So this month we get our first look at prophecy from the book of Daniel, we are primarily looking at Daniel 2v31-45. The prophecy is concerning a number of kingdoms and these kingdoms appear again in future prophecies. This prophecy is mainly concerned with their power.

We have the head of gold, which represented the kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar, the strongest of the kingdoms of men. The chests and arms were silver, showing that kingdom that would come next would be inferior. Then we have the middle and the thighs which were bronze, again showing that kingdom after would be inferior again. It is interesting to note from a historical perspective, that this was true, that Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom was the most powerful and each kingdom that followed was less powerful than the one before, they were the Medo-Persian empire and the Greek empire.

We then come to the legs of iron. This very fittingly is the Roman empire, which the historians among you will know was very much built upon their iron legions. Iron was the main material for their weapons and therefore their power base. Then we have the Iron mixed with Clay. This is the 5th empire and has yet to come. It has some of the Iron kingdom's strength but it has been mixed with Clay. It will be an uneasy alliance between two sub-kingdoms, one linked to the Iron (Romans) and the other to the Clay. But rather than get bogged down with trying to guess who the Clay is, let us look at the far more important kingdom.

This kingdom is so strong that it smashes the other kingdoms. It's power is not of man, but of God. This is when Christ returns (not for his people at the rapture, but seven years later when He defeats the empires of man in Revelation 19) and sets up His kingdom here on Earth. Man may think he is great, that he has had and will have great empires, but none will ever compare to Christ's kingdom. While all of man's kingdoms last for but a few decades, this one will shall stand forever. While the enemy may seem strong at times, let us never forget that we have one with us who is far stronger.

If you have any comments or questions about this article then please e-mail me at a.wood@assemblyyouth.net

Spending time in the Scriptures Ezekiel	Next month: Standing firm.	Wilderness years Doing what God wants
	Dare to be a Daniel
	Last month: Trust in God.

All quotes are from the English Standard version of the Bible unless otherwise specified.