A copy of the CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH VERSION ( CEV ) of the Holy Bible; being entitled: open hearts, open minds, OUTDOORS!, is pictured to the left. Daniel 2:36-45 read as follows:
"That was the dream, and now I'll tell you what it means. Your Majesty, you are the greatest of kings, and God has highly honored you with power over all humans, animals, and birds. You are the head of gold. After you are gone, another kingdom will rule, but it won't be as strong. Then it will be followed by a kingdom of bronze that will rule the whole world. Next, a kingdom of iron will come to power, crushing and shattering everything. This fourth kingdom will be divided-it will be both strong and brittle, just as you saw that the feet and toes were a mixture of iron and clay. This kingdom will be the result of a marriage between kingdoms, but it will crumble, just as iron and clay don't stick together. During the time of those kings, the God who rules from heaven will set up an eternal kingdom that will never fall. It will be like stone that was cut from the mountain, but not by human hands-the stone that crushed the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold. Your Majesty, in your dream the great God has told you what is going to happen, and you can trust this interpretation." The four kingdoms being referenced in the above-given passage from the Holy Bible are as follows: Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Greek, and Roman. Jesus was born during the time of the Roman empire ( see Luke 2:1, 5, 21, for example ); the phrase "Caesar Augustus" appears in Luke 2:1 ( KJV, for example ). Please read Luke, chapter 2, to get the context.
Jesus prophesied ( see Deuteronomy 18:15 and Acts 3:19-26, for example ) concerning the church in Matthew 16:18. Luke ( cf. Luke 1:3 and Acts 1:1 ) recorded the following in Acts 2:14-17: "Peter stood with the eleven apostles and spoke in a loud and clear voice to the crowd: Friends and everyone else living in Jerusalem, listen carefully to what I have to say! You are wrong to think that these people are drunk. After all, it is only nine o'clock in the morning. But this is what God had the prophet Joel say, 'When the last days come, I will give my Spirit to everyone. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will have dreams.'" Acts 2:17 ( KJV; with center-column references ) has a cross-reference to Joel 2:28-32. Thus, what was prophesied by the prophet Joel ( in Joel, chapter 2 ) occurred on the day of Pentecost, as we read in Acts, chapter 2.
The church which Jesus mentioned in Matthew 16:18 was first established on earth in Jerusalem ( see Acts 2:5, 38, 41, and 47, for example ); the word "church" appears in Acts 2:47 ( KJV, for example ). Thus, the "eternal kingdom that will never fall" ( as we read in Daniel 2:44 ) is a reference to the New Testament church. The phrase "eternal kingdom" ( the word "kingdom" in singular form ) clearly implies that since there is only one eternal kingdom, there can only be one New Testament church. This New Testament church is the church of Christ ( see Romans 16:16 and Ephesians 1:22, 23, for example, and recall Matthew 16:18 ); the phrases "churches of Christ" ( see Romans 16:16; KJV, for example ) and "Christ's churches" ( see Romans 16:16; CEV ) must have the same meaning.
With all of the above-given information in mind, "religious" denominationalism is not authorized in the Holy Bible. This means that the Methodist denomination, for example, is not the New Testament church. The time of Acts, chapter 2, was circa A.D. 33. The various Methodist denominations were not established until the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries A.D. [ See Handbook OF Denominations IN THE UNITED STATES: NEW TENTH EDITION, MEAD, FRANK S., Abingdon Press, NASHVILLE, Copyright 1985, 1990, 1995 by Abingdon Press, pp. 194-207. ]
If you have any questions about the Holy Bible, you can contact me by e-mail at:
<rewillis1_1@juno.com>
<Russell E. Willis>
NOTE: The words "empire" and "kingdom" are somewhat similar in meaning, though the word "kingdom" is specifically used in the phrases "kingdom of heaven" ( see Matthew 5:3, for example ) and "kingdom of God" ( see Matthew 6:33, for example; KJV, for example ), for example. The word "empire" does not appear in the sacred text of the King James Version New Testament.
