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The student should be informed as to the occurrences of these
expressions, 'latter days' and 'hereafter' in the book of Daniel, and we
therefore give them and the other renderings where the same words occur in
the original.
Hereafter
'What should come to pass hereafter' (2:29).
'What shall come to pass hereafter' (2:45).
'Another shall rise after them' (7:24).
Latter Days
'What shall be in the latter days' (2:28).
'What shall be in the last end of the indignation' (8:19).
'In the latter time of their kingdom' (8:23).
'What shall befall thy people in the latter days' (10:14).
'What shall be the end of these things?' (12:8).
Daniel stood at the end of a long line of prophets, and the expression
'latter days' and 'last days' had by then a very clear meaning. Their use
can be studied in Genesis 49:1; Numbers 24:14; Deuteronomy 4:30; 8:16; 31:29;
32:20,29; Isaiah 2:2; Micah 4:1, and other passages.
Gentile Dominion
The succeeding kingdoms symbolized in the great image of Daniel 2 show
a marked depreciation. Gold gives place to silver, silver to brass (or
copper), brass to iron, iron to clay. (See Feet of Clay p. 219). Because we
are far more likely to have handled a solid piece of lead than a bar of gold,
many of us would place lead as the heaviest of metals. This, however, would
be inaccurate, the specific gravity of lead being 11.4, whereas that of gold
is as high as 19.3. Gold is the heaviest metal mentioned in Daniel 2 and it
is of this metal that the head is constructed, so that the image of Gentile
dominion is top -heavy from the commencement. This can be seen by observing
the relative specific gravity of each material:
Gold ...
...
19.3
Silver...
...
10.51
Brass ...
...
8.5
(Copper 8.78)
Iron ...
...
7.6
Clay ...
...
1.9
The arrangement of these metals in the structure of the image indicates
depreciation not only in weight, but also in the characteristics of the
kingdom. The kingdom of which Nebuchadnezzar was the head of gold was an
absolute monarchy. Of him it could be said, 'whom he would
he slew; and whom he would he kept alive'. The Medo -Persian kingdom,
represented by silver, was not absolute, as was Nebuchadnezzar's. Darius was
limited by the president and princes, and by his own laws 'that could not be
broken'. The Grecian kingdom of brass was a military kingdom, and
consequently lower still in the scale. We will not here speak of Rome, as we
have not yet dealt with the question of the fourth kingdom. We see enough,
however, to realize that this prophetic image prevents us from ever believing
that the kingdom of heaven will come upon earth as a result of Gentile rule;
rather we are clearly told that Gentile rule must be ground to powder before
the Kingdom of the Lord can be set up.