Verses 30-35-Rome

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Apr 23, 1912

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 39, No. 17.

Verses 30-35—Rome

A new power comes into the prophecy, and the vision of the prophet takes a leap of centuries again, even as it did between Persia and Alexander the Great. Xerxes is mentioned as the richest of all Persian kings; but when he met Grecia, his power as a world-molding empire was destroyed, and the next king mentioned is Alexander. There the prophecy brings us down through the kings of the north in Syria until we reach Antiochus III and IV, when the Roman power becomes the molding power of earth, and Syria is set aside. There is but one thing, however, brought in in connection with that Roman power, and that is the tremendous apostasy in connection with it among God's people, and the great persecution waged by that power against them. Of that the times of Antiochus IV were a type, first a period of backsliding and apostasy, and afterward one of persecution. After the ships of Kittim came against Antiochus, the scene changes. He vents his indignation against the holy covenant. He treats favorably those that forsake it. But even the "he" itself may refer to Rome, the power which becomes possessed of the world; for certainly Rome has manifested her enmity against the holy covenant, and for them who forsake it, in both its pagan and papal forms. It needs no argument to the student of history to show that this is so. Rome, too, profaned the sanctuary, even the very center of God's worship, and under that great apostasy the continual leadership of Christ was taken away, as was shown in the explanation of Daniel 8; and "the abomination that maketh desolate" was set up. Man was put in the place of God, as will be brought out a little later — human worship in the place of the divine.

Verse 32 is paralleled by Dan. 8: 25: "And through his policy he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and in their security shall he destroy many." And yet rising up against this power should be the noble, faithful ones among God's people. How true this was in pagan Roman times, how pre-eminently true in papal times! "And they that are wise among the people shall instruct many." Follow the course of noble, faithful souls during all the Dark Ages, and especially among the Waldenses and the Albigenses. "Yet they shall fall by the sword and by flame, by captivity and by spoil, many days." How true that was! But "when they shall fall, they shall be helped with a little help." God remembered His people. The very powers of earth themselves revolted against the domination of the spiritual hierarchy in Rome. In various ways God cared for the remnant of His people, and saved them from utter extinction. And yet "many shall join themselves unto them with flatteries." This is paralleled in Rev. 2: 20, referring to the same time: "But I have this against thee, that thou sufferest the woman Jezebel, who calleth herself a prophetess; and she teacheth and seduceth My servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed to idols." But the persecution and the corruption goes on, and has gone on, "even to the time of the end; because it is yet for the time appointed."

Once more are we brought to the end of the great period with which these visions have to do, the 2,300 days; but as we reach the end of that period, the power over the "daily," the continual leadership, service, and worship of God, and the continual mediation and outpouring of grace by our Lord Jesus Christ, reaches a crisis. There comes in at that time God's last great reform to the world, bringing His people back to the great, everlasting Gospel, to the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. We are not yet through with this persecuting power. A fuller description is given. We will deal with it more fully in our next.