Episode 51 reviews past teachings on the end times scenario and the nature of the antichrist, and then moves to an explanation of Daniel chapter 2 and his extraordinary prophecy of the “great image.”

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Transcript
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The Future of the Teachings of Jesus
The “End Times” in Daniel Chapter 2 (Ep. 51)
The Great Image

March 2025

Part 1. Introduction and Review

The rider on a white horse. The last podcast (Ep. 50) outlined the major descriptions in Daniel and Revelation of the person represented as a rider on a white horse in Revelation chapter 6. He is the first of “the four horsemen of the apocalypse” to appear. He goes out “conquering and to conquer” (Rev 6:2). This leads directly to the appearance of the remaining three horsemen who symbolize the results of his conquering activity: war, famine death, and Hades. It is this rider on a white horse who initiates the tribulation period and “the end times.”

Characterizations and descriptions of the rider on a white horse. From the various references in Daniel and Revelation to this rider on a white horse we gain an expanded idea of this “end times” figure; he is characterized as a conqueror in Revelation chapter 6, the ruler of a revived Roman empire in Daniel chapter 7, a conqueror arising out of one of the four divisions of Alexander the Great’s empire in Daniel chapter 8, the last king of the North in Daniel chapter 11, a beast in Revelation chapter 13, and the antichrist in First John chapter 1. In both Revelation and Daniel this person appears, conquers, and rules much the world including Israel, exalts himself above God, and is destroyed at the “time of the end.”

The end times scenario-phase 1.  By observing the various prophesies of this end time conqueror, we may construct a scenario outlining four major phases of the events that will occur at the “time of the end.” First, a figure will arise out of small beginnings, and go out “conquering and to conquer” (Rev 6:2).

Phase 2. Second, he will be very successful, conquer mighty men and the people of the saints, and dominate much of the world. He will overrun Israel and Jerusalem, blaspheme God and Jesus, setup the abomination that makes desolate, and proclaim himself God.

Phase 3. Third, after desecrating the sanctuary in Jerusalem for three and one-half years, he will incur the judgment of God, and be utterly defeated and destroyed by heavenly forces under Jesus. This destruction of the antichrist and all the other nations that come against Jerusalem will bring about the end of the present world order.

Phase 4. This destruction of the secular, corrupt, and evil governments that rule our world will clear the way for phase 4–the coming of the kingdom of God to rule over the nations of men. This will transport us into a bright new spiritual age. It will be a time of vastly improved ethics, morals, and human relations. We will begin to live the teachings of Jesus. Strengthened, stabilized, and inspired by the actual rule of God over the nations we will advance to a new era characterized by the more perfect doing of the will of God.

Other “end times” prophecies. Aside from these major teachings regarding the end times in Daniel and Revelation there are a number of other important prophecies that provide additional insights and confirm this end times scenario.

Part 2. Daniel Chapter 2–The Great Image

Daniel 2. Daniel chapter 2 provides a great beginning for the study of prophecy, because in this one chapter Daniel outlines the entire future history of the world extending from the beginning of Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian empire in 604 BC through to the “time of the end,” and forever after.

The great image. In Daniel chapter 2 Nebuchadnezzar has a dream of a frightening figure that puzzles and disturbs him. God provides Daniel with the interpretation of the dream, and he relays it to Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel tells the king that the great image he saw in the dream represents four great world empires that will arise in sequence to dominate the Western world. They begin with Babylon, represented by the image’s head of gold, followed by Persia, represented by its breast and arms of silver, then Greece, represented by the belly and thighs of bronze, then Rome, represented by the legs of iron, and ending with Rome divided, represented by the feet and toes of iron and clay.

Rome becomes divided. Unlike the first three empires, Rome was not conquered by a succeeding empire, but over time, and through various barbarian invasions, it fragmented into its original provinces. As Daniel says:

It [Rome] shall be a divided kingdom. (Dan 2:41; my insertion)

they will mix with one another…but they will not hold together (Dan 2:43)

The original Roman provinces evolve into the modern states of Europe. This dividing of the original Roman empire into its constituent provinces is represented by the legs of iron becoming the feet and toes of iron and clay. These provinces that were once a part of Rome eventually evolved into the modern European states we recognize today such as Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Britain.

The image is a timeline. It is important to realize that the image presents an unbroken timeline of history, divided into five sequential periods. It begins with the head, Babylon, and proceeds in an unbroken temporal sequence through Persia, Greece, Rome, and ends with the Roman empire divided into its original provinces and eventual modern European states.

The timeline ends with the feet and toes. Why does the timeline end with the feet and toes of iron and clay? Here is what the prophecy says:

As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it smote the image on its feet of iron and clay and broke them in pieces…so that not a trace of them could be found (Dan 2:34-35).

The end of human history. The timeline of the great image ends with the feet and toes because they represent the human states that are in existence at the “time of the end’ and are destroyed by the stone that is “cut out by no human hand.” This is the end of human history, the end of purely human government, and the end of the imperialistic, authoritarian, evil, and corrupt governments of men that oppress our world.

Phase 3. It is noteworthy that the stone striking the great image is a very clear and graphic representation of Phase 3 of the end times scenario, the destruction by divine forces of the kingdoms of men. This brings to an end the present world order. The failed human kingdoms, which are symbolized by the toes of iron and clay, are utterly destroyed and swept away “so that not a trace of them could be found.”

Phase 4. Phase 4 of the end times scenario, the coming of God’s kingdom to rule over the nations of the world is also clearly presented in this prophecy.

This coming of God’s rule is symbolized in the dream by the fact that the divine stone became a great mountain that expanded and occupied the entire earth. As Daniel says in chapter 2, verse 35:

But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

Confirmation of phase 4. This coming of a divine government to rule over the nations of men in made even clearer and more explicit in verse 44. Here Daniel reveals the hidden meaning of the stone that destroyed the image and filled the earth. He states:

And in the days of those kings [who are represented by the toes of the image] the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall its sovereignty be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end and it shall stand forever” (Dan 2:44; my insertion).

We are now living at the time of the end. We should notice that the dream reveals we are now living in the fifth and final period depicted in the image. We are living “in the days of those kings” who are represented by “the feet and toes of iron and clay.” This is the “end times’ period when God will destroy the sinful kingdoms of men and institute His divine rule on the earth. We have been in this fifth period for a long time. Phase 3, the destruction of human kingdoms, and phase 4, the coming of God’s kingdom, have not yet occurred, but world conditions are growing ripe for such climatic events to come to fruition.

Summary. In summary, the prophecy of the great image accords well with the many Biblical prophecies that the end times will bring the destruction of the secular and totalitarian human kingdoms (phase 3), and thereby, make way for the coming of the everlasting rule of God over the nations of men (phase 4).