In these studies concerning the Kingdom of God it is well that we hold our object clearly in view. It is not the task of judging or deciding between this theory or that, that we have set out upon; nor to prove or defend or accept such and such a view in opposition to some other; nor to follow one man's or set of men's teaching and to repudiate or controvert the teaching of others. None of these things. Our purpose is simply to go to the word of God for the teaching we find there. The result may be to confirm us in one point or another previously held, or to lead us to modify or abandon some, or all, or none, of our previous conceptions--in any case our intention is single and pure: we are in quest of God's truth without reference to man's notions or predilections or prejudices. The subject deserves an earnest first-hand study; and that we may search and see aright let us ask God's help.

      In our study of Nebuchadnezzar's dream of the great Image and the Divine interpretation of it given through Daniel, the chief point we saw was that four world-empires were destined to appear, one after the other, and that the fourth and last one was to be superseded and followed by the Kingdom of God. It is important to note that Daniel predicted four world powers--not two or three or five, but four and no more. The next power and dominion to hold sway over the earth, according to Daniel, is the Kingdom of God. And that Kingdom of God and its coming is not represented as a development here below, but as an irruption from above, "without hands," that is to say, not of man's device nor of human agency. The Kingdom enters in by a judicial and destructive act from on High, by which the whole Image is reduced to fragments like the chaff of the summer's threshing floor which are carried away by the winds and no place is found for them. Then the little stone which wrought this destruction takes possession and becomes a great mountain, filling the whole earth. The inspired interpretation of all this is summed up in these words: "In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure for ever." (Daniel 2:44).

      The four world-empires came. There were just four. (How did Daniel know there would be just four except by the all-seeing Spirit of God?) We find them all by name in the Scripture, and are not obliged to delve into secular history on the matter. Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom, was followed by the kingdom of the Medes and Persians (Daniel 5:31; 6:8, 25; Ezra 1:1, 2). This was followed by Greece (Daniel 8:20, 21) and last came the all-subduing power of Rome which held sway over all the world. (Luke 2:1). Since then Rome also has vanished. In that fact lies the puzzle that occupies our attention in this study. Rome is gone. But no stone loosed by superhuman agency smote her; no sudden catastrophe from on [12] high overwhelmed her; she was not beaten to dust and the dust swept away. Rome came to her end in the natural and inevitable course of the law that governs the rise and fall of nations, and not in any unusual way at all.

      The impossibility of squaring the events of the past with the wonderful prophecy of the second chapter of Daniel was sufficiently pointed out in the preceding chapter.

      We must turn our attention next to the parallel prophecy of Daniel 7--the vision of the Four Beasts. One after the other Daniel sees four beasts ascend out of the great sea; the first like a lion, the second like a bear, the third like a leopard, the fourth a nameless ten-horned beast "terrible and powerful, and strong exceedingly." These four beasts "are four kings (or kingdoms) that shall arise out of the earth." (Daniel 7:17, 23). The parallel between this vision and the dream of the Great Image is obvious; and that the fourth beast represents the Roman world-power is all but universally admitted, and is indisputable.

      The parallelism of the two prophecies may be presented to the eye thus:

      Again, we have the same story as in Daniel 2; four world-powers, then the Kingdom of God. As the feet of the Image were smitten from on High, so does this fourth beast come to its end by Divine interference (Daniel 7:11). In both prophecies the Kingdom of God follows the destruction of the fourth world-power. In Daniel 7, one like unto a son of man is seen coming to the Ancient of days and He receives from Him "authority, and glory, and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshipped him. His dominion is an [13] everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed" (Daniel 7:13, 14). This is manifestly the same kingdom as that of Daniel 2:44--the kingdom set up by the God of heaven which shall never be destroyed.

      Two new features, however, claim our attention in the prophecy of the Four Beasts:

      (1) that up to its destruction the fourth beast (that is, its dominant king, represented as the "little horn") persecutes the saints;

      (2) that upon the destruction of the beast the saints receive the kingdom: "As I watched, this horn was waging war against the saints and defeating them, until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom" (Daniel 7:21, 22, 25-27).

      It is expressly stated that this reign of the saints is not one up in heaven, but "under the whole heaven," that is to say on the earth, and extending over all the earth (Daniel 7:27). The authority and sovereignty which had previously been the beast's passes into the hands of the saints of the Most High, and is thenceforth and forever administered by them.

      It is not necessary, surely, to point out again here that no such crisis and change as this has ever yet been witnessed in the world's history; and no apparent difficulty can justify us in trying to force the prophecy into compliance with some preconceived scheme. The difficulty ought, however, to be faced. It consists in the fact that Rome, the fourth world-power, is gone. There are not to be five world-powers. The Kingdom of God comes with destructive impact upon the fourth and supersedes it. No such thing has happened, yet Rome is gone.¹ [14]

      Has God's word failed? That is not to be thought of. God at least has His solution of this difficulty. But God has also revealed it to us in the New Testament scriptures.

      In the last book of the Bible, the Revelation of John, a certain Beast figures very prominently--mentioned first in chapter 11; more fully described in chapters 13 and 17; and meeting its doom in chapter 19. Like the fourth beast of Daniel 7, the beast in Revelation has ten horns. Like Daniel's beast, so is this one, a world-power. "There was given to him authority over every tribe, and people and tongue and nation" (Revelation 13:7). The Beast of Revelation is identical with Daniel's fourth beast; for according to Daniel the Divine program is, Four world-powers--then the Kingdom of God. There were not to be five world-powers. This beast of Revelation could not be a new, additional world-power besides the four predicted by Daniel: it must be one of those four; and unquestionably it is the last one, the fourth. It comes to its end at the hands of the Son of God, when He comes with His saints, (His "called, chosen, and faithful" ones Revelation 17:14). Moreover this destruction of this beast (like that of Daniel 7) is followed by the world-wide reign of Christ and His saints, (Revelation 19:11-20:6). The kingdom of this world becomes "the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ" (Revelation 11:15).

      Here then, we see this same Beast (for it can be no other) reappearing in the future, and meeting its doom at the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ when He comes with the ten thousands of His saints to execute vengeance upon the rebellious, and to assert His authority in the earth. It is told John by way of explanation: "The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction." Again it is repeated, "he was, and is not, and is yet to come" (Greek, "shall be present") (Revelation 17:8). This is not dark symbolism but Divine interpretation, which needs no more interpreting. The Roman world-power then, though now it does not exist, as such, is to return. When it returns, the Roman power will be in the form of a ten-kingdom confederacy under one dominant head; which fact is indicated by the toes of the Image; more fully set forth in the ten horns of the fourth beast (Daniel 7); and clearly revealed to John in Revelation:

      "The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast. They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast" [15] (Revelation 17:12, 13). It is this league and combine represented as the ten-horned beast, and particularly its head, that will receive its judgment and utter doom at the hands of the returning Son of God (Revelation 19:11-21).

      One more fact deserves notice: the beast of Revelation while identical with Daniel's fourth beast embodies the features of the three preceding beasts Daniel had seen in his vision. It has the mouth of the lion, the paws of the bear, the general appearance of the leopard. All four world-powers that were to be, find their re-embodiment in the final form which the fourth one will assume in the time of the end; so that in this last world-power God may judge the blood-guilt and wickedness and misrule of human government of all the ages, and give the sovereignty of the earth to Him whose right it is. In the destruction of the feet and the great Image by "the stone," not only the feet and legs of iron mixed with clay, but the brass also with the silver and gold, are together broken up and reduced to chaff (Daniel 2:35). In this catastrophe not the last only, but, by representation, all four of the Gentile world-powers meet their judgment. Then the saints receive the kingdom. For, "Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?" (1 Corinthians 6:2). "To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations--He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery" (Revelation 2:26, 27).

      We have seen then, that in the fair meaning of the prophecies of Daniel, the Kingdom of God, in that phase of it which is viewed by Daniel, has not yet come. There are other features of the Kingdom of God which we shall not overlook in our coming studies. But the Word of God is not in conflict with itself. Though Christians are in the Kingdom of God's dear Son now (Colossians 1:13) and the kingdom in them (Romans 14:17) we wait for this promise. And the unhappy creation, groaning and travailing in pain together until now, waits with us for the glorious day in earnest expectation.

      The statement that "Daniel 2:44 has not yet been fulfilled," does not deny that the Stone which smites the Image upon its feet already exists. Necessarily the cutting out of the Stone "without hands," must precede its descent upon the Image. If it be contended that the words in Daniel 2:44, "In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom," has reference to the first preparation of the Stone, in the establishment of the church on Pentecost, we have no objection to offer. It is in harmony with that conception that Christ descending from heaven at the head of His saints (Revelation 19:11-21) destroys the last world-power, and takes possession of the earth. This is the Stone, which has been forming throughout the present age and which in due time comes down to smite the Image and assume the control of the earth. But it is the latter point--the establishment of the Kingdom of God in the earth in open manifestation and supreme power--which the catastrophe Daniel 2:44 has especially in view. [16]

[KOG3R 12-16]