18
Konge! Den høieste Gud gav Nebukadnesar, din far, riket og makten og æren og herligheten;
Daniel 5:18
Scriptural Confirmations # 37
37. 9. From the Old Testament
God hath revealed what shall come to pass in the latter days (Daniel 2:28).
(The consummation of the church from its first foundation to its end is described by the image seen by Nebuchadnezzar, in like manner as the four ages by the ancients; the first, which was before the flood, by gold; the second, after the flood, by silver; the third, which was the Israelitish up to that time, by brass; and the fourth, which was the Christian, by iron mixed with clay (Daniel 2:32-33).
By "gold" is signified celestial good; by "silver" spiritual truth; by "brass" natural good; by "iron" natural truth; and by "iron mixed with clay" truth falsified, because it does not cleave together; by the seed of man the truth of the Word, which is also said of the feet of iron (Daniel 2:34-43).)
(A stone which was not [made] by hands, which smote and ground up the image, and which became a great rock, signifies the Lord, who in the Word is meant by "a stone" and by "the rock" which filled all the earth, whose kingdom shall stand for ages of ages (Daniel 2:34-35, 44-45).)
The fourth, seen in the furnace of fire, is said to be like the Son of man. It is not said man, because the Son of man signifies the Lord as to the Word; and this is also called an angel, whom God sent (Daniel 3:25, 28).
The "Son of man" when said of another, and a "prophet," signify Him as the truth of the church from the Word.
The consummation is also described by the tree growing to the end of the earth seen by Nebuchadnezzar, in a dream; and the coming of the Lord, by the Watcher and the Holy One who descended and commanded to hew down the tree utterly; and that they left the stump of the roots in the earth in a band of iron and of brass, signifies the Word by which the church revived; this also happened in the time of Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:10-13, 17-31). The consummation of the whole, or the destruction of all things of the church, is described by the feast of Belshazzar, in which with magnates and concubines he drank the wine out of vessels of gold and silver from the temple of Jerusalem, and praised the gods of gold, of silver, etc., by which is signified the profanation of the holy things of the church, wherefore it was written on the wall that his kingdom was finished, and he was slain on that night (Daniel 5:1 to end).
(The consummation of the church is described by the four beasts out of the sea; also what the first was, what the second, third, and fourth, which was terrible because it broke in pieces all things of good and truth. What they signify may be seen in Apocalypse Revealed574. The complete consummation is meant by the slaying of the beast and the destruction of the body. That then the Lord will come and will reign unto ages of ages is evident from verses 13-14, 22, 27. His church is meant by the holy people, because they are in Divine truths from the Lord (Daniel 7:1 to end).
Daniel 2:34-43
34
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.
35
Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
36
This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.
37
Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
38
And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.
39
And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
40
And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.
41
And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.
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 thou sawest 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.
