In the sweltering summer of 605 BC, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon lay restless in his chambers, haunted by a dream that seemed more vivid than reality itself. He saw a colossal statue with a head of gold, chest and arms of silver, belly and thighs of bronze, legs of iron, and feet of iron mixed with clay. The statue crumbled under a stone cut from a mountain, which then filled the earth. Desperate for interpretation, Nebuchadnezzar summoned the wisest men of Babylon, but none could decipher the dream.
It was then that Daniel, a young Hebrew captive with a reputation for wisdom, stepped forward. With divine insight, Daniel revealed that the statue represented four successive empires: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. The stone symbolized God's eternal kingdom, which would ultimately replace all earthly powers.