Gentile Rulership.

After King David other kings following him often led the people astray. Thus, God let His people go into exile for a time. (70 years) God then gives the Gentiles rulership for a set time. That `times of the Gentiles` is portrayed in pictorial form of a Great Image. This is of a Middle Eastern man standing in front of the King of Babylon – the Middle East.

Each part of the Body of the man is a representation of the different Gentile rulers that would rule over the Middle East. First it was the Empire of Babylon, then came the Medes and Persians with Greece and Rome after that. Then there was one Final Gentile Ruler to come in the future.

Meanwhile after 70 years Israel was able to return to their homeland in the time of the Persians but continued to be ruled over by the Gentile Empires. In Roman times Israel`s land was named `Palestine` by the Romans.

Israel`s Messiah.

It was at this time that God sent His Son, Jesus, Israel`s Messiah to not only deliver Israel from its enemies but also to redeem mankind from Satan`s power.

Israel`s rulership, (priests) rejected Jesus as their Messiah and had Him crucified for saying He was God`s Son. Judas, influenced by Satan, betrayed Jesus to the officers of the chief priests. However, Satan would not have had Jesus killed if he had known that Jesus would later be resurrected and ascend to the highest place, at the Father`s right hand.

From there He is building His body of believers. (see `God`s Eternal Purposes`)

On earth, however, God is still ongoing with His plans for His earthly people, Israel and the nations. So, having rejected their King, their Messiah Israel goes into centuries of chastisement by God.

This started with the Romans attacking Jerusalem, (70 AD) causing the people of Israel to flee across the world. And there they stayed for nearly 2000 years. Yet even though they suffered terrible persecution God still had His hand upon them and would not let Satan annihilate His people, Israel.

Gentile Rulership

1 Kings 22: 51 – 53.  Dan. 1: 1 & 2.  Dan. 9: 1 & 2.  Dan. 2: 31 – 45.

Dan. 5: 30 & 31.   Dan. 8: 21.  Luke 2: 1.

Israel`s Messiah

Matt. 1: 20 & 21.  Matt. 26: 59 – 66.    Matt. 26: 47 – 50.   1 Cor. 2: 6 – 8.

Eph. 1: 20 – 23.  Ez. 37: 21 – 23.