¹⁷ “And because the king beheld a watcher, even a holy one, coming down from the heavens, who was also saying: ‘Chop the tree down, and ruin it. However, leave its rootstock itself in the earth, but with a banding of iron and of copper, among the grass of the field, and with the dew of the heavens let it become wet, and with the beasts of the field let its portion be until seven times themselves pass over it,’

A PROPHETIC ILLUSTRATION OF THE REALITY

20-22. How did the world ruler turn from human to beastlike?

²⁰ What now took place was a prophetic illustration of a reality of far vaster proportions. So Nebuchadnezzar’s dream began its fulfillment in the person of a man having worldwide rulership.

²¹ That is to say, the symbolic immense “tree” was chopped down and fell crashing full length to the earth. Only the tree stump, the “rootstock,” was left standing, but was banded with circles of iron and copper to halt any growth upward from it for the length of the decreed “seven times.” In actuality, down came the mighty Nebuchadnezzar from his imperial throne. The “Ruler in the kingdom of mankind” forced this by striking the king of Babylon with madness, changing his heart from that of a man mighty in rulership to that of a beast, a bull that feeds on vegetation out in the field. Likely King Nebuchadnezzar’s court officials recalled the dream and Daniel’s interpretation and feared to replace him with anybody else on the throne.

Daniel 4:23-25.