Daniel’s prophecies are integral to understanding biblical prophecy, including the Book of Revelation. Through studying Daniel’s statue prophecy in Daniel 2 and his beast prophecy in Daniel 7, (described below) we are given a solid prophetic framework for interpreting New Testament prophecy.
Revived Roman Empire
In both the statue and the beast prophecy, Daniel describes a fourth kingdom we now know as the Roman Empire. The figure’s legs in the statue prophecy and the dreadful and terrifying beast in the beast prophecy represent the Roman Empire. We know from the statue prophecy that each body part signifies a different kingdom that would conquer and replace the one before it.
Interestingly, the entire Roman Empire was never conquered, at least not the eastern half. Instead, over the years, it was absorbed and formed into various European countries. Daniel’s prophecies predict the Roman Empire will eventually be reconstituted and strengthened and become the “5th Kingdom”, the kingdom that wages war against the saints during the Tribulation.
Daniel 2 and 7 explain and support each other. The beast prophecy of Daniel 7 describes the fourth beast as dreadful, terrifying, and extremely strong, with large iron teeth that devour and crush the other kingdoms and eventually the whole earth. Ten horns rise from the fourth beast, and these horns represent ten kings. From among the ten horns, a little horn arises and uproots three of the original ten. On the little horn, Daniel sees the eyes of a man, and this man boasts greatly.
The little horn represents the Anti-Christ who will rise from among the ten kingdoms of the reconstituted Roman Empire, subdue three of the ten kingdoms, and effectively control the other seven and then the world.
Daniel’s Seventy Weeks prophecy in Daniel 9 supports the view that the Anti-Christ comes from the Roman Empire (Daniel 9:26). We also know from this prophecy that the Tribulation will begin when the Antichrist makes a covenant with Israel and that the Anti-Christ will break this covenant after 3.5 years (Daniel 9:27). Furthermore, God’s Kingdom will destroy the reconstituted Roman Empire (5th Kingdom) through Jesus Christ (Daniel 2:42-45, 7:11-12). Paul in 2 Thessalonians supports the view that the Tribulation will not begin until the man of lawlessness (the Anti-Christ) is revealed.
To summarize: politically, ten rulers (kingdoms) must arise from the Roman Empire (Daniel 7:24, 2:41-43) and rule at the same time (Daniel, 7:8,20,24). Then another ruler will rise up within the revived Roman Empire and overthrow three of the original ten rulers (Daniel 7:8, 2) and, for all intents and purposes, gain control of the revived Roman Empire.
The Tribulation begins when this 11th ruler (Anti-Christ) makes a covenant with Israel, only to break it mid-way through the seven-year period (Daniel 9:27), revealing the Anti-Christ’s true intentions. But God’s Kingdom will defeat the reconstituted Roman Empire and the Antichrist through the stone cut without hands, Jesus Christ, our Lord, and Savior (Daniel 2:42-45, 7:11-12)!
Conclusion
Already we see the first signs of a move towards a revived Roman Empire. In 1946, Winston Churchill called to build a “United States of Europe.” Not long after this, the European Economic Community was formed, and now we have the European Union, which has its own currency, the Euro. For more on Europe’s role in the end-times, see https://davidjeremiah.blog/europes-role-in-bible-prophecy/. The world’s, including the United States of America’s, current environment pits the globalists against the nationalists. The globalists are pushing for unified global economies, militaries, etc., while the nationalists desire to maintain national sovereignty and separation. By looking at Daniel’s prophecies, we know which idea will eventually win whether it be next year, 10 years from now, or 100 years from now: the prophecies are clear; there will be a revived Roman Empire.
