Dan 7:7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.
We've been discussing the relationship between Daniel 2 and Daniel 7- the similarities in the message. It's very easy to see that the Statue and the Beasts are symbolizing much the same thing. The Beasts are adding more detail to the overall picture and it's serving to clarify God's message to us.
When Daniel wrote the first prophecy He knew what time they were living in and said as much-
Dan 2:38 ... Thou art this head of gold.
Dan 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.
Daniel knew he was living in the time of the head of gold and yet he also knew that after him there would be other kingdoms. Because no one knows the day nor the hour of Christ's return we cannot place a date on the appearance of that stone Daniel mentions.
Dan 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.
Dan 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…
We don't know when the stone will come to destroy all the worldly kingdoms, we don't know when the kingdom that was set up for us will be realized. What we do know is that as sure as these prophecies have come true the kingdom of God will be fully realized.
Yesterday we talked about the ten toes and ten horns. We are living in the time of the ten toes and ten horns and by that I mean there is NO other kingdom left to come but the kingdom of God.
Our world will never again be dominated by any one world power, not ever. Even if there is a common leader for world peace one day that brings the leaders of many countries together to work for peace, there will still be many other countries and NEVER a single country, never a single country to rule all. You could never get any of the major world countries today to agree to any other country ruling them, never. The United States would never all Russia or China to take control of them, never and vice versa.
Let's continue on here and learn more of what the Bible has to say about the horns…
Dan 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.
So the ten major conquering people that sprang up taking control over what was once the great kingdom of Rome weren't left alone but… ANOTHER horn would come up among them, a *little* horn. Something that is very notable and we need to really pay attention to is that three of the first horns were going to be plucked up by the roots when this little horn came up. For being a *little* horn it's really something that three of the other horns not classified as little would be plucked up by the roots. When you pluck something up by the roots what are you doing? Destroying it completely, right? If you don't pluck something up by the roots it still has a chance to grow again. You know what they say about weeds right? Make sure you get all the roots up or else. And that or else is the return of those weeds. When these three kingdoms were plucked up by the roots that means they were destroyed completely NEVER to become kingdoms again. Never to continue on in history as a people, as a place, but totally destroyed and kept from flourishing.
Three of the ten kingdoms…
Heruli-
After this kingdom was destroyed by the Langobards, Herulian fortunes waned. Remaining Heruls joined the Langobards and moved to Lombardia, today Italy, and some of them sought refuge with the Gepids. Marcellinus comes recorded that the Romans (meaning the East Romans or in modern naming the Byzantines) allowed them to resettle depopulated "lands and cities" near Singidunum (modern Belgrade); this was done "by order of Anastasius Caesar" sometime between June 29 and August 31, 512. After one generation, this minor federate kingdom disappeared from the historical records.
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Vandals-
In the words of historian Roger Collins: "The remaining Vandals were then shipped back to Constantinople to be absorbed into the imperial army. As a distinct ethnic unit they disappeared".
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Ostrogoths-
With that final defeat, the remaining Ostrogoths went back north and (re)settled in south Austria. The Ostrogothic name wholly died... The nation had practically evaporated with Theodoric's death.
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This can be said of NO other of the ten conquering kingdoms. None of them disappeared from historical records, none of them as a distinct ethnic unit disappeared, and the names of them all did not wholly die such as these. Of these three horns plucked up the *little horn* played a part in their demise in some manner. What *little* power was suddenly worth reckoning with that hadn't been a power previously- and it wasn't a regular kingdom like the others. If this *little horn* was like the others wouldn't it just have been another horn? Seriously.
Dan 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.
A little horn. In this little horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.
Eyes like a man.
A mouth speaking great things.
We know the previous beasts had characteristics we could note and it gave us much more detail on the kingdoms. But the other horns of the fourth beast did not possess extra characteristics, only this little horn, this strange little horn with eyes and a mouth.
Eyes of a man… not eyes of an animal, not eyes of an eagle, not eyes of an owl, not eyes of a hawk but eyes of a man. And a mouth that speaks, not a mouth of a lion roaring or devouring, but a mouth that speaks great things.
Eyes obviously represent sight and when we see things it's with a certain comprehension.
Rev 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
Anoint thine eyes with eyesalve that thou may see!
We need to see! We need the Holy Spirit's guidance to see.
Seeing means comprehending, understanding, knowing. This little horn with eyes of man would see as a man sees, would understand as a man understands. Would be like man, speaking like a man only this man would speak great things! So while this little horn is a power to be reckoned with it is a like a man not a normal kingdom, surely this makes the little horn very, very special. Remember it was able to uproot 3 normal kingdoms. What sort of power can we even remotely imagine doing this during the history portrayed? Rome mixing with others, iron mingling with clay while Rome is conquered and divided into many parts?
Because this is such a unique and important part of our history I'm going to pause here and pick it up tomorrow, by the grace and will of God.
We need eyes to see, we need the eyesalve on our eyes and by the Lord's mercy we will have this as we continue to study prophecy.
In His amazing LOVE!
Amen.
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