Some 600 or 700 years before Christ, the Lord revealed what was to come to pass pertaining to His kingdom upon the earth.
Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had besieged Jerusalem and had taken prisoner the people of Jerusalem. Among the captives were Daniel and his brethren."And in all matters of wisdom and understanding . . . the king enquired of them, [and] found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm." (Dan. 1:20.)
King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream which he required his magicians and astrologers and sorcerers to reproduce and then to interpret. The penalty for any failure on their part was a death sentence if they could not show the dream and the interpretation thereof. They pled for time to convince the king that there was no man living who could bring back the dream and its interpretation.
King Nebuchadnezzar was furious and commanded the destruction of the wise men of Babylon. Daniel made known his desire to interpret the dream. "Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven." (Dan. 2:19.)
With a knowledge of the future as revealed, Daniel begged for the lives of the soothsayers and the wise men.
Taken before the king, Daniel said the king's secret could not be interpreted and revealed by the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers of the king. "But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days." (Dan. 2:28.)
Daniel said that the king's dream was a portrayal of the history of the world. Then came the picture of the great image with head of fine gold, and breast and arms of silver, and belly and thighs of brass, and legs of iron, and feet of iron and clay. Then the revelation continued:
"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." (Dan. 2:34.)
The various elements of which the image was made were broken into pieces and "became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away."
