PROPHETIC WORLD EMPIRES (2)
(Message by Tanny Keng)
0. Introduction
a) God has revealed, in the books of Daniel and Revelation, the world-ruling Gentile (non-Israelite) empires (kingdoms) that would exist from the time of Babylon's empire to the Second Coming of Jesus - a span of more than 2,600 years! Biblical prophecy predicts no less than fifteen empires and the most influential false religious system the devil would create. The symbolic Bible prophecies that proclaim such events BEFORE they happen are:
i) The large image of a man dreamed by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (Daniel 2).
ii) The prophet Daniel's dream of four great beasts: A lion, bear, leopard and one strong beast with iron teeth and ten horns (Daniel 7).
iii) Daniel's vision of a ram and a male goat (Daniel 8).
iv) The apostle John's vision of a woman riding a beast with seven heads and ten horns (Revelation 17) along with an end time beast that will rule the world just before the Second Coming of Jesus (Revelation 13:1-8).
b) One simple but profound question generated from Bible prophecy concerns ancient Israel. Why would God allow Gentile nations to dominate the world instead of his chosen people - the Israelites? The Bible records God making a very special promise to the people of Israel just before they crossed the Jordan River to receive their inheritance in the land of milk and honey. He promised to make them HIGH ABOVE all the nations IF they keep his commandments (Deuteronomy 26:18-19).
c) God promised to make the Israelite nation preeminent in the world IF they obeyed his voice. Over time, however, they increasingly rejected God's way to the point where they refused to have him as their King and instead requested a human king be put over them (1Samuel 8:5-7). Eventually, because of their ongoing disregard for God's laws, ten of Israel's tribes were conquered and taken out of the land by the Assyrian empire (723 B.C.). The remaining tribes (Judah, Benjamin and Levi) lived in Palestine until they too, because of disobedience, were conquered and taken from their inheritance. Because Israel rejected God, he rejected them and gave their promised leadership role in the world to others - the Gentile empires which are listed below.
1. Persian Empire (Medo-Persian Empire): 549 B.C.
a) Represented in Bible prophecy as:
i) Chest and Arms of Silver (Daniel 2:32, 39)
ii) Second Beast like a Bear (Daniel 7:5)
iii) Ram with two horns (Daniel 8:3-4, 20)
2. Explanation
a) Persia is the second beast (prophetic kingdom) to rule the earth. This kingdom actually represents two kings ("ram with two horns") - the king of Media and king of Persia.
3. Notes
a) Astyages became king of Media in 585 B.C. Cyrus the Great became king of Persia, though not an independent ruler, in 559 B.C. Like his predecessors, Cyrus had to recognize Median dominance over his kingdom ("one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last"). In 549 Cyrus overthrew the Medes and King Astyages (who was a family member, possibly Cyrus' grandfather).
b) The Persian empire is considered the most powerful kingdom of the ancient world. At its height it ruled more than 2.9 million square miles (7.5 million square kilometers) of land that spanned three continents: Asia, Africa and Europe. The Persians were the largest empire in ancient history in terms of total land controlled. It is estimated that in 480 B.C. Persia had 50 million people living under its authority - or roughly 44% of the entire world's population. It was during the reign of Cyrus the Great that captive Jews were allowed to return to Jerusalem.
The End ...
0. Introduction
a) God has revealed, in the books of Daniel and Revelation, the world-ruling Gentile (non-Israelite) empires (kingdoms) that would exist from the time of Babylon's empire to the Second Coming of Jesus - a span of more than 2,600 years! Biblical prophecy predicts no less than fifteen empires and the most influential false religious system the devil would create. The symbolic Bible prophecies that proclaim such events BEFORE they happen are:
i) The large image of a man dreamed by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (Daniel 2).
ii) The prophet Daniel's dream of four great beasts: A lion, bear, leopard and one strong beast with iron teeth and ten horns (Daniel 7).
iii) Daniel's vision of a ram and a male goat (Daniel 8).
iv) The apostle John's vision of a woman riding a beast with seven heads and ten horns (Revelation 17) along with an end time beast that will rule the world just before the Second Coming of Jesus (Revelation 13:1-8).
b) One simple but profound question generated from Bible prophecy concerns ancient Israel. Why would God allow Gentile nations to dominate the world instead of his chosen people - the Israelites? The Bible records God making a very special promise to the people of Israel just before they crossed the Jordan River to receive their inheritance in the land of milk and honey. He promised to make them HIGH ABOVE all the nations IF they keep his commandments (Deuteronomy 26:18-19).
c) God promised to make the Israelite nation preeminent in the world IF they obeyed his voice. Over time, however, they increasingly rejected God's way to the point where they refused to have him as their King and instead requested a human king be put over them (1Samuel 8:5-7). Eventually, because of their ongoing disregard for God's laws, ten of Israel's tribes were conquered and taken out of the land by the Assyrian empire (723 B.C.). The remaining tribes (Judah, Benjamin and Levi) lived in Palestine until they too, because of disobedience, were conquered and taken from their inheritance. Because Israel rejected God, he rejected them and gave their promised leadership role in the world to others - the Gentile empires which are listed below.
1. Persian Empire (Medo-Persian Empire): 549 B.C.
a) Represented in Bible prophecy as:
i) Chest and Arms of Silver (Daniel 2:32, 39)
ii) Second Beast like a Bear (Daniel 7:5)
iii) Ram with two horns (Daniel 8:3-4, 20)
2. Explanation
a) Persia is the second beast (prophetic kingdom) to rule the earth. This kingdom actually represents two kings ("ram with two horns") - the king of Media and king of Persia.
3. Notes
a) Astyages became king of Media in 585 B.C. Cyrus the Great became king of Persia, though not an independent ruler, in 559 B.C. Like his predecessors, Cyrus had to recognize Median dominance over his kingdom ("one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last"). In 549 Cyrus overthrew the Medes and King Astyages (who was a family member, possibly Cyrus' grandfather).
b) The Persian empire is considered the most powerful kingdom of the ancient world. At its height it ruled more than 2.9 million square miles (7.5 million square kilometers) of land that spanned three continents: Asia, Africa and Europe. The Persians were the largest empire in ancient history in terms of total land controlled. It is estimated that in 480 B.C. Persia had 50 million people living under its authority - or roughly 44% of the entire world's population. It was during the reign of Cyrus the Great that captive Jews were allowed to return to Jerusalem.
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