Brother Harper, don't you believe the toes of the image in Dan. 2 represent the ten kingdoms the same as the ten horns on the fourth beast in Dan. 7? - J. D. D.

Ans. - No. There are but four kingdoms represented in the image; namely, Babylon Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome - the intcrptetation by Daniel settles this. And it is "in the days of these kings," as Daniel says, that the God of Heaven set up the kingdom represented by the one that smote the image, breaking it in pieces, and becoming a great mountain, which filled the whole earth. And in the 7th chapter this setting is repeated, the representation this time being made by four beasts; the first like a lion, the second like a bear, the third like a leopard, and the fourth being a beast "terrible and powerful, and strong exceedingly."

Interpreting this, Daniel says, "These great beasts, which are four, are four kingdoms that shall arise out of the earth." Then he says, "But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever." And in setting up of this kingdom for the saints, and the coronation of its king, he goes on to say, "I saw in the night-visions, and behold, there came with the clouds of heaven one like unto a son of man, and he came even to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, 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."

Notice, he came "to" (not from) the Ancient of Days for his kingdom, "and there was given him a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him." And if you read the 24th Psalm, you will sec his glorious coronation in vs. 7-10. And on the day of Pentecost, ten days after the ascension of Christ to the Father, Peter, speaking of this in connection with the prophecy of David in Psalm 16, says, "Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; he, seeing this before, spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in Hades, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we are witnesses" (Acts 2:30-32).

Notice, Peter says God would raise up Jesus to sit on David's throne; and he bears witness, that Jesus has been raised up, plainly demonstrating that he was then on David's throne, also now "made an High Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec" (Heb. 6:20), yes, "Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God" (Heb. 7:1). And thus of the Christ, Messiah, it was prophesied, "He shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne" (Zech. 6:13). And the apostle says, "Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Heb. 7:25).

Now we shall notice the developments that follow the setting up of the kingdom of Christ; and no doubt it was for the portraying of these that the whole setting, as in Daniel 2, is repeated, this time as four beasts and the kingdom of "one like unto a son of man."

The fourth beast had ten horns, and by and by there came up among them "a little horn" that took up three of the ten by the roots. "And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things," whose "look was more stout than his fellows." "And he shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and he shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand, until a time and times and the dividing of time. But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end."

Daniel says, "The ten horns out of this kingdom (the fourth) are ten kingdoms that shall arise; and another shall arise after them." The ten kingdoms that arose were: The Lombards, the Franks, the Vandals, the Visigoths, the Heruli, the Huns, the Ostrogoths, the Burgundians, the Sueves, and the Saxons-Machiavel.

Among these grew up "the supremacy of the Papal power." (Barnes, p.316.) "He (the Pope) claimed to be an earthly king of kings, and the Papal thunder rolled over every nation in Europe."

(Ib. p. 390.) "He declared that, having apostolic preeminence over kings, he could give and withhold crowns at pleasure." (Ib. p. 891.) "He (Freddrick) was crowned emperor, but only after he had consented to hold the Pope's stirrup." (Ib. p. 380.) "The Pope excommunicated Henry. He crossed the Alps as a suppliant, with his faithful wife, Bertha, carrying his infant son. Reaching Canossa, the king, barefooted, bareheaded, and clad in penitent's garb, was kept standing in the snow at the castle gate for three days before he was allowed to enter. Then, after yielding all to Gregory (the Pope), he received the kiss of peace." (Ib. p. 877.) "The Papacy gradually became the center of vast temporal power." (Ib. p. 321.) "We have seen how, upon the ruins of Pagan Rome, the Papacy founded a new empire." (Ib. 390.) "The first Rome was the Rome of the Caesars; the second was the Rome of the Popes." (Myers, p. 702.) Unutterable were the persecutions of the saints by the Papacy.

The "three plucked up by the roots" were the Lombard kingdom, the Vandal kingdom, and the Ostrogothic kingdom. These went down by Papal instigation. It was nothing but a Papal persecution of the Arians, who would not bow in matters of religion to the dictates of the Pope.

The Lombard kingdom was in Italy. "At the request of the Pope, then hard pressed by the Lombards, Pipin crossed the Alps and conquered Ravenna, which he gave to the Holy See. This dominion was the origin of the temporal power of the Popes which lasted 1115 years." (Barnes, p. 282.) Lombardy is badly crippled. Finally, "The Pope applied to Charlemagne for aid, just as he had applied to Pipin before, and the Kingdom of the Lombards was destroyed in the year 774 after lasting a little over 200 years." (Colby, p. 219.)

"Being Arians, in a short time the Vandals were so completely conquered that they disappeared from history as a nation." (Colby, p. 209.) "The Pope prevailed upon Justinian to send his famous general, Belisarius, against them." (Ib.)

"The Ostrogothic kingdom was in Italy." "The Ostrogoths were Aryans." Hence, "The destruction of the Ostrogothic kingdom."

"They shall be given into his hands, until a time and times and the dividing of time." Again: "They shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end."

The table turns: "At the coronation of Napoleon Pope Pius VII poured on the head of the kneeling sovereign the mystic oil; but when he lifted the crown, Napoleon took it from his hand, placed it on his own head, and afterward crowned Josephine empress." (Barnes, p. 562.)

Again: "Pope Pius VII refuse to enforce the blockade against England, and further presumed to disregard other commands of Napoleon. Thereupon Napoleon declared that the Pope 'was no longer a secuar prince,' and took possession of his domains. Pope Pius straightway excommunicated the Emperor, who thereupon arrested him, and for three years held him a state prisoner." (Myers, p. 669.)

Again: "The decline of the Papal power was made evident by the residence of the Popes in France, known in their church history as the 'Babylonish Captivity' (1305 to 1377)."

There have been four great anti-Christian powers. The first was the nation of the Jews; the second was the Roman power; the third was the Papal power; and the fourth was the Mahometan power. All are now defunct to this end, the Mahometan being broken in the World War. It was represented in the 8th chapter of Daniel as a "little horn" that came up in the Grecian Empire. We may write of it sometime if the brethren so wish.