■The dream of Nebuchadnezzar #２

Last time, we learned about the dream of Nebuchadnessar from the Book of Daniel chapter 2. What Nebuchadnezzar saw in the dream was a great image, and Daniel interpreted that its head represented Babylonian Empire, its chest and arms Medo-Persia, its belly and thighs Greek and its legs Roman Empire respectively.

This time, we would focus our attention on its feet. Daniel 2:33 said that its feet were partly of iron and partly of clay. The iron understandably represented Roman Empire itself but some part of the feet was said to be of clay. It must be showing the form of the Empire at its last stage. The Empire, at that time, must have been formed by countries. But as iron and clay never mix completely, so this Empire was a state formed by independent countries with their own cultures. As the human feet has ten toes, the Empure at its last stage must have been a union of ten countries.

The Romen Empire has been fallen down and ruined in AD 476, but the history have not yet seen the state mentioned in the Book of Daniel, an empire consisted of ten countries. Therefore, the prophesied empire is thought to be the coming new one, revived Second Roman Empire.

The Book of Daniel 2:34-35 says;
"You watched and while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth."

"A stone" was mentioned here. In the Bible, a stone sometimes implied Jesus Christ. The implication of this sentence is therefore that Jesus Christ will destroy the Second Roman Empire not by human hands but by the hands of God. At that time, all empires created by human, including Babylonian Empire, will, together with their controlling power, completely vanish. The Babylonian saw this world as a huge mountain, so "the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth." meant for them that Jesus Christ, having finished the human control of the world, will come again to govern the world and build up the Kingdom of God. This Kingdom is eternal.

Daniel's prophecy is saying that restoration of new Roman Empire will occur before the resurrection of Jesus Christ. When watching the current develpoment of the European Union, we feel that we are witnessing the revival of the new Roman Empire.

September, 2008