Daniel chapter two wowed me recently. In this familiar Bible account, the king had a mysterious dream that none of his wise men could interpret. The prophet Daniel was called on to interpret his nighttime vision from God. As I read it, I realized that Daniel’s interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream could describe the current state of our country.
Nebuchadnezzar saw a “great image” of a man like figure. The image’s head was of fine gold. His breast and arms were of silver, his belly and thighs were of brass and his legs were of iron. His feet, however, were of iron and clay, mixed together! A rock was then cut out, but not by human hands, striking the image’s feet, broke up the entire image. Amazingly, the wind carried the broken pieces away as if they had been chaff on the threshing floor! Then the stone that struck the image suddenly became a great mountain filling the whole earth.
Before interpreting the dream, Daniel was very careful to give God all the glory, saying “But as for me, this secret has not been revealed to me because I have more wisdom than anyone living, but for our sakes who make known the interpretation to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your heart. Dan. 2:30(NKJV)
Daniel then told the king, “Whereas you saw the feet and the toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the Iron shall be in it just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay.” Dan. 2:41(NKJV) As we are living in a time of great division today, is it too much of a stretch to consider that Nebuchadnezzar’s dream could be speaking of America? Before you immediately say no, let us look a little further into this dream, which culminates with an end time prophecy. Could it be that we are living in that very time period just before the return of Christ?
Bible scholars have identified which past kingdoms each section of this great image represents. The gold head, the silver torso, the brass hips and thighs all represent great kingdoms, which have risen and fallen throughout history. However, could this last kingdom that is so divided, made of iron and clay, which do not bond together, be America? Daniel says, “And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile.” Dan. 2:42(NKJV) Weakness and strength can easily viewed in two different ways by two different people groups. Someone, for instance, could view a country as being strong militarily but weak morally. No matter how we interpret these metaphors, these two extremes could easily describe our country!
In the next verse Daniel continues,” As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay.” Dan. 2:43(NKJV) Although America boasts of its’ diversity, calling itself a melting pot, we are failing miserably at unity. If we had a truly Christ centered nation as our forefathers envisioned, we would major in forgiveness. However, instead, we have bitter infighting in our streets over prejudice and favoritism. In reality, for decades the philosophies of men have appealed to masses instead of the Word of God, and just as brains are different, so the philosophies of men also generate division.
Could the last divided nation made up of strength and weakness, mingling with the seed of men and yet not adhering to each other, be America? If so, what comes next? King Nebuchadnezzar saw a stone that was cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands, break all the kingdoms in pieces, including the last one. Daniel told the king that a new kingdom would then arise which would stand forever. As Christians, we have believed for years that this stone predicts the return of Jesus for His church and His subsequent millennial reign. If it does, let us prepare to meet our coming Bridegroom soon! If not we have failed at nothing! Our redemption possibly draws nigh!
Rev Nolan J Harkness is the President and CEO of Nolan Harkness Evangelistic Ministries Inc. since 1985. He spent most of his adult life working in youth ministry. He also felt the calling of Evangelist/Revivalist and traveled as the door was open holding evangelistic meetings in churches throughout the Northeast. He is currently a contributor to christianlensonline.org and christianpost.com. His website is www.verticalsound.org.