Even though I did call out the bible as a fairly untrustworthy source in an earlier post, I did also mention that there would be times that I would reference bible stories in order to maybe uncover a unique spin to the commonly accepted tale. This will be one of those posts.
Nebuchadnezzar's dream and Daniel's interpretation of it as found in Daniel 2 is a widely cited and re-interpreted story in today's Christianity. Mormonism is no exception, and became a foundational story in which the LDS church likens itself to the stone cut out of the mountain - a powerful symbol of both God's approval of the church and its mission, as well as the inevitability of its success.
I believe, however, that this is a case, as with the coats of skins, that Mormons along with other bible-believers haven't considered that parts of this story weren't meant to be just symbolic, but are described as literally the events that would happen.
It is the Stone itself from this dream that I am referring to. Rather than assuming that this must be a symbol of something - a kingdom, a church, something (anything) that isn't a stone, it may be simplest to start with the assumption that what Daniel reported Nebuchadnezzar dreaming of is literally just that - a stone.
It shouldn't be a surprise to Mormons, in particular, that a stone could be an actual thing that would accomplish what Daniel interpreted or prophesied would happen. Stones play a central role in Mormon theology, even if that has been somewhat forgotten or deprioritized by the church. I won't call out all of the (many) specific examples of the impact of stones, but they range from scriptures being interpreted using them, visions being captured from and in them, people being guided to promised lands with them, the future and the truth of all things being made known by them, and even exalted Beings each receiving one as part of their taking up residence in the Celestial Kingdom, or Heaven.
Stones are everywhere in Mormon theology... except, of course, in use during our time today. They are strangely absent, it would seem, both in terms of use as well as in discussion. In some ways, perhaps, stones have become viewed as things that were used in times past, but not today - being no longer essential.
But Moroni proclaims a God of Miracles, and one that is the same yesterday, today, and forever. If gifts that were available yesterday are no longer today, it is a sign of our awful situation, and not, as some imagine, that these gifts are done away or no longer needed.
So it is with stones.
And it is into this void - this stone-less, gift-less void - that the Stone from Nebuchadnezzar's dream, will come rolling in. It is an actual Stone - as real as any other that has been mentioned - and it will be (has already, I believe, actually) removed by hands not belonging to any mere human from a mountain where it was buried long ago (from the foundations of this world!).
On this Stone is a story, and it is from this story and others joining with it, that a kingdom will be set up that will break into pieces the kingdoms of Men and stand forever.
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