Things Past & Things To Come, Part 2

Hi friends. Springtime is here, with blooming trees, tulips, daffodils and wildflowers. Wyoming is beginning to warm up, and we’re enjoying long walks in the park these days.

  My last post was challenging to fully understand, for it covered a lot of ground! I hope this next section will be much easier.

Things Past & Things To Come

(Part 2)

By Sheri Schofield

Quick review: Daniel had several visions. His dreams contained symbols. Animals in his visions described different times and events. But all his dreams were simply expanding on the dream King Nebuchadnezzar had in Daniel 2. Nebuchadnezzar saw a great image with a gold head, silver chest and arms, brass torso and thighs, legs of iron, and feet of iron mixed with clay.

  The head of gold represented the Babylonian kingdom in which Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel   lived.

   The chest and arms of silver representing the next kingdom which would rule the then-known world—the Medo Persian empire.

   The torso and thighs of bronze represented the Greek Empire.

   The legs of iron represented the Roman Empire, which extended into feet of iron mixed with clay, which represented the future kingdoms coming after the Romans that would somehow include parts of the Roman Empire.

   Finally, a rock “torn out of a mountain” is hurled at the feet of the statue and destroys it completely. Afterward, the rock grows into a great mountain.

  Much of Daniel’s prophecy was fulfilled within 300 years. But there is a large part of the vision which has not yet happened—things we are beginning to see in our time.

Continuing Our Study of Daniel

   Daniel became fearful and anxious when God showed him the fourth beast in the visions. In Daniel 7:15-18 we read this:

   “I, Daniel, was troubled by all I had seen, and my visions terrified me,” Daniel 7:15 (New Living Translation).

   Daniel asked God for an explanation of the fourth beast, which was truly frightening. In Daniel 7:7 he described it: “Then in my vision that night, I saw a fourth beast—terrifying, dreadful, and very strong. It devoured and crushed its victims with huge iron teeth and trampled their remains beneath its feet. And it had ten horns.” We have not seen the time of the “ten horns” yet. This beast was different from any of the other beasts

How was it different? It was much more violent. It crushed all who opposed it. Rome did that. The Romans were ruthless. It was the Romans who introduced crucifixion, one of the most tortuous deaths on earth. But also, after the Roman Empire failed, its influence continued into our times. The other kingdoms ended after their empires were conquered. So the fourth beast, also represented by the iron legs and feet of clay and iron, is still influencing the earth.

Remnants of the Roman Empire Today

  Can you think of things which have lasted since the Roman Empire? Here are two:

1.The Roman Catholic Church. It was organized by the Emperor Constantine in 313 AD.

2.The Statue of Rome is the law governing the United Nations. Although it is not part of the ancient empire, it contains the idea of a continuing Roman Empire. The goal of the United Nations is to govern the entire planet, as Rome governed in ancient times.

 We are now living in the times of the feet of iron and clay from Daniel’s prophecy.

   Much of Daniel speaks of kings of different areas moving back and forth and forming alliances. These events did happen in the times following the fall of Babylon.

Things To Come – The Antichrist

   Daniel 11:21 speaks of a “despicable man who is not in line for royal succession” who will take over the kingdom and many lands. “His army will take over the Temple fortress, pollute the sanctuary, and put a stop to the daily sacrifices, and set up the sacrilegious object that causes desecration” Daniel 11:31.

   This was done by Antiochus IV who ruled Syria from 175 BC to 164 BC. He slaughtered a female pig, put it on the altar, and spread its blood throughout the second Temple in Jerusalem which had been rebuilt by Ezra and Nehemiah. Daniel said this despicable man would kill a covenant prince. Antiochus murdered the High Priest in Jerusalem in 172 BC.

   The book of Revelation tells us another desecration will happen again just before Jesus returns to earth. It will take place in the third Temple in Jerusalem, which does not yet exist, but which will be rebuilt after Israel’s battle of Ezekiel 38-39, when all their enemies are defeated. Antiochus Epiphanies is a type of antichrist—someone resembling—one who will someday come and desecrate the third Temple in Jerusalem.

   In Revelation 13, we read of one who will be known as the antichrist. How will we recognize him?

--He will be someone who has received a fatal wound on his head, but the fatal wound would be healed.

--The entire world will marvel at this and follow this one who is “like a beast.” (We do not know what that means yet.)

--He will speak terrible blasphemies against God. This means he will speak with contempt about God and be irreverent toward all things godly.

--He will make war against the Jews/Israelis and Christians

--He will gain authority over every tribe and people and language and nation with authority given to him by the devil, Satan. He will demand that the world worships him.

--He will rule for 3 ½ years.

The Second Beast

During that time, a second beast (probably a powerful person) will arise to support the first one (antichrist). What he will do:

1.He will do miraculous feats and have great magical powers given to him by the devil.

2.He will demand that everyone on earth receive the mark of the first beast on their foreheads or hands. Those who do not, will not be allowed to buy or sell or trade.

3.He will imprison and/or kill those who resist the antichrist.

What is the Mark of the Beast?

We are told in Revelation 13:18 that the mark of the beast will be the “number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is 666.”

   We do not know if this is symbolic or actual. But to be sure, it is best not to accept any number tattooed or branded on your hand or forehead by a powerful person who demands your allegiance.

Will Christians be on earth during this time? Yes. Revelation 14 instructs us not to receive the mark of the beast. Then the Apostle John wrote, “This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently, obeying his commands and maintaining their faith in Jesus.”

   Many Bible scholars believe the church will be taken out of the world before the antichrist comes, and we will not face this. They teach that the believers at that time will be those who come to know Jesus after all the Christians have been “raptured” into heaven. (Rapture means to be caught up, in this usage.)

   I have studied their reasoning, and I do not see that happening. Why?

   First, I do not think there will be non-Christian people won over to faith in Christ during the Great Tribulation, when the antichrist rules the earth, for they will believe and follow him. 2 Thessalonians 2 tells us that those who have chosen not to believe in and follow Jesus will be deceived by the antichrist. “For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie…” 2 Thessalonians 2:11 (New International Version).

   Second, right now—around the world—Christians are suffering and dying for their faith. There have been more Christian martyrs in oppressive countries in the past 100 years than there have been since the beginning of Christianity in the first century. What makes us think that if we live in a land of freedom, we will escape this danger, when our brothers and sisters in Christ are already dying?

   I think we will be here during this time. But each one must study for himself or herself and decided what they believe. Until it happens and we see for sure, all views remain theories. So it is wise to hold all our theories lightly, for the end may look differently than we think.

   In the meantime, we need to read and study our Bibles and learn to stand strong for Jesus wherever we are.

  Jesus loved us enough to die to pay the price for our sins at Calvary. He rose again to prove God the Father accepted his sacrifice, and that all who believe in Jesus will receive eternal life after this one ends. There is more proof that Jesus rose from the dead than there is proof that Julius Caesar even lived. Jesus’s death on the cross proves that he loves us more than we can imagine! Who could turn their back on love like that? Jesus himself said, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” John 15:13 (New International Version).

Things Past & Things To Come

Hi friends. We are now back from vacation, a much-needed time of rest. We were in the mountains of Panama in a little town called “Boquete,” where flowers bloom year-round and the people are friendly. Our occasional trips to Panama give my husband and me the opportunity of using our Spanish, although most of the shop keepers in town speak some English.

   Now that we’re home, I’m going to pick up where we left off in Daniel. It’s an intriguing section of the Bible! The following posts will cover the whole prophecy of Daniel and other related prophecies in the Bible, and focuses on the part we are facing now. I want to start with an introduction to what we’ll be studying so you will understand how prophecy works before going into details.

Things Past & Things To Come

(Part 1)

By Sheri Schofield

   The next section of Daniel’s prophesies about the world’s future are difficult to explain partly because his words connect the Book of Daniel to both Ezekiel 40 and the Book of Revelation. I will try to keep it orderly and as simple as possible as I explain.

   Some scholars who do not believe God gives prophecies to people – or who simply don’t believe in God – used to say Daniel did not write the book named after him. Why? Because a large portion of Daniel’s prophecies happened over the next 300 years and were totally accurate. Those scholars figured somebody wrote a history of those events after they happened then claimed they were prophetic visions from God to Daniel.

   However, when the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in the Qumran Caves in 1946 and the following ten years, the archaeologists found a copy of the Book of Daniel among the scrolls and verified it was indeed written by Daniel himself 300 years before those events happened. God had supernaturally given Daniel a vision of the future as he had claimed in his manuscript. Historical evidence proved him right.

How Prophecy Works

      When God gives a prophecy, sometimes he shows the prophet several scenes of things that will happen in the future. But the prophet does not know when these things will happen or whether they will happen all at the same time. It’s like looking at a mountain and thinking, “I can climb it in one day.” Then you start climbing. You come to a place where you thought the top was, only to discover a valley then another mountain peak ahead. This will happen a few times before you reach the top.

   It is that same way with the Old Testament prophecies of Ezekiel and Daniel, and I think it is very likely the same way in the Book of Revelation, though it’s hard to tell for sure. We won’t know for sure until it has all happened. We may know what lies ahead, but not when it will happen.

   In the Book of Daniel, the prophecies told not only what would happen within the next 300 years, but also some things that would happen at the end of time when the Messiah would return to earth. There are four kingdoms mentioned. We live in the times of the last kingdom, the fourth.

   Daniel himself was very troubled by these dreams, particularly about the fourth beast which represented the fourth kingdom. God told Daniel of persecutions of godly people which would come, but the persecution would refine and purify them “until the time of the end, for the appointed time is still to come” (Daniel 11:35, NLT). Again, in Daniel 12:4, God tells him, “But you, Daniel, keep this prophecy a secret; seal up the book until the time of the end, when many will rush here and there, and knowledge will increase.”

   God was telling Daniel that the meaning of these prophecies would not be understood until the end times of earth’s kingdoms. God described how people would gain great knowledge and travel quickly to many places.

   “The time of the end,” when people rush around and knowledge increases, did not begin until the Industrial Age in the eighteenth century in Great Britain. From that time onward, knowledge increased rapidly. People traveled the world more and more. It has been an incredible time of technological advancement not seen in the history of the world until then. And it has continued to advance faster and faster. For example, thirty years ago, it used to be that all medical knowledge from the beginning of time until then, doubled every two years.

   But we are now looking at AI development, which is like the speed of a rocket ship blasting off into space compared to the speed of cars, trains and airplanes. It’s getting close to a time of “straight up” doubling of knowledge, as opposed to every two years of doubling knowledge. We are now living in the time described in Daniel 12:4. And it has only been within the past few decades that people have begun to understand the prophecies of Daniel to some degree.

   History repeats itself over and over. People do the same things and do not learn from history. Prophecy from God also repeats itself almost identically sometimes. So a prophecy which was seemingly fulfilled, or mostly fulfilled, thousands of years ago may seem to happen again with a different set of people. This can be confusing!

   Therefore, we need to be careful about how we evaluate prophecies being fulfilled in our time. We can be hopeful that we are seeing the final fulfillment of the prophecies. In fact, we are seeing a huge number of them being fulfilled quickly, which leads us to think we may well be seeing the final fulfillment, and that Jesus is coming very, very soon.

   But at the same time, we need to focus on the work God wants us to do while we wait for his return. Don’t stop serving God’s kingdom! Keep focused on reaching those who don’t know Jesus! If the end is near, we need to tell as many people as possible about the only hope for mankind: Jesus.

   Most of the visions of Daniel were fulfilled the first time by about three hundred years after Daniel wrote the prophecies down. But the Book of Revelation ties another of Daniel’s prophesies into what John the Apostle prophesied about the end of time, when Christ will return. Daniel saw the fairly near future as well as the distant future in the same dreams.

   Some religious groups believe this prophecy of the fourth kingdom was completely fulfilled the first time it happened, and that was the end of it. They view it as historical and merely symbolic. But many Bible scholars do not agree, because it was not completely fulfilled 300 years later. It foretold the return of Christ to earth as King. Even when Jesus came to earth the first time, he didn’t come as King. That remains in the future, which God showed Daniel.

   John the Apostle’ Book of Revelation ties to the Book of Daniel in places. The Book of Revelation tells of the days that come before the return of Jesus to earth. Though some people teach that Revelation is only symbolic and historical, many believe there is more to those prophecies which has not happened and is still to come, just as parts of Daniel have yet come to fulfillment.

   The Book of Revelation was written many years after Jesus’s death and resurrection. Most Bible scholars think it was written around 73 to 75 AD, after the Romans under Titus destroyed the second Temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD.

   The Book of Daniel and the Book of Revelation both speak of a despicable man who will desecrate the Temple in Jerusalem. Daniel’s prophecy was fulfilled when Titus desecrated the second Temple, but according to John, the prophecy will be fulfilled again in the third Temple which Ezekiel 40 describes. Double fulfillment. (See Daniel 11:21 and Revelation 13:1-10)

   God showed John the same thing he showed Daniel about the end of human-ruled kingdoms and the return of Christ to earth. Daniel wrote that he saw “someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven” (Daniel 7:13). John saw a future scene of the return of Christ as pictured in Revelation 19:11-16. He wrote, “Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war…On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.” (New Living Translation) That king is Jesus.

   In Acts 1:9-11 the Bible tells us how Jesus left this earth after his resurrection. “After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!’” (NLT) Both Daniel and John confirm that Jesus will return from the sky and will destroy the kingdoms of man and establish a forever kingdom which Jesus himself will rule.

   This is an introduction to a closer study of Daniel and Revelation, with supporting passages of the Bible as we go into more detail. 

   I believe we are nearing the time when Jesus will return to earth to rule and reign forever. In my next blog post I will explain more about Daniel’s prophecies about the four kingdoms, focusing mainly on the fourth one, in which we now live.

Daniel's Dream in Chapter 7

Hi Friends,

   My husband and I have been on a much-needed vacation, but I have not forgotten you. I’ve had some time to think about Daniel’s dream in chapter 7. I hope I can present it simply and clearly! Bible scholars have many deep, confusing things to say about the visions of Daniel. But the main points remain the same throughout the Book of Daniel.

   As we look at the visions, please ask the Lord to give you wisdom and understanding, for I am simply one Bible teacher, and not everyone agrees on every point presented in these dreams. I will do my best to explain the main points.

Daniel’s Dream in Chapter 7

By Sheri Schofield

   Daniel’s visions all expand upon the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. It’s the dream about the great statue. Daniel 7 is no exception. Each dream builds upon the previous dreams. The basic premise is this: After the kingdom of Babylon, represented by the head of gold, three other powerful kingdoms will rise. We know what they were and are because they have already occurred. We are living in the last kingdom of the dream.

 Represented by chest and arms of silver, would be the Medo-Persian empire. Next, represented by a bronze belly and thighs, would be the Greek Empire. After the Greeks would be a kingdom represented by iron, which were the Romans. Finally, the last kingdom of earth would be represented by feet and toes of mixed iron and clay, a coalition of nations that had difficulties staying together.

  In Daniel 7, God shows Daniel four creatures: 1) a lion with eagles wings—2) a bear—3) a leopard with four wings and four heads—4) a frightening beast with iron teeth and bronze claws. These creatures represented Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and finally Rome, which would be strong and would crush all its opponents.

   The last beast would have 10 horns—ten kings. Most Bible scholars think this refers to the final kingdom s of earth, which will be made up of a coalition of the ancient nations ruled by Rome—the feet of clay in Nebuchadnezzar’s vision.

   A small horn would rise from among the ten horns. It would have eyes like a human and its mouth would boast arrogantly. It would push aside three other horns (kingdoms) to assert itself.

   Many Bible scholars think this small horn represents a man known as the antichrist, who will someday present himself as being God in the Temple in Jerusalem and demand that all people worship him.(See 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12) The antichrist will persecute, imprison and kill those who will not worship him. This beast would be killed and his body burned. 2 Thessalonians 2: :8 tells us the antichrist—also called the man of lawlessness—will be destroyed by Jesus himself. In Daniel, we are told the other three kingdoms would be allowed to exist a little longer. I am not sure how this fits into end-time prophecy, so I will not even try to guess.

   At that time, when the antichrist is destroyed, “someone like the son of man” would come with the clouds of heaven. This is a reference to the return of Jesus Christ to earth.

   1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 talks about the return of Jesus to earth. In the days of the apostles, people were expecting Jesus to return during their lifetimes. They were worried about those Christians who had died. Paul wrote these words to them:

   “…We want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.

   “We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words.” (New Living Translation)

   What happens to Christians—those who believe in and follow Jesus—when they die? Do their spirits stay in the ground until they are resurrected at Christ’s return?

   Paul speaks of that, too. In 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 he wrote: “So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies, we are not at home with the Lord. For we live by believing and not by seeing. Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.” (NLT)

   Revelation speaks of those who are/will be martyred for the sake of the word of God and their testimony of Jesus. Their souls cry out to God from beneath heaven’s altar. (See Revelation 6:9-10)

   Those who believe in Jesus, and those who believed in Jehovah in the Old Testament, go to be with God in heaven when they die.  Their souls leave their bodies. When Jesus returns to earth, he resurrects them with new bodies, not perishable ones.

   For the believer in Christ, there is no fear in death. We are his. He loves us. When we die, he calls us to go to him, and we enjoy the beauty and excitement of God’s presence in heaven while we await those who will join us later.

Daniel's Prophecies, Part 1

Hi Friends! I hope you all are well. We’ve experienced some very cold weather here in Wyoming. Sub-zero temperatures outside and some snow. It’s a little warmer now, but we’ll probably light up the fireplace this evening and enjoy the scent of burning wood and the bright, cheerful flames. Spiced tea and pumpkin custards with whipped cream sound good, too. Wherever you are, I hope you will enjoy today’s look at the prophecies of Daniel.

Blessings to you!

Sheri

Daniel’s Prophecies Part 1

By Sheri Schofield

   Timelines are helpful to understanding the Bible’s authors. Ezekiel and Daniel were both taken to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar, probably in 597 BC, the first time Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem. Other Hebrew captives were Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah (Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego).

   Nebuchadnezzar returned to Jerusalem ten years later and completely destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the temple. He took approximately 10,000 Hebrews (Jews & Levites) back to Babylon. Among those captives would have been forefathers of Esther, Nehemiah, and Ezra. Ezekiel was among the captives taken. So Ezekiel’s visions came well before Daniel’s time. There are similarities between the prophecies.

   Ezekiel was given his visions as he stood beside the Kebar river in Babylon. The Kebar is a tributary of the Euphrates River. Daniel received his vision in Daniel 10 as he stood beside the Tigris River in Babylon.

   Many times, when God speaks to us, we are in quiet places where we can be alone with him. It is easier to receive God’s messages when we are alone in a quiet place. I’m sure Ezekiel and Daniel both looked for precious moments alone with God, to commune with his Spirit.

   Daniel was one of four young men who kept their faith in God during their captivity. Because of their faith, they were given wisdom. But Daniel was also given a gift of prophecy and interpreting dreams.

   In Daniel 2, we read about the first time Daniel interpreted a dream for the king. One night, King Nebuchadnezzar had such disturbing dreams that he could not sleep. He called for the wise men of Babylon to see if they could help him. But he was no fool. He knew the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers might just make things up. And Nebuchadnezzar was in no mood to be told soothing lies. He said, “I’ve had a disturbing dream, and I want you to tell me what it was, then interpret it.”

   The wise men were alarmed. “Tell us your dream, then we’ll interpret it!”

   “The king replies, ‘I know what you are doing! You’re stalling for time because you know I am serious about when I say, “If you don’t tell me the dream, you are doomed.” So you have conspired to tell me lies, hoping I will change my mind. But tell me the dream, and then I’ll know that you can tell me what it means” Daniel 2:8,9 (NLT).

   The wise men could not do it. They said it was impossible, that no one but the gods could tell him the dream, and the gods did not live in Babylon. So the king ordered all the wise men in Babylon to be executed.

   But when the commander of Nebuchadnezzar’s guard came to kill them, Daniel, who had not been in the group before the king, asked why they were to be killed. When the commander told him, Daniel asked to be taken to Nebuchadnezzar. He asked for more time and it was granted. That night, God revealed the dream and its interpretation to Daniel, and the wise men were all spared.

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream & Interpretation

  The king saw a huge statue of a man standing. The head of the statue was pure gold. The chest and arms were silver. It’s stomach and thighs were bronze. Its legs were iron. Its feet and toes were a combination of iron and baked clay.

   Then a rock not made by human hands was cut out of a mountain and was hurled to earth. It smashed the feet of the statue. The entire statue was crushed into small pieces and dust, and the winds blew the entire statue away like it was grass. The rock grew into a mighty mountain and covered the whole earth. (See Daniel 2:31-35)

   Daniel told the king that the gold head represented Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom, and the one true God of heaven had given him great power, strength and honor, making him ruler over all people on earth, and gave him power over even the animals and birds.

   After Nebuchadnezzar’s rule, however, another kingdom would arise. It would be inferior to Babylon, but it would rule the world. It was the silver portion of the statue. Then would come a third kingdom to rule the world, this one represented by bronze. After that, a fourth kingdom would arise represented by iron. It would crush all previous kingdoms. Finally, a kingdom would arise represented by iron and baked clay. It would be divided but would have some of the strength of iron as well as areas of weakness, like baked clay. This kingdom would try to become strong through their alliances, but the alliances wouldn’t hold together.

  Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar (in 2:44-45), “’During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set  up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or conquered. It will crush all these kingdoms into nothingness, and it will stand forever. This is the meaning of the rock cut out from the mountain, though not by human hands, that crushed to pieces the statue of iron, bronze, clay, silver and gold. The great God was showing the king what will happen in the future. The dream is true, and its meaning is certain.’”

   We now know what three of those kingdoms are. First, the Babylonian kingdom ruled the world. That is clear from the passage. Bible scholars are not fully in agreement about the kingdoms which followed, but this seems to be the general consensus:

   The kingdom of silver: Medeo-Persian Empire

   The kingdom of bronze: Greek.

   The kingdom of iron: Rome.

   The kingdom of mixed iron & clay with 10 toes: An alliance of 10 nations (kings) which were once parts of the Roman empire (Italy). There is some division of thought about the fourth kingdom.  

  This is the general interpretation of that vision. Many Bible scholars think we are living in that iron and clay portion of the vision now, and the alliance is European, which was once part of the Roman empire, and Italy is in this alliance. But it could be the United Nations—all the kingdoms of this world. One reason is because the UN is governed by the Roman Statute—the rule of Rome. Some think the old Roman empire, represented by iron, will be the leading ruler of the kingdom. However, I believe ALL the kingdoms of the world will be conquered by the coming King—Jesus, not merely Europe. Only time will tell the composition of this final kingdom.

   The number 10 represents “complete” in the Bible. It could be that the 10 kingdoms represent the complete world—all the nations together would be a complete kingdom represented by the number 10. Most Bible scholars think the 10 is literal, and for a while, there were 10 nations in the European Economic Union that had all the Bible scholars excited. But now there are 27 nations. It is possible/probable that this final kingdom has not yet come into existence.

   We do not know for sure if our current world represents the feet of iron mixed with clay. Most Bible scholars think we are living in the times of that final kingdom. I do not think the characteristics of the final ruling kingdom are visible yet, for later in Daniel (chapter 7) the vision speaks of a kingdom that devours and crushes its victims and tramples their remains beneath its feet. (Daniel 7:7—But we aren’t there yet in our study.)

   The last kingdom before the return of Jesus will probably have the characteristics of the ancient Roman empire. Whether it will be a revival of the territory of that ancient empire, or whether it will be around the globe, I cannot say. We will recognize it when it comes, though.

   The rock torn out of the mountain represents Jesus. Someday he will return to earth, conquer all the kingdoms, and reign as King of kings and Lord of lords forever. We find the prophecies of his return in the Book of Revelation, which I will cover later.

Daniel’s Angel Encounters

   Daniel 7-8 go into more detail about the fourth kingdom. I promised you a glimpse of what God’s angels look like. In Daneil 8:15-18 we read this:

   “As I, Daniel, was trying to understand the meaning of this vision, someone who looked like a man stood in front of me. And I heard a human voice calling out from the Ulai River, ‘Gabriel, tell this man the meaning of his vision.’ As Gabriel approached the place where I was standing, I became so terrified that I fell with my face to the ground. ‘Son of man,’ he said, ‘you must understand that the events you have seen in your vision relate to the time of the end.’ While he was speaking, I fainted and lay there with my face to the ground. But Gabriel roused me with a touch and helped me to my feet.”

   The angel Gabriel, who also spoke to Mary to announce she would conceive the Christ, looks like a man. But his presence is so overpowering that Daniel was terrified and fell to the ground.

   Our next description of an angel is In Daniel 10. There we read about another messenger (angel) from God. Daniel writes that he saw this vision on April 23. Scholars have researched the date, and it was April 23, 536 BC. Daniel describes the angel messenger in Daniel 10:4-6.

   “On April 23, as I was standing on the bank of the great Tigris River, I looked up and saw a man dressed in linen clothing, with a belt of pure gold around his waist. His body looked like a precious gem. His face flushed like lightning, and his eyes flamed like torches.”

   Though Daniel’s companions saw nothing, they were suddenly terrified and ran away, while Daniel himself was drained of strength and his face went pale.

   This may not have been Gabriel, or the angel may have been Gabriel with the glory of heaven still around him. Or this may have been the angel of the Lord, who is seen throughout the Bible, and whom many believe is Jesus before he became man. There is nothing in the passage to tell us who the angel was.

The Fourth Kingdom

   Daniel’s interest was in the fourth kingdom described in the dream. This kingdom was different from the other three kingdoms. From what I have gathered, this kingdom is so different that it is probably from a much later time. It would have to be, because it precedes the return of Jesus as King. Also, the crushing power seems to be far greater than the Romans displayed when they conquered the world. Rome, though violent, brought law and order to the world- the law of Rome. We have that law now ruling the United Nations – it’s called the Statute of Rome.    

   We do not know if this fourth kingdom rules the entire world, though the passage declares that it does. But previous prophecies describe Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and ancient Rome as ruling the entire earth, yet we know even Rome did not cover the entire globe. Its rule reached into Great Britain and the northern countries of Europe, and as far south as Egypt, but it did not rule over the entire planet. So the fourth kingdom may rule only over the European nations to begin with. We do not know how large it will become.

   Most of the Bible’s prophecies are about the nations surrounding Israel and how they impact Israel. I keep this in mind when reading the Bible’s prophecies about end times.

   As far as I can tell, the prophecies of Daniel about the fourth kingdom begin where Ezekiel’s prophecies end: after the rebuilding of the (third) Temple in Jerusalem.

      Most of the conditions are here for this mysterious fourth kingdom to emerge. But the fourth kingdom cannot emerge until the Temple is rebuilt in Jerusalem. We may see it in our time. I will cover it in my next blog post.