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THE IMAGE OF DANIEL 2

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Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Jul 23, 1894

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 20, No. 37.

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THE IMAGE OF DANIEL 2.

By J. S. Green

BY J. S. GREEN.
THE Lord is coming. See his glorious signs, Hung in the heavens, and spread o'er sea and earth, As tokens of the coming morning shine Before the radiant sun sends all his glories forth.
God's holy word was given to guide us safely through The night of time, to heaven's eternal day; Then let us search its pages—learn to do His holy will, and when we learn, obey.
An ancient king of Babylonish fame Saw, in the dreamy visions of the night, An image stand erect, with giant frame, With head of gold, and arms of silver bright.
Brass formed the body of this wondrous man; The legs of iron seemed to say, "I'm strong." But, lo! the feet are weaker—clay creeps in— An indication that 'twill fall erelong.
Again he looks, and, lo! a stone cut from the mount Smites the great image on its crumbling feet, And then the gold and silver, brass and iron, and clay, Crumble and pass as chaff is blown from wheat.
The prophet told the king that kingdoms four Should rise successive, then the fifth should come— God's everlasting kingdom, glorious, great. The rest should pass away to make it room.
So it has been; the Babylonish head of gold In splendor shone long years, but it must pass, And give the silver place—the Persian kings; And they in turn must give away to brass.
The brass, symbolic of the Grecian throne, Shone forth in glory; but to fade 'twas doomed, For the next symbol, the iron kingdom, comes, Showing the wondrous strength of ancient Rome.
Majestic Rome unrivaled stands long years, Like iron strong, and then the mingled clay Forms weakened feet, increasing human fears, And thus the image, tending toward decay.
We look again, and, lo! the toes appear, Ten kingdoms on the soil once held by Rome. A little while then these will disappear, And then the kingdom of the Lord will come.
The stone cut from the mountain represents The blest and universal kingdom of our God. It breaks in pieces and consumes the four, And spreads its reign of peace o'er all the earth abroad.
The fifth great universal kingdom shall eclipse The glory of the four that's passed away. And it will stand forever; it will never fall. O reader, are you ready for that day?
Hebron, Wis.