Where did end times Bible Prophecy start to go wrong?  Unfortunately, it went wrong at the very worst place possible; in the beginning!  The teaching for hundreds of years has been that the 4th kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is the Roman Empire.  This is what you will read in nearly every book on prophecy and it’s what the vast majority of prophecy internet sites proclaim.  If this is what you have been taught and this is what you believe, then it’s from this point that Bible Prophecy interpretation goes straight down the road in the wrong direction.  When you begin your trip by starting out in the wrong direction, the road will not take you where you want to go.  If those along for the ride keep confirming you are going in the right direction; you’re probably not going to change direction. You won’t realize you’re lost until you observe a landmark or something else along the way that alerts you to the fact you’re traveling in the wrong direction.  Hopefully at that point you will ignore what others say and make the necessary changes to get you where you want to go.

This is the purpose for which this book is written.  It is meant to be a landmark that alerts you to the fact that when it comes to Bible Prophecy, you and all those traveling with you have been traveling in the wrong direction; for a very long time!  What makes your situation so hard to correct is the fact that you keep traveling in the wrong direction even though the Word of God placed numerous landmarks in your path that should have alerted you to your lousy sense of direction.  You missed many of the landmarks because you and your passengers were not paying close enough attention.  Even worse, the landmarks you did see were not identified correctly, and were actually used to verify you were heading in the right direction.  Now, both you and your passengers have a sixth sense telling you the end of your trip is very near, but you can’t really be sure because you missed so many of the landmarks.

 While today’s landmark teachings point to a coming European or Roman Empire, the first chapter of this book will show you that almost no roads lead to Rome!  Hopefully, what you will be reading will get you on a road going in the right direction so you can uncover the true identity of this 4th kingdom. Knowing the REAL identity of this kingdom will help in drastically changing your understanding of end times Bible prophecy.  This book is going to reveal many of the landmarks our Lord has placed in your path which make it possible to know the direction you are going.  These landmarks when correctly identified should persuade you to stop and turn around.  You may then find yourself traveling down a highway that is far less traveled, but it’s the road you want to be on!

If one takes the Word of God literally, one would know that there will be widely accepted interpretations during the last days that will be wrong.  Our Lord warns us of this in both the Old and New Testaments.  Since this chapter deals mostly with Daniel, we will save the New Testament applications for later and go with the verses in Daniel 12 where our Lord tells us twice in the same chapter that the prophecies in Daniels book will not be understood correctly until the “time of the end.”

Daniel 12:9-10 (KJV)

And he said, go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.  Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.

Our Lord just repeated the same thing only 5 verses later.  When He repeats Himself a second time in the same chapter, it is something that He wants us to understand and take note of.  He is telling us that until these things begin to unfold, no one is going to understand the prophecies He gave to Daniel.  This is so true! Our understanding of end time’s prophecy is way off course because of the misinterpretations that have come out of the books of Daniel and Revelation.  A good number of these interpretations were made long before the prophecies were fulfilled, so how could anyone even question if what was being taught was correct?  However, the situation has changed, we are now in the last days and almost all of Bible Prophecy before our Lords return has been fulfilled.  Now we can question the Bible Prophecy that has been taught because what has been taught has not happened, and there is not even a slight hint of it happening in the distant future.

With that being said, let’s take an in depth look at a serious misinterpretation that has been propagated through the church for many, many years.  It is serious because it started end times prophecy out in the wrong direction.  It can be said that this teaching played a major role in the foundation of end times Bible Prophecy.  If this interpretation is wrong, it will take us down the wrong road causing future interpretations to be incorrect and leaving us with conclusions that in no way resemble the truth.  When it comes to the subject of Bible Prophecy, this is the situation the modern day church finds itself, and contrary to what you have been taught and probably believe, it will have extremely bad consequences for the church of the last days if not corrected.

The error that has taken end times Bible prophecy down the wrong road is found in the 2nd chapter of Daniel.  It is almost universally taught the Roman Empire is the 4th kingdom of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.  With Rome being the widely accepted interpretation, it is only natural that all future interpretation will in some way be tied to the Roman Empire.  However, if the 4th kingdom is not the Roman Empire, then it goes without saying that future interpretations that are tied to the Roman Empire will also be incorrect.

To make sure we start our trip on the right road, let’s start by reviewing the Bible passages we will be discussing.  The following scripture is from the second chapter of the book of Daniel. This passage gives us the substance of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and the interpretation that our Lord gave to Daniel, who in turn revealed it to King Nebuchadnezzar.

The Dream

31 Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. 32 This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, 33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. 34 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.  35  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 smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.  36 This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.

The Interpretation

37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.  38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.  39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.  40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.  41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. 42 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.  43 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.  44 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 for ever.  45  Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake 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.

THE REAL 4TH KINGDOM OF NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S DREAM

Naming the Roman Empire as the 4th kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is an easy deduction to make since the preceding empires were given in the correct order of occurrence.  In correct order the first three kingdoms in this great image were the Babylonian, Media-Persian, and Greek Empires.  However, one should not quickly jump to the conclusion the Roman Empire is the fourth kingdom because the same God that gave us this amazing Bible is the same God that spoke in parables; leaving only those that truly sought the Lord to find the truth.  There are many things in God’s Word that seem to mean one thing when you read them, but turn out to be something quite different when you take the time to really study them.  This is probably why we find so many different denominations in Christianity.  It is very important that we get this 4th kingdom right, because it will have a great deal of influence as to how future prophecies in the scriptures are interpreted.  If you begin with the false belief that the “Iron Kingdom” is Rome, it will take you down the wrong path and corrupt your interpretations of the end times.  You will spend your time trying to make connections that simply do not exist.  In the end you will have an extremely distorted view of prophecy, which will be miles away from the truth.  You will end up believing the words of man and thinking it to be the Word of God.  This is the precise state we find the church of today when it comes to Bible prophecy.  For example, Daniel 2 is synonymous with the prophecies given in Revelation 17.  If you make Rome the 4th kingdom in Nebuchadnezzar’s’ dream, it cannot be synchronized with the prophecy of the 6th, 7th, and 8th kingdoms of Revelation 17; at least not in any way that makes any sense.  With that in mind, let’s take a look at ten reasons why the 4th kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream cannot be the Roman Empire.

REASON ONE

GOD GAVE US A GOOD ACCOUNTING OF WHAT IS TO COME

Before we get into the really solid reasons, here is something you need to consider.  It is not the most solid reason why Rome is not the 4th kingdom in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, but it is something one must consider in the decision making process.  The question is this: Do you believe that God would leave out large portions of history (like 1500 years) when telling His people of the things to come?  He did not tell us “Behold, I have foretold you all things,” except for the 1500 years of history I left out!

It has been stated that the Bible is like a road map, designed to guide us through our encounters in life.  For this reason we should read it every day, first thing in the morning because we want our trip to be a pleasant one and because it’s nice to have the security of knowing where you’re going.  It’s foolish to wait until you’re lost to take a look at the map.  You should always look at the map before you leave on your trip. 

Well, if God gave us a road map through history, do you think he would take us to a 4-way stop and just leave us there?  Do you truly believe He would let us wonder about for more than 1500 years in hope that at some point we would find where the map continues and then be able to complete our journey? 

Of course He would not!  Yet the people that believe Rome is the 4th kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream by default believe that he left out 19 centuries of history in telling us the things to come.  The book of Revelation was written around or shortly after 100 A.D.  The Roman Empire ended in 476 A.D.  That leaves out more than 1500 years that have not given rise to a reincarnated Roman Empire; and there certainly does not appear to be one coming in the foreseeable future.  Even if you want to say that the Byzantine Empire was the same as the Roman Empire you are still leaving out 1,376 years because Jerusalem was taken from the Byzantine Empire by the Muslims in 637 A.D.  So if God was telling King Nebuchadnezzar what would happen to his domain, then the King didn’t get the full story.  The Bible is HIS STORY, and the future chapters of this book will demonstrate to you that He gave us a very good accounting of the things to come.  It starts out in Genesis with “In the beginning” and ends in Revelation when “time shall be no more.”

Before getting into more reasons why Rome is not the “Iron Kingdom” it’s very important to point out there are more than four kingdoms revealed in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.  There are actually five.  In the table that follows you will find in the first column each of the body parts represented in the image of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.  The second column lists the material that makes up each body part and the third column gives the Kingdom or Empire that each material and body part represents.  The first three kingdoms are not in question, but the last two are.  It is the last two that must be known if we are to have a proper understanding of Bible prophecy.

               Body Part           Material        Empire Represented
1. HeadGoldBabylonian Empire
2. Breast & ArmsSilverMedia-Persian Empire
3. Belly & ThighsBrassGreek Empire
4. LegsIronRoman or Ottoman Empire?
5. Feet andIron & ClayRoman or Babylonian Returned?
6. ToesIron & ClayEuropean Union?  Terror Groups?  Islamic Countries?

Is the 4th Empire Roman or Ottoman?  Is the 5th Empire Roman or Babylonian? Are the toes the Members of the European Union or are they Middle-Eastern Islamic Countries?

*The 5th empire of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is the eighth kingdom of Revelation 17.  It is the “beast that was and is not, even he is the eighth” and the “cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch,” in Isaiah 14.  It is the identity of these kingdoms that will be explored and uncovered in the coming chapters of this book.

REASON TWO

THE AMOUNT OF DETAIL GIVEN TO EACH KINGDOM

As was mentioned, the names of the first three kingdoms are not in question as Daniel reveals the first one to be the Babylonian Empire. This was followed by the Media-Persian Empire which was followed by the Greek Empire.  This is obvious and almost everyone agrees with this; so we will not go into any further detail on them.  However, observe how little detail Daniel uses in describing the first three kingdoms and then notice how much detail is given for the last two kingdoms.  In the description of the first three kingdoms, Daniel uses one short verse plus six words, and simply states that one follows another.  Then he uses the rest of the chapter to describe the last two kingdoms.  If the fourth kingdom simply followed the third, why would we need a much more detailed explanation of it?  Why would we need any further explanation at all?  God does not waste words.  Why not just say the fourth is of Iron and the fifth part iron and part clay? 

Could it be because the kingdom that is detailed here does not directly follow the third?  Could it be for the same reason that much of Bible prophesy is written the way it is?  We are by nature lazy and tend to make simplistic deductions that we should not make.  The Lord spoke in parables because he did not want the nonspiritual non seeking mind to “get it.”  Our Lord wants us to seek Him, before we are able to find Him.  Bible prophecy is much more hidden and signified than the parables.  We need to both know and use the rest of His Word to understand His ways and the meanings in His prophetic Word. The Lord wants us to seek, before He will reveal, He wants us to study to show ourselves approved unto God.

REASON THREE

NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S DREAM WAS WHAT WOULD BECOME OF HIS EMPIRE

Another reason why this fourth kingdom cannot be Rome is the reason for the dream itself.  God was showing us and King Nebuchadnezzar what would be happening with his kingdom in the future.  His kingdom would be the land area under Nebuchadnezzar’s control.  In verse 45 Daniel tells Nebuchadnezzar that God has made known to him what shall come to pass hereafter.  There is no reason to show him what will happen with Europe, and the Roman Empire was predominately European.  It controlled most of Europe but only a fairly thin strip of land that borders the Mediterranean Sea in Africa and Asia.  The Roman Empire never conquered Babylon.  The Romans crossed over the Euphrates River only once, and that was only for approximately 30 days before they were driven back.  Each of the kingdoms listed in Daniel grew in mass and conquered the previous kingdoms area; Rome was never able to do this.  Rome was primarily a European and Mediterranean Empire.  Geographically, Rome was a very different empire than the others listed in these verses. 

If you analyze and compare these maps you will notice how the Media-Persian Empire is much larger and completely engulfs the Babylonian Empire of King Nebuchadnezzar.  The Greek Empire is much the same shape as the Media-Persian Empire, but its boundaries extend a little further on the east and west making it a little larger than its predecessor.  When you compare the Roman Empire to each of the first three you can’t help but notice that there is not much to compare.  The only thing the Roman Empire has in common with the previous three is the far eastern border along the Mediterranean Sea along with some of the land belonging to current day Egypt. 

When it comes to territory, one would have to classify the Roman Empire as a European Empire and the empires of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream would have to be considered Asian.  If you begin with the Babylonian empire, each succeeding empire grew in size and consumed the previous empire until you get to the Roman Empire.  The Roman Empire does not fit the mold laid out in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. 

Now take a look at how well the Ottoman (Islamic) Empire continues the pattern.  The areas conquered by the Muslims contained and greatly expanded over the boundaries of all the previous empires. The Ottoman or Moslem Empire started with Mohamed and grew until 1700 and then steadily declined until May of 1916 when the Sykes-Picot Agreement was signed.  This agreement divided the Empire up among the World War I allied nations.  The map below does not give a complete picture of the REAL Islamic Empire.  If one were to include all the land area that was conquered by the first Jihad and is still ruled by the religion of Islam, most of what is now Africa would be included as wells as almost all the land that is directly west and south of the Caspian Sea. 

REASON FOUR

ROMANS WERE BUILDERS, NOT DESTROYERS!

Daniel 2:40 (KJV)

For as much as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.

The “subdueth all things” speaks to the religion of Islam.  It completely controls everything.  It has control of the military, government, and the individual.  This is one of the characteristics of evil.  It has to be in control of everything.  You must think and act as it dictates, there is no room for anything that does otherwise.  It requites power over every facet of your life.    

The “breaketh all these” is underlined for two reasons.  There are two different ideas to be taken from these three words.  In the “breaketh” we have a description of what the iron kingdom does to the previous kingdoms, and the all these tells us what kingdoms were broken in pieces.  Rome did not break in pieces all these previous empires.  As a matter of fact, one of the online encyclopedias actually describes what the Romans did to the Greek empire as absorbing.   What was left of the Greek empire after it split into 4 empires became so corrupt that it disintegrated and was absorbed into the Roman Empire.  In fact, there is no battle or specific known date that the Roman Republic became the Roman Empire.  With that being said, even the amount of area Rome absorbed was an extremely small part of what were the Greek, Persian and Babylonian Empires.  Rome was a very large empire, but it controlled a vastly different area than the previous three.  Also, exception should be taken with the idea that the Romans were breakers or destroyers.  If there is anything that the Roman Empire was known for, it is building.  They built a large road network that before there time was unheard of.  They were engineers and builders in every way.  They built awesome buildings as well as a civilized society of law.  They did not demand their subjects learn Latin or their customs.  In fact the language that bound the Roman Empire together was Greek, not Latin.  Greek is the language that the educated and business people spoke in the times of the Roman Empire; much like English is the language that binds the world today.

Additionally, they did not rule their subjects with an iron fist as the Islamic kingdoms did and do.  This should be obvious to anyone that knows the New Testament.  When the Jews wanted Christ to be put to death, they could not do it under their law, so they went to the Roman governor Pilot to do it.  Pilot said that he found no fault in Christ and sent him back to Herod.  It was only after the Jews applied much pressure on Pilot that he had the sentence carried out.  The government of the Roman Empire used force, but it was used to maintain law and order.  Sure there were abuses under some of the rulers, but they were almost nothing when compared to the abuses the true owners of the Iron Kingdom were guilty of.

On the other hand the Ottoman (Islamic) Empire was completely different than previous empires. Because of their religion, they were and still are breakers and destroyers. When the Muslims invaded a nation there was nothing that remained of that civilization.  That country lost their language, their customs and their religion.  They forced the conquered people to accept Islam, pay a jizya tax, become a slave or die.  Those that converted to Islam were required to learn and speak Arabic as Arabic is the only language acceptable to Allah.  Along with the Islamic religion the new convert would also need to accept Arab customs and be governed according to Sharia law.  Islam dominated the conquered people’s entire life.  The word “Islam” means “submit” which is exactly what it requires one to do.  When conquered, one either became a slave to “Allah” or a slave to a Muslim master or they were destroyed.  They are destroyers in the true sense of the word.  Anything that does not fit into the world of Islam is destroyed.  Archeologists will tell you that we would know a great deal more about ancient history if Islam had not destroyed so much.  This world has never known anything as destructive as Islam.  When they invaded, the victim country lost their religion, language, culture, laws, buildings, and anything else the invaders deemed to be contrary to Islam.

This is what Daniel meant when he told King Nebuchadnezzar; “the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.”  It is largely the Islamic religion that sets the fourth kingdom apart from all the previous empires.

REASON FIVE

THE ORIGINAL BIBLE TEXT TELLS US THEY WERE ARABS! 

Daniel 2:43 (KJV)

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.

The 5th reason why the 4th and 5th kingdoms are not Roman is by the further description that is given in this verse.  The actual word used for mixed in the original text (which is used 3 times) is “Arab.”  That alone is a perfect description of these kingdoms.  Now let’s take it a step further and find out what the text means.  Here is the definition taken from Strong’s Greek & Hebrew Dictionary.

This word arab  is used to describe people who mix or braid themselves together for a common cause in merchandising or trade; meaning to be security or surety for the purpose of barter and exchange; to mortgage or give pledges for merchandise so that one can obtain profit. This is what Arabs are known for.  They are descendants of Ishmael the son of Abraham.  Remember when Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers.  The Bible states that Joseph was sold to a company of Ishmaelite’s and Midianites going down to Egypt to sell spices, balm and myrrh.  Arabs, who now for the most part are Muslim, have always been involved in slavery.  They are allowed to have slaves and Islam condones the buying and selling of infidels.  But this is not the only way in which they can be considered to be mixed.

REASON SIX

THE BIBLE TELLS US WHO THE MIXED AND MINGLED PEOPLE ARE

The next phrase “they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men” is an exact description of the Arabs or people of the Middle East which is now close to 100% Muslim.  The other definition of mixed or mingled in the Bible goes back to even before Israel conquered the Promised Land.  The word mixed was used to describe the Canaanite tribes they encountered when they entered the Promised Land. The word Canaanite means merchant.  When the Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian Empires came into existence, they uprooted many people and carried them off to distant lands.  Thus much of the whole Middle East became a mixed or mingled people.  The prophet Jeremiah gives us a better idea. who these people are in chapter 25, verses 21-26.  Verse 15 is included to give you a better idea of what this passage speaks to.

15 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it. 19  Pharaoh king of Egypt, and his servants, and his princes, and all his people;  20  And all the mingled people, and all the kings of the land of Uz, and all the kings of the land of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Azzah, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod, 21  Edom, and Moab, and the children of Ammon, 22  And all the kings of Tyrus, and all the kings of Zidon, and the kings of the isles which are beyond the sea, 23  Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all that are in the utmost corners, 24  And all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mingled people that dwell in the desert, 25  And all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes, 26  And all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another, and all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the earth: and the king of Sheshach.

Note: Scholars believe that Sheshach is an atbash or cryptogram for Babylon.  An atbash is a type of code in which letters of the alphabet are interchanged.  For example a “z” would replace the letter “a” and “y” for the letter “b.”

The current day countries listed here now make up all the countries that Israel is surrounded by: Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, the Saudi Arabian Peninsula, Iran and Iraq.  Today all these nations have two major things in common, all of these nations are now Islamic and all of these nations would like to see Israel gone.

Earlier we spoke of how Moslem conquerors forced the lands they conquered to take on their religion, their customs and their language, but we didn’t mention what the Islamic conqueror’s took from their conquered victims.  Beside the regular booty of gold and precious things, they took their wives and their women.  Because Muslims can have 4 wives and any amount of slave girls they desire, and the Islamic Empire was even larger than all the previous ones, this stirred the pot even more and makes an even larger part of the globe mixed peoples.

Since it is God through His Word telling us who these mixed people are, this is very strong evidence why the 4th and 5th kingdoms are not Roman.  Have you ever heard of someone who called Romans Arabs? Also, don’t forget that Daniel was probably aware of who these people were as he was studying this very portion of Jeremiah’s writings (Daniel 9:2) when he found the prophecy of the 70 years exile in Babylon.

REASON SEVEN

CHRIST DOESN’T FIGHT THE ROMAN EMPIRE WHEN HE RETURNS

The 7th and fairly obvious reason that the 4th & 5th kingdoms of Daniel 2 are not the Roman or Revived Roman Empires is kind of an “it just can’t be by logical reasoning.”  In the book of Isaiah the Lord speaks about the nations he will fight against when He returns.  Here’s what Isaiah says:

Isaiah 13:1 (KJV)
The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see.

Isaiah 15:1 (KJV)
The burden of Moab.  Because in the night Ar of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence;because in the night Kir of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence;

Isaiah 17:1 (KJV)
The burden of Damascus.  Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.

Isaiah 19:1 (KJV)
The burden of Egypt.  Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.

Isaiah 21:1 (KJV)
The burden of the desert of the sea; as whirlwinds in the south pass through; so it cometh from the desert, from a terrible land.

Isaiah 21:11 (KJV)
 The burden of Dumah.  He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?

Isaiah 21:13 (KJV)
The burden upon Arabia.  In the forest in Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye travelling companies of Dedanim.

Isaiah 23:1 (KJV)
The burden of Tyre.  Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in: from the land of Chittim it is revealed to them.

When one looks at all the places listed here, one doesn’t get the feeling we are dealing with the Roman Empire.  I would venture to say that none of these places are known for their Greek or Latin speaking populations.  They are not known for their Roman heritage, or their allegiance to the Pope, or their Roman form of government.  However, these nations for many years have been speaking Arabic with Arab customs and worshiping Allah.  They also have been enemies of God’s chosen people from the time they settled the Promised Land.  When you think about it, it’s hard to believe more Roman Empire theorists have not as yet put this together.  The enemies of Christ are not the ones that constantly acknowledge the Father, Son and Holy Spirit; His enemy is antichrist, the religion of the Quran that says God has no son!

REASON EIGHT

THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE WAS REALLY DIVIDED AND ROME WAS NOT!

We’re getting close to the end of our endorsement of the Islamic Ottoman Empire as the 4th Kingdom in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.   One of the major arguments that Roman Empire theorists use is not really a valid one, but the following explanation should neutralize their argument.  Their point is based on a false interpretation of Daniel 2:43.

Daniel 2:43 (KJV)

And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, for as much as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.

“The kingdom shall be divided.”  This statement is used by Roman Empire supporters to bolster the idea it is speaking of the Roman Empire because it was divided………. But was it REALLY?

In the year 285 A.D. Diocletian, emperor of Rome from 284-305 A.D. partitioned the Roman Empires administration into eastern and western halves.  Then in 324 A.D. Emperor Constantine began to transfer the main capitol from Rome to Byzantium.  He finished this task in 330 A.D. after which the city of Byzantium was renamed to Constantinople. (City of Constantine)  Rome was not divided in the sense that the eastern empire was in opposition to the western empire.  It was merely partitioned as to make such a large empire easier to manage.  Later the whole administration and capitol was transferred to the eastern empire and it became the only center of administration.

On the other hand, the Ottoman or Moslem empire was divided, and it was both internal and external forces that did the dividing.  The Moslem empire was divided at its very beginning and at its very end.

Mohamed, the founder of Islam, did not leave any instructions as to who would replace him when he died. When Mohamed died suddenly in 632 A.D., there were no guidelines as to what to do. Half the people (Shiite Muslims) thought there next leader should be a descendant of Mohamed, and half thought it should be Abu Bakr, Mohamed’s first convert to Islam. Abu Bakr took over and war broke out when Abu Bakr began permanently eliminating Shiite Muslims who disagreed with him. To this day the Sunni Muslims hate the Sunni Muslims and the Sunni Muslims hate the Shiite Muslims. You can’t name a longer divide than this divide that lasted from 632 A.D. to the present day.

The second big divide in the Muslim world came when World War I ended and the Ottoman Empire was split up.  It was a long drawn out process but on August 10, 1920 the Treaty of Sèvres was signed between the Ottoman Empire and our European Allies.  In this treaty the Ottoman Empire was divided up among France, Greece, Britain, and Armenia.  Greece never ratified the treaty, so much of the empire went to France and Great Britain.  France and Britain had already decided how they would divide the empire in the Sykes-Picot Agreement in May of 1916.  So if you believe this divided thing is a sure sign that Rome is the 4th kingdom, it is the Ottoman Empire that is a much better example of a kingdom actually being divided.

However, neither of these are examples of what this verse is actually saying.  “The kingdom shall be divided” is not referring to the land, it is referring to the people.  It is the feet, the 5th kingdom in Daniel 2 and 8th kingdom in Revelation 17 that is spoken of as being divided. “And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided.” The potters’ clay and the iron are speaking of the people or citizens of the kingdom.  One of the metaphors found in the Bible for people is clay. The same is true with the statue of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.  Notice how it starts out with a head of gold, then a chest of silver, thighs of brass, legs of iron and feet of iron and clay.  These all are names for sections of the human anatomy from head to toes.  The metals that make up this statue progress from gold to iron with each metal being both harder and less valuable than the one before it.  These metals relate to the human moral condition of each kingdom beginning with the second Babylon and ending with the third and last Babylon.  The King of second Babylon derived his authority from God but the king of the third and last Babylon will receive his authority from Satan. 

Revelation 13:2 (KJV)
And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

Gold is the softest of the metals thus signifying the ability of God to bend and mold a person.  Iron, being the hardest of the metals in this statue, indicates a hardness towards God and thus being opposed to Him.  Simply stated this statue reflects the human condition on both a personal and historical basis.  The longer the space of time we are apart from God, the more evil and immoral we become.

This statue is proof in itself that Rome is not the 4th Kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.  During the time of the Roman Empire the King of Kings came to earth.  His knowledge alone is more valuable than gold and His righteousness meant that there was more righteousness on earth during the Roman Empire than there was during all of the previously mentioned empires combined.  This therefore does not strengthen the theory that Rome is the 4th kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.

However, If we make the Ottoman (Islamic) Empire the 4th Kingdom and make ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq & Syria) the feet and toes we have a combination that will fit what the Bible says and what has been stated quite precisely.  The Roman Empire was about business and building while the Islamic Empire was about Islam and all the death, destruction and corruption it brings.  The Romans did not rule over people with a rod of iron; but Islam does.  Rome’s authority was not derived from Satan and the Roman Empire’s power was not based where Satan’s seat is, but all this is true of the Ottoman Islamic Empire.  Revelation 13:2 (KJV) tells us “the dragon (Satan) gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.”  The exact location of where Satan’s seat is located is revealed to us in: 

Revelation 2:12-13 (KJV)
12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; 13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.

Satan’s seat is located in Pergamos, Turkey, which is where the Ottoman (Islamic) Empire was ruled from.  Pergamos is where the Babylonian Priest fled to escape the overthrow of Babylon by the Medes. These priests brought their false religion with them.

So knowing that the feet of this statue represent the returned Babylonian Empire which as the 5th kingdom was the current day ISIS; we can know what “part of potters’ clay, and part of iron,”and “the kingdom shall be divided” actually mean.  However, we will cover the interpretation of these in Reason Nine which is our next piece of evidence.

The people of these “Kingdoms of Iron” are Muslim and their foundation book is called the Quran.  The Quran does teach violence & hatred of infidels no matter what Islamic apologists may be telling us, but that does not mean that all Muslims are warmongers.  Daniel refers to Allah as a “god of war.”  We are told that Islam means peace when it actually means to submit. Daniel 8:25 refers to the Man of Sin, the same Lawless One who many in Christendom call antichrist.  He is the leader of ISIS who ruled the very same feet we are currently discussing when he says:

Daniel 8:25 (KJV)

And through his policy also he shall cause craft (deception) to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.

“And through his policy also he shall cause craft (deception) to prosper in his hand” refers to one of the most important teachings in Islam.  In Islam Allah is said to have 99 names.  One of these names is The Great Deceiver.  Deception plays a very important role in Islam and this teaching can be traced all the way back to Mohamed.  It was Mohamed who taught that in time of battle or war, one of the best strategies to practice was that of deception.  To deceive the enemy is one of the most important tools in the Islamic war chest.     

“By peace shall destroy many” does not make any sense unless you understand the nature and teaching of Islam.  The Quran teaches that there can be no peace until the whole world is converted to Islam.  This means that to a Muslim, if you will not convert to Islam, you do not want peace.  Therefore the resulting war is your fault.  It means you are an infidel who must want war and they must fight you and everyone else that will not accept Islam.  Because Muslims want peace, they must fight until the whole world belongs to Allah.  It’s only then that the world can know peace.  This is the religion and thought process that has fought with and conquered much of the world, it is also the religion and thought process that has been welcomed into many western countries.

REASON NINE

THE “TEN TOES” CANNOT BE EUROPEAN

Along with the teaching that Rome was the Iron Kingdom we were also told that when the Roman Empire reappeared the ten toes would be the members of the European Union.  This all sounded great at one time, the time when there were only ten members in the European Union.  However, now there is something like twenty-seven.  So what is the identity of these ten toes?  Since we already showed you how Revelation 17 coincides with Daniel 2, let’s see what light Revelation 17 can shed on this question.

Revelation 17:11-13 (KJV)
11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. 12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. 13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.

After reading these verses I’m sure you can see that the “ten kings, which have no kingdom” would correspond to the ten toes of Daniel 2.  If toes are extensions of the feet then these toes must be extensions of that “cast out of thy grave” Babylonian Empire.  If ISIS is this 8th kingdom and the feet of Nebuchadnezzar’s statue, then these toes would most likely be Muslim countries which would now fall under the supreme leadership of the Caliph of Islam.  Verse 12 describes them as “ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.“ 

According to Islamic law, the leaders of the surrounding Muslim countries would be considered governors and not kings, as they would all be subject to the Caliph, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi of ISIS.  In Islam the “Caliph” is the highest power, there can be no other kings.  So technically, even if the surrounding countries have dictators, they are not the ones with absolute power according to Islamic Law.  The Caliph is considered to be “Allah in the flesh,” and therefore the head of the Military, the religion, and the law as well as all Muslims.  Muslims are not allowed to pledge allegiance to any country, only to the Caliph and Allah.

Daniel 2:41 – The 10 Toes Which Have No Kingdom

1. Egypt2. Iraq3. Iran4. Yemen5. Libya
6. Syria7. Turkey8. Lebanon9. Jordan10. Saudi Arabia

“These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.“ They all have one mind and they all have the same goal as Abu-Bakr.  That is to worship Allah, conquer and convert the whole world to Islam, and live under Sharia Law.  What power do these kings that have no kingdom receive after one hour with the beast?  Verse 13 answers this by telling us they “give their power and strength unto the beast.”  They receive a power that kings have been exercising for centuries; the power of sending men to battle.  Abu Bakr had Muslim men and Jihadists coming to him from almost all the Muslim countries in the Middle East as well as a multitude of countries all over the world to build the army of the caliphate.  Ever since the Ottoman Empire was dissolved and the position of Caliph eliminated, Muslims have sought to bring back the glory days of old.  This is why the Muslim Brotherhood was formed way back in the 1920’s.  They devised and implemented a plan to bring back a Moslem Empire and reinstall the Caliph to power.  This is known as the 3rd Jihad and its execution is still a work in progress.

Daniel 2:42-43 (KJV)
42 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. 43 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.

Wow, what a great and precise description the King of Kings has given us of this last kingdom before he destroys it and sets up His kingdom.  “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.” is referring to the people that make up Abu Bakr’s kingdom.  The people he rules are partly strong, referring to the people that are die-hard Muslims that pledge allegiance to him and are fighting for Allah.  The partly broken refers to those who were forced to take on Islam and worship Allah under penalty of death.  Those that are broken just as a wild horse is broken.  They accepted Islam, but not because they had any say in the matter.  The partly broken did a lot of bucking and kicking but accepted Islam only because they could not throw the rider.  In other words, their spirit was 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.”  If you did not pay attention to the news, you may not be aware that what this verse describes is actually what went on within ISIS and his allied terrorist groups.  The miry clay this verse speaks of were the poor women and young girls that these perverted men are stealing and forcing to become sex slaves.  “They shall mingle themselves with the seed of men,” means they are taking women that are not Muslim and having sex with them before they have converted to Islam.  They do not cleave or stay with them, but rather they buy and sell them to each other.  Some of the women were actually being used as currency to sell and buy with.  There were news reports saying that the Yazidi women that ISIS forced into sex slavery have been so spread out throughout Syria and Iraq that the only way to rescue them was to buy them from whoever currently has ownership of them.  So you can see they did not cleave to them at all, they viewed and used them as merchandise to buy and sell.

It’s actually a little late in the ballgame to be discussing these last two kingdoms, as the 7th & 8th Kingdoms have already been here and gone even though almost nobody is aware of it.  As you will be shown, our Lord revealed a lot to us regarding these last two kingdoms.  This is especially true when it comes to the 8th kingdom and its leader who the Bible calls the Man of Sin, Lawless One, the Assyrian, King of Babylon and Satan in Flesh among many others.  The Bible tells us when to look for him and where to look for him.  It tells us numerous things that he will do and it tells us what he will say.  It even gives us the actual name he will be called.   All this was foretold 2000 years ago and yet this Man of Sin has gone almost completely unnoticed in the Christian world.  This is precisely because the End Times Prophecy teaching of today has taken the wrong road and is completely lost, yet its drivers are completely unaware of it. Christendom is looking for an empire that will never exist and a Man of Sin that will never sign a peace treaty with Israel.  When you are not paying close attention to the landmarks and road signs, it’s very hard to know whether or not you are going down the right road.

REASON TEN

ROME CANNOT BE MADE TO FIT THE 7th & 8th KINGDOMS OF REVELATION 17

Now we come to the tenth and very hard to deny reason why Rome is not the 4th or 5th kingdom in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. Let’s go to Revelation 17 in order to put the icing on the cake, even though there are still more arrows left in the quiver.  We’re going to take a look at why the hidden or future empires predicted in Revelation 17 (the 7th & 8th kingdoms) cannot be Roman or even European for that matter.  Let’s look at how Revelation defines the kingdoms yet to come and then compare them with Nebuchadnezzar’s dream to see if we can make the Roman Empire fit. If the Bible is truly the Word of God, (and of course it is) then one has to expect prophecies to agree and not conflict with each other.  The statue in Daniel 2 speaks of five kingdoms.  The writings of Revelation 17 speak of 8 kingdoms.  The Egyptian and Assyrian Empires are left out of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream because they occurred before the Babylonian Empire.  Rome was left out of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream for all the reasons you have previously read, along with many more that will be seen throughout the rest of this book.  That leaves the five kingdoms of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, so let’s see how well these two chapters complement each other.  The way you interpret the kingdoms in these two chapters must agree or you are mistaken about either one or the other or both.  There is a limited number of kingdoms to choose from, and these kingdoms must in some way involve the land area that includes the Kingdom of King Nebuchadnezzar.  Here is the text we are taking into consideration

Revelation 17:9-11.

9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. 10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. 11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

(Perdition means to be destroyed, but not totally destroyed, suggesting it will make another appearance.) This is exactly what happened to ISIS. Abu Bakr controlled the area that was once Babylon. He was driven out of his Caliphate by Donald Trump, but there was still another group of ISIS terrorists in Afghanistan that survived. Its leader is now the King of Syria, just as the Bible predicted.

The first part of verse 9 “And here is the mind which hath wisdom.” is telling us the solution to the riddle that is about to be put forth will require spiritual discernment.  In other words one will need some understanding of history coupled with the desire to know, seek, and understand the Word of God before the Holy Spirit will reveal it to you.

“The seven heads are seven mountains” In Middle East speech and in scripture a mountain is a metaphor for a kingdom or empire.  This is a common analogy that still exists today in the Middle East.  The Bible also refers to these same kingdoms or empires as beasts; sometimes literally and sometimes by the names of beasts.  Good examples of this are found later in Daniel where these mountains are called names of beasts; like a lion, ram, and bear. 

“On which the woman sitteth” refers to the area of land the woman has under her control.  A woman in Biblical prophecy is used to represent religion, and in Revelation 17 this woman is referred to as a whore riding a scarlet colored beast.  This tells us this kingdom is being controlled by an evil religion (whore) that’s guilty of shedding a lot of blood. (Scarlet colored)

“And there are seven kings” tells us there is one king for every kingdom.

“Five are fallen” tells us that five of these kingdoms no longer exist. Then it states that “one is”, meaning this is Rome; the one in power when the Disciple John wrote Revelation.  We are then told “and the other is not yet to come,” which tells us there is a seventh kingdom coming. 

“And when he cometh, he must continue a short space.” This does not mean that when he (the 7th kingdom) arrives he will only be around a short amount of time.  It means that after the 6th kingdom is gone there will be a “short space” of time before the seventh kingdom appears. (He is continuing or coming after a short space of time.)  This would have to be the 7th empire which was the Ottoman or Islamic Empire.

“And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven.”  This is stating that the kingdom that is the answer to this riddle is one of the kingdoms “that was.”  It is one of the first five kingdoms that have fallen.  This kingdom will be the 8th kingdom and he will be one of the previous seven kingdoms.  This verse eliminates the possibility of the answer to the riddle being the Roman Empire.  The Roman Empire could not be one of the first five kingdoms.  The first five kingdoms in order were the Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Media Persian and lastly the Greek Empire.  This is actual history which cannot be changed unless you are a progressive revisionist, and even they can’t change the truth.  (But that doesn’t stop them from trying!)  When this was written during the time of the Apostle John, Rome was the kingdom that “is.” There are actually 8 Kingdoms spoken of in Revelation 17.  You have just seen that the empire that followed the Roman Empire was the Ottoman Empire which would make it the fourth and “Iron Kingdom” of Daniel 2.  The fourth kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is the seventh kingdom of Revelation 17.  Anyone that believes that the Roman Empire is the fourth kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is saying that the sixth, seventh, and eighth kingdoms of Revelation 17 are all Roman Empires.  In essence you are saying that there will be two more appearances of the Roman Empire before our Lord returns.  This is absolutely ridiculous and there is NO-WAY this is going to happen.  The belief that Rome is the 4th kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is further complicated by the fact that both the 4th and 5th kingdoms of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream which are   7th and 8th kingdoms of Revelation 17 have already been here and gone.  We are now in the second year of the last 3½ year period before our Lord returns.  If you think this statement is in error, just keep reading and take note of what the Word of God says and how well it fit’s Islamic history and teaching.  If one would just take the time to sit down and study Bible Prophecy they would see just how far off the present day interpretations of Bible Prophecy REALLY are.

Here’s another chart in case we did not explain things as well as we would have liked to.

Here is a Summary of the reasons why Rome is not the 4th kingdom in Nebuchadnezzar’s statue.

  1. God would not give us an incomplete story of HIS STORY! There are at least 1500 years and counting that are missing in Biblical prophecy if we are waiting for the Roman Empire to return.
  2. No need to describe the 4th kingdom if it simply followed the 3rd; it would be a given.
  3. God was showing Nebuchadnezzar the future of his kingdom. Rome never conquered the land areas of the previous kingdoms.  It was a European Empire, not middle-eastern.
  4. The Romans were not destroyers as the verse describes the 4th kingdom, but Islam has been a destroyer almost since its conception, and it’s still going strong!
  5. The original word “Arab” or “mixed” is used 3 times. (He couldn’t make it any more obvious)
  6. God tells who the mixed and mingled people are in Jeremiah.
  7. When Jesus Christ returns, all the nations he is fighting against are Muslim, not Catholics or Europeans.
  8. The Ottoman Empire was really divided and Rome was not.
  9. The ten toes are not members of the European Union; they are the nations of the Levant and the nations with whose populations have been enemies of Israel since ancient Biblical times. However, given the current migration of Muslims into Europe, it may not be long before Europe becomes Eurabia, and they could be given membership!
  10. Rome does not fit in the prophecy given in Revelation 17. You end up one empire short, or you have to believe there are two more Roman Empires yet to come!
  11. Because it’s the truth and a much better fit than any other empires that have been or ever will be!

CONTENTS

Book Introduction (Read for more info contained in the book)

  1. The REAL 4th Kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream  (Daniel 2)
  2. The REAL King of Babylon  (Isaiah 14)
  3. The REAL Beast of Revelation 13
  4. The REAL Beast that was and is not; And the Great Whore (Revelation 17)
  5. The REAL 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse  (Revelation 6)
  6. The REAL First 4 Trumpets of Revelation 8
  7. The REAL 4 Angels of Revelation 9 And the Plague of Islam
  8. The REAL Woman, Dragon and Flood of Revelation 12
  9. The REAL 2 Witnesses of Revelation 11
  10. The REAL 70 Weeks of Daniel 9
  11. The FEASTS OF THE LORD; The Appointed Time of Christ’s Return
  12. The REAL Sign of the Son of Man; and Signs of the End (Matthew 24)
  13. The REAL Parable of the 10 Virgins (Matthew 25)
  14. The Fall Feast Days as Revealed in the Book of Revelation  (Revelation 6,7,8,11)
  15. The Warning to the Church of Laodicea; the Church of Today  (Revelation 3)
  16. The 6th Seal is Opened; Are You Ready for what’s Next?
  17. The Book in Review