Feet of clay means a fatal flaw, a negative characteristic or attribute that is hidden in an otherwise admirable human being. For example, it proved how powerful it was by winning World WarI and World WarII, and it has acted with strength like iron many times since then.c (See footnote.) As the 1900s dawned, the British Empire, the largest the world had ever seen, ruled over every fourth person on earth. In one very important respect, however, those prognostications are wronghumanity itself will not end. The Feet of Iron and Clay Daniel 2:41-43 .'And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. When? They are described as an amalgam of iron and clay. The New Encyclopdia Britannica says that this development ran counter to the conceptions that had dominated political thought for the preceding 2,000 years. Whereas hitherto man had commonly stressed the general and the universal and had regarded unity as the desirable goal, nationalism now stressed national differences. Finally Daniel, a God-fearing Israelite captive, came forward and gave Nebuchadnezzar not only the dream but also its interpretation. Would you like to read this article in %%? No more heads will appear on this beast before it is annihilated. From what he says, we understand that the Anglo-American World Power will be the world power when the stone, which means Gods Kingdom, hits the feet of the image.Daniel 2:45. The clay element blended with the iron in the feet represents the mixture of church and state." Followers of Herbert W. Armstrong, as well as dispensational fundamentalists, see the prophecy being fulfilled today in the emergence of the European Union. 17:10,11) But it does receive authority to act as a king to carry out a specific task, one that triggers a chain of events that will change history. God granted Daniel the ability to interpret a dream that baffled Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. However, from early on, that iron has been mixed with clay. (a)The prophecies of Daniel and John allow us to do what? 14John described the image of the wild beast with seven heads as an eighth king. Why did he call it a king? 17. Esau and Ishmael: Feet of Iron and Clay As we painfully experienced this week with murder of four innocent civilians in prayer and a young Druze policeman who attempted to save them, Israel. What did the king of Babylon see in his dream, and what did it represent? It almost stopped, or killed, their preaching work. Which part of the giant image means the same thing as the seventh head of the wild beast? (Daniel 2:31-33), where the prophet interprets Nebuchadnezzar's dream of a statue with a head of gold and feet of iron clay. WHO ARE ALL THESE KINGDOMS IN DANIEL 2:44? As the number of people involved in the political process increases, however, so also does the difficulty in achieving a political consensus. . . (Read Daniel 2:44.) The feet and toes of the statuedepicting the empire ruling just before the Messiah's return, consisting of ten toes representing ten kingswere partially of iron and partially of clay. Any power it has comes from its member nations, especially from its key backer, the Anglo-American World Power. 248-253 - The Watchtower1959, go chap. 13 A prophecy in the book of Daniel enables us to establish where we are in the stream of time. 280-284 - The Watchtower1959, w60 5/1 pp. See auction date, current bid, equipment specs, and seller information for each lot. It has two horns, so it is a dual power. ), Nebuchadnezzar is agitated by a dream. (Dan. (See the chart on pages12-13.) (a)How did the seventh world power manifest ironlike strength? Even so, the United States was allowed to grow mighty, protected by British naval power. They will certainly build houses and have occupancy; and they will certainly plant vineyards and eat their fruitage. Other European empires controlled millions of people more. 8,9. They often cooperate with each other on important matters. 17. There will be no new heads on this beast before it is destroyed. (Dan. Part 8A Political Mixture of Iron and Moist Clay. Part 9 of Human Rule Weighed in the Balances will answer. What about all other human governments? Spiritual crisis Rev. What does the harlot in Johns vision mean? The beast that Daniel saw represented the Roman World Power. The feet were not clay plus gold, nor clay and silver, nor clay and brass, but clay with iron. THE ANGLO-AMERICAN WORLD POWER AND THE FEET OF IRON AND CLAY, Before giving the interpretation, Daniel recalled the dream to Nebuchadnezzars mind: Its head was of good gold, its breasts and its arms were of silver, its belly and its thighs were of copper, its legs were of iron, its feet were partly of iron and partly of molded clay. (Dan. . But Britain fought against them one by one and became more important than they were. 4,5. 11 Does the number of toes of the image mean anything? Why the Changes in World Governments Since 1914? 4 pp. 3 pp. 4 In Daniels prophecy of the beast with ten horns, another horn, a small one, comes up and replaces three of the ten horns. The clay, therefore, represents elements within the sphere of influence of the Anglo-American World Power, elements that make it weaker than the solid iron of the Roman Empire. (Revelation 13:3,7) During World WarI, it persecuted them, banned some of their publications, and put in prison some of those taking the lead in their work. 17 False religion will not lose its power gradually and then disappear. Anglo-American World Power: Britain and the United States of America work together as special partners and often act as one world power, Lords day: A time period that started when Jesus was made King in 1914 and continues until he gives the Kingdom back to his Father, Jehovah. (a)What will the wild beast do, and with what outcome? The expression one is referred to Rome. According to Revelation 17:10, the seventh world power "must remain a short while." How long will that prove to be? From his description, we can conclude that the Anglo-American World Power is the one that will be dominating when the stone representing Gods Kingdom hits the feet of the image.Dan. (b)How is Satans organization described, and what position does the Christian take toward it? Five centuries of European expansion was ending in the rubble of collapsed colonial empires. a certain immense image. Daniel 2:44 In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. But World WarI resulted in a triumph for nationalism. 16 However, during the Lords day, Babylon the Great has seen the waters, the people who support her, dry up dramatically. 16:13-16; 17:12-14) Daniel describes one aspect of the final battle. will partly prove to be strong and will partly prove to be fragile . 4 Four of the horns, or kingdoms, that sprouted from the head of the ferocious beast receive special mention. What was the political situation at the beginning of this foretold period of time? How does Daniels interpretation of Nebuchadnezzars dream picture the violent end of the system of things that has featured world powers, and how do we know that the end of the system is near? (b)What is the identity of the seventh head of the wild beast? 6 Shortly after the start of the Lords day, the seventh head launched an attack on Gods peoplethe remaining ones of Christs brothers on earth. ), God sent him a terrifying dream. , but they will not prove to be sticking together. (Daniel 2:33, 41-43) This lack of sticking together in unity became apparent as decolonization proceeded, as nationalism flourished, and as the developing countries gained in stature. In fact, the fulfillment of the visions recorded in Revelation takes place during the Lords day. (Rev. And what should these prophecies make us want to do? (Read Daniel 2:41-43.) Daniel 2 (the second chapter of the Book of Daniel) tells how Daniel related and interpreted a dream of Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylon.In his night dream, the king saw a gigantic statue made of four metals, from its head of gold to its feet of mingled iron and clay; as he watched, a stone "not cut by human hands" destroyed the statue and became a mountain filling the whole world. But soon God will put it into their hearts to carry out his thought. (Read Revelation 17:16,17.) . 6. The following Bible passages may help you to understand why the expression good news is fitting. How do Daniel and John portray the end of human rulership? What does this strange beast represent? . . Then Peter wanted Jesus to wash his head, hands, and feet. In all the Eastern European countries where people power has forced political reform, the demand has been for free elections with a plurality of political parties participating. The British Empire, states one reference work, was the largest the world had ever seen. It included 372million inhabitants and extended over 11million square miles [28million sqkm]., At a joint press conference with Prime Minister David Cameron of the United Kingdom, President Barack Obama of the United States affirmed in July2010: We can never say it enough. It tells us that the kings of the entire inhabited earth will be gathered against Jehovah for the war of the great day of God the Almighty. (Revelation 16:14; 19:19-21) So in addition to the kingdoms that are pictured by the parts of the image, all other governments will be destroyed at Armageddon. Jehovah Reveals What Must Shortly Take Place. Daniel 2:41 shows that the feet made of iron mixed with clay are one "kingdom," not many. The image displayed his kingdom, the Babylonian, followed by the successive kingdoms that have come and gone: the Medo . is making wars to cease to the extremity of the earth. However, from early on, that iron has been mixed with clay. By 476 AD Rome had lost it's power and the tribes that sacked the Roman Empire became the 10 nations of Europe. If so, Jehovahs Witnesses encourage you to look further into the Bible. They are described as an amalgam of iron and clay. A bleak prediction indeed but not one that surprises Bible students. Everyone will have a comfortable home. 31You, O king, happened to be beholding, and, look! Because it has two horns, it means two governments that are partners. During World WarII, the ironlike power of the seventh head was also evident.c After that war, the seventh head at times still displayed ironlike characteristics. Sorry, there was an error loading the video. Particularly after the mid-1950s, the trend was irreversible. (2Peter 1:19) We need to obey Jehovah right now and support his Kingdom.Revelation 14:6,7. a In the Bible, the number ten often means a complete group. Babylon , Medo-Persia, Greece , and Rome. Those numbers are significant. They have the power to influence political leaders and their policies. There will be genuine peace, not just the absence of war. 6. The prophecy at Daniel 2:44 states that Gods Kingdom will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms. That prophecy refers only to the kingdoms pictured by the various parts of the image. The breasts and arms of silver depicted Medo-Persia. 1:10) It was not until World WarI that the seventh head began operating as a united world power. 8:24) For example, the United States caused terrible ruin on an unprecedented scale when it dropped two atomic devices on an enemy of the dual world power. 13. During World WarII, the ironlike power of the seventh head was also evident.c After that war, the seventh head at times still displayed ironlike characteristics. 4 Because the empires mentioned in the Bible were usually ruled by a king, the empires themselves are often referred to as kings, kingdoms, or both.Daniel 8:20-22. Daniel does specifically mention that the toes would be made of iron and clay. Page 1 of 1. How so? Daniel 2:41 describes the mixture of iron and clay as one kingdom, not many. The harlot will no longer be able to control these governments, and she will lose all her riches. 2:41-43) Could a danger lie there for us? Why should all these distinct but related developments have come together in the second half of the 20thcentury? (b)What does the clay in the feet of the image mean? Men in Western civilization have thus been thrown back wholly on themselves, and they find themselves wanting, concludes The Columbia History of the World. 31You, O king, were watching, and you saw an immense image. THE IMAGE OF THE WILD BEAST DESTROYS THE HARLOT. We celebrate a common heritage. 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