Seven Kingdoms

By Dan Burkett

The Old Testament is filled with prophetic scripture, key phrases, terminology, and events that clearly portray the time of the end.  When we combine these scriptures with Jesus’ ministry on the time of the end in the Gospels, and with the book of Revelation, a detailed and cohesive picture begins to take shape. 

The ‘seven times prophecy’ is crucial to our understanding and refers to the seven world kingdoms which must occur before the kingdom of God is finally and fully established.  This was first illustrated by Jacob, representing the people of God, who bowed seven times to his brother Esau, who represented all worldly dominion.  Gen 33:3.  In the book of Daniel, some of these historic kingdoms of the world are depicted as beasts.  And the last five kingdoms are represented as the image of a great statue.  Dan 2:31-45.  This picture becomes especially clear when we study Babylon, the great harlot, and the beast that she rides upon in the book of Revelation.  Here, it becomes evident that these seven kingdoms are all aspects of the one historical beast, the dragon, which is described as having seven heads.  Rev 17.  Throughout the scriptures, the first six kingdoms are associated with different nations.  And the seventh kingdom or seventh world order is still yet to come.  Rev 17:10. 

In studying the seven times prophecy and the seven mountains or pinnacles of world domination, although certainly unsettling, we observe a great message of hope.  This is the message of the ‘mountain’ of the Lord’s house being established in the tops of the mountains.  ‘Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains … all nations shall flow to it.’ Isa 2:1. 

The establishing of ‘the mountain of the Lord’s house’ may be understood as His rule and kingdom taking ascendancy upon earth in the time of the end.  This mountain is the mighty stone of which Daniel prophesied, crushing the feet of the statue and destroying it.  ‘.. A stone was cut out without hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and crushed them ... but the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.’ Dan 2:34,35.  Scripture tells us that this rock, or stone, is Christ.  Peter declares this great truth in his epistle and goes on to say that we are living or ‘lively’ stones in His house.  It is a key point that this ‘mountain of the Lord’s house’ is made up of living stones.  The ways in which Christ will bring His purpose to pass involves us.  We are His living stones, joined to Christ who is the rock.  The stone that smashes the kingdoms of the world involves the church under Christ’s authority and kingship.  It is not Christ alone.  Rather, it is His power manifested through His administration, in His people, living stones built together in His house.