| Kingdom | Image | Metal | Nation | Reigned | Reference |
| First Richest | Head | gold | Babylon | 606 BC to536 BC | Dan 2:38 |
| Second Inferior | Shoulders | silver | Medo-Persia | 536 BCto329 BC | Dan 2:39Dan 8:20 |
| Third | Thighs | brass | Greece | 329 BCto55 C | Dan 2:39Dan 8:21 |
| FourthCruel | LegsFeet + Toes | ironiron + clay | Rome | 55 BC to no later than 475 AD | Dan 2:40 |
| Fifth Love | Stone became a mountain | stone | God’s Kingdom | Began to grow in 33 AD NO End | Dan 2:44 |
THE KINGDOM PREDICTED
The prediction of God’s kingdom is most clearly described in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.
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. This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. 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. 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 threshingfloors; 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 (Dan. 2:31-35).
The great image was totally destroyed by the stone that was cut out without hands. The entire image was carried away by the wind and the stone grew into a great mountain and filled the entire earth. Daniel gave the interpretation. The image represented four kingdoms “which shall bear rule over all the earth.” The stone cut out without hands is God’s kingdom. God’s kingdom destroyed the four kingdoms that bore rule over all the earth and became a mountain which filled the whole earth. Nebuchadnezzar was the head of gold, the first of those four kingdoms which ruled the world. Nebuchadnezzar ruled the world in (606 BC).
And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. 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 (Dan. 2:39-40).
We know the second and third kingdoms which ruled the world were the Medo-Persia empire (536 BC) and the Grecian empire which began in 329 BC under Alexander the Great (Dan. 8:20,21). The fourth kingdom was Rome which ruled the world from 55 BC to 475 AD. God promised that during the reign of this fourth kingdom (Rome) that he would set up his eternal kingdom that would never be destroyed.
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 (Dan. 2:44-45).
The stone, cut out of the mountain without hands, was God’s kingdom. His kingdom would break in pieces and consume all those kingdoms – Chaldea, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. This is the reason that the Jews were anxious for the kingdom to come. Rome began to rule the world 55 years before Jesus was born. It was a very cruel oppressive ruling empire which the Jews bitterly hated. When Jesus foretold that the kingdom was at hand, the Jews were ready to escape from Rome’s oppressive hand. They were looking for the king (Messiah, Christ) of the kingdom.
THE CHRISTIAN RACE
God sets a race to run before every child he receives encourages us to “run with patience the race that is set before us” (He 12:1). The picture of a runner running for the crown is one of the clearest pictures God gives us his purpose. He That race has a crown to win (1 Cor. 9:24-27). There is a definite mark or finish line (Phil 3:14). There are specific unbreakable rules (2 Tim 2:5). Several months before Paul died he said: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing” (2 Tim. 4:7,8).
Paul knew where to run and did. The runner who does not know the mark, will run aimlessly, without heart. He will run toward every bright light that beckons. The Lord does not want anyone to be “tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine” (Eph. 4:14). The one who believes in a wrong goal runs heartily, but will arrive at the wrong mark. “And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully” (2 Tim. 2:5). We must see God’s plan as it is. What avail is it for a man to choose what he wants to believe, only to find a few moments after he dies that he missed the mark? He warns us that many will be shocked who not only knew him, but they were absolutely certain that they were serving him (Matt. 7:21-23). Even on judgment day they will still believe they knew him and were serving him. We don’t want that to happen to us.
It is not a question of doubt. It is a matter of faith – faith in God’s word – every word. We need to know the truth – all of the truth. God’s plan can be made to be too hard or too simple. To do so is to miss the mark. Many, like the Pharisees, will miss the mark because tradition is strong. Some have said: “If ‘so-and-so’ has not taught it, it is not so.” Faith in men is the wrong faith. Paul did not use his own words so “That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God” (1 Cor. 2:5). Our faith must be in God – in every word that proceeds out of his mouth. This is not our natural inclination. “No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better” (Luke 5:39).
On judgment day, we will all wish we had heard and understood every word. God has never said that the gospel is simple. The closest we can come to a ‘simple’ gospel is in 2 Corinthians 11:3. The word ‘simplicity’ is literally singleness (not folded), which is ‘sincerity.’ There are first principles in the gospel for babies (Heb. 5:11-14) but there are second principles of the gospel which are not easy to be understood (2 Pe 3:15,16). God hid this wisdom of the gospel from the foundation of the world so that no prophet or anyone else ever imagined what it is (2 Cor. 2:6-11). He tells plainly that he revealed these things in wisdom. God’s wisdom is not simple. Paul preached the gospel in all wisdom (Col 2:28). The gospel makes disciples (Mt 28:19), baptizes those who have been made disciples, and then teaches them all Jesus taught them – the complete truth (John 16:13). This is not simple.
MULIEBRAL VIEWPOINT 