Sound The Trumpet : The Revived Roman Empire

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“The Revived Roman Empire”
by Art Sadlier
May 1st, 2012

Two thousand six hundred years ago God gave Nebuchadnezzar a very significant vision. The vision was a prophecy of four world empires that would arise to rule the world during “The Times of the Gentiles.” The “Times of the Gentiles is a time when Israel is set aside by God. That time would extend from 600 BC until Christ returns to set up the Kingdom for Israel, a kingdom that will last forever.

Nebuchadnezzar’s vision was a vision of a splendid man. Man sees the kingdoms of this world as something wonderful.

The vision was a vision of five coming world empires, with a fifth kingdom proceeding out of the fourth.

The kingdoms were:

Babylon - The head of Gold - 587 to 536 BC.
Media/Persia - The Chest and Shoulders of Silver - 536 to 333 BC.
Greece - The Belly and Thighs of Bronze - 333 to 63 BC.
Rome - The Legs and Feet of Iron - 63 to 476 AD.
Revived Rome – The Ten Horns or the Ten Toes - the first 3 1/2 years of the tribulation period.

We read about the fourth empire in Daniel 2:40, “And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.” Though it went into decline in 476 AD it did not cease to exist.

We then have the record of the fifth and final world empire in verses 41-42, “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. 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.”

This fifth Empire will arise out of the Roman Empire; we refer to it as the Revived Roman Empire, it is known today as the European Union (EU). The infrastructure for this Revived Roman Empire began to be laid in 1958 with the signing of the treaty of Rome. It will not come to full fruition until Antichrist comes on the scene. It will, last three and a half years and will be led by ten rulers in conjunction with Antichrist. Verse 28 gives us the timing, it tells us this fifth empire will arise in the latter days.

Today this infrastructure of the R.R.E. is on the same territory as the old Roman Empire. The EU today states emphatically that it is the revival of the Old Roman Empire.

Daniel had a vision in chapter 7, he saw the same five world empires viewed from God’s perspective as wild beasts.

The Winged Lion: Babylon

The Bear: Media/Persia

The Leopard: Greece

The Indescribable Beast: Rome

The Ten Horns: RRE

“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” (Verse 7). Notice the ten horns rise up out of the head of the Roman Beast.

Today as we see the infrastructure being laid for the revived Roman Empire we have seen another very significant event which took place in 1948. That event was the return of Israel to the Promised Land. The stage is being set for the end time events to take place.

Israel is now back in the place where she was when God left off dealing with her. She is soon to be under a Roman dictator just as she was when the Lord set her aside.

In the fifth century AD the Roman Empire entered a union with the Roman Catholic Church. That was the foreshadowing of the union that the R.R.E. will soon enter into with the world church that will be incorporated into or associated with Roman Catholicism.

In Revelation 17:3 we have a symbol of the R.R.E. in union with a world church, “So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.”

In Revelation we have three women who are symbols of religion. In Revelation 12 we have a woman who is a symbol of Israel, the wife of Jehovah. In chapter 19 we have the Bride of Christ as a symbol of the Church. In chapter 17 we have a harlot as a symbol of false religion, she is a wife for Satan.

The world church is represented by the symbol of a harlot. A woman who is unfaithful to her husband is a harlot. A church that is unfaithful to Christ is a harlot church.

In Revelation 17 we have the specter of a world church in union with world government to rule the world. The infrastructure of both these scenarios is now forming.

Ten Horns:

Revelation 17:12, “And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.” The R.R.E. will be ruled by ten kings or leaders. Notice these ten will not appear until Antichrist appears. We will not see them because we will be caught away prior to the appearance of Antichrist. One hour is a short time for a kingdom; it represents three and a half years in our text, as confirmed in other scriptures.

Today Europe is undergoing terrific economic and political turmoil. Some claim that this proves that the EU is not the base for the kingdom of Antichrist. I believe that this turmoil Europe is now facing plays an important role in the preparation for the appearance Antichrist. It will bring about the welding of the nations of Europe into a full-fledged political and economic union. Secondly, it will prepare the way for Antichrist to come on the scene and perform economic and political miracles to establish himself and his kingdom.

The Development of the RRE:

At the European Commission building in Brussels there was and perhaps still is an exhibition called “The Roman Empire Returns.” In that exhibition the plans of the EU are laid out.

Stage #1 25 nations united and called the “European Union.” That goal has been reached.

Stage #2 50 nations united and called the “Union.” By this time the member nations will be far beyond the borders of Europe.

In 2008 the EU launched the Mediterranean Union. This Union consists of 43 countries in proximity to the Mediterranean. It consists of nations in North Africa including Egypt, Syria and Turkey plus the Balkans and Israel. This union has never really gotten off the ground; it is still struggling to come to fruition. The problem is that with the exception of Israel, these are all Muslim countries and they have resisted yielding to the EU.

Understand that after the war of Ezekiel 38-39, Islam will be crushed, and it seems to me that these nations will then welcome becoming a part of the rising R.R.E. This would be a giant leap forward in expansion program of Antichrist. At that point he will be the only power left standing and the oil of the Mideast will be his.

There are some popular prophecy teachers today who are re-interpreting Biblical eschatology. They are claiming that the Antichrist will be a Muslim and that the Kingdom of Antichrist will be a Muslim Caliphate. This erroneous teaching is sowing much confusion among believers.

Consider the following factors with regard to the removal of Islam from the possibility of playing any role in the kingdom of Antichrist.

The war of Psalm 83 will take place prior to the tribulation period. The scriptural scenario for that war is now fully set to take place. If you read Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 35-36 you will discover that setting for war is now amazingly in place today. We stand on the threshold of the war of Psalm 83.

The war of Ezekiel 38-39 takes place very early in the tribulation period. Three times in Ezekiel 38 it states that the war will begin when Israel is at peace. The only time Israel will experience peace will be very early in the tribulation period after Antichrist signs the false peace treaty. Paul clearly indicates that this peace will be short lived. “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” (1Thess. 5:3).

Another indication that this war will take place early in the tribulation period is the fact the Israeli’s will be seven years burning the weapons of the destroyed Muslim armies.

The destruction of the Muslim armies in both wars will be so complete that Islam will no longer be a factor in the tribulation period as it unfolds.

I want you to catch a sense of how utterly Islam will be destroyed and discredited in these two coming wars that will unfold in a rather short period of time, perhaps in a few months. Remember that these armies are Muslim armies; even the Russian army with the Muslim states associated with her will be predominately Muslim.

“O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind. As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire” (Psalm 83:13-14). In verse 17 we read, “Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish.”

This is a picture of total destruction. Notice the reason in verse 18, “That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.” That Muslims may know that Allah is not God, that they might come to understand that Jehovah is the true and sovereign God.

In Ezekiel 35 we read in verses 8-9, “And I will fill his mountains with his slain men: in thy hills, and in thy valleys, and in all thy rivers, shall they fall that are slain with the sword. I will make thee perpetual desolations, and thy cities shall not return: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.”

Obadiah speaks of this war as well in verse 18, “And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken it.”

These wars are actually a contest between God and Allah. This is a contest in which God graciously reveals himself to those Muslims who remain alive after these wars are over.

In the war of Ezekiel 38-39 we have even more devastation of these Islamic armies and their homelands.

Ezekiel 39 describes this total devastation of Islam, verse 2, “And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel.” Five out of every six in these armies will die at the hand of God. Remember that this will be a great army because God Himself will draw them to Israel. There could be as many or more than 40 million dead on the mountains of Israel.

In addition to that, the homelands of these Muslim armies will suffer devastation as well. We read about that in verse 6, “And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.”

The conclusion is that very early in the tribulation period Islam will be dealt a fatal blow by God Himself. There will be no Islamic Caliphate and no Islamic Antichrist. Muslims will know that Allah is not God but that Jehovah is the true and living God.

Today it seems as if Islam is about to conqueror the world for Allah. Today Islam is challenging the right of Israel to exist. God is watching and listening to the blasphemy of Islamists against Israel and against God Himself. Listen to what the scripture says about God in this situation. Ezekiel 35:12-13, “And thou shalt know that I am the LORD, and that I have heard all thy blasphemies which thou hast spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, They are laid desolate, they are given us to consume. Thus with your mouth ye have boasted against me, and have multiplied your words against me: I have heard them.”

Remember that when the tribulation period begins there will not be a living believer on the earth. God will be without a witness for a period of time. The Lord will give His own witness through the devastation of this war. I believe that this will be a dividing point for the people of the world.

Multitudes will be moved by the witness that God gives in this war. Multitudes of Muslims will suddenly realize that Allah is not God and that the God of Israel is the true God. Many of them, along with other gentiles will at some point respond to the gospel that will be preached by the two witnesses and the 144,000. They will become tribulation saints, God loves Muslims.

Multitudes of others will harden their hearts and take the mark of the beast.

Multitudes of Israeli’s will be moved by the witness that God has given and they will, in time, receive their Messiah as Saviour. Other multitudes of Jews will also harden their hearts and perish in the tribulation period.

The last seven years of the tribulation period will be composite of all the ages, some hardening their hearts and others bowing and worshipping God.

Our God will not sit back and wring His hands as Satan and his people do their worst in that time. God will visit His world with salvation and He will visit His world with judgment.

Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13