The Messiah’s Secret – Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
Approximately 600 BC the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem. Jehoiakim the King of Judah, was captured and taken to Babylon.
Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that troubled him. He sent for his magicians, enchanters, the sorcerers and the Chaldeans to tell him his dream and interpretation. They could not deliver the king an answer. The king was not pleased and ordered their execution. Arioch the captain of the king’s guard made the matter known to Daniel about the king’s dream. Daniel asked for an audience with the king to tell him the content and interpretation of his dream.Daniel consulted with his three friends: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. (These were the names given to them by Ashpenaz the chief eunuch to the king.) He asked his friends to pray for the revealing of the King’s dream and its interpretation. The mystery of the dream was revealed to Daniel in the night. Daniel also known as Belteshazzar went before Nebuchadnezzar and told him his dream and gave him the interpretation of it.
First Kingdom Babylonian Empire
Head of Gold – King Nebuchadnezzar
Second Kingdom Persian Empire
The breast and arms composed of silver.
Third Kingdom Greek Hellenistic Empire
The belly and thighs of bronze
Fourth Kingdom Roman Empire
Legs of Iron
Feet – ten toes of Iron and Clay mixed
The stone cut from the mountain, falls and breaks the image
and the wind blows the pieces away.
The stone fills the whole.
Imperial Roman Empire includes the return of Jesus and the tribulation period.
The title given to the Emperor in Rome – Caesar
In 364 AD Emperor Valentine divided the Roman Empire
East Constantinople and West Rome
The Two Legs
Rome fell 476 AD and the Holy Roman Empire moved its centre to France and later to Germany. The Imperial Kings title – Kaiser or Caesar.
In 1453 AD the Turks invaded Constantinople, the Romans fled to Russia and they set up Roman Imperial Government the Kings were called Zars or Caesar.
Nebuchadnezzar’s statue the ten toes.
The toes are constructed of both iron and clay which indicates weakness and strength.
Daniel’s vision gives us details of the meaning of the ten toes, they are ten kings. Daniel’s Vision Chapter 7: 1-28
Winged lion – Babylonian Empire.
Bear-like – Medo-Persian Empire
Leopard-like – Greek-Hellenistic Empire
Fourth beast – Imperialistic Empire
Daniel 7: 1-28 Four of the kings become prominant: Babylonian, Persian, Grecian and Roman. From one of them the Antichrist emerges and subdues the other 3 kings
Signs of the Times
In 2008 I was given a word ‘One World Government’ I knew it was connected with future prophesies. The world is often referred to as ‘the global village.’ Since the introduction of the computer communications across the globe have made the world seem a much smaller place. In the 1970’s six major leaders of countries: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, US and the UK came together to try to resolve the oil crisis, they were known as the G 6. Two more countries have since joined them Canada and Russia making up the G 8.
These leaders have continued to meet over a period of nearly forty years to discuss other problems: climate change, wars, famine and the financial crisis.
This could quite easily become the G10. One of the ten kings in Daniel’s vision emerges with charisma and seemingly has the answers to the world problems. He becomes dominant and will be
idolised by many.
Nebuchadnezzar’s dream the statue was of himself.
Nebuchadnezzar passed a decree that everyone in his realm had to worship the statue. For Daniel and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego it meant swimming against the tide of the king’s authority in keeping to their faith, they refused to worship the statue. As a result Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were thrown into a furnace to be roasted alive. But they were miraculously saved from destruction and eventually Nebuchadnezzar had to admit the great power of their God. Daniel 3: 1-30.
Daniel found himself in a similar situation during the reign of King Darius. He was thrown into a den of lions of because he insisted on worshiping his own God. But again, he was unexpectedly delivered and Darius was forced to accept the supremacy of the God of Israel. Daniel 6: 1-28.
Antiochus set up an image of Zeus in the temple at Jerusalem. The Maccabean revolt followed and Antiochus was defeated.
Jesus’ prophecy concerning the Antichrist.
This statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream also points us to the Antichrist, the counterfeit Messiah, standing in the temple at Jerusalem being worshiped as god.
“When you see the desolating sacrilege spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place.” Matthew 24: 15. 2 Thessalonians 2: 3, 4.
When we hear of these things, pray, look for Jesus’ return and pray for people to come to faith in Christ as we want them to escape the time of the tribulation.
Scriptures reveal that Jesus calls out the church before the start of the tribulation.
“Two men will be in the field; one is taken the other is left.” Matthew 24: 40
“For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we wake or sleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up.” 1 Thessalonians 5: 9 – 11.
After the antichrist is revealed we see the start of the seven year tribulation with Jesus opening the seals, each seal is a judgment. Revelation 6
We can identify the Beatitudes in Matthew’s gospel with the tribulation Christians.
Blessed are the poor in spirit.These are the Christians who continue to witness with perseverance, after their message has been rejected. This takes place during the three and a half years when people are turning to the antichrist.
The first seal is the rider on the white horse carrying a bow without an arrow. The rider is wearing a crown and he will go out to conquer and to conquer.
This person is generally thought to be the antichrist, the counterfeit Messiah, who on his first appearance is a man of peace, who will conquer the world with his answers to the worlds’ problems. The world is deceived by him. 2 Thessalonians 2: 9-12
Blessed are those who mourn Those who see the antichrist turn against Israel and the tribulation period begins.
The second seal is the red horse, its rider being permitted to take away the peace. The antichrist turns against Israel and makes war against her and her allies
Blessed are the meek. The humble, obedient Christians who will suffer for the lack of food, maybe it will be because of refusing to have the mark on their right hand or forehead. Revelation 13: 16, 17.
The third seal is the black horse and its rider depicts the consequences of war; there will be famine on a world-wide scale, because of the scarcity of wheat and barley. But medicines will be available as the oil and the wine are not hurt.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after the righteousness of God.
The fourth seal – the pale horse and its rider. The pale horse signifies death on a massive scale, one quarter of the world’s population through war, famine and the wild animals savaging, searching for food.
I understand through study that the horsemen of the apocalypse are imagery. Horses represent speed of which things will happen. The rider, the messenger is revealing the nature of the judgement.
Blessed are the merciful. Christians who always forgive their enemies no matter what the situation is. The judgement belongs to God.
The fifth seal Christians that will be killed in wars of persecution for their faith in Jesus.
Blessed are the pure in heart. The Christians refined by their suffering, as they have died to self.
The sixth seal. Earthquakes and cosmic events, meteor showers, the sun and moon blocked by the dust. People hide in caves to escape the falling debris.
Blessed are the peacemakers The prayers of the peacemaker.
Between the sixth and seventh seal the 144,000 Jews witness for Christ bringing world-wide revival. Revelation 7: 2, 3.
(The Jehovah Witnesses claim to be the 144,000 Jewish descendants of the tribes of Israel. They also claim that Jesus has already returned with his angels, invisibly in 1914. This I believe is not correct)
Blessed are the persecuted. The Christians who swim against the tide of world evil and as a result are persecuted.
The seventh seal – There will be silence in heaven for half an hour before the great intensity of the tribulation.
Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
The stone cut from the mountain falls on the image and destroys it. Jesus the stone, returns to Mount of Olives where he is recognised by the few remaining Jewish people.
Jesus comes with the armies of heaven and the saints and battles against the Antichrist and is victorious. The fragments of the stone will fill the whole earth which is Jesus’ kingdom.
In the third reading Revelation 7:9-end the tribulation saints will find that there will be no more hunger or thirst and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.