The Coming of a Literal Christ.
EVERY one must accept the conclusion which has been drawn for us by the writer to whom we have referred in these articles, namely, that if the kingdom of Dan. 2:44, which was to be set up by the God of Heaven, is not literal, then the throne, the scepter, the territory, etc., are not literal; then all pertaining to it is only "spiritual" or not literal. And we insist that, if that be so, the king is not literal! We cannot possibly accept the idea of a literal king literally reigning in a kingdom which literally has no existence. That being so, we are altogether at a loss to imagine what sort of a kingdom that might be of which the prophet spoke in his interpretation of the dream. And we may further and very properly say, we are at a loss to imagine why the prophet called it "an interpretation" at all, seeing that his language conveys no tangible idea to the mind of the reader. This point we ask our readers to particularly note. We expect to show most clearly that if the prophecies which speak of Christ in both his first and his second advent are not to be interpreted literally—if they do not speak of literal facts—then Christ himself is not literal; then our Saviour is a myth, of whose existence we can have only the most vague ideas. We think we have given most incontestable evidence that the interpretation of the dream in Daniel 2 was given in literal terms. And this evidence relates as well to other prophecies, and to the parables; all must have a literal interpretation. And this view is confirmed by an examination of all the facts relating to the kingdom. 1. The kingdom represented by the stone was to be "set up" at a specified time. This language is appropriate as applied to a literal kingdom, but incomprehensible as applied to anything else. The main reason urged against the kingdom being literal is, that a literal kingdom has not been set up by our Saviour. But that is no reason in fact. To constitute that a reason, it must be proved that the time specified for setting up the kingdom is in the past, and that therefore we must of necessity discard the idea of its being literal. But that cannot be proved. To the contrary, it can clearly be proved that the time specified is yet future; and it can be proved that the events connected with its being set up are yet future. The text says: "In the days of these kings shall the God of Heaven set up a kingdom." All turns on the application of the term—"these kings." Four kingdoms are presented in the prophecy, each of which was to bear rule over all the earth. These were Babylon, Media and Persia, Greece, and Rome. The fourth, the Roman, was to be divided, as represented by the toes of the image. This same division is represented by the ten horns of the fourth beast of Daniel 7, there called ten kingdoms. In the dream of Daniel 2, the stone does not appear until the image is complete in all its parts; and when it smites the image, which is at its first appearing, it smites it on the feet, which were of iron and clay. It is generally supposed that this kingdom, or something miscalled a kingdom, was set up in the days of Christ or of his apostles. But in their days the image was not complete; the ten kings had not arisen. The Roman Empire was not divided, and it is always spoken of as a unit, a kingdom, until the time of the division; therefore the expression, "in the days of these kings," refers to the ten kingdoms,—the toes, which were to be smitten by the stone,—and not to the Roman kingdom before the division, or in the time of Christ and his apostles. And this is assurance that the dominion will never again be consolidated; there will never be another universal dominion until the God of Heaven sets up his kingdom, which shall fill the entire earth, destroying all the kingdoms which exist at the time it is set up. 2. The work ascribed to this kingdom when it is set up, confirms this view. King and kingdom are used interchangeably in the prophecies, because the king represents the kingdom. Thus, Nebuchadnezzar was said to be the head of gold, because he was ruler over Babylon; and it was said to him, "After thee shall arise another kingdom." And therefore the kingdom is said to do what the king does. Of the action of this (stone) kingdom the prophet said: "It shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms." Will it do so, or will it not? "All these kingdoms" were literal kingdoms. They will be literally broken in pieces and consumed. And this is the work ascribed to Christ, the King of this kingdom. To him the Father said: "Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." Ps. 2:7-9. "The heathen" means "the nations;" this was the title of all the nations in distinction from the Israel of God. Note the point, that they are not converted, but given to him to be broken or dashed in pieces. They are enemies of the cross, and so remain till they are consumed, or destroyed. But they are not given to him until after his priesthood closes. Christ does not destroy his enemies while he is yet a priest at the right hand of his Father. And thus it is said: "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool." Ps. 110:1. To this Paul refers in his argument on the priesthood of Christ, which is at the right hand of the Father (Heb. 8:1), where he says: "But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool." Heb. 10:12, 13. At what time they will be given to him may be learned from Rev. 11:15-18: "And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever." The seventh trumpet ends this dispensation. That the nations are not converted when they are given to Christ, but are his enemies, thus put under his feet, is again proved in this text, verse 18: "And the nations were angry and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldst give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldst destroy them which destroy the earth." The anger of the nations is mentioned under this trumpet, for under it "the battle of that great day of God Almighty" (Rev. 16:14) is fought by "the kings of the earth and of the whole world." And the wrath of God is revealed, because the nations are overcome and destroyed in the day of this battle. And the time is further and unmistakably fixed in these expressions—"and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldst give reward unto thy servants," etc. That the time of the judging of the dead is at or near the close of this dispensation, no one will dispute; and the Saviour fixes the time of giving reward in the following words: "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father, with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works." Matt. 16:27. "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." Rev. 22:12. And this is confirmed by the words of Paul: "Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; and to you who are troubled [he will recompense] rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Thess. 1:6-8. Now in fulfillment of Dan. 2:44 we have traced the work of Christ, the king of that kingdom. It is his work to break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, for the power and authority of a kingdom is vested in its king. To keep the points clearly in the mind of the reader we will give a recapitulation. (1) The nations and kingdoms are to be given to Christ.
(2) He is to break them in pieces and destroy them.
(3) This cannot occur during his priesthood.
(4) It will take place under the seventh—or last—trumpet of Revelation, which closes this dispensation.
(5) And it will be in connection with the judging of the dead, and giving reward to the servants of God.
(6) And all this is in immediate connection with the second coming of Christ. Thus far we find that everything ascribed to the kingdom represented by the stone is yet future. 3. Again, the prophecy says, "The kingdom shall not be left to other people." In the cases of the preceding kingdoms there was succession in two respects. One generation passed away, and another occupied its place and inherited its power; and, one dominion passed away and another nation or people took the kingdom and dominion. But not so in the case of those who possess the kingdom of God. They who once possess it will possess it forever and ever; it will not be overthrown and given to another people. Paul speaks of this, and gives clear information concerning it, in his argument on the resurrection of the dead. 1 Cor. 15:50-52: "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption." The words "flesh and blood" denote a corruptible condition. Man in a corruptible state cannot inherit the kingdom of God; for that is incorruptible or everlasting. If such a man should inherit such a kingdom, he would lose it by death; it would be left to others. He then says that we shall be changed "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." When we are thus changed to incorruption and immortality, we shall be fitted to inherit an incorruptible or immortal kingdom. And this fitting, or change, takes place at the coming of Christ. Compare 1 Thess. 4:13-18. Thus we find that this part of Dan. 2:44 is yet future. 4. The prosperity of the wicked will continue until they are destroyed, and until the saints possess the kingdom. In 2 Thess. 2:8, the apostle speaks of the man of sin, or "that wicked" one, being revealed, "whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming." We have already shown that the enemies of Christ will be destroyed at his coming. This lawless one, who will be destroyed by the brightness of the coming of Christ, is represented in Daniel 7 by the symbol of "a little horn," which became stronger than the other horns, or kingdoms. This was the kingdom of antichrist—the papacy, Daniel said: "I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; until23the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom." Dan. 7:21, 22. But this time is clearly identified in Matt. 25:31-34: "When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory; . . . Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." Prior to that time "the poor of this world, rich in faith," are "heirs of the kingdom which he [God] hath promised to them that love him." Jas. 2:5. Speaking further of the action of this little-horn power, of his persecuting the saints, and of his destruction, the prophet said: "And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High." Dan. 7:27. This covers the entire territory occupied by the four kingdoms of Daniel 2 and 7, and marks the complete fulfillment of Daniel 2:35, 44,—the kingdom of the God of Heaven fills the whole earth. Again we recapitulate some points clearly shown in the Scriptures. (1) The kingdom represented by the stone, in Daniel 2, is an everlasting kingdom, which shall never pass away.
(2) The people who take possession of it will never lose it; they will possess it forever.
(3) But in order to do this, they must be made immortal before they can inherit the kingdom.
(4) When the saints inherit the kingdom, their dominion will be over the whole earth—under the whole heaven.
(5) But the wicked prevail upon the earth until the coming of Christ.
(6) They prevail also until the saints possess the kingdom.
(7) The saints are made immortal at the coming of Christ, when the trumpet sounds—"the last trump."
(8) When Christ comes in his glory, he destroys his enemies, and calls his saints to "inherit the kingdom." Are these declarations of Scripture the truths of God, or are they myths and figments? If they are not true—if they do not reveal to us actual events—then the Bible is a book of vagaries, which mocks the faith of the humble believer. But they, being true, confirm our conclusion in regard to Daniel 2, that the dream is to be interpreted literally, and the kingdom which the God of Heaven will set up is yet future, and it will be as literally a kingdom, with a king, laws, territory, subjects, etc., as was that of Babylon, Persia, Greece, or Rome. Some of the most important Scripture facts relating to this subject, remain to be considered. And when the voice of Jesus is heard saying, "What is written?" "how readest thou?" may it be seen that we have had that implicit child-like faith which led us to read aright, and to believe that which is written.