In the first part of this teaching we discovered what a world government concretely is; we discovered how men first experienced a world government — under Nimrod — and how the Lord put an end to it.

After reading and examining the text of Daniel 2:26–35 in the previous part of this teaching, we asked ourselves the following question: what does the immense statue represent — with its head of gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, and its feet partly of iron and partly of clay — that King Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream? And what does the stone cut without hands — which strikes the feet of the same statue — symbolize?

As mentioned in the first part of this teaching, the answers to these questions are found in the same text of Daniel 2, but in verses 36 to 45.

Daniel 2:36–45
³⁶This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king. ³⁷Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. ³⁸And 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. ³⁹And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. ⁴⁰And 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. ⁴¹And 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. ⁴²And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. ⁴³And 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. ⁴⁴And 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. ⁴⁵Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure

1. The Babylonian Empire — The Head of Gold

The head of gold of the statue represents King Nebuchadnezzar — this is what verses 37 and 38 tell us. Now, Nebuchadnezzar was the king of Babylon, which means that the head of gold simply symbolizes the Babylonian Empire. This empire exercised great power over the whole earth and subjected it to a world government. At that time, Nebuchadnezzar was the sole ruler of the world — he was therefore the king of all the earth, holding authority and command over everything: over men as well as over the beasts of the field. Let us read Jeremiah 27:6–7 and Daniel 4:1–3.

Jeremiah 27:6–7
⁶And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him. ⁷And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son's son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him.

Regarding this same kingdom, note also that it had three kings: Nebuchadnezzar, Evil-Merodach (Jeremiah 52:31), and Belshazzar (Daniel 7:1); and during the domination of this empire, the official language was Aramaic (Daniel 2:4).

2. The Medo-Persian Empire — The Chest and Arms of Silver

After the world government exercised by the Chaldeans — that is, the Babylonians — a second kingdom arose and reigned over the whole world. In verse 39, the Bible defines this kingdom as inferior to the Babylonian kingdom; this kingdom, symbolized on the statue by the chest and arms of silver, was the Medo-Persian Empire. Daniel 5:30–31 explains to us this transition between the Babylonian kingdom and the kingdom of the Medes and Persians.

Daniel 5:30–31
³⁰In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. ³¹And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.

Through this passage, recall also the text of Jeremiah 27:6–7 which we read above — where the prophecy stated clearly that as long as Nebuchadnezzar, his son, and his grandson had not yet reigned, the kingdom of Babylon would not pass under the domination of another kingdom. The grandson who was to reign last was Belshazzar. Beloved, do you realize to what extent God is omniscient — that He has an infallible foreknowledge of all coming events? God knew in advance that after the Babylonian domination, another kingdom must arise and impose a world government upon all the earth. As we have just read, that kingdom was the Medo-Persian kingdom. The various kings of this empire were Darius the Mede (Daniel 5:31), Cyrus the Persian (Daniel 10:1), Darius the Persian, Ahasuerus, and Artaxerxes (Ezra 4:5–7).

3. The Greek Empire — The Belly and Thighs of Bronze

The third kingdom or empire that exercised a world government after the Medo-Persian Empire was the Greek Empire — Javan. It was a kingdom that dominated the whole earth, as verse 39 of Daniel 2 attests. On the statue, it is represented by the belly and thighs of bronze. Daniel 8:1–7, 19–21 explains to us the transition between these two kingdoms.

Daniel 8:1–7, 19–21
¹In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the first. ²And I saw in a vision; and it came to pass, when I saw, that I was at Shushan in the palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in a vision, and I was by the river of Ulai. ³Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last. ⁴I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great. ⁵And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes. ⁶And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power. ⁷And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand. ¹⁹And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be. ²⁰The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. ²¹And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.

To this text we may also add Daniel 11:2–3.

Daniel 11:2–3
²And now will I shew thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia. ³And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will.

4. The Roman Empire — The Legs of Iron

The fourth empire — described in verse 40 of Daniel 2 as a kingdom strong as iron — was the Roman Empire; it was under the world government imposed by this empire that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ came to save us by dying upon the cross (Luke 2:1–7).

5. The Last Empire — The Feet of Iron and Clay

Finally, the feet partly of iron and partly of clay of the statue represent the last empire that must exercise its dominion and authority over the whole earth before the return of Jesus Christ. Verse 44 informs us that at the time when the kings of this last empire — the Antichrist and ten other kings (Revelation 17:12–13) — exercise their authority over the whole earth, the Lord Himself will descend from heaven and put an end to all these human world governments, establishing His own Kingdom — the Kingdom of Heaven. This is what the stone cut without hands represents: it strikes the feet partly of iron and partly of clay — that is, the last empire (Daniel 2:34).

From the moment we are conscious of the return of Jesus Christ, we should also be ready to acknowledge that a last human world government must be established. The Lord Jesus Christ will appear only well after the establishment of this last world government. In the continuation of this teaching, we will see that this last empire is already in place — and that only a few important details remain before it begins its global domination. You therefore understand that comprehending this last world government is paramount for every Christian awaiting the return of Jesus Christ; for as we have just seen, Jesus Christ — the Stone cut without hands — will only appear after the establishment of this empire. And it is from this same last empire that the Antichrist will emerge.

In summary, we can therefore retain the following from this section: the statue — with all its parts — defines the succession of world governments until the return of Jesus Christ; and the Stone cut without hands, which destroys the last world government, represents the coming — or return — of Jesus Christ.

This is the empire prophesied by the Bible that must exercise its dominion and authority over the whole earth — that is, exercise a world government — before the return of Jesus Christ. Several prophecies, most notably those written in the books of Daniel and Revelation, speak to us of this empire. In passing, please note that in the interest of simplifying this teaching, we will not enter into all the details of the description of this empire; should you wish to know more about it, we recommend that you read our book on the Last Empire.

The first prophecy concerning this empire is found in the book of Daniel — in the text of Daniel 2 that we have just examined. In this prophecy, we have seen that this empire is symbolized by feet partly of iron and partly of clay, unlike the other empires, each of which has only a single element — whether gold, bronze, iron, or silver. The questions we should ask at this point are: what do the iron and the clay represent in connection with this empire? And why are both iron and clay associated together?

By examining verses 32 and 33 of Daniel 2, we observe that iron appears in two kingdoms: the kingdom symbolized by legs of iron, and the last empire — the feet partly of iron and partly of clay. We established earlier that the kingdom of the legs of iron symbolizes the Roman Empire. Now, the Roman Empire was an empire that was politically powerful; there has never been an empire that exercised such great authority over the peoples of the earth as the Roman Empire. Hence we see in the interpretation of the vision at verse 40 of Daniel how God describes this kingdom as being strong — a kingdom that breaks and crushes everything. In short, iron symbolizes the political system — the political system of this last kingdom. Clay, for its part, symbolizes nothing other than its religious system.

Let us now discover further what the Bible tells us about this last empire. We are still in Daniel 2, but this time at verses 41 and 42.

Daniel 2:41–42
⁴¹And 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. ⁴²And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.

In fact, this last empire will be politically strong — exercising approximately the same political order as the Roman Empire — except that it will be weakened by religion. Indeed, just as with language, religion also tends to weaken world empires; for upon the earth there are many belief systems, and each belief system has its own principles and values — and these belief systems cause people to hold diverging views on any given matter. In order to prevent all divergence of opinion — a source of imperial instability — the adherents of the world government project tend to unify all belief systems in an attempt to stabilize their empire. Hence ecumenism: the gathering of the religions. Therefore, when we see in these last days Catholics uniting with Protestants, or with Buddhists, or with other religious confessions — let us not be surprised, for they are in the process of preparing their single world religion, which will attempt to stabilize their empire. The partisans of this last world government know full well that without this single religion, their world government will fail — which is why they are working tirelessly to unite the faiths.

However, I have a sobering piece of news to announce to them. Despite all the efforts they may engage to unite the religions, their empire will not be stable for all that — it will be weakened; for this is what the God of heaven and earth prophesied more than 2,500 years ago. What weakened the Roman Empire during its existence was religion — in particular, the Christian faith. This is what drove Emperor Constantine around AD 330 to gather all the religions in order to stabilize his kingdom. From that point onward, the empire — the Holy Roman Empire — had two leaders: a political head and a religious head. That being so, this last world government will be politically strong but will be weakened by religion, and in particular by the Christian faith.

And what information does verse 43 of Daniel 2 bring us regarding this last empire? It speaks simply of the alliance that will exist within this last empire between politics and religion. This alliance is clearly visible in Revelation 17, where we see a woman — a harlot — seated upon a scarlet beast. Prophetically speaking, a woman symbolizes a church or a religion: the virgin symbolizing a pure church, while the harlot symbolizes an apostate church. The beast here represents the organization of the world government — or the Antichrist. Just as iron — politics — never truly unites with clay — religion — the alliances that will be formed between politics and religion in this last empire will be short-lived; for the woman — the harlot — that is, the single world religion, will ultimately be stripped bare by the world government itself. This is what the Bible tells us in Revelation 17:16. Let us read it.

Revelation 17:16
And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.

This same alliance between politics and religion is further visible in Revelation 13, where we see the beast rising from the sea — the political leader (verse 1) — in complete union with the beast coming up from the earth — the religious leader (verse 11). Let us read Revelation 13:11–12.

Revelation 13:11–12
¹¹And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. ¹²And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

Note well, my beloved, that the political leader of this last world government will be the Antichrist, and the religious leader will be the False Prophet; the woman described in Revelation 17 is the Catholic Church, along with all the religions she will draw with her — Protestants, Pentecostals, Buddhists, Muslims, and others. The empire itself is the Holy Roman Empire (renewed) — which is none other than the current European Union.

The Holy Roman Empire has always existed in Europe, and it has always had a political leader coming from Europe and a religious leader coming from Italy — from the Vatican in particular. Do you not see the alliance that exists today between the Vatican and the European leaders? For those who follow current events, recall that in 2016, when the current Pope Francis received the Charlemagne Prize — Charlemagne being the first king of the Holy Roman Empire — he called upon European leaders to return to the very roots of the European project. For Francis, the European Union remains the only occasion of stability, solidarity, and peace among the peoples. Source: Le Figaro, 24 March 2017.

What can we conclude from all of this? The last empire — the Holy Roman Empire — is already here, and it saw its rebirth as the European Union on November 3, 2009, through the treaty of the European constitution: the Treaty of Lisbon. This treaty provided that once signed, the European Union would have its own permanent president and its own permanent prime minister; and this was indeed done just a few days after the treaty was signed. Herman Van Rompuy of Belgium was designated as the first president of the European Union, and Catherine Ashton of Great Britain as the first Minister of Foreign Affairs. If the structure destined to receive the Antichrist is already in place, this means that the Antichrist himself is already upon the earth.

As we have stated above, the return of Jesus Christ will only take place after the reign of the Antichrist — whom the Lord Himself will destroy by the brightness of His coming.

2 Thessalonians 2:8
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:

Brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ — let us prepare ourselves for the return of the Lord, for there is no time left.

May the Lord bless you!