and thighs of brass to the legs of iron. Again Rome rule the entire globe from 168 BC to 476 AD.

“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.” Daniel 2:41

The feet and toes of the image represents the divided nations of the Roman empire. During the legs of iron world history, Rome was united, but the prophecy said that it would not be conquered, but it would be divided. The nations of Europe is the divided nations of the once powerful united Roman empire. Also the two legs represents the Roman empire when it divided into the Eastern part and Western part of Rome.

“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. 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.” Daniel 2:42–43

It was prophesied that men would try to unite the Roman empire by “mingling themselves with the seed of men,” which mean they would try to unite the divided Roman empire, now Europe, by marring and having children. But prophecy said, “But they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.” This is what happened although they married and had children to try to united the Roman empire, it didn’t work. Today it is still divided in fulfillment of prophecy.

“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. 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 2:44–45

The stone that hit the image on it’s feet and destroyed it completely, represents the destruction of all earthly kingdoms by the kingdom of Christ. When Christ sets up His kingdom on planet earth the Bible says it will last forever.

This is the prophecy of Daniel chapter 2. In summary:

1. The Bible said there would be four world kingdoms and there were four world kingdoms.

2. The Bible said the fourth world kingdom would be divided and it was divided.

3. The two legs showed that it would be divided into two parts before being completely divided into the feet and toes in 476 AD. Rome was divided into two parts, Eastern Rome and Western Rome in 395 AD.

4. The Bible says they would mingle themselves together to try to united the Roman empire but it would not work. They tried to do it but failed.

5. The next thing in the prophecy is the setting up of Christ’s eternal kingdom. We know this will happen by the fulfillment of the other kingdoms rising and falling. Asking God to forgive us for our sins and breaking away from sin by righteousness is how to get prepared for this soon coming kingdom! Are you willing to confess your sins to God and break away from them by His righteousness?