At the top of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel 2, an enormous stone enters the image and smashes the statue to dust, leaving it meaningless. This final image likely disturbed the king greater than anything.
The statue had been crafted from gold, silver, and other precious metals, they usually represented human empires. In contrast, the stone is organic; no human hands constructed it. The stone represents the Kingdom of God, and it doesn’t come from any human ability or effort. The kingdom stone was thrown from heaven, illustrating that God alone establishes his kingdom — a living, divine, everlasting realm and culture greater than anything people can provide you with.
The stone smashes the statue on the feet, in the course of the time of Rome, but decimates your entire thing. Every earthly empire will fall. But the Kingdom of God will grow into an important mountain and fill the entire earth. It won’t get replaced or conquered.
The image points forward to Christ, the stone rejected by men but chosen by God, the cornerstone. Jesus arrived under Roman rule and preached, “Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). He taught in regards to the Kingdom in parables. Christ established the Kingdom, not through force and violence, but love and compassion through his life, death, and resurrection.
Even today, now we have received and entered this Kingdom by being born again (John 3). God’s Kingdom will spread and fill the entire earth. It will reach its final fulfilment when Jesus returns in the long run.
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