THERE are those who, when they come to hear anything on the appearing of Christ and the end of the world, expect to hear us predict and prophesy on those matters. With predicting and prophesying, in the sense of foretelling future events, I have nothing to do. I take the prophecies that God has given us, and tell you how I understand them, and why I understand them as I do. When this is done, you will judge for yourselves, as each of you must give account for himself, whether the interpretation given, accords with the general tenor of the Scriptures. I force not my exposition upon any man. Hear, then judge.
I cannot agree with some who tell us that the prophecies cannot be understood. I consider such language the language of infidelity. What is it but saying—'Revelation is no revelation?' Revelation is something made known; and, of course, to be understood. To say that any part of it cannot be understood, is, just so far, to be infidels. There are some men who denounce infidelity with an unsparing hand, who, at the same time, tell us, we cannot understand the prophecies! What is this but infidelity?
A man may say, with truth, that he does not understand the prophecies; but, to say, "they cannot be understood," is a very different matter; and he that does it, whatever his standing, or reputation, is infidel in his principles. Not that he rejects the whole of Revelation; but he denies that a part of the Bible is a revelation.
I most solemnly believe that God designed every part of the Bible should be understood; but, not without searching the Scriptures, comparing one part with another, and earnest prayer to him for that same Spirit, to guide us into truth, which at first inspired holy men to write the sacred pages. Hence, to come to a knowledge of the truth, we must first seek a childlike spirit, and pray much for divine aid. The blessed Jesus said—"I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight." First, an humble spirit is necessary. Then, for our encouragement, the Saviour has said, "If you, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that seek him."
Let us then humbly yet confidently seek the aid of the Holy Spirit to give us understanding; and in that light search the Scriptures to know what was the mind of the Spirit that inspired them, and we shall not search in vain.
Let us now examine the second chapter of Daniel. I shall, for the sake of brevity, begin at the 31st verse.
Verses 31—36.—"Thou, O king, sawest, and behold, a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee, and the form thereof was terrible. This image's head was of fine gold—his breast and arms of silver—his belly and his thighs of brass—his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out, without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron, and clay, and brake them in pieces: then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors, and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image, became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king."
I wish to call the attention of my readers to an inquiry. Where did the stone strike the image? "upon his feet." Let that be remembered, for I shall have occasion to speak of that fact again.
Verses 37, 38.—"Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field, and the fowls of the heaven, hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all." [i. e., has given thee universal dominion on earth.]—"Thou art [i. e., thy kingdom is] this head of gold."
Babylon was the first kingdom of universal empire. It was founded by Nimrod, the great grandson of Noah. See Genesis x, 8—10. It lasted near seventeen hundred years, though under different names; sometimes called Babylon, sometimes Assyria, and sometimes Chaldea. It extended from Nimrod to Belshazzar, who was its last king.
Verse 39, first part. "And after thee shall rise another kingdom, inferior to thee." What kingdom succeeded Babylon? See Chap. v, 28, "Thy kingdom [Babylon] is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians."
The Medo-Persian kingdom, then, was the second universal kingdom, and was represented by the "breast and arms of silver."
Verse 39, last part. "And another third kingdom of brass shall arise, which shall bear rule over all the earth." What kingdom was this? See Chap. vii, verses 5—7, 21. Here we learn that Grecia conquered the Medo-Persian kingdom and became a kingdom of universal empire. This took place under Alexander. Here, then, we have the third kingdom, which was represented by the brass of the image.
Verse 40. "And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things; and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise."
What kingdom is this? It is generally admitted to be the Roman kingdom. It is a universal kingdom, that is to break in pieces all that went before it. Rome alone answers the description, "That did have universal empire. See Luke ii, 1. "And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Cesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed." Who was Cesar Augustus? A Roman Emperor.—Here, then, we have the fourth kingdom, represented by the "legs of iron."
Verse 41. "And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potter's clay and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided." What kingdom shall be divided? "The fourth kingdom." Was it divided? It was. The Western empire of Rome, between the years A. D. 356 and 483, was divided into ten divisions, or kingdoms, viz.: 1. The Huns in Hungary, A. D. 356. 2. The Ostrogoths, in Mysia, 377. 3. The Visigoths, in Pannonia, 378. 4. The Franks, in France, 407. 5. The Vandals, in Africa, 407. 6. The Sueves and Alans, in Gascoigne and Spain, 407. 7. The Burgundians, in Burgundy, 407. 8. The Heruli and Rugii, in Italy, 476. 9. The Saxons and Angles, in Britain, 476. 10. The Lombards, in Germany, 483.—"Thus the 'kingdom was divided' as designated by the ten toes." "But," after its division, "there shall be in it the strength of iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with the miry clay."
The Roman, or "iron" power, through the influence and authority of Papacy, or Papal Rome, stretched itself among the "clay" so as to be "mixed with" it, and thereby kept up "the strength of iron."
Verses 42, 43. "And as the toes of the feet were part of iron and part of clay; so the kingdom" [Roman kingdom] "shall be partly strong and partly broken. And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they" [Romanism] "shall mingle themselves [i. e., Rome Papal] with the seed of men; but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay."
How exactly has all this been fulfilled. Romanism, or the Romish Church, while it has mingled with all nations, has not mixed with them, but has kept up its authority over its subjects, under whatever government they may have been located; so that the authority of Rome has been felt by all the nations where her subjects have been "mingled with the seed of men." The fourth, or Roman kingdom is thus perpetuated, though "divided." That power will continue, not civilly but by its ecclesiastical authority, till "broken without hands."
Verse 44. "And in the days of these kings [What kings, or kingdoms? Clearly, the kings of the divided fourth kingdom: for that is now the subject of discourse] shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, [the fifth universal kingdom] that shall never be destroyed: [and, therefore, must be in the immortal127state, or 'new earth:'] and the kingdom [when set up] shall not be left to other people, [i. e., the subjects shall not pass from one set of rulers to another, as the four previous kingdoms have done.] but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms. See Rev. xi, 15. "And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever." "And [18th verse] the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy [break in pieces] them that destroy [break in pieces." See Dan. vii 23] the earth, and it [the fifth kingdom] shall stand forever.
The question now arises, What are we to understand by this last kingdom? And when is it "set up?" Some tell us it must be the "kingdom of grace," because the stone that smote the image was a "little stone" at first. But where, I ask, do they learn that the stone was a little one? Not in the Bible surely. It is not there. They must find it, then, among the inventions of men. "But," say they, "it grows, mark that." Well, my dear sir, will you be good enough to show me where the stone is said to grow? You do not find it in the Bible; it must be in your imagination, if anywhere. The "stone smote the image, and" it "became like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors, and the wind carried" it "away, that no place was found for" either of the fourth kingdoms: then, and not till then, "the stone became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth."
Still, the objector insists upon it, that "it must be the kingdom of grace, set up by our Lord Jesus Christ 1800 years ago, in the days of the Cesars." "You speak of the 'kingdom of grace;' but, I ask, then, if God had no 'kingdom of grace' in the world till 'the days of the Cesars?' If he had not, then Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, Job, and all the prophets must have gone to perdition, for surely no man can be saved without grace; and that grace must reign to bring salvation. Thus if Jesus Christ set up 'the kingdom of grace' only 1800 years ago, all that lived the 4000 years previous have 'perished.'"
But let us look at this subject a little further. Where did the stone strike the image when it smote it? Not on the "head"—Babylon; nor on the "breast and arms"—Media and Persia; nor on the "belly and thighs"—Grecia; nor yet on the "legs"—Rome Pagan, as it should have done, if the kingdom was "set up in the days of the Cesars."—Where, then, did it smite the image? Verse 34 tells us, it "smote the image upon the FEET." Now it could not smite the feet before they were in being; and they were not in being till several hundred years after Christ's crucifixion, i. e., till the fourth, or Roman kingdom was divided; which we have seen, did not take place till between the years A. D. 356 and 483. Since that time, the "Man of Sin" has reigned on earth, instead of the Lord of Glory, and has trodden "under foot the holy City." But the kingdom of God is to be set up. That it was not set up at certain periods spoken of in the New Testament, will appear from the examination of a few passages. It was not set up when our Lord taught his followers to pray: "Thy kingdom come." It must have been future then. Again. The mother of Zebedee's children understood it to be future when she desired our Lord to grant that her two sons might sit, "the one on the right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom." It was still future when our Lord ate the last passover. See Luke xxii, 18: "I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come." So, it had not then come. Let us see if it had come when Christ hung on the cross. See Luke xxiii, 42. "Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." Thus, to his death, it seems, his kingdom had not been set up.—But did he not set it up before his ascension to heaven? See Acts i, 6. "Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" Not done yet. Now
See 1 Cor. xv, 50. "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God." This settles the question that the kingdom of God is not set up till the saints put on immortality, or not till they enter the immortal state, which Paul tells us, [verse 52,] is "at the last trump," and the apostle tells us, [2 Timothy iv, 1,] that "the Lord Jesus Christ shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and kingdom." And again he tells us, [Acts xiv, 22,] that "we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God;" and this address was made to those who were already Christians, and shows that the kingdom of God was still future, in the apostle's estimation.
It is said, "Our Lord taught the Jews that the kingdom of God was within them." This is inferred from Luke xvii, 20, 21. "And when he was demanded of the Pharisees when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, 'The kingdom of God cometh not with observation.'" [marginal reading 'outward show,'] "'Neither shall they say lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.'" Did our Saviour mean to say that the kingdom of God was within the Pharisees? He says of them, [Matt. xxiii, 13.] "Ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in." Surely our Lord could not mean, in Luke xvii, to say, the kingdom of God was, at that time, within the Pharisees. "True," says the objector, "but the margin has it among you." But, I ask, did our Lord intend to teach that it was then among them? If so, why did he speak a parable in Chap. xix, 11th verse and onward, to disabuse the minds of the people, "because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear?" He clearly teaches in that parable, that they were not to expect the kingdom of God till he should "return" from heaven, at which time he would reward his faithful servants, but would say, at the same time, "Those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither and slay them before me." See, in connection with this, Rev. xi, 15, 18. What then does our Lord mean in Luke 17th? I understand him to say, that when the kingdom of God does come, it will not be with outward show, or signs; but, the first the wicked will know, it is upon them; and thus the twenty-fourth verse seems to explain it. "For as the lightning &c., so also shall the Son of man be in his day." That kingdom will come sudden and unexpected to all the wicked.
The parables of the "mustard seed" and "leaven," are brought forward as an argument in defense of the doctrine that the kingdom of heaven was set up in the days our Saviour was on earth. I admit that those parables refer to a work of grace wrought in this world; but they cannot be so interpreted as to contradict the overwhelming testimony of our Lord, the prophet Daniel, Paul, and St. John, as already presented.—The language of these parables must, to harmonize with the other scriptures, be understood as spoken in a borrowed sense; that is, as the grace of God in men, works that preparation which is necessary to constitute us, finally, subjects of the kingdom of heaven, so it is called the "kingdom of heaven," in relation to the result. In the same way I understand the text, Rom. xiv, 17.
"But," says the objector, "Christ and the apostles preached the kingdom of heaven at hand; surely, therefore, it must have been set up about that time." I reply,—A thing at hand is the next to come. Let me ask, what kingdom was at hand when Babylon was in power? Answer. The Medo-Persian. Why? Because it was next to come. What kingdom was at hand when the Medo-Persian was in power? Answer. The Grecian. Why? Because it was next to succeed it. What kingdom was at hand when Grecia was in power? Rome. Why? Because next to come, as a kingdom of universal empire.—What kingdom is at hand when Rome is in power? God's everlasting kingdom. Why? Because that is the next kingdom of universal empire. Thus we see how it could be said, in truth, the kingdom of heaven is at hand in the very commencement of the Roman kingdom.
James ii, 5, tells us that the kingdom is a matter of promise to them that love God; of course, if "promised," it was future. Our Saviour saith, [Luke xii, 32.] "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom;" not yet given. It is something, still to come. To represent it as already set up, is to take away one of the strongest motives the Bible furnishes to endure trials, and to suffer patiently while in an enemy's country. What a soul-cheering thought, the kingdom of God is to come. Christ's subjects will be gathered out of all their tribulations—his territory, the earth, will be cleansed and the wicked rooted out of it; and Christ himself personally reign over his people for ever; not in a dying state, but in a state of immortality, peace, and glory in the new earth. Such a thought gives new life to the soul, now struggling in this "tabernacle," groaning, "being burdened." The kingdom will come: yea, it is now at the door. "Ye feeble saints, fresh courage take." "Behold, your God will come with vengeance, [to your enemies,] even God with a recompense; he will come and save you." Isa. xxxv, 4.
But when will the kingdom of God be set up? See Matt. xxv, 31—34. "When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." Then, and not till then, will the kingdom of God be set up on earth; "for flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God," as we have already seen.
Some men will not enter the kingdom of God. See 1 Cor. vi, 9, 10. "Know you not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God." See also Rev. xxi, 27. "And there shall in no wise enter into it [the new Jerusalem] anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie."
Who will be subjects of this kingdom? See Rev. xx, 6. "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection; on such, the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and Christ, and shall reign with him." &c. Here it is seen that holiness is the indispensable qualification for an inheritance in the kingdom of God. See 2 Peter iii, 14: "Wherefore, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye be found of him in peace, without spot and blameless." * "We know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him, purifieth himself, even as he is pure."
Are we thus purifying ourselves? Are we striving to be Christ-like? Have we the same love to God? The same love to men? The same hatred to sin? The same deadness to the applause of men? In short, do we set Christ before our eyes, as our pattern and example? And are we from beholding, changed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of God? "He that saith, he abideth in him, ought himself also to walk even as he walked." See 1 John ii, 6. See also Matt. xxv, 34—36. Here we learn who will enter into the kingdom of God.
Now comes the inquiry, "Watchman, what of the night?" In what period of prophecy are we now? What are our "soundings," in relation to the setting up of this kingdom? Are we in the kingdom of Babylon, under the "head of gold?" No. That has passed long ago. Are we in the Medo-Persian empire? No. Long since that kingdom was numbered with things passed. Are we in Grecia? Certainly not.—That, too, was numbered and finished more than two thousand years since.
Are we in Rome in its undivided state, or in the "legs of iron?" No. Long since that empire fell. Where are we, then? Down among the feet and toes. How long since those divisions came up, which constitute the feet and toes? Nearly fourteen hundred years? Almost fourteen hundred years we have traveled down in the divided state of the Roman empire. Where does the stone strike the image? Is it on the head? No. Is it on the breast and arms? No. Is it on the belly and thighs? No. Is it on the legs? No. Where then? On the feet. Where are we now? In the feet. What takes place when the stone smites the image? It is all broken to pieces, and becomes like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors, and the wind carries it away that no place shall be found for it. Then will this world be cleansed and the everlasting kingdom of God set up which shall never be destroyed. How far off, reader, do you think that event can be? What is to come next as the subject of prophecy? The stone. Are you ready? The Lord help thee to be awake.—Suffer not thyself to be lulled to sleep by the cry of, "my Lord delayeth his coming."