What does Daniel chapter 2 verse 44 say will happen to all kingdoms in the last days?

Answer 1

AnswerTradition holds that the Book of Daniel was written by Daniel himself during the Babylonian Exile, in the sixth century BCE. However, the book was written in the third person, and the author was clearly uncertain about historical details during the time of the Exile, even confusing Kings Cyrus and Darius, but became more accurate when prophesying events that had apparently not yet happened. The latest attested historical event with which the author of Daniel was familiar was the desecration of the sanctuary in 167 BCE, giving this as the earliest date for the Book of Daniel. He did not mention the joyous occasion of the recovery and rededication of the sanctuary only three years later, suggesting that this had not yet occurred. Many commentators would therefore assume that the Book of Daniel was written sometime between 167 and 164 BCE, soon after the desecration of the sanctuary. Scholars believe that the Book of Daniel was written with the story of the Babylonian Exile as an allegory for the oppression the Jews now sufferred under Syrian rule.

In chapter 2, Daniel prophesied that King Nebuchadnezzar would be followed by an inferior kingdom, then a third and a fourth kingdom. The fourth kingdom would then become divided. The fourth kingdom was that of Alexandria; it was divided into what became the Hellenistic kingdoms - the author was writing of things he already knew. And in the days of these kings, God would set up a kingdom that would never be destroyed (Daniel 2:44). This optimistic prediction meant that Syria would cease to oppress the people. What it does not tell us is anything about the twenty-first century or the 'last days'.