Quote:
Originally Posted by coksiw
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The next kingdom that did crush all other’s territory geographically, culturally, and religiously, and conquered Babylon and the Middle East for long periods was the Islamic Caliphates from 632 AD to 1922 AD. Therefore, the iron legs are more likely to be the Islamic Caliphates, and the toes an Islamic Caliphate revival attempt.
Curiously, the first Islamic Caliphates were very united, but they began to be divided among themselves like the Grecian empire started united and then divided, and fought among themselves for power and one part in particular, Epiphanes, attacking the people of God very wickedly.
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I mentioned earlier, the Islamic Caliphates (first the Arab, then the Turkish) are already prophesied under the 5th and 6th Trumpet Judgments.
That the fourth kingdom in
Daniel 2 and the fourth beast in
Daniel 7 is the Roman seems incontrovertible. Otherwise, the Roman Empire (which destroyed Jerusalem, which gave official sanction to the execution of Christ, and which under the Papacy persecuted the saints for literally 1260 years - exactly as prophesied - would be essentially completely missed in prophecy. I mean, from my point of view, if we have a series of prophecies, and in history we find something that answers to everything prophesied, why would we look for another?
The Sassanid Empire was established in the 3rd century AD, and lasted until the Muslim conquest of Iran/Parthia in the 7th century (part of the Trumpet Judgments and fulfilled prophecy, by the way). In fact, after reading the history of the Sassanids, I am convinced their history is already contemplated in the Revelation (but certainly not as the beast from the sea, they simply don't fit the descriptions).
Sassanid persecution of Christians was sporadic, often relaxed, and several Sassanid royal family members became Christians (Orthodox). The Sassanic Empire was not notably "different" from previous Oriental empires and kingdoms.
The Islamic Caliphates likewise do not fit the prophetic descriptions of the fourth beast in Daniel's visions or the fourth kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar's dream. The Babylonian was succeeded by the Persian, the Persian by the Greek, and the Greek by the Roman. The Imperial Roman was succeeded by the little horn and the various kingdoms that arose out of the fourth empire (Rome). The Caliphate came later. What I am saying is that the successive powers in Daniel do seem to be succeeding immediately from one to the other. To suggest a 600 year gap between the Greek and the Islamic power structure just seems incongruent with the rest of the dream and visions.
While God's people may certainly have been present in the Persian area, that is not where they were centered, nor where important developments took place that affected the history of Christendom (which is essentially the same thing as "the history of mankind since the time of Christ").
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