Iron and Clay-Competing Priorities refers to Nebuchadnezzar’s vision which Daniel interpreted after prayer with God (Da 2:41-43). The statute of Marduk, Nebuchadnezzar’s idol, was divided into sections: Head of Gold, Chest of Silver, Loins of Bronze, Legs of Iron and Feet of Iron and Clay. Each metal, section, represented a certain empire with qualities contributing to Satan’s goal of a globalized government over all peoples. The feet represent separation and the material, as explained by Daniel, show the impossibility of unifying these two different materials. This post attempts to explain what these two materials represent and why there can be no unity.

This post will not center on wild or fantastical beliefs that have arisen over the years about this vision and eschatology in general. Most of these have been generated with eisegetical methodologies, reading one’s meaning into Scripture, resulting in leading many away from the Bible. This post will allow the Bible to define its terms according to normative hermeneutical exegetical interpretive concepts such that the reader gains meaning out of the Bible. Since this empire is future to us, we cannot state its identity and will make no attempt to do so. This post will show the fundament aspects of the feet to realize how to recognize this empire when it arises.

Daniel clearly presents the feet as being at odds with itself. The iron is strong while the clay is fragile. The two are mixed but cannot be unified and remain distinct. Division is implicit in the image of two feet and ten toes with two different, incompatible substances. This should be our guidance to understanding this passage.

Each of these empires builds upon the other joining religion and government together in a unified strata with unique differences. Gold is Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian kingdom which represented Mesopotamian culture to this point, beginning of the Axial Age. It represented the bridge between Antediluvian-Post dilution cultures as well as very Ancient kingdoms to Ancient Kingdoms. Silver represented Persia, Cyrus, and its gifting of a communications system to the world. Not only did it develop a vast communication network of roads, it also applied the alphabet, received from the Phoenicians who received it from the Hebrews, to facilitate lightweight, easily read communications. Bronze loins represented the Greeks who also adapted the alphabet to their language to transmit their idea that man is the measure of all. The Greeks introduce both allegory and Gnosticism supporting man’s release from paganism. Iron legs represented Rome who took Greek thought and advanced it to become the envy of all cultures it touched. Rome legitimized the concept: man is god via emperor worship. When Rome ceased to be a viable entity, many of its practices and beliefs became the basis for surviving cultures. Western cultures purposely adapted Roman concepts to their governments; such as America. I would invite you to Sermon Audio Discernlife to hear and read more about the contributions of these empires to Satan’s coming government.

These empires did not come into being and exercised power of many cultures on their own initiative; there was another hand behind the scenes: Satan. When Satan offered Christ all the kingdoms of the world if He would worship him, Christ did not dispute his authority over the kingdoms (Mt 4:8-10). Christ only refused to worship, follow, Satan as the first Adam had (1Ti 2:14). God had given authority over the earth to Adam but this passed to Satan when Adam willingly rejected God (Ge 1:26-28). This was a problem because Satan was spiritual but man was from the physical, created from the dirt or clay of this creation. These differences define the separation and the problem of unification.

Satan was an angel created by God for specific tasks (Ez 28:13-15; He 1:14). Satan, and the angels, was given a nature that is little explained in the Bible. We do know that it was conducive to understanding the Law but could not grasp the concept of God dying for man or the Gospel message (Ac 7:51-53; Ga 3:18-19; He 2:1-3; 1Pe 1:10-12). This that a fundamental difference exists between how Satan thinks and his perceptions compared to man. Man was created in God’s image meaning man has God’s character and mind. Man sees the world very different from Satan who is simply an angel. Both are slaves to sin which joins them in commonality though it is a union based on rebellion from God in which both seek to be as God (Ge 3:5-7; Ps 51:5). Since Satan is not omniscient these various forms of empires tell us that Satan has been having difficulty controlling man under his rule (Re 12:1-5). Each empire probably represents a different approach as Satan learns from his mistakes but continues to miss the point, sinful man cannot be controlled by force.

Satan copies God; he is not original because he is as much a prisoner of sin and his nature as man (Ro 6:16). When God created a body for Christ to from Mary, Satan probably gained the idea that his angels, demons, could indwell man. This was a disaster as noted in the Gospels (Mt 15:21-28; Lk 1:26-38; Jude 1:6). Angels cannot reproduce with people because they are not physical, biological creations and because each kind can only reproduce after its own kind. Satan could not emulate God’s creative power nor could he directly control man. Those angels who did indwell people were chained in Tartarus until the day of their release for judgment (2Pe 2:4). Satan had to develop a plan to rule with the consent of man; and he developed a plan.

Satan, seen as the dragon, was standing on the shore overlooking the sea (Re 12:17). Out of the sea Satan develops a man who he can indwell because this man totally devotes himself to Satan, there is no conflict. This man, Antichrist becomes the head of a confederation of ten governments (Re 12:1-5). Satan raises another man from the land who creates a confederation of religions based on their commonality of humanism which submits to worship of Antichrist similar to Roman emperor worship, the False Prophet (Re 13). The idol is simply a means to focus their worship. They submit to the Antichrist for survival and this life rather than the next life. Yet, even with this control there remains many who do not submit.

Hence, Armageddon, the battle between Antichrist and the other confederations who will not submit. These confederations are in rebellion against Christ also. Again, there are always those who resist Satan simply because they are people and seek to be gods also; yet, even in their midst are those who seek rebellion: this is the nature of sin. Bible reveals that Satan and man cannot form a unity. God formed a unity within the Trinity then after the stauros, Christ extended that same unity to man via the New Covenant whereby man receives a new nature (Jn 17:20-24; 2Co 5:17; Ga 2:20). Satan cannot conceive of self-sacrifice, nor can any angel. Man understands self-sacrifice which again shows the difference between the nature of angels and of man (Ro 5:6-8). Satan could not even lead angels though he did lead one third of the angels to their destruction in sin with him. This is not the mark of a leader but of a bully who seeks only the sacrifice of others for his own gain.