This is a post I have been prompted to write for a long time. I have resisted because… Well, let’s be honest with each other: there are already far too many books, articles and essays about prophecy out there, every one of them claiming to have the answers. Why should I just add to the confusion? At least, this has been my thinking for several years — until now. I have no idea why, but I can no longer resist the feeling that I am meant to write what follows. I pray I am not doing harm, especially since my understanding of Daniel is very, very different from what has been taught since the time of the Apostles. Still, the only one who would know whether or not I am wrong, or the rest have been wrong is the Apostle, John, whom Yeshua loved. Since John isn’t here, I’ll just have to leave it with you and trust in the Holly Spirit to guide whoever finds and reads this. May the Lord protect us both from error.
I will start in Daniel, Chapter 2: Nebuchadnezzar’s dream about the statue of gold, silver, bronze and iron. Before I give a detailed explanation of how I understand Daniel 2, I want to share a diagram I made to help explain pictorially. I’ve written some notes in the Left margin, used a picture depicting the statue in the dream, and the corresponding kingdoms — as I understand them — in the right margin. Hopefully, this picture will be a useful guide to refer back to us I dive into the details of this post.
Before we start with my detailed explanation of my understanding of Daniel 2 and 7, there are a few things we need to understand about the Book of Daniel. First, it is a bifid. This means it is divided into two parts. The first part is believed to have been written originally in Chaldean. This is because it is written to the Chaldean’s (Babylonians) and is abut them and what will happen to them and their kingdom in the future. The second half of Daniel is was originally written in Hebrew. It was written to the Jews and is about what will happen to the Jews in the future. Here it is important to note that we are dealing with the House of Judah — not the House of Israel or the House of Jacob. Therefore, Daniel is writing only to those members of the Tribe of Judah and the remnant of the Tribes that clung to them. He is not writing to or about the Norther, ‘Lost’ Tribes. Finally, Daniel includes a great deal of parallelism; both in chiasms embedded within each half of the bifid, as well as between the two halves, themselves. This is important because chapters 2 and 7 are about the same prophecy, they are just addressed to two different audiences. When we understand this, it helps us because we can then use Daniel 2 to help interpret Daniel 7 and vice-versa. So, with this said, let us start where I break from the traditional interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream about the statue.
The very first — and most important — thing we need to do is admit that the Legs of Iron and the Fourth Beast are two images of the same kingdom, and this kingdom is never identified — by name — anywhere in prophecy. We have assumed, but assuming does not mean we are correct. Now, let’s look at Daniel a lot closer, and much more carefully; using everything we can muster about our knowledge of Scripture. We’ll start at Daniel 2:3.
The Third Kingdom, the belly and thighs of Bronze, is a parallel vision to the chest and arms of silver, which was defined as Medo-Persia. We tend to think of it as the Persian Empire, mostly because the Medes were the far weaker State in the alliance, but the fact remains: there were two nations represented by the two arms, an arm for each nation. OK, so, how do I get from there to thinking the belly and thighs are the Greco-Roman Empire. Well, if you know anything about Hebrew parallelism, then you shouldn’t be surprised if there is a parallel between the arms representing two nations and the two thighs also representing two nations. The belly would represent Greece, and the two thighs would represent the two halves of the Roman Empire which grew out of Greece. The question is: do we have anything other than my assumption upon which we can base this understanding of the Bronze Belly and Thigh Nation? The answers is, yes!
If you will do a simple search of the internet for the term, ‘Greco-Roman,’ you might find that history records them as associated kingdoms. They are associated because, while they had different rulers and governments, they had related cultures. They even shared many of the same gods, though they did call them by different names. Do not dismiss this last part, as it is crucial to understanding why I hold so strongly to this understanding. In his book, “The Unseen Realm,” Dr. Michael Heiser explains that the Scriptures considered each nation to have its own god assigned to it. Again, do not dismiss this until after you read his argument, because Scripture actually supports him! So, why is it important that Greece and Rome shared gods? Because Babylon and Medo-Persia each had different gods! Greece and Rome did not. Therefore, by the Ancient Near East (ANE) way of thinking, Greece and Rome were essentially the same kingdom — at least, they were in the spiritual sense. And, after all is said and done, prophecy is dealing more with the Spirit world than the material.
Next, there is the passage elsewhere in Daniel where the angel tells Daniel he will show Daniel the future of his people and the Holy Land. Daniel was a Jew, which means he is of the House of Judah. Once again, this is crucial. The House of Israel was already sifted into the nations, and have a very different history from the House of Judah (see the prophecies about Ephraim). Therefore, we should keep our focus in the material world confined to the Jews and the Holy Lands, and especially on Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. After all, Scripture tells us Jerusalem is YHWH’s foot stool forever, and that the Temple Mount will be in play until the very end.
There is one more reason to believe that the Bronze Belly and Thigh kingdom should be viewed as the Greco-Roman Empire. Looking at the maps below, we can see that the Babylonian, Medo-Persian and Greek Empires all focused further East than Rome. In fact, Rome only ever controlled the Capital of Greece. It never controlled Babylon or Persepolis. What’s more, Medo-Persia conquered Babylon; Greece conquered Medo-Persia; but Rome never conquered all of Greece! So, what difference does any of this make? A lot! Remember I said that Daniel 7 is parallel with Daniel 2, and that the two give different information about the same four kingdoms/beasts? Well, Daniel 2 and 7 are also parallel with Revelation, which means the Fourth Beast in Daniel 7, and the Legs in Dan 2 are also the Leopard(Greek)–Bear(Persian)–Lion(Babylonian) Beast of Revelation! So, you see, Rome would have no prophetic connection to the Leopard-Bear-Lion Beast — but there is an historical kingdom that does!
Daniel’s visions foretold the future of the Jews, the Holy Land and the Temple Mount, but they also included the Gentile Nations, as well. That is what the first half of the bifid is about: the future of the Gentile Nations in the same region. This is what the statue dream in Dan 2 is all about: the Gentile nations. Now, If the Fourth Kingdom in Dan 2 is meant to be understood as Rome, then what happened to all those Centuries in-between when Rome fell and the end of days? Was there a kingdom that conquered Rome? Was it different from all the kingdoms which came before it? Does it fit the description of the Legs of Iron and Feet of Iron and Clay Kingdom? There are affirmative answers to all of these questions. The answer to all of them can be found in Islam!
First, if you will read about the Greco-Roman Empire, you’ll find that it is also considered to be the same as ‘Classic Civilization.’ Here is yet another area where we have interpreted things incorrectly (mostly because we were not looking at them with Spiritual eyes). The commonly accepted reasons for the fall of Rome are all valid, but only to a point. The force that actually lead to its destruction and ushered in the Dark Ages was Islam. If you will read the book, “Mohammed and Charlemagne Revisited,” by Emmet Scott, I believe you will understand why I am convinced I am on the correct path. What’s more, this fits the pattern of the next kingdom/beast defeating the previous one, and of each succeeding kingdom/beast having different gods.
Next, let’s tackle the prophecy about the final kingdom/best being different from all those that had come before it. Islam is totally unlike any of the previous kingdoms in that it is a spiritual kingdom. To be sure, it as based in an apostate religion, and thus, is born of evil, but this does not change the fact that it is a borderless, spiritual kingdom. Once again, if we had not been reading Daniel and Revelation with previous understandings already in our head, and we had been reading them with Spiritual eyes, instead, we would have seen the obvious. The Kingdom of YHWH is a borderless, Spiritual Kingdom. It was set in motion by Yeshua, and — by the time Islam arrives on scene — had pretty much converted the whole of the ancient world. Since Satan cannot create of his own, he mimics, or copies. Therefore, Islam is a Satanic copy of the Kingdom of YHWH, but it’s a photo-negative copy. What YHWH calls good, Islam calls bad. Heck, the inscription around the outside of the Dome of the Rock Mosque is the literal definition of ‘antichrist,’ per John’s four definitions in that it denies the Messiah and the crucifixion.
There’s more, and I no longer dismiss such things as ‘coincidence’ (that belies Spiritual blindness). Here, have a look for yourself. Do you see it?
OK, next: is Islam a divided kingdom? Yes! The sunni-Shi’a divide is the very definition of a divided kingdom.
How is Islam both hard like iron and weak like clay? Most of your terrorism (and make no mistake here, Muhammad said, ‘I conquer with terror!’) comes from the Shi’a side of Islam. Now, the Sunni’s are just as violent, it’s just that they believe global Jihad can only be declared by a seated and recognized Caliph (think Islamic Pope). The Shi’a Muslims have no such restriction. Muhammad’s last command was to wage war against the entire world until there is only Islam, and Shi’a Islam has never stopped trying to obey that command.
How does Islam sort itself by the seed of men? Again, if you know Islam, this is easy to answer. When Muhammad died, he left no instructions for who should succeed him. This is what led to the Sunni-Shi’a split. Sunnis believe that the leader of Islam did not have to be a blood-relative to Muhammad. Shi’a Islam believes that only a blood relative to Muhammad can be the rightful leader of Islam. The two sides have been at war with each other over this split since Muhammad died.
What about the ten toes and ten horns? Once again, you have to know Islam. If you do, then you know that the number, ’10,’ comes up quite often. We first see it in the first ten Caliphs after Muhammad. The first three were not blood relatives of Muhammad. The fourth was, but he was a child. Never the less, he declared the first three Caliphs as ‘abrogated:’ he declared them to be literally erased them from Islamic history — as though pulled up by their very roots and thrown away. A little child pulling up the first three horns of Islam by their roots? Hmmm….. Does this sound familiar?
But there is more. The number, ’10,’ comes up in connection to Islamic prophecy and the 12th Imam (Islams counterpart to Yeshua ha Mashiach — a.k.a. the Islamic messiah). The united Arab Emirates is comprised of seven Islamic Emirates (nations). Ten nations minus three. Probably not related to the prophecy, but it rings with the sound of the prophecy. Have you noticed that there are a growing number of countries that have fallen to Islam since Obama launched the Arab Spring? They keep calling these new nations ‘Islamic Emirates.’ It is difficult to pin down, but I wonder whether or not we may end up with ten of them, and then they all vote to recognize a new Caliph? Maybe not what we are meant to watch for, but this could reflect ten kings without spiritual kingdoms who exist only to give their power to the new Caliph. And then there is the fact that Islam has already appointed ten men inside Islam, and they are working toward appointing the next Caliphe. This has been detailed at great length by former Muslims now turned Christian. They are trying to warn us, but the world does not listen or heed because it is Spiritually deaf and blind.
There’s more. If Daniel 2 and 7 are parallel with Revelation, then where is the head wound that is healed? Again, you have to know the history of Islam. In Dan 2, the resurrected kingdom would be the feet and toes. But the head wound would refer to 1924, when the Allies ended the Ottoman Empire (a.k.a. the Islamic Caliphate). The kingdom of Islam, and thus its head, was literally killed. But fast forward to today and we see the Western world literally breathing life back into the dead beast of Islam. The most important public figure in the rise of the modern Caliphate has been none other than Obama! He gave Islam a voice, funded it, helped organize it, protected it: he has even sent U.S. troops to fight on its side! Yes, he has (but that is a different post). And now, Biden (most likely working for Obama) has armed the Taliban, which is Al Qaeda by another name, and is even talking about giving them diplomatic recognition, followed by U.S. funding.
So, you see, everything I know about Islam, and the history of the Jews and the Holy Lands and Islam fits the prophecies in Dan 2, 7 and Revelation. Sure, I may be missing pieces, but that’s just it: they are missing. The big picture still falls into place without any need to use a hammer to make the pieces fit. This is why, unless and until I find good, solid, Scriptural reason — supported by material world history — to change my mind, I am holding firmly to this understanding of Prophecy. Especially since there is much, much more to Prophecy. Daniel 2 and 7 are but a small part of the total story. My understanding of Revelation blends my understanding of Dan 2 and 7 smoothly into one big picture, and it all points to the fact that a season of trials and tribulations such as Man has never seen is now upon us. The real question for you now, dear reader, is whether or not you are going to use this information I just shared to draw closer to YHWH and His Son, Yeshua, or reject them and dismiss this as the rantings of yet another religious mad man.
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I WOULD LIKE TO SUGGEST YOU ALSO READ:
UNDERSTANDING SCRIPTURE: The Revelation Of Yeshua Ha Mashiach (Updated 8/31)
THE ROAD TO CONCORD 