Daniel 2: 44 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 will break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
45 Forasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke 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.
In the dream of Daniel chapter2, The Lord showed Nebuchadnezzar that there would be four kingdoms that would rule the world, and that Babylon was to be represented by the head of gold, meaning that all the other subsequent kingdoms would be inferior to it. Not satisfied with the distinction he was given by God he determined to make an image entirely of gold.
Actions do speak louder than words, and therefore, when he did so, he was saying that his kingdom will last forever because, if as God said, he was this head of gold, and then he makes an entire image of pure gold, he would be sending an implied message, that Babylon was eternal in nature, and therefore, his kingdom would have no end.
But the word of The Lord is abundantly clear on this point, no earthly kingdom lasts forever, that is just the nature of the beast, because kingdoms rise and kingdoms fall. This has been the history of our world and thus, the last kingdom to stand upon this planet will also fall like all the others before it.
Babylon was the wonder, and the admiration of the then known world, but great as it was, it fell to the second kingdom, Medo-Persia specifically. Then, as the great prophecy unfolded with time, Medo Persia also fell to the kingdom of Greece, under Alexander the great, and his successors, which brings us to the fourth kingdom to rule the earth, namely Rome.
In the prophetic dream, God stated through Daniel that the fourth kingdom would be partly strong and partly broken, meaning that it would never attain to the strength, or stature as ancient Babylon. We are now living in the toe nails of the image, and efforts have been made, and will be made at world unity.
But even though satan will achieve a brief period of unity, via the institution of the mark of the beast, it is doomed to fail signally because, unity that’s based on satanic principles will never stand for any length of time.
There have been and there will be attempts made at world unity, but they have been shattered in various ways, at different times and for various reasons. The break up between Europe and Britain, namely Brexit is an example.
And the rifts that are brewing between the United States, Europe, Canada, and other allies are another example. God declares that they will not cleave one to another, even as iron cannot be mixed with miry clay, and therefore any hope of a peaceful union of antagonistic elements across the globe is basically a nothing burger, to put it mildly.
In addition, the three phrases “they shall not cleave one to another”, “partly strong, and partly broken”, and “iron is not mixed with clay” means that there would be fractures and ruptured relationships along the way. It’s going exactly according to the script, so that students of the Bible should not be surprised or dismayed at what is unfolding across the globe. Let’s read:
Daniel 2: 42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.
43 And whereas you saw iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.
The rise and fall of all these kingdoms might seem on the surface to be occurring by the caprice and ing of men. But God revealed in the Bible that He’s the One who rules and, overrules in the affairs of men.
And therefore, whereas secular minds may chalk up these radical, and unprecedented changes to this man, or that man, or this strategy or that policy, it is God who sets up kings, and He will take them down in the fullness of time, according to the prophecy of Daniel chapter 2, no matter what man may do.
This is one of the sacred truths that we as mortals need to be reconciled to, that The God of heaven is going to do whatsoever He plans to do, and there is nothing that folks can do to stop His purposes from being fulfilled. Reconciliation to this truth calls for deep humility which, too often, we seem unwilling to manifest.
When we sing that favorite song: “Humble me” we should sing it with the understanding, because even the king of Babylon had to sing it, for he was made to understand that God is not an absentee Landlord, as some think, but He carries out His good purposes to those who are squatting on His real estate. Let’s read:
Daniel 4:34 At the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the Most-High, and I praised and honored him that lives forever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, his kingdom is from generation to generation.
35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he does according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, what are you doing?
Case in point was God’s promise of the birthright to the younger son Jacob. Isaac did not take kindly to the stipulation made by God, and he set himself to oppose it vigorously. But at the end of the day, after he did all that he could do, Jacob ended up with the birthright, just as God had said.
Take a look at the disposition and attitudes of Isaac on the issue, as he tries to counter God’s statement with his own proposals. It did not work, and it will never work, and therefore, sooner or later, we will have to come around to accepting this sacred truth, that God rules in the affairs of men. Let’s read:
Genesis 25:23 And the Lord said unto her, two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.
[Patriarchs & Prophets pp 177>178] Jacob and Esau, the twin sons of Isaac, present a striking contrast, both in character and in life. This unlikeness was foretold by the angel of God before their birth.
He opened to her their future history, that each would become the head of a mighty nation, but that one would be greater than the other, and that the younger would have the pre-eminence.
Esau grew up loving self-gratification and centering all his interest in the present. Yet he was the father’s favorite. Isaac made known to his sons these privileges and conditions, and plainly stated that Esau, as the eldest, was the one entitled to the birthright.
Rebekah remembered the words of the angel. She was convinced that the heritage of divine promise was intended for Jacob. She repeated to Isaac the angel’s words; but the father’s affections were centered upon the elder son, and he was unshaken in his purpose.
Here again is the same understanding of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had when the lights were turned on in his mind after he was made to eat much salad. There’s much grass remaining from nebuchadnezzar for folks to eat, if we do not get this understanding: When God purposes to do something, He is going to do it.
Very often, mortal minds try to stop God’s purposes from coming to fruition by employing our ways and means, but in the end, it is always the case without exception, that His purposes will be fulfilled to the letter. In fact, in many instances, those who oppose His will are the very ones God uses to fulfill His will. Guess who blessed Jacob with the birthright!
When Jesus revealed God’s purpose concerning His death on Calvary, the human agents went into high gear to try and prevent it. Judas betrayed Him, Peter swore that nobody is going to touch my Jesus, and the scribes and pharisees did their thing, either for or against God’s set purpose. But at the end of the day, Christ died on the exact millisecond which God had purposed.
In fact, John and the other 11 disciples were taken aback at Christ’s statement that one of them would betray Him. To their surprised minds, who would’ve had the audacity to do such a thing? Let’s read:
Matthew 26: 20 Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve.
21 And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.
22 And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?
23 And he answered and said, He that dips his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me.
They were in total shock at what Christ said, but if they were reading the script, they would have seen that everything was going down exactly as predicted even though God left everyone’s freedom of choice intact. Let’s read:
Psalms 41: 9 Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.
Matthew 27: 3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, what is that to us? see thou to that.
5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.
Zechariah 11: 12 And I said unto them, if you think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So, they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.
13 And the Lord said to me cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was priced at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord.
That’s why we stated a few weeks ago that with all of the turmoil and uncertainty, with all of the wars and rumors of wars, and with all of the upending of norms and safety nets, and the breakdown of long- standing relationships, everything is actually going exactly according to the script, if we were to read it in Daniel, Matthew, Luke, Revelation and the other books of the Bible.
This does not mean that there is an agreement with what is transpiring, it is just an acknowledgement of the facts, that prophecies are unfolding according to plan, even as we speak, and thus the Christian must position himself/herself intelligently, so as to be on the winning side, even The Lord’s side. Let’s read:
[Last Day Events pp 29] In the annals of human history, the growth of nations, the rise and fall of empires, appear as if dependent on the will and prowess of man; the shaping of events seems, to a great degree to be determined by power, ambition, or caprice.
But in the Word of God the curtain is drawn aside, and we behold, above, behind, and through all the play and counterplay of human interest and power and passions, the agencies of the All-merciful One, silently, patiently working out the counsels of His own will.
Thus, whereas all previous kingdoms fell by war and bloodshed by conspiracy and stratagem, the last of these kingdoms, and the remnants of all four would be taken down by the God of heaven personally and its scheduled collapse will be something out of this world, the likes of which persons have never seen before. The Lord refers to it as His strange act.
We are now much closer to this happening, and it is something worth considering, that some of us living today, possibly might not have opportunity to retire. That is how serious the prophecy might turn out to be. We do not know for sure, but it is quite possible.
The reason why this is raised as an issue is because, in the Bible, the second coming of Christ is always described as occurring suddenly, at midnight, at the break of day, or at a time when most of this earth’s populations, including the righteous, would not be expecting it.
It is thus described over and over again to the point where the Christian should stand up and take note. God teaches us by repetition, so if you were to see something in the scripture being repeated over and over again it just means that God is trying to get our attention on some very important matter.
So, let us take a few examples from the Scriptures, before we proceed with the study. What we would be looking for in particular is the recurring element of surprise, and suddenness, as pertains to Christ’s coming kingdom, and the ultimate collapsing of the last earthly kingdom standing. of Let’s read:
Matthew 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
It is worthy of note that when The Lord came the first time, He also came by night, so it should come as no shock that His second coming will happen at a time when most people are not expecting it. It may now be one minute to midnight, and persons might not know it. Let’s read:
Luke 2:8 And there were in the same country some shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Matthew 2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
2 Saying, where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
Mark 13: 35 Watch ye therefore: for you know not when the master of the house comes, at evening, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning.
36 Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.
37 And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.
1st Thessalonians 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child and they shall not escape.
4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
You’re probably getting the sense that the issue of suddenness, will play a role in the collapsing of the last kingdom upon the earth. But the Bible states we must study line upon line and precept upon precept so, let’s read again:
Luke 21: 25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
26 Men's hearts failing them for fear and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draws nigh.
35 For as a snare it will come on all them who dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Matthew 24: 42 Watch therefore: for you know not what hour your Lord doth come.
43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as you think not the Son of man cometh.
[Great Controversy pp 636>637] It is at midnight that God manifests his power for the deliverance of his people. The sun appears, shining in its strength. Signs and wonders follow in quick succession. The wicked look with terror and amazement upon the scene, while the righteous behold with solemn joy the tokens of their deliverance.
Everything in nature seems turned out of its course. The streams cease to flow. Dark, heavy clouds come up, and clash against each other. In the midst of the angry heavens is one clear space of indescribable glory, whence comes the voice of God like the sound of many waters, saying, “It is done.”
That voice shakes the heavens and the earth. There is a mighty earthquake, “such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake and so great.” [Revelation 16:17, 18.] The glory from the throne of God seems flashing through.
The mountains shake like a reed in the wind, and ragged rocks are scattered on every side. There is a roar as of a coming tempest. The sea is lashed into fury. There is heard the shriek of the hurricane, like the voice of demons upon a mission of destruction.
The whole earth heaves and swells like the waves of the sea. Its very foundations seem to be giving way. Mountain chains are sinking. Inhabited islands disappear. Great hailstones, every-one “about the weight of a talent,” are doing their work of destruction.
[The Great Controversy pp 491] The righteous and the wicked will still be living upon the earth in their mortal state. Men will be planting and building, eating and drinking, all unconscious that the final, irrevocable decision has been pronounced in the sanctuary above.
Silently, unnoticed as the midnight thief, will come the decisive hour which marks the fixing of every man’s destiny, the final withdrawal of mercy’s offer to guilty men.
Therefore, as we go into the study there is a single major question we need to answer: When the Bible says, “In the days of these kings, shall The God of heaven set up His kingdom” which kings are being referred to? In other words, who are “These Kings”?
Answer: Daniel 2:44 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.
45 Forasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke 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.
Since God’s kingdom is scheduled to consume all of these kingdoms, then it means that there is going to be elements of each kingdom, present at that time when the God of heaven will set up His kingdom.
There’ll be some Babylonian elements, some Medo Persia elements, some components of the Grecian kingdom, and last but not least, some ingredients of the iron kingdom of Rome. We will have to look for some features of each of the kingdoms, converging at the same time when the stone is cut out without hands.
However, because of the constraints of time, we are going to focus on two prominent features of the 1st kingdom of Babylon, because there are disturbing similarities that must be observed.
Babylon was known for its architectural and building achievements, including the hanging gardens which were a sight to behold. Also, for some reason, king Nebuchadnezzar was obsessed with gold, for when he invaded Jerusalem, he took all the vessels of gold from the holy sanctuary, and he brought them to his kingdom. Let’s read:
2nd Chronicles 36:18 And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes; all these he brought to Babylon.
Again, it must have taken an immense amount of gold to build an image 60 cubits high, and 9 cubits wide. Therefore, when God, through Daniel gave the interpretation: “Thou art this head of gold”, it had both figurative, and literal connotations. Let’s read:
Daniel 3:1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
Belshazzar who came after him gave Daniel a chain of gold, and the Bible specifically states that on the final night of the Babylonian kingdom, the princes, the king and his concubines were drinking wine in cups and vessels of gold which were raided from the temple at Jerusalem. Let’s read:
Daniel 5:2 Belshazzar, while he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein.
3 Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them.
4 They drank wine and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
The leaders of that Babylonian kingdom praised the gods of gold and silver as they reveled and boasted in their seeming unending rule. So yes, the kingdom of Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar and his successor was one that was laden with gold, for that particular precious metal figured prominently in their culture.
JM Bullion, 2026: Gold has surpassed previous inflation-adjusted highs from January 1980, when the price was $850 per ounce. Gold’s all-time high price eclipsed the $5,000/per oz mark in January 2026.
Isaiah 2: 19 And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he arises to shake terribly the earth.
20 In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats;
21 To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he arises to shake terribly the earth.
Revelation 18: 8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judges her.
9 And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,
10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buys their merchandise any more.
12 The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble.
Therefore, if you were to see a mad rush for gold, if you were to see individuals in high and low places obsessed with gold, and if for one reason or another you see gold skyrocketing to unprecedented levels in our day, it hearkens back to the head of gold, the kingdom of Babylon because vestiges of that golden kingdom would be present in the last kingdom upon the earth.
And thus, the elements and features of that golden kingdom will also be present when God’s kingdom consumes all these kingdoms.
But Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon was also well known because of his efforts to institute a coerced form of false worship by decree. He did so when he tried to force those under his jurisdiction to bow to his golden image.
And later on after he had eaten a whole lot of grass, he also employed force in the acknowledgment of God, and thus, in both instances you would observe the use of force as a fundamental working principle behind not only his false worship, but also behind everything he endeavors to get done.
In other words, the use of force forms the bedrock operating principle throughout Nebuchadnezzar’s administration. Everything he does is tainted by the use of force, including issues of worship. Let’s read:
Daniel 2: 5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, the thing is gone from me: if you will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, you shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.
Daniel 3:4 Then a herald cried aloud, to you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages,
5 That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up.
6 And whosoever does not fall down and worship shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
Daniel 1:10 And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort? then shall you make me endanger my head to the king.
Daniel 3: 29 Therefore I make a decree, that every people, nation, and language, which speak anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.
But God does not condone the use of any force in matters of the conscience, even if it is something good. For instance, The Lord does not force anyone to eat tofu, or any other food that might be good for you. The use of force is not an eternal principle, for nothing can last forever by brute force.
Similarly, any kingdom that is built upon a multitude of lies will never stand the test of time, for the mere fact that it is false, and therefore cannot be trusted. When the prince of darkness offered to Jesus all the kingdoms of this world in exchange for worship, his word could not be trusted, because he is a liar, and he would change his mind on the deal later on.
As we stand upon the brink of eternity, with the full collapse of the 4th kingdom and its offshoots coming into view, with all the remnants and elements of the other previous kingdoms, there will be a lot of gold on the menu, just like in nebuchadnezzar’s day.
There is also going to be a prolific use of force, so if you see a tendency to bully nations, and individuals into submission, don’t be surprised. Also, according to the script, there is going to be the institution of a false form of worship that is scheduled to be forced upon nations and people in harmony with Babylon’s habit of utilizing subjugation strategies.
The false form of worship will be enforced by dogma together with a curtailing of all economic privileges, if persons refuse to bow down to the image of the beast, as God clearly says in Revelation chapter 13. It’s all in the script, if you would read it. Let’s read:
Revelation 13:15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
16 And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads.
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
At that time Michal shall stand up for the protection of His people, but The Lord wants us to manage our expectations prudently, and not be too surprised, as if some strange thing is happening. It’s all written in the script, and it will converge and be fulfilled in the days these kings. We therefore end with a passage of Scripture that confirms the truths thus spoken. Let’s read:
Matthew 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
25 Behold, I have told you before.
God Bless!