Taught by
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Taught by
Stephen ArmstrongOur study of Revelation enters a new and important section of study tonight
And before we begin that section, we need to revisit our outline, the one Jesus gave to John in Chapter 1
Jesus told John to write this prophetic book in three parts
First, John wrote the things “he saw” (past tense), which referred to the brief events of Chapter 1
Secondly, John wrote the things that “are” (present tense), which we refer to as the letters to the churches in Chapters 2 & 3
And thirdly, John was to write the things that must happen after the things that are (future tense), which are Chapters 4 and on
So far we’ve studied Parts 1, the authentication of the book, and Part 2, the history of the Church Age found in the letters to the churches
Each of the seven letters represents a period of time during the existence of the church on earth…seven periods in total
Yet each description is very brief…so brief that it can’t possibly give us enough information to act upon
Furthermore, the Church couldn’t appreciate the prophetic quality of these letters until the benefit of hindsight
So the prophetic value offered by these letters went unused for most of the last 2,000 years
So why did Jesus give the Church this prophetic roadmap if it wasn’t going to be understood nor appreciated in its day?
The answer is because these letters weren’t given so that the early Church could know its future
They were given so that the Church of the last days could awaken to its present circumstances
So that those who will be alive right before the events of Chapters 4-22 would recognize the significance of their day
And therefore, we are living in the privileged period that has been called to understand the signs of the times and to be ready for them
But in order for us to fulfill that mission, we must understand not only our present circumstances but also our history
Specifically, we must take our understanding of the Church and its seven periods of existence and place it in a larger framework
The Church comes into existence at a certain point in history and it has a certain course and an appointed end as well
And of course we desire to know what comes next, and the outline of Revelation tells us more is coming after the Church
But first, we must understand what came before the Church
Because the events that lead to the start of the Church also explain what comes afterward
And to answer those questions, we must venture outside the book of Revelation and into other Scripture
Beginning with an understanding of two important terms: “age” and “last days”
Age (aion in Greek) is a long but finite time in God’s program of history
Ages follow one after another, and the division between ages serve as important milestones in God’s program
We can see how ages follow one another in a comment by Jesus from Mark 10
Jesus says we live in one age now, and in the age to come we will experience eternal life in our glorified bodies
So the ending of our current age leads to the beginning of the next age coinciding with us receiving glorified bodies
The Bible uses a second term in relation to God’s program for history: the “last days”
The last days refers to the final period of an age which signals the approach of the next age
But this term can be confusing because we assume last days will be brief, like a 2-minute warning at the end of a football game
But that’s not correct, because the last days are not necessarily a short period of time…for example
So last days are the culminating period of an age, yet James told the Church in the first century that they were in the last days
They were storing up treasure on earth in the “last days”
And the writer of Hebrews referred to his present time as “these last days"
Since we know it’s been 2,000 years or so since those letters were written, clearly the last days can last a long time
So what makes them the “last days?” According to Hebrews, last days are when all revelation is complete and no more mile markers remain
Hebrews says that in the past the Lord provided revelation and insight in bits and pieces
So as long as there was still yet revelation remaining, we could know that we were not yet in the last days…more was planned
Most importantly, until the Messiah had been revealed, the age couldn’t end
Because His appearing was the focus of the age and the culminating event
So the writer said now that Jesus has appeared and the canon of Scripture is complete, the stage is set for the end to come
And therefore we are in the last days of this age
Our age can conclude without further warning and at any time
But even still, the last days run for an unknown period of time, which we now know is 2,000 years and counting
Knowing how ages and last days work in Scripture, we naturally come to ask a series of questions
Questions like, what is this age? When did it begin? Does it have a name? What’s its purpose? When does it end? What comes next?
The answers to all these questions are given in the Bible…just not in the book of Revelation
Revelation 4-22 tells the story of how this age gives way to the next
So as we move out of the times that “are,” it’s especially important we understand this age before we get to the next
And the first questions we need to answer are what is this age called and why did God establish it
Jesus gives us this answer in a passage about the end times in Luke 21
Jesus refers to a period of history called the “times of the Gentiles”
The word translated signs is kairos which can also be translated age
So Jesus called our age the “age of the Gentiles”
Gentiles refers to all non-Jews, which means Jesus says we live in an age when Gentiles have a greater position than Israel
And more specifically, Jesus says that Gentiles will have two specific advantages over the Jewish nation in this age
First, the Jewish people will suffer under persecution by Gentiles, being scattered out of their land suffering death and captivity
Secondly, the Jews’ capital city would be “trampled” by Gentiles
“Trampling” implies defilement and control of the city of Jerusalem, at least to some degree
So if this age will be marked by Jewish persecution by Gentile authorities and a trampling of Jerusalem, we have several things to consider
Obviously, our age, which includes the time of the church according to Jesus and to the New Testament writer, had a beginning
So there must have been a time in the past when these two things were not true
There must have been a time before Israel began to be persecuted by Gentiles and before the city was defiled
If we can identify that time in history then we will find the start of this age
And by the same token, when this age ends, these two things must also end
That is, the persecution of Jews by Gentiles will end and the city of Jerusalem will no longer be subjected to Gentile trampling
So if we can determine when these things cease, we will know the end of this age
And there is one book of Scripture that gives us both of these points and much more in between
The book is called the Revelation of the Old Testament, and in a real sense it’s a prologue to the Book of Revelation
It’s literally impossible to understand the book of Revelation without understanding this Old Testament book
It’s the book of Daniel
Studying the entire book of Daniel is very helpful to understanding Revelation, but there are a handful of chapters that are essential
In particular, Chapters 2 & 7 are the chapters that explain the Age of the Gentiles
Jesus gave the age its name in Luke, and we learn the details of how this age ends in Revelation
But Daniel gives us the beginning of the age and a spectacular overview of all that this age will contain
And we will refer back often to what we learn tonight and in the next few weeks
We’re going to move through the first part of the chapter quickly to set the scene
The nation of Babylon invaded the southern kingdom of Judah and captured the city of Jerusalem around 600 BC
That was the first time the city had fallen to a foreign invader since King David declared Jerusalem to be the Jewish capital
Babylon eventually attacked the city three times and each time it did more damage and took more of the city captive
Nebuchadnezzar succeeded where others failed because the Lord granted him permission to take the city
Babylon’s invasion and destruction of the city was part of a much larger plan that God was working for the benefit of Israel
Yet the king didn’t understand his role in God’s plan until years later, when one of his Jewish captives, Daniel, explains it to him
Daniel was among a contingent of Jews that the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, took captive as slaves and led back to Babylon
The first chapter of Daniel’s book recorded Daniel’s flight to Babylon and how he came to serve the king in his court
Daniel was raised up by the Lord to influence the king and protect Israel while in captivity
And Daniel 1 tells us that the Lord gave Daniel wisdom ten times better than all the magicians of Babylon
And in Daniel 2, we see that wisdom on display as Daniel solves a riddle for the king
In v.1 we hear that in Nebuchadnezzar’s second full year as king, he had dreams
God has given these visions to the king intentionally, yet the Lord also made sure the king couldn’t understand the dreams on his own
The Lord withheld the meaning from the king to ensure the king would reach out for explanation
So Nebuchadnezzar calls in all his counselors in Babylon seeking their advice
These men were called to give an interpretation, but first the king proposed a test to make sure they were telling the truth
He wisely required that the men tell him both the dream and the interpretation
Normally, a leader would describe the dream first, then the advisor offered an interpretation
Apparently, Nebuchadnezzar had seen this before and wasn’t very impressed, so this time he wanted dream and interpretation
Predictably, the counselors object to the new rules, since it makes their job much harder and will expose any fraud
When these men protest, the king sees right through their scheme and calls their bluff
He says if they can’t tell him something he already knows (i.e., the content of the dream), then how can he trust the rest?
In their protests they claim that only gods could reveal the things that the king seeks to know
And that is precisely the conclusion the Lord wanted Nebuchadnezzar to reach
Specifically, this was a dream that came from the Lord so it was a dream that only the Lord could interpret
And the Lord willed to reveal it through Daniel
Which sets up the entrance of our hero
Daniel offers to give an interpretation to the king, both to save himself and his friends but also to glorify the Lord
Daniel must have felt the Lord was leading him into this moment, and so he seized it by promising that his God could interpret the dream
And as Daniel meets the king he gives us an important detail about the context
Daniel says this prophecy concerns things that will take place in the future, and specifically in the latter (or last) days
So this dream tells the story of our current age, including the period of time that we currently occupy – the last days
The dream comes in four parts, and the first part follows
First, we note the obvious: the dream concerns a statue, and this statue has divisions or parts that are quite strange
The parts are like different statues stuck together to form a single entity
And we notice that the statue’s materials change from gold to silver to brass to iron and pottery
And these materials decrease in value while increasing in strength
Daniel describes the divisions of the statue from head to toe, and then he describes what brings the statue to an end
A stone, uncut by human hands, descended from above, like an astroid, and struck the statue at the feet
Though it struck at the feet, nevertheless, the statue was completely destroyed and obliterated leaving nothing
The stone remained, however, and it grew to a giant mountain that filled the entire earth
This is the dream, and obviously despite its simplicity, no one could imagine its meaning simply by hearing the description
It could mean almost anything but it has a specific, assigned meaning given by God
So unless we know and accept the Lord’s own interpretation, we will not have the correct understanding
That’s why it required God provide the decoder ring for the dream
Turning to Daniel’s interpretation, he first gives the meaning of the first part, the head of the statue
Daniel says the head of gold at the top of the statue represented Nebuchadnezzar as ruler of Babylon
Daniel tells the king that his power to conquer the nations of the world was a direct result of Israel’s God giving them into his hand
And the Lord’s decree was even more comprehensive than the king may have imagined
By God’s decree, Nebuchadnezzar ruled over every inch of the physical earth
Jeremiah confirms Daniel’s words:
Now, we know Nebuchadnezzar didn’t travel to every inch of the globe during his time as king, so can he be said to rule the entire earth?
God assigned to Nebuchadnezzar the authority to rule the earth, regardless of whether Nebuchadnezzar exercised that authority
For a time in history, this one man was ruling all the earth and nothing could have challenged him during that time
But at the same time, this rule wasn’t going to last forever, for what God gives, He takes away
And in a day appointed by God, Nebuchadnezzar’s rule would end
More than that, Babylon’s dominance would end as well
And then in a time assigned by the Lord, another power would rise up and take what Babylon had
In v.39 Daniel continues his interpretation
Daniel tells Nebuchadnezzar that another kingdom will arise to replace Babylon and then a third kingdom will replace the second one
Before we look at the second and third kingdoms, let’s understand how this narrative relates to the statue
The head of gold stood for the kingdom of Babylon, and then the silver breast and arms stand for the second kingdom
So each of these parts represents a kingdom that replaces the prior part in history
Therefore, the statue represents a timeline of history, running from head to toe
No two parts can exist at the same time, because one part must end before the next part begins
So the statue represents a timeline for our age, this age that Jesus called the age of the Gentiles
And now we know it begins with the head, with Nebuchadnezzar’s rise to power
And that matches what Jesus said in defining the age itself
He said it would be an age marked by the defeat, enslavement and scattering of the Jewish people
And it would be an age in which Gentiles trampled over the city of Jerusalem
That’s the definition of our age, and the very first time any of those things happened was in 605 BC when Nebuchadnezzar invaded Judah
So literally, Babylon’s invasion of Israel began our current age
And that beginning is represented in this statue by the head of gold
So where does our age go next?
Daniel says the silver, second kingdom will be inferior to Babylon
The inferiority of the second kingdom is represented by the lessor value of silver as compared to gold
We can understand why silver is less than gold, but what does that say about the second kingdom it represents?
How will the Babylon’s conqueror be less than Babylon?
To understand this question, we must know which kingdom replaced Babylon in history, since Daniel doesn’t name it
And to determine which kingdom replaced Babylon, we should establish criteria for what qualifies a kingdom to be considered
The criteria to be one of the kingdoms in the statue is found in the definition of the age itself
First, each kingdom must be a Gentile kingdom, for this is an age of Gentile dominance Jesus said
Secondly, each kingdom must be the most powerful kingdom on earth in its day, since it replaces the previous world power
Thirdly, each kingdom must defeat its predecessor
And finally, it must assume control over Jerusalem
In effect, we’re saying that each world power in this state must hold two properties: Babylon and Jerusalem
Since the first world power was Babylon, then it stands to reason that the kingdom to replace Babylon must defeat the capital city
And of course, Jerusalem is always to be trampled
So now we look at history, and we find only three more kingdoms that meet these criteria, which makes understanding Daniel’s interpretation easy
The second kingdom is that of the Medo-Persians, who replaced the kingdom of Babylon in 550 BC
This kingdom was formed by the alliance of the Medes and Persia, represented by the two arms of the statue
Some have taken to drawing the arms crossed to represent the union of these two powers, though Daniel never says how the arms are set
Medo-Persia grew in power until it challenged and defeated Babylon under Cyrus the Great
The kingdom was strong enough to defeat Babylon, but according to the statue it was less majestic
Medo-Persia was less majestic than Babylon because the Medo-Persian king was not as powerful as Nebuchadnezzar
He had checks on his own authority that the Babylonian king did not suffer
In particular, the Medo-Persian laws stipulated that a king could not reverse the decisions of prior kings
So the rule of a Medo-Persian monarch was like silver compared to Babylon’s gold, because it wasn’t as absolute
Nevertheless, the Medo-Persians will defeat the Babylonians and the Age of the Gentiles marches onward
In v.39 Daniel also says that a third kingdom will assume power over the world
That kingdom will replace the second, and will likewise exhibit lessor majesty in its rule
Based on our criteria above, the next kingdom to qualify for the statue was the Hellenistic Empire of Alexander the Great
Alexander extended the Greek empire out of central Europe and into the East, defeating the Persians in 330 BC
He is represented by bronze because the leader of the Greek empire was far less powerful than either the Medes or Babylonians
He competed with the leaders of city-states within the empire and with land aristocracy
Ultimately, the sovereign enforced his control through a powerful military that could impose his will
So while the Greek King was strong enough to defeat the Persians, he ruled with less power over his subjects
Notice that this section of the statue begins with the belly, as a single piece but as the period ends, it’s divided into two thighs
And that detail also reflects the nature of the Hellenistic Empire of Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great died barely four years into his reign but not before he had conquered much of the known world
At that point, he had no heirs, so his kingdom was dissolved into four parts assigned to his four generals
Two generals in the Western end of the Empire formed an alliance against the two generals in the East
This created an east-west political divide that still exists to this day
The concept of the Western world and the Eastern world originated in this division, and the statue’s legs reminds us of that historical effect
Just as the legs never rejoin in the statue, so will this East-West divide remain through the end of the age
Even today we still speak of the East and West politically
Daniel’s interpretation sped past the second and third empires because they were not important details in this timeline
They must be covered, of course, but only because they occupy points along the path that leads us to more important things
Primarily, they lead us to the fourth kingdom and to the end of the statue
The fourth kingdom gets the most treatment in Daniel’s interpretation
The final kingdom features the least valuable and most brittle materials, which is reflected in the tendency to break and crush into pieces
This kingdom replaces the prior kingdom but it does so in a unique way
Rather than holding territory together as did the previous kingdoms, this one conquers by breaking and crushing into pieces
Just as clay and iron do not stick together, this kingdom’s various pieces combine for periods of time and then break apart again
Some of these pieces will be stronger than others, resulting in an empire that is unbalanced in power
Nevertheless, this combining and separating pattern does not mean the kingdom itself ends at any time
It continues to exist throughout the time it experiences this confining and breaking process
Collectively, the loosely associated pieces of this fourth kingdom serve the same function as the previous kingdoms in the statue
They persecute, enslave and scatter Israel while trampling under Jerusalem
What kind of earthly Kingdom fits this unique set of details?
We know from history that the next Gentile power to follow Greece was the Roman Empire
Roman Republic defeated the Hellenistic Empire in 168 BC
Rome eventually defeated Judea in 63 BC and took control of Jerusalem and Babylon
And Rome continued to expand even over the next several centuries
As Rome conquered, it transitioned from a republic to a monarchy ruled by Caesars
Yet it added territory by assimilating cultures and lands without changing the culture of these lands
As a result, the Roman Empire could very well be described as iron held together by clay
The Romans conquered like iron, crushing those who opposed them and cutting up land into new divisions
But because these lands retained their cultures, they continued to see themselves as independent of Rome
At this point we ask the natural question, what came after the end of the Roman Empire?
Well in a word…nothing, because the Roman Empire was never completely replaced, at least not like the prior kingdoms
Remember, this fourth kingdom dissolves into “pieces” rather than being replaced by anything new
These pieces combine for periods of time, but like iron and clay, they don’t adhere so they eventually break apart again
In fact, the “Holy” Roman Empire didn’t official cease to exist until 1806!
That’s exactly the pattern we’ve seen over the course of history
But it’s only increased in the centuries since the Roman Empire disappeared
Western and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and even north Africa and Western Asia have all experienced this pattern
New alliances are created and then later dissolved
So given this unique pattern, as reflected in the statue, we can’t call this fourth kingdom the Roman Empire
Certainly, the Roman Empire began this fourth period, but the period extends beyond the Roman Empire itself
In later centuries, the kingdom was still operating, but different pieces and different unions were at work
So we must understand the fourth kingdom in the way the statue represents it
It’s a single entity consisting of ”pieces” combining and breaking apart over history
So instead of calling this fourth kingdom “Rome” we must give it a more generic title
I call this kingdom the Imperialistic-Democratic Alliance
This name better reflects the changing nature and identity of the actors that combine to make up this kingdom
Over 2,000 years, this alliance has continued to dispossess Israel and keep Jerusalem under Gentile authority
But as we reach the end of the statue and therefore the end of this timeline, things get very interesting
Before the fourth kingdom reaches its end, the kingdom experiences a division into ten parts represented by the ten toes
Daniel doesn’t explain what the ten toes represent here but we do get our explanation in Daniel 7
But for now let’s understand how this age ends by understanding how the statue comes to an end
Finally, the last piece of the puzzle, the stone falling from the sky
Daniel says the stone that fell and crushed the statue is itself a new kingdom
The kingdom represented by the stone is not connected to the prior Gentile kingdoms
We see this because the arrival of the stone coincides with the destruction of the statue
We know the statue represents the Age of the Gentiles so by definition the stone’s destruction of the statue means the end of this age
And the stone sets up a new kingdom, a new age to replace the prior age
Therefore, those features that defined the Age of the Gentiles must also change
For example, in the Age of the Gentiles Israel was scattered, so in the next age Israel must be regathered in their land
In the Age of the Gentiles, Israel was persecuted by Gentile nations, so now it must be safe and secure
And in the Age of Gentiles, the city was defiled by Gentiles, but in the next age it must be free of Gentile defilement and attack
So we know that this coming kingdom represented by the stone cannot be another Gentile Kingdom
Just as in the statue, whatever replaces the prior dominant power must itself become the dominant power
So as the Age of Gentiles ends, we will enter an age when the Jewish nation will be dominant
Daniel confirms this assumption for us in v.44 when he says this new kingdom will end all other kingdoms on earth
Furthermore, this new kingdom will endure forever…no more transitions, hence the end of the statue
And this kingdom will be set up by God Himself
This time God Himself will be the King on Earth and He personally sets up the Jewish Kingdom that replaces those Gentile powers
Daniel says that uncut stone represents some arrival that puts an end to the Age of the Gentiles
Notice that arrival comes from the God of Heaven and the stone falls from above
Furthermore, the stone was uncut by human hands reminding us of a requirement in the Law of Moses:
The Lord commanded that Israel only use uncut stones for His altar
The use of natural, unworked stones signified that our atonement could not be earned through our own works
The altar of sacrifice would be a place where only God’s work (i.e., the Creator of the stones) was applied
Likewise, the uncut falling stone represents the work of God, and since it falls on the statue, we conclude that it comes from the sky (i.e., Heaven)
It grows into a mountain that fills the earth, and when used symbolically in Scripture, mountains represent kingdoms
And here we see that pattern confirmed, since Daniel says the mountain represents a kingdom filling the earth
Furthermore, that kingdom will endure forever, never to be replaced
So what future Kingdom is centered on Israel, follows after this age is over, and begins with a “rock” uncut by human hands falling from Heaven?
The only conclusion that fits the data is the Kingdom Jesus promised to set up at His Second Coming
Notice the stone falls “on the feet” of the statue, indicating that the coming of Christ happens at the end of this age
Therefore, Jesus is the rock returning to earth at His Second Coming
And the mountain is the Millennial Kingdom He establishes for Israel after His return
It will be a Jewish Kingdom, in that Jesus is Jewish and the Kingdom was promised to Israel
It will replace all other ruling authorities on Earth
It brings an end to the Age of the Gentiles and ushers in a new age on Earth
And it will result in the fulfillment of God’s promises to Israel to grant them an eternal Kingdom in their land
As we stand here in history, the coming of that rock is the next milestone in God’s prophetic plan for this age
That’s why the writers say we are in the last days now
Everything Daniel said would happen in the Age of Gentiles has come to pass exactly as Daniel predicted
Only the events of the very end remain, and so we are in the last days waiting for the end to come
Where do we go next? We need to augment our understanding of the Age of the Gentiles with a few more pieces of information from Daniel 7
Then with a full appreciation of this age, we can move back to Chapter 4 of Revelation
And from there we begin to add more pieces to the puzzle for how this age proceeds into the things that must happen after these things