Objective: To understand who once ruled this world and who is still continuing to rule this world and to see where we are today according to God’s timeline.

  • Who are the kingdoms that once ruled this world and who continues to rule this world?

 Daniel 2 – Dream of Nebucchadnezzar
Daniel 8 – vision of Daniel

            Both dream and vision will tell us who once ruled this world and who continues to rule this world till this day.

Principle to follow: Bible defines itself
2 Peter 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

Dream of Nebucchadnezzar:

  • Why was he troubled? Daniel 2:1 - And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.
  • What did he ask men to show him? Daniel 2:6 But if ye show the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore show me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.
  • Did he remember his dream? Daniel 2:5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.
  • Who gave him the dream? Daniel 2:28 But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these; 
  • What was the purpose of his dream? Daniel 2:29 As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came [into thy mind] upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass. 
  • What was his dream about? Daniel  2:31 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. 

Daniel 2:32
Head – fine gold
Breast and arms – silver
Belly and thighs – brass
Daniel 2:33
Legs – iron
Feet – iron and clay

  • Who represented the head? Daniel 2:38 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.

Nebucchadnezzar represented head of gold

  • What nation did he represent? Daniel 1:1 - 1:1   In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.
  • Who will rise after him? Daniel 2:39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. 

Inferior – not as strong as he is but is able to conquer him

  • What nations followed after Babylon who represented the silver breast and arms? Daniel 5:28            PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians. 

 

Vision of Daniel (Daniel 8)

  • What animal is Medo-Persia symbolized in Chapter 8? Daniel 8:3, 4, 20 Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had [two] horns: and the [two] horns [were] high; but one [was] higher than the other, and the higher came up last. I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither [was there any] that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great. The ram which thou sawest having [two] horns [are] the kings of Media and Persia. 
  • What animal smote the ram? Daniel 8:5-7 And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat [had] a notable horn between his eyes.  And he came to the ram that had [two] horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power.  And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand. 

Medo-Persia was conquered by another nation symbolized by a goat.

  • Who conquered medo-persia? Daniel 8:31 And the rough goat [is] the king of Grecia: and the great horn that [is] between his eyes [is] the first king. 

Goat – Greece who defeated Medo-Persia

  • How extensively is Greece going to rule? Daniel 2:39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
  • After Greece fell, the kingdom would be divided into how many parts? Daniel 8:8, 21, 22 Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven. And the rough goat [is] the king of Grecia: and the great horn that [is] between his eyes [is] the first king.  Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power. 

the great horn that [is] between his eyes [is] the first king – Alexander the Great

  • What came forth after the four horns? Daniel 8:9 And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant [land].
  • What kind of king was represented by this little horn? Daniel 8:23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. 

After Greece, the fourth and final nation ruled the world. This nation is Rome.

  • The ram was great (Daniel 8:4), the goat was waxed very great (Daniel 8:8) but the little horn was what? Daniel 8:9 And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant [land].

This nation (Rome) was greater or stronger than Babylon, Medo-Persia and Greece.

  • Which directions did this kingdom Rome spread? Daniel 8:9 And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant [land].

South – Egypt
East – Syria
Pleasant Land – Palestine

  • According to the dream of King Nebucchadnezzar, the fourth kingdom will be as strong as what? Daniel 2:40 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. 

Iron - Rome

  • What will happen to the fourth kingdom or Rome? Daniel 2:41 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. 

Rome eventually was divided into different nations forming the nations of Europe as of today

  • Are they going to unite one to another? Daniel 2:42-43    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.  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. 
  • When will God set up His eternal kingdom which cannot be defeated? Daniel 2:44 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. 

in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom – TODAY God is setting up His kingdom in Heaven ready to be occupied by His chosen people who keeps His commandments

  • What will God do to these kingdoms of men? Daniel 2:44 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. 
  • In the dream of the king, what represented God’s kingdom? Daniel 2:45 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. 
  • How sure is the dream and the interpretation? Daniel 2:45 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. 

DANIEL 2


Head of Gold

Babylon (605-539 BC)

Breast and Arms of Silver

Medo-Persia (539-331 BC)

Belly and Thighs of Brass

Greece (331-168 BC)

Legs of Iron

Rome (168 BC – 476 AD)

Feet of Iron and Clay

10 kingdoms (Since 476 AD)

Stone cut out of the mountain without hands

Kingdom of God

Babylon (605-539 BC)

Medo-Persia (539-331 BC)

Greece (168 BC – 476 AD)

Rome (168 BC – 476 AD)

Modern Nation (476 – today - Club of Rome)

Kingdom of God

DANIEL 8


Ram

Medo-Persia

Goat

Greece

Four Little Horns

Greek Division (after the death of Alexander the Great

Little Horn

Rome