A Look Into the Future

Only one part of Daniel’s prophecy remains unfulfilled.

What is the meaning of the stone described in verses 34 and 35 that is to strike the statue on the feet, grind it to powder, and become a great mountain which fills the whole earth?

“IN THE TIME OF THOSE KINGS [the modern nations of Western Europe], THE GOD OF HEAVEN WILL SET UP A KINGDOM that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but IT WILL ITSELF ENDURE FOREVER. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.”
—Daniel 2:44, 45.

“Those kings” could refer only to the kings symbolized by the feet and toes of the statue—the rulers of modern Europe. The conclusion is inescapable. “In the time of those kings” refers to the present day. Our modern world stands on the threshold of the greatest event of all time.

Soon Jesus will descend from heaven to “set up a kingdom,” His kingdom of happiness and peace. The stone that is to strike the statue and break it into pieces will fill the whole earth. Then Christ, the Rock of Ages and the King of kings, will rule the world forever! (The heavenly kingdom of God will be discussed in detail in DISCOVER guide 9.)

This is the climax of Daniel’s prophecy; everything leads to this cosmic event. The confidence which this grand prediction inspires, as it takes us with unfailing accuracy through the stages of history, builds to a sure hope in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Everything in the prediction of Daniel 2 has come to pass except the final act—the striking of the statue by the stone. According to God’s timetable, we are now approaching the grand climax, Christ’s return to our world. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is about to end the long, bloody struggle of human history and establish His eternal empire of love and grace.