Partly Strong and Partly Broken

Daniel 2:42

And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.

This passage is most appropriately applied to the final kingdom of this world prior to the coming of Christ to establish His own 100-year reign. It will be a ten-kingdom federation, which is today seen in the European Common Market. I believe it is a literal kingdom and a prophetic one that is not fully realized yet today. It will spring out of the area of the old Roman Empire.

But the phrase "partly strong and partly broken" describes, in my mind, any of the kingdoms men set up:

The major governments of the world

·       We may think of the kingdoms that exist and have existed in the region of the old Roman Empire: France, Germany, Italy and etc.

·       We could reference the major players in the axis and allies of WWII, England, the U.S. Russia and Germany, Italy and Japan.

·       We can reference those kingdoms that have wielded influence and power in later years: England, the United States, USSR.

·       We might mention up and coming powers such as China

No matter how powerful these nations have been or continue to be, they have always had weaknesses, enemies and threats. No one of them can assure themselves of lasting power. They might any one be toppled and more likely so if they are not wise enough to realize it and take precautions against it.

The many kingdoms of religion

The dominant religions of the world have always tended to see themselves as the gate to eternity. Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodox, and Islam, as well as others, have connected membership in their organizations as synonymous with heaven.

In every case these religions, that equate themselves as the power of God unto salvation, are a blend of truth and error. They take too much upon themselves. Though they have some measure of divine truth, by mixing with it human works, they corrupt the whole and become false.

The personal kingdom of self

No kingdom of man wields more influence than that of the heart. All other kingdoms spring from this one and find their most loyal followers among those who are committed to the kingdom of self.

·       No kingdom is as deluded as is this one.

·       No kingdom believes itself to be strong as much as this one.

·       No kingdom fights for dominance and insists upon its will so much as this one yet

·       No kingdom is as destined for destruction as is this one.

This kingdom of has a show of strength, but it is only a show. It is always under the thumb of Satan and never outside of the sovereignty of God. End the end, every soul knows his kingdom is broken and cannot stand. The wise surrender their kingdom to Christ. The foolish insist on their own strength until it is too late and they are crushed by death and hell.