I want you to open your Bibles with me this evening in the book of Daniel and the chapter number 2. That's the second chapter of the book of Daniel. We're going to read some verses from verse number 31 of this second chapter of the book of Daniel. That's Daniel chapter 2. And we commence reading there at verse number 31. Let's follow the reading of God's infallible word this evening. Daniel chapter 2 verse 31. Thou, O King, sawst, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee, and the form thereof was terrible. This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. and thou saw'st till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet, that was of iron and clay, and break them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors. 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. This is the dream, and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king. Thou, O king, art a king of kings, for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the fields and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and he hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art that head of gold. And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron, for as much as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things, and as iron that breaketh all these shall it break in pieces and bruise. And whereas thou saw'st the feet and toes, part of potter's clay and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided. But there shall be in it of the strength of the iron for as much as thou saw'st the iron mixed with married clay. And as the toes of the feet were part iron and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly broken. And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with mary clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of man, but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed, and the kingdom shall not be left to other people. but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. For as much as I saw as the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it break in pieces the iron and the brass and the clay and the silver and the gold, the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter. and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof, sure. We end our reading there, and we know that God will add his blessing to the reading of his infallible truth. Let's bow our heads in prayer. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, I pray this evening that thou will give me help as I come to preach thy word. I pray that our God, that thou will help me to rightly divide the word of truth. And oh God, I pray that this night, that thou will turn the heart of our nation back to thee once again. O God, we would cry unto thee, revive thy work, O God, thy mighty arm make bare. Speak with a voice that wakes the dead, O God, make the people hear. Remember our nation tonight, we pray in Jesus' name, that thou would our God preserve and watch over our nation yet again. As thou didst deliver it in days that are past, O God, I pray that thou will deliver it, even in this our day and generation, for the glory of thy great name. We pray for Jesus' sake. Amen. I want this evening to speak on the subject of the last days and the significance of the times that we are living in right now. There is one great event that this world is perhaps not realizing or appreciating or doesn't want to know about it. One great event that the child of God looks forward to, and that is the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and the expectation that Jesus Christ himself will return. When the Lord Jesus Christ was upon this earth, if you turn to Matthew's Gospel, chapter 24, you will find that the disciples asked the Lord Jesus as he sat on the Mount of Olives this question. That is Matthew 24, verse 3. And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming and the end of the world? If you go down to verse number 14, it says, "'And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations. And then shall the end come.'" So there's going to be an ending to this old world in which we're living in. Then shall the end come. Now, the question was, tell us. They asked of the Master, tell us when. Tell us when shall these things be, and what shall be the sign of the coming, or thy coming, and of the end of the world? And then if you turn to Luke's gospel, chapter 21, the Lord Jesus Christ is—he's speaking, and he's giving signposts along the way concerning his return. And if you go with me, because of time, to verse number 23, It says these words, that's Luke 21, verse 23, "'But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! For there shall be great distress in the land, and the wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." And I want you to notice those words, until. Until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. Now, I know there are many great cities in the world tonight, and the eyes of the world are upon many places of the world, but let me tell you, I believe the focus of the world in the end of this age, friend, will not be upon Washington or Berlin or upon Beijing or Moscow, and will not be upon Tokyo or upon London. The eyes of the world will be upon this place, as mentioned there in verse 24, and Jerusalem. And Jerusalem, it says, shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. And the word trodden down there is underneath the feet. Jerusalem shall experience dark days. But not forever, because notice it says, until. They shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until. It's not going to be always that. Until this specific time, the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. And I want us to think of those words, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. Now, whenever we think of time, there is a beginning. And there's also an ending, because it says, until the times be fulfilled. There is this precise period in history when God will finally fulfill the times of the Gentiles. Now, I believe that to gain our understanding and my understanding in the study of God's Word, to find out what that means, that brings me to the book of Daniel. And it brings me to the vision there in chapter 2 of the book of Daniel. And I believe that this will help us see the significance of these words for today. Now, I believe with all my heart that Daniel 2 is a foundational chapter to aid us in our understanding of our days, and indeed help us in our decision that we will make in a few days' time for this United Kingdom. Daniel could say it was a history book, was written in advance. You know, for those who despise the Word of God, and there's many people in the world tonight who do that, I want to state categorically tonight that although it was and is history written in advance, history verifies the truthfulness of the book of Daniel. Now, we don't need that, because I believe the Bible. And I don't need for history to verify it, but thank God, I know that it does. Because everything out of Nebuchadnezzar in the second chapter was future. It was prophecy of the future. And therefore, today, what we find is there are things that are already prophesied in Daniel chapter 2, that have not happened during Daniel's time, but have been fulfilled since then. And thank God they have been fulfilled to the very last letter. And that's what ought to give courage and encouragement to the child of God tonight, and of confidence in the Word of God, because just as certain as God has already fulfilled part of the prophecy that he gives here in Daniel chapter 2, he will fulfill the rest of it. And thank God, God's Word is forever settled in heaven. It's neither added to, neither can it be taken from. And God will never have to say to us, I'm sorry, that was wrong. Because God's Word is truth, and God's Word is true. And thank God he's going to fulfill the rest of the prophecy that God has given. And friend, that also encourages me. Because God who controls the future is also the God who is in control of my life. Child of God, you encourage yourself in the Lord tonight. That the God who is the controller of history of this old world and the future of this old world, thank God he's in control of your life tonight. because you're a child of his. And God is not only interested in you, but God has promised you that, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end. Now, whenever we come to the second chapter of the book of Daniel, just turn with me to the beginning of it, in chapter 2, we find here that Daniel, or Nebuchadnezzar, was a heathen king. And he's trouble. And what is troubling us this? He has had a dream. He was a wicked king. He ruled with terror. But notice he wasn't too big for God to trouble. Look at verse number one. And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, whereby with his spirit was troubled and his sleep break from him. You know, God can humble the greatest of men. And what we find is this, as he dreams this dream, we find that a cold sweat breaks upon him. Now, you and I know that dreams, if you dream them, they can be easily forgotten. And quite often, you just remember a little part of the dream and you forget the rest of it. And the king admits here, if you go down to verse, in this chapter, it says in verse number five, the thing has gone from me. And so the king admits that he has forgotten the dream. But friend, whilst he has forgotten the dream, he doesn't forget that it troubled him. There was something about this dream that brought a lot of trouble into the heart and into the mind. And in verse number three of that chapter two, it says, And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream. He wanted to find out what was that dream all about, because there was something about that dream, friend. It was that dream that woke him out of his sleep. It was that dream that broke the cold sweat upon him. And so he calls the wise men of the nation in Babylon, and he tells them, rather he demands of them, that they will delve into the supernatural and tell him, because remember, they were astronomers, and they were astrologers, and they were magicians, and they wanted them to delve into the supernatural, and to tell him not only the interpretation of the dream, but to tell him the dream itself. And he was so troubled about this. He was real dead earnest about this. He said, listen, if you do not tell me this, I want to tell you on the pain of death, the penalty of death, you will die if you don't tell me what this dream is and what the interpretation is. Then the Bible tells us that none of these wise men of this land could tell the king the dream. But you know, there were four people in the land. It was Daniel and his three friends. And they were also, although they were despised amongst the so-called wise, yet I believe that God had Daniel there in that land for such a time as this. Daniel was a light in a dark place, and God put him for that hour. God put him there. Daniel looks into the face of death because he was condemned to death as well as the rest of the astrologers and the magicians and all the rest of them. And he was condemned to death too, as was his friend. But you notice the calmness of God's child, even under the threat of death. He's so calm because he knows that God is in absolute control. And he sends a message. He wants to speak to the king. Look at verse 16. Daniel went in and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would show the king the interpretation. Daniel went to his free friend. Tell me this, what do you think he'll do now? What do you think Daniel's going to do now? And I'll tell you what he does. He goes to prayer. He gathers with his three friends. Look at verse 17. And Daniel went to his house, and he made the thing known unto Hananiah, and Mithiel, and Azariah, his companions, that they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning the secret. They went to prayer. They sought the face of God in prayer that God would reveal unto them. And then verse number 19, then the secret revealed unto Daniel was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. And Daniel blessed the God of heaven. God answered prayer. And thank God he still does answer prayer. And thank God there are many in this service tonight have experienced and know in their hearts how God has wonderfully stepped in, just as he did for Daniel. He stepped in your circumstances, too, and God has answered your prayer, and you believe in a prayer answering God. And Daniel blessed the God of heaven. He didn't forget to say thanks. You know, quite often, whenever God answers prayer, we're just carried away with it, and we forget to say, "'Thank you, Lord. And, friend, in everything, give thanks. And Daniel gave thanks to God for revealing to him, in a vision, that dream of the king. And so, therefore, now we find that he goes to the chief captain And he goes to Ariok, and he says, I want to speak to the king. And he was brought into the king. And if you go to verse number 25, it says, Then Ariok brought in Daniel before the king, and he hastened, said thus unto him, I have found a man. Friendly, he did nothing of the sort. I have found a man. You see, he was looking for the praise of the king. He did not find Daniel. Daniel found him. Daniel found him. And he says, "'I have found a man.' And then the king answered Daniel,"—verse 26— "'Art thou able to make known unto me the dream?' Now, here is an opportunity for Daniel to be the big man of Babylon. But friend, let me tell you, Daniel knew that this was not of man, that this was of God. And so Daniel was asked a question, "'Art thou able'—look at verse 28—'to There is a God in heaven that reveals secrets. He gives the glory, he gives the honor to the Lord. But notice what he says there in verse number 29. He says, "'As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon my bed. What should come to pass hereafter?' and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass." And Daniel is absolutely convinced, friend. He had no doubt in his mind that what God had prophesied in this dream would surely come to pass. I believe, you know, that you say, But, you know, that's nothing startling, is it? Yes, friend, I do believe it is, because some of the things that God revealed to Daniel in that vision, which God had given to Nebuchadnezzar in the dream, it's only coming to pass now. That's what's startling. It's coming to pass in your day, and it's coming to pass in this, our generation. And therefore, tonight, I'm asking God with all my heart that God will guide me in my understanding of this message, that God will give me what he gave to Solomon. He gave him wisdom. Now, do you notice the wisdom of Daniel from here on in? No, Daniel didn't go in and give the interpretation of the dream. No, first of all, he told him the dream. And from verse number 31 down to verse number 35, he simply told him the dream itself. And he gave him the details of the dream before giving the interpretation, so that the king would know. Daniel wasn't trying any fake report, friend. Daniel was going to tell him exactly the dream, and then he would tell him the interpretation. which God gave. Verse number 31, Thou, O King, sawest. Yes, this is what you saw. This is what broke the sweat on your brow. This was the thing that terrified you. This was the thing that woke you up. He says, what you saw was this, you saw a great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee, and the form thereof was terrible. In other words, he said, you had every reason to be troubled, because what you saw in this image was something that was terrible. It was something that was terrible. It was not only huge in size. It was something that was startling. There was a brightness about it. There was a blinding light that shone forth from it. And it made Nebuchadnezzar afraid and troubled. And for every reason, because I believe that he sensed there was something sinister here. There was a presence, there was a power here, there was an evil presence that terrified the king, but he didn't know what it was. You know, this is a chapter of great things. In verse number 31, it says, a great image. In verse 35, it says, a great mountain. In verse 45, it says, a great God. In verse 48, it says, a great man and great gifts. Yes, this is a chapter of great things. There is a corresponding chapter to this prophecy, and we haven't time to read it tonight, but I suggest you do. The corresponding chapter was the vision which God gave to Daniel in chapter 7. But you'll notice there's a difference in those two chapters concerning the prophecy in this, that what we find here in chapter 2, it was an image of a man. But the picture that was given to Daniel in the chapter 7 was a picture of beasts. But both of them deal with the Gentile powers, the days of the Gentiles. I think, as some of the commentators have said, in chapter 2, it is how man views the empires and the powers to come, the picture or the great image of a man. In chapter 7, it's how God views the empires and the powers to come. They're just like beasts. They're just like beasts. Now, the image of Daniel 2 outlines for us the course of history from the time of Nebuchadnezzar. We're talking about the times of the Gentiles. Because remember, Jerusalem will be trodden down until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. And she has been trodden down, and let me tell you, you look at that little place on the map, and some of us will be visiting there shortly. And let me tell you, the eyes of the world are upon that place, and let me tell you, the hatred of the world is upon that little place, Jerusalem, and that little homeland which God gave His people. And in the image there, it outlines the history, not only from the time of Nebuchadnezzar, through the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, right down our times, reaching until the coming again of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so, the times of the Gentiles started with a Babylonian kingdom. It continued through the Medes and the Persians. It continued through the Grecian Empire. It continued on to the Roman Empire and will culminate in the times of the ten kingdoms who will give their power and dominion to the Antichrist. So, what's unfolding here before us And before the eyes in this dream was a revelation right to the last of the last days. And I believe it will involve the ten kingdoms and kings and powers represented in the ten toes, which I believe represent the revived Roman Empire. And that will, I believe, be the European Union. The first part of the image speak of the commencement of the times of the Gentiles here in Nebuchadnezzar's day, but the rest of it was prophetic. Future events. Some have already unfolded, but, friend, many have yet to unfold and will unfold, I believe, in this day and in these days in which we live. Now, notice something here before we move on, that whilst the dream troubled Nebuchadnezzar, It didn't move him to repentance. You know, he didn't see the seriousness of the dream. Yes, it broke sweat upon him. Yes, he was troubled by it. But whenever Daniel revealed unto Nebuchadnezzar the meaning of this dream, friend, the Bible tells us that he fell down, and he worshiped Daniel, and he made Daniel a great man, and he promoted him, and he gave him great gifts. His heart wasn't broken. In actual fact, when you move to the next chapter, and we're not going into it, you'll find that Nebuchadnezzar was so unbroken that he made an image of gold. And he demanded that all would bow before the image on the pain of death. Doesn't that show you man's sin runs very deep, doesn't it? Man's heart is so hard. And friend, let me tell you, man cannot move my heart. And no preacher can move men and women sitting in a meeting. Thank God, God can. Thank God for the power of the Holy Spirit, Olivia, whose heart the Lord opened. But it's only the Lord can humble a person to repentance, and to bring them to saving faith. And whilst it's true that Nebuchadnezzar was troubled, he wasn't converted. And you know, there are people sitting in this service tonight, and let me tell you, you have sat in meetings like this, and you have been troubled, as you have sat under the preaching of the gospel, and God has brought you face to face with your sin. But the tragedy is this. There are people here tonight, and whilst it has troubled you, and you went out of the meetings troubled, and perhaps there were nights you couldn't sleep, but you went on in your sin. And you continued your rebellion against God, and you set up your own gods in your own heart and followed after them. And here you are tonight, another Sunday night, nearer hell than ever before, and yet you're still not saved. It's interesting to note, friend, that the times of the Gentiles began with an image here. The book of Revelation chapter 13 tells us it'll end with an image which Antichrist will cause to be set up. And have you just turned to book of Revelation chapter 13 just for a moment? And you notice it says there in verse number 15 of chapter 13, "'And he hath power to give life unto the image of the beast, and the image of the beast should both speak and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.'" It began with the image of a man. Revelation chapter 13 speaks about the number of a man. It's the number 666, verse number 18, number of Antichrist. Now, you'll find that this image, which Nebuchadnezzar saw, was divided in four parts. First of all, there was the head of gold. Then there was the breast and the arms of silver. Then there was the belly and the thighs of brass. Then there was the legs of iron. And then the feet and the toes, the ten toes, a mixture of iron and clay. And what we have in that description, friend, is the description of the times of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. It's a remarkable prophecy. And what happens is this, that Daniel takes the king step by step. Now, there was only one that was relevant to him, and there's one relevant to us, and the rest is the history in between. And the one that was relevant to Nebuchadnezzar—look at verse number 32—the image's head was a fine gold. And then if you go down to verse number 37, Thou, O King, art a King of kings, for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. Verse 38, at the end of it, Thou art this head of gold. There we have the kingdom of Babylon. You'll find in the book of Isaiah chapter 14 and verse 4, it calls Babylon the golden city. the golden city. In other words, it was a splendor. It was one of great splendor. It was one of great beauty. It was a magnificent empire. Nebuchadnezzar was young when he inherited the throne. He reigned for forty-three years. The city was sixty miles round. Great walls were built around the city. In actual fact, three chariots Three chariots could race around the top of that wall abreast. So magnificent was it. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon was seen as one of the wonders of the world. Over a million people were there. It was the sum of human greatness. And yet, when you think of Babylon, friend, you go back to where we find first mentioned. It was a place called Babel. Genesis chapter 11. Let's turn there. And it has got significance in this day in which we live. Genesis chapter 11. And the whole earth was of one language and of one speech. It came to pass as they journeyed from the east and they found a plain in the land of Shinar that they dwelt there. And they said one to another, go to, let us make brick and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone and slime they had for mortar. And they said, go to, let us build us a city and a tower whose top may reach onto heaven. And let us make us a name. lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.' And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the children of men builded. And the LORD said, Behold, the people as one, and they have all one language, and this they begin to do. And now nothing will be restrained from them which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down. And there confound their language. that they may not understand one another's speech. So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth, and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel, because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth. And from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of the earth." And, friend, what we find is this, that man sought to set up his way his way to God. It was the center of false worship. It was the center of idolatry, corrupt religion, false worship. And I believe the emphasis here of this kingdom, the emphasis is on worship, because if you pollute a man's faith, you'll find you'll make him an easy prey for the power of the devil. destroy and pollute a man's faith. Daniel chapter 7, you know, speaks about the lion. He's the king of the beasts. And the eagle, the king of the birds. The time of the Gentiles began with idolatry. Revelation chapter 18, you'll find it ends with idolatry. Idolatry. And then after the Babylonian kingdom, we've got to move on quickly. You see, the Babylonian empire was great and mighty, but it was conquered. It was replaced by another kingdom. It was the breast and the arms of silver. Now, notice how the metals go down inferior, the one from the other. It starts with the gold. Now it comes to silver. Then it comes to brass. And then it comes to iron. You see there how that the breasts and the arms of silver. And so, the kingdom, the Babylonian kingdom, was replaced by the Medo-Persian kingdom, two arms representing the divided kingdom. And if you go to chapter 7 of the book of Daniel, you'll find the bear there, and it's a lopsided bear because, let me tell you, in those two kingdoms, there was one greater than the other. The Persians were greater than the Medes. But whilst it was geographically larger than Babylon, it wasn't as majestic. Silver, not gold. But you know, silver's the currency of the earth. In other words, it represents wealth. An empire of great resources. We'll come back to that. And then the next kingdom, it says this is going to be replaced. Look at verse 39. And after this there shall rise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. And that, friend, was the next kingdom, the next empire, the Grecian Empire. And the beast that is in Daniel chapter 7 is the leopard. And you see, the lion was the king of the beasts. The leopard had got wings, the swiftness of the leopard. And friend, that was true of Alexander's kingdom. because there was a rapid conquest by Alexander. It swept across the world, conquering nation after nation, kingdom after kingdom, until, in actual fact, Alexander, as a young man, came to the place, he sat down, and he wept. Do you know why he wept? Nowhere else to conquer. He had conquered it all. But it says here, it was represented by brass. The interesting thing is this, the soldiers of Greece, the Grecian kingdom, wore brazen coats. They wore brazen armor. The word of God's exactly right. You know, God, it is said by some of the commentators that God established this as part of his plan and purpose to spread the gospel because the Greek language became the new official language of the world. therefore made it easier for the spread of the word. In other words, God was in control of it all. And if you look at the prophecy in the chapter 7, you'll find that there was not only the person who led, but then there was four others that are mentioned there. And that's the four generals of Alexander, because in actual fact, he was afraid of his generals. And whenever he died, the four generals divided up the nation between them. The word of God's exactly true. We have to swiftly move. Then it comes to the fourth kingdom. Look at verse 40. And the fourth kingdom shall be as iron. For as much as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things, and as iron that breaketh these shall it break in pieces and bruise. What was the fourth empire? It was the Roman Empire. And you know, friends, whenever the Grecian Empire fell, until the time when the Lord sets up his kingdom upon the earth, that's the prophecy of this fourth kingdom. By the time of the birth of Christ, you remember, as Caesar Augustus had a decree that all the world should be taxed. There's the Roman Empire. And was rightly symbolized by iron, because history reminds us that the Roman Empire actually broke in pieces. It shattered, it crushed all that stood in its place. The Roman Legion was known to crush resistance with an iron fist or with an iron heel. There were two legs in this kingdom. And, of course, that speaks of the split that came between the East and the West, East with its headquarters in Constantinople, which is Istanbul today, Turkey, and the West, Rome. And the emphasis here is in warfare. Could I say, just as it guards the Grecian Empire, the emphasis there was wisdom, because it was a time of great culture. It was known for its culture, it was known for its science, it was known for its progress, and the emphasis was wisdom in the Grecian Empire. But here, the Roman Empire was known for its warfare. And then it comes to the final part. It talks about the toes of iron and clay. There's a mixture. And the ten toes that are mentioned here of the empire. Verse number 41, Thou saw'st the iron mixed with married clay, and as the toes of the feet were part of iron and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly broken. Iron strength, clay weakness. Now, you really can't bring those two together, friend, because they're opposites. But, you know, iron symbolizes power, dominance, ruled by brute force, dictatorship, control. On the other hand, clay, weak, pliable, easily molded, suggests that that is democracy. And so, we have iron with its power to dominate and subjugate, and we have clay of democracy being held together, the semblance of democracy. but dictated, a dictator. And, friend, let me tell you, that, in my honest opinion today, is what is the European Union. Because on the one hand, there is this desire, this insatiable desire to control, that they want control of the peoples of Europe. They want control of every facet of your life and mine. whether it be worship, whether it be wealth, whether it be wisdom, whether it be warfare. They want control of our lives. But, of course, they want to give the semblance of democracy with it. But in reality, iron and clay Do not mix. And what I believe we have here in the Ten Toes is the federation that will be subservient to Antichrist. And the evil unity will give its power to the Antichrist, as is mentioned in Revelation chapter 17 and verse number 13. Revelation 17, 13 says this. These have one mind and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. Now, remember this. It was the Roman Empire that was the agency through which Satan attacked the Lord Jesus Christ at his first coming. And it's that empire in its final form that will be the agency through which Satan will work against Christ and his kingdom at the second coming. But how did it start? See, after the devastation of the World War II, There was a desire that this would never happen again. And France and Germany, they paved the way for the European Union project into a single market allowing free movement of goods and capital services and people between states. It was to be a trading bloc. 1957, they signed the treaty, significantly the Treaty of Rome. and six founding members were their six countries, and they became the European Economic Community. Now, since that time, they have evolved. Since that time, they have now an anthem. They have adopted an anthem by the Council of Europe in 1972, It symbolized, they said, not only the EU, but also Europe in a wider sense. Because the poem, Ode to Joy, expresses the idealistic vision of the human race becoming brothers. A new world order. And in 1985, the official anthem of the EU was adopted by the EU leaders. But the interesting thing is this. It has got no words. There's no words. They said that the music is of universal language. One language. All speaking the one language. The universal language is its official anthem. Now, tonight, I believe before God that we are far from a treating block anymore. That was the ideal. But what we're witnessing across Europe is this, this desire for a confederation of nations, loosely based on the revival of the old Roman Empire, a new world order, an emerging world superstate, where nations will lose their identity. There's so many problems across Europe. They're looking for a superman. I found it interesting that a former Belgian MP said these words, and I quote, "'We do not want another committee. We have too many already. What we want is a man, a man of sufficient stature to hold the allegiance of all the people and will lift us out of the economic morass in which we are sinking.'" And then he said this, send us a man." Listen, be he God or the devil, and we will receive him. Give us a man! They're looking for this man, and they want this superman, this person to come with the answers. Give us a man that will lift us out of this morass that we're in, and the world that's filled with so many problems, and let him be God or let him be the devil. We'll receive him. Remember the marks that I spoke about in each of those parts of the image? First one, worship. Now, friend, let me tell you what they seek to do. The times of the Gentiles started with idolatry. And there are great pressures upon you and me today to be a part of the ecumenical movement. There are great pressures today for this one, all-embracing religious system. In actual fact, they've gone further than they've ever gone before. Because recently, what they've been holding is this. They've been holding services not only between the Protestants and the Roman Catholics, but they've been holding— they want the joint services between Christianity and Judaism and Islam all together. A religious system characterized by unfaithfulness and harlotry. a departure from God, apostasy from truth. And we're seeing that happening in this our day, this coming together. Christ-Islam, joining them together. Worship. Worship. And that pressure is on. And let me tell you, because you and I are not willing to do that, and not willing to be a part of it. And I can believe with all my heart there are great days of persecution coming for the church of Jesus Christ. We sang tonight, dare to be a Daniel, dare to stand alone. You and I know what it is. Whenever we left the apostate denominations and we took our stand outside the camp for God, friend, you know exactly what some have had to suffer. Disowned by their families. despised by others. Can you imagine what it will be as they come to seek to put the pressure on for this one world—in this new world order—one-world religion? It doesn't matter whether you believe in Allah or whether you believe in Jehovah God, as long as you believe in a God. we can have joint worship together. And in the last days, I believe we're going to see a coming together of political powers and apostate religion. And they're going to gel together, and the children of God will face persecution. The second one was wealth. Have you listened to the debate about the European Union, friend? Do you know all the pressures that have been put upon the people by those that say, we must remain? They tell us, it's all about economics. It's all about wealth. It's sad to see even some of God's people, when they're talking about this subject, they said, tell me, but which would be better for us in the pocket? They're not interested about what it will mean religiously or spiritually. It's financially. And the debate across Europe is centered around money. And for many, that will be the deciding factor. Now, let me tell you what Europe wants to do, friend. Because it is true, money is important, as far as Europe's concerned, because she wants a one-world currency. She wants a currency That's right across Europe. You see, the central theme of Europe is the distribution of wealth. And you surrender your currency. You surrender your sovereignty. Because you can talk as much as you like if the European bank is in control. The men in Westminster can talk as much as they like and debate as much as they like, but as long as they have control of the currency, friend, and you surrender, you lose your sovereignty. And there have been great pressures in the days that are past. And thank God, United Kingdom stayed out of the Euro. We'll come back to that in a moment. And thank God we stayed with the pound. But the pressures will be there because wealth for this federation of nations. In actual fact, you notice, the French ministers joined in, the German ministers joined in, Obama's joined in, the IMF has joined in, all telling us, we dare not leave Europe. We dare not leave them. And if we did, we'd suffer financially. The third one, third kingdom, it was wisdom. You see, Greece was an empire known for its culture. It was known for its science. It was known for its education. And, friend, there we see the pressures again, because they want to destroy our culture. They want to take from us our British identity. They want to remove from you this identity and give you this new world identity, this European identity. And of course, let's be honest, as we look across and we see the people from across Europe coming into our country, You nearly have to ask, what is your identity? Because it's changing. The face of our countryside's changing with immigration. But they say, of course, the freedom of movement. You know, they tell us today that we've moved on. Northern Ireland needs to move on. It needs to catch up with the rest. And what they want to do, friend, is this. They want to force us into conforming to the mold of the world's wisdom. The Bible says in Romans chapter 12, be not conformed to this world, but they want to force us into the mold of the world. And in Ulster here, we are unique. But they want to force us into a different culture. In other words, they want to force our laws to be as theirs on abortion, on demand. See, the rest of the world's doing it. Northern Ireland is standing out as a laughingstock in the world, they say. They want to force us into the same-sex marriages. And they say, but you're — everyone else is doing it, and the rest of the world is bowing to that. They tell us morality doesn't matter. You see, nothing's wrong anymore. Nothing's really right anymore either, because there's no wrong or right. You just do what you want to do, just like the time in the Judges. Every man did that which is right in his own eyes. And friend, our courts are now subservient to European court. And our lawmakers set to make laws. But Europe tells us, you bow to us. You bow to us. Notice what I said. Control the iron, and then the clay, giving you this semblance of democracy. But in reality, friend, it is not democracy. They are taking away our freedom from us, and that brings us to warfare. In a great talk, there was a general who's retired from the British army, has now changed his mind concerning this because he is afraid that Britain is going to lose her freedom to have her own defense. And, friend, they want to take that promise, and they want a common European army. But there's another war being It's a war, my friend, that's even deeper, waged in the minds of the people, because we're being dictated to by Brussels, and we're heading to society. The book of Revelation talks about, we're heading to a day when you can neither buy nor sell without the mark of the beast. And we have seen a little about that. Because in recent times, There was a crisis within the farming community with one of the diseases that were in the animals. And Europe said to Britain, United Kingdom, you will not be able to move your animals unless we tell you. And some of the nations of Europe were willing to allow it, but France said no. And even though there were perfect animals, and men saw their animals there, dying because they had nothing to give them, it didn't matter until we tell you. And, friend, we're coming to the day, and we're in that day because a non-elected commission dictates to the free people of Europe. And we're on the verge of handing over our freedom. the last vestige of our freedom, this European Union. Now, I've got to finish very quickly. Let me give you—listen. All of those things are important, but let me tell you this. If I didn't believe that the European Union was given to us, and they—Babel and all the rest of it—let me tell you. On this side here is a map—or rather, a poster. That was a poster that was put out officially by Europe. And the poster was this, Europe, many tongues, one voice. And what was the picture, friend, on the poster? It was the picture of building the Tower of Babel. And you will find, if you look at the European Union building, you'll find that in that building, if you go on to Google, and you'll find that it's an unfinished building. Because, of course, the Tower of Babel was an unfinished building. It was fashioned after Nimrod's Tower of Babel in the Scriptures. And what was Nimrod doing? He was defying God. It was an act of rebellion against God. And what Europe was doing in building the building like that, friend, was sending the message that Nimrod had the right philosophy and his tower was a good idea. and they were going to continue to build where he had failed. But there's something else. I wish you had time to go further. If you were to go, friend, to the European Parliament, that's what you'll find in the building concerning the building built in the mold of the Tower of Babel. But if you were to go further, And if you were to go to the building that was in Brussels, you'll find outside it an interesting sculpture. Do you know what the sculpture is? The woman riding on the beast. In actual fact, they're so brazen. They didn't care. They didn't care that they were fulfilling the Word of God, that they were exposing themselves exactly what they were— the woman riding in the beast, the fulfillment of the Scriptures. In Revelation chapter 17, verse number 3, "'So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness, and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet-colored beast. full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand, full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication. And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots. an abomination of the earth. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I wandered with great admiration." And there in front of the building, in front of that building there in Brussels, is the woman riding on the beast. In actual fact, they went further. Because in actual fact, a two-euro coin was released in Greece. And it depicted the woman riding on the beast. And in 1996, a three-euro coin depicted the woman riding on the beast. And to commemorate the second election of the European Parliament in 1984, there was a stamp released. And what was the stamp, friends? the woman riding on the beast." No, I didn't produce that friend. They did. They did. And that is why I say to you that I believe that what we are seeing in these days in which we live, I believe we're seeing the fulfillment of Scripture. You say to me, Tell me, is it all lost? I want to show you this as we finish, friends. Listen, look. Look at the Word of God says. In Daniel chapter 2, verse 34, it says this, Thou saw'st till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet. that were of iron and clay, and break them in pieces. Then was the iron, and the clay, and the brass, and the silver, and the gold broken to pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floor. 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." Here's a prophecy of the Word of God. that, thank God, one day the system of Antichrist will be destroyed. Remember it's said that Jerusalem would be trodden underfoot until, until the days of the Gentiles are fulfilled. And all of this will go on, friend. Look at verse 34 again. Thou saw'st till, till a stone. Oh yes, they went on. And God says, that's enough. Until a stone was cut out without hands, smote the image of the beast, and thank God, the whole structure come tumbling down. How did it happen? Because a great God A great God brought the Edomites down. Now, the stone speaks, I believe, of Jesus Christ. He's called that in Scripture. To Israel, he was the stone of stumbling, rejected by the builders. Matthew 21, verse 42. To the church, he's the foundation stone. He's the head of the corner. Acts chapter 4, verses 10 and 11. Cut out without hands. You see, God doesn't need any human help to do this. For praise God, he'll bring the edifice down in his time. And thank God, God will demolish it. God will bring it down. The blow of the stone, it was in the feet. Notice it wasn't on the gold head, or in the breast and the arms of silver, or the belly and the thighs of brass, or even the legs of iron. It wasn't the feet of clay mixed with iron. It didn't hold together. And the stone came down upon it. The blow of the stone smashed the structure. The elders of man allied together. God bring it down. And then notice the breadth of the stone. Not only the blow of the stone, the breadth of the stone. Because it says this, and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. And Christ shall rule. You see, he's the climax of all history. The Lord Jesus is coming again. And we are hastening toward that day. And thank God, I have good news. We end in victory. Now, until that day, I believe we're going through days of darkness days of persecution and days of opposition, and let me tell you, it'll take courage to stand. But Jesus is coming again. Tell me, are you ready? Are you ready? Are you ready for the coming of the Lord Jesus that says, be ye also ready? From such an hour as you think not. the Son of Man cometh." Revelation chapter 18 concerning Babylon. Come out of her, my people. And I pray earnestly before God that God will be merciful to our nation and that God, through the people, using the ballot box on Thursday, that we will come out of her and that we will leave her. And if we honor God, God will honor us. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for Thy Word tonight. We pray that by Thy Holy Spirit that Thou will write Thy Word upon our hearts. Realize that we're living in dark days. We stand at a crossroads in the history of the world. O God, I pray in Jesus' name that men and women in this service will not only be ready for Thursday, but, O God, be ready for eternity. That men and women will do that which is right and come by faith and trust in Jesus Christ and own him as their Lord and as their Savior. O God, save our nation. Save our people. Save the unconverted of this congregation. Bring the last one to Christ. In Jesus' name. Amen.