Daniel 2 (Rock Crushing Nations)

Post by **_darin-houston** » Sun Dec 31, 2006 11:02 am

Though the dispensational view clearly is in want of consistency (among other things), it has one objection that we have found difficult to resolve -- that is, the rock crushing the nations in Daniel 2. A bible study we are familiar with (dispensational, of course) has dismissed the non-Dispensational view as ignoring the "clearly" cataclysmic nature of the crushing and consistent with the other nations, the prior one being ended with certainty and finality. Steve's Daniel series addresses this briefly, but if you have any further thoughts along this line, I'd appreciate hearing them.

I'm also curious about what the orthodox Jewish view might be of the rock in Daniel 2. They clearly are still awaiting the Messiah. Steve's tapes mentioned what liberal Christians, etc. thought, but I'd be curious if anyone's aware of the Jewish view.

Post by **_Sean** » Sun Jan 21, 2007 7:47 am

I think of it in they way I believe Jesus presented it in Matthew 13;

31He presented another parable to them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field;

32 and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that THE BIRDS OF THE AIR come and NEST IN ITS BRANCHES."

33 He spoke another parable to them, "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened."

It seems like when Jesus came and explained the Kingdom of God, it was something that starts small and grows, just like it says in Daniel 2;

44 "In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.

Didn't Jesus come in the days of "those kings"...during the Roman empire (fourth kingdom)?

Luke 20 says;

17 Jesus looked directly at them and asked, "Then what is the meaning of that which is written:
" 'The stone the builders rejected
has become the capstone'? 18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed."

Sounds almost like Jesus is explaining what Daniel meant by the stone made without hands crushing the other nation(s).

I would say that the later revelation brought by Jesus is what is more clear. Unless this is pressed to mean the second coming. The only problem is that Jesus did establish the kingdom during the days "of these kings" and said the "gates of hades will not previal against it".

Hopefully that is of some help.