Chapter IX: Part VI: The Sure Word of Prophecy (1)

Handwriting On The Wall. "In that night was Belshazzar ... slain, and
Darius the Median took the kingdom." Dan. 5:30, 31.

Prophecy, Why Given

Daniel In Babylon. "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but He revealeth
His secret unto His servants the prophets." Amos 3:7.

1. Why were the Sacred Writings given?

“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written _for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope_.” Rom. 15:4.

2. By what means is all scripture given?

“All scripture is given _by inspiration of God_.” 2 Tim 3:16, first part.

3. For what is it profitable?

“And is profitable for _doctrine_, for _reproof_, for _correction_, for _instruction in righteousness_.” Same verse, last part.

4. How was the prophecy given?

“For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but _holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost_.” 2 Peter 1:21.

5. What is the Lord able to do regarding the future?

“Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: _before they spring forth I tell you of them_.” Isa. 42:9.

6. How far-reaching is God’s ability to reveal the future?

“Remember the former things of old: for I am God, ... and there is none like Me, _declaring the end from the beginning_, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done.” Isa. 46:9, 10.

NOTES.—In contrast with this, note the following confession of a
noted modern historian as to man’s inability to reveal the
future:—

“History has yet made so slight progress toward the scientific
basis that she is able to foretell nothing that is to be
hereafter. As to the future, she is stone-blind. There is not a
philosopher in the world who can forecast the historical evolution
to the extent of a single day. The historian is as completely dumb
before the problems of 1895 as a charlatan weather-prophet ought
to be with respect to the meteorological conditions of the next
season. The year will come and go. It will fulfil its purpose in
the great calendar of man-life. Its events and issues will be
evolved with scientific exactitude out of antecedent conditions.
But no man living can predict what the aspect and event will be.
The tallest son of the morning can neither foretell nor foresee
the nature of what is to come in the year that already stands
knocking at the door.”—_John Clark Ridpath, in Christian at Work,
Dec. 27, 1894._

Knowing all things, the future is present with God. More, perhaps,
than any other one thing, the prophecies of the Bible and their
fulfilment bear witness to its divine inspiration.

7. To whom does God reveal the secrets of the future?

“Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but He revealeth His secret unto His servants _the prophets_.” Amos 3:7.

8. To whom do the things which have been revealed belong?

“The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong _unto us and to our children forever_.” Deut. 29:29.

9. What testimony did the apostle Peter bear concerning his experience on the mount of transfiguration?

“_For we have not followed cunningly devised fables_, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, _but were eye-witnesses of His majesty_.” 2 Peter 1:16.

10. When did he say he saw the majesty of Christ, and heard the voice from heaven?

“And this voice which came from heaven we heard, _when we were with Him in the holy mount_.” Verse 18.

11. How does he emphasize the reliability of prophecy?

“And we have the word of prophecy _made more sure_.” Verse 19, R. V. “Now _more confirmed_.” Boothroyd’s translation.

NOTE.—Every fulfilment of prophecy is a confirmation of the
truthfulness and reliability of prophecy.

12. What admonition is therefore given?

“Whereunto ye do well that ye _take heed_, as unto a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts.” Verse 19, last part, R. V.

13. What has ever been the theme of God’s prophets?

“Receiving the end of your faith, even _the salvation of your souls_. Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you.” 1 Peter 1:9, 10.

14. Whose spirit inspired their utterances?

“Searching what, or what manner of time _the Spirit of Christ which was in them_ did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.” Verse 11.

15. In what prophecy did Christ recognize Daniel as a prophet?

“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by _Daniel the prophet_, stand in the holy place, (_whoso readeth, let him understand_).” Matt. 24:15.

16. To what time were the prophecies of Daniel, as a whole, to be sealed?

“But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to _the time of the end_: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” Dan. 12:4.

17. What assurance was given by the angel that these prophecies would be understood in the last days?

“And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; _but the wise shall understand_.” Verses 9, 10.

18. What is the last book of the Bible called?

“_The Revelation of Jesus Christ_, which God gave unto Him.” Rev. 1:1.

19. What is said of those who read, hear, and keep the things contained in this book?

“_Blessed_ is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein.” Verse 3.

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

Daniel Interpreting The Dream. "There is a God in heaven that revealeth
secrets." Dan. 2:28.

1. What statement did Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, make to his wise men whom he had assembled?

“And the king said unto them, _I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream_.” Dan. 2:3.

2. After being threatened with death if they did not make known the dream and the interpretation, what did the wise men say to the king?

“The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, _There is not a man upon the earth that can show the king’s matter_: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean. And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and _there is none other that can show it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh_.” Verses 10, 11.

3. After the wise men had thus confessed their inability to do what the king required, who offered to interpret the dream?

“Then _Daniel_ went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would show the king the interpretation.” Verse 16.

4. After Daniel and his fellows had sought God earnestly, how were the dream and its interpretation revealed to Daniel?

“Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel _in a night-vision_. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.” Verse 19.

5. When brought before the king, what did Daniel say?

“Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, show unto the king; but _there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets_, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these.” Verses 27, 28.

6. What did Daniel say the king had seen in his dream?

“Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these; ... Thou, O king, sawest, and behold _a great image_. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible.” Verses 28-31.

7. Of what were the different parts of the image composed?

“This image’s head was of fine _gold_, his breast and his arms of _silver_, his belly and his thighs of _brass_, his legs of _iron_, his feet _part of iron and part of clay_.” Verses 32, 33.

8. By what means was the image broken to pieces?

“Thou sawest till that _a stone_ was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.” Verse 34.

9. What became of the various parts of the image?

“Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and _became like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors; and the wind carried them away_, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.” Verse 35.

10. With what words did Daniel begin the interpretation of the dream?

“Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath He given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. _Thou art this head of gold._” Verses 37, 38.

NOTE.—The character of the Babylonian Empire is fittingly
indicated by the nature of the material composing that portion of
the image by which it was symbolized—the head of gold. It was “the
golden kingdom of a golden age.” The city of Babylon, its
metropolis, according to history towered to a height never equaled
by any of its later rivals. “Situated in the garden of the East;
laid put in a perfect square sixty miles in circumference, fifteen
miles on each side, surrounded by a wall three hundred and fifty
feet high and eighty-seven feet thick, with a moat, or ditch,
around this, of equal cubic capacity with the wall itself; divided
into six hundred and seventy-six squares, laid out in luxuriant
pleasure-grounds and gardens, interspersed with magnificent
dwellings,—this city, containing in itself many things which were
themselves wonders of the world, was itself another and still
mightier wonder.... Such was Babylon, with Nebuchadnezzar,
youthful, bold, vigorous, and accomplished, seated upon its
throne.”

11. What was to be the nature of the next kingdom after Babylon?

“After thee shall arise another kingdom _inferior to thee_.” Verse 39, first part.

12. Who was the last Babylonian king?

“In that night was _Belshazzar_ the king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.” Dan. 5:30, 31. See also verses 1, 2.

13. To whom was Belshazzar’s kingdom given?

“Thy kingdom is divided, and given to _the Medes and Persians_.” Verse 28.

14. By what is the Medo-Persian Empire represented in the great image?

“The breast and arms of silver.” Dan. 2:32.

15. By what is Grecia, the kingdom succeeding Medo-Persia, represented in the image?

“His belly and his thighs of _brass_.” Verse 32. “And another _third kingdom of brass_, which shall bear rule over all the earth.” Verse 39.

16. What is said of the fourth kingdom?

“And the fourth kingdom _shall be strong as iron_: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, _shall it break in pieces and bruise_.” Verse 40.

17. What scripture shows that the Roman emperors ruled the world?

“And it came to pass in those days, that _there went out a __ decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed_.” Luke 2:1.

NOTE.—Describing the Roman conquests, Gibbon uses the very imagery
employed in the vision of Daniel 2. He says: “The arms of the
republic, sometimes vanquished in battle, always victorious in
war, advanced with rapid steps to the Euphrates, the Danube, the
Rhine, and the ocean; and the images of _gold_, or _silver_, or
_brass_, that might serve to represent the nations and their
kings, were successively broken by the _iron_ monarchy of
Rome.”—_“__Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,__”__ chap. 38,
par. I, under __“__General Observations,__”__ at the close of the
chapter._

18. What was indicated by the mixture of clay and iron in the feet and toes of the image?

“And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, _the kingdom shall be divided_.” Dan. 2:41.

19. In what prophetic language was the varying strength of the ten kingdoms of the divided empire indicated?

“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_ [margin, _brittle_].” Verse 42.

20. Were any efforts to be made to reunite the divided empire of Rome?

“And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, _they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men_: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.” Verse 43.

NOTES.—Charlemagne, Charles V, Louis XIV, and Napoleon all tried
to reunite the broken fragments of the Roman Empire, but failed.
By marriage and intermarriage ties have been formed with a view to
strengthening and cementing together the shattered kingdom; but
none have succeeded. The element of disunion remains. Many
political revolutions and territorial changes have occurred in
Europe since the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 A.D.; but its
divided state still remains.

This remarkable dream, as interpreted by Daniel, presents in the
briefest form, and yet with unmistakable clearness, the course of
world empires from the time of Nebuchadnezzar to the close of
earthly history and the setting up of the everlasting kingdom of
God. The history confirms the prophecy. The sovereignty of the
world was held by Babylon from the time of this dream, B.C. 603,
until B.C. 538, when it passed to the Medes and Persians. The
victory of the Grecian forces at the battle of Arbela, in B.C.
331, marked the downfall of the Medo-Persian Empire, and the
Greeks then became the undisputed rulers of the world. The battle
of Pydna, in Macedonia, in B.C. 168, was the last organized effort
to withstand a world-wide conquest by the Romans, and at that time
therefore the sovereignty passed from the Greeks to the Romans,
and the fourth kingdom was fully established. The division of Rome
into ten kingdoms is definitely foretold in the vision recorded in
the seventh chapter of Daniel, and occurred between the years 351
A.D. and 476 A.D.

21. What is to take place in the days of these kingdoms?

“And in the days of these kings shall _the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed_: ... but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” Verse 44.

NOTE.—This verse foretells the establishment of another universal
kingdom, the kingdom of God. This kingdom is to overthrow and
supplant all existing earthly kingdoms, and is to stand forever.
The time for the setting up of this kingdom was to be “in the days
of these kings.” This cannot refer to the four preceding empires,
or kingdoms; for they were not contemporaneous, but successive;
neither can it refer to an establishment of the kingdom at
Christ’s first advent, for the ten kingdoms which arose out of the
ruins of the Roman Empire were not yet in existence. It must
therefore be yet future.

22. In what announcement in the New Testament is the establishment of the kingdom of God made known?

“And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, _The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ_; and He shall reign forever and ever.” Rev. 11:15.

23. For what have we been taught to pray?

“_Thy kingdom come._ Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” Matt. 6:10.

24. What event is closely associated with the establishment of God’s everlasting kingdom?

“I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at _His appearing_ and His kingdom.” 2 Tim. 4:1.

25. With what prayer do the Scriptures close?

“He that testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. _Even so, come, Lord Jesus._” Rev. 22:20.

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Look for the way-marks as you journey on,
Look for the way-marks, passing one by one:
Down through the ages, past the kingdoms four,—
Where are we standing? Look the way-marks o’er.

First, Babylonia’s kingdom ruled the world,
Then Medo-Persia’s banners were unfurled;
And after Greece held universal sway,
Rome seized the scepter,—where are we today?

Down in the feet of iron and of clay,
Weak and divided, soon to pass away;
What will the next great, glorious drama be?—
Christ and His coming, and eternity.

F. E. BELDEN.

The Gospel Of The Kingdom

Jerusalem And The Mount Of Olives. "In the days of these kings shall the
God of heaven set up a kingdom." Dan. 2:44.

1. What gospel did Jesus preach?

“And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching _the gospel of the kingdom_.” Matt. 4:23.

2. How extensively did He say this should be preached?

“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.” Matt. 24:14.

3. What shows that it has always been God’s purpose that all the world should hear the gospel?

“Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee: and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: and _in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed_.” Gen. 12:1-3. “And the Scripture, _foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith_, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.” Gal. 3:8.

4. How did God warn Israel against formalism?

“Forasmuch as this people draw near Me with their _mouth_, and with their _lips_ do honor Me, but have removed their heart far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the precept of men: therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people: ... for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.” Isa. 29:13, 14.

5. What shows that they had substituted the ritual service of the temple for heart service?

“Thus saith the Lord, ... Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. _Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, are these._” Jer. 7:3, 4.

6. What national disaster did they bring upon themselves by their apostasy from God?

“So all Israel were reckoned by genealogies; and, behold, they were written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah, _who were carried away to Babylon for their transgression_.” 1 Chron. 9:1.

NOTE.—From the earliest times it has been God’s purpose that those
who receive the gospel should make it known to others. For this
purpose He chose a special people and established them in
Palestine, in the highway of the nations; but they shut up the
revelation of the truth to themselves, and so lost it. A few, like
Daniel and his companions, maintained a personal connection with
God, although surrounded by spiritual declension and dry
formalism, and so were chosen by God to carry out His plan that
the gospel of the kingdom should be preached in Babylon. They were
tested and trained in Babylon, as shown in the first chapter of
Daniel, and then, being ready to make known the gospel, the way
providentially opened for them by the dream of Nebuchadnezzar.

7. In interpreting Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, what kingdom did Daniel say would follow the four world empires?

“And in the days of these kings shall _the God of heaven set up a kingdom_, which shall never be destroyed.” Dan. 2:44.

8. What was this kingdom to do to the other kingdoms?

“The kingdom shall not be left to other people, but _it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms_.” Same verse.

9. How long is this kingdom to continue?

“And it shall _stand forever_.” Same verse, last clause.

10. What words of Christ imply the gospel’s final triumph?

“And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and _the gates of hell shall not prevail against it_.” Matt. 16:18.

NOTE.—Anciently the gates to cities were places for holding
courts, transacting business, and deliberating on public matters.
The word gates, therefore, is used for counsels, designs,
machinations, and evil purposes. The gates of hell mean the
plottings, stratagems, and designs of Satan to overthrow the
church. But none of these are to prevail.

11. What promises to David will thus be fulfilled?

“Thine house and thy kingdom shall be established forever: ... thy throne shall be established forever.” 2 Sam. 7:16.

NOTE.—By uniting His divinity with humanity in becoming the Son of
David, Christ laid the foundation upon which He built His church,
and thus established the house of David forever. The kingdom of
God, the house of David, and the church of Christ are so
inseparably connected in this prophecy that the establishment of
either involves the establishment of the other two.

12. Through whom are these promises to be fulfilled?

“He shall be great, and shall be called _the Son of the Highest_: and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David: and He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end.” Luke 1:32, 33.

13. In order to fulfil these promises, whose son did the Son of God become?

“The son of _David_.” Matt. 22:42.

14. What is this union of divinity and humanity called?

“And without controversy great is _the mystery of godliness_: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” 1 Tim. 3:16.

15. What did Jesus call this same mystery?

“And He said unto them, Unto you it is given to know _the mystery of the kingdom of God_: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables.” Mark 4:11.

16. In what confession did the wise men of Babylon deny any knowledge of this essential doctrine of Christianity?

“And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can show it before the king, except _the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh_.” Dan. 2:11.

NOTE.—The union of the divine and human in the person of Christ is
“the mystery of godliness,” or “the mystery of the kingdom of
God.” In the case of the seed which is sown in the field, this
same principle is illustrated by the union of the reproducing
power with the material form. As the seed is thus capable of
multiplying itself, so Christ reproduces His own character in
believers, by making them partakers of the divine nature. At His
coming He bestows upon the subjects of the kingdom the gift of
immortality (1 Cor. 15:51-53), and so the kingdom will stand
forever. It is quite likely that the wise men of Babylon did not
understand about the incarnation of God in the flesh in the coming
Messiah, but in their statement that the dwelling of the gods was
not with flesh they announced the fundamental error of Babylon,
both ancient and modern, and really denied the vital principle of
Christianity. This was the essential secret, or mystery, of the
kingdom of God, which needed to be known in Babylon, and which is
still to be proclaimed throughout the world.

17. Concerning what did Daniel and his companions pray?

“Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions: that they would desire mercies of the God of heaven _concerning this secret_.” Verses 17, 18.

18. What would have been the result of failure on their part to obtain a knowledge of this mystery?

“That Daniel and his fellows should not _perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon_.” Verse 18, last part.

19. How was the secret concerning the king’s dream revealed, and thus the mystery of the kingdom of God made known in Babylon?

“Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel _in a night-vision_. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.” Verse 19.

NOTE.—The most vital truth of the gospel of the kingdom of God was
denied in the religion of Babylon. This made it necessary that
this very truth should be preached in Babylon. This mystery of the
kingdom of God was the real and essential secret which the wise
men of Babylon could not make known to the king, and which could
be learned only by revelation. This is the mystery which “from the
beginning of the world hath been hid in God” (Eph. 3:9); and the
“riches of the glory of this mystery” is “Christ in you, the hope
of glory” (Col. 1:27), or “the mystery of the gospel” (Eph. 6:19).

20. How did Nebuchadnezzar acknowledge God as the revealer, and thus Daniel’s intimate fellowship with Him?

“The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that _your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret_.” Verse 47.

21. When the gospel of the kingdom has been fully preached, and Christ appears as King, what invitation will be extended to those who have learned “the mystery of the kingdom”?

“When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory: and before Him shall be gathered all nations.... Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, _Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world_.” Matt. 25:31-34.

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Thy kingdom come. Thus day by day
We lift our hands to God, and pray;
But who has ever duly weighed
The meaning of the words He said?

Four Great Monarchies

Isaiah’s Vision Of The Ruins Of Babylon. "And the dream is certain, and
the interpretation thereof sure." Dan. 2:45.

1. At what time was Daniel’s second vision given?

“_In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon_ Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.” Dan. 7:1.

NOTE.—That is, in the first year of Belshazzar’s office as
associate king with his father Nabonadius, or 540 B.C.

2. What effect did this dream have upon Daniel?

“I Daniel was _grieved in my spirit_ in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head _troubled me_.” Verse 15.

NOTE.—The effect of Daniel’s dream upon him, it will be noticed,
was similar to the effect of Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams upon him; it
troubled him. See Dan. 2:1.

3. What did Daniel ask of one of the heavenly attendants who stood by him in his dream?

“I came near unto one of them that stood by, _and asked him the truth of all this_. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things.” Verse 16.

4. What did the prophet see in this vision?

“Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, _the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea_.” Verse 2.

5. What was the result of this strife?

“And _four great beasts came up from the sea_, diverse one from another.” Verse 3.

The Four Beasts Of Daniel 7. "These great beasts, which are four, are four
kings, which shall arise out of the earth." Dan. 7:17.

6. What did these four beasts represent?

“These great beasts, which are four, are _four kings, which shall arise out of the earth_.” Verse 17.

NOTE.—The word kings here, as in Dan. 2:44, denotes kingdoms, as
explained in verses 23 and 24 of the seventh chapter, the two
words being used interchangeably in this prophecy.

7. In symbolic language, what is represented by winds?

Strife, war, commotion. See Jer. 25:31-33; 49:36, 37.

NOTE.—That winds denote strife and war is evident from the vision
itself. As a result of the striving of the winds, kingdoms rise
and fall.

8. What, in prophecy, is symbolized by waters?

“And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest ... are _peoples_, and _multitudes_, and _nations_, and _tongues_.” Rev. 17:15.

NOTE.—In the second chapter of Daniel, under the figure of an
image of man, the mere political outline of the rise and fall of
earthly kingdoms is given, preceding the setting up of God’s
everlasting kingdom. In the seventh chapter, earthly governments,
are represented as viewed in the light of Heaven,—under the
symbols of wild and ferocious beasts,—the last, in particular,
oppressing and persecuting the saints of the Most High. Hence the
change in the symbols used to represent these kingdoms.

9. What was the first beast like?

“_The first was like a lion_, and had eagle’s wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.” Dan. 7:4.

NOTE.—The lion, the first of these four great beasts, like the
golden head of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, represents the Babylonian
monarchy; the lion, the king of beasts, standing at the head of
his kind, as gold does of metals. The eagle’s wings doubtless
denote the rapidity with which Babylon extended its conquests
under Nebuchadnezzar, who reigned from B.C. 604 to B.C. 561. This
kingdom was overthrown by the Medes and Persians in B.C. 538.

10. By what was the second kingdom symbolized?

“And behold another beast, _a second, like to a bear_, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.” Verse 5.

NOTE.—“This was the _Medo-Persian_ Empire, represented here under
the symbol of a _bear_.... The Medes and Persians are compared to
a bear on account of their _cruelty and thirst after blood_, a
bear being a most voracious and cruel animal.”—_Adam Clarke, on
Dan. 7:5._

11. By what was the third universal empire symbolized?

“After this I beheld, and lo another, _like a leopard_, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.” Verse 6.

NOTES.—If the wings of an eagle on the back of a lion denoted
rapidity of movement in the Babylonian, or Assyrian, Empire (see
Hab. 1:6-8), four wings on the leopard must denote unparalleled
celerity of movement in the Grecian Empire. This we find to be
historically true.

“The rapidity of Alexander’s conquests in Asia was marvelous: he
burst like a torrent on the expiring Persian Empire, and all
opposition was useless. The gigantic armies collected to oppose
him melted like snow in the sunshine. The battles of Granicus,
B.C. 334, Issus in the following year, and Arbela in B.C. 331,
settled the fate of the Persian Empire, and established the wide
dominion of the Greeks.”—_“__The Divine Program of the World’s
History,__”__ by H. Grattan Guinness, page 308._

“The beast had also four heads.” The Grecian Empire maintained its
unity but a short time after the death of Alexander, which
occurred in B.C. 323. Within twenty-two years after the close of
his brilliant career, or by B.C. 301, the empire was divided among
his four leading generals. Cassander took Macedonia and Greece in
the west; Lysimachus had Thrace and the parts of Asia on the
Hellespont and Bosporus in the north; Ptolemy received Egypt,
Lydia, Arabia, Palestine, and Cœle-Syria in the south; and
Seleucus had all the rest of Alexander’s dominions in the east.

12. How was the fourth kingdom represented?

“After, this I saw in the night-visions, and behold _a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth_: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; _and it had ten horns_.” Verse 7.

13. What was the fourth beast declared to be?

“Thus he said, _The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth_, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.” Verse 23.

NOTES.—“This is allowed on all hands to be the Roman Empire. It
was _dreadful_, _terrible_, and _exceeding strong_; ... and
became, in effect, what the Roman writers delight to call it, the
_empire of the whole world_.”—_Adam Clarke, on Dan. 7:7._

The final overthrow of the Greeks, by the Romans, was at the
battle of Pydna, in 168 B.C.

14. What was denoted by the ten horns?

“And the ten horns out of this kingdom are _ten kings that shall arise_.” Verse 24.

NOTES.—The Roman Empire was broken up into ten kingdoms between
the years 351 A.D. and 476 A.D.

“The historian Machiavelli, without the slightest reference to
this prophecy, gives the following list of the nations which
occupied the territory of the Western Empire at the time of the
fall of Romulus Augustulus (476 A.D.), the last emperor of Rome:
The Lombards, the Franks, the Burgundians, the Ostrogoths, the
Visigoths, the Vandals, the Heruh, the Suevi, the Huns, and the
Saxons: ten in all.

“Amidst unceasing and almost countless fluctuations, the kingdoms
of modern Europe have from their birth to the present day
_averaged_ ten in number. They have never since the breaking up of
old Rome been united into one single empire; they have never
formed _one whole_ even like the United States. No scheme of proud
ambition seeking to reunite the broken fragments has ever
succeeded; when such have arisen, they have been invariably dashed
to pieces.

“And the division is as apparent now as ever. Plainly and palpably
inscribed on the map of Europe this day, it confronts the skeptic
with its silent but conclusive testimony to the fulfilment of this
great prophecy. Who can alter or add to this tenfold list of the
kingdoms now occupying the sphere of old Rome? _Italy, Austria,
Switzerland, France, Germany, England, Holland, Belgium, Spain,
and Portugal_—ten, and no more; ten, and no less.”—_“__The Divine
Program of the World’s History,__”__ by H. Grattan Guinness, pages
318-321._

15. What change did Daniel see take place in these horns?

“I considered the horns, and, behold, _there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots_: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.” Verse 8.

16. What inquiry on the part of Daniel shows that the fourth beast, and especially the little horn phase of it, constitutes the leading feature of this vision?

“Then _I would know the truth of the fourth beast_, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet; _and of the ten horns_ that were in his head, and _of the other which came up_, and _before whom three fell_; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.” Verses 19, 20.

17. When was the little horn to arise?

“And another shall rise _after them_.” Verse 24.

NOTE.—The ten horns, as already shown, arose when Rome, the fourth
kingdom, was divided into ten kingdoms. This division was
completed in A.D. 476. The little-horn power was to arise after
them.

18. What was to be the character of the little horn?

“And he shall be _diverse_ from the first, and he shall _subdue three kings_.” Same verse, last part.

NOTES.—That power which arose in the Roman Empire after the fall
of Rome in A.D. 476, which was entirely different from all the ten
kingdoms into which Rome was divided (for it demanded and
exercised spiritual power over the other kingdoms), and before
whom three of the other kings—the Heruli, the Vandals, and the
Ostrogoths—fell, was the Papacy.

Having located the place and the time of the kingdom of the little
horn, the study of its character and work will be considered in
the readings which follow.

The Kingdom And Work Of Antichrist

The Papal Tiara. "He shall speak great words against the Most High." Dan.
7:25.

1. What is said of the little horn as compared with the ten horns of the fourth beast of Daniel 7?

“He shall be _diverse_ from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.” Dan. 7:24.

NOTE.—The Papacy, which arose on the ruins of the Roman Empire,
differed from all previous forms of Roman power, in that it was an
ecclesiastical despotism claiming universal dominion over both
spiritual and temporal affairs, especially the former. It was a
union of church and state, with the church dominant.

2. What attitude of rivalry was the Papacy, represented by the little horn, to assume toward the Most High?

“And he shall _speak great words against the Most High_.” Verse 25, first clause.

3. How does Paul, speaking of the man of sin, describe this same power?

“Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” 2 Thess. 2:4.

NOTES.—The following extracts from authoritative works, most of
them by Roman Catholic writers, will indicate to what extent the
Papacy has done this:—

“All the names which are attributed to Christ in Scripture,
implying His supremacy over the church, are also attributed to the
Pope.”—_Bellarmine, __“__On the Authority of Councils__”__ book 2,
chap. 17._

“For thou art the shepherd, thou art the physician, thou art the
director, thou art the husbandman; finally thou art another God on
earth.”—_From Oration of Christopher Marcellus in fourth session
of Fifth Lateran Council, Labbe and Cossart’s __“__History of the
Councils,__”__ published in 1672, Vol. XIV, col. 109._

“For not man, but God, not by human but rather by divine
authority, releases those whom, on account of the need of the
churches or what is regarded as a benefit, the Roman pontiff (who
is vicegerent on earth, not of mere man, but of the true God)
separates [from their churches].”—_“__The Decretals of Gregory
IX,__”__ book 1, title 7, chap. 3._

“The Pope is the supreme judge of the law of the land. He is the
vicegerent of Christ, who is not only a priest forever, but also
King of kings and Lord of lords.”—_From the Civilta Cattolica,
March 18, 1871, quoted in __“__Vatican Council,__”__ by Leonard
Woolsey Bacon, American Tract Society edition, page 220._

“Christ entrusted His office to the chief pontiff; ... but all
power in heaven and in earth has been given to Christ; ...
therefore the chief pontiff, who is His vicar, will have this
power.”—_Gloss on the __“__Extravagantes Communes,__”__ book 1,
__“__On Authority and Obedience,__”__ chap. 1, on words Porro
Subesse Romano Pontiff. Canon law, published in 1556, Vol. III,
__“__Extravagantes Communes,__”__ col. 29._

“Hence the Pope is crowned with a triple crown, as king of heaven,
and earth, and purgatory (_Infernorum_).”—_“__Prompta
Bibliotheca,__”__ Ferraris, Vol. VI, page 26, article
__“__Papa__”__ (the Pope)._

“The decision of the Pope and the decision of God constitute one
decision, just as the opinion of the Pope and his disciple are the
same. Since, therefore, an appeal is always taken from an inferior
judge to a superior, as no one is greater than himself, so no
appeal holds when made from the Pope to God, because there is one
consistory of the Pope himself and of God Himself, of which
consistory the Pope himself is the key-bearer and the doorkeeper.
Therefore no one can appeal from the Pope to God, as no one can
enter into the consistory of God without the mediation of the
Pope, who is the key-bearer and the doorkeeper of the consistory
of eternal life; and as no one can appeal to himself, so no one
can appeal from the Pope to God, because there is one decision and
one curia [court] of God and of the Pope.”—_Writings of Augustinus
de Ancona, printed without title-page or pagination, Ques. VI,
__“__On an Appeal From the Decision of the Pope.__”_

“All the faithful of Christ must believe that the Holy Apostolic
See and the Roman pontiff possesses the primacy over the whole
world, and that the Roman pontiff is the successor of the blessed
Peter, prince of the apostles, and is true vicar of Christ, and
the head of the whole church, and father and teacher of all
Christians, and that full power was given him in blessed Peter to
rule, feed, and govern the universal church by Jesus Christ our
Lord.”—_“__Petri Privilegium,__”__ in section on __“__The Vatican
Council and Its Definitions,__”__ by Henry Edward Manning,
archbishop of Westminster (Roman Catholic), London, Longmans,
Green & Co., 1871, page 214._

“We teach and define that it is a dogma divinely revealed; that
the Roman pontiff, when he speaks _ex cathedra_, that is, when in
the discharge of the office of Pastor and Doctor of all
Christians, by virtue of his supreme apostolic authority he
defines a doctrine regarding faith or morals to be held by the
universal church, by the divine assistance promised to him in
blessed Peter, is possessed of that infallibility with which the
divine Redeemer willed that His church should be endowed for
defining doctrine regarding faith or morals; and that therefore
such definitions of the Roman pontiff are irreformable of
themselves, and not from the consent of the church.”—_Id., page
218._

“Should Jesus Christ come in person from heaven into a church to
administer the sacrament of reconciliation, and should He say to a
penitent, ‘I absolve thee,’ and should a priest sitting at His
side in the tribunal of penance pronounce over a penitent the
selfsame words, ‘I absolve thee,’ there is no question that in the
latter case, as in the former, the penitent would be equally
loosed from his sin.”—_“__Jesus Living in the Priest,__”__ by the
Rev. P. Millet, S. J., English translation by the Rt. Rev. Thomas
Sebastian Byrne, D. D., bishop of Nashville; New York, Benziger
Brothers, printers to the Holy Apostolic See, 1901, pages 23, 24.
Imprimatur, Michael Augustine, archbishop of New York._

Among the twenty-seven propositions known as the “Dictates of
Hildebrand,” who, under the name of Gregory VII, was Pope from
1073-87, occur the following:—

“2. That the Roman pontiff alone is justly styled universal.

“6. That no person ... may live under the same roof with one
excommunicated by the Pope.

“9. That all princes should kiss his feet only.

“12. That it is lawful for him to depose emperors.

“18. That his sentence is not to be reviewed by any one; while he
alone can review the decisions of all others.

“19. That he can be judged by no one.

“22. That the Romish Church never erred, nor will it, according to
the Scriptures, ever err.

“26. That no one is to be accounted a Catholic who does not
harmonize with the Romish Church.

“27. That he can absolve subjects from their allegiance to
unrighteous rulers.”—_Annals of Baronius, 1076, Vol. XI, col. 506.
See Gieseler’s __“__Ecclesiastical History,__”__ third period,
div. 3, par. 47, note 3; and Mosheim’s __“__Ecclesiastical
History,__”__ book 3, cen. 11, part 2, chap. 2, par. 9, note._

“They have assumed infallibility, which belongs only to God. They
profess to forgive sins, which belongs only to God. They profess
to open and shut heaven, which belongs only to God. They profess
to be higher than all the kings of the earth, which belongs only
to God. And they go beyond God in pretending to loose whole
nations from their oath of allegiance to their kings, when such
kings do not please them. And they go _against_ God, when they
give _indulgences for sin_. This is the _worst_ of all
blasphemies.”—_Adam Clarke, on Dan. 7:25._

4. How was the little horn to treat God’s people?

“And shall _wear out the saints_ of the Most High.” Dan. 7:25.

NOTES.—“Under these bloody maxims [previously mentioned], those
persecutions were carried on, from the eleventh and twelfth
centuries almost to the present day, which stand out on the page
of history. After the signal of open martyrdom had been given in
the canons of Orleans, there followed the extirpation of the
Albigenses under the form of a crusade, the establishment of the
Inquisition, the cruel attempts to extinguish the Waldenses, the
martyrdoms of the Lollards, the cruel wars to exterminate the
Bohemians, the burning of Huss and Jerome, and multitudes of other
confessors, before the Reformation; and afterwards, the ferocious
cruelties practised in the Netherlands, the martyrdoms of Queen
Mary’s reign, the extinction by fire and sword of the Reformation
in Spain and Italy, by fraud and open persecution in Poland, the
massacre of Bartholomew, the persecution of the Huguenots by the
League, the extirpation of the Vaudois, and all the cruelties and
prejudices connected with the revocation of the Edict of Nantes.
These are the more open and conspicuous facts which explain the
prophecy, besides the slow and secret murders of the holy tribunal
of the Inquisition.”—_“__The First Two Visions of Daniel,__”__
Rev. T. R. Birks, M. A., London, 1845, pages 248, 249._

A detailed summary of the number of the victims of the Inquisition
in Spain, under each Inquisitor-General, is given in “The History
of the Inquisition in Spain,” by Llorente, formerly secretary of
the Inquisition, pages 206-208. According to this authority the
number who were condemned and perished in the flames is 31,912.

“The church has persecuted. Only a tyro in church history will
deny that.... One hundred and fifty years after Constantine the
Donatists were persecuted, and sometimes put to death....
Protestants were persecuted in France and Spain with the full
approval of the church authorities. We have always defended the
persecution of the Huguenots, and the Spanish Inquisition.
Wherever and whenever there is honest Catholicity, there will be a
clear distinction drawn between truth and error, and Catholicity
and all forms of error. When she thinks it good to use physical
force, she will use it.”—_The Western Watchman (Roman Catholic),
of St. Louis, Dec. 24, 1908._

5. What else does the prophecy say the little horn would do?

“And he shall _think to change the times and the law_.” Dan. 7:25, third clause, R. V.

NOTES.—“The little horn, further, shall think to change times. The
description applies, in all its force, to the systematic
perversion of God’s words by which all promises of millennial
glory are wrested from their true sense, and referred to the
dominion and grandeur of the Church of Rome. The orator of the
Pope, for instance, in the Lateran Council, declares that in the
submission of all nations to Leo the prophecy was fulfilled: ‘All
kings shall fall down and worship Him; all nations shall serve and
obey Him.’ The same antichristian feature appears in those
advocates of the Papacy who would clear it from the guilt of
actual idolatry, because ‘it is part of that church from which the
idols are utterly abolished.’ Thus are the times changed; but only
in the vain ‘thoughts’ of dreamers who see false visions and
divine lying divinations; because the visible glory of Christ’s
kingdom remains still to be revealed.”—_“__The First Two Visions
of Daniel,__”__ Rev. T. R. Birks, M. A., London, 1845, pages 257,
258._

Although the ten commandments, the law of God, are found in the
Roman Catholic versions of the Scriptures, as they were originally
given, yet the faithful are instructed from the catechisms of the
church, and not directly from the Bible. As it appears in these,
the law of God has been changed and virtually reenacted by the
Papacy. Furthermore, communicants not only receive the law from
the church, but they deal with the church concerning any alleged
infractions of that law, and when they have satisfied the
ecclesiastical authorities, the whole matter is settled.

The second commandment, which forbids the making of, and bowing
down to, images, is omitted in Catholic catechisms, and the tenth,
which forbids coveting, is divided into two.

As evidence of the change which has been made in the law of God by
the papal power, and that it acknowledges the change and claims
the authority to make it, note the following from Roman Catholic
publications:—

“_Question._—Have you any other way of proving that the church has
power to institute festivals of precept?

“_Answer._—Had she not such power, she could not have done that in
which all modern religionists agree with her,—she could not have
substituted the observance of Sunday, the first day of the week,
for the observance of Saturday, the seventh day, a change for
which there is no Scriptural authority.”—_“__A Doctrinal
Catechism,__”__ Rev. Stephen Keenan, page 174. Imprimatur, John
Cardinal McCloskey, archbishop of New York._

“_Ques._—How prove you that the church hath power to command
feasts and holy days?

“_Ans._—By the very act of changing the Sabbath into Sunday, which
Protestants allow of; and therefore they fondly contradict
themselves, by keeping Sunday strictly, and breaking most other
feasts commanded by the same church.

“_Ques._—How prove you that?

“_Ans._—Because by keeping Sunday they acknowledge the church’s
power to ordain feasts, and to command them under sin: and by not
keeping the rest by her commanded, they deny again, in fact, the
same power.”—_“__An Abridgment of the Christian Doctrine,__”__
composed in 1649, by Rev. Henry Tuberville, D. D., of the English
College of Douay; New York, John Doyle, 1883, page 58._

“Is not every Christian obliged to sanctify Sunday, to abstain on
that day from unnecessary servile work? Is not the observance of
this law among the most prominent of our sacred duties? But you
may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not
find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The
Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day
which we never sanctify.”—_“__The Faith of Our Fathers,__”__ by
James Cardinal Gibbons, Baltimore, John Murphy & Co., 1893, page
111._

All Roman Catholic writers agree in this teaching. See page 441.

6. Until what time were the saints, times, and laws of the Most High to be given into the hands of the little horn?

“And they shall be given into his hand _until a time and times and the dividing of time_.” Dan. 7:25, last clause.

7. In what other prophecies is this same period mentioned?

“And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for _a time, and times, and half a time_, from the face of the serpent.” Rev. 12:14. “And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue [margin, to make war] _forty and two months_.” Rev. 13:5. See also Rev. 11:2. “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there _a thousand two hundred and threescore days_.” Rev. 12:6.

8. In symbolic prophecy what length of time is represented by a day?

“After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, _each day for a year_, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years.” Num. 14:34. See Eze. 4:6.

NOTES.—A time in prophecy being the same as a year (see Dan.
11:13, margin, and R. V.), three and one-half times would be three
and a half years, or forty-two months, or twelve hundred and sixty
days, since the calendar year of 360 days, or twelve months of
thirty days each, is used in prophetic chronology. As each day
represents a year, the period, the end of which was to mark the
limit of the time of the supremacy of the little horn, the Papacy,
over the saints, times, and the law, would therefore be twelve
hundred and sixty years.