The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 1

III. The Symbolism of the Great Mountain and the Wind

But there were other more intriguing aspects of the symbolism of Daniel 2, which must have tremendously impressed the king and his court. The stone cut out of the mountain, which smote the image on the feet of iron and clay, and shattered the metals into particles fine enough to be blown away like chaff, may have evoked memories of a Sumerian myth which tells how Ninurta, son of Enlil, and prototype of Marduk, ²¹ was attacked by the various stones, and how he subdued them. In his address to the stones, condemning some to be pulverized the victor significantly gives a place of unparalleled honor to the “Mountain Stone“: PFF1 44.1

“O praised one, the light of whose eyes is cast abroad,
O mountain stone who in the hostile land hast raised a roar of wrath,
Who utterest a roar in battle, wrathfully, terribly,
Him whom my hand conquered not victoriously,
Whom with the cruel ones I bound not,
Shalt thou scatter at the feet of thy people.
Like gold shall they treasure thee.
O hero whom I bound, not have I rested until I gave thee life.” ²² PFF1 44.2

In contrast, Daniel is saying that God’s Mountain Stone is itself to triumph, and is to pulverize the metallic image—the series of kingdoms which began so auspiciously. Then it is to grow into a great mountain and occupy the whole earth. PFF1 44.3

1. BABYLONIAN FAMILIARITY WITH “GREAT MOUNTAIN”

Perhaps tile most typical edifices of Babylonia were the ziggurats, or temple—towers—built in imitation of mountains—such as that of Marduk in Babylon, which Nebuchadnezzar rebuilt. ²³ He was constantly building or beautifying temples, towers, palaces, and fortifications, which he described as lofty—”mountain —high.” ²⁴ Who, then, could more appropriately dream of a mountain—cut stone filling the whole earth, than this king whose ambition was to heap up mountainous edifices? PFF1 44.4

In the days of Nebuchadnezzar, Marduk had replaced the older god Enlil, the “Great Mountain,” as “lord of the lands.” ²⁵ This simple fact throws a floodlight on Daniel’s employment of the term “Great Mountain” (Daniel 2:35) to describe the coming kingdom of the God of heaven, which would become the Great Mountain, filling the whole earth. ²⁶ To Nebuchadnezzar, it could only mean that the supremacy that had been taken away from the Sumerian god of Nippur, and bestowed on the god of Babylon, would, after passing on to a series of four world empires in succession, ultimately be given to the God of heaven, whose kingdom would fill the earth forever. PFF1 45.1

2. BABYLONIAN CONCEPT OF THE “GREAT WIND”

But there is still another aspect of the symbolism—that of the great wind which was to sweep away forever the fragments of the broken image. Enlil’s traditional role as “Lord of the wind” ²⁷ also belonged to Marduk. In the fight with Tiamat, the female dragon of primeval chaos, not only does Marduk summon the four winds to his aid, but he creates seven winds. Riding to the attack in his storm chariot, he renders his opponent helpless by blasting a terrific wind down her throat, and so slays his enemy.” ²⁸ PFF1 45.2

Consequently, Nebuchadnezzar and his companions would doubtless see this vivid descriptive action of the wind of the prophecy as no less of a marvel and an act of God, the true “Lord of the wind,” than that of the stone becoming the great earth—filling mountain—indeed the “Lord of the Lands.” ²⁹ It is scarcely possible to conceive of any more telling figures by Picture 2: INSPIRATION’S ANIMATED CARTOONS OF THE NATIONS
As this quartet of beasts rose out of the sea of nations, the prophet’s interest was focused on that dreadful fourth creature of Daniel 7, with his talking and seeing horn. These symbolic beasts were early held to parallel the four world powers of the metallic man, following the same sequence of kingdoms as in chapter 2. which the great truths of the coming Messianic kingdom could be conveyed to a Chaldean king and his courtiers. PFF1 45.3

3. SYMBOLIC INTENT GRASPED BY NEBUCHADNEZZAR

From Nebuchadnezzar’s spontaneous response it is evident that he grasped the essential meaning of the prophecy almost immediately, because of his familiarity with the leading terms of the symbolism. Notice his sweeping acknowledgment: “Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret.” Daniel 2:47. PFF1 47.1

It is significant that, to Nebuchadnezzar, Marduk was the “Sun—god of the gods.” ³⁰ And he was lord of kings, in token of which Nebuchadnezzar himself every year “took the hands of Bel” to receive anew his kingly authority. ³¹ Marduk was also the keeper of the Tablets of Fate, and revealer of secrets, through the agency of his son Nabu, god of wisdom, the scribe and messenger, the prophet and proclaimer of the gods. ³² Yet neither Marduk nor his messenger could offer Nebuchadnezzar any help in this case. Only the God of heaven, whom Daniel proclaimed, could reveal the meaning of the vision and open to the king the future course of empires and the establishment of the final heavenly kingdom. PFF1 47.2