BIBLICAL PROPHECIES

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 November 1939, Page 12

BIBLICAL PROPHECIES

BEARING ON WORLD EVENTS

: “Hitler’s ambitious dream of a gi- ’ gantic Nazi Empire, at whose feet [Europe and the world will bow, is ■ utterly doomed to failure, for it 4s shattered on the rock of infallible Bible prophecy,” declared Evangelist C. E. Summerfield, in a lecture in the Oddfellows’ Hall, Greymouth, last evening. “Hitler," he said, “has worked out elaborate plans for expansion and conquest, but the pen of inspiration, thousands of years ago had unfalteringly declared his failure, and so it will be.” The lecturer then went on to relate the wonderful dream that King Nebuchadnezzar had, as recorded in the Book of Daniel, chapter 2. “There,” he said, “in a graphic pen picture is recorded the rise and fall of mighty empires from the time of Daniel (600 8.C.) to the present time—and beyond, to the setting up of God’s eternal kingdom.” Mr Summerfield showed by I a chart that the Scriptures declared the Babylonian empire to be the head of gold of Nebuchadnezzar’s image. History recorded the fall of Babylon in 538 B.C. The Medo-Persian hosts were now the rulers and their great empire, as represented by the silver chest and arms of the image, was supreme until. 331 B.C. After the Battle of Arbela, when Alexander the Great defeated' the gigantic Persian army, Greece became the ruling country of the world. “And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron,” the prophet had said, and so it was, for historians had spoken of “the iron monarchy of Rome.” Rome defeated the Greeks at the Battle of Pydna, 168 8.C., and from that time till the 4th century after Christ, Rome was supreme. The

prophecy called lor a tenfold division, and history recorded that it was so for in the 4th century A.D. the barbarian hordes attacked and gradually conquered various parts of the empire until there were just ten divisions. “To-day," continued the speaker, “those ten kingdoms can be traced on the map of Europe, and some are strong and some are partly broken. The prophet declared it would be impossible to unite them. Charlemagne, Charles V., Louis XIV., and Napoleon tried it, but each attempt was unsuc-

cessful. The ex-Kaiser tried it, and finally the attempt of the League of Nations to hold these nations of Europe together proved a failure. But prophecy goes further. In verse 43 it indicates that these European kings would intermarry, but even this would not hold them together. Every student of history knows that at the time of the Great War the majority of the Royal heads of Europe were related. But the intermarrying has not succeeded in bringing the nations into closer union with one another.

“We are living in the days of the ten toes of the image, the days of the ten kings, and God says in His Word (Daniel 2,44), ‘ln the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed: Be prepared," concluded the speaker, “to be a citizen of that kingdom, that glorious kingdom, through a life of surrender to Christ Jesus.”

Next Sunday evening at 8 o’clock. Evangelist Summerfield will continue with the subject. “Armageddon, the Clashing Crash of Empires. Who fiights? When and where?"