Daniel 2 & 4

Now that we have a very small overview of the Old Testament, we are going to actually start digging into the Scriptures that relate to different areas of the end times. In the process, we will be jumping all around the prophets as needed to cover the different areas. Before we start that though, we will take a look at the book of Daniel, as that is the source of a timeline into which we can plug the events, to see how things will transpire.

We will only cover the chapters of Daniel that are significant for our end times study.  For those of you already familiar with Daniel, and who wonder why I do not give more explanation at times, I will not jump ahead to explain things about it which are not apparent until you get into the book of Revelation.  I am just covering the information given here and will tie it all together later when the rest of the information becomes available.  Just a note here. You have probably noticed already, but if I have not mentioned it before, I use only the KJV Bible and so all Scripture will be from that. There is a reason for this, which I will not go into here, because again, that is another whole long Bible study. I have found after having used many a version in past years, that to get the most accurate understanding and truth as to the events about to unfold, this is the version that will give it to us. So if you are using another version and it says something totally different I would suggest finding a KJV. It is a more accurate translation.

It would be best to read Chapter 2 of Daniel before going on here, as I am going to skip right to the core of the matter and leave out unnecessary details. King Nebuchadnezzar has a dream which Daniel interprets. The reason this is so important is found in verse 28. “But there is a God in heaven that revealed secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days.” When the Bible refers to the latter days, it is always speaking of that time just before the Lord returns, so this is relevant to us. The king sees a great image. The head is made of gold, the arms of silver, the belly and thighs of brass, the legs of iron and the feet of part iron/part clay. A stone was cut out without hands which smites the image upon the feet and breaks them to pieces. That brings down the whole image which is broken into pieces and blown away in the wind. Then the stone becomes a great mountain that fills the earth. The interpretation is given by Daniel, so we don’t have to interpret it. Remember how I said at the beginning that no prophecy is of personal interpretation and that God gives us the interpretations? So here is the interpretation. Nebuchadnezzar is the head of gold. His kingdom rules over most of the civilized earth at that time. Another kingdom inferior to Babylon is to rise after it, this is the silver. Then a third kingdom will come which is the brass which shall rule over all the earth. The fourth kingdom, which is as strong as iron, as while iron can be broken, it also breaks other things, will arise after the third. The feet of clay and iron will be a divided kingdom. It shall have the strength of iron, but it will be a broken kingdom, so partly strong, partly broken. As clay and iron can mingle but not mix, so will this kingdom be one of many seeds of men that will not cleave to one another. And in the days of the last kingdom, God (the stone) shall set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed and will consume all these other kingdoms. Daniel then affirms that this dream is a true one and his interpretation is a true one and it most certainly shall come to pass.

Now that we have the interpretation, we will apply it to history to make sense of it. First, the metals of which the image is made, are significant. Daniel tells us how to interpret these metals when he says that the silver kingdom is inferior to the gold (Babylon) and the iron kingdom is very strong. As the metals go down in decreasing order they become less and less valuable, but more and more strong. This is simply a fact about metals. So the kingdoms probably become less in the ways of splendor, (the hanging gardens of Babylon were one of the ancient wonders of the world) but they become stronger and stronger in the way of dictatorial control over their people and in their military might and ability to conquer. From history we know who these kingdoms are. We already know from Daniel that the gold head is Babylon. The silver is the Medo-Persians, who conquered Babylon, followed by the Greeks (bronze) then the Romans (iron). The two legs of iron are split in two representing the split between the Roman empire into the eastern and western empires. The feet and toes are a brittle mixture made up of mixed peoples which can’t stay together. This is a future kingdom. This future kingdom is made of ten smaller kingdoms, regions, or whatever, as there are ten toes. That it is future is a given, as there is nothing historically to which we can assign it as we can the others. That and the fact that Daniel said that it is about the last days, so something there has to be about the last days. Since we know the rest of the image’s representatives, the feet and toes have to be future. Also, God’s kingdom crushes the 10 toed kingdom and ushers in the everlasting kingdom. This absolutely confirms that the feet are a future empire.

Having studied the Babylonian mysteries, and realizing that they have come down through the ages through various nations, and were last seen with the Roman Empire, we now can see that God is giving us the lineage of the Babylonian mysteries. They passed down through the image. They will end up with the 10 nation/kingdom of the feet. In Revelation, we will see that God retains its original name - Babylon.  Right now there is much speculation as to whom these ten kingdoms are - the E.U., the 10 region division of the world.  It still remains to be seen exactly what this is.  That is must have some relation to Babylon, as this is her history, is something to be kept in mind.

Now to put in a speculation, it says that the toes mingle themselves with the seed of man. This would imply that someone other than the seed of man mingles itself with man, which is why the mixture won't hold together. The hypothesis is that just as in the days of Noah, so it will be before the return of Christ, and the spirit world will be again interacting with man on an intimate level. They will mingle themselves with the seed of man, but how they do this, whether through creating more hybrid beings, or just making an alliance is not defined by Scripture. It does seem to indicate some sort of alliance though that does not hold up.

A brief synopsis of Chapter four is necessary to understand something in chapter seven, so while it isn’t really pertinent to the end times, it is necessary to cover it. Nebuchanezzar has a dream in which a tree is in the middle of the earth and it is very great. It is so big and strong it reaches up to heaven and out to the ends of the earth. The leaves are fair and there is much fruit, enough for all to eat. It gives shelter, shade, and food to the beasts and fowl. But an angel comes down from heaven and says for the tree to be cut down, branches lopped off and fruit scattered. The stump of the roots is allowed to remain, but with a band of iron and brass around it. It must dwell in the grass and be wet with the dew of heaven and its portion is with the beasts in the fields. His heart is changed from a man’s to that of a beast’s until seven times pass over. The purpose for this is so that this “tree” may know who really rules the kingdom of men, and who bestows that kingdom upon a man. Daniel gives the bad news to Nebuchadnezzar that he is this tree and that he shall be driven from men to dwell with the beasts of the field and that he will eat grass and be wet with the dew for seven years, until he realizes that God is the one in charge and who gives the kings their kingdoms. But as the stump was left intact, so he will be given his kingdom back, just so he knows that God rules. Daniel warns Nebuchadnezzar to really watch himself and get rid of his sins. A year later, in his pride as he is looking over his kingdom, he asks (probably to no one in particular) if Babylon isn’t the greatest because he has built it by his own might and power. Before the words leave his mouth a voice comes out of heaven saying that it's his kingdom no longer. He goes bonkers and ends up out in the pastures eating grass, with his hair and nails getting really long. This goes on for seven years at which time he regains his sanity, gives glory, honor, and praise to God and regains his kingdom.

Addendum 12/24/17

Since writing this, I have come to the conclusion, through many studies, that Babylon and the beast whom she rides in Revelation are no longer a couple. There are evidences, which I present in an article on my other blog, that there was a division for some unknown reason right after Christ died thus separating the two during the conclusion of the Roman Empire. We do know that the beast is presently in the abyss, after having inhabited Hitler, (again this will be further discussed in Revelation) so it is possible he was also there from the time of the Roman Empire until Hitler. It is interesting that the legs, which represent Rome, show a separation in the kingdom for some reason. One interpretation is the split of the empire into the Eastern and Western empires, which has some validity. However it is also possible that the split stands for the split between Babylon and the beast which she has ridden up to this point. She now has her followers, and he has his, and whether it is merely conspiracy theory or fact, it is said that both of them have their own nephilim that work on their behalf. This would explain the clay and iron toes as well. It is only theory, but it does fit some of the facts that are coming to light in the political world right now.