The Feet of the Great Image, Part of Iron and Part of Clay

And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be, partly broken. Daniel 2:42

As a youth I was accustomed to hear the expression, "He found his idol had feet of clay." Of course I had no idea what it meant or its origin. Like many popular idioms, it represented a garbling of scripture.

You know that I truly love the book of Daniel, and particularly the second chapter. Not as some kind of devotional or emotional lift it gives me, but because it demonstrates the continuing power and determination of God, in the affairs of men.

How many Old Testament prophecies include the church age? We start in 585 B.C. and follow history until the return of Christ. Since Jesus has not returned to the earth yet, the time frame includes our times. We live within the times of the Gentiles portrayed by this great image.

Ever heard a sermon from Daniel's chapter two? Maybe in Sunday school? "Of what practical use is it?" some may ask.

Much, because among other things it dispels the idea, now commonly held, of an emerging "New World Order". The phrase did not emerge from a speech, often quoted, by the senior President Bush, but is quite old.

So what does it tell us about the latter days--those which have yet to take place?

We have revealed to us that the final gentile kingdom will be a divided and shattered Roman empire. This last gasp of Rome will be of limited scope and power. While its strength should not be ignored, it certainly will not include the whole world nor will it be omnipotent. It's final phase will be the emergence of ten toes, or ten nations commanded by a leader whose career is cut short by the return of Christ.

They used to say, that even if you cut off a snake's head, it would not die until sundown. The revived Roman empire seems like it will not die, but its time will be cut short.