For just a moment, let’s jump to Daniel 12. This same event of the stone cut out without hands and hitting the image on the feet is amplified in Daniel 12:1-2. What we see in these verses is an amplification of Daniel 2:45.
The stone cut without hands smiting the image on the feet of iron and clay is the same event as Michael standing up to deliver his people who are living in the time of trouble and to raise the righteous dead from their sleep and to translate the righteous living.
In Daniel 2, we do not have a lot of information as to what is happening during the time of the feet of iron and clay that leads to Michael standing up in Daniel 12. This is why it is vital to understand Daniel 7, which is an amplification of Daniel 2.
Daniel 7 spends extra time on the latter part of the prophecy of Daniel 2 (feet of iron and clay). Daniel 7 uses symbols, such as the little horn coming up among the ten horns on the fourth beast, to tell us what is going on in the feet of the statue in Daniel 2. This little horn is doing something which causes Michael to stand up. Daniel even asks for more information about that little horn. Then, Daniel 8 gives us more information yet, Daniel 9 gives us even more information, and Daniel 11 gives us the most detailed information.
In fact, let’s just go to Daniel 11:40-41 for a moment, it says, “And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. 41 He shall enter also into the glorious land…”
Haven’t we read about the king of the north entering into the glorious land before? We know that this is a different king of the north at this time in history because this is at the time of the end. It is not literal Babylon at the end of time, it is spiritual Babylon. We will get into the detail of this later on in our studies.
In our earlier study of Daniel, we noted about the whole idea of Babylon in the north (Dan. 1) and Egypt in the south; and how the king of the north (Babylon) gets rid of the king of the south (Egypt) and then the king of the north turns his attention to the glorious land (God’s people). So, there is a connection between the literal and the spiritual (type and antitype).
Daniel 11:40-45 is basically covering events leading to Michael standing up (Dan. 12:1-2). Daniel 11:40-45 corresponds with events that happened in the toes of Daniel 2. Daniel is saying that a man is coming in the sky that is going to destroy the image, but it does not tell us why, but by the time we get to Daniel 12 we will understand why Michael stands up. It is very important to figure out what happens within the toes of the iron and clay time period that leads to this stone smiting the image specifically on the feet.
Now, the foundation is set as we continue our journey to understanding the prophecy, we find in Daniel 2 and the other prophetic chapters.