By Van Yandell
Daniel 4:3 “How great are His signs and how mighty are His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and His dominion is from generation to generation.”
Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel chapter two is one of the greatest lessons in all of history concerning the rise and fall of great empires. In his dream Nebuchadnezzar saw a great metallic statue. That statue had a head of pure gold, shoulders and arms of silver, the torso was of bronze and the hips and legs were of iron.
The feet were a totally different composition; a mixture of iron and clay. Clay, of course, is weak and not at all valuable. As Daniel interpreted the dream for Nebuchadnezzar, he pointed out as the vision went from the head to the feet, the metals became less valuable indicating those kingdoms were not as powerful.
Each body part represented a kingdom of the world that existed or was to come. The golden head represented Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian empire. The silver shoulders and arms were an indication of the next kingdom that would destroy Babylon. It would be the Medo-Persian Empire (Daniel 5). Next was the brass belly which represented the empire of Alexander the Great and finally, the iron legs represented the Roman Empire.
The feet were a mixture of iron and clay. Also in the dream Nebuchadnezzar saw a rock “cut not with hands” and it came and crushed the statue (Daniel 2:34) and the feet were the weaker part. That rock then grew into a mountain which covered the entire world.
There is a general consensus of the first four kingdoms, but opinions vary on the fifth. Some think it is a re-established Roman empire from which the anti-Christ will come. Others see it as the European Union and some see it as possibly the entire western/free world. The feet of a mixture of iron and clay could indicate a division within the kingdom or a susceptibility to destruction by self-inflicted conditions.
The point would be, whatever that nation (or union) may be, it will fall. The rock cut not with hands is Jesus, and the final empire will be destroyed. We may have the mind-set the U.S. will last forever but that is an insecure assumption. We have circumvented, disobeyed and even cursed the laws of our Creator to the point, our destiny is inevitable (Romans 1:18).
It certainly appears a catastrophic state of destruction is on the horizon. It may be economic; it may be a nuclear exchange of the super-powers; a pandemic/plague or some of the signs are in place for the taking up of the church (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).
If it is the taking away of the believer-followers of the Lord Jesus, the tribulation will begin immediately and the absence of the church will determine a total state of anarchy. As previously discussed (in another article), the laws of God are the only obstacle between man and chaos. Many do not realize where the standards of human behavior originated. Apparently, many in our world see no need for those laws in the 21st century.
Several existing conditions appear to parallel scriptural indications of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and the Daniel prophesy. The feet of iron and clay apparently are a final empire and the free world could very well fit the description.
Unwittingly, mankind has fallen into the trap of humanism as we were warned about by our Creator God in His book, the Holy Bible (Romans 12:2).
As a people we have failed to heed the admonition by Solomon in Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” By not teaching children ethics, honor and respect we are reaping the harvest of our neglect. What was once regarded as normal and acceptable human behavior is far from the minds of many today.
Matthew 24:6 “And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” Jesus also said the wars would increase in intensity (verse 8). We are seeing more powerful armament and delivery systems. Munitions designers and builders are constantly developing more effective weapons.
Currently we are seeing a further escalation of the war in Ukraine and other nations are joining both Russia and Ukraine. Anyone thinking there is not a possibility of this evolving into a world war should consider taking another look!
Another scriptural implication is the world economy. We certainly appear to be those feet of iron and clay when we consider inflation, the devaluation of the currencies of several nations and debt as it has accumulated both to governments and individuals.
Proverbs 22:7 “The rich rules over the poor and the borrower is servant to the lender.” While several political factions promote the idea of total financial equality, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Debt is a primary cause simply because paying interest drastically increases the prices we pay for products.
If one purchases any product for one thousand dollars (or one million) and finances it for ten years at eight percent interest, the final cost is doubled. Governments constantly increasing the debt accelerate the rate of inflation. The products we buy are not worth more; our money is worth less.
We are also seeing a fulfillment of 2 Timothy 3:1-4 “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.”
Having rights and freedoms are a gift from God and our founding fathers. Some, however, have perverted those freedoms into seeds of division. Matthew 12:25 “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.” Perhaps the image of feet of iron and clay are symbolic of that extreme divisiveness.
Many communist nations remain so by force (e.g. Tiananmen Square protests, 1989). Non-members of “The Party” in some communist nations are denied basic rights such as health care, education opportunities and basic necessities (utilities) and are ostracized by members.
Democratic republics have rights and freedoms that in some cases contribute to the monumental division and are used against political enemies. The loose interpretation of constitutional rights has led to a perversion of the concepts of right and wrong and led to the acceptance of actions currently considered (by some) to be normal.
Daniel, chapter two tells us of five empires and how they all fell or will fall. As long as power brokers are among us, their need to oppress the masses and elevate themselves will spell destruction for billions of people. And, of course, the imperialistic notions of some of those leaders contribute to the problem.
Yes, we humans have a propensity to self-destruct! Is our destiny set in concrete or can it change? Apparently mankind can’t change it because conditions keep accelerating toward an undesirable outcome.
Only a return to our Creator can repair the damage that has been done (John 1:3, Colossians 1:16). A faith based belief in Christ Jesus crucified for the remission of sin and resurrected can change this materialistic world we live in.
The urgency of telling the world about our Jesus is greater now than ever before. If Christians don’t speak, preach and teach HIS Holy Name, no one will!
Van Yandell is a retired Industrial Arts teacher, an ordained gospel evangelist and commissioned missionary, from Fredonia, Kentucky. This column is part of the Bible Connection series.
