In Matthew 24, the Lord Jesus spoke with his disciples of the end of the age. He said:

Matthew 24:14
14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. (KJV)

The disciples may have thought the Lord Jesus was referring to the end of the world because they knew from the prophets that a new heaven and new earth would follow the coming of the Son of Man (Daniel 7:13, Isaiah 65:17). However, God revealed to Paul that our present age of the Church which is the Body of Christ will have to run its full course before the appearance of the new heaven and new earth, and God revealed to the Apostle John that Christ will reign on this earth for 1000 years before the new heaven and new earth.

With these things in mind, it would appear that when Christ spoke of the end, He was actually referring to the end of Gentile dominion over Israel, which will coincide with the second coming of Christ at the end of the tribulation period.

God had promised Israel a worldwide kingdom. However, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and took the prophet Daniel to Babylon. There in captivity, Daniel had the opportunity to interpret a dream for Nebuchadnezzar which opened his eyes to the future.

In Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, the king saw a great statue with a head of gold, with breast and arms of silver, with belly and thighs of brass, with legs of iron and with feet of part iron and part clay. The dream included a great stone which struck the feet of the statue and caused the entire statue to crumble.

The statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream represented the gentile nations which would rule over Israel from the time of Nebuchadnezzar to the time of Israel’s promised kingdom. Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar that he, as the king of Babylon, was the head of gold. History reveals that the arms of silver represented the empires of the Medes and the Persians while the belly and thighs of brass symbolized the Greek Empire headed by Alexander the Great. The feet of iron and clay stood for the Roman Empire, and the toes represented nations of the tribulation period.

Although Daniel, Chapter 2, does not mention the antichrist, Daniel’s later prophecies and the prophecies of the Revelation confirm that the 10 toes represent the 10 nations of the tribulation period which will conspire with the antichrist to rule the world. Jesus Christ, the stone made without hands, will deal the final blow to Gentile dominion when He destroys the antichrist and his evil empire.

Daniel 2:44-45
44 "And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.
45 "Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold-- the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure." (NKJ)

Today, we live in an age which is dedicated solely to the Church which is the Body of Christ. This a unique period of time in which God has set aside His plan and purpose for the nation of Israel. Paul said to Titus that being a member of the Church is a special calling.

Titus 2:14
14 (Christ) gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. (NKJ)

Our present Church age began with the setting aside of Israel's program about 30 years after the death of the Lord Jesus, and it will end with the rapture and resurrection of the Church. After the rapture and resurrection of the Church, God will once again call unto Himself the believing remnant of Israel as the antichrist rules the world in the final manifestation of gentile dominion over Israel.

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

Other church links:
http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/
http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/
http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/