I have hitherto hesitated to write on the scheme diligently and confidently urged by Mr. J. B. Dimbleby. He is earnest in confessing his faith in the prophetic word, and consequently in looking for the coming and kingdom of our Lord and Savior. In this it would give one pleasure rather to strengthen him, than even seem to be adverse. But as he has certainly erred in ways of moment, which involve him, like some dead and living, in misleading others and perhaps to his own stumbling ere long, it is no breach, but rather an exercise, of charity to give simple and solid grounds of dissent.
Take the overthrow of the Turkish power as the first example, with which he begins the late issue of “The New Era at Hand” (11th ed. now before me), on the inside of the title-page telling us of about 5000 “testimonials” received, one of the latest of which he gives, though it is in the most extreme and irreverent rhodomontade of our Yankee friends. Passing over this or the like, let us come to God's word and the facts. “We are also told in Dan. 7:2525And 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. (Daniel 7:25), that the little horn (evidently the Mohammedan power by the facts of history) was to have saints given into his hands for a time, times, and a half, which is the other 1260 years. We have only to put them together—
Babylon... continued 90 years from 3376 1/2 to 3466 1/2
Medo-Persians do. 200 years from 3466 1/2 to 3666 1/2.
Grecians...do. 304 years from 3666 1/2 to 3970 1/2.
Romans ... do. 666 years from 3970 1/2 to 4636 1/2.
Total 1260 Jerusalem taken by
Saracens,... in 4636 1/2.
Mohammedan period 1260 from 4636 1/2 to 5896 1/2,
our... 1898 1/2.
2520 years.”
The apparent simplicity of the result has deceived not only Mr. D. but his friends. Scripture truth is another thing, which faith alone discovers by subjection to the written word. Now the word in this case leaves no room, for Mohammedanism in Dan. 7. For the vision speaks of “four great beasts” (not five as Mr. D. imagines), the last of which is the Roman, out of which arise ten horns, and another after them, diverse and subduing them, whose haughty words lead to a divine destruction of Gentile empire, in contrast with the providential transition of the previous Beasts. How possibly intercalate the Ottoman Porte? It is the same Roman power which played its part in crucifying the Lord of glory when He first appeared, which will rise up against Him when He appears from heaven the second time, the glorified Son of man.
It will be objected that the Roman Beast has ceased to be; but here Rev. 17:88The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. (Revelation 17:8) supplies added light of the utmost importance, and informs us how perfectly the difficulty is removed, and explains why that Beast should have a place so unique. “The beast which thou sawest was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss, and go into destruction: and they who dwell on the earth, whose names are not written in the book of life from the foundation of flit world, shall wonder, seeing the beast, that it was, and is not, and shall be present” (I give the acknowledged critical correction). This is confirmed by ver. 11, as well as by Rev. 13:33And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. (Revelation 13:3).
The mystery of the Roman Beast is thus solved. That empire which once was, and now is not, must yet be, clothed with a hellish character beyond what it ever knew before. It is the Beast of seven heads, and ten horns, and so characterized to the close, which excludes Mohammedanism or any other power. The last leader of this empire, of whom Daniel speaks, is a little horn at first, before whom three of the first horns were uprooted, who blasphemes the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the high places, and think to change times and laws. He meddles with God's rights as asserted among His ancient people. It is these “times and laws” which are said to be given into his hand; for the indignation was not yet ended against Israel. The mistake is common that “the saints” are given into the hands of this wicked prince. He is said to make war with the saints (ver. 21) and to prevail against them. But this is a very different thing. God permits tribulation and persecution; but He never gives His own into the enemy's hand. His sheep are in His own hand; and He never leaves—no, never forsakes them, even if He allows their death in a terrible form. The passage is important; because it shows the last Roman emperor in his lawlessness putting down the worship of the Jews when seeking to set it up again in that day. Whatever the towering will on his part, God does not interpose to hinder yet, till they are truly penitent and own the Lord Jesus. Hence their orderly services according to the set times are given into his hands for a short time. This is confirmed by the true sense of Dan. 9:2727And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (Daniel 9:27); but we need say no more now, as this will come up again in its place.
And the nature of the case goes far to confirm the short space of three years and a half, as against the assumption of 1260 years. For it is a question not of the duration of an empire, but of the excessive outburst of the last chief of the Roman empire, when revived, to show its character under the power of Satan at the end of the age, and bring upon that empire generally, as well as its guilty leader, the long threatened bolt of divine judgment beyond all previous example. Now 31 years, 42 months, or 1260 days, are very readily understood of the most awful instrument of the enemy's blasphemous uprising against God. To conceive anything so extreme allowed to go on for 1260 years is a hard saying. I am aware of the Protestant system which applies it in that protracted period to the papacy. This Mr. D. justly rejects; but his own idea of Mohammedanism is still less tenable; for outwardly, the Roman pontiff did substitute himself gradually into a sort of continuation of quasi-imperial power after the extinction of the last petty civil claimant at Rome. But Mohammedanism is absolutely foreign to Dan. 7. Enough is said to disprove any reference but to the Roman empire in Daniel's fourth Beast, and to point out the sure and invaluable supplement in Rev. 17, which also shuts out the Turk.
This is quite confirmed by Nebuchadnezzar's vision (chap. 2), where we have the same Roman empire, superseded by God's kingdom introduced by the little Stone: four empires of man, not five, succeeded by Christ in power and glory. Mohammedanism is not here either.
(To be continued, D.V.)