Feet Of Iron and Clay

In this passage in Daniel two, as most of you know, Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had a dream that he knew was very significant. He also was suspicious of all the "wise" men of Babylon and their ability to interpret the dream. So he sent out a decree that the person who would come to him and first tell him his dream and then interpret it would receive a great reward, while the wise men who could not do so would be killed. Daniel and at least three other Hebrew captives were some of the wise men whose necks were on the line. Daniel prayed and God told him the dream and the interpretation which he then gave to the king, saving not only his own life but the lives of all the wise men of Babylon. Here is what the Lord showed him, a prophesy that is applicable down to this very day.

You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome. This image's head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. (Daniel 2:31-35, NKJV).

This is the interpretation given by Daniel.

This is the dream. Now we will tell the interpretation of it before the king. You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory; and wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all--you are this head of gold. But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others.

Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay. And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold--the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure. (Daniel 2:36-45, NKJV).

Most Bible scholars agree that the head of gold was the Babylonian empire of Daniel's day and that the chest and arms of silver were the Medo-Persian Empire that followed. Then came the belly and thighs of bronze, the Greek empire of Alexander the Great and his generals who took over after his death. After that came the legs of iron, the world rule of Rome. Now notice that the feet are made of iron and clay. This is a weak joining of two very dissimilar materials that are not as strong as the iron legs. In fact, for iron to have strength it must be purified in the fires of a foundry. It can be made stronger by adding alloys of other metals, but clay is never used in these alloys. Clay has nothing in common with metal. Although the strength of the iron was found in the feet, because the clay was also present in the mixture, the feet were the weak point in the image.

So we see, then, that the image becomes weaker and worth less as it goes downward from the head until it is completely worthless. Clay by itself has a value for use in pottery, as iron does for tools, but mixed together they are of no value. Yet this mixture depicts the final kingdom of man. We think that the Lord has shown us what this kingdom is.

It is interesting that in the building of the sacrificial altar and the temple in the Old Testament, iron tools were forbidden.

. . .as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses: "an altar of whole stones over which no man has wielded an iron tool." And they offered on it burnt offerings to the LORD, and sacrificed peace offerings. (Joshua 8:31, NKJV).

And the temple, when it was being built, was built with stone finished at the quarry, so that no hammer or chisel or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built. (1 Kings 6:7, NKJV).

It seems that God does not have a high opinion of iron when it comes to the work of His kingdom. So what does the Bible have to say about clay?

Sons of Clay

About fifty years before the time of Daniel, in Jerusalem Isaiah prophesied.

Rain down, you heavens, from above, And let the skies pour down righteousness; Let the earth open, let them bring forth salvation, And let righteousness spring up together. I, the LORD, have created it. Woe to him who strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him who forms it, `What are you making?' Or shall your handiwork say, 'He has no hands'? Woe to him who says to his father, 'What are you begetting?' Or to the woman, 'What have you brought forth?'"

Thus says the LORD, The Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: "Ask Me of things to come concerning My sons; And concerning the work of My hands, you command Me." (Isaiah 45:8-11, NKJV).

Here, God speaking through Isaiah is using a potter working with clay as an example of the Lord's work of shaping sons of God for Himself. Paul wrote of God's divine working to bring forth His sons.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. (Romans 8:28-30, NKJV).

Isaiah continues this theme.

But now, O LORD, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand. Do not be furious, O LORD, Nor remember iniquity forever; Indeed, please look--we all are Your people! (Isaiah 64:6-9, NKJV).

Again Paul writes:

For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen (clay) vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. (2 Corinthians 4:5-7, NKJV).

See also Jeremiah 18:2-6 and Lamentations 4:1-2.

It is God in His sovereignty who shapes us. We are not formed by a harsh iron tool that forces its will upon us but by the gentle hands of the Master Potter as He forms vessels ready for His table.

It is also interesting that before clay is useful as pottery, it must be fired to a very high temperature after it is formed. The three Hebrew children were fired in a Babylonian "kiln," as told in Daniel.

Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. He spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. And he commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Therefore, because the king's command was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, "Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?"

They answered and said to the king, "True, O king."

"Look!" he answered, "I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God." (Daniel 3:19-25, NKJV).

The firings of God are not pleasant, but they are necessary to bring us forth in the image of His Son. Consider these verses in regards to the purifying work of God with His sons in the fire.

The words of the LORD are pure words, Like silver tried in a furnace of earth, Purified seven times. (Psalms 12:6, NKJV).

If Jesus then is the Word of God, could it be that God's sons are the purified "words" of God? The prophet Malachi was onto this when he wrote:

But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire And like launderer's soap. He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the LORD An offering in righteousness. (Malachi 3:2-3, NKJV).

A Strange Mixture

Now, back to the image with the feet of iron and clay. Here we see that this mixture symbolizes the final worldwide kingdom of man. If the clay symbolizes God's people and the iron legs of the image symbolizes the Roman Empire, then what is this mixture of the Roman Empire and the people of God? I believe it is what started out as the head of the image, mystery Babylon.

The first record of man in collective rebellion against God was at the tower of Babel, located at the sight of ancient Babylon and the modern Iraq. The final record of the collective rebellion of man against God is found in Revelation chapters 17 to 19. Here it is symbolized by a woman, a harlot, called Babylon the Great or Mystery Babylon, the mother of harlots, who rides on a great beast with many heads. Here are the harlot's attributes:

She sits in dominion over multitudes of people: "The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues."
She seduces the rulers of the earth and intoxicates the people of the earth with the wine of her fornication: "with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication."
She lives in opulence: " The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup"
She is the mother of harlots and abominations: "And on her forehead a name [was] written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."
In her cup is the blood of the saints of God: "I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus."
She sits on a beast with seven heads which are seven mountains: "Here [is] the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits." (It is said that the city of Rome sits on seven hills.)
The beast on which she rides makes war on Jesus and the saints of God. "The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those [who are] with Him [are] called, chosen, and faithful."
The scarlet woman's days are numbered, "And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, 'Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen."
And she is filled with demons before her final fall: "...and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!'"
She is known for her wealth, luxurious living and merchandizing: "the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury."
And God's people are found inside of her! "And I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues."

So dear saints, you see there is a mixture in this image seen by Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon and that mixture is of Roman imperial authority with its corruption and the Church of Jesus Christ, the ekklesia of God.

With just a cursory study of Church history and a look around you, you will see that each of these eleven attributes mentioned above are alive and well in the visible Church as we know it. The Emperor Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman empire in 312 AD, forcing the clay and iron together. He then set about to change the Church from Jesus' bride into a woman who willingly sleeps with every despot who rules the nations of the world. The last kingdom of iron and clay is the apostate Church born in Rome, not Jerusalem. If you want further proof, compare the Church written about in the Book of Acts with the visible Church of today.

Least you think that all religious corruption is found only in the ROMAN Catholic Church, this Great whore is also called "the mother of harlots." If she is the mother it should be obvious who her children are. As "Protestants," we know about the abuses of the Catholic Church through the crusades and inquisitions that killed thousands of Jews, Muslims and saints of God. But are you aware just how many murders and thefts are a direct result of the acts and writings of the "hallowed" Martin Luther and John Calvin? If you want an eye opener read Luther's "The Jews and their Lies," in which he draws the blueprint for the holocaust followed by Hitler four hundred years later. John Calvin oversaw the murder of Michael Servitus, a supposed heretic who was burned at the stake. Calvin was also behind the death of his own daughter-in-law and step son. He was responsible for the burning alive of fourteen so called "witches." This was his justification, "When the Catholics are so harsh and violent in their defense of their superstitions, are not Christ's magistrates shamed to do less in defense of the truth"? We are talking about the founders of modern Protestantism here! Like mother, like daughter.

No doubt these men started out with all sincerity to serve the Lord, but as they found power in their alliances with the governments of men, they were seduced by that power to carry out their will by force. There is no such thing as a "holy war." When clay mixes with iron all manner of perversion and atrocity is the result.

Many more saints were imprisoned and killed by the Church of England as heretics. The religious persecution of would be reformers by the state churches in Europe was so bad that many believers escaped to the shores of the new world and formed the original settlements in what is now the US and Canada.

Whenever religious men make league with the governments of men they lose sight of the eternal kingdom of God and fall into the hands of the Prince of this world, who gladly gives these men his kingdoms for a price. Satan even tried this ploy on Jesus!

>Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me." (Matthew 4:8-9, NKJV).

The City that Has Foundations vs. the Cities of Men

It was our Savior who said it so well at His trial, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here."

Of the father of faith, faithful Abraham, the writer of Hebrews testified:

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God . . .These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. (Hebrews 11:8-13, NKJV).

Those who walk by faith, just as Abraham did, seek not a city made with brick and slime here among the kingdoms of men, but they seek a "city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God." As long as they see it as a city "afar off," a kingdom that comes "without observation," they are on the right track. God never had a plan in which mere man would be the founder or foundation of His eternal city and government. He has only One foundation on which His city is to be built, that stone not cut with the hands of men, His son, Jesus Christ. As Paul wrote so vividly.

For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. (1 Corinthians 3:11-15, NKJV).

Dear saints, we believe the Day that will declare men's works in the fires of God is upon us. We believe that God's Foundation Stone, Jesus Christ, is about to collide with everything that has been founded on men from the foundations of the world whether it is called "Christian" or otherwise.

There is a plague coming upon this counterfeit bride which rides the back of the Beast. Not only will the Beast system of the governments of men turn on her, but that Perfect Stone which falls upon the feet of the image will destroy her and the Beast governments of the world along with their "new world order."

Jesus prophesied of the Chief Cornerstone falling destroying the kingdoms of men in a parable when He said,

Then He began to tell the people this parable: "A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time. Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out. Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. Probably they will respect him when they see him.'But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.' So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others." And when they heard it they said, "Certainly not!"

Then He looked at them and said, "What then is this that is written: 'The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone'? Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder." (Luke 20:9-18, NKJV).

It is amazing when you compare Jesus' words with Daniel 2:35.

Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. (Daniel 2:35, NKJV).

Again Isaiah spoke of these things when he wrote:

Therefore hear the word of the LORD, you scornful men, Who rule this people who are in Jerusalem (the bride [see Revelation 21:2]), Because you have said, "We have made a covenant with death, And with Sheol we are in agreement. When the overflowing scourge passes through, It will not come to us, For we have made lies our refuge, And under falsehood we have hidden ourselves." (See Revelation 18:7). Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily. (Isaiah 28:14-16, NKJV).

Peter took up this passage when he wrote to the Church:

Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, "Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame." Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, "The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone," and "A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense." They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light [enlightening]. (1 Peter 2:4-9, NKJV).

The Enlightenment

Just before the angel of the Lord calls out to His people to come out of the whore (Rev. 18:4), another angel descends to the earth from heaven.

And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. (Revelation 18:1, KJV).

The word translated lightened in this verse is the Greek word photizo {fo-tid'-zo}. It means: to give light, to shine, to enlighten, light up, illumine, to bring to light, render evident, to cause something to exist and thus come to light and become clear to all, to enlighten, spiritually, imbue with saving knowledge, to instruct, to inform, teach, to give understanding to.

As you can see, this is no ordinary 60-watt bulb that burns out fifteen minutes after you bring it home from the supermarket. This angel of God is sent to prepare the way, illuminate and enlighten the minds of the saints of God so they can be ready to heed the call to come out of this false bride, the Great Whore, unto the Son.

We are greatly encouraged by the amount of mail we get from saints who are already coming out of man-made institutional church systems. They all speak of the marvelous freedom they are finding in Christ now that they are free of these man made kingdoms. Often the ones set free are pastors!

All is not lost, dear saints. Just as God did not call the Children of Israel out of Egypt to make a kingdom in the wilderness, but to go all the way into the promised land as, neither is He going to leave His people who come out of "her" standing in barren wilderness (see Rev. 17:3). Jesus gets the final word.

Yes, dear saints of God, the end of the image in Daniel 2 is also the demise of the counterfeit bride, that mixture of Rome that has controlled Christ's Church. It is the end of the kingdoms of the world and the rebellion of man against God (see 1 Samuel 8:6&7), and the beginning of the reign of Jesus with His saints. "And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth."

The apostle John was speaking of this when he wrote:

Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, "We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, Because You have taken Your great power and reigned. The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, And the time of the dead, that they should be judged, And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, And those who fear Your name, small and great, And should destroy those who destroy the earth. (Revelation 11:15-18, NKJV).

Don't be afraid. All the virgins have ample time to buy oil for themselves. Not all will, but those who receive the love of the Truth will be saved. Those who have a vested interest in the lie, refusing to let go of it, will be cursed (see 2 Thessalonians 2). It is up to each of us to trim our lamps, cutting away the old burnt wick that inhibits the light in each of us. It is in this enlightenment that we go forth to meet Him in this darkest hour.

Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. (1 John 3:2, NKJV).

Rejoice!

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