I HAVE been asked to take up to-day the subject that we had the last time I spoke here—a continuation of the review of the Berean lessons in the book of Daniel, which most of you have been studying. You will remember that that review closed with the sixth chapter. That would require that the review to-day should begin with the seventh chapter.
The great subject, you will all remember, in the first six chapters, is Babylon, and the service of God in Babylon, in spite of all Babylon’s sinfulness. The great subject from the beginning of the seventh chapter to the end of the book is Rome. The two subjects in the book of Daniel are Babylon and Rome. And, in the book of Revelation, these are united in one: Rome under a new form, which is Babylon as well as Rome; for, in Revelation 17, we read of the vision of a woman,—a harlot,—sitting “upon a scarlet-colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, . . . having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: and upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth.”
And that power,—that church controlling the State,—using the power of the State, is described further in the next verse: “I saw the woman drunken with the blood of saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration,”—great astonishment. That scene in the book of Revelation is the two thoughts in the book of Daniel united in the form that existed in the times of the book of Revelation. You have studied Babylon in the book of Daniel, and we have reviewed it. You have studied the latter half of the book of Daniel, and you have found that in that more is said of Rome than of all other things besides; and so you have studied Rome, and now our review comes to that to-day.
The seventh chapter first: You will remember that four great beasts are seen by the prophet, coming up out of the sea, rising from the commotions of the winds—the four winds striving upon the great sea. And when Daniel had described these as he saw them, the angel of God came to tell him what it all meant. And the angel, in his first words, indeed in his words describing the whole scene, explains these symbols briefly by saying: “These great beasts, which are four, are four kings [kingdoms, nations, powers], which shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.” And there the angel stopped. He had told the meaning of all that Daniel had seen. And when Daniel asked for a further understanding of the particulars, and when the angel had described it more fully, he closes at the same point precisely: “The saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.”
When the angel had first ceased speaking, Daniel began to inquire for more knowledge and understanding of what he had seen. But where does he begin to ask for the further information? Concerning what does he particularly inquire?—He says: “Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast.” Why did he not ask concerning the other three? Why did he not want particulars of those? Look again at the vision, and see how much space is devoted to each of the three, and then how much is devoted to the fourth in comparison. One verse to each of the first three, then comes the seventh verse with its description of the fourth beast; and it takes the seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh verses to describe the fourth one. More verses, and longer ones, too, are needed to describe the fourth one, than all the others put together: fully twice as much space.
That would suggest a reason as to why Daniel, when he asked for more particulars, should say: “I would know the truth of the fourth beast.” Since so much space is given to that one in the vision, it must be that that is more important than the others. Consequently he says, “I would know the truth” of that one. Then after Daniel has again described it, with more particulars, the angel occupies about as much space in explaining it as is occupied in the description of it in the vision. Thus, three times in the seventh chapter of Daniel there is given as much space to that fourth beast as to all the other three put together: in other words, three times as much space is given to the fourth beast as is given all three of the others put together.
Next is the eighth chapter. There is the vision of the last three of these same four powers—the first one is dropped because it has passed away. Here is seen a ram, a he-goat, and a little horn which waxes exceeding great. And in this vision more space is given to the third one, which corresponds to the fourth in the previous vision, than to the others put together.
Again I say: The third power in the eighth chapter is the same as the fourth one in the seventh chapter. Then, when the angel tells the meaning of what had been seen, again more space is given to the third one than to the others put together: I mean that with reference merely to the powers as seen in the vision. But there is a portion of time belonging to the time of the fourth one in the seventh chapter and the third in the eighth chapter; and the ninth chapter is occupied with the explanation of that time. Five long verses in the latter part of the ninth chapter are occupied with the angel’s explanation of this time. Thus it takes one third of the space of the ninth chapter, and more of the eighth chapter twice repeated, to explain the symbol concerning Rome, than is given to all the others put together in that vision.
When we come to the eleventh chapter, we find the same peculiarity. The eleventh chapter is a prophecy in detail from Daniel’s day unto the end of the world: first is a sketch of the Medo-Persian kingdom up to the invasion of Grecia; then a sketch of the Grecian kingdom until the rise of the Roman Empire, the Roman Republic in its place in the fourteenth verse. Then the angel says: At that time shall many stand up against the king of the south, but the340children of robbers “shall exalt themselves to establish the vision.” Thus, in the seventh and eighth chapters, the great subject is Rome. When the angel comes to sketch the history of the world himself in his own words, and he reaches the time when Rome enters upon the scene, he pauses to say that that power comes upon the stage of action “to establish the vision.” This emphasizes, then, the truth that appears in the other two chapters: that Rome is the great subject in the last half of the book of Daniel, as Babylon is the great subject in the first half of the book.
Now, glance again at the seventh chapter and that fourth beast. Open your Bibles, if you choose, and read, looking at it as I read:—
“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. 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. I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.” Verses 7-10.
Now, note: First, he describes the beast, then notices the ten horns coming up; then another, “little,” one coming up among these, rooting up three, and having eyes like the eyes of man and a mouth speaking great things.
Now, read the eleventh verse: “I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake.” What is he now describing? I am asking you to study particularly this eleventh verse. What is Daniel describing? “I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake.” Now look: “I beheld even till”—the little horn was broken?—No. What?—“I beheld even till the BEAST was slain.” What has the beast to do with the little horn? Mark: “I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake;” and I beheld in this very thing “till the beast was slain.” Are not then the beast and the little horn in that vision and in that place, only different forms of the same thing? [Voices, “Yes.”] For, beholding the horn, he beholds till the beast is slain. That shows beyond all question that the “little horn,” and what is represented in the little horn, is simply another phase of what the “beast” is to begin with. And that conclusively shows that the “beast” and the “little horn” are the same thing, in different forms. In other words, the little horn is only the continuation of the beast in a different shape: the same characteristics are there: the same spirit is there: the same thing that is the beast continues through all the time of the little horn until its destruction comes, and when the destruction of the little “horn” comes, what is destroyed?—It is the “beast.” Then it is essentially the beast all the way through, only in a different form.