God’s Answer to the Arrogance of the Nations

Nebuchadnezzar’s second dream points prophetically to God’s plan for the nations in the end times. It shows that the nations’ arrogance will increase, but will also come to an end.

It’s astonishing how far the prophet Daniel saw into the future. He saw the stone coming loose, the statue representing the nations being broken apart, and the stone becoming a great mountain that fills everything (Dan 2). This vision reveals Jesus’ return in glory. In Daniel 4:1-15, we read of another vision, another dream Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar had, which Daniel was able to interpret.

The Dream

Nebuchadnezzar was living the carefree life; he was happy, peaceful, and content in his palace. But then he had another frightening dream, and thoughts that troubled him greatly. As with the first dream (Dan 2), he called all of Babylon’s wise men to learn the meaning. And once again, none of the enchanters, astrologers, fortune tellers, or interpreters could explain the dream to him. Then Daniel came again. Nebuchadnezzar said that Daniel had the spirit of the holy gods, but addressed him by the name of an idol, Belteshazzar. He told Daniel about his dream, presenting these elements:

• A tree in the middle of the earth (Dan 4:10). It was tremendously tall. It was big and strong. Its top reached to the heavens, and it could be seen from all over the earth. Its foliage was thick, its fruit plentiful, and it provided food for all.

• Animals who found shade under the tree and fed from it (v. 12).

• The birds of the sky that lived in the tree’s branches (v. 12).

• The “watcher” (vv. 13-14), who suddenly came down from heaven, shouting, “Chop down the tree and lop off its branches, strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts flee from under it and the birds from its branches.”

• The rootstock (v. 15), which would remain in the grass of the field, bound with chains of iron and bronze and moistened by the dew of heaven. The rootstock would be counted among the animals and behave accordingly, for seven periods of time.

The Dreamer

If we consider the context of the book of Daniel, it’s significant that it was Nebuchadnezzar who had the dream. We read a lot about him in the first three chapters. In the first dream (Daniel 2), the times of the nations were revealed to him. These will only come to an end when Christ returns; Christ is the stone that will be loosened at the end. And so, we can assume that events we read about which have a connection to Nebuchadnezzar, have prophetic significance for the entire development and outcome of the times of the nations.

Nebuchadnezzar is the statue’s golden head, after which one world empire follows another (see the dream in Daniel 2). The head does the thinking and directing. This means that Babylon’s streams of thought extend to the other world empires. From a biblical-prophetic perspective, Nebuchadnezzar is an image—a representation—of the entire world of nations.

The Tree

The tree in this dream is Nebuchadnezzar: large and strong, in the middle of the earth, visible from everywhere, a figure of arrogance and pride (Dan 4:17-19). He held the golden dominion as far as the end of the known world of his day, but his heart became haughty: The tree reached to the sky.

Here we can see the anti-Christian central tenet of Babylon, whose streams of thought extend to the world of nations. The core is wanting to make yourself God. In the very place where the Tower of Babel was meant to rise to the sky, Nebuchadnezzar reached to the sky in his arrogance. The “anti” in “antichrist” also means “in place of”: Man in the place of God. This is the arrogance of the nations; they think they are God.

But just as Nebuchadnezzar had to come to know God in all His greatness, so the nations must also come to know that He is Lord—as the Bible says over sixty times! He is God, and none other. It is He who enthrones and deposes kings.

The tree that reaches to heaven is an image of the anti-Christian kingdom: People will feel safe under its shade, and think it will provide them with everything they need. In the dream, the tree has beautiful foliage, and plenty of fruit for everything and everyone. Nebuchadnezzar was not only a great conqueror, but also presided over a good administrative and economic system. The tree brought prosperity; it gave everyone shelter, peace, wealth, and enough of everything. But arrogance is also apparent: The state believes it is the sole provider and breadwinner for everyone. Revelation 13 shows us the climax of this totalitarian progression, when nothing can be done without the mark.

The image of the tree inevitably recalls the parable of the mustard seed in Matthew 13:31-32. In my opinion, this parable shows us how Satan copies the kingdom in the end times, until Jesus returns. It describes this kingdom’s growth after Jesus is rejected as King by His people. The rapid germination and growth of the mustard seed represents the rapid spread of lawlessness and the rapid emergence of the anti-Christian empire in the last days. The mustard seed stands in contrast to the wheat grain, which grows more slowly.

God sowed a grain of wheat that fell into the ground and died, but then rose and bore wonderful fruit—Christ. Satan imitates this by sowing the mustard seed, which becomes the anti-Christian world empire. Remember, “anti” means “in place of.” By contrast, in Ezekiel 17:22-24, God uses the image of a tree to represent the true kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of David. So, there are two trees that represent different kingdoms: one with God and one without.

The Animals

The tree also provided shade for animals. In the Bible, animals symbolize the nations or their peoples (and unclean animals in particular). For example, Ezekiel 31:6 says of Assyria, “All the birds of the heavens made their nests in its boughs; under its branches all the beasts of the field gave birth to their young, and under its shadow lived all great nations.” You can see that the beasts of the field are equated with the nations (“great peoples”).

Finding shade and food under the tree depicts prosperity. This image is an interesting choice, when you consider the global economic system depicted in Revelation. And, it begs the question: Under which tree do we seek our shade and food? Are we trusting God and His provision, or are we placing our hope in the economy, politics, men?

The Birds

Birds are able to nest in and live among the branches of the tree. What does that mean? We find a crucial point of reference in Revelation 18:2: “And he called out with a mighty voice, ‘Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast.’” The birds represent demons, unclean and evil spirits in the invisible world.

And recall the role of the birds in the parable of the sower—they peck away the seeds of the Word.

The Watcher

Then a watcher—probably one of God’s angels from heaven—comes down and orders the tree to be felled. He came from the invisible world (cf. the watcher’s counsel in Daniel 4:14). The tree was to be cut down, and Nebuchadnezzar and his regime were to fall: leaves stripped, food scattered, the animals and birds fleeing. Prophetically speaking, this means that the political/religious anti-Christian tree will come to an abrupt end. This will happen at Jesus’ return.

The Rootstock

However, the rootstock would remain in chains. Daniel declares that the king would be cast out of human society and counted among the beasts, and that he would behave accordingly for seven periods of time. The chains show that he no longer has a say, nor is he sovereign in any way—until the king realizes that God holds the supreme power over kingdoms of men, giving them to whomever He pleases. Additionally, the dew of heaven waters the rootstock while it is chained.

Daniel then asked the king to heed his advice and break with his sins.

The Fulfillment

Twelve months after the dream, Nebuchadnezzar was walking around his palace (Dan 4:29). This means that God allowed his pride to be revealed for twelve full months. In the same way, the passage of time reveals the nations’ arrogance more and more … until it reaches its full measure. Then, the time has come for the return of the glorious Son Jesus Christ and the Messianic kingdom.

And so, Nebuchadnezzar’s arrogance came to light after God had waited twelve months: “and the king answered and said, ‘Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?’” (Dan 4:30).

Babylon was indeed majestic, with its impressive buildings and walls. But Nebuchadnezzar responded with pride. Pilate also spoke boastfully, from his large ego. He claimed to have the authority to release or crucify Jesus. But how did the Lord react to that? “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above” (John 19:11).

What do we think about our own achievements? There isn’t a single thing that doesn’t come from God’s good hands.

Before Nebuchadnezzar had even finished praising himself, a voice told him that his kingdom had been taken away from him. He became an animal, behaving like one and eating grass like an ox in the field for seven seasons (Dan 4:33). He even looked like an animal: His hair grew out to the point where it resembled eagle feathers, and his nails were like talons.

And, just as Nebuchadnezzar was, the nations will also be judged, and for seven seasons. This means that as Nebuchadnezzar was broken for seven seasons, the world of nations will also be broken for seven seasons. This corresponds to the last week of years before the Lord’s return. The great “tree” of the Antichrist will be destroyed. And rock bottom will be reached when the nations, like the animals, look only at the earth and away from God…

Although it seemed that the tree had been completely uprooted, the rootstock remained—chained, an illustration of judgment, but the dew still came from heaven. God is merciful and sticks to His plan.

Nebuchadnezzar regained his kingdom after he “lifted [his] eyes to heaven” (Dan 4:34). This is a highly prophetic foreshadowing of the Millennial kingdom: The nations will not be completely annihilated in judgment. In a sense, they will learn righteousness through their judgment, and then they will regain lands and power. The nations will, like Nebuchadnezzar, praise and glorify God; they will bring gifts and be in awe.

God’s goal is the recognition of His supremacy. The powerful should realize this first and foremost. Recognizing God’s supremacy contrasts with the nations’ arrogance. It is what ensures the healing of the world’s condition. Without the Renewer, there can be no renewal.

Nothing more is said specifically about Nebuchadnezzar. His recognition of the Most High is the final word about him. This foreshadows the universal recognition of God in the kingdom He will establish, when the whole earth is filled with a stone like a mountain—Jesus Christ.

Midnight Call - 09/2025