Lesson Study #3 - Daniel 2

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Here was this book, written in the sixth century B.C., laying out the history of the world from Daniel's time through ours, and even beyond. It's hard to see how any rational person, after studying Daniel 2, could come away unimpressed by the prophecy and the God who has revealed Himself in it. In fact, so powerful is Daniel 2 (as well as other parts of the book) as a witness for the Christian faith that, in early centuries of the church, opponents already argued that Daniel was written in the middle of the second century B.C., after the events it talked about, a view still held by many today. This theory, though, is not only unsubstantiated but doesn't explain how the chapter could predict events long centuries beyond the supposed second-century B.C. date of its composition.

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Even more important, what this first section of the chapter shows is that not only is God in control of the big picture, He's close to us as individuals. Look at how He came to Daniel in a "night vision" and revealed to him what he needed to know. Talk about intimate contact! Though Daniel was only a foreign captive in a massive world empire, the Lord of all the earth (Josh. 3:11), the Creator of the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1), the One who holds the stars in their paths (Job 38 : 31), manifested His power and His care to this simple Hebrew lad.

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Babylon is compared to a metal, Media-Persia is compared to a metal, and Greece is compared to a metal. In contrast, in verses 33, 34 the iron that comes up after Greece (representing Rome) stays there until the stone cut out "without hands" (vs. 34) destroys everything. The iron that arises after Greece remains until the end, though in the feet it becomes mixed with clay. In the interpretation of that part of the vision, the metal representing the fourth kingdom, iron, remains until the end, as well, though it's depicted as mixed with miry clay (vss. 40-44). The point is unmistakable: The fourth kingdom, the fourth power, arises after Greece and remains until the end, even though it is manifested in a different form. In Daniel, the fourth power, the power rising after Greece, stays the same power (for it's iron all the way through, unlike the previous powers whose metal disappeared when a whole new empire arose), though at some point it changed form. Thus, it's Rome from the time of Greece until the end of the world. Amazingly enough, Rome still exists today as a worldwide power, though its form is radically different from when it first arose after Greece.
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Many centuries ago, one of England's greatest political thinkers wrote: "If a man considers the origin of this great ecclesiastical dominion, he will easily perceive that the papacy is no other than the ghost of the deceased Roman empire, sitting crowned on the grave thereof."—Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan. How does that quote help us understand what Daniel 2 teaches about the Roman Empire?

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If we were to chart the kingdoms depicted, and specifically named, in Daniel, the outline would look like this:
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Babylon (Dan. 2:37, 38)
Media-Persia (Dan. 8:20)
Greece (Dan. 8:21)
Fourth kingdom
God's eternal kingdom (Dan. 2:44)
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Read Daniel's own interpretation of the vision (Dan. 2:37-45). Do you see anything there indicating that these prophecies can have different meanings in different times? Defend your answer.

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From Wednesday's study:

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If we were to chart the kingdoms depicted, and specifically named, in Daniel, the outline would look like this:
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Babylon (Dan. 2:37, 38)
Media-Persia (Dan. 8:20)
Greece (Dan. 8:21)
Fourth kingdom
God's eternal kingdom (Dan. 2:44)
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Read Daniel's own interpretation of the vision (Dan. 2:37-45). Do you see anything there indicating that these prophecies can have different meanings in different times? Defend your answer.

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Does anybody reading this see anything there indicating that these prophecies can have different meanings in different times? As it says, prepare to defend your answer.

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