The Kingdom of Man by Editor

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Dec 3, 1912

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 39, No. 47.

The Kingdom of Man

By Editor

THE very alphabet of prophecy — symbolic prophecy we mean — is the great image of Daniel 2, that image given to Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. A kingdom which is symbolical of opposing powers to the work of Christ is represented by a man, and this figure is used because the kingdom is not the kingdom of God, but the kingdom of man. The great successive empires, or dynasties, which are to follow are represented, not by the anatomical parts of this figure, but by the metals of which it is composed, and these metals representing successive dynasties, do not include all the various little kingdoms of the world, but represent great, dominating, world-molding powers. In this respect they are termed universal monarchies, because for the time of the existence of each it is a dominating power in the world. The first of these was Babylon, which reached the height of its glory under Nebuchadnezzar, and which was succeeded by Medo-Persia in the year 538 before Christ.

The second of these great dynasties was the Medo-Persian Empire, which included all that was possessed by Babylon, but which extended her conquests far eastward, and much farther west, including Egypt and all of Asia Minor.

The Grecian Empire, coming from territory hitherto untouched — Europe — included in its vast dominion all that Medo-Persia had held, and much besides, especially toward the west. It lingered only for a little time with Babylonia. Its real capital was in Macedonia.

The Roman Empire, represented by the legs of iron and the feet of iron and clay, left as comparatively worthless and decadent a great part of the Persian Empire in the East, and extended its dominion much farther westward and northward, including what is called Western Rome, afterward divided into ten divisions, represented now by Spain, and France, and Italy, and Germany, etc. These are still known as the divisions of Western Rome, and have been from that time the great dominant forces in the world's civilization and control.

Later prophecies confirm this prophecy. The great alphabet gives us the means by which we can spell out all later prophecies, and holds us to the one great outline.

All of these, from Babylon onward, are considered world-dominating powers, not because of the particular territory which they occupied, but because they succeeded to world domination. The city of Babylon was not necessary to give Medo-Persia prestige; she possessed it by conquering Babylon and spreading her kingdom westward. Persepolis, or Susa, or Ebatana, were not necessary cities in the great Grecian Empire. Antioch, Alexandria, Saloniki, Athens, had taken their place. Neither were any of these great cities or centers necessary in the Roman Empire. Rome itself had become the "mistress of the world."

This prophecy in Daniel 2 touches only upon the civil phases of the world empire. In later prophecies the religious phase is developed. There is one feature, however, that we may mention here as indicated in the third chapter of Daniel, and that is man's attempt through patriotism to set aside the inevitable as set forth in chapter 2. It was no arbitrary decree of God that the world should pass through the changes indicated by the changing metals in Daniel 2, from gold through silver to brass and iron and crumbling clay. The prophecy only indicated the deterioration of the kingdom of man, the change in forms of government, and the failure of them all. Patriotism, which is always faith in men instead of faith in God, declared that God's Word should not prove true, that God's judgment as given by His prophet was false; and therefore Nebuchadnezzar erected his image of gold to show what he believed, and was determined to make Babylon not only the universal kingdom, but the eternal kingdom.

Men have been doing that ever since, declaring that this kingdom, or this empire, or that empire, shall stand forever. God declares that all these kingdoms shall pass away, and shall be succeeded by one everlasting kingdom that is worthy to persist forever. These earthly empires perished by their own weakness and corruption; God's kingdom shall persist eternally, because of its inherent and everlasting righteousness.

Before the everlasting kingdom of God — the Stone cut out of the mountain without hands — all these earthly empires shall fall together, as all will be found, in the last phase, Babylonian in spirit and method.

These are lessons that God would have the devout student of things to come, learn today, as He desired Nebuchadnezzar and God's children to learn them anciently. These are charts which will help us to understand where we are on the great sea of time in the turmoil of events now taking place. "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts."