AN INTERESTING PROPHECY
By C. P. B.
ONE of the most interesting prophecies in relation to the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, and to the events which point to that grand consummation, is that recorded in the seventh chapter of the book of Daniel. In this prophecy, the principal kingdoms of the world were presented to the prophet by means of symbols. "Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another." Dan. 7:2, 3. Then follows a description of the beasts. "The first was like a lion, and had eagles' wings;" but the wings were plucked. The second was "like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it; and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh." The third beast was like a leopard; and it had four wings, and four heads, and dominion was given to it. The fourth beast was a nondescript, "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." See verses 4-7. The prophet continues: "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;" "and the judgment was set, and the books were opened. I beheld then, because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake; I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away; yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time." After this the prophet saw a vision of the second coming of Christ, and of the giving of all dominion to him. See verses 8-14. Then the prophet was troubled and sought an explanation of the vision (verses 15, 16), and was told by an angel (verses 17, 18) that the four beasts represented four kingdoms, but that at last the saints of God should take the kingdom and possess it forever. And this agrees exactly with other scriptures, for by reference to Rev. 17:15 it will be seen that the sea represents peoples and nations, and in Jer. 25:31-33 we learn that winds represent war or strife among nations. Then Daniel inquired particularly concerning the fourth beast, or kingdom, and especially in regard to the "ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows." "I beheld," says the prophet, "and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; until the Ancient of days41came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom." Verses 21-23. In answer to the prophet's inquiry, the angel said that the fourth beast represented the fourth kingdom, and that the ten horns were ten kingdoms which should arise out of it; and that another power should arise among them and overthrow three of the ten. And describing this power the angel said: "And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws; and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time." Verse 25. We now have before us quite fully not only Daniel's vision, but the explanation of the vision. The beasts, we have learned, represent kingdoms, and it is scarcely necessary to go into details to show that the kingdoms referred to were Babylon, Medo-Persia, Grecia, and Rome. Concerning the first of these symbols, the lion having eagles' wings, Dr. Barnes says: "Now in regard to the application of this symbol, there can be but little difficulty, and there is almost no difference of opinion among expositors. All, or nearly all, agree that it refers to the kingdom of Babylon." And certainly all must see that the representation was most fitting. "At first, the lion had eagles' wings, denoting the rapidity with which Babylon extended its conquests under Nebuchadnezzar. When this vision was given, a change had taken place. Its wings had been plucked. It no longer flew like an eagle upon its prey. The boldness and spirit of the lion were gone. A man's heart, weak, timorous, and faint, had taken its place. Such was emphatically the case in the person of the imbecile and pusillanimous Belshazzar, who in weakness and fear shut himself up in the city of Babylon, and with whom the Babylonian kingdom came to an end, B. C. 538." The second symbol is likewise referred almost universally to the Medo-Persian kingdom. This is the application made by Dr. Barnes, who remarks that the only question is as to the fitness of the symbol. He then goes on to show that no more fitting symbol could have been chosen. Upon this point another writer says: "The character of the power is well represented by a bear. The Medes and Persians were cruel and rapacious,—robbers and spoilers of the people." The three ribs in the mouth of the bear represent some of the earliest conquests of the Medes and Persians. The leopard was also a most fitting symbol of the Macedonian or Grecian Empire under Alexander. Concerning the symbol, Barnes remarks that "on the supposition that Daniel was to choose a symbol that would represent the Macedonian Empire, he could not have selected one that was better adapted to it than the leopard." The beast is one of the most swift-footed of all the beasts of prey, but even this is not enough—wings are added, and it is a well-known fact that, in the rapidity of his conquests, Alexander excelled anything that the world has ever seen. The four heads of the beast represent the four parts into which the empire was divided after the death of Alexander. On this point Barnes has thus expressed the generally accepted view:— "It is well known that when Alexander died, his empire was left to four of his generals, and that they came to be at the head of as many distinct dominions, yet all springing from the same source, and all, in fact, but the Macedonian Empire. This fact would not be so well represented by four distinct and separate animals as by one animal with four heads; that is, as the head represents authority or dominion, one empire in fact now ruling by four distinct authorities." It may not be amiss to again quote Dr. Barnes, not as authority, for no man's opinion is worth any more than the reasons by which it is supported, but as expressing the generally received view of this prophecy. Of the fourth symbol he says: "The fourth kingdom, symbolized by the fourth beast, is accurately represented by the Roman power." "The fourth beast, so mighty, so terrific, so powerful, so unlike all the others—armed with iron teeth, and with claws of brass—trampling down and stamping on all the earth—well represents the Roman dominion." But strong as Rome was, it was to be divided. In the second chapter of Daniel this division was symbolized by the iron and clay in the feet and toes of the image, but in this prophecy it is represented by the ten horns upon the head of the beast. But while the iron and clay denoted only division, the ten horns indicated into just how many parts the kingdom should be divided, namely, ten. And as Calmet, on Rev. 13:1, says: "Even the Romanists themselves admit that the Roman Empire was, by means of the incursions of the Northern nations, dismembered into ten kingdoms." This writer also refers to several other expositors who take the same view of the matter. The consideration of the little horn which came up among the ten, and work of persecution and blasphemy, must be reserved for another article.