Av – The Fourth Beast: The Ten Kingdoms Stage Dani’el 2:42-43, 7:24a and 11:40-45

The Fourth Beast: The Ten Kingdoms Stage
Dani’el 2:42-43, 7:24a and 11:40-45

The fourth beast: the ten kingdoms stage DIG: What fierce conflicts does this evil figure wage? Who does he attack and why? To what extent will he succeed? What miraculous recovery does he make? How do you think this affects the world?

The ten kingdom stage will cover the entire earth, and come out of the one world government stage. As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle and weak (Dani’el 2:42). This lack of cohesiveness is especially seen in the toes. For some reason, not stated in the Bible, the one world government will divide into ten kingdoms that will cover the whole earth – not merely Europe. It will probably start sometime before the Great Tribulation and continue until the first three and a half years have ended.

And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, anymore than iron mixes with clay (Dani’el 2:43). The lack of cohesiveness is especially evident in the toes. To review: the Babylonians were autocratic; the Medo-Persians were oligarchic; the Greeks ruled by right of conquest; and eventually the Fourth Kingdom, the imperialists, would evolve into ten separate kingdoms from a one world government. They will attempt to unify, but all their attempts will fail. Then the ten kingdoms become vulnerable because they will be made of elements that cannot coexist, like iron and clay.

The ten toes of Dani’el Chapter 2 are the ten horns and ten kings of Dani’el Chapter 7, who will come from this imperialistic one world government. Because these ten kingdoms arise out of a one world government, they will be worldwide. They will not be limited to Europe. It would be far more consistent with the text to view it as possibly one of the ten, but not the entire ten.

In the first three and half years, the earth will be ruled by these ten Gentile nations with ten kings. In the middle of the Great Tribulation, the antichrist will come to political power. He will kill three kings and the seven others will submit to his authority. In the middle of the Tribulation, the king of the South will engage the antichrist in battle, and the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. In his vision, Dani’el describes as best he can what he sees. Chariots and cavalry are best taken as representative of their counterparts of modern warfare, however, modern weapons could not have been listed in his day. But the antichrist will invade those countries and sweep through them like a flood. He will kill those kings and also invade the Beautiful Land. Isra’el will be invaded, defeated and taken over by the Gentiles (Revelation 11:1-2). Many countries will fall, but Edom, Moab and Ammon, or modern day Jordan, will be delivered from his hand so that there will be one place in the world to which the Jews can flee. Whenever one part of the world persecutes the Jews, God opens up a city of refuge for them (Matthew 24:15-22; Revelation 12:6, 13-14). He will extend his power over many countries. Egypt will not escape. He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, with Africa also in submission to him. But reports about the king of the East and the king of the North will alarm him, and he will set out in a great rage to destroy and annihilate them (Dani’el 11:40-44). He will pitch his royal tents between the Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea, at the beautiful holy mountain on the temple mount in Jerusalem. At that time he will sit in the Most Holy Place of the tribulation temple (to see link click Bx – The Tribulation Temple), and declare himself to be God.

Yet he will come to his end in the middle of the Great Tribulation. At some point during his war against the ten kings the antichrist will be killed and no human will be able to help him (Dani’el 11:45). But Satan will resurrect him back to life (see Dj – The Antichrist Seems to be Resurrected). This will cause the other seven kings to submit to his authority. At that point the world enters the Antichrist Stage.

Dear Heavenly Father, How thankful we that we worship Almighty God, greater than all other powers. The middle of the Great Tribulation will begin an awful time, but for those who make the choice to follow You – death will be sweet for it will mean leaving behind all pain and fear and living forever in eternal peace and joy with their wonderful heavenly Father. Heaven will have no crying, no dying, no sadness and no pain (Revelation21:4). The short time of pain on earth will be over forever for those who have chosen to worship the one true Victorious God, who is the creator of the world, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Praise You forever! In the name of your holy Son and the power of His resurrection. Amen