CHAPTER III.

I. THE VISION OF THE FOUR BEASTS, DANIEL, SEVENTH CHAPTER.-THE COMING OF THE SON OF MAN AND HIS KINGDOM TO SUCCEED THEM.

THE prophecies of Daniel, relating to the successive events of time, are, above all the other prophets, consecutive and full, taking up long chains of events from his own day, and carrying us down the stream of time to the coming of the everlasting kingdom of Jesus Christ. So full is he, in his delineations of the characters of governments, and their relation one to another, that it would hardly seem possible for us to mistake the governments intended. In none of his visions, however, is he more clear than in the vision of the four beasts, in the 7th chapter.

This vision of Daniel is peculiarly striking, from the manner in which it is given; the leading events being three times repeated. 1. A series of emblematic representations passed in vision before his eyes. 2. He repeated what he had seen, in the form of an inquiry as to the meaning of the imagery. 3. A divine messenger explained, in order, each of the emblems seen in the vision. Each of these three repetitions of the events winds up by introducing an universal triumph of the saints, which shall never end.

1. The prophetic imagery of the vision.

The substance of the vision is as follows: The four winds strove upon the great sea, and four great beasts arose from the sea, diverse one from another. The first like a lion, with eagle's wings. The second like a bear, with three ribs in the mouth. The third like a leopard, with four wings and four heads. The fourth was a dreadful and terrible, and exceeding strong beast, with great iron teeth; and it had ten horns. Then there came up among the ten another little horn, before whom three of the first ten fell, or were plucked up by the roots. In this little horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things. Then appeared the ANCIENT OF DAYS on a throne of fiery flame: ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him the judgment was set, and the books were opened. He saw also in vision the Son of man, coming in the clouds of heaven, and receiving an universal and everlasting kingdomn and dominion. 2. The inquiry respecting the meaning of the imagery.

(1.) The meaning of the four great beasts; verse 16. (2.) The meaning of the fourth beast, diverse from all which were before it; verse 19. (3.) The meaning of the ten horns that were in his head; verse 20. (4.) The meaning of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth which spake very great things; and which made war with the saints, and prevailed against them, until the ANCIENT OF DAYS came, and judgment was given to the saints, and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.

3. The answer of the explaining messenger to the foregoing inquiries.

(1.) The answer to the first inquiry is found, verses 17 and 18: "Thus he said; these great beasts, which are four, are four kings which shall arise out of the earth; but the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever."

This text is a general explanation of the whole vision, and gives a comprehensive view of the course of events from then to the end of time. This course was comprehended under the reigns of four great kingdoms, or human governments, here called kings. But that the meaning of the term here is kingdom, is evident from verse 23: "The fourth beast shall be the fourth KINGDOM upon earth."

Beginning, then, with the days of Daniel, in the first year of Belshazzar, the last of the Chaldean monarchs, have four great kingdoms successively arisen, and followed each other, so as to form a perfect chain of events from Daniel to us? And does the last of them now exist?

The Chaldean monarchy was founded by Nimrod, the mighty hunter before the Lord. He was the great-grandson of Noah." And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar." Gen. x. 10. This kingdom continued to flourish, and in the time of Nebuchadnezzar it had extended its conquests over the then known world. See Dan. ii. 37, 38. “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 heaven hath he given into thy hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all." All this was addressed to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Chaldea, in the second year of his reign. His kingdom continued to flourish, until that night when Belshazzar saw a hand-writing appear on his palace wall, announcing that his kingdom was divided and given to the Medes and Persians. And in that night was Belshazzar, the king of the Chaldeans, slain, and Darius the Median took the kingdom." Daniel, fifth chapter.

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Thus ended the first kingdom upon earth, and at the same time the second began.

The Medes and Persians continued to maintain their dominion until the time of Alexander the Great. The history of his conquest of the Medes and Persians is given, 1 Macc. i. 1: "Alexander, son of Philip the Macedonian, conquered Darius, of the seed of the Medes and Persians, and reigned in his stead, the first king over Greece." The writer then proceeds to tell us of the conquests of Alexander, and finally of his sickness, the division of his kingdom among his servants, his death, and their reign as his successors.

But before the birth of Christ, all the dominions of Alexander, or all the Grecian empire, had been conquered by the Romans, so that, at the time of Christ's birth, the world was tributary to them. In Luke ii. 1, we are informed, that Cesar Augustus issued a decree, that ALL THE WORLD should be taxed.

We have now found the four great kingdoms of the earth; and beginning with Nimrod, the great-grandson of Noah, the Roman government

is the fourth kingdom upon earth. And this government yet exists, and exerts its influence in every land, whether civilized or savage; and in every land has its sworn liege subjects.

(2.) The answer to the second inquiry. The meaning of the fourth beast is given, verse 23d: "Thus he said; the fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, and shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces."

Sufficient has already been said on this point, to show conclusively that it predicts the Roman government, which had devoured the whole earth, and trod it down, and broke it in pieces, at the time of Christ's birth.

(3.) The answer to the third question,-the ten horns which were in his head,-is found, verse 24: "The ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings which shall arise."

Did ten kings, or kingdoms, as above predicted, arise out of the fourth beast, or Roman government? When, and where?.

That ten kings did arise and concurrently exist in the western Roman empire, is a matter too notorious to be disputed, and too plain to need proof. The only difficulty in the way seems to be this, what ten kingdoms are intended? for, since their first establishment, they have continually been changing their names and location. Some have been plucked up or subverted, and others have arisen to take their place. This point, however, I think, may be settled by the text. Verses 7, 8: "And it had TEN HORNS. I considered the horns, and behold, there came up