July 27: PLUCKED UP BY THE ROOTS

“Thus [the angel] said [to me, Daniel]: ‘The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, Which shall be different from all other kingdoms, And shall devour the whole earth, Trample it and break it in pieces. The horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom. And another shall arise after them; He shall be different from the first ones, And shall subdue three kings.’” Daniel 7:23-24

By now, it is evident that the teaching method of “repeat and expand” is at work here. These two verses are very similar to earlier ones, but an additional fact is brought to light: this fourth kingdom shall devour the whole earth. The fact that this power will continue to work against God, His people, and the message of salvation until the close of fallen man’s history should make us keenly aware that every nation in the world today is affected.

We are also told that the work of the fourth beast is to: Trample [the whole earth] and break it in pieces. This is Satan’s counterfeit of the work of Christ described at the end of Nebuchadnezzar’s first dream (see 2:34-35). But the work of Christ is about destroying and removing those things that potentially hinder, harm, cripple, or undo the clear understanding of God’s truth, found in His word until no trace of them is found. This is why obedience is so vital in the life of a follower of Christ. It is through obedience that we are empowered to grow spiritually, gaining greater understanding and truly learning of Christ the Savior. The breaking accomplished through Christ is the destruction of thoughts, attitudes, habits, actions, and relationships that lead us into sin. He reminded His listeners: “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone” (Psalm 118:22) and added, “Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.” (Luke 20:18; see also Matthew 21:44)

When the Roman empire imploded in the late 5th century, ten smaller kingdoms were formed—all of which had previously been a part of the empire. These became monarchies, thus: the horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom. This stage of history is often called “divided Rome.”

The seed for the little horn was long in the mind and strategy of Satan. It had been brewing long before Rome officially became a superpower in 168BC. Though Rome began as a typical pagan political entity, she has been the framework beneath which a religious entity was established. This is why the fourth beast and its little horn are different. The three kings that were cleared away in order for the papacy to become officially established were accused of “heresy”. But because their libraries were obliterated so thoroughly, many simply take it on faith that their opposition to the establishment of papal supremacy was very likely legitimate.

“I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots…” Daniel 7:8a

These three were the Heruli (destroyed 493), Vandals (destroyed 534), the Ostrogoths (destroyed 538). The seven kingdoms left comprise what we now call Europe: Franks (later France), the Suevi (later Portugal), the Alamanni (later Germany), the Burgundians (later Switzerland), the Anglo-Saxons (later England), the Lombards (later Italy), and Visigoths (later Spain).