The Holy Scripture - english version B.indd - Sabbat

398 Interpretation in post-Reformation Times.“The prophecies of Daniel are all of them related to one another as if they werebut several parts of one general prophecy given at several times. The first is theeasiest to be understood, and every following prophecy adds something new to theformer.” “In the vision of the image composed of four metals the foundation of allDaniel’s prophecies is laid. It represents a body of four great nations which shouldreign over the earth successively, viz. the people of Babylonia, the Persians, theGreeks, and Romans ; and by a stone cut out without hands whichfell upon the feet of the image and brake all the four metals to pieces, and becamea great montain and filled the whole earth, it further represents that a new kingdomshould arise after the four, and conquer all those nations, and grow very great, andlast till the end of all ages.” In chapter IV. he says: “In the next vision, which isof the four beasts the prophecy of the four empires is repeated with several newadditions, such as are the two wings of the lion, the three ribs in the mouth ofthe bear, the four wings and four heads of the leopard, the eleven horns of thefourth beast, and the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven to theAncient of days sitting in judgment.”In chapter VII. he expounds the “little horn” of the fourth beast, witheyes as a seer and a mouth speaking great things, and changing times and laws ;and shows it to represent a power both prophetic and kingly, and that such aseer, a prophet, and a king is the Roman Papacy. He traces its rise, and thecotemporaneous rise of the ten horns at the fall of the western Roman empire.He traces also its dominion, and anticipates its doom at the close of the foretoldperiod. He interprets the days of prophecy as years, reckogning, to use his ownwords, a prophetic day for a solar year. He shows the futurityin his time, and proximity of the world-wide overthrow of the Papal power. Hesays that the time had not then come perfectly to understand these mysteriousprophecies, “because the main revolution predicted in them had not yet cometo pass. In the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin tosound, the mystery of God shall be finished, as He has declared to His servantsthe prophets ; and then the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdomsof our Lord [YAHWEH] and His Christ [Messiah], and He shall reign forever.”Till then, he says, “we must content ourselves with interpreting what has beenalready fulfilled.” He adds: “Amongst the interpreters of the last age there isscarce one of note who has not made some discovery worth knowing, and thenceI seem to gather that God is about opening these mysteries.”He points out that an angel must fly through the midst of heaven with theeverlasting gospel [good tidings] to preach to all nations before Babylon fallsand the Son of man reaps His harvest, and says: “If the general preaching ofthe gospel [good tidings] be approaching, it is to us and our posterity that thosewords mainly belong, ‘In the time of the end the wise shall understand, but noneof the wicked shall understand.’ ‘Blessed is he that reads, and they that hear thewords of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein.’”How marvellously has Sir Isaac Newton’s anticipation of a general preachingof the gospel [good tidings] been accomplished in the glorious evangelization ofthe world during the last century!