Times of the Gentiles, Part 4 - Babylon Past and Future (Daniel 2; 7; Revelation 13)a

© 2020 Tony Garlandb

Jerusalem fell to Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon

  1. The divine, global mandate to rule by Nebuchadnezzar/Babylon

    1. Passage: Jeremiah 27:4-8

      4 ‘And command them to say to their masters, “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel-thus you shall say to your masters: 5 I have made the earth, the man and the beast that [are] on the ground, by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and have given it to whom it seemed proper to Me. 6 And now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant; and the beasts of the field I have also given him to serve him. 7 So all nations shall serve him . . . 8 And it shall be, [that] the nation and kingdom which will not serve Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and which will not put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation I will punish,’ says the LORD, ‘with the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.’ (Jer. 27:4-8)

Revelation given Daniel/Nebuchadnezzar: sequence of Gentile Kingdoms

  1. Time period: throne of David unoccupied

  2. Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (Daniel 2) is parallel to David’s vision (Daniel 7)

    1. One is the Gentile (humanist) perspective (Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel 2) = glorious

    2. One is the Divine perspective (Daniel, Daniel 7) = beast-like

  3. The sequence of kingdomsc (subset of 7)

    1. Diagram: Babylon, Head of Gold, Lion with Eagle’s Wings (begins the Times of the Gentiles, 587 B.C.)

    2. Diagram: Medo-Persia, Chest and Arms of Silver, Bear with Three Ribs

    3. Diagram: Greece, Belly and Thigh of Bronze, Leopard with Four Wings and Four Heads

    4. Diagram: Rome, Legs of Iron, Dreadful and Terrible Beast

    5. Diagram: Rome divided and dispersed, Feet of Iron and Clay, Ten Horns

    6. Diagram: Antichrist, Little Horn - Babylon Future

    7. Diagram: Millennial Kingdom, Stone Cut Without Hands (ends the Times of the Gentiles at Second Coming)

    8. Sequence spans the Times of the Gentiles - no occupant on the throne of David

Babylon throughout Scripture: Babel (Nimrod, Gen. 10:10) → Neo-Babylonia (Nebuchadnezzar) → Babylon Future (the Beast)

  1. The ultimate expression of humanism — imagined achievement and greatness independent of God

  2. Bookends for the Times of the Gentiles

    1. First/last Gentile rulers: Nebuchadnezzar / Beast

    2. Boastful mouths

      1. Daniel 4:30

        The king spoke, saying, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?” (Daniel 4:30)

      2. Daniel 7:25

        He shall speak pompous words against the Most High . . . (Daniel 7:25a)

      3. Revelation 13:5

        And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. (Revelation 13:5)

    3. Beast-like for 7 years: Nebuchadnezzar / Beast

    4. Demand worship of their image under penalty of death: Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 3) / Beast (Rev. 13)

    5. Persecution with special focus on the Jews

      1. Daniel’s friends in the fiery-furnace, by Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 3)
      2. Jewish believers in the Tribulation, by the Beast (Revelation 12:13-17)

        Sat Jan 18 19:16:49 2020

        SpiritAndTruth.org Scan Code        d

Links Mentioned Above
a - See https://spiritandtruth.org/teaching/Times_of_the_Gentiles/004_Babylon_Past_and_Future/index.htm.
b - See https://spiritandtruth.org/id/tg.htm.
c - See ../../Book_of_Daniel/commentary/htm/topics/kingdoms.html#4.5.
d - See https://spiritandtruth.org.