Teachinghearts	King Nebuchadnezzar's Statue (Daniel 2) "Explore the Word. Change the World"	Lesson 2: Time: 40 minutes Print: 8 pages

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Daniel 2

The Dream
"You, O king, were looking and then, there was a single great statue; that statue, which was large and of extraordinary splendor, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was awesome.
Statue. "The head of that statue was made of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.
Stone. "You continued looking until a stone was cut out without hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and crushed them. "Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were crushed all at the same time and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them was found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. (Daniel 2: 31-35)

The Symbols
The symbol used in this prophecy was an idol that was made of precious metals. The value of the metal decreased as you went from head to toe, but the strength increased.

Metals. As time progressed the metals became less valuable but stronger. Each successive kingdom would become more brutal and would be an even greater enemy of God.

The Great World Empires. People often ask why certain great empires were not included in prophecy. It is important to note that the prophecy was concerned with the empires that conquered or ruled over Israel (His chosen people). This fact becomes important in understanding that the prophecies were not concerned with the size or strength or wealth of an empire. It was concerned with the status of God's people and who was in charge of the covenant, because that is where the spiritual battles would occur. Therefore, the prophecy does not mention other great empires because they did not rule over Israel.
For this same reason, after Christ, after the Jews rejected Christ and the covenant was made with the Gentiles, only the divided Roman empire that controlled the Christians are mentioned, not the empires that controlled Israel.

The Prophetic Game. It is like a game of tag or football where team Satan chases the runner who has the ball (the covenant). Prophecy is simply the announcer who broadcasts the plays and the scores and the schedule. There may be other great players in the audience but they have not formed a team that is willing to play the game.

The Birth of Empires. Also, in a study of history, it appears that many of the great civilizations that people thought would have appeared in prophecy emerged after the great empires of this prophecy and during the reign of Rome when the prophecy says that the kingdoms will be divided. The few civilizations that began to emerge during the Greek period, were local, unorganized and tribal. China was mostly organized after 221 BC, the native American Hopewell culture emerged after Christ (100-400AD) and the Olmecs before (1200-400BC), the Vikings and most of Europe and Russia were Barbarians. The Aztecs emerged from 100-650 AD. The height of the Mayan civilization was 250-900AD and they first met Christians in 1519. None of these controlled the Jews or the Christians and most emerged after Christ.
The Ottomans (1300-1922) ruled the Jews after they lost preeminence to the Christians as the people of the covenant.

Abraham		Isaiah	Jeremiah	Daniel and Ezekiel											John
Israel (12 Tribes)			Jews (2 Tribes)						Christians
Egypt		Assyria	Babylon	Persia	Greek		Roman		Roman		Papacy			Europe		USA
Yin Dynasty	Olmec	Zhou Dynasty				Tsin Dynasty			Aztec	Mayan		Vikings	Ottoman		Russia

The Prophets of the Captivity. Abraham prophesied about captivity in Egypt and Isaiah about the Assyrian captivity. Jeremiah prophesied about Babylon. Daniel and Ezekiel prophesied about Babylon until the end of time. John prophesied about the period after Christ until Babylon the Great.

The Pagan View of Time. The dream was given to Nebuchadnezzar. God used symbols that were familiar to him. The Pagan view of time was a cyclic event that was characterized by a succession of metals from gold to iron. As the ages passed, morality, wisdom and life span decreased until God comes in the dark ages and removes the iron kingdom and starts a new golden age. Nebuchadnezzar must have been happy to learn that he was the king of the golden age.
The Stone. However, God had one change in this view of time. The golden age does not start again in an endless cycle of good and evil. A whole new era is started with an indestructible mountain of rock as the foundation.
The Statue. The physical structure of each subsequent nation would be represented by the number of body parts which are attached at the phases where they conquer or are defeated.

The Interpretation
Head of Gold - Babylon (609-539 B.C.)
"This was the dream; now we will tell its interpretation before the king. "You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength and the glory; and wherever the sons of men dwell, or the beasts of the field, or the birds of the sky, He has given them into your hand and has caused you to rule over them all. You are the head of gold. (Daniel 2: 36-38)
Babylon, under the leadership of king Nebuchadnezzar captured Israel and first took the upper class into slavery. It was during this first phase that the prophet Daniel was captured. Twelve years later, the rest of Israel were taken to Babylon after they rebelled against foreign occupation. Their king was removed and their sanctuary destroyed.
One Head and One Neck. The head represents the single strong nation who would rule and it would not be broken up when it was defeated.
» Seven Cervical Vertebra. Seven kings from the eleventh dynasty placed it or kept it in power before it fell to Persia (609-539). (Nebopolassar, Nebuchadnezzar, Evil-Merodach, Neriglissar, Labashi Marduk, Nabonidus and Belshazzar)

Chest and Arms of Silver - Medo-Persia (539-331 B.C.)
"After you there will arise another kingdom inferior to you, then another third kingdom of bronze, which will rule over all the earth. (Daniel 2: 39)
The Medes and Persians next conquered Babylon and Cyrus allowed the Jews to go home. He made arrangements to have the temple rebuilt. But the nation was still ruled by foreigners.
Two Arms and One Chest. The two arms are the two empires of the Medes and Persians who succeeded the neck of Babylon. Cyrus II, the Great and Darius the Mede are the two arms at the beginning. They progress to the chest which represents the fact that the Persian empire took sole control because they were more powerful than the Medes.
» Heart. The heart in the chest is Cyrus whom God called to show great kindness to Israel.
» Twelve Ribs and Thoracic Vertebra. The twelve Persian rulers after Persia took full control and before it fell to Greece (Cambyses II to Darius III).

Belly and Thighs (Hips) of Brass - Greece (331-168 B.C.)
The Greeks under the leadership of Alexander the Great were the third conquerors.

Making a Vow The region of the body near the loins and hips seem to be associated with a vow. It's basis may be in the crippling thigh injury that Jacob received when His name was changed to Israel or even in Eden. » Dislocated Hip. Israel (Jacob). » Right Thigh or Hip. Used to make a vow. » Penis. The sign of joining the covenant was cutting the foreskin. Because the seeds of life are located in this region, a vow may extend to future generations. That may be why we inherited the curse of Adam and Eve.

One Belly and Two Hips. The belly represents the first phase after they defeated the Persians, when there was one leader. It eventually was divided into four and then two sections at the end. These two divisions were called the King of the North and the King of the South in prophecy. These final two divisions are represented by the two hips. These two were conquered by the next empire.
» Navel. At the junction of the chest and stomach is the navel, the remnant of the umbilical cord. It has no purpose after the birth and is cut off. Alexander was the navel, who was cut off in his youth. He provided the life and growth of his empire and died at its pinnacle, or its birth.
» Belly. The seat of emotions (liver and kidney). This is the anguish of the temple desecration by Antiochus Epiphanes.
» Five Lumbar Vertebra and Five Fused Sacral Vertebra. Alexander and his four generals whose kingdoms merged.

Legs of Iron - Rome (168 B.C. - 476 A.D.)
"Then there will be a fourth kingdom as strong as iron; just as iron crushes and shatters all things, so, like iron that breaks in pieces, it will crush and break all these in pieces. (Daniel 2: 40)
Note: The first three kingdoms existed in Daniel's day, but Rome did not. So Daniel did not identify it directly by name. Rome was known as the "Iron Monarchy". The Latin word "Rome" means strength, and iron is the strongest of the metals.
Two Legs. Prophetically, Rome was always a nation of two divisions. The two legs of iron represent the northern and southern divisions of Rome as it conquered each Greek division. Geographically, it later became the Western and Eastern (Byzantine) empire as it declined. Religiously, it had two phases, these are Pagan Rome and Papal Rome.
» Loins. Seed of life. The Christ came at the beginning of the Roman rule over Israel to be circumcized.
» Thigh. A hand under the right thigh is used to make a vow. God kept His vows by sending Christ, His right hand.

Feet of Iron and Clay - Europe (476 to the end)
"In that you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it will be a divided kingdom; but it will have in it the toughness of iron, just as you saw the iron mixed with common clay. "As the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of pottery, so some of the kingdom will be strong and part of it will be brittle. (Daniel 2: 41-42)
» Ten Toes. The Roman empire was divided in the eastern (Byzantine) empire and the western empire. The divided kingdom includes all the nations of Eastern and Western Roman empire. The western empire was plagued by the Barbarians and a Roman army had to help to secure the throne of the Pope by removing three of the most violent tribes. The emperor moved to a new capital in Constantinople and left the western empire and the old capital city of Rome to the church. So in the beginning, at a critical phase there were ten divisions. The ten toes are the ten European nations that formed the ten divisions of the Western Roman Empire (476 A.D. to the end of time). The Middle East is the divided nations of the rest of the foot.

The Final Ten. In the end, the divided kingdom will again have ten distinct sections which are divided internally.

The Breakup of the Roman Empire	Tribe Location Ten Toes Western Rome Europe 1 Franks France 2 Allemani Germany 3 Lombards Italy 4 Suevi Portugal 5 Anglo-Saxons England 6 Burgundians Switzerland 7 Visigoths Spain 8 Heruli Extinct (493) 9 Vandals Extinct (534) 10 Ostrogoths Extinct (538) Divided Foot Byzantine Empire Middle East The Lombards occupied Italy after the Heruli and Ostrogoths. In another lesson three of the ten nations fell. Will three nations in the old Roman empire be conquered again to establish the pattern. Which three, if any, will be conquered again? From Daniel 11: 40-45, it seems that the nations in danger of being overthrown are Iraq, Egypt and either Iran or Libya.
The Final Ten. You may be wondering about the "ten nations" of Europe. As of 2007, the European Union consists of about 27 nations. These include nations that are not a part of the original Roman empire (Ireland, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland). It does not include other nations that were part of the empire. The prophecy captures a moment in time. You will see this in the division of the Greek empire. Daniel 2 hints of probably two divisions with the two arms. Daniel 7 clearly demonstrates four divisions. However, Daniel 8 clearly shows a sequence of one empire followed by four. Then Daniel 11 adds more detail by showing that after a period of four divisions the empire will settle down into two divisions. History shows that before the empire settled into four divisions, there was a turbulent period when many powers were trying to obtain a piece of the empire. Prophecy does not deal with all the phases and temporary triumphs. It chooses a significant snapshot of time. At the end of time, Revelation 17 hints that there will be ten powerful kings once again in Europe. They will act in only two weeks to fulfill the prophecy. In the past, as the little horn was establishing its power during 530-538 there were ten significant tribes. In the last days, as the little horn establishes global dominance once again it will be through a group of ten with seven stronger members. Therefore, prophecy only chooses to concentrate on the ten divisions.

European Unity Daniel 2: 43 states that the divided kingdom of Rome will not stick to each other. In the past, many different attempts have been made to unite Europe by (marriage, war, religion and economics). In view of current attempts to unite Europe, it seems to suggest that these efforts will eventually fail. In the past God used other armies to prevent this complete political union. This time it will probably be the Second Coming that ruins these plans.

Strong and Weak Kingdoms
Many nations of Europe eventually built their own empires. Like the Romans, they built it through slavery. Here is a map of the colonial empires.
» Strong. Britain, Spain, France and Portugal were some of the strongest political and economic empires in the West, while the Ottoman Turks ruled the east. Germany became a strong military nation under Adolph Hitler.
» Strong and Small. Italy became a strong religious power because of the presence of the Vatican.
Switzerland remained a small nation, but is now a financial giant. Many smaller, less powerful European nations broke away from these major countries.
» Weak. The North African countries and Egypt became weaker nations and never rose to empire status again.

The Destiny of Europe
The Bible predicts that Europe will never unite again as one nation. They will try, but they will not stick together. The futility of these efforts is described in these words.
"And in that you saw the iron mixed with common clay, they will combine with one another in the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, even as iron does not combine with pottery. (Daniel 2: 43)

1. Feet of Iron and Clay. They will be as divided as a mixture of iron and clay. Rome became a divided kingdom around 476 A.D. This is symbolized by the two feet of iron and clay. The iron represents strength. The clay represents weakness. The ten divisions of the Roman empire contained both strong and weak nations. The Bible predicts that they will never unite as one nation.
2. Combine in the Seed of Men. They will try to unite by marriage. After the Dark Ages, Europe tried to unite by marriage but was never successful. Queen Victoria became the most famous as the "grandmother of Europe". Her children and grandchildren married into most of the royal houses of Europe. The territory of the old Roman empire was largely dominated by four major families. Most of these monarchies ended in 1918.
   Many Failed Efforts. Many leaders have tried to unite the kingdom through many wars. Charlemagne, Otto the great, Charles IV, Louis XIV, Napoleon, Bismark, the Ottomans, Kaiser Wilhelm and Adolph Hitler all tried ... and failed! Only the church has ever succeeded in controlling the leaders of the European nations.
   European Union. Since the 1940's they have tried an economic union. The politicians have been trying to go beyond the economic union to create a political union of one nation. In 2000 they introduced a standard currency. They were hoping to ratify a constitution in November 2006. The rules state that all 25 members must agree before it can be implemented. The first nine nations approved because their politicians decided in a parliamentary vote. (Austria, Hungary, Italy, Germany, Greece, Lithuania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain). But the tenth country did not. Not even a symbolic appearance of ten heads formed. But in two countries the choice was left to the popular vote and the people rejected it. On May 29, 2005 the French voters said no by a 55% majority. On June 1, the Dutch said no by a 66% majority. Britain canceled elections. As of 2007, politicians are trying to schedule parlimentary votes to avoid the popular vote. God says that they will not unite again.
   
   The French Connection.
   Vive La France! The French have been instrumental in fulfilling prophecy several times.
   • Early Protestant. The earliest keepers of the faith under persecution were the French. The Waldenses, Albigenses and the Huguenots spread their faith under threat of annihilation by the church and state.
   • Rise of the Papacy. The church was given the western Roman empire in 538. Under Clovis, the French kept it in power.
   • Fall of the Papacy. It was Napoleon in the French Revolution that caused their fall in 1798.
   • Atheism. Simultaneously, the French Revolution unleashed the "beast from the abyss", when it introduced atheism and secularism.
   • Rise of the United States. It helped the United States during their fight for independence to defeat England who was their perpetual enemy. It also helped to double the size of the country through the Louisiana Purchase. 530 million acres of land between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains was sold for 60 million francs ($15 million) on 30 April 1803.
   • European Union. It stopped the union of Europe by opposing Hitler and by being the first to reject the constitution.
   • European Union Revised (The Second Great Lisbon Earthquake). In 2007, the French prime minister, Nicolas Sarkozy helped to wrangle a treaty that bypasses the popular vote and placed the vote in national parliaments where it is virtually guaranteed success. As a consequence of this new treaty a new 2.5 year position of President of the European Union will replace the current unweildly six month leadership by the ruler of one of the member countries.
     The Lisbon Treaty was accepted on 19 October 2007 and it will be voted in on December 13 in Lisbon. Then the parliaments of the 27 member nations will vote on it during 2008. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, a closet Catholic, is considered to be the de facto first president who will take office on 1 January 2009. So, between 1 January 2009 and 20 January 2009 when the new United States president takes office, the prophecies of Revelation 17 can be fulfilled by two men who have the same goals. Any union of Europe will not succeed and the final attempt at union will be destroyed because of the disastrous repercussions of submission to the United States and the Catholic church.
   • Establishing the Beast. At the end of 2008, France will hold the last six month turn as leader of the Union under the old treaties and it will work towards getting the votes of the 27 member countries ratified. So it will be the last to bring the beast to power that will begin to rule in January 2009.
   • Mediterranean Union. Sarkozy also proposed a Mediterranean Union, that would form a link between Europe and Africa. It joins Southern Europe, North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean. This basically includes the rest of the Old Roman Empire. Seven EU countries (France, Italy, Portugal Spain, Cyprus, Greece and Malta) would be members of both groups. Opposed to the membership of Turkey or any Muslim dominated country in the EU, Sarkozy said in his acceptance speech after his election May 6, 2007:

     "I want to reach out to all of the people of the Mediterranean to tell them that it's all unfolding in the Mediterranean. That we must overcome all the hatred and leave in its place the great dream of peace and the great dream of civilization. I want to tell them that the time has come to build at its center a Mediterranean Union, that will link Europe and Africa . "What was done for Europe 60 years ago, we will do today for a Mediterranean Union.

     He proposes that all governments bordering the Mediterranean meet in France in June 2008 to lay the foundations for this union.
     » Barcelona Process. On 27-28 November 1995, a conference of Ministers of Foreign Affairs met in Barcelona to construct a framework of political, economic and social relations between the Member States of the European Union and Partners of the Southern Mediterranean. Sarkozy's current plan seems to be designed to build on this relationship.
     » Euro-Mediterranean Partnership. This includes the members of the European Union and 10 Mediterranean Partners (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestinian Authority, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey). Libya has observer status since 1999.
   • Babylon the Great and "Freedom Fries". It also confronted Babylon the Great when it would not approve the United States invasion of Iraq. This is allowing the prophecy to come through that says "he shall come to his end and no one shall help him". Daniel 11: 45.
     Incidentally, the last person who tried to disobey a prophecy and rebuild an empire was Saddam Hussein. The Gulf War ended his ambitions and his life and destroyed his country.
   • Mutiny. So in the future, the French may be the leaders of the group that revolt and turn against the persecuting force. Revelation 17: 12-18. Something forces them to form an uneasy alliance after they refused to support Babylon the Great during the Middle East campaign. (Daniel 11: 45). It ends in mutiny. Vive La Liberté!

The Future of Europe and the Old Roman Empire
In a future lesson we will learn that at the very end of time there will be a turbulent union of the old empire or part of it which survives long enough to accomplish one goal. This is to give power to the United States and the Catholic church. This authority is used to persecute the true church of God. In the end, the union collapses in violence against each other. They will be as successful in uniting the old empire as Hitler was. It is a relationship forged in resentments which will not last.

The prophecy is quite clear. The pieces of the old Roman empire will not unite under one leader as one unified peaceful country. But they will try. They will be divided at the Second Coming.
A strict reading must conclude that all the territory will not unite as one. But the European Union is only part of the territory, would a successful union of these countries violate prophecy?
Some of the unification methods mentioned by prophecy were tried by Europe and they all failed. So an analysis of the history of the regions and the prophecy seems to suggest that God will even act to destroy any significant union until one significant moment in time when it is time for its final destruction. Only those headed for destruction will see this as a triumph.
The Beast is Revived. The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that was and is not and will come.
The Mysterious Ten Kings. The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour. They have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast.
Persecution. These will wage war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are called and chosen and faithful.
The Will of God. For God has put it in their hearts to execute His purpose by having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God will be fulfilled. (Revelation 17: 8, 12-14, 17)
There is the answer to any final union. The beast is healed and allowed to revive so that it can be destroyed. God allows them to unite long enough to persecute His people so that He can destroy them.

Attempts to Unite Europe by War and Marriage and Economics				Empire Section of Roman Empire Roman Area in the purple border Charlemagne France, Germany, North Italy Napoleon France, Belgium, North Italy, Corsica, Malta, Egypt, Sweden, Spain, Naples, Switzerland, Austria, Germany. Allies: Spain, Russia, Bavaria Hitler's Third Reich Except England, Spain, Egypt, and Middle East European Union (2004) Except North africa, Eastern empire and some of the Baltic region. Not fully political Ottoman Empire Turkey, Greece, Macedonia, Cyprus, Crete, Serbia, Albania, Romania, Moldova, Yugoslavia Kings # Sample of Nations by Marriage England 14 Spain, France, Germany, Russia, Denmark, Romania, Prussia, Canada Spain 13 France, Greece, England, Portugal, Austria, Sicily, Denmark, Germany France 11 Spain, Portugal, England, Belgium, Hungary, Austria, Italy, Germany Norway 11 France, Sweden, Prussia, Denmark Denmark 14 Russia, England, Spain, Iceland Russia 8 Greece, Spain, France, England, Prussia, Denmark, Sweden
German Reich	German Allies	Neutral	Undefeated Roman Empire
Major Family Region of Influence 1 Hapsburgs Austria (from 1282, 1804-1918), Bohemia (Czechoslovakia) and Hungary (from 1526 - 1918). Holy Roman Emperors (from 1438 - 1806), Spain (1516-1700) 2 Hohenzollerns Principally Germany and Prussia (ended in 1918) 3 Romanovs Russia (1613-1917). It was not part of the Roman empire 4 Ottomans Ottoman Empire (1917-18). Turkey, Balkans, Middle East
World War 1 started when Arch Duke Ferdinand, one of the Hapsburgs, was assassinated in 1917. After the war, in the Treaty of Versailles, Europe largely abandoned these monarchies.
Queen Victoria ("The Grandmother of Europe"). She married a German prince and their nine children married into the royal houses of Prussia, Denmark, Austria, Russia, Spain, Waldeck, Schleswig-Holstein, Battenburg, Darmsatt, and Scotland (the prime minister of Canada). Her grandson became King of Romania and other grandchildren married into the royal families of Denmark, Netherlands, Romania, Spain and Germany.

Stone - The Second Coming (Future)
"In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.
"Just as you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold, the great God has made known to the king what will take place in the future; so the dream is true and its interpretation can be trusted." (Daniel 2: 44-45)
It is during the days when the kingdom is divided that God will set up His kingdom.

1. Judgment. The Stone comes from a mountain. It is cut from that mountain. This mountain is the kingdom of heaven. From it a new kingdom is established in Christ. Christ takes possession of that kingdom as we will see in Daniel 7. Something happens in heaven before the stone strikes the earth and after the kingdom was divided in 476 A.D.
   The cutting out of the stone is not the incarnation of Christ which occurred about 4 B.C. It must be another event which occurs after the division or "in the days of those kings".
   » Setting Up a Kingdom. Later we will learn that Christ begins the judgment and takes legal possession of His kingdom before the Second Coming. During the time of the divided kingdom He seals and selects His people from among the living and the dead. After He has formally declared who belongs to Him, then He comes to rescue them.
2. Second Coming. The Stone destroys the image after it is cut out of the mountain.
   After the Second Coming, God destroys the kingdoms of the earth.
3. Third Coming. The Stone establishes another mountain.
   It is only after the thousand years, after the third coming, that the New Jerusalem comes to earth and God sets up His throne on the earth.

Judgment by heaven in favor of the saints					Angels and the wicked judged by the saints	Judgment of the wicked by God
1844	7 Last Plagues	Second Coming			Millennium	Third Coming
Old Earth			Earth partially destroyed				Hell	New Heavens and Earth
Stone cut out of a mountain			Stone strikes the earth					Stone becomes another mountain

The mountain represents God's sanctuary and truth. Zion is called the "mountain of the Lord's house."
In the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as the chief of the mountains, and will be raised above the hills, and all the nations will stream to it. (Isaiah 2: 1-5)

Key Point: Nebuchadnezzar attacked the sanctuary in Jerusalem and destroyed it. God shows this pagan king that there is a sanctuary far removed from this earth in heaven that he cannot destroy. The Rock who is Christ will come from that sanctuary and destroy all the kingdoms of the earth. The prophecy indicates that the kingdom will be established after the nations are divided in 476, but the Rock will destroy the earth after the kings lose their crowns. This will happen sometime after World War 1 in the days of modern Europe when the crowned heads lose their power (1918). In the place of the kings of the earth, God will establish a Sanctuary kingdom that will never be destroyed again.

Christ
Christ is the Rock that will appear at the end of the world to rescue the saints, smash all worldly power and begin a government of righteousness on the earth. Jesus is the chief corner stone according to Acts 4: 11 and Ephesians 2: 20.
and they all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and that rock was Christ. (1 Corinthians 10: 4)

Repetition and Enlargement
This is the first in a series of apocalyptic prophecies that show the succession of empires remaining on the earth.
It also demonstrates how the earth will be destroyed.

The Stoning of the Earth
Text	Event	Meaning
Daniel 2: 24	A Rock strikes the kingdoms of the world	Jesus is the Rock who conquers the kingdoms of the world
Revelation 6: 16	Mountains and Rocks fall on the wicked	The wicked try to hide under the rocks at the Second Coming
Numbers 15: 32-36	Death penalty for sin	Stoning to death
Revelation 16: 21	Seventh Plague	Hail at the Second Coming

Sky or Heaven			Vomit
Babylon	Head	Babylon the Great
7 rulers	7 Neck Vertebra	7 Heads
Persia	Chest	-
2 nations	2 Arms	2 Beasts
12 kings	12 Ribs	12 Tribes
10 ?	10 Fingers	10 Horns
Greece	Belly	Church persecuted by the ten horns in the belly of the beast
10 nations	5 lumbar, 5 sacral vertebra
Little Horn	Penis
	Fused Coccyx	United Church
Rome	Legs	Ten horns become trampled dirt
Europe	Feet, 10 toes
	Rock	Christ
Earth of Clay			Dung

Babylon and Babylon the Great
Why is the last power on earth called Babylon the Great?
"But he shall acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the unloved, by giving him a double portion of all that he has, for he is the beginning of his strength; to him belongs the right of the firstborn. (Deuteronomy 21: 17)
Babylon returns again as a strong Babylon the great. As the first born of the evil empires he gets double the inheritance, so he gets to rule twice. The firstborn is also the beginning of his father's strength, coming out of his loins. So the emergence of Babylon coming out of the loins of Greece is the connection to the Greco-Roman empire. However, his seed will be spilled on the earth, becoming useless, because his seed will become dung on the earth. The leader of Babylon will never sire a nation. His seed and name will be cut off.

Let us use the symbol of the statue with the symbol of devouring the people to see how the history of the world is portrayed. To understand this you should have already read about the meaning of the symbols in the process of eating.

• Babylon ("Mouth"). Babylon chewed up and swallowed Israel.
• Persia ("Chest, Ribs"). The people passed through the Persian empire.
• Greece ("Belly"). They ended up in the bowels of Greece.
• Rome ("Loins"). A companion prophecy says that Rome will have some elements of the Greek empire in it. For this we look at the anus where waste passes through and the loins which is the seat and beginning of power or strength. It gives birth to the Antichrist which is also known as the one little horn (penis).
  » Penis ("The Little Horn or the Antichrist"). God uses circumcision of the penis to represent His role in fulfilling the covenant. Christ was the Seed of Life, cloaked in human form, Who would be cut off and buried for sin.
  Here we have the Antichrist, the little horn, usurping this role of Christ. But while Christ was circumcized, the uncircumcized little horn will be castrated. While Christ can rise from the dead and bear fruit, the Antichrist is impotent. God has a sense of humor. Christ is virile. The Antichrist is impotent with a little penis and a big mouth full of boasting about his prowess.
  While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth uttering great boasts. (Daniel 7: 8 and Revelation 13: 5-6).
  » Coccyx. The five fused bones of the coccyx represent the last five phases of the united church.
  A Minor Problem. How can we have the little horn coming out of Rome when it is coming out of the Greek period (the belly and the thighs). Some sources include the upper legs as part of Rome, because the word for "thighs" means sides or buttocks. Therefore, the penis would be dangling at the end of the Greek empire down into the Roman empire. If the "belly and thighs" are supposed to be the "belly and the hips" up to the point where the legs begin then that seems to be the answer.
  » Christ, the Horn. So Christ is the horn of God who came out of the Roman Empire to be circumcized ("cut off").
• Europe ("Intestines"). During the reign of these kings the wicked will go down to the earth as dirt.
• Babylon the Great ("The Image of Gold"). The powers at the end of the world is a mixed symbol of Rome and Babylon. The entire statue is now gold as Babylon claims all empires and holds two classes of people.
  » The Fate of the Wicked ("Dung"). They will go out through the anus as dung. This happens during the reign of the remnants of the Roman empire which somehow becomes like Babylon in the end.
  » The Fate of the Righteous ("Regurgitated Seed"). They will be ejected from the bowels, out of the mouth of the evil empire. So Babylon chews up and swallows the church again at the end. Revelation also says that Babylon spits out three unclean spirits like frogs. Like Pharaoh, these go after the righteous during their final exodus.
  
  On their way back from the bowels and the loins of Rome and its little horn, the righteous come back through the previous powers. This is why another prophecy says that their dominion will be taken away but they will have an extension of life granted to them. (Daniel 7: 12) When we come up into the mouth of Babylon, they will grind us under their teeth by persecution and God will force the king to spit us out.
  ... I will punish Bel in Babylon, And I will make what he has swallowed come out of his mouth. And the nations will no longer stream to him. Even the wall of Babylon has fallen down! (Jeremiah 51: 44)

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Study to show yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.   2 Timothy 2: 15 Copyright     Updated : June 7, 2005. June, October, December 2007 Credits: Author: Laverna Patterson. Editor: Patterson (January 2008) Some of these observations are original insights from the Holy Spirit. e.g. The physical connections of the body parts. Most images and all maps were created by Laverna Patterson and are the property of teachinghearts. In 2007, this entire lesson and its maps and other lessons were stolen, the copyright removed and placed on another site.