. . . for a number of reasons it is
best to follow the first view—an earthly, future (millennial) kingdom of Christ
that will continue into the eternal state.
1. Verse 44 most naturally would be
understood to speak of Christ’s second coming. Even Leupold, who holds that the
kingdom is the spiritual reign of Christ within believers, acknowledges: “To
some extent this overthrow [of the earthly kingdoms] is still future, for the
final victory of the church coincides with the day of judgment.” (Leupold, Daniel,
124)
2. The four kingdoms of the statue
were all earthly and physical in nature. Christ, of course, is now reigning and
will continue to do so throughout eternity, but in this context his kingdom
would appear to be an earthly rule like the others. “The Last Kingdom replaces
the first Four in the dream, and is, in the idea of the scene, spatially bound
as are in predecessors; the Mountain fills the whole earth, is not a spiritual
Kingdom of Heaven.” (Montgomery, Daniel, 178; cf. Hartman and Di Lella, Daniel,
149)
3. From information in the text, a
confederation of kings (kingdoms) will be ruling at the time of his first
coming but will put an end to them at his return. Moreover, this description is
similar to that found in other Scriptures (cf. Matt 24:29-31; Rev 19:11-21)
that portray Christ’s second coming in catastrophic fashion. The “gentle
victory of the gospel which makes its gracious influence felt and conquers”
(Leupold, Daniel, 124-25) has certainly been a reality in the experience
of the church but does not appear to be in view here.
5. Christ’s kingdom is pictured as
filling the earth. When one looks at the crime, atrocities, and injustices of
this present world, it is difficult to sense that the kingdom of God has now
filled the earth. All persons have not entered Christ’s kingdom, nor do they
submit to his authority (the vast majority do not). Yet when Christ returns,
all will acknowledge him as Lord (cf. Phil 2:10-11).
6. The vast majority of commentators
agree that the dream statue of chap. 2 parallels the beast vision recorded in
chap. 7. Regardless of millennial persuasion, scholars have generally
interpreted the coming of the kingdom of God during the time of the ten thorns
in Dan 7 to denote the second coming of Christ. Since the latter part of the
status (with its ten toes) corresponds to the latter part of the beast vision
(the ten horns), it is logical to understand the rock destroying this segment
of the image as also symbolizing the kingdom of God established at the Lord’s
return. (Stephen R. Miller, Daniel: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition
of Holy Scripture [The New American Commentary 18; Broadman and Holman
Publishers, 1994], 100-1)
. . . Christ’s coming will be
triumphant. Verse 44 reveals that this kingdom “will crush” (děqaq,
“shatter” or “break into pieces” all earthly kingdoms, and in v. 45 this rock
“broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, and silver and gold to piece,” that is,
the world kingdoms represented by the statue are annihilated. When Christ
arrives with his holy angels, all the evil empires of earth will be swept away.
(Ibid., 101-2)