Kingdoms of This World
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The
First Dominion
•
Its Forfeiture
•
Its Redemption and Restoration
•
The Typical Kingdom of God
•
The Usurper
•
Two Phases of the Present Dominion
•
The Powers that be, Ordained of God
•
Nebuchadnezzar’s View of Them
•
Daniel’s View and Interpretation
•
The Kingdoms of this World viewed
from another Standpoint
•
The Proper Relationship of the
Church to Present Governments
•
The Divine Right of Kings Briefly
Examined
•
Claims of Christendom False
•
A Better Hope in the Fifth Universal
Empire
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In the first chapter
of the Divine Revelation, God
declares his purpose concerning his
earthly creation and its government:
“And God said, Let us
make man in our image, after our
likeness, and let them have
dominion over the fish of the
sea, and over the fowl of the
air, and over the cattle, and
over all the earth, and over
every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
“So God created man in
his own image; in the image of
God created he him: male and
female created he them.
“And God blessed them.
“And God said to them,
Be fruitful and multiply, and
fill the earth, and subdue it;
and have dominion over the fish
of the sea, and over the fowl of
the air, and over every living
thing that moveth upon the
earth.”
Thus the dominion of
earth was placed in the hands of the
human race as represented in the
first man Adam, who was perfect, and
therefore fully qualified to be the
lord, ruler or king of earth. This
commission to multiply, and fill,
and subdue, and have dominion over
the earth was not to Adam alone, but
to all mankind:
“Let them have dominion,”
etc. Had the human
race remained perfect and sinless,
this dominion would never have
passed out of its hands.
It will be noticed that in this
commission no man is given dominion
or authority over fellowmen, but the
whole race is given dominion over
the earth, to cultivate and to make
use of its products for the common
good. Not only its vegetable and
mineral wealth is thus placed at
man’s command, but also all its
varieties of animal life are at his
disposal and for his service.
Had the race remained
perfect and carried out this
original design of the Creator, as
it grew in numbers it would have
been necessary for men to consult
together, and to systematize their
efforts, and to devise ways and
means for the just and wise
distribution of the common
blessings.
And as, in the course
of time, it would have been
impossible, because of their vast
numbers, to meet and consult
together, it would have been
necessary for various classes of men
to elect certain of their number to
represent them, to voice their
common sentiments, and to act for
them. And if all men were perfect,
mentally, physically and morally; if
every man loved God and his
regulations supremely, and his
neighbor as himself, there would
have been no friction in such an
arrangement.
Thus seen, the original
design of the Creator for earth’s
government was a Republic in form, a
government in which each individual
would share; in which every man
would be a sovereign, amply
qualified in every particular to
exercise the duties of his office
for both his own and the general
good.
This dominion of earth
conferred upon man had but one
contingency upon which its
everlasting continuance depended;
and that was that this
divinely-conferred rulership be
always exercised in harmony with the
Supreme Ruler of the universe, whose
one law, briefly stated, is Love.
“Love is the fulfilling
of the law.”
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thy heart, and with
all thy soul, and with all thy
mind;...and thou shalt love thy
neighbor as thyself.”
Romans 13:10; Matthew 22:37-40
Concerning this great
favor conferred upon man, David,
praising God, says:
“Thou madest him a
little lower than the angels;
thou crownedst him with glory
and honor; thou madest him to
have dominion over the works of
thy hands.”
Psalms 8:5,6
This dominion given to mankind in
the person of Adam was the first
establishment of the Kingdom of God
on the earth. Man thus exercised
dominion as God’s representative.
But man’s disobedience to the
Supreme Ruler forfeited not only his
life, but also all his rights and
privileges as God’s representative
ruler of earth.
He was thenceforth a
rebel, dethroned and condemned to
death. Then speedily the kingdom of
God on earth ceased, and has not
since been established, except for a
short time, in a typical manner, in
Israel. Although in Eden man lost
his right to life and dominion,
neither was taken from him suddenly;
and while the condemned life lasts
man is permitted to exercise the
dominion of earth according to his
own ideas and ability, until God’s
due time for him whose right it is
to take the dominion which he
purchased.
Our Lord’s death
redeemed or purchased not only man,
but also all his original
inheritance, including the dominion
of earth. Having purchased it, the
title is now in him: he is now the
rightful heir, and in due time, and
shortly, he will take possession of
his purchase. Ephesians 1:14
But as he bought man
not for the sake of holding him as
his slave, but that he might restore
him to his former estate, so with
the dominion of earth: he purchased
it and all of man’s original
blessings for the purpose of
restoring them when man is again
made capable of exercising them in
harmony with the will of God. Hence
the reign of Messiah on earth will
not be everlasting.
It will continue only
until, by his strong iron rule, he
will have put down all rebellion and
insubordination, and restored the
fallen race to the original
perfection, when they will be fully
capable of rightly exercising the
dominion of earth as originally
designed. When thus restored, it
will again be the Kingdom of God on
earth, under man, God’s appointed
representative.
During the Jewish age
God organized the people of Israel
as his kingdom, under Moses and the
Judges—a sort of Republic— but it
was typical only. And the more
despotic rule afterward established,
especially under David and Solomon,
was in some respects typical of the
kingdom promised, when Messiah
should reign. Unlike the surrounding
nations, Israel had Jehovah for
their King, and their rulers
nominally served under him, as we
learn from Psalms 78:70,71.
This is quite
definitely stated in 2 Chronicles
13:8 and 1 Chronicles 29:23, where
Israel is called
“the Kingdom of the Lord,”
and
where it is said that Solomon
“sat on the THRONE OF THE
LORD, instead of David his father,”
who sat upon or exercised the rule
of the same throne for the forty
years previous, following Saul, the
first king.
When the people of
Israel transgressed against the
Lord, he chastised them repeatedly,
until finally he took away their
kingdom entirely. In the days of
Zedekiah, the last who reigned of
the line of David, the scepter of
royal power was removed. There the
typical kingdom of God was
overthrown.
God’s
decision relative to the matter is
expressed in the words,
“Thou profane,
wicked prince of Israel, whose day
is come, when iniquity shall have an
end, Thus saith the Lord God: Remove
the diadem, and take off the crown:
this shall not be the same....I will
overturn, overturn, overturn it; and
it shall be NO MORE, until he come,
whose right it is; and I will give
it him.”
(Eze_21:25-27)
In fulfilment of this prophecy
the king of Babylon came against
Israel, took the people captive and
removed their king. Though afterward
restored to national existence by
Cyrus the Persian, they were
subjects and tribute payers to the
successive empires of Medo-Persia,
Greece, and Rome, down to the final
destruction of their nationality,
A.D. 70, since which time they have
been scattered among all nations.
The kingdom of Israel
is the only one, since the fall,
which God ever recognized as in any
way representing his government,
laws, etc. There had been many
nations before theirs, but no other
could rightfully claim God as its
founder, or that its rulers were
God’s representatives.
When the diadem was taken from
Zedekiah and the kingdom of Israel
was overturned, it was decreed that
it should remain overturned until
Christ, the rightful heir of the
world, should come to claim it.
Thus, inferentially, all other
kingdoms in power until the
re-establishment of God’s kingdom
are branded
“kingdoms of this world,”
under the
“prince of this world”;
and hence any claims put forth by
any of them to being kingdoms of God
are spurious.
Nor was this Kingdom of
God
“SET UP” at the first advent of
Christ. Luke 19:12 Then and since
then God has been selecting from the
world those who shall be accounted
worthy to reign with Christ as
joint-heirs of that throne. Not
until his second advent will Christ
take the kingdom, the power and the
glory, and reign Lord of all.
All other kingdoms than that of
Israel are Scripturally called
heathen or Gentile kingdoms—“the
kingdoms of this world,”
under the
“prince of this world”—Satan.
The removal of God’s kingdom in the
days of Zedekiah left the world
without any government of which God
could approve, or whose laws or
affairs he specially supervised.
The Gentile governments
God recognized indirectly, in that
he publicly declares his decree
(Luke 21:24) that during the
interregnum the control of Jerusalem
and the world should be exercised by
Gentile governments.
This interregnum, or intervening
period of time between the removal
of God’s scepter and government and
the restoration of the same in
greater power and glory in Christ,
is Scripturally termed
“The Times of the Gentiles.”
And these
“times”
or
years, during which the
“kingdoms of this world”
are permitted to rule, are fixed and
limited, and the time for the
re-establishment of God’s Kingdom
under Messiah is equally fixed and
marked in Scripture.
Evil as these Gentile
governments have been, they were
permitted or
“ordained of God” for a
wise purpose. Romans 13:1 Their
imperfection and misrule form a part
of the general lesson on the
exceeding sinfulness of sin, and
prove the inability of fallen man to
govern himself, even to his own
satisfaction.
God permits them, in the
main, to carry out their own
purposes as they may be able,
overruling them only when they would
interfere with his plans. He designs
that eventually all shall work for
good, and that finally even the
“wrath of man shall praise
him.” The
remainder, that would work no good,
serve no purpose or teach no lesson,
he restrains. Psalms 76:10
Man’s inability to
establish a perfect government is
attributable to his own weaknesses
in his fallen, depraved condition.
These weaknesses, which of
themselves would thwart human
efforts to produce a perfect
government, have also been taken
advantage of by Satan, who first
tempted man to disloyalty to the
Supreme Ruler.
Satan has continually
taken advantage of man’s weaknesses,
made good to appear evil, and evil
to appear good; and he has
misrepresented God’s character and
plans and blinded men to the truth.
Thus working in the hearts of the
children of disobedience (Ephesians
2:2), he has led them captive at his
will and made himself what our Lord
and the apostles call him—the
prince or ruler of this world. John
14:30; 12:31
He is not the prince of
this world by right, but by
usurpation; through fraud and
deception and control of fallen men.
It is because he is a usurper that
he will be summarily deposed. Had he
a real title as prince of this
world, he would not thus be dealt
with.
Thus it will be seen
that the dominion of earth, as at
present exercised, has both an
invisible and a visible phase. The
former is the spiritual, the latter
the human phase—the visible earthly
kingdoms measurably under the
control of a spiritual prince,
Satan.
It was because Satan
possessed such control that he could
offer to make our Lord the supreme
visible sovereign of the earth under
his direction. Matthew 4:9 When the
Times of the Gentiles expire, both
phases of the present dominion will
terminate: Satan will be bound and
the kingdoms of this world will be
overthrown.
The fallen, blinded,
groaning creation has for centuries
plodded along its weary way,
defeated at every step, even its
best endeavors proving fruitless,
yet ever hoping that the golden age
dreamed of by its philosophers was
at hand. It knows not that a still
greater deliverance than that for
which it hopes and groans is to come
through the despised Nazarene and
his followers, who as the Sons of
God will shortly be manifested in
kingdom power for its deliverance.
Romans 8:22,19
In
order that his children should not
be in darkness relative to his
permission of present evil
governments and concerning his
ultimate design to bring in a better
government when these kingdoms,
under his overruling providence,
shall have served the purpose for
which they were permitted, God has
given us, through his prophets,
several grand panoramic views of the
“kingdoms of this world,”
each time showing, for our
encouragement, their overthrow by
the establishment of his own
righteous and everlasting kingdom
under the Messiah, the Prince of
Peace.
That man’s present
effort to exercise dominion is not
in successful defiance of Jehovah’s
will and power, but by his
permission, is shown by God’s
message to Nebuchadnezzar, wherein
God gives permission to rule, until
the time for the setting up of
Christ’s kingdom, to the four great
empires, Babylon, Medo-Persia,
Greece and Rome. Daniel 2:37-43 This shows where this lease of
the dominion will end.
As we now glance at
these prophetic views, let us
remember that they begin with
Babylon at the time of the overthrow
of the kingdom of Israel, the
typical kingdom of the Lord.
Nebuchadnezzar’s Vision
of Earth’s Governments
Among those things
“written aforetime for our
edification,”
that we, who are commanded to be
subject to the powers that be, might
through patience and comfort of the
Scriptures have hope (Romans
15:4; 13:1), is the dream of
Nebuchadnezzar and its divine
interpretation through the Prophet.
Daniel 2:31-45
Daniel explained the dream,
saying:
“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.
“This image’s head was
of fine gold, his breast and his
arms of silver, his belly and
his thighs of brass, his legs of
iron, his feet part of iron and
part of clay.
“ 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.
“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.
“This is the dream, and
we will tell the interpretation
thereof before the king.
“Thou, O king, art a
king of kings: for the God of
heaven hath given thee a
kingdom, power, and strength,
and glory.
[There the Gentile kingdoms, or
powers that be, were ordained of
God.]
“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.
“And after thee shall
arise another kingdom inferior
to thee [silver], and another
third kingdom of brass, which
shall bear rule over all the
earth.
“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.
“And whereas thou sawest
the feet and toes, part of
potter’s clay and part of iron,
the kingdom shall be mixed; but
there shall be in it of the
strength of the iron: forasmuch
as thou sawest the iron mixed
with the miry clay.
“And as the toes of the
feet were part of iron and part
of clay, so the kingdom shall be
partly strong and partly
brittle.”
The student of history
can readily trace, among the many
smaller empires of earth which have
arisen, the four above described by
Daniel. These are termed UNIVERSAL
EMPIRES—Babylon, first, the head of
gold (verse 38); Medo-Persia,
conqueror of Babylon, second, the
breast of silver; Greece, conqueror
of Medo-Persia, third, the belly of
brass; and Rome, fourth, the strong
kingdom, the iron legs and
clay-mixed feet.
Three of these empires
had passed away, and the fourth, the
Roman, held universal sway, at the
time of our Lord’s birth, as we
read,
“There went out a decree
from Caesar Augustus that all
the world should be taxed.”
Luke 2:1
The iron empire, Rome,
was by far the strongest, and
endured longer than its
predecessors. In fact, the Roman
Empire still continues, as
represented in the nations of
Europe. This division is represented
in the ten toes of the image. The
clay element blended with the iron
in the feet represents the mixture
of church and state. This mixture is
in the Scriptures termed
“Babylon”—confusion.
As we shall presently see,
stone is the symbol of the true
Kingdom of God, and Babylon
substituted an imitation of stone,
clay– which it has united with the
fragmentary remains of the [iron]
Roman Empire. And this mixed
system—church and state—the Church
nominal wedded to the kingdoms of
this world, which the Lord calls
Babylon, confusion, presumes to call
itself Christendom—Christ’s
Kingdom. Daniel explains:
“Whereas thou sawest
iron mixed with miry clay, they
shall mingle themselves with the
seed of men [church and world
blend—Babylon], but they shall
not cleave one to another, even
as iron is not mixed with clay.”
They cannot thoroughly
amalgamate.
“And in the days of these kings
[the kingdoms represented by the
toes, the so-called “Christian
kingdoms” or “Christendom”] 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.”
Daniel 2:43,44
Daniel does not here state the time
for the end of these Gentile
governments: that we find elsewhere;
but every foretold circumstance
indicates that today the end is
nigh, even at the doors. The Papal
system has long claimed that it is
the kingdom which the God of heaven
here promised to set up, and that,
in fulfillment of this prophecy, it
did break in pieces and consume all
other kingdoms.
The truth, however, is
that the nominal Church merely
united with earthly empires as the
clay with the iron, and that Papacy
never was the true Kingdom of God,
but merely a counterfeit of it.
One
of the best evidences that Papacy
did not destroy and consume these
earthly kingdoms is that they still
exist. And now that the miry clay
has become dry and
“brittle,”
it is losing its adhesive power, and
the iron and clay show signs of
dissolution, and will quickly
crumble when smitten by the
“stone,”
the
true Kingdom.
Continuing his
interpretation, Daniel states:
“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.”
Verse 45
The stone cut out of the mountain
without hands, which smites and
scatters the Gentile powers,
represents the true Church, the
Kingdom of God. During the Gospel
age this
“stone”
kingdom is being formed,
“cut out,”
carved and shaped for its future
position and greatness—not by human
hands, but by the power or spirit of
the truth, the invisible power of
Jehovah.
When complete, when
entirely cut out, it will smite and
destroy the kingdoms of this world.
Not the people, but the governments,
are symbolized by the image, and
these are to be destroyed that the
people may be delivered. Our Lord
Jesus came not to destroy men’s
lives, but to save them. John 3:17
The stone, during its preparation,
while being cut out, might be called
an embryo mountain, in view of its
future destiny; so, too, the Church
could be, and sometimes is, called
the Kingdom of God. In fact,
however, the stone does not become
the mountain until it has smitten
the image; and so the Church, in the
full sense, will become the Kingdom
to fill the whole earth when
“the day of the Lord,”
the
“day of wrath upon the
nations”
or
“time of trouble,”
will be over, and when it will be
established and all other dominions
have become subservient to it.
Call to mind now the promise made
by our Lord to the overcomers of the
Christian Church:
“To him that overcometh
will I grant to sit with me in
my throne”—“and he that
overcometh and keepeth my works
unto the end, to him will I give
power over the nations; and he
shall rule them with a rod of
iron; as the vessels of a potter
shall they be broken to shivers,
even as I received of my
Father.” Revelation 3:21;
2:26,27; Psalms 2:8-12
When the iron rod has
accomplished the work of
destruction, then will the hand
that smote be turned to heal,
and the people will return to
the Lord, and he shall heal them
(Isaiah 19:22; Jeremiah
3:22,23; Hosea 6:1; 14:4; Isaiah
2:3), giving them beauty for
ashes, the oil of joy for
mourning and the garment of
praise for the spirit of
heaviness.
Daniel’s Vision of Earthly
Governments
In Nebuchadnezzar’s
vision we see the empires of earth,
as viewed from the world’s
standpoint, to be an exhibition of
human glory, grandeur, and power;
though in it we also see an
intimation of their decay and final
destruction, as expressed in the
deterioration from gold to iron and
clay.
The stone class, the
true Church, during its selection or
taking out of the mountain, has been
esteemed by the world as of no
value. It has been despised and
rejected of men. They see no beauty
in it that they should desire it.
The world loves, admires, praises
and defends the rulers and
governments represented in this
great image, though it has been
continually disappointed, deceived,
wounded and oppressed by them.
The world extols, in
prose and verse, the great and
successful agents of this image, its Alexanders, Caesars, Bonapartes and
others, whose greatness showed
itself in the slaughter of their
fellowmen, and who, in their lust
for power, made millions of widows
and orphans. And such is still the
spirit which exists in the
“ten toes”
of the image, as we see it exhibited
today in their marshaled hosts of
more than twelve millions of men
armed with every fiendish device of
modern ingenuity, to slaughter one
another at the command of
“the powers that be.”
The proud are now called
happy; yea, they that work
wickedness are set up in power.
Malachi 3:15 Can we not see, then,
that the destruction of this great
image by the smiting of the stone,
and the establishment of God’s
kingdom, mean the liberating of the
oppressed and the blessing of all?
Though for a time the change will
cause disaster and trouble, it will
finally yield the peaceable fruits
of righteousness.
But now, calling to
mind the difference of standpoint,
let us look at the same four
universal empires of earth from the
standpoint of God and those in
harmony with him, as portrayed in
vision to the beloved prophet
Daniel. As to us these kingdoms
appear inglorious and beastly, so to
him these four universal empires
were shown as four great and
ravenous wild beasts. And to his
view the coming Kingdom of God (the
stone) was proportionally grander
than as seen by Nebuchadnezzar.
Daniel
says:
“I saw in my vision by
night, and behold the four winds
of heaven strove upon the great
sea. And four great beasts came
up from the sea, diverse one
from another.
“The first was like
a lion and had eagle’s wings;
...and behold another beast, a
second, like a bear;.
..and lo another, like a
leopard....
“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.”
Daniel 7:2-7
The details relative to
the first three beasts (Babylon the
lion, Medo-Persia the bear, and
Greece the leopard), with their
heads, feet, wings, etc., all of
which are symbolic, we pass by, as
of less importance in our present
examination than the details of the
fourth beast, Rome.
Of the fourth beast,
Rome, Daniel says:
“After this I saw in the
night visions, and behold a
fourth beast, dreadful and
terrible, and strong
exceedingly;...and it had ten
horns. 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 7:7,8
Here the Roman Empire is
shown; and the divisions of its
power are shown in the ten horns, a
horn being a symbol of power. The
little horn which arose among these,
and which appropriated the power of
three of them to itself, and ruled
among the others, represents the
small beginning and gradual rise to
power of the Church of Rome, the
Papal power or horn.
As it rose in
influence, three of the divisions,
horns or powers of the Roman Empire
(the Heruli, the Eastern Exarchate
and the Ostrogoths) were plucked out
of the way to make room for its
establishment as a civil power or
horn. This last specially notable
horn, Papacy, is remarkable for its
eyes, representing intelligence, and
for its mouth—its utterances, its
claims, etc.
To this fourth beast,
representing Rome, Daniel gives no
descriptive name. While the others
are described as lion-like,
bear-like and leopard-like, the
fourth was so ferocious and hideous
that none of the beasts of earth
could be compared with it. John the
Revelator, seeing in vision the same
symbolic beast (government), was
also at a loss for a name by which
to describe it, and finally gives it
several. Among others, he called it
“the Devil.”
Revelation 12:9
He certainly chose an
appropriate name; for Rome, when
viewed in the light of its bloody
persecutions, certainly has been the
most devilish of all earthly
governments. Even in its change from
Rome Pagan to Rome Papal it
illustrated one of Satan’s chief
characteristics; for he also
transforms himself to appear as an
angel of light (2 Corinthians
11:14), as Rome transformed itself
from heathenism and claimed to be
Christian —the Kingdom of Christ.*
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*The fact that Rome is
called
“the Devil”
by no means disproves a
personal devil: rather
the reverse. It is
because there are such
beasts as lions, bears
and leopards, with known
characteristics, that
governments were likened
to them: and so, it is
because there is a
Devil, with known
characteristics, that
the fourth empire is
likened to him. |
After giving some
details regarding this last or Roman
beast, and especially of its
peculiar or Papal horn, the Prophet
states that judgment against this
horn would be rendered, and it would
begin to lose its dominion, which
would be consumed by gradual process
until the beast should be destroyed.
This beast or Roman
Empire in its horns or divisions
still exists, and will be slain by
the rising of the masses of the
people, and the overthrow of
governments, in the
“Day of the Lord,” preparatory to the
recognition of the heavenly rulership. This is clearly shown
from other scriptures yet to be
examined. However, the consuming of
the Papal horn comes first. Its
power and influence began to consume
when Napoleon took the Pope prisoner
to France.
Then, when neither the
curses of the Popes nor their
prayers delivered them from
Bonaparte’s power, it became evident
to the nations that the divine
authority and power claimed by the
Papacy were without foundation.
After that, the temporal power of
the Papacy waned rapidly until, in
September, 1870, it lost the last
vestige of its temporal power at the
hands of Victor Emmanuel.
Nevertheless, during all that time
in which it was being
“consumed,”
it kept uttering its great swelling
words of blasphemy, its last great
utterance being in 1870, when, but a
few months before its overthrow, it
made the declaration of the
infallibility of the Popes. All this
is noted in the prophecy:
“I beheld then [i.e.,
after the decree against
this ‘horn,’ after its
consumption had begun] because
of the voice of the GREAT WORDS
which the horn spake.”
Daniel 7:11
Thus we are brought down in history
to our own day, and made to see that
the thing to be expected, so far as
the empires of the earth are
concerned, is their utter
destruction. The next thing in order
is described by the words,
“I beheld even till the
beast was slain and his body
destroyed and given to the burning
flame.”
The slaying and burning
are symbols, as well as the beast
itself, and signify the utter and
hopeless destruction of present
organized government. In verse 12
the prophet notes a difference
between the end of this fourth beast
and its predecessors. They three
successively (Babylon, Persia and
Greece) had their dominion taken
from them; they ceased to hold the
ruling power of earth; but their
lives as nations did not cease
immediately.
Greece and Persia still
have some life, though it is long
centuries since universal dominion
passed from their grasp. Not so,
however, with the Roman Empire, the
fourth and last of these beasts. It
will lose dominion and life at once,
and go into utter destruction; and
with it the others will pass away
also. Daniel 2:35
No matter what may be the means or
instrumentality used, the cause of
this fall will be the establishment
of the Fifth Universal Empire of
earth, the Kingdom of God, under
Christ, whose right it is to take
the dominion. The transfer of the
kingdom from the fourth beast, which
for its appointed time was
“ordained of God,”
to the fifth kingdom, under the
Messiah, when its appointed season
has come, is described by the
Prophet in these words:
“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.
“And there was given unto him
[the Christ—head and body
complete] 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.”
This the angel interpreted
to mean that
“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.”
Daniel 7:13,27
Thus seen, the dominion of earth is
to be placed in the hands of Christ
by Jehovah (“the
Ancient of days”),
who shall
“put all things under his
feet.”
1 Corinthians 15:27 Thus
enthroned over God’s kingdom, he
must reign until he shall have put
down all authority and power in
conflict with the will and law of
Jehovah.
To the accomplishment of this great
mission, the overthrow of these
Gentile governments is first
necessary; for the
“kingdoms of this world,”
like the
“prince of this world,”
will not surrender peaceably, but
must be bound and restrained by
force.
And thus it is written,
“To bind their kings
with chains and their nobles
with fetters of iron; to execute
upon them the judgment written;
this honor have all his saints.”
Psalms 149:8,9
As we thus view present
governments from the standpoint of
our Lord and of the Prophet Daniel,
and realize their ferocious,
destructive, beastly and selfish
character, our hearts long for the
end of Gentile governments and
joyfully look forward to that
blessed time when the overcomers of
the present age will be enthroned
with their Head, to rule, bless and
restore the groaning creation.
Surely all of God’s children can
heartily pray with their Lord—
“THY KINGDOM COME, thy
will be done on earth as it is
in heaven.”
Each of these
governments represented in the image
and by the beasts existed before it
came into power as the universal
empire. So, too, with the true
Kingdom of God: it has long existed
separate from the world, not
attempting rulership, but awaiting
its time—the time appointed by the
Ancient of days. And, like the
others, it must receive its
appointment and must come into
authority or be
“set up”
before it can exercise its power in
the smiting and slaying of the beast
or kingdom preceding it.
Hence the appropriateness of the
statement,
“In the days of these
kings [while they still have
power] shall the God of heaven
set up [establish in power and
authority] a kingdom.” And after
it is set up, “it shall break in
pieces and consume all these
kingdoms, and it shall stand
forever.”
Daniel 2:44
Hence, however we may look
for it, we must expect God’s
Kingdom to be inaugurated before
the fall of the kingdoms of this
world, and that its power and
smiting will bring their
overthrow.
Present Governments from Another
Standpoint
Supreme right and
authority to rule the world are and
ever will be vested in the Creator,
Jehovah, no matter whom he may
permit or authorize to have
subordinate control. Under the
imperfections and weaknesses
resulting from his disloyalty to the
King of kings, Adam soon grew weak
and helpless.
As a monarch he began
to lose the power by which, at
first, he commanded and held the
obedience of the lower animals by
the strength of his will. He lost
control of himself also, so that
when he would do good his weaknesses
interfered and evil was present with
him; and the good he even would do
he did not do, and the evil which he
would not, he did.
Hence, while making no
attempt to excuse our rebel race, we
can sympathize with its vain efforts
to govern itself and to arrange for
its own well-being. And something
can be said of the success of the
world in this direction; for, while
recognizing the real character of
these beastly governments, corrupt
though they have been, they have
been vastly superior to none—much
better than lawlessness and anarchy.
Though anarchy would probably have
been quite acceptable to the
“prince of this world,”
it was not so to his subjects, and
his power is not absolute: it is
limited to the extent of his ability
to operate through mankind; and his
policy must conform in great measure
to the ideas, passions, and
prejudices of men. Man’s idea was
self-government independent of God;
and when God permitted him to try
the experiment, Satan embraced the
opportunity to extend his influence
and dominion.
Thus it was by wishing
to forget God (Romans 1:28) that man
exposed himself to the influence of
this wily and powerful though unseen
foe; and therefore he has ever since
been obliged to work against Satan’s
machinations, as well as his own
personal weaknesses.
This being the case,
let us again glance at the kingdoms
of this world, viewing them now as
the effort of fallen humanity to
govern itself independent of God.
Though individual corruption and
selfishness have turned aside the
course of justice, so that full
justice has seldom been meted out to
any under the kingdoms of this
world, yet the ostensible object of
all governments ever organized among
men has been to promote justice and
the well-being of all the people.
To what extent that
object has been attained is another
question; but such has been the
claim of all governments, and such
the object of the people governed in
submitting to and supporting them.
And where the ends of justice have
been greatly ignored, either the
masses have been blinded and
deceived with reference to them, or
wars, commotions and revolutions
have been the result.
The dark deeds of base
tyrants, who gained positions of
power in the governments of the
world, did not represent the laws
and institutions of those
governments, but in usurping
authority and turning it to base
ends they gave to those governments
their beastly character.
Every government has
had a majority of wise, just and
good laws—laws for the protection
of life and property, for the
protection of domestic and
commercial interests, for the
punishment of crime, etc. They have
also had courts of appeal in matters
of dispute, where justice is meted
out to some extent, at least; and
however imperfect those in office
may be, the advantage and necessity
for such institutions is apparent.
Poor as these
governments have been, without them
the baser element of society would,
by force of numbers, have overcome
the juster, better element.
Human Governments Often
Beastly
While, therefore, we
recognize the beastly character of
these governments, as rendered so by
the exaltation to power of a
majority of unrighteous rulers,
through the intrigues and deceptions
of Satan, operating through man’s
weaknesses and depraved tastes and
ideas, yet we recognize them as the
best efforts of poor, fallen
humanity at governing itself.
Century after century
God has allowed them to make the
effort, and to see the results.
But after centuries of
experiment, the results are as far
from satisfactory today as at any
period of the world’s history.
In fact, the
dissatisfaction is more general and
widespread than ever before; not
because there is more oppression and
injustice than ever, but because,
under God’s arrangement, men’s eyes
are being opened by the increase of
knowledge.
The various governments
which have been established from
time to time have exhibited the
average ability of the people
represented by them to govern
themselves. Even where despotic
governments have existed, the fact
that they have been tolerated by the
masses proved that as a people they
were not capable of establishing and
supporting a better government,
though many individuals were always,
doubtless, far in advance of the
average standing.
As we compare the
condition of the world today with
its condition at any former period,
we find a marked difference in the
sentiments of the masses. The spirit
of independence is now abroad, and
men are not so easily blindfolded,
deceived and led by rulers and
politicians, and therefore they will
not submit to the yokes of former
days.
This change of public
sentiment has not been a gradual one
from the very beginning of man’s
effort to govern himself, but
clearly marked only as far back as
the sixteenth century; and its
progress has been most rapid within
the last fifty years. This change,
therefore, is not the result of the
experience of past ages, but is the
natural result of the recent
increase and general diffusion of
knowledge among the masses of
mankind.
The preparation for
this general diffusion of knowledge
began with the invention of
printing, about 1440 A.D., and the
consequent multiplication of books
and news periodicals. The influence
of this invention in the general
public enlightenment began to be
felt about the sixteenth century;
and the progressive steps since that
time all are acquainted with.
The general education
of the masses has become popular,
and inventions and discoveries are
becoming everyday occurrences. This
increase of knowledge among men,
which is of God’s appointment, and
comes to pass in his own due time,
is one of the mighty influences
which are now at work binding
Satan—curtailing his influence and
circumscribing his power in this “Day of Preparation” for the setting
up of God’s kingdom in the earth.
The increase of
knowledge in every direction awakens
a feeling of self-respect among men,
and a realization of their natural
and inalienable rights, which they
will not long permit to be ignored
or despised; rather, they will go to
an opposite extreme.
Glance back along the
centuries and see how the nations
have written the history of their
discontent in blood. And the
prophets declare that because of the
increase of knowledge a still more
general and widespread
dissatisfaction will finally express
itself in a world-wide revolution,
in the overthrow of all law and
order; that anarchy and distress
upon all classes will be the result;
but that in the midst of this
confusion the God of heaven will SET
UP his Kingdom, which will satisfy
the desires of all nations.
Wearied and
disheartened with their own
failures, and finding their last and
greatest efforts resulting in
anarchy, men will gladly welcome and
bow before the heavenly authority,
and recognize its strong and just
government. Thus man’s extremity
will become God’s opportunity, and
“the desire of all nations
shall come”—the Kingdom of God, in power
and great glory. Haggai 2:7
Knowing this to be the
purpose of God, neither Jesus nor
the apostles interfered with earthly
rulers in any way. On the contrary,
they taught the Church to submit to
these powers, even though they often
suffered under their abuse of power.
They taught the Church
to obey the laws, and to respect
those in authority because of their
office, even if they were not
personally worthy of esteem; to pay
their appointed taxes, and, except
where they conflicted with God’s
laws (Acts 4:19; 5:29), to offer no
resistance to any established law.
Romans 13:1-7; Matthew 22:21
The Lord Jesus and the
apostles and the early Church were
all law-abiding, though they were
separate from, and took no share in,
the governments of this world.
Though the powers that
be, the governments of this world,
were ordained or arranged for by
God, that mankind might gain a
needed experience under them, yet
the Church, the consecrated ones who
aspire to office in the coming
Kingdom of God, should neither covet
the honors and the emoluments of
office in the kingdoms of this
world, nor should they oppose these
powers. They are fellow citizens and
heirs of the heavenly kingdom
(Ephesians 2:19), and as such should
claim only such rights and
privileges under the kingdoms of
this world as are accorded to
aliens.
Their mission is not to
help the world to improve its
present condition, nor to have
anything to do with its affairs at
present. To attempt to do so would
be but a waste of effort; for the
world’s course and its termination
are both clearly defined in the
Scriptures and are fully under the
control of him who in his own time
will give us the kingdom.
The influence of the
true Church is now and always has
been small—so small as to count
practically nothing politically; but
however great it might appear, we
should follow the example and
teaching of our Lord and the
apostles. Knowing that the purpose
of God is to let the world fully
test its own ability to govern
itself, the true Church should not,
while in it, be of the world.
The saints may
influence the world only by their
separateness from it, by letting
their light shine; and thus through
their lives the spirit of truth
REPROVES the world. Thus—as
peaceable, orderly obeyers and
commenders of every righteous law,
reprovers of lawlessness and sin,
and pointers forward to the promised
Kingdom of God and the blessings to
be expected under it, and not by the
method commonly adopted of mingling
in politics and scheming with the
world for power, and thus being
drawn into wars and sins and the
general degradation—in glorious
chastity should the prospective
Bride of the Prince of Peace be a
power for good, as her Lord’s
representative in the world.
The Church of God should
give its entire attention and effort
to preaching the Kingdom of God, and
to the advancement of the interests
of that Kingdom according to the
plan laid down in the Scriptures. If
this is faithfully done, there will
be no time nor disposition to dabble
in the politics of present
governments. The Lord had no time
for it; the apostles had no time for
it; nor have any of the saints who
are following their example.
The early Church,
shortly after the death of the
apostles, fell a prey to this very
temptation. The preaching of the
coming Kingdom of God, which would
displace all earthly kingdoms, and
of the crucified Christ as the heir
of that Kingdom, was unpopular, and
brought with it persecution, scorn
and contempt.
But some thought to
improve on God’s plan, and, instead
of suffering, to get the Church into
a position of favor with the world.
By a combination with earthly powers
they succeeded. As a result Papacy
was developed, and in time became
the mistress and queen of nations.
Revelation 17:3-5; 18:7
By this policy
everything was changed: instead of
suffering, came honor; instead of
humility, came pride; instead of
truth, came error; and instead of
being persecuted, she became the
persecutor of all who condemned her
new and illegal honors.
Soon she began to
invent new theories and sophistries
to justify her course, first
deceiving herself, and then the
nations, into the belief that the
promised millennial reign of Christ
HAD COME, and that Christ the King
was represented by her popes, who
reigned over the kings of the earth
as his vicegerents. Her claims were
successful in deceiving the whole
world.
“She made all nations
drunk” with her erroneous
doctrines (Revelation 17:2),
intimidating them by teaching that
eternal torment awaited all who
resisted her claims. Soon the kings
of Europe were crowned or deposed by
her edict, and under her supposed
authority.
Thus it comes that the kingdoms of
Europe today claim to be Christian
kingdoms, and announce that
sovereigns reign
“by the grace of God,”
i.e., through appointment of either
Papacy or some of the Protestant
sects. For though the Reformers
abandoned many of Papacy’s claims to
ecclesiastical jurisdiction, etc.,
they held to this honor which the
kings of earth had come to attach to
Christianity.
And thus the Reformers fell into the
same error, and exercised the
authority of monarchs in appointing
and sanctioning governments and
kings, and denominating such
“Christian kingdoms,”
or kingdoms of Christ. So we hear
much today of that strange enigma,
“The Christian World”—an
enigma indeed, when viewed in the
light of the true principles of the
Gospel.
Our Lord said of his disciples,
“They are not of the world,
even as I am not of the world.”
And Paul exhorts us, saying,
“Be not conformed to this
world.”
John 17:16; Romans 12:2
God never approved of
calling these kingdoms by the name
of Christ. Deceived by the Church
nominal, these nations are sailing
under false colors, claiming to be
what they are not. Their only title,
aside from the vote of the people,
is in God’s limited grant, spoken to
Nebuchadnezzar—until he come whose
right the dominion is.
The claim that these
imperfect kingdoms, with their
imperfect laws and often selfish and
vicious rulers, are the
“kingdoms of our Lord and
his Anointed” is a
gross libel upon the true Kingdom of
Christ, before which they must
shortly fall, and upon its
“Prince of Peace” and righteous rulers.
Isaiah 32:1
Another serious injury
resulting from that error is that
the attention of the children of God
has thereby been attracted away from
the promised heavenly kingdom; and
they have been led to an improper
recognition of and intimacy with
earthly kingdoms, and to almost
fruitless attempts to engraft upon
these wild, worldly stocks the
graces and morals of Christianity,
to the neglect of the gospel
concerning the true Kingdom and the
hopes centering in it.
Under this deception,
some are at present very solicitous
that the name of God should be
incorporated into the Constitution
of the United States, that thereby
this may become a Christian nation.
The Reformed Presbyterians have for
years refused to vote or hold office
under this government, because it is
not Christ’s Kingdom.
Thus they recognize the
impropriety of Christians sharing in
any other. We have great sympathy
with this sentiment, but not with
the conclusion, that if God’s name
were mentioned in the Constitution,
that fact would transform this
government from a kingdom of this
world to a kingdom of Christ, and
give them liberty to vote and to
hold office under it. O, how
foolish!
How great the deception by which the
“Mother of harlots”
has made all nations drunk
(Revelation 17:2); for in a
similar manner it is claimed that
the kingdoms of Europe were
transferred from Satan to Christ,
and became
“Christian nations.”
Let it be seen that the
best and the worst of earth’s
nations are but
“kingdoms of this world,” whose lease of power from
God is now about expired, that they
may give place to their ordained
successor, the Kingdom of Messiah,
the Fifth Universal Empire of earth
(Daniel 2:44; 7:14,17,27) —this
view will do much to establish truth
and to overthrow error.
But as it is, the
actions of Papacy in this regard,
sanctioned by the Protestant
Reformers, go unquestioned among
Christian people. And since they
should uphold the Kingdom of Christ,
they feel themselves bound to
champion the present falling
kingdoms of so-called Christendom,
whose time is fast expiring; and
thus their sympathies are often
forced to the side of oppression,
rather than to the side of right and
freedom—to the side of the kingdoms
of this world, and the prince of
this world, rather than to the side
of the coming true Kingdom of
Christ. Revelation 17:14; 19:11-19
The world is fast
coming to realize that the
“kingdoms of this world” are not Christlike,
and that their claim to be of
Christ’s appointment is not
unquestionable.
Men are beginning to use
their reasoning powers on this and
similar questions; and they will act
out their convictions so much more
violently, as they come to realize
that a deception has been practiced
upon them in the name of the God of
Justice and the Prince of Peace.
In fact, the tendency
with many is to conclude that
Christianity itself is an imposition
without foundation, and that,
leagued with civil rulers, its aim
is merely to hold in check the
liberties of the masses.
O that men were wise,
that they would apply their hearts
to understand the work and plan of
the Lord! Then would the present
kingdoms melt down gradually—reform
would swiftly follow reform, and
liberty follow liberty, and justice
and truth would prevail until
righteousness would be established
in the earth.
But they will not do
this, nor can they in their present
fallen state; and so, armed with
selfishness, each will strive for
mastery, and the kingdoms of this
world will pass away with a great
time of trouble, such as was not
since there was a nation.
Of those who will be
vainly trying to hold to a dominion
which has passed away, when the
dominion is given to him whose right
it is, the Lord speaks, urging that
they are fighting against him—a
conflict in which they are sure to
fail. He says:
“Why do the nations
tumultuously assemble, and the
people meditate a vain thing?
The kings of the earth set
themselves, and the rulers take
counsel together against the
Lord, and against his Anointed,
saying, Let us break their bands
asunder, and cast away their
cords from us.
“He that sitteth in the
heavens shall laugh: the Lord
shall have them in derision.
Then shall he speak unto them in
his wrath, and vex them in his
sore displeasure [saying], I
have anointed my king
upon my holy hill of Zion....
“Be wise now, therefore,
O ye kings: be instructed, ye
judges of the earth. Serve the
Lord with fear and rejoice with
trembling.
“Kiss [make friends
with] the Son [God’s Anointed]
lest he be angry, and ye perish
in the way; for his wrath may
soon be kindled. Blessed are all
they that take refuge in him.”
Psalms 2:1-6,10-12
The Kingdom Near
|
Watchman,
tell us of the night—
What its signs of
promise are.
Traveler, o’er yon
mountain’s height,
See that glory-beaming
star!
Watchman, does its
beauteous ray
Ought of hope or joy
foretell?
Traveler, yes, it brings the
day—
Promised day of
Israel.
Watchman, tell us of the night—
Higher yet that star
ascends.
Traveler, blessedness and
light,
Peace and truth its
course portends.
Watchman, will its beams
alone
Gild the spot that
gave them birth?
Traveler, ages are its own;
See, its glory fills
the earth.
Watchman,
tell us, does the morning
Of fair Zion’s glory
dawn?
Have the signs that mark
its coming
Yet upon thy pathway
shown?
Traveler, yes: arise! Look
round thee!
Light is breaking in
the skies!
Gird thy bridal robes
around thee!
Morning dawns! Arise!
Arise! |
|