|
 
"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge" Hosea 4:6 |
Rome in Bible Prophecy
History tells us that the kingdom which overcame Greece was the kingdom of Rome. 40 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.
The Battle of Pydna, June 22, 168 B.C. marks the time when Greece fell before the Romans. From this point on, Rome ruled the Mediterranean world and beyond to Britain in the north. For more than 500 years, Rome was unconquerable. Rome enjoyed world supremacy until it was overtaken by the Ostrogoths in A.D. 476. From the British Isles to the Arabian Gulf, from the North Sea to the Sahara Desert, Rome was supreme. The Caesars were worshipped as gods. Rome is the kingdom that dominated the world when Jesus Christ was born. Three-fourths of the population of the city of Rome were slaves. Wealth poured into the city. It was a regime of brute force and strength. However, the image of iron was not to last. The iron in the image sat on feel of iron mixed with clay. Notice how Daniel foretold a thousand years of world history with unerring accuracy. The rise and fall of these four world empires--Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome-are clearly foretold in the Bible and proved by the history books.
Daniel emphasized the feet and toes of iron and clay, not another separate kingdom. This mixture is symbolic of smaller nations coming after the collapse of Rome. And, these smaller nations would not cling together, just as iron and clay do not cling together. Over time, barbarians wore down the borders of Rome, and by A.D. 476 Rome was completely broken apart. Western Europe was divided into ten parts within the old boundaries of the Roman Empire. These were the Lombards, the Alemanni, the Anglo-Saxons, the Ostrogoths, the Brugundians, the Franks, the Suevi, the Vandals, the Visigoths, and the Heruli. This was the beginning of the modern nations of Europe; some strong, some weak. Seven of them still exist today in Europe. For example, the Anglo-Saxons became the English, the Franks became the French, the Alemannians became the Germans, and the Lombards became the Italians.
Dan 2:41 "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.
42 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.
43 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 prophecy said that these nations would not cling together. People have tried for centuries to unite Europe by different means. But, the prophecy says that these nations would not cling together. For the past fifteen centuries men have tried to unite Europe by force. Charlemagne, Charles V, Louis XIV, Napoleon, Kaiser William II, Adolph Hitler-all tried and failed. It was not for lack of trying. If it had not been for a snow storm during Hitler's attack on Russia, Russians today might have been speaking German. But, seven words of the prophecy stood between Hitler and success!
Peaceful negotiations did not work either. Over 4,500 treaties and international agreements were submitted before the old League of Nations between May 10, 1920 and May 19, 1939. But, these treaties did not prevent World War II. Prior to World War I most of the leaders of these countries were related by marriage. But, that did not bring the countries together. Nothing seemed to be able to stop World War I. Today there are many calls for a united Europe. The European Common Market, the common currency-Euro, all in an effort to unite Europe. But, politically, they will not cling together! Scripture says it, and God's Word always comes true.
However, there is a prophecy for uniting Europe, and the world, spiritually, in a counterfeit world kingdom. There is a church leader who plans to be the head of this New World Order. In the process of forming this New World Order, persecution will again be implemented to force the will of people. And, this will usher in the event of all ages, the second coming of Jesus Christ. This is the fifth kingdom described in Daniel 2. Dan 2:44 "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. 45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure."
Notice verse 44, where it says "in the days of these kings". In the days of the nations of Europe being partly iron and partly clay, Jesus will come. We are living in those days today! As we continue with Daniel 7 and Revelation 13, this will be made clear. Go to the menu at the top of the page and click on Prophecy > Daniel 7. Again, we encourage you to study these pages in the order given.
|
