God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost;" and unto this sure word
of prophecy we do well to take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a
dark place. "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of
any private interpretation" (2 Peter i. 20). As naturally as nature
responds to the seasons, so will providence to prophecy. We can discern
Spring-time, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. The garden will reveal to us
Winter as distinct from Summer, so in interpreting prophecy we must
always look for an agreement between providence and the world. As
naturally as the goat symbolises Alexander, so will providence in natural
history respond. Winter, with its winds, storms, and frost; with its
leafless trees and desolate gardens, proclaim, beyond a doubt, which
season of the four is bearing rule. Such a thing cannot be of private
interpretation; and prophecy, when fulfilled, is as easy seen, and is not
of private interpretation. A man is as foolish in forging prophecy as
one would be in trying to forge Winter by putting artificial leaves on
trees, and flowers on bushes. The thing is easily known if we exercise
our reason. In this line of thought we are sorry to note that men have
more faith than reason; hence the blunderings of prophetic writers, and
the leaders of Adventism and Millenarianism. Prophecy unfulfilled
commands and demands our faith--much more faith than reason, for it is
impossible to see how some things can come to pass, but if they are
subjects of prophecy they surely will, whether we understand them or not.
A prophecy fulfilled, however, appeals more to reason than faith, for if
fulfilled, it can readily be demonstrated.
As naturally as the female and male birds know each other and mate
together, so will events and prophecy. This kind of argument Isaiah
uses: "Seek ye out the Book of the Lord and read; no one of these shall
fail, none shall want her mate, for My mouth it hath commanded, and His
Spirit it hath gathered them" (Isa. xxxiv. 16). I charge you to beware
of prophetic dentists who put false teeth in the mouth of prophecy; who
by their haste and impatience forestall prophecy and weaken men's faith
instead of strengthening it. Prophetic evidence is very strong evidence,
both for the Christian and the infidel.
Some will fail to be convinced when prophecy is fulfilled. Jew-like,
they will blind their eyes and shut their ears to the evidences and voice
of fulfilled prophecy. The entire career of our Lord Jesus Christ was
foretold and mapped out by the Old Testament writers. Moses declared His
family; Micah the place of His birth; Isaiah the virginity of His mother;
Zechariah His triumphant entry into Jerusalem; David His life,
resurrection, and ascension, with many other kinds of evidence of a
detailed and general character; yet the Jews, who claimed to be well
versed in the Old Testament, rejected Christ. Keep these things in mind
while we now consider the text more directly.
You remember that out of the goat kingdom there came up four notable
ones, and out of one them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding
great toward the South, East, and pleasant land, or land of Palestine.
Now this horn is not to be confounded with the little horn of the fourth
kingdom spoken of in chapter vii., for that horn might justly be called
the eleventh toe horn, as it comes into existence after the ten-toe
kingdoms. The little horn of the text is explained in verse 23 to be a
king of fierce countenance. He was to appear in the latter time. It
will be interesting for us to ascertain what king, people, and country
this little horn stands for. Daniel has given us a very vivid picture of
the king. He is to be of fierce countenance, to understand dark
sentences, to stand up in power and might, not however in his own power;
he will claim to be appointed and authorised of God, and will pretend to
rule in God's name; he will destroy wonderfully even the mighty of the
world and the holy people; he will be very prosperous and practical,
giving a great impetus to trade. By means of his prosperity he will
become proud and strong, and will destroy many. He will actually stand
up in place of Jesus--Prince of princes. But finally he will be broken
without a hand. Thus, you see, Daniel gives us twelve special features
of his person and reign. Without doubt the mate of these descriptions
will be found on the person of Mahommed, and his successors in religion
Mahommedanism, and in people and country the Turks and Turkey.
Mahommed had his religion and himself recognised about the year 622 at
Mecca. From that time and place he went forth to waste and to destroy.
As his religion prevailed, so he subdued the country or territory. He
united in himself the rights and prerogatives of king, priest, and
prophet, making it obligatory upon his followers to prepare a way and
enforce his religion by the sword. He was indeed a king of fierce
countenance. Thus sprang Mahommedanism and the Turkish nation into
existence. As a people, they are chiefly the descendants of Esau and
Ishmael. If one desires to know the history and final destiny of this
people, let him study the prophetic utterances concerning Esau and
Ishmael. They are the descendants of Abraham, and so they very naturally
fall into the prophetic line.
The Hungarians came from this family through Lot. The Poles and Magyars
are from Moab and Ammon. These things being so, it is no wonder the
Hungarians and Turks should sympathise, nor that England should have a
liking for Turks, England being the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. Alliance
and sympathy between England and Turkey has a deeper root and meaning
than some are willing to admit. Turkey, however, as a distinct empire,
is nearly at an end. The recognition of the Ten Lost Tribes, and their
restoration with the Jews to Palestine, is connected with the downfall of
Turkey. "Saviours are to come up on Mount Zion to judge the Mount of
Esau, and the kingdom shall be the Lord's" (Obad.).
How clearly speaks Obadiah again when he says, "How are the things of
Esau searched out! how are his hidden things sought up! All the men of
thy confederacy have brought thee even to the border; the men that were
at peace with thee have deceived thee, and prevailed against thee; they
that eat thy bread have laid a wound under thee; there is none
understanding in him. Shall I not in that day, saith the Lord, even
destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the Mount of
Esau?"
These are the latter times of the king of fierce countenance. Hear
Daniel inquiring of the angel in this vision, "How long shall be the
vision concerning the daily sacrifice and the transgression of
desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under
foot? And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days."
These days are generally allowed to stand for years. If so, Jerusalem
was destroyed 70 A.D. The time Daniel saw this vision was about 490
B.C.; take 70 from this leaves 420. From 2,300 take 420, and we have
1,880. "Then shall the sanctuary be cleansed." What means this? It
means Jerusalem will recur back again into the hands of the Jews and
Israel. Christ said that the Jews "should fall by the edge of the sword,
and be led away captive into all nations; and Jerusalem shall be trodden
down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled" (Luke
xxi. 24).
Now we know the Jews did fall by the sword when the Romans took
Jerusalem. Second, we know they were scattered among the nations.
Third, Jerusalem has been trodden under foot--so much so, that Christians
have not been permitted to stand on Mount Zion, where now stands the
Mosque of Omar. And this is the city of the great King. This is Mount
Zion, from which is yet to go forth the law. This is Jerusalem that God
promises to yet again make the chief place of the earth. "Arise, shine,
for the light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee."
When, we ask, will the fulness of the Gentiles come in? We answer, Soon.
Think of what God has taught us in His Word. We, as the Lost Tribes,
have indeed been ignorant of our origin and destiny. "For I would not,
brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be
wise in your own conceits, that blindness in part is happened to Israel,
until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in" (Rom. xi. 25). This time
is nicely pointed out by John in Rev. xi. 2: "But the court which is
without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto
the Gentiles, and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two
months;" or, as explained in the following verse, a thousand two hundred
and three-score days. Accepting a day for a year again, and we have
1,260 years. Taking Mahommed power to date from 622, or about, then 622
and 1,260 make 1,882. Now just as sure as Jerusalem is now trodden under
foot, as certainly will it be free.
"Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful
garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for henceforth there shall no more
come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. Shake thyself from the
dust; arise and sit down, O Jerusalem; loose thyself from the bands of
thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion" (Isa. lii. 1, 2).
England is appointed of God to take possession of Palestine and restore
Jerusalem. God has told us through Isaiah that He will lay vengeance
upon Edom by the hand of Israel. The many days of the vision of Daniel
are now gone; the time is nearly up.
"For Zion's sake will I not hold My peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I
will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness,
and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth; and the Gentiles shall
see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory." It is the duty of the
watchmen of Zion to discern the signs of the times and become obedient
unto heavenly instruction. "Ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not
silence, and give Him no rest till He establish, and till He make
Jerusalem a praise in the earth" (Isa. lxii. 1, 2, 6, 7).
LITTLE HORN AND ANTI-CHRIST.
DISCOURSE IX.
PROPHETIC WONDERS--TWENTY MARKS OF THE MONSTER--THE BERLIN
CONGRESS--ANTI-CHRISTS MANY--MISTAKES BY WRITERS.
"I considered the horns, and behold! there came up among them another
little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked
up by the roots; and behold! in this horn were eyes like the eyes of
man, and a mouth speaking great things."--Daniel vii. 8.
In the visions and dream recorded by Daniel in this chapter we have the
same subject matter as that contained in the dream of Nebuchadnezzar of
the metallic image. In this the subject is carried further into the
future, bringing to view some new items of interest, under different
symbols and more of detail. The four kingdoms of the metallic image are
in this dream presented by the symbolism of four beasts. Babylon by a
lion which had eagle's wings, setting forth the strength and swiftness of
the same. Persia by a bear raised up on one side. Persia at this time
was composed of Media as well, but the one-sided position of the bear
denotes the dying out of Media and the continuance of Persia. The same
idea is conveyed in the eighth chapter and third verse: "The ram had two
horns, and one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last."
Media was a kingdom before Persia, but Persia was to survive Media; all
this history confirms. After the Medo-Persian Empire declined, Persia
surviving, held on to Babylon, Lydia, and Egypt--that is, when the bear
was raised up on one side, it held in its mouth three ribs, and was
strong for a time.
The Macedonian Empire Daniel saw under the type of a leopard, which had
on its back four wings of a fowl; the beast also had four heads. Babylon
was represented by two wings, but it is very fitting that Alexander and
his empire should have four wings, for no conqueror ever flew so fast
over the earth as this same monarch. In the metallic image he is
represented by brass, in this by a leopard, and in the one we noticed in
Discourse VII., by the goat. How wonderfully appropriate are these
symbolisms. The four heads of this leopard stand for the four kingdoms
into which the Macedonian Empire was divided on the death of
Alexander--namely, first, Egypt under Ptolemy; second, Syria under
Antigonus; third, Asia Minor under Lysimachus; fourth, Greece under
Cassandar. These four kings were the four leading generals of Alexander.
The fourth beast of this vision is a nondescript; for among all the
animal creation there could not be found one that could suitably
represent Rome. But one was made for the purpose, combining in itself
all that is fierce and terrible. "And behold a fourth beast, dreadful
and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth; it
devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of
it; and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it
had ten horns." Its teeth were of iron and its claws of brass. What a
monster! The other beasts faithfully represented their respective
kingdoms, and so did this. What a record! What a counterpart we have in
history of this beast! "Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the
streets of Askelon," lest the Pagan rejoice, and the heathen mock at us,
and the infidel triumph over us. Blot out from Time's record the 24th of
August, 1572. Let not our children learn the name of St. Bartholomew,
for fear they should despise Christianity. Quench the flames of
Smithfield, destroy the Inquisition, and divorce Christianity from such a
kingdom, from such a beast. Thank heaven! the beast is dying; its teeth
are worn to the very gum by the gnawings of centuries; its claws are not
now sharp, so it cannot now crush the innocent, as in days gone by, nor
tear with its brass claw the weak. Though the beast is growing old and
weaker, yet let us remember that its death struggle is yet to come. The
beast has been wounded, but this shall only serve to intensify its rage.
To be forewarned is to be forearmed, if we are wise.
This beast, Daniel tells us, had ten horns, and these horns are ten
kings--that is, kingdoms--that shall arise. Just here we may reasonably
ask whether these ten kingdoms are yet in existence, and the answer is,
No. Some of them may be; of course they are in existence, as was General
Grant before the war, but not yet distinct or assigned their special work
and place. The time, however, for them all to appear is near at hand.
Of this we may rest satisfied, when once they are all in existence we
will have no difficulty in knowing them. Prophecy unfulfilled is always
more difficult to interpret than when it is fulfilling or fulfilled. We
have no doubt but some of these horns are in existence, and from what we
can glean from prophecy and history, some are not yet in their proper
place.
The special province of prophecy is to prepare us for what is coming.
Searching into prophecy enables us to forecast the future with tolerable
certainty, just as the scientists can tolerably forecast the weather by
studying the laws, forces, and inclinations of nature. So the Christian
student, by studying prophecy, Providence, and history, and comparing
them, can know much of what is coining. On the Divine side all prophecy
is certain, but on the human it can only be approximated. Prophecy
furnishes the strongest kind of evidence in favour of the existence of
God--inspiration of the Scriptures and Providence. The Lord Himself
calls our attention to this kind of evidence frequently in the Bible.
"Produce your cause, saith the Lord; bring forth your strong reasons,
said the King of Jacob. Let them bring them forth and show us what shall
happen; let them show the former things what they be, that we may
consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things for
to come" (Isa. xli. 21, 22).
Prophecy does not interfere with the coming to pass of an event, or
suppress man's freedom no more than the man at Washington, who gives us
the weather probabilities, makes the weather or regulates nature. Even
when men know the sequence of a thing they oftentimes persist in doing
it. The soldiers who wrangled at the cross about the dividing of the
garments of the crucified One, thought little and cared less for
prophecy; but when they came to the Saviour's vest, they fell into the
line of prophecy, for at once they cast lots for that, all of which had
been fore-written for hundreds of years. Run and tell that young man
that the place he is entering is the way of death. Tell him that the air
is foul, that the furniture and painted humanity are all gotten up to
deceive. Tell him that in a few years he will repent ever having seen
such a place. And what is your reward? It is that you are laughed at
and esteemed as one that interferes, and told to mind your own business.
The young man is free and self-confident. Look in a few years for that
same young man and you shall find him a terrible example of fulfilled
prophecy. Diseased, worn, weak, and weary, he cries in the anguish of
soul for his folly. "And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy
body are consumed, and say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart
despised reproof?" (Prov. v. 11, 12).
The famous European Congress which met in Berlin, we foresaw would meet,
near three years ago, and told you the conditions under which it would be
called. In the dark days of the past did we not repeat to you our faith,
as fostered from prophecy, that England could not go to war? Many of
you, and persons in different parts of the country, advised me by letter
when the telegraph despatches came crowding and threatening, that I had
so said. The intention was to break my faith, or at least to remind me
that I had not spoken correctly. What now? who is right? This Congress
completed a prophetic period. After it was over new scenery appeared and
a new act came upon the stage. But more of this by-and-bye.
Among the results of this Congress will be an enlargement of England's
power over Turkey and Egypt. For England must possess Constantinople,
because to Israel it is promised that he shall possess the gates of his
enemies, and this is one of the finest gates in the world. Palestine
will come into the hands of England, and be opened up for the return of
the Jews, who, when the time comes will go in multitudes, and the Lost
Tribes representatively. "I will take you one of a city, and two of a
family, and I will bring you to Zion" (Jer. iii. 14). In a few years men
will understand why, in this country, as well as in England, people are
hunting up their genealogy, and by tradition, history, and heraldry,
trying to ascertain of what family they are. The re-settlement of
Palestine by God's chosen people, the Lost Tribes, no one can deny who
reads and believes the Bible. Hanging upon the fulfilment of this great
fact are many other prophecies and events, which are of great interest to
the Church and the world.
1st. The ten-toed kingdom must be formed. These kings are to form an
alliance with the beast, or Church of Rome, as representative of this
beast. "And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have
received no kingdom as yet, but receive power as kings one hour with the
beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto
the beast" (Rev. xvii. 12). Thus strengthened, the beast will make war
with the saints, or chosen, but it will be her final struggle, for in
struggling she will die. These ten kings will forsake her.
2nd. Anti-Christ has to appear after the settlement of Palestine.
Anti-Christ is represented by the other little horn spoken of in the
text. This little horn is to come forth from one of the ten horns. He,
too, will ally with the beast. The subject of Anti-Christ is a very
interesting one; on it men have written and speculated much and wildly.
In studying a subject of this kind, we should first ascertain the
Scripture teachings on it, then look for the preparative signs in the
Church and world, and finally, for the counterpart, which, once in
existence, no one can fail to recognise. The time, person, and work of
Anti-Christ have been very clearly set forth in the Old and New
Testaments, especially by Isaiah, in the fourteenth chapter and twelfth
to sixteenth verses; by Daniel in the seventh and eleventh chapters,
under the symbolism of this little horn; by Paul in second Thessalonians,
second chapter and first to twelfth verses; also by John in Revelation,
thirteenth chapter and nineteenth chapter and twentieth verse, besides
many other references.
Of Anti-Christ the early Christian fathers had different views. 1st.
Some thought that he would be Satan assuming the appearance of a man.
2nd. Some thought he would be a hybrid, the offspring of Satan by a
harlot; of this opinion were Lactantius and Sulspitius. 3rd. Hilary,
Jerome, and others thought he would be Satan incarnated. 4th.
Chrysostom, Theopolact, and Theodoret thought he would be a real man
under the influence of the devil. This latter view we accept as being
the nearest to the Scripture teaching. In the Scriptures he goes by the
names of Lucifer, man of sin, son of perdition, and that wicked one. Now
all these names are indicative of some special feature of his character.
Man of sin points out the intensity of the person in wickedness. As some
time ago a man was called "the wickedest man in New York," so Anti-Christ
will be called the man of sin, having been the greatest sinner of human
kind.
From the Scriptures we find that he will be characterised by some twenty
peculiarities. These we will just enumerate: a cunning seducer, a vile
imposter, a bold blasphemer, a great tyrant, a wonderful organiser and
diplomatist; hence he will readily make alliances with other kings and
strengthen himself; a pretentious and hypocritical Communist, dividing
his lands, money, and treasure among the people; he will be very
ambitious and aspiring, doing or being anything so he may gain his point;
he will be very self-willed; he will be very boastful, speaking great
words; he will be very cruel, not heeding the plea of woman; he will be
very sacrilegious, sitting in the temple of God--that is, the new temple,
built by the returned Jews--and actually claim to be God; he will be a
scientific spiritualist, able to work miracles, even to bring fire down
from the clouds; he will be very powerful by his alliance, apparent
generosity, and scientific deception; he will be a great liar, making
treaties and breaking them whenever it suits him; he will be very wicked,
guilty of all manner of crime; his reign will be short as a king, only
about three-and-a-half years. Before this he will have been a man of
power and position. He will suddenly be destroyed in the time of a
fearful uprising of the people; he will remain unburied in the streets of
Jerusalem for a time, then, finally, his remains will be burnt up. These
and many other facts inspiration furnish us beforehand of this most
wonderful character.
Against this person our Saviour warned the Jews and all the Church, but
especially the Jews, and He did so for special reasons, which will appear
hereafter in this discourse. Christ said, "I am come in My Father's
name, and ye receive Me not; if another shall come in his own name, him
ye shall receive." At the time of Anti-Christ's death there will be
raging a fearful war, and coincident with this war there will be another
Saint Bartholomew massacre in several of the ten-toed kingdoms. The
beast and Anti-Christ are to be destroyed about the same time. It will
be the last plot of the Jesuits, who are hounding to death poor Leo.
XIII. A glimpse of that time the Saviour showed to His disciples, when
He said: "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the
beginning of the world, to this time, no, nor ever shall be; and except
those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved; but for
the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. Then, if any man shall
say unto you, Lo! here is Christ, or there, believe it not; for there
shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs
and wonders, insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the
very elect. Behold! I have told you before" (Matt. xxiv. 21-25).
What a warning the Saviour gave the Jews, but how little have they and
the Church heeded it! In the second century appeared the famous Bar
Cochebas, with his thousands of followers, who in his final struggle was
slain with some sixty thousand of his adherents. Also, think of
Antiochus Epiphanes and his terrible delusions, the thousands and tens of
thousands who flocked to his standard. So marvellous was this delusion,
that many have actually made him out to be Anti-Christ, but those who
thus reason take the shadow for the substance, and do violence to all
true Scripture exegesis. Antiochus Epiphanes could not be Anti-Christ,
for he was out of time, and meets but few of the special conditions of
Anti-Christ. History records the appearance of not less than twenty-five
Anti-Christs, or persons who have claimed to be the Messiah of the Jews.
How unbelief exposes a man or a people!
Some have laboured to make it appear that Mahommed was Anti-Christ, but
with all his badness, he is not bad enough to be Anti-Christ. He reviled
not God, he never sat in His temple, he did not die in Jerusalem. He had
an honourable burial.