REMARKABLE PROPHECIES by H. C. Giles

Pacific Press Publishing Company · OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA · Jun 20, 1900

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 26, No. 25.

REMARKABLE PROPHECIES.

By H. C. Giles

[This is article twelve of the series. Article thirteen preceded it last week, by mistake. Read that after this.]

LET us at this juncture recur to the "sure word of prophecy." If a work so significant to God's people as a change in His holy rest day was to be attempted by the forces of evil, surely God, before whom "all things are naked and open," who sees the end from the beginning, and who "revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets," will expose this work of apostasy clearly and unmistakably in His Word, which He has given to His people to be a light to their pathway. In 2 Thess. 2:3-8, R.V., we have the following:—

"Let no man beguile you in anywise; for it [the coming of Christ, verses 1, 2] will not be, except the falling away come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, he that opposeth and exalteth himself against all that is called God or that is worshiped; so that he sitteth in the temple of God, setting himself forth as God. . . . And now ye know that which restraineth, to the end that he may be revealed in his own season. For the mystery of lawlessness doth already work; only there is one that restraineth now, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall be revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the breath of His mouth, and bring to naught by the manifestation of His coming."

Note carefully the following facts, as stated by this scripture:—

1. Before the day of Christ's coming should be ushered in, there was to be an apostasy, called "the falling away."

2. This apostasy was to be caused by the revealing of a definite power, designated as "the man of sin," "the son of perdition," "the lawless one," "the mystery of lawlessness."

3. In the apostle's time its mysterious working was already beginning to be manifested, but there was "one," another definite power, that restrained.

4. This restraining power was to be taken out of the way, after which the "lawless one" was to be revealed, and its work of "lawlessness" was to begin in its fulness.

5. This "lawless one," "the man of sin," was to oppose God and to exalt himself above "all that is called God or that is worshiped."

6. He was to sit "in the temple of God, setting himself forth as God." Tho professedly Christian, he was in reality antichristian, "lawless," i. e., characterized by a notable disregard for law. He is also the "man of sin." He would, therefore, disregard the law of God, the transgression of which is sin. 1 John 3:4; Rom. 7:7.

Has such a power arisen to fulfil the specifications of this prophecy?—We shall soon see.

In the prophecy of Daniel the same ground is covered by several lines of symbols. In the eighth chapter we have three symbols presented, a ram (verse 3), a rough goat (verse 5), and a little horn (verse 9). The ram symbolizes Medo-Persia (verse 20), the rough goat, Greece (verse 21), and the little horn succeeding it, which "waxed exceeding great"—the "king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences" (verse 23)—must represent the fourth universal kingdom, or Rome. This is shown from the fact that this power was to "stand up against the Prince of princes." Verses 11, 25. This Rome did when, in the persons of Herod and Pilate, she sought to destroy Christ. It will be seen that in this prophecy Rome appears under a double title: first as the "daily" (desolation—"sacrifice" in the text being supplied), later as the "transgression of desolation." Verse 13.

The little horn representing Rome, the most natural application of the prophecy would be to refer these symbols to the two great phases of Roman power,—pagan and papal. Let us study the prophecy and thus determine whether that is the application intended.

The former of these was to magnify himself even to the Prince of the host (verse 11)—stand up against the Prince of princes (verse 25)—by the crucifixion of Christ. The daily, or continual (R.V.), desolation was "taken away" (verse 11), to make room for "the transgression that maketh desolate" (verse 25, R.V.).

The power that ruled the world in the days of the early Christian church was Pagan Rome. It was Roman soldiers who crucified Christ. Said the Saviour, "If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you." It was Pagan Rome that, with relentless hand, for more than two centuries pressed the followers of Christ with persecutions so severe that the Christians were hunted like beasts of prey. In very truth, she was a daily and continual desolation to the church of Christ. But when the host (the church, since Christ is the Prince of the host, verse 11) is taken from the daily and given to the transgression of desolation (verse 12, margin), the desolation does not cease; the host (the church) is still trodden underfoot (verse 13); the truth is cast down to the ground (verse 12); he destroys the mighty and the holy people (verse 24); through his policy he causes craft to prosper in his hand. He magnifies himself in his heart, and his power is mighty, but not by his own power. Verse 25. Thus is represented the terrible desolation wrought by that power which was to succeed Pagan Rome.

In a parallel prophecy in the seventh chapter of Daniel, Pagan Rome is symbolized as a great and terrible beast, having great iron teeth. It devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with its feet. The beast had ten horns, representing "the ten kingdoms of Western Europe" which should arise out of the territory of Rome. Verse 24. This division occurred A.D. 300-488. Then says the prophet:—

"I considered the horns [the Roman kingdom in its divided state], 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 [of "the man of sin," 2 Thess. 2:3], and a mouth speaking great ["presumptuous," Jewish Version] things." Verse 8. "I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them." Verse 21.

Said the angel, in explanation of what the prophet had seen:—

"And another shall rise after them [the ten kingdoms]; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. And he shall speak great words [compare "great things," verse 8, and "perverse things," Acts 20:30] against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and he shall think to change the times and the law [R.V.]; and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy ["annihilate," Jewish Version] it unto the end." Verses 24-26.

That the "little horn" of Daniel 7, the "transgression of desolation" of chapter 8, the "man of sin" of 2 Thessalonians 2, all refer to the same power is evident from the following considerations:—

1. They are synchronous in their rise. The little horn rises after the ten (Dan. 7:8, 24), the last of which arose 488 A.D. The "transgression of desolation" takes the place of the "daily," but not until the latter has stood up against the Prince of princes (Dan. 8:11), and cast down some of the host (the church) and of the stars (the apostles, see Rev. 12:1) (verse 10). And, in the time of the apostles, the "man of sin" had not yet succeeded the "one that restraineth."

2. They are all ecclesiastical, man-made, antichristian powers. The "little horn" is diverse from the ten among which it arose. Dan. 7:8, 24. The ten were civil powers. This, being diverse, must be an ecclesiastical power. It has eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking presumptuous things (verses 7, 8, 20) against the Most High. It is therefore a man-made, antichristian power. Its very titles,—"the transgression of desolation," the "abomination of desolation" (Dan. 12:11), whose coming was to be on "the wing of abominations" (chapter 9:27, R.V.),—represent its antichristian character,—an offense to God, waiting only till the "end" appointed, when "what is decreed shall be poured out upon the waster" of God's truth and people (Dan. 9:27, Jewish Version). The "man of sin" (therefore, a man power), the "falling away" from truth, the "mystery of iniquity," the "son of perdition," are titles clearly indicating the antichristian character of that ecclesiastical power that "as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God." 2 Thess. 2:4.

3. They were to do the same work. Of the little horn it was said, "He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High; and he shall think to change the times and the law [of the Most High]." Dan. 7:25, R.V. Of the "transgression of desolation" it was declared, "He shall magnify himself in his heart;" he "shall destroy the mighty and the holy people." Dan. 8:25, 24. It was to cast down the truth to the ground, to do its pleasure and prosper. Verse 12, R.V. Through his policy he shall cause craft (instead of the truth in God's law) to prosper in his hand. Both the host (the church) and the sanctuary were to be trodden underfoot. Verse 13. No wonder that the prophet of God, contemplating such a scene of desolation, "fainted, and was sick certain days." Verse 27. Of the "man of sin," Inspiration declares, "Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God." 2 Thess. 2:4.

4. They are of the same duration; and, 5. They meet the same fate. The "little horn" was to be consumed and annihilated at the end. Dan. 7:26. When in the end?—"Christ, the first-fruits [of the resurrection]; afterward they that are Christ's at His coming. Then cometh the end." 1 Cor. 15:23, 24. The end, therefore, at which time this power is to be "annihilated," is the coming of Christ in the clouds of heaven. "The transgression of desolation" is to be "broken without hand."

Dan. 8:25. What breaks "without hand"? —In explaining the vision of the great image of Daniel 2, the prophet declared, "Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone [the kingdom set up by the God of heaven, verse 44] was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold [all the kingdoms of earth]; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter." Verse 45. When the God of heaven shall set up His kingdom, when Christ comes as King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev. 19:16), in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God (2 Thess. 1:8), to gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and them that do iniquity (Matt. 13:41)—then shall "the transgression of desolation," the great "waster" of God's truth and people, "be broken without hand." Then shall he fall and not rise again. It is when Christ comes, also, that "the man of sin," "the son of perdition," will be consumed by the spirit of His (Christ's) mouth, and destroyed with the brightness of His coming. 2 Thess. 2:8.

Another Symbol.

It would hardly be doing justice to the subject under consideration to permit the reader to pass this stage of the investigation without directing his attention to another prophecy,—Rev. 13:1-10,—where the same desolating power is seen in deadly conflict opposing the truth and people of God. That the same power is here brought to view under the symbol of "the beast," will appear from the following considerations:—

1. As in the symbols already studied, so here "the beast" immediately succeeds the power that sought to destroy Christ. The man child of Rev. 12:5, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron (Rev. 19:15, 16; Ps. 2:7-9), and who was to be caught up to God and to His throne (Heb. 8:1), is none other than the Child Jesus. The dragon stood before the woman (the church) to devour her Child (Christ) as soon as it was born. Rev. 12:4. The dragon, therefore, represents in this connection Satan working through Pagan Rome, which power "the beast" immediately succeeds. Rev. 13:1, 2.

2. "The beast" has the same blasphemous character as the other symbols. Rev. 13:1-7.

3. It is likewise a desolating power, making war with the saints, and opposing God and His true worship. Verses 6-8.

4. The period during which it was to exercise its wasting power is the same as that given the other symbols,—"a time, and times, and half a time" (compare Rev. 12:14 and Dan. 12:7). This will be explained later.

5. Tho shorn of its power, having received a deadly wound (Rev. 13:3, 12, compare Dan. 7:20), it continues till the appearing of Christ, when it is destroyed in like manner as are the symbols already considered (Rev. 19:20).

From the evidence already adduced, it has been abundantly proved that the "little horn" of Daniel 7, "the transgression of desolation" of chapter 8, the "man of sin" of 2 Thessalonians 2, and "the beast" of Revelation 13, are symbols all referring to one and the same power, to locate which will next claim our attention. H. C. GILES.

[The next article in the series was published last week, by mistake, entitled "A Striking Fulfilment." The next to be printed is "The Source of Papal Authority."]