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THE REVIEW AND HERALD.
earth,” will find all these promises fulfilled. They
declared plainly, “that they sought a country, a
better country, even a heavenly, wherefore God is
not ashamed to be called their God, and hath pre-
pared for them a city.” In that new earth they
will have it. There the promise to Abraham, that
tie shall be heir of the world, will be fulfilled to
him, nd to all who are his seed through the right-
eousness of faith. There the father of the faithful
will forever inherit the Canaan in which he has
ig yet possessed a place on which to set his
t
V. I believe that the Bible places a great amount
of clear and striking evidence before us, that the
accomplishment of all these great and mighty
things is near, even at the doors,
This evidence lies before my own mind in the
following form :
I find that the prophecies of Daniel were given
with the plain design, as it seems to me, of setting
forth a connected ‘chain of events from a given pe-
riod to the end of this world, and the setting up of
Christ’s eternal kingdom of glory. This chain of
events is first given us in Daniel's interpretation of
Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. Dan, ii. He saw an im-
with head of gold, breast and arms of silver,
belly and thighs of brass, legs of iron, and feet part
of iron and part of clay with the ten toes. This
vision was made known to Daniel by that God in
heaven who revealeth secrets. The head of gold,
was the Babylonian or Chaldean kingdom; the
breast and arms of silver, was another inferior king-
dom that should arise after the first; the belly and
thighs of brass, another third kingdom that should
bear rule over all the earth. Then a fourth king-
dom should arise, as strong as irom, to break mn
ion; in which were placed before him a lion, a
bear, a leopard, and a fourth beast dreadful and
terrible, with great iron teeth, and ten horns, three
of which were at length plucked, and their place
occupied by a single horn, having eyes like a man,
and a mouth speaking great things. Then the
thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of Days
did sit, with garment white as snow, and hair like
pure wool, and throne like fiery flame, and wheels
as burning fire; a fiery stream issuing from before
him ;~the beast was slain at length, and his body
destroyed and given to the burning flame ; when
one, hike the Son of man, came, to whom was giv-
en dominion and glory and a kingdom; an ever-
lasting dominion that should not pass away, and
a kingdom not to be destroyed—with whom the
saints of the Most High should take the kingdom,
and possess the kingdom, forever even forever and
ever. Daniel was then told that these great beasts
were four kings (or kingdoms) which should arise
out of the earth previous to the establishment of
the kingdom of God. We have, therefore, before
us, in Daniel's vision, the same chain of events, 2s
in the vision of Nebuchadnezzar, with some addi-
tional particulars respecting the fourth or Roman
kingdom. The figure is now ten horns of a beast,
instead of ten toes of an image. The representa-
tions are parallel to this point, Now Daniel saw
three horns or kingdoms, into which the Roman
kingdom had been divided, giving place to a single
horn or kingdom, that should speak great words
against the Most High, and wear out the saints of
the Most High, and have them given into his hand,
until time, times, and the dividing of time; when
the judgment should sit, and his dominion be taken
away; and the kingdom and the dominion, and
pieces and bruise; to be at length, in a state of
partial weakness, in a condition represented by ten
toes; i. e., divided into ten portions, or kingdoms :
“ And in the days of these kings (or kingdoms)
shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom that
ghall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall
not be left to other people, hui it shall break in
pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and shall
stand forever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the
stone was cut out of the mountain without hands,
and that it break 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: and the dream is certain, and the
Interpretation thereof sure.” That this was a chain
of events reaching from Nebuchadnezzar to the end
of all worldly kingdoms, and the setting up of
God's everlasting kingdom, seems to my mind as
plain as a sunbeam ; and equally plain to my mind
is the fact, that these events hove all transpired, in
the exact order laid down in the prophecy, except
the last; and that, consequently, all that we have
now future, as predicted in this prophecy, is that
the stone, cut out of the mountain without hands,
grind the kingdoms of this* world to powder, that
they may be blown away as chaff; and become it-
self a great mountain, and fill the whole earth.—
The Chaldean kingdom, which was the first, the
Medo-Persian kingdom, which was the second, the
Macedonian or Grecian kingdom, which was the
third, and the Roman kingdom, which was the
fourth, have all arisen and long since passed away,
with the exception of the last form of the fourth or
Roman kingdom, which was to continue in the
condition represented by the ten toes, until the set-
ting up of the everlasting kingdom of God. For,
“In the days of these kings (or kingdoms) shall
the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall
never be destroyed.” This last form of the Ro-
man kingdom, as all know, or may learn from his-
tory, has now been in existence more than thirteen
hundred and sixty years; and yet in the days of
these kingdoms will the God of heaven set up his
kingdom, which shall never be destroyed. The
toes of that great image have already existed in
their dissevered state longer than the whole image
before them, and the evidence to my mind is forci-
ble, that. they must soon become powder, under the
stone cut from the mountain without hands, and be
own away ; giving place to God's ki
shall never be Sontrs od @s kingdom that
In the first year of Belshazzar, Daniel had a vis-
the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heav-
en be given to the people of the saints of the Most
High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and whom all dominions shall serve and obey. —
This, Daniel said, should be the end of the matter.
Now that this chain of events, with all these ad-
ditional particulars respecting the fourth beast,
have had a literal fulfillment, except the giving of
thre kingdom to the saints, there is not in my mind
one shadow of a doubt, Three Roman kingdems
wera subverted, according to the representation of
three horns plucked up; and upon their founda-
tion was established the papal pewer,—the horn
that had eyes, and a month speaking great things;
and he has worn out the saints of the Most High,
and had them in his hand during time, times, and
the dividing of time.
I believe that the Herulian, the Vandalian, and
the Ostrogothic, three of the original Roman king-
doms, were subverted, and that then, by decree of
Justinian, the Bishop of Rome became head of all
the churches, in the year 538. This was the com-
mencement of papal power, and since that time
the pope has worn out the saints of the Most High,
and had them in his hand, until, according to the
Religious Encyclopedia, “it has been computed
that fifty millions have suffered martyrdom by his
authority.” I believe that the time, times, and di-
viding of time, should be reckoned, as a year, two
years, and a half year, making 1260 days, reckon-
ing 12 months in a year, and 30 days in a month;
arf that each of these days was designed to. de-
note a year; so that time, times, and the dividing
of time includes 1260 years, From 538, when
the power of the pope commenced by decree of
Justinian, 1260 years would terminate in 1798.—
I believe that in February of that year the pope was
taken prisoner by Berthier the commander of a
French army, and carried captive into France,
where he died ; that that, therefore, was the ter-
mination of the time, times, and dividing of time.
Since that time there has been an attempted resus-
citation of papal power; but the saints have nev-
or since that time been in the hands of that power,
—but protestantism, contrary to the will of the
pope, has been tolerated in all the kingdoms over
which he formerly had sway.
I believe, therefore, that this vision of Daniel
was designed to set forth a connected chain of
events, from the time of Belshazzar, to the final
end of all worldly kingdoms, and the full establish-
ment of the everlasting kingdom of God, and that
this chain of predictions has had an unbroken ful-
fillment, with the single exception of the coming
of the Son of man with the clouds of heaven, to
take his everlasting dominion and glory and king-
dom, giving the body of the beast to the burning
flame. 1 believe, therefore, that all we have now
to look for, is this one mighty event, that shall
make that chain of predictions complete. And
hence, I believe that it is near, even at the deors.
By their fruits ye shall know them.
Turse were the words of our Saviour te hig disci-
ples, warning them to beware of false prophets which
should come to them in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly
were ravening wolves. It places in our hands at once
a criterion by which we may try the doctrines of men
to see of what manner of spirit they are. By this
each false theory becomes its own detecter. By their
fruits ye shall know them, is the immutable decree of
Heaven, and men cannot evade it. Grapes will not
grow on thorns, nor figs on thistles; the fruits will
speak for themselves and no artifice of man can make
them lie.
If there ever was an age of the world in wich peo-
ple had need to make use of this criterion and search
for truth as for hid treasures, it seems to be the
present, when we are assailed on all sides by the su-
perstitions of men, seducing spirits and doctrines of
devils. To illustrate our subject we introduce a spe-
cimen of the fruits of spiritualism. It is am extract
from an article in the Spiritual Telegraph for Aug.
13th, 1853, entitled, Wrestling with a Spirit. It
says —
“At another time several friends had come together
to witness the strange power thal seemed to be at.
work at the house of Brother J. A. While the rap-
ping was going on, one of the company denounced the
whole thing, said he did not believe if was Spirits, or
if it was, they could not rap and move tables, ete.—
And he defied and dared the Spirits, saying he could
throw down or whip any Spirit. The Doctor then
inquired of the Spirit that was rapping at the time if
he could wrestle; he said he could. The Spirit was
then asked if he was willing to wrestle and show fight
with that gentleman ; he said he was. The brave
man then told the Spirit to follow him out into the
yard, and started ; all the circle rising from the table,
when it commenced moving toward the man, rose
frem the floor and hit him several hard blows before
he reached the door, which hastened his steps ; and
a3 he passed out, the table, or rather stand, was
thrown at him, only missing him a little, striking the
door facing about midway, denting and scarring the
facing, bursting off the top of the stand, breaking the
legs, splitting the upright post, leaving indentations
as though bullets and shot had been fired into it, the
medium not touching it, only following close after,
and out into the yard, where the spirt-fighter had
arrived unhurt. ’
But now commenced a new struggle: he began
striking, jumping as though he was contending with
flesh and blood, manifesting all the signs of deter-
mined bravery, and to fight it out to the last. He
was several times thrown hard on the ground, then
struggled and re-gained his feet, and down he would
come again. This mode of testing the invisibles con-
tinued until the Spirit's adversary was sorely wound-
ed, and worried out of breath and physical strength.
He finally re-gained his foot-hold and made a hasty
retreat into the house up a flight of stairs, taking to
himself & private room, closing the door after him,
‘declaring that he never wanted to fight Spirits.any
more, and that if they let him alone he would let
them alone; the Spirit not pursuing a flecing foe, for
I presume they are too noble for that. Thus ended
the contest between a man in the flesh and one out of
it.”
By this we are reminded of an occurrence which
took place in the days of the apostles, recorded in
Acts xix, 13—16. “Then certain of the vagabond
Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them
which had evil spirits, the name of the Lord Jesus
saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.
And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and
chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit
answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know ;
but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil .
spirit was, leaped on them, and over-came them, and
prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that
house naked and ounded.”
It is universally admitted that like agents produce
like results; hence, like spirits will do like works;