And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed
Daniel 2:44 "In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.
In this verse we see that in the days of the ten toes which are ten kings, that God will come and set up the kingdom of God, proclaimed by Christ .
These are the ten kings of the time of Christ and the early years of his church under Rome.
The ten kings are the same ten kings who are shown in the verses about the fourth beast kingdom, where they are called ten horns.
Who are these kings? In looking at the history of Rome(the fourth beast) the
task is surprisingly simple.
The Roman Empirewas originally a republic. The form of this government was a bit complicated, but to simplify, up until the first century BC, Romewas governed by a senate which was directly elected by the citizens of Rome.[4] In the first century BC, a series of very powerful generals began a pattern of ruling by the force of their personal armies. The most famous of
these dictators was Julius Caesar. A great number of civil wars erupted in the
battle between the Roman senate and competing generals.
Finally, Julius Caesar's adopted grandson Octavius, later called Augustus Caesar, seized power over
Romeand usurped the power of the Senate. He is universally considered to be
the first emperor of Rome. Although the senate continued in existence, after
this point the balance of power had permanently shifted almost entirely to the
emperors. Augustus is the first of the ten kings (horns) in Daniel chapter seven.
He was also the emperor at the time of the birth of Jesus Christ.
Some commentators, of course, would argue with assigning Augustus as the first
of the kings, but further historical detail to be offered in this chapter will
confirm this identification to anyone who does not have a pre-conceived notion
to the contrary in the matter. The successor to Augustus was his son Tiberius,
who ruled at the time of Christ?s death. After him, in order, came Claudius,
Gaius (also known as Caligula), Nero, Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian and
Titus. These are the ten kings. The 'little horn, is the successor to Titus, Domitian!
Domitian ruled Romefrom AD 81-96 (see the table below).
The claim, then, is that Daniel chapter seven is primarily about Domitian, the
eleventh emperor of Rome, who ruled over six hundred years after Daniel received
the vision. If this claim is true, that would provide dramatic proof of the
inspiration of Daniel, to say the least. It would be difficult to overstate
how strong a support it would be. Probably more importantly, it would also provide
great encouragement to those going through the persecutions under Domitian as
well as the later Roman persecutors. If God can reveal to his people specific
details about this persecutor hundreds of years before he even exists?before Israel
even heard of the tiny city-state of Rome?that would certainly provide good
reason to believe that the judgment pronounced on Domitian in Daniel seven will
indeed come to pass.
The First Eleven Emperors of Rome
Emperor
??????????????? Dates of Rule
???????????????
??????????????????????????????? Significance to Biblical Events
???????????????????????????????
Augustus
??????????????? 27 BC-14 AD
???????????????
??????????????????????????????? Birth of Christ
???????????????????????????????
Tiberius
??????????????? 14 AD-37 AD
???????????????
??????????????????????????????? Crucifixion of Christ
???????????????????????????????
Gaius (Caligula)
??????????????? 37 AD-41 AD
???????????????
???????????????????????????????
???????????????????????????????
Claudius
??????????????? 41 AD-54 AD
???????????????
??????????????????????????????? Jews exiled from Rome.
???????????????????????????????
Nero
??????????????? 54 AD-68 AD
???????????????
??????????????????????????????? First Roman persecutions. Execution of Paul and Peter.
???????????????????????????????
Galba
??????????????? 68 AD-69 AD
???????????????
??????????????????????????????? One of the three overcome by Vespasian.
???????????????????????????????
Otho
??????????????? 69 AD-70 AD
???????????????
??????????????????????????????? One of the three?
???????????????????????????????
Vitellius
??????????????? 69 AD-70 AD
???????????????
??????????????????????????????? One of the three?
???????????????????????????????
Vespasian
??????????????? 69 AD-79 AD
???????????????
??????????????????????????????? Attack on Jerusalem.
???????????????????????????????
Titus
??????????????? 79 AD-81 AD
???????????????
??????????????????????????????? The general who destroyed Jerusalem
???????????????????????????????
Domitian
??????????????? 81 AD-96 AD
???????????????
??????????????????????????????? First systematic persecutor of the church.
???????????????????????????????
Consider some details from the life of Domitian; the great persecutor of the
church. Domitian was not actually the first Roman emperor to attack the Christian
church. Nero (54-68 AD) deserves that distinction. Daniel does not focus on
Nero, perhaps because his attacks on the church were limited. The persecutions of
Nero, although violent, occurred almost exclusively in Romeand lasted for a
relatively short time. They were more of a temper tantrum than a systematic
policy of attacking the church. Domitian, on the other hand, was the
first to institute a definite empire-wide policy of destroying the Christ movement.
Compare this with the statements in Daniel concerning the little horn: this
horn was waging war against the saints and defeating them? (v. 21) and He will…oppress
his saints (v. 25).
Figure 23. Domitian, AD 81-96, Palazzo dei Conservatori, Rome.
Domitian was well known for being a braggart. Emperor-worship was begun in the
eastern part of the empire under Augustus, but there is no record of him encouraging
the practice. Caligula was the first emperor to encourage the people to worship
him as a god, but Domitian was the first to actively demand that his subjects
worship him. The Roman historian Suetonius reported of Domitian,[6] From his youth he
was far from being of an affable disposition, but was on the contrary presumptuous
and unbridled in both act and word.? When his father's former concubine was
returned to Domitian, Seutonius quotes him as saying that he had ?recalled her to his
divine couch.? Also, according to Seutonius, ?With no less arrogance he began
as follows in issuing a circular letter in the name of his procurators, ?Our
Master and our God bids that this be done.And so the custom arose henceforth
of addressing him in no other way even in writing or in conversation.?
Figure 24. Emperor Tiberius, AD 14-37. Adopted son of Augustus, Carlsberg Glyptotek, C
openhagen.
Domitian was the first Roman emperor to demand that the people address him as
a god. This explains the statement concerning the little horn that he had ?a
mouth that spoke boastfully (v. 8, v. 20), or the reference in verse eleven
to ?the boastful words the horn was speaking.? Also, the little horn will ?speak
against the Most High (v. 25), a reference to the fact that Domitian specifically
demanded of Christ?s disciples that they offer sacrifice to him as a god.
The seventh chapter of Daniel supplies even more specific detail about Domitian.
In Daniel 7:8 it is stated concerning the little horn that ?three of the first
horns were uprooted before it. This is also referred to in Daniel 7:20. This
is a reference to the three very short-lived emperors Galba, Otho and Vitellius.
These three emperors all ruled during the tumultuous years 68 and 69 AD. In
fact, all three were generals who were declared emperor by their troops. The
reign of the three overlapped, and none of them was ever able to rule the entire
empire. Ultimately, Vespasian completely uprooted all three of these general/emperors
by the year 70 AD.
Figure 25. Roman Emperor and Persecutor Nero, AD 54-68, NationalMuseum, Rom
e.
Although Vespasian was the emperor responsible for uprooting the three horns,
Domitian played a significant role in the wars of succession, fighting as a
general in the battles which led to the overthrow of Galba, Otho and Vitellius.
In that sense, Domitian did help uproot the three horns. In any case, The uprooting of the three led to Domitian eventually taking the throne of Rome. In that sense, three of the first horns were uprooted before him.
Which is the exact wording concerning the uprooting of the three.
And so, indeed three were uprooted before him.
For another hint as to why God, through Daniel, describes Domitian (the little
horn) as if he were the one who uprooted the three, one can look to the parallel
passage in Revelation 17. Revelation 17:7,8 refers to a beast which once was,
now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss and go to destruction as having seven heads and ten horns.
The ten horns in Revelation chapter 17 are the Not the same ten kings referred to in Daniel chapter seven, For those ten only rule when the beast king which is the 8 th does come and not before, as the ten kings of daniel being the ten Emperors who rule during the time God set up his kingdom in christ came before the 8 king of the seven in the book of revelation. And so they are A different set of ten kings.
while the seven heads ( Which are seven kings ) are Part of the same ten Roman kings ten horns Daniel saw in his vision of the roman beast, including Galba, Otho and Vitellius, the three weak, relatively unimportant kings. And then Vespasian and titus , This allows the writer of Revelation to refer to Domitian
using the phrase , "and one is."
This way the scripture is understood to be truly a revealing of that fourth beast Daniel had visions of but this time expanded on by st john to the full revelation of antichrist at work within it until the beast king in the form of the popes as kings does rule it.
Daniel 2:44 "In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.
In this verse we see that in the days of the ten toes which are ten kings, that God will come and set up the kingdom of God, proclaimed by Christ .
These are the ten kings of the time of Christ and the early years of his church under Rome.
The ten kings are the same ten kings who are shown in the verses about the fourth beast kingdom, where they are called ten horns.
Who are these kings? In looking at the history of Rome(the fourth beast) the
task is surprisingly simple.
The Roman Empirewas originally a republic. The form of this government was a bit complicated, but to simplify, up until the first century BC, Romewas governed by a senate which was directly elected by the citizens of Rome.[4] In the first century BC, a series of very powerful generals began a pattern of ruling by the force of their personal armies. The most famous of
these dictators was Julius Caesar. A great number of civil wars erupted in the
battle between the Roman senate and competing generals.
Finally, Julius Caesar's adopted grandson Octavius, later called Augustus Caesar, seized power over
Romeand usurped the power of the Senate. He is universally considered to be
the first emperor of Rome. Although the senate continued in existence, after
this point the balance of power had permanently shifted almost entirely to the
emperors. Augustus is the first of the ten kings (horns) in Daniel chapter seven.
He was also the emperor at the time of the birth of Jesus Christ.
Some commentators, of course, would argue with assigning Augustus as the first
of the kings, but further historical detail to be offered in this chapter will
confirm this identification to anyone who does not have a pre-conceived notion
to the contrary in the matter. The successor to Augustus was his son Tiberius,
who ruled at the time of Christ?s death. After him, in order, came Claudius,
Gaius (also known as Caligula), Nero, Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian and
Titus. These are the ten kings. The 'little horn, is the successor to Titus, Domitian!
Domitian ruled Romefrom AD 81-96 (see the table below).
The claim, then, is that Daniel chapter seven is primarily about Domitian, the
eleventh emperor of Rome, who ruled over six hundred years after Daniel received
the vision. If this claim is true, that would provide dramatic proof of the
inspiration of Daniel, to say the least. It would be difficult to overstate
how strong a support it would be. Probably more importantly, it would also provide
great encouragement to those going through the persecutions under Domitian as
well as the later Roman persecutors. If God can reveal to his people specific
details about this persecutor hundreds of years before he even exists?before Israel
even heard of the tiny city-state of Rome?that would certainly provide good
reason to believe that the judgment pronounced on Domitian in Daniel seven will
indeed come to pass.
The First Eleven Emperors of Rome
Emperor
??????????????? Dates of Rule
???????????????
??????????????????????????????? Significance to Biblical Events
???????????????????????????????
Augustus
??????????????? 27 BC-14 AD
???????????????
??????????????????????????????? Birth of Christ
???????????????????????????????
Tiberius
??????????????? 14 AD-37 AD
???????????????
??????????????????????????????? Crucifixion of Christ
???????????????????????????????
Gaius (Caligula)
??????????????? 37 AD-41 AD
???????????????
???????????????????????????????
???????????????????????????????
Claudius
??????????????? 41 AD-54 AD
???????????????
??????????????????????????????? Jews exiled from Rome.
???????????????????????????????
Nero
??????????????? 54 AD-68 AD
???????????????
??????????????????????????????? First Roman persecutions. Execution of Paul and Peter.
???????????????????????????????
Galba
??????????????? 68 AD-69 AD
???????????????
??????????????????????????????? One of the three overcome by Vespasian.
???????????????????????????????
Otho
??????????????? 69 AD-70 AD
???????????????
??????????????????????????????? One of the three?
???????????????????????????????
Vitellius
??????????????? 69 AD-70 AD
???????????????
??????????????????????????????? One of the three?
???????????????????????????????
Vespasian
??????????????? 69 AD-79 AD
???????????????
??????????????????????????????? Attack on Jerusalem.
???????????????????????????????
Titus
??????????????? 79 AD-81 AD
???????????????
??????????????????????????????? The general who destroyed Jerusalem
???????????????????????????????
Domitian
??????????????? 81 AD-96 AD
???????????????
??????????????????????????????? First systematic persecutor of the church.
???????????????????????????????
Consider some details from the life of Domitian; the great persecutor of the
church. Domitian was not actually the first Roman emperor to attack the Christian
church. Nero (54-68 AD) deserves that distinction. Daniel does not focus on
Nero, perhaps because his attacks on the church were limited. The persecutions of
Nero, although violent, occurred almost exclusively in Romeand lasted for a
relatively short time. They were more of a temper tantrum than a systematic
policy of attacking the church. Domitian, on the other hand, was the
first to institute a definite empire-wide policy of destroying the Christ movement.
Compare this with the statements in Daniel concerning the little horn: this
horn was waging war against the saints and defeating them? (v. 21) and He will…oppress
his saints (v. 25).
Figure 23. Domitian, AD 81-96, Palazzo dei Conservatori, Rome.
Domitian was well known for being a braggart. Emperor-worship was begun in the
eastern part of the empire under Augustus, but there is no record of him encouraging
the practice. Caligula was the first emperor to encourage the people to worship
him as a god, but Domitian was the first to actively demand that his subjects
worship him. The Roman historian Suetonius reported of Domitian,[6] From his youth he
was far from being of an affable disposition, but was on the contrary presumptuous
and unbridled in both act and word.? When his father's former concubine was
returned to Domitian, Seutonius quotes him as saying that he had ?recalled her to his
divine couch.? Also, according to Seutonius, ?With no less arrogance he began
as follows in issuing a circular letter in the name of his procurators, ?Our
Master and our God bids that this be done.And so the custom arose henceforth
of addressing him in no other way even in writing or in conversation.?
Figure 24. Emperor Tiberius, AD 14-37. Adopted son of Augustus, Carlsberg Glyptotek, C
openhagen.
Domitian was the first Roman emperor to demand that the people address him as
a god. This explains the statement concerning the little horn that he had ?a
mouth that spoke boastfully (v. 8, v. 20), or the reference in verse eleven
to ?the boastful words the horn was speaking.? Also, the little horn will ?speak
against the Most High (v. 25), a reference to the fact that Domitian specifically
demanded of Christ?s disciples that they offer sacrifice to him as a god.
The seventh chapter of Daniel supplies even more specific detail about Domitian.
In Daniel 7:8 it is stated concerning the little horn that ?three of the first
horns were uprooted before it. This is also referred to in Daniel 7:20. This
is a reference to the three very short-lived emperors Galba, Otho and Vitellius.
These three emperors all ruled during the tumultuous years 68 and 69 AD. In
fact, all three were generals who were declared emperor by their troops. The
reign of the three overlapped, and none of them was ever able to rule the entire
empire. Ultimately, Vespasian completely uprooted all three of these general/emperors
by the year 70 AD.
Figure 25. Roman Emperor and Persecutor Nero, AD 54-68, NationalMuseum, Rom
e.
Although Vespasian was the emperor responsible for uprooting the three horns,
Domitian played a significant role in the wars of succession, fighting as a
general in the battles which led to the overthrow of Galba, Otho and Vitellius.
In that sense, Domitian did help uproot the three horns. In any case, The uprooting of the three led to Domitian eventually taking the throne of Rome. In that sense, three of the first horns were uprooted before him.
Which is the exact wording concerning the uprooting of the three.
And so, indeed three were uprooted before him.
For another hint as to why God, through Daniel, describes Domitian (the little
horn) as if he were the one who uprooted the three, one can look to the parallel
passage in Revelation 17. Revelation 17:7,8 refers to a beast which once was,
now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss and go to destruction as having seven heads and ten horns.
The ten horns in Revelation chapter 17 are the Not the same ten kings referred to in Daniel chapter seven, For those ten only rule when the beast king which is the 8 th does come and not before, as the ten kings of daniel being the ten Emperors who rule during the time God set up his kingdom in christ came before the 8 king of the seven in the book of revelation. And so they are A different set of ten kings.
while the seven heads ( Which are seven kings ) are Part of the same ten Roman kings ten horns Daniel saw in his vision of the roman beast, including Galba, Otho and Vitellius, the three weak, relatively unimportant kings. And then Vespasian and titus , This allows the writer of Revelation to refer to Domitian
using the phrase , "and one is."
This way the scripture is understood to be truly a revealing of that fourth beast Daniel had visions of but this time expanded on by st john to the full revelation of antichrist at work within it until the beast king in the form of the popes as kings does rule it.
