"Feet, Part Of Iron, And Part Of Clay" (Dan. 2:33)

The image of Nebuchadnezzar's dream was mighty, its brightness excellent, its aspect terrible. The head of gold, the breast and arms of silver, the belly and thighs of bronze and the legs of iron were significantly distinguished from the feet. For the feet and toes were not of one material. They were partly of iron and partly of clay, materials which do not mix.

When interpreting the dream, Daniel identified Nebuchadnezzar as the head of gold, a monarch to whom God had granted absolute power. There was to follow an "inferior kingdom", which would be succeeded by the kingdom of bronze; and the fourth kingdom was of iron because it would break in pieces and crush. These three parts of the image seem clearly to represent the Medo-Persian, Grecian and Roman empires, which succeeded one another in leadership of Gentile dominion. Roman power still obtained at the time of Israel's rejection of her Messiah. As a result of this rejection Israel was set aside as a nation and scattered into captivity.

The feet of the image relate to the time of the end, when Gentile dominion will again vitally affect Israel in her restored nationhood. Already we have seen the historic miracle of Israel's restoration to her land as an independent nation. The political structure of Gentile power is now being moulded by the great Potter of the nations towards the crisis of the time of the end. We are probably witnessing the formative stage of a process through which will emerge the great ten-kingdom confederacy represented by the ten toes of the image in Nebuchadnezzar's dream.

The ten kings of this confederacy are seen in different imagery in Dan. 7:24, where it is shown that they will arise out of the kingdom represented by the fourth beast of Daniel's vision. This beast, like the legs of iron in Nebuchadnezzar's image, represents the Roman empire. So it is reasonable to deduce that the endtime confederacy will develop in the area of that ancient empire. This strikingly points to the likelihood that the present European Economic Community is the precursor of the coming ten-kingdom confederacy, which will be the power-base of Antichrist's world dominion.

As believers in this age of grace we await the return of the Lord Jesus to the air for His Church before the time of the end and the manifestation of Antichrist. But do we not already see portents of "feet and toes, part of iron, and part of clay"? For Daniel's interpretation shows that the mixture of iron and clay denotes a divided kingdom (2:41); a kingdom partly strong and partly brittle (2:42); a kingdom with ethnically mixed relationships, but no inherent unity of principle (2:43). The present European Economic Community shows just such characteristics. Some member states are weak and some are strong, both in terms of political authority and economic resource. Local national interests often take precedence over loyalty to the common cause, leading to frequent quarrelling over such matters as fishing rights, agricultural policies, oil distribution and financial adjustments. There is nothing answering to the strong authoritative union illustrated by the gold, silver, brass and iron of ancient empires.

These very characteristics of the end-time confederation will play into the hands of the contemptible one who "shall obtain the kingdom by flatteries" (Dan. 11:21), who "through his policy shall cause craft to prosper in his hand" (8:25). Such scriptures suggest that by astute diplomacy and statecraft the Antichrist will play off one against another until his authority within the confederation is established. Then as a result of his political brilliance, control of terrorising power (Rev. 13:4; Dan. 11:39) and signs and lying wonders (2 Thess. 2:9), he will be able for a time to hold together the confederation of "iron and clay". Its united resources will be deployed to achieve world-wide control (Rev. 13:7).

Doubtless there will be many political changes within the European Economic Community as events are processed towards the final end-time formation of the ten-kingdom confederacy. At present the Community has ten member states. This grouping may well be radically altered in the final event. Dan. 7:24 would suggest that at a very late phase Antichrist will himself put down three of the ten kings in his own bid for supremacy. Whatever the re-groupings, the mixture of "iron and clay" will prevail.

If Scripture indeed sheds this light on modem developments in Europe, how deeply significant it is! For of the period represented by the "feet and toes, part of iron, and part of clay" we read: "In the days of those kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed, nor shall the sovereignty thereof be left to another people; but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever" (Dan. 2:44). As world events move forward to that glorious day, "Amen, come Lord Jesus" is the prayer of many hearts.

unknown | May 1980
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