What Is This World Coming To? Part 2: The Times of the Gentiles

And we will turn to Daniel chapter two. Daniel chapter two this morning. Daniel chapter two. Last week, we started a series on end times entitled, What Is This World Coming To? We started last week with a message entitled, The Big Picture.

And we started with Genesis chapter one and we finished with Revelation and we we looked at the big picture. God's plan. You know, God has a plan for this world. These things don't happen all by accident. It isn't like God was surprised when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden Of Eden.

He knew what was going to happen. The Bible says, Jesus Christ was chosen before the foundation of the world. Amen. To die on the cross for our sins. For God knew that humanity would need a savior and Jesus already knew that he would be the one who would die on the cross for our sins.

God knew that he would have an enemy called Satan who rebelled against him. God knew that Satan would try to establish his kingdom here on this Earth against God. He would try to rob God of his precious treasure, his creation. God had a plan to redeem his creatures. Amen.

God had a plan to one day establish his kingdom forever. In Jesus Christ, his son. We could go on and on and on. God has a plan. Amen.

God has a plan and the end times all fits into that plan and I think sometimes we have a hard time understanding end times prophecies because we don't see how they fit into the big picture and so we're spending the first two or three weeks here kind of starting with the big picture and narrowing down a little bit. So, we see how the prophecies and revelation in Daniel and Isaiah all fit into the big picture. This morning, it's the times of the Gentiles. We're going to look at from Daniel chapter two. Now, when you hear the word Daniel, you probably think of Daniel in the lion's den or maybe you think of the three Hebrew children.

They wouldn't bow and they wouldn't burn in the fiery furnace. Those are the stories that come to mind and that most of us are taught when we're little kids if we grow up in church and though those are good stories, good stories, compelling stories that children and Christian adults need to know, need to remember, and be challenged in their faith. The book of Daniel is actually a book of prophecy. Most of Daniel is prophecy. Some of it in the first six chapters, the last half of Daniel is almost all prophecy about things that are to come from Daniel's perspective.

Beginning in Daniel's day and ending with the establishment of Christ's kingdom. It is an incredible book that foretells of events and symbolic language which did indeed come to pass just as Daniel said they would. In some cases, hundreds of years in the future. A matter of fact, so much so that the critics of the word of God who just cannot bring themselves to believe that it is indeed God's word have had a very difficult time explaining away the book of Daniel but they try to by saying that Daniel actually lived after these events and not before them. But that's all a lie.

Clearly, as you read to the book of Daniel, it's clear when Daniel lived and of course, we know it indeed as it is, the word of truth, the word of God and the reason that these things came to pass just as Daniel said they would is because Daniel got his information from the source. From God himself. And we see that as we go through the book of Daniel today as we look at the times of the Gentiles. If you follow me along with me beginning in Daniel chapter two and verse 29. Daniel said, it's for thee, oh king.

Thy thoughts came unto thy mind upon thy bed. Watch it come to pass hereafter And he that reveal his secrets, maketh known to thee what shall come to pass. 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. Thou, oh king, sawest and beheld a great image, the great image whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee, and the form thereof was terrible.

The image's head was a fine gold. His breast and his arms of silver, his belly, and his thighs of brass. His legs of iron, his feet, part of iron, and part of clay. 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 break them to pieces. 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 was smoked the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

This is the dream and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king. Thou, oh king, are the king of kings. For the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom power and strength and glory and wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beast of the field, and the fowls of heaven hath he given into thine hand and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold. And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee and another third kingdom of brass which shall bear rule over all the earth and the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron for as much as as iron breaketh in pieces and subdue with all things and as iron breaketh all these shall it break in pieces and bruise and whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potter's clay, part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided but there shall be in it the strength of iron for as much as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.

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. 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. 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 forever. For as much as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands and that it break 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. Let's go to the Lord once more in prayer. Lord, we thank you for this day. Please guide as we study your word today. Please guide me as I speak Lord.

What I say would be accurate. Lord, I pray that the Holy Spirit would take your word and move in hearts. Lord, I pray that you would give us understanding as we look a little closer at the big picture today and the plans that you have for this world. And as we consider, Lord, our place in it. Lord, we thank you for Jesus Christ, our savior.

We thank you Lord for the opportunity to praise you in song, in prayer, and the preaching of your word today. May you be honored in all that said and done. In Jesus name, we do pray. Amen. Amen.

In Daniel chapter two, Daniel is in the court of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. He was taken as a captive. We learn that in chapter one from Judah and he became a counselor to the king of Babylon along with his three Hebrew friends and others and Nebuchadnezzar had this dream and he demanded of the counselors that he had in his court that were there that particular day, he demanded that they tell him the dream and the interpretation of the dream, both of them. It seems like maybe he was testing them a bit just to see if they really could interpret dreams, if they really did know the dream, or if they were just kind of making stuff up and so he said, I want you to tell me the dream and I want you to tell me the interpretation of the dream and they couldn't do it. So, the king said, well, I'm going to kill all my counselors and we'll start over again because you're worthless.

So, word came to Daniel and his friends and they got together and they prayed and asked God to show them, to show Daniel the interpretate, the dream and its interpretation and God did and so Daniel comes before the king here in Daniel chapter two to tell him the dream and the interpretation of the dream. Seeing this dream came directly from the Lord. It had a very specific purpose. It had a very specific interpretation that was not only given to Nebuchadnezzar but has been given and recorded here for us today. To see a little more of God's plan for the world in which we live from Daniel chapter two.

We see in verses twenty eight and twenty nine of Daniel two verses twenty eight and twenty nine. Daniel said, but there is a god in heaven that reveal his secrets and make it known to King Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream and the visions of thy head upon thy bed are these. As for thee, oh 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? You see, this vision had to do very much with future events. They were all future in Daniel's day. They were about what was to come to pass hereafter. What is to come?

You know, the devil likes to play around with the near future. For one, he doesn't really know the future. He guesses. Secondly, man seems to have this natural innate desire to want to have his ears tickled with what's going to happen tomorrow. I want to know what's going to happen tomorrow.

I want to know what's going to happen next week and so the devil likes to play the game. He likes to go along with it and tickle man's ears and tell him what he thinks might happen tomorrow or what might happen next week and so people go to soothsayers and they go to palm readers and they they go here and they go that and they read books by false prophets about what's going to happen tomorrow or what's going to happen next week or maybe even next year. But there is one who does know the future and then he's not so much interested in tickling our fancies. About what's going to happen tomorrow. He asked and said that we trust him.

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart. Lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways, acknowledge him and he shall direct thy path. But when it does fit God's purpose as here as we see in the book of Daniel. God has chosen at times to reveal not what's going to happen to you tomorrow but to reveal what's going to happen to you in eternity.

What's going to happen to this world in which we live? His plan for this world. Not just weeks or months or years but sometimes thousands of years. In the future. And God never makes mistakes.

You know, if a prophet in Israel was found to be wrong, just one time? He was considered a false prophet and executed for his crime, could be executed for his crime because God never what? God never makes mistakes. God always keeps his promises. God does exactly what he says he will do.

A, because God is truthful and B, because God has the power to make it happen. God has a plan for this world. That plan does include you and there are parts of that plan that are just going to come to pass no matter what man does or what Satan does. We can rest assured that while we read here today will happen just as God said it would and some of it already has. We see this image that Nebuchadnezzar had.

This this this tarot says use the word terrible there. This awesome, awesome image. As he saw it in his dream, it was it was beautiful. It was incredible. It was awesome.

And Daniel said it it had this head of gold to start with. The head of gold. Well, what? And then it had the the arms and chest of silver and then a brass and then of iron and the feet of iron and clay mixed together. This image represents what we call the times of the Gentiles in scripture.

Look at you would, look if you would up on the screen here at this verse. Luke twenty one twenty five, okay? And they shall fall by the edge of the sword and shall be led captive into all nations. This is Israel. This is the Jews and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled and that is largely what is represented in history and time by this image.

The times of the Gentiles. In Revelation 11, it states it this way, Paul writes, for I would not you, I would not, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery. Lest you should be wise in your own conceit that blindness is, that blindness in part is happened to Israel. That's spiritual blindness has happened to Israel in relation specifically toward the the rejection of Jesus Christ, their Messiah. Until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.

There will be a day when the blindness will be lifted off the eyes of Israel and they will welcome their Messiah and they will mourn as they see the one that they have pierced Zechariah says, coming back in the clouds of heaven as he said, that he would but for now, Israel as a people, as a nation, is spiritually blinded as they have rejected their Messiah until the times of the Gentiles be concluded at the end of this prophecy that we're reading today with the return of Jesus Christ. So, we see the image depicts this particular time in history where the Gentiles will be the main power in the world and the Jews will be somewhat suppressed and scattered throughout all the world. Does that sound familiar? That's the world in which we live today. Israel is scattered all throughout the world though they do have a nation once again only since the late nineteen forties.

Still they say there's almost as many Jews living in New York as there is in Israel and they're still very much scattered and they're not so much a world power yet. One day, when Christ returns, the tables will turn again but over the last hundreds of years, the Gentiles have been the main power in the world. The Gentile nations represented here in the image that is given to King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel chapter two. The first as we mentioned is the head of gold. Here, Daniel said to King Nebuchadnezzar, you, you're the head of gold.

Now, that shouldn't have gone to Nebuchadnezzar's head but it did. David warned him, if you let this go to your head, you're going to regret it. In the next chapter, Nebuchadnezzar makes this gold image that he sets up in the Plain Of Dura and asked everybody to bow down and worship. Chances are the images of who? Probably himself.

I suspect. Later on, he would be standing looking at his beautiful gardens and his beautiful kingdom and he would start to say how wonderful he was and how great he was and what he had done. And God would strike him with a mental illness that would plague him for seven years. He would become like an animal for seven years. He would live like one until God restore his mind, restored his throne, and he gave God the glory and the credit and the praise that God was due.

Nebuchadnezzar is this head of gold. He is and his kingdom is a very powerful kingdom. His power as head of that kingdom was not equaled by those that followed him. He was not bound by any law other than his own. The kingdom that followed is we'll look about and look at in a minute, the kingdom of the Medes and Persians was a kingdom where the the head of the kingdom, the king was somewhat bound by law but not so with Nebuchadnezzar.

His word was law. And he was this head of gold. It says in Jeremiah twenty seven six and seven, I think I have that up here, I do and now, have I given, this is God speaking through Jeremiah and now, have I given all these lands in the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, my servant, and the beast of the field have I given him also to serve him, and all nations shall serve him and his son and his son's son, until the very time of his land come, and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him. God said, I've given Nebuchadnezzar these things for a time, his son, Nabonidus, his grandson, Belshazzar, we read read about in the book of Daniel until his time comes and then, another kingdom and another kingdom will come to take his place. He is the head of gold.

In Daniel chapter seven, if you would look in Daniel seven, we're going to flip back and forth from Daniel two to Daniel seven quite a bit. It says in Daniel seven verse one, in the first year of Belshazzar, king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his of his head upon his bed. This is Nebuchadnezzar's grandson. Then, he wrote the dream and told the sum of the matters. Daniel spake and said, I saw in a vision by night and behold, the four winds of heaven strove upon the great sea and the four great beasts came up from the sea diverse, one from another.

So, here we have four great beasts rather than four different parts to an image. The first was like unto a lion and had eagle wings and I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked that speaks of his time of madness of Nebuchadnezzar and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand upon the feet as a man and a man's heart was given unto him. That was God's doing. God's doing. God did an incredible work in Nebuchadnezzar to bring God the glory that he was due even in this great tyrant's kingdom.

He is recognized or symbolized in chapter seven as a lion and then as a man but following on in Daniel two, we come to this part of silver. The arms and the chest of silver represents the Medo-Persian Empire, the Medes, and the Persians. Look if you would in Daniel chapter seven and verse five. We have the second beast in this other dream in Daniel. It says, behold another beast, the second, like to a bear and 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, rise and devour much flesh.

So, the second beast in this dream in Daniel seven is a bear that was raised up on one side. Well, that's because the second kingdom that follows Babylon is the Medo Persian Empire. There's two groups, the Medes and the Persians which combined to make a great empire together. The Medes began as the greater and the Persians eventually overtook the Medes and basically ran the kingdom for many years to follow. Look if you would in chapter eight verses three and four.

Just to give you an idea of here of how everything fits together in the book of Daniel. We don't have time to look at all the details this morning. It says in chapter eight, this is another vision that Daniel had. Look if you would in verses three and four. It says, then I lifted up my eyes and saw and behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns and the two horns were high but one was higher than the other and the higher came up last.

That's the Medes and the Persians of the two horns. Now, I saw the ram pushing westward and northward and southward so that no beast might stand before him neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand, but he did according to his will and became great. That is the Medo-Persian Empire. The the king, the ruler of that kingdom which became in great power and took over the kingdom of Babylon was a man by the name of Cyrus. Man by the name of Cyrus.

Well, anybody ever heard of Cyrus? He was special. We know this for several reasons but first of all, hold your place in Daniel and look to Isaiah. Turn back a few pages. Turn back a few pages.

To Isaiah and we'll read about this great ruler of the Medo-Persian Empire. You see, God has a what? God has a plan. Nebuchadnezzar was part of that plan. So was the next king of the next kingdom to come along by the name of Cyrus.

You see, Judah was taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. But Jeremiah prophesied that seventy years later that they would return to Jerusalem to rebuild the city and the temple and the walls. Seventy years passed. And guess what happened? What God said what happened happened.

Who was it that sent the Jews back? Well, it was Cyrus. In chapter 44, beginning in verse 28 of Isaiah, Isaiah prophesies that Cyrus by name will be the one to send the Jews back to Jerusalem after their captivity. Look, if you would in verse 28, thus saith of Cyrus, he is my shepherd and shall perform all my pleasure even saying to Jerusalem, thou shalt be built and to the temple, thy foundation shall be laid. Thus, saith the Lord to his anointed to Cyrus whose right hand I have holden to subdue nations before him and I will lose the loins of kings to open before him, the two leaved gates, and the gates shall not be shut.

I will go before thee and I will make the crooked places straight. I will break in pieces the gates of brass and cut in sunder the bars of iron. I will give thee the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places that thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which called thee by name, am the God of Israel. For Jacob, my servant's sake, and Israel, mine elect. I have even called thee by thy name.

I have surnamed thee that though thou hast not known me. Cyrus was chosen by God and named by Isaiah hundreds of years before Cyrus was born. God said that he would be the one to send Israel back and to do God's bidding. Turn if you would back a few pages to Ezra. Ezra's right before Psalms and Job, turn if you would back to Ezra.

Now, Ezra tells us of the events that happened as Israel did return to Jerusalem and we just want to read the first four verses. Now, I know some of you this morning, this is exciting. At least I hope for a few of you it is. This is for me. I love prophecy and I love history but now, my wife who isn't here this morning because she's at home with my sick child doesn't like history so much.

So, maybe you're one of those. However, this is important. This is all part of God's plan and it's it's wonderful. It's beautiful to look and see how the pieces they fit together. Look, if you would in Ezra chapter one and verse one.

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 in the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and put it also in in writing saying, thus, Cyrus, Cyrus, king of Persia, the Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth and have charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. 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 and whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the man of his place help him with silver and with gold and with goods and with beast beside the free will offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.

Not only was the were the Jews allowed to go back, they were sent back by Cyrus. Not only were they sent back but they were sent back with orders from Cyrus that the people that lived around them helped them to go back. It's incredible. But it's true. It's exactly what happened and it's exactly what God said would happen.

For God has a plan. God told us about that plan here. In Daniel, he told us about it. In Isaiah, they did go back. They went back under the leadership of Ezra, the scribe, of Joshua, the high priest of Zerubbabel, the governor, the seat of David to rebuild the temple.

They went back under King Artaxerxes of Persia with Nehemiah to rebuild the walls. They were rescued by God through Esther. From the plot of Haman to destroy them. All this happened during the time of the rule of the Medes and Persians. This kingdom was not the final kingdom.

There was another to follow. It is seen in our image as the belly and thighs of brass, and that is the Greek empire that followed. Look if you would in chapter seven and verse six of Daniel. So, find your way back to Daniel. We won't be running back and forth out of the book quite as much, the rest of the message.

Look if you would in Daniel chapter seven and verse six. Remember in Daniel chapter seven, we don't have an image of four parts. We have a we have four different beasts that are part of this image and this vision. It says in chapter seven and verse six, it says, in this, I behold and low another, a third beast and low another like a leopard which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl and the beast had also four heads and dominion was given to it. This is the Greek Empire represented in this other vision as a leopard with four wings.

If you look over in chapter eight, look over in chapter eight if you would. In this vision, we see the Greek Empire represented by a goat and as I was considering verse five, behold a goat came up from the West, West as Greece and Macedonia was west of Israel. It came up from the West on the face of the whole earth and touched not the ground. And the goat had a notable horn between his eyes. And he came to the ram, that is the Medo Persian empire that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river.

And I ran unto him in the fury of his power, and I saw him come close unto the ram. And he was moved with choler against him and smote the ram and break his two horns and there was no power in the ram to stand before him but he cast him down to the ground and stamped upon him and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand. Therefore, the he goat waxed very great and when he was strong, the great horn was broken and for it came up for notable ones toward the four winds of heaven. Look if you would down in verses twenty one and twenty two. Look actually in verse 20 and then twenty one and twenty two.

Verse 20, the ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of what? Media, Persia. See, pastor, you're just making this up. You're just saying that this represents that and that represents this. No.

Tells us right here. The ram represents the Medo Persian Empire and is clearly in the visions the same as the silver part of the image in Daniel chapter two. Not only that, look if you would in verse 21 and the rough goat is the king of what? Grecia and the great horn is between his eyes is the first king. So, clearly, the ram, the goat with the one horn, which is bronze in the image, which is a leopard with four wings in Daniel seven, that is the Greek empire or the Greek kingdom and who is, who is the first king?

Well, I guess we have it up here. So, I kind of told you, didn't I? Alexander the Great. He is the notable what? The notable horn on the goat.

Who who went so fast was like his feet weren't even touching the ground. As he conquered the Medo-Persian Empire. In a matter of years, but at the height of his power, the horn was broken. What happened to Alexander the Great? He died.

He died prematurely. He died as a fairly young man and his kingdom was divided among four. As four horns grew up in place of the one. As the leopard in chapter seven had four wings. The Kingdom of Alexander was divided among his four greatest generals.

The Seleucid kingdom under Antiochus becoming the greatest of the four who ruled over Israel in the time of the Maccabees. Thus, we have the bronze and now, we move on to the iron, okay? The iron, the legs of iron. That is what? Well, that's the Roman Empire.

It's represented as we'll see as the fourth beast in chapter seven. The most notable king obviously being Julius Caesar. Look if you would in chapter seven and verse seven of Daniel. Chapter seven and verse seven. After this, I saw in the night visions and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible and strong exceedingly and it had great iron teeth that devoured and break in pieces and stamped the residue with the feet of it.

It was diverse from all the beasts that were before it and it had 10 horns. This is the Roman Empire. It was the most powerful army the world has the ancient world had ever seen. As the Roman Empire conquered every nook and cranny of that part of the world and made everybody subservient to them. Under Julius Caesar and those that would follow him.

This is the fourth beast and this in Daniel two is the legs of iron that we see represented here in the vision. And then we have the feet, and the feet was mixed what? With iron and clay, and this we would call the revived Roman Empire. The revived Roman Empire. Now, we have commentaries have different ideas on on the nature of this kingdom.

It isn't really entirely distinct from the legs of iron because the legs of iron and by the way, what happened to the Roman Empire? It split into, it split into two, the last few hundred years of its rule and then it splintered from there and it there really isn't a division between the legs and the feet. It's just that you get to the feet, it starts mixing clay in with the 10 toes or the 10 horns that have seen here in the vision in Daniel seven. This represents the latter end condition of the Roman Empire, which is largely based in Europe. The European Union, and other parts of this kingdom that will be in power.

We are still in the times of the Gentiles. The Jews are not ruling the earth. Europe is very much still much the center of the world in which we live of its economic power and so forth and so on. It is not iron like the Roman Empire. It's mixed with clay Is these kingdoms are all kind of divided but yet have combined in some manner.

During the tribulation, the antichrist will head up this great one world coalition. That is represented by the feet of iron and clay. If you look in chapter two verses 41 through 43, chapter two verses 41 through 43 and whereas thou sawest the feet and toes part of potter's clay and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided. There shall be in it the strength of iron for as much as thou sawest the iron mixed with the miry clay and as the toes of the feet were a part of iron and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly broken. If you would turn over to chapter seven, turn if you would to chapter seven and look at verse eight, chapter seven verse eight.

And I considered the horns, the the 10 horns of the of this beast, the fourth one and behold, there came up among them another little horn before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots and behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth speaking great things. I beheld till the thrones were cast down and the ancient of days did sit whose garment as white as snow and the hair of his head like pure wool. His throne like the fiery flame in his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him. Thousands, thousands ministered unto him and 10,000 times 10,000 stood before him.

The judgment was set and the books were opened and I beheld then because of the voice of great words which the horn spake. This is the antichrist. I beheld even till the beast was slain and his body was destroyed and given to the burning flame. This represents the end of the kingdoms of men. At the close of the tribulation and the defeat of the antichrist.

Look if you would in verse 24 of chapter seven verse 24. And the 10 horns out of this kingdom are 10 kings that shall arise and another shall arise after them and he shall be diverse from the first and he shall subdue three kings and he shall speak great words against the most high and shall wear out the saints of the most high and think to change times and laws and they shall be given unto his hand until a time and times and the dividing of a time. That's three and a half years. That's the first three and a half years of tribulation. See, I lost my place and verse 26, but the judgment shall sit and they shall take away his dominion to consume and destroy it unto the end and thus ends the Roman Empire and the revived Roman Empire under the leadership of the Antichrist.

You can read more about in Revelation 13 for the sake of time. We won't do that this morning but we'll get back to it later on as we're going to move more towards the tribulation period in our study. But this is not the end of the vision Look if you would in Daniel two and verse 34. Now, we have the end. The end of the times of the Gentiles and the kingdom of Jesus Christ.

God has a plan. These kingdoms of the Gentiles, it's time of Gentile rule. Where Satan is the prince and the power of the air will come to an end. It has been written. It has been planned.

It will come to pass. In the latter days. Still future to us. Look if you would in Daniel two and verse 34. Thou sawest, Daniel said to Nebuchadnezzar till that a stone was cut out without hands.

Which smote the image upon his feet. That were of iron and clay, and break them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and gold broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors. And the wind carried them away that was no place was found for them. The stone that smoked the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

This this impressive, this awesome image with the gold and the silver and the bronze and the strong iron legs. Would be blown away as dust in the wind as a stone was cut out of a mountain and was hurled at the feet of the image, not at the head but at the feet representing the revived Roman Empire. In the last days, in the tribulation time. The stone is Jesus Christ. And he will come and he will end the rule of the Gentiles.

And he will establish his kingdom. And it will fill the whole earth and no one will stand before him. Look if you would in verses forty four and forty five. Forty four and forty five and in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed. The kingdom shall not be left to other people but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms and it shall stand forever.

For as much as thou sawest the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, let it break 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, the dream is certain, the interpretation thereof sure. Genesis three fifteen, God said to the serpent that he'll put enmity between him and the woman in between thy seed and her seed And her seed shall bruise the head of the serpent. And defeat him. Her seed is Jesus Christ. Uniquely the seed of the woman.

Born of a virgin. Prophesied all the way back in Genesis three, to come and defeat the plan of our enemy, the devil, and once again, to establish his kingdom, his kingdom forever from which the devil will be vanquished. And God will rule. Forever. He, Jesus is the stone cut out of the mountain of God.

Jesus is divine. He isn't a created being. He isn't less than God. He is God. Not created with hands, not the work of man.

But God in human form. He will strike at the feet of the clay. Feet of clay at the end of the tribulation period and destroy the image to the extent that it will be as though it never even existed. He will crush the image to dust and his kingdom will become a great mountain. His kingdom will be everlasting.

His kingdom will be all encompassing. His kingdom will be all powerful. Look if you would in Daniel seven and verse nine. Daniel seven verse nine. I beheld till the thrones were cast down and the ancient of days did sit, whose garment was as white as snow and the hair of his head like pure wool, his throne was like the fiery flame and his wheels was burning fire.

A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him thousands, thousands ministered unto him. 10 thousands, 10,000 stood before him and the judgment was set in the books were open. Look in verse 12. As concerning the rest of the beast, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time and I saw in the night visions and beheld one like the son of man. That's Jesus.

For he so called himself by that title. Came with the clouds of heaven, came to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before him, and there was given him dominion and glory in the kingdom that all people, nations, and languages should serve his dominion, should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away in his kingdom that which shall not be Jesus is coming back. Amen. He is coming back to establish his kingdom upon this earth.

He will rule and reign for a thousand years and then he will make a new heaven and a new earth from which he will reign for all eternity. The question this morning is this, are you part of that kingdom? You see, we were born in sin. We were born serving sin in our father, the devil. We were not part, we're not subjects of his kingdom.

But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his son, Jesus Christ, the first time to take our place on Calvary's Cross. To redeem a people unto himself that would one day be his children, that would one day enjoy the pleasures of his kingdom forever. In John chapter three and verse three, Jesus said unto Nicodemus, verily verily I say unto thee, except the man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. And unless you have been born again through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, unless you've been born again spiritually, you're not part of his kingdom you will never see the gates of that city described in Revelation 22. But you can.

If you will, come to Christ. For he went on to tell Nicodemus in John three, how? He could be born again. In verse 16, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. That whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

God gives unto his children everlasting life. And they will enjoy his everlasting kingdom for all eternity. The question this morning is this, are you part of his kingdom? Will you be there? Only if you have been born again.

God invites you to join him. Let's pray. Dear God, we thank you Lord. For your blessings. We thank you Lord for your word.

We thank you Lord that you haven't left us in the dark. Not only have you told us what is happening in this world and what will come to pass. But Lord, you've told us how we can be a part of it if we will just put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Lord, I pray if there's one here today that's never trusted Jesus that they would come to you today and I pray Lord as we go throughout this week and as we mingle with others and we rub shoulders with them that we would remember that their souls and when they pass away, they'll spend eternity somewhere, somewhere. Lord, I pray.

That we might take the opportunity to tell them of a savior and of a king who invites them. To come, to come to him for salvation, to come to him as Lord and as their king. That they might enjoy the pleasures of their Lord forever. Lord, thank you for your word today. May it work in our hearts and draw men and women, boys and girls to you.

In Jesus name, we pray, amen.