p. 5 | Daniel 7 and 8 by MRS. M. E. STEWARD

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Tacoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Apr 25, 1912

By MRS. M. E. STEWARD

MRS. M. E. STEWARD

EARTHLY kingdoms are represented in prophecy by wild beasts, because they embody so much of both brute force and passion.

Daniel saw three symbols:—

1. Winds (Dan. 7: 2, 3), meaning wars. Jer. 25: 32, 33. “In the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly.” Jer. 23: 20.

2. The great sea, representing “peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” Rev. 17: 15.

3. Four beasts, symbolizing kings, or kingdoms. Dan. 7: 17. They arise from among the nations, by means of war.

The Bible names the first three of these great empires:—

1. Babylon. Dan. 2: 38.

2. Medo-Persia. The bear of Daniel 7 and the ram of Daniel 8 come next to the lion; God calls them Media and Persia. Dan. 8: 20.

3. Grecia. The leopard of Daniel 7 and the goat of Daniel 8 are identical. The Scriptures name them Grecia. Dan. 8: 21.

Three specifications regarding these kingdoms:—

1. The lion is the king of beasts; so Babylon stands at the head of universal empires. The eagle’s wings signify the towering ambition of Nebuchadnezzar, his unwavering purposes, and the rapidity of his conquests. The flight of an eagle is exceedingly high, unwavering, and swift.

2. The two horns of the ram denote the union of two nations, Media and Persia. The Persians came to the throne last, but rose highest. The ribs in the mouth are interpreted as denoting peculiar cruelty toward three provinces, Babylon, Lydia, and Egypt. Isa. 13: 17, 18.

3. The leopard is a fleet animal. As this did not fully represent the rapidity of Alexander’s movements, four wings of a fowl were given to the leopard.

Three illustrious men were at the head of these empires:—

1. Nebuchadnezzar, the first king of Babylon, was a brave, proud, and sometimes cruel general; wise in statesmanship, in science, and art. Despite his ambition and self-will, Nebuchadnezzar had a principle of moral integrity which was receptive to divine teachings. God gave him three very impressive lessons: (a) his dream of Daniel 2. The dream accomplished three things,—exposed the false systems of his so-called wise men, revealed the true God, and taught him the infinite superiority of the kingdom of heaven over earthly governments; (b) his experience in the case of the three Hebrew children in the fiery furnace, which convinced the monarch that there was a higher King than himself; Daniel 3; (c) the loss of his reason for seven years, which led him to realize his utter weakness in the hands of the supreme God. Daniel 4. We may well believe that Nebuchadnezzar henceforth acknowledged and worshiped the true God.

2. Cyrus, king of Medo-Persia. There are three interesting things about Cyrus: (a) his sagacity in conquering Babylon; (b) the fact that the prophet Isaiah called him by name and mentioned his wonderful acts one hundred fifty years before his birth. Learning of this,—Josephus says by reading Isaiah,—Cyrus believed in the true God, and, contrary to Oriental usages, he gave the Jews permission to return to their own land, and out of his own revenues furnished means for rebuilding Jerusalem and its temple; (c) he was a vegetarian; he was brought up in a shepherd’s tent, on bread and

cresses, and despised the luxuries of the table.

3. Alexander, king of Greece, was the reverse of Cyrus. He was called great on account of his military achievements. But he was very cruel in war, and he was so intent on self-gratification that it has been well said of him, “He who conquered the world was himself conquered by wine.” He drank to excess, and died of a resultant fever, in his thirty-second year. After Alexander’s death, his kingdom was divided among his four principal generals, symbolized by the four heads of the leopard and the four horns of the goat.

Sanitarium, Cal.