GENTILE KINGDOMS

The Four Gentile Kingdoms
When King Nebuchadnezzar had his dream, (Daniel Chapter 2) Daniel interpreted the dream as representing the 4 great kingdoms with Babylon being the greatest. How did the the remaining 3 get lined up with the Medo-Persian empire, Greek empire and the Roman empire?


Q. Thank you for all you do. I have learned so much from you and point people to your site all the time.

My question is this. When King Nebuchadnezzar had his dream, (Daniel Chapter 2) Daniel interpreted the dream as representing the 4 great kingdoms with Babylon being the greatest. I admit I don’t know my history all that well, however, how did the the remaining 3 get lined up with the Medo-Persian empire, Greek empire and the Roman empire? I am wondering how those lined up as opposed to, say, the Chinese Dynasty which was also a great empire.

A. God has always viewed history from Israel’s perspective. Babylon conquered Israel and became the statue’s head of Gold. Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar this meant that God had made him the ruler of all mankind and even the animals, no matter where they were on Earth. (Daniel 2:38) There were other great kingdoms on Earth, but had he wanted to Nebuchadnezzar could have conquered them all. When Media-Persia conquered Babylon they assumed that power, followed by Greece, who conquered Persia, and finally Rome.

It has always interested me that the metal representing each succeeding Kingdom was less precious on one hand while also stronger on the other. To me this means that each one had less integrity and was more oppressive than its predecessor, so it’s probably good that they didn’t know they could have conquered the whole world if they had wanted to.


The Times Of The Gentiles
Q. Why do you and many others refer to the beginning of the Times of the Gentiles as starting with Nebuchadnezzar instead of earlier when the Assyrians conquered northern Israel? Why isn’t that part of the reigning and trampling of Gentiles?


A. When the Assyrians conquered the Northern Kingdom, it was meant by God to be a warning to the South. Ezekiel explained this in his story of the two adulterous sisters (Ezekiel 23). Earlier, all the believers had moved to the southern Kingdom in protest against the North’s apostasy ( 2 Chron. 11:16), and Judah, as the south was called, was still a powerful representative of God’s Kingdom on Earth. But when God sent Nebuchadnezzar to conquer Judah for failing to heed the warning, the Kingdom ceased to exist.

Later Nebuchadnezzar dreamed of a giant statue. Daniel said that it represented four earthly kingdoms, and that as King of Babylon Nebuchadnezzar was the head of gold. Daniel said as far as God was concerned, Nebuchadnezzar was king of the whole Earth, the first gentile to be so designated (Daniel 2:37-38). Then Daniel spoke of three other earthly kingdoms that would follow his. We know them as Persia, Greece and Rome. Based on this dream, scholars have begun the times of the Gentiles with Babylon. From that time on the world’s powers have all been gentile kingdoms, and will continue to be until the 2nd Coming.

Times Of The Gentiles Vs. The Church Age
Q. I’ve been intrigued by the recent posts regarding the “Times of the Gentiles” and whether or not that time continues through Daniel’s 70th week. I am confused regarding the terminology of the Church Age and the Times of the Gentiles. It seems like you are saying that they are different, overlapping time periods – the Church Age started with Jesus’ resurrection and ends with the rapture, but the Times of the Gentiles started with the destruction of the temple and continues through the 70th week, right? I guess I’m confused because I thought the 70th week was when God completed his plan for the Jewish people, not the Gentiles?


A. I think the confusion is due to the fact that the Church is comprised mostly of people who were formerly Gentiles, but the two terms are not synonymous. Remember Paul said that once we’re in Christ we are neither Jew nor Gentile (Gal. 3:28), but are part of a new race of human (Ephes. 2:14-16) called the Church (1 Cor. 10:32). The Church Age began at Pentecost and will end with the Rapture.

The Times of the Gentiles began with King Nebuchadnezzar and will end with the 2nd Coming, as symbolized in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of Daniel 2. Remember how Daniel’s interpretation of the dream indicated that Nebuchadnezzar had been given authority over all of mankind, and even the animals. (Daniel 2:36-38). Then he described 3 other gentile kingdoms (Persia, Greece, and Rome) that would rule the world after that until the Lord established a 5th Kingdom, His own. This will bring the Times of the Gentiles to a close. In confirmation Jesus said that Jerusalem would be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. (Luke 21:24) In Rev 11:1-2 the phrase is repeated almost exactly, showing that the Gentiles would trample on the Holy City for 42 months, the duration of the Great Tribulation.

While God’s focus will shift to Israel during the last 7 years, His purpose is to prepare them for the coming of His Kingdom, while at the same time bringing judgment upon the Gentiles. (Jeremiah 30:1-11)

Times Of The Gentiles And Fullness Of The Gentiles
Is the ‘times of the Gentiles’ of Luke 21:24 and the ‘fullness of the Gentiles’ from Romans 11:25 pointing to the same time?


Q. In Luke 21: 24 it is mentioned, ‘times of the Gentiles’. I checked several translations, all translation say, ‘times of the Gentiles’, instead of ‘time of the Gentile’. This is one of the puzzles to me, how to differentiate between ‘times of the Gentiles’ versus ‘time of the Gentiles’. Is it because Jerusalem is occupied by different gentile nations at different time period?

In Romans 11:25, it is mentioned ‘until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in’. But, according to Revelation 7:9 and 7:14, there will be Gentiles that will be saved during the great tribulation. I have difficulty to explain Romans 11:25 together with Revelation 7:9,14.

Is the ‘times of the Gentiles’ and the ‘fullness of the Gentiles’ pointing to the same time?

A. The times of the Gentiles mentioned in Luke 21:24 runs from the reign of Nebuchadnezzar to the 2nd Coming. The reason it’s plural is because there are four major kingdoms involved, Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome (twice).

The fullness of the Gentiles in Romans 11:25 refers to the number of people who become believers during the Church age. When this number is reached, the Rapture will take place. Gentiles saved after the Rapture (Rev. 7:9,14)are called Tribulation Saints and don’t belong to the Church.

The Last One Saved
My daughter and I were discussing two statements in the Bible, one about “the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled” in Luke 21:24 and the other one is Romans 11:25, “when the fullness of the Gentiles be come in”. That that means there is ONE person who will be the final Gentile to be saved before the Rapture.


Q. My daughter and I were discussing two statements in the Bible, one about “the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled” in Luke 21:24 and the other one is Romans 11:25, “when the fullness of the Gentiles be come in”. That that means there is ONE person who will be the final Gentile to be saved, and I believe this means before the rapture.

Then that appears to mean that NO Gentile will be saved during the tribulation. If that is the case, are all the tribulation saints that are killed Jewish? Then also does that mean any Christians(?) left behind at the rapture would not have any possibility of getting saved during the tribulation as possibly indicated by 2 Thess. 2:11-12???

And I guess that would also mean that any Gentile who had not heard the gospel during his lifetime, could not be saved either. That doesn’t really make sense to me. I just cannot believe that ALL Gentiles will have already heard the gospel prior to the rapture and then hearing it from the two witnesses and the four angels, they will still refuse to hear, ALL OF THEM?

A. I believe that Romans 11:25 indicates that the Church will have a predetermined number of members and when that number is reached we’ll all disappear. That means that there’s a last one saved before the Rapture.

2 Thes. 2:11-12 refers to those who have heard and rejected the Gospel before the anti-Christ is revealed. It doesn’t apply to any who are undecided when the Church disappears or who haven’t heard the Gospel.

So there will still be lots, perhaps millions, of gentiles saved during the Tribulation, they just won’t be in the Church and will miss out on many blessings only the Church can receive. Some will be martyred for their faith and others will survive to help re-populate the planet during the Millennium.