Daniel 2:36-45 - God’s invincible Kingdom

Having revealed to Nebuchadnezzar his dream, Daniel proceeded to interpret it for him in Daniel 2:31-45. What the king saw in the colossal statue concerns future world empires. Each empire after Babylon would be decreasing in power and influence. Finally, during the last of the world empire, a supernatural stone, not cut with human hands, would hit it at the toes and end the influence of all worldly empires. This stone would grow significantly until it became a massive mountain covering the whole earth.

The head of gold, Daniel 2:38 says, is Nebuchadnezzar. He is the greatest of all earthly kings. To him, the God of Heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength, and the glory. With all that God has given him, he would have dominion over all men, all beasts of the land, and birds of the sky.

After Babylon would come another empire. History affirms that the empire after Babylon was none other than the Medo-Persian empire. This is represented by the chest and arms of silver. After the Medo-Persian would come the Greek empire, the belly and thighs of bronze.

The Roman Empire would come after the Greek Empire. It was, at first, a strong empire. Therefore, iron would be an appropriate representation. The feet with toes of a mixture of clay and iron tell of its mixture of strength and brittleness later in her history. The Roman Empire, at the start, was strong. Due to internal squabbles and clashes between her aristocratic class and the peasants, she was severely weakened in her later stage. Hence, the feet of mixed clay and iron appropriately depict the Roman's combination of strength and fragility.

The emphasis, however, is on the stone of mysterious origin—a stone from an uncut hand. It came out of nowhere, hitting the toes and crushing and crumbling the statue. The expression of the uncut hand seems to indicate the stone's supernatural origin. And from just a stone, it grew and became a mountain so massive that it covered the whole earth. This refers to the invincible Messiah's Kingdom, which Christ inaugurated at His first coming. How else could it be so strong and assertive? It is this God's Kingdom that would eliminate the influence of all earthly kingdoms seen in the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold.

How did Christ Jesus first declare when He started His ministry on earth? In Mark 1:15, He boldly and assertively proclaim, "The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel." This Kingdom has since expanded, and its message of righteousness has rung throughout the earth. We, the citizens of this massive Kingdom, are the salt of the earth and the world's light. Centuries after its inauguration, this Kingdom is still strong and invincibly exerting its power and influence.

The chorus of the song "This Kingdom" so aptly sums up her influence:

And this Kingdom will know no end
And its glory shall know no bounds
For the majesty and power
Of this Kingdom's King has come
And this Kingdom reign
And this Kingdom rule
And this Kingdom's power and authority
Jesus, God's righteousness revealed