“In The Days of These Kings”
Vincent Kessler/Reuters
In case you missed it. Not only do we have notice that the New World Order has begun recently, a president has been elected for the European Union.
By Neil Sawatzky D.D. Senior pastor of Northside Baptist Church, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
neil-sawatzky@northsidebaptist.on.ca
Filed at 10:41 a.m. ET 
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2009/11/20/world/international-us-eu-president.html
“BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders named Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy, who is little known outside his own country, as the bloc's first president on Thursday to lead efforts to make it more influential on the world stage.
They also chose Baroness Catherine Ashton, a Briton little known even in her own country, as EU foreign affairs chief under a deal that kept out more established figures such as Tony Blair, and raised questions about how the bloc plans to lift its profile.
The appointments are intended to bolster the EU's standing and help it to match the rise of emerging powers such as China following the global economic crisis, but neither Ashton nor Van Rompuy is a familiar figure outside Europe.”
Da 2:44, “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.”
The prophetic utterance in Daniel 2:44 has dynamic significance for the time and near future. While it is impossible to speak with absolute certainty in reference to the timing of events, general information can be seen as leading us to conclusions with confidence.
There is no specific reference to the western hemisphere in the prophetic Word. Only if “Gentile nations” includes us as a part of the world would we be a factor in future prophecy. The Middle East and Europe are the focal point of the development of prophetic themes in Scripture.
Daniel was shown the four empires preceding the Kingdom of God on earth. The first was the Neo-Babylonian empire lead by Nebuchadnezzar followed by the Medo/Persian empire. The next to dominate the scene of history was the Grecian empire which gave way to the Roman power establishing this European force as the major influence in world politics, economy and power until it divided into the East and West. Its demise has been noted, but it has never been entirely obliterated.
Daniel saw the panorama of world history in vision form. God advised him that the Kingdom of God was to be established in the days of these kings.
God gave Daniel a specific prophecy when he laid out the 490 year plan for Israel’s redemption. The plan began with the decree of Artaxerxes in 444-445 B.C. to release Israel following the 70 year captivity. The following verses are a few of the specific refernces to the 70 year captivity: Jer 25:11, “And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
Jer 25:12 And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.
Jer 29:10 For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.
Da 9:2 In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem”.
In Daniel chapter 9, God told Daniel that 70 weeks had been determined upon His people to accomplish their purpose in history. According to Strong’s concordance, weeks here has two possible meanings: “1) seven, period of seven (days or years), heptad, week
1a) period of seven days, a week
1a1) Feast of Weeks
1b) heptad, seven (of years)”
“Days and weeks” do no justice to the text and thus it appears that the word “heptad” gives definition to the prediction. From the days of the return of the Jews from the Persian empire, same as the former Babylonian captivity, to rebuild the ruined city and temple of Jerusalem to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, 69 weeks, heptads, or 483 had lapsed.
When Jesus Christ was crucified, the Jewish and Roman authorities did not realize that this act of sacrificial death was the fulfillment of all the Old Testament offerings and especially the offering for Atonement. Christ atoned for the sin of the world on that fateful day accomplishing forgiveness for the sins that were committed in the past and offering forgiveness for all sin in the future. This is the pivotal days in all history. The world has not known a greater blessing than the blessing promised to Abraham that the world would be blessed through him and his offspring. No greater Person or sacrifice has been known than the work of redemption accomplished by Christ that day at Calvary.
Still, there was the remaining week or heptad which has no fulfillment in 40 AD. Jerusalem fell under Titus at which time both city and temple were ruined in 70 AD. Preterists would have us believe that this was the finish of Israel and thus the 490 year program had come to its complete fulfillment.
Did the prophecy of Daniel predict the destruction of Israel in 490 years or did it promise the redemption of Israel in that period?
Let’s look at the promise: Da 9:24, “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.” According to John 6:15, Jesus Christ refused to be anointed King while on His first mission to accomplish the death at Calvary. “When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.”
Israel was promised a reconciliation, righteousness and the Most Holy is to be anointed. The most logical and it seems reasonable explanation is that from the time of Jesus Christ’s death until the anointing of the Most Holy, there must be an interlude. The parenthetic time period has lasted for nearly two millenniums and still the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ’s death, burial and resurrection continues to be preached to the world. There is a volume of Scripture that deals with the Day of Christ, which seems to refer to the time of tribulation through to the end of the Millennial reign of Christ.
The Roman Empire was the dominant world power in the days of Jesus Christ. It will once again become prominent in the Day of Christ. Just in the same way that Jesus Christ has promised to return so the same Word of God has promised a return of Roman power in the latter days of time.
The union in Europe will one day have the right number of countries and kings just as Daniel’s prophecy reveals. Notice that the interpretation is not that of Darby, Scoffield nor of any other dispensationalist and certainly not the interpretation of the Amillennial protestants, but the interpretation given by God Himself Who gave the understanding to Daniel’s friends:
Daniel 2:36-43
“This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.
Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.
And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
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.
And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.
And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.
And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.”
The European Union is part of the “Quartet for Peace” One day its designated leader, perhaps not the present one, will ratify the peace agreement with Israel. Daniel 9:27, “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate
The word for “confirm” in Strong’s definition means “to give strength to” among other nuances.
Please notice that the confirmation is for a one week covenant. The word again as in the previous reference is for a “heptad” that is a seven year period.
483 years were completed when Christ entered Jerusalem on a donkey and soon thereafter was crucified. One week is yet to come. That is, 7 years so the 490 year promise can be literally fulfilled. There is no record of a 7 year period following the crucifixion which met the criteria of Daniel 9:27.
The covenant, or peace treaty, will be broken at the half way point. The temple, which will have been rebuilt and the Jewish Cohen priests, being prepared as we write, will once again offer their “atoning” sacrifices with the temple being grand central for their worship and sacrifice.
The “man of sin” 2Th 2:3, “the son of perdition;” 2Th 2:8-10, “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” This future personage, obviously a world head of state, will reveal his venom and hatred for Israel. Just as America is and many evangelicals are showing contempt and disdain for any future and blessing for Israel, he will put his hatred into action. The worship and sacrifice will be stopped and Israel will once again need to flee into the rugged terrain for survival. Imagine, once again, Israel will be persecuted and maligned in the land given them by God through the Abrahamic covenant.
This person will have connection with and perhaps be the leader of the confederation of 10 states under the EU. This will make the prediction of Daniel in 2:44 exact. “In the days of these kings”
The mountain of verse 44 is the Kingdom of God. God’s Kingdom is the fifth kingdom and Jesus Christ will be the absolute Ruler with saved Israel and all born again believers of the tribulation period as His immediate followers and disciples. Jesus Christ will bring an end to the kingdoms of the world and He will reign for ever and ever. First, He will reign as King of kings in the earthly Kingdom of God, yet future, and then His reign will continue throughout the eons of eternity.
These are exciting times.
You too can be ready for the coming of the Lord.
1. Believe that you are a sinner and in need of His saving grace upon your life.
2. Repent and believe the gospel. It was Christ Who died and it is He Who lives for evermore.
3. Believe that He will save all who call upon Him for salvation
4. Thank Him for saving you as you trusted Him for your salvation.
5. Let it be know that you have become a child of God today!