We will now continue our look at the vision given to Daniel in Daniel chapter 7. In this vision you are seeing not only the near future but all the way to the end of the history of mankind and judgment day. Daniel sees "the Ancient Of Days" seated on His throne as in judgment. All other thrones and kingdoms have been defeated and the Ancient of Days sits on His supreme throne as King of kings. His glory gives Him the appearance of having hair white as wool meaning He has an aura all around Him that is so bright that everything about Him is illuminated as pure white and glowing. This is the same image that John saw in Revelation 1:12-17 when he saw Jesus the Christ in all his glory.
In verse 11 Daniel sees what John saw in Revelation 19:17-21, that being, the Anti-christ, who speaks with "pompous words," being destroyed and cast into the lake of fire. With the world leader, the Anti-christ, slain and the remaining world leaders, "the beast," have all their power taken from them, yet their "lives were prolonged." They remain to be used to continue the deceit of Satan on earth since he is bound for a 1000 years (Rev. 20:1-3). This begins the thousand year reign of Jesus on earth, which Daniel sees in verses 13 and 14. This part of his vision corresponds with the dream of Nebuchadnezzar where he saw the same thing. "And in the days of the kings, (the toes and the horns),the God of heaven will set up a Kingdom which shall never be destroyed;" (Daniel 2:44). This is the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth after the five kingdoms of the world, which are the four beasts of Daniel 7, or to say the gold, silver, bronze and iron of Nebuchadnezzar's statue, including the 10 toes, are all crushed by the "stone" (Daniel 2:45).
Needless to say this vision left Daniel somewhat perplexed and troubled. He was seeing things that were to take place over two millennium in the future. Though not able to fully comprehend its meaning, Daniel was faithful to record this vision for future generations, especially the last generation which would receive the knowledge to understand this vision. Daniel sees that the final outcome of the history of mankind is for the Saints of God to inherit a Kingdom that is to be forever, eternal. Before the rapture, or the gathering of the Saints, and the return of Christ to set up his millennial reign, the Anti-christ will make war with the saints (vs. 21). Just who are these "Saints" spoken of here? The Aramaic word that is used here is gaddiysh(kad-deesh) meaning holy one, saint. The Hebrew derivative is gadash (kaw-dash) meaning to be clean, consecrated and dedicated to holiness, sanctifying oneself wholly. The Anti-christ will not be wasting his time and efforts on the lukewarm, compromising, religious "Christian." He will be waging war with the blood-bought, holy, dead-to-themselves Saints of God! Even the religiously correct will believe themselves to be doing the will of God when they speak out against the true saints; when they betray them and turn them in to the government officials; when they persecute them; etc. In these last days those calling themselves "Christians" will be the very ones that Satan will deceive into persecuting the true saints.
The reason why the true saint has been labeled a hate-monger, a Bible-thumping fanatic, a bigot, as well as other choice words of hate is because they believe in the absolute truths found in God's word. The world, including a vast majority of so-called "Christian" churches, do not want to be held accountable to a Bible that states absolute wrongs and rights. The true saint not only believes in the demands of the absolutes of God's word, they proclaim them to the world and most of all they live them. I believe that this is the number one reason why laws have been passed to silence the church. Her prayers are no longer allowed in the public arena nor is her Bible. The only religion not tolerated in the United States is true Christianity. This is proof that Christianity is of God otherwise it would be tolerated just as any other religion is tolerated. The Saints are a constant reminder of God's demand for holiness with no tolerance for compromise so they must be silenced by legislative action, open ridicule and persecution if necessary.
The church is going to experience persecution and atrocities at an ever-increasing rate until midway through the tribulation at which time all out war will then be declared against the Saints. The Jews will escape to Petra for the remaining three and half years of the Great Tribulation while the Saints will be fulfilling the great commission and doing great exploits. (Daniel 11;32).
We shall understand all this better when we return to our study of the Book of Revelation but before we can understand Revelation we must thoroughly comprehend the book of Daniel. Before going on in the study of the end times we should consider, that if Daniel was correct about the four kingdoms through his interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream, as well as his own visions, then the rest of his writings must also be true and are soon to come the past.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
END TIME STUDY--PT. 13
I want us now to return to our study of the book of Daniel. The next event pertaining to our study is found in Daniel chapter seven were Daniel is given a vision of four beasts. Approximately fifty some years have been passed since Daniel had interpreted Nebuchadnezzar's dream and now he is is around 65 years old as God reveals more end time events to him. This dream given to Daniel further clarifies the dream of Nebuchadnezzar that Daniel had interpreted in chapter two.
Daniel sees four great beasts which are to be interpreted the same as the four parts of the statue that Nebuchadnezzar had seen, that being the head of gold, the breast of silver, the belly of bronze and the legs of iron with their feet made of iron and clay representing four kingdoms or empires. Daniel sees these four beast coming forth from the sea. This isn't to be taken literally as a sea of water, but figuratively as in "the sea of humanity." Verse seventeen states that these four great beasts, or four Kings, will rise "out of the earth," again this being figuratively used to express the fact that these four beasts will arise from humanity. They will be kingdoms or empires made up of humans with a king or ruler over them.
The first beast appears as a lion with the wings of eagles. When we think of a lion we picture a large male lion with a great mane. He is viewed as the king of beasts with great courage. Yet this great lion has wings like an eagle and, like viewing an eagle, we picture the wings outstretched as the eagle soars high above the earth. As we mix together our views of a lion and eagle we see the king of beasts soaring high above the earth with all his domain below him. He is ruler supreme. In this dream the lion represents Nebuchadnezzar, the head of gold, who was declared to be, "king of kings," by Daniel (2:37). He was supreme ruler of his empire, thus represented by a lion, Joel 1:6,7 refers to this lion. Also, the lion with wings was the national symbol of Babylon.
Daniel watches as the wings of this lion are plucked off. In chapter four Daniel tells of how Nebuchadnezzar's pride caused God to bring him down. He literally lost his mind and grazed with the oxen for seven years eating grass. But then God "lifted him up from the earth" by restoring his sanity and giving him the heart of a man whereby he would "stand on two feet like a man" which caused him to have a new appreciation for the power of God.
The next beast and Daniel sees is that of a bear (v.5). The bear is comparable to the silver breast and arms of Nebuchadnezzar's statue. As silver is of lesser value than gold so the bear is not as regal as a lion and an eagle. Therefore it represents a lesser kingdom than that which is conquered. However, its size is greater, as a bear is larger than a lion, and it will rise up and conquer the Chaldean Empire (Babylon). This bear represents the Medo-Persian Empire, the Medes being more prominent than the Persians, thus the lopsided bear, up on one side. This bear is seen as having "three ribs in its mouth between its teeth." These three ribs represent the three greatest conquests of the Medo-Persian Empire. Lydia in 546 BC; Babylon in 539 BC and Egypt in 525 BC.
The third beast seen by Daniel is that of a leopard (v.6). This symbolizes a lone king, for the leopard hunts alone. It moves swiftly symbolized by the "four wings." This beast represents Alexander the Great, the Grecian Empire which is the belly and thighs of Nebuchadnezzar's statue. This beast will move swiftly in attacking and conquering its enemies. It's four heads indicates that four rulers will come from this kingdom.
Then Daniel sees a fourth beast who is more terrifying than all the others put together (v.7). This beast has "iron teeth" which coincide with the iron legs of Nebuchadnezzar's statue symbolizing the fourth kingdom which would be the Roman Empire. This Empire would control all of central Italy by 338 BC then in 63 BC Pompey would conquer the holy land. In 70 A.D. the Roman general Vespasian ordered his son Titus to destroy Jerusalem. By 284 A.D. the Roman empire would be divided East and West. The last Roman Emperor, Romulus Augustus, would be dethroned in 476 A.D. The Roman empire was the last great power on the earth seen by Daniel and out of it would come "ten horns," or ten nations which would form the ten regions of the modern world. These ten nations would be ruled by ten kings or rulers with some likened it to iron and others likened to clay (ten toes of Nebuchadnezzar's statue), some strong while others would be seen as weak leaders.
I believe that all of this vision has been completed up to this point. The Babylonian Empire, the lion; the Medo-Persian Empire, the bear; the Grecian Empire, the Leopard; as well as the Roman Empire, with iron teeth, have all come and gone. The ten horns or nations are currently in place. Many have believed that these ten horns represent ten nations of the revived Roman Empire from which the Anti-christ, the "little horn," shall arise, but may I give you another interpretation of this portion of Scripture to challenge your thinking?
It was Daniel himself who said that knowledge would increase in the end (12:4). The body of Christ is now receiving revelation knowledge into the word of God and the times and seasons of the end as never before. We've come to understand the role that the Illuminati, Freemasonry, the Federal Reserve and other elitist groups are playing in setting the stage for the reign of Anti-christ. I believe that the "ten horns" and "ten toes of iron and clay" are referencing ten powerfully rich people. These are the ones who are the powers behind our world governments, especially the United States, and the only allegiance they have is to themselves and their quest for world domination. We all know that money is power and these ten will be the wealthiest of all.
When the Scriptures speak of empires and nations (beasts), they were for specific periods in what is now history. But when Jesus spoke of nations rising against nations and kingdoms against kingdoms (Matthew 24:7), He wasn't speaking of countries but ethnic and religious groups. The Greek for nation is "ethnos" meaning a people. Paul uses the word to describe a whole race of mankind (Acts 17:26) Jesus meant that ethnic and religious groups would rise up against one another. I will cover this more in depth when we look at Matthew chapter twenty-four later in this study.
I believe these ten powerful people, the ten horns and toes, will select a leader to rule their New World Order. He is to be their puppet and they are to pull all the strings necessary to gain world domination. Only one problem, this leader will be none other than the Anti-christ. He is the little horn of Daniel 7:8. As he becomes the savior of the world economy and brings peace by the use of "pompous words," he will eliminate, or have eliminated, three of the horns or world leaders of this elite group. These are toes of clay, weak and easily overpowered. Once he comes to full power he will no longer need anyone in order to rule the world government.
May I interject here that I personally believe that the Anti-christ is alive and well right now. Study the Scriptures and prepare yourself for the greatest hour of the church.
Daniel sees four great beasts which are to be interpreted the same as the four parts of the statue that Nebuchadnezzar had seen, that being the head of gold, the breast of silver, the belly of bronze and the legs of iron with their feet made of iron and clay representing four kingdoms or empires. Daniel sees these four beast coming forth from the sea. This isn't to be taken literally as a sea of water, but figuratively as in "the sea of humanity." Verse seventeen states that these four great beasts, or four Kings, will rise "out of the earth," again this being figuratively used to express the fact that these four beasts will arise from humanity. They will be kingdoms or empires made up of humans with a king or ruler over them.
The first beast appears as a lion with the wings of eagles. When we think of a lion we picture a large male lion with a great mane. He is viewed as the king of beasts with great courage. Yet this great lion has wings like an eagle and, like viewing an eagle, we picture the wings outstretched as the eagle soars high above the earth. As we mix together our views of a lion and eagle we see the king of beasts soaring high above the earth with all his domain below him. He is ruler supreme. In this dream the lion represents Nebuchadnezzar, the head of gold, who was declared to be, "king of kings," by Daniel (2:37). He was supreme ruler of his empire, thus represented by a lion, Joel 1:6,7 refers to this lion. Also, the lion with wings was the national symbol of Babylon.
Daniel watches as the wings of this lion are plucked off. In chapter four Daniel tells of how Nebuchadnezzar's pride caused God to bring him down. He literally lost his mind and grazed with the oxen for seven years eating grass. But then God "lifted him up from the earth" by restoring his sanity and giving him the heart of a man whereby he would "stand on two feet like a man" which caused him to have a new appreciation for the power of God.
The next beast and Daniel sees is that of a bear (v.5). The bear is comparable to the silver breast and arms of Nebuchadnezzar's statue. As silver is of lesser value than gold so the bear is not as regal as a lion and an eagle. Therefore it represents a lesser kingdom than that which is conquered. However, its size is greater, as a bear is larger than a lion, and it will rise up and conquer the Chaldean Empire (Babylon). This bear represents the Medo-Persian Empire, the Medes being more prominent than the Persians, thus the lopsided bear, up on one side. This bear is seen as having "three ribs in its mouth between its teeth." These three ribs represent the three greatest conquests of the Medo-Persian Empire. Lydia in 546 BC; Babylon in 539 BC and Egypt in 525 BC.
The third beast seen by Daniel is that of a leopard (v.6). This symbolizes a lone king, for the leopard hunts alone. It moves swiftly symbolized by the "four wings." This beast represents Alexander the Great, the Grecian Empire which is the belly and thighs of Nebuchadnezzar's statue. This beast will move swiftly in attacking and conquering its enemies. It's four heads indicates that four rulers will come from this kingdom.
Then Daniel sees a fourth beast who is more terrifying than all the others put together (v.7). This beast has "iron teeth" which coincide with the iron legs of Nebuchadnezzar's statue symbolizing the fourth kingdom which would be the Roman Empire. This Empire would control all of central Italy by 338 BC then in 63 BC Pompey would conquer the holy land. In 70 A.D. the Roman general Vespasian ordered his son Titus to destroy Jerusalem. By 284 A.D. the Roman empire would be divided East and West. The last Roman Emperor, Romulus Augustus, would be dethroned in 476 A.D. The Roman empire was the last great power on the earth seen by Daniel and out of it would come "ten horns," or ten nations which would form the ten regions of the modern world. These ten nations would be ruled by ten kings or rulers with some likened it to iron and others likened to clay (ten toes of Nebuchadnezzar's statue), some strong while others would be seen as weak leaders.
I believe that all of this vision has been completed up to this point. The Babylonian Empire, the lion; the Medo-Persian Empire, the bear; the Grecian Empire, the Leopard; as well as the Roman Empire, with iron teeth, have all come and gone. The ten horns or nations are currently in place. Many have believed that these ten horns represent ten nations of the revived Roman Empire from which the Anti-christ, the "little horn," shall arise, but may I give you another interpretation of this portion of Scripture to challenge your thinking?
It was Daniel himself who said that knowledge would increase in the end (12:4). The body of Christ is now receiving revelation knowledge into the word of God and the times and seasons of the end as never before. We've come to understand the role that the Illuminati, Freemasonry, the Federal Reserve and other elitist groups are playing in setting the stage for the reign of Anti-christ. I believe that the "ten horns" and "ten toes of iron and clay" are referencing ten powerfully rich people. These are the ones who are the powers behind our world governments, especially the United States, and the only allegiance they have is to themselves and their quest for world domination. We all know that money is power and these ten will be the wealthiest of all.
When the Scriptures speak of empires and nations (beasts), they were for specific periods in what is now history. But when Jesus spoke of nations rising against nations and kingdoms against kingdoms (Matthew 24:7), He wasn't speaking of countries but ethnic and religious groups. The Greek for nation is "ethnos" meaning a people. Paul uses the word to describe a whole race of mankind (Acts 17:26) Jesus meant that ethnic and religious groups would rise up against one another. I will cover this more in depth when we look at Matthew chapter twenty-four later in this study.
I believe these ten powerful people, the ten horns and toes, will select a leader to rule their New World Order. He is to be their puppet and they are to pull all the strings necessary to gain world domination. Only one problem, this leader will be none other than the Anti-christ. He is the little horn of Daniel 7:8. As he becomes the savior of the world economy and brings peace by the use of "pompous words," he will eliminate, or have eliminated, three of the horns or world leaders of this elite group. These are toes of clay, weak and easily overpowered. Once he comes to full power he will no longer need anyone in order to rule the world government.
May I interject here that I personally believe that the Anti-christ is alive and well right now. Study the Scriptures and prepare yourself for the greatest hour of the church.
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