The Parousia

An In-Depth Study on the Second Coming of Christ

The Parousia

God’s Sovereign Prophetic Plan for the Nations

Part 1

“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, And bestows it on whom He wishes And sets

over it the lowliest of men.” (Daniel 4:17)

SovereignOne who is in a position of authority to command others

1. Israel: the people and nation chosen by God to deliver the Messiah (the human Word) and the Bible (the written Word)

2. Gentile Nations: non-Jews both beloved (the Church) and hated, and used by God for His purposes

The Nations in Prophecy

“Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles[ethnos = „nation‟], nor

to the church of God”1 Cor. 10:32, KJV

Overview of the Gentiles Past & Future

The Nation‟s Rebellion Toward God

“Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take

counsel together Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from

us!” ” (Psalm 2:1–3)

Overview of God‟s Plan for the Nations

World-wide turmoil, unrest, wars/threats of wars

False peace by one-world government and its leader

World War unlike no other

Return of Jesus Christ

Reign of Christ over the Nations

“and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by

the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. ” (Luke 21:24)

• Ezekiel 10-11 records the glory of God departing from Israel• The Gentile domination of Jerusalem and Israel likely began with

Nebuchadnezzar in 587 B.C.• Last king of Judah was Zedekiah in 586 B.C.• “Times of the Gentiles” will continue into the Tribulation: ““Leave out the

court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations; and they will tread under foot the holy city for forty-two months. ” (Rev. 11:2)

The book of Daniel contains amazing prophecies about kingdoms that have since come and gone and also kingdoms that

have yet to come.

Nebuchadnezzar‟s Dream

“You, O king, were looking and behold, there was a single great statue; that statue, which was

large and of extraordinary splendor, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was awesome. “The head of that statue was made of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet

partly of iron and partly of clay. “You continued looking until a stone was cut out without hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and

clay and crushed them. “Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were crushed all at the same time and became like chaff from

the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them was found.

But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. ”

(Daniel 2:31–35)

Met

als

get w

orse

& w

orse

…

1. The longer man attempted to rule the earth apart from God, the more degenerated that rule would become

2. As the metals increased in strength, so would their reliance on military power

Two Key Observations:

The Stone without Hands

“Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures, „The stone which the builders rejected, This became the chief corner stone; This came about from the Lord, And it is marvelous in our eyes‟? “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it.

“And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.” (Matthew 21:42–45)

“Therefore thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it

will not be disturbed. ” (Isaiah 28:16)

Nebuchadnezzar‟s Dream

“Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were crushed all at the same time and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind

carried them away so that not a trace of them was found. ” (Daniel 2:35)

The Babylonian‟s chief god was Marduk, sometimes called Lord of the Wind. Wind, they thought, was a divine action. The dream indicated to Nebuchadnezzar

that divine activity would rid the world of Gentile world power and domination.

Nebuchadnezzar‟s Dream

“But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. ” (Daniel 2:35)

Babylonian‟s chief god Marduk was also called “The Great Mountain”. They thought their gods came from a sacred “mountain of the lands” and their temples

were imitations of mountains. To them, mountains were associated with the divine. God purposely used their beliefs to show them His future kingdom.

Daniel‟s Dream during Medo-Persian Rule

“In the third year of the reign of Belshazzar the king a vision appeared to me, Daniel, subsequent to the one which appeared to me previously. I looked in the

vision, and while I was looking I was in the citadel of Susa, which is in the province of Elam; and I looked in the vision and I myself was beside the Ulai Canal. Then I

lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a ram which had two horns was standing in front of the canal. Now the two horns were long, but one was longer than the other, with the longer one coming up last. I saw the ram butting westward, northward, and southward, and no other beasts could stand before him nor was there anyone to

rescue from his power, but he did as he pleased and magnified himself. While I was observing, behold, a male goat was coming from the west over the surface of the whole earth without touching the ground; and the goat had a conspicuous horn

between his eyes. He came up to the ram that had the two horns, which I had seen standing in front of the canal, and rushed at him in his mighty wrath. I saw him come beside the ram, and he was enraged at him; and he struck the ram and shattered his two horns, and the ram had no strength to withstand him. So he hurled him to the

ground and trampled on him, and there was none to rescue the ram from his power. Then the male goat magnified himself exceedingly. But as soon as he was mighty, the large horn was broken; and in its place there came up four conspicuous horns

toward the four winds of heaven. ” (Daniel 8:1–8)

Daniel‟s Dream during Medo-Persian Rule

Medo-Persia – the Ram with two horns, two kingdoms. Greece – the male goat - Alexander the Great: one Horn/one kingdom. Greece

conquered Persia in 331 B.C.

Alexander died at the age of 32 and his empire was divided up among the four generals who were not as strong as Alexander and obtained

their rule not by their own power.

Daniel‟s Final Vision of Medo-Persian Rule

“In the first year of Darius the Mede, I arose to be an encouragement and a protection for him. “And now I will tell you the truth. Behold, three more kings are going to arise in Persia. Then a fourth will gain far more riches than all of them; as

soon as he becomes strong through his riches, he will arouse the whole empire against the realm of Greece. “And a mighty king will arise, and he will rule with great

authority and do as he pleases. “But as soon as he has arisen, his kingdom will be broken up and parceled out toward the four points of the compass, though not to

his own descendants, nor according to his authority which he wielded, for his sovereignty will be uprooted and given to others besides them. ” (Daniel 11:1–4)

The angel informed Daniel that the present leadership in the Persian Empire would be succeeded by four rulers. The first was Cambyses, Cyrus‟ son, who came to the throne in 530 b.c. He was followed by Pseudo-Smerdis, who reigned a short period in 522 B.C. He was succeeded by Darius I Hystaspes who ruled from 521 to 486

B.C. He in turn was succeeded by Xerxes, known in the Book of Esther as Ahasuerus, who ruled from 485 to 465 B.C. Then came Alexander the Great and

the splitting of his Empire among his four generals.

“And when the Book of Daniel was showed him [Alexander the Great] wherein Daniel declared that one of

the Greeks should destroy the empire of the Persians, he supposed that himself was the person intended. And as he was then glad, he dismissed the multitude for the present; but the next day he called them to him, and bid them ask

what favors they pleased of him; whereupon the high priest desired that they might enjoy the laws of their forefathers, and might pay no tribute on the seventh year. He granted

all they desired. And when they entreated him that he would permit the Jews in Babylon and Media to enjoy their own laws also, he willingly promised to do hereafter what they

desired. " -Josephus, Antiquities, Chapter 11

The Future Roman Empire

“In that you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter‟s clay and partly of iron, it will be a divided kingdom; but it will have in it the toughness of iron, inasmuch as you saw the iron mixed with common clay. “As the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of pottery, so some of

the kingdom will be strong and part of it will be brittle. “And in that you saw the iron mixed with common clay, they will combine with one another in the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, even as iron does not combine with pottery. “In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left

for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever. “Inasmuch as you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands and

that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold, the great God has made known to the king what will take place in the future; so the dream is true and its interpretation

is trustworthy.” (Daniel 2:41–45)

Note: There has never been another world empire since Rome; never consisted of 10

Ten Toes

Synopsis of the Dream

Last stage of Rome occurs – a revived Empire

Final form is represented in 10 parts

Kingdom of God comes

Dominance of Gentile nations destroyed

Reign of Christ over the Nations

Daniel‟s Second Vision of the Nations“In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel saw a dream and visions in his mind as

he lay on his bed; then he wrote the dream down and related the following summary of it. Daniel said, “I was looking in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were

stirring up the great sea. “And four great beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another. “The first was like a lion and had the wings of an eagle. I kept looking until its

wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man; a human mind also was given to it. “And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling

a bear. And it was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and thus they said to it, „Arise, devour much meat!‟ “After this I kept looking, and behold,

another one, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird; the beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it. “After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold,

a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. “While I was contemplating the horns,

behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man

and a mouth uttering great boasts.”(Daniel 7:1–8)

Note: Because Daniel 2-7 was written for the Gentile nations, he wrote it in Aramaic so they could understand it; the rest of the book concerns Israel and is written in Hebrew

Contrast of the Dreams

Nebuchadnezzar sees the

kingdoms as man sees them:

glorious, with man standing

supreme. Daniel is shown in his

dream how God views the Gentile

empires who desire to exalt themselves and

rule without God: as

merciless beasts.

Daniel‟s Second Vision of the Nations“In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel saw a dream and visions in his mind as he lay on his bed; then he wrote the dream down and related

the following summary of it. Daniel said, “I was looking in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea.

“And four great beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another. “The first was like a lion and had the wings of an eagle. I kept looking until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man; a human mind also was

given to it. “And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear. And it was raised up on one side, and

three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and thus they said to it, „Arise, devour much meat!‟ “After this I kept looking, and behold, another one, like

a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird; the beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it. “After

this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It

devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. “While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by

the roots before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth uttering great boasts.”(Daniel 7:1–8)

• The sea is representative of the nations in turmoil (cf. Psalm 2)• Winged lions were literally the national symbol of Babylon•Nebuchadnezzar was humbled by God• Medo-Persia became larger (a bear) than Babylon (the lion); the Persians became dominant• Greece was symbolized by great speed; 4 generals took over from Alexander •The fourth kingdom was too terrible to be described by an existing animal• The final kingdom will be a revived Roman Empire represented by 10 constituencies (horns=power)

Revelation‟s Version of the Nations & Antichrist

"And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore. Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea [the nations], having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names. And the

beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne

and great authority. I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the

beast; they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage

war with him?” There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him. And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven. It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. All who dwell on the earth will worship

him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain."

(Revelation 13:1-8)

The Seven Heads – Roman Kings not Nations

Some try and say the seven heads represent nations, with the first five being Greece, Persia, Assyria, Babylon and Egypt. But Rev. 17:10 says of the

beast: “Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits, and they are seven kings; five have fallen (Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero), one is (Domitian), the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while. ” The five fallen are the five past prominent rulers of Rome; the sixth was currently reigning and the

seventh/eight is the Antichrist.

"The British decision to join the Common Market has brought Europe to

the threshold of its strongest alliance since the nations involved were tied

together as a part of the Roman Empire 15 centuries ago.“

- L.A. Examiner, October 1971

Daniel‟s Second Vision of the Nations“I kept looking Until thrones were set up, And the Ancient of Days took His seat; His vesture was like white snow And the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne

was ablaze with flames, Its wheels were a burning fire. “A river of fire was flowing And coming out from before Him; Thousands upon thousands were attending Him,

And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him; The court sat, And the books were opened. “Then I kept looking because of the sound of the boastful

words which the horn was speaking; I kept looking until the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire. “As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time. “I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the

clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. “And to Him was given

dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not

pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.”(Daniel 7:9–14)

Ends the “times of the Gentiles”.

Interpretation of Daniel‟s Second Vision

“As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed within me, and the visions in my mind kept alarming me. “I approached one of those who were standing by and began

asking him the exact meaning of all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things: „These great beasts, which are four in number, are four kings who will arise from the earth. „But the saints of the Highest One will

receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come.‟ “Then I desired to know the exact meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its claws of bronze, and

which devoured, crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet, and the meaning of the ten horns that were on its head and the other horn which came up, and before which three of them fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth

uttering great boasts and which was larger in appearance than its associates. “I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them until the Ancient of Days came and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the

Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom.”(Daniel 7:15–22)

Interpretation of Daniel‟s Second Vision

“Thus he said: „The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth and tread it

down and crush it. „As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings. „He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the

saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time. „But the court will sit for judgment, and his dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever. „Then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms

under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey

Him.‟ “At this point the revelation ended. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts were greatly alarming me and my face grew pale, but I kept the matter to myself.”

(Daniel 7:22–28)

The Overall Progression of the Nations

First four empires rise, fall, but their influence remains

The times of the Gentiles continues

10 kingdom confederacy is established

Antichrist assumes control of confederacy

Return of Jesus Christ; Antichrist‟s confederacy destroyed

Reign of Christ over the Nations; Israel‟s promises fulfilled

“and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the

Gentiles are fulfilled. ” (Luke 21:24)

Staged Progression of Fourth Empire

First Stage: Beast or Initial Conquering Phase: Ancient Rome

Second Stage: Revived Roman Empire: 10 Horns

Third Stage: Little Horn/Antichrist

Fourth Stage: Destruction at the Hand of Messiah

“Thus he said: „The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth and tread it

down and crush it. „As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings. . . . But the court will sit for judgment, and his dominion will be

taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever.”

Summary of Dreams/Visions

Image (Chap. 2) Beasts (Chap. 7) Beast (Chap. 8) Represents…

Head of gold Winged lion Babylon

Arms and chest of silver

Bear Medo-Persia

Belly and thighs of bronze

Winged, four-headed leopard

Ram with two horns

Greece

Legs of iron Nondescript Beast

Male goat with one great horn, then four horns

Rome

Feet and toes of iron and clay

Ten horns RevivedRoman empire

Stone that becomes great mountain

Messiah and saints Kingdom

Kingdom of God

Tim

es o

f the

Gen

tiles

“For the nation and the kingdom which will not serve

you will perish, And the nations will be utterly ruined.”

(Isaiah 60:12)

Concluding Thoughts

“Draw near, O nations, to hear; and listen, O peoples! Let the earth and all it contains hear, and the world and all that springs from it. For the LORD‟S indignation is against all the nations, And His wrath against all their armies; He has utterly destroyed them, He has given

them over to slaughter. ” (Isaiah 34:1–2)

“Daniel charts the course of Gentile world dominion through history. It shows how man‟s mania for self-rule drives one kingdom to devour

another and compels the Gentiles to attempt the annihilation of God‟s special covenant people, Israel.”

– Renald Showers

“I have lived, Sir, a long time and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth -- that God governs in

the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his

notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?”- Benjamin Franklin

Concluding Thoughts

“I am the Lord, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God. . . . I am the Lord, and there is no other, The One forming light and

creating darkness, Causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the Lord who does all these. ” (Isaiah 45:5–7)

“If a calamity occurs in a city has not the Lord done it? ” (Amos 3:6)

The world oftentimes asks if God could be responsible for a particular catastrophe or disaster. Although we should not be quick

to assign all natural occurrences and such to God, the Bible makes it clear that God does indeed sovereignly act in judgment.

The Parousia

God’s Sovereign Prophetic Plan for the Nations

Part 1