“As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’” Matthew 24:3
In our many conversations with people on Bible prophecy, someone will invariably raise the burning, ageless question, “how close are we to the second coming of Jesus?” As one sincere gentleman phrased it, “We have been taught for years the ‘fig tree’ concerning Israel becoming a nation in 1948, and we’ve heard teachings on the great Olivet prophecy. What’s your opinion?” In other words, “I’ve heard all the traditional answers, and it doesn’t really clear it up for me. Do you have anything that can add a little clarity to this issue?”
The best answer we can give to help us understand how close we are to the end, and how soon the Lord will return, is found in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, as recorded in the second chapter of the book of Daniel. We firmly believe that Jesus was pointing to the multimetallic image when He answered this same question, posed by His disciples, two thousand years ago.
And Jesus answered them, "See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. THEN they will deliver you up to tribulation… Matthew 24:4-9
Nations are always rising against other nations, and kingdoms are constantly going to war against each other. If there is one universal thing in human history, it is war. Thus, if this is taken as a general sign of ANY nations going to war, it is not helpful in the least. But we don’t believe Jesus ever gave answers that were pointless, or so general they were of no help whatsoever. No, that is not our Lord. His answers were not always easy to grasp, but they were ALWAYS helpful to those who sought diligently to understand.
We believe he was not speaking of ANY nations, but rather, the key nations referenced in scripture as playing a crucial role in the end times, in the rise of the Antichrist, and in marking of the beginning of the seven year Tribulation. If there is one thing virtually all evangelical Biblical scholars agree on, it is that the only body parts on the multimetallic image in Daniel 2:31-45 yet to be formed are the feet and toes of iron and clay. On this we too agree . . . in part.
Where we differ is that while we understand the historical fulfillment of the first four body parts on the image (and have addressed them in detail in our first chapter), we ALSO believe those body parts are YET TO BE FORMED in the end times. In other words, we believe there is a double reference to both historical kingdoms and future nations within each of the first four body parts (also called a “major” and “minor” fulfillment). The connection between those historic kingdoms, and the future nations, is that each corresponding country will be ruled by the exact same satanic prince.
Historically, as we showed in chapter one, the head of gold represented the Babylonian Empire. It was conquered by the Medio- Persian Empire (chest and arms of silver). The Persians were defeated by the Grecian Empire (belly and thighs of bronze). And finally, the Grecian empire succumbed to the Roman Empire (legs of iron). All we have left are the feet and toes of iron and clay, as well as a problem (the Roman Empire was not overthrown by a “ten kingdom confederacy”). Further, the body parts of the statue did not “crumble away” as each kingdom rose to prominence – they remained.
That would leave the Mediterranean Confederacy to arise independently of the other kingdoms, and on one level, that is true (as those kingdoms are gone, and the confederacy is not yet here). But we believe the fact that there is no depicted “break” at the ankles of the image points to another truth: the statue will be “rebuilt” in the end times. Or to put it another way, the exact same progression that we witnessed in history will repeat itself in the end times, with each kingdom rising to prominence, followed quickly by the next, ultimately paving the way for the rise of the Mediterranean Confederacy of Ten Kingdoms.
Those body parts that were missing, from Babylon to the Roman Empire, must be brought back into existence on the global map to fulfill Bible prophecy concerning the image. The tricky part will be in specifically identifying these countries (remember, they don’t have to have the same name, the critical connection is that they must be ruled by the same satanic prince). As we will prove, all four of these nations do exist today, and they are poised to become prominent in global, or more precisely, Arab affairs. The nations will rise to prominence in the exact same order as they did historically, but there will be some differences. First, they will become prominent in international affairs, but they will not have the time nor the power to create physical “empires.”
Recall that in Daniel 7:12, in referencing these same satanic princes, we read:
“As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.”
They are still around, but they simply do not have the dominion and power they enjoyed in times past. Second, the duration of the “reign” of each will be greatly compressed, and the time between each nation’s rise will be very short in comparison to their historical counterparts. Why? The answer is found in Revelation 12:12.
"But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!"
All Satan needs this time is for each of these satanic princes to do his part to prepare the Arab world for the rise of the Antichrist. Their job is to prepare the region for Satan’s ultimate play, to “prep” the economic, political and spiritual stage of the Islamic world so that everything is in place for the Antichrist’s entrance. We know that when the rock strikes the feet of the image, the entire statue is present, and the entire statue is destroyed. As we mentioned previously, this means that some nations will exist in the end times which will be representations of these body parts, and Christ will obliterate all of them at the point of His return.
So which nations will it be?
The head of gold was Babylon, and central place of power within that empire never really moved anywhere. It remained in the city of Babylon, which is located in modern Iraq. So we believe the end times “head of gold” will be Iraq. The chest and arms of silver was Persia, and while their center of power shifted somewhat, it remained generally located within the region where it arose, which is located in modern Iran. So we believe the end times “chest and arms of silver” will be the nation of Iran. The belly and thighs of bronze arose in Greece, and then split into four independent “kingdoms,” each with its own center of power. So how do we deal with this?
Well, scripturally, the focus of all Grecian activity shifts to two of the four divisions: Syria and Egypt. And of those, one of them gives rise to a ruler who will come to represent the end times Antichrist. That ruler was Antiochus Epiphanes, and the kingdom was the Syrian division. Based on this, we believe the end times “belly and thighs of bronze” will be the nation of Syria. Finally, the legs of iron arose in Rome. As detailed in chapter one, the center of “Roman” power shifted from Rome to Constantinople during the last two thirds of the Roman Empire. Constantinople is currently called “Istanbul,” and is located in modern day Turkey. Based on this, we believe the end times “legs of iron” will be the nation of Turkey.
Another way of saying this is that the “major” fulfillment of this vision was in the historic empires of Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome. The “minor” fulfillment will be in the end times, and will involve the nations of Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey. Each of these countries will take their turn becoming prominent in Arab affairs until they are united in the Mediterranean Confederacy of Ten Kingdoms, and ultimately, by the Antichrist himself. If we are right, it is possible that this progression may have already started. We present the following cautiously, and with full knowledge of how many previous scholars have gone astray trying to fit current events into Biblical prophecy.
What we believe without hesitation or reservation is that this progression from gold, to silver, to bronze, to iron will repeat itself in the end times. That, we believe, is definitive, and will happen. What we propose tentatively is that based on this belief, the following “interpretation” of this fact MAY be true. If we are correct, the world may have already witnessed the rise and fall of the head of gold, Iraq, under insane rule of Sadaam Hussein. Under his leadership, Iraq dominated regional Islamic politics for a good portion of the last fifteen years, give or take a few. He was brought down by a coalition of more than 70 nations, many of them Islamic, lead by the United States.
If he was the head of gold, then the next nation to rise to regional dominance will be Iran. Just as was true of Hussein, their nation will be marked by malignant cruelty in political affairs and actions, both domestically and internationally. Although they will not conquer it, they will dominate the region through fear, intimidation, and adept diplomatic manipulation. Ultimately, as was true of Hussein, in its quest for more power, it too will seek to gain more territory and influence in order to secure its position as the leader of the Islamic Arab world. As such, Iran will cause civil unrest in Iraq, and will very likely occupy a large portion of that country (as Iraq will now be weak, and unable to defend itself). Iran will only prevail for a short time, however, and just as was true of Hussein, this territorial ambition will lead to its downfall.
The “Iraqi” occupation will cause an uproar of fear and frustration among many Mediterranean Islamic states, particularly the Islamic countries recently liberated from the Soviet Union. These Islamic states will join forces to denounce this occupation, and a new “coalition,” again including Islamic states, but this time lead by the rising power of Syria, will ultimately bring Iran to its knees. Syria will take a leadership role in this coalition (in much the same way that America did in the overthrow of Hussein), and will start by denouncing the Iranian occupation.
Together with its Islamic allies, they will succeed in breaking the Iranian strength, and will push Iran out of the major portion of Iraq. Because none of these nations will be true military giants (in the sense that America is), the conflict will not be long or drawn out. Iran will be overextended by the Iraqi occupation, and will break fairly quickly when confronted by relatively small skirmishes from hostile neighbors pressing in on all sides. At this point, Syria rises to regional dominance, and through diplomatic manipulation and intimidation, they move in to occupy the southern portion of Iraq and will gain control of the prophetically critical city of Babylon. This will result in the formation of the end times nation that will give rise to the Antichrist, the nation we have called New Syria. It is at this point that the stage is set for the rise to power of the Islamic Mahdi and his false prophet.
Next, after the belly and thighs of bronze, comes the legs of iron. In fear of Syria’s aggression, strength and dominance in regional affairs, there will be overtures made from Turkey to Egypt, as well as Greece and a few other Islamic states. They will meet, possibly in secret, to form an alliance for protection against the fearsome might of Syria. As the capital of Syria is Ankara, the other nations will agree to allowing their “Council of Ten United Islamic Nations” capital to be located in Istanbul. It will be here that the ten toes in Daniel, and ten horns in Revelation, will form into one semi-unified confederacy, and the multimetallic image will be completed.
While the rise and fall of these nations leading up to the formation of the ten were minor fulfillments of the vision from Daniel, the formation of the ten will be a major fulfillment.116 When the finished works of Satan are completed in forming the feet and toes on the image, gross spiritual darkness will cover the people, and the Antichrist will rise up among them. That full and completed image will symbolize the final “man of sin,” the Antichrist himself! If we are correct in this interpretation, it is highly likely that the Antichrist, the greatly anticipated Mahdi of the Islamic faith, is somewhere in Syria alive and well at this very moment.
He is quietly watching world events, just biding his time as he waits for exactly the right time when he can step onto the stage of world events, and take command of all that he surveys. He lurks in his own world of gross darkness, never dreaming that it will ultimately drive him to his own destruction at the coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. No one knows the very day or hour of His glorious, imminent return, but it is given to those who watch to know the times and seasons in which we live.
We believe that Jesus was referencing this image from Daniel when he stated that nation would rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and that immediately after that, would start the time of the tribulation. Therefore, consider the statue of gold, silver, bronze and iron mixed with clay. If we are correct, we find ourselves in the prophetic times and seasons of “silver” on that image as of this writing.
-------------------------
116 The minor fulfillment of the formation of the feet and toes of iron and clay happened on May 29, 1453 when the Ottoman Turks, an Islamic empire, took the city of Constantinople, and overthrew the Eastern Roman Empire. The city’s name was changed to Istanbul, and it remained the capital of the Ottoman Empire until WWI brought about its dissolution in 1922. An Islamic empire conquered the Roman Empire, exactly as the progression in the vision of the multimetallic image predicted. This Islamic empire was not a confederacy of ten kingdoms, and it was not conquered by the Antichrist, but was dissolved, as it was but a minor fulfillment of the prophecy (minor fulfillments do not, typically, fit every detail of a given prophecy). In the major fulfillment, yet to come, the Antichrist himself
will overthrow the ten kingdom Islamic alliance that we have tagged “The Mediterranean Confederacy of Ten Kingdoms.”
THAT is how close we are to the end; THAT is how near we are to the coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. How many years is that exactly? We don’t know. But what we believe is that it is unfolding right before our eyes, in events that are fairly easy to observe and track. And we do not believe the remainder of these events will be lengthy or that the time periods between them will be long or drawn out. We believe they will advance rapidly to reach their final conclusion in . . . this generation!
This is an excerpt from the book What is the Antichrist Islam Connection? by Michael and Roland Back.
Order a PDF format copy for just $6.00 from our online store
