TIME  OF  THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD

One of the amazing things about the book of Daniel is the revelation of the historic time line in the prophecy concerning the four great kingdoms and the Messianic Kingdom of God that followed them.  King Nebuchadnezzar's dream of a great image with various parts of different metals was interpreted by Daniel to represent four succeeding great kingdoms. (Dan. 2:31-43) 

"This image's head was of fine gold." (Dan 2:32).  Daniel's interpretation places the head of gold as King Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom (Dan. 2:36-38). The Babylonian Empire began in 605 B.C. and ended in 538 B.C. "Its chest and arms of silver." (Dan. 2:32)  Daniel interpreted: "But after you shall rise another kingdom inferior to yours." (Dan. 2:39)  The Medo-Persian Empire defeated the Babylonians in 539 B.C., however, they were an inferior kingdom to Babylon in terms of size and strength. "Its belly and thighs of bronze." (Dan. 2:32)  Daniel interpreted: "A third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth." (Dan. 2:39)  Alexander the Great defeated the Medo Persian Empire and parts of Asia, Europe and Africa thus the Grecian Empire began in 331 B.C. “Its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay." (Dan. 2:33)  Here is Daniel's interpretation:  "And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters all things; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others. . . . And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile." (Dan. 2:40)  The fourth kingdom refers to the Roman Empire that defeated the Grecian Empire in 146 B.C.E.  The Roman Empire was divided into the Western Empire centered in Rome and the Eastern Empire centered in Constantinople.  The whole Roman Empire lost its power in 476 C.E.

Daniel related King Nebuchadnezzar's dream, "You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces.  Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found.  And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth." (Dan. 2:34-35) 

Here is Daniel's interpretation:  "And in the days of these kings the God of Heaven will set up a Kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the Kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.  Inasmuch as you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold - the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure." (Dan. 2:44-45)

The stone that was "cut out of the mountain without hands" symbolizes the Lord Jesus Christ who is not of human origin. The King of Peace is "without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, . . . “ (Heb. 7:3) 

"Therefore it is also contained in Scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.'  Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient,  'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.' and 'A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.'  They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed." (1 Pet. 2:6-8)  The stone struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. (Dan. 2:34)  This indicates the Lord Jesus Christ would come to this world during the time of the Fourth Kingdom - the Roman Empire.  That is the exact time of our Lord's First Advent.  He came to establish the Kingdom of God.  God's prophecy and timing is absolutely accurate.