I’m always open to what others have learned from scripture, but you have to understand too, I am a show me person, when I have a question or disagreement I will voice it. Not as an attack but as a way of back and forth discussion. If I’m wrong somewhere show me. Now to those seven heads and Ten horns.
Lets start with the first and second head...we will start this study in Daniel chapter 2. Each nation or people had a chance to rule, but only one people ran the entire world, and that was the sons of Japheth. The Bible speaks of other great nations such as Egypt and her Pharaohs, and also Israel and her Kings but, these people never rule the entire world. The sons of Japheth are called Gentiles. This has nothing to do with religion or beliefs. Gentiles are simply sons of Japheth. We will start at the beginning of the Gentile dynasty with the King of Babylon, which was Nebuchadnezzar. We will end this study at the Roman Empire. Today you will find out all that was written in your history book was already written by the Prophets. You will see that man could in no way have tampered with the Holy Scriptures on the scale that some believe. Let’s get started, watch how history lines up with the Holy Scripture.
Nebuchadnezzar had a dream and the dream troubled him. The problem was he could not remember or understand the dream. The King called all of his wise men and told them if they did not tell him the dream he would cut them in pieces
Daniel 2:1 And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him. 2 Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to show the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king. 3 And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream. 4 Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.
5
The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.
The Kings wise men could not tell him the dream. The King then put out a decree to kill all the wise men, the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans to be put to death. The Kings guard also sought Daniel Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, these four were among the captives of Israel. Daniel asked Arioch the captain of the king's guard, why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel. Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would show the king the interpretation.
Daniel prayed to the God of Heaven and he answered Daniel in a vision by night. Daniel was brought to the King and gave him the interpretation of the dream.
Daniel 2:25 Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus unto him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah, that will make known unto the king the interpretation. 26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof? 27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, show unto the king; 28 But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;
29 As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass. 30 But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart. 31
Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. 32
This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, 33
His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. 34
Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay,
and brake them to pieces. 35
Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; 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.
There is no need for a person to try to interpret the Word of God, all you have to do is continue to read and your entire question will be answered. What did the image represent?
36 This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king. 37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings:
for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. 38
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.
Notice what is says, 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. Where ever men or fowl or beast of the field were Nebuchadnezzar had rule over them. He was also the head of gold on the image. Look at the next verse. 39
And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
Notice what it says,
after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, in verse 39 after the head of gold the image breast and arms were made of silver, this would represent the second kingdom.The third part of the image the belly and thighs of brass, represented the third kingdom that will rule the entire earth. Look at the next verse.
40 And the
fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch
as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.
Remember in verse 33 when it said the feet of the image was mix with iron and clay. Here in the 40th verse the iron represent the fourth kingdom to rule the earth. If you continue to read your question will be answered. The next verses are future. Pay close attention to 44th and 45th verses.
41
And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. 42
And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.
43
And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. 44
And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. 45
Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.
Look at verse 44,
it says in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. This verse lets you know these kings or kingdom will rule until the Lord comes. Look at verse 45,
who is this stone cut out without hands? Look at this verse in Psalms 18.
Psalms 18:2
The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
The Lord is that Stone that will destroy these kingdoms at his second coming.
The next set of scriptures will show how the
second kingdom came into power.
Daniel 7:1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.
2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. 3
And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. 4
The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it. 5
And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. 6
After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.
What are the 4 beast and what do they represent? Let’s go to Daniel chapter 5 and find a couple of these beast and find out what they mean. The Bible can speak of it’s self, there is no reason for anyone to try and guests what’s on the Lord’s mind, all you have to do is read it and take it for what it says.
In Daniel chapter 5 Belshazzar made a serious mistake, that very night he lost his life. When he lost his life another kingdom came into power. Here you will begin to see how recorded history lines up with the word of God. Take a look at who took over form Belshazzar after his death.
Daniel 5:1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. 2 Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein.
3 Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them. 4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone. 5 In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. 6 Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another. 7 The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and show me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.
Once again Daniel was called to give an interpretation of a vision. Look what Daniel told the king.
Daniel 5:17
Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.
The king asked and Daniel gave it to him. Take a look.
Daniel 5:25 And this is the writing that was written,
MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. 26 This is the interpretation of the thing:
MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. 27
TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. 28
PERES; Thy
kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians. 29 Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. 30 In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. 31
And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.
As you see the kingdom was given to the
Medes/Persian Empire after Belshazzar was killed. Before we move into recorded history we will list all the parts to the image and what they represent.
This image represent the entire Gentile ruler ship as seen by Nebuchadnezzar in the 2nd chapter of Daniel. Head of gold: Represents the
Babylonian Empire. Breasts and arms of silver: Represents the
Medo-Persian Empire Belly and thighs of brass: Represents the
Greek Empire. Legs of iron: Represents the
Roman Empire Feet part iron and party clay with the toes: Represent the
ten nations combined to make up the European Common market
Keep these in mind as we go through the study.
This is a from Funk and Wagnall’s Encyclopedia under
BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY.
BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY or
BABYLONIAN EXILE, term applied to the period between the deportation of the Jews from Palestine to Babylon by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II and their release in 538 BC by the Persian king Cyrus. Two main deportations are recorded: one in 597 BC, when Israelite nobles, warriors, and artisans were transported; and one in 586 BC when Nebuchadnezzar's army destroyed Jerusalem, and the major part of the remaining Israelite community was taken to Babylon. At the time of the second deportation an important group of Israelites fled to Egypt; thereafter, only the poorest peasants were allowed to remain in Palestine, and the political dissolution of independent Israel was an accomplished fact. The majority of the Jews living in Babylon did not return to Palestine at the end of the exile period, but became a part of the Diaspora, or body of Jews dispersed among nations outside Palestine.
Darius the Median wasn’t mentioned is. Why? The Medes were not as powerful as the Persian Empire. That’s why history jumps to Cyrus the Great. Some of the Persian Kings took on the tile of Darius this let you know that the Medes were there first.
Now we will return to the scripture going to the Book of Ezra showing Cyrus reign, and what was his dealing with children of Israel.
Ezra 1:1
Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, 2
Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
3 Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem. 4 And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem. 5 Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with all them whose spirit God had raised, to go up to build the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem.
Take a look at verse 2, Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Notice what it says, “The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth”. This let you know Cyrus ran the entire earth. Not only that, the Lord gave him an order to rebuild His temple at Jerusalem, using only the children of Israel. If you read further in Ezra you would find out that the people of the land tried to help. The Lord used only His People (Israel) to build the temple. Take a look at this in Ezra chapter 2.
Ezra 2:1 Now these are the children of the province that went up out of the captivity, of those which had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away unto Babylon, and came again unto Jerusalem and Judah, every one unto his city; 64 The whole congregation together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore,
Let’s return to world history and see if it lines up with the scripture. This is from Funk and Wagnall’s encyclopedia. Remember Cyrus has inherited the kingdom from the Babylonians.
CYRUS THE GREAT (c. 600-529 BC), king of Persia (550-529 BC). He was the son of Cambyses I, a descendant of Achaemenes (Hakhamanish) (fl. 681 BC), and a member of the Achaemenid dynasty. When Cyrus became ruler (558 BC) of the Persian district of Anshan, the district was subject to the Medes; in 593 BC he led a rebellion against the Medes that resulted in the capture of King Astyages (r. about 584-c. 550 BC) and the overthrow (550 BC) of the Median Empire. Thereafter Cyrus called himself king of Persia and ruled a territory extending from the Halys River in Asia Minor, eastern border of Lydia, to the Babylonian Empire on the south and east. Babylon, Egypt, Lydia, and the city-state of Sparta in Greece combined to curb the power of Cyrus, but in 546 BC the Persians added Lydia to their realm, and in 539 BC the kingdom of Babylon fell to Cyrus. The Persian Empire was the most powerful state in the world until its conquest two centuries later by Alexander the Great. Cyrus was an able and merciful ruler. Significant among his deeds was his granting of permission to the Jews to return from their exile in Babylon to their native Israel to rebuild the Temple of Solomon. Cyrus died while leading an expedition against the eastern tribe, the Massagetae, and was succeeded by his son, who became Cambyses II.
As you can see it lines up very well.
