SECOND LESSON by G. S.

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · May 3, 1877

SECOND LESSON.

By G. S.

THE VISION OF DANIEL SEVENTH CHAPTER.

The symbolic language of the Scriptures is to be explained by the literal. All the figures of the Bible are defined by the literal language of the Bible. We have here the sea, winds, and four great beasts, none of which, of course, are to be regarded as literal. The sea, rivers, or waters, used as figures, denote “peoples, multitudes, nations and tongues.” Rev. 17:15; Isa. 8:7. Winds denote political strife and war. Jer. 25:32, 33. The beasts denote four kingdoms that arose on the earth, one after the other. Dan. 7:17, 23. The fourth beast is the fourth kingdom; therefore the other beasts denote kingdoms though they are like this one sometimes called kings.

The consistency of the figures as illustrating the events of human history is at once seen. In the most populous civilized portions of the earth, which from earliest history have been western Asia, and Europe, political strife has moved among the people. As a consequence revolution has succeeded revolution, and four great kingdoms have one after another arisen and fallen.

We have seen from the great image of Dan. 2, that there were to be but four universal kingdoms from Daniel’s day to the end of time. The fourth beast of this vision of Dan. 7, denotes the last one of these earthly governments; for he is given to the burning flame, and the kingdom passes into the possession of the saints with a perpetual title.

The four beasts of Dan. 7 therefore denote the same four kingdoms that are represented by the great image: the first beast, the lion, symbolizing Babylon, B. C. 677 to B. C. 538; the second, the bear, Medo-Persia, B. C. 538 to 331; the third, the leopard, Grecia, B. C. 331 to 161; the fourth, the great and terrible nondescript, Rome, B. C. 161 to A. D. 483.

The lion had at first two wings as of an eagle, representing the rapid conquests and ruling power of Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar, who raised it to the height of its power. The wings were plucked and a man’s heart given to it—as it was under the last king, the weak and pusillanimous Belshazzar.

The bear raised itself up on one side, showing the ascendency of the Persian element in the Medo-Persian empire, as more fully brought out in the symbol of the ram of chapter 8. The three ribs denote, probably, the three provinces especially devoured by this kingdom, Babylon, Lydia, and Egypt, which greatly stimulated the Persian lust for power, or said to it, Arise and devour much flesh.

The leopard had four wings, denoting the rapidity of Grecian conquests under Alexander; and four heads, signifying the division of the kingdom into four parts after Alexander’s death, more particularly noticed under the symbol of the goat of chapter 8.

The fourth great and terrible beast had ten horns. These are declared to be ten kingdoms which should arise out of this empire. Dan. 7:24. These correspond to the ten toes of the image. Rome was divided into ten kingdoms between the years A. D. 356 and 483, as follows: Huns, A. D. 356, Ostrogoths, 377, Visigoths, 378, Franks, 407, Vandals, 407, Suevi, 407, Burgundians, 407, Heruli, 476, Anglo-Saxons, 476, Lombards, 483. This enumeration of the ten kingdoms is given by Machiavel in his History of Florence, lib. 1. The dates are furnished by Bishop Lloyd, and the whole is approved by Bishop Newton, Faber and Dr. Hales.

Among these ten horns another little horn diverse from the others thrust itself up, plucking up three in its course. This was the papacy, established in 538. The decree of Justinian, emperor of the East, declaring the pope the head of all the churches, was issued in 533; but before it could be carried out, three Arian powers who stood opposed to papal doctrines and assumptions had to be removed out of the way, namely, the Heruli, Vandals and Ostrogoths. The Ostrogoths were forced into a final retreat from Rome in March 538, and Justinian’s decree was carried into effect.

This horn spoke great words. Witness the titles the pope has assumed, and received from his flatterers. He has worn out the saints of the Most High. Between fifty and one hundred millions of martyrs testify on this point. He has thought to change times and laws; the law, say the Septuagint, the German and Danish translations; pointing out the law of the Most High. This the papacy has thought to do, by endeavoring to change the fourth commandment, substituting the first day of the week for the Sabbath, in place of the seventh, which the commandment enjoins. See Hist. of the Sabbath and Catholic Catechisms. They have been given into his hands a time, times, and dividing of time, or half a time: three times and a half. A time in Scripture signifies a year. Dan. 4:16, compared with Josephus who says that the “seven times” were seven years. Three times and a half are therefore three years and a half. As the Bible year consists of 360 days (12 months of 30 days each) three and a half of such years give us 1260 days; and these days being symbolic, a day for a year, Eze. 4:6; Num. 14:34, we have 1260 years for the continuance of papal supremacy. This is the same as the 1260 days and 42 months of Rev. 12 and 13 applied to the same power. Reckoned from 538, they bring us to 1798. Feb. 10, of that year, Berthier acting under the French Directory, took Rome, and carried the pope into exile where the next year he died. Here sat the judgment of verse 26, and his dominion was taken away (temporarily overthrown but not consumed), and has been waning away both temporally and spiritually from that time to the present.

In verses 9 and 10 judgment of another kind is brought to view; the investigative judgment of the Heavenly Sanctuary, commencing in 1844. In connection with that a special utterance of great words is heard by the prophet. The great Ecumenical Council held in Rome in 1870, furnishes a marked fulfillment. There by a deliberate vote of the highest dignitaries of all the Catholic world, 538 against 2, July 21, 1870, the pope was decreed to be infallible. In two months from that time, Sept. 20, 1870, Rome surrendered to the troops of Victor Emanuel, and the last vestige of the pope’s temporal power departed. His destruction in the burning flame must be at hand.

The fifth kingdom of this vision which the saints take and possess forever, is the one under the whole heaven, including the territory of these beast kingdoms. It is therefore the same as the kingdom of Dan. 2, which fills the whole earth. What folly then to talk of the kingdom of Dan. 2 being set up at the first advent of Christ, since it is not set up till after the papacy has run its allotted career, and is destroyed, an event that takes place only at the second coming of Christ in power and glory. 2 Thess. 2:8.

G. S.