"THE TIME OF THE
END"
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We trust that the evidences presented in the preceding volume have made
clear the fact that the great Papal system is the desolating abomination
which for centuries has despoiled both the world and the Church, in the
name of Christ’s kingdom. Truly it has long been “standing in the holy
place”—in the temple of God, the Christian Church. Thank God for the
privilege of seeing its abominable characteristics more and more
clearly, that we may flee from all its errors. Thank God that its days
are numbered, and that the cleansed sanctuary (Dan. 8:14) will soon be
exalted and filled with the glory of God.
With this introduction, we proceed to examine Daniel xi in consecutive
order.
Verse 2 begins with the Medo-Persian empire, the fourth and last king
being Darius III Codomanus.
The mighty king of verse 3 is Alexander the Great, of Greece, concerning
whom the following scrap of history from Willard will be read with
interest. He says:
“Alexander the Great, having invaded Judea, sent a mandate to Jerusalem
to furnish his army with provisions and troops. Jaddus, then the high
priest, returned for answer, that he had sworn allegiance to the king of
Persia, and could not desert his cause while he lived. Alexander, as
soon as the siege of Tyre was completed, marched to Jerusalem to take
vengeance for this refusal. Apprised of his purpose, and utterly unable
to contend with him, the high priest in his distress cried to heaven for
protection. Being instructed by a vision in the night, he threw open
the gates of the city and strewed the way with flowers. Clothing
himself in the splendid vestments of the Levitical priesthood, he went
forth to meet the conqueror, followed by all the priests robed in
white. Alexander met him, bowed, and worshiped. Being asked by his
astonished friend, why he, whom others [C_page
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adored, should adore the high
priest, he answered, ‘I do not adore him, but the God whose minister he
is. I knew him, as soon as I saw his habit, to be the same whom I saw
in a vision in Macedonia, when I meditated the conquest of Persia; and
he then assured me that his God would go before me and give me
success.’ Alexander then embraced the priests, walking in the midst of
them, and thus entering Jerusalem; where, in the most solemn manner, he
offered sacrifices in the temple. The high priest then showed him
the prophecy of Daniel, and interpreted it to foreshow that the Persian
power should be overthrown by him.”
Though Alexander conquered the world in the short period of thirteen
years, the kingdom did not continue as one nation in his family after
his death, but was divided by his four generals and broken into
fragments generally, as stated in verse 4.
Notice here the correspondence of this prophecy with that of Dan.
8:3-9,20-25. Here it is shown that out of one of the divisions of
Alexander’s empire (compare verses 8,9 and 21) would come forth a
“little horn” or power, which would become exceedingly great. This
evidently refers to Rome, which rose to influence upon the ruins of
Greece. From being an insignificant subject whose ambassadors hastened
to acknowledge the Grecian supremacy, and to become part of the
empire at the feet of Alexander the Great, Rome rose gradually
to supremacy.
The history which is told in few words in Dan. 8:9,10 is related with
greater detail in chapter 11:5-19. In this detailed account,
Egypt is spoken of as the King of the South; while
the Grecians, and afterward the Romans, their successors
in power, or the new horn out of Greece, are designated the King
of the North. Woven between these, linked now with the one and
again with the other, is the history of God’s people—Daniel’s people—in
whose ultimate blessing, as promised by God, Daniel trusted. It is
tedious and unnecessary to trace this history in its many details of
conflicts between
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Alexander’s generals and their
successors, until verse 17, which refers to Cleopatra, queen of Egypt.
And since all are agreed thus far, we need go no farther into the past.
At verse 18 those who claim that verse 31 applies to Antiochus Epiphanes
continue to apply the prophecy to the little squabbles and battles
between Seleucus, Philopater, Antiochus Epiphanes and Ptolemeus
Philomater down to the end of the chapter—as the Jews were evidently
accustomed to apply it. The Jews, continuing this interpretation into
chapter xii, would have strong grounds for expecting deliverance by
Messiah speedily; and so we read that at the time of our Lord’s birth
“all men were in expectation” of him, and through him, of their
deliverance from the Roman yoke. But from verse 18 onward, we who see
the real “abomination,” part company from them, and understand the
prophecy merely to touch prominent characters down to Papacy; and then,
touching and identifying it, to pass on to the end of its power to
persecute, and to mark that date by a detailed account of one of the
most noted characters of history—Napoleon Bonaparte.
But it may be asked, why this change of the particular method of the
preceding verses, to touch only prominent features of history? We
answer, that this has been part of God’s method of sealing and closing
the prophecy. Besides, everything in prophecy was so arranged as not to
stumble Israel at the first advent. Had the minutiae and detail of
twenty centuries been spread out as is that prophecy contained in verses
3 to 17 of this chapter, it would have been long, tedious and beyond
comprehension; and it would have given the Jews and the early Christian
church an idea of the length of time before the Kingdom of God should
come; and this was not God’s purpose.
Proceeding, then, we understand verses 17-19 to apply to the times and
incidents in which Mark Antony and Cleopatra
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figured, when Antony fell, and Egypt
(“King of the South”) was swallowed up in the Roman empire. Verse 20 we
apply to Augustus Caesar, who was noted for his systematic collection of
large taxes from all tributary nations, and whose exactions of taxes, in
Judea and throughout the then civilized world, are noted in Scripture in
connection with the birth of our Lord. (Luke 2:1) The statement,
“Caesar Augustus sent forth a decree that all the world should be
taxed,” corresponds faithfully to the description—“There shall stand up
in his estate a raiser of taxes in the glory
of the kingdom.” This latter part of the description also fits exactly;
for the period of Augustus Caesar’s reign is noted in history as the
most glorious epoch of the great Roman empire, and is called
“the golden age of Rome.”
Another translation of verse 20 reads: “There will stand up in his place
one who will cause the exactor of taxes to pass through the
glorious land of the kingdom.” This would seem to apply
specially to Palestine, and would make this fit exactly to the record in
Luke. But both applications are correct: It was the glorious time of
the Roman Empire, and tax collectors were caused to pass through the
land of Palestine—the glorious land of the kingdom. Furthermore, be it
noted that Augustus Caesar was the first ruler to introduce to the world
a systematized taxation.
We read further of this prominent ruler—“Within few days he shall be
broken, neither in anger nor in battle.” Of Augustus Caesar it is
recorded that he died a quiet death, while his predecessor and his seven
successors in imperial power died violent deaths. His death was within
a few years after he had reached the zenith of his power and had caused
“the exactor of taxes to pass through the glorious land of the kingdom.”
Verse 21 fitly describes Tiberius Caesar, the successor of Augustus:
“There will stand up in his place a despicable
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person, to whom they shall not give
the honor of the kingdom; but he shall come in peaceably
and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.” Let us here note how the
historic account of Tiberius agrees with the above by the prophet.
Says White: “Tiberius was fifty-six years old when he ascended the
throne, professing great unwillingness to take upon him
its important cares....All restraint being now removed, the tyrant gave
loose reign to his cruel and sensual passions.”
Says Willard: “At first he dissembled and appeared to govern with
moderation; but the mask soon dropped.... The senate, to whom he
transferred all the political rights of the people, had become degraded,
and thus obsequiously sanctioned his acts and offered the incense of
perpetual flattery to the man who filled their streets with blood. It
was under the administration of this most debased of men,
that our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified in Judea.”
These pictures fit exactly the prophet’s description, and are further
confirmed by the next verse—22. “With the powers of an overflow [flood]
will they [all opposers] be swept away before him, and be broken; yea,
also the Prince of the Covenant.” This last statement
seems unmistakably to refer to our Lord Jesus, who, as above noted by
the historian, was crucified under the administration of Tiberius by his
representative, Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, and by Roman
soldiers.
“And after the league made with him [the Senate recognizing him as
emperor] he shall work deceitfully; for he will come up and become
strong with a small number of people. [Tiberius organized the
Praetorian Guard, at first of 10,000, afterward doubled. This
small number of people, as the emperor’s bodyguard, was continually at
Rome and under his control. By it he overawed the people and the
senate, abolished popular elections, assemblies, etc.] He shall enter
peaceably even upon the fattest places of the province, and he shall do
that which his fathers have not done, nor his father’s
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fathers; he shall scatter among them
the prey, and spoil, and riches: and he shall think thoughts against the
strongholds, even for a time.” Verses 23,24
It was the policy of both Augustus and his successors to preserve
peacefully the control of the dominions previously gained, rather than
to seek by conquest further additions; and, to secure this hold, it was
their policy to divide the spoil by appointing local
governors, with dignity and authority, whose tenure of office was made
to depend upon the preservation of order in their provinces, their
fealty to the Caesars and the prompt collection of taxes. They no
longer, as at first, pursued the policy of sacking and plundering the
world merely to carry the spoils as trophies to Rome. By this
diplomatic policy, by thus “forecasting devices,” Rome now
ruled the world more completely and with greater prestige than when her
armies went hither and thither.
It should be recognized that while the prophecy has particularized, and
in the cases of Augustus and Tiberius has almost individualized the
account, yet this has been only a means to an end. The end to be
accomplished is to mark the time of transfer of universal dominion, from
Greece to Rome, from the four generals of Alexander the Great,
representing four divisions of that empire (the “four horns” of the
Grecian “goat” mentioned in Daniel 8:8), to the Roman empire which was
at that time and previously a part of Grecia. These four generals who
succeeded Alexander the Great are no less distinctly marked in history
than in prophecy.* The historian+
says:
“The [Grecian] empire was now divided into four parts, and one part
assigned to each of the generals who formed the league. Ptolemy assumed
the regal power in Egypt; Seleucus,
—————
*The
division among these four is distinctly referred to in Daniel 8:8 and
11:4,5.
+Willard’s
Universal History, page 100.
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in Syria and
Upper Asia; Lysimachus, in Thrace and Asia
Minor as far as Taurus; and Cassander took as his share
Macedonia.”
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