Daniel 2 sets the stage for the identification of the Antichrist.

Summary

Introduction

The beast in the book of Revelation and the God-opposing power in the book of Daniel describes the same Antichrist (See here). However, this beast cannot be identified from the book of Revelation alone. It must be identified from the book of Daniel. The purpose of the current series of articles is to do just that.

The current article discusses the vision in Daniel 2, which is the first of a series of visions in Daniel. Daniel 2 does not mention the Antichrist specifically but provides a broad outline of the history from the time of Daniel until God’s eternal kingdom. This outline serves as the framework for the interpretation of Daniel’s other prophecies.

In Daniel 2, God gave Nebuchadnezzar a dream of a statue of a man consisting of various metals (Dan 2:32-33). Daniel interpreted the vision. It divides history into six great ages:

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream Daniel’s Explanation
1. Head of gold Babylonian Empire (626-539 BC)
2. Breast and arms of silver Another but an inferior kingdom
3. Belly and thighs of bronze A third kingdom will rule over all the earth
4. Legs of iron A fourth kingdom, as strong as iron, will crush everything.
5 Feet partly of iron and partly of clay A divided kingdom
6. A great mountain filled the whole earth. God’s eternal kingdom

Apart from saying that the first kingdom is the Babylonian Empire (Dan 2:37-38), not much is said of the first four empires. A bit more information is provided about the divided kingdom (Dan 2:41-43) and the eternal kingdom (Dan 2:44-45).

First Four Kingdoms

What are these kingdoms?

While Daniel 2 explicitly identifies the first kingdom as the Babylonian Empire (Dan 2:37-38), Daniel 8 symbolizes only two empires but names them explicitly as “Media and Persia” and “Greece” (Dan 8:20-21). The article on Daniel 7 shows that the four beast kingdoms in Daniel 7 are equivalent to the four metal kingdoms in Daniel 2. On this basis, still another article, by comparing the features of these animals with one another, identifies the kingdoms in these chapters as follows:

      1. Babylonian Empire,
      2. Medo-Persia,
      3. Greece, and the
      4. Roman Empire

Miracles

This confronts us with clear miracles; evidence that God knows the future. This prophecy was given 600 years B.C. but it predicts:

    • The Roman Empire, which arose about 500 years later,
    • That, while each of the first three empires will be replaced by one single other empire, the fourth (the Roman Empire) will subdivide into many kingdoms. This happened around 600 AD; about 1100 years after the prophecy was received.
    • That the kingdoms of the divided kingdom “will combine with one another in the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another” (Dan 2:43). This came true over the millennium after the Roman Empire fell. Today, the monarchs of the European nations all have family relations but, despite the efforts of people such as Napoleon and Hitler, Europe was never again united into a single kingdom. 

Successive

The kingdoms in Daniel 2’s vision follow one after the other (e.g., Dan 2:39-40). Since the other visions in Daniel all build on and provide further information about the six ages in Daniel 2, we must assume that the kingdoms in the other visions are also successive.

The Divided Kingdom

During the first four kingdoms, there will be one supreme ruler over all nations of the known world but, during the “divided kingdom” (Dan 2:33, 41) different kings will rule different parts of the known world.

The Clay

The divided kingdom consists “partly of iron and partly of clay” (Dan 2:33, 41, 42). Daniel explained the meaning of the clay:

“Some (the iron part) of the (divided) kingdom
will be strong and
part of it (the clay part)
will be brittle” (Dan 2:42).

Therefore, while the iron symbolizes “toughness” (Dan 2:41), the clay symbolizes fragility or weakness.

We must distinguish between the parts of the statue and what those parts consist of. The parts, such as the head, shoulders, legs, etc., symbolize empires but the gold, silver, clay, etc., symbolize the qualities of those empires. For example, the head of the statue symbolizes the Babylonian Empire but the gold symbolizes the quality of that empire, namely, something like the quality of rulership or human rights.

The Toes

Daniel’s recounting of the dream does not mention the toes; only “its feet partly of iron and partly of clay” (Dan 2:33). Daniel’s explanation of the dream adds the toes (Dan 2:41-42). Since the toes are specifically mentioned, it is assumed that they have a specific meaning.

Since the statue symbolizes a series of kingdoms over time, the emphasis on the toes seems to point to the very last part of the time represented by the statue; immediately preceding God’s eternal kingdom.

Given the lack of further information in Daniel 2, the only way to interpret the toes is to compare this vision with the parallel vision in Danial 7, where we find a similar series of kingdoms. As shown in the article on Daniel 7, the divided kingdom (the feet of the statue in Daniel 2) is parallel to the ten horns that grow out of the fourth beast in Daniel 7. A further article identifies the fourth beast as the Roman Empire. It follows that the ten horns or ten toes symbolize the kingdoms that ruled the territory of the ancient Roman Empire after that empire divided into a multitude of kingdoms in the fifth century AD and later.

The Eternal Kingdom

The eternal kingdom was established when “a stone was cut out without hands.” “Without hands” (Dan 2:34; cf. Dan 2:45) means supernaturally (cf. Dan 8:25).

The stone “struck the statue on its feet” (Dan 2:34). The feet represent the last part of the time or series of kingdoms symbolized by the statue.

The stone crushed “the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold … all at the same time(Dan 2:35), meaning, all at once. This is not a picture of a gradual conquest.

Afterward, “not a trace of them was found” (Dan 2:35). In other words, nothing remains of the culture of those kingdoms. As God promised: “Behold, I am making all things new” (Rev 21:5).

It is often said that the stone symbolizes Jesus Christ, but Daniel, in his interpretation of the vision, identified the stone, which will crush the statue to smithereens, as an eternal kingdom that God will set up (Dan 2:44).

The stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth” (Dan 2:35). The “kingdom … will never be destroyed” (Dan 2:44; cf. Dan 7:18, 27). Revelation 11:15 describes this same event:

The kingdom of the world
has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ;
and He will reign forever and ever.”

How wonderful it is to look forward to being part of God’s kingdom on earth. On earth today, the strong dominate the weak. On earth in the future, the strong will serve the weak.

When is the eternal kingdom set up?

Some argue that the “kingdom” which God will set up (Dan 2:44) does not refer to a physical kingdom but to “thekingdom of God” that Jesus mentioned and that refers to a spiritual reality that always exists. For example:

Jesus said: “If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Matt 12:18; cf. Matt 6:10; 25:34; Mark 1:15; Luke 13:18-21; 17:20-21; John 3:3; 18:36; Acts 28:30-31; 1 Cor 4:20).

It is then argued that this stone, which becomes a great mountain, describes the kingdom of God that Jesus brought in the first century.

However, for the following reasons, it is proposed here that the stone that crushes the statue symbolizes Christ’s return:

1. The text reads, “the God of heaven will set up a kingdom” (Dan 2:44), meaning, one specific kingdom; not the general “kingdom of God.”

2. Once the stone has crushed the statue, “not a trace … was found” of the iron, bronze, silver and gold kingdoms (Dan 2:35, 44). Since remnants of those kingdoms, including their cultures, still remain today, the stone has not yet crushed the statue.

3. Since the four metal kingdoms in Daniel 2 are parallel to the four beast kingdoms in Daniel 7 (the lion, bear, leopard, and dragon – See here), Revelation’s beast contain remnants of the four kingdoms in Daniel 2 (see Rev 13:2). Since Revelation’s beast will only be finally destroyed at Christ’s return (Rev 19:20), remnants of the four kingdoms will continue until then.

4. Daniel 7 symbolizes the divided kingdom of Daniel 2 as a multiple of horns growing from the fourth beast. Since these include the evil 11th horn, the stone will also crush that evil horn. And since that evil horn still exists today (see – The beast), the “stone” has not yet crushed the statue.

5. Since the different descriptions of “the end” in the parallel visions of Daniel 2, 7, 8, and 12 (cf. Dan 12:4, 13) describe the same event, and since Daniel 12 states that the dead will be resurrected at “the end” (Dan 12:2, 13), the dead will be raised when the stone strikes the statue. But the dead will be resurrected when Christ returns (e.g., John 5:25).

6. Once the stone kingdom has crushed the previous kingdoms, all people will serve Jesus (Dan 7:14, 27). Since the stone kingdom will fill the whole earth (Dan 2:35), and since people still reject and insult Jesus today, the “stone” has not yet crushed the statue.

The Two Mountains

A stone was cut out of” a mountain without hands (Dan 2:45), crushed the statue, but the stone itself “became a great mountain and filled the whole earth” (Dan 2:35). There are, therefore, two mountains in Daniel 2.

Since the stone is a kingdom (compare Dan 2:34, 44), and since the stone becomes a great mountain (Dan 2:35), mountains symbolize kingdoms. It follows that both mountains in these verses are kingdoms:

The stone that became a great mountain and “filled the whole earth” (Dan 2:35) is the eternal kingdom that God will establish on earth (Rev 11:15; Dan 7:13-14).

Then the mountain from which the stone was cut off is the always-existing “kingdom of God;” a phrase that Jesus used, as discussed above. See – The kingdom of God.

Conclusion

The vision in Daniel 2 provided an astounding preview of history. Nebuchadnezzar’s dream occurred and was interpreted by Daniel about 600 B.C. The image represented, in symbolic form, the sequence of great empires that would dominate until the return of Christ.

– END OF SUMMARY –

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Purpose

Purpose of this Series

The book of Revelation symbolizes the Antichrist as a beast coming out from the sea (Rev 13:1-2). One of the articles on this website shows that the beast in Revelation and the 11th horn in Daniel 7 symbolize the same Antichrist. Furthermore, it is generally accepted that the God-opposing power in Daniel 8 and 11 also describes the same Antichrist as in Daniel 7. However, Revelation’s beast cannot be identified from Revelation alone: It must be identified from the book of Daniel. To do that is the purpose of the current series of articles.

Purpose of this Article

The man of Daniel 2The current article discusses the vision in Daniel 2, which is the first of a series of visions in Daniel. Daniel 2 does not refer to the Antichrist specifically but uses the statue of a man to provide a broad outline of the history of mankind from the time of Daniel until God’s eternal kingdom.

Daniel’s other prophecies focus more specifically on the Antichrist but, even though the vision of Daniel 2 does not mention the Antichrist, the broad sweep of history in Daniel 2 provides the framework for the interpretation of those other prophecies.

The vision in Daniel 9 is an exception, for that prophecy deals exclusively with the nation of Israel (See – Does Daniel 9 describe the same crisis?) and its timeline cannot be aligned with that of the other prophecies in Daniel.

The Six Ages

Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (Dan 2:32-33) and Daniel’s interpretation of it divide history into six great ages:

First Four Kingdoms

1. Head of Gold

This symbolizes king Nebuchadnezzar but also the entire Babylonian Empire, for it will be followed by “another kingdom” (Dan 2:38-39). The Neo-Babylonian empire was founded by Nabopolassar in 626 BC, inherited by Nebuchadnezzar the Great in 605 BC, but ended with the capture of Babylon by the Persians in 539 BC.

2. Breast and Arms of Silver

After the Babylonian Empire will follow another but inferior kingdom (Dan 2:39).

3. Belly and Thighs of Bronze

“Another third kingdom of bronze, which will rule over all the earth” (Dan 2:32, 39).

4. Legs of Iron

A fourth kingdom as strong as iron … will crush and break all these in pieces” (Dan 2:40).

What are these kingdoms?

Daniel 2 explicitly identifies the first kingdom as the Babylonian Empire (Dan 2:37-38). It is, perhaps, possible to identify the other kingdoms by comparing them to known history. An alternative approach is to compare the different visions or prophecies with one another:

As another article shows, the four beasts, followed by 10 horns, in the vision in Daniel 7 closely resemble the four metals in Daniel 2, followed by the divided kingdom. However, Daniel 7 does not mention any of the kingdoms by name.

Daniel 8, on the other hand, symbolizes only two empires but names them explicitly:

The ram which you saw with the two horns
represents the kings of Media and Persia.
The shaggy goat represents
the kingdom of Greece
” (Dan 8:20-21).

For this reason, still another article identifies the beasts in Daniel 7 by comparing them with the ram and goat.

5 Divided Kingdom

The statue’s legs are followed by its feet, partly of iron and partly of clay, symbolizing “a divided kingdom” (Dan 2:33, 41). In other words, while, during the first four kingdoms, there will be one supreme ruler over all nations of the known world, during the “divided kingdom,” different kings will rule different parts of the known world. Daniel 2:43 confirms this by saying that these kings will attempt to “combine with one another” through intermarriage, but they will fail in their attempts for unification.

The Clay

As shown above, the fifth phase in the statue of Daniel 2 is represented by its feet and toes, consisting “partly of iron and partly of clay” (Dan 2:33, 41, 42). The question arises, what is signified by the iron and the clay? Daniel explained:

The feet and toes … will be a divided kingdom” (Dan 2:41).

Some (the iron part) of the (divided) kingdom will be strong and part of it (the clay part) will be brittle” (Dan 2:42).

Therefore, while the iron symbolizes “toughness” (Dan 2:41), the clay symbolizes fragility or weakness. In other words, the “brittle” parts of the divided kingdom will break easily. But other parts will be as strong as iron.

We need to distinguish between a part of the statue and what that part consists of. For example, the head of the statue symbolizes the Babylonian Empire. That head consists of gold but the gold does not symbolize the Babylonian Empire. The gold symbolizes the quality of that empire, namely, something like the quality of rulership or human rights.

In the same way, the clay does not symbolize a thing; it symbolizes a quality of a thing. The feet and toes symbolize a thing, namely the “divided kingdom” that will follow after the two legs of the image. The clay symbolizes a quality of that thing, namely that the clay parts are brittle and will break easily.

The Toes

What do the toes of the statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream represent?

Daniel’s recounting of the dream does not mention the toes; only “its feet partly of iron and partly of clay” (Dan 2:33).

Daniel’s explanation of the dream adds the toes (Dan 2:41-42). It does not say how many toes there are, but the only logical conclusion is that the statue has one head, two arms, two legs, and ten toes.

There is nothing specific in the text that explains what the toes are but, if they have no specific meaning, why does the prophecy mention the toes at all? The recounting of the vision mentions the head, breast, arms, belly, thighs, legs of iron, and feet. That seems to cover the entire statue adequately. It does not mention the fingers. Why was it necessary to also mention the toes in the explanation?

Furthermore, in the explanation, Daniel stated that “the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of pottery” (Dan 2:42). This seems to make the toes the primary image of the time represented by the feet. For these reasons, I assume that the toes have a specific meaning.

Since the statue symbolizes a series of kingdoms over time, the emphasis on the toes seems to point to the very last part of the time represented by the statue; immediately preceding God’s eternal kingdom.

Given the lack of further information in Daniel 2, the only way to give further meaning to the toes is to compare this vision with the parallel visions in Daniel – particularly Danial 7, where we find a similar series of kingdoms. As shown in another article, the divided kingdom that is symbolized by the feet of the statue in Daniel 2 is parallel to the ten horns that grow out of the fourth beast in Daniel 7. That article also argues that the ten horns or ten toes are a continuation of the fourth beast. Therefore, to understand what the ten horns or ten toes are, we first need to understand what that fourth beast is. That is explained in a further article.

6. The Eternal Kingdom

Without hands

But “a stone was cut out without hands.” The phrase “without hands” (Dan 2:34; cf. Dan 2:45) identifies this stone as a supernatural intervention. Similarly, in Daniel 8, we read that the evil horn “will be broken without human agency” (Dan 8:25).

Make all things new

The stone “struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and crushed them” (Dan 2:34). “Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were crushed all at the same time and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them was found” (Dan 2:35). In Revelation, we similarly read that He who sits on the throne said:

Behold, I am making all things new” (Rev 21:5).

The entire statue was crushed all at once. This is not a picture of a gradual conquest.

The Feet

The stone struck the statue on its feet (Dan 2:34). The feet represent the last part of the time or series of kingdoms symbolized by the statue.

The Stone

It is often thought that this stone is Jesus Christ, but Daniel, in his interpretation of the vision, identified the stone as an eternal kingdom that God will set up:

The God of heaven will set up a kingdom …
it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms” (Dan 2:44).

The stone is not Christ. The stone is Christ only indirectly in the sense that Daniel frequently uses the terms “king” and “kingdom” interchangeably. For example:

1. The head of gold is identified as Nebuchadnezzar (Dan 2:37) but “after” Nebuchadnezzar “there will arise another kingdom” (Dan 2:39). So, Nebuchadnezzar represents the Babylonian empire.

2. The four beasts in Daniel 7 are explained as four “kings” (Dan 7:17) but the fourth is explained as “a fourth kingdom on the earth” (Dan 7:23).

The Great Mountain

But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth” (Dan 2:35). Daniel explained this as a “kingdom which will never be destroyed” (Dan 2:44). The parallel vision in Daniel 7 refers to it as the “everlasting kingdom” (Dan 7:27): “The saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever” (Dan 7:18). Revelation 11:15 seems to describe this event:

The kingdom of the world
has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ;
and He will reign forever and ever.”

The Two Mountains

A stone was cut out of” a mountain without hands (Dan 2:45), crushed the statue but the stone itself “became a great mountain and filled the whole earth” (Dan 2:35). There are, therefore, two mountains in Daniel 2.

Since the stone becomes a great mountain, a stone is a small mountain. Since they are able to grow, both a stone and a mountain are living organisms.

Since the stone is a kingdom (compare Dan 2:34, 44), and since the stone becomes a great mountain (Dan 2:35), mountains symbolize kingdoms. It follows that both mountains in these verses are kingdoms:

The stone that became a great mountain and “filled the whole earth” (Dan 2:35) is the eternal kingdom that God will establish on earth, and which He will rule through “His Christ:”

The kingdom of the world has become
the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ
;
and He will reign forever and ever
” (Rev 11:15)

The Ancient of Days” gave to “One like a Son of Man” “dominion, glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him” (Dan 7:13-14).

The mountain from which the stone was cut off then seems to refer to “the kingdom of God;” a phrase that Jesus used. As shown above, this kingdom always exists but is invisible to human eyes.

In Summary

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream Daniel’s Explanation
1. Head of gold Babylonian Empire
2. Breast and arms of silver Another but an inferior kingdom
3. Belly and thighs of bronze A third kingdom will rule over all the earth
4. Legs of iron A fourth kingdom, as strong as iron, will crush everything.
5 Feet partly of iron and partly of clay A divided kingdom
6. A great mountain filled the whole earth. This kingdom will never be destroyed.

When is the eternal kingdom set up?

The Kingdom of God

Some argue that the “kingdom” which God will set up (Dan 2:44) does not refer to a physical kingdom but to “the kingdom of God” that Jesus often mentioned and which refers to a spiritual reality that always exists. For example:

Jesus said: “If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Matt 12:18).

The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed … For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst” (Luke 17:20-21).

He taught His disciples to pray, “Your kingdom come … on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt 6:10). In other words, we pray that God’s already existing kingdom would come to earth.

He said that His kingdom was not of this world (John 18:36). See also Psalm 145:13, Matthew 25:34, Mark 1:15; Luke 13:18-21; John 3:3; Acts 28:30-31; 1 Cor 4:20.

It is then argued that this stone, which becomes a great mountain, describes the kingdom of God that Jesus brought in the first century.

The Return of Christ

In contrast, for the following reasons, it is proposed here that the stone that crushes the statue symbolizes Christ’s return:

1. A Kingdom

The text reads, “the God of heaven will set up a kingdom” (Dan 2:44), meaning, one specific kingdom; not the general “kingdom of God.” The general “kingdom of God” cannot be set up because it always exists.

2. No Trace was found

In his dream, Nebuchadnezzar saw that, once the stone has crushed the statue, “not a trace … was found” of “the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold” (Dan 2:35; cf. Dan 2:44). Since remnants of the kingdoms represented by “the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold” still remain today, the stone has not yet crushed the statue.

3. Revelation’s Beast

That such remnants will continue to exist today may be confirmed by the imagery of the beast in the book of Revelation: As discussed in another article, the four metal kingdoms in Daniel 2 are parallel to the four beast kingdoms in Daniel 7, symbolized as a lion, a bear, a leopard, and a dragon-like beast. Since Revelation’s beast inherits attributes from all four of these animals (Rev 13:2), Revelation’s beast contains remnants of the four kingdoms in Daniel 2. This means that:

1. Revelation’s beast arises AFTER the fourth dragon-like beast, which is interpreted as the Roman Empire. Therefore, remnants of the four kingdoms in Daniel 2 continued to exist after the Roman Empire was divided into many kingdoms in the fifth and later centuries.

2. These remnants will only be finally destroyed when the beast is destroyed at Christ’s return (Rev 19:20).

4. The Little Horn

As stated, Daniel 7 elaborates on the vision in Daniel 2. It symbolizes the divided kingdom of Daniel 2 as a multiple of horns growing from the fourth beast. But Daniel 7 adds that the main member of the divided kingdom will be the evil 11th horn. Therefore, when the stone crushes the kingdoms symbolized by the statue, it will also put an end to that evil horn (cf. Dan 7:26). Since that evil horn most certainly still exists today (see – The beast), the “stone” has not yet crushed the statue.

5. All people will serve Jesus

Once the stone kingdom has crushed all previous kingdoms, all people will serve Jesus:

The stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth” (Dan 2:35).

To the Son of man “was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him” (Dan 7:14; cf. Dan 7:27).

Since people still reject and insult Jesus today, the “stone” has not yet crushed the statue.

6. Resurrection of the Dead

As stated, Daniel describes “the end” in a number of parallel visions. The final chapter, for example, refers to “the end of time” and to “the end of the age” (Dan 12:4, 13). That chapter also describes the two stages of resurrection:

Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground
will awake, these to everlasting life,
but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt

(Dan 12:2; cf. John 5:29; Rev 20:4-5).

Similarly, the angel told Daniel: “You will enter into rest and rise again for your allotted portion at the end of the age” (Dan 12:13).

Fair interpretation demands that this description of “the end” is an elaboration of “the end” in Daniel 2. It would then follow that, when the stone crushes the statue, the dead are also raised to life. And since the dead will be resurrected when Christ returns (e.g., John 5:25), “the end” in Daniel 2 is Christ’s return.

7. The New Jerusalem

Since the book of Daniel is the foundation on which the book of Revelation is built, we expect Revelation to elaborate on the stone that becomes a great mountain. Revelation alludes to it in its description of the New Jerusalem – the eternal home of God’s people:

The angel carried John “to a great and high mountain,” and showed him “the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God” (Rev 21:10).

The brilliance of the New Jerusalem “was like a very costly stone” (Rev 21:11).

8. God has begun to reign.

Elsewhere, Revelation uses the imagery of Daniel 2 to describe Christ’s return:

The kingdom of the world has become
the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ;
and He will reign forever and ever
” (Rev 11:15).

We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty …
because You … have begun to reign” (Rev 11:16).

Conclusion

The stone that becomes a great mountain, therefore, is not the general “kingdom of God” but describes God taking full control of the earth, including judging the dead and rewarding His bond-servants (Rev 11:18).

This stone “was cut out of the mountain without hands” (Dan 2:45). It is proposed that this mountain, out of which the stone was cut, and which is different from the mountain which the stone becomes, is the always-existing “kingdom of God.”

Principles

The following are some of the principles we derive from Daniel 2 that must be applied to Daniel’s other prophecies:

The Whole World

The kingdoms in Daniel 2 and the related visions are always described as worldwide but I propose that we interpret this as relative to God’s people. In the Old Testament, these kingdoms dominated the world of the Israeli nation. In the New Testament, the book of Revelation also seems to describe the whole world but I propose that we understand those prophecies as describing the Christian world specifically. In other words, when Revelation says that the whole world will worship the beast (Rev 13:4, 8), then we must interpret that as excluding the Moslem world.

Successive

The kingdoms in Daniel 2’s vision follow one after the other. Since the other visions in Daniel all build on and provide further information about the six ages in Daniel 2, we must assume that the kingdoms in the other prophecies are also successive.

For example, it is not explicitly stated in Daniel 7 that the kingdoms in that prophecy, symbolized as beasts, are successive. However, since we are able to align them clearly with the four metal kingdoms in Daniel 2, and since the kingdoms in Daniel 2 are successive, we know that the kingdoms in Daniel 7 are also successive.

Continue to exist

Although the first four kingdoms dominate one after the other, each of them also continues to exist until the eternal kingdom is set up. Only then do they all simultaneously disappear without a trace (Dan 2:35). That is consistent with the description of the beast in Revelation which inherits characteristics from all four of these empires (Rev 13:2) but is only destroyed when Christ returns (Rev 19:20).

Parallel Visions

One principle in interpreting the text is that the same event is described with different words and symbols in the parallel visions in Daniel 7, 8, and 12. For example, both Daniel 2 and 7 describe this kingdom which “will never be destroyed” (Dan 2:44). Daniel 7 refers to it as the Son of man’s “dominion is an everlasting dominion … which will not be destroyed” (Dan 7:14).

Conclusion

The vision in Daniel 2 provided an astounding preview of history. Nebuchadnezzar’s dream occurred and was interpreted by Daniel about 600 B.C. The image represented, in symbolic form, the sequence of great empires that would dominate until the return of Christ.


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The Fall of Rome shows the Book of Daniel to be true prophecy.

ABSTRACT: The Book of Daniel itself claims to have been written in the 6th century B.C. but critical scholars believe that it was written in the second century B.C. This article shows that the Fall of Rome proves Daniel to be true prophecy, for Daniel correctly predicted HOW the Roman Empire would break apart in many kingdoms in the fifth century A.D.

SUMMARY

PURPOSE

Daniel the prophetsThe Book of Daniel claims to have been written in the 6th century before Christ as a prediction of future events. Critical scholars, however, do not believe that Daniel is true prophecy. They argue that Daniel describes past history in the form of prophecy. However, that would mean that Daniel is a fraud. The purpose of the current article is to support the view that Daniel is true prophecy by showing that it correctly predicted HOW the Western Roman Empire would fall in the fifth century after Christ.

THE FALL OF ROME PREDICTED

Consider HOW Daniel predicted the Fall of Rome would occur:

The vision of Daniel 2 presents the Roman Empire as the iron legs of an image of a man, followed by “feet partly of iron and partly of clay.” The feet “will be a divided kingdom.”

Daniel 7 depicts the Roman Empire as a fourth beast that will be “dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong.” “It devoured and crushed and trampled down.”  Eleven horns grow out of it.  These are eleven “kingdoms” are equivalent to the “divided kingdom” in Daniel 2.

These prophecies predict that:

      • The Roman Empire will be very cruel;
      • It will be subdivided into many kingdoms; and 
      • These kingdoms would be a continuation of the Roman Empire. 

The purpose of the current article is to show that historians confirm these three facts. 

FOUNDING PRINCIPLES OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE

The vast Roman Empire was a unity of many different nations; enforced by violence.  The emperors and Roman aristocrats became very wealthy by looting other nations.  

DECLINE AND FALL OF ROME

It is possible to identify major milestones or events in the decline of the Roman Empire, but it is more important to identify the underlying trends. 

The first major trend was the immigration of Germanic tribes into the Empire throughout the 4th and 5th centuries.  The immigrants did not intend to destroy the Roman Empire or to replace it with something new, but to become part of it and to enjoy the benefits offered to citizens of the Roman Empire.  They sought permission to settle in Roman territory, and Imperial Authorities also granted such permission.  However, severe conditions were set for them which made them second-class citizens. 

The second major trend was that many ‘barbarians’ were recruited into the Imperial Forces.  To make things worse, the ‘barbarians’ eventually controlled the Roman military machinery.  Some of them became top generals.  Since the real power of the Empire always was its army, the top general in the Roman Army often became the emperor.  For ‘barbarians’ to become top generals, therefore, meant that ‘barbarians’ effectively became the real rulers of the Western Empire, even though they were not allowed to become emperors.  The consequence was that the emperors in the West Roman Empire in the 5th century became mere figureheads.

‘CATASTROPHIC’ FIFTH-CENTURY EVENTS

‘Barbarians’ sacked Rome in 410 and again in 455.  They deposed of the last Western Emperor in 476.  These major events did NOT CAUSE the Empire to fall or decline.  These events should rather be seen as indications of how weak the Empire has become by then.  These ‘catastrophes’ subdivided the Empire into separate political entities.  But, what really happened? 

Firstly, it was not foreign armies that sacked Rome in 410 and 455, or that deposed the last Roman Emperor in 476: It was the Gothic component of the Roman Army that revolted.

Secondly, it was the severe conditions under which the ‘barbarians’ were allowed to reside in the Empire that triggered these ‘catastrophes’. 

Thirdly, the Goths did not aim to replace the Roman Empire with something new. Their demand was to be treated as equal citizens; as part of the Empire.

Fourthly, the Empire approved the ‘Barbarian’ Rule. After Odoacer conquered Italy in 476, the Eastern Emperor Zeno granted Odoacer the title of patrician, effectively recognizing his rule as King of Italy in the name of the Eastern Empire. A few years later, Zeno appointed the Ostrogoth Theodoric the Great to be king of Italy. 

The Western Roman Empire, therefore, did not come to an end in 476, when Odoacer deposed the last emperor.  Deposing the emperor was simply a formality that aligned outward form to existing reality, for the ‘barbarians’ were already in control of the Western Empire since soon after the beginning of the fifth century.  Roman power, practices, economy, and culture continued after Odoacer deposed the emperor.  Even the Roman Church, whose bishops were appointed by and accountable to the emperor, was allowed to continue to function. 

CONTINUATION OF WESTERN ROMAN EMPIRE

After the ‘barbarians’ assumed control of the Western Roman Empire, there always remained a desire and pressure to reunite the empire:

In the fifth century, after the Western Roman Empire was divided into many fairly independent ‘nations’, the Roman Church played a cohesive role between the ‘barbarian’ nations and the Empire.  

In the sixth century, to strengthen the Church in Rome, and to strengthen Roman control of the Western Empire through to church, Justinian I neutralized some of the Arian ‘barbarian’ nations.  This resulted in the Byzantine Papacy; about two centuries during which the Eastern Roman Empire controlled the nations in the West through the church.

Francia at its greatest extent in 814

The Kingdom of the Franks (481–843), which at its greatest expanse covered much of the previous Western Roman Empire, actually was a continuation of the Roman Empire.  

The civilization of Medieval Europe emerged from a SYNTHESIS between the Graeco-Roman world and the Germanic civilizations penetrating the Roman Empire.

CONCLUSION

In summary, over centuries, ‘barbarians’ migrated into the Empire and were absorbed into the Empire.  Many of them were recruited into the Imperial Forces until they controlled the military machinery.  From that point forward, the ‘barbarians’ were the real rulers of the Western Empire, but they were still treated as second-class citizens. In the fifth century, they rebelled against their Roman overlords and took by force what the Empire was not willing to award them voluntarily, namely permanent residency and equal rights. 

The Western Roman Empire did not fall in the fifth century.  The ‘barbarians’ did not replace the Roman Empire with a different political system.  They did not drive the Graeco-Roman population or the Roman church out of their territories.  Their purpose was to remain part of the Empire.  What happened, in reality, was that the ‘barbarian’ immigrants wrestled control of the Empire from the original Graeco-Roman population. 

The ‘barbarians’ simply contributed to an ongoing process of transforming Roman institutions. It was a complex cultural transformation of Rome, rather than the Fall of Rome.

PROVES DANIEL AS TRUE PROPHECY

This confirms Daniel’s prophecies:

Daniel predicted that the Roman Empire will be very cruel: The vast Roman Empire was a unity of many nations, held together by violence; by military force.  “It devoured and crushed and trampled down.” 

Daniel predicted that Rome will be subdivided into several kingdoms.  It is amazing that Daniel could predict, a thousand years before it happened, that the fourth empire would not be conquered and replaced by another mighty empire, but would be subdivided.

Daniel predicted that these kingdoms would be a continuation of the Roman Empire: The substance of the Roman Empire continued in the kingdoms that arose from it; particularly in the form of The Evil Eleventh Horn.

– END OF SUMMARY –

PURPOSE

IS DANIEL A FRAUD?

The Book of Daniel itself claims that it was written in the 6th century before Christ (e.g. Dan 2:4).  It presents itself as a prediction of future events.  For example, the book explicitly refers to “the kingdom of Greece” (Dan 9:20-21; cf. 11:2), which only became a ‘world empire’ in the fourth century BC (see Alexander the Great). 

However, many, perhaps even most, theologians do not believe that God knows the future.  Many accept that God knows everything, but argue that the future does not yet exist, and is therefore not knowable.  The point is, if true prophecy does not exist, then Daniel is a fraud, for then it was written after the events it pretends to predict. 

The article Daniel is not a Fraud presents much evidence from within Daniel (internal evidence) and from outside Daniel that argues against the view that Daniel is a fraud. 

Correctly predicts the Fall of Rome

In the fifth century, the vast territory of the Western Roman Empire was divided into several independent ‘nations’, each controlled by a different ‘barbarian’ group, such as the Ostrogoths, Visigoths, Vandals, Burgundians, Alans and the Sueves, Lombard or Huns.

The purpose of the current article is to provide further evidence of the reliability of the Book of Daniel by showing that it correctly predicts HOW the Roman Empire will fall in the fifth century after Christ.  Copies of the book of Daniel are available that have been dated undeniably to the second century BC.  If Daniel correctly predicts events in the fifth century AD, then it is a true prophecy, and God does know the future.

DANIEL 2 – DIVIDED KINGDOM

The vision of Daniel 2:30-35 depicts the history of mankind using an image of a man, consisting of various metals:

Daniel explained the head of gold as the Babylonian empire (v38).  The phrase “another kingdom” in verse 39 indicates that the head of gold does not refer to King Nebuchadnezzar himself, but to his entire empire.

The other parts of the man are identified in the article series on the Prophecies of Daniel as follows:

        • The “breast and its arms of silver” represent Medo-Persia.
        • Its “belly and its thighs of bronze” represent Greece.
        • The “legs of iron” are the Roman Empire.
        • The “feet partly of iron and partly of clay” is a historical period after the Roman Empire came to an end.

All these kingdoms are destroyed by the Return of Christ (Dan 2:34, 44-45).

The important point, for the current article, is the difference between what happened after these empires:

The first three empires are replaced by the next empire.  For example, “After you there will arise another kingdom” (Dan 2:39-40).

But the fourth empire becomes divided.  The iron of the legs continues into the feet, but the feet are a mixture of iron and clay.  “It will be a divided kingdom” (Dan 2:41). “It will have in it the toughness of iron” (Dan 2:41). In other words, the nature of the Roman Empire will continue after the demise of that empire. See Daniel 2 for a more detailed discussion.

DANIEL 7 – ELEVEN HORNS 

Daniel 7 elaborates on the prophecy of Daniel 2.  It presents the same four empires, but now as beasts of prey.  We focus on the fourth beast, which is the same as the fourth metal (iron) in Daniel 2.  The fourth beast is not identified as any known animal but is described as “dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong” (Dan 7:7). “It had large iron teeth” (v7), which is the same metal as the fourth empire in Daniel 2.  “It devoured and crushed and trampled down” (v7), which describes its cruel nature.

Eleven horns grow out of that fourth beast.  These are eleven “kingdoms” (Dan 7:24) into which the Roman Empire subdivides.  (See Daniel’s evil horn.)  These eleven horns are equivalent to the “divided kingdom” in Daniel 2.

These prophecies contain at least the following predictions concerning the Roman Empire:

It will be very cruel. It “devoured and crushed and trampled down.”

Second, while the previous ‘world’ empires (Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece) were all replaced by another single large empire, but the Roman Empire will be subdivided into many empires.

Third, since the eleven horns grow out of the fourth beast, they are a continuation of that beast.

HISTORIANS CONFIRM THESE PRINCIPLES

Lately, I have been studying the development of the Trinity doctrine, from the very earliest church fathers, through the fourth, fifth, and later centuries.  In the process, I read up on the Fall of Rome, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that historians confirm the three principles above.  The purpose of the current article is to reflect on the Fall of Rome, as explained by historians.  The goal is for the reader to understand that the Empire did not really fall but simply was transformed and continued to exist even into the Middle Ages. 

For that purpose, much of the information in this article is a summary of Wikipedia’s articles about that period, particularly the articles about the Events and the Historiography of the Fall of Rome, but also a summary of many other Wikipedia articles. The Events article has an excellent animated map showing the growth and decline of the Roman Empire.  The events described by the Wikipedia articles are summarized on this website by the article on the Decline and Fall of Rome.

FALL OF ROME

ORIGINATING RATIONALE

The vast Roman Empire was a unity of many different nations.  These nations were not held together by culture or religion or economy.  It was a unity that was enforced by violence.

Rome became prosperous, not through trade or manufacturing, but by looting other nations.  The Roman Empire reached its peak in the 2nd century. There-after, when it no longer expanded, and therefore no longer was able to derive wealth from looting other nations, it started to decline.  It slowly declined over many centuries. 

IN-MIGRATION

It is possible to identify major events in its decline, but it is more important to identify the underlying trends.

The Roman Empire conquered the previous Greek (Macedonian) Empire and established an empire that was much larger than the Greek Empire. Still, there always were areas and peoples outside of the Roman Empire that it was not able or interested to conquer.

The first major trend was the migration of Germanic tribes from outside its borders into the Empire.  Historians mention the year 376 and the Crossing of the River Rhine in 406 as decisive events, but throughout the 4th and 5th centuries, in what is known as the Migration Period, large numbers of ‘barbarians’ migrated into Roman territories.  It was one of the first signs of weakness, for it means that the Empire became unable to repel invading ‘barbarians’. 

What did the immigrants want?

Henri Pirenne published the “Pirenne Thesis” in the 1920s. This thesis remains influential to this day. It holds that the Germanic ‘barbarians’ migrated into the Empire not to destroy it or to replace it with something new, but to take part in its benefits, and thus they tried to preserve the Roman way of life.

They sought permission to settle in Roman territory, and Imperial authorities also granted such permission, on certain severe conditions.  As early as 376, Emperor Valens allowed Goths to settle within the borders of the Empire.

Second Class Citizens

‘Barbarians’ were accepted into the Empire, but as second-class citizens; as cheap labor, or even as slaves.  Alaric, for example, through his siege of Rome in 408, liberated 40,000 Gothic slaves in Rome.  As another example, it was the foederati that revolted and deposed the last emperor in 476. Foederati were ‘barbarians’ whom the Roman Empire allowed to remain in the Empire in exchange for military assistance. 

There always remained friction and even hatred between the original Graeco-Roman inhabitants of the Empire and the increasingly dominant ‘barbarian’ peoples.  At times, the Graeco-Romans massacred the ‘barbarians’.  For example:

In 400, the citizens of Constantinople massacred 7000 armed Goths and as many of their people and their families as they could catch.

In 408, the western Graeco-Roman population massacred tens of thousands of wives and children of Goths serving in the Roman military.

RECRUITED INTO THE ARMED FORCES

The second major trend was that many ‘barbarians’ were recruited into the Imperial Forces.  For example, the great Roman General Stilicho urged Roman soldiers to allow their slaves to fight beside them.  And, after he defeated the Gothic invaders, he drafted 12,000 prisoners from the defeated invaders into his service.

One may speculate about the reasons for this dangerous practice, for its armed forces were the basis for the Empire’s power.  Perhaps the armed forces were insufficiently funded, and only second-class citizens, such as these ‘barbarians’, were willing to work for such low wages.  Other historians estimate that the Graeco-Roman population in the Western Empire declined, and became too small for the size of the army required by the Empire.  Therefore the Imperial Forces became dependent on the service of Goths. 

Goths became Top Generals

A related trend was that the ‘barbarians’ eventually controlled the military machinery.  They became generals and even top generals.  For example:

Gainas was a Goth but was promoted to magister militum (literally, master of the military) in the Eastern Roman Empire.  For a few months in 399, he was in control of Constantinople; the Eastern capital. 

Stilicho’s mother was Roman but his father was a Vandal cavalry officer. Nevertheless, after Theodosius died in 395, Stilicho came to be the commander-in-chief of the Roman armies in the west.  In a few years, he became the most powerful man in the Western Roman Empire. 

Alaric also was a Goth but Theodosius appointed him as leader the army’s 20,000 Gothic troops.  After Alaric became a threat to the eastern capital, the emperor appointed him as magister militum (master of the military).

Fifth Century Western Emperors were figureheads.

The real power of the Empire always was its army.  As stated, the Empire was a unity of many different nations which was enforced by violence.  Consequently, in the Roman system, the top generals often became emperors:

For example, both Constantine the Great and Theodosius, two key emperors in the fourth century, first earned their reputations as top generals. 

As another example, in 475, Orestes, the Magister militum (master of the military) in the west, drove the emperor out of Italy and proclaimed his own young son Romulus as emperor.

For ‘barbarians’ to become to top generals, therefore, was a most significant development.  It means that ‘barbarians’ have progressively become the real rulers of the Western Empire.  

Note that the examples above (Gainas, Stilicho and Alaric) are all from the few years after Theodosius’ death.  It is perhaps true to say that the ‘barbarians’ were in control of the Western Empire as from Theodosius’ death.

The consequence was that the emperors in the West Roman Empire in the 5th century became mere figureheads: The military power came to reside in the hands of ‘barbarians’, but they were not allowed to become emperor.

When Odoacer—a Germanic chieftain—deposed the last emperor in Italy (Romulus Augustus) in 476), he chose neither to assume the title of Emperor himself nor to select a puppet emperor.  This confirms that the position of Emperor in the West no more had any value.

MAJOR EVENTS OF THE FIFTH CENTURY

‘Barbarians’ sacked Rome in 410 and again in 455.  They deposed of the last Western Emperor in 476.  These major events did NOT CAUSE the Empire to fall or recline.  They should rather be seen as indications of how weak the Empire has become by then. 

Under Theodosius, the entire Roman Empire—east and west—was still controlled by a single emperor.  He died in 395.  Fifteen years later, Rome was sacked.  The decisive events of THOSE 15 YEARS WERE A TURNING POINT in the history of the Roman Empire.  But the causes of these events have existed for much longer. 

A separate article discusses the causes of the Fall of Rome.  These must include Theodosius’ decree that his two underage sons would rule the Empire after his death.  These boys were not capable of keeping the nations of the vast empire united, which was a very difficult task.

The major events of the fifth century divided the Empire up into separate political entities.  The question is, what really happened?  Did the ‘barbarians’ replace the Roman system, or did they remain part of the Roman system?  Did they seek to control the Empire or did they merely want to have equal rights with the Graeco-Roman population? 

Not Foreign Armies

Firstly, it was not foreign armies that sacked Rome in 410 and 455, or that deposed the last Roman Emperor in 476: It was a part of the Roman Army that rebelled.  It was, namely, the Goths in the Roman army that rebelled.

To become equal citizens

What triggered these decisive events? 

It was after the massacre of tens of thousands of wives and children of Goths serving in the Roman military that the Gothic soldiers defected to Alaric, and they sacked Rome in 410.

It was the foederati, under Odoacer’s leadership, that deposed the last Western Roman Emperor in 476 because they were no longer willing to suffer the harsh conditions set for them to remain in Italy. 

Furthermore, what motivated the Goths? The following are indications that the Goth rose up—not to make an end of the Roman system, but to be treated as equals with the Graeco-Roman population:

In 399, the Ostrogoths in the Eastern Empire demanded to be allowed to settle within the boundaries of the Empire.

The Visigoths laid siege to Rome in the years 408 to 410 to secure rights to settle within Roman territory.

Our second conclusion is therefore that the Goths did not aim to replace the Roman Empire with something new but to be treated as equal citizens with the Graeco-Roman population, as part of the Empire.

The Empire approved the ‘Barbarian’ Rule.

It has been traditional to refer to the year 476, when Odoacer—a ‘barbarian’ soldier and statesman—deposed the last western emperor, conquered Italy, and proclaimed himself ruler of Italy, as the Fall of Rome.  However, the following indicates that this is not an appropriate view of history:

After Odoacer conquered Italy, the Eastern Emperor Zeno granted Odoacer the title of patrician, effectively recognizing his rule as King of Italy in the name of the Eastern Empire.

Odoacer issued coins with both his image and that of the Eastern Emperor Zeno. 

In 484 Zeno appointed the Ostrogoth Theodoric the Great to be king of Italy.  Zeno, thereby, turned one troublesome, nominal vassal against another. Theodoric invaded Italy in 489 and by August 490 had captured almost the entire peninsula.

Peter Brown concluded that the Ostrogothic rulers of Italy considered themselves upholders of the Roman tradition.

JB Bury (see Odoacer) wrote that 476 stands out prominently as an important stage in the process of the division of the Empire into different parts, but that it is not more important than other similar events, such as:

The largely powerless but still influential Western Roman Senate continued to exist in the city of Rome under the rule of the Ostrogothic kingdom.

The Goths did not drive the Graeco-Roman people out from their territories.  Not did they persecute the previous citizens: The two groups existed fairly peacefully on the areas conquered by the ‘barbarians’.

The Roman Empire did not Fall.

The Western Roman Empire, therefore, did not come to an end in 476, when Odoacer deposed the last emperor.  Deposing the emperor was simply a formality that aligned outward form to existing reality, namely that the ‘barbarians’ were already in control of the Western Empire since the beginning of the fifth century.  The ‘barbarians’ were no longer scared of the Eastern Roman Empire but still submitted to it.  Roman power, practices, economy, culture, and religion continued after the emperor was deposed.  

CHURCH IN ROME

There are at least two reasons why the ‘barbarians’ should have made an end to the Church in Rome. 

Firstly, the Church was part of the State. The separation of Church and State is a modern concept. After Christianity was legalized in 313, the emperors became the real heads of the church and the church became part of the Roman Government. Bishops received their appointment and duties from the emperors and were accountable to the emperors. 

Secondly, in those years, Christology was the main controversy in the church. The Church in Rome accepted Nicene Christology but the Goths were Arian Christians.  In the fourth century, the emperors persecuted people with opposing Christological views. 

Despite these factors, when the ‘barbarians’ took control of the Western Empire, they allowed the Nicene Church in Rome (the Papacy) to continue unhindered in their areas.  One may ask why, but it is at least an indication that the ‘barbarians’ did not intend to destroy or replace the Roman system.  Rather, they continued it, and the Church in Rome was part of the system which they continued.

ROMAN EMPIRE MORPHED INTO THE MIDDLE AGES

After the ‘barbarians’ assumed control of the Western Roman Empire, there always remained a desire and pressure to reunite the empire.

The Roman Church played a cohesive role.

In the fifth century, after the Western Roman Empire was divided into many fairly independent ‘nations’, the Roman Church played a cohesive role among the ‘barbarian’ nations.  The Church was better organized than the ‘barbarian’ nations and the bishops continued to play a political role, even though they now had to depend on the Arian ‘barbarian’ nations for military protection.

In the sixth century, to strengthen the Church in Rome, Justinian I neutralized some of the Arian ‘barbarian’ nations.  This resulting in the Byzantine Papacy; about two centuries during which the Church in Rome was both protected and controlled by the Eastern Roman Empire (also called the Byzantine Empire).  To some extent, Roman control was re-established in this period, namely that the Byzantine Empire ruled the nations in the West through the church.

The Frankish Empire continued the Western Empire.

The Pirenne thesis was published in the 1920s. It remains influential to this day and has been supported by recent historians such as François Masai, Karl Ferdinand Werner, and Peter Brown.  This thesis:

Regards the rise of the Kingdom of the Franks (481–843) as a continuation of the Roman Empire.  (This empire was the largest post-Roman barbarian kingdom in Western Europe and the predecessor of the modern states of France and Germany.  The greatest expansion of the Frankish empire was secured by the early 9th century.  By this point dubbed as the Carolingian Empire.)

Validates the crowning of Charlemagne (AD 800), one of the main kings of the Franks, as the first Holy Roman Emperor as a successor of the Roman Emperors. 

Morphed into the Middle Ages

The Pirenne thesis also concludes that the Roman world underwent a gradual (though often violent) series of transformations, morphing into the medieval world.  In other words, the transformed Roman Empire continued right into the Middle Ages.

The French historian Lucien Musset argued that the civilization of Medieval Europe emerged from a SYNTHESIS between the Graeco-Roman world and the Germanic civilizations penetrating the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire did not fall or decline; it just TRANSFORMED. The same applies to the Germanic populations which invaded it.

Late Antiquity – Period of Transition

Traditionally, historians spoke of the Fall of the Western Roman Empire as the marker of the end of the Ancient Era and the beginning of the European Middle Ages.  Since historians have largely turned away from the idea that the Roman Empire fell, accepting instead Pirenne’s thesis of the CONTINUITY of the Roman Empire before and after the Germanic invasion, more recently they have defined a period which they call Late Antiquity. This is the period of transition from classical antiquity to the Middle Ages, with the roots of MEDIEVAL culture contained in Roman culture.  They see a gradual process of TRANSFORMATION, with no clear breaks, occurring over centuries. 

Brown proposed that Late Antiquity stretches more or less from the 3rd to the 8th centuries. 

CONCLUSIONS

In summary, what happened, over centuries, is that ‘barbarians’ migrated into the Empire.  They were absorbed into the Empire and its culture and many were recruited into the Imperial Forces until, eventually, they controlled the military machinery, soon after Theodosius died in 395.  From that point forward, the ‘barbarians’ were the real rulers of the Western Empire.  They were still treated as second-class citizens; often without the assurance of permanent residency. But they continued to tolerate figurehead emperors for some centuries before they deposed the last emperor in 476.  They successfully rebelled against their Roman overlords and took by force what the Empire was not willing to award them voluntarily, namely permanent residency.  This was a gradual (though often violent) process of decline over centuries. 

The ‘barbarians’ did not intend to replace the Roman Empire with different political or legal structures and they did not drive the Graeco-Roman population or the Roman church out of their territories. Their purpose was to remain part of the Empire.  The nations into which the Roman Empire was divided, continued Roman culture and economy in most parts of the former Western provinces into the 6th century and beyond (Historiography). 

The Western Roman Empire, therefore, did not fall.  What really happened was that the ‘barbarian’ immigrants wrestled control of the Empire from the original Graeco-Roman population.

Observing the cultural and archaeological continuities between the Roman Empire and the post-Roman Germanic kingdoms, Fustel de Coulanges (1875–89) argued that the ‘barbarians’ simply contributed to an ongoing process of transforming Roman institutions. (Histoire des institutions politiques de l’ancienne France)

Bowersock (2001), similarly, described the process as a complex cultural transformation, rather than a fall. (Bowersock 2001, pp. 87–122)

CONFIRM DANIEL’S PROPHECIES

Daniel describes the fourth beast as “dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong.” “It devoured and crushed and trampled down” (Dan 7:7).  The Roman Empire was a unity of many nations, held together by violence; by military force.

In Daniel 2, the fourth “iron”-empire goes over into the “divided kingdom” of the feet.  In Daniel 7, eleven horns (kings – Dan 7:24) come out of the fourth empire.  “Horns” in Daniel do not represent individual kings, but empires, each consisting of a series of kings (Dan 8:20-22). (For a detailed discussion, see the article series on the prophecies of Daniel, including Daniel 2, Daniel 7, and the Evil Horn.)  The fourth empire in Daniel, therefore, subdivides into ten + one kingdoms.  (The number “ten” should be understood as “many;” not as exactly ten (cf. Dan 1:20).  The Roman Empire did divide into many different empires.  The exact number varied continually.  Since previous empires were conquered by a new empire, it remains amazing that Daniel could predict, centuries before it happened, that the fourth empire would not be conquered by another mighty empire, but that it would subdivide.

Since the eleven horns grow out of the fourth beast, they are a continuation of that beast.  Historians confirm that the Roman Empire, in reality, did not fall or decline, but continued right into the Middle Ages.  This was particularly in the form of The Evil Eleventh Horn. In Revelation that horn is the Sea Beast (Rev 13:1).  It received a deadly wound (Rev 13:3), but in the end-time, an image to the beast will be made and come alive (Rev 13:14-15).  In other words, the culture of the Roman Empire will be revived, and it will again devour and crush and trample down (Dan 7:7). 

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