THE STATUE AND THE ROCK (DANIEL, CHAPTER 2)
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INTRODUCTION— BACKGROUND. I summarize background features of an amazing prophecy before making three points. Please read Daniel, chapter 2.
The prophet and the prophecy: The Babylonian Empire attacked the Israelites in two campaigns, beginning in 605 BC. Many Israelites were taken captive at that time. Later attacks by Babylon's Nebuchadnezzar finally destroyed Jerusalem and the First Temple and enslaved the Israelite nation in ca 586 BC. Nebuchadnezzar selected the brightest captives to educate them in the Babylonian language and customs and to train them for service in his royal court. Daniel, a teenage captive who displayed great promise, had his name changed to Belteshazzar. He entered government service, and eventually became a most respected and powerful official in both the Babylonian Empire and its successor, the Medo-Persian Empire.
Daniel's three boyhood friends— Hannaiah, Mishael, and Azariah, whose names were changed to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, respectively— were similarly trained for government service.
Daniel was a man who never betrayed his love for and dedication to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jehovah (God) rewarded him in many ways, including the ability to prophesy the future through visions and dream interpretations. He wrote the Book of Daniel, one of the most important prophetic books of the Bible, in ca 536 - 530 BC. Agnostics/ atheists hate this book because of its detailed prophetic insights.
A troubling dream: Babylon's king, Nebuchadnezzar, had a recurring dream, which greatly troubled him. The dream consisted of two parts: In the first part, Nebuchadnezzar saw a magnificent statue, composed of different metals. In the second part, he saw a rock carved from a mountain, and watched as the rock destroyed the statue and grew into a mountain which covered the earth.
There are many points which could be taken from this dream, but I will refer to only three points:
THE STATUE. Nebuchadnezzar dreamed of a magnificent statue. Of all the wise men in Babylon, only Daniel could interpret the dream, and, then, he could interpret it only through revelation from God.
General statements: Understand the following:
Nebuchadnezzar's dream statue represented successive empires (kingdoms) that would affect God's Covenant People, the Jews, when they occupied God's Covenant Land, Israel. There are gaps in the prophetic succession of empires in the dream (absent empires during the Diaspora, for example) because the Jews were forcibly removed from present-day Israel in AD 70, but the prophetic history continued/ continues when they returned in the Aliyah in AD 1948.
Metals were involved in the statue's construction. These metals represented different empires (kingdoms), progressing from the head to toes. Each metal (and the kingdom it represented) changed character, as the statue progressed from top to bottom:
Value:
• Metals: Gold (head) is more valuable than silver, more valuable than bronze, more valuable than iron, and more valuable than a clay/ iron mixture (toes).
• Nations: Babylon (head) was more culturally, artistically refined than the kingdoms which replaced it, including the final Antichrist's government (toes).
Strength:
• Metals: Gold (head) is weaker than silver, weaker than bronze, and weaker than iron(legs).
• Nations: Babylon (head) was weaker than the kingdoms which replaced it, including the final, brutal, world power— the Antichrist's government (toes).
Parts of interpretation of this chapter require consideration of companion dreams and visions in Daniel, chapters 7 and 8, and portions of the Book of Revelation. I will omit these comparisons from the present discussion.
The parts of Nebuchadnezzar's dream statue follow. Dates are given, but remember that Daniel wrote this book in ca 536-530 BC, centuries before the prophecies were fulfilled (and the final prophecy is yet to be fulfilled).
Head of gold: The head of gold represented King Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon. In Daniel's time, Babylon was a strong, wealthy, advanced empire. It was renowned for its great riches and beautiful art and architecture. Jeremiah (see Jeremiah 25:12-14) had prophesied destruction of Babylon in a single night. On one night in 539 BC, the Medes and Persians (Medo-Persian Empire) diverted the Euphrates River sufficiently to breach Babylon's strong defensive walls and gates. Babylon— then ruled by Nebuchadnezzar's successor, Belshazzar— was defeated. Darius, a Mede, was installed as the new ruler.
Chest and arms of silver: The chest and arms of silver represented the Medo-Persian Empire. The Medo-Persian Empire was stronger but less culturally advanced than Babylon. The two arms represented the two merged kingdoms of the Medes and the Persians. The Medo-Persian Empire existed another 207 years, until defeated by the Grecian Empire.
Belly and thighs of bronze: The belly and thighs of bronze represented the Grecian Empire (Greece). The Medes and Persians were defeated in 331 BC. The small, rapidly advancing Greek army, led by Alexander the Great, swarmed over and defeated the Medes and Persians. Bronze is less valuable but stronger than the silver it replaced. Of interest, recall that in less than ten years, Alexander led his small (32,000-man) army throughout the known world from the Mediterranean Sea to India. In 332 BC, Alexander marched from Tyre (a Phoenician city on the Mediterranean Sea in Lebanon to the north of Israel) toward Jerusalem, with the intention of conquering Jerusalem. The Jewish High Priest, carrying a scroll of the words we now call the Book of Daniel, met with Alexander outside of Jerusalem. The priest showed the scroll to Alexander, explaining that the Jewish prophet Daniel had prophesied three centuries earlier that a great king from the west would defeat eastern empires. Alexander was so impressed and moved to find himself mentioned in the holy scroll that he commanded that Jerusalem must be spared, and he entered the Jewish Temple to worship.
Legs of iron: Two interpretations have been proposed:
(1) The legs of iron prophesied the Roman Empire. The Greeks were defeated by the Romans in 63 BC. Iron is common and worth relatively little, but it is extremely strong, just as the Roman culture was primitive and imported its religion and art from the Greeks, but was militarily almost invincible. This empire ruled the Jewish nation during Jesus' time. The two legs foretold the division of the Roman Empire in the fourth century AD. The western division's capital was Rome; the eastern division's capital was Constantinople. The western division was defeated by the barbarians in AD 476; the eastern division was defeated by the Turks in AD 1453. ... OR ...
(2) The legs prophesied two faiths at the end of time, both faiths looking to their origins from Father Abraham. One leg prophesied the Judeo-Christian faith; the other leg prophesied the Islamic faith.
Parenthesis: In prophecy, a parenthesis is a gap in time— a time gap in which events are not divulged or recorded. Such a parenthesis occurs in the Book of Daniel between the time of the legs of iron— history past— until the feet of clay and iron— history present.
Feet of clay and iron: Coming from the iron legs were feet made of a mixture of iron and clay. Those who interpret the legs of iron as representing the Roman Empire interpret the feet as the revived Roman Empire (composed primarily of the European Union). The mixed materials suggest a confederacy of nations, with some nations being strong (iron) and other nations, weak (clay). The mixed materials also suggest rancor in the confederacy, as iron and clay do not mix well and form a mixture easily fragmented.
Following World War II, European nations were fearful. In less than three decades, two world wars had been fought throughout the European continent. European nations had been on opposite sides of these wars. Following 1945 with the atomic bomb explosions in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the face of war was forever changed. Europe was now in the middle of two great Cold War enemies— the U.S.S.R. on the east and the U.S.A. and Great Britain on the west— and all enemies possessed nuclear weapons. European nations understandably feared that World War III could be fought in Europe, with nuclear bomb destruction and fallout.
In 1948, three small nations— Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxemburg— forged a mutual defense pact, the Benelux Treaty (named after Belgium, Netherlands, Luxemburg). Although the military might of these three nations was small and would present no challenge to military forces of larger nations, the idea was well received throughout Europe. Progressing through early stages of development, the Benelux partnership has grown to the European Union (E.U.). Today, the E.U. is similar to the United States of America, being a United States of Europe. The E.U. has twenty-eight member countries; a military force; and a single currency, the euro ( € ), adopted by most member countries. With recent massive influx of Syrians and other Islamic refugees/ terrorists, the future of the E.U. is uncertain.
The E.U. incorporates much of the land formerly held by the Roman Empire. It is, therefore, properly considered to be the revived Roman Empire.
Clay and iron do not mix well together. There are real differences and heated disagreements among member countries of the E.U. The two materials are of unequal strength— clay is soft, weak, and brittle; iron is strong. Some E.U. countries are weak, whereas other E.U. countries are strong. Some E.U. countries (for example, the PIIGS countries of Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece, and Spain—) teeter on financial collapse, and have been propped up by stronger E.U. countries (Germany and France). (WATCH: Will global financial collapse usher in World War III or the revelation of the Antichrist?)
The ten toes: Coming from the statue's iron-clay feet were ten toes.
The Antichrist likely will rule the European Union as part of his quest to rule the world. That is, the Antichrist's base may initially be the European Union.
The ten toes may represent the ten divisions of the world which will come through the Antichrist's government, as ten toes come from feet.
What could these ten toes represent? Prophecy scholars present different interpretations of the toes. I believe they may represent ten world divisions during the time of the Antichrist. Consider the following:
In prophecy, a horn represents authority (a king, a kingdom). Daniel recorded another vision, which mirrored the ten toes of the statue in Nebuchadnezzar's dream (Daniel 7:7-8): [Daniel spoke] "After this I saw... a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pierces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It... had ten horns. ... There was another horn, a little one. Coming from among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words." INTERPERETATION: The beast most commonly is interpreted as the Roman Empire, corresponding to the iron legs in Nebuchadnezzar's dream. The ten horns (corresponding to the toes in the dream) are kingdoms arising in the last days. From these, will arise a little horn with human features, who speaks pompous words, which foretells the Antichrist. Although having ten kingdoms at first, three of these will withdraw support from and allegiance to the Antichrist, and become his enemies.
In the post-Rapture world filled with the most evil, reprobate persons, these kingdoms will follow Satan rather than God (Revelation 12:3b): ... behold, a great, fiery red dragon having... ten horns [was cast to earth to attempt to destroy the Child of the woman]. INTERPRETATION: The Child is Jesus and the woman is Israel. Satan will never stop trying to destroy Jesus, Jews, and Christians, as foretold in the Adamic Covenant with the everlasting enmity between Satan and the Christ (see Genesis 3:15-17).
John saw two great beasts (evil persons) who would dominate the world during the Tribulation (Revelation 13:1): Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his head a blasphemous name. INTERPRETATION: This Beast of the Sea is the Antichrist, one of the three members of the Unholy Trinity who will rule and wreak havoc during the Tribulation. The ten horns, wearing crowns, are the nations of the world who will follow the Antichrist's evil designs.
This ecclesiastical harlot— the apostate Church— will ride a scarlet beast with ten horns, as the Church commits spiritual adultery against God and persecutes His saints (Revelation, chapter 17, including 17:16-18): [The angel said] "And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God... give[s] their kingdom[s] to the beast,.... And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth."
The Club of Rome: What may the ten horns (ten kingdoms) signify? Could the ten kingdoms represent the ten regions of the world, which are already formatted by the Club of Rome?
The Club of Rome describes itself as an independent, not-for-profit organization with international membership. The Club modestly (!) boasts of its ability to meet the needs of the twenty-first century through managing economic growth and environmental issues, climate change, resource (petroleum) depletion and usage, crisis of the ecosystems, limitation of population growth, "to create a better world for future generations," and other issues. Many persons fear the Club may be wittingly or unwittingly part of the Illuminati's efforts to establish the New World Order of the Antichrist's government. Globalism, whether in matters of faith, economy, government, and so forth, must be embraced cautiously, if at all. Understand that the Antichrist's government will seek to establish globalism in all facets of life during the Tribulation.
The Club of Rome was founded in April, 1968, when representatives from ten countries gathered in Rome to show the rest of the world our errors and the Club's solutions to our problems. The Club is now headquartered in Winterthur, Switzerland.
In 1973, the Club of Rome divided the world into ten regions for political and economic control:
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REGION 1: United States and Canada
REGION 2: Europe (European Union) REGION 3: Japan REGION 4: Australia REGION 5: Russia and China |
REGION 6: South and Central America
REGION 7: Middle East and Northern Africa REGION 8: Mid-Africa REGION 9: India and Indonesia REGION 10: Asian states |
SEE map of Club of Rome's ten regions of the world. This map is dated. Read the map's caption to see changes in status of Mexico and Mongolia, for example. Sea island nation are included in the nearest region.
INTRODUCTION. Another part of Daniel's prophecy has been historically fulfilled. That is the first advent (First Coming) of Jesus and formation of His Church.
Daniel wrote (Daniel 2:34-35, 44, 45b): [Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar] "You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image [the status in the dream] 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. |...| And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. |...| ... the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure."
Consider the first portion of this passage:
Stone cut out from the mountain without hands:
The Stone: The Stone is Jesus the Christ. Some Scriptures connecting the Messiah to a Stone include:
• The psalmist prophesied the Messiah as being our Cornerstone of faith (Psalm 118:22-23): The stone which the builders rejectedFN-1 has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.
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FOOTNOTES:
FN-1 Rejection of the Stone, Jesus, occurred when He was tried before Pilate and the people chose to release Barrabas, rather than Jesus,and in other areas of rejection.
• Jesus confirmed that He was this Cornerstone (Matthew 21:42, 44): Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in Scriptures: 'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?' |...| And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder." (See other Scriptural confirmations in Mark 12:10, Luke 20:17, Acts 4:11, and 1 Peter 2:4-8.)
WHO IS THE ROCK UPON WHOM THE CHURCH IS BUILT? This section will be controversial for Catholics, but I feel we need to discuss it in a search for Biblical truth.
The Catholic Catechism, paragraph 552, states: "Simon Peter holds the first place in the college of the Twelve; Jesus entrusted a unique mission to him. Through a revelation from the Father, Peter had confessed: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Our Lord then declared to him: "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it." Christ, the "living Stone", thus assures his Church, built on Peter, of victory over the powers of death. Because of the faith he confessed Peter will remain the unshakable rock of the Church. His mission will be to keep this faith from every lapse and to strengthen his brothers in it."
The Second Vatican Council’s Decree of Ecumenism states: “For it is through Christ’s Catholic Church alone, which is the universal help toward salvation, that the fullness of the means of salvation can be obtained. It was to the apostolic college alone, of which Peter is the head, that we believe that our Lord entrusted all the blessings of the New Covenant, in order to establish on earth the one Body of Christ into which all those should be fully incorporated who belong in any way to the People of God."
Let us look at what the Bible states (Matthew 16:15-18): [Jesus] said to His disciples] “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah,FN-2, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter,FN-3 and on this rockFN-4 I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."
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FOOTNOTES:
FN-2 Peter's true name was Simon Bar-Jonah (translation from Hebrew = "Simon, son of Jonah"). Jesus nicknamed him Cephas (see John 1:42). (Aramaic Cephas, or Kephas = "a stone") .
FN-3 Jesus gave Peter a Greek nickname, masculine gender (Petros = Πέτρος = man's name = translated "Rock," usually regarded as a small rock, a stone).
FN-4 Jesus said He would build His Church on a large, foundational rock, feminine gender (petra = πέτρα = translated "rock," a massive rock, a bedrock).
New Testament authors wrote in a clipped style not comfortable for modern readers. They seemed intent on recording Jesus' words, often writing His answers but not necessarily questions which provoked the answers. Could Jesus have been rebuking Peter in this passage? Peter could be headstrong, these ways re-direction. It seems to me that Jesus explained that He was the Stone— the firm Foundation— upon which His Church would be built (repeating, Matthew 16:18): [Jesus said to Peter] "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it." This passage is often misinterpreted, I believe. Some people believe Jesus established His church upon Peter. Jesus was building upon the psalmist's writing of a future cornerstone and making a play on words with Peter's name, as He talked to him. "Peter" translates the Greek Petros, and means "rock" or "stone." Because of the ending (-os), we know this is a masculine noun. It would be an appropriate name for a male. (Recall another man named Rock: the actor Rock Hudson.) Jesus statement beginning, "...this rock" translates the Greek petra, and also means "rock," commonly a "large rock." Because of the change in noun endings (masculine -os, feminine -a) in the same sentence, we may infer that Jesus changed His emphasis and talked about two different rocks. Strong Peter (Petros) would be instrumental in spreading Christianity to many peoples. But, the church of Jesus Christ was established on a different, even stronger Rock (petra) — the rejected Cornerstone (Jesus Himself).
The Christian Church was established on the Day of Pentecost, ten days after Jesus' ascension to the Father (Acts, chapter 2). Peter was in attendance and explained the baptism of fire (Holy Spirit baptism), but Jesus' church was established by God through actions of the Holy Spirit. At this point, Peter was an observer, participant, interpreter, and beneficiary of the Holy Spirit's baptism. The Church was created by and for Jesus, not by and for Peter or any other man. To claim that any man created the Church is, in my opinion, an affront to Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
The first church we would call Christian today differed from the Roman Catholic version of the first church in at least these ways (modified and expanded from The Actual First Pope):
• The church was founded in Jerusalem, not Rome (read Acts, chapter 2).
• The first church's leader was believed by many to be James the Just, Jesus' half-brother (some say James the Less, Jesus' cousin), not Peter. (See Eusebius' Church History II.)
• Peter was not recognized as a "pope." Peter described himself as merely an apostle in opening his first epistle (1 Peter 1:1a): Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,.... This may be putting too fine a point on this comment, but Catholic priests are called "father" and Jesus warned against this practice (Matthew 23:9): [Jesus said] “Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven." In the same teaching, though, Jesus warned against calling others rabbis (see Matthew 23:8) or teachers (see Matthew 23:10).
• Work of the early ministry (spread of the Gospel and caring for the poor) was divided. Peter ministered primarily to Jews— "the circumcised" —, and Paul ministered primarily to Gentiles— "the uncircumcised" (Galatians 2:7-9): But on the contrary, when they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter (for He who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised also worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles), and when James, Cephas [Peter], and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me [Paul] and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. The early church was not universal in mission. Rather, necessity required division of efforts, with each apostle directing his own efforts. (No central organization existed to coordinate ministries, but each apostle had his own ad hoc ministry. In such grassroots efforts, a pope and ecclesiastical hierarchy would not be required or workable.)
• Paul told the Gentile Romans that he, not Peter, had been chosen to be their Apostle (Romans 15:16): ... that I [Paul] might be minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God....
• Paul, not Peter, founded the Roman Church (Romans 1:11): For I [Paul] long to see you [Roman Christians], that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established—.... At the time of Paul's writing to the Romans (ca AD 57-58), no formal church existed. Catholic sources teach that Peter fled from Jerusalem to Rome in AD 33 and founded the true church then and there.
• It would have been contrary to Paul's belief for him to travel to Rome to found a church, if Peter had founded a church two decades earlier (Romans 15:20): And so I [Paul] have made it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build on another man's foundation,....
• Paul concluded his epistle to the Roman Christians by special greetings to nearly thirty men and women (see Romans, chapter 16), but no person resembling the Apostle Peter (anyone named Peter, Cephas, Simon Peter, Simon Bar-Jonah) is listed. Surely Paul would have included the head (the "pope") of the Roman church.
• Four years after Paul wrote the Book of Romans, he was taken to Rome to stand trial before Caesar. At that time, "the brethren" greeted Paul (Acts 28:15, my underlining): ... [W]hen the brethren heard about us, they came to greet us.... Paul dd not mention anyone as high-ranking in the Church as Peter meeting him. The author of the Acts (Luke) meticulously named the apostles in his writings, and he would not have overlooked someone with the stature of the Apostle Peter.
• Read Acts, beginning with chapter 28, verse 17. Paul called "the leaders [plural] of the Jews" to him (verse 17). The Jews knew little of the fledgling faith Paul expounded (verses 21-22). They asked Paul to explain the Gospel to them (verse 22). Some believed, but others disbelieved (verse 24). If Peter, called to be the Apostle to the Jews, had been ministering to the Jews for years in Rome, he surely would have built a stronger, more vibrant body of Jewish believers.
• Paul, rejected by many Jews, lived in Rome for two years after his arrival. During this time, he wrote epistles to the Ephesians, the Philippians, the Colossians, Philemon, and to the Hebrews. Paul named others as being in Rome during this time, but his writings are remarkable in that he never mentioned Peter. Paul surely would have written something about the head (the "pope") of the church in Rome (if Peter had been in Rome).
• After these two years, Paul was released from his house arrest. Four years later (ca AD 65), he was again imprisoned in Rome to appear before Caesar. He received a death sentence. Paul described these circumstances (2 Timothy 4:16): At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them. After Peter thrice denied Jesus in His time of need, Peter's shame and repentance surely would have compelled him to come to Paul's defense (if Peter had been in Rome).
• Catholic dogma teaches that Peter was in Rome in AD 65, but Paul wrote that year that only Luke was with him (2 Timothy 4:11a): Only Luke is with me.... Paul surely would have written that Luke and Peter were with him (if Peter had been in Rome).
No anti-Catholic sentiment intended! The author of this Website is not anti-Catholic and intends no disrespect to any brother or sister who worships God in spirit and truth (see John 4:24). All followers should be united as one, not divide into many: There is far too much division in the Body of the Christ. Any organization divided against itself will fall (see Matthew 12:25). All Christ-followers— all Catholics, all Protestants, all Messianic Believers— should work together as brothers and sisters to accomplish God's will. Truly the harvest is great, but the laborers are few (see Luke 10:2). Read Jesus' powerful lament in a prayer to the Father that His followers would not be divided, but would be one with the Holy Trinity and with each other (see John, chapter 17). Is Jesus' prayer followed with highly partisan division into Catholicism, Protestantism, or Protestant denominations? All followers of Jesus need to be reminded of Paul's dilemma (1 Corinthians 13:9-10, 12): For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. |...| For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. The best any of us can do is "see in part." Paul, who wrote the majority of the New Testament, more than once admitted that he could not solve the mysteries of faith confronting him. No denomination has all of the answers, but should be humble before God and seek to follow Biblical principles as best they can. Every follower, when seeing the truth only partially, should be careful in criticizing other followers (Matthew 7:1, 3-5): [Jesus said] “Judge not, that you be not judged. |...| And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye." Different denominations and expressions of faith form different parts of the Body of the Christ: Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-27. Whether you are a Catholic part, a Baptist part, a Methodist part, a Messianic part, or some other part, the Body of Christ needs you to work with other parts to accomplish God's will and purpose for your life. Why do I write this section? We should all belong to a Body of Believers (see Hebrews 10:24-25), but we should remain humble before God and in our dealings with one another. We should remember that Jesus did not call anyone to join a specific church or denomination. Rather: • He gave a simple command (Matthew 16:24): Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." • He gave each follower only three commandments: (1) Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind (see Matthew 24:37); (2) Love your neighbor as yourself (see Matthew 24:39); and (3) Love others, as Jesus first loved you (see John 13:34). If you do not love your brothers or sisters in the Christ, however they brand themselves, you deny Jesus' love for you. • He said His followers are to be known by the fruits they bear (Matthew 7:16a): [Jesus said] “You will know [My followers] by their fruits...." Outward display of ritual by a follower is of no matter, if the heart is not right with God (Matthew 23:27-28): [Jesus said] “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness." Serve boldly! If you choose to be a Protestant or a Messianic Believer, do not let anyone disparage you by claiming you do not belong to the "true Church." Jesus' Church has evolved over the centuries— sometimes in glorious ways, and other times in shameful ways— until it is now a force of hundreds of millions of Believers. Choose what is good in any Church, and invest your life with that congregation. Reject what is bad or false in any church, and do not adopt it for your life. (Follow Jesus, not "religion." The Bible is your guide for adopting or rejecting "religion," which is man's attempt to bring the Bible to man— sometimes successfully, sometimes erroneously.) The final church in the evolution of churches will be the church patterned after the Church in Laodicea (see Revelation 3:14-21), to be followed by the False Prophet's Tribulation church (see Revelation 13:11-18). Jesus and the Apostle Paul told us to avoid false churches, false leaders, and false teachings in the last days. What about the Apostle Peter? I have not intentionally tried to minimize Peter. Peter, as disciple and apostle, was greatly beloved by Jesus, worked tirelessly for God's Kingdom, and was martyred for his testimony. While we should respect Peter for his many contributions to our faith, we need not elevate him to a position he probably did not hold and, I believe, would reject, if he were alive today. Peter was honored to be a messenger for the Messiah, bearing witness to the things he saw and heard. I believe he would remember the conversation quoted above, and would say: "Jesus' Church is built upon the eternal Bedrock of our faith, Jesus Himself." I believe Peter would refer us to part of the epistle he wrote. Read for yourself this portion (1 Peter 2:4-10) in which Peter wrote that Jesus' followers are merely "living stones" building upon the Foundation of Jesus. Paul also wrote that the Foundation upon which we must build our works is Jesus (see 1 Corinthians 3:10-11). |
Let us complete the prophecy (Daniel 2:34-35, 44-45): [Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar] “You watched 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. |...| And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold—the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure.”
I recently wrote an issue of The Shomair Shofar, which summarizes events of the last days (including formation of Jesus' Millennial Kingdom— the Rock becoming a Mountain which covered the entire world). Please refer to that newsletter for information I now omit.
Read the entirety of Daniel, chapter 2 to understand better the prophecy. In brief, understand these features of Nebuchadnezzar's dream:
• The Mountain is God. (A mountain in prophecy signifies a kingdom. In this prophecy, the Mountain is the Kingdom of God.)
• The Stone (Jesus) cut from the Mountain (God) without human hands foretold the virgin birth of Jesus. You likely are well aware of the Old and New Testament Scriptures prophesying and attesting to the birth of Jesus to Mary, a virgin.
Struck the image of its feet... broke... became like chaff: The Stone (Jesus) struck the statue, representing the empires of the world, and utterly destroyed it (the statue and the empires it represented). Note that the Rock did not strike most parts of the statue (head through legs), because these empires will no longer exist at the time of Jesus' return. The Rock struck only the feet (especially, the toes), because this part (the Antichrist's government) will exist at the time of Jesus' return. Note also that the statue (man's empires) was destroyed, pulverized like powder and blown away. When Jesus returns, never again will there be any government of man. God has patiently allowed mankind to try to govern ourselves, but all governments have dismally failed. Apart from God's guidance and man's obedience, man is incapable of any form of effective government. Sadly, Americans witness daily a dismally failing government in Washington D.C.
The stone... became a great mountain and filled the whole earth: After destruction of man's last government, the Antichrist's government, Jesus— the Rock which becomes a Mountain which covers the earth— will rule the entire world for one-thousand years, the Millennial Kingdom (Revelation 20:4c): ... And they [saints in Heaven] lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure: Agnostics, atheists, and liberal pastors and theologians detest the Book of Daniel. It is too accurate for their whining, twisted, apostate theories. I even heard a "Christian theologian" on a television program years ago claiming that the Book of Daniel surely was written centuries later than scholars have always believed in order to incorporate past history into the book, and present it as though it is a prophecy of the future. This "theologian" shamefully asserted, "Only a person who can foretell the future could write about such future events, and we know no one has such ability." Shame on this brain-dead, theologically bankrupt, probably unsaved "scholar!" The interpretation of this prophecy came from the God of All Ages. He and others like him will appear before Jesus on Judgment Day, crying out, "Lord, Lord...," only to hear Jesus say, “I never knew you; depart from Me,..." (see Matthew 7:21-23).
Many "theologians" scoff at prophecy, because they do not believe in a loving God who has told His children about the future. We are warned not to slice the Bible into parts we choose to believe and parts we choose not to believe. For example:
• (Revelation 1:3): Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it;....
• (Revelation 22:18-19): For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written on this book.
IN CONCLUSION. Horrendous times lie ahead for the world. Follow Jesus' simple invitation and commandments, and warn others. I have a favorite line from Paul Wilbur's "Shalom Jerusalem," which is good advice for every Christ-follower: "When Messiah comes to take us home, may His praise be found in you." If each of us would spend more time praising Messiah and less time arguing points of "religion," we surely would please God more.