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2) Tiglath-Pileser I (1130 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, be-
sieged and captured Nineveh in 625 B.C. By 606 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar had established his kingdom.

3) The Medo-Persian Empire began its rise with the fall of Assyria (647-625 B.C.) in the Median
struggle for independence. But it was not until Cyrus conquered Babylon in 538 B.C. that the Medo-
Persians became the second great World Empire.

4) The formative period of Greece is set by the historians as 776 B.C. to 500 B.C. By 334 B.C., when
Alexander the Great conquered the Persian Army, the third World Empire had come into existence.

5) Roman legend ascribes the founding of the City of Rome to Romulus about 753 B.C. By 31 B.C.
this city had become the capitol of the fourth World Empire.

From a study of the chronology of these four World Empires we find their foundations were be-
ing laid between 776 and 625 B.C. -- a period of only 150 years. During this same period YEHO-
VAH, the God of Israel, was bringing pressure upon the Houses of Israel and Judah, preparing to
cleanse both houses of evil in order that He might ultimately gather the people of the Kingdom to Him-
self in righteousness. Those years saw the beginning of the Seven Times of punishment that would end in
the final cleansing of the Kingdom which would then prepare them for the assumption of world rulership
after the end of the "Times of the Gentiles." Thus, from the time that the foundation of YEHOVAH's
Kingdom was laid at Mount Sinai, throughout the centuries that the Babylonian Succession of Empires
has held sway, YEHOVAH God has been schooling His people -- first in the wilderness when they re-
ceived 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 "wilderness of the people" as Israel moved
westward, followed by the gathering into the appointed place, after which 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 "lit-
tle stone." Continuing as a little stone, they have now grown into a company of nations and a great peo-
ple in these latter days.

Established Forever

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 mad leader of a third
world country with the atomic bomb -- the promise given by the angel to Mary and through the prophet

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