continued from: 1st part
The last state of Christianity....Kingdom or apostasy?
Will men build a Kingdom for God on the earth, or are they in fact constructing the final global system for the Satanic rule of the earth? This answer to this question is of tremendous import. Do you know what the Word of God says about these things?
The prophecies of the book of Daniel answer many questions regarding the "end of the age" before the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, including the question above.
An answer to this most important question is found in the second chapter of the book of Daniel. The passage of scripture in question (Dan. 2:32-45) tells of the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar's having had a dream, and of the prophet Daniel being given the interpretation of the dream by the LORD.
A little background is necessary to understand the setting for the incident and the reason for the Jewish prophet Daniel's being in Babylon at that time: As divine punishment of the Jews for their idolatry, the city of Jerusalem and the Jewish temple had been destroyed by the Babylonian armies (587 B.C.). Having been defeated, the Jews themselves were in Babylon in captivity, and the "glory of the LORD" had departed from the ruins of the temple, God's earthly abode (Ezekiel 10:4,18; 11:22-23). God had turned them over to their enemies and had left them. With God departed and now no longer dwelling in the midst of His people, and according to His sovereign plan for the ages, a new thing was to happen: the Gentile nations would replace the Jews and be given to rule upon the earth for a time. The Lord reveals this information through the King's dream and Daniel's interpretation of it. A pre-telling of history.
The dream is of a great statue of a 'man', representing the coming human rule on the earth (as opposed to God ruling through the Jews). It was given to the Babylonian King, the 'head of gold' who would rule over the first of what would ultimately be five successive empires:
-------------------------------------------------
(Daniel 2)
The King's dream:
(32) "This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,
(33)His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.
(34)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 broke them to pieces.
(35)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.
(36)This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king."
Daniel's interpretation:
(37) Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
(38-43 gives a description of four kingdoms, with what we are calling the 'fifth' (the feet) being actually an extension of the fourth (the legs). This final phase is pictured as the ten toes, which are to represent 'kings'. The ten toes are the same as the 'ten kings' found in Daniel 7:24. The description of the various kingdoms is not necessary here, as we are just looking at the fate of the last phase, the 'toes'. The next two verses (44-45) reveal the answer.)
(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 forever.
(45) Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke 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."
--------------------------------------
Very briefly, the King's dream is of a great image of a 'man', representing the varying 'human' governments that would reign over the earth from that point forward (32-33) up until the final kingdom, which is seen to bring an end to man's attempts to rule upon the earth (34). The dream shows a series of five ruling empires (the fifth being an 'extension' of the fourth), with the fifth and final allotted rule given to the Gentiles being the "feet part of iron and part of clay" (33). This God given succession of governments is what is known as "the times of the Gentiles" (Luke 21:24).
Now as seen if carefully studied, when that time is up this final kingdom is to be destroyed, and will be smote by the "stone....cut out of the mountains without hands" (34,45). It will be broken into pieces (34,44), and consumed (44). According to the prophecy this "time of the Gentiles" will come to an end in judgment, and that judgment is the period of time we refer to as the 'Tribulation'. This final form of the "kingdoms" which man builds, the "feet of iron and clay", will be crushed into dust and blown away by the wind, and "no place found" for any part of it whatsoever, as seen (35).
Even a very brief study of this passage as here shows the discrepancy of the dominionist position, with their claim that they will successfully usher in the "Kingdom" in preparation for the return of Jesus Christ. The book of Daniel shows a scenario which is completely opposite: a total destruction and a breaking in pieces of that final human kingdom, for "the image is smote upon his feet" (34). The 'feet' being the the last 'kingdom', and the one that is crushed. This speaks of the ultimate failure and judgment of the feeble efforts of men to "rule themselves".
The Lord Jesus Christ is of course that stone. He is "the stone which the builders rejected"; (Matt. 21:42; Mark 12:10; Luke 20:17) ...the stone cut out without hands...(a kingdom not built by the 'hands' of men).
The picture is clear...nothing built by men will remain.
Furthermore, we learn in the 7th and 11th chapter of Daniel that this final kingdom, the feet of iron and clay, is to be ruled by the one referred to as the Antichrist. He is called the "god of this world" (2 Cor. 4:4) and will unite the nations in defiance of the Living God (Ps. 2:1-3). This is the prophesied end. The consummation of man's greatest efforts are found to be nothing more than a failed attempt to gain independence from God. It will at this point, of necessity, be crushed and blown away as dust in the wind (35), having been tried and found wanting, proving to all for time and eternity the folly of the 'creature'. After that, then and only then, the "God of heaven" will set up His own Kingdom (44), and as shown, the "stone that smote the image" will become a great mountain (kingdom) and fill the earth, and it shall stand forever (35,45).
"I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him." Ezk. 21:27
The LORD reigneth, and no flesh shall glory in his presence (1 Cor. 1:29).
Back to the first question: Will men build a "Kingdom" for God on the earth, or are they in fact constructing the final global system for a Satanic rule of the earth?
Christian, believe the infallible Word of God and forsake that which opposes His revealed will. It cannot fail to come to pass exactly as written...
"and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure." (v.45)
Maranatha
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. (Luke 20:18)
The last state of Christianity....Kingdom or apostasy?
Will men build a Kingdom for God on the earth, or are they in fact constructing the final global system for the Satanic rule of the earth? This answer to this question is of tremendous import. Do you know what the Word of God says about these things?
The prophecies of the book of Daniel answer many questions regarding the "end of the age" before the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, including the question above.
An answer to this most important question is found in the second chapter of the book of Daniel. The passage of scripture in question (Dan. 2:32-45) tells of the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar's having had a dream, and of the prophet Daniel being given the interpretation of the dream by the LORD.
A little background is necessary to understand the setting for the incident and the reason for the Jewish prophet Daniel's being in Babylon at that time: As divine punishment of the Jews for their idolatry, the city of Jerusalem and the Jewish temple had been destroyed by the Babylonian armies (587 B.C.). Having been defeated, the Jews themselves were in Babylon in captivity, and the "glory of the LORD" had departed from the ruins of the temple, God's earthly abode (Ezekiel 10:4,18; 11:22-23). God had turned them over to their enemies and had left them. With God departed and now no longer dwelling in the midst of His people, and according to His sovereign plan for the ages, a new thing was to happen: the Gentile nations would replace the Jews and be given to rule upon the earth for a time. The Lord reveals this information through the King's dream and Daniel's interpretation of it. A pre-telling of history.
The dream is of a great statue of a 'man', representing the coming human rule on the earth (as opposed to God ruling through the Jews). It was given to the Babylonian King, the 'head of gold' who would rule over the first of what would ultimately be five successive empires:
-------------------------------------------------
(Daniel 2)
The King's dream:
(32) "This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,
(33)His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.
(34)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 broke them to pieces.
(35)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.
(36)This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king."
Daniel's interpretation:
(37) Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
(38-43 gives a description of four kingdoms, with what we are calling the 'fifth' (the feet) being actually an extension of the fourth (the legs). This final phase is pictured as the ten toes, which are to represent 'kings'. The ten toes are the same as the 'ten kings' found in Daniel 7:24. The description of the various kingdoms is not necessary here, as we are just looking at the fate of the last phase, the 'toes'. The next two verses (44-45) reveal the answer.)
(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 forever.
(45) Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke 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."
--------------------------------------
Very briefly, the King's dream is of a great image of a 'man', representing the varying 'human' governments that would reign over the earth from that point forward (32-33) up until the final kingdom, which is seen to bring an end to man's attempts to rule upon the earth (34). The dream shows a series of five ruling empires (the fifth being an 'extension' of the fourth), with the fifth and final allotted rule given to the Gentiles being the "feet part of iron and part of clay" (33). This God given succession of governments is what is known as "the times of the Gentiles" (Luke 21:24).
Now as seen if carefully studied, when that time is up this final kingdom is to be destroyed, and will be smote by the "stone....cut out of the mountains without hands" (34,45). It will be broken into pieces (34,44), and consumed (44). According to the prophecy this "time of the Gentiles" will come to an end in judgment, and that judgment is the period of time we refer to as the 'Tribulation'. This final form of the "kingdoms" which man builds, the "feet of iron and clay", will be crushed into dust and blown away by the wind, and "no place found" for any part of it whatsoever, as seen (35).
Even a very brief study of this passage as here shows the discrepancy of the dominionist position, with their claim that they will successfully usher in the "Kingdom" in preparation for the return of Jesus Christ. The book of Daniel shows a scenario which is completely opposite: a total destruction and a breaking in pieces of that final human kingdom, for "the image is smote upon his feet" (34). The 'feet' being the the last 'kingdom', and the one that is crushed. This speaks of the ultimate failure and judgment of the feeble efforts of men to "rule themselves".
The Lord Jesus Christ is of course that stone. He is "the stone which the builders rejected"; (Matt. 21:42; Mark 12:10; Luke 20:17) ...the stone cut out without hands...(a kingdom not built by the 'hands' of men).
The picture is clear...nothing built by men will remain.
Furthermore, we learn in the 7th and 11th chapter of Daniel that this final kingdom, the feet of iron and clay, is to be ruled by the one referred to as the Antichrist. He is called the "god of this world" (2 Cor. 4:4) and will unite the nations in defiance of the Living God (Ps. 2:1-3). This is the prophesied end. The consummation of man's greatest efforts are found to be nothing more than a failed attempt to gain independence from God. It will at this point, of necessity, be crushed and blown away as dust in the wind (35), having been tried and found wanting, proving to all for time and eternity the folly of the 'creature'. After that, then and only then, the "God of heaven" will set up His own Kingdom (44), and as shown, the "stone that smote the image" will become a great mountain (kingdom) and fill the earth, and it shall stand forever (35,45).
"I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him." Ezk. 21:27
The LORD reigneth, and no flesh shall glory in his presence (1 Cor. 1:29).
Back to the first question: Will men build a "Kingdom" for God on the earth, or are they in fact constructing the final global system for a Satanic rule of the earth?
Christian, believe the infallible Word of God and forsake that which opposes His revealed will. It cannot fail to come to pass exactly as written...
"and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure." (v.45)
Maranatha
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. (Luke 20:18)
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