Daniel 2
Thomas Constable · Citado em PreceptAustin
Daniel 2:1-23
Constable - Daniel opened this new section of his book with another chronological reference (cf. Daniel 1:1; Daniel 1:21). This indicates that his interest in this book was in the progress of events and their relationship to one another. As the book unfolds, chronology plays an important part in what God revealed, though the chronology is not always without interruption. The events related in this chapter happened in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign. According to several reliable scholars, Nebuchadnezzar officially became king on September 7, 605 B.C. On the first of Nisan, 604 B.C., the following spring, the first official year of his reign began. The intervening months constituted his accession year and were credited to his father's reign. The first year of his reign then ended on the first of Nisan the following year, 603 B.C. The second year of his reign (Daniel 2:1) began in 603 and ended in 602 B.C. [Note: Wiseman, pp. 25-26; Thiele, pp. 159-60; Finegan, p. 38.] (Daniel 2 Commentary) And so the second year is in fact not the literal second year (because according to the Babylonian computation they did not count the first year of a king's reign), but was actually the third year according to the method of the Jews, who count the beginning of Nebuchadnezzar's reign from the time he was associated with his father. (
Daniel 2:1-23
Constable - These dreams robbed him of rest, as Pharaoh's dreams did him (Genesis 41:1-57), and Ahasuerus' dream did him (Esther 6:1-14). All of these Gentile rulers suffered insomnia as part of God's dealings with them and the people who lived under their authority. Another earlier Gentile ruler who received revelations from God was Abimelech (Genesis 20:3). The ancients regarded dreams as having significance and as portents of events to come. (Daniel 2 Commentary) Troubled (06470) (pa'am) is a verb meaning to stir, to be disturbed, to be stirred up, to be a in mental state of distress and worry; a deep disturbance which induces a sense of apprehension (Ps 77:4). Used of dreams stirring up Pharaoh (Ge 41:8) and Nebuchadnezzar (Da 2:1, 3). Of the Spirit stirring up Samson (Jdg 13:25). Troubled = agitated; afflicted; annoyed Disturbed = Stirred; moved; excited; discomposed; disquieted; agitated; uneasy. Pa'am - 5v - Genesis 41:8 (Ge 41:1 "Pharaoh had a dream") Now in the morning his spirit was troubled (Lxx = tarasso = agitated, shaken like water in a glass that has been stirred, used of Herod - Mt 2:3), so he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all its wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them to Pharaoh. Judges 13:25 And the Spirit of the LORD began to stir (Lxx = sunekporeuomai = to go out with, to go out together with, to accompany) him (Samson) in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol. Psalm 77:4 You have held my eyelids open; I am so troubled (Lxx = tarasso) that I cannot speak. Daniel 2:1 Now in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; and his spirit was troubled (Lxx = tarasso) and his sleep left him… 3 The king said to them, "I had a dream and my spirit is anxious to understand the dream."
Daniel 2:1-23
Constable - Daniel prepared the reader for the failure of all the king’s counselors that follows by pointing out that there were many different groups of them. Whitcomb makes the interesting observation that "The very careful records which Babylonian astronomers kept of the movements of planets, comets, and the phases of the moon were mainly for the purpose of determining the influence these "gods" might exert upon men and nations. Beginning about 747BC, very accurate records were handed down (and carefully recorded in Ptolemy's Almagest in the second century AD), so that the Babylonian astronomer Naburimannu (c. 500BC) was able to calculate the length of the year at 365 days, 6 hours, 15 minutes, 41 seconds—only 26 minutes and 55 seconds too long!… This is the caliber of men Nebuchadnezzar had in his court, which is God's way of showing us that the very best that men have to offer in the realm of worldly wisdom is utterly insufficient to solve even the most basic spiritual needs of the human heart." (Whitcomb, J. Daniel Everyman's Bible Commentary). James Montgomery
Daniel 2:1-23
Constable - "Aramaic was called Chaldean until the latter half of the nineteenth century." [Note: Young, p. 59.] (ibid) Some critics of Daniel question whether this language was actually spoken in Daniel's day and use this to inject uncertainty as to the overall authenticity but modern scholarship has dealt a shattering blow to the "higher" critics as evidence has surfaced that Aramaic was used prior to the late date (e.g., 166BC) they postulate for the writing of Daniel. Rob Salvato - we know from the (sentence) structure… that the Aramaic is consistent with the Aramaic writing style of the 6th century BC - The Aramaic used at the time of Christ had a different sentence structure. Henry Morris on the other hand writes that "From this point, Daniel's account is significantly written in Aramaic (same as Syriac, the language of ancient Syria, and practically identical with the Chaldaic language of the Babylonians). It returns to Hebrew at Daniel 8:1. Thus, the Babylonian section of Daniel is in the language of the Babylonians, a fact that helps confirm the authenticity of the entire book. Because of its remarkably fulfilled prophecies, skeptics and liberals have tried to assign its writing to a much later date, after the events prophesied had taken place. The internal evidence of the book, however, indicates that it could only have been written by a man fluent in the language of Nebuchadnezzar's court. The inclusion of certain Persian and Greek words in the account still further indicates that the writer was connected with the court of Nebuchadnezzar where he would have contact with emissaries from different nations. The authenticity of the book has been further confirmed by his contemporary Ezekiel (Ezekiel 14:14,20; 28:3) and by Christ Himself (Matthew 24:15; Hebrews 11:33). (Borrow The Defender's Study Bible) Renald Showers comments that "Since chapters 2-7 of Daniel deal with Jehovah’s rule over the Gentiles, Daniel wrote those chapters in the language that Gentiles could understand. Had he written them in Hebrew, their message would have been missed by most Gentiles of that time." (Showers, R. E. The Most High God : Commentary on the Book of Daniel. Bellmawr, NJ: Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, Inc) O king (22x in Daniel = Da 2:4, 29, 31, 37; 3:9, 10, 12, 17, 18, 24; 4:22, 24, 27; 5:10, 18; 6:7, 8, 12, 13, 15, 21, 22) Live forever - Language calculated to please the king (cp 1Ki 1:31, Neh 2:3, Da 3:9, 5:10, 6:6, 6:21) Gleason Archer notes that this mode of address "represented a wish or hope that the king would live on from one age to another, with no foreseeable termination by death." Tell us the dream - The chicanery and inadequacy of the wise men is exposed! To meet this requirement required divine revelation, something they did not possess. Constable - Evidently it was customary for the Babylonian kings to tell their dreams to their advisers, who would then provide a politically correct interpretation that would satisfy the monarch. However, Nebuchadnezzar wanted his wise men not only to give him an interpretation but also to tell him what he had dreamed. (Ibid) Baldwin - "The [Chaldean] dream manuals, of which several examples have come to light, consist … of historical dreams and the events that followed them, arranged systematically for easy reference. Since these books had to try to cover every possible eventuality they became inordinately long; only the expert could find his way through them, and even he had to know the dream to begin with before he could search for the nearest possible parallel. The unreasonable demands of the king and the protests of the interpreters in Daniel 2:3-11 are in keeping with his character and the known facts concerning dream books." [Note: Baldwin, p. 87. See also A. L. Oppenheim, "The Interpretation of Dreams in the Ancient Near East," Transactions of the American Philosophical Society 46 (1956):179-373.] (Borrow Daniel : an introduction and commentary) Daniel 2:5 The king replied to the Chaldeans, "The command from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you will be torn limb from limb and your houses will be made a rubbish heap. Da 3:29 1Sa 15:33 Ps 50:22 58:7 Rubbish heap - Dt 13:16 Jos 6:26 2Ki 10:27 Ezra 6:11 Daniel Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries THE INABILITY OF THE OCCULT TO DISCERN THE DIVINE The command from me is firm - Note that the KJV rendering gives the opposite sense - "The thing is gone from me", implying the king could not remember the details. Obviously he knew he had a dream or he would not have given these commands. The Greek Lxx uses a verb that conveys the sense that the specifics of the dream had been forgotten. The upshot is that either mode of translation may be correct and there is not enough information to allow one to be dogmatic in separating there two possibilities. The fact that the immediate context calls for the wise men to make the dream known tends to support the fact that he was unable to remember the specifics of the dream. Either way the pressure would be on the wise men and occultists for they now they had to start from scratch as it were. Driver on firm - The king means that the threat which follows is fully resolved upon by him. Azda is a Persian word, meaning sure, certain. (The Book of Daniel - Google Books) The NET Note is dogmatic (but not everyone agrees as discussed above) - It seems clear from what follows that Nebuchadnezzar clearly recalls the content of the dream, although obviously he does not know what to make of it. By not divulging the dream itself to the would-be interpreters, he intends to find out whether they are simply leading him on. If they can tell him the dream's content, which he is able to verify, he then can have confidence in their interpretation, which is what eludes him. The translation "the matter is gone from me" (cf. KJV, ASV), suggesting that the king had simply forgotten the dream, is incorrect. if you do not make known to me the dream - This statement would strongly suggest the king knew the dream for how else could he possibly test the accuracy of the wise men? It is notable also that the wise men don't "take a gamble" and give a "conjured" up dream of their own imagination, for to do so might cost them their life if they gave him the wrong dream! You will be torn (dismembered) - The typical penalty for disobedience to an oriental king's command was destruction of person (dismemberment was well known among the despotic tyrannical ancient rulers as the mode of killing a person) and property (see Ezra 6:11, 7:26) Gleason Archer describes one method of dismemberment: the victim was tied to four trees with a rope at each limb. The trees were bent inwards and tied together at the top; then the top rope was cut and the body was snapped into four pieces. (The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Vol. 7- Daniel and the Minor Prophets) Whitcomb - Nebuchadnezzar's ability to follow through on such threats was amply confirmed by his treatment of the Judean king Zedekiah (2Ki 25:7), Ahab and Zedekiah (two Jewish rebels in Babylon, Jer. 29:22), and the three friends of Daniel (Dan. 3). (Ibid) Rubbish heap (3x Ezra 6:11 = "refuse heap", Da 2:5, 3:29)- KJV is more dramatic = "a dunghill". The idea is their homes will be made veritable piles of useless rubble or refuse. See Da 3:29 and Ezra 6:11 (where Darius decrees the same punishment for any one altering the terms of his edict). The Apologetics Study Bible notes that "Herodotus, the Greek historian, related a similar instance in which Darius I (about 100 years later) massacred his wise men with the result that the group was almost annihilated (Histories 3.79). Examples of houses and temples being made into refuse sites or public toilets as a mark of contempt are also known from ancient times; Jehu did the same to the temple of Baal in Samaria (2Ki 10:27). (The Apologetics Study Bible: Understanding Why You Believe) Driver - The violence and peremptoriness of the threatened punishment is in accordance with what might be expected at the hands of an Eastern despot; the Assyrians and Persians, especially, were notorious for the barbarity of their punishments. (The Book of Daniel - Google Books) Walvoord - "The king was a young man who had been extraordinarily successful in his military conquests. He undoubtedly had developed a great deal of confidence in himself. It is entirely possible that the wise men were much older than the king, having served Nebuchadnezzar's father. It would be understandable that the king might have previously been somewhat frustrated by these older counselors and may have had a real desire to be rid of them in favor of younger men whom he had chosen himself. Nebuchadnezzar might well have doubted their honesty, sincerity, and capability, and may even have wondered whether they were loyal to him. He may also have questioned some of their superstitious practices." (Daniel 2 Nebuchadnezzar’s Vision Of The Great Image) Daniel 2:6 "But if you declare the dream and its interpretation, you will receive from me gifts and a reward and great honor; therefore declare to me the dream and its interpretation." Da 2:48, 5:7,16,29 Nu 22:7,17,37 24:11 reward - Da 5:17 Daniel Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Da 2:48 Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts, and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. Declare (show) - The basic meaning of the root in Daniel (it does not occur elsewhere) is "to explain" or "point out." The root is used only in three chapters of Daniel, always with meanings which are closely related to the basic idea of explanation or interpretation. Also in Da 2:7, 9, 10, 11, 16, 24, 27, Da 4:2, Da 5:7, 12, 15. But - Always pause and ponder this term of contrast. Daniel 2:7 They answered a second time and said, "Let the king tell the dream to his servants, and we will declare the interpretation." Da 2:4,9 Ec 10:4 Daniel Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries A second time - If Nebuchadnezzar had truly forgotten the dream as the KJV suggests (Da 2:5KJV) and excellent expositors like John MacArthur favor, then why not just "make up a dream" and then give the interpretation. If Nebuchadnezzar truly had forgotten the dream, this ploy would potentially work to appease him. This seems to be the greatest argument against the premise that he had totally forgotten the dream. How else could he possibly assess whether or not they were describing the dream he actually had. Interpretation (06591)(peshar) is a masculine noun which occurs 30x in 26v all in Daniel (Dan 2:4-7, 9, 16, 24-26, 30, 36, 45; 4:6-7, 9, 18-19, 24; 5:7-8, 12, 15-17, 26; 7:16) and means explanation, interpretation or clarification of the meaning or significance of something, the explanation of unintelligible words in language that is intelligible. The act of expounding or unfolding what is not understood or not obvious; as the interpretation of dreams and prophecy. Driver summarizes Da 2:7-12 - The wise men profess their willingness to interpret the king’s dream: but protest that his demand that they should tell him what his dream was is an extravagant one. Nebuchadnezzar, however, adheres to his original demand: and as they are unable to comply with it, commands them to be put to death. (Ibid) Daniel 2:8 The king replied, "I know for certain that you are bargaining for time, inasmuch as you have seen that the command from me is firm, Eph 5:16 Col 4:5 Daniel Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Bargaining for time (literally "buying time") - It's amazing how many of the sayings we have in our language come from the Bible ("you're just trying to buy time"!) We see the impotence of the occult in the realm of the divine! If you are intrigued by the supernatural, passionately pursue God not the devil, He created! Driver - Their repeated request to the king to tell them his dream is proof to him that they have no power to reveal secrets, and that they could not therefore interpret his dream, even though he were to describe it to them: hence he charges them with buying the time, i.e. with endeavouring to defer the fatal moment when the truth must appear, and when their inability to interpret his dream must be exposed. (The Book of Daniel - Google Books) Daniel 2:9 that if you do not make the dream known to me, there is only one decree for you. For you have agreed together to speak lying and corrupt words before me until the situation is changed; therefore tell me the dream, that I may know that you can declare to me its interpretation." there is only one - Da 3:15 Esther 4:11 for you - 1Ki 22:6,22 Pr 12:19 Isa 44:25 Eze 13:6,17,19 2Co 2:17 until - Da 2:21 5:28,31 7:25 Daniel Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Driver on there is only one decree - Lit. your law (i.e. the law or sentence against you) is one, implying that it is unalterable and inevitable; cf. Esther 4:11 (Ibid). Dream… interpretation - Nebuchadnezzar raises the bar on the wise men, for only someone with supernatural insight could give both the dream and its interpretation and this sets the stage for God's supernatural revelation through His choice servant Daniel. Or loosely paraphrased - You know that if you can't tell me my dream, you're doomed. I see right through you—you're going to cook up some fancy stories and confuse the issue until I change my mind. Nothing doing! First tell me the dream, then I'll know that you're on the up and up with the interpretation and not just blowing smoke in my eyes." (Msg) Daniel 2:10 The Chaldeans answered the king and said, "There is not a man on earth who could declare the matter for the king, inasmuch as no great king or ruler has ever asked anything like this of any magician, conjurer or Chaldean. Daniel Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries The Chaldeans - Speaking for the group, finally (after the third regal request) admit defeat! Compare their statement with the magicians to Pharaoh when they could not duplicate Moses' feats - they recognized it as supernatural declaring "This is the finger of God." (Ex 8:16-19) Driver on the reasoning behind their statement - As no king has ever thought of making such a demand, it may be fairly concluded to be one which it is impossible to satisfy. Daniel 2:11 "Moreover, the thing which the king demands is difficult, and there is no one else who could declare it to the king except gods, whose dwelling place is not with mortal flesh." Da 2:27,28 5:11 Ge 41:39 Ex 8:19 Mt 19:26 Whose - Ex 29:45 Nu 35:34 1Ki 8:27 2Ch 6:18 Ps 68:18 113:5,6 132:14 Isa 8:18 57:15 66:1,2 Joel 3:21 Jn 1:1, 2, 3,14 14:17,23 2Co 6:16 Rev 21:3 Daniel Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Ryrie - In effect, the wise men admitted that their previous interpretations were inaccurate and deceptive. (The Ryrie Study Bible: New American Standard Translation: 1995. Moody Publishers) Gleason Archer - Never before had an interpreter of dreams—not even Joseph in Egypt—been required to reconstruct the dream itself. But Daniel had confidence that Yahweh could even do this unprecedented miracle and do it for his own glory (Ed: As we see beginning in Da 2:14). No one… except gods - This admission by the wise men reflects the bankruptcy of human wisdom and occult powers to give divine revelation. These occult practitioner's exclusive domain was supposedly the pagan gods, communication with the spirit world, something they were unable to do. In effect, and possibly without realizing it, these "magic men" have admitted that they are abject charlatans. It follows that they have been deceiving the king (with their prior pronunciations) and are full deserving of his death sentence! To be sure Satan has power but his power is limited by God's sovereign control. The admission of the inability of anyone except the "gods" to meet the king's stipulations sets the stage for God's revelation to and through His choice servant Daniel who had been prepared for the task in the previous chapter (Da 1:17). Their pagan gods were little "g-o-d-s" but our God is capital "G-o-d" and He desires to communicate with us. In fact, He desired so much to do so that He became flesh so that man could understand Him (Jn 1:18, 14:9 17:6). The Word became flesh (Jn 1:14) because God wanted us to understand His heart and desire for us through Jesus Christ to walk in intimacy with Him. And so Daniel and we have a God Who not only desires to communicate but does communicate with His creatures… Dt 4:7 For what great nation (referring to Israel, the chosen people) is there that has a God so near to it as is the LORD our God whenever we call on Him? Amos 3:7 Surely the Lord GOD does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel (primary meaning = confidential speech -- speaks of intimate communion - same word in Ps 25:14) to His servants the prophets. Comment: In other words the Sovereign God does nothing in Israel without first revealing it to His prophets who speak His words to the people. This passage says that when a prophet proclaims God’s Word, it is a warning to His people that He is about to do something important. Amos is saying that the judgment of Israel is inevitable and thus the LORD reveals His intentions to those who are in fellowship with Him. In our day, God has spoken with finality through His Son (He 1:1, 2-note) and His written Word, so there is no further need of new revelation. Dear pastor-teacher, let us remember that the great need of the day is to teach and proclaim and warn with His pure, trustworthy Word as it has been revealed without adding to it or taking away from it (cp Dt 4:2, 12:32, Pr 30:6, Re 22:18-note, Re 22:19-note). Adam
Daniel 2:1-23
Constable has an excellent observation - Daniel mentioned God's wisdom and power at the beginning and the end of his praise (Daniel 2:20; Daniel 2:23), and he illustrated both characteristics in between. This entire book clearly reveals God's wisdom and power. Evidence of His power is His control of events; He changes times and seasons. In other words, He determines when in history events will happen and how long each process or phase of history will last. The second evidence of God's power is that He controls the destiny of nations; He sets up kings and deposes them. Daniel identified two evidences of God's wisdom. First, He gives wisdom to the wise; He is the source of all wisdom. Second, He reveals things that would be unknown to humans otherwise. He can do this because He knows what is unknown to people, and the light of knowledge dwells with Him. (Daniel 2 Commentary) Daniel 2:21 "It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men and knowledge to men of understanding. He changes: Da 2:9 7:25 11:6 1Ch 29:30 Es 1:13 Job 34:24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 Ps 31:14,15 Ec 3:1-8 Jer 27:5, 6, 7 He removes: Da 4:17,32 1Sa 2:7,8 Job 12:18 Ps 75:5,6 113:7,8 Pr 8:15,16 Lk 1:51,52 Ac 13:21,22 Rev 19:16 He gives: Ex 31:3,6 1Ki 3:8, 9, 10, 11, 12,28 4:29 10:24 1Ch 22:12 2Ch 1:10, 11, 12 Pr 2:6,7 Lk 21:15 1Co 1:30 Jas 1:5,17 3:15, 16, 17 Daniel Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries God is behind the scenes and controls the scenes He is behind. He Who changes the times and epochs (e.g., Da 7:12) - The flow of Human History is not determined by earthly rulers but by the hand of God. History is truly "His" Story and He controls the flow of history either in an active or permissive manner. Delitzsch says times and epochs are "more exactly seasons and times - The meaning is, History does not move with the regularity of a clock: the order of things established at a given time is not necessarily permanent; it frequently happens that kings are overthrown and a new régime is established." New Jerusalem Bible - It is he who controls the procession of times and seasons, who makes and unmakes kings, who confers wisdom on the wise, and knowledge on those with discernment, Times (05732)(iddan) indicates a period of time. James Swanson on iddan - 1. time, occasion in a general sense, without reference to other points of time (Da 2:8, 9, 21; 7:12); 2. (most versions) time, a period of time, as a definite unit: year, (seven) years (Da 4:16,23,25,32); three and a half years (NAB) Da 7:25, formally, time, times and a half time (= 1 + 2 + 1/2). Iddan - 13x in 11v - Dan 2:8-9, 21; 3:5, 15; 4:16, 23, 25, 32; 7:12, 25 The most notable use of iddan is in Daniel 7:25-note - 'He (little horn) will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time." Each use so time is translated in the Septuagint with kairos which refers to a season or fixed period of time during which something occurs. It is interesting that kairos is also to translate the parallel phrase "time, times and half a time" in Revelation 12:14-note, a phrase which John explains as equivalent to 1260 days (Rev 12:6-note), which in turn equates with three and one-half years (using 30 days/month). The significance of these associations are discussed in more detail in the comments on Daniel 7. Jamieson makes an interesting statement regarding times and epochs - The “times” are the phases and periods of duration of empires (compare Daniel 7:25-note; 1Chronicles 12:32; 1Chronicles 29:30); the “seasons” the fitting times for their culmination, decline, and fall (Ecclesiastes 3:1; Acts 1:7; 1Thessalonians 5:1-note). The vicissitudes of states, with their times and seasons, are not regulated by chance or fate, as the heathen thought, but by God. (Daniel 2 Commentary) Charles Clough offers an intriguing explanation of why Daniel specifically praised God for His control of times and epochs - "What was the central element of Babylonian education? The human viewpoint education of the day corresponded to what that you read in the newspaper every day? The horoscope. What’s the essence of the horoscope (Horoscope - Wikipedia)? That the times and the seasons are fixed by astronomical regularity. In other words, there’s a fatalistic determinism that’s involved in astrology (See Fatalism - Wikipedia), that the universe just sort of runs in a very fatalistic way and the times and the seasons are all preprogrammed. And Daniel says no, times and seasons are not preprogrammed. God changes the times and God changes the seasons… In astrological terms, God will change the constellation. God alters their time and their periods. He introduces an element of Catastrophism into the geophysical universe. God "tampers" with His own creation, He changes the times and the seasons. He’s not bound by His own natural laws. If He wants to change them He does. (Bible Framework) (Bolding added) Albert Barnes in his comments on Daniel 2:2 adds that "Cicero also remarks (De Divin., p. 3), that ‘the Chaldeans, so named, not from their art, but their nation, are supposed, by a prolonged observation of the stars, to have wrought out a science by which could be predicted what was to happen to every individual, and to what fate he was born." (Daniel 2 Commentary) He removes kings - The interpretation of the dream (Da 2:36-45) especially when amplified by the truths in Daniel 7-8, clearly show kingdoms (kings) rising and falling in succession, just as God ordains.
Daniel 2:24-49
Constable comments that "The mountain of the house of the LORD is Mt. Zion where the Temple, the LORD’s house, stood in the past and will stand in the future (cf. Ezek 40–43). In the future, Mt. Zion would become the chief of all the mountains on earth rising above all other hills in its importance (cf. Ge 12:3; Zech 8:3) Mountain is also a figure for a kingdom in the Old Testament (e.g., Da 2:35-see discussion of this great prophecy , Da 2:44-45-note). Here (Isaiah 2:2) it probably has the double significance of literal Mt. Zion (Jerusalem) and the whole kingdom of Israel that Mt. Zion represents (by metonymy). Filled the whole earth - The Kingdom of Christ will know no limits of its rule. Isaiah prophesies that in that day "the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." (Is 11:9) (See other passages that allude to the coming Kingdom of Christ -- Ps 22:27, 28, Ps 46:9 Ps 66:4 Ps 67:1,2 72:8-11, 16-18, Ps 86:9, Da 7:14, Zec 14:8-11, Luke 1:32, 33, 1Co 15:25 Rev 11:15 20:2,3) At present we do not see the whole earth under the rule of the Messiah, for as John explains in this present age "the whole world lies in the power of the evil one" (1Jn 5:19), Satan, who was given temporary rule over all the kingdoms of the world (Lk 4:5-6) when Adam forfeited his right to rule over the earth (cp Ge 1:26-28) with one act of sin. The prophet Zechariah records that "it will come about in that day that living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter. And the LORD (Jehovah = Jesus) will be King over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be the only one, and His name the only one. (Zech 14:9+) In the Revelation, the prophet John records that when "the seventh angel sounded; and there arose loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world (cp the single great statute that Nebuchadnezzar saw - Da 2:31 the component kingdoms of which were crushed all at the same time - Da 2:35) has become (known as the prophetic aorist = describes an event so certain it is spoken of as already completed) the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever." (Rev 11:15+) Comment: The seventh trumpet occurs in the middle of the 7 year period known as Daniel's Seventieth Week (commonly referred to as the "Tribulation") and although 3.5 years will pass before the King returns, the events that are set in motion are irreversible so that the terminus, the Lord's reign over all the the earth in His Millennial Kingdom is as good as done! This event is the answer to the Solomon's prayer "And blessed be His glorious name forever and may the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen, and Amen. (Ps 72:19) As