This article is part of the Black Thread Series. If you have not read the previous articles, please STOP, and read those first. It is very important that you read the articles in this series in order. To read previous articles in this series, click on the Black Thread link in the left side bar.
Various dates are given in the history books as to when the Roman Empire supposedly fell. Some say it was on September 4, 476, however, the senate of Rome in the Western Empire was still up and running. Further, there are records from the year 603, acknowledging the Roman ruler in Constantinople. The Eastern Roman Empire - the Byzantine Empire, was still acknowledged to be up and running up to the year 1453.
Some may even conjecture that the empire fell in the year 285, when it divided into two empires.
"Many scholars maintain that rather than a "fall", the changes can more accurately be described as a complex transformation." - Quoted from Decline of the Roman Empire on Wikipedia.
While the above dates are interesting, it is clear that those events were not the end of the empire. Clearly, these are all changes, but not the end. Finding out precisely when the Roman Empire ended is full of conjecture, and cloudy. This is because the Roman Empire did not end. It is still going strong, this very day, and will continue to, until Jesus comes back.
We are going to look at four major empires through history and the Bible. These four empires are: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome.
Nebuchadnezzar, then the ruler of Babylon, had a dream about these empires. In his dream, these empires were depicted to him in the form of a statue. This statue showed clear changes between each empire. God prepared Daniel to interpret this dream to Nebuchadnezzar.
As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass. But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart. Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. -Daniel 2:29-35
The Head of Gold 609-539 BC
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. -Daniel 2:37-38
Nebuchadnezzar was the ruler of Babylon. The Babylon empire was the head of gold. Gold is the most precious metal in this statue. It is also the HEAD. The head, in the Bible, is symbolic of authority:
But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. -1 Corinthians 11:3
But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ -Ephesians 4:15
For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. -Ephesians 5:23
Christ is the head of the church. The born again, Christian church makes up the body of Christ on earth:
So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. -Romans 12:5
For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. -1 Corinthians 12:12-14
Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. -1 Corinthians 12:27
There is the Christian Body, with Christ as the head, and born again Christians making up the body. Christ is the head of the Christian Body. Therefore, what Christ has taught guides the Church - the Christian Body.
The head of gold guides the body of the Empires. Just as the teachings of Christ guide the Christian body, the teachings of the Babylonian empire has and is guiding the Empire Body. This means that teachings from Babylon will trickle down into each successive empire. Different empires spoke different languages. This means that the same teachings would be passed down, but different names given in different tongues. All of the empires had teachings from Mystery Babylon already, since the Tower of Babel incident, but with Babylon as the head of the Empire Body, more Mystery Babylon teachings would trickle down to them.
What are the teachings that come from the golden head of Babylon? It is none other than Mystery Babylon.
And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. -Revelation 17:5
And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their whoredom, and she was polluted with them, and her mind was alienated from them. -Ezekiel 23:17
The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger. -Jeremiah 7:18
Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying; Ye and your wives have both spoken with your mouths, and fulfilled with your hand, saying, We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her: ye will surely accomplish your vows, and surely perform your vows. Therefore hear ye the word of the LORD, all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt; Behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith the LORD, that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, The Lord GOD liveth. -Jeremiah 44:25-26
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| A priest of a certain religion today, burning incense to his religion's "queen of heaven." Notice also the crown on the idol's head. |
As we saw in a previous article in this Black Thread series, called The Fallen Ones, the Mystery Babylon religion started with Satan's counterfeiting the prophecy of Genesis 3:15 in Nimrod and his wife. The Mystery Babylon religion spread through the whole world at the tower of Babel incident, where people scattered throughout the whole world, and spoke different languages. Mystery Babylon is practiced in some form, in all countries.
The head of gold - Babylon, is the HEAD of the Empire Body. Therefore, each empire after it will have attributes of Mystery Babylon in it.
The Chest and Arms of Silver 539-331 BC
And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee. -Daniel 2:39a
The next empire to stand after Babylon, was Medo-Persia.
The Medes and Persians conquered Babylon. King Cyrus allowed the Jews to go home, and begin to rebuild the temple. In this part of the statue, we see there is a clear change between the empires. While Babylon was made of gold, the Medes and Persians are a different material - silver. The teachings of Mystery Babylon became part of the Medo-Persian empire, as they took over the Babylonians, but the Medo-Persian empire remained an empire separate from the Babylon Empire.
The two silver arms represent King Cyrus II of Persia, and King Darius the Mede. This empire that conquered Babylon were two peoples combined into one empire - the Medes and Persians. We see that this empire isn't just the two arms, but also the chest. The arms lead into the chest. The Medo-Persian Empire eventually led to the Persian empire, as the Persians eventually dominated the Medes.
The heart inside the chest of the Medo-Persian Empire is Cyrus, who was called by name by Isaiah, a prophet of God:
That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid. -Isaiah 44:28
The twelve ribs within the silver chest are the twelve Persian rulers that arose after Persia dominated the Medes. Those twelve Persian Rulers were:
1 Cambyses II Reigned - 538-522
2 Gaumata (false Smerdis) Reigned - 522
3 Darius 1 (the great) Reigned - 522-486
4 Xerxes 1 (Ahasuerus) Reigned - 486-465
5 Artaxerxes 1 (Longimanus) Reigned - 465-425
6 Xerxes 2 Reigned - 424
7 Sogdianus Reigned - 424
8 Darius 2 Reigned - 423-405
9 Artaxerxes 2 Reigned - 404-359
10 Artaxerxes 3 Reigned - 358-338
11 Arses Reigned - 337-336
12 Darius 3 Reigned - 335-330
The Belly and Thighs of Brass 331-168 BC
and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. -Daniel 2:39b
Brass is a different metal than gold or silver, indicating that the Medo-Persian Empire fell, and gave way to the next empire in this prophetic statue. The brass empire is Greece.
The Greeks had a pantheon of gods. Their Olympian gods were: Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter, Apollon, Artemis, Athene, Ares, Aphrodite, Hermes, Hephaistos, Dionysos, and Hestia. This is just a small part of their list of false gods. They also had kings and queens of the dead, minor gods, and a whole assortment of other gods they deemed important.
The Greeks also had eight classes of "immortals." The seventh class included giants. We studied the true source of giants in previous articles in this series.
What's intriguing, is these myriads of Greek gods can be traced back to just three: Nimrod, his wife - Semiramis, and his father - Cush. This is shown very clearly, with plenty of information to back it up in the book The Two Babylons. You can read this book for free here.
The brass belly of the statue represents Greece having one ruler when they defeated the Persians. The empire then divided into four, and then two sections. The two hips of the statue. These two divisions were conquered by the next empire.
Alexander the Great was the belly button on the belly. The belly button serves no purpose after birth. Its purpose was for the umbilical cord, when the baby was in its mother's womb. After the birth, the umbilical cord is cut off. Alexander the Great provided life and growth to the empire, but died at its pinnacle.
The stomach is often referred to as the seat of emotions - "I could feel the anguish in the pit of my stomach," "put on bowels of mercies," etc. Antiochus Epiphanes is the sick feeling in the pit of the stomach. He desecrated the temple, and brought anguish to the Jews.
The five lumbar vertebra and five fused sacral vertebra are Alexander and his four generals whose kingdoms merged.
Legs of Iron 168 BC - ...
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. -Daniel 2:40
The first kingdom was gold. The second was silver. The third was brass. The fourth kingdom was iron. Iron is a hard, powerful metal, which can be used for many things. The kingdom of iron is Rome. In Latin, the word Rome means "strength." The kingdom with great strength is symbolized by a metal of great strength.
The two legs, at first, represented the northern and southern divisions of Rome, as it took control of every Greek division. Later, Rome divided into the Eastern and Western Roman empires. The Roman Empire had two major phases. That of Pagan Rome, and Papal Rome. Interestingly, Papal Rome is still the Pagan Rome, but with the Western Roman Empire's Christianized names used, instead of the pagan ones.
After 538 AD, the Papacy ruled the Western Empire. After 610 AD Islam ruled the Eastern Empire. These are also the two legs of iron. As a note of interest, a symbol for Islam is the moon. A symbol for the Roman Catholic church could be the sun, since the sun disc is prevalent on so many of their things, such as their monstrances. In the fertility worship of Nimrod and Semiramis, the symbols of the sun and moon are used. Islam is an offshoot and part of Mystery Babylon. The leg Islam and the leg Papacy are adulterous lovers - the pagan sun and moon.
The Roman Empire didn't fall when it divided into the north and the south to conquer the divisions of Greece. It simply changed. The Roman Empire didn't fall when it divided into the Western and Eastern Empires; it simply changed. The Roman Empire still hasn't ended, as we'll see in a few moments.
The Feet of Iron and Clay From the establishment of Christ's church until present
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. -Daniel 2:41
The feet are not a new empire. It is still iron. It is the iron empire, but it has turned the corner. The heel of the foot is the corner - the heel is Jesus' death and resurrection, which changed the world forever.
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Genesis 3:15
The feet are still made of iron, but now there is clay mixed in with it. The feet of the statue is the empire we are in now. The next thing after the feet are the ten toes. The ten toes are the ten kings during the tribulation (see Rev. 17:12).
The Roman Empire is still the power empire of the world, even now. The Roman Empire has taken the trickle down from Babylon, and now largely exists under Papal Rome. Dignitaries from all over the world pay homage to the Pope.
With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. -Revelation 17:2
We are going to look much deeper into this foot kingdom, since this is where we are in the world right now. We know from the statue, that the iron is Rome. The difference between the Roman Empire of the two legs, and the Roman Empire of the feet, is that the feet is iron mixed with potter's clay. What is potter's clay in the Bible? Let us turn to the Scriptures to find out:
Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us? Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding? -Isaiah 29:15-16
Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? -Romans 9:20-21
The clay represents people. Everyone is made by God. Therefore, we know that the potter's clay in the foot of the statue are people in the Roman Empire who are not part of that empire, else they, too, would be iron. They are there, but they do not partake of that empire. The current empire is like something that is there, but isn't there, yet is. You can tell by its influence that it's there, but it stays somewhat hidden to those who don't know about it. It is like the "eighth kingdom:"
And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. -Revelation 17:11
The potter's clay mixed into the iron in the feet of the statue are those who do not bow to the current Roman Empire. Some people think they are iron, but they are called out to be clay. God calls for them.
And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. -Revelation 18:4
Now that we've looked at the clay, let us look more closely at the iron of this current kingdom age, that of the foot of the statue.
You may have heard the saying "all roads lead to Rome." Who's running the world? The illuminati? The Bilderberg group? The Rockefellers? The Rothschilds?
No. They are all puppets. They are parts of the beast of Revelation - parts of the coming together one world order. As we learn in Revelation 17, it's the whore that rides the beast. The one riding the beast is the one who controls it. The one on the beast tells it where to go, and what to do. The whore that rides this beast, is a religious organization, running things from behind the scenes, making it appear as if the puppets are the ones in charge. By doing this, the puppet master can rule completely, with no consequences. If a puppet is taken out, there are thousands of others, trained and lined up to take its place.
And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. And here is the mind, which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. 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. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth. -Revelation 17:7-18
It's crucial to know what the above means, don't you think? Let's put aside preconceived notions, and really take a look at this. Look at what I'm about to show you, and then come to your own conclusions. I'm not going to tell you what to believe, I'm just going to put some information out there...
According to Halley's Bible Handbook
The Vatican is where the Palace of the Caesars was. The Popes have claimed all the authority the Caesars claimed, and more. The Papal Palace, throughout the centuries, has been among the most luxurious in all the world. |
The above was quoted from Halley's Bible Handbook Classic Edition
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NOTE: When purchasing a Halley's Bible Handbook, make sure to get a true classic edition, or an older edition. According to this conversation on the Sermon Index forums:
"The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association published a special "Crusade Edition" (1962, 1964, 1969) of Halley’s Bible Handbook and boldly removed Halley’s careful documentation of the evil of the popes and the slaughter of true Christians. Zondervan published a revised edition of Halley’s Bible Handbook in 2000, which likewise eliminated references to the RCC’s heresies and the millions of evangelical Christians slaughtered by Rome. Instead, it says: 'The Roman Catholic Church responded to the Protestant Reformation by reforming and renewing itself.'"
Why would Mr. Billy Graham change this book? A reading of Billy Graham and His Friends
According to the Nelson King James Study Bible
The elegant clothing and jewelry of the woman show her wealth and attractiveness, but her activities are filthy and abominable to God. Her mystery name is BABLYON THE GREAT. Ancient Babylon is a type or prefigurement of this future Babylon. The harlot will do what literal Babylon did in the past: (1) oppress God's people, and (2) propagate a false religious system. Much of the world's idolatry can be traced back to historical Babylon (cf. Gen. 11:1-9), including the mother-child cult of Semiramis-Tammus (cf. Jer. 44:16-19; Ezk. 8:9,14), which entered other cultures as Ashtaroth-Baal, Aphrodite-Eros, Venus-Cupid, and even Madonna-Child. As the fountainhead of idolatry, Babylon the harlot is the MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. The harlot has killed many of God's saints and Christian martyrs throughout the ages, and will do so again during the Tribulation period. ... In verse 18, she is identified as the great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth, referring probably to a worldwide, idolatrous, pagan system centered at Rome. |
The above was quoted from Nelson King James Study Bible
According to the Scofield Bible
Babylon, "confusion," is repeatedly used by the prophets in a symbolic sense (see Isa. 13:1 note). Two "Babylons" are to be distinguished in the Revelation: ecclesiastical Babylon, which is apostate Christendom, headed up under the Papacy; and political Babylon, which is the Beast's confederated empire, the last form of Gentile world-dominion. Ecclesiastical Babylon is "the great whore" (Rev. 17:1), and is destroyed by political Babylon (Rev. 17:15-18), that the beast may be the alone object of worship (2 Thes. 2:3,4; Rev. 13:15). The power of political Babylon is destroyed by the return of the Lord in glory. (See "Armageddon," Rev. 16:14; 19:17). The notion of a literal Babylon to be rebuilt on the site of ancient Babylon is in conflict with Isa. 13:19-22. But the language of Rev. 18 (e.g. vs. 10, 16, 18) seems beyond question to identify "Babylon," the "city" of luxury and traffic, with "Babylon" the ecclesiastical centre, viz. Rome. The very kings who hate ecclesiastical Babylon deplore the destruction of commercial Babylon. |
The above was quoted from KJV Scofield Bible with 1917 Notes
According to the Ryrie Study Bible
BABYLON THE GREAT. Though the famous city of Babylon was on the Euphrates River, the name here seems to be a symbolic reference to Rome (see v. 9 and 1 Peter 5:13). In chap. 17 Babylon represents the false religious system that will center in Rome during the Tribulation. In chap. 18 it represents more the political and commercial aspect of the revived Roman Empire headed by Antichrist. Thus the term stands both for a city and for a system (religious and commercial) related to the city (much like "Wall Street," which is both a place and system). For other references to Babylon, see Gen. 10:10; 11:9 ("Babel"); Isa. 13:19-20; Jer. 50-51. MOTHER OF HARLOTS. The family of false religions is unfaithful to the Lord and thus is described as a harlot (vv. 1, 15-16). |
The above was quoted from Ryrie Study Bible KJV
I believe there is an inaccuracy in some of the above quotes. The Roman empire didn't end, therefore there is no such thing as the Revived Roman Empire. The teaching of a "Revived Roman Empire" originated from a corrupted futurism teaching.
From "Fallacies of Futurism"
But when they get to the feet of iron and clay, Futurists depart from logical reasoning. Although the feet immediately develop from the iron legs (as feet usually do!), the Futurist teaches that a gap of nearly 2000 years, covering the Christian Dispensation, intervenes between the legs symbolizing the Roman Empire and the feet which they teach symbolizes a revived Roman Empire at the close of the Christian Dispensation. This absurd conclusion is, of course, necessary in order to support their other erroneous conclusions previously mentioned - that God's "Prophetic Clock" stops over the Church period and that prophecy only relates to the Jews. A gap of almost 2000 years would obviously have to be clearly represented by an appropriate symbol. There is absolutely nothing! The feet come directly from the iron legs, just as the iron legs come directly from the bronze thighs. And just as the iron legs must symbolize the Roman Empire, which came immediately after the Greek Empire, symbolized by the bronze thighs, so the feet of iron and clay must symbolize something which immediately succeeded the Roman Empire and not something taking place 2000 years after! |
The above was quoted from the "Christian Assemblies International" website, and is called Fallacies of Futurism - The Revived Roman Empire
According to "Rothschild’s: Papal & Royal Knights"
The Bank of Rome began opening branch offices in Venice in 1587. |
The above was quoted from this forum post, on the Let's Roll boards.
With the above in mind, please take the time to watch the below video in it's entirety, and see if this looks like the Beast system to you:
Next, please watch the below video with an open mind, and an open Bible, and see if you think the below is revealing the woman that rides the beast:
While I am not a Seventh Day Adventist, I have found many of them to be impressive eschatological researchers. Please take a look at the below video - it's very eye-opening. The following video shows us how Islam, fertility cults, and other religious teachings fit into all of this:
And please take the time to watch the following video - "Hidden in Plain View." I think you'll be quite surprised (and shocked?) on what you may learn:
For Further Study
- A man who was a Roman Catholic for 50 years; a priest for 25 of those years - what he learned, saw, and witnessed, and why he came out of Rome - 50 Years in the Church of Rome
- The earlier quoted excerpt from the Nelson King James Study Bible mentioned mother-child cults. See what that study Bible is talking about - The Two Babylons
CONCLUDING THOUGHT: Born again Christians act in accordance with the Christian head - Christ. Christians are not of this world, but they are in it. They follow the teachings of their spiritual Kingdom Head - Christ. Those not in Christ's kingdom follow the kingdom head of the empires. The teachings from the kingdom head of the empires is Babylon - Mystery Babylon - the central religion of the Black Thread. (Even those who claim no religion follow practices of Mystery Babylon - such as Christmas, Easter, and more.)
Some of the unsaved believe Mystery Babylon is Christianity, which it is not. The saved may or may not be ignorant of it. Those who study it, see it for what it really is, and it's not the light of Christ. It's a ray from the light of the Illuminati - a part of the Beast.
Notes
1. Nebuchadnezzar's dream from the book of Daniel, was a message depicting the kingdom power then, the ones after it, the one now, and the ones to come.
2. There is no such thing as the "Revived Roman Empire," because the Roman Empire didn't end; it just changed.
3. We are in the foot of the statue, which is iron (Rome) mixed with clay (those who don't submit to Rome).
4. Are you iron, or clay?
5. Remember when we learned a bit about Westcott and Hort in an earlier article in this series? They were iron.
