The "STONE KINGDOM" Throughout the Ages!

The prophet Daniel referred to only four kingdoms aside from the 5th, or stone, kingdom. The feet and toes of clay are a part of the Grecian Empire -- though in a weakened state. They are partly strong and partly broken or, as this should be translated, brittle. Therefore the only kings to whom Daniel would be referring are the heads of these four empires and, thus, he referred to the days of Babylon, Media, Persia, and Greece as the time when YEHOVAH God of Heaven would set up a kingdom. Before we provide evidence to prove this point, let's first see if we can find -- as a matter of historical record -- proof that YEHOVAH God did indeed set up an earthly kingdom. This is very important, and those of the Churches of God who have failed to thoroughly research history to see if YEHOVAH did so organize a kingdom have been very negligent in their efforts.

Most conscientious students of the Bible accept the little stone of Daniel as representative of the Kingdom of YEHOVAH God and of Yeshua His Messiah. With this we can be in perfect agreement. But when they try to tell us that this Kingdom has not yet been established, and that this event will not take place until the return of Yeshua the Messiah, we most certainly disagree with this idea. As history shows, their whole contention is totally wrong because YEHOVAH God did indeed set up a kingdom -- fulfilling in every detail everything that Daniel said about it and the time of its establishment.

Let's now turn to Isaiah 9:6-7 and see what this prophet of YEHOVAH God has to say --

Here Isaiah points out that at a future date Yeshua the Messiah will be born and that his destiny will be to rule over the physical Kingdom of YEHOVAH God while sitting on the throne of his forebear King David. That this Kingdom is the House of Jacob or Israel is affirmed by Paul in Romans 11:26, notice:

Then, in Acts 13:23-24:

Also, in Acts 5:30-31, we read --

From these scriptures we can clearly see that the kingdom over which Yeshua the Messiah is to reign "even forever" is the physical Kingdom of YEHOVAH God. The STONE to which Daniel refers is the EMBLEM of that Kingdom. But both Paul and Luke clearly state that the Kingdom over which Yeshua the Messiah is to reign forever is the HOUSE OF JACOB OR ISRAEL! Of this Kingdom -- the House of Jacob -- Isaiah says "there will be no end," and Daniel wrote that the Stone Kingdom would endure forever. Therefore, based on the statements made by Isaiah and others concerning the House of Jacob, and in conjunction with the statement of Daniel concerning the Stone Kingdom, this 5th kingdom of Daniel -- or the Parthian Empire -- can be none other than the House of Jacob! This, of course, we have already proven to be true when we delved into the origins of the Parthian Empire in our companion article Parthia -- The "Stone Kingdom" of Daniel 2!

Surely it is logical to expect a literal and exact fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy. Yeshua the Messiah was born to be a king, so Isaiah declared: (1) YEHOVAH will give him the throne of his forefather David; (2) he will reign over His (YEHOVAH's) Kingdom, which Paul and Luke (and others) declare to be the House of Jacob (Israel); and (3) of His Kingdom (YEHOVAH's Kingdom -- the House of Jacob) there shall be no end.

Let us carefully notice Isaiah's prophecy that Yeshua the Messiah was to RULE OVER THE HOUSE OF JACOB FOREVER. This makes the little stone of Daniel an emblem of the House of Jacob or Israel. Does history supply us with the evidence that YEHOVAH God of Heaven did set up a kingdom and that it was the House of Jacob? We find that at Mount Sinai in Arabia YEHOVAH God did indeed organize such a kingdom, circa 1487 B.C.:

This is echoed by the apostle Peter when he writes to the ten tribes of Israel in Asia Minor --

At Mount Sinai the House of Jacob was organized into the Kingdom of YEHOVAH God upon this earth. The facts of that organization are clearly presented in the 19th and 20th chapters of Exodus where the laws of that Kingdom are relayed to the people by YEHOVAH Himself. Then, in chapters 21 through 23, YEHOVAH instructs Moses concerning "The Law of the Altar," "The Law Concerning Servants," "The Law Concerning Violence," "Animal Control Laws," "Responsibility for Property," "Moral and Ceremonial Principles," "The Laws of Justice," "The Law of Sabbaths" and "The Law of the Feasts." This was, without a doubt, a physical, earthly, human Kingdom that was being set up by the Almighty! Only the person who shuts his eyes and closes his mind to reality will deny this fact!

In the Bible -- as well as in secular records -- we can follow the history of that kingdom. During the time the Israelites were captives in the land of Egypt, various groups managed to escape and find their way to the island of Crete and areas surrounding the Aegean Sea. From these areas the Israelite groups eventually found their way across Europe to the Appointed Place. YEHOVAH God who had established His Kingdom at Mount Sinai was actually preparing for the transplanting and setting up of that Kingdom in the Isles of the Sea -- far removed from the trouble and turmoil that followed the reign of the Babylonian Succession of Empires. In preparation for planting His people Israel in the Isles of the Sea, YEHOVAH sent an advance guard of the royal line of Judah to rule over His people when they arrived.

Shortly after the Exodus one of these groups, under the leadership of Gathelus, found its way to the shores of Ireland. Gathelus was the son of Cecrops -- an Israelite who fled Egypt and founded the city of Athens. According to The Harmsworth Encyclopedia, Cecrops was none other than Calcol of I Chronicles 2:6 -- the son of Zarah and grandson of Judah. In my article The Incredible Story of Lia Fail I wrote: "It is stated that Calcol was the leader of a band of Hebrew colonists from Egypt, who evidently left before the Exodus of the Bible." Herman L. Hoeh, in his Compendium of World History , states that "Athenian history commences with the founding of the city by Cecrops in 1556 [B.C.]" (Vol. I, p. 390).

Gathelus, the son of Cecrops, went to Egypt during the time of Moses to make contact with his brethren there. While in the land, "Pharaoh gave him one of his own daughters to wife. This lady was called Scota....She bore her husband two sons in Egypt, namely Eber Finn and Amerghin" (Geoffrey Keating, The History of Ireland). However, Gathelus soon incurred the wrath of the Pharaoh because of his friendship with Moses and the Israelites. According to Keating, "Pharaoh Intur and the Egyptians...remembered their old grudge to...the family of Gaedal [Gathelus], namely their resentment for the friendship the latter had formed with the children of Israel. They [the Egyptians], then, made war upon the Gaels, who were thereby compelled to exile themselves from Egypt" (History of Ireland from the Earliest Period to the English Invasion, pp. 153-156).

Hector Boece, in his Chronicles of Scotland, wrote: "A short while afterwards he [Gathelus] provisioned a ship and sailed out of the mouth of the River Nile with his wife, friends and servants -- Greeks and Egyptians -- for fear of the plagues of God" (pp. 22-24). After wending their way to Crete, Samothrace, Gotland, Norway, and finally Spain, the exiled Israelites, with their Judahite leaders, set about building towns which are known today as Barsale and Compestella. According to Boece, "following this Gathelus named all his subjects Scots, in honour and affection for his wife, who was called Scota..."

Seumas MacManus, in his book The Story of the Irish Race, records that "Miled [another name for Gathelus] having died in Spain, his eight sons, with their mother, Scota, their families and followers, at length set out on their venturous voyage to their Isle of Destiny...Eventually they made land -- Eber with the survivors of his following landing at Inver Sceni, in Bantry Bay...but losing their own Queen Scota in the fray [with the inhabitants of the island] -- and Eremon with his people at Invercolpa (mouth of the Boyne)" (p. 10). According to the British historian Nennius, speaking of the voyage from Egypt to Ireland, "he [Gathelus] was expelled [from Egypt] and he wandered for 42 years...and came to Spain, and there they lived for many years..." before moving on to Ireland after the death of Gathelus in Spain.

Another group of Israelites, who escaped from Egypt before the Exodus, eventually found their way to the Dardanelles where they founded the city of Troy. In the booklet How Israel Came to Britain, we read that "another [group of Israelites], under the leadership of Dardanus, a brother of Calcol, crossed to Asia Minor to found the Kingdom later known as Troy. When Troy was destroyed by the Greeks, the Trojans fled to Italy and later to Britain where they established themselves as the Kingdom of Britain about the year 1100 B.C." (p. 2). Relates author Raymond E. Capt --

YEHOVAH God planted the royal line of Judah in the Appointed Place -- Britain -- well in advance of the main body of Israelites that would eventually follow. The prophet Nathan told David of such a place to be appointed by YEHOVAH --

In 901-900 B.C. the House of Israel revolted from the rule of Solomon's son, and from that day forward the Kingdom was divided into TWO PARTS. During the years from 845 to 784 B.C. Israel's power and fame were greatly reduced and by 659 B.C. the first Assyrian invasion of the land of Israel led to the removal and captivity of the half-tribe of Mannasseh. By 640-638 B.C. Samaria was captured and the great captivity of the House of Israel (the 10-tribed northern Kingdom) commenced and the people were deported to the cities of the Medes.

The House of Judah (the 2-tribed southern Kingdom) suffered a similar fate in 524 B.C. when the first captivity of Judah began and Daniel and his companions were taken to Babylon. By 505 B.C. Jerusalem was captured by the enemy, the city and Temple destroyed, and the deportation of Judah completed.

YEHOVAH God planted the Throne in the Isles and later on Israel trekked to that appointed place, but their royal line had gone on before them. Speaking of these facts, and the breaking up of Israel as they followed their royal line to the place where the House of Jacob eventually became a multitude of people, the prophet Micah prophesied:

Throughout the entire period of the activity of the Babylonian Succession of Empires, YEHOVAH God was setting up His Kingdom. Therefore, Isaiah could say --

According to this statement of the prophet Isaiah, the setting up of the Kingdom of YEHOVAH was not accomplished in a short period of time for, following its organization at Mount Sinai, we find that it was a process covering centuries of time. Down through the ages the Kingdom has been growing and expanding under the direction and leadership of YEHOVAH God. How totally foolish, then, for people to say that this Kingdom is to suddenly come into existence after the Babylonian Succession has disappeared and the Messiah has appeared on the scene! We must realize that Yeshua is coming to take over the rulership of AN EXISTING KINGDOM!

New Testament scholars point out that, with over a hundred references in the Gospels, the Kingdom of YEHOVAH God -- or YEHOVAH's rule -- was a central theme in the preaching of the Messiah. A recurrent thread is evident in parables in which he instructs his disciples that the Kingdom of YEHOVAH is both a present reality and something that grows and develops over time.

In the parable of the sower, for example, Yeshua likens the Kingdom of YEHOVAH God to a farmer planting his field. Inevitably, along with the wheat (House of Israel) grow weeds (fellow travelers -- false Israelites). When asked whether the impostors should be rooted out, the Messiah replies: "But he said, 'No, because if you pull up the weeds, you might uproot some of the wheat at the same time. Let them both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest-time I will tell the reapers to collect the weeds first and tie them in bundles to be burned, but to gather the wheat into my barn'" (Matthew 13:29-30, Jewish New Testament). Yeshua is here indicating that just as a crop takes time to grow in the field, the Kingdom of YEHOVAH God is developing. At the end of time, at the return of Yeshua the Messiah and his Father YEHOVAH God, the true Israelites will be separated from the false.

This concept of YEHOVAH's Kingdom as developing through the ages is also suggested in the parable of the mustard seed, where the Messiah tells his disciples: "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed which a man takes and sows in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it grows up it is larger than any garden plant and becomes a tree, so that the birds flying about come and nest in its branches" (Matthew 13:31-32, Jewish New Testament).

History clearly reveals that after their royal line had passed on before them to the Isles of Britain, the House of Israel left the land of their Assyrian captors, moving through the "gates" of the Caucasus Mountains as they migrated from Asia (where the Israelitish Parthian Empire held sway for many centuries) into central and southern Europe. By the end of the third century B.C. the Celts, or "Gauls" as the Romans called them, filled the whole of Central Europe and North Italy -- from the Apennines to Brittany. It is around this time that they came increasingly under the scrutiny of the historians, for so greatly had the Celtic tribes increased in number, that their migrations to more extensive lands caused a general upheaval. They crossed the Alps and Apennines, overrunning Central and Southern Italy. In the process they overthrew and absorbed the fellow Israelite Etruscan states -- a civilization that exceeded that of Rome both in civilization and extent.

Rome was sacked and burned (390 B.C.) by the Gaulish leader Brennus, and Rome continued to be harassed by the Gauls for almost 200 years. Previous to the battle of Sentinum, the Gauls had never lost a battle against the Roman legions. In the century before Caesar, the Gauls again attacked the Romans, joining forces with their kinsmen, the Teutons from the north. In five battles they defeated five Roman consuls. For many years they ravaged all the country from the Rhine to the Pyrenees. Then they spread into Spain, where they were repulsed by a mingled branch of their own Israelitish stock -- the Iberians. The Celts and Gauls eventually expanded into Britain and Ireland, where they created individual rural communities.

Writes E. Raymond Capt --

The next to arrive in the "appointed place" were the Anglo-Saxons. Tacitus and Ptolemy both name the region of the River Elbe and the base of the Jutland Peninsula as the places inhabited by the Angles and the Saxons (Isaac's sons) before they came to Britain. Bede, the English historian in the 8th century, wrote an account of the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain --

The Saxons were mainly derived from the Western Scythians (Israelites) that migrated through the Caucasus (the "gate" mentioned by the prophet Micah) into Europe around the sixth century B.C.

By 1066 A.D. the final group of Israelites, during what secular history calls the Norman Conquest, arrived in the Isles -- completing the overland trek to the appointed place. The Normans were descended from the Norse, and William the Conqueror was the sixth generation from Rolf the Ganga who invaded the north of France in 853 A.D. The Normans were a branch of the Scythians who came from Scandinavia.

They and the other invading peoples are all of one origin -- Israelites of either the Scythian or the Cimmerian branch of the ancient Gimira (ga-me-ra-a-a), the Assyrian name for Israelites. The Ancient Britons are also descended from the same stock -- Hebrews that left Egypt before the Exodus or later from Palestine before the Captivities of Israel. From then on the Kingdom began to consolidate its position and grow as YEHOVAH prospered His people.

Thus, YEHOVAH established His Kingdom at Mount Sinai in circa 1487 B.C. and later, during the migrations of Gathelus and Brutus, set the throne of that Kingdom in the Isles of the sea. In the years that followed elements of the Israelite migrations, after leaving their mark in Asia and Europe, arrived in the "appointed place" of Britain to be ruled over by the "royal line" of Judah that had preceded them. Consequently, it was during a period of a little over 1,400 years that YEHOVAH God established and expanded His Kingdom during the days of those kings -- that is, of Babylon, Media, Persia and Greece -- in accurate fulfillment of Daniel's statements to the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar.

Let's briefly establish again the chronological boundaries of the four World Empires, for by so doing we will see how accurately Daniel spoke when he referred to Kingdom of YEHOVAH God coming into being during the reign of those kings:

1) The foundation of the Stone Kingdom was laid in circa. 1487 B.C. Meanwhile, the Babylonian Empire arose out of Assyria. Assyrian independence began about 1900 B.C. but Assyria was a weak state between 1500 and 1400 B.C. It gained brief mastery over Babylon through conquest by Tiglath-Adar (1300 B.C.).

2) Tiglath-Pileser I (1032 B.C.) spread his conquest to the Mediterranean and Caspian Seas on the west, and south to the Persian Gulf. Out of the Assyrian Empire arose the supremacy of Babylon when Nabopolassar, the father of Nebuchadnezzar, in conjunction with Ajaxares, King of the Medes, besieged and captured Nineveh in 527 B.C. By 508 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar had established his kingdom.

3) The Median Empire began its rise with the fall of Assyria (549-527 B.C.) in the Median struggle for independence. But it was not until Darius the Mede took over Babylon in 457 B.C. that the Medes became the second great World Empire.

4) The beginning of the Persian Empire is set by the historians to be 468 B.C. when Cyrus gained a swift victory over the Median King Astyages and captured his capital city of Ecbatana. By 334 B.C., when Alexander the Great conquered the Persian army, the fourth World Empire had come into existence.

5) The formative period of Greece is recognized by the historians as being from 776 B.C to 500 B.C., and continued down to 62 B.C. when both the Parthian Empire and that of Rome crushed what was left of Alexander's Empire.

From a study of the chronology of these four World Empires we find that their foundations were being laid between 776 B.C. and 468 B.C. -- a period of only 308 years. During this same period YEHOVAH, the God of Israel, was bringing pressure upon both the Houses of Israel and Judah, preparing to punish them for their iniquities in order that He might ultimately gather the people of the Kingdom to Himself in righteousness. It was during this time of correction that the northern House of Israel was taken into captivity by the Assyrians. In 641-638 B.C. they were "carried away out of their own land to Assyria" (II Kings 17:23). They were soon all removed -- completely. "There were none left but the tribe of [House of] Judah only" (II Kings 17:18). The House of Judah, only, remained. Then, more than 130 years later, Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon carried away the House of Judah. This occurred in two stages between 516 B.C. and 505 B.C.

So, from the time that the foundation of YEHOVAH's Kingdom was laid at Mount Sinai, throughout the centuries that the Babylonian Succession of Empires held sway, YEHOVAH God had been schooling His people -- first in the wilderness when they received His laws to administer, then in practical experience in their administration in the land of Palestine. Then came the long period of advanced schooling in the dispersion as Israel moved westward. On the way, in Asia, the House of Israel developed into its first world kingdom -- the PARTHIAN EMPIRE -- which rivaled Rome for almost five centuries. This was when the "little stone" was to strike the feet of the Babylonian image.

It is quite obvious, then, that the nation which accomplished this task of smiting the image upon its feet, "breaking in pieces and consuming all these kingdoms," can be none other than the people of the Stone Kingdom! But even with this phase of their task accomplished, the Kingdom was still only the "little stone." Continuing as a little stone, they have now grown into a company of nations and a great people in these latter days.

The growth of the Stone Kingdom into a mountain that will fill the whole earth will not reach its climax until Yeshua the Messiah returns to take over the Throne of his father David and reign over the House of Jacob forever. We should remember that in this day -- when men's hearts are failing them as the possibility of total destruction looms before them because of some terrorist or erratic leader of a third world country with the atomic bomb -- the promise given by Isaiah the prophet and Daniel is that YEHOVAH's Kingdom -- the House of Jacob, or stone of Nebuchanezzar's dream -- SHALL ENDURE FOREVER! Isaiah could therefore readily say --

In light of this statement by Isaiah, Daniel's declaration regarding the Kingdom -- that it "shall never be destroyed" -- takes on new meaning and we need not fear, even in this era of Islamic terrorism and atomic bombs. Furthermore, Daniel clearly states that this Kingdom will not be left to any other people.

The prophet Micah had a vision of the day when the Stone Kingdom -- the House of Jacob -- would become a UNIVERSAL kingdom. Notice --

With the mountain building phase of kingdom growth an accomplished fact, and with Yeshua the Messiah ruling from the Throne of his father David over the House of Jacob, and with YEHOVAH God the Father ruling the world from the Holy Temple, the result will be --

But before this takes place Israel, as YEHOVAH's battle ax and weapon of war, has to grow from the "stone" into the great "mountain" that Micah mentions! We can see this progression starting with the breaking up of Babylon in 457 B.C. The Medes and Persians destroyed Babylon, where the House of Judah had been taken captive. However, it turns out that the 10-Tribed House of Israel had been held captive in Media, and the Medes and Persians used some of these 10 Tribes as spearheads for their army to capture Babylon and release their brethren of the 2-Tribed House of Judah! In this way, and in YEHOVAH's infinite wisdom, the 10 Tribes of Israel were part of the army which destroyed Babylon, and therefore qualified as the "Stone" which smote the head of the Babylonian image!

In the same incredible way, when it was time for the Persians to be destroyed by Greece in 336 B.C., the Greeks used some of the 10-Tribed House of Israel to defeat Persia! The 10 Tribes were now known as the "Massagetae," and the Greeks used them as a spearhead to overthrow Persia. In this way Israel proved once again to be a "smiting stone" as foreseen by Daniel!

But now it was time, in 62 B.C., for the Grecian Empire to be demolished. Again the 10-Tribed House of Israel -- now known as the "Parthians" -- was used by YEHOVAH God to bring down the remnants of Alexander's Empire. Also, when Rome took advantage of the situation and moved against the Greeks, a part of the House of Israel, known as the "Getae," was used by the Romans as a spearhead of their army. As these Israelites were natural front line fighters from the days of Joshua, the Romans were more than happy to use them -- and Israel would qualify as a "smiting stone" on two fronts!

In 476 A.D., when the pagan Roman Empire had run its course and would be succeeded by the Papal Roman Empire, it was Israel again that had a leading part in the demolition of Rome. The final hammer blows against Rome were delivered by the people known as "Goths," and Goths means "God's People". These were part of the 10-Tribed House of Israel which brought about the collapse of the Roman Empire.

The House of Jacob or Israel is represented today by the Anglo-Saxon-Celtic peoples, and we should find in the history of these peoples clear-cut opposition to the civil and military might of continental Europe -- as well as an antagonism to Rome's ecclesiastical authority.

Edward VI (1547-53 A.D.) was responsible for the formation and institution of the rites and ceremonies of the English Church. His successor, Mary Tudor (1553-58 A.D.), directed her efforts toward reestablishing the Catholic Church. She lost Calais in 1557 A.D. -- the last English stronghold in France.

Not only was Israel of old used as the "smiting stone" in demolishing four powerful Empires, but also Israel, in the "Isles of the West," has been instrumental in saving the world from four more modern Empires:

1) The first blows of the modern efforts of the "Stone Kingdom" were directed at the European nation of Spain as it attempted to force England into the Catholic realm. Under the direction of Philip II of Spain a great armada was built and launched with the purpose of striking a decisive blow at Protestantism by the conquest of England. Pope Sextus V had assigned England to Philip and blessed his undertaking. This great armada consisted of 129 vessels, 65 of which weighed over 700 tons, with 8,000 sailors and 19,000 Castilian and Portuguese soldiers. Queen Elizabeth had 80 ships, only 30 of which were ships of the line. But the superior naval skill and experience of the English admirals, together with the fact that their vessels were smaller, enabled them to attack the larger ships of the Spanish Fleet far more effectively. The guns of the Spanish Fleet fired over the smaller English vessels and this helped defeat the Spaniards in 1588 A.D. The destruction was completed by violent storms and only 54 out of the original 129 vessels ever made it back to Spanish ports.

England's independence was saved and Protestantism (with elements of YEHOVAH's people among them) was safe -- but the Spanish naval power was completely demolished. The "little stone" had struck a major blow! Writes Howard B. Rand: "It is an interesting observation regarding this religious conflict that it was a struggle between two distinct conceptions of life. One believed in the all-powerful Church with a subservient State that would always do its bidding. The other believed in the freedom of conscience and worship and a State not subject to the dictation of ecclesiastical leaders" (Study in Revelation, p. 109).

Thereafter the House of Jacob in the Isles was well on its way toward the fulfillment of its mission. Following the destruction of the Spanish Armada, the foundation of England's colonial expansion and wealth was laid. With the commencement of her maritime supremacy the growth of trade and commerce began in England. England went to the assistance of the Reformation forces on the Continent and was at war with France in 1627 A.D. in support of the Huguenots. Between 1600 and 1800 A.D. Great Britain was involved in wars with France, Spain, Prussia and other European nations, and in this way the stone was YEHOVAH's battle ax and weapon of war as it struck against the civil and military authority of the Continental Powers under the thumb of the Catholic Church.

During this period the United States won its independence and was free to grow into a Great People, fulfilling the prophecy concerning Manasseh:

In that way one branch of the Israel peoples was separated from the rest of their brethren and during the subsequent years was being prepared by YEHOVAH to help when the final blows were to be struck to grind the Babylonian image to powder!

2) Napoleon Bonaparte swept everything before him in Europe and seemed invincible. By 1808 he was master of all Europe -- except for Russia and Great Britain. He gathered 300,000 troops on the English Channel and said, "Give me four hours control of the English Channel, and I will subdue England, and then all Europe." However, Napoleon never gained those four hours and, from this time on, his power began to decline. The chief reasons for this decline were that he then struck at Russia, set off for Moscow, and succumbed to the bitter Russian winter! Also, the rise of nationalism in the various defeated nations of Europe and the persistent opposition of Great Britain added to his problems.

Safe from invasion because of its superior navy and the fact of the English Channel, the British never ceased to organize and subsidize new coalitions against Napoleon. The first British coalition against France was formed in 1793 A.D., the second in 1798 A.D. The next year the Battle of the Nile was fought and Admiral Horatio Nelson was victorious, securing for Great Britain the domination of the Mediterranean. The third coalition against France came in 1805 A.D., and Napoleon's Continental successes were largely offset by the victory on October 21, 1805 of the British fleet under Nelson off Cape Trafalgar over the combined fleets of France and Spain. This victory gave Great Britain mastery of the sea throughout the remainder of the Napoleonic era.

In 1808 Sir Arthur Wellesley -- later known as "The Iron Duke" of Wellington -- was given command of the British expeditionary forces in Portugal, where in 1810 he first made use of his famous military tactic known as the scorched-earth policy, laying waste to the countryside behind him as he and his troops moved on. In the ensuing Peninsular War (1808-14), which resulted in the expulsion of Napoleon's armies from Portugal and Spain, Wellesley's troops won a series of victories -- especially at Talavera de la Reina (1809), Salamanca (1812), Vitoria (1813), and Toulouse (1814). His success in Spain won him many honors and in 1814 he was created 1st Duke of Wellington.

When Napoleon escaped from the island of Elba in February, 1815, and returned to France to resume hostilities against the allies, Wellington assumed command of the main allied armies. The Napoleonic Wars followed -- ending in the decisive defeat of Napoleon by Wellington at the Battle of Waterloo.

Thus the "little stone" struck a terrific blow that prevented France, under Napoleon, from realizing its dream of world conquest and building a new world empire. At both the battle of Waterloo in 1815, and at Trafalgar in 1805, Napoleon learned the lesson that it was true what Daniel the prophet said of the "smiting stone" of Israel -- its enemies would become "like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors."

3) One hundred years after Napoleon, in 1914 A.D., Kaiser Wilhelm Hohenzollern of Germany brought on World War I, with the invasion of Belgium -- which Britain and the Allies defended. The Kaiser proudly boasted -- "I will have my Christmas Dinner in Buckingham Palace when we win the war" -- however he failed to do so and, after the Armistice, finished up chopping wood in exile in Holland! The Stone Kingdom went into action once again and in 1917 the U.S.A. brought in fresh troops to the rescue, and Germany was finally defeated in 1918.

During World War I the city of Jerusalem was set free from the rule of the Islamic Turks. Because many in the Churches of God were unaware of the identity of the people of the kingdom, the significance of the taking of Jerusalem by General Allenby was totally lost to them -- and the Kaiser's attack in 1914 was just another war. But Jerusalem had been released from Gentile control by the armies of the Stone Kingdom and, for the first time, a world encompassing war was being fought. These two events, the German declaration of war in 1914 and the taking of Jerusalem in 1917, should have been trumpet blasts of warning to YEHOVAH's people that the age was coming to an end.

Once again the Kaiser and the European powers that fell upon YEHOVAH's Stone Kingdom were crushed into the dust of the ground! The time had arrived when Daniel's Stone Kingdom began the process that would eventually lead to its ballooning into the great mountain of the prophecy.

4) The defeat of Kaiser Wilhelm in 1918 did not bring German aggression to an end. Germany, though badly defeated, was not entirely vanquished, and the second phase of world war flared up anew on September 3, 1939. Great Britain was again at war with Germany but this time Hitler -- not the Kaiser -- was in power. In 1940, Adolf Hitler attacked Britain and threatened to destroy her, but YEHOVAH gave Britain the "Miracle of Dunkirk" and the upper hand in the Battle of Britain. In 1941 Britain was joined by the U.S.A., and eventually the Allies triumphed.

Daniel's little stone responded for the second time in twenty-five years to overwhelming odds and, with the help once again of the United States, unconditional surrender was demanded and received. The great juggernaut of American industry ended the political and military might of Germany and her allies and, correspondingly, the nations that fell upon YEHOVAH's Stone Kingdom came to their end. Hitler also had fallen on the "Stone Kingdom," and also learned the lesson of the prophet Daniel that to do so would result in his becoming "like the chaff of the summer threshing-floor." How wonderful and true is the Word of YEHOVAH!

Modern Israel must always be on guard against the rise of forces that would seek to destroy us. One such threat was thrust upon us on September 11, 2001, when Islamic terrorists destroyed the Twin Towers of New York and snuffed out some 3,000 lives.

Another reason to prove that Britain and the U.S. is the 5th and "Stone Kingdom" of Daniel, is shown by the very fact that the British Isles were "cut out" of the mountain of Europe "without hands." The British Isles at one time were part of the Continent, however, because of the influence of the weather, the sea, and sea life, the English Channel was formed -- and the British Isles were separated from Europe.

And it was this English Channel which saved Britain from Spain, Napoleon, the Kaiser and Adolf Hitler! In 1940 and 1941 the Nazi leaders looked out across the English Channel from France and wished that they could cross it. In vain they tried! The English Channel has been described as "Britain's great tank trap," and we can be thankful that it was so. Imagine what would have happened if there had been no English Channel and Hitler had been able to overrun Britain as he had Holland, Belgium and France! We can thank YEHOVAH God that He had given that protection to Britain as the Stone Kingdom -- "cut out without hands."

As YEHOVAH God's battle ax we may yet have to face and destroy those who would seek to dominate the world. It is well to bear in mind that Britain and the U.S. are the only two great powers that have never been defeated in war. Korea was a stalemate and the U.S. withdrew from Vietnam. All the other great powers have been defeated -- including Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Turkey, Russia, China and Japan. This is in keeping with Daniel 2:44 --

This is why Britain and the U.S. have never been defeated, and never will be in war, and will stand "forever." Let those forces of evil in the world take note! The mountain phase of the Stone Kingdom is not yet here. This will not become a fact until the Messiah and his heavenly Father return to this earth to usher in peace and prosperity for the peoples of the entire planet. At that time Yeshua will take over the reigns of the House of Jacob and rule forever over YEHOVAH's chosen people. YEHOVAH will move in behalf of His people so that the Stone Kingdom will not be destroyed by the evil forces that come up against it, since the House of Jacob is to grow into a huge mountain and fill the entire earth.

Note: Chronology in this article closely follows that of Dr. Martin Anstey's book The Romance of Bible Chronology.