Understanding Biblical Timelines, part 3: The Times of the Gentiles (part 2)

Intro

Title - The Times Of The Gentiles

Text -

Luke 21:24 NKJV

24 And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

Review of Part 1

Jesus pridected the destruction of Jerusalem and its subsequent state until the consummation of the “times of the Gentiles”

the Times of the Gentiles

is a time of Gentile dominatoin over Israel

is the

began with the conquest and destruction of Jerusalem by King nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in 605 B.C.

will end at the second coming of Christ

will be a succession of kingdoms, namely:

the babylonian kingdom

the Medo-Persian kingdom

the Grecian kingdom

the Roman kingdom

the joint rule of 10 kingdoms

the dream of king nebuchadnezzar

[SHOW ILLUSTRATION NO. 1 - THE GREAT IMAGE]

Daniel’s Vision

Daniel’s vision has two parts

The Vision of the Four Beasts

Read:

Daniel saw in his dream the following:

four great beasts came from the sea

the first - like a lion that had eagle’s wings; its wings were plucked off, was lifted from the earth and made to stand like a man; it was given a man’s heart

the second - like a bear; it raised up on one side and had three ribs in its mouth

the third - like a leopard; it had four wings of a bird; it had four heads

the fourth - dreadful and terrible and very strong; it had huge iron teeth; it had ten horns

a little horn -

came up from among the ten horns; it pluckout 3 of the ten horns;

it had eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking blasphemous words

[SHOW ILLUSTRATION NO. 2 - THE FOUR GREAT BEASTS]

The Vision of the Son of Man

Daniel’s Vision of the Son of Man

Read -

Daniel saw the following:

the Ancient of Days

He was seated in a judgment court

books were opened before Him

the beasts were judged

the fourth beast was slain because of the bllasphemous words of the little horn

the other three beasts had their dominion taken away, but allowed to live for a season and a time

the Son of Man

He was coming with the clouds of heaven

He came to the Ancient of Days

He was given dominion and glory and a kingdom

everlasting dominion

indestructible kingdom

The Interpretation

The Four Beasts

Read:

The four beasts are the same 4 kingdoms in king Nebuchadnezzar’s dream

[SEE ILLUSTRATION #3 - THE GREAT IMAGE AND THE 4 BEASTS]

King Nebuchadnezzar saw a great image - the human nature of these kingdoms (wealth, strength, etc.)

Daniel saw beasts - the evil and cruel nature of these kingdoms

The kingdom will be given to the saints of the Most High

the 4 kingdoms shall cease when Christ takes charge over the whole earth

The Fourth Beast

Read:

[SEE ILLUSTRATION NO.4 - THE 4TH BEAST)

The fourth beast was the Roman Empire

it rose to power after the Grecian Empire weakened

because of its vast reach, it was govern from 2 capital cities:

Rome in the west

Constantinople in the east

The Ten horns are ten kingdoms that rise after the Roman empire crumbled

[SEE ILLUSTRATION NO.5 - THE 10 HORNS]

when it fell in the 5th century A.D. its domains were split into 10 kingdom nations

the Alemanni (Germans)

the Franks (French)

the Visigoths (Spanish)

the Suevi (Purtugues)

the Franks (French)

the Ostrogoths

the Lombards (Italians)

the Heruli

the Anglo-Saxons (English)

the Burgundians (Swiss)

the Heruli (extinct)

the Vandals (extinct)

the Ostrogoths (extinct)

The little horn is the Papacy, the head of the Holy Roman Empire

[SEE ILLUSTRATION NO.6 - THE LITTLE HORN]

it thrived even as the Roman power declined

it destroyed three kingdoms in order to establish its power

the Heruli - destroyed in 493 AD, by the Lombards

the Vandals - destroyed in 533 AD

the Ostrogoths - destroyed in 538 AD

Reason for destruction - the believed in the Arian view of the Trinity

NOTE: The “ten horns” are different from the “ten toes”

the ten horns arise after the fall of Rome, 3 are destroyed

the ten toes are kingdoms that will exist at the time of the coming of Christ ()

it will continue in power to the end-time

blasphemous words - the Antichrist claims

instead of the son of God

persecute the saints in the Great Tribulation (3 and1/2 years)

NOTE: The “ten horns” are different from the “ten toes”

the ten horns arise after the fall of Rome, 3 are destroyed

the ten toes are kingdoms that will exist at the time of the coming of Christ ()

The Court of Judgment is the handing over of the kingdoms of this world into the Son of Man, Jesus Christ

Similar to John’s vision of the book with seven seals

the Son of Man stands before Him who sits on the throne

the Son of Man takes the book of redemption and breaks the seals

the Son of Man comes down to claim His redeemed

At the end of the Great Tribulation (war against the saints)...

the kingdoms of the earth are turned over to Christ -

the little horn is destroyed (as the beast) -

The Ten Horns are different from the Ten Toes

Conclusion

[SEE ILLUSTRATION NO.7 - THE TIMES OF THE GENTILES AND THE TWO AGES]

God showed king Nebuchadnezzar the times of the Gentiles

as 4 successive political kingdoms of wealth and strength

it will end with the ten nations

God showed prophet Daniel the times of the Gentiles

as 4 successive kingdoms of evil nature

The times of the Gentiles will end with

the destruction of the “10 toes/kingdoms”

the destruction of the “little horn”

the kingdom given to the Son of Man and the saints of the Most High - an everlasting kingdom!

the ten horns arise after the fall of Rome, 3 are destroyed

the ten toes are kingdoms that will exist at the time of the coming of Christ ()