We have been studying the prophetic book of Daniel. The visions in Daniel provide us with progressive knowledge about end time events. Each vision has something specific to emphasize. So far, we have studied King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the metal man in chapter two. Then we studied Daniel’s vision of the four beasts in chapter seven. At this point in our study of Daniel’s visions, it might be helpful to begin to summarize what we have learned. A summary outline will help us sort out all the details and then emphasize the main takeaway of each vision.

THE METAL MAN VISION
The Last Gentile Kingdom to Rule Israel

By Karen Thompson

 Scripture: Daniel Chapter Two

The Vision: King Nebuchadnezzar dreamed about a metal man made of different metals: a head of gold, chest and arms of silver, belly and thighs of brass, legs of iron, and feet made of both iron and clay. The different metals symbolized Gentile kingdoms that would rule over Jerusalem and the Jewish people.

• The Babylonian Empire symbolized as head of gold.
• The Medo/Persian Empire symbolized as chest and arms of silver.
• The Grecian Empire symbolized as belly and thighs of brass.
• The Roman Empire symbolized as legs of iron.
• The last Gentile Kingdom was made up of both iron and clay, symbolizing that it is different than the other kingdoms.

Times of the Gentiles

• The Metal Man symbolizes a period of time known as the Times of the Gentiles.
• The Times of the Gentiles began when the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar invaded Israel and exiled thousands of Jewish people to Babylon.
• The Babylonian invasion marked the beginning when Israel lost her autonomy as a nation and would henceforth be ruled by Gentile powers.
• The Gentile Empires of Babylon, Medo/Persia, Greece, and Rome have all come and gone. There is only one Gentile kingdom left on the Metal Man that has yet to rule over Israel.

The End Time Gentile Kingdom

• This last Gentile Kingdom is described on the Metal Man as the feet, made of both iron and clay.
• It is different from the other kingdoms in that it is described as partly strong and partly broken, meaning the kingdom will be divided. This is the mark of difference from the other empires.
• This kingdom does not yet exist but will arise during end times. It is the last Gentile power that will have rule over Israel and the Jewish people.

Jesus, the Stone

• In the vision, Jesus is symbolized as a Stone that smashes the feet of the Metal Man; this action symbolizes Jesus destroying the last Gentile Kingdom upon His Second Coming.
• When the feet were destroyed, the entire structure of the Metal Man came tumbling down; this symbolizes the period of time known as the “Times of the Gentiles” coming to an end.
• Israel regains her autonomy as a nation, never to be ruled by Gentile powers again.

The Kingdom of Jesus

• When the Stone destroyed the feet on the Metal Man, the Stone then grew into a mountain that filled the whole earth; this symbolizes Jesus ruling over all the kingdoms of the earth.

Main Takeaway: There is a final Gentile Kingdom that will rule over Israel right before the Second Coming of Jesus.

THE VISION OF THE FOUR BEASTS
The King Called the Little Horn

Scripture: Daniel Chapter Seven

The Vision: Four beasts rise up out of the sea. First a lion with wings. Next, a bear-like beast with three ribs in its mouth. After that, a leopard with four wings and four heads. And, lastly, a powerful beast with iron teeth, nails of brass, and ten horns. A little horn rose up among the ten horns, uprooting three horns in the process.

The Four Beasts

• The lion, bear, leopard, and the ten-horned beast are all great kings that rise from the earth.
• The first beast to rise out of the sea symbolized the king of the Babylonian Empire.
• The second beast was king of the Medo/Persian Empire.
• The third beast was the king of the Grecian Empire.
• And the last and most terrifying of all was the king of the end time Gentile kingdom.
• The first three beasts have all come and gone.
• The beast with ten horns has not yet risen.

The Beast With Ten Horns

• The beast with ten horns is the last Gentile Kingdom that will have power over Israel.
• This kingdom will be different than the kingdoms before it.
• The ten horns on the beast are ten kings that are a part of the end time Gentile Kingdom.

The Little Horn: King of the Last Gentile Kingdom

• There will be a king that comes to power after the ten kings are in power.
• This king (called the little horn) will uproot, or conquer, three of the ten horns/kings.
• A prominent characteristic of the little horn is that he will be a blasphemer of God.
• He sets himself up as an enemy of God and will hate the Jewish people who worship Him.
• The little horn/king will “wear out the saints of the most high,” meaning he will persecute and make war against the Jewish people.
• Little horn will try to change the “times and the laws,” meaning he will try to alter sacred feasts and holy days.
• Israel will be under the control of the little horn/king for “a time, times, and dividing of time”—3 ½ years.

Little Horn Comes to an End

• After 3 ½ years, the little horn will be judged by the “ancient of days.”
• Little horn’s kingdom will be destroyed.
• He himself will be thrown into the “burning flame.”

Jesus Inherits a Kingdom

• After destroying the Antichrist kingdom, God the Father rewards Jesus with a kingdom.
• The saints will help Jesus rule the kingdom.
• His kingdom will never pass away and will never be destroyed.
• His kingdom will be made up of all the nations.
• They will all serve and obey Him.

Main Takeaway: We learn about little horn, the king of the last Gentile kingdom that will have power over Israel. His kingdom will be different than the kingdoms before him. He will uproot three kings. The extent of his kingdom will be ten nations, not all 193 nations of the world. He will make war against the Jewish people and have power over them for 3 ½ years. Jesus will save them when He comes back and destroys the kingdom of the little horn/king.

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