THE CAPTIVITY OF THE JEWS—[EPOCH 5].
FROM THE CAPTIVITY TO THE BIRTH OF CHRIST.
[DISPENSATION E.]
WE now come to a memorable, but very sad, epoch in the history of God's people,—the captivity and complete break-up of the nation that had for many centuries enjoyed the protection and favor of Jehovah.
Prophet after prophet had been sent to warn them of approaching judgment if they continued in their departure from God, and oft-repeated disobedience of His commands, but they heeded not. Then the prophet Jeremiah was commissioned by God to convey to them the dread message,—"This whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years" (Jer. 25 I t).
And so it came to pass, for Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, took Jerusalem, and carried away Jehoiachin, his family, and all the mighty people of the land, as well as all the sacred treasures of the house of the Lord, to Babylon. Eleven years later, he went down a second time, laid waste the city, and took Zedekiah (the uncle of Jehoiachin, whom he had made king) and the rest of the people captives to Babylon: thus completing the terrible work of destruction and the breaking up of the Jewish nation.
The first dismemberment of the nation took place when Shalmaneser carried the ten tribes of Israel captives to Assyria (they have been lost ever since), over a hundred years before the captivity of Judah (2 Kings 17).
With the captivity by Nebuchadnezzar of the two remaining tribes of Judah and Benjamin the dissolution of the whole nation was complete. For though Judah returned after the seventy years of captivity (see. Ezra and Nehemiah), they were subject always more or less to other nations until their final dispersion at the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, the Roman general, in the year A.D. 70.
Israel having thus forfeited and lost its position of power as a nation before God, the scepter of earthly government was transferred to the Gentiles, in the person of Nebuchadnezzar, and is to continue in their hands until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled " (Luke 21:24).
Therefore from this epoch (No. 5), the period called "TIMES OF THE GENTILES" commenced, which has continued ever since, and will still go on until the end of the present age.
The whole of this era—the times of the Gentiles—is represented in the chart by the great image described in the second of Daniel, which is interpreted by Daniel as the symbolical representation of the four great national powers or kingdoms that should succeed one another from the time of Nebuchadnezzar (B.C. 606) down to the end of the day of tribulation, just before the millennium, when the stone " cut out of the mountain without hands " (the Lord Jesus) " shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms" (vv. 44, 45).
In Rev. 19:11-21 we see the fulfillment of this prophecy. These four successive kingdoms are also represented, in another vision in Dan. 7, by four wild beasts, and it is interesting to note the marked difference in the symbolism employed. To a monarch like Nebuchadnezzar, who prided himself on national greatness and power, these Gentile kingdoms are suitably made to appear as a strong metallic image, the common symbol of a nation's greatness (he set up an image of gold to be worshipped); but when they are looked upon from God's point of view in all their perverse moral characteristics, they are presented to His servant Daniel as four wild and ravenous beasts—the lion, the bear, the leopard, and the fourth beast dreadful and terrible. How exceedingly interesting and instructive it is to note the way God looks upon this world, and thus to see that what man, in the pride of his political power, considers grand and excellent in the government of nations, is after all represented by the holy God under the symbols of wild beasts.
Truly, "that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God " (Luke 16:15). Well did our Lord say, "My kingdom is not of this world," for its moral features are totally different from the ruling principles of worldly governments.
The salient points in these two wonderful visions are presented in the following tabular form to show their correspondence in purpose as to history, though they are so differently represented metaphorically, as well as to give a succinct view of them and their application as a whole:—
THE DREAMS OF NEBUCHADNEZZAR AND DANIEL.
The Image, Dan. 2
The Beasts, Dan. 7
The Kingdoms.
First Monarch by whom they were Founded.
Time when Founded.
The Gold. “ Silver. “ Brass. “ Iron.
The Lion. “ Bear. “ Leopard. “ Ten-horned Beast.
Babylonian. Medo-Persian. Grecian. Roman.
Nebuchadnezzar. Darius. Alexander the Great. Augustus Cæsar.
606 B.C. Dan. 2:38. 538 “ Dan. 5:31. 336 “ Dan. 8:7, 8. 27 “ Luke 2:1.
Furthermore, in the last scenes of both these prophetic visions we see an exact correspondence in three important particulars in which they mutually explain each other.
1st, The coming forth of a Judge to execute judgment on these nations. In the first or image dream the Judge is the Stone " cut out of the mountain without hands " (Dan. 2:34, 45), while in the second we behold " One like the Son of Man " coming in the clouds of heaven (Dan. 7:13; Matt. 25:31).
2nd, The destruction of the nations involved in this judgment. In the first dream we find that the Stone smote the image upon his feet,—" 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" (Dan. 2:34, 35). In the second it is stated, "But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end" (Dan. 7:26).
3rd. The establishment of the millennial kingdom of Christ. In the first dream we read, "The Stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth" (Dan. 2:35, 44); and in the second, 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" (Dan. 7:27).
Here it may be well to pause for a moment to inquire how far the past history of these four nations has agreed with the prophetic visions given to Daniel more than two thousand years ago. To this there can be but one answer, and that is, that in the histories of these kingdoms we find a complete exemplification of all the particulars mentioned in the prophecies as far as they have yet been fulfilled.
This, I presume, is admitted by all historians. Indeed, with the plainly established facts of history before them, they could come to no other conclusion.
These four great kingdoms have not only existed, but have successively followed each other in the exact order given in the visions. Moreover, all the characteristic features predicted of them have been fully verified in every particular; thus incidentally furnishing us with another incontrovertible proof—if indeed proof were needed—of the divine origin and authenticity of the Holy Scriptures.
We have seen the proud imperious lion of Babylonia suddenly overthrown and destroyed by the ruthless and rapacious bear of Medo-Persia; and this latter, in the full strength and power of its enormous forces, borne down upon and completely crushed by the swift and agile spring of the Grecian leopard. Then, as the wheels of history roll on, we see the nameless fourth beast—" dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly "—in the Roman legions, conquering and subduing all before them in their furious onslaughts in the east as well as in the west, and also in the north and in the south. This is graphically depicted in the vision,—" 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" (Dan. 7:7).
And this mighty Roman force has been the dominant power of the world for nearly two thousand years, but is now drawing near to its end, as must be evident to all thoughtful students of God's Word, and to those whose eyes are open to see the signs of the present time. To us, who can now look back and see how all these predictions have been thus far fulfilled, it becomes a matter of the greatest moment to watch the approaching end of this last phase of Gentile domination, which shall bring about such great changes in the leading nations of the world; and, above all, we should seek to be ready for the next momentous crisis, the " coming of the Lord."
Another very peculiar feature in the vision of the great image, which deserves to be specially noticed—because of the attention directed to it—is the " miry clay" that appears in the feet and toes, mixed with the iron, and the effects produced by its presence there,—" As the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken (or brittle)" (Dan. 2:41-43).
As iron is used here to represent the strength and power of the Roman kingdom (" Forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things "), what, we might ask, does this clay represent?
Now when we look at all that is said about the clay, and the effects produced by its admixture with the iron, we cannot find much difficulty in discovering what is meant by the symbol. "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. 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. 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. 2:41-43).
Here four things should be noted—first, it is a mixture of iron and clay, not two separate kingdoms, as Greece and Rome were; second, it should be partly strong and partly broken (or brittle); third, they should mingle but not cleave one to another; and fourth, the clay appears only in the feet and toes, at the end of the kingdom.
With these four points before us, let us inquire, What in the present social and governmental conditions of the nations, that constitute the remaining fragments of the old Roman empire, answers to this clay element? What may this internal element be, that mingles mechanically with, and permeates these nations, producing brittleness or weakness, division and disorder; that cannot in its nature unite with the iron or ruling power, but is ever an opposing element to all law, order, and proper government? Surely there can be but one reply to these questions, and that is, that modern democracy, in the disintegrating effects it produces in every country, is this clay element, for it fully answers to every point in the description given of the results of the clay mixed with the iron, especially the peculiar and unprecedented phases of democracy that have so remarkably developed in these last days of Gentile supremacy—unprecedented both as to their general lawlessness and their opposition to the powers that be.
This conclusion appears to me to be irresistible, seeing that nothing else that could be named would so fully and correctly correspond to what is said respecting the presence of the clay element in the image, as these various forms of modern democracy.
Do we not see this miry clay surging up before our eyes in the Socialism, Communism, Nihilism, Fenianism, Radicalism, and many other forms of democratic lawlessness that are rapidly becoming the cause of trouble and weakness, confusion and disorder, to every nation throughout -Europe? Indeed, it is a most marked and prominent feature of the times, and is constantly referred to as such by the secular press.
Democracy, in some form or other, it is true, has existed from time immemorial, but it may be fairly questioned if it has ever before appeared in the desperately outrageous and defiant forms it is now assuming. Thousands are banded together as the sworn enemies of all law and order, and many even exult in the terrible name of " Anarchists," desiring as such, to overthrow every form of lawful government in the world, and to introduce universal anarchy!
This, too, is taking place, not in one, but in every country of Europe. For the better accomplishment of their disloyal purposes, they form themselves into organized confederacies and alliances in all European states, whereby people of the most dissimilar habits, customs, and languages, become united in one common bond of brotherhood, under the boasted name of " Internationalism," apparently with the object of interfering with and unsettling the institutions of society, and of weakening their respective governments.
With these startling facts before us, it seems most reasonable to conclude that we are beginning to see the fulfillment of the last part of Daniel's remarkable prophecy, in these unprecedented forms of democracy, rising up from the lower strata of society—hence so aptly called the "miry clay"—as a weakening, disturbing, and paralyzing element in every nation.
As showing the prominence to which this clay element has attained in these days, we have also the fact that rulers and persons in high authority are more than ever pandering to and courting the favor of the people, or masses, for political purposes, seemingly giving expression to the old cry, "The voice of the people is the voice of God; " and this attitude of the higher towards the lower classes, seems to me further to verify verse 43 of Dan. 2, "And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they (the iron or ruling powers) shall mingle themselves with the seed of men (the masses, or miry clay): but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay." This apparent mingling of the higher with the lower is constantly going on in the social and political movements of the day.
Now if the foregoing interpretation of these passages be correct, we are at once confronted with the solemn thought, that as we now see the clay element (which only appears in the feet and toes of the image, the last phase of its history), so we must be near the time when the Stone strikes the feet and destroys the whole—that is, near the judgment of the nations mentioned in Matt. 25:31, 32, Revelation 19: 11-21, and many other scriptures.
Again, if this judgment be so close at hand, how much closer must be the coming of the Lord to take up the Church, for we learn from Scripture that this will take place some few years before He comes to judge?
How important it is to be ready for this great event, and to be constantly bearing in mind the words of our Lord, " Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh."
The dispensation from the Captivity to the birth of Christ lasted for about five hundred and eighty-seven years, and some of its leading events may be briefly summarized as follows:—
1. The wonderful dream of Nebuchadnezzar, and its prophetic interpretation by Daniel (chap. 2.).
2. The setting up of an image by Nebuchadnezzar to be worshipped, and the account of the three faithful Jews who refused to worship it (chap. 3.).
3. Daniel's wonderful visions and their interpretations, especially the one of chapter 7., which we have briefly looked at.
4. The histories of the three great prophets of the Captivity—Jeremiah, Daniel, and Ezekiel.
5. The overthrow of the Babylonian kingdom by the Medes and Persians, and the reigns of Darius. and Cyrus.
6. The return of the two tribes, Judah and Benjamin, to Palestine, after seventy years' captivity, by the decree, and under the direction, of Cyrus. Ezra and Nehemiah give us a full account of this.
7. The prophecies of Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi after the restoration, the two first having been in the Captivity.
8. The subduing of the Persian monarchy by the Grecians, under Alexander the Great (B.C. 333), (Dan. 8:3-8, and 11:3, 4).
9. The division of Alexander's kingdom (B.C. 323) among his four generals, Seleucus, Ptolemy, Cassander, and Lysimachus (Dan. 8:8; 11:4).
10. The wars of the kings of the North (Syria) and the kings of the South (Egypt) with each other, beginning with Seleucus and Ptolemy; and the. repeated invasions of Palestine by them, during which the Jews were subject to the conquering power for the time being, which was sometimes the North and sometimes the South (Dan. 11:5-35).
11. The oppressive and cruel treatment of the Jews, under the tyrannical rule of the notorious ANTIOCHUS EPIPHANES, king of the North. His devastations in Palestine, and the setting up of idolatry in Jerusalem, even in the temple of God, " The abomination that maketh desolate " (Dan. 11:31), and the " Wars of the Maccabees " in opposing him (Dan. 8:9-14, and 11:21-35). He is the double type of the Beast and the Antichrist, who will again persecute the Jews, and set up idolatry in Jerusalem during the Great Tribulation (Matt. 24:15; Rev. 13) [See Josephus and the two books of the Maccabees in the Apocrypha.]
12. The Jews governed for a considerable while after this by their high priests, though still subject to the Gentile powers,—first Grecian, then Roman,—during which time, through the rivalry and contentions of opposing factions, they were frequently at war among themselves.
13. The subjugation of the Grecian and Syrian monarchy by the Romans, under the leadership of the great generals Pompey and Julius Caesar; and the establishment of the Empire by the ascension of Augustus Caesar to the throne (B.C. 27), when Palestine became a Roman province (Luke 21).
In connection with the "times of the Gentiles," it may be well to notice that we have in Scripture another important line of prophecy, that is distinctly and exclusively Jewish, running parallel with the times of the Gentiles, beginning somewhat later, but continuing through the same period down to the end of the present age, and even extending into the Millennium. This is the remarkable prophecy of the "SEVENTY WEEKS," in Dan. 9:24-27, a small illustrative chart of which is given on the next page, to show the time it covers in history, and the manner in which that time is distributed, or divided.
Assuming that the colored diagram on the chart, and the appended notes, will sufficiently explain the main features of this famous prophecy, nothing further need be said at present with reference to it (the details will be specially noted later on), except to remark that, as it obviously has a very direct bearing upon the dispensations of Scripture, it is of the first importance rightly to understand it.
The seventy weeks may be regarded as a dispensational line in itself, looked at from an entirely Jewish point of view, but coalescing in some points, at the "time of the end," with the Gentile line.
It is this particular fact that gives it special interest in connection with the subjects now under review; therefore it will be more fully considered when we come to look at the period referred to in Scripture as the Day of Tribulation.