Steps to Life

Prophecy Seminar

Session 1: The Future Revealed

Welcome to the Steps to Life Prophecy Seminar.

Prophecy is defined as "The inspired declaration of divine will and purpose. . . (also) a declaration of something to come: Prediction.'' Webster.

Today people are concerned about the future and about their destiny and rightly so. The longer I live the more I realize how short life is, and how uncertain are the realities that we enjoy. Loved ones pass away. Fortunes vanish. Governments change. Businesses change. Marriages change. In fact, change is in the air.

In order to find security, people are turning as never before to various prognosticators of the future. Fortune-telling, astrology, and the occult are big businesses today. They were not so 30 years ago. In two of our lessons we will look at the Bible's predictions about the occult in the last days.

There is another predictor of the future that is more reliable than the occult, one that has been around longer, one that is not out for profit, it is called the Holy Bible. Many people are turning again to its sacred pages.

Is there anything in this ancient Book that gives stability to today's events and security for the future? Yes! This is what we are going to be studying during the next six weeks in a condensed, college-type course on prophecy. As in a college course, each night of this twenty-four night seminar will build on the night before. When we are finished you will know more about prophecy and the future than you ever imagined possible. You will find security and a purpose for life. However, I do not want you to take my word for it, just come the first two nights and see if you haven't already gained more insights from this Holy Word than you ever dreamed possible. And if you receive a blessing, bring a friend. We are going to be dealing with important concepts that could vitally affect your life. I have found the words of this Book to be true and understandable. Before we begin, let us pray:

"Lord, as we begin this study into Your holy Word, give us the wisdom and insights that we humbly ask for. Make these next few nights the most profitable of our lives. May we find hope, peace, and security in Your holy Word. We ask this in the worthy name of Jesus, Amen.''

Turn with me to the twelfth chapter of Daniel. We are using the New King James Version, one of the most beautiful, accurate, and modern translations made. We have supplied each of you with a Bible so that we can look up and read the texts together—I don't want you to take my word for what the Bible says. We will learn how the Bible says to study prophecy so that you will never be confused as to what it means.

Daniel 12:4 ``But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.''

Daniel, the Companion Book of Revelation

The book of Daniel is the first book that is specifically written for the last days. Did you know that this is the only book that Jesus specifically mentions by name that we should read and understand (Matthew 24:15), and yet it is probably one of the least studied and understood books of the Bible? This is one of the reasons why there is so much confusion about the prophecies of the book of Revelation in the New Testament. You see, Revelation was not written in a vacuum—it was written after the book of Daniel. And Revelation was written with the presupposition that the reader would be aware of what was already revealed in the book of Daniel. Therefore, much of the symbolism used in Revelation is not explained in that book, because it merely uses the symbols of the book of Daniel, which are explained there.

To study Revelation without beginning in Daniel is like trying to study college trigonometry without beginning with high-school math. Prophecy can be understood by even the common person if he will begin at the beginning.

The book of Daniel was to be sealed until the time of the end. Do you believe we are now living in the time of the end? Some of you may and some of you may not be sure. But to help us be sure, Daniel explains (in the verse we just read) a few things that identify the time of the end:

Has knowledge increased today? We are living in the midst of the greatest knowledge explosion of all time. Never before has there been an increase of knowledge in the world like today. We thought 25 years ago that the space program was a giant increase in knowledge and it was, but today with the revolution in computers there is a knowledge explosion such as the world has never seen. Daniel said that knowledge would increase during the last period of world history.

Are people traveling more today? In the last several months I have been several times to California, several times to Portland, Oregon and to Canada and to Jamaica and Florida and Tennessee and also to Wisconsin and Pennsylvania and to the Carolinas. Now such travel was unheard of a hundred years ago. When people moved from Boston to California in a covered wagon, they didn't come back for Christmas.

Let's start at the beginning. Daniel was a young man of seventeen when his country was overthrown by the Babylonian army and he was taken captive. In Babylon his name was changed to signify homage to the gods of the Babylonians. One of their chief gods was ``Bel,'' and Daniel was given the name ``Belteshazzar'' in honor of that heathen god (Daniel 1:7). But Daniel, as young as he was, refused to give up allegiance to his God, Jehovah, and therefore God honored him.

Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, was a wise and powerful ruler. He conquered the then-known world. And whenever he conquered a nation, he took their choicest young men and tried to win their allegiance and train them in the science and religion of Babylon. These young men, who were the cream of the crop from each country, became his brain trust. Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were chosen from the country of Judah. Therefore they were put into an intensive graduate training program of three years, complete with tutors, the best of food, and all accommodations. But this, though very gracious of the king, brought Daniel and his companions to a crisis.

Daniel 1:5 ``And the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king's delicacies and of the wine which he drank, and three years of training for them, so that at the end of that time they might serve before the king.''

The problem was this: The food served was against Daniel's principles. He did not believe in eating certain foods nor in drinking fermented wine. He felt he could not do this and remain true to his God. But Nebuchadnezzar expected his captives to graciously accept whatever he gave them without question. Thus Daniel was brought to a test: Would he be true to God or to the king? Would he serve God or man? Because Daniel chose to serve God, God honored him with an understanding of the future.

Daniel 1:8 "Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.''

Daniel's request was at first denied, but he persisted until the Babylonians gave him and his companions a trial test of ten days. To the Babylonians' surprise, it was found that the young men did not get sick on fruits and vegetables, but rather prospered better than they, so Daniel and his companions were allowed to eat a simple diet.

Daniel 1:16 "Thus the steward took away their portion of delicacies and the wine that they were to drink, and gave them vegetables. . . 18 Now at the end of the days. . . 19 the king interviewed them (the students), and among them all none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore they served before the king.''

God has said, "Those who honor Me I will honor'' (I Samuel 2:30). Daniel and his friends honored God. God honored them. The story that follows is a most intriguing one. God used these young captives, barely twenty years old, to instruct their captor, the most powerful king on earth—a wise man, but an absolute despot. Although God chose not to protect Jerusalem from the onslaughts of Nebuchadnezzar's army because of Israel's sins and rebellion, nevertheless He would show to this despot that He was still God and that only He could control the events of the future and predict what was going to happen.

The king believed in astrology, magic, sorcery, and Eastern prognostication, but God would show him that these sciences were inaccurate and that He alone had such power. The claim of God, that He alone is God and there is no other, is precisely based upon the fact that He alone can predict the future:

Isaiah 45:21 "Who has declared this from ancient time? Who has told it from that time? Have not I, the Lord? And there is no other God besides Me, a just God and a Savior; there is none besides me. 22 Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.''

God can both predict and control the future:

Isaiah 48:3 "I have declared the former things from the beginning; that went forth from My mouth, and I caused them to hear it. Suddenly I did them, and they came to pass.''

Isaiah 46:9 ``Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, 10 declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, `My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.' ''

God Startles the World Through a Heathen King

Nebuchadnezzar prided himself that he controlled world events and that his prognosticators could reveal the future. God would show to this proud monarch that such prerogatives were His alone. Though Nebuchadnezzar appreciated Daniel because of his skill and youthfulness, he despised his God. But this God, whom Nebuchadnezzar despised, visited him one night in his sleep. He gave him a dream so ominous that it startled him awake. But when he awoke, trembling, he could not remember what he had dreamed.

Have you ever had a dream that you could not recall? Thus it was with Nebuchadnezzar—yet he knew that it was somehow important. But that was no problem for Nebuchadnezzar. He had magicians who could reveal secret things. Daniel 2:1 ``Now in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; and his spirit was so troubled that his sleep left him. 2 Then the king gave the command to all the magicians, the astrologers, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king. 3 And the king said to them, `I have had a dream, and my spirit is anxious to know the dream.' 4 Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king. . . , `O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation.' 5 But the king answered and said. . . , `My decision is firm: if you do not make known the dream to me, and its interpretation, you shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made an ash heap. 6 However, if you tell the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts, rewards, and great honor. Therefore tell me the dream and its interpretation.' ''

If the king would only tell these "wise men'' his dream, they would figure out an interpretation. But the king saw through their plan. They claimed to read the secrets of the future and the secrets of men's lives. They ate the king's food and drank his wine. Now it was time for them to produce, but they could not.

Daniel 2:10 ``The Chaldeans answered the king, and said, `There is not a man on earth who can tell the king's matter. . . 11 And there is no other who can tell it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.' ''

The king was angry. Either they were withholding information or they were charlatans. Either way they deserved death. And so the decree went forth throughout the empire that every magician, astrologer, and Chaldean should be killed. This decree now involved Daniel, for he was in training to be a Chaldean, and so they sought out Daniel and his companions to kill them.

But this was all in God's plan, for now the whole kingdom, and even the world, was shocked to attention by the dream that no one could reveal. God had given the dream, and now that He had the world's attention, He would reveal its meaning through the one who had been loyal to Him.

Daniel 2:16 "So Daniel went in and asked the king to give him time, that he might tell the king the interpretation. 17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the decision known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, 18 that they might seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his companion s might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision.''

Not only did God reveal the secret to Daniel, but He also revealed why He had given the dream to Nebuchadnezzar and what Nebuchadnezzar had been worrying about. Listen to part of Daniel's speech when he was brought in before the king:

Daniel 2:29 "As for you, O king, thoughts came to your mind while on your bed about what would come to pass after this; and He who reveals secrets has made known to you what will be.''

What Does the Future Hold?

Have you ever worried about the future? Nebuchadnezzar did. A few years ago the U.S. News and World Report published the results of one of their surveys:

``Staff members of the U.S. News and World Report talked to a cross section of America to assess national mood. Here and there a note of hope was heard. . . , but the dominant spirit is one of gloom and a gnawing uncertainty'' (July 16, 1979, p. 20).

Today there is uncertainty for the future. Young people no longer plan on a secure future when they grow up as they did in the 1950's. Often, what a student learns in school is outdated by the time he graduates. The economy is held together by band-aids. The Middle East is a powder keg with the fuse lit; it's just that no one knows how long the fuse is. People are confused when they go to the polls to vote—who are the real people they are voting for? Which rumors are true and which are smears? What about the trillion-dollar debt, and the ever-increasing deficit in our balance of trade with foreign countries? What about crime, immorality and AIDS? Where will it end? What is in store for the future?

Nebuchadnezzar was worrying about the future, and through him God gave a panoramic view of the whole future history of this earth. From this starting picture, God continued to fill in more details with every new revelation he gave through Daniel and John the revelator.

Now, while the dream was given to Nebuchadnezzar, the real import of this dream applies more to our day than to his. The dream of Nebuchadnezzar pulls aside the curtain of the future and reveals the events of the last days. Daniel first reminded the king that his wise men could not reveal this secret, and that only the God of heaven could do so:

Daniel 2:27 "The secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers cannot declare to the king. 28 But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days."

The dream reveals what time period? The latter days. Remember, we already read that the book of Daniel was written for "the time of the end.''

An Image of Great Importance

This is the beginning of the images of Bible prophecy. In Revelation we will learn about an "image to the Beast.'' We will study about that image in our next lesson, but here is the first image. The king and his courtiers were leaning forward for Daniel's revelation:

Daniel 2:31 ``You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome."

Nebuchadnezzar was awe-struck. That was it exactly. It was all coming back to him now. Daniel's God was revealing the very thing he had seen which no human being on earth knew about. Moreover, Daniel claimed that it was his God who had given him the dream. But listen, Daniel was continuing:

Daniel 2:32 ``This image's head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.''

That was it! In his dream, Nebuchadnezzar had probably been about to fall down and worship this idol-image, but before he could do so, lo, disaster struck!

Daniel 2:34 ``You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.''

This image was nothing to worship. It did not last. It was completely destroyed by a stone which then filled the whole earth. What was the meaning? Now that Daniel had revealed the dream, that even the dreamer couldn't remember until Daniel's God recalled it for him, he was ready to listen to the explanation. Surely the God who gave the dream would know what the dream meant!

How to Interpret the Bible

There are two important points right here that we must learn in order to understand prophecy:

1. Prophecies are generally given in symbolic language.

2. The Bible, itself, interprets the prophetic symbols.

If we start making up our own interpretation of the symbols, we are totally at the mercy of human thinking and guesswork. Let us just suppose I pass out a sheet of paper to each one of you and each of you write down what you think the prophecy means, without reading the true interpretation from the Bible. How many answers do you suppose we would get? Maybe a hundred? Now how would we ever decide which of those answers were correct? Suppose we decided to take the answer that was the most popular, would we be assured that we had arrived at the correct answer?

We would probably be more assured that we had arrived at the wrong answer, for in religious matters, the majority have seldom been right. The majority turned against Noah and remained outside the ark to drown when the Flood came. The majority rejected Jesus and crucified Him. We are told the vast majority are going to follow the Beast power of the last days, which we will study in a few nights.

Revelation 13:3 ``I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast.''

Yes, practically the whole world will follow the Beast, and yet, as we will study in the future, they will all think they are following God. How awful! Clearly the majority opinion, in religious matters, is not a safe or proper way to go. No, there must be a better way to find out what the symbols of Bible prophecy mean than by merely searching out popular opinions on what human commentators might have to say on the subject. And there is. Every symbol of Bible prophecy is explained by the Bible itself. The Bible is its own interpreter.

Not every symbol is explained right where it is used. In college math, every math problem is solved by mathematical principles that have been explained somewhere along the way, but the rules are not repeated every time a new problem comes up. So it is with prophecy, once a symbol or rule has been explained by the Bible, it does not generally re-explain it the next time the symbol is used. Now in this first prophecy, since this is the first, the explanation comes immediately, and to begin with God makes it easy for us.

Interpreting the Image

Nebuchadnezzar was anxious to find out what the image meant. He knew it explained the history of the world to "the latter day" for Daniel had already told him so. Since the king was anxious, Daniel immediately explained its meaning to him.

Daniel 2:36 "This is the dream. Now we will tell the interpretation of it before the king. 37 You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory; 38 and wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all—you are this head of gold."

At first, Nebuchadnezzar felt proud. He was represented by the fine head of gold. But what was this about the God of heaven giving him his power and kingdom—hadn't he gotten himself where he was by his own strength and prowess? What did God have to do with his success? For the time being, Nebuchadnezzar said nothing, but later on he challenged God as to who actually had gotten him his wealth, power, and glory. That story is recorded in Daniel 4. He resented the fact that God had anything to do with it. It is a fascinating story. Daniel 2:39 "But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. 40 And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters all things; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others."

This was certainly not good news to Nebuchadnezzar. He was proud of the fact that he was represented by the head of gold, but the thought of another kingdom taking over his empire was repulsive to him.

Babylon, the head of gold, was one of the mightiest cities this world has ever seen; with walls, according to some historians of antiquity, over two hundred feet high and so wide that chariots could drive abreast on the roadway that ran along its top. The river Euphrates ran through her midst, with high, mighty walls lining each side of its bank. There were city gates and bridges that spanned the river uniting the two sides of the city. In times of crisis the gates were closed.

The golden head fitly represented Babylon, for it was a city of luxury, with fine hanging gardens, peacocks, and precious metals. The armies of Babylon had ransacked the world and brought its treasures to magnify its temples. Herodotus, the Greek historian, writes about how lavishly the Babylonians used gold, especially in the temple servi ces. Discussing the golden god of Babylon, Bel-Marduk, he affirms that the god was seated on a golden throne, beside which was placed a golden table before a golden altar in the golden temple. Within the city were laid up food stores that would last for decades. Its armies were the best disciplined in the world. The walls were invincible. Nebuchadnezzar believed there would never be a power that could conquer his empire. Nebuchadnezzar himself wrote these words on a clay tablet, recently uncovered by archaeologists: "Oh, Babylon, the delight of mine eyes, the glory of all kingdoms. May it last forever!" But God said that it would not last forever. Rather, another kingdom, inferior to his, would overthrow it.

The strength of Babylon quickly waned. Within twenty years of Nebuchadnezzar's death in 562 B.C., a new power arose to challenge its strength. Two countries united in common interest to subjugate Lydia, Egypt, and finally Babylon. These countries were Media and Persia. Although initially Media was the older and more prominent of the two countries, the general that conquered Babylon was a Persian by the name of Cyrus. Soon Persia became the more prominent of the two and eventually represented the whole empire. Since 1935 we have known the country of Persia by the name of Iran.

In 539 B.C., Cyrus surrounded Babylon with an army and cut off its arteries to the world. But that did not worry its inhabitants, for who could scale its walls? Let the Persian army bake in the desert sun, Babylon would enjoy itself within. It was secure. But God had predicted that Babylon would fall, and the time had come. The story of Babylon's fall is recorded in the fifth chapter of Daniel.

Belshazzar, the Babylonian king at the time, decided to throw a magnificent feast to his gods on one of the national feast days. He would show contempt for both the Persian army sitting in the desert and the God of Daniel who had predicted Babylon's fall. To show his spite for Daniel's God, he ordered the sacred vessels that had been confiscated from Jerusalem's temple to be brought and used as common containers for alcoholic beverages in feasting to the gods of Babylon. Belshazzar, as well as all the people of Babylon, well knew about the dream of his grandfather. Daniel was still a national leader. But, like Pharaoh a thousand years earlier, Belshazzar said: ``Who is God that I should listen to Him? My Babylon is stronger than Daniel's God. Bring the vessels of his God and let us desecrate them.''

By 539 B.C. Babylon had reached the limit of God's forbearance. The time had come for the dream to be fulfilled. As Daniel said on the night the dream was revealed to him:

Daniel 2:20 "Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His. . . ; 21 He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding."

Look with me at the events that allowed a weaker country to overthrow a country that had been stronger.

Daniel 5:1 "Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in the presence of the thousand. 2 While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave the command to bring the gold and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which had been in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. . . .5 "In the same hour the fingers of a man's hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall."

Here was the lampstand from Jerusalem's holy temple, shining amidst the idolatry of Babylon. Above its light there appeared a man's hand and in flaming letters were written these words:

Daniel 5:25 "MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN."

No one was found who could read the language. Finally Daniel was called, and he read the words and interpreted them:

Daniel 5:26"MENE: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; 27 TEKEL: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; 28 PERES: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians. . . . 30 That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain. 31 And Darius the Mede received the kingdom."

Dear friend, God's word is sure. In fact, not only did God predict that Babylon would be conquered, He also predicted the very man who would conquer it and just how he would do it, some 150 years before Cyrus was even born. Cyrus conquered Babylon and then put his uncle, Darius, on the throne.

This is how Cyrus did it. He completely surrounded the city so that no one could go in or out. Then, away from Babylon's view, he had his soldiers dig a huge reservoir. He planned for it to be finished by the time of Babylon's feast day to its national god, Bel-Marduk. He counted on the fact that the king and his nobles would be drunk on that night. When the appointed night came, he opened up a new channel off one of the river banks, and the water began to tumble into the basin he had prepared for it. This quickly lowered the height of the river. In the darkness of the night, as soon as the water was waist deep, two regiments of soldiers waded into the water, one regiment from each end of the city, and began to march toward the middle. There should have been guards to close the city gates that connected the two sides of the city, but everyone was feasting. When the soldiers arrived at the center, they found the central gates between the two sides of the city wide open. They marched in, killed the king, and took over the city. This happened in 539 B.C. (539 years Before Christ). Listen to this prophecy written by Isaiah sometime around 700 B.C.:

Isaiah 44:24 to 45:5 "I am the Lord, who makes all things. . . , 26 who says to Jerusalem. . . ‘You shall be built’. . . , 27 Who says to the deep (the river Euphrates that went through Babylon), ‘Be dry! and I will dry up your rivers;’ 28 Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd, and he shall perform all My pleasure,’ . . . 1 Thus says the Lord to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held to subdue nations before him and loose the armor of kings, to open before him the double doors (the two city gates of Babylon that were left open on that fateful night), so that the gates will not be shut: . . . 4 ‘For Jacob My servant's sake, and Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me. 5 I am the Lord, and there is no other; there is no God besides Me.’ "

Dear friend, there is only one God who can do that—who can call a person by name and tell the very manner of his conquest some 150 years before he is even born. And thus it was that the second great world empire came into existence.

Medo-Persia lasted as the supreme power of the world for a long time. The Bible says it would be followed by a "third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth" (Daniel 2:39), and indeed, the third kingdom did extend much further in territory than the dominion of the Persians.

You will remember the youthful Greek general named Alexander the Great, who, with an army of only 50,000, conquered the heavily armored army of the Persians, which numbered almost 1,000,000, on the battle field of Arbela in October, 331 B.C. From there he marched to India and conquered every country before him until there were none to resist him. He conquered Egypt and built the city of Alexandria, named after himself. The historian, Arian, said, ``I am persuaded that there was no nation, city, nor people then in being, whither his name did not reach. There seems to have been some divine hand presiding over both his work and action.'' The language of Greece became the universal language of the world and remained so for the next four hundred years.

Thus, Greece became the third world empire symbolized by the belly and thighs of bronze. But the prophecy says there was to be yet one more world power—the legs of iron.

The power that conquered Greece was Rome. It was Rome that ruled in the days of Christ. It was a Roman decree that forced Mary and Joseph to go to Bethlehem and be taxed when Jesus was born. It was Roman soldiers who crucified Christ. And His tomb was sealed with a Roman seal. Our months of July and August still bear testimony to the dominion of Julius Caesar and Augustus Caesar, after whom they were named.

In his monumental history, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Edward Gibbon recognized that in the image of the second chapter of Daniel, with its head of gold, chest and arms of silver, thighs of bronze, and legs of iron, is a description of the nations that ruled the world from Babylon's time to the days of Rome. Thus he states: "The images of gold, or silver, or brass (bronze), that might serve to represent the nations and their kings were successively broken by the iron monarchy of Rome" (Quoted in Britannica Great Books, vol. 40, p. 631). Even this secular historian recognized in the image of Daniel 2, a portrayal of the rise and fall of empires.

Rome became more cruel toward her enemies than any world power before. She ruled with an iron will, mercilessly destroying any and every opposing element.

Now, watching the pattern of history and seeing one nation rising supreme, only to be replaced by another, then another—Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome—our inclination would be to predict that a fifth empire would arise next. But the Scriptures make a different prediction. After the legs of iron, representing the fourth empire, the Bible does not predict a fifth earthly empire! Four nations have ruled this world from Daniel's time to ours—Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome—not three, not two, not six. History has developed just as the Bible predicted, so we know that this world is not without an overseer, without someone in control. As God has seen and planned for the past before it happened, so He sees and has a plan for the future.

No single empire replaced Rome as world ruler, but pagan Rome did come to its end. The legs of iron were followed by feet and toes, part of iron and part of ceramic clay.

Daniel 2:41 "Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. 43 As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay."

God predicted that ancient Rome would not be followed by another world empire, but would be broken up into fragments. From the years A.D. 351 until A.D. 476, barbarian tribes swept across Western Europe, dividing up the once mighty Roman Empire. There were the Anglo-Saxons who went to the shores of England, the Franks who established France, the Alemanni who built Germany, the Burgundians, Vandals, Ostrogoths, Suevi, Heruli, Lombards, and the Visigoths—ten in number.

The prophecy also predicted that some of the nations that would occupy the territory once depicted by the solidarity of iron would be as weak as potter's clay, while others would retain the strength of Rome. Some of the nations that took the place of pagan Rome became very weak, while others have been militarily strong, such as England for much of its history, France under Napoleon, and Germany under the Kaisers and Hitler.

But let's look at the prophecy again.

Charles the Great tried it, Louis V tried it, Napoleon tried it, Hitler tried it with national socialism, communisim has tried it with international socialism, now others want to try it again. Over and over again men have attempted to make Europe into one giant superpower again.

Let's read verse 43 again:

"As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another."

Notice those seven words: "They will not adhere to one another." The nations represented by the toes of the image would never be permanently united again.

Have you ever wondered why, from the days of the pagan Roman Empire until now, there has never been a united Europe? It is not that no one has wanted it so—indeed, many have tried to unite it again. There was Charlemagne in the 800's who tried to bring about what he called the "Holy Roman Empire." He tried and failed. There was Charles V, and Louis XIV, both tried and failed. Then there was Napoleon. He declared, "I wanted to found a European system, a European code of law, a European court of appeals.'' There would have been but one people throughout Europe. Europe would have become one nation. What was Napoleon's desire? To make Europe one nation. But what did the Bible predict? "They will not adhere to one another." Those seven words were stronger than Napoleon. Those seven words have withstood all the might of the greatest of earth's armies.

The Bible says that there would be only four world powers that would reign supreme in the world—Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome—and no more. Rome would be divided, never to be united again. When Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo, he said, "God Almighty has been too much for me."

Then there was Hitler. Hitler's Panzer divisions swept across Europe in World War II. He, too, attempted to unite Europe. Hitler, like Belshazzar, defied the God of Daniel. In March, 1941, Hitler boldly declared, "See my people? We do not need anything from God! We do not ask anything from Him except that He may let us alone. We want to fight our own war, with our own guns, without God. We want to gain our victory without the help of God." His tank divisions swept across Europe. The Allied forces had their backs to the wall at the English Channel. At that stage of the war, it appeared that in a few days, Hitler would conquer all of Europe. He had every military advantage. His generals carefully studied the weather patterns. They attacked at a time when the weather was pleasant, to enable the tanks to move swiftly against the Allied forces, and to keep the British from evacuating their trapped army from the shores of Dunkirk. Then one night a strange fog settled in. Winston Churchill, in an emergency broadcast, appealed to the British to assist in an evacuation. Power boats, family boats, yachts, barges, anything that floated was sent over under the cover of fog to rescue the trapped Allied troops. The Allied forces were rescued and regrouped and went back, finally to win the war. Hitler said, "We don't need anything from God. . . We want to fight our own war." But seven words of Bible prophecy, "They will not adhere to one another," forbade such a takeover.

Daniel 2:44 "And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. 45 Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold—the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure."

Here we have the next event in the prophetic timetable: "And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed."

In the days of what kings?

In the days of divided Europe. In the days of England, France, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Germany. . . "And the kingdom shall not be left to other people (a succeeding kingdom); it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms."

"Without hand," is a Biblical term that means "without human hands," that is, it is done by God rather than by man. So the rock cut out without hands represents God's kingdom established through Jesus Christ. All who have not become a part of this kingdom will be destroyed, but all who become a part of this kingdom shall live forever.

Matthew 21:42 " ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?’ 43 Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. 44 And whoever falls on this one will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."

We must either be broken by the Rock—broken of our sins and pride and selfishness—or we will be ground to powder and destroyed by the Rock.

Those who have been broken of their sins will become a part of the new, eternal kingdom of God. The Bible says that Jesus is coming back again to establish a kingdom in which there will be no threat of war, no fear, no turmoil, no conflict, no hunger, no starvation, no injustice, and no end.

We will find from night to night that the purpose of prophecy is to unfold, step by step, how men and women can become citizens of this eternal kingdom. There is another kingdom coming—one of justice and eternal prosperity. Just as all of the first part of the vision has been fulfilled to the very letter, so the remainder will be fulfilled, too. There is another kingdom coming. The book of Revelation describes this kingdom:

Revelation 22:3 "And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. 4 They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads."

Revelation 21:4 "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying; and there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."

I want to be a citizen of that kingdom, don't you?

Tonight this world is in trouble, deep trouble—there is overpopulation, overchemicalization, overnuclearization. Marriages, morality, and the economy are all in danger. Cocaine and other illicit drugs are taking over our young people. Sex, lust, and violence fill the air waves. Thinking people the world over are asking, "What is going to happen?" People are either mesmerized, tranquilized, or frightened—or they understand the prophecy. For there is a way out.

The problems in the world defy human solutions, but there is a divine solution. God is going to establish another world kingdom. Whether or not you will be a part, a citizen of this kingdom that Jesus is going to set up depends on your decision. In the third chapter of Revelation, Jesus tells of His heart yearning that you might be a part of His kingdom:

Revelation 3:20 "Behold, I stand at the door (of your heart) and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne."

Will you open the door of your heart to Him tonight? Will you accept Him as the Lord of your life?

The tragedy of the modern world is that many are making the same decision that the Jews made in the time of Christ. They said, "We will not have this man to reign over us." Luke 19:14.

If you are not willing to be under the mild and gentle rule of Christ, you will find yourself under the rule of antichrist.

Just before the God of heaven sets up His everlasting kingdom in this world as Daniel 2 predicts, the Antichrist is going to try to upstage that event by setting up a world-wide kingdom that most of the world will think is actually the kingdom of Christ being set up. Imagine thinking that you are worshipping Christ who has returned to this earth only to find out too late that you are worshipping the antichrist instead of the real Christ and have lost your soul by so doing.

Revelation teaches that the greatest deceptions of all time will occur just before the setting up of the kingdom of Christ that Daniel 2 predicts. We will have our first look at the kingdom of antichrist and the image to the beast tomorrow night.

Babylon (606-539 B.C.) Medo-Persian (539-331 B.C.) Greece (331-168 B.C.) Rome (168 B.C. - A.D. 476) Divided Europe (A.D. 476 - A.D. ?) ??

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Last Updated: 06/18/03