IMPERIAL PAPERS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2443, 9 January 1901, Page 67

IMPERIAL PAPERS.

By R. N. Adams,

NO XX.— THE COLOSSEAN EMPIRE

IN PROPHECY. Omniscient forecast of evolving time That sets earth's vista in a scheme sublime,

During the preceding articles of our series we have been examining a few of the prominent -features of the Colossal Empire as it exists in the stubborn, indispiitable facts of the day. We have found that in all its chief characteristics it is unlike anything else that is at present or has been in the past. But then, what has occupied our attention 'has been nothing more inspiring that the figure of the common Saxon race. Had the same peculiarities been presented to the student of history or prophecy by any other people, he would naturally have been, induced to inquire anxiously and eagerly whether the prophetic Scriptures had not in some manner more or less definitely referred, by inference, by portrayal, or by description, to a power so great and so singular. Whether it be from modesty or from familiarity, the fact remains that the majority of our countrymen are content to believe that nothing beyond the usual commonplace attributes of an ordinary nation can popsibly be the lot of our people. We 'know that

Of their own merits modest men are dumb, still, much as we admire the sentiment, we know that, no matter how modest he may be, any man who finds himself in an arduous and responsible situation of duty and dignity, is irresistibly forced to examine his surroundings, that he may know the full nature of his position, and so be able to bear himself becomingly before the eyes of men who take notice of* his actions, and are affected by his conduct. Since, therefore, beyond all doubt, the Anglo-Saxon race holds the premier place -among the nations in this grandest era of the world's history, surely it is a prudent thing, for those at least who venerate the prophetic Scriptures, and regard them as a Divine forecast of history, to canvass its pages to learn whether or not there has been any mention of such an empire as we find is to-day casting a benignant influence over the whole race of mankind? " The words of prophesy, those words divine, Which make that Heaven, if thou desire it

One of the most significant marvels of prophecy is that in it are depicted many of the salient facts concerning at least four

of the great historical empires that have arisen, flourished, and fallen in the course of time subsequent to the date at which the writings were made. This is now undisputed by the highest authorities. The question to be answered is, Does it forecast a fifth empire answering to the power of the Anglo-Saxons, as we have seen them,

With all that's great in war, and sweet in peace?

The announcement made concerning the four great old-world empires was strangely enough, originally made to a pagan emperor — the great JN ebuchadnezzar of Babj'lon. It was communicated to him in a manner a& singular as it was impressive. The successive powers of future years were portrayed to him a marvellous dream-vision ; and were explained, or interpreted, to him by Divine interposition through Daniel, a captive .trince of the Royal House of Judah, then a slave in the Royal establishment at Babylon. As all are aware, the King dreamed of a great image composed of gold, silver, crass, and iron. This colossean image was interpreted to represent four kingdoms or empires, beginning with the one over which the dreamer presided ; the others, which were to follow its decease, 'have been fixed upon as Medo-Persia,« Greece, and Rome.

But this was by no means the whole of the strange vision. Only 34 words were required to state that part of what appeared to the monarch's view, while 83 words are used to tell the reader what followed. That to tell all that was foreshadowed of four empires, and their career, 34 words sufficed ; while to represent some other institution that was to hold the world in its control after the four empires were defunct the sacred narrative employs 83 words, is worthy of notice.

All that was said in the interpretation of the dreair concerning the four first kingdoms was that they were to be, but that which was to cut off their power and destroy their influence was given in words to show its origin, and describe its operations until fully established as the supreme power in the earth. In the one case, the fact of existence onty is stated, while in the other, the rise, progress, and destiny are depicted, most decidedly giving to this latter power by far the most conspicuous position, and investing it with a vastly greater importance than the others.

Here are the words in which Daniel explained the latter part of the vision :

"Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of irpn and clay, and brake them into pieces. " 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, and the wind carried them away. that no place was found for them : and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth." Dan. ii, 34, 35.

Following this statement of fact, the prophet enters into a short commentary on the facts set forth ; first dealing with the four kingdoms, giving some details of their peculiarities, and then of the' fifth kingdom, he continues :

" And in the days of these kings shall the God of Heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed ; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people ; 'but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever."

" Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold ; the Great God hath made known to the King what shall come to pass hereafter." Dan. ii, 44, 45.

Here are four superior kingdoms all having some special relation to and pai't in the image "representation. They were all of a common character, though each had its special individuality. Indeed, so long as one of them lasted, the image remained complete, only the ruling spirit was represented as belonging to a different part during each new power. The later in each case continued to perpetuate the preceding.

The fifth power, however, bore no relation to its four predecessors. It was independent of them : of a totally different constitution, and absolutely destructive of the systems of rule that the image-powers had maintained. When it came to assume authority, it brought in a new scheme of regulations, and governed on a plan former empires had been strangers to. In the course of its progress it bore down the gigantic frame of the image, ground its metals and minerals to powder, and became in course of time a universal empire. Not only a great ruling power, such as its mighty and magnificent predecessors had been, but a power whose sovereign rights "filled the whole earth."

Where could we find anything that would so perfectly correspond as an outline, with the • British Empire, and the power of the Anglo-Saxon race? But we have not yet finished with the delineation of prophecy, for in the same Book we read : " . . . . and judgment was given to (for) the saints of the Most High ; and the time came that the saints possessed the Kingdom." — Chapter vii, 22. Here it must be remembered that the significance of the word "saints" is not the modern notion of "sinless persons," or those who have already passed away from the occupations of earthly existence. "The saints" are merely "the selected ; the chosen ; or the appointed. " Those chosen by the Most High are the persons who possessed this fifth kingdom. So we read further— vii, 27: —

"And 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 (rulers) shall serve and obey Him." In every particular it is just such a government of men as were other kingdoms or empires, except that it is one which is directly under the supervision of the "Most High." It is a natural national establishment, plus a Divine organisation and commission. The point, however^ in with us

immediately is: Doe/ prophecy forecast a unique and dominating empire, to hold sway over and exercise a benign influence on the whole human race? We have already got our answer to the first part of our question. Daniel unquestionably speaks ot "a kingdom having dominion under the whole heaven." He tells us of an empire whose laws shall be obeyed by "all rulers," so that in the fullest sense it answers to our modern idea of an Empire and of universal Imperial sway.

Dr Joseph A. Seiss. of America, a Presbyterian divine of wide repute, has written of this prophecy — "Here we hciYe a unique and unparalleled power and dominion. To what does it refer? What does it mean? How shall we identify it?

"The first point I make concerning it is that it is truly a visible material kingdom, an outward government, a tangible sovereignty and dominion over the earth. All the connections and terms of description show this. It ie called a kingdom. It fulfils all the functions and performs all the offices of a great political sovereignty. It falls on other governments, crushes them out of existence, and takes their place."

On another page he writes

"It is a true and proper kingdom. In it is concentrated all authority and power for our world. It is to dethrone, break in pieces, and cast out of the earth all usurpers, spoilers and resistcrs of its principles and authority. It is formed and consolidated into a holy and invincible commonwealth, by no powers of man, but by the invisible spirit of God. . . . It is to extend from sea to sea, and from the rivers to the ends of the land." But this idea is not confined to the Book of Daniel. Scripture from Genesis to Revelation is full of references to it. Indeed it is the burden of sacred prophecy to predict this final system of government that is to prevail among men.

It is not possible in the limits of this paper to produce all the passages in support of this statement. To do so would require us to begin as far back as the promise made to the renowned Abraham where in Genesis xii, 2, 3, the words occur —

"And I will make of thee a threat nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great, and thou shalt be a blessing : '"And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee ; and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."

This would have to be followed up by many quotations which read like this : — "Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him" (Gen. xviii, 18). "Thy seed Khali possess the gate of his enemies" (xxii, 17). " Let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them" (xxiv. 60). "Let people serve thee and nations bow down to thee" (xxvii, 29). "And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west and to the east, and to the north and to the south ; and in thee and thy seed shall families of the earth be blessed" (xxviii, 14).

These words of the Divine oracles clearly indicate the Divine purpose of establishing a nation of world-wide power. In the same manner were assurances given of the continuation of the royal house or dynasty. For instance —

"Thy house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee ; thy throne shall be established for ever" (2 Sam. vii, 16) . "Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice, from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this" (Isaiah ix, 7). "He shall be sitat and shall be called the son of the Highest, and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end" (Luke ii, 32). "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, and He shall reign for ever and ever."

These are not a tithe of the references to the great nation which prophecy foretells as the coming power mat is to control the whole of the dominions on the face of the earth ; but they are enough to answer our question. According to them, we are warranted in asserting that sacred prophecy does prefigure a great and beneficent empire that is to extend its authority over the whole habitable world, dominating and blessing the race of man.

But, say some, "That is to be the Jews." We are not at the present moment engaged in determining who the race must ethnically be. If it must be the Jews we leave that point to the objector ; at present the objection is beside the question. Let us finish one point before we raise another. But our objector again urges, "We have been dealing with the characteristics and present-day state and condition of the Anglo-Saxon race as the colossal people of the age, and now you quote the prophetic forecast of the latter days of the Hebrew race to show that such an empire as that of the British is foretold in the Bible."

There may be some force in the objector's argument, but we are not disposed just now to deal with it particularly, but to point out that what has been contended for in these papers is that as the new century opens we find a race of men who, in spite of the intentions, and in opposition to the desires of their rulers, are rapidly taking possession of the extreme parts of the earth ; that they are acquiring new territory at the marvellous rate of more than an acre for every minute of the day ; that their commercial undertakings far surpass those of any other people ; that their philanthropic operations, not only among their own, but among all races, are infinitely in excess of those of all the rest of the human race combined ; that their language, already spoken by many millions more than any other, bids fair to be in a few years a universal medium of human communication ; that for years they have held dominion of the seas, where their naval and commercial fleets far outstrip in power and number those owned by all other nations summed up together ; and that they are spreading peace and prosperity wherever they hoist their flag. They are blessing all nations of the earth. The special point

of this paper has simply ""** to show that such a nation h< I minent place in prophetic ScrlpiJi-, uo most assuredly the point has been *ivde good. The Anglo-Saxon has deve. :>jued into this marvellous people, and if whao ..he objector asserts bs true, that this is the* lot reserved for the Hebrew people, he* must deal as he can with the startling facts. Is it possible that after all the Anglo-Saxons have supplanted the Hebrews, or that they are, as some have contended, "the House of Jacob" ? The reader may decide for himself.