1. Daniel receives a revelation in which he is shown King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and given its interpretation.

‘Much of the important work of God is unseen in the eyes of the world. The sixth century before Christ brought illustrious thinkers such as Confucius in China and Buddha in Eastern India, but the power of God’s priesthood was upon Daniel, the prophet living in captivity during the reign of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar.

Troubled by a dream in the night, King Nebuchadnezzar demanded that his magicians and sorcerers tell him both what he had dreamed and the interpretation of the dream. Of course, they could not tell the king what he had dreamed, and they protested. “There is not a man upon the earth that can [do this, nor any king that would ask] such things.”  ^{Daniel 2:10} King Nebuchadnezzar was furious with their failure and angrily declared that all his counselors would be slain.

Daniel, one of the king’s wise men, prayed for the “mercies of … God … concerning this secret.”  ^{Daniel 2:18}

A miracle occurred. The secret of what the king had dreamed was revealed to Daniel.

Daniel was taken before the king. “Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?”

Daniel responded:

“The wise men, the astrologers, the magicians [cannot tell you what you dreamed]. …

“But there is a God in heaven that [can reveal these things, and He] maketh known to … king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. …

“The God of heaven,” Daniel said, “[shall] set up a kingdom, [a stone cut out without hands, that will become a great mountain and fill the whole earth,] never [to] be destroyed … [but to] stand for ever.

“… The dream,” said Daniel, “is certain, and the interpretation … sure.”  ^{Daniel 2:26–28, 44–45 see also  verses 34–35}

With his dream explained and interpreted, the king spoke boldly, “Your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings.”  ^{Daniel 2:47}

From the miraculous intervention of God to Daniel came the prophesied future of the gospel of Jesus Christ being restored to the earth, a kingdom that would fill the whole earth, “never [to] be destroyed … [but to] stand for ever.”

The number of members of the Church in the latter days would be relatively few, as Nephi prophesied, but they would be upon all the face of the earth, and the power and ordinances of the priesthood would be available to all who desired them, filling the earth as Daniel foretold. ^{[See  1 Nephi 14:12–14]}

In 1831 the Prophet Joseph Smith received this revelation: “The keys of the kingdom of God [and the gathering of Israel from the four parts of the earth] are committed unto man on the earth, and from thence shall the gospel roll forth unto the ends of the earth, as the stone which is cut out of the mountain without hands shall roll forth, until it has filled the whole earth.”  ^{Doctrine and Covenants 65:2 see also  Doctrine and Covenants 110:11′ (Elder Neil L Andersen, General Conference, October 2016)}

Daniel 2:5. Did Nebuchadnezzar Really Forget His Remarkable Dream?

‘Ellis T. Rasmussen gave the following helpful commentary on the king’s dream: “In verse 5 the phrase ‘is gone from me’ should probably read ‘is certain with me,’ as the Persian word azda (‘sure’) is used. Note in verse 9 that the king makes the point that he knows what he dreamt; therefore if the interpreters can tell him the dream, he will know that theyknow what they are talking about and he will know whether he can have confidence in their interpretation or not!” (An Introduction to the Old Testament and Its Teachings, 2:92; see also Daniel 2:5a.)’ (Institute Old Testament manual)

Daniel 2:15 Why is the decree so hasty from the king?

‘- Implying that all the effort had not been made which it was possible to make to solve the mystery. The idea is, that a decree of such a nature, involving so many in ruin, ought not to have proceeded from the king without having taken all possible precautions, and having made all possible efforts to find those who might be able to disclose what the king desired. It was to Daniel a just matter of surprise that, after the favor and honor with which he had been received at court Daniel 1:19-20, and the confidence which had been reposed in him, a command like this should have been issued. so comprehensive as to embrace him and his friends, when they had done nothing to deserve the displeasure of the king.’  (Barnes’ Notes on the Bible)

Daniel 2:17–19. Daniel and His Companions Preserved Their Lives by Obtaining Revelation from God

 “By faith in God you can be attuned to the Infinite and by power and wisdom obtained from your Heavenly Father harness the powers of the universe to serve you in your hour of need in the solution of problems too great for your human strength or intelligence” (Harold B Lee in Church News,15 Aug. 1970, p. 2).

Daniel 2:27 The wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers

‘Daniel regarded it as a settled and indisputable point that the solution could not be hoped for from the Chaldean sages. The highest talent which the realm could furnish had been applied to, and had failed. It was clear, therefore, that there was no hope that the difficulty would be removed by human skill. Besides this, Daniel would seem also to intimate that the thing, from the necessity of the case, was beyond the compass of the human powers. ‘ (Barnes’ Notes on the Bible)

2. Daniel describes and interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.

Daniel 2:31-33 Kingdoms of the earth

‘Daniel, in interpreting the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, describes the various kingdoms of the earth from his day down, as long as there should be any human kingdoms on the earth, under the form of a great image, with the head of gold, breast and arms of silver, belly and thighs of brass, legs of iron, feet part iron and part of potter’s clay. Dan. 2:31-33 They represented the several kingdoms of the world, and more especially the four great kingdoms that should hold universal dominion. After seeing this image in all its completeness, from the gold down to the last remnants of the nations of the earth, represented by the feet and toes of the image, he then sees a kingdom and a government entirely distinct from and forming no part or portion of the image, but it was entirely separate therefrom. It was represented as a stone cut out of the mountain without hands, and it rolled forth, and before the power of this new kingdom all the kingdoms of the earth were broken in pieces by the power of the Almighty. ‘ (Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses)

Daniel 2:34-35 A stone cut without hands

‘While it is true that extraordinary strides are being made throughout the Church, the enormity of the task before us is overwhelming. Simply stated, we have a ministry to all of our Heavenly Father’s children on both sides of the veil. In that context, we have barely scratched the surface of our calling. True discipleship, therefore, precludes any complacency. The Lord expects us to continue moving the Church forward and even to accelerate our pace toward the literal fulfillment of Daniel’s prophetic vision of “a stone … cut out without hands … that … became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth”  (Dan. 2:34–35) To do this more effectively, each one of us needs to follow Nephi’s counsel to “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. [For] if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life”  (2 Ne. 31:20) The power of the Holy Ghost will fill our hearts and minds as we look to the Savior for answers to the many challenges of life.’ (M Russell Ballard, General Conference, April 2000)

Daniel 2:44-45 It shall stand forever

‘While God’s kingdom has been established on the earth in times past, the people to whom the kingdom was previously committed were unable to keep it. This time, however, is different. The prophetic promise is that this time God’s kingdom will not be lost but will overcome the world. ^{[See  Daniel 2:44–45  D&C 38:9–15  82:24 (James J Hamula, Genral Conference, October 2008)}