Neville Goddard on Daniel 2:36-44 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Daniel 2 in context

Scripture Focus

36This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.

37Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.

38And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.

39And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.

40And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.

41And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.

42And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.

43And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.

44And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

Daniel 2:36-44

Biblical Context

Daniel recounts a dream of a gold-headed statue and successive kingdoms. It ends with God establishing an everlasting kingdom that cannot be destroyed.

Neville's Inner Vision

Let us reinterpret the dream as a map of your inner life. The head of gold is the egoic mind that would lord it over your house; after it rise other kingdoms—ideas, fears, loyalties—each appearing to rule over the whole scene. The iron and clay signify powers that seem strong yet are brittle when set against true inner authority. They mingle with the seed of men, but cannot cleave to the rock of God within you. In the passage the God of heaven sets up a kingdom in the days of these kings; this is not a prophecy about external empires, but a description of your own consciousness awakening to its eternal government. The rock cut without hands represents the I AM—awareness that creates reality from within. When you align with that inner reality, the outer kingdoms lose their grip, and the kingdom that can never be destroyed becomes the one you live from. Your work is to dwell in the feeling of that kingdom now, and let your world reflect its permanence.

Practice This Now

Act now: in the next 5 minutes close your eyes and imagine yourself seated on the throne of the inner kingdom, feeling the I AM as sovereign power. Revise any sense that power resides outside, and affirm, 'I am the Kingdom of God within me, and it endures.'