THE HEAD (Statue)

The head of gold on the King’s statue(Dan. 2: 36-38) and the beast like a lion with wings as an eagle (Dan. 7: 4) was the Neo-Babylonian Empire. It was in full power at the time of the King’s dream. We are told the head of the statue was Babylon represented by it’s King.(Dan. 2: 38) The gold represented the kingdoms grandeur. There has never been in all of history a kingdom as grand as the Babylon Dynasty.

This empire, history tells us, was from 626 BC until around 539 BC. It boasts one of the world’s seven wonders, the famed Hanging Gardens. It was noted for staged temple-towers 295 feet high and several colossal golden statues weighing many tons each.

The King saw the statue standing upon the earth. The angel told Daniel the beasts he saw in his visions were kingdoms that rise up out of the earth. (Dan. 7: 17) Now earth speaks of literal earthly kingdoms such as Babylon that was to play a part in human history and hold sway over mankind.

THE CHEST AND ARMS

The chest and arms of the statue were silver. Silver is inferior to gold and thus the next kingdom would be inferior to Babylon.(Dan. 2: 39) The next beast in Daniel’s first vision was like a bear with three iron ribs in it’s mouth.(Dan. 7: 5) In the second vision Daniel saw this same kingdom as a ram with two horns.(Dan. 8: 1-4)

God was not fooling around here. Hundreds of years before it arrived upon the scene of time the angel told Daniel this was the Medio and Persia Kingdom(Dan. 8: 20) This empire took prominence in 539 BC and lasted until conquered by Greece in 330 BC. Media was the smaller horn on the ram in Daniel’s second vision and Persia who later made an alliance with Medio was the longer horn for it was stronger and more powerful than Medio. (Dan. 8: 3) In Daniel’s first vision it was depicted as a bear with three ribs in it’s mouth and they represented their three great conquests, Lydia in 564 BC, Babylon in 539 BC and Egypt in 525 BC.

THE BELLY AND THIGHS

The statue’s belly and thighs were made of bronze. This kingdom would rule over the whole earth. (Dan. 2: 39) Daniel saw it as a leopard with four wings and four heads in his first vision(Dan. 7: 6) and in the second it was a shaggy goat with a predominate horn. That horn became broken and four little horns grew up in its place.(Dan. 8: 5-8) The angel informed Daniel that this kingdom was Greece and the large horn was its first King. (Dan. 8: 21)

Alexandra the Great, first king of Greece, conquered nearly the whole known world at that time. The wings of the leopard in Daniel’s first vision spoke of the swiftness of his victory. However, he died suddenly in 323 BC and his kingdom was divided between his four generals.(Dan. 8: 22) Thus the four heads of the leopard in vision one and in the second vision the four smaller horns. These generals spent more time squabbling among themselves than taking care of the realm, so their power waned by 63 BC.

THE LEGS (Statue)

Now the legs of the statue were iron, and Daniel told the King this kingdom would be strong as iron and would crush and break all other kingdoms. (Dan. 2: 40) It is also represented by the forth beast of Daniel’s first vision. The one with iron teeth which trampled everything underfoot.(Dan. 7: 7) In his last vision Daniel sees it as a terrible horn.(Dan. 8: 9)

The angel tells Daniel about this kingdom but does not identify it.(Dan. 8: 32)

History, however, tells us whom this legs, forth beast and terrible horn kingdom was. It was the Roman Empire and it took nearly all the territory as did Alexandra the Great. Coming out of the old Grecian Empire, she rose to power in 63 BC. In the later part of her reign, she was divided into an east and the west providence. This is seen in the statue as the two legs. Represented by her standard of the iron eagle, she held the territories in her grasp with iron talons.

There has been a lot of talk about Daniel’s 70th week. Bible prophecy students try to put the events of that time in our future saying it is yet to be fulfilled in the natural. Now here is wisdom, the prophets prophesied until John the Baptist.(Mat. 11: 13) I would like to remind you that all Daniel saw was literal and proven by history up to this point. But YahShua came and now the words of the Prophets begin to take on spiritual emphases and no longer literal. This would mean that the events in Daniel’s 70th week took place before than and was a literal fulfillment.

In 168 BC Antiochus Epiphanes sat up a statue of Zuce, a Greek God, in the Temple at Jerusalem. So why are those prophecy people looking for it to happen literally again? From this point on the Prophets words are spiritual and not literal. This is a trend through out all of the prophets. At a certain point in their writings they begin to speak of things that can only be understood or interpreted as spiritual events and happenings.

OLD COVENANT/NEW COVENANT

God came to earth in human flesh and changed times and concepts. YahShua paid the sin debt with his own blood and reconciled man to God. A New Covenant was established, not a natural one this time but a spiritual one. Things were to change, man was to become spirit beings instead of being human through a new birth, making them heavenly instead of earthly.

From the time of YahShua’ resurrection emphases has swung from earthly kingdoms to religious kingdoms(principalities and powers in high places). (Eph. 6: 12) High places were shrines and places of idol worship.(Num. 33: 52) His dealing now are with religious kingdoms more than a with physical world orders.(Jn. 18: 36)

YahShua was trying to show this to Nicademous when he said, "You must be born of water(natural birth/Old Covenant) and of the Spirit(spiritual birth/New Covenant) to enter the kingdom of God... Flesh gives birth to flesh, but spirit gives birth to spirit".(Jn. 3: 3-12)

It says that Daniel’s 70th week will end with the cutting off of the Messiah and the breaking of the Covenant in the middle of the week. YahShua came to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and was hung on the cross on Wednesday, the middle of the week. With the death of YahShua the Old Covenant was nullified and the New Covenant established. He takes away the first to establish the second.(Heb. 10: 9)

From the beginning until YahShua came God dealt with man in the earth realm, that was the Old Covenant. The New Covenant is a spiritual one and so from the cross this way, things were to be interpreted spiritually. Failing to do so makes you carnal minded and an enemy to God.

In 70 AD, as Daniel foreseen, Rome crushed and stomped Jerusalem into dust not leaving one stone upon another. This attack was not only to punish Israel for killing their Messiah, but to destroy the religion kingdom of Judaism, the religious system of the Old Covenant. YahShua also made this same prophecy about the abomination that makes desolate. What Daniel seen happened in 70 AD is the same thing that YahShua prophesied in his day. YahShua told his disciples it would happen again. This time it would happen to religious Jerusalem (the church as is seen by man).(Mat. 24: 14)

FEET AND TOES KINGDOM

The feet and toes of the statue was partly iron and partly clay.(Dan.2: 33) Daniel says this kingdom will be a divided kingdom, the people will not mix and not remain united any more than iron and clay.

If the feet and toes kingdom was natural like the others and was to be a world government then you could look at the world today and see its fulfillment. Even if one does not want to accept the fact that the feet and toes kingdom is a religious one, they will at least have to admit that it has more than one king.(Dan. 7: 24) Stop looking for a one world government with antiMessiah as its king and see the next world government will be the Kingdom of Heaven,(Dan. 2: 44) and it is the "Ancient of Days" who sits on that throne.(Dan. 7: 9)

DIFFERENT ANIMAL

I want you to notice what Daniel said about the forth beast(Rome) after it crushes and tramples underfoot all that was left of Judaism,(Dan. 7: 7) the religion of YahShua day. "It was different than the former beast..."(Dan. 7: 12)

How was this kingdom different? It was in the statue and it was an earthly kingdom like all the other kingdoms. Just what was so different about this kingdom? The difference was that it was ruling at the time YahShua appeared on earth to changed things from natural to spiritual. This kingdom unlike it predecessors did not remain an earthly kingdom, but established itself as a religious kingdom. Rome started out as the others beast but ended up in the Beast System of Revelation.

What is interesting here is that part of the substance that makes up this feet and toes kingdom is the same substance found in the legs’ kingdom, but mixed with clay. This verifies that part of the feet and toes kingdom is a carry over from the Roman Empire. The Roman Catholic Church fills this bill perfectly. The Fundamentalist, Pentecostals and Non-Denominationals came out of Catholicism, as the first, second and third generation. They are partly iron and partly clay, which means they fell into the fleshly(clay) realm and became just like their mother in religious authority. Remember kingdoms in the New Covenant are spiritual or religious.

RISE OF RELIGION

Rome under Nero was in chaos unable to maintain the power it had by physical force because of its own weaknesses. As the Roman Dynasty began to crumble from within its Council began to look for other means to keep control of the people. This way of Messiahianity had proven resilient and unmovable under persecution and Rome had learned over the years it strength was built upon its faith.

In the forth century Rome took on a new face, embraced Messiahianity and made it the religion of the state. This gave them a base of operation, but to appease paganistic cultures they had to add things from their religions. A new religious order arose from the ashes of old Rome, the visible Roman Catholic Church. The deadly wound was healed. (Rev 13: 3) The Caesars were now Popes and The Council became Cardinals, creating a more powerful kingdom than even they imagined.

In fifteen nineteen Martin Luther, a young Cardinal, tacked his thesis on the door of the Catholic Church. God had visited him and through revelation he saw that grace comes by faith and many of the early teachings of YahShua was rekindled. Overnight a new movement sprang forth called the "Reformation". Revival had come to hungry hearts and God began to restore what was lost to God’s people during the Dark Ages. This was the birthing of the Fundamentals of today. Then in nineteen and six God began to visit his people with the Holy Spirit later rain out pouring and the Pentecostal Renewal movement began.

It is always God’s way to call the spirit of a thing after its father or mother. YahShua told the religious leaders of his time, "You are of your father the devil".(Jn. 8: 42-44) Judaism took great pride in the fact that they were Abraham’s seed, but YahShua hit them where they lived and said their father was the devil, an enemy seed or tares instead of wheat for they did not believe God as Abraham was faithful to do. John the Baptist came in the spirit of Elijah because he challenged Judaism to prove their God just like Elijah did the priest of Baal in his day.(Mt. 11: 13-14)

The Great Religious Harlot of Revelations in the Bible is called Babylon. To understand why she is called Babylon you have to go back to the Old Testament Babylon. We are reminded that everything that happened in the Old Testament is a type and shadow of spiritual things. (He 10:1; Co 2:16-17) The people of Israel were taken to Babylon and made slaves. What Babylon did in the natural, the religious Babylon is doing to the weakened soul and spirit of God’s people.

In 722 BC the King of Babylon, laid siege on Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple and stripped it of its gold. Likewise, religious Babylon has laid siege to God’s people(temple) and stripped them of godliness and power, taking them into organizational captivity making them slaves of the church and many times a ministry. So today, we see the Spirit of Babylon rest in organized religion.(Rev. 17)

Babylon means, "confusion" for it was there that God confused their language. Why did he do that? He confounded their language because they were trying to build a tower to heaven. Does that sound familiar?

The fact that YahShua made reference to the abomination that makes desolate tells us there is a spiritual event of which the physical one was a reference.(Heb 10: 1) Man stands in the pulpit of the house that represents God to the world, usurping the authority of God and causing all both small and great to worship the image of the Beast(the Church).

When someone finds out that you are a believer or born again the first thing they ask you is where do you go to church? In essence what they are asking is where did you receive your mark(religious theology and ideology)? Then they go on to tell you about their church. They do not tell you about God, it is always the church, that minister, this ministry or the pastor. This is what we can see, but the spiritual side of it is much worse. The spirit of religion ruling in the lives of those called by God’s name is the most deceiving and dangerous abomination of all. It causes the daily sacrifice(a life lived in communion with God) to cease and cuts off God’s people from what he is doing. They receive in their forehead(thinking) and in their hand (ministries or doing) the mark of the beast(religious carnality).

Coming up out of one of the four horns(Greek General), Daniel saw a horn; small at first but it grew in power and spread to the Four Corners of the earth having eyes and a mouth speaking boastfully. (Dan. 7: 20) YahShua says of them, "You say, I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing." (Rev.3: 17)

The angel explains to Daniel that this kingdom is different than all the other kingdoms that will appear on earth. It had become a religious power and began to assert its authority in the souls of men.(Rev. 13: 7-8)

When you control a country with military force you physically hold people, but far more powerful control can be maintained if you grasp and hold their souls, where all men truly live. The religious spirit of the Beast System was given power to do this.(Dan. 8: 12)

Daniel watched for a while in great curiosity until he saw it make war with the Saints defeating them. Then the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgement in favor of the saints of the Most High and the time came when they possessed the Kingdom. (Dan. 7: 21-23).

In Revelation we read; "And it was given him to make war with the saints, and over come them: and power was given to him over all kindred, and tongues, and nations."

(Rev. 13:6)

Let me show you what YahShua himself says would happen. "The sun will be darkened and the moon will not give her light, the stars will fall from the sky."(Mt. 24: 29) Was he talking literal here? Remember, YahShua said, "The words that I speak are Spirit and life" and he was "the word of God" from the beginning. (Jn. 1: 1 & 1: 14)

What does the moon do in the natural? Science tells us she has no light of her own but reflects the light of the sun to the world in darkness. Even here we can see a type and shadow of what is happening. The sun(son) has become darkened because he has no influence in the church anymore and the moon(church) no longer reflects the glory of God to a world in spiritual darkness. The stars(saints) will fall from the