Sound The Trumpet : The Coming Revived Roman Empire

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“The Coming Revived Roman Empire”
by Art Sadlier
November 1st, 2011

There are three strands in the human family. In the first 2000 years of human history there were only Gentiles. 2000 years later the Jews came into being (Genesis 12). 2000 years ago at Pentecost, the church was born.

God promised to bless Israel if they would obey and trust Him. He said He would make them the head of the nations. All down through Old Testament times Israel rebelled against God and refused to obey and trust Him.

God warned Israel that if they rebelled He would scatter them among all the nations of the world. He warned that He would chasten them and set them aside for a period of time. That time would be called the “Times of the Gentiles.” Luke 21:24, “And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.”

During these times Israel would be set aside and the Gentiles nations would be ruling the world. They would have supremacy over the Jews.

Over 2600 years ago God gave Nebuchadnezzar a significant prophetic vision of the Gentile nations that would rule the world. The key verse is Daniel 2:28, “But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days...”

God is a God of prophecy. This prophecy is not only a prophecy about the Gentile rule over the world during long ages, but it is also a prophecy about what will happen in the latter days, our own day.

The Lord also made a promise that one day Israel would be restored to supremacy in the world. Today the Gentile world powers are still suppressing Israel.

In Daniel 2 and in Daniel 7 we have two visions that prophesy the same message. We have an image of a man in the one, and four wild beasts in the other. These prophecies were about four great Gentile world empires that would come, Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome. God was prewriting history.

However the prophecy involved another world kingdom that has not yet arrived on the scene. This kingdom is described as ten toes coming out of the Roman Empire, and as ten horns springing up out of the head of the Roman beast. It is presented as a revival of the Roman Empire in the latter days. That empire is yet to come.

These empires span a time period from 586BC to the battle of Armageddon and the second coming of Christ. This time period is not to be confused with the “fullness of the Gentiles,” which refers to the completion of the church.

In the late 1960’s two significant things happened.

1 – The nation of Israel was reborn. That was just the first step in God’s restoration of Israel. It will not be completed until Christ returns to reign over Israel and the world.

2 – The European Community (later the EU) was established. This was also just a first step in establishing the Revived Roman Empire. This fifth kingdom is yet to come. It is described in Daniel 7:7, “After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.”

The first part of that verse describes the Roman Empire from 63 BC to 476 AD.

The last part of the verse, “and it had ten horns” describes the R.R.E. yet to come.

Notice the fate of the Old Roman Empire in Daniel 2:40, "And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subduth all things: and as

iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.”

“As iron breaketh in pieces,” that is what Rome did when it came to power in the first century BC. It crushed all around it. Then notice in the verse it says, “shall it break in pieces and bruise.” The Roman Empire would break up in 486 BC. However fragments of Rome would continue for a long period of time, as symbolized by the long legs of the image. It continued in the form of the British Empire, German Empire, French Empire, Spanish Empire, Portuguese Empire and the Dutch Empire. These colonial systems were all sub-Roman Empires.

This bruising took place after WW11 when the Roman colonial system was forced to give up colonies all around the world.

Immediately after that the EU was born in 1958 with the signing of the treaty of Rome. The EU was the embryonic form of the yet to come R.R.E.

The stage was set for God to begin dealing with Israel again. That process has been going on for the last 60 years. Someday, perhaps soon, Antichrist will come on the scene, he will establish the R.R.E. and he will make a short lived peace for Israel and pretend to be her benefactor for 3 ½ years.

Daniel 7:7 tells us about the R.R.E., “It had ten horns.” The ten horns coming out of the head of the Roman beast represents the R.R.E.

Daniel 7:24, “And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise.” This teaches us that someday ten leaders will arise on the area of the old Roman Empire. The language of verses 8, 20, 24 indicates that these ten rulers are ruling simultaneously. That has never happened in history and must still come to pass, ten rulers, ruling on the territory of the old Roman Empire.

Notice the rise of Antichrist in verse 24, “Another shall arise.” This one who arises will subdue three kings or rulers, And he shall subdue three kings.” This is the first half of the tribulation period, the Revived Roman Empire. At the midpoint of the tribulation this kingdom gives way to the kingdom of the beast, the Antichrist. We read about this kingdom in Revelation 13: 16-17, “And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”

Revelation 17:12 represents the beginning of the R.R.E. while verse 13 represents the beginning of the kingdom of antichrist. “And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour (a short time for a kingdom) with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast” (Revelation 17:12-13).

When will the RRE with ten rulers come on the scene?

After the rapture, after the beginning of the tribulation period, after the appearance of Antichrist the ten rulers will appear. We won’t see them; it is vain to look for them.

That which is happening in Europe now is but preparation. The whole situation will not come together until the tribulation starts.

The R.R.E. will flash brightly and briefly on the scene for 3 ½ years and then morph into the world-wide kingdom of Antichrist.

In 1958 there were 6 nations in the EU, then 8, 10, 12, 15, 20 and now 27. There are now 17 in the Euro-zone using the Euro as their currency.

For sixty years many have been watching for the ten to surface, we won’t see them, although we may see a foreshadowing.

What is the character and nature of the coming RRE?

It is reflected in what we see in Europe today. One of the basic aspects of the EU is disunity. For sixty years they have agreed on very little, to the place where it is a point of humour. Today the whole EU is in danger of collapse because they cannot agree on how to handle the debt problem.

We see that in the scriptures, Daniel 2:41, “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.” We see a divided kingdom with elements that do not mix. We see iron and pottery which will hold together.

Verse 42, “And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.” Partly strong and partly broken speaks of disunity and division.

Verse 43, “And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.” Again the message is division and disunity. That has been the most outstanding characteristic of the EU for sixty years.

That is still the situation today. In a recent news item concerning economic crisis we read, “Europe’s debt crisis has taken a deeply political turn as parliamentary battles rock Italy and Greece and once again cause simmering dissent in Germany, vastly complicating the search for a workable solution...The warning came as French President Nicolas Sarkozy told a breakfast meeting that Europe has never been so close to explosion.” Even with the EU’s survival at stake they cannot agree on a solution.

This disunity and struggle in Europe has reached a new level of chaos and will continue until Antichrist comes on the scene and brings a forced unity. The situation in Europe now cries out for a superman, a super leader, to come along and take charge and weld the EU into a powerful, unified force.

In Daniel 7:19-20 Daniel is saying in effect, I want to know three things.

First in verse 19, Daniel says, “I would know the truth about the fourth beast.” Tell me about the Roman Empire that is to come (yet to come in Daniel’s day).

Second in verse 20, he says tell me, “Of the 10 horns that were in his head.” Tell me of about the Revived Roman Empire of the last days.

Third also in verse 20 he says, “And of the other which came up, and before whom three fell.” Daniel says tell me of the coming Antichrist that will take over and establish the RRE. He continues, “Even of the horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake great things.” That is Antichrist.

Notice the phrase in verse 20, “Before whom three fell.” Verse 24 has a phrase that clarifies that statement, “And he shall subdue three kings.” In the midst of turmoil and strife and confusion, Antichrist will come upon the scene and by force take over three kings or nations. We do not know who those three nations are. But today if someone were to take control of Germany, France and Britain they would control all of Europe. Today these three are at cross purposes and are preventing the EU from developing.

Notice the character of Antichrist as seen in verse 20, “Even the horn that had eyes and a mouth that spake great things.” This is a very powerful and unusual person, “Whose look was more stout than his fellows.” This is a man that is empowered by Satan; he will be bold and have great powers at his disposal. He is Satan’s false Christ.

There are some things in the prophetic scriptures that are clearly revealed. There are some things that are foreshadowed in scripture and become clearer as prophetic events unfold.

First let me detail two end time institutions that are clearly revealed and play a major role in the tribulation period.

A world church working in cooperation with Antichrist. That will come into being at the beginning of the tribulation period.
A world government. It will be controlled by Antichrist and will come into place at the mid tribulation point.

Preparations, infrastructure and organization for these two institutions are well underway today. There are some things looming on the horizon that are preparations for these two things.

A coming world-wide economic and monetary collapse. Only those who do not want to see this are blind to it. The warning signs are everywhere. Many believe that this crash has been carefully engineered. This coming crisis will bring men and nations to their knees. There is no pain like the pain in the pocket book. The world will acclaim the man who will appear to rescue it and Europe will acclaim the man who will appear to rescue her.

A coming cataclysmic war. We believe this will be the war of Psalm 83. The whole world knows this war is coming. A recent news item just emphasizes what scores of other news items have been saying.

“War is on its way in the Middle East as Muslim countries are determined to force a showdown over the future of Israel,” Ronald Reagan’s assistant defence secretary Frank Gaffney warned in an exclusive Newsmax.TV interview.

“I’m afraid there’s a war coming, a very serious, perhaps cataclysmic regional war,” he said. “It will be presumably over, at least in part, the future existence of the state of Israel. It may involve all of its neighbours, as they have in the past, attacking Israel to try, as they say, to drive the Jews into the sea.”

“It may involve the use of nuclear weapons,” Gaffney predicted. “But whatever form it takes and whenever it occurs, it is unlikely to be contained to that region.”

I believe that it will be the most devastating war the world has ever seen to that time. You can read about it in Psalm 83, Isaiah 17 and Ezekiel 35-36.

Perhaps nuclear exchanges will take place, chemical and biological weapons may be used. Most devastating of all God will mightily devastate Israel`s enemies. The world will be in a state of fear and shock and despair.

Antichrist will come on the scene in Europe and the world. We read about it in revelation 6:2, “And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.” He will be the man of the hour. He will offer solutions that the world will accept and acclaim him for.

After the war of Psalm 83, the Palestinians, Hezbollah, Hamas, and Syria will be totally decimated. The wider Islamic world will be ready for the Peace Treaty of Antichrist, who they will believe to be the Mahdi, the Islamic saviour.

Daniel 8:25a, “And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many...”

Daniel 9:27a, “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week...” The long sought world peace will seem to have come, only to give way to more devastating wars.

Paul describes the situation in 1 Thessalonians 5:3, “For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.”

The hour is late!

Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13