p. 400 | THOUGHTS ON DANIEL by Uriah Smith

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Sep 8, 1881

THOUGHTS ON DANIEL.

By Uriah Smith

BY ELD. U. SMITH.

CHAPTER II.—THE GREAT IMAGE.

As already explained, we are brought down by verses 41-43 this side of the division of the Roman Empire into ten kingdoms; which division was accomplished, according to Bishop Lloyd, in A. D. 483. The kings, or kingdoms, in the days of which the God of Heaven is to set up his kingdom, are evidently these kingdoms which arose out of the Roman Empire. Then the kingdom of God here brought to view could not have been set up, as is popularly claimed, in connection with the first advent of Christ, four hundred and fifty years before. But whether we apply this division to the ten kingdoms or not, it is certain that some kind of a division was to take place in that kingdom before the kingdom of God should be set up; for the prophecy expressly declares, "The kingdom shall be divided." And this is equally fatal to the popular view; for after the unification of the first elements of the Roman power down to the days of Christ, there was no division of the kingdom; nor during his days, nor for many years after did any such thing take place. The civil wars were not divisions of the empire; they were only the efforts of individuals worshiping at the shrine of ambition, to obtain supreme control of the empire. The occasional petty revolts of distant provinces, suppressed with almost the speed and power of a thunder-bolt, did not constitute a division of the kingdom. And these are all that can be pointed to as interfering with the unity of the kingdom, for more than three hundred years this side the days of Christ. This one consideration is sufficient to forever disprove the view that the kingdom of God, which constitutes the fifth kingdom of this series, as brought to view in Dan. 2, was set up at the commencement of the Christian era. But a thought more may be in place.

1. This fifth kingdom, then, could not have been set up at Christ's first advent, because it is not to exist contemporaneously with earthly governments, but to succeed them. As the second kingdom succeeded the first, the third the second, and the fourth the third, by violence and overthrow, so the fifth succeeds the fourth. It does not exist at the same time with it. The fourth kingdom is first destroyed, the fragments are removed, the territory is cleared, and then the fifth is established as a succeeding kingdom in the order of time. But the church has existed contemporaneously with earthly governments ever since earthly governments were formed. There was a church in Abel's day, in Enoch's, in Noah's, in Abraham's, and so on to the present. No, the church is not the stone that smote the image upon the feet. It existed too early in point of time, and the work in which it is engaged is not that of smiting and overthrowing earthly governments.

2. The fifth kingdom is introduced by the stone smiting the image. What part of the image does the stone smite? Ans. The feet and toes. But these were not developed until four centuries and a half after the crucifixion of Christ. The image was at the time of the crucifixion, only developed to the thighs, so to speak, and if the kingdom of God was there set up, if there the stone smote the image, it smote it upon the thighs, not upon the feet, where the prophecy places it.

3. The stone that smites the image is cut out of the mountain without hands. The margin reads, "Which was not in hand." This shows that the smiting is not done by an agent acting for another, not by the church, for instance, in the hands of Christ; but it is a work which the Lord does by his own divine power without any human agency.

4. Again, the kingdom of God is placed before the church as a matter of hope. The Lord did not teach his disciples a prayer which in two or three years was to become obsolete. The petition may as appropriately ascend from the lips of the patient waiting flock in these last days, as from the lips of his first disciples, "Thy kingdom come."

5. We have plain Scripture declarations to establish the following propositions; (1) That the kingdom was still future at the time of our Lord's last passover. Matt. 26:26. (2) That Christ did not set it up before his ascension. Acts 1:6. (3) That flesh and blood cannot inherit it. 1 Cor. 15:50. (4) That it is a matter of promise to the apostles, and to all those that love God. Jas. 2:5. (5) That it is promised in the future to the little flock. Luke 12:32. (6) That through much tribulation the saints are to enter therein. Acts 14:22. (7) That it is to be set up when Christ shall judge the living and the dead. 2 Tim. 4:1; and (8) That this is to be when he shall come in his glory with all his holy angels. Matt. 25:31-34.

But it may be asked, Is not the expression, "kingdom of Heaven," used in the New Testament in reference to the church? It may be. It does not come within the province of a brief comment on Daniel 2:44, to explain the meaning of the expression "kingdom of Heaven" in the New Testament. Provided it could be shown that it there refers every time to the church, it would by no means prove the church to be the kingdom spoken of here in Daniel. Our object is to ascertain what constitutes the kingdom here brought to view; and we have seen that the prophecy utterly forbids our applying it to the church, inasmuch as by the terms of the prophecy we are prohibited from looking for it till four hundred and eighty-three years this side the first advent of Christ, and there are indubitable proofs that it is still future. We will therefore only say, in regard to the expression in the New Testament, that sometimes it refers to the future literal kingdom, sometimes to the work of grace upon the hearts of believers and the spread of the gospel. But these latter are only elementary principles of the kingdom, and operate in view of, and in reference to, that which is to be established in the future.

It may be objected again that when the stone smites the image, the iron, the brass, silver, and gold, are broken in pieces together; hence the stone must have smitten the image when all these parts were in existence. In reply to which, we ask, What is meant by their being broken to pieces together? Does it mean that the same persons who constituted the kingdom of gold would be alive when the image was dashed to pieces? No; else the image covers but the duration of a single generation. Does it mean that that would be a ruling kingdom? No; for there is a succession of kingdoms down to the fourth. Supposing, then, that the fifth kingdom was set up at the first advent, how were the brass, silver, and gold, in existence then any more than at the present day? Does it refer to the time of the second resurrection, when all those wicked nations will be raised to life? No; for the destruction of earthly governments in this present state, which is symbolized by the smiting of the image, certainly takes place at the end of this dispensation; and in the second resurrection people are not distinguished by nationalities.

No objection really exists in the point under consideration; for all the kingdoms symbolized by the image are, in a certain sense, still in existence. Chaldea and Assyria are still the first division of the image, Media and Persia, the second, Macedonia, Greece, Thrace, Asia Minor, and Egypt, the third. Political life and dominion, it is true, have passed from one to another, till it is all, so far as the image is concerned, now concentrated in the divisions of the fourth kingdom; but the others, in location and substance, though without dominion, are still there; and together all will be dashed to pieces when the fifth kingdom is introduced.

It may still further be asked, by way of objection, Have not the ten kingdoms, in the days of which the kingdom of God was to be set up, all passed away; and as the kingdom of God is not yet set up, has not the prophecy, according to the view here advocated, proved a failure? We answer, Those kingdoms have not yet passed away. We are yet in the days of those kings. The following illustration from Dr. Nelson's "Cause and Cure of Infidelity," pp. 374, 375, will set this point in a clear light:—

"Suppose some feeble people should be suffering from the almost constant invasions of numerous and ferocious enemies. Suppose some powerful and benevolent prince sends them word that he will, for a number of years, say thirty, maintain, for their safety along the frontier, ten garrisons, each to contain one hundred well-armed men. Suppose the forts are built and remain a few years, when two of them are burned to the ground and rebuilt without delay; has there been any violation of the sovereign's word? No, there was no material interruption in the continuance of the walls of strength; and furthermore, the most important part of the safeguard was still there. Again, suppose the monarch sends two posts of strength demolished, but, adjoining the spot where these stood, and immediately, he has other two buildings erected, more capacious, and more desirable; does the promise still stand good? We answer in the affirmative, and we believe no one would differ with us. Finally, suppose, in addition to the ten garrisons, it could be shown that for several months during the thirty years, one more had been maintained there; that for one or two years out of the thirty, there had been eleven instead of ten fortifications; shall we call it a defeat or a failure in the original undertaking? Or stated, destroy the propriety of our calling these the ten garrisons of the frontier? The answer is, No, without dispute.

"So it is, and has been, respecting the ten kingdoms of Europe, once under the Roman scepter. They have been there for twelve hundred and sixty years. If several have had their names changed, according to the caprice of him who conquered, this change of name did not destroy existence. If others have had their territorial limits changed, the nation was still there. If others have fallen while successors were forming in their room, the ten horns were still there. If, during a few years out of a thousand, there were more than ten, if some temporary power reared its head, seeming to claim a place with the rest, and soon disappeared, it has not caused the beast to have less than ten horns."

Scott remarks:— "It is certain that the Roman empire was divided into ten kingdoms; and though they might be sometimes more, and sometimes fewer, yet they were still known by the name of the ten kingdoms of the western empire."

Thus the subject is cleared of all difficulty. Time has fully developed this great image in all its parts. Most strictly does it represent the events it was designed to symbolize. It stands complete upon its feet. Thus it has stood for nearly fourteen hundred years. It waits to be smitten upon the feet by the stone cut out of the mountain without hand, that is, the Lord Jesus Christ. This to be accomplished when the Lord shall be revealed in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the days of these kings, the God of Heaven is to set up a kingdom. We are in the days of these kings. We have been here nearly fourteen centuries. So far as this prophecy is concerned, the very next event is the setting up of God's everlasting kingdom. Other prophecies and innumerable signs show unmistakably its immediate proximity.

The coming kingdom! This ought to be the all-absorbing topic of the present generation. Reader, are you ready for the issue? He who enters this kingdom enters it not for a life-time merely, such as men live in this present state, not to see it degenerate, not to see it overthrown by a succeeding and more powerful kingdom; but he enters it to participate in all its privileges and blessings, and to share its glories forever; for this kingdom is not to be left to other people. Again we ask you, Are you ready? The terms of heirship are most liberal: "If ye are Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to promise." Are you on terms of friendship with Christ, the coming King? Do you love his character? Are you trying to walk humbly in his footsteps and obey his teachings? If not, read your fate in the cases of those in the parable, of whom it was said, Those mine enemies that would not have me to reign over them, bring hither and slay them before me. There is to be no rival kingdom where you can find an asylum, if you remain an enemy to this; for this is to occupy all the territory ever possessed by earthly kingdoms. It is to fill the whole earth. Happy they to whom the rightful Sovereign, the all-conquering King, at last can say, "Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."

Verse 46. Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and worshiped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odors unto him. 47. 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, a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret. 48. Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon. 49. Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon; but Daniel sat in the gate of the king.

We have dwelt quite at length on the interpretation of the dream, which Daniel made known to the Chaldean monarch. From this, we must now return to the palace of Nebuchadnezzar, and to Daniel as he stands in the presence of the king, having made known to him the dream and the interpretation thereof, while the courtiers, and the baffled soothsayers, and astrologers, wait around in silent awe and wonder.

It might be expected that a youthful monarch, raised to the highest earthly throne, and in the full flush of uninterrupted success, would scarcely brook to be told that his kingdom, which he designed to last forever, and doubtless fondly hoped would so last, was to be overthrown by another people. Yet Daniel plainly and boldly made known this fact to the king; and the king, so far from being offended, fell upon his face before the prophet of God, and offered him worship. Daniel doubtless immediately countermanded the orders which the king issued to pay him divine honors. That Daniel had some communication with the king which is not here recorded is evident from verse 47: "The king answered unto Daniel," etc. And it may be still further inferred that Daniel labored to turn the king's feelings of reverence from himself to the God of Heaven, inasmuch as the king replies, "Of a truth it is that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings."

Then the king made Daniel a great man. There are two things which in this life are specially considered to make a man great, and both these Daniel received from the king. 1. Riches. A man is considered great if he is a man of wealth; and we read that the king gave him many and great gifts. 2. Power. If in conjunction with riches, a man has power, certainly in popular estimation he is considered a great man; and this was bestowed upon Daniel in abundant measure. He was made ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon.

Thus speedily and abundantly did Daniel begin to be rewarded for his fidelity to his own conscience, and the requirements of God. So great was Balaam's desire for the presents of a certain heathen king, that he endeavored to obtain them in spite of the Lord's expressed will to the contrary, and thus signally failed. Daniel did not act with a view to obtaining these presents; yet by maintaining his integrity with the Lord, they were given abundantly into his hands. His advancement, both with respect to wealth and power, was a matter of no small moment with him, as it enabled him to be of benefit to his fellow-countrymen less favored than himself in their long captivity.

Daniel did not become bewildered nor intoxicated by his signal victory and his wonderful advancement. He first remembers the three who were companions with him in anxiety respecting the king's matter; and as they had helped him with their prayers, he determines that they shall share with him in his honors. At his request they were placed over the affairs of Babylon; while Daniel himself sat in the gate of the king. The gate was the place where councils were held, and matters of chief moment were deliberated upon. The record is a simple declaration that Daniel became chief counselor to the king.