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The head of Nebuchadnezzar is made of gold, chest and arms of silver, hips and thighs of bronze, legs of iron, and feet of iron and clay. The lion with the eagles' wings represents Babylon. The 3 ribs in the bear's mouth represent the 3 provinces of Babylon that needed to be conquered in order for Medo-Persia to come into power.
The head of Nebuchadnezzar is made of gold, chest and arms of silver, hips and thighs of bronze, legs of iron, and feet of iron and clay. The lion with the eagles' wings represents Babylon. The 3 ribs in the bear's mouth represent the 3 provinces of Babylon that needed to be conquered in order for Medo-Persia to come into power.
The head of Nebuchadnezzar is made of gold, chest and arms of silver, hips and thighs of bronze, legs of iron, and feet of iron and clay. The lion with the eagles' wings represents Babylon. The 3 ribs in the bear's mouth represent the 3 provinces of Babylon that needed to be conquered in order for Medo-Persia to come into power.
the statue of Nebuchadnezzar. The head which is Babylon (verse 12 clarifies this) is made of gold, chest and arms of silver, hips and thighs of bronze, legs of iron, and feet of iron and clay. - The chest and arms are of silver because of ch.2 verse 39. What is inferior to gold but also of higher quality than bronze? Silver! The Medes and Persians are the chest and arms of silver because they conquered the Babylonian empire in 539 BC. - The hips and thighs of bronze was the Greek empire. The Medes and Persians were conquered by the Greeks in 331 BC. - The legs of iron was the Roman Empire. The Greek empire was conquered by the Romans in 168 BC.
- The age of the Roman Empire ended
in 476 AD. But they were never conquered, they fell from within. - The feet of iron and clay is the divided provinces of the Roman Empire. In 476 Rome was divided into 2 sections. Eastern (Byzantine) empire and Western empire. 2.) In Daniel ch.7 Daniel talks about the same empires again but instead of the kingdoms represented as a statute, they are represented as 4 beasts. Daniel Chapter 7 Verse 17 tells us that these 4 beasts are 4 kings/empires that will rise from the earth. 3.) The lion with the eagles wings represents Babylon. The nation symbol of Babylon was a lion with eagles wings. (just like the nation symbol of the United States is a bald eagle)
4.) The bear with 3 ribs in its mouth are the
Medes and Persians. Ch.7 Verse 5 also says that it was raised up on one of its sides. This represents the Persians power over the Medes. The Persians were actually stronger than the Medes. But the Persians never attacked them because they were in an alliance. The 3 ribs in the bears mouth are the 3 provinces of Babylon that needed to be conquered in order for Medo- Persia to come into power. They had to overthrow Babylon, Lydia, and Egypt. 5.) The 4 headed leopard with the 4 wings represents the Greek Empire. Just like Babylon (but with a different animal) they are depicted as a leopard with 4 heads. The leader of the Greek empire was Alexander the great. But when he died the kingdom was split into 4 parts. With the 4 generals Cassander, Lysimachus, Ptolemy, and Seleucus. 6.) The 4th beast is the Roman Empire. There was no name for this 4th beast because there was and still isnt an
animal that fits the description (not
saying that a 4 headed leopard is real, but he knew it was a leopard, just with 4 heads) In Daniel ch.7 verse 7, he says that this 4th beast was terrifying, frightening, and very powerful. Now if we go back in time and look at all of the powerful kingdoms that have been on this Earth. The Roman Empire was the strongest kingdom till its fall. No other empire was stronger (military and political wise), had a larger territory (covering most of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East) or lasted as long as the Roman Empire did. The Roman Empire lasted 644 years (From 168 BC 476 AD)! Some say that the Roman Empire officially began when Augustus Caesar became the first emperor of Rome in 31 BC. Thats the time when the kingdom first expanded outside of present day Italy. But the kingdom itself started in 168 BC. In short, it was a huge empire that was very powerful for a very long time. In Daniel ch.7 verse 7, it also
says that the beast had large iron teeth.
This corresponds with the iron legs in Daniel ch.2. 7.) So as you can see each of these 4 beast in Daniel Chapter 7 represents the same kingdoms that was stated back in Chapter 2. 8.) Now we are about to get into the topic of the Roman Catholic Church. When Rome was divided in 476 AD, the Western part was divided into 10 tribes/provinces. Going back to Daniel ch.7 verse 7, I quote It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns. Now looking back through history we can see that these 10 horns are the 10 tribes from the divided Roman Empire. Going back to Daniel Chapter 2, we also see that this is the feet of iron and clay (which is the divided tribes/provinces of the Roman Empire). Also for more clarification, in Daniel Chapter 2 Verse 41, I quote Just as you saw that the toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom
The tribes/provinces were Franks
(Present day France), Allemani (PD Germany), Lombards (PD Italy), Suevi (PD Portugal), Anglo-Saxons (PD England), Burgundians (PD Switzerland), Visigoths (PD Spain), Heruli, Vandals, and the Ostrogoths. 9.) Now this is where the Roman Catholic Church comes in at. Hippolytus (a bible student) lived in the late 2nd Century, early 3rd Century. As living in the time of the Roman Empire he was able to interpret this prophecy the same way. This was his statement, and I quote, The Golden head of the image and the lioness denoted the Babylonians. The shoulders and the arms of silver and the bear, represented the Persians and the Medes. The belly and thighs of brass, and the leopard, meant the Greeks who held sovereignty, from Alexanders time. The legs of iron, and the beast dreadful and terrible, expressed the Romans, who hold sovereignty at present. The toes of the feet which were part clay and part
iron, and the ten horns, were emblems
of the kingdoms that are yet to rise. The other little horn that grows up among them meant the antichrist in their midst. The stone that smites the Earth and brings judgment upon the world was Christ. As you can see, he is interpreting this prophecy from his time during the age of the Roman Empire. He is saying that (from his time) the kingdom is not yet divided and the antichrist has not yet risen. Its crazy seeing how hundreds of years ago this prophecy was being understood, before all of the events even happened. The Antichrist and The Roman Catholic Church 1.) In Daniel Ch. 7 Verse 8 it says, While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one Lets stop right there for a second. Now why is this horn called a little horn? None of the other horns are
called little. This one is specifically called
a little horn. Now remember a horn means a tribe/province. So this means it will be a small province/kingdom. Lets finish the verse, which came up among them. Lets stop right there again. Its says that this little horn comes up among them. Say youre looking at the 10 horn you see a small one coming up. This means that within the 10 provinces of the divided Roman Empire, this little horn/province is going to arise from somewhere within the ashes of the 10 provinces. I said ashes because, when the Roman Empire split, that severely weakened the empire. Leading to its fall from within. That is what established the 10 provinces from the ashes of the unorganized land. All of this shows us that this kingdom is going is going to come from Europe. Alright lets continue with the verse, and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. Now lets look at the word uprooted. The definition of uprooted
means to pull something (like plant or
tree) out of the ground. When you uproot or pull a plant from out the ground, you essentially destroyed that plant. All traces of that plant all destroyed/extinct. So this is a kingdom that comes to power violently. Taking out other kingdoms/provinces in order to get power. Lets go back to the names of those 3 provinces I named before that was part of the original 10 provinces of the divided Roman Empire. As this kingdom is rising to power it uproots/destroys Heruli, Vandals, and the Ostrogoths. In 493 AD the Heruli was eradicated; so were the Vandals in 534 AD, and the Ostrogoths in 538 AD. The reason for this was become they did not accept leadership from this kingdom. So as you can this horn/kingdom has to arise after the fall of the Roman Empire. Meaning this power has to arise after 476 AD. 2.) Lets finish Daniel ch.7 verse 8, This horn had eyes like the eyes of a human
being and a mouth that spoke
boastfully. Now lets also go read Revelation ch.13 verse 6, It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. Now taking these 2 verses we can determine that there is 1 person in charge of this kingdom that speaks blasphemy. Now the bible clearly explains the meaning of blasphemy. While Jesus was here on earth he performed many miracles. One of them being able to heal the sick. When Jesus meets a sick person who wants to be healed, Jesus heals him but also says (Mark Ch.2 Verse 5) Son, your sins are forgiven. The Jews that saw this miracle says, (Mark Ch.2 Verse 7) Why does this fellow talk like that? Hes blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone? So as you can see from this verse part of the meaning of blasphemy is claiming to forgive sins, when only God has the power to forgive sins. Another example the bible gives of the
meaning blasphemy is John Ch. 10 verse
30 and 33. Jesus says in Verse 30 I and the Father are one. The Jews say in Verse 33 We are not stoning you for any good work, they replied, but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God. So as we can see from those two verses, the main meaning of blasphemy is claiming to be God. And with that claiming to forgive sins and to be called the father. 3.) Lets continue on. In Daniel ch.7 verse 21, it says As I watched, this horn was waging war against the holy people and defeating them. The Bible clearly is telling you that this kingdom will persecute the saints/Christians and kill them. 4.) Lets keep reading. In Daniel ch.7 verse 25, it says He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws Now in the bible, it says that God makes the law. So this kingdom will try to change Gods laws. Not destroy
them, or do away with, but change
them. What are Gods laws, you may ask? The Ten Commandments. Now what laws does this kingdom change? In the original 10 commandments, the second law is, Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images. This is the law that it changes. It takes this law out of the 10 commandments and adds 1 to keep a total of 10 laws. In the original 10 commandments, the 10th law is, Thou shalt not covet thy neighbors house, wife or possessions. This kingdom basically just expanded on this law. When they took out the 2nd law, there was a total of 9 laws. But to keep it at 10, they moved all the laws up (for example, the original 3rd law is now the 2nd, the original 4th is now the 3rd, and so on) because there were only 9, they changed the original 9th law to You shall not covet you neighbors wife. And they made the 10th law, You shall not covet anything else that belongs to your neighbor. That is how this kingdom
changed Gods laws. Now what about
time? Lets go back to Genesis ch.2 and 3. Verse 2 says, By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Verse 3 says, Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. The times that they changed was the Sabbath day. Lets go to Genesis Ch. 1 verse 14, it says And God said, let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years. This verse clearly tells you that the days are based off of the original lunar calendar. Lets go back to verse 14, let there be lights in vault of the sky to separate the day from the night. This is the creation of the stars. In Genesis ch.1 verse 8, it says God called the vault sky. And there was Evening, and there was morning-the second day. Lets go back again to
Genesis ch.1 verse 14, let there be
LIGHTS in the vault of the sky. The word lights are the stars. When it says to separate the day from the night it means that the stars represent night, because you can only see stars at night. So whenever you see stars you know it is night. That is the separation from day and night. With that you can only clearly see the moon at night. So going back to verse 14, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years. So if we go by the original calendar, which is the lunar calendar, the seventh day of the week is Saturday. The bible clearly says that the seventh day of the week is the Sabbath day. This kingdom changed the Sabbath day from Saturday to Sunday. That is the changing of times. So as you can see this kingdom has changed times and laws. 7.) Lets continue Daniel Ch.7 verse 25, The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times, and half a time Now looking at this verse and bringing together all
of these times. A Time (meaning 1), Times
(meaning 2), and half a Time (meaning half of 1 or ), altogether make up Three and a half Times. Now what does this mean? Revelation Ch.13 verse 5 can help us out, it says The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. This helps up to figure out that, Three and a half Times equals 3 years. Forty-two months equal 3 years. Now in our time 1 year is 365 days. But in Daniels time (based off of the original lunar calendar) there were 12 months and each month had 30 days. With 1 year equaling 360 days. Now lets do the math. A Time=1 year=360 days. Times=2 years=720 days. And Half a Time=1/2 year=180 days. Now if you add them all up, they equal 1260 days. Now the bible references this 7 times in relation to this kingdom (Daniel 7:25, 12:7, Revelation 11:2, 11:3, 12:6, 12:14, and 13.5). Now just as the symbols in the prophecy suggests that the beast are not actually beasts, but nations, and the horns are not actually horns, but they are kings/kingdoms.
So does the time itself take on a symbolic
meaning. As stated in Ezekiel 4:6 and in Numbers 14:34, one day equals one year. So from these two verses we conclude that in end time prophecy, 1 day=1 year. So now going back, 1260 days, in prophetic meaning is 1260 years. 8.) Now based off of Revelation 13:3 and 4, we can see that this kingdom will be a global power. Also from Revelation 13:8, it says All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast. So not only is it a global power, but it is also a religious power. 9.) So now lets bring in everything Ive talked about and put it in a short list. Here are all of the characteristics of this kingdom (beast) the bible tells us. 1.) A Little Kingdom 2.) Rises up from the ten horns(provinces)/Present Day Europe 3.) Has a man at its head 4.) Uproots/destroys/eradicates 3 kingdoms
5.) Arise after the fall of Rome (AD 476)
6.) Speaks blasphemy A.) Claims to be able to forgive sins B.) Claims to be God 7.) Persecutes the Saints 8.) Will try to change times and laws 9.) Rules for 1260 Years 10.) A global power/significance/influence 11.) A religious power Now for a historian, its very clear on who this kingdom is. But for most people who dont know a lot about history, this may be a challenge. So Im going to take out 5 distinct characteristics that will help make the answer a little more clearer. 1.) 2.) 3.) 4.) 5.)
A Worldwide Power A Religious Power Rises up in Europe Has a Man at its Head Claims to forgive sins
Now if we bring all of these characteristics
together, there is only 1 kingdom in existence
that fits all of these descriptions. It is the
Roman Catholic Church. Now the point of this is not individuals, its institutions. This is not about individual Catholics. This is about prophecy. Revelation Chapter 13 also talks about this kingdom. But instead of calling it a beast, it is sometimes referred to as her/she/harlot/woman. Jeremiah 6:2 says I will destroy Daughter Zion, so beautiful and delicate. This is telling us that, a woman in prophecy means a church. Which also means that a harlot woman, means an unfaithful/apostate church. Lets go through each characteristic again. 1.) The Vatican is, if not the smallest nation in the world. It is a city/country and a Church Revelation 17:18 tells us The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth. If that still isnt enough proof, Revelation 17:9 says This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. The Vatican is within the
city of Rome, which is built on 7 hills
(The Aventine, Capitoline, Quirinal, Palatine, Viminal, Esquiline, and the Caelian) 2.) Is located in Italy (Europe) 3.) The figure head of the nation/church is the Pope (some call him Papa or Father) Encyclopedia Britannica, 1990, Vol. 26. P.951 says The pope is the only spokesman for the entire Roman Church Now before I continue, the third characteristic should tell you that this is the antichrist that is prophesied. In Matthew 23:9, Jesus specifically says And do not call anyone on earth father, for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Revelation 17:4 says The woman was dressed purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. He held a golden cup in her hand. Here is a picture that clearly tells you who the bible is talking about.
Now lets continue with the list.
4.) In its rise to power in 538 AD, the Papacy destroyed The Vandals, Ostrogoths, and the Heruli. Today, there is not a single bloodline that can be traced back to any of these three kingdoms. They were completely eradicated/destroyed (plucked out by the roots) 5.) The Papacy rose to power in 538 AD. 6.) Base off of what we know so far the Pope is the head of the church. The Laetentur Coeli, Council of Florence (1439) says We define that the Holy Apostolic See and the Roman Potiff [Pope] hold the primacy over the whole world. Pastor Aeternus (1870) says There is no higher authority The Pope is believed to be able to forgive sins. Many also believe that he is Jesus Christ in the flesh. We hold upon this earth the place of God Almighty (Pope
Leo XIII, Encyclical Letter, Dated June
20, 1894) 7.) Revelation 17:6 tells us I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of Gods holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus.
W.E.H. Lecky. History of the Rise and
Influence of the Spirit of Rationalism in Europe. Vol. 2:32 says, That the Church of Rome has shed more innocent blood than any other institution that has ever existed among mankind will be questioned by no Protestant who has complete knowledge of history It is impossible to form a complete conception of the multitude of her victims and it is quite certain that no
powers of imagination can adequately
realize their sufferings. It is estimated that the Roman Catholic Church during its time of rule has killed around 100 million people. 8.) The pope is of so great authority and power that he can modify, explain, or interpret even divine laws (Lucius Ferraris, Prompta Bibliotheca, Article Papa, II Vol. 6. P.29) Sunday is a Catholic institution and its claim to observance can be defended only on Catholic principles From beginning to end of Scripture there is not a single passage that warrants the transfer of weekly public worship from the last day of the week to the first (Catholic Press, Sydney, Australia, August 1900) Of Course the Catholic Church claims that the change [of the Sabbath to Sunday] was her act And the act is a Mark of her ecclesiastical power. (Letter by H.F. Thomas, chancellor of Cardinal Gibbons)
This was not simply a change of worship days;
it was a change of calendars. Rome, in the fourth century, adopted the modern counterfeit pagan calendar and outlawed the Biblical luni-solar calendar. The Papacy also removed the 2nd Commandment which forbids idol worship. In order to keep 10 Commandments, they divided the 10th Commandment into two parts. 8.) In 538 AD, the Papacy, working through the civil government, broke the power of the Ostrogoths, leaving the Popes claim of ecclesiastical supremacy unchallenged. The Roman Church could (and would) now exercise her full authority. For exactly 1260 years, up until 1798, the Roman Catholic Church was in supreme control. This is the time known as The Dark Ages. In 1798, General Berthier [of France] made his entrance into Rome, and abolished the papal government and established a secular one. Revelation 13:3 and 10 explains this. Verse 3 says One of the
heads of the beast seemed to have had
a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. And verse 10 says If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity they will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword they will be killed. The ultimate humiliation of the Church came when Pius VI was driven out of Rome by the French armies in 1798 and in the following year was taken captive by them and dragged back to France, where he died (Encyclopedia Britannica, 1990, Vol. 26. P.928) When the pope was killed in 1798, that was the head wound that Revelation 13:3 talks about. How do you know what the head is you may ask? Daniel 2:37 and 38 clearly tells us what a head is. In short, a head is the ruler/leader of a kingdom. The bible says head wound for a reason. The Roman Catholic Church wasnt completely eradicated. Its kingdom was temporarily taken away.
In 1929 Rome was granted sovereign
extraterritorial status in 1929 by the Lateran Treaty and Concordat. This is the establishment of the Vatican. Once this wound is healed, the bible tells us in Revelation 17:10 and 11 that there will be 8 kings (Popes) and the 7th king (Pope) must remain for only a little while. In 2013 Pope Benedict XVI (the 7th pope after the Vatican was established [head wound was healed]) retired, and Pope Francis became the new head. Revelation 17:11 clearly tells us that this is the last king (pope). Meaning the end is very very very close. Pope Francis is 77 years old. In just the past year. Pope Francis has agreed to the theory of evolution and the big bang and encourages others to do the same. On October 28, 2014, Pope Francis said When we read about creation in Genesis, we run the risk of imagining God was a magician, with a magic wand able to do everything. But that is not so. As you can see the Pope is already
going into action. By saying these things
not only will they be able to deceive non-believer, but they will also deceive believers. 10/11.) This brings us to numbers 10 and 11 characteristics. Now you may be wandering, how will the Pope deceive believers? Lets break it down. What is the Mark of the Beast? Going back to Daniel 7:17, it tells us that The four great beasts are four kings that will rise from the earth. So from that verse we can conclude that a beast means a kingdom. So what is the Mark of the Kingdom? In this case, the kingdom is The Roman Catholic Church. So what is the mark of the Roman Catholic Church? Exodus 20:8 says Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. That is what the bible says. What does the Roman Catholic Church say? No. by my divine power I abolish the Sabbath day and command you to keep holy the first day of the week. And lo! The entire
civilized world bows down in a reverent
obedience to the command of the holy Catholic Church (father T. Enright, C.S.S.R. of the Redemptoral College [February 18, 1884]) Basically what this says is that, the Mark of the Roman Catholic Church is its Authority. And its Authority is the acceptance of the worship on Sunday. The Mark of the Beast is accepting the worship on Sunday. Sunday is our mark of authorityThe Church is above the Bible, and this transference of the Sabbath observance is proof of that fact (Catholic Record [September 1, 1923]). Because most Christians worship on Sunday, they will jump onboard with this, without even realizing that they are accepting the mark. Revelation 13:16 and 17 says It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or
the number of its name. Just like the
prophecy itself, the mark is not an actual mark. The foreheads are the ones who follow the church (its authority). And the right hands (because you swear with your right hand) are the ones who are deceived into accepting the authority of the church. Thats how believers and non-believes will fall. Thats why in Revelation 13:3 it says The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast. Most people think that the RFID chip is the mark of the beast. But if you really think about it, thats too easy. The devil is not stupid, hes very smart. Smarter than any human on planet earth. Whether you are a Christian or not, most people wouldnt agree to the government putting a traceable chip in their arm. Thats too easy, no one would do that. You have to remember that the ENTIRE world will worship this kingdom. No one is going to worship you, if you force them to take a traceable ID chip in their arm. They
would have to choose to take that. And
the majority of people wont. Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll (Revelation 22:7) For the end is near. Do not be deceived!
The Religious Imagery of Khajuraho by Devangana Desai Review By: Bettina Bäumer Artibus Asiae, Vol. 59, No. 1/2 (1999), Pp. 138-140 Published By: Stable URL: Accessed: 17/06/2014 12:37