Daniel 4 is not a story of an ancient king, but an inner drama between states of awareness. Through Neville Goddard’s Law of Assumption, Nebuchadnezzar symbolises a proud, outwardly-focused self-concept that must be broken down for true understanding to emerge.
The dream, the fall, and the restoration all take place within: they chart the movement from prideful separation to the recognition that imagination—awareness of being—is the only true ruler.
This chapter shows the inevitable collapse of any state built on forgetfulness of the I AM, and the peace that returns when consciousness reclaims its rightful dominion.
Symbolism of Daniel and Belteshazzar
In Daniel 4, Daniel is also called Belteshazzar, his Babylonian name given by the king’s officials. Symbolically, this reflects the inner wisdom or higher awareness (Daniel) operating within the framework of the external world’s language and identity (Belteshazzar).
It reminds us that the truth of imagination and conscious awareness is often veiled by outer conditioning, but ultimately it is this inner voice that guides the transformation of the self from pride to true understanding.
Daniel 4:34 – The Turning Point: “I Lifted Up Mine Eyes”
“At the last I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven, and my understanding came back to me, and I gave praise to the Highest, and I gave glory to him who lives for ever...”
(Daniel 4:34, BBE)
This is the moment of awakening. “At the end of the days” symbolises the end of a full spiritual cycle—of living under the illusion of separation.
To “lift up mine eyes unto heaven” is to turn awareness back toward the inner world—the unseen realm of assumption and imagination. Neville teaches that this movement inward is the beginning of all true change. It is the exact opposite of prideful self-assertion.
With this shift in attention, “my understanding returned unto me.” That is, the knowledge that I AM creates reality comes back. Nebuchadnezzar begins to see the Eternal Self—not the external identity, but the Living One within.
This triggers praise—not out of obligation, but out of sheer awe: “I blessed the most High.” In Neville’s terms, this is the realisation that your awareness of being is God, and that it rules forever.
Daniel 4:35 – No One Can Stay His Hand
“All the people of the earth are thought to be as nothing, and he does as he will among the armies of heaven, and among the people of the earth; and no man can hold back his hand, or say to him, ‘What are you doing?’”
(Daniel 4:35, BBE)
Nebuchadnezzar recognises that human personalities, roles, and structures are powerless before consciousness. “The inhabitants of the earth” are symbolic of the outer appearances—the world as it seems to be.
Neville would say: outer facts are shadows of inner assumptions. They are “nothing” in the sense that they depend entirely on your concept of self.
“None can stay his hand” means that once you assume a thing in imagination, and persist, the Law moves through unseen channels to fulfil itself. The law of consciousness operates with exact precision, and no man or structure can question it.
This verse echoes Neville’s core idea:
“Man moves in a world that is nothing more nor less than his own consciousness objectified.”
Daniel 4:36 – The Kingdom is Restored
“At that time my understanding came back to me; and my honour and glory were given back to me; and my servants and my chiefs gave me respect; and I was made strong again and was raised to a higher place.”
(Daniel 4:36, BBE)
The restoration begins from within. “Reason” here symbolises clarity of inner truth—the ability to consciously direct one’s assumptions. It is not intellectual logic, but spiritual understanding.
As Neville often said,
“you rise to a higher level of being not by struggling with outer facts, but by assuming the feeling of the wish fulfilled.”
Nebuchadnezzar’s former glory returns only after the internal shift.
Importantly, “majesty was added unto me.” The new self is greater than the old. Why? Because now, he rules not from ego, but from conscious unity with the divine I AM.
Daniel 4:37 – The Final Word: Humility and Dominion
“Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, give praise and honour and glory to the King of heaven. All his works are true, and his ways are right; and he is able to put down those who walk in pride.”
(Daniel 4:37, BBE)
This is the final transformation: the ego kneels before imagination. The “King of heaven” is no longer a remote deity, but the inner reality of assumption and consciousness.
To “walk in pride” is to walk as if you are the source of power, as if the external self made your life happen. Goddard insists that the outer man must decrease so the inner Christ—imagination—may increase.
Nebuchadnezzar now honours what he once dismissed. This mirrors the inner journey Neville describes over and over: man starts as a victim of appearances, then masters them by realising consciousness is the only cause.
He does not lose his kingdom. He gains it back—but now ruled by spiritual clarity, not illusion. The cycle completes itself: descent into madness, rebirth through imagination, and return in greater glory.
Final Reflection (Neville-inspired)
Daniel 4 is a profound allegory for the death and rebirth of the self-image. The false assumption (Nebuchadnezzar) must fall, not because it is evil, but because it is unsustainable. When we attempt to build a life rooted in pride, separation, and the outer world, our inner reality must correct us.
The “seven times” in the wilderness is simply the necessary period of dissolution. But the moment we lift our awareness to the inner realm, reason returns, and the Kingdom—our world—is restored.
As Neville said:
“Man’s chief delusion is his conviction that there are causes other than his own state of consciousness.”
Daniel 4 shows what happens when this conviction collapses—and what glories emerge when one finally assumes the truth.
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