Today there are substantial theological differences if what Gabriel is revealing to Daniel has not already happened in history, OR, if there is a far distant and end-time revelation. To be sure, what Daniel sees is a history to us today PLUS a projected future of a similar set of events at the end of time. Distinguish between “latter time” meaning a LATER TIME, and end time. The critical verses for us to understand are Daniel 8:26 and Daniel 8:27.

Back up to verse 25. History, as we know it, shows how, when and by whom each empire power was destroyed by another opposing power. Now read Daniel 8:25b… He shall even rise against the Prince of princes; But he shall be broken without human means. Antiochus Epiphanes IV hated and fought against the people of God, it was really because he hated God. The same will be true of the coming Antichrist, who will hate the Jews because he hates God. Antiochus was destroyed by human hands. The antichrist will be broken without human means (or hands).

Review Daniel 2:31-36… “You, O king, were watching and behold, there was a single great statue; that statue, which was large and of extraordinary radiance, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was awesome. ³² The head of that statue was made of fine gold, its chest and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze, ³³ its legs of iron, and its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. ³⁴ You continued watching until a stone was broken off without hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay, and crushed them. ³⁵ Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed to pieces all at the same time, and they were like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them was found. But the stone that struck the statue became a *great mountain and filled the entire earth.

*A great mountain means it’s dominance filled the whole earth. God’s “kingdom to come” will then be thy kingdom HAS COME.

From a personal perspective, we at ahabiblemoments.com appreciate how it is explained in Bible Hermeneutics under Observations.

Observations

Several things are immediately clear from the dream and its interpretation:

• The entire statue (Daniel 2) was crushed all at once. This is not a picture of a gradual conquest.
• When the kingdoms of the statue were crushed, “not a trace of them was found”; this is not a picture of a gradual infiltration, or a parallel reign of some kind, and there is no allowance for any of the statue kingdoms to continue in their existence. They were crushed, became like chaff, and were carried away by the wind.
• It is the kingdom set up by God that crushes and puts an end to the other kingdoms. So, to answer your question, the “stone cut out without hands” is the kingdom set up by God.*
• The kingdom set up by God “filled the whole earth,” “will never be destroyed” or replaced, and will “endure forever.” The picture is clear: God’s kingdom will rule the entire earth — forever — in place of the prior kingdoms of the statue.

JIV: Compare this to End Time kingdom #4…the Antichrist…Daniel 8.

Conclusion

The stone cut without hands is the kingdom of God, which would suddenly and completely obliterate all the kingdoms of the statue and rule in their place over the entire earth, forever. This is the weakness of the ten clay and iron mix toes of Nebuchadnezzar’s statue of Daniel 2.

Rev. Dr. Jstark
2023