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Daniel #4

God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, our Lord Jesus Christ, Father of glory, may your name be hallowed. We look forward to the kingdom of God the Father that will be fulfilled in heaven and on earth and in the New Jerusalem, and we want to put our hope in the Word. Help us, Lord, to see your glory in the Word by giving us wisdom and understanding through the Holy Spirit. Please help all the members of this church to wear the full armor of the Word and not be deceived while living on earth and overcome the spiritual battles, so that they can all stand out as soldiers of the cross. Like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, help us to overcome the world by fully trusting only the Lord. We give thanks and pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

            (Daniel 2:31-43 KJV) ¶ Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king. Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold. And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.

The head is gold, Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian empire. The Babylonian king reigned for about 70 years, from 606 to 536 BC. When Daniel said Thou art this head of gold, this also describes Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon. However verse 39 says there will rise another inferior kingdom to Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar, trickling down all the way to the fourth kingdom. So in other words, the king and the kingdom are described as same at the same time. Daniel 7:17 is a scene where four beasts rise out of the sea. Concerning these beasts, the Bible says that these four great beasts are four kings who will arise from the earth. In Daniel 7:21, the fourth beast will become the fourth kingdom on earth. We’ll come back to this later. The image’s chest and arms are silver. These are the kingdoms of Medes and Persia. Historically it was the Medean King Darius and King Cyrus of Persia. Iran is the descendants of the Persians. Modern Iranians are attempting to bring back the old Persian empire through their nuclear programs. They are delusional at best. The Persian empire came and went as their glory now only remains as ruins. All these kingdoms were once lead by dictators. They were all ruled by kings. Ultimately the Medo-Persian empire also fell to Alexander the Great of Greece. It was destroyed 330 years before the arrival of our Lord.

            Then verse 32 says the belly and thighs of the image are brass. Earlier, Medes and Persia were silver, but now this kingdom is brass. Daniel in verse 39 states that another third kingdom of brass will arise and rule the world. As prophesied, Alexander the Great rose to powers, as he was more of a military minister than a dictator. He became the monarch as the military minister, ruling over a province. Alexander started in Macedonia and traveled around the world as a dictator of world dominance, but he did not rule the entire world. So, just like that, brass is inferior to silver. Alexander was no match to Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar was called king of kings. But our Lord is the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Not only did God allow Nebuchadnezzar to wield enough power back then to be called the king of kings, but God also utilized the king and the Babylonian empire for his purpose. Again, Alexander, Darius and Cyrus are nothing compared to Nebuchadnezzar. However, Babylon the Great reappears during the Great Tribulation. That’s why in Revelation John wondered with great admiration. He marveled at the mysterious reappearing of Babylon the Great. Although  kingdom of Greece lasted about 100 years, Alexander himself died at a very young age. After his death, the kingdom was divided into four. We will study this again later. Verse 33 shows the iron legs of the great image. Showing that the fourth kingdom will be as powerful as iron, breaking everything into pieces and conquers in its path.

            This is Rome. We know through history that the Roman empire rose up as world power 100 years before the arrival of Lord Jesus Christ. Rome never had a successful dictator or military dictatorship, but rather Republican Monarchy. Again, even Caesar is nothing compared to Nebuchadnezzar. With the introduction of Senate, even the mighty Caesar had to heed to the advice of the Roman Senators, thus weakening his authority. So these two legs represent iron Rome which eventually split into East and West. In verse 33, the image’s feet are now part iron, and part clay. Representing the final kingdom and the end of the world. As for what kingdom this is, verse 41 tells us And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. (Daniel 2:41 KJV) And just like that Rome is now divided. What happened after the Roman Empire dissolved? They blended into Europe. Even the ancestors of United States, migrated from Europe. After all, America is also a nation of clay and iron just as Europe is. Some European nations are powerful, while some are weak. Countries like France & Germany are powerful. However countries like Greece and Spain are not far from becoming a third-world nation. Take a look at USA. Some call it a melting pot. A nation of iron and clay. Contrary to it’s name, people within the United States cannot be combined with each other. Whites, Asians, Hispanics and blacks all live together, but truth be told, they don’t really mingle or mix together that well. They are like grains of sand. It’s just like the Bible says. Through this you can see that we live in the era of the ten toes. All kinds of people live together. What a troublesome and chaotic nation the United States has become. That’s not all. Every nation around the world have integration of many races due to millions of immigrants blending in causing many problems. Therefore, it is better to recognize the kingdoms corresponding to these ten toes as ten kings rather than as kingdoms.

            The Book of Revelation tells us about the ten kings. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. (Revelation 17:3 KJV) Ten horns are the ten kings. Connecting to the ten kings of Daniel. (Revelation 13:1 KJV) ¶ And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. This beast is the Antichrist. It has ten horns. Ten crowns upon his ten horns. First ten kings are established. However, the Antichrist later pulls out three of them and becomes the full-on dictator. (Revelation 17:11-12 KJV) And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.  There were 7, the 8^th will rise among the 10 horns. They’ll rule for a short time, an hour, and then the antichrist will appear like little horn, and he will take control. Therefore, in the book of Revelation, the ten horns are ten kings, and they are waiting to receive authority the kingdoms. And these kings appear to who have a close relationship with one beast, the antichrist. So, upon seeing that we have arrived to the era of the ten toes of iron and clay, you can realize we are near the end. In (Revelation 13:1 KJV) we see a beast; a man representing a kingdom, rising out of the sea. This sea is the Mediterranean.

            Let’s skip forward to (Daniel 7:7 KJV) After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. He The kingdom that corresponds to the mixed iron and clay toes of the image Nebuchadnezzar saw, is the beast in Daniel’s vision that has great iron teeth. It is about Rome, the coalition that will emerge in the future. A Prophetic word about the rise of Roman empire, but not the old empire, but a different Rome. This is about the Antichrist with the ten horns, as he has some relation to Rome’s involvement of this future empire. Among the ten horns, a little horn will rise, becoming the Antichrist. Daniel 7:8 tells us about the little horn. When we say Rome here, this is not necessarily only about Roman Catholics, but refers to a group that has all of those elements of Rome. Therefore, if you look at Europe or the United States, these countries have all the attributes of ancient Rome. The proud White race who are the majority of the rulers. Matter of fact, many of the white people are running America. Rome was the last great empire to dominate the entire continent of Europe. Today, the mental, cultural and ideological foundation of Westerners became the foundation of Rome. That’s why these powerful elites are the descendants of Rome, which have become the foundation of Europe, including USA. However there are the weak. The Minority. The Majority and the Minority. This is the mixture of iron and clay.

            (Daniel 2:34 KJV) Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. A stone appeared suddenly. Hit the image and shattered it into pieces. But the stone has not been cut by hands. It wasn’t man made. ¶ To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:4-5 KJV) The Lord is a living stone. The Lord becomes the head of the church as a living stone. That is why church members must be born again by the Holy Spirit and become lively stones to unite with the Lord, thus becoming an holy priesthood. Moving onto (1 Peter 2:6 KJV) Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. (1 Peter 2:8 KJV) And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. This is an offensive living stone, a stumbling block unto the people. Those who believe in this stone and receive life become lively stones, but this living stone is a stumbling block unto the unbelievers of Jesus. Who were offended? The Pharisees and Sadducees tested the Lord. Then, unable to answer a single word, they stumbled and fell. They were not saved. To those who do not believe, it is a stumbling stone and a rock of offense. It’s annoying to hear people preaching to believe in Jesus. What happens if they don’t believe in Jesus? They’ll be offended and will fall into hell. Even now, our Lord is testified through lively stone Christians. However, everyone who still do not believe in the Lord like the religious people of the past, The Lord becomes a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence. By the way, where did this stone strike? Not the head. The feet. It struck the image’s feet. Also, this stone doesn’t break the legs. The feet. This stone did not destroy the Roman Empire. It strikes the ten kingdoms that appeared later after Rome. That’s the ten toes. This is the second coming of the Lord on earth. This is not about the rapture. It is the Second Coming of the Lord at the end of the seven years of tribulation after the rapture has taken place. In Revelation 19, when the Lord appears on a white horse with His saints is when the stone comes down from the heaven and strikes the kingdoms of this world. It all lines up with the Book of Revelation. Striking the feet and toes, which are part iron and part clay. We can see here that the last world alliance is mixed with Rome in some form. It is not the historical Roman Empire. It is not the time of the First Coming, but His Second Coming. We know for sure this is the event of the Second Coming as the living stone comes down to strike because (Daniel 2:35 KJV)  says Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

Once the feet were struck, everything from gold to silver, brass, iron, and clay crumbled. How could the metallic image crumble like this? Only the Lord can make it possible. No matter how strong a kingdom is, it cannot stand before the judgment of the Lord.  It’s not just broken in pieces, but ground like a fine powder. Became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away. John the Baptist said Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. (Matthew 3:12 KJV) At the Lord’s Second Coming, the nations of this world will become chaff, and the remnants, those who believe in the Lord, will become grain. As gold, silver, brass, iron and clay are all gone without a trace. (Psalm 37:10 KJV) For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. It was the same in the days of Noah. No one was around when the flood waters dissipated, except for Noah and his family. That’s why the Lord said But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. (Matthew 24:37 KJV) Coming of the Son of Man is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ on earth. So, just as Noah and his entire family took over this world again, we can know through the Bible that God’s children and God’s people will take over this heaven and earth. People don’t understand now. To them it’s unimaginable how it all collapses into pieces like this, how the entire world was flooded out during the days of Noah. How will the whole world disappear? Of course this is all nonsense to them. However, when our Lord, the Living Stone is incomparable to a nuclear warhead. Kingdoms of this world will become like chaff on a summer threshing floor and be blown away by the wind. There will be no trace of where it went. Only the stone that struck the image will form a great mountain and fill the whole world, where the Gentile kingdoms once stood. What are those stones? Lively stones that came down with the Lord. The saints who were raptured and the remnant who believed in Jesus and kept the commandments during the Great Tribulation, Jews and Gentiles, countless and innumerable people of many languages and nations, dressed in white and clothed in the blood of the Lamb. These people will make a great mountain. They will fill the entire world, the earth.

            (Isaiah 11:9 KJV) They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. It’s about the millennial kingdom. Only the living stones, not the dead, will cover the world. And the whole world will know the Lord. In other words, And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. (John 17:3 KJV) Only those who know the Lord and have received eternal life will fill this world. And the Lord will return and rule the whole world. Last but not least, (Revelation 11:15 KJV) And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

The seventh trumpet is the Lord’s second coming. Then, the last trump, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, this is what you hear when you are raptured. Because the last trumpet is always known as the seventh trumpet, many people don’t realize about the rapture. Therefore, at this very time the Lord will come, and all the kingdoms of the world will now become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ. And he will not reign for only a thousand years, but for ever and ever. The Lord will reign for a thousand years and go back to the word. David will reign Israel, and all the Gentile nations, the saints who were reborn by the Holy Spirit in current Age of Grace, the raptured saints, will govern as much as they worked and gained pounds, ten cities, five cities and so forth. Unsaved people of the current world calls us crazy for believing in this. But they are crazy too. They are crazy about the world, as we are crazy about the kingdom of God, which is invisible to their eyes. People who only believe what they see are bound to be crazy about it. Although it is not revealed, only with the Holy Spirit, through the eyes of the Holy Spirit, can we foresee the Kingdom of God within us, the Kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. This is the spiritual kingdom of God. However, when the Lord comes, That very Kingdom will physically appear in the heavens and on the earth with our eyes. The Lord said, unless a person is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Those who are not born again can only believe what they see. They won’t be able to enter that kingdom. That’s why many people worship in the church, but only a few are born again and await the coming of the Lord. Those who do not wait for the Second Coming of the Lord do not see the kingdom, in other words, they are not the living. They are not the lively stones. Only the lively stones can live looking forward to the day when Jesus Christ, the true living stone will appear. I hope for all members of this church be like that. When that happens, we become of one mind. Then when we meet, there’s nothing left to talk about. There is nothing to talk about in this world. That’s because the Lord knows everything and will take care of all things. That is why, only in that hope, when the saints share the word during fellowship, the weak will hear the word, and they too will be born again through prayers. Therefore, churches with lively stones do not hold meetings but only pray. Therefore, this should be a church with true fellowship of saints. Let us pray.

            Thank you Father God. Today, we have seen connection with the books of Revelation and Ezekiel, which we have referred to so far, the same words are recorded in the book of Daniel. Thank you for allowing your words to be spoken through the mouths of many people, proving that all are the words of God, giving us confidence once again today. May all members of this church become the lively stones. Also, Father, please help Christians living scattered all over the world who hear this word enjoy the blessing of forming a great mountain as the lively stones when they come down to this earth with the Lord. We thank you and pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.