Father, Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Reading Daniel Ch2:
This topic is very coincidental as we were discussing Daniel chapter 2 a few weeks ago at our ecclesial lunch. One of the other Sunday School teachers asked which empire represented which part of the image. When asked I jumped to conclusion that the head represented Babylon, the chest Persia, the thighs Greece and the legs of iron were Rome. That's what I've always been told in the past and I think even the Bible exhibition has an image showing the Babylon/Media-Persia/Greece/Rome explanation. But the Bible doesn't give an explanation in chapter 2 other than the first reference to Nebuchadnezzar being the head of gold.
This brings me round to the second point. When we read Daniel this year, I asked myself why Daniel had the second dream about the empires. I thought the chapter quite pointless; why repeat the same explanation twice?
The answer is that this isn't a repetition, but gives a much more detailed explanation. Chapter 7 gives more detailed description. Chapter 8 goes even further by saying in black and white that Greece will follow Persia (Daniel 8:20,21). Each stage builds on the previous to give a more complete picture.
Whether Rome really is the 'iron' kingdom is probable, but not a reason for dogma. If nothing else it's past and gone, ancient history of no consequence to us at all. The real point of the story is the last part.
The stone which came down from heaven and destroyed all the kingdoms of the world is yet to happen. And that is the most important part. The dream of the image was to highlight that mortal kingdoms come and go, that one follows another and that they are interconnected, built on each other. The cities built by the Babylonians became the cities inhabited by the Persians, and so on.
But the kingdom build by God will not need such materialistic foundations. Not only will it be a totally new beginning but it will also encompass the world and smash all existing kingdoms beneath it.
That is the kingdom that we wait for. Because it will be the Kingdom of God, and will last forever.
Why was Nebuchadnezzar given the dream in the first place?
What effect did this have on Daniel (and his position in the court)?
What will the Kingdom of God do to those others in existence at the time?