Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

The Lord performed his promotion of Daniel and his companions directly through Nebuchadnezzar the king. Although Nebuchadnezzar was a mighty and willful monarch, conqueror and ruler of the world, the Lord maneuvered him with the greatest of ease to perform his will. At the same time and by the very same occasion he caused to be recorded an astonishing prophecy, a prophecy presented in the most spectacular manner, covering tremendous events extending from the time it was given until the time of Christ’s kingdom, the present time; a prophecy that has proven so precisely accurate in its fulfilled portions as to leave no room for doubt that the God of Heaven rules in the affairs of men, that he indeed has a Divine Plan for the Ages.

The account is in the second chapter of Daniel. King Nebuchadnezzar had retired for the night. It was only natural that affairs of state would crown his thoughts matters pertaining to his growing empire. Then his thoughts ran to the probabilities of his empire long enduring. He began to wonder what the future held for him and his kingdom. This we know from what happened afterward. The king fell asleep and began to dream. His dreams were at first disconnected and confused. Then suddenly there burst upon his inner vision a bright and terrible apparition, a dream so vivid and menacing as to bring him instantly awake, trembling with fear. This was no ordinary dream. He had never had one like this before. He knew without a doubt that this dream must have a special and important significance. He arose from his bed and struck a gong. His servants ran in and he commanded them to immediately summon “the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans,” so they might tell him the meaning of his dream. We can imagine that he paced the floor, impatiently waiting for his wise men to arrive. Then he stopped short. A strange thing had happened. He could not recall his dream! So vivid and clear in his mind just a few moments before, it had now completely vanished from his memory, leaving behind a sinister and disturbing void, which only added to his terror.