by Pearl Nabi

Created on: June 25, 2010

The traditional interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar's statue is that the golden head symbolises the Babylonian Empire, the Silver the Medo-Persian, the Bronze element depicts the Greek and the Iron represents the Roman Empire, with the clay feet being the long-awaited 'Revived Holy Roman Empire'.

Daniel's explanation to the Babylonian King is that he is the head of gold, and after him shall arise another kingdom, of silver, which is valued as being of less worth than gold, and thus inferior; ditto a third, which shall rule over all the earth and a fourth which shall be as strong as iron. The feet and toes being of a mixture of potter's clay and iron, which don't mix, so that kingdom will be divided and also partly strong and partly weak.

A stone or rock, cut without hand (i.e. not being formed by man) will strike the Image on its feet and the whole of the Image formed of the gold, the bronze, the iron, the silver and the clay will be crushed together and become like chaff carried away by the wind so that no trace of them will be found.

If all of this Image is destroyed as a whole, then it cannot be successive (ancient and long-gone) civilisations but current kingdoms that all exist at the same time, that are to be destroyed in the future. To be destroyed at ,and by, the return of the Rock made-without-hand; which is the Son/Word/Lamb of God

Daniel says 'in the days of these kings (kingdoms), the God of Heaven will set up a Kingdom which will never be destroyed, and the Kingdom will not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these [five] kingdoms and it shall stand for ever.' Daniel 2:44 

In other words, the Kingdom of God will not exist alongside other kingdoms but the Rock will destroy all the existing kingdoms, as well as others beside them, and expand into a great mountain which will fill the whole earth.

If the Image is not made up of ancient nations or civilisations, how do we interpret who or what are the current nations that the Image comprises of? Which are the five modern kingdoms that will all be completely destroyed by the return of the Son of God?

The first clue is what nation was the Babylonian King ruling over then that still exists today? Obviously, it was not the ancient Babylonian kingdom, but the still currently existing nation of Judah - i.e. the Jews. What nation has arisen out of the Jewish kingdom? Arguably the Christian nation... or more specifically what we would recognise today as the Greek/Eastern

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