Page:Studies in the Scriptures - Series I - The Plan of the Ages (1909).djvu/258

 252 7*h.e Pfox of she Ages*

nezzar, wherein God gives permission tc rule, until the time for the setting up of Christ's kingdom, tc the four great em pires, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. (Dan. 2: 37-43.) This shows where this lease of the dominion will end. As we now glance at these prophetic views, let us remem- ber that they begin with Babylon at the time of the over- throw of the kingdom of Israel, the typical kingdom of the Lord.

NEBUCHADNEZZAR'S VISION OF EARTH'S GOVERNMENTS.

Among those things "written aforetime for our edifica- tion,* * that we, who are commanded to be subject to the powers that be, might through patience and comfort of the Scriptures have hope (Rom. 15 ; 4; 13 : i), is the dream of Nebuchadnezzar and its divine interpretation through the prophet Dan. 2 s 31-45.

Daniel explained the dream, saying = "Thou, O King, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, his leg? of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay, Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to 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 5 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-

"This is the dream, and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king. Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power.

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