By Craig Paardekooper © January 2023

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NEW WORLD ORDERS
New world orders have occurred many times before – the most famous instance being theTower of Babel, where every one spoke the same language and was gathered together into one
place for a single purpose.
But the Bible also describes several different world empires that had dominion over Israel at one
time or another, and shows how God interacted with them. These empires included –•Egyptian•

Canaanite•

Assyrian•

Babylonian•

Persian

•

Greek

•

Roman

The Egyptian Captivity culminated in a time of persecution – the genocide of all the malechildren, and the enslavement of the adult population. The people were oppressed until a time
had elapsed pre-determined by God – 430 years till the day – when God brought judgement andplagues upon Egypt, and delivered Israel out of Egypt into the Promised Land. The Bible draws
a strong parallel between the plagues that afflicted Egypt, and the meteor judgements ofRevelations.
The Hebrews exited Egypt and entered Canaan, a land of milk and honey – just as we will exit
the New World Order and enter the Kingdom of God.
Canaan was part of the Egyptian empire – and there the Hebrews were faced with giants, tribesof titans, much like today when we are faced by the vast resources and insurmountable odds ofthe Globalists.
Of particular interest are the latter 4 empires which dominated Israel from the time of theBabylonian Captivity onwards. The Book of Daniel represents these 4 empires as 4 beasts, anddepicts them also as a huge golden statue. Revelations tells us that the beast of Revelations is anamalgamation of these 4.
In this short booklet, I look at how God dealt with these 4 empires, and by implication, how
God will deal with the final Beast that we are confronted with today – the New World Order.

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THE BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY
In 626 B.C. the prophet Jeremiah began his ministry. For 40 years he preached a message
of coming judgment – urging the people of Israel to return to following God’scommandments. However, after the death of King Josiah (in 607 B.C.), the Jewish people
had almost completely abandoned God – and Jeremiah made this prophecy - heprophesied that the Jews would be taken captive by the Babylonians and put under theirpower for 70 years.

"Therefore the LORD Almighty says this: 'Because you have not listened to mywords, I will summon all the peoples of the north and my servant Nebuchadnezzar
king of Babylon,' declares the LORD, 'and I will bring them against this land andits inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy
them and make them an object of horror and scorn, and an everlasting ruin. I will
banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride andbridegroom, the sound of millstones and the light of the lamp. This whole country
will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king ofBabylon for seventy years.
But when the seventy years are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon and his
nation, the land of the Babylonians, for their guilt,' declares the LORD, 'and will
make it desolate forever. I will bring upon that land all the things I have spoken
against it, all that is written in this book and prophesied by Jeremiah against all
the nations. They themselves will be enslaved by many nations and great kings. I
will repay them according to their deeds and the work of their hands.” Jer 25 v 714"When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill mygracious promise to bring you back to this place.” Jer 29 v 10
So was Jeremiah’s prophecy fulfilled ?
"He (Nebuchadnezzar) carried into exile to Babylon the remnant (of the Jews)
who escaped the sword, and they became servants of him and his sons until the
kingdom of Persia came to power. The land enjoyed it's sabbath rests; all the timeof its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were completed in fulfillment of
the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah." 2 Chron 36 v 22
So the 2nd Book of Chronicles states that this prophecy was fulfilled. Israel remained in exile
from their homeland, and under Babylonian power for 70 years.

4SEVENTY YEARSLet us take a closer look at this prophecy.. The prophecy of the seventy years of captivity
was fulfilled in 4 different ways.
1) The Period of Babylonian PowerThis is the period during which the Jews and western Asiatic peoples in general cameunder the sway of the Babylonian power. This period began with the defeat of the
Assyrians and Egyptians at the siege of Harran. The New Babylonian Chronicle describes
this event as occurring in the 17th year of Nabopolassar, i.e. 607 B.C. With the defeat of
the Egyptians and Assyrians in 607 B.C., the domination of the peoples of Syria andPalestine passed from Egypt to Babylon. Jehoiakim (the king of the Jews) was reduced toa vassal king.
This assumption of Babylonian authority over all western Asia is confirmed by Jeremiah
as dating from the accession year of Jehoiakim - 607 B.C. Jehoiakim served theBabylonian king for three years and then rebelled against him; consequently
Nebuchadnezzar sent an army against Jerusalem. The date of this attack is the 3rd year of
Jehoiakim.
So, the fall of Babylon and the tragic crash of the Babylonian Empire occurred in 537
B.C. - exactly 70 years after Babylon assumed power over Palestine.
2) The Desolation of the Temple
The Temple was burnt to the ground in 585 B.C. The Book of Ezra 6 v 15 informs us thatthe rebuilding of the Temple, after the Jews had returned from the Babylonian exile, wascompleted in the end (12th month) of the 6th year of Darius king of Persia. The reign ofDarius, as given in Ptolemy's Canon is completely confirmed by the contract tablet dating
and is also astronomically fixed by two independent eclipse records relative to two
separate lunar eclipses, hence indisputable. The first year of Darius began in Spring 521
B.C. and finished in Spring 520 B.C., hence the 6th year ended in Spring 515 B.C. andno authority disputes this date. Now, from the cessation of Divine Services and thedestruction of the Temple in 585 B.C. to the time the Temple was rebuilt and Divine
Services recommenced in 515 B.C. was an interval of precisely 70 years - and the 70 year
desolation was therefore fulfilled to the letter.
3) The Captivity of the Jews
The first batch of Jews to be removed from the Land of Judah to Babylon were thosetaken in the 3rd year of the reign of Jehoiakim - 604 B.C.
Now, the first batch of Jews to come back from Babylon returned in the first year of
Cyrus, as recorded in the first two chapters of Ezra. The first year of Cyrus as direct king5

of Babylon was his 3rd year as emperor - commencing March 534 B.C. and ending
March 533 B.C. It was during this very year that the first return of Jewish captives from
Babylon took place. This was precisely 70 years after the first batch of Jews were taken
to Babylon in 604-603 B.C.
4) Divine Indignation
During this period God expressly declares His righteous indignation against the Jews.
Both the beginning and end of this chronological band are clearly defined in the
Scriptures.
The 8th chapter of Ezekiel informs us that in the 6th year of Jehoiachin's captivity the
wickedness of the House of Judah had reached such a pitch that it provoked God's
righteous indignation and He declared"Therefore will I also deal in fury; mine eyes shall not spare, neither will I havepity" and He withdrew His Shekinah Glory from the Most Holy in the Temple" (ieHe withdrew His protecting "presence" from their midst.)
The 6th year of Jehoiachin's exile began March 590 B.C. The period of Divine
Indignation on the Jews began in the 6th month (Elul) of the 6th year, that is in autumn
590 B.C.
Zechariah chapter 1 reveals the termination of that period of Divine Indignation. In verses
2 and 3, God declares"The LORD hath been sore displeased with your fathers. Therefore say unto them,Thus sayeth the LORD of Hosts."
Verse 1 states that this was uttered in the eighth month (Bul) of the 2nd year of Darius, ie
in autumn 520 B.C., exactly 70 years after the provocation of Divine Indignation inautumn 590 B.C. And verse 12 definitely draws attention to the fact that the indignation
had lasted 70 years.
"Then the angel of the LORD answered and said, 'O LORD of Hosts, how long
will thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against whichthou hast had indignation these three score and ten years?"
To which the Divine reply came,"Therefore, thus sayeth the LORD: 'I am returning to Jerusalem with mercies: myhouse shall be built in it,' sayeth the LORD of Hosts, 'and a line shall be stretched
forth upon Jerusalem.""'For I,' saith the LORD, 'will be unto her a wall of fire round about and will be
the glory in the midst of her.'"6

WHY SEVENTY YEARS ?
Many years before the Jewish Captivity, Moses had recorded God’s commandments – oneof which was the keeping of the Sabbath and the seven-year sabbatical cycle.
"At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. This is how it is to bedone: Every creditor shall cancel the loan he made to his fellow Israelite. He shallnot require payment from his fellow Israelite or brother, because the LORD's time
for cancelling debts has been proclaimed. If a fellow Hebrew, a man or woman,sells himself to you and serves you six years, in the seventh year you must let him
go free." DEUT 15 v 1-12
"If you buy a Hebrew servant he is to serve you for 6 years but in the seventh year
he shall go free, without paying anything." EXOD 21 v 2
The Commandments also established a Year of Jubilee. Every seven sabbaths of years or seven times seven years, a special year of ATONEMENT was to be proclaimed
throughout the Land. It was a special year of LIBERTY when each person was to returnhome to his family and property.
"Count off seven Sabbaths of years - seven times seven years - so that the seven
Sabbaths of years amount to a period of 49 years. Then have the trumpet sounded
everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonementsound the trumpet throughout your land. Consecrate the 50th year and proclaim
liberty throughout the land to all it's inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; eachone of you is to return to his family property and each to his own clan."
LEVITICUS 25 v 8
The laws indicate that after a period of "seven", debts are to be forgiven and slaves are tobe freed and allowed to return home. How appropriate, therefore, that after 70 years of
captivity and enslavement to the Babylonians, the Jews were set free and allowed toreturn to their homeland.
The captivity lasted 70 years because this was in accordance with the Sabbath Year Law
It was also a requirement that the land be allowed to rest every seventh year.
God also gave Moses a warning if people broke these laws.
"I will turn your cities into ruins and lay waste your sanctuaries, and I will takeno delight in the pleasing aroma of your offerings. I will lay waste your land, so

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that your enemies who live there will be appalled. I will scatter you among thenations and will draw out my sword and pursue you. Your land will be laid waste,
and your cities will lie in ruins. Then the land will enjoy it's Sabbath years all
the time that it lies desolate and you are in the country of your enemies; thenthe land will rest and enjoy it's Sabbaths. All the time that it lies desolate, theland will have the rest it did not have during the Sabbaths you lived in it."
LEV 26 v 31-35
Here, the duration of the future Captivity (scattered among the nations) is to be related to
the Sabbath Year Law - and the length of the period of Captivity is to equate to a great
Sabbath for the land.
2 Chronicles confirms this.
"The land enjoyed it's Sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until
the seventy years were completed in fulfillment of the word of the LORD
spoken by ." 2 CHRON 36 v 21

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TWO MEN BEFORE THEIR TIME
Only twice in the Bible is the proper name of a person predicted before they are born. In
both cases it also predicts the specific events surrounding these two people, and thespecific things they will do. The first name is JOSIAH. The second name is that of
CYRUS. Both have an interesting connection to the events of the Captivity.
JOSIAHDuring the reigns of king Saul, king David and king Solomon, Israel was a united
kingdom. However, after the reign of king Solomon ended (in 977 B.C.) Israel became
divided into 2 separate kingdoms - the Northern Kingdom with its capital at Samaria, andthe Kingdom of Judah with its capital at Jerusalem. There was a king of the Northern
Kingdom - named Jeroboam, and a king of the Kingdom of Judah - named Rehoboam.

DIVISION OF THE KINGDOM AFTER SOLOMON
Northern Kingdom

King Jeroboam

Capital SamariaSouthern Kingdom

King Rehoboam

Capital Jerusalem

There was still only one religion, the worship of YWHW, and the center of this religion
was at the Temple of Jerusalem . However, Jeroboam was worried because he believedthat if his people continued to worship at Jerusalem they would return to serving
Rehoboam. So to avoid this Jeroboam set about creating a new religion with a new centerof worship - so his people would no longer have to go to Jerusalem.
So Jeroboam made 2 gold calves, and set one up at Bethel and the other up at Dan. He
established a new religion with new idols, new shrines, new priests, new festivals. Then aprophet from Judah came to the shrine at Bethel while king Jeroboam was worshipping
there.
By the word of the LORD a man of God came from Judah to Bethel as Jeroboam
was standing at the altar to make an offering. The man of God cried out against
the altar by the word of the LORD:"O altar, altar! This is what the LORD says: "A son named Josiah will be born tothe house of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who
now make offerings here, and human bones will be burnt on you."That same day the man of God gave a sign: "This is the sign the LORD has
declared: the altar will be split apart and the ashes on it will be poured out."
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When king Jeroboam heard what the man of God cried out against the altar at
Bethel, he stretched out his hand from the altar and said, "Seize him!". But thehand he stretched out towards the man shriveled up, so that he could not pull it
back. Also the altar was split apart and it's ashes poured out according to the sign
given by the man of God by the word of the LORD.
Then the king said to the man of God, "Intercede with the LORD your God andpray for me that my hand may be restored." So the man of God interceded with
the LORD, and the king's hand was restored and became as it was before.
1 KINGS 13 v 1-6
This prophecy seems to have been fulfilled 350 years later when for the first time a kingnamed JOSIAH became king of Judah. When Josiah was 8 years old he became king,and he reigned at Jerusalem for 31 years. In the 18th year of Josiah's reign (622 B.C.)
Josiah's officials discovered the Book of the Law - and Josiah read it and realized how
much Israel had gone astray. He committed himself to reform Israel, and became
determined to purge Israel of its idolatry.
Josiah sent his officials to the prophetess Huldah in Jerusalem to enquire of her what thediscovery of the Book of the Law meant. She gave them this prophecy "This is what the LORD says: I am going to bring disaster on this place and its
people, according to everything written in the Book the king of Judah has read.
Because they have forsaken me and burned incense to other gods and provoked
me to anger by all the idols their hands have made, my anger will burn against
this place and will not be quenched.""This is what the LORD, the God of Israel says concerning the words you heard:
Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the LORD
when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people, that theywould become accursed and laid waste, and because you tore your robes andwept in my presence, I have heard you declares the LORD. Therefore I will gather
you to your fathers, and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all thedisaster I am going to bring on this place." 2 KINGS Chapter 22
King Josiah carried out a purge of idolatry both in the Kingdom of Judah and in the
Northern Kingdom. He removed all the idols from the Temple of Jerusalem and burned
them outside Jerusalem. He also destroyed all the "high places" or altars throughout all ofIsrael where worship of the idols took place and executed all the idolatrous priests. At
Bethel people had been buried near to the altars. Josiah dug up these bodies and burned
them on the altars, thus fulfilling the prophecies made 350 years earlier. 2 Kings chapter
23 describes the purge of Josiah.

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CYRUS
God not only prophesied the duration of the captivity, He also prophesied the name of theman who would bring the captivity to an end - CYRUS. The name of Cyrus wasprophesied more than 100 years before Cyrus was born.
The prophecy states that Cyrus would allow the Jews to return to their homeland andwould issue a decree authorizing the rebuilding of their Temple at Jerusalem.
"This is what the LORD says - your Redeemer, who formed you out of thewomb:... who says of Jerusalem, "It shall be inhabited," of the towns of Judah,"They shall be built", and of their ruins, "I will restore them", who says to thewatery deep, "Be dry and I will dry up your streams", who says of Cyrus "He is
my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please; he will say to Jerusalem, "Letit be rebuilt", and of the Temple, "Let it's foundations be laid." ISAIAH 44 v 2428
"This is what the LORD says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I takehold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armor, to open
doors before him so that gates will not be shut: I will go before you and will level
the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. I
will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you
may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by name. For thesake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, I call you by name and bestow on
you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me. I am the LORD, andthere is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though
you have not acknowledged me, so that from the rising of the Sun to the place of
it's setting men may know there is none besides me. I am the LORD, and there isno other. I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create
disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things..." ISAIAH 45 v 1-7"This is what the LORD says - the Holy One of Israel, and it's maker: Concerning
things to come,. ... I will raise up Cyrus in my righteousness: I will make all his
ways straight. He will rebuild my city and set my exiles free, but not for a price orreward, says the LORD Almighty." ISAIAH 45 v 11-13

The ministry of the prophet Isaiah lasted until about 690 B.C. so these prophecies were
all made before that date. Cyrus was born 607 B.C. at the earliest - almost 100 years after
the prophecies were written.

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TESTIMONY OF CYRUS HIMSELF TO ISAIAH'S PROPHECY
We find recorded in the history of Josephus that Cyrus wrote throughout all his
dominions that "God Almighty hath appointed me to be king of the habitable earth," and that "Heindeed foretold my name by the prophets, and that I should build him a house atJerusalem which is in the country of Judea."
Josephus goes on to say that, when Cyrus had read the words of the prophet Isaiah,"He called for the most eminent Jews in Babylon and said to them, that he gavethem leave to go back to their country and to rebuild their city Jerusalem and theTemple of God."
Josephus also gives a copy of the letter written by Cyrus to the governors that were in
Syria, which letter begins as follows:"King Cyrus to Sisinnes and Sathrabuzzanes, sendeth greetings. I have given
leave to as many of the Jews that dwell in my country as please to do so to returnto their own country, and to rebuild the city, and to rebuild the Temple of God atJerusalem on the same place where it was before." JOSEPHUS - ANTIQUITIESBk XI, Chapter 1 see 1 & 3

In the whole bible only two people are prophesied by name before their birth - JOSIAH
and CYRUS. Josiah ruled up until the very year that the captivity began. He died in 607
B.C. Cyrus's reign began in 537 B.C., the very year the Captivity ended.
So God not only predicted the length of the Captivity, but also the names of the rulers at
its beginning and end – rulers that God claims to have put in place.
What all this suggests is that God is in control. He determined when the captivity would
start, and when it would end. When the mighty Babylonian Empire would rise, and when
it would fall, and even who would bring that about.
The Babylonian Empire was the first of a series of world empires to exercise dominion
over Israel.
In our current circumstances, we face a new World Order, and once again we have aprophecy of its duration – 3.5 years. Will you have faith and hold out, trusting that God
will keep His promise ?

12THE PROPHET DANIEL
Daniel lived contemporary with both Jeremiah and Ezekiel, and is mentioned twice in the Bookof Ezekiel.
14:12 The word of the LORD came again to me, saying, 14:13 Son of man, when theland sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand
upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it,
and will cut off man and beast from it: 14:14 Though these three men, Noah, Daniel,
and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness,saith the Lord GOD. EZEK 14 v 12
Ezekiel finished writing his book in about 520 B.C. since the last event he describes in
the Book of Ezekiel is the return of the Holy Spirit on that date. However, the book tells
us that God spoke these words to Ezekiel between 590B.C. when the Spirit departed, and586 B.C. when Jerusalem fell.
In the quote above, Ezekiel is drawing our attention to three men renowned for theirrighteousness all of whom are found in our Scriptures. It is certain that these three
persons were either Israelites or Patriarchs, since it would not make sense for God to draw
attention to the righteousness of other nations who followed other gods and othercommandments, especially given the circumstances (being captive amongst foreigners).
Daniel is placed on a level with the greatest of the Patriarchs Noah and Job.
Righteousness is ascribed to him, as we find in the Book of Daniel, where Daniel is said
to be highly esteemed by God, devoutly prayerful, and mindful of the laws of idolatry andpurity. The deliverance of three men through their righteousness is a clear allusion to thestory of the three friends of Daniel in the fiery furnace.
28:1 The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, 28:2 Son of man, say unto
the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up, andthou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thouart a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God: 28:3 Behold,thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee:28:4
With thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast
gotten gold and silver into thy treasures: 28:5 By thy great wisdom and by thy
traffick hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thyriches: 28:6 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast set thine heart as
the heart of God; 28:7 Behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the terribleof the nations: and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom,and they shall defile thy brightness. EZEK 28 v 1

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Here the WISDOM of Daniel is referred to, as well as Daniel's ability to understandsecrets (i.e. interpret riddles and dreams). These are the very qualities portrayed of Daniel
in the Book of Daniel. This is done in the very context of the Prince of Tyre setting
himself up as an idol - exactly what Nebuchadnezzar did.
It is therefore certain that during the earliest days of the Persian Empire, Daniel was
already regarded as a prophet. It is also certain that as early as 590 B.C. God spoke to
Ezekiel about the righteousness and wisdom of Daniel, and He spoke in such a way as toexpect Ezekiel to understand the reference to Daniel.

LANGUAGE OF BOOK OF DANIEL
That Daniel lived during the time of Ezekiel is also evident from the languages inwhich the Book of Daniel is written. The scrolls of Daniel are written partly in Hebrew
and partly in Aramaic, and the Aramaic is not at all the Aramaic of the other documents of
the Maccabean period, but the eastern Aramaic of the sixth century BC. This Aramaic isvery similar to the Aramaic found in 5th Century Elephantine papyri, and also in
the Book of Ezra. The Aramaic is official Aramaic which predates the Aramaic of
Greek times.
The Hebrew too is classical Hebrew, not the Hebrew of the Maccabean period.
Scattered throughout the text are Persian and Assyro-Babylonian words, all dating
to the period of captivity, and prior to the Greek empire.
Frequency of foreign words
Era

Language

Number of words found in Daniel

Canaanite

Aramaic

Very similar to Ezra and 5th
Century Elephantine Papyri

Assyrian- Babylonian742-537 B.C.

Assyrian/Babylonian

7+ : all proper names are in AssyriaBabylonian

Persian Empire 537333 B.C.

Old Persian

21 : all 21 words are Old Persian(pre Greek conquest)

Greek Empire 333-67
Greek
B.C.

3

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Nabatean Kingdom 50 Arabic, Latin,
B.C.
Egyptian0

See : https://www.andrews.edu/library/car/cardigital/Periodicals/AUSS/1981-3/1981-3-03.pdf

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DANIELS PREDICTIONSEMPIRES

ABOUT

THE

PERSIAN

AND

GREEK

Daniel lived through the 70 years of the Babylonian empire, and also the firstyears of the Persian empire that succeeded it.
What is interesting is that the majority of the detailed prophecy in Daniel relates to
the Greek empire that succeeded the Persian empire.
Daniel Chapter 11 describes the precise events that will take place. The table below lists
each prophecy next to its fulfilment.

Prophecy

Historical Fulfillment

Dateof
Fulfillment

PERSIANS"And now I will show you
the truth. Behold, three morekings shall arise in Persia; The fourth king of Persia wasand a fourth shall be far Xerxes. He had proverbial
483-480richer than all of them; and riches. And it was Xerxes
B.C.
when he has become strong who launched an immense
through his riches, he shall invasion of Greece
stir up all against the
kingdom of Greece."

ALEXANDER"Then a mighty king shallarise, who shall rule withgreat dominion and do
according to his will. And Alexander the Great was thewhen he has arisen, his first and mightiest of the
kingdom shall be broken and kings of the Greek Empire.
divided toward the four After his death, his kingdom 332 B.C.
winds of heaven, but not by was split between his four
his posterity, nor according generals - none of whomto the dominion with which were his posterity.
he ruled; for his kingdom
shall be plucked up and go
to others besides these."

The southern part of the"Then the king of the south
Greek Empire was based inshall be strong, but one of
TIME OF THE
Egypt. It was from thehis princes shall be stronger
301 B.C.
PTOLEMIES
Egyptian part of the Greek
than he and his dominion
Empire that the Seleucids
shall be a great dominion."emerged.

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"After some years they shall Ptolemy Philadelphus was
make an alliance, and the king of the southern part ofTIME OF THE daughter of the king of the the empire (Egypt). He gave
284 B.C.
south shall come to the king his daughter Berenice to the
PTOLEMIESof the north to make peace; king of the northern part ofbut she shall not retain thethe empire (Syria) in order tostrength of her arm, and he make peace. The northernand his offspring shall not king was named Antiochus
endure; but she shall be Theos. Antiochus divorced
given up, and her attendants, his first wife and married
her child, and he who got Berenice and gave her apossession of her."child. However, the first wife
got revenge by having
Berenice and Antiochus
killed together with theirchild.
"In those times a branch Berenice's brother - Pyolemy
from her roots shall arise in Euergetes - organizes an
his place; he shall come army to attack the northern
TIME OF THE
against the army and enter kingdom. He wants revenge 264 B.C.
PTOLEMIES
the fortress of the king of the for Berenice's death. He
north, and he shall deal with defeats
thenorthernthem and shall prevail."kingdom.
"He shall also carry off to
Egypt their gods with their
Ptolemy Euergetes takes all
molten images and with their
the valuables of the northern
precious vessels of silver
kingdom back to Egypt. He
and gold; and for some years
TIME OF THE
brings so many valuables
he shall refrain fromPTOLEMIES
back to Egypt that theattacking the king of theEgyptians
namehimnorth. Then the latter shall"Euergetes"
meaningcome into the realm of the"benefactor".
king of the south but shallreturn into his own land."
His sons shall wage war and The sons of the northern kingassemble a multitude of - Antiochus the Great andTIME
OF great forces, which shall Seleucus Callinicus warred
ANTIOCHUS come on and overflow and attacked
thesouthern 219 B.C.
THE GREAT
pass through, and again shall Kingdom for the first time.
carry the war as far as his They warred against Ptolemy
fortress.
Philopater - Euergetes's son

17Then the king of the south,
moved with anger, shallcome out and fight with theking of the north; and he The South fights back and
TIME
OF shall raise a great multitude, wins the war. Ptolemy
ANTIOCHUS but it shall be given inti his Philopaterdefeats
the 217 B.C.
THE GREAT
hand. And when the northern kingdom at Raphia,
multitude is taken his heart near Gaza.
shall be exalted, and he shallcast down tens of thousands,
but he shall not prevail."
TIME OFFor the king of the north

The Northern kingdom

ANTIOCHUS
THE GREAT

shall again raise a multitude, attacked
thesouthern
greater than the former; and kingdom again, but this timeafter some years he shall the northern kingdom won.
come on with a great army Antiochus the Great became
and abundant supplies. In master of Palestine. He
those times many shall rise defeated Ptolemy Epiphanes,
against the king of the south; thesonofPtolemyand the men of violence Philopater, at Panion. He wasamong your own people helped by Philip of Macedon,shall lift themselves up in rebels in Egypt, and by Jews
order to fulfill the vision; but who helped besiege thethey shall fail. Then the king Egyptian
garrisoninof the north shall come and Jerusalem. The Jews had
throw up siege works, and hoped that helping thetake a well-fortified city.
northern kingdom would
And the forces of the south gain
Palestine
it'sshall not stand, or even his independence - they were
picked troops, for there shall disappointed. Palestine was
be no strength to stand. But now under the sway of thehe who comes against him Seleucids - it had hitherto
shall do according to his belonged to the Ptolemies.
will, and none shall stand
before him; and he shallstand in the glorious land,
and all of it shall be in his
power

198 B.C.

18

Antiochus the Great gave his
He shall set his face to come daughter Cleopatra to thewith the strength of his king of the southernwhole kingdom, and he shall kingdom. Antiochus's plan
TIME
OF bring terms of peace and was to use his daughter to
ANTIOCHUS perform them. He shall give sabotage
thesouthern
THE GREAT
him the daughter of women kingdom. However, his
to destroy the kingdom; but daughter sided with the kingit shall not stand or be to his of the south and would notadvantage.
carry out her father's evilplots. So his plan failed.
Afterwards he shall turn his Antiochus the Great set aboutface to the coastlands, and conqueringtheAegeanshall take many of them; but Islands bordering Italy. He
a commander shall put an was defeated by the Romans
TIME
OF end to his insolence; indeed - who then imposed a tribute
ANTIOCHUS he shall turn his insolence upon him. He returned to his 189 B.C.
back upon him. Then he own land in order to find
THE GREAT
shall turn his face back money to pay the tribute. He
toward the fortress of his attempted to plunder theown land; but he shall Temple of Jupiter atstumble and fall and not be Elymais, but was killed byfound.

the infuriated inhabitants.

Seleucus Philopater, son of
Antiochus the Great, set
about gathering the tribute to
Then shall arise in his place pay to Rome. He extracted
one who shall send an much money from his
TIME
OF exactor of tribute through subjects, and also sent his
189-177
SELEUCUS
the glory of the kingdom; minister - Heliodorus - to
B.C.
PHILOPATER but within a few days he plunder the Temple inshall be broken, neither in Jerusalem. After a relatively
short reign of 12 years heanger nor in battle.
was poisoned by Heliodorus,
who hoped to gain the crown
thereby.

19

In his place shall arise acontemptible person to Antiochus Epiphanes, thewhom the royal majesty has younger son of Seleucus
not been given; he shall Philopater,
over
threw
come in without warning Heliodorus and assumed theand shall obtain the kingdom throne. He was not theTIME
OF by flatteries. Armies shall be rightful heir - the title
ANTIOCHUS utterly swept away before belonged to his older brother 177 B.C.
EPIPHANES
him and broken, and the - Demetrius - who wasprince of the covenant also. hostage in Rome.. Antiochus
And from the time that an also murdered his younger
alliance is made with him he brother (the prince of theshall act deceitfully; and he covenant) who also posed ashall become strong with a challenge to the throne.
small people.
Without warning he shallcome into the richest parts ofthe province; and he shall dowhat neither his fathers nor Antiochus's method of ruling
TIME
OF
his fathers' fathers have was to enrich himself withANTIOCHUS
done, scattering among them loot, then bestow lavish gifts
EPIPHANES
plunder, spoil and goods. He upon his followers.
shall devise plans against
strongholds but only for atime.
And he shall stir up his Antiochus
Epiphanes
power and his courage attacked the kingdom of theagainst the king of the south south. However, he had
TIMEOF
with a great army; and the plotted with the leaders of
ANTIOCHUS
king of the south shall wage the army of the south. So by
EPIPHANES
war with an exceedingly treachery he defeated thegreat army; but he shall not south, even though the army
stand, for plots have beenof the south was much bigger
devised against him. Even than his army. He did not killthose who eat his rich food the king of the south,
shall be his undoing; his Ptolemy Philometer , butarmy shall be swept away, made him king at Memphis and many shall fall down (they ate together at the same
slain. And as for the two table.) pretending he wantedkings, their minds shall be to help him against Ptolemybent on mischief ; they shall Physcon,whom
thespeak lies at the same table, Egyptians had made king.
but to no avail; for the end is
yet to be at the time
appointed.
20

Antiochus returned from
Egypt in 169 B.C. with muchloot. In his absence it had
been rumored that he had
died in the fighting. So
And he shall return to his Jason, a former high priest,
land with great substance, had stormed Jerusalem andTIMEOF
but his heart shall be set ousted Menelaus, the high
ANTIOCHUS
169 B.C.
against the holy covenant. priest installed by Antiochus.
EPIPHANESAnd he shall work his will, On his return, therefore,
and return to his own land. Antiochus
attacked
Jerusalem, slaughtered manyof its inhabitants, plundered
and desecrated the temple
and reinstated Menelaus ashigh priest.
At the appointed time he Antiochus decides to attack
shall return and come into Egypt again. But Ptolemy
the south; but it shall not be had suspected his designs
this time as it was before.
and had called on the help of
For ships of Kittim will Greek mercenaries and oncome against him, and he the help of the Romans. The
shall be afraid and withdraw, Romans met Antiochus atand shall turn back and be Alexandria in Egypt andenraged and take action ordered him to keep out ofTIMEOFagainst the holy covenant.
Egypt. Antiochus was forced
ANTIOCHUS
167 B.C.
He shall turn back and give to submit and he withdrew
EPIPHANES
heed to those who forsake north seething with anger andthe holy covenant. Forces humiliation.. He gave vent tofrom him shall appear and his wrath by turning on the
profane the Temple and Jews. He sent an army which
fortress, and shall take away fellupon
Jerusalem,the continual burnt offering. slaughtering many, taking
And they shall set up the others as slaves and looting
abomination that makes and partially destroying thedesolate.
city. In 167 B.C. orders were

21

given that the temple ritualmust be suspended, that thesacred scriptures must be
destroyed, that the sabbathand other festival days be nolonger observed, that thestrict food laws be abolishedand that the right ofcircumcisionbediscontinued..
Theculminating attack on Jewish
worship came in December,when an altar and probably
also
an
image
('the
abomination that makes
desolate') were erected in thetemple court and dedicated to
the worship of OLympian
Zeus.. Similar altars were set
up throughout Judea and theJews were ordered tosacrifice at them.
Disobedience was rewarded
with severe penalties. Jews
who forsook Judaism andembraced the Greek culture
were favored and honored.

22

He shall seduce with flattery
those who violate thecovenant; but the people
who know their God shallstand firm and take action.
And those among the people
who are wise shall makemany understand, though
THE TIME OF they shall fall by the sword
ANTIOCHUS and flame, by captivity and Antiochus rewarded those
who violated the covenant,
EPIPHANES
plunder, for some days.
and punished those who heldWhen they fall, they shallto it.
receive a little help. And
many shall join themselvesto them with flattery; andsome of those who are wise
shall fall, to refine andcleanse them and to makethem white, until the time ofthe end, for it is yet for theappointed time.
And the king shall do
according to his will; heshall exalt himself andmagnify himself above
Antiochus called himself
every god, and shall speak"Theos Epiphanes" meaning
astonishing things against"God Manifest".- regarding
the God of gods. He shallhimself as the incarnate
prosper until the indignation
manifestation of Olympian
is accomplished; for what is
Zeus, whom he set up as thedetermined shall be done.
greatest of the gods.
THE TIME OF He shall give no heed to the
ANTIOCHUS gods of his fathers, or to the
Antiochus did not honor
EPIPHANES
one beloved by women; heApollo,thetraditional
shall not give heed to any
protector of the Seleucid
other god, for he shalldynasty, but instead he raised
magnify himself above all.
up Olympian Zeus as the
He shall honor the god ofchief god of his kingdom fortresses instead of these; aand he himself claimed to be
god whom his fathers did
Zeus.
not know he shall honorwith gold and silver, with
precious stones and costly
gifts."

23

He shall deal with thestrongest fortresses by thehelp of a foreign god; those
THE TIME OF
who acknowledge him he
ANTIOCHUS
shall magnify with honor.
EPIPHANESHe shall make them rulers
over many and shall divide
the land for a price.

TIME
POMPEYAt the time of the end a kingof the south shall attack him;
but a king of the north shall
Having been ordered out ofrush upon him like aOF
Egypt, Syria was attacked
whirlwind, with chariots and65 B.C.
and finally annexed by Romehorsemen, and with manyin 65 B.C.
ships; and he shall come into
countries and shall overflow
and pass through.

TIME
POMPEY

Jerusalem was taken by
He shall come into thePompey in 63 B.C. Pompey
glorious land. And tens ofstarted a campaign against
thousands shall fall, but
the Nabateans in 63 B.C. The
OF
these shall be delivered out
63 B.C.
Nabateans were a powerfulof his hand: Edom and Moab
Arab tribe which had
and the main part of theoccupied the old kingdoms ofAmmonites.
Edom to the south, Moab tothe south-east and Ammon to
the north-east of the Dead
Sea. However Pompey did
not complete this campaign.
He postponed it in order thathe might settle the quarrelsof rival Jewish leaders. Thus
the Nabateans retained their
independence, and Edom,
Moab and most of Ammon
remained outside the Roman
empire ( a small section ofAmmon lay within the
Roman territories of Peraea
and Decapolis.)

24

TIME
POMPEYHe shall stretch out his handagainst the countries, and theland of Egypt shall not
escape. He shall become
OF ruler of the treasures of gold
and of silver, and all the
precious things of Egypt;and the Libyans and theEthiopians shall follow in
his train.

TIME
POMPEYIn 54 B.C. Crassus undertooka campaign against theParthians; (Crassus, Pompey
and Julius Caesar were theBut tidings from the east andmembers of the Firstthe north shall alarm him,
Triumvirate); but before theand he shall go forth withcampaign he took over thegreat fury to exterminate andprovince of Syria andOF utterly destroy many. And
pillaged it very thoroughly, 54 B.C.
he shall pitch his palatial
also plundering the treasurestents between the sea and theof the temple in Jerusalem.
glorious mountain; yet he
He pitched his tents between
shall come to his end, withtheMediterraneanandnone to help him.
Mount Zion. His campaign,
however, was unsuccessful.
He was killed by theParthians.
The people of the ruler after
Crassus were the people of
The people of the ruler who
the Roman Empire. So
will come will destroy theDaniel is saying that thecity and the sanctuary.
Romans will destroy the cityand the Temple. It was justafter Crassus that the
Romans installed their own
rulers in Palestine - theHerodians.

25

The end will come like aflood: war will continue
until
the
end,
and The final "seven" years is
desolations
havebeen described, during which thedecreed. He will confirm a Romans destroyed the nation
covenant with many for one of the Jews. This war lasted
seven, but in the middle of seven years from 66 A.D. tillthat seven he will put an end 73 A.D., and it was in the 66-73 A.D
to sacrifice and offering.
middle of this period
And one who causes (70A.D.) that the Temple
desolation
will
place was destroyed, putting aabominations on a wing of permanent end to sacrifice
the temple until the end that and offering.
is decreed is poured out on
him

TIME
JESUS

But at that time your people- everyone whose name is
Christianfled
found written in the book - Everybeforethewill be delivered. Multitudes Jerusalem
OF
who sleep in the dust of the destruction in 70 A.D. and 70 A.D
earth will awake: some to took refuge in Pella, east of
everlasting life, others to the Jordan.
shame and everlasting
contempt.

These prophecies end with the statement that –"The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary.
The end will come like a flood: war will continue until the end, and desolations
have been decreed.""The people of the ruler who will come" means the people of the Roman Empire. It was
just after Crassus that Rome installed its own ruler as king in Palestine - Herod.
The final "seven" describes the seven year war during which the Romans destroyed theJews. This war lasted from 66 A.D. till 73 A.D. Half way through this period the Temple
was destroyed (70 A.D.) putting a permanent end to sacrifice and offering.
Before the siege of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. all of the Christians, having observed thewarnings of Jesus, had fled Jerusalem and took refuge in the city of Pella east of the
Jordan. So they were delivered from the tribulation that was to come. Daniel chapter 12,
that at the time of the end there will be a resurrection of the dead (30A.D.), a gathering upof the elect (66 A.D. onwards when Christians were gathered out of Jerusalem) and thepower of the Holy people will be finally broken (70 A.D.)

26

WAS DANIEL’S BOOK EXISTENT DURING THE GREEK EMPIRE ?
Yes, the Book of Daniel was. We have already seen that it was written in Official
Aramaic that predates the Greek period, and contains many Old Persian words.
Daniel is also mentioned by Ezekiel, who was a contemporary. In addition are thefollowing evidences 1. Included in the Old Testament Canon, which was closed after Malachi – sothere were no further books added after 424 B.C.
2. shown to Alexander the Great (333 B.C.)
3. translated into Greek by the Ptolemies (250-150 B.C.)
4. regarded as canonical by the Qumran sect (196 B.C.)
5. regarded as canonical by the Maccabees (165 B.C)
THE CLOSING OF THE OLD TESTAMENT CANONThe Old Testament Canon was closed in 424 B.C. and from that time on there was no further
prophecy. The ancient synagogue believed that after the prophet Malachi there was no prophetic
voice for 400 years until the voice of John the Baptist. The Book of Daniel has always been partof the Old Testament Canon, therefore it must predate 424 B.C.
A recurring sadness in 1 Maccabees is that "there is no prophet in the land"! The dying priest
Mattathias in 1 Maccabeus 2:49-70 used the example of Daniel and his three companions torally his sons to be found faithful to the God of Israel. He appealed to the voice of a past prophet
because there was no living "Daniel the prophet" in the land then. Bottom line: If Daniel was
written in the inter-testament period he was "no prophet"! The fact is he was a prophet because
he wrote and spoke before God silenced His prophets in the 400 years leading up to John the
Baptist's grand announcement in the wilderness.

SHOWN TO ALEXANDER
In his Antiquities of the Jews, Book XI, chapter 8, Josephus tells us a gripping story of how
during the siege of Tyre the Greek conqueror Alexander the Great asked the Jews forprovisions for his army. Jaddua, the high priest, refused Alexander's request. The reason he gave
was that the Jews had sworn allegiance to the Persian king, Darius. Once Alexander had
overcome Tyre, he furiously marched on Jerusalem to teach the Jews a lesson.

27

It seems Jaddua the high priest had been told by God in a dream what the Jews must do. All thepriests dressed in white. Jaddua put on his high priestly garb, a scarlet robe, the breastplate andthe golden mitre. Followed by the procession of the priests in white, and singing the songs ofZion, the Jews went out to greet Alexander on his white steed with his fierce and unstoppablearmy. According to Josephus, Jaddua showed Alexander the prophecies of Daniel, as read inchapter 8:1-8 and 15-22. These are passages that prophesied of Alexander's arrival andinvincibility on the world stage. Apparently, Alexander was so overcome that he offeredsacrifices and worshipped the God of the Jews.
The salient point is that this happened around 330 BC. Alexander destroyed every city in Syria
allied to Darius, with the sole exception of Jerusalem. Indeed, Alexander not only spared
Jerusalem and its Temple, but highly favored it.. Josephus informs us of a very reasonable
explanation: The impression made upon him by the reading of Daniel the prophet. Alexander
was floored as he realized he was the star of this supernatural prediction written generations
before his arrival!
Alexander, angry with the Jews who refused to give him their allegiance, was goingto Jerusalem to punish them and make them an example. When he arrived, however,a procession of priests, which he had foreseen in a dream, met him. In this dream,
God had promised him victory, and for this reason he spared the Jews. Josephus adds
that the priests showed Alexander the prophecies in Daniel concerning a Greek
conquering the Persian Empire. This pleased Alexander, and he treated the Jews withkindness.
What we know of Alexander is very compatible with this account •Alexander marched through that area on his way to Egypt - capturing every
city as he went•

During his siege of Gaza, Alexander would have had to secure the submissionof Jerusalem which occupied a threatening position in regard to his
communications.

•Alexander did visit Jerusalem in 333 A.D.

•

Alexander came to punish the Jews•

Alexander mysteriously changed to treating the Jews with kindness•

Alexander was a romantic and much given to oracles, omens and the like

The Jews were terrified of Alexander, and they naturally wanted to avert punishment. At thesame time the Jews would be very aware that Alexander had fulfilled the prophecy of the
Greeks defeating the Persians. Under these circumstances it is VERY likely that the Jews
would have shown these prophecies to Alexander because this would flatter Alexander andalso show Alexander that the Jews were God's chosen.
28Alexander's arrival at Jerusalem would have been a very high profile event for the Jews and certainly would have been recorded in the history in some detail. Similarly, the showingof Daniel's prophecies to Alexander would have changed the policy of Alexander towards
the Jews - and so this too would be a central event in the political life of the nation.

IN THE SEPTUAGINT
The five books of Moses were translated into Greek by the Ptolemies about 250 B.C. All 39
books of the Old Testament were translated into Greek by 150 B.C and were in widecirculation in the synagogues.
This Greek translation was called the Septuagint. The inclusion of the Book of Daniel in
the Septuagint, shows that it must have predated the time of the Seleucids and the
Maccabees. Consequently it would have a date of at least 200 B.C. if not earlier.

IN THE QUMRAN COMMUNITY
The Qumran community was known as the Essenes. They comprised Jews who had
withdrawn into the desert during the Greek occupation of Judah. The date of the founding of
the Qumran community is given in one of their most central texts - referred to by scholars as
the Zadokite Fragments or the Damascus Document.
The text begins by declaring that in ancient times, Israel went astray. As a result, God "hidHis face" and allowed the destruction of the First Temple (586 B.C.) Yet a remnant of thedefeated people remained, and it was they who ultimately formed the sect. There thenfollows "And in the period of wrath, three hundred and ninety years after He had handed it(the Temple) over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylonia, He remembered them
(Israel) and caused to grow from Israel and Aaron the root of a plant (ie the sect)(Zadokite Fragments 1 v 5-7)
If we calculate from the dating for the destruction of the First Temple, we arrive at 196
B.C. for the founding of the sect. The text of the Zadokite Fragments then tells about aperiod of confusion followed by the rise of the sect's leader, the Teacher of Righteousness:"Then they understood their transgression and knew that they were guilty. They werelike blind men groping on the road for twenty years. Then God paid attention to theirdeeds for they sought Him whole-heartedly, and He set up for them a Teacher ofRighteousness to direct them in the way of His heart"
It appears that during the initial period of 20 years the sect was leaderless and even formless
until the Teacher of Righteousness established his leadership over it (176 B.C.). Only withthe teacher's emergence and his assumption of control did sectarian teachings and a
distinctive way of life take shape. The Teacher of Righteousness assumed leadership of the29sect and introduced his teachings; at that time or shortly thereafter the sect moved to its site
in the wilderness at Qumran.
Much of their scrolls contain portions of the Old Testament. The Qumran community held
Daniel's work in such high regard as to refer to him as "Daniel the prophet", a title
bestowed on him in a florilegium found in 4Q. Given the date when the Essene community
began, it is reasonable to say that what they had is a fair representation of the canon passed
down by the previous century. (300-200 B.C.)) .This practically takes their canon back to thetime of the prophets. With the exception of Esther, they had all the books we have in our
Hebrew canon today.
The Qumran community itself was in existence from 196 B.C.. Hence Daniel would be
regarded as canonical from this earlier time at least. To be accepted as canonical, Daniel
must have predated 196 B.C. by at least a century. In short - "The discovery of manuscripts
of Daniel at Qumran dating from the Maccabean period renders it highly improbable that thebook was composed during the time of the Maccabees." Daniel must be much older.

REFERENCED BY THE MACCABEESThe existence of the Book of Daniel at the very beginning of the Maccabean Period is
confirmed by the First Book of Maccabees.. In the First Book of Maccabees, Mattathias,
father of the Maccabean brothers, encourages his sons in the revolt against Antiochus
Epiphanes by recalling to them the deeds of their fathers. In I Maccabees2 he is quoted assaying "Ananias, Azarias, and Misael, by believing, were saved out of the flame. Daniel for his
innocency was saved from the mouth of lions."
Mattathias died in 166 B.C. so Daniel must date from before the time of the Maccabees.
Furthermore, the context seems to indicate that Mattathias was referring to an event far in thepast. Also, the context of the reference seems to indicate that the author considered Danielcanonical.

ACKNOWLEDGED BY JESUS
Jesus calls Daniel "the prophet" (Matthew 24:15) – so He regarded Daniel as a real
prophet, and the Book of Daniel as a truthful account.

30

WHAT DO THESE PROPHECIES TELL US ABOUT GOD ?
SEEING THE FUTURE : Daniel’s prophecies show that Daniel was given foreknowledge ofeverything that would happen. It appears that the messengers who relayed this information toDaniel were from an eternal realm, where past, present and future were all visible to them
PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE : The focus was on the Greek period because the Greekrulers were most militant against the religion of YHWH. Daniel was given this information sothat people might hold out through the tribulation of those times.
SETTING LIMITS ON OUR FREEDOM : The prophecies read like a list of things that people
did – just doing what they pleased, with barely any intervention from God.. However, God did
set some boundaries – certain end dates, or “appointed times”, and a date of judgement whennames are found written in a book. God is ultimately in control in deciding how far things cango. The Captivity only lasted just as long as God said it would last, and not a day longer. The
New World Order will only last as long as God allows. If He says 3.5 years, then it will only
last that long.
GOD SEES ALL : The prophecies reveal that God sees everything, past, present and future,things done in secret, even our intentions.

WHAT DOES THIS TELL US ABOUT THE NEW WORLD ORDER ?
There is nothing new about new world orders. Vast global empires have occurred
before – were allowed to occur by God for a certain time.
DURATION : Like the Babylonian, Persian and Greek empires, the NWO will have a limited
duration (in the case of the NWO, 3.5 years)
PREPARATION : God has provided prophecies to help us prepare for that tribulation – bytaking refuge, storing to avoid famine, finding alternate currency, not losing hope and caving
in.. Not resorting to evil in order to survive.
REPENTANCE : One purpose of the prophecies is so that we can turn to God when we see theprophecies being fulfilled.
JUSTICE : Knowing that God sees everything, and will judge or reward everyone according towhat they have done.
KINGDOM OF GOD : The assurance that the Kingdom of God will be established on earth
after the globalist empires cease.

31

NOTE : The Beast of Revelations combines the secularism of the Greek culture, with theauthoritarianism of the Babylonian (Iraqi) and Persian (Iranian) cultures – but all are centeredon the worship of the state and its leaders. However Revelations identifies the Beast strongly
with the Roman Empire of Western Europe.

32