One World Empire

2021-12-04

Another characteristic of the last seven years is the existence of a one world government and empire. Daniel recounts his vision of four major empires in Daniel 2 and Daniel 7. The first three empires are Babylon, Persia, and Greece. However, a fourth empire emerges after these.

The fourth empire is identified with iron, indicating its strength: “And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise” (Daniel 2:40) and “It had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces” (Daniel 7:7).

The fourth empire is associated with ten kings. Some will be strong kings, and others weak (the ten toes in Daniel 2:42). After those ten, another king arises, and that new king will subdue three of them at some point (Daniel 7:24). These ten kings give allegiance to this latter king, which (I believe) is the Antichrist (Revelation 17:12-13). Mystery Babylon, to be discussed at another time, is seemingly some sort of rival to the Antichrist and his kingdom, so the ten kings will destroy it (Revelation 17:16-17).

This fourth kingdom is Rome, but it takes a little more explanation. We saw previously in yesterday’s post that “the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary” (Daniel 9:26). These were Romans that destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple in A.D. 70. However, this prince that shall come “shall confirm the covenant with many for one week” (Daniel 9:27). This clearly has not happened yet; it is the future 70th week of Daniel. This prince that shall come must be a Roman. Whether that means he is specifically Roman, or an Italian, it is not for sure. But he is connected with those ancient people somehow.

However, the Roman empire fell a millennium and a half ago. This means, from God’s point of view, the empire of the Antichrist is seen as a revival of the Roman empire in some way and will share much of the characteristics of Rome. It will become clearer when we enter those days. Rome started as a republic, but eventually became an empire with a supreme ruler. Since much of the west is characterized by democracies or republics today, we could see how history might repeat itself. This new Roman Empire, headed by the Antichrist, will have worldwide power and influence: “and all the world wondered after the beast” (Revelation 13:3). This is unlike the old Roman Empire which had no dominion over, for example, the Americas or the Far East.

How can we see this emerging today? We can see this first in the League of Nations and then in the United Nations. The United Nations had a role in establishing modern Israel. We could also see this possibly in the European Union. It is impossible to tell at this point, but huge multinational alliances and organizations such as these could foreshadow what is to come. It really depends on how close we are to the final seven years.