Revealed
by Daniel the Prophet
"There
is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known what shall
be in the latter days"- Daniel 2:28
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The
World Your Child Will Inherit
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Every
thinking man and woman should be deeply concerned at the ominous drift
of world conditions.
We
do not mean in international relationships merely, but in the steep
decline of moral standards that forms the social environment in which
we and our children live.
The
present state of things has so gradually stolen upon the world that
the full extent of deterioration has gone largely unheeded; but if we
were in a position to compare conditions of 40 years ago with those
of today, we would instantly recognize how sharp has been the decline.
Consider these facts:
- Today
crime is increasing at such a rate that it cannot be effectively controlled,
and the problem is steadily mounting.
- Despite
unparalleled affluence, dissatisfaction is rife, suicide is on the
increase, and in the U.S., one occurs every 27 minutes, whilst four
unsuccessful attempts take place at the same time.
- In
every country, violence on the roads is attaining new records; more
people are killed in accidents than in war.
- Complete
disunity characterizes national life and violence is continuously
erupting in all ports of the world.
- Immorality,
pornography, permissiveness, drug addiction are on the increase. With
many, the sanctity of marriage is no longer respected; premarital
sexual relationships are common; and "literature" openly encourages
the lowering of moral restraint.
- In
this age of marriage counselors, psychologists, guidance clinics,
and frank sex education - divorce, marital unhappiness, child delinquency,
and illegitimacy have never been higher!
- Discipline
has broken down with the decline in family life, so that teenage students
are governed by mob hysteria manifested by turbulence and violence.
Even the universities the very seat of education, are noted for
- their
indiscipline.
- International
morality is in a deplorable state. Brutal violence is the weapon used
to intimidate; people are shot down in cold blood, terrorism has become
almost a way of life.
- In
this age of steeply rising costs, the cheapest commodity is human
life itself.
- With
increasing world population, particularly in eastern countries, it
is assessed that within 50 years, starvation will be rife and a gigantic
struggle will break out for control of the arable areas of the globe.
- And
over this world of mad hatreds hangs the black, threatening cloud
of nuclear war.
The
above is a brief sketch of the world your child will inherit. In addition,
there is a personal problem.
Every
one of us has an incurable disease that will one day bring us to the
grave: it is the dread disease of mortality. Man seeks by scientific
research to conquer this, but he makes no progress. Though progress
has been made in medical knowledge and surgery, the disease that today
are attacking humanity are more deep-seated and terrible than ever before.
Heart, cancer, blood deficiencies, are some of the deep-seated afflictions
that are on the increase, and that seem to defy man with all his knowledge.
Your
only hope is the salvation offered in Christ Jesus through a physical
resurrection from the dead to life eternal.
The
only hope for your child is an education in spiritual truths that will
enable him to face up to the challenges and pressures that he will inevitably
find in the world as he grows up.
In
other words, to counter the forces that surround us, and threaten to
destroy us, we must turn to the Bible.
We
can do so with every confidence, for fulfilling Bible prophecy in our
own day enables us to see that what it proclaims will surely come to
pass.
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Prophecies
Fulfilling Today
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Take
but two prophetic statements of the Lord Jesus, and compare them with
conditions that are currently familiar to us.
He
declared that "as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of
the Son of man be" (Matt. 24:37-39). The record in Genesis chapter 6
reveals that the days of Noah were noted for a decline of morality (w.
2-3), widespread wickedness (v. 5), universal violence (v. 11), the
corruption of Divine principles (v.12), and the imminence of a cataclysmic
crisis that destroyed that civilization.
What
are the conditions today?
Similar
to those that prevailed in the days of Noah!
Again
Christ declared: "As it was in the days of Lot (in Sodom). . . even
thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed" (Luke 17:28-30).
Today,
on a scale never known to history - with greed, brutality, beastliness,
and criminal instincts in the ascendancy - the history of Sodom is being
repeated, even to the legalizing of homosexuality, and the world is
heading towards a terrible crisis that will overwhelm civilization,
as it did Sodom.
Sodom's
sin was not merely immorality: but the general attitude towards it;
it was immoral without shame or any attempt to hid it (Isa. 3:9). People
openly supported the wicked in opposition to the righteous (Jer. 23:14),
as is done today. The people of Sodom manifested "pride" induced by
"fulness of bread and abundance of idleness" (Ezek. 16:49).
In
this age of scientific development, widespread affluence and an ever
shortening working week, the world is experiencing similar conditions
to those of Sodom.
We
may well ask, what on earth is wrong with the world? To gain an answer
we must turn to Bible prophecy.
The
purpose of God, as far as the earth is concerned, is clearly revealed
in a remarkable prophecy contained in Daniel 2. Every confidence can
be placed in it inasmuch as most of the prophecy has been fulfilled.
In
a few verses, it outlines world history since the days of Daniel to
the present, and on to the future.
Daniel
the prophet was taken a captive to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. That mighty
Babylonian monarch had brought the whole world to his feet, and was
concerned as to what might be the destiny of the empire he had established.
God revealed the answer through a remarkable dream in which the king
was shown the Divine plan of the ages.
The
king, however, did not understand the dream. He sought the assistance
of the "wise men of Babylon," and demanding as an evidence of their
ability to correctly interpret it, that they first tell him the dream
and then explain it. Naturally, they were unable to do this, and in
his anger and disappointment, the king issued a royal edict against
them, threatening them with death if they did not reveal the desired
information within a given period.
Daniel
was among those involved in this edict. He made his plight a matter
of prayer. The God of Israel answered him, revealing the dream to the
prophet, and making known to him its interpretation.
Armed
with this knowledge, Daniel sought an audience with the king, and revealed
unto him the desired information:
"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.
The image's head was of fine gold, his breast and arms of silver, his
belly and 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 its feet that were of iron and clay, and
brake them to 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" (Dan. 2:31-35).
This
was the dream as the king instantly recognized. Daniel continued by
giving the interpretation. He showed that the four different metals
of the image represented four world empires that would arise: the 10
toes represented a multiplicity of nations that would replace the fourth
empire; and the stone which smote the image and completely destroyed
and supplanted it, represented the Kingdom of God which shall be set
up on earth, overthrowing the kingdom of men.
Here
is Daniel's interpretation:
"Thou,
O king, art a king of kings; for the God of heaven hath given thee a
kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.... and hath made thee ruler
over all. THOU ART THIS HEAD OF GOLD. And after thee shall arise another
kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which
shall bear rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be
strong as iron; forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all
things. . And whereas thou sawest the feet and the 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 the iron .... but they shall not cleave
one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. And in the days
of these kings shall the GOD OF HEAVEN SET UP A KINGDOM, WHICH SHALL
NEVER BE DESTROYED: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people,
but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it
shall stand forever. . The great God hath made known what SHALL BE HEREAFTER:
and the DREAM IS CERTAIN, AND THE INTERPRETATION THEREOF SURE" (Dan.
2:37-44).
A
brief consideration of this prophecy will reveal that it outlines the
history of the world leading to the establishment of the Kingdom of
God on earth. It predicts the uprise of four world powers followed by
a time when individual and antagonistic nations shall arise prior to
divine intervention upon the setting up of God's reign on earth.
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Babylon:
The Head of Gold
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"Thou
art this head of gold," declared the prophet in interpreting the vision.
Nebuchadnezzar stood as a symbol of Babylon. He was a competent general,
whose military exploits laid the foundation of one of the most magnificent
empires the world has known. The mighty power of Assyria submitted to
him; the smaller nations of the Middle East: Syria, Lebanon, Moab, Ammon
and Israel, were conquered: the ancient power of Egypt acknowledged
his sovereignty. Throughout the earth, Babylon was dominant.
At
great expense, and with slave-labor recruited from the conquered nations,
Nebuchadnezzar rebuilt and fortified the city of Babylon, intending
that it should become the permanent metropolis of the earth. The vain
boast of the king was: "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built
for the house of my kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour
of my majesty?" (Dan. 4:30).
But
already the answer had been given in Scripture. Over 100 years before
Nebuchadnezzar rose to power, Isaiah the prophet had declared:
"And
Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency,
shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah" (W. 13:19).
The
desolate ruins of Babylon today, on the banks of the Euphrates in Iraq,
testify to the truth of these words.
Nebuchadnezzar
rose to power in the year 606 B.C., and Babylonish power came to an
end 70 years later in 536 B.C. when Cyrus of Persia conquered the city.
The
golden head of the image had given way to the breast and arms of silver!
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Medo-Persia:
The Breast and Arms of Silver
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Babylon
was conquered by the joint armies of Darius of Media and Cyrus of Persia,
and world power passed to the joint kingdom of Medo-Persia.
Daniel
described the "breast and arms of silver" as "another inferior kingdom"
that would arise.
Persia
was "inferior" to Babylon in wealth, luxury and magnificence, but not
in duration. The empire continued for 203 years until its power was
superseded by that of Greece. It was appropriately identified with silver,
for, according to the historian Herodotus, the taxation and tribute
was paid to Persian authorities in silver tablets.
In
the year B.C. 333, at the battle of Issus, the power of Persia was broken
by Alexander the Great of Greece.
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Greece:
The Belly And Thighs Of Brass
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"Another
third kingdom of brass shall bear rule over all the earth," declared
Daniel. By such expressions as this, he clearly showed the king, that
the diverse metals in the image represented different world powers.
In
the year 333 B.C., Persia gave way to Greece as a world power. Greece
was noted for brass or copper, which featured in the armor of its soldiers,
who, in consequence, were called the "brazen-coated Greeks."
Alexander
the Great of Macedon, was one of the most successful generals in history.
Swiftly he extended his conquests throughout the world, until, as legend
has it, "he wept because there were no more worlds to conquer."
But
his triumph was short-lived. He died at the age of 33, during the course
of a drinking bout in Babylon, after his army had incurred terrible
sufferings in an attack deep into India. Upon his death, the Grecian
Empire declined. His empire was divided up by his four generals who
proceeded to wage war upon each other. And ultimately they were each
in turn conquered by a new power that arose from the west: Rome.
"The
fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron, breaking in pieces and subduing
all things," declared Daniel (Ch. 2:40). These words describe the ruthlessness
of Rome in its march to world power. Its legions triumphantly carried
the flying eagle (the symbol of Roman power) in all directions. Gaul,
Spain, Britain, Europe, Syria, Mesopotamia, Egypt, were all conquered
in turn.
Under
Augustus Caesar, the confines of the Empire were pushed to the Rhine,
and at his death it covered an area 100 times greater than the original
State.
Rome
was never conquered by a foreign power; it deteriorated from within.
And this is indicated in the amazing prophecy of Daniel. No longer does
he speak of another universal empire taking over; he indicates that
there will be four world powers, and then a division: first into two
parts (the legs of the image), and then into many parts (the toes of
the image).
And
time has completely vindicated the prophecy. In the fourth century A.D.,
the capital of the Roman Empire was transferred from the city of Rome
to Constantinople in the east. Ultimately the Empire became divided
into two parts: Eastern and Western Rome, answering to the two legs
of iron, seen in the vision of Daniel 2.
Rome
encouraged plunder from the conquered cities and states. It became a
parasite feeding on its dependencies. Its legions marched into Palestine,
and destroyed Jerusalem, as Christ had prophesied. He declared:
"They
(the Jewish people) shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be
led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be troden down
of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled" (Luke
21:24).
In
A.D. 68, war broke out between Rome and Judah. It was a most sanguinary
conflict in which quarter was neither asked nor given on either side.
Jerusalem was besieged, and the city reduced to terrible straits. Over
a million Jews perished in the holocaust. In A.D. 70 it fell, to be
ultimately destroyed by the Romans, and its people, the Jews, were taken
captive into all nations.
But
they were never destroyed; they retained their identity. This, also,
is in accordance with the purpose of God. Notice that Jesus limited
the period of the down-treading of Jerusalem, and the scattering of
its people, by the use of the word, "until. . . " Today, the Jewish
people are returning to the land, and Jerusalem itself has been freed
from foreign domination. For the first time, in over 2,000 years, the
Jews are again masters of the city, indicating that "the times of the
Gentiles" are about to "be fulfilled."
Why
was Rome permitted to gain the ascendancy over Jewry and Jerusalem?
Because
of their opposition to the Lord Jesus Christ. When even Pilate wanted
to free him, they demanded his crucifixion, impiously declaring: "We
have no king but Caesar" (John 19:15), "His blood be on us and on our
children" (Matt. 27:25).
They
were given into the hands of Caesar, and paid the terrible penalty in
blood.
They
were mistaken in Christ. They desired a Messiah who would deliver them
from Rome; they did not comprehend that though Christ will ultimately
reign from Jerusalem as King, and will "rebuke strong nations" (Micah
4:1-3), brin ing all dominions into subjection to his rule (Isa. 60:12;
Zech. 14:9; Rev. 11:15), he had first to provide the means for individual
salvation. At his first advent, he came as "the lamb of God" to take
away "the sin of the world" (John 1:29). He will come again (Acts 1:11),
to reward the faithful (Rom. 2:7,16), to bring about national redemption
(Acts 15:16-17; Jer. 23:6-8), and to establish the Kingdom of God upon
the earth.
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The
Uprise of Christianity
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The
Son of God was born in turbulent times. He had come to save his people,
but was considered a revolutionary and slain.
Three
days later, however, he rose from the dead, and proclaimed himself as
having the keys of the grave and of death (Rev. 1:18).
But
he was rejected by the Jews, and this brought about the development
of Christianity. This had been predicted by Isaiah:
"It
is a light thing that thou shouldest be My servant to raise up the tribes
of Jacob; and restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee
for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the
end of the earth"
(Isa.
49:6).
Rejected
by the Jews, the message of salvation was eagerly embraced by Gentiles,
and the foundation of Christianity laid in the preaching of the Apostles.
Rome,
particularly under Nero, made determined efforts to stamp out this new
sect, but instead it conquered Rome. The arms of the Empire had widened
the borders and extended the scope of human experience, as well-made
military roads made possible easy access to all parts of the wide-flung
Empire. Those roads heard the tramp of marching legions, and also the
preaching of the Apostles, calling upon people to separate themselves
from Gentilism and give themselves unto God (Acts 15:14). They proclaimed
the hope of a risen Christ who will return to put down all rule and
authority, and to assume his rightful place as King over the earth (Acts
2:30; 3:19-21; Isa. 9:7; Zech. 14:9), at which time he will raise his
faithful servants from the grave to inherit life eternal (1 Cor. 15:20-25,
51-58).
The
world was turned "upside down" by the power of this message (Acts 17:6).
In fact, it is claimed that the preaching of the Gospel was a part cause
of Rome's decline. The early Christians were conscientious objectors;
they disregarded the call to war. The Gospel had caused them to turn
from seeking the things of this world, to seeking salvation at Christ's
coming. This was a stumbling block to national aspirations and ambitions,
and Gibbon, the historian, traces the victory of Christianity as partly
the cause of Rome's collapse.
But
in the end it was paganism that conquered. The prophecy of Paul was
fulfilled in that he predicted the rise of false teachers (Acts 20:29-31)
and apostasy (1 Tim. 4:1-3; 2 Tim. 4:1-4). Christianity gave way to
a divided and antagonistic Christendom which perverted the original
Apostolic faith. Pagan doctrines (such as the immortality of the soul,
the trinity, etc.) were superimposed upon the truth, and the two main
cities of the Empire - Rome and Constantinople - became the headquarters
of the Greek and Roman Catholic systems, which divided the Empire ecclesiastically
as it also became divided politically.
Thus
the Empire was separated into its western and eastern divisions, as
foreshadowed by the two legs of iron in the image-vision recorded in
Daniel 2. The prophecy clearly and correctly predicted the course of
human history.
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Divided
Europe: The Toes of Iron and Clay
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Meanwhile,
hordes of barbarians from the east, pressed heavily upon the northern
borders of the Roman Empire. Some were absorbed therein; others made
inroads by force of arms. In 476 A.D. Rome was occupied by Odoacer,
King of the Heruli. But the Empire as such was never really conquered;
it disintegrated. It became divided by factions, and in course of time,
10 smaller nations, answering to the 10 toes of the image, quarrelled
over the corpse of the Empire, and laid the foundation for modem Europe.
The
Papacy arose to unite these independent nations by religion and force
of arms, so that the Holy Roman Empire was established in the west.
But politically, the old Empire was replaced by a number of quarrelling
smaller nations, independent of each other, some strong and others weak.
It answered to the requirements of Daniel 2:
"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 iron
mixed with miry day, 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."
"Iron
and clay": Imperialism and Communism: "partly strong, partly broken":
some powerful, some weak; "shall not cleave, nor mix:" a disrupted divided
state among the nations.
These
are the requirements of the prophecy, and they are exhibited in world
conditions today.
Since
the Roman Empire broke up, there has arisen no power capable of welding
the diverse nations of Europe into one strong, united power. The Continent
remains disunited, with some nations strong and others weak. Several
have attempted to revive the Roman Empire, but all have failed. Frederick
the Great, Napoleon, Hitler, Mussolini, all saw it as an objective,
but destiny was against them. Others have attempted to bring unity through
such organizations as the League of Nations and the United Nations Organization,
but failure has underlined these efforts also.
The
prophecy of Daniel 2 has been completely vindicated by 2,500 years of
history. He predicted the uprise of four great world empires known to
history as Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome, and then correctly showed
that these would be followed by a number of independent and antagonistic
nations.
The
remarkable fulfillment of his prophecy shows that every confidence can
be placed in the predictions of the Bible, and that they do reveal the
shape of things to come. The Bible constitutes the light of truth and
Divine revelation in the midst of the darkness of man's philosophy and
rule. Individual salvation is promised in its pages, for all who will
embrace its truth, and fulfil the requirements of the Lord Jesus Christ
(see Mark 16:16).
Russian
Confederacy: The Image United
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As
King Nebuchadnezzar listened to the words of the prophet, and recalled
the dream he had of the warrior-image (Dan. 2:31), he was enabled to
anticipate the course of world story. He saw in the head of gold, the
glory of Babylon; in the breast and arms of silver, the might of the
Persian Empire that would succeed it; in the belly and thighs of brass,
a reference to the swift conquests of the Grecian Empire; in the legs
of iron, the ruthless power of Rome; in the feet and toes of iron and
clay, the divided state of modem Europe.
But,
in addition, he saw the image standing upon its feet as a united whole,
and then witnessed a "stone" divinely "cut out of the mountain" which
"smote the image upon his feet," causing the top-heavy structure to
fall and be broken into pieces. The stone then grew, and crushing the
metals of the image into powder which the wind blew away, it became
a mountain and filled the whole earth (Dan. 2:34-35,45).
In
recording these things, Daniel told the king that "the great God hath
made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter" (v. 45), in
"the latter days" (v. 28).
How
is the Image to be united together and stand upon its feet?
Only
by the confederation together of the various parts of the image which
are at present antagonistic; that is, by the uniting together of the
various nations that currently exist upon the territories covered by
the image.
How
is this to be done?
Bible
prophecy reveals that Russia will accomplish it. Russia will subdue
Turkey, and incorporate Persia under its influence. She will extend
her power westward, until all Europe bows before her as those nations
behind the Iron Curtain do already. By mutual compromise, Rome and Russia
will come to agreement, and the image will again be caused to stand
upon its feet.
Ezekiel
38 shows that Russia will weld all the modern powers found on the territories
represented by the image, into one great military confederation bent
on world domination. The prophecy speaks of this mighty power "from
the north" (Ezek. 38:15), coming against the "people of Israel" (v.
16), and involving "all nations" in war (Zechariah 14: 1). The Middle
East will thus become the battle ground of nations, but the issue will
be resolved to the glory of God and to the praise of the Lord Jesus
Christ.
Meanwhile,
current Russian intrigue in the Middle East, the extension of her power
deep into the west of Europe, and the bitter and unremitting antagonism
that she shows towards the English speaking world, are straws in the
wind showing that these prophecies are about to be fulfilled. Everything
is happening in accordance with the predictions of the Bible and as
its students have anticipated, and placed on record for over 100 years.
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The
Kingdom of God: The Stone That Became A Mountain
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But
Russia will fail in her attack on Jerusalem and the Middle East because
her ambitions run counter to God's purpose. He has not arranged for
the modem revival of Israel that Russia might take over; the Jewish
return to the land is in preparation for the establishment of the Kingdom
of God under Christ the King. Russia will only be permitted to involve
the Middle East in war in order to humble the Jewish people, and force
them to seek the help of God and of Christ whom they have ignored and
opposed for so long (Jer. 30:4-9; Ezek. 37:21-22).
Russia
will fail because of what was revealed in the image-prophecy of Daniel
2. The king, in his dream, had seen a "stone cut out of the mountain
without hands" (v.45) smite the image on the feet, and destroy it. The
stone then became itself a mountain, and "filled the whole earth" (v.
35).
This
stone represented the Kingdom of God, as Daniel told the king. It was
"cut out of the mountain, without hands" or without human agency, because
the nucleus of the Kingdom is through Divine instrumentality.
Its
nucleus is Christ the king, and those who will reign with him. The latter
are those who embrace Divine truth, and are obedient to the Divine will.
Their destiny is to be raised from the dead to incorruptibility (1 Cor.
15:51-58), and to reign. with Christ on earth (vv. 22-25). They are
pictured as saying:
"Thou
wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred,
and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings
and priests: and WE SHALL REIGN ON THE EARTH" (Rev. 5:9-10).
Again:
"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 of
Christ and shall reign with him a thousand years" (Rev. 20:4,6).
The
stone is represented as crushing the image and growing into a mountain
that fills the whole earth, because the Kingdom of God will only be
established by the exercise of Divine power. Christ returns as the Lion
of God (Rev. 5:5), to manifest Divine power in the subjugation of the
nations. The Scriptures declare:
"In
righteousness he doth judge and make war" (Rev. 19:11).
He shall "destroy them which (would) destroy the earth" (Rev. 11:18).
"The kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of
his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever" (Rev. 11:15).
"The nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea,
those nations shall be unterly wasted" (Isa. 60:12).
"Yea all kings shall fall down before him; all nations shall serve him"
(Psa. 72:11).
"The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that
obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Thess. 1:8).
"God hath appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness
by that man whom he hath ordained, whereof He hath given assurance unto
all men, in that He raised him from the dead" (Acts 17:31).
"The Lord shall be king over all the earth" (Zechariah 14:9).
And
now take heed of Daniel's interpretation of the stone" smiting the image:
"In
the days of these kings (divided Europe) shall the God of heaven
set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom
shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and
consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as
thou sawest that the stone .... brake in pieces the iron, brass, day,
silver and gold; the great God hath made known what shall come to pass
hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof
sure" (Dan. 2:44-45).
This
is the clear, certain declaration of God's purpose, forming a key to
the interpretation of the Bible. It required the personal, visible return
of the Lord Jesus to the earth (Acts 1:11; 3:19-20; Rev. 1:7; 22:12),
and the establishment thereon of a Divine kingdom that will bring man's
rule to a complete end.
This
clear declaration of Scripture promises a most desirable, happy consummation
to the present evil state. It provides a satisfactory solution to the
deterioration in moral and other conditions evident in the earth today,
whilst, at the same time, giving men and women of faith an incentive
to obey Christ.
This
is the hopeful future to which the world will ultimately come, and towards
which a true Bible student can look with joy. An understanding of these
things can enrich your life, and provide your children with a spiritual
heritage that will enable all the family to look beyond the iron curtain
of trouble that encloses most people today, to the glorious Divine purpose
when Christ will reign from Jerusalem over a world at peace (Jer. 3:17).
In another place, Daniel declared:
"And
the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the
whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most
High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall
serve and obey him" (Dan. 7:27).
Here,
again, is a clear declaration of the Divine purpose. And notice, that
the kingdom embraces that which is "under the whole heaven," or, in
other words, on the earth. "Blessed are the meek," declared Christ,
"for they shall inherit the earth" (Matt. 5:5). The meek are those who
"receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save their
souls" or lives (James 1:21). They "search the Scriptures" with "readiness
of mind," to see whether these things are so, and when they find them
so, they "believe" and act (Acts 17:11).
Thus
in truth, sincerity and understanding, they utter the Lord's prayer:
"Thy kingdom come, that Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven."
The
conditions that will then exist on earth are predicted in the words
of Isaiah 2:2-4:
"It
shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's
house shall be established (a Temple of worship in Jerusalem) .... and
all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come
ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the
God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in
His paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the
Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall
rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against
nation, neither shall they learn war any more."
Consider
the state of things thus pictured: one unifying religion; people heeding
the Word of God and walking in righteousness; nations in subjection
to Divine law; perfect peace replacing the antagonism and bloodshed
of today!
A
changed world; a new world order to the glory of God and wellbeing of
man.
That
is the destiny the world is coming to in the mercy of God! And you can
be a participant in it if you seek God's way.
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What
Does This Mean To Us?
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A
consideration of Daniel's prophecy will make manifest that the course
of history reveals a Divine purpose that is bringing humanity slowly
but surely to the point where God will intervene in world events, to
set up His kingdom on the earth.
The
realization of this constitutes a challenge to each one of us. It is
good to know that God has a plan for the world, and in due time He will
move to establish His purpose and rid the world of current evils; it
is comforting to learn that the wise administration of Christ will result
in "glory to God in the highest, and upon earth peace and goodwill towards
men;" but that is no guarantee that we will participate therein. If
we desire to enjoy the benefits of that time we must do something about
it now.
Paul
declared that the Gospel "is the power of God unto salvation to every
one that believeth" (Rom. 1:16); and Jesus instructed the Apostles to
"go into all the world and preach the gospel: he that believeth and
is baptised shall be saved" (Mark 16:16).
To
believe the Gospel, we must come to understand the Bible. But that is
not so easy as may first appear. There are so many different sects and
religions, each claiming to proclaim the truth, that one despairs of
attaining unto it. That is the challenge each one of us must face. If
salvation is worth having, it is worth seeking, and that is what each
one of us must do. If we were suddenly faced with a serious illness
that threatened our life, we would leave no stone unturned in seeking
an effective remedy. Each one of us has a serious illness: mortality!
We need to seek a remedy. It is found only in one place, and we must,
with independence of mind, search the pages of the Bible to attain unto
an understanding of the will and purpose of God, that we might obey
and embrace it.
We
remind you again: the times are significant; the issues are vital; you
owe it to yourself and your family to seek God's way.