Sermon Central
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A Unified World Series
Contributed by Shawn Drake on Apr 27, 2002 (message contributor)
Summary: This is the 5th sermon in the series "The End". This sermon looks at a one-world system under the Antichrist.
Sunday Evening, April 28, 2002 Bel Aire Baptist Church
Series: “The End” [#5]
A UNIFIED WORLD
Introduction:
1. As we have studied over the last several weeks, it is apparent that God is making preparations for the tribulation.
2. I want to spend one more week on these events before we begin to study the tribulation.
Prophecy
Daniel
1. Daniel was the first prophet to write about the Antichrist’s one-world government. This prophecy was given in a dream to King Nebuchadnezzar (whom historians consider the most absolute dictator in world history).
2. In this dream, King Nebuchadnezzar saw a beautiful statue with four distinct parts, each part inferior to the section above it. The King demanded that his astrologers and soothsayers tell him about the dream and interpret it, but they could not. However, God revealed to Daniel the dream and interpretation.
3. Daniel told the King that there would be four successive world governments, and in the last days just before the Messiah came to establish His Kingdom, ten kings would form one final world government.
4. The Bible said there would be four world governments, and history shows there have only been four. Many, such as Hitler have tried to be the fifth, but it never happened.
5. Babylon, the first kingdom in the Prophesy, was the most tyrannical empire that ever existed. The second empire was the Medo – Persians, then the Greeks under Alexander the Great. When Alexander died, his generals divided the world into four Kingdoms, which Rome eventually took over. Rome, the fourth Kingdom, was the last. Today, even though Rome is no longer an empire, virtually all-western nations have taken their basic principles of government from Rome.
Democracies
1. Most scholars believe that the ten-toed image of Daniel’s vision was a prediction of democracy in the end times. Iron and clay do not mix well, and they provide a picture of weaker government. China is a dictatorship and in many ways has a stronger government than the United States has. China’s leaders do what they want where as United States government changes depending on voters and “political games”. United States may have several years of liberal leadership and then years of conservative leadership. This changing can create less stable and weaker government.
2. In Revelation 13:1-4 John described these ten kings as “horns” on the seven heads of a ”beast”. Notice that the future governments of man that Nebuchadnezzer saw were beautiful, while God sees them as beasts. This just shows us that while man finds the things of the world beautiful and worships them, God sees them as beasts.
3. The seven heads John describes in Revelation probably refer to the seven stages of the Roman Empire. Revelation 17:9 say’s they refer to “seven hills” (possibly a reference to the seven hill on which Rome is said to be built), but then verse 10 says they also refer to seven kings of whom “five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come.” I believe the five fallen kings were the five Roman emperors before John’s time, the sixth was Domitian who was the emperor at the time John wrote; and the seventh will be the Antichrist.
4. Daniel tells us that the ten kings will not always obey the Antichrist and therefore, three of them will be eliminated.
5. Daniel makes it plain that these ten kings will arise before the Antichrist makes his own rise to power. Three of the kings will not like his rapid assent and will try to resist him, but they will be quickly defeated.
Preparations
One World Government
1. I believe we are getting close to the time when the ten kings will appear. We can look back all the way to World War I and see things happening. Right after World War I, President Woodrow Wilson tried to set up the League of Nations, but conservative U.S. Senators would not allow U.S. involvement. Although this did not work, Colonel Mandell House (a supporter of the League of Nations) founded the Council on Foreign Relations, which promoted a one-world government.
2. The Council was instrumental in the establishment of the United Nations in 1945. Although the United Nations wanted to create a world without wars they have been very unsuccessful.
3. Since then the Club of Rome Conference, featuring the elite leaders of the world, announced that a one-world government was the only hope for our world. These leaders believe that over population needs to be dealt with and that third-world countries need to be built up in order that all countries are equal.
4. One idea from the Club of Rome suggest a good start to a world government might be to divided the world into ten regions with a “head” appointed to lead each area, with representation at the United Nations. There will also be one leader that is over the ten.
