A GRAND PROPHETIC OUTLINE.
By George I. Butler
PROPHECY is history in advance. To write the history of the future and make no mistakes is more than any created being can perform. The Father and the Son, who alone can know the end from the beginning, are competent to inspire agents to do this. Hence, the fulfillment of prophecy is one of the most convincing evidences of the inspiration of the Scriptures, and therefore an important antidote to the prevailing infidelity of the present time. The prophecies of the Bible are of two kinds,—discursive and connected. In the former the inspired penman chronicles events which, in their fulfillment, may be wide apart, though written in close proximity. The scene presented before his mind changes rapidly, so that events are not connected with each other. But in connected prophecy events come in a series, like links in a chain, so that we may know which is to follow the other, and so we can tell the termination of the prophetic chain. Such prophecies can be more clearly and readily understood. The prophecies of Daniel and John are connected prophecies, and are among the most important in all the Bible. In this age of scientific attainments, knowledge of a descriptive character is often conveyed at first in outline. It is introduced to the mind in its simplest form; only a few, comparatively, of the facts to be communicated are at first presented, the most important and most readily understood. Then the picture is filled out by other particulars, till all at last can be grasped by the pupil. Our geographical, astronomical, and physiological charts, and many others are so arranged. God seems to have adopted this method in foretelling the grand events of history. In the great image of Daniel 2 we have an epitome of the history of the world for ages. In succeeding chapters and in the Revelation of John, the picture is filled out with most interesting and important particulars. Let us notice this grand prophetic outline. The scene is introduced when Babylon was at the height of its power. Nebuchadnezzar, its monarch, was in his prime, who was one of the greatest conquerors of antiquity. He had fortified and embellished the city, till it was known as one of the seven wonders of the world. Babylon was founded by Nimrod, the grandson of Noah, and this was perhaps the earliest organized kingdom after the flood. It had existed through various vicissitudes, till now it was the leading kingdom of the whole world, and none could stand before it. The king was an idolator. He had in his conquests conquered Judah and Jerusalem, and carried to Babylon Daniel and many others as captives, educating him and the most promising youths to hold important places in the government. One night, after having been reflecting upon the future, he had a most wonderful dream, which left a deep impression upon his mind. Yet when he awoke he could not recall its particulars. His mind was greatly troubled about it. He felt he must in some way have it recalled. He at last had recourse to the wise men and astrologers, etc., who were supposed to look into the future, but they could not help him. At last the matter was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night, and he revealed the whole matter to the king:— "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 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 these; 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." Dan. 2: 31-36. This was indeed a most wonderful dream, and no wonder the king was deeply interested to comprehend it. Evidently the Spirit of God was impressing his mind that it was a most important matter. And would to God that the mind of every reader might be as anxious to understand it as he was. Before considering the interpretation, let the reader take special notice of the following points: Where did the stone smite the image?—Not on its head of gold, not on the breast and arms of silver or sides of brass, nor legs of iron, but upon its feet that were of iron and clay. The image maintained its majestic form until the full development of the feet and toes, part of iron and part of clay. But when, without the hands of human agency, the stone by divine power alone fell from its mountain height upon the feet, the whole image was utterly disintegrated, and was swept away as the chaff before the mighty cyclone. Whatever constituted the image disappeared from view forever. We will now notice the interpretation point by point:— "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. Thou art this head of gold." Verses 37, 38. How plain, direct, and certain is this language! The king stands for the kingdom. The head of gold was Babylon. By historians and commentators who have studied the matter thoroughly, the beginning and ending of the monarchy as brought to view in the prophecy was B.C. 606 and B.C. 538, respectively. Our space will not permit an extended notice of the historical facts connected with these great monarchies. The interested reader who desires to learn more of the particulars is referred to "Thoughts on Daniel," for sale at the Pacific Press, or Review and Herald Office, Battle Creek, Mich. "And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth." Verse 39. From this language it is evident that these kingdoms were to be successive—the gold to give place to the silver, the dominion passing downward from one division to another, till at last the divided condition of the iron and clay was reached, when the grand drama should close in the utter destruction of them all. What power was represented by the breast and arms of silver?—The power that overthrew Babylon and held it in possession. This was the kingdom of the Medes and Persians united in one government. History and Scripture both state this, and none will dispute it. In the year B.C. 538 Cyrus the Great, at the head of the army of Medes and Persians, captured Babylon, slaying Belshazzar the king, who was holding a drunken feast. Dan 5: 30. That kingdom continued till B.C. 331. The kingdom of brass succeeded the Medo-Persian power. Alexander the Great, as he is called in history, completed the destruction of that kingdom at that date, and none could successfully resist him. The armor of his soldiers gave them the name of the "brazen coated." The Grecian power continued till B.C. 161. See Dan. 8: 20, 21. "And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron; forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdoeth all things; and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise." Verse 40. The student of history will not hesitate a moment in comprehending what power was this, so strong that it excelled all others that precede it, in might and duration, nor what power subdued the Grecian kingdoms, yea, and ruled the whole known world for ages. Rome, imperial Rome, was the grand colossus which bestrode all the nations for many centuries. That was the power that summoned the whole world to be enrolled, or taxed. Luke 2: 1. The power to do that was the power that ruled the world. From 161 B.C. to A.D. 476, between six and seven centuries, Rome held sway. A Roman governor caused the Lord of glory to be put to death. The influence of Rome in the affairs of the world have been more potent than that of any other. It was the terrible iron kingdom that bruised and brake in pieces. "And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the 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 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." Verses 41-43. The further removed from the point of time where the prophet stood, the more particular and specific are his statements of the events to occur. Only divine power could thus foretell them. To the end of the fourth kingdom great empires had successively ruled one after another. Now comes a change. The fourth kingdom is to be divided up into kingdoms, some stronger, some weaker, and these are to continue in this form and condition till utterly destroyed. History informs us that between the years 351 and 476 A.D. the Roman Empire was broken into fragments by the tribes of barbarians pouring in from the north upon it, till it was utterly broken up. And these became the kingdoms of modern Europe, who hold the power of the world in their hands to-day. Some are strong and some are weak; yet there they exist side by side, and no king has been sufficiently strong to unite them. Mighty warriors have tried it,—Louis XIV., of France, Charles V., of Germany, and Spain and the great Napoleon,—but still they remain in their divided state. Marriage alliances have often been made, but still they are as separate as ever. One little sentence of God's word has been more potent than all their efforts. What a striking contrast to the great empires which preceded this condition! These powers have not always remained exactly alike. Various changes have occurred. Yet there has generally been about the same number, enough to justify the common expression341when naming them collectively, "The Ten Kingdoms of Modern Europe." Where does the dominion of the world rest to-day?—In these kingdoms Great Britain, with some thirty-five or forty millions, holds vast portions of the earth under its sway, among which is India, with nearly ten times as many people. France, with about the same number, encroaches upon China, with its vast hordes of hundreds of millions, and she dare not contest her power. Thus we have been in the divided state of the dominion of the world for some fourteen centuries. What is the next great link in the prophetic chain? "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. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter; and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure." Verses 44, 45. How concise, plain, and decisive are these statements, and what grand and astounding facts do they present! Earthly kingdoms give place to the kingdom of God. All worldly sway of mortal rulers, with their weakness, malice, and tyranny, their persecutions of God's people, at the one grand stroke of the divine Stone, which became the head of the corner, pass forever away from mortal view, swept out of existence. The Saviour comes to rule over the whole world, to fulfill the promise made to Abraham, and to sit on the throne of his father David forever and ever. Rom. 4: 13; Isa. 9: 6, 7; Luke 1: 32, 33. In vain has a mystical, spiritualizing theology sought for ages to obscure this grand truth, and make it appear that the stone smote the image high up on the iron legs centuries before the feet and toes had any existence, at the first advent of Christ. The language utterly forbids such an application. Inspiration declares that the final destructive stroke fell upon the "feet that were of iron and clay," and utterly demolished the whole structure. The stone becomes a great mountain, and fills the whole earth. So the kingdom of God utterly destroys, supersedes, and holds entire sway over the very territory formerly ruled over by those earthly empires, which never after have a shadow of existence, while God's immortal kingdom stands to all eternity. Where are we to-day?—At the very close of the last earthly power mentioned, after its existence for fourteen centuries—on the very brink of the eternal world. Thus, in this brief synopsis of a few verses in length, the grandest events of over three thousand years of history are narrated, set before us in the clearest terms. None but the true God would do such a wonderful thing.