Bible Study Aid: The Final Superpower

8/13/2019 Bible Study Aid: The Final Superpower

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A Bible study aidpresented by BeyondToday.tv

The Final Superpower


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Introduction: A Snapshot of World Affairs

here is only one true super-power in todays world: theUnited States. At present no

other nation can globally projectpower, in any orm, like America.Yet there are many challenges toAmerica maintaining this lofyand important status. Will anotherpoweranother true superpoweremerge rom the nations and replacethe current world order?

China in the last three decadeshas developed into a regional Asianpower thats spreading its inuencearound the world. Its absorbingoil and other vital resources romthe Middle East and A rica. Its amanu acturing center or mucho the world, and its developing anavy with ships that could, in time,challenge the American Navy in thewaters o the Indian Ocean or thePersian Gul . Many wonder i China

will become a large enough power todominate the world.

Since the collapse o the SovietUnion, Russia has had to redeneitsel among the nations. It no longerhas the size or reach o the U.S.S.R.,but it does have vast supplies o oiland natural gas. Along with a largemilitary and a nuclear arsenal, Russiais still a actor in world affairs.

A recent Strat or bulletin discussedthe potential or Europe to rise to thelevel o superpower. It said: akenas a single geographic entity, Europehas the largest economy in the world.Should it choose to do so, it couldbecome a military rival to the UnitedStates. Europe is one o the pillars othe global system, and what happensto Europe is going to dene howthe world works (Strat or, January2013). A lot would have to changewith the current conguration in

Europe, but the potential is thereor it to become a replacement to

America.Some do not actor Bible prophecy

into predictions o the world econo-my or power status. Tat is a mistake.Te Bible does have something tosay about todays world scene andwhat the uture holds. Revelationand Daniel reveal the uture willsee a new kind o power to emergeamong the nations that will astoundeveryone. It will have, or a time, theability to solve some big problemsthat threaten order and stability.Everyone will be amazed and happythat it does. But in time the benevo-lent mask will be removed to reveal apower with a heart bent on bringingpeople under its control. Tis, in theend, will not be well received. But thetrap will be shut, and it will be toolate back out.

Tank ully, God has revealed thatthat last and evil superpower o menwill only last a short time be oreJesus Christ will return. He willestablish the nal superpower: HisKingdom on Earth.

Considering the prophetic utureo the earth, the apostle Peter said,What manner o persons oughtyou to be in holy conduct and godli-ness (2 Peter 3:11)? Te purpose oprophecy is to give us a glimpse othe uture, a hope or Gods promis-es, and so that we may draw close tohim today .

Read on to understand what theBible oretells o events to come lead-ing to Jesus Christs return. But usethis understanding to motivate your-sel to draw close to God today. Pray,

ast, and study the Bible now, so thatwhen these things take place, youmay not be caught unaware.

2 2013 United Church of God, an International Association www.ucg.org 3


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The Dreaming King andthe Slave

Daniels Prophecies of theComing Superpower

One amazing prophecy record-ed by Daniel is his interpretation oNebuchadnezzars dream in chapter2. In the second year o his reign theBabylonian king had a troubling dreamthat none o his counselors couldexplain. Babylonian culture placedconsiderable emphasis on dreams,and Nebuchadnezzar was convincedthat this one was o great importance(Daniel 2:1-3). It turns out he was right:It was a vision o the uture, and it wasgiven to Nebuchadnezzar rom GodHimsel .

His dream gives an overview o Godsplan beginning then and going through

until the return o Jesus Christ. It listsand describes a succession o worldsuperpowers that would dominate thelands surrounding Israel until Jesusestablishes His Kingdom ( Expositors,pp. 39, 46). Looking at things in ourtime, much o the vision has alreadybeen ullled, which proves its validity

or predicting whats still lef to happenbe ore Jesus comes back.

By inspiration rom God, Danielexplained the details o the dream toNebuchadnezzar without having heardwhat the dream was about: You, Oking, were watching; and behold, agreat image [a large statue]! Tis greatimage, whose splendor was excellent,stood be ore you; and its orm wasawesome. Tis images head was o negold, its chest and arms o silver, its

belly and thighs o bronze, its legs o

iron, its eet partly o iron and partly oclay (Daniel 2:31-33).

Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar that hisBabylonian Empire was representedby the head o gold (verses 37-38). Tesilver, bronze and iron components othe image, or statue, represented threepower ul empires that were to ollowmighty Babylon (verses 39-40).

Nebuchadnezzars dream occurredand was interpreted by Daniel about600 B.C. Te image represented, insymbolic orm, the sequence o greatempires that would dominate theregions political scene or centuries.

Te silver empire was to be Medo-Persia, which began with Cyrus theGreat, who conquered Babylon in

539Tis silver empire wassupreme in the Near and MiddleEast or about two centuries(Expositors, p. 47).

Te bronze empire was theGreco-Macedonian Empireestablished by Alexander the

GreatTe bronze kingdom lasted orabout 260 or 300 years be ore it wassupplanted by the ourth kingdom(ibid.).

Iron connotes toughness and ruth-lessness and describes the RomanEmpire that reached its widest extentunder the reign o rajan (ibid.).

rajan reigned as emperor rom A.D.98-117, and the Roman Empire itselruled or many centuries.

Verse 44 reveals that the RomanEmpire will be in power at the timeGod will set up His Kingdom: And inthe days o these kings the God o heav-en will set up a kingdom which shallnever be destroyed; and the kingdomshall not be lef to other people; it shallbreak in pieces and consume all thesekingdoms, and it shall stand orever.

Te Roman Empire is not in power

The Dreaming King and the Slave

By inspiration from God, Danielexplained the details of the dream toNebuchadnezzar without having heardwhat the dream was about.

Daniels book prophesied eventsullled many centuries agoas well as major events yet tocome. It reveals a history o the region,written in advance, rom Daniels timeright up to the return o Jesus Christ.

Among the Jewish captives takenrom Judah and exiled to Babylon was

a young man whose Hebrew name wasDaniel. He was renamed Belteshazzarby the Babylonians (Daniel 1:1-7).Daniel lived in the remarkable times o

the down all o the kingdoms o both

Judah and Babylon. He served as a highofficial in both the Babylonian govern-ment as well as its successor, the Medo-Persian Empire.

At the end o Daniels book, Godinstructed him to shut up the words,and seal the book until the time o theend; many shall run to and ro, andknowledge shall increase (Daniel 12:4).Tis indicates that certain major proph-ecies that previously wouldnt havemade sense will be understandable as

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today, so how is it possible that it willbe at the time o Christs return? Aferit ell in A.D. 476, there have beenseveral phases or resurrections o theRoman Empire down through history,and the nal phase will be the one inpower when Jesus comes back. Moreon that later.

Te iron legs were described ashaving eet and toes composed partlyo iron and partly o clay, as verse 41explains. Because it is a mixture ostrong (iron) and weak (clay) we cansurmise that the nal phase o theRoman system will be partly strongand partly weak. But why 10 toes?What do they represent? Tey repre-sent 10 kingssome o them strong,some o them weakwho make upthe nal phase o the Roman system.Another prophecy revealed to Danielas well as a section rom Revelationhelp explain this.

Another Dream Adds ImportantDetails

Additional aspects o this succes-sion o world-ruling empires wererevealed to Daniel in a later dream.Tis time the our empires wererepresented by our beasts: a lion(Babylonian Empire), a bear (Medo-Persian Empire), a leopard (Greco-Macedonian Empire) and a ourthbeast described as terrible andunlike the other three (Daniel 7:1-7).

Afer this I saw in the night visions,and behold, a ourth beast, dread uland terrible, exceedingly strong. Ithad huge iron teeth [paralleling theiron legs o Daniel 2]; it was devour-ing, breaking in pieces, and tramplingthe residue with its eet. It was di -

erent rom all the beasts that werebe ore it, and it had ten horns. Tisbeast represents Romes great power,which crushed all who opposed it.

Notice that it has 10 horns. In biblicalliterature, a horn can represent a kingor leader. Te 10 horns o Revelation13 coincide with the 10 horns o thisprophecy, and they represent revivalso the Roman Empire throughout time,leading up to the return o Jesus Christ.

Revelation 17 also helps us inunderstanding this end-time super-power. In this chapter its againdepicted as a beast. In this descriptionit outright states that its made up o10 kingswhich in modern timescould mean presidents, prime minis-ters or premiers. Tese leaders collec-tively receive authority or one hourwith the ruler o this end-time super-power, an individual the Bible re ersto as the beast (Revelation 17:12-13). Tis nal revival o the RomanEmpire makes war with Jesus Christupon His return (Revelation 17:14).

All o this concurs with Daniel 2:44,

which obviously indicates that thesecond coming o Christ will occur ina time during which remnants o the

ourth beast or kingdom (the RomanEmpire) still exist: And in the dayso these kings the God o heaven willset up a kingdom which shall neverbe destroyed; and the kingdom shallnot be lef to other people; it shallbreak in pieces and consume all thesekingdoms, and it shall stand orever(Daniel 2:44).

Te greater part o these prophet-ic events, as detailed by the twodreams, has already been ullled.Teir detailed completion affirms thedivine inspiration o the Bible. Teodds o any person oreseeing this onhis own de y credibility. Tere is aGod in heaven who reveals secrets,and He has made known to KingNebuchadnezzar what will be in thelatter days (Daniel 2:28).

The First SuperpowerShortly afer the Flood, God

divided the earth among the amilieso Noah (Genesis 10:32). As they journeyed rom the east they cameto the land o Shinar. At Shinar,Nimrod, a great warrior and hunter,led a rebellion against Gods com-mand or the descendants o Noahto re-colonize the earth. He knewthat it would be impossible or himto rule over the amilies o the earthi they were scattered abroad. Sohe inspired the building o a towerthat the people would look to sothey would not be scattered abroad(Genesis 11:4). But God intervenedand con ounded the languages othe people, thus orcing them to be

scattered through the earth.As the amilies o Noah settled

their lands they eventually developedinto nation-states. God is the authoro amilies, tribes and nations. Godshistoric desire is or nation-states tolive according to His laws. Te gov-ernment o nation-states is supposedto serve the people o that nation.Just as a loving ather provides orthe needs o his amily, the nation-state should provide or the needs oall its amilies. God gave the amilieso Noah an inheritance in the earth.Tat inheritance or land was givento those people to sustain them. Itwas theirs to have and to hold. Tusthe nation-state is to maintain sov-

ereignty over its land and people.Sovereignty means that nations havethe right to hold their land and gov-ern their people.

Some nation-states developedin a way that allowed reedom orthe individual to grow and prosper.Other nation-states developed alongdictatorial lines and subjugated theirown people. Te annals o historystand in silent testimony to the suc-cess or ailure o nation-states.

Many o the dictators o nation-states gained enough power, resourc-es and control over their peopleto conquer other nation-states.Names like Alexander the Great andGhengis Khan come to mind. Te

subjugated countries were calledempires because they were under oneruler. But empires were built throughthe conquest o nation-states.

In many ways the Bible is a his-torical record o a series o super-powers that have come and gone.Many were strong in their day butlef no lasting legacy or mark on theworld. Others, however, changed thecourse o history or millennia to

ollow. Te book o Daniel containsa prophecy o both historic and

uture importance. In it God revealsa sequence o superpowers that haveand will continue to shape the worldas we approach the time o JesusChrists return.

The Dreaming King and the Slave


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The Final Superpower The Dreaming King and the Slave

The Great Image inNebuchadnezzars Dream

GoldHeadThis section representedthe empire of Babylon, ofwhich Nebuchadnezzarwas king.

SilverChest and ArmsThe silver chest with two arms signi ed the empire of theMedes and Persians, which conquered and supplantedBabylon.

BronzeBelly and ThighsThis section represented the Greco-Macedonian Empireof Alexander the Great, which swallowed up Persia.

IronLegsThe two legs of iron represented the Roman Empire. AfterAlexanders death, his Hellenistic empire continued in adivided form until its divisions were taken over by Rome.The two legs apparently signi ed the east-west division thatcharacterized the Late Roman Empire.

The great image that God revealed to Nebuchadnezzar in a dreamwas interpreted by the prophet Daniel. Each section represents aworld-ruling superpower. Each succeeding metal is less valuable,but each succeeding metal is stronger, as each empire was morepowerful than the last.

Iron & ClayFeet and ToesExtending from the legs are feet and toes of iron mixedwith claya brittle and unstable mixture because it wouldnot bond well. These represent the nal phase of theRoman Empire, which will be made up of ten kings, somestrong and some weak.

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In Daniel 10 and 11, there is anotherprophecy that has end-time impli-cations. Its important because itreveals the political climate and ten-sions in the Middle East precedingboth the rst and second appearanceso Jesus Christ as the Messiah. In bothinstances, Jerusalem is at the center othe political conicts o the time.

Tis is a prediction o politicalintrigue between two powers re erred toas the king o the North and the kingo the South. Te names are re erencesto their geographic location in relationto the land o Judah. Remember thatDaniel was a prince rom Jerusalem,and Gods people o Israel are the centero prophecy. So the two powers histor-ically came and in the uture will come

rom regions o the globe that are to thenorth and south o Jerusalem. It doesntnecessarily mean rom extremely south-ern or northern regions.

Te prophecy was given to Daniel in

the third year o king Cyrus o Persia(Daniel 10:1). A man, no doubt anangel (Daniel 10:5, compare Daniel9:21), came to tell Daniel what wouldoccur in the latter days.

Te prophecy that ollows is themost detailed in all the Bible. Te thirdyear o Cyrus was more than 500 yearsbe ore the birth o Christ. Yet thisprophecy oretells events that began tooccur almost immediately at that timeand will continue until the second com-ing o Jesus Christ.

Some elements o what ollows areintricate, requiring close attention. Buta comparison o the prophetic wordswith the historical record makes themclear.

Protracted Political IntrigueDaniel 11:1-35 give an account, writ-

ten years in advance, o the intriguebetween the king o the South and the

king o the North. In secular history,

the king o the South is ofen re erredto as Ptolemy. Te Ptolemaic dynastyruled rom Alexandria in Egypt, whichis south o Israel. Te king o the Northruled rom Antioch in Syria, whichis north o Israel, under the nameSeleucus, or Antiochus.

With this in mind, lets examine someo the details o the prophecy. You cannd more in ormation on the historical

ulllment o much o this prophecy inresources such as Te Expositors Bible

Commentary , which we quote below, or

other reliable re erence works. Ratherthan our quoting the entire scripturalpassage, we recommend that you readin your own Bible the verses we cite.

Daniel 11:2: Te three more kingsare Cambyses, the elder son o Cyrus;pseudo-Smerdis, an impostor whopassed himsel off as Cyruss youngerson, who had been secretly killed; and

Darius the Persian. Te Persian kingwho invaded Greece wasXerxes, whoreigned 485-464 B.C. (Expositors , p.128).

Verses 3-4: Verse 3 introduces ustothe rise o Alexander the Great(ibid.). Te language in verse 4 clearlysuggests that this mighty conquerorwas going to have a comparativelybrie reignIn seven or eight years heaccomplished the most dazzling militaryconquest in human history. But he livedonly our years more; anddied o a

ever in 323 (ibid.).Alexanders kingdom was divid-

ed among our smaller and weak-er empires (Expositors, p. 129).Alexanders in ant son had been mur-dered in 310 and an illegitimate brotherassassinated in 317. Tus there were nodescendants or blood relatives to suc-ceed Alexander himsel (ibid.). So his

The King of the North vs. the King of the South

Hagia Sophia basilica in Istanbul, which was originally a Christian cathedral,and which was later taken control of by Muslims and converted into a mosque.

Dual Fulfllment in Bible ProphecyMany prophecies in the Bible are

dual. In such cases a prophet speaksunder inspiration o God and a rst

ulllment o the prophecy comes topass. Ten, later, ofen at the end othe age be ore the return o Christ,comes a nal, ultimate ulllment.

An excellent example o duality isound in a prediction Joel made about

the Holy Spirit (Joel 2:28-3:2).God inspired the apostle Peter to

quote rom this passage to describeevents on the Day o Pentecost,when God ounded the Church aferJesus resurrection (Acts 2:14-21).Miraculous mani estations o Godspower through the Holy Spirit didindeed occur then (verses 1-12). Butthese were only the rst ulllment o

Joels prophecy. Te ultimate ulll-ment will come at the time o the endand will involve, among other things,the gathering o the nations to Gods judgment in the Valley o Jehoshaphat.Tis did not occur on the Day oPentecost. So we see that propheciescan be dual.

In a similar ashion, God inspiredmany other prophecies with dualmeanings. Tey applied as warningsto the Israelites at that time and aswarnings to the modern descendantso those same people. Te people oBritain, the United States, Canada,Australia and New Zealand and thenations o northwest Europe whorepresent these people today would dowell to heed these warnings.

The King of the North vs.the King of the South

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death because he re used to eat swinesesh. A mother and her seven childrenwere successively butchered, in thepresence o the governor, or re using topay homage to an image. wo motherswho had circumcised their new-bornsons were driven through the city andcast headlong rom the wall (CharlesP eiffer,Between the estaments, 1974,pp. 81-82).

Verse 31 : Tis re ers to the momen-tous events o Dec. 16, 168 B.C., whena crazed Antiochus entered Jerusalemand killed 80,000 men, women andchildren (2 Maccabees 5:11-14). Hethen desecrated the temple by offeringa sacrice to the chie Greek god, Zeus.Tis outrage was a orerunner o acomparable event that Jesus Christ saidwould occur in the last days (Matthew24:15).

Verses 32-35: Tese verses appear todescribe, on one level, the indomitablewill and courage o the Maccabees, a

amily o priests who resisted Antiochusand his successors. Te Maccabeesrevolt against the Syrian king was trig-gered when Mattathias, the leadingpriest in the city o Modeinaferkilling the officer o Antiochus whohad come to en orce the new decreeconcerning idolatrous worshipled aguerrilla band that ed to the hills(Expositors , p. 141).

Mattathias was aided in his causeby ve sons, most notably Judah orJudas, nicknamed Maqqaba (Aramaic

or hammer, whence derives the nameMaccabees). Many o these patriotsdied in this cause, but their heroics ulti-mately drove the Syrian orces rom thecountry.

On another level, these verses couldeven re er to the New estamentChurch, with their re erences to mighty

works, persecution and apostasy.

Historic Fulfllment Switches toFuture Fulfllment

At this point Daniels prophecy de-nitely takes on a different tone, re erringexplicitly to the time o the end nearthe end o verse 35. o quote Expositors:With the conclusion o the precedingpericope [extract] at v. 35, the predictivematerial that incontestably applies tothe Hellenistic empires and the contestbetween the Seleucids and the Jewishpatriots ends. Tis present section (vv.36-39) contains some eatures that hard-ly apply to Antiochus IV, though mosto the details could apply to him as wellas to his latter-day antitype, the beast.

Both liberal and conservative schol-ars agree that all o chapter 11 up tothis point contains strikingly accuratepredictions o the whole sweep o events

rom the reign o Cyrusto the unsuc-cess ul effort o Antiochus Epiphanes tostamp out the Jewish aith (Expositors,p. 143).

From this point orward a little morethan a century would pass be ore theRoman general Pompey would conquerJerusalem. From then on or many cen-turies, much o the Middle East passedto the control o the Roman Empire.

Te legacy o this north-south conictis easily seen today. ension betweena traditionally Christian Europe and adeeply Islamic Middle East to the southis at its highest levels since the Ottomanpush o the 19th century.

Tis age-old conict will likely reig-nite as the time o the end nears. Arevived Holy Roman Empire wouldseek greater inuence in this most vitalregion. And regional Muslim powerswould no doubt retaliate.

For a more in-depth analysis o thisprophetic uture conict, read our

ree study aidTe Middle East in Bible

Prophecy.

H ow can we know that the lastworld superpower will be amodern-day incarnation o theRoman Empire? Tere are a ew Bibleindicators that point in that direction.

One is ound in Revelation 13:3 andRevelation 13:12, where it is stated thatthis beast has a deadly wound that ishealed. Prophetically, what does this

mean?

Afer decades o decline, the RomanEmpire indeed received a deadlywound in A.D. 476 when RomesEmperor Romulus Augustulus wasdeposed by Germanic tribes led byOdoacer. But that was not the end othe Roman Empire. As we will see, thatwound was indeed healed, and theempire would rise againand again

and again through history.

Roman Revivals of aUnited Europe

Saint Peters Basilica, the Vatican.



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Te description o this beast inRevelation 17 is linked with a power uland inuential entity called a greatharlot (Revelation 17:1). Tis womanrepresents a great alse church that per-secutes the people o God and sits onseven hills (verse 9, NIV). Rome, ocourse, is amously known as the Cityo Seven Hills.

As stated earlier, hills or mountainscan be symbolic o governments orkingdoms, as is the case here.

Revelation 17:10 speaks o sevenkingsleaders o governments or

kingdomswho will continue a shorttime. O those seven kings, it says thatve have allen, one is, and the otherhas not yet come. Tat wording indi-cates that they rule in succession, oneafer another. Te nal seventh king iscalled the beast in Revelation 13:4.He will be allied with 10 other leadersor rulers who will receive authority

or one hour [symbolic o a short time]as kings with the beast and give theirpower and authority to the beast(Revelation 17:12-13).

Verse 14 makes it clear that the sev-enth king, the beast, will be in poweruntil Jesus Christ returns to destroyhim: Tese [the 10 allied rulers orleaders] will make war with the Lamb [Jesus Christ], and the Lamb will over-come them (Revelation 17:14).

A study o history shows the ulll-ment o these remarkable prophecies

in the orm o successive new leaders

o revivals o the Roman Empire aferits deadly wound o A.D. 476, whichwas healed. Tese revivals were incooperation with the Roman CatholicChurch. Lets see how this was ullledin recorded history and what lies aheadyet to be ullled.

1) Justinians ImperialRestoration

Afer Emperor Romulus Augustuluswas deposed, less than a century passedbe ore Justinian, the Eastern Romanor Byzantine emperor, ruling rom

Constantinople (mod-ern-day Istanbul), com-mitted himsel to restoringthe empire in the West,launching what would beknown to history as theImperial Restoration.

William Langers AnEncyclopedia of World

History states, Justinians whole policywas directed toward the establish-ment o the absolute power o theemperor and toward the revival of auniversal, Christian Roman Empire (1960, p. 172). Tis same work re ers toJustinians grandiose reconstruction ofthe Roman empire.

Te Roman church hierarchy playeda key role in this revival. As histori-an Will Durant points out, In 554Justinian promulgated a decree requir-ing that t and proper persons, able toadminister local government, be chosenas governors o the provinces by thebishops and chief persons o each prov-ince (Te Story of Civilization, Vol.4: Te Age of Faith, 1950, pp. 519-520,emphasis in original).

Te Roman Empire was alive again,having experienced its rst o sever-al revivals in league with the church.However, in the process o time, thisimperial revival waned and gradually

ell apart. Six more revivals were to ol-low Justinians restoration.

2) Charlemagne, Holy RomanEmperor

Te second o these prophesiedrevivals or resurrections o the RomanEmpire occurred at the time oCharlemagneCharles the Greatwhowas crowned by Pope Leo III in St.Peters Basilica in Rome in A.D. 800.Tis act was indicative o the powerand inuence the Roman church wouldhold over the empire in uture years,

when emperors would receive the title

Holy Roman Emperor.LangersEncyclopedia of World

History re ers to this time as theRevival of the Roman Empire inthe West (p. 155), adding thatCharlemagnes rule was a theocracy.

I there is any doubt that the RomanEmpire was very much alive throughCharlemagnes revival, he adopted as hisofficial title, Charles, the most sereneAugustus, crowned by God, great andpacic emperor, governing the Roman

Empire. 3) Otto I, The Great Emperor

Afer Charlemagnes death, hisempire was divided among his grand-sons, and although the imperial titlecontinued, the empire disintegrated andremained weak and divided until thetime o Otto the Great.

Te new emperor o the Germannation united the imperial realm mostlyby conquest. He received the title oRoman emperor in A.D. 962 when hewas crowned by Pope John XII. Tismarked the third o seven prophesiedrevivals or resurrections o the original

Roman Empire.

Roman Revivals of a United Europe

A study of history shows the ful llment ofthese remarkable prophecies in the form ofsuccessive new leaders of revivals of theRoman Empire.

Justinian I

Charlemagne

Otto I


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According to Langers Encyclopediaof World History, Ottos coronation bythe pope as Roman Emperor markedthe revival of the Roman Empire (p.216). His Latin-inscribed seal read OttoImperator AugustusOtto the GreatEmperor.

Te German newsmagazine DerSpiegel,in a 2007 special edition onhistory, made the ollowing observa-tion about the German emperor: Ottocalled himsel ruler of the Roman

Empire, even though it came to an end

a ew centuries earlier. Charlemagnehad already carried such a title.

A belie spread about by Christianswas that the Roman Empire would lastuntil the end of the world. Te prophetDaniel rom the Old estament proph-esied o our world empires; then theanti-Christ would come. Accordingto the conguration o the time, theRoman Empire would be the ourthempire. According to this interpreta-tion, Otto saved the people and as suchhighlighted the claim to be over allother rulers in Europe (p. 28).

Although the medieval concept oprophetic events as noted here wassomewhat muddled, it does show thatthe idea of the Roman Empire as a con-temporary power, and one that wouldexist at the time of the end of this age,was a well-established concept.

4) Charles V, On Whose Empirethe Sun Never Set

Although Otto passed rom thescene, his empire lasted or almost threecenturies be ore being divided by rival

actions.Tis was ollowed, afer nearly

two decades without an emperor, byRudolph I o the Habsburg amilybecoming King o the Romans in

1273this distinction being used or

those assuming the imperial thronewithout official coronation in Rome bythe pope (as circumstances ofen pre- vented this rom happening right awayor at all). Tis title gave way in 1508 toElected Emperor o the Romans, andemperors ceased making the journeyto Rome. Only one was crowned bythe popeCharles V o the houseo Habsburg in 1530 (all the electedemperors between 1438 and 1740 beingo this royal amily).

From his ather, Charles inherited the vast Habsburg possessions o CentralEurope, Germany and Italy. From hismother, daughter o the amed Spanishmonarchs Ferdinand and Isabella,he inherited Spain and its Americanpossessions. Ruling over an empire onwhich the sun never setan empireeven larger than ancient Romeshewas the most power ul man in theworld.

Determined to realize the age-olddream o a unied Europe, Charles Vsreign was the pinnacle o the ourthprophesied revival o the RomanEmpire. One o the greatest o thekings o Spain and Holy Roman emper-

or, [Charles V] was perhaps the last

emperor to attempt to realize the medi-eval idea of a unied empire embrac-ing the entire Christian world (TeEncyclopaedia Britannica, 15th edition,Micropaedia,Vol. 2, Charles V).

However, major challenges thwartedhis vision. In the course o his reignhe ought against France, the OttomanEmpire o Suleiman the Magnicent,Protestants, and even orces o thepope. He eventually abdicated in 1556,leaving his Spanish possessions to hisson Philip II and his Central Europeanholdings to his brother Ferdinand.

5) Napoleon, Rival ofCharlemagne and Alexander

One o historys most amous g-ures, Napoleon Bonaparte, was tolead the fh prophesied attempt toresurrect the Roman Empire with theendorsement o the Roman church.As Will Durant observed, Napoleondreamt of rivaling Charlemagne anduniting Western Europe then o ol-lowing Constantineto the capture oConstantinopleand proposed to rivalAlexander by conquering India ( TeStory of Civilization,Vol. 11: Te Ageof Napoleon, 1975, pp. 242-243). At theheight o his power he ruled 70 millionsubjects across the European continent.

Born on the Mediterranean islando Corsica, Napoleon began to make aname or himsel in the afermath o theFrench Revolution. Having received amilitary education in France, he quick-ly proved himsel a military genius incampaign afer campaign.

But military power wasnt enough tosatis y his ambitions. In 1799 Napoleonmaneuvered himsel into Frances toppolitical position. In 1804 he crownedhimsel emperor o France, and laterthat year was crowned Emperor

Napoleon I by Pope Pius II at Notre

Dame Cathedral in Paris. Be ore longhis military conquests led him to ruleEurope rom the Elbe River on the eastside o Germany to the Atlantic Ocean,as well as over Spanish and French ter-ritories in the New Worldthe greaterpart o the Americas.

Looking to Rome and Charlemagneor inspiration, Napoleon determined to

uni y Europe under his reign. However,his great ambitions proved his undoing.Plans to invade Britain ell apart aferhis navy was de eated by Admiral LordNelson at ra algar in 1805. In 1812 hisinvasion o Russia proved disastrous,with the loss o more than hal a millionmen. Forced to abdicate his throne, hewas sent into exile in 1814.

With this, the fh revival o theRoman Empire drew to a close. But thiswas not the end o imperialist attemptsto uni y Europe.

6) German and Italian DreamsGermany as we know it is a relatively

modern creation. Be ore Napoleon,there were literally hundreds o smallGerman states, each ruled by its ownprince, duke or king. Austria andPrussia were the most dominant. In

the 19th century Otto von Bismarck

Charles V

Napoleon

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managed to unite most German terri-tories under the Prussian Hohenzollerndynasty, with others allied with Austria.

In 1870 both groups o Germanstates ought together against France,and in 1871 Prussias King William(or Wilhelm) was proclaimed emper-or o Germany in the French palaceo Versailles. His title,kaiser, har-kened back to the Roman title Caesar.Centuries earlier Otto the Great hadestablished the rst great Germanempirethe First Reich. Now Germanyhad its Second Reich.

German dreams o a greater empireinevitably led to more war. In 1914 theFirst World War broke out, a conagra-tion that took the lives o millions andtrans ormed the ace o Europe. Butwhen it ended our years later, majorproblems remained. In the comingyears two new strongmen would arisewith new dreams to unite Europe and

expand beyondBenito Mussolini in

Italy and Adol Hitler in Germany. Boththese men signed agreements with theRoman church that gave legitimacy totheir ascist regimes.

Declaring the reappearance o theRoman Empire, Mussolini ormed analliance with Hitler, bringing about theRome-Berlin Axis. Adol Hitler proud-ly proclaimed Germanys Tird Reich,envisioning a new German empire thatwould rival the Holy Roman Empire othe German Nation established by Ottothe Great. Te sixth o the seven impe-rial revivals oretold in Revelation 17

was under way.From 1939 until

1945 the Allied andAxis powers ought theSecond World War,battling and bloody-ing each other acrossEurope, A rica, Asia

and the Atlantic and Pacic Oceans.Germanys dream o a Europe unitedunder a new empire almost succeeded,and at a horrendous cost. As in WorldWar I, millions perished and Europewas again lef in ruins.

In the devastated afermath o WorldWar II, it seemed unimaginablethat Europe could rise again. Many venerable cities had been bombed intorubble. Te dead were counted in thetens o millions. Old institutions andorganizations ceased to exist.

What happened next, ueled by U.S.dollars supplied under the Marshall

Plan, was an economic miracle:

Western Europe rebuilt and retooled itsindustry.

Modernized rom the ground up, inthe 1950s and 60s many o de eatedGermanys actories began to outclassthe actories o its national bene actor,the United States. Te old dream oa peace ul European union led to anorganization known as the European

Common Market.

The EU: A Seventh RomanRevival in the Making?

Adolf Hitler proudly proclaimed GermanysThird Reich, envisioning a new German empirethat would rival the Holy Roman Empire of theGerman Nation established by Otto the Great.

Mussolini and Hitler

A

r t w o r k o p p o s i t e p a g e : S

h a u n V e n

i s h / N

i c k S

l a u g

h t e r

The Bible is full of propheticcontent that holds meaningfor not only the future, butthe present. This studyaid explores propheciesGod has made in the past,His ful llment of them, Hispromises through covenants, and the gloriousfuture He has planned. Read our free study aidYou Can Understand Bible Prophecy for in-depthstudy on these topics and more.

Download it from our website or request it atthe address on the back page.

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In the last hal o the 20th centurythe Common Market gave way to theEuropean Union, a power ul alliancewith old enemies France and Germanyat the center. Te amount o interna-tional integration achieved under theEuropean Union is staggering.

But it is not in the orm that it willbe when Jesus Christ returns.

Returning to Revelation 17, we seethat John marveled with great amaze-ment at the vision he had seen othe woman and the beast (Revelation

17:6). An angel then explained to Johnthat the beast that you saw was, andis not, and will ascend out of the bot-tomless pit When they see it, peo-ple will marvelwhen they see thebeast that was, and is not, and yet is (Revelation 17:8).

What does such unusual wordingmean?

Having gone through this historicalbackground, we can now understandhow an empire could once exist, thendisappear, then reappear in a somewhatdifferent orm. Te act that this beast,symbolic o an empire, was, and isnot, and yet is tells us that the RomanEmpire, which does not exist at thistime as such, will be restored yet againin the near uture.

It was, meaning it existed in thepast, it currently is not, meaning itdoesnt exist at this moment, and yetis, or it remains an undercurrent in

European politics, and will ascend out

of the bottomless pitmeaning it isdestined to rise yet again.

Revelation 17:10 prophesies thatthere would be seven kings or rulerswho would lead resurrections o theRoman Empire in cooperation with theRoman church. Weve seen that so ar,there have been six. A seventh revival,called the beast and linked in proph-ecy to Gods intervention in humanaffairs with Christs return, lies ahead.

In 1957 six Western EuropeannationsWest Germany, France,

Italy, the Netherlands,Luxembourg andBelgiumcametogether to create theEuropean EconomicCommunity throughthe reaty o Rome.Tese groundbreaking

steps toward European unication weretaken in the ancient capital city o theRoman Empire and home to one o theworlds oldest and major religions.

Paul Henri Spaak, ormer secre-tary-general o NA O, later remarkedon that signing in a BBC documentary:We elt like Romans on that daywewere consciously recreating the RomanEmpire once more.

Europes long dream o unity retainsits hold on European leaders. Althoughslow to come together, and certainlynot yet in its nal orm, that union willemerge as a global superpower that willstun and shock the world.

Te European Union is now theworlds greatest economic power,accounting or more than a third o theglobes total gross domestic product. Itsthe largest exporter in the world. Teeuro, the EUs common currency, hasincreased in value almost 50 percentagainst the U.S. dollar since its intro-

duction in 2002.

Why Europe and Not the United States?One lesson o world history is

that great powers come and go.Since World War II the United

States has been the undisputedworld-leading superpower. Tis willnot always be the case. Bible proph-ecy shows that a different super-power will exist immediately be oreJesus Christs return. It will be agreat religious and commercial sys-tem whose trade, culture and strongmilitary dominates the world.

British historian Paul Kennedy,who now lectures at Yale, wrote hismonumental book Te Rise and Fallof the Great Powers in 1987. In it,looking back to the year 1500, heshowed that the qualities that leadto nations rising to power and thereasons or their decline and allhave certain commonalities: debtand imperial overreach.

Just as the British Empire col-lapsed due to debt and an over-stretched military, so the UnitedStates aces the same problemstoday. It stretches to eld enoughtroops or all its military commit-ments. Astronomical debt is a cru-cial and growing problem.

Only a generation ago the UnitedStates was in such sound nancialcondition that it was the worldsgreatest lender. Tats no longerthe case. Due to its overspending,its now one o the most indebtednations in history.

Teres another reason we canknow the United States wont bethat dominant superpower leadingthe world be ore Christs return:Tere are too many details given

in Bible prophecy about the beastpower that just dont t with thedescription o the United States.

Primarily, the description o thebeast in Daniel 7:7 says that thebeast was dread ul and terrible,exceedingly strong. It had huge ironteeth; it was devouring, breaking inpieces, and trampling the residuewith its eet. Tis beast was repre-sented by iron legs in the dream oNebuchadnezzar and as a beast withiron teeth in Daniel 7. Te historicRoman Empire ts this descriptionin that it ruthlessly crushed its ene-mies and ruled with an iron st.

In contrast, the United States as asuperpower on the world stage hasnever wielded power in the sameway other superpowers be ore ithave. Consider the afermath oWorld War II. Instead o annihi-lating its ormer enemies Germanyand Japan in a declaration o vic-tory, the United States enactedpolicies and spent considerablemoney to help those nations rebuildafer de eating them. Not that theU.S. has always had pure motivesor done the right thing in everycase (its dealings with the nativeAmerican people, or the U.S. gov-ernments complicity in the legaliza-tion and commercialization o abor-tion and pornography, or example).But as a sel -proclaimed beacon o

reedom in a world where commu-nism and dictatorship threatenedbillions around the globe, the U.S.has acted in many cases out o amotivation to do good or the peo-ple o any given country.

A seventh revival of the Roman Empire, calledthe beast and linked in prophecy to Godsintervention in human affairs with Christsreturn, lies ahead.

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Some EU leaders believe that theunion isnt developing ast enough orexing enough muscle on the worldscene. Tere has even been discus-sion o orming a coalition within theEuropean Union, led by France andGermany, that would speed up politicalunity.

Not all Europeans are greeting theconcept o an EU military orce withopen arms. Te joint U.S.-Europeanincursion into Kosovo in the late 1990srevealed the general reluctance omany European states to play a part inusing military orce. Te combined EUmembers sent only 50,000 troops to theBalkans, when they have almost 2 mil-lion men under arms.

Meanwhile the United States, withits major military commitment inA ghanistan and other orces scat-tered worldwide in the war on terror,is showing considerable weariness inacting as the worlds policeman. Insteado pursuing orce with Syria afer thatcountrys president Bashir al-Assadused chemical weapons on its ownpeople, the administration o BarackObama has pursued diplomacy instead.Likewise a recent diplomatic deal withIran has taken shape instead o the typ-ical threat o armed conict and sanc-tions that have been used in the past.

Europes Prophesied FutureTe events in Europe are ollowing a

historical patternan attempt to unitethe Spanish and Italians, Germans andSlavs, French and Scandinavians intoone empire.

Te current moves to expand andsolidi y the European Union appear tobe setting the stage or the emergenceo the end-time power Daniel proph-esied as being made o partly o iron

and partly o clay. In light o what Bible

prophecy reveals, its ascinating to notethe roots o the movement to uni yEurope.

Te idea o ounding a renewedRoman Empire was certainly on theminds o those whose efforts have ledto the current organization o Europeannations. Tat union has continued tostrengthen with greater cooperationand integration in economic and polit-ical affairs.

Te 10 kings who will give theirpower and authority to the beast willnot understand how monstrously eviltheir creation will become, ultimatelyplunging the world into catastrophe.

Revelation 17:14 clearly states thetime setting or this prophecy: Tesewill make war with the Lamb, andthe Lamb will overcome them TeLamb, o course, is Jesus Christ. Hewill not return until this prophecy o10 rulers who orm an end-time super-power is ullled. Yet all indications are

Why Not Asia?Many warn that China or anoth-

er Asian state or con ederationwill replace the United States asthe worlds dominant power. Andindeed the Bible does prophesy agreat power rising in the Far East.But its a power that comes withits own military against the beast(Revelation 9:14-16; 16:12). Tiscould very well include China, per-haps in alliance with other regionalpowers.

China is a great power and is setto become even more power ul.However, its clear that whateverstrength it wields will be separate

rom the beast power thats to come.

that His return must be soon (a orth-coming study aid Seven Prophetic SignsBefore Jesus Returnwill cover this topicin greater detail)and the appearanceo this empire will o course be evensooner.

As history shows, the Roman Empirehas allen, risen and allen several timesin the past. Be assured that it will riseonce more, yet soon aferward will bedestroyed and replaced by the nalsuperpowerthe Kingdom o God,ruled by Jesus Christ, which will

never

be destroyed!

The Final FallTe dreams o Julius Caesar,

Justinian, Charlemagne, Napoleon andMussolini have never died. Tey willresurge once moreyet will end inutter disaster. In Revelation 19 we ndout who destroys this nal empire. Herethe apostle John writes about a visionhe received concerning the uture:Now I saw heaven opened, and behold,a white horse. And He who sat on himwas called Faith ul and rue, and inrighteousness He judges and makes war.His eyes were like a ame o re, andon His head were many crowns. He hada name written that no one knew exceptHimsel . He was clothed with a robedipped in blood, and His name is calledTe Word o God (verses 11-13). Tisis the One we know as Jesus Christ.

Continuing: And the armies inheaven, clothed in ne linen, white andclean, ollowed Him on white horses.Now out o His mouth goes a sharpsword, that with it He should strike

the nations. And He Himsel will rule

them with a rod o iron. He Himseltreads the winepress o the ercenessand wrath o Almighty God. And Hehas on His robe and on His thigh aname written: K K L L (verses 14-16; see also verses 17-21).

Te last superpower o mendescribed in Bible prophecy will bereplaced by the nal superpowertheKingdom o God, led by Jesus Christ,which will rule the entire world.Prophecy was given by God to guideus through changing world conditions,

strengthen our aithand give us hope orthe uture. Our aithmust be in Him andour lives must be dedi-cated to doing His will

so we might ultimately be a part o thatKingdom.

Tis is what Bible prophecy revealsregarding the end time. Te oundationis laid, the structure is being built, andthe time or the seventh revival o theRoman Empirethe beastdraws evercloser.

Will you be ready to ace these eventsthat are destined to trans orm theworld?

The EU: A Seventh Roman Revival in the Making?

The last superpower of men described inBible prophecy will be replaced by the nalsuperpowerthe Kingdom of God.

The book of Revelation isfull of symbolism of whatwill happen in the future.Download or request ourfree study aid The Book ofRevelation Unveiledto getsome help understandingwhat that symbolism means, where the worldis headed and why.



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The Final Superpower:The Kingdom of GodAnd in the days of these kings the Godof heaven will set up a kingdom which

shall never be destroyed You saw thatthe stone was cut out of the mountainwithout hands, and that it broke in piecesthe iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, andthe gold The dream is certain, and itsinterpretation is sure. Daniel 2:44-45


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In Gods love, He revealed what willhappen in the coming years so thatwe may not be discouraged, butinstead have hope. Te beast power oRome will persecute Gods people andrule the world with iron cruelty.

Revelation pictures the end-timesuperpower as a woman dressed inpurple and scarlet, riding a on a scar-let beast. John vividly writes that sheappeared drunk with the blood o thesaints and with the blood o the martyrso Jesus (Revelation 17:3-6). So thisgreat superpower will be responsible orthe killing o some o Jesus own disci-ples in the end time, as well as bringinggreat cataclysm on the world at large.

It is a dire and bleakimage, but Jesus Christ willintervene be ore mankindcan ully destroy himsel .He will come in power tobreak the oppressive reigno the end-time superpower.It is at this time that the

ulllment o the prophecyin Daniel 2:34-35 comes topass: You watched while astone was cut out without hands, whichstruck the image on its eet o iron andclay, and broke them in pieces. Tenthe iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver,and the gold were crushed together,and became like chaff rom the sum-mer threshing oors; the wind carriedthem away so that no trace o them was

ound. And the stone that struck theimage became a great mountain andlled the earth.

A Kingdom of Peace to Replacean Empire of War

As mentioned earlier a mountain cansymbolize a nation or kingdom. Testone cut without hands pictures Gods

Kingdom that is established when Jesus

returns. Tat it strikes and destroysthe statue o Nebuchadnezzars visionis indicative that Gods Kingdom sup-plants and replaces the series o worldsuperpowers that have ruled the earth

or the last several thousand years.Ten the seventh angel sounded: Andthere were loud voices in heaven, say-ing, Te kingdoms o this world havebecome the kingdoms o our Lord ando His Christ, and He shall reign oreverand ever! (Revelation 11:15).

Compare this with Daniels prophecyo the same event: And in the days othese kings the God o heaven will setup a Kingdom which shall never bedestroyed; and the Kingdom shall not

be lef to other people; it shall break inpieces and consume all these kingdoms,and it shall stand orever (Daniel 2:44).

Tis scripture indicates that theKingdom o God will exist as a lit-eral, world-ruling government, justas the beast power that will precedeit will exist as a literal, world-rulingsuperpower. Tere will be a tangible Kingdom on earth which will ruleover the kingdoms o this world!Zechariah 14:16 and Isaiah 2:2-4 clearlypicture the people who live through thetribulation until Christs return trav-eling to Jerusalem, which will be thecapital o Gods government, in order tolearn Gods ways and to worship Christ:

And it shall come to pass that every-

one who is lef o all the nations whichcame against Jerusalem shall go up

rom year to year to worship the King,the L o hosts, and to keep the Feasto abernacles (Zechariah 14:16).

Now it shall come to pass in thelatter days that the mountain o theL s house shall be established onthe top o the mountains, and shall beexalted above the hills; and all nationsshall ow to it. Many people shall comeand say, Come, and let us go up to themountain o the L , to the houseo the God o Jacob; He will teach usHis ways, and we shall walk in Hispaths. For out o Zion shall go orththe law, and the word o the L romJerusalem. He shall judge between thenations, and rebuke many people; theyshall beat their swords into plowshares,and their spears into pruning hooks;nation shall not lif up sword againstnation, neither shall they learn war any-more (Isaiah 2:2-4).

God Is Inviting You to Be in HisKingdom

Te greatest aspect o GodsKingdom is that the world o peaceit will rule over is open and availableto all mankind. Jesus was speakingto all who would listen when He saidwe should seek rst the kingdom oGod and His righteousness (Matthew6:33). Tis message o Gods Kingdomand your potential to enter it was the very heart and core o Jesus gospelmessage.

When we hear and understand thegospel o the Kingdom o God, Jesusexpects us to repent and believe thegood news about this Kingdom (Mark1:14-15).

Accepting Jesus command torepent and believe this message, this

good news, is the rst step to being

a part o His Kingdom. We can turnto God or orgiveness and reconcili-ation through Jesus Christ and beginto live by the laws o the Kingdom oGod as taught by Jesus Christ. Tosewho re use to live Gods holy way oli e will be re used entrance into theKingdom o God and eternal li e (1Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21;Ephesians 5:5).

Jesus warned o obstacles thatcan prevent our entrance into theKingdom (Matthew 5:20; 19:23-25;Mark 9:47; Luke 18:17; John 3:5). oenter the Kingdom, we must gain aproper outlooka humble, teach-able, childlike attitudeaccompa-nied by real repentance, baptism andthe receiving o Gods Holy Spirit(Matthew 18:3; John 3:3-5; Acts 2:38).

I you want to know more aboutbaptism and how your li e can change,please also read our ree study aid TeRoad to Eternal Life. Tis knowledgeis vital to your entering the Kingdomo God.

Seeking Gods Kingdom mustbecome our highest priority, no matterwhat the difficulties. Paul said, Wemust through many tribulations enterthe kingdom o God (Acts 14:22).Jesus encourages us to overcome thesedifficulties by keeping the Kingdomo God as our primary goal (Matthew6:33). He urges us to pray or GodsKingdom to come (Matthew 6:10).

When our lives are devoted to seek-ing Gods Kingdom, our outlook willbe like the heroes o aith in Hebrews11. Notice these inspiring words abouttheir mindset: Tese all died in aith,not having received the promises,but having seen them a ar off wereassured o them, embraced them, andcon essed that they were strangers and

pilgrims on the earth Tere ore

It is a dire and bleak image, but JesusChrist will intervene before mankind canfully destroy himself. Jesus Christ willcome in power to break the oppressivereign of the end-time superpower.

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God is not ashamed to be called theirGod, or He has prepared a city orthem (verses 13, 16). Te patriarchsconsidered themselves strangers andpilgrims because they looked orwardto the Kingdom o God. Teir liveswere centered on that Kingdom, noton their physical, material li e.

God reveals His wonder ul truth tothose He is calling now (John 6:44).Jesus Christ said His message wouldbe preached at the end time be oreHis second coming. And this gospelo the kingdom will be preached inall the world as a witness to all thenations, and then the end will come(Matthew 24:14).

Te United Church o God is com-mitted to proclaiming this messageand invites you to ollow Jesus Christscalling to believe and respond to it.

Te message Jesus brought is called,appropriately, the good newsthe gos-pelo the Kingdom o God. And itreally is good news. Its the most won-der ul news imaginable to mankind.Jesus Christ is asking you to believe

that good news and seek rst HisKingdom. I you do, Jesus said in Luke12:32, it will be Gods pleasure to giveyou the Kingdom!

ConclusionTe Kingdom o God, not the beast

o Revelation, will be the true LastSuperpowerthe nal Empire thatwill ever rule over the people o theearth. As Daniel 2:44 said, it will con-sume all these kingdoms, and it shallstand orever. Not only does this indi-cate that the Kingdom has not yet beenestablished, but it also veries that theKingdom is a real government that willexist on the earth! It will be a time ounprecedented peace, prosperity andtrue justice. Tis Kingdom was the

ocal point o Christs gospel ministry,and the United Church o God is ded-icated to carrying out His commissionto spread that gospel. For additionalresources that you can access right nowto learn about the Kingdom o God,check out our ree study aid Te Gospelof the Kingdom.

We live in a world driftingever further from God andgrowing more dangerousand unsteady by the day.What should we expectin the days ahead? Whatdoes Bible prophecy foretellwill happen before Jesus Christ returns? Readour free study aid Are We Living in the Time ofthe End? for more in-depth study on this topic.Request or download your free copy today!



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Then the seventh angel sounded: And therewere loud voices in heaven, saying, Thekingdoms of this world have become thekingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and Heshall reign forever and ever!Revelation 11:15

O

p p o s i t e p a g e : A

l a n U s t e r / i S t o c k / T

h i n k s t o c k

The Middle East is a crucialregion of the world. Birth-place of the three majormonotheistic religionsChristianity, Judaism andIslamit is also the sourceof much of the lifeblood ofthe worlds economy, oil. Why is this area in somuch turmoil? Where will it lead? Be sure toread our free study aid The Middle East in BibleProphecy.



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Contributors: Scott Ashley, Milan Bizic, Darris McNeely, Mitchell Moss, Gary Petty, Melvin Rhodes, TomRobinson, Don Ward.Reviewers: Peter Eddington, Darris McNeely, Steve Myers.Design: Mitchell Moss

Photo/Artwork credits: Cover: Alan Uster/iStock/Thinkstock.Page 8, 26: Long, Bruce,Daniels Dream of

Nebuchadnezzars Image, CGI, 2011. (United Church of God).Page 14: Stattler, Wojciech,Maccabees, oil on canvas, 1842 (National Museum, Krakow).Page 16: Meister von San Vitale,Justinian I ,mosaic, 547 (San Vitale in Ravenna). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Meister_von_San_Vitale_in_Ravenna.jpg.Page 17:Drer, Albrecht,Kaiser Karl der Groe,oil on panel, 1514 (GermanischesNationalmuseum, Nuremberg). http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Albrecht_D%C3%BCrer_047. jpg; Cranach the Elder, Lucas, Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, 1535. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Otto_I_HRR.jpg.Page 18: Rubens, Peter Paul,Charles V in Armour, oil on canvas, 1605(Private collection). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Peter_Paul_Rubens_-_Charles_V_in_Armour_-_WGA20378.jpg. Page 19: David, Jacques-Louis,The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries, oil on canvas, 1812 (National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Jacques-Louis_David_-_The_Emperor_Napoleon_in_His_Study_at_the_Tuileries_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg. Page 20: Jugoslavije, Muzej, Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler, photograph, 1937. (Public

2013 United Church of God, an International Association www.ucg.orgP.O. Box 541027, Cincinnati, OH 45254-1027

Whats InsideIntroduction: A Snapshot of World Affairs

2The Dreaming King and the Slave4

The King of the Northvs. the King of the South10

Roman Revivals of a United Europe15

The EU: A Seventh RomanRevival in the Making?21

The Final Superpower:The Kingdom of God26

Bible Study Aid: The Final Superpower

Documents

Transcript of Bible Study Aid: The Final Superpower