The Prophet Daniel’s Vision of World Governments

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Daniel 7:17-28

17 These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth. 18 But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even for ever and ever. 19 Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet; 20 And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of  the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of  that horn that had eyes, and  a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows. 21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; 22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. 23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. 24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. 25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. 26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. 27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. 28 Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart (KJV).

Daniel’s first statement reveals the nature of the images of the beasts. They are four Gentile kings that shall rule the earth in succession to each other. Following their individual reign the Messiah’s kingdom will control the government order of the earth forever. From that point he sees the explanation of the last of the beasts or the kingdom which will immediately precede the establishment of the Lord’s Messianic Kingdom. This kingdom is diverse from the other three in several characteristics. Those characteristics are:

  1. Exceeding dreadful
  2. Teeth of iron
  3. Nails of brass
  4. It devoured and broke in pieces and stamped them all in residue
  5. Had 10 horns on its head
  6. The eleventh came up and three fell
  7. The little horn was stout and spoke great words against God
  8. It wore out the saints and charged times and laws
  9. It will last for three and a half years (time Times and the dividing of time)
  10. Judgement will be given and its kingdom shall be taken away and destroyed
  11. The Lords kingdom shall be established next and all dominions shall serve God
  12. Daniel was exhausted from these visions

The Last Gentile Worldly Kingdom

Daniel is given further information regarding the activity of “the little horn”. Daniel is told he causes three of the ten horns to fall (v.20b); he speaks great things (v.20c); he wars against the saints and is allowed to prevail over them (v.21).  But finally, the coming of “the ancient of days” personally defeats him.  Once the judgment is passed on “the little horn” by “the ancient of days”, he will be done away with and the kingdom will pass over to the saints.  The saints are the nation of Israel, not the Church. “The ten horns” are ten nations that will encompass the world government, yet future to us.

The Little Horn

“The little horn is the Antichrist who will appear someday on the earth. He will sign a seven-year covenant with the nation Israel.  We do not know what it includes, but he signs it with the majority of the Jews. and that begins the Great Tribulation.  The Rapture of the Church takes place before that.  There is no description anywhere in the Bible about when the Rapture takes place, it’s unknown.  Daniel talks about the Antichrist making war with the saints until verse 22 “the ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High, and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom”. Revelation 19:20 tells us how God disposed of him and the False Prophet by throwing them into “the lake of fire” at the end the Great Tribulation.

 

The Stages of the Fourth Beast

As in Daniel 2, the Fourth Empire is seen as going through several stages, though not always the same stages as found in chapter two.

 

The First Stage of the fourth beast in verse 23a, is described as the “United Stage” and its diverseness from the other three empires is seen.  It is followed by the Second Stage of verse 23b that this beast is going to devour the whole earth and put it will under the rule of a one-world government.   Whether people will choose to respond to support it or not, is irrelevant because it will have governmental control of all countries in the entire world.

Then it’s going to be followed by The Ten Kingdom Stage of some sort (v. 24a), which, in turn, will be followed by The Little Horn Stage, or the Antichrist stage (vv. 24b-26).  These verses state that he arises after the Ten Division Stage (v. 24b).  While the Fourth Empire is diverse from the previous three, the little horn is diverse from the other ten (v. 24c).  He eventually puts down three of these kings (v. 24d).  Verse 25 again points out his “speaking great things” as seen here his is speaking against God and against the saints.  Anti-Semitism is ramped today and it gets even worse.

Activities of the Antichrist

A Different Calendar

The Antichrist somehow is going to implement a different calendar by changing the way time is recorded, and the way a calendar measures time. Presently we use a Roman calendar, which is derived from a Babylonian system. The Babylonian system used a 360-day calendar. The calendar was adjusted to accommodate the extra days needed and we are on a Roman calendar now.  The Julian calendar, named after Julius Caesar, is still 111/2 minutes longer than the actual solar year.

The Reign of the Antichrist

The Antichrist will only be allowed to rule for “a time, times and half a time”, which from other passages means 3 ½ years (Daniel 9:27; 12:7; Revelation 11:2,3; 12:6, 14; 13:5).  But finally, his domination is destroyed (v.26).

The Character and the Rise of the Antichrist:

The Antichrist will have access to the satanic and demonic realm. He will accept the offer of Satan that Jesus refused (Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:1-13; Luke 4:1-13; Genesis 3:6; 1 John 2:16). When he accepts Satan’s offer of all the kingdoms of the world it will mark the beginning of his rise to political power and world domination (Daniel 11:38-39; Revelation 13:2). He will come to power at a time on earth when there will be a single government with no other countries.

So, the Antichrist will be Satan controlled and Satan energized who will set out to conquer the world. The first seal demonstrates the beginning of his conquest. He does not gain full control until the middle of the Great Tribulation. He then is described as the first of the four horsemen of the apocalypse.

Revelation 6:3–4

3And when he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, Come,4And another [horse] came forth, a red horse: and to him that sat thereon it was given to take peace from the earth, and that they should slay one another: and there was given unto him a great sword (KJV).

The Fourth Empire – The Empire of Imperialism–from Rome 43 B.C. to end of the Great Tribulation

    1. The United Stage -The Roman Empire
    2. The Two Division Stage -The East-West Balance of Power
    3. The One-World Government Stage
    4. The Ten-Division Stage -The Ten Kingdoms
    5. The Antichrist Stage – Absolute Imperialism

The Scripture doesn’t teach that this is the Roman Empire.  The Scripture teaches that the Empire, the Fourth Empire, continues until the Messianic Kingdom.  It doesn’t show a break.  In actuality, the Empire that the Bible is talking about is an imperialistic form of government.

Imperialism

Imperialism is simply a policy where one government extends its influence or power through negotiations, diplomacy or military force.  Most of the Western powers are imperialisms – imperialistic governments.  It was Rome that brought imperialism into the world.

Empire of Imperialism will go through five successive stages.

Five Stages of the 4th Empire – The Empire of Imperialism

Age of Imperialism – United Stage

  1. The United Stage-Rome is the first stage of the Imperialist Form of government. The first stage or the United Stage started about 63 B.C and lasted until A.D. 364.  Rome had a long history going back into the 700s.  Someone created Rome, perhaps Romulus and Remus. It suffices to say, the empire under Julius Caesar started in about 63 B.C. and lasted until about A.D. 364.  That was the First Stage, [the United Stage, of the Fourth Empire].

Age of Imperialism – Two Division Stage

  1. The second stage or the Empire of Imperialism was the Two Division Stage. This stage was foreseen by Daniel chapter 2 (Legs of Iron) but not by Daniel chapter 7.  It began in A.D. 364 when Emperor Valentinian divided the Roman Empire into an east and west division. There was an earlier division in A.D. 285 that was of short duration. The emperor Constantine in A.D. 312-313 reunited the empire.  The A.D. 364 division was permanent.  The Western Headquarters were in Rome and the Eastern Headquarters in Constantinople.

The Emperor Constantine managed to pull it back together for a short time. Theodosius two emperors later forced Christianity on everybody in 388 AD.  Everybody in the Roman Empire was required be a Christian.  It ruined orthodox Christianity.  The Eastern Division lasted until 1453 when it collapsed in the Turkish invasion.

The Two legs of Nebuchadnezzar’s vision

The Eastern Leg

When Constantinople fell, the political rulers, scribes, and scholars fled north into Russia and infiltrated the government there, where they set up another imperialist form of government.  The rulers called themselves Czars, which is Russian for “Caesar.” Later Russia began calling itself the Third Roman Empire.  Eventually, the eastern balance of power was centered in the Soviet Union and included the Communist block of nations.  When European communism collapsed the eastern balance of power shifted to Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The power then shifted from there after the quiet revolution they had, called Glasnos.  It went again back to Russia to the CIS, the Commonwealth of Industrial States.  So, the power transfer shifted, but it stayed on this Eastern Block from Constantinople up into Russia.

There are more power transfers going on right now.  The Two Division Stage we have now is ultimately going to give into the One World Government.

The Western Leg

The Western Division of power remained in Rome from 364 until 476 when Rome fell.  Now Rome fell and the people who were controlling went somewhere.   The people that had power and want power and understand it and know how to get it, are not willing to let it go.  It’s not just going to dissipate.  Somebody’s going to grab it.  From there it shifted to France, especially the power gained by Charlemagne in A.D. 800.  He called his domain the Holy Roman Empire of the Frankish Nation.  In 962 Otto I of Germany defeated the Franks and set up the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation.  The leaders called themselves Kaiser, which is German for “Caesar.” Since then, especially after World War I, the western balance of power has been centered in the democratic nations of the west.  So, the Two-Division Stage, which began in A. D. 364, continues to this day and there may be some shifting yet to come before the east-west balance becomes the third stage.

The One World Government Stage

The next three stages of the Empire of Imperialism are all future. At some point the East-West Balance of Power will break down, leading to a one-world government. This stage is seen by Daniel seven, but not by Daniel two. Daniel 7:23 clearly states that at some point the Fourth Empire devours the whole earth. This is something that Rome never did. Some attempt to make this expression mean the “then-known world,” but it cannot be said that Rome even conquered the then-known world. As soon as one empire conquers up to a certain point of territory, it is very obvious that there is more to follow beyond that. So, it is inaccurate to say that Rome conquered the then-known world. Rome did not even extend as far east as the empire of Alexander the Great. The Greeks went as far as the Indus River in India, and Alexander would have gone further except for the refusal of his generals who wished to go no further. But even the area beyond the Indus River was part of the then-known world. Rome did not even extend that far. Furthermore, Rome never fully conquered the Parthian Empire, and that, too, was part of the known world. In the case of the Fourth Empire, the wording states that it will devour the whole earth. The text demands that the Fourth Empire will at some time control the whole world and will devour it. So, maintaining literal interpretation, the Fourth Empire of Imperialism is yet to control the whole world in the formation of a one-world government, which is something that has not yet been accomplished.

The Probable Unification of the One World Government

 

God in His divine providence has given us the Holy Scriptures, which contains many yet unfulfilled prophecies regarding future events on the earth. One of these prophecies found in the thirty-eighth and thirty-ninth chapters of the Old Testament book of Ezekiel. The OT is filled with prophecies many of which pertaining to Christ’s first appearance on earth have already been fulfilled. Most OT prophecies however, remain unfulfilled but will be in the future.           One such prophecy is the Allied Invasion of Israel by the Germans, Muslim nations all led by the Russians. These nations have all in one form or another implemented focused severe persecutions of the nation of Israel. This invasion is the most probably event to bring in the unification of the entire world into a single government entity

The Coalition Invasion of Israel

The biblical text as stated in Ezekiel 38:1-39:16 describe an invasion of Israel from the north and the subsequent total destruction of the coalition of invading forces once they reach the area of the mountains of Israel. It appears that there is a preemptive attack by the Israelites with a nuclear weapons exchange that results in a seven-year clean-up period.

Russia is part of a confederacy and the leader of it. Other nations are listed. Involved in the confederacy is Persia, or present-day Iran. Once, Iran was generally pro-western and pro-Israel; after the Khomeini Islamic revolution, Iran became anti-western and anti-Israel and more within the Russian sphere of influence. Israel and now the United States consider Iran their most dangerous enemy. Another nation involved is one called Cush

The Ten Division Stage

This stage was seen in both Daniel two in the ten toes and in Daniel seven in the ten horns. The Ten Division Stage is clearly stated to come out of the One World Government Stage. For some reason not given by the text, the One World Government will divide into ten kingdoms that will cover the whole world—not merely Europe. It has become common today to refer to the ten kingdoms as being in Europe only, especially the Former Common Market, now the European Union. But the text does not allow for this kind of interpretation. At the very best, the European Union might become one of the ten, but it could hardly become all of the ten. A careful reading of the Daniel passage states that once the Fourth Empire rules the whole world, then this One World Government will split into ten kingdoms. This requires the ten kingdoms to cover the entire world, not just the territory known as Europe. It would be a mistake to make too much of the European Union as being the Ten Division Stage. It would be far more consistent with the text to view it as possibly one of the ten, but not the entire ten. More consistent with Daniel’s prophecy is the recommendation of the Club of Rome that the world be divided into ten administrative districts to avoid a world economic collapse.

The Antichrist Stage

It is during the Ten Kingdom Stage that the Antichrist will begin his rise to power. Eventually, he will be strong enough to uproot three of the ten kings, and the other seven will simply submit to his authority. Once the other seven submit their authority to the Antichrist, this will begin the fifth and final stage of the Fourth Gentile Empire, the Antichrist Stage, which is the stage of Absolute Imperialism. In this sense he is diverse from the other ten.

Destruction of Ecclesiastical Babylon-Revelation 17:16

Revelation 17:16

16And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire (KJV).

One of the Antichrist’s first acts in gaining religious control will be the destruction of the first religious system of the Tribulation, the Ecclesiastical Babylon. Previously, this religious system had the support of the civil government, for the first 3 ½ years. With all civil authority turned over to the hands of the antichrist, who is now in full control, civil government itself will destroy the domination of the Ecclesiastical Babylon.

Three Kings Killed-Seven Submit- Daniel 7:24 & Revelation 17:12-13

The attempt of the Antichrist to gain political control will be interrupted by his death. But after his resurrection, the second world war of the Tribulation will continue until three of the ten kings are killed. It is found in Daniel 7:24. Once three of the ten are killed, the others submit to his authority. This is also stated in Revelation 17:12-13;

The other kings will all come to one mind, which is to give their kingdom unto the beast. With this submission, the Antichrist will succeed in taking over the political control of the entire world, with the exception of Jordan. The second political system of the Tribulation will be initiated at this point. The first is the ten kings who will rule over the earth in some geographic or economic control or both. The Antichrist’s next goal will be to gain world religious control. To accomplish this, he must try to remove all religious opposition. This includes the Ecclesiastical Babylon, the Two Witnesses, and the Jews.

The Antichrist Stage is simply Absolute Imperialism.  The Antichrist Stage will be one of absolute imperialism on the whole world where he is the sole ruler.

In verses 12-13 the ten horns are discussed.  In verse 12 the ten horns are stated to be ten kings and to exist in the future beyond John’s time.  In verse 13, they surrender their authority to the Antichrist.  Finally, in verse 14 the Messiah Himself destroys the Fourth Empire.
Summary of the Four Passages – Daniel 2, 7 and Revelation 7, 13:

 

  1. The entire period of the Times of the Gentiles is to be composed of four large types of Gentile empires; Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Hellenistic, and Imperialistic.
  2. The Fourth Empire of Imperialism is developed from five previous forms of Roman governments.
  3. The Fourth Gentile Empire of the Imperialism was to undergo stages.

Category: Prophetic Fulfillment

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