CHAPTER X.
THE
KINGDOM OF CHRIST
The
doctrine of the kingdom of Christ calls
for special attention in this connection; though some may, at a first glance,
think that it is not directly related to the subject of the Atonement. Here we
may repeat a statement made, that there are no isolated, independent truths in
the great plan of salvation. It takes all the truths and doctrines of the Bible
to make one complete system; and the Atonement is the great central work, by
virtue of which all other parts of the work of salvation and redemption are
carried out.
But the
special reason why the subject of the kingdom should here receive attention is
this: There is another class of texts in the Scriptures which speak of Christ
on his throne which are misapplied by many religious teachers, who refer them
also to his kingly priesthood. They seem to take it for granted that every
Scripture declaration concerning his kingly authority must refer to him while
sitting a priest on his Father’s throne in Heaven. But the Scriptures
themselves very clearly distinguish between these two classes of texts, and to
amalgamate them is only to make confusion and to obscure the light of some
precious Bible truths.
In Acts
1:6 it is recorded that the disciples inquired of Christ: “Lord, wilt thou at
this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” On this we first notice, that
the term “Israel” primarily was indicative of character, and not of birth.
Jacob was called Israel, and Esau was not, though they were children of the
same parents—twin brothers. Afterward the term was applied to all the
descendants of Jacob, though it never lost its primary signification. It was by
this fact that Paul proved that the promises of God are strictly and literally
fulfilled, though the unbelieving nation were rejected which claimed the sole
right to that title. They are not all Israel which are of Israel, nor are all
heirs of the blessings of Abraham who descended from Abraham. The promise of
kingly glory preceded the existence of the nation (See Gen. 17:5-7),
Gen
17:5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall
be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.
Gen
17:6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of
thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
Gen
17:7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed
after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto
thee, and to thy seed after thee.
and the rejection of any part of the nation,
or even of the whole as a nation, did not and could not destroy the promises.
When Jesus, because of their rejection of the message
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from
Heaven, foretold the rejection of the Jews, he did it in the following
language: “Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from
you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.” Matt. 21:43.That
was to say, that the kingdom should be taken from nominal Israel, and given to
the true Israel, the faithful overcomers. See also Gal. 3:29.
Gal
3:29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs
according to the promise.
And with this agree the words of the Lord to
David, as recorded in Ps. 89. “I have made a covenant with my chosen; I have
sworn unto David my servant, Thy seed will I establish forever, and build up
thy throne to all generations.” Verses 3,4. And again: “His seed also will I
make to endure forever, and his throne as the days of heaven. . . . Once have I
sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure
forever, and his throne as the sun before me. It shall be established forever
as the moon, and as a faithful witness in Heaven.” Verses 29-37.
It is not
merely a theory that depends upon the true interpretation of these promises. We
shall endeavor to show that the truths which they contain are eminently
practical, and that a misapplication of them leads to serious perversions of
the gospel and of the relations of
Christianity to the kingdoms of this present world.
We turn
now to the question found in Acts 1:6.
Act
1:6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying,
Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
The
opinion largely prevails among commentators of the present day that the
disciples were indulging a very erroneous idea respecting the kingdom, which
was the cause of their asking such a question. Dr. Barnes says: “They did not
ask whether he would do it at all, or whether they had correct views of the
kingdom; but, taking that for granted, they asked him whether that was the time
in which he would do it.” And from this he draws the conclusion that nothing is
so hard to remove as “prejudice in favor of an erroneous opinion.” It might be
suggested that prejudice against the truth is as blind and unreasoning as
prejudice in favor of error. But Dr. Barnes thought that, from the teachings of
the Saviour in regard to his kingdom, they should have better known its nature
than to ask such a question. And his comment doubtless expresses the views of a
majority of commentators of the present day. We say, “of the present day,”
because the popular view of the present day was not always the popular view
held in the Christian
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H. Waggoner
Church.
But for that we care nothing; our inquiry is, “What saith the Scripture?” The
question of the disciples was solely in regard to the time of setting up the
kingdom. The answer of the Saviour was in reference to the subject of the
question, the time, and it was not at all calculated to correct a wrong
impression in regard to the nature of the kingdom, if they were resting in an
error on that subject. “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons,
which the Father hath put in his own power.” This answer was certainly well
calculated to confirm them in the view which they held. Not the hint of the
correction of an error, but, to the contrary, they were told that the time of
which they inquired was not to be revealed to them. The Revised Version says,
“which the Father hath set within his own authority.” Margin—”appointed by.” A
careful examination of the whole subject must convince any one that this is
parallel with Matt. 24:36. “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not
the angels of Heaven, but my Father only.” The declaration that the time of
which they inquired is set or placed within the authority of the Father, known
to no others, is quite the reverse of an intimation that the question referred
to something which would never take place. Verse 3 says that, after his
resurrection, Jesus was seen of the disciples “forty days, and speaking of the
things pertaining to the kingdom of God.” Some appear to think that the time
and opportunities were rather limited for their gaining instruction on this
important subject. But, remembering that “the kingdom” was the burden of all
the teaching and preaching of both Jesus and his disciples during all his
ministry, insomuch that he called his gospel “this gospel of the kingdom,”
Matt. 24:14, we would rather take the chance which the disciples had of
learning the truth on the subject, than to take a “three years’ course” in any
theological school now in existence. We have another instance of the Saviour
giving instruction on this subject where the question of time was first in
their minds. “He added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem,
and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.”
Luke 19:11. In this parable he spoke of himself as a
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nobleman
who went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.
That this represents his going to his Father in Heaven to receive a kingdom,
and returning to this earth, is evident, for, he said: “But his citizens hated
him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign
over us. And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the
kingdom,” then he rewarded his servants and destroyed his enemies. But this
will apply to no other locality but this earth. And it exactly corresponds to
his statement of what takes place at his coming, at “the end of the world.”
Matt. 13:41, 43. “The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall
gather out of his kingdom all things that offend and them which do iniquity. .
. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their
Father.” It must be borne in mind that “the field is the world;” that the
workers of iniquity are represented by the tares, which grow with the wheat
until the harvest. That the harvest is reaped at the coming of the Son of man
is shown in Rev. 14:14-20, and other scriptures. The kingdom and dominion over
this world is given to Christ, the “nobleman,” not at or near the beginning of
this dispensation, as many believe, but near its close. This is proved by Rev.
11.14, 15. Under the third woe trumpet, which is the last of the seven
trumpets, and which introduces the Judgment (verse 18), a voice proclaims: “The
kingdoms of this world are become [the kingdoms] of our Lord, and of his
Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever.” Under this trumpet the
dispensation comes to its close. Also the prophecy of Daniel is decisive on
this point. In chapter two, in the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, the king or kingdom
of Babylon answered to the head of gold of the image. This kingdom was
succeeded by that of the Medes and Persians, see Dan. 5:30, 31, which answered
to the breast and arms of the image. And the Persian was succeeded by the
Grecian, Dan. 8:3-8, 20, which was represented by the body of brass of the
image. Another kingdom, the fourth, was strong as iron—represented by the legs
of iron, —stronger than all that preceded it; and it was divided into ten
parts, or kingdoms, in the image represented by the feet and toes. This was the
Roman kingdom, which was successor to the Grecian, and which
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H. Waggoner
bore an
iron rule over all the world. It was divided into ten kingdoms. These are the
several parts of the image which was seen by Nebuchadnezzar; and such was the
interpretation of the dream, as given by Daniel. But another object was seen in the dream, and it also represented a kingdom. It
was “a stone cut out of the mountain without hands.” The original is reflexive
in form, conveying the idea of self-moving. This stone smote the image “upon
his feet, that were of iron and clay.” That
is to say, that it smote the image at some time after the Roman kingdom was
divided, for the stone could not smite the feet and toes of the image before
they existed. Or, in the fulfillment, the kingdom represented by the
stone could not smite the kingdoms represented by the feet and toes of the
image until they had arisen—until the Roman Empire was divided into ten parts
or kingdoms. In the dream, the effect of the smiting of the image by the stone,
is thus described: “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
them; and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled
the whole earth.” In the interpretation it is thus stated: “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.” Dan. 2:35, 44. This describes, not the conversion of earthly powers, but the entire
destruction of all earthly powers, their places being filled by the kingdom of
God, by which they are broken in pieces. See the same foretold in Jer.
25:15-33.
Jer
25:15 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of
this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink
it.
Jer
25:16 And they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of the
sword that I will send among them.
Jer
25:17 Then took I the cup at the LORD'S hand, and made all the nations to
drink, unto whom the LORD had sent me:
Jer
25:18 To wit, Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings thereof,
and the princes thereof, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, an
hissing, and a curse; as it is this day;
Jer
25:19 Pharaoh king of Egypt, and his servants, and his princes, and all
his people;
Jer
25:20 And all the mingled people, and all the kings of the land of Uz,
and all the kings of the land of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Azzah, and
Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod,
Jer
25:21 Edom, and Moab, and the children of Ammon,
Jer
25:22 And all the kings of Tyrus, and all the kings of Zidon, and the
kings of the isles which are beyond the sea,
Jer
25:23 Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all that are in the utmost
corners,
Jer
25:24 And all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mingled
people that dwell in the desert,
Jer
25:25 And all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the
kings of the Medes,
Jer
25:26 And all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another, and
all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the earth: and the
king of Sheshach shall drink after them.
Jer
25:27 Therefore thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts,
the God of Israel; Drink ye, and be drunken, and spue, and fall, and rise no
more, because of the sword which I will send among you.
Jer
25:28 And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to
drink, then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ye shall
certainly drink.
Jer
25:29 For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my
name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished: for I
will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the LORD of
hosts.
Jer
25:30 Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto
them, The LORD shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy
habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout,
as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth.
Jer
25:31 A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the LORD hath
a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them
that are wicked to the sword, saith the LORD.
Jer
25:32 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from
nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of
the earth.
Jer
25:33 And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the
earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither
gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.
In this chapter it is said that “all the
kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the whole earth,” shall drink
of the wine-cup of God’s fury, “and fall, and rise no more, because of the
sword which I will send among” them. No such destruction as that described in
Jer. 25 has ever taken place; but it will, for the word of the Lord declares
it. Then will the interpretation of the dream of Nebuchadnezzar be fulfilled.
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It is true
that Dan. 2 does not definitely give the chronology of the setting up of the
kingdom of God; but it does definitely place it after the full development of
the image, including the divisions of the Roman power. This brings it down
several centuries this side of the days of the apostles. But in Dan. 7:9-14 it
is located, as in Rev. 11:14-18, in the time of the Judgment. In Dan. 7 is
recorded a vision of the prophet, which was explained by an angel. Under the
symbols of beasts and horns it presents the same kingdoms and the same events
which are given in chapter 2 in the great image. In chapter 7, the Roman Empire
and its divisions are represented by a dreadful and terrible beast with great
iron teeth, which had ten horns. This chapter contains, however, two important
points which are not found in chapter 2. (1) The rise and work of “another
little horn,” after the rise of the ten, which was quite different from the
others, and at length became stronger than all the others. (2) The sitting of the
Judgment, which takes place before the kingdoms of the world are given to the
Son of man.
Dan
2:1 And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar
dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from
him.
Dan
2:2 Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers,
and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they
came and stood before the king.
Dan
2:3 And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit
was troubled to know the dream.
Dan
2:4 Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for
ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation.
Dan
2:5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from
me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation
thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a
dunghill.
Dan
2:6 But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall
receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore shew me the dream,
and the interpretation thereof.
Dan
2:7 They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the
dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it.
Dan
2:8 The king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would gain
the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me.
Dan
2:9 But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one
decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before
me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know
that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof.
Dan
2:10 The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man
upon the earth that can shew the king's matter: therefore there is no king,
lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or
Chaldean.
Dan
2:11 And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none
other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not
with flesh.
Dan
2:12 For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to
destroy all the wise men of Babylon.
Dan
2:13 And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and
they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.
Dan
2:14 Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain
of the king's guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of
Babylon:
Dan
2:15 He answered and said to Arioch the king's captain, Why is the decree
so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.
Dan
2:16 Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him
time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation.
God
Reveals Nebuchadnezzar's Dream
Dan
2:17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah,
Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:
Dan
2:18 That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this
secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise
men of Babylon.
Dan
2:19 Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then
Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
Dan
2:20 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and
ever: for wisdom and might are his:
Dan
2:21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and
setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that
know understanding:
Dan
2:22 He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the
darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.
Dan
2:23 I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast
given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of
thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king's matter.
Dan
2:24 Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had ordained to
destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him; Destroy not
the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will shew unto the
king the interpretation.
Dan
2:25 Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said
thus unto him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah, that will make
known unto the king the interpretation.
Dan
2:26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar,
Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the
interpretation thereof?
Dan
2:27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret
which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the
magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king;
Dan
2:28 But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh
known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream,
and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;
Dan
2:29 As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed,
what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known
to thee what shall come to pass.
Dan
2:30 But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that
I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the
interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy
heart.
Daniel
Interprets the Dream
Dan
2:31 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.
Dan
2:32 This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of
silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,
Dan
2:33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.
Dan
2:34 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.
Dan
2:35 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
threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for
them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled
the whole earth.
Dan
2:36 This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof
before the king.
Dan
2:37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given
thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
Dan
2:38 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.
Dan
2:39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and
another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
Dan
2:40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron
breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all
these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.
Dan
2:41 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.
Dan
2:42 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.
Dan
2:43 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.
Dan
2:44 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 for ever.
Dan
2:45 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.
Daniel Is
Promoted
Dan
2:46 Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped
Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours unto
him.
Dan
2:47 The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your
God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing
thou couldest reveal this secret.
Dan
2:48 Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great
gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the
governors over all the wise men of Babylon.
Dan
2:49 Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel sat in the
gate of the king.
Dan
7:9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did
sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure
wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning
fire.
Dan
7:10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand
thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before
him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
Dan
7:11 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn
spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and
given to the burning flame.
Dan
7:12 As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken
away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.
The Son of
Man Is Given Dominion
Dan
7:13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man
came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they
brought him near before him.
Dan
7:14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all
people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an
everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which
shall not be destroyed.
Rev
11:14 The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh
quickly.
Rev
11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in
heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord,
and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
Rev
11:16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their
seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,
Rev
11:17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and
wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and
hast reigned.
Rev
11:18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of
the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto
thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name,
small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
Dan
7:1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream
and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum
of the matters.
Dan
7:2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the
four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.
Dan
7:3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from
another.
Dan
7:4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the
wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand
upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.
Dan
7:5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up
itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth
of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.
Dan
7:6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon
the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and
dominion was given to it.
Dan
7:7 After this I saw in the night visions, 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.
Dan
7:8 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.
Dan
7:9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did
sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure
wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning
fire.
Dan
7:10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand
thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before
him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
Dan
7:11 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn
spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and
given to the burning flame.
Dan
7:12 As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken
away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.
Dan
7:13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man
came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they
brought him near before him.
Dan
7:14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all
people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an
everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which
shall not be destroyed.
Dan
7:15 I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the
visions of my head troubled me.
Dan
7:16 I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth
of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the
things.
Dan
7:17 These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall
arise out of the earth.
Dan
7:18 But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess
the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.
Dan
7:19 Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse
from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his
nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with
his feet;
Dan
7:20 And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which
came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a
mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his
fellows.
Dan
7:21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed
against them;
Dan
7:22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints
of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the
kingdom.
Dan
7:23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon
earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole
earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
Dan
7:24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall
arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the
first, and he shall subdue three kings.
Dan
7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear
out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they
shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of
time.
Dan
7:26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion,
to consume and to destroy it unto the end.
Dan
7:27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under
the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High,
whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey
him.
Dan
7:28 Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations
much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my
heart.
(To be
continued)
(Excerpt
from-) THE ATONEMENT PART SECOND:
THE
ATONEMENT AS REVEALED IN THE BIBLE
(1884)
BY ELDER J. H. WAGGONER
