The Kingdom of God.—No. 13.
By J. H. Waggoner
Dan. 2:44 says, “In the days of these kings shall the God of Heaven set up a kingdom.” In commenting on this, we traced the history of the kingdoms represented by the image of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, and identified “these kings,” in whose days the kingdom of God will be set up, as the kingdoms which arose out of the Roman Empire, when it was broken or divided up. It is the united testimony of historians that Rome was not divided into that number of kingdoms previous to A. D. 483. Thus far we are brought definitely in the second chapter of Daniel—almost five hundred years this side of the birth of the Saviour. Dan. 7 contains the same outlines of history that are given in Dan. 2. The horns of the fourth beast are the same as the feet and toes of the image, and these are declared to be ten kings or kingdoms. The little horn which arose among them, before which three of the first fell, whose look was more stout than his fellows, which spoke great words against the Most High, and wore out the saints of the Most High, represents the papal power. And this power practiced and prevailed until the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. This shows, beyond all dispute, that the saints do not possess the kingdom until the papal power has had its day. Peter tells the faithful how to secure an entrance into the kingdom; James says they are heirs of it; Paul says flesh and blood cannot enter into it; the Saviour says the saints shall inherit the kingdom at the time of his coming in his glory; and Rev. 11 says it is given to Christ under the sounding of the seventh trumpet. Matt. 24 says that when certain signs are fulfilled we may know that the Son of man is near, even at the doors; and Luke 21, speaking of the same things, says when they begin to come to pass we may know the kingdom of God is near. Also Dan. 7 says the Son of man received the kingdom “when the judgment was set;” and Ps. 110:1 says the dominion or power over his enemies is given to him when his priesthood closes at the right hand of his Father. All the testimony of the Scriptures unites in pointing to the closing up of this dispensation as the time when the kingdom of God shall be set up, and the time when the saints shall enter into it. But the above Scriptures also prove that we may know when it is near. As the divisions of the Roman Empire in Dan. 2 bring us down nearly to the beginning of the sixth century, so the taking away of the power of the papacy, by which it wore out the saints of the Most High, brings us down nearly to the beginning of the nineteenth century. For it was in 1798, when Pius VI was carried from Rome a captive, that the “deadly wound was inflicted.” All the historical facts of Dan. 7 are presented in brief in the first ten verses of Rev. 13. Daniel saw four great beasts rise out of the sea, a lion, a bear, a leopard, and a dreadful and terrible beast with ten horns; and among these rose another little horn, which became more powerful than all the others. And these represent Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, the divisions of Rome, and the papacy. In Rev. 13, John saw a beast rise out of the sea possessing all the characteristics of all those of Dan. 7. It had seven horns with crowns, the body of a leopard, the feet of a bear, the mouth of a lion, and the power and seat of the dragon, which was Pagan Rome. The power of the dragon was the civil power, and its seat was the city of Rome. These the dragon gave to the beast, which was literally fulfilled by the decree of Justinian, by virtue of which the bishop of Rome became its ruler. This beast also blasphemed the name of God, and had power to make war forty-two months, or twelve hundred and sixty days. He also saw it go into captivity, which was fulfilled in 1798, just twelve hundred and sixty years after the decree of Justinian took effect, which was in 538. As he saw this beast go into captivity, another was coming up out of the earth; and it had two horns like a lamb. Its appearance is in pleasing contrast with the former beast. The expression, “coming up,” and its horns being like those of a lamb, both indicate a youthful power. It comes up out of “the earth,” a locality not represented by any part of the first beast, that is, a locality outside of the dominions of Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus, Alexander, the Roman emperors, and the popes, as all these rose out of the sea. Waters, in Rev. 17, are explained to mean, peoples and nations. Among these, the beasts of Daniel and the beast of Rev. 13:1–10, arose, each establishing itself by its conquests. The two-horned beast came up out of the earth—it grew up like a plant; it did not overthrow other kingdoms to establish itself. In all this we are pointed unmistakably to the United States as this beast with the two horns like a lamb. But we have still further evidence to the same point. This beast does great wonders, and deceives the world “by those miracles which it had power to do.” It did not merely profess to do great wonders; it did not deceive by professing to have power to work miracles. But it did the wonders, and it deceived by the miracles which it had power to do. We think this points to the wonders of spiritualism, by the phenomena of which many of the most learned and scientific men of the age have been led to acknowledge its claims, and to accept its pernicious doctrines. This arose in the United States, and from this country it is spreading over the whole world. Crowned heads of Europe have had seances of American mediums in their palaces. Scientific men have confessed that their skill and learning were not sufficient to explain these wonders. Thousands and tens of thousands have rejected God’s word and the salvation of his Son, under the influence of its teachings. Here is a marked fulfillment of this prophecy in the United States. Again, they that dwell upon the earth, where the two-horned beast came up, make “an image to the beast which had the wound by a sword and did live.” Now as the wound by a sword was given to that first beast in 1798, and the image is made after that wound is healed, it follows that this image is made after the beginning of the nineteenth century. An image to the papal beast can be made in this land only by a union of church and State, or by making the civil power subserve the ecclesiastical. We cannot see how any one can come to any other conclusion. In tracing down this line of prophecy, this view was taken years ago. The Seventh-day Adventist ministers have preached, and the correspondents of the ADVENT REVIEW AND HERALD OF THE SABBATH have written, for more than twenty years past, that the nature and policy of this government would soon be changed, and church and State in some manner be united in this country. They did not so believe and teach because they saw any special indication of this action, but because the evidence was so strong that the two-horned beast represented the United States in this prophecy; and it was impossible even to conjecture how the image could be made except by a union of church and State. But in avowing this as their belief they subjected themselves to much ridicule, for the large majority could not be made to believe that so great a change in feeling and in action could ever be brought about in this land which has so loudly boasted of its civil and religious liberty. But a change has already come over the scene. Within a few years past a National Association has been formed with the purpose of securing a religious amendment to the Constitution of the United States. Judge Strong of the Supreme Court of the United States was President of this Association. Its present officers are, Hon. Felix R. Brunot, United States Indian Commissioner, President, with ninety-nine Vice-Presidents, among whom are four State Governors, five State Superintendents of Public Instruction, nine bishops, fifteen Judges of higher Courts, and forty-one College Presidents and Professors. A few weeks of effort secured fifty-six thousand signatures to petitions for a Constitutional Amendment. These are a few of the facts which show the growth, and strength, and influence, of this movement. Nothing has ever arisen which has taken so strong hold of the minds of the body of professors of religion where it has been presented; nothing has so fast grown into favor with so many influential men in the churches. And what is their object? As stated in their declaration made early in the movement, and reiterated by the President in their recent Convention in Pittsburgh, it is to “place all Christian laws, institutions, and usages on an undeniable legal basis in the fundamental law of the land.” Prof. Blanchard, a speaker in the same Convention, and whose speech was received with the highest favor, said, “Constitutional laws punish for false money, weights and measures, and of course Congress establishes a standard of money, weights and measures. So Congress must establish a standard of religion, or admit anything called religion.” These are but a few of the utterances of that Convention which show that their design is to establish Christianity, by the Constitution, and by Congressional laws, as the religion of the nation. The Christian Statesman, the organ of the movement, in noticing the arrival of members of Congress in Washington on Sunday trains, said that not one of the men who traveled on that day was fit to hold office under the government, and that they would not be permitted to hold office if the Religious Amendment to the Constitution were adopted! Thus their intention is openly avowed to make religious tests of qualifications for office. This is exactly what we have expected from the reading of the prophecy. This shows us clearly where the religious world is drifting, and where we are in the great line of prophecy which reaches down to the coming of the Lord. When this image is made, it will pass decrees subversive of the rights of conscience, and oppressive to those who choose to follow their own reading of the word of God, in preference to the perversions of Christianity, which are sure to be set forth by fallen churches, and enforced by the ruling of courts. Religion will then be regulated by a Protestant Inquisition. In Rev. 14:9–12, we learn how God regards these things. In the most stirring manner, and with the severest denunciations, we are warned against the worship of the beast and his image, and the receiving of his mark. We are also instructed to “keep the commandments of God.” To do this, we must not follow the traditions of men, by which God’s commandments are made void. It is not the purpose of this article to set forth these points at length. They are fully presented in our publications. Our aim is but to identify the facts in order to show where we are, and what is before us in the line of prophecy. Following this message of warning, which is based upon events already transpiring, the Son of man comes upon the white cloud, with a sickle in his hand, to reap the harvest of the earth. But we have seen that the setting up of God’s everlasting kingdom is in close connection with the coming of Christ, and the saints will “inherit the kingdom” at that time. Therefore we are left to conclude that “the kingdom of God is nigh.” Again, in Matt. 24, the Saviour speaks of the “great tribulation” which was to come upon the church, which was under the papal rule, and said immediately after that tribulation the sun should be darkened, which took place in 1780, and the moon should not give her light, which was fulfilled at the same time, and the stars should fall from heaven, which was fulfilled in 1833. These are given as the signs of his coming, and by which we may know that he is near, even at the doors. The other events spoken of in this connection are not given as signs of his coming, but they take place at his coming. For we have shown that the shaking of the heavens is by the voice of God, which is heard under the last plague, which also shakes the earth so terribly that the islands are moved out of their places and the mountains are not found. This, then, is not a sign that those awful events are near, but is at the very ushering in of that great and terrible day of the Lord. Therefore as those things given as signs have all been fulfilled, we are now in that time when we may “know it is near, even at the doors.” These things cannot be successfully controverted. And the faith of the “little flock,” who are looking for their Lord to return from the wedding, Luke 12:32–37, should now grow strong, and their hope and courage should revive, as they “see the day approaching.” Heb. 10:25. Soon the Lord will come to change them from “flesh and blood,” or from mortality to immortality, so that they may be capable of inheriting that kingdom which shall not pass away, nor “be left to other people.” Dan. 2:44. “Soon shall close our earthly mission,
Soon shall pass our pilgrim days;
Hope shall change to glad fruition,
Faith to sight and prayer to praise.”