p. 69 | Signs of the Times, Vol. 3, No. 9. (2/22/1877)

Thoughts on the Book of Daniel.

By Uriah Smith

CHAPTER II.—CONTINUED.

VERSE 39. And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.

It is almost with a feeling of regret, as we look at Babylon, raised to such a pinnacle of splendor, by so much care, and pains, and labor, that we turn to look at the picture of her downfall and desolation. But we must remember that the Chaldeans were the oppressors of God's people, and were guilty of iniquities which challenged retribution at the hand of high Heaven. So said the Lord by the prophet: “And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the Lord; for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.” Jer. 25:12.

Nebuchadnezzar reigned forty-three years, and was succeeded by the following rulers: His son Evilmerodach, two years; Neriglissar, his son-in-law, four years; Laborosoarchod, Neriglissar's son, nine months, which, being less than one year, is not counted in the canon of Ptolemy; and lastly, Nabonadius, the Belshazzar of Daniel, son of Evilmerodach, and grandson of Nebuchadnezzar, with whom that kingdom came to an end.

In the first year of Neriglissar, only two years from the death of Nebuchadnezzar, broke out that fatal war between the Babylonians and the Medes, which was to result in the utter subversion of the Babylonian kingdom. Cyaxeres, king of the Medes, the Darius of Daniel, summoned to his aid his nephew, Cyrus of the Persian line, in his efforts against the Babylonians. The war was prosecuted with uninterrupted success on the part of the Medes and Persians, until, in the sixteenth year of Belshazzar, Cyrus sat down in a regular siege against Babylon, the only city that held out against him in all the East. The Babylonians, gathered within their impregnable walls, with provision on hand for twenty years, and land within the limits of their broad city, sufficient to furnish food for the inhabitants, and garrison, for an indefinite period, scoffed at Cyrus from their lofty walls, and derided his seemingly useless efforts to bring them into subjection. And according to all human calculation, they had good ground for their feelings of security. On no human probability, with the means of warfare then known, could that city ever be taken. Hence, they breathed as freely and slept as soundly as though no foe was waiting and watching for their destruction around their beleaguered walls. But God had decreed that that proud and wicked city should come down from her throne of glory; and his decrees what mortal arm can hinder!

In their very feelings of security, lay the source of their danger. Cyrus resolved to accomplish by stratagem what he could not effect by force; and learning of the approach of an annual festival, in which the whole city would be given up to mirth and revelry, he fixed upon that day as the time to carry his purpose into execution. There was no entrance for him into that city except where the river Euphrates entered and emerged, passing under its walls. He resolved to make the channel of the river his own highway into the stronghold of his enemy. To do this, the water must be turned aside. Accordingly he dug an immense trench around the city, and on the evening of the feast-day above referred to, detailed three bodies of soldiers, the first to turn the river at a given hour into an immense, artificial lake a short distance above the city, the second to take their station at the point where the river entered the city, and the third where it came out, with instructions that when, in the darkness of the night, they found the river fordable, they should enter its channel, and immediately urge their way to the palace of the king, where they were to meet, surprise the palace, slay the guards, and capture or slay the king. When the river was turned into the lake mentioned above, Cyrus also opened the trench he had dug around the city, drawing off the surplus water into that, which soon made the river fordable, and the soldiers detailed for that purpose followed its channel into the heart of the city of Babylon.

But all this would have been in vain, had not the whole city, on that eventful night, given themselves over to the most reckless carelessness and presumption, a state of things upon which Cyrus calculated largely for the carrying out of his purpose. For on each side of the river, through the entire length of the city, were walls of a great height, and of equal thickness with the outer walls. In these walls were huge gates of solid brass, debarring all entrance from the river bed to any and all of the twenty-five streets that crossed the river, when closed and guarded; and had they been thus closed at this time, the soldiers of Cyrus might have marched into the city along the river bed, and then marched out again, for all that they would have been able to accomplish toward the subjugation of the place. But in the drunken revelry of that fatal night, these river gates were all left open, and the entrance of the Persian soldiers was not perceived. Many a cheek would have paled with terror, had they noticed the sudden going down of the river, and understood its fearful import. Many a tongue would have spread wild alarm through the city, if they had seen the dark forms of their armed foe stealthily threading their way to the citadel of their strength. But no one noticed that the river suddenly became emptied of its waters; no one saw the entrance of the Persian warriors; no one took care that the river gates should be closed and guarded; no one cared aught but to see how deeply and recklessly he could plunge into the wild debauch. That night's work cost them their kingdom and their freedom. They went into their brutish revelry, subjects of the king of Babylon; they awoke from it slaves to the king of Persia.

The soldiers of Cyrus first made known their presence in the city by falling upon the royal guards in the very vestibule of the king of Babylon. Belshazzar soon became aware of the cause of the disturbance, and died, vainly fighting for his tyrannical and beastly life. This feast of Belshazzar is described in the fifth chapter of Daniel; and the scene closes with the simple record, “In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.” Thus the first division of the great image was completed. Another kingdom had arisen as the prophet had declared. The first installment of the prophetic dream was fulfilled.

But before we take our leave of Babylon, let us briefly glance forward to the end of its melancholy fall. It would naturally be supposed that the conqueror, becoming possessed of so noble a city, far surpassing anything in the world, would have taken it as the seat of his empire, and maintained it in its primitive splendor. But God had said that that city should become a heap, and the habitation of the beasts of the desert; that their houses should be full of doleful creatures; that the wild beasts of the island should cry in their desolate dwellings, and dragons in their pleasant palaces. To this end it must first be deserted. Cyrus removed the imperial seat to Susa. The pride of the Babylonians being particularly provoked by this act, they soon rose in rebellion, which brought upon themselves the whole strength of the Persian Empire. The city was again taken by stratagem; and that they might not be able to rebel again, its brazen gates were taken away, and its stupendous walls demolished. This was the commencement of its destruction. By this act, it was left exposed to the ravages of every hostile band.

Xerxes, on his return from Greece, plundered the temple of Belus of its immense wealth, and then laid the lofty structure in ruins. Alexander the Great endeavored to rebuild it; but after employing ten thousand men two months to clear away the rubbish, died in the midst of a beastly debauch; and the work was suspended. In the year 294, B. C., Seleucus Nicator built the city of New Babylon in its neighborhood, drawing from the old city inhabitants and material for the new. Now almost exhausted of inhabitants, neglect and decay were telling fearfully upon the ancient city. The violence of Parthian princes hastened its ruin. About the end of the fourth century, it was used by the Persian kings as an inclosure for wild beasts. At the end of the twelfth century, according to a celebrated traveler, the few remaining ruins of Nebuchadnezzar's palace were so full of serpents and venomous reptiles, that they could not, without great danger, be closely inspected. And to-day, scarcely enough even of the ruins are left to mark the spot where once stood the largest, richest, and proudest city the earth has ever seen. Thus the ruin of great Babylon shows us how accurately God will fulfill his word, and stamps upon the brow of skepticism the infamous brand of idiocy.

U. S. S.

(To be Continued.)

The Lying Wonders of the Last Days.

By J. H. Cook

“For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth, and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.” Rev. 16 : 14.

That there is an agency at work at the present time which claims to work miracles, is patent to all. But that they do possess that power is usually denied. But this text, with many others which might be quoted, plainly points out a miracle-working power that shall go forth to the kings of the earth and the whole world. From Adam down to the present time, the Spirit of God and the spirit of the devil have been in the world.

The Spirit of God has had for its office, to lead men to the truth, and assist them in the work of developing heavenly characters. That of Satan has brought all his available forces to battle against the truth of God, and has ever waged a relentless warfare against God's chosen people.

Both powers have, as circumstances seemed to demand it, wrought miracles. What, says one, the devil work miracles! Yes; we have a case at hand. The magicians who withstood Moses wrought miracles. Ex. 7 : 11. In Job 1 : 16, Satan is represented as having called fire down from heaven and burned up the sheep and servants and consumed them. In verse 19, he brings to his aid the winds of the wilderness.

Surely this is a miracle-working power. But God also works miracles through the agency of good angels. Acts 12 : 7–10, 23; 1 Chron. 21 : 14, 15. But Satan is a fallen angel, and was cast out of Heaven with others, who joined with him in rebellion against the just and wise government of Heaven. 2 Pet. 2 : 4; Jude 6. Notwithstanding his fall, he is an angel still, and retains to a great degree all the powers of mind and body which belong to that high order of created intelligences.

Angels of God render themselves visible or invisible at will. It is also said of Satan that he is transformed into an angel of light. 2 Cor. 11 : 14. Then he possesses a transforming power also. But we have before shown that Satan and his angels were cast out of Heaven. Hence they were originally a part of the heavenly family, Eph. 3 : 14, 15, and possess, except so far as weakened by the fall, all the faculties of mind and body that belong to the angels of God.

That angels can impress, and by various means communicate with men, is a fact so universally admitted that we assume it to be true without an argument in its favor:

The foregoing statements we think satisfactorily explain the various developments of Spiritualism. The angel of God appeared to Daniel, and presented to him in symbols four great beasts which, to Daniel, had all the appearance of real beasts, and yet they were not in fact real beasts, but symbols. To John, other symbols of beasts were presented, varying in some particulars, and with some additions not presented to Daniel, all having the appearance of life and activity. On the other side, Satan presents to Christ the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them in a moment of time. Probably this presentation was a landscape view, and had all the appearance of reality. And when he appeared to Eve, he came in the form of a beautiful serpent.

Now if angels possess the power of presenting any image or symbol they desire at will, and giving it all the appearance of reality, so that it is indelibly impressed on the retina of the eye, is there any reason why the same symbols presented before the camera of the artist would not produce the same effect as the living subject, and that the object so presented would be re-produced on the camera! We think there is not.

If the foregoing conclusions are correct, the only mystery connected with Spiritualists’ taking the likenesses of the dead would be that of angels’ possessing the power to present at will any image they desire. Certainly if they presented the images and views to which we referred, they could vary them at will, to an almost endless variety. And being acquainted with the dead of all past ages, they would know just what kind of an image to present to produce a picture bearing the features of the person called for, so as effectually to deceive the individual calling for the likeness of a dead friend, thus making persons believe that their friends were really present, when, in fact, the agency behind the curtain was only a fallen angel.

Then we can say emphatically that they are the spirits of devils working miracles to deceive the nations of the earth.

If the foregoing illustrations are correct, we are furnished with an explanation of all spiritual phenomena. If Satan could call fire from heaven, and the winds from the wilderness, who can say that he does not possess power to heal the sick, and perform many other wonders for the purpose of deceiving the people? Miracles are borne on the very front of the profession made by Spiritualists. Hence not only are their claims in harmony with the powers possessed by angels, but in harmony with the prophetic declarations on the same subject. And there is no excuse for individuals being led away by its influence, if they will investigate the Word of God. But the doctrine of Spiritualism abounds with pleasing fables, and the belief in the doctrine of the conscious state of the dead has paved the way for this great deception, and almost all are falling into line, and are being rushed through with impetuous speed. They are too busy to stop and think, too busy to investigate their Bibles, and, as the result, will be held in deception till their day is past and probation is ended.

J. H. COOK.

The Churches.

(Condensed from Review and Herald.)

New York.

SILVER HILL.—Eld. D. M. Canright and Bro. Hall visited, and held meetings with this church, Feb. 3-6, and report a fair attendance, fine weather, and a good meeting. This church was raised up recently by Brn. Taylor and Hall, and has a membership of about twenty. Nine took a decided stand to become Christians. There are several new churches in this county and many children and young people. “Of these,” says Eld. C., “I have seen about thirty make a profession of religion in the last ten days. This looks encouraging. Quite a number of these young people are preparing to go to our College at Battle Creek.”

ROME.—Eld. B. L. Whitney gives a very encouraging report of the standing of this church. He says, “So far as I can learn, there is not one of those who have fully taken their stand for the truth but that is still holding on and is more firm than ever before. Two regular prayer-meetings per week are well sustained, the attendance sometimes numbering over forty; and their Sabbath-school and Sabbath meetings are increasing in interest.”

CANASARAGA.—Sabbath, Feb. 3, three more declared their intention to keep the Sabbath of the Lord. Eld. Reynolds who has held meetings in this place every evening for five weeks intended to begin a course of lectures, Feb. 5, in

CHITENANGO.—The people here are very much interested, and the business men, especially the nonprofessors, are very desirous to have an opportunity to hear. A paper was circulated, and in a very brief time sufficient money was subscribed to hire the largest and best hall in the village, including fuel and lights, for seven nights. May the Lord bless the words of truth spoken, to honest hearts.

Wisconsin.

BLACK CREEK.—Seventeen signed the covenant at this place under the labor of Bro. G. C. Tenney, and others living at a distance will join the church when it shall be organized.

New Jersey.

NORTH VINELAND.—“Through the distribution of tracts,” writes Bro. Wm. J. Boynton, “and a few lectures in private houses, five have decided to keep the seventh-day Sabbath, and others are investigating.

Dakota.

ELK POINT.—Bro. E. W. Farnsworth has been laboring for several weeks in a country town about six miles south of this place. “Sunday the 28th,” he says, “we baptized fourteen in the Missouri River. We then organized a church of twenty-six to be known as Elk Point church. A few of these were Sabbath-keepers before.”

Kansas.

HYMER.—Bro. J. Lamont reports that eight or ten have taken hold of the Sabbath here; and from present indications he expects the number will be doubled before the meetings close.

Virginia.

SHENANDOAH CO.—The first S. D. A. ministers who labored in this State were Elds. Lane and Corliss who entered the State about one year ago entire strangers to the people. They now report that there are sixty keeping the Sabbath in this vicinity; that a live Tract Society, Sabbath-school and church have been organized, and a house of worship built; that they have a tent in which to hold meetings and that, by the kindness of the Publishing Association and the brethren, they have about a ton of publications for the people. Speaking of the spiritual standing of the church Eld. L. says: “Every brother and sister, including the young, except one, has taken up the cross of bearing testimony in meeting. Family prayer is established, and all have freed themselves of tobacco, and are working into the reforms as fast as could be expected. Even old father Woods, about seventy-five years of age, has put tobacco away.” Let the good work go on.

Long Salaries and Short Sermons.

By Dudley Marvin Canright

YESTERDAY I attended a popular church in the city. It is a very fine church. It is cushioned, and carpeted, and frescoed, has a fine choir, and everything in style. The little society who own it have also a very fine debt of twenty thousand dollars hanging over it. The pastor is evidently an accomplished scholar, precise in every way, just what a modern, popular church require. His salary is five or six times that which our ministers receive. He preaches twice a week, and very exhausting indeed, must be his arduous labors, if they are all the sort I witnessed.

He arose and read from manuscript. It was a very nicely written essay, worded very precisely, very prettily, but it sounded very much like many an essay which I have heard young students read when they were practicing in school. He read it very quietly, without the least emotion, and as though he did not expect it would move anybody in particular, and in this he evidently was not disappointed. The reading of it took just seventeen minutes by my watch. That was called the sermon for Sunday morning. Another one at evening of the same length would make thirty-four minutes talk which his church receives in one week. At this rate they get about one hours sermon in two weeks, while our ministers preach from an hour to an hour and a quarter every sermon and with as much earnestness in one discourse as this man would manifest in a whole year.

This is a fair sample of modern sermons. I attended another church in this same city but a short time ago and heard another dry essay read. The reading occupied just fifteen minutes. How much burden of soul can these men have? Just none at all. Evidently they put in just as little labor as will do to secure their position and get their pay.

D. M. CANRIGHT.

“The Sight of Hell.”

THIS is the title of a book, written a few years ago by Father Furniss, of the Catholic Church, and designed especially “for children and young persons.” As such, it is recommended for general use in Sunday-schools. The extracts which we give below are enough to curdle the blood of even an adult. What, then, must be the effect of such horrid pen-pictures upon the tender minds of children? We are first introduced to a “striking devil”—a strange personage and a terrible tormentor:—

“Little child, if you go to hell there will be a devil at your side to strike you. He will go on striking you forever and ever without stopping. How, then, will your body be, after the devil has been striking it every moment for a hundred millions of years without stopping?”

Children who have had the full benefit of the rod, and who have learned by painful experience to dread its smart, might find in such a gloomy prospect a weighty motive to evade the blows of this eternal striker. But how much is that piety worth which is the result of a horrid scare? And where is the authority for making such frightful declarations? In what sacred book is such theology taught? Why does not Father Furniss back up his assertions by giving chapter and verse? The answer is easy. No higher authority exists for such unbounded nonsense than the heated brain of the presumptuous author. Thank God, there is no divinity in these shocking statements! Let us now gaze a moment upon another picture:—

“Come into this room. But see in the midst of it there is a girl, perhaps about eighteen years old. Her dress is made of fire! On her head is a bonnet of fire. It burns into the skin; it scorches the bone of her skull and makes it smoke. The red hot fiery heat goes into the brain and melts it. If she were on earth she would be burned to a cinder in a moment. But she is in hell, where fire burns everything, but burns nothing away. There she will stand, forever burning and not be scorched.”

In these days of fanciful flights and fabulous theology, there is a general disposition to figure away the “hell-fire” of the Scriptures, and to reduce the sinners’ doom to a mere mental uncomfortableness. Not so with Father Furniss. He believes in a furnace (happy coincidence of name) whose fire shall burn with undying fierceness, and yet fail to consume its suffering victims. We do not object to the literality of the fire, provided that it be correctly located, and provided also that it be endowed with an energy adequate to destroy the fuel upon which it is to feed. The Bible version of hell-fire is this: “The day cometh that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.” Mal. 4 : 1. Another extract must suffice:—

“But listen! There is a sound just like that of a kettle boiling. Hear what it is. The blood is boiling in the sealed veins of that boy. The brain is boiling and bubbling in his head. The marrow is boiling in his bones. Hear how it screams. It beats its head against the roof of the oven. It stamps its little feet against the floor of the oven. You can see on the face of this little child what you see on the faces of all in hell—despair, desperate and horrible.”

There! Is that dish peppery enough for Sunday-school children? Well, you can hardly object to it, if you indorse the dreadful dogma of endless misery for a large portion of the human family.”—Bible Banner.

Politics and Religion.

The Watchman thus contrasts the earnestness of men in politics and in religion:—

“Suppose a thousand Christians should march through the streets with torches, shouting at every mention of their Lord, and bearing banners and transparencies inscribed with passages of Scripture? The Legislature would vote another palace hospital for the insane this winter. Suppose all the houses should be illuminated along the route, and adorned with bunting and banners. The papers would talk of a city gone mad. Suppose that man yelling yonder at the very squeal of his voice over a stirring forthsetting of his favorite candidate, should hear the stranger in his pew next Sunday say Amen! in a ringing way, over some stirring forthsetting of the Lord. He would probably ask the sexton to show the disturber of public worship the way into the street. Boston will be warned again and again during Mr. Moody’s visit, against excitement, and told the necessity of making one’s calling and election sure by calmness. We confess this political campaign has made us long for even something sometimes called fanaticism in religion. In real enthusiasm the devil beats us out and out twelve months in a year.” Even the New York Sun has this sensible reflection: “When any body goes crazy over religion there is a great outcry about it. But we have no doubt that more people have been sent to the mad-house through the excitement of the late election than have been put there for a year on account of religion. —Christian Statesman.”

Fruit of the Vine, vs. Wine.

By J. H. Waggoner

The wine makers are very ambitious to magnify their office, and they object to having their compounds discarded from the communion tables of the churches. But their compounds are alcoholic, and we doubt the propriety of admitting that which “bitteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder,” to the table of the sacred ordinance of the gospel. We have always recommended our brethren to secure pure juice of grapes for this service. And this is easily done.

But a wine-dealer ridiculed the idea. He said, “That is not wine at all.” Suppose it is not, and what then? The Scriptures do not say wine was used at the Lord’s supper, but, “the fruit of the vine.” Who will say that sugar and water converted into alcohol, with perhaps an addition of drugs as is often the case, is “the fruit of the vine?” It is a vile intoxicating compound, not fit for any table, much less for the Lord’s table.

We read this day in a prominent California paper that wine drinkers are not drunkards. In 1837 Louis Philippe, the “King of the French,” said, “The drunkenness of France is on wine.” Many a young man has formed the appetite on wine which carried him to a drunkard’s grave.

“Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine.” Here is a sufficient reason for heeding the injunction to “Look not upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his color in the cup.” It is a flattering seducer; a lurking foe. Avoid it.

When Satan came among the sons of God as they presented themselves before the Lord, then evil befell the righteous. See Job 1. Wine is an instrument of Satan. Suffer it not in your midst when you come before the Lord in his ordinances, for by its means evil has befallen many who presented themselves before the Lord to worship. J. H. WAGGONER.

Why the Fig-Tree Was Cursed.

By W. N. Glenn

It is recorded in Mark 11:13, 14, that Jesus, “seeing a fig-tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find anything thereon; and when he came to it he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever.” In the 20th verse, we find that “in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig-tree dried up from the roots.”

Skeptics are wont to criticise adversely the act of Jesus in cursing the tree, and charge him with “inconsistency” in expecting to find fruit before the proper season. In fact, some who do not claim to be skeptical have expressed surprise at this act of our Lord, and were disposed to characterize it as a “fit of passion.”

But those who are acquainted with the nature of the fig-tree will readily comprehend the summary judgment passed, and the lesson to be drawn from the example. In the spring the fruit of this tree appears before the leaves are put forth, and if, on the occasion above alluded to, “the time of figs was not yet,” then the leaving of the tree was premature. If the tree was fully leaved, it was not unreasonable to seek fruit thereon; and if it was of that barren variety that makes great show and produces nothing, the act of deadening it, that it might not prove a deception to others, was proper.

However, the importance of the event comes to us in the form of an impressive lesson on the subject of hypocrisy. If the great Judge of all the earth would thus blast a simple fig-tree for making a false show and producing no fruit, what may professed Christians expect whose lives are based upon the same principle? It will be no small matter to spread our pretentious Christian leaves to attract public attention, and let the Lord of the harvest find us at last barren of fruit. Such leaves will no more screen our barrenness from the scrutinizing judgment of the Lord than did the fig-leaf garment of Adam and Eve hide their nakedness from his piercing glance. W. N. GLENN.

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