Daniel 2:44 - "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a Kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the Kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these Kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever." - Key Verse

Vs. 45 - "Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure."

Notice vs. 45 - The Lord Jesus Christ, the Stone (of Matt. 21:44) will suddenly (not gradually) appear and smite the nations of the world.

The Lord Jesus Christ, the God of the universe, will literally set up His own worldwide Kingdom of power and glory in Jerusalem, Israel!

He will rule from the throne of His Father David. - Luke 1:32

So...what exactly happened to Daniel beginning in the 7th Chapter? And do you think the same person wrote all of this book?

Chapter 7 begins Daniel's vision of the four beasts and the Ancient of Days.

Olsen -As you may know, we claim that this prophecy pertains to the Restoration of the Gospel and the establishment of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is one of our favorite scriptures. The Lord has set up His kingdom here on earth with His priesthood authority; with Prophets, Apostles, etc.,his Holy Temples, that His people may be gathered and be one in preparation for His Second Coming.

I did not know that --

The Lord Jesus is the stone ... cut out ... without hands. He will destroy the four kingdoms and rule over the whole earth, his kingdom standing forever.

Close Olsen -It is His kingdom now on earth that He restored through the Prophet Joseph. It has grown to what it is now, and this is only the bare beginning!

[This message has been edited by ibmagg (edited 9/17/2006 6:18p).]

I believe the Bible teaches that -- when Christ returns He will establish the Messianic Kingdom promised to Israel through David (2 Sam. 7:16). At His return He will subdue all kingdoms to Himself, thus bringing them to an end. (Rev. 11:15; 19:11-20). Then He will rule forever in the Millennium and in the eternal state.

Olsen -the stone cut out of the mountain without hands is His Church with His Restored Gospel given to His Church to be taken to the world to seek out the honest in heart that the Lord will have a people to welcome him at His second coming. His appearance to Joseph (the First Vision) or later to Joseph and Sidney Rigdon (the dedication of the Kirtland temple in Ohio) was not "His 2nd Coming" to begin His messianic reign

Apparently, the Book of Mormon differs from what the Bible says --

The entire picture is not a very optimistic one for the kingdoms of the world! Nebuchadnezzar saw that his own kingdom would fall one day and be replaced by the Medes and Persians. This happened in 538 BC (Dan. 5:30-31).

The Medes and Persions would be conquered by the Greeks about 330 BC; and Greece would give way to Rome.

The Roman Empire outwardly would disappear; but its laws, philosophies, and institutions would continue until this very day, taking us down to the "feet of clay."

The only hope for this world is the return of Christ. When He comes to the earth, it will be to conquer the nations (Rev. 19:11ff) and to establish His own glorious kingdom.

The kingdom on earth, He has established. He just has not come yet to sit permanently on the throne here. But he will have a royal priesthood waiting to greet him when He comes.

[This message has been edited by ibmagg (edited 9/19/2006 8:32p).]

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The kingdom on earth, He has been established.

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If the kingdom has already been set up, then why has it not broken into pieces and consumed all of the existing kingdoms of the world as the Scripture says it will in Daniel 2:44?

No, the Bible teaches that His kingdom on earth is yet future.

It is in the process of doing this as we speak.

These verses in Daniel speak of the time when Christ is coming to the earth as Judge to put down earth's rebellion against God.

The reference here is to the Second Coming of Christ to the earth, which is depicted for us in detail in Rev. 19:11-21.

His coming is not going to be gradual. It will be climactic, catastrophic, and cataclysmic. It is mentioned again and again in Scripture. (See Zech. 14:1-3; Joel 3:2, 9-16; Isa. 34:1-8; Psa. 2)

This is where we differ in opinion. He has already appeared twice to establish His kingdom on earth. And it will grow and grow and nothing will be able to stand before it.