upgraded July 26, 2008
I thank God, that in these last days, at this time of the end of the age, God has made known "the dream of the king."
Daniel 2:20-23 (NIV) "Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. 21 He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. 22 He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him. 23 I thank and praise you, O God of my fathers: You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of the king."
The Word of God tells us that Daniel was a government official in the kingdoms of Babylon, and then Medo-Persia. All of Daniel's visions related, or relate to governments of the world, or government officials.
Daniel had four visions concerning the empires of the world. Daniel's visions covered the Six Empires from his time, until the end of time. Daniel's visions are all of the same Six Empires, but Daniel described them in various ways. Daniel also identified, or gave clues to the identity of those kingdoms about which he was writing.
Daniel stated that the First Empire, the one that he began with, the one that he was living in at the time of its description, was the Babylonian Empire under Nebuchadnezzar. History recorded that the Babylonian Empire existed from 606 B. C. until 536 B. C.
Daniel stated that the Second Empire, the one that he was living in after the fulfillment of his prophecy concerning the Babylonian Empire, was the Medo-Persian Empire. History recorded that the Medo-Persian Empire existed from 536 B. C. until 332 B. C.
The remaining Four Empires that Daniel wrote about were prophetic to Daniel. Two of those empires are historical to us, two of those empires are prophetic to us at this point in time. The two that are prophetic to us at this point are the Empire of the Antichrist, and the Empire of Jesus Christ during His One Thousand Year Millennial Reign.
The Third Empire that Daniel wrote about was Alexander the Great and the Greek Empire. At Alexander's death, the Greek empire was divided into four separate kingdoms. History recorded that the Greek Empire, with its four divisions existed from 331 B. C. until 146 B. C.
The Fourth Empire was Rome under the Caesars. History recorded that the Roman Empire existed from 146 B. C. until arguably around 476 A. D.
The Fifth Empire is currently in place, but is evolving into its final form. The Fifth Empire is a Religious Empire. The Fifth Empire is made up of the Roman Catholic Church and its Protestant Daughters, and the Religious Empire of Islam. The Fifth Empire will conclude its evolution as the Empire of the Antichrist. The Roman Catholic Church has existed as a portion of the Fifth World Empire since the fall of the Roman Empire in the sixth century. Islam has existed as the other portion of the Fifth World Empire since the seventh century. The Roman Catholic Church and its Protestant Daughters, will loosely join with Islam under the Antichrist and the False Prophet.
The Final Empire within the Seven Thousand Years of Measured Time is the Empire of the One Thousand Year Reign of Jesus Christ from Jerusalem. Following that Empire, all of creation will go into eternity. Time will be no more.
Why were these Six World Empires singled out by Daniel, with no discussion of other large governments? The answer lies in Daniel's definition of what constitutes a world empire. In attempting to understand Daniel's definition, we must analyze world history. Historically, there have existed large states which Daniel did not mention, but the racial and cultural characteristics of the peoples were essentially common. The ancient Egyptians, Chinese, Indians, Mayans, Incas, Mongols, etc, while being very significant, were essentially a racially and culturally common people within their individual states. The Six World Empires were interracial, and international in scope, and each manifested control of a substantial portion of the world. Since the fall of the Roman Empire, there has been no world empires created, in spite of the efforts of Napoleon, the Kaiser, or Adolph Hitler. Also consider that those great states that were created after the fall of the Roman Empire were interpreted to be essentially under the influence and/or control of either the Roman Catholic Church or its Protestant Daughters, or Islam.
Below is Daniel's vision referenced in 2:31-45:
Daniel 2:31-45 (NIV) "You looked, O king, and there before you stood a large statue--an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. 32 The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. 34 While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were broken to pieces at the same time and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth. 36 "This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king. 37 You, O king, are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory; 38 in your hands he has placed mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds of the air. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold. 39 "After you, another kingdom will rise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. 40 Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron--for iron breaks and smashes everything--and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others. 41 Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. 42 As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay. 44 "In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. 45 This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands--a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces. "The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and the interpretation is trustworthy."
First Empire - "The head of the statue was made of pure gold "- Daniel stated that this was Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian Empire.
Second Empire - "its chest and arms of silver" - This was the Medo-Persian Empire - There were two arms of that empire, the Medes, and the Persians, who combined to make that one Empire. Darius the Mede ruled for a little while, but was always subordinate to Cyrus the Persian who was the ultimate single ruler.
Third Empire - "its belly and thighs of bronze" - This was Alexander the Great and the Greek Empire.
Forth Empire - "its legs of iron" - This was Caesar and the Roman Empire. There were two legs of the Roman Empire. Those two legs were the Western Roman Empire, and the Eastern or Byzantine Roman Empire.
Fifth Empire - "its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay" - This is the Religious Empire that has ruled the world since the fall of the Roman Empire. It is the Roman Catholic Church and its Protestant Daughters, and Islam.
Sixth Empire - "a rock was cut out, but not by human hands" - God will set up another Empire - It will smash the Fifth Empire, and bring to an end all world empires except itself. This is the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ from Jerusalem.
Daniel stated that his vision referenced in Chapter 4 related to Nebuchadnezzar.
Daniel chapter 5 recorded the historical fall of the Babylonian Empire, and the emergence of the historical Medo-Persian Empire.
Below is Daniel's vision referenced in chapter 7:
Daniel 7:1-28 (NIV) In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he was lying on his bed. He wrote down the substance of his dream. 2 Daniel said: " In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea. 3 Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea. 4 "The first was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a man, and the heart of a man was given to it. 5 "And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, 'Get up and eat your fill of flesh!' 6 "After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard. And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule. 7 "After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast--terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns. 8 "While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth that spoke boastfully. 9 "As I looked, "thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. 10 A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened. 11 "Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire. 12 (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.) 13 "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. 15 "I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me. 16 I approached one of those standing there and asked him the true meaning of all this. "So he told me and gave me the interpretation of these things: 17 'The four great beasts are four kingdoms that will rise from the earth. 18 But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever--yes, for ever and ever.' 19 "Then I wanted to know the true meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others and most terrifying, with its iron teeth and bronze claws--the beast that crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. 20 I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell--the horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully. 21 As I watched, this horn was waging war against the saints and defeating them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom. 23 "He gave me this explanation: 'The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it. 24 The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. 25 He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time. 26 "'But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. 27 Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.' 28 "This is the end of the matter. I, Daniel, was deeply troubled by my thoughts, and my face turned pale, but I kept the matter to myself."
Daniel chapter 7, verse 3: "Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea"
Daniel gave the answer to understanding the riddle of verse 3, in verse 17: 'The four great beasts are four kingdoms that will rise from the earth" - These were the same Four World Empires in Daniel's vision referenced earlier in Daniel 2:31-45.
Daniel chapter 7, verse 4: "The first was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle." This was the Babylonian Empire. This was Empire #1 of Daniel 2:31-45.
Daniel chapter 7, verse 5: "And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear." This was the Medo-Persian Empire. This was Empire #2 of Daniel 2:31-45.
Daniel chapter 7, verse 6: "I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard. And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule." This was Alexander the Great and the Greek Empire. At Alexander's death, his Greek Empire was divided among four of his generals. This was Empire #3 of Daniel 2:31-45.
Daniel chapter 7, verse 7 began with the Roman Empire and evolves into the Empire of the Antichrist. These are Empires # 4, and #5 of Daniel 2:31-45. I have highlighted in yellow those portions of the Holy Scripture that describe the Antichrist.
Daniel chapter 7, verse 7: "I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast--terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns."
Daniel chapter 7, verse 8: "While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth that spoke boastfully." The single horn is the Antichrist. He will come up among the ten horns, which are a coalition of countries from the Roman Empire. He will conquer three countries (Lebanon, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia) in his rise to power, before he sets himself up in the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem and boasts with his mouth that he is God.
Daniel chapter 7, verse 11 is another view of the Antichrist who boasts that he is God. He will be slain, his body destroyed, and thrown into the blazing fire by Jesus Christ at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ referenced in Revelation 19:20.
Daniel chapter 7, verse 11: "Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire."
Daniel chapter 7, verses 19-21, and 23-26 reiterated and clarified Daniel's vision. This was again the Roman Empire, evolving into the Empire of the Antichrist who will wage war against the saints and defeat them for a period of time. These are again Empires #4, and #5 of Daniel 2:31-45.
Daniel chapter 7, verses 19-21: "Then I wanted to know the true meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others and most terrifying, with its iron teeth and bronze claws--the beast that crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. 20 I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell--the horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully. 21 As I watched, this horn was waging war against the saints and defeating them."
Daniel chapter 7, verses 23-26: "The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it. 24 The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. 25 He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time. 26 "'But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever."
Daniel chapter 7, verses 9, 10, 13, 14, 18, 22, and 27 will be the Empire of Jesus Christ ruling from Jerusalem. This is Empire #6 of Daniel 2:31-45.
Daniel chapter 7, verses 9,10: "As I looked, "thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. 10 A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened" This will be the Great White Throne Judgment referenced in Revelation 20:11-15.
Daniel chapter 7, verses 13,14: "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed." This is referencing the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
Daniel chapter 7, verse 18 begins "But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever--yes, for ever and ever." This was obviously a reference to the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ from Jerusalem and continuing into eternity. This is Empire #6 of Daniel 2:31-45.
Daniel chapter 7, verse 22: "the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom" This is the Judgment of Jesus referenced in Matthew 25:31-46.
Daniel chapter 7, verse 27: "Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him" This is the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ from Jerusalem concluding the Seven Thousand Years of Measured Time and continuing into eternity.
Below is Daniel's vision referenced in chapter 8:
Daniel 8:1-27 (NIV) In the third year of King Belshazzar's reign, I, Daniel, had a vision, after the one that had already appeared to me. 2 In my vision I saw myself in the citadel of Susa in the province of Elam; in the vision I was beside the Ulai Canal. 3 I looked up, and there before me was a ram with two horns, standing beside the canal, and the horns were long. One of the horns was longer than the other but grew up later. 4 I watched the ram as he charged toward the west and the north and the south. No animal could stand against him, and none could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased and became great. 5 As I was thinking about this, suddenly a goat with a prominent horn between his eyes came from the west, crossing the whole earth without touching the ground. 6 He came toward the two-horned ram I had seen standing beside the canal and charged at him in great rage. 7 I saw him attack the ram furiously, striking the ram and shattering his two horns. The ram was powerless to stand against him; the goat knocked him to the ground and trampled on him, and none could rescue the ram from his power. 8 The goat became very great, but at the height of his power his large horn was broken off, and in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven. 9 Out of one of them came another horn, which started small but grew in power to the south and to the east and toward the Beautiful Land. 10 It grew until it reached the host of the heavens, and it threw some of the starry host down to the earth and trampled on them. 11 It set itself up to be as great as the Prince of the host; it took away the daily sacrifice from him, and the place of his sanctuary was brought low. 12 Because of rebellion, the host of the saints and the daily sacrifice were given over to it. It prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground. 13 Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to him, "How long will it take for the vision to be fulfilled--the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation, and the surrender of the sanctuary and of the host that will be trampled underfoot?" 14 He said to me, "It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be reconsecrated." 15 While I, Daniel, was watching the vision and trying to understand it, there before me stood one who looked like a man. 16 And I heard a man's voice from the Ulai calling, "Gabriel, tell this man the meaning of the vision." 17 As he came near the place where I was standing, I was terrified and fell prostrate. "Son of man," he said to me, "understand that the vision concerns the time of the end." 18 While he was speaking to me, I was in a deep sleep, with my face to the ground. Then he touched me and raised me to my feet. 19 He said: "I am going to tell you what will happen later in the time of wrath, because the vision concerns the appointed time of the end. 20 The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia. 21 The shaggy goat is the king of Greece, and the large horn between his eyes is the first king. 22 The four horns that replaced the one that was broken off represent four kingdoms that will emerge from his nation but will not have the same power. 23 "In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a stern-faced king, a master of intrigue, will arise. 24 He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the mighty men and the holy people. 25 He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power. 26 "The vision of the evenings and mornings that has been given you is true, but seal up the vision, for it concerns the distant future." 27 I, Daniel, was exhausted and lay ill for several days. Then I got up and went about the king's business. I was appalled by the vision; it was beyond understanding.
Daniel's vision referenced in chapter 8 occurred during the reign of Belshazzar. The Babylonian Empire was still in power at that time.
Daniel chapter 8, verse 3: "there before me was a ram with two horns, standing beside the canal, and the horns were long. One of the horns was longer than the other but grew up later." The first empire that Daniel referenced in chapter 8, he later stated in verse 20 was the Medo-Persian Empire. Darius the Mede ruled for a little while but was always subordinate to Cyrus the Persian who was the ultimate single ruler.
Daniel chapter 8, verse 20: "The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia." This was Empire #2 of Daniel 2:31-45.
Daniel chapter 8, verse 5: "suddenly a goat with a prominent horn between his eyes came from the west," The empire that Daniel referenced in verse 5, he later stated in verse 21 was the Greek Empire.
Daniel chapter 8, verse 21: "The shaggy goat is the king of Greece, and the large horn between his eyes is the first king." This was Empire #3 of Daniel 2:31-45.
Daniel chapter 8, verse 7: "I saw him attack the ram furiously, striking the ram and shattering his two horns." History recorded that Alexander the Great from Greece conquered the Medo-Persian Empire in 331 B. C.
Daniel chapter 8, verse 8: "The goat became very great, but at the height of his power his large horn was broken off, and in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven." Alexander the Great died at the age of 32 and his Empire was divided among his four generals. This prophecy is again restated in verse 22:
Daniel chapter 8, verse 22: "The four horns that replaced the one that was broken off represent four kingdoms that will emerge from his nation but will not have the same power." The Greek Empire became the four separate kingdoms of Greece, Asia Minor, Syria, and Egypt. General Ptolemy was in Egypt, and Seleucus in Syria.
Daniel chapter 8, verses 9,10: "Out of one of them came another horn, which started small but grew in power to the south and to the east and toward the Beautiful Land. 10 It grew until it reached the host of the heavens, and it threw some of the starry host down to the earth and trampled on them."
One of the divisions of Alexander's Greek Empire was the Syrian kingdom. Out of the Syrian kingdom came Antiochus Epiphanes who was a for-glimpse of the Antichrist. Epiphanes means "God Manifest." Antiochus Epiphanes was the only other "abomination that causes desolation" when desecrated the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem for a period of three and one half years; from 168 to 165 B. C.
Daniel chapter 8, verses 9-12, and 23-25 is referencing the actual Antichrist, because the Antichrist is possessed by the devil, and it is the devil who caused himself and one third of the angels to be cast down from heaven.
Daniel chapter 8, verse 11: "It set itself up to be as great as the Prince of the host; it took away the daily sacrifice from him, and the place of his sanctuary was brought low"
It is the Antichrist who will call himself god, take away the daily sacrifice from the Jews, and set himself up in the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem referenced above in verse 11:
Daniel chapter 8, verse12: "Because of rebellion, the host of the saints and the daily sacrifice were given over to it. It prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground."
It is the Antichrist who will persecute the saints, and stop the daily sacrifice by the Jews in their Temple in Jerusalem. The Antichrist will prosper for a period ("a time, times, and half a time" - three and one half years), and the Antichrist will lie ("truth was thrown to the ground").
Daniel chapter 8, verses 13,14: "How long will it take for the vision to be fulfilled--the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation, and the surrender of the sanctuary and of the host that will be trampled underfoot?" 14 He said to me, "It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be reconsecrated."
In Daniel chapter 8:13,14, we get an overview of the Seven Year Tribulation Period. We get confirmation that Daniel is talking about the Antichrist, because Daniel was over-viewing the Seven Year Tribulation Period. That overview included:
1. "the daily sacrifice" - The Jewish people will reestablish the daily sacrifice in the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem.
2. "the rebellion that causes desolation" - The Antichrist will set himself up in the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem and call himself god, "the abomination that causes desolation" referenced in Daniel 9:27-28, and the Gospels.
3. "the surrender of the sanctuary" - The Antichrist will take over the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem.
4. the host that will be trampled underfoot?" The Antichrist will kill many members of the Body of Christ.
Daniel chapter 8, verses 23-25: "In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a stern-faced king, a master of intrigue, will arise. 24 He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the mighty men and the holy people. 25 He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power."
It is the Antichrist who will set himself up in the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem and call himself god "take his stand against the Prince of princes." The Antichrist will be slain, its body destroyed, and thrown into the blazing fire by Jesus Christ at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. "Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power,"
From Daniel Chapter 8 we learn that the Antichrist will be a government leader who will come from one of the horns of Alexander the Great's four horns. More specifically, because of the fore-glimpse, we learn that the Antichrist will come from the same kingdom as Antiochus Epiphanes, who was the Antichrist's mirror image. Antiochus Epiphanes was the king of Syria.
BECAUSE OF THIS FOR-GLIMPSE, WE KNOW THAT THE ANTICHRIST WILL BE THE KING OF SYRIA.
Below is Daniel's vision referenced in chapter 9:
Daniel 9:20-27 (NIV) While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the Lord my God for his holy hill— 21 while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. 22 He instructed me and said to me, "Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. 23 As soon as you began to pray, an answer was given, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the message and understand the vision: 24 "Seventy 'sevens' are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy. 25 "Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven 'sevens,' and sixty-two 'sevens.' It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. 26 After the sixty-two 'sevens,' the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. 27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.
Most of Daniel's vision in chapter 9 is focused on the two orders to rebuild Jerusalem, and the subsequent two "Comings" of Jesus Christ. This is discussed further in the chapter The Two Orders to Rebuild Jerusalem Will Result in the Two "Comings" of Jesus.
Daniel 9:26-27 is again focusing on the Antichrist.
Daniel 9, verse 27a: "He will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' The Antichrist will make a covenant with a group of people for a seven year period.
Daniel 9, verse 27b: "In the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering." the Antichrist will stop the Jews from daily sacrifice in the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem.
Daniel 9, verse 27c: "And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation." The Antichrist will set himself up in the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem and call himself god, "an abomination that causes desolation" referenced in Daniel 8:13 and the Gospels.
Below is Daniel's vision referenced in chapters 10, 11, and 12. This was a single vision that covered three chapters:
Daniel 10:1-21 (NIV) In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a revelation was given to Daniel (who was called Belteshazzar). Its message was true and it concerned a great war. The understanding of the message came to him in a vision. 2 At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. 3 I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over. 4 On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris, 5 I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of the finest gold around his waist. 6 His body was like chrysolite, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude. 7 I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; the men with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves. 8 So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. 9 Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground. 10 A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. 11 He said, "Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you." And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling. 12 Then he continued, "Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. 13 But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. 14 Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come." 15 While he was saying this to me, I bowed with my face toward the ground and was speechless. 16 Then one who looked like a man touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and began to speak. I said to the one standing before me, "I am overcome with anguish because of the vision, my lord, and I am helpless. 17 How can I, your servant, talk with you, my lord? My strength is gone and I can hardly breathe." 18 Again the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength. 19 "Do not be afraid, O man highly esteemed," he said. "Peace! Be strong now; be strong." When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, "Speak, my lord, since you have given me strength." 20 So he said, "Do you know why I have come to you? Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece will come; 21 but first I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. (No one supports me against them except Michael, your prince.
I have highlighted in black with yellow letters the portions of the Holy Scriptures that reference Antiochus Epiphanes who was the foreglimpse of the Antichrist, but highlighted the actual Antichrist in yellow, in order to make clear the transitions in Scripture from the foreglimpse of the Antichrist to the actual Antichrist.
Daniel 11:1-45 (NIV) And in the first year of Darius the Mede, I took my stand to support and protect him.) 2 "Now then, I tell you the truth: Three more kings will appear in Persia, and then a fourth, who will be far richer than all the others. When he has gained power by his wealth, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece. 3 Then a mighty king will appear, who will rule with great power and do as he pleases. 4 After he has appeared, his empire will be broken up and parceled out toward the four winds of heaven. It will not go to his descendants, nor will it have the power he exercised, because his empire will be uprooted and given to others. 5 "The king of the South will become strong, but one of his commanders will become even stronger than he and will rule his own kingdom with great power. 6 After some years, they will become allies. The daughter of the king of the South will go to the king of the North to make an alliance, but she will not retain her power, and he and his power will not last. In those days she will be handed over, together with her royal escort and her father and the one who supported her. 7 "One from her family line will arise to take her place. He will attack the forces of the king of the North and enter his fortress; he will fight against them and be victorious. 8 He will also seize their gods, their metal images and their valuable articles of silver and gold and carry them off to Egypt. For some years he will leave the king of the North alone. 9 Then the king of the North will invade the realm of the king of the South but will retreat to his own country. 10 His sons will prepare for war and assemble a great army, which will sweep on like an irresistible flood and carry the battle as far as his fortress. 11 "Then the king of the South will march out in a rage and fight against the king of the North, who will raise a large army, but it will be defeated. 12 When the army is carried off, the king of the South will be filled with pride and will slaughter many thousands, yet he will not remain triumphant. 13 For the king of the North will muster another army, larger than the first; and after several years, he will advance with a huge army fully equipped. 14 "In those times many will rise against the king of the South. The violent men among your own people will rebel in fulfillment of the vision, but without success. 15 Then the king of the North will come and build up siege ramps and will capture a fortified city. The forces of the South will be powerless to resist; even their best troops will not have the strength to stand. 16 The invader will do as he pleases; no one will be able to stand against him. He will establish himself in the Beautiful Land and will have the power to destroy it. 17 He will determine to come with the might of his entire kingdom and will make an alliance with the king of the South. And he will give him a daughter in marriage in order to overthrow the kingdom, but his plans will not succeed or help him. 18 Then he will turn his attention to the coastlands and will take many of them, but a commander will put an end to his insolence and will turn his insolence back upon him. 19 After this, he will turn back toward the fortresses of his own country but will stumble and fall, to be seen no more. 20 "His successor will send out a tax collector to maintain the royal splendor. In a few years, however, he will be destroyed, yet not in anger or in battle. 21 "He will be succeeded by a contemptible person who has not been given the honor of royalty. He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue. 22 Then an overwhelming army will be swept away before him; both it and a prince of the covenant will be destroyed. 23 After coming to an agreement with him, he will act deceitfully, and with only a few people he will rise to power. 24 When the richest provinces feel secure, he will invade them and will achieve what neither his fathers nor his forefathers did. He will distribute plunder, loot and wealth among his followers. He will plot the overthrow of fortresses--but only for a time. 25 "With a large army he will stir up his strength and courage against the king of the South. The king of the South will wage war with a large and very powerful army, but he will not be able to stand because of the plots devised against him. 26 Those who eat from the king's provisions will try to destroy him; his army will be swept away, and many will fall in battle. 27 The two kings, with their hearts bent on evil, will sit at the same table and lie to each other, but to no avail, because an end will still come at the appointed time. 28 The king of the North will return to his own country with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant. He will take action against it and then return to his own country. 29 "At the appointed time he will invade the South again, but this time the outcome will be different from what it was before. 30 Ships of the western coastlands will oppose him, and he will lose heart. Then he will turn back and vent his fury against the holy covenant. He will return and show favor to those who forsake the holy covenant. 31 "His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation. 32 With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him. 33 "Those who are wise will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered. 34 When they fall, they will receive a little help, and many who are not sincere will join them. 35 Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time. 36 "The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take place. 37 He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the one desired by women, nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above them all. 38 Instead of them, he will honor a god of fortresses; a god unknown to his fathers he will honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. 39 He will attack the mightiest fortresses with the help of a foreign god and will greatly honor those who acknowledge him. He will make them rulers over many people and will distribute the land at a price. 40 "At the time of the end the king of the South will engage him in battle, and the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood. 41 He will also invade the Beautiful Land. Many countries will fall, but Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon will be delivered from his hand. 42 He will extend his power over many countries; Egypt will not escape. 43 He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, with the Libyans and Nubians in submission. 44 But reports from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in a great rage to destroy and annihilate many. 45 He will pitch his royal tents between the seas at the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.
Daniel chapter 11, verse 2: "Now then, I tell you the truth: Three more kings will appear in Persia, and then a fourth, who will be far richer than all the others. When he has gained power by his wealth, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece." - Those three kings were Cyrus, Cambyses, Darius Hystaspes. The fourth king was Xerxes, the most powerful and richest of the Persian kings who was defeated after invading Greece. Those kings were of the Medo-Persian Empire. This was Empire #2 of Daniel 2:31-45.
Daniel chapter 11, verse 3: "Then a mighty king will appear, who will rule with great power and do as he pleases. 4 After he has appeared, his empire will be broken up and parceled out toward the four winds of heaven. It will not go to his descendants, nor will it have the power he exercised, because his empire will be uprooted and given to others. The mighty king who followed the Medo-Persian Empire was Alexander the Great. This was the Greek Empire. This was Empire #3 of Daniel 2:31-45. Upon his death, Alexander's Empire was broken into four kingdoms; Greece, Asia Minor, Syria, and Egypt.
Daniel chapter 11, verse 5: "The king of the South" This was General Ptolemy I of Egypt. He had been one of Alexander the Great's Generals.
Daniel chapter 11, verse 6: "the king of the North" This was Seleucus Nicator, who became King of Syria. He had been an officer under General Ptolemy, one of Alexander's Generals.
"The king of the South" was the king of Egypt. "The king of the North" was the king of Syria. Daniel's prophecy of the wars between "The king of the South" (Egypt), and "the king of the North" (Syria) occurred between 323 and 146 B. C. The prophecies of those wars recorded in Daniel 11:21-35 were so detailed, and they so accurately depicted what occurred, that the devil has put forth the lie through the infidel Porphyry in the third century A. D. that the book of Daniel was written after those wars occurred. The devil through Porphyry claimed that the book of Daniel was written at the time of the Maccabean dynasty (168-164 B. C.), by an unknown author who gave the book Daniel's name. Jesus Christ referenced the book of Daniel in Matthew 24:15. The Omniscient Jesus Christ would not have referenced the book of Daniel if it is a forgery.
Daniel chapter 11, verse 21a: "He will be succeeded by a contemptible person" This was Antiochus Epiphanes, "The king of the South", the king of Syria. He is a fore-glimpse of the Antichrist, and was the only other "abomination that causes desolation."
Daniel chapter 11, verse 21b: "who has not been given the honor of royalty." Antiochus Epiphanes was not in line to the throne, he got the throne through treachery.
Daniel chapter 11, verse 22-25: "Then an overwhelming army will be swept away before him; both it and a prince of the covenant will be destroyed. 23 After coming to an agreement with him, he will act deceitfully, and with only a few people he will rise to power. 24 When the richest provinces feel secure, he will invade them and will achieve what neither his fathers nor his forefathers did. He will distribute plunder, loot and wealth among his followers. He will plot the overthrow of fortresses--but only for a time. 25 "With a large army he will stir up his strength and courage against the king of the South. The king of the South will wage war with a large and very powerful army, but he will not be able to stand because of the plots devised against him." Antiochus Epiphanes gained control of Egypt by deception and force.
Daniel chapter 11, verse 26: "Those who eat from the king's provisions will try to destroy him; his army will be swept away, and many will fall in battle." Ptolemy VI king of Egypt was Antiochus Epiphanes' nephew and Cleopatra I's son. Antiochus Epiphanes and Cleopatra I were brother/sister. There were several Cleopatra's. Cleopatra VII is the most well known. Ptolemy VI's subjects used treachery to defeat him.
Daniel chapter 11, verse 27: "The two kings, with their hearts bent on evil, will sit at the same table and lie to each other, but to no avail, because an end will still come at the appointed time." Antiochus Epiphanes and Ptolemy VI met as friends and attempted to deceive each other.
Daniel chapter 11, verse 28: "The king of the North will return to his own country with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant. He will take action against it and then return to his own country." When Antiochus Epiphanes left Egypt, he attacked Jerusalem on the way home, and killed 80,000 Jews. He also took 40,000 Jews as slaves, and sold 40,000 Jews into slavery.
Daniel chapter 11, verses 29-30a: "At the appointed time he will invade the South again, but this time the outcome will be different from what it was before. 30 Ships of the western coastlands will oppose him, and he will lose heart." Antiochus Epiphanes again attacked Egypt, but the Roman fleet opposed him.
Daniel chapter 11, verses 30b-31: "Then he will turn back and vent his fury against the holy covenant. He will return and show favor to those who forsake the holy covenant. 31 "His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation." When Antiochus Epiphanes left Egypt, he again attacked Jerusalem, and set up "the abomination that causes desolation", when he desecrated the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem.
Daniel chapter 11, verse 32a: "With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant," Some apostate Jews aided Antiochus Epiphanes in desecrating the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem.
Daniel chapter 11, verses 32b-35: "but the people who know their God will firmly resist him. 33 "Those who are wise will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered. 34 When they fall, they will receive a little help, and many who are not sincere will join them. 35 Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time." The Maccabean dynasty resisted Antiochus Epiphanes.
In Daniel chapter 11, verses 5-35, Daniel focused on the wars between the king of the South, and the king of the North. Those prophecies were completely fulfilled prior to 146 B. C. History did not begin fulfilling Daniel's prophecy from verses 36-45 until just recently. Beginning in verse 36, and continuing through verse 45, without notice or transition, Daniel was looking at another king. This is neither "the king of the South", nor "the king of the North", because in verse 40 this king is at war with the king of the South and the king of the North. Antiochus Epiphanes, "the king of the North" is a for-glimpse of the Antichrist. Without notice, Daniel transitioned from prophecies concerning Antiochus Epiphanes, who is the for-glimpse of the Antichrist, into prophecies of the actual Antichrist.
Daniel chapter 11, verse 36a,b: "The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods." The Antichrist will set himself up in the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem and claim that he is god.
Daniel chapter 11, verse 36c,d: "He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take place." The Antichrist will be successful during the time of wrath. This wrath will be the Seals, Trumpets, and Bowls of God's Wrath during the last half of the Seven Year Tribulation Period, or the three and one half year Great Tribulation Period.
Daniel chapter 11, verses 37,38: "He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the one desired by women, nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above them all. 38 Instead of them, he will honor a god of fortresses; a god unknown to his fathers he will honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts." The Antichrist will not follow the god of his fathers; he will honor the god of military might, and the foreign god Allah.
Daniel chapter 11, verse 39: "He will attack the mightiest fortresses with the help of a foreign god and will greatly honor those who acknowledge him. He will make them rulers over many people and will distribute the land at a price." This prophecy was fulfilled on September 11, 2001. The United States of America is one of "the mightiest fortresses." The foreign god that helps the Antichrist is not the True and Living God, he is "a foreign god." This "foreign god" is not a block of wood or stone, because this "foreign god" is actually able to help the Antichrist. Allah is the "foreign god" who assisted him. It was the king of Syria, with the help of the Islamic world and Allah, who called for the attack on the World Trade Center in New York. As the Antichrist comes to power and wealth, he will spread his wealth among terrorists, and rogue states.
Daniel chapter 11, verse 40a,b: "At the time of the end the king of the South will engage him in battle, and the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships." Daniel transitioned in chapter 11, between verse 35 and verse 36 from a fore-glimpse of the Antichrist into the actual Antichrist. In Daniel 11:36, Daniel transitioned from 146 B. C. to modern times. The king of the South is again Egypt, but the king of the North will be Russia (Gog from the land of Magog - Ezekiel 39:1-24). When the Antichrist invades Israel at the middle of the Seven Year Tribulation Period, Russia will only mobilize their forces against the Antichrist, but Russia will not attack the Antichrist at that time. I am sure that the Antichrist will make some agreement in order to appease Russia at that time.
Daniel chapter 11, verses 40c-43: "He will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood. 41 He will also invade the Beautiful Land. Many countries will fall, but Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon will be delivered from his hand. 42 He will extend his power over many countries; Egypt will not escape. 43 He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, with the Libyans and Nubians in submission." The Antichrist will invade Israel "He will also invade the Beautiful Land", take away the daily sacrifice from the Jews, and set himself up in the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem and call himself god. The Antichrist will have a war with Egypt ("at the time of the end the king of the South will engage him in battle"), and the Antichrist will conquer Egypt. The Antichrist will conquer Libya, and Sudan (in which is the Nubian desert). The Antichrist will never gain control of Jordan (the lands of Edom, Moab, and Ammon is now the country of Jordan).
Daniel chapter 11, verse 44: "But reports from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in a great rage to destroy and annihilate many." The report from the East that will alarm the Antichrist, is the report that China with an army of 200 million men is marching across the dry Euphrates River into the Valley of Megiddo to attack the Antichrist. The report from the North that will alarm the Antichrist, is the report that Russia is marching through the Caucasus Pass into the Valley of Megiddo to attack the Antichrist.
Daniel chapter 11, verse 45: "Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him." The Antichrist will be destroyed by Jesus Christ at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
Daniel 12:1-13 (NIV) "At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people--everyone whose name is found written in the book--will be delivered. 2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. 4 But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge." 5 Then I, Daniel, looked, and there before me stood two others, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank. 6 One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, "How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?" 7 The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, "It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed." 8 I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, "My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?" 9 He replied, "Go your way, Daniel, because the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end. 10 Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand. 11 "From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12 Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days. 13 "As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance."
Daniel chapter 12, verse 1b: "There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then." This is a reference to the Seven Year Tribulation Period.
Daniel chapter 12, verse 2: "Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt." This is the resurrection referenced in Revelation 20:11-15 for the Great White Throne Judgment of God, following the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ .
Daniel Chapter 12, verse 6c-7: "How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?" 7 The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, "It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed." The "time, times and half a time" is the three and one half year period of the Great Tribulation. It is the final half of the Seven Year Tribulation, and occurs after the State of Israel falls, when the Antichrist sets himself up in the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem proclaiming himself to be god.
As Daniel stated, the head of gold was Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian world empire. The Babylonian Empire fell to the Medo-Persian world empire. The Medo-Persian world empire fell to Alexander the Great and the Greek world empire. When Alexander the Great died, his Greek Empire was divided among four of Alexander's generals. These four empires fell to Julius Caesar and the Roman Empire. The Roman empire was the final world empire prior to the empire of the Antichrist. The Roman empire was "strong as iron--for iron breaks and smashes everything--and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others."
The greatest recognized peace in the history of mankind occurred during "Pax Romano," or "the Peace of Rome." Rome established that peace through essentially a One World Government, with a One World Religion. Rome recognized that they needed a One World Religion in order to maintain a One World Government. Rome worshipped many gods including the worship of Caesar as their One World Religion.
In 60 A. D. Rome burned. It is thought that Emperor Nero burned Rome in order to rebuild Rome better to his liking. However, after Rome burned, Nero got into political trouble because Rome had burned. Consequently, Nero accused the Christians of burning Rome. Christians were an easy target because they would not worship the Roman gods, and they would not worship Caesar as god. Nero began an intense persecution of the Christians for allegedly burning Rome. The persecution of the Christians ebbed and flowed during the various Roman Emperors until 315 A. D.
In 284 A. D. the Roman Emperor Diocletian came to power and again insisted that all Romans worship Caesar. The subsequent intense persecution by Diocletian was brought about by the fact that the members of the Body of Christ would still not worship Caesar. This created a division within the Roman One World Religion, and so Diocletian attempted to annihilate the Body of Christ. This Christian refusal to worship Caesar resulted in the last and most violent of the Roman persecutions of Christians. After 300 years, it became apparent that the Body of Christ actually strengthened and spread under persecution.
"We multiply whenever we are mown down by you; the blood of Christians is seed." - Quintus Septimius Tertullianus 160-240
Diocletian was followed by the Roman Emperor Constantine. On the eve of a battle against Maxentius, Emperor Constantine had a dream that showed the sign of the Cross in the sky with the words "In this sign, shalt thou conquer." Constantine was victorious in the battle, and forthwith issued a decree in 313 A. D. that Christians were no longer to be persecuted. Rome finally concluded that they could not eliminate Judeo-Christianity. In 323 A. D. Constantine declared Christianity to be the state religion of the Roman Empire. In order to maintain a One World Religion, Rome switched from the worship of Caesar to the worship of Jesus Christ. Rome did not care who was worshipped as God as long as they were able to maintain their One World Religion. Constantine's declaration accomplished the Roman One World Religion that the Romans were seeking, in that those in the Body of Christ were then free to worship Jesus Christ, and those who had been worshipping Caesar were happy to again oblige the government.
Whether Constantine personally actually accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior and God, or simply used Judeo-Christianity to his political advantage has been debated since that time. Some accounts reflect that Constantine remained a pagan until just prior to his death, and was baptized on his death bed. It was certainly apparent that prior to 313 A. D., the One World Religion of Rome was challenged and divided by Judeo-Christianity, and that after Constantine's declaration, the division no longer existed.
The Roman One World Religion began with the worship of Caesar, and ended in the worship of Jesus Christ.
"You have conquered, Galilean" - The dying words of Emperor Julian The Apostate
The power of the Roman Empire began to crumble and transition into the power of the Roman Catholic Church. Across several hundred years, the power of the Roman Empire transitioned into the power of the Holy Roman Empire and ultimately into the power of the Holy Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Empire has descended and is alive today in the Roman Catholic Church.
"The Papacy is not other than the Ghost of the deceased Roman Empire, sitting crowned upon the grave thereof." - Thomas Hobbes 1588-1679
The tip of the iceberg that is the Roman Empire transitioned into the Roman Catholic Church has been seen frequently since 323 A. D.
In 451 A. D., Attila the Hun moved to attack Rome. Attila was confronted by Pope Leo, also known as Leo the Great. Pope Leo met Attila with a group of priests and Holy Banners. Attila turned back and left Italy. At that time, Pope Leo was given credit for saving the Roman Empire.
Romulus Augustulas was the last Roman Emperor, and was deposed in 476 A. D.
As the Roman Empire fell, the "Dark Ages" began where very few people could read or write, and there was little international communication in the world. The Roman Catholic Church began to emerge as a political force. A Christian monk named Benedict whose philosophy was to work along with prayer set up the Christian order of the Benedictines. These monks collected Bibles, and any other books that they could find. Through these books they gained agricultural knowledge, medical knowledge, and any knowledge that they could in order to serve the people. The monasteries provided schools, hospitals, and shelter for travelers. The monks lived austere lives, but collected tithes from the people and consequently the monasteries became rich. These monks advised kings, wrote letters to other leaders for kings, and many times administered the governments of the various states wherein they lived. They also communicated with the Roman Catholic Pope, and he with them. The Roman Catholic Church began to set up a system of government, headed by a bishop and known as a diocese.
Clovis, King of the Franks (Germany/France) and his tribe were baptized into the Roman Catholic Church in 496 A. D.
In 768 A. D. Charles Martel's son Charlemagne became king and conquered all of France. Charlemagne went to Italy and conquered the Lombard's, and gave the land to the Pope. Charlemagne then went to Spain, fought the Avars in Austria, and he also consolidated power in a substantial portion of Germany. On Christmas eve 800 A. D., Charlemagne was crowned by the Pope Leo III in Rome as the new Holy Roman Emperor, whereupon the people shouted "Long life and victory to Charles Augustus, crowned by God the great and peace-loving Emperor of the Romans." He was the first German Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. His mission was to restore the Roman Empire. The rulers were to be Christian Germans, and leaders of Christendom. The Holy Roman Empire consisted of the German people who had settled the western Roman Empire, the Roman Catholic Church, and the remnants of the Roman Empire. Charlemagne died in 814, and his kingdom was separated among his three sons into Germany, France, and Italy.
The German king, Otto the Great conquered Italy and bestowed it on a Lombard prince. The Pope crowned Otto as Roman Emperor in 962 A. D. Again, German kings became Holy Roman Emperors with the title "Protectors of Christendom."
Various emperors began bestowing lands on priests, bishops, and archbishops. Churchmen ruled like noblemen over great estates, and rode into battle with the peasant soldiers. At that time, the Pope wanted to decide who would be the bishops, but the kings of state wanted to decide who controlled the land. The "Investiture" controversy occurred in Rome in 1073 between Pope Gregory 7th, and the German King Henry 4th. Pope Gregory claimed to be the divinely appointed ruler of all Christians on earth, but King Henry resisted. Whereupon, Pope Gregory excommunicated King Henry 4th. King Henry capitulated, and Pope Gregory lifted the excommunication. Henceforth the bishops were chosen by the Roman Catholic Church, and the Pope increased his influence/control of all Christendom.
Medieval knights first duty was to fight for God and for Christendom. The Pope was the ruler of all Christendom. In 1095, Pope Urban II initiated the first Crusade to recapture Jerusalem.
The German King Frederick I from the Hohenstaufen line was also known as Barbarossa. As the Holy Roman Emperor, he attacked Milan and destroyed it. In this, he was opposed by the Pope. Barbarrossa's grandson Frederick II had as a guardian, Pope Innocent III. Pope Innocent III was the lord of all Christendom, and all of the princes of Europe. He excommunicated King John in England in 1215. Because of his excommunication, the English nobility stripped King John of his power. King John then swore never to oppose the will of the nobleman, and signed the Magna Charta. England was still forced to pay taxes and tribute to Pope Innocent III.
Pope Gregory ordered a new crusade. Without the consent of the Pope, Frederick II made an agreement with the Muslims for the Christians to be able to visit Jerusalem. The Pope was infuriated, and called Frederick the antichrist. Frederick II died in 1250 A. D., ending the rule of the Hohenstaufens.
Around that time, communities began coming together to build elaborate churches, and there were new monastic orders being created.
The Roman Empire divided into the western empire and the eastern empire. The western Roman Empire fell around 476 A. D. The eastern Roman Empire fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1453 A. D.
The Roman Catholic Church, and the Eastern Orthodox Church vied for power through the middle ages with the Muslims.
Mohammed was born in 570 A. D. Beginning with Mohammed, Islam spread from Medina and Mecca to the Holy Land, Cyprus, Sicily, all of North Africa, Spain, Mesopotamia, Persia, Greece, East India and parts of China.
In 636 A. D. the Muslims defeated the Byzantine army at Yarmuk. In 640 the Muslims conquered Byzantine Syria. By 642 Egypt and other parts of North Africa had been conquered by Islam. The Muslims conquered the Persians by 650. By 710 the Muslims additionally occupied southern Spain. In 717, the Muslims attacked Constantinople and were defeated. By 725 the Muslims occupied most of Spain. These attacks by the Muslims into Europe occurred hundreds of years before the Crusades. Islam was stopped from conquering all of Europe in 732 A. D., at the battle of Tours, by Charles Martel the Frank King, in what is now France and Germany.
In 1492, Ferdinand and Isabella evicted the Muslims from Spain.
In the early 16th century, the Muslim Suleiman the Magnificent invaded the Balkans and defeated the Hungarians. Suleiman also besieged Vienna.
In 1571 Pope Pius V organized a fleet and defeated the fleets of the Ottoman Turks at Lepanto.
Since the Fall of the Roman Empire, the dynamic of the power of the world has ebbed between the Roman Catholic Church, and Islam. There has been a dynamic war between Islam and Judeo-Christian Organized Religion since the birth of Islam.
From the death of Roman Emperor Romulus Augustulas, the power of the Roman Empire has evolved into the power of the Roman Catholic Church. The feet of the statue referenced above in Daniel 2:31-45 are a mixture of iron and clay. The legs of iron which was the Roman Empire, transitioned into a combination of the feet of iron which is the Roman Catholic Church, and the feet of clay.
Part of the substance used in forming the final kingdom referenced above in Daniel 2:31-45 was clay, a form of the dust of the earth. Man was created from the dust of the earth (Genesis chapter 2:4-7). This final kingdom is a blend of the Roman Catholic Church, and something that is from man. Islam certainly complies with the requirement of something that is from man. According to Mohammed, Islam came about when Allah dictated the Qur'an, word for word, through the angel Gabriel, to Mohammed.
Mohammed initially thought that he was demon possessed, and contemplated suicide.
The devil is not the Great Creator, and the devil is not creative. When the devil attempted to establish another damning religion, he could not create anything. The devil knows that God is God, and the devil again attempted to be God. The devil attempted to set up a religion that was as close to the worship of God as the devil could make it. The counterfeit needed to look real, because the devil is the deceiver:
Matthew 24:24 (NIV) For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that were possible.
The devil is a thief, liar, and destroyer:
John 10:10 (NIV) The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
The devil stole the writings and lineage of Judeo-Christianity, substituted Ishmael for Isaac, and himself for God. Because the devil is a deceiver, thief, liar, and murderer, he could not exercise self control. The devil confused the writings of Judeo-Christianity and added passages for deceiving, lying, stealing, and murdering, and he then put them forth through Mohammed as the Qur'an.
"An error is the more dangerous the more truth it contains." - Henri-Frederic Amiel 1821-1881
Islam is a bastardized Judeo-Christianity. A great portion of the Islamic religion is plagiarized from Judeo-Christianity. What is NOT plagiarized from Judeo-Christianity is false, or a blatant lie from the devil.
"He said likewise
That a lie which is half a truth is ever the blackest of lies,
That a lie which is all a lie may be met and fought with outright,
But a lie which is part a truth is a harder matter to fight." - Alfred, Lord Tennyson 1809-1892
Even the prophets of Islam are the exact same prophets of Judeo-Christianity (other than Muhammad himself) with the exception of Ishmael, the father of the Arab world, and slave son of Abraham. In Islam, there is no lineage of Ishmael stated after Ishmael, in fact the descendants of Jacob (Israel) are revered as prophets including Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Solomon, Zacharias, Elijah, right on down to Jesus and John the Baptist. What logical, intellectually honest person could accept an entire lineage of another family, religion, or culture with a single exception as in the case of Ishmael? Ishmael sticks out like a briar limb growing on an olive tree.
Pope Benedict XVI quoted 14th Century Byzantine Christian Emperor Manuel Paleologos II when he said: "Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." The current Islamic World became violently upset because of Pope Benedict's quotation, but no one has offered irrefutable proof that the quotation is not true. The Islamic world has squealed like a pig and perpetrated violence because of Pope Benedict's quotation, as that is the Islamic world's only course of action in view of the fact that the Emperor Manuel Paleologos II's words are still true.
"I studied the Qur'an a great deal. I came away from that study with the conviction that by and large there have been few religions in the world as deadly to men as that of Muhammad. So far as I can see, it is the principal cause of the decadence so visible today in the Muslim world and, though less absurd than the polytheism of old, its social and political tendencies are in my opinion more to be feared, and I therefore regard it as a form of decadence rather than a form of progress in relation to paganism itself." - Alexis de Tocqueville 1805-1859
All Muslims are wicked, because all humans are born with the evil wicked sinful nature that they inherited from Adam, and the very fact that a person claims to be Muslim precludes them from having accepted Jesus Christ as their God. Every person who has not accepted Jesus as their God is wicked like their father Adam was wicked.
When Jesus Christ returns, He will smash and crush the Empire of the Antichrist, and set up the One Thousand Year Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ from Jerusalem.
Daniel 2:31-45 (NIV) "You looked, O king, and there before you stood a large statue--an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. 32 The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. 34 While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were broken to pieces at the same time and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth. 36 "This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king. 37 You, O king, are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory; 38 in your hands he has placed mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds of the air. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold. 39 "After you, another kingdom will rise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. 40 Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron--for iron breaks and smashes everything--and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others. 41 Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. 42 As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay. 44 "In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. 45 This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands--a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces. "The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and the interpretation is trustworthy."
(As for the historical facts and data given in this document, don't take my word for their existence, go read the history books.)