Part 7: The End of World Empires.

Continued from previous post:

Now we move on to the legs of iron portion of the prophecy:  Rome.  Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar that the fourth kingdom would be as strong as iron and would crush and shatter all that came before it.  This is a good description of the Roman Empire.

There are debates as to the exact beginning of the Roman Empire.  This is due to the fact that the rise of Rome seems to be almost accidental.  Rome did not start out with a conscience plan to conquer other nations and begin its own empire; it actually started to expand through reactionary events.  When it perceived a threat of any kind by an outside force, Rome would rally the troops and march into battle.  In the middle of the second century BCE Rome squashed a threat from Macedonia and it became the first of the Greek provinces divided after Alexander’s death to come under the rule of the Roman Empire.

No two scholars can agree on what exactly caused the end of the Roman Empire, and that is probably because no one thing is to blame. Some of the theories given for its fall: an undisciplined army, civil wars, barbarian invasions, over extension, political infighting, laziness, etc.  What matters to us is the fact that the Roman Empire had collapsed by the end of the fifth century CE and is no more.

This leads us to the feet part of the statue where iron is mixed with clay, or where nations are no longer ruled by one World Empire but are a mixture of strong and weak nations.  Never again would a human world empire exist.  That does not mean people have stopped trying.  Napoleon tried to create a French Empire but failed, and Hitler tried to create a Third Reich that would last a thousand years, but he too failed.

People have even tried to unite countries through marriage.  A royal from a one country would marry a another royal from another country in an attempt to unify, but it always failed.  As late as World War I we saw the failure of these intermarriage attempts in that the Russian, German and British monarchies were all related but were at war anyway.  God told Daniel there would not be a human world empire after Rome and no matter how hard people have tried, this prophecy has held true.

The rock that pulverized the statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream smashes first into the feet of the statue, signifying the establishment of Jesus’ kingdom will occur sometime after world empires have ceased to exist and the world is divided into different nations.  It is fitting that God used a rock to signify his kingdom as the Bible has often referred to God as a Rock of Salvation (Deut. 32:15), an everlasting Rock (Is. 26:4), a Rock, a fortress and a deliverer (Ps. 18:2), a Rock and a Redeemer (Ps. 19:14), etc.

“’...Is there any God besides Me?

Or is there any other Rock?

I know of none’ “  Is. 44: 8

This timeline of world history was so important that God repeated it three times and in each of them God added a little more detail.  In Daniel Chapter 7, while Daniel was still living under the Babylonian Empire, God gave him a dream.  

Part 6: Daniel Explains the King's Dream.

Now we must ask ourselves how history has played out and if Daniel’s interpretation of the dream was correct.  He told king Nebuchadnezzar that he was the head of gold, but Daniel did not name the other kingdoms by name.  Looking back we know what the kingdoms were.

PART			METAL			KINGDOM
Head			Gold			Babylon
Breast and Arms			Silver			Persia
Belly and Thighs			Bronze			Greece
Legs			Iron			Rome
Feet			Iron and Clay			Weak and Strong Nations

And the stone that pulverized the statue represents Jesus setting up his kingdom and ruling for eternity.

The Babylonian Empire was the largest reigning force in the world at the time Nebuchadnezzar had his dream.  It was well represented by gold, as it was a rich and lush empire.  In fact, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

 But in the year 539 BCE, 66 years after Daniel had been taken captive from his homeland of Judah, the Medo-Persian army conquered Babylon and the Persian Empire entered the world stage.  Eventually the Medes would fade and the Persians would strengthen, causing the Medo-Persian Empire to become simply the Persian Empire. 

The Greeks were a pain in the neck for the Persians.  First, the Greek cities of Ionia rebelled against Persia but they were defeated.  Then, as retribution for the rebellion, Xerxes decides to overtake Greece itself. 

You have probably seen movies or heard about the 300 Spartans and other Greek warriors fighting against the Persian king Xerxes at the pass of Thermopolae.  This battle took place in 480 BCE while the Persian Empire was extremely strong.  The Greeks lost the battle at Thermopolae but they eventually stopped the Persians at the navel battle of Salamis and forced Xerxes to withdraw from Greece.  This was not the end of the Greek/Persian story as Greece was to be the ruin of the Persian Empire.

Phillip of Macedonia would be the first to unite the City States of Greece under one ruler. After he Philip died, his son Alexander would solidify the allegiances of the lesser kings in Greece and in 334 BCE he took his armies into Asia Minor to fight against Darius and his Persian Empire.  In just three years Alexander the Great had defeated the Persians and Greece was now the world’s largest empire.  In 323 BCE at the age of 33, Alexander died and his empire was divided among his Generals.  

 Now we move on to the legs of iron portion of the prophecy:  Rome.  Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar that the fourth kingdom would be as strong as iron and would crush and shatter all that came before it.  This is a good description of the Roman Empire. 

There are debates as to the exact beginning of the Roman Empire.  This is due to the fact that the rise of Rome seems to be almost accidental.  Rome did not start out with a conscience plan to conquer other nations and begin its own empire; it actually started to expand through reactionary events.  When it perceived a threat of any kind by an outside force, Rome would rally the troops and march into battle.  In the middle of the second century BCE Rome squashed a threat from Macedonia and it became the first of the Greek provinces divided after Alexander’s death to come under the rule of the Roman Empire.

 

Church & State in the U.S.A.

Many years ago, I received a phone call from my sister, Liz. She lived in Nevada and I live in Canada. She told me she thought God had asked her to do something, but she wasn't positive it was him. I asked her what it was.

Liz told me she didn't want to tell me. She was asking God for guidance and asked me to pray about what she should do. I said I would be glad to pray about it.

That night, I had a dream. I was in my living room and there was an open book laying on my coffee table. I looked at it closely and could see pictures in it. They were pictures of the images of the book of Daniel. I realized it was a book about the end times.

I picked up the book and felt God wanted me to give it to our next-door neighbor. So, I went over and gave it to her. I woke up.

I called my sister the next day and told her my dream. She told me that she had thought God had asked her to write a book about Daniel and Revelation and the last days of earth's history. We were happy the Lord opened this up to me as it was in agreement with what she had heard.

She wrote the book and we gave it away and sold some online. E-books started being popular so she put her book on lulu.com and that is where it is now as an ebook or a soft cover. I also gave one to my next door neighbor since God showed me that in the dream. She looked at me like I was nuts, but that's okay. She is already a Christian, but of a different church than the one I went to.

Now, what does this have to do with Church & State? Well, in Revelation, we believe it prophesies about a major Christian power that will unite church and state. This power will persecute those who don't believe what they say. They will pass laws and whoever does not obey their laws will not be able to buy or sell. They will make an "image to the beast," which will be a national Sunday Law. Those who go along with this law will receive the mark of the beast.

Because the United States government is now taking steps to unite church & state, I felt very strongly to put my sister's book on my blog to warn people of what is to come. I'm pretty sure many people who follow my blog will quit following, but that is not important to me. What is important is that I warn people, so when they see it happening, they will know that a Sunday Law is not from the Lord.

This is an excerpt from my sister's book. I plan to begin copying her book and putting pages of it on my blog. Remember the Book of Revelation means a "revealing."  It is not hidden, for God wants us prepared for what is to come.

I love the cover. My sister and I have the same sense of humor.

"Of the United States, Revelation 13:12 says, “He exercises all the authority of the first beast (Rome, Catholicism) in his presence.  And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal would was healed.”  Just as the Pope and the Catholic Church used to exercise political and religious authority over the Western world before its deadly wound in 1798, so the United States will exercise its political and religious authority over the Western world, uniting with Catholicism and giving back to the Pope the power his position once wielded. 

The Image of the Beast

            When you look in a mirror you see a reflection of yourself.  It is not you, but it looks just like you and it mirrors any movement you make.  Well, the beast was a political and religious power that ruled the Western world for centuries, and an image to this beast will have the same traits without being the exact same entity.  

Instead of being solely the Catholic Church with the Pope wielding religious and political power, this image will be political powers, dominated by the US, backing up the Ecumenical unification of religious powers (Revelation 17:12, 13 says that the kings of the earth will give their power and authority to the beast, so it will not be just the US political power).  Combined, these political and religious powers resemble, or mirror, the works and the powers of the Catholic Church during her 1260-year reign from 538 CE to 1798 CE.  So what we will see is an unholy trinity, a joining of politics, Protestantism and Catholicism. 

Violent Dreams and Revenge.

I had dreams last night that I haven't had for a long time. Dreams of rape and violence. Dreams of me shooting the rapists. These dreams are always disturbing and I used to feel sad all the next day and sometimes for many days following.

Just as I got out of bed, I heard in my mind, "How can God allow this to happen to you?"  I laughed, and I'll tell you why I laughed. I recognized that voice. It is the voice of Satan trying to rend me apart from God. But I've learned from Joyce Meyer to speak back to that voice in Bible verses. I say out loud, "The Lord is a shield around me, he is my glory, he is the lifter of my head.
The Lord is a strong tower I run to and I am safe.
The Lord is the strength of my life and my portion forever."

As I quote these words, my spirit is lifted and I look up to God with thanksgiving. Jesus said, "In this world you will have many tribulations. But be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

Everyone's tribulations are different. Yours may be financial, and you wonder why God has allowed this to happen. Perhaps you have lost a loved one. Maybe your husband or wife has left you. Quote the Bible, trust in the Lord and do good. We will never understand everything while we are here on earth. But we will understand afterwards.

Jesus once said to Peter, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand." 
John 13:7

Jesus said about his death on the cross, "Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will grieve, but your grief will be turned into joy."  John 16:20

The Bible says Jesus was, "a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief."  If the Son of God suffered here, why do we expect not to suffer? No, we have "entered into Christ's sufferings." Christ has been suffering since Lucifer led a host of his fellow angels, the children of God in heaven, to rebel against God's government. I can't imagine what it was like for the Trinity to lose so many they knew so well and loved so much.

I don't mean to minimize the pain anyone is going through. I know the pain of divorce, death and abuse. But I also know that God has sufficient grace, peace and love for us to go through these things. He walks beside us. He will comfort us here, and at the end of time, he will abundantly reward us with a beautiful, pain-free life in heaven. There, all our hopes and dreams will come true. We will be surrounded by love and beauty.

If You Do This...That Will Happen. (Not Necessarily.)

Me, walking by the Pacific Ocean when I lived in Vancouver, BC.

I walked one to two hours a day. Loved living there.

I remember when I was in my thirties, forties, and fifties. I was always trying to lose weight. I used to buy women's magazines and each decade they would have a new idea on dieting. The first was having a low-fat diet. If you cut your fat intake down to so many teaspoons a day - you will lose weight. I did it for a year. Try enjoying toast with 1/2 tsp. of butter. I did it, but I never lost a pound.

They would tell us to walk for half an hour to an hour a day and we would lose weight. I did it for years. I did get toned up, but I never lost a pound. They told us to do aerobic exercises for half hour a day. Our metabolism would go up and we would lose weight. I did that by going to a gym, doing step-aerobics and going on the treadmill. I never lost a pound. I did look better though. I looked like I lost 10 pounds, but I didn't!

The one time I did lose weight was when I joined Weight Watchers. They put you on a 1,200 calorie a day diet. I lost weight the first week and every week thereafter. It isn't easy. I was hungry all the time. But that's how it goes if you want to lose weight. Now that I'm old and sick and can't walk far, I gained all that weight back. But at 66, I don't care too much.

I've also read if you have a bad habit, such as drinking Pepsi every day, if you stop it for one to three months your craving for it will go away. I did stop drinking Pepsi one time, I still craved it 2 years later. I don't know where all these health experts come from but they are wrong about a lot of things.

In my Christian life, I've noticed that when Joyce Meyer says if you quote the Bible out loud if you are feeling depressed, peace and joy will come to you. And she says the more you do it, the easier it is to do. The more you fight depressing thoughts with good thoughts from the Bible, the happier you will become. I started doing this regularly about a year and a half ago. I found it to be true.

Because I was sexually and physically abused by my father from a very young age, I have always struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts. Some years were better than others, but a crisis could bring on a terrible depression that could last a long time. I think if I had done what Joyce said, all those years ago, I wouldn't have had the trouble I've had. My life would have been happier. I didn't know the power of the Scriptures or the power of God for so many years.

But I'm so happy to have learned God's power personally. I used to wake up each morning wishing I was dead. Now, I wake up happy, knowing God will help me through the day and make me feel good about life. It has been an amazing 18 months of chasing sad thoughts away, amazing because it actually works!

If You Do This...That Will Happen. (Not Necessarily.)

Me, walking by the Pacific Ocean when I lived in Vancouver, BC.

I walked one to two hours a day. Loved living there.

I remember when I was in my thirties, forties, and fifties. I was always trying to lose weight. I used to buy women's magazines and each decade they would have a new idea on dieting. The first was having a low-fat diet. If you cut your fat intake down to so many teaspoons a day - you will lose weight. I did it for a year. Try enjoying toast with 1/2 tsp. of butter. I did it, but I never lost a pound.

They would tell us to walk for half an hour to an hour a day and we would lose weight. I did it for years. I did get toned up, but I never lost a pound. They told us to do aerobic exercises for half hour a day. Our metabolism would go up and we would lose weight. I did that by going to a gym, doing step-aerobics and going on the treadmill. I never lost a pound. I did look better though. I looked like I lost 10 pounds, but I didn't!

The one time I did lose weight was when I joined Weight Watchers. They put you on a 1,200 calorie a day diet. I lost weight the first week and every week thereafter. It isn't easy. I was hungry all the time. But that's how it goes if you want to lose weight. Now that I'm old and sick and can't walk far, I gained all that weight back. But at 66, I don't care too much.

I've also read if you have a bad habit, such as drinking Pepsi every day, if you stop it for one to three months your craving for it will go away. I did stop drinking Pepsi one time, I still craved it 2 years later. I don't know where all these health experts come from but they are wrong about a lot of things.

In my Christian life, I've noticed that when Joyce Meyer says if you quote the Bible out loud if you are feeling depressed, peace and joy will come to you. And she says the more you do it, the easier it is to do. The more you fight depressing thoughts with good thoughts from the Bible, the happier you will become. I started doing this regularly about a year and a half ago. I found it to be true.

Because I was sexually and physically abused by my father from a very young age, I have always struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts. Some years were better than others, but a crisis could bring on a terrible depression that could last a long time. I think if I had done what Joyce said, all those years ago, I wouldn't have had the trouble I've had. My life would have been happier. I didn't know the power of the Scriptures or the power of God for so many years.

But I'm so happy to have learned God's power personally. I used to wake up each morning wishing I was dead. Now, I wake up happy, knowing God will help me through the day and make me feel good about life. It has been an amazing 18 months of chasing sad thoughts away, amazing because it actually works!

Hard Hearts Vs Soft Hearts.

Photo by, Hajor.

I'm studying the book of Acts right now. One thing I noticed, that when I used to read Acts, I thought all these things happened quickly. Apparently, there were years between each event. The disciples were allowed to preach the gospel openly for quite a few years.

Peter's first sermon took place in the porch of the temple. This was where everyone would go to pray each morning and evening. It was the perfect spot to preach because thousands of people came by every day.

After his sermon, Peter said,

“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.    Acts 2:36-41

The reason I underlined the words above is because something really struck me when Peter later gave a sermon to the rulers of the people. They were jealous of the disciple's influence and had them all arrested. They told the disciples to quit preaching in Jesus' name.

Peter said, "We must obey God rather than human beings! The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

"But when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and wanted to kill them."  Acts 5:29-33

Paul used the same words in his sermon. He accused both the people and the rulers of killing Jesus. The common people reacted with sorrow and shame. They repented and were baptized.

The rulers reacted with hatred and murderous thoughts. I think they would have killed the apostles that very day if Gamaliel had not stopped them.

My sister once asked me why it says in the Bible that God hardened Pharaoh's heart. (Exodus 11:10)  She knew the Bible, and this did not agree with the rest of Scripture.

I told her about what I had read. God is like the sun. The sun hardens clay but it melts butter. Hearing about God will either harden a person or soften a person. 

It is up to each human in the world to make a decision about God. He will either make you angry, completely indifferent or he will melt your heart.

Meditation and the Bible.

I was reading a sermon by J.H. Jowett. It was on how to know the mind of Christ through the Bible. Here are some excerpts:

Psalm 1:2"But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law does he meditate day and night."

"He shall be like a tree planted by rivers of water." Who shall? He whose delight is in the law of the Lord. His life shall be rooted in the richest of soils; he shall never lack resources; his soul shall delight itself in fatness. But what is "the law of the Lord"? 

"All the law is fulfilled in one word — thou shalt love." Love is the essence of law. He who delights in love and loving shall be like a tree planted by rivers of water.

Love is the only element in which He works, but it is prepared in different ways. At one time love is very tender, to woo a tender blade; again it is very fierce, to burn a stubborn weed. It reveals itself in different ways to suit men's different needs. If, then, I would know how love should work I must study the mind of Christ, and meditate thereon both night and day. To delight in the law of the Lord is to live as devoted students in the mind of Christ. That mind is opened out for us in the gospels. It is revealed to us how His love disposed itself in very varied circumstances and to very different needs.

We live in an age of mental haste and gallop. Impressions are abundant; convictions are scarce. I tell you, we know almost nothing of the moral and spiritual loveliness of our Jesus, almost nothing of the mind of Christ, because we do not hold ourselves before it in lingering meditation. Why don't we? Why are we not devoted students of these pictures of the mind of Christ? Let us be frank with ourselves. Is not Bible studying wearying and wearisome? To how many of us is it a delight? It is because so many put the virtue in the reading itself. We think when we have read a chapter we have discharged a duty. People open their Bibles, and read a few verses, and close them, and think that by their reading they have pleased God. 

 My text declares that those who live in continual meditation upon the ways of the Lord shall be in a rich rootage. They shall be like trees planted by rivers of water. They shall have vast resources. Are we all planted there? If we are rooted elsewhere our life will be stunted and unhealthy.

You can read the whole sermon here:
http://biblehub.com/sermons/auth/jowett/meditative_bible_reading.htm

I have been trying to meditate on God's word instead of just reading it. I think reading the Bible is good too; but meditating is more helpful. I read less, but think on it more. I try to remember what I read during the day. I pray over whatever I read. I picture the story or Jesus speaking the words. I like meditating. It is actually fun.