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The Ten Toes
Dates are only approximate
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The vision of Daniel chapter two.
You know that the one head of gold represents the Babylonians – 606 to 538BC
that the two arms of silver represent the twin kingdoms of the Medes and Persians - 538 to 331BC
that the one belly and two thighs of brass represent the kingdom of Greece, from Alexander the Great to the division into the kings of the north and south, Syria and Egypt (Epiphanes and Ptolomy) - 331 to 168BC
but do you know what the two legs of iron represent?
Pagan and papal Rome.
Pagan emperors from 168BC to 538AD
and Catholic popes from 538AD to 1798
This puts the feet and the ten toes AFTER 1798 and therefore they cannot be the same as the ten horns of chapter seven of Daniel as so many seem to believe!
Those horns are described as existing BEFORE the rise of the papacy. They are in place before the "little horn" emerges from amongst them and proceeds to destroy three of them, while the toes come at the end of the world’s history.
Daniel 7:8
"I considered the [ten] horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things".
Then in verse 24 we are told,
"And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings".
Many good men in Seventh-day Adventist circles have proved that these ten "kings" or "horns" were the various powerful nations of Europe at the time of the rise of the papacy, and that she destroyed completely the Heruli in 493, the Vandals in 534, and the Ostrogoths in 538, leaving only seven from that time forward. Those who looked for the fulfillment of prophecy by the European Common Market (formerly the EEC) have failed to take this fact into account and have therefore been looking in the wrong place, and at a wrong number, for the result.
So what do the feet and ten toes of Nebuchadnezzar’s statue really show us? First, we must remember that while the statue is mainly composed of metals, in the region of the toes a new element is introduced – clay. This "clay", called "miry" or "dirty" clay in verse 43, is foreign to the rest of the prophetic scene. The metals represent the various nations dominant in the world from time to time, but this "clay" is different from, and worse than, them!
Reference is also made to the fact that just as iron and clay cannot mix, so the joint inhabitants of the feet and toes cannot mix either, although there will be an apparent season of unity for a time. Here we are given another clue. The "clay" is said to "mingle themselves [plural] with the seed of men", but not join to them. The answer lies in an acted parable given to Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 18:1-6
"The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause you to hear My words. Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.
"Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? says the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel".
Thus the "clay" indicates the presence of religions, but "miry" ones, ones that fit in with the nations of the world, although NOT part of them. It is symbolic of worldly religions which are composed of the same humanity as those who make up the political groups, but who behave in a different way because of their religious ideas. [See Jones' "Original Sunday Laws" para 2]. There is constant "tension" between the two, and a battle for the support of the populace because they each have a desire to rule the earth, and this "tension" will come to a head in the last days. The references say "they shall mingle themselves" but "they shall not cleave" etc.
The head of gold which was Babylon covered all the earth "wheresoever the children of men dwell". Verse 38. The arms of silver, and the kingdom of brass "bear rule over all the earth". Verse 39. So did the iron kingdoms. Each time a new nation took over the "world" expanded, but it was all the then known area which was being considered. So today, the feet and ten toes of iron and clay still cover the whole world, and as we often say, "It’s a small world" although it now encompasses the whole globe.
And they (both nations and religions) will continue to exist until the "stone" from outer space smashes them to pieces and they are blown away in the wind. That's the usual thought among Seventh-day Adventists. Except that it doesn't say that the stone comes from outer space! The Spirit of God does tell us in the vision that the "stone" comes from the mountain, the OTHER mountain which is sitting in the background of the picture. Then the stone "became a great mountain and filled the whole earth". Verse 35. Therefore, the vision ends with TWO mountains.
Daniel 2:44-45
"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 you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God has made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation of it sure".
It is from the mountain that the stone
is cut "without hands" by the Spirit of God. Then the
stone "fills" or inhabits the whole earth. Surely this
is a picture of the church of God? They alone will fill the new
earth and they are a "mountain" in God's sight. And it
is a portion of this mountain, "a stone", that does the
"destroying" of the nations and religions of the earth.
Jeremiah 31:23
"Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; As yet [or in the future] they shall use this speech [or saying] in the land of Judah and in the cities
thereof, when I shall bring again their captivity; 'The
LORD bless thee, O habitation of justice, and mountain of
holiness'."
Now that we have established that the "toes" are symbols of the religions of the world, let us look into the Revelation to see another explanation of them. Here we are told of another "ten horns" which sit on the head of the beast and who are to receive their short-lived "power" sometime in the future from the time discussed in the prophecy. They are called "kings" without "kingdoms"!
Revelation 17:12-14
"And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength to the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful".
These 10 horns, however, are still ALL there at the end of the world.
Revelation 17:15-17
"And he said to me, The waters which you saw, where the whore sits, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which you saw upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God has put in their hearts to fulfil His will, and to agree, and give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled".
The ten horns are separate from the "whore", (the Roman Catholic system), part of the "beast" (the nations of the world) and yet different from it. They are the "third" part of Babylon the Great. They are willing to give their power to the whore "until the words of God are fulfilled", when they shall take it back and "burn her with fire". "Horns" represent "powers" in Bible terminology. So they are "powers" in the worldly system, but not over it as the whore is, for she rides the back of the beast. Who are they?
We do not have to guess.
Letter 232, 1899, quoted in Vol. 7 Bible Commentary, page 983.
In the seventeenth of Revelation is foretold the destruction of all the churches [religions] who corrupt themselves by idolatrous devotion to the service of the papacy, those who have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. (Rev. 17:1-4 quoted).....
What is it that gives its kingdom to this power? Protestantism, a power [or one of the horns] which, while professing to have the temper and spirit of a lamb and to be allied to Heaven, speaks with the voice of a dragon. It is moved by a power from beneath.
And in the next paragraph of the Bible Commentary:-
Ms 24, 1891 quoted in Vol. 7, Bible Commentary, page 983.
[Rev. 17:13-14 quoted]. "These have one mind". There will be a universal bond of union, one great harmony [called elsewhere 'great Babylon'], a confederacy of Satan's forces. "And shall give their power and strength unto the beast". Thus is manifested the same arbitrary, oppressive power against religious liberty, freedom to worship God according to the dictates of the conscience, as was manifested by the papacy, when in the past it persecuted those who dared to refuse to conform with the religious rites and ceremonies of Romanism.
In the warfare to be waged in the last days there will be united, in opposition to God's people, all the corrupt powers that have apostatized from allegiance to the law of Jehovah. In this warfare the Sabbath of the fourth commandment will be the great point at issue; for in the Sabbath commandment the great Lawgiver identifies Himself as the Creator of the heaven and the earth.
Now it can be seen that the ten toes of Daniel 2 and the ten horns of Revelation 17 are one and the same. They represent the religions of the world joining with the states of the world in the last days and forming an image OF the first "beast", which in this case, includes the Roman Catholic system. (Always the "beast", the "living creature or animal", is a picture of the nations of the world, but sometimes the word "beast" also includes the "whore" who rides on its back, for when it is controlling the beast then it is one with it).
It is the religions of the world, including the professed Christian system, the Protestants, that we should see in this prophecy of the ten horns. And they "make war with the Lamb"! Verse 14. They are not part of His family. They are, as published in the Encyclopaedia Britannica, in order of size:-
Paganism, Islam, Hinduism, Confucianism, Protestantism, Buddhist, Eastern Catholicism (Russian and Greek), Shintoism, Taoism and Judaism.
And this is what we used to teach before the declension of the 1950's.
A present state:
Revelation 14 :8
"And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is
fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations
drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication......."
A future event:
Revelation 18:1-3
"And after these things I saw another angel come down from
heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his
glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon
the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of
devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every
unclean and hateful bird, for all nations have drunk of the wine
of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have
committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth
are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies".
GC.578.003
The prophecy of Revelation 13 declares that the power represented by the beast with lamblike horns shall cause "the earth and them which dwell therein" to worship the papacy -- there symbolized by the beast "like unto a leopard." The beast with two horns is also to say "to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast;" and, furthermore, it is to command all, "both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond," to receive the mark of the beast. Revelation 13:11-16. It has been shown that the United States is the power represented by the beast with lamblike horns, and that this prophecy will be fulfilled when the United States shall enforce Sunday observance, which Rome claims as the special acknowledgment of her supremacy.
But in this homage to the papacy the United States will not be alone. The influence of Rome in the countries that once acknowledged her dominion is still far from being destroyed. And prophecy foretells a restoration of her power. "I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast." Verse 3.
The infliction of the deadly wound points to the downfall of the papacy in 1798.
After this [when the lamb-like beast, the Protestant churches of the USA, restores it], says the prophet, "his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast."
Paul states plainly that the "man of sin" will continue until the second advent. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-8. To the very close of time he will carry forward the work of deception. And the revelator declares, also referring to the papacy: "All that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life." Revelation 13:8. In both the Old and the New World, the papacy will receive homage in the honor paid to the Sunday institution, that rests solely upon the authority of the Roman Church.
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