Have you ever read the story of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, and Daniel’s interpretation of it? You’ve probably read about it in Sunday School and seminary, but if you haven’t read it yourself, you might want to give it a look.

As you do, however, keep in mind this great quote by Rudger Clawson, who was the President of the quorum of the twelve apostles in 1930 when he gave this talk.

The Christian world of today is witness of the fact that the very things which the great image stood for have occurred so far as time has gone. History certifies to the fact that King Nebuchadnezzar was the head of gold. The Medes and Persians, an inferior kingdom to Babylon, were the arms and breast of silver. The Macedonian kingdom, under Alexander the Great, was the belly and thighs of brass; and the Roman kingdom under the Caesars was the legs of iron. For mark you, later on the kingdom, or empire of Rome, was divided. The head of the government in one division was at Rome and the head of the government in the other division was at Constantinople. So these two great divisions represented the legs of iron. Finally, the Roman empire was broken up into smaller kingdoms, represented by the feet and toes of iron and clay, and as there were ten toes on the image we might well conclude that the following ten kingdoms stand to represent the toes: Italy, established in 496 A. D.; France, in 753; England, 853; Germany, 806; Holland, 922; Portugal, 1138; Persia, 1139; Austria-Hungary, 1159; Spain, 1171; Greece, 1829 A. D.
THE STONE CUT OUT OF THE MOUNTAIN
The stone cut out of the mountain without hands, representing the kingdom of God, was established April 6th, 1830, with six members, and is known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Thus the work of the Lord in our own time, designated by revelation as a marvelous work and a wonder, had a very humble beginning, but it has grown apace. Today the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a membership of about 700,000. It cost the best blood of the nineteenth century to establish this work on the earth. Its founder, the Prophet Joseph Smith, and his brother Hyrum Smith, the Patriarch, were martyred for the cause of truth, in Carthage, Illinois, in 1844. The Latter-day Saints have passed through the fire of persecution and have stood the test of one hundred years. Never was the prospect brighter for our people than it is today. We sincerely believe, and, I may say, have every assurance, that this Church will stand forever. It is indeed the Church of the Son of God, the Redeemer of mankind.
Rudger Clawson, Conference Report, April 1930 Afternoon Meeting

Did you catch that? President Clawson points out that the statue seen in the king’s dream represented his kingdom, which over the centuries would divide into smaller kingdoms. According to the dream, as soon as that kingdom is divided into ten, the Lord would role forth the stone to crush the kingdoms and fill the earth with its influence. He lists the years of the establishment of the various countries Babylon was eventually broken into. The final one? Greece, 1829.

The church was restored in 1830. The stone has rolled forth, and is filling, filling the earth. Even at the time this talk was given, there wasn’t 3/4 of a million members. Now there are over 14 million, and the number is rising more each year. That stone, which is the kingdom of God, fills the earth, and has a more powerful influence for good than the combined governments of all those countries.

At the time of the second coming of the Savior, the Lord will be in charge of the governments of the earth.

 

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Chas Hathaway is the author of the books Scripture Study Made Awesome, Marriage is Ordained of God, but WHO Came Up with Dating? and Giraffe Tracks. Learn more at chashathaway.com. Please participate in the conversation by adding comments and sharing with friends on the web!

Gospel Living Made Awesome is not an official work of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. If Chas says something stupid, it's his own fault.