(The .pdf file has pictures)

 

In Daniel Two, the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar dreamt of a statue that was set up on the earth. Daniel relates the dream to the king.

Next Daniel interprets the dream for him, explaining that the statue is symbolic of five empires that would succeed each other, of which King Nebuchadnezzar’s empire was the first (i.e., the head of gold).

 

 

The empires are listed below. I will explain why the fifth empire is Christianity and Islam as we progress.

 

 

Verse 39 (above) speaks of Alexander the Great’s Macedonian Empire, which was to rule over “all the earth.” This referred to the known civilized world at that time, with the Middle East at its center. Alexander’s empire contained not just Israel, but also the previous two empires, Babylon (Iraq) and Persia (Iran). Today, much of this land is Islamic.

 

 

The legs of iron symbolized the fourth empire, which was the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire did not extend as far eastward as Alexander’s empire had, but it nonetheless contained the Land of Israel, encircled the Mediterranean, and also extended far north up into Europe. Today, much of this land is either Roman-Catholic, or has some form of Christian heritage. In at least some way, shape or form, these lands and their respective governments pay some form of reverence towards Rome.

 

 

The first four of these five empires show up again in Daniel 7 (below), where they are called four ‘beasts.’ But why are there only four beasts, when there are five empires? As I will show, the reason the fifth empire of Daniel 2 (Christianity and Islam) does not show up as a ‘fifth beast’ in Daniel 7 is that Christianity and Islam are both spiritual extensions of the fourth beast (the Roman Empire). Verse 7 tells us that this fourth beast will ‘trample the residue’ of Alexander’s Empire (which went before it), which tells us that Alexander’s eastern empire would somehow be contained within it.

 

 

In the Nazarene Israel study I show that the ‘Little Horn’ of Daniel 7:25 (below) is the Pope (or more accurately, the Papacy). I also show how the Papacy fulfills many of the prophecies over the Anti-Messiah. [For more information see “The Papacy as anti-Messiah”, in the Nazarene Israel study.]

 

Daniel 7:23 (below) tells us that Rome’s empire would be different than all other previous empires. Rome’s power and influence would continue grow long after Rome had ceased occupying ground militarily. Rather, Rome would expand its control the world through the Catholic Church.  Roman Catholicism continues to grow due to a variety of factors including high birth rates inside of the church, as well as active missionary throughout the world. Catholics are also very active in outreach to the homeless and the poor in all countries where they live. Their good works win them converts.

 

Because so many Christians do not understand that the Papacy fills the prophecies over the anti-Messiah, the Pope is widely respected in many Christian circles. Many Christians favor the Ecumenical Movement, which seeks to re-unite all Christian sects, most likely under the Pope. This option is seriously considered in many church circles; and as we will see later in this article, it is also taken seriously by the UN, and Islam.

 

The Pope has openly called for the New World Order to be brought to full power, and for the establishment of a one-world government. The United Religions Initiative seeks to establish just such a one-world ‘Universal’ religion loosely based on Catholicism, with the Pope as the head of the ‘Church.’ This is a perfect match for the Catholic Church, as the word ‘Catholic’ literally means ‘Universal.’

 

Like any empire, the Catholic empire’s influence also extends to politics. Most government leaders of those nations that used to be part of the Roman Empire (and even their colonies) continue to meet with the Pope, which is essentially to pay him some form of tribute or acknowledgement. In verses 20 and 24 we even read about ten kings that Scripture seems to indicate are even literally ‘part of’ the Roman beast.

 

 

That the ten kings should be ‘part of’ the Roman beast would seem to indicate that they derive their power from the beast. In practical terms this is probably done via the Jesuit Order (which is essentially the CIA/KGB ‘black ops’ arm of the Roman Catholic Church). This is also why Revelation 17:18 calls Rome “that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.”

 

 

In Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, the legs of iron represent the Roman Empire. Therefore, if iron represents Rome then the feet of iron and clay must represent Rome and Islam. This may seem like a very unlikely combination, seeing as Muslims are generally hostile to Christians: however, if we will consider the idea for a moment we may see that it makes perfect sense.

 

In Daniel 2:42-43 we are told that the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so that the kingdom would partly be strong and partly fragile. This is a perfect description of the Christian and Islamic worlds, what with the developed Christian nations’ military strength and the incessant fighting among the Muslims (i.e., the Ishmaelites). Daniel also tells us that the iron and clay would mingle with the seed of men, but that they would not adhere to each other, just as iron does not mix with clay: yet these are still both parts of the exact same (fifth) empire.

 

 

Since Daniel Seven only mentions four beasts, and yet five empires come to pass, then logically, Islam is an extension of the Roman Empire. If we will take a look at the history we will see how this has come about.

 

In 325CE, the Roman Emperor Constantine held the infamous Council of Nicea, in which the practice of Judaism and all Hebraic forms of the Good News were deemed “anathema to Christ.” Five years later, in 330 CE, Emperor Constantine moved the capital of his empire to Constantinople, which is today called Istanbul. Istanbul is located in a beautiful and highly strategic location in Turkey. Sitting astride a narrow canal, one third of Constantinople/Istanbul lies in Asia, while two thirds lies in Europe. This might be seen as being symbolic of the power of the Roman-Islamic beast as a whole, seeing as it spans both Rome’s and Alexander the Great’s old empires.

 

 

 

We will come back to Turkey later in this study, but for now let us take a look at the legends surrounding the formation of Islam as a world religion.

 

As mentioned, the Jesuit Order now serves as the ‘black ops’ arm of the Catholic Church.  It was founded in 1534, but is aware of ‘black ops’ that were carried out before its formation.  The former Jesuit priest Alberto Rivera claimed that he was once told that the Catholic Church had been instrumental in founding Islam. The reason the Catholics wanted to found Islam is that both Phariseeism (Orthodox Judaism) and several truer, more Hebraic forms of the Good News (such as Nazarene Israel) were spreading in North Africa, as well as in Arab lands. Since these areas were outside of Roman military control it was deemed necessary to find some other means of putting a stop to them.

 

Mohammed’s first wife was named Khadija. She was reportedly a faithful and devout Catholic, and according to some reports, the Catholic Church told her to marry Mohammed, as part of their plan. Not only was Khadija to give the Catholic Church information, but it would also give the Catholics a means of influencing him. According to these sources, Khadija had a cousin named Waraquah, who was also Catholic. Waraquah helped Mohammed to interpret and write down his visions, and she encouraged him in the formation of this new faith. Once transcribed these visions became the Quran (Koran). 

 

Whether these legends are recorded correctly or not, the prophecies in Daniel do seem to indicate a ‘special relationship’ between Catholicism and Islam, which is also borne out by current events. We will continue to explore this as this study continues.