THE PREVIEW OF WORLD EMPIRES

Today we begin a short study of the Book of Daniel. The Preview of World Empires. We can see some history of the world really up unto this day in which we live. We know these words are true because we can read it from other sources than the Bible. So we do not question history but there are many from the past and from today that question Daniel and the things he wrote. So let’s first talk about some of these things.

Sir Isaac Newton said “to reject the Book of Daniel is to reject the Christian Religion”.

Most any unbeliever will say that the Book of Daniel could not have been written before these things happened. As far back as the 3rd century this was said. This is only another attempt to discredit the Holy Word of God. Daniel was a prophet of God and God had a rule for a true prophet.

Deu 18:19 says  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.
Deu 18:20  But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.
Deu 18:21  And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken?

Now listen to this next verse.

Deu 18:22 says  When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, [if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken], but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.

In other words if a so called prophet says he is from God and the things he says do not come true then “God DIDN’T SEND THAT PROPHET”.

It may be hard to believe but among the sacred writings of the world’s religions you cannot find written prophecy.

1.) The “Hindu Vedas”: has only majic, myths, legends, parables  and humor,[but no prophecy].

2.) Buddhists: revere three books that set forth their doctrine [but no prophecy].

3.) Confusion: his wisdom lies in five books called the “Five Classics” and then four more assembled by his disciples later [but no prophecy of future things].

4.) Taoist: Turn to “The Way and Virtue” written in 3BC. It only has mysticism, poetry, and paradox.

A paradox is: A proposition contrary to received opinion, or seemingly absurd, yet could be true in fact.

[But IT HAS NO PROPHESY OF FUTURE EVENTS].

5.) Islam and the Muslim “revere” Mohammed as the greatest prophet who ever lived and as the last word of Allah [but he made no future predictions].

The “Hadith” is a collection of so called incidents in his life. His likes and dislikes, his laws and his traditions that are added to the Koran.

IN ALL THESE SO CALLED SACRED WRITINGS YOU WILL NOT FIND ANY PREDICTIVE PROPHECY.

“ONLY THE HOLY WORD OF GOD, OUR BIBLE, WILL YOU FIND THE TRUTH AND TRUE PROPHETS”

2Ti 3:16 SAYS  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17  That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

2Pe 1:20 SAYS  Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
2Pe 1:21  For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

ONLY GOD CAN PREWRITE HISTORY 100% ACCURATELY!

The Lord will not allow the words of his prophets to idly fall to the ground.

1Sa 3:19  And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, [and did let none of his words fall to the ground.]

God does not teach any foolish thing.

Rom 3:3 says  For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?
Rom 3:4  God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged. 

*****THERE ARE THOSE THAT SAY THE BOOK OF DANIEL IS SO ACCURATE THAT IT HAD TO BE WRITTEN AFTER ALL THESE THINGS HAPPENED, INCLUDING THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE IN 70 AD.

The proof that this is wrong is the Septuagint that was compiled and translated by 70 Jewish translators. They began their work in 289BC and [it contained the completed work of Daniel].

Most of us have heard of Flavius Josephus, a Jewish historian, but not a believer in God. He wrote of a record of an event in 332 BC. “Alexander the Great had visited the Temple and offered a sacrifice to God. He treated the High Priest with such respect that they, the Priests, showed him the Book of Daniel and the place where the Bible says the Greeks would destroy the rule of the Persians.

Dan 8:3 SAYS  Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last.
Dan 8:4  I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great.
Dan 8:5  And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.
Dan 8:6  And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power.
Dan 8:7  And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand.

*****WE KNOW THE HISTORY OF WHAT HAPPENED NEXT.

WHAT IS THE GREATEST TEST OF THE BOOK OF DANIEL?

THE WORDS OF JESUS!

Mat 24:15 SAYS  When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

AND AGAIN

Mar 13:14 SAYS  But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:

*****JESUS CHRIST ACKNOWLEDGED THE BOOK OF DANIEL!

Ezekiel mentions Daniel three times:
The Apostle Paul tells us the some of the same things:

2Th 2:3 says  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2Th 2:4  Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

Dan 7:8 says I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.

Dan 9:27  And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

Dan 11:36  And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.

The Book of Hebrews says in the Hall of fame of Faith:

Heb 11:33  Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, [stopped the mouths of lions],

That was Daniel who was thrown in the lions den. (Daniel 6:16-24)

THE BOOK OF DANIEL WAS NEVER CHALLENGED BY THE ANCIENT RABBIS, IT IS ONLY CHALLENGED BY MODERN DAY “KNOW IT ALLS” WHO REFUSE TO BELIEVE THE WORD OF GOD.

2Ti 3:16 SAYS  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

OUR TEXT FOR TODAY:

Dan 2:27  Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king;
Dan 2:28  [But there is a God in heaven] (that revealeth secrets), and (maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days). Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;
Dan 2:29  As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass.
Dan 2:30  But as for me, [this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living], but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.

THE KINGS DREAM:

You see Nebuchadnezzar believed that his dreams were messages from his gods. That’s (little g o d). Remember he was a pagan king. While believing this he believed a true priest of those false gods would be able to tell him about those dreams.

He called on the wrong people to get his answers, IT IS ONLY THE TRUE GOD THAT HAS ALL THE ANSWERS!

1.) He first called on the magicians:

THE DICTIONARY SAYS, THIS IS ONE WHO PRACTICES THE BLACK ARTS OR THE DARK ARTS, A HORORSCOPIST.

THIS IS SOMEONE THAT SAYS THEY CAN PREDICT THE COMING OF A FUTURE EVENT.

THE DICTIONARY ALSO SAYS OF DARKNESS, IT IS A STATE OF BEING INTELLECTUALLY CLOUDED, IGNORANT, IN WICKEDNESS AND SIN.

WE CALL THIS THE OCCULT IN OUR DAY: SOMEONE WHO CLAIMS TO UNCOVER HIDDEN MYSTERIES THAT THE NATURAL MAN CANNOT KNOW OR DO.

Pro 4:19 SAYS  The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.

WHEN WE ARE SAVED THE BIBLE SAYS:

Col 1:13  Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

2.) He next called the astrologers:

ONE WHO PRACTICES ENCHANTMENT.

THESE ARE PERSONS WHO SAY THEY CAN PREDICT THE FUTURE OF ANYONE BY STUDYING THE HEAVENLY BODIES. (The Stars, Moons, Suns, etc.)

GOD SAYS:

Isa 47:12  Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail.
Isa 47:13  Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee.

GOD SAYS IF YOU BELIEVE IN THAT JUNK THEN LET THEM SAVE YOU.

Isa 47:14  Behold, they shall be as stubble; [the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame]: there shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it.

3.) He next called the sorcerers:

ONE WHO SAY THEY CAN WHISPER A SPELL. A CONJURER, AN ENCHANTER. A PERSON WHO SAYS THEY HAVE SUPERNATURAL POWERS TO PERFORM THINGS THAT NO ONE ELSE CAN DO.

HE IS TRULY AN IMPOSTER! HE IS A FAKE! THIS PERSON TRULY WORSHIPS ANYTHING THAT IS NOT GOD.

We read of one in the New Testament:

Act 8:9  But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, [giving out that himself was some great one]:
Act 8:10  To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, [This man is the great power of God].
Act 8:11  And to him they had regard, [because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries].

We see that they can fool most everyone they meet. Some even thought they had the power of the one true God.

BUT THEY ARE FAKES!

GOD SAYS IN THE END TIMES THAT THE NATIONS HAVE BEEN DECEIVED BY SORCERIES:

Rev 18:23  And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for [by thy sorceries were all nations deceived].

WE GET THE WORD PHARMACY FROM THE GREEK WORD (PHARMAKIA, WHICH IS ALSO THE ENGLISH WORD SORCERIES). WE CAN SEE THE INFLUENCE DRUGS ARE HAVING WORLD WIDE RIGHT NOW IN OUR TIME.

THESE INCLUDE THE ILLEGAL DRUGS THAT IN MOST CASES NOT ONLY SUPPLY THE GREED OF EVIL MEN BUT FINANCE MOST THE TERRORISM THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. BUT IT ALSO INCLUDES THE SO CALLED LEGAL DRUGS THAT ARE GIVEN OUT TO EVERYONE THAT HAS SERIOUS AILMENTS. IT IS MY BELIEF THAT SURGICAL OPERATIONS HAVE GOTTEN SO EXPENSIVE THAT THE INSURANCE COMPANIES WOULD RATHER BUY YOU DRUGS TO EASE YOUR PAIN FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE THAN TRY TO OPERATE FOR THE CURE.

ESPECIALLY FOR OUR OLDER FOLKS WHO ARE CAUGHT UP IN THE MIDDLE OF MEDICARE AND INSURANCE THAT JUST ROB THEM OF THEIR RETIREMENT.

4.) He next called the Chaldeans:

THESE WERE SOMETIMES KNOWN AS THE “MAGI” . THESE WERE SUPPOSEDLY THE WISEST MEN IN BABYLON. THEY WERE FAMILIAR WITH ALL MATTERS OF THE OCCULT, ASTROLOGERS AND SORCERIES. THESE WERE THE ORIENTAL SCIENTIST OF THEIR DAY. THE WIZARDS.

HERE ARE THE WORDS OF THEIR TRUTH:

Dan 2:10  The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, [There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king’s matter]: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.

YOU SEE NONE OF THESE “FAKES” CAN TELL YOU ANYTHING UNLESS YOU GIVE THEM YOUR LIFE STORY!

*****WE KNOW WHAT DANIEL SAID:

(Vs 28) There is a God!

ONLY GOD KNOWS ALL THINGS, EVEN THE THINGS WE DREAM AND CANNOT REMEMBER OURSELVES.

Psa 139:2 SAYS  Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.

Psa 139:4 SAYS  For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.

Psa 139:16 SAYS  Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.

Daniel went to the Lord in prayer but he was not alone. He had help from his brothers.

GROUP PRAYER IS POWERFUL. FROM MY OWN EXPERIENCE I CAN TELL YOU IT IS A HUMBLING THING TO KNOW YOUR NAME IS BEING SHOUTED ALL OVER HEAVEN.

DANIEL KNEW ALSO:

GOD NEVER FORSAKES HIS OWN PEOPLE WHEN THEY PRAY! “GOD ONLY” HAS ALL THE ANSWERS!

The Apostle Paul said:

1Ti 1:17  Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, [the only wise God,] be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Jude the halfbrother of Jesus said:

Jud 1:25  [To the only wise God our Saviour], be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

James the other halfbrother of Our Lord said:

Jas 5:16  Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. [The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much].

Preacher Sam, my Pastor, just preached:

1.) We should pray that God’s Word spreads freely in this world.
2.) We should pray for protection of the Church.
3.) We should pray for the perseverance of the Saints.

[Text Preacher Sam used:

2Th 3:1  Finally, brethren, pray for us, [that the word of the Lord may have free course], and be glorified, even as it is with you:
2Th 3:2  And [that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men]: for all men have not faith.
2Th 3:3  But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.
2Th 3:4  And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, [that ye both do and will do the things which we command you.
2Th 3:5  And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ].

*****GOD HAD REVEALED TO NEBUCHADNEZZAR THE COMING WORLD POWERS.

********** “BUT IT TOOK A MAN OF GOD TO POINT THEM OUT TO HIM.”

GOD HAS A PLACE FOR EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US TO SERVE. WE NEED TO FOLLOW THE LEAD OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN OUR OWN LIVES TO BE WHERE GOD’S WILL IS FOR US.

OUT TEXT:

Dan 2:31  Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible.
Dan 2:32  This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,
Dan 2:33  His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.
Dan 2:34  [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.
Dan 2:35  Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.]

*********What we witness in these verses is prophecy that has been fulfilled [that we can see with our own eyes] through world history. Up until the rule of Babylon there had never been a dominant world power.

Daniel tells us about Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and then leads us into the time of Christ in the Millennial Kingdom.

Daniel tells this king something that he could not have made up, something that Only God Could Know. Remember if Daniel got this wrong then he would also die. Can you imagine standing before the world ruler with “this” story.

*****BUT GOD KNOWS ALL THE TRUTH!

OUR TEXT:

Dan 2:36  This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.
Dan 2:37  Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
Dan 2:38  And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.
Dan 2:39  And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
Dan 2:40  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.
Dan 2:41  And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.
Dan 2:42  And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.
Dan 2:43  And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.
Dan 2:44  And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
Dan 2:45  Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

*****THIS IMAGE DESCRIBED BY DANIEL BEGAN THE WORLD GOVERNMENTS IN THE TIME OF THE GENTILES.

Luk 21:24 SAYS  And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, [until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled].

**********WE KNOW THAT THE BEGINNING OF THAT FULFILLMENT WILL BE THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH.

2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: [only he who now letteth will let], until he be taken out of the way.

**********WE KNOW THAT IT IS THE HOLY GHOST FILLED CHURCH THAT HOLDS BACK THE EVIL IN THIS WORLD. WE CAN SEE THAT WE HAVE NOT BEEN DOING OUR PART VERY WELL. BUT EACH CHILD OF GOD IS FILLED WITH THE HOLY GHOST AND WHEN THE RAPTURE OCCURS, BECAUSE HE WILL NOT LEAVE US HE WILL GO BACK TO HEAVEN WITH US. The Holy Ghost will go back to doing what He did before the Church age, as in the Old Testament.

*****LEAVING THIS EARTH IN THE HANDS OF THE DEVIL UNTIL THE LORD COMES.

2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
2Th 2:9  Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
2Th 2:10  And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; [because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved].

WHY DO THESE PERISH? BECAUSE THEY HEARD OF THE LORD AND THEY FELT THE PULL OF THE HOLY GHOST BUT THEY RECEIVED NOT THE TRUTH. THEY WOULD NOT ACCEPT JESUS CHRIST AS THEIR LORD IN THE TIME OF GRACE. ALL THOSE THAT DO THIS WILL NOT GET ANOTHER CHANCE DURING THE TRIBULATION PERIOD NOR IN THE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM.

*****UNTIL THE LORD COMES, GOD SAYS.

1Co 4:5  Therefore judge nothing before the time, [until the Lord come], who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.

*****THE LORD WILL COME BACK TO THIS EARTH AT THE END OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD!

1.) THAT FIRST IMAGE WAS THE HEAD OF GOLD:

Daniel explicitly told Nebuchadnezzar that he was the “head of Gold” in the dream.  Since Daniel identified the other parts of the image as representing kingdoms, it is evident that the head of gold symbolized Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom, Babylon. The head of gold fitly represented Babylon.

Isa 14:4 SAYS  That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! [the golden city ceased]!

Jer 51:7 SAYS  [Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD’S hand], that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.

Surrounded by massive fortified walls, the city lay on both sides of the Euphrates river, which watered its gardens and supported its commerce.

Jer 51:8 SAYS  Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her; take balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed.

Nebuchadnezzar II, also known as Nebuchadnezzar the Great, was the fearsome, vainglorious ruler of Babylon from 630 – 562 BC. Called the ‘destroyer of nations’, he reduced Judea and Jerusalem to rubble and sent the Jews into exile. His portrayal in various historical texts, most memorably the Old Testament, paints the picture of a marauding, mighty king who would stop at nothing to heap his beloved Babylon in glory. He built his nation into a cultural centre for the Near East, lavishing it in glory with his fine buildings, palaces and, of course, Hanging Gardens. His reign inspired his people to victory over some of the most powerful nations of the time; effectively ruling the Middle East.

*****And his mystique would be reprised 2,500 years later, when the Saddam Hussein used Nebuchadnezzar’s glory to rally his people into heinous ethnic cleansing and impossible wars.

2.) HIS BREAST AND HIS ARMS OF SILVER:

The Breast of silver is the same as the Bear and the Ram of chapter seven.

Nevertheless, “another kingdom” inferior to Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom, represented by the breast and arms of silver, would conquer and supplant the golden kingdom.  Darius, by a masterful maneuver of turning aside the waters the Euphrates, led his Medo-Persian forces through the riverbed to take Babylon by complete surprise in 539 B.C.

Daniel spoke these words to King Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon.  Babylon fell in 539 B.C when the Medes and the Persians conquered the kingdom.  The Medo-Persian Empire lasted until Alexander the Great defeated them in battle in 331 B.C.

3.) HIS BELLY AND HIS THIGHS BRASS:

The Belly of Brass is the same as the Leopard and the Goat.

The next power, the one that uprooted and succeeded the Persians was that of Macedonia, represented by the image’s midsection of brass.  Alexander, was a  young military genius who conquered the Mediterranean world, but who could not conquer his appetite, in a lightning campaign defeated the Persians in several battles, finally completely routing them at the Battle of Arbela in 331 B.C.

4.) HIS LEGS OF IRON:

The Legs of Iron is same as Terrible Beast with 10 horns

Unmistakably the fourth kingdom,” strong as iron,” represented by the “legs of iron,” was Rome.  Rome conquered swiftly, ruthlessly, and with crushing force.  She began to replace the Hellenistic, or Greek, empire by a decisive battle at Pydna, 168 BC, and by 30 BC, with the subjugation of Egypt, she completed her control of the Mediterranean world.

5.) HIS FEET PART IRON AND PART CLAY:

Daniel, under divine inspiration, foretold that the mighty empire of Rome would suffer division?  But when he came to the feet and toes in his explanation, Daniel predicted, “The kingdom shall be divided”   Did Daniel’s prediction come to pass? History records clearly that it did.

During the fourth and fifth centuries AD the empire of Rome in the west became divided as several distinct barbarian kingdoms with her midst gained independent power.  These kingdoms, which later developed into the nations of Europe today, have ever remained divided.

Daniel declared that “they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.”  Down through the centuries many powerful men have attempted to overthrow that prophecy and unite Europe. Charlemagne, Charles V, Napoleon, Kaiser Wilhelm, and Hitler all tried and failed.  Attempts to bring an intermingling between these kingdoms, especially through the practice of intermarriage among royal families, also failed just as Daniel predicted in verse 43.  The five fateful words, “they will not hold together” have accurately portrayed the sweep of European history from the disintegration of the Roman empire till today.

*****God’s Word has clearly proved true.

BUT WE KNOW THEY ARE GATHERING AGAIN IN WHAT IS CALLED THE EUROPEAN UNION.

The European Union is rapidly fulfilling prophecy in becoming the prophesied revived Roman Empire, the final worldly kingdom of human history. According to prophecy, this kingdom will give rise to an ecumenical and apostate religion, a global government, and a global economy. Out of this kingdom will arise the most evil dictator ever known to man – the Antichrist.

Rev 17:12 SAYS  And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
Rev 17:13  These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.

*****HOW CAN WE NOT BELIEVE GOD’S HOLY BIBLE!

6.) THERE IS ONE MORE KINGDOM MENTIONED BY DANIEL:

VERSE 44 SAYS  And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

THIS IS THE KINGDOM WE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THE PAST FEW WEEKS. THE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM OF OUR LORD JESUS.

Rev 20:4 SAYS  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 

WHAT WE CAN SEE FROM THESE LESSONS IS THAT IT IS GOD THAT IS IN CONTROL OF THIS WORLD.

HE CREATED IT. HE SUSTAINS IT. AND HE CONTROLS IT. HE HAS NOT HIDDEN ANYTHING CONCERNING SALVATION FROM US AND ALL HE ASK US TO DO IS “BELIEVE”.

WE HAVE TO ADMIT THAT THERE IS NOTHING THAT WE OR THIS WORLD CAN DO TO SAVE OUR SOULS FROM HELL. IT IS ONLY GOD, WHO SENT THE LORD JESUS TO PROVIDE THAT MEANS OF SALVATION.

NEBUCHADNEZZAR WAS AS EVIL A RULER THAT WAS IN THE BIBLE, BUT WE CAN SEE THAT AS TIME HAS PASSED MOST GOVERNMENTS HAVE GOTTEN EVEN WORSE. IN FACT THE BIBLE SAYS:

2Ti 3:13 SAYS  But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

THIS EARTH GAINED IN A PHYSICAL SENSE BUT SPIRITUALLY THIS WORLD IS GOING TO HELL. ONLY THE RETURN OF JESUS WILL BRING PEACE TO THIS EARTH BUT UNTIL THEN WE STILL HAVE A PURPOSE AS THE CHURCH OF THE LIVING GOD.

Mat 5:16 SAYS  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

LET’S PRAY!