Europe: The Last World Empire? - Part 2

Let’s continue to the individual sections of the statue. The head is made of high-quality, solid gold. It symbolizes Babylon, the dominion of Daniel’s day. The chest and arms are made of silver; this is Medo-Persia. The stomach and loins are made of bronze; this is Greece. The thighs are of iron; this is Rome. And next follow the feet of iron and clay.

Thinking somewhat ironically beyond the literal metals, one thing is striking: Human government is constantly going downhill. Each metal in turn loses value but increases in strength. Empires are becoming more brutal.

The First Empire: Babylon
The first empire is the head of gold, Babylon. Daniel says, “You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all—you are the head of gold” (Dan 2:37-38).

Gold represents absolute rule. It is absolute sovereignty, the prerogative of the Most High. He decides, and can implement his decisions. When we arrive at the silver, we see that this dominion isn’t as unlimited as the one under Nebuchadnezzar, who was even called “the king of kings.” That title truly belongs to the Lamb, who is worthy. The true King of kings is the Messiah, Jesus Christ. And the Antichrist is His exact opposite.

Babylon of that day was a thoroughly pagan kingdom characterized by the occult, esotericism, Babel’s anti-godly wisdom, and the prestige of the great king Nebuchadnezzar. This is a striking foreshadowing of the end times, as we can look to Babylon of Daniel’s day as a model of the anti-Christian empire to come. According to Genesis, Babylon means “confusion.” Nebuchadnezzar is a type of anti-Christ, so he wanted his image (the statue in Daniel 3) to be worshiped by everyone. This is reminiscent of the speaking image of the Antichrist in Revelation.

What’s interesting is that God was the One who gave Nebuchadnezzar this position as the head of gold; He put the kingship into his hands. That’s an encouraging fact, because the same will be true of the Antichrist: God dictates what he can and cannot do. The limits of the devil’s fury in the Great Tribulation are established by God. Incidentally, it was similar for Job: Satan had to ask what he was permitted to do. It is Christ Himself who opens the seals in the Tribulation, and it is God who dispatches the horsemen to do their destructive work (Rev 6).

Nebuchadnezzar ruled over all living things ... meaning the known world at that time. So, his empire is a small version of the great one at the end, when the devil and his partners will actually rule over the whole earth from end-time Babylon. Across the ages and through various governments, Babel’s seed will sprout into a terrible harvest, being fulfilled many times over at the end of this age.

The Second Empire: Medo-Persia
The second empire is represented by the chest and arms of silver: Medo-Persia. Its nature is dealt with only briefly. All that is said is that it is lesser, made of silver. It’s appropriate that it consists of two arms joined by the chest: the Medes and Persians. Our bodies have a dominant arm and hand, and the same was true in this empire. Persia was the stronger of the two, but we can also see that its dominion and glory were no longer as absolute as with the head of pure gold.

Babylon was also an influential city in this empire. So, we can say that Babylon is the head, containing the brain that enables the rest of the body (sculpture) to function.

The Third Empire: Greece
The third kingdom is the stomach and loins of bronze: Greece. This empire is also dealt with in few words. The loins and abdomen are soft, pliable, and flexible. This empire, under Alexander the Great, is said to have ruled over the entire (known) world. It conquered very quickly. That too is a foreshadowing of the great empire of the last days.

After the death of Alexander, Greece was divided by the Diadochi into four kingdoms (cf. Dan 8). Here again, we see divided rather than absolute rule.

The Fourth Empire: Rome
The fourth empire is the two thighs of iron: Rome. Iron is described as crushing everything. Nothing could stand in its way; it is cruel and strong. Further along in its history, the Roman Empire divided into East and West—hence, two legs. There were also numerous changes in rulers: kings, consuls, tribunes, and Caesars … an iron empire indeed, but with less absolute rule than the ones that came before it. Many countries today, especially in the West, have political structures and ways of thinking that are shaped by Roman ones. There was even a form of democracy in the Roman Empire; the people definitely had their say.

When we consider the statue, we realize that the further down we go on its body, the more world history and time goes by.

And then Daniel reaches the feet. The feet were partly of iron and partly of clay. In fact, Rome of that time degenerated more and more over time. There is still speculation today as to why the empire simply perished. It’s widely believed it was a gradual decline, caused in large part by migration of Germanic tribes southward into the area. Some Bible scholars also see this mingling of peoples as the fulfillment of the feet of iron and clay, which can’t adhere to each other. In fact, this may be a foreshadowing of the great empire of the last days, but it can’t be completely fulfilled yet. Why not?

As we know, the mystery that Daniel is explaining continues until the end of time, when the first stone that breaks the feet will come loose. This means that the feet and their mingling speak of the time just before and at our Lord’s return. Daniel 2:44 says that the kingdom of Christ will come in the days represented by the feet. 

So, we ask, which empire can the feet symbolize? Ancient Rome is long gone. Is it a revived end-time Rome? Is Europe the last empire before the stone comes?

The Anti-Christian Empire
Rome perished bit by bit. From a biblical perspective, is it absolutely essential that there be a literal new Rome? I don’t believe so. The government represented by the feet doesn’t necessarily have to be present-day Europe. It’s possible, but today’s world is so fast-paced that it’s anyone’s guess how things will develop.

However, it’s interesting that we can still see Roman influence on a global level. Roman political structures, democracy, and imperialism have remained to some degree, especially in the Western world.

Today’s imperialism is striving for political and economic influence over other countries, to the point of subjugation or assimilation. In a sense, this reality came through Rome. The Romans pacified the regions they conquered by dividing power with the local elites. This was a new historical development: Not only did the Romans gain power, but also the previous rulers were able to retain theirs through treaties with Rome. This was different from imperialism as it had previously been known.

This means it’s entirely possible that the feet (the anti-Christian empire) behave in the spirit of Roman imperialism. The feet flow from the legs as cultural influence flowed from Rome. Apart from that, every world empire functions according to the principles held by its head—the spirit of Babylon. And by this reasoning, the empire wouldn’t have to be limited to a precise geographic region.

Could it be that we’re often simply too narrow-minded in how we’re thinking about world politics? The anti-Christian empire will be a divided kingdom made of iron and clay, partly strong and partly fragile. Daniel 2:43 says, “As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay.”

What does the phrase, “they mix with one another in marriage,” actually mean? Who are “they”? If it was referring to a mixing of people groups, the Bible would probably have formulated the sentence that way. The broader context of Daniel is important here, particularly chapter 10. It mentions the princes of the empires of Persia (v. 13) and Greece (v. 20), as well as the archangel Michael, who fights for Israel. So, this verse isn’t speaking of people, but powers and princes of the angelic world. The New Testament tells us that the devil works in the sons of disobedience. Demonic beings mislead and seduce world powers. Every ideology throughout world history is inspired by other-worldly powers that rule the earth. And we see this influence all the more clearly when the authority or government is anti-Christian. This may explain the increasingly strange decisions that are being made, as well as statements that make less and less sense.

“They mix with one another in marriage…”

Is it possible this refers to the mixing of angelic beings and humans? Clay represents creatures in the Bible. As man says to God, “We are the clay, and you are our potter” (Isa 64:8). And the metals of the statue could well refer to the angelic powers behind the world empires.

What will it be like when the stone is loosed, when the Son of Man comes again to establish His kingdom and crush the kingdoms of this world? Christ says in His end-time discourse that it will be like it was in the days of Noah (Matt 24:37). And one unusual feature of those days was that the sons of God—angelic beings—mingled with the people (Gen 6:2). Their union produced the Enakites, giants who wanted to keep the Promised Land for themselves. Goliath was one of them, and he rebelled against God. This scenario could, in a sense, be repeated.

The Bible particularly expresses the rebellion of the dark powers and of the people in Revelation. It also describes the big event at the end: The abyss opens; strange grasshopper-like creatures afflict the earth; demons lead the nations to Armageddon; and the anti-Christian empire rises…

Let’s remain with the statue and its feet. Two feet have ten toes, and we also find this number in Revelation. The final anti-Christian empire is represented as a ten-horned beast, which has authority over the whole earth (Rev 13:1-7). Horns are a sign of power. So, these horns are a reference to ten militarily strong end-time rulers. It could also hint at a confederation of ten states, which give power to the anti-Christian empire. It doesn’t necessarily have to be Europe or Rome, but it’s quite possible that these are Western countries. These ten kings will submit to the harlot Babylon for a time (Rev 17:3). That’s significant.

In the statue, Babylon is the head. And the rest of the body, including the feet, usually does what the head wants. In the Bible, a head represents dominion and leadership. In Revelation, Babylon rides the beast—the anti-Christian empire. We can only imagine how brutal this empire will be. But the good news is: This isn’t the final stop on the journey. There’s more!

In one fell swoop, nothing will be as it was. A stone breaks loose without human help. The whole figure is shattered: first the feet, and then all the rest. Iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold become one mass together, and then are ground up and blown away like chaff in the wind. Not a trace remains. The whole rebellion is gone in a single blow! Only then is the statue completely destroyed, although the four world empires have long since passed into history. This could also be an indication that we’re dealing with otherworldly powers, and the princes of Daniel 10 still exist today.

The vision of the statue shows us how man’s greatest brutality and God’s adversaries will dissolve into thin air with a single stone’s throw. We see that the day will come when all suffering will end. The time of injustice will come to an end. The tall statues in our own lives that tie our stomach in knots, will come to an end. Anxiety, persecution, wars, claims to other nations’ resources, and politicians’ lust for power will come to an end.

The stone becomes a great mountain: the messianic kingdom. This mountain fills the whole earth, and peace and justice reign. And this kingdom will never fall. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end in our earthly life. But when God’s kingdom arrives, it will endure. God has promised it. And so, Daniel concludes by saying, “The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure” (Dan 2:45).

Midnight Call - 08/2024