In order for antichrist to take over the reins of government, there must be a government in place with reins to give to him. I believe the Scripture is plain as to the identification of that government.

We begin in Daniel 2. This oft-told tale was obviously not meant only for the ruling emperor of the day, Nebuchadnezzar. He profited from it, as did interpreter prophet Daniel. But the fact that it was recorded means it is for the people of God ultimately.

Nebuchadnezzar’s dream was of a huge image, or statue. Its head was of gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, and its feet partly of iron, partly of baked clay.

Daniel interprets what became world history to us. The head of gold was Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon. The chest and arms of silver was Medo-Persia, which conquered Babylon. Medo-Persia was in turn defeated by Greece, pictured as the belly and thighs.

Then came Rome. Twice? No, only once. For Rome, to be true to the imagery of a human statue, must survive from its take-over of the Grecian world to the very end of history when it morphs into a ten-part confederation.

There is no other world Empire but Rome. That is to say, Rome lives with us still. Sleeping. Traveling as it were down the long legs of history, quiet, unassuming, but very real. The identification of the final kingdom of earth was given to Daniel so that His people would know when the time was to come.

Perhaps the time is near?

There are many parts of the description and interpretation of the long-legged empire. Every detail helps us to grasp a greater understanding of what is coming, and perhaps what has already come, to the peoples of earth. Look carefully.

From the description (verses 31-35). As Nebuchadnezzar watches the statue in his dream, he suddenly sees a huge stone coming out of nowhere. A stone cut out without hands, it was. Why is that significant? Without hands?

Most agree this stone is Christ, or at least His Kingdom. The Christ Himself and His people are all of Divine origin. Man did not think up the plan or create the people, and man did not bring Jesus to the world for us.

The stone made without hands comes to earth and strikes the image on the feet. The head, midsections, legs, are already in history. They are visible as history, but a stone can’t hit them now. Only the feet are left to be hit, and they are hit hard, so hard that every other part of the statue just crumbles into dust. And the stone itself? It transforms itself into a mountain and fills the whole earth!

“The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ. And He shall reign forever and ever.”

But we must go back. Just before that. We must talk more about the legs and feet. Daniel gives many more details in his interpretation.

From the interpretation (verses 36-45). The fourth kingdom (verses 40 and following) is to be the strongest of all. Like iron, it will smash to pieces all inferior substances. There is no question, is there, that the Roman Empire fulfills that imagery? But in this picture, as in Daniel 7, which we will talk about next, little is said about the original Empire that every school child today has studied or will study. Not much of the Caesars and the bloody persecutions and the worldwide suffering. Nothing of the transfer of power from Roman paganism to Roman Papalism. Immediately Daniel sees the final form of this tyranny.

Now we must look exceedingly carefully. Words matter. Every word in this text matters.

We are looking at two human feet. Toes are mentioned. So the number ten comes into play. Two parts. Five portions of each part. That’s the picture. As the feet flow naturally from the legs, this final kingdom will flow from the outline of the old Roman Empire.

The two portions are divided. It is not clear whether each portion, as each toe or nation, is a blend of iron and clay mixed into a government that has its strong parts and its weak, or whether perhaps there are five weak – clay – nations and five strong – iron – nations. We only can read what it says, “the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile, [or “brittle” or just weak].”

Verse 43 gives another clue. These ten groups of people will “mingle” but not “adhere.” Perhaps, they will unite for the purposes of security in the region, and shared resources, but not truly be one culturally or in basic values and religion.

If indeed the revived Roman Empire is to encompass the area around the Mediterranean Sea as it once did, it is easy to understand that European nations (one foot) and Islamic nations (the other foot) don’t “adhere” very well at all.

With the current migration from north to south in the region, it could also be that those nations will all be a mix of chaotic values and worldviews, whose only need for unification is as a block against those who would harm them.

Daniel is clear, though, that it is during the days of those ten kingdoms, that Jesus will come and set up His eternal Throne.

We continue in Daniel 7. Another vision. This time it is the prophet himself who dreams and sees. I hear modern teachers telling us that actually, this dream is unrelated to his first one. I disagree. There is so much similarity, but this vision has elements that give a greater explanation, more detail. Listen carefully.

We begin in verse 2. Amazing! The location of the final Kingdom! “The Great Sea.” That is the Mediterranean Sea, in the Bible. Antichrist will one day rise from that sea.

Out of the sea come four animals: a lion with wings as an eagle; a bear with three ribs in its mouth; a leopard with four wings and four heads; an animal with iron teeth and ten horns.

Though the first three animals have definite connections to the first three parts of the statue, it is the fourth manifestation, as in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, that captures Daniel’s thoughts and demands from the interpreter the greatest explanation. Oh we must listen to that explanation.

The first three animals serve only to lay the historical foundation for the fourth one. Babylonia and its strong emperor Nebuchadnezzar are pictured as fallen and raised up again, the remembrance of the king’s serious malady and his cure from it.

Medo-Persia is then the lopsided bear, raised up on one side, a shared power, but unevenly shared between the Medes and the Persians.

Greece is envisioned, via Alexander, as the incredibly swift conqueror of the world. As though leopards are not quick enough, this one can fly with its four wings. Four. Yes, and four heads, don’t forget. When Alexander left this world, his kingdom was eventually given over to four of his generals, a tale told in prophetic perfection in later chapters of Daniel. And in history.

Verse 7. The dream seems to end here, did you notice? The first dream is over. It is only “after this” that another vision occurs, another kingdom arises. It is pictured by a monstrous animal. This seems at first identical to the iron legs of the statue, but its focus soon switches to a time much later in that statue. It is the end of all things. The ten toes time. The kingdom has transformed itself into ten smaller kingdoms, but the effect of the union of these ten is enormous.

Ten toes. Ten horns on this animal. Same imagery. We are in the end days. Outgrown from the empire of iron that devoured the world in Jesus’ day, we are still looking at an iron destroyer surrounding the Mediterranean Sea.

Oh yes, Rome does rise again, with a vengeance. And with another surprise: the antichrist. A “little horn”, an eleventh power. We will talk of him at another time.

For now we are looking at geography. Where will this final kingdom be? I believe the answer is now obvious.

Any other clues? Perhaps. Look at Daniel 11. After accurately predicting the Syrian wars of succession in the years before Jesus, the Holy Spirit, through Daniel, transitions seamlessly from second century B.C. to the very end of history and the unprecedented Tribulation period that shall be its climax.

We must talk about that prophecy in the Antichrist section of this book. But look at locations again:

The “King of the South” in this prophecy is Egypt. The “King of the North” is Syria. Not Syria as we know it necessarily, but an expanded Syrian empire in those days that included much of the Middle east.

In the end battles, antichrist, called now simply “the King”, is attacked by both of these powers, Egypt and Syria. The “King” seems to win that battle, and proceeds to the Holy Land, conquering as he goes. Now the very land of Egypt is taken over, along with the Ethiopians and Libyans.

Then there are powers to the east and north of him that cause him concern. Russia? China?

All told, does it not still seem confirmed here that the antichrist kingdom centers around the Mediterranean Sea?