Rome and The World Empire
All the arguments that the EU is the revived Roman empire, and that the Antichrist can't come from the US because we are not the revived Roman Empire, remind me again of the Pharisees. Remember they searched the scriptures, but they searched to justify their positions and themselves. They were not searching for Truth. One of the problems that the Pharisees had in recognizing Jesus was because they thought that "Elias" (Elijah) the prophet must first come. He was right under their nose, but they didn't see him because he didn't fit into their scheme of things, and they were too busy persecuting him. Mt:11:14: "And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, (speaking of John the Baptist) which was for to come." He was not the actual reincarnation of Elias, nor had he come back from Heaven (he never died), but he was of the "Spirit of Elias". This is why Jesus said "If you can receive it".
Maybe it will help if we look at just what the spirit of the Roman empire is.
If we look back in the Book of Daniel, we see in Chap 2:31: Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible.32: This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,33: His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.34: Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.35: Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
Just as numbers have significance so do the metals. As we read on in the chapter, he interprets the image as kingdoms that were there then and that were to come. The Image ultimately speaks of the kingdoms of this world and their makeup. The head was of gold; this was Babylon. Gold is significant of divinity. In this case it was man's representation of god, idolatry. Babylon was the seat of idol worship and false religion. The next empire to arise was inferior. The shoulders and arms were of silver. Silver speaks of salvation and government; In this case mans effort to have unity without the truth of God. "The government shall be upon His shoulders". The Head rests on the shoulders. This empire was the Medo-Persian. Many scholars would trace back the origins of the concept of "Democracy" to the Medo-Persian empire. Next was the belly of brass. This was Alexander's Greece. Brass was of less value than silver but still considered of value and used in exchange. These three metals were all used in the tabernacle of the congregation where the Arc of the Covenant sat. Brass represents culture.
It was Greece that was the origin of our modern day culture; theatre, art, philosophy and medicine (serpent on a stick symbol). This metal is less valuable just as we don't consider our culture as important as our religion or our government. Each empire that came along built upon the preceding empires taking their gods and their governmental form.
Then this figure was set upon legs of Iron, Imperial Rome. Iron is stronger than any of the other metals, but not considered valuable. Iron is about force. It is the Law. Rv:2:27:" And he shall rule them with a rod of iron" Ruling by law just or unjust. This was Rome. They took the religions of Babylon, ( the Greek gods were the same ), the government of Medo-Persia, the culture of Greece, and built it all on a foundation of law backed up with brute force. It all worked very well for a long time. But.... the problem was it was all built on feet that were of iron and clay. Clay is significant of the flesh of man. Iron does not mix with clay, just as we are incapable of keeping the law. That is why we needed a savior, because we have all broken God's law. Now we see a stone that was cut out without hands ( Christ), which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and broke them to pieces... Then the whole thing comes tumbling down, and is burned up like chaff. Then the wind carries it away The breath of God the Holy Spirit....and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, (the Kingdom of God) and filled the whole earth.
Now let's think about it. America is the revival of the Roman Empire. It is of the same spirit. Its ways have filled the whole earth. Even if Europe were to somehow get a stronger army, it is still this same empire. Everything that is Europe today is of America. Not just Europe but the whole world is under its influence. They have our form (with some variations) of government, our culture with music and trade and sports etc. English is the international language, the dollar is the standard bearer. At the head of it all is that head of Gold. They all worship the gods of false religion and the god of mammon and the corporate deities.
Rv:9:2: And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. Could this be Oil ? It comes from a seemingly bottomless pit, and it has filled the whole earth with its smoke ( air pollution). What a coincidence that God has put all that oil under Islam. Watch what is happening now. The Antichrist has started a war in Babylon ( modern day Iraq ) .
Now he is laying the plans to attack Medo-Persia (Iran, Syria). Is Greece next? or is it his attacks against homosexuals (Greece known for its homosexual culture) that are going to go from just legal bans against equality to escalate into a slaughter. Jerry Falwell has blamed them for 9/11 and the Tsunami that hit endeavoring to villify them thereby justifying a massacre. This President is blood thirsty, greedy, and arrogant as befitting the Antichrist.
