The stories in Daniel 3 to 6 help us to understand what happens when religion is enforced by the state. The experience of Daniel and his three friends parallel the experience of the people in the time of the end as we face the persecutions after the mark of the beast is enforced under the end time power named "Babylon the Great".
- The Great Tree. In Daniel 4 we see that the return of Nebuchadnezzar to power after seven years is also a prophecy that shows when Babylon the Great will regain power in the world. Since God prophesied that literal Babylon would never be rebuilt and would never rise again, how could Revelation predict that Babylon the Great would be the last world empire? The answer lies in the emergence of a power that would behave just like ancient Babylon.
God linked the two empires when Babylon the Great not only conquered the region of ancient Babylon but it adopted the symbols and characteristics of Babylon. - The Fall Of Babylon. Babylon is the rebellious empire that Satan has been trying to establish through a global empire that he hopes to take over personally at the end. The events at the first fall will be repeated at the end of time. The fall of Babylon follows a specific pattern. Babylon rules, falls for seven periods of time in a battle with kings from the east then rises for a short time to fall again.
- Flood. The world can only be punished one time by a flood which lasted one year. After this the curse punishes us seven times.
At the end of time the world is punished by the seven last plagues which last one year. - Babel. The people were scattered into seventy nations.
- Nebuchadnezzar. He was mad for seven years before the throne was restored.
- Ancient Babylon. It ruled for 70 years then fell for seven prophetic years (2520 real years) and rose as Babylon the Great.
- Modern Babylon The Great. It will rule for a short time because it is the revival of ancient Babylon.
- Satan. He is the original king of Babylon who fell to the earth for 7000 years. He will try to take over in the final years and will fall for about 144 weeks of years (1008 years). This includes the last seven years, the year of plagues and the millennium.
He will rise again at the end of time for a brief period at the second resurrection for the final judgment.
- Flood. The world can only be punished one time by a flood which lasted one year. After this the curse punishes us seven times.
- The Lion's Den. The enemies of Daniel create a law designed to make Daniel disobey his God or get himself killed by the state. The same issues and tactics will be repeated in the end of time during the mark of the beast persecution.
Daniel 4: The Revival Of Nebuchadnezzar And Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar had another dream, that troubled him. He seeks the wisdom of men and calls his wisemen, magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers. As before, they are unable to help him. Now, even when he tells them the dream, they still cannot interpret it. Finally, Nebuchadnezzar calls Daniel. He had not learned from his prior experience to seek God's truth first.
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| The Great Tree of Life | |||
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| In ancient times, a tree was a symbol of the created universal world order. The top of a tree symbolized heaven. The roots represented the underworld. The tree itself represented a connection between heaven and earth. In this sense, Nebuchadnezzar was intended by heaven to be a connection for people to find a knowledge of the true God. For this reason, God had given him prophetic dreams that were meant to encourage the world. He squandered his opportunities and failed to represent God correctly. | |||
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The Great Tree. "Now these were the visions in my mind as I lay on my bed. I was looking, and then, there was a tree in the middle of the earth and its height was great. "The tree grew large and became strong and its height reached to the sky, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth. "Its foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches, and all living creatures fed themselves from it.
The Tree is Cut Down. "I was looking in the visions in my mind as I lay on my bed, and then, an angelic watcher, a holy one, descended from heaven. "He shouted out and spoke as follows: "Chop down the tree and cut off its branches, strip off its foliage and scatter its fruit; let the beasts flee from under it and the birds from its branches.
The Stump. "Yet leave the stump with its roots in the ground,
The Iron and Bronze Band. but with a band of iron and bronze around it In the new grass of the field; and let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him share with the beasts in the grass of the earth.
The Man who is a Beast. "Let his mind be changed from that of a man and let a beast's mind be given to him,
Seven Years. And let seven periods of time pass over him.
Judgment. "This sentence is by the decree of the angelic watchers and the decision is a command of the holy ones, in order that the living may know that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind,
The Lowliest Man. and bestows it on whom He wishes and sets over it the lowliest of men." (Daniel 4: 10-17)
Nebuchadnezzar describes the dream to Daniel. The earlier dream in Daniel 2 came to Nebuchadnezzar to reveal to him that he is the first in a succession of kings. In verse 17 the dream is given for a different reason. It is given to show that God rules over the kingdoms of men, and God is able to remove and set up kings according to His will.
Seven Periods Of Time (2520 Years)
God was about to bring down king Nebuchadnezzar. This judgment would last for seven years. There are two fulfillments if we apply real time to ancient Babylon and prophetic time to Babylon the Great.
- Local (Real Time). From the Bible we know that Nebuchadnezzar was insane for seven years. Nebuchadnezzar is the "tree" that God cut down and removed from power. Just as a stump was left, God was showing Nebuchadnezzar that his kingdom would not be removed from him forever. The purpose for God's discipline is given in verses 25 and 26. "until you know that the most High rules ...".
- Global (Prophetic Time). But, if we used the year for a day principle, then seven prophetic years would be 2520 real years. Because a stump and roots are left Babylon will be revived at the end of this time. But this will occur after the period of the bronze and iron kingdoms.
... fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great ... Come out of her, My people, so that you do not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues. (Revelation 18: 2-4)
and on her forehead a name was written, a mystery, "Babylon the Great, the Mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth". (Revelation 17: 5)
» The Kingdom Of God Rules. The Revelation prophesies that a power like Babylon will be the last one. In the persecution and the wrath of God that follows, the revived Babylon will also know that the Most High rules.
| The Great Tree | Tree Cut Down For Seven Periods of Time | Stump With Roots | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Babylon | Medo-Persia | Greece | Pagan Rome | Papal Rome | Communism | - | - | Babylon the Great | |||
 |  |  |  |  | |||||||
| Tree | Axe | Bronze Band | Iron Band | Stump In Ground | |||||||
| Gold Head | Silver Chest | Bronze Belly | Iron Legs | Iron and Clay Feet | |||||||
| Nebuchadnezzar | He loses his mind for Seven Years and Lives with Wild Beasts | Nebuchadnezzar Returns | |||||||||
| Babylon | 539 BCE | Babylon Loses Power For Seven Times (2520 Years) | 1981/2 | Babylon the Great | |||||||
The Wild Beasts
During the seven years, Nebuchadnezzar acted like a wild animal. During the years after the fall of Babylon a series of wild beasts would rule the world. Daniel 7 uses the symbols of wild beasts to describe the other kingdoms that came after Babylon.
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» Share With The Beasts. This prophecy portrays the territory of Babylon as a world that is "shared" with other powers throughout history until Babylon can rise again to reclaim its empire.
» New Grass. The people of each new generation.
» Dew of Heaven. The influence of God is still poured out.
The Beast Master. In this picture of a man who became a beast, we see the same picture of a beast who became a man at the end of time. The beast power at the end of time would have a man as a dominant power.
Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man. And his number is six hundred and sixty six. (Revelation 13: 18)
The Stump And Roots
This stump is Babylon the Great, which is a revival of ancient Babylon and the Papal Roman empire after their wounds are healed.
» Iron and Bronze Bands. Here we find that the stump had bands of iron and bronze. This is similar to the prophecy in Daniel 7: 19. The beast had claws of bronze and teeth of Iron. This stump with the bronze and iron bands also has the elements of the Roman empire and the Greek culture.
» Roots. The stump and roots are also the foot of the tree. The image is similar to the feet and toes of iron and clay. Both the toes and the roots are subdivided and mixed with the earth and will die and return to dust.
The prophecies of Revelation predict that the seventh and last empire would be a power that would behave like Babylon. Revelation actually called it Babylon the Great. In the sixth plague they actually fell in the same way that ancient Babylon came to an end when the Euphrates river was dried up by the conquering force.
According to the prophecy of the Great Tree, Babylon would return 2520 years after it fell. Babylon fell to the Medes and Persians in (539 BCE), 2520 years later, the two powers that would form Babylon the Great, the seventh head, joined forces in 1981 to defeat the sixth power.
What Happened In 1981/2?
This is the year several amazing signs and coincidences started to occur. Several signs pointed to the fall of ancient Babylon, the fall of the sixth head and the restoration of Israel, particularly Jerusalem. These signs pointed to that year as an important time in prophecy. Although the sixth power, communism, finally fell ten years later, in 1981-1982 the two powers who would form Babylon the Great combined their efforts as one single power to end communism.
The seventh power had defeated the sixth power.
- Seventh Head Forms (Babylon the Great). The two leaders of the seventh head joined forces (United States and the Catholic church).
- Seven Heads And Ten Horns. On January 1, Greece became the tenth nation to join the European Union.
- The Sixth Head. Communism began its fall in December 12-13 when thousands of members of the Solidarnosc movement were arrested during the Polish crisis.
- Wounded and Healed. The wound inflicted in 1798 totally healed in this year. As a sign that it was wounded and healed, both leaders of the new Babylon the Great, President Reagan and Pope John Paul II were healed after they were wounded in failed assassination attempts. The pope assisted the United States in the Iranian crisis and in the Polish revolution.
- The Next Pope Heads The Old Office Of Inquisition. Joseph Ratzinger, the German cardinal who will become the next pope, Benedict XVI, on April 19, 2005 became the head of the office for the congregation of the faith on November 25, 1981.
Year Timeline of Events 542BC 
First Jews return from Babylonian exile to rebuild city and walls540 BC
539BCEPersian empire overthrows Babylon (October 12 (Tishri 16)) 538 BC Cyrus releases the Jews1979 November 4. Iranian Revolution. 52 U.S. hostages held in embassy. Shah flees 1979 300,000 Jews emigrate from Iran1980 1.2 million Jews emigrate from Russia1980 July. Israel annexes East Jerusalem and claims all Jerusalem1980 September 22, 1980-1988. Iran-Iraq war. Iraq invaded Iran 1981 January 1. Europe of the Ten. Greece joins 1981 January 20. Iran released 52 American hostages after 444 days. Reagan inaugurated 1981 25 February 1981 - June 1982. Secret alliance between Pope John Paul II and Ronald Reagan to end communism 1981 March 30. Failed assassination. Ronald Reagan by John Hinckley Jr 1981 May 13. Failed assassination. Pope John Paul II by Mehmet Ali Agca 1981 June 7. Israel destroys Iraqi atomic reactor at Osiraq1981 October 6. Egyptian president Anwar Sadat is assassinated 1981 November 25. Joseph Ratzinger becomes head of the old office of inquisition 1981 December 12-13. Polish crisis. Solidarity workers arrested 1981 December 14. Israel annexes the Golan Heights1982 January 16. United States and Vatican full diplomatic relations 1982 June 6. Israel invades Lebanon
3.5 Years. The events at the beginning and end took three to four years to develop
This is the old office of Inquisition. So for twenty four years he has been in charge of protecting and elevating the doctrines of the church. He is the conservative who believes that Catholicism is the only true religion. For his ferocity in defending the church against heresy, he is called "the panzer cardinal" and "the pope's rottweiler". - The Iranian Revolution And The Islamic Awakening.
The period ends just as it began 2520 years ago with a war between Babylon and Persia or Iraq and Iran.
The political situation at that time allowed Babylon the Great to switch from allegiance to Iran after the fall of the Shah and it is now allied with Iraq as it assumes the title of the Babylon that will rule the world. It probably provided the resources for Iraq to attack. Over a million people died.
The Iranian revolution against their Shah created animosity with America, the new Babylon the Great when 52 hostages were held for 444 days and released January 20, 1981 at the moment the president was inaugurated. We identify this specific president as one of two men who formed the seventh head.
The point is that at the end of this period Persia was at war with both ancient Babylon and Babylon the Great! And the history of the United States became entangled with the fate of Iraq when it had to switch loyalties as it also became the enemy of Iran.
The current hostilities over nuclear weapons show that the world might end when there is conflict between Iran and Babylon the Great.
One other coincidence is the fact that former Iranian hostage takers are now ruling Iran since November 2005. President Ahmadinejad and at least one female vice-president have been identified as former hostage takers. We are symbolically back to 1981, back to 1798 and back to 539 BCE. - Israel. On June 7, Israel destroyed the nuclear facility at Osiraq in Iraq. This seals the prophecy that Ancient Babylon will not rise again. The death blow to their weapons of mass destruction program was delivered by the ancient people of God. So the ancient hostilities symbolically end here.
» The Rise Of Persia
The fruits of the Persian revolution took three to four years for the events to develop as the law specifies, but the majority of the signs occurred in 1981.
| The War Between Babylon and the Kings from the East | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Babylon | Date | War (Fall of Babylon) | Kings from the East | The People of God | |||
| Ancient Babylon | 539 BCE | Siege of Babylon | Medo-Persia | Israel Free | |||
| Iraq | Local Babylon | 1980-88 | Iran-Iraq War | Iran | Israel destroys Iraq's nuclear facilities at Osiraq | ||
| USA | 1981-End | Economic sanctions | Hostages | Iran | |||
| United States (Babylon the Great) | 1988-End | War | Terrorism | Iran | Al-Qaeda | USA threatens Iran's nuclear facilities at Natanz. Iran threatens Israel in revenge | |
| 1981-End | Middle East Wars | Persecution | Iran | Jesus | Second Coming | ||
The Lowliest (Basest) Man
When Babylon was revived, God placed in its leadership the lowest of men. This could be interpreted in two ways.
- A Humbled Person. God sets over wicked men the person that He has rejected. God chooses a person like Nebuchadnezzar, who fell from the lofty heights through pride or some defect of character. For this reason, Satan was set as ruler over the wicked people of earth. He fell from the best position in heaven because his beauty and pride made him believe that he could rule on the throne of God.
» A Crude Person. God sends the fallen, idiot, fool, immoral, wicked, uneducated, drunkard and uncouth.
» A Lower Class Person. God sends a ruler from the most despised of people.
When a wicked nation is about to fall, God sends the ruler they deserve. - A Humble Servant (A Despised and Rejected Person). God chooses the person that we have rejected, one whom we would never have chosen, because God looks at the heart not the outward appearance. When a righteous nation is about to rise, God sends the humble ruler that He chooses.
but God has chosen the foolish things of this world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. (1 Corinthians 1: 27-29)
» David. David was a young shepherd boy even his family did not believe could be chosen.
» Moses. Moses was raised in the palace of Egypt but he was retrained by God as a poor shepherd.
» Jesus Christ. When Christ returns during the revival of Babylon the Great, the world will see that God has chosen the most despised and rejected of men to be King of kings for ever.
