Daniel 2

The four- kingdom doctrine originated in the Book of Daniel in the Bible. It is based in particular Chapters 2 and 7 EU EU where Daniel interprets a dream of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar about the future or even has a dream whose meaning is revealed to him.

The king's dream and its interpretation by Daniel

Nebuchadnezzar had dreamed of a great image whose head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, and its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. This image was then crushed by a stone which broke away. The image had been crushed by the wind; however, the stone that struck the image crushed, had become a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

Daniel, whom God has revealed the meaning in the dream, the king indicated his dream Accordingly, the main is made ​​of gold for the king Nebuchadnezzar. According to him, there arises another, lower Kingdom and then a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. A fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron. The existing part of iron and part of clay feet are standing for a divided kingdom, which will be partly strong and solid as iron and partly fragile as clay. Iron and clay also available for marriages that hold as little as can be mixed iron and clay. The crushing stone is that God will set up a kingdom in the days of these kings, which is against all the kingdoms and ever.

The dream of Daniel and its significance

Daniel also had a dream: he saw four different animals up out of the sea. The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings. His wings were plucked out however and it was lifted up from the earth and made like a man on his feet; also a man's heart was given to it. The second animal was a bear equal, raised up on one side and had three ribs between its teeth. The next beast was like a leopard had four heads, and on his back four Vogelfügel. The fourth beast was strong, it had great iron teeth, bronze claws and ten horns. It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet. Between the ten horns, then another horn lifted up, were at the eyes and a mouth that spake which measured words, and three of the first horns were uprooted. The horn was waging war against the saints and defeating them. Then thrones were cast down, and on a throne of flames of fire sat a man who was old and was wearing a white robe and many served. After the consisting of the saints of the Supreme Court had set itself was the fourth beast was slain and its body destroyed; also the other animals were deprived of their rule. After an eternal kingship was established, which all served.

Even in his dream, Daniel was revealed the importance of dreamed. Thus, the huge animals represent four kings who will arise from the earth. The fourth kingdom shall be different from all previous and devour the whole earth, and crush them. His ten horns represent ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom. According to them, there is another king will arise, who will subdue three of the previous kings. This king will speak against the Most High, persecute the saints and try to change the holidays. But the kingdom will be taken from him and the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom of eternal Kingdom.

Interpretations and development

In the subsequent period, and up through the Middle Ages, it has been attempted to bring these pre-Christian prophetic kingdoms with concrete rule rich in connection. The first kingdom could identify quite undoubtedly with the Babylonian Empire of Nebuchadnezzar because of the biblical statements. As the following realms are mostly the Mederreich / Persian Empire, the empire of Alexander and the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire as the fourth kingdom fits in so far as the fourth kingdom should be a divided kingdom. In fact, it was in the Roman Empire to the fact that the empire was ruled from 395 AD by two emperors, and finally fell into the Western Roman and Eastern Roman Empire.

City of God

The Roman Empire was Christianized before its division. Over time, then this Christianized empire was seen as the promised kingdom of God. What was challenged was this interpretation, as a result of the storm caused by the Hun migrations initially penetrated the Visigoths and later other Germanic tribes in the Western Roman Empire and occupied the imperial capital Rome.

The Bishop of Hippo, Augustine, responded with his work De Civitate Dei ( " God on the State"), in which he tried to resolve the contradiction in that it represented the theocracy as opposed to earthly state standing.

Translatio Imperii

At the four- kingdom doctrine of the medieval theory of translatio imperii is linked to (transfer of rule ). With it, the transition of Roman rule was justified on other rulers. Also the Holy Roman Empire saw itself as the successor and continuer of the Roman Empire.

Other prophecies

In the Bible there are in addition to the prophecies in the Book of Daniel in Revelation 20 EU an announcement of the coming millennial reign of God ( " thousand -year Reich ").