Posted: July 9, 2023
From the Bible and history, Daniel’s Fourth Kingdom discusses each of the four [successive] gentile kingdoms [referred to in chapters 2 and 7 of the Book of Daniel. (The fulfillment of these “times of the Gentiles” (Luke 21:24 NIV) points to the season of the return of Jesus Christ.)]. They [(the four kingdoms)] are described
Category: Blog
Tags: a little horn, amalgamated fourth beast, ancient Mediterranean region, Antichrist, belly and thighs of bronze (Greece), Bible prophecy, Book of Daniel, chest and arms of silver (Medo-Persia), Daniel 2 and 7, Daniel 2:32-33, Daniel 2:40-43, Daniel 7:19-20, Daniel 7:23, Daniel 9:26, Daniel's fourth kingdom, devour the whole earth, divided Roman Empire continuing, four gentile kingdoms, four great beasts (Daniel 7), four successive gentile kingdoms, fourth kingdom, globe-dominating, head of gold (Babylon), human government, iron and clay, J. N. Darby, Jerusalem, Jesus Christ, legs of iron and feet and toes of iron and clay (Rome), Messiah, outward appearance, political kingdoms, return of Christ, Roman Empire, Temple, temporal kingdoms, ten horns, times of the Gentiles (Luke 21:24), two historical phases of Roman Empire, Western Europe
Posted: January 26, 2023
The idea that the Roman Empire still exists today is not strange. Ample support exists for it in the Bible and world history. Two historical phases of the single Roman Empire are depicted in Daniel 2, the first phase of iron and the second phase of iron and clay. Interpreting King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, Daniel foresaw
Continue Reading “Two historical phases of the Roman Empire (book excerpt)”
Category: Blog
Tags: Babylon, Bible prophecy, Book of Revelation, Cambridge Modern History Atlas, continuing fourth kingdom, Daniel 2 and 7, Daniel's fourth kingdom, democracy, democracy is clay, divided and weaker fourth kingdom, division of Roman Empire, end times, feet and toes of iron and clay, first phase of iron, four gentile kingdoms, fourth beast, globe trampler, Greece, history prewritten, iron, iron and clay, King Nebuchadnezzar, King Nebuchadnezzar's dream, legs of iron, Mediterranean, Medo-Persia, Middle Ages, monarchy is iron, Roman Empire, Roman Empire still exists, Roman monarchs (or crowns), season of the return of Jesus Christ, second phase of iron and clay, separate Roman States, signs of the times, St. Jerome, times of the gentiles, two historical phases of Roman Empire, Western Europe, world history
Posted: December 3, 2022
National Geographic History is one of my favorite magazines. The November/December 2022 issue contains an interesting article about King Herod (reign 37–4 BC), whose tyrannical rule over Judea impacted the childhood of Jesus (as mentioned in Matthew 2).[1] Antipater, Herod’s father, “a wealthy Jewish noble who admired Roman culture and was friendly with Julius Caesar,”
Continue Reading “Herod: Rome’s appointed King of Judea (reign 37-4 BC)”
Category: Blog
Tags: 27 BC, 31 BC, 37 BC, 4 BC, 40 BC, Actium, AD 70, Antipater, Bethlehem, birth of Jesus, Caesar Augustus, child Jesus, childhood of Jesus, Cleopatra, Daniel's Fourth Kingdom: Fulfilling the Times of the Gentiles, Edomites, Egypt, Egyptian Queen Cleopatra, fourth and final gentile kingdom, governor of Galilee, Greek Empire, Hebrews 9:26 NIV, Herod's building projects, Herod's evil massacre of children, Herod's father, Herod's mausoleum, Herod's political ascent, Herod's reign over Jerusalem, Herodium, Idumea, Idumean, infant Jesus, Jerusalem, Jewish Temple, Joseph and Mary, Josephus, Julius Caesar, King Herod (37-4 BC), King of Judea, Lepidus, Mark Antony, Massacre of the Innocents, Matthew 2, Matthew 24:1-2, National Geographic History, naval battle, Octavian, Parthians, Pax Romana, political transition, Ptolemaic-Egypt, Roman culture, Roman destruction of Temple, Roman Empire, Roman government, Roman peace, Roman Senate, Rome, ruler of Judea, slave labor, third gentile kingdom, WestBow Press, western Greece
Posted: September 16, 2022
We now further examine the meanings of the symbols of iron and clay located in the feet and toes of the human-shaped statue described in Daniel 2. Concerning the meaning of the “iron,” Bishop writes in 1886 that: “Iron is the character of Rome. The crown of Charlemagne was iron. The crown of Charles
Continue Reading “Monarchy is the “iron” in Daniel 2 (book excerpt)”
Category: Blog
Tags: A. C. Gaebelein, Charlemagne, Charles V, constitutional monarchies, Daniel 2, democracy, democracy is the clay, democratic principles, democratic rule, divided and weaker fourth kingdom, feet and toes of iron and clay, fourth kingdom, George S. Bishop, government, history, human-shaped statue, Humbert, iron, iron and clay, iron crown, iron reign, iron represents hardness and severity, iron-monarchy, Jesus Christ, kings, law, mixture of iron and clay, monarchical form of government, monarchy, monarchy is the iron, multiparty republics, Napoleon, Nebuchadnezzar, pretribulation rapture, Roman Empire, Roman monarchs, royal dynasties, second coming of Christ, stone cut out of the mountain without hands, ten nations, Western European successor nations
Posted: June 26, 2022
“Consider the passage from the book of Acts 17:24–27 (KJV), where the apostle Paul uses prophecy (God’s predetermined plan . . . ) to witness to a group of Greek skeptics at a meeting of the Areopagus in Athens. Paul is clear that our God is the Creator of heaven and earth (Acts 17:24 KJV).
Continue Reading “Paul in Athens: A Historical Message for Today (book excerpt)”
Category: Blog
Tags: 21st century, 27 BC, Acts 17:24-27, Adam, Age of Grace, apostle Paul, appearance of Jesus Christ, Areopagus, Athens, believers, Bible prophecy, birth of Jesus, birthplace of democracy, book of Acts, book of Genesis, Christian eschatology, church, Church Age, Creator, Creator of heaven and earth, Daniel 2 and 7, democracy, exact times and boundaries of nations, first century, four gentiles empires, fourth and final gentile kingdom, fourth kingdom, God's love, God's predetermined plan, God's presence and plan, Gospel, Greece, He made all the nations, Hebrews 9:26, historical message for today, history, history prewritten, human government, human history, in the beginning, Jesus Christ, lift Him up, Paul in Athens, return of Christ, Roman age, Roman Empire, Roman world, seek Him, skeptics, sovereign God, temporal kingdoms, times of the gentiles, Tower of Babel, Western civilization, whole earth, witnesses for Christ
Posted: May 10, 2022
Written from my Christian, dispensational, premillennial viewpoint, this study of Bible prophecy (eschatology) and history: (1) focuses on the continuing existence of the Roman Empire, the fourth kingdom in chapters 2 and 7 of the book of Daniel, which is both a separate gentile kingdom as well as a beastly amalgamation of the three
Continue Reading “Overview of my book”
Category: Blog
Tags: "revived" Roman Empire, amalgamated fourth beast, amalgamated fourth kingdom, apolitical, Babylonian Empire, beastly amalgamation, Bible prophecy, Bible study, century-old interpretation, Christian eschatological literature, Christian eschatology, church, continuing existence of Roman Empire, culturally amalgamated, dispensational, four gentile kingdoms, fourth beast, fourth kingdom, fourth kingdom of Daniel, gentile kingdoms, Gospel, Greek Empire, Holy Spirit, imminency, Medo-Persian Empire, premillennial, pretribulation, pretribulation rapture, rapture, Roman Empire, temporal kingdoms, three preceding kingdoms, times of the gentiles, traditional interpretation, world history
Posted: April 20, 2022
Book excerpt below from Chapter 3 entitled: The Fourth Beast Is Different From The Other Three Kingdoms (The Last and Worst): Roman Violence and Domination to the End As described in Daniel 7, the conquering power and domination of the Roman Empire will be “dreadful and terrible” (KJV) or, in the words of the NIV,
Continue Reading “Bible prophecy is “history prewritten””
Category: Blog
Tags: "dreadful and terrible" Roman rule, "terrifying and frightening and very powerful" fourth beast, Anointed One, Antichrist, Arch of Titus, believe in Jesus Christ, Bible prophecy, Book of Daniel, Christian eschatology, continuing fourth kingdom, Daniel 2, Daniel 7, Daniel 9, Emperor Domitian, end times, European wars, fourth beast, fourth kingdom, future Roman "prince, God's love, history prewritten, Jerusalem, John 3:16-17, Josephus, last gentile kingdom, pretribulation rapture, Roman age, Roman domination, Roman Empire, Roman government, Roman history, second coming of Jesus Christ, signs of the times, Temple, wars and desolations, wars and rumors of wars, world of trouble
Posted: March 21, 2022
Special thanks and appreciation to all my family members, friends, and mentors who encouraged me to write this book, who reviewed and provided helpful feedback on my manuscript, and who provided written reviews, comments, and congratulations that are included in the front section of my book and quoted below with gratitude. Thank you! “Melvin Hawkins
Continue Reading “Acknowledgments”
Category: Blog
Tags: "revived" Roman Empire, Age of Grace, amalgamated fourth beast, analysis, Antichrist, apologetics, authoritative, Babylon, Bible and history, Bible prophecy, Bible-based study, Christian eschatology, Church Age, comprehensive, continuing existence of the fourth kingdom, current events, Daniel 2 and 7, Daniel's fourth kingdom, democracy, discovery, dispensational, divided and weaker Roman Empire, documentation, early civilizations, educational, encouragement, end times, evidence, excellent read, exhortation, facts, faith, four gentile kingdoms, fourth kingdom, fragmented fourth kingdom, fulfillment of prophecy, future, God's love, God's plan, God's sovereignty and power, God's Word, Gospel, government, Greece, gripping, hidden in plain sight, high caliber, historical films, history prewritten, Holy Spirit, hope, human government, human history, illuminating, insightful, inspirational, iron and clay, Jerusalem, Jesus Christ, library, literary journey, masterpiece, Medo-Persia, monarchy, must-read, nonfiction, paradigm shift of events, parallel study, political and cultural remnants, premillennial viewpoint, pretribulation rapture, purpose, research, return of Christ, rewarding study, rigorously researched, riveting, Roman age, Roman Empire, Roman Empire still exists, Rome, salvation, scholarly, signs of the times, sound reasoning, temporal kingdoms, ten horns, ten Roman nations, thoroughly documented, thought-provoking, times of the gentiles, traditional interpretation, transformative, tribulation period, well-developed study questions, well-written, world history, world of trouble
Democracy is the “clay” in Daniel 2 (book excerpt)
By Melvin L. Hawkins, LLC
Posted: August 7, 2022
Hippolytus (AD 170–235), an early church theologian in Rome, understood Daniel’s prophecies about the clay component or element in the feet and toes of the fourth kingdom [consisting of iron and clay, Daniel 2:32–33, 40–43]. In the third century, even during a time when emperors ruled the Roman Empire with iron authority, he confidently wrote
Continue Reading “Democracy is the “clay” in Daniel 2 (book excerpt)”
Category: Blog
Tags: 1911, 20th century, Bible prophecy, Christ's return, clay, Clay is of the earth., Daniel 2, Daniel's fourth kingdom, Daniel's prophecies, democracies are shown, democracy, Democracy became the most common form of government., democracy foreseen in latter stage of Roman Empire, democracy is the clay, democratic change in Europe, democratic rule, feet and toes of iron and clay, first complete English translation of Hippolytus' Commentary, fourth kingdom, fulfilling the times of the gentiles, Gaebelein, Hippolytus, Hippolytus of Rome, Hippolytus' Commentary on Daniel, history prewritten, iron and clay, iron authority, iron rule, kings, last of the four gentile kingdoms, latter stage (or feet and toes) of Daniel's fourth kingdom, mixture of iron and clay, monarchs, monarchy, oldest surviving Christian commentary on Scripture, people participate in their government, Roman emperors, Roman Empire, second coming of Jesus Christ, spreading of democracy, ten toes, third century, times of the gentiles, twentieth century, Western Europe, What does the clay represent?, WW1