Daniel 2 & 7

Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.

Psalm 145:13

At Jesus’ first coming, the proclamation that the Kingdom was “at hand” was not it’s inauguration, for it had already been in time past, but it was it’s proximity and availability.

Having looked at what Jesus interpreted the Old Testament prophesies to be, we examine the prophecies themselves.  Specifically, Daniel 2 and Daniel 7 speak of the Kingdom that would be established.  Daniel 2 contains the vision of the statue with four parts, and Daniel 7 is Daniel’s vision of the four beasts.  Many, if not most, consider them to be parallel, describing the same four entities, although some commentators do not.  We take the belief that they are the same.  We do not find a great burden to prove or disprove this at this point, simply because the bulk of the rest of the testimony of the case either requires or prohibits one way of interpretation or the other.

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

Daniel 2 is the first glimpse of the Kingdom in this book.  This is Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, and Daniel is permitted to see it and receive its interpretation for the king.

Most of the dream is straight-forward.  The king saw a statue of four parts, a head of gold, chest and arms of silver, waist and thighs of bronze, and legs and feet of iron, with the feet and toes of part iron and part baked clay.  A stone is then seen cut out but without hands, and it falls and strikes the statue on the feet and toes, and the whole statue is broken.  Daniel then interprets the dream.

Much of this dream is agreed upon.  First of all, the first part of the statue, the head, is identified for us–Babylon.  More particularly, the head is Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon’s first 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.

Daniel 2:37-38

The next two parts of the statue are identified as two successive kingdoms, and followed by a fourth.  Most identify the second and third empires as Media-Persia and Greece, following the interpretation of ram and the goat of Daniel 8:20-21. The identity of the fourth kingdom is the subject of most speculation, with some claiming that it was historic Rome alone, some claiming it will be a future Rome, some saying that historical Rome foreshadowed a coming “revivied Roman empire”, and other interpretations.

Broken To Pieces “Together”

In the case of Daniel 2, one of the primary factors to be considered is the following.

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.

Daniel 2:35

Here in this verse one of the primary limiting factors is presented.  Take note, however, that the prominent NIV translation actually omits this very detail, which only speculation could explain as to why it is excluded.

In all other versions, this verse sets forward that the all four of the materials are broken “together”, or “at the same time”.  Now, if one considers the historic timeline of each of these, we see that Media-Persia conquered Babylon, Greece conquered Media-Persia, and Rome conquered Greece.  Each one of these was a world-ruling empire, a “one-world government”, if you will, creating a continuous demonic governmental system, starting with Nebuchadnezzar.

So, first, from this statue, we understand a little more of God’s perspective on the matter.  The obvious interpretation from this statue is that even though Babylon was conquered by the Medes and Persians, and they in turn were conquered by the Greeks, according to God’s interpretation of this statue, the outward manifest glory of these remained, as is evidenced by their all constituting a complete statue which is broken “together”.

Indeed, as each kingdom conquered the next, the actual kingdom itself was not destroyed, but was “rolled into” the new one.  This is especially true of the Greeks, who then attempted to “Hellenize” the nations they conquered.

Also take note that the transition between each of these elements of the statue was outward physical war, yet even though a nation is overtaken by another, the material of the previous kingdom actually still remains, since they are all ultimately broken together.  This is different when the rock comes and overthrows the it because the materials of the four kingdoms is actually broken and replaced by the rock.  Thus, we might suspect that unlike the transition between materials, the breaking of the statue by the rock might not constitute natural war, but something else.  What natural war couldn’t do, whatever the rock striking the statue on the feet did do.  In the same way, the actual striking of the rock, therefore, very well may not constitute outward war in the natural.

Now, as any statue represents man’s glory, so this statue represents the outward glory and splendor of each of these four kingdoms.  What is also of note in this statue is that, according to the dream and interpretation which were given by God, the entirety of the statue actually comprised one whole “man”, or “system of a man”.  This is the picture of the demonic statue.  And, as will be mentioned several times, what you call the head, you also call the feet.  Since Jesus sees this statue as representing one solid entity, it should not surprise us at all if we call the feet by the same name we call Nebuchadnezzar’s head of gold–Babylon.

Now, here is the issue.  When the successive kingdoms conquered the others, the people were conquered and the cities taken over to assimilate into a new empire.  When we see Greece conquer the Median-Persian empire, they assimilated the people and cities, and attempted to adapt them into the Greek empire.  Then, we see the same when the Romans conquered the Greeks.  So, while there was human conquest and overthrow, from the point of view of the statue, they all remained until the end.  That is, something of the governmental structure, or outward glory, or human majesty of these kingdoms endured from empire to empire, through all four successive world powers.

But, we have to take note of the plain fact that, today, the outward glory and majesty of Babylon, Media-Persia, and Greece, and the entirety of their governing structure, have been removed from the Earth, in totality, for 1,500 years or so.   Now, Daniel 2:35 says something to this, that there must be something of this empire that exists when the fourth, whatever it may be, is destroyed.  Why?  Because elements one through three must be destroyed along with it.  But we see that “Western Civilization”, as we call it, disintegrated and fell apart, somewhere around 500 AD (the last Roman emperor was in 476 AD).  In that, all of the outward glory and establishment of these prior nations has faded to absolutely nothing.

The verse makes no mistake saying that all four must be broken together.  It not only says so, but also reiterates all four materials to help to emphasize this.

Three Quarters Broken

So, what becomes clear is that the first three materials statues have been completely, and utterly broken small, no place found for them, and carried away by the wind.

[T]hen broken small together have been the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, and they have been as chaff from the summer threshing-floor, and carried them away hath the wind, and no place hath been found for them: and the stone that smote the image hath become a great mountain, and hath filled all the land.

Daniel 2:35 YLT, emphasis added

The Young’s Literal Translation uses slightly different, but more literal language for the exact description of the outcome of these materials.  It isn’t that there wasn’t any remnant or trace that remained of these elements, but that they were make to be like the chaff on a threshing floor.  You could probably find a bit of chaff out in the yard afterwards, but the body of it, the centralized assembly of it was completely removed.

As we will see in a moment, at its end, we read of the “Decline of the Roman Empire”, not its fall.  Why?  First, because the spiritual power of it was broken, and not it’s outward manifestation.  But, no longer having the spiritual power, the beast, to back up the Kingdom and to animate it, and, further, having its outward visage shattered, it no longer could hold itself together.  This is exactly the picture as described above, and in Daniel 7.

The only thing animating the Roman Empire was the spiritual beast of Daniel 7.  This spiritual power or entity was all that animated, or controlled this nation, gave it its character and power, possessed and drove wicked emperors, and, when the nation was broken, along with the other three, the cohesiveness of the nation could no longer hold itself together.  This happened in a relatively short time, perhaps 20 or 30 years, but, once the nation was shattered, the scattering of the kingdom took place over a century or more, so that we see and read about the slow decline and scattering of the nation, from a secular, historian’s point of view.

But, what of the four materials?  It is clear that we are settling on Rome as our choice, but what is the motivating factor for this decision that precludes the others? Precisely, the absence today of the three other empires.

Consider this.  Unless one can make a case that the Greek Empire still exists, along with the Median-Persian and Babylonian ones, we must conclude that they are destroyed.  If we conclude that they are destroyed, which is the only conclusion we can see in the world today, since “Western Civilization” fell apart after the end of Rome for some 1,000 years, we have to conclude that the Gold, Silver, and Bronze, the first three parts of the statue, have been broken already.

If we conclude that the first three parts of the statue are broken, which could only be countered by the establishment of the continued existence of all three today, then we conclude two simple points.  First, whatever broke the first three also broke the fourth, which limits its identification to the historical Roman Empire.  Second, whatever broke them was the Kingdom of God, namely, Christ and His first coming, and, His church.  Notice, it is in this time that the church grew to become a “great mountain” that filled the entire Earth, exactly as Daniel 2:35 describes.

Why Not A Revived Roman Empire?

Some would vie for a revived Roman Empire, proceeding a Second Coming establishment of the Kingdom, the rock cut out without hands.  This, however, could never satisfy the vision, because you must break all four materials simultaneously.  You would need to a revived all four empires, since all four of these kingdoms must be broken at the same time.  But, further, reading in Daniel 2:38, we see that Daniel positively identified Nebuchadnezzar as the head of Gold.  So, you need to have a revived all four empires, plus a resurrected Nebuchadnezzar, in effect, to be the head of the first.  In essence, you would need the entire statue re-done, which, of course, destroys the original intent of the vision.

Since Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon is completely removed from the face of the Earth, in all outward glory, manifestation, government, and majesty, so is the head of gold.  Only Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon, broken together with the three other materials of the statue fulfill the vision, so we conclude positively that the iron is Rome, and that Rome has been broken by the coming of the Kingdom, which is Christ’s first coming.

It is perhaps beneficial, also, at this point, to indicate the popular interpretation concerning the toes of this statue.  It is sufficient, perhaps, to point out that there is no actual textual interpretation of these toes, but that ascribed meaning of them is merely speculation upon that of the interpreter.  They may have significance, they may not, but it is important at this point to divide between what the text actually says and popular opinion.

Daniel’s Vision of the Night

We will come back to this chapter in a moment, but for now, let us look at Daniel 7.

Like in Daniel 2, Daniel sees four beasts, representing four empires.  If these are taken to be the same four empires as in Daniel 2, this could be said to be looking at the spiritual power, or principality, over a nation, as opposed to the outward, visible manifestation of it.  In the same way that Israel was a nation on the Earth, yet it was the Kingdom of God, so the statue represents the nation, while the beast represents the demonic kingdom in the heavenly realms, to use Paul’s language.

Notice in Daniel 7:11-12, when the judgment is issued against the fourth and final beast, it is apparent that the first three continued to exist in some measure.  Although they had their authority stripped from them, after the fourth beast was destroyed, they were permitted a time to live.  This shows that there were demonic-empowered, human-led governments in the Earth, even the same ones that had previously ruled the entire world, but their one-world governing dominion and authority had been taken away from them, and so they were unable to affect the entire world.  As with the statue, all four were there at the judgment, but only the fourth beast was destroyed immediately.

Now, the mark of all of these empires is that they rule over the entire Earth (Daniel 2:39; Daniel 7:23).  As we read in Daniel 7:9-18, Daniel sees that it is the courts of heaven that decide the fate of the beast.  Some argue that this courtroom scene must be the same time and place of other similar passages of the throne of God, simply because of the mention of thrones and books, but this is not so. While the location may correlate, there is nothing to say that there is or will be only one sitting of the court of God.  The fact that thrones and books are part of a judicial assembly indicate only that this is the throne of God and that judgments are coming forth, not that the same trial is being heard in each instance.

But, after the judgment of the beasts, we read about one like the Son of Man, clearly Christ.

I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

Daniel 7:13-14

Here, we have one like the Son of Man coming to the Father.  Note the remarkableness of this event, that a human being is allowed entrance into the very presence of Almighty God.  For the Christian to understand this, in the light of the cross, perhaps this not too striking, but for a Jew, this is practically unthinkable.  Yet, Jesus at His ascension was the first.  So, the question logically would be, is this the ascension of Christ after the resurrection, or is it yet future?

Given Three Things – Authority

To answer that, let us look at what happens while He is there.  He is given three things:  Dominion, or authority; Glory; and a Kingdom.

Let us examine the Word regarding these things as they concern Jesus after His resurrection.

First, the authority.

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

Matthew 28:18 NASB

After the resurrection, Jesus claimed that He had all authority in heaven and in Earth.  This is not just heaven, and not just Earth, nor is it some, but the statement in this context certainly implies all in every realm.  Jesus had all authority at the time of this statement.  But this is not the only time that this is stated.

And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

Ephesians 1:19-23

Here, Paul is praying for the Ephesians, and describing the great power of God at the resurrection.  Paul states this in the past tense, that this is what God has already done.  He has seated Him in the heavenly places, far above all other principality, power, might, dominion, and every other name.  As if that isn’t enough, he says that it is above every name both in this world, and that which is to come, Eternal Life.  Going on, Paul writes that the Father has put all things, past tense, under Jesus’ feet, and has already given Him to be the head over all things to the church!

Understand then, on the testimony of two witnesses, Jesus has all power and authority today.

The Second Item – Glory

Next, the man in the vision of Daniel 7:14 is given Glory.

In John 17, Jesus prayed for this exact thing to be done.

And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

John 17:5

This is the very prayer that Jesus was praying before He went to the cross.  Since the Father always heard Jesus’ prayers (John 11:42), we understand that the Father heard this one as well.  The prayer is that He be given all glory, which is the glory He had before the foundation of the world.  John 1:3 says that through Him all things were made and without Him nothing was made that has been made.  This is all glory.

The Third Item – A Kingdom

Finally, the Daniel 7:14 vision says that He was given a Kingdom.  This was evident on the day of Pentecost, as Peter stood up and spoke.

Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.

For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thy foes thy footstool.

Acts 2:33-35

So, Jesus was exalted to the right hand of God, and received the promised Holy Spirit from the Father, and poured Him accordingly.  As we have already seen, the throne of David and the throne of the Father are seen to be identical.  But, this reference to Psalm 110, about sitting at His right hand appears in several other places, and its ramifications will be important.

This is referenced here, in Acts 2, but also in Hebrews 10 and 1 Corinthians 15.

But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool.

Hebrews 10:12-13

Here, with the same language, the writer also makes it clear that Jesus has already sat at the right hand of God, and is sitting there until His enemies are made His footstool.

But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For he “has put everything under his feet.” Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.

1 Corinthians 15:23-28 NIV

The Second Coming Is The Relinquishing, not the Setting Up, of the Kingdom

Many people say that Christ will remain at the right hand of the Father, which they do not equate to be David’s throne, and that He will remain there until it is time to set up His kingdom, at which time all His enemies will be made His footstool.  On the contrary, taking Acts 2, Hebrews 10, and 1 Corinthians 15 together, we see that Jesus is already seated upon the throne of David, the throne of the Lord, at the right hand of the Father, and He is sitting there and will wait there until His enemies are made subject.  Hebrews 10 makes it clear that He is already sitting and Jesus cannot leave that throne in an official capacity until His enemies are made subject.  1 Corinthians 15 says the same, but that He will remain there until the last enemy, death, is defeated, and at that time, He will leave the throne and return, in the Second Coming.

The futurist argues that the Kingdom will come in the middle of v23.  They say that Christ will come, there will be the resurrection of the righteous, and that the Kingdom will be established.  Then, in that Kingdom, the Lord’s enemies will be defeated, the end comes, and the Lord gives the Kingdom back to the Father. But, the verse, in context with the other verses, and connecting Christ’s sitting now with His Kingdom, we see the verse says the opposite.  We see that Hebrews 10 says Christ must stay on the throne until the last of these enemies is defeated, even death.  This means Jesus cannot come back until this happens.

But, rather, Christ was the firstfruits, and when Jesus comes back in v23 will be precisely when Hebrews 10, and all the other passages said He would, when all the enemies have been made His footstool.  When He comes, those in Him will rise first, as it says.  Then, as it seems rather shortly after that, the end of this present world will come with Christ handing the Kingdom back to the Father.

Whereas the futurist makes the claim that 1 Corinthians represents the Millennial reign as the time of subduing all of Christ’s enemies, Hebrews 10, along with the proper identification of the Kingdom and the Throne of David clarifies this and identifies now as that time, and that Christ cannot leave His throne until that comes.  As we will look at later, we do, in fact, see Christ defeating death and hell, but it does not occur until after the Millennium, in Revelation 20:14.  Furthermore, when we read of the Lord’s glorious throne, or the Throne of His Glory, in Matthew 25:31, we see the connection to the Great White Throne of Revelation 20:11.  But, we will cover that when the time comes.

It is then, at His Second Coming, that Christ gives the Kingdom back to the Father, not takes it!  There is no mistaking it, when studying it out.  He is seated, and must remain seated until such time, at which He gives the Kingdom He currently has back.

A Priest On His Throne

The other proof of the throne of David being the throne of God is from a reference in Zechariah.

Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.

Zechariah 6:13, emphasis added

Here, we see the prophecy that Jesus would be a priest and a king at the same time–He would be a priest while sitting on His throne.  This is in contrast to the Old Testament, where the Kings were forbidden from participating in the temple service.  This was Saul’s offence, offering the sacrifice himself before Samuel arrived, and it cost him the kingship.

But, in Hebrews, we read,

For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer. Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Law; who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, “SEE,” He says, “THAT YOU MAKE all things ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN WHICH WAS SHOWN YOU ON THE MOUNTAIN.”  But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.

Hebrews 8:3-6, emphasis added

Here, we see Paul lay out plainly that if Jesus was on Earth, He would not be a priest.  In fact, in v6, he indicates that the priesthood that Jesus has now, the heavenly one, is better, or a more excellent one.  First, if a heavenly priesthood is better than an earthly one, then it would stand to reason that a heavenly kingship would be as well, and this is what we find.  But, more directly from the verse, we see that in order to fulfill Zechariah 6:13, above, He must be a king in the heavens, and not upon the Earth.  Since He would not be a priest if He was on the Earth, He would not therefore be able to be a priest upon an earthly throne, either.  While this in itself may not be conclusive evidence on the matter, it stands with the body evidence for what is quite plain to some.  Christ is already a King in His Kingdom and is seated upon the Throne of David, the very throne of God.

All Three Already Given

But, stepping back again to our original point, in Daniel 7:14, we see exactly what was prophesied, that at Christ’s ascension to the Father, He was given authority, glory, and a Kingdom.

So, we see in respect to the elements of Daniel 7:14, Christ at His resurrection was given All Authority, All Glory, and the Everlasting Kingdom, seated upon the throne of David, which is the throne of the Lord, at the right hand of God.  Since, if someone has ‘all authority’ they cannot ever be given more, this must be identified positively as Daniel 7:14.

Again, one may say that we’re making our case too strongly on some of these points.  But, with all respect, all of these points soundly agree upon one conclusion regarding these prophecies–their fulfillment.  What we haven’t pointed out yet is when and how, but that is the point of the book.  The ultimate proof of these is their correspondence with the rest of the Eschatalogical texts.  Clearly, if we come up against a conflict, then there was a previous error, but, so far, all of the elements we have looked at are in agreement, at least by by our estimation.

Take another thought, which will have to be placed along-side everything else.  There is no reason at all why Jesus would give His authority away, or that He should lose it, as some actually claim here.  It is clear that in Matthew 28 that Jesus has all authority.  God never gave away any authority to the devil, but God gave it to man, and tempted Adam and he lost it.

Think about this.  Jesus has all authority now, completely.  He is under no obligation whatsoever to give any bit of it away to any demon, serpent, or even the dragon.  There is no Biblical context for doing so, under any notion or any realm.  It is, honestly, a foolish notion to suppose that God for any reason should do such.  The very fact that it took Jesus, through His death, to take back that which was lost by the serpent, winning the keys to hell and death and conquering the grave, should be a clear indication that he has no need nor inclination to give the enemy anything.  In fact, to do so without a reason could very well speak against his justice in the first place, since justice and righteousness are the foundation of His throne, this being the reason He had to send His Son to redeem us in the first place.

An Analysis

But, let us look at the picture painted by Daniel’s revelations in Daniel 2 and Daniel 7 a little further.

In the Introduction, we laid down the larger story of the Kingdom of God.  God empowered Babylon, through Nebuchadnezzar, to take over the world because of Israel’s sin.  The reason for his totality of control was a punishment upon His own people, due to the sin of the false prophet Hananiah in Jeremiah 28.  When he broke the wooden yoke of Jeremiah’s neck, God replaced it with an iron one, giving Nebuchadnezzar unprecedented power and dominion over all flesh.

For this reason, and this reason only, Babylon was what it was.  And, what you call the head of a man, or of a statue of a man, you also call the foot.  If you call the head Babylon, it is right to call the foot, or Rome, the same thing, considering the statue of Daniel 2.  We will develop this further, but the Biblical precedent for calling Rome by the name “Babylon” is strictly Daniel 2’s vision.

But, in accordance with the vision of Daniel 2, for nearly 1,000 years, an entity entitled Babylon, through the four successive forms of Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome ruled the entire known world, and dominated the people of God.  When Rome ended, the outward glory and manifestation of these kingdoms ceased, was broken small, and no place was found for them.  They were scattered.  This was the context and the purpose for the statue of Babylon. Since God raised Babylon, the statue of all four elements, up for the sole purpose of punishing Israel, God also informed its head, and hence Israel through Daniel, of who and what it really was.

This was, as it were, the fruit of Israel’s disobedience, particularly through the disobedience and lies prophesied by Hananiah.  The far-lasting fruits of the sins of the nation escalated, and punctuated with this demonic structure being elevated, so that its effects would last well beyond that generation, but would plague the Earth for centuries.  Instead of seeing the Kingdom of God raised up, they got darkness, oppression, and wandering.

Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, “Listen, Hananiah! The Lord has not sent you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies. Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This very year you are going to die, because you have preached rebellion against the Lord.’ ”

Jeremiah 28:15-16

The Little Horn

Of other note in this chapter, of course, is the fourth beast and the little horn.

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.

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 human being and a mouth that spoke boastfully.

Daniel 7:7-8

If we identify the fourth empire/beast as Rome, the explanation here becomes fairly straight-forward.  As we will see as we go, we are identifying Domitian as the beast of Revelation 13.  We mark the beginning of the Roman Empire at 27 BC with the establishment of the Roman Principate, the “first period” of the Roman Empire, or the fourth material of Daniel (this is the one established by Caesar Augustus, and the only one that dominated the entire known world as such).

So, counting the ten horns of Daniel 7 as the Emperors of Rome, we see

1. Augustus (27 BC – 14 AD)
2. Tiberius (14 AD – 37 AD) – This is the one the reigned during Christ’s ministry.
3. Caligua (37 AD – 41 AD)
4. Claudius (41 AD – 54 AD)
5. Nero (54 AD – 68 AD)
6. Galba (68 AD – January 69 AD) – Thus began the “year of the four emperors”
7. Otho (January 69 AD – April 69 AD)
8. Vitellius (April 69 AD – December 69 AD)
9. Vespasian (July 69 AD – 79 AD)
10. Titus (79 AD – 81 AD) – Son of Vespasian, reigned 2 years and three months
11. Domitian (81 AD – 96 AD) – Also Vespasian’s son, and the “eleventh” horn of Daniel 7

Now, notice how quickly Galba, Otho, and Vitellius were removed from the Empire.  Part of the reason for this is that Domitian was in the city of Rome while his Father was a general under Nero, carrying out the siege of Jerusalem.  Nero committed suicide in 68 AD by his own sword to the neck, and we see that the power bid for the Vespasian name, as Titus and Domitian were both his sons, was driven by Domitian at the capital.

So, while the three horns before Vespasian were uprooted before Domitian, the verse says that Domitian had eyes like a man and spoke boastfully.  Domitian, it must be remembered, along with Nero, were the first primary persecutors of the Christian church.  We will study this more when we come to Revelation 13.  It is also important to note that Domitian’s reign is well after the 70 AD epoch of the destruction of Jerusalem under the sieges of Nero, Vespasian, and finally, Titus.

These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.

Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet; And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows. I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.

Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.

Daniel 7:17-27

In further consideration of the fourth beast, and the eleventh horn, we must read of the interpretation given to Daniel.  At the outset of this chapter, we must take note that the destruction of the fourth beast is in correspondence to the saints taking the Kingdom.  Notice in v18, above, that the KJV has the same language as Matthew’s statement, the saints “take” the Kingdom.

And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

Matthew 11:12

But, concerning the beast and its horn, it is said it made war with the saints and prevailed against them.  As mentioned, this is then the persecution of the Christians under Domitian.  In v18, it is said that the saints take or possess the Kingdom, but no direct time correlation is related.  In v22, we render the YLT, which reads, “…[A]nd the time hath come, and the saints have strengthened the kingdom.”

As for the eleventh horn, it is said he “puts down” three other horns, meaning the three emperors before his father.  Further, Domitian is the one who exalted himself, claiming to be god himself.  He persecuted the Christians, and changed the legal system and the Roman calendar, fulfilling the passage exactly.  His persecution lasted three and a half years, and he was assassinated.

The empire continued on for some time after this, with its final dissolution a few centuries later.

An Outline of the Future

We are laying here a foundation for where we are going, right at the beginning. We are presenting a case for past fulfillment for Revelation 6-20, the first half of which was fulfilled much as traditional partial preterism describes. This will be developed as we go, but the basic outline is presented here.

And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.

Daniel 7:27

This then, again, describes the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom that Jesus brought at His first coming.  Has the Kingdom been given?  Certainly, or Paul could not have preached as He did in 1 Corinthians 4:20, saying that the Kingdom did not consist of words but of power.  Both Jesus and Paul were clearly in possession of this Kingdom, and it is this same Kingdom that we are presented with today.

This is the dilemma.  As John 3:3,5 indicate, it takes faith to see the invisible. If we do not be careful how we see, we, like those of many days prior, could be right in the midst of the chariots and horsemen of Israel, but be totally blind to them.  But, a Roman Centurion could understand their presence, whether or not he could see them, he saw the realm of authority on Jesus and recognized it.  Like all the poor who came falling at His feet, they saw Jesus for who He was and worshipped Him.  Like the disciples, and Peter, who told Him, “You are the one with the Words of Eternal Life”.  Do we see Him?

The study of the Kingdom is worthless without it’s realization.  Right theology about the Kingdom is not the same as the possession of it.

The question is, do you know the Kingdom, or merely about it?

That, in the end, is the most important question, not whether or not you get your End Times doctrine right.

I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

Luke 18:8

Outline of Revelation

So, with that, the outline of Revelation we are presenting is as follows:

• Revelation 1-3: Introduction and letters to the churches. Introduced as “what must soon take place”.
• Revelation 4-5: The Throne Room Scene.
• Revelation 6-9: Judgments on Israel and on Jerusalem.  What must soon take place.
• Revelation 10: Another scroll, “Prophesy Again”.
• Revelation 11: The fall of Jerusalem at the 7th trumpet, 70AD.
• Revelation 12: The Second Prophesy Begins, Some Recap and Christians flee to Pella.  This will stretch through the fall of the Roman Empire and the Millennium, onto the Second Coming.
• Revelation 13: Domitian is Nero reborn, c80-96 AD.  The Cult of the Emperor is the False prophet.
• Revelation 14: The church safeguarded and the first-fruits are passed away, and the wine press is the fall of Betar in 135AD, led by the false Messiah Simon bar Kochba.
• Revelation 15: Seven plagues are revealed.
• Revelation 16: The seven “last plagues”, last in that they conclude the wrath on Babylon/Rome, are released, in what history records as the “Crisis of the Third Century” and the Plague of Cyprian, between 235 AD and 284 AD. The end of this period sees the state of Rome split into three warring factions.  While the empire comes back together and continues to exist for almost 150 years, the principate is never recovered, and many mark this period as the true beginning of the Middle Ages.  This truly is what broke Rome.
• Revelation 17: Babylon, Rome, is seen.
• Revelation 18: Babylon, Rome, is burned.
• Revelation 19: Babylon’s, Rome’s, destruction is celebrated.  The marriage supper of the Lamb is interpreted as Constantine conquers in the sign of the cross.
• Revelation 20: c313 AD, The serpent is cast to the pit. The spiritual power of Rome, the fourth beast, was certainly broken at Constantine’s conversion, if not before. Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord!  The one world government that had been on the planet for nearly 1,000 years was spiritually defeated, which resulted in the physical kingdom falling apart. And the mastermind, not all demons, was locked up for 1,000 years. In this time, the only governing power was the church, mind you. You must conclude one of two things, ultimately. Either the church is Rome, and the Catholics are the antichrist, or, imperfect as the church is, the thousand year reign began with Constantine’s era, and, as Foxxe’s book of Martyrs records, there were no martyrs to remember for 1,000 years. It is called the “Dark Ages” in reference to the “Light of Rome”, and the Renaissance, therefore, is more clearly seen as the rebirth of the serpent. And we call it art and science, mind you.
• That leaves us at the middle of Rev 20, possibly before or after the Gog Magog war. Some awesome stuff has already happened in regards to Israel again being a nation. But, it leaves us just a little bit before that great day, when the elements melt with fervent heat, and the Son comes with His Father’s glory, to judge the nations of the Earth, at the last trumpet (which is not the Seventh one of Revelation 11:15).
• Revelation 21-22 then stretch out into the age to come, Eternal life (as defined by Jesus in Luke 18:30).

Conclusion

While debate will undoubtably continue, the deliberate layout of the points in the case seem to point cohesively towards a single end, that is, a completely past fulfillment for these two chapters of the book of Daniel.  Taking them one at a time, however, many traditional dispensationalist viewpoints are systematically disproven, especially those relying upon the place where Christ is now seated not being equated with the Throne of David, or Christ not having a Kingdom now.  The problem is, of course, the text.  We have to look beyond the Old Testament expectations, because Paul said they were conveyed in a mystery, and were not revealed to any prior generation before the Apostles.  This same Paul also satisfactorily defeats the argument that the Gospel of the Kingdom was put on hold in some way, and the church age is a “parenthesis”, as claimed by the dispensationalist, by continuing to preach this Gospel in the last two verses of the book of Acts (Acts 28:30-31) and elsewhere.  This further demonstrates that the same Gospel of the Kingdom was the same Gospel that Jesus preached, and Paul was now repeating.  It was accompanied by the same signs, as explained by Paul in His letter to the Corinthians, and it is the only Gospel put forward by the New Testament.  This Gospel of the Kingdom is the same message preached today, with chief importance, Christ’s death for our sins (1 Corinthians 15:3).

Summary

• Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is of four world-ruling empires.
• The first is identified in the Word as Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon.
• The Second two are inferred from Daniel 8 as Media-Perisa and Greece.
• The statue statue represents the outward glory of these kingdoms, or their government.  Since this was given to a pagan king, this is what an un-spiritual man would perceive.  This is contrast to the beasts of the vision given to Daniel, which represents the spiritual powers behind those kingdoms.
• The vision states first of all that all four materials must be broken together and second that the head was Nebuchadnezzar.
• Since we see no trace of the first three of these Kingdoms, nor of Nebuchadnezzar’s nation of Babylon, we can positively conclude that the entire statue, including the fourth element, is completely broken.
• Because of these things, we can positively identify historical Rome alone as the fourth Kingdom.
• What you call the head, you also call the foot.  This is the Biblical rationale for calling Rome ‘Babylon’ in Revelation.
• A revived Roman empire cannot fulfill the vision, because you would need to revive all four, and resurrect Nebuchadnezzar to be the head.  Since this is not what God intended by giving the vision to Daniel, clearly, the statue is broken.
• From the vision, we see the thing that broke the statue was the Kingdom of God.  Christ, of course, was the rock cut out without hands, and He has crushed this statue.  His church, the representative of His Kingdom upon the Earth and His government, has grown to be a great mountain and filled the Earth.
• Only historical Rome fulfills this vision, and therefore, there is no future application to Daniel 2 or 7.
• In the four beasts, at the destruction of the fourth beast, the other three were allowed to live for a period of time, meaning, there were human governments still upon the Earth after the destruction of the fourth.
• When Christ ascended to the Father, as the first human being ever to do so, He was given All Authority, All Glory, and the Kingdom.
• Christ now sits upon David’s throne, the throne of the Lord, and is ruling in His Kingdom.
• When Christ comes back, He will not begin His reign, but end it!  He will hand the Kingdom back to the Father and become subject to it.
• The Second Coming comes in conjunction with with Revelation 20:11-15, when the last enemy, death, is throne together with hades into the lake of fire.
• The little Horn of Daniel 7 is identified historically as Domitian, the 11th Roman Emperor in the Roman Principate.
• Domitian changed the Roman legal code and the calendar.
• Three Emperors fell before him, whether directly or indirectly.  Domitian worked in the city of Rome, the Captial, as his father Vespasian besieged Jerusalem after Nero’s death in 68 AD.  Nero and Domitian were the first persecutors of the church, and Domitian required “emperor worship”, declaring Him as “Lord and God”, on the penalty of death.
• The most important thing about the Kingdom is not understanding it correctly, but finding it and living in it day-by-day.