The Fourth Kingdom

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Michigan · Oct 27, 1863

The Fourth Kingdom.

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.

And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potter's clay and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it, of the strength of iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.

And as the toes of the feet were part of iron and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly broken.

And whereas thou sawest the iron, mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. Dan. ii, 40-43.

We have advanced through the consideration of gold, of silver and of brass. And these words bring us to the fourth kingdom, or the two legs of iron, and the feet part of iron and part of clay. And the inquiry will at once be made, What kingdom is this? Among the nations of the earth, what people combined within themselves the qualifications here pointed out? It must be a kingdom stronger than all others.

As iron breaks and subdues all other metals, so this kingdom was to break and subdue all other kingdoms. What kingdom did this? And, doing this, what kingdom rested on its two great divisions? And, further still, what kingdom, doing all this, was afterwards divided into ten other kingdoms, even as the feet of the image were divided into its ten toes?

Now, I suppose there need be no hesitancy about our reply. We are not left to conjecture here; nor even to strong probability. These requisitions of the vision, fence the matter about so closely, that it seems scarcely possible for us to go wrong concerning it. No kingdom but one can satisfy these demands of the prophet. Look at them. It must subdue the third, or Macedonian empire. Breaking in pieces all other kingdoms, it must set its feet on the three preceding empires of the vision. It must reach in universal sway. It must be formed into two vast divisions. And afterwards it must be broken into ten parts—which were to continue until the kingdom of the God of Heaven broke them to pieces, swept them away as the wind does the chaff of the summer threshing-floor, and itself filled the world!

There is but one kingdom, of which, up to this time, all these things are true. You all anticipate me when I say, That is the Roman kingdom! To it, and to it alone, every item applies with great exactness. This kingdom of iron succeeded, in point of time, to that of brass; i. e., to the Græco-Macedonian empire. And then it wielded a power greater than that of any other kingdom before it. And, whether or not he was conscious of the real import of his words, it is a striking fact, that Gibbon uses this very figure in speaking of the Empire of Rome. He says:

"The arms of the republic, sometimes vanquished in battle, always victorious in war, advanced with rapid steps to the Euphrates, the Danube, the Rhine and the Ocean; and the images of gold, or silver or brass, that might serve to represent the nations and their kings, were successively broken by the iron monarchy of Rome."

Beyond a doubt, the kingdom of iron was that of Rome. And it needs but a glance at its possessions, to see how well it deserved the name of a universal empire. "The empire of the whole earth"—was not this its favorite title? It succeeded the Babylonian, the Medo-Persian, and the Macedonian, in the government of the world. First, Macedon went down before it. Carthage was destroyed by it. Corinth became, in spite of its princely splendor, a heap of ashes in its path. Spain next bowed to its yoke. Egypt became a Roman province. Judah was annexed to its dominions. And the plough-share of the idolater was driven across the streets of the Holy City. And thus, it rose to the power of the first of the nations. It trod upon their necks. It made the world tributary to its greatness. It seemed the realization of its own fabled Briærus. And, looking with its single eye—i. e. a lust of unbounded dominion—over the nations of the earth, it reached forth the hundred hands of its power to gratify that lust. The neighboring state and distant isle alike became subject to its dominion. Britain passed under its yoke. "These ravagers of the world," said Galgacus, as he addressed the Caledonians, "after all earth has been too narrow for their ambition, have ransacked the sea, also." In other words, at the time of the Christian era, the Roman Empire took in the whole south of Europe, France, England, the greatest part of the Netherlands, Switzerland and the South of Germany, Hungary, Turkey and Greece; not to speak of its possessions in Asia and Africa. Well, therefore, might Gibbon declare, "The Empire of the Romans filled the world. And when that Empire fell into the hands of a single person, the world became a safe and dreary prison for his enemies. To resist was fatal: and it was impossible to fly."

Now the image stood on two legs of iron. In other words, this kingdom was composed of two main divisions—the Eastern and the Western Empire; into which it was formed about A. D. 364. And this, together with the period of conquest leading up to this, was the period of its strength. You observe that, up to this, the declaration is unqualified. "The fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron." And there, in its fore-ordained character, it stood like a mighty Colossus, bestriding the nations, conquering everything that opposed it, and giving laws to the world. This was the period of its strength.

But this was not to continue. "And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potter's clay, and part of iron; \"the kingdom shall be divided.\" And most exactly are its divisions pointed out. It was not to be broken at random. It was not merely to be divided. It was to be divided into an exact number of parts. That number was ten; according to the ten toes of the image.

Now, in dwelling on the first vision of Daniel, the consideration of these ten kingdoms will present itself more directly before us, than it does in this place. I therefore merely refer to them now. Read any history of Europe; take any map of Europe, after this division, under Theodosius the Great, and these ten kingdoms will be found to turn up. Revolution after revolution has swept over the nations. But, when the storm has passed, the constitution of the States of Europe, on which the feet of the image stood, has been found true to the prophetic word. Of course, there have been, there are now, more European kingdoms than ten. But the prophecy speaks only of those, whose territory was covered by the feet and toes of the image. It calls for those that should take the place where the image stood. When, therefore, the matter comes definitely before us, the inquiry will be for those into which the Roman Empire was divided. And these, when the division is completed, must be ten; or, we shall not have found the fourth kingdom at all.

Into these different parts, the kingdom of iron was to be broken. It is a plain record on the book of history; and therefore all writers substantially agree concerning it. I say substantially, because the enumeration has, at different times, included different nations. But, whether you adopt that of Machiavelli,

of Sir Isaac Newton, of Mr. Mede, of Bishop Lloyd, or Bishop Newton, you will equally find the ten kingdoms on the territory of the feet of the image. Into this number, then, the kingdom of iron was broken. And, in these parts, it was to continue, resisting all attempts to fuse them into one.

From this, its divided state, the first strength of the empire departed—but not as that of the others had done. No other kingdom was to succeed it, as it had the three which went before it. It was to continue, in this tenfold division, until the kingdom of stone smote it, upon its feet, broke them in pieces, and scattered them as the wind does the chaff of the summer threshing-floor! Yet, through all this time, a portion of its strength was to remain. And so the prophet says, "And as the toes of the feet were part of iron and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly broken." (v. 42.) How in any other way could you so strikingly represent the facts? For more than fourteen hundred years this tenfold division has existed. Time and again men have dreamed of rearing on these dominions one mighty kingdom. Charlemagne tried it. Charles V tried it. Louis XIV tried it. Napoleon tried it. But neither succeeded. A single verse of prophecy was stronger than all their hosts. Their own power was wasted, frittered away, destroyed. But the ten kingdoms did not become one. "Partly strong and partly broken" was the prophetic description. And such, too, has been the historic fact concerning them. With the book of history open before you, I ask you, Is not this an exact representation of the remnants of this once mighty empire? It ruled with unlimited power. It was the throned mistress of the world. Its sceptre was broken; its throne pulled down; its power taken away. Ten kingdoms were formed out of it; and "broken" as then it was, it still continues—i. e., "partly broken." For its dimensions still continue as when the kingdom of iron stood upright upon its feet. And then, it is "partly strong"—i. e., it retains even in its broken state, enough of its iron strength to resist all attempts to mould its parts together. "This shall not be," says the word of God. "This has not been," replies the book of history.

But then, men may say, "Another plan remains. If force cannot avail, diplomacy and reasons of State may—we will try them." And so the prophecy foreshadows this when it says, "They shall mingle themselves with the seed of men"—i. e., marriages shall be formed, in hope thus to consolidate their power, and, in the end, to unite these divided kingdoms into one.

And shall this device succeed? No. The prophet answers: "They shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay." And the history of Europe is but a running commentary on the exact fulfillment of these words. From the time of Canute to the present age, it has been the policy of reigning monarchs, the beaten path which they have trodden, in order to reach a mightier scepter, and a wider sway. And the most signal instances of it, which history has recorded in our own day, is in the case of Napoleon. He ruled in one of the kingdoms; Austria was another. He sought to reach by alliance what he could not gain by force, i. e., to build up one mighty, consolidated empire. And did he succeed? Nay. The very power with which he was allied proved his destruction, in the troops of Blucher on the field of Waterloo! The iron would not mingle with clay. The ten kingdoms continue still.

And yet if, as the result of these alliances, or of other causes, that number is sometimes disturbed, it need not surprise us. It is, indeed, just what the prophecy seems to call for. The iron was "mixed with the clay." For a season, in the image, you might not distinguish between them. But they would not remain so. "They shall not cleave one to another." The nature of the substances forbid them to do so in the one case; the word of prophecy in the other. Yet there was to be an attempt to mingle—nay, more, there was an approach to mingling in both cases. But it was to be abortive. And how marked the emphasis with which history affirms this declaration of the word of God!

The next step in the development of the prophetic history is announced in these words: "And in the days of these kings shall the God of Heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed." Verse 44. And the inquiry at once arises, What kingdom is that? Are we able to point it out?

I suppose we need not be in doubt here. There are landmarks enough, plainly and sharply enough defined, to guide us.

Doubtless, Christ is the Stone. It is his prophetic title. You all remember the passages? There is that of Isa. xxviii, 19, "Therefore, thus saith the Lord God, Behold I lay in Zion, for a foundation, a Stone, a tried Stone, a precious corner-stone, a sure foundation."

There is David's declaration: "The Stone which the builders refused, is become the head-stone of the corner." Ps. cxviii, 22. And there is our Lord's express appropriation of this to himself. "Did ye never read in the Scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner?" Matt. xxi, 42.

But then, what can be said of his kingdom? How shall we define it? Are we at liberty to say that his Gospel Dispensation is intended? Will it satisfy the demands of the prophecy?

I know that many teach so. I know that when Christ came, He preached, saying "The kingdom of God is at hand; repent ye and believe the Gospel." I know that the phrase, "Kingdom of Heaven," or "of God," is often interpreted by the Gospel Age, or Dispensation. But the question is, What is its meaning in this place?

I suppose that, to ascertain the real and exact meaning of the word of God, is the common desire of us all. We are all interested to know it. We shall all suffer from misconceptions of it. All our interests here, are alike. Here, every man stands on ground common to all. And, no matter what our views have been, or are now, we shall be profited by the word of God only so far as we have the exact mind of the Spirit concerning it. It becomes us, therefore, earnestly to seek for that mind; and resolutely to adopt it, when found.

I say then, that in this place, this phrase does not mean the Gospel dispensation, for the following reasons:

1. The God of Heaven was to set up this kingdom, "in the days of those kings;" i. e. in the days of the kings that ruled over the ten kingdoms into which the kingdom of iron was to be broken. Now beyond doubt, "the days of those kings" did not commence until near 500 years after Christ. The kingdom of iron was not broken until about that time. The Gospel had won its brightest triumphs; its followers had sealed their testimony with their blood; false doctrines were closing darkly around it; before "those kings arose. If this is true, it follows, as an inevitable certainty, that that kingdom was not "set up" in their days.

2. It does not mean the Gospel dispensation; because our Lord teaches us, that his kingdom is not yet set up. Hence, he teaches us to pray, "Thy kingdom come." That kingdom, therefore, is yet future. We do not pray for an accomplished fact. He teaches us the same truth, by his reply to his disciples, just before his ascension. When they asked him, "Lord, wilt thou, at this time, restore the kingdom to Israel?" he did not point out their mistake. He did not tell them that they were harboring an unfounded idea. He did not say, "No. My kingdom is already set up." He was always prompt to point out their error. And who does not feel that he would have done so here, had they been in error? Instead of this, he replies: "It is not for you to know the times which the Father hath put in his own power." They were right as to the kingdom. They only erred as to the time of its setting up.

3. It does not mean the Gospel dispensation; because the prophecy calls for an absolute, literal, and visible kingdom. Such a kingdom was that of the "head of gold." Such was that of silver. Such that of brass. Such that of iron. They were four distinct, literal and visible kingdoms. Each had a supreme head. Each had dominions, in which it was set up. Each had subjects, over whom it reigned; and enemies whom it conquered and destroyed. Each succeeded to the possession of the other, and built up a mightier kingdom in its stead. Now, in neither of these respects

is the Gospel dispensation a kingdom. The rule of the Gospel in the heart is altogether a spiritual rule. It has nothing to do with visible dominions. It sits not down in the high places of power. It sways not the sceptre. It wields not the sword. It marches not at the head of armies. It lays no scheme for the overturning of thrones. It is not, therefore, the kingdom pointed out by the prophet. Of the four kingdoms which were already come, the second displaced the first. The third overturned the second. And the fourth built up its throne on the ruins of the three which had gone before it. So the kingdom of the God of Heaven is to take the place of all other kingdoms, and, as a kingdom, fill the whole earth! It is not, therefore, the Gospel dispensation.

Finally, It is not that dispensation; because the rule of the Gospel is, "Peace on earth good will toward men." The kingdom of the Stone, on the contrary, is to "break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms." The figure is of the stone falling on the feet of the image; breaking them in pieces; driving them away as the wind does the chaff of the threshing floor; and itself becoming a kingdom that filled the whole earth!

Now, I submit to you, brethren, it is more toying with words to predicate this of the Gospel. What has it to do with the enginery of destruction? It deals not in "garments rolled in blood." It has nought to do with the onset of armies and the pulling down of thrones. Its mission is to tell the story of the Crucified. Its plea is, "the love of Christ." Its weapons "are not carnal but spiritual." And all its conquests are those wrought by "the sword of the Spirit, which is the sword of God." It is scarcely possible to conceive of a contrast greater than that pointed out between its triumphs and those of the kingdom of which the prophet speaks. What, therefore, is that kingdom?

You observe, that it is "the Stone" which smote the image on its feet. Now, as Christ is this stone, this smiting is clearly to be done by him. It is not a spiritual smiting by his truth. That never breaks and subdues kingdoms, and scatters them as the chaff before the wind. It is a literal and absolute smiting. Each kingdom smote and destroyed that which came before it. And even so—I mean as literally so—will this stone smite and destroy the kingdom of his enemies. If Christ is the stone, is it not illogical—does it not contradict the plain statement of the prophecy—to refer this smiting to the system of truth taught by him? Can you put the Gospel in the place of its author? No one pretends that that is the "stone cut out without hands." And yet it is this, and this alone, which is to smite the image. And the marginal reading of this phrase is significant. It is, "which was not in hands;" i. e., which did its work alone. No human instrumentality is used. Christ himself, in "the brightness of his coming," will be the destruction of his banded foes. And nothing less than this will satisfy the demands of the prophetic word.

And the Bible is full of this doctrine. You observe, that after this smiting the stone is to become a great mountain and fill the whole earth; i. e., the kingdom, established by Christ in person, is to take the place of all other kingdoms. He, in the splendor of his unbounded empire, will fill the earth with glory. At the head of his kingdom, he will "fill all things," "make all things new," and be the source and spring of the blessings of the everlasting age. Thus will the stone accomplish the part affirmed of it, and become the head of the corner, in all the universe of God. And the double pledge we have in the predictions of his word; and the accomplished fact of his resurrection and ascension.

And such we find the testimony of that word. Thus, we have the grant of the heathen, i. e., the nations, "for his inheritance; and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession."

And how is that possession to be obtained? Peaceably? As the conquest of his truth? Just as far removed from this as possible. "Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." Ps. ii, 8, 9. Could there be a more express confirmation of the prophet's words? In the one, the stone is to smite the image; in the other, Christ himself is to break in pieces all the combinations of his enemies, by an absolute, sudden, and remediless destruction!

Now, we shall shortly see that the time of this destruction is at the second coming of our Lord. And every image of grandeur seems to be employed in describing the fearfulness of this event to his banded enemies. "He bowed the heavens," says the Psalmist, "and came down; and darkness was under his feet." "He rode upon a cherub and did fly; yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind." And what was the effect of his coming on his enemies? "He sent out his arrows and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings and discomfited them." "Then did I beat them as small as the dust before the wind, I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets." Ps. xviii, 9, 10, 14, 22. Here, and through the entire psalm, we have the same idea of a grand and terrific outpouring of the judgment that is written.

And so, of the same event, we are told, "The Lord at thy right hand shall wound even kings, in the day of his wrath. He shall judge among the heathen; he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries." Ps. cx, 5, 6.

So in the glorious vision which Isaiah saw. A mighty personage, traveling in the greatness of his strength, passed before him. The prophet asks, "Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah?" And the answer is, "I that speak in righteousness; mighty to save."

But the prophet demands, "Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel; and thy garments like him that treadeth in the wine-fat?" And he replies, "I have trodden the wine-press alone; and of the people there was none with me; for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments; and I will stain all my raiment." Isa. lxiii, 1-3. It is the stone smiting the image, and visiting it with predicted destruction.

And so runs the representation all through the word of God. And when this is done, when the stone has smitten the image, and the kingdoms into which it was divided are overthrown and swept away, "great voices shall be heard in heaven, saying, 'The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever.'" Rev. xi, 15. The kingdom of the stone is set up. Sin is done away. Its blight is effaced. Its curse is lifted off. "And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new."

There are many lessons which this great theme brings home to us. Let us dwell on one or two.

1. How clearly mapped out are the events of the world's history before the eye of God! God forms his plans in reference to the kingdoms of the earth. And kings, generals, philosophers, and statesmen, rise up at the appointed time, and work out their appointed schemes. They thought they were carrying out their own plans. But God employed them in hewing out the block of his own high purposes. The madness of their rage he constrained to further his own designs. And when their power waxed too haughty against him, and their wisdom refused his counsel, he cut the sinews of the one, and sent foolishness into the other. Around all their designs his hand had traced, "Thus far shalt thou come, but no farther." What his wisdom permitted, they might do. But beyond that they could not go. All their acts, and all the consequences of their acts, are clearly traced out before him. He sees them all. He permits them all. He overrules them all. They are mapped out in his pre-appointed scheme—"written in his Book." Hours, days, months, years, and centuries, turn its leaves, and reveal to men a portion of what is written. > His providence unfolds the book, > And makes his counsel shine; > Each opening leaf, and every stroke, > Fulfills some deep design. Men may plot, and counsel, and combine. But there is no power and no wisdom against him.

2. How certain the destruction of those who reject his gospel. As the vast procession of history sweeps before us, there comes forth a voice, saying, "Whoever hardened himself against him and prospered?"

Armies perish, and sceptres are broken, and thrones are overturned, or crumbled away by slow decay, and nations rise, flourish, and pass away, and the proudest monuments of man's power forget to repeat the lesson with which they were charged. O, there is nothing great, nothing abiding, but that which links into the work of Jesus Christ the Lord! As the ages roll on, it progresses. The hand of the great Designer pushes on his work. And everything disappears, or is turned aside to make way for it. It were easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than for one of his promises to fail, or one of his enemies to escape his hand!

And is there no refuge? None, but in the shelter of his cross. There alone you can be safe. In all the universe beside, there is no place where his hand will not find you. There his promise meets you. There his love awaits you. There the everlasting arms are outstretched to receive you. His challenge is, "I said not to the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain." He will not say so to you. No one ever sought him, through the blood of the cross, who did not find him ready to forgive. He hath bound himself by his own everlasting covenant, in nowise to cast out those who seek him. And that covenant cannot fail. His power supports it. His faithfulness watches over it. His love moves through it. It is not possible for it to fail. O, seek salvation through it; and you shall rejoice in the fullness and freeness of his pardoning grace!—Lectures on Daniel.