Daniel 2 and the last world empire

Daniel was given a dream interpretation which detailed Israel's long-term future. Specifically, Daniel saw a great statue which consisted of different metals. There were four distinctly different metals in this statue. The head of the statue was made of gold, the chest and arms were silver, the belly and thighs were made from bronze and the legs were made of iron.

This would be confusing and difficult to understand, but Daniel was given a full explanation of the meaning of this statue in Daniel 2:36-49. These four metals represented the 4 gentile empires that would rule over Israel, successively through time:

Gold Head: Babylonian Empire (626 BC - 539 BC)
Silver Chest/Arms: Medo-Persian Empire (539 BC - 330 BC)
Bronze Belly and Thighs: Greecian Empire (330 BC - 63 BC)
Iron Legs: Roman Empire (63 BC ->)

Note that Daniel was told that only 4 empires gentile empires would rule over Israel. Daniel was also told that the last empire, the Roman Empire, would ultimately be destroyed by Christ at the Second Advent (Daniel 2:35-49). Because this epic event - the Second Coming of Christ hasn't occured yet, it can only lead to one conclusion: The Roman Empire must regathered in some way, just before the Second Coming of Christ. The Roman Empire, in some form, has to be in existance at the time of Christ's return.

We also get some additonal details from Daniel 2. Iron was a fitting description to describe the Roman Empire at the time of Jesus. The Romans occupied cities and indeed ruled like "iron". Additionally, the two legs are considered to represent the split that took place in the Roman Empire, into an Eastern half (Constantinople) and a Western half (Rome).

However, Daniel saw the Roman Empire evolve over time, and at the time of the Second Coming, this representation of "iron" changed. What we believe represents the regathering of the Roman Empire at end times, is shown on the statue as the iron legs changing into a mixture of iron and clay. This shows the evolution of the Roman Empire from the time of Christ (iron) into something like "iron and clay" at the time preceeding the Second Coming.

"Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom...And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united." (Daniel 2:41-43)

So, we have a description of the revived Roman Empire just before the Second Coming. Most prophecy watchers who are taking a literal view of prophecy believe that this evolution of the European Union - into the new Mediterranean Union, now with 43 member nations, does indeed represent the long awaited "Revived Roman EMpire". A map of this union is virtually sumperimposable over maps of the ancient Roman Empire. It seems clear that the EU/Med Union represents the regathering of the Roman Empire, just as predicted.

Unlike the first Roman Empire, this current regathering of nations certianly resembles a mixture of "iron and clay", just as Daniel 2 predicted. As seen in the link provided above (see map), the northern half of the Mediterranean Union is predominately Roman Catholic. The southern half of this union is predominately Islamic. Iron and clay indeed. In fact these stark differences haven't been ignored and lawmakers have searched for ways to unite these two vastly different religions and people.

The Mediterranean Union has indeed found a way to deal with this problem - and it fits the prophetic scriptures perfectly. Recall that there are two feet in Daniel's statue - feet consisting of iron and clay. Also recall that the two legs of iron on the statue, represented the ancient east and west divisions of the Roman Empire (prophecy is THAT specific).

Now we search for a similar division of the Mediterranean Union, a division that will explain the two feet of iron and clay in Daniel's statue. Somehow, the Mediterranean Union will have to fractionate into two divisions, for Daniel's statue to be completed.

In breaking news this week, we discover that the Mediterranean Union has formally broken into two halfs, just as seen by Daniel. In order to recognize the vast cultural and religious differences in these people, the union has decided to break up into two halfs: a northern half and a southern half.

France is reporting here that such an agreement has now been reached. The foreign ministers of the Mediterranean Union have announced a formal division of the Mediterranean Union into TWO HALVES.

We will have a northern Mediterranean half, with a president representing these nations, and
we will have a southern Mediterranean half, with a president representing these nations.

We now have our two feet of Daniel's statue. Just as the two iron legs represented the east-west division of the first Roman Empire, the two feet have now been formally defined for the revived Roman Empire - by this northern and southern division of the Mediterranean Union. We also have the iron and clay mixture of people who will have great difficulty uniting (Daniel 2:43). The description in Daniel 2 fits these current developments perfectly.

This is important for two main reasons. 1) It shows the amazing accuracy, specificity and literal nature of Biblical prophecy, and, 2) Daniel's statue, as you move from head to toe, is actually a representation of moving through time. We just witnessed another jump in time, as we move down the statue. The division of the revived Roman Empire has now been formally divided into two parts. Amazing.

In fact, all that remains now is the further evolution of the Mediterranean Union (aka "Revived Roman Empire") into the "ten toe" stage and the subsequent rise of the anti-christ. The ten toes representing "ten kings" will rule with the anti-christ during the Tribulation (Daniel 7:24, Rev. 17:12). It is these "kings" along with the anti-christ that will be destroyed at the time of the Second Coming (Daniel 2:44).

Therefore, the next awaited stage in this progression through time will be the ten toes - as a representation of the 10 Kings. These kings will have one purpose, and one purpose only: to serve the anti-christ (Rev. 17:13).

This is an amazing prophetic development. Not only do we now have a revival of the Roman Empire, even with details including a "mixture" of people who can't unite, as described by Daniel - but we now have a formal division within this Mediterranean Union into two parts, exactly as predicted by Daniel's dream. We are moving rapidly through time and the rate of speed seems to be increasing daily.

It is difficult to know if we will see the next anticipated stage: the "ten kings" of Daniel's statue, (from which the anti-christ will arise). We may or may not be here to witness this. The Rapture can occur at any moment, but it will most definitely occur before the Tribulation.

Keep looking up as we approach the very end of this age. We are clearly in the last days.