I believe that it is profitable to study the still unfulfilled portion of the prophecy
of Nebuchadnezzar's prophetic dream in Daniel 2. Note Daniel's relating of this
dream which is followed by its interpretation:
Dan. 2:29-45 (NIV)
-- As you were lying there, O King, your mind turned to things to come, and the
revealer of mysteries showed you what is going to happen. As for me, this mystery
has been revealed to me, not because I have greater wisdom than other living men, but so
that you, O king, may know the interpretation and that you may understand what went
through your mind.
"You looked, O king, and there
before you stood a large statue -- an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in
appearance. The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of
silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and
partly of baked clay.
While you were watching, a rock was
cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay
and smashed them. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were
broken to pieces at the same time and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the
summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that
struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.
This was the dream, and now we will
interpret it to the king. You, O king, are the king of kings. The God of
heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory; in your hands he has placed
mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds of the air. Wherever they live, he
has made you ruler over them. You are that head of gold.
After you, another kingdom will
rise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the
whole earth. Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron --
for iron breaks and smashes everything -- and as iron breaks things to pieces, so
it will crush and break all the others. Just as you saw that the feet and toes were
partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will
have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. As
the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and
partly brittle. And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people
will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.
In the time of these kings,
the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it
be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an
end, it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the
rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands -- a rock that broke the iron,
the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.
The great God has shown the king
what will take place in the future. The dream is true and the interpretation is
trustworthy.
I believe most all agree that the first three kingdoms have been fulfilled.
Head
of gold --
Nebuchadnezzar and his
kingdom of Babylon.
Breast
and arms of silver --
The Medes and the Persians
who overthrew Babylon.
The
belly and thighs of brass --
The Greek empire
that overthrew the Persians.
In the remaining unfulfilled portion of this prophecy I believe it is necessary for us
to consider five events or group of events. These are:
1. The fourth kingdom
Dan. 2:40 (KJV) -- And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as
iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that
breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.
2. The time the stone is cut out of the mountain without hands, and the identity
of this stone.
3. The stone's striking the statue on its feet of iron and clay and breaking them
in pieces.
4. The iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, the gold being broken to pieces
together, and becoming like the chaff of the summer threshing floor, and being carried
away by the wind and no place was found for them.
5. The stone becoming a great mountain and filling the whole earth.
1. The Fourth Kingdom
Now let us direct our attention to the identity of this fourth kingdom. Most will
say that this represents Rome -- the kingdom that replaced the Greek kingdom.
There is no indication that this represents the Roman Empire but it is described as
the last empire in the earth prior to the Second Coming.
Dan. 2:40-43 (NIV)
--
Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron -- for iron breaks and
smashes everything -- and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and
break all the others. Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked
clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the
strength of iron in it even as you saw iron mixed with clay. As the toes were partly
iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. And
just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will
not remain united, any more than iron mixed with clay.
To say the least, this is not a very good description of the Roman kingdom. They
were not noted for their smashing and crushing the nations that were subservient to
them. They tried to work out their problems diplomatically, if possible. A
nation that rebelled against them could expect harsh treatment as noted in the action of
the Roman army against the Jews in AD 70. This was preceded by years of considerable
restraint and efforts to obtain the cooperation of the Jews by diplomacy. This was
done as a last resort to prevent other countries from rebelling.
Vs. 44 (RSV)
--
In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be
destroyed, nor shall its sovereignty be left to another people.
This is speaking of the toes of the statue which represents ten kings with each his
kingdom. Some are strong like iron and some are like clay. We will come back
to this fourth kingdom a little later.
2. The time the stone is cut
out of the mountain without hands, and the identity of
the stone.
This stone can be none other than the kingdom of God.
Vs. 44
-- The God of
heaven will set up a kingdom... It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to
an end.
When was it cut out? Evidently when Christ received the kingdom. And this
must have been after the statue was seen to have "legs of iron and feet part of iron
and part of clay."
Vs. 34
-- Thou sawest
till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were
of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.
This kingdom (the Fourth) is the 'One World Order' with its ten kings with each his
army, pledged to commit their authority to the Antichrist -- the second beast of
Rev. 13 -- Satan personified.
Christ receives His kingdom following the three and a half year reign of the
Antichrist. The Antichrist's reign begins at the onset of the Great Tribulation.
It is his evil deeds that gives this period its name. His reign ends at the
sounding of the Seventh Trumpet which occurs on day 1260 of this time frame known as
"The Day of The Lord."
Notice the transfer of Sovereignty of this earth to Christ at the sounding of this
Seventh Trumpet.
Rev. 11:15-17 (NIV)
-- The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven
which said: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his
Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever."
And the twenty-four elders who were
seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshipped God, saying:
"We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you
have taken your great power and have begun to reign."
Vs. 18
-- The nations
were angry and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for
rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name...
And for destroying those who destroy the earth."
It is near the end of the reign of the Antichrist that the judgment scene of Daniel
7:9,10 is convened in heaven -- to judge the perpetrators of these evil deeds of
the little horn at the time of the Great Tribulation and the steps to be taken to bring
this to an end.
Dan. 7:9,10
-- As I
looked, Thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His
clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne
was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze.
A river of fire was flowing, coming
out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten
thousand stood before him. The court was seated and the books were opened.
These announcements by the Seventh Trumpet are a result of the decisions made by the
Ancient of Days during the time of this judgment scene.
3. The stones' striking the
statue
on its feet of iron and clay and
breaking them in pieces:
Dan. 2:44
-- And in
the days of these kings (the ten kings represented by the ten toes in this statue) shall
the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed.
Christ becomes the Sovereign ruler of this earth at the sounding of the trumpet of the
Seventh Angel on day 1260. At that time the twenty-four elders make another
statement of what is to happen, as announced by this trumpet:
Rev. 11:18
-- The
nations were angry; and your wrath has come.
This is the time for the seven last plagues to begin as these represent the wrath of
God. It is the first order of business at the onset of His reign.
Rev. 15:1
-- I saw in
heaven another great and marvelous sign: Seven angels with the seven last plagues --
last, because with them God's wrath is completed.
Christ's Second Coming, all agree, is associated with the seventh and final plague --
Earth's greatest earthquake ever, plus giant hailstones. Since the Second Coming
brings this 1335 day time frame to an end, it must therefore represent 75 days for the
seven last plagues to be poured out. It is at Christ's Second Coming that Christ and
His kingdom will strike the feet and toes of this fourth kingdom and breaking them in
pieces.
I would like to quote some other prophetic texts explaining this time when this
multinational evil conglomerate are crushed at Christ's Second Coming. This is the
Battle of Armageddon.
Rev. 16:16
-- Then
they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.
Rev. 17:12-14
-- The
ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not as yet received a kingdom, but who for one
hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast. They have one purpose and
will give their power and authority to the beast. They will make war against the
Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and king of kings and
with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.
The ten kings with each his army as represented in the ten toes of this statue are the
same ten kings represented by the ten horns of the first beast that comes up out of the
sea in Rev. 13. It is the multinational evil conglomerate, representing the end-time
One World Order. The charismatic general who heads this One World Order is the
second beast in Rev. l3 -- The lamb-like beast -- Satan personified as a
man. It is this evil conglomerate that is represented in the legs, feet and toes of
iron and clay that are crushed by the rock. This takes place at Christ's Second
Coming and the best description of this event in all the Bible is described in Ezekiel 38
and 39.
To set the stage for this battle we need to realize that the remnant of the nation of
Israel have been undergoing trampling and brutalizing for three and a half years in
Jerusalem. Two thirds of the Israelites have been killed in the subjugation of
Israel three and a half years earlier. Of the remaining one third, fifty percent are
sent as exiles to the nations of these ten kingdom while the remaining fifty percent are
undergoing the trampling of all that has been prophesied by the prophets of God in past
ages. (Zech. 13:8,9; 14:1,2).
God is calling this evil combine back to Jerusalem for their final showdown. They
believe that they are returning to Jerusalem to wipe the Israelites off the face of the
earth, but in reality Christ is bringing them there for their judgment and execution.
Ezek. 38:17-22
--
This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Are you not the one I spoke of in former days by my
servants the prophets of Israel? At that time they prophesied for years that I would bring
you against them. (All the prophetic books of the Bible are full of this prophecy)
This is what will happen in that
day: When Gog (Satan personified) attacks the land of Israel my hot anger will be aroused,
declares the Sovereign Lord. In my zeal and fiery wrath I declare that at that time
there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel.
The fish of the sea, the birds of
the air, the beasts of the field, every creature that moves along the ground, and all
the people on the face of the earth will tremble at my presence. (Certainly this
is the greatest of all earthquakes, and takes place at Christ's Second Coming).
The mountains will be overturned,
the cliffs will crumble and every wall will fall to the ground. I will summon a
sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Sovereign Lord. Every man's
sword will be against his brother. I will execute judgment upon him with plague and
bloodshed; I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones (another item of the
seventh plague) and burning sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many
nations with him. (The ten kings with each his army)
This is the Battle of Armageddon. Christ and his army destroys the combined
forces of Satan personified. This will bring freedom to the remnant trampled
Israelites in Jerusalem, following which Christ will gather up the remnant Israelites who
have been undergoing the same treatment in exile. It is at this time that Christ
sets up his kingdom for the expanded area of the holy land. The members of this
kingdom are limited to the remnant Israelites who have become converted; refined in the
fires of affliction which they have gone through. Every born again Christian is also
included in the redeemed, to serve Christ during the millennial kingdom that follows.
Gal. 3:29
-- If you
belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
4. Then the iron and clay, the
bronze, the silver and the gold were
broken to pieces at the
same time (Vs. 35).
This verse is preceded by the verse that relates the smashing of the kingdom of iron
and clay as we have just studied. This verse states that then --
meaning after the previous destruction of this kingdom by this stone -- it would,
in a separate act, crush and completely destroy the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver
and the gold -- all at the same time.
This does not say how much longer a time interval is involved before this act is
carried out. We know it could not be at the time the kingdom of iron and clay was
crushed because the stone that crushed that kingdom became stationed in the land of Israel
where Christ will rule with the redeemed for the following 1000 years. This kingdom
does not at this time fill the whole earth. The descendants of all these kingdoms
represented by the iron, the clay, the gold, silver and bronze will continue to live on
the earth during the millennium, but will be stripped of their sovereignty.
At the end of the 1000 years, when Satan is released from his prison, (the grave) he
deceived the nations of the earth that we have just listed and all who have not committed
their lives to Christ. At that time the rock that was cut out without hands will
crush all these rebellious nations. Following this all the wicked of all ages are
raised from the dead to receive their eternal reward. This is the time when this
rock will finish its work of destruction. It can only be at that time that it can
fulfill the prophecy that it would become a huge mountain and fill the whole earth --
in the earth made new.
5. The stone becoming a
great mountain and
filling the whole earth.
I believe we have explained this in describing the events to happen in item four above.
This can only occur after the millennium.
In the Bible many times an important truth is more clearly revealed by the method of
repetition and enlargement. A similar representation is made to reveal additional
points which brings the picture into focus. No better example of this, I believe,
than Daniel's vision of the four beasts in Daniel 7. Note carefully how this vision
is painting the same picture with a different brush.
Daniel, in this vision of Chapter 7, sees four great beasts coming out of the sea.
I believe most are in agreement that the first three beasts represent the same
first three kingdoms of the great statue in Chapter 2:
1. A lion with the wings
of an eagle --
Head
of gold
= Babylon
2. A bear --
Breast and arms of silver
= The Medes and Persians
3. A leopard with wings --
The
belly and thigh of brass
= Greece
This vision spends more time on the details of this same fourth beast. Notice the
same but more ferocious description of this fourth beast, which is analogous to the legs
and feet of iron and clay of the kingdom represented in the statue.
Dan. 7:7
-- After
this, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast --
terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed
and devoured its victim and trampled underfoot whatever was left.
It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns.
Next we are introduced to this charismatic leader who takes over the One World Order
beast and by which he rules the world during the time designated as the Great
Tribulation. It represents the first 1260 days of the time frame of the Day of The
Lord.
Vs. 8
--
While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one,
which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This
horn had eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth that spoke boastfully.
Vs. 9
--
As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His
clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool... The court
was seated and the books were opened.
This is where Christ is declared to be the Sovereign Lord of this earth, which ends the
rule of the Antichrist -- Satan personified. It is also at this time that the
Ancient of Days pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High. We have
already noted this in Rev. 11:11-18 as it pertained to the portrayal of events in the
great statue of Daniel 12.
Dan. 7:11,12
-- Then
I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept
looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing
fire (burning sulfur).
Vs. 12 (Revised English Bible)
-- The rest of the beasts, (the gold, the silver, the brass, etc.) though deprived
of their sovereignty, were allowed to remain alive until an appointed time and season.
Vs. 12 (NRSV)
--
As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were
prolonged for a season and a time.
Vs. 12 (KJV)
--
As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives
were prolonged for a season and time.
Notice how this brings into focus this presentation of this fourth kingdom and its
demise as described in the vision of the statue.
Dan. 2:34
-- While
you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue
on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them.
In this presentation it states that this multinational beast is destroyed and burned in
the blazing fire. Note Ezekiel's description again of this battle:
Ezek. 38:22
-- I will
execute judgment upon him with plague and bloodshed; I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones,
and burning sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him.
This all vividly describes the destruction of the armies of this kingdom represented by
the legs, feet and toes of iron and clay, as well as their great leader who claims to be
God and above every god.
Then, in the verse that follows represents when all the descendants and former
members of these other kingdoms along with the remaining unsaved in the kingdom of the
iron and clay will all be smashed into oblivion -- all at the same time and
not progressively as the need might dictate.
The only time this could all happen is at the end of the 1000 years as previously
described.
This definitely states that these other beasts (kingdoms) will be shorn of their
authority, but will continue to live on until an appointed time and season. Their
sovereignty, power and greatness of their kingdoms will be handed over to the saints of
the Most High.
Notice the interpretation of this fourth beast, representing the final earthly kingdom
prior to Christ's Second Coming.
Dan. 7:23-27
-- He
gave me this explanation: The fourth is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth.
It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth,
trampling it down and crushing it. The ten horns are ten kings who will come from
this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones;
he will subdue three kings. He will speak against the Most High and oppress his
saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over
to him for a time, times, and half a time.
But the court will sit, and his
power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. Then the sovereignty,
power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the
saints, the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and
all rulers will worship and obey him.
This is representing when the court in heaven convenes and the Ancient of Days anoints
Christ as Sovereign Lord of the earth. This brings to an end the three and a half
year reign of the Antichrist. It is at this time that the sovereignty, power and
greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the
people of the Most High. And the time came when they possessed the kingdom (This
occurred at Christ's Second Coming).
All these other beasts have been stripped of their Sovereignty (This has been delivered
to the saints) but they are allowed to live for a time and a season -- an appointed
time; when they will all be crushed by this rock at the same time. This is
undeniable proof that, at least remnants of all these kingdoms will continue to live on
until an appointed time when they all will be crushed together by this stone.
This stone consists of the redeemed, as mentioned earlier, with Christ as their king
and residing in an expanded land of Israel. This can only be speaking of the time
following the 1000 years of the Millennial Kingdom when all who have failed to accept
Christ as their Savior will be crushed into oblivion by this stone.
The living rebellious are crushed by the rock when they are deceived and led by Satan
to attack the redeemed with Christ their king. This is followed by the wicked of all
ages being raised from the dead for their judgment and execution of sentence. This
will include all the descendants of these kingdoms as well as all who do not have their
names in the Lamb's Book of Life. This will be the final destructive act of this
great stone which will expand to fill the entire earth made new -- a kingdom which
will continue for eternity.