What Is the “Great Image” of Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream?

At the height of his power, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had a disturbing dream. He wanted to know what it meant, and none of his wise men could tell him. But Daniel could. “There is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries,” he told the king (Dan. 2:28). Then he proceeded to interpret the dream.

In today’s message from his video teaching series Dust to Glory, R.C. Sproul looks at this dream and how it came to pass in history. In his sleep, the king saw a great statue made of different materials, from a head of gold to feet of iron and clay. Daniel explained that the materials represented a succession of kingdoms, and they were all under God’s control. Even though Babylon was the head of gold, its power would not last forever.

Apparently, Nebuchadnezzar missed the point of the dream. For not long after, he created a gold image of himself and commanded the people to worship it.

But the events that followed would teach this prideful king an important lesson: God alone is King of all. By the end of his life, Nebuchadnezzar would witness the power of God and have no choice but to acknowledge His sovereign rule.

Watch today’s message, or for a limited time, request your copy of the full teaching series Dust to Glory for a donation of any amount. You can also dig deeper into the Scriptures with the Reformation Study Bible.