ANSWER: Daniel begins the interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in verse 36 of chapter two. He speaks of four earthly kingdoms as follows:

Kingdom No.1, represented by the head of gold, under Nebuchadnezzar, was the Babylonian Empire. Judah was carried into captivity in 588 BC. This kingdom survived until 562 BC.

Kingdom No.2, represented by the breast and arms of silver, under Darius and Cyrus, was the Medo-Persian Empire. This kingdom existed from 562 BC until 330 BC.

Kingdom No.3, represented by the belly and thighs of brass, under Alexander the Great, was the Grecian or Macedonian Empire. It existed from 330 BC until 166 BC.

Kingdom No.4, represented by the legs of iron and feet of iron and clay, under the Caesars, was the Roman Empire. It existed from 166 BC until 476 AD. It was during the days of these Roman kings that the God of heaven was to set up a kingdom that would never be destroyed (Daniel 2:44). Jesus and John the baptist both began preaching during the rule of the Roman Empire that the kingdom of heaven was very near (Matthew 4:17; Matthew 3:2). In Mark 9:1, Jesus said that the kingdom would be established during the lifetime of the people to whom He was speaking. In Matthew 16:18-19, Jesus referred to His kingdom as His church; the church of Christ. This promised kingdom/church came into being in a grand way in Acts, chapter two on the day of Pentecost.

People, for the first time, upon their obedience to Christ, were added by Him to His church. They became citizens in the kingdom of God that had been foretold of by Daniel hundreds of years earlier. When people today are obedient to Christ in baptism, they too, just as those on Pentecost Day, will be added to His church and became citizens of that same kingdom!