The Fourth Kingdom

10-03-2025 - Posted by Geert-Jan

Two Dreams

In Daniel 2 and 7, two dreams are described that symbolically speak of four kingdoms, which must ultimately make way for the definitive Kingdom of God that will be given to the holy people. The first dream was that of Nebuchadnezzar; the second, much later dream, was seen by Daniel himself. In his dream, Nebuchadnezzar saw a colossal statue composed of four different metals, while in his dream, Daniel saw four different beasts emerging from the sea. However, the conclusion of both dreams is the same: the triumph belongs to “the God of the heavens.”

Babylonian Kingdoms

In Daniel 2, it is explicitly stated that the first kingdom is that of Nebuchadnezzar (2:38). The dream he received was a divine answer to the question of what would happen after him (2:29). He was the king of Babylon, but after his kingdom, another kingdom would follow, inferior to his. Babylon was still a capital during the time of the Medes and Persians, but it was no longer the only capital. After the kingdom of the Medes and Persians came the Greek-Macedonian empire of Alexander the Great. Only at the end of his rapid conquest campaigns did he subdue Babylon and immediately declare it the capital of his empire. However, this did not last long, for Alexander died at a young age in Babylon, and his empire subsequently fragmented into the four winds (Dan. 8:8,22). This was the third empire in which Babylon flourished, but in quality, it was inferior to the ‘gold’ and ‘silver’ that preceded it. Hence, its designation as ‘bronze.’

The Fourth Kingdom Still Future

After Alexander the Great, Babylon no longer played a significant role. The city was never destroyed but was dismantled, and even in our days, it is nothing more than a substantial provincial town in Iraq, known as Hillah. A fourth kingdom, with Babylon as a prominent city, has not yet emerged. And when it does manifest, it will also mark the final moment of all human rule. For in its final phase (at the time of the feet and toes of iron and clay; Dan. 2:43-44), this fourth kingdom will be struck from above by “a stone cut without hands,” after which the Kingdom of God will be definitively established worldwide.

That Babylon (or in Greek: Babylon) will indeed play a key role in this fourth kingdom is evident from the fact that, according to the book of Revelation, this empire (with “ten horns”; Rev. 17:12; Dan. 7:23-24) will be ruled by “the great city” Babylon (Rev. 17:5,18).

First Phase

This fourth kingdom will emerge in two phases. This is especially clear in Daniel 2. In Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, we first see the fourth kingdom appear as the iron legs, and only in the final phase of the feet and toes is it not only iron but iron mixed with clay. What this iron represents is explained straightforwardly by Daniel.

…and a fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron; just as iron breaks in pieces and crushes all things, so, like iron that crushes, shall it break in pieces and crush all these.
—Daniel 2:40—

This explanation seamlessly aligns with what is said about the fourth beast in Daniel 7.

Then I desired to know the truth concerning the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and its claws of bronze, which devoured, broke in pieces, and stamped what was left with its feet….
—Daniel 7:19—

And a little later:

…That fourth beast is the fourth kingdom that shall be on earth, which shall be different from all the kingdoms and shall devour the whole earth and shall tread it down and break it in pieces.
—Daniel 7:23—

Second Phase

Only in the second phase of the fourth kingdom will another element be added:

41 And whereas thou hast seen the feet and the toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron: the kingdom is divided, and some of the hardness of the iron is in it, because that thou hast seen the iron mixed with miry clay.
42 And the toes of the feet, part of iron, and part of clay: part of the kingdom shall be strong, and part of it shall be brittle.
—Daniel 2:41,42—

It is the feet, and more specifically “the toes of the feet,” that are “partly of iron and partly of clay.” Just as iron is explained as hard, so is the clay-like clay described as brittle. In its final phase, this fourth kingdom is therefore divided, as it consists of two elements that do not adhere to one another.

And whereas thou hast seen iron mixed with miry clay, they do mix themselves with the seed of men; but they adhere not one unto another, even as iron doth not mix with clay.
—Daniel 2:43— (Young’s Literal Translation)

The fourth kingdom will initially be “strong as iron”: militarily superior and utterly destructive. However, in its second phase, it will form an alliance with “ten kings” (Rev. 17:12; Dan. 7:23,24). The iron-hard kingdom will unite with ten kings from other nations, but it will not form a cohesive whole. As a result, the iron kingdom weakens and becomes partly brittle.

The Role of Babylon in the Fourth Kingdom

We have already noted that the fourth kingdom, like the three preceding kingdoms, is led by Babylon. This does not necessarily have to be the case from the outset, as with the third kingdom (that of Alexander the Great), this only happened at the end. In any case, Babylon will once again take the lead (or regain it) at the time of the alliance with the ten kings (Rev. 17:5,18).

The identity of the future Babylon, as described in Revelation, is surprising—to say the least, shocking. It is called a “mystery” or “hidden secret” (17:5). In Greek, it is referred to as a musterion (mystery). When John, in his vision, perceives the great city of Babylon, he sees a harlot, and he marvels with great astonishment (17:6). The harlot is drunk with the blood of the saints and the witnesses of Jesus (17:6), and also “the blood of prophets” is found in her (Rev. 18:24; cf. Matt. 23:30; Luke 11:50).

In the writings of Israel’s prophets, the term ‘harlot’ usually refers to the unbelieving Jewish people and to Jerusalem, which engages with other gods (Ezek. 16 and 23). However, in Revelation, it concerns Babylon. And this is precisely what explains John’s immense astonishment! Babylon, in the end times, will be a Jewish stronghold—a branch of a godless Jerusalem. Babylon is seated on “seven mountains” (17:9), and while this is often said of Rome, it also applies to Jerusalem. For the harlot Babylon is the same godless woman described in Zechariah 5. There, it concerns a godless Jewish people that, for economic reasons (symbolized by the ephah and the talent), is relocated to the plain of Shinar—the land between the Euphrates and the Tigris. In short: Babylon.

Is the Fourth Kingdom Already Identifiable?

It is clear that the second phase of the fourth kingdom is still future as of today. After all, there is no alliance of ten nations in the Middle East, nor does Babylon play any role yet. But what about the kingdom in its first, iron phase? Is there a kingdom in the Middle East that is militarily dominant and manifests itself as an iron empire? A kingdom that is relentless and crushes, shatters, and grinds everything to pieces? Asking the question is answering it. Since its establishment in 1948, the Jewish state has not only managed to survive numerous wars (1956, 1967, 1973) but has repeatedly proven its military superiority. And especially since the attack from the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, Israel has responded with devastating force. “Hard as iron,” despite all international criticism. The advanced Iron Dome has spectacularly protected the country against all airstrikes, and the Israeli army (IDF) has tellingly named the current war The Sword of Iron. No country in the Middle East is militarily capable of standing against the relatively small Jewish state.

More Than Just the Jewish State

Of course, it is true that Israel’s military dominance in the Middle East, humanly speaking, is due to the (almost) unconditional support of the United States. The wealthy and influential Jewish lobby in the U.S. ensures that Israel is never abandoned. Zionism is much more than just the Jewish state. And also much more than just the Jewish people. Israel’s dominance in the Middle East represents the supremacy of what its opponents call “Western-Zionist imperialism,” which in practice is primarily directed from the United States.

Daniel’s Dismay

Just as John was exceedingly astonished when he saw the harlot Babylon (Rev. 17:6), so was Daniel completely shaken when he beheld the fourth kingdom and learned its meaning (Dan. 7:28). The fourth kingdom was different from all the preceding kingdoms (7:7,23). Imagine this: since the days of Daniel, the Jewish people have always been a small minority, merely a plaything of the great world empires. And then… in the end times, they manifest as an all-dominating, destructive kingdom! How shocking is that thought!?!

Endpoint and Low Point

The downward trajectory of the four kingdoms, from King Nebuchadnezzar to the end of this aeon, becomes especially evident in the fourth kingdom. In both chapter 2 and chapter 7, it receives by far the most attention. The endpoint of this aeon is also its low point. Whereas first the Babylonians, then the Medes and Persians, and later the Greeks dominated Babylon, in the end, it is God’s own people who take possession of Babylon. It is the city where this aeon once began, not long after the Flood, and where God confused the language of humanity. It will also be the city where this evil aeon comes to its conclusion. With a dreadful characteristic: God’s own people (Rev. 18:4) prostitute themselves in this city.

Human Work or God’s Work?

A greater contrast between the fourth and the fifth, definitive Kingdom is unimaginable. The fifth Kingdom comes from above, “without the work of human hands.” The fourth kingdom may embody the Zionist ideal, but it is nevertheless human work—no matter how impressive. The initiative was born out of unbelief because people were no longer willing to wait for God’s timing and therefore took matters into their own hands. Historically, Zionism is a purely secular movement. Religious Jews initially wanted nothing to do with this endeavor. However, especially after World War II, some of them could no longer resist the temptation and embraced Zionism. Today, it is precisely these Zionists who dominate the Jewish state, adopting an extremist stance and not shying away from violence. But no matter how pious it may appear, it does not have God’s approval, and it will ultimately come to nothing.

The stone that will strike the image at its iron-clay feet, without human hands, will shatter all human work (Dan. 2:34). Not in a military way, but divinely. And only then will the Kingdom be given to the holy people of the Most High (Dan. 2:44; 7:27). Only then, and not before, will the Torah go forth from Zion and the word of YAHWEH from Jerusalem (Isa. 2:3). And the iron swords and spears will be forged into plowshares and pruning knives (Isa. 2:4).

Delen: