The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-07-16
PEOPLES PULPIT.
The Times of the
Centiles
Text, Jerusalem shall be
trodden down of the Gentiles,
until the times of the Genhles be
fulfilled" luke XXI, 24).

fulfilled" luke XXI, 24). |
ooO.-.-.-...-.-.-.-.- .-.~.-.-s-.-s".-."s-'".-.O
that Daniel, the Prophet, was brought
to the notice of the King, and by Di-
vine power not only rehearsed the
dream but explained tia dream of
much more interest to all Christians
than it possibly could have been to
NebuchadneZZar himself.
Many Of this audience doubtless re-
call the dream and its Interpretation,
yet we will briefly rehearse It, In his
dream ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS saw great
image Of wonderful height and grand
eur; its head was of gold, its breast
and arms of silver, it's belly and thighs
of iron mixed with clay. While it
stood erect, a stone was taken from
the mountain and hurled at the image,
striking it on the feet. Forthwith the
iron, the clay, the brass, the silver and
the gold were crushed to powder and
became as the chaff of a summers
threshing floor, and the wind carried
Daniel, the Prophet, explained the vi
sion thus: The head represented Neb-
uchadneZZarS own universal Empire,
Babylon. The breast and arms of sill
yer represented the kingdom which
would succeed his as a universal en-
pire; namely, the kingdom of the
Modes and Persians Upon the fall
OF MedO-Persia, the Grecian Empire
would become universal, to be succeed
ed in turn by the Roman Empire.
whose great strength was symboliZed
by the iron. This is the Empire which
ruled the world in the days of our
Lord. Thus we read that our Lord
was born at Bethlehem, whittier JO-
seph and Mary had gone at the COM
mand of Caesar-Augustus, the Roman
Emperor, who sent forth decree that
all the world should be taxed The
civil Roman Empire lasted for several
centuries after Christ, and was fol-
lowed by the ecclesiastical Roman EN-
pire, Of which the popes at Rome were
the representative heads. This EN-
pire, partly civil and partly ecclesi-
astical, was represented by the mix
ture of the iron, representing civil
power, and the clay, representing pa
pal religious power; and this phase of
Daniels image still exists in the king
doms of Europe as represented in the
ten toes Of the image which stand for
the divisions of the territory of the old
Roman Empire in Europe.
Daniels View of the Matter.
When God subsequently gave his
servant, the Prophet Daniel, vision
Of these same Gentle governments
that would bear universal sway over
the earth from the time of the removal
of the diadem from Zedekiah until the
establishment Of Messiah's Millennial
Kingdom, the picture was a different
one. Instead Of a glorious image of
towering height and splendor. Daniel
saw four great, terrible wild beasts.
The first, like a lion, correspondent to
the head Of gold of the image-repre-
senting Babylon. The second. like a
bear corresponded to the breast and
arms of silver in the image, and rep
resented Medo-Persia. The third, like
a leopard, corresponded to the brass
Of the image, and represented Grecia
The fourth beast, great and terrible,
found nothing in the animal kingdom
to represent it. 1t correspondent to the
legs of iron, which represented the
Roman Empire; while the ten horns of
the latter beast corresponded to the
ten toes of the image. representing
papal Rome and the present subdivi-
sions Of imperial Europe. The differ
ence between these two visions rep
resents how differently present insti-
buttons, the kingdoms of this world,
are viewed from the human stand
point and from the divine standpoint
From the worldly standpoint and es-
timation, the kingdoms of the past
have been majestic, grand; from the
standpoint Of God, and those who. have
his Spirit, they have been beastly.
The sequel to both of these dreams
showed the overthrow of the earthly
governments by the heavenly govern
ment. AS it is written, I'm the days
of these kings shall the God of heaven
set up Kingdom, and it shall break in
pieces and consume all of these king
dOms, and it shall stand forever" The
Kingdom Of God was pictured in the
stone which smote the image on it's
feet. That stone prefigured Christ and
the Church, and shows that it will be
the power of God through the Church
that will ultimately work the wreck
Of all earthly governments. Do not
misunderstood me; nothing in the
Word of God teaches anarchy, or au-
thorizes Gods people to fight with car.
nal weapons; rather they are exhorted
to seek first the Kingdom of God and
it's righteousness, and to leave all else
to the Lord, assured of his willingness
to make all things work together for
their good.
AS Christ in the flesh lifted neither
hand nor tongue to smite the earthly
Empire, nor opposed Caesar and his
representative, PLATE, so his followers
are to raise no opposition to the pow
ers that be, but are strictly enjoined to
''be subject to them" and to recognize
that they are ordained of God. 1t will
be after the Qualification of the Church
with her Lord that inyiSiblv to man.